Monday 4-30-12

Hi friends.  Sorry for the silence over the weekend.  I totally blew it.  Everything was going so well up until Saturday night.  We took an impromptu trip to Stone Brewery to meet up with friends (after bbqing with my family all day) and I felt like a WW rock star when I exercised self-control and only had one drink.  After we picked up the kids, went home and put them to bed I messed things up by drinking wine and one thing led to another.  Yeah, I totally raided the stash of leftover Easter chocolate.  Doh!  I blame the cramps and the hormones, and the lowered inhibitions.

I was so exhausted yesterday.  We took the kids to the park for some soccer and a long walk and when we got home I was too tired to cook.  I sent hubby to the store for a rotisserie chicken and he came home with fried chicken, deli sides (macaroni salad and a fatty potato salad) and Hawaiian sweet rolls.  And guess who had more wine.  Double doh!  Weigh in this morning wasn't pleasant.  I was so mad at myself for my indiscretions, but hubby wouldn't let me dwell on it.  Baby girl had her 18 month check-up today (and shots, poor thing) and when we got home from that I went straight to the gym.  I pushed myself really hard today.  I am still hormonal, crampy, and kinda moody this evening.  The gloomy weather didn't help things.  I indulged again today, but at least it was with a new set of weekly points, and at least I'm steering clear of the evil chocolate that I so desperately want.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (11 pts)
1/2 serving soy chorizo with 1/2 serving hash browns, 1/2 c. egg whites, 1 oz shredded reduced fat cheddar, homemade salsa and a low carb flour tortilla, plus two organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack (1 pt)
Light string cheese and a banana

Lunch (14 pts)
Huge salad of greens, grape tomatoes, red onions, cucumber slices, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, grilled chicken breast, shredded carrots and 25 grams of bacon ranch dressing.

Dinner (17 pts)
100% organic grass fed New York strip steak, 1/2 c. roasted garlic mashed potatoes, garlic-roasted asparagus and a 5 fl oz glass of cab. Not a great pic but dang it was delicious.

I ate 43 pts+ today, so I big time dipped into weeklies.  I am going to try to spread them around this week so I'm not eating a bunch of them over the weekend.  I need to be more careful on Sundays if I want to keep weighing in on Mondays.  Ok folks, I need to go lay down.  Thanks for reading. Good night!

ETA...Dessert: I caved and had some chocolate, but not Easter chocolate; I made a single serving of Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt brownie and topped it with 1/2 a Tbsp of Nutella. Yum, and only an additional 4 points.

Friday 4-27-12

Hi friends, TGIF!  I am feeling refreshed this evening.  I went to the gym before lunch today, and because I didn't do a formal workout yesterday I pushed myself to my limits today.  At times I had to slow down because my heart rate got a bit too high.  I am feeling really motivated to get in shape right now because hubby and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage next month and we just booked a getaway weekend at a winery yesterday.  I have a drawer filled with nothing but bikinis and I would love to comfortably wear one on our mini vacation!  Anyway, I felt fabulous for a few hours after today's workout, but when I sat on my couch to make a quick phone call to a customer sheer exhaustion swept over me and I couldn't fathom cooking dinner or doing anything for that matter.  The kids were running around like wild little things and so I asked my husband to keep an eye on them so that I could take a short nap before dinner.  I ended up sleeping for an hour and a half!  It was glorious!  Thank you dear husband, if you're reading this.  Smiley face. This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (9 pts)
Smoked ham, egg whites and light cheese in a Sara Lee white wheat hamburger bun, a cup of sliced organic strawberries topped with a squirt of fat free Reddi-Wip, and two organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack (0 pts)
A banana

Lunch (8 pts)
A "pizza" made with an Alternative whole wheat pita, 1/2 c. leftover crockpot Italian sausage pasta sauce and 1 oz of shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese.

Dinner (16 pts)
Baked parmesan & panko crusted chicken breast with lemon & thyme, 1/2 c. long grain and wild rice pilaf and a cup or so of organic baby kales dressed with a simple, homemade lemon-herb vinaigrette and a good sprinkle of shredded pecorino romano.  Oh yes, and a 6 fl oz glass of moscato.

I used exactly 33 points of 33 points today and still have a bunch of weeklies left for the rest of the weekend. That's all folks, have a great weekend!

Thursday 4-26-12

I have to make this a quick post.  My daughter is having a major meltdown right now.  Good times.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)
Egg white omelet with Herbes de Provence and 1 oz fresh goat cheese, 2 turkey sausage links and 2 organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes

Snack (4 pts)
Small slice of sugar free angel food cake topped with 1 c. organic raspberries and 1 Tbsp homemade organic crème fraîche and 1 c. organic skim milk

Lunch (7 pts)
Half a serving of leftover four-cheese baked crab macaroni and 1 1/2 c. steamed broccoli

Dinner (14 pts)
2 oz whole wheat capellini topped with 1/2 c. crock pot pasta sauce with lean hot Italian turkey sausage and 1 Tbsp low fat ricotta cheese, 1 piece of garlic bread and 5 fl oz of moscato.

If I eat anything else tonight (doubtful) it'll be one of the fabulously delicious organic Aztec Fuji apples from the farmers' market. Those are bomb.  Anywho, I ate exactly 33 points today! Thanks for reading.  Until next time...

Wednesday 4-25-12

Today was such a gloomy, dreary day.  Were it not for the farmers' market I would not have gone anywhere today.  My husband had a doctor's appointment in the morning and physical therapy in the afternoon so I knew chances were slim of me going to the gym at a desirable time.  While he was at physical therapy and my daughter napped I went ahead and did an at home workout.  I have an awesome video playlist on my Droid that I like to watch while I'm on the elliptical, but I decided to connect my Droid to our tv via HDMI cable and use it to dance my butt off instead.  My son was preoccupied with his educational KPBS games so I had the living room all to myself.  I just copied the dance moves on the videos (as best as I could, haha) or did my own moves when there was no fun choreography to follow, and I wore my heart rate monitor the entire time so I knew how long my workout was.  It was fun!  I miss dancing and my video playlist is perfect for this kind of workout.  (It's got stuff like Katy Perry's "California Gurls", Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started", Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie", No Doubt's "Bathwater" and a whole bunch more.)  After hubby got home and I showered we made a family trip to the farmers' market.  It was a quick trip because the rain started to move in.  Dinner was the perfect comfort food and came out better than expected.  It was divine.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)
Egg white omelet with Herbes de Provence and 1 oz fresh goat cheese, 2 links turkey sausage and 2 organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Lunch (5 pts)
3 c. organic baby spinach, homemade balsalmic viniagrette, 1 c. sliced organic strawberries, a handful of organic blueberries, 2 Tbsp reduced fat crumbled feta and 15 grams glazed walnuts.

Snack (0 pts)
A banana on the way to the farmer's market.

Dinner (18 pts)
Four cheese baked crab macaroni and cheese (with 2 oz high fiber penne), lightly steamed organic broccoli and a 6 fl oz glass of pinot grigio.

Dessert (2 pts)
Sugar free angel food cake topped with organic raspberries and a dollop of homemade organic crème fraîche.

I used exactly 33 points today! Thanks for reading guys.  Be back tomorrow.

Taco Tuesday 4-24-12

Good evening friends.  It was a good night.  Tonight we celebrated my late father-in-law's birthday with a fun dinner and we showed our son pictures of him and reminisced.  He would have been 57 today.  Then we watched Tuesday night tv (Whitney Houston Glee and New Girl.)  I went to the gym earlier today and made myself do an extra 10 minutes on the elliptical because I felt a little guilty about the random pb&j I decided to eat in the middle of the night last night, a couple hours after I wrote my blog...which reminds me I should go update yesterday's entry.  I meant to stick to my 33 points today but I ended up going over by one point.  No biggie, that's what weekly points are for.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (7 pts)
Egg white omelet with onions, red/yellow/green peppers, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, reduced fat pepper jack cheese, homemade salsa, 2 slices of center cut bacon and 2 organic skim milk/hazlenut lattes.

Lunch (10 pts)
Leftover chicken burger with an Indian twist with curried mayo in an Alternative pita, 1/2 serving of Alexia sweet potato fries and half of a fresh red pepper cut into strips.

Snack (0 pts)
Organic Aztec Fuji apple

Dinner (17 pts)
2 tilapia tacos with shredded cabbage and crema, 1/4 c. homemade guacamole, 1/2 c. black beans with homemade pico de gallo, 1/2 oz baked Tostitos scoops, and a big strawberry mango margarita.  I know how ginormous it looks but it's mostly  organic frozen fruit and just one shot of tequila. ;)

I ate 34 of 33 points today.  Thanks for reading.  Good night!

Monday 4-23-12

Hi guys!  I need to make this quick because I can hear my three year old in his room banging drums even though he's supposed to be sleeping.  Ay yay yay.  Our neighbors must love us.  This is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)
Tomato-basil egg white omelet with neufchatel and reduced fat feta and two organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack (6 pts)
Oikos 0% vanilla Greek yogurt with organic sliced strawberries and 1/2 oz chopped walnuts

Lunch (6 pts)
Leftover chicken with asparagus and mushrooms in a garlic white wine sauce served over 1 oz whole grain penne.

Snack (3 pts)
A big bite of homemade macaroni and cheese I made for the kids. Probably less than 3 pts but I'm playing it safe. A small banana.

Dinner (11 pts) 
Chicken burger with an Indian twist served in a whole wheat Alternative pita with low fat curried mayo, cucumbers, red onions and cilantro with a side of 15 Alexia sweet potato fries, more curried mayo and sliced cucumber. I usually use ground turkey for this but all I had was ground chicken and it worked SO well. Delicious! This is one of my favorite meals ever.

Snack (0 pts)
Zucchini "chips."  So delicious and reminiscent of roasted pumpkin seeds. You MUST try this asap! I didn't get a chance to snap a pic. I made 2 zucchinis worth and they disappeared quickly.

I should also mention I went to the gym today and earned a lot of activity points, and my weigh in this morning was great!  I lost 4 lbs, woo-hoo!  Ok well, my three year old stopped drumming but I can hear him laughing like he's up to something/  I better go.  Thanks for reading!  Good night.

4-24-12 ETA: I ended up so flustered last night after dealing with my three year old that I gave into a killer pb&j craving and ate a reduced fat crunchy peanut butter and strawberry preserve sandwich on Delightful wheat bread for 8 points. Meh. It is what it is.

Sunday 4-22-12

Good morning!  Yesterday was pretty great.  My husband and I decided to go on a family outing despite the icky gray weather.  It ended up working out nicely because we went on a nature walk for a little over an hour that included very steep inclines.  One incline took us over 10 minutes to get up!  My arms and glutes are feeling it today!  (I pushed the double stroller since the hubby is still recovering from shoulder surgery.)  Eating-wise I feel I did pretty well, not because I ate a small amount but because I was still within my weekly points and did not eat a single activity point. I exercised 6 days last week and that's pretty darn good for my first week back on WW.  I am happy to report that weigh in went well this morning; I am down 4 lbs!  Woo-hoo!  Anyway, this is what I ate yesterday, Sunday April 22nd.

Breakfast (12 pts)
Avocado-bacon-cheddar egg white omelet with homemade salsa and light sour cream and 2 organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes with Splenda.

Snack (0 pts)
Banana

Lunch (10 pts)
Leftover Hawaiian turkey burger patty with 1 slice reduced fat pepper jack, 3 slices of grilled pineapple, broccoli slaw and 1/2 a serving of Alexia sweet potato fries.

Snack (3 pts)
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese. I couldn't resist! I was grating a whole bunch of it for my kids' homemade mac 'n cheese and the small drove me too crazy not to have a piece.

Dinner (12 pts) 
Chicken, mushrooms and asparagus in a garlic white wine sauce served over 1 oz of whole wheat cappelini and topped with 1 Tbps shredded parmesan.  Oh, and a 5 fl oz glass of pinot grigio.

Dessert (5 pts)
1 oz sugar free angel food cake topped with organic sliced strawberries, 15 g melted chocolate and 2 Tbsp fat free Reddi-Wip. And to drink, 1/2 c. organic skim milk.

I ate 42 points of 33 yesterday and still had 11 uneaten weekly points plus all of my activity points intact.

Saturday 4-21-12

Here we go again with the day late post!  Yesterday was interesting.  My daughter had another rough night Friday and as a result I ended up sleeping in til past 11:30 a.m. yesterday.  It threw me off.  We ended up having brunch instead of breakfast.  My parents babysat for us.  We were excited to go do something active in the sunshine instead of our usual dinner/hot tub date, but the weather ended up being bad (by our spoiled SoCal standards) and a we got a late start.  I won't even go into all of the little issues we encountered yesterday;  Murphy's Law was definitely in play. Long story short, we ended up at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and some alcohol, and then we went home and hot tubbed afterward. It was well deserved.  I was nervous about the Mexican restaurant but I handled it better than expected by keeping count of my chips, having only one drink (wine instead of my usual sugary margarita) and by ordering a healthy appetizer for my meal with just a side of beans.  It was still a lot of points but not as much as usual.  I still have weekly points leftover for today if I want them and I haven't even touched my activity points.

I had intended to blog last night but I didn't anticipate the night our 3 year old put us through.  After we picked the kids up from my parents our 3 year old son said he wanted to go to Disneyland, and when we told him we couldn't he quickly became an inconsolable, hysterical mess.  He carried on like this for over an hour leaving hubby and I exhausted. I have created a Disney loving monster.  Ay yay yay.  After that I just wanted to eat something and go to bed, and that's what I did.  This is what I ate yesterday:

Brunch (9 pts)
1 1/2 servings individual (aka, muffin tin) asparagus, mushroom and parmesan frittata, 2 slices of center cut bacon, a delicious medley of sliced organic strawberries and organic blueberries and my usual organic skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack (2 pts)
1 tsp natural peanut butter, a light string cheese and a small banana

Linner at Anita's Mexican Restaurant (25 pts-ish...I think it's an overestimation but better to be safe than sorry!)
16 tortilla chips with salsa, approx 1 1/2 c. ceviche with 4 small slices of avocado, 1/2 c. refried beans with a touch of cheese, 3 corn tortillas and one glass of white zinfandel.  I had trouble guessing how much wine was in the glass because of its odd shape, so to be safe I called it 9 fl oz in my WW tracker. Who knows?!

Late night snack (11 pts...yikes)
Burrito made with a low carb flour tortilla, 1/3 c. leftover refried beans, shredded Tequila-Lime chicken, reduced fat pepper jack cheese and homemade salsa

I'm sure it's an overestimation (restaurant eating can be tricky) but if it's anywhere close I ate about 46 points yesterday, 13 of them being weekly points! Pretty crazy.  I plan to behave myself today since my first back-on-track weigh in is first thing tomorrow morning.  Well, thanks for reading.  I will be back tonight with an update on today. Until then...

Friday 4-20-12

Happy Friday everyone!  Today was a pretty relaxing day. I ran some errands and went to the gym but didn't feel rushed at all.  It was a pretty good day.  Sorry to make this short but here is what I ate today:

Breakfast (6 pts)

Egg white omelet with onions, red/yellow/green peppers, spinach, tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms in 1 tsp EVOO with reduced fat pepper jack cheese and homemade salsa and my usual 2 organic skim milk/hazelnut lattes. I stayed full from breakfast for a pretty long time!

Snack (0 pts)

Small banana before the gym

Lunch (13 pts)

Ginormous salad comprised of of 3 c. organic baby kales, cilantro, organic grape tomatoes, sliced red onions, 1/4 c. black beans, homemade pico de gallo, mushrooms, shredded carrots, cucumbers, 2 oz avocado, 2 Tbsp organic sweet corn, 2 Tbsp spicy ranch dressing and leftover tequila-lime chicken breast from last night. 

Dinner (14 pts)

Hawaiian turkey burger (99 % lean turkey) with grilled red onions & pineapple, Sara Lee whole wheat white bun, 1.5 oz Alexia chipotle sweet potato fries with homemade pina colada dipping sauce and a lightly dressed broccoli slaw. 

It's 8:17 and I have eaten exactly 33 points of 33 points.  However there is a very good chance I will be having 1 or 2 weekly points worth of angel food cake with fresh organic strawberries and a dollop of fat free Reddi-Wip.  I can't get it out of my head and after 5 days in a row of hard workouts I think I deserve it.  Well, that's all folks. Have a great weekend and thank you for reading!

Thursday 4-19-12

Hello friends!  Today was another successful day.  It was also the first day I stayed within my daily points target without reaching into my weekly points, so yay me!  I didn't go to the gym today.  Normally my husband watches the kids so I can go to the gym but today I went to a couple stores instead. It was mostly just for window shopping but was fun just the same.  Seeing cute clothes I will soon fit into was motivating for me.  Later on hubby took our son to play in the backyard while our daughter napped so that I could still exercise at home.  I did aerobics and weight training in our living room while dinner was marinating in the fridge.  It feels good to say that I have exercised every day this week (so far.)  Anywho, this is what I ate today:

Breakfast (9 pts)

Tomato-basil egg white omelet with white onions, neufchatel and reduced fat feta, 1 link of turkey sausage and 2 skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes with Splenda. 

Lunch (6 pts)

Protein-style (no bun) 96/4 burger wrapped in large leaves of organic romaine lettuce with organic tomatoes, red onions, 1/2 oz sharp cheddar, pickles and 1 Tbsp homemade "animal style" sauce. (An In-N-Out thing, and very close if I do say so myself.)

Snack (3 pts)

Homemade guacamole rolled in a yellow corn tortilla

Dinner (15 pts)

Tequila-lime chicken (with boneless skinless chicken), a medley of 1/2 c. organic black beans, garlic, onions, 1/4 c. organic sweet corn and homemade pico de gallo, and a small salad of organic greens with 1 Tbsp spicy ranch. It's not pictured but I ended up adding pico de gallo to the salad as well, right before eating.  Oh, and a  homemade frozen strawberry margarita as a nice treat. Perfect dinner!

I ate 33 points of 33 points today and it feels like I ate a lot more than that because I don't have even a hint of night time munchies.  Hooray for being back on track!  Goodnight everyone and thanks for reading!

Wednesday 4-18-12

Wow, what a busy day I had!  That's why it's 12:40 a.m. and I'm just now getting to write my blog entry for the day.  I am so ready for bed.  I went to the gym today (third day in a row, yay), the farmers' market, the grocery store and did a whole lot of cleaning and food prep.  Anyway, this is what I ate today:

Breakfast (8 pts)

Light egg salad sandwich with Delightful whole wheat bread and 2 skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes.

Snack (6 pts)

1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich on regular wheat bread and with full fat peanut natural peanut butter

Lunch (9 pts)

Leftover turkey sausage spaghetti over whole grain skinny spaghetti

Snack (2 pts)

1 serving mesquite shaved deli turkey, 1 slice reduced fat pepper jack cheese and an organic Aztec fuji apple (so delicious!) 

Dinner (12 pts)

96/4 burger on the Foreman grill with 1/2 oz sharp cheddar cheese with organic red leaf lettuce, red onions, pickles, tomatoes, light mayo, mustard, ketchup and a Sara Lee thin white wheat bun. I also had celery sticks with light sour cream ranch dip and 1 1/2 oz of Alexia baked sweet potato fries. (3 oz of fries are pictured but I only ate half of them having filled up on my burger and celery!) Oh, and a Diet Shasta Root Beer to wash it down. 

I ate 35 pts of 33 today, so 2 weeklies. Not too bad, especially considering I earned a lot of activity points today. Ok, I better get to bed.  Goodnight and thanks for reading!

Tuesday 4-18-12

Hello there.  Sorry for the day-late post.  Yesterday was an off day for me.  I barely slept the night before because my 18 month old was waking up frequently like she was a newborn.  I felt like a zombie all day yesterday.  I still went to the gym but struggled through the entire workout.  I was physically and mentally exhausted.  I still didn't make the grocery store.  And dinner came from the sub-zero freezer, chicken tortilla soup I made a couple weeks ago and froze for such an occasion.  I listened to my body and relaxed the rest of the day.  We watched "The Hunger Games" and then later watched some Tuesday night tv.  Here is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast (9 pts)

Breakfast sandwich with egg whites, 2% American cheese, Sara Lee Delightful whole wheat toast and 2 oz of ham, and 2 skim milk/fat free hazelnut lattes with Splenda. 

Snack (5 pts)

Big organic fuji apple with 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter

Lunch (15 pts)

Huge chicken club salad with 3 c. lettuces, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, red onions, shredded carrots, grilled chicken breast, crumbled bacon, 1/2 oz bacon ranch dressing and croutons. 

Dinner (10 pts)

Large bowl of chicken tortilla soup loaded with veggies, 2 oz avocado slices, reduced fat pepper jack cheese, cilantro, lime  and 1 oz of regular tortilla chips broken on top.

Snack (2 pts)

Celery sticks with ranch dip made with 2 Tbsp light sour cream

I dipped into weekly points, unfortunately, so I need to try to behave the rest of the week so I have some left for the weekend.  Weekends are usually a challenge for me.  I ate 40 pts of 33 yesterday.  I'm trying not to dwell. I felt hungry fir those extra points and that's what they're there for.  Thanks for reading!

Here we go again! Monday 4-16-12

Hi guys!  Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since my last post.  January, I think.  Ouch.  Well, I have definitely slacked off and it definitely shows.  The scale wasn't too happy with me this morning, that's for sure.  A friend of mine (shout out to Matoula Martin) started a health and fitness integrity group for us on Facebook and it inspired me to get back on track.  Many of us got back on track starting today so it's been pretty great having friends in the same boat as me.

"Back on track" for me means sticking to my Weight Watchers points target, drinking a gallon of water a day, meeting fruit/veggie quotas and working out regularly.  I had a pretty strong start today, if I do say so myself.  I went to the gym before lunch and did some intense cardio on the elliptical machine.  I never made it to the grocery store but I was able to stay within my points using food I already had in the house, thank goodness.  This is what I ate today:


Breakfast (12 pts)
Avocado-bacon-cheddar egg white omelet (1/2 c. egg whites, 2 slices crumbled center cut bacon, 2 oz avocado slices, homemade salsa, 1/2 Tbsp light sour cream) and 2 lattes each made with 1/2 c. skim milk, 1 Tbsp fat free hazelnut creamer, hot coffee and Splenda.

Lunch (7 pts)
Deli chicken wrapped up with organic romaine lettuce, 1 Tbsp caesar dressing and 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan in a La Tortilla Factory gourmet soft wrap.

Snack (2 pts)
3 slices Gallo light Italian dry salame and a light string cheese

Dinner (9 pts)
2 oz whole grain spaghetti topped with a sweet Italian lean turkey sausage and veggie "sauce" and a sprinkly of parmesan.

Dessert (2 pts)
Organic strawberries drizzled with 15 g of melted chocolate (about a tablespoon of mini chocolate chips)

I'm still nursing my 18 month old daughter so I still get extra WW points for nursing, yay.  I ate exactly 33 out of my 33 points today.  Cheers to getting healthy again!