YES!!

Guess what!!! The 2 pounds I had gained yesterday.....ARE GONE TODAY! YESSSSS!!! 241.6 this morning :)

The new recipe's I tried yesterday were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I really enjoyed eating which has been the hardest part about this diet. I almost felt like I was pregnant again-eating because I had to not because I enjoyed it. I guess it's a sort of double edge sword. Enjoying food too much is how you become overweight BUT it's good to know you can still enjoy food that is good for you. And of course, it's all about portion control!

So for today's menu:

Breakfast- Strawberry Lemon smoothie (posted earlier)

Lunch- Meatloaf and Onion rings!

• 100g ground steak
• 1/2 t milk or bbq sauce
• 1 melba toast (ground into powder)
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t dehydrated minced onion
• 1/2 t spicy mustard
• 1/4 t allspice
• 1/8 t sage
• salt/pepper to taste
• Any additional seasonings you like

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In small bowl, combine all ingredients and form into a small meatloaf.
3. Place in glass dish, cover, and bake 25-30 mins.
4. Uncover dish, add bbq sauce or homemade sugar free ketchup to top, and bake 5-10 additional mins.
5. Serve immediately with a bit more of bbq sauce or homemade sugar free ketchup for dipping.

*I will use BBQ sauce in place of the milk so I can save the milk for the onion rings and dessert*

Onion rings:
• 80g sliced onion rings
• 1 melba toast
• 1 T skim milk (as allowed daily)
*I will adjust this to 2t*
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a small bowl, add milk, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper. Mix to make a batter.
3. Grind melba toast in food processor until it is a powder.
4. Put powder in a separate small bowl.
5. Place rings in batter bowl and toss to coat fully. (It's best to use your hands here to ensure you coat each ring.)
6. Let sit in batter 2-3 mins then toss again.
7. Dip each ring into the powder by hand.
8. Place on cookie sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
9. Cook 6-7 mins. Then flip, cooking an additional 6-7 mins.
10. Serve immediately.


Dinner- Chilli

• 100g ground steak
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 c water or broth
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic

Seasonings (to taste):
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t cayenne
• 1/4 t basil
• 1/4 t thyme

1. Preheat pan over MED heat.
2. Add minced garlic and 1 T of the water/broth to pan.
3. Saute 2-3 mins. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Add more water/broth as necessary.
4. Increase heat to MED-HI.
5. Add ground steak and saute until brown - about 5 mins.
6. Add all seasonings and cook an additional 3 mins. Continue to add more water/broth as necessary.
7. While that is cooking dice 1/2 of tomato and place other 1/2 in food processor or blender to puree.
8. Mix in tomatoes, puree, and rest of broth.
9. Turn heat down to MED-LO and simmer until it reaches desired consistency.

Dessert- Apple crisp

Filling:
• 1 apple
• half small lemon
• 1 T water
• 2 t Stevia
• cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Peel, core, and slice/chop apple.
3. Place apples in small baking dish.
4. Cover with juice of 1/2 small lemon, stevia, water, and few dashes of cinnamon. Toss.

Topping:
• 1 Melba toast
• 1 t milk
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t pumpkin pie spice

1. Grind Melba toast into a powder using food processor or coffee grinder.
2. Add milk in 1/4 t increments. Slowly stir until mixture forms a slightly moist crumbly topping.
3. Sprinkle on top of apple filling.

Bake:

1. Cover dish and bake 20 mins.
2. Remove cover and broil 1-2 mins to crisp topping.
3. Serve immediately.

YUMMY! Can't wait to try everything!!