To Kill a Craving Part II

So today I was having a very specific craving. This craving was so vivid and so specific I could almost literally taste it. Way back in August at HLS one of the trainings mentioned when you have a craving you should try to indulge it as best you can. They did not mean, of course, that this gives you a license to eat junk. Instead it means to indulge the craving as healthfully as possible so you do not eat a million calories in other stuff that never quite hits the spot. I think this makes all of the sense in the world.

However, what do you do when your craving is of the super unhealthy variety? Today, I was faced with such a dilemma. I could not shake the craving for a Melt and Shoe String fries from Steak and Shake with a side of ranch and a soda. Ahem. Very specific (and a little gross).

Ahhh Steak and Shake. This is a joint that has steak burgers, double steak burgers, crispy fries, and heavenly milk shakes. It is also a place that a dieter dare not enter, at least not this one. Fries are kind of my weakness. I was not going to indulge my Steak and Shake craving for a couple of reasons 1. We don’t have Steak and Shakes where I live. And 2. More importantly, I was not willing to give up the 1390 calories and 93 grams of fat this meal entails. In fact, just the thought makes me nervous.

So, I set out to curb my craving with my own recipe of BBQ turkey burger “melts”. Here is the method:

-Pre heat your oven to heat up some sweet potato fries or organic shoe string potatoes. (I’m in desperate need of new bake ware. Ick!)

-Heat up 1 slice of turkey bacon per person. While the bacon cooks up combine the following: 1 lb of lean ground turkey, 3 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 2 grated gloves of garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons of chili powder, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, ¼ cup diced onion.

-Heat up 2 slices of bread lightly brushed with butter or olive oil. I like olive oil but if you don’t like the taste use butter. Heat at 350 degrees for 17 minutes.

-Grill up your turkey burger patties in a touch of olive oil.

-Next assemble your melt. Place 1 slice of bacon on the patty and 1 slice of cheese on top of that. Place some pickles on the bottom piece of toast, add meat/cheese combo, add veggies, and add the top piece of toast spread with condiments.

This was a super filling meal that fell well within my allotted points plus/ calories. Also, it totally killed my Steak and Shake craving. Do you have a craving you want me to help you kill? Email me at runninginpinkproject@gmail.com and I will hook you up on a future blog!

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One (The Sequel)

Remember earlier in the summer when I went to celebrate the birthday of one of my best girlfriend’s baby? Today was part II as another great girlfriend had another sweet baby turning one.  After my weigh in and run this morning the hubs and I rushed around to get ready for the 2 hour drive up to Richmond. I decided this would be one of the last weeks I could get away with a really summery dress so I took full advantage! It seems like only yesterday I was buying this thing.

We packed up the car and headed on our way.

We arrived (fashionably early) to an Elmo Birthday Bash! Tiff and Robert had the house looking completely adorable all decked out in Elmo swag!

There was tons of food (and plenty of healthy options) though I was glad that Saturday is my “flex” day in terms of calories because there were tons of goodies too. I also tried a new cheese which was fabulous. It was a white cheese with cranberries. I’m not certain if it was a Stilton or Wensleydale but it was fab!

After lunch Tiff and Robert “helped” the baby open his mountain of gifts. There were lots of Elmo themed toys but the baby was most interested in a book. 🙂

After the Birthday boy finished inspecting all of his new loot everyone headed into the dining room for cake from Chandlers Bakery in Charlottesville, VA. This cake was amazing. It tasted more like fab wedding cake than Birthday cake.   Even better is that I planned for it so there was zero guilt in having a slice.

The Birthday Baby was not as pleased with the cake as I was. He refused all bites of cake (adamantly refused- heh) and opted for yogurt instead. Maybe he’ll be a healthy living blogger one day! 😉

It was great to share in the family’s special day. Tiff and Robert and have been in my life for so long. I was so thrilled to celebrate their sweet guy’s first Birthday!

After the party the hubs and I spent another two hours in the car chatting and made it back to Lynchburg. We had planned on another date night but nixed it in favor of a night at home.  Ever since our trip to Margaritaville I have been craving a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. Obviously the calories are out of control so we decided to recreate this meal with lean beef, center cut bacon, fat free mayo 1/2 tsp, BBQ sauce 1/2 tsp, 2% cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions sauteed in olive oil. We paired it with some organic shoe string potatoes. Fab! To see how the swap works out click HERE. The main difference tonight was the addition of sauteed onions, and larger wheat buns.

Have a Happy And Healthy Weekend!

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Dinner Swap

So tonight officially wraps up “Meals ala Bryan” also known as a week of guy friendly foods to celebrate Fraggle turning 34. So far most of the picks were diet friendly but tonight I had the task of taking on…… BBQ Bacon Cheese Burger and Fries.

“Their” version has 1757 calories and 97 grams of fat.

Now, I just cant have that. Ever. For me, that will never be okay.I could smell that and gain weight. 😉 Sooo I decide to create my own swap to give Bryan a huge burger for a reasonable calorie price-tag. For my BBQ Bacon Swap I used the following:

-Natures Own Sandwich Thins

-97% Lean Ground Beef

-2 slices of Center (lean cut) bacon

-raw onions

-lecctuce

-tomato

-1/2 teaspoon of FF mayo

-teaspoon FF BBQ Sauce

-1 slice 2% cheddar

-Sweet Potato Fries

Sara’s Swap contained 610 calories and 14 grams of fat with a savings of…… 1,147 calories and 83 grams of fat!

And it tasted pretty good too!

While the burger was good I was only able to eat about 1/2 of it. I think red meat and I might be about to break up. Sure we can see each other maybe on special occasions but that might be it. It was right on in terms of taste but it still grossed me out.

Bry and I shared a piece of organic chocolate for desert.

Do you have a favorite “meal swap”?

Thanks for bearing with me through my stressful work week. Normal healthy living blogging resumes tomorrow. Also, stop by tomorrow to check out my new hair cut/color. I am still undecided on what I am going to choose. 🙂 I do love a day at the salon!

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