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.

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!!

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

Welcome to Summer Dinner!

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.

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.

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

Makes 2 servings, each serving is 4 points plus

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

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!

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?

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. 

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...

Bridal Shower with family and friends!

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.

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 :)