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?

Food And Family

It was another early morning. I really wanted to sleep in a bit, but for some reason I am waking up at 6:30 a.m.! I'm still on Florida exercise time. So, it was up and at 'em. I caught up on some blogs, then headed to the treadmill for 5K Saturday. Sadly, I only made it 2 1/2 miles due to an aching ankle. Don't know what's up with that, so I didn't want to push it. I may try again tomorrow if time permits.



After my run, I ventured to the scale for the "after vacation weigh in". I was up .2 lbs. I was completely pissed for a minute. I thought after all that walking, extra morning exercise and basically making healthy choices that I might lose a little. But, after mulling it over, I can't be mad. I didn't journal, count POINTS, drink my regular amount of water and eat my normal portions of food, so I really shouldn't complain or be upset! Just being so close to goal is making me nutty! I want to GET THERE!!!!!! Alright, enough of my boo-hoo-ing; let's GET to the food...



As you can tell lately, I am in love with Ezekiel buns/muffins. While I was in Trader Joe's yesterday, I found this "Ezekiel" knockoff...







The nutritionals are great (click on the picture to see ...)




I toasted up 2 slices and topped it with 1 tbsp. lite cream cheese. Mmmmm! Loved this 3 POINT brekkie...

I spent the rest of the morning making marinara sauce and prepping for dinner this evening. I finally got around to lunch which was another Trader Joe's find...

I never met a canned soup that I loved until this one! It is so delicious and only 2 POINTS per serving...

Along with the soup, I had a tasting plate of carrots, Kashi TLC crackers and a light string cheese for 3 POINTS...

It was such a filling lunch, I made it all the way to dinner without a snack! I am noticing since I have been trying to eat "cleaner" and more of what Weight Watchers calls "filling foods", I have had less cravings for junky things, have a lot more energy and have been sleeping better/more deeply. I really like the way my body is feeling eating this way!

I invited my in-laws over for dinner tonight. I decided to try out a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook, Simply the Best Italian. It was Rigatoni with Three Cheeses. I used ziti since I had some on hand and it was delish! Like a mac n cheese, but not as creamy. Everyone liked it! I liked that it was only 5 POINTS!! I doubled the recipe so it served 8. Now I have some leftovers for later in the week. I would definitely make this again, next time with whole wheat pasta...

I also made the family favorite, chicken cutlets...

and Gram's green beans...

Can't forget the rustic Italian bread...

The family table...

My plate...

I also snagged a slice of bread. I tried to resist, but it jumped out of the basket and on to my plate! It landed in the juice from the green beans/tomato, so I had to eat it ;)

For dessert, I made No Pudge Brownies. I seriously love these. They are all natural and taste so rich and fudgy, just like a brownie should! I paired mine with some strawberries and a tbsp. of freshly whipped cream for 4 POINTS...

I ended the night with some coffee and Wii Bowling which I supremely stink at :( Well, I'm off to spend some time with the husband. Have a great night =)