Level 1 - Day 67 (Weigh-In Day)

The Scale Continues To Go Back And Forth

My poor hubby is having a heck of a time staying on plan.  A few weeks ago he gained 2 pounds due to my mother's month long visit as he couldn't resist her food treats.  Then, last week he lost the 2 pounds so he was back to square one.  However, this week he was out of town on business for a few days.  And, left to his own devices, choose poorly in the restaurants.  So, consequently, he gained his 2 pounds back.  So, his loss of 21 pounds went back, again, to 19 pounds.

I, on the other hand, did great this week and lost another pound.  Yeah for me.  And, what's even more special is that it puts me at a 15 pound loss.  Which . . . signal the trumpets  . . .  is half way to my goal of losing 30 pounds.  I just couldn't be happier.

Here's today's meal plan:

Breakfast - Fruit; then exercised.  Followed by a bowl of Quaker Puffed Wheat cereal and non-fat milk.

AM Snack - Hard-boiled egg.

Lunch - The last of the Chicken Parmigiana and Sauteed Cabbage with Goat Cheese from Day 63.

PM Snack - Natural beef jerky (1 ounce).

Dinner - Farm Raised Chicken St. Germain Beaupre (from SS web site) and canned organic green beans.

This is an unusual, but delicious way to prepare chicken.  Parboiling the chicken first removes a lot of the fat and allows for a shorter roasting time, which leaves the chicken very moist and juicy.  It was supposed to get a crispy, crackling skin.  But, mine didn't turn out that way.  The skin was very moist, and somewhat browned.

Even in spite of this, I think it was fabulous.  When I cut into the chicken it was filled with juices and so easy to slice.  The sauce is out of this world.  It was buttery with a wonderful herb flaor; but mellow and mild.  It's made from the bits from the bottom of the roasting pan plus some chunks of onions that were added before roasting. 

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the roasting pan; then add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Continue cooking until it's reduced by half.  It's so worth the extra time.  Plus, for someone like me, who's gravy-challenged, this was a special treat as I can't make gravy to save my soul.

NOTE:  This recipe calls for herbes de Provence, and I couldn't find it in the grocery store.  However, I looked online and found a homemade version:  one teaspoon each of dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, marjorman, fennel seed ... and something called dried savory ... which I couldn't find either.  So, I just omitted it.  These spices gave incredible flavor to the chicken.  Plus, you also put fresh tarragon sprigs in the cavity and place a few on top of the chicken.

While there were a lot of steps to this recipe, it's highly worth it.  Plus, it yields a lot because you use a whole, 6-pound chicken.  So, that means lots of leftovers.  And that's the real payoff for your efforts.