WEIGH IN

Down 2.2 today! HOLY SHIT! (pardon me!) LOL I don't think I've stopped smiling since I got off of the scale this AM. lol

NEW ALL TIME LOWEST WEIGHT 159.8 :)

WHOOHOOO!

I realized that I never shared my LOOT with ya- I've been busy getting things ready for our weekend getaway to Vermont & my mind has been a little crazy trying to figure out clothes for cooler weather when it's over 100 here. lol

Just a few groceries-

Sunday's Dinner- So easy and tasty!

Made some granola to have over Fage 0% for breakfast w/ 1/2 banana-

Lunch yesterday was a WEIRD one... lol Egg & cheese on a double fiber muffin, leftover Brussles, leftover 1/2 of an apple & organic strawberries. It was delicious and kept me full!

Dinner last night was EASY and one of my favorites- Fiber Gourmet pasta w/ fresh basil, tomatoes, & parmesan cheese. YUM! 

Came home from my WW meeting today and had 1/2 of a pice of Bolani & a side salad. Forgot a picture! Tonight we are headed over to visit with Sean's parents who just got home from visiting their Aunt who lives in Paris. It will be nice to catch up with them and I wanna see pictures! :) 

Back to deciding what to pack and getting stuff organized! I am also packing FOOD! Making some breakfast sandwiches in the morning and packing turkey sandwiches for the plane trip. We are staying at a bed & breakfast and I will just do my best to stay on plan- but some of it will not be in my control. I am a little nervous- I guess because I am ALWAYS in control of the food I am surrounded by, but I will be OK! :) 

I will report back to you on the blog when I return- with pictures to share too! :) 

BYE! :) 

WOW THANK YOU EVERYONE! :)

Wow! Words can not express how much all of the support means to me that everyone has given to me over the past couple of days. This blog has been a HUGE KEY TO MY SUCESS. I never thought sharing my words with the world would help me as much as it has with my battle to lose weight & have a healthier relationship with food.

A big thank you to everyone who left me a comment! A few emails came through and I appreciated those as well. Lots of tears shed over reading them! The virtual hugs were much needed too! :) THANKS GUYS! XOXO

To help me see how far I have come I always look back at old pictures. This morning to give myself a little scrap book of sorts I made a new TAB here on my blog. CLICK HERE to be sent over to this NEW section. (or scroll up to the top to view later) I loaded it with pictures- some what in order of my journey. Some will be familiar and some I have never shared. It was nice to scroll through them after I finished it today- being able to see myself shrink. lol

When I got over to my parents house today I shared it with my Mom and she stopped at some of the pictures where I was at my heaviest and she said, " I don't remember you being this heavy, or thinking you looked bad."  Thanks Mom. :)


EATS were good today- I survived another day! lol Went out to lunch with my Mom at Mimi's- Chopped Cob Salad from the "Fit & Fresh" Menu. Got the fat free balsamic dressing on the side.

Snack- HONEYCRISP APPLE!!  YUM!

Dinner was either tacos, taco salad, or nachos- Take your pick...mine was NACHOS! Making Mexican food at home is a HUGE help to get my cravings met! This HUGE plate- 9 WW points and I ate the whole THING! :) 

-2  Mission Extra Thin Corn tortillas - sprayed w/ PAM      & baked into chips (1pt.)

-3 oz. Lean ground beef w/taco seasoning (4pts)

-1.5 Tablespoons Light Sour cream (1)

- 1/8 C 2% cheddar cheese (1)

- Few dashes Hot sauce (1)

- black olives (1) 

-tomatoes & lettuce (0)

Once again thanks guys...I really loved all of the support I got from you all! I am leaning on all of you through tough times. I know I can do it! :) 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :) BYE! 

**Don't forget to go look at my NEW picture TAB up at the top! :) 

Vlog- Struggling

Feels Like Fall

Made an old favorite last night for dinner-
Butternut Squash Flatbread (click link for recipe)

Had a lot of comments/questions about the Jicama "Hash Browns" :) I figured I'd answer some here-

Does the jicama ever get crispy on the outside like potatoes do?

--I used less oil, and mine sat at bit before I ate it- so I'm not sure, but they did seem like they might if I had left them for a while longer. :)

Does it taste like hashbrowns?

--I thought so! :) 

What? No chicken?

--The eggs came from a chicken, I think. lol :) 

What the heck is jicama?

--It is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw. I like to eat it with ranch dip. :)  Here is a pic I found online-

Had weigh in yesterday. Up 1 pound... I knew it would be a gain. I always see it when I have my period. :-P

Yesterday at my Weight Watcher meeting they had an open house and they asked us to bring a one point treat. I totally spaced out and forgot to take pictures of my dish adn I also wanted to take pictures of what everyone else brought- but here is my recipe! 

Ham & Cheese Mini Frittatas

Recipe makes 24

Points According to Weight Watcher’s Recipe Builder 2 for 1 Point, or .5 each

1 ½  Cup Egg Beaters (3.5pts.)

3 ounces Kraft 2% Cheddar cheese (7pts.)

8 Slices (one package) 99% Fat Free “Healthy Ham” -Trader Joe’s (3points)

1 Cup diced Onion (0)

2 Tablespoons fresh chives (0)

Fresh cracked pepper

PAM spray

Sauté onion in a non-stick pan, sprayed with PAM. Cook for 3-4 min or until soft. Set aside in medium sized bowl to let cool. Dice ham into small pieces; add to bowl with onion. Add in cheese; mix well. Spray mini tart/muffin pan with PAM. Place heaping teaspoon of onion, ham, & cheese mixture into pan. Pour in Egg Beaters; fill to top of mixture. Top with a little fresh cracked pepper, and fresh chives.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through.  ENJOY! J

 _________________

They came out good- and everyone seemed to enjoy them. :) 

Just took out a fresh batch of baked oatmeal (remember to go to the recipe tab to get this!) so I'm going to go eat breakfast! I have not been comfortable sitting at the computer for long so I am behind on reading blogs and feel bad. :( I hope all of you will forgive me!

Have a great day guys! 

BYE! :)

DINNER FAKE OUT!

I gotta talk about dinner last night first! What does this picture look like? Looks like I had a big plate of yummy hash browns right??? 

With one egg + one egg white-over medium & a double fiber english muffin.

This is a bad picture-

but in this food processor is not potatoes....

It's Jicama! JICAMA "HASH BROWNS!" 

Holy food swap! I can not take credit for this idea but I will provide you the link to go get the recipe. :) My blogger friend Danica over at Danica's Daily sent me a text telling me about this recipe and I knew I had to add the ingredients to my shopping list. Thanks so much Danica! You Rock! :) 

Ever try these "burgers" from Trader Joe's? 

I did not like them on a bun- they have chunks of potatoes in them and are pretty tasty. 

I had an Indian inspired sampler platter for lunch with a whole wheat pita smeared with this NEW & tasty Trader Joe's find-

I really enjoyed this- loved the flavors! 

I also picked up more veggies for my afternoon veggies & dip snack. 

I love getting in more vegetables to help me fill up. 

Woke up early this morning...I have my Weight Watcher's meeting today but I am bloated & crampy. Boo!  That normally means a gain on the scale for me. Whatever! I did have a great week and made great choices so I am proud of myself. :)

Hope everyone has a great day! Don't forget to go check out those "Hash Browns" They are worth trying! :)

BYE! 

Cooking Light Recipe

Hi everyone! Monday again....how does that happen so often huh? :)

**Did everyone see the cool giveaway to WIN an entry to fitbloggin 11? HOLY MOLEY RIGHT???!!! Very cool- all you need to do is click on THIS LINK to be sent over to the site for directions on how you can earn 5 entries to the giveaway! :)

Going to back track a little- On Saturday I went out to visit my parents. They were in Vegas for a week. Went out and met my Aunt & Uncle from New York there and had a blast. So they were tired and I wasn't feeling all that well so we had a lazy day around the house. Sandwich for lunch- I didn't end up eating that roasted pepper in the back of the sandwich- it tasted yuckie. lol

Dinner was vegetable won ton soup (yes I just had a similar soup 2 days prior, but I thought it was better than other Chinese food options.)

Flipping through magazines I came across this advertisement and it cracked me up! HAHA!

I saw these root beers in the fridge and REALLY WANTED ONE! I stopped drinking soda over 10 years ago- but this one sounded SO GOOD, all FOUR points worth! YIKES! 

Got Some LOOT for the week-

Then on Sunday Sean and I wandered over to Whole Foods for lunch. SALAD BAR! They were crazy busy and I guess it turned out to be some cowboy themed party. lol They had a grass roots band, a chili cook off, goats, chickens (that I wanted to go say HI to before I went and bought a package of inside the store for dinner that night. lol ) Anyway, these beautiful flower jars were on the tables- I love stuff like this!

Dinner was a recipe that caught both Sean's attention and mine as we flipped though a Cooking Light magazine I had. I love when it's an easy one- AND it turns out delicious! I cheated and copied/pasted the recipe. :) Ya gotta try this one! SO GOOD! I did make a few minor changes- less oil in the quinoa salad, cayenne instead of red ground pepper on the chicken- but pretty much stuck to the plan. :) This recipe will definitely be made again!

Have a great day everyone! BYE! :)

Without further delay.... 

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs 

From Cooking Light Magazine

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  garlic powder
• 2  teaspoons  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  paprika
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6  tablespoons  honey
• 2  teaspoons  cider vinegar

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

321 (31% from fat)

Fat:

11g (sat 3g,mono 4.1g,poly 2.5g)

Protein:

28g

Carbohydrate:

27.9g

Fiber:

0.6g

Cholesterol:

99mg

Iron:

2.1mg

Sodium:

676mg

Calcium:

21mg

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Quinoa Salad with Peaches

From Cooking Light Magazine

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
  3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
  1/4 cup chopped green onions
  3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  1/2 tsp kosher salt
  1 1/2 tsp honey
  1/4 tsp black pepper
  1 sliced ripe peach 

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add uncooked quinoa. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Cool quinoa slightly. Stir in peppers, onions, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, honey, pepper and peach.

__________________________________________

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

I've never used these cute little sunburst looking veggies before- but when I pasted then at the farmers market for only $1 a pound I had to get a few.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

5 Patty Pan squash 

10 ounces cooked brown rice

4 ounces goat cheese

1/4 Cup slivered almonds-roughly chopped

1 Cup edamame

1/3 Cup dried cranberries-roughly chopped

1 Cup shredded carrots

1 Tablespoon orange zest + juice from 1 orange

Cut off tops & bottoms of squash (to use as a flat base)

Cut each squash in 1/2 in the center of the scalloped edge & scoop out some of the center flesh. Be careful not to dig too deep- I lost one because of deep digging. lol

Check out these cute little 1 ounce goat cheese medallions I picked up at Trader Joe's! So cute!

Add in 1/2 once goat cheese to the bottom of each squash.

In a medium bowl add in cooled off cooked brown rice, edamame, shredded carrots, dried cranberry, almonds, orange zest. Mix well.

Add a scoop of rice mix to each squash- I also added a pack of mushrooms in the pan for a side veggie.

Squeeze the juice from the orange over the pan-ok if it gets in the pan- add in a little water to bottom of the pan (to act as a steam bath)

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 min or until squash is fully cooked- knife goes in smoothly to edges.

 Makes for a great Fall main, or side dish! YUM!

:) 

(2 halves 6 WW points)

TGIF!

It is official! I no longer need to hang my head down, a lot of us stink at making rice! lol WOW! I feel much better thanks for sharing everyone! hehe :) I guess I should have let you all know I did not think I could cook the wild blend in my rice cooker so I skipped it. I asked my Mom for a rice cooker for EASTER when I was 13! lol My Mom knew way back when that I was going to be a kitchen gadget freak. lol I also love Alton Brown's baked brown rice recipe and can't beat Trader Joe's little freezer bags- especially for 2 people! :) 

Breakfast around here this week- baked oatmeal w/ PB2, & banana. 

Yesterday I met my friend Tina for lunch at Chipotle. If you are fan of this place- check out this cool nutritional calculator. 

I had a busy day yesterday and was gone all day- did a little bit of retail therapy in between appointments to waste time. lol I got this cute wrap dress at Target on the clearance rack- $5.00!! Oh and it's a SMALL!  

I told Sean I wanted to go grab something to eat for dinner since I was gone all day. There is a Chinese restaurant about 15 min from us that has yummy Wor Won Ton Soup. It's never greasy and loaded with fresh veggies I love it! 

See how happy I am to be eating this, in bad lighting, with fuzzy hair because I had just gotten it cut. lol 

Today I am feeling the panic mode set in because I am lacking fresh fruits & veggies in my fridge. lol I was diggin the bags of cucumbers, mini bell peppers, pearl tomatoes that I got at Costco a couple of weekends ago- might need to take a trip soon. Makes it easier to get in some extra filling foods when you have these within your reach.

Today I am headed out to the pool. :) We might get a little rain on Sunday but we have no big plans. Anyone doing anything FUN? Hope everyone has a great Friday! ENJOY!

BYE! :)

Confession....

Hanging my head down in shame....

I can not cook rice.

:(


Basic stuff here right people? Every time I try to make it I get a sticky mushy pot of YUCK!

I don't wanna dwell on it....or talk about it...or even look at the mush sitting in the garbage right now...lol GGrrrrrr It was suppose to be part of the stuffing for a recipe I was working on. OH WELL!

I bet I lose some readers from admitting that. lol Did I ever mention how much I love those frozen bags of rice? HAHA! 

Oh! Wanna see last nights dinner? It was a TJ only night and I took out a couple of chicken breasts to grill. Along with some red onion & a couple of lil round squash that I picked up at the farmers market-Had a 1/2 Cup of whole wheat couscous with it and TADA! 

It was so good! I loved every bite! :)

Today when I came home from the pool I knew I had a couple of leftover items in the fridge-

put a pot on the stove with some chicken stock for a soup base & added a tomato paste ball from the freezer-

Added a spoonful of salsa too-

sprinkled in a lil cumin & cayenne and gobbled up a big bowl of quick Mexican chicken soup!

Not too shabby for a quick leftover makeover! :)

Did I redeem myself from the rice issue? :-/

Has anyone heard about the coffee prices going up? I got an email from the people over at Coffee Wiz telling me that the K-Cup prices will be going up 15% as of Oct. 1st! WHOA! That is a pretty hefty hike! I just got a box delivered today and I already spend a lot on these damn things. Ugh I might need to cut back here! .....well maybe. lol

Just brewed a cup of that Pumpkin Spice- WOW! Delicious! This is my second season of JUST SAYING NO to the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes because I just can't see spending my WW points on them. This K-Cup flavor is going to make it a lot easier to pass them up! :) 

Do you have a kitchen secret? Can you relate to me and my rice issues? Tell me all about it...I wanna hear, and hopefully not feel so bad about mine! lol 

Hope everyone is having a great day! 

BYE! :)