Blog Business

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, I'm gonna get right to it. First, I have some blog business to get to. The winner of the Dogtoys Giveaway is Julie from The Tale of a Southern Belle! Thanks so much to all of you for entering. This was a fun giveaway to be able to highlight getting healthy with our dogs! Dogtoys.com has thousands of cool items, so be sure to check them out for your pet needs!

Next up is this award...

I was given this award from Kelly, The Incredible Shrinking Family and MoraPiggy. Thank you guys so much! I think you are also SUPER! I would like to extend this to Rebecca at Fat Fitness Food, Kari at Taking Back Control and Kathi at Ever Winding Road. I would love to name a thousand more! You are all so wonderful and I enjoy reading all the blogs!

Okay, on to the food...


The sun was shining this morning and I could not wait to get out and RUN! I am still amazed that I say that! I popped in my tunes and went for a nice 35 minute run around my hilly neighborhood. I felt great but, I still get the hip issue when I'm done. I'm gonna work on the stretching exercises that Rebecca and Manderz recommended. When I came in, I decided to try a variation of my bulgur cereal. This time I made Banana Apricot Bulgur Cereal. This one was so good! This mix was...

• 1 c. water
• 3 tbsp. bulgur
• 1 tbsp. oat bran
• 1/2 ripe banana, diced
• 2 dried apricots, diced
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 packet Splenda (optional)

I loved this; it was filling and sweet! A hearty 3 POINT breakfast...

After breakfast, I rushed off to help out at Gram's apartment. Still lots of unpacking and arranging going on. She's almost set up, though. My parents had to run to the hardware store for a few more things and they stopped to pick up lunch, too. Mom made me a nice salad from the supermarket salad bar. She made sure to include all my favorites: baby spinach, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, cucumbers,hard boiled egg, tomatoes, a sprinkling of chicken and edamame! She got a side of lowfat Sundried Tomato dressing, too. A filling lunch; I estimated at 4 POINTS...

I also snacked on some of Gram's Triscuits for another 2 POINTS. Sorry no pic!

When I headed home, I felt hungry and had a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt with 1/2 Kashi TLC Fruit and Grain Raspberry Chocolate Bar...

Yummy 2 POINTS...

The husband and daughters were doing pizza for dinner, so I decided to go with a relaxed "burgers and fries" dinner. I made oven baked sweet potato fries and discovered something to help crisp them - after you cut the sweet potato into fries, soak them in water for about an hour, then dry and bake. They come out more crispy that way. Along with the fries, I had a Chickpea Spinach Almond Burger on and Arnold Sandwich Thin with sliced cucumbers, red onion and a tsp. nonfat sour cream. I threw in some leftover veggies, too but, I have to admit, it was a bit too much. I was pretty full and didn't finish the veggies. My eyes were bigger than my stomach for this 8 POINT dinner...

Since I was so full, I didn't want to force myself to eat some dessert "just because" I'm used to eating it. So, no dessert for me. Hmmm.... do you think my Vitatops are getting lonely in the freezer?? I've dissed them 2 nights in a row!

Tomorrow is my WW meeting and weigh-in. I'm hoping for some scale love:) I'll let ya know!

Have a great night :D

Which Came First???

It still feels like winter out there! The sun was shining, but it was freezing. There was no running outside; I'm just too cold! I've been trying to change things up a bit this week, so I planned on working out later in the morning and eat breakfast first.

I went with another open faced omelette this morning. I made a mexican inspired one using 3 egg whites with chopped green pepper, 1 oz. Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar and salsa. Yum! I also had a toasted Ezekiel english muffin with some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. An eyeful for 4 POINTS...


A little while after, I headed to the elliptical for 45 min. of heart pumping and brain numbing TV watching! I wore my weighted vest with 15 lbs. which amped up the workout. I'm really enjoying watching TV while doing my workout. I was switching between Rachel Ray and The Real (Idiotic) Housewives of New York! Gripping TV! I love it!!!

I ran to the produce store to get some much needed fruits/veg; then came home and chopped up a bazillion carrot sticks. I buy the 3 lb. bag, chop them into sticks and put them in ziploc bags in the fridge so that I will chose carrots instead of cookies :) Sounds like a good plan, right???

I assembled a big salad for lunch. I used green leaf lettuce, carrots!, tomato, chicken and 1 oz. Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese(again). For the dressing, I mixed 1 tbsp. Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch with 2 tbsp. salsa (again). A delicious 5 Point combo...

After the exciting task of scrubbing the bathroom, I fixed a snack for myself and the daughters. They chose fresh plums and hard boiled eggs! Aren't they healthy??? They really surprise me with their choices sometimes. If I were a kid, I would be getting out the cookies! This could be why I am overweight and they are not! They really do eat intuitively; I hope I can continue to honor that about them and not be a food pusher. I don't want them to lose that innate part of them and have food issues when they get older. Sorry for the tangent! Anyway, I wanted to be healthy, too, so I made a bowl filled with Weight Watchers Berries and Cream Yogurt, 4 strawberries and 1/2 c. Fiber One Cereal for a yummy 2 POINTS...

And for dinner.... more chicken! I made baked chicken thighs and drums seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper and onion powder. To go with it, I had 1/2 c. creamed corn and a side of tofu fries - yum! For the tofu fries, I used Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu, sliced it into fry shape and sprinkled it with a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika. I baked the fries in the oven on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray for about 30 -35 min. at 400 degrees (along with the chicken). These were great, especially dipped in ketchup! The daughters even tried ONE and didn't hate :) A protein packed 8 POINT dinner...

I was pretty full after this dinner, but we ate on the early side tonight, so I felt like I wanted a little something later. I went with a nice cup of coffee with skim milk and a Weight Watchers Chocolate Chip Cookie for 2 POINTS...

Another day with not many munching feelings! Me likey :)

Hope everyone had an excellent day!!!

Grillin And Chillin

What a beautiful morning! I woke up to a balmy 60 degrees, so I definitely wanted to do a 5K Saturday outside today. It was a nice run; my outside time seems to be a lot better than my treadmill time for some reason. I did notice that it was a bit tougher to run in the warmer weather. I wasn't dressed properly either( long sleeves), so that may have had something to do with it. Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful also, so I may have to add a 5K Sunday, too!



Breakfast was a "grab and go". After my run, I showered and had to do a couple quick errands, so I grabbed this on my way out the door...







These are okay. Not much bang for the "Weight Watchers buck". One cookie is 180 cal., 6 gr. fat and 5 gr. fiber which is 3 POINTS. Not very filling, but it was fine in a pinch.



Lunch was a turkey, cheese and spinach pita. I used 2 oz. turkey, 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge, and a handful of baby spinach stuffed in a Weight Watchers Pita. A serving of Kettle Baked Potato Chips (Hickory Barbeque) and an orange made it a filling 6 POINT lunch...

My parents and Gram met us at big daughter's basketball game this afternoon and then came back to the house to hang out and have dinner with us. They came bearing some grocery goodies - for me! One of them was Peanut Butter Puffins! I had to break into them right away. I had a 3/4 c. serving (2 POINTS) with a Weight Watchers Vanilla Yogurt (1 POINT). So yummy; I may have to "hide" the box...

I wanted to make a big healthy dinner for everyone tonight. I had planned on chicken and since it was so nice out, I decided to get my grillin on. I cooked the chicken thighs and legs on the grill with some barbeque sauce and also, grilled some sliced zucchini. I also fired up the stove to roast some potatoes, red and green peppers and onions. I completed the healthy menu with a salad, leftover bruschetta topping and rustic bread. I took a little of everything. Lots of red and green! A great 9 POINT family dinner (sorry for the sloppy pic!)...

Dessert tonight was more red and green ...

Where's the chocolate???!!!! It was THERE, believe me! Another goodie that they brought was a chocolate cake! My mom also brought a sugar free chocolate dip which I just had a smidge of. Since I did some damage last night, I decided on "damage control" tonight. The strawberries were nice and sweet and I had coffee to go with it, so I felt satisfied.

Back on track! Something about the warm weather and the thought of bathing suits and shorts really helps out with that ;) Have a great night everyone and thanks so much for your wonderful comments! I love reading them and they really help me get back on track and refocused! MUWAH =)

When The Plan Works

Weigh-in went well today! I was down 3.4 lbs. from my BLBE weigh-in last week. Whew, that was a good feeling! Actually, I felt pretty relaxed when I got on the scale this morning; I really wasn't worrying about what it was going to say because I felt satisfied with all I did this week. I knew that if it didn't show up this week, it would later, so I was o.k. either way. Buuuuut, I LOVE IT when a plan comes together like today!!!



I also headed to my WW meeting this morning. Before I went, I got in a 45 minute treadmill run. After a quick shower, I rushed out the door, so I only grabbed this to munch on after the meeting...







I knew this 2 POINT bar wouldn't last long. I was ready for lunch early. I decided on a Buffalo Turkey Burger. I cooked it on the George Foreman Grill and put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin topped with lettuce and 1 tbsp. Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. Mmmm.... I love this burger! On the side, I went with a serving of Kettle Baked Potato Chips and some carrots with another tbsp. of dressing. Yummy 7 POINT lunch...


I went with a big snack today since dinner was going to be late. I had a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt with 1/2 c. blueberries, 2 strawberries and a serving of that long named Trader Joe's cereal that I like ;) A big 3 POINT bowl...

I was really looking forward to my dinner tonight - BAKED TOFU!!! I have been craving this after seeing different versions all over the blogosphere! I even dabbled in it a little a couple of years ago when I was "vegetarian" for a few months. So, I decided to feed my craving tonight since the husband and daughters were going to have ravioli for dinner and I don't like to spend the POINTS on those. To make the baked tofu, I used a seasoning of 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. molasses and 1 tbsp. ketchup mixed together and rubbed onto slices of lite firm tofu and baked on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray for about 30 -40 minutes at 425 degrees. It comes out crispy and slightly chewy. I love the "meaty" texture! I can't wait to eat the leftovers in a sandwich :) Using the lite tofu made this so low POINT - the entire recipe is only 4 POINTS!

To go with the baked tofu, I had a bunch of broccoli and a couple small sweet potatoes. A very "veggie -tarian" 7 POINT dinner...

And you know, I can't help myself...

A luscious 2 POINTS!

So, I've been working the plan this week and the plan has been working. I am 2.4 lbs. away from the 150's!!!! HOLY CRAP! I have not seen those numbers in................ever??? I'm sure I weighed that at some time or other, but I think I was in my teens. I'm going to try to keep focused as best as possible so that I can get there. I need a "self-sabotage free" couple of weeks to get me there. Here goes.....

White And WINNERS!!!

Boy, did it snow today- everything was WHITE!!! I was thrilled to sleep in a little and putter around the house. I got in a bit of laundry and made some "freeze-ahead" meals. Time flies when you're having fun ;) Really flies. I'm embarassed to say that I am still in my pj's! Well, no use changing now!



Even though, it was a cold morning and I should want something warm, I was in the mood for cold cereal! I think it's because I am addicted to this TJ's High Fiber Fruit and Nut Multigrain Medley. If I am going to keep eating this, I will have to come up with a shorter name cuz this is ridiculous!!! I ate my cereal (how's that???) with 1 c. blueberries and 1/2 c. unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze for 3 POINTS...





Lunch was a roasted pepper, spinach and cheese sammie on whole wheat tuscan pane with a side of split pea soup and a handful of grapes for 6 POINTS...




I felt like having a snack this afternoon, mainly because I was bored moreso than hungry. I realize this is not in accordance with Intuitive Eating, but at least I was able to recognize that instead of going into an eating trance like I normally do. I guess it's all part of the journey;) So, I gave in to my snack attack with a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt topped with a crumbled FiberPlus Chocolate Chip Bar for 3 POINTS... Can you tell I'm trying to "use up" my "bar stash"??!!

I also ended up grabbing a few other snacks; a couple chocolates and some bites of this and that. I wasn't too worried because I haven't used any of my extra Weekly Allowance POINTS, yet this week. Hmm...seems I say this and then, the next day I go haywire, but I really am committed this week, so there will be no "haywire behavior"!!

Dinner was a serving of Italian Meatloaf, sauteed eggplant, tomatoes,chickpeas and a whole wheat roll. Wait, make that 2 rolls. Yep, more Weekly Allowance POINTS! It was a very brown 12 POINT dinner...

And I can't let the day go without dessert. Here's a childhood favorite with a twist: PB2 Smores! Graham cracker, large marshmallow, 1 Hershey's kiss and PB2. A 3 POINT blast from the past...

Before I head to bed, I have to....... (Shred would have fit really well in here, but...) strength train! Yep, that's my new goal for March! I'm gonna switch things up a bit and do a strength training routine from my Exercise Anywhere cards on M,W,F and save the cardio for the other days. I've been doing cardio every day for 19 months, so it feels a little weird to not be doing that today! But, I'm willing to try it out for this month and see what happens with the scale and my body :) Oh, and speaking of Exercise Anywhere cards, I need to announce the winners of my very first giveaway!!!! The winners are Bre and Me, Only Better !!!! Thanks so much to everyone for participating; I hope to have more giveaways in the future!!

Have a great night =)

Sayonara Shred!!!

Whew, the February Shred Challenge is over!!!!!! Holy Moly, that was the longest 28 days of my life! LOL!!! Seriously though, what an awesome workout. I do really like this DVD; it was tough but I loved that it was only 20 min. I think it will definitely remain in my workout rotation, just not everyday like I did for the challenge! Even the husband is hooked and will keep doing it 2x a week. So now for the RESULTS! Was all this Shredding worth it??? Well, I jumped out of bed this morning, popped in the Shred and huffed that baby out for the last time this month, then grabbed my measuring tape for the big reveal. Here's the inches lost list...

• arms - 1/2 " each
• chest - 1/2 "
• waist - 1 "
• hips - 3/4"
• legs - 3/4" each

That's a total of 4 1/4" lost! Hey, not too bad for 28 days! Actually, I can't claim all 28 days; I did miss 2 days and probably had a couple "half-assed" Shreds when I just kinda went through the motions but didn't give it my all. This wasn't my only form of exercise; I still got in the elliptical and runs, but I definitely see the difference in my arms the most. I have developed a nice muscle on the sides of my arms, I'm thinking from all those stinkin push-ups! And my abs definitely feel "six pack-ish" under the 3" layer of fat that is currently covering it. So, even though I am not fully "shredded", I am happy with my results and proud of myself for sticking with the Challenge. To all the Shredders who hung in there with me during this Challenge, please feel free to post your experience or measurement results in my comments or link to your blog if you are posting them there. I'd love to see how everyone made out! Okay, let's get to the food...

After the Shred and measuring, I made a quick breakfast of 2/3 c. TJ's High Fiber Fruit and Nut Multigrain Medley with 1/2 banana and 1/2 c. unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze for 3 POINTS...

Then, I headed to my friend, Rosemary's baby shower. It was a lovely shower; she got lots of cute stuff for her little guy. A nice buffet lunch was served and I was happy to see some healthy choices. I chose a mixed greens salad, sauteed veggies and about 2 oz. of sliced steak. I had my own dressing packet that I keep in my purse and used that for the salad which made it a friendly 5 POINT lunch...


I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about whipping out my camera at this shower filled with people that I didn't know, but I sat next to the guest of honor and she knows about(and has appeared) on my blog, so I didn't feel as odd to take a quick pic! Ugh, the woes of the food blogger!!!

A little after I arrived home from the shower, I was feeling hungry. Big daughter had a late basketball game scheduled and I knew we would be eating a really late dinner, so I made a filling snack of a Weight Watchers Vanilla Yogurt topped with a crumbled Chocolate Brownie Clif Z Bar for 3 POINTS...


Dinner was very late, so I had planned a soup and "make your own panini" night. I went with 1 c. Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Soup and a panini made with rustic whole wheat bread, 2 tbsp white bean hummus, 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge, baby spinach and sliced tomato. A comforting and quick 6 POINT dinner...

Since, I showed great restraint today at the shower by not eating the amazing looking cake or THE BROWNIES that were displayed so seductively on a tray, I decided to treat myself to a wonderful dessert. Okay, who am I kidding - you all know I "treat" myself to dessert EVERY NIGHT!!!!! But, anyway, I tried to make this one special; a " bananas foster - inspired "sundae. I sauteed a medium sliced banana in a nonstick pan coated with a bit of cooking spray then, stirred in Lighthouse Reduced Sugar Caramel Dip to coat bananas and poured this over 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream. Mmmm...warm bananas and caramel ROCK! A "better than those brownies" dessert for 4 POINTS...

That's the day! Hope it's been a great Saturday! Nite =)

It's A Great Day For My First Giveaway!

It's Friday! I am so excited to offer my first Giveaway to my awesome blog readers! The uber-cool folks at NuruPlanet recently sent me their Exercise Anywhere cards to check out and I have to say this couldn't have come at a better time! I have been interested in changing up my workout routine and want to incorporate more strength training, but where to start??? Well, this solved my dilema! This deck of 30 cards has fully illustrated exercises for every major muscle group, includes sample weekly routines and even a Cardio Lab that features at-home interval training workouts. This is everything you would find in an exercise book or on a fitness website, but all contained on these portable cards that are small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. How cool is that????




And it's all in the palm of your hand...

So, NuruPlanet has offered to send these Exercise Anywhere decks to 2 lucky winners-USA and Canada only - sorry my overseas friends:( Just leave me a comment to be entered to win; I'll announce the winners on Monday!!!

Now, let's get to the food! I ate an early breakfast this morning; the husband and I had a "workout date" planned, so I ate before heading out. I went with a "mock egg McMuffin" using a Thomas' Light English Muffin topped with egg white, a slice of 2% cheese and a slice of center cut bacon. Better for you than Mickey D's and only 3 POINTS...

The husband and I dropped the daughters off at school and headed out for our "workout date" (with the dog!). We went on a 40 min. hike through the steep and hilly woods. This always makes me feel so out of shape! I am huffing and puffing up the hills like nobody's business! The husband walks so fast, too , so it's hard to keep up! It was nice though and the dog had a blast crashing through the woods! He got an awesome workout. Then, we came home and the husband suggested we do the Level 3 Shred together! He does the advanced moves and I do the scaled down version, but it is still darn hard and I am SO changing my name to "Anita" when I am done with this Challenge tomorrow! LOL!!

After Shred and shower, I went to meet my friend, Jenn ( HI Jenn!!!) for lunch at Cosi. This was my first time at Cosi; it's a neat place. My eyes immediately went to the desserts, but I shielded them like a horse with blinders and settled on a Bombay Light Chicken Salad with fat-free balsamic dressing and 1/2 of their delicious flatbread. A nice lunch for 6 POINTS...

After a nice chatty lunch, I ran some errands. One of my stops was Trader Joe's where I found this yummy High Fiber Fruit and Nut Multigrain Medley cereal...

Seriously, could that name be any longer?????? Anyway, it is a delicious mix of high fiber clusters, raisins, cranberries, almonds and pecans (although, not much in the nut dept.). A 2/3 c. serving is 90 cal., 1.5 gr. fat and 7 gr. fiber for 1 POINT. It was a great snack mixed with a Weight Watchers Berries and Cream Yogurt for 2 POINTS...

That held me over nicely until dinner. The husband and daughters had pizza but, I had a craving for burgers so I made a Buffalo Turkey Burger! I took 4 oz. of ground turkey breast and added to it some finely minced onion and celery, a dash of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and 1 tbsp. Frank's Hot Sauce. I mixed it all together, formed it into a patty and pan fried it in a nonstick skillet. Then, I put it on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, topped with lettuce and 1 tbsp. Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. So delicious, lots of flavor and a hearty serving! I had a side salad with some additional blue cheese dressing to go with this awesome burger, all for 5 POINTS...

I did have a few nibbles of pizza, but only about 2 POINTS worth. Thankfully, I wasn't that into it tonight. The burger really was satisfying, in flavor and volume. But, I always have room for dessert! My combo tonight was a Banana Fudge Vitatop with 1/2 c. Breyer's Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream and a squirt of fat-free whipped cream for 2 POINTS...

Banana, fudge AND CARAMEL!!! Yes, it's a beauuuuuutiful thing =)

Don't forget to leave a comment here for your chance to Exercise Anywhere!!!!!!

Have a great night!

Back In Action

I was so glad to be outside today!! I was a little disappointed in the weather; I thought is was going to be sunny and warmer for my morning run, but that wasn't the case. In any event, I got the daughters off to school and headed out for my run. I was a bit weak this run, but after I got going, I felt better. As I was walking my cul-de-sac to cool down, my neighbor asked me if I wanted to walk, so I walked a little with her, too! Hi, Dana!!! Then, I came in to Shred! I realized after posting last night, that I forgot to list my Shred for yesterday afternoon. I got it in, even though little daughter was bugging the bejesus out of me during it!! Anyway, there are only 2 DAYS LEFT to the Shred Challenge! Hallelujah!

After my morning exercise extravaganza, I made a breakfast of Thomas' Light English Muffin with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light and a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt for 3 POINTS...


I had some shopping to do after, then stopped home to eat a quick lunch. I went with an Arnold Sandwich Thin with 2 oz. turkey, 1 tbsp. white bean hummus, lettuce and tomato, a serving of Soy Crisps and a side of carrots. A speedy 5 POINT lunch...


For a lunchtime goodie, I had one of these Luna Cookies. I have to say they taste more like a "bar" than a cookie. In fact, they have the same texture and chewiness of the Clif Z Bars that I like (hmmm.... they ARE the same company). This Chocolate Mint flavor was 130 cal., 3 gr. fat and 3 gr. fiber which comes to 2 POINTS. It was tasty, but I think the Clif Z Chocolate Brownie Bar is better and much less expensive! I paid 1.69 for the Luna Cookie, but I get the Clif Z Bars at Trader Joe's for 69 cents! Huge difference, but I am a sucker for packaging and these "looked cute" ...



Well, this lunchtime dessert led to another in the form of the last No Pudge Brownie! I counted this 2 POINT treat in my tracker right away and then got the heck out of the house before I started digging for something else! It worked and I felt my munching feeling go away. I was glad about that; I really wanted to stay on track today.

The afternoon flew by with the usual grind of homework and projects. I decided to forego afterschool activities since this was little daughter's first day back to school this week. The husband was working late, so the daughter's got to have their choice for dinner. I bought lots of baby eggplant at the produce store today, so I decided to work my dinner around those cuties. I ended up with Eggplant, Tomato and Chick Pea Rigatoni! I sauteed 3 baby eggplant in 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic and a bit of sliced onion. I added 3/4 c. canned petite diced tomatoes ,1/2 c. drained chick peas, some basil, salt and pepper. I let this simmer while I cooked 1 c. rigatoni pasta. I topped the pasta with the eggplant mixture and 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese. Oh my greatness! I think I could eat this delicious 7 POINT dinner every night...

Then, it was dessert - AGAIN! I went back to my good old fave - Triple Chocolate Vitatop with PB2/fluff icing for 2 POINTS...

And that was my back in action/on track day! So, a couple things before I go: a) my BLBE WI sucked royally this morning - +2.8 lbs. But, that was no big surprise since the wagon that I fell off "crashed and burned" this week! b) I feel very relaxed. What I mean is, I am not having a fit or flipping out about this gain. I know why it happened and I know it's gonna happen sometimes. And I'm o.k. about it. It's not forever. I am not going backward . I'm not going to gain back 70 lbs. I'm going to keep on trying til I get to goal; then I'm going to keep on trying to lead the healthy lifestyle that I need to so that I can keep the weight off for my lifetime. Yesiree!

Have a great night!

Homebound- Day 2

Little daughter is still sick, so another day in the house. One would think I would get a myriad of things done around here, but on these sick days, I tend to sit with the sickie all day and not do much of anything! House is still a mess, clothes unlaundered, food barely made. I have had zip in the creativity dept. lately with my food. I really need to get some planning done with some new recipes on the menu to spice things up around here! I gotta get a fire goin under this butt! So, onto my boring food today...



Breakfast was whole wheat pumpkin blueberry pancakes that I had in the freezer with a side of 1/2 Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt (split with little d -why do they have to eat MY stuff!!) topped with a few slices of banana for 3 POINTS...





After breakfast, I forced myself to do Level 3 Shred. Hanging around the house has made me very lazy, but I knew this was the only exercise I was going to do today, so I did my best "bad-ass" workout. Jillian was happy; she told me so. She says that at the end; it's way after the part when she tells you she wants you to feel like you're gonna die ;) Only 4 days left, Shredders!!!



For lunch, I wanted a giant shaker of salt with shavings of chocolate on the side. I didn't think that would look very nice on the plate, so I opted for a Chicken BLT using a leftover thin sliced chicken breast (1 1/2 oz.) on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, topped with 2 slices of center cut bacon, lettuce, tomato and a tiny squirt of Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. On the side, I had a serving of Baked Cheddar and Sour Cream Lays Chips and a sliced apple for health's sake. A salty-licious 7 POINT lunch...



Just like yesterday, more chips followed along with some chocolates all while reading my new book that I got at the library, Intuitive Eating ! Seems I need more work in this area ;) So, here's a positive- during this eatfest of salt and sweet, I downed a TON of water! That's good, right?? Definitely got in all my WATER today! The bloat has set in and I am fairly certain that I have gained 40 lbs. today :0



Dinner was quick and easy. The daughters wanted breakfast for dinner - cool! I went with the same for myself. I made an egg sammie made with egg whites, baby spinach and a slice of 2 % cheese on a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel along with a side of carrots and grapes. An easy, healthy, back on track 4 POINT dinner...

I'm just gonna keep trying. Keep reeling it in everytime I go off the wagon. There is no other choice; just keep on keepin on. Eventually, it will click and I'll be on a roll again. Right???? Right!!!

And brownies are on the wagon!! At least these guys are. They do not cause "pudge" - the box says so! Best of all, they are only 2 POINTS. I went with a naked one tonight...

Okay, tomorrow is a new day and it will be another homebound day with little daughter. I have pretty much eaten every salty and sweet snack in the house, so I think I should be pretty good tomorrow!!LOL! I plan on making a new and exciting dinner that no one will eat except me because it will be healthy and POINT friendly and I will spend the day dancing around the house singing, "what have you done today, to make you feeeeeel proud". It's gonna be a great day =0)

You Said Let's Shred!

The February Shred Challenge is on - thanks so much for my buddies who decided to join me! You guys are awesome and you know misery loves company!! So here's what I'm thinking, how about we take our measurements now and then, again at the end of the Challenge? That way, we can really document the difference in our bodies (hopefully, along with the weight loss, too!) At the end, we can post our results(only if you feel comfortable doing that). I took measurements of the following body parts: arms, chest, waist, hips (lordy) and thighs (double lordy). After that information, I should Shred morning, noon and night ;)

Now for the food...
The daughters had a snow delay this morning, so we got to fiddle around this morning before getting to school. I ate breakfast with little daughter while she read her books to me. I had a lite english muffin topped with 2 tbsp. PB2 and a tsp. Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam and 1/2 sliced banana for 3 POINTS...



When everyone was off to school, I headed to the basement for a 30 min. treadmill run. Then, I went straight into The Shred ("no resting "as Jillian would say). Whew, my legs were burning! But, after seeing those measurements...ugh...I got some work to do!!!

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning myself up and then, the house. I was sprucing up the kitchen when my delivery of Vitatops came! Oh JOY, look at this stash...

I ordered 4 different flavors: Triple Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate Dream, Deep Chocolate and Banana Fudge. A chocolate extravaganza!!! I can't tell you how badly I wanted to dive into that new Banana Fudge flavor, but I exercised great restraint and decided to save it for dessert :)

Although, chocolate was on my mind for lunch, I went with a Boca Burger on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, topped with a slice of 2% cheese, lettuce, tomato and a squirt of ketchup. A side of carrots and a giant pear took the place of my beloved chips, but I seem to be doing o.k. without them! A "filling foods" 5 POINT lunch...

My afternoon snack was a chocolate Vitatop a Weight Watchers Strawberry Yogurt topped with 1/4 c. blueberries, 2 strawberries and 1/4 c. high fiber cereal for 2 POINTS...

The husband and daughters were having hot dogs and mac n' cheese for dinner tonight. Real low-cal ;) I took the opportunity to have something that would completely gross them out. I made an omelette using 3 egg whites, 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge and 2 oz. smoked salmon. I had a side salad with Marie's Lite Chunky Blue Cheese and a mini ciabatta roll (2 oz.). A scrumptious 7 POINT dinner...

And NOW, the best time of the day....DESSERT!!! I had to try the Banana Fudge. OMG!! It did not disappoint! Great banana flavor with yummy chocolate chips. If you love banana bread with chocolate chips but hate the calories, this is your new friend! I had to up the ante and top mine with some PB2. Holy Guacamole...

Since I have a vault filled with Vitatops, I'm fairly certain that I will be having this for dessert every night. Makes me happy, although you may be sick of seeing it after a while ;D

Thanks again, Shredders! Shred Count - only 24 days left!