15 Week Challenge - Week 1

So, I recently signed up for the 15 week challenge on Amy’s Quest to Skinny. I thought it would be a good way to motivate myself. I’ll also be able to get with more bloggers and this always motivates me to do better. There are 164 people participating, so I certainly don't envy her the work involved!

Anyway, today was my Week 1 weigh in. I lost 4 pounds this week (weighed in at 213). Go me! I’m very happy with the result, because that puts me back to a total 25 pounds lost since I started Weight Watchers.

The challenge, in addition to the weigh ins, has two other things you can do each week. On Workout Wednesday Amy posts a workout for everyone to do, if they want to. I can only do a portion of it this week due to all the different crunches she has included (doctors orders not to do crunches due to a bulging disc), but I’ve done the rest. I’ve done some modifications to get in some ab work.

The other challenge is set each week. This week, it is to remake one of your sinful favorites into a healthier recipe. Being the lazy bum that I am, I’ve chosen something simple. I’m going to tell you how I’ve changed making stew.

In the past, when I made stew it was beef, lots of carrots and potatoes (cut fresh), a can of whole kernel corn, and a can of mixed veggies to fill it out. THEN, once that was good and hot, I added gravy mix and made it REALLY thick. Then ate a lot of it.

Now, this is not the worst thing in the world to eat, but could easily be made more healthy. And be made with a lot less effort. So, I’ve changed how I make my stew.

Ingredients

≈1.1 lbs. of a lean beef, frozen (whatever is available in the sale row at the grocery store)

≈1/4 cup of light soy sauce (I really just dump a bunch in, but this was the measure when I started)

≈2 teaspoons of thyme (Again, I don’t measure anymore. I just dump some in)

≈2 teaspoons of crushed rosemary

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

2 bags of frozen mixed veggies

Enough water to cover everything (doesn’t have to COMPLETELY cover the veggies)

I put the above things in the Crockpot (in the order listed) and cook on high for about 6 hours. (I put it on at lunch and it’s ready when I get home.)

To finish out the healthy meal, I cook rice to serve this over. Brown rice is obviously better, but I use white rice because I’ve never cared for the taste of brown rice. (I’m also not sure if my husband likes it!) I cook the rice in a rice cooker, but even instant would be fine. I also sometimes eat a salad while waiting for the rice to cook.

I don’t have any pictures of this, but I think it’s fairly easy to imagine. I usually cook this on the nights I have class since it doesn’t take the rice long to cook and the main portion of the meal is already done.