Mindless Munchies

Have you ever had them? Well I've had them for the last month solid! I must say that this is the first week I've been able to tame the HUNGRY beast!

AAww I miss this fuzzy lil orange Weight Watcher Mascot with the crazy eyes! No offense to J-Hud! lol :)

Hungry is on my fridge to help remind me to ask myself a simple question as I reach for those doors...."ARE YOU REALLY HUNGRY?" Sometimes I truly am but other times I find myself doing the mindless shuffle over to the fridge just because I'm bored. Do you have this problem? How do we FIX it? Well I don't think there is any fast & easy fix to it. Just like weight loss not being an over night accomplishment.

I started my journey in 2007...so that is a lot of years to be struggling with this. I know that my struggles are not over, far from it. I stare down HUNGRY on a daily basis. Remember those commercials?? He was such a food pusher!!


When I have a month like I had I know it's easy to give up. Have the "Woe is me" attitude and actually feed the emotions, with MORE food! Been there, done that. I guess what I am saying is we all make mistakes it's just how fast week get up from them and move forward. :) Part of my attitude depends on my pain level. When my back pain is elevated I get down. Dealing with chronic pain is not fun! I have to try my best to not give into food to help soothe my pain. It doesn't work, my butt just gets bigger. lol :)

I got an email today from a friend...let's call her Tinkerbell so she remains anonymous. wink-wink ;) She wrote me...and I gotta quote her on this, "I'm so sorry you had a weight gain. Kind of. Mean and nasty? Nope, just makes me and a lot of others know it happens to everyone." She also said, " So, when we do it, we're not failures, we're human."  Human indeed. :) I have not had a second to write her back yet, but if you are reading this Tink, thank you! :) xoxo

Had a great week on plan! I tracked each day and I will be headed to my Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow knowing that I did a good job. :) Part of being successful at this for me is being in the right mindset. If I am focused I do much better and I need to remember that.

How are you all doing on plan? Can you relate to my struggles? One thing that helps me stay focused is looking at pictures to see how far I have come. Has everyone seen my scrapbook of pics? Do you ever go back and look at old pictures to help keep you motivated? What helps you guys? Share with me, I could use more tips!

Hope everyone has a great day! :)
BYE!

Comfort Food

Hello! Yesterday I had a great day OP! I loved all of my EATS! :) Had a breakfast sandwich- (6PointsPlus)

 & some grapes (0)

 I worked in the garage organizing and built up a MONSTER appetite! Side salad w/ salsa ranch dressing (2)

 Then I knew I had some pizza sauce leftover so I decided to throw together a whole wheat lavash pizza. The lavash I get is 1point for 1/2 2 for a whole! You get a HUGE sheet of this! WOW For the cheese I used a light Babybel cheese wheel. They are only 1 point and great for portion control for me. My cheese will mold before I eat the whole bag so these work great!

When I posted this on twitter some people were surprised that you can use those in cooking. They melt so well, go on try them people! :) I grated one wheel and topped the entire pizza. It's didn't look like a lot of cheese, but melted on top of the entire sheet. :)

This is on my LARGE dinner plate!

 mmmm delicious and only 6 pointsplus! :)

For dinner I wanted comfort food. I really wanted meatloaf and mashed potatoes....but that isn't what this is-

 Nope! I grilled turkey "burgers" and mashed some cauliflower :)

All I added to the burgers was red onion, crushed garlic, a few splashes of worcestershire, salt & pepper. They were a little too oniony because they fell apart on the grill a little. Opppss! But they still tasted good! The points all depend on how big or small you make your patties. :) I weighed mine out and had 4 oz for 4 pointsplus.

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"
serves 4
2 pointsplus each

4 cups cooked cauliflower  ( I steamed it ahead of time & let it cool
3/4 C fat free 1/2 & 1/2
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons Molly Mc Butter OR Butter Buds
Pepper to taste

After cooked cauliflower is cooled roughly chop it up and add a little more than 1/2 of it to a food processor. Roughly smash the remaining cauliflower pieces in the bowl.

To the food processor add all remaining ingredients. Pulse for a couple of minutes until smooth & creamy. Add back to the bowl with the chunky pieces and stir well.

* This recipe can be made creamier by adding Laughing Cow wedges or even low fat cream cheese to the mix! I topped my serving with Brummle & Brown yogurt butter for an additional 1 point. :)

Dessert was a PEANUT BUTTER CRAVING!  Thank GOD for  PB2!  On my fancy paper plate too! lol :)

I just saw it's gonna be even warmer today than yesterday!! :) I think I might wear capris!! lol 

Does the warm weather make you happy? :)

Headed to Sean's parents tonight for dinner but I think  tomorrow I'm gonna make an EASY favorite of ours!

Is everyone still tracking along with me and planning on a GREAT week still? I'm hoping to see a better number on that scale this coming Friday! I need it! :) 

Hope everyone has a great day! 

BYE! 

Yummy Dinner!!

I love a good on plan day! I ate well, felt satisfied, and never once felt deprived. I have a few pics missing but I will fill you in...

Breakfast was a breakfast sandwich- Double fiber muffin, Morning Star patty, Slice of 2% cheese (6)
I usually have a piece of fruit with breakfast but I was full after I ate.

Lunch rolled around 1 cup of bean salad. I've made this & shared it before but I must say this is a great salad to make on the weekend and enjoy all week. I've eaten it on top of a green salad or just as is. I love it!

Bean Salad
1 Cup = 4 PointsPlus
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans ( ALL BEANS RINSED AND DRAINED) 
4-5 stalks of celery w/ leaves- diced small
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1-2 bell peppers- any color- diced small
Fresh Italian parsley- 3 tablespoons- chopped small
fresh lemon juice - we used 5 or 6, about 1 cup
LOTS of fresh cracked pepper

Mix everything well in a large bowl, serve cold. :) 

 This was a new FOOD FIND that I got at Costco last week. I have used it so far to dip veggies in but today used it 2 times!

 Nice stats!

 Ate it along side of an Amy Lu's Chicken patty (also from Costco (4)

I was so excited to eat dinner because I was LUCKY enough to be given a bag of Danica's TINY TURKEY & CHEESE TACOS! YUM!  You MUST click on that link to get the recipe and make these! WOW!

I had 7 for 7 PointsPlus and then used that ranch dip to make a dressing for my salad. I mixed a couple of tablespoons with salsa, hot sauce, & water to make it a lil runny and drizzled it on top. I smashed 1/4 of an avocado with lemon juice, & salsa to make a fake guacamole too. :)

Maybe you should click on this pic to ENLARGE it. :)

 *author of this blog is not responsible for any drooling that may occur* lol

I loved this meal! It was easy to make (for me anyway all I had to do was cook the won tons! lol ) But that's the great thing about these! You can make them in advance and cook them up in only about 15 minutes for a fast week night dinner! 

A BIG THANK YOU to Danica for providing a delicious dinner that both Sean and I LOVED! :) 

I was stuffed...so an orange and an apple...with some PB2 from Bell Plantation- click link to order or see where it is available near you! & NO, I do not get paid or get free PB2 from them, I just really love the product!  I had a great ON PLAN day and loved all of the foods I ate! :) THIS is why I love Weight Watchers! :) 

I gotta decided what to make tonight for dinner...I have some meal ideas just not certain what I feel like tonight. If you meal plan, do you have set days for meals or just go with the flow and decided on what you feel like from day to day? :) 

Have a great day everyone! We FINALLY have sun this week and I am enjoying it!

:) BYE!

EATS CATCH UP!

Hey everyone! Where did the weekend go? Wow that was a FAST ONE! Let me share my EATS with ya-

On Saturday I talked to my Mom and she told me that the Fresh Choice was finally open near them. Off we went! I was telling my Mom that I think the reason that this buffet style place works for me is that they have the calories listed above each item! Back in the day I LOVED the Chinese buffet and haven't been back because I know that they don't even tell you what the item is, let alone the calorie content!

My salad- I get ranch in a little cup and fat free Italian. I mix them...guess I'm weird like that. DO you have a weird salad dressing combo? Sometimes Fresh Choice has a creamy cucumber dressing, I think it's seasonal...but its low cal and I love the taste of that one! IM WAITING! :) 

The lowest calorie soup they had was minestrone so that is what I chose. :) With a small slice of multigrain bread.

I did get a little dessert cup of low fat frozen yogurt! :)

Dinner was Ham steaks, roasted asparagus, pineapple chunks, & baked potatoes at my parents house. :)

Sunday Sean and I stopped at a favorite Chinese place for lunch- Chicken w/ mixed veggies, brown rice, salad, & egg drop soup (pic would not upload! boo!)

 Don't ask why we ate Chinese 2X yesterday....I have no idea! lol Poor planning I guess....But we enjoyed it! These noodles are a great FAST & EASY addition to a stir fry.

Tonight I am making Danica's Tiny Turkey & Cheese Tacos! She gave me a bag of them when I saw her last Friday and I am so excited to be able to try them out! :) Plus I don't REALLY have to cook! :)

I just saw that we have SUNSHINE for the week! I am SO EXCITED! :) What a mood boost! :)  Maybe I will go for a lil walk and explore the trail right outside our front door! :) 

Happy Monday everyone! Did you track this weekend and stay on plan? I did, I did! :) Whoohoo! Here's to a great week!  

Bye!

Lunching Ladies!

Woke up yesterday and decided a protein pancake sounded good! (actually it sounds good today too)

3 egg whites
1/3 C quick cooking oats
dash of cinnamon

Mix it all up with a fork beating the eggs a little to get them fluffy. Spray a large pan with PAM & place mixture in pan. Cook on Medium heat and I just look under the "pancake" to see if it is browned then I flip it. Topped mine with PB2 & banana for a 5 point very filling breakfast! :)

I went to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting and I was up a pound. I am going to do the same thing I did last week, TRACK IT ALL.  I'm done seeing a gain each week and If I track correctly the plan works. SO, enough said! :) 

Much FUNNER stuff happened yesterday...LUNCH WITH DANICA! She was working from home so she picked to meet me at a place close to where she lives. Well I only live 10 min or some from there too...but I'm just not that familiar with restaurants around here. SO I did ask her to pick a NON Chain place and she picked a WINNER! 

It was in the town of Suisun and right on the water. Cute little area! I got there early so I walked around snappin pics.

 Danica told me that they had a great BLTA on home made bread the day before so I was dreaming of this sandwich all night!

 Blogger hard at work.... :)

 SO many choices as sides, but we were good and got the salad. Italian dressing on the side. I did peek over at the side fruit cup people were getting and that looked great too!

 Another blogger taking pics of her food....how annoying! lol :)

 Lunch was DELICIOUS! The bread....OMG! It was kinda like that Hawaiian sweet bread...oh yum! We put our Weight Watcher heads together and decided our entire lunch was 13 points. We loved every bite of it! Great choice Danica!

Since I knew lunch was a lil BREAD HEAVY haha I used some portobello mushrooms as the base to my pizza.

Check out these stats-
2 ounces of cheese- 2 Pointsplus
17 slices turkey pepperoni- 2 Pointsplus

Would you believe that this was a 4 point dinner that filled me up? I loved it! I was going to make a side salad but I was really stuffed! I'm definitely adding this to the meal plan again soon!

I did make some popcorn a little later and enjoyed watching my LAKERS WIN! :) WHOOHOO! 

Today I am headed out to visit my Mom. Last week the rain was so bad she told me to stay home! :( They have a Fresh Choice that just opened and she knows I like eating there. (and Sean does not!) SO that is where we are headed for lunch! :)

What's everyone doing today? Do you eat out with friends or family at certain places that you know your spouse or partner wont? lol I gotta get my food fix! :)

Have a great weekend guys! 

BYE! 

Posole!

Hi guys! Last night I made a HUGE batch of soup! Sean told his family about this soup and everyone wanted to try it! I only made it once before so the pressure was on! :)  I also wanted to make it lower on the sodium scale. It was good, not as salty as the last time I made it (I skipped the jar verde salsa) and everyone loved it! :) It is actually a fun soup to make because everyone scoops up a bowl of soup and then adds their own toppings. :)

Tj's Chicken Posole

makes 12 HUGE bowls

3 pointsplus each- PLUS additional points for toppings 

1 pound chicken breast ( bone in, skin removed) 

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 small can (7 oz) diced green chiles

3 cups white hominy-rinsed & drained

1 med. onion- diced

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups yukon gold potatoes-diced

4 cloves of garlic-crushed

4-5 celery stalks w/ leaves- chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cups water

Toppings-  optional or use all! 

-shredded cabbage

-radishes

-avocado

-cheese

-baked tortilla chips or strips

-green onions

In a large pot add 1 teaspoon olive oil- cook onion until translucent, add celery & garlic. Add in cumin, stir for a minute. Place in chicken, stock, & diced chiles. Bring to a boil, cover & simmer on low for about 45 min. to cook chicken. Remove chicken to let cool- shred & place aside. Add in potatoes, hominy, water, adobo sauce, tomato paste, & bouillon; bring back to boil- cook for 15-20 min or until potatoes are cooked. Return shredded chicken to the pot, and get your bowls & toppings ready! :) 

This was better last night than the first time I made it! I used to order this out at Mexican restaurants and want to try to make it at home but was never brave enough! lol Do you ever feel scared to try a favorite at home? If you make this let me know! I'd love to hear what you think! :) 

Still raining here today :(  All of the crappy weather is messin with my mood! lol I feel like I live in Seattle! haha! I don't know what Mother Nature is doing to us!!??  Hurry up Spring!

Laundry and a few errands today. I am still doing well with tracking! I hope the scale shows me some luv this week! :)

I hope you all have a great day! :) BYE! 

Home Made Gnocchi!

Hi! Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend and made it through with tracking all of our EATS! If the weekends are tough for you I totally understand! I always use my weeklies on the weekends, this weekend was no exception!

Breakfast's both days were my normal addiction... lol YUM! Sometimes w/ an egg white! Plus a side of fruit.

Saturday because of the nasty rain I stayed home. Salad & bolani was on the menu for lunch! YUM!

I LOVE blue cheese dressing so I use Bolt House Farms Yogurt Blue Cheese to get my FIX. Lettuce, red cabbage, garbanzo beans, roasted red pepper strips. :)

Yummy Toasted Pumpkin Bolani :)

 Lunch on Sunday we were out & about so a stop at Chipotle it was! :) Salad w/ chicken, corn salsa & guacamole (that I scoop 1/2 off to share with Sean) I get a container of dressing with this but never use it, I prefer a little sour cream, so I get it on the side and dip my fork in. I end up only using 1/2 of the serving that way.

 Came home from running errands and made us a snack. CHIPS! Oh wait...KALE CHIPS! lol Do you remember who inhaled the whole plate last time I made these? Yeah well he was all over them yesterday too! :)

 ok my turn! :)

 YUM!
Wash & dry kale well, spray with evoo, top with anything you like! We like parmesan cheese & pepper! Bake for 8-10 min at 425 degrees. OR until browning starts!

One of my favorite things about our new home is the kitchen. It's WAY bigger than our last kitchen and I always dreamed of being able to cook together! Well last night we got to cooking! We made gnocchi together! It was so fun! I made them years ago with my Nan and have been wanting to make them again. It brought back so many memories and yes I shed some tears, but they were happy ones! :) The meal was delicious and we loved cooking together!

Gnocchi 
serves 4
8 Points Plus 


1 1/2 pounds potatoes. Baked, peeled, & riced. * I wish I had taken more pictures of this step but it was a 2 man job! lol

1 3/4 Cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, 1 egg yolk
- lil extra flour for dusting

Add flour, eggs, salt to the riced potatoes. Using your hands stir everything together until dough comes together. Flour surface of cutting board or counter top and place 1/2 of the dough on it. Work out dough  to make a long snake like roll.  Just like this:

 Awww look how cute my helper was! :) hehe Then cut off pieces and set aside.

 Then to give them a little decoration or as my Nan told me, "to give the sauce a place to stick" you gently roll a fork over the top of them

See the little lines...

 Get to work! You have LOTS to do! :)

 busy woker!

 Ok so then set them aside on a floured towel...Boil salted water, place 1/2 of the batch in. When the gnocchi float to the surface, cook for about a minute more.  These are softer than pasta...like little fluffy pillows! Top with your favorite sauce! ENJOY!

Oh YUM! You really should click on this picture to enlarge it....wow! :)

I used my favorite low point pesto (1 PP for 1/4 cup!) 

Oh man Dinner was good! We had lots of fun cooking together and can't wait to do it again! Sean asked if he can decide what to cook next! DEAL! :) 

Do you cook alone or with a loved one? Do you like help? Who cleans up? lol I am very lucky that Sean helps with clean up duty! :) 

Need to make my breakfast sandwich and get my day started! Hope everyone has a great day planned! 

BYE!