Friday, February 12, 2016

Deep Freeze

I might as well get the bad news out of the way first. The result of too many weekend indulgences, lazy cook (McDonald's run) and sloppy eating the rest of the week leads to a 1.6 pound gain. Surprisingly, I am not as upset about it as I thought I would be. Perhaps since I knew I wasn't doing the right things or perhaps because the number was much worse earlier in the week. Yes, it is true. I talked my husband into giving me my scale back on Tuesday.

This week I dipped into the freezer for a few meals. Back in December my niece and I prepped some freezer meals for her to have after her baby was born. Recently she shared a couple pieces of the lasagnas we made.On this day I grabbed the Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna on my way out the door.
I admit that I knew when I took it out of the package that it was a bigger than normal piece, but I was hungry and I didn't know the calories - spinach and mushrooms, wouldn't be bad right?  Oh, did I mention "creamy" - a dead give away there was trouble to come.
It smelled so good and tasted so good....I ate the whole thing.  Then after I ate the whole thing I looked up the calories. It was a tad over 700 calories. No, that isn't the worst thing in the world, but when I am trying to keep lunches around 400-500 calories it does qualify as sloppy eating.
We have had several dustings (an inch or so) of snow this week. I found these adorable little prints on the driveway when I was sweeping snow off my car.
Lunch looked like this on a couple of days. I was finishing off some of the Superbowl snacks - someone brought a meat/cheese/cracker tray. I could eat this for lunch most days :)
Another freezer meal from the pre-baby cooking frenzy was this Taco Sweet Potato Spinach Egg Bake.
This breakfast lead to Eat Orange Things Day. The egg bake held up pretty well in the freezer. There is always a bit of a texture issue with eggs, but the taste was good. Like I mentioned when we first made it I was glad I only used half the taco seasoning and if I were to make it again I think I would leave it out completely. I did prefer it freshly made over the heated from freezer version. I probably wouldn't make it just for the freezer, but I would freeze leftovers.
I need to be drinking more water. When my Lovely Ladies did a water check about mid-day this is where I was. (plus the glass of water I had drank with breakfast). I am not proud to admit I didn't drink much more of this bottle. Then I had a couple glasses in the evening. I can do better.
I am enjoying morning sweet potatoes (I cooked a couple more in the crockpot the other day). I just throw something together with the sweet potato as a base. This morning it was turkey/cheddar sausage and fresh mushrooms...tasty!
Another from the freezer meal...my stuffed cabbage.  I am happy to say this is a dish that gets better with time. I was a little on the fence about it until I ate this batch from the freezer. The flavors really melded and it was delicious. You might also noticed I have been a cutie eating fool this week. Love them!
And the best for last. My first issue of Cooking Light has finally arrived!!! I have only glanced through it, but I want to make/eat everything on that Easter menu....stay tuned. I have a feeling there will be fewer freezer meals this week :)
Hopefully you all are keeping warm. And to those of you getting out in this cold to get in walks/runs...you are superstars :)

16 comments:

  1. I love all of your yummy food pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love seeing what people are eating...always looking for ideas.

      Delete
  2. Your food, it always looks so good! Wow I want you to freeze bake me some meals and send to me. :)
    I know I need to be doing better with water too. Some days are good and some days, not so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For some reason it seems so much harder to drink water at work despite my intentions. Drinking water at home comes much more naturally.

      Delete
  3. Your lunch was like a fancy lunchable!!!

    The picture of bird tracks in snow was the cutest:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do love lunchables :) Birds are so cute the way they hop around - the footprints made me smile :)

      Delete
  4. yummy I think I need to store some food for me ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love having a few things on hand and freezing leftovers means I don't have to eat the same thing days in a row.

      Delete
  5. I never mind a gain as much when I know I've earned it. Somehow it makes me feel like the whole process is "fair" (even though we all know it isn't). I could eat sweet potatoes every day. I'm going to try the slow cooker for making a bunch on Monday - thanks so much for that idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, totally not fair ;) But you are right it isn't so bad when you know you deserved it. I think I am becoming obsessed with the sweet potatoes and since my husband doesn't like them this method works great for me.

      Delete
  6. Everything looks so delicious. The sweet potato, sausage and mushroom dish is right up my ally!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love how easy it is and I am having fun throwing together different combos.

      Delete
  7. As always, your food looks amazing! Your gain is nothing! You'll get that off in no time :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not if I don't get my head out of the McDonald's bag :)

      Delete
  8. So, you gained. BUT you know what you did and what caused the weight gain! Knowing the reason means you know how to fix it! Here is to a better week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - I am not sure this will be the week...since I am still having trouble getting back on track, but I haven't given up :)

      Delete