What's for Dinner? Reservations!

Like I mentioned before, my family likes to eat out.  This is the one thing that scared me the most when I considered taking on the challenge of The Virgin Diet.  I just didn't think there would be any place to go out to eat.  Luckily, I have found some restaurants where I can eat and still stay on the plan.  Here are a few I found:

Like I mentioned before, Chipoltle
1 - Beef or chicken brown rice bowl w/black beans, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole
2 - Beef or chicken salad with brown rice, black beans, salsa, and guacamole


Grillsmith
Fit Salmon w/double order of steamed vegetables


Fish City
1 - Crab leg dinner w/double order of steamed vegetables
2 - Dozen boiled shrimp appetizer w/ a side of sautéed spinach with garlic


Texas Roadhouse
6 oz Filet w/double order of steamed vegetables


Burger 21
2 Hamburger patties with lettuce, tomato, and mustard


***When ordering in a restaurant I now ask if the steamed/sautéed  vegetables are prepared with butter.  If so, I ask if I can have them prepared with out (possibly substitute olive oil).  I also had to make the same request for the steak at Texas Roadhouse.  Normally, you don't think of butter being on a steak but many steakhouses brush butter on top to the steaks after cooking.  So far I have found that the wait staff is more than happy to accommodate my requests.  I think the key is just communicating with them and asking a lot of questions.

2nd Week Weigh In

Day 15

I just finished my second week and the number on the scale keeps going down.  As of this morning I have lost a total of 7.4 lbs.

Yay me!

Hey, every little bit helps!

Dinner Suggestions

Planning our meals has gotten so much easier.  I'm sure it will eventually get boring, but for now we are enjoying the home cooked meals.  It is embarrassing for me to admit this but I had lost all desire to cook.  In return we would eat out almost every night.  Now, I enjoy getting in the kitchen again.  I plan on trying one new thing each week.  It might be a gluten free breading for preparing our meat/fish, or a different vegetable that we wouldn't normally eat, or even a new spice that I don't typically cook with.  I am having fun experimenting and seeing how tasty our meals are.

Here are some simple options I came up with:

Shrimp tossed with Olive Oil and Old Bay, then baked in the oven
Brown Rice
Oven roasted Broccoli and Asparagus


Hamburger Steak seasoned with Angelo's Steak Seasoning, cooked on the George Forman Grill
Vegan Mac 'n Cheese (definitely must be an acquired taste)
Oven roasted Zucchini and Squash
Salad topped with nuts


Steak
Mushrooms sautéed with Earth Balance "butter" spread and Aminos (soy-free soy sauce)
Oven roasted Sweet Potatoes
Salad topped with nuts


Vegan Mac 'n Cheese (see tried it again)
Sautéed Spinach with Onions and Chia Seeds


***This has become a favorite lunch or dinner for me***
Chicken Apple Sausage Sandwich
2 pc. Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Millet Bread (found at Chamberlain's and it's made fresh locally) toasted and spread with Earth Balance Spread
3 pc. Applegate Chicken Apple Sausage


Quinoa and Black Beans
Salad topped with nuts


Maybe this will help you get some ideas.  If you need more information feel free to comment and I will answer any questions you may have.

1st Week Weigh In

Day 8 - One week ago I started the plan.  I didn't expect to see such good results.  I am quite proud that as of this morning I am down 5.4 lbs.

It actually hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be.  I guess I like the structure and having a definite forbidden list.  I don't do well with the whole "everything in moderation concept."  It would appear my moderation gauge is broken.  Once I start I can't stop.

Snacks to Take Care of the Munchies

Nut Crisps (if you are not dairy intolerant) with Barney Butter Almond Butter, Diaya Vegan Cream Cheese (like) spread, or

Sultan Roasted Garlic Hummus

Beanitos with Sultan Roasted Garlic Hummus or Herdez Salsa

And, of course, I never go far without my pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, 

and pecans!

So This is What it Feels Like?

It's Day 5 and I woke up pain free.  Yep, that's right.  I don't know how long it has been since I haven't had a pain, twitch, twinge, or ache of some sort.  Today makes me so hopeful for what my future can be.

I'll Try Anything Once, (or maybe twice)

Day 5

A day for trying new stuff I suppose.  I am not one of those people who will say, "I don't like that!" when actually I have never tried it.  So, when we were at Whole Foods and I saw the soy free/dairy free/vegan cheddar "teese" I thought, "what the heck!" I managed to incorporate it into my lunch today and I must say, it tastes like crap cold but heated it is edible.  I just melted it on a rice tortilla and topped it with sundried tomatoes, lettuce and a little vinaigrette.  If I stretched mind and my taste buds, I could almost see how it resembled pizza.

After lunch I played with the new toy I found at Whole Foods.

I was so excited when I saw this.  I could just imagine having all the sweet potato, zucchini, squash, and carrot chips my heart desired.  They would be so healthy and it would be an effortless way for me to get more veggies into my diet.  Humph!  I made numerous batches of sweet potato chips and they either burned or were still mushy.  I kept adjusting the microwave time but no luck!  Now, I am either stuck with a $20 chip maker that doesn't work or I can wash it really, really, really good and return it to Whole Foods.  I won't say which choice I end up making, that way you can't be called to testify.  You're welcome!