Friends of mine in other parts of the country are experiencing sub-zero temperatures. It's not as cold here, but it's cold. A friend of mine suggested chili for dinner--and by goodness, that sounded like a grand idea--however...
I've purposely avoided things like this because how would I get an accurate count? I decided--as long as the ingredients--all the ingredients were weighed and measured, then I could weigh a decent serving--and see how many same amount servings it yields....and that's what I did.
First challenge: Finding refined sugar free chili beans. I had to look--but I found 'em! Oh--and as a side dish? Homemade stuffed mushrooms!
I'll let some of the Tweets help tell the story:
Meticulously weighed & measured ingredients for tonight's dinner! pic.twitter.com/kWFafyTtgq— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) January 6, 2017
Refined sugar free chili. Recipe divided in six 225g servings! It's cold outside! This chili is warm! pic.twitter.com/59VPQvmHQO— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) January 6, 2017
Homemade stuffed mushrooms- made it part of dinner. Stuffed mushrooms alone: 153 cal. pic.twitter.com/QTixEEejF3— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) January 6, 2017
225g refined SF chili w/28g cheddar-jack, 15g onion & 15g RSF seeded crackers. 4.6oz Mshrm caps w/1oz crm cheese&14g cheddar-jack. 612 cal. pic.twitter.com/a3RyNsLlgo— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) January 6, 2017
The calorie count would have been lower with 96% lean beef instead of the 90%. Plus, I could have used less cheese on the chili. But for me and my budget--and tonight, this was perfect. And I have certainty in the count. I really like that!
The mushrooms were super simple. I'll never need to buy the Giorgio stuffed, again! I simply mixed an ounce of cream cheese and 14g cheddar-jack--mixed it up until smooth--then filled in each cap--popped into a 400 degree oven...and viola! 15 minutes later, stuffed mushrooms! Oh wait-- I did pre-bake the empty white mushroom caps for about 10 minutes--long enough to expel some of the moisture.
It was a kitchen experiment kind of evening!
Here's the thing: At my heaviest, I would have never devoted this much time, thought and extraordinary care in preparing my food. My perspective back then would have been focused on "it's such a hassle" and "that's too inconvenient," shifting the perspective around from this way of thinking, changes everything. Now, when I take the time to do this, I'm "honoring my plan" and "I'm taking extraordinary care of me" and "I'm giving my maintenance calorie budget an exceptional measure of certainty" and "this is going to be on-plan and delicious!!!"
And now, as long as I use the same ingredients, I'll never need to recalculate--although, I may make a lower calorie version with leaner beef sometime in the near future. I also know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow!
I used some refined sugar-free multi-grain seeded crackers I found over by the fancy-shmancy cheeses. I'm a texture person. I like mixing different textures--and for me, a good crunch with a chili like this--oh my, yes!!
I visited with mom after dinner. We had her care plan meeting this afternoon. It went very well. She's coming along just fine. There's a few things-- a possibly torn rotator cuff and signs of another UTI--but they're on it--and that's good.
Today: I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget. I remained abstinent from refined sugar. I met my daily water goal. And I stayed connected with great support!
Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Food looks fantastic! Once again, Job Well Done, Sean!!
ReplyDeleteYou can use some of that chili to make taco pizza on those flat out pizza crust. Just spread 1/2 cup of chili on crust sprinkle with shredded cheese and Bake till melts and crispy. Then cover with fresh shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, maybe even a little avocado, salsa and sour cream. Delicious! Use chili sparingly so it doesn't weigh down the crust and stop it from getting crispy.
ReplyDelete