WOW!  I can't believe we are already kicking off week 5 of the challenge.  The time is flying by.  

This week has been filled with unpacking boxes and settling into our new house and neighborhood.  All of the unpacking has definitely been keeping me on my feet and moving a lot more than normal.  There's been little time to sit idly at the computer, to watch television, or even to craft.  Plus with our house having a pool, it also means spending a lot of time outdoors supervising the twins, who are loving being back in sunny San Diego and want to spend as much time playing outside as possible.

I find that my eating habits are definitely changing.  Although I'm still allowing myself treats such as a scoop of delicious pineapple and coconut ice-cream for dessert, or a little piece of cake, I've found myself thinking more about including salad and vegetables with each meal.  I'll explain a little more about this down below when you read about this weeks recipe.

But first, let's weigh-in and check my measurements.  I've lost one more pound and a quarter of an inch.  Slowly but surely it's coming off.

  • 021 BMI: 25.5 (overweight) 26.62
  • Weight: 162.8 lbs 170.6 lbs
  • Chest: 39" 39"
  • Waist: 37.5" 40"
  • Hips: 40.50" 41"
  • Overall:  Down 7.8 lbs and 3"

(red denotes initial measurements and weight)

Recipe of the week:

Meatball Lettuce Wraps

Meatball lettuce wraps
As I mentioned, we moved into a new house this week.  On day 3 our stove (cook-top) decided to stop working, and despite having a repairman out, I was advised to replace it.  After venting a little frustration via social media, a friend turned up on our doorstep with a couple of meals for us.  Don't you just love friends like that.   Anyway, one of the dishes she brought over was pre-cooked meatballs from Fresh & Easy … have I mentioned how happy I am to be living so close to this fabulous store again.

Normally, when I purchase or make meatballs, I automatically add them to pasta and sauce, but knowing that I couldn't boil pasta on the stove, I had to come up with an alternative.  I thought about making a dipping sauce for them, but wanted to add more salad so that it would be more of a meal.  So began the creation of my Meatball Lettuce Wrap.

Ingredients:

  • Meatballs
  • Butter lettuce
  • 1/4 cup carrot (shredded)
  • 6oz Greek non-fat plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup English cucumber (diced)
  • 1 tbs red chili pepper (finely chopped)
  • 1 green onion (finely sliced)
  • 1 stalk of mint leaves (leaves roughly chopped)
  • 1 tbs freshly squeeze lemon
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin
  • Pinch Salt & Pepper

Gently combine the yogurt with all of the ingredients following it in a bowl.  Pour into a small bowl and top with a fresh sprig of mint.

Grill the pre-cooked meatballs on the George Foreman grill on medium heat for about 2 minutes (maybe less – keep checking them).  Place a meatball and shredded carrot into the butter lettuce leaf and then top with a spoonful of the yogurt dressing.

Note:  These would make a great party or dinner appetizer too.

 

Disclosure: I am one of 10 Brand Ambassadors in the George Foreman Knock out the Fat Weight Loss Challenge. I was sent a George Foreman Grill for my participation in this challenge and will be compensated for my time at the end of the 90 days.

You Might Also Like These Too

8 comments

Tonya Staab June 6, 2011 - 12:38 pm

These meatballs were pre-made and cooked, so all I needed to do was heat them in the grill, hence why they only need a minute or two and kept their shape.  You could defrost the freezer variety too if you buy them like that.   I didn't want to fry them in oil to heat them and a lot of things don't seem to taste quite the same when you microwave them.  You would not be able to make homemade ones in the grill … actually last week when I posted the mini burger recipe, I deliberately rolled those into balls because I knew the grill would squish them flat like a burger but still keep the round shape. 

As for the ice cream, it's delicious and very refreshing.  I bought the Dreyer's one, it was on-sale last week at my supermarket, but I have seen that Haagen Dazs has one too.

Reply
Betsy June 6, 2011 - 9:31 am

Coconut, pineapple ice cream is my fave too! If I have it, I just make sure to take a walk after dinner to “compensate” Good luck!

Reply
Katrina - @craftsbykatie June 6, 2011 - 12:22 pm

Coconut pineapple icecream? Shoot. Now I’m going to have to go look for that. I didn’t know you could do meatballs on the foreman. Do they cook evenly without having to be turned? I love your recipe. It looks delicious!

Reply
Grace June 6, 2011 - 5:40 pm

Yummy…looks good. Congrats on the weight loss.

Reply
Andrea Kruse (@notimeMom) June 6, 2011 - 1:42 pm

Mmm.. sounds good. I am actually making up a monthly batch of meatballs this week, and I might give this a try.

Congrats on your steady and healthy weight-loss! Keep it up.

Reply
Shelley (@momma_oz) June 7, 2011 - 8:18 am

You are doing AWESOME! It’s Truly Fantastic!

Reply
Jen L June 7, 2011 - 8:39 am

These look delicious and light. It’s so stinking hot here already I’ve been looking for light and yummy dinners. Will have to add this recipe!

Reply
Heather @ Not a DIY Life June 8, 2011 - 10:55 am

Isn’t it great to have the grill? I only use my stove about 2x/week right now, and have only used my oven 2x in the past month! So nice to have a reliable way to cook when you have to do without. Keep up the good work!

Reply

Leave a Comment

* By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More