Posts from — July 2011

One of the main reasons I started blogging back in 2008 was for the amazing community of bloggers and blog readers.  This community is always there… supporting, being there for each other, lending an ear and now… lending a hand.

The beautiful Susan , who blogs at The Great Balancing Act , has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the young age of 25.  She’s been through a lot this past month and is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment to kick this cancer’s butt! 

Because Susan is not privately insured, she has to incur the cost of the prescription drugs while she is in treatment which totals around $5, 000 dollars for every month she is treated.  That is a lot of money!

But, thanks to this wonderful community and the efforts of Janetha of Meals and Moves, along with Danica and many others, we can lend a hand to Susan to offer our support! 

The Great Fundraising Act is an online auction and bake sale where hundreds of items will be available for bid with all proceeds going directly to Susan.  There are so many amazing items up for bid, so check out Danica’s post to get an idea of what’s available.

Also, see Janetha’s post on How Does An Online Auction Work to understand how it all happens!

Let’s help Susan focus on getting well and beating cancer!

Bidding begins at 8 a.m. EST this Monday, July 25th!

See you there!!!!

It seems like just yesterday we were all complaining about the cold, now it’s the heat!  Temps soared to 100 degrees today and are going to 102 tomorrow!  We have a wedding to go to in the evening;  hope it cools down for the bride and groom!

I took no chances with an outdoor run today … down the basement to the treadmill!  I went with a short 2.4 miler,  sticking with 3:1 intervals on the GYMBOSS …

Breakfast was a savory/sweet combo – Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread with egg and Laughing Cow cheese (7 PP) …

Yummers!

As much as I wanted to hole myself up in the blasting air-conditioning, I had a few errands to get out of the way.  I decided to eat lunch first, so I wouldn’t be tempted to stay home if I made a pit-stop!

I fixed up hot dogs and fries, the easy way! A nuked Applegate Farms Organic Beef Hot Dog topped with jalapeno mustard in an Ezekiel bun (6 PP)…

And a new Trader Joe’s find… Skinny Fries!

These are similar to POPchips , but in stick form.  I like that you get a ton of them for only 3 PP …

Not much in nutrient department, but good for those days when you just need to nosh!  Which isn’t today, thankfully

I found that I was satisfied with a half serving (2 PP) …

No, I don’t have heat stroke.

Altogether with a handful of cherries …

Then, out into the burning inferno!  I slogged through the errands, making it home in time for dinner.  The thought of turning on the stove just seemed WRONG, so it was another “nuke and eat”!

Out of the freezer came Lentil Veggie Burgers that I topped with 1 oz. creamy goat cheese (7 PP) …

And hit up the garden for a side dish of cucumber and tomato salad with sliced lite string cheese, basil, and tossed with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (3 PP) …

I may never use the stove again

Have a great day, everyone!

Are you a hot weather or cold weather person?

Hi!!  Hope you all are off to a good week! 

It’s hotsy totsy in these parts which made for no one wanting to leave the house today!  All I can say is thank the Lord for air-conditioning

I wasn’t feeling much like exercising this morning, but kicked my own posterior and did The 100 Workout .  What I love about this workout is you can customize with different exercises.  Today, I swapped knee raises for the jacks and ended with sets of push-ups instead of the 10 minute run for more of a strength training workout.  Still wears me out!

Heat, sweat and tears call for a yogurt breakfast (3 PP) …

• 1 cup nonfat Chobani yogurt (we’re out of homemade greek yogurt!)
• 2 small fresh apricots, diced
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 3 drops NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened reduced-fat shredded coconut

Fresh apricots are amazing!

Over the weekend, I made a big batch of Cheesy Quinoa Burgers for the freezer.  I heated a couple in the toaster oven for lunch and served them with a mixed green salad drizzled with good balsamic vinegar and a little evoo (7 PP) ….

I knew I was going to need extra crunch, so I broke out these Trader Joe’s Onion and Chive Corn Crackers …

They aren’t very oniony at all – really just taste like a tortilla chip!

I went with a half serving of “chips” for 2 PP …

A cool 9 PP lunch…

Not long after, the afternoon munchies struck.  I refused to give in!  I made a protein packed snack instead – string cheese with 2 hard boiled egg whites (2 PP) …

And then I gave in

I noshed on Cheez-its, some other chips and pretzels.  Apparently, “salt” was the theme.  But, you know what I did?  I tracked it all.  Yep, I did!  I wrote it all down and Pointed it out.

And then, it didn’t seem all that bad.  Yes, I ate without being hungry, but I tracked my 15 PP (eek!) binge splurge and subtracted it from my 49 Weekly Points Allowance and moved on!  By tracking, I completely changed my mindset from feeling badly about my overeating to feeling okay and in control.  I do get uneasy about using those Weeklies sometimes, but I have been assured many times that Weight Watchers wouldn’t give you those if they weren’t usable!  They want you to succeed.  So, what could have been a “binge gone wild” turned out to be a “splurge and move on”.

Moving right on to dinner…

TJ and Danica  reeled me in with their Pizza Puffs party!  I thought it would make a fun dinner for the family, so I whipped them- changing the recipe slightly to use what I had on hand…

Pizza Puffs

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup shredded lite mozzarella (I use Trader Joe’s brand –only 1 PointsPlus per 1/4 cup and tastes great!)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 16 slices Hormel turkey pepperoni, chopped
• handful baby spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp. finely diced red onion

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin (either 12 cup or 24 cup mini) with cooking spray. Mix flour, baking powder and seasonings, then stir in milk and egg .  Add in cheeses (reserving 1/4 cup mozzarella to sprinkle on tops) and combine. Let rest for 10 minutes. Stir batter again, then divide between muffin cups.  Bake until golden and puffed , about 20 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce, if desired.

Total recipe comes in at 20 PointsPlus.  3 puffs are 5 PointsPlus if using 12 cup muffin pan.   If using mini muffin tin (24 cup) – 6 minis are 5 PointsPlus.  8 minis are 7 PointsPlus.

I went with the mini’s!

Served with marinara sauce and broccoli with olive oil and garlic ( 9 PP) …

A dinner everyone loves!  These would be a nice party appetizer, too!  Fun!

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite party appetizer?