Morning Breakdowns + A New Recipe

Sorry I missed you all this morning.  My laptop screen went kaput, so no blogging was happening til I hooked up my old computer monitor to the laptop so I can see!!!   Time for a new computer;  ka-ching, ka-ching :(   I had to spend the morning at the car dealership, too.  Thankfully, that didn’t cost much.  It’s funny how everything seems to go all at once!

Monday

I’m still surprised in the morning when I come down to the kitchen.  After so many years of the same look, it’s different to see a new look.  I really like it!

I was ready to break out the pans for breakfast.  I decided on eggs again.  This time, I sauteed sliced mushrooms in nonstick spray, added egg whites and a slice of asiago cheese.  Very tasty…

The rest of the morning was spent in clean-up mode.  Still catching up on cleaning after the painting.  Lunch time came quickly, so I made up some fast food.  I decided on another Lavash Pizza, this time topped with some leftover mushrooms from breakfast.  So easy to make;  spray Lavash bread with cooking spray, spread on sauce, top with light cheese and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes…

It makes a huge serving and I ate the whole thing along with a bowl of Tabatchnick Vegetable Soup …

 

I tried to get myself organized for the week during the remainder of the afternoon.  I had a billion school papers to read through, sign, send in money for, etc.  Whew!  And schools say they’re trying to go “green”!  I also worked on some homework with little daughter while munching on a snack of Trader Joe’s Chipotle Pepper Hummus and carrots…

Dinner was easy.  The husband and daughters were jealous of my pizza lunch, well, with the exception of the mushrooms, so I told them they could have quick pizzas for dinner.  I used Trader Joe’s Naan Bread as the dough.  They loved it!  Good for me;  no complaining :)

I dug around the freezer and found a few pieces of my Gram’s zucchini quiche, so I heated that and made a side salad with evoo for us all…

Love it, Gram!!

 

Tuesday

As I said, this morning started off a little rough with the computer glitch.  I had planned on blogging at the dealership, but since that was not to be, I gathered up a bunch of reading material to bring to my Car Dealership Camp Out.  I was rushed, but hungry, so I heated up a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin and gobbled that up along with a Chobani nonfat strawberry yogurt before I left…

Turned out I only had to wait 2 1/2 hours instead of the 3-4 hours that I thought!  And the "damage” was minimum.  Hey, this day is turning around!

Breakfast did not hold me over very long at all.  I’m finding that the 6 oz. cups are not enough for me;  I really need 8 oz. to hold me over.  And the muffin, although delicious and healthy, doesn’t have enough staying power either.  I’m noticing, breakfast is turning out to be the most important meal of the day for me.  If I don’t eat enough at breakfast, I feel like eating more later in the day.

Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for lunch!  My stomach was growling  by 11:30 , but I managed to hold off until 12:30.  I dug around in the freezer again and found some homemade turkey meatballs that I completely forgot about!  I made a Turkey Meatball Stuffed Pita using 3 turkey meatballs (sliced to fit), baby spinach, a Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Pita and a drizzle of marinara…

Along with a fuji apple, it was a great lunch…

Little daughter had dance this afternoon, which means that we do not get home until dinner time.  I planned in advance and decided to make a Vegetable Lasagna so that it would be ready when we got home.  Now, I pretty much knew this was going to get some “eeewwws and blaaaahs” because no one but me ,will eat vegetables mixed in with something else.  But, I had this lasagna idea and I really wanted to try it out, so I said tough noogies ;P

These are the items I used for the Vegetable Lasagna…

The star ingredient was the Green Giant Immunity Blend Veggies.  I like these because they are a premium blend;  the vegetables are good quality (no broccoli stalks!) and it is flavored with extra virgin olive oil and seasoning which takes the work out of chopping, cooking and flavoring the veggies before adding them to the dish…

Vegetable Lasagna

• 3 boxes Green Giant Immunity Blend frozen veggies, defrosted
• 2 1/2 cups fat free milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 6 oz. block Cabot 50 % reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated(or other lowfat white cheese such as swiss or mozzarella)
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Prepare an 11 x 7 baking dish by spraying with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine flour and milk.  Stir continuously over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes…

Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese until melted and sauce is smooth….

Add the vegetables and stir until mixed in.  *note – I think next time, I would save a bit of the plain cheese sauce to pour over the top layer of the lasagna (maybe about 1/3 cup)…

Place 3 noodles on the bottom of the sprayed dish and top with 1/3 of the sauce…

Add spinach…

Continue with 2 more layers of noodles and sauce.  Top with remaining 3 noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese (I added about 1/8 c. shredded mozzarella, too – again, a bit of the plain cheese sauce would have gone nicely as a topper, then additional cheese could be omitted…

Cover with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes…

Dinner done!  While little daughter was at dance, I was able to run over to the gym for a 30 minute beat session on The Arc Trainer.  Boy, I have missed the gym these past few days!  I worked so hard that I was actually shaky when I left.  I remembered to bring a snack in the car, so I dug into some Cocoa Roasted Almonds and felt a lot better…

Dinner was waiting when we got home!  I thought it was delish and so did the husband and daughters after they scraped all the vegetables out of it.  Grrrrrr.

I served it with some of Gram’s green beans to round out the meal…

According to the ingredients I used, this lasagna came in at 330 calories and 10 grams fat per serving  (for 6 servings).  I have a couple pieces leftover that will make a great “frozen dinner” for another night.

I’m hoping to get my new computer tomorrow and get back to my morning blogging on Thursday!  Looking forward to catching up on all your blogs, too.  It’s been a couple days and I miss seeing what you’re all up to!

ONE GOOD THING:  I was able to fit in a workout and it felt great!

Question of the Day:  What kind of computer do you use?

For The Love Of Leftovers

This kitchen wallpaper removal/painting prep/nasty cold is not leaving me with much creativity in the food department.  The kitchen is a mess, so minimal “cooking” is going on.  So, I thought this is a good opportunity to stress the importance of “being prepared” with respect to staying the healthy eating course.  As the saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”!

During the weight loss journey, I have heard many people (including myself) say that they didn’t have time to cook healthy foods or didn’t have the right ingredients in their pantry, fridge or freezer.    This lack of time and staples makes it all too easy to opt for takeout, especially when you’re getting in late from work, activities or when your kitchen is a huge mess!  It is so important to have a basic stock of pantry staples, so that you are able to throw something together at a moments notice.  I always keep some canned soups for quick lunches or dinners paired with salad or grilled cheese.  Also, cans of diced tomatoes make great quick pasta toppings;  just saute with garlic and extra virgin olive oil, pour over some whole wheat pasta and finish off with some grated parmesan.  Canned beans are a good option, too.  You can add some chick peas or cannellini beans to a pasta dish for an extra protein punch or just add them to your salad for more staying power.  Some of my fridge/freezer staples are bagged salads ( I make my own by cutting up romaine hearts and placing them in large zipper bags), tortillas, baby carrots, apples, cheese, eggs, yogurt, veggie burgers (homemade or store bought), soups, precooked taco meat (turkey or beef), chicken cutlets and frozen veggies, just to name a few.

But, I have to say that my saving grace many days and especially during this kitchen project has been having leftovers in my fridge and freezer.  I used to balk at leftovers.  Why eat the same thing over and over??  Unless, it’s brownies, of course.  However, there probably wouldn’t be much of those leftover!  Now, I look at leftovers in a whole new way.  Leftovers allow me to have a quick and healthy option with minimal effort or fuss.  Knowing that I had those meals and fridge/freezer items made it easy for me to make good choices during this tiring project;  just heat and eat!  Gotta give props to the microwave!!!   Having these options, besides being a real time-saver, allowed me to “plan” to stay on track.  Failure was not an option!  Love it when a plan comes together :)

Onto the food!  Warning:  prepare to bored out of your mind.  Not much creativity here, just necessary eats!

Thursday

Started the day off with a hearty bowl of leftover oat bran.  I have to say, I wasn’t quite sure how precooked oat bran would translate, but it was just fine with the addition of a little extra water to thin it out while reheating.  I morphed it into PB&J Oatbran with a bit of grape jam and PB2…

Lunch was a Cedarlane Beans, Rice and Cheese style Burrito with a side of POPchips and a peach…

After tons more wallpaper scraping, I decided I needed a break.  I couldn’t shake another Starbucks craving!  The crack is back!!!  This time, I went for a Pumpkin Spice Light Frappuccino…

OMG!  Loved it and a Grande is only 150 calories, .5 grams fat and 3 grams fiber.  Heeeelloooo!!

Scrape, scrape, tape, tape, paint the trim.  UGH!

Dinner was a Dominex Eggplant Burger topped with leftover Hot Artichoke-Cheese Dip and baby spinach on a deli flat, a side of carrots and a Chobani nonfat strawberry yogurt for dessert…

Wallpaper on…

Wallpaper off ---thank, gawd!!!

Now to choose a color….

Friday

I felt a lot better this morning!  Still stuffy, but no fever and head throb.  Since I was on the mend, I decided to make a quick run to the gym.  The Arc Trainer was calling my name!  Brought my breakfast to-go…

The Arc Trainer whipped me good for 30 minutes which was all I had time for since I had a late morning doctor’s appointment.  On the way to the appointment, I munched on a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin (from the freezer)…

I went for a routine physical and all checks out, except for my hip which the doc thinks is bursitis and wants me to consult with a Sports Medicine doc for it.  Yikes!

I made it home for a “leftover” lunch before running out the door again to pick up paint and supplies.  I went with Chickpea Croquettes and the ever easy side of carrots and apple…

Later, a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar was needed to help with the paint color choosing…

And dinner was leftover crock pot chicken with a side of sweet potato fries (pre-cut from Trader Joe’s)…

Thanks for hanging in there with this marathon post!!!  Hope you have a great weekend!  I’ll see you tomorrow for the “reveal” :)

ONE GOOD THING: Leftovers!!!!!!

Shore Debauchery

Hi All! I'm back from the shore and it's pretty late, so I'll be quick. Well, the weather this weekend was absolutely beautiful which allowed for a lovely time at the beach and pool. We soaked in the sun and had lots of delicious eats. I allowed myself to eat whatever and boy, did I! I went a little crazy on the cheese; my Mom had brought an amazing array of imported Italian specialty cheeses and I made sure to do my fair tasting! On a healthy note, I did keep up with my exercise which included bike riding (probably about 10 miles), a little extra walking and C&K's 10 Minute Strength Challenge that I am participating in this month (it's a great workout - check it out!). But, I woke up this morning determined to get back on track and not let the debauchery continue! I eased my way back beginning with a breakfast of 1/2 bagel with Laughing Cow Light Cheese, 1 oz. smoked salmon and a side of fruit salad...



Then a 30 minute bike ride with my Dad before hitting the pool...


After sloshing in the pool, I came in for a quick lunch before packing up and heading home. I made a wrap with some leftover beef tenderloin, baby arugula and 1 oz. of Gorgonzola Dolce (from Italy) and a crunchy apple to go with it...

I brought one of my Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffins for a snack in the car...

I got home just in time to take a quick shower and head out with the husband for a little date. We stopped at Cosi Restaurant for dinner. I ordered my new fave sandwich , Fire Roasted Veggie, with a side of baby carrots...

We browsed around Borders Bookstore and went for a walk at a local trail before heading back to tuck the daughters in bed. Now, it's our turn to tuck in! Relaxing is very tiring ;P

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! See you tomorrow =)

Water Logged

Still no sun at the shore! I decided to take advantage of the bikes here and went on a 3 mile bike ride this morning. I enjoyed being able to do something different, but those bike seats are brutal! My butt is sore!

I came in and helped myself to a breakfast of Fiber One yogurt and 1 c. blueberries for 2 POINTS...


and a light english muffin (1 POINT) to go with it...

Despite the weather, we had a great day of swimming planned. My friend and her daughters came to spend the day with us at the pool. We packed a lunch to eat poolside and after lots of swimming, we sat down to a turkey hummus wrap with baby spinach on a La Tortilla Factory wrap, carrots and a cup of watermelon for 4 POINTS...

For dessert, a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin for 2 POINTS...

Then it was back in the pool. I think we set a record for most hours spent in the pool! We didn't want to get out because the pool was heated and felt so toasty and it was freezing if you did try to get out. We even stayed in during the intermittent rain showers! Talk about die-hards! We did lots of pool exercises, so I'm sure we burned some major calories today. Hmmm... 5 hours of pool exercise have to count for something, don't ya think?!

Finally, we forced ourselves to get out (aaaaahhhhh...brrrrrrr), got cleaned up and said goodbyes to our friends. Then, the daughters and I settled in for a pasta dinner made by Mom and Gram. I had 1 c. rigatoni pasta with meat sauce for 5 POINTS...

and salad for 2 POINTS...

I left the table not long after that so I would not indulge in more pasta. Believe me, that was a major accomplishment! The pasta was so tasty and for some reason, I never feel very full eating a portion of pasta, so it's difficult to keep from eating more than one serving!

I ended the night with dessert inspired by my dark chocolate dipped pineapple treat from yesterday. I used 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream and topped it with pineapple and a squirt of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup. A yummy 3 POINT treat...

Now, I heard that the sun may come out tomorrow. Could it really be true??? I'll let you know tomorrow =)

Have a great night!

POINTless

Greetings from the beach! I have been busy celebrating, packing and doing lots of eating. I'm not sure what's going on with me, but counting POINTS has been pointless lately. I am disappointed in myself. I have been gaining and losing the same 10 pounds since January. I know I need to buckle down and just do this, but I keep getting detoured. I will never give up, though. I have come too far and still have a ways to go, so I will ride this out and keep trying every day to be a little bit better than the day before. That's all I can do right now. So, I have some catching up to do! Let's start with...


FATHER'S DAY


Breakfast (for me) was 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt topped with 1/2 c. berries and a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin for 4 POINTS...


The fresh fruit and veggie stash was dwindled down in preparation for going to the beach, so I dug out a Ranch Turkey Burger ,only topped it with cheese and put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I had it with some leftover crinkle potatoes and an apple for 7 POINTS...

Later in the afternoon, we headed to my parents for Father's Day dinner. The daughters wanted a snack when we got there, so they helped themselves to some fresh raspberries that they picked from Mom's garden...

Then, the food fest began...

Cheese raviolis with marinara sauce...

grilled chicken sausages...

Crunchy Asian Slaw (yay, a low cal dish!). Mom used THIS recipe...

Lots of "Turf" for the guys (ribeye and bbq ribs)...

And yummy "Surf"....

so corny...

My "plates".... ravioli...


and the rest....

Of course, there were desserts...

In an effort to minimize the damage, I made Hungry Girl's Double Chocolate Trifle...

It was really good. Like a healthier version of "Dirt Dessert". The recipe made 4 servings and came to 3 POINTS for each serving.

My 3 POINTS worth...

and I had to taste the apple pie...

It was a great day honoring my 2 favorite guys...

Love you both!!

BEACH EATS

We left early this morning to come to the beach for a mini "School's Out" vacation. Every year when the daughters are finished school, we come to the beach with my parents and Gram to hang out. Before we left, I grabbed a bowl of Puffins with the last of the blueberries for 3 POINTS...

We got to the beach house at lunch time and everyone was immediately hungry. Something about that salt air! Mom brought lots of leftovers from Father's Day dinner, so I had much to choose from. I decided on a Lobster Asian Slaw Salad using a leftover lobster tail and 1 1/2 c. of the Asian Slaw. A delicious 5 POINTS...

Alongside, I had a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin and carrots for 2 POINTS...

I spent the afternoon unpacking and grabbing handfuls of snacks here and there. A little Goldfish crackers, half muffin, watermelon. Just stuff.

We decided on a healthy dinner of roasted chicken, broccoli and potatoes. I added a small slice of wheat bread to this plate, too...

Mom forgot the leftover apple pie (thank goodness), so I got to have one of these for dessert...

A smooth and creamy 2 POINTS...

So, since I've been here, I have been drowning myself in water in an effort to curb my appetite that has been majorly stoked by all this overeating. I'm also hoping that it will help the scale come down a little. I got on this morning and it was a hideous sight. I can't believe the number I saw. I'm hoping that I am retaining a major amount of fluid. I'm thinking that might not be the case, though. All this whooping it up is catching up with me. And the scale. This could be a wake up call for sure!

Sorry for the super long post! See ya tomorrow!