good day...but busy

Hello again blog readers. I wonder how many of you there are?

Today was a really good day for me. I heard back from two of my top choices for jobs next year and secured phone interviews with both.

So, I have a busy few weeks ahead. Tomorrow, I leave for MN for a conference, then I defend my PhD next Wednesday (with the 2 phone interviews in between). The next two weeks I have a face to face interview each week, with more travel. This is a really exciting time, but all the more reason to be really cautious about my weight loss.

Though I love to work out, I'm not a big "machines at the gym" girl. To make sure I stick to my plan, I'm working on a fun playlist to use on the elliptical machine, and bringing a resistance band to do some strength training in my room (I especially hate the weight machines).

I once had a weight watchers leader who described the 2 reasons for eating out to dinner--because you need to and because you want to. When you need to eat out (because there's no food in the house, or you're running late, or have no energy to cook) its important to make sure you stay on track with your diet, and don't order anything that you wouldn't normally eat (do you usually saute your veggies in lots of butter? or eat them steamed?). When you want to eat out (because you're having some kind of celebration, even if that celebration is called "Friday"), you've probably accounted for the meal in advance, and its OK to splurge a bit. I think this advice applies to travel as well. My trip to MN is for a conference, so it does not constitute a vacation, and I need to do my best to stay on track. Will I likely spend all my activity and weekly allowance points while away? Yes? But I'll also do my best to make healthful decisions. I've done some planning up front.

I found some great 100 calorie packs of almonds (3 points plus each) to stash away in my bag along with 2% cheddar packages (2 points plus each) and a bunch of clementines. I'm hoping that if I have this food on hand and keep myself full, I'll decrease my chances of mindless eating while away, helping me steer clear of the trays of cookies that seem to live at all conferences. And worse comes to worst? I can make a meal of what I've got to hold me over if there are no healthy choices in around. I think I can I think I can I think I can....

On a different note, I'm going to share my recipe for what I made for dinner tonight. I actually made it on Sunday and am having leftovers today. This is one of those combination meals. Chicken and broccoli; mac and cheese; broccoli and cheese--its mac and cheese with broccoli & chicken and its sort of a casserole. I grew up on Long Island, and never knew much about casseroles till I met people from the midwest, but I like the idea. The recipe below is great because it can be halved easily, or can be put in multiple containers & frozen so you can cook it whenever.

Mac & Cheese & Broccoli & Chicken

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked pasta (I like regular elbows)

8 oz cooked chicken chopped small

1 large (or 1.5 regular) head of broccoli, steamed, cooled, chopped into small pieces

5 oz shredded light cheddar (I like trader joe's reduced fat celtic cheddar)

4 tbsp parmasean (use the good stuff. nothing from a can. ever.)

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 c skim milk

1 shake nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375. Cook & drain pasta, and put it in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken & broccoli & mix. In a pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook till flour is lightly brown (very important!), then whisk in the milk and add nutmeg. Once mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and add 4 oz cheddar and 2 tbsp parmasean. Stir till melted. Add to the pasta mixture. Spread into an 8x8 pan (or 2 8x4 loaf pans if you want to freeze half) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until browned.

This recipe serves 4 & comes to 11 points plus each. It certainly constitutes a complete meal with protein, starch, and vegetables, but I like to add a side salad as well to keep me full.