Catching Up {Mexican Egg Mug Scrambler}

I've had every intention of updating several days ago, but man have I been busy... For three days straight I've been hectic busy. Landscaping. I've finally gained enough energy that the lawn just isn't sitting right with me. We didn't renew our contract with the lawn company two years ago and well it's a pathetic mess full of broad leaf weeds and bare dead spots. It actually makes me ill looking at it.

So we started sprucing it up, de-thatching and planting a couple of new trees. Well, while I was weed eating I nicked $400 worth of trees. YIKES! So then I spent the next afternoon building retainers around each tree, digging, leveling, pounding, back filling, mulching. Yes, I got a heck of a work out in. As if that wasn't enough, the next day I decided to put two new flower beds in on the shaded side of our house. It was just so blah, so I transplanted two Hostas out of full sun and into the shade. Then they just looked sad and the ground around them so blah. We had a dead spot where the fire pit wood had sit and killed the grass. And I loathe the area around the conditioner.

So we picked up some trim to hold back the rock, I purchased and planted two additional Hostas and two new Calla plants. Three trips and 15 bags of rock later I was done. Oh my goodness. If I never have to lift another back of rock again I'll be happy. By the time these three days ended my body was a wreck. I injured my right foot (pulled something?), head planted into the house and landed on my right wrist on the air conditioner pad bruising it bad, and had all around aching muscles. Hmmm, not so sure my calling is landscaping? LOL.

In the process I was so busy I did not eat right. :( As in I skipped my snacks and for the most part ate way too much sodium. In fact I gained weight and I was ticked especially after the amount of lifting and sweating I'd put in. The last two days I made it my job to chug water and try and rid myself of the excess sodium and it appears to have worked. This morning I'm down to a new low.

In the process of the last week I discovered a couple of things. We ate out at Arby's. Funny enough, my hubby is calorie counting along side me and he discovered that Arby's turkey sandwiches aren't as healthy as he thought. Duh! They feed you like 4 servings of meat in one sandwich. Anyways, I opted for a bacon turkey ranch wrap, sans ranch. And instead of my usual curly fries I got a side salad AND I only ate half the sandwich. :) That left me with half for the next day when I was too busy to stop and make lunch. I've also discovered Powerade Zero! I love it. I was doing the low calorie Gatorade, but I think I've found my replacement drink for after a hefty run.

And my latest adventure into new recipes.... I'm subscribed to Egg Beaters emails (I'm not sure why) and they had this easy and fast recipe. I love it. I get my protein, it's quicker than whipping out and heating up a pan and easier to clean up. LOVE!

I make a couple of modifications to the recipe. I used Egg Beaters Egg Whites and instead of Mexican cheese I opted to use Sargento's Reduced Fat Pepper Jack Cheese (1 slice torn in pieces). I also find it takes about 1 extra minute for it to cook thoroughly, but of course all microwaves differ. Then I pair it up with my favorite fruit and "poof," breakfast in a matter of minutes. And the best part? 3PP for the entire mug when you use whites. :D

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Weigh In Day

 

Weigh in Day!!!!

4.17 = 253.6

4.24 = 251.8

-1.8 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 8.2 pounds

I'm glad it wasn't a gain and I kind of expected a lower number due to some unintentional added sodium this week... Not too shabby I suppose. And I'm that much closer to 10 pounds down and even closer to my 10% goal. WooHoo!

Sick of The Up & Down

I am so tired of the up & down weather pattern. It's freaking crazy. We went from fall to spring to a mild summer. But seriously...you shouldn't have to deal with 30* weather at night and 70*-80* weather during the day. It just isn't right.

Today is cold, windy and cloudy. Blech. But I still made it work. The hubs is still gimpy so after about 2 miles he took the kiddos home and I continued on and was able to start jogging. I couldn't get too far ahead of him, so he kinda slowed me down. ;)

After my run I was in a weird food spot. So I made a silly, yummy snack for 7PP. Fresh pineapple, a chocolate fiber brownie, unsalted dry roasted peanuts, and raspberry-peach water. 

Tonight I'm going to whip up some more Lemon-Lime Garlic Chicken and Roasted Broccoli. Nummy...well time to start preparing dinner!

A New Muscle?

While being sore from yesterday's fabulous jaunt, I decided that I MUST try it again today and see if I could top yesterday's time. Sadly it was too windy out there to top it. I was basically like a lost grocery sack blowing in the wind. But that's okay. I was only 30 seconds off yesterdays pace. Not too shabby for a gal my size.

Yesterday, 16:23 pace --- Today 16:51 pace. I'm debating if I'm going to just keeping trying to improve my time or if I want to increase my distance??? I like going four miles, but... {I don't know what the but is, so I guess we'll see. Maybe I'll just wing it?}

In other news, note to self: stop wearing undies while running, totally causes problems and adjusting in public is humiliating. {sorry for the visual} Just sayin'. ;) 

Changing subjects; Last night after showering I was about to reach down and dry off my calves. I flexed my calf while reaching and OH MY GOD... I have a freaking calf muscle. Seriously...me? Definition in my calves? What the? I was shocked. I don't think I've seen leg muscle definition since I was running track in high school. Yeah... I'll have to dig a photo or two out sometime. I was basically a well endowed stick with muscle. What the hell did I do to myself? LOL.

Anyways, it was very motivating to see that change. Sure I still have tons of extra fat to be burned and flabby skin from gaining so much weight and having two kids so close together, but just that little glimmer of what used to be keeps me going. It reminds me that I can do this, and more importantly I WANT to do this. Is there any changes in your body that you've noticed keeping you motivated?

Happy Friday all!

Bondi Bands...I'm In Love

As you may know by now, I have a small love affair for Bondi Bands. I can't help it. They are addictive, and each one I purchase means something to me. Be it motivation, cuteness, or stating a fact, you can't help but love them. Now, I not only love them for the adorable factor, but their functionality too. They are the only no slip, no drip product out there for runners, at least that I've found. But hey, once you've found something that works you sort of stop looking around. ;)

So I just placed another order for more bands! Shhhh, don't tell the hubby. But in my order I also received a free wrist band for ordering 3 headbands, perfect for holding an i.d. card, car key, or whatever else I don't have pockets for. I also ordered their new armband, so I'm hoping to give that a try with my iPhone so I don't have to shove it in my bra when I don't have pockets. LOL.

As for the bands....I've never had an issue with them moving. There are several ways to wear them; wide open, rolled, folded in half, or pulled down over your ears. And they keep the sweat out of my eyes!!!! Not to mention they are totally fabulous when making a statement.  Now, Bondi Bands also carry a line of wicking hats, pony tail hats, and piggy tail hats. Not to mention child sized bands and match your buddy bands for the fur baby owners.

There are just sooooo many options to choose from, it's hard to decide. Once I get my order I'll load some pics, but for now here are some other bands I'm eying. Have fun looking and deciding for yourself.

What's your favorite?

Felt Great

I got to get out on my own today. Nothing but me, my feet, and my music. After a mile into the walk I felt like jogging...so I did. I ran a block, walked a block. It felt amazing. A 16:23 average pace for a gal my size is quite the feat! Hope everyone is having a great week.

Weigh In Day

 

Weigh in Day!!!!

4.10 = 256.6

4.17 = 253.6 

-3.0 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 6.4 pounds

I'm totally digging this new plan. The food, the ability to still be human and make mistakes but know how to get back on track. I LOVE IT! Today was a great day at the meeting. I got my 5 pound sticker and totally made everyone drool after describing last night's dinner. Which coincidentally fit into today's topic of "How to put color on your plate."

We were discussing how to turn ordinary dishes into extraordinary dishes. The leader skipped the color green, but I spoke up about it anyway, because it wasn't the only color on my plate. Then I described the broccoli & cheese stuffed chicken and the salad I had next to it with spinach, romaine, strawberry, kiwi, and carrots. The leader actually said I made her drool for that meal. It made me feel good.

Then I got all sorts of "what time is dinner," "when can I come over," and even "when are you opening your own restaurant?" LOL. I think the funniest one, was this little old lady who asked if I cooked like that every night. I told her, that it is my goal and yes I am trying to do that.

It was great, and of course I gave a big shout out to skinnytaste.com and the leader was so happy I did, because she isn't allowed to bring it up because it isn't Weight Watchers endorsed, but it is WW inspired. And since I brought it up she was then allowed to talk about it. Yay! It was a great meeting.

When I got home I figured we'd squeeze in a walk...it didn't go as planned but that didn't stop me. The hubs is still gimped up from overdoing a run. He slowed me down, which is a total 180 from the normal. Then about a half mile in we discovered that Bubba was missing a shoe. So we had to double back and find it. Then the hubs decided he'd get his bike while we were at it so he could keep up. Then the grumpy boy started crying, I sent the hubs home to make lunch and I powered on. I didn't get my 4 miles, but 3 was sufficient for everything I endured. :/

Hope everyone else is having a great week!

{Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken}

Tonight I was looking for a "simple" recipe, but ended up opted for a stuffed chicken recipe, as I've never tried this before and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I substituted the cheese for what I had (mozzarella & pepper jack) and it only totaled up to one more point than the original recipe! I'm really loving Skinnytaste.com. She has some easy, fabulous recipes and you can tweak them to your liking. You should really check Gina out!

Tomorrow is weigh in day & I'm kind of excited because I'm 99% certain I'll hit the 5 pound mark. Wish me luck :D

Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Makes: 9 pieces • Size: 1 piece • Points+: 4 pts

Ingredients:

• 3 (24 oz total) large chicken breast halves
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp water
• 3/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 cups broccoli floret, cooked, chopped small
  
• 1oz pepper jack cheese, sliced into nine pieces
• 1/2c (1oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella
  
• salt
• spray oil
• toothpicks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine egg, water and a little salt. Beat with a fork to make an egg wash. Set aside. Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

Slice chicken breast halves into thin cutlets. I usually get 3 thin cutlets out of one breast half. Pound them to make them thinner if you wish. This helps when you wrap the cutlets.

Cut the ounce of pepper jack cheese into nine equal pieces. Place a 1 slice pepper jack cheese and 1/9th of the mozzarella in the center of the chicken and top with a little broccoli. Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure. Season with a little salt.

Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Spray cookie sheet with oil and place chicken on cookie sheet. Lightly spray chicken with oil and bake about 25 minutes, until cooked.

Late Lunch

A late lunch today, after a late night due to one pukey little guy and one feverish little gal. I tried to mix it up a bit today with some raw jicama sticks, cherry tomatoes and a tuna sandwich with spinach on top. Everything on my plate was a whopping 3PP. Fabulous! I've never tried spinach with tuna before and I was pleasantly surprised. Weigh in is in two days hoping to see at least another two pound loss. I'm sure it'd be more than that if I could get outside for a walk, but being I can't leave two sick littles alone I have to make due with indoor activity. :D

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.