I woke up feeling ungroovy.  Seems the daughters have spread the wealth and I got their colds.  So far, it doesn’t seem too bad;  just lots of honkin’ the horn.  I’m bolstered up with vitamin C and loads of water, so I hope to be better quick

Despite having a cold, I have had a crazy appetite.  One minute I don’t feel hungry at all and the next minute, I feel like I can’t get food fast enough!  Weird!

Breakfast was a not-so-hungry moment, so I just went with a Buttermilk Banana Oat Muffin and orange slices…

I baked these muffins yesterday and they are so moist and sweet.  They were inspired by Chari’s Healthy Buttermilk Banana Muffins. I was wondering what to do with the buttermilk I had in the fridge and came across this perfect recipe!   I changed them up a little by using a combination of oat bran and whole wheat pastry flour and substituted cinnamon.  They were so sweet , due to my bananas being very overripe, that I think the sugar could have been reduced to 1/3 cup without affecting the sweetness or moisture. 

Buttermilk Banana Oat Muffins

• 1 cup oat bran
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed overripe banana (about 2 large)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix wet ingredients and add to dry;  stir until fully incorporated.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Fill with batter about 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

Nutritional facts per muffin (calculated using www.calorieking.com) :  101 calories, 1 gram fat, 16 mg. cholesterol, 97 mg. sodium, 23 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 11 grams sugar and 3 grams protein.
POINTS value:  2

*****

I wasn’t feeling the exercise thing, so I decided to take a rest day.  I was still sore from more shoveling yesterday and I did some yoga in the evening, too.  Double exercise + sick = rest day

Lunch was another recipe gleaned from blog friends!  This is why I love blogs!!  So many recipes…so little time !  This one hails from Eat. Sleep.Get Fit  for Twisted Tuna Salad. I saw tuna and cream cheese and I was sold!  I added my own twists, just like Dana.

Here was my version of Tuna Salad for one:

• 1 (5 oz.) can solid white albacore tuna in water, drained
• 2 tbsp. light cream cheese, softened
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. shredded carrot
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp. diced english cucumber
• 2 tbsp. diced celery
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
• s + p to taste

Ah-mazing!

I served it with a toasted WW whole wheat pita and a side of carrots…

A very filling lunch.  Necessary, since I was having the can’t-get-food-fast-enough moment

I managed to get myself out to run some errands.  The light….it’s so bright…. ;P

Then, retreated to my cave.  With tissues.  Honk, honk.

Pizza night at the household is turning into Pepperoni Bread Night.  The husband and daughters requested this and NO PIZZA!  They must have fevers.

I de-germified myself as best I could, made some dough and cranked out 2 pepperoni breads.  I wasn’t feeling all that hungry, so I decided to have some Progresso soup for my dinner…

I added baby spinach for freshness…

But then, I heard the call of the cheesy dough…

And I answered it.  Twice

Can’t wait for bed.  honk. honk. 

Total – 24 POINTS

Have a great day, everyone!

Valentine’s Day Poll:  Love it or Hate it ?

Hi guys!  Hope everyone’s weekend is going well

It is bitter cold here! 

(source)

Brrrrrrrrrr!

I had to get a move on this morning.  Little daughter had a church ceremony at 10:30, so it was up, shower, get everyone dressed and have a quick breakfast.  I wasn’t in the mood for a traditional breakfast.  I rummaged around the fridge and decided on a taco tortilla roll-up using leftover taco-seasoned ground turkey breast, 2 % cheese and a small La Tortilla Factory tortilla…

Delish!

Even in a hurry, I always make time for the press…

Isn’t Fletcher cute?

We got home from church just in time for lunch.  This cold weather (17 degrees!) definitely called for something warm and comforting to eat.  I chose this Progresso Vegetable Classics French Onion soup from the pantry…

But, what is French Onion Soup without the cheesy bread topper, right?  I made a mock version by toasting an Arnold Sandwich Thin, then topping it with a slice of lowfat Swiss cheese and running it under the toaster oven broiler.  It was perfect for my big bowl of soup…

A little while later, I fixed up a yogurt bowl…

• 6 oz. plain nonfat Chobani yogurt
• 1/8 tsp. NuStevia (from packet)
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup Yogi Granola Crisps (Mountain Blueberry Flax)

Those Yogi Granola Crisps rock!

It was a nice relaxing afternoon of watching mindless TV (Real Housewives and Worst Cooks In America) and looking out the window at SNOW!!!  UGH! 

I kept the relax theme for dinner.  I decided on pancakes, bacon and sliced apples.  Normally, I don’t do pancakes because I find they are not filling enough, but I chose to indulge in them this time.  Instead of syrup, I topped my pancakes with PB2 drizzle.  YUM!

Isn’t that bacon weird??  Tasted better than it looks

I was a total slug in the exercise department.  Translation:  NONE.  It’s been 2 days of NONE.  So unlike me, but I feel like I’m in an exercise funk.  Not in the mood to run, not in the mood for the gym, not in the mood for sweating or soreness.  I need to snap out of it and find something new and exciting.  I have a few ideas.  One thing is a challenge!  Mary at Fit This Girl is doing a Legs Do It Challenge for the month of February.  My lower half could definitely use the work!

Total for the day – 23 POINTS

ONE GOOD THING:  I am so thankful for a warm house. 

Have a great day, everyone!

I’m still on a roll with the whole carb craving thing.  I just decided to go with it to see if it would keep me from going overboard.  I have to say it was hard.  The “wanna be healthy” side of me likes to be sure to get in my fruits, veggies and eat an all around good diet.  But, the “wanna be fat and who cares” side of me said “screw it” and just eat what you want.  I tried to listen to both sides (boy, I sure sound crazy with the whole “voices” thing) and do a little of both.

First, a run was in order.  Let me say that I was in NO MOOD to run today.  I wasn’t feeling it at all and was pretty much talking myself out of doing anything more than a mile. But, I got myself out the door and drove to a trail that I haven’t been to in a while.  I pulled in the parking lot, got in a space,  looked to the car parked across from me and saw this…

Can you believe that???  If you’re new to this blog, you have to check out this blog post!  How can I mess with divine intervention?

So, I ran 3 miles.  This run was a good one.  I took about 5 minutes to warm up by walking, then took off for the run.  I think it helped my legs;  they didn’t feel like lead while I ran.  I didn’t eat before either, only took a few sips of water, but didn’t konk out like I normally do.  Actually, I probably could have run longer, but my head got tired before my legs did.  I just felt a little bored with it today.  I gotta get some new tunes;  that might help!

I came home and fixed up a Mock Egg McMuffin for breakfast…

I had some errands to run and a little housework.  Later, I heated up some Progresso Chicken and Dumplings soup for lunch.  I added some fresh spinach for an extra dose of veggies…

I was not a fan of this one.  It definitely had that “canned soup” taste to it.  So far, my favorite has been the Chicken Noodle!

I made a turkey, guacamole  and whole wheat bagel sandwich to go with my soup…

After lunch, I picked up the daughters and headed to little daughter’s dance class.   I munched on some Goldfish on the way to class (forgot my camera ), probably about 1/2 cup worth.

We got home right at dinner time and unfortunately, I had no planned meal.  I dug in the freezer for “quick and easy”.   The family was thrilled with my choice:  Sliders and Fries!  And because I felt a little too lazy to come up with something different for myself, I went with this lovely dinner, too!

My completely-devoid-of-any-nutrition dinner…

Well okay, the orange counts as some nutrition…

And I have to say, that was the best tasting part!  I think I’m ready to be done with the ultra carbs and junky food.  I need some veg!

Total : 21 POINTS

Have a great day, everyone!