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 =)

Hmm...That's Different

That was the theme of my food today! I think I said that phrase at every meal. It was a dual purpose saying that could have meant good or bad! Let's start with the good...

For breakfast, I wanted to eat the leftover baked tofu. Weird, right??!! I decided to make a tofu scramble using the leftover baked tofu chopped, 1 c. frozen shredded hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers, 1 egg white and 1 oz. Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar. I doesn't look pretty, but it tasted great! A different 3 POINT breakfast...



For lunch, I had white bean bruschetta "crostini". I toasted an Arnold Sandwich Thin, topped it with 2 tbsp. white bean hummus and 1/2 c. tomato bruschetta. Hmmm... different and delicious! I also had 1 c. Tabatchnick Minestrone Soup and an apple for a filling 6 POINT lunch...


Now, here's where the not so good "different" comes in...

I was really looking forward to dinner. I was going to have pizza on PIZZA NIGHT! I picked this up when I was grocery shopping the other day...

It sounded good and nutritious. The entire pizza was 7 POINTS and I planned on eating it all! Well, what a disappointment :( This wasn't really "pizza". It was a tortilla with some weensy toppings and a ton of overpowering spice (oregano, I think) disguised as a pizza. Now, it did say Ultra Thin on the box, but it still looked as if it would be more of a dough crust than just a stinkin tortilla! I cut it into quarters and had a side of carrots. I took a few bites of the "pizza" and thought....ICK! I don't dislike much in the way of food, but I have to say in little daughter style, "eeewwww, that's gross". I choked down half and threw the rest away. Just not worth the 7 POINTS. I could've just had the regular pizza for that many points. Here was my plate before it hit the trash...

Sometimes "nutritious" isn't always good. This carried over into dessert. Yes, my precious dessert time has been tarnished with yuckiness! I attempted to make a "healthy" peanut butter cookie using PB2, whole wheat and other healthier ingredients. Most traditional peanut butter cookie recipes call for shortening, so I tried to omit that and substitute something else. The result was...

hmmm.....different. Not the traditional taste and texture of a peanut butter cookie like I was looking for. These came to 1 POINT each. I wouldn't make these again as is; they need more tweaking. These unsatisfactory eats lead to an after dinner munch session. Ugh, why does that always happen??!!!! Didn't I just say YESTERDAY that I lost 3.4 lbs.???!!! And I am close to the 150's??!!! And I am only 6 lbs. from my "Weight Watchers Goal"??!!! Yes, that is all true. Yes, I slipped into self-sabotage mode. Yes, I am a swinger. Not THAT kind; ) The" scale "kind - up and down or back and forth, however you want to look at it :) But, what's done is done, so I have to pick up and move on from it. I know I can do this! Tomorrow is another day :)

Off to have some cuddle time with little daughter. Have a great night, everyone!!!

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.....

What A Girl Wants

I started off my morning with a strength training workout; today's routine was lower body and abs. I notice I'm not very good at the 1 -2 minute rest between sets; that "patience thing" I need to work on ;) So, I kind of flew through the whole thing in about 20 min. It feels strange to not be doing some type of cardio on these days. I'm second guessing whether I should be getting in a little since I'm still in the weight loss mode, but the things that I've read say to weight train 3 times a week and do the cardio the other days. I don't know; anyone wanna shed some light on the sitch??



I was so excited for breakfast! I picked up these Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins after seeing them on Angie's blog ...

What's neat about these is that they are a flourless sprouted whole grain english muffin and the mix of grains form a complete protein containing all essential amino acids. The nutritionals for 1 english muffin is 160 cal., 1 fat, 6 gr. protein and 4 fiber which comes to 2 POINTS. It's such a nice hearty-tasting muffin and was delicious topped with some I Can"t Believe It's Not Butter Spray and a tsp. of Smucker's Sugar Free Grape Jam. A sliced orange and hot cuppa joe made it a perfect 3 POINT breakfast...

After the Boca Bruschetta veggie burger yesterday, I got bruschetta stuck on the brain! I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wants! That's part of the Intuitive Eating way! I made the bruschetta topping- fresh plum tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper. I toasted 2 slices of whole wheat tuscan pane and topped it with 1/2 c. bruschetta and a bit of shaved parmesan. To go with it, I had a bowl of Tabatchnick Minestrone Soup. A spectacular 6 POINT lunch...

I was so happy with that lunch!!! I think I could eat that every day! I love bread, tomatoes and cheese!! This elation lead to ..... a My House Chocolate Chip Cookie (1 POINT).....

Thankfully, I had to leave the house after that otherwise I may have continued my happy cookie dance with the rest of the batch =)

For dinner, I planned a spice rubbed pork tenderloin. I made a rub with a variety of spices - garlic, chili powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper, then baked the 1lb. tenderloin for about 25 min. at 375. It was moist and delish to me and big daughter (have I said she is my favorite daughter ;) The husband and little daughter would care to not ever have that again. Oh well. At least they liked the beans! I served the pork with a side of (canned) reduced sugar baked beans and a salad with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch. My portion was 4 oz. pork, 1/2 c. baked beans and side salad for 8 POINTS...

I have been missing my Vitatop and craving peanut butter, so you know, I gotta give my body what it wants! The usual.... Deep Chocolate Vitatop with PB2 icing ...

A well spent 2 POINTS!

I'm holding my breath for tomorrow's weigh in. Not quite sure what to expect with this new workout routine, but regardless of what the scale says to me, I'm feeling good about being on track this week and I have enjoyed a week of eating healthfully and on program! Feel free to remind me of this statement tomorrow, just in case..... ;)

Cookies In The House

It was a 2 hour delay for the daughters this morning, so we got to sleep in a bit and start slow for the day. I was able to get in a good 40 min. on the elliptical before getting little daughter off to school, too. Then, I dug into a breakfast egg sammie made with one egg white (the last egg!), baby spinach and a slice of 2 % cheese on a Weight Watchers Petite Bagel. I also had a bit of little daughter's sliced banana, all for 3 POINTS...



After that, I headed out to the grocery store for some much needed staple items (bread, eggs, oj). I'm always on the lookout for something new to try and I stumbled upon these...


After I got home and took a closer look, I seemed to remember trying these before and thinking they were just o.k. I decided to give them another whirl for lunch today. I popped one in the micro for a minute and instead of eating it "burger style", I made it into a wrap. I used a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Tortilla , cut the patty in half to fit on one side, topped it with a shredded lite string cheese, lettuce, tomato and wrapped it up! The nutritionals for one of these patties is 70 cal., 1.5 gr. fat and 3.5 gr. fiber which is 1 POINT. Can't beat that! To go with this yummy Boca Bruschetta Wrap, I had a serving of Soy Crisps and a sweet Fuji apple for 6 POINTS...

When the daughters got home from school, they requested chocolate chip cookies for a snack so I got to work making some while they did homework. I spent a minute "pumping myself up" for this task because I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to control myself with these guys. Not only do I love cookies, but I love cookie batter just as much!!! Big troubles were ahead! But, I decided to make the cookies more "user friendly" for myself by altering the recipe a bit. So, I took the Original Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe and revamped it to make it a My House Chocolate Chip Cookie! They came out great and the daughters devoured them! Here's what you'll need to make these:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 stick light butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Beat the butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add egg and applesauce beating well.
2. Gradually beat in flour, soda and salt.
3. Stir in chocolate chips *( I used the mixture of mini and regular b/c it's what I had on hand)
4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.
6. Cool and store in airtight container.
7. Makes 40 cookies 1 POINT each or 2 cookies for 3 POINTS

And of course, I had to have one two of these guys...

It felt so good to overcome that potential for disaster by remaking the recipe and the daughters were none the wiser! They loved them and when the husband came home, he commented that the house smelled sooo good :)

Well, good thing I buttered them up with the cookies because I had a very healthy (a.k.a. eeewwww that's gross) dinner planned! I made Tuscan Chicken with Spinach and White Beans and it was delicious! For this, I used:

• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp. sundried tomato packed in oil, chopped
• 3 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add chicken, sprinkle with thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned.
2. Add beans, sundried tomato, spinach and broth. Simmer for 10 min. or until chicken is done.
3. Makes 4 servings at 4 POINTS per serving.

So much flavor! I love the creaminess of the beans, too. I served this over small pasta for the husband and daughters. I ate mine as is with a hearty whole wheat roll. A fabulous 6 POINT dinner in minutes...

I ended the day with 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream and another My House Chocolate Chip Cookie for 2 POINTS...

I also couldn't resist a nice hot cup of coffee with some cream for 1 POINT!

A great On Program day for me!! Yay! I love when that happens =)

Off to watch the Biggest Loser!

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 =)

Tea With The Ladies

Happy March! So close to spring, but you wouldn't know it with the snow on the ground. More is on the way, too! Yuck! Despite the weather, I was so thrilled this morning knowing that I would NOT have to Shred today!! That is wrong, I know. Jil did fine by me and I should not be dissing her this way. I think I just need some space ;) So instead of Shred, I picked up the 5K Sunday. I was slow on the treadmill, but enjoyed the long run while watching brain numbing TV shows!

I tried not to watch any Food Network shows during my run because I was starving as soon as I got on the treadmill. I had bread on the brain. This bread in particular...


After my workout, I could not get this breakfast together quick enough. I toasted one slice of whole wheat tuscan pane and topped it with a Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge. An orange and huge cup of coffee rounded out this perfect 3 POINT breakfast that I couldn't wait to eat (notice the pre-pic bite)...


After breakfast, the daughters and I got ready and headed to my mother-in-law's for her annual Valentine's Tea. Every year, she hosts a girls only tea party for her daughters and granddaughters to celebrate Valentine's Day. She generally likes to have it closer to Valentine's Day, but due to conflicting schedules, this was the first available date. She puts out her fanciest dishes and serveware and makes wonderful tea sandwiches and desserts. I was excited this year that she provided so many healthier options. In some past years, she has made this amazing ham and cheese puff casserole-type dish that is next to impossible to not eat gobs of! Here are some of this year's yumminess...

Cream cheese and French strawberry jam on raisin bread and pink bread (how cute is that?)...

A beautiful veggie tray...

Raisin and plain scones...

Homemade chicken salad (made with chicken breast, celery and light mayo) on snowflake and egg rolls...

Homemade chocolate raisin nut candies...

take home treats (Hershey kisses and chocolate balls)...

My elegant place setting...

cute teapot place cards and perfect handwriting ...

The table was also decked with porcelain china bowls filled with nuts, chocolates, jelly beans, grapes and sliced cucumbers. She also made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the pink bread specially for the daughters!

Here is my plate consisting of chicken salad on snowflake roll, a small bite of chicken salad only, grapes and veggies. Not sure of the exact count, but I'm guessing it at 7 POINTS...

Then came dessert and tea! Desserts were poor man's cake, prune cake, more chocolates and ice cream! I decided not to indulge in the desserts except for a tiny piece of prune cake (2 POINTS) to go with my green tea...

It was a wonderful time with lots of chatting and laughing! Thanks to my mother-in-law for a terrific time! The "hostess with the mostess"...

We got home right about dinner time and since I lacked a plan, the verdict was breakfast for dinner. I'm so glad the husband and daughters love that! I decided to go with another soup and sammie night for myself. I made a 1 c. serving of Trader Joe's Organic Split Pea Soup and and eggplant meatball sub . For the sub, I used a club roll, 5 Dominex eggplant meatballs topped with a bit of marinara sauce and a lite string cheese melted on top. A delicious and filling 6 POINT dinner...

I still had room for dessert! I went with 1/2 c. Breyers Fat Free Double Churn Caramel Swirl Ice Cream topped with a crumbled Chocolate Brownie Clif Z Bar for 3 POINTS...

It's been a great weekend! Just got a call from school that there will be no school tomorrow due to snow! Yay - a sleep in morning!!!!

Don't forget to leave a comment in the Giveaway post for your chance to win the Exercise Anywhere cards! I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow!!