just look up

Today was a weigh in day...now, I am still losing the weight I gained over the holidays...but I am still moving forward! I told you I gained 12 pounds and as of this morning I have lost 5 of those pounds bringing my weight to 145.8 pounds.

With that said, I saw this quote and knew it was a perfect fit for today's post. I need to look up...not behind at my mistakes, or the future. Looking up puts me in the proper perspective.

Breakfast
Made a mocha shake with about a teaspoon of instant coffee added to it.

Morning Snack
A couple hours later my stomach started to rumble and I made a chai latte. Totally hit the spot.

Lunch
I am out of my normal salad ingredients, so I made an omelet which included egg beaters, cottage cheese, light cheese, spinach, and kale. It looks ugly, but tasted amazing!

Afternoon Snack
Lunch kept me quite full but I was still feeling a bit munchy and had some brown sugar and cinnamon cereal crunch.

Dinner
For dinner I made a mock java chip frappuccino. Added some instant coffee to a chocolate chip cookie soft bake packet and blended it all together with water and crushed ice.

Dessert
Took dessert with me on the go today. I just cut up a cinnamon roll crunch bar and ate it during church.

So...I kept today's post short and sweet because I didn't want to overshadow the profound quote. Think about it today and just look up!

xoxo,
Toni

cheesy spinach and kale dip

I love spinach artichoke dip. Well, loved it. I know that I cannot have artichokes so I substituted them with kale. I promise...you won't even notice a difference. This dip is going to rock your world.

Step One
Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You will need:

1/4 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup of chopped kale
4.5 oz 1% cottage cheese
1/4 tsp Mrs dash garlic and herb seasoning
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tbsp light butter
1/2 cup of celery or pepper strips

Step Two
Combine all ingredients in a bowl except parmesan cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.

Step Three
Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray and bake for 40 min.

Step Four
Sprinkle cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Step Five
Allow it to cool a bit, and dip some celery or peppers in it and enjoy!

This entire recipe counts for one lean and green meal.

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-eight...temptations and diet soda

I lived on diet soda today. I know it is terrible for me, but I was just having one of those days. Early this morning, I had some friends come over and we started making some paper tassles to use as decorations for a missions day we are having at our church. But while we were making them, they snacked on some delicious goodies while I was good and stuck to my own meals.

It was hard. I don't know what it was about today, but it was hard all day. I wanted to eat, but thankfully my spirit was stronger than my flesh and I was able to restrain. But...I also drank my fair share of diet ginger ale as well. I know, I know...diet sodas are terrible for me, but I think it better for me to drink those than eat something that would set me back, right?

But anyways...I did manage to keep myself busy and in the process created a new recipe as well. I will post it soon, of course. :)

Breakfast
As I mentioned earlier, I had some friends come over this morning and while they snacked on some pumpkin bread, I had a cookie dough chewy bar. To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of it, but when I dipped it in some coffee, it was quite delicious. The hot coffee melted the bar a little bit and created a delicious treat.

Morning Snack
After the girls left, I started working on some freelance work while snacking on some chili nacho cheese puffs. Along with my first diet ginger ale of the day.

Lunch
For lunch I had an eggnog vanilla shake. I know I had one yesterday, but I just couldn't resist...needed to have another one today. :)

Afternoon Snack
Here is where I got creative and made a new recipe. I made a cheesy spinach and kale dip and used celery as a means to dip...rather than the usual chips. And...I also paired it with my second diet ginger ale.

Dinner
I had dessert for dinner...a brownie soft bake to be exact. The dip kept me quite full so this small snack was perfect. And for some reason, the brownie was really good tonight...almost tasted like a "real" brownie. Oh...and I had my third and final diet ginger ale of the night.

Dessert
To end the night I sipped on a coffee milkshake. It was a lovely end to the day. Despite my overwhelming urge to eat, I made it through and ended with a frozen treat.

So, overall the day went okay. Sure, I was tempted, but it was good to know that my spirit is becoming stronger than my flesh. God won and satan lost. What, what! Victory!

Alright...I am still sick so...good night! ;)

xoxo,
Toni

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Before you exit out of this post because you despise cauliflower, here me out. First of all, this pizza has no taste of cauliflower...it is completely drowned out by the gooey cheese and smooth marinara sauce. Trust me...this is the best alternative to pizza you will ever eat. Convinced yet? Well, let's get started then.

Step One
Gather your ingredients. You will need:

Crust:
3/4 cup of grated raw cauliflower

1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 cup of light mozzarella cheese or any other kind of light cheese

Toppings:

1/4 cup light Mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup of marinara sauce

5 spinach leaves

5 basil leaves

5 slices of a roma tomato

Step Two

Using a food processor, process the cauliflower so it looks similar to rice.

Step Three

Measure out 3/4 cup and place on a paper towel and dab the cauliflower to try and get all the moisture out. You want it as dry as possible.

Step Four

Add the egg beaters and 1/2 cup of the cheese to the cauliflower and mix thoroughly.

 

Step Five

Place the cauliflower mixture onto a pizza pan or cast iron pan and make it as flat as possible. I would suggest also using parchment paper, if possible. It makes the flipping process more easy.

Step Six

Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Carefully flip the pizza crust over by using a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the pan or parchment paper first. Then bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are really brown and crisp. Mine came out a tad burnt, which is totally fine...it tasted quite good actually.

Step Seven

Add all the toppings to the pizza. Feel free to switch it up and add your favorite toppings. I added light Mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, spinach leaves, basil leaves, and slices of tomato.

Step Eight

Switch your oven from bake to broil and stick the pizza back in for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Step Nine

Slice it up into eight pieces and enjoy your tasty pizza creation! Oh, did I mention you get to eat this entire pizza?! Is like your own personal pizza...all for you to devour.

I sure enjoyed mine! Down to the very last bite.

Medifast Lean and Green Breakdown:
Lean: 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (1/8 Lean), 3/4 cup of light cheese (7/8 Lean)
Green: 3/4 cup Grated Raw Cauliflower (1 1/2 Greens), 1/3 cup of marinara sauce (3/4 green), spinach and basil and tomato (3/4 green)
Healthy Fat: none...no need for it

xoxo,

Toni