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?

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Quesadillas

 

After a long hard day at work, my best form of relaxation is…well, I have 2, either a glass of wine or music playing a little too loud while I dance around my kitchen cooking dinner. (And since I try to never lie…sometimes both) I’m by myself at home a lot, thankfully, otherwise the husband would probably kill me for the music part since we have an open floor plan. However, that’s exactly what I did last night. I turned on the new John Mayer album (it’s really good, I promise!) and just started cooking. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, here is what I ended up with. I hope you try them, they are YUM. Of course, I would never share anything with you that I didn’t think was YUM. ;)

 Black Bean Quesadillas (5 points per serving)

Ingredients

4 Mission® White corn tortillas  
7 1/2 oz canned black beans  
1 1/2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped  
1/4 cup salsa  
1 Tbsp Taco seasoning  
1/3 cup Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican-Style Cheese  
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed  
1 tsp vegetable oil, divided

Instructions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in onion and cook until soft. Stir in beans and corn, add salsa and taco seasoning. Cook until heated through.
Spray large skillet with vegetable oil and a little cooking spray, place a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle with half of the cheese, top with half of the bean mixture. Place 2nd tortilla on top. Cook until golden brown and then flip.

I served mine with some fat free plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and some steamed green beans with Mrs. Dash. I love my veggies simple sometimes. This is a very filling recipe! Would be an easy switch from a beef or chicken quesadilla for a picky eater. My recipe (like all of my recipes unless otherwise noted) makes 2 servings. Either to share or, as in my case, pack for lunch the next day.

Today is my first day of a 2 day work conference. Oh Mighty Healthy Food Fairy, where ever you are, please me on my side. I think the best way to start what is bound to be another stressful day, is with a little Yoga. I’m having a hard time getting into a work out routine this week now that I’m finished with my training schedule.

How do you de-stress after a long day at work?

Don't forget, if you live near the Wilmington, NC area, I have a proposition for you!

They call(ed) me the chubby one...

Like most people on January 1st, 2009 I made a list of goals I would like to accomplish this year. It went something like this:

1. Lose 50lbs



2. Go to the gym more (at least 3x a week)



3. Quit Smoking



4. Read some Classics



5. Save Money

It looks like every list I've made, every year, since puberty. On January 5th, I stepped on the scale and at a short 5'4'' was depressed (although not surprised since my diet consisted of beer and pizza) to see that my weight had climbed to 209.6lbs. With the support of friends at work, I started following the Weight Watchers Points system, which had worked for me in the past, working out and weighing in weekly. I could barely run at 5.0mph for 40 seconds and 20 minutes 2-3 times a week was my work out schedule.

Today, I weigh 178.4lbs, I quit smoking, I go to the gym at least 5 times a week and I'm so busy reading up on healthy recipes and fitness tips that I haven't had time to read any classics. I can run 1.5 miles at 5.4mph without stopping to walk and my goal is to do a 5k this fall. I want to write about how I've made it this far and continue writing about how I'm doing. I still have quite a ways to go. So, here I am.

I want to use this place to share recipes, stories, workout plans, my goals, my hopes, my accomplishments, my weaknesses, my phobias (two piece bathing suits and snakes, in that order) and my set backs.

This is my new life and I'm in it for the long haul.