45 Strong Challenge: Day 2

Well, I survived day two! 

I did:

• 20 minutes of walking plus 40 minutes at the gym for a total of 60 active minutes. Today was the Titans workout at F45 which is strength training. Hey, bare minimum is still reaching goal!
• drank 3.5 litres of water!
• did my dental care!
• 19 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo. I learned a bunch of new words that I think will need some practicing.

I have to admit that I'm really hoping that this challenge helps the scale start moving a little more consistently again. I know that gaining muscle can slow down weight loss temporarily, but it boosts your metabolic rate and so it ups your fat burning in future weeks, and that works for me! 

I'm currently in a free HealthyWage challenge and I might not quite make it because my loss rate has slowed so much over the past few months- this isn't my wager where I have bet on myself, just a free challenge that anyone could sign up for. You don't win much if you do, but what do you expect for a free challenge, right? And I figure any financial reward is a good reward.

Since today is a weights training day, I focused on choosing higher protein meals as well. I've read that pushing the protein percentage up to 40% of total daily calories definitely helps with muscle building and weight loss, but I have trouble getting it much past 30%. Usually I have relatively balanced macros and that has worked well so far. Since I'm picky about meats, raising my protein intake that high is difficult without dropping my carbs low enough that I start to feel deprived, so I'm just doing the best I can.

Breakfast today was an open faced toasted whole wheat english muffin, each side topped with two slices of deli ham, half a slice of smoked cheddar, a little diced red onion, and an egg served sunny side up with a runny yolk. Super filling and the low glycemic carbs along with the protein will give me energy for my workout! 399 calories, 18.5g fat, 27g carbs, 33g protein.

Lunch was a new recipe!

Miso-Soy Shrimp Bowl:

285g of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

170g shredded cabbage/carrot blend

1 medium onion, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 tbsp miso broth concentrate

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tbsp dried sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup cooked jasmine rice

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

Heat a large dry pan over medium heat, and toast the sesame seeds until golden brown, 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not burn! Put them in a small bowl and set aside. 

Pat shrimp dry and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cornstarch and shake until they are coated. In another small bowl, add miso concentrate, soy sauce, the remaining cornstarch, 1/2 the garlic, and 1/2 cup water and whisk to combine.

In the same pan, heat 1/2 the sesame oil and then add the onion, and peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Add the cabbage mix and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer cooked veggies to a bowl and cover to keep them warm.

In the same pan, heat remaining sesame oil and then add shrimp, pan frying until shrimp turn pink and are fully cooked, 3-4 minutes. Add sauce mixture to the pan, and stir until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. 

Portion the rice into two dishes and top each with half the veggies, the shrimp and sauce, and green onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds as a garnish.

If you're more of a fan of savoury/umami flavours then sweet, this is a great modification for a teriyaki shrimp stir fry! And without the sugar, it's definitely a smaller hit to your calorie budget. You can substitute brown rice or riced cauliflower if you like, but this will change the calorie count. As prepared, each serving contains 282 calories, 4.5g fat, 33g carbs, and 23.5g protein.

Afternoon Snack was 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries topped with Oikos maple syrup flavour Greek yogurt, with a little drizzle of sugarfree caramel syrup. Sweet and delicious! 113 calories, 1.5g fat, 16.5g carbs, 8.5g protein.

Dinner was another new recipe to share with you all!

Lightened Up Cottage Pie:

1/3 lb lean ground beef

200g raw russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.5 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 lb mirepoix (finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots)

100g diced cremini mushrooms

2 tsp unsalted butter

1 tsp cream cheese

200g cauliflower florets, chopped

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tbsp beef stock concentrate

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Boil a large pot of water, and add the potatoes and cauliflower. Cook for 12-14 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the pot, saving a little of the starchy water. Add the butter, garlic salt, and cream cheese, and mash the potatoes and cauliflower until they reach your desired mashed texture. If necessary, use a little of the starchy water to loosen them up a bit.

In a large pan, cook the ground beef, mushrooms, and mirepoix for 3-6 minutes, or until veggies are tender and beef is no longer pink. Carefully drain any remaining beef fat.

Add tomato paste, and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup water and the beef stock concentrate and bring to a simmer over high. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Transfer filling to an 8x8 baking dish and then cover evenly with the mashed potato mixture. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden and cheese is melted.

Serves two generous portions at 425 calories, 24g fat, 30g carbs, and 23g protein. You can alter the nutritional content by swapping out potatoes entirely for cauliflower, using your favourite butter replacement, and using ground turkey instead of beef (then use chicken concentrate instead!) but I think this is pretty reasonable as it is, and tastes rich and filling. It also reheats well, so you can make a big batch and enjoy the leftovers on another day.

Dessert was a savory snack plate today since I was trying to focus on protein! 

I love little charcuterie plates! This is 1 oz of smoked gouda cheese, 1 oz Brie, 1 slice of prosciutto, and 1/4 cup of grapes. The crackers are amazing- they are PC Black Label cranberry & fennel artisan crisps, and I would definitely recommend them with some nice cheese. Dessert was 360 calories, 23g fat, 19.5g carbs, and 19g protein.

That brings me to a total of 1578 calories, 71.5g fat, 126g carbs, and 107g protein. It's been a pretty good day, although I was sweating like crazy today! I guess it's a good thing I upped my water intake- or maybe I'm sweating more because I'm drinking more? Unsure. But I'm very happy to be putting another star on my chart at the gym for the challenge! Whoever thought stickers were silly... it's a nice visual representation of what I'm accomplishing!