The Great PointsPlus Debate!

To count the fruit or to NOT count the fruit! That is my question...or the debate...or I just wanted to get your opinion/thought/rant on this subject. :)

Ok so rule of PointsPlus 1 serving of fruit = 0 PointsPlus

But if you blend it or add it into a recipe you are suppose to count it. Well what do you think? Here is what I think....

(photo credit since I do not know this kid! lol )

My breakfast this morning got me thinking about this today. I know a friend had a leader who swears that the fruit when mixed or blended changes & you must add points. I say no way...I'm not counting a half of banana & 3 frozen strawberries in my green monster smoothie! No way, no how! Oh and for the record I do not count the fruit I add into salads when I make them either!  :P

Green Monster Smoothie

2 PointsPlus :)

1 C unsweetened almond breeze

1 BIG handful fresh organic spinach

1 scoop protein powder (mine is 1 PP a scoop)

3 frozen strawberries

1/2 frozen banana 

So what do you think? Do you count the fruit when you add it to a smoothie or add it to a salad or meal?

Tell me what you think! :)

BYE! 

Giveaway! Pop pop POP!

*Waving Hello* :) Hi everyone! I have my pool schedule down pat and now I found out they release a monthly schedule! I hope it doesn't change much!  aaahhhh I also want to get started with taking some of the water aerobic classes since I am feeling better with what I have been doing on my own to loosen me up. :)

Now to work on my blogging schedule right?  I know I have been busy but I am thinking about you all! :)  I honestly think I am sitting at the computer less and less. lol Where I have my desktop it is not comfortable to sit. Oh well, maybe I can figure something out. :)

Here I am having FUN over the weekend with Sean :)

 Yesterday I had some errands to run after my early AM pool workout and I made Danica from Danica's Daily take a lunch break with me. :)  Vasquez Deli we went!  I got 2 chicken crunchy tacos for 10 PointsPlus and we shared some chips & salsa. It hit the spot! :)

 More errands and then I came home to housework! I didn't even get around to the laundry yet! I feel behind on everything...ever feel that way? :-/

While lunching with Danica I told her about a Mongolian BBQ place that Sean & I tried a few weeks ago and I got a craving for it! But instead of another meal out I decided to whip out the WOK!

I loaded up on vegetables, some noodles, and tofu to make a really great dinner!

 What I love about this is you can add whatever you like to it!
 I used 1/3 of this pack in my bowl and saved the rest for Sean. 1/2 of this is 5 pointsplus with the sauce. I skipped the sauce and estimated my portion at 3.

Let's count the veggies!

1. bean sprouts

2. carrots

3. zucchini

4. mushrooms

5. bok choy

6. celery

7. green onions

8. red bell pepper

9. snap peas

10. snow peas

11. broccoli

uumm I think that is all.... lol :) 

I cheated a little & used a bag of stir fry vegetables from Trader Joe's then added in some more of my favorites to make a perfect stir fry mix!

I also used some fresh ginger & garlic diced up super fine. As far as a sauce I stuck to a simple mix that I love the flavor of- rice vinegar, soy sauce, & a splash of hot chili oil. YUM! This was delicious and took only 5 min to cook it all once I added it to the HOT wok! :)  You all know how I love FAST EATS! :) 

Get out there and make your own stir fry! :) Can you add more vegetables than me? haha!

I guess RAIN is suppose to fall today...ugh! I need a car wash, but not from Mother Nature! I bet it's not enough to remove some of the bird poop I got going on my ride! lol Oh well.... Maybe Sean will wash it for me soon. :) 

GIVEAWAY TIME! 

Hey would you like to WIN a months supply of Popchips? 

Well since I went to Fitbloggin and was lucky enough to receive a case of these tasty snacks myself I get to share the pop luv with you! That's right! You can win a months supply of POPCHIPS! Thanks to the cool peeps at Popchips for asking me to share this great product with my readers! :) SO FUN! 

My favorite is BBQ...or maybe, cheddar...oh wait I like the sea salt & vinegar too! :) ok I love them all!!!  Since these snacks are guilt free and perfectly portioned you can snack happily!

3 ways to WIN! 

1- Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite flavor Popchip is. Never had Popchips before? Tell me what flavor you are most excited about trying! Entry #1!

2- Go follow @Popchips on twitter & me too! :) & TWEET about this giveaway.

 "@tjstestkitchen is giving away a MONTHS supply of @Popchips http://bit.ly/iRLuF8"

Come back to my blog & leave a second comment telling me you did this! 

3-  Next, go to Facebook and LIKE Popchips! Make sure you come back here to leave me comment #3 letting me know you LIKED them! :)

Whew! Three chances to WIN! :) 

The winner will be randomly drawn & announced Friday July 1st! :) 

**Contest open to US & Canada! **

*Sorry No PO BOXES*

Whatcha waitin for? GO ENTER! :) 

Hope everyone has a great day! 

BYE!

Easy Summer EATS!

Hey guys! This week mother nature really turned up the heat. Not my favorite time of the year! It also makes me look for little-to-no cook options! Thought I would share a few...let me know what you like to make to beat the heat! :)

Tuna. First of all I am so grateful to whomever invented the packs of no drain tuna. lol Makes my life easier! I am a tuna w/ mayo kinda girl, but I like my tuna on crackers not as a sandwich. Strange maybe, but it's my thing. lol :) A little light mayo goes a long way in those 2 point tuna pouches making this a great low pointsplus meal! Bulked it up with jicama & carrot sticks.

Ahhh who could forget the BLT! With or without the A :)  This one was from a night that I had a bad avocado :( So I dipped into the light mayo for a classic sandwich that I NEVER get tired of! I like to use Trader Joe's peppered turkey bacon at ONE pointsplus a slice! Good deal!

 Another EASY sandwich....basic fried egg on some fat free whole grain toast paired with some fresh fruit!

 Always love an egg salad too! Here I use 1 egg + 2 egg whites w/ 1 TB light mayo, & fresh cracked pepper to make this yummy open face style sandwich on a toasted honey wheat english muffin.

Salad is always a go to in the Summer months! Just last night I enjoyed this one! 

So easy...no real recipe...

Spinach & romaine- about 2 cups

green onion-diced

6 strawberries- sliced

1/3 C garbanzo beans

1 TB roasted pecans

drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction- I heated balsamic vinegar on low, until it became thick & removed from heat to let cool.  

 Tonight was one of my favorite pasta dishes! SUPER EASY!
Get your pasta on the stove....I used 3 oz Fiber Gourmet Pasta. In your bowl & add grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half. Fresh basil sliced thin,  fresh cracked pepper, & parmesan cheese.

When your pasta is ready drain & rinse under cold water. place in bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. EAT EAT!!! YUM! :) 

Ok so now you share! :) What do you like to eat when it gets so hot you can cook an egg out on the sidewalk? lol 

Hope all my local blog pals are staying cool & that you all have a great day! :) 

BYE! 

Answers!

I've been really enjoying unplugging over the weekend...maybe so much that I start on Friday and skip till Monday night. lol Oopps! :) I have good intentions on blogging then I think of 100 different things that I can be doing instead.  

My pool schedule is going really well. Last week was still rough waking up so early to drive over, but this week, well today, I was up just before my alarm clock and couldn't wait to get my workout in bright & early!  I feel better when I move and get exercise in that water...not only feel better physically, but mentally. Sean told me that I look like I feel better too. :) 

I've also been doing a lot of thinking lately...

I've been chatting with some of the ladies in the pool about doing some charity work...when I get started I will be sure to let you all know about it. :)

Well lets back track a little and let me tell you about lunch on Friday because it was TOTALLY YUMMY! Danica came over and she was all excited to make Sweet Potato BLTA Nachos! I was a little hesitant, but went with it. Let me tell you...these were DELICIOUS! WOW! The flavor of the sweet potato mixed in with the bacon and all of the NACHO flavors...YUM! Make sure you check out Danica's re-cap HERE with the recipe! :) Oh and YES, it was PointsPlus friendly!

Start with some baked sweet potato rounds! 

TOPPINGS!

All set to dig in!

YUM!

We also had seen this recipe in the latest issue of Weight Watcher's magazine...PICKLING! 

 Did ya know you can pickle just about any vegetable? :)

We did green beans, okra, celery,& carrots! These came out really good!! I also was impressed with how easy this was to make! I see jars of pickled green beans at the store and they are over $6 a jar!!  You must give these a try! It would be a FUN Summer family project for the kids too! :)

 I had an EASY meal that I wanted to share with you guys too.... I cooked one of these burgers from Trader Joe's...

 Then I added a whole bunch of picking foods for a sample platter dinner! :) It hit the spot & made for an easy dinner!

 A whole lotta fruit happening around here! I love Summer fruit!

EASY salad nights are great too...especially when it gets HOT!

This caesar dressing is so good! 2TB for 2 pointsplus! 

Ok so I have been lured in to the PINTREST site! WOW does that site have cool ideas! Look at this one that I saw!  

*NOTE* I made this without concern over points because I did not eat any. I am not really an ice cream kinda person, but I knew everyone else would love it! You can look for low fat ice cream sandwiches and make it pointsplus friendlier! 

Ok so start with the ice cream sandwiches!

Then some defrosted cool whip/whipped topping :)

I used a silicone loaf pan because of its flexibility...layer it all in. 1 layer of sandwiches...

 1 layer of cool whip...

 keep layering till you reach the top!

 one last layer of cool whip then cover with plastic wrap. place in freezer until ready to serve.

 About 10 min before you serve it push the ice cream sandwich cake out of the silicone loaf pan on to large plate. top with remaining cool whip and decorate with crushed mini oreo cookies!

 Here is a pic of the cake sliced...so pretty! Everyone loved it!! :) Oh and it was SO EASY! I think it would be even better with sliced banana rounds in between the layers too! :)

Father's Day BBQ was a lot of fun and I remembered to snap a pic of my plate before I dug in! :) 

Bad lighting, but its a burger, sans bun,  topped with cheese, BBQ sauce, pickles and grilled onions!  Dipping into my weeklies for macaroni and potato salad! YUM!  SO WORTH IT! :)

I had a great weekend with my family! I hope you guys did too! :)


Ok so now for the ANSWERS!  The "ASK TJ" idea didn't get a lot of feedback. lol But I did want to answer the questions that I did receive! :)


ROZ- My question: Will you come over and make those meatball subs for me?? :)  

YES! :) I love to cook for people and I wish I could stop by your kitchen & get cooking! :) lol

Katie J- Who taught you how to cook?

What would you suggest for people who don't cook or are afraid to?What is your top 10 fave recipes?

My Mom and Nan taught me how to cook :) I have lots of great childhood memories in the kitchen with them! :) 

Gosh, I can't imagine not cooking!! lol I love it! I think I would say don't be afraid to try EASY stuff! I think from reading my blog you guys can see I like simple and easy!  Don't be scared, just give it a try! 

Top 10 recipes! wow...I think that could be a whole blog post! :) hehe

Lindy- I would like to  know from you  as you are  losing  what  keeps you   going  when it  gets  hard or  when it  seems  nothing is happening. I found out about 5  years  ago I  have  a  totally  degenerated disk in my  back    and  have  real  problems  with my  sciatic  nerve. It   has  totally cut down on my  mobility  . Also my  husband had  cancer  (thyroid)  about  2  years  ago and  for awhile  healthy  eating  when out the  door  because it  was  a  blur of  a  year that it happened and I  had to energy or mental  focus to  do  any of it  but I  am  back on  track  now and he is  fine  although still lots of  routine  tests.  I  am really  trying hard to  get  motivated.. I  mean I  am  motivated  ,I  want to  do the things I use to  but my body is  being  very  stubborn  and not wanting to  lose at  all.  I  am  building my  walking  back up  and  eventually will add  weights  (which in the past help me lose the most)  but  I  feel like  it's  too   big of  a  journey    right now. It's one of   "THOSE"  day , thanks  for  any  advice ,Lindy

Oh wow...well first of all I am glad your husband is ok! I know when life gets crazy our healthy eating plans can go right out the door. I also can relate to your lack of mobility. I suggest you look for a warm water therapy pool in your area. I HIGHLY recommend it! If by chance you can not do this or there is not one in your area, do what you can to move. Having chronic pain and sitting around is not a good combo. For me it makes my joints stiffen up, causing me to be in more pain and then my mental game starts messing with me too. :-/  I think what makes me keep going on this journey is knowing that I don't want to go backwards. I've lived my entire life obese....and I'm not going back. I want to be healthy and do whatever I can to stay upbeat. Surrounding myself with supportive people has been key to my success along this journey. Without my family and friends I don't think I could have made it this far. I think letting everyone know I was on this journey (including my blog!) was the best thing I ever did for myself. I need the cheers, need the support to make this a lifestyle. :) 

Betsey Callahan in Chicago- My question is:  what method do you use to track points?  Do you write them down, or track with your smartphone on eTools? 

great question! I've NEVER paper tracked! Kinda weird huh? lol I love etools so I make sure I keep my iPad, or Iphone close by! :) 

Last Question.... 

Who's your favorite blogger named "Jack"?

humm I wonder who left this one? :) 

Thanks for playing along everyone! :) I loved seeing what questions you guys had for me! :)

Stay cool everyone...man it's HOT out there! Off to make a BIG salad for dinner! :) Have a great evening!

BYE! 

Do you have a question for me?

 Hi! I was going to do a wordless Wednesday post but then I felt bad because I have been absent for a lil bit around here. I'm busy in a good way...I love my new pool & have been getting over there daily. I needed to adjust to a new much earlier schedule! Three days a week the time for the therapy pool is 7:15am-8:15am! YIKES! I am just sippin my coffee normally at that time allowing my stiff back to loosen up. lol But with a little help from the alarm I have been in that water at 7:15 each morning! :) Tuesday & Thursday is a little later and I wish all of the days were the same, but I am VERY grateful to just be in the water again! :) Love it!

So I thought since a few days had past I would share some pics with you....

This is a NEW food find for me! Found them at Costco and WOW only 2 PointsPlus! :)  They are tasty & very refreshing!

 I got to the pool one day to be greeted by these hot air balloons :) So pretty!

 EASY dinner night....
Trader Joe's turkey meatballs + Trader Joe's Low Fat Marinara sauce + leftover frozen baguette...

= meatball sandwich night! (I skipped the cheese!) 

A side salad to with it! :) I like using cottage cheese and mixing a little blue cheese dressing to it to make it seem like I'm being naughty & using TONS of my favorite salad dressing. :) Mind tricks work on me! lol 

 Breakfast has been something FAST since I am back to the pool. I come home STARVING so I decided on Fage 0%, raspberries, blackberries, & granola. YUM!

 Another NEW food find for me was a ceasar dressing I got at Fresh & Easy.

 2 for 2! :) It was really good...I added more pepper but it was very good for being low in points!

 Another EASY meal (yeah I know I'm slacking these days! lol)

BREAKFAST for din din is a favorite meal for us! These are really tasty hash browns & Sean loves them so I try to make him happy :)

 1 Cup = 3 PointsPlus! I like to make sure I write pointsplus on my bags so when I am cooking I don't ned to re-calculate mid recipe. Makes it EASY!

 Ooops broken yolk! :)

 Last night it was a nice evening so it was off to the porch for a little R&R :) I think watching the sunset from our porch might be a Summertime tradition that I will be looking forward to each night! So pretty!

Just me for dinner tonight so I have leftover meatballs in sauce...might just cook up a little Fiber Gourmet pasta & toss it all together with some leftover broccoli too. :) YUM! 

One of my biggest issues with having this blog on Blogger is that unless you have your email linked when you leave a comment I can not respond to you all by email.  I was thinking of doing an ASK TJ post! :)  Whatcha think? Do you have a question for me? Anything...personal, cooking, weight loss, life related....ask away! :) 

Send emails to:   tjbooboo@gmail.com   In the SUBJECT line please type QUESTION so I know it's not SPAM and so it stand out and I can gather up your questions for me. :)  Please include your blog address too for me to give you link luv! :) 

COOL! Can't wait to see what questions you all have for me! :) 

Hope everyone has a great day!

BYE!

Great Friday, Great Weigh-In! :)

Hi guys! I woke up EARLY today and guess what I did? I got my suit on (check Swimsuit Sunday's out over at Stacia's blog Swimming it off! I sent in this pic!!)  and drove on over to get in the pool as soon as it opened at 7:15 am :) whoohooo! 

I snapped this pic real fast before it opened! :) I LOVE this pool!!! It is a warm water therapy pool all nice & warm at 93 degrees especially for arthritis patients. :) 

Then it was off to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting.....drum roll please.....

DOWN 4.6! (say what??) 

Oh hell yes! I had a great week and all that puffiness from last week is GONE & then some! :) I am really proud of myself for having such a great week on plan. Oh and 4 days of pool exercise too! One day was 2 hours! :)

Off to Whole Foods with Danica to get lunch! YUM!  I love this cabbage crunch salad that they have but this time it was in the fridge section with the dressing on the side...I didn't love it as much, I think I like the cabbage a little soggy from the dressing being mixed on for a while. lol It was a good base to my salad. :)

 Pretzel roll!!!! Shared with Danica! :)

 My topping box :)

 All mixed up!

 mmm tastes like soft pretzel!

 Then it was off to a new to us grocery store....Fresh & Easy!

 See how excited a new store makes me! LOL :) What a cheesy pic! lol

 Produce aisle! Cool sign...Ingredients you can pronounce...we liked that! :)

I had a nice visit with Danica and we cheered for each other with our losses this week on the scale. :) It's so nice to have a friend who supports you on this journey. 

Off to make some portobello mushroom pizzas for dinner & then snuggle on the couch with Sean & watch  a movie! Hope everyone is having a relaxing Friday night! :) 

BYE!