Is it Friday Yet?

For breakfast this morning I had an oatmeal waffle topped with a banana and sugar free syrup along with a cup of 1% milk for 8 points.

This really is a delicious breakfast!

I went back to sleep after hubby left. I really didn’t feel like getting out of bed today, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. So before I left for school, I made a peach smoothie for 3 points to make it a little better. :)

Class went alright today. I got out of each class about 15 minutes early- which NEVER happens, and weird that it happened on the same day for both classes!

I was hungry in between classes so I picked up a Naked: Berry Veggie Machine. This is a new flavor and was pretty interesting, I was kind of disgusted by it to tell you the truth. lol but I like how healthy it is! I drank half of it for 2 points.

Look at all that’s in it!

A good choice, don’t you think? You probably all know what kind of food you can find in the union at ANY University!

On the way home I munched on 1 cup of grapes for 1 point.

It was nice having a little bit more time at home before signing into work. For lunch, I had left over broccoli cheese soup and toast with whipped chive cream cheese on top for 7 points.

Dessert was dark chocolate for 2 points.

And before signing into work, I made up an amaretto coffee with FF vanilla creamer for .5 point.

I have just been starting to realize how much caffeine can help me get through the day! I am so tired in the afternoon on the days I go to school and drinking coffee really helps me out! Where have I been all of this time? lol

So the workday went by quickly- 3 hours isn’t that hard to do when I usually work 9.5 hour days!

For supper, I had pizza with ham, tomatoes and onions along with a little salad. I planned on 2 pieces, but I ate 4 because I was hungry! 10 points.

For dessert, I had banana soft serve for 2 points.

I used 4.5 weekly points today- due to the pizza tonight, but I’m ok with that. I enjoyed it and didn’t feel like I was overeating. It was a very thin crust, too. Not too high in points since I made it at home.

Later on, hubby and I went for a 20 minute walk. Both of us were really tired and didn’t want to do ANYTHING- but we decided we should at least go for a walk. I burned 110 calories, so it was worth something!

Now we’re off to watch Tuesday’s BL!

Weigh In Day: 5 Lb. Star!

I was happy to step on the scale this morning and see 222.4! That’s a 2.8 lb loss for the week!! Whoohoo! I have lost a total of 65.6 lbs and I earned another 5 lb star on WW online. :) I am getting close to my 10 lb goal (218) and I haven’t even picked a reward yet! Any ideas?

This week goes to show that portion control is everything. I ate delicious foods including Mexican, Chinese and cupcakes. I did so in moderation and measured out serving sizes. I am learning that it’s ok to indulge as long as I am in control and that I eat healthy the  majority of the time.

For breakfast, I had 1 cup oatmeal with 1 tsp peanut butter and a sliced banana along with 1 cup of 1% milk for 7 points.

I had to get my caffeine fix for work, so I made more Amaretto coffee with fat free vanilla creamer for .5 point.

For my first break, I ate 1/2 of a Pecan Pie Larabar. It was good, but not the best one I’ve had! 2.5 points.

Lunch was a salad made up of lettuce, tomato, avocado, chicken and light ranch for 6 points.

I also had a piece of toast topped with whipped chive cream cheese for 3.5 points.

Dessert was 2 WW caramel cookies topped with Nutella for 3 points.

I wasn’t hungry on my last break so I didn’t have any snacks- just got a few household chores out of the way!

What a LONG day! I was super busy today, taking more calls than I have all month. I can’t wait for the slow season to start up again!

For supper, I had an egg sandwich made up of a sandwich thin, 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese, and ham. I also had a tiny apple and peanut butter (not pictured) for 8.5 points.

Dessert was chocolate pudding for 3 points.

I’ve used 3 weekly points today and I am happy with how I did. :)

We’re OVER half way through the week and that’s WONDERFUL news!!

Oh, Happy Day!

Hello everyone! The picture above is an Aster from my flower garden- isn’t it beautiful? :)

Without further ado, here is the WW Caramel cookie recipe that you asked about. :) I have never made cookies where you roll the dough into a log and then cut them off. I really like that idea as you can make smaller cookies. I will definitely try that with other recipes!

For breakfast this morning I had 1 Oatmeal Waffle topped with a small banana and sugar free syrup along with a cup of 1% milk for 7.5 points.

A closer look:

This was really good! I made waffles Saturday morning and the recipe I tried made 12 waffles, so I stuck the extras in the fridge and they came in handy! They were just as good the second time. I just popped them in the toaster and they were delicious!

Before leaving for school, I made a peach smoothie for 3 points.

Such a great way to get in a serving (or more) of fruits!

My Mom called when I was on my way to school- so it was fun to talk to her and it made the drive go much quicker!

School went alright today. I found out that I got an A on the first test in one of my classes! I was so happy for that- not very many people did well! One person did better than me. This professor grades on a curve, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing if you do your work, hopefully a good thing!

After school, I headed over to the grocery store to pick up some milk. We are always out of milk. We drink so much of it. But I love milk and it’s good for you, too! I only drink 1 glass a day, but when you use it in cooking, it goes fast! We almost drink 2 gallons a week between the two of us! lol

On my way home I had a pear for 1 point.

I decided to stop at Subway and bring lunch home. I had a turkey and ham sub along with baked BBQ Lays and I drank 24 oz. of light Minute Maid Lemonade for a total of 8.5 points. Subway was especially delicious today for some reason.

For dessert, I had 2 caramel cookies topped with a little Nutella for 3 points.

It was time to get started on homework- but I was really dragging and so tired! Caffeine fix time! Amaretto was the only regular coffee in the house- so that’s what I had. Not my first pick, but it works! I added a little fat free vanilla creamer for .5 point. This was just what I needed.

I get so bored with the reading in my classes this semester. I do homework the only way that keeps me going. I set goals of like 5-10 pages (or less depending on the boring factor) and then I can read a blog or do something other than read. It might take me longer to get the reading done but it makes it a little more bearable! Oh, and this is probably the time you’ll find me on Twitter. hehe, it works for me and my grades are just fine. ;)

My Dad called just to talk on his way home from work, so I talked to him for a while. It’s a rare occurrence that this happens- so it was fun! :) Everyone always calls to talk to Mom, so I think Dad feels left out sometimes. ;)

For supper, I didn’t have too many points left so I planned accordingly. I had 2.5 oz grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of green beans, and 1/2 slice of toast with a little whipped chive cream cheese on top for 4.5 points.

For dessert, I had a serving of chocolate pudding for 3 points. I hate using that many points on pudding, but we are out of the sugar free kind and hubby likes the Trader Joe’s pudding, so that’s what we had tonight. This time I made it in the blender and that made all of the difference. It was so creamy and much easier than trying to whisk it by hand! (But that’s why there are bubbles on top, lol)

That puts me at using EXACTLY my points for the day! Yay!

Today was just such a great day. It was a beautiful Fall day. The sun was shining, the leaves are starting to change, and it just made me so happy. I also think I’m running on a high from last night’s run, too. But it feels good to be positive and happy. I think all of that rainy and cold weather was dragging me down!

Later on, we went for our run. We completed a total of 3 miles in 47 minutes. We ran 2 miles continuously and walked the rest. It was harder for me tonight. I had a cramp in my side and my knee was hurting. But it was another beautiful night and we saw the prettiest sunset on the run home. :) Overall, I’m glad that we went- especially because I burned 365 calories!!

Tomorrow is weigh in day. This morning I was below last week’s weigh in so I’m hoping my body will show me some love on that scale tomorrow! I don’t think there’s any way you can keep yourself from retaining fluid though…lol. But I feel like I did well today and I did what I could- that’s all that matters in the long run, right? :)

The Best Part of Monday: A Night Run

Why is the weekend always so short? This one was over before I knew it! I enjoyed it while it lasted though.

For breakfast this morning, I had a slice of Carolina rice bread toasted and topped with peanut butter and a banana along with a glass of 1% milk for 9 points.

I have to share something that happened to me this weekend as a NSV of sorts. Hubby and I were in the kitchen and I was explaining something to him (can’t remember what). I talk with my hands a lot more than I care to admit. I do it without thinking about it. As I was talking, and probably waving my hands all over the place, my wedding ring flew off of my hand. That’s right. Just completely fell off of my hand! On the one hand (har har), that makes me very happy because my hands are even getting smaller, but that also makes me nervous that I’m going to lose my ring! I am always worried when I wash my hands in a public place because I don’t want my ring to slip off! Looks like I’ll have to get it resized eventually. :)

Today, I had decaf dark chocolate coffee with white chocolate creamer for 1.5 points.

On my first break I had a little tiny Jonathan apple and PB for 3 points.

For lunch, I had a sweet potato and I added a tiny bit of sugar/cinnamon for 3 points.

I also had some baked potato soup that I had in the freezer for 5 points.

For dessert, I had a 1 point caramel cookie- a WW recipe. These turned out really good!

On my last break, I wasn’t hungry but wanted something refreshing, so I had a sugar free Hawaiian punch drink.

The afternoon went pretty quickly. Lots of technical problems which was a little frustrating but also made the day go faster at the same time… It just kept me on my toes I guess!

I was so hungry after work. Hubby was later than usual and I wanted to go in the kitchen and eat something so badly. That’s what I used to do regularly- probably every day. I’d snack until I wasn’t hungry anymore and then eat supper anyways. I have really changed in this aspect. I seem to have a lot more control over when I eat. I don’t HAVE to go into the kitchen and eat a snack. I didn’t. I was very hungry, but I had to tell myself that supper was only a couple of hours away and I could wait. An exercise in will power. Although I did have a bite of squash while I was preparing supper. :)

FINALLY, for supper, I had 1/2 a whole wheat pita stuffed (and I mean STUFFED) with teriyaki chicken, avocado and tomato. I heated this up and it was DELISH!  I also had 1/2 cup of acorn squash. All of this for 6.5 points.

For dessert I had planned on 2 cookies but I ate 3- for 3 points.

Why is it that I think I can eat more of something when it’s lower in points? I guess because I can. Because I could have 3 cookies for the same points as what 1 cookie usually is. Still, I should have just stopped at 1 or 2. But I’m very hungry tonight and I’m not sure why. I don’t think I left myself enough points for the night, I ate too many points at breakfast and lunch. So I had to go into my activity points and use 1- just one- because of that extra cookie. Worse things have happened so I’m not worrying about that.

After supper, we let our food settle and then headed out the door for a run. I was a little worried about my knee, but I could put weight on it without it hurting too badly today, so thought I better get out there! We set out for a mile, but it felt so great we went for 1.5 miles. It was the perfect running night. Nice and cool but not too cold. A clear  night, we could see all of the stars. I love running at night. I think this is really going to work out. The hardest part is just getting out the door. But since Hubby is doing this with me, we can motivate each other. Total workout time was 47 minutes, with the mile and a half run within the walk to and from the path. I burned 284 calories! yay! That also means we have 22.5 miles left for the 25 mile goal! We’re getting there!

I feel so much better when I exercise. Why is it so hard for me to get motivated to get out there when I know how good I’ll feel when I’m done?

CSN Stores Review: Waffle Maker

Once again, I am very impressed with CSN Stores You should definitely check out the site!

Like last time, the shipping was extremely fast. I like this kind of consistency. I ordered on Friday evening and I received my product on Wednesday afternoon. That’s simply amazing. The product was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. I highly recommend CSN Stores!

I chose to use my credit towards a waffle maker this time. I chose the Black & Decker Grill & Waffle Maker – G48TD. The price was right and CSN Stores has reviews listed with the product so that I could easily read the product reviews and that was very helpful in making my decision.

I love the look of the product, the stainless steel is very sleek and sturdy. We have been wanting a waffle maker for a long time, so we were anxious to try it out!

The plates that you see here are removable so that they can be easily cleaned. If you flip them over, you can use the waffle maker as a grill.

Very cool! This might be easier to use than our George Foreman, which is a PAIN to clean!

I did not take a picture of the waffles while I was cooking them, but I was amazed at how quickly they were done! I used a whole grain mix from Trader Joe’s and they turned out wonderfully! I am on the lookout for a low calorie recipe if anyone has one though!

The perfect meal! :)

By the way, CSN Stores has so many other great products on their website, too. So go check them out! I will definitely be purchasing from them in the future!

Saturday Check In

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekends!

I did a little shopping today and I had a lot of fun! I LOVE Old Navy. Just love that store. I think the best part of shopping there is that I can find clothes that fit in the same styles that everyone else wears and I don’t have to shop in the Plus size corner of the store next to the maternity section. I haven’t always been able to fit into Old Navy’s clothes- so that’s another added joy of shopping there. I actually bought XL in all but 2 shirts that I bought there this time. The XXL’s are getting too big! Yay! I got a lot of really cute tops and only spent $2 of my own money because my sister sent me a gift card. I also got a new pair of everyday shoes. They’re Saucony. We’ll see how I like those compared to my Asics. I won’t be running in these though. We got groceries and finally came home!

I am a little worried about my knee. It really hurts to put pressure on it when I walk and it hurts when I touch it in a certain area too. I hope that I didn’t over do it last night. I am not doing anything today to make sure that I don’t injure myself- because this is painful! We were going to run the 5k route in town today, too. :( There’s always tomorrow, I suppose.

How do you like the new look of my blog? It’s kind of boring right now, but I am going to work on adding some sort of picture at the top when I get some extra time. It’s a lot of work and time consuming to get it all how you want it!

I don’t really have too much to stay tonight, but I wanted to check in anyways! How is your weekend going?

A New Challenge

It wasn’t very hard getting out of bed today knowing that I just had one single day of work and then it would be the weekend!

For breakfast, I had 1 cup of oatmeal with 1 cup of strawberries for 2.5 points. We were out of milk, so I started loading up on water to help with yesterdays indulgences.

Believe it or not, I actually lost weight this morning. But I know that I can’t do that every day!

Before signing in to work, I made a pumpkin spice latte for 1.5 points. I used cinnamon coffee this time because I am out of my regular coffee blends. I usually mix the cinnamon with another blend. It was pretty good though!

Is anyone watching the BL this season? We watched the first episode last night. The show is inspiring to me. I know that it’s not healthy to lose the weight so fast, but it at least shows me what I am capable of. What is with the horrible stories? I feel really bad for these people but it’s like BL is looking for the people with the most tragic stories or something. I’m looking forward to the season though!

For my first break, I ate one of my birthday gifts from hubby for 5 points.

I had forgotten how GOOD these are! YUM! Plus, they count as a serving of fruit. Right?

For lunch, I made a salad out of lettuce, tomato, deli ham, avocado and light ranch for 4 points.

I also had a 1/2 slice of pumpkin yeast bread with whipped honey walnut cream cheese for 3 points.

For dessert, I had 1/2 of a cinnamon raisin cookie for 1 point.

On my last break I had an apple with peanut butter for 3.5 points.

For supper, I came up with a meal based on what we had in the cupboards. This was delicious! I made stove top, cooked a chicken breast and topped that off with some reduced fat cream of chicken soup. I also had green beans. This was a total of 7.5 points.

For dessert, I had vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry jam (syrup) for 4 points.

I did LOTS better at getting the fruits and veggies in today! That leaves me at using 1 weekly point today. I’d say this was a good eating day!

After supper, I raked walnuts out of our yard. Those things are a mess! It looks a lot better. I wore my heart rate monitor. It took me 41 minutes and I burned 239 calories! Nice!

Immediately after that, hubby and I went for a run. I felt like I was really pushing myself and hubby was pushing me to keep my pace up (which I wanted him to do) and I ran a mile in 12:36- I felt like I was running a lot faster than that! The total workout time was 42 minutes, the rest of that time was walking. I burned 281 calories, so that’s 520 calories today!! I am so ready to get back into exercise. NO MORE EXCUSES! My knee really hurt tonight, which isn’t normal. I was walking pretty slow on the way home. It hurts toward the side of it in the front. I am icing it right now, is that what I should do?

I set a new fitness goal today to try to motivate myself and hubby wants to do it with me, so that will help a lot! Since I just turned 25, I want to run 25 miles by our anniversary on Oct. 21st. That is running time, not walking time. So I completed mile one tonight! That’s 28 days to run 25 miles. I know that I can do that and that’s not a goal that’s too hard to attain, but it’s so much more than I’m doing right now- so I’m excited about it!

By the way, we’re signed up for another 5k!!! We will run this one in October, before our anniversary, so those 3 miles will count into the goal, too. :) This will be great motivation! We will run this one with my sister- she is going to push a jogging stroller with her kids, so she said she’ll be slower than usual. (My sister runs marathons and recently had her 3rd child, so she’s getting back into running again after her pregnancy!) I’m just hoping I can keep up with HER! If not, hubby says he’ll run with me again. :) He gets mad at me for even worrying about it and says I should be proud of what I AM DOING…*sigh* I just never feel good enough!

I had a good eating day AND a good activity day. I am very happy with that! I hope you have a great weekend!!