Lazin' Around

I got in too late to post last night, so here's a little update on my day yesterday...


I was slow going in the morning. My hips (now my left side hurts, too) were still sore, so I bagged exercise today. I wanted to get in some weights, but that never happened :( After lazing around, I got up and had breakfast. I wasn't very hungry, so a CranBran Vitatop and fresh pineapple with shredded coconut was just the right meal...


Still slow going after breakfast, but I managed to do some de-cluttering of various rooms in the house. By lunch time, I felt more like eating. I had some leftover zucchini and some chickpeas that sounded good to me, so I combined them and made a Zucchini Chickpea Quesadilla using a store brand high fiber tortilla (La Tortilla Factory clone) and some asiago cheese. The fruit and veg stash is seriously low (need to go to the produce store), but I managed to scrape up some grapes to go with it...


The asiago cheese makes it! I am loving this cheese lately. It is full of flavor and only 50 calories per slice so you get a lot of taste for not many calories...

I had an eye doctor appointment in the late afternoon and then a meet-up with an old friend ( hi Teresa!!!) from high school! It was so good to see her and catch up. We gabbed away, sitting at her kitchen table over some delicious espresso.

I finally left realizing I was way late for dinner at the parents! Big trouble!!! Our dinner was in honor of my nephew going off to college. Sniff..sniff. Mom and Gram made all of his favorites: tortellini, chicken cutlets, green beans with garlic and evoo and green salad. They were finished eating by the time I got there, but there was plenty left to eat! I was starving by this time and dove right in...

Right before bed, I felt a little hungry, but it seemed too late to eat and I felt too lazy to go down to the kitchen, so I headed off to sleep! I'm sure my body will make up for it today as I am already starving!!!

See you later tonight!

Have a great day everyone =)

Ride On

Finally!!!! Some sun! We woke up to a beautiful morning. The husband and I decided to ride bikes to go get some bagels for the morning's breakfast. It was a nice 2 mile ride in the sun! While everyone chowed down on giant bagels, I made my cereal bowl of 3/4 c. Puffins, 1/2 c. Almond Breeze and strawberries for 3 POINTS...



After breakfast, I took another 2 mile bike ride to return a movie. I am loving this bike riding! I was thinking during my ride how nice it would be to live in a little town where you could ride your bike everywhere. I would have one of those cruiser-type bikes with a cute wicker basket on the front. I might even wear a big hat with a giant flower on the front! LOL!


Before heading to the pool for the afternoon, I made an easy lunch of leftover roasted chicken breast with lettuce and a half slice of cheese on a small whole wheat roll. I had more carrots and pineapple to go with it. A quick 5 POINT lunch...

We spent the afternoon swimming in the toasty pool. I love heated pools! I took the opportunity to do more pool exercises (about 40 min.) and then goofed around with the husband and daughters in the pool. It was a great time!


We headed home late in the afternoon and I was starving! I dug into some pretzel sticks...

and some Annie's Cheddar Bunnies...

Mom and Gram made another wonderful dinner tonight. I was feeling hungry, but I mentally prepared myself before sitting down. I took a few minutes to "talk to myself" and figure out what my game plan was going to be. I thought about exactly how I wanted my plate to look with the prepared food and told myself to stick with my plan. My plate looked just like it did in my mind...

I enjoyed every bit, passed on the bread, and put my silverware on my dish and pushed myself back from the table when I was finished. I was still engaged in the table conversation, but wasn't tempted to add more food to my plate. I felt good about that =)

And after dinner, guess what I did?? Big daughter and I went for another 2.5 mile bike ride! I'm a ridin' fool today! When we got back, I dug into a bowl of Breyer's Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream topped with about 1/4 c. freeze dried blueberries and a squirt of Hershey's Special Dark syrup for 3 POINTS...

Another day of sun is on tap for tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to some beach lounging! See you tomorrow; have a great night!!!

Water Logged

Still no sun at the shore! I decided to take advantage of the bikes here and went on a 3 mile bike ride this morning. I enjoyed being able to do something different, but those bike seats are brutal! My butt is sore!

I came in and helped myself to a breakfast of Fiber One yogurt and 1 c. blueberries for 2 POINTS...


and a light english muffin (1 POINT) to go with it...

Despite the weather, we had a great day of swimming planned. My friend and her daughters came to spend the day with us at the pool. We packed a lunch to eat poolside and after lots of swimming, we sat down to a turkey hummus wrap with baby spinach on a La Tortilla Factory wrap, carrots and a cup of watermelon for 4 POINTS...

For dessert, a Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffin for 2 POINTS...

Then it was back in the pool. I think we set a record for most hours spent in the pool! We didn't want to get out because the pool was heated and felt so toasty and it was freezing if you did try to get out. We even stayed in during the intermittent rain showers! Talk about die-hards! We did lots of pool exercises, so I'm sure we burned some major calories today. Hmmm... 5 hours of pool exercise have to count for something, don't ya think?!

Finally, we forced ourselves to get out (aaaaahhhhh...brrrrrrr), got cleaned up and said goodbyes to our friends. Then, the daughters and I settled in for a pasta dinner made by Mom and Gram. I had 1 c. rigatoni pasta with meat sauce for 5 POINTS...

and salad for 2 POINTS...

I left the table not long after that so I would not indulge in more pasta. Believe me, that was a major accomplishment! The pasta was so tasty and for some reason, I never feel very full eating a portion of pasta, so it's difficult to keep from eating more than one serving!

I ended the night with dessert inspired by my dark chocolate dipped pineapple treat from yesterday. I used 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream and topped it with pineapple and a squirt of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup. A yummy 3 POINT treat...

Now, I heard that the sun may come out tomorrow. Could it really be true??? I'll let you know tomorrow =)

Have a great night!

Eat, Repeat

Today, I tried to recreate the eating day I had yesterday. Since all went well, I repeated some of those meals today. I started off with some gardening early this morning, then came in for another cereal bowl: 3/4 c. TJ's High Fiber O's, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and 2 chopped apricots for 3 POINTS...



A little later, I made up a strawberry crackshake for 1 POINT...

I spent the rest of the morning prepping for our bbq tomorrow, then stopped to make another delish tofu sammie. I used the bbq baked tofu for this one on 2 slices of TJ's spelt bread with lettuce, tomato and a squirt of Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. So good! It almost tasted like a BLT but it was a BTLT (bbq tofu lettuce tomato) - heheh! Riding alongside again, some carrots and 3 apriums. Love this 5 POINT lunch...

More prepping for the party, then came snack time. I had to keep reminding myself the definition of "snack" - small portion of food! I went with a fruit and nut bite for 1 POINT...

but, still wanted something more, so I had a lite string cheese (1 POINT)...

I recognized that I wasn't hungry, but I still felt like eating more. I tried to talk myself out of it. It worked for a while, then I succumbed to some Cheez-its and about 10 M&M's. Not so bad, I'm guessing about 5 POINTS.

Before dinner, I decided to get in a run. My hip soreness is getting better with just doing the walking this past week, so I thought I could try a run again. I went to the trail and started to run, but it was so difficult today! Not sure if it was the weather (hot and humid) or that I took that break. I didn't push it, though. I did a mix of walk/run for 35 min. and that seemed good enough for today.

I picked up pizza on the way home for the husband, daughters and our nephews that were visiting. I stayed away from that and made myself some TJ's Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons with a side of sweet fresh pineapple for 4 POINTS...

I ended the night with a mango and cream bar for 1 POINT...

I'm ready to relax a little tonight and get a good night's rest for the bbq tomorrow. I'm looking forward to some yummy eats at the bbq. I'll be back to show you tomorrow night, if it doesn't get too late. If so, I'll be back Mon. morning for a recap! Hope you're having a fun weekend :]

Dance The Day Away

Whew, I am so tired tonight, so I'll try and make this quick! I woke up at 6:00 a.m. this morning (on a weekend!) so that I could make an early WW meeting. The husband wanted to take my mother-in-law out for a "surprise" Mother's Day breakfast(how cute is that!) and I needed to get back in time. I went to the 7 a.m. meeting which was surprisingly packed with members! I'm happy to report the scale was my friend and I am down 2.2 lbs.! Only 4 pounds til goal! Whoo hoo!

I rushed home after the meeting (which was all about positive self talk - very good topic!) and went straight to the elliptical. I watched really bad TV that kept me entertained during my 40 minute weighted workout. After that, I was ready for some breakfast. I went with an old favorite - Mock Egg McMuffin for 4 POINTS...



I tooled around on the computer, read some blogs and got myself and little daughter ready for an afternoon of dance! Little daughter had her dance rehearsal and she had to be in full costume and makeup. It took quite a while to put it all together. Before we left, I ate a quick lunch of turkey, baby spinach and dijonnaise on an Ezekiel bun with a side of carrots and soy crisps for 6 POINTS...

The dance dress rehearsal was an all day affair. After little daughter did her dance, she wanted to stay to watch the other dancers. We were there about 4 hours! Good thing I brought a snack (2 POINTS)...

I finally made it home, right about dinner time. I had planned ahead for the family and made Chicken Parmesan for them. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to eat and my stomach was letting me know that I had better figure it out quick. I looked in the freezer and pulled out these guys to try...

Look at the nutritionals; what a POINTS bargain!

A serving is 4 pieces, but I was starving so I went with 3 servings! That's 12 mini wontons and it only came to 3 POINTS. Now, they are little guys, but having a lot of them on the plate helped make them seem more filling. They taste terrific, too. I made a dipping sauce with 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. water and 1/4 tsp. rice vinegar. I paired the wontons with a cup of fresh pineapple for a delicious 4 POINT dinner...

With plenty of room for dessert, I decided to end the night with a Fudgy Peanut Chip Vitatop with PB2 for 2 most delicious POINTS...

I'm off to bed! Have a great night, everyone =)

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!!!!

Forgetful

I was a forgetful blogger today. I ran out the door this morning to my WW meeting (for my first weigh-in *wink, wink) and I grabbed breakfast to eat after the meeting, but forgot to take a pic! Thankfully, I had a whole box at home, so here's my "after" shot...


I found these on clearance at my supermarket. I think I know why! They are just o.k. A little on the dry side and not much staying power. I think you're supposed to microwave them, but I don't know that it would have made a huge difference. I do think they would be nice crumbled on top of some yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream, though. Each muffin bar has 140 cal., 3.5 gr. fat and 4 gr. fiber, but only 2 gr. protein. An o.k. 2 POINT breakfast...

After the meeting, I stopped home to change out of my "weigh-in clothes" and headed to meet up with my mother-in-law and sis-in-law for lunch. Again, I forgot my camera! I ordered a spinach salad with mushrooms, bacon. olives, red onion , hard boiled eggs and tomatoes. No dressing since I brought my own! At least I remembered that. This salad was ginormous! I asked the server to bring me a take-home box before I added my dressing because I knew I wouldn't finish this guy....

Along with my salad, I had a nice sized roll. I had only planned on eating half, but kept picking at it until I eventually ate the whole thing. Altogether, I'm guessing it to be an 8 POINT lunch.

For an afternoon snack, I cut up a beautifully ripe fresh pineapple for 1 POINT...

Then I realized I forgot to take my antibiotic this morning! Ugh! Must be this chubby cheek affecting my brain cells!

I originally planned on having pizza tonight, but decided I would use up the rest of my salad instead. My dinner salad consisted of 3 oz. grilled chicken breast, 1 tbsp. dried cranberries, 1 tbsp. sliced almonds and the remainder of the salad mix dressed with light balsamic vinagrette for another 8 POINTS...

For dessert, I tried a recipe that my friend, Donna sent to me. She just started WW in March and has already lost nearly 20 lbs.!!! You go, Donna!!! The recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Orange Glaze. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 lb., 2.25 oz. box of spice cake mix
• 15 oz. canned pumpkin
• 1/2 c. egg substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in bowl. Beat with a mixer on low until well blended. Then, beat on medium for 2 minutes. Divide evenly among muffin tins lined with paper baking cups. Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the orange glaze, combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with 1/4 tsp. grated orange rind and 2 tbsp. orange juice. Dip cupcake tops in orange glaze.

This makes 24 cupcakes at 2 POINTS each.

I ate mine al fresco with some new reading material...

I think Jil would approve!

Oh, and I almost forgot to say that I lost 4.6 lbs. this week! Not bad for my first week - heheh ;)

Have a great night =)

Work It Off

I feel pudgy today. I didn't say fat, just pudgy. I'm trying to be nicer to myself:) Anyway, I think it's the "guilts" over eating pretzels and Cheez Its before bed last night. It shouldn't be a big deal, I had the weekly points for it, but I know I don't lose well when I dig into those. Plus, I probably used most of them for Thanksgiving. Well, nothing else to do but stay focused on eating properly and work it off on the treadmill!!!

I had to get going quick this morning for an errand, so I'm getting a late start on breakfast and exercise. For breakfast, I toasted a Maple Cornbread Muffin and spritzed it with some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (ICNINB) spray and a tsp. of Smucker's Sugar Free Seedless Strawberry Jam. Mmmm, that was a tasty combo! I also had 1/4 c. nonfat cottage cheese with 1/2 c. crushed pineapple...

Time to get going; I've got a hot date with the treadmill....;D