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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Recipe of the Week - Parchment Pesto Halibut

This delicious little number has become my all time favorite fish recipe. Loaded with healthy oils and TONS of flavor, I have even served this for a dinner party and received raves.

Parchment Pesto Halibut
In place of halibut, you can use other small, flat, white fish fillets, such as red snapper, sea bass, pompano, striped bass, or cod.

Ingredients
  • 4 (12- x 18-inch) sheets parchment paper
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
  • 1/4 cup commercial pesto
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (2 medium)
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini (1 small)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 teaspoons dry white wine
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Cut parchment into a semi-circle (or leave it square) and fold in half. Open up fold and coat lightly with cooking spray, leaving a 2-inch border ungreased at edge.
3. Place fillet on one side so that it touches the fold, but not the ungreased border. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto over fillet; top with 1/4 cup carrot and 1/4 cup zucchini. Sprinkle with one-fourth of salt and pepper. Drizzle fillet with 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon wine.
4. Fold paper; seal edges with narrow folds. Repeat with the remaining parchment paper, fish, and vegetables.
5. Place packets on baking sheets. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. To serve, open packets and transfer the fillets with their vegetable topping to plates; pour juices over top. Or serve right in packets; carefully transfer to plates and pierce each to allow steam to escape.

Monday, February 25, 2013

A little something special...

...is on it's way to me from J Crew via the lovely folks at Ebay. Sold out in stores, I battled it out to snag this looker as a reward for a month's worth of really hard work. I also saved close to $100 off retail. I'm every woman.


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Progress Report

This morning I am beaming, glowing and other forms of looking and feeling happy. Why you ask? This morning was my week 2 weigh in for Weight Watchers and BOOM. Down a total of 7 lbs. If you add in the weight I lost on my previous platform we're talking the BIG 10! 

Lots of things have changed for me over the past few weeks. To start, dropping sugar, alcohol and caffeine from my diet, while BRUTAL the first week, has changed my brain in ways I never could have imagined. The uncontrollable cravings for fast food, soda and candy have virtually disappeared and when I eat something naturally sweet or healthy-fatty like fruit, avocado or grass fed beef, my taste buds go crazy. I can actually taste food again - who knew? Now, I am not saying I am cured and in just a few weeks have achieved a healthy relationship to food. But what I am saying is that my relationship with food is changing for the better. No more feeling guilty, just lots of enjoyment of delicious whole foods. 

Hey food! What's up? Yeah, we're cool. 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Blue Cheer

Loving the blues from Banana Republic this morning...

Monday, February 18, 2013

Add / Drop Installment 4

Add: Weight Watchers Online
Drop: Web MD Food and Fitness Tracker

In another installment of Add/Drop I wanted to dive in a bit further on the details from Saturday's post. When I first started my food plan, I looked around and in an effort to save dollars decided to try out Web MD's Food and Fitness Tracker. While it had it's benefits, it proved too cumbersome to track and I felt a little lonely without any message boards to share tips. I saw the advertisements for Weight Watchers Online and with the joining fee waived I decided to give it a shot! I have not looked back since. Last week was my first full week using the Online version and I have loved every minute of it. In addition to a robust site, there are mobile apps that let you track food with your iPhone and they even have a scanning app that lets you scan bar codes and calculate points! Weight Watchers has come a long way from the starvation days I remember from College and if my more than 2 lb weight loss last week is any indication, I might just pull through this.

If you care to check it out for yourself, just visit www.weightwatchers.com and take a tour.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sun. Sparkle. Snow.

Wintery Morning in Lake Wylie, SC

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Snowy Afternoons in the South...

Are amazing for watching old movies, cooking healthy soups and all around relaxing! This week has been all about detox. Detox from sugar, fast food and alcohol. Since Monday I have been a straight arrow and even made it through Valentine's Day without a single ounce of candy. I've also pushed past the sugar withdrawal headaches and my cravings have been minimal. I have not felt this good in a very long time. It feels a little too good to be true! Though I suppose when you stop pushing crap into your mouth at the speed of sound there's no where to go but up.

A couple of switches along the way to report: I signed up for Weight Watchers Online. I know, I know, I touted the benefits of Web MD's Food and Fitness Tracker, but all of the iPhone apps and ease of use seduced me to join for free with a deep discount on the first 3 months. So far it is WELL worth the expenditure and I finally feel like I am making good progress! Been reading "It Starts With Food" along with some other interesting reads like Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions". It's amazing how little I knew about food before I started this journey! I get on the scale on Monday so finger's crossed it's been a good week! 

Monday, February 11, 2013

I have to say, I'm over being fair...



Vacation Dreaming...

Lately I have been dreaming of taking some time off to relax and recharge since it has been quite a while since I have done either! I had a few days off after New Year's and had the flu the entire time. NOT fun. My challenge? I want close enough so I can drive, 3-4 hours max, and inexpensive enough where I won't have to put anything on credit. I also want somewhere that I can eat relatively healthy and enjoy some local produce and the deliciousness that comes from chef's that know how to use what they have in their backyard! Maybe the beach? (It's off season so Kiawah is cheap right now!) Savannah? Something to dream about more on a rainy Monday here in Charlotte. 

Friday, February 8, 2013

Sassy Snaps - Month 1

What's a blog about revival without a few sassy snaps to document the journey? I have literally been avoiding cameras for what seems like an eternity as I am not happy with the amount of weight I have put on over the years. Tack on to that trying to make an effort to look cute without hiding under tent dresses and you've got a visual void in my pictorial history. In any event, these are my official kick-off photos - my bottle of champagne to christen the PR ship!

The Details: The air outside was dry and cold so things are looking a bit clingy due to static, but I love the colors and fun layering in this outfit. Blue has become my signature color and this cashmere scarf literally goes with everything. The vest is compliments of Rachel Zoe via QVC and every time I wear it I feel SO BALLSY. Who am I to try and pull off a faux fox vest when I'm well above my size 10 college days? And then I remember..I'm that girl that used to be fearless! As I have shared, one of my biggest challenges is going to be putting together cute outfits as I lose weight without investing a ton of dough. These black skinnies and floaty top will carry me through for weeks and weeks to come. Looking forward to next month when these is "less" of me to share!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

On it's way to PR...

Excited to dive into this one!