Do what ya gotta do...

Monday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:30am:  Breakfast- Celery with peanut butter

Not much motivation to eat celery every day...except for the decrease in the numbers on the scaleJ  Sometimes ya just gotta do what you gotta doJ

1:00pm:  Lunch-  Cherries & 2%

Never fear...this was my LAST 'full serving' of cherries from the bag I had in the fridge.  So until I make it to the grocery store again, this will probably be my last cherries & cheese lunch post for a bitJ

3:30pm:  Snack- Peach 

Which I got about 3 bites of its juicy deliciousness before Katie decided to commandeer it for herselfJ  Thanks KatieJ

5:00pm:  Dinner- Grilled Veggie salad

So I spent nearly the ENTIRE day trying to figure out what to make for dinner, not really in the mood for salad...but knew Mondays are always in NEED of saladJ  So instead of LETTUCE, I just focused on VEGGIES and went about making them delicious in the easiest way possible:  Havin em hit the GRILL!

Just slice, toss on the pan/grill and flip half way through.  Couldn't be easier! 

Once cooked, I gave everything a quick chop...(and a quick blurry photo)... 

• 2 zucchini
• 2 red peppers
• 1 diced white onion
• 3 ears of corn
• diced prosciutto
• diced cotija
• 3 diced scallions

Tossed on top of some lettuce with a quick dressing of olive oil, honey, dijon mustard & white balsamic and you had a pure summer salad made with fresh veggies & the inevitably delicious kiss of grill char!

And there MAY have been a few more cubes of cheese on that salad before I got its pictureJ  That damn cotija is just too poppable!

Katie even had her own 'mini salad' that she loved.  My proudest moment was seeing her slam an entire red pepper slice in her mouthJ  Didn't think she was gonna like those, but she at least tried it. 

6:30-9:15pm:  Yoga
Yep, you read that rightJ  I decided to go for a back-to-back Beginners power & gentle class on a Monday night.  Which OF COURSE I plan to do this on the night I get into class and learn the air conditioner was BROKEN!  Sooooo...I got a really good sweat in BOTH classesJ   I actually think even more so in the GENTLE class.  Sometimes the slower you move in yoga, the tougher it is...so never think you're not getting a great (physical AND mental) workout in ANY yoga class.  There's ALWAYS something to learn in yoga.

So from a pure summer dinner to deciding on what gooey, cheesy casserole-type dish I want to make today, which is a pure gloomy and POURING rain day here in Jersey.  All I want to do is bake SOMETHING FALL-Y!  And by "fall-y", I meant filled with SPICE and covered in orange & black sprinkles...heheheheheheheJ 

Have a good Tuesday!  

Where we're going & where we've been...

Wednesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

9:00am:  Breakfast- Banana Coconut Green Monster

I just figured I'd make a small glass since my new little smoothie swiper just LOVES to sample what I have...even with a whole highchair tray of Cheerios & bananaJ

Oh well, who would pass up the chance to see a baby in a spinach-green mustache, anyways?

And with that, I've managed to polish off a whole bag of spinach in 2 days.  Yeah...that surprised me tooJ

10:30am-12:00pm:  Power Yoga Class

1:00pm:  Lunch-Peanut Butter chocolate chip Larabar
I wanted EVERYTHING and NOTHING for lunch today.  Ya know that feelin?  So before I plowed through the cabinets trying to figure out what I wanted, with NOTHING hitting the spot, I just slammed down this Larabar and went and cleaned some dishes to take my mind off of food, period!

And it actually worked...despite my mid-afternoon Pinterest browsing seshJ

3:00pm:  Snack-9 Dark Chocolate Almonds

I probably should have had fruit for a snack...but my salt-tooth was flying off the radar.  And, ya know, who can complain about a chocolate fix too?

6:00pm:  Dinner- The return of GNUDI

Wohoooooo...who doesn't love a night where GNUDI is on the menu??

A quick mix of ricotta, eggs, parmesan, spinach & flour formed into dumpings... 

...a quick boil & kept warm in hot gravy.. 

So good!  Cheesy & decadent, but light, airy and not at all heavy...these are a cinch to throw together, but I think are even quicker to eatJ  I think I had dinner polished off in under 10 minutesJ

Oh yeah...and we had salad too, cause gals can't live on cheese alone.  But God, I wish we couldJ 

Katie was also a fan of her first samples of Gnudi...or was it her new 'child appropriate' forks?J 

Even if, after awhile, the fork was ditched to make way for a quicker way to shove in those dumpling bites.  No time for 'fork practice' when there's cheesy bites staring you in the face.  Can ya blame the kid?? 

Gnudi:  Approved by adults & 1 year olds alikeJ

And in other random thoughts, how bout some Weight Lose musings, shall we? (and who doesn't always need some of THAT?!)  So I've gone back and forth between being ELATED and soooooooooo frustrated trying to battle off these LAST. FEW. "KATIE." POUNDS!  I'm so close I can TASTE it and as of this morning, I'm only 3 pounds away.  Now I've been working out quite a bit (bumping up my cardio to an hour 2-3 days a week on top of my 2-3 days of power yoga a week) and FEEL good and fit, but I JUST want to see the DAMN NUMBER ON THE SCALE, ya know??   ...

Soooooooo...yesterday at yoga class I surprised myself by balancing a pose I didn't even think I would be able to get INto (a shaky little version of this number, in case you're wondering), so the teacher proceeded to start telling everyone else who was trying the move that "you might not be able to get it today, but in 3 months of working, you can get it."  Which got me thinking that a year ago I probably wouldn't have been able to balance that pose AND I was twenty pounds away from where I am today.  I had been SOOOOOOO focused on those last few pounds, that I hadn't even REALIZED that or to look back and see how far I've come.  What were you doing this time last year?  How has your life changed since then?  We really are so focused on where we're going, that we sometimes forget all we've accomplished to get where we are today.  So my advice for today:  Be proud of where you are NOW.  Maybe you're a LITTLE bit stronger, or even just THINKING about trying to get healthier.  ANY little positive change is better than where you were yesterday and setting you up to head in the right direction!

Don't even get me started on my loooooooong journey of my college degree in Film & Media Arts and where that may lead.  That's for another time & placeJ

OK...you've heard WAY more than you needed from me today!  Have a good Thursday!

They're confusing...

Tuesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

9:15am: Breakfast- THE RETURN of the mulitgrain waffle with flax & butterJ

12:00pm:  Lunch- Cake Batter Green Monster 

So I had made this popular Pinterest Cake Batter Protein shake over the holidays and absolutely LOVED it.  I made it again yesterday (swapping cottage cheese for ricotta & 1/2 teaspoon sugar for the splenda...even if I don't think any sweetner was even needed) but threw in a couple handfuls of spinach because I figured "why not?"

OK...I'm not gonna lie.  The first few sips I thought you COULD taste the spinach a bit.  Which was odd because I've never tasted it in ANY of the other green monsters, but this one DID have a slight twinge.  After a couple sips though, it tasted just like a frothy vanilla milkshake.  I would definitely make this again, but just a heads up that ya gotta give it just 2 or 3 sipsJ  hahahahahahaha

3:00pm:  Snack- Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds

And yes, in case you're wondering, I did indeed make a 'stock up trip' to Trader Joe's on Monday...so WELCOME BACK Multigrain waffles and chocolate almondsJ  

6:00pm:  Dinner- Chicken gyros & fennel salad

This dinner required about 10 minutes of prep work in order to let the marinade & tzatziki sauce let the flavors blend an hour before cooking, but once that was done, everything else came together in a jiff.

Into a pita went:  Marinated grilled chicken & tzatziki sauce

Topped with...YUM...feta cheese...

These were SOOOOOOOOO light & delicious!  Spiced chicken with tangy yogurt, crunchy cucumbers & salty feta.  Tons of flavors!  Soooo good!

 As I side, I whipped up a quick fennel salad.  I just tossed a halved fennel bulb in the food processor with the slice blade (or just use a mandolin or slice thin) and tossed with some olive oil, lemon juice & grated cheese...and I threw in a little arugula to add some green since I had it on hand.

I told Scott:  As roasted vegetables is to winter, so will be lemon juice/evoo/grated cheese salads will be to spring/summer.  I made this along with the marinade & tzatziki to give the fennel time to soften from the acid in the lemon juice and it worked like a charm.  The simple dressing just makes everything taste so light & fresh and the parm just give it that little extra flavor kick.  Prepare to see this version of a side dish A LOT in the next few months!

I also had to laugh when I looked up and saw Scott balancing the pita in one hand and shoveling fennel salad in with the other.  

I said "yet another 'what the hell happened to us?' moment."  His reply:  "Yeah, it used to be burgers & fries."  hahahahahhaa...

And in more funny news, the gyros were a big hit all around in the house.  Katie thought the chicken was good...but INHALEDDDDDDDDDDD the FENNEL. 

Yes, I said THE FENNEL.  Much like the lime & cilantro quinoa, sometimes it's the acquired tastes I would swear she wouldn't like that she ends up DEVOURS.  

Kids.  They're confusingJ

Alrighty, well that wraps it up for today.  My most exciting tidbit of today is that after a month-long wait, my name FINALLY came up on the "hold" list for the Pioneer Woman's first cookbook at the library.  I never really followed her incredible blog, but LOVEEEEEEE watching her show on the Food Network on Saturday mornings with KatieJ  So who knows if my dinner plans may get bummed in lieu of one of her simple, yet decadent dinner recipes.

Yeah, sorry.  That's as exciting as it's getting around here todayJ

Have a good WednesdayJ

9am...dinner's ready!

Thursday Recap:

8:30am:  Coffee with creamer

9:30:  Breakfast

So I thought another smoothie was in my future yesterday morning...until I got a little inspiration from my breakfast buddyJ

So Multigrain Cherrios were had!J hahahhahaaha 

Anddddd...around 10:45am I remembered why I don't have cereal that often.  I LOVE it, but it does NOT fill me up.  At all.  (and you REALLY have no clue how much I love LIFE cereal.)  Soooooo, lunch happened a bit on the early side...

11:15am:  Lunch- Apple with sunflower butter

1:30pm:  Snack #1- Obsession of the week!  "Healthy" cinnamon toast

4:00pm:  Snack #2- 80 calorie cheese stick

And I needed that second snack before I headed off to a NEW (to me!) exercise class at my gym:  BODY JAM!  Think disco lights, awesome music, some old school moves & one CRAZY AWESOME teacher to get the class goin...it was SOOOOOOOO FUN!  Talk about 'workout endorphins!'  I walked out DRENCHED in sweat with a huge smile on my face.  I already can't WAIT to go back next week!  Wohooooooooo!

6:15pm:  Dinner- Slow Cooker Leek & Cauliflower soup

And I came home from the gym with a dinner that had been completed & simmering since 9am!  Can't get better than that, right?

I just added 3 chopped (and scrubbed clean!) leeks & a head of roasted cauliflower to the slow cooker...

(you can either roast the cauliflower the night before if you're short on time in the morning...or just skip that step entirely and just toss in raw, chopped cauliflower.  Same diff.)

Then add in a container of chicken (or vegetable) broth and set on low for...well, as many hours as you need it to sitJ  (but I'd say at least 4) 

An hour or so before dinnertime, I hit the soup with the immersion blender & added a can of drained & rinsed white beans for an extra boost.

I only added a bit of salt, but the leeks made this soup VERY flavorful.  The cauliflower added a 'startchy' consistency and the white beans added nice texture AND protein.  And who could beat the prep time??J

We really liked it, but NOT AS MUCH AS KATIE!  She ate not one, but TWO little bowls!  She couldn't get enoughJ 

Girl really likes her cauliflower soupsJ

Anyway, I'm so excited because I have a little, SORTA "Irish-themed" dinner planned tonight to kick off the holiday weekend.  I'm not Irish at all, so we never really celebrated much when I was younger.  But now that there's a possibility that Katie may be 1 gazillionth Irish, I figured now I have an EXTRA reason to celebrateJ  hahahahaha...I just love holidaysJ  Any and all of them!J

Have a great Friday, everyone!

First the skinny, then the...

Hey everyone!  I was just about to type "Good morning" when I realized 3:00pm has managed to creep up on me in a heartbeatJ  I've been too busy enjoy the GORGEOUS sunshine around these parts today.  Yesterday was a class-A 'stay in bed all day/if only in my dreams' rainy day, so today I have all of the shades up to let all the nice light pour in!

Tired of hearing about the weather??

ANYWAYYYYY...

Tuesday Recap:

6:45-7:15am:  Dance/weights x 2/jogging mix

9:30am:  Coffee with creamer

I'm showin you the coffee because, much like the time flying by me today, yesterday the coffee managed to hold me over until I realized I hadn't had breakfast until 11:30!  (this is SUCH a rarity, that I can't even believe I'm typing itJ) Sooooooo....

11:30am:  BRUNCH- Strawberry smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 0% Strawberry Chobani
• Frozen strawberries
• Frozen pineapple

1:30pm:  Snack #1- "Healthy cinnamon toast" 

Why healthy, you ask?  Because I swapped the usual butter for 2 teaspoons of COCONUT OIL!  It gave the same glossy, decadence of butter, but with the taste of sweet coconut and a slew of health benefits.  Sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar...well, it was so good I'm about to pop off the couch to make myself another slice.  Hmmmmm....J

 3:00pm:  Snack #2- 5 Dark chocolate covered almonds

7:00pm:  Dinner at The Cheesecake Factory...starting with a shared round of avocado eggrolls 

For my entree, I tried a new item (for me!) off the Skinnylicious menu (items under 590 calories).  Tuscan chicken, which was seasoned & grilled chicken smothered with marinated tomatoes & served with a few sprigs of broccoli rabe & a little chewy farro. 

It was a litttttle on the bland side, but it certainly FILLED ME UP!  I was REALLY hungry by the time we sat down & foolishly didn't have a small snack before I left the house.  But thankfully all the protein from the chicken did the trick.  And that's a pretty big serving for "skinnylicious," right??

Even Katie enjoyed the leftovers this afternoonJ  Hahahahahahhaha....

And OF COURSE, we try to 'behave' with the Skinny menu so we can INDULGE in the good stuff for dessert!  This time up:  Pineapple upside down cheesecake... 

Cheesecake sandwiched between 2 layers of pineapple studded sweet cake.  Can you ever go wrong??

Alright...I'm off to go watch the introduction of the NEW POPE!  I watch all the pageantry and all I can think?  "Dear God, I can't even IMAGINE how CROWDED Vatican city is!"  It was pretty darn crowded on a normal Tuesday when we went!  Glad to be watching FROM MY COUCHJ

Have a great rest of the dayJ