Day 297 – 300: Relaxing Weekend + 2 New Products + 1 New Simple Recipe

So Friday was pretty standard – work. I did skip my lunch work-out to go out to eat with friends- fun!! I was all set to go to the gym, was even going to skip happy hour. But then it was like NO – I SO want to go to happy hour! So I did! I had a great time catching up with some of my favorite work friends, then I headed home to hang out with Austin, Linc, Shana and baby Sebastian, the cutest baby in the world! We had a great time catching up, and Stacy & Shane even came over to see the house for the first time! The 6 of us drank and chilled and talked until the wee hours of the morning (imagine that) then it was off to bed. I ended up at 2,105 calories, 190 carbs and 47 fat grams. It was an odd day as far as eating (my lunch was super filling so I skipped the afternoon snack and didn’t even have half of dinner), and then of course it was high because I drank from about 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Hmmmm. Amazing it’s not worse! Haha Here’s what I ate and drank.

Saturday was a blah one! Slept in, laid around the house, watched Transformers for the first time (unimpressed), then got ready to go to my sister’s for a barbeque! My stepdad was in town so we did a mini Father’s Day which was fun!! I did try two new product’s at breakfast time: Trader Joe’s waffles + sugar-free syrup! Loved them both and will DEFINITELY have them again – woo! Back to on the way to the barbeque - me and Austin stopped to pick up a dessert and got this cake. Yum. We had so much fun visiting with my family and with my sister’s in-laws and our stepbrother was even there – good times. We left around 11 and I drove Austin by my mom’s place and then we were home and in bed reading by midnight – great night! I ended up at 1,868 calories, 232 carbs and 74 fat grams – wowza on the fat! That’s what I get for eating a burger (never eat those), half a hotdog (never eat those) and potato salad (you guessed it – never eat it!). Here’s what I ate!

Sunday I woke up feeling well-rested and ready to go! I got on the blog to catch up but quickly realized I would need to do 19.5 miles by end of day Tuesday to get in my 100 miles for June!! Eeek! So I took off, and walked 6.5 miles at the gym. I stopped by Target on the way home and got some groceries, then met my mom and sister at the house for an afternoon laying out by the pool! Great afternoon chilling and reading! I was SO TIRED by that point (walking + sun = tired Kel). We ate dinner and passed out. And by dinner, I mean Austin got Mexican. It had been SO long and I was too tired to even pretend to protest. It was fab! I had a chicken enchilada, half a taco, about a ½ cup of beans and some nachos. I had a hard time tracking it so I guestimated based on taco bell’s portions. Hmmmm. Oh well – we do what we can! I ended up at 1,943 calories, 262 carbs and 68 fat grams. Not a good day… but I walked a lot, right? Supposedly 6.5 miles at 4 mph burns 335 calories. Hmmm. MUST get an HRM. Here’s what I ate.

Monday I was just so tired and my allergy problems were back AND I had this weird jaw pain. Like it hurt to open my mouth. Um, not good. So I got to work and called the dentist, knowing I was due for a cleaning and could just do it then. The first available appointment was September. OR they had a cancellation for TODAY. I chose today and drove over at 12:50… it was fine, not teeth problems, etc. They think it’s stress grinding at night. Lovely. They suggested I get fit for night guard… I suggested we wait and see if it gets better. So we’ll see! I also got my emissions test done. Blah. Well, you guessed it – there went the lunch workout so I would have to do 6.5 miles after work to stay on track. BLAH I’m SO freaking self-disciplined it sucks. So after work me and Sue headed over to the gym and cranked out 6.5 – thank GAWD I had her there or I don’t know if I would have done it all! Afterwards I just headed home and made a new recipe: Plain Jane Pepperoni Pizza:

4 oz. Trader Joe’s Dough

20 grams Fat-Free Mozzarella Cheese

30 grams Fat-Free Feta Cheese

1 tsp olive oil

2 basil leaves, chopped

12 Turkey Pepperonis

¼ cup Trader Joe’s organic mushroom spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 450. Roll out dough, smear it with olive oil and top it with sauce. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on sauce, then top with cheeses and pepperonis. Put in oven for 10 minutes. Add basil, then cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve! Easy peasy my friends!! Then it was time for TV + reading + shower + passing out. Good times! I ended up at 1,787 calories, 257 carbs and 55 fat grams – not bad! Especially since I got in the miles – woo!

Now it’s Tuesday and I’m tired/allergy-blah again. No fun. I’ve already gotten in 3.5 miles so just 3 more to go after work then I’m DONE. SO glad!! I hope to watch Weeds & True Blood tonight – time for catch up. Last night I watched Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make it or Break it! haha They were bad so I loved them of course!! What have you guys been up to?! Can’t wait to read blogs tonight!!

Day 296: 3 New Recipes… Yes… I’m FEELIN’ It!!

So today started out with just lots and lots of work. I was at home today – sweet – but just had lots going on – blah. I didn’t even kind of consider going to the gym today. Like – it just wasn’t going to happen. I’m sore from the last three days and TOM is raging. Argh. So instead I cooked. I took my lunch to make me and Austin the first new recipe of the day: Pesto Chicken Pizzas for two.

Ingredients

final product! Yum....

8 oz pizza dough

8 oz. chicken tenders, chopped

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

4 tbsp pesto

3 large basil leaves

30 grams fat-free mozzarella

30 grams fat-free feta

1 tsp parmesan

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Divide dough into 2 4-oz. mini pizzas. Unroll pizza dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, pat into two large rectangles and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 450 for 9 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and sauté 3 to 4 minutes until done. Spread pesto evenly over pizza crust; sprinkle with salt and cheese and top with chicken. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Nutritional Information: 561calories, 52 carbs, 19 fat grams and 42 grams of protein. Um, we loved them! They were super flavorful and the dough was like crispy flatbread – FAB!! These are definitely going to be on the top of our list – woo!

Then it was back to work. After work I knew Austin would be hungry (didn’t have his PB&J today) so I made him a new recipe I pulled just for him, Boca Mushroom Swiss Burgers for one!

1 frozen boca swiss patty

¼ cup sliced mushrooms

¼ tsp olive oil

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Arnold sandwich thins; wheat

1 slice fat-free Swiss cheese

Cook burger in microwave according to package. Set aside. Add olive oil and mushrooms to pan, and cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add mushroom mixture to one slice of bread, and top with a slice of cheese. Add burger to pan with Worcestershire sauce. Flip and heat for 1-2 minutes. Place it over mushroom/cheese mix and cover with remaining bread slice. Coat 1 side of sandwich with cooking spray. Cook, coated side down, in pan over medium high heat 3 minutes or until golden. Coat top of sandwiches, turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Cut in half and serve! Austin loved it – perfect snack for him (love how a snack for a boy is practically a meal for a girl!) I dropped it in Spark People hoping I can have it next time and it came out to 246 calories, 33 carbs, 3 fat grams and 28 protein grams. Nice!

Then the cooking started… I made 4 servings of farfalle/sausage pasta for tomorrow’s lunch and Saturday’s lunch, made sandwiches for Austin tomorrow, prepared snacks and started breakfasts. Austin took over breakfast, and I made dinner- Spicy Shrimp & Pepper Skillet for two from Mon’s Cooking Light book!

5 oz. frozen pepper stir-fry thawed

Cooking spray

2 tsp olive oil

½ tbsp minced garlic

10 oz. shrimp, thawed

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp creole seasoning

¼ tsp pepper

1.5 cups rice

Thaw shrimp (over night or run hot water over them). Place peppers in a colander, and rinse running water; drain well. Set aside. Heat oil in skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic and pepper stir-fry; sauté 5 minutes or until peppers are tender. Add shrimp and next 3 ingredients to pan; sauté 3-4 minutes or until shrimp are done and mixture is heated. Serve shrimp mixture over rice. Nutritional Information: 455 calories, 61 carbs, 6 fat grams and 30 grams of protein.

I couldn’t even eat it all – SO filling and yummy! It was SUPER spicy, so the recipe above has been edited a bit to tone it down – wowza! It was really yum – and my first time using frozen pepper stirfry. Cooking Light is a huge advocate of this ‘recipe starter’ and I can see how it can come in handy. It’s good, but just doesn’t have the crunch fresh veggies have which is what makes me love them! After dinner I had a couple of chocolates and ended the day at 1,735 calories, 245 carbs, 38 fat grams and 93 protein grams. Here’s what I ate.

After dinner it was time for SYTYCD and I had to do some more work I didn’t get to today. Blah. I only have 30 pages left in my book and I’m off to read it now! Hope you had Happy Thursdays! Any exciting plans for the weekend??

BTW: Weight has been about the same this week - between 115 and 116. I did take measurements and i'm up from the last time (in May when i was down to 110) but am consistent with April (when I weighed about 115/116 - coincidence? I think not!). Anyway, i'm on it and am planning to get my HRM this weekend - woo!

Day 295: 7 miles + You Guessed it, ANOTHER new Recipe + a New Product

Today started like every other day – me running a little late! I got to work though (ate yogurt on the way!), and had a yummy breakfast sandwich when I arrived… and 2 little chocolates! Later came a nutrigrain bar (raspberry) and then it was time for 3.5 miles of walking during lunch (alone again – boo- my walking companions were working from home). Then I worked some more, had a banana, lean cuisine and a slice of ‘garlic toast,’ and then it was time for my brownie – yum! Things were going great… until my 4 p.m. meeting that was loaded down with sweets. I HAD to have a piece of cake – but it was very, very small! Work ended and it was back to the gym for another 3 miles – which turned into 3.5 – I was in a good part in the book so yes – I walked 7 miles – woo! Afterwards I did abs then raced home for, you guessed it, another new recipe!! I made Fire-Roasted Chicken Tostadas for two!

For chicken:

8 oz. Chicken

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

½ cup water

For rest of recipe:

½ cup or 128 grams of Rosarita 98% Fat Free Refried Beans

2 tbsp water

2 tsp taco seasoning (from powder packet)

4 Trader Joe’s Corn Tortillas* NEW!

30 grams cheddar cheese

2 tbsp fat-free sour cream

2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Guacamole/Pico

8 cherry tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Get out a baking sheet and lay tortillas on it. Spray both sides of tortillas with nonstick fat-free cooking spray. Add to oven for 12 minutes. While they’re cooking, heat a medium sized pan sprayed with nonstick fat-free cooking spray. Cut defrosted chicken into cubes and add to pan with water and all seasoning. Cooking for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink. Remove from heat and add to food processor. Grind. Also, heat a pot and add beans, water and taco seasoning. Stir for 3 minutes then remove from heat. Remove tortillas from oven. Spoon bean mixture over tortillas, then spoon chicken mixture over that and sprinkle cheese and salt on top. Spoon on sour cream and guac/pico, then add tomatoes and cilantro. Serve hot. Each serving contains two tostadas. Nutritional Information: 429 calories, 50 carbs, 6 fat grams and 41 protein grams.

Yummy, yummy yummy! They were crispy, filling and flavorful – we’ll DEFINITELY be making these little guys again. As far as substitutes you could easily add onion and could just use salsa instead of guac/pico. You could also mix up the beans, chicken, cheese, etc. before piling it on so it sticks together better. Anywho – GREAT! I’m SO GLAD I tried Trader Joe’s corn tortillas – I love that the serving is two tortillas for only 100 calories. Nice.

After dinner I retreated upstairs to watch SYTYCD while Austin played xBox with his friends from college who live in different states. Ahhh technology. I still didn’t get to try the pudding recipe. Sigh. I was out of calories because I CAVED at an afternoon meeting that was swimming with cake. I had a small slice and left it at that. I ended the day at 1,792 calories, 272 carbs, 35 fat grams and 95 protein grams. Now I’m off to (hopefully) finish Karin Slaughter’s A Faint Cold Fear – HAPPY WEDNESDAY! I hope to catch up with all of your bloggies tomorrow!!

Day 294: 6.5 miles + New Recipe + 2 New Products + New Dessert

Sigh. Another pretty blah day. I swear today felt like Monday… again. I got lots of work done though, and was able to get in 3.5 miles during lunch and another 3 after work – woo! I had lots of yummy food too: egg/sausage/cheese muffin + yogurt for dessert, red curry + 2 Hershey Bliss chocolates for lunch, yummy snacks including a banana, a light babybel and a no-pudge brownie (even BETTER the next day)– great day. When I got home me and Austin whipped up a new recipe inspired by For the Love of Cooking. We call it Pesto Pasta with Chicken & Mushrooms – here’s the recipe for two!

8 oz. chicken
5.5 oz mushrooms, chopped

2 tsp olive oil

4 oz. barilla spaghetti

1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Pesto Sauce
1 tsp reduced fat parmesan cheese

2 basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Set a pot of water to boil and set two pans over medium heat. For the smaller pan, spray with fat-free olive oil cooking spray and add chicken to pan. Sprinkle salt on chicken and cook until brown. For the larger pan, spray with cooking spray and add olive oil. Once hot, add mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. While mushrooms are cooking, cook noodles per instructions (9 minutes for spaghetti). Once noodles are cooked, drain and add to larger pan. Add pesto, mushrooms, and chicken to larger pan then mix thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Top with Parmesan cheese and basil. Serve hot. Nutritional Information: 529 calories, 42 carbs, 22 fat grams and 41 protein grams.



So yes – it’s one of my highest calorie meals and DEFINITELY the highest fat meal, but I’d never had pesto and have been noticing how low my fat is so I was like you know, let’s give it a whirl. And I’m glad I did – YUM, YUM! Where has pesto been all my life? Fab – can’t wait to make more recipes with it. Speaking of pesto – that was my new product: Trader Joe’s pesto sauce! Austin, who has had lots of pestos said it was good! (that's awesome in guy speak, right?)
My new dessert is brought to you by my friend Monica! I noticed her making it the other night and couldn’t stop thinking about it – so I bought these things and whipped it up!

I got a small bowl and put the pudding in, then I added 5 grams of Reddi-whip on top and 7 grams of Trader Joe’s milk chocolate morsels – YUM! I’d heard there’s where the best and wow – good stuff. And by the way – 7 grams goes FAR with that chocolate, probably like 15. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to eat it as I was SO full and I’d already hit my limits, but Austin tells me it’s fabulous – I’ll be trying one tomorrow night no matter what!!

After dinner (and Austin’s dessert!) we watched Law & Orders, I read more of my book (loving it!) and we cooked some more breakfasts and lunches for the week. I ended up at 1,792 calories, 233 carbs, 46 fat grams and 108 protein grams. Here’s what I ate.

Day 293: 3.5 miles + New Recipe + New Product

Today was pretty blah. Not gonna’ lie. I was SO tired (still – silly Monday). I worked, walked 3.5 miles during lunch, and after work I planned to go back… but it was rainy and nasty and I REALLY wanted to go to the grocery store (which means Kroger + Trader Joe’s) so I skipped the second gym workout and headed straight to TJ’s! I got lots of new products for new recipes – can’t WAIT to try them. Kroger was a mini nightmare (old lady cut me off then was rang up then made them take off half the items then was asking them to go find cheaper alternatives… they finally rang me up on another aisle…). I raced home and Austin helped me unload and we cooked up a new recipe, Cooking Light’s Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti (courtesy of Monica’s book!). Here’s my version for 2 servings:

4 oz. barilla spaghetti
8 oz. chicken
Olive oil Cooking spray
½ cup chopped onion
½ tbsp minced onion
1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
½ tbsp low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning, divided
¼ tsp salt
30 grams shredded fat-free mozarella cheese
30 grams crumbled fat-free feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package. Drain. Cook chicken in a sprinkle of salt and ¼ tsp Italian seasoning. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and onion; sauté 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp Italian seasoning and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in half 15 grams feta, 15 grams mozzarella, cooked spaghetti and chicken. Stir for 2 minutes, then spoon into 1.5-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 – 12 minutes.

Yum, yum, yum – super good, super hearty and very filling! Next time I may add a hint more Worcestershire. SO good though. To give Austin more calories he made a couple of pieces of wheat bread with spray butter + garlic salt. As far as nutrition, it came out to 527 calories, 77 carbs, 3 fat grams and 51 grams of protein – no wonder it’s so super filling! Next time I think I’ll do 3 oz. spaghetti instead of 4 OR not use the entire can… but I REALLY liked the tomatoes so I think I’ll just reduce the carby noodles.



While the spaghetti was baking, we mixed up a new product: No Pudge Brownies! We just dropped the brownie mix in a bowl, added a container of Dannon Light and Fit Fat-Free Vanilla yogurt and 2 packets of splenda. Once the spaghetti came out, the brownies went into the oven in a 8x8 pan sprayed with butter nonstick cooking spray for 30 minutes. Once out, we cut them into 12 individual servings. They were SO good!!

Forgot to take a pic before cutting out our first pieces -super moist and yummy!!

I ended the day full and happy at 1,781 calories, 269 carbs, 27 fat grams and 114 protein grams – not bad! Still pretty high on carbs but I’ll adjust the spaghetti for next time! And I honestly wasn’t planning on having the Fiberone bar (snack 3) but I was STARVING in the car between grocery stores so I had to eat it! Hope you all had good Mondays! I’m so glad I tried new things today – have you tried any new yummy products lately??!

Day 288 – 292: 2 New Products, 2 New Recipes, Movie Review, Doobie Brothers/Bad Company Concert, Pool Time, AC Disaster and More – sigh!

Wow… it’s been too long… here goes catch up!

Wednesday: I worked, walked 3.5 miles during lunch, worked and then headed home to change clothes, get Reuben together and head over to Andy and Monica’s for dinner! We had such a good time catching up with them, seeing their new place, and enjoying the fabulous dinner Mon made. I also had a new product: Quinoa!! I’ve been wanting to try it and was so glad she cooked it! She mixed it with roasted veggies and fat-free feta – SO good. We had it with chicken and fresh basil from her balcony. YUM. Can’t wait to cook it on my own – going to start tapering away from the white rice. I know. Shocker. I always get lots of great ideas from Mon – she sent me away with a cookbook and a Fiberone Chocolate & Oatmeal bar – said I’d love it! We headed home around 10:30 and went to bed upon arrival! Great night – good to get together with good friends. I ended up at 2,057 calories, 259 carbs and 47 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Thursday: I woke up tired, worked all day, skipped my lunch and after-work work outs. Blah I know – I just wasn’t feeling it and didn’t want to push myself. At all! Haha I DID try the Fiberone Chocolate & Oatmeal bar though and LOVED it! Can’t wait to go get some of my own – thanks for the REC, Mon! I also wanted to go see my sister that evening – she had undergone surgery and was finally feeling better – so I wanted to go over and watch SYTYCD with her and my mom! Before I left to visit, I made a new recipe for me and Austin, Cooking Light’s Chicken Picatta with garlic-basil pasta. It was from a book that Mon loaned me and I love it. I tweaked it a little and here’s how it ended up going:

Chicken Piccata

8 oz. chicken, cut in bitesize pieces
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
¼ cup fat-free chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp pepper
Dried parsley to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt on chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until brown. Remove chicken from pan. Add broth and lemon juice to pan and stir.. Cook, uncovered, over high heat 30 seconds until slightly reduced. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with pepper and parsley. Serve over garlic basil pasta:

4 oz. angel hair pasta
1 ½ tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil, diced

Cook pasta according to package direction; drain, reserving 1 tbsp pasta water. Combine pasta water, olive oil and next 4 ingredients; toss with pasta and basil.

We LOVED IT! I’ll definitely be making it again – woo! So after dinner I headed over to sister’s for the show and we were disappointed. Really? Send the wrong guy home? Total BS. Whatever. I headed home at 10:30, went through the cookbook and found LOTS of new recipes – woo! - and passed out! I had 1,776 calories, 252 carbs and 49 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Friday: I woke up early - Austin had a 8:15 a.m. flight to NY to visit our friend Tyson! After getting back to sleep and waking up at a normal time, I worked, had a working lunch so no work-out, then had to race home after work (no work-out again) to get mom so we could hit up the concert! Yes- time for Doobie Brothers & Bad Company at Chastain Park!! We were excited but had a few bad hiccups… (1) the AC wasn’t working… the roofers said the AC tripped the breaker so they turned the breaker and said they would work until 9:30 p.m. and by the time we got home it would be cold…. In the meantime HOT. (2) We couldn’t find parking. At all. We finally overpaid. (3) We were late to the concert – Doobie Brothers was almost done. Total crap. BOO. (4) It was HOT – like REALLY hot and we didn’t know you could bring your own alcohol/drinks. At the end of the night though, all hiccups aside we had a GREAT TIME at the concert – so fun to hang out with mom. We got home ready for a cool house but no… the breaker had tripped again and the house was 90 degrees. It was midnight. Sigh. We turned on the fans, got the air going again and I slept AWFUL – worried about the breaker tripping again, hot, etc. I ended up at 1,946 calories, 197 carbs and 57 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Saturday: Got up exhausted… but not hot. The AC was running – never tripped off again. Long story short, the AC guy came, said the roofer’s equipment was tripping it and we’re good to go – no problems. Still charged us almost $100 though. Sigh. I made breakfast and headed to the gym for a 3.5-mile walk. I got back home and me and mom went across the street to the pool – my first time using it – woo!! It was nice and private and we enjoyed it! My sister came to join us and we had a great time laying out and relaxing. Around 4 we headed in and I made sausage pizzas – yum! And then mom headed out to babysit and me and my sister hung out, then we got ready and I packed up me and Reuben for a night over at her house! We also went to see The Proposal – OMG – I loved it! I thought it was hilarious – I laughed almost the entire movie. I love Sandra Bullock, loved that ‘Coach’ was the dad, I thought the story was awesome and far less predictable than I feared it would be, I cried – it was just adorable! After the movie (got out at midnight!) I was SO tired but Reuben didn’t let me sleep. He was up ALL night up and down at every single noise. I finally got to sleep around 4 a.m. but it was constantly interrupted. Dang Reuben. At the end of the day I had 2,062 calories, 268 carbs, and 64 fat grams. Here’s what I ate. I was glad I got in the workout and great movie/family/relaxation time, but probably should have avoided having so many treats!



Today: I woke up for good at 10 a.m. feeling like a zombie ANNOYED with Reuben. Grrrr. I had a breakfast sandwich at Devie’s and headed home for another day at the pool! Mom met us over at my house and we headed out for a full day of laying out, chatting, reading and having fun! They headed out at 4 p.m. and I cooked up some pasta without a recipe! It was pretty yummy!! I call it Chicken & Mushroom Macaroni!

5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, bitesize pieces
2 oz. barilla macaroni
1 oz. feta cheese
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup naturally preferred
2 tbsp fat-free chicken broth
Dried basil, salt and pepper to taste

Set pot of water to boil and set a pan sprayed with fat-free olive oil spray over medium-high heat. Add noodles to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Add ½ tsp olive oil to pan and chicken sprinkled with basil, salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl. Using the same pan, add garlic, mushrooms and broth. Cook for 2 minutes until mushrooms soften, then add chicken, tomato sauce and another ½ tsp olive oil. Drain noodles and add to pan, stir for 2-3 minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat, add cheese, stir and serve. Loved it!

After lunch/dinner I passed out on the couch with Reuben… then watched more Law & Orders! I ended up at 1,665 calories, 229 carbs and 38 fat grams. Here’s what I ate. I’m SO tired but I’m excited to get back in the gym tomorrow and I’m SO GLAD I had such a fun, relaxing weekend with family, and I’m glad Austin is back from NY and the AC is okay and the roof is on and I’m PUMPED to try new recipe this week – WOO! A note about weight: been 116 or 116.5… I can see that the weight is up a little, as are the calories. I’m going to shoot for a maximum of 1,700 calories this week and FAR fewer sweets (I ate lots of sweets every day last week). I hope you all had great weekends – I’m OUT!!

Day 287: Book Review, Another 6.5 miles and True Blood Deep Thoughts

Yesterday was another pleasant but uneventful Tuesday. I walked another 6.5 miles (3.5 miles during lunch at 4.0 mph 2, 1 and 0 incline and 3 miles after work at 4.0 mph and 0 incline). I also had a great abs and legs workout afterwards – woo! I got home to Austin cooking the yummy chicken sausage rotini (with rigatoni and feta instead of rotini and mozzarella – even better) and we settled in for the new True Blood. O. M. G. I just love that show. It never slows down – they just keep me on my toes. SPOILER. I’m SO GLAD it wasn’t Lafayette dead in that car… but the rando fake lady, really? And what is Sam’s deal with the statutory rapist? And what is the deal with the rando good-looking, pot-smoking dude the rapist is trying to hook Tara up with? And whoa – didn’t expect Anna Panquin to put it all out there like she did last night – geez. Love that she’s less white this season though – she was like REALLY pale last season. And what was that thing they were pushing around in the vampire dungeon/basement? Weird… was LaFayette’s crime against vampires? Selling V? Guess they don’t know about Stackhouse + his psycho now-dead ex-girlfriend killing that man. Hmmm. Okay – the end of my deep thoughts. LOVE it!

After the show I read the last 10 pages of Speak Softly, She Can Hear. It was good you guys. It really was. There was a while there when I was like O.M.G. just tell somebody your damn secret so you can live a normal life or do something to move on and when she finally did against her will it just kept me guessing. Good stuff – try to get to page 50 before deciding whether or not to keep reading!

After my book I got in bed at 9 p.m. and passed out. I think I made it through one episode of How I Met Your Mother but then I was GONE! I ended up at 1,795 calories, 283 carbs (eek!) and 39 fat grams. Here’s what I ate. My weight was still 116. Sigh. I’m sure the mountain o’carbs didn’t help but I’ll be honest – I was SO hungry all day. I really need to just bring a small sandwich to stay full instead of all these little snacks that add up to high carbs. I’m going to do that tomorrow. DEFINITELY! K – off to a friend’s for a homemade dinner then home for SYTYCD! Woo! Hope you all are having happy Wednesdays!

Day 286: Walking, Reading & Weighing a Little Heavy

Dinner: Shrimp Scampi... as per usual my meals don't look nearly as good as they taste - promise!

Yesterday was just kind of a blah day. Tense at work, lots to do, ready to get home! I did get in 6.5 miles, got home and ate shrimp scampi with Austin – fun! We watched a really good Law & Order SVU that had Robin Williams as a guest star/killer – SO good! Austin headed out to play poker and I decided that because I’m DYING to get to a Karin Slaughter book I would spend the evening finishing Speak Softly, She Can Hear. I started it and read about 50 pages and was just kind of blah. Sunday before the library I got more into it and now I’m dying to see what happens! I read about 225 pages last night, but couldn’t keep my eyes opened and passed out. Now I lack only 65, and hope to read the rest today! Yesterday I ended up at 1,789 calories, 295 carbs and 25 fat grams. Here’s what I ate. Again, pretty dang high on carbs. :( I’m working on it though! I also think I may need to lower my calories a bit. My weight is up to 116 and that’s just not where I want to be. I want to be 115 or below, preferably 113. I’m going to give it one more week but if my weight hasn’t gone back down some (in the right direction!) I’m going to decrease calories some. Maybe 1,800 is too many. I don’t know! I also REALLY want my HRM, perhaps I’ll ask for it for the big 27 coming up! K – off to catch up on your blogs! Hope you’re all having great weeks.

Weird start... you'll hate the main character for being so spineless but then it's like you MUST know what's going to happen!!!

Day 283 – 285: Another Fun Weekend… Another Blah Monday

Hi Friends! Hope you’re all having happy Mondays. I’m feeling blah/tired/etc. Eats are going pretty good and I got in 3.5 miles at lunch so it’s not too bad I guess! Let’s back up to the weekend for a quick recap!

Friday was a great day! I got lots of work done, got in 6.5 miles, got home and showered for a fun night at Lincoln and Shana’s! We got there around 9 and talked all night - good times! I of course drank too much but (as usual) didn’t think so until the next morning. I ended the day (well around 3 a.m. or so) at 2,147 calories, 242 carbs and 33 fat grams. 736 of those calories were vodka, beer and mini quiches… oops! But they were so good and as usual the drinking is ALWAYS worth it! Here’s what I ate.

Role Models.... hehe

Good but probably not for everyone...

Saturday I woke up at their place and my allergies were full-on awful and my stomach was upset. Ugh… we rolled out of bed and headed home. Although Austin insisted on a Chick Fil A pit stop. In my weakened state I ate a biscuit. Wow – it had been a while but it was SO GOOD! We got home and went back to sleep. Got up around 11 and felt well-rested but my stomach and head were allies against me making for a long afternoon. We mostly watched Law & Orders, and a couple of movies: The Hudsucker Proxy and Role Models. The Hudsucker Proxy was okay – definitely a random movie and pretty silly at times, which was unexpected. Role Models was HILARIOUS – I love Paul Rudd and while the premise was ridiculous I thought it was cute, funny and not too cliché! Afterwards we tried to get into Dexter. Um, no. Wasn’t for us. I might try one more episode but I don’t know. Have you ever seen it? Anyway – I ended the day at 1,972 calories, 315 carbs and 47 fat grams. OMG – 315 carbs??!! That’s intense. Here’s what I ate.

I dunno... kinda creepy.... even this poster is creepy...

LOL Hilarious.

Sunday I still felt pretty pooey but I knew I HAD to get out of the house no matter what. I got to work and cleaned up the house and did laundry and packed my gym bag with every intention of going for a walk. Well, we went to see Hangover instead. It was GREAT – very funny and like Role Models, somewhat silly premise but not too cliché and the dialogue was hilarious! It was a fun watch – will DEFINITELY see it again. Great movie to see with your guy. After the movie we went to the library where I found two more Karin Slaughter novels and a couple of other mysteries – so exciting!! We got home and I cooked lots! Breakfast for 2 for 3 days (breakfast burritos), 4 servings of red curry chicken, 4 servings of sweet & sour chicken and made snacks and more while watching Grey’s Anatomy Season 1. Ahhh a simpler time. Then it was back to laundry and Law & Order. I DID get in some strength training with my dumbbells – biceps, triceps and shoulders. I’m pretty sore today so I did something right! I ended the day at 1,709 calories, 49 fat grams and 229 carbs. Not awful… especially considering I ate a small popcorn and some twizzlers at the movies! Sigh. Here’s what I ate.

K – off to the gym (again) for another 3 miles and dinner with Austin! “See you” tomorrow!

Days 280 - 282: Home Blog + Oatmeal & Fruit + Busted AC

Before I get into the day-to-day here are a few things to note:

1. Happy Friday!
2. My Home Blog: www.makingmyhomemartin.blogspot.com I’m SO sorry if it’s boring or repetitive with this site, but hope you can have fun with it! I mostly do updates on our progress, as well as likes & dislikes with different rooms, blogs, etc.
3. My header/background is new! Yes- it’s a complete and total work in progress – sorry for the mess -but I’m on it!

Tuesday was an exciting day because I went to the grocery store to buy some new (for me) products including fruit and oatmeal – woo! I also got in 6.5 miles walking. The day was long with work, working out and grocery store (s) so nothing really exciting happened. I ended the day at 1,826 calories, 290 carbs and 35 fat grams. This seems a little high, but honestly, I only regret the skittles! Haha Everything else was filling and yummy. I do wish I hadn’t had the cat cookies either – I was just SO hungry and had too many errands to run to not have a snack before dinner (another margarita pizza- YUM). Here’s what I ate! Notice the banana – I’m working on it!! I even bought made 8 fruit snack packs including banana, strawberry, apple, pineapple and grapes. They’re SO pretty – I just loved making them. And wow – it’s way cheaper to make your own!! I found this worked for me:

25 grams banana

45 grams apple

70 grams grapes

75 grams strawberries

50 grams pineapple

123 calories, 37 carbs and 1 fat gram. Is this a good snack? Or should I add more bananas (25 grams) to take it up to 146 calories and 43 carbs? Are these “good carbs”? Sorry for all of the questions – first time I DIYed fruit. :)

Fruit Cups!

Wednesday started out bad in that I felt bad again. Then I had a meeting during lunch so I couldn’t walk. The meeting was offsite and I hadn’t eaten out in FOREVER and it really upset my tummy. So I ended up going straight home, no working out, and just felt blah/bad. I stayed in bed and hung out with Reuben and watched SYTYCD – AMAZING. I just loved it – even the crash test dummy dance, even the dances set to heinous music. I am just such a fan!!! I ended up at 2,072 calories, 259 carbs and 69 fat grams. (I blame the lunch out… boo… but really it was all of the treats I had when I got back from lunch. I mean really) Here’s what I ate.

Here is Reuben the day he got groomed!

Thursday I felt much better, but my AC didn’t… The upstairs unit gave out. Austin called a guy who came out immediately and determined it was the motor so he ordered another and felt like it would hold out until the morning. It didn’t. I worked (downstairs), worked out during lunch (3.5 miles) and then worked some more. I tried doing laundry but it was just so hot. I got a facial at 5:30 (bliss) and stopped by Joann Fabric for fabric to cover a stool for the kitchen (so cute!), then I headed home, recovered the stool, cooked some meals, caught up with friends via telephone (Austin away on business in Alabama for the night), then settled in (on the couch) to watch the SYTYCD results show with Reuben – SOOOO good. I ended up at 1,651 calories, 282 carbs and 27 fat grams, which I think was about right for my activity level (and it includes wine and sour patch kids!). Here’s what I ate.

Stool BEFORE

Stool AFTER

My Ninth Month: May 2009 Monthly Assessment

By the Numbers

Pounds Lost: -5 (110 to 115)
Highest Weight: 115
Lowest Weight: 110
Pounds left to Lose: 2 (would like to be at 113)
Posts: 15
Days Worked out: 16
Miles of cardio: 75.5
Great Nutrition Days: 18
Low Nutrition Days: 0
High Nutrition Days: 13
Injuries: none!
Days out for injury: 0
Vacations: 2 wedding weekends; 1 lake trip
Days out for vacation: 4
Day worked out during vacation: 0

Interesting Charts

May Weight

May Calories


This was a hard month for me – not gonna lie! (nor does the yo-yo calorie chart above!) It was the first month I gained. Granted, I’d gotten below goal weight, but STILL, I gained. Also, it was a super busy month for me – still didn’t hit my mileage goals. I’m just having a tough time figuring out how much I should eat/how much I should work out/etc. :( I heard it would be hard to maintain and it IS! I’m really considering the HRM and moving to more healthy, whole foods.

A Look Back: May Goals

1. Have 7 or less days over 1,700 calories. This was a toughie- I feel like my caloric ceiling has been a moving target. I just honestly seem to need more than 1,700. Never thought I’d say that but it’s true!! I’m trying to figure it out. Bear with me.

2. Weigh 113 or less 20 days this month. This was tough too. I only weighed 113 or less 11 days this month.

3. Walk 100 miles. Didn’t happen at all! I’m going to catch up somehow but it definitely wasn’t in May! I was shy 24.5 miles.

4. Do strength training 3 days/week (day 1: chest/tris; day 2: abs/legs; day 3: back, bis, shoulders). Nope – didn’t happen. I definitely made more of an effort, but it STILL didn’t happen.

5. Introduce 4 new recipes. DONE This definitely happened – I was a recipe-making machine in May!

6. Update the home blog 4 days/week AND fitting back in 5 days/week. Home blog yes, Fittingbackin – no. I’m working on it! Did I ever give you guys the link to the home blog??

7. Read 1 book and 3 home décor magazines. DONE

8. Organize 2 weeks of meal plans; print them out and make grocery lists of each. DONE

9. Finish both guest rooms and the scrapbook room (paint shutter; paint chair; get new hardware; hang stuff!) DONE

10. Take measurements! I want to start taking measurements every Thursday morning. No Excuses! 1st and 15th just wasn’t working – I never know what the date is! I forgot a lot…. Will work on this!

I knew this would be a tough month (reading back to last month) and I was right. I think it was a time thing – I just couldn’t get in the ST, all of the miles – even blogging! But some was just straight up forgetfulness, like taking measurements. Sigh. I’m not necessarily disappointed in this month, but I certainly don’t think it was my best.

A Look Ahead: June Goals

It’s a little hard to do these seeing as how I SUCK and am just now getting to it 1/3 of the way in, but let’s see!

1. Figure out how many calories I need. Experiment – try to stay around 1,750 to 1,850.
2. Walk 100 miles!!!
3. Do strength training 3 days/week
4. Introduce 3 new recipes and 3 new healthy, whole snacks.
5. Update the home blog 4 days/week AND fitting back in 4 days/week
6. Read 2 books.

7. Get dining room painted; hang fan in guest room; install lights in hallway upstairs
8. Research HRMs – maybe get one – and research CFW ideas.

9. Take measurements! I want to start taking measurements every Thursday morning. No Excuses! 1st and 15th just wasn’t working – I never know what the date is!

I’m going to drop these in the sidebar! Some seem aggressive for me, but I really feel like this is going to be a ‘prepare’ month – getting my ducks in a row on how many calories I need, looking into things like HRMs and figuring out this whole/healthy snack thing and pondering plans for a CFW. Anyway – I’m excited to get organized and hopefully make July – the month I turn twenty freaking seven (where did the time go?) – a great month!!

Days 276 - 279: Wonderful Weekend in Virginia in Pictures AND in a nutshell + Book Review + New Recipe

In Pictures... and a few words... :)



I met this little gem named Teddy, 4-year old Yorkie with an attitude problem that worked for him 'cause he's SO dang cute with his puppy cut and markings that make him look like a butterscotch-colored pup with a black sweater on - LOVE IT


Spent time with these sweet pups: Abby & Ben



Celebrated this man's birthday - Ed is 90!


Spent time with Austin, naturally!

The random area in the front of the hotel we stayed at. The hotel was nice and I didn't even SEE this until light on Saturday. haha



At lunch - playing with the phone while waiting for our sandwiches



Our rental car - a Ford Focus



The rando bagel place in a converted gas station we found on the way!



Austin liked it!


Me with Austin's family and Ed


The King side + spouses



Austin and his bros!


Yes, they're 7, 8 and 9-years old


For real... haha



Back at home after driving to the airport, flying to Charlottesville, flying to Atlanta, taking Marta and driving home... Reuben was sleepy too!

Saturday…

• Got up at the hotel and took books down for breakfast (cereal; banana; muffin)
• Got ready and headed out at noon... needed lunch... couldn't find anything but found this random "bagelicious" on the way in a converted gas station - GREAT food. (chicken sandwich; another banana; some cool ranch doritos)
• Got out to Palmyra and visited with the family all afternoon (1 to 9). Met two more of Austin's cousins and there significant others, got to visit with Ed (the birthday boy), met a skiddish little pupper named Teddy and of course got to hang out with Austin's fun little bros (they crack me UP; they're 17 and 19 now!). (lots of random stuff; 1/2 beer; glass of white wine; chicken, roll, ceasar salad, mints, shrimp, fruit, veggies, etc. - took FOREVER to track it)
• Headed out at 9 to downtown to a new hotel to see Em & Tim.
• Those sweet peas had SF redbull + vodka on ice for us - love them!
• Chugged a drink or two, refreshed and hit the town - we had SO MUCH FUN catching up, walking around, seeing a few bars, etc. I really enjoyed it.
• Passed out at 3 a.m.
• Ended up at 2,531 calories, 253 carbs and 51 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Sunday...

• Woke up at 8 a.m. via wake-up call
• Hit up some other bagel place (I mean really - could there BE more bagel places here) and it was fabulous too! (turkey, lettuce, spicy mustard and swiss on a bagel - heated to perfection)
• Got the airport in record time and hit up the gift shop for water, water and more water. Oh - and for crap including, but not limited to, sweet tarts, skittles, sour starburst gummies, etc. What is wrong with me?
• Read more of my book. O.M.G. Best book i've read in a very long time. Seriously people. PAGE TURNER.
• Flew, landed in DC (awful land - i almost vommed) got a slice of cheese pizza.
• Flew, landed in Atlanta, raced off the plane, on to the marta, and into the car - read the whole way, and got home to my puppy and awesome mother. (made a chicken/pita guac thing)
• Did laundry, cooked food for the week and got in bed and finished the book. Made artichoke/lemon/chicken with rice while watching Law&Order.
• Finished Karin Slaughter's Triptych. OMG. I mean it - what an amazing book. It's a murder mystery - very dark and detailed. The story is told from three perspectives but they're all woven together in intricate, crazy ways and the story is just WOW. I empathized with the characters - I even cried twice. It was just very raw and a wonderful mystery to a satsifying end. I HIGHLY recommend it - woo!
• Mom stayed over so we got to visit and she even folded our laundry and went to the grocery store - SWEET! :)
• Passed out at 11.
• Ended up at 1,933 calories, 43 fat grams and 259 carbs. Here's what I ate.

Monday...

The new Recipe: Margarita Pizza!

• Worked & got a lot done!
• Walked 6.5 miles
• Raced home to see Reuben's new 'do! (he spent the day at Unleashed getting groomed/doggy daycare)
• Made Margarita Pizza - SO GOOD
• Met with the roofer to pick new shingles
• Got a quote from the painter for the dining room... too high :(
• Watched more Veronica Mars - why don't they make this show anymore??!!
• Read some magazines - thanks, Mom!
• Ended up at 1,697 calories, 217 carbs and 36 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.
• Here's the recipe for ONE serving:

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes

4 oz. Trader Joe’s Dough (1/4 of bag)
1 tsp olive oil
3.5 tbsp Naturally Preferred Tomato Sauce
30 grams (1/4 cup) Kroger Fat-Free Mozarella Cheese
14 grams (1/8 cup) Trader Joe’s Fat-Free Feta Cheese
10 grape tomatoes, chopped in half
7 spinach leaves, shredded
2 basil leaves, diced
1 tsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
Garlic salt, Salt and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray pan with olive oil fat-free spray. Spread dough on pan with palms of hands and fingers. Once it’s spread to your likeness, spread olive oil on dough. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt and red pepper on dough. Spread sauce over dough, then add cheese. Top with tomatoes and spinach, and put in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add basil and parmesan. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into pieces and serve.

Nutritional Information: 432 calories, 65 carbs, 8 fat grams and 21 protein grams.

Clearly - per my eats i'm not practicing with the new food yet, but I have a trip planned for the grocery store this week and am trying to get prepared!