A Delicious Fall Meal & A Secret

Fall is my favorite season. I'm a squash lover. An apple lover. A spice lover. Just coming into season are pears, apples, squash... and I can already smell the aromas of Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Or perhaps its the Light Apple Spice Cake I just pulled out of the oven).

I have a secret to confess.

A secret I told nearly NOBODY. Not even my own mother. But she reads my blog so she'll know here shortly.

CJ and I tried Nutrisystem.

Before you judge, hear me out. I had read a lot about it. I knew the food wasn't going to be great but if you followed the program, it was supposed to work, we had friends who'd done it and had great success etc etc. Two weeks. I managed it for two weeks, still constantly hungry, following the plan. I HATED IT. And by hate, I mean HATE. In one sentence... its not for me.

I never felt satisfied. And my urge to cook was just as strong as ever. My Cooking Light came in the mail and having had doubts forming in my mind already, I told CJ I was through. So, I'll be starting on the Alli diet soon. (SIKE).

No really though... I have trouble with Weight Watchers because of the structured program. I tend to beat myself up about small misgivings. I pour my heart into doing well, and then I make one mistake and gain four pounds the day before the meeting and my heart sinks every time. Not that they judge you there, but I always felt there was a bit of judging. Perhaps it was just me... paranoid. But it wasn't really working this time around. I just didn't have the time to count every single calorie/point/whatever.

So CJ and I made a pact. We would eat only one portion of dinner. Keep the rice/potatoes/bread/starches to a minimum, and set a reachable workout goal each week. I'm a perfectionist, so I have to have something thats really attainable for me, or I tend to stray from the goal and use my favorite phrase (sorry for the profanity) "fuck it."

So this week we've had Vegetarian Spicy Tomato Soup with Tortellini, Spiced Pork Medallions from Cooking Light, Pesto Pasta (sister made the pesto homemade!) and lots of salads, veggies, and fresh fruits. I also often make a batch of steel cut oats at the beginning of the week, then add a bit of brown sugar and warm up in the morning for a hot and satisfying breakfast.

I'm pleased to report I have felt very satisfied. Not stuffed (like I used to always be), but satisfied. If I want something, I've been making it, just in a much smaller scale. Tonight I baked an Apple Spice Cake that is a favorite of mine. Its actually a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook and with my homemade chunky applesauce (which also happens to be very low in sugar!!) a little slice hits the sweet tooth I always seem to have right after dinner.

I'm also pleased to report that I've lost about seven pounds since I made the decision to quitNutriSystem and begin anew.

I think its all part of the learning curve.

And if you would like to try NutriSystem I will have a plethora of lovely meals available on eBay sometime soon (tee hee hee).

Heres tonights dinner, photo courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine:

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples:

Sweet spices coat lean pork tenderloin, while apples get a savory treatment with shallots and thyme. Serve with a spinach salad.

Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 pork medallions and about 1/2 cup apple mixture)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 12 pieces
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups thinly sliced unpeeled Braeburn or Gala apple
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over pork. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; keep warm.

2. Melt butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add apple slices, 1/3 cup shallots, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; sauté 4 minutes or until apple starts to brown. Add apple cider to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until apple is crisp-tender. Stir in thyme leaves. Serve apple mixture with the pork.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

234

Fat:

9.7g (sat 5g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

24.4g

Carbohydrate:

12.3g

Fiber:

1.5g

Cholesterol:

89mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

468mg

Calcium:

18mg

Try it, you won't be sorry.