Guess who got up and did 30 minutes of Jillian’s Body Sculpt for the second day in a row?! Yep, that would be me! It’s funny because I love sleep. And I can sleep a lot. And since we didn’t get home from the movie theater until almost 9:30 last night, and I had to watch Biggest Loser, and we thought it would be a good idea to stay up a bit longer and watch Chopped, I didn’t go to bed until midnight last night! But I happened to wake up at 6:50 am, my alarm was set for 7, so I just turned it off and got up. So not like me!
As I was waiting for the DVD to start, I started to think about what I could put together for lunch and I remembered I had a spaghetti squash in the pantry. I quick put that in the microwave while I started the DVD. By the time I was done working out, while still pretty warm, I was able to scoop out the seeds. I decided to make a veggie lasagna for lunch!
But I have to start at breakfast! Yep! I give you another installment of steak sammie! I kinda feel like Kath who eats oatmeal all the time! I literally could eat this for breakfast every day and not get sick of it! But, it was the last of my steak, so onto some other cheese breakfast tomorrow! 😀 Today’s sammie included 1.5 ounces of whole wheat Italian bread, 1/2 cup egg whites, spinach and red pepper with 1 ounce of 50% reduced fat Cabot cheddar cheese – YUM! I had a small fuji apple on the side.
Biz’s Veggie Lasagna
- 3 whole wheat lasagna noodles (uncooked)
- 1 cup homemade marinara sauce
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 red pepper diced
- 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
- 6 ounces cooked spaghetti squash
- 1 ounce fine mozzarella cheese
- 1 ounce shredded parmesan cheese
I always start with sauce on the bottom, one lasagna noodle, spaghetti squash, then red pepper. Then load on the spinach!
Then I add 1/2 of the cottage cheese and sprinkle Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper (my second most used staple after Tabasco!)
I did two layers of filling, but three sheets of noodles – one on the bottom, one in the middle, then finish with one on top. Add sauce to the top noodle and then sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Now at this point, it’s 7:45 in the morning and I need to leave my house by 8:30 to get to my job by 8:45. So into the oven this went for 35 minutes at 375 degrees while I showered and put breakfast together.
The smell of this in my car on the way to work was heaven! Best part though? This is TWO SERVINGS! Each serving has:
- 323 calories
- 7 fat
- 42 protein
- 24.4 carbs
- 4.4 fiber
My plate:
And it’s so funny because until about a year ago, I never even tried spaghetti squash and now I love it. Thanks Roni for introducing me to your squash recipes!
Since I had 1/2 of a spaghetti squash leftover, I decided to make Chicken Parmesan. So quick and easy – 25 minutes from beginning to end. I don’t have an exact recipe for this. I just pound my chicken really thin, dunk it in seasoned egg whites, then dip them in seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs. But I use the “three oil” method. I use 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of butter – let that melt and get hot, then spray the pan with Pam – it gets a perfect crust every time!
My plate: 3.25 ounces chicken, 5 ounces spaghetti squash, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, 1 ounce cooked linguine, 1 tsp. oil, 1 tablespoon shredded parm, whole wheat bread, 1 pat of butter. The spaghetti squash kind of watered down the sauce, but it was so good!
Stats for the Day
- 1254 calories
- 30.4 fat
- 122.7 protein
- 132.6 carbs
- 17.3 fiber
- 21% of calories from fat
- 30 minute Jillian 30 minute body sculpt
- 45 minute walk at lunch
So are you ready for Wednesday Weigh-In?? I only took one picture, because its hard to be still and take a picture and in my camera it looked clear – but you can see the number! And I still need a pedicure, so socks were donned this morning! 😀
For Week Five of the Challenge I am down 7 pounds! Slow and steady wins the race, so I’ll take it! I mentioned it in an earlier post, but while I am eating the same amount of calories – between 1250 and 1500 – my percentage of weight from fat is usually between 28-32% which I think made all the difference. There were some days when I ate 1400 calories, but 75% of the calories were from fat! 🙁
I want to give a big thank you to The Food Addicts – I recently won a giveaway they had and while I’ve thumbed through this 5 times already, I forgot to make mention of it on the blog – thanks! I think jambalaya may be on my lunch menu next week! It’s too spicy for Tony and Hannah!
And my friend Shelley is having a great giveaway – go check it out – you have until Sunday to enter – not gonna tell you what it is, you’ll have to find out for yourself! 😀
I’ve also found a new food blog that I keep going back to – In Praise of Leftovers. I love the writing style, the recipes and it doesn’t hurt that the photographs are amazing!
But my big news is that my October 1 First Day of the Month Giveaway is coming to you with the help of Cabot Cheese! (Thanks Regan!) They found me after I have talked about my love of their cheese, and are going to offer a $60 Cheese Gift Basket for me to give away to one of my readers. But there is a small catch – you have to submit a recipe to me using Cabot Cheese in order to win! Details will be in tomorrow nights post! Mmmm Cheese! If you haven’t noticed I am not sure there is a day that goes by without me eating cheese! 😀
Alright, if anyone has made it down this far – goodnight and see you tomorrow! 😀
Congrats on your continual weight loss.
Lasagna looks deeee-licious. It’d be cool to get a slice. Do you mind?
Yummy, yummy eats!! that chicken parm and lasagna looks amazing!! CONGRATS on the weight loss – that’s amazing!!
I’m loving the lasagna!! But you know what’s BETTER THAN THAT lasagna?!?!? Your weight loss!!
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so happy for you! 😀
-A
Congrats Biz!!
Way to go!! that is so great! keep it up! you rock!!
SOunds wonderful and does not look like “diet food”. Good luck on your weight loss and healthy lifestyle.
wow! what an awesome amount of food for so little calories. i love that you were able to cook AND workout in the morning too. i am definitely more a stay up until 3 am rather than wake up 30 minutes earlier kind of girl myself 🙂
happy almost weekend and congrats on the 7 lbs!!!!!
I hate getting up early but I’m trying to as well.
Congrats on being 7lbs lighter, way to go! BTW how is Hannah doing with her weight loss?
Thanks for asking! She lost 15 pounds and is doing great! She loves the Fit & Active line at Aldi for snacks! 😀
Ohhh yea congrats on getting up and doing the workout and way to go on the weight loss. You’re doing great! I have never heard of Cabot cheese. We don’t eat much cheese around here so that’s probably why ha ha.
I used to like Tabasco but when I tasted Cholula hot sauce I was sold. It’s so much better, have you ever tried it?
I think I might have to come over for breakfast sometime LOL
I use that hot sauce in Mexican restaurants – so good!
I love your egg sammies! They’re your signature! Now when I think of making one for breakfast, I think I’m “being like Biz!”
I need to purchase a lot more spinach! Unless I need it for something, I rarely purchase it. Then I love having it around to use up – I throw handfuls in everything! It packs so much nutrition too!
Mmm cheese! You know I’ll be first in line for that!!! I love Cabot cheese, too! I’ll have to put my thinking cap on.
Yay
Wow! I admire your dedication to this journey of living well and healthfully.
That lasagna looks fantastic!
I cannot believe how much you got done before work – you are a real dynamo!!! The lasagne looks so good. I like how you incorporate both squash and pasta in it – I will have to try this!
Good on ya for exercising this morning – it’s really paying off with your weight loss! Congratulations on 7 pounds gone!
Thanks for mentioning my giveaway. 🙂
No problem! I think if you and I were neighbors we would be great friends! 😀
And I still don’t believe that there are “seasons” in Texas – my brother lives in Austin and it seems its always hot there!
What a great giveaway! Now that I’m really into cheese, this is an exciting giveaway, and I want it! haha.
Good for you for waking up and doing what you had planned. I usd to had working out in the morning but after I while I got used to it, now it’s second nature.
I watched Chopped last night too, I love that show! Tonight Nick and I will watch Hell’s Kitchen, another great one that I know you watch 🙂 The lasagna looks so good, and so healthy, I love it.
Watching Hell’s Kitchen now – love that show! But isn’t it weird how many people can’t cook in a kitchen setting??
I worked in restaurants for way too many years during my life and either you have the timing or you don”t. Hope Nick worked out with you today! 😀
That lasagna looks AMAZING!!! Can’t wait for the giveaway!
OK, I’m going to make your lasagna!!
I may not put as much spinach as you though. It looks amazing.
And I never would have thought to combine both the linguini AND spaghetti squash at the same time!
Jenn, add all the spinach, it cooks down in the oven so it’s not that much! 😀
Congrats on your steady weight loss! That cheese basket sounds like heaven, I’ll have to brainstorm a recipe!