Spice It Up

It’s here!  I picked up my new laptop.  It’s an HP something or other.  I’m very technical, can you tell?  Anyway, the husband said it was a good one and the price was right which was the most important thing!  So shiny and new…

No more ghetto monitor hook-up :)

 

I skipped the gym in favor of meeting a friend early for coffee.  I had planned on getting a treat at the Starbucks, so I just had a Chobani nonfat blueberry yogurt before leaving…

At the Starbucks, you know what was calling my name…

I love Pumpkin Spice Light Frappuccino !!!

Lots of gabbing went on, then I had to leave for a call about some “blog stuff”.  More on that soon ;)  Tease!

I ended up way late for lunch again.  I was past the starving point and starting to get shaky.  The easiest thing that came to mind was a wrap, so I quickly threw together  turkey, chipotle pepper hummus and baby spinach in a high fiber tortilla.  Some POPchips and grapes and I was good to go…

Gobble, gobble.  I don’t even know if I tasted any of it, except for the hummus which, WHEW, did I say this was mild before?  It seemed pretty spicy today and basically overpowered the turkey.  I really do like it, though.  I’ve never been a fan of spicy things, but some do grow on me.  I just like to taste all the components of a sandwich or wrap, otherwise what’s the point of putting it in there, right?

Since lunch was so late, I didn’t feel the need for a snack and I kinda had a stomachache anyway.  Probably from scarfing down my lunch!

I decided on a simple dinner of Chicken Cutlets and Zucchini with Beans.  The chicken cutlets are always a hit with the husband and daughters, but I knew the zucchini with beans were going to be a tough sell.  For this easy dish, I pan-fried some fresh sliced zucchini and added in a can of Trader Joe’s Marinated Bean Salad.  Before serving, I added some sliced mozzarella (2 lite string cheese, cut-up) to try to entice the haters…

Very tasty!  I think it would make a great topping for pasta, too.  The husband was good with it;  the daughters not so much.  Try, try again.

I ended the night with THE HOMEWORK WARS and a few Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites…

Have a great one!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I’m starting to think in terms of planning for certain treats.  If I know I want something, I cut back somewhere else to accommodate for the treat and I’m not doing it in a way that seems threatening or depriving.  It’s starting to feel like a natural progression.

Question of the Day:  Do you like spicy food?

Twenty-Four Seven

Fall is in the air.  At least it felt that way this morning.  It was cool and breezy, which is fine by me.  I love fall and the cooler weather makes me want to get outside and run!  But, I’m not sure my hip will cooperate :( 

I felt in the mood for some Pilates this morning, so I popped in the cheapo DVD, I bought and did about 35 minutes of the video before starting on some breakfast.

I didn’t have much in stock since we just got back from the shore, but there were a few eggs left so I decided on an Antipasto Open Faced Omelette using 3 egg whites and the leftover antipasto topping from my Chicken Antipasto last week…

It was a very flavorful start!  And can’t forget the Teeccino…

Then, it was off to the produce store.  Look at this stash…

 

I got spring mix, brussel sprouts (don’t say eeww!), cauliflower, romaine hearts, sliced mushrooms, cucumber, baby spinach, zucchini, parsley, celery hearts, honeydew melon, strawberries, gala apples, fuji apples, nectarines, peaches, blueberries and a loaf of crusty Italian bread.  All that for $29!!!! 

I prepped the romaine lettuce right away to put together my lunch salad.  I made up a Southwest Chicken Salad using big handfuls of romaine, 1/4 c. black beans, 1/4 c. frozen corn (defrosted), cherry tomatoes, 1 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese and chicken breast (about 2 oz.) chopped.  I topped it with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch dressing.  It was so tasty and filling…

Some avocado would have been great in there, too, but I forgot to buy some!  Next time :)

As filling as the salad was, it still left me wanting a  little something.  I thought about grabbing crackers or pretzels, but feared that would lead to lots of munching.  Then, I saw these guys and thought they would be the perfect something…

After lunch, more shopping…Walmart for a few dry goods and school supplies, then Trader Joe’s.  Food shopping is an all day affair!  I did make a pit stop in between to drop off some bags and have a snack…

I finally made it home just in time to start on dinner.  Pasta was on the menu, but of course, something a little different for me.  I picked up a new item at Trader Joe’s – Seafood Sausage – and I was dying to trying it out…

A real find at only 110 calories and 3.5 grams fat per sausage…

I decided to make Seafood Scampi for one because the husband and daughters would rather starve than to try it!  LOL!

I sliced the sausage and pan fried in  1 tbsp. evoo and 1 clove garlic until cooked through.  I added about 2-3 tbsp. white wine and simmered for a minute, then added some chopped parsley.  I served it over whole wheat spaghetti and topped with a little parmesan.  Delish…

So, you may be wondering why I titled this post 24-7.  Well, I realized today that I think about food 24-7.  Seriously.  All day long.  I probably dream about it, too.  I am always thinking about what I should and should not eat.  I think about whether or not eating something will help me lose weight or contribute to weight gain.  I bargain with myself.  I wheel and deal.  I try to push these thoughts out of my mind and then, think about how great it is that I am not thinking about food!  Ugh!  I really do feel compulsive when it comes to food.  I think about it always.  It rules my world.  I am most definitely a novice to the concept of intuitive eating.  I’m not even certain that someone like me can even wrap my brain around it or ascertain what it means to be able to eat according to my body’s needs.  Is this something I can truly learn?  Is this something that can eventually come naturally to me?  I guess I’m scared that it isn’t possible for me.  I may be too far gone;  too old to learn “new tricks”, too accustomed to living life on a diet that I am unable to see the other side.  That grass sure does look greener, though…

Have a great night, everyone =)

A Birthday Celebration

Today, we got together for lunch to celebrate my Dad's birthday. He had decided, after taking the Real Age Test , that he is going by this age since it is 7 yrs. younger than his chronological age! Ok Dad, we'll play along! He does look pretty good, for .........???





Anyway, Dad is awesome and a very busy guy for being "retired". He has 3 part-time businesses, but the one that keeps him the busiest is his "video to DVD" transfer business. He converts videos, slides and pictures to DVD. You can check out his website for more info: http://www.digitalkeepsakeservices.com/. That was my shameless plug for Dad - Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!!



On to the food. We went to Appleby's for lunch today at my request. I knew the Weight Watcher Menu they have would keep me on the straight and narrow. I am feeling a little "chompy" today. I went with the Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Salad which is huge and only 5 pts. Very good for chompyness....

Of course, when you are chompy, a salad does not last long. For my snack,( if I could have the nerve to even call it that since it was filling up my plate), I have been dying to try this greek yogurt from Trader Joes. I had 1/2 c. yogurt with 2 tbsp. homemade pumpkin butter and 1 tbsp. granola. I also had some pretzel sticks and a string cheese. Can you say, "oink, oink"?

I'm thinking this should last me til dinner! We'll see...