Posts from — August 2009

Fall is in the air.  At least it felt that way this morning.  It was cool and breezy, which is fine by me.  I love fall and the cooler weather makes me want to get outside and run!  But, I’m not sure my hip will cooperate  

I felt in the mood for some Pilates this morning, so I popped in the cheapo DVD, I bought and did about 35 minutes of the video before starting on some breakfast.

I didn’t have much in stock since we just got back from the shore, but there were a few eggs left so I decided on an Antipasto Open Faced Omelette using 3 egg whites and the leftover antipasto topping from my Chicken Antipasto last week…

It was a very flavorful start!  And can’t forget the Teeccino…

Then, it was off to the produce store.  Look at this stash…

I got spring mix, brussel sprouts (don’t say eeww!), cauliflower, romaine hearts, sliced mushrooms, cucumber, baby spinach, zucchini, parsley, celery hearts, honeydew melon, strawberries, gala apples, fuji apples, nectarines, peaches, blueberries and a loaf of crusty Italian bread.  All that for $29!!!! 

I prepped the romaine lettuce right away to put together my lunch salad.  I made up a Southwest Chicken Salad using big handfuls of romaine, 1/4 c. black beans, 1/4 c. frozen corn (defrosted), cherry tomatoes, 1 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese and chicken breast (about 2 oz.) chopped.  I topped it with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch dressing.  It was so tasty and filling…

Some avocado would have been great in there, too, but I forgot to buy some!  Next time

As filling as the salad was, it still left me wanting a  little something.  I thought about grabbing crackers or pretzels, but feared that would lead to lots of munching.  Then, I saw these guys and thought they would be the perfect something…

After lunch, more shopping…Walmart for a few dry goods and school supplies, then Trader Joe’s.  Food shopping is an all day affair!  I did make a pit stop in between to drop off some bags and have a snack…

I finally made it home just in time to start on dinner.  Pasta was on the menu, but of course, something a little different for me.  I picked up a new item at Trader Joe’s – Seafood Sausage – and I was dying to trying it out…

A real find at only 110 calories and 3.5 grams fat per sausage…

I decided to make Seafood Scampi for one because the husband and daughters would rather starve than to try it!  LOL!

I sliced the sausage and pan fried in  1 tbsp. evoo and 1 clove garlic until cooked through.  I added about 2-3 tbsp. white wine and simmered for a minute, then added some chopped parsley.  I served it over whole wheat spaghetti and topped with a little parmesan.  Delish…

So, you may be wondering why I titled this post 24-7.  Well, I realized today that I think about food 24-7.  Seriously.  All day long.  I probably dream about it, too.  I am always thinking about what I should and should not eat.  I think about whether or not eating something will help me lose weight or contribute to weight gain.  I bargain with myself.  I wheel and deal.  I try to push these thoughts out of my mind and then, think about how great it is that I am not thinking about food!  Ugh!  I really do feel compulsive when it comes to food.  I think about it always.  It rules my world.  I am most definitely a novice to the concept of intuitive eating.  I’m not even certain that someone like me can even wrap my brain around it or ascertain what it means to be able to eat according to my body’s needs.  Is this something I can truly learn?  Is this something that can eventually come naturally to me?  I guess I’m scared that it isn’t possible for me.  I may be too far gone;  too old to learn “new tricks”, too accustomed to living life on a diet that I am unable to see the other side.  That grass sure does look greener, though…

Have a great night, everyone =)

Hey Everyone!  I’m posting early since we are leaving from the shore later tonight and will be getting home late…

Look what I saw this morning…

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!

I wasted no time hopping on my bike and went for an awesome hour long ride with my Dad!  The weather was just perfect for riding

When I got back, I was huuungry.  I whipped up the same breakfast as yesterday:  bagel sammie with egg white and reduced fat cheese…

And Teeccino with a splash of soymilk…

Then, it was off to the beach…

We brought lunch to the beach and dug in not long after getting there.  Something about that sea air makes ya hungry!  I packed up a crabby salad for myself…

I could eat those giant crabcakes everyday!  I also munched on some of these Kettle Brand Baked Buffalo Bleu chips (spicy!)…

and a darling clementine…

I’m off to shower and pack.  See ya at home tomorrow !

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Pouring rain.  That was the sound of the morning.  It looked like the day was going to be a total washout:(  I wasn’t up for bike riding in a torrential downpour, so I decided to do a 10 minute Pilates workout that I found on Sparkpeople.  I definitely felt the burn;  I am really enjoying adding in this new form of exercise!

Breakfast started off with a nice cuppa Teeccino….

We bought limited groceries since we were here for just the weekend, so my choices were eggs and bagels.  I opted for both and made a bagel sammie using half a bagel, 1 egg white and reduced fat cheddar cheese…

Yum!  That held me over for most of the morning. 

Finally, the skies shifted and the rain dried up!  I took the opportunity to hop on my bike for a quick 20 minute ride before lunch.

We decided to try packing lunch and going to the pool again.  The husband and daughters rushed over to the pool and I made up the picnic lunch.  I had a lovely crabcake waiting for me in the fridge, so I decided to eat my fancy lunch before heading to the pool…

Look at how big this guy was…

and filled with all crab…

I ate it “lettuce wrap” style with some deliciously sweet homegrown tomatoes on the side.  Then finished with a nectarine topped with a ray of light…

Hooray for sun!!!!  We were so thankful for the sun to join us while we swam at the pool!

We were famished by dinner time and decided on Chinese takeout for an easy dinner.  This gets a little tough for me;  Chinese food doesn’t usually fill me for long and I try my best to stay away from all the fried dishes.  But, I was in the mood to try something that I don’t normally order , so I “branched out” and got the Shrimp Lo Mein…

It was so good!  I paired it with a non-Chinese dish – baby arugula, romaine and tomato salad.  Gotta get in the extra veggies!

I couldn’t help having another forkful or two of Lo Mein…

A while later,  chanting started… ice cream, ice cream, ice cream…

We stopped in a new ice cream place that serves gelato.  Oh no.  There is no way to resist the creamy goodness of gelato.  I made sure to choose the most “screaming with calories” flavor…Chocolate Raspberry Brownie….

To. Die. For.

Okay, I’ll be honest here, I am sucking horribly this week at intuitive eating and leaving the dieting mentality behind.  I have guilted the bejesus out of myself for the past week and am having a really hard time listening to my body’s satiety cues.  I realize that being in tune with yourself takes so much practice.  It is very hard to let myself go and trust myself.  I really need to be focused with this approach;  it is not something that comes natural to me.  At all.  I’m a little scared, too.  I’m scared of the scale and what it’s going to say when I get on it next.  I’m scared of food and what eating “the wrong things” or “more than I should” will do to my weight loss efforts.  I’m scared to dig deeper and figure out exactly why I eat the way I do and why I feel the need to comfort myself, in a variety of situations,  with food.  I feel like I’ve ventured into a sort of “food addiction” rehab.  I think it’s worth the work;  I’m just scared of what happens during the detox period…

Hope you all are having a glorious Saturday!

Question of the Day…  What is your favorite Chinese takeout dish?