Movin Movin Movin

I think that moving, or unpacking and cleaning the new house should totally count as exercise!! I am SORE! But having lots of FUN! :)

Hi everyone! Long time no blog! I have been super busy and I thought this AM would be a good check in and also because I am unplugging the computer to bring it with me for the hook up of internet at the new house soon! :) Yippeee

I did go to my Weight Watchers meeting on Tuesday and I was down .2 this week. I will take that! I have been eating great! Sean's parents have been feeding me this past week. Lots of estimating on my part because I'm not certain how foods are prepared, but I am getting in lots of water & fruit and practicing good portion control. whoohoo

I posted this picture on Facebook the other day-

It is by far my favorite room in the house! :) Ok I have been eyeing the HUGE bathtub too...oh and I love my pantry, and...lol ok I LOVE the whole house! :) 

My Mom took this picture when they came over to visit. The garage door is open, but I like the pic. :)

I can not wait to get my cookin on!!! :) Yesterday I started to put away kitchen stuff and the fridge, washer & dryer arrived! SO excited to do a batch of QUARTER FREE LAUNDRY! lol :) I gotta read the books that came with the new washer/dryer tho...yeah it's a little different from my old school ones! :-/ 

Ok guys, I hope everyone is well! We hope to be moved in this weekend and I want to be back to cooking by Monday too! :) 

I miss reading everyone's blogs!! I hope to get back to them soon!! :) 

Have a great day!

BYE!

Cooking & Packing

This is what our entire apartment looks like right now. I have been packing up boxes slowly, but man do we have a lot of stuff! lol 

 Even though I'm busy packing up I want to stay on plan as far as my eating. I am making EASY stuff, but I know from past moves that I can still eat well and move at the same time. Yesterday I made a NEW recipe up. Please excuse the fancy paper plates. :)

Mexican Quiche 
serves 4
(5 P+ w/o any toppings or sides)

3 Cups Egg Beaters
1 Cup corn
2 Ounces 2% mozzarella cheese (a Mexican blend would be good! I just used what I had at home)
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1 roasted & skinned red pepper, diced
2 roasted & skinned poblano peppers, diced
Salt & pepper to taste

*Topping for additional PointsPlus- sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, chopped fresh tomatoes, black or pinto beans.

Ok- I did roast the peppers myself, BUT you can buy a can of diced green chilies to save a step if you want to! :)

Spray 8X8 pyrex dish with PAM, mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl; then add to pyrex dish. Bake for 35 minutes (or until eggs are cooked) at 400 degrees. Slice into 4 squares and serve with toppings of your choice. :) ENJOY!
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I saw a bag of organic kiwis at Trader Joe's the other day and I had to have them. They were JUMBO sized and after a couple of days on the counter, soft enough for me to start eating. Dessert is served! YUM! Some fruits only I love, some only Sean. I am more of a tart fruit lover. Sean wouldn't touch these. lol His loss!

Do you like tart or sour fruits? Can I just tell you how excited I am for SUMMER FRUIT to come out! Especially on the new PointsPlus plan! WHOOHOOO! What ONE fruit are you looking forward to? Hard for me to pick just one, but I gotta say CHERRIES win hands down! :) 

Back to packing and getting things done around here! Hope everyone has a great day! :) BYE! 

NEWS!

Hi Everyone! Wow! It's been a few days and I wanted to share all the excitement with you guys! Sean and I have been trying to buy a home for over a year now. Yes, over a year! It's not easy here in California right now. We were bidding and competing with 13 other people each time. It was a long year but we finally got word that we are about a week away from getting the keys to our new home. :) Yippeeee Oh and by far my biggest excitement- A BIG KITCHEN! 

So I was busy before with teaching myself to practice all of the info I had learned from the sessions I went to for my back, now I am SWAMPED! Boxes have taken over our tiny apartment! I am thrilled to be packing! Sounds crazy but this time when I unpack my things it will be in my own home! :) So excited!

Ok so the last 2 times we moved (yeah we move a lot) I stayed ON PLAN. I plan to do the same this time too! I do cook a lot and yesterday after a long day looking at appliances and then packing several boxes I still cooked. It was just something EASY. I know it is possible to give up and order out, and sometimes that is OK and can fit into my plan, but I know I moved and stayed on plan 2 times before I know I can do it again.

A little back tracking for ya...On Saturday my Mom and I cooked together. I was DYING for Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps! So we called each other and picked our pantry & fridge for ingredients and I drove out to cook!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

Serves 4- 5 PointsPlus 

8 ounce can water chestnuts- diced

1 Pound chicken breasts- cut into small pieces

2 TB green onions- diced

1/4 Cup Trader Joe's General tsao stir fry sauce

2 teaspoons canola oil

few splashes of rice vinegar

few splashes soy sauce

Iceberg lettuce leaves

Cut up chicken and place in bowl with a few splashes of soy sauce. Heat up oil in large pan or wok. Add chicken and let cook on med-high heat for 5-6 min or until almost cooked. Add in water chestnuts and finish cooking chicken, just a few more minutes. Because it is cut so small it will not take long. Add in sauce and a few splashes of rice vinegar; stir to coat chicken. Add in green onions and serve. We enjoyed it with a side of edamame. :)

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I have a favorite recipe that is posted over at Friends For Weight Loss this week! It is all the way at the bottom of the page- go check it out! Not only is it delicious, but fun to make- especially if you have help!

If you are NEW to the Friends site please add me as a friend! It's a great site for Weight Watcher friends to get ideas, support, and recipes! 

Ok guys! Today is WEIGH IN!!!! I had a great week! I actually wanted to pat myself on the back because since the start of the new PointsPlus plan I have been a TRACKMASTER! I have seriously tracked EVERY DAY!  I over estimated a lot over the past few weeks on foods that I have eaten out but it's better than ignoring them and not tracking! If I am unsure how things are made a guess it better than nothing! Right?

How are you guys doing on being a TRACKMASTER? :) Do you over estimate when you are out to eat or even over at a friend or family members house? 

I hope everyone has a great day! I hope to see some scale luv today lol I will let ya know how it goes! :)

BYE!

Cooking EASY

Hi guys! Time sure flies! I can't believe it is Thursday! I'm doing good! I realized that last Tuesday was the first time I had weigh in and did not post!!! I was up .2 all due to TOM's visit, but .2 is nothing! I had a great week last week and so far this week is great too! :) Can't wait to see the number on the scale next week!

For meals this week while I am focusing on myself and the homework from the sessions I am attending I decided to go with EASY meals.

We had Peppers & Eggs one night. This was (and is still) a favorite of mine growing up. Super easy, but I prefer to make it ahead and actually eat it cold right out of the fridge! Growing up we enjoyed it on crusty italian bread, but you can have it over or on any type of bread- we had whole wheat pita so I toasted up one of those.

Peppers & Eggs
 serves 4
 3 PointsPlus


2 1/2 cups Egg Beaters
2 medium sized bell peppers
1 cup onion
2 teaspoons canola oil
salt/ pepper

*bread to serve with it- add additional points. :)

Slice peppers and onions into thin strips. Heat up sauté pan with canola oil in it and add peppers & onions a little salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until peppers & onions are totally soft. Add egg beaters to pan and stir until they scramble and cook through. Serve with crusty bread! Enjoy!

* I've made this without the canola oil before. Just used PAM. But this is a great way to get in your healthy oils, and not really too many points either! :)
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I have not been going to the farmers markets because I'm afraid I will freeze to death so I had to run over to Whole Foods to get a local favorite- East & West Gourmet Pesto!

This is my favorite pesto! I know you are thinking LOW FAT PESTO? WHAT?!!? lol yeah well 1/4 cup is only ONE POINTSPLUS! WWHOOOHOOO!

I ate a BIG bowl of this for 9 points! YUM!

While at Whole Foods I made a salad for lunch- YUM! See what looks like croutons? Well they are marinated tofu pieces and YUM I LOVE THEM! I estimated lunch at 7 PointsPlus.

Tonight we are headed to visit Sean's parents and I'm having lunch with a friend from the pool today. With the old WW plan I would have freaked out having 2 meals out in a day, but I feel like I have so much more freedom with PointsPlus. I never feel deprived, never feel like I can't grab a snack- not when it's a FREE piece of fruit! I really love the new plan and I think the proof that easing MORE helps you lose weight was a few weeks ago for me when I ate all daily and weekly points and still saw a loss. WOW! 

I hope everyone is having a great week! I've been really bad with blog reading and I know it's because I needed to focus on myself for a while. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do. :-/ 

Since I made an EASY week with meals, what are your favorite EASY go to meals when you are busy? Love to get ideas for simple stuff!

Have a great day guys! 

BYE! :)

Food Mistake

Today's post just goes to show you that no matter how long you are on this journey you can make a mistake.

Last night we were going to walk over to get frozen yogurt. It was really cold outside, so I suggested we just grab a cone or sundae from McDonalds which is a block away from us. Since it was so cold we agreed. I mentioned to Sean that it was the 1st time I had ever gone into this McDonalds. I also was a little worried that I was going to smell the foods that I use to covet and find myself craving them.

That did not happen, however since I had not been to McDonalds in years I did not know that PointsPlus values for the dessert items I was about to order. Sean ordered a cone-

I ordered the carmel sundae (minus the nuts)

Back at home I went straight to the computer to look up our treat and I was SHOCKED! Sean's cone was 3 points...my sundae a whopping 9!!!!! I recalculated it 3 times to check if I was doing something wrong. lol 

I had the weekly points to use but there was no way I would have chose to eat that for 9 points, no way! I skipped the cone because I thought the cone itself was the enemy. This was a GREAT eye opening lesson for me!

I know this was a last minute change as far as being out walking and stopping by to grab dessert, but I like to be prepared. I like to know the points in advance on the foods I eat. I guess I know now when I feel like a little treat the cone is the way to go! 

Have any of you had a food mistake happen like this? lol I was upset at first but I guess it was my own fault. I tracked it and moved on. Oh well! :)

Pool today! Yippeee! I am also doing daily exercises based on the sessions that I am going to. They help strengthen my abs and stretch out my hamstrings. Feels good!

Thank you all so much for the nice comments on the ring we had made! You guys are so sweet and had some wonderful stories yourself! :) 

Hope everyone has a great day!

BYE! :)

Sparklie

I posted a picture on Facebook and Twitter the other day and a bunch of you want details! lol Just in case you don't follow me on either, here is the picture:

I understand a few people already though Sean and I were married. We already feel like we are too, but without the medical coverage. lol 

So, after 10 1/2 years we are engaged. Not to sound unromantic, but it was bound to happen. lol We had discussed that 2011 would be a good year to do it and I joked before about the medical, but that would be a great savings! lol

I also discussed many years ago with Sean that I did not want him to go out and surprise me with a ring.  I already had a ring I wore, maybe the reason some people thought we were already hitched! This ring was my Nan's-

She told me it was going to be mine when I was little and wanted to play with it. She also told me that I could do whatever I wanted with the ring, maybe make a solitaire diamond necklace with it. I told her NO, I wanted to leave it as it is. 

I decided that when we were ready, I wanted to have a ring made that looked like my Nan's. We used the center diamond from her ring (the side diamonds were  not in the best condition) and I was able to have the new one made to remember my Nan & Papa's love that they shared for each other. :)  I love it...it means so much to me. It is a mix of old & new love, and memories. It makes me smile when I look at it, and cry all at the same time. :) 

As far as everyone asking details about what kind of wedding we will be having.... all of those are details that I sorta differ from the average girl. lol Neither one of us want a big deal wedding. We want it to be private, simple & small. No big pouffy dress, no huge ceremony...just lots of luv. :) 

So, that's the story! I looked for a picture of my Nan & Papa...but I have no pics on my computer of them, and no scanner to get any on here. I know they would be happy for Sean and I. My Nan died the 1st year we were dating. She knew about him, but being across the country she had never met him. The only thing she asked me was, "Does he make you happy?" Speaking to her on the phone I replied, "Yes, yes he does." 

:) 

I'm having a GREAT week on plan...lots of leftover last week, lots of studying for my sessions and practicing the stuff I am learning so that is why I have been absent from the blogging world! :-/ 

I need to meal plan and make a shopping list this AM to get a jump start on next week! Do you meal plan or at least plan a few meals for the upcoming week to help you stay on track? Have you made any NEW PointsPlus recipes that you can recommend? I think I'm going to grab that new cookbook right now to flip through it!

Happy Sunday Everyone! :) 

BYE! 

Pain Level

Is anyone familiar with this pain scale? I found this one online-

(click to enlarge)

It's small but this is the one that I have been using now for the past 3 1/2 years. Every day I would track my pain. Most of the time my range was between 6 & 10. Being a 6-7 on a daily basis was exhausting to me. By the end of the day when my pain got to the 8, 9, or 10 range I would basically end up in bed...crying. Most people were unaware that I was in constant pain. I hid it. Didn't want anyone to ask me how I was doing every day. I also tried my best to not talk about how much I was suffering.

Do you see the smiling face by the #2 on that scale? That is where I am today. :) Mild pain, but can be ignored. I'm crying about it, but I promise it's only happy tears.

For those of you who did not see me post about the sessions that I am attending, please click on THIS LINK to go to the web site. Words can not express how amazed I am at the changes in my mood, and not to mention that pain scale! :)

I was gone almost all day yesterday with the long train rides but I wanted to let you all know I really enjoyed the Healthy Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs! I used ground turkey breast but they came out good! My mouth was ON FIRE but the veggies were a great way to cool the burn.

 Side salad- Lettuce, shredded carrots, garbanzo beans, diced apple, 1/2 C cottage cheese(as dressing), toasted sliced almonds, S&P YUM!

After my sessions yesterday I walked by a Mollie Stone grocery store and grabbed lunch- Salad, grilled veggies, and a chicken strip that said HI to me as I walked by. lol 

I took a baggie-o-snacks with me too- banana, cuties, & 14 almonds for a great 2 PointsPlus snack!

Back home and another snack- apple & a light Babybel.

Dinner was a bowl of Fiber Gourmet pasta and my Mom's leftover sauce. I was super tired and ate it all THEN remembered to take a picture...oopps! I went to bed early due to my long day on the road. I was pooped! 

I'm always looking for NEW snack ideas. I like a 3-4:00 snack to help with the MUNCHIES! I like it to be in the 1-3 PointsPlus range. What are your favorite snacks? Tell me what you are munching on! I'd love to hear more ideas! 

Have a great day everyone! :) BYE! 

Scale Surprise!

I was SHOCKED when I went to my Weight Watcher meeting today and saw some scale luv! I was down 1.2! I ate all of my weekly 49! I know I over estimated on some foods, but I feel like I ate A LOT and was still able to lose weight and HAVE FUN! :) Whoohooo!

For this week I planned a few meals- mostly easy stuff with being busy with the sessions and my homework. My Mom gave us a container of sauce and now I just want spaghetti each night! Yes, it's THAT good! :) YUM! I am salivating right now thinking of it! lol

Tonight I plan on making a new recipe that I saw on the Friends For Weight Loss site as a featured recipe last week. Danica did the guest recipe post for the Healthy & Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs over at Meals & Moves. I saw these a while back and wanted them ASAP but forgot about them till I saw the link on FFWL again. :) Excited to try a new finger food meal! I like dinners like this! :) I will make sure I let you all know how I liked it!

Back to studying & practicing for me! I can not believe how sitting and standing correctly has helped my back! Unbelievable! :)

I hope everyone is having a great day!

BYE! :)

PS. thank you for all of the birthday wishes! Sean took me to see The Fighter last night and I snuck in some air popped popcorn and a tootsie pop! :)
It was a nice treat! :)

Food Choices

The dates 12/31- 1/3 have to be the hardest as far as eating for me. Each year I struggle, I worry and then I feel guilty for all of the food I ate  for those 4 days. But this year (or the last day of last year, and the 1st few days of this year) I think breaking it down into meals and even taking the pictures of it helped me. *NOTE all of the days I had my breakfast sandwich- Double fiber english muffin, soy sausage patty, 2% cheese slice.

We headed over to Sean's Aunt & Uncle's house New Years Eve- Pizza & salad.

 :)

 Our for a Chinese lunch on 1/1 Chicken breast w/ mixed veggies & 1/2 C brown rice.

 Over to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's birthday. Spaghetti & meatballs was all I was thinking about, however I had some roasted spaghetti squash leftover from the week so I made a great swap and saved some points too! YUM!

 Salad-

 Me & Dad posing after playing Wii golf! :)

 This was the cutest mini carrots cake ever! I had 1/2 of a slice for 6 POINTSPLUS!!! WOW!

 my mini piece- lol

 espresso time!

 Sunday 1/2 was a Sean & TJ day. :) A little Chipotle lunch- Chicken bowl- 13 points (I get guacamole but give 1/2 to Sean)

 Then it was my choice to pick dinner because Monday the 3rd is my real birthday and birthdays on a Monday stink lol we celebrated on Sunday :) Japanese it was!

We each picked a roll- I made edamame at home, then we picked a couple of their appetizers that we had never tried before. Pot stickers & veggie egg rolls. It was a yummy feast!

 We went over to Whole Foods and drooled   picked out a few of their mini desserts to try! Since they are 2 for $4 you really NEED to get 4. lol  Starting with the back right- tiramisu, key lime tart, berry chocolate thing- we we not sure of it, & vanilla bean cheesecake. Our favorite- both on the right side! YUM!

Dinner & dessert was followed by cuddling and watching a movie- Eat Pray Love. I must say I wasn't a fan of the movie. I LOVED this book. Actually put the book down when I saw I was nearing the end and PAUSED it for a month to think about it. lol Yeah, I loved it! I'm glad I read the book 1st! 

Thanks for a great Birthday celebration Sean! xoxo

Last night as we were sitting down to eat dinner I looked at the food and said to Sean, "I never do this. I never allow myself extras." I enjoyed everything I ate all weekend. Did it push me to my PointsPlus limit, Yep! Will I like what the scale says on Tuesday? Probably not, but life happens, I had a good time, and I am moving on. :)