yummy yummy

so, today was weigh-in day and i, well... didn't weigh in. the first reason was because i have to renew my membership in two weeks and so to stretch my (non-abundant) funds further i decided i would use my "missed meeting" coupon. secondly (and admittedly not a very good reason to miss a meeting, but i'm just bein' honest here), i have come to accept the fact that i have hit a plateau.

i unofficially weighed myself this morning and came in at 195.something. ugh! despite my efforts for the past three weeks my body has refused to lose weight. it's a sad and demoralizing situation, however! i made a resolution this morning not to wallow in my own capulence and decided to use the time i had while i was playin' hooky from the meeting to formulate a plan of attack. i did some internet reading and read through the ww pamphlet on pushing past plateaus. after that i made a spreadsheet of all my meals for the week and a grocery list! tomorrow i will be making a schedule of gym/study time. then it's only a matter of transferring it from paper to real life! and that's easy ;) (HAha)

honestly, i think part of what's causing this plateau is just the stress i'm feeling in life. life has been a little bumpy for me since christmas, and i've been having to buckle down and think out major decisions and deal with what's going to happen in the future. sometimes i just feel completely overwhelmed.

but i've had a great few weeks! and everyday i make a little more progress. i really am enjoying my new classes and work is still fantastic. i have amazing friends, i'm blessed, and things are just totally working out for me even though sometimes it doesn't "feel" like it. i keep reminding myself everyday to stay positive and look at everything that is good and wonderful in my life! and believe me, i have 489549755.5 things to be thankful for.


now, one of the things i'm thankful for in life is stumbling upon a good recipe. as promised, i wanted to share the recipe i tried the other day for falafels!

as my little story goes, i had a can of chickpeas hangin' around my cupboard.

as you can see, it was just beggin' to be used:

after rollin' around some foodie websites, i decided falafels were in order! i found a ww recipe, and after a little tweaking came up with this:

falafels for a cuter tush

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 medium onion
• 2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• salt (a few shakey-shakeys)
• handful chopped fresh coriander
• sprinkle of cumin
• 1 - 2 tbsps flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil

directions!

chop up onion, garlic, and coriander; place in mixing bowl. mash or blend chickpeas (i did mine in the magic bullet) and chuck the them into the bowl with the ongariander mix. stir together until you have a nice looking mish-mash. add baking soda, salt, and flour (enough to make it not super sticky).

after preheating your oven to 400 degrees, pull out your best non-stick frying pan. pour in olive oil (i'm sure you could also use non-stick spray, i just like the oilyness) and heat it on up. form patties with the chickpea mixture and fry 'em on each side. place the browned patties on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until they feel firm in the middle.

then, voila! YUMMYNESS!

i have been eating mine in a high-protein pita with tzadiki and lots of romaine lettuce. it's been a super nutricious and low-point lunch for me! each patty is only about 1 or 2 pts, depending on how big it is. i count two smallish patties with romaine and a tbsp of tzadiki 7 pts! :D

anyways, if you try this recipe let me know if you enjoy it. hope you're all having an amazing weekend!