Hi, everyone!  Hope you all had a nice weekend!  Mine was a bit stressful.  Nothing horrendous, but enough to make me hit up the pantry.  I really overate…a lot.  I stuck to my vegetarian pledge  mainly because chocolate and Cheetos are considered vegetarian, however unhealthy that may be

By Sunday morning, I got my act together and set myself in motion to get back on track.  I can’t say I wasn’t a little more than disappointed in myself, but I was determined to discontinue the trend of overeat + guilt = more overeating.  Guilt is officially out of the equation.  I decided a while back to make this blog a no whining and complaining zone NO GUILT ZONE and I’m sticking to it!

Breakfast was another Egg and Cheese McBagel Thin and a beautiful orange…

I can’t get enough of oranges,  lately!

And french press in my new favorite mug…

So untrue, but I feel empowered repeating that statement everyday! ;D

It was such a relaxing day!  We all putzed around in our pj’s most of the day and I got some cleaning out of the way for a good head start on the week.

I was feeling creative, so I made up a new recipe for lunch – Spinach, Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Quiche.  Danica’s Crockpot Broccoli and Cheese Quiche was the inspiration for this.  Instead of using The Crocker, I baked it in the oven so it would be ready to eat at lunch.  

Spinach, Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Quiche

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1o oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
• 4 oz. goat cheese (I use Chavrie)
• 1 1/4 cup skim milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft;  about 5 minutes.  Add spinach and pepper.  Cook for 3 minutes until heated through.  Add goat cheese and stir until cheese is incorporated.  Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat eggs and skim milk.  Slowly add flour and whisk until incorporated. Stir in soda, salt and pepper.
3. Add cooled spinach mixture to the egg mixture;  stir until fully combined.
4. Coat a  4 quart dish with cooking spray.  Pour mixture into dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

Makes 3  hearty servings.
Nutrition facts (calculated using calorieking.com):  292 calories, 12 grams fat, 5 grams fiber, 19 grams protein and 29 grams carbohydrates.
POINTS value – 6

One big serving…

I paired it with a side of carrots and hummus…

Later, I had a CranBran Vitatop for a snack before running an errand…

Mmm…I have to remember those aren’t just for breakfast!

Dinner was a leftover slice of homemade veggie pizza from Friday night and a side salad…

I snuck in another cup before bed – decaf Christmas Blend.  Yum!

Total – 23 POINTS

Can’t wait to hit the Arc Trainer in the morning!  Have a great day, everyone!

A special THANK YOU to Becca at Becca’s Journey for the Sunshine Award!  I really appreciate it!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

I wanted nothing but carbs all day!  It was one of those days.  I’m not gonna boo-hoo about it.  In reviewing my day, I realize what my trigger was – poor sleep.  It was a loud, stormy night and on top of that, little daughter was up about 3 different times.  And when she would settle in, then the husband would be up, tossing and turning!  Needless to say, we were all a little bit unhappy when morning came

I had to be at the dentist first thing, so I quickly ate a Cranbran Vitatop, brushed and was off to have my crown put on…

The dentist visit went well and fairly painless.  I love my dentist!  And I’m sure he loves me right back.  Since I have been his patient, I’m pretty certain that his children will be able to go to an Ivy League college.  I have the worst teeth

I came home , fixed some French press coffee and finished up my latest Examiner article.  Before I knew it, it was time for lunch.  I was way past hungry at this point and really wanted a big, carby, bready something or other, but decided I should eat up the leftovers instead.  I made an open -faced omelet with egg whites and leftover veggie casserole…

Not too pretty, right?  It tasted good, but I hate when my food doesn’t look as good as it tastes!  I really do eat with my eyes first!

Lunch left me unsatisfied though.  I definitely felt satisfied stomach-wise, but I was still yearning for something else.  I think it was because I didn’t go for what I wanted originally.  Note to self:  This was a PRIME example of an opportunity to use my flashcards to distract myself  or make myself aware of the cravings- driven moment.

Yeah, well, that didn’t happen.

But, a Pumpkin Oat Bran muffin happened…

Then, 3 gigantic handfuls of the freshest, tastiest, saltiest chips ever (that went undocumented) happened, too.  You know, the grease …and the salt…yeah, I didn’t want to get it on the camera

So, I kinda reeled it in for dinner with a healthy Turkey Taco Salad that I wasn’t entirely hungry for but,  I nibbled through about half of it…

Later,  I decided I had to have a homemade peanut butter cookie…

and in the spirit of the wonderful children’s book, If You Give A Mom Mouse A Cookie…

She’ll want another one to go with it…

A stellar 36 POINT day. 

ONE GOOD THING:  I acknowledged, I tracked and I will hopefully be more aware next time and not give in to my tired and cranky cravings.   No biggie;  it’s just one day.  And I want to keep it that way.  Moving on…

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you eat with your eyes first?  Do you think your food tastes better when it looks “pretty”?

I got a note from The Universe…

Expectation that’s not followed by action is not expectation… it’s just hoping; and hoping has never achieved very much.

Cool, huh?  And pretty timely

***

I was looking forward to some running action this morning!  It was finally warm enough for me to brave the outdoors.  I can do 30 degrees and sunny, but I’m a wuss for anything colder.  I headed to the trail near my house and got to it.

The mind of a wanna-be runner:

First ten minutes:  “Wow, this is hard today.”
End of first mile:  “ It’s okay to just do 2 miles.  You can even walk if you want.  No, don’t walk!  You know you can run it;  just hang in there.”
Midway through mile 2: “Try to push a little harder.  Run faster so you can be done faster!”
End of mile 2:  “Hey, you’re almost done!  You can do one more mile, it’s not that bad.”
Midway through mile 3:  “ Only a little more to go!  You’re in such a nice groove now.  This is easy!”
Finish at 3.1 miles:  “Yeah, baby!  See, aren’t you glad you didn’t quit early ?!”

That’s the conversation I have with myself almost every time!  I always want to quit, but end up pushing past the feeling.  I’m so glad when I finish.  My time is getting a little better, too – 35 minutes!

I brought a dashboard breakfast to eat in the car after my run…

Then stopped off for some errands and some ‘bucks.  Instead of a latte, I tried out a tall nonfat Caffe Misto – only 1 POINT…

Once home, I cleaned up and made some lunch.  Still working on some leftovers, I made a turkey quesadilla using 3 oz. turkey breast, 1 oz. Cabot’s 75% reduced fat cheddar, baby spinach, roasted peppers and a high-fiber tortilla(store brand)…

with a yummy Gala on the side…

Today, I was ready for snack time!  Yesterday’s snack was just perfect, so I went for a replay…

I had planned on Sliders and Fries for the husband and daughters for dinner.  I wasn’t sure if it would be a good use of my POINTS, so I thought about eating something else.  But, the more looked at them, the more I thought that I might want to eat them!  So, instead of making something else and then end up nibbling on their dinner (which inevitably happens!), I decided to work them into my day!

  I thought about what I really wanted.  Those little soft buns seemed to be the most tempting of it all, but the burgers themselves were pretty hefty POINTS-wise (4 pt. for 1 little guy).  I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be satisfied with eating just one slider, so I made it work by cutting the burger patty in half cross-wise to make 2 burgers.  All so that I could eat those 2 little buns!  LOL!  I decided to forego having the fries and made a salad with 2 tsp. olive oil and the good balsamic vinegar…

Perfect!  And exactly what I wanted, so I wasn’t looking to nosh on anything afterward

GTG – Day 2:
Total:  23 POINTS

Yay!!

I know I said today, but really…giveaway tomorrow! 

And before I go, thank you to Margo for a Beautiful Blogger Award!

So nice;  I really appreciate it!  I’m sending it out to all of you!

Have a great day, everyone!