Eat To Live Week 2 Recap (Sunday, April 4 – 10, 2010)

Ryan: Lost 2 pounds in week two, and at 225.5. Total weight loss after two weeks: – 5.5 pounds.
My Dear Wife: Lost 2 ½ pounds in week two. Total weight loss after two weeks: – 4 pounds.

The day-to-day Eat To Live (ETL) meals are starting to repeat somewhat, so I will only briefly list the meal plans, as most do not really require a formal recipe, since many of the meals are quite simple and quick to prepare. On Easter Sunday we cooked up a modified version of Blackened Catfish utilizing some of the fresh seafood from Earp’s. In fact, in addition, I have taken advantage of the slow cooker crock pot and prepared large batches of beans that last most of the week. This week I soaked two pounds of Great Northern beans over night on Wednesday, and slow cooked them all day Thursday with some onions, celery, garlic, herbs and vegetable stock.

We also have gotten into a great workout routine, in fact we both look forward to our daily exercise, especially our walk / talk time. A time for exercise, but just as important for us to decompress the day and communicate our thoughts, ideas, and plans for the coming days, weeks, and activities. The fresh air in the lungs is great too!

I have never felt so energetic and so good about myself, this diet is more of a lifestyle, and allows you to take control of your health, all the while shedding off the pounds while doing so. My dear wife and I are so happy and have gotten closer in our relationship, the Eat To Live book has changed our lives in such a short period of time.

The daily rundown for week two of the ETL lifestyle starts here, with links to any recipes that were prepared other than just throwing together salads and breakfasts and such.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Breakfast

Muesli cereal with 1 tablespoon of toasted flax seeds, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk.

Lunch

Southwest Salad ~ with a quick homemade salsa. This was essentially a cold salad plate with romaine lettuce, black beans, whole kernel corn, salsa, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, ½ a sliced avocado, and some queen olives. The oil-free and salt-free salsa is the dressing.

Dinner

Blackened Catfish, and oysters on the ½-shell with a side of steamed spinach. The fresh catfish filets were marinated with a mixture of Creole mustard, raspberry vinegar, a light spray of garlic olive oil, and my Cajun Chef Ryan Cajun Spice blend. To blacken them I just set up a hot bed of coals in the charcoal grill and then set the Lodge cast iron griddle on top to get very hot. Then cook the catfish for about 5 to 7 minutes per side until the flesh flakes at the thickest portion.

Preparations

Salsa which meets the ETL dietary guidelines has no oil or salt added. Essentially the quick to fix salsa is all made by hand in a medium bowl. Take 4 roma or plum tomatoes and dice them up, then add about 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro chopped, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/4 cup of minced onion, 1 jalapeno minced, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Mix this all together and you have a fresh fresh salsa, almost like a pico de gallo.

Black beans and corn mixture; this is a topping for salads and is just equal portions of cooked black beans and whole kernel corn that have been blended together. Perfect on cold salads for added beans and low starch vegetables.

Blackened Catfish is served

Activity

Neighborhood walk for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Breakfast

Muesli cereal with 1 tablespoon of toasted flax seeds, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk, and ½ cup orange juice.

Lunch

Steamed kale on a bed of cooked lima beans, and immunity drink, green seedless grapes, walnuts, and dates.

Dinner

A ½ piece of leftover blackened catfish warmed up and then on top of fresh greens with the fresh salsa.

Activity

Neighborhood walk for 30 minutes. My dear wife at Curves, and Ryan on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 30 minutes.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Breakfast

Muesli cereal with 1 tablespoon of toasted flax seeds, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk, and ½ cup orange juice. My dear wife ate a clementine and dates in place of the muesli.

Lunch

Salad with cucumbers, romaine lettuce, spinach, salsa, olives, garbanzo beans, black beans and corn.

Dinner

A ½ piece of leftover blackened catfish warmed up and with a side of kale and lima beans, and warmed up black beans and corn mixture.

Activity

Neighborhood walk for 30 minutes. My dear wife at Curves, and Ryan on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 30 minutes.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Breakfast

Clementine and dates, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk, and ½ cup orange juice.

Lunch

Salad with tomatoes, romaine lettuce, garbanzo beans, olives, cucumbers and tomato dressing.

Dinner

Another salad with more variations and toppings of beans and vegetables.

Activity

Neighborhood walk for 30 minutes. My dear wife at Curves, and me on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We now both look forward to our daily exercise, it is like an addiction now. I cannot wait to get home, change and start working out now.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Breakfast

Clementine and dates, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk, and ½ cup orange juice.

Lunch

Salad with a side of lima beans.

Dinner

Great northern beans over a bed of tri-color couscous. Click link to view recipe.

Activity

Neighborhood walk for 30 minutes. My dear wife at Curves, and me on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 40 minutes.

Preparations

Friday, April 9, 2010

Breakfast
Clementine and dates, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk, and ½ cup orange juice.

Lunch
Another salad with fresh greens, beans, tomatoes, olives and such.

Dinner
Vegetarian pizza with made from scratch whole wheat pizza. Click link to view recipe.

Vegetarian pizza with whole wheat crust

Activity
Neighborhood walk for 30 minutes. My dear wife at Curves, and me on Wii Sports and Wii Fit for 30 minutes.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Breakfast
Granola bars, tea with honey and a splash of skim milk , and ½ cup orange juice.

Lunch
Great northern beans with a bed of tri-color couscous.

Dinner
Salad of spinach leaves, romaine, dandelion greens from the yard, seedless cucumbers, plum tomatoes, fresh sliced kiwi, fresh pineapple chunks, cantaloupe, tomato dressing and black olives.

Activity
Neighborhood walk for 1 hour and 30 minutes. We started extending our walks along a dirt road that connects one end of our neighborhood to a new development of houses and we ventured thorough this area to see what new real estate looked like and then we stumbled upon a walking trail. This ended up being a fabulous walk, and almost 4 miles in all 3.6 to be exact. Another great walk / talk and adventure, we felt like we are a million miles from home.

You might be wondering how I know the exact miles we walked, and without a pedometer. I use Map My Walk, to record our walks, a very useful tool for finding and sharing walks near your house.