Catch-Up and Monday

Gosh its been a long time since I've posted..not because I've fallen into that pint of Ben & Jerry's but just because of some uncontrollable things. I have stayed pretty much on track since my last post and I'm really proud of that! I walked 4 days last week. I had a family emergency requiring me to leave the house early on Friday and then I did not walk this weekend. But, I'm back to it this week with a walk both yesterday and this morning.
This weekend was a good food weekend for me mostly. Friday I stuck to the plan all day and had bbq chicken and broccoli for dinner with a total of 22 points and 1,140 calories for the day. Saturday I did great again and enjoyed a wonderful homemade pizza for dinner. I had really been wanting to make one after reading how great everyone elses sounded and looked. I used whole wheat Naan, peppers, mushrooms, onions, 2% cheese and Canadian bacon. It was really filling and yummy. I really need to find some alternatives for crust though b/c the Naan was 300 calories by itself! I looked into the wheat pizza crusts and those were about as much, and a pita bread (150 calories) just seemed too small to me for dinner. But, when I got home I compared the pita to the Naan and it wasn't really THAT much smaller, so next time I may switch. But, the Naan was good and I still kept within my points and calories for the day. My totals for Saturday were 18 points and approx. 1,010 calories. Sunday we drove Heather back to Greenville and went to IHOP for breakfast. A good point of why I don't like eating in restaurants when I'm dieting. EVEN if you try to order well, you CANNOT control what happens in the kitchen and what you get on your plate. I chose to order off the Just For Me portion of the menu which offers lower calorie choices. I ordered the Spinach, Mushroom & Swiss omelet that comes with a side of fruit. I also asked for an order of wheat toast with no butter. Well, the menu showed that the omelet & fruit was 350 calories. Then when my plate arrived the omelet was HUGE..I MEAN HUGE.. which IHOP's omelets usually are. BUT I had thought by ordering from the "healthy" side of the menu, that the size would be adjusted. Let me just say that I find it hard to believe that omelet AND fruit were only 350 calories. Then of course my "dry" toast came with a nice, buttery-resembling sheen to it. So, I ate a little over 1/2 of the omelet, mostly all of the fruit and 1 slice of the toast with jelly. All in all I don't think I did that bad, considering how I would've usually just said heck with the diet, and tore down the house. The rest of the day I had a wheat pita bread with 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and for dinner I had Hawaiin marinated chicken kabobs with peppers and mushrooms and some couscous.

Yesterday I had planned on having turkey burger patties with sauteed mushrooms for dinner with the leftover couscous and a veggie. On the way to the grocery store, that menu got changed to Turkey meatloaf. And it was AWESOME. If you are ever looking for something different to do with ground turkey, please try this meatloaf. It is really good. It calls for ground turkey breast, which is the best option via ground turkey but tends to dry out in cooking. What I like about this recipe is that the rest of the ingredients help to moisten the turkey to help with the drying out. You can get the recipe at foodnetwork.com, just type in turkey meatloaf and its the recipe by the Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten. The recipe calls for 5 lbs. of ground turkey but I cut everything in the recipe in 1/2 and use 2.6 lbs. (2-1.3 lb. containers) and it still makes a HUGE meatloaf which I portion into 7 slices averaging about 7-8 points and 295-300 calories per slice. I paired mine with some couscous and a Green Giant Just For 1 peas/corn veggie.

Here's my food from yesterday (Monday):
Breakfast: 1 packet WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, 1 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Spaghetti with meat sauce
Snack: 1/2 wheat pita bread, 1 tbsp. garden veggie cream cheese and 3 slices lean turkey
Dinner: 1 slice turkey meatloaf with 1 tbsp. ketchup, 1/2 cup couscous and Just for 1 peas/corn

Totals for the day: 25 points, 1,163 calories, 84.5 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

Tonight will likely be leftover meatloaf for dinner. Another thing I love about this recipe is that it feeds me for several days with no cooking!

Have a great afternoon and do something good for you!

I'll be doing something good for me.

My Wednesday

Well I did it! I got out of bed a little early and took my walk before work this morning. YAY ME!
I'm going to be brief because its about time for me to leave the office, so here's my food from yesterday:

Breakfast: Egg, light multigrain english muffin and turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Chicken griller patty on a wheat sandwich thin with lettuce and bbq sauce and 1 cup of pineapple
Afternoon snack: A banana and a fiber 1 peach yogurt
Dinner: Stuffed pork chop with bbq sauce and green giant peas
Dessert: Jello double chocolate sug. free pudding

Totals for the day: 23 points 1,332 calories, 84.5 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

I'm debating on some dinner choices tonight but leaning towards turkey burgers...
Have a great afternoon!

My Tuesday

Had another good day of good choices yesterday. I took that walk when I got home. It was so pretty out but its much harder walking in the afternoon sun then it is in the morning breeze. LOL. I found some new dessert options at the grocery store this past weekend. One was really yummy and one, not so much. I could kick myself for going back to eating desserts. Last time I was doing really well on my plan, I had gotten to the point where my sweets cravings were gone and I wasn't eating any desserts/bedtime snacks. Now, I'm back to liking something sweet before bed. And I've really been on an icecream kick lately from all that Ben & Jerry's I was eating when I wasn't on my plan. So, at the store this past weekend, I was looking for some different dessert options. I found small, individual containers of Great Value (Walmart brand) frozen yogurt in Strawberry, Berry, Blueberry and Peach Mango. I was really excited for the size of the container to be 160 calories. Then I got it home and it was BLAH.. I only purchased the Strawberry so I will try one more flavor before I totally rule them out. My other find was the Dole Fruit Crisp individual bowls. They come in Apple/Pear, Apple/Cinnamon and I believe some type of Pineapple. I bought the Apple/Pear which was a small container of fruit with a granola like crisp topping. I heated it up as suggested on the package and it was really yummy..similar to apple pie for only 3 points and 150 calories. Try them out if you get a chance.

Tuesday's food:
Breakfast: Poached egg, light multigrain english muffin and 1 patty of turkey sausage
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Chicken with Almonds
Afternoon Snack: 1 cup fresh pineapple and 1 Light Babybel cheese
Dinner: 4 1/2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast with bbq sauce, 1 cup Mediterranean veggies and 1 cup cream corn
Dessert: Apple/Pear fruit crisp

Totals for the day: 23 points, 1, 116 calories, 101.40 oz. water and approx. 30 minute walk

Til Tomorrow!
Have a great day!!

My Monday

Had a really good day yesterday. I took that walk when I got home because it was so pretty outside. I was really surprised to find myself so out of shape again. Up until a few months ago, I was walking at least 5 days a week, sometimes twice a day. Yesterday, I only made it once around the neighborhood and I was already feeling it in my thighs. I walked 30 minutes and thought about getting up and doing it again this morning but of course my laziness won out. I'm planning to walk again when I get home. It will take me about a week of consecutive work outs to get back into the "i'm going to exercise every day" groove.

Here's my food from yesterday:

Breakfast: Smoothie made with skim milk, WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, ice and 1/2 of a banana
Lunch: Other 1/2 of my banana and a chicken grillers patty on a wheat sandwich thin w/ bbq sauce
Afternoon Snack: Wheat pita and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow French Onion cheese
Dinner: 2 soft tacos with high fiber tortillas, fat free sour cream, salsa, lettuce, WW shredded cheese and chicken breast strips cooked in stewed tomatoe mixture
Dessert: Individual container of strawberry frozen yogurt (160 calories worth)

Totals for the day: 22 points, 1,363 calories and 84.5 oz. water

Again I came in under my points. I don't know what else to do at this point. I literally didn't have time to eat anything else. I was really full after the smoothie so I ate the rest of the banana with my lunch. After my walk and shower I still shoved in a snack even though it was only a few hours until dinner AND I ate dessert. I have just realized that on the days that I have soft tacos, I will just come in under points. I have checked the points and calories of my ingredients and they are just really low in points. They are actually a great value points and calorie wise b/c my 2 tacos were really loaded and I get really full from them for only 8 points and 449 calories. I'm not going to worry about coming in under my points b/c I still got in 1,363 calories which is pretty good (I'm aiming for no more than 1,500 daily).

Not sure what I'll have for dinner tonight. Seems like I spend alot of time and money in the grocery store and never have any options for dinner! I think I'll search online for some healthy dinner ideas.

Til Tomorrow!

Weekend Catch-Up

2 out of 3 ain't bad. As in I stuck to my plan 2 out of 3 days this weekend. Not awesome, but not too bad considering the many weekends where I've just completely blown it all weekend.
I really have to learn how to handle social situations and still stay on track. The last two social events I have been to, I have cheated. I stayed on track Friday, then we went to my cousin's for college football on Saturday and my plan want KA-PUT. But, I jumped back on track Sunday so I don't feel too bad about it today.

My points for Friday and Sunday:

Friday: For breakfast I had a light, multigrain english muffin with an egg and a turkey sausage patty.
Lunch: Garden veggie patty on a sandwich thin with ketchup, mustard, lettuce and a Nutrigrain bar
Dinner: Steak stirfry (yummy!) with olive oil, garlic, Honey Teriaki marinade, onion, broccoli, and mushrooms served over brown rice.
Dessert: double chocolate sugar free pudding
Totals: 25 points, 1,335 calories

Saturday:
Breakfast: Sandwich thin, poached egg, turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Skipped lunch b/c going to cook out..I know its a no no to skip lunch
Dinner: Hamburger with just patty on a bun with steak sauce, some chips, a few tortilla chips with a little bit of sausage/bean dip, one chicken wing and 2 meatballs.
Late snack: small individual bag of sour cream/onion chips and leftover stirfry from Friday. This was totally an up late watching tv/knowing I had already cheated so the heck with it meal.

Sunday:
Breakfast: Sandwhich thin, egg and turkey sausage patty
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Chicken Fried Rice
Dinner: BBQ chicken breast w/ bone and skin and 2 tbsp. bbq sauce and Green Giant Teriaki veggies.
Dessert: small individual container (150 calories worth) of Skinny Cow chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
Totals: 27 points, 1,426 calories

So, all and all I don't think I did that bad this weekend. My Saturday slip up would've usually led to an all out eating fest on Sunday but I jumped right back on track. I do need to do better about drinking more water on the weekends, and writing down how much b/c I seem to lose track of my water consumption easily.

This morning I made an awesome smoothie for breakfast. I took 1 packet of the WW French Vanilla smoothie mix, added 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 a banana and an ice cube and blended it all in my Magic Bullet. It was really yummy and filling. I left 1/2 the banana to eat with the smoothie, and then packed a yogurt to go with my sandwich at lunch b/c I wasn't sure that the smoothie would keep me full. But it really filled me up, more so than my usual breakfast so I saved the other 1/2 of banana to eat with lunch and skipped the yogurt. That'll give me plenty of points to have a nice snack this afternoon, as I'm planning on chicken soft tacos for dinner and those are pretty low in points.

The weather is BEAUTIFUL here. It is really nice and mild out..not the hot weather we have been used to. So, I'm thinking of taking a walk this afternoon. I have been putting off starting back exercising b/c I'm just too lazy to get out of bed early enough in the mornings. But this weather has made me want to take a walk. We'll see if I still want to once I get home, as there are plenty of chores to do and Young and the Restless is on at 4:00..LOL..I KNOW I need to start exercising again, but I'm always this way at first, I dread initially starting it but once I get on a roll I enjoy it...I'll let you know tomorrow what I did or didn't do..LOL

Have a great afternoon!

Wednesday & Thursday

Sorry I missed posting yesterday but I left the office early to drive to Greenville to see Heather and just didn't have the time to blog. I've done well since getting back on track Tuesday and I'm hoping to make good decisions over the weekend which is always a challenge for me.

Wednesday I had a packet of instant apple/cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast (2 points, 130 calories).
Lunch: Chicken griller patty on wheat sandwich thin with bbq sauce and shredded lettuce and a peach (4 points, 330 calories)
Afternoon snack: Another peach and a 100 calorie packet of goldfish (3 points, 170 calories)
Dinner: Large roasted chicken breast w/ bone and skin, 1/2 cup creamed spinach and 2/3 cup Steamfresh corn, carrots and asparagus mix ( 14 points, 700 calories).
Now, I'm still having a hard time counting the big chicken breasts with the bone in them. According to calorieking.com they should be approximately 56 calories per oz. BUT, is that the weight WITH the bone in? Because that is how I weigh mine, and that is how i'm counting mine. But, 560 calories for a chicken breast seems high (thats at a weight of 10 oz. w/ the bone). So, not sure if i'm doing that right. If anyone knows, please email me or comment on the post.

Totals for Wednesday: 23 points, 1,330 calories, 67.6-84.5 oz. water. I lost track after the 3rd glass.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Light, multigrain english muffin with Turkey sausage patty (2 points, 160 calories)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Macaroni & Beef (5 points, 260 calories)
Afternoon Snack: None..on the road to Greenville
Dinner: 2 Turkey soft tacos with fat free sour cream, ground turkey, taco seasoning, shredded lettuce, WW mexican shredded cheese and salsa (9 points, 492 calories)

Totals for Thursday: 16 points, 912 calories, 67.6 oz. water
I was way under points and calories for yesterday. But I was on the run and missed my afternoon snack. Then I ate dinner around 7 and was REALLY full because my tacos were loaded so I didn't feel like a dessert. Again, just got busy, it wasn't a conscious choice to be that low in my points/calories.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I'm hoping to maneuver mine with good choices even IF the hubby wants to eat out or cook on the grill.

My Tuesday

Well, I did good yesterday. Stuck to the plan all day, drank plenty of water and didn't have any mad cravings either.

I ended up low on points yesterday since my breakfast was minus the egg and my lunch was minus the side item. I even added cheese to my salad and had a hearty afternoon snack but still came in at only 22 points. I was satisfied though so I'm not going to worry too much about it. But I have a bad pattern of either going way OVER points (cheating) or coming in UNDER points (unintentionally). I know that its important to eat all of my points everyday but I can't see eating 5 more points at the end of the day if I'm physically not hungry. Oh, if I could only apply that outlook to say I can't see eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's if I'm not physically hungry!

Anywhoo..here's my totals for yesterday:

Breakfast:
Light, multigrain english muffin and 1 Turkey sausage patty (2 points, 160 calories)

Lunch:
MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Burger on a Wheat Sandwich Thin with lettuce, tomatoe, mustard and ketchup (3 points, 240 calories)

Afternoon Snack:
1 fresh peach (1 point, 70 calories[estimate from calorieking.com])
7 Reduced Fat Triscuits & 1 Light Babybel cheese (3 points, 170 calories)

Dinner:
Turkey Taco Salad with lettuce, tomatoes, WW shredded Mexican cheese, ground turkey w/ taco seasoning, salsa and Light Ranch dressing and 1 High Fiber tortilla (12 points, 506 calories)

Dessert:
1 fresh peach (1 point, 70 calories)

Totals for the day: 22 points, 1,216 calories, 84.5 oz. water

Not sure what I'll have for dinner tonight. I have plenty of ground taco turkey leftover but I'm kind of craving stir fry...

Hope everyone has a great evening!