"My Last Two Dollars and My Last Good Nerve"

Thanks to my friend Mikey (guru of all that is internet tripe!) for sending me this awesome link.

This is by far one of the best blog entries I have ever read. The best part is that it's a true story, but it reads like a really good fiction blurb. Here's to the days when we are all at our wittiest!! And may all ignorant people find themselves old and alone wondering what went wrong.

Look what I did!

I joined a gym. Yes!!

Go here to read all about it. I'm so stoked and excited and nervous all at the same time.

Wooohooooo!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ chocolate Almond Breeze
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch w/ skim milk
- huge fruit salad: 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup red grapes, 1 small gala apple
- over ff Lemon Parfait yogurt
- sprinkled w/ crushed almonds
- PC Multiseed Flatbread crackers w/ lemon & dill hummus
- PC BM chicken fingers w/ honey/dijon/light mayo dipping sauce
- baby carrots, chopped mushrooms, brocolli w/ onion dip
- tea
- something snackie

19+snack/22

Activity: walk the doggie!

Water: 500ml

Meh

Hmmmm....well, I wouldn't call it a bad day, but it certainly wasn't an OP day. I didn't eat my strawberries or make my salad for dinner. I didn't eat my chocolate chip bread either, but that's because I ended up snacking on SmartPop w/ Becel in the evening instead. Boooo, it wasn't that good (the Becel went all cold and weird) and it was higher points. And this afternoon I snacked on heated Almond Breeze and a chocolate dipped granola bar. Only 4 points for those two things, but that's enough to blow the plan for today.

I was bored. Even with working all day, I get bored sitting here all the time. A girl can only sit and stare at the computer so long...and my book wasn't appealing to me today...and I had no motivation to outside...and, and, and....

Meh, tomorrow will be better.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ vanilla Almond Breeze
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch w/ skim milk
- fresh strawberries
- Melancauli Baby soup (from freezer)
- PC Multiseed Flat Bread crackers w/ lemon & dill hummus (all of Mandy's talk about hummus, I couldn't resist anymore!)
- baby carrots w/ homemade onion dip (sour cream was expiring, had to use it up!)
- WW frozen meal: Santa Fe Beans & Rice
- tossed salad w/ salsa
- tea
- 1 slice toasted chocolate chip miche bread w/ RSF Becel
- ff Lemon Parfait yogurt

22/22

Activity: walk the dog, 20 crunches/50 squats/20 pushups

Water: 500ml

Dilemna

Well, the good news is that I didn't have that "empty" feeling last night, so didn't feel the need to oversnack.

The bad news is that I didn't get hardly any water in yesterday.

So, I guess the water is definitely the reason for the feeling. Not sure what I should do. I know my water intake doesn't really affect my weight loss/maintenance all that much because I've always fluctuated on how much water I drink...but I am really dehydrated and I can feel it in my skin, etc. Part of that is from the change in climate, but mainly it's from my lack of water. I think maybe my best bet is to introduce it slowly...rather than going from one glass per day to eight, maybe I'll try upping it by one or two glasses at a time to see if that helps to squash that ridiculous hollow feeling.

On another note, I had a revelation last night while watching TV. As long as the show was on I was fine. The minute a commercial came on and I wasn't caught up in the program, my mind immediately turned to food. How nuts is that?! Thankfully I was watching a recorded show, so I quickly forwarded through the commercials and got back to the storyline. Weird though.

Snack Attack

I don't where this stuff has been all of my life, but I can't believe I waited this long to try Kashi Go Lean Crunch. This stuff is sooooooo good.

I think it was probably price that stopped me. I still have trouble paying for healthy food. Damn stuff is always more expensive, and why is it that it's rarely on sale? I can get a box of Mini-Wheats or Froot Loops on sale for $2.99, but I have to break the bank to get a box of Kashi or natural granola. Anyway, Superstore seems to have permanently lowered their price on the Kashi cereals (original and Crunch anyway) to $3.49...as opposed to $4.99.

So, spurred on by the bright yellow low price tag, I finally gave it a go and grabbed a box of the Crunch, and I love it. Sweet, crunchy, toasty, tasty. Plus, it's naturally sweetened so no weird corn syrup sugar highs, and it's high in protein and fibre so it can potentially keep you full longer. All around a good find! I already went back for a second box because I was afraid the price drop wasn't actually permanent.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch w/ skim milk
- grapes
- Melancauli Baby (from freezer)
- PC flatbread crackers w/ light herb cr. cheese & roasted garlic (yum!)
- ff Lemon Parfait yogurt w/ fresh stawberries
- tuna noodle casserole (from freezer)
- roasted asparagus
- tea
- 2 slices chocolate chip miche toast w/ RSF Becel

24/22

Activity: not looking good for a dog walk...the weather is ASS, 20 crunches/50 squats/20 pushups

Water: 2 litres

Emptiness continues

I had to keep myself busy with vacuuming and talking on the phone last night to avoid that "empty" feeling again. I came up one glass short on the water for the day, but I still had that weird feeling that I hadn't eaten enough...even though I had eaten plenty. Very odd.

I did go over plan by 2 points for a pudding cup, but it was yummy and I felt better after I ate it so I'm not going to beat myself up. I went to bed to read as soon as I got off the phone with my Mom so that the snack attack wouldn't get me....I stayed away from the TV altogether last night and I think that was my saving grace. If I had been staring aimlessly at the tube, that empty feeling would have gotten the best of me I know it.

Chicken Breast stuffed w/ Ricotta, Spinach & Garlic

Well that was about the simplest recipe ever. Aside from the fact that I overcooked it (I always do that...I'm always worried it will be undercooked) it was a success.

I hollowed out a small skinless chicken breast (approx 3 oz.) with a pointy paring knife. Then filled it with a mixture of light ricotta, frozen spinach, roasted garlic and salt & pepper. I sprinkled the top with a bit more salt & pepper and some Italian seasoning . Baked it on a foil lined cookie sheet at 375...I'd recommend about 15 mins...I did about 20+ and it was too dry. To keep it as moist as I could, I wrapped the foil around it after I took it out of the oven and let it rest. Next time I might cook it in a foil pouch and open it up for the last 5 minutes.

Ricotta on it's own is pretty boring, but the addition of the roasted garlic was super yummy.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Fibre Eggo w/ natural PB, smidge of honey & 1/2 banana
- Chicken Stew (from freezer)
- heated chocolate Almond Breeze
- Compliments chocolate dipped apple/cranberry granola bar
- fresh strawberries w/ 1 oz light cheddar
- chicken breast stuffed w/ ricotta, garlic & spinach (this is an experiment, wish me luck!)
- steamed asparagus
- tea
- 2 slices toasted chocolate chip miche bread w/ RSF Becel
- grapes

23/22

edit: after walking the dog, I felt the need for something warm and comforting....so I removed my original plan of a mock-quesadilla and used the points for the warmed chocolate Almond Breeze (holy decadent Batman!) and a sweet treat to go with it. In order to keep the points in check I also cancelled my yogurt for the day, but the Almond Breeze counts as a dairy serving so no big deal. I added in some zero point fresh strawberries to help round out my produce servings.

Activity: walk the dog, 20 crunches/20 squats/20 pushups

Water: 2 litres

Waterlogged

The good news is that I got in all my water yesterday....finally, I bet it's been months since I actually had my proper daily intake.

The bad news is that it left me with this nagging, empty, hungry feeling all damn day.

I didn't do any damage, but I did go over my planned menu by 6 points. I was trying to quell the hunger feeling with carby-goodness but it would only last for about 15 minutes. Very weird.

Nothing major...just a Handi-Snack before dinner, a granola bar after dinner, and a handful of crackers before bed. But it was still frustrating (and sort of nauseating) to have that feeling constantly and not be able to make it go away.

Hopefully my stomach gets used to the water intake in a few short days and the empty feeling goes away.

Snack Attack

I've been off the kick of 100 calorie packs for quite a while now. Not only do I think they are a waste of packaging, but generally they are more expensive too. If it's an item that isn't a trigger food for me, I just buy the normal size package and take care of my own portioning. A good example is SmartPop...unless you find a good sale, the 100 calorie packages end up being double the price of the normal size bags. I just portion out half of the popped corn and save the rest in a zipper bag until the next day. It's not quite as fresh but it does the trick just fine.

Anyway....

While in Zellers the other day, I noticed that they had the new Thinsations (apparently they haven't updated their website yet, because I can't find the info on the new varities anywhere) on for $2 box for Dollar Dayz, so I picked them up just to try out. I have to say that none of the previous Thinsations ever impressed me enough to buy them more than once.

However... the Bits & Bites are pretty damn yummy! I had my doubts because they are just the original plain flavour, but I was surprised to find that they were salty, seasoned and tasty! A nice 2 point snack to fill in that chip craving that pops up every once in a while.

(I also picked up the Ritz Crisps, which I'll review when I give them a try later this week.)

Side note: while Googling for information and photos, both CurvyGirl and Shirls came up pretty high on the search! :)

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ vanilla Almond Breeze
- ww tortilla w/ light ricotta, honey, fresh strawberries, dried pineapple & chopped almonds
- ff Lemon Parfait yogurt
- chicken stew (from freezer)
- multigrain Wheat Thins w/ light herb cream cheese
- baby carrots
- PC Blue Menu chicken strips w/ dijon/honey/light mayo dip
- steamed asparagus
- tea
- 2 slices chocolate chip miche bread w/ RSF Becel

23/22

Activity: walk the dog, 20 crunches/20 squats/20 pushups, vacuuming

Water: now that I've had a week OP, this week's challenge is to get in my eight glasses of water....

Weigh In

Wooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

I'm down to 151.6 pounds. That is a loss of 1.6 pounds, and the lowest weight I've been in months!! Just goes to show that when you work the program, the program works for you!

150 was my goal weight, but honestly since I hit it a year ago I've never stayed there. I usually hover around 153 and I'm happy with that. But it is still nice to see the number go down when I really put my mind to it.

Just think, if I stick to it this week I might actually see goal again. :)

Today I'm eating...

I was going to allow myself a McD's hashbrown or two today, for my "morning after" treat, but since I didn't come home drunk or wake up hungover I decided to save the points and treated myself to Starbucks instead. :) Add that to my stack of NSVs this week!

- Kashi Go Lean Crunch w/ vanilla Almond Breeze
- double tall vanilla non-fat latte
- 100 cal pack of Bits n Bites (they were on sale!)
- grapes
- PC Blue Menu chicken strips w/ honey/dijon/light mayo dipping sauce
- tossed salad w/ crushed almonds & olive oil
- leftover wild grain rice (from freezer) with RSF Becel
- tea
- 2 slices toasted PC chocolate chip miche bread (thanks Angie for the heads up on this!) w/ RSF Becel

24/22

Activity: walked dog in snow, shovelled mouth of driveway

Girls Night NSV

Almost did it according to my plan!

I wasn't hungry after lunch so didn't need my banana, so saved 2 points there. I ended up shovelling the whole bloody driveway instead of just the stairs so I'll take an extra activity point for that, thank you very much!

I only had one glass of wine with dinner so saved another couple points there. I did end up having the veggie spring rolls....but the salads weren't appealing to me, so I was going to still have the seafood dish I mentioned in my earlier post but they didn't have it on the menu anymore (time to update your online menu people!) so I opted for a curried chicken & veggie dish instead. It was probably a little higher in points, but I only ate a bit of the rice and all of the veggies and about 3/4 of the chicken. It was yummy so I don't feel bad at all!

I did have a light beer at the arena while we waited for the show to start, but since I didn't have my second glass of wine with dinner I figured it was no biggie.

Afterwards, we went back to our friend's hotel room where the girls had wine and such...so instead of my vodka/sodas I had two small glasses of red wine. Points values are a wash at this point I think. They even had little snacks for us, but it was fresh fruit and melbas & hummus so the few bites I took were healthy and enjoyable.

All in all a success I think!

Check out my original blog tomorrow for the post on the concert. So. Much. Fun. :)

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch w/ skim milk
- grapes
- Melancauli Baby soup
- multigrain Wheat Thins
- banana

15/22

This leaves 7 daily points, plus up to 25 flex points (I'd like to save at least 10 for tomorrow) for dinner and drinks out with the girls:
- cocktails before/with dinner: 1 Cosmo, 1-2 red wine
- dinner @ Economy Shoe Shop (either baked veggie spring rolls and a salad, or maybe the Acadian Peppered Shrimp & Scallops)
- vanilla vodka & sodas after the show.

est 30/32

total est 45/47

Activity: shovelling snow from the damn steps/porch/walkway, dancing!

Friday Night NSV!

And the hits just keep on coming!!

I had changed my dinner plan to try out a new Blue Menu seafood dish I had seen advertised, but when I went looking for it and it was out of stock I didn't falter. I was hungry and so easily could have succumbed to something else, but instead headed straight for the deli and picked up the sushi I had originally planned for the day.

While I stood in line to pay, I could hear those dangerous checkout items calling me....chocolate bars, Ben & Jerry's (whose brilliant idea was it to put a mini-freezer at the express checkout anyway?!), Humpty's snack mix. But they didn't get me!!!

I enjoyed my sushi and finally settled that craving I've had for two weeks. After dinner, I was restless, so again I made a cup of tea and sat at the table reading my paper. I stayed off the couch until it was time to watch my movie, because laying on the couch too much triggers my boredom and my snack cravings.

Once I put the movie in, I was craving something crunchy...so instead of having my planned yogurt I opted for a serving of dry Corn Bran Squares and it totally worked!!

I feel so good that I made it through this whole week IN CONTROL! Now when I go out tonight for dinner, drinks and a concert I won't feel bad about enjoying myself because I know I have the points and I deserve it. Yaaieeee!

Snack Attack

While cruising through the organic foods section at the grocery store the other night, I landed up in the non-dairy beverage section. I used to regularly stock up on drink boxes of flavored soy milk for after my kickboxing classes, but since I haven't started up a new activity since we moved I haven't been keeping any on hand.

I happened upon the Almond Breeze that I always read about on Hungry-Girl.com. She constantly recommends the sugar-free vanilla version. Well, I couldn't find the sugar-free one, but I picked up a litre of the regular vanilla and it's delicious! Tastes like dessert in a glass! With basically the same calories and other nutritionals as skim milk, it's a nice treat for a change. No chalky taste like most soy beverages.

I've had it straight up, in my coffee, heated in the microwave for a warm evening drink, and over some cereal. Next I want to try it on oatmeal and I'm looking forward to making iced coffees with it when the Summer finally gets here!

I tried to pick up the chocolate version last night, but the store was out. Can you imagine? It'll be like drinking a glass of chocolate almonds...yum!!!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- 1/2 PC BM multigrain english muffin w/ natural PB & 1/2 banana
- grapes
- Melancauli Baby soup (more stuff from the freezer!)
- small ww tortilla grilled w/ light cheddar
- baby carrots
- dinner TBD, but maybe sushi - finally!!
- if I'm still feeling like a snack, ff Lemon Parfait yogurt

14+ dinner = approx 22/22

OP NSV!

Yaaaieee...another day totally on-plan!

I had to alter my menu a teeny bit because when I was heading out for the hairdresser I was starving and knew I wouldn't make it until dinner time...so I grabbed a Kashi bar and my grapes to snack on in the car. To make up the points, I eliminated the olive oil dressing from my dinner salad and just had raw veggie sticks instead.

Later in the evening, when I could feel the snackies coming on, I went and made a cup of tea and tidied my kitchen. Snack crisis averted!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ vanilla Almond Breeze
- ricotta roll-up
- grapes
- 1/2 PC Blue Menu multigrain english muffin w/ natural PB & 1/2 banana
- baby carrots
- homemade turkey burger patty
- tossed salad w/ olive oil
- few low-fat McCain french fries w/ light Miracle Whip for dipping
- ff Lemon Parfait yogurt

24/22

NSV again!

And the NSVs just keep on coming...

Last night while watching a couple of shows I had taped on the DVR I started to get the munchies. My mind always wanders to food while I am watching TV, it's really annoying actually. As usual I immediately started to inventory in my mind what treats might be in the cupboard....but....instead of going looking for the crackers or cookies or whatever, I stuck to my plan for the day and went straight to the fridge and got out my ff vanilla yogurt.

It satisfied my need to shove something in my mouth while I gawked at the TV, and was within my daily plan.

Wooo!

Snack Attack

I found this recipe in a dairy ad in a magazine...

Fruit & Nut Ricotta Wrap

1/2 cup ricotta (I used light)
1 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup dried fruit & nut mix
(I bought some bulk dried fruit and added about 4 chopped up almonds)
1 medium sized whole wheat tortilla
cinnamon to taste

Combine ricotta, honey, zest, fruit and nuts. Spread mixture evenly over tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up firmly and cut in half. Enjoy!

• This makes enough mixture for two wraps.
• You can make the ricotta mixture the night before and keep it covered in the fridge.
• It's good cold, or zapped in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Review: This worked well for a quick-to-prepare, easy to eat, on-the-run breakfast. I found it a bit bland though so added extra cinnamon the second day. I think it would be yummy without the dried fruit, but maybe with a chopped banana and some almonds instead. I also think the mixture would be good on top of a waffle.

Today I'm eating...

- Ricotta roll-up (I'll post the recipe later)
- coffee
- mini-quesadilla (ww tortilla, light cheddar, mushrooms, green onions, tomato) w/ light sour cream & salsa
- vanilla Almond Breeze (it's like dessert in a glass!)
- baby carrots
- grapes
- homemade turkey burger patty (from freezer) on ww English muffin half w/ grainy dijon
- tossed salad w/ olive oil
- ff vanilla yogurt w/ 1/2 banana

24/22

NSV Day Two!!

OMG...I'm so proud...I'm on a roll!!

I had an appointment this morning with my Financial Planner. I didn't have the time (or inclination) to make coffee before I left, but I told myself it was important to have breakie before I went out, so I did.

My Planner's office is in the mall, so of course I had to do some window shopping when I was done. :) I accidentally wandered around the corner into the food court, and it all smelled so good...but I reminded myself that I wasn't hungry and carried on. Yaieee!

Instead, I went for a coffee. And instead of the big latte I would normally get, I happily ordered a really big regular coffee with skim milk and raw sugar. And it was sooooo good!! I didn't even miss the latte.

Then I ran a bunch more errands and did start to get hungry, but instead of getting sucked into drive-through I just toughed it out and came home to the yummy lunch I already had planned.

It must be the good weather!! I'm wearing something other than yoga pants and actually put make-up on these last two days. It sure helps to keep me on track when I'm not bored and I'm feeling more chipper. Hello Spring!!

NSV!

Holy crap, when was the last time I even took notice of a personal NSV? It's literally been months. Either I'm really bored and this is an attempt at something exciting, or I really have been slacking in the taking care of ME department.

While in Walmart tonight, I was just supposed to be checking to see what grocery items were on sale and looking for a file cabinet. Of course, I got sucked into the Easter Candy Void. First, I grabbed a bag of Hershey's miniatures to replace the ones of DBF's that I've eaten. Then, I found my beloved Eggies so threw a bag of those in my basket. Then proceeded to wander up and down each and every food aisle....managing to end up with some new granola bars and refrigerated pudding cups and and and....

Then I remembered that I wanted a fruit & nut mix for this new breakfast thing I'm going to try out. This is where I had my NSV believe it or not. I found a bag of dried pineapple...which I LOVE. I told myself I couldn't have it because I already had too many treats in my basket...THEN I realized that the pineapple would be a much healthier choice than the Eggies and I put those back!!! That's actually a miracle, not just an NSV. This led me to realize I didn't need to replace DBF's chocolate just yet, so I put those back...and that I so don't need yet another box of granola bars, so back those went too.

I did hold on to the pudding cups, but those aren't a trigger food for me like the chocolate is so they'll be a good thing to keep in the fridge. Besides, they are only 100 cals each, as opposed to the Eggies which were 260 cals for 1/3 cup.

To top this off, I got hungry while grocery shopping, but instead of making a bad choice I just hurried myself along and came home for the dinner I already had planned.

Yaaieee me!

Today I'm eating...

The plan to stick to whatever I already have in the fridge/freezer/pantry is continuing to work well.... except tonight I will have to pick up some more produce & dairy as I think I've managed to wipe out almost all of it!

- coffee
- Fibre Source granola bar
- ff vanilla yogurt w/ banana
- Fibre Eggo w/ egg & light cheddar
- arugula salad w/ ff Italian dressing
- tuna noodle casserole
- steamed broc/cauli/sweet pot
- Smartpop

20/22

Activity: walk the doggie - the sun is shining!

Snack Attack

For an extra little indulgence on top of your Banana Bran Muffins, low-point brownies, diet pop cupcakes, or even on a graham cracker, keep a container of Betty Crocker Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting in the pantry.

Because it is sweet, I find I don't need very much to give my baked treats a little something extra so the additional calories aren't even really worth worrying about. Of course, don't slather it on! Keep it under a tablespoon and you really won't feel guilty about it.

For a fun little snack I like to spread a tablespoon between two Simply Pleasures chocolate biscuits for a little cookie sammich. Yum!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Kashi peanut granola bar (still don't like em, but gotta use em up)
- banana
- 1% cottage cheese
- apple w/ 1 oz light cheddar
- tuna noodle casserole
- steamed brocolli
- something chocolatey later on
- Smartpop

22/22

Weigh In

Talk about my body's comfort zone. 153.2 this morning. Down .8 pounds, so no complaints here! I still find it amazing that I lost though because there has been a whole lotta chocolate treats and such in the evenings. Not counted, but maybe fitting within my FPs and probably within maintenance points if I really looked at it.

It's tough to get totally back on track because I see these little losses or at least maintaining of my weight so it doesn't seem like a big deal when I eat off of my plan.

But I can see it and feel it in my body. It's the lack of activity. I was never all firm and buff or anything, but I can see the extra squishy bits sneaking back in and I don't like it.

Someone kick me and give me the motivation to get my ass over to the gym this week.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- 2 x Fibre Eggo w/ syrup
- cottage cheese w/ banana
- Kashi choc/cherry granola bar
- Mrs. F's Salmon Noodle Casserole (with tuna instead of salmon)
- tossed arugula salad w/ olive oil dressing
- sauteed apple w/ ff vanilla yogurt

22/22

Activity: walk the doggie

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Fibre Eggo w/ scrambled egg & light cheddar
- more coffee
- avacado, tomato & arugula sammich
- ff vanilla yogurt w/ 1/2 banana
- out for dinner - Thai food!
- maybe a drinky or two tonight :)

Activity: finally walked the dog!

Snack Attack

Try this!!

Peel, core, and roughly dice a small apple (I like Gala, but use whatever your fave happens to be). In a non-stick frying pan, heat a splash of apple juice to a fast-simmer. Add apples and cook approximately one minute. Sprinkle in a teaspoon or so of brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Keep stirring around until apples are well coated and start to caramelize. Reduce heat while there is still a bit of liquid in the pan and cover to soften them up a bit.

It's just like a bit of apple pie or apple crumble. Eat as is, or serve with ff vanilla yogurt or some yummy ice cream. I served mine over an Eggo this morning with some yogurt and it was like heaven!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ hot chocolate mix
- All Bran bar
- Fibre Eggo w/ ff vanilla yogurt & sauteed apple
- Melancauli Baby soup
- cottage cheese & carrot sticks
- I'm craving sushi for dinner, so either out to try the local sushi joint or just something from SuperStore
- evening snack: Smartpop?

25ish

Today I'm eating...

- coffee w/ hot chocolate mix
- Fibre Eggo w/ cottage cheese & 1/2 banana
- grapes
- ff vanilla yogurt
- Melancauli Baby soup
- toast w/ light herb cream cheese
- arugula salad w/ tomatoes
- Valentine's chocolates
- tea
- banana bran muffin

23/22

Snack Attack

When I did the first big grocery shop after our move, I picked up a box of Eggo plus Fibre frozen waffles while wandering around the frozen foods department. It's been forever and a day since I bought Eggos but I thought they might make for a fun & easy weekend breakfast.

Well I finally got around to trying them and they are sooo yummy!

I had planned for two, but with the toppings I chose I only needed one for a filling breakfast. It was crunchy yet fluffy and it had kind of a toasted grain taste to it, which I find much tastier than the plain version. I topped mine with a scoop of 1% cottage cheese and half of a chopped banana.

There are eight waffles in the box, so I know what I'll be eating for the next eight days. It was that good! I will experiment with different toppings, but the base waffle shall remain the same!

(Note: while looking for the link & photo for this I stumbled onto the Kellogg's US site....OMG, the varieties they have down there look incredible. Dudes, they have a 99% fat free Special K Eggo. Not fair!!)

Today I'm eating...

- banana bran muffin
- apple juice
- coffee w/ hot chocolate mix
- Fibre Eggo w/ cottage cheese & 1/2 banana
- grapes
- tomato soup
- multigrain Wheat Thins w/ light herb cream cheese & pickles
- 2 x spanakopita, served with arugula salad w/ crumbled blue cheese
- banana bran muffin
- ff vanilla yogurt

24/22

Shopping Revelation

Some girls go shoe shopping or clothes shopping or hell, even appliance shopping when they are bored. I go grocery shopping. And not necessarily because I have an obsession with food or that I need to find junk, I guess I just like grocery shopping. But what this leads to is an overabundence of food in the fridge/freezer/cupboard....and especially the crisper. I decide that I should make some new recipe but it ends up making like 8 servings and I cram at least half of them in the freezer and forget all about them.

DBF just left for three weeks. I don't need enough produce to feed two people, yet I found it necessary to buy cauliflower AND brocolli AND more bananas AND a tub of arugula just because. Not to mention that I already have 257 breakfast options at home, but then decided I needed to buy english muffins and cottage cheese too. And why did I buy sour cream? I have nothing in mind for it, it's just one of those things I figure I should have on hand. At least I managed to avoid the granola bar aisle...seeings as I already have FOUR open boxes of those.

My point is that for the next couple of weeks I need to design my menus around the piles of stuff I already have on hand and find something other than grocery shopping to occupy me when I'm bored. So my menus may look a bit wierd for a while, but I bet I save at least $50 on groceries.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- ff vanilla yogurt w/ 1/2 banana & AllBran
- grapes
- PC Blue Menu oatmeal bagel w/ tuna salad & ff cheese slice (mmmmm....tuna melt)
- carrot sticks
- banana bran muffin
- dinner TBD...I gots some shopping to do!

Activity: it's beautiful outside so walk the dog, shovel driveway, 20 pushups/20 crunches/50 squats

Water: 2 litres

Confessions of an egg-o-holic

Oh. My. God.

Why did I ask DBF to bring a bag of MiniEggs home the other night? And when he did, why didn't we share them before he left? And why did I think that I could open the bag on the first night he was gone and just "have a few"?

I know better.

The good news is that the bag is pretty much empty now, so the damage is done and I can move on.

Damn.

Snack Attack

OK, it's not totally the same as a big bucket of movie theatre popcorn drenched in butter and salt, but it sure makes me fell a lot less guilty (and a lot less butter-bloated) to sit down with a bowl of Orville Redenbacher's SmartPop when I'm watching a DVD in the evening.

I crave salty snacks after dinner quite often, and where I might have reached for a bowl of Cheetos or chips in the past, I try to head to the microwave instead now. I prefer the original "fake butter" version, but there is a Kettle Corn version now too.

Admittedly it is a tiny bit dry on it's own, so try saving a point or two for a smidge of real melted butter or use one of your daily oils and heat up a bit of olive oil to drizzle over it. Either of these will help a sprinkling of salt (or seasoning salt, or cinnamon, or cayenne...whatever you like) stick to the kernels and make it a yummy, satisfying snack. In a pinch, you can even just spray it with a little Pam to work as glue for your seasonings.

100 calorie packs are available, but I find they never seem to be on sale for as good a deal as the regular bags....so I just keep the uneaten portion in a ziplock bag for the next day. (So sue me, I like cold popcorn!)

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- instant Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal w/ 1/2 banana & milk
- grapes
- ff vanilla yogurt
- PC Blue Menu oatmeal bagel w/ tuna & light Miracle Whip
- carrot sticks
- banana bran muffin
- chicken breast marinated in Greek seasoning, chopped and stuffed into a whole wheat pita with tzatziki, lettuce & tomatoes.... a few Greek olives on the side.
- couple of Valentine's chocolates
- tea

27/22

A bit high on the points side, but shovelling the driveway twice today will help.

Weigh In

I don't know how I do it, but I managed to stay-the-same for this morning's weigh-in. My body truly is a mystery to me, but I'm not going to argue! 154 lbs seems to be my body's happy place and I will never complain about that.

Today I'm eating...

...whatever I want... I'm still sick and can't taste anything. I've been a snackeroo bingy-bingerton all week and I'm just gonna go with it.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- Fibre Source granola bar
- maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal w/ half banana & milk
- grapes
- Healthy Request chicken noodle soup
- 1/2 grilled cheese sammich
- carrots w/ tzatziki
- Chowdy Doody (from freezer)
- something snackie later

19 +snackie/22

Activity: shovel driveway, short walk with dog

Water: 2 litres

Snack Attack

I have yogurt for breakfast almost every day. And if it's not for breakfast, it's my mid-morning snack. Generally I look for a vanilla variety, but every once in a while I crave something different. I'm not a fan of the mixed berry sorts, but once I discovered Source Lemon Meringue Parfait dessert yogurt I was in LOVE.

I don't like any yogurts with aspartame in them. I can always taste it no matter how good the yogurt is. This one is made with Splenda which keeps the calories way down, and even though it's fat free it is super creamy.

I especially like it with fresh blackberries or blueberries, but it's good with some granola or All Bran sprinkled in too. They make other dessert flavors too, but after trying them all this one is the winner for me.

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- instant maple & brown sugar oatmeal w/ 1/2 banana & milk
- Source lemon parfait ff yogurt
- grapes
- Healthy Request chicken noodle soup
- multigrain Wheat Thins w/ light cheddar
- carrots w/ tzatziki
- "guacamole" sandwich
- apple w/ natural PB

21/22

Activity: shovel driveway, short walk with dog, 100 squats

Water: 2 litres

Confession

Ugh.

That whole adage about feeding a cold must be true. I could feel something coming on throughout the day yesterday...and by the time I finished work I was feeling pretty shitty. And hungry.

Apparently a congested head leads to eating whatever I can get my hands on. It all started with one bowl of chips....which led to another bowl.... then a granola bar, then egg rolls for dinner, then mozza sticks....and believe it or not I poured another bowl of chips (although I didn't finish them....gee maybe because my mouth felt like a salt-lick). Plus I had already eaten everything on my daily menu, except my guac sandwich.

Upside was I drank a lot of water. Not enough I'm sure though.

So, today the cold is full blown so I'm going to try to stick with oatmeal and soup and such. I have to get out and shovel the driveway, so hopefully that helps clear my head.

Today I'm eating...

OMG, that guacamole sandwich was soooo good....I'm so making another one tonight!

- tea
- PC Blue Menu oatmeal bagel w/ natural PB & sliced 1/2 banana
- Source lemon parfait ff yogurt
- grapes
- carrots w/ tzatziki
- instant maple & brown sugar oatmeal w/ milk
- "guacamole sandwich" (see yesterday's menu)
- Gardennay Santa Fe corn chowder
- handful tortilla chips
- Kashi cherry/chocolate granola bar

24/22

Activity: walk the dog, laundry (bwhahahaha)

Water: 2 litres

Weigh In

As expected, I'm up just about a pound (.8) but I can live with that. Considering the lack of exercise and Sunday's greasy food snackerama, I am pretty impressed that it wasn't more.

Snack Attack

I make a pretty killer guacamole if I do say so myself.... so I thought I'd share!

2 ripe avacados (not too firm, but not squishy either)
juice from 1/2 a lime
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh jalapeno pepper, finely diced (seeds removed)
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Dice up both avacados. Leave one as is, mash the other. Mix together with the lime juice. Stir in the tomato, onion, jalapeno, cumin, and cilantro. Taste, then add salt as required and stir again. I like a lot of lime, so after tasting it I might add more lime, cilantro or cumin. Try not to overmix it, so the avacado and tomatoes stay chunky.

You can serve it with Baked Tostitos, but if you really want to do it justice, serve it with regular salted white tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- All Bran bar
- grapes
- instant maple & brown sugar oatmeal w/ 1/2 banana
- apple
- carrots w/ tzatziki
- "guacamole sandwich" - ww pita stuffed with lettuce, tomato, red onion, avacado mashed with lime, cilantro, jalepeno and salt & pepper
- Gardennnay Santa Fe corn chowder
- something as a snackie while watching TV tonight

20 + snackie/22

Activity: walk the dog

Water: 2 litres

And the detox begins!

We had our housewarming party this weekend, and although I stuck to the nice, clean, point friendly vodka-sodas and didn't really overdo it on the snackies (funny how you spend hours making stuff, but get sidetracked as the hostess and don't actually get to eat anything!) I still feel like I need a day of clean eating. Yesterday was recovery day and it was complete with greasy bacon and french toast breakfast...followed by chips and leftover cheeses & meats...and we had frozen egg rolls & spanakopitas for dinner. I did however manage to consume a few litres of water yesterday so hopefully that helped to flush out the bad food juju.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning (I had to get up early to take DBF to work and then I'd already had coffee and breakfast before I remembered) so I'll weigh in tomorrow morning instead. It will probably be better tomorrow anyway with this extra day for lots of water and cleaner foods in my system!

Snack Attack

OK, so after my post this morning telling you all how disappointed in the Kashi bars I was, I tried the other flavor I had stashed in my cupboard.

It's like night and day!!

The Kashi All-Natural Chewy Granola Bar in Cherry/Dark Chocolate is about a million times better than the Peanut Butter variety. It's moist and actually chewy with yummy chunks of dried cherry and a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips. Now THIS is what I look for in a chewy snack bar.

Unlike the dry, hard to swallow Peanut Butter one, I will keep these ones on hand. Yum!

Today I'm eating...

- coffee
- banana bran muffin
- Source lemon parfait yogurt w/ fresh blackberries
- PC Blue Menu oatmeal bagel w/ light cr. cheese & sliced toms
- baby carrots
- pickles
- apple
- Kashi bar (dark chocolate/cherry)**
- tea
- Mandy's Chicken Stew w/ Bisquick biscuits

22/22

Activity: walk the dog, clean the house, 20 pushups/50 squats/20 crunches

Water: 2 litres


** Note: I am SERIOUSLY disappointed in the Kashi bars. Yesterday's PB one was as dry as sawdust...and almost as flavourless. I'm all for healthy and appreciate that they don't have high fructose corn syrup, but I am unwilling to give up taste for something this yucky. I'm hoping the chocolate/cherry one is better, but I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately I spent $6 on these so I'll probably eat them just out of principle.