Candy Corn On The Brain

Okay, I’ll try to keep you awake with my dazzling personality, but food-wise, you may be bored to tears!  I’m still trying to get my creativity act together for some exciting meals.  Thanks for all your comments about meal planning!  Nice to see that many of you do consider planning ahead essential and an important tool in staying on the healthy eating road.

Here’s my “semi-planned” day…

I knew I had a full morning of errands, so I made sure to fuel up properly before hitting the gym.  I have been craving carbs like a mother the past few days, so I toasted up a whole wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin and topped it with PB & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter.  Oh my greatness…

Then, I was off to the gym with a vengeance.  Gotta burn off those freakin’  full of sugar- made by the devil-have to keep eating til the whole dish is practically gone- tempted to buy more to fill the bowl- CANDY CORN.  I hit up The Arc Trainer for 30 minutes of hill intervals with alternating incline and resistance which was, dare I say, kinda fun?  I moved on to some arm and ab work on the weight machines for another 25 minutes.  I worked them pretty well;  my arms were all wobbly when I was done!  Be gone, CANDY CORN!!!

I spent the rest of the morning in chicken-with –head- cut –off mode.  I got in some grocery shopping, too, where I picked up a variety of meats and other things that I have no idea what I am going to do with whatsoever.  Hey, but at least I have some stuff to start with!!!  Is it possible that CANDY CORN can damage your brain somehow that you can’t think properly or concentrate?  Like it has some mind numbing properties in it that render you brainless after eating it?  No?  Okay, just checking.  Then, it’s gotta be the kids.  Always their fault ;)  I digress…

I came home with my random bags of groceries and unloaded, then looked around for an interesting lunch.  Uh………….Or as my Dad would say, “BOH”, which is his Italian version of  “uh”.  I finally decided on a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Lentil Soup.  Pay close attention.  This is a very difficult recipe… 

• take can out of kitchen cabinet (careful!  It’s a bit heavy and if you accidentally drop it on your foot, it’s a very bad thing.  Trust me.  I know.)
• using a non-rusted can opener, open can.  Again, carefully.  You can cut yourself on the sharp edges of the can top.  Trust me.  I know.
• pour contents of can into a saucepan (if you’re feeling fancy) or just stick it in a bowl and nuke away.
• eat and enjoy.  But, don’t overheat it and dive in out of starvation because you can burn the bejesus out of your tongue.  Trust me.  Yeah, I know.

The end result is this fabulous bowl of soup…

Served with a handful of nice cool grapes to put out the fire that you may have set in your mouth if you weren’t careful…

During the homework tackling frenzy, I munched on a good handful of mixed nuts…

and a few more cashew that I fished out of the container.  They’re my fave :)

I had some ground beef defrosting and planned on making Barbeque Meatloaf for dinner.  Yay for a plan!  I mixed 96% lean ground beef with an egg, some bread crumbs and 1/4 c. barbeque sauce.  I formed it into a loaf, topped it with another 2 tbsp. of barbeque sauce and baked at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.  I served it with a side of Green Giant Immune Blend Veggies mixed with some corn and a side of whole wheat orzo…

The husband and one daughter loved it and declared it the best dinner ever.  Hmmmm….they must want something…

I won’t get into the histrionics that ensued with the other daughter who shall remain little daughter nameless little daughter.  Suffice it to say, meatloaf is not her favorite.

I ended the night with a few more handfuls of crack candy corn.  Yes, yes I did.  I did not learn my crack lesson and ventured over to the dark side again.  Did you know that there is no such thing as CANDY CORN ANONYMOUS?  Seriously, I looked and looked, but there is no support group for this addiction.  How can this be??  Very sad.  Many people could benefit from this, I think :)

Have a great, candy corn-less, day!!

ONE GOOD THING:  The candy corn is almost gone ;P

Question of the Day:  What is the one food you can’t have in the house/office because it’s too tempting?

Working It Out

I slept until 7:30 this morning!  Ugh, it’s going to be brutal getting up at 6 a.m. in 2 more days!  My goal is to be more organized this school year, so we’ll see how that goes…

Since I was such a slacker this morning, I went right to breakfast instead of working out first.  I was in the mood for a Yogurt Bowl.  This mix was Chobani nonfat plain yogurt, a handful of questionable strawberries (made into syrup), 3 chopped walnuts and 1 tbsp. shredded coconut…

I love these Yogurt Bowls!  It is filling (greek yogurt has a ton of protein) yet, light enough that I can workout right after without it bothering my stomach.  And I did just that!  I hit the treadmill with my suicide bomber weight vest and walked at a medium pace for 40 minutes.  Then, I tried some of  THESE awesome moves suggested to me by the Superhero of the Fitness World… MizFit!  I will have Arms of Steel one day!  Right now, it’s just Wings of Wobble…

Before I headed out the door for some errands, I had a quick lunch.  Nothing fancy, just a reheat of last night’s Grilled Veggie Pizza…

I still wanted a bite of something, so I nibbled on 1/2 of a Choco – Cranberry- Almond Granola Bar …..

I had to hit the supermarket, AGAIN, then picked up Gram to come over for Sunday Dinner.  On the menu tonight…

Chicken Cacciatore…

Whole Wheat Orzo…

Cauliflower and Zucchini Gratin…

Tossed Salad…

and Seven Grain Bread…

My plate…

and a side plate (x2)...

I did nibble on a piece of the bread, but decided to stop since I was feeling just right.

I ended the night with a cup of Teeccino while losing badly at Bingo…

Have a great night everyone!!

ONE GOOD THING :  Anytime that I felt anxious today and wanted to eat  due to it, I took a moment to “feel the feeling” instead of just rushing to feed it.

Calling All Shredders!

My goal for February is to do the 30 Day Shred every day. It's a butt kickin workout in 20 minutes and we all can find 20 min. right??? I know many of you have tried it already, so now I'm calling all "shredders" to join me in my February Shred Challenge! C'mon peeps, you know ya want to look like Jillian and her girls, so LET'S DO THIS!!! I read some great reviews from some first-time shredders today; check out Kari's "picture that says a thousand words" and Heather's most hilarious review that I have ever read! You will pee your pants; we did =0D


Okay, let's get to the food...
I did my normal early morning elliptical workout for 30 minutes. Got the daughters off to school and had a quick breakfast of Puffins with 1/2 c. milk and sliced strawberries (3 POINTS)...



Lunch was a cup of black bean soup (1 POINT), hummus wrap with roasted pepper and lettuce (3 POINTS) and an apple (1 POINT). Notice the lack of chips, lately?? I'm "trying" to cut back!


Afternoon snack was the most delicious snack, ever! I used 3 TJ's flax and honey flatbread crackers, spread them with 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge and topped with 1 oz. smoked salmon. An amazing 3 POINTS...

I loved that snack so much that I saw more salmon in my future =) Future came fast, dinner was....Salmon! Trader Joe's makes these great Salmon Roulettes that are stuffed with a spinach filling for 4 POINTS. Best part is that you can microwave them without it making them gross or dried out. Three minutes later, it's on your plate! I paired it with 2 0z. whole wheat orzo and a salad dressed with 1 tsp. evoo and vinegar. A fantastic 8 POINT dinner...

A bit after dinner, I headed to Shred it! Still Level 1; don't foresee getting to Level 2 anytime in the near future! I haven't even watched it; not even going there!

I was feeling for a dessert tonight. I know this isn't news as I have dessert every night! It was a tough decision tonight because I am out of my luscious Vitatops. I placed an order from their website for a special Valentine's Day package (they emailed this to me) which I'm really excited about because they are including a limited edition Banana Fudge flavor. Wowza! Can't wait!!!!!
Until then, I had a graham cracker topped with PB2 and a bit of Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam for 2 POINTS...

So, what do ya think, Shredders?? Are you in?? Let me know and we'll check in on each other to keep us going! C'mon...let's get shredded!!!