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.....

What A Girl Wants

I started off my morning with a strength training workout; today's routine was lower body and abs. I notice I'm not very good at the 1 -2 minute rest between sets; that "patience thing" I need to work on ;) So, I kind of flew through the whole thing in about 20 min. It feels strange to not be doing some type of cardio on these days. I'm second guessing whether I should be getting in a little since I'm still in the weight loss mode, but the things that I've read say to weight train 3 times a week and do the cardio the other days. I don't know; anyone wanna shed some light on the sitch??



I was so excited for breakfast! I picked up these Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins after seeing them on Angie's blog ...

What's neat about these is that they are a flourless sprouted whole grain english muffin and the mix of grains form a complete protein containing all essential amino acids. The nutritionals for 1 english muffin is 160 cal., 1 fat, 6 gr. protein and 4 fiber which comes to 2 POINTS. It's such a nice hearty-tasting muffin and was delicious topped with some I Can"t Believe It's Not Butter Spray and a tsp. of Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam. A sliced orange and hot cuppa joe made it a perfect 3 POINT breakfast...

After the Boca Bruschetta veggie burger yesterday, I got bruschetta stuck on the brain! I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wants! That's part of the Intuitive Eating way! I made the bruschetta topping- fresh plum tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper. I toasted 2 slices of whole wheat tuscan pane and topped it with 1/2 c. bruschetta and a bit of shaved parmesan. To go with it, I had a bowl of Tabatchnick Minestrone Soup. A spectacular 6 POINT lunch...

I was so happy with that lunch!!! I think I could eat that every day! I love bread, tomatoes and cheese!! This elation lead to ..... a My House Chocolate Chip Cookie (1 POINT).....

Thankfully, I had to leave the house after that otherwise I may have continued my happy cookie dance with the rest of the batch =)

For dinner, I planned a spice rubbed pork tenderloin. I made a rub with a variety of spices - garlic, chili powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper, then baked the 1lb. tenderloin for about 25 min. at 375. It was moist and delish to me and big daughter (have I said she is my favorite daughter ;) The husband and little daughter would care to not ever have that again. Oh well. At least they liked the beans! I served the pork with a side of (canned) reduced sugar baked beans and a salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. My portion was 4 oz. pork, 1/2 c. baked beans and side salad for 8 POINTS...

I have been missing my Vitatop and craving peanut butter, so you know, I gotta give my body what it wants! The usual.... Deep Chocolate Vitatop with PB2 icing ...

A well spent 2 POINTS!

I'm holding my breath for tomorrow's weigh in. Not quite sure what to expect with this new workout routine, but regardless of what the scale says to me, I'm feeling good about being on track this week and I have enjoyed a week of eating healthfully and on program! Feel free to remind me of this statement tomorrow, just in case..... ;)

Grocery Day and The Quest for Dessert

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had an easy start into the week. It was another nice day today, so I decided to wait until the daughters were off to school and went for a run outside. I really enjoyed it. My pace is picking up a bit, I noticed except for the hilly spots. All in all, a nice 40 minute run. Whew!

When I came in, I had a quick breakfast of 2/3 c. Cinnamon Puffins, 3/4c.v unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and lots of strawberries for 3 POINTS...



After cleaning up, I went grocery shopping. I got tons of fruit and veggies at the produce market for only $20! This place is such a money saver. I got 1lb. strawberries, half pint of blueberries, 3 lbs. of bananas, 3 dozen eggs, 3 heads of green leaf lettuce, 3 lbs. carrots, 3 large zucchini, 2 lbs. broccoli, 1 lb. asparagus, 3 lbs. plum tomatoes and a seedless cucumber! It's the best!

As I was putting things away, I got some lunch going which was a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on an Arnold Sandwich Thin with lettuce, tomato and a smear of Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. I paired it with a serving of Trader Joe's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips and sliced apple all for 6 POINTS...

I spent spme time in the kitchen this afternoon prepping some of the vegetables. I cut up 1.5 lbs. of the carrots, cut and washed the lettuce , washed and cut the broccoli and hardboiled a dozen eggs. I keep the produce in the fridge in ziptop storage bags, so they are always there for the taking! No excuses :] And since it was there for the taking, I had some of the carrot sticks and 2 hard boiled eggs with the yolk removed and stuffed with 2 tbsp. hummus! Hummus filled eggs ROCK! Skip the deviled eggs and serve these instead for your next shindig - they are so good! A healthy 3 POINT snack...

I got a great deal on some whole roaster chickens, so I roasted one of the 6 lb. guys for dinner tonight. I also roasted with it some potatoes that I cut into wedges, sprayed with cooking spray and seasoned with just salt and pepper. I had plenty of prepped lettuce, so I made a big salad with tomatoes and Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. The husband and daughters love this dinner, so we all ate the same dinner for a change! My portion was 2 oz. chicken breast, 5 oz. potatoes and a serving of salad, all for 7 POINTS...

Now, for dessert. You know I love my Vitatops and I have an arsenal of them in my freezer right now, so I am going to be having them a lot! I can eat them plain, but have gotten in the habit of topping them with something which has most often been the awesome PB2! But, while I was shopping today, I was keeping my eye out for some other creative toppings for these yummy guys. And I came across one in the baking aisle...Lite Cherry Pie Filling!!!! This was just a store brand and 1/3 c. is 60 cal., 0 gr. fat and 1 gr. fiber (1 POINT). I heated a Deep Chocolate Vitatop in the micro for 25 sec. (this is my choice method for defrosting Vitatops, they come out so moist this way), smeared it with 2 tbsp. fat free Cool Whip and topped it with 1/3 c. Lite Cherry Pie Filling for a luscious Black Forest Cake inspired dessert...

Heeeello! Did you see that awesome thing???? Yes, you can have dessert and not break the bank! Unfortunately, if you're an idiot that decided to put a challenge out to everyone to do The Shred everyday in February, you are gonna have to put your sneakers on now and get your sweat on after enjoying this delightful dish!!! Gee, can you guess who that is??? ;)

My body will thank me later....

Not For Beginners

Holy Crap! Level 2 of the Shred is not for beginners. I don't even know if it's for intermediates! What the heck, Jillian???? I thought I might give Level 2 a try today, for something different. Well, it sure was different! OMG, there were these plank exercises and these "walking push-up "things and Jillian was saying things like "bad-asses" and "I want you to feel like you're going to die"!!!!! AAAAHHHH! I thought I might cry half-way through-lol! Um, I think it's back to Level 1 for me. I don't want to die, Jil. Really. I just want to get all sweaty and huff and puff. I'm thinkin that is good enough, right?? Shred Count - 20 more days! -of Level 1 :]



It was a beautiful balmy day today!!! I had the urge to run outside again, but decided to take it "easy" and just do the Shred (which I found was NOT easy!). I was in the mood for a big breakfast, so I made salsa eggs using 3 egg whites, 1/4 c. salsa and 1/2 oz. Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese. I toasted a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel and added a 1/2 oz. of the Cabot's cheese over the top. Yummy, filling and 3 POINTS...







Lunch was the leftover whole wheat eggplant veggie pizza and carrots (6 POINTS)...

My snack was a Fiber One Strawberry Yogurt (these are so good and creamy) and a Weight Watchers Oatmeal Raisin Mini Bar (o.k., but not my fave) for 2 POINTS...

This wonderful weather brought out that summer grillin feeling! I decided on burgers on the grill. The husband and daughters were thrilled! I only had club rolls, so I made the burgers in a rectangle shape instead of round. I used 96% lean ground beef which is awesome and only 3 POINTS for 4 oz. I topped my burger with a slice of 2% cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions, ketchup and a couple pickles. An amazing 6 POINT burger! Can't have burgers without fries, so I had a side of oven baked frozen fries ( 3 oz. is 2 POINTS) and a side salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch...

And 2 days without dessert is enough punishment for anyone, so I had my usual Vitatop with PB2. Oh, how I have missed it....

The brownies are.... outta here! Whew! Thank goodness. That is a first for me. I have NEVER not succumbed to brownies. And I do mean brownie with an "s" on the end! I don't need no stinkin brownies; I got my Vitatops and they are waaaaay better anyway. Uh, huh ;]

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Cheesy

Hey, hey, it's 5K Saturday!! I headed to the treadmill early this morning and did the 5K treadmill run. Boy was I sloooooow. My legs were weak and I was feeling tired, so I went at a slow pace which made it take even longer! But, I persevered because I feel committed to this 5K Saturday thing! One hour later (I told you I was really slow), I was finally done. Whew! While I was running, I was watching the Food Network (I don't know why I do that to myself) and I saw someone making fried eggs topped with salsa. I think it may be huevos rancheros. That really appealed to me this morning, so after my run, I made a similar version. I scrambled 3 egg whites in a nonstick pan and topped it with a few tbsp. of salsa. It looked good, but still needed something...CHEESE! I grated 1 oz. of Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese and sprinkled the salsa eggs with half. On the side, I had a lite english muffin topped with the remainder of the cheese and broiled for a few minutes. Mmm... a cheesy good 3 POINT breakfast...


The rest of the morning was spent mainly putzing around, reading the paper and hanging out. Laaaazy! Lunchtime came around and I rummaged around the freezer and fridge for something different. I saw Trader Joe's StirFry Vegetable Egg Rolls and went with those. They are only 110 cal each, so I had 2! I had a huge side salad with carrots and Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. A nice 5 POINT lunch...


For snack, more cheese! This time, I had a light string cheese, 1/2 pear and a half serving of pretzels sticks, all for 3 POINTS...

Dinner was late tonight; big daughter had a basketball game that ran right until dinner time. We decided on a quick pasta dinner. The husband and daughters had ravioli and meatballs that I had in the freezer. Too POINTY for me, so I made some whole wheat cappellini. I sauteed two big handfuls of baby spinach with a tsp. of EVOO, added a sliced Spinach, Fontina, Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's and combined it with the 2 oz. whole wheat cappellini and 1/4 c. marinara sauce. Awesome! It made a huge serving, all for 8 POINTS...

We all cuddled up after dinner and watched The Game Plan, which was a cute movie. Although, I feel like writing Disney a letter demanding to know why, in almost all of their children's movies, the mother in the story has to be dead!! Aren't these supposed to be "feel good" movies!! Humpf. Anyhoo, I can't let the night go without dessert. I went with my classic - Deep Chocolate Vitatop with PB2 (no fluff - oh, the horror!). This is the best 2 POINT dessert on the planet...

Toward the end of the movie, I also grabbed a couple handfuls of pretzel sticks. I wasn't really hungry, but just felt like munching. No worries, I'll call it 4 POINTS and add it to my Weekly Allowance POINTS. I have to shut it down for sure, though. Don't want to do any serious damage. Just have to get through tomorrow and I think I'll be o.k. this week!

I missed doing The Shred tonight. It's a little late and I'm pretty much ready for bed, but I'm still thinking about doing it. It's only 20 minutes, right?????