According To Schedule

Today was the first full day of togetherness with the daughters. So far, so good. I devised a schedule for our day...

• my workout from 8 -9 a.m.
• cooking lesson with big daughter at 9 a.m. (she know where nothing is in our kitchen, so I decided it's about time she learn!)
• cleaning of disgusting rooms from 10-11:30 a.m.
• washed and dressed 11:30 -12 p.m.
• lunch 12 p.m.
• after lunch....whatever sounds fun!

There were no complaints about the schedule and it worked out pretty smoothly. I started off with a good 20 minute fast run on the treadmill and then switched over to Level 1 of The Shred. I'm going to try to up my exercise time as long as the daughters cooperate. It was a good workout and I wore my heart rate monitor for fun today, too! It's a Polar F1, so it's an older model that you have to "do the math" to figure out how many calories burned. I found an online calculator and it looks like I burned 411 calories. Not too bad! I'm not sure how accurate that measurement is since I go by the average heart rate and my heart rate goes down quite a bit when I do the strength part of The Shred. Oh well, it's cool to have a general idea anyway.

After my workout, I had a cereal bowl of Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 1/2 c. strawberries and 1/2 c. freeze dried bananas for 3 POINTS...




When all the chores were complete, I made some lunch. I was in the mood for salad today. I decided on a Chicken Bruschetta Salad made with romaine, 4 oz. grilled chicken breast, 1/2 c. homemade bruschetta and 1 slice of asiago cheese. Such great flavor for only 5 POINTS...


I needed some extra crunch, so it was a good time to try these new Mini Edamame Crackers...


A whole lotta for only 2 POINTS...

These are another rice chip-type cracker that are thin, crispy and a bit salty. I love that you get so many in a serving...

all together now...

Then, we were off to the mall to shop in the most hideous of all stores...Hollister. Big daughter wanted a few things from there, but it is the loudest and darkest store I have ever been in! I have never felt older than when I'm in that store! The lack of lights... the loud music.... the whippersnappers working there....LOL! Seriously, I did ask one girl who works there if she needed to sign a waiver against future hearing loss when she was hired. And guess what she said? She said, "WHAT????" See, it's happening already ;P

When we got home, little daughter wanted to make cookies. Lovely. That means cookie dough, chocolate chips and lots of cookies begging to be eaten. I caved. I indulged in it all. Cookie dough. Chocolate chips. And a cookie x 2...

My stomach was not happy after that. Thankfully, I had a reasonable dinner planned. I baked some mahi mahi and served it with leftover Greek Lima Beans for 5 POINTS...

Nooooo dessert tonight. I had enough for the whole week this afternoon! Gonna have to burn some serious calories the rest of this week!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Traditional Last Days

Na na na na, heeey, good -bye! Another school year bites the dust! I now get to wear my daily summer "uniform" of a black and white striped referee shirt. Yep, my summer consists of refereeing the "battle of the siblings" game that will start as soon as they wake up and end at bedtime. Hopefully, it won't go into overtime :D


I delighted in my last morning of quiet and solitude. I headed to the treadmill for my final run without interruption for the next 2 1/2 months. It was very fabulous. I cranked out 35 minutes, then continued my enjoyment with a 12 minute pilates ab workout video from Sparkpeople. That was rough!


Then, I made a luxurious breakfast of.... you know it...cereal! I tried to change it up for you by mixing up the berries. Today's mix was 3/4 c. Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran, 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 5 oz. strawberries and 1/2 c. blueberries. Super awesome 3 POINT bowl...




Then, it was off to pick up big daughter from the bus stop. My annual year-end tradition when I pick the daughters up is to beep the car horn wildly, with the windows down, yelling WHOOOO HOOOOO all the way home. Since, she is in middle school, she found this extremely embarassing, however, she used to think it was hilarious in elementary school ! Next up was picking up little daughter at her school. I did the same for her all the way out of the school parking lot. She was also less than thrilled. What killjoys! I told them that this was a small inkling of the levels of embarassment that they will suffer at the hands of their parents. More to come, girls. More to come ;P


Another annual year-end tradition is taking them out to lunch on the last day. This one they don't object to :) My parents and Gram joined us for lunch at Cosi Restaurant. I checked out their website ahead of time and planned on getting a Fire Roasted Veggie Flatbread Sandwich. It was delish! A mix of zucchini, red and yellow peppers, artichoke hearts, onion and eggplant with a creamy feta spread....

I chose baby carrots for my side and also got a fruit salad which I shared with little daughter. A wonderful 7 POINT lunch...

We did a little shopping after lunch, then headed home to unpack backpacks and go through papers. Big daughter had sleepover plans, so it was just little daughter, the husband and me for dinner. I made them a Cheeseburger Stromboli and took out a "freezer dinner" for myself. I found some leftover pork with mushroom sauce and paired it with 1/2 c. brown rice and a salad with a bit of Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch for 8 POINTS...

For dessert, I went "untraditional". I wasn't planning this dessert, but it found it's way into my mouth while I was wrapping up the leftovers...

Cheeseburger Stromboli is a very good dessert ;P Um, maybe not the night before weigh-in though.

Hope you all had a great Friday! See ya tomorrow...

The End Is Near

Only 1 1/2 days left of school. It's a good thing and a bad thing. I love having the summers with the daughters. I know this time is fleeting and I cherish the time I get to spend with them. On the other hand, I will miss having part of my days to myself. I like being able to exercise in the morning without interruption and I really like running errands by. my. self. It's so much quicker and less irritating ;P



I was in a mad rush to get out the door this morning. I had to be at big daughter's school for her honors award ceremony, so there was no time for exercise and barely time for breakfast! I went with another quick cereal bowl topped with 1 c. blueberries for 3 POINTS...







After a long ceremony (2 hours!), I ran some errands (by myself ), then ran home to eat lunch. I was starving by 12:30! I decided to use the leftover taco- seasoned tofu and morphed it into a Taco Tofu Burrito. I layered the tofu, shredded lettuce, tomato, 1/2 oz. shredded 2% cheddar and 2 tbsp. quacamole on a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Wrap and rolled it up burrito-style. This was so good and only 4 POINTS! I had 1 cup of watermelon for an additional 1 POINT....

This was filling, but since I ate it so fast, I still felt like I wanted a little something more. I grabbed half of a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar (aka the BEST Larabar ever!) for 2 POINTS and headed out the door for a hair appointment...

When the daughters got home from school, I donned my workout gear and headed to the basement for a 40 minute run on the treadmill. It was hard, but I forced myself to keep with it and I made it to the end!

Then, I slid through snack time by drinking. I drink away my afternoons. Drowning my sorrows of not making it to goal yet with lots of iced tea. Decaf, or else I'll be up all night. I'm old that way;) Along with drinking, I chopped away the afternoon prepping for dinner. I had lots of fresh veggies in the house and I had visions of a big bowl of roasted veggies. I chopped and roasted zucchini, eggplant, carrots, red pepper, red onion, asparagus, broccoli and sweet potatoes. Hmmm... but, what to go with it??? I chose this box of goodness that I got from Danica ...

I cannot believe how seriously good this Annie's boxed mac and cheese tastes!!! It is a sure winner. It has a light, creamy cheese sauce that has a delicious real cheddar flavor. No chemical or fake cheesy taste. I had a 1 c. serving (and a few extra "tastes") along with a heaping cup of roasted veggies for 7 POINTS...

I could have eaten another entire plate of both! So good! But, I controlled myself , quickly cleaned up, then sat down with the husband and watched the daughters put on an "after dinner"show. Later, I had some dessert - Fudgy Peanut Chip Vitatop with PB2 for 2 POINTS...

I'm off to hang out with the husband and then get some sleep! Have a great night :)

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 :)

Stock In Trader Joe's

This post is going to read like a big ad for Trader Joe's! I will apologize right off the bat to those of you who do not have one in your area. I know it's frustrating when you see things that people rave about but are unable to find them in your vicinity. But, keep in mind that Trader Joe's does a lot of private labeling, so you may find something in your supermarket that looks the same as what I find in Trader Joe's. With that said, I'll start off with the only meal that didn't come from Trader Joe's; breakfast! A simple bowl of Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran with 1/2 c. strawberries, 1 tbsp. dried cranberries and 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze for 3 POINTS...




After breakfast, I did a 40 minute weighted workout on the elliptical followed by 20 wall pushups and 20 tricep dips. Then, I cleaned up and headed out to my home away from home...Trader Joe's! Boy, I did some serious damage in there today. I bought lots of my staple items and a few new goodies. Grand total - $132!!! I'm going to make sure I really dwindle down the freezer items before I stock up again. I ran into someone I knew in there and ended up chatting for a while too. Before I knew it, it was almost 2:00 p.m. I was starving and shaky. I don't like messing with my blood sugar like that. I knew if I didn't eat a little something before I got home, I would start grabbing a bunch of junk, so I broke out a Larabar from my grocery bag to tie me over...


I ate half (2 POINTS) and my body thanked me...

That was a good move. It gave me time to put the groceries away before fixing some lunch which involved this great find...

Here are the facts...

I decided to top 2 slices with a Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge, 1 oz. smoked salmon (also from TJ's) and a little fresh dill. I went with some good ol' carrots and TJ's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips for a long awaited 6 POINT lunch...

Note to self: don't wait so long to eat. It seems when I do that, I feel munchie in the afternoon. I think I eat so fast, it doesn't have time to register. I ended up grabbing a bunch of honey wheat pretzel sticks and a cheese stick. Then, I had one of these...

Can't feel too badly, they are only 1 POINT...

But they sure are tiny little things...

Then, it was time for dinner. I got out my last serving of Rigatoni with Three Cheeses from the freezer and added a cup of Trader Joe's Potato Vegetable Medley to it for a tasty 7 POINT meal...

I was pretty stuffed after that, but I couldn't help digging into these...

Just a note about these; I bought them a while ago and noticed that the nutritional information was incorrect. It stated that the total fat was 4.5 gr., but under that the saturated fat was listed as 8 grams. Well, that doesn't compute, so I contacted them and they finally emailed me back stating that all the nutritional information was correct, except the total fat and sat. fat were inadvertently switched upon printing. So it should be listed as a serving of 9 pieces are 130 calories, 8 grams total fat, 4.5 gr. of that is sat. fat, and there are 5 gr. fiber. That makes 9 of these guys out to be 2 POINTS. I should not know this. I did MEASURE out 9...

Plus another handful :( Ick. Now, I feel gross. I have crossed off all my Weekly Allowance POINTS. That's it; I don't want to use any more this week. *talking to myself* C'mon, you dope! You're almost to goal. Now, KNOCK IT OFF!

Okay, I'm better now :) I'm not messing this up! Too close. Gotta remember...GOAL....GOAL....GOAL!!!!

I thought I'd throw out a Question (or two) of the Day for you all...

How much do you spend a week on groceries for your family? Do you think it costs more or less to eat healthy?

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!!!!

Fast Food

Yay for Friday! Where did the week go?? Time is really flying. Unfortunately, my weight is not "flying off" as I had hoped. I took a peek at the scale this morning and it looks the same. I guess, I can't expect much since I had a pretty good loss last week. Besides, I haven't been perfectly staying within my POINTS. Too many BLT's. Not the sandwiches, more like the chocolate. We'll see what the scale says for my last BLBE weigh-in tomorrow.

No time to work out this morning. I had a coffee date with my pregger friend, Rosemary (who is due this month!), so I had to get out the door early. Before I left, I had a quick bowl of Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran (3/4 c.) with 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and strawberries for 2 POINTS...


While coffee talking, I had a tall nonfat iced latte with sugar-free white chocolate syrup for 2 POINTS...

Our morning coffee ran into lunch time (we're so chatty!). I had to stop at the store on the way home and by the time I made it home, I was so hungry and shaky! I grabbed the quickest thing I could find in the fridge - salmon salad. I spread it on an Ezekiel Bun and had a side of TJ's Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips and carrots for a body fueling 7 POINTS...

Then I did the happy dance because my shipment of Vitatops arrived!!!! I was down to my last one. I ordered these the other day and chose the Mother's Day Pack which allowed you to choose from a list of your favorites. I chose Deep Chocolate (my #1 fave), Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip and a new one to try - Banana Nut! I am soooo excited to try that one! Mmmm... a box of goodies....

With this Mother's Day promotion, I got this "Gift of Health" for free...

A box of 12 heart shaped chocolate muffins! How cute...

I couldn't contain myself. I had to try one right away....

I feel sad. I didn't like it that much. I KNOW!!!! Can you believe I just said that about my beloved Vitas! Well, I think the issue with these hearts is that they are pretty thick, therefore a bit on the dry-dense side. I like "dense" if it's moist, but not "dry dense". Dry cake sucks :P However, Vitatops are not as thick, so that's why I haven't had the dry issue with those guys. They are the best! I think I'll pawn these hearts off on the daughters. I'll ice them up with a frosting of their choice and they'll love them. No, they will HEART them. Sorry, it's Friday and I'm tired ;)

Dinner was homemade calzones for the husband and daughters. I didn't have time to make whole wheat dough for myself, so I went for some leftover pizza that I had in the freezer. This pizza was made with spelt pizza dough which is awesome! I had this veggie pizza and 2 super sweet clementines for another quick meal of the day. Delicious for 9 POINTS...

I was tempted to have another Vitatop for dessert, but I felt pretty full. A little later, I had a spoonful of the daughters' Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. No chocolates followed. That's progress!

Have a great night =)

A Day To Play

Wow, it's another summer day today! It got to 90 degrees and felt like the middle of July! I think this is just an "appetizer" though; the temps are heading down this week. Again, I was feeling like an outdoor run, but I'm not quite healed, so I will be patient. I was going to head to the basement for an elliptical workout, but got so distracted with doing stuff around the house that I never made it! I guess I will consider it a "day off". I don't do that very often, but I think it won't hurt. I hope :)

I did manage to make time for breakfast. I was in the mood for cereal, so I broke out this oldie but goodie cereal, Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran...


A serving is only 1 POINT -if you can see with my sloppy writing on the box ;)...


I decided to use it as a topping for my Oikos Honey Nonfat Greek Yogurt. I also added some beautiful strawberries for a fiber and protein packed 4 POINT breakfast...


I'm trying to go through some freezer items, so that they don't get lost in the land of freezer burn. I found some leftover pizza that I made just last week, I believe. It was the one made with the spelt pizza dough. I reheated that for lunch and it was just as good as the day I originally made it! That's what happens when you eat something before freezer burn :) I went crazy and had a side of carrots to go with it! I've been avoiding carrots since my oral surgery, but I thought I would try it out today. No probs. Yay! A great 8 POINT repeat...

After lunch, we headed out to a friend's son's 3 year old birthday party. It was set up like a carnival with lots of moonbounces, games, carnival foods and plenty of "grown-up" food, too. Wow, sure glad I ate before I left! How -EVER, I could not, did not...resist...this...

Giant brownie with giant gobs of chocolate icing. You can't tell from this picture, but this thing was about 2 inches high. It stared at me for a long time, calling, beckoning, tempting. I caved. And you know what?? It wasn't THAT good! I think it sat out too long. But, I ate it anyway :) Not sure of the POINTS. Maybe 500??? LOL! Hopefully, I can run later this week :(

I also picked on a soft pretzel before I left the party. Again, not that good. Gotta work on the "don't eat it unless it tastes good" rule. Anyway, it was a fun time of outdoor play in the sun! Hope I sweat off some of those calories...

I wasn't all that hungry for dinner. The husband and daughters decided to eat hot dogs and some fruit. I was thinking of just having cereal or maybe skipping dinner altogether. I did some cleaning and then felt ready to have a little something. I remembered I had some tofu in the fridge, so I decided on a tofu scramble. I used 4 oz. extra firm tofu, roasted peppers, red onion, baby spinach, a slice 2% cheese and salsa. I crumble the tofu and brown it in a nonstick pan sprayed with cooking spray, then add the rest of the ingredients. Simple and absolutely delicious! I could eat this every day! I had a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light on the side. A quick and easy 6 POINT dinner...

Gee, for not being too hungry, I sure ate a lot! And I topped it off with a little "sweet"...

The flavors are so fun and they are only 1 POINT...

I went with the Banana Split...

A nice way to end a HOT day!

Hope the weekend was fun for you, too!!! Have a great night =)