I Dance For Food

Another gorgeous day!  This is turning out to be a great fall!

I was out the door early getting the daughters off to school and had every intention of heading to the gym, but took one look at my “to do” list and decided to get started on that instead.  I decided to keep my running training schedule to every other week for now and technically, today is a rest day, so I tried not to feel too badly about it!  “Running” errands is exercise, right?!

Before racing out the door, I grabbed a Triple Berry Bran Muffin…

Honestly, I didn’t like these so much today.  They are nice and moist, but there seems to be a bitter spice in there somewhere.  I can’t put my finger on it.  I didn’t detect it yesterday, but I ate it steaming from the oven.  Hmmm…

Then I was off  to conquer the grocery shopping which ultimately takes up half the day!  Not only was I shopping for our family, but I also had a list of things to buy to donate to needy families for Thanksgiving.  My cart was F U L L!

I stopped home to unload and dig up some lunch.  I heated up a serving of Black Bean Soup from the freezer…

And made a nice toasty crostini with 7 grain bread, a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese and one of my favorite toppings…

Delish!

After more errands and picking up the daughters, it was time to settle in for homework and a snack.  I was really hungry…

I also dug into some of this…

I have seen this all over the blogosphere since I began blogging last year!  I have heard the oooh’s and aaaah’s of bloggers around the world singing it’s praises, so you can imagine how excited I was to come across this in my local Fresh Market!  I was doing the happy dance in the aisle.  Ridiculous, I know.  I need a bumper sticker that says, I Dance For Food :)

I danced, dug and spread it on a little banana and (wait for it)….

It was just okay! Barney Butter lovers might think I’m nuts -no pun intended :)- but I like my Homemade Almond Butter much better!  I am now the proud owner of a $9.50 jar of Barney Butter that is just ‘meh’.  *random dancing comes to screeching halt* :|

Dinner was a “cook like Mom and Gram” recipe – Chicken with Potatoes and Olives.  My Mom and Gram are so good at whipping up dishes without following a recipe;  just a little of this and a little of that.  I don’t always have the confidence to do that, but I think my skills are getting better as time goes on and if I have a basic idea of what I want something to taste like, I can pretty much wing it!

Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cans (14 oz. each) petite diced tomatoes
• 1/3 c. dry red wine
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/4 c. sicilian green olives

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large pot over medium heat, spray with cooking spray and add chicken.  Brown on both sides and remove from pot onto a warmed plate. 

Add oil and garlic;  cook about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste and stir until paste begins to break down.  Add tomatoes, wine and stir until combines.  Add potatoes, olives and return chicken to pan.  Cover and cook on low until chicken is fully cooked about 30 minutes.

Easy peasy…

Thumbs up from the fam!

I made a side salad which included these addictive guys…

I know Italian and Asian don’t exactly go together, but I’m all about the fusion ;)

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the blogiversary GIVEAWAY!!!

Have an awesome day :)

A Do Over

So glad that’s over!  Anyone else feel that way about Halloween?  The influx of candy had been building all week, then big daughter got sick with the flu and my stress/emotional eating spell began.  Friday and Saturday were a blur of chocolate, sugar, cheese, bread, pizza and chips.  There was no semblance of health involved in any of the choices I made.  Actually, there were a few meals that I attempted to pull together something healthy, but ended up eating other things because eating something healthy didn’t even taste good.  I even ditched the exercise.  I have to say that I was scared for a minute.  I thought that I had gone completely off the deep end;  you know, that slippery slope that sends you back to old eating habits and 70 pounds heavier in no time flat.  *insert horror movie scream*.  Terrifying.

Saturday afternoon, I was doing some cleaning of clutter and came across a few pictures of myself.  There aren’t very many of me during the “fat years” which was a span of 10 years.  I was the one usually behind the camera.  I often joke to the husband that he could easily “off me” and there would be no evidence that I existed because most of the pictures of our family vacations and outings with the daughters are just of him and the girls!  I did happen to come across a few while cleaning out a bookcase and I was stunned to see the pictures of myself.  In the pictures, I had a smile on my face, but I knew that I hated the way that I looked…

  I realize while looking at these, that there is no going back for me.  I cannot be that person again.  I won’t do it.  But, when I have gone this far off the deep end this weekend, it is so hard to get back on track.  How do I go back to trying to eat intuitively when I dropped it like a hot potato?  A fried one?  There was only one answer…

Nike knows their stuff :)

That brings me to today.  I am stoked for a new month!  It’s gonna be a busy one and I’m going to think long and hard about how I will manage the eating season.  I know the issue is not the food, it’s how I react to the emotions and stress in my daily life.  I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I will keep on keepin’ on:)

First thing on the agenda was to fill up this guy…

I’ve been really slacking on my water which is weird since I’ve always been a huge chugger.

Then, I tackled the first meal of the day –breakfast.  Nothing was appealing to me.  I still had sugar coursing through my veins!  I was going to skip it altogether, but know that usually comes back to haunt me!

I decided on a tasting breakfast plate…

It got better from there!  Lunch was a bowl of black bean soup…

and a good hunk of cornbread…

The afternoon was long and filled with bowls of candy in every room!  I opted for some skim milk and a Ginger Apple Oat Breakfast Cookie…

Dinner was a family favorite – Chicken Cutlets and broccoli.  Instead of offering rustic Italian bread on the side, I decided to try out this Beer Bread mix from Trader Joe’s…

Just calls for a  bottle of this to make it…

I haven’t had much luck with Beer Bread before.  The husband and daughters have not been fans, so I held my beer breath on this one!  It baked up beautifully in only 45 minutes and I didn’t detect much of a beer smell or taste at all.  Everyone loved it!  It was a nice, dense and slightly chewy bread.  I think it would make for a great grilled cheese, too. 

I served myself  a small slice with dinner…

but dug into another slice before putting the remainder of the loaf away! 

JUST DO IT!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I realized today that I can do this.  I can get back on track.  I can keep the weight off.  I can do it…for life :)

Excellent

I got on the scale this morning and I am up 1.2 lbs. Excellent. Whoooo Hoooo. I am doing a great job. Of gaining weight. Excellent, really excellent.



Okay, I got over it because really I can't get bummed about it when I know that I am not doing my best. The afternoon snacking has gone way out of bounds and apparently, my exercise is not making up for it. My body didn't want nor does it need those extra snacks and it's letting me know about it. So, I just have to try better that's all. I went out for a run this morning. It was 30 min. and a bit weak, but I think the dreary weather and my bummed out mood contributed to that. When I came in, I talked myself out of going to my Weight Watcher meeting this morning. I knew I didn't want to weigh-in, so I figured I would just skip it. But, I talked myself back into it because I knew that I should go to the meeting; even when I'm not doing my best something always speaks to me during the meeting and helps me refocus. That was true again today. The meeting focused on emotional eating, stress eating, eating "just because" and how to change/find alternatives to those behaviors. HELLO!!!!!! Just what I needed. I also spent some time talking to a Lifetime member after the meeting (Hi Chris!!). We talked about the trials and tribulations of getting the last 10 pounds off and she gave me lots of insight into what maintenance is like. I am so looking forward to it!!!

On to the food... (warning- it's weird today and not exactly healthy)

I had a quick breakfast in the car on the way to my meeting of a Kim's Light Bagel topped with Laughing Cow Light Cheese for 3 POINTS...


I had to stop at the supermarket after the meeting. While I was there, I was starting to get hungry and picked up a bag of "puffy" pretzels. I opened it and snacked on a few. Hundred. Did I learn nothing this morning???!!!! When I got home, I was still munching on them although I decided to put them in a bowl instead of eating out the bag. I also had a lite string cheese and a new Weight Watchers Cookies and Cream 1 POINT bar....

I blew it. I really blew it with all those pretzels. But, instead of classifying it as a "binge" and continuing to crank out the food, I decided I would figure out how much I ate and count it so I would know for sure how the rest of my week would need to play out. But, how do you figure handful after handful of pretzels? I decided to weigh what was left in the bag and deduct it from the net weight of the pretzels. Whoa. I ate 5 1/2 servings out of a 10 serving bag. And because my POINT slider doesn't go that high, I had to plug in the numbers on Etools POINTS Calculator. It was 605 cal., 2.75 gr. fat and 5 gr. fiber. Guess what that equals??? I literally closed my eyes as I clicked on the Calculate button and peeked through my fingers. 12 POINTS. 12 POINTS!!! For pretzels!!!! Ugh. Add in the string cheese and cookies and cream bar and I spent 14 POINTS for this chow fest. But, then a lightbulb went off. I still have 5 POINTS left for the day! And I didn't even touch my Weekly Allowance Points yet either. So, even though I felt like I blew my day/week out of the water with eating a half bag of pretzels, I didn't. That was EXCELLENT!!!!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing homework and then I headed out for dance class with little daughter. Instead of sitting around chatting with the moms for an hour, I decided to run for another 20 min. in the parking complex. I still had time to come in to chat before the girls were done, so it worked out great! No, Excellent :)

But what do you do with only 5 POINTS for dinner? I planned on hot dogs and black bean soup for tonight and I was able to fit that into my budget for myself. I had a Dietz and Watson Gourmet Lite Beef Frank on a light bun, 1 c. black bean soup and carrots with a tbsp. homemade almond butter for all 5 POINTS...

None left for dessert, but I'll manage ;) I don't want to dig into the WAP yet, gotta save them for some parties this weekend.

I'm glad I figured things out today. It really changed my outlook and I feel a bit stronger again, like I can refocus and stay on track. Which is most excellent =)

Big Eats!

Morning is no fun! I'm still having a hard time getting up at 6 a.m. in the dark. When I get big daughter off to school, I just want to crawl back into bed. As a matter of fact, big daughter asked me what I do after I drop her at the bus stop and I told her that I go exercise. She said she would go back to bed if she were me! I just love her so much!!! Some mornings I wish I could :) But, the princess life is not for me, so I headed to the elliptical. About 5 minutes into it, I realized something felt different. Whoops, I forgot to put on my sports bra! The girls were dancing up a storm, free to fly this way and that with nothing holding them back! Shear laziness and fear that I may not return to the frigid basement kept me from running up and retrieving the proper attire needed for bouncing. It was an interesting workout for sure:)



Then, it was time for a hearty breakfast of Ezekiel Sprouted Grain English Muffin (I bought the plain flavor in addition to the Cinnamon Raisin) topped with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light and a Yerba Mate Latte for a great 3 POINT breakfast...








I met up with Mom and Gram to do some shopping for Gram's new apartment. We made a mid-shop pit stop at Panera Bread for lunch. I went with the "you pick two" of black bean soup, a half Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and an apple. I realized when I got there that I forgot my camera! Bad Food Blogger!!!! So here's some tiny pics that I gleaned from the internet...



The black bean soup is a standard for me (I love it!), but the Mediterranean was new to me and absolutely yum! It was a sandwich made with peppadew peppers, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumbers, feta and cilantro hummus. It was a big, flavorful lunch for 10 POINTS!





This big lunch kept me full for the rest of the afternoon, although I did have a few real kettle chips when the daughters came home. Then I got to work making some marinara sauce for tonight's dinner: stuffed shells! I decided to indulge in some for dinner, too. I had 3 shells and a big salad with olive oil, vinegar and topped with some chick peas. I also had a whole wheat roll to round out this 9 POINT dinner...

The big finish was a 1/2 c. serving of Turkey Hill Chocolate Marshmallow Frozen Yogurt for 2 POINTS...

And now for the Biggest Loser!!!!! See you all tomorrow!

Drooling Dogs

Back to the early morning grind; up and at em! I sent big daughter off to school and went to the basement for my early morning workout. Wow, it seems like I haven't done this in a long time. I guess I've been taking advantage of the outdoor runs more than I realized! I did 30 huffy minutes on the elliptical while watching boring morning TV- so tired of all those talking heads! Then, I got little daughter off to school and came home to Shred. Yes, still Level 1! There are only 11 days left of this challenge and I think I am looking forward to burying Jillian in my pile of unused exercise DVD's for a while!!! Nah, not really, just ready to give it a break for a bit. However, the husband is hooked on doing this 2 days a week and he's the type A that once he starts a routine, he sticks with it foreeeever!

For breakfast, I had a big dose of heartburn due to arguing with our health insurance company over a claim. I was on the phone for a while, so by the time I got to eat, I was starving! The first thing I saw was smoked salmon. I toasted a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel and topped it with a Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge and 1 oz. of the smoked salmon for 3 POINTS...

For lunch, I had a bowl of Black Bean Soup, a turkey BLT using 2 oz. turkey, 2 slices center cut bacon, lettuce and tomato on an Arnold Sandwich Thin and some carrots. Delicious and filling for only 4 POINTS...

I debated on eating something else afterward because it was such a low POINT lunch and I'm trying not to eat an afternoon snack. But, part of this "listening to my body" experiment this week, is to actually LISTEN and not eat just to eat. I was full and that should signal the end of eating, so I let it go. Turns out, after the daughters came home, I felt munchie and grabbed a handful of TJ's bbq popped chips that the daughters were munching on. I did take a moment to realize that I wasn't actually hungry, but it's almost like I'm one of Pavlov's dogs in that, the girls come in the door from school and I am ready to eat!!! Just like those drooling dogs! I ended up heading to my bedroom and having the daughters come with me to work on homework! I had a feeling that if I stayed in the kitchen, it would've gotten ugly!

I made a delicious dinner of pan-seared thyme pork chops and garlic potatoes. So simple. I used very thin center cut pork chops and seasoned them with salt, pepper and thyme. I sprayed a large nonstick pan with cooking spray and browned the chops. While they were browning, I cut small potatoes into chunks and placed them in a large bowl. I added 2 minced cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and 1 tsp. olive oil and tossed it together. I removed the browned chops from the skillet, added the potatoes and browned for a few minutes. I added the chops back to the skillet along with 1 cup of chicken broth. I covered and simmered for about 15 minutes until potatoes were done. At the end, I added a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I paired it with a salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese Dressing. A great family pleaser dinner (yes, they liked it!!!) for 8 POINTS...

I was very excited for dessert tonight! Remember this???.....

I love this!!!! A yummy 3 POINT dessert!

Okay guys, you know what time it is.....

*singing* what have you done today to make you feel proud.....

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!

Catching Some Zzzz's

Hey, everyone! Sorry I missed posting last night. Little daughter and I were on our own last night; the husband was chaperoning big daughter's school event which was from 5 p.m. till midnight! So, I spent the evening with little daughter playing "hairdresser" (she gave me some interesting do's!), making brownies (YES, THERE ARE BROWNIES IN THE HOUSE - AAAHHH!), and snuggling in bed watching TV. I was doing everything I could to keep my eyes open while watching her TV shows and after I put her to bed at 9:15, I put myself to bed, too! My original plan was to post after her bedtime, but I was out for the count! Sorry! So, here's my quick food update...

After sending everyone off to school, I popped in The Shred - still Level 1. However, I noticed that I felt much stronger this time: my jumping jacks, jump rope and anterior raises were all stronger. Maybe I'm ready for Level 2?! Shakin in my boots...we'll see...maybe I'll watch it today to see what I'm in for !!

Breakfast was an egg, bacon and cheese muffin sandwich ( a Mickey D knockoff!). I used 1 egg white, a slice of center cut bacon and slice of 2% cheese on a lite english muffin. I also had a sliced pear for a total of 4 POINTS...

For lunch, I had a cup of black bean soup, a Dietz and Watson gourmet lite beef frank on a light hot dog bun and a serving of Trader Joe's Rice Chips - this time I got the Sour Cream and Onion flavor which was AWESOME!! A yummy 5 POINT lunch...

I tried (and did pretty well without them last week), but I couldn't stay away from the chips for too long! So glad I found these guys. They have the same nutritionals as the Sea Salt and Pepper flavor with the exception of an additional .5 gr. fat which didn't change the POINT value, so they are still coming up 2 POINTS for a huge serving! YAY! My new chip fave...

I know this is weird, but I was pondering how I could fit hummus into my day. I have no idea why I am so obsessed with it; not like it's BROWNIES, but it is so good! I figured hummus would be a nice snack option today, so I used 2 tbsp. smeared on 3 TJ's flax and honey flatbread crackers (I love these, too!) and a handful of carrots. 3 POINTS of goodness...

An easy dinner with little daughter was 2 TJ's Stir Fry Vegetable Egg Rolls, strawberries and blueberries and another handful of carrots for 5 POINTS...

And did I mention, there were BROWNIES!!! Little daughter wanted them and I obliged. Only minor infractions to report. I licked some batter, ate the crunchy edges off some of the baked ones (you can't leave the crunchy edges on, noooooo) and ate a piece of one that "broke apart" - uh, huh - it did, too! I'm counting it as 8 POINTS from my Weekly POINTS Allowance and that's all I'm using of those because if I use too many, I don't lose and I HAVE to lose next week - don't want that .2 lbs. dangling out there!

Little daughter got her brownie and I grabbed one of these and headed upstairs to cuddle and avoid further disaster...

I missed my Vitatop dessert, but I had to get out of the kitchen FAST. So, how am I gonna handle this today? I know they are down there, in the kitchen, wanting to firmly plant themselves on my hips, but I MUST resist. Short of throwing them out, which would surely cause a riot, I'm at a loss for ideas on how to avoid them today. Maybe put them in the laundry room or freezer? Maybe get the husband(who was already excited this morning to see "real" brownies) and daughters to eat each and every one of them with every meal today?? I"m open to any solutions to this great dilema of mine, so please let me know if you've got one!!

Well, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, so I'm going to take my 5K Saturday to the great outdoors. Then, it's Shred and duct tape for my mouth until the brownies are gone ;)

Have a great day... see ya tonight for our regularly scheduled program :)

Calling All Shredders!

My goal for February is to do the 30 Day Shred every day. It's a butt kickin workout in 20 minutes and we all can find 20 min. right??? I know many of you have tried it already, so now I'm calling all "shredders" to join me in my February Shred Challenge! C'mon peeps, you know ya want to look like Jillian and her girls, so LET'S DO THIS!!! I read some great reviews from some first-time shredders today; check out Kari's "picture that says a thousand words" and Heather's most hilarious review that I have ever read! You will pee your pants; we did =0D


Okay, let's get to the food...
I did my normal early morning elliptical workout for 30 minutes. Got the daughters off to school and had a quick breakfast of Puffins with 1/2 c. milk and sliced strawberries (3 POINTS)...



Lunch was a cup of black bean soup (1 POINT), hummus wrap with roasted pepper and lettuce (3 POINTS) and an apple (1 POINT). Notice the lack of chips, lately?? I'm "trying" to cut back!


Afternoon snack was the most delicious snack, ever! I used 3 TJ's flax and honey flatbread crackers, spread them with 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge and topped with 1 oz. smoked salmon. An amazing 3 POINTS...

I loved that snack so much that I saw more salmon in my future =) Future came fast, dinner was....Salmon! Trader Joe's makes these great Salmon Roulettes that are stuffed with a spinach filling for 4 POINTS. Best part is that you can microwave them without it making them gross or dried out. Three minutes later, it's on your plate! I paired it with 2 0z. whole wheat orzo and a salad dressed with 1 tsp. evoo and vinegar. A fantastic 8 POINT dinner...

A bit after dinner, I headed to Shred it! Still Level 1; don't foresee getting to Level 2 anytime in the near future! I haven't even watched it; not even going there!

I was feeling for a dessert tonight. I know this isn't news as I have dessert every night! It was a tough decision tonight because I am out of my luscious Vitatops. I placed an order from their website for a special Valentine's Day package (they emailed this to me) which I'm really excited about because they are including a limited edition Banana Fudge flavor. Wowza! Can't wait!!!!!
Until then, I had a graham cracker topped with PB2 and a bit of Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam for 2 POINTS...

So, what do ya think, Shredders?? Are you in?? Let me know and we'll check in on each other to keep us going! C'mon...let's get shredded!!!