BFD and Weighing In

It’s Friday Eve!  I don’t know about you all, but I am so excited for the weekend!  I have a busy day at work tomorrow, so I know it will go by quickly!  Yay for being busy!

I just got home from teaching my 5th Zumba class in 5 days!  Whew!  That’s a lot, but I love it.  It’s been a busy week but lots of fun dancing with all sorts of people.  It’s so inspiring to help people reach their fitness goals in such a fun way. 

Speaking of goals…

Our Dance Fitness Company is starting a weight loss challenge this week.  I decided to weigh in and participate, too. 

If you have been reading for a while, you know that I went through a lifestyle change a few years ago.  When I had my little girl, I was overweight, out of shape.  I decided that was no way to live.  I committed myself to regular exercise and changed my eating habits.  I am proud to say I have mostly maintained the 40 pounds I lost (within 5-10 pounds), but I am not at the end of my journey.  I really want to kick it back into high gear.  I’ve been really careful to track everything I eat and I have made an extra effort to be more active.  That means more running, walking, weights, and extra Zumba classes.  So I hope you’ll continue on the journey with me.  Do any of you have weight loss goals you’re trying to achieve?  Or eating habits you are trying to change?

I recently read this post by one of my favorite bloggers, Andie.  Andie lost over 100 pounds and she writes this amazing blog.  She’s such a talented writer.  Anyway, when I read this post, it was eye-opening to me.  I think so often the word “diet” means packaged foods like Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones or 100-calorie packs.  Now, I have eaten my fair share of those things.  But I also think that they prevent you from learning how to eat food that is good for you.  Like Andie says, you have to learn how to savor your food and enjoy it.  And make sure what you choose to eat is worth it!  Read this post about weight maintenance and see what you think.  I am trying to cut back on processed foods. 

Tonight when I got home from Zumba, I was hungry!  I didn’t plan ahead, so I went with what was quick and easy: Breakfast for Dinner (BFD)

• scrambled eggs
• vegetarian “sausage patties”
• Trader Joe’s grilled asparagus

This asparagus was delicious!  Better than any other frozen asparagus I have ever bought!

And then I had a few minutes to spend with my munchkin before it was time for her to go to bed.

Speaking of my munchkin, how about this funny little picture?

She was definitely up to something, don’t you think???

Hello, friends!  Happy Saturday!  I don't know about you all, but I was really ready for the weekend!  I think I was spoiled by my nice winter vacation.  The past 2 days have been filled with lots of good food, dancing, food-shopping, adventures on the scale, and some nice down time.  I hope you all are enjoying your weekend, too!

Last time I posted, I was talking about the scale and how I was... um... not so eager to get on it.  But I did.  And today I went to do my first official weigh-in of 2011.  (I tried to go on Thursday but the line was CRAZY long!)  Well, I got it over with.  I went in knowing I was up, but now I can move forward and get back down!  I picked up lots of reading material relating to the new Points Plus program, plus a new Points Plus calculator. 

I've done loads of dancing this weekend already!  Last night I went to a Dance Out class with Queen City Dance Out!  That was tons of fun.  When it was over, I headed over to the Epicenter to Whiskey River for a Master Class with the new Zumba Education Specialist, Loretta!  She will be doing all the training for Zumba instructors in North and South Carolina.  That was a blast.  It was so much fun to have a Zumba class at a nightclub.  I have heard of people going to classes at clubs, and always thought that would be fun.  It makes you feel like you're just dancing the night away with friends-- not exercising.  And I got to see Diana, too!After all that, I wasn't sure if my knees would let me go to Zumba with Katie this morning, but I made it!  (However, I will be taking a break until Monday!)

The latest news is that it may snow on Monday.  They are saying we could get 5 inches, which is a lot in the south.  So of course we had to go get our milk and bread!  :) 

And finally... for the food...

This morning, I had some almond butter toast, a fried egg (surprise!) and string cheese.  Almond butter is quickly becoming one of my favorite things!

For lunch, I decided to make a tortilla pizza with garlic, dried basil, roma tomatoes, and some of the perlini mozzarella I had left over.  It was so light and tasty!

This afternoon, I cooked a big pot of veggie soup.  I have not made this soup in a long time, and I don't know why!  This soup is a lifesaver.  I like to eat it before meals to get my veggies, but also because it keeps me from totally overeating.  It makes great snacks and lunches, too.  I follow this recipe, sometimes changing some of the veggies.  I left out the broccoli and cauliflower today, and I didn't have any swiss chard.  Other than that, I stuck to the recipe.  I do saute the onions and carrots a bit first before adding the broth and other veggies.

And finally... a taco salad tonight. 

Now, time for me to go snuggle with the hubs and the munchkin.  It's chilly!

Scared of... the Scale?

So, first I need to play a little game of catch-up.  I've been away from my blog for a few days.  Oh, how I miss those lovely winter vacation days...

As many of you know, I am participating in the Eat In Month Challenge.  The first couple of days were easy.  The past couple of days... eh... not so much. 

Let me take you back to Tuesday.  Tuesday was a special day: the Hubby's 36th birthday!  (Hope he won't be mad that I am posting his age!)  Unfortunately, it was a SUPER busy day for us.  When I asked him what he wanted for his special birthday dinner, he said, "Cheeseburgers."  Of course.  So I made a plan.  The night before I went and got ingredients to make healthy sliders with spicy baked fries.  But Tuesday afternoon I taught Zumba, and then we both had a churh meeting to attend, so we didn't get home until almost 8:00 p.m.  Poor hubby!  What a birthday!  We wanted to cave.  In fact, he said, "Let's just go pick something up."  I'll admit, I thought about it.  But in the end, I went ahead and cooked what I had planned to cook.  You know what?  We ate a little later than normal, but it was SO worth it. 

The sliders were so good and way better for us than picking up some greasy burgers and fries.  Then of course we celebrated with cupcakes.  (Actually, we had to celebrate with cupcakes FIRST so that the munchkin could be a part of the celebration before her bedtime.)

Singing "Happy Birthday to You"

So... I bet you're wondering what the hubs got for his birthday.  Well, I think I may be winning the Wife of the Year award.  I got him...

wait for it...


a Wii! 


I have to admit, the Wii was actually a "we" gift.  I think I will enjoy it a lot, too.  (Especially since I got the Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board to go along with it!)

So last night, after church, we got the munchkin in bed and decided to try out the Wii Fit Plus.  Do any of you have this?  It's pretty cool.  We both went through the initial fitness test together.  I made him go first.  We found out several things about each other.  I can tell you about Ryan's weight, balance, BMI, and more.  Now that's trust, right?  Then it was my turn.  I let Ryan watch me do the balance test.  (I am WAY more balanced!)  And then came the moment I was dreading... the weight and BMI part.  I have been very lax about keeping track of what I eat and not exercising as much as I used to.  When I lost most of my weight, I was doing all sorts of activities.  Lately, it's been just Zumba.  I haven't been weight training, either.  So I was afraid to see the numbers on the scale.  And the BMI.  And... ugh... it wasn't good.  I KNEW it wasn't going to be good.  You know?  It's like when you've been shopping for clothes all day, and you know you've spent a lot and you are dreading adding up the receipts?  Yeah, that is the feeling I had.  And to make matters worse, I let Ryan WATCH.  So he knows the numbers.  (Now, if that's not serious marital trust, I don't know what is!)

But now that I have seen the numbers and I know the damage, I can start to do something about it.  I read magazines and other stories all the time where people say, "I never step on the scale.  I just go by how I feel."  And to a degree, I believe this works.  I mean, I didn't have to get on the scale to know I was up several (ok, I'll be honest... 15) pounds. My favorite black pants are too tight to put them on right now and my jeans are tight, too.

BUT... I HAD to get on the scale in order to face the facts that I need to get busy doing something about it.  That means more cross-training, and DEFINITELY better eating habits.  I'm following the new Weight Watchers Points Plus plan.  It has been a challenge.  It's TOTALLY different from the old plan.   

So, it's a new year, and I am facing new challenges.  But I am up for it!

Have you ever been afraid to face the scale?  What did you do about it?

Post-Christmas Blues…

Today, Ryan and I (along with some help from my parents) packed up all of the Christmas toys, gifts, clothes, and goodies and headed back to our house in Rock Hill.  It’s always a little depressing when we get to this point in the Christmas vacation.  I call it the Post-Christmas Blues.  There is so much excitement leading up to Christmas, and then it seems like it is gone in a flash.  It will be nice to get home and just relax and enjoy not having anywhere to go or to be, but it is always sad to say goodbye to all of the family.  I think I have a feeling like, “What do I do now???”

As soon as we got home, the first thing I did was put away all my new dishes—a Christmas gift from my parents!  When we completed our wedding registry 10 years ago, we registered for colorful blue and yellow dishes.  If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably seen them.  But I’ve been feeling like I wanted to go with all-white dishes.  I wish I could say we had some kind of creative dinner on the plates tonight, but this is what we had! 

LOL.  Little Caesar’s had a buy one get one free coupon.  You really can’t beat 2 pizzas for $5.55.  Just to make myself feel less guilty healthify it up, I did make a salad to go with it!

By the way, you’re going to hear more about this bowl.  Stay tuned!

 

 

 

So, on that note… WOW, do I need to hit the gym.  I think it was several months back, but a leader at my Weight Watchers Meeting showed us this cartoon.

“Merry Thanksgivoween!”  Her point in showing us this cartoon was that this is the time of year (October-December) when people pretty much give up and have an eating free-for-all.  (Oh yeah, and get too busy to exercise!)  Well, I didn’t completely give up, but I am feeling like I really need to get back into my routine.  

I refuse to say “I’m going on a diet.”  I am convinced that “diets” don’t work.  You have to make a lifestyle change.  No 6-week or 10-week program is going to change you forever.  YOU have to be the one to do it yourself. 

I also think that I need to do better this year about trying to change it up.  I have a good friend who loves Spin classes, but she says that is ALL she likes at the gym.  I’ve gotten into a routine of doing Zumba only, too.  I LOVE Zumba, so I am not complaining, but I think I need to do a better job cross-training. 

I’m not making New year’s Resolutions, because I think they have a habit of getting broken.  This is more of a promise to myself.  How about you?  Anyone making resolutions or promises this January?  Please leave a comment and let me know what you’re going to be working on/towards this year.

Deep Dish Mexican Pizza AND... A Way to Burn it Off!!!

Well, let's get the exercise part over with, because there's no way it's as much fun to talk about as this deep dish pizza... (Here's a little preview.  YUMMM.)

So, tonight I learned a way to burn more calories in your group fitness classes... Get on the FRONT ROW!  Now, I am not a back row gal when I am taking a class.  I can't stand when I can't see the instructor.  But I also don't get on the front row.  (Weird, huh?  The front doesn't bother me if I am teaching, but if I am a participant, I am more a second-row girl.)  Well, tonight, my "usual spot" was gone.  (How territorial are we?!)  So, I ended up on the front row.  Let me tell you... it made me work so much harder!  I guess I need to move on up to the front more often.  I know I worked harder than I have been working. 

This morning, I had two delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  (No pictures this time... for some reason they did not turn out as pretty as they did last time.) 

I had a wrap and Baked! chips for lunch from my school cafeteria. 

I have been doing so great drinking my water this week. 

I'm doing a two-day lesson on clouds this week.  I've learned a lot more about clouds that I didn't know.  This afternoon, the clouds were really cool-looking, so I ran out with my new camera lenses and snapped some shots to show the kids tomorrow.  I used my wide-angle lens for these pictures.  The wide angle just allows you to get more of the scene in the picture.

Do you know what kind of clouds these are?
a.  cumulus
b.  stratus
c.  cirrus

Before this week, I couldn't have told you.  But now I know!  The answer will come tomorrow!

I taught Zumba after school, and then headed to Zumba at the Y.  After all that, I headed to Weight Watchers.  I was REALLY hoping for a loss this week.  Last week I didn't lose, and this week I gained 0.2 pounds!  UGH!!!!!!  Can you feel my frustration?  I am trying to remind myself that slow and steady wins the race, but I am getting tired of being the tortoise in this race!

Anyway, on to the pizza. 

This is a twist on a Weight Watchers recipe I got a long time ago.  I put a little Mexican twist on it.

"Deep Dish Mexican Pizza"

Ingredients:
1 roll of refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 cans diced tomatoes with chili seasoning
1 lb. lean or extra lean ground beef
1 cup of reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.  Then, unroll the pizza dough and press into the bottom of the dish and up the sides (creating the "deep dish").  Once oven is preheated, pop the dough in for about 5 minutes, just to cook the bottom a little.  Brown the meat and drain the fat.  Add in the diced tomatoes.  I also added in some spices here-- just some cumin, chili powder, and some Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Hot.  (No exact measurements here-- just whatever you like)  Using a slotted spoon, spoon the meat and tomato mixture into the partially-baked crust.  (Using a slotted spoon will keep some of the juice in the pan, keeping your pizza from becoming mushy.)  Top the meat mixture with the shredded cheese.  Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The points for this are around 6-7 per slice, and there are 6 HEARTY slices here.  (Remember, it's DEEP DISH!) 

Adding a glass of vino makes it even better, by the way! :)

It's Friday-Eve!  Cheers!

Hard Rock Chicken Noodle Soup and Easy Apple Cake!

Another busy day has passed…

It was a great day at school.  I taught Zumba after school and then I went to Zumba with Katie right afterwards.  I led “Sacudelo” again!  Yay for Zumba!  What a great way to wind down the week…

Then I went for a weigh-in at Weight Watchers… and gained .8 of a pound.  UGH.  I think I really have got to get back to drinking my water.  I KNOW I feel differently when I drink the water faithfully.  I have not filled up my Bubba Keg all week!  I am thinking about making lemon-mint water all next week.  It tastes so good (so I drink a lot of it) and then I feel so refreshed.  Plus, it looks pretty in the glass.  This weekend, I am going to buy some.  You’ll see it next week.

Last night I had a fabulous dinner with some great friends!  Kate made “Hard Rock Café Chicken Noodle Soup.”  It was sooooo delicious!  Sometimes you forget how good actual homemade soup is.  Thank you Kate!  And it tasted even better than it looks in these pictures. 

Kate's pretty tablescape...

Hard Rock Chicken Noodle Soup!  What a treat!

As I look at these pictures, I am wishing I could have it for breakfast!

Angie and Mandy

Elizabeth, Kate, and Moi!  (By the way, Kate is having a baby boy in just over a month!  Doesn't she look GREAT!)

 Remember how I was making that dessert for our girls’ night?  Well, it turned out to be a great fall treat.  It was “Super Duper Easy Apple Cake.”  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  It was submitted by Cindy.

 Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and finely diced

Directions: Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 10 inch tube pan.  (I used a bundt pan.) Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla extract, then fold in the chopped apples. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

The apples get soft and and bake right into the cake.  This cake SMELLS amazing, too.  I think you could probably add more apples to it.  And I am also wondering if you could add pumpkin to it for a really nice fall treat.  I may try that...

My apple cake.  (Pics came out kinda dark...)

More apple cake

I served it with cool whip on the side.  If you have it, whipped cream would be better, or homemade whipped cream is even better, maybe with a little cinnamon and nutmeg mixed in, but I didn’t have time to make it myself. 

I am so excited that today is Friday!  I just stopped on the way to work this morning and grabbed a pumpkin latte from Dunkin Donuts.  I couldn’t wait any longer.  But it wasn’t as good as Starbucks!  So I will be hitting up Starbucks this weekend.

We have some fun things planned for the weekend!  Stay tuned!  And Happy Friday!!!

Too tired to cook...

Well... guess what DIDN'T happen today... I did not try my new green ingredient.  I have plans to try it tomorrow.  When I got home tonight, I just couldn't do it...



"Sausage", Egg, and Cheese Sandwich



I had one of my regular favories for breakfast: a "sausage", egg, and cheese sandwich.  I LOVE that Morningstar Farms Maple "Sausage!"  It is sooooo delicious!  Sweet AND spicy... like you dipped your sausage patty into rich maple syrup.  But with only 80 calories (or 1 point) instead!

Also-- just a little side note... hubby and I were watching the news this morning and guess who was in Charlotte today?  Sandra Lee!  I wish I'd known ahead of time.  It would have been fun to try and go see her at the Southern Women's Show.



For lunch, I made my experiment for a teacher meeting: "Sorta-Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup"!  I have to say, this one is a keeper!  It made a huge batch and was not expensive at all to make.  AND-- I made it in the Crock Pot!  Here's the recipe...

1 pouch of Bear Creek Soup Mix (Tortilla Flavor) (about $4)

1 can of white corn (less than $1)

1 can of diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper (less than $1)

1 1/2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken breast (about $3-- maybe less)

baked tortilla chips, cheese, and light sour cream to mix in (optional)

Directions:

Pour 10 cups of water into crock pot.  Turn to high.  After 30 minutes, mix in all ingredients except for the toppings.  Stir and cook on high for 3 hours.  Stir occasionally.  After two hours, turn to low for another hour.  Then you are done!  Add the optional mix-ins if you want. 

I fed 7 people, 2-3 of which had seconds, then I ate it again for dinner tonight and there is STILL another serving left!  So there are about 10-12 servings, I would say.  That's less than $1 per serving!

Doesn't that look delicious?????  It WAS!

I also made some corn muffins to go with the soup.  I LOVE corn muffins.  But I can't take any credit for this recipe.  It was a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.  All I added was some milk and an egg.  Sometimes, we don't need to reinvent the wheel.

After work I came home and did a little choreographing for a Zumba class I have coming up at Oakland Baptist.  (See the note on the right side of this page for info about that.)  Then I headed to the YMCA to catch Zumba with Katie.  So much fun.  She's the BEST!

I have not been very diligent about tracking points or doing what I need to do at the Y.  I need to get back to doing more weights and cross-training.  Zumba is awesome, but I need to do some of the other classes and workouts, too.  Do you ever get into an eating or workout rut? 

So... after all that... I didn't have the energy to cook tonight.  I will cook the mystery ingredient tomorrow.

My On-Again Relationship with Weight Watchers

So, over the years, I have had an on-again-off-again relationship with Weight Watchers.  I think I have joined three or four different times.  However, I rejoined "for real" in January of 2009 and vowed that I would make changes!  And I did!  I lost 40 pounds over about a year.  Here's a before and after, just so you can see the difference...

This is before WW...

And this is "After." 

I feel great about my progress so far.  But I really want to lose about 40 more pounds.  It will probably take 50 to make the Weight Watchers recommended goal.  I am just coming off a super-exciting and fun summer where I gained back about 10 pounds.  So it's back to counting points for me!

One thing I really struggle with is finding foods that are:

1.  Easy to prepare

2.  Quick to prepare

3.  Somewhat healthy (i.e. lower in POINTS)

4.  Tasty-- because everyone else in the household has to eat them, too!

As I come across food finds, I will share them here!