Better eating, better attitude!

Day 1 of healthy eating started today.

Not only does it feel great, but it tasted great! (more on this later...JT spoils me with AWESOME food!)

I'd like to discuss a few important issues. First of all, I am slightly irritated by our gym selections in the area because none do complete body testing work-ups. I went to premier fitness today and they did a scale body fat test and the calipers and the readings were so different I don't know where to begin!

The scale, which is supposed to measure body fat and water etc, said I was 37 percent body fat and weighed 177 lbs. I believe the 177 is accurate (because my scale says that too :( ...) but the calipers, which are supposed to be more accurate, said I was 27 percent body fat. Now, the trainer who did the testing said I was more than likely somewhere in the middle so who knows. I decided to check out how much calipers cost online and found a digital set with good reviews for 14 dollars. Those should be here in a few days and I'll re-evaluate those numbers then. Either way however, I have a lot of work ahead of me! I am still trying to find a gym to give me a full work-up similar to the one I got while I was in the Navy at a base gym - it was amazing and I am sad I can't get it now!

Secondly, I have a serious issue with the amount of information provided to school-aged children about nutrition. I am going to do some more research about this topic and write about it more in-depth in a future blog, but i wanted to bring it up to hear anyone's opinion about it! :)

Ok - so food today

Breakfast - Snickers marathon bar (love those!) and coffee
lunch- salad with romaine lettuce, a chicken breast, feta cheese, cranberries, almond shavings and balsamic vinegar and lite ranch (mixed together) for dressing
snack- orange and half an ounce of almonds, babybell cheese
dinner- (and this was amazing....) Pork Chops stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach! SOOO GOOD! Broccoli and potatoes
snack- snickers marathon bar and an apple

Overall, I am really happy with that, although i will try to eat more for breakfast tomorrow and I will also try to do better on drinking water - I only had about 40 oz. today :(

here is the recipe for the dinner -

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
• 1/3 cup fat-free cream cheese
• 4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

tomorrow I am going to start my work-out routine too! I am so excited! Thanks for the support guys! I will post my short-term and long-term goals tomorrow! <3>