I’ve been coming up with some pretty good words, huh?!

The weather has been great in my neck of the woods.  It was perfect weather for a run, but big daughter had an early basketball game, so we had to get moving.  Thankfully, my breakfast sammie only took 2 minutes to make…

The press takes a bit longer, but is so worth it!  I treated myself to some flavored creamer…yum…

The game was exciting as usual!  No win today, but they did try hard to bring it toward the end of the game

When we got home, I fixed the first of my beanilicious meals for the day.  I have had chick peas on the brain (okay, no “pea brain” comments) since seeing this recipe on Ventures With Veggies.  How good does that look?!  I changed up the recipe a tiny bit, mainly with the addition of more veggies and fresh dill.

CHICKPEA SALAD

• 1 (15 oz.) can chick peas, drained and rinsed well
• 1 cup diced English cucumber
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Kraft reduced fat mayo with olive oil
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped

Serves 4
Nutrition facts per serving (about 1 cup):  127 calories, 3.8 grams fat and 7 grams fiber.
2 POINTS
(calculated using www.calorieking.com)

I served mine in a Weight Watchers whole wheat pita with a Fuji on the side…

This was so, so good!  The husband and my FIL ended up eating almost the rest!

After digesting and watching a movie with the daughters, we headed outside to soak in the sun.  Little daughter and I did 20 minutes of trampolining and stretching.  Yay for random exercise

Good thing I got some cuz I ended up coming in and munching.  This…

is a Sin, Dawg!  I ate a piece x 2.  And maybe a little nibble more.  At least it’s healthy!  But, not quite worth the 12 POINTS that I ate of it!   No worries, that is what the 35 Weekly Allowance POINTS are for, right?  Something that I’m not proud to say is that I threw the rest of that bread away.  My family members would not eat it (too healthy!) and I find it too tempting to keep.  I feel badly about it, but I know I will feel worse if I keep digging into it

I’m trying hard to use up the leftovers hanging around in the fridge and freezer.  Unfortunately, I’m usually the only one in the house that will eat them.  I put together an interesting dinner for myself using leftover barbeque baked tofu, Amy’s Black Bean Chili and a topping of Cabot’s 75% reduced fat cheddar …

It was very tasty and filling!  I paired it with a small spinach and tomato salad…

Then, there was another venture over to the dark side…

At least, I tracked and measured

GTG – Total: 22 POINTS
WAP used:  12

So, not the best eating day as far as listening to my body is concerned.  I wasn’t hungry for the snacks that I ate and I definitely overdid it with the cinnamon bread.  Since I tracked and journaled my food, I feel okay with it because I haven’t gone outside of my given POINTS for the week.  In that respect, going back to counting POINTS and journaling my food has been helpful.  Otherwise, I may have thought that I had completely blown it and that could have set off a bunch of negative feelings resulting in the downward overeating spiral.  But, I ate, I acknowledged and now, I’m moving on

Gonna study my flashcards now.  See ya tomorrow!

Have a great day, everyone!

Have you ever thrown away food because it was too tempting?  Do you feel guilty about it or empowered for helping yourself? 

This was a fast week!  Saturday rolled around a lot quicker than I expected which is not a bad thing  

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!