Lettuce Tacos!

So, I'm gonna try to also work in food-ish things to this blog -- I mean, that way people can see what I'm eating and make suggestions.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I made some lettuce tacos again for dinner. I took pictures, too!

So here are the majority of the ingredients I used. You can pretty much fill the lettuce part with whatever you'd like. Generally I like to use kale, rather than lettuce, but Winn Dixie being as small as it is, I went with romaine lettuce. Add-ins include manzanilla olives, mild banana peppers, light creamy ranch, feta cheese (Mediterranean style) and tuna. Not pictured is olive oil and red pepper flakes.

 Take a few of the leaves off the bunch and put them on a cookie sheet. Put a light coating of olive oil on each leaf. I have the olive oil spray, so I spray the leaves then spread it around with my fingers. The romaine lettuce was really big, so I broke the end/stalk part off and put it in a salad keeper for later. There's enough lettuce still on them that I'm going to turn it into a salad later. Anyway, place the lettuce on the pan and pop it in the oven that's been pre-heated to 325-350 degrees.

While the lettuce is in the oven, prep the rest of the stuff. Mainly, this includes draining the tuna (I tend to  drain it into cups for the cats) and slicing up the olives. I personally don't like to bite into a full olive and/or they tend to roll out when I wrap things up later, so slicing them makes for a much better alternative. I don't use that many, so it doesn't take long.

After about 10 minutes (you really have to watch these suckers) take the lettuce out of the oven. The biggest thing to check for is that the majority of the leaf is crispy. If you don't leave them in the oven long enough then the edges will be crispy and the center will be soggy, which leads to an interesting spinach characteristics later (especially when you put in the fixings).

I got a bit impatient making these, so they were soggy in the center...which is how I know about this pitfall... (Just FYI, if you use kale, you can bake them with a bit of sea salt and make them into really awesome and delicious chips!)

After things have cooled, start adding in the fixings. I tend to put just a bit of tuna down the center, two-three mild banana peppers, two-ish sliced olives, a small sprinkle of cheese, etc. Sometimes if I have them I add sliced mushrooms which is equally delicious.

I'm weary of using a lot of ranch, even low fat ranch, so I really just put a few drops near the tuna for moisture and then a drop as I fold the lettuce to keep it closed (that way I can avoid using a toothpick). Then, enjoy! If you cook it right, the taco might try to crumble, so it does get a bit messy, but it's totally worth it. Not the best food for a dinner, but definitely good as a light lunch or afternoon snack! :)

One of my goals to "keep me honest" is every time I go to the gym, I'm going to sign in with FourSquare and/or facebook. You know, now that I have a smart phone and all.

Still frustrated with my eating habits. I can't seem to find a way to curb the need/want to binge. It was a lot easier to control what I was eating last year when I lived alone. Now that I have a roommate, it's a bit more frustrating because there are more "snacking" foods in the vicinity and there's not as much room for the fresh foods. I mean, let's be honest...it's a lot easier to put a can of green beans in the cupboard that it is to buy fresh green beans. And Kelsie is a TWIG (plus she climbs) sooo, she can basically eat what she wants. She just does it like a bird.

So I'm still battling eating correctly (which is easily 75% of my issue) as well as finding time to work out. I'm about to hit the gym for HOPEFULLY an hour (I tend to get bored....) and then set up a schedule of when I'm going to be going regularly. When I head to the gym I'm going to ask for a class schedule. I don't know if I'm going to up my membership yet, but if I have time to make a decent number of classes, that might make things easier....get a game involved. I've love to go back to Zumba!

So, for whatever reason I keep seeming to hover around the 155-158 range. I'm blaming this on the fact that I'm at school, often exhausted and 1) don't go to the gym and 2) don't stay at the gym as long as I should. Couple that with the penchant my program-mates have for eating out (But it's Weeeeendsday! Come to margarita night!) and you can see where the LBs are coming from.

It's frustrating to stick to a diet and workout routine. I think I'm going to spend a large amount of time scheduling out my weeks this coming weekend. This time to this time do _____________, for dinner, here's an option.

Most of my cravings and fallbacks happen after I get home. So if anyone has alternatives to late night snacking, I would greatly appreciate the share!

This picture is my new inspiration. After all this time I still can't run worth a damn, BUT I wanna be toned like this.

Picked up some protein bars. 20g of protein and hardly any carbs. Hopefully this'll help me with the "OMFG I WANT FOOD" cravings

HRM

Well, this explains some things....

I'm up to 159 again. I want to sob. And by 159, I mean, 159 consistently, not just an "I ate a lot" boo hoo. I hate this. I'm on a carb cleanse now. I feel it in my body. I've gained TWO full inches back in my waist. I feel it on my underarms, right where my bra hits.

I'm starting to hate how I look again. After all that work, I'm starting to hate myself again.

I can't get fat. I can't do it.

I'm going for a run. Maybe that'll keep me from crying.

New favorite site?

http://www.superskinnyme.com/