One month update! + Edamame Lo Mein Dinner

Earlier this week, I mentioned that a month ago I started working with a Life Coach Karyn, helping me to look more serious into my weight loss and what goals I want to achieve.

One thing I told her I had a hard time with was late night eating. Usually after the kids go to bed and we’re watching TV, I may have some ice cream, or cookies, or chips. She said if I just gave that up I would start to lose weight. Not only was I able to give that habit up this last month, I started to see where else I could make changes.

I started walking to work, or riding my bike to work when it was warm enough. I walked during my lunch break, jumped rope, did jumping jacks, squats, lunges, some hand weights. Nothing too strenuous, but just being active whenever I could.

One thing Karyn told me was not to weigh or measure myself for one month. I know there are a lot of people out there who like to weigh themselves frequently, and I was one of those people. I had to put my scale in my basement so I wouldn’t step on there.

Well, today was the day to weigh in and measure myself. The results?

I lost 6 pounds last month + I lost 6.75 inches which included losing 2 inches in my waist and hips, so I was super excited about that!

Month 2 starts today, and my plan is to kick it up more and see where it takes me. Don’t forget to check out my post from yesterday about joining me for a free month at iChange.com. My group gets expert advice from a dietician for free for one month! I’ve already got 3 people on my team, so feel free to join! Only 4 more days to sign up before the registration closes for that, so don’t wait!

And this is what I am making for dinner. I LOVE edamame! If you haven’t tried it before, its so good. I buy it already shelled from Trader Joe’s and a whole bag is around $2.00. I add it to stir fry’s mostly, or I will eat it with a little salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
8 ounces spaghetti, whole-wheat
2 cups edamame (shelled soybeans), frozen
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup oyster sauce or vegetarian “oyster” sauce
1/4 cup vinegar, rice-wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced-sodium
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, whisk scallions, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add carrots and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta and edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is crispy in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir to combine.

*I’m thinking if you wanted to make it even heartier, you could add cooked chicken to this?

And the nutritional information isn’t bad either! This makes 4 servings.