Day 19

Day 19 already! Wow, that's gone fast. I'm still coasting along very nicely. Food hasn't been an issue for me at all. there's so much variety and it's delicious. I'm not as hungry this week as I was the first 2 weeks. And exercise is coming along really nicely too. I'm just a bit bummed that I missed my session yesterday. First one I've missed so far. It was my birthday and other things got in the way. No excuse though, so I'm thinking a double session today will make up for it. Well, here are today's pics, hope you're all rocking it!

Breakfast:

Banana smoothie

ALWAYS a hit!
















Lunch:

Leftover Mediterranean Chicken

This is a leftover meal that doesn't necessarily photograph very well - shrivelled mushies and olives and collapsed tomatoes - it tastes way better than it looks, divine!








Dinner:

Leftover Tuna and Veggie Lasagne

I really thought I'd be eating this with long teeth tonight but suprisingly not! I had calories to spare so I added a small salad with a pinch of parmesan and a few olives which really enhanced the meal. I really really enjoyed this tonight. More so than yesterday!





Dessert:

Pineapple Carpacchio with Mint Yoghurt

Beautiful, light and refreshing. I couldn't find the glace ginger for this but I can imagine it would have lifted it to another level.

Day 18

So it's my birthday today - 40 plus GST! Happy birthday to me. I got some great pressies from my other half and my son, all related to my 12wbt program: some weight training gloves so I don't shred my hands on the weights (I also find I can't really grip them properly when my hands are sweaty) and an iPhone armband. There's another pressie sitting on the counter but I have to wait til OH gets home before I can open it!

Breakfast:

Enjoyed this as much as the first time.










Lunch:

Tuna and Veggie Lasagne

A couple of things with this recipe: I didn't have enough ricotta so I used extra parmesan on the top to fill the gaps. I didn't have enough broccoli so I used grated carrot too. I didn't have enough lasagne sheets so I only have 2 layers..... oh, and I forgot the chicken stock! So I'm pretty sure mine looks and tastes very different from everyone else's but my son still gave it the thumbs up. Looking forward to making it again. Properly. Felt really good getting all those veggies into me.










 Dinner:

Mediterranean Chicken and Veg

There's so much to love about this meal - one dish, easy to cook AND it packs a flavour punch. @kylie_op69 @and FiBenton, you were right!! :)  Only thing I might do differently is add the veggies a bit later as they were a bit too cooked for my liking. Will definitely make this one again.  Loved this!

Day 17

Weigh in Wednesday....! I'm very happy to report a 900g loss this week bringing my total loss to 2.1kgs. So pleased with that result. A whole kg would have been better but I'll take the 900g thank you very much! Be back soon with the photos for the day! Hope everyone smashes their weigh in today, good luck!

Breakfast:

Smoked salmon and scrambled egg

Such a good way to start the day! Who would have thought that as a non breakfast eater prior to 12wbt that I would actually be looking forward to breakfast every day?? So good!












Lunch: 

Lentil and Beetroot Salad

You know those visitors who overstay their welcome? We've all had one. They're nice enough, but now you've had enough. Time for them to go already. You get where I'm going with this :) I was really tempted to blow this off today but I don't want to do this menu plan half arsed. So here we are, eating lentils for lunch. Again.  :)












Dinner:
Today is the 2nd red flag day on my calendar... it's my birthday tomorrow and I'm catching up with friends for dinner tonight therefore no pic of the Tuna and Veggie Lasagne. I might make this as my treat meal on Saturday night so I haven't missed any recipes along the way. Update: I had the day off on my birthday and noticed this was on the menu for lunch so I made a batch after all. Now I can save my treat meal for something else! :)

Day 16

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Muesli and Strawberries

I love puffed corn, I could eat it by the handful (don't worry, I don't!). It's vaguely reminiscent of the puffed cereals I ate as a child - minus the sugar of course!! Really enjoyed this today, definitely one I'll go back to. (This also has puffed rice, although you can't really see it).










Lunch:

Turkey and Avocado Rice Cakes

Gobble, gobble, gobble...! These turkey and avo rice cakes were to die for. I literally inhaled them! And 1/4 of an avo felt so luxurious, one of my favourite foods on the planet. Big tick from me!












Dinner:

Chicken and Broccolini Laksa

Very disappointed that this isn't on the menu for dinner every night for the remainder of the 10 weeks. Love love loved it.

Day 15

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon

My kingdom for a warm breakfast!! It always seems more filling! This looks like a huge mountain of egg...  in fact, it's just a small piece of toast. I'm trying a gluten free loaf this week and they're diminutive!














Lunch:

Lentil and Beetroot Salad with Ricotta

Now, if there was ever a recipe that would test my friendship with the lentil, it would have to be this one. Happy to say we're still the best of friends, this was good. The mint, balsamic and olive oil through it was beautiful.














Dinner:

Beef with Creamy Mustard Mushroom Sauce

Let me tell you, I have been hanging out for this meal tonight...so much so that I saved some calories today from my afternoon snack so I could splurge on extra mushrooms and sauce. Winner winner mushie dinner! Not a very appetising looking pic but this really hit the spot! PS no yellow beans so I used broccoli.

Day 14

Breakfast:

Berry Bruschetta

Mixed berries - a girl's best friend! Knowing how rich these are in anti-oxidants makes this breakfast taste even sweeter!








Lunch:

Nicoise Salad

If I'd read ahead in the menu plan and realised tuna and boiled egg was on the menu for lunch today, I might have had something different yesterday! This was "ok"... I think I was in the mood for something else. I took one bite and had to add something else to it to lift it a bit. I had some calories to spare so topped it  with a few slices of beetroot which improved it a fair bit.






Dinner:

Chicken "Involtini" with Pancetta and Green Beans

TIP: Do not even attempt rolling your chicken breasts if you don't have toothpicks or kitchen string. I know you know this, but I'm naive. I tried anyway and it ended up a mess (see pic!). But it was a delicious mess!! Divine flavours in this... semi dried tomato, ricotta, baby spinach, pancetta and green beans... very gourmet!

Day 13

Breakfast:

Buttermilk pancake

This breakfast really put into perspective for me how much I had been over-eating. I normally would have had a "few" of these, with maple syrup, banana and bacon. One was quite satisfying ... and might I add, quite scrumptious.









 

 Lunch:

Tuna and egg salad

Quick salad using what was in the fridge - mixed salad leaves, corn, roast capsicum, feta, avo - and added a boiled egg and quarter of a small tin of tuna. The protein makes this quite filling.














Dinner:

Super-size me Smoothie

Treat meal tonight... and my pick was this kick arse smoothie with double the milk, muesli, strawberries and bananas. Not quite 600 cals but it still takes me close enough to my 1200 cals for the day. Have I mentioned before how great these are??

Day 12

Breakfast: 

Berry Bruschetta

How sexy are these little berries, they look like glistening jewels! Thawed out in the fridge overnight and they were deliciously cool and sweet. Very nice!









Lunch:

Lentil Bolognese

I'm sorry I pre-judged you, little brown lentil. You were quite delicious in this bolognese. Mmmm.... leftovers!
















Dinner:

Prawn Pad Thai

Friday night Thai take-out 12wbt style. Beautiful flavours in this. 

Day 11

Breakfast:

Apple Muesli

Had a minor disaster with this this morning... I sprinkled some cinnamon on top of the apple and muesli but in my half asleep state, I grabbed last night's Cajun spice mix instead!! I managed to rescue it but it had a very subtle, "interesting" flavour through it. PS Cajun spice mix and Apple Muesli do NOT go well together :)









Lunch:

Cajun Chicken

How come leftovers always taste better the next day!?















Dinner:

Lentil Bolognese

Another meal I wasn't looking forward to! And when I discovered leftovers were on the menu for lunch tomorrow I think I died a little bit inside but.... I'm committed to this program and determined to follow the menu plan as it is without tinkering too much so I made it, against my better judgement .... and it was fantastic! Don't knock it before you try it... new motto! Go the little brown lentil.

Day 10

Weigh in Wednesday....finally!! I've been so excited about today because I know how diligent I have been with food and exercise. I can honestly say that the worst thing I've had to eat or drink in 10 days has been 1 coffee per day - and on some days I didn't have any. I was hoping for at least 1kg this week and I lost 0.800g... 1.2kgs since starting! I'm very pleased with that!



Breafast: 

Berry smoothie

How amazing was this little number this morning? Blending the berries while frozen makes this smoothie taste like sorbet! Sorbet for breakfast anyone? Quick, easy, divine.














Lunch:

I replaced the ricotta with a scraping of black olive tapenade for today's sandwich - to me it tastes much much better!











Dinner:

Cajun chicken with sweet potato wedges

I squeezed lime juice all over this meal including the sweet potato and it was great! Another new favourite.

Day 9

Breakfast:

Untoasted muesli and grated apple

Loved this! The muesli was lovely and filling!
















Lunch:

Rare roast beef and horseradish sandwich

I loved the horseradish and beef combination. I think I bought the wrong beef slices though. Mine were quite thick although I still managed to stick to the 20g allowance ... may have to look more closely at the other options at the deli the next time this is on the menu. Great lunch though! I'm loving the variety.





Dinner:

Lemon and Chilli Pork

This meal was a hit with me.. not so much with the other half. The lemon and oregano adds that something special to the pork. Unfortunately we had pumpkin problems (shrinkage and drying out), but otherwise, another great meal (for me anyway!).







 

Day 8

Today marks the start of Week 2 and if the first week was anything to go by, Week 2 is going to be a breeze. Yes I felt hungry and tired.... very tired, got a sore throat one day, experienced lots of headaches, but I didn't give in to my old ways. I followed the menu plan to a T and I'm going to channel my inner warrior for the upcoming week. Nothing's going to hold me back!


Breakfast:

Vegemite toast and boiled egg

Not the most inspiring breakfast - maybe I'm over all the egg? - it was satisfying though. I didn't feel hungry for quite a while afterwards.














Lunch: 

Mediterranean sandwich

This was nice but I think I prefer the black olive tapenade to the ricotta. The eggplant, roasted capsicum and artichokes tasted great though!














Dinner:

Panfried fish with cherry tomatoes and wilted spinach

I think I overhandled the fish as it started to fall apart but it was really yummy. Very light and fresh. I still feel hungry though... I have to get used to eating these smaller portions. I'm so used to feeling stuffed after dinner.

Day 7

Having looked at what was in the fridge today, I decided to divert from the 12wbt menu plan and plan my meals around what needed to be used up. Breakfast this morning was away from home so there's no photo but for the record was one slice of wholemeal toast and vegemite (no butter) with a cup of coffee (no sugar).

Lunch:

Tapenade toast with tomatoes and basil

Used up the last of the basil, spinach and tomatoes with this. The toast has a scraping of black olive tapenade. The banana just rounded out the meal nicely. Still feeling a bit peckish but nothing a glass of water won't fix :)









Dinner:

Eggplant and zucchini pizza

No baked fish for dinner tonight. Once again I chose to use up leftovers (eggplant and pita bread) so I could start the week with no leftovers in the fridge. I had a few calories up my sleeve today so I splurged with an extra dollop or two of Greek yoghurt.

Day 6

Yay, it's the weekend, but with it the invetible challenges. We're going away for the weekend so I'll have to veer off the menu plan for a few meals. Going to a party tonight and everything is catered: food and drinks. I'm going to have to assess the situation when I get there but I'll take a bottle of my own soda water just in case.

I'll be posting up the baked eggs shortly then back on Sunday night to post the crumbed fished with paprika wedges. Looking forward to that one! Until then have a great weekend and happy healthy eating.

Breakfast:

Strawberry Smoothie

I decided at the last minute to use up the leftover strawberries and make this delicious strawberry smoothie with untoasted muesli and skim milk instead of the baked eggs. It was delicious.














Lunch:

Tuna salad

As suggested on the menu plan for today's lunch I made this divine salad with all the leftovers in the fridge, and added half a tin of tuna, some lime juice, avo and coriander. Moreish!!













Dinner:
Tonight's meal was a "Treat Meal" which is just as well as I had a catered party to go to. I made sensible choices all night and snacked on canapes such as a cucumber round with hommous, 2 large prawns, another cucumber round with fresh herbs and crab, a canape size piece of foccacia with avo, and for dinner a small but satisfying bowl of pasta. I think I came out of that very well! (PS I skipped dessert which was pavlova, all sorts of slices, rum balls and of course birthday cake!). My choice of beverage for the night was soda water, I wasn't even remotely tempted to have my beloved bubbles! I think it would be safe to say I passed my first test with flying colours!

Day 5

Woke up today feeling very lethargic and low on energy. I realise this is probably just my body going through a detox and re-adjusting. Fortunately I've got lots of delicious food to look forward to today!

Breakfast:

Strawberry bruschetta with ricotta

This was a first for me... I've never eaten strawberries on toast before but it was quite delicious. Loved the ricotta with it.. as you can see I was a bit heavy handed with the cocoa (still waking up!). I'll definitely make this one again.











Lunch: 

Roast capsicum and tomato with tapenade

It was definitely worth the effort of chargrilling the capsicum. It gave the sandwich a nice sweetness. Loved the olive tapenade and basil too!










Dinner:

Middle Eastern eggplant and zucchini pizza

Well, well, well... the revelation meal of the week! Absolutely loved this! Came home from work feeling cranky and tired, and really wasn't looking forward to what I thought would be a dry, tasteless "pizza". Couldn't have been more wrong. Amazing.

Day 4

I woke up in a world of pain today ... feels good though!

Breakfast:

Boiled egg and avocado on toast

Didn't burn the toast today and remembered the 2nd slice!

Lunch:

Lasagne

 

Leftovers always taste better the next day!












Dinner: 

Thai fish cakes

 

This meal had all my favourite flavour combinations: green curry paste, coriander, lime... but I think I would have preferred it with chicken. It was very tasty though.














Exercise:
Burnt 444 calories tonight. And was introduced to the "clam". Have never done that exercise before and I was useless. I think my legs only reached half a cm off the ground. Definitely will be interesting to see how I go on these at the end. 

Day 3

Today was the first weigh in for our challenge... I only weighed in with my starting weight on Monday so the results are only for 2 days of effort so I'm very pleased with my 0.400g loss.

Breakfast:

Couscous with apple, cinnamon and yoghurt

I can't say I LOVED this but I didn't hate it either. The apple, yoghurt and cinnamon was nice but  there didn't seem to be enough yoghurt for the amount of couscous. If I make this again I'll halve the amount of couscous.











Lunch: 

Curried egg sandwich

 




Dinner:

Lasagne with ricotta and spinach "bechamel"

Day 2

Yesterday went off without a hitch and I'm hoping for more of the same today. It won't take long before I get the natural rhythm of this and don't have to refer to the notes every two minutes. But so far so good!!

Breakfast: 

Boiled egg and avocado on toast

I burnt the toast a bit but this was still great. I'm not a breakfast person but this was nice and easy.. boiled the egg  the night before and away we go!  (oops! just found out I shortchanged myself a slice of toast - meant to have been 2!)











Lunch:

Leftover herbed yoghurt chicken

 Can't beat leftover dinner for lunch!












Dinner:

Steak with corn and avocado salsa

Loved this meal tonight. That salsa is definitely something special. Unfortunately I let my steak dry out in the oven while I did my workout but the salsa made up for it. Divine dinner.













Dessert:

Stawberries, ricotta, balsamic and basil

 
Ooh a re-appearance of my new favourite dessert. This one was made with basil, not mint and it was just as divine.














Exercise:
Burnt 390 calories tonight. I'm sure I would have hit 500 if I had finished the routine but unfortunately it took me longer than the time I had allocated, mainly because I was trying to get my head around all my home weights and checking my form/ technique, re-reading the notes and just getting the rhythm happening. Next time I do this workout it will be much simpler I'm sure.