A Tuesday That Was Truly Tasteful!

I decided that I would prove that you can eat incredibly tasty food, (not diet food) while keeping within the recommended Points for the day!

Here is how I started off the day. Truly a favorite of mine.....but I do admit it takes practice with getting the right temperature on your stove top!

Oatmeal Banana Pancake

1/2 C quick cooking oats
1/2 to 1 smashed banana, today I used one whole banana in the mix
2 egg whites
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t vanilla
1 packet Truvia
1 T of Better N Peanut Butter for topping
1 t of honey to drizzle





Mash up the banana, add everything but the Peanut Butter and honey and give it a really good stir........




..........pour onto a medium hot skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook about three minutes, then divide into four parts for easy flipping! Flip each quarter and cook an additional minute.




I divided one tablespoon of Better N Peanut Butter over each quarter, let it melt, then spread it out, and stacked them up!




Then I drizzled a teaspoon of honey on top.





I usually top it with sliced banana, but decided to try it without today since I used one whole banana in the pancake.

I LOVED MY BREAKFAST!
7 PPV




Every single bite!




You should try it.........




Here, open up!




You're not opening!!




Fine, I'll eat it all by myself. :)




Ok.....lunch today? Equally tasty......

2 slices Trader Joes Bread (2)
1 T Light Country Crock Spread (1)
6 slices Turkey (1)
2 slices Kraft 2% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2)

2 Kiwi, 1 orange (0)

Carrots, cherry tomatoes (0)

Total = 6 PPV




I love a grilled cheese sandwich. I included the turkey for a little extra protein. I used two slices of cheese to make this extra creamy and hold it all together nicely!

I have learned to love the crunch of carrots with my sandwich instead of chips. I have a hard time stopping at one serving of chips, so I just don't keep them in the house. If you have kids in the house, that can be tough! Maybe you could put them out of your sight! Who knows, maybe your kids will eat less chips too if they are outta sight!


And how cute is this little label on the top of the Cherry Tomato package?

"Going green taste a lot better when you add a little red."





Lunch was just as good as breakfast!




Look at that cheesy goodness!




Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.




And dessert!

0 PPV!





I had plans with a girlfriend for the evening, so I had no idea what was in store for the evening meal, but I knew I could make it work, with a little planning, of course.

I ate a large breakfast and lunch, and included lots of power foods so I would stay full throughout the day. My plan worked. When dinner time came, I wasn't starving and I knew I could fit in a couple of beers and enjoy my evening without any guilt.

Dinner with my girlfriend
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with gauc and sour cream (10)
steamed Veggies (0)
2 Mich Ultras (7)

17 PPV

I didn't take pictures of dinner, but my sandwich was delicious and I only ate half of the bread.

My plan for the day was to really enjoy some good food, maybe some beer, and still stay within my points range.

By choosing two beers, I ate 30 PPV instead of 26, but I had them available from my 49 points allowance. I'd say I had a very successful......

Tasty Tuesday!


Refresh...I can eat 26 points a day.
I can earn Activity Points by doing exercise.
I have an allowance of 49 points that I can dip into if I chose.
I should drink a minimum of 6 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

The food I ate today and it's PPV.

Breakfast = 7
Lunch = 6
Dinner = 17

Total = 30

Activity Points Earned Today = 2
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 26
How many glasses of water I drank today = 10




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Friend Making Monday's (on Tuesday)

I follow several different bloggers now, and Kenlie is one of them. She has lost over 100 pounds, and she too is very honest in her blog. Each Monday she does what she calls, " Friend Making Mondays". It's a way to get to know each other and see what other bloggers have to say. She has a series of questions, and she ask you to answer them in your blog, and share on her blog as well. I have never done it before, but due to the subject matter....FALL....I couldn't pass it up!

So here it is........



1. What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

Football, Fire Pits, Hats, scarves, Jeans and Boots and the Crockpot!

2. What do you hope to do again before Summer is officially over?

Yikes, I thinks it officially over, but probably mow in my tank top to keep a little color on my arms and face.

3. When did you last go on a hay ride?

Probably about ten years ago when my dad drove his Farmall Tractor in the downtown parade, and I rode on the trailer behind it with my niece and nephew and a bunch of hay!

4. What is your favorite pumpkin dish?

I love all things Pumpkin, but I just made a recipe I found on Pinterest called Pumpkin Poppers. They are little pumpkin mini muffins that you dip in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar, and they were to DIE for. Seriously. Die for.

5. Do you decorate your home for fall?

I love to put bittersweet all over and have lots of Fall scented candles burning.

6. Do you have any hobbies that are seasonally specific? If so, what are they?

Not really, but I do find I like to curl up with a good book more often. If its super cold out, I don't feel so guilty curled up on the couch with a cozy blanket, hot tea and a good book. (And now a plate of pumpkin poppers!)


7. Apple cider or hot chocolate?

Cider. Fewer WW Points. :)

8. Are you a fan of football? If so, who is your team?

I live in the KC area, so we are pretty loyal Chiefs fans, whether they suck or not. I love the idea most of all. Have people over, drink beer and eat chili and cuss at the TV. It doesn't really get any better than that.

9. Share a fond Fall memory.

Watching my parents work hard to rake up all the leaves, then jump in them with the neighbor and mess them all up, then get yelled at. Ahhhhhh....good times.

10. It’s not Fall until........

.......we sit outside with the firepit and the neighbors and can hear the announcer over the loud speakers at the High School Football game up the street. Or pumpkins on my porch.




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Back in "Boot Camp!"

It's official. I signed up for a ONE YEAR commitment to Bootcamp . After pondering (okay, fine, procrastinating) it for quite a while, and Mike reminding me how much I talked about each class and how good it made me feel, I decided it was the thing I needed to keep my strength training regular.

It's three days a week, I really did like all of the instructors over the summer, it is super close to home, the schedule offers lots of variety, and I felt so good the whole eight weeks I was doing it!

Yay me!





Eats for the day......
Breakfast
Omelette made of Four egg whites, 1 T Bacon Crumbles, 1 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge
3 PPV

I like to cook the egg whites until they set good enough to easily flip......





Then it just takes a second or two.......





I divide my cheese wedge up into little chunks.......then you get a nice creamy taste of cheese in every bite!




Along with my favorite toast topping right now.....
That's right.......
More Pumpkin Butter
3 PPV




Total
6 PPV





In the afternoon, I had a few non-pictured crackers and cheddar cheese and grapes
5 PPV

I had another snack later......that was delicious!
Quaker Cinnamon Pecan Bread (kinda small, but very tasty and filling)
4 PPV





An actual lunch just wasn't happening.........so I had another snack.........
just a snacking kind of day, I guess.

I keep Plain Nonfat Greek on hand all the time now. I use it as a sour cream replacement and have used it in a few recipes. It has a ridiculous amount of protein in it, so I want to use it as often as possible. I had heard that using jam or preserves is just like buying it with fruit in it. So I gave it a try and I was pleasantly surprised!

Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (2 PPV)
1/4 C Kashi GoLean (1 PPV)
1 T Blackberry Jam (1 PPV)

4 PPV




Dinner was fun and different.
I vowed to try two new things each week.
Here is one.
Slice up some chicken sausages, brown in skillet.





Clean and prep some Portabella Mushroom Caps.
Bake for 5 minutes on a baking sheet at 375.
Then top with Pizza sauce, Chicken sausages and Lite Mozarella.
Bake at 375 for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

I love mushrooms and have no idea why I don't buy them more often.
(Must buy more mushrooms)

This really was yummy.

Pizza and salad.
8 PPV






Oh......and by the way........

I spoke to some really smart people......(my fellow bloggers and 5K runners), .....and made some changes to my settings that should now allow you to leave comments easier! Yay! Thank Goodness I know some Smart people!!!

I love your comments, whether in person, or email, or Facebook, but hopefully you will be able to make them here now if you would like! :)

Please tell me who you are if you do comment here. Thanks!

Refresh...I can eat 26 points a day.
I can earn Activity Points by doing exercise.
I have an allowance of 49 points that I can dip into if I chose.
I should drink a minimum of 6 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

The food I ate today and it's PPV.

Breakfast = 6
Snack = 5
Snack = 4
Snack = 4
Dinner = 8

Total = 27

Activity Points Earned Today = 0
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 30
How many glasses of water I drank today = 9




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

The Pep Talk Helped!

It really amazes me what a little "self talk" can do for me and my moods. Since my "Deep" post on Saturday morning, I really feel great. I guess I am just one of those people that needs a pep talk every couple of weeks, and I guess the pep talk needs to come from me! Who knows what we need better than our own self?





Another great day enjoying the gorgeous weather! I love to sleep with the windows open when its cool outside. Luckily, Mike doesn't seem to mind. We both just seem to sleep better. It must have worked great, because we didn't get out of bed until 9:00 Sunday morning!

I love to sleep in, wake up and start with a little coffee, then fill the house with the smell of bacon!

Sometimes a late Sunday Breakfast is just what we need to get our Sunday off to a great start.

Breakfast.....at 10:30
:)

Toast with Pumpkin Butter
3 PPV

Breakfast Scramble
Egg Whites, One Egg, Potatoes, Bacon Crumbles, WW Shredded Cheese.....all topped with a little salsa.
7 PPV




I LOVE A SKILLET SCRAMBLE!!





Lunch
Uh......this little guy was tasty. Kashi Go Lean Peanut Butter & Chocolate
10 G protein
5 PPV




Then we went to my In-Law's house. Mike's dad is out of town and his mom is on a roll getting all of her projects marked off the "To Do List". A new ramp was needed for the shed in the backyard, so Mike and his brother went to work!

Check THAT task off the list!

I took this picture while sitting on the deck with one of our grandsons (he got to spend the night with Great Grandma!) and my Mother-In-Law. I was busy coloring away with Malik! I forgot how much I love to color!




After all the work was done, (the building and the coloring) we enjoyed some ribs, tater tots, salad and fruit. I brought leftover ribs from the wedding in July. They were taking up lots of space in my freezer and I knew Mike and his brother would be good and hungry after an afternoon of hard work. I put them in the oven for a while on low, and they surprisingly tasted almost as good as they did fresh! I ate FIVE! (Totally forgot to take pics)

Then we headed home so I could walk the dogs, then get a good walk in myself.

It's been a great weekend!

Refresh...I can eat 26 points a day.
I can earn Activity Points by doing exercise.
I have an allowance of 49 points that I can dip into if I chose.
I should drink a minimum of 6 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

The food I ate today and it's PPV.

Breakfast = 10
Lunch = 5
Snack (latte, apple) = 2 PPV
Dinner = 15

Total = 32

Activity Points Earned Today = 2
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 31
How many glasses of water I drank today = 8


This print is small, but the meaning, to me, is so BIG!




All you Have To Do Is Be Yourself.
And Live The Story That No One Else Can Live.
The Story Of Your Own Unique Life.

Be Proud.
Be Confident.
And Most Of All, Be Happy.




"love the life you live, live the life you love"

The Perfect Saturday

My morning started off with one dog in my face, the other in my back, and me tangled in the covers. I have had some dreams the last few nights that have been exhausting and in which I think I earned some Activity Points!

I jumped out of bed and started my day, which is where the "Perfect Part" comes in.

I was anxious to get the deep, long blog off of my mind and out there, so that and a few cups of coffee were the first thing on my Saturday agenda.

Then I dressed for the day.......feeling very Fallish (that Fall thing is gonna get old quick, isn't it?) in my hat and plaid to meet my mom for lunch at the Overland Park City Market.

How Do I Look?

Yes, I was feeling a bit sassy.





Before I left the house, I knew I needed to eat a little something, so I grabbed some almonds and a banana.

2 PPV



Then I headed to Downtown Overland Park.






I love the Market atmosphere on a cool Saturday morning.....







I met my mom at The Great Day Cafe.




It was a busy Saturday at The Great Day Cafe with lots of moms and dads and kids and grandparents, but I was loving all the commotion.

A couple owns the joint (I assume they are the owners) and the misses runs around in her cute little artsy outfit making sure everyone is enjoying their soup, sandwich and pastry, all made from scratch and with local ingredients...........




........while the hubby, in his ponytail and awesome hat, plays an original of his on one of his five instruments he has lined up in front of him.




Everyone that works there is either in skinny jeans and converse, has several piercings, has dreadlocks, or....all of the above. I LOVE IT!

I ordered 1/2 soup, 1/2 sandwich.
Caprese Panini with Butternut Squash Soup

11 PPV



After lunch, we stepped out to the patio so mom could smoke her dessert.





They had BLANKETS nicely draped over many of the chairs! How cute is THAT? I ordered a coffee and covered up!

After lunch I hit the Apple store where I fell in love with Adam. I downloaded the new IOS 6 yesterday and there seemed to be a glitch with my email. The place was packed, due to the new IPhone and being a Saturday and all, but somehow I got a Kick Ass parking....AND Adam took care of me with very little effort, and very little time. We even talked BLOG!

Then I hit up Trader Joes for a few essentials.

On the way home, I had the windows down, the sunroof open, the heater full blast, and I was jammin like a fool to Cheap Trick. It really is scary how much fun I can have alone.

I took my four legged friends for a walk, then got ready for an evening out with the hubby.

Before heading out, I made a little snack.........
Carrots, Applepear and Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge
1 PPV











This weekend is our "dating anniversary". We went on our first date 16 years ago. We like to celebrate by going to the Plaza Art fair.




The weather was perfect and the Plaza was packed full of Art, people, music, beer tents and Food tents.














We strolled the art, saw a few familiar faces, shared a beer and each ate a Turkey Burger while strolling the streets. It was a little chilly out, so I opted for a latte instead of a second beer.

We headed home to find the neighbors out enjoying the Fire Pit, so we joined them. :) I drank hot tea and took advantage of the marshmallows and the fire and roasted a couple! Yum. Fall.

It really was the Perfect Saturday!



Just to keep in check.....

THESE ARE FRIDAYS EATS.........

Refresh...I can eat 26 points a day.
I can earn Activity Points by doing exercise.
I have an allowance of 49 points that I can dip into if I chose.
I should drink a minimum of 6 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

The food I ate today and it's PPV.

Breakfast (oatmeal, apple and nonfat latte) = 6
Lunch (small beef patty, green beans) = 6
Snack (beer) = 4
Dinner (shrimp fajitas) = 15

Total = 31

Activity Points Earned Today = 0
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 44
How many glasses of water I drank today = 9


THESE ARE SATURDAYS EATS............

Refresh...I can eat 26 points a day.
I can earn Activity Points by doing exercise.
I have an allowance of 49 points that I can dip into if I chose.
I should drink a minimum of 6 (8 oz) glasses of water each day.

The food I ate today and it's PPV.

Breakfast = 2
Lunch = 11
Snack = 1
Dinner (turkey burger and beer) = 13
Latte = 2
Roasted Marshmallows = 4

Total = 33

Activity Points Earned Today = 0
Remaining points from my 49 Points Allowance = 37
How many glasses of water I drank today = 10






"love the life you live, live the life you love"