No better way to start the day than with brownies!  Don’t worry, it wasn’t THAT kind of day!   It’s all good with these…

I saw this recipe on one of my new favorite sites, The Gracious Pantry and I could not wait to try them out!  I made a few minor changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand;  using extra light olive oil instead of canola, 1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce instead of 2 ripe bananas and 3 tbsp. sucanat instead of agave.  They were FABULOUS!  The daughters loved them, too!  I added a small handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter for their waffles and topped them with a dusting of powdered sugar and drizzle of maple syrup.  What a treat!

But, mine were just as amazing with drizzle of PB2…

Seriously, I am in love.  Love, love, love.  Glad the recipe makes 14 waffles because these babies are gonna go fast!

After my lovely breakfast, I kicked my butt to the basement for a 40 minute ride on the stationary bike.  I’m having a rough time getting motivated for these home workouts anymore.  So weird because I had originally begun this whole healthy living journey with home workouts .  It wasn’t until this past September that I started at the gym but, I kind of got used to that routine and miss it.  I just gotta hang in there another week and I should be able to get back to it.

Lunch time rolled around a little later than normal.  I was surprised at how long those waffles held me over!  I decided to continue the food love with my new favorite…

FALAFEL!!!  Same as the other day – with plain yogurt and roasted peppers.  Paired with a simple tomato, cucumber and basil salad…

Headed to my parents house in the late afternoon for a visit and a snack…

Can’t get enough of those Jersey peaches!

We stayed for a delicious dinner prepared by Mom.  I started with a small bowl of rigatoni – a miracle because I can put DOWN some pasta …

Then had roasted chicken with chimichurri sauce and my Grilled Eggplant and Bread Salad…

The salad was a take on Panzanella Salad which is a tomato and bread salad.  In the mix…

• 1 large eggplant, (slice, grill, dice)
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
• 2 handfuls fresh basil, shredded
• 2 Ezekiel hot dog buns (split and grilled)
• 1 1/2 oz. crumbled lite feta cheese
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• s + p to taste
• 2 tbsp. evoo and 2 tsp. good balsamic vinegar

Note:  Add the bread to the dish right before serving to prevent it from becoming soggy.

A meal in itself! …

Missed my press tonight, but there’s always tomorrow.  There’s also a RUN scheduled tomorrow!  Can’t wait!

Have a great day, everyone! 

Poll:  Pancakes or Waffles?

I’m starting to like this sleeping -in business.

And I’m liking oatmeal!  I’m actually starting to crave it!  I guess all these years of reading Kath’s blog has finally rubbed off on me!  Today’s mix…

• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup plain soymilk
• dash salt
• 1/2 banana
• 2 tsp. powdered egg whites
• 2 tbsp. PB2
• 1/2 of Gone Nutty Frozen Banana , sliced

Not so pretty, but definitely tasty and filling!

The daughters had friends over, so most of my day was spent indoors cleaning or tending to the kids.  I caught a little TV in the interim and became mesmerized by The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo!  Ever watch that?  She is an amazing stylist with an unbelievable eye for fashion.  I came upon the realization after watching the show that I have no fashion sense whatsoever!  I think I used to at one time, but that was back in the 80’s and well, fashion wasn’t at it’s finest in those days!  I used to be obsessed with clothes and would try to never wear the same outfit twice!  Now, I’m lucky if I get out of my sweats… or Mom Jeans…

I digress.  Back to food…

Lunch was another “unsightly but good” meal …

A Cuban Black Bean Patty Melt with Laughing Cow and guacamole!

Such a creamy combination.  And cherries are just spectacular right now!

Afternoon hit and I was needing a snack.  Craving more fruit, I made a Peach Split!  A play on a banana split – a white peach topped with plain nonfat Chobani, blueberries and sliced almonds…

I heart peaches

I morphed some leftovers into dinner tonight.  Pile ‘o green…

*(edited to add)  Forgot to tell you what was in that mix!

• 1/2 block diced pan-fried Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu
• baby bok choy
• leftover Summer Squash Salad

The husband got scared when he saw it and the daughters feigned illness so as not to have to eat it. 

It was all for me, though, I just like to torture them   Of course, I had back up – breakfast for dinner.  Sighs of relief were heard around the world.

And a new nightly ritual is beginning…decaf because I’m liking sleeping…

I’m off to jump on the trampoline!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

What was your biggest fashion “don’t” from the past?  Mine was ginormous shoulder pads!  I always tried to make my shoulders look bigger to balance out my hips, but I just ended up looking like a linebacker most times!  Aaaahhhh, the 80’s…

I came across this saying today…

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~Sam Keen

I feel better now.

I slept in.  No working out.  And finally got around to making breakfast around 10 a.m.  But, it’s deep summer so this is respectable.  Thank you, Sam.

Breakfast was an egg white omelet with leftover spinach and lite cream cheese…

Cream cheese is so good in an omelet…

After breakfast, I got into gear and went to the supermarket for a few needed items.  I came across a new find – premade falafel from Falafel Republic…

I LOVE FALAFEL!!!

I may or may not have screamed this aloud in the store.

I sped home to make my falafel lunch.  I forgot 14 other things I needed because all I cared about was falafel at this point. 

I heated them up in the toaster oven and added them to a La Tortilla Factory Tortilla with roasted red pepper and plain nonfat greek yogurt…

All rolled up with a side of cherries…

I thought these were GREAT!  I LOVE FALAFEL!!  Okay, I’ll stop screaming now.  At least I’m home.

The falafel was so filling, I didn’t need much of a snack in the afternoon.  I decided a peach would hold me over until dinner…

I tried a new side dish for dinner – Broccoli Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing from Eating Well’s site.  I’ve been meaning to try this, but you know what my “recipes to try” stash looks like!  Unfortunately, I didn’t like this.  It was too tangy for my taste.  I felt it needed some sweetness to contrast the bite.  I doctored it up with dried cherries, sliced almonds and a bit of honey…

It created a better balance of flavors, however, I probably wouldn’t make this again. 

The rest of dinner was fine – sliced pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze and Israeli couscous…

After digesting, I decided to kick some butt – old school…

I cannot even explain how horrible I am at this.  Right….left….kick…punch…upper cut…trip….fall over…roll around…twist your ankle….

Yeah, bad.

I sweat.  I tripped.  I made it to the end.  Sort of.  Forty-five minutes of that kind of hysteria calls for some press…

Aaaah, I feel better now.

Have a great day, everyone!

What was your favorite “old school” exercise video?  Mine was a Jane Fonda (yes, I am ancient).  I remember grapevining my heart out!

Did everyone have a hot and steamy weekend??   The heat just won’t stop around here!  Good thing there is iced press to keep things cool…

But then, I went and messed it up with a hot bowl of oatmeal!  I was really in the mood for it, though, and I’ve been trying to go along with what my body wants.  This morning it wanted Blueberry Coconut Oats…

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup plain soymilk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 ripe banana
• pinch salt
• dash vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened reduced-fat coconut

I’m becoming an oatmeal convert! 

I didn’t leave the house much today.  It was too hot to do anything outside so I found ways to get some activity indoors, at least.  I rode the stationary bike for 40 fast minutes, ran up and down the stairs a million times and had a Wii Bowl-a-thon with the family in the afternoon.  I always forget how much fun the Wii is and it keeps you moving!  I still stink at the bowling – I always throw my ball at the crowd by accident!

Lunch was fun, too!  I made a Taco Dog  using an Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dog, sharp cheddar cheese, guacamole and salsa, all set in an Ezekiel Hot Dog Bun…

with a side of sweet cantaloupe…

The rains came in the late afternoon to cool things down a bit.  I fought off the “in the house all day munchies” with an apple and string cheese…

And a handful of Triscuits, but I kept myself from diving in the box.  Baby steps.

The skies cleared just in time to fire up the grill for dinner.  I grilled a zucchini and yellow squash that was rolling around the crisper drawer and put together a Summer Squash Salad…

• 1 zucchini, grilled and diced
• 1 yellow squash, grilled and diced
• 1/3 cup frozen organic sweet peas, thawed (just run under warm water for a few minutes)
• 1 cup diced part-skim mozzarella
• red onion slices
• chopped fresh basil
• s + p
• small garlic clove, finely minced
• evoo + splash of good balsamic vinegar

I let this sit at room temperature so the flavors could meld while I made pasta for the family.  It was hard not to pick at it;  I could have eaten the whole bowl!

I paired it with my new “no cook” chicken from Trader Joe’s – Grilled Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Chicken…

Like vampires, we headed out into the evening …

for a family walk around the local trail.  I took my New Balance Rock & Tone shoes for another spin…

A short spin – just 3/4 mile then, it was back to the house for a SKIP-BO throwdown.  Guess who won?  Hint :  not me.  I’m a Loser, remember

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite card game?

Home decorating is hard work!    Besides the labor, it’s so tough to make choices!  I have the most difficult time with paint color. 

I sipped on some press to help me decide…

Still iffy.  Maybe breakfast will help…

Nothing like a good yogurt bowl to get the brain going.  In the mix was 1 cup nonfat Chobani greek yogurt, 3 drops NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia, 1 diced peach, 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 tbsp. sliced almonds.  I am in love with peaches right now!  They are so sweet and I think the golden color won me over…

It’s decided

The husband got to work and painted out the dining room.  It took him a few hours and he did such an amazing job!  We cleaned up and put our new area rug in…

Now all we need are window treatments (ugh, another tough decision), a new chandelier and a few doo-hickeys for the wall.  Good times!

During the makeover, easy eats were a necessity.  When we broke for lunch, I wanted something quick.  I rummaged through the leftovers in the fridge and came up with a Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla…

I layered a La Tortilla Factory tortilla with leftover grilled buffalo chicken, Laughing Cow Queso Fresco Chipotle and baby spinach, then pan-fried until golden.  Served with a side of carrots…

I ran around all afternoon searching for draperies.  I may have a winner!  We’ll see tomorrow when the husband puts them up!

I was so thankful to come home to my air-conditioned home.  It was hot as Hades today.  The temperatures reached into the high 90’s with the heat index making it feel like 101 degrees.  And it sure did!

It was way too hot for cooking, so I fixed up a big salad for dinner.  Trader Joe’s helped me out with this addition to the salad…

It was surprisingly delicious!  Couldn’t have made it better myself.  It’s pricey for 2 pieces of chicken, but sometimes the price is worth the convenience.  And it saved me some sweatin’.

• romaine lettuce
• garden cukes
• garden tomatoes
• artichoke hearts
• roasted red peppers
• red onion
• mozzarella cheese cubes
• Trader Joe’s  Grilled Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Chicken
• evoo + vinegar

YUM!

I ended the hot night with a cool treat – Gone Nutty Frozen Banana with a teensy drizzle of honey…

Sahweet!

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you still do outdoor activities when it is really hot?  It’s been so hot and humid we are like shut-ins around here!  Boo!

No more lazin’ around!  I woke up this morning and decided to go for a run.  As I started getting dressed, I was thinking it was the worst idea ever and really wanted to go back to bed! 

I got out there despite my second thoughts.  It was hot and I was slow, but got ‘er done…

I finished at 3.1 miles doing 3:1 intervals.  Felt good!

Came home to some icy press…

and a hot bowl of oats…

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup plain soymilk
• 1/3 cup water
• dash salt
• 1/2 banana
• splash vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. PB2
• 1 tbsp. peanuts

Totally into peanuts/peanut butter lately

After breakfast, I got to work scraping off wallpaper in my dining room.  Suckiest job on the planet!  I’m moving away from this traditional look…

and away from this stinkin’ rug…

I have disliked that rug for so long.  It has fringe on the ends and looks all straggly and ratty!

Lunch provided me with a little scraping break.  I heated up an Italian Turkey Burger from the freezer, topped it with fontina cheese, served with a side of sauteed spinach and Triscuits…

Scrape, scrape, scrape.  Cry.

Late afternoon, I took another break to make up a snack.  I was daydreaming about Ricotta Stuffed Peaches again…

So delicious!

Back to worrrrrrk.

After 6 hours, it’s finally off…

Now to pick a paint color!  I’m thinking gold…

I was in the mood for a big salad for dinner.  Using some leftovers, I put together a Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad …

• romaine lettuce
• tomato
• 1/4 avocado
• slice of center cut bacon, crumbled
• 1 cup leftover Grilled Buffalo Chicken
• hard boiled egg

I topped the salad with Blue Cheese Dressing made using 2 Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Wedges and a few tbsp. nonfat milk whirred in the mini food processor.

Love colorful food!  Speaking of color…

Off to stare at paint samples

Have a great day, everyone!

What was the last room you redecorated?

This whole “letting the gym membership expire” isn’t working out so well.  Now that I don’t have a place to be, I only want to be laying on the sofa! 

I know my schedule just has to get back in gear.  I’ve been allowing myself to sleep a little later instead of getting up and going.  I have learned from experience that if I don’t work out in the morning, I find every excuse in the Universe to ditch it.  Today was another one of those days, but I knew that I was going to see some pool action later at least!

Funny thing though… I never ditch breakfast…

Back to the usual – mangled up egg whites on an Ezekiel english muffin.  This time with lite cream cheese.  Yum!

Never. ever. ditch…

I spent HOURS screaming gently nudging the daughters to get ready for the pool.  We were meeting Mom and Gram at my parents’ neighborhood clubhouse and pool for lunch and splashing.

I packed up our lunches which we ate poolside.  I brought a turkey, spinach and dijon mustard on Ezekiel bread…

and a fabulous side – fresh organic peach topped with nonfat ricotta cheese, drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of sliced almonds…

Epic…

We splishy splashed in the pool for a couple of hours, then headed home for a shower and snack…

Step away from the almonds!  I was really munchie and could have done some serious damage on those babies.

Decided to do some grilling tonight – grilled Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce again!  On the side, some carrots and farm fresh corn with Honey Lime Butter…

Yes, buttah!!!  Hey, corn just ain’t the same without it

For the Honey Lime Butter, I mixed together…

• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. honey
• zest of half lime
• s +p to taste

It was a nice complement to the sweet corn and spicy chicken.

I ended the night with a nutty dessert – Gone Nutty Frozen Bananas!  I adapted this recipe from Get The Sugar Out which originally called for the use of almond butter, almond milk and ground almonds.  I substituted with the peanut theme instead!

• 1/4 cup nonfat milk
• 3 tbsp. natural peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped fine

Blend milk, peanut butter and vanilla in a small food processor or blender until smooth and creamy…

Peel bananas and cut them in half crosswise…

Roll banana pieces in the creamy coating (kind of messy but fun!)…

Then roll in chopped peanuts…

Place in freezer until set.  Allow to thaw a few minutes before chowing down…

Would be amazing drizzled with honey or chocolate!  You’re welcome

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite nut?  Mine are cashews!!!

I had an enlightening conversation with my SIL the other day.  We were talking about weight loss (of course) and eating habits.  She reads my blog periodically and remarked at how healthy my food choices are.  I told her that overall, yes, I choose healthy foods, however, I am still struggling with emotional/compulsive eating and those “fall off the wagon” moments that are keeping me from achieving my weight loss goal. 

I shared with her that I often feel like even though I have lost over 60 pounds and have basically maintained that loss for a year, I still don’t feel “successful” because I haven’t reached my goal weight.  She disagreed and told me that I am a success because I have “crossed over.”  This made me laugh as I had visions of  a blinding light, choir of angels and a voice whispering “step into the light!!!”

She explained that compared to the way I used to eat, the foods I used to choose, the inactive life I used to live;  I have crossed over into the “no going back zone.”  She asked me if I could imagine eating the way I used to and going back to that life.  Without hesitation, my answer was no.  I have “tried on” that feeling of “back then” when I have fallen off the wagon or made unhealthy food choices and I know that I cannot stay in that place very long.  I’m uncomfortable there.  Living that daily is a distant memory.

I have changed.   I even took a look back to the food choices from beginning days of the blog…

I realize my food choices have changed, too. (Thankfully, my pictures have gotten a little better also!)  I no longer rely on processed, fat-free, sugar-free this and that.  I have slowly made better and healthier choices along the way. 

So, this journey continues for me and I will keep trying to head into the light, making choices for health rather than just loss!

I’ve crossed over.  And I like it here

Thank you, M, for helping me see that “success” is in the small changes that you make for a lifetime!

Have a great day, everyone!

What small changes have you made toward a healthier lifestyle?

My gym membership expired!  Aaaah!  I decided not to renew yet since the next couple of weeks it will be sketchy for me to get there.  Hope they have another great deal when I renew – last year I joined for only $99! 

In the meantime, I’ll have to settle with my basement equipment and videos.  Today, I did some strength moves – push ups, wall squats (hard), lunges, planks (ridiculous), sit-ups and burpees (super ridiculous and impossible).  Then, a little yoga from yogadownload.com.

I miss the gym already.

Breakfast was NOT the usual for once!  I took a walk on the wild side and tried out some oats again.  If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, God bless you for sticking around this long, you know I’m not an oatmeal lover.  I’ve tried it quite a few times.  I know it’s good for me.  I want to like it.  But, I usually don’t.  Until today!

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup water
• dash salt
• 2 tsp. powdered egg whites
• 1/2 very ripe banana
• 2 tbsp. PB2
• 1/8 cup. unsweetened dried cherries

I loved it!  One of the reasons why I don’t like oats is consistency, but cooking them stovetop gives it a much better texture than my previous attempts with the microwave.  Another thing that always bothered me about oats is they would never keep me full very long.  The addition of the powdered egg whites, PB2 and skim milk bumped up the protein- staying power and kept me full for about 3 hours.  A record in my oat trying days!  This may become my new “usual”!

And, as always….

I was in need of fruits and veggies, so I took a trip to a nearby orchard that offers lots of organic produce and even organic dry goods and meats!

I got a great stash for $36 – not too bad for this bounty…

Aren’t the colors just beautiful!  I was excited to find Sucanat for a good price, too…

I had to try it out right away with another batch of Clean Eating’s Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This time, I swapped out the almond butter for natural peanut butter.  They smelled divine, but I practiced restraint and held off until dessert.

Lunch was leftover Mediterranean Pasta Salad over  mixed greens…

The brown rice pasta held up great, so it’s definitely okay to make this in advance.  Don’t forget ….rinse in cold water after draining!  Are you sick of me harping about that, yet??

Snack was gorgeous farm raspberries…

Even though the heat is pressing on, I felt like making a comfort food dinner.  It was inspired by a recipe for Salisbury Steaks with Rich Brown Gravy from one of my cookbooks – The Most Decadent Diet Ever by Devin Alexander.  I swapped out the ground beef for ground turkey breast, used fresh onion and herbs and chicken broth in place of the beef broth.  It was hearty and very tasty…

Served with a side of sauteed spinach and baked potato wedges…

I resist no longer…

Worth the wait

Have a great day, everyone!

Are you an oatmeal fan?  What is your favorite oatmeal combo?

This has been one hectic weekend!  Starting with Thursday, I had three parties/get -togethers to attend, so it was a lot of excitement for me.  <—– Dork.    All fun times that I wanted to share, but picture taking was either awkward or not possible due to assisting at the party.  Just imagine lots of wine, snacks, yummy food and dessert!

I’ve really tried to “live and forgive” this weekend.  What I mean is that I went to each of these gatherings without fretting about what to eat.  I allowed myself to indulge in small amounts of whatever looked good, including desserts.  I picked and nibbled on only the foods that I enjoyed eating.  If it didn’t taste as good as I thought, I stopped eating it.  That may not sound like a huge deal, but it was a whole new ball game for me.  Normally, I eat just to eat, whether it tastes great or not.  This time was different and I couldn’t help but thinking that this is probably how “normal eaters” or “naturally thin” people eat.  That was a good feeling.

Along with the indulgences, I also didn’t exercise in the true sense of the word.  However, I did get a lot of movement because I didn’t sit down much these past few days!  I planned on doing my usual Sunday run, but when I woke up this morning, my legs and feet were stiff and sore from helping out at my friend’s party.  I was on my feet for the better part of 6 hours, so I was really feeling it today.  I decided to skip my run and not feel guilty.  There is always tomorrow!

For now, the party’s over!  Back to regular eats…

I really needed coffee this morning…

Like the new cup???

The husband does not think it is as funny as I do

Since there was no exercising, I got to have a nice leisurely breakfast of pancakes!  I haven’t had pancakes in eons, but I picked up this mix in the supermarket a while ago and have been wanting to try it…

It is sugar-free, however no addition of artificial sweeteners…

The milk protein concentrate was an interesting ingredient.  When I opened the package, I noticed a familiar protein powder-type smell.  Hmmm… that probably would account for the high protein content of this mix…

I had my doubts, but I gave it a try anyway!  I followed the package directions for the low-fat preparation.  I served them drizzled with a little agave syrup and a side of strawberries…

Verdict:  they were okay.  They tasted more like a bread than a pancake.  And there was that different texture that was reminiscent of those protein bread products –dense and eggy.  They might make for a good sandwich though!  But pancakes…. fail.

Lunch was better.  I made a chickpea wrap with 1/2 cup chickpeas, salsa, lettuce and another new food find…

How exciting that Laughing Cow is coming out with these fun new flavors?!

It was creamy with a slight kick and paired well with the chickpeas…

Bustin’ loose…

I’ve lost my wrappin’ touch

In the afternoon, the daughters and I went to visit Gram.  She had goodies for us that we couldn’t resist – candy and chocolate sent from Italy!  I dove for the torrone ( a nougat candy) which is my favorite…

Then, she showed this chocolate…

I cannot say no…

It was delightful.  Just a small taste is so rich and satisfying.  So different than a Hershey bar!

After our chocolate tasting, we headed home to have dinner with the in-laws.  I was feeling pooped so, I made it simple – Mediterranean Pasta Salad…

• brown rice pasta
• chickpeas
• red onion
• tomatoes
• green pepper
• roasted red peppers
• kalamata olives
• lite feta cheese
• olive oil + vinegar to taste

I wasn’t sure how the brown rice pasta would hold up for a salad, but it was perfect!  The texture is the same – remember, the secret is rinsing the pasta with cold water immediately after draining!

A simple salad with homegrown tomatoes and cukes rounded out the meal…

Time to rest, then back at it!

Have a great day, everyone!

How do you handle eating at parties/get-togethers?  Do you try to stay on the healthy eating track or do you party like a rock star?