Hi guys!!  Thanks for your supportive comments on my last post.  I know many of you could relate to the holiday food struggle.  I was a little harder on myself than I have been in a while.  I have learned so much and moved forward in dealing with emotional eating in many ways that it was defeating to take such a big step backward. 

The difference this time is that I didn’t stay in that negative place for too long.  I have collected a strong arsenal of tools the past few months to help pull me back together and back on track of eating mindfully.  I’m using those tools and, in some areas, starting at the beginning to familiarize myself with the processes again.  I’m calling it a “reboot”!

Starting my day off with a good breakfast is the first step in a reboot!  Boy, for a few days there, cookies were becoming my breakfast of choice.   I’m happy to say that all cookies have left the building.  Sayonara! 

And eggs and veggies have reappeared …

Scrambled egg whites, baby spinach and sauteed mushrooms topped with lite mozzarella along with a slice of Ezekiel toast …

Breakfast of champs.

I wasn’t much in the mood for exercise today.  I normally take the weekend off from formal exercise, but decided I could use a dose of sweating.  I headed to the basement and did an easy 25 minutes on the elliptical with a few crunches thrown in at the end.  Workouts are often hard to start, but I’m always glad to get them done.  You never regret a workout!

After getting worked up at big daughter’s basketball game, I came home for lunch.  The fridge and pantry were in need of a restock, but I managed to put together a decent lunch.  Turkey, hummus and baby spinach on an Ezekiel sesame bun  …

Along with carrots and a beautiful red pear …

Reacquainting with my hunger cues has been really hard the past few days.  It’s amazing how quickly I got back into being snacky in the afternoon.  I have to constantly check in with myself to discern whether I’m experiencing true hunger or just having  food thoughts.  Today was one of those food thought days, so I worked myself out of those and focused on other tasks that needed to get done.

Before I knew it, it was time for dinner!  I’ve been feeling like I’m coming down with a cold or something for the past few days.  I keep downing Vitamin C tablets, B12 and doing the neti pot to try to outrun it.  A big bowl of soup couldn’t hurt either, right?

Chicken soup is supposed to be good for the soul, but I think  Lentil Pastina Soup is even better!  I made a big vat of it on New Years’ Day;  swapping out the pastina for a hearty whole wheat elbow pasta for this batch.  So hearty and nourishing!

Served with roasted sweet potatoes for a little extra Vitamin C and beta carotene …

Do your work Vitamins and give this cold the boot!

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite remedy for warding off a cold?  I’m a big fan of the neti pot!  If I hit it at the right time, it often kicks my cold to the curb or at least, shortens the duration of it!

Glad you all liked The 100 Workout!  It’s amazing how that seemingly “not too bad” workout can whip your butt!  LOL!  Did you know there is also a 200 Workout?  Yeah, we won’t even go there.

So, I’ve been rummaging around the freezer trying to make use of what’s hidden in that deep abyss under mass quantities of bread and ice cream.  I came across a serving of Crockpot Steel Cut Oats and thought it would make a nice change of pace for breakfast today.

I nuked up my bowl with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze to cream it back up and topped it with 1/2 banana (5 PP) …

Very nice!

Guess what I needed to do after breakfast…

Actually, the folding had to wait.  I made a trip to the dentist to get a long-overdue cavity filled.  I kept putting it off (for a year ) and finally caved to getting it filled.

I spent the next 3 hours talking like I had a wad of food in my mouth.  Why can’t they figure out a way to reverse the numbness when you’re done?! 

Speaking of food, nothing keeps me from eating, so novocaine or not, I fixed up lunch.

Again from the deep freeze came the last Cheesy Quinoa Burger sandwiched between two thick slices of tomato and topped with a dollop of guacamole (5 PP) …

I LOVE these burgers and can’t wait to make more!  Thanks for a great “keeper” recipe, Tami!

I served my burger with leftover roasted potatoes and a side of fruit (4 PP) …

Uh….still there….

After lunch, the novocaine had finally completely worn off.  I was feeling more life myself, so I popped on running shoes and headed to the treadmill for a run.  I finished up 3.01 miles still sticking with 3:1 intervals on the GYMBOSS …

I wasn’t very hungry for an afternoon snack today and decided to go for an earlier dinner instead of forcing down a snack.

Another “last of” – Greek Turkey Burger with Laughing Cow Cheese and baby spinach on a sesame Ezekiel hamburger bun  (9 PP)…

Served with a big salad of romaine, cukes from the garden, tomato, red onion and shaved asiago (which I’m kind of obsessed with lately) dressed with oil and vinegar (3 PP) …

All clear …

I’m working on my “no- sugar rules” post and will have that up next week.  So far, things are going well, but I’ll share with you more about my experience next week!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Do you visit the dentist regularly or do you avoid it for as long as possible?  I have had tragic dental experiences so I used to avoid going like the plague.  Now I have a great dentist that “understands” my teeth and I go much more regularly.  And because I do, his kids will now get to go to an Ivy League college and have royal weddings

No weather excuses this morning.  It was a beautiful one…

Time for a run!

Oddly, since I haven’t ran in a week, I actually felt a little apprehensive.  Almost like I might “forget” how to do it!  I headed to the local track, set my GYMBOSS for 3:1 intervals and off I went.  No forgetting!  It was a nice 4.29 mile run

I came home and inhaled a bowl of summer…

• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 3 drops NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 diced peach

I promise there was yogurt under there!

We headed to church as a family and ran a few errands, then settled in for lunch. 

I went simple – grilled chicken sandwich with roasted pepper and artichoke tapenade, cheese on an Ezekiel bun…

Missing some baby spinach   Gotta hit up the store tomorrow!

Carrots made an appearance though…

The husband picked ripe plums from our Newport plum tree and has been raving about them!  I finally gave them a try for a snack…

He was right!  They are delish

I grilled up a variety of turkey burgers tonight that no one is gonna eat but me for future meals.  I decided on the Italian Turkey Burger…

• 6 oz. ground turkey breast
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. water

Mix ingredients until well combined.  Makes 2 patties.

I turned it into Italian Turkey Burger Parmesan by topping it with marinara and a lite mozzarella string cheese…

On the side, a Warm 4 Bean Salad …

• 1 lb. cooked green beans
• 1 can Trader Joe’s Marinated Bean Salad , mostly drained
• 1/3 cup sliced red onion
• 2 oz. crumbled lite feta cheese

Easy and delicious!

Off to watch Bethenny get marrried!

Have a great day, everyone!

What fruit says “summer” to you?