P2D31

A sad day on the scale. I am up .2 lbs.

I am not going to stress about it, really. Several things can explain it:
1. Salt. I had too much salt yesterday, plain and simple. My ring, which lately has been so loose it spins on my finger, was tight this morning. Ugh.
2. Inflammation from exercise. I have really been hitting the treadmill and strengthening exercises lately and pilates has just been intense.
3. Cheating. I admit it, I cheated. I had 9 chocolate chips and 6 pieces of peanuts (they weren't even whole). Oh, and a low fat mozzarella stick from Trader Joe's. I have actually been having one of those for a couple days now. I have just been so hungry from all the extra exercise and I did continue to lose. Well, it is time to crack down and not cheat anymore. I want to see if I can lose another 7 lbs over the last few days of P2.
4. Aunt Flo is due to arrive on Sunday....maybe (she hardly ever visits since I got the Mirena, sorry, TMI). But it seems too far out to be the reason. It is more likely the other 3 and mostly, well, #3.

The fun news is that I sorted through all of my smaller clothes that I had stored for a long time. I was surprised by how many things fit me now. I am fitting in 14/16 tops (down from 20s) and size 18 pants (down from 22)! I have more (size 14s and 16s) that will fit in about 10 lbs (I hope). I cleaned out a bunch of too large clothes and plan to give those away.

Problem is that the smaller clothes that now fit are kind of a mish-mash assortment. I need some basic camis/tanks to go under some of the blouses, shirts and sweaters. The pants are the wrong color for the tops I have, etc. I may go get the most basic of camis/tanks to get through this. I will get them a little snug so they will last. I have about a week left of the 500 cal diet and don't want to buy a whole bunch of stuff until I know where I am going to stabilized for awhile.

Made a fantastic recipe last night. I got it from here.
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HCG Kung Pao Chicken (adaptation for kiddos is below)
Per serving:
3.5 oz (100g) raw chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
chopped onion (allowed amount)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated

Marinade (this is adaptable, I used 1/2 C each for 1 lb of chicken):
1 part soy sauce or liquid aminos (follow your plans recommendations)
1 part unseasoned rice vinegar

Other (these are the measurements I used for about 1/2 lb of chicken because I cooked the kids portions differently, see below):
1-2 Tbsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
1/2 C broth, plus more for cooking, if needed
1 Tbs soy sauce
1-2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar

In a dish appropriate for the amount of chicken you are using, mix the marinade ingredients and add the cubed chicken. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 min-1 hr.
Using a wok or other appropriately sized pan, stir-fry or saute chicken for about 5 min, browning all sides. If you don't use non-stick pans you made need to add small amounts of broth to keep the chicken from sticking or burning.
Add sambal oelek to pan and continue cooking for another 1-2 min.
Check chicken pieces to be certain they are cooked through, then remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add onion to pan and saute until tender, again using broth if necessary. Add in garlic and ginger and cook for another 1-2 min. Add chicken broth, soy sauce and rice vinegar and continue to cook about 3 mins, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly. Put chicken back into sauce mixture and warm for 1-2 min more.
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It is tricky to measure out an HCG portion once the onions and sauces are mixed together. I had to make my best estimate. In hind site it would have been better to cook my husband's portion and my portion separately.

This makes a very tasty, somewhat spicy and very satisfying HCG dinner. My husband served his over rice.

Kid's Portion
I really dislike being a sous chef and making everyone their own dinners. I refuse to do it. However, if it is easy and doesn't really disrupt the dinner making process, I will customize some things for my kids. This was one of those things. I knew it would be too spicy for them. I took about half a pound of the cubed, marinated chicken and stir-fried it separately in a small amount of peanut oil (that is what I have always used for stir-fries). After about 5 min I added in about 1.5 tsp each minced garlic and fresh minced ginger and continued to cook until the chicken was completely cooked. My kids LOVED it. It was easy enough to do. I just took their chicken portion out of the marinade and voila, they had a dinner they could eat and enjoy and mommy didn't feel like a sous chef.

Enjoy!
Amy