bakingmakingmachine

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Something I've always been embarrassed by is going to the movies and not really understanding 75% of what's going on due to my hearing loss and not being able to share in the excitement with those I may go with.

This time, I decided to try out the accommodations that the theatre near me offers which is a closed caption device (some theaters do not offer this [or say they do and then not have any when you get there])

Thoughts:

I was initially very embarrassed because it's very noticeable as it clips to the cup holder and is a large rectangle that sits just under eye level that begins doing captions for you as the movie is playing which offers a couple of different languages (not many).

However, being able to be fully immersed in a movie for once at the theater was amazing.

I'm still not a huge fan of the bulkiness of the item and the fact soooo many people kept staring at me made me rather uncomfortable, but the experience it offered me was fantastic. I'll probably only get one when it's my partner and I, but not often due to the uncomfortable aspect of it.

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My master's thesis print came in the mail! I feel so proud!

Also, I defend my dissertation for my doctorate in 3 weeks! I can't believe this will begin marking the end of my graduate school journey.

Wow wow wow!

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Current thoughts on this weightloss journey:

I've been stuck at the same weight for almost a full two weeks now.

My caloric intake stays within a plus/minus 150 calories of my goal every day. [There were 2 much lower calories days and 1 slightly higher calorie day that still wasn't over maintenance]

I have gotten 10,000 steps a day every day.

I have made sure to increase my water intake and have hit my goal of 64 oz. a day not counting other liquids.

I have noticed a slight decrease in body fat and over the last 30 days I have lost about 10 pounds overall.

Why do I feel heavier now? Why do I look bigger to myself in the mirror? Why have I been stuck at this current weight? Is it water weight? I'm assuming so. I feel slightly defeated for some reason even though it seems to be working so far. Is it normal for weight to stall for a few weeks and then start dropping again? Is it normal to feel down that you haven't even seen a 0.5 pound weight change in almost two weeks?

Anyways, I believe in myself and I'm going to continue and see what happens in another two weeks!

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I ordered and did this paint by numbers off of Amazon. It took about a week or two using my free time to finish it. Lots of fun! I recommend. Also, it looks cool. 😊

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WIEIAD:

Breakfast-

2 eggs, light mayo, smashed avocado, everything but the bagel seasoning, 2 slices sara lee delightful bread (not pictured), 3 pieces Canadian bacon [362]

Lunch:

Stuffed mushrooms, recipe in previous post [161]

Snacks:

Biscotti [90]

Soft baked chocolate oatmeal bar [120]

Milano cookies [330]

Smart pop popcorn [100]

I had a bit of a huge snack craving today. But stayed under calorie goal!

2 cups of honey chamomile vanilla tea

Diet caffeine free ginger ale

Zero sugar monster

At least 64 Oz. Water goal was hit!

10,000 steps was hit!

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Stuffed Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

8 whole baby Bella mushrooms 244 g

Crumbled goat cheese 30g

Spinach and spring mix 20g

Capers 5g

Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Cooking spray

[161]

A low calorie small meal option! Remove the stems. Pan cook the mushrooms stem side up in lemon juice and cooking spray and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes and then flip and cook an additional 8 minutes. Cook spinach and spring mix down and mix with remaining ingredients. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixed together filling. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Very yummy! (These just barely fill all the mushrooms so feel free to increase the amount of spring mix and spinach and goat cheese if desired.)

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I love a good matcha & spirulina oatmilk (or almondmilk) latte!

Spirulina powder- 1 tsp

Matcha powder- 1.5 tsp

Milk (I prefer oatmilk or almondmilk)- 0.75 cup to 1.5 cups depending on preference

Sweetener (honey, sugar free vanilla syrup, maple syrup, etc)- 1 tsp to 1 tbsp depending on preference

Delicious <3

The pictures featured above come from these websites:

https://matcha.com/blogs/news/chlorella-matcha-latte

https://www.biotona.be/en/blog/recipes/matcha-spirulina-iced-latte/

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Current Skincare: So this is my current skincare routine since I'm on a tight budget currently. I also use an exfoliating face wash by dove for sensitive skin and I use micellar water when needing extra help taking off my makeup.

However, I do plan to start adding in some different items when I'm able to. I absolutely love some of these, that I'll place below:

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WIEIAD:

So today for brunch, I had 2 bagel thins with the artichoke salad again pictured above (artichoke hearts, plant cream cheese, light mayo, spinach and spring mix, arugula blend, and everything but the bagel seasoning) [392]

For dinner, I had a big sweet/savory craving going so I made a sort-of trail mix pictured above (dark chocolate non-dairy chocolate chips, pecan pieces, dried unsweetened cherries, mini vegan marshmallows, pretzels) [503]

For an evening snack, I had apple cinnamon oatmeal made with almond milk [183]

For my late night snack, since I work late, I had a cup of honey vanilla chamomile with a dark chocolate biscotti [90]

I was able to get a bit over 10,000 steps as well AND I hit my water goal of AT LEAST 64 oz (I did not count the 2 diet caffeine free ginger ales, monster zero sugar strawberry dreams, or the teas as part of my water intake).

GREAT DAY! Looking forward to trying something different for recipes tomorrow and seeing how it goes.

[bakingmakingmachine]

WIEIAD:

My breakfast was an artichoke heart salad (artichoke hearts, spinach, spring mix, lite mayo, seasoning, dairy free cream cheese) with a bagel thin(not pictured). [256.5]

My mid day snack was the honey and banana and everything bagel seasoned cashews. [411]

My dinner was a salad with a bagel thin(not pictured) consisting of tomato, English cucumber, green olives, kalamata olives, capers, red onion, lite mayo, Chipotle aioli, seasoning, crumbled goat cheese, arugula blend. [411.5]

My late night snack was 2 dark chocolate biscottis (not pictured) [180]

Great day!

[bakingmakingmachine]

I'm still on my weight loss journey to lose another 17 lbs! Still walking 10,000 steps a day (sometimes up to 13,000 steps). Still drinking 64 oz. of water a day at least. I might start posting some wieiad and recipes to keep myself accountable.

I also just bought some multivitamin gummies to start taking.

Stay motivated and stay positive!

[bakingmakingmachine]

Some of my planned low calorie, weight loss meals over the few months [most are less than 300*, some are up to 500^]:

Latte*- sugar free vanilla syrup, matcha powder, unsweetened almond milk, honey, cinnamon

Sweet/Savory salad*- chopped granny smith apple pieces, chopped walnuts or cashews, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper, spring salad mix

Savory protein salad^- arugula/spinach mix, english cucumber, roma tomato, crumbled goat cheese, lite mayo, chipotle aioli, salt and pepper, capers, green olives, kalamata olives. Optional^: cooked chicken or boiled egg

Potato dish*^- gold potatoes, seasoning, hot sauce, dairy free shredded cheese, Canadian bacon

Stuffed mushrooms*- whole baby bella mushrooms, crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts, panko breadcrumbs, seasoning, lemon juice, spinach

Baked acorn squash*- (I can't believe it's not butter, plant butter, or butter) a form of butter, crumbled goat cheese, sage, seasonings

Protein pasta*- palmini pasta, chicken breast, lemon juice, spring mix, garlic, seasonings

Protein bars/balls*- banana, PB2 powder, cocoa powder, honey, oats, sugar free syrup

Bagel*- thomas bagel thins, artichoke hearts, crumbled goat cheese, plant cream cheese, spinach, seasonings

Dessert bark*- dairy free dark chocolate and honey. Optional toppings to mix in: walnuts, dried cherries, sea salt, pretzels, oats, vegan mini marshmallows, PB2 powder

Almond crackers and spread*- almond flour cracker thins with spread: artichoke hearts, plant cream cheese, seasoning, spinach, lite mayo

Egg salad sandwich*- sara lee delightful white bread, 2 boiled eggs, 2 boiled egg whites, lite mayo, seasoning

Couscous*^- couscous, cucumber, red onion, green olives, capers, kalamata olives, lime juice, seasoning, spinach and arugula, crumbled goat cheese. Optional^: add chicken breast, chopped boiled egg, tuna, etcetera

Tempeh tacos*^- seasoned and pan cooked tempeh, low carb balance soft taco tortillas, spinach, dairy free shredded cheese, hot sauce, smashed avocado, red onion, roma tomato

Snacks*: Kashi Go protein & fiber chocolate crunch, nonni's bakery dark chocolate almond biscottis, smart pop mini bag popcorn, apple cinnamon quaker oats with almond milk, 2 cookie packs milano dark chocolate cookies, made good soft baked chocolate chip oatmeal bars

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A few meals I had a few months ago that I can't remember the calories for or the event, but wanted to share regardless:

The first was half a hashbrown, 2 of the fluffy biscuits (recipe shared in a previous post), 2 pan cooked eggs, a large scoop of smashed avocado, hot sauce, chipotle aioli, and seasonings.

The second was part of a brunch and it was tostinis with whipped goat cheese, pancetta, prosciutto, and cranberry medley spread.

The third are spring rolls. These are very low calorie and filling [usually I eat 3 and save the rest for later because of this]. They were rice paper, seasoned and pan cooked tempeh (with a small amount of sesame oil), bell peppers, cucumber, and lettuce. The sauce to dip them in was made with PB2 powder, low sodium soy sauce, ginger juice, mirin, honey, and rice vinegar.

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Some delicious meal prep that's less than 500 calories per. They consist of pan cooked chicken breast, lime juice, seasonings, couscous, crumbled goat cheese. I also added spinach leaves after heating it in the oven when preparing it to eat.

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A cranberry orange Bundt cake that came out deliciously!

If you're interested in making this, I used this recipe with a minor tweaks.

I added 1 tsp of orange extract to the dough and also 1 tsp of it to the icing. I wanted to make the flavor stand out more. It's not over-powering, but definitely improves it. Enjoy!

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Zero sugar monster is life! Haha. When you're struggling to get through your day. I like the ultra vice guava, ultra strawberry dreams, and the zero ultra.

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Using JADE software to perform some analysis on the general measurement scans that were run for the samples using the X-Ray Diffraction machine