Thinking about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is approaching fast! So what is the essence of Thanksgiving? In general, the holiday season promotes quality time with friends and family and partaking in feasts. This Thanksgiving is going to be a challenge for me, but a good one. Why is it a challenge? Because there is going to be an abundance of food, duh! 

Over the weekend I got a chance to attend a Weight Watchers meeting. I certainly learned a lot of great pointers and advice to follow from fellow members. Our leader had us brainstorm about how we want to feel after our Thanksgiving meal. I want to feel satisfied but not overly stuffed. We were also told to make sure to attend the meal not starving. Which means having breakfast or a light snack, packed with lots of fruits will surely stop from overeating. In the past, my mindset about Thanksgiving was to wear my "eating pants" and stuff myself. However, this Thanksgiving my mindset will be different but nothing drastic; choose which foods are worth it, portion control, load up on available vegetables, and eat slowly. Most importantly, I am going to make this holiday about spending time with my family not spending time with food. Even better, I volunteered to make the pumpkin pie-a modified and healthier version! 

I'll let you know how this weekend goes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Official: http://i-hearthealthy.blogspot.com/

Make Use of Those Leftovers!

A variety of leftovers in the fridge plus some creativity can make for a great meal. Today I was home for lunch and thoroughly scoped the fridge shelves from top to bottom. I pulled out a bag of romaine salad, leftover black bean shrimp with green beans and onions, and baked tilapia. Then, I carefully portioned out 3 oz of shrimp and 2 oz of tilapia. I scattered the shrimp and tilapia on top a pile of salad. To top it off, I added some balsamic vinegar and the leftover green beans and onions. As a result of my creative salad endeavor are a number of benefits. 

1. Clears out the fridge, creates new space
2. Makes the most of home cooked meals, no wasting of food
3. The shrimp and tilapia (or any leftovers) are already seasoned so it brings flavor to the salad as a whole
4. You are in control of what and how much to add to your salad
5. You are getting a serving of veggies!
6. Doesn't require any spending; no eating out, delivery tips...etc

See how creative you can get with your salad!

The Official: http://i-hearthealthy.blogspot.com/

Restaurant Review: Energy Kitchen

During one of my weight watchers meetings a member recommended the restaurant Energy Kitchen. I decided to search information about it online. While browsing their website it became apparent that they pride themselves on serving food choices all for under 500 calories. Not bad huh? Well my first endeavor to try this place failed, they were closed. However, on Friday I had some free time and decided to  try another location (2nd avenue, between 57th and 58th street). 

Looking up at the menu I decided to try a bison burger and a side order of baked fries. While I appreciated the under 500 calorie enticement, I felt disappointed in the quality of the food. The lettuce and tomatoes inside the burger did not taste fresh. The bison meat was plain and not very flavorful. Although, the wheat hamburger bun was enjoyable. As for the fries, it was a good portion size and did not feel too greasy. Overall I'm not impressed with the quality of the bison burger; I'd rather eat a McDonalds hamburger. Perhaps I need to give it another try but with a different dish next time. I noticed that Energy Kitchen claims their chicken fajita is the most popular. In the future, giving this place another try is possible. 

On the brighter side I did get a 15% discount for showing my weight watchers pass. Energy Kitchen's menu is pretty extensive and even offers smoothies. Give it a try! Let me know what you think. 

http://energykitchen.com/

The Official: http://i-hearthealthy.blogspot.com/

Thinking Slim

On friday evening my boyfriend and I ate at Mustang Sally's. It's located on 7th avenue between 28th and 29th street. At the start of the week I knew we were going to eat out. I have to admit, eating out creates a small sense of food anxiety. After all, the food is prepared behind closed doors. Who knows how much salt the chef is really using! I could easily avoid restaurants. But it's nice not to worry about dishes! 

The waitress sat us down at a nice booth and handed us each a menu. While perusing the menu, the "salad" section seemed like a safe bet. However, at the bottom of the menu was a dish that sounded mouthwatering, a cuban sandwich. I figured, oh what the heck. It only took the food about 15 minutes to arrive. The waitress delivered a full plate of two halves of the cuban sandwich, thick cut french fries, and coleslaw. I took one look at the plate and asked myself, am I really going to eat this? I worked hard these past four months; losing 16 lbs and keeping it off for a good 5 weeks. 

Bam! It was as if I had attained some sort of health superpower. I automatically removed the top slices of bread from each half and removed 2/3 of the french fry serving onto a small plate...and far away from me. I only had a small forkful of the coleslaw. Thankfully, the amount of meat and cheese inside the sandwich was a small portion.  Not going to lie, I certainly felt proud of myself! In the end, the portion I created myself satisfied my hunger. 

I Heart Healthy Tip: When eating out, request a small plate. After your food arrives, evaluate your plate: what is going to really satisfy my taste buds? Is there too much meat or bread? For example, I really wanted the crunch of the pickle and didn't need all the bread and fries. Then, use the small plate to dump the food you are going to cut out. Either offer the small plate of food to others around the table or simply take it home for a leftover meal during the week.  

The Official: http://i-hearthealthy.blogspot.com/