Friday, November 11, 2011

3 Ingredient Breakfast in 7 minutes (including cleanup)

No one seems to have time to cook in the morning. The food industry is well aware of this issue and the market is full of quick breakfast items (bars, cereal, yogurt etc) but the thing is- I don’t love them.  I like warm, filling, substantial food to start my day. Oh and I want it to be healthy. Did I mention I don’t have time to cook, or shop for multiple ingredients?
This has led to new obsession- making an EGG BAGEL for breakfast.  3 ingredients- and can be made in 7 minutes INCLUDING clean up. Einstein has one- but you’re looking at 490 calories… read on to learn how to have your bagel & eat it too  for only 210 calories! 
Three ingredients:
Bagel: Ok fine- it’s a bagel thin :). Let me just start by saying- I’d pretty accepted that bagels and I didn't have much of a future (unless it involved shopping in the plus size section).  They’ve forever been one of my favorite foods, but I just “ couldn't go there” except for rare special occasions –I totally ate one the morning of my wedding. At that point the dress was either going to fit, or it wasn't!  Anyway- bagels had been a no no, until the introduction of my new morning staple- bagel thins! Weighing in at 110 calories, only 19 grams of carbs- they give me that bagel taste I love without the guilt. My recommendation- choose the “everything” version even though the wheat one is probably better for you. Totally worth it.
Egg:  The classic egg, not popular in the low fat days of the 90’s, but making a comeback. With 70 calories and packed full of protein, I've found that eating a full egg, rather than just whites keeps me full longer.
Cheese: Laughing cow light spreadable cheese wedge is my go-to.  35 calories, tons of new flavors (queso is a favorite!) Like spice? Add tapatio or other hot sauce to the cheese for an added kick. 
7 Minutes: So here’s the recipe- pop the bagel in the toaster (tip- turn down the toaster! Bagel thins toast/burn quicker than their thicker counterparts), while it’s toasting fry the egg (I like to break the yolk- personal preference) and then spread the Laughing Cow cheese on the bagel, pop the egg on top, cut in half and enjoy an egg bagel sandwich. Easy peasy. And, only 210 calories and it keeps me full till lunch!
Happy Breakfasting!
XOXO
Chel
PS: Key to quick clean up? Put soap and water in the pan right after taking it off the stove- it’ll sizzle and steam, scrub it around a bit, rinse and then you’re done. 
PPS: Interested in cleansing? Starting next Friday, I'm try a 3 day juice cleanse to jumpstart me back to healthy eating. This is my first one- so I'm excited to blog and share how it goes! www.coolercleanse.com

Thursday, November 10, 2011

And I'm back! And married!

So, confession- I’ve forgotten how to eat well. I was talking to Brooke on the phone the other night, and told her I had gone to the grocery store and struggled, wandering the aisles attempting to find something healthy, tasty, and easy to make for dinner.  Her response? “umm why don’t you print one of your old blog posts and read it?” So I’m coming back to the blog to try and put the pieces together again.
Brief recap of my eating over the past 10 months I’ve gone without blogging! I’m sure you were all dying of suspense over whether or not the food-stressed bride got it together and lost 20 lbs  OR if the pressure had pushed me in the opposite direction and I ended up gaining weight before the wedding?
And the final answer is…  I felt good on my wedding day.  I wasn’t the skinniest I’ve ever been, and I never lost that magical 5 lbs everyone said would drop off the week of the wedding. But I managed to take off somewhere around 10 pounds and it was enough to let me feel pretty, but still look like myself. Ok fine, if you insist… I’ll share some pics :)


So, to get back to the reason I am so food ignorant lately- since I last blogged I’ve gone on a cooking hiatus.  First I joined Jenny Craig (don’t judge, it was desperate times).  It worked, however I didn’t feel good about the food I was eating. It may have been low-cal, but I wouldn’t call it “healthy”.  Following Jenny, Chris and I both did The Fresh Diet, which delivers fresh meals to your door daily.  Now THIS is a miracle worker.  The food is great, very healthy, and when I followed it strictly, I lost weight (meaning not drinking wine with it). Chris lost over 20lbs on the diet, which is amazing!
So, all of this leads me up to the wedding, October 8th, a magical magical day, followed by an even more amazing honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands during which I ate, drank and relaxed to my hearts content.
Paradise in the BVI with my husband! :)
And now here I am, feeling like a beginner all over again, helplessly wandering the isles of grocery stores.   Now that the weddings over, it’s back to reality, time to just get back to living what I like to call “healthy” normal.  It’s enjoying life and food- but minding portions, planning ahead, and making good choices.  First step, re-reading old blogs!
XOXO
Chel