Feeling Good

Although its only mid week in the first week of the journey I must say I am feeling pretty good.  PS dont think that I am intentionally up at this insane hour. It all has to do with the margarita I consumed last night while celebrating a friends bday and the crazy way my body processes alcohol these days.  I digress.

Back to what I was saying.  I'm feeling pretty good...correction, really good and its a good thing.  Shamefully, I must admit that up to this point in my life my motto has pretty much been "if it feels good do it."  (Much more of a feeler than a thinker.) While I know some weeks or days will be challenging I am grateful for an immediately rewarding first week.

I did play an active part in this by planning, planning, planning.  I dedicated my entire Sunday to meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking.  Currently, as I write to you I am starting my day with a wonderful Zucchini Blast Muffin from my new favorite, appropriately titled, website Hungry-girl.com.  Recipe below.  These muffins are great for people like me who never leave time for breakfast and would rather grab a morning snack to be enjoyed in the car than have to cook during the week.  Plus, if its made ahead of time that is one less decision to make for the day.  As you will see from the nutrition information provided by the website. these make-ahead muffins are loaded with fiber and protein, two key ingredients for successful, healthy weight loss.  To accompany my muffin, I hard-boiled 3 eggs on Sunday night and have been eating one each morning with these zesty (nutmeg) nutritious muffins.  I must also brag on myself and thank the creators of this recipe.  Not only are these muffins great for those looking to loose weight but with the rest of my family as well.  Having lived along for 3 years I forgot how fast a dozen muffins goes in a house of 4 people, but I'm ok with that.

I decided to start slow with my lifestyle changes and incorporating breakfast made a big difference from the start.  Eating breakfast jump starts my metabolism and keeps me from binging on whatever I can find in the pantry after dinner.  What I eat in the morning also has an effect on my appetite and blood sugar for the rest of the day.  Eating protein is key to staying full and avoiding the roller coaster that a sugar or high carb breakfast can induce.  Oatmeal is also an extremely filling breakfast with heart healthy benefits.  Check out the recipe and let me know if you decide to give it a try.  Do you eat breakfast regularly?  If so what?  If not, is this something you would be willing to incorporate as a first step to healthy living?

Ingredients: Zucchini Zazzle Muffins 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini) 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed) 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (likeEgg Beaters Original) 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 3 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown) 3 tbsp. crushed walnuts, divided 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the zucchini, egg substitute, applesauce, butter, and vanilla extract. Slowly add this mixture to the first bowl, and stir until thoroughly blended. Mix half the crushed walnuts (1 1/2 tbsp.) into the batter. Line 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute batter among the 9 cups. Top each cup with a sprinkling of the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. crushed walnuts. Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool and then enjoy! MAKES 9 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 muffin Calories: 147 Fat: 3.5g Sodium: 246mg Carbs: 25g Fiber: 2.5g Sugars: 7g Protein: 4.5g POINTS® value 3*