WANT Power

I'm driven by WANT power today! Well, that and all of your amazing encouraging comments! Thank you so much for your kind words; it really does keep me going :) I hope that article gave some of you an extra boost, too and insight into, perhaps, a missing piece of this weight loss journey that we are on.

I'm excited about trying out this new POINT tracking experiment. It was strange, though, to put this morning's breakfast on last night's tracking day! I woke up hungry, too, which doesn't normally happen, but I decided to push off breakfast until I got in my workout. I did a 35 minute weighted stint on the elliptical, then got to making some eats. I went with 3 scrambled egg whites with a slice of 2% cheese and 1 tbsp. salsa and a half serving of TJ's Multigrain Savory Thins for 3 POINTS...


I don't think I've mentioned these before. They are a tasty cracker! Basically a rice chip with added grains and seeds....


A full serving is 17 crackers and only 2 POINTS! I just went with 8 crackers this morning, which was plenty...

A little later, I fed my Frap addiction with a homemade Caramel Lite Frap made with coffee. 3 tbsp. fat free half and half, 2 tbsp. sugar free caramel syrup and lots of ice. Good stuff and this one's only 1 POINT...

For lunch, I made another version of turkey burgers - Ranch Turkey Burgers! For these, I used

• 20 oz. ground turkey breast
• 4 tbsp. Light Ranch Dressing (I use Kraft Light Three Cheese Dressing)
• 1 tsp. Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Mix ( packet)
• 1/4 c. chopped scallions

1. Mix ingredients and shape into 6 burgers.
2. Cook about 4 minutes per side.

I ran this through the Etools Recipe Builder and came up with 3 POINTS per burger. I grilled mine and served it on a honey wheat bun with lettuce and pickles. It was great! The key to turkey burgers is to NOT overcook them; otherwise they get all dried out. But, these were cooked just right and had a nice flavor to them. I served it with 1 cup cherries and 1/2 c. leftover barbecue bean salad. A filling 8 POINT lunch...

Later in the afternoon, I felt like having a snack. I decided on a filling snack of High Fiber O's, 1/2 c. nonfat greek yogurt and 1 tbsp. dried cranberries for 3 POINTS...

Dinner was heat and eat. I'm trying to dwindle down the freezer stash! I decided on 2 TJ's stirfry veggie eggrolls and a bowl of Tabatchnick Vegetable Soup for 5 POINTS...

It was just right! I WANTed to fit in dessert :) It's okay; I had the POINTS, but I kept it simple. Just a plain, old Deep Chocolate Vitatop with no accoutrements for 1 POINT...

And it was just fine and hit the spot ;)

Now, I still have 4 POINTS left for breakfast tomorrow! For some reason this little mind game/tweaking helped out today. It's new and different. Also, I like the fact that I feel like I am eating quite a bit of food, yet I go to bed knowing that I still have POINTS left for the morning. It's all robbing peter to pay paul, so to speak, but hey, it's something different. When I look at my day, I'm just tacking on a couple more POINTS to lunch and taking them away from dinner. But, I think it may be a better way to eat overall anyway. Many Europeans eat this way, too with their largest meals being eaten midday and lighter in the a.m. and late evening. My parents eat that way when they visit Italy every year and come home having lost weight despite large multicourse midday meals. And you know, French women don't get fat ;P Well, until they come to America and eat at Mickey D's.

So, the experiment continues! But, danger lurkes at my nephew's graduation party tomorrow evening :0

I will keep reminding myself : I'VE GOT THE POWER!!!

Have a great night =)

Less Sucky

I was less sucky today. Primarily because of you guys! I am so thankful for your wonderful, supportive comments. It really did help me out today when I felt like grabbing handfuls of snacks. Thank you, thank you!

The day started off well with a filling 3 POINT breakfast of a Thomas' Light English Muffin with a Laughing Cow Light Cheese wedge and another Strawberry Milkshake made with 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 4 strawberries, 1 tbsp. sugar free-fat free vanilla pudding dry mix and ice. It is serious addiction material. Just ask Kelly! I am now going to call them crackshakes. Thanks again for the new addiction, Becca!

After breakfast, I headed to a local trail to walk. I decided to get back to walking for a while. I love running, but my left hip has been sore for a couple of weeks now and I'm worried about the impact of running contributing to more damage. Just as I arrived, I ran into a friend that I haven't seen in a while (HI Sharray!), so we walked together (along with her little guy in stroller) for an hour. It flew by with all of our gabbing and before I knew it, we had gotten in a nice 4.2 mile walk!

When I got home, I immediately felt like munching. But, you guys helped out with that, so I make it through with a couple of small pretzels and a taste of these...

Apriums! These are a cross between an apricot and a plum. I think they will be really good, but not today. They weren't ripe enough. So, more on those later when they taste better :)

For lunch, I fished these out of the freezer...

These are a new find for me. I got them a while back in my local Super G (Giant). They looked yummy and the nutritionals were great: 2 pieces are 110 calories, 3 gr. fat and 3 gr. fiber which is 2 POINTS. I decided to make 4 bites to have along with a salad. I haven't had a salad for lunch in ages. I thought I would doctor up my plain salad with some of this...

Decent facts, too...


I wasn't sure what to expect of this marinated bean salad, but it was terrific! It was flavorful enough that I didn't even need to add dressing to my salad! A first for me! I used 1/4 c. of the bean salad on top of romaine with carrot slices and had my 4 spinach bites on the side for a 5 POINT lunch...

When the daughters got home from school, I told them we were going out for a special treat! It was such a beautiful day, I didn't want to spend it inside. I loaded them in the car along with our dog, Rocky for our adventure. Our first stop was for more "crack"; a Grande Mocha Lite Frappuccino for 2 POINTS.... (the daughters loved it, too!)

Then, it was off to the park for a walk through the wooded trail. We had such a great time, walking, talking about our day and drinking fraps! Rocky enjoyed his walk, too...

When we got home, I went to work on dinner. I made steaks on the grill seasoned with a homemade taco seasoning. The seasoning is awesome; tastes just like the packets without all the weird ingredients in it. I found the recipe HERE. I topped the steaks with salsa and a tbsp. of guacamole. Along with those , some crinkle potato wedges and a salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. A great 8 POINT dinner on the deck...

I didn't have a dessert so far. I may go for my usual Vitatop or I may just leave it alone for tonight. I'm already out of the kitchen, so I may as well stay out!

Before I go, I wanted to announce the winner of the FitNutz giveaway! The winner is...Stacey of Dill My Pickle !! Stacey, please email me your address and your FitNutz packs will be on their way! Thanks to all who entered!

Have a great night everyone and thank you again for all your support =)

Feelin Fine Friday

I feel so much better today! Must have been all your well wishes!! My body really fought this cold and didn't let it come out full force thankfully! I even got to stay in bed a little later since the daughters were off from school. Then, I got up and rolling. I had a great strength training session. Today was back and biceps; I worked them pretty hard - my arms were shaking after I was done! I do miss the cardio with this new routine I'm trying. I'm looking forward to 5K Saturday tomorrow! Who knew???!!

Breakfast was a wonderful combo of Ezekiel english muffin (plain ones) topped with PB2 and Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam. I have to say that the Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin are much better than the plain which is a bit on the bland side. Both are such hearty muffins and really stay with you; the husband is HOOKED on the Cinnamon Raisin ones! I also had a hard boiled egg white cuz it looked good! A good looking 3 POINT breakfast...


Lunch was a turkey BLT on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. So tasty! Center cut bacon is a bargain; 2 slices are 1 POINT (check the brand - some are more) and add so much flavor. I had a serving of Creamy Ranch Soy Crisps and 1 c. cantaloupe for a delicious 6 POINT lunch...


And I just needed a teensy bit of sweet, so I grabbed 2 Chocolate Macaroons for 1 POINT...

I took little daughter to the library in the afternoon. I LOVE the library! I know, such a dork. I read some books to little daughter, then got a few books for myself. And what do I get??? Yep, cookbooks and diet books!!! It's a horrible obsession. I can't resist new diet books that have recipes in them. I read cookbooks like novels and I wonder why I am preoccupied with food morning, noon and night! I picked up the new Biggest Loser Family Cookbook; looking forward to trying out some recipes:)

Speaking of recipes, I made up a crazy one of my own for dinner! I had 4 beautiful zucchini in my fridge and every time I looked at them, I pictured them stuffed with cheese! I would add cheese to everything if I could!! So, I came up with Breaded Cheese Stuffed Zucchini...

• 4 medium zucchini
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c. seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
• 4 light string cheese sticks
• 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1. Cut zucchini in half, leaving stems on. Hollow out the centers with a pairing knife and spoon.
2. Season zucchini with salt and pepper.
3. Dip each zucchini shell into beaten egg, then into breadcrumbs.
4. Cut each cheese stick in half and place one half in each zucchini shell. Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs.
5. Spray a baking rack with cooking spray and place over a baking sheet. Place zucchini on baking rack and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 -20 min. or until browned and cheese is melted.
7. Makes 4 servings - 3 POINTS per serving (2 halves). Serve with marinara sauce for additional POINTS.

Before going in the oven...

and after....

These were really tasty! I ate mine dipped in a bit of pizza sauce. Yep, tonight was pizza night! I indulged in a small slice along with my stuffed zucchini and a bit of salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese dressing. A yummy 9 POINT dinner...

After a serious game of Connect Four with little daughter, I had dessert...

another sweet Banana Cream Pie! This time I used some ground up Trader Joe's Holiday Ginger Cookies for the crust and omitted the butter. I liked this better than the graham crackers! Awesome and only 3 POINTS!

A busy day is on tap tomorrow, so I better get busy on the ZZZ's! Have a great night!

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..... ;)

Homebound

I was homebound today with little daughter; she is sick and I'm not feeling so peachy myself. I'm kinda achy and tired. Not sure if I'm fighting something off or what. Plus, TOM showed up today, too. Hate that guy! But, I guess that explains my need for the intervenous chocolate hook-up this past weekend ;)



Little daughter and I lounged around all morning. We finally got around to eating breakfast around 10:30. I went with a Weight Watchers Pita stuffed with 3 scrambled egg whites, a slice of 2 % cheese and a slice of center cut bacon. Yummy 3 POINTS....







After breakfast, I made sure to get in 30 minutes on the elliptical and a Level 3 Shred. Brutal, but necessary! Only 5 days left, Shredders!!!!


For lunch, I decided to try these chicken breast nuggets that I picked up at Target the other day...



These nuggets were okay. The nutritionals were impressive; a 4 piece serving is 120 cal., 2 gr. fat (0 g.sat/trans fat). What I liked about them were that they were actual pieces of chicken breast instead of the "chopped and formed" variety. The breading was crisp, however, I thought the flavor was a bit on the bland side. I also wondered if the nutritionals were accurate since the chicken pieces were different sizes. So, to be "exact", I weighed them and they came to more cals. in doing that. A serving is 4 pieces (84 gr.), but my 4 pieces came to more than that. I know it's just playing with a few calories, so I upped my count another POINT. Still, 6 nuggets for 5 POINTS isn't too bad! I think these might be good tossed in some buffalo wing sauce, so I'll try that next time. Today, I just ate them with a tbsp. Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch, some carrots and a serving of Baked Cheddar and Sour Cream Lays. A fun 8 POINT lunch...

More lounging went on this afternoon, along with some munching. Alternating salty and sweet, sweet and salty. Ugh, TOM is a jerk!

I cut it off though because deep inside, I really don't want to be doing this munching. I want to be ON PROGRAM, on a roll, keeping it going, headin to the finish line and all that. So, dinner was nice and healthy: sauteed thin-sliced chicken breast(4 0z.) topped with fresh, homemade salsa and a side of leftover roasted sweet potatoes. A great, "who needs chocolate" dinner for 8 POINTS...

Then, I made brownies. I know, I can't help myself! Thankfully, I had the No Pudge Fat Free Brownie Mix. A box makes 12 servings at 120 cal., 0 gr. fat and 1 gr. fiber which comes to 2 POINTS per brownie. That is, if you can eat PER. I tried to help myself in this area by making the brownies in a 12 cup muffin tin instead of a regular 8x8 pan cuz you KNOW more goes in the mouth during the "cutting" process! This worked out great; instant portion control! These brownies are very good, thick and fudgy. I was craving reese's peanut butter cups so I decided to top the brownie with some PB2. A very rich, craving crusher for 3 POINTS...

Well, I'm a little bummed that I wasn't completely back on track today. Angie let me know that I made the biggest loser of the week for this past week and now I'm letting my team down this week with this craziness. I keep doing this volley thing where I follow through with my plan one week , then sabotage myself for the next week. Back and forth. I just want to get a few good weeks under my belt to drive me to my end goal! Frustrating, but I'm never giving up. I know I'll get there!!!!!

Don't think little daughter is ready to go back to school tomorrow, so I'll be homebound again. Where should I hide the brownies??????

:0)

On The Lighter Side

Yuck. That was the weather this morning. I had planned on an outdoor run, but I didn't feel like braving the elements. I headed to the basement for a 30 minute run, then went to Shred. I wasn't too hungry after that, so I had a "little" breakfast of a CranBran Vitatop crumbled over a Fiber One Vanilla Yogurt for 2 POINTS...




I got myself ready and set out for a morning of errands galore! I was also on a quest for a chocolate fountain ( don't ask!) which sent me on many wild goose chases until I finally scored one at a good discount. There will be more details on the fountain this weekend :)



In between this craziness, I stopped home for lunch. I was starving and shaky; I shouldn't have let it go that long, but you know how it is when you're on a mission! The first thing I could see was wraps. I was in the mood for something warm (it was so cold and rainy/snowy out), so I decided to make a veggie quesadilla. I filled a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Tortilla with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light, baby spinach, leftover sauteed baby bella mushrooms and roasted red peppers. I folded it in half and heated it in a nonstick skillet until golden on both sides. Along with that, I had a handful of carrots and a squirt of Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch for dipping. I wish I could say this was delicious, but I do not even remember eating this 4 POINT lunch! I had starvation-induced amnesia...

I was still hungry afterward. I think I missed my "chippy" crunch. I was out of chips, so I had a Kashi TLC Pumpkin Spice Flax Granola Bar for some 3 POINT crunch...

The rest of the afternoon was spent running the daughters to and fro. By dinner time, I was definitely ready to eat. I didn't have a specific plan; the husband was working late and the daughters were thrilled to have hot dogs and mac-n-cheese. Quite frankly, I would have been thrilled to have hot dogs and mac-n-cheese, however, that is not conducive to weight loss ;) I opted for a "fried" egg, sauteed spinach, sauteed mushrooms and a small 2 oz. ciabatta roll. Yum, I haven't had a "whole" egg in a long time! A delish 5 POINT dinner...

As I was cleaning up the dishes, a mound of mac-n-cheese shot out of the pot! Thankfully, I was able to catch it with my mouth before it got all over ;) It was quite an impressive mound; I'll call it "THE 3 POINTER" :0)

Overall, it was a good eating day although I didn't hit my daily Target POINTS. But, I did listen to my body, so even though I ate on the lighter side today, it seems that is all my body required today. The intuitive eating experiment continues...

I'm headed to bed now just in case my body decides to require more mac-n-cheese! Nite =)

Pizza And POM

Hey, happy Friday! This has been a fun weekend type of day since the husband and daughters were off today. We got to sleep in a little and mosy around. I went for an outdoor run this morning for about 30 minutes, then hopped right in the car to pick up some groceries for our pizza night with my in-laws. I didn't get to eat breakfast after the run, so I picked up a Starbucks coffee with sugar free vanilla syrup and some nonfat milk for 1 POINT to get me through...


When I came home, I made a yogurt granola bowl. I used a Fiber One Vanilla Yogurt topped with 1/2 c. of quinoa granola for 4 POINTS...


I bet you're asking "what the heck is quinoa granola?" Well, I came across this recipe in Bob Greene's Best Life Diet Cookbook. I have never been a fan of quinoa, mainly because I didn't really know how to use it. I know it's a "wonder grain" being that it is considered a complete protein. I'm always willing to try something again, especially if has the word "granola" in it! I LOVE granola. So, I made this last night in anticipation of eating it for breakfast today. I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it a little more POINT friendly; basically I just dropped a tbsp. of the nuts to lose a POINT. I used a combo of dried cranberries, raisins and almonds. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know. I forgot to copy it down before I came to post! Too lazy to venture to get it ;) Anyway, I liked this and it stuck with me a really long time (about 3 hours)! After breakfast, I got in my Shred. I must be honest - this was a half-assed Shred. I was tired from my run and not in the mood to do it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fit it in later tonight. I mainly concentrated on the strength training and sort of bagged the cardio. I think it still counts though, right??!!! Only 15 days left!

When I was finally ready for lunch, I was READY for lunch! Funny how it hits you all at once! I needed something quick, so I threw together a turkey sandwich using 2 oz. turkey, lettuce, tomato and a squirt of dijonnaise on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I also had a serving of TJ's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips (love these!) and a juicy orange. A fast 5 POINT lunch...

After lunch, we went for a "neighborhood clean-up" walk. I have been noticing during my outdoor runs that my neighborhood was getting "trashy" with random items that didn't make it into the trashcans or blew away, etc. We put gloves on, got a big trashbag and walked the whole neighborhood picking up all the debris. We filled the whole bag! It doesn't look like much when it's strewn all over, but it adds up! So, not only did I get another exercise in, I also did community service!! Two birds, one stone :)

The in-laws came for pizza night and to hang out with the daughters. I made 3 pizzas: 1 plain, 1 pepperoni and a whole wheat with lite mozzarella, baby bella mushrooms and baby spinach. I went with 2 slices of whole wheat and a salad dressed with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch for 8 POINTS...

Along with our dinner, I made everyone a fancy POM spritzer! Diana at POM Wonderful was kind enough to contact me and ask if I would be interested in sampling this POM Wonderful 100 % pomegranate juice. I have been intrigued after seeing it at many of the grocery stores, so I was excited to have the opportunity to try it! Our pizza party was the perfect opportunity to make these lovely spritzers...

Everyone loved it! It is not as tart as I thought it may be. The husband and father-in-law loved it straight up the best! After reading about all the health benefits of this "wonder" juice, they loved it even more! Especially the parts about prostate health and erectile function - you know how men are! LOL!! The website is full of amazing recipes, too (love all the cocktail recipes- see you can be healthy and have a few drinky poos!). An 8 oz. serving is 3 POINTS, which is a little POINTY, but when cut with some sparkling water, it's basically free. I only used 2 oz. of the juice and the rest was water; put in a wine glass and garnished with a slice of lime. Fancy and free!

For dessert, we had some amazing chocolate covered strawberries that my parents gave us for Valentine's Day! I had two of these guys. I'm not exact on the POINTS; I did some searching and came up with 2 POINTS. I don't know, but hey, I'm goin with it! They were DIVINE...

Well, tomorrow's the big day! The day that CHOCOLATE swirls all around you. Everywhere you go! The husband loves me and hopes to live a long life, so I'm fairly certain that he will NOT be giving me any chocolate ;) How about you??? What are your VDay plans? Are you worried about the CHOCOLATE???

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....