Sunday Around The House

I love lazy Sunday mornings. We had no where to be today, so I slept in until 7:30 but didn't get out of bed until 8:30! Love it! I worked on things around the house and helped the husband clean out the garage. I finally got around to eating breakfast around 11. I toasted up 2 slices of TJ's Sprouted Flourless Wheatberry Bread and topped it with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light for 3 POINTS...


A while after breakfast, I did The Shred for my workout. I haven't done it in quite a while, so I went with Level 1. Totally kicked my butt. I forgot how hard it was! I upped my weights and used 5 pounders and my arms were burning. I even had to stop a time or two! I have gotten all pansy-ish again! Jil would not be happy ;P

After that workout, I deserved a nice big lunch! I decided on a tofu scramble. Are you tired of hearing me rave about these??? I can't help it; they are so good! Really! Tofu can be yummy :) This scramble was made with 1/2 block of Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu, red onion, sliced button mushrooms, baby spinach, roasted peppers and a slice of 2 % cheese. I crumble and brown the tofu first, in nonstick cooking spray, then add the remaining ingredients and cook through. Couldn't be easier or more delicious. Using the lite tofu makes this really low POINTS. The entire block comes to 5 POINTS; I count half as 3 POINTS. The veggies are zero and the addition of the cheese is 1 POINT. So, this giant serving comes to 4 POINTS! So awesome! I had room to add a serving of Triscuits for 2 POINTS and some grapes for 1 POINT. This was one filling 7 POINT meal...

Later in the afternoon, I broke out the popcorn for everyone to snack on. I always forget about this. It is a great volume 1 POINT snack...

Dinner was a Salmon Roulette, Gram's green beans and 1/2 c. brown rice. A quick tip for brown rice- boil it like pasta! I know that sounds strange and not the traditional way to make rice, but if you just put your desired amount of brown rice in a pot of boiling water for about 30-40 minutes, then drain it; it comes out perfect, fluffy and with a great texture! It got 2 thumbs up from the family. A nice, healthy 8 POINT meal...

Okay, now for the dessert. I ditched the Vitahearts and tried out my Chocolate Espresso Glaze on a Deep Chocolate Vitatop...

SCORE!!!! This was so amazing! Rich, chocolatey and very decadent-tasting! And only 1 POINT! You'll be seeing this a lot :D

I'm clocking out early tonight. I have my friend's Dad's funeral in the morning and I know it's gonna be a tough day, so I'm going to get some extra rest. But, come back tomorrow night for a really FUN giveaway!!! Have a great night!

Books, Bloggers And Brainless

The husband and I had a movie/date night at home last night. We got a movie for us and a movie for the daughters. They watched upstairs and we had our "date" downstairs. It was fun and no babysitter needed! Anyway, it got too late and I was too tired to blog, so here's my update from yesterday...


I woke up to some beautiful weather and was really itching to go for a run. My cheek is still a bit chubby and my stitches are still intact, so my gut was telling me to wait until everything was healed totally. Instead, I headed to the basement for a 40 minute stint on the elliptical with my weighted vest and did 20 tricep dips and 20 wall pushups. Good enough!

Breakfast was an open faced omelette with spinach, salsa and 1 oz. Cabot's 75% reduced fat cheese. Mmm... I love salsa on eggs! I had a slice of TJ's Sprouted Flourless Wheat Bread, all for only 3 POINTS...

I was really jonesing for some coffee this morning, too, but wasn't in the mood for something warm. I decided on a Vanilla Frappuccino with whip! I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze this time and some sugar free vanilla syrup and topped it with 1 tbsp. lite whip. This was a great 1 POINT treat!

After breakfast, the daughters and I went to a Used Book Sale over at little daughter's school. I was so excited for this! What a dork, right?? I could have spent hours there and lots of cash! Although, everything was priced at either $1 or $2, so you can't feel bad about spending with that bargain price. I scored some cool cookbooks...

And some summer beach reads...

The daughters picked up about 4 books each, too. It was a great time!

It was such a beautiful day that we ate most of our meals outside. So relaxing! My lunch was a Boca Bruschetta Burger topped with 1 tbsp. hummus (thanks to Kate for that AMAZING idea!) and roasted peppers on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I had some soy crisps and a fuji apple on the side. A delish 6 POINT lunch...

Later, for a snack, I couldn't wait to dig into this....

Ever since seeing them on Kelly's blog, I had to have them! I have been searching high and low and finally came across them in Target. I chose the chocolate cookie caramel pecan flavor. Nuggets of goodness...

I think Kelly described these as "crack" and I would have to agree! Definitely leave you wanting more. Don't know if I could buy these again due to danger potential :) But, they are a fun and tasty 2 POINT treat.

After cleaning out my car, cleaning out the garage and running an errand, I wasn't in the mood to make a grand dinner. I pulled out a serving of Rigatoni(actually Ziti) with Three Cheeses from the freezer and heated that with some leftover asparagus. I made a side salad of tomato, cucmber and red onion dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic. Another outdoor dining 7 POINT meal...

Before we settled into our movies, I grabbed a Weight Watchers Candy Bar Ice Cream for a melty 3 POINT dessert...(sorry for the bad pic)

I won't embarass myself by telling you the brain cell deteriorating movie we watched! We had some good laughs, so it was worth losing a few brain cells :)

I just want to say how great it is to be part of this blogging community! I have gotten so many awesome ideas from you all and have tried things I might not have come across otherwise! Thanks so much for all the inspiration!

Enjoy the day and I'll be back tonight :)

Dentally Challenged

I had my gloomy dentist appointment early this morning. Last night, I read up on the procedure that my dentist was going to perform and I got freaked out. But, I managed to buck up and went anyway. Thankfully, everything went well even though I felt skitzy and super anxious half way through the oral surgery and had to sing songs to myself to distract me from jumping out of the chair and running out of there looking like Dracula with blood dripping down my chin! Such a baby!

Before I went to the dentist, I made a big breakfast just in case I wouldn't be able to eat after the procedure! Lord knows, I wouldn't want to go without food. That would only be adding insult to injury! I had an open-faced omelette with 1 oz. diced ham and chives, a slice of TJ's Sprouted Flourless Wheat Bread and 1/2 banana for 4 POINTS...


Despite the fact that I had facial paralysis on the entire right side of my face for hours, I still managed to get some food in! My thought was to go with softer foods, so that it wouldn't be too rough on my stitches. I decided a big bowl of this soup would fit the bill...


And it was green in honor of Earth Day! I had the whole can of soup for 3 POINTS...


I also made a PB2 and Sugar Free Grape Jelly sammie on an Arnold Sandwich Thin(2 POINTS)with a side of sliced fuji apple(1 POINT)...

The sandwich went down o.k., but the apple was a little too jarring for my mouth, so I skipped eating it and saved it for the daughters' snack.

After running the daughters around to some afterschool activities, I sat down for a soft snack of Oikos Nonfat Greek Yogurt and a BlueBran Vitatop for 3 POINTS...

I finally found the Honey flavor! It was delicious! Probably the sweetest of them all. And the BlueBran Vitatop, well.... it's a Vitatop! How can you go wrong??!!

I had planned ahead for dinner, just in case I was incapacitated somehow from my dentist appointment! Gee, so much for positive thinking, right? Anyway, I yanked out the crockpot this morning and put in 1 lb. frozen chicken breasts, some seasonings - salt,pepper, cumin, garlic and onion powder, chili powder and 1 cup salsa. I cooked it on low until done, then shredded the chicken (didn't need much help -it basically falls apart) and added in 2 tbsp. lite cream cheese. Stir until melted. It is soooo good and 4 POINTS per serving (4 servings total)! I used it to make chicken soft tacos. My plate was 2 soft tacos made with 1 cup shredded chicken, 1 La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Tortilla -cut in half to make 2, half ounce of Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar and some lettuce. To go with it, I had some leftover kale with white beans. A fabulous 7 POINT dinner...

I was able to get this down pretty well. Normally, I would have went crazy with the toppings/veggies for the tacos, but I didn't want to push it since the anesthetic was wearing off and I wasn't sure if I would be sore or not. So far so good! Yay!

After dinner, I took the daughters to a Health Fair at their school. It was interesting and fun. I spent quite a bit of time talking to a registered dietitian there. That was cool!

We got home a little too late for dessert. I had planned on some ice cream, but I'm more tired than anything, so I'm gonna let it go for tonight. I'm popping some Advil, antibiotic and I'm off to sleep. Nite :)

OUCH!

My butt hurts. I know that sounds like a personal problem, but it is really the result of all the floor scrubbing from yesterday! Not only is my butt sore, but so are the back of my legs. Must have been all that crawling and squatting! Hey, who needs a gym when you've got dirty floors!

No time for aching, I had to move my butt to get out of the house on time. Before I left, I had a quick breakfast of cheesy toast made with a slice of Trader Joe's Sprouted Flourless Wheatberry Bread and a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese for 2 POINTS...


I ate a bit light this morning in order to save room for a Tall Caramel Light Frappucino (no whip) for 2 POINTS that I had while having "coffee talk" with a friend...


After we talked amongst ourselves (*said in my best Linda Richmond voice*), I headed to a nearby outdoor trail for a 35 min. run. The last half mile, I ran interval sprints then ended my workout with 30 tricep dips and 10 pushups using a nearby picnic table. Who needs a gym when you have picnic tables??!! Well, without food on them, of course. Cuz that would be a major deterrent ;)


Then, it was home to eat! My stomach was telling me I was ready for lunch. After much debate with myself over what to have, I finally decided on these...


I love these! The breading is terrific and crispy. It's vegan, but it tastes like chicken ;P And you can't beat the nutritionals...

I put the patty on an Ezekiel Bun with some lettuce and 2 slices of center cut bacon (I know, kinda defeats the Vegan part!) and a squirt of Light Ranch. I had this with a lonely but delicious fuji apple since I was out of chips/soy crisps. All in all, a great 7 POINT lunch...

Later on, I had to take big daughter to do some shopping, but thought I better have a snack before we headed out. I didn't want to make the same mistake as yesterday with the pretzels, so I decided on this guy...

So glad I did! It tasted great, which satisfied me. A great 2 POINT choice!

Nothing fancy planned for dinner tonight. It was basically a free for all since the husband wasn't home for din din. I took orders from the daughters and decided on couscous and veggies ( a la Melissa )for myself....

My couscous bowl was made with 2 oz. whole spelt couscous (3 POINTS) and a box of these awesome veggies...

I don't usually call box veggies "awesome", but these are really tasty and the veggies are of a higher quality which don't include "stalks and ends" -ick. Best part is the whole box is 2 POINTS. I also added 1 tsp. olive oil to the couscous - gotta get in that healthy oil!

I definitely had room for dessert, so I ended with 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream topped with some sliced strawberries and a drizzle of Lighthouse Reduced Sugar Caramel Dip. A yummy 2 POINT treat...

Well, I'm hobbling off to bed with my sore gluteous maximus, but before I do I need to announce the winners of the Weight Watchers Baked Good coupon! Using Random Number Integer for all eligible comments, the winners are.....

TJ

The American Homemaker

Diet Diva

Please email me with your addresses and your coupon will be on its way! Thanks to all who entered! I have another giveaway coming up, so stay tuned. It's really fun!!!

Have a great night! Oh, and I just have to say that Ron from The Biggest Loser is a weiner=)

A New Member

I just joined Weight Watchers. Not really. I've been a member since July 2007, but when I went to my meeting this morning, I decided that I am going to pretend that I am a brand new member! Goofy, right? Well, remember that feeling you had when you made the solid decision to embark on a weight loss program? Kinda a mix between disgusted, fed-up, overwhelmed, desperate and excited for a new start? Then, you fully immersed yourself in your program of choice, being extra attentive and hypervigilant about following it to the T. You were very "rah rah" and "I can do it". Well, I tried to channel all those feelings from "day one" and went into my meeting this morning like it was my first. I told the receptionist my plan and she played along. Fresh start. I'm not looking at any of the previous pages of my weigh-in booklet and lamenting over it. I'm just starting new. And how ANNOYING am I that I am one of those people that joins Weight Watchers and only has 10 pounds to lose *wink, wink* ???!!!!

I headed out early for my meeting and rushed back just in time to have some toast before taking little daughter to a make-up dance class. I toasted up 2 slices of Trader Joe's Sprouted Grain Wheat Bread and spread them with 1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge for 3 POINTS...



When we got home, I did some housework and headed to the treadmill for a 35 minute run and 5 minutes of tricep dips/weights.

Before I knew it, it was after 1:00 and time for lunch. Chips made a reappearance in the form of these...

A big serving is only 2 POINTS...

I also made a salmon salad wrap using a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Wrap , a handful of baby spinach and the other half of the salmon salad mix - YUM! I paired it with some carrots for a delish 5 POINT lunch...

I will definitely keep that salmon salad in my normal rotation; it is so good!

I spent some time outside with the husband and daughters. What a glorious day! We had lunch outside and it was so nice!

While prepping for dinner, I realized I was getting hungry. I didn't think I could make it an hour til dinner, so I grabbed this for a snack...

I love this bar just as much as the Peanut Butter flavor!!! I think this may be my fave, though. You can taste and smell the banana flavor and the bits of walnut. These are so great and only 2 POINTS! Thanks again to Robyn at Gnu Foods for introducing me to these beauties!

We broke out the grill for dinner tonight! It was perfect grilling weather. I decided on burgers. I used 96% lean ground beef and some seasonings and formed the patties. I served mine on an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bun with a side(3 oz.) of sweet potato oven fries and grapes. A summery 9 POINT dinner...

and a good old dessert of Deep Chocolate Vitatop with PB2 "icing"! I paired it with 1/2 c. skim milk for a satisfying 3 POINT dessert...

Wow, this Weight Watchers Program is so easy to follow! I ate all the things I loved, but still stayed within my daily POINTS! This is such a great program; I'm gonna tell all my friends! I don't know why I haven't done this before ; )

Fake it til I make it =)

Easter Bunny Says Whoa!!!

I slept like a big fat log last night! I think I was weighted down with all that food! This morning when I woke up, I had no desire for any type of food at all. Usually when I overeat, I feel more hungry the next morning, but not today -blech! Since nothing was appealing, I decided to try out something reaaaaally different. I have been seeing "green smoothies" all over the blogosphere lately. Basically, it's a smoothie made with a mix of veggies and/or fruit. Some use a form of milk, some just use water. I have been intrigued by them, although a bit hesitant to try them because they look, well, like swamp water! Since no food was going to pass my lips this morning, I thought it a good time to try this out; plus I had a huge bag of kale waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. Here's what I came up with...

• 2 handfuls kale
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 c. pineapple
• 5.3 oz container Oikos Nonfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 c. water

Isn't it swampy pretty?????

But, how does it taste??? Yeah, I was thinking the same thing! I was a little nervous to try it, so luckily the Easter Bunny was left lying on the floor by the messy daughters still hanging out at my house and was happy to try out this 4 POINT wonder...

And he said...

Whoa!!! It sure was interesting! I didn't dislike it, but wouldn't say I loved it:) I think what threw it off was the addition of the yogurt; it added a little too much tang for me. I put it in because I was worried that just the veg/fruit wouldn't stick with me for very long, so I thought it would add a good protein shot. I'll definitely try this again; I bet with some tweaking of ingredients, it would be really good. If you've tried this, I'm open to any suggestions!

After my green experience, I headed to the treadmill for another run. I felt tired, but I managed to crank out 45 min. Glad I did; I always feel so good after a run!

Lunchtime was paninis for everyone. Mine was leftover ham, 1 oz. Cabot's 75% reduced fat cheddar and a squirt of dijonnaise on Trader Joe's Sprouted Flourless Wheat Bread. I had 1/2 apple, pineapple and some carrots for the side. A very healthy 6 POINT lunch...

Later in the afternoon, I started to feel munchie. I had just the right snack in mind. Last week, Robyn from Gnu Foods sent me these cool bars...

I was looking forward to trying them! Not only are they all-natural with no high-fructose corn syrup, but they have the most fiber in a baked bar - 12 grams!!!! Best of all, the bars are only 130-140 calories and between 3-5 gr. fat which works out to only 2 POINTS!! I received samples of Banana Walnut, Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Raisin, Orange Cranberry and Chocolate Brownie. They all sounded so good, I had trouble picking which to dive into first. I was tempted to go with Chocolate Brownie, but I decided on the Peanut Butter...

It is a very healthy looking bar...

As soon as I opened it, I could smell the peanut butter! I have to say that I absolutely LOVED this bar!!! It had a great peanut butter taste and a nice chewy texture. A little "seedy"; I believe that's the millet, but I enjoyed that bit of texture. This was a terrific 2 POINT snack and good for you! These bars are available at Trader Joe's and The Vitamin Shoppe stores along with www.GnuFoods.com . I'm looking forward to trying out the other flavors. Thanks, Robyn!!

That bar held me over so well that I wasn't in a big hurry for dinner. Actually, I made dinner for the husband and daughters (and daughter's friend!) and waited a bit for my own. I decided on Stuffed Pepper Soup from the freezer. I also added 1/2 c. leftover cannellini beans. This made it an extra hearty 4 POINT bowl...

I also dug in to an Arnold Sandwich Thin with 1 tbsp. white bean hummus for another 2 POINTS...

Ugh, I was full after all that! However, this caught my eye ...

and I "forced" myself to have 1/2 c. for 4 POINTS. Boy, real ice cream tastes gooooood....

Glad I was able to get back on track today and not let the overindulgence of yesterday continue on. Although, the leftover ricotta pie was calling my name! I didn't answer. Today ;)

Have a great night!!

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 =)