January Challenge, Day 5

Another simple day with no shenanigans.

January is boring.

Okay, I was ready for a little boring, so it’s good. I spent most of the day in the kitchen. If I wasn’t making something, I was reading about something to make. I’m enjoying the January Challenge of avoiding all sorts of foods, and I’ve had the extra time to meal plan and cook, so I think it’s going to be a great month in the kitchen! Having a challenge makes me be a little more creative with what I am eating and it also forces me to plan, which is a good thing! I think it’s easier to succeed when I have a plan.

When I mentioned to my friend that is doing this challenge with me, (actually, her idea all along) that I thought I would miss cheese a lot, she said she used avocado in a lot of places where she would use cheese. Brilliant! My favorite way to eat avocado’s is to smash them up, and then add a little lime juice and sea salt. I think smashed avocado’s taste great on so many things! I’ll eat em on top of chili, on top of soup, on top of omelets, used as a dip for veggies or on top of a chicken breast. I could go on and on really.  I’ll try hard not to overdo on the avocado’s, but she was right, they are a great replacement for cheese! Give it a try!

I bought this bread yesterday, and I like it more than I thought that I would. Like….I might like it enough to buy it even if I’m not eating a gluten free diet! It’s a bit dense, which I like, and it’s 2 PointsPlus per slice. I’m diggin it toasted with a smear of almond butter on it. So far, the Crunchy Almond Butter from Trader Joe’s is my favorite!

 

I made two dinners last night. I was trying a new soup recipe, and as much as I do NOT want to cook separate meals for Mike and I this month, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a soup that he would like.

So far, I’ve loved everything that I have made out of her cookbook!

 

I love everything that I have made on the skinnytaste.com website, so I made Mike the  Turkey Meatloaf. It has been a favorite of ours for a while now.

 

I made the Aztec Chicken, Quinoa and Avocado Soup out of her new cookbook for myself, but Mike loved it too!

Winner!

 

 

One of my 2015 goal’s is to not go more than 2 days without exercise, and I screwed that up yesterday. As soon as I post this, I am headed to the treadmill. In tomorrow’s blog post, I will tell you all about the awesome treadmill workout that I did, and how after that I lifted some weights, and then after that I did a lot of stretching!! Can you hardly wait?? I know, right!

 

Breakfast

Gluten Free Oatmeal

topped with Warm Cinnamon Apples

Black Coffee

4 PPV

 

Lunch

Turkey Bowl

8 PPV

I sautéed Red Onions, Garlic and Zoodles in a little Chipotle Olive Oil (YUM, and highly recommended), then I added my Turkey Taco Meat that I had previously made with Homemade Seasonings, Black Beans and cooked Quinoa mixed in to it. I stirred in a little salsa too. This was all really really good and very filling.

This is the seasoning I have been using.

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

 

 

Snack

 Two Slices of Gluten Free Bread, Toasted

Topped with a Smear of Almond Butter and Banana Slices

8 PPV

It tasted so good, I had it twice, but skipped the picture of my seconds!

 

Dinner

From the Skinnytaste Cookbook!

Aztec Chicken, Quinoa and Avocado Soup

6 PPV