December to New Year's Eve Challenge & Recipe Exchange (no monday weigh-ins!)

**THIS CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW MEMBERS**

I have been gaining all year.  Since Thanksgiving is over, and I am burned-out on turkey, stuffing & gravy, I thought it would be great to start a mini-challenge to keep me on-track through the rest of the holidays.  Also, since weight is not the only marker of progress, I want to post measurements as well.  AND... since this is about lifestyle and not dieting, cooking really is a very important thing.  So I'd like to exchange recipes for the week so we can all learn some new stuff.  Chat is encouraged too. 

The weigh/measure-ins will begin on December 3rd, Wednesday.  The following are what we are going to report...

• GW
• CW
• Bust-Waist-Hips (in inches, please)
  
• Worst Food-Choice of the Week
• Best Food Choice of the Week
• Recipe to Exchange
  

The recipes exchanged should be in the database here on CC.com.  You can link them in your post.  That way we can all see the nutritional values and I can determine the healthiest ones impartially w/o having to enter them myself.  There will be announcements on Fridays for the following...

• Week's Biggest Weight-Loser
• Week's Biggest Inches-Loser
• Week's Healthiest Recipe(s)
  

The challenge winners will be determined by the largest percentage of loss and the person with the largest number of healthiest recipes. Winners will be announced on Thursday, January 1st, 2009. 

Go ahead and introduce yourself.  Tell us your age, height, beginning weight, how long you have been working at it, your current weight and your goal.  Let us know if you have any other goals and what you do with your time, what kind of exercise you take,....  Lets get to know one-another. 

*edit*

• ms_pw GW:150/CW:154.5 SM:37.5-32.75-38
  
• moodymomma  GW:130/CW:137 SM:___
  
• leanne21071  GW:120/CW:122.6 SM:37.5-27-34.5
  
• bagga  GW:175/CW:180 SM:41-35-40
  
• lulufit  GW:169/CW:174 SM:___
  
• ragingheadache  GW:153.5/CW:162, SM:41.5-37.5-41.5
  
• carlynj21 GW:123/CW:128.2 SM:34-30-37.5
  
• tincognito GW:145/CW:155.5 SM:___
  
• buggyhair GW:120/CW:140.2 SM:36.5-30-38.5
  
• journeyfit  GW:142/CW:150.6 SM: 36.5-29.5-41
  
• lbalthazor GW:160/CW:166.5 SM:36-38-40
  
• ridleysw GW:190/CW:200 SM:___
• sheltonmath: GW:160/CW:166 SM:42-36-43
  

I will have weekly stats posted here by Fridays. 

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

• ms_pw: 154.5 (same), 38-32-38 (+.5 bust, -.75 waist)
• moodymomma: 137 (same)
• leanne21071: 121.6 (-1), 37.5-26.5-34.5 (-.5 waist)
• bagga: 178 (-2), 40-35-39 (-1 bust & hips)
• lulufit: 173 (-1)
• carlynj21: 127.2 (-1), 34-30-37.25 (-.25 hips)
• tincognito: 153 (-2.5)
• buggyhair: 139.8 (-.4), 36-30-38 (-.5 bust & hips)
• lbalthazor: 167 (+.5) 38-24-40
• sheltonmath: 164.4 (-1.6), 42-36-42 (-1 hips)

Recipes of the Week

• ms_pw: Hummus B
• leanne21071: Choppy Salad A  
  
• bagga: Sea Scallops ala Caprese A-
• lulufit: Chipotle Chicken Wraps B+
  
• carlynj21: Sauteed Asparagas A -
  
• tincognito: Hunter's Stew B-
• buggyhair: Pea-Sun Spread B+
• lbalthazor: French Toast (cannot qualify since its not in the cc.com database)
• sheltonmath: Shepherds Pie B+

December 12th Winners...

• MAIN COURSE: bagga: Sea Scallops ala Caprese (A-) 252 Cals & 12 oz
• SALAD: leanne21071: Choppy Salad (A) - 92 Cals & 17.5 oz
• SIDE DISH: carlynj21: Sauteed Asparagas (A) - 88 Cals & 5 os

Weight-Loss Winners:

1. tincongnito lost 2.5 pounds this week!!!  Great Work!!!
2. bagga lost 2 pounds and that certainly deserves honorable mention.
   

Inches-Lost Winners:

1. bagga lost 1-inch from her bust & hips! 
2. sheltonmath lost 1-inch from her hips and that also deserves honorable mention.

CONGRATULATIONS Y'ALL!  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

Yippee!

• GW: 150
• CW: 145.5
• B-W-H: 37.5-32.75-38
• Worst Food-Choice of the Week: Thanksgiving Leftovers
• Best Food Choice of the Week: Lunch Salad
• Recipe to Exchange: My Morning Coffee

I figured its a good start for my 1st recipe post.  Its what I start every day with.

• GW 120
• CW 122.6
• 37 1/2- 27- 34 1/2
• stuffed sole dripping in oil and butter but oh so yummy
• Sprout wrap with eggbeaters

My recipe has sprouted chickpeas which are so easy and good for.  All you need is a bag of dried chickpeas that you can get almost anywhere and a glass jar or a large piece of cheese cloth or a colander and a pot.

1. soak the beans over night
2. drain and rinse them and put them in your jar or wrap them up or leave them in your colander.  If you use a cloth or colender's set the in a pot
3. Set them aside and rinse and drain them every 6 to 12 hours
4. You can use them right after the first soak but if you wait a few days they'll grow tails.
5. I steam them for about 10 minutes but a lot of people eat them raw or boil them.  Raw and my digestive system do not mix.
6. If you have extras you can roast them or just save them for salads or any of a thousand things You do not have to cook them to store them in the fridge.  Just dry them a little and place them in an air tight container until you need them.
7. Quick Sprouted Hummus Recipe

• 
  Submitted by leanne21071
  
  Makes 8 servings
  Low cal hummus
  
  Your tags - hummus   Ingredients 2 cups 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans 3 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin Directions
  1. soak, sprout and steam garbanzo beans
     
     
  2. Add to food processer or blender add lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, cumin and just enough water to process.
     
     
  3. I also like to add hot peppers or olives for a different flavor
     
     
  4. If you want you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons tahinni for a nuttier flavor
     
     
  Categories
  
  Beans, Appetizers
  
  Nutrition Facts Serving Size 48.0g   Amount Per Serving Calories 70 Calories from Fat 9 % Daily Value* Total Fat 1.0g 2% Saturated Fat 0.1g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 149mg 6% Total Carbohydrates 12.0g 4% Dietary Fiber 3.1g 12% Sugars 2.1g Protein 3.7g Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 6% Calcium 2% • Iron 7% * Based on a 2000 calorie diet
  
  Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation. Legend
  
  Fat
  Protein
  Carbs
  Alcohol
  Other
  
  Calorie Breakdown (?)
  
  Daily Values (?)
  
  Nutritional Analysis Nutrition Grade
  95% confidence
  ?)
  
  -->   Good points
  
• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in man

Sorry about that I didn't know how to link it.

Carlyn I can't get your address to work.  Help me find it please, it sound yummo!

I just got back from vacation and am ready to seriously start eating right again. I've been off and on all summer and fall, but have not been trying very hard on a regular basis. This challenge should help.

http://caloriecount.about.com/roasted-veggie- soup-recipe-r164056

Good morning everyone, buggy here.

GW: 120

CW: 140.2

B-W-H: 36.5, 30, 38.5

Worst food choice of the week: pizza and boneless chichen wings

Best food choice of the week: raw veggies

Recipe to exchange: Lemongrass Chicken

With parties in the near future this is quick and easy.

Original Post by carlynj21:

So I guess I will be the first to report all this good stuff.

 

• GW-123
• CW-128.2
• Bust-Waist-Hips (in inches, please)-34-30-37.5
  
• Worst Food-Choice of the Week-Pizza
• Best Food Choice of the Week-Salad,Salad,and more Salad
  
• Recipe to Exchange-   http://caloriecount.about.com/stuffed-pepper- casserole-chicken-recipe-r164039

Everyone have an excellent day!

 

I couldn't get to that recipe link.  Could you try posting it again?

Original Post by leanne21071:

Sorry about that I didn't know how to link it.

Carlyn I can't get your address to work.  Help me find it please, it sound yummo!

Here's how to link a recipe...

1. Go to the page of your recipe in cc.com and copy the address in the URL box.
2. Start your post in the thread and type the name of the recipe.
3. Highlight the text you just typed and the link icon will un-grey in the title-bar of the post window. 
4. Click on the link icon and a dialog box will open. 
5. Paste the URL you copied into the box next to "Link URL"
6. Then you can specify that the "Target" open in a new window, which I recommend. You don't have to though. 
   
7. Your recipe will be highlighted as a hyperlink in your post.  Now you can post it.  

Thanks!

Okay, so I weighed myself after eating breakfast, because I forgot to before.  However, my weight did go down from yesterday, so I'm happy, even though I know it's just water weight fluctuating.  I measured myself last night, and felt a little unsure about my measurements.  I didn't hold anything in, but I'm not sure that I'm going to remember exactly where I measure myself each time.  I noticed that just having the tape at a slight angle will throw the number off.  Here's my best guess then.

• GW - 160 (by Jan. 1)
  
• CW - 166.5
  
• Bust-Waist-Hips (in inches, please) - 36-38-40
  
• Worst Food-Choice of the Week - 3 Tootsie Roll Pops last night
  
• Best Food Choice of the Week - Yogurt I will have as a mid-morning snack
  
• Recipe to Exchange - The only recipe that I have in CC at the moment - Guacamole.
  

Hummus Thank you!  This is a test.  Yeah it works!  See I am capable of learning something new.

I can't wait to get cooking!

not sure I'm capable of learning something new, but will give it a shot next time mspw.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole   My problem was the browser wouldn't let me click the link button so I just needed to use another browser. Hope this works now.  <--- those didn't ever work for me either!!

I am still sick, so I don't feel like going to the store for a measuring tape. I will try to get one tomorrow because I have no idea what my measurements are! Also, I don't have any recipes on this site yet, so I will try to get to that after my nap (kids are at my moms, so I'm gonna take some nyquil and hit the sheets).

I did great yesterday. I did give in to the temptation and stress and I finished off the kids pizza crusts. However, I had a smaller dinner portion of chicken and stuffing and veggies, so I think it evened out.

As soon as I figure out how to enter recipes and stuff, (thanks for the info on how to link) I will post some. Got some good ones! Looking forward to a new start, thats for sure.

OK, so I am trying repeatedly to enter in a new recipe of pumpkin Curry Soup. It recongnizes all the ingredients except for the 1 (15 oz.) canned pumpkin. I looked pumpkin up in the database, and its in there, so does anyone know why it won't recognize the pumpkin in my recipe? How do I go about this? I keep trying to add it in different ways and it keeps saying that it is not found. I am about to pull my hair out! WTF?

type in: 15 ounces canned pumpkin

I got it! Thanks. Guess the brain is not working so good right now. I spend twenty minutes trying to figure that bugger out. I think I'll try the linking part later. My brain can only handle so much of this advanced technology right now!

I printed the linking instructions so it was easier to follow doing it was simpler than I thought.

supplies:
1 small pot
1 stove top
1 unused trash bag
1 stainless steal sink (optional)
tools (if sink option is chosen)
1 pencil
1 scrap paper
1 calulator (if needed)

ingredients:
6 eggs
water

Get small pan and place onto counter. Get egg carton from fridge and put on counter.  open carton and take out 6 eggs (one at a time) and gently place into pot.  close egg carton with remaining eggs, and put back into fridge.  (if egg carton is empty, please open trash can lid and place carton into trashcan. [if empty egg carton does NOT fit into trashcan because trashcan is full, please put egg empty egg carton onto counter, go back to trashcan, lift out bag, place on floor and tie trash bag closed.  take trashbag to front/back door, open door, walk thru open door, close door and walk around the house to where you keep the larger 'city trashcan', open lid and place trash bag into container.  close lid. {if container is full, instructions will be giving upon request} walk back to door, open door, walk thru door, and close door.  go to kitchen, grab an unused trash bag from where ever you keep em, go to empty trash can with unused trash bag in hand, shake unused trash bag so that it opens up, place opend, unused trash bag into trashcan and replace lid to make sure trash bag is secure.  take empty egg carton and place into trashcan.])  take pot containing 6 eggs, walk to sink and turn on the water.  fill up pot so that the water is covering the eggs.  turn off water, take pot to stove top and place onto burner.  turn burner on med or high. stand there for several minutes until water begins to boil.  once water starts to bubble, put the burner flame on med.  (if flame has burned out, please turn burner off and try again. if the flame doesn't go back on at all.... please remove pot off the burner, and place in stainless steal sink to prevent burning counter. [if you don't have stainless steal... you can go to bedroom, get dressed, and go to home depot to get one.  you'll need different tools to install new sink] {further instructions on sink replacement upon request}) when water begins to boil, put on medium and wait 12-18 minutes while they boil.  to get the numbers i got.... got to junk drawer in kitchen and grab a pencil and scrap paper.  multiply 6(eggs) X 2(min) = 12minutes OR  6(eggs) X 3(min) = 18minutes.    When time has lapsed, grab remote and put movie on pause.  go to kitchen and turn the burner off.  take pot to kitchen sink and slowy dump out boiling water.  turn faucet on and replace water with cold water.  repeat, and replace water again because this helps with the peeling of the eggs so that the shell doesn't stick to the white of the egg.  turn faucet off and put the pot back onto burner (do not turn on).  let eggs cool

the end

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Ok, hope this works!

Original Post by lulufit:

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Ok, hope this works!

 YAY, it works!!