Motivation

These past two days I've had to remind myself several times why I'm doing this. You would think it would be no problem, but I'm constantly finding myself second guessing my choices and totally craving the less desirable choices...also known as sweets. Why? Because I'm human. It's bound to happen, you have to have a little bad along with all the good.  But I have to also step back and remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's going to take some getting used to.

I'm seriously considering getting a tattoo for motivation. But I'm really debating what phrase I would want permanently etched on my body??? Any suggestions would be fabulous. Also, how do you stay motivated? What is something that you look to, to keep you focused?

In new food news... our leader brought up GG bran crisp bread again after a fellow WW told us about them a couple of weeks ago. She said that she grabbed a pack after hearing about them and she said she does not suggest eating them straight up as it was similar to eating dirt. LOL. The WW who originally brought them up cannot eat bread products and so uses these as an alternative to quench that bread thirst. She said she generally throws something on top of them, or crumbles them up in her smoothies to help get that added fiber.

Well, in my lust for a snack today I yanked out a pack, but in the back of my mind heard my leader's "dirt" comment. So, I wasn't going to try them as is and I broke out some Laughing Cow. One wedge of Laughing Cow Light Garlic Cheese + two slices of GG = 2PP!!!! Killer snack. I will say I don't think I'd ever eat these plain, but with a low points plus topping they are awesome. We are talking 5g of fiber per slice. 

So, if you have a Hy-Vee near you, check it out. Ours in KC carries them for $3.29 a pack but you can get a better deal from Amazon by using subscribe & save. Also, checking out GG's website it comes in sprinkle form if you want to use it in your smoothies and to top other foods. They also offer some variety packs if you like to mix things up a bit.

Let me know if you've had GG or if you plan on trying it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Working It {Ginger Shrimp}

I'm still strutting along. This morning we were going to go for a walk, the hubby was going to ride his bike along side us, but then my son decided to kick him where it hurts. So there went that idea. I was already ready to go so I took the kids out on my own and within 10 minutes I was circling back home to drop the kids off. I was NOT going to stress over them crying and fussing for an hour.

So I was off on my own. It was nice. Cold and windy...and then rainy, but nice. I was able to clear my head, listen to some tunes and walk at my pace while not worrying about shoving 100+ pounds around in a stroller. Bliss!

I've been trying a bunch of new recipes here lately, mainly WW friendly, but some I'm tossing together myself. We've had a couple of misses, but the last two days we've had several hits. This being one of them... My variation of a popular WW recipe.

Ginger Shrimp

Ingredients

	2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
	1 Tbsp honey
	1 Tbsp sherry (dry or sweet)
	1/3 cup(s) water
	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 piece(s) ginger root, 3-inches, peeled, thinly sliced, cut into julienne
	1 medium uncooked onion(s), roughly chopped 1 medium summer squash
	1 pound(s) uncooked shrimp, large, peeled and deveined

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, sherry and water; set aside.
• Coat a large skillet or wok with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Add oil; heat until oil begins to shimmer. Add ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until ginger becomes fragrant and starts to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions and squash; cook, stirring frequently, until onions start to release their moisture, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add shrimp; cook, stirring, until shrimp are opaque and pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in soy mixture; cook until well-blended and heated through, about 1 or 2 minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

This was such a huge hit. I love the taste of ginger, I'm not a huge onion fan, but I think the addition of the squash and the overall flavor of the dish hid the onion so well. I highly recommend this dish. Spice it up with all sorts of vegetables! I can't wait to make this again.

I also stepped on the scale this morning... 254.7 pounds. Praying it sticks come Tuesday. ;)

Weigh In Day

Weigh in day...again. :)

4.03 = 258.6

4.10 = 256.6 

-2.0 pounds

Yay...I was hoping for more, but it was Easter weekend. ;)

Hanging In There {Broccoli & Cheese Mini Omelets}

The title pretty much says it all. I'm hanging tough with the WW program. I've had a couple "hungry days", I'm pretty sure it TOM related. But I'm kind of enjoying the new serge of energy I'm getting from all of the fabulous HEALTHY food I've been downing. That's not to say I haven't had a piece of chocolate or two, but you know what? I've been honest about it with myself. Yep...I logged all FOUR of those Cadbury eggs I ate throughout yesterday. And I'm not sad about it, I'm not hiding it like it didn't happen. I'm human. It's going to happen. But that was the only temptation I brought into the house and now they're gone. LOL.

I'm also hanging in there because...it's my 32nd birthday. Nothing special about today other than I've turned another year older. My hubby took us out to lunch after dance class. It was awesome. I had a salad with one strip of breaded chicken on it. I even ordered no croutons and cheese on the side! Look at me rocking it at the restaurant. Then the hubs spoke up and told the waitress it was my birthday so I got a free slice of pie. I opted for a no sugar added slice of chocolate pie. Sadly I didn't finish it...it was too sweet. How bizarre is that? It also helps my tummy was full of yummy fiber. ;)

Tonight, as the hubby slept, I opted for breakfast for dinner. I was dieing to try out this awesome recipe from Skinny Taste. 2 Points Plus per "muffin." I accidentally forgot the olive oil and I substituted with mozzarella since it's what I had, didn't change the points value, but they were still awesome! And now I have a few in the fridge for breakfast the next couple of days. I paired it with a cup of fresh cut fruit and had dinner for 6PP (because I ate three muffins).

If you have any awesome ideas for spicing up this recipe, let me know!

Broccoli & Cheese Mini Egg Omelets

Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: Makes 9 cupcakes • Old Points: 2 pts each • Points+: 2 pts each
Calories: 103.9 • Fat: 6.5 g • Carbs: 2.7 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 8.7 g

Ingredients:

• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar
• 1/4 cup good grated cheese like Pecorino Romano
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Steam broccoli with a little water for about 6-7 minutes.
When broccoli is cooked, mash into smaller pieces and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spray cupcake tin with cooking spray and spoon broccoli mixture evenly into 9 tins.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites, eggs, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into the greased tins over broccoli until a little more than 3/4 full. Top with grated cheddar and bake in the oven until cooked, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator to enjoy during the week.

My Anchors

This weeks' theme at WW is Anchors. They are instilling in us the thought "What is your anchor?" In other words, what is the one thing (or things) that make you stop yourself from making a bad food choice and switching to a good food choice? What keeps you in line and lets you know you can do this?

It didn't take me long and I knew what my answer would be. My kids. More so number two, but I'll get to that. My kids are my anchor for several reasons.

1. I need to be there for them: Both physically and mentally. I cannot in good faith raise healthy children if I myself am not healthy. They need me now and will need me in the future. I have to be healthy in order for that to happen.
2. It's not fair: I cannot imagine losing one or both of my children anymore than I can fathom how they would get through life if I allowed something to happen to myself because I chose not to take care of this body. It's the only one I've got and now is the time to fix it.
3. They rely on me: They all rely on me for moral support, physical support and nutritional support. I can say I was raised to the best of my parents abilities, but they were certainly lacking in the nutrition department. I refuse to let my kids grow up in a nutritional deficit as I did. It's up to me, and eventually them, as to what their nutritional needs should be and how to meet those needs. 
4. I love them: Plain, simple and to the point. I love my children, my husband and most importantly myself. Okay, so right now I only like myself but I love the idea of the person I need to be. My family deserves a healthy daughter, sister, wife and mother. I deserve it.

But the true trigger that flipped my switch? I was able to give birth to my son with no drugs. Yes you read that right; no pitocin, no epidural, nada. Just good old fashion breathing, concentration, and pushing. I was absolutely determined to give birth to both of my children naturally and drug free. Unfortunately events occurred that prevented my wish with my daughter. But that made me even more determined to give birth to my son drug free. DETERMINATION. I made a choice, I stood by that choice and the outcome was amazing and so self gratifying. So, if I can be so determined to get through birth without drugs, why can I not do the same thing with weight loss? I mean afterall, the pain occurred through weight loss is nothing like giving birth. Bam. It hit me just like that. If I have a decision in this life, for this body that is mine, then darn it I can do this. It all boils down to what I am determined to do.

My anchor...
"If I can give birth to a child, drug free, then I most certainly can get healthy and lose this weight."

Oh, and don't mention it to my hubby, but in the end {once the weight is off} I'll be sporting a few new tattoos. ;)

So, what's your anchor? I'd love to hear.

Weigh In Day

Yesterday was weigh in day... I meant to post yesterday but man was I whooped after working in the yard.

3.27 = 260.0

4.03 = 258.6

-1.4 pounds

Not too shabby, although my weigh in at home prior to the meeting was 0.5lb lower. ;) But I guess that happens when you're fully clothed & weighing in. LOL.

My first meeting was interesting, this weeks meeting was about the same, HOWEVER after the meeting I stayed for the PowerStart meeting. I totally had to bite my tongue. As part of WW regimen for healthy oils includes Sunflower, Olive, Flax Seed, and Canola. Canola? Blech...I refuse to use a genetically engineered over-hyped bogus oil in my body.  This is a personal decision, but one I will stick to. I have, as you know, switched to Coconut Oil. Why? Because Coconut Oil ORGANIC AND NATURAL!

Anyways, back to the story; a lady asked "what about coconut oil." And, yep you guessed it. She was told "No, it's not a healthy oil." What kind of bogus bull shit is that? Clearly she's only repeating what she's been instructed to tell the members, but none the less I literally bit my tongue when the first oil out of her mouth was Canola as healthy. Rather than beating a dead horse, I'll just say I know what I'm using, I know why I am using it and I know why I will agree to disagree with Weight Watchers on this point. I just hope you out there will do the research for yourself and form your own opinion on what is actually good for your body and what is not. ;)

Right now I'm prepping this weeks grocery list... bring on the fiber. :D Later!

The Winner Is...

Our Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Winner is....

Congrats to Mom & Sons. Please email me your mailing address & phone number to claim your prize!