Monday 3-07

Well, enchiladas last night were great. I used the Crockpot pork from the other day, mixed it with spinach, and the leftover chopped up stuffed mushrooms, rolled them into a tortilla, topped them with diced green chilies and enchilada sauce. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes, yum! “J” loved it, and the kids had quesadillas.

Today we all went to preschool, “V” to the baby room and “P” and I to her Frog room. It was a pretty trying day. Lots of reprimanding, and it was only me doing it! Frustrating. The weather was crazy and crappy, so playing indoors did not alleviate my stress. Just glad that I am done working there for the week.

We came home, I fed the kids PB&J’s and apples, and I ate the last of my leftover tortilla soup and 4 Cuties. I am so happy that Cuties are back in season, my favorite 35 calorie snack! I caught up on emails then once the kids’ shows on PBS were over; I went into the living room and did Just Dance with the kids. I was shooting for 30 minutes, ended up doing it for almost an hour! So fun! So I got my workout in despite Mother Nature.

Trying to plan out my food for dinner, as I have noticed my sodium intake is going over my allotted 2500g a day. I have looked up everything and realized that it may be ok for me to have a little extra salt a day. I drink massive amounts of water, exercise regularly; have super low blood pressure and Vasovagal response, which all indicate it is ok for me to have more salt. So I am going to keep an eye on it, but not be too bothered if I go over. This brings me to tonight. I am planning on leftover enchiladas and salad from last night, and a Sweet Cherry layered pudding for dessert. I am boycotting High Fructose Corn Syrup, so I am substituting Oregon canned cherries for the sugar free cherry pie filling I used to use. Here’s the recipe, its 191 calories, and worth every bite:

Recipe for a layered pudding with vanilla instant pudding, graham crackers, and cherry pie filling.

Ingredients:

·         14 whole graham crackers

·         1 package vanilla instant pudding -- (6 ounce size)

·         2 cups milk

·         1 cup whipped topping

·         1 can cherry pie filling -- (21 ounces)

Preparation:

Line a 9-inch square pan with whole graham crackers, breaking crackers if necessary. Prepare pudding with milk as directed on package. Let stand 5 minutes. Blend whipped topping into the pudding. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers; top with remaining pudding and crackers. Spread cherry pie filling over top layer of crackers. Chill 3 hours.
Serves 9.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-07.

Sunday 3-6

Last night was great, we had such a great time planning our Ireland trip and watching Rick Steeves’ Ireland shows, we got really excited. We ate Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Soda bread, mashed potatoes and topped it all off with Irish Apple Cake (with 3 candles for “V”). Delicious! I totally kept an eye on what I was eating, as well as my portions. And although my calories crept into the 1500’s, and I was shooting for 1200, I was still well within my allotted 1984 calories (including my exercise calories). I am proud that I have kept with this, and it is really starting to show. I am fitting into long lost jeans, and my black workout pants are starting to hang on my hips. They are almost falling off!

I know lots of people think I am silly for doing this before a big trip, but I am ready to be healthy. One of the things I get asked all of the time is if I will be “dieting” in Ireland. This doesn’t offend me, but they have it all wrong. I used to have major stomach issues that would flare up throughout the day and especially after dinner. I am an overeater trying to teach myself healthier portions and choices so I don’t have to deal with Tums and Pepto anymore.

So the short answer is: I am not dieting, just learning to live a healthier life and indulge less frequently. And yes, I will continue making healthy choices in Ireland as well. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be eating traditional Irish Fare.

Today was good. We started the day somewhat early and headed to the mall at 10:00am as they open at 11:00 on Sundays. And “J” and I did 2 ½ loops with the kids in a stroller, 2.5 miles averaging 4mph. Great way to start the day. Then we let the kids play, and did a little shopping. I had done a little homework and knew that I could eat a low cal lunch at Charley’s Subs and chose the Veggie Philly with 1/3 of the cheese, ½ of the bread, all of the veggies w/o dressing for only 214 calories. I could have had a salad for about the same, but I would be doubling the sodium. I brought Cuties and Special K chips so I wouldn’t be tempted by the kid’s food from Hot Dog on a Stick. Yum!

Now we are hanging out, letting “V” play with his new bike and “P” play with hers. I am planning on homemade enchiladas for dinner tonight with the Crockpot pork from the other night. Sounds yummy to me!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-06.

Saturday, 3-5 Happy Birthday "V"

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear “V”, Happy Birthday to you!

My little boy is 3 today!!! Can’t believe how quickly this has happened! I love my boy.

So we had a busy day planned today. Headed up to Tahoe for their annual “Snowfest” Celebration, which I have been going to since I was 3! We headed to Tahoe City for the parade and Ice Cream Eating Contest. The kids and “J” went to get “V”s choice for breakfast, McDonalds. I ordered the Oatmeal without fruit. Only 210 calories, it was great!

We showed up early for the parade and wandered into a Thrift Store and ended up talking for a while with the cashier who had been to Ireland and insisted on selling us this gigantic picture book of Ireland for just $1, the one he had taken to Ireland. Got a lot of great info, and getting more excited for the trip! The parade was cute, small and kind of hokey, but the kids loved getting Mardi gras beads. Then after the parade we headed to the community center for the kids to paint a wooden bear. Then “S”s family including sister and boyfriend showed up after the parade for the ice cream eating contest. The kids loved the ice cream, but didn’t even finish one cup in 1 minute. Then came the older kids and finally the 18 and over. “C” and her boyfriend “M” entered the contest, despite the fact that she was The Biggest Loser this week; guess it was time to splurge. Funniest thing was, “M” won! He ate 13 cups of ice-cream in 90 minutes, and won a plaque. Second place (with no plaque) only at 6 ½! “M” is a rock star!  

My Irish Soda Breads

Then we headed home, and I used my Fast Food menu to decide where to go, and what to eat. We ended up at McDonalds where I ordered a Grilled Honey Mustard Snack Wrap and a side salad with lite balsamic. Only 300 calories, and satisfying.

When we got home the kids were zonked out, so we transferred them from car to beds. Then Jeff took a nap and I made Irish Soda Bread for our Ireland planning party tonight, at “K”s house. We will be having Corned Beef and Cabbage, my Soda Bread and Irish Apple Cake. We will also be watching Rick Steeves and drinking Guinness and Whiskey. Well, Jeff will. This might have to be a splurge meal, though.  Portion control is probably all that can save me.

So while everyone was down, I turned on Just Dance Non-Stop, and danced for 40 minutes. Now I am ready for the Irish Feast tonight!

Friday 3-4 Happy Birthday little Brother!

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to my youngest brother who is 23 today, Happy Birthday Bro!

Last night’s dinner was great. Took my leftover Pork Medallions and reheated them, put them on a bun (skinny for me, huge for “J”) and put Prego garden combo on top of that. Then I topped it off with a slice of part-skim mozzarella. Hubby was a huge fan, and the kids didn’t complain because they ate their leftovers, pasta and mashed potatoes. Yumm-o! I had a few calories remaining after wine so I treated myself to a few Girl Scout cookies, peanut butter patties. So good.

I knew today was going to be busy, so I started the day at 7:00am by going for a 1 mile loop around the walking trail by my house. I had always guesstimated it was 1 mile, but imapmyrun confirmed it. I booked it, and went 4.2 mph. The kids hadn’t even finished breakfast with “J” before I was back! I forget how fast I am without the stroller! Pretty proud. Then I threw a 5.25lb pork shoulder, garlic and herbs into the Crockpot for dinner, set the timer for 10hours on low. Exercise, check! Dinner, check! Now into the shower.

So I had to work at the school today, and unfortunately had to turn down a walk around the mall with “T” and her kids. It was just too much to do between school and nap time. Plus I have to decorate the house for St. Patrick’s Day, hang up a banner for “V”s 3^rd birthday tomorrow (party at a later date), and catch up on some housework that I have been neglecting. Blah!

Been looking all over the internet for a low-cal French Onion Soup recipe, and it turns out, they are all pretty low-cal. The issue is actually sodium! So I scoured the shelves at Raley’s for any stock/broth under 470g of sodium, which would put me way over in sodium, and found Kitchen Basic’s Unsalted Beef Broth, with only 180g of sodium per serving. Awesome! Great find. Then after reading a raving review of Special K’s new Cracker chip, I picked up a box of those too. Helps that they were on sale, 2 for $5.

Upon returning home, I had a snack of a Cutie and half of a serving of the new chips, they are so good! And with only 110 calories for 27 chips, 13 chips were all I needed! Now I am planning to make French Onion Soup along with my Crockpot Pork and a side of steamed broccoli. Getting excited for dinner! I am babysitting “S”s baby tonight at 7:30, so I think I will Just Dance there. Or maybe do a little Wii Fit Routine while the kids are down. Maybe both!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-04.

Thursday 3-03

So last night was pretty good. Haven’t been in the best mood lately, but I am powering through it. Our friend ended up not coming to town but we ended up going to Zozo’s for dinner anyway, it’s really good. We got there in time for the Sunset dinner which is around $10-15 a plate and comes with wine and dessert. I chose the pork medallions with rosemary roasted garlic sauce which they say is lower calorie. When I asked the waitress how low is low? She told me she couldn’t give me a number, but it was really high. So I was nervous. I had exercised, but wasn’t planning to cheat! So I had to police myself. That meant I drank ½ of my 8oz of Chianti, all of my house salad, balsamic on the side, no bread (so not worth the calories) only 2 of my 5 pork medallions, ½ cup of the mashed potatoes, and all of my steamed and buttered veggies. I brought home lots of leftover mashed potatoes and pork. When I estimated the calorie cost of dinner later that night, it wasn’t that bad, 662 including wine (I gave my ice cream to “P”). The medallions are perfect sandwich size so I am thinking sandos for dinner tonight, maybe with pasta sauce and mozzarella? We’ll see.

So we headed out at 9am this morning to hit the mall for some walking. I walked the loop twice, then most of the way a third time until we hit the play area. This is where the kids got a well deserved play time. (They are such troopers as I walk the mall). I then browsed the mall, ended up with a super cute fedora hat with bling at The Icing for $2. I used my app “imapmyrun” and clocked in almost 2 ½ miles at 4 mph. Burned 236 calories, but “imapmyrun” thought it was more.

 

Then we headed to Whole Foods for a Pretzel Making class with the Rugrats and some preschool moms. The cost was $5 per kid for a pretzel with either sugar or salt and they even got to color their own reusable grocery bags! Super fun! Then “F” and her kids and “T” and her kids and the three of us hit the salad bar (I brought the kids PB&J’s) and had a nice lunch together. Again I had to try to make healthy choices without knowing calories. I ended up with a small spring mix salad loaded with veggies, beets, balsamic vinaigrette and a hardboiled egg and put it into a pita. The pita was the gamble, but when I entered it into MFP, lunch was only 237 calories, I did a good job!

Then “F” and the kids and I walked across the street to browse the Goodwill (found some cute dress up clothes for “P” and some cute shoes and a beanie for “V”), while “T” went grocery shopping at Whole Foods. It was nice to get a little time with the girls. Now I am going to force myself to veg on the couch and watch some Netflix while the kids are down. Have a great day!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-03.

Wednesday 3-2

I ended up ordering the Authentic Carnitas Tacos at Mexican last night. They are just like the little tiny 4 inch tacos you get in Mexico. I did all of the calculations on MFP and found the three little tacos to be only 319 calories, but the ½ of both Mexican rice and refried beans, (1 cup total) to be a whopping 340 calories. But I factored all of that into my daily calories, and it was worth the splurge, Tacos Del Rey is soooo good!

Well the big news is, “C” won the biggest loser! Almost $1200 and she lost 16.43% of her body weight, great job! Her sister “S” got 7^th place, both are winners to me! You go “D” Girls! We celebrated with low calorie margaritas and Just Dance for 45 minutes! Awesome.

Wednesdays are busy days for us. After “V” and I dropped “P” off at school, we did the Thrift Store rounds, which we haven’t done in a while (too busy working out). So we went to a few of my favorites. The score of the day is a gorgeous boat neck Calvin Klein dress for only $5.99.

The paper tag said large so I tried it on, it fit like a glove, pretty slimming. Once I put it back on the hanger, I noticed it was a size 10! I haven’t fit into a 10 in a long time, yay! So I bought it and can’t wait for an occasion to wear it.

We then picked up “P” and headed to ballet eating a sack lunch en route. Ballet was good, but I started to notice myself getting sleepy. I guess my body is getting used to an early morning workout! We headed home, I put the kids to bed and I turned on Just Dance on the Wii. This time I chose the non-stop mode under Just Dance for up to 4 players. It just gave me a bunch of dances (many I had never done or infrequently) and I set my stopwatch and danced for 40 minutes. There is a little lag between songs so I only logged 35 minutes. But I was winded and sweaty, shedding clothes as I danced along, so I think I earned every one of those 215 burned calories. We were supposed to meet up with an out-of-town friend for dinner, but he won’t be coming to town after all. Since there is nothing planned for dinner, we are going to try to catch an early bird special somewhere. Off to zone out for a while in front of the tube!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-02.

Tuesday, 3-1 Weigh-in Day!

Hooray! It is weigh-in day and I am still losing weight! I am down another 3 ½ lbs bringing my total weight loss in 3 weeks to 8.8 lbs, which is 5.2% of my body weight! I am so proud and glad that this is still working! I tell you, it has gotten so easy, I eat what I want, (in smaller portions) and fat is melting off of me! So happy to be here!!!

So today we went to Pump It Up (a bouncy house place) to let the kids play and then “F” and I took the kids to eat a sack lunch at the mall, and then did 2 laps around the mall. We stopped to let the kids out to play at the play area. It was a pretty pleasant afternoon.

Tonight is the finale for my friend “S” and her sister “C”s Biggest Loser competition with prize money at $1200. So they are going to go to the finale, and I am going to watch “S”s Baby “V” while they attend. I am hoping to get a chance to celebrate later with them, if “C” is indeed the BL! After that “J and I were going to take the kids out to Mexican Food, so I am scouring the internet for the best things to eat. Wish me luck; I really want to keep this up!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-03-01.