Best Laid Plans

I had all intentions of starting off anew by attending my Weight Watchers meeting this morning, but little daughter got a cold so, I kept her home from school to rest. I didn't let that stop me. The sun was shining and I felt happy and excited to get "back to basics" today. I got out my tracker (whenever I go to my meeting, I grab a few extra just in case I can't get there for a while), put the date in and kept it out the whole day so that I could journal everything I ate.


The first entry was a breakfast of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin topped with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese and 1/2 c. fresh pineapple. I had a robust cuppa joe with Silk Soy Creamer to go with it. A 4 POINT fresh start...

Oh, and I should have started out by saying that you may notice my pics look a little different. My camera was involved in a fatal freak accident this morning! I had it on my upstairs console table in the hallway and the husband came out of his office, threw a box on the table which knocked my camera off. The camera fell onto the carpet then bounced up in the air and through the spindles of the banister and fell to the first floor! May it rest in peace :( It surely wasn't the greatest quality camera, but it's done me well enough for the time that I've had it. I had been thinking of getting a new one, but it was an unneccesary expense...until now. So, I'm in the market for a new camera, but until then, I will be using little daughter's Kodak Easy Share! At least it's got 8 MP and I have to say that it seemed to do a much better job with close-ups than my old guy. I do notice that the picture lighting isn't the greatest, but I'll have to make due for the time being.

Lunch was a Buffalo Turkey Burger on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce and 1 tsp. Marie's Chunky Lite Blue Cheese Dressing. Along with it, I had 2 crunch, 1 sweet (trying to cover all my bases of possible munchie cravings); 1/2 oz. Penny Sticks Honey Wheat Pretzels (I love these which may be a problem:), strawberries and yes, Mom - carrots! A terrific 6 POINT lunch...

It was such a beautiful day so I got little daughter out for a tiny walk in the neighborhood and went to visit a neighbor for a bit. She was tired so we didn't stay out very long. After big daughter came home from school, we were all ready for a snack. I decided to try out the Blueberry Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt that Kristina from Stonyfield Farm sent me...

I topped it with 1/2 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch for a yummy 3 POINTS...

I have to say that I LOVED the Blueberry flavor!! It was definitely sweeter than the Vanilla and had quite a few tiny blueberries in it. I realized that I am not a fan of plain unsweetened yogurt. I think it's an acquired taste, and I HAVE TRIED, but it's not for me. I need the sweetness to fully enjoy it. This Blueberry flavor fits the bill! Now, I'm looking forward to trying the Honey flavor (if I can find it - haven't seen it yet)!

Dinner was heat and eat tonight. I have lots of leftover Easter ham, so I heated that and served it with leftover Gram's green beans and mashed potatoes (Diner's Choice Brand). My plate came to 6 POINTS...

And for the grand finale, a Chocolate Skinny Cow for 2 POINTS...


This was a good day! I decided I wasn't going to think so much about exactly what I'm eating. By that I mean, I'm not going to drive myself crazy with making sure that I'm only eating "clean" foods (though I think I prefer them now) or worrying that I might be eating too many bread-type items, chips or even dessert! I'm just going to do my best to get in my Healthy Guidelines, stick to my Target POINTS and eat whatever I'm craving while doing all this. It worked when I first began this journey and I think it will work for getting me over this hump and to goal. I am regaining that same enthusiam as when I first started. I put up some "visual aids" (pics of women with rockin , but attainable bods) in various areas of the house - mirrors, refrigerator, etc. to help me keep my goal in the forefront of my mind. It's a soft porn convention around here! The husband is thrilled =) Hey, whatever works ; p

Parties And Birthdays And Friends, Oh My

This has been a fun weekend! Yesterday, the weather was beautiful, so I went for a 5K run in the morning. Then, it was off to big daughter's basketball championship game which was so exciting! Mom, Dad and Gram came to cheer her on and we were jumping out of our seats, yelling and cheering! They won and had a celebratory pizza party following the game, which I ducked out of to take little daughter to a friend's house to play. I headed home to make ESPRESSO BROWNIES to bring to the neighbor's St. Patrick's Day party that night. No pics. Trust me, you do NOT even want to see these!!! They sprout instant devil horns, tempting you to do the unmentionable. Pretend you NEVER heard of these - *fingers in ears* lalalalala :0) I was so busy getting everything together and everyone where they needed to be, that before I knew it, it was time to go to the party and I hadn't eaten dinner first as planned - DARN! It was a great party; lots of fun and FOOD, but I was so chatty that I ended up only DRINKING MY DINNER - haha!!! Mmmmm...margaritas are VERY nutritious ;)

It was a late night, but I felt pretty good this morning...considering. I started my morning with a non-liquid breakfast of a Kim's Light Bagel topped with a Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge and 2 hard boiled egg whites for 4 POINTS...



I did a measly 30 min. on the elliptical. Soon after, I was ready for lunch. I went with a Buffalo Turkey Burger cooked on the George Foreman Grill, served on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce and 1 tbsp. Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. Delish! I had a side of Kettle Baked Hickory Barbeque Potato Chips and a Fuji apple. An awesome 8 POINT lunch...


I spent the rest of the afternoon prepping for my friend, Coleen's birthday dinner. Her daughters came over to play with the daughters and I had them all stay for a Birthday Celebration! I made Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken in a white wine sauce. To make this, I cut a pocket in boneless chicken breasts and stuffed it with my Spinach Artichoke Dip (this dip is one of C's faves), then browned the chicken, covered and cooked it through. Then, I made a white wine sauce with a bit of light butter, flour, garlic, chicken broth and white wine and poured it over the cooked chicken. Yummy! I served this with roasted sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus with lemon zest, leftover cheese stuffed zucchini, garlic and thyme roasted mushrooms and amazing Italian bread. A happy 12 POINT dinner...

The birthday cake was a homemade angelfood cake topped with strawberry syrup and fat free whipped topping. I made the strawberry syrup using 1/2 c. of Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry Jam melted down in a saucepan and added fresh sliced strawberries. Amazing! A "berry friendly" ;) 2 POINT dessert...

It was a great weekend! Lots of fun with family and friends. I'm coming down from the excitement now and fading fast! I'm going to clock out and get some sleep, but look forward to catching up with everyone's blogs tomorrow! Hope you all had a rockin weekend :)

When The Plan Works

Weigh-in went well today! I was down 3.4 lbs. from my BLBE weigh-in last week. Whew, that was a good feeling! Actually, I felt pretty relaxed when I got on the scale this morning; I really wasn't worrying about what it was going to say because I felt satisfied with all I did this week. I knew that if it didn't show up this week, it would later, so I was o.k. either way. Buuuuut, I LOVE IT when a plan comes together like today!!!



I also headed to my WW meeting this morning. Before I went, I got in a 45 minute treadmill run. After a quick shower, I rushed out the door, so I only grabbed this to munch on after the meeting...







I knew this 2 POINT bar wouldn't last long. I was ready for lunch early. I decided on a Buffalo Turkey Burger. I cooked it on the George Foreman Grill and put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin topped with lettuce and 1 tbsp. Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. Mmmm.... I love this burger! On the side, I went with a serving of Kettle Baked Potato Chips and some carrots with another tbsp. of dressing. Yummy 7 POINT lunch...


I went with a big snack today since dinner was going to be late. I had a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt with 1/2 c. blueberries, 2 strawberries and a serving of that long named Trader Joe's cereal that I like ;) A big 3 POINT bowl...

I was really looking forward to my dinner tonight - BAKED TOFU!!! I have been craving this after seeing different versions all over the blogosphere! I even dabbled in it a little a couple of years ago when I was "vegetarian" for a few months. So, I decided to feed my craving tonight since the husband and daughters were going to have ravioli for dinner and I don't like to spend the POINTS on those. To make the baked tofu, I used a seasoning of 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. molasses and 1 tbsp. ketchup mixed together and rubbed onto slices of lite firm tofu and baked on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for about 30 -40 minutes at 425 degrees. It comes out crispy and slightly chewy. I love the "meaty" texture! I can't wait to eat the leftovers in a sandwich :) Using the lite tofu made this so low POINT - the entire recipe is only 4 POINTS!

To go with the baked tofu, I had a bunch of broccoli and a couple small sweet potatoes. A very "veggie -tarian" 7 POINT dinner...

And you know, I can't help myself...

A luscious 2 POINTS!

So, I've been working the plan this week and the plan has been working. I am 2.4 lbs. away from the 150's!!!! HOLY CRAP! I have not seen those numbers in................ever??? I'm sure I weighed that at some time or other, but I think I was in my teens. I'm going to try to keep focused as best as possible so that I can get there. I need a "self-sabotage free" couple of weeks to get me there. Here goes.....

It's A Great Day For My First Giveaway!

It's Friday! I am so excited to offer my first Giveaway to my awesome blog readers! The uber-cool folks at NuruPlanet recently sent me their Exercise Anywhere cards to check out and I have to say this couldn't have come at a better time! I have been interested in changing up my workout routine and want to incorporate more strength training, but where to start??? Well, this solved my dilema! This deck of 30 cards has fully illustrated exercises for every major muscle group, includes sample weekly routines and even a Cardio Lab that features at-home interval training workouts. This is everything you would find in an exercise book or on a fitness website, but all contained on these portable cards that are small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. How cool is that????




And it's all in the palm of your hand...

So, NuruPlanet has offered to send these Exercise Anywhere decks to 2 lucky winners-USA and Canada only - sorry my overseas friends:( Just leave me a comment to be entered to win; I'll announce the winners on Monday!!!

Now, let's get to the food! I ate an early breakfast this morning; the husband and I had a "workout date" planned, so I ate before heading out. I went with a "mock egg McMuffin" using a Thomas' Light English Muffin topped with egg white, a slice of 2% cheese and a slice of center cut bacon. Better for you than Mickey D's and only 3 POINTS...

The husband and I dropped the daughters off at school and headed out for our "workout date" (with the dog!). We went on a 40 min. hike through the steep and hilly woods. This always makes me feel so out of shape! I am huffing and puffing up the hills like nobody's business! The husband walks so fast, too , so it's hard to keep up! It was nice though and the dog had a blast crashing through the woods! He got an awesome workout. Then, we came home and the husband suggested we do the Level 3 Shred together! He does the advanced moves and I do the scaled down version, but it is still darn hard and I am SO changing my name to "Anita" when I am done with this Challenge tomorrow! LOL!!

After Shred and shower, I went to meet my friend, Jenn ( HI Jenn!!!) for lunch at Cosi. This was my first time at Cosi; it's a neat place. My eyes immediately went to the desserts, but I shielded them like a horse with blinders and settled on a Bombay Light Chicken Salad with fat-free balsamic dressing and 1/2 of their delicious flatbread. A nice lunch for 6 POINTS...

After a nice chatty lunch, I ran some errands. One of my stops was Trader Joe's where I found this yummy High Fiber Fruit and Nut Multigrain Medley cereal...

Seriously, could that name be any longer?????? Anyway, it is a delicious mix of high fiber clusters, raisins, cranberries, almonds and pecans (although, not much in the nut dept.). A 2/3 c. serving is 90 cal., 1.5 gr. fat and 7 gr. fiber for 1 POINT. It was a great snack mixed with a Weight Watchers Berries and Cream Yogurt for 2 POINTS...

That held me over nicely until dinner. The husband and daughters had pizza but, I had a craving for burgers so I made a Buffalo Turkey Burger! I took 4 oz. of ground turkey breast and added to it some finely minced onion and celery, a dash of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and 1 tbsp. Frank's Hot Sauce. I mixed it all together, formed it into a patty and pan fried it in a nonstick skillet. Then, I put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, topped with lettuce and 1 tbsp. Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. So delicious, lots of flavor and a hearty serving! I had a side salad with some additional blue cheese dressing to go with this awesome burger, all for 5 POINTS...

I did have a few nibbles of pizza, but only about 2 POINTS worth. Thankfully, I wasn't that into it tonight. The burger really was satisfying, in flavor and volume. But, I always have room for dessert! My combo tonight was a Banana Fudge Vitatop with 1/2 c. Breyer's Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream and a squirt of fat-free whipped cream for 2 POINTS...

Banana, fudge AND CARAMEL!!! Yes, it's a beauuuuuutiful thing =)

Don't forget to leave a comment here for your chance to Exercise Anywhere!!!!!!

Have a great night!