Comfort Food

I was emailing with my usual set of ladies yesterday and one brought up chicken and noodles. Holy shit....I haven't had those in forever. I used to waitress at a diner that was straight up comfort food. I guess there was a reason I put on about twenty pounds the nine months I worked there. They had chicken and noodles on their menu and it was amazing, like total foodgasm. I looked up a recipe and made it more point friendly, and yes, I used the crockpot. :)

Chicken And Noodles

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans rf cream of chicken soup
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 package Reames (or other brand) Homestyle egg noodles

Directions:

Rinse chicken breasts and cut into chunks. Coat lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (optional). Place in slow cooker.
Combine soups and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 8 hours. Two hours before serving add package of frozen noodles. Turn to high and stir occasionally.

The Verdict: DELISH! Probably not the most point-friendly dinner, but hey, it tasted good. I served over mashed potatoes (I know...starches like whoa) and green beans. I was full just after a few bites. It is also Mr. Whoa approved. I made him up a tub for leftovers and I'll be freezing the rest.

Oh yeah....I worked out too. I ran. I usually do a walk/run combo, but yesterday I ran most of it. I felt amazing, even tho I thought my calves were going to burst into flames. I did the bike after a little over 20 minutes of the dredmill and BAM:

522 calories down. Which leaves 8647 left to reach my calorie goal by the end of the month. Thats a little less than 400 calories a day. Impossible? No. Likely going to happen? Probably not, but hey, its something to aim towards.

Anyone take classes at their gym? Favorites? Ones you'd never step foot in again?

Gym on a Friday? Don't mind if I do.

Some people are working for the weekend, and honestly its no BFD to me because I bartend on Saturdays. So my weekend is usually Sunday. I had my gym bag packed and ready to go when I headed to work on Friday morning, and by the time 3pm rolled around I was thinking of a million excuses not to hit the gym. The gym is on my way home, so I really have no excuse not to go. I rode the bike for half and hour and did a walk/run combo for 20 minutes. I have a stack of about thirty magazines I need to read from this past year, so I love the bike because I can get caught up on those, even tho it isn't a huge calorie torcher. I even have a stack of Marie Claire, which I am avoiding like the plague due to a couple of their recent articles that aren't "fat friendly."

BUT.....You know the awesome thing about the gym on a Friday? It's a freaking ghost town. JaJo doesn't have to wait for machines, has control over what stations the tv is on, and no lurkers. :D

Well...that helps with the two cheddar bay biscuits I had for lunch :)

My goals are still going fairly well!
1. No fast food: Still going stong, even tho I want a freaking McRib!
2. No soda: I had a squirt on Saturday at work because my tummy was rumbly, but other than that its been water and iced tea.
3. Financially fit: I've paid off 3 cards, and very close to my 4th. I have to pay off my mattress by the 21st of this month in order for the no interest to be applied. If I would have paid more than my minimum payment the past year in a half I could have had this sucker paid off by now. With my extra money bartending and getting paid three times last month I should be a-ok.
4. One new recipe a week: French Dips were a success, buffalo chicken pasta was a success. I'm still looking at receipes for dinner tonight...so many yummy options out there!
5. Activity 1x/week. Like I said last time it may not sound like much, but I know its a goal I can reach. When I can't, I just get frustrated and just want to hide under my bed with a bottle of Jack Daniels. 831 calories down, 9169 to go!
6. New goal: Watch my phone use. I am addicted to my phone, especially since I got a new Android phone. I text my friends all through out the day, and I'm really bad when I'm out with people. So for my friends and family sake, I'm going to work on not being "connected" all of the time. I could relate to this commercial, and I feel like an asshole.

Have a great week everyone!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta!

This is actually my 2nd new recipe, but officially its my first since announcing my new part of the challenge. I love my crockpot, like to the point of wanting to dry hump the inventor. Some people think its not real cooking since you throw a bunch of shit in a pot and heat it up, but hell, it tastes good and its easy. Mrs. Whoa likes easy.

MMMM.....I strategically did not take a picture of the garlic cheese bread ;-) Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
4 Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Franks hot wing sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp melted light margarine
1/8 tsp celery seeds
black pepper to taste
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Creamy Herb and Garlic
4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Combine the wing sauce, vinegar, margarine, celery seeds and black pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for about 6 hours ( Mine actually cooks much faster than this but it probably depends on your crock pot). When chicken is cooked, cut it up into small pieces and add the 4 wedges of cheese, stirring until melted. Cover and let it cook for awhile longer, just to let the cheese mix in well. Serve over hot cooked pasta. Smash.
Makes 4 servings at 8 points each.

The Verdict: Super yum! I did not use whole wheat pasta (sue me). I'm trying this thing where I grocery shop in my own cupboard because I'm tired of food going to waste. I had little bow tie pastas, and they are much cuter than the whole wheat stuff anyway. I also didn't use celery seeds because I didn't have them. Very tasty and the chicken shredded very nicely. Super easy....next time I might make wraps.

Oh yeah....I worked out last night too. I had my gym back packed before work and all I wanted to do was freaking nap. I still went telling myself the last I could do is 20-30 minutes.

I walked/ran on the dredmil for 20 minutes, biked for 15 minutes, and did the stair climber for 10 minutes. So 463 calories down, 9537 to go.

Weekend goal: Work out at least one time. It may not seem like much, but working at a bar all weekend the last thing I want to do it work out and eat well. :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Halloween is over, but whats one more scare?

I had been putting off my monthly weigh in for a couple weeks and I finally just bit the bullet. In a month in a half I gained two pounds. After the way I had been eating and my lack of exercise I considered that a scale victory. I was a little bummed tho since I was close to 10 pounds. I hate that its taken me so long to lose 7-10 pounds, but I haven't been trying as hard as I should.

So...here comes the scary part. I took pictures. I figured I would take them after I showered last week. You know how in those commercials the before picture is someone washed out looking with their hair or make up not done, and the after is all tan and dolled up? I figured I would try the same thing. So here goes....don't say I didn't warn you.

If I could just have FUPA lipo....I'd be happier than a pig in shit.

Annnnnnnnnd there is a side view for ya.

So yeah....seeing pictures semi-nakie is a real opener. I also decided to take my measurements too.

Neck: 16 Chest: 40 Waist: 42 Hips: 45 L. Calf: 16 R. Calf: 16 L. Arm: 16 R. Arm: 16

So if that wasn't motivating, I don't know what is. I actually went to the gym on Thursday....somewhere I haven't been in a LONG time. It felt great after I was done, just getting there is the hard part. I walk/jogged a mile, lifted some weights, and I rode the bike.

Wooooo.....425 calories down.

I still haven't had fast food, have had only one or two more sodas since last month, and I'm still chipping away at my credit card debt. I am trying to add exercise back in. I'd love to hit my 10,000 calorie/month goal at some point, but getting in any activity is what I'm aiming for.

My new challenge is going to be trying a new recipe each week. It can be low cal or heart attack on a plate, but I just need to start cooking more. I made homemade french dips last week, and they were FAB.

So here is to a new month, a month full of challenges with delicious food.