Shedding Pounds

I have to admit that I have jumped on the spring bandwagon and have made a conscious effort to lose a few pounds before spring sets in. The main motivations are 1- Mermaid Parade - I have registered and want to look fabulous in my costume (if I ever get it done) and 2 - I don't want to be disappointed when I switch from the winter to summer wardrobe and find that NONE of my shorts fit me anymore. When we went to Las Vegas in October I was VERY surprised at how uncomfortable many of them had become and I know I have added even more weight since then. So, starting this week I have gotten back into my exercise routine AND have been making better choices regarding what and how I eat. Usually I would go all day with nothing to eat other than diet soda and then go home and eat everything in sight. Now, I keep a package of celery in the office fridge to munch on during the day. I do dip it in a little honey mustard dressing to give it some flavor but I certainly don't drown it in the stuff. I am trying to stay away from bready, buttery and creamy things. I still eat pasta - but in moderation and put cream in my coffee and take a swig out of the milk jug (yes, I do that) every now and then but no more alfredo, nachos with cheese sauce or any of that crap. My Ice Cream consumption has been reduced to a few spoon fulls when I simply MUST have it. Portion control and healthier choices - that's how I am approaching this. Brown rice instead of white. Salads instead of sandwiches. And when I do eat bread, rye instead of white. So far it seems to be working. I recently was able to zip up a skirt I had fatted out of a while back (YAY). Small victories mean a lot! Anyway, after a 4 mile run and a hardcore 1 hour cardio kickboxing session, I went home and made this for hubby and I. Ideally I would have used whole wheat pasta but since I have an entire cupboard full of the regular stuff I opted for that but controlled the portion. All in all it was very tasty and definitely not extremely fattening.

Erika's Chicken Saute with Grape Tomatoes and Broccoli

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and diced
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic
10 grape tomatoes, halved
1 Cup chopped broccoli florets
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
2 green onions, chopped


1 small handful linguine, cooked to al dente

Parmesan Cheese

Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute in olive oil with garlic until almost cooked through
deglaze pan with wine and add lemon juice
Add broccoli then tomatoes
Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through
Stir in green onions
Serve over linguini with a little grated parmesan

For the record, this recipe was inspired by this picture I saw on Pinterest. One look and I knew what I was making for dinner!