Loafin' Around

After returning from vacation it was time to start Cycle 1 again. After the sweet taste of peanut butter in Cycle 3 it was not quite as fun starting over at the beginning. After two months, the thrill of a new plan is gone and it was time to try out some new recipes. The thought of salad with shredded chicken or turkey on a daily basis just wasn't keeping me motivated.

Luckily, one of my 17DD BF's had pinned a link to a bunch of interesting looking recipes right before vacation. I printed a few out and decided on the Feta-Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf with Tzatziki Sauce. My whole family has been inhaling Tzatziki (yogurt) Sauce on a regular basis since I started this diet. The Chicken Souvlaki has become a staple, with my ten year old asking for it every week and butchering the name. Chicken Tzaslaki. I guess it works...a combo of souvlaki and tzatziki?

The recipe was easy enough, the only thing I left out were the breadcrumbs and/or coconut flour that it calls for. I did not make the tzatziki because I have found one at my local grocer that I absolutely love.

The turkey meatloaf was a pretty basic recipe. Saute some onions and spinach together, then add to the turkey with egg and some seasonings. The recipe had called for bread crumbs or coconut flour but sticking to Cycle 1 I used neither and it didn't seem to cause any issues with the meatloaf.

I spread half of the meat out onto a sheet pan, shaped into a loaf and then covered with feta. The recipe called for one cup...I used a six ounce container of reduced fat feta and it was plenty.

After spreading out the feta, I covered it with the rest of the meatloaf mixture:

Baked it up, and that was it! Here is a cross-section of the finished product so you can see the line of feta cheese in the middle:

I was SO glad that I tried this. I absolutely love it, especially with the tzatziki sauce. It was just different enough than the turkey meatloaf/muffins that I have been eating for the last couple of months and it got me excited about trying more new recipes!

Here's the link to the recipe. Remember...leave out the flour/crumbs and cut the cheese (LOL! I did it again!) if you are doing 17 Day Diet. 

Feta-Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf with Tzatziki Sauce

Disney World is NOT For Wimps!

After many, many trips to Disney I have finally learned that I don't need to eat my way through the parks.

I weighed in before I left, and weighed in when I got home and the scale did not move up OR down! I was able to indulge within reason and still not gain an ounce.

The Fitbit Zip that I wear was a great motivator. It tracks steps taken, distance, and calories burned. The total distance we covered in the six days we were away was 46 miles! That's crazy!! That's almost two marathons!! Hence the title of this post. Unless you are in a scooter...you're going to be hauling your butt all over the place when you visit Disney World.

Before I left I checked out the menus for the restaurants we were planning on visiting. Because we traveled at an off time, we were eligible for the Free Dining promotion. Free food? Hell, yes! But...I needed to be mindful and make good choices. This didn't mean I missed out on the treats. It just meant that I had a few bites and passed it on to someone else.

The other foodie event happening at Disney was the Food and Wine Festival. There are kiosks all over the World Showcase that have a few foods and drinks that are representative of the countries that are participating. Each item was just a few bites, enough to get a taste. We did not hit up too many booths, but the ones we did had some great choices that were pretty healthy!

Scotland had a Salmon and Cauliflower Puree with Malt Vinegar Reduction:

No problems there! 

We hit up Hawaii and I wanted to try the Pulled Pork Slider with Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayo

Ate the inside, left the bread.

We went to Greece where I snitched a few Kalamata olives off of a pita and spreads that my husband had. Then we made our way to Ireland where I had a cheese plate minus the bread. We also split a little cake between the four of us.

That was the extent of the Food and Wine Festival. Not too much damage at all!

Later that night when we went to dinner I chose a dish I had never eaten before but I knew was going to be very healthy:

Red Snapper with Olives, Fennel and Greens. OMG, this was delicious! Best of all, it came with no carbs to push to the side! I was completely satisfied with this and did not feel guilty at all when I ordered dessert. Fortunately my choice was not so good...leading to two bites of Bakalava and then passing it on to the boys!

Breakfasts were lackluster...mostly because I am just not a breakfast person. At home I eat cottage cheese with fruit every day. At Disney that wasn't an option. I'm not up for pancakes and waffles, and eggs and bacon just weren't going to sit right. They did have yogurt parfaits, but even that was just not appealing to me. This is what I ended up most days. NOT EXCITING. Not so tasty either. Kind of like paste.

I branched out one day to egg whites, ham and cheese. What can I say? Breakfast just isn't my favorite at Disney.

Our next reservation was at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. They have a family-style dinner that is sort of like Thanksgiving. Rolls, salad, turkey, ham, beef, veggies, mac and cheese, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Kind of like this:

This totally worked for me. Loads of meaty protein and veggies. I had a few tablespoons of the potatoes and mac and cheese and stayed away from the bread. I even ate some dessert...ice cream over a cranberry cake. Later that night I had ice cream again close to midnight. Not very diet friendly but those 8 miles we did that day earned me some treats.

Downtown Disney has one of my favorite places to eat. Wolfgang Puck Express. Fantastic food and healthy choices. We left Hollywood Studios to go here. Their food selection is pitiful. We had lunch earlier in the day at 50's Primetime and it was nothing to write home about. But Wolfgang's?  Check out this beauty:

This was probably a good choice because earlier I had this:

I tried the grey stuff. It was delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! If you have NO idea what I am talking about...you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast!

At Animal Kingdom I was thrilled to find this:

Hummus, olives, pita and veggies! I also got a side of edamame to split with everyone. It felt so good to eat this and was making me look forward to coming home and getting back to my diet.

Our last dinner was at a family favorite, Ohana. This is at the Polynesian Resort and is another family-style meal. Lots of salad, veggies, noodles, potstickers, wings and skewered meats. As much as I like all of that, this is my favorite part of the meal....

Umm, yeah. I ate some of that.

And the next day I ate some of this gelato and cookies at Via Napoli in Epcot:

I spent the plane ride home wondering what was going to appear on the scale the next morning when I weighed in. I indulged for sure, but in moderation. I walked my ass off...surely it couldn't be that bad. I resigned myself to the idea that it could be a couple of pounds up and figured I would lose those quickly.

The moment of truth came the next day and I was pleased to see that the scale did not budge. Not even an ounce. I ate whatever I wanted in moderation and did not gain any weight. Best of all I did not suffer or struggle while I was there...or go off the rails which is easy to do in a place like Disney World!
I made myself a bowl of cottage cheese and strawberries and was having a real Dorothy moment. There's no place like home!

After being home for a week and restarting with Cycle 1 I have lost another 5 pounds since my trip. I managed to get back on track immediately...a real feat for me. That has never happened before!

Next challenge will be Thanksgiving and Chanukah. Or Thanksgivukkah. Another vacation, another food event, and my birthday. Now that I have conquered Disney World I think I can take this on! Looking forward to sharing all of my holiday cooking with you!