The Best Laid Plans

Thanksgiving was a great day of food and family!  I started off with a light breakfast;  I wasn’t super hungry and I knew there would be lots later!  A Pumpkin Smoothie hit the spot…

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/2 packet of NuNaturals Stevia
• sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

I reluctantly headed to the basement for a treadmill run.  I was feeling awfully lazy, but knew if I didn’t get in some exercise, I would regret it.  After a quick 2 miles, I felt better.  No regrets!

I decided on a small lunch to tide me over until the REAL eating started!  I used some leftover Baked Seitan (remember when I said it tasted a little like bacon?) to make an SLT on a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat…

With a honeycrisp apple, it was just the right amount.

Then, it was off to my parents’ house where the good stuff was being prepared!

For starters, an antipasto platter…

My plate x2…

Then I got myself a BIG glass of water x2 to avoid any more picking.  I wanted to save up for the other yummy food coming up!

When it was time to sit for dinner, we found these papers at our places…

Dad always writes a Thanksgiving prayer and big daughter reads it aloud…

Our first course, as always, was pasta!  This one was fettuccine with bolognese sauce…

my plate was about a half cup worth…

Believe me, I wanted more!!  But, I kept reminding myself of the plan - “controlled indulgence”.

After that settled a bit, the big guns donned the table…

Tom…

stuffing with whole wheat bread and sausage..and butter…and parmesan cheese… I DIE…

roasted sweets and parsnips…

broccoli rabe…

roasted asparagus…

mashed potatoes (a must for big daughter)…

biscuits…

homemade cranberry sauce…

I had a taste of it all…

but, I went a little crazy with this…

Best stuffing EVER!!!

We had a great time at the table reminiscing about our old houses and neighborhoods and the husband asked us to each share all the things that we were thankful for.  We ended up practically giving speeches!  We are very blessed and able to be grateful for even the smallest things, but family was at the top of all our lists!

No Thanksgiving is complete without dessert!  We were also celebrating my Dad’s birthday, so we had his favorites…

My Mom’s homemade cheesecake…again, I DIE…

and pecan pie…

and my only contribution to this fabulous day of food – Sugar Free Pumpkin Roll (for Gram who is diabetic).  I used NuNaturals Baking Blend (stevia) in the recipe and it came out surprisingly well…

I had to have the cheesecake.  One word…AMAZING!!

I had a nibble or two more of it, but called it a night.  I definitely ate a lot today, but didn’t let myself get stuffed or uncomfortable.  I enjoyed every bite!

***

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I was happy with my plan of “controlled indulgence”.  I ate, I enjoyed and didn’t feel guilty or nervous.  I was full but not uncomfortable.  And that’s it – day over.  Back to the normal plan as I remind myself that the holiday was just one day, not the next four!  Back to the plan, stan :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful T-Day!

Pilates, Parks + Patience

Thank you all for your condolences regarding my breakup :) It's still a little rough going, but physically, I felt better today! You all had some great ideas for some coffee alternatives, too; I will definitely be checking them out!

The hips were still sore today and moving into feeling stiff, too. I thought it best to not do any cardio again and now, don't you know , I am craving running??!! But, my hips will not be happy if I pursue that, so I decided to try something new - Pilates. I bought a cheap-o DVD at Five Below that is a one hour basic Pilates workout. I planned on doing the whole hour, but needed to get in some breakfast first. I went with a quick bowl of cereal. In the mix...

• 1/3 c. Special K Protein flakes
• 1/4 c. Post Trail Mix Crunch
• 2 big ole strawberries
• 1/3 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

I stared longingly at the coffee pot and out of habit almost started brewing! I guess I have to put it away...

Instead, I micro-brewed some tea. I went with a China Oolong this morning. It made me oo-long for some coffee...

The tea bag tag had positive sayings on it. Mine said this...

Yeah, I 'd like to reward myself with a cup of coffee! *sigh* But, I went on to reward myself with a Pilates session. I have to say, despite the annoying voice of the instructor and the waif-like "level 1" demonstrator in the background, I REALLY liked it! It is hard, but not so hard that you want to quit. My muscles were shaking, but heck, you get to lie down for most of it, so I'm game! I made it through 45 minutes before I had to stop and tend to the daughters. I was pretty wobbly in the legs, so it must have done something! I'll definitely try this again.

Lunchtime rolled around before I knew it. I was in the mood for my good old 'wrap and chip' combo. I made a Cali Veggie Wrap using a high fiber tortilla, Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger, Laughing Cow Light Cheese and lettuce. Trader Joe's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips and carrots were perfect sides...

After lunch, the daughters and I (and dog) went to the park for the afternoon. We did a little walking, playing and hanging on a blanket reading books. It was a great afternoon.

We got home just in time to get dinner started. As I was prepping some mozzarella cheese for the entree, I sliced and snacked...

I had to hurry up and put it away before I snacked away the whole block of cheese! How's that for being intuitive?! I intuitively knew I would eat the whole thing -lol!! Not funny, but I'm trying to make myself feel better ;P

Dinner was Grilled Chicken Antipasto along with salad and grilled bread...

I grilled thin-sliced chicken breasts then topped them with a mixture of tomatoes, diced mozzarella, a few Kalamata olives, 3 artichoke hearts (chopped), fresh basil, garlic and a tsp. evoo...

While cleaning the dishes, I fished for a dessert...

So, I'm feeling a little anxious about intuitive eating. I think I'm having a low point where I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing. I was feeling really strong last week, but this week has been up and down so far. I'm finding that this takes lots of practice. Lots and lots. I know it's going to take a long time to undo the dieting damage. I think it's okay to take a while, but I also think I have to be okay with maybe not losing weight while this changeover is occurring. And I'm not sure if I'm okay with that...

Patience. It's not a virtue that comes easily for me. But, to feel like I've given this the "old college try", I'll hang in there a while longer and do a progress report mid-Sept. to see where I'm at.

Have a great night, everyone!

Before I go... a Question of the Day... Have you ever tried Pilates?

Speed Blogging

Hey Everyone! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday! As usual, I'd love to blog your eyes off, but I'm gonna speed blog tonight as I am worn out from an all afternoon into evening baby shower! So, let's get to it...

 

I woke up starving today! I did no exercise (slug) and got right to breakfast. I made an egg sandwich with one egg white, a slice of 2% cheese on a Pepperidge Farm Deli Flat. It looked kinda plain to me, so I spruced it up with a handful of baby spinach...

I got ready and headed out to a lovely baby shower for my SIL's niece. I was really hungry by this time (2:30!), so I nibbled on some of the table snacks...

 

my snacking plate…

 

After chatting for a while, the buffet was ready for the taking....

I decided on fruit salad, pasta salad with sundried tomatoes and romaine salad with mandarin oranges, olives and feta. It was all delicious!

 

Cake and cookies were also served later, but since I felt satisfied with my meal, I decided not to eat any :)

Lots more chatting it up and present opening, then it was time to go. I finally made it home by 7:30 and was feeling really hungry. I went right to the fridge, but couldn't decided what I wanted. As I was thinking, I snacked on a small piece of banana bread and leftover calzone. Nothing really jumped out at me ( I think I was beyond hunger at this point and couldn't decide), so I opted for a small bowl of Post Trail Mix Crunch with blueberries and unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze...

That hit the spot!

Off to cuddle up with the hubs. Have a great night!!

btw, tried out Windows Live Writer tonight - have NO idea what I'm doing or how to size/load my pics! Guess it's a learning process! Anyone have a copy of WLW for Dummies - LOL!

The Project And New Food

I spent the morning "washing that gray right out of my hair". Anyone remember that old commercial?? What a freakin project to do this every 4 weeks! I didn't even exercise this morning. I think I got in enough yesterday for today, though! When the hair project was completed, I had a leisurely breakfast - 3/4 c. Puffins, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and a ton of blueberries for 3 POINTS...


I got some fun mail delivered today! Carol from Uncovering Food randomly chose me as her July "Follower of the Month". How cool is that?! No giveaways to enter, just follow her blog and she could choose you as her Follower of the Month! She sent me this package of goodies; well, not just me, she added something for the daughters, too! That sure won them over!


Not long after putting away our goodie bag, I was starving! Maybe knowing I wanted to try these new Dominex Eggplant Burgers for lunch made me extra hungry...

The nutritionals are terrific...

Only 1 POINT per patty!

I followed the skillet method of cooking using nonstick cooking spray...

All burgers must have cheese! My new fave as of late...

One slice is only 1 POINT and full of flavor...

I put my eggplant burger between 2 slices of Pepperidge Farm Light Style Wheat and added additional toppings of baby spinach and roasted red pepper. The usual sides came along - Kettle Baked Potato Chips and a juicy sweet plum...

It was a terrific 6 POINT lunch! The eggplant burger is very similar in texture to a Boca veggie-type burger, but the flavor is definitely bumped up a notch. Some of the veggie-type burgers can be bland, but not these eggplant burgers. They are a great find!

I had some errands to run late in the afternoon and started to feel hungry again. I decided to have a small snack to tide me over. And I do mean small. These mini Clif Bars are itty bitty...

Not sure they are worth the 100 calories! It was an o.k. 1 POINT snack :(

Dinner was a homemade "frozen dinner" of Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce for 5 POINTS...

and a side of these "heat and eat" veggies...

The whole package is only 90 calories and 1 POINT...

I was in the mood for a big fat dessert! But, I chose a skinny one - Deep Chocolate Vitatop with a scoop of Breyers Fat Free Double Churn French Chocolate and a tiny squirt of light whipped cream for 3 POINTS...

I think I won't be a total slug, so I'll do the 10 minute strength training tonight!

It's almost Friday.......... =]