A Coffee Kind Of Day

Some days it seems like I am in a coffee drinking contest. Today is one of those days.

Cup 1:

Cup 2:

Cup 3:

Large DD coffee with light cream and light sugar~ 4 points plus.

We could go on like this all day….

I will blame it on the weather. When it is cold and rainy outside some people eat soup. I drink coffee. Is it  time to switch to water when your pee smells like coffee? I am just throwing that out there. It might be too much.

I have actually eaten today.  A rather tasty breakfast I might add. It was a warm and cozy meal to start off a rainy day.
One egg ~ 2 points plus, 3 sausage links ( there could have been one eaten in the making of this photo)~3 points plus, English muffin~ 3 points plus, and an apple. 

Total Points: 8 points plus

I dressed in my running gear today hoping if the weather broke this morning I could quickly squeeze in my run. Do you ever go ahead and get dressed to work out hoping you can fit it in? I have to say wearing capris all day is dazzlingly comfortable if not fashion forward.

Now that ZB is home from preschool my outdoor running window has closed. Looks like I have a date with the treadmill this evening. I don’t really like running on treadmills.  I know they are a godsend for some people but they make me hurt. I think the side to side movement of the belt aggravates my knees and hips.  A girl has do what a girl has to do sometimes.

I had my usual salad for lunch~6 points plus and I have officially switched to water for the remainder of the day.

The rain has inspired me to use some lentils I have had in the pantry for sometime.

I threw them in the slow cooker with some seasonings, other veggies, and  diced ham. The entire meal will be less than $5 and by the looks of the slow cooker we will be eating on this for days.

My house is smelling great and I am ready to tackle a to do list that has gotten out of control.

I hope this rain clears out soon. I have my first race of the year this Saturday and I am not really pumped about running in the rain.

Do you have a go to food when it is raining? What makes you feel cozy on days like today?

What’s On My Plate?

Guess who forgot to take a picture at dinner tonight?
I just can’t seem to get the hang of Wednesday Night Suppers and taking pictures.

I love getting to be in community with our church family but it is a high stress meal and I easily get out of my routine. I did have several ladies who I go to Weight Watchers with ask what I was eating. I love the accountability! I made really good choices with lots of veggies.

Now if I could just get them to follow me home and keep me accountable when it is just me and my shaky self-discipline to make it through the evening.

I did 2 miles after dinner while the girls were in choir.

One hour till bedtime…

What keeps you accountable?

Where’s My Nutella?

Today is National Pancake Day or National line up and wait forever for a free pancake at IHOP day. Either way I can get behind a good pancake.

Guess what was for dinner tonight?

Tonight I used a new pancake mix: Bob’s Red Mill Buttermilk Whole Grain Pancake Mix. (Tell me that graphic artist didn’t earn their money trying to get that name on such a small bag). I like making pancakes from scratch but my go to recipe must have at least10 lbs of butter–I really need to find a lighter recipe.

I used an old trick I learned from Allan Todd. He was my youth pastor and dear friend. He always used Sprite to make pancakes on retreats which makes for super fluffy pancakes and very little clean up. Mix + Sprite= Pancake Goodness. I didn’t want the sugar from a Sprite so I added seltzer water instead. All the bubbles, none of the sugar. Maybe it was the weight of the whole grain mix or my seltzer trick didn’t work because these were not the light and fluffy pancakes I was hoping for. They were tasty if rather flat. I added Al Fresco Chicken Breakfast Sausage and fresh fruit on the side.

Pancakes as prepared~3 points a piece. Sausage~1 point per link and fruit~0 points plus.

Sorry for the blurry photo. I might have deleted the two clear shots I had as I attempted to download them. What? delete and download both start with D and it is after 8 p.m.

I wish I could say no one was injured in the making of this meal. Me+wet hands+sharp knife= a band-aid. I had to call in Kevin to help me finish prepping the fruit salad. I wanted to be all Iron Chef and throw a glove on over my bloody hand and keep chopping heroically but, then I remembered Alton Brown was not commentating my meal so I could just stop and go ask for help. In my defense I was hurrying because Kevin had to be back at the church in just a few minutes for a visitation for one of our church members who passed away. Pastors should never be late for anything that has to do with weddings or funerals. I am pretty sure that is in the Bible somewhere.

Kevin was on time. My finger is nicely bandaged. All is well except I somehow missed the fact that today was also World Nutella Day. Really, that would have been good to know three hours ago. Warm pancakes and Nutella….yummy.

This is going on my calendar for next year.

Right now.

When CB was 4 years old she would always say as she learned something new..”Do you know this, Mama?”

No, Mama did not know this? Really, how did I not know this? Nutella, I won’t forget you again.

What is your favorite kind of pancakes? I like fall flavored ones like pumpkin or spice.

Out to Lunch

Today I had a quick but fun lunch outing with ZB and Kevin. We let our three-year-old pick the place. She picks based on the kind of book or bag her food comes with.

Subway won with their Phineas and Ferb bags. I have to be honest Subway is not my favorite place. (Especially after my ordering debacle last week).  Apparently I eat here a good bit for someone who doesn’t really like the food. When you live in a small southern town and are trying to make better food choices your options are LIMITED!

Chopped salad with tuna salad (no cheese or salad dressings)~8 points. I read in the March Runner’s World Magazine an article, Fast Fish,  about getting more fish into your diet and it stressed that canned/pouch fish is just as beneficial as fresh. ( I have to confess I have read this magazine cover to cover at least twice but I am behind in my Daily Bible Reading plan–may need to shift my priorities a bit)

This cute face made the blah meal so much better.

She might have figured out how to take self portraits with my phone. I mean really, how great is that face.

To top off the meal I grabbed a cookie when I got home.

 

Sugar cookie~2 points plus.

I was planning on making fish tonight for dinner but I may have hit my seafood quota for the day and the other meal I have prepped is a slow cooker meal. Meal plan fail.

No worries.

Do you have a restaurant or a type of food you eat often but you don’t really enjoy?

 

 

Track It Tuesday

I recently started back to Weight Watchers. (You can read about that journey here). I decided that I would start a feature called Track it Tuesdays to hold myself accountable and share my journey with you. I picked Tuesday only because this is the day of my weekly meeting so it works for me.

This week’s  stats…

Weigh-in: -0 lbs.

Total lost: 5.4

Pounds til goal weight: 38.6

The Big Nada! No gain or loss. I will gladly take it! I was less than diligent with my tracking and healthy eating this week. I feel a bit like the scale let me off the hook.

When I am not sure our 8-year-old, CB, is trying her best I will ask her, “did you do your best work?”

For example, I will tell CB to make up her bed and when I go to check on her I often see a made up although very disheveled bed.

She sees me and says, ” I made up my bed.”

I answer, “Yes, but did you do your best work?”

If someone asked me, “did you do your best work?” about my efforts this week. I would have to say “No, I did not.” Half effort gets 0’s on the scale. I can do better.

It is time to take my own advice… It is time for me to do my best work.

Morning Run:

Two miles= done.

I have had two people this week tell me I look like I am loosing weight. After I got over the urge to kiss them I stored those compliments away to pull out later and dwell on them when I needed them. I am loosing my weight very slowly and people usually don’t really notice.  Even more motivation to do my best work.

Breakfast:

Tip: I make sure I measure my peanut butter because it can add up in a hurry– this is one thing I don’t eyeball. (There is a big difference between a TB and a heaping TB-like 2 points difference) I spray a tablespoon with cooking spray so it is easy to get the PB out once I have measured it. (aka I want every drop of that TB)Two Van’s Light waffles and 1TB of Nutrition Energy Mix PB~7  points plus. 

I stacked the waffles together into a Peanut Butter Waffle Sandwich. The Planter Nutrition Energy Mix PB was good. I bought the banana and granola mix. It tasted like I was eating a PB and banana sandwich. I don’t think it will become by go to nut butter but it is nice to have a little different taste from time to time.

This is me and my circus at my Tuesday morning meeting. I had my breakfast, my post run water, my coffee, and my Weight Watcher’s kit. If my meeting wasn’t so full I would use two chairs!

My one small thing….

I have been slacking on my DVD workouts. I think for a few reasons…

1. I don’t really like Jillian. She kinda drives me crazy. Some people are really motivated by her. I am not.
2. My hip hurts a good bit even when I am not running. I need to go get it checked out but frankly I am scared to go to the orthopedist  Every time I see one I leave needing surgery (I have had 7 knee surgeries). I know they will say you are crazy for running…really, I think running is the only thing that is keeping my slightly sane.
3. Finding some private time to use the TV. When I do my DVD in front of my girls they point out that I don’t look like the girls on the video, that my legs aren’t high enough, that the people on TV haven’t stopped, and that weights aren’t as big. Tough crowd. I don’t think my marriage can handle Kevin watching me try to follow along to a workout DVD. There are things that you just can’t unsee.

So, my goal is to finish a full cycle of 30 day Shred and then find something else. Maybe a yoga DVD ( I can only imagine my kiddos commentary on  watching me do that one) or something less pounding for my joints.

How did you do this week? Success or struggles you would like to share? What is your one small thing you are going to focus on?

Turkey Makes You Sleepy, Right?

What can Monday bring that can top blackouts and Beyoncé?

Frankly, I’ve got nothing.

Before I go further let’s do breakfast:

 

Poached egg, fresh berries, 3 Jones Farm Light Sausage, and 2 pieces of Nature’s Own bread~7 points plus.

While we’re talking food, let’s do lunch:

Salad with mixed greens, beets, carrots, mushrooms, chickpeas, cranberries, sunflower seeds, avocado, pasta salad, and 1TB ranch dressings~10 points plus.

 

Check mix~4 points plus. (Do you pick through the bag to make sure you ‘handful’ has the crispy bagel bites? I do.)

The day started off with a beautiful sunrise that dissipated into a gray day. How does that happen? I admit that if it was up to me I never would have seen the sunrise this morning but alas, there are buses to catch and jobs to get to. The five-year old version of myself wants to yell–That’s not fair! I want to stay in bed!

I am one sleepy girl. My head-fog matches the gray clouds outside. My sleep patterns are shot. I haven’t been sleeping well for over a week now. Sleep does matter. I can tell when I haven’t been sleeping well. Besides being tired I get irritable, munchy, and achy. It is not fun nor helpful for weight loss. I make horrible food choices when I am sleep deprived. I feel like I should treat myself for just rallying through the day. I have also read that lack of sleep makes you crave sweets or starchy carbs.  I would say I have found that to be true.

I think my insomnia has been part of my life for so long that I just write it off as “that’s just the way I am” and I haven’t put any effort in trying to get into a more normal pattern. I am going to take some real steps to try to get a good night’s sleep more nights than not.

Step 1: go to bed by 10:00 pm. Lights out.  It takes several weeks to make a habit….

Dinner: The secret ingredient is….

I added a heaping 1/4 of rolled oats to my ground turkey to make the burgers juicy. You use it like breadcrumbs. The rolled oats just have a greater nutritional punch.

Mexican inspired Turkey Sliders: Mix 1 lb of ground turkey, 1/2 rolled oats, garlic, dried cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste~4 points plus per patty (the bun was an added 3 points plus)

I served them with roasted sweet potato ‘fries’ on the side. Two sweet potatoes sliced into fries and mixed with olive oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes~3 points plus per serving.

 

Homemade guacamole:~3 points plus  per serving.

2 Hass avocados

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 tomato, diced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 garlic powder

juice of one lime

I made things easy and used my mini food processor. I added the onion and pulsed them till they were the right consistency  Next, add avocado, spices, and lime juice. Mix until the texture you like. Remove from processor and stir in tomatoes.

I have to say every time we make this at home I vary the recipe depending what we have on hand.

 

Now if I can just keep away from the cookies the girls made last night until bedtime….those cookies do have a siren song.

Do you have any tips for hitting the hay and getting a good night’s sleep?

 

 

 

 

Oh, A Shopping I Will Go

Today has turned out to be a grocery shopping extravaganza. First, I had to gather up my shopping list and the coupons. This took awhile this week because it was a big week for deals–which is a good thing–it just takes more work to get prepped.

I got a later start than I wanted by the time I got home from Preschool and got ZB settled. It was after 2:00pm and I hadn’t had lunch. I grabbed a spicy tuna roll at Kroger.

The brown rice had an almost crunchy texture that I liked. ~9 points plus
The effort was worth it because I saved a ton and bought healthy food I can be proud to serve my family.

$75 for an hour of work…nice.
I came back home and unloaded my haul and started the process all over again this time prepping for Publix. I usually make a Publix run once or twice a month since it takes me 30+ minutes to get there. This week’s deals made it worth while for me to make the trip.
Kevin took the girls out for a big Friday Night Date that involved the library and Moe’s which is pretty much their dream evening.
Although I do take the girls with me from time to time when I go grocery shopping it is so much easier when I get to go by myself.

I am a grocery shopping rock star…

Saved $146 dollars today and the groceries are put away. Time to hit the hay.
Live well,
Becca

Sweet! It’s Friday.

It is Friday!

I feel like I could do a little Friday dance or something. It is strange that this week has seemed so long even though I have been home with a sick ZB two out of the five days.  Maybe just being on a different routine is what has thrown me off.

Breakfast:

Two Van Lite waffles~ 4 points with one TB of maple syrup~ 1 points plus and a poached egg~2 points plus.

Total Points Plus for the Meal: 7

Maybe I should raise chickens with how many eggs I eat. It would have to be cost-effective with how many eggs I eat. At our previous church we had a sweet family that raised chickens along with a beautiful garden. The proud ‘farmer’ would bring a dozen eggs by every so often to the church office for Kevin to bring home. Man, those were the best eggs. Sorry Kroger your eggs have nothing on farm fresh.

It is officially hear month.  Let’s just skip over Groundhog’s Day and get to the good stuff. Valentines Day come with baked goods and chocolate. Who has ever gotten a Groundhog chocolate box? Sorry groundhog. It is cold. Your big day is lame. Let’s just move on. I am going to have to figure out a way to manage all the sweets that are about to enter my world in the next few weeks. First, Girl Scout Cookies come in next week then Valentine’s Day. Good thing President’s Day doesn’t come with any sugary traditions. We may just our cherries fresh this year in honor of old Washington in stead in a pie form.

It is well past lunch and I haven’t had a chance to fix anything to eat. I grabbed 14 almonds to hold me over…~3 points plus.

Time to get my shopping lists and coupons together. Looks like my fun Friday is going to be spent at the grocery store.

Live Well,

Becca

 

100 Thing Challenge

I want to share out my 100 Thing Challenge but first let’s catch up on my meals.

Yesterday’s Lunch and Dinner:

Leftover Slow Cooker Pork Pernil on bed of spinach and my new favorite drink!~7 points plus.

I was home all day with a sick kiddo. We didn’t even make it out for Wednesday Night Supper at church. Thankfully, after the bad storms and pouring rain I was happy to leave ZB in her pj’s and go grab a takeout box from church for dinner.

Taco Dinner~13 point plus.

Today’s Late Breakfast

ZB is still feeling under the weather so the two of us snuggled up on the sofa and went back to sleep this morning. I like taking full advantage of her extra naps for my own sleep needs!

By the time I ate it felt more like lunch so I made a chicken salad English muffin.

I added some flax-seed to the top of my chicken salad for a little extra punch of nutrition.~7 points plus total.

Whew, that was a lot of ground to cover. Sick kid or no it is much easier to post those meals in smaller batches.

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My Hundred Thing Challenge:

For the last couple of years I have been struggling with our family’s, and mine specifically, growing amount of stuff.  If you live a lifestyle where you know moves are inevitable (click here to find out why) I think you become more aware of what you have and what it will take to move it all again one day. My faith also tells me we are to do a better job as caretakers of God’s creation and like so many other Christians I was/am not doing enough.

I want…

• to have less but to be fulfilled.
• to make less but do things well.
• to waste less and reuse more.
• to do less but be more.
• to weigh less and have a lighter life.

Sometimes I get discouraged within the Christian community of the blind acceptance of a consumer way of life. There are voices who say otherwise but they are drowned out.

I was, and still am to some degree, a top-notch consumer. I wanted more stuff. I wanted my home to look just so. I wanted books on every shelf so people would be dazzled by our intellect.  I wanted new clothes that made me feel pretty. I wanted the kids to have the best toys. I wanted…

However, all this stuff was not making me happy. I finally figured out it was bringing so much stress into my life by trying to keep things cleaned, organized, and uncluttered. I wanted to buy more stuff to manage the stuff I already had. Sad.

So I have been on a journey to lighten our load. I have been donating like a mad woman for about two years as I tried to really look at why I have the things I do.

One blogger I often read, Be More With Less, presents projects to simply your life. The first one I started playing with is her Project 333 challenge but my focus for 2013 will be The Reverse 100 Thing Challenge. I have adapted the challenge to my goals. I plan to give away 100 items a month for the duration of 2013. Yep, that is 1,200 items by the end of the year.

On January 31, 2013 I have already donated my 100 items for this month and I have a box where I am gathering items for next months total.

The whole family is on board. I will be sharing more of this challenge as we go through the year.

http://dineanddish.net

Live Well,

Becca

What is the first item that comes to mind that you could give away right now? Are you ready to do it?

Sick Day

ZB and I are home from school today because she has a fever. Poor little thing. It is a dreary day with storms on the way so we are hunkering down and getting comfy.

Breakfast:

Comfort food was on the menu for breakfast today.

Van’s waffles~4 points plus. Jones Farm Light sausages~3 points. Berries~0 points plus. Maple syrup~1 points plus.

Total Points: 8 points plus.

The to do list and chore can wait. I have a three-year old that needs some snuggles. I see a lot of Disney Jr in my future today.

Live Well,

Becca