Relax and Prep for the Week

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Any fun new adventures? Mine was pretty low key but very nice and relaxing

I got to spend time with my family Saturday and then friends Saturday night. Sunday I finished my errands, prepared for the upcoming week, and relaxed a lot!I stayed with my Weight Watchers points for most of the week, but last night I did dip into my weeklies as I enjoyed some sweet potato chips.

For me, preparing for the week means meal prepping. I know that if I don't cook food ahead of time I will without a doubt eat the wrong foods and then feel very yucky! The last few weeks I have kept it pretty simple and the same, crockpot shredded chicken. I love it.

Crockpot shredded chicken...so easy to make!!

Shredded Chicken:
- Chicken breast:  I usually put in about 4 thick pieces.
- Chicken Broth:  My favorite is Pacific Brand. I just put a enough in the crockpot to cover the bottom and touch the sides of the chicken. You really don't need much, this just makes sure it doesn't dry out. 

Pacific Brand is super delicious!

- Spices that you like: I love Bragg Mix

I love Braggs. I also use this brand for my apple cider vinegar

Put everything in the crockpot. I set mine for 6.5 hours on high. It will also depend on how thick your chicken is and if you are putting in frozen or not. Yes I have forgotten to defrost and put them in frozen, they taste just as delicious!!

At my Weight Watchers meeting last week we talked about switching things up to make sure you don't get bored of the food you are eating, when you get bored you get off track. I couldn't agree more for myself!! So for this week, in addition to my shredded chicken I am also cooking up some 93% lean beef burgers. I found them at Target and love them! I cook them up in a skillet and usually mix with a salad or side veggies. 

Target find!  They were also on sale..score!!

Cooked on the skillet. Quick and easy to do

In addition, I picked up strawberries and bananas instead of my routine oranges. 

I'm looking forward to see how my week goes and my weigh-in Wednesday with me switching things up. 

Do you meal prep? If you do I would love to know what you are making. I'm always looking for new ideas.

Diet and Dating Update #1

Well I finally gave in and decided to take a more proactive roll in my dating life. I joined an online dating site. I figured why not. I did in a few years ago and met some people, but nothing really ever stuck. When I was thinking about all the people I know who have meet their now boyfriends/fiances/husbands from online dating I was inspired to give it a shot as well.  For those of you who have never online dated, let me just say, it is not for the weak! Emails, winks, likes, interests where do you look first. Trying to weed through all the different men who contacted me, figuring out if I like what they said in their profile and if I believed them.  I started really talking to these 2 guys last week. First it was emails back and forth and then text and phone calls. The one guy I seemed to hit it off more with than the other guy so when he asked me out to dinner on a Saturday night I gladly accepted.  And then it happened...I went what should I eat!?!? In my post  Dating and Dieting Dilemmas, I talk about being nervous about what to eat and how some people are quick to criticize and judge.

Funny, this thought has actually crossed my mind

Turns out it was easier than I thought. He asked me to pick a place, so I found one in the middle for both of us and I knew they at least had good burgers. I met my date at the restaurant and at this point I was super nervous and was also excited with myself for knowing what I was eating and having a plan. We went in and talked, turns out our chemistry on the phone ended when we hung up the phone. I was disappointed it didn't work out, but I was extremely proud of myself for trying and putting myself out there. The best part of the whole evening was the hamburger I ordered with the size of veggies, it was delicious!!  I walked away feeling proud of myself for not trying to settle with the first man I went out with and having a plan of what to eat. The planning part made me feel good and know I was putting myself first.

What happened to the second guy you ask... well after talking to him a few more times I realized we didn't have much in common and he didn't like animals. Saying that to an animal lover, especially when I have that on my profile, sort of takes the air of out a possible date. Instead of meeting him for coffee on Sunday, like originally planned, I spent the day goofing around with my nieces and having the best date ever!

My fashionista niece Kaitlyn, trying on hats

My nieces love when we take silly selfies

Best dates ever are with my nieces!!  I love these girls!

Ashley had enough of our shenanigans,
 so it was just Kaitlyn and I being silly

The date didn't go as planned, but I did eat low carb and healthy, just the way I like it. I am not giving up on dating and in fact I am talking to another gentleman over email, who at least likes animals and seems to have a great sense of humor, and now I know if he asks me out to dinner I am better prepared to eat smart and just enjoy...hopefully...More to come....

Grill Inspiration

Over the last few months I have enjoyed cooking, more than I ever thought I would. I've learned about how to cook a variety of meats and fish, how to cut different veggies, and learned that I do in fact like my food with different spices and flavors. I know I have a lot more to learn and thanks to my mom, Food Network channel, google and my coworkers I know my skills will continue to improve and I will keep learning. But there has always been one method of cooking that intimidated me, 1 method that I feared, 1 method I said I will not be learning....the outdoor grill.

Growing up when it was time to grill that was and still is my mom's baby. For Mother's Day this year my dad surprised my mom with a new grill. My mom is an amazing grill master and when she isn't grilling my brother in law is. Between the two of them I am usually set for summer BBQ food. There was no reason for me to learn, not to mention I live on the second floor of my condo unit and we don't have grills. And then last night happened....

I was at my firehouse helping out during a special drill, I think they said there were about 40 firefighters in attendance. A bunch of us associate members were going to cook and have food ready for them during the break time. We decided to use leftover buns and light up the grill. My friend Doug was helping us out since he didn't need the course and while I was helping him bring out the burgers I was suddenly curious and inspired...I wanted to learn how to cook on the grill! I asked him to teach me and he handed me the spatula and said absolutely! 

Here I am grilling away!

I never knew grilling could be so much fun and also how strategic it can be. Moving burgers and hot dogs around so everything cooked evenly and not burnt. Turning up the flame and then turning down the flame. I confess 2 burgers did not survive my first round, pretty sure they could be compared to hockey pucks, but our captain's dog loved them. As the guys piled out and started eating it was nice to hear them enjoying and yes they teased me I might need a fire truck to put out the flames. It was the most fun I've had cooking!! I did even try one of my own burgers (minus the bun) and I must say it was pretty darn good! I hope we do that again soon and I'm hoping my mom will let me try it out on her grill with her teaching me some tips. 

I love having fun learning about food and new techniques and I love conquering fears....one burger at a time!!