No Room In The Schedule

Is the sun ever going to come out? I am wearing long sleeves and jeans in the middle of June! This is not feeling like summer! The daughters are dying to go swimming, but...brrrrrr. It's too chilly! I know there is such a thing as a rain dance, but is there a sun dance??? If so, I'm learning it. Pronto.

I trudged on down the basement this morning for a 35 minute run on the treadmill. Note my enthusiasm. I actually felt pretty strong during it, though, so it wasn't bad. Then, I put on boxing gloves and hit the punching bag for 10 minutes. That was great!!! Man, what a way to get out your frustrations along with getting your heart rate up. Now I know why the husband likes it so much!

Breakfast was back to the bowl. Today was 3/4 c. Puffins, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and 1 c. blueberries (which have been awesome lately) for 3 POINTS...

Lunch was a hummus and cucumber sammie on Arnold 100% Natural white whole grain bread. I tried a chip detox today by just going with some watermelon and carrots. Didn't miss the chips one bit. Okay, I lie. But, it's good to ditch them every once in a while so as not to form a dependancy on them. I already belong to Chocolates Anonymus and Brownies Anonymus; I have no room in my schedule for Chips Anonymus ;)

And it was a fantastic, chip-less 5 POINT lunch...

After lunch, it was time for shopping with the daughters. A lovely time. They were so cooperative and ran around so I had to keep chasing them helpful. Such good listeners that they had 2 time outs and loss of computer time and didn't ask me one time eight million how much longer we were going to be or when we were going home as if I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. Such angels ;P

When we got home, I banished them to their rooms happily started making dinner :) A family favorite : chicken cutlets and mac n' cheese. I used another one of the Annie's boxed mac and it was terrific! The pasta was firm and the cheese sauce was mild and made with the best ingredients. I like that it's a healthy, but quick option for the kids. I'm a fan for sure! I paired it all with some leftover Gram's green beans for a tasty 8 POINT dinner...

Tonight the cookies called me, so I had one...

and half of another. Not sure of the POINTS; I'm guessing 5. Time to quit it. No room in the schedule for Cookies Anonymus, either.

Have a great night everyone!!

Lost In Leftovers

I did not want to get up this morning. I felt like I could have slept for quite a few more hours. But, only 1 more day to get through before I get to sleep in until 7 a.m. - yay! It's way better than 6, that's for sure!

I decided to do a quick Shred this morning for something different. Jillian still continues to kick my butt, even on Level 1. One day, I will be shredded ;) After huffing and puffing, I had a cereal breakfast. Are you guys sick of seeing this breakfast?? I know, but it's been really filling me up, so I'm sticking with it for a while. Today was 3/4 c. High Fiber O's, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and 10 oz. of strawberries! Yes, you read that right! Ten ounces of strawberries (300 grams) is only 1 POINT. If you're not a "weigher", it works out to 1 1/2 cups. That is an awesome POINT bargain! It was a great 3 POINT bowl...



After breakfast, I went to visit my friend, Rosemary who just had her first baby. He is sooooo adorable. I got to hold him and get my baby fix! He is the cutest! On my way home, I got a little lost (duh) and it ended up taking me almost an hour to get home instead of 30 minutes :( Needless to say, I was more than starving when I got home. The first thing I saw in the fridge was my bbq baked tofu, so I went with that on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, a slice of 2% cheese and BACON! Way to make something un-vegetarian ;) I had some carrots with 2 tbsp. hummus to go with it. It was a quick 6 POINT lunch that I promptly munched down...


I sailed through snack time with no troubles since I ate such a late lunch. I had no specific plan for dinner other than wanting to use up some leftover ground beef from tacos the other night. I thought about making a beef stroganoff with it, but realized I didn't have all the ingredients on hand. I finally came up with a take on an old recipe called Barbecue Beef Cups. Instead of the biscuit dough, I used my Cornbread recipe as the base. I mixed up the cornbread batter, divided it evenly in a 6 cup muffin tin, topped it with the leftover cooked ground beef ( only used 1/2 oz. per cup) and baked it for about 15 minutes. Then, I topped it with shredded 2% cheese (about 1/2 oz. per cup) and put it back in the oven for another minute until melted. I topped the Beef Cornbread Cups with shredded lettuce, tomato, salsa and 1 tbsp guacamole. Good and hearty ! I paired it with a heaping cup of leftover roasted veggies for a terrific 6 POINT dinner...

For dessert, I broke out another freeze dried fruit find - BANANAS...

The nutrition facts are good, too...

I used 1 POINT worth as a topping for 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free French Chocolate Ice Cream...

A super sweet 2 POINT treat. These banana slices are VERY sweet, even though they are unsweetened. They remind me of those crunchy little meringue cookies. They kinda stick to your teeth as they melt in your mouth, too. My dentist would NOT be happy.

I must go brush and floss ;P Have a great night!!

Nightmare On Hormone Street

I am hormonally challenged today. I feel tired, annoyed, happy, frustrated, bored, excited, tired and more tired. How's that for a skitzy lady? It must be that time. Could be why I wanted a basket of chocolate this afternoon! Pfft! And I was being so "intuitive" with my eating these past few days :( Well, I got back to counting today, with the exception of the chocolate incident. But, there's always tomorrow. That I can count on...


Breakfast was an Arnold Sandwich Thin with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light and 2 tbsp of hummus. A yummy 3 POINT combo...


Then, I headed out to take Gram to get some bloodwork. After that, we picked up my Mom, went back to Gram's living community and met my Dad and nephew for lunch in one of the restaurants there. I ordered a Mediterranean Veggie Wrap made with romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, red pepper hummus and feta and a side salad with lite Italian dressing on the side. It was very good! I estimated it at 6 POINTS...

Later, I had a snack of prunes and an Italian fig cookie for 4 POINTS...

Then came my second "snack" which was all the chocolate in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Yes, it's a real place. No, I can't tell you how to get there ;P Oompa loompa doom-pa-dee do. Can you tell chocolate makes me crazy?? Sigh. Moving on....

Dinner, as if I needed it, was the last of the leftover Greek lima beans mixed with orzo for 8 POINTS. I love these beans! If there are any Greek blogfriends out there who have a recipe for this, I would love to have it!!! Who knew lima beans could be so good...

I'm not thrilled with how things went down today, but I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. I feel like I am in limbo right now. I'm not at goal yet, I want to lose more, but I'm just "hanging out" and not giving it the hard core press I need to get to the end. Any suggestions??

Have a great night everyone =)

Books, Bloggers And Brainless

The husband and I had a movie/date night at home last night. We got a movie for us and a movie for the daughters. They watched upstairs and we had our "date" downstairs. It was fun and no babysitter needed! Anyway, it got too late and I was too tired to blog, so here's my update from yesterday...


I woke up to some beautiful weather and was really itching to go for a run. My cheek is still a bit chubby and my stitches are still intact, so my gut was telling me to wait until everything was healed totally. Instead, I headed to the basement for a 40 minute stint on the elliptical with my weighted vest and did 20 tricep dips and 20 wall pushups. Good enough!

Breakfast was an open faced omelette with spinach, salsa and 1 oz. Cabot's 75% reduced fat cheese. Mmm... I love salsa on eggs! I had a slice of TJ's Sprouted Flourless Wheat Bread, all for only 3 POINTS...

I was really jonesing for some coffee this morning, too, but wasn't in the mood for something warm. I decided on a Vanilla Frappuccino with whip! I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze this time and some sugar free vanilla syrup and topped it with 1 tbsp. lite whip. This was a great 1 POINT treat!

After breakfast, the daughters and I went to a Used Book Sale over at little daughter's school. I was so excited for this! What a dork, right?? I could have spent hours there and lots of cash! Although, everything was priced at either $1 or $2, so you can't feel bad about spending with that bargain price. I scored some cool cookbooks...

And some summer beach reads...

The daughters picked up about 4 books each, too. It was a great time!

It was such a beautiful day that we ate most of our meals outside. So relaxing! My lunch was a Boca Bruschetta Burger topped with 1 tbsp. hummus (thanks to Kate for that AMAZING idea!) and roasted peppers on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I had some soy crisps and a fuji apple on the side. A delish 6 POINT lunch...

Later, for a snack, I couldn't wait to dig into this....

Ever since seeing them on Kelly's blog, I had to have them! I have been searching high and low and finally came across them in Target. I chose the chocolate cookie caramel pecan flavor. Nuggets of goodness...

I think Kelly described these as "crack" and I would have to agree! Definitely leave you wanting more. Don't know if I could buy these again due to danger potential :) But, they are a fun and tasty 2 POINT treat.

After cleaning out my car, cleaning out the garage and running an errand, I wasn't in the mood to make a grand dinner. I pulled out a serving of Rigatoni(actually Ziti) with Three Cheeses from the freezer and heated that with some leftover asparagus. I made a side salad of tomato, cucmber and red onion dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic. Another outdoor dining 7 POINT meal...

Before we settled into our movies, I grabbed a Weight Watchers Candy Bar Ice Cream for a melty 3 POINT dessert...(sorry for the bad pic)

I won't embarass myself by telling you the brain cell deteriorating movie we watched! We had some good laughs, so it was worth losing a few brain cells :)

I just want to say how great it is to be part of this blogging community! I have gotten so many awesome ideas from you all and have tried things I might not have come across otherwise! Thanks so much for all the inspiration!

Enjoy the day and I'll be back tonight :)

Tempting Tea Time

Hi blog friends! I have to make it quick tonight as I promised big daughter she could get some computer time in before bed.

I slept in a little this morning - 7:30 a.m. Funny that I call that "sleeping in". It is still early as all get out, if you ask me! How I wish for the days when my daughters will be cranky teenagers and want to sleep until noon! Yeah, right;) Anyway, since I lollygagged (is that really a word??) around this morning, I got hungry and ate breakfast before my workout. I went with an unconventional turkey sandwich on an Ezekiel english muffin for 3 POINTS...


A little while after, I hopped on the elliptical for a huffy 30 min. I amped up the resistance gauge to toughen up the workout since I knew I only had time for a 30 min. stint. Mission accomplished! I was huffing after 2 minutes!

Then, it was off to shower and dress for a Ladies Tea that the daughters and I were going to this afternoon. I knew there would be lots of tempting goodies, so I decided to eat something before I went so that I wouldn't be starving and overindulge. I had a hummus pita which was 2 tbsp hummus (I revamped the recipe using only 2 tsp. oil, so it is only 1 POINT now), lettuce and pickles (a la Sharon )stuffed in a Weight Watchers 1 POINT pita. I also had a cup of sweet cantaloupe for a nice mini 3 POINT lunch...

The Ladies Tea was held at the husband's old Christian school and sponsored by a ladies group that does fundraising for the school. It is a yearly event and my mother-in-law is always so kind to treat us to this event. The gynasium is tranformed into a "tea room" with fancy tables, antique dolls, clothing, doll furniture and other Victorian-type items. The food is presented on a line of tables that must reach 30+ feet. Here is just half of it...

Many goodies donned these tables including a huge variety of tea sandwiches, brownies, cookies, scones, cheesecakes, iced cakes, nuts, fruit, puddings and candies. It was a bad, bad place. Thankfully, I had my "mini lunch" or I would have went nuts! I ended up taking a cucumber sandwich, fruit, and 4 little bites - 2 brownie, one oatmeal raisin cookie and one oatmeal bar...

Not sure how to count those guys. I'm thinking about 5 POINTS.

And I had a lovely cup of Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz tea. Delish....

It was a wonderful time shared with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, the daughters, Mom and Gram:)

After much chatting and a few errands on the way home, we got back just in time for me to make dinner! I made raviolis for the husband and daughters with a side of garlic and oil green beans. I searched around for something low POINT for myself and came up with this...

I blogged about this before here. I am a fan of this Lean Cuisine. The fish is delicious and even the pasta is fairly good (being Italian, I am not one to eat frozen pasta meals - it's a sacrilege!). I paired this with a side of garlic green beans for a fantastic 7 POINT dinner...

I felt like having dessert tonight, so I went with a serving of Turkey Hill Chocolate Marshmallow Frozen Yogurt for 2 POINTS...

Big daughter is giving me the hairy eyeball, so I will relinquish the computer to her so that she can participate in brain cell dissolving IMing with her friends:) Don't ya LOVE technology???

Burnout

I think this is what I am experiencing: burnout. My funk from yesterday has not totally lifted. I started off with good intentions, but by lunchtime, I was off the wagon. I don't even know what I was eating; just anything. I didn't care what it was cause I just felt burned out from trying so hard. But some interesting revelations came to me today. I'll take you through the good parts of the day; no use talking about the rotten things I ate. It's already done. I'm gonna pay the price tomorrow (sorry A-Team), but I learned some things about myself. So here goes...

After hitting the elliptical for 35 min., I had a sausage and cheese english muffin using these guys...


A serving is 2 patties, 90 cal. and 6 gr. fat for 2 POINTS. I only used 1 patty which is 1 POINT. These guys are a bit small, so I had to cut it in half so it would cover my english muffin. For the sammie, I used a light english muffin, 1 sausage patty and a slice of 2% cheese (3 POINTS)...

I had good plans for lunch: black bean soup , a Golden Corn Vitatop and a tbsp. of hummus...

I split the Vitatop and spread the hummus on it. Mmmm. This was a good combo for 3 POINTS!

But, for some reason, that wasn't enough. Lots of other things came after this. But, I'm moving on...

So, I was out after lunch running some errands and I picked up something else to eat that I shouldn't have. It was an old habit that crept back and I have to say it felt scary. I sat in the car for a moment and "tried on" my old self again. I tried to imagine being the way I used to be and feeling the way I used to feel. It was a very strange and almost unfamiliar feeling. That felt encouraging. I realized that I don't know that person anymore. I am NOT that person anymore. I can't even imagine going back that way. I couldn't help singing that new song by T.I. (well, I don't know the rap part, just the chorus part that Justin Timberlake sings! - I'm not THAT cool) called Dead and Gone. The chorus goes, I've been travelin on this road too long, tryin to find my way back home, the old me's dead and gone, dead and gone...

And despite the return to some bad habits today, I do feel that the old me is dead and gone.

When I came home, I went down the basement and rifled through some bags of clothes that I still have down there. I dragged out a pair of jeans that I used to wear and I put them on. They were gigantic. Falling off, huge. I stared at them in disbelief. I could remember when these size 20's were tight. Here's some pics...

I really needed to see that. I decided I am going to keep these jeans as a reminder of how far I have come. Even when I don't feel it or the scale might not show it or I am just plain sick of it all, I will try on these jeans of the old me that's dead and gone. Not for mourning, only for celebrating who I am now and what the new me has been able to accomplish.

From then on, it was back on track. I feel like I need to make some changes in my eating or perhaps my exercise. I'm going to think about it the rest of the week and come up with some goals for myself. Small changes and do-able goals. I don't want to go screwing with too many things at once!

I had to help out at church tonight, so when I came home, I just heated up some leftovers for myself. I made pizza potatoes using 3 oz. leftover baked potato wedges, 1/4 c. sauce and 1 oz. lite mozzarella. I heated it all in the micro and had a side of carrots all for 5 POINTS...

I think I'll skip dessert tonight for obvious reasons! I still have to Shred , too! Only 17 days left!!! Oh and the husband, who is pretty physically fit, decided to try out the Level 2 Shred this morning for his workout. He came down all sweaty and said, boy that was hard! He said his legs felt shaky, he thinks he may be sore tomorrow! Oooooh reeeeeeally!!! So there, Level 2 Shred is not for wimps, fur shur =)

Hope everyone had a great day! I'm ready to be my WW lovin self tomorrow, so thanks for putting up with me!

Grocery Day and The Quest for Dessert

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had an easy start into the week. It was another nice day today, so I decided to wait until the daughters were off to school and went for a run outside. I really enjoyed it. My pace is picking up a bit, I noticed except for the hilly spots. All in all, a nice 40 minute run. Whew!

When I came in, I had a quick breakfast of 2/3 c. Cinnamon Puffins, 3/4c.v unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and lots of strawberries for 3 POINTS...



After cleaning up, I went grocery shopping. I got tons of fruit and veggies at the produce market for only $20! This place is such a money saver. I got 1lb. strawberries, half pint of blueberries, 3 lbs. of bananas, 3 dozen eggs, 3 heads of green leaf lettuce, 3 lbs. carrots, 3 large zucchini, 2 lbs. broccoli, 1 lb. asparagus, 3 lbs. plum tomatoes and a seedless cucumber! It's the best!

As I was putting things away, I got some lunch going which was a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce, tomato and a smear of Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. I paired it with a serving of Trader Joe's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips and sliced apple all for 6 POINTS...

I spent spme time in the kitchen this afternoon prepping some of the vegetables. I cut up 1.5 lbs. of the carrots, cut and washed the lettuce , washed and cut the broccoli and hardboiled a dozen eggs. I keep the produce in the fridge in ziptop storage bags, so they are always there for the taking! No excuses :] And since it was there for the taking, I had some of the carrot sticks and 2 hard boiled eggs with the yolk removed and stuffed with 2 tbsp. hummus! Hummus filled eggs ROCK! Skip the deviled eggs and serve these instead for your next shindig - they are so good! A healthy 3 POINT snack...

I got a great deal on some whole roaster chickens, so I roasted one of the 6 lb. guys for dinner tonight. I also roasted with it some potatoes that I cut into wedges, sprayed with cooking spray and seasoned with just salt and pepper. I had plenty of prepped lettuce, so I made a big salad with tomatoes and Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. The husband and daughters love this dinner, so we all ate the same dinner for a change! My portion was 2 oz. chicken breast, 5 oz. potatoes and a serving of salad, all for 7 POINTS...

Now, for dessert. You know I love my Vitatops and I have an arsenal of them in my freezer right now, so I am going to be having them a lot! I can eat them plain, but have gotten in the habit of topping them with something which has most often been the awesome PB2! But, while I was shopping today, I was keeping my eye out for some other creative toppings for these yummy guys. And I came across one in the baking aisle...Lite Cherry Pie Filling!!!! This was just a store brand and 1/3 c. is 60 cal., 0 gr. fat and 1 gr. fiber (1 POINT). I heated a Deep Chocolate Vitatop in the micro for 25 sec. (this is my choice method for defrosting Vitatops, they come out so moist this way), smeared it with 2 tbsp. fat free Cool Whip and topped it with 1/3 c. Lite Cherry Pie Filling for a luscious Black Forest Cake inspired dessert...

Heeeello! Did you see that awesome thing???? Yes, you can have dessert and not break the bank! Unfortunately, if you're an idiot that decided to put a challenge out to everyone to do The Shred everyday in February, you are gonna have to put your sneakers on now and get your sweat on after enjoying this delightful dish!!! Gee, can you guess who that is??? ;)

My body will thank me later....

It's Official!

It's official! For the first time, in 13 years of marriage, I weigh..............................LESS than the husband!!!!! I am so happy! I have informed him that he now needs to treat me like the petite and fragile flower that I am. Can you hear the laughter? Yeah, it went on for a while...

So, today was WI day for BLBE2 and Weight Watchers. Good news to report Team Angie members; I am down 1.4 lbs! Happy Dance. I think my 3 day 5K "payin for it" runs helped out!

I brought my breakfast to eat after the meeting: an apple and slice of pumpkin cranberry bread that I made last night (yum - and only 2 POINTS per slice)...



I invited Mom and Gram to lunch at my house. I made Falafel Wraps for Mom and me using the falafel patties from the other day, lettuce, tomatoes and some tzatziki dressing all rolled into a La Tortilla Factory Tortilla. Carrots and hummus were a great side. A wonderful 7 POINT lunch...


Oh, and Gram opted out of falafel and brought her own soup. Sorry, Gram :(

Lunch was so filling, I decided to tempt fate and go without a snack. I did make some of Jenn's yummy Coffee Cocoa for a treat, though. This is quickly becoming a family favorite. The daughters like it, so I have had it waiting for them when they get home from school (decaf, of course!). Here's my cup, "half-full"......

Dinner was Philly Cheesesteaks, fries and salad. Mmmm...what's not to love??? This type of meal really makes me feel like I am not on a diet, but living a lifestyle of healthy eating. I was able to take something that once was fat-laden and artery clogging and have made it healthier, but still in keeping with the same flavors of the original. The husband and daughters eat it - no complaints. That's how I know it's pretty close to the original! It's one of my favorite 8 POINT dinners, too...

I could've gotten away without dessert tonight. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. But, I didn't. I went with one of these guys...

It was just enough and I closed up shop before I could be tempted into eating something else. I strung a good couple days together; don't want to break the flow. I'm going to try my hardest to keep it going this week. I am only 1 lb. away from a 70 lb. loss. I really want it next week!

We'll see......

Nite =)

Bock, Bock

Hi everyone! Did you enjoy The Biggest Loser last night?? There sure are some interesting characters this season! I love the theme song to the show; it always makes me feel so inspired. Anyone know who sings it? Maybe I can get it on my Ipod to listen to when I begin to run outside :)

I thought I'd replay the non-breakfast breakfast today. I was in the mood for hummus (this is becoming a weird obsession), so I spread 2 tbsp. of it on a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel and topped it with baby spinach and sliced plum tomatoes (since I have a ton ). This was so good and filling. This 3 POINT meal took me all the way to lunch ...



My morning got a little off schedule, so I didn't get to workout until around 10 a.m. I went with the elliptical again for a nice 45 min. workout; I think I'll wait until the weekend to try the 5K Treadmill Run again:)

After a long shower, I was ready for lunch. I have so much lettuce that I opted for a Chicken BLT Salad again. I love this tasty 5 POINT salad; the bacon really makes it!

The need for something sweet surfaced, so I ate a handful of grapes...

The afternoon was busy, running the daughters to and fro, so I fixed some coffee for the car ride. I got home close to dinner-making time, but was starting to feel that gnawing feeling, so I had a snack to tie me over...

I had an interesting idea for dinner that I wanted to try out. Basically another variation of the buffalo chicken that everyone seems to like. This time, I thought I would try the addition of a breading and use chicken tenders instead of drumsticks. To make these Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tenders, I melted 2 tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread in a medium nonstick skillet. I added 1/4 c. Frank's Hot Sauce (enough heat for us - feel free to add more)to the skillet, then 1 c. Japanese Panko Crumbs. I stirred until the crumbs were well coated and kept them toasting in the skillet until the crumbs became dried again. Here's what they looked like...

I transferred the crumbs to a shallow dish to cool. Meanwhile, I lightly beat 2 egg whites in another shallow dish. I seasoned the chicken tenders with s & p, dipped them in the egg whites, then into the crumbs, pressing the crumbs into the chicken. I place the breaded chicken on a baking rack sprayed with cooking spray, then place the rack on a cookie sheet. This method lets the chicken get crispy on both sides. I cooked the chicken for about 20-25 min. at 350 degrees. They were perfectly crisp - YUM! Using one pound of chicken tenders, this recipe came to 4 POINTS per serving (which is about 3.5 oz). Of course, I served the traditional side of carrots/celery with Marie's Light Blue Cheese Dressing (1 POINT). I don't love celery, so I went with a side of broccoli instead...

Well, so far so good. This is day two of better breakfast = no super-snacky in the afternoon. Thrilling! I feel so much better, when I am not fighting with myself all day over whether or not I should eat something! It's exhaaaauuusting :0

I felt satisfied after dinner, but for some reason, it just doesn't feel like a good day without a little dessert! I had the POINTS left (why let them go to waste, sheesh!), so I had a Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Cookie (uh, guess these are salmonella-free cause I'm still here) with 1 tsp. Nutella (<3)...

Speaking of peanut butter, I am anxiously awaiting my shipment of PB2! I was panic-stricken at the thought that it may be one of the salmonella "don'ts", but thankfully, they put out a statement that it is A -OK! Wheeeew! Can't seem to eat my Vitatops without it, now!

Have a great night!