Good morning!!
I officially lost 2 more pounds last week with the Right Size smoothies!! Very exciting...especially since that puts my total at 30.5 pounds lost. Love it!
FOOD/DRINK: We should just change this category to FOOD. Drink = water and lots of it. LOTS. Ha, ha. I also purchased some Chocolate Glazed Donut coffee yesterday and that will be my morning "treat". It is so good. Anyway, you may notice I am starting a new plan a day early...this is due to the smoothie powder running out too soon. I admit I didn't use an actual "leveler" each time, but I definitely didn't expect to run out 2 days early? The canister says it has 30 servings, I drink 2 per day...it only lasted me 13 days. Anyway, I have decided to begin the cabbage soup diet today. You all may remember this from my very first week. I have two main reasons for doing it again: 1. It provides great weight loss and this may help me get over that 200 pound mark!; 2. It's easy. I have been reading this 17-day diet book and I think I need a little bit more time to wrap my head around it. I don't like not having a plan, and I really don't want to get distracted and/or frustrated at this point in my weight loss. So, there you have it. My mom is coming to visit next Tuesday, the 26th, and she is going to help me write out a meal plan and grocery list for my first 17 days. This means, I will begin cabbage soup today, final day of that will be next Saturday. I will do 8 days of either Slim Fast or Special K, then begin the 17 day diet.
As for today, it's FRUIT day for me! I made a large bowl of fresh pineapple and canteloupe last night. I plan to assemble the cabbage soup before church and let it sit in the crockpot while I am gone. I also have a bag of apples at my disposal, and a second pineapple waiting to be chopped. Oh yeah, and red seedless grapes are only a dollar a pound at Harris Teeter, so we have a drawer full of those in the fridge. Yummy!
EXERCISE: I wasn't able to focus on getting in my 60 minutes of walking yesterday, so I am pledging to do it today. I would like to find a track to do it, so I can also know my distance. Results tomorrow!
I didn't do the photo shoot Friday, by the way. It ended up being quite the trying day. I have to admit I took the kids to the drop in daycare down the street for a couple hours just to save some of my sanity! It was the perfect amount of time to put away all the laundry, clean the bedrooms, and watch our DVR'ed episodes of The Office and Parks and Rec. I made lunch for the kids and went to pick them up with a fresh new attitude. They had a blast playing with "new" toys and being out of the house, so I call that a win-win.
Have a great day!
xoxo
Showing posts with label Right Size. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Right Size. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Week Nine: Day Four
Good morning!
I really have very little to report from yesterday...except that it was a rough day!
FOOD AND DRINK: Banana, cup of coffee, and a smoothie for breakfast. This did nothing for my crazy greasy food craving. I went about my morning of getting the kids ready for church as usual, though, and stayed out of the kitchen. I drank a lot of water. After Bible study, I stopped at Sonic for the $1.99 Kids Meals for the kids. I'm not sure if my intention was to drive myself even crazier, but I very literally sat there holding Zoe's hamburger for a good 10 minutes while I prayed HARD to not eat it. At this point in my day all I wanted was a large meal and a good nap. I got one of those...surprisingly for this house, it was the latter! I resisted the hamburger, I had gotten apple slices for everyone with their meals, so those weren't tempting me, and I made myself a "Just For One" broccoli with cheese sauce snack when we got home. Calorie count = 45. It actually did make me feel a little better, too! The kids all layed down easily, I drank my smoothie and more water, and everyone got a siesta in the middle of our day. Yay! This made the afternoon downright enjoyable. Until the boys got into the mud "swamp" in the neighbors' yard. Sigh. Story of my life. For dinner we had Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Chili with cornbread. SO delicious. I tried to figure up the calorie count, but it made a large pot of chili and I was then confused about how to determine serving size? Any tips? I decided to just focus on eating until I was full, then walking away. It worked well. And I slept like a rock last night....I'm assuming the kids did, as well. Ha!
TIPS/ISSUES: I am getting a little bored with this "routine" of two of whatever per day and one meal. A friend has recommended the "17 Day Diet", so I downloaded the book to my Kindle and plan to start Monday! I will give more details later, but I am hoping this will help me through the weekend. The smoothies still taste good, I think I am just losing some of my motivation with the monotony. In the past, this 10 pounds before breaking back into the 190's is HARD for me. I need to focus! Today I am visiting a friend and we are going for a walk. Another friend has officially registered for the 1/2 marathon, and we talked yesterday about really buckling down and allowing NO excuses for missing walks!! I am going to add to my accountability by adding a WALK/RUN category...
WALK/RUN: Honestly, did nothing yesterday. Plan for today is walk a total of 60 minutes. Jenny, if you are reading this, don't worry! I won't force you to join me for the whole 60! This may take two different walks to add to my total, but I promise to get 60 TOTAL minutes today.
Have a great day!
xoxo
Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Chili
1 lb. sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag frozen black-eyed peas, thawed (the recipe calls for just thawing, but I would recommend
cooking them a bit based on the consistency we ended up with last night)
1 bag frozen corn, thawed (same as black-eyed peas side note)
2 cans beef broth
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounce cans)
1 T oregano
2 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t salt
In a large pot (I used a skillet), combine sausage and onion. Cook until browned; drain. Add remaining ingredients (I put everything in a crock-pot). Simmer for 30 minutes. (I put my crock-pot on high for 1 hour).
Total calorie count was 2900. Five of us got one bowl full of chili (normal sized bowls), Zoe ate about 3/4 of a bowl full, I took about 4 servings to the neighbor's, Shaun and Conner each had seconds, and I think there was about one serving left...so this adds up to 13? Let's round down and call it 12 servings? This would make 242 calories per bowl. Nice! This chili was really good. We had cornbread (170 calories per "serving"), but it would have been awesome with crackers during a football game!
Okay, bye.
I really have very little to report from yesterday...except that it was a rough day!
FOOD AND DRINK: Banana, cup of coffee, and a smoothie for breakfast. This did nothing for my crazy greasy food craving. I went about my morning of getting the kids ready for church as usual, though, and stayed out of the kitchen. I drank a lot of water. After Bible study, I stopped at Sonic for the $1.99 Kids Meals for the kids. I'm not sure if my intention was to drive myself even crazier, but I very literally sat there holding Zoe's hamburger for a good 10 minutes while I prayed HARD to not eat it. At this point in my day all I wanted was a large meal and a good nap. I got one of those...surprisingly for this house, it was the latter! I resisted the hamburger, I had gotten apple slices for everyone with their meals, so those weren't tempting me, and I made myself a "Just For One" broccoli with cheese sauce snack when we got home. Calorie count = 45. It actually did make me feel a little better, too! The kids all layed down easily, I drank my smoothie and more water, and everyone got a siesta in the middle of our day. Yay! This made the afternoon downright enjoyable. Until the boys got into the mud "swamp" in the neighbors' yard. Sigh. Story of my life. For dinner we had Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Chili with cornbread. SO delicious. I tried to figure up the calorie count, but it made a large pot of chili and I was then confused about how to determine serving size? Any tips? I decided to just focus on eating until I was full, then walking away. It worked well. And I slept like a rock last night....I'm assuming the kids did, as well. Ha!
TIPS/ISSUES: I am getting a little bored with this "routine" of two of whatever per day and one meal. A friend has recommended the "17 Day Diet", so I downloaded the book to my Kindle and plan to start Monday! I will give more details later, but I am hoping this will help me through the weekend. The smoothies still taste good, I think I am just losing some of my motivation with the monotony. In the past, this 10 pounds before breaking back into the 190's is HARD for me. I need to focus! Today I am visiting a friend and we are going for a walk. Another friend has officially registered for the 1/2 marathon, and we talked yesterday about really buckling down and allowing NO excuses for missing walks!! I am going to add to my accountability by adding a WALK/RUN category...
WALK/RUN: Honestly, did nothing yesterday. Plan for today is walk a total of 60 minutes. Jenny, if you are reading this, don't worry! I won't force you to join me for the whole 60! This may take two different walks to add to my total, but I promise to get 60 TOTAL minutes today.
Have a great day!
xoxo
Black-Eyed Pea and Sausage Chili
1 lb. sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag frozen black-eyed peas, thawed (the recipe calls for just thawing, but I would recommend
cooking them a bit based on the consistency we ended up with last night)
1 bag frozen corn, thawed (same as black-eyed peas side note)
2 cans beef broth
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounce cans)
1 T oregano
2 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t salt
In a large pot (I used a skillet), combine sausage and onion. Cook until browned; drain. Add remaining ingredients (I put everything in a crock-pot). Simmer for 30 minutes. (I put my crock-pot on high for 1 hour).
Total calorie count was 2900. Five of us got one bowl full of chili (normal sized bowls), Zoe ate about 3/4 of a bowl full, I took about 4 servings to the neighbor's, Shaun and Conner each had seconds, and I think there was about one serving left...so this adds up to 13? Let's round down and call it 12 servings? This would make 242 calories per bowl. Nice! This chili was really good. We had cornbread (170 calories per "serving"), but it would have been awesome with crackers during a football game!
Okay, bye.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Week Nine: Day Three
Goooooood morning!!
I have to be honest today. Last night I had a Girls' Night Out with a few friends and we had a few adult beverages. Maybe a couple more than a few. :) Good times! Much needed break! Paying for it this morning!
FOOD AND DRINK: Yesterday I had my smoothies at breakfast and lunch as usual. However, I switched things up a little bit. I had a banana in the morning with my coffee, then the first smoothie at 8:45. I hoped this would hold me a little longer than it does when I drink it by 8. It definitely worked...I was planning to take a long walk with Zoe during the day, but she ended up taking a nap at the right time and she looked to be enjoying it so much I decided to join her! What I didn't do was drink my lunch smoothie BEFORE laying down, so it was almost 3 before I drank it! I was feeling way hungrier than I usually do, so I realize I waited too long. When I picked up the boys, we went to the park for about an hour before coming home to make dinner. Onion smothered pork chops and rice. Mmmmmm. I did eat dinner at home so I wouldn't be tempted to eat the bowling alley food. As delicious as it began smelling after a couple beers....I was able to resist. The nightcap, however, at Buffalo Wild Wings did lead to some boneless wing eating. Oops!
I confess to all of these extra calories because I think it's important to remain honest and real here. I hear people often using excuses for "cheating" and giving themselves a night or day (or both!) off from their diet, and I really started this deal with the thought of NOT doing that to prove it can be done. It's not that I have changed my mind and now think it is not possible...I do, however, recognize real life is going on all the time and you can't sacrifice yourself entirely or you will go crazy! With all of the drama last week when the power was out for a full day, my daily drama of chasing four small children, the regular drama of just being a human in this day and age!! All of these factors can make a person crazy! I'm sure this isn't news to anyone, right? My point is if you don't indulge on occasion, you will lose your mind with all the daydreams and fantasies of how much "fun" everyone else must be having. I hope I am making sense here!
All of this to truly say, as much as I want to chow down for breakfast on something greasy, I am sitting here with my cup of coffee, 20 ounce glass of water, and a banana. I will have my smoothie before heading out the door to Bible study and I know I will make it through this day just fine. When I got home last night I drank two full glasses of water before bed, so I am not feeling "it" as badly as I could be. Also, I think it's important to note I had a driver last night, so I was not behind any wheels!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!
xoxo
I have to be honest today. Last night I had a Girls' Night Out with a few friends and we had a few adult beverages. Maybe a couple more than a few. :) Good times! Much needed break! Paying for it this morning!
FOOD AND DRINK: Yesterday I had my smoothies at breakfast and lunch as usual. However, I switched things up a little bit. I had a banana in the morning with my coffee, then the first smoothie at 8:45. I hoped this would hold me a little longer than it does when I drink it by 8. It definitely worked...I was planning to take a long walk with Zoe during the day, but she ended up taking a nap at the right time and she looked to be enjoying it so much I decided to join her! What I didn't do was drink my lunch smoothie BEFORE laying down, so it was almost 3 before I drank it! I was feeling way hungrier than I usually do, so I realize I waited too long. When I picked up the boys, we went to the park for about an hour before coming home to make dinner. Onion smothered pork chops and rice. Mmmmmm. I did eat dinner at home so I wouldn't be tempted to eat the bowling alley food. As delicious as it began smelling after a couple beers....I was able to resist. The nightcap, however, at Buffalo Wild Wings did lead to some boneless wing eating. Oops!
I confess to all of these extra calories because I think it's important to remain honest and real here. I hear people often using excuses for "cheating" and giving themselves a night or day (or both!) off from their diet, and I really started this deal with the thought of NOT doing that to prove it can be done. It's not that I have changed my mind and now think it is not possible...I do, however, recognize real life is going on all the time and you can't sacrifice yourself entirely or you will go crazy! With all of the drama last week when the power was out for a full day, my daily drama of chasing four small children, the regular drama of just being a human in this day and age!! All of these factors can make a person crazy! I'm sure this isn't news to anyone, right? My point is if you don't indulge on occasion, you will lose your mind with all the daydreams and fantasies of how much "fun" everyone else must be having. I hope I am making sense here!
All of this to truly say, as much as I want to chow down for breakfast on something greasy, I am sitting here with my cup of coffee, 20 ounce glass of water, and a banana. I will have my smoothie before heading out the door to Bible study and I know I will make it through this day just fine. When I got home last night I drank two full glasses of water before bed, so I am not feeling "it" as badly as I could be. Also, I think it's important to note I had a driver last night, so I was not behind any wheels!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!
xoxo
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Week Nine: Day Two
Good morning!
Yesterday went well. I really enjoyed eating with the family for dinner again! We had cheeseburger pizza and vegetables...the pizza recipe will be below. It was SO good. Mmmmm.
FOOD AND DRINK: Right Size smoothies in the morning and early afternoon! I mentioned the sale on strawberries last week and we are still working through all of those, so we had strawberries for an early snack. The kids ate lunch outside in the BEAUTIFUL sunshine and I ran between inside and outside filling requests for more juice, more sandwiches, more strawberries. My own personal trainers! Ha. Eating the smoothie for lunch was a little tough for me because I was kind of hungry, but knowing dinner was right around the corner helped! I ate a Yoplait Light yogurt for afternoon snack while I prepared our pizza and then practiced some new eating habits at dinner. See the "tips/issues" section. Drank all my water and very mcuh enjoyed my coffee in the morning. :)
EXERCISE: I don't remember if I mentioned it yesterday, but I DID officially register for the Women's Half Marathon in September!! You can check it out at www.womenshalfmarathon.com/nashville, if you'd like. I downloaded the training program and it will begin June 21st. Leading up to that day, I have committed to walking 45-60 minutes 3 times per week. Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Exciting! A little intimidating!
TIPS/ISSUES: My new eating habits involve some pretty basic practices. Fork down between bites. With pizza, I set the slice down after each bite. Drink of water between bites. Fully chewing each bite (I didn't count chews, but I tried to savor each bite fully). Making it a point to finish my glass of water along with my meal. I made sure the meal was ready and everyone's plates were served before we all sat down. We all chatted and laughed through dinner and it was a successful meal! I was commenting to my husband about how I would have finished off the remaining 4 (very big) pieces in the past...and felt super guilty about it later. BUT, this time I just packed Shaun a lunch for tomorrow (today) and put the other piece in tupperware for the kids to snack on this afternoon. AND FELT ZERO GUILT!
I hope you all have a great day. I am headed to the park after dropping off the boys at school for a full hour "brisk" walk! Wish me luck!
xoxo
Cheeseburger Pizza
1 can pizza crust
1 - 1.5 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
2 T mustard (did you know mustard has no calories?!?)
8 ounce package shredded pizza cheese
(the recipe mentions using "toppings" like you would on your cheeseburger, but I just kept it simple with nothing additional. the suggestions are lettuce, pickle slices, and chopped tomato. Yum!)
Pre-bake pizza crust per package directions. Cook first 3 ingredients in large skillet over medium heat until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Combine ketchup and mustard; spread over pizza crust. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with beef mixture and remaining cheese. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with desired toppings
Yesterday went well. I really enjoyed eating with the family for dinner again! We had cheeseburger pizza and vegetables...the pizza recipe will be below. It was SO good. Mmmmm.
FOOD AND DRINK: Right Size smoothies in the morning and early afternoon! I mentioned the sale on strawberries last week and we are still working through all of those, so we had strawberries for an early snack. The kids ate lunch outside in the BEAUTIFUL sunshine and I ran between inside and outside filling requests for more juice, more sandwiches, more strawberries. My own personal trainers! Ha. Eating the smoothie for lunch was a little tough for me because I was kind of hungry, but knowing dinner was right around the corner helped! I ate a Yoplait Light yogurt for afternoon snack while I prepared our pizza and then practiced some new eating habits at dinner. See the "tips/issues" section. Drank all my water and very mcuh enjoyed my coffee in the morning. :)
EXERCISE: I don't remember if I mentioned it yesterday, but I DID officially register for the Women's Half Marathon in September!! You can check it out at www.womenshalfmarathon.com/nashville, if you'd like. I downloaded the training program and it will begin June 21st. Leading up to that day, I have committed to walking 45-60 minutes 3 times per week. Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Exciting! A little intimidating!
TIPS/ISSUES: My new eating habits involve some pretty basic practices. Fork down between bites. With pizza, I set the slice down after each bite. Drink of water between bites. Fully chewing each bite (I didn't count chews, but I tried to savor each bite fully). Making it a point to finish my glass of water along with my meal. I made sure the meal was ready and everyone's plates were served before we all sat down. We all chatted and laughed through dinner and it was a successful meal! I was commenting to my husband about how I would have finished off the remaining 4 (very big) pieces in the past...and felt super guilty about it later. BUT, this time I just packed Shaun a lunch for tomorrow (today) and put the other piece in tupperware for the kids to snack on this afternoon. AND FELT ZERO GUILT!
I hope you all have a great day. I am headed to the park after dropping off the boys at school for a full hour "brisk" walk! Wish me luck!
xoxo
Cheeseburger Pizza
1 can pizza crust
1 - 1.5 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
2 T mustard (did you know mustard has no calories?!?)
8 ounce package shredded pizza cheese
(the recipe mentions using "toppings" like you would on your cheeseburger, but I just kept it simple with nothing additional. the suggestions are lettuce, pickle slices, and chopped tomato. Yum!)
Pre-bake pizza crust per package directions. Cook first 3 ingredients in large skillet over medium heat until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Combine ketchup and mustard; spread over pizza crust. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with beef mixture and remaining cheese. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes. Sprinkle with desired toppings
Monday, April 11, 2011
Week Nine: Day One (weigh day)
Good morning!! Officially weigh-in and some picture posting day!! I sort of can't believe it's been 8 weeks already, but I also am trying desperately hard to not be upset with the smaller results of the past 4 weeks.
Quick recap: Week one I began the Atkins diet AND started a 30-day body makeover DVD from Gold's Gym. This video has three 10-minute workouts to choose from (upper body, lower body, and cardio), and I vowed to do at least one every day. The 30 days is technically up tomorrow, so I will post those pictures on Wednesday morning. Atkins really didn't work for me, it has in the past but just made me sluggish and depressed and short-tempered. All things I do NOT need to be with four small children at home! So, I lasted 9 days on that and then switched to the Special K diet for 12 days. Loved this one.
Special K diet consists of 2 bowls of cereal with fruit each day to replace 2 of your main meals. One balanced meal, 2 Special K snacks (amounting to 100-110 calories each), and lots of water. I found this diet to be super easy to follow and the variety of cereals were delicious! I ate lots of fruit and got all my energy back (and then some!). In just 12 days of this diet I lost 7 pounds - compared to losing ZERO with Atkins. Whew. So happy I switched!!
The final week of the month I have been drinking Right Size smoothies to replace 2 meals. I eat lunch as usual (making sure to stay below 600 calories), fruit during the day for snacks, and drink at least 100 ounces of water. The smoothies are very tasty...unfortunately, both canisters I purchased are the Lean Cocoa Bean flavor and I am getting a tiny bit tired of the chocolate. Other than just the monotony of the flavor, the smoothies are quite tasty! I don't own a blender, so I have just been sticking with 8-10 ounces of skim milk mixed in with one scoop of the powder. In just 7 days of this diet I have lost....
Ha, ha. Sorry, you have to scroll through the pictures!
Week One:Day One Week Five: Day One TODAY (Week 9: Day 1)
Wow. I can see the difference so much more when the pictures are all next to each other!! I like it.
So, I was going to post the scale pictures, but getting the body shots to actually behave and line up next to each took a lot out of me. :) I'm not going to line these up all pretty...
To see the first four weeks scale pictures go here.
Week Five: Day One
This is the same picture I would use for Week Six: Day Three when I began the Special K diet.
Week Eight: Day One (after 12 days of Special K)
And finally...today's weight. (after 7 days with the Right Size smoothies)
There it is! 10 pounds this month! This makes my 8 week total 28.5 pounds gone.
Thank you to everyone who follows and comments on my progress and has been so supportive!! I feel good, healthy, and am really excited to beat this 10 pound loss over the next 4 weeks. I did promise myself I wouldn't be disappointed with any month that was at least 8 pounds lost because this is on track to meet my goal, so WOOHOO!!! Still ahead of the game and feeling great!!
This next week I will continue with the Right Size smoothies, but I am going to begin eating dinner instead of lunch. I also didn't have any coffee last week, and I plan to begin having my morning cup again. Seems like the weeks I drink coffee I lose more than the few weeks where I took it away. We shall see if this is just a fluke.
Quick side note: this is the "billing" weigh day. I believe i have talked to everyone and some people have decided to pay at the end so I won't be tempted to spend the money on bills, and this is totally fine! For the ones who are paying monthly, I have used the money to "pamper" myself a bit...refer to previous posts for pictures of my new nails and hair! :)
xoxo
Friday, April 8, 2011
Week Eight: Day Five
Good morning!
FOOD AND DRINK: Still very pleased with these Right Size smoothies! Very pleased. I still don't have a blender, so I am simply mixing about 10 ounces of skim milk with one scoop of powder - in my fancy Right Size "blender" cup? I forgot exactly what they call it, but it's a re-usable cup with lid and drink spout that has a cool ball in it which helps mix when you shake it! Fun! For lunch I ran home quickly to chow on my serving of Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole. Wow, yum. SO yum. I'm going to include the recipe below not because it is overly nutritious, but I know I have some mommy-friends who follow this blog and it is GREAT for kids! And husbands! Drank all my 100 ounces of water, ate an apple and some strawberries throughout the day...a successful day, for sure!
EXERCISE: Yesterday I had to deliver an extra edition of the magazine I deliver once a month, so the boys went to daycare and a good friend watched my baby girl. I made it a point to park away from each building (rather than pulling up in the fire lane), ran when I wasn't carrying 50+ magazines, tightened my stomach as I bent over to floor racks...I felt good (and exhausted!) by the end of the day. I still haven't found the DVD. :( Today's plan is to go on a nature hike at Edwin Warner Park, so there is some little bit of exercise planned, but I do intend to tear the house apart looking for that stinking video!! 30 days is up on Tuesday and I really want to end being as diligent as I was in the beginning!!
Obviously, since I don't post pictures every day, you can't see the difference, but I really am starting to see it! My friends at Bible study this week even commented! I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you how appreciative my husband is. :) I snuck a peek this morning at the scale, but I am not sharing until Monday - my official weigh-in! I will also post pictures that morning - in the green shirt/brown pants outfit. Those brown pants, by the way, are quite loose...hooray!
Have a great day!
xoxo
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
16 ounce (I could only find 12 ounce) frozen corn, thawed
15 ounce can of Sloppy Joe sauce
8 ounce pkg shredded cheddar cheese, divided
32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
Cook ground beef and onions until done, drain. Combine beef mixture, sloppy joe mix, and 1 1/4 cup of cheese. Pour into sprayed 13x9 dish. Top with enough tater tots to cover casserole, and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 mionutes or until bubbly. (I needed 45 minutes and then even broiled it for a minute or two to make the tots brown, but I had refrigerated the casserole before baking it).
FOOD AND DRINK: Still very pleased with these Right Size smoothies! Very pleased. I still don't have a blender, so I am simply mixing about 10 ounces of skim milk with one scoop of powder - in my fancy Right Size "blender" cup? I forgot exactly what they call it, but it's a re-usable cup with lid and drink spout that has a cool ball in it which helps mix when you shake it! Fun! For lunch I ran home quickly to chow on my serving of Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole. Wow, yum. SO yum. I'm going to include the recipe below not because it is overly nutritious, but I know I have some mommy-friends who follow this blog and it is GREAT for kids! And husbands! Drank all my 100 ounces of water, ate an apple and some strawberries throughout the day...a successful day, for sure!
EXERCISE: Yesterday I had to deliver an extra edition of the magazine I deliver once a month, so the boys went to daycare and a good friend watched my baby girl. I made it a point to park away from each building (rather than pulling up in the fire lane), ran when I wasn't carrying 50+ magazines, tightened my stomach as I bent over to floor racks...I felt good (and exhausted!) by the end of the day. I still haven't found the DVD. :( Today's plan is to go on a nature hike at Edwin Warner Park, so there is some little bit of exercise planned, but I do intend to tear the house apart looking for that stinking video!! 30 days is up on Tuesday and I really want to end being as diligent as I was in the beginning!!
Obviously, since I don't post pictures every day, you can't see the difference, but I really am starting to see it! My friends at Bible study this week even commented! I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you how appreciative my husband is. :) I snuck a peek this morning at the scale, but I am not sharing until Monday - my official weigh-in! I will also post pictures that morning - in the green shirt/brown pants outfit. Those brown pants, by the way, are quite loose...hooray!
Have a great day!
xoxo
Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
16 ounce (I could only find 12 ounce) frozen corn, thawed
15 ounce can of Sloppy Joe sauce
8 ounce pkg shredded cheddar cheese, divided
32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
Cook ground beef and onions until done, drain. Combine beef mixture, sloppy joe mix, and 1 1/4 cup of cheese. Pour into sprayed 13x9 dish. Top with enough tater tots to cover casserole, and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 mionutes or until bubbly. (I needed 45 minutes and then even broiled it for a minute or two to make the tots brown, but I had refrigerated the casserole before baking it).
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Week Eight: Day Four
I have to type this super quickly this morning because there is a full day ahead of me!!
FOOD AND DRINK: Right Size smoothies for breakfast and dinner were just the ticket to get through yesterday! Would you believe I made Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole for the family last night and didn't even sneak a bite?? It smelled so good. I do have a serving set aside for myself for lunch today. Baked in a 13x9 pan, cut into 12 pieces and the calorie count of each serving is only 328! I have been eating spinach every day, and have failed to mention that as a tip! Sorry!! Holding out, I guess. :) I had read or heard that spinach is better for you than regular ol' iceberg lettuce, so I bought a pack and tried it out. I just bought the pre-washed bag. What I love about spinach? 1. Keeps for a long time! 2. Hardly any calories! 3. Super good crunch! I made a "grilled" sandwich last week with 100-calorie thin whole wheat bread "rolls" sprayed with cooking spray, 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese split between the two slices - toasted this, then put a bunch of spinach leaves in the middle! YUM. And only 210 calories (because I don't even count any for the spinach, it's like 20 calories for 2 1/2 cups). One day I added 1/2 a can of tuna to that concoction, another day put some lunchmeat in the middle. Very satisfying. I figured out if you "grill" it - or at least melt the cheese somehow, I don't even miss the condiments! I'm a mayonnaise girl through and through (not Miracle Whip), so I thought that would be super hard for me. Not bad!
EXERCISE: DVD still missing. I picked up a little magazine at the grocery store last week about walking...yes an entire magazine about walking! Ha. It has lots of tips about how to increase your daily steps, so I have been thinking about those throughout my day and really trying to focus on taking extra steps. I have a couple of items I need to invest in - one being a blender to try out some of those Right Size "recipes", and two being a pedometer! I got pretty excited reading all of the benefits to just walking and making it a point to increase your daily step count. Also, I am signing up for a half-marathon in September!!!! Signing up this week. Running in September. Some good friends and I are planning to start training at the first of May, and I am so very excited. It has never been a goal of mine to run a marathon (of any length), but this is a goal I am ready to set!
TIPS AND ISSUES: Harris Teeter has strawberries on sale 4 pounds for $5 and they are the most delicious strawberries I've ever eaten!!! Major tip. Ha, ha!
Breakfast requests are being shouted from the living room...time to officially begin my day!
xoxo
FOOD AND DRINK: Right Size smoothies for breakfast and dinner were just the ticket to get through yesterday! Would you believe I made Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole for the family last night and didn't even sneak a bite?? It smelled so good. I do have a serving set aside for myself for lunch today. Baked in a 13x9 pan, cut into 12 pieces and the calorie count of each serving is only 328! I have been eating spinach every day, and have failed to mention that as a tip! Sorry!! Holding out, I guess. :) I had read or heard that spinach is better for you than regular ol' iceberg lettuce, so I bought a pack and tried it out. I just bought the pre-washed bag. What I love about spinach? 1. Keeps for a long time! 2. Hardly any calories! 3. Super good crunch! I made a "grilled" sandwich last week with 100-calorie thin whole wheat bread "rolls" sprayed with cooking spray, 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese split between the two slices - toasted this, then put a bunch of spinach leaves in the middle! YUM. And only 210 calories (because I don't even count any for the spinach, it's like 20 calories for 2 1/2 cups). One day I added 1/2 a can of tuna to that concoction, another day put some lunchmeat in the middle. Very satisfying. I figured out if you "grill" it - or at least melt the cheese somehow, I don't even miss the condiments! I'm a mayonnaise girl through and through (not Miracle Whip), so I thought that would be super hard for me. Not bad!
EXERCISE: DVD still missing. I picked up a little magazine at the grocery store last week about walking...yes an entire magazine about walking! Ha. It has lots of tips about how to increase your daily steps, so I have been thinking about those throughout my day and really trying to focus on taking extra steps. I have a couple of items I need to invest in - one being a blender to try out some of those Right Size "recipes", and two being a pedometer! I got pretty excited reading all of the benefits to just walking and making it a point to increase your daily step count. Also, I am signing up for a half-marathon in September!!!! Signing up this week. Running in September. Some good friends and I are planning to start training at the first of May, and I am so very excited. It has never been a goal of mine to run a marathon (of any length), but this is a goal I am ready to set!
TIPS AND ISSUES: Harris Teeter has strawberries on sale 4 pounds for $5 and they are the most delicious strawberries I've ever eaten!!! Major tip. Ha, ha!
Breakfast requests are being shouted from the living room...time to officially begin my day!
xoxo
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Week Eight: Day Three
Good morning!!
First things first - did you see that "Right Size" actually commented on my last post? Yay! Shaun thinks I should be their spokesperson. I say let's see how the next couple weeks go first. :) Now, I feel like I have to assure everyone I am 100% honest in all of my "reviews". These are truly my feelings and experiences.
Okay! I missed posting yesterday because our power was out! It was awful. Definitely could have been "worse", but we were not big fans of having no power for almost 30 hours. Monday afternoon some terrible storms came through the Nashville area and our section of town lost power around 1 pm. We kept assuming it would be back on at anytime...surely by dinnertime? Well, to quickly end the suspense, we were finally restored at 8 pm Tuesday night. BOOOO!
I tell you this little story to share with you a high compliment of the Right Size smoothies. I mentioned before I have decided to supplement my breakfast and dinner with the drinks. Monday I was not hungry until lunch time at all! I didn't feel jittery or anxious or any of those feelings I was fearing. I did have an orange for a snack, but I ate it mostly because I felt it was important to have something. I ate lunch around 1 pm, a 500-calorie serving of Sunday evening's dinner, a 100-calorie yogurt in the afternoon (yes, during the storm craze, I still remembered to eat snack!), and I was SO ready to "cheat" by the time Shaun got home that evening. I'm not going to detail the drama involved around this house with three kids who chose to skip nap, no electricity, no candles, no flashlights. Shaun got home a little after five and I told him point blank I was picking up fast food for dinner and I was going to be eating VERY poorly! He immediately told me how proud he was of my progress so far and that I was really inspiring him...his words, "Just because you had one bad day doesn't mean you have to go crazy with food." I stormed out of the house, fuming and just knowing I was going to ignore every word he said. Well, I didn't. I got the rest of the family Taco Bell (yum!), hit up the Dollar Tree for flashlights and candles, and when I got home I made myself a smoothie. I was thinking, "If I am still hungry after this drink, I will eat a taco." Guess what? Not one bit hungry. Shaun was the disposal that finished off everyone's leftovers and I felt quite good knowing I had followed through with my plan!! YAY!
Quick side note: I have read lots of reviews on the Right Size smoothies, and it seems like a lot of people point out the "non-chalky" taste. I have to be honest. It does have a little bit of a chalky taste to me. They are absolutely NOT hard to drink and I have had no problem with any after taste or "protein-y" taste, but you have to use more than just 8 ounces of milk to make it taste totally "smooth". I did get a little recipe guide with the containers, so I just need to invest in a blender and try some of those! Adding peanut butter sounds particularly yummy to me.
Tuesday was another successful day despite my inner "devil" screaming to take the day off!!! Cheat!!! You are under some extreme circumstances! Nobody should have to deal with four small children and no electricity!! Eat some pizza!!! Well, I ordered two large beautiful delicious-smelling pizzas for our family and the next door neighbors...once again having every intention of eating at least one piece. FIRST, though, I made myself a smoothie. I drank that smoothie. Pizza cravings....forgotten. These smoothies are awesome!
FOOD AND DRINK: Making sure to have at least 100 ounces of water each day. At 7 am yesterday I grilled the meat in our fridge to save it from spoiling, so I had a grilled chicken breast and spinach for lunch. I didn't get in an afternoon snack because I was running around so much wearing the kids out at the park! I ate an apple for morning snack, though. Skipping the morning cup of coffee hasn't even resulted in any headaches. Woo-hoo!
EXERCISE: I have lost the 30-day body makeover DVD. More likely the kids lost it, but regardless of who is to blame I cannot find it anywhere! Very frustrating. I couldn't have done the video the past two days, so maybe I was looking very hard. I will continue my search and, hopefully, get back to doing those today!
Have a great day!!
xoxo
First things first - did you see that "Right Size" actually commented on my last post? Yay! Shaun thinks I should be their spokesperson. I say let's see how the next couple weeks go first. :) Now, I feel like I have to assure everyone I am 100% honest in all of my "reviews". These are truly my feelings and experiences.
Okay! I missed posting yesterday because our power was out! It was awful. Definitely could have been "worse", but we were not big fans of having no power for almost 30 hours. Monday afternoon some terrible storms came through the Nashville area and our section of town lost power around 1 pm. We kept assuming it would be back on at anytime...surely by dinnertime? Well, to quickly end the suspense, we were finally restored at 8 pm Tuesday night. BOOOO!
I tell you this little story to share with you a high compliment of the Right Size smoothies. I mentioned before I have decided to supplement my breakfast and dinner with the drinks. Monday I was not hungry until lunch time at all! I didn't feel jittery or anxious or any of those feelings I was fearing. I did have an orange for a snack, but I ate it mostly because I felt it was important to have something. I ate lunch around 1 pm, a 500-calorie serving of Sunday evening's dinner, a 100-calorie yogurt in the afternoon (yes, during the storm craze, I still remembered to eat snack!), and I was SO ready to "cheat" by the time Shaun got home that evening. I'm not going to detail the drama involved around this house with three kids who chose to skip nap, no electricity, no candles, no flashlights. Shaun got home a little after five and I told him point blank I was picking up fast food for dinner and I was going to be eating VERY poorly! He immediately told me how proud he was of my progress so far and that I was really inspiring him...his words, "Just because you had one bad day doesn't mean you have to go crazy with food." I stormed out of the house, fuming and just knowing I was going to ignore every word he said. Well, I didn't. I got the rest of the family Taco Bell (yum!), hit up the Dollar Tree for flashlights and candles, and when I got home I made myself a smoothie. I was thinking, "If I am still hungry after this drink, I will eat a taco." Guess what? Not one bit hungry. Shaun was the disposal that finished off everyone's leftovers and I felt quite good knowing I had followed through with my plan!! YAY!
Quick side note: I have read lots of reviews on the Right Size smoothies, and it seems like a lot of people point out the "non-chalky" taste. I have to be honest. It does have a little bit of a chalky taste to me. They are absolutely NOT hard to drink and I have had no problem with any after taste or "protein-y" taste, but you have to use more than just 8 ounces of milk to make it taste totally "smooth". I did get a little recipe guide with the containers, so I just need to invest in a blender and try some of those! Adding peanut butter sounds particularly yummy to me.
Tuesday was another successful day despite my inner "devil" screaming to take the day off!!! Cheat!!! You are under some extreme circumstances! Nobody should have to deal with four small children and no electricity!! Eat some pizza!!! Well, I ordered two large beautiful delicious-smelling pizzas for our family and the next door neighbors...once again having every intention of eating at least one piece. FIRST, though, I made myself a smoothie. I drank that smoothie. Pizza cravings....forgotten. These smoothies are awesome!
FOOD AND DRINK: Making sure to have at least 100 ounces of water each day. At 7 am yesterday I grilled the meat in our fridge to save it from spoiling, so I had a grilled chicken breast and spinach for lunch. I didn't get in an afternoon snack because I was running around so much wearing the kids out at the park! I ate an apple for morning snack, though. Skipping the morning cup of coffee hasn't even resulted in any headaches. Woo-hoo!
EXERCISE: I have lost the 30-day body makeover DVD. More likely the kids lost it, but regardless of who is to blame I cannot find it anywhere! Very frustrating. I couldn't have done the video the past two days, so maybe I was looking very hard. I will continue my search and, hopefully, get back to doing those today!
Have a great day!!
xoxo
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