Lighten up!!

Days til the Wedding: 71Pounds Lost: 12 (Yay another pound!)

Happy Friday my loves!! I feel like this has been the Longest. Week. EVER.  My throat has been itching and I've been feeling sluggish the last couple days.  I really hope I am not getting sick.  I put the humidifier back into our room last night and felt like it helped a little bit when I woke up.  Might do a nebulizer treatment tonight to help break up this mucus because we have a busy weekend ahead!

Breakfast: 

Protein Shake - 115 Calories

Lunch: 

Asian Style Salad Jar  - 228 Calories

So I made a discovery.  Over the last few years I've grown a little appreciation for celery.  Prior to that I would protest any time it was in sight.  I hated everything about it.  Then, I started liking it with things like wings, ants on a log and I've never minded it cook.  I chopped one stalk of celery into each of these salad jars and by day 2 I was sick of it.  The smell and taste of it was too overpowering for me.  Definitely calls for a  recipe modification next week....

Dinner: 

McDonald's (What?!)
Chicken Nuggets (6) - 290 calories
Sweet & Sour Sauce - 50 Calories
Small Fries - 230 Calories
Cheese Burger - 290 calories

So every now and then, you have to splurge.  But be conscious when you do.  "Fortunately" for me I had enough calories left in my day that I didn't go over! The bad part was I didn't do anything to burn off calories.  I asked myself, did I really need the cheeseburger? Probably not.  But my craving is now satisfied and I'll be good for at least another month.  However I magically lost a pound.  I know it's not magically, I've been really conscious about my caloric intake... At least I know the hard work has been paying off.  

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This weekend we have 2 parties...UFC and Superbowl. I am going to try my best to stay on track.  I will be making Filipino style Shanghai Eggrolls...So expect a new (maybe not the healthiest) recipe  next week! 

Speaking of Superbowl, here are some recipes that were shared with me or that I found for Superbowl snacks that can help you stay on track.  I haven't tried these, but they all look great! Let me know if you try them!

Buffalo Cauliflower: 

My cousin just posted this on my Facebook the other day, but I had actually watched a video for it the night before on PopSugar's YouTube channel.  Looks super delicious, I have to put this on my to-try list!

3-Assembly Snacks for Superbowl Sunday

Dani Spies is another YouTuber I watch, Her videos and website are amazing!  She has tons of great recipes and insight on all things clean eating.  She shared 3 great ideas for Superbowl snacks that don't require you to do any real cooking for Superbowl Sunday (given that you have cooked chicken). They all look great...I'm really curious about that vegan queso dip.... 

Baked Bloomin' Onion

This is a great recipe to satisfy you're craving but save on those pesky fried food calories.  They even share a recipe for the spicy dipping sauce.  It won't taste exactly the same but you will still get that crunch we all know and love.  

Question of the day: Who are you rooting for this weekend? What is your favorite game time snack and how would you lighten it up?

Thursday Round Up: 

1193 Calories eaten / 0 Calories Burned / 2483 Steps taken

I hope everyone has a good weekend and I will catch you all on Monday! Stay motivated!  

Any further questions or concerns about my blog, please direct to OhMandieBlogs@gmail.com

xo Mandie

Regular Potato...or Sweet Potato?

Days Til the Wedding: 72

Pounds Lost: 10

Happy Friday-Eve friends!

We only have one more day until the weekend! Still, good things come out of Thursdays... Scandal and Grey's Anatomy come back tonight! Who else is excited??

Here is a short and sweet breakdown on my day yesterday

Breakfast: 

1 Cup cut grapefruit
1 Slice Healthy Life Italian Bread 35 Calories 
1/2 T Great Value Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

Lunch:

Asian Salad Jar

Dinner:

Wok N' Fire
Sushi Sampler appetizer  - 463 Calories
Miso Soup - 66 Calories
1/2 Edamame Appetizer - 75 Calories 

Last night I met up with an old coworker/friend for dinner.  It was a lot of fun. It's so nice when you don't see someone in forever but you are able to pick up without it being awkward.  

So I got home from dinner last night fully aware that my right boot had felt tight all day.  Finally upon taking them off my right ankle was swollen.  Tony made me lay on the couch and ice it again with my lovely bag of frozen peas for 20 min.  It does feel a little better than yesterday, but still a dull pain.  I wore flats instead of boots today to let my foot "breathe"...but I honestly don't know if that helps it or not.  

Yesterday I read an article on MSN about the 10 most filling foods for dieters:

1. Baked Potato
2. Bean Soup
3. Eggs
4. Greek Yogurt
5. Apples
6. Popcorn
7. Figs 
8. Oatmeal
9. Wheat Berries
10. Smoothies

When I read this list, all but 2 made sense to me.  Baked potato and Wheat berries.  The Wheat Berries didn't make sense because I've never head them.  So here is my mental note to research them and maybe try them out soon.  So baked potatoes...Ok it makes sense that they keep you full but I thought SWEET potatoes are better for you?  Turns out when you break it all down it's pretty much a tie according to Prevention.com! Like they said the bigger benefit you are getting from sweet potato is the amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene it contains.  So the choice is yours...Just remember you're probably going to have to work it off somehow.

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On a slightly different topic.  Who's been to Sweet Tomatoes (Or Soup Plantation)?  I found some coupons online that I thought I would share here!  It's a dieters dream  I mean an all you can eat salad bar is perfect! As long as you are making sensible choices the sky is the limit here! Last time we were there I even treated myself to a teeny tiny ice cream cone.  At $11.59 with a beverage included you cant lose! It's definitely a good (healthy) place to go out to eat on the weekends when you might not feel like cooking.  Visit them soon this offer expires 2/4/15! 

Question of the day:  What are some places you go OUT to eat when you are trying to make sensible choices? What do you order? 

Wednesday's Breakdown:

1211 Calories Eaten / 67 Calories Burned (Whoops)/4110 Steps Taken

Catch y'all tomorrow!

xo mandie

Crumpled to the floor like an old napkin....

Days to the Wedding: 73
Pounds Lost:11 (Back on track!)

Happy HUMP DAY friends...It feels like it should be later than Wednesday! Who agrees?

Weighed myself this morning and finally got rid of that pesky pound! Tuesday was a pretty good day.  Tried a new recipe (you will see below) and we received another RSVP, but nothing else out of the ordinary.    Unless you count what happened during my work out? But more about that later. 

Breakfast: 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie 

Lunch: 

Asian Inspired Salad Jar

Dinner:

Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tuesday's dinner was adapted from a recipe I found here on the Messy Baker Blog

According to MyFitnessPal the original recipe is 776 calories per serving (1/2 a stuffed squash). 

Here is my recipe rehab:

4 Servings | Total time: 1 hour

2 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 T dried thyme

1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup raisins

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 T Olive oil

1/2 lb Jeannie-O Mild Turkey Breakfast Sausage Lean

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
2. Place your acorn squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle each half with 1/4 tsp of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.  Roast them for about 45 min until the squash is fork tender
3. Meanwhile, as your squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add your turkey sausage to the pan and brown.  
4. Add the onion, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt & pepper.  Cook this for about 5 min until the onion is tender and translucent
5. Remove your pan from the heat and add your chopped thyme and rosemary.  Stir in the quinoa, apples and raisins.  Season your mixture again with salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Scoop the mixture into the roasted acorn squash halves.  Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 min.
7. Serve immediately

And the final reveal.  1 serving of my rehabbed recipe: 404 Calories!

The bold ingredients above are what I substituted or reduced: 

• 1/4 Raisins vs 1/4 cup Cranberries - 123 cal vs. 92 cal...

...In this case, this was purely a "what I had in the house" substitute.  

• 1/3 c Parmesan vs 1/4 c Parmesan - 144 cal vs 108 cal

...That's 36 calories saved!

• 2 T vs 3 T Olive oil = 358 cal vs 239 cal

 ...That's 119 calories saved!

• 1/2 lb Pork Sausage vs 1/2 lb Turkey Sausage Lean - 800 cal vs 275 cal

 ...  That's an incredible 525 calories saved!

For a grand total of...372 calories rehabbed per serving!

This was my first time having acorn squash.  I love all other squashes I've tried, so it's not a surprise that I loved acorn squash as well.  Tony also enjoyed the dish.  I know this because he put it in the "Definitely making this again" category.  Funny side story though... Tony's was eating it and kept saying it tasted "buttery".  I didn't understand why he was saying it when finally I asked if he knew it was acorn squash...the whole time he said he thought it was butternut squash.  Hence "buttery" -__-

Anyway, butternut squash has some great benefits besides being delicious.  According to livestrong.com one serving of acorn squash boasts 37% of you daily value for vitamin C.  Not only that, it is also a great source of potassium.. 26% of your daily value!

I will definitely have to find more recipes for this scrumptious squash!

Exercise:

Zumba: 20 min  - 278 Calories burned

I did a 6 min warm up on my own to loosen the muscles and get my heart rate going.  Then I did a previously shared Zumba video again.  About 2 min before the end of the video I jumped and landed wrong on my ankle.  I crumpled to the ground like an old napkin.  Fortunately, Tony was home.  Unfortunately, he fell asleep in the basement.  So here I am hoisting myself up onto the couch nearly in tears yelling for him.  Finally he wakes up and retrieves a bag of frozen peas to relieve my clumsiness.  After resting for the rest of the night, nothing looked swollen and it was a little tender to walk on, so I think I'm ok! This morning this is still a dull pain, but I'm not limping or anything.  I Might have to take it easy for the rest of the week and stick to arm and ab workouts or things that don't require too much standing and definitely no jumping! 

Due to resting, I did not get around to measuring myself.  I want to get this done by the end of the week!

I found an article on All Womens Talk that shared 7 metabolism boosting breakfast foods.  Here is their list:

1. Eggs
2. Oats
3. Green Smoothies
4. Berries
5. Protein Shakes
6. Ezekiel Bread 
7. Avocado

Much to my surprise, this is mostly what I have been eating for breakfast since I've started my diet! I love berries so I think maybe we will pick some of those up this weekend if I see them on sale and I think Tony said avocados on sale for 49 cents at Valli Produce this weekend! 

Question of the day: What are some blogs, sites, resources you use to help you stay on track? I'd love to check them out!

Tuesday Roundup:
1190 calories eaten / 350 calories burned / 5020 steps taken

I've forgotten to leave u with inspiration and motivation! 
xo mandie

NO you cannot have the kids meal!

Days Until the Wedding: 74
Pounds Lost: 10lbs

Well, we made it through Monday and  we're one step closer to the weekend! Today's blog is packed with recipes.  Every single meal I had today I've provided a recipe for, but before we get into that... 

Let's talk about how excited I am that I am starting receive RSVP cards in the mail!! Anyone who has received my invitation might not have noticed something about the RSVP card that is unusual.  Yeah... I forgot to put a line for declines... Whoopsies.  So either I'm forcing everyone to come, or I'm going to have to make some phone calls! 

For anyone who is asking what is the chicken dish, and what is the vegetarian dish and what is the kids meal?  Here it is: 

Chicken: Chicken Toscano - Chicken breasts topped with roasted peppers and onions in a white wine sauce, with asparagus, carrots and garlic smashed potatoes

Vegeterian: Pasta Primavera with a tomato cream sauce

Kids (12 & Under): Chicken fingers with french fries

And for the MILLIONTH time. NO you cannot get a kids meal unless you are a kid.  Sure it was funny the first two or three times I heard it...but apparently all my friends and family have the same sense of humor.  -__- Plus If you want the kids meal that also means you're foregoing the open bar. Just saying.

Alright here was yesterday's food adventures...

Breakfast:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie - 448 Calories
This is the best smoothie I have made yet. So delicious and though it is 448 calories there is 23g of protein and kept me full all morning to lunch. 

Here's the breakdown:

1/4 c Rolled Oats

1 T Chia Seeds
1 C - Skim Milk

1/4 c Light & Fit Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 tsp Cocoa Powder

1  medium banana
1 T Creamy Natural Peanut Butter

1. Ground the oats and Chia seeds into a fine powder in your blender.  The finer you grind it, the smoother you drink will be.  

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.  

3. Chill in the fridge for a couple hours, or even better, over night.  

4.  Shake when ready to drink, add a straw, and enjoy.  

Lunch:

Asian inspired Salad Jar - 285 Calories

Ingredients in layer order:

1 T Chopped peanuts

5 chopped baby carrots

1 chopped stalk of celery

1/3 chopped green pepper

2 T chick peas

3.5 oz Sauteed Chicken 

2 Cups Spring Mix

Dressing - 18 Calories (1 Tablespoon at the bottom of the jar)

3 Garlic Cloves

1 chopped green onion

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 T Rice vinegar

1 T Low sodium soy sauce

1 T sesame oil

Put everything in you blender and blend until smooth and emulsified.  I actually used my immersion blender.  Incredibly flavorful dressing-- but you will definitely need a piece of gum after lunch!

Dinner:

Miso Swai with Cauliflower Mash and Sauteed Eggplant
Miso Swai Fillets-160 Calories per serving

Ingredients:

2 - 4oz Swai Fillets defrosted

Glaze:

2 T Trader Joe's light Miso

1 T Soy Sauce

1 T Sesame Oil

1 T Honey

1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  

2.  On your swai fillets use a basting brush or spoon spread the glaze on one side of each fillet.  

3.  In a lightly oiled pan/skillet heated on medium high heat, place your swai fillets glaze side down and cook about 3-4 min.  

4.  While one side is cooking spread glaze on the uncovered side of the fillet

5. Flip the fillets and cook another 3-4 min until done

Swai is an awesome mild white fish to try and cooks up SO fast.  It's very inexpensive too! 

Cauliflower Mash - 64 Calories per 1 cup serving

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1. Steam cauliflower until tender 

2. Transfer cauliflower to a bowl and add remaining ingredients

3. Use immersion blender to blend your cauliflower until smooth or desired consistency

4. Serve

If you are using a regular blender, you will probably have to blend the cauliflower in batches and then add in the remaining ingredients at the end because you don't want it to explode out of your blender.  

Cauliflower mash is amazing.  I think it tastes SO similar to mashed potatoes that I don't feel like I'm depriving myself.  Like mashed potatoes you can add in or top it with whatever you'd like but it's way less calories! I encourage everyone to try it.  Cauliflower is SUCH a good substitute for some of my favorite carbs, and it's become one of Tony's too.  He didn't even like cauliflower before I started cooking it! 

Sauteed Eggplant - 84 Calories per 1 cup serving

1 Medium eggplant cubed

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 T Low sodium soy sauce

1 T Sesame oil

1 Green onion chopped

1.  Add garlic to a lightly oiled pan and saute on medium heat for 2-3 min until fragrant and lightly browned.  

2. Add eggplant, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Saute stirring occasionally for 15-20 min until eggplant is tender.  

3.  Add green onion at the end and saute another few minutes

4. Serve

I just read an article that said Eggplant is a low calorie food that keeps you full.  It's a great source of fiber, vitamin B1, copper and potassium.  I honestly prefer the Chinese eggplant rather than the Italian eggplant.  I just feel like it's more tender and cooks much more quickly.  Of course I also love it when it's dipped in egg and fried...hmmm maybe I can try to do a low calorie tortang talong (my Filipino readers might appreciate this).

How am I doing on my goals?

• Do 45 min of Cardio and 15 min of targeted training - AT LEAST 3 times a week

Ok, so yesterday I started doing some jumping jacks...I did 100 to be exact. And then I was going to do abs... And again. I got lazy.  I know, boo on me.  TONIGHT. I promise you guys I will get a workout in.  Or...Someone suggest some sort of "punishment" for me.

• Find alternative post-workout snack/smoothie *The one I have now is only 155 calories with almond milk, but I've seen others that are less.  Also, I have to research more on this whole "multi-release" protein deal.  Someone said if I'm only have one shake a day that's what I need...  I don't know what it means... Maybe someone can elaborate on this for me?

Have yet to research this.... anyone out there have suggestions?

• Take body measurements to enter into MyFItnessPal

Also will do this tonight!

• Research metabolism boosting breakfast options

This will be on a blog this week!

• REALLY try to get 8 hours of sleep a night

Sunday night I got 7 h 20 min, last night I got 6hr and 57 min....I'm doing better than last week!

• Try not to stress about the wedding

All my bridesmaids have their dresses! Now we have to work on the church stuff!

Question of the day: 

If you were a shoe...what kind of shoe would you be? Where would you go...where have you been? What would be stuck on the bottom of you?

Monday's breakdown:

1204 Calories Eaten / 64 Calories burned / 4111 Steps Taken

Catch y'all tomorrow! 

xo mandie

Junk Food = Weightloss

Days til the Wedding: 75
Total Pounds Lost: 10

Happy Monday Friends! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Well... I'm not sure how successful, or unsuccessful my weekend was... but I managed to get rid of one of those pounds I gained?

Saturday: 

Breakfast: Tony and I started off our day with a veggie omelette, grapefruit and some low calorie toast.  I don't think I have to share any recipes here...It was a one whole egg one egg white omelette with tomato, mushroom and onions.

We did some cleaning around the house and then we headed to my apartment.  Even though I've moved to Tony's, much of my stuff still lives up north.  Tony brought his dad and a friend to help move my bed over to the house.  And finally, after maneuvering a queen sized bed down the twisty stairway of a two-flat, we parted ways. I picked up some friends for lunch before we went on to Frozen on Ice.  We went to Buffalo Wild wings and I didn't make the best choices.  This was supposed to be my cheat meal this week, not the Jimmy John's I had the night before.  

Lunch: 4 Asian Zing and 5 Desert Heat Wings and a side of Buffalo Chips.  

At Frozen on Ice I got the Snow Cone and the souvenir cup I wanted.  I never realized how messy those things are...I felt like I kid again.

When I got home, I planned on having a salad for dinner, but then we decided to just order a pizza and watch Guardians of the Galaxy (which I loved).  

It was a pretty packed day, but so much needed girl time!  AND I made my step goal!

Sunday: 

I weighed myself in the morning because I figured my bad choices on Saturday would effect me for the worse.  Turned out I lost a pound...Maybe the steps paid off?  

On our way to church we stopped and got some coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  I hardly ever drink coffee because sometimes it gives me bad acid reflux and caffeine headaches.  But it was delightful this morning.  

We ran some errands and stopped at Portillos for lunch.  I ordered some onion rings (and only ate 4) and also got a Charbroiled chicken sandwich.  I took the top bun off, and tore any of the bottom bun off that wasn't touching the chicken (I estimated I only ate 1/3 of the bun).  I was kind of disgusted that they put mayo on the top AND bottom bun.  Don't get me wrong, I love me so mayo...but it just seemed excessive.

Tony's dad came over for dinner tonight and here comes the recipe I wanted to share:

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie:

I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner based on what we had in the house.  I found this recipe and modified it a little to make it somewhat healthier.  I think I have to make a couple more tweaks because there was A LOT of sodium in it.    

We didn't have all the vegetables it noted in the recipe so instead my version used the following ingredients: 

2 T Vegetable oil
1 Onions finely diced
1 cup Carrot - Chopped
1 cup Celery - Chopped 
1 cup Peas - frozen
Salt
Pepper
4 T Butter - Unsalted
1/2 cup AP flour
1 1/2 c Skim milk
2 cups - Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp - Thyme, dried
1 Can - Low-fat Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 lb sauteed boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 Can - Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits (8 biscuits)

All together this came out to 412 Calories per serving.  Not the best...but not horrible and one serving totally filled me up.  The guys loved it so much they had 2 servings.

I spent the rest of the evening prepping breakfast and lunch for the week...New recipes to be shared this week! :) 

Weekend Roundup:

Saturday 1580 Calories Eaten / 391 Calories Burned / 7383 Steps Taken

Sunday 1299 Calories Eaten / 238 Calories Burned / 4943 Steps Taken

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Beauty Break

Alright, off topic from food and exercise, this portion of the blog is for my makeup loving readers.  I purchased a new lip product on Friday and thought I'd do a short review.

Rimmel London's Provocalips in Little Minx

This product boasts 16 hour kiss proof color.  It comes in 8 beautiful colors.  Of course I chose the brightest hot pink hue. 

My initial reaction: Incredible color payoff and REALLY kiss proof (If you apply it correctly)

I didn't see any instructions on the tube, so I had a little bit of trouble with the first application.  The dual applicator in each tube of the products were doe foot style.  There were 2 steps for application. Step 1: Intense Color.  I applied the color.  It's much thinner than I expected, but went on easily and evenly.  The mistake I made is that I did not wait for this layer to dry out before I went onto the next step.  Had I waited (Like I did on my second try) I'd notice it would feel slightly tacky but not drying like other 2-step long lasting lip products I've tried.  Step 2: Lock & Shine.  Again, a smooth application and a subtle shine.  This product was supposed to last 16 hours and to remove you are supposed to use an oil based makeup remover.  I think a true test of this product on Saturday was that I ate wings, a snow cone and pizza.  I also gave Tony a kiss on the cheek to test that it was kiss proof and there was no evidence at all! In fact, come Sunday morning, I still had a hint of color on my lips. 

Do I recommend this product? Yes! In fact, I am going to purchase this product in at least 1 more color.  

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So, here is to a new week!  We're going to the gym tonight.  Oof. I'm going to try my best to achieve the goals I set for myself in my previous post and to keep sharing my journey with you all! 

To my readers:  Having people to help hold me accountable during my journey has been truly helpful.  Seeing how many people view my blog and give me words of encouragement on different social media outlets has also been incredibly motivating.  Bill shared  that using a graph to track his progress helps him see the bigger picture.  What are other strategies have you all use to stay on track? 

Until next time! 

Mandie

Why am I failing??

Days to the wedding: 77

Weight Lost: 9lbs... Yeah that means I gained 2 lbs...

I stepped on the scale Friday morning, expecting to see AT LEAST the same weight I had seen Wednesday.  Nope.  211?! How can this be? I've been eating right...working out... Making a serious and conscious effort...  So naturally the first thing I did was whine to Tony and my friends about it.  Told myself I'm NOT a failure. Then I did some research.  

FIrst thing I did was watch this video by Cassey Ho on her Blogilates channel.  Since I was watching it on my lunch break I didn't get to really pay close attention to it... But from what I gathered she shared 3 things that can cause you to not lose weight. 

1. Stress

2. Lack of Sleep

3  Not drinking enough water

Well, if I am going to focus on these 3 things first...Let's see, I had a couple stressful situations this past week regarding the wedding... so there that? And we've been so busy I may have been compromising some of my sleep time.  I know it's not the lack of water... I don't really drink pop and I drink probably 100oz of water at work per day (My coworkers might also think I have a bladder problem).  

Next I read this article: 

Here were something I took away from it that I felt encouraged me and hopefully encourage my friends out there:

Not measuring the right things: Don't rely on the scale to measure your weight loss.  It can be so discouraging when you don't see the scale move or go up.  For all I know, maybe I gained muscle (it does weight more than fat)?  Also, I've noticed my face seems slimmer and I can squeeze into two pairs of jeans I haven't worn for months.  The scale can't tell me anything about these two things that have made me feel pretty good about myself. 

Finally I read this article: 

Here are some goals I've set for myself after my research:

• Do 45 min of Cardio and 15 min of targeted training - AT LEAST 3 times a week
• Find alternative post-workout snack/smoothie *The one I have now is only 155 calories with almond milk, but I've seen others that are less.  Also, I have to research more on this whole "multi-release" protein deal.  Someone said if I'm only have one shake a day that's what I need...  I don't know what it means... Maybe someone can elaborate on this for me?
• Take body measurements to enter into MyFItnessPal
• Research metabolism boosting breakfast options
• REALLY try to get 8 hours of sleep a night
• Try not to stress about the wedding

I have my work cut out for me next week, but it's all worth it in the end! 

On to my daily food share:

Breakfast: 292 Calories

Cheerios - Multi Grain Cheerios Dark Chocolate Crunch with Almond milk and a sliced banana

I call this the ol' standby.  I love cereal with milk and sliced bananas.  I've never been a super sweet cereal person, and this cereal isn't too sweet, but I do have my chocolate cravings and I think that having this cereal satisfies it.  I think putting the bananas in it also takes me back to when I was a kid.  There's just something deliciously nostalgic about it. 

Lunch: Leftover Chicken, eggplant and green bean stir fry- 260 calories

Dinner: Jimmy John's Beach Club...ungodly amount of calories...A moment of weakness when in a rush.

Exercise:

Again a busy night for us.  We had a precana meeting with our sponsors, I didn't get a workout in today.  :(

Today wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst.  Lets hope I can get through the weekend without doing too terrible.  I am seeing Frozen on Ice today...I definitely want a sno-cone.

To my readers: Weekends are always rough.  I'm less motivated to cook on the weekends and more tempted to go out.  I also feel like I just want to kick back and relax and not workout...How do you stay healthy on the weekends?

Get up and do something!

Days to the wedding: 78 

Weight Lost: Didn't weigh myself this morning, so to my knowledge...still the same?

Happy Friday! Finally we made it!

So, I'm just going to fill my readers in on how my blog works.  I usually write the blog throughout the day that I am talking about...so as I am writing right now it is actually Thursday, which made saying "Happy Friday" extremely awkward for me because it's not Friday and I still have work tomorrow :(

I've gotten word that some guests have begun to receive invitations to our wedding! And Eric, if you are reading this...they will not let you have the kid's meal regardless of your mental age.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I was feeling a little sore, but good sore.  Tony told me he felt like I was different this time than any other time I've been on a diet.  He sees me working out regularly... and even pointed out that I marched in place for an hour and called that "Super serious".  It made me feel good that he's noticed my efforts and admired me for it.  Another token for motivation!  When I finally trekked downstairs to find breakfast I decided I would let Tony have the oatmeal and figure out something new to make for breakfast...

Breakfast: (Skinny!) Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie - 385 Calories

I found today's breakfast recipe on Pinterest, but made my own modifications and entered it into MyFitnessPal to come up with my calorie count.

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/skinny-oatmeal-cookie-smoothie/

Here is my version:

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1 Banana cut into sections (Freeze if you'd like)
• 1 Cup Almond Milk (I used original with reduced sugar)
• 1 tsp Imitation Vanilla Extract (It's all we had + its less calories?)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 T Honey
• 1/4 Cup Raisins (Optional)

Directions:

1. First, I put the oats in my Ninja blender and processed them until they were almost a flour consistency.  This is important for a smooth smoothie!
2. Next, I added the rest of my ingredients to the blender and let it blend for a minute or two.  I stopped around the time when I stopped hearing the blades hitting raisin and banana speed bumps.  
3. Finally, I poured my mixture into a 1 pint mason jar, popped the lid back on and put it in the fridge until I was ready to enjoy it.

So, most smoothie recipes I've seen have required you to freeze your fruit ahead of time.  I think this is a great idea because then you aren't watering it down with ice and you don't lose the thick and creamy consistency we love about smoothies.   Obviously this morning I didn't have time for that, so I took a shortcut and used a fresh banana and stuck my smoothie in the fridge while I got ready for work.  When I was ready to head out the door I stuck a straw in it and had it on the road! I wouldn't recommend making them ahead of time and storing them in the fridge because I feel like they smoothie would start to separate, but I did find another link here that has great instruction and tips on how to prepare parts of your smoothie ahead of time.  For example, I could make a ton of ground up oatmeal (And add some chia seeds for more nutritional value) to save a little time.  I have a couple more recipes in my queue to try, so stay tuned!

Lunch: Salad in a jar (Again)

Dinner: Tasting at the Abbington! 

We had the pleasure of attending our food tasting at the reception hall.  We tried two soups, two salads and two entrees.  I don't think I overate... but I wanted to!  Our final picks were Tortellini and Escarole Soup, a Field of Green Salad with spiced pecans, Gorgonzola cheese and a Fig balsamic dressing, a lemon sorbet intermezzo and for our entree Chicken Toscano paired with garlic smashed potatoes, carrots and asparagus. 

We chose our cake last weekend and it will be a marbled cake with hazelnut butter cream filling....It's all coming together!

Exercise: 10 Min "stepping" and free weights & 10 Min Zumba

After a long day, I was going to try to "step" and do abs tonight, but I was beat.  I was going to go straight to bed but I wanted to do something to complete my step goal.  So I did another arm workout while getting some steps in, then I did 10 min (3 songs) of the first Zumba video I posted yesterday.  I think I should invest in some Zumba DVDs or take a class.  The only reason why I'm not quite ready to take a class is because we are trying to save money for the wedding and I'm not sure if I want to add that expense right now.  But I digress...I'm proud of myself for getting up and doing something even though I was exhausted.  I hope all my hard work pays off!


I think I am growing weary of my salad jars.  I know I can mix it up though.  Maybe I will make a southwest or Asian style salad jar instead?...or...

To my readers: What is your favorite healthy go-to for lunch that is easy to prepare ahead of time? Doesn't have to be salad, but I like a balanced meal that will keep me full for a couple hours.  Please share your ideas and recipes with me!! 

Thursday roundup: 1545 calories eaten / 381 calories burned / 7612 Steps taken

Until next time :) Mandie