Red Superfoods

I'm seeing red today! There is so much beautiful summer produce available. I am loving all the red fruits and indulged in them at every meal. Deep red fruits contain phytochemicals such as lycopene and anthocyanins which are not only heart-healthy and cancer-fighting, but also help boost the immune system. I made sure to get my antioxidants today!



I started off with a breakfast of 3/4 c. Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and 1/2 c. sliced strawberries for 2 POINTS...




Then, I got in a great 35 minute treadmill run despite being a tad bit sore from moving furniture yesterday. My friend and I were two tough chicks yesterday; we have the bruises to prove it!



I got cleaned up and headed out for some errands. I'm trying to get in as much as possible before the daughters are finished with school this Friday. I stopped home for some lunch. I made a turkey and hummus sammie with baby spinach on organic spelt bread. Delish! I had a cup of Tabatchnick Barley Mushroom soup and some red grapes to round out this filling 6 POINT lunch...

More errands after the daughters came home from school, which included a stop at Trader Joe's ( my home away from home :) I managed to get through the afternoon without a snack! Miracles can happen :)

Since the husband was away for work this evening (we miss you!!), the daughters requested hoagies and I pulled out my favorite Lean Cuisine dinner - Parmesan Crusted Fish. This is the best frozen dinner! I added more red - watermelon. It was a great quick 7 POINT meal...

Doesn't the fish really "look" like a fish???

I ended with a serving of Breyers Fat Free French Chocolate topped with 1/4 c. freeze dried strawberries (yum-more red!) for 1 POINT...

I did pretty well overall today! I did nibble a little on big daughter's hoagie and had a bite of little daughter's ice cream dessert. So, maybe a couple extra POINTS tacked on to the day. Not too bad!

Hope you all had an easy Monday! Have a great night :)

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!!!!

Tempting Tea Time

Hi blog friends! I have to make it quick tonight as I promised big daughter she could get some computer time in before bed.

I slept in a little this morning - 7:30 a.m. Funny that I call that "sleeping in". It is still early as all get out, if you ask me! How I wish for the days when my daughters will be cranky teenagers and want to sleep until noon! Yeah, right;) Anyway, since I lollygagged (is that really a word??) around this morning, I got hungry and ate breakfast before my workout. I went with an unconventional turkey sandwich on an Ezekiel english muffin for 3 POINTS...


A little while after, I hopped on the elliptical for a huffy 30 min. I amped up the resistance gauge to toughen up the workout since I knew I only had time for a 30 min. stint. Mission accomplished! I was huffing after 2 minutes!

Then, it was off to shower and dress for a Ladies Tea that the daughters and I were going to this afternoon. I knew there would be lots of tempting goodies, so I decided to eat something before I went so that I wouldn't be starving and overindulge. I had a hummus pita which was 2 tbsp hummus (I revamped the recipe using only 2 tsp. oil, so it is only 1 POINT now), lettuce and pickles (a la Sharon )stuffed in a Weight Watchers 1 POINT pita. I also had a cup of sweet cantaloupe for a nice mini 3 POINT lunch...

The Ladies Tea was held at the husband's old Christian school and sponsored by a ladies group that does fundraising for the school. It is a yearly event and my mother-in-law is always so kind to treat us to this event. The gynasium is tranformed into a "tea room" with fancy tables, antique dolls, clothing, doll furniture and other Victorian-type items. The food is presented on a line of tables that must reach 30+ feet. Here is just half of it...

Many goodies donned these tables including a huge variety of tea sandwiches, brownies, cookies, scones, cheesecakes, iced cakes, nuts, fruit, puddings and candies. It was a bad, bad place. Thankfully, I had my "mini lunch" or I would have went nuts! I ended up taking a cucumber sandwich, fruit, and 4 little bites - 2 brownie, one oatmeal raisin cookie and one oatmeal bar...

Not sure how to count those guys. I'm thinking about 5 POINTS.

And I had a lovely cup of Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz tea. Delish....

It was a wonderful time shared with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, the daughters, Mom and Gram:)

After much chatting and a few errands on the way home, we got back just in time for me to make dinner! I made raviolis for the husband and daughters with a side of garlic and oil green beans. I searched around for something low POINT for myself and came up with this...

I blogged about this before here. I am a fan of this Lean Cuisine. The fish is delicious and even the pasta is fairly good (being Italian, I am not one to eat frozen pasta meals - it's a sacrilege!). I paired this with a side of garlic green beans for a fantastic 7 POINT dinner...

I felt like having dessert tonight, so I went with a serving of Turkey Hill Chocolate Marshmallow Frozen Yogurt for 2 POINTS...

Big daughter is giving me the hairy eyeball, so I will relinquish the computer to her so that she can participate in brain cell dissolving IMing with her friends:) Don't ya LOVE technology???

The Pursuit Of Saltiness

I craved the saltiest food today! This TOM is really a pain; literally. I felt like a blob this morning and too tired/achy to do my exercise. I knew I would need to find a way to do it later because I need to burn some of the calories from yesterday's sabotage snacking! I may have sabotaged myself this week, but I AIN'T quittin'!!!! There is a show of progress; my former self would have quit trying to eat healthy after binging like that. I would have felt defeated. But, I have come too far now, so no quitting. Onward!

For breakfast, I wanted to try one of these new (to me) Vitatops...



I love corn muffins, so I was excited to try these. I can't say they really taste like a corn muffin. I think they are more on the "wheaty" side, but still taste good, especially for 1 POINT! With my Golden Corn Vitatop, I made an egg white omelette with a handful of baby spinach. I let loose with the salt shaker ,too! It was more like a salt omelette with egg white!!! eeewww - but, it tasted really good to me today...


I finally dragged myself out of the house to do some grocery shopping. I was starving when I got home and I fixed a quick lunch while putting the food away. I looked for the saltiest things I could find. I went with a bowl of Tabatchnik Vegetable Soup, a Dietz and Watson Gourmet Lite Beef Hot Dog on a light bun with mustard and dill relish and a serving of crunchy, super salty pretzel sticks!!! Salt, salt and more salt!! I am probably going to weigh 14 lbs. more tomorrow with all this salt!!!! But, boy did it taste goooood! All for 5 POINTS...

I felt like something sweet afterward, so I had a Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Cookie for 1 POINT...

I tried to have something with a little more protein for snack to get me to dinner without an oversnacking incident. I went with a hard-boiled egg white (with salt!!), light string cheese and half an orange...

The husband and daughters had an early dinner tonight, due to big daughters basketball practice. While they were eating some leftovers, I put on my sneakers and headed to the basement for a treadmill run/walk. My Dad gave me a Polar heart rate monitor that he is no longer using and I have been excited to try it! I put it on (it's a chest strap and a wrist watch) and watched my heart go! I decided to run and walk to get more of a high intensity interval-type workout. It was good, but quick. I clocked out in about 30 minutes because I had to tend to little daughter, but I'm glad I fit it in.

I made myself a heat and eat dinner of this...

I know, more salt! I try not to eat frozen dinners because of this, but I had this in the freezer and thought I should use it up. Glad I did; it was awesome! I don't usually say that of Lean Cuisine dinners, but this one is a keeper. It is parmesan crusted fish with penne pasta, veggies and a tomato sauce. The fish was delicious and moist with a crispy coating and the pasta was al dente and had a nice flavor. I would definitely buy this again! I paired it with a salad dressed with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. A yummy 7 Point meal...

I bought a boat load of berries at the store today, so I made a Berry Sundae for dessert. I used a serving of sugar-free, fat-free cheesecake pudding topped with 5 oz. sliced strawberries, 1/2 c. blueberries and a dollop of fat-free Cool Whip. YUMMMMMM!

I'm glad I was able to regroup today. Part of that was just eating whatever I was craving (hence, all the salty stuff) instead of eating what I thought would be a better or more well-rounded choice. There's always tomorrow for that.....

=)