Hot Damn Sam!!! I lost weight this week and it feels great. Granted it was only a pound and that may not seem like much, but getting the first one is huge for me. I don’t have those water weight issues so when I lose a pound I know it’s real — it can change everything for me – having some success gives me lots of new energy to continue and do the next thing!
Another big win for me this week was getting to the YMCA four times. I walked, bicycled, swam and lifted weights. The big bonus is that I am already feeling the benefits of more energy and I’ve noticed it my face looking fresher and my skin a better color!
My yearly physical was this week — something to add to your wellness checklist. I had suspected my diabetes number were inching up — and I was right. So I am grateful for this ten-week wellness challenge with the Food and Family Project and Live Healthy Iowa. It’s nice to have fellow bloggers to share the journey and reading their blogs inspire me to keep going and some great recipes too!
For additional inspiration and recipes here are links to the latest blogs by other Iowa bloggers participating in the Iowa Food & Family Wellness Challenge.
My Week Three Strategy
This last week I was able to add lots of exercise to my routine and I was successful. This week my strategy is to continue with that progress and add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. My recipe of the week below gets me eating more veggies and fruit! Go Me!
This Week’s recipe
One of the things I discovered recently on a visit to my sister’s is how wonderful balsamic vinegar is — not only does it taste great, but it allows you to cut out some high calorie salad dressing. The one I use for this recipe is so good it doesn’t need any oil — which is good since I have “butter” in common with Julia Child. Anywhere I can save some calories and not miss them means I get a little butter on my baguette.
Besides tasting amazing, according to Mayo Clinic, balsamic vinegar has many health benefits because it is an antioxidant. If you haven’t tried them a great way to get introduced is at cooking store or specialty oil and vinegar shop. You can taste and purchase small sample sizes to play with. I am getting a nice collection I hope to incorporate in some healthy recipes including: White Sesame Ginger, Cinnamon Pear, White Jalapeno Lime, Spicy Mango and the Blackberry White used in the recipe below. I could lick them straight off the plate!
- 3 ounces grilled chicken breast (or left over rotisserie chicken)
- 2 cups mixed salad greens of your choice
- ¼ cup fresh or defrosted frozen blackberries
- 2 TBSP Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 TBSP Slivered Almonds
- Place your greens on a pretty plate
- Add 3 ounces of chopped grilled, baked or rotisserie chicken onto your greens.
- Toss in blackberries
- Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top of your salad and serve
- Top with slivered almonds for a little crunch
Cottage cheese is a great side dish for me ! It is protein, low in calories and any fruit can also be added on top. It helps me also get some dairy in my diet as I don’t drink milk.
I love cottage cheese too — I forget about it – so thanks for the reminder.
Can’t wait to try this salad. A favorite of mine is a spinach salad with pear and blue cheese crumbles with a vinegarette dressing.
That is a great salad too!! I also like it Feta.
That is a simple salad but I bet it is amazing. I need to start using more of those wonderful balsamic vinegars in my cooking for sure. They add a lot of flavor, don’t they?
Very easy and quick — but I could drink that balsamic vinegar — I had no idea they could be so luscious and healthy!
That looks amazing and not too difficult!
I always like quick, easy and yummy!
Congratulations! A pound is a pound and 4 times a week exercising is great! Great picture. I have on my grocery list this week Sherry Vinegar. I will add Blackberry Balsamic too. I am a convert to the Cauliflower rice side. It is easy and yummy. Who knew cauliflower was so versatile? I make cauliflower soup too and you could swear it is full of cream but it is just the veg!
My daughter is a big fan of using cauliflower for pizza crust — I haven’t tried it yet — I think the rice side is a good place to start! Thanks!
You go girl! Thanks for this great recipe. I am def going to try it as I love blackberries and balsamic vinegar.
Your salad is so pretty! I love that it’s simple .. sometimes the simplest of recipes taste are my favorites. I’m going to add it to our lunch menu for the weekend. And woo hoo to weight loss .. every pound gone must be celebrated! Here’s to a happy (and skinnier) Week 3
Thanks — make sure you get a really good Blackberry or Black raspberry balsamic vinegar – it makes all the difference! Week 3 is always my hardest week — so thanks for the support!