Baby Kiwi's - Awww so cute, so good!

I was at Sprouts market yesterday picking up my usual healthy fare when a display of small containers caught my eye.  Little, Baby Kiwi's or "Kiwi Berries" as the package was advertising. 

Awww, it's a boy...It's a girl...It's a Kiwi?

I have never seen these before so naturally I just had to give them a try.  My son, Jaymie, is a vegetarian so I thought I would bring these little darlings home for him to try.

Wikipedia Definition: The fruit are referred to as Hardy kiwifruit, kiwi berry, arctic kiwi, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi or cocktail kiwi and are edible, berry or grape-sized fruit similar to kiwifruit in taste and appearance, but are green or purple with smooth skin. Often sweeter than the kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruit can be eaten whole and need not be peeled. Thin-walled, its exterior is smooth and leathery.

Size Comparison

Good things come in small packages - I found the tiny kiwi's to be nice and sweet.  I only ate 1 kiwi since I am not eating sugar at the moment.  I think these little gems would be perfect in a salad since you don't have to peel them.

FABULICIOUS!

Week 2, Day 7 - Jorge Cruise's "The Belly Fat Cure - Fast Track"

Yippee!  It has been 2 weeks since I started Jorge Cruise's "The Belly Fat Cure - Fast Track"

I ran again today and finished up week 2 of the Couch to 5k program I am doing.  I am feeling very exhausted.  I had to take a little rest today, but I am feeling much better now.

I tend not to sleep in a lot but I did get 7.5 hours of sleep.  Nice!

I made a very nice Belly Good Pizza last night.  Ever since I stumbles upon Jorge Cruise's Belly fat Cure, I have been obsessed with finding different ways to eat gluten free / grain free foods.  Finding Jorge's Skinny Muffin was like opening a whole new door to eating healthy for me.

I played around with Almond & Flax meal and this is what I came up with:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Almond Meal
• 1 cup Flax Meal
• 1 Large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tbs Olive Oil
• Water - small amount as needed.  (Dough should be firm and a bit crumbly).
• 1/4 cup Low Sugar Tomato sauce (your favorite brand)
• Granulated Garlic
• Grated Parmesan
• Shredded Cheese (your choice of favorites, mix it up)
• Sliced vegetables: Bell Peppers, Onion, Mushrooms, Jalapenos, Olives, Meats, etc

Belly Good Pizza







 DIRECTIONS:

• Press this dough into a lightly oiled cookie sheet
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until slightly golden
• Add your low sugar sauce as needed
• Sprinkle a bit of Granulated Garlic on top of sauce
• Sprinkle a bit of Grated Parmesan
• Add Toppings - Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions, Jalapenos, Onion, Meats (if desired)
• Add Shredded Cheese of your choice
• Bake again at 350 degrees until cheese is golden and bubbly!

Mmm Good!  Makes 4 servings,

MEALS:
Meal #1: Jorge Cruise's Skinny Muffin with Blueberries, coffee with sugar free creamer
Snack: No Snack
Meal #2: 2 servings of Belly Good Veggie Pizza
Snack: 4 ozs grilled Top Sirloin Steak
Meal #3:

WATER: 9 glasses

Week 2, Day 6 - Jorge Cruise's "The Belly Fat Cure - Fast Track"

Today was another great day. I gave my body a rest because it was a bit achy from all of the running yesterday. I felt weird not working out, but I am trying to listen to my body more. I will be running again tomorrow morning as I finish up week 2 of the Couch to 5k program I am doing.

I got a bit more sleep as well, it was nice.

I seem to be losing fat in odd places. I can see that my arms are smaller and my back is smaller, etc. I have not been weight training , yet I can see more definition on my shoulders, etc.


MEALS:
Meal #1: Jorge Cruise's Skinny Muffin with Blueberries, coffee with sugar free creamer
Snack: No Snack
Meal #2: 2 servings of Shrimp Campechana (shrimp, abalone, tomato, cilantro, avocado, hot sauce, lime juice)
Snack: 1 small pkg. of Trader Joe's "Just a handful of cashews", 1 Tbs of shredded cheese
Meal #3: 2 servings of my Belly Good Almond Meal Crust Pizza (almond flour, egg, olive oil, 2 Tbs low sugar sauce, bell peppers, mushrooms, tiny bit of onion, cheese.)., 1 square of Ghiradelli 86% Cacao (1/4 of a serving)

WATER: 9 glasses

Low Carb - Low Sugar - Pepper & Asparagus Beef

Pepper & Asparagus Beef

I am trying out new ways to stay low carb, low sugar.  Jorge Cruise mentions that bell peppers and Asparagus are super carb foods so I used those and some very lean beef sirloin to create a tasty and healthy dish.

Pepper & Asparagus Beef
(makes 3 - 4 generous servings)

Ingredients:
1 Bell Pepper (or more)
1 Bunch of Asparagus
2 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil (a few Tbs as needed)
6 - 8 ozs of lean, beef sirloin
Salt & pepper to taste
Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Preparation:

• Slice bell peppers
• Cut asparagus into 1 1/2" pieces
• Slice beef into thin strips
• sprinkle with slat and pepper and set aside

Directions:

• Heat Olive Oil in pan
• Saute bell peppers and Asparagus in oil until they start to soften
• Season with salt and pepper
• Mince or use garlic press and add garlic to the peppers and asparagus
• Add sliced beef to pan and continue to saute until the meat just turns brown outside.  (I like my beef tender and a bit pink inside, if you like it more done, cook a bit longer).  Do not overcook or beef will get tough.
• Stir in a dash of Sriracha hot sauce or your favorite if desired.

So Good!

Week 1, Day 3 - Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure - Fast track

Ahhh, another day gone and I am doing well.  I actually find that if I keep busy I am not really hungry.  I know we are not supposed to count calories but I was shocked to find out that today I only had about 849 calories.  Here is my meal plan:

MEALS:
Meal #1: 9:00 am - 2 slices uncured bacon, 1 eggs, coffee with half & half , vanilla & stevia. (Probiotic taken 30 minnutes after this meal)
Snack: No snack
Meal #2:  2:30 pm - 4 oz of chicken, 2 cup of arugula, shredded parmesan cheese, olive oil , lemon & garlic dressing.  A few roasted peppers, 1/4 avocado (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Snack:  No snack
Meal #3: 4 oz grilled chicken breast, 2 cups cauliflower, hot sauce., 2 pats of butter. 2 tbs shredded parmesan cheese. (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Sugar: 5.7 gms
Carbs: 18g
Water: 9 glasses

Awesome workout this morning.  I did a new Interval Workout:

Warm Up for 5 minutes
First Intervals:  5 minutes
30 seconds on, 30 seconds rest.
Walk for 5 minutes
8 - 10 Intervals
45 seconds on, 2 minutes walking
Cool Down: 5 Minutes.

Week 1, day 2 - Jorge Cruise Fast Track

Hi,

So, I survived my first day, yesterday.  I kept myself super busy and was surprised that I was able to stay on track and not feel tired.  My mind did not have a lot of time to wander into the carb zone, lol.  I even bypassed my treat at night.  I estimated via Sparkpeople.com that I ate just over 1200 calories but the amazing thing was that in all of those calories only 7 grams were sugar and about 28 grams were carbs.  Amazing.  I will admit my fat grams were up higher that I am supposed to ingest but it was healthy fats except for the bit of butter I had with my dinner, but I will keep an eye on my fat intake and be more selective when it comes to eating it.

I do miss my morning Ezekiel Sprouted grain bread and my daily Banana (dear, sweet banana, you are dearly missed, sigh).

I know this is not forever but I am going to do this for at least 2 weeks and see how it goes.  I ordered Jorge Cruise's older book combo "The Belly Fat Cure & Carb & Sugar Counter"

I was interested in the first book as well because it will offer the option of having and counting carb servings and also has a lot of great recipes.  I am a carb & sugar lover so cutting both of those things out of my life would not be a lifelong option for me so learning how to manage these things would be great!

I didn't work out today and I feel badly about it, but I usually work out at school on Mondays & Wednesdays, but I woke up with an eye infection this morning and didn't want to infect my class so I stayed home.  I will get back on track with the workouts and try to work smarter, not harder.

MEALS:
Meal #1: 9:30 am - 2 slices uncured bacon, 1 eggs, coffee with half & half , vanilla & stevia. (Probiotic taken 30 minnutes after this meal)
Snack:    No snack
Meal #2:  1:00 pm - 3 oz of chicken, 1 cup of asparagus, shredded parmesan cheese, 1 pats of butter (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Snack:  1/2 oz cream cheese, 2 slices of reduced sodium, no nitrate turkey breast, 20 almonds
Meal #3: 12 large shrimp, 1 1/2 cup of brussels sprouts, hot sauce. (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Sugar: 8.1 gms
Carbs: 30.9
Water: 8 glasses

Week 1, Day 1 - So Far So Good!

Well, I am winding up my first day of Jorge Cruise's "The Belly Fat Cure - Fast Track"

I drank my coffee with half & half, a dash of vanilla extract & 1 bit of Stevia.  I must say it was quite good and made it easier to give up my sugar free, vanilla sweetener that I have been hooked on.

It has also been interesting not eating any grains.  I am a girl who loves her grains, especially my Ezekiel sprouted grain bread.  Hopefully i will be okay these next 2 weeks of the fast track program.  I am entering into night time which is when I usually have strong cravings for sweets and choxolate, but thankfully Jorge has made arrangements for that and allows me to have some dark chocolate.  I can even have red wine or a hot beverage if I like.  But I am really going to try and not indulge unless I really have to.

MEALS:
Meal #1:   9:30 am - 2 slices uncured bacon, 2 eggs, 1 slice of cheddar, coffee with half & half , vanilla & stevia.  (Probiotic taken 30 minnutes after this meal)
Snack:    11:30 am - 20 raw almonds
Meal #2:  2:30 pm - 3 oz of chicken, 1 1/2 cups of broccoli cooked in olive oil with fresh garlic.
Snack:  4:00 pm - 12 raw almonds, 1 Tsp Almond butter, 2 Tbs of shredded parmesan cheese. (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Meal #3: 9:00 pm - 4 oz chicken breast, asparagus, shredded parmesan cheese, 2 pats of butter (Probiotic taken 30 minutes after this meal)
Sugar: 7.0 gms
Carbs: 33.1
Water: 9 glasses

Trying Something New!

Well, I have been working out hard and trying to continue on with eating cleanly but I still feel like my metabolism is messed up.  I find myself sometimes not eating as many calories as I should and then not losing weight or inches.  This is very frustrating but I also know that in the long run this can also be detrimental to my fitness goals.

We constantly hear that "calories in calories out" is the key to weight/fat loss and that exercise can accelerate this process.  I do believe this is true but I am finding that in most weight loss programs they don't take into consideration our consumption of processed foods or hidden sugars. 

I am in menopause (yes at my age) and it has been a rough and bumpy road as I try to get my hormones under control.  I have had to ask myself, "what were you doing before that got you better results that you aren't doing now?".  Well the answer surprised me.  I have fallen into the trap that I can eat what I want as long as I don't go over my calculated caloric deficit and I work out hard.  Neither Weight Watchers or Sparkpeople.com really keeps track of what exactly one is eating, especially when it comes to sugar.

I have been working out so hard 6 days a week that I have been feeling tired and achy in my joints not my muscles.  I feel burned out not invigorated.  So what to do?

I did some research on the web & I happened to catch an episode of Dr. Oz where Jorge Cruise was a guest.  I found his new book "The Belly Fat Cure  - Fast Track".

It sounded like he was talking about ME!!!!!  He had the same beliefs I do and seemed to be on to something.  I also happened to visit my friend Doris' blog and by golly Doris was following Jorge herself and getting results!

I have enjoyed reading his book, I really do agree with all that he says and am going to put it to the test. 
I am starting his 2 week fast track eating plan today, so please check back to see how things are going!