Ég gerði mistök

I fell off the wagon. Well, actually it wasn't a fall it was more of a graceful swan dive from the platform of health and weight loss into an insanely deep pool of fast food and weight gain. I doggie paddled around for 2 weeks and I just now decided that I had swam enough and have gotten out of the pool to dry off. Hopefully, I won't take another Olympic Gold Medal worthy dive back into that bitch.

Naturally I don't have any pictures of the food I've been eating because we all know what McDonald's and bottles of Mountain Dew look like. In case you're confused or you're not sure; I've provided examples below.




Yup...that's what my last 2 weeks have been. Nasty, artery clogging, weight gaining, goodness. Oddly enough, I haven't really gained any weight. I'm fairly sure it was just dumb luck.....

I'm back on it now...I'm back to eating healthy, drinking nothing but water and I'm going to add exercise to my daily (okay, maybe not daily) routine. I'm determined to get this done. I'm tired of being the fat friend....someone else can have that role.

Cas and I are also going to start a 30 Day No Fast Food Challenge. We're going to go the entire month of September without eating anything that isn't cooked at home. We say fast food but we mean any restaurant....be it O'Charley's or Longhorn or Taco Bell. NOTHING.

I keep trying to think of something awesome and witty to put here but really I don't have anything. I'm at a total loss for words so let's just end this blog with something fun.


>>Alicia<<

Snack Find

I am always on the lookout for yummy snacks. Healthy yummy snacks that is. Fruit of course is one of the best. But what about the times when you are running out the door? Or running around with the kiddos? Its not that easy to break out an apple and slice it up for them..Strawberries don't keep for very long...and pears are generally along the same lines as apples. Dried fruit is always an option. It can be high in calories and sugar. This past week I was at the canned and dried fruit in the grocery store when I seen something I had never seen before. There were these packages called Crisps. They had different flavors so I bought a few bags to try. The fruit is freeze dried. It comes in 3 flavors that I seen. Asian Pear, strawberry bananas and Fuji apples. I grabbed one of each flavor. They were all really good and very low in calories. The lowest was 35 the highest was 45. They were crispy and sweet. I enjoyed them so much I bought more.. So if you see them out there at the grocery store grab some if your looking for a tasty on the go snack.

3 Days of Food!

So I haven't posted my meals for the past few days. It's not that I forgot or I've already slacked off. Actually, I don't get off of work till 8:00pm so by the time I get home, eat dinner and get a chance to actually rest....it's 10:00pm or so. At that point I don't feel like dragging out the laptop and writing up a post. With that being said, the food journal will still be around and I'll still post about what I eat but it won't be every day. I'm thinking of making it every 3 days or so...but we'll see. Now....

ON TO THE FOOD!!!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sunday's are my total "indulgence" days. It's also the day that the hubby and I go to his mom's & aunt's for dinner and spend the day with them. I decided when I started my diet that Sunday's would be the day that I wouldn't worry about eating healthy or counting points or anything that had to do with "diet." Matt's mom & aunt cook some great food and I didn't want them to suddenly be concerned with keeping it healthy or making something I can eat. They already worry about what they cook. No matter how much they cook; it isn't "enough." So, this past Sunday we had hot dogs, hamburgers, potatoes baked in butter/salt/pepper and home made coleslaw.

I know it shows a lot on my plate but the truth is I only ate the hot dog and about half the potatoes. The rest was packed up and I ate it for dinner that night. As always, his mom and aunt are great cooks.

Monday August 13, 2012

Breakfast

Breakfast today was a smoothie. I've been on a smoothie kick. I'm really determined to find one that is completely delicious and fits perfectly into a diet. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Silk Almond Milk: Vanilla & Unsweetened. I tried Almond Milk recently and I have to say I absolutely LOVE IT!! If you've never tried it, do. Just know that it doesn't taste like regular milk because, honestly, it doesn't come from the same place milk does....
• 1 Weight Watchers Point
• 1 Serving of Great Value Vanilla Pudding. Adding instant pudding was actually Cas's idea. She also said to put protein powder but considering I'm cheap and I couldn't find any that fit into my price range, I left it out. However, that is something you may want to add.
• 2 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Serving Laura Lynn Nonfat Greek Yogurt. It's the same brand of yogurt from the previous food post. I think this week I'll buy some flavored and see how that works.
• 2 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Cup of Dole Pre-Cut Strawberries, Bananas, & Peaches. This is in the frozen section and actually comes cut up small enough for smoothies. I think it even says on the bag that it's cut down for "Smoothie Size." 
• 0 Weight Watchers Points

This smoothie came out thick like a milkshake. It was really good and I had that thing devoured in no time. It tasted great and it actually keep me full till my first break at work. All this for only 5 Weight Watcher Points!!

Snack Time

On my first 15 minute break at work I had a snack of a cheese stick and a beef jerky. It was a nice snack and it kept me full until my lunch at 4:00pm. Speaking of snack, I found these great snacks from Quaker that are only 2 Weight Watcher Points per pack. I'll be doing a journal entry on these later this week so stay tuned!

Lunch

For lunch that day I a sandwich wrap. It was turkey, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and cheese in a whole wheat tortilla.

In the picture, you see 2 sandwich wraps but I only ate one. Apparently I wasn't as hungry as I had originally thought.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Whole Wheat Tortilla. I still don't know what brand is in my fridge...lol
• 2 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/2 Tbsp of Mustard. 
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/8 Cup of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese. 
• 1 Weight Watchers Points
• 2 Cups of Romaine Lettuce. I'm still in love with romaine lettuce!!
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Cup of Tomatoes.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 2 oz of Honey Turkey. Any brand is fine, just make sure you follow the serving size. The brand I used is Carl Budding.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/2 Tbsp Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points

This lunch was good but not great. I think it would have been better if I had heated up the lunch meat a little bit first. However, it did fill me up and I wasn't hungry again till I got home that night. The great thing about the whole wheat tortillas is that you can literally put ANYTHING in them and make a tasty and delicious wrap. The wrap came in at a total of 3 Weight Watchers Points.

Dinner

Dinner that night was spaghetti with whole wheat noodles, lean ground beef, mushrooms and spaghetti sauce. I was pretty hungry when it got done cooking....I ended up eating it without taking a picture. Sorry!! LOL

Ingredients:

• 1 Serving of Mushrooms. We generally go with the canned mushrooms. 
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Serving 86%/14% Lean Ground Beef. I know beef isn't the best thing for you but if you make it lean and don't eat it constantly then you will be okay. 
• 5 Weight Watchers Points
• 2 Servings of Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles. These noodles cost me a lot of points but they were really good and, in the end, worth it to me.
• 10 Weight Watchers Points
• 3 Servings of Del Monte Traditional Spaghetti Sauce. 
• 5 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Oz. of Parmesan Cheese.
• 3 Weight Watchers Points.

Like I said earlier, I forgot to take a picture but this dinner was really filling and I actually felt like I had ate too much. The meal did cost me a total of 23 Weight Watchers Points. However, dinner is the only full meal I usually eat. During the day I try to keep my breakfast and lunch small and have a nice dinner. If I blow breakfast or lunch then I make it up by having a smaller dinner. 

Tuesday August 14, 2012

Breakfast

Breakfast was.....a smoothie! I'm still on my smoothie kick and I don't see it ending any time soon. This smoothie was changed a little. As you'll see in the ingredients below.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Serving Laura Lynn NonFat Greek Yogurt. This morning I just went with half of the container. I know I only listed less than that, but I'll explain why later.
• 1 Weight Watchers Point
• 1/2 Serving Dole Strawberries, Bananas, & Peaches. 
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/2 Serving Silk Almond Milk, Vanilla/Unsweetened.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/4 Cups Oats, Old Fashioned & Uncooked. 
• 2 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/4 Serving Instant Vanilla Pudding.
• 1 Weight Watchers Point

I just threw all of the ingredients into the cup for the Magic Bullet and mixed. I actually used half a serving of everything listed except for the Almond Milk and the Dole Fruit. The oatmeal gave it a nice taste and made me feel fuller quicker. I actually only drank half of it and was absolutely stuffed. It had a great taste and a nice texture. It wasn't as thick as the one from Monday but I think I enjoyed this one better. It cost me a total of 4 Weight Watchers Points and is something I will make again.

Snack Time

My break time snack today was actually the same as yesterday. Sargento Colby-Jack Cheese Sticks and a Jack's Links Beef Jerky. YUMMY!

Lunch

Lunch today was a total cheat day. It wasn't suppose to be a indulgence meal but I am out of stuff for my lunches and I just haven't made it by the grocery store yet. I know, I know. I need to quit being so lazy and go. 

I had a McDonald's Premium Salad: Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken. The salad was delicious and kept me full until I got home. The salad cost me a total of 6 Weight Watchers Points. The salad dressing, however, was not so friendly. I got a little greedy and got 2 packages of Newman's Own Caesar Dressing. Those 2 packages cost me 10 Weight Watchers Points. I wasn't happy about that at all. It cost me greatly to go out. A total of 16 Weight Watchers Points. UGH!!!

Dinner

Dinner tonight was another chicken salad....and I forgot to take the picture again. I'm so forgetful once I get home in the evenings. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Romaine Lettuce.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 3 Oz. of Skinless, Boneless Chicken. You can use any boneless, skinless chicken. Matt and I have became HUGE fans of Ingles frozen chicken tenders. They are quick and easy to thaw out & cook and taste great!
• 3 Weight Watchers Points
• 1 Cup Tomatoes - chopped.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/2 Cup Cucumber - chopped.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 1/8 Onions - chopped.
• 0 Weight Watchers Points
• 2 Tbsp Light Caeser Dressing. Any brand will do...I have this brand called Maple Grove Farms. It's usually on sale and tastes wonderful.
• 2 Weight Watchers Points

Dinner tonight was a small chicken salad that cost me a total of 5 Weight Watchers Points. The salad was delicious but as I write ALL of this, I'm hungry again. I should have made the salad a bit bigger or fixed something to go with it. It is something I'll have again because salads are a great staple to my diet.

There you go! Everything I had to eat for the past 3 days! I will be doing a post about the snacks I mentioned above. Again, they are by Quaker and only cost 2 Weight Watchers Points and they are also 90 Calories a pack. So check back in a few days and see what else I've had to eat. Also, this week I will do a post for my weekly weigh in. I'll let you know what I lost and how much more I have to go.

Until next time.....

Alicia

Chocolate Chip Banana Baked Oatmeal

Hi this is Cas. I haven't posted yet because I am currently pregnant with my 3rd baby so I am not dieting. However that does not mean that I can't eat healthy.  Since I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old I am always looking for healthy recipes we can all enjoy. So far I haven't been very successful at getting them to eat oatmeal. To be honest I myself have a hard time with it too. Because I want the sticky sweet kind my Mom used to make. You know the kind...lots of butter, sugar and whole milk. Which you know kind of takes the point out of oatmeal being good for you. I mean it supposed to be in there fighting to help your cholesterol...but after you add all that other stuff I am pretty sure it just gives up. I have had the recipe for a while. Before pinterest came along I just kept a big file of recipes here on my computer. I am not sure who to give credit to but these were good. I made them with hope that it would be something I would like as well as my kids.. and I wasn't disappointed. My kids ate them and loved them.. I loved them..and then my picky husband even liked them. So this is an all around winner. The good thing is these can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or freezer..just microwave till warm.

Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Singles
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 ¼ cups skim milk
¾ c mashed bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist 18 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, egg, mashed banana, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until blended together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the oatmeal mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake uncovered for 18-22 minutes or until oatmeal is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Yields 18 oatmeal singles. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 3 per single

 127 calories, 22g carbs, 4 g fat, 3 g protein, 2 g fiber

A Day of Food....8/11/12

Breakfast

Breakfast today was a smoothie. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ingredients that I wanted/needed to make a really good smoothie but I think I did great with what I had.

Ingredients

  1 1Cup Unsweetened Frozen Mixed Berries. I used the Ingles store brand or Laura Lynn.

v  1 Weight Watcher Point.

          1 Container of Nonfat, Unsweetened Greek Yogurt. This is also the Laura Lynn brand (see a trend?) and the whole container is considered 1 serving.

v   2 Weight Watcher Points.

   1 Tablespoon of Honey. Again, Laura Lynn brand.

v  2 Weight Watcher Points.

  A splash of Vanilla Extract. This was the Dollar Store brand. See? I don’t buy JUST Laura Lynn.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

  Ice and water. The amount you use is really your choice. I used about ½ a cup of water and about 5/6 ice cubes.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

I just put all of this into my Magic Bullet, blended well and enjoyed!

Don’t make fun, those things are amazing. BEST. PRESENT. EVER.

This mixed berry smoothie was only 5 Weight Watcher Points for the whole glass. It tasted really good and filled me up really well. I was starting to get hungry again after a 1.5 hours but I think that’s because I didn’t put any kind of protein powder or anything to keep the “full feeling.” It’s definitely something I will tweak the recipe on and try again.

Lunch

Lunch was tuna salad on a bed of romaine lettuce, drizzled in light caser dressing and a single serving of pretzels.

Ingredients

  1/2 Cup of tomatoes. Any tomato will work.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

   2 Slices of Onion. Again, any onion will work.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

  1 Serving of Rold Gold Pretzels (17 Pretzels).

v  3 Weight Watcher Points

  1 ½ Serving or 3/4 a can of Bumble Bee Tuna, Chunk style, in Water.

v  3 Weight Watcher Points

  3 Leaves of Romaine Lettuce. You can use any lettuce you want but I love, love, love Romaine Lettuce.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

   2 Servings of Breckenridge Farms Sweet Pickle Relish. You can use any brand, this is just what I had in the fridge.

v  1 Weight Watcher Point

  2 Tbsp Marzetti Refrigerated Light Cesar dressing.

v  2 Weight Watcher Points

   1/2 Cup of Cucumber.

v  0 Weight Watcher Points

  1 Tbsp Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise. I’m not a big mayo fan but this stuff is GOOD!!

v  1 Weight Watchers Point

I put the tuna, mayo, relish, tomato and onion in the magic bullet and blended it till it was real fine. I then put the lettuce on my place, topped with cucumbers, the tuna salad and then the dressing on top! With the pretzels on the side it was a great lunch. It tasted great, filled me up and only cost me 10 Weight Watcher Points. This is definitely something I’ll make again….as soon as I buy more tuna.

Dinner

Dinner was late that night….really late. My husband wrestles every other weekend. When I say wrestle I mean like what you see in WWE or TNA. Grown men, in spandex, playing pretend. Yeah….anyway, he didn’t get home till 12:30 so dinner was actually on Sunday but I counted it in with my Saturday points.

For dinner we had chicken breasts in all natural salsa & topped with mozzarella cheese.  Now, below I will show you the points for an entire 26oz jar of the salsa but I didn’t eat the entire thing by myself….I had help.   :)

Ingredients

   Chicken Breasts – Boneless/Skinless. Any brand will work as long as it is boneless and skinless.

v  6 Weight Watcher Points

  1 Jar (16oz or more. I used a 26oz jar) of All Natural Mild Chunky Salsa. You can use Medium or Hot flavors if you want but I’m not a fan of spicy food so we always use Mild in my house.

v  5 Weight Watcher Points

  1/4 Cup Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

v  2 Weight Watcher Points

  1 Serving of Old El Paso Fat Free Refried Beans.

v  2 Weight Watcher Points

  1 Serving Kraft Fat Free Sour Cream. There are several brands but Kraft was on sale...I can’t pass up a sale.

v  1 Weight Watcher Point

  1 1/2 Whole Wheat Tortilla. Again, any brand is fine. I can’t even remember what brand I currently have in my fridge…

v  4 Weight Watcher Points

To make this dish; pour half the jar of salsa into a baking dish, add the chicken breasts and top them with the other half of the jar. Cook at 350F for 1 hour. When it was done, I topped each breast with 1 serving of mozzarella cheese and put back in the stove till the cheese melted. I served each breast topped with salsa from the pan and I put some sour cream on mine. I heated up the tortillas in the oven and basically used them to make little refried beans & salsa “tacos” to go with the chicken. It was a great dish, really filling and came in at a total of 17 Weight Watcher Points.

That was all I had to eat on Saturday. I drank nothing but water and had the food listed. I wasn’t starving in between meals and I used a total of 32 Weight Watcher Points which left me with 12 Weight Watcher Points left over at the end of the day. Tomorrow is my weekly weigh in and it’s also my cheat day….or as Cas calls it, “indulgence.”

For those wondering, I use Sunday as an “Indulgence Day” because that’s when we have dinner with my in-law’s and they cook some great, fatty meals.  So instead of driving myself or anyone else insane by trying to actually keep track of points or anything I just let it go for the day.

Until tomorrow….

»Alicia«

It All Starts With One Step....

....or in this case, one bite.

I've always struggled with my weight. I remember being a small child and feeling like I was fat. As I got older, the weight added up. All through high school I never weighed more than 175lbs. I don't know if that was because of my teenage metabolism, how active I was or the hard drugs I was doing (seriously...don't do drugs). Regardless, I never gained weight. Shortly after high school I met the man who would become my husband. We had totally different eating habits and I found myself adapting what I ate to be more consistent with what he ate. Next thing I knew, I was over 200lbs. Fast forward 8 years and I'm currently 277lbs. At 5'7", I don't look like I should weight that much but I do. That's where this comes in. I started Weight Watchers (WW) about 2 months ago and I've had some great success. I've lost almost 10lbs and I plan on dropping a lot more.

This blog sprang forth from Cas and I texting (like we always do) and the idea came around to start this food journal. On here we will log every meal eaten along with pictures and information on ingredients, serving sizes and even total WW points. If this thing takes off and becomes fairly popular then we'll entertain the idea of posting YouTube videos twice a week. We'll also share any ideas or tips we have on weight loss and just personal thoughts for the day. I know, personally, I'll eventually include a before, during and (hopefully) after pictures. I want to share my journey from fat to fit with the world.

Please.....be gentle.

-Alicia