Thursday 1-12-12

Hi guys!  The kids had another fun day with friends (shout out to my March Mama Shannon!)  I took them to Kidsville and we were there for over 3 1/2 hours.  Then we came home and the 2 year old did not nap.  I don't know where his energy comes from.  I'm exhausted.  No nap also meant no formal exercise for me, though I'm sure I burned a ton of calories today.  I have been dragging hardcore since about 3 o'clock, and this low energy state has me craving very bad things.  I have been fighting urges all day, ugh.  I gave in and ended up using some weeklies after dinner, but it could have been worse.  I used 36 pts today, which was actually my points target before the Points Plus 2012 version of WW came out.  Not too bad I guess.  Now I am chugging water so I'm way too full to even think about consuming more carbs, my weakness.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 pts) 

Egg white omelet with onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, reduced fat pepper jack cheese, homemade salsa, 2 slices of Oscar Mayer center cut bacon and two organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes with Splenda. 

Snack (1 pt)

1 light string cheese and 2 clementine cuties

Lunch (10 pts)

Leftover slow cooker turmeric braised chicken in yogurt sauce over brown basmati rice

Dinner (13 pts)

Crispy baked chicken (made with hubby's grandma's delicious "fire crackers" as coating), 1/2 c. Stove Top reduced sodium chicken stuffing and steamed broccoli with 2% shredded cheddar.

Dessert (5 pts)

A Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt brownie topped with 3 Hershey's Candy Cane kisses (melted) and a tiny sprinkle of crushed candy cane. I was feeling nostalgic for Christmas. ;) 

I had 36 of 33 pts today.  3 weeklies. I need some sleep. Good night all! 

Wednesday 1-11-12

Oh goodness, I should be asleep right now. I was about to go to bed until I realized I hadn't blogged yet. Today was pretty good. I took the kiddos to our favorite park so they could play with a couple friends, we ran some errands, we cam home to a delicious smelling house (yay crockpots), I cleaned and then I went to the gym and came home to a hot dinner. (Again, yay for crockpots!) This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 pts)
Big egg white omelet with white onions, red/green/yellow peppers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, reduced fat pepper jack, homemade salsa, two slices of Oscar Mayer center cut bacon and my organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack at the park (1 pt)
Light string cheese and 2 clementines

Lunch (12 pts)
Huge salad with organic baby greens, cilantro, red onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, 2% Mexican blend cheese, 2 oz avocado slices, leftover crockpot taco chicken, 2 Tbsp Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch dressing and  a 1/4 oz of broken up Doritos for some crunch.

Dinner (10 pts)
Slow cooker turmeric braised chicken breast in yogurt sauce served over brown basmati rice. Doesn't look like much in the picture but it is soooo delicious! I used boneless/skinless and cooked it for over 8 hours so it just fell apart on the rice. Seriously, make this!

Dessert (4 pts)
28 g Multi grain Peanut Butter Cheerios with 1/2 c. organic skim milk.

I used 1 weekly point, so 34 of 33 points, but I don't mind using weeklies on days I work out hard. Ok friends, I'm off to bed. Good night and thanks for reading!

Tostada Tuesday 1-10-12

Today was busy busy. I spent many, many hours in the kitchen today but it was worth it since I got a lot of prep work done for future meals. Dinner was amazing. I love when an experiment goes right. This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (10 pts)
Egg white omelet with 2 oz avocado, reduced fat pepper jack, center cut bacon, homemade salsa and light sour cream plus two organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes.

Snack (0 pts)
2 clementine cuties

Lunch (8 pts)
Chili rubbed grilled tilapia with lime, 1/2 c. wild rice pilaf and a huge salad with 1 Tbsp spicy ranch dressing.

Snack (1 pts)
A lick of Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt brownie batter

Snack (0 pts)
1/2 banana

Dinner (12 pts) 
2 chicken tostadas made with crispy corn tortillas I baked myself (this is the experimental part that went better than expected), homemade refried beans, crock pot taco seasoned shredded chicken breast (tender and YUM), lettuce, tomatoes, an oz of 2% Mexican blend cheese, light sour cream and Tapatio. I also had a slushy drink made with a whole bag of organic frozen strawberries and a can of Diet Shasta Lime-Lemon soda in the blender. Fantastic dinner.

Dessert (7 pts)
A reduced guilt brownie topped with 12 g melted caramel and 1/4 oz of peanuts and a glass of organic skim milk to wash it down. Yummy! Tasted sort of like a Snickers.

And that is all. I used 38 pts of 33, so 5 weekly points. No guilt. I love to have dessert while I watch Glee so it was worth it. Oh, show's back on. Gotta go! Thanks for reading!

Monday 1-9-12

Today was a fun filled day with my babies.  It started out great because weigh in went just as I had hoped it would; I lost 3.3 lbs from last week and am .8 of a lb from pre-kid weight!  Later in the morning I took the kids to see Hullabaloo play a concert in Encinitas where they got to see some friends and then we followed that with some more fun at the botanical gardens with some of the same friends.  I did a lot of walking up steep hills pushing a super heavy double stroller, so while I never got around to a formal workout today I am confident that I burned a good amount of calories. Plus when we reached our destination I held my almost 15-month old almost the entire time while following my curious 2 year old around.  It was a great day, but I'm worn out.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (11 pts)
Avocado-bacon-pepper jack egg white omelet with homemade salsa and light sour cream, 1 piece of dry light toast and 2 organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes

Snack (0 pts)
banana

Lunch (11 pts)
The last bit of leftover hot Italian turkey sausage sauce smothered in Trader Joe's lite mozzarella and a piece of garlic bread

Dinner (10 pts)
Chicken and veggie stir fry with soba noodles and a diet root beer

Snack (1 pt)
Diet Swiss Miss cocoa made with water, cinnamon and vanilla

I used 33/33 pts today.  Good night and thanks for reading!

Sunday 1-8-12

Today was a very productive day and an excellent day food-wise.  Since I was so splurgey Friday and Saturday I decided to stay within my 33 points today and not use the rest of my weeklies or any of my activity points. Tomorrow is my first OP weigh in of the year and I am curious to see if dropping my daily target to 33 did anything for me.  I am super tired.  I have been nonstop since 4-something this morning when dear son woke up crying.  I couldn't go back to sleep and I laid there for an hour before I gave up and decided to get up for the day.  I did some more closet-purging so we could go make a Goodwill donation today and then later we made trips to Costco and Stater Bros.  I spent the rest of my day cleaning and doing laundry.  I'm so ready for bed.  Anyway, this is what I ate today:

Breakfast (9 pts)
Egg whites, 2 slices Oscar Meyer center cut bacon, 1 Thomas' Everything Bagel Thin + 1 Tbsp neufchatel and 2 organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes

Snack (0 pts)
Banana

Non scale victory: I got through Costco without eating a single sample even though I was hungry! Woo-hoo for me!

Lunch (11 pts)
A cup of leftover chunky veggie and hot Italian turkey sauce sandwiched between a toasted French steak roll. It was like a sloppy joe with an Italian twist and it was great.

Dinner (13 pts)
Baked garlicky lemon chicken breast, 1/2 c. wild rice pilaf and organic baby greens drizzled with Trader Joe's low fat parmesan ranch dressing. Oh, and 5 fl oz of moscato to use up my last 4 pts.

That's 33/33 pts used today. I'm feeling good! We'll see what the scale says in the morning.

Saturday 1-7-12

Yup, this is post number two today, reflecting yesterday's menu.  Yesterday was pretty fun.  We took the kids to the park then got a sitter after to have a date and get stuff done.  The night ended with the hot tub and it was great and very relaxing.  This is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast (9 pts)
Egg whites, 2 slices center cut bacon, 2 slices Sara Lee Delightful wheat toast with Smart Balance Light and 1 tsp Smuckers strawberry preserves and 2 organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes.

Lunch (0 pts)
We intended to do lunch while we had a sitter but got side-tracked by a realty office and spent hours there. We had an early dinner instead.

Dinner at El Ranchero Mexican restaurant in Vista (41 pts-ish? Yikes I have no idea!)
Chips and salsa, 1 strawberry margarita, birria with lime/onions/cilantro, 2 corn tortillas, rice, beans and a glass of white zinfandel.

Late Night Snack (9 pts)
5 fire crackers, 1 slice light havarti and 5 slices of Italian dry salame

I used a whopping 59 points yesterday, if my estimations at the Mexican restaurant are anywhere near accurate. I got some exercise in though, chasing the kids at the park and having a night swim with hubby under the stars.  I stayed totally within my weekly points and even had a couple left for today (which I did not use.)

Friday 1-6-12

Hi there! I realize Friday was two days ago but my Internet connection has been wonky ever since I got a new computer and I gave up on trying to blog Friday opting instead to play board games and Wii with the hubby.  But I'd like to share what I ate that day now that my connection is ok again!  This is what I ate Friday:

Breakfast (9 pts)

Breakfast sandwich with 2 oz Buddig original ham, egg whites, 2% American cheese and Sara Lee Delightful whole wheat toast plus two organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes

Snack (0 pts)

A navel orange

Lunch (12 pts)

Turkey torta with turkey, light mayo, tomato slices, arugula, reduced fat pepper jack cheese, mashed avocado, red onions and a frozen drink made with Diet Shasta Lime-Lemon soda and organic frozen strawberries.

Dinner (15 pts) 

2 oz whole wheat penne with a chunky hot Italian turkey sausage and veggie sauce, grated parmesan, garlic bread and 4 oz of moscato.

Snack (0 pts)

Small organic apple

Snack (8 pts)

2 small Slim Jims, 5 "fire crackers" (wheat crackers that have been seasoned with dry Ranch mix, oil, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper) and a slice of light havarti cheese. 

I used 44 pts of 33 Friday, so 11 "weekly points." 

Thursday 1-5-12

Sadly I need to make this super quick; baby girl just woke up crying. She has a cold and is not happy.  I should have posted earlier but I was playing catch up with Dexter.  Ok, here's what I ate today:

Breakfast (10 pts)
Egg whites, 2 links of turkey sausage, a Thomas' Everything Bagel Thin with 1 tbsp neufchatel and 2 organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes

Lunch (9 pts)
Turkey and avocado wrap in a low carb tortilla with light pepper jack cheese, organic mixed greens and 1 Tbsp spicy Ranch

Dinner (18 pts) 
A cheese steak on a French steak roll with steak, caramelized onions, red/green/yellow peppers, baby bella mushrooms and Trader Joe's Lite provolone snd homemade steak fries (baked not fried.) And a diet root beer. I'm on a sandwich kick right now. :)

I used 37/33 pts today. Ok, gotta go! Good night all!

Wednesday 1-4-12

Today was an extremely productive day.  I felt like I had to make up for yesterday when I didn't get anything done due to my neck/back/shoulder pain.  It still hurts but it's not unbearable like it was yesterday.  I called the Vietnam Veterans of America first thing this morning and set up an appointment for them to pick up a donation tomorrow morning, so I spent my entire day picking through all of our closets gathering stuff to donate.  One of my resolutions was to try to streamline our closets and stop hanging on to so much clutter, so I finally let go of some teeny tiny size 0 clothes I never intend to fit into again plus bigger clothes which I also never intend to wear again.  6 giant boxes later I'm still not done gathering stuff to donate so I'll be calling Amvets or the DAV tomorrow for another pick up later on this week.  It feels good to finally let go of some stuff.  I did take a small break to hit Target and Trader Joe's today, and of course to cook meals for me and the kids, but I have yet to exercise.  It's 10:35 right now and even though I should be winding down for bed I've decided to exercise after I post this blog.  No more excuses in 2012!  (Or at least that's the goal, hehe.)  I used one weekly point today because my dinner was spendy.  I should have looked up the points value of my ciabatta bread before committing to the whole roll, but oh well.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)
Tomato & basil egg white omelet with onions, neufchatel and reduced fat feta and two organic skim milk hazelnut lattes.

Lunch (8 pts)
HUGE salad with 4 c. organic mixed baby greens, 2 Tbsp Hidden Valley spicy ranch dressing, organic grape tomatoes, 1 oz diced grilled chicken breast, reduced fat pepper jack cheese, cilantro, red onions and 2 oz of sliced avocado.  It was so delicious and kept me full for several hours.

Dinner (18 pts)
Chicken panini with provolone, wild arugula and light chipotle mayo and 1 oz of Trader Joe's reduced guilt kettle cooked potato chips. I used my Foreman grill to make it. This recipe came from the Skinny Taste blog, except that my ciabatta bread was 9 pts all by itself! I neglected to scoop out some of the bread guts and it wasn't the fat free kind.  You live and learn. It was kinda worth it.

I used 34 of my 33 points today, using one weekly point and I am about to do some interval training in the living room before bed.  Good night folks!

Tuesday 1-3-12

Hi friends!  I am going to make this quick.  I tweaked my neck last night and my whole neck/back/shoulder area hurts terribly.  Even sitting at the computer is painful.  I have no idea what I did but I woke up like this.  Needless to say I did not work out today.  I was bummed because I had hoped to exercise every week day this week.  In case you were wondering after last night's post, I did end up going to the gym.  Since I didn't exercise today I made sure to stay within my daily points target.  Yay me!  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 pts)
1 packet of Quaker reduced sugar cinnamon & spice oatmeal with 2/3 c. organic skim milk and two skinny white chocolate mochas.

Lunch (13 pts) 
Breakfast burrito made with shredded potatoes, canola oil, an egg, 2 oz crumbled bacon, reduced fat cheddar cheese, salsa and a low carb flour tortilla.

Snack (0 pts)
A banana

Dinner (12 pts)
2 oz Barila Plus angel hair pasta cooked al dente and tossed with 1 tsp garlic infused oil topped with grilled bruschetta chicken with fresh mozzarella and a Diet Shasta Root Beer.

Snack (1 pt)
A packet of Diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate made with water

I used 33/33 points plus today and now I am going to go veg out.  Good night all!

Happy New Year, a day late! Monday 1-2-12

Hi and welcome to my first blog post of 2012.  If this is your first time reading check out my introduction post here.  I apologize for not photographing any of my meals today;  I was much busier than I anticipated.  I finally took down all of the Christmas decorations (except for the ones outside. That's hubby's job.)  I never got to the grocery store, unfortunately, so that's on the to-do list for tomorrow.  I also did not exercise but it's not too late. It's only 7 o'clock so I can still squeeze in some exercise after the kids go to sleep.

I had a good weigh in this morning, surprisingly.  I braced myself for weight gain since I don't believe I've weighed in since December 12th or 13th and I was a bad girl over the holidays.  I guess I wasn't as bad as I thought since I was 128.1 lbs this morning (.1 over my lifetime membership weight goal.)  I always think things are worse than they are when I neglect my tracking.  Anyway, I was happy to see that I am still in good standing with my WW lifetime membership.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that my body composition seems to have changed for the worse with lack of exercise and excessive consumption refined carbs.  I was a cookie baking, candy making fool this December, and don't get me started on the wine.  Ugh. Since my weight stayed the same and my arms and waistline thickened I know I must have lost some of my precious muscle mass and replaced it with fat.  That just means I need to be more diligent about exercise again.

I tracked all of my food for the first time in a long time today and it felt great to be accountable again.  My personal goal weight is only 4 lbs away, but my goal size will require a lot of work on my part.  Hubby and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage this May and I'd like to feel good in a bikini by then since we have been talking about taking a trip somewhere to celebrate.  Also, my 29th birthday is in March and I'd love to start the last year of my twenties in awesome shape and optimal health.  But that's enough about that.  Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)
Very light egg salad sandwich made with 1 boiled egg, salt, pepper, 1 Tbsp light mayo and 2 slices of Sara Lee Delightful whole wheat toast plus 2 homemade skinny white chocolate peppermint mochas with organic skim milk.

Snack (0 pts)
2 clementines

Lunch (7 pts)
Ham, light pepper jack, organic salad and 1 Tbsp spicy ranch dressing wrapped in a low carb flour tortilla.

Snack (1 pt)
Light string cheese and a small banana

Dinner from Jack-In-The-Box (21 pts)
Grilled chicken club salad with the whole packet of bacon Ranch and all of the seasoned croutons.

I used 37 points plus today, so not a perfect first day back, but it's a good start.  I am still nursing baby girl but with the roll-out of Points Plus 2012 my points target was dropped to 33 instead of 36.  I've decided to stick with it and see what happens, so that means I used 4 of my weekly points on dinner.  I may try to cancel  that out with exercise later but we'll see.  Good night folks.  Thanks for reading and happy new year!