it's got that new blog smell!

hi out there!
anyone else out there addicted to a high-end diet meal delivery service? do you find yourself needing to cut loose? whatever your reason - financial, customer service problems, can't stomach the environmental impact of all those styrofoam boxes, i'm there. it's getting to be that time, and i'm not going to freak out.

bistro MD has been an absolute revelation for me and my weight loss. i've been steadily losing weight, loving the food, and not having to spend hours and hours each week shopping, cooking, etc. has been friggin' joyous. for me, there was a conscious decision that i was exchanging hassle for expense, and when i initially signed up, i was struggling mightily with binging and needed the structure.

i'm getting to the point that this way of eating is normal for me, and i'm ready to start taking the training wheels off. the last few weeks i've realized that financially it's kind of important to do it now, too. i started feeling panicky and afraid though - worried that left to my own devices, i'd go back to what i was doing before bistro, which didn't involve weight loss. i'm phasing it out slowly.

the plan
1. replace bistro snacks (done!)
2. replace bistro breakfasts (done! - i'll fill you in on how - it's been the inspiration for the Big Shift.)
3. identify 15-20 replacement meals for lunch and dinner - my favorites
4. formulate recipes that replicate the macronutrient ratios using Fitday
5. test them until they're good enough that i look forward to meals. this includes freezing and reheating in the microwave, since that's how i'm going to eat them.
6. begin producing them in large batches both to accumulate a backlog of meals and to understand what the time commitment is
7. cut the cord with bistro. i'll miss playing with the bags of dry ice every week.

so far...

i bought one of those cheapie vacuum foodsavers ($50 at target.) i've already got a good food scale, a chest freezer, some tupperware midgets for syrups and dressings, and a crazy-supportive DH. ready to roll.

1. snacks
just a month after signing up, i went to the no-snacks option and started buying my own from http://www.dietdirect.com/. they've been great, so i'll keep going with that. DH just recently started eating them too - go volume discounts!

2. breakfasts
a few weeks ago, i heard that bistro was allowing for a no-breakfast option. i put together a spreadsheet comparing costs for what i was getting and what i could make for myself, and it was $20-$30 a month cheaper to go my own route. (also, i was never thrilled with the pastry and danishes.) it's week 3, and going beautifully. my replacements:

waffles - kashi golean frozen waffles with 1 oz of sugar-free syrup and a piece of fruit. total calories for the waffles and syrup: 200. the protein is about the same, too. i was adding fruit per the bistro dietician - adjust as you need to.

english muffin/bagel breakfast sandwich - for the english muffins, i used thomas light multigrain. for bagels, the alternative bagel in sweet wheat from http://www.westernbagel.com/ has an identical nutritional profile to bistro's. same taste, same size, looks exactly the same. that's where they probably get them from, but i can't confirm. i'm using morningstar farm's meatless sausage patties (80 cals) and making my own sandwich eggs. i bought egg rings from amazon and had to play around a little. i'm still trying to get it right (hints, anyone?) i buy a carton of liquid egg whites and use 2 oz in the egg ring. nonstick pan with some spray, heat up the pan with the egg rings in them. i up the heat a little and pour just a bit of the eggs in so they cook and "seal", then pour the rest in to let them cook.

when the eggs are done, i seal them in a baggie with a sausage, and plunk them in the freezer. one carton should make 8 eggs, but usually my rings leak and i end up with 1 or 2 servings of scrambled eggs. i also cut the bagels and put them and the english muffins in freezer bags. final count for jeanie's bagel sandwich: calories - 220, 3 g fat, 30 g carbs, 10 g fiber, 23 g protein.

blintzes and cheesy eggs - i found golden blintzes in the freezer section of the supermarket (i like cherry - http://www.aviglatt.com/Product_5662.html.) each one is 100 calories, so i package those with 2 in a bag and make a separate baggie with the egg whites that leaked and half an ounce of shredded 2% cheddar. you could also throw in a sausage pattie too.

oatmeal and cottage cheese - this one's easy. i picked up a box of quaker weight control oatmeal and a 4-pack of the 2% cottage cheese servings. ta-da!

cold cereal - one thing i missed with bistro was plain old cold cereal. i portion 53 g of kashi golean crunch into a gladware 1.75 c bowl, pour 8 oz of skim milk into a baby bottle (have these left over from el nino's recent past - he's almost two now, and laughs when i use them for MY meals but what the hell, they're the right size, conveniently marked for ounces, and meant to hold liquids). about 300 cals total.

in total this gives me 5 different breakfasts, and i could mix it up even more and eat muffins with PB or bagels with cream cheese. one of these days i might, if i get sick of the other stuff.

i'm also thinking about trying to make crepes from the protidiet pancake mix i bought from dietdirect, and filling them with fage yogurt mixed with sugar-free syrup and frozen berries. right now it sounds a little more labor-intensive than i'd like, though. :)

it's not a bad shopping list, and the vast majority of work involves taking frozen things out of boxes and putting them in the sealer. took me about an hour to make 2 weeks' worth of breakfasts. so far, so good!

next post: venturing into main courses - bbq pork and jambalaya