This, that and the other...

Every once in a while I think of something I want to share with all of you. I keep all my thoughts/links/websites in a folder on my laptop so when I'm ready to post, they're all there in one place. So...here's a little of what I've been wanting to share. :)

1. I've been wanting to say that my dentist ROCKS! For real...who can say that, lol?! I went for my regular cleaning back in February and when my hygienist called me back, we chatted like we normally do and she had taken notice that I had lost a lot of weight..considering I hadn't seen her in 6 months, I had lost 90-something lbs. She started asking me how I lost it while she started cleaning my teeth. (Don't you love it when they ask you questions when your mouth is being poked and scraped, lol?!) About 4 or 5 minutes into my cleaning she asked if I had ever considered getting my teeth whitened. I told her that I had but that that it was expensive and that it wasn't really a priority. She agreed and understand and went about my cleaning. A few minutes later, she excused herself and said she had to go check on something. She came back and told me that before she did any more cleaning she was taking impressions of my teeth that day and they were going to whiten my teeth FOR FREE!!! She said that losing 100lbs deserved a reward! I was sooooooo touched! Such kindness! I really couldn't believe it but in all fairness, my dentist has been my dentist since I was a little girl and he really is an AWESOME person. And now...I have white teeth!! Thanks Dr. Bentley and Dr. Stevens!

2. I'm still marinading my chicken breasts on Saturday night and grilling them on Sundays, but I was looking for some more oil-free marinades. I found a few online and wanted to share. I've only tried the Honey-Mustard one and it is really good. Looking forward to trying a couple of the other ones as well. Here are the recipes and the links will also be posted under my recipes on the right side.

Basic Honey Barbecue

* 3/4 cup tomato ketchup
* 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
* 2 Tbsp honey
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1/4 tsp hot sauce (or more, to taste)

Combine all ingredients (except hot sauce) with wire whisk. Taste before adding hot sauce, and add gradually to ensure spiciness fits your personal taste. Marinate chicken.

---------------------------
Orange Ginger Marinade
* 1/4 cup unsweetened orange juice
* 2 Tbsp orange marmalade
* 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1/2 tsp grated ginger
* 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
* ½ tsp fresh black pepper
* 1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken.

--------------------------
Honey Mustard Marinade
* ½ cup Dijon mustard
* ½ cup white wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 2 Tbsp honey
* 1 clove garlic

Mince garlic and combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken.

--------------------------
Lemon Rosemary Marinade
* 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp water
* 1 Tbsp honey
* 2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
* 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 tsp dried thyme
* 1 tsp onion powder

Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken.
------------------------

3. I came across this site when I was Googling for something and I think it's very cool. You type in your zip code and select your price range and it'll search for restaurants in your area with healthy dining options. It even gives you all the nutritional information. Love that they do all the legwork for us. Neat, huh?

4. Anyone jump rope? I don't know what got into me but I just had an urge to go buy a jump rope...so I did, lol! I've done it a couple times since I bought it and it is a WORKOUT when u get going! *Whew!* I haven't jumped rope since I was young but my sister, cousin and a neighborhood girl or two and I used to fire up some mean double-dutch, lol! Fun times! Love that I can do it as an adult now.

5. I've also taken roller-blading (aka inline-skating) back up the last few weeks. Man, it is REALLY FUN! Roller-blading is another GREAT workout. I found this site that gives some great information. And just for fun, I have a little video of me roller-blading, lol! Can't see me 'cause I'm the one holding my cell phone, lol. :)

6. I've also continued walking and jogging a bit. This particular day I ran/walked in the cemetery. It was quiet and peaceful there. I really enjoyed it. In one of these videos, you can hear the chimes that sit on the hill of the cemetery. I like when they go off when I'm near the river. It's a change of pace from walking in the neighborhood.

First I jogged up the hill:


Then I did a fast walk along the river (can u hear the chimes?):



7. Came across this article (What's really in your fast food?) one day and found it interesting...not shocking at all, but interesting. ICK.

So there you have it. I have a couple of things sitting in that folder but they'll take a little more effort to write up, so I'll save it for another post.

Also wanted to say thanks for all your comments on my previous post!

And by the way...if you're the one who posted the comment (All I can say is WOW!!!! I mean I knew you were losing a lot of weight BUT WOW Nicole!! I ALWAYS thought you to be a VERY funny, beautiful girl anyway but you have out done yourself here. You look like a model and I am EXTREMELY proud of you my dear. Keep plugging away and this is the very first time I have seen a pic so it REALLY blew me away. Very happy for you.") under anonymous on this post, would love to know who you are. :)

A bit of food randomness...

Hi everyone! Over the past several weeks, I've been jotting down different food thoughts that I've wanted to share so I thought I'd throw them all into one random post, so here they are! Enjoy!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

► I'm trying a new recipe this week : *Crispy Fish Fingers. This is another Ellie Krieger recipe. I will be using halibut instead of flounder since I'm not a flounder lover. I tell ya, I can't get away from her or her recipes. I love how sensible they are and more than that, they're delicious and healthy! You can find her on The Food Network. I really love how the recipes have all the nutritional information included as well as reviews from everyday cooks that have tried her recipes. She also has a website and several cookbooks. *Recipe is now posted in my sidebar with the other recipes.

► Every Saturday, I make a double batch of marinade from the Teriyaki Chicken Thighs recipe (recipe in sidebar - FYI: I leave out the sherry since I never have it on hand and since I don't like a lot of heat, I also omit the red pepper flakes) and throw in 10-12 chicken breasts (thawed, trimmed of fat) and let it sit overnight in the fridge (I just use a 1 gallon Ziploc bag). On Sunday, I grill all of them and then keep them in the fridge for the week. I might grab one for lunch, make a sandwich, dice and put on a salad, slice and eat w/whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese or dip in Spicy Peanut Sauce etc. For me, I need to have food ready and accessible when I'm hungry, otherwise I start grazing, lol . Thanks to my nutritionist friend for this tip!

► I just realized a month or so ago that I have not eaten or bought cream cheese since July! This is a big deal to me because I always...and I mean always had cream cheese on hand. I'd have it to make cheese balls, dips, homemade veggie cream cheese for sandwiches etc. I love cream cheese but when I was cleaning out my refrigerator last week, I had a brick of it and realized it expired in September, lol. Goodbye saturated fat! I haven't even missed it!

► I also realized that I haven't bought a single pound of butter since July. I grew up on real butter so it was another staple that I had in my freezer. I'd always have 4 or 5 lbs at all times for baking. It's weird because I really can't stand butter in it's plain form. I've never liked it on bread, bagels, baked potatoes or anything like that. I don't like the greasy texture or taste. If I do use any kind of butter now, I use whipped, unsalted butter and it's very rare.

► When I find myself having a busy day, running errands or sometimes just too lazy to make lunch, I grab a Protein Plus PowerBar. They're packed with protein and are great on the run. I truly haven't come across one that I haven't liked. They all taste really good and none of them have that chalky taste that other brands do. You can find them at Sam's Club in a box of 16 (8 Vanilla Yogurt & 8 Chocolate Peanut Butter) for around $16.00 which is a really good price (and they're both really good). If you buy them individually at Wal-Mart, Kroger, Meijer, Target etc, they run anywhere from $2 - $3+ per bar which is really pricey if you ask me. But...to try new flavors, I've been guilty of paying that, lol. I've tried and liked Dark Chocolate Toffee Nut, Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Brownie & Dulce de Leche.

► I love turkey sausage! Have you tried it? When I bring it home, I cut it into 2 oz portions (I use a little 1 lb food scale for weighing) and keep the portions stored in a Ziploc bag. That way it's all ready to go when I want it. I thought I'd share a few brands that I've tried and liked.

- My favorite just happens to also be the lowest in sodium which is Hillshire Farm's Smoked Turkey Sausage.
- I also really like Butterball Smoked Turkey Dinner Sausage.
- Oscar Mayer's Smoked Turkey Sausage is also good.

I will also warn you that Kroger's own brand of turkey sausage is not good. The casing on it is so tough and chewy that I couldn't even cut it. Really icky.

►I love making protein smoothies for breakfast. My nutritionist friend told me to throw in a scoop of whey protein powder and recommended Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein. Not sure if it's available at every typical grocery store, but I have seen it at Kroger although it's less expensive at Wal-Mart ($14.68 for a 2lb container). My favorite flavor is strawberry! Chocolate is a close second. Vanilla is also good but I'm not a huge vanilla fan, so I stick with strawberry now. There's several other flavors that I haven't tried yet.

► My protein smoothie (serves 2 generously!) recipe: (I throw it all in my blender)

2 scoops protein powder
2 c. skim milk
2 c. frozen, unsweetened blueberries or unsweetened strawberries (or 1 c. of each)
1/2 c. non-fat, plain yogurt
1 large handful fresh baby spinach (optional, but I really like it and really can't tell it's there)
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed (also optional and a great source of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium etc., and can't tell it's there. Just make sure to use ground and not whole. The nutrients in freshly ground seeds is better absorbed by your body than whole seeds. I use a little spice grinder to grind mine.)

I've made these probably 4 times/week for the last several months!

Until next time, thanks for stickin' with me! :)