Ironically, A Chocolate Cake Recipe

Hello, world!

I'm still trucking along on the reduced-carb journey. So far I'm down 8 pounds! Things are going well, and I'm almost to the point where this diet is automatic. Though I originally planned to cut down my carbs by half, and then cut them down again, I've stayed at cutting them in half because the results have been so quick and it's been pretty easy. I don't really see the need to go further; this is a lifestyle I can embrace! Right now I'm on target to reach my goal weight by graduation! That's right, when I walk across the stage I'll be pretending that I'm walking down the catwalk to "I'm Too Sexy" and strutting appropriately.

That being said, living on 100 grams of carbs a day can be challenging when you find an amazing recipe for chocolate cake and you want to eat the whole thing in one sitting. But what is life without challenge?

I made this cake for Eric for our Valentine's Day celebration and we both LOVED it. It was so moist that frosting it would have been completely over the top (no pun intended!)-- this cake was amazing without the extra sugar rush. Instead we served it with strawberries and whipped cream: Heaven!

To make this cake you'll need:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your pan with cooking spray or use butter. You can use any size/shape pan you want. I used a bundt pan to make the cake look fancy with absolutely no work whatsoever. I like to stay true to who I am.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes with a mixer or a large whisk. Stir in the boiling water last. The batter will be thin. Pour evenly into your cake pan(s).

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you love the tingly burn of way too much sugar, throw some frosting on that sucker! If not, you can serve your cake like we did with a little fruit to help drown out your conscious as it scolds you for eating such an amazing treat. 

Whichever way you choose to go, I think you'll be pretty happy. Enjoy! 

Carb Cutback: Week 2

Get excited.

Since cutting carbs in half (which has become almost second-nature in only a week and a half!) I have lost 2 1/2 pounds! I don't anticipate (or want) to lose weight at this rate for much longer-- this is probably just the initial drop-off from making such a big change. Right now my goal is to lose a pound a week. Here are some things I tried this week that have worked wonders:

I allow myself to have a piece of toast with my breakfast (usually 1 scrambled or boiled egg) and I even allow myself to have a love affair with butter. But I no longer add jam (this has been tough). Instead, I add fruit or I save those sugars for later in the day when I know I'll be needing a boost.

I have hearty lunches. Instead of something light at lunch (which induces cravings and unnecessary snacking later) I go ahead and fill up! My lunches of choice have been tuna salad with crackers, hearty potato soup, and of course my leftovers from the previous night's dinner.

When it's time for a snack, or when I feel a craving coming on, I pour myself a glass of iced tea or fruit punch-- something that tastes sugary but is actually sugar-free. Then, only if that drink doesn't cut it, I'll have a snack. I've been a little limited by my budget, so right now my snacks are Nutri-Grain bars or cheese with a couple of crackers, but on my next grocery trip I'll be buying bananas to freeze in bite-size pieces with peanut butter, yogurt, fruit, and lunch meat (sometimes a couple slices of ham or turkey rolled up is enough to get by).

At dinner I've been cutting out breads and pastas almost completely. If I have a few carbs left to "spend" (referring to my goal number of course) then I'll have a piece of garlic toast or I'll put a couple of croutons on my salad. Otherwise, I ignore those things altogether. This past week for dinner I've had roasted fish with lemon, onions, and potato slices; thinly sliced zucchini sauteed with olive oil and garlic and topped with meat sauce; and chicken cutlets topped with brown sugar, paired with broccoli.

Since I'm eating alone most nights it's easy to have leftovers a couple of nights each week, which also keeps me from splurging when I try to think up a new meal.

While tracking my meals and watching myself reach that goal number every day has been awesome, by far the MOST rewarding part of all this has been seeing how FAST my work has paid off. After two days I felt more energized, less "ick" from eating junk, and very proud. After 12 days I feel slimmer (and I look it, too), it's much easier to stay on track, and even after being sleep-deprived for 3 nights in a row, I've been able to maintain my energy.

If you're thinking about making a change or you're in the process and you're struggling, I strongly advise you to take it slow like I did. I didn't completely eliminate carbs, I just cut back. I didn't deprive myself of food, I just replaced heavy calories (junk food) with lighter ones (veggies, fruits, etc.). I still eat the same amount and I even still eat things like chocolate and cereal and occasionally oatmeal. I just make sure I stay within the bounds of my set plan and it has been working like a charm. Right now I'm set to reach my goal weight in April. That's like. Right around the corner.

Like I said, get excited!

Carb Cutback: Week 1

It's day 5 of my recent carb cutback. So far it's been pretty manageable. There have certainly been a few obstacles, but I already feel great and I've noticed how quickly this change has affected my weight.

I began last Saturday when I counted my carbs for the whole day (in grams, subtracting fiber). At the end of the day, I added up that number, divided it by 2, and got my goal for this week.

Every day I have tried to make small changes to help me reach that goal. The first day was hard-- I felt like I couldn't eat anything! By Wednesday I figured out how to plan my meals out for the whole day so that I could meet my goal AND satisfy my appetite and cravings. I was thrown completely off track yesterday, as Eric and I had planned to make homemade pizzas and we had a moscato wine cake for dessert for Valentine's Day. (What can I say, I'm in love!) Today I'm back on track.

Some things I've learned/changed so far to help me meet my goal:
1. I eat a scrambled egg for my breakfast on days when I want a sandwich for lunch or pasta for dinner. Otherwise I stick with my oatmeal, which does a lot for my digestive health and keeps me full all morning. Planning my meals like this helps me stay on track, while eating what I like!
2. I plan to switch out my pasta for veggie substitutes; this week I'm trying out thinly sliced zucchini with sauce instead of spaghetti.
3. Drinking water throughout the day helps me to keep from feeling hungry or getting cravings that will throw me off track (I usually drink 5-6 glasses a day anyway, but I've been especially diligent about it this week).

It feels great to be taking this one step at a time. Cutting carbs in half has been very manageable and has kept me from having to completely change my diet. Instead, I'm making small changes that make a big impact and keep me sane. Moderation has worked best for me so far when it comes to weight loss, and I plan to stick with it!

For week 2 I'm sticking with the same goal number. I want to meet that goal every day before I try to cut back more.

Project Me is Underway

Hello world.

If you have been reading this blog for a while you should know by now that I have embraced the idea of "project me". I'm constantly in search of ways to better myself, to better my life, and to better my taste buds! These things collide in lovely and magnificent ways most of the time. Some of the time the result is an extra 5 pounds that I'm not too fond of. Which is why today I started a new project.

In the past I've accomplished weight loss by making life changes, not by dieting or embarking on some crazy exercise routine (because, let's face it-- my exercise mainly consists of toning my arms while I raise and lower my TV remote). I hardly ever drink sodas anymore, and when I do it's often a Coke Zero or diet version. I don't really do fast food except for when I'm home, mostly because it's inconvenient here in Chicago and I don't have much of a taste for it anymore. And I've been eating vegetables and NOT feeling like I deserve a gold star, because it's finally just a regular part of my diet.

However, this has not been enough. I'm very happy with these changes and I love that I can enjoy my meals and lifestyle with less crap in my system, but my weight loss goals just haven't quite been accomplished. So as I searched for ideas and solutions over the last month, I stumbled across an announcement that Eric's sister Emily made-- she'd just lost 5 pounds after starting the Atkins diet and cutting way back on her carbs.

It was like a freakin' football field's lightbulbs went off over my head. I need to pay attention to my carbs.

I love carbs. I love eating them, I love anticipating eating them, and I'm happy to resort to relying on them for my happiness if I outlive Eric. But that's part of the problem. I eat way too many carbs with each meal, and I'm not talking about the carbs I get from veggies and fruits. I'm talking pasta, crackers, bread (Oh, how I love bread), cereal, grains, you name it. This is not going to be easy.

However, today I decided to finally quit thinking about how to cut out carbs and I took my first step towards making a plan. First of all, I decided I'm not going to go on any diets. I'm going to keep doing what has worked; I'm going to address carbs in a way that works for my lifestyle, in a way I can adopt as "normal" so that I don't just gain all that weight back.

Today I took a notebook and wrote out a page for every day for the rest of the month. I'm going to track what I eat, noting the calorie content (I am currently trying to jumpstart my weight loss by sticking to 1500 a day) and the carb content. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to work to cut that carb number in half. Every day I will write down what I eat and make sure I'm on target for my calorie count (I also use an app for this, called "Lose It!"), and I'll also be able to make sure I'm on target for my carb count. At the end of each week I will think about how easy/difficult it was to meet that carb goal and either cut it down further, or spend another week focusing on sticking to it.

By March I hope to be eating 1/2 the carbs I do now, without struggling. I figure that if I manage to meet that goal, or even go beyond it, I'll be thrilled! March 1st I will decide what my next goal will be. From what I've heard Atkins dieters do something like 20 carbs a day-- I'm not sure that that number fits my lifestyle. In fact, I'm not really sure of what my end goal will be! But that's what this journey is all about. I want to find a number that works and stick to it.

I'll be posting here about my progress, as well as what changes I make to achieve that progress. So stay tuned and get excited! Project Me is underway!

(BTW, Project Me is universal-- anyone can have a self-bettering project. What's yours?)

A Real Love Story

Today Eric and I walked downstairs to say our last goodbyes before he walked into the cold and headed back to the airport for another week. It was cold and snowy so I didn't walk him to the train; instead I hugged him, kissed him, answered his "I love you" with my own, and waved to him from the lobby as he wheeled his suitcase behind him, out of sight. I sighed, felt a pang in my heart, and then I did what I do every time he leaves-- tried my best to just keep living my life by myself. I checked my mailbox, and when I asked the girl at the front desk if I had a package, she nodded. As she got it out of the closet for me, she said "You two almost made me cry; it was like I was watching a movie right in front of me!"

Every time Eric goes to work it's hard; and for a split second, her comments made it even more painful to know he was leaving. But only for a split second.

I answered, "He's a pilot, and we do this every week. But it's totally worth it." I smiled and headed back upstairs to my apartment.

Living my life day to day I never forget how much I love my boyfriend. But there are moments when I remember how powerful that love is. In the 2 1/2 years (on February 13) we've been together, I have learned that there is a difference between love and real love. Before I met Eric, I knew what love was. I had experienced love. But Eric has taught me real love. Throughout our relationship we have experienced the kind of days where every second is exciting and full of smiling and laughter, and we've also had those days where things are dark and they're so hard, and it takes every ounce of strength to make the relationship work. I wouldn't trade one single day, whether it was easy or hard.

I only wish I'd met him sooner.

Stuffed Zucchini

As you may have read, one of my goals for this year is to stay on top of my healthy eating so I can reach my target weight. I'm not trying to do anything drastic, just get a little more slim so I feel more confident come shorts and dress season. I was very good over the course of 2012, I lost 10 pounds doing basically nothing but portion control, but I sort of quit paying attention around November and gained half of it back. Oops!

Seeing as how this year mostly consists of me completing my Master's thesis, managing my habits is a little challenging. One of the ways I've been maximizing my efforts is by using an app called "Lose It!". This app is pretty straight-forward: you enter your height and weight, your target weight, and your frequency of exercise and it'll create a calorie budget for you. Every day I track what I eat (calories AND nutritional information) as well as how I exercise. This has helped me tremendously, partially by reminding me of proper portions, and partially because I know that if I get up and lift some weights for a bit I'll earn enough calories to "pay" for an extra snack or dessert.

In order to stick to my calorie budget I've slowly been cutting back on carbs (nothing drastic, just one less serving every few days or so) and substituting vegetables. This isn't so much of a dieting move as it is a lifestyle change. Two years ago I got my veggies from Spaghettios-- tonight I had two types of veggies and no grains at dinner, so I've come a long way, people! It's become a lot easier to incorporate veggies now that I have picked up a variety of ways to cook my favorite ones.


This is a recipe I tried for the first time tonight and it's definitely going to become a regular member of my vegetable club. It's very quick (about 5 minutes) and easy, super delicious, and you can completely change the flavor to suit your mood (and not get bored with it) just by swapping a few ingredients. Check it out!

Stuffed Zucchini

First I preheated the oven to 375. I sliced 1 zucchini in half lengthwise and scooped out the flesh. I chopped this up and put it in a small bowl. Then I added 1/4 cup diced tomato, a few shakes of garlic powder, some chopped onion, about 1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs, a handful of chopped parsley, and a little cheese (you can use whatever kind you like). I mixed this all up and then spooned it back into the zucchini halves. This went into the oven for about 15 minutes and it came out delicious.

This recipe really is satisfying and filling, and it's a great way to get carbs that won't stick to your butt. Plus it looks super impressive, so you can make this for your next party or gathering if you're trying to make a statement about how awesome you are. It's what I plan to do. Enjoy!

Self-Improvements

Happy 2013, everyone!

I am woefully behind on my posts, I know. I basically went on break for a month and sort of checked out of all things not pertaining to TV, traveling, and Christmas with family. It was actually pretty awesome. However, I'm now back in Chicago, ready for school to start this coming Monday, so I'm trying to get everything back to normal. Today has been a day of grocery shopping and catching up on laundry, and later I'll be working on my thesis.

Right now, though, I want to share a little bit about my plans for this year. These are not resolutions-- these are plans. If you know me personally, you know that I packed and referred to my planner while on vacation. It's who I am. By making plans for the year, I feel that I can sort of map out my moves to accomplish my goals.

This year's goals are:
1. Stay inside my budget parameters each month. Last year this was really difficult because I lacked discipline, and I also had many unexpected expenses like car repairs and x-rays that I couldn't neglect.
2. Stay under 135 pounds. This is a very comfortable weight for me and I sort of ignored my proper eating habits over the holidays. I'm already working toward that 135 mark, and my plan is to stay below it.
3. Become closer to Eric. It's been a tough 2012 for us, with job changes and separate time zones and month-long periods without seeing each other. We have remained committed and invested, but of course we have also faced challenges. I think it's already brought us closer to overcome those challenges together, and it feels great, so I'd like to find small ways to strengthen our relationship even more.

I'm excited to see how well I can stick to my goals, and I'll be updating here periodically. In the meantime, I'm going to go get my laundry out of the dryer, prep a few meals, and get a little closer to my graduation this May.