Wholey Guacamole - Deviled Eggs

I love love love deviled eggs. They are probably one of my favorite holiday/picnic/pot luck foods - so yummy. Well here's a new take on deviled eggs thats a bit more healthy then eggs and mayo. Since avocado has a very creamy and smooth, has a fairly oily texture and a mild flavor it makes a great substitute for mayo on things like sandwiches but why not more?

Guac Deviled Eggs

*Note before you begin. Avocados brown when they are exposed to air, it doesn't ruin the taste but for aesthetics: You should only mix as many as you intend to eat within an 8hr period of time.*

 What you need:

4 Medium/Large Eggs
1 Avocado
1 Lime*Publish Post
Hot sauce of choice (I like chipotle flavored)
Salt
Pepper

*I ran out of limes so I used a lemon. This is less for flavor and more to help prevent the browning of the avocado.






First, hard boil your eggs. Everyone has a different method, I used this one.

Peel your eggs, I find it easiest to do this while they are still warm.








Split your eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks.

Save the yolks in a bowl for later.

Cut one avocado into small chunks and mash the chunks with a fork. Squeeze the juice of your lime on top of your avocado mash (to prevent browning) and mix.

Add your avocado chunks to your egg yolks, mix together. If you mash with a fork you will get a chunky texture, for a creamy texture mix in a food processor or with egg beaters.

Add hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Now fill your eggs with your guac/yolk mixture.

I used a pastry bag with an extra large tip, because I like fancy food, but you can use a spoon and dollop it on just the same.

Now doesn't that look fancy!

Douse with additional hot sauce and enjoy!

Serving = 1 egg = 2 halves

1 Egg (78 cal)

1/4 Avocado (69 cal)

Hot sauce (5 cal)

Total = 152 cal

OK - so its not exactly the lowest calorie snack on the face of the earth but it tastes amazing and you can skip the guilt of mayo packed eggs. I'm going to have to experiment with more ways to use avocado - perhaps an avocado egg salad?

(Side note Chubby McGee if you are reading this please send me an invite to your blog, I miss reading all about your adventures, and your successes.)

My First Award

My friend Ellen from Fat Girl Wearing Thin has honored me today by awarding me a "Versatile Blogger" award. I adore her blog, she has already lost the weight she has wanted to but we all know the journey doesn't stop when the scale tells you what you want to see. Ellen reminds us all that the journey never ends, she has great ideas about nutrition and fitness, always has a fun adventure to tell you about and since she is so down to earth and relate-able she will be an instant favorite for anyone who decides to read her blog. 

Now along with the award Ellen has asked me to share 6 things about myself that my readers may not know so here goes:

1. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelors of science in Chemical Engineering. I have a great job but it is 100% different from the one I had imagined having as I walked across the stage. Luckily I am still young and have plenty of time to figure it out.

2. I am an animal lover and dog enthusiast. My favorite breed is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and I own the cuddliest corgi in the world, named Toby. 

3. I am a family girl and could never imagine living further then an hour from my family. My little sister is my best and closest friend in the world.

4. I have never broken a bone in my body, or had a hospital stay. I hope to keep it that way for a long time to come.

5. One of my very favorite ways to pass time is sewing. I have been known to sew an outfit or two a year, my favorite thing to sew are costumes.

6. Despite being 24 years old and knowing the difference between my right and left sides when someone tells me to "turn left" I almost always turn right instead. Something about that split decision makes my brain short out.

An eventful Wednesday for me, I have been tending to my boyfriend who had surgery this morning. My eating  and exercise schedule are all out of wack but I feel remarkably stress-free. In fact, I just spread a pattern out on the floor and will begin sewing something fun and new in less then 20 minutes.

Hope everyone had/has a great day. Thanks again to Ellen for thinking of me!

Now to pass the love around:

Trisha at Crazy little thing called Life isn't only trying to lose weight but is also battling some pretty serious medical issues. Trisha is like the little engine that could, she just keeps at it! She is ridiculously strong for having the courage to talk about her sickness and mostly because  despite her sickness she still has heart and dedication to her journey. Reading her blog reminds me no matter how hard things get I need to keep going, because she does too.

Tim from Fat. Boy. Thin. in a world full of female weight-loss bloggers Tim stands out. In more ways then one. Not only does he have some pretty hefty goals like his 15million steps challenge, but he has a way with words and has such a positive outlook on life and his own weight loss its hard not to smile when you read blog. Tim's blog reminds me to enjoy the small things in life and take the time to look around and enjoy life while you live it.

Sweet Pea from Veggin my way to Skinny like me Sweet Pea is pretty new to her journey but she has great ideas and awesome recipes for vegetarians. She is always around to offer help and advice and I can't wait to see how far she will go on her journey.

Need to Get Me Back weighs in weekly and posts her food log almost daily. It's great to see her progress (over 50lbs so far!) and she makes it completely cut and dry about how she is doing it. She is a real down to earth sort of person and always has a "Attitude of Gratitude" to remind everyone that you always have something to be thankful for.

Weigh In 3/28/11

March 28 2011 Weight: 156.8lbs (-.8) Body Fat: 31% (-1) Bust: 36.5" (+.5) Waist: 29" (-.5) Hips: 39.25" (-.25) Bicep: 12" (+.5) Thigh: 22.75" (-.5) Calf: 15" (0)

Wow, I can't believe I made a loss out of this week. I was almost positive with all of my small slip ups and the terrible news I received that surely I would see a gain. I'm happy that I didn't sabotage myself this week and I just need to remember through thick and thin that I cannot rely on food to make me happy (I should know better then to think that since my poor habits have caused so much sadness for me).

 No clue what is going on with the bust and bicep. I should probably have a more precise measurement system but I'm glad to know I made it through this week. I would be really excited to see 155 or less next week. We will have to see how this week goes, if I work hard and don't have any slip ups, I should be able to make it.

Stumbling

I've been having a very bad week emotionally. I am finding myself falling back into my habit of eating to quell my feelings. Nothing too terribly bad - like Wednesday I had half a cupcake, and Thursday I had a piece of dove chocolate and just now I ate a small candy bar. All together probably no more then 500 extra calories but I have been taking a few *extra* trips to the almond butter jar and eating things like cheese and nuts (which I am only supposed to have in moderation).

I'm really frustrated in myself that I have been so weak this week as to cheat on my non-cheat days. With silly things I don't really need. I'm getting a bit worried about my Monday weigh in now, I really really want to see a loss. I'm afraid of putting a wall up again and quitting just as I was making such progress.

Someone very close to me was diagnosed with a serious illness and I just don't know how to cope, especially since they don't want me to tell anyone else. The thing that scares me most is this week was bad emotionally, but given the circumstances I know the next few weeks are going to be just as bad - if not worse.

I just need to stay strong, and have a good weekend on plan with lots of exercise and remind myself why I decided to lose weight in the first place. Hopefully I can pick myself up and dust myself off before I fall down for good.

Weigh In 3/21/11

Tappin' my toes in excitement over this morning's weigh in.

March 21 2011 Weight: 157.6lbs (-4) Body Fat: 32% (+1) Bust: 36" (-.75) Waist: 29.5" (0) Hips: 39.5" (-.5) Bicep: 11.5" (0) Thigh: 23.25" (-.5) Calf: 15" (0)

I can only say that this week was awesome for me. Not only did I lose everything I gained last week, but I also lost an additional .6 lbs. And am now once again at my lowest weight ever in at least 5 years. It was really important for me to recover from my bad weigh in, I stuck to the plan and ate on my diet and made sure to get in my exercise for the week. It really paid off, it makes me really encouraged that if I just stick to the plan everything will work out. *Just like you all said*

I am noticing the weight loss in my legs like when I shave I think "I never remember my legs looking like this" and that is a pretty amazing feeling. My bikini pictures, while nothing to post in Sports Illustrated, are looking better to me. Like perhaps if I went swimming I wouldn't be that embarrassed to wear a bikini however, I would probably still just wear my tankini or one piece.

What an awesome way to start the week!

Kale Chips

I found this idea on Lynn's blog. She always has great low cal snack ideas and I couldn't help but want to try this one.

Kale Leaves
Salt
Olive Oil

Prepare your Kale by rinsing it in cold water. Sometimes it can have sand and gritty debris in it.

Throughly dry your kale in a salad spinner or with some paper towels.

Cut (or tear) the stems out of the middle. They are very tough and won't dry up properly when baked.

Break your kale up into bite-sized pieces.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Spread your kale out on the cookie sheet as best you can.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the kale becomes dark green and has a touch of brown on the edges.

Allow the kale to cool for a few minutes.

The kale may still be soft and flexible when you first pull it out, but as soon as it cools it should get crisp and rigid.

Use the kale chips to enjoy other low-carb snacks like cheese or chicken salad.

As you can see the chips become rather sturdy, and can hold cheeses and dips pretty well.

The best part:

1 cup of Kale is only 25 cal, so you could probably eat these things until the cows come home with no guilt.


Just be careful of how much oil you use and the nutrition of the things you  put on them, you can quickly turn a low cal snack into a major "OPPS!" in no time.


PS. Thanks everyone for your encouragement this week. I was feeling very discouraged but you are all right, weighing daily is pointless and I know my weight will fluxuate daily. I am just putting too much pressure on myself. I think I am back on track now.

Doing the Math

Ok, because I suffered such a debilitating gain last week I am trying to be extra super careful this week about what I eat. I must figure out why I am gaining weight.

Monday morning: 161.6 lbs

Food for Monday:
Breakfast: 3 pieces of Turkey Bacon (pan fried) - 90cal
                1 medium egg (pan fried) - 95cal
Lunch: 1 Qdoba naked pork burrito w/ veggies, pinto beans, guac, lettuce, tomatoes - 490cal
Snack: 1 slice of sharp chedar cheese - 100 cal
            6pcs Trader Joe's green bean snack - 55cal
Dinner: 2 cups Shrimp Stir-Fry w/ broccoli, carrots, green beans, and mushrooms - 255cal

Total = 1085cal (Calories in)
Approximate basal metabolic rate = 1552.4cal (Calories out)
Cal in - Cal out = 1085 -1552.4 = -467.4 cal
467.4 cal / 3500 cal per lb = .13lbs burned

So if I technically lost .13 lbs today, my scale should read about 161.4 (it goes in .2s). Jump on the scale this morning convinced I'm back on track. It reads162.6!!!

What? I gained another lb??? WHERE DID THE EXTRA 3500CAL COME FROM??!?!?! Is someone feeding me bacon grease intravenously while I sleep? What on earth is going on here. To all of you "experts" out there convinced weightloss = cal in - cal out please explain this phenomena to me, because I'm super curious.

I'm about 5 steps away from just eating a dang piece of cheesecake and just calling it even. My body obviously doesn't care to lose weight as much as my brain does. I wish I could figure this out, it has got my head spinning.

Does anyone else see large unexplained gains after "good" days? Please tell me I'm not alone here.