Vegan Latkes

So I explained before we are having family visit who are Vegan and I'm more of a psuedo-paleo kinda gal.  So for dinner a couple nights ago I made Latkes - Vegan style for my guests and I put a big dollop of plain greek yogurt to give me that protein punch.  They were pretty darn good. I shall share the recipe -- I'm not even going to try and figure out the calories -- suffice it to say, this would be one of those comfort food meals.

4 russet potatoes, 4 small red potatoes, shredded
1 yellow onion chopped finely
salt and pepper
1.5 cups of potato starch
5 big matzoh crackers crushed

for the binder (because Vegans don't do anything with or from a face so I didn't use eggs)
6 tbs vegetable oil
6 tbs baking powder
6 tbs of warm water

Mix everything together
Make patties, thin

deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown

place on paper towels or brown paper grocery bags.
Makes about thirty small latkes.

And they were freakin' yummy.

Yesterday we spent the day in Denver; it was unseasonably warm so it was a great day to do it -- you can see how on my other blog Zimmerhouse

Have a great day

Wednesday Weigh In...On THURSDAY

Starting Weight: 320
Last Recorded Weight 235
Today's Weight 230

Now that 5 pound weight loss was for the last month...I've been flirting with being in the 220's off and on for a couple of weeks...but well Christmas happened...I am getting myself back together to start back on my losing trend...and blogging trend.

The bodybugg so far...it's kind of fun looking and seeing how many calories I've burned. I do have to say their food tracking portion is not very user friendly, I prefer caloriecount dot com but I will give in a couple of weeks before completely deciding.

So why couldn't I blog yesterday? Well I decided to go to Dixie's Tupperware Party with some friends (I blogged about it here ) It was a blast! 

For lunch we went to the Cheesecake Factory crazy if you're on a diet? but no...they have this very cool menu (and I am probably late to the party on this one) called the Skinnylicious Menu with lots of choices under 400 calories.  I chose the Mediterranean Chicken Wraps --- yuMM!  So I also had a couple bites of Colleen's Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake -- good lord -- died and gone to heaven, it was soooo good.

Today is a take care of me day, went to the doctors, going to get a massage and some...hmmm, hair removal...and then may read a book for a couple of hours...

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Eating While on Vacation

Whew, that was a whirl-wind trip we took. But we're back.  I'll post Rome pictures later, but before then, let's get back to the reason for this blog...weight loss (or the hope for weight loss at least).  My goal was to NOT gain weight over the vacation.  And I didn't..I actually lost a pound.  And from the looks of my ankles after 16 hours of flying, lay-overs, several time changes and daylight savings...I might lose a couple more in the next day or two if I'm good about pounding my water.

I really wanted to load myself up on the yummy pastas and desserts...I mean I was in ITALY after all.  But really, I was in ITALY and it wasn't really about the food, it was about experiencing the city itself. About being with my family (even the whiney ones) and visiting with my brother and his lovely family.  This is a new mindset for me....I'm sure there are plenty of people who would look at me like I had an extra arm when I say how much I miss food, how much I enjoy food, I mean I enjoy cooking it, I enjoy thinking about it, I enjoy planning the menus etc..It's more than just eating the food (and trust me, LOVE that) it's about enjoying all parts of food. Part of traveling for me is enjoying the food of the countries, states, areas we go to.  Well, with VSG, this looks differently (well, if you're working your VSG that is).

Here's what I did, and I think it worked really well.

I only had a piece of pizza once, it was a choice between the pizza or a plate of pasta, I figured I could 'control' it better with the pizza.  I promised myself one, not only off-plan, but derailed and a chuck-it kind of meal....just one.

I didn't worry about fat, salt, or calorie content with anything else, I just made sure I had protein and veggies choices for almost every other meal. And everything tasted so darn good, it wasn't deprivation at all.  One meal was prosciutto and melon -- the melon was sweeter than any dessert and combined with the saltiness of the prosciutto --way yum! It helped that we stayed with my brother and his family and so for breakfasts I had a boiled egg and of course a cappuccino.

Now, I got my 'fixes' along the way, with a bite of Jason's or the kid's pasta. A bite of pizza here and there, a sip of wine, a sip of limoncello, or a little lick of the kids Gelato (and believe me there was NO chance those kiddos were going to let me have more than a lick).

Not once did I feel deprived.

Or even sorry for myself.

The trip was wonderful.

I don't feel guilty about my eating.

I didn't gain weight, I may have actually lost some (we'll find out on Wednesday :D)

I feel great on so many levels about our vacation and it's nice to say that not having overindulged is another way I feel good.

Do any of you have good tips for your eating plans when you travel?