I want to start by thanking everyone that has been so supportive of my journey. It has made this journey more enjoyable knowing that I have supporters.
I have decided to take a hiatus from this blog. When I started this blog almost a year ago, my goal was to have an outlet. While this blog was very useful for that, I have found it to be tedious at this point. I find my self struggling to sit down and write my weekly entries and I find it redundant with my tracking on Weight Watchers. I am going to focus on the goals that I set after the honeymoon to get into the 150's by the end of the year I am just going to do it with my support system at Weight Watchers meetings.
Again, thank you for the support and I will hopefully return again, when I find this blog enjoyable again.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Post Honeymoon
Andy and I just got back from two weeks of honeymoon bliss! We had incredible time in Maine. We played on Great Pond in Belgrade Lakes, we hiked and biked in Acadia and we drank at a bunch of breweries in Portland. Maine has such fresh air and gorgeous weather. We ate fresh cooked lobster, steak, fresh veggies and ice cream. I wanted to enjoy myself and not worry about food the whole time. Andy and I did a number of hikes and tried to be as active as possible. I ended up gaining about 5 pounds and when I weighed myself on the return I weighed 169.4 lbs. It is time to set new goals and work to attain them. My first goal is to drop the honeymoon weight by the end of September. My next goal is to get into the 150's by the end of the year and maintain it. So here is to taking back control by counting every point.
Monday I started the day with a cup of coffee with fat-free and sugar free creamer. I also made a protein smoothie with blueberries and banana. For lunch I kept it simple. I made a salad with cucumber, carrots, scallions, 1 oz reduced fat feta cheese, rotisserie chicken and raspberry walnut salad dressing. I also brought carrots with hummus and an apple. The office finally has LaCroix so I also had a LaCroix with my lunch. Since I knew my sweet tooth would act up, since I have indulged the past two weeks I also brought a Skinny Cow heavenly peanut butter crunch bar. My workout was treadmill for 45 minutes at a 5% incline. For dinner Andy made some Slow cooker buffalo chicken. We decided to makes salads using lettuce, cucumber, celery, carrot, scallions, 1 oz. reduced fat feta, and crispy onions. On top of that I added 1/2 cup of buffalo chicken, 1 tbsp crispy onions and 1 tbsp ranch dressing with some sriracha drizzle. It was delicious. I also drank some iced green tea.
Daily Points used: 21 PP
Weekly Points used:0 PP
Tuesday Breakfast was an egg white and ham sandwich on an English muffin, coffee with fat free creamer and a banana. For lunch I brought a salad: lettuce, cucumber, scallions, carrots, celery, 1 oz. reduced fat feta and 3 oz. chicken. I also brought carrots and hummus and an apple. AFter work I headed to the eye doctor for my annual checkup. For dinner Andy and I made lettuce wraps! We found a PF Changs copy cat recipe that we used, which can be found here at Damn Delicious. I calculated the points and if you have 4 servings like the recipe suggests it is 6 PP per serving. They were a great low carb dinner. I also had a cup of tomato soup because I had a number of points left.
Daily Points used: 27
Weekly Points used: 0 PP
Wednesday Breakfast was coffee with fat free creamer, a banana and a breakfast sandwich: english muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz of swiss cheese, and 1 oz of ham. For lunch I brought the meat from the lettuce wraps over chopped lettuce. In addition to the salad I brought an apple, hummus and peppers and a Skinny Cow heavenly peanut butter crunch bar. After work I headed to the gym, to do some cardio. I did 45 minutes at 3.5 mph at a 5% incline. For dinner I baked a sweet potato and topped it with rotisserie chicken, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and salsa. It was a delicious and filling dinner.
Daily Points used: 30 PP
Weekly Points used: 3 PP
Thursday Breakfast was iced coffee, a banana and a breakfast sandwich: english muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz of swiss cheese and 1 oz of turkey. For lunch I brought the meat from the lettuce wraps on top of shredded cabbage, bell pepper and hummus, and apple and a Skinny Cow heavenly crisp bar. My workout was 45 minutes at 3.5 mph at a 5% incline. Next week I am going to focus on challenging myself more with workouts, this week I was focusing on getting back into the routine. For dinner we had grilled salmon, lentils and roasted asparagus.
Daily Points used: 24PP
Weekly Points used: 0 PP
Friday Breakfast was coffee with fat free caramel marshmallow creamer, a banana and an egg sandwich: Lite English Muffin, 0.3 oz swiss cheese, 1.0 oz deli ham and 1 whole egg. For lunch I was running low on basics so it was an all over the place lunch. Turkey, ham and cheese roll ups with blueberry whole grain mustard, hummus with carrots and cucumber, and an apple. After work I headed home and did a fitness blender video because it was super rainy and I didn't want to run from my car into the gym. After the workout I went out with friends for dinner and drinks. For dinner I had basil pesto shrimp over zoodles with a side salad with balsamic vinegar. In addition to that I had 5 beers...OOPS!!
Daily Points used: 51 PP
Weekly Points used:24 PP
Saturday I was a little hungover Saturday so I started my day with water and advil. Andy and I headed to the Farmers Market where I got an iced latte made with almond milk. I find if I get almond milk I don't need to use sweeteners. We also got empanadas from our favorite empanada stand. Then we shopped for produce for the week. I then worked around the house to get ready for some friends coming over. I made homemade burgers, brats and a weight watchers coleslaw: Lemony Coleslaw with apples. My friends brought a bunch of sides like potato salad, macaroni salad and beans. It was indulgent and for sure more than I normally eat but I tracked everything...including the 2 beers!
Daily Points used: 42 PP
Weekly Points used:15 PP
Sunday My focus on Sunday was to get sharply focused again. I started my day with coffee in my Acadia National Park mug (honeymoon flashback), watermelon and a breakfast sandwich: Light English Muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz swiss cheese, 1.0 oz deli ham. For dinner we had brats with coleslaw.
Daily Points used:27 PP
Weekly Points used:0 PP
Monday I started the day with a cup of coffee with fat-free and sugar free creamer. I also made a protein smoothie with blueberries and banana. For lunch I kept it simple. I made a salad with cucumber, carrots, scallions, 1 oz reduced fat feta cheese, rotisserie chicken and raspberry walnut salad dressing. I also brought carrots with hummus and an apple. The office finally has LaCroix so I also had a LaCroix with my lunch. Since I knew my sweet tooth would act up, since I have indulged the past two weeks I also brought a Skinny Cow heavenly peanut butter crunch bar. My workout was treadmill for 45 minutes at a 5% incline. For dinner Andy made some Slow cooker buffalo chicken. We decided to makes salads using lettuce, cucumber, celery, carrot, scallions, 1 oz. reduced fat feta, and crispy onions. On top of that I added 1/2 cup of buffalo chicken, 1 tbsp crispy onions and 1 tbsp ranch dressing with some sriracha drizzle. It was delicious. I also drank some iced green tea.
Daily Points used: 21 PP
Weekly Points used:0 PP
Tuesday Breakfast was an egg white and ham sandwich on an English muffin, coffee with fat free creamer and a banana. For lunch I brought a salad: lettuce, cucumber, scallions, carrots, celery, 1 oz. reduced fat feta and 3 oz. chicken. I also brought carrots and hummus and an apple. AFter work I headed to the eye doctor for my annual checkup. For dinner Andy and I made lettuce wraps! We found a PF Changs copy cat recipe that we used, which can be found here at Damn Delicious. I calculated the points and if you have 4 servings like the recipe suggests it is 6 PP per serving. They were a great low carb dinner. I also had a cup of tomato soup because I had a number of points left.
Daily Points used: 27
Weekly Points used: 0 PP
Wednesday Breakfast was coffee with fat free creamer, a banana and a breakfast sandwich: english muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz of swiss cheese, and 1 oz of ham. For lunch I brought the meat from the lettuce wraps over chopped lettuce. In addition to the salad I brought an apple, hummus and peppers and a Skinny Cow heavenly peanut butter crunch bar. After work I headed to the gym, to do some cardio. I did 45 minutes at 3.5 mph at a 5% incline. For dinner I baked a sweet potato and topped it with rotisserie chicken, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and salsa. It was a delicious and filling dinner.
Daily Points used: 30 PP
Weekly Points used: 3 PP
Thursday Breakfast was iced coffee, a banana and a breakfast sandwich: english muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz of swiss cheese and 1 oz of turkey. For lunch I brought the meat from the lettuce wraps on top of shredded cabbage, bell pepper and hummus, and apple and a Skinny Cow heavenly crisp bar. My workout was 45 minutes at 3.5 mph at a 5% incline. Next week I am going to focus on challenging myself more with workouts, this week I was focusing on getting back into the routine. For dinner we had grilled salmon, lentils and roasted asparagus.
Weekly Points used: 0 PP
Friday Breakfast was coffee with fat free caramel marshmallow creamer, a banana and an egg sandwich: Lite English Muffin, 0.3 oz swiss cheese, 1.0 oz deli ham and 1 whole egg. For lunch I was running low on basics so it was an all over the place lunch. Turkey, ham and cheese roll ups with blueberry whole grain mustard, hummus with carrots and cucumber, and an apple. After work I headed home and did a fitness blender video because it was super rainy and I didn't want to run from my car into the gym. After the workout I went out with friends for dinner and drinks. For dinner I had basil pesto shrimp over zoodles with a side salad with balsamic vinegar. In addition to that I had 5 beers...OOPS!!
Daily Points used: 51 PP
Weekly Points used:24 PP
Saturday I was a little hungover Saturday so I started my day with water and advil. Andy and I headed to the Farmers Market where I got an iced latte made with almond milk. I find if I get almond milk I don't need to use sweeteners. We also got empanadas from our favorite empanada stand. Then we shopped for produce for the week. I then worked around the house to get ready for some friends coming over. I made homemade burgers, brats and a weight watchers coleslaw: Lemony Coleslaw with apples. My friends brought a bunch of sides like potato salad, macaroni salad and beans. It was indulgent and for sure more than I normally eat but I tracked everything...including the 2 beers!
Daily Points used: 42 PP
Weekly Points used:15 PP
Sunday My focus on Sunday was to get sharply focused again. I started my day with coffee in my Acadia National Park mug (honeymoon flashback), watermelon and a breakfast sandwich: Light English Muffin, egg white, 0.5 oz swiss cheese, 1.0 oz deli ham. For dinner we had brats with coleslaw.
Daily Points used:27 PP
Weekly Points used:0 PP
Monday, August 10, 2015
Happy August!
Happy August!! I cannot believe how quickly this year is flying. I am super excited for August for a couple of reasons:
For Dinner we heated up some pulled pork (6 PP for 3 oz) and ate it with some simple sides of roasted corn poblano salad (2 PP), potato salad (4 PP) and three bean salad (5 PP)
1) Because it is honeymoon month!! I cannot wait for the relaxing 2 week trip we are taking to Maine
2) Rainy season has actually started so the lawn is doing much better
3) This month starts concert season for us down here
My goal for August is to stay on Points so I am going to post the points for everything I am writing about in addition to how many activity points I earn. I am allotted 26 points a day and 49 weekly points.
Sunday I got to sleep in a bit today and woke up pretty exhausted. I decided to start with some ice tea and sparkling water because I was to tired to make coffee. For breakfast I made a breakfast sandwich using an english muffin (3 PP), a whole egg (2 PP), 0.5 oz of provolone cheese (1 PP) and deli turkey (1 PP). I then spent the day cleaning up the tailgating gear and downing water. I decided I wanted a snack and I have been craving ice cream, so I decided to make banana ice cream.
Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
2 ripe bananas cut up and frozen (3 PP, since they get blended)
1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter (3 PP)
splash of vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients together until you reach a creamy consistency
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| Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream in an ice cream bowl from Papa |
Points Used: 28 PP, 47 Weeklies left
Monday For breakfast I made a quick breakfast sandwich: English muffin (3 PP), 1 large egg white (0 PP), 1 patty turkey sausage (1 PP) 0.5 oz provolone cheese (1 PP). I also drank some black coffee (0 PP). For lunch I brought a southwest style salad: romaine lettuce (0 PP), 3 oz. cooked ground turkey (5 PP), 2 tbsp salsa (0 PP), 2 oz roasted corn poblano salad (2 PP), and 2 tbsp guacamole (1 PP). I also brought cut up carrots and peppers in addition to LaCroix and an apple. After work I headed to the gym for a 45 minute treadmill workout. For dinner I decided to keep things simple. I made roasted broccoli and pulled pork pizza: tortilla (3 PP), 3 oz pulled pork (6 PP), 1/4 cup shredded cheese (3 PP). It was simple but delicious!
Points Used: 27 PP, 46 Weeklies left
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| Pulled Pork Pizza and Roasted Broccoli |
Points Used: 27 PP, 46 Weeklies left
Tuesday For breakfast I had an iced coffee with 1/8 cup of 2% milk and an egg sandwich for breakfast: english muffin (3 PP), turkey sausage (1 PP) and an egg white (0 PP). I had a lunch meeting that unfortunately I was not the one that ordered the food. I did the best that I could based on the options. I ate Half of a turkey sandwich (5 PP) and half a plate full of salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (2 PP). After work I headed to the gym for another work out session I did 45 minutes on the treadmill at a 5% incline and 3.5 mph pace. I then headed to the house to get dinner ready for me and the girls. I decided to keep it simple and make a strawberry chicken salad for dinner and 10 oz of white wine.
Strawberry Chicken Salad
Makes 5 servings 8 PP per serving
5 cups spinach cleaned
1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut into fourths
1 cup blueberries
1 cup pecans
4 strips bacon cooked crisp
2 oz. goat cheese
3 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 olive oil
salt and pepper to tast
1. Mix the last three ingredients together and marinade chicken in it to 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess. Grill chicken until cooked through.
3. In a large bowl place cleaned spinach, strawberries, blueberries and pecans. Crumble goat cheese and bacon and place on top. Chop chicken into bite size pieces.
4 Serve with your favorite salad dressing.
Points Used: 30 PP, 42 Weeklies left
Wednesday For breakfast I kept it simple again with an egg sandwich. I also had a glass of iced tea with some sparkling water in it. For lunch I brought the Strawberry Chicken Salad and a big container of cantaloupe and strawberries. For dinner I made a sautee of kale, butternut squash and onions in 1 TBSP of butter (3 PP). I topped this with 3 oz of grilled chicken (3 PP). I also took some butternut squash and roasted it to make fries. It was delicious! A little later in the night I had a night cap of 1.5 oz of baileys (5 PP) and 2 squares of graham crackers (2 PP)
Points Used: 27 PP, 41 Weeklies left
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Points Used: 27 PP, 41 Weeklies left
Thursday For breakfast I made iced coffee and a very simple breakfast sandwich: English Muffin (3 PP), a whole egg (2 PP) and 1/2 slice of American cheese (1 PP). For lunch I brought my leftovers from the night before. 3 oz chicken (3 PP), kale, butternut squash and onion sautee in butter (3 PP), melon and strawberries (0 PP) and carrots (0 PP). It was a delicious and well balanced lunch. For dinner we went down to Titanic Brewery for wing night. The deal is 10 wings and a pint for $10.
Friday For breakfast I made a basic egg sandwich. For lunch a couple of co-workers went to Chilis for lunch. I immediately found the lighter fare section of the menu and chose the Mango Chili Chicken which was 13 PP. It was delicious but in retrospect...I should have skipped the rice and just eaten the broccoli and chicken.
Saturday I was bad at tracking this weekend. We had friends over for breakfast and I made mimosa pancakes and an egg strata. I am sure I blew through all my daily points and my weeklies.
Time to try better on staying on track on the weekends!
Time to try better on staying on track on the weekends!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Back to Life
Andy and I have been working on getting back into our normal routine. It is hard to remember what that normal routine is since we barely remember what we did before we bought a house and planned a wedding. We are trying to focus on cooking more and maintaining both inside the house and the yard.
Sunday- Sunday was a catch up on projects we have wanted to do day. First we had decided we would smoke pork for pulled pork. Andy started the Boston Butt at 8 AM. The night before we had rubbed with mustard and the spice rub and let it sit overnight. Once we were both up, Andy did a quick trip to the store for some sides and we got started. We started by trimming the trees around the roof. Then we did some rearranging of the shed to get bikes in a better position. We also cleaned up the porch which had become a dumping ground for all sorts of stuff.
We had some friends over to enjoy the pulled pork. Dinner was the pulled pork with homemade Carolina BBQ sauce, coleslaw, salad and baked beans. It was delicious!
Monday- I started my day with a smoothie. I have changes my smoothie recipe up a little bit. 1/2 c frozen blueberries( 0 PP) , 1 C spinach (0PP), 2 TBSP 0% Chobani (1 PP), flax seed (1 PP) and 2 scoops EAS Lean 15 Protein Powder (2 PP). For lunch I brought leftover salmon and quinoa. I also brought an apple and a Grapefruit LaCroix. After work I headed to the gym for a quick cardio session. Dinner was a half of a baked sweet potato topped with 3 oz pork and carolina bbq sauce. I paired this with a side salad and some coleslaw
Tuesday- Breakfast was another smoothie, just like Monday's. For lunch I brought my lunch to ensure I wouldn't eat the lunch that was brought in. I made a salad topped with 3 oz salmon and my homemade asian salad dressing. I also brought watermelon and an apple. For dinner I kept everything really simple. Turkey roll-up, baked sweet potato topped with a little cheese, salsa and guacamole. After dinner and doing a couple of chores around the house I treated myself to a SkinnyCow Ice Cream sandwich.
Wednesday I decided to change up breakfast a little bit because I had a busy day at work. I made a breakfast sandwich on a Light English muffin (3 pts) with a whole egg (2 pts), one slice of deli turkey (1 PP) and 1/2 oz of provolone cheese (1 PP). It always shocks me that an egg sandwich is 7 PP but I stay full throughout the morning and find that I eat less at lunch. Lunch was half of a Panera Chicken Poppyseed Salad (4 PP). After a busy day at work, I headed to the gym for some strength training. Then headed home for dinner. I decided to make lettuce cup tacos for dinner. It was simple enough. I cooked up some ground turkey with some homemade taco seasoning topped that with a little cheese, guacamole and salsa.
Thursday Breakfast was another egg sandwich with some adjustments. I used a Light English Muffin (2 PP), one egg white (0 PP), 0.2 oz provolone cheese (1 PP) and on Jimmie Dean turkey sausage patty (1PP). I also had iced coffee with 1/4 cup of 2% milk (1PP).
For lunch I brought a basic taco salad made with 3 cup romaine lettuce (0 PP), 3 oz of cooked ground turkey (5 PP), 2 tablespoons guacamole (1 PP), 2 tablespoons salsa (0 PP), 1/4 cup shredded cheese (3 PP) and cucumber. This was accompanied by an apple and sparkling water.
Friday For breakfast I have a breakfast sandwich that Andy was nice enough to make for me (7 PP) accompanied with coffee and a 1/4 cup of 2% milk. For lunch we had a team lunch to celebrate our project Go-Live. We brought in some delicious Thai food, so it was a little harder to stay on track so I focused on avoiding the rice and noodles and really just ate the curry and the samrod chicken. After work Andy and I headed to the Dave Matthews Band Concert in West Palm Beach. Andy had smoked a pork shoulder during the day and picked up sides at Publix. It was not very good points wise but it tasted delicious and I spent 3 hours dancing up a storm!
Saturday Andy and I got up and met up with our new friend Nick. We went to a diner for breakfast. I got a delicious Irish eggs benedict. It was a toasted english muffin topped with tomato, corned beef hash, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce at Sara's Kitchen in West Palm Beach. It was amazing!! After that we headed to Twisted Trunk Brewing for a couple of beers before tailgating. I tried a watermelon saison, english pale ale and a session IPA. They were great beers. We then headed back to the venue for night two of DMB. We ate pulled pork again with sides of beans, potato salad, and macaroni salad. It was another great night of Dave music in the rain.
Since we are now in August, I wanted to set some goals for August which are realistic since it is also honeymoon month.
Sunday- Sunday was a catch up on projects we have wanted to do day. First we had decided we would smoke pork for pulled pork. Andy started the Boston Butt at 8 AM. The night before we had rubbed with mustard and the spice rub and let it sit overnight. Once we were both up, Andy did a quick trip to the store for some sides and we got started. We started by trimming the trees around the roof. Then we did some rearranging of the shed to get bikes in a better position. We also cleaned up the porch which had become a dumping ground for all sorts of stuff.
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| Andy enjoying our new furniture! |
Monday- I started my day with a smoothie. I have changes my smoothie recipe up a little bit. 1/2 c frozen blueberries( 0 PP) , 1 C spinach (0PP), 2 TBSP 0% Chobani (1 PP), flax seed (1 PP) and 2 scoops EAS Lean 15 Protein Powder (2 PP). For lunch I brought leftover salmon and quinoa. I also brought an apple and a Grapefruit LaCroix. After work I headed to the gym for a quick cardio session. Dinner was a half of a baked sweet potato topped with 3 oz pork and carolina bbq sauce. I paired this with a side salad and some coleslaw
Tuesday- Breakfast was another smoothie, just like Monday's. For lunch I brought my lunch to ensure I wouldn't eat the lunch that was brought in. I made a salad topped with 3 oz salmon and my homemade asian salad dressing. I also brought watermelon and an apple. For dinner I kept everything really simple. Turkey roll-up, baked sweet potato topped with a little cheese, salsa and guacamole. After dinner and doing a couple of chores around the house I treated myself to a SkinnyCow Ice Cream sandwich.
Wednesday I decided to change up breakfast a little bit because I had a busy day at work. I made a breakfast sandwich on a Light English muffin (3 pts) with a whole egg (2 pts), one slice of deli turkey (1 PP) and 1/2 oz of provolone cheese (1 PP). It always shocks me that an egg sandwich is 7 PP but I stay full throughout the morning and find that I eat less at lunch. Lunch was half of a Panera Chicken Poppyseed Salad (4 PP). After a busy day at work, I headed to the gym for some strength training. Then headed home for dinner. I decided to make lettuce cup tacos for dinner. It was simple enough. I cooked up some ground turkey with some homemade taco seasoning topped that with a little cheese, guacamole and salsa.
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| Taco Lettuce Cups and Sparkling water! |
Thursday Breakfast was another egg sandwich with some adjustments. I used a Light English Muffin (2 PP), one egg white (0 PP), 0.2 oz provolone cheese (1 PP) and on Jimmie Dean turkey sausage patty (1PP). I also had iced coffee with 1/4 cup of 2% milk (1PP).
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| Delicious 5PP breakfast |
For dinner I sauteed some bok choy and onion and we topped it with taco meat, salsa, guacamole and 1/4c cheese. We also got ready for Dave Matthews Band and we enjoyed a relaxing night in the hot tub.
Saturday Andy and I got up and met up with our new friend Nick. We went to a diner for breakfast. I got a delicious Irish eggs benedict. It was a toasted english muffin topped with tomato, corned beef hash, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce at Sara's Kitchen in West Palm Beach. It was amazing!! After that we headed to Twisted Trunk Brewing for a couple of beers before tailgating. I tried a watermelon saison, english pale ale and a session IPA. They were great beers. We then headed back to the venue for night two of DMB. We ate pulled pork again with sides of beans, potato salad, and macaroni salad. It was another great night of Dave music in the rain.
Since we are now in August, I wanted to set some goals for August which are realistic since it is also honeymoon month.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Mrs. Short :)
Saturday- Breakfast was a bowl of fruit and a avocado egg white sandwich from Panera. For lunch the team had requested Chipotle. So I made a salad with a huge lettuce base, chicken, pinto beans, corn salsa, tomatoes and guacamole. For dinner we were at happy hour and I only snacked on a couple of things. After that, we went to our friends house for a little get together.
Sunday- Back in the office after eating a breakfast sandwich before leaving the house. Lunch was greek food. I made a falafel salad with lettuce, tomato, red onion falafel, tazatki and hummus. I got home from the office and went to pick up my aunt and cousins that were coming into town for a cruise. We went to dinner at Fork and Balls. I was feeling a little indulgent, so I got the Shirt Rib entree. I ate about half of it and it was worth every point!
Monday- Breakfast was iced coffee with some non fat greek yogurt. I had a lunch meeting at work so I had half of a Chinese chicken wrap during that meeting. After work I rushed home because Andy and I were going to see Sam Smith!! We had a quick dinner of some chicken and a cold tomato avocado soup. The soup was incredible, we have been experimenting with soups that are meant to be served cold lately. Sam Smith is incredible live! It was such a great show!
Tuesday- I was feeling exceptionally tired this morning, so I decided I would just eat breakfast in the office. Breakfast was some instant oatmeal and coffee. Lunch was a salad and half a sandwich during a lunch meeting. For dinner Andy made a delicious shrimp, snap pea and radish salad.
Wednesday- For breakfast I made a breakfast sandwich with an egg and some turkey. I also made iced coffee with milk and a little sugar. Lunch was leftover salad with chicken instead of shrimp, hummus and carrots and a peach. After work I got back into my workout routine, with a session with my personal trainer. For dinner we kept it simple. I roasted some cauliflower, made small salads with chicken on top and we had some more cold tomato avocado soup.
Thursday- Breakfast was an egg and spinach breakfast sandwich. I wish I had also put some tomato on the sandwich! For lunch I made a garden salad with smoked chicken and brought some roasted vegetables. I also brought and apple and iced tea. After work I headed to the gym to get back into my work out routine. After that I went to get a haircut, my hair had been way too long. Then we had Lindsay and Jeremy over for drinks and I stayed up way too late. We snacked on some crackers and cheese, and carrots and hummus
Friday- Breakfast was another egg and spinach breakfast sandwich. For lunch I got a Thai Chicken Salad. We went over to Megan and David's house for a little get together. Andy and I brought a fruit salad and the infamous bacon mushroom dip that Matt makes.
Saturday- Saturday started as a lazy day. I got to sleep in which is always fantastic! Then we bummed around the house until we picked up my aunt and cousins from the Port. We took them to the Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood. We got a cold coconut, empanadas and some coffee. It was a short visit before they had to be dropped off at the airport. We then headed back to the house and were lazy bums. We did manage to cook a delicious and healthy dinner. We made quinoa with onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. In addition to that we made some baked salmon that was marinated with hot sauce, ponzu and hoisin sauce. After dinner we went to pick up some porch furniture from Craigslist. Pics in next weeks post!
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| Delicious and simple dinner |
Friday, July 17, 2015
Travel and the Wedding!
After having a bit of a hard time staying within my points last week. I thought about the best way to jump start my journey again. I decided that since this will be a stressful couple of weeks, I would switch back to simply filling. This plan to switch back to simply filling also made travel easier, because I know I wouldn't be tracking points as closely. My aim was to choose food wisely during the trip and to not let stress get the better of me.
Andy and I had an enjoyable road trip to Chicago. We stopped overnight on Friday in Chattanooga on the way there. We found this awesome restaurant called Urban Stack for dinner. I got a Jive Turkey Burger lettuce wrap: U.S. jive spiced ground turkey, tomato-pepper relish, smoked gouda cheese, lettuce and black-raspberry mayo with a side of cucumber and black eyed peas. Andy got a burger with a side of gouda creamed corn. It was delicious! We finished our drive on Saturday and headed straight to my cousin Jim's house.
The rest of the week was enjoying my niece and nephews and preparing for the big day. Unfortunately I got sick the week before the wedding, which is always a bummer :(
On Thursday all the excitement began. Everyone started to arrive on Thursday. That afternoon, my birdesmaids, sisters, Adelaide and mom went to get manicures and pedicures. I wasn't feeling great so I left after an hour. Thursday night we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. We had a great dinner at an Irish Pub called Ballydoyle. Again, since I wasn't feeling great, I left around 8:30 to make sure I rested up for the big day.
The wedding day was amazing. The girls and I had our hair done at the house, which was great because I could rest up when I needed to. It was great getting ready with my best friends and my sisters. The ceremony was beautiful, with beautiful music and words from our Priest. We then took some pictures at the church and then everyone piled into the school bus and went to the reception. The entire reception was an amazing party. Everyone was dancing, drinking and enjoying the night!
Starting Sunday, I will be back to regular blog posts!
Below are some various photos from the day!
Below are some photos from the day. Photo Cred: Caley Conney
Andy and I had an enjoyable road trip to Chicago. We stopped overnight on Friday in Chattanooga on the way there. We found this awesome restaurant called Urban Stack for dinner. I got a Jive Turkey Burger lettuce wrap: U.S. jive spiced ground turkey, tomato-pepper relish, smoked gouda cheese, lettuce and black-raspberry mayo with a side of cucumber and black eyed peas. Andy got a burger with a side of gouda creamed corn. It was delicious! We finished our drive on Saturday and headed straight to my cousin Jim's house.
The rest of the week was enjoying my niece and nephews and preparing for the big day. Unfortunately I got sick the week before the wedding, which is always a bummer :(
On Thursday all the excitement began. Everyone started to arrive on Thursday. That afternoon, my birdesmaids, sisters, Adelaide and mom went to get manicures and pedicures. I wasn't feeling great so I left after an hour. Thursday night we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. We had a great dinner at an Irish Pub called Ballydoyle. Again, since I wasn't feeling great, I left around 8:30 to make sure I rested up for the big day.
The wedding day was amazing. The girls and I had our hair done at the house, which was great because I could rest up when I needed to. It was great getting ready with my best friends and my sisters. The ceremony was beautiful, with beautiful music and words from our Priest. We then took some pictures at the church and then everyone piled into the school bus and went to the reception. The entire reception was an amazing party. Everyone was dancing, drinking and enjoying the night!
Starting Sunday, I will be back to regular blog posts!
Below are some various photos from the day!
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| Me and my work Bestie!! |
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| Bride and Groom |
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| The Shorts! |
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| Medfield Group |
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| The best wedding party ever!! |
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| Getting our marriage license! |
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| Practicing the Father-Daughter Dance |
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| Bridesmaid Bouquets |
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| Bridal Bouquet |
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| Getting ready |
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| Carisa and Theodore |
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| Quiet moment with my Mom |
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| Mr. & Mrs. Short!! |
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| A girl and her LaCroix |
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| Head Table |
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| Salad |
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| Lemon Sorbet |
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| Stuffed Chicken, Filet, whipped potatoes and broccoli |
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| White cake with lemon and raspberry |
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Going overboard on Points....
This week begins my last full week at work before the wedding. I have been doing well with my goal of bringing my lunch everyday with two exceptions.
Sunday This weekend was super busy with wedding work. Andy and I had been working so that we could get many of our projects checked off the list. We started with some breakfast sandwiches. We then went out and ran some errands. When we got back I made a snack of carrots and Jalapeno greek yogurt dip. For Lunch Andy made me an awesome lettuce wrap with chicken, cheese, cabbage and wonton strips.
Monday For breakfast I made a Chocolate Almond Smoothie. For lunch I brought what I am calling turkey burger salad. Salad greens topped with a turkey burger ketchup, mustard and relish. I also brought leftover green beans. For dinner we made steak with a side of roasted broccoli.
Tuesday Breakfast was another turkey sausage breakfast sandwich. For lunch I had a Panera Asian Chicken salad. I didn't bring a lunch this day because we were doing a mock deployment at work and it was a working lunch. For dinner we made chicken wraps with tomato soup. It was supposed to be salads with grilled chicken on top, but I got home so late that I didn't feel like cutting up a bunch of veggies. We also talked to the DJ for the wedding to make sure that we were on the same page for music.
Wednesday Breakfast was an egg, sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich. For lunch I walked to a health food shop to get soup and a kale berry smoothie. After work I headed to the gym just in time for a spin class. Below is a pic of me post spin...drenched in sweat and beet red. For dinner Andy and I made mexican bowls. Started with cabbage, tomatoes, quick pickled radishes and onion then topped with grilled chicken, guacamole, salsa and trader joes jalapeno greek yogurt dip. It was delicious!!
Thursday Breakfast was an english muffin and protein iced coffee. I make the protein Iced coffee by blending ice, EAS protein powder, cocoa powder, leftover coffee and a splash of milk. Lunch was provided since there was another lunch meeting. I ate the Panera Strawberry and Chicken Poppyseed Salad. After work I headed to the gym for some strength training. Dinner was leftover grilled chicken, tomato soup and Spicy Roasted Bok Choy.
Friday breakfast was another blended ice coffee (2PP) and a turkey sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich. For lunch I made a taco bowl with lettuce, pickled onions, pickled radishes chicken, pinto beans, guacamole, salsa, Trader Joes jalapeno greek yogurt dip and green onions. I also brought sparkling water, an apple and sliced peppers. After work I headed to the gym for a quick sweat sesh. For dinner I made a wrap with chicken, guacamole, trader joes jalapeno dip and lettuce. Then I may have snacked...a lot. I may have gone a little overboard on those weekly points today...but look at those activity points!!
Saturday Breakfast was a frozen iced coffee. This is becoming my favorite way to drink coffee. I made this and then headed to my weight watchers meeting. After my weight watchers meeting I came home and made a chicken guacamole wrap. After that I met up with Allie to check out a new brewery and poof the rest of my points were gone for the day. Not the best way to start the week but I am going to refocus on Sunday.
Sunday This weekend was super busy with wedding work. Andy and I had been working so that we could get many of our projects checked off the list. We started with some breakfast sandwiches. We then went out and ran some errands. When we got back I made a snack of carrots and Jalapeno greek yogurt dip. For Lunch Andy made me an awesome lettuce wrap with chicken, cheese, cabbage and wonton strips.
We got some large shrimp at the farmers market the day before. So for dinner we made grilled shrimp, balsamic sauteed green beans and we reheated the rest of the cauliflower puree.
Monday For breakfast I made a Chocolate Almond Smoothie. For lunch I brought what I am calling turkey burger salad. Salad greens topped with a turkey burger ketchup, mustard and relish. I also brought leftover green beans. For dinner we made steak with a side of roasted broccoli.
Tuesday Breakfast was another turkey sausage breakfast sandwich. For lunch I had a Panera Asian Chicken salad. I didn't bring a lunch this day because we were doing a mock deployment at work and it was a working lunch. For dinner we made chicken wraps with tomato soup. It was supposed to be salads with grilled chicken on top, but I got home so late that I didn't feel like cutting up a bunch of veggies. We also talked to the DJ for the wedding to make sure that we were on the same page for music.
Wednesday Breakfast was an egg, sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich. For lunch I walked to a health food shop to get soup and a kale berry smoothie. After work I headed to the gym just in time for a spin class. Below is a pic of me post spin...drenched in sweat and beet red. For dinner Andy and I made mexican bowls. Started with cabbage, tomatoes, quick pickled radishes and onion then topped with grilled chicken, guacamole, salsa and trader joes jalapeno greek yogurt dip. It was delicious!!
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| Post Spin Class...drenched in sweat! |
Thursday Breakfast was an english muffin and protein iced coffee. I make the protein Iced coffee by blending ice, EAS protein powder, cocoa powder, leftover coffee and a splash of milk. Lunch was provided since there was another lunch meeting. I ate the Panera Strawberry and Chicken Poppyseed Salad. After work I headed to the gym for some strength training. Dinner was leftover grilled chicken, tomato soup and Spicy Roasted Bok Choy.
Spicy Roasted Bok Choy
Makes 4 servings, 2 PP per serving
1 head bok choy
1 TBSP olive Oil
1 TBPS sesame oil
2 TBSP Asian hot sauce
2 TBSP soy sauce
Clean the bok choy and cut in half lengthwise. Cut in half again, so you have 4 long pieces. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place bok choy on baking sheet. Mix together oils, hot sauce and soy sauce and then pour over the bok choy. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender crisp.
Saturday Breakfast was a frozen iced coffee. This is becoming my favorite way to drink coffee. I made this and then headed to my weight watchers meeting. After my weight watchers meeting I came home and made a chicken guacamole wrap. After that I met up with Allie to check out a new brewery and poof the rest of my points were gone for the day. Not the best way to start the week but I am going to refocus on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Staying on track when super duper stressed
As we enter these final couple of weeks before the wedding, I find myself getting more and more stressed. Everything is just being difficult and not going as planned. I am trying to keep myself on track as much as I can
Monday Breakfast was at work on Monday because of an 8:30 AM meeting. I had a yogurt parfait topped with granola and strawberries and some coffee. For lunch I brought a salad topped with salmon salad. I made the salmon salad with diced pickled jalapenos and Trader Joes Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip. This was a great alternative to mayo, but still added a creamy texture. For dinner I made a veggie wrap and roasted some broccoli.
Tuesday For breakfast I made a smoothie with blueberries and protein powder. Lunch was the same salad as Monday's lunch. For dinner I ate leftover Caribbean Stew and some salmon salad.
Wednesday Breakfast was a ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. For lunch I roasted potatoes, asparagus, onion and pepper. Once the veggies were roasted I put them on top of a bed of arugula and brought some pomegranate vinegar. I brought a side of watermelon also. For dinner I had the rest of the Caribbean Stew that I made with a small salmon wrap.
Thursday Breakfast was another breakfast sandwich with coffee and 2% milk. Lunch was roasted veggies over arugula and balsamic vinegar. I paired it with a side of watermelon. For dinner I grilled chicken breasts seasoned with Northwoods Fire. I also make cauliflower puree, roasted onions and spicy baked beans.
Friday Breakfast was a breakfast sandwich and Lunch was another salad. Not overly exciting or worth noting. For dinner we took the leftover chicken and made Asian Salads. Cabbage base with carrot, mandarian oranges, water chestnuts, cucumber, wonton strips and asian sesame dressing. It was such a delicious meal!
Saturday Welcome to summer! Andy and I got to running errands early after I got home from my weight watchers meeting. Breakfast was an iced latte at my favorite coffee shop. When we got home I made another asian salad similar to Friday nights. Andy and I decided we wanted a real welcome to summer meal for we decided on turkey burgers.
Monday Breakfast was at work on Monday because of an 8:30 AM meeting. I had a yogurt parfait topped with granola and strawberries and some coffee. For lunch I brought a salad topped with salmon salad. I made the salmon salad with diced pickled jalapenos and Trader Joes Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip. This was a great alternative to mayo, but still added a creamy texture. For dinner I made a veggie wrap and roasted some broccoli.
Tuesday For breakfast I made a smoothie with blueberries and protein powder. Lunch was the same salad as Monday's lunch. For dinner I ate leftover Caribbean Stew and some salmon salad.
Wednesday Breakfast was a ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. For lunch I roasted potatoes, asparagus, onion and pepper. Once the veggies were roasted I put them on top of a bed of arugula and brought some pomegranate vinegar. I brought a side of watermelon also. For dinner I had the rest of the Caribbean Stew that I made with a small salmon wrap.
Thursday Breakfast was another breakfast sandwich with coffee and 2% milk. Lunch was roasted veggies over arugula and balsamic vinegar. I paired it with a side of watermelon. For dinner I grilled chicken breasts seasoned with Northwoods Fire. I also make cauliflower puree, roasted onions and spicy baked beans.
Friday Breakfast was a breakfast sandwich and Lunch was another salad. Not overly exciting or worth noting. For dinner we took the leftover chicken and made Asian Salads. Cabbage base with carrot, mandarian oranges, water chestnuts, cucumber, wonton strips and asian sesame dressing. It was such a delicious meal!
Saturday Welcome to summer! Andy and I got to running errands early after I got home from my weight watchers meeting. Breakfast was an iced latte at my favorite coffee shop. When we got home I made another asian salad similar to Friday nights. Andy and I decided we wanted a real welcome to summer meal for we decided on turkey burgers.
Turkey Burgers (5 PP each)
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 c diced pickled jalapenos
1/2 red onion
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Mix ingredients and then form into 5 patties. Grill until cooked through.
We paired the turkey burgers with grilled corn on the cob and oven roasted potatoes and onions.
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| Welcome to Summer Dinner! |
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
One Month until I say I Do!
This week I am focusing on planning and preparing. I have decided that a good short term goal would be to bring my lunch everyday between today and my last day before the wedding. I think that planning out my lunch keeps me focused
Sunday For breakfast I made a breakfast sandwich. We got some turkey sausage patties that are 3 pp for 2 patties, but I only used one on my sandwich (1pp). I also used an english muffin, egg and one slice of pepperjack cheese. It was delicious. For a snack later I ate some watermelon. For dinner we made Mexican street tacos. Beef cooked in adobo chili sauce with pickled red onion and radishes, queso fresco and cilantro.
Monday For breakfast I made a green berry smoothie (5PP) . Lunch was a leftover stuffed pepper with salsa(5 PP), an apple (0 PP) and a banana (0 PP). For a snack I brought a Sargento Balanced Breaks that was Natural Sharp Chedder Cheese, Cashews and craisins. I don't normally buy prepackaged snacks like this, but they were on sale and I had a coupon. It is a great little snack and they are 5 PP. For dinner we made salads with the leftover meat from Sunday. We started with a base of cabbage, warmed up some of the beef and topped with avocado, queso fresco, pickled onions and pickled radishes. We then used jalapeno lime vinegar as a dressing.
Tuesday Breakfast was a Green Berry smoothie (5PP). For lunch I brought another burrito bowl, base of cabbage topped with pickled onions, pickled radishes, cilantro and jalapeno lime vinegar. I then heated up some mexican street taco meat (8 PP). I also brough an apple and a banana for a snack. Dinner was actually the same as lunch.
Wednesday Breakfast was some instant oatmeal (4 PP) and coffee (2 PP) at work. I got up earlier than usual to help Andy and Kendall get ready to leave for Bonnaroo. For lunch I had another taco bowl, with cabbage, pickled onions and radishes and mexican street taco beef (8 PP). For dinner I made a tuna salad melt. I make my tuna salad with very little mayo and mainly mustard. I took an english muffin split in half topped with tuna salad and half a slice of pepperjack cheese. I also made Caribbean Stew with Swiss Chard and Squash from my America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I made it so that I would have lunches for the rest of the week.
Thursday Breakfast was an egg and ham breakfast sandwich on an english muffin (6 PP). For lunch I brought the Caribbean Stew with Swiss Chard and Squash ( PP), a Sargento Balanced Breaks (5PP) and an apple.
My parents came in for the weekend to help with wedding items and to spend some time together before the wedding. We worked on wedding favors, went to the farmers market and bough some delicious gulf shrimp and produce. On Sunday we went out for lunch and then to the beach for some playing with the Waboba in the ocean.
Sunday For breakfast I made a breakfast sandwich. We got some turkey sausage patties that are 3 pp for 2 patties, but I only used one on my sandwich (1pp). I also used an english muffin, egg and one slice of pepperjack cheese. It was delicious. For a snack later I ate some watermelon. For dinner we made Mexican street tacos. Beef cooked in adobo chili sauce with pickled red onion and radishes, queso fresco and cilantro.
Monday For breakfast I made a green berry smoothie (5PP) . Lunch was a leftover stuffed pepper with salsa(5 PP), an apple (0 PP) and a banana (0 PP). For a snack I brought a Sargento Balanced Breaks that was Natural Sharp Chedder Cheese, Cashews and craisins. I don't normally buy prepackaged snacks like this, but they were on sale and I had a coupon. It is a great little snack and they are 5 PP. For dinner we made salads with the leftover meat from Sunday. We started with a base of cabbage, warmed up some of the beef and topped with avocado, queso fresco, pickled onions and pickled radishes. We then used jalapeno lime vinegar as a dressing.
Tuesday Breakfast was a Green Berry smoothie (5PP). For lunch I brought another burrito bowl, base of cabbage topped with pickled onions, pickled radishes, cilantro and jalapeno lime vinegar. I then heated up some mexican street taco meat (8 PP). I also brough an apple and a banana for a snack. Dinner was actually the same as lunch.
Wednesday Breakfast was some instant oatmeal (4 PP) and coffee (2 PP) at work. I got up earlier than usual to help Andy and Kendall get ready to leave for Bonnaroo. For lunch I had another taco bowl, with cabbage, pickled onions and radishes and mexican street taco beef (8 PP). For dinner I made a tuna salad melt. I make my tuna salad with very little mayo and mainly mustard. I took an english muffin split in half topped with tuna salad and half a slice of pepperjack cheese. I also made Caribbean Stew with Swiss Chard and Squash from my America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I made it so that I would have lunches for the rest of the week.
Thursday Breakfast was an egg and ham breakfast sandwich on an english muffin (6 PP). For lunch I brought the Caribbean Stew with Swiss Chard and Squash ( PP), a Sargento Balanced Breaks (5PP) and an apple.
My parents came in for the weekend to help with wedding items and to spend some time together before the wedding. We worked on wedding favors, went to the farmers market and bough some delicious gulf shrimp and produce. On Sunday we went out for lunch and then to the beach for some playing with the Waboba in the ocean.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Back at it!
This past weekend I had my bachelorette party! It was such a fun time! I will admit I did not track what I was eating or drinking but have decided to get back on track today. I have been half on half off the wagon recently so it is time to be back on the wagon fully. It all started with making a lunch Sunday night to bring to work Monday.
Monday I started my day with a protein smoothie. I have been making them slightly different recently. I start with 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries, 1 cup spinach then use a Stonyfield Smoothie and water. Put in blender and blend. This has been creating a slightly thicker smoothie which I enjoy. Lunch was a spinach salad with salmon salad on top. I also brought an apple, carrots and celery with hummus. For the Salmon salad: I took 2 cans of salmon mixed it with some diced celery and diced pickled jalapenos. I then added 2 tbsp. of mayo and seasoned with chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powder. After work I had a session with my personal trainer, this was a great way to get me back on the gym track too! Which would have been great if I had actually packed my gym bag. Determined to not let it derail me, I headed home, changed into workout clothes and headed to a gym closer to my house. For dinner I kept it simple. A tortilla warmed with salmon salad, spinach and guacamole. I paired this with watermelon.
Workout- Walking for 45 minutes on the treadmill at a 5% incline and 3.3mph pace
Tuesday Breakfast was watermelon smoothie to change things up a bit. For lunch I brought watermelon and salmon salad over spinach. After work I headed to the gym for a Body works plus Abs class. I thought it would be a nice change from the usual walking workout. For dinner I kept it simple with a salmon burger and and a recipe with zucchini noodles. I decided to try and find a recipe for the zucchini noodles. I searched the internet and found one I sort of used on The Comfort of Cooking.
Wednesday Breakfast was an english muffing with a thin spread of cream cheese on top and a side of watermelon. For lunch I brought the leftover zucchini noodles, a salmon burger and watermelon. For dinner I made an egg bake, because we had some ham that was on the brink and I wanted to use it. I started with onions, mushrooms, ham, and spinach all sauteed until soft. I then whisked 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites with milk and siracha. Poured it over the veggies and baked for about 40 minutes.
Workout- 45 minutes walking at 3.5 mph at an average of 5% incline
Thursday For Breakfast I made a banana berry smoothie. I love how easy it is to throw together a smoothie and then walk out the door. I was supposed to go out with some co-workers for lunch, but it got moved because of work schedules. So I grabbed an Asian Salad from the little cafe. After work I headed to the gym. I wanted to change it up for dinner and found a recipe on skinnytaste.com for Mustard and Herb Crusted Chicken. To go with it the plan was to make asparagus and corn on the cob. Unfortunately, both the asparagus and the corn on the cob were bad, so we changed gears and made creamy lemon zucchini noodles. The chicken was flavorful and crunchy just like I wanted! It had a strong mustard flavor that paired well with the light zucchini noddles. You know it is a win when Andy asks....Are you sure this is okay on Weight Watchers?
Workout- 45 minutes walking at 3.5 mph at an average incline of 6%
Friday Friday for breakfast I had breakfast at work. I made an instant packet of Oatmeal for a little change of pace. For lunch I brought leftover frittata, carrots and celery and an apple. For dinner we used the leftover Mustard and Herb Crusted Chicken on salad. The Mustard Herb Crusted chicken was such a great recipe find!
Saturday In the morning I got up to go face the weight that I have been avoiding for about a month. After my weigh-in, I came home and got ready to go to my friend Alex's baby shower. At the shower I ate a large plate of salad topped with tomatoes and mozzarella and chicken. After the baby shower, Andy and I focused on working on wedding details. For dinner we made taco stuffed peppers. They were delicious!
Weigh In- This was my monthly weigh-in for this month. Unfortunately I was up a couple of pounds and weighed at 165.2.
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| Bachelorette Fun! |
Monday I started my day with a protein smoothie. I have been making them slightly different recently. I start with 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries, 1 cup spinach then use a Stonyfield Smoothie and water. Put in blender and blend. This has been creating a slightly thicker smoothie which I enjoy. Lunch was a spinach salad with salmon salad on top. I also brought an apple, carrots and celery with hummus. For the Salmon salad: I took 2 cans of salmon mixed it with some diced celery and diced pickled jalapenos. I then added 2 tbsp. of mayo and seasoned with chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and onion powder. After work I had a session with my personal trainer, this was a great way to get me back on the gym track too! Which would have been great if I had actually packed my gym bag. Determined to not let it derail me, I headed home, changed into workout clothes and headed to a gym closer to my house. For dinner I kept it simple. A tortilla warmed with salmon salad, spinach and guacamole. I paired this with watermelon.
Workout- Walking for 45 minutes on the treadmill at a 5% incline and 3.3mph pace
Tuesday Breakfast was watermelon smoothie to change things up a bit. For lunch I brought watermelon and salmon salad over spinach. After work I headed to the gym for a Body works plus Abs class. I thought it would be a nice change from the usual walking workout. For dinner I kept it simple with a salmon burger and and a recipe with zucchini noodles. I decided to try and find a recipe for the zucchini noodles. I searched the internet and found one I sort of used on The Comfort of Cooking.
Creamy Lemon Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp reduced-fat (Neufchatel) or regular cream cheese
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and peeled with a julienne peeler into “noodles”
1 heaping cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp reduced-fat (Neufchatel) or regular cream cheese
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and peeled with a julienne peeler into “noodles”
1 heaping cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
DIRECTIONS:
In a large nonstick skillet set to medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cream cheese and lemon juice, stirring until cream cheese has melted into a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Add zucchini noodles and tomatoes, tossing to coat in sauce, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the zucchini noodles – They should be mostly soft but maintain a little crispness. Enjoy!
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| Creamy Lemon Zucchini Noodles with tomatoes |
Wednesday Breakfast was an english muffing with a thin spread of cream cheese on top and a side of watermelon. For lunch I brought the leftover zucchini noodles, a salmon burger and watermelon. For dinner I made an egg bake, because we had some ham that was on the brink and I wanted to use it. I started with onions, mushrooms, ham, and spinach all sauteed until soft. I then whisked 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites with milk and siracha. Poured it over the veggies and baked for about 40 minutes.
Workout- 45 minutes walking at 3.5 mph at an average of 5% incline
Thursday For Breakfast I made a banana berry smoothie. I love how easy it is to throw together a smoothie and then walk out the door. I was supposed to go out with some co-workers for lunch, but it got moved because of work schedules. So I grabbed an Asian Salad from the little cafe. After work I headed to the gym. I wanted to change it up for dinner and found a recipe on skinnytaste.com for Mustard and Herb Crusted Chicken. To go with it the plan was to make asparagus and corn on the cob. Unfortunately, both the asparagus and the corn on the cob were bad, so we changed gears and made creamy lemon zucchini noodles. The chicken was flavorful and crunchy just like I wanted! It had a strong mustard flavor that paired well with the light zucchini noddles. You know it is a win when Andy asks....Are you sure this is okay on Weight Watchers?
Friday Friday for breakfast I had breakfast at work. I made an instant packet of Oatmeal for a little change of pace. For lunch I brought leftover frittata, carrots and celery and an apple. For dinner we used the leftover Mustard and Herb Crusted Chicken on salad. The Mustard Herb Crusted chicken was such a great recipe find!
Saturday In the morning I got up to go face the weight that I have been avoiding for about a month. After my weigh-in, I came home and got ready to go to my friend Alex's baby shower. At the shower I ate a large plate of salad topped with tomatoes and mozzarella and chicken. After the baby shower, Andy and I focused on working on wedding details. For dinner we made taco stuffed peppers. They were delicious!
Weigh In- This was my monthly weigh-in for this month. Unfortunately I was up a couple of pounds and weighed at 165.2.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Bridal Shower and Wedding Planning
Last weekend I was back in the Chicagoland area for my bridal shower and some wedding planning! I flew in on Thursday night and got to catch up with my mom and dad. On Friday the wedding appointments started early! First it was off to the florist to confirm the flowers that I wanted for the bouquets. It took about an hour but I think it was worth it to ensure there are no surprises on the wedding day. After that it was off to the venue to run through the details for the day. That was a long, exciting and exhausting appt. After that we went to a tasting for the day after party which was incredibly delicious!! It was necessary to do a 5k walk after that!! Friday night we picked Carisa up from the airport. It is so much being around my sister!
Saturday we got up and started getting ready for the shower. We made a nice big salad for the shower and gathered up thank you gifts and everything else we needed to bring. We got to my aunt Mary Lee's house and started setting up for the shower. It was a great day! Here are a couple of pictures from the day...
Sunday We got up and went on a long walk before Carisa and I had to leave. For breakfast I made an egg sandwich with turkey bacon. Then I flew home to Fort Lauderdale. On both of my flights for this trip I read the book Luckiest Girl Alive. It was a quick read because I was so enthralled with the story line. I had originally picked it up because many of the reviews said it was similar to Gone Girl and I loved Gone Girl.
Saturday we got up and started getting ready for the shower. We made a nice big salad for the shower and gathered up thank you gifts and everything else we needed to bring. We got to my aunt Mary Lee's house and started setting up for the shower. It was a great day! Here are a couple of pictures from the day...
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| Bridal Shower with family and friends! |
Monday For breakfast I made an egg sandwich using out new breakfast sandwich maker. I made a simple egg, turkey and cheese sandwich on an english muffin. I was skeptical of this registry item, but now that I have it I love it. For lunch, I had ordered the chicken poppyseed salad from Panera. It is such a nice light salad that was a great way to keep on track. Dinner was some simply sauteed green beans with leftover turkey. I worked out with me personal trainer after work, which is always a nice challenge.
Tuesday Breakfast was another breakfast sandwich. Lunch was mixed greens, beets, carrots, cucumbers, chick peas and raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing. Dinner was a simply turkey wrap with leftover green beans. My workout was 45 minutes at a 3.3 mph pace on a 5% incline.
Wednesday Breakfast was a breakfast sandwich. Lunch was half of a panera Chicken Poppyseed salad. For dinner I made a salmon patty with sauteed kale. I tried a new kale "recipe" as in I made it up. I started with carmalizing some onions then added the kale and mixed until it started to wilt. Once it started to wilt I drizzled some pomegrante balsamic vinegar on it and then squeezed the juice of 1/2 an orange on top. It was the perfect light dinner.
Thursday Breakfast sandwich with an egg and deli ham. Lunch was chipotle that was brought in for lunch. I started with a base of lettuce then topped with pinto beans, steak, tomato salsa and corn salsa. I added a side of guacamole. It was delicious!
I started writing this blog entry about 2 weeks ago. What happened you might ask...life got in the way. I have made the decision to recommit to writing my blog every week and to recommit to Weight Watchers and working out!
I apologize to those that read my blog weekly for dropping the ball in the past couple of week. Look forward to a regular entry on Saturday :)
Wednesday Breakfast was a breakfast sandwich. Lunch was half of a panera Chicken Poppyseed salad. For dinner I made a salmon patty with sauteed kale. I tried a new kale "recipe" as in I made it up. I started with carmalizing some onions then added the kale and mixed until it started to wilt. Once it started to wilt I drizzled some pomegrante balsamic vinegar on it and then squeezed the juice of 1/2 an orange on top. It was the perfect light dinner.
Thursday Breakfast sandwich with an egg and deli ham. Lunch was chipotle that was brought in for lunch. I started with a base of lettuce then topped with pinto beans, steak, tomato salsa and corn salsa. I added a side of guacamole. It was delicious!
I started writing this blog entry about 2 weeks ago. What happened you might ask...life got in the way. I have made the decision to recommit to writing my blog every week and to recommit to Weight Watchers and working out!
I apologize to those that read my blog weekly for dropping the ball in the past couple of week. Look forward to a regular entry on Saturday :)
Monday, May 18, 2015
Setting New Goals!
Since I have now passed my 30th birthday, it is time to reset some goals. I think that I accomplished a lot in the past 6 months but I think there is more that I can accomplish. I am going to spend this week reflecting on new goals.
I felt a renewed sense of excitement after my meeting on Saturday. I was ready to start tracking again and doing everything you do at Weight Watchers on Day 1. Andy had given me the America's Test Kitchen Ultimate Guide to Vegetarian cooking for my birthday. He thought this would be a great way for us to try some new vegetables and expand our cooking. I decided to choose two recipes from the book to try this week. Te first recipe is for stir-fried asparagus and shitake mushrooms. The second recipe is for roasted artichokes. I have never made artichokes, but luckily the book tells me a step by step guide to prepare them. I also chose a skinnytaste.com recipe to try.
Sunday- For breakfast I ate a banana before I went to the Farmers Market. At the Farmers market i got an iced coffee with no sugar and milk. I got all the produce that I needed for the week and a couple of extras so Andy would have some after I flew to Chicago. I had decided I would so some big meal prep on Sunday. I found a recipe that was crockpot and would allow me to use my new vegetable spiralizer. The vegetable spiralizer makes long "noodles" with fruits or vegetables. I love spaghetti squash so I thought this would be good to change it up and have an alternative noodle. I decided I would make zoodles, or zucchini noodles.
I felt a renewed sense of excitement after my meeting on Saturday. I was ready to start tracking again and doing everything you do at Weight Watchers on Day 1. Andy had given me the America's Test Kitchen Ultimate Guide to Vegetarian cooking for my birthday. He thought this would be a great way for us to try some new vegetables and expand our cooking. I decided to choose two recipes from the book to try this week. Te first recipe is for stir-fried asparagus and shitake mushrooms. The second recipe is for roasted artichokes. I have never made artichokes, but luckily the book tells me a step by step guide to prepare them. I also chose a skinnytaste.com recipe to try.
Sunday- For breakfast I ate a banana before I went to the Farmers Market. At the Farmers market i got an iced coffee with no sugar and milk. I got all the produce that I needed for the week and a couple of extras so Andy would have some after I flew to Chicago. I had decided I would so some big meal prep on Sunday. I found a recipe that was crockpot and would allow me to use my new vegetable spiralizer. The vegetable spiralizer makes long "noodles" with fruits or vegetables. I love spaghetti squash so I thought this would be good to change it up and have an alternative noodle. I decided I would make zoodles, or zucchini noodles.
Zoodles and Meatballs
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 3 Points+: 8 pts
Ingredients:
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 3 Points+: 8 pts
Ingredients:
- 12 leftover crock pot turkey meatballs and sauce (1/2 batch)
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 (8 oz each) zucchinis, cut into long julienne strips (with a mandolin or spiralizer)
- salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Make the meatballs in the crock pot. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot add the oil, onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.Increase heat to medium-high and add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook about 1 minute. Give it a stir to mix everything around and cook another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through yet firm.
Divide the zucchini between 3 bowls and top with 4 meatballs and sauce, add some grated cheese and enjoy!
I ended up going out to eat with Allie, but had plenty of food ready for the week ahead.
Monday- For breakfast I made a quick egg white wrap. Lunch was zoodles and meatballs which were delicious! For dinner Andy and I kept it simple with leftovers. I had the potato leek soup I had made on Friday night and Andy had meatballs and pasta.
Tuesday- Breakfast was yogurt at the office. It was 6 pp and totally not worth it! Lunch was zoodles and meatballs. For dinner Andy made salmon and I made stir-fry asparagus and shitakes from the America's test kitchen book. Everything was delicious!
Wednesday- Breakfast was a spinach and egg white wrap. Lunch was the last batch of zoodles and meatballs. For dinner we made a rotisserie chicken with roasted artichokes and butternut squash fries.
Thursday I left for Chicago for my Bridal shower. The weekend involved choosing flowers for the boquets, deciding everything at the venue and doing a tasting and all the other tiny details! My next post will include Wedding updates!!!
Saturday, May 9, 2015
The Big Birthday!!
So last September I made my goal to get healthier by 30. On April 30th, I turned 30. Someone before my birthday asked me if I had reached my goal, so I started thinking about what my goals were, and realized they were pretty general. Healthier by 30, how am I going to quantify that? Maybe the whole story will help explain how I was planning on quantifying success.
In July I started a new job and decided that my weight had gotten out of control again. So I decided that I would start trying to lose weight. I had done Weight Watchers before but was embarrassed that I had gained weight back. I weighed myself after returning from Ireland and weighed 178, which was the highest I had been in years. So I decided on my own I would lose the weight. I started watching what I was eating and running after or before work. As time progressed I realized this wasn't really working and decided to go back to Weight Watchers and start working out. I also decided to start documenting my journey in a blog. Joining Weight Watchers and LA Fitness near work. By September I knew that I was not going back to teaching and fortunately there was an LA fitness right around the corner from work. And the journey began.
It wasn't easy at first. I started by getting into a gym routine and then decided there was no better time to rejoin Weight Watchers. I also decided for the first time to not just do cardio for exercise, but to actually incorporate strength training. Since I had never done this I decided to hire a personal trainer. It was a slow journey that required me to focus on the food I was eating and quality time in the gym. I got into a great routine at the gym and the food part was easy, just more focused than it had been. I slowly started to notice my body changing but the scale was moving very slowly. Which was frustrating at times. I started thinking more about my goals as my journey progressed and started to focus more on how I felt. I wanted to feel comfortable in my clothes. I wanted to feel comfortable with my body. One goal that I made was to post before and after pictures. I have never been very comfortable in my own skin in a bikini. I will wear one but I never want pictures taken in one. I thought this would be a great way to stretch myself. So in September I took two pictures in a bikini. One that was straight-on and one that was from the side. My real goal was to be able to compare those pictures to pictures taken around my 30th birthday. I took the pictures on September 7, 2014 before I had joined weight watchers again and before I had joined a gym.
I love that I can see differences in the pictures. In places that I hadn't even realized.
In July I started a new job and decided that my weight had gotten out of control again. So I decided that I would start trying to lose weight. I had done Weight Watchers before but was embarrassed that I had gained weight back. I weighed myself after returning from Ireland and weighed 178, which was the highest I had been in years. So I decided on my own I would lose the weight. I started watching what I was eating and running after or before work. As time progressed I realized this wasn't really working and decided to go back to Weight Watchers and start working out. I also decided to start documenting my journey in a blog. Joining Weight Watchers and LA Fitness near work. By September I knew that I was not going back to teaching and fortunately there was an LA fitness right around the corner from work. And the journey began.
It wasn't easy at first. I started by getting into a gym routine and then decided there was no better time to rejoin Weight Watchers. I also decided for the first time to not just do cardio for exercise, but to actually incorporate strength training. Since I had never done this I decided to hire a personal trainer. It was a slow journey that required me to focus on the food I was eating and quality time in the gym. I got into a great routine at the gym and the food part was easy, just more focused than it had been. I slowly started to notice my body changing but the scale was moving very slowly. Which was frustrating at times. I started thinking more about my goals as my journey progressed and started to focus more on how I felt. I wanted to feel comfortable in my clothes. I wanted to feel comfortable with my body. One goal that I made was to post before and after pictures. I have never been very comfortable in my own skin in a bikini. I will wear one but I never want pictures taken in one. I thought this would be a great way to stretch myself. So in September I took two pictures in a bikini. One that was straight-on and one that was from the side. My real goal was to be able to compare those pictures to pictures taken around my 30th birthday. I took the pictures on September 7, 2014 before I had joined weight watchers again and before I had joined a gym.
 |
| Before and after front view |
 |
| Before and after side view |
I love that I can see differences in the pictures. In places that I hadn't even realized.
Today is when I weighed in for the month of May. I was nervous because it has been a couple of weeks of celebrating my birthday and although I have been paying attention to what I have been eating...It wasn't my best work. I was pleased that I was still within my 2 pound range!
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