There was no time for formal morning exercise since I had to be out the door early to chaperone little daughter’s field trip.  Breakfast had to be simple and quick, too.  A yogurt bowl works!

In the bowl…

• 1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 4 drops NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia
• 8 strawberries
• 2 tbsp. sliced almonds

Pretty sloppy, huh?  Sorry about that!

Then, it was off to school where my workout began.  We piled 80 kids into a good old fashioned school bus with no air-conditioning for a 45 minute ride to visit the Camden Aquarium with every other school in the United States.  Seriously.  There were 33 other area schools visiting that day, not including the general public.  It was craziness!  I must have counted the kids in my group 1,000 times to make sure I didn’t lose anyone!

We buzzed around to see as much as possible with the time that we had allotted.  The kids were wearing down and we broke for lunch.  I brown-bagged it, too…

Applegate Farms Herbed Turkey Breast, mustard and baby spinach on Ezekiel bread…

with carrots and leftover (the last of it!) roasted chickpeas…

We toured more of the outdoor attractions at the Aquarium, loaded up the bus and went back to base camp.  Sweaty.  Very Sweaty.

When I got home, I needed water…

Aaaaaah

The cool treats continued!  I had a frozen banana calling my name.  I’ve been seeing homemade banana fro-yo or banana ice cream on many blogs (most recently on Skinny In The City and Iowa Girl Eats!)and couldn’t wait to try it! 

It’s just as easy as my watermelon water ice!

Place frozen banana in the food processor…

Let it run…

Almost there…

Creamy, fluffy and still frozen.  Top with almonds, taste and cry from the goodness of it all…

Where has this been all my life?  I can never be without it now.  There may be a banana shortage soon.

I believe we can thank the “raw food community” for this small miracle!

Dinner was barley.  Can you stand to see another barley dish?  Good, because it seems to be reproducing on its own in my refrigerator.

Leftover Barley Delight – leftover Caprese Barley Salad, leftover chicken and grape tomatoes…

Now, I need some fruit!

Brilliant Blogger:  Tami at Nutmeg Notebook had a great post today about measuring your success by more than the scale.  I loved her tip about trying on a clothing item every week to gauge the fit instead of relying on the scale.  Such a fantastic concept! 

Have a great day, everyone!

Does your appetite decrease in the heat?  Do you crave more cold foods in the spring/summer?

I planned on doing 6 miles in honor of my friend, Reen who is celebrating her one year anniversary of running and set on 6 miles as a goal to commemorate  it.  I didn’t quite make it to 6 miles today.  Sorry, Reen

Things started off okay.  I did a 5 minute walking warm-up, then ran with intervals of 10:1 (10 minutes running/1 minute walking).  For now, I like this interval the best.  Running less than 10 minutes before a walk break doesn’t give me enough time to build up any momentum mentally.  And running, for me, is all about the mental!

By my second mile, I was doing well.  I was into it and my legs were feeling strong.  But then, I got distracted.  I was running in my lonesome hilly neighborhood (have I mentioned that hills SUCK ?) and the garbage truck pulled in.  Why is this a problem, you ask?  Well, besides inhaling fumes of foul garbage, I got really self-conscious running in front of the garbage collectors.  They stared at me.  I waved.  I should have continued about my business.  But, I could not help cringing at the show of ass gymnastics that I was giving them as I ran in front of the truck.  Jiggling, bouncing and rolling. Maybe it was more like a 3 ring ass circus. 

I know that is stupid and I shouldn’t care.  *Sigh*.  But, I do.  I am self-conscious that way.  So, it threw off my whole run and by the time they finally got out of my neighborhood, I was totally mind-screwed and didn’t want to run anymore.  I ended up making it to 5 miles though, so I was only a mile short, Reen!

When I got in from my run, I felt a little hungry but didn’t want to really eat.  My appetite wasn’t there.  I thought it was the perfect time to try some of the Amazing Grass that I won a while back.

I always go for the chocolate…

I blended the packet with 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 4 gigantic strawberries and 3 drops of liquid vanilla NuStevia…

Err….it was interesting.  I would not call it amazing.  I wanted it to be.  I have seen rave reviews in the blogosphere about it, but…I’m not feelin’ it   Any Amazing Grass lovers wanna give me some pointers?

After my less than amazing experience, I needed back-up.  French press and some Puffins did the trick…

I have to admit, I was surprised at the holding power of Amazing Grass!  I ended up not being hungry for 4 hours after having it along with my coffee and cereal!  Hmmm…I might have to force it down try it again

When I finally got around to lunch, I wanted something quick and easy.  I opted for a Boca Grilled Vegetable Burger on a Bagel Thin with cheese and hummus, along with a juicy orange…

Dinner was hard.  I made a traditional Easter treat that my family and the husband’s family makes every year.  My family calls it Pizza Rustica, but the husband’s family calls it Pizza Gaina.  I just call it good!  It is a “pie” made with a mixture of Italian meats and cheeses baked in a bread dough-type of crust.  Everyone loves it!

Ready for the baking…

All done…

A vegetarian’s nightmare…

I almost cried when I served it to the family.  I made an extra one for Easter.  I can’t wait!

While they chowed on the pie of my dreams, I chowed on this…

and lentil soup…

I cry.

Only 3 more days…

Have a great day, everyone!

Brilliant Blogger (remember that?!):  Check out the great post by Kathleen over at Journey To Becoming Healthier Inside and Out before you dig into the Easter baskets this weekend!

Do you ever feel self-conscious about exercising in public?

It’s still been super cold around here (high 20’s), so outdoor exercise is not too enticing.  I was scheduled to run, but my mouth was bothering me quite a bit from some dental work that I had last Monday, so I didn’t want to compound the pain.  I took some Advil and decided to take my rest day from exercise.

My mouth never seems to hurt too much to eat, though!  And like a dope, I decided crunchy Trader Joe’s High Fiber O’s, skim milk and strawberries was a good breakfast!  Duh!  I did let the cereal sit for a while so, it wasn’t too bad…

The Advil kicked in and I was feeling better.  Unfortunately, I think there may be a root canal in my near future.  Stupid teeth!

At noon, we all headed off to big daughter’s first basketball game of the season.  They didn’t win, but played AWESOME!  The husband coaches and tried not to have a brain aneurysm (that’s him, holding his head)…

He’s such a good coach – really positive and congratulatory.  He definitely spurs the girls on!

The game went on later than expected, so by the time we got home, I was hangry!  My quick go-to lunch :  turkey wrap with Sonoma Jack’s pepperjack cheese and lettuce with a gala on the side…

A while later, I felt the need for a snack.  I went for some chew with a Kashi TLC Peanut Peanut Butter bar…again..DUH!

The dinner plan was chicken fajitas for the family, but I had really been wanting to make a bean burger, so I decided to make those for myself.  Yeah, you know the husband and daughters are not going to embrace the bean!  But, I loved them!  Still following with the Mexican theme, I made Taco Bean and Cheese Burgers…

• 1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp. canned diced green chilies
• 2 tsp. taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I use Cabot’s 75% reduced fat sharp cheddar)
• 3 tbsp. cornmeal

1. In a food processor, place 1/4 cup of pinto beans, egg white and chilies.  Pulse until smooth.
2. Place remaining beans in a large bowl and coarsely mash with a fork.  Add pureed bean mixture, taco seasoning and cheese.  Mix well.
3. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish.  Form bean mixture into 4 patties and dredge in cornmeal, coating both sides.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray.  Add patties and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly golden.

Easy and delicious!  I served mine on a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat with guacamole and salsa.  I rounded out the meal with some golden corn and a salad with light ranch…

Good eats, plus leftover bean burgers for another time!

Hmm…seems like my mouth is asking for more Advil right about now.  BOO  

Have a great day, everyone!

ONE GOOD THING:  At this moment, all I can think of is…ADVIL!  Thank goodness for ibuprofen!!!!

BRILLIANT BLOGGER:  I’ve been meaning to highlight a great post that I read by Andrea of Andrea’s Wellness Notes.  She shared a bit of her journey with being overweight and how she implemented the changes that helped bring her to where she is today.  Her advice of “small steps” coupled with taking care of YOU really hit home with me.  She also shared what “non-dieting” approach helped her get the last 15 pounds off (and more!).  Check out her post (click here) and don’t forget to admire her adorable toddler!  Thanks for the great “do-able” advice, Andrea!

I remembered at the beginning of our marriage, he was about 30 pounds overweight and decided he wanted to lose it.  He didn’t go on any program, count calories or even ask me to make him special food.  His approach to weight loss was simple : Eat less, exercise more.  That’s it.  No magic potion, no pills, shakes or packaged foods.  He just ate less of the things he loved and pumped up his exercise a bit.  And he lost the 30 pounds and has basically kept it off for 13 years since.

In asking him about the 3 pound loss and wondering if he has a frickin tape worm and how I can get one , especially since he has been eating cookies and desserts like it’s going out of style, he explained to me his thought process in choosing his meals.  He usually opts for a healthy start to the day of oatmeal (with a ton of brown sugar – he thinks I don’t see that!) or some type of high fiber cereal and a fruit.  If he knows he’s going to indulge in desserts later (he always opts to eat them right after dinner), he eats a lighter lunch- pb&j or grilled cheese, chips and some fruit/carrots.  If he’s hungry, he’ll have 2 sandwiches, but then leaves out the chips.  Dinner is usually our big meal of the day and always includes some balance of protein, starch and veggies.  Then, he moves on to dessert and is done for the night.  He doesn’t snack in- between meals because he prefers to be hungry at mealtime and says the food “tastes better” that way!

He is a morning exerciser and does it every day without fail.  But, during these high indulgence holidays, he finds the opportunity for random bouts of exercise – taking the dog for a long walk, shooting hoops with the daughters, playing racing games in the basement or boxing and bowling on the Wii.  Basically, he doesn’t sit still for long!

So, although I tease him about his eating habits and his regimented workouts, he really has proven to me how it’s possible to lose weight and keep it off without dieting!

Hmmm….cheesesteaks, here I come!  Kidding, kidding

****

Onto the food!  I had some great eats yesterday!  My day started off with a 1 hour run on the treadmill!  Whooo hooo!  It was way too cold to go outside, so I opted for the treadmill at the gym while watching my boyfriend.  Anyone see him disco dance at the end of the show?  I love him so much more now

After the run, I dug into a different kind of breakfast.  Everything has been unexciting lately.  I wanted to try something new for a jump start.  A while back, I bought some of these in anticipation of “something new”…

Wheat berries!  They take about an hour to cook, but I was in no hurry.  I searched for some recipes and came across one for Wheat berry Salad with Pecans and Craisins on Lesli’s blog.  Sounded delish!  I halved the recipe and used walnuts since I had them on hand.  It was chewy, crunchy and sweet!  I loved it!

Lunch was equally yummy.  Leftover whole wheat veggie pizza (made using Biz’s No Rise Pizza Dough recipe – I used white whole wheat flour) and a Fuji apple…

I had beef tenderloin planned for dinner and what better side to go with it than Healthy Au Gratin Potatoes!  I saw this recipe on Danica’s blog and knew I had to make it – pronto!

They came out fab!

I had a serving with leftover Gram’s green beans and some bbq baked tofu (I gave up my beef for the daughters who decided they would eat it!)…

A couple cookies found their way into my mouth after dinner, but the last of them are gone, so SAYONARA, evil things!

ONE GOOD THING:  It felt good to eat normal, healthy foods today and get in a great workout!  Cookies be damned

BRILLIANT BLOGGER:  I have to give “brilliant” props to Biz for her great pizza dough that has saved me much time in the kitchen;  Lesli for her delicious salad that I ate for breakfast and Danica for her many delicious and easy recipes!  I wouldn’t eat so well without all the wonderful blogger recipes out there!

Have a great day, everyone!

• 5 minute warm-up on the treadmill
• hip strengthening workout (Tina has hip bursitis, too)
• lower-body circuit – leg curls, glutes, hip adductor and abductor
• ab crunches

It worked my legs good, I felt the burn and wasn’t stinky.  All is good

Breakfast was TJ’s High Fiber O’s with some Fiber One, strawberries and unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze…

I did stop home ,amidst the errands, and whipped up some lunch.  I was pretty hungry and ate a little earlier than normal, but I’m trying to eat when the hunger strikes!  Novel idea, huh?

Lunch was a wrap made with Joseph’s Lavash Bread, a few slices of turkey, Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge, a tbsp. of cranberry sauce and spinach.  It was a winning combo!  The cranberry and Laughing Cow were great together!  I added some carrots for crunch and had at it…

I still felt a little hungry, so I had a blueberry Chobani…

Then, errands, errands, errands. 

I’m trying to choose more wholesome foods for my snacks instead of grabbing  junkier (Cheez-its!) things.  A pear and almonds fit the bill…

Dinner had to be quick and easy since we got home late from little daughter’s religion class.  Nothing quicker than boxed soup and grilled cheese!  I decided to try out the Campbell’s V-8 Garden Vegetable that was sent to me last week…

I paired it with grilled cheeses on sourdough.  I made mine with asiago, baby spinach and Trader Joe’s roasted  red pepper and artichoke tapenade …

This soup was fairly good.  It was thick and reminded me a lot of split pea soup in texture.  It had a nice amount of vegetables in it and overall, was a pretty hearty bowl.

~~~

Brilliant Blogger:  I’ve been  a lurker on Joan The Weight Pilot for quite a while.  She is a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member and has some of the most inspirational posts that I have ever read.  She  begins her posts with some amazing quote that always seem to speak to me at the moment.  Her post today was especially meaningful to me.  As I have been on this journey, I have realized that I don’t need to beat myself up for the indulgences or going off track.  Every GOOD choice that I make in a day is a step in the right direction.  I encourage you to read her whole post, but it ends with…

”the little things we do add up; the small steps become giant steps."

Thanks for the reminder, Joan!

In other blog new, my friend Krittie at Healthy Living, One Day at a Time  is having a cool American Express Gift Card Giveaway – be sure to check it out!

Have a great day, everyone!

Before heading to the gym, I had a mini- breakfast of a string cheese and a few Triscuits…

Just enough to tie my over for my 35 minute run on the treadmill.  I tried out some intervals this run and I really liked it!  It took the pressure off keeping a steady fast pace and I liked being able to coordinate the pace with my music.  Fast songs = fast pace, slower songs= slower pace.  It was fun!

Breakfast part 2 was by the dashboard light…

After changing, it was off to Gram’s for a day of shopping.  She loves to shop and can outlast me any day!

I finally dragged her out talked her into leaving and headed back to my house for lunch.  I made a terrific tofu scramble…

In the mix…

• 1/2 block of Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu
• 3 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• a few onion slices
• 1/2 small red pepper, sliced
• handful baby spinach
• 1/4 cup Galaxy Nutritionals Veggie Shreds

Gram declined the tofu and went for a turkey sammie instead!  I’ll make a believer of her, yet!

I also took a few minutes to assemble dinner , since I knew the afternoon would be busy.  I saw a recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen for Brown Rice Casserole and thought I would give it a try, knowing full well that this would not be welcomed with open mouths by the husband and daughters!  But, I decided to torture them anyway.

I baked it when I got home after little daughter’s dance class.  It looked and smelled delicious…to me…

Them…not so much.  I proceeded to rant about how I didn’t give a flying fig newton what they thought and they were going to eat this fabulous, healthy dish.  And I dished it out…

Okay, I know it doesn’t look pretty, but it was very tasty!  I even threw in some broccoli to make it a true one-dish meal.

Little daughter cried full blown tears at the sight.

The husband hates mushrooms and moved the stuff around to make it look like he ate some.  Okay, but he will eat kale chips???  Whatever.

Big daughter said, “Mom, this actually tastes good.”  She is the only one I love

So, not the biggest hit, but I will keep trying to feed them healthy foods.  Hear that, family???  Yes, the torture will continue…

~~~

Brilliant Blogger :  I read a great post by Jack Sh*t today.  So motivational!  His posts are usually flat out hilarious, but every so often, he throws in one of these “serious” posts to really get you thinking.  What struck me was when he describes a conversation he had in the locker room after a workout – go check out his post for the whole story – but he replied to the person:

 “I didn’t leave a lot in the tank.”

And that’s how I approached my run at the gym.  I kept thinking “don’t leave anything in the tank;  give it your all.”  Result:  awesome workout!  Thanks, Jack!

Oh, I almost forgot… the winner of the Campbell’s Soup Giveaway is  Denise!

I have a couple of favorite soups – creamy tomato, taco soup and butternut squash. Yummy!

Denise, please send me your address and I’ll forward it to the Campbell’s rep:)

If you’re not too sick of me, go check out my guest post on Melissa’s blog – www.abetterbagofgroceries.com  -and see how I tried out the NuVal nutritional scoring system!  Fun!

Have a great day, everyone!

So, breakfast was one of my favorite Yogurt Bowls topped with strawberries and diced apples…

I cheated on Chobani with this guy…

Chobani will always be my first greek love, but ya gotta get what’s on sale when ya can

After breakfast, I got my butt out the door for a peppy 45 minute walk (I’ll fill you in about the running tomorrow) around the neighborhood in the glorious weather.  I love mild November days!  The husband even joined me for the last 20 minutes which was  nice!

My stomach let me know it was lunchtime about 3 hours after eating breakfast.  I tried to cue into that to see how long it takes me to get hungry between meals.  I think knowing that is key to keeping munchies at bay and also, to help understand what types of food stick with me the longest.

Lunch was a Grilled Vegetable Boca Burger on a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat, piled high with baby spinach and tomato.  Instead of my usual side of chips, I went with a longer lasting choice of fuji apple with 1 tbsp. homemade almond butter…

We spent the afternoon at a Christmas carol sing-a-long at church.  It was a nice time and really got us in the spirit!

Again, around the 3 hour mark, I was hungry for a snack.  I decided to go salty with reduced-fat Triscuits with turkey and a dab of  wasabi mustard…

Yum!

The dinner plan was a new recipe from Amelie for Grandmom’s Macaroni.  It sounded delicious;  sort of a new twist on baked mac n’ cheese.  I changed it up a tiny bit by subbing these for the originals :   Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow macaroni (high fiber), my own marinara sauce (had some left in the fridge to use up), Cracker Barrel 2% white cheddar and whipped light butter.

The result was DELISH and a hit with the husband and daughters…

My dish…served with a side of broccoli…

This will definitely be added into my regular dinner rotation!  Thanks for the great recipe, Amelie!

~~~~

I have been thinking a lot lately about the blogworld and about how much encouragement I receive from other bloggers without them knowing it.  I read a lot of blogs.  A lot.  If you have a blog, you can rest assure I am reading it!  LOL!  I guess there are worse addictions   Anyway, I got to thinking how many bloggers write things that really strike me.  Really spur me on or cause me to take pause and reflect.  I don’t often take the time to get in touch with each person and tell them how something they wrote affected me, so I had the idea of making an addition to the end of my posts with a reference to a blogger who made an impact on me that day.  I decided to call it Brilliant Blogger because I often think “that’s brilliant” when I’ve read these words of wisdom.  There are also readers that leave me comments that are brilliant words of wisdom and they don’t have blogs, so I’m going to include some of those, too.  Just my small way of saying “thank you” to those bloggers/readers and sharing some great insights from them!

My first Brilliant Blogger is Joanna from Fitness and Spice. 

She wrote:  This year I’ve decided I’m not going to stress out about eating too much and working out too little during the holidays. That’s because I’ve already made up my mind that I won’t be eating too much and I will be making the time to workout.

Love that!

Don’t forget to enter my Campbell’s  Soup Giveaway – there’s a cool pedometer in there!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

They are the Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Glaze that I came up with for the BSI challenge this week. Lara over at Thinspired is hosting this week’s challenge and since it was my first time entering, I wasn’t sure if I should post the recipe first, but Lara says it’s A-OK. So here’s the recipe for those….(by the way, little daughter LOVES these!)…

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Glaze

3 egg whites
1 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons skim milk, room temp
2 teaspoons peanut butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites, banana and sugar. Add milk, vanilla and oil and beat for 2 minutes on low speed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until fully combined. The batter will be very thin.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter and pour into 12 cup muffin tin lined with paper liners until all are filled. If not using liners, spray tin well with cooking spray.

Bake cupcakes for 12 minutes. Do not overbake! Let cool on wire rack.
After cupcakes are completely cool, prepare glaze. Place 2 teaspoons of peanut butter in a small microwave bowl and microwave for about 20-30 seconds until melted into liquid. Combine powdered sugar, milk and melted peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Top each cupcake with 1 tablespoon of glaze.

Makes 12 cupcakes.
Each cupcake with glaze comes to 137 calories with 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber. (Nutritional data calculated using calorieking.com)

I didn’t get a chance to exercise yesterday, so I was really itching to run this morning. I was about to head out, but it was raining so I was banished to the treadmill. It turned out to be a great 40 minute run while watching mindless tv shows -love it!

I wasn’t too hungry for breakfast after that, so I decided on a liquid breakfast. No, not that kind I was dying to try the “milkshake” that the brilliant Becca came up with, so I got the blender going. I used 1/2 c. unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 2 tbsp. sugar-free, fat-free vanilla pudding mix, 4 large sliced strawberries and about 6 ice cubes. OMG!!! It was terrific! A really sweet Strawberry Milkshake for 2 POINTS (really less – I think it’s 1 POINT with the almond breeze)…

Surprisingly, the milkshake kept me full until lunch, but then I got hungry all at one time. That’s been happening a lot lately…hmmm. Anyway, I put together a sammie with 1/4 cup Spinach Artichoke Hummus, slice of turkey and lettuce on an Arnold Sandwich Thin. I went with some leftover sweet potato fries and carrots for a side. A tasty 5 POINT lunch…

Later in the afternoon, we went for a family hike in the woods. We huffed it through the trail and up a huge hill at a pretty good pace. Not as good as our dog, Rocky, though. We were amazed at how he runs at top speed for the entire 40 minutes!

When we got back, I set to work on dinner. I had prepared some dough earlier to make naan. Naan is an east Indian flatbread that is similar to a pita, but has a more chewy, doughy texture. I believe it is traditionally made with white flour, but I decided to try it using whole wheat. Click Here for the recipe that I used (put through WW Recipe Builder for your POINTS convenience

And the end result…

I also made some honey barbeque chicken thighs on the grill and sauteed zucchini with garlic and parmesan…

My plate for 8 POINTS…

and I couldn’t help taking another half of naan. It’s so good!

For dessert, I went with my standard for 2 POINTS…

But, there’s a twist! Instead of using my usual PB2, I tried a new (to me) similar product called FitNutz. It is a low calorie, low fat powdered peanut butter that you reconstitute with water. It is a great bargain at only 1 POINT, like the PB2. I do have to say that I did notice a difference in taste between this product and PB2. I didn’t feel that FitNutz had as prominent a peanut flavor as the PB2. It’s odd because it is just peanuts, sugar and salt. Maybe my tastebuds were off today! So, with that said, I’ll let YOU be the judge! I have 3 individual serving packets to give away! This product is available in regular, chunky and pro (which contains more essential fatty acids) and I’m giving away one of each to ONE lucky winner…

All you need to do is leave me a comment! And since I’m shipping, ANYONE can enter this time – whooo hooo Canada/overseas friends! I’ll choose a winner (using random.org) on Tuesday, May 19.

Thanks for reading and hope you all had a wonderful weekend!