On The Road Again

Greeting from the shore again! We took our sweet time getting here today which enabled us to avoid lots of traffic. After another great night sleep, I felt much better and more energetic this morning. I took advantage of the energy and headed straight to the elliptical for an easy 30 minute workout.

I was much more decisive for breakfast, too. I went straight for a savory wafflewich made with 2 Eggo Nutrigrain waffles, 1 egg white and a slice of Weight Watchers American for a great 3 POINT breakfast...


I made some iced coffee with fat free half and half (1 POINT) to go with it...


I took my time packing and reorganizing everyone's bags. I'm bad at packing and tend to bring the kitchen sink, but I did better this time:)

It was slim pickings for lunch since I scaled down all the fresh produce and perishable items. I dug out a Chickpea Spinach Almond Burger from the freezer, topped it with asiago cheese and put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I chose some applesauce for my side; I forgot how good applesauce is!

But, I still needed some crunch, so I went with a 1/2 serving of Kettle Baked Potato Chips...

It was a tasty and satisfying 7 POINT lunch!

After an errand or two, it was time to hit the road. We made it to the beach house in record time! Don't worry, Mom, we weren't speeding ;P I unpacked the goods and had a little snack of peanut butter filled pretzels (2 POINTS) to tide me over until we decided on dinner...

The daughters voted for Chinese food. The husband ordered and I headed to the supermarket to pick up a few things. While there, I came across these Kahiki Vegetable Egg Rolls...

One egg roll is only 70 calories, 2 grams of fat and 1 gram fiber- 1 POINT! I decided to give them a try so that I wouldn't be tempted by the "other" egg rolls from the restaurant. They were terrific! The egg roll was as crisp as if it had been fried due to the special packaging that's used during microwaving and it was filled with the traditional veggies. The only complaint I would have is that there was a little too much black pepper seasoning on the veggies for my taste, but otherwise, they are a fantastic alternative to the restaurant fried egg roll.

I ordered Shrimp with Broccoli for my dinner. I paired it with the Kahiki egg roll for a tasty 8 POINT dinner...

I had to see what good fortune I would have...

After our filling dinner, we went for a brisk family walk on the beach for about 30 minutes. It was a beautiful night :)

Ice cream was on the agenda for dessert! I bought some Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Vanilla Ice Cream while at the supermarket. I'm trying to keep the vacation damage to a minimum!! I decided to liven it up by topping it with one of these guys (1 POINT) brought from home...

and a teensy squirt of Hershey's Special Dark Syrup for a decadent 3 POINTS...

I'm off to cozy up with the husband. Have a great night, everyone!!!

Blog Business

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, I'm gonna get right to it. First, I have some blog business to get to. The winner of the Dogtoys Giveaway is Julie from The Tale of a Southern Belle! Thanks so much to all of you for entering. This was a fun giveaway to be able to highlight getting healthy with our dogs! Dogtoys.com has thousands of cool items, so be sure to check them out for your pet needs!

Next up is this award...

I was given this award from Kelly, The Incredible Shrinking Family and MoraPiggy. Thank you guys so much! I think you are also SUPER! I would like to extend this to Rebecca at Fat Fitness Food, Kari at Taking Back Control and Kathi at Ever Winding Road. I would love to name a thousand more! You are all so wonderful and I enjoy reading all the blogs!

Okay, on to the food...


The sun was shining this morning and I could not wait to get out and RUN! I am still amazed that I say that! I popped in my tunes and went for a nice 35 minute run around my hilly neighborhood. I felt great but, I still get the hip issue when I'm done. I'm gonna work on the stretching exercises that Rebecca and Manderz recommended. When I came in, I decided to try a variation of my bulgur cereal. This time I made Banana Apricot Bulgur Cereal. This one was so good! This mix was...

• 1 c. water
• 3 tbsp. bulgur
• 1 tbsp. oat bran
• 1/2 ripe banana, diced
• 2 dried apricots, diced
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 packet Splenda (optional)

I loved this; it was filling and sweet! A hearty 3 POINT breakfast...

After breakfast, I rushed off to help out at Gram's apartment. Still lots of unpacking and arranging going on. She's almost set up, though. My parents had to run to the hardware store for a few more things and they stopped to pick up lunch, too. Mom made me a nice salad from the supermarket salad bar. She made sure to include all my favorites: baby spinach, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, cucumbers,hard boiled egg, tomatoes, a sprinkling of chicken and edamame! She got a side of lowfat Sundried Tomato dressing, too. A filling lunch; I estimated at 4 POINTS...

I also snacked on some of Gram's Triscuits for another 2 POINTS. Sorry no pic!

When I headed home, I felt hungry and had a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt with 1/2 Kashi TLC Fruit and Grain Raspberry Chocolate Bar...

Yummy 2 POINTS...

The husband and daughters were doing pizza for dinner, so I decided to go with a relaxed "burgers and fries" dinner. I made oven baked sweet potato fries and discovered something to help crisp them - after you cut the sweet potato into fries, soak them in water for about an hour, then dry and bake. They come out more crispy that way. Along with the fries, I had a Chickpea Spinach Almond Burger on and Arnold Sandwich Thin with sliced cucumbers, red onion and a tsp. nonfat sour cream. I threw in some leftover veggies, too but, I have to admit, it was a bit too much. I was pretty full and didn't finish the veggies. My eyes were bigger than my stomach for this 8 POINT dinner...

Since I was so full, I didn't want to force myself to eat some dessert "just because" I'm used to eating it. So, no dessert for me. Hmmm.... do you think my Vitatops are getting lonely in the freezer?? I've dissed them 2 nights in a row!

Tomorrow is my WW meeting and weigh-in. I'm hoping for some scale love:) I'll let ya know!

Have a great night :D

On A Roll

It was a busy day; I headed out earlier than expected to help my parents with Gram's moving day. Before I left, I had a delish bowl of cereal - 3/4 c. Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran, 4 strawberries, 4 dried apricots and 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze for 3 POINTS. The dried apricots made it taste really good and added another good dose of fiber...


Before I left to help out at Gram's new apartment, I grabbed another one of the SoBe Lifewater ...


Loved this one, too! I have one more flavor to try. Maybe, tomorrow!

I knew we would be busy unpacking boxes and setting up the apartment, so I brought my lunch. I planned ahead and decided to make my own veggie burger - Chickpea Spinach Almond Burgers. These are so tasty; a bit reminiscent of a falafel patty. For this recipe, you'll need...

• 1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/3 c. chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 c. baby spinach
• 1/4 c. whole almonds, roasted then coarsely chopped
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 c. dried breadcrumbs
• 1/8 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1. In a food processor, combine chick peas, onion, garlic , spinach and almonds. Pulse for 30 sec. or until coarsely chopped.
2. Add remaining ingredients and process for 20 seconds. The mixture should be coarse, not a smooth paste.
3. Using a heaping 1/3 c., form mixture into 6 burgers approx. 4" in diameter.
4. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
5. In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook burgers for 4 minutes per side.

I put my recipe through the Etools Recipe Builder and came up with 6 burgers at 3 POINTS per burger. I roasted my almonds for a nuttier taste, but feel free to put in natural almonds. I'm sure it would be just as yummy.

Lunch was served on a paper towel, standing in Gram's new kitchen, due to lack of plates and seating at the time! I had my Chickpea Spinach Almond Burger on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with some shredded lettuce and a side of pretzels, carrot and apple. A working 7 POINT lunch...

I picked up little daughter from school just in time to turn back around and head to dance class. My stomach was growling, so I grabbed this snack for the car...

I have to say what I like about these bars is that, they do not leave you wanting more. I know that doesn't sound good, but it is! You know how you eat a bar sometimes (especially ClifZ bars or Weight Watchers Mini Bars) that are really sweet and good, almost dessert-like and when you eat your last bite, you still want more of it? It's like a trigger for more sweets. Well, these bars are just sweet enough that it leaves you satisfied instead of triggering for more goodies. At least, that's what I've found for me. Anyone try these and have the same experience?

Since everything was all rushed today, I didn't get to make the chicken dish that I had planned on. Instead, I picked up ready-made fried chicken from the supermarket and a bagged salad kit and served that to my thrilled family. Not only were they thrilled to be eating some unhealthy meal, but they were also thrilled to be eating OUTSIDE because the freakin rain has finally stopped and the sun was O-U-T! WHOOO HOO!

I did not want to partake in the unhealthiness, but was too starving to conjure up some fabulous meal for myself, so I went into my freezer and whipped up my favorite Lean Cuisine - Parmesan Crusted Fish! I added a side of Green Giant Immune Blend veg, too. A great, quick 7 POINT dinner - al fresco (whooo hooo)...

Since I didn't get my workout in this morning, I headed to the basement after dinner for a sweaty 35 weighted minutes on the elliptical! Yay me!

I wanted a tiny bit of sweet after my workout, but wasn't in the mood for my regular desserts. Can you believe I just said that?? I think that was due to some kind of weird exercise induced momentary illness! Anyway, I opted for this 1 POINT treat...

Yes, fruit for dessert! I should go take my temperature ;)

Well, dare I say that I seem to be "on a roll" with sticking to my program this week? Usually when I say that, I shoot myself in the foot the next day! But, I think I'm ready for the next step now - GOAL, GOAL, GOAL!!!

Here's my last reminder for you on the awesome Dogtoys giveaway! The contest ends tomorrow at 12 noon EST, so click HERE to enter to win these cool items for you and your pup to have fun with!!!!