Staying on track...

Thursday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

9:30am:  Breakfast- Pumpkin Chia Pancake

In turn, finishing up my stash of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle mix for the year...tear.

12:30pm:  Lunch- Coconut Greek Yogurt & Peanut Butter Pretzels 

Admittedly, yesterday was a toughhhh food day since I was SUPER frustrated from my big ZERO weight loss.  But I knew the trick was to not blow the ENTIRE day out of annoyance (as I've done about 7 zillion times in the past).  So after realizing maybe my head wanted pasta & mashed potatoes out of 'emotional eating,' my stomach really didn't.  So I put the brakes on and picked these two, which were enough sweet, salty & snacky to fit the afternoon bill.  My mood improved pretty instantly after picking the 'better' lunch.  (although not completely...STILL GRRR!J)

3:00pm:  Snack- Banana

6:00pm:  Dinner- French Onion Pork Chop Skillet 

And in "still not completely over being mad" news, I just had ZERO interest in another dinner of salad & quinoa last nightJ  This pork chops smothered in caramelized onions, cheese and surrounded by good ole Stove Top just fit the dinner bill a little betterJ  I kept my portion small using my salad plate, but the final result looked like a mish mash that only a skillet dinner could provideJ  I'll let ya just use your imaginationJ  (aka-it wasn't pretty in the slightestJ)

Well, I better get myself to yoga this morning and get my head back in the gameJ  As I always say, weight loss is 95% mental, so now it's a matter of trying to stay on track even when you're ready to just say "F*** it all to hell" right to the bottom of a nutella jarJ  I'm sure you know the feeling (I mean...right???)

Sigh...NamasteJ

Have a great Weekend!!!

The other side...

Wednesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

9:30am:  Breakfast- Almond meal & flax pancake

I had to use an 'old' photo, because my cake wasn't even remotely close to a circular shape yesterday.  I don't know WHAT the heck happened, but that damn thing was a HOT MESS!

10:30-11:45am:  Power Yoga

12:00pm:  Lunch- Slim-n-Trim Skinny Vanilla Smoothie

Soooooo since they put a Smoothie King in next to my gym a few months ago AND I found an article online the other day about 'best low-cal drinks' (since Smoothie King is FULL of hidden calories in seemingly innocent liquids), I figured I'd try out this 153 calorie cup.  It was tasty and filling enough for a lunch...but at $5.34 for a SMALL, it will DEF be a very once-in-a-great-while TREAT.

2:30pm:  Snack- 11 Peanut Butter Pretzel Nuggets

5:00pm:  Dinner- Roasted Carrot Quinoa with Chicken

Why did I want to try this recipe??  One word:  DILL!

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEE DILL and never use it enough!  It's super VIBRANT and can add a great ZING to any dishJ

But let's get back to the carrots, which I roasted in a mix of 1/4 teaspoon of each:  olive oil, honey & ground ginger....

...at 375 for about 25 minutes until they roasted...or shrunk...J

While the carrots were roasting, I gave a quick stir-fry to some chicken coated in...you guessed it...DILL!  Once it was cooked, I set it off to the side until the quinoa was complete.

Which I started by toasting in a skillet for a few minutes with a little garlic... (AGAIN-BE SURE TO THE RINSE THE QUINOA BEFORE ADDING TO THE SKILLET!!!)

Then it was time to add the chicken (or veggie) broth...

When cooking with 'blandish' grains (brown rice, couscous, etc.)  ALWAYS use a broth or stock to flavor them up!  Honestly, I HATED brown rice till I started using this no-calories added trick.  It really makes all the difference.

After the quinoa is covered, simmered and all the water is absorbed (about 20 minutes), I added in the carrots & MORE diced dill...(AND SALT!!!  This dish is SUPER bland without it.  Just trust me on thatJ) 

 ...and then plated with a topping of the dill chicken, which I was VERY thankful for since I don't know if this dish would have been filling enough for us without it.  It tasted nice, light & spring-y.  If you're in the mood to look forward to brighter days, make this dishJ

5:30-6:30:  Body Jam Class

The "Kickin it to the 90's" is ALWAYS such a sweat drenching workout, but it felt SOOOOOOOO good to dance again after my 'sickness hiatus' last weekJ

8:00pm:  Handful of Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Thankfully, it was the LAST handful of pretzel bark for the seasonJ

And since I usually share my accomplishments with you, I MUST share the 'other' side today as I feel SUPERRRRRRRRR discouraged from loosing a total of ZERO on the scale this morning from the week.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...it's EXTRA frustrating when you know you did really well and chose salads and quinoa over the burger & fries that you realllllllllly wanted but knew you didn't needJ  Oh yeah, and had a loss on the scale BEFORE going to power yoga & boxing class over the weekend.  UGH, makes my blood boil...BUT I don't really feel good if I DON'T choose salads & boxing, so I guess that's the point, right???  Just wouldn't have minded seeming some validation on top of it.  SIGH.  Oh well...onto next weekJ

Have a great Thursday!

Blaming the gloomy day...

Tuesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:00am:  SUPER PURPLE SMOOTIE

Isn't that pretty?  The purple color was intense...well, for good reason:

• 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 cup+ red cabbage
• Around 1/4 cup of pure grape juice (enough to get it swirling & twirlingJ)

12:00pm:  Lunch- Happy Salad 

This NEEDED to be 'happy' yesterday, considering ALLLLLL I wanted for lunch was a BUGER.  Thankfully it was happy enough to help me forget that cravingJ

1:30pm:  Snack #1- Coffee with creamer (tooooo gloomy yesterday!)

3:30pm:  Snack #2- Peanut butter pretzel nuggets 

11 = 140 calories.  Sweet, considering the added protein!

6:00pm:  Dinner- Taco Tuesday!

Why oh why this isn't a weekly staple I have no clue, since I was THISEXCITED when it was time to sit down to dinner.

A quick cook of chicken with taco seasoning before piling it into the shells and tossing them in the toaster oven to melt the cheese...yum! 

And what is it about yellow rice that is sooooooooooooooooo good?????   We try not to have it TOO often, but when we do-it is HAPPINESSJ

And I thought I'd give you a glimpse of Katie's plate since I thought it was so cuteJ  Yellow rice + an unwrapped tacoJ  Girl loves herself some yellow rice, tooJ

8:00pm:  Dessert- Godiva Truffles 

I had gotten Scott a mix box of truffles for Christmas and he was nice enough to share halves with meJ  Last night it was Mexican hot chocolate (SPICY!), tiramisu & creme brulee...swooon!

UGH...and no exercise to speak of yesterday.  I'm tellin ya, that gloomy day just GOT to me yesterday.  I didn't have interest in doing much except lounging in a sweatshirt any chance I gotJ  Determined to be MUCH more motivated today...starting with yoga at 10:30!  

On that note...let me get myself movin & groovinJ

Have a great Wednesday!

Lunch thief...

Monday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:00am:  Breakfast- Slice of banana bread

Nope, nothing else would doJ

12:30pm:  Lunch- Banana with peanut butter

And despite the fact that SOMEONE had PLENTY of breakfast & lunch, that didn't mean that Momma's lunch didn't look shareableJ 

3:00pm:  Snack- 2% cheese & clementine 

5:30pm:  Dinner- Salad 

We whipped this one up with everything we had straggling in the fridge, and it turned out to be a beaut!

• Grilled chicken coated in Montreal steak seasoning
• Spring Mix lettuce
• Carrots
• Purple Cabbage
• Green Onions
• Craisins
• Feta
• Drizzle of olive oil 

Not bad for no real plans, just a toss of everything we had on hand.  So good!

6:30- 9:15pm:  Beginners Power & Gentle yoga

Managed to balance a handstand for about 3-4 seconds and a headstand for a minute or two last night...but I'm still too scared to try em without the wall close by to catch meJ hahhahahahahh  One day I'll be brave!  But not todayJ...

Well, it's a gloomy one in Jersey today.  I think I already need another cup of coffee to get this day goinJ

Have a good Tuesday!

Weekend balance...

Hey, everyone!  Hope you guys had a great weekendJ  Ours turned into a nice mix of cozy family time and a fun night out of the house with some friends.  I think we wound down the weekend feeling relaxed and refreshed since it was a good mix of fun AND relaxingJ

ANYWAYS, I got a few fun things to show you from the weekend, including this guy who joined us for dinner on Friday night...

Yep...if nerdy 'shaped pizza' is wrong, I don't want to be rightJ  Our snow man pizza was made of a Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb crust topped with a few wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, shredded mozzarella, Italian herbs, a zillion gloves of crushed garlic (or about 8J) and a cute little olive smile, a carrot nose and some mini turkey pepperoni buttonsJ  Unfortunately, he didn't last very long since he was DELISH!

And on the side, since I love a green side dish with pasta & pizza (and MISS IT when I do not!), I roasted up some garlic & parmesan green beans right along with the snowman... 

Sunday morning brought some 'house special' banana bread... 

...and some BACON CHEESEBURGER EGGROLLS!

I had these floating around my brain for the last few days and I was SOEXCITED to finally actually make them!

First, I sauteed up a few strips of diced bacon (can use turkey bacon here) until crispy.  Then I tossed in a diced onion and sauteed everything together for about 5 minutes... 

Then I drained the grease from the pan before adding in 3/4 pound of turkey breast to cook up.  While it was cooking, I seasoned it up with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and about a tablespoon of Worchestire for good measureJ

Once the turkey was browned, I drained the meat again and added it to a bowl to cool for a bit. 

Finally I added about 1/2 cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of mustard and 2 diced pickles and gave it all a good stir.

Then it was time to ROCK & ROLL...well, at least ROLLJ  I lined an eggroll wrapper with a torn slice of American cheese (use whatever cheese you want or have on hand, but I LOVEEEE me a good cheeseburger with good ole American cheeseJ)... 

...then I added about 2 spoons of the filling... 

...then you moisten the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water before folding in the sides... 

...then the bottom corner... 

...and rolling em until they are sealed! 

Place seams side down on a baking dish and give em a quick spritz of olive oil before baking at 350 for 30 minutes or until crispy...

And BAM!  You've got Bacon cheeseburger rolls!   They were SUPER decadent from the crisp bacon, creamy cheese and all the meaty cheeseburger flavor...but kept a LITTTLE on the lighter side by using ground turkey...

...and, of course, served up with a salad on the sideJ  Balance, folks, BALANCEJ

And I ACTUALLY remembered my "I like to have homemade dessert on Sunday" fact in time for me to whip up a QUICK cinnamon roll topped apple pie for dessert! 

I liked this recipe because it used pre-made pie crust for the crust AND the cinnamon rolls.  (SIMPLE!)

ROLLS:

Into PIE CRUSTJ :

I made a HALF recipe and baked the pie in a bread pan, making just enough for 1-2 nights of dessert.  We CERTAINLY didn't need to kick off the week with a whole pie to polish offJ  Halving a recipe prevents those days of lingering desserts staring you in the face while STILL having all the funJ

Again = BALANCE!

And to add to the balance, some power yoga & boxing were tossed in for good measure.  Both classes totally knocked me out!  Phewwwwwwwwww...I think I'm still sweatingJ

Have a great MondayJ

Double cap of carbs;)

Hey, everyone!  I was feeling pretty under the weather yesterday and wasn't in the mood to think about food, let alone blog about itJ  But since I feel a LOT better today, I have a double recap for ya'llJ

Wednesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

9:30am:  Breakfast- Banana with peanut butter

Sorry for the...ummmm...EXTRA attractive pictureJ  I was HUNGRY by that pointJ

10:30-11:45am:  Power Yoga

Probably not the smartest move since I didn't feel 100%, but I just HATEEEEEEEEE missing this class!  At least all of my congestion and coughing held off till this was over. (causing me to miss my first Body Jam class of the year...BOOOOOO!)

1:00pm:  Lunch- Orange Smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 handful carrot chips
• 3-4 cubes frozen mango
• 1 pineapple blended yogurt 

This made about 2 full glasses OR enough for me & 2 small glasses for KatieJ 

3:00pm:  Snack- Toast with butter & flax

6:00pm:  Dinner- Double Dumpling Soup 

This is one of my absolute FAVORITE "deep winter" dinners.  It just sticks to the ribs in the times of BITTER cold, and this past week certainly qualified for THAT trophy.  

I used pre-made spinach gnocchi this time and the entire family slurped this up in a blink! 

8:00pm:  Dessert- 2 Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

And like I said, yesterday was a blur of cold meds and carbs, including breakfast... 

...'lunch'...

...and a clementine for snack.  I skipped the cheese this time since I wasn't too hungry at the time, which proved to be a DUMBBBBB mistake because by the time dinner rolled around, I was STARVINGGGGGGGGGG!

Thankfully, it was a SUPER easy one:  Martha Stewart's One pot spaghetti... 

Every time I saw this recipe I would always think "how hard is spaghetti to make ANYWAY???"  I mean, boil water/boil sauce...it's not exactly breakin barriers here.  But when I heard the 'one pot' creates a richer & easy sauce...well, OK, I'll try this out...

Everything in the pot, set to high and left to boil for about 9 minutes...(or more like 12 in my case.  Next time I'd decrease the water about 1/2-3/4 cup for al dente pasta) 

The worst part??  I can't even vouch for it because I couldn't really taste it! (thanks stuffy nose!)  But it DID serve the purpose for a QUICK, no mess dinner when I wasn't feeling well... 

I guess I can let Katie's plate do the talking for the 'taste factor'...J She INHALED this!

The 'other' problem with dinner is, like I mentioned, I was SOOOOOOOOOO hungry that once I started eating I think I realized I was even HUNGRIER.  So I had to break my 'no seconds' rule last night and totally housed nearly another entire plate (at least it was a salad-sized plate...baby stepsJ). I'll chalk that one up to no protein with my snack and not having salad on hand to help fill up on along with dinner.

Oh well, on a sick day, it's fine.  Just another VERY CLEAR reason why to NEVERRRRRR sit down to dinner starving! J

Hope you guys have lots of fun plans this weekend!  I think I'll have lots of fun things to show you on Monday.  There are so many recipes I'm so excited to try latelyJ  Can't argue with thatJ

Have a great weekend!