Keep Truckin’…

 

Another Friday is upon us ladies and gentlemen! Yesterday was my day off, I rode 7 miles on my bike (which had not seen the light of day in quite some time) spent a little time poolside with a book and I returned to the driving range with my husband and friends. I was really excited to go back and I think I did much better this time.

This entry is going to be short and sweet I’m afraid, I didn’t cook many interesting things this week and I’ve been super busy. I’m sorry about that. I’ll try to do something interesting so I will have some more stories next week! Mostly, I just keep truckin’ like the doo-da man. :)

Weigh In

Last Week Weight: 156lbs

This Week Weight: 157lbs

Difference of: +1lb

I feel like a yo-yo. After a huge 4.1lb loss last week, I’m not surprised to be up a little. I still think that large of a loss last week was a fluke.I’m a little bummed, not going to lie, but I am fully aware of why I gained. I didn’t move enough and I ate too much. That’s all their is to it. 

High Lows

Highs

• I found a new activity I enjoy that allows me to spend time with my husband and be active at the same time. Two things I never imagined would go together.
• I ate fairly well this week and I tracked almost everything…well, after Monday-Thursday at least.
• I rode my bike for the first time in ages. I felt like a kid again and I really enjoyed myself!
• My sweet tooth has been out of control, but I have managed to stick to healthy sweets like my Strawberry Shortcake.

Lows

• I am allowing work to get me too stressed out. This is going to lead to no good when things get even busier in the next few weeks. I have to find a way to let things slide off my back.
• I failed at getting up and working out in the morning. I think I might have done it 1 working day. I have to get back on track because at the end of the day the last thing I feel like doing is working out.
• I gained a pound. Boo.

I am looking forward to spending time with friends this weekend and having another day off on Sunday! I hope all of you with long weekends enjoy them!

What was your high and low of the week? I love hearing them!

Non-cooking.

 

Last night I was supposed to make a fancy vegetarian spicy noodle dish, but alas, after a hellish day of work I didn’t feel like it.

That’s right. Me. The girl that LOVES to be in the kitchen, did not want to go into the kitchen. So, I nuked a meal. I don’t recommend it.

Blah.	Yum.

At least I stuck with Meatless Monday. I steamed the sprouts in the microwave and just S&P’ed them. They were by far the best part of that meal. I hate eating overly processed stuff. I swear one of these days I’m just going to stop buying it all together.

My work day yesterday was insane. It will be like this for the next 3 months. As I’m adjusting back to the crazy pace of Summer at the Beach, it’s going to take me awhile to adjust. I know that half of the reason the day was so stressful was because I skipped my workout yesterday morning. It was raining, the husband and the dog were sleeping peacefully next to me…ok, that’s a lie, the husband had gotten up for golf, but the dog and I were sleeping peacefully.

I even dreamt I was on the treadmill! I was walking at a fast pace and decided to run, just when I started to jog a little a get my stride the treadmill stopped suddenly and started beeping at me! It was my alarm. Maybe that’s a sign I’m still not ready to start running yet? Thursday will make 3 weeks since my last run. I’m really starting to get desperate…I think 1 mile would put me on top of the world. I miss it so much. I know my knee just isn’t really ready yet.

Today will be better though. I at least got a work out in. I walked to my amenity center this morning and all of the alarms were going off. It was so incredibly loud I could still hear it with my Ipod maxed out on volume. I waited about 10 minutes, stretching and trying to decide if I could work out with the sound, decided I could not. I came home and did a 20 Minute Sweat cross training work out on Exercise TV and I found a Yoga work out for after work today.

Do you guys have crazy dreams? I have them all the time!

Super Weekend!

 

My weekend was fantastic! I hope yours was too! Saturday night we hosted game night at our house. 6 of us played games, had some drinks and ate some great food. 

The star of my weekend was Sunday. I spent the whole day with the husband and it was GREAT. I started the day with 45 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym and then we went to a Golf Superstore. I was not thrilled about this at all at first. However, looking around the store I saw so much cute golf stuff and my husband was so excited telling me about all the different clubs and tools, I started to gain a little interest. I thought it would be something active that we could enjoy, outdoors, together. After we did some more running around I asked if he would take me to the driving range. I think he was shocked at first, but he asked our friends Keith and Cyndi to come with us. Cyndi is also new to golf and I was able to hit her golf clubs. I’m not that great, but I did make several good shots and now I can’t wait to go back!

I was coached after that 2nd picture by the husband to not lift my left heel off the ground. Hey, it’s my first time! I was looking at the ball at least.

After the driving range, I had to make dinner and I finally decided it was time to make Ranch Chicken. I’ve been meaning to for weeks! My friend Kim makes an awesome ranch dip for parties. She uses fat free greek yogurt and a ranch dressing packet. That’s it and it’s great for veggies or chips! I love it so much, I decided to try marinating chicken in it.

Ranch Chicken (2 servings, 5 points per serving)

Ingredients

7 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast  
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt  
1/2 cup Progresso® Bread crumbs Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain  
1 Tbsp Hidden Valley Original Dip Mix 

Instructions

Mix together yogurt and ranch dressing mix. Place chicken into yogurt mixture and allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Remove chicken from mixture and coat with Panko bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and bake chicken for 20-25 minutes until done.

It gives the chicken amazing flavor and the Panko adds a great crunch! Perfect summer meal when you have some Sunday Sweet Potato Salad on the side.

My Meal Plan for the week is:

Meatless Monday – Spicy Malaysian Noodles (a variation of this recipe)

Tuesday – Beer Can Chicken (the husband is making it on Monday, I’m going to have it leftover on Tuesday)

Wednesday – Roasted Veggie Pizza

Thursday – Taco Night!

This weekend was supposed to be so many things. It was supposed to be a movie date and me learning to use a grill. I’m so glad that I ended up playing Sunday by ear and just enjoying the time. My life is very planned out and I’m a very structured person. It was nice to just wing it and step outside of my comfort zone.

What did you do this weekend? Did you try anything new?

My Friday song and dance

 

Yesterday was my day off. I tend to stay off the computer on my days off because I like to just unplug. I may pop up here and there, but for the most part I’m just…unplugged. I had high hopes for yesterday.

I slept until almost 9am. I rarely sleep that late. When I woke up, I did one of Jillian Michaels workouts, can’t remember the name, on Exercise TV On Demand.

It was pretty good, reminded me of 30 day shred a lot. It makes me wonder if all of her DVDs are that repetitive.

After the workout I started to get a headache. I drank a green monster and started out and about on my errands. I had to run to Wal-Mart and the farmer’s market. My headache got progressively worse as the day went on. I did score some great loot at the farmer’s market. I got fresh strawberries, kale, peppers, tomatoes and corn on the cob! I love spring produce! I should have taken a picture…but again, when I got home I just unloaded quickly so I could sit down because my head hurt.

My plan at this point was to spend the afternoon at the pool with a book, but the sun was making my head hurt worse, so I ate some leftover Goulash Coolash (which tasted even better the 2nd day!) and got on the couch. While on the couch I started thinking about all of my strawberries and how I was out of fancy dessert cups, so I decided to make my own. Did you guys know that Strawberry Shortcake is my most favorite dessert ever? Well, now you do. It is.

2 cups of Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake mix and 1 cup fat free plain yogurt. Mix them together (mix will be thick), divide evenly into 12 muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Voila, 2 point dessert cakes perfect to be topped with strawberries and fat free cool whip! (or whatever your heart desires…)

I still had a headache. I made tuna burgers and kale chips for dinner. Still had a headache, so the rest of the day was a wash on the couch. That, was my day off. Thrilling, huh?

Weigh-In

Last Week’s Weight: 160.1

This Week’s Weight: 156

Difference of: –4.1lbs

Holy Cow Batman! I knew I was having a better week, but not that much better. I moved beyond recycled weight loss. The lowest I have been up until this point is 157.4. So, this is a new low for me! This also moved me down to 21 weight watcher points per day. It will be interesting to see how I do with that.

High/Lows

Highs

• I got my eating back on track and stopped the crazy snacking.
• I made lots of healthy food.
• I got back on the exercise train.
• My knee is feeling SO MUCH better.
• I lost 4.1lbs!

Lows

• Last weekend was pretty high calorie.
• I was on call for work and my stress level has been through the roof. I think that’s the reason for yesterday’s all day headache.
• I drank more diet soda than I normally do. I usually have 1-2 a month. I had 2 this week. I have no idea why, I just wanted it.

All and all, not that bad. My lows weren’t that low this week and my highs felt pretty high.

What was your highest high and your lowest low this week?

Too Coolash for Goulash!

 

I wanted some serious comfort food this week, little did I know this recipe would make 4 servings, but as I was building it, it kept growing before my very eyes! When I was little, I didn’t care much for Goulash. As an adult, I love it. So, here is my healthified version.

Goulash Coolash (4 servings, 6pts per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)  
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian Style
8 oz canned tomato sauce   
1/2 cup onion, chopped  
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables      
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 clove(, minced  
3 cup(s) cooked whole wheat pasta, Your favorite small style  

Instructions

Brown and break apart ground beef in a large skillet, drain off oil, add onions and allow to cook until softened. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, mixed vegetables and chili powder. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Mix in cooked pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan or reduced fat cheddar cheese.

This made me feel like a kid again! So simple and hearty. If you used ground turkey it would bring down the points and/or calories more. However lean ground beef was on sale last week and it’s NEVER on sale, so I indulged. :)

Today is my day off, so I’m going to go enjoy it! And probably eat 1 of the 3 servings of goulash I have left in the fridge. :/

What was a family style (or even lunch room style) dish you hated as a kid but love as an adult? Is there one?

Happy Thursday everyone!

Favorites!

I don't really have much to share this morning, so I figured I'd share with you some of my favorites!

One of my favorite breakfasts!



Some of my favorite blogs!

Roni's Weigh
Healthy Tipping Point
TJ's Test Kitchen
No More Bacon
Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit
MizFit Online
Fit with a Purpose

I have lots of favorites, I wish I could list everyone!!

Favorite Vegetable



Favorite Dog


Yes, I know that was lame, but he's the cutest dog in the world!

I didn't make it to the gym this morning, but I have Yoga planned after work! Not exactly what I had planned on for today, but it is activity! I'm excited to keep the momentum going!

What is your favorite:

Breakfast?
Blog?
Vegetable?
Animal?

Presto Pesto

 

Yesterday I mentioned that I made a batch of home made gnocchi and ohmygoodnessiminlove! Especially after I made this sauce to go on top of it. This was my Meatless Monday.

Presto Pesto (1 pt per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw spinach   
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  
2 tsp minced garlic  
2 Tbsp vegetable broth
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Instructions

Combine the above and blend.

It’s that simple. This pesto would be good on anything. I left out the pine nuts due to the husband’s allergy, plus, I’m not a huge fan of them.  I had it on gnocchi with a side of zucchini and onions. It was an amazing dinner.

I was famished by dinner time because I…MADE IT TO THE POOL!!!!

 

Before	After

Swimming laps is HARD WORK! I had my Blackberry in a Ziploc bag beside the pool because I’m on call for work. I wouldn’t normally have taken pictures, but after my behavior the past week and a half, you guys should be demanding proof of my workouts. I did 20 minutes of serious laps, stopping for a 1 minute break every 5 minutes or so. I did a mixture of freestyle, back stroke and breast stroke. I also spent 5 minutes before and after really stretching out my knee in the water. It felt so good! I am so lucky to have an indoor pool at my amenity center. I can’t believe I haven’t been using it!

So, I give myself a Gold Star for Monday. I know one good day, does not get me back on the wagon, but at least I feel as if I can see the wagon now!

I want to thank you all for your encouragement and support yesterday. My heart is full.  I was really surprised by how many of you appreciated my honesty. I promise to lay it all out there, if it helps someone feel like they are not alone. This journey is hard. We have to support each other.

I just got back from the gym where I did 22 minutes on the Elliptical, some arm weights and crunches. I didn’t have nearly enough time as I had hoped I would, we seem to be having a smoke detector issue at our home this morning, I spent 15 minutes climbing up and down on a stool changing batteries. I think that totally should count as exercise.

I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday!

I won't lie anymore

I'm not going to lie about it anymore. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Since my knee injury, I have fallen off the wagon.



I have eaten entirely too much, mindlessly snacked even more, used my knee as an excuse not to exercise AT ALL and for the past 10 days I haven't tracked my food, I haven't cared. I pretty much just gave up.

This morning, I feel terrible. I feel like the old me. I feel snappy, moody, sluggish. My pants are feeling a little snug. I have no energy. I feel depressed. I couldn't get out of bed this morning for love or money. I stayed in bed until the last possible minute and then rushed to get to work. I don't like this.

I started my morning with a Green Monster with 1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal added for substance. Today is the day I have to climb back on the wagon.

I have to go to the gym after work. I know I can't run, but I can swim, I can do the elliptical and I can do weights. I have to.

If you haven't noticed yet, this blog post is more for me than for you. It's a pep-talk to myself.

Suck it up cupcake. Get through this work day, go to the gym after work and don't go snack crazy tonight. Period. It's not rocket science. Just do it. Oh and by the way TRACK YOUR FOOD DUMMY! If no one sees you eat it, your ass still knows you ate it.

My Meal Plan for the Week:

Meatless Monday - Homemade Gnocchi* with Spinach Pesto (sans-pine nuts)
Tuesday - Sweet Potato with Beans, similar to last week's Meatless Monday
Wednesday - Goulash (do you know how long it's been since I've had goulash? I just randomly started craving it and I know I can make a healthified version)
Thursday - Tuna Burger
Friday - Leftovers of some sort, maybe on a pizza.

*I made a batch of homemade gnocchi yesterday, my kitchen was a mess but it was totally worth it. It's amazing! I think this will become a regular edition to my meal planning schedule.

I got a question on my last post about how I find time to cook. Cooking is a huge form of stress release for me. I enjoy my time in the kitchen very much. Meal planning helps a lot with time because I know what meats, etc. to remove from the freezer and have thawed and ready for use each day and I don't have to spend time thinking about what to make. Most of my meals take less than an hour to prepare. I go into the kitchen at about 6:15 and I'm sitting down to eat by 7 at the latest. It's a time commitment that I enjoy, I wish I could find more time to be in the kitchen!

My exercise plan for the week:

Monday - Swim
Tuesday - Elliptical and Weights
Wednesday - Swim
Thursday - Elliptical or Bike and Weights
Friday - Swim or Elliptical

Since my May Motivation training schedule is out, I need to come up with a new plan. I must have a plan. I will fail without one.

Ok. This is it. No more excuses. I want you guys to hold me to it. If I don't post tomorrow about how I went to the gym after work today, I want you guys to call me on it. I'm serious.

Happy Monday, what is your plan for the week? Do you have one?

Sweet Treats

 

Weigh In

Last Week’s Weight: 160.1lbs

This Week’s Weight: 160.1lbs

Difference of: 0lbs

I’m kind of shocked I didn’t gain, I will take a “stay”, for sure. Especially with the past week. Yesterday, I did the elliptical machine for 22 minutes. It’s the first real activity I’ve had in a week. I haven’t been eating great…I’ve been eating healthy stuff, just larger portions that I should be. I know I’m eating emotions, I’m upset about my knee and I’m stressed out. I’m eating to cope. I have looked this in the face and it will stop. I know I can do some working out, that is where I need to direct that stress now. My knee is healing, I won’t push it, but it’s time to get back to work. Reign it in. I can do it. Does anyone else hear “Eye of the Tiger”? No? Hmmm….

Cooking

Last night for dinner I made Baked Coconut Shrimp.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

A-freaking-mazing.

I followed the recipe exactly, so I won’t repost it here. Whoever wrote this recipe is my hero. This will be a summer regular around these parts. Especially since I can get my hand on fresh shrimp pretty easily. I dipped them in the Spicy Apricot Sauce that I made for chicken a couple days ago. I told you that sauce would be versatile! Here’s another use! :) I’ve had a great food week!

Yesterday, I went to the farmer’s market and it’s strawberry season! I got a giant container, so I found it only fitting to have a Strawberry shortcake (my absolutely most favorite dessert) to celebrate the 1st Birthday of The Unlikely Success Story. The dessert cups I used were only 100 calories and the strawberries were so perfect they didn’t need  any sugar. Perfect end to a perfect day off.

High/Lows

Highs

I enjoyed a terrific beach day with Kelly on Thursday.

Saturday night my husband and I enjoyed a nice evening chatting with friends under the stars.

I took care of my knee, instead of being irresponsible and pushing through it.

I cooked and shared some great food this week. :)

Lows

I didn’t get enough activity in.

I ate my emotions.

I am letting my stress level get the best of me instead of handling it in healthy ways. I stayed stressed out most of the week because of it.

Wrap it up, Tonyne

All in all, another “not so great” week. It wasn’t terrible, it could have been better, but it is what it is. Now that I’m back in the gym, even if I’m no where near running or leg presses yet, I’ll get back in the swing of things. I have faith in myself.

What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? I am working and to top that, I’m on-call! Boo. :)

Happy Blog Birthday and a Winner!

 

Happy 1 year birthday to The Unlikely Success Story. We’ve come a long way baby! Here are some of my favorite posts through the past year.

My brain is a sitcom gone wrong.

Hello? The Old Me? We need to have a chat.

The Serenity Prayer, for us.

My First 5k, Happy Thanksgiving!

2009 Year in Review

I can’t believe how far I’ve come or how far the blog has come. Speaking of how far I have come. I’m going to show you guys a little something. My Mom found this OLD picture of me. I was probably about 20-21, somewhere in there. I was at my heaviest weight, someone around 250-260…100lbs heavier than I am right now. I lost down to about 180, then gained back to 209 and now I’m at 160. I wanted to show it because I want you to know…and I never want to go back to that.

2000-2001	2010

Thank you guys again for helping me stay accountable. Without you, my journey would not be nearly as successful.

Ok, now that the birthday stuff is done. Let me tell you who won the $60 CSNStores gift card! ****DRUM ROLL PLEASE*****

The winner is Tracy! I’m happy to announce Tracy as the winner. I’ve known her through the blogging community for years! She is an amazing writer and has recently begun her own weight loss journey and is enjoying rediscovering herself with a healthy lifestyle. I’m so proud of her! I am also thoroughly jealous because I want the gift card! ;) Congratulations Tracy!

I hope you are all having good weeks! I’m off to the gym. I’m going to try the exercise bike and see what happens. The knee has improved a little and I’m going crazy sitting still. I promise to stop if there’s pain! :)

Spicy Apricot Chicken and My Love of Sprouts.

 

A little sweet, a little spicy, a lot good.

Spicy Apricot Chicken (5pts per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

6 oz uncooked chicken breast, cut into 4 strips  
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper & garlic powder  
1 egg whites
1 Tbsp water 
2 Tbsp apricot preserves  
1 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce  
1 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, coat chicken strips in egg white (mixed with 1tbsp water) and panko. Bake on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray for 15-20 minutes, flipping over once.

While chicken bakes, whisk together remaining ingredients.

Pour apricot sauce over chicken strips and serve.

I served it with 1/2 cup brown rice and some steamed asparagus. It tastes a bit like sweet a sour chicken with a zing from the Sriracha! This would be great served with grilled chicken on skewers at cocktail parties, using the apricot sauce as a dipping sauce too! :) I love multi-use ideas! This sauce is so good you could use it on anything. You could even save some calories if you can find sugar free apricot preserves. My grocer didn’t have any. Boo.  Ok, I’ll stop talking about it now. I really like it.

To answer Seth’s question from yesterday my favorite and the easiest way to prepare brussels sprouts is to just steam them with a little water in the microwave (after they’ve been cleaned of course), drain them and season with a little salt and pepper. Of course I love their natural flavor. They are also amazing coasted in a little olive oil and garlic and roasted in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes! AMAZING. Here’s the thing, we all hate the baby boom-boom cabbage as a kid, but as adults we like cabbage…guess what? They taste just like cabbage! Try it again as an adult for sure! I tell all my friends that, surprisingly I have a lot of friends scared of the sprouts. I wanted to answer that publically because I have an intense love for baby boom-boom cabbage and I think the world should understand why. Sorry you asked Seth? :)

What is your favorite vegetable and the favorite preparation of it?

Don’t forget! You have until midnight tonight to enter my CSNStores $60 giftcard giveaway!

Tuesday – Real creative title, I know.

 

First and foremost, last night’s Meatless Monday, Sweet Potato with  Warm Black Bean Salad was phenomenal. I’m not going to repost the recipe, because I pretty much followed it, but I did add some onions, cooked the black bean mixture on the stove top and omitted the cilantro. I served it with some brussels sprouts on the side. Yummy! The sweetness from the sweet potato mixes with the smokiness of the beans and the coolness of the sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt) is just very wonderful. I’ll be making it again and again.

I have been resting my knee since Thursday. It still hurts. It’s getting better, it’s not swollen anymore. I would rather rest for a week than not be able to run again. I was going to gingerly try the elliptical today, but I woke up with quite a bit of pain again. However, instead of the pain being all over the top of my left knee, it’s localized to one spot. It’s becoming manageable, but I’m afraid to push it.

I am trying hard to keep my spirits up. Activity has been such a huge part of my journey for me this time that occasionally I begin to panic that because I’m not being very active, I’m going to gain all the weight back overnight! I know that isn’t the case. I know I still have to be mindful of what I eat. I know there are still exercises I can do, I just have to do them.

I went from the girl that never left to the couch to the girl that can’t just sit on the couch. I never imagined that would happen!

I don’t really have much to update about…since I’ve been kind of resting. I promise that as soon as I have something exciting to share, you’ll be one of the first to know! :)

Some things you might have missed:

I posted a Simple Sunday French Toast recipe on Sunday.

Don’t forget to enter my CSNStores.com $60 gift card giveaway!

Have you had an exercise or activity related injury? How did you keep from going stir crazy? Help a sister out. I’m freaking out here!

A Giveaway and way to save!

 

The Unlikely Success Story turns 1 year old on Thursday. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year! In honor of this milestone, CSNStores.com contacted me and asked if I would like to give away a $60 gift certificate to one of my readers! I was very excited, especially when I learned that CSN sells everything from Cookware and Fitness Equipment to Track Lighting! I took a look around there websites, they really do have it all people!

 

All you have to do to win the $60 Gift Certificate from CSNStores.com is do one or more of the following leaving a comment for EACH ONE:

1 - Become a follower of my blog or if you already are…LEAVE A COMMENT

2 - Visit CSNStores.com and tell me what  you're interested in. LEAVE A COMMENT

3 - Post about this giveaway on your blog or Twitter account. LEAVE A COMMENT

4 – Share your best money saving tip when it comes to shopping, doesn’t have to be grocery related, but shopping in general. LEAVE A COMMENT

Enter now through Wednesday May 12th! Winners will be selected by a random number generator and announced on Thursday.

4 ways for each of you go enter! I am going to be totally jealous of whoever wins! $60 can buy you some sweet stuff! :)

Ok, onto normal Monday hub-bub, here’s my meal plan for the week:

• Meatless Monday – Baked Sweet Potato with Warm Black Bean Salad
• Tuesday – Lemon Apricot Chicken
• Wednesday – Roasted Veggie Pizza
• Thursday – Baked Coconut Shrimp on a spinach salad
• Friday – Ranch Chicken & Sunday Sweet Potato Salad

This menu was planned using my local grocer’s sales circular. You can get these online from your local grocer usually on Tuesdays. When I meal plan, I took at what proteins and produce are on sale for the week and then base my menu around it.

I find this a super easy way to save money since healthy eating can get expensive. The only format of grocery store circulars are usually very similar. I happen to shop at Food Lion and this week I’m getting sweet potatoes, shrimp, strawberries, roma tomatoes and asparagus on sale.

I use several websites to find recipes, some of which have an ingredient search, so if you know that chicken breast and asparagus are on sale, you can search for recipes calling for those ingredients! Some that I use:

AllRecipes.com

EatBetterAmerica.com

WeightWatchers.com

Sometimes I just Yahoo! or Google search for recipes too, it takes a little looking around, but it’s well worth the time investment to preplan. I just thought I would let you guys into my process a little bit. Hope you found some of the information helpful!

Let’s make this week count!

Simple Sunday French Toast for your Mama!

 

This is my very simple recipe for French toast. It’s low in points, cooks up quickly and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients.

Simple Sunday French Toast (4pts per serving, 1 serving)

Ingredients

1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Light Vanilla Soy Milk
2 slices Light Wheat Bread

Instructions

Whisk together first five ingredients in large dish. Heat skillet to med-high heat.

Let 2 bread slices soak for about 1 minute per side. Spray heated skillet with cooking spray. Cook soaked bread slices about 2 minutes per side or until done. Place on a plate and drizzle with sugar free maple syrup.

Simple. Easy. Delicious.

If you’re reading this on the Pacific coast this morning, go cook your Mama breakfast! It is Mother’s Day after all. Of course if you’re on the East Coast you could still pull of brunch! :)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms out there (Moms of human children and fur children, I totally count both!) and a special Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom who is my rock. Enough said.

Let’s put a cherry on top.

 

Friday. Let’s sum up a less than stellar week. I’ll start with weigh-in.

Weigh-In

Weight Last Week: 157.4lbs

Weight This Week: 160.1lbs

Difference of: +2.7lbs

I gained. I’m not shocked. It’s been a rough week for me and I’ve made no secret of that. Time to get back in control.

Training

I wish that I could say my exercise was on point this week, but that  would be a lie. I managed to do some, but not enough. To top off the rough week with a nice little cherry, yesterday I started my 4.5 mile run and around mile 2 I felt my knee begin to throb. I stopped and walked for a bit, started to run again and it was even worse. I rested, iced, compressed and elevated all afternoon and I’m still in quite a bit of pain every time it moves. I think it’s safe to say that my running is on hold for a little while. I am going to give it a few days before I make a decision about going to the doctor. I’ve had knee pain before, this is just a little different.

Cooking

I made a couple of really good things this week. Sunday’s Sweet Potato Salad and The Best Soup in the World. Last night I made a pita with cucumber sauce and used Quorn, but I didn’t document the recipe. I swear you can sub that for chicken in almost anything and it just works!

High/Lows

Lows

• Let’s just start this off with Tuesday’s out of control Nuts-a-palooza binge.
• New knee pain.
• My activity level wasn’t great.
• I gave into the “well, I’ve already blown it this week, why bother” mentality once or twice. I know, I know…that’s BS. I tell people regularly that that is BS, but I want to be honest. No excuses!
• I didn’t track my food well at all.
• It was a very hungry week.

Highs

• I cooked some great food.
• I had an amazing time with Kelly and her family for the birthday celebrations of birthday celebrations.
• The comments and support I got from the blogging community regarding the binge was amazing. It feels so good to know I’m not alone in this thing.
• I got to spend quite a bit of time hanging out with my husband over the past couple days. That is never a bad thing in my book.
• I was honest about a very weak moment. I didn’t hide it in the trash can and act shocked about a weight gain. I talked about it openly and it made me feel as if I could regroup and move on. The old Tonyne would have totally acted as if it never happened and you guys would have never known.
• I had a great lunch today with an old friend. I am starting to appreciate how precious life is. We only get one chance to do this. We should make the most of it.

Wrap it up Tonyne

Thank you guys for always commenting and reading regardless if I’ve had a good week or a bad week. We can’t win them all, they can’t all be good weeks. The bad weeks help us realize just how good the weeks are when everything just falls into place.

I hope you all have happy weekends!

What was your high and your low for this week? I would really like to hear about them!

Regroup

So, last night, I posted a blog during a weak moment. I was embarrassed, disheartened and very sad. I felt it was important to share that moment because I know I'm not the only one that has those moments or feels that way after them. I don't want anyone to think that I have this dialed in or I don't struggle...because, I do struggle. This is hard and I have to work at it every day.

Today is a new day, I will try and treat it as such. Yesterday is the past,leave it there. I will make the most of today. I will focus on the good in this week.

I made some awesome food, my Sunday Sweet Potato Salad and quite possibly the Best Soup in The World.

I had a good run on Tuesday:



I did some Yoga this morning and during meditation I reflected on why I might have binged, then I decided to just let it go. Because the past is the past.

I read my horoscope this morning and I think it reflected the situation perfect!

Aries for 5/5/10

Not everyone knows that we make our own luck, but it's a fact that you count on every day. If some recent setback has brought you down, don't think of it as failure -- instead, see of it as a lesson to help aid your future success. What will you know to do for next time? Once you've figured it all out, you can go back and tweak your original formula. You're sure to like your results next time.

Tonight I am looking forward to a relatively "unplugged" night at home with the husband. Maybe I'll take the dog for a walk. Tomorrow I have the day off from work, a 4.5 mile run planned and then I might relax pool side for a bit. I feel like I need to just relax and I'm going pay attention to that feeling.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

A weak moment.

 

Sometimes we try our best and sometimes…NUTS!

Yes, I did finish off the entire container. I’m not proud of it, but I learned from it.

I learned that this doesn’t make my husband, my Mom or my dog love me any less. All of whom I spoke to in tears after my binge. I am not a Super Human. I will fall. The feeling of total fullness and bloat does not bring me the lulled satisfaction it once did. Sometimes I will make mistakes. I learned that I probably shouldn’t bring trigger foods into my home because they do just that. They trigger me to binge eat. I know this. I guess I just needed a reminder.

We all have bad days, nights or weeks. It happens, I know that. I just wanted to be honest with you about mine.  Weak moments can be just as important as great ones, we can learn a lot from them.

Have you had a weak moment recently? Did you learn anything from it?

The husband was not harmed in the making of this blog post. He was safely away from allergens at work.

Meatless Monday – My new favorite soup

 

First off, for this recipe, you’ll need a blender. Check out mine, I think it’s older than ME! I inherited it from my Mom and I can’t bring myself to replace it. My Crockpot happens to be from the same era. Vintage rocks, get over it. :)

 My blender is more badass than your blender.  

Last night wasn’t cold by any means, but I was craving soup.  I wanted something hearty but light. I have been wanting soup a lot lately, so I took to the kitchen and this is what I made:

White Bean and Spinach Soup with an Italian Twist (4pts per serving, 2 large servings)

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil  
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped   
2 garlic cloves, minced  
16 oz (1 can) Cannellini (White Kidney) Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned diced tomato - Italian Style 
7 oz Fat-free vegetable broth  
1/2 tsp black pepper  
1 tsp ground thyme  
1 tsp Italian Seasoning  
1/2 cup water   
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped 
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Stir in beans, broth, diced tomato, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce and then simmer for 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the bean mixture from soup and set aside.
In blender at low speed, blend the remaining soup in small batches until smooth.***
Bring blended soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach, reserved bean mixture and cook 2-3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and serve.

On the side, I served some Baby Crostinis that I made using 1pt hot dog buns! Aren’t they adorable!? I just cut them into the appropriate shape, sprayed them with non-stick spray, used a little Parmesan Herb seasoning and toasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes per side. Watch it closely though!

I also added a little bit of red pepper flakes to the soup, but I left that out of the recipe because I know everyone doesn’t like the heat like I do. I can’t tell you how much I love this soup because I would seriously just sound insane, but I LOVE this soup. I am going to make a giant batch of it and freeze it so I can have more than 2 servings. It’s THAT good.

*** I feel it’s important to say, when blending hot liquids in a blender, ALWAYS use a towel to hold the lid of the blender on. Never turn the blender on High right away, pulse slowly and then carefully remove the middle part of the top to let the steam out if the lid wants to come off on you. I in no way shape or form speak from experience here….

Go make this soup. Now. Go. It’s amazing. I promise!

Original inspiration and cooking instructions came from this recipe at AllRecipes.com.

No regrets.

 

I had an amazing weekend. I ended up taking Saturday off and spending the weekend celebrating my friend Kelly’s birthday as well as her father’s birthday. She had family and friends in town from all over the east coast. We ate, we drank and we were very merry. I didn’t make the best food choices, I went terribly overboard at times, and I didn’t make the time for my workouts, but I have no regrets.

This did not derail me. I indulged, relaxed and now I will let it go. A weekend with that much happiness, love and laughter can in no way shape or form be bad for me.

That being said, it’s Monday. Life is back to normal as I know it. So I will start this morning off at the gym for Alternate Cardio & Weights,* followed by work and a Meatless Monday dinner tonight. Here is my meal plan for the week:

Meatless Monday – White Bean & Spinach Soup (with some tweaks)

Tuesday – Greek Quorn Pita Sandwiches

Wednesday – Whole Wheat Couscous & Kidney Bean Salad

Thursday – Grilled Ranch Chicken

Friday – Leftovers

In case you missed it yesterday, I posted a recipe for a Sunday Sweet Potato Salad that I threw together last night. It’s what I have for lunch today and if you like sweet potato you will love this recipe.

Yesterday I also planted a Topsy Turvey Tomato Grower on my porch. I filled the 3 growing pods with Tomato, Zucchini and Bell Pepper. Cross your fingers, I’m not the best green thumb in the world! My little herb garden is growing well this year and I also prettied up the porch with some new begonias and impatience. It looks so nice out there! I also think that gardening (even if in containers) should be considered exercise. I had to carry a very heavy bag of potting soil on my shoulder up a flight of stairs! My arms are actually a little sore this morning!

View Full Album

Sorry the pictures aren’t very good…I took them at 5:40am this morning because I didn’t think to take any yesterday afternoon!

What did you do this weekend?

*Gym update: I made it to my amenity center this morning, noticed all of the flat screen TVs (5 total) were missing, cables dangling. I did 10 minutes on the elliptical and moved to the weight room to find some wall damage, the chair used to hoist the thieves up still in place, gloves on the chair and a generally creepy vibe. Since I had no phone or anything on me and there isn't one in the center, I left, mildly freaked out, came home and reported it. My little corner of the world has always been crime free. :(

*Gym update 2: The HOA called me back and the break in actually happened on Thursday night, the marks on the wall were from a messy finger printing job by the sheriffs department and since they are still investigating, they haven't cleaned up the place much. Supposedly there was a letter to this effect hanging somewhere in the complex, but it wasn't on the main door because I looked. Oh well, serves me right for skipping the gym for 2 days. ;)

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad

 

This time of year brings around Cookout or Backyard BBQ (depending on where you’re from) season and I have a twist on potato salad that is as kind to your taste buds as it is to your health!

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad (3pts per serving, 2 servings)

1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into cubes, boiled until just tender and drained
1/2 Tbsp honey   
1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped  
2 Tbsp raisins  
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled  
2 tsp sugar substitute  
1 Tbsp Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing  
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except potato, mix well. Add sweet potato and stir to coat.

Serve room temperature or cold. 

This whips up fairly quickly and has a nice sweet and savory flavor! This will probably be my “go to” dish for cook outs this Spring and Summer. So, all my friends and family have been warned!

I hope you all had fantastic weekends! I will check in tomorrow with a proper update. I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!