Chubby Chipmunk

I've recovered nicely from my oral surgery. Thank you all so much for the well wishes! I really didn't have any pain last night, but took the Advil just in case. I have some swelling today which is making me resemble a chipmunk or squirrel with a big nut in the side of it's mouth, but it doesn't hurt so I can put up with it.

I didn't want to do any hard core exercise this morning because of my stitches. I decided that the elliptical wouldn't be too bouncy, so I did 40 minutes wearing my weighted vest. I kept it at a slower pace and it was just fine. I with a quick, easy breakfast after my workout. A banana date breakfast cookie and 1/2 banana was the perfect 3 POINT choice...

It was beautiful weather today, but I didn't spend much of it outdoors. Most of the day was spent still getting the house in order, mountains of laundry and other mundane chores. Drudgery! I enjoyed the quiet in my house though. I didn't even turn on the TV until lunchtime. I was feeling pretty hungry, so I thought I would give a "normal" lunch with crunch a try and see how my mouth could handle it. I had a chicken taco wrap (basically a repeat of last night's dinner - I added extra lettuce, tomato and a squirt of light ranch) along with some grapes and soy crisps for a hearty 8 POINT lunch...

It went down just fine ;)

I came across these guys during my last supermarket trip and decided to have them for a snack...

There are 4 dried apricots in this little bag. Ridiculous, right?? I can't help it; I'm a sucker for packaging! Advertisers should love me! Anyway, these are super good for you, chock full of antioxidants, fiber and potassium. One package is 70 cal., 0 gr. fat and 2 gr. fiber for 1 POINT.

I really wasn't in the mood to make dinner tonight. We got home late from little daughter's dance class, so I just did some heat and eat for everyone. I bought one of these Kashi frozen meals that were half price and thought I would give it a try...

I liked the nutritionals...only 5 POINTS...

I have to say, I didn't have high hopes that I would like this. I don't like many frozen dinners, but this one was pretty good. The lasagna noodles were whole grain, there were nice diced veggies throughout and even lentils! I didn't love the sauce, though. It's a little too zesty jarred Ragu-ish for me. I'm picky in the sauce department. Other than that, I thought it tasted good for a "dinner in a pinch". I served mine with some steamed asparagus for a filling 5 POINT meal...

With such a low-POINT dinner, I had plenty of room for dessert! I was excited to try these...

Yummmmm....

These are terrific! Think "frozen Snickers bar"! Only downside is they are a little POINTy for the size. To give you an idea...

I think you can get a lot more from other desserts for 3 POINTS, but if you have the POINTS to spare, give these a try! You won't be sorry. Unless you eat more than one. Which I definitely wanted to do :)

The husband just got home from work travel, so I'm signing off to catch up with him. Have a great night, everyone!!!!

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=)

Go Away With A Giveaway!

Rain, rain go away! It has been miserable outside today! I was trapped in the house all day. I hate going out in the rain, especially cold rain. Not that I'm afraid of melting or anything ;P Wicked witchiness won't be coming until next week -lol! Since, I didn't want to couldn't go out, I decided to scrub every floor in my house for 5 hours. Oh joy! It all looks fab which I'm sure will last all of 3 minutes and I got a great workout at the same time:)

I woke up starving this morning. I normally wait to eat breakfast until after I take the daughters to school, but I couldn't make it today. I made a bacon, egg and cheese sammie using 2 egg whites, 1 slice center cut bacon, slice of 2 % cheese on an Arnold Sandwich Thin for 3 POINTS...

Then it was scrub, scrub, scrub. I tried to make sure to alternate scrubbing between right and left arm to get the appropriate workout on each side. What??? Who thinks of this while they are cleaning? I really need to get out more. Many squats later, I decided to break for lunch. As soon as I thought about lunch, I was instantly starving and a bit shaky, too. I went for the first thing I saw which was turkey and a wrap. I made a turkey and cheese wrap using 2 oz. turkey, 1 Laughing Cow Light Wedge and a handful of baby spinach wrapped in a La Tortilla Factory Tortilla Wrap. Some soy crisps and grapes were a go-to side. A quick 6 POINT lunch...

After lunch, I finished my Cinderella-style cleaning with a hand polishing of the wood floors. Everything is shiny and clean. No one is allowed to come home, now. I am changing the locks ;)


Nice fairy tale, but I finished up just in time to pick up the daughters. Again, I was starving. What is up with that??? I had 1 oz. pretzels and a lite string cheese for a good 3 POINT snack...

Then I had more and more pretzels. Ugh. I think I've learned my lesson with the pretzels. Can't eat them because they cause me to want more snacks. I'm not looking at this as a set back today. I have 35 Weekly Allowance POINTS to use, so although I didn't calculate what I oversnacked on, I will cross off my WAP and continue on without using any more this week. So, it's all good :)

Dinner was one of the cook -ahead meals that I made yesterday - Ham, Lentil and Kale Stew. Very healthy and filling. I added some pasta to the husband's and daughters' bowls, but I ate mine straight up. A serving is 1 1/4 c. and 5 POINTS...

To go with it, I made cornbread muffins (2 POINTS) and Easy Rolls ( 1 POINT). I had one of each...

For dessert, I chose these...

I really like these cookies; they are chewy, full of chocolate chips and only 1 POINT. They are individually wrapped, too which is a very good thing...

Would you like to try them???? Well, my Weight Watchers pal, Lyndsay noticed that many of you said you would like to try the Banana Walnut Muffins when I reviewed them this day, so she has kindly offered to send 3 winners a coupon for a free package of a Weight Watchers Sweet Baked Good (max. value $4.99) which includes cakes, muffins, cookies or brownies! Isn't that cool??? So, if there is a Weight Watchers goodie that you have wanted to try, now's your chance! Just leave me a comment and consider yourself entered! Unfortunately, I can only offer this to USA residents. ( I know, I know - sorry to my Canada/oversees peeps!) I'll pick 3 winners which I will announce tomorrow night, so hurry and leave a comment!!!

Have a great night =)

Making It Through Day 2

I woke up to another nice morning. I was tempted to go for an outdoor run, but my ankle has been bothering me a little, so I opted for the elliptical instead. I did a weighted 35 minutes and 20 tricep dips. The weighted vest makes a big difference. I don't realize how heavy it is until I take it off! And it's only got 18 lbs. in it right now!


After the workout, I made a quick bowl of cereal: Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Fiber One, strawberries and 1/2 c. skim milk for 3 POINTS...

I was in the kitchen after that doing some "cook ahead" meals. I was in the mood for some coffee, but after I made it, I decided I would rather have something cold. I dug out the blender and made a "frappucino". I used 1/2 c. skim milk, 1 c. brewed coffee, 1 tsp. instant espresso powder, 1 tbsp. sugar free caramel syrup and lot of ice. This was definitely a big serving - like a "venti" ;) All for only 1 POINT...

Lunch was al fresco since it was so nice. I had a hummus sammie made with 2 tbsp. hummus, baby spinach, tomato and pickles on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. A sweet fuji apple and barbeque soy crisps were great sides for a 6 POINT lunch...

After lunch, we headed to the movies. The daughters each wanted to see something different, so the husband and I decided to divide and conquer. The husband and little daughter went to see Monsters vs. Aliens and big daughter and I saw The Hannah Montana Movie. I enjoyed the movie, although her "twang" seriously gets on my nerves. And once again, thanks to Disney for making yet another movie where the mother is dead! Sheesh! Anyway, there was no out of control popcorn shoveling thanks to the fact that big daughter wanted Twizzlers instead of popcorn. I'm safe with Twizzlers, so it was all good :) By the time we got home, I was ready for a snack. I went with 1 oz. Penny Sticks honey wheat pretzels and a lite string cheese for 3 POINTS...

An hour later, my stomach was growling! Seriously growling, not just "hmmm... I feel like eating something". I drank a bucket of water, but that didn't help with the growling, although it did help me stay out of the kitchen because I was spending loads of time in the bathroom!

I got dinner going before any crazy snacking could occur. I made garlic thyme chicken thighs on the grill (technically, the husband is grill master!) and sauteed kale and white beans with hearty Italian bread for the family and a slice of Trader Joe's Sprouted Flourless Wheatberry bread for me. What a delicious 7 POINT dinner...

I wasn't in the mood for a big dessert, but I still wanted a little sweet. I decided on these...

I love these little chocolate chip cookies! What I think is neat about them is that they are very crispy, but yet have not been baked! They have not been heated to more than 75 degrees which helps keep the nutrients intact. I think because of that, they can be considered a "raw food". They are made with soy protein and fruit and vegetable concentrates made up of apple, broccoli, carrot, cranberry, orange and tomato.. All I taste is sweet yumminess! A serving is 5 little cookies for 130 cal., 4 gr. fat and 3 gr. fiber which is 2 POINTS...

Perfect with a cup of tea which I did not feel like making! Just as perfect on their own :)

Well, I made it through Day 2 of my "fresh start"! My stomach is having the nerve to growl right now! I guess it got used to having tons of crappy snacks shoved into it, so now it's complaining. But, *fingers in my ears* la la la la la, I can't hear you!!!!!!!!

Going to bed to dream of ..... six pack abs =)

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 =)

I'm Just Not Getting It

Everyday I wake up with all good intentions of being on track. I know what to do. I know what it takes to lose weight. I have been doing this since July 29, 2007. I haven't been perfect. I have had detours, but this particular detour that I am taking is especially long, winding and moves treacherously close to a cliff with a steep drop to fatdom come. I don't know why this is happening. Not sure why I can't wrap my brain around getting these last pounds off. I want to. I want to be a Lifetime member. But, apparently I want BROWNIES a lot more...


I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning! So terrific! I wanted to go on an outdoor run this morning, but ended up getting sidetracked with housework, so I headed to the elliptical for a weighted (18 lbs.) 30 minutes and then did 10 minutes of weights and tricep dips. Before my workout, I had a breakfast from the freezer. I found some whole wheat pumpkin blueberry pancakes that I had made a while back. Luckily, I wrapped them well, so they were in perfect eating condition. I had 2 with some low cal syrup for 2 POINTS...



Then I nibbled on some chocolate covered almonds (no pic). Mistake #1 !

Even though it was such a beautiful day, I ended up spending most of it inside :( Hate that! Did some more house cleaning, then made some lunch. I have been craving salmon again. Last time I was at the grocery store, I picked up this...

The nutritionals are great: 60 cal. and 1.5 gr. fat per serving which is 1 POINT. The bag serves 2, so even if you ate the whole thing, it's only 3 POINTS. A healthy bargain! I decided to make this into salmon salad. I mixed in a bit of onion, chopped celery, dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. lite mayo, fresh parsley and a squirt of lemon. I wish I had fresh dill - it would have been perfect in here! I served the salad on an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bun with a side of cantaloupe and 1 oz. Penny Sticks Honey Wheat Pretzels for an AMAZING 8 POINT lunch...

I heart salmon salad...

I spent the rest of the afternoon prepping for pizza night and hanging outside with the daughters. Oh, and snacking. I kept moving back and forth from pantry to fridge. The damage was deep. Pretzel sticks, more chocolate covered almonds, lite string cheese, pepperoni. The stuff cellulite is made of. I felt my hips widening with every bite. Mistake #2.

I made a healthy pizza for dinner. Why, you say? Beats me. Dare I say, to "try to get back on the wagon"??? Yes, I will say it. Not buyin it? Yeah, me neither.

I bought some spelt flour a while ago and thought I would make pizza dough with it. Here's the recipe I used (adapted from www.recipezaar.com):

• 2 c. spelt flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2/3 c. warm water

I mixed all the ingredients in my stand mixer until a dough formed. I did need to add a bit more water to have it all come together. I thought the baking powder was a strange addition , but I did read that wheat -free crusts have a tendency to not rise very much, so I believe this may have helped along with the yeast in that department. I left the dough to rise, which it did quite a bit, then spread it into a well greased (with cooking spray) pizza pan. I always pre-bake my crusts before topping and I did with this one also. I put it in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Then, I topped it with my homemade pizza sauce, fresh baby spinach, fresh mushrooms and about 1/2 c. part skim mozzarella. I ran the pizza dough ingredients through the Recipe Builder and came up with 4 POINTS per serving (4 servings). With my toppings, 2 slices came to 8 POINTS. I served it with some salad dressed with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch for another 1 POINT...

Very filling and very delicious. I really liked the way this crust came out. It was light in texture, yet hearty enough to hold up the toppings. It had a mellow taste; lighter and a bit less bitter than whole wheat crusts come out sometimes. If you're looking for a new pizza dough recipe, give this a try! And if you're gluten-free, this is your dough!


To end my evening, I had this...

Plus another few bites of the "hard, crunchy edges" that no one wants to eat. I totally talked little daughter into making these with me. Mistake #3. I labeled it "an experiment" as I wanted to try to use up some plain nonfat yogurt in the fridge that was on it's last legs (plus I'm not a fan of plain yogurt anyway)and thought I would mix it with a box of regular brownie mix that I just happened to have lying around. This is the way to make No Pudge brownies, but I wondered if it would work for a regular brownie mix. Well, it works. They are good and fudgy. I will call them Fat Ass Brownies. I have no idea of the POINTS; I was too lazy to calculate and not inclined to think that it even mattered at this point. The husband and daughters liked them and wolfed down quite a few which is good for me. Less to look at tomorrow when I "begin again".

This up and down is exhausting me mentally. I'm not sure what to do to get my fires burning again for more than a day or two. I am heading to my WW meeting tomorrow morning; maybe that will do it. I'm hoping after I see the number from the scale on my member book, in black and white, that it will give me the wake up call I need. I peeked on my own scale today and it's not looking good. At all.

Sorry to be such a downer tonight. I know I just have to keep trying. I know I say it over and over, but I don't seem to be getting it. But, I'm going to keep doing it. Keep trying. Keep starting everyday with resolve to stay on program. Fake it til I make it =)