Happy Birthday Baby!!

Today is my little daughter's 7th birthday! Wow, time sure does fly! She and my big daughter made the grand plan as to what we were going to do today. Before we got started, I got in a quick 20 minute run, then showered and headed out to begin the celebration.



Our first stop was Starbucks. The daughters love fraps as much as I do, so they wanted to go there for breakfast. While the daughters dug into their fraps and donuts, I sipped my Mocha Light Frappuccino and dug into a BlueBran Vitatop that I brought with me for 3 POINTS...



We hung out at Starbucks for quite a while, then made our way over to a toy store for some browsing and playing. Such a fun little store! Of course, we couldn't get out of there without a small present for the birthday girl!

Then, we were off to pick up lunch at one of their favorite places - Chick-fil-A. They wanted to bring lunch home and have a picnic, so we did just that. I spread out the blanket and they ate their yummy lunch. I snagged a fry or two, but quickly made my lunch before things got out of control! My lunch was a Dr. Praeger's Tex Mex Burger on a whole wheat english muffin topped with a slice of Weight Watchers American and some sauteed peppers with onion. Delish! I added a serving of yellow watermelon and carrots for my side. A filling 6 POINT lunch...

After lunch, these guys came to the door....

HOLEY DONUTS!!!! I won these from Danica's giveaway and have been anxiously awaiting them! I was VERY tempted to dive right in, but I contained myself! Instead, I put each one in their own baggie and labeled it with the POINT value. That way, I won't be tempted to defrost a whole box and then "have" to eat them all! Looking forward to trying these soon :)

Our party-goers (grandparents) came for birthday dinner later in the afternoon. We got right to eating with a starter of Bruschetta with Asiago...

Then came the family favorite (and birthday girl's too!) - ravioli...

some rustic bread ( a must on our table)...

Grilled bratwurst and onions (left) and Chicken Sausage with spinach and feta over sauteed red peppers (right)...

I also made hot Italian sausage with hot fried peppers, broccoli and salad. I didn't get a pic of those before everyone dug in, but here's a pic of my plate...

I ended up eating another piece of bruschetta and a taste of hot sausage, but I was able to dodge the ravioli! Not too bad; I'm estimating about 13 POINTS.

For dessert, of course we had birthday cake - triple chocolate mousse cake! I didn't want to tempt anyone with a picture ;P In an effort to have a healthy alternative, I made a blueberry crisp...

I had a serving topped with fat free whipped topping for 2 POINTS...

It's super late now, but I'm determined to fit in my 10 minute strength routine, so off I go!

Have a great night everyone =)

Hanging In The Rain

Another rainy morning! This is a cruel joke that Mother Nature is playing on us! I took it as an opportunity to lounge around this morning. No early start or rushing around; it was kinda nice! I caught up on some blog reading, too. Lucky for me because I came across a great recipe on Melissa's blog, Living Life Happy and Healthy, for Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins. I had to make them right away! I followed her instructions; only change I made was to use half dried apricots and half blueberries. It was a terrific combo and they baked up beautifully and in no time at all...


So wonderful with a spritz of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray...


With a jolt of iced coffee for an easy 2 POINT breakfast...

More lounging, then I forced myself to hit the treadmill for 30 minutes. I was not that into it, but before I knew it, I was finished so I was glad that I didn't blow it off.

I wasn't all that hungry, but it was getting late and I figured I should make some lunch before the hunger hits all at once. I decided on a Chicken Pesto and Goat Cheese Panini. I used a Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Pita, 2 oz. grilled chicken breast, 1/2 oz. goat cheese, 1 tbsp. homemade pesto and 1 1/2 tsp. chopped sundried tomatoes (in oil). I cut the whole pita in half (but still a round), layered the ingredients on the one round, topped it with the other, then placed it on the George Forman Grill (aka panini maker!) and let it heat through. It was delicious and full of flavor. I paired it with some sweet watermelon for a nice 7 POINT lunch...

Later in the afternoon, I had to make a quick supermarket run in the downpour. While there, I grabbed a Mocha Lite Frappuccino for 2 POINTS...

I have a big Father's Day dinner planned for tomorrow, so tonight, I opted for an easy dinner. I made Philly Cheesesteaks with crinkle potato wedges and spinach with garlic and oil. A 10 POINT family favorite...

I ended with a little dessert of chocolate Vitaheart with 2 tsp. chocolate icing for 2 POINTS...

I'm full. My stomach has not been feeling so great and I'm guessing it's due to way to much crappy eating lately. I felt like I reigned it in today, so hopefully, I can get back on track 100% this week!

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 =)