Chocolate Chips, The Healthy Way

WEEK 15

Current Weight: 284.3 pounds
Pounds Lost: 11.7
Pounds Still To Lose For Goal Weight: 104.3
Progress Towards Tulum: 59.08 miles (approx. 3466.92 miles left to go)
Measurements: Waist (4" above belly button) 37.5" // Hips 57.5" // Neck 14"

I can't believe it's week fifteen! I've averaged around 0.78 pounds lost per week, so I can definitely do better, but I'm still pretty happy with that since (a) I've lost weight and (b) I spent the month of March pigging out and not moving.

Last week was stellar, though. I worked out 20 minutes three times, got my mileage up on the Marcy bike, and ate healthy meals for every dinner. B will shortly be jobless, so we've been cooking at home a lot (A LOT!!!) to reduce the urge to spend money on restaurants (and, in particularly weak and stressful moments, fast food.) But I've been cracking out my many cookbooks and working my way through healthy and filling options.

There are a couple of items my pantry can't seem to do without lately:

• Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips: A few go a very long way! I normally have eight chips sprinkled over 1/2 cup of Breyer's Double Churn Creamy Vanilla Fat Free Ice Cream in the evenings - it's rich, delicious, tastes like Ben & Jerry's and is only 130 calories! Mix 16 chips, 3 oz peanuts and 1/2 cup golden raisins for 5 portions of a delicious afternoon trail mix snack.
• Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat Sahara Pita Pockets: These little guys are so versatile. I eat half of one with two Lite Laughing Cow Cheeses or 1/4 cup of veggie-enhanced chicken salad at work mid-morning to stave off the temptation to visit the office candy dish.
• Bionaturae Whole Wheat Pasta: I should be upfront - I never liked whole wheat pasta before I found Bionaturae. I thought the others tasted rough, cardboardy and unappealing, even doused in several cups of sauce. But one day I tried Bionaturae and I've never gone back to regular pasta. The flavor is light, the pasta is a perfect al dente when cooked and I love it with a light olive-oil-garlic topping or a heavy ragu.
• My mom's banana bread recipe: I turn it into muffins every weekend and have a filling, delicious and healthy breakfast every morning! (I'll post the recipe a bit later - it takes about 10 minutes to mix it up and 30 minutes to bake - fast and easy!)

The best part about this is that I've rediscovered my love of cooking. I look forward to planning healthy meals that are fun for me to make. And on Sunday mornings, I set to work in the kitchen. It's a great feeling going to bed on Sunday night knowing that not only do I not have to cook after work during the week, but I have yummy delights waiting for me at every snack and meal!