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Good day- except I am having some trouble with this eating supper alone thing- I keep wanting to eat more after supper! Went over my points a bit. Tomorrow is WI day. I’m ready for a new week to start!

I’m Back!

Hello! I have been gone pretty much all day since Thursday, so it was kind of hard getting started this morning. With that in mind, I am way behind on reading your blogs- so sorry for not commenting the past few days! I should be back at it soon!

I woke up feeling like I’m getting a cold- so I hope the feeling goes away and nothing comes of it!

For breakfast, I had oatmeal, a small banana, and a glass of 1% milk for 5.5 points.

I had some tea.

For a snack, I had a peach for 1 point.

And brought back a cup of Orange juice for 2 points- to try to load up on Vitamin C!

For lunch, I had 5 boneless skinless teriyaki chicken wings for 5 points.

Along with a salad made up of lettuce, a whole tomato and light ranch for 2 points.

And dessert was banana soft serve with a little whipped cream for 2 points.

On my last break, I had a bomb pop to try to soothe my sore throat. 1 point. This is officially the last one!

Later on, I had a cup of coffee with creamer for 1 point.

After work, I had a glass of off brand Airborne- this is expired- hopefully it doesn’t kill me! haha This stuff tastes as bad as it looks.

I read a few blogs and then decided I better get to reading for class tomorrow. I have the most boring reading for my classes this semester and TONS of it! I asked my boss to change my schedule or I’m going to fall behind in my reading, and he agreed to change it in a couple of weeks. Until then, I have to get busy!

Hubby was going to be home very late, so I went ahead and had supper alone. I had deli turkey, egg whites, and multi-grain pancakes for 7 points.

After supper, I experienced a bout of controlled binge behavior and had a few cashews and chocolate chips. It was a small serving- but I did not measure it out. I went ahead and used the rest of my points to cover it- 4.5 points. Why do I do such things? I haven’t done this in forever- I think it’s because hubby wasn’t here. I didn’t get a picture of this either… sigh.

So now it’s back to finishing my reading. Hubby will be home soon- and I can’t wait to see him!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I had quite an experience making homemade spaghetti sauce. It is A LOT of work. But if you have the time and patience- it’s worth it when the work is done.

Here are some pictures of the spaghetti sauce making process.

Put the tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute.

Transfer the tomatoes into cool water.

This makes it very easy to remove the skins.

I forgot to take a picture of all of the veggies in this recipe, but there are carrots and peppers in this pot. Boil it all up.

After a few hours- let it cool and then put it into containers or can it.

And voila:

This has an excellent flavor but I think next time I’ll let it thicken up a little more!

Homemade Spaghetti sauce Recipe

3 medium onions thinly sliced

3 large carrots thinly sliced

2 medium peppers, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

12# tomatoes, peeled and diced

12 oz can of tomato paste

1/4 cup brown sugar

2T salt

2 tsp oregano

1 ½ tsp basil

½ tsp pepper

Heat all of the above to boiling. Reduce heat and cook for about 2 hours or until it is as thick as you like it. Cool and freeze in freezer containers or bags.

It’s Official- Another 5k!

I have officially signed up to run my second 5K next weekend. This will be a much bigger race with over 450 participants. The last one I ran was MUCH smaller! So it will be a new experience! It is also listed as a 5k Race- not a run/walk! But I looked at the times from last year and some 60 year olds finished in 53 minutes- so at least I’ll come in before the elderly. lol Hubby is going to run with me again, which helps me a lot. My sister in law and possibly my brother are going to run again, too.

This is kind of a family thing now and I’m so glad I can be a part of it! It all started with my sister. She started off with 5k’s a long time ago and has since run a couple of marathons. I remember thinking she was crazy back then- but now there’s nothing I want more than to be able to do that myself! My younger brother has also run a few races. I think it’s a great way that we can get together and be active at the same time. Now just to get the parents on board!

I am nervous. Every time I walk out the door for a run I am nervous. I think I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it. But I have to keep telling myself I can- because I’ve done it many times! Yesterday, I ran 3 miles continuously in a little over 43 minutes. My times are consistent but I do want to get faster. We finished the last 5k in 42:21 (which included some walking), so I would like to beat that. It would just take pushing it a little bit more here and there. But as always, for me (right now)- it’s about finishing!

So my plan is to get another 3 mile run in tomorrow morning. Next week, I will follow my same training plan and be done with running by Thursday to give my body plenty of time to rest up. I run 3 miles, 2 times a week, and a free run one other day.

My sister just had a baby a few weeks ago, but she is planning on running a 5k the same day in her area. But there is another 5k in October that we might all run together. I’m also hoping to find a race for Thanksgiving day- but it has to be wherever we end up spending Thanksgiving this year. These races can get expensive though!! This one cost $56 for the two of us- but it does include 3 day passes to a festival- so not bad, I guess. I have to say, I’m excited to see the grab bag for this bigger race. ;) hehe

Oh, and let’s not forget the T-shirt.

What’s your favorite part about running races?

WI Day: Summer Challenge

I was disappointed to see that I gained another .4 this week. I am not up .8 from my lowest. What’s with these small gains for the past 3 weeks!? I’m tired of it! I know I can do better though. I don’t want to get discouraged but I just want to see a loss- any loss at all!

So I lost 11.4 lbs for my summer challenge. I wanted to lose 20 lbs. But I’m happy I lost anything at all. This is more than I lost last year over the summer. But I’m just not satisfied. I am going to extend my “summer challenge” until summer actually ends- which will be by my birthday on September 23rd. But since WI day is on Wednesday, my last WI will be on September 22nd. That gives me another month to lose the last 8.6 lbs. Think I can do it? I don’t know…but it will at least get me closer to those 20 lbs.

To be completely honest, I am angry at myself. I don’t want to hang around the same weight for months like I often do. I want to lose this weight!!! I know how important it is not to get impatient with myself- so I don’t want to go there- but it’s getting hard. I am so slow at this weight loss thing and I could probably lose faster if I banned foods, but I don’t think that would be sustainable for me. Just keeping pushing on, I guess!

I got up this morning and saw that it was only 56* outside so I decided to get out there for a run. I ran 1 mile in 13:33 and got a sinus headache, so I walked the rest of the way for 2.63 miles. I burned 360 calories. I think my allergies are starting to act up. I’m not sure what it is. But I don’t want this to interfere with my workouts! But the sun was shining and it was beautiful outside and I enjoyed the workout.

For breakfast, I had Trader Joe’s quick cooking steel cut oats. I cooked them on the stovetop this time. I wasn’t that impressed. It made 1/2 the serving size of my usual oats for the same points value. It was more gritty and I like mine creamy. I guess I’ll stick w/ my cheap oats! Now to find a use for these quick cooking steel cut oats… I mixed in 1/2 cup of strawberries and had 1 cup of 1% milk for 4 points.

 

I spent the morning reading for school. Tons and tons of reading. But if I do little bits here and there, it helps break it up a little bit.

I called the car dealership that had our address for a different customer and they didn’t seem to care that personal information had been mailed to us for one of their other customers. They didn’t do anything. Another reason I hate that car dealership. Last time I was there for a repair, they tried to tell me that I would endure bodily harm and tried to scare me, if I didn’t replace a part right away. The part was repaired for like $10 and didn’t need to be replaced. I have no respect for that place. But it bothers me even more that they don’t care to keep their records straight and don’t care if I received a letter from a bank for one of their other customers because they put the wrong address in their system.

For lunch, I had 4 pieces of teriyaki chicken for 4 points.

I also made up a salad out of lettuce, blueberries, and sliced almonds topped with raspberry vinaigrette for 3 points- DELISH!

For dessert, I had banana soft serve topped with a little whipped cream for 2 points. I LOVE this stuff!

After lunch, I headed to my doctor’s appointment. It’s that time of year again. ughhh I hate those yearly exams, do you hear me, ladies? The Doctor commented on my weight loss again and encouraged me to keep going. My blood pressure read as normal for once- Yay!!! I asked her to prescribe me some allergy meds and she said, “no problem.” So I am back on the allergy meds and I REALLY hope this helps out. I can really tell that there is something in the air that is starting to bother me again with coughing and a tight chest. Maybe I won’t end up getting sick and on prednisone this year!

I ran a few errands and dropped by Starbucks to treat myself to a light mocha Frappacino for 2 points. Yum!

When I got home, I had a half serving of these for 1.5 points, while I continued reading for school.

 

I was still hungry, so I had an apple with PB for 4.5 points. This is my new favorite snack!!

It’s amazing how fruits and veggies are so much more satisfying than the cracker type snacks. But once in a while you just get a craving for something like that. When I first started on this journey, I bought 100 calorie packs and anything that made it seem like I was eating the way I had been eating, but being healthy about it. As I continued on, I realized that these aren’t the foods that I need to be eating and slowly incorporated more fruits and veggies into my diet. The 100 calorie packs taught me a lot about portion control though!

For supper, I had Creamy Chicken and Veggies for 6.5 points. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found in Kraft magazine and I halved the serving size but I ended up having 1.5 servings- still less than what they said was a serving size.

I made smoothies to go for dessert out of a banana and peaches for 3 points each. That leaves me with .5 point left over for the day!

I will not be posting my usual foods pics for the rest of the week, but I do have some posts planned!

1st Day Back to School

My eating schedule was different today because it was my first day back to school. Since I have class through lunchtime, I have to find a new way to eat on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have class. The plan for today is to eat small meals throughout the morning and early afternoon and not have a typical “lunch.”

For breakfast I had a cup of cheerios in a 1/2 cup of 1% milk topped with 1/2 cup of blueberries for 3.5 points.

I also had 1 cup of 100% OJ for 2 points.

The scale was up for me this morning- which really concerns me since WI day is tomorrow. The weekend didn’t got as well as I would have wanted it to. I guess one high calorie meal is not the way to go for me. I do best by using a few weekly points here and there as I need them or want them- more than likely. It’s a little frustrating because a few days ago I met a new low on the scale. But I’m not giving up yet- I could lose this weight by tomorrow. ;)

Before I left for school, I had a sandwich thin topped with peanut butter and a small banana for 5 points.

School went alright. The first professor had emailed us our syllabus as not to spend too much time going over it in class. He arrived 10 minutes late and went off on various tangents during the class. He’s very old and he sounds like Jack Nicholson. It should be interesting! haha

The second class was entertaining. I’ve had this professor before and she’s very funny. I think I’m going to be ok. Just not quite sure I’m ready for the course work again!

I do have to say that I had a big NSV at school today! The campus is all uphill, so I walked uphill across campus and up 3 flights of stairs and was barely winded at all. This is a big change for me since last fall even! I have made HUGE STRIDES in fitness over the summer!! What a GREAT feeling!!

On my way home, I snacked on a serving of ABC trail mix for 3 points.

I ended up having some time to make a lunch, so I had 1/2 a whole wheat pita stuffed with turkey, ham and American swiss cheese and some lettuce. I also had BBQ pop chips. All for a total of 5 points.

I was still pretty hungry, so I had a slice of banana bread for 3 points.

Then I signed in to work for 3 hours. I was pretty beat by this time. The first day of school is a little nerve wracking for me- so I was pretty tired. The time went quickly though.

Hubby called and said he would be late tonight because of the school job he’s working on and school starts tomorrow! I was soooo hungry and I didn’t want to ruin my points for the day. So I had 1 cup of pear tomatoes and 1 cup of broccoli. This is HUGE for me. I would normally have started snacking on unhealthy foods at this point- so a HUGE NSV for me!

A while later, he called and told me to go ahead w/ supper since his company was providing supper for them for working late.

So, for supper I had salmon and acorn squash for 5 points.

Dessert was a No Pudge! brownie for 2 points.

I have 2.5 points leftover and will probably have something else before bed tonight. Tomorrow is WI day!! I have the rest of the week off of work- which I’m really looking forward to!

Last Day of Freedom

I hope that you all had fantastic weekends! Mine was alright- would have been much better if I had a few more days. :) Hubby had to work on Saturday because they’re finishing up a school remodel and they need to get it finished up before school starts. Lots of overtime for him- poor guy didn’t get a break this week working 63 hours! I did a little shopping and made some homemade spaghetti sauce- which I will do a separate post on later this week.

This is back to school week for me, but my first day of class will be tomorrow. I’m back to my school schedule, so I had to start working at 7:30 this morning instead of 8:00. You wouldn’t think that a half hour would make that much difference but it was really hard to get going this morning. Maybe it’s because it’s Monday.

For breakfast I had the usual toast with peanut butter and a sliced banana along with a cup of 1% milk for 8 points.

I also made up an iced coffee for 1.5 points. Don’t you love my new reusable cup? I LOOOVE this cup- so cute! :) I’ve been looking for travel cups for smoothies- so these will be perfect! I bought 2 of them.

For break I had a peach. It wasn’t ripe at all and tasted like a peach flavored apple.

For lunch I had 1/2 a whole wheat pita stuffed with egg salad, bbq pop chips, and a tomato for 7 points.

Dessert was dark chocolate, a gift from hubby, for 3 points.

I spent my last break on the phone with a bank asking why I got a letter in the mail with someone’s else’s name on it with our address telling us we had not been approved for an auto loan. That was a little bit scary to get that in the mail! I started thinking about identity theft- and what was even more weird was that the bank was based out of my hometown in Illinois. But turns out, the car dealership made a typo and put our address and the guy lives down the street. Sorry that you didn’t get approved for a car loan, dude. But I think all is well, I just need to call the car dealership and let them know about their error- I’m not a big fan of that place… so not looking forward to calling them!

I ended up working an extra hour to help out. The sad part is that I won’t get overtime for staying late anymore because I reduce my hours for school. Oh well! Can’t say I don’t help out once in a while anyways!

Supper was whole wheat pasta w/ my homemade spaghetti sauce. It was pretty good! I also had green beans and sandwich thin garlic toast. All for a total of 6.5 points.

Dessert was a scoop of ice cream with sugar free chocolate syrup for 3 points.

I have 2.5 points left over for the rest of the night.

Since tomorrow is the first day back to school I’m a little nervous but I’m sure I’ll be fine. I hate the first day, “Let’s go around the room and say your name and something interesting about yourself” procedures…ughhh. I have nothing to say! lol It makes everyone uncomfortable and no one really care what everyone else says- so total waste of time.

One of my professors emailed a 13 page syllabus on Saturday (talk about crashing the last days of summer vacation!) with a 40 page reading assignment for the first day of class. Nice. He’s hoping not to spend much time talking about the syllabus…what am I getting myself into? lol