Slippery Slope

Hi y'all!  I apologize for the lapse in blogging last week.  I had every intention of posting from Colorado where I was on a trip for work but I just didn't have time.  The weather and landscape is beautiful there and I most definitely want to go back when I have time to explore. I weighed on Friday before I left and I was still up 4-5 pounds from my lowest weight.  I didn't weigh last Friday because I didn't have a great diet in Colorado.  I've been pretty good today and I plan on keeping that up all week so I'll weigh this weekend to see what kind of work I need to do. I was extremely nervous after I got back because I was way behind on exercise.  One of the scariest things that can happen to you while on a diet/exercise routine is losing consistency.  I was exhausted and in no mood to catch up on exercise.  I did though so I think I'm back on track but I've had a rough few days.  It is so important to keep everything up and have the attitude of getting things done when you are supposed to...it's WAY too easy to get complacent.

Not everything you make has to be a recipe from a book.   Sometimes, you can make your own creations with things you have around the house.  I’ve shown you some ideas before and I have a couple more today.  This one is something I called a barbecue flatbread.  All I did was take the premade pork barbecue and spread it onto a low fat, high fiber, medium tortilla.  I popped it in the oven to broil for a few minutes and then added some low fat provolone cheese.  It only takes a few minutes to eat, it’s yummy and it’s only 5 points.  It’s a great thing to make on a week night when you don’t feel like cooking.

My mom showed me these chicken sausages awhile back so I thought I’d share with you.  You can get them at Wal-Mart & Sam’s for sure but I’m not 100% about other places.  They are delicious and low in fat.  They have different flavors.  I turned one of the sausages into a grilled cheese which was my mom’s idea.  All I did was cut the sausage in half and then in half again making 4 even pieces.  I heated it up in the microwave for a minute.  Then, I put spray butter on one side of a piece of bread and laid the buttered side down in the pan, I added the sausage and then added another piece of bread that had been spray buttered.  I flipped it over until it was golden brown on both sides.  You could also add a piece of low fat cheese if you wanted it extra cheesy.  Y’all, this tastes like something you shouldn’t be having.  It’s SO good.  I love these sausages and I highly recommend them.

I also wanted to show you about my newest snack obsession.  I love Pop-Tarts.  I always have.  I especially love them crispy  and when they come out of the toaster, I like to butter them (thanks, Dad).  Unfortunately, Pop-Tarts are terrible for you.  Even the low fat ones can’t be justified.  I happened to come across these 100 calorie snacks.  I’ve tried the strawberry (which is good) but my favorite is the brown sugar & cinnamon.  I love these little things.  They have great flavor, they are crispy and you get a lot more bites than your average 100 calorie pack snack.  I have stocked up on these suckers in hopes that I never run out.  I don’t usually eat 100 calorie packs because I don’t ever think it’s enough food for two points but these are so yummy, I can’t turn them away.

Dad and I went to see Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden this weekend in Atlanta and it was a great time.  It was his dream concert so I'm glad I got to go with him.

That’s all I have time for today.

I hope you have an awesome week/weekend.  

I'm gonna rest this weekend, I think, I hope... 

Bye!

“And the Colorado rocky mountain high

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high…” Rock Mountain High-John Denver

Tell me about it, SPUD.

Hello All! It’s Monday again.  I hope your weekend was great.  I weighed this weekend and I basically had no change.  I’m still up around 4 pounds from my lowest weight. This was a bit disappointing but certainly not enough to make me give up.  I will press on this week and weigh again before I head to Colorado for work.  I probably won’t weigh at the end of next week because when I’m on the run with work, my eating habits aren’t great.  What I need is a stretch of time in which I’m eating perfect but I’m having a hard time finding a place in my calendar for this long stretch so I’m going to have to do my best to be more well behaved even when I’m out of town.  My goal right now is to not gain weight and then start losing again later in the summer. 

I know I just recently had a potato-themed blog but as I’ve been going, the potato has creeped it’s way on to my plate in different variations many times over the past few weeks.  This recipe is great if you are like me and you love party food.  Give me an appetizer and I’m happy.  It’s a light version of the fattening potato skins I love to get out at restaurants.  I used the Reduced Fat French Onion Dip on top that I’ve told you about to give it even more flavor.  These are a good, filling and healthy snack and if you were having a low-fat get together, they would be perfect!

I thought there were some interesting facts on junk food on this little chart provided by the Hungry Girl cookbook so I thought I’d share.  It’s amazing how many calories we take in at the movies at ballgames and other places with junk food.  I hate it but the worst foods in life are the ones we enjoy eating the most.  We just have to try and find a balance.  I'm sorry the pages from the Hungry Girl cookbook are always blurry.  I need a better way to do besides using my crappy camera but I will have to wait on that.  If you click on the pictures, though, they become bigger and more clear.

Jordan got me a gift card to Bed, Bath & Beyond for my birthday and last weekend I cashed it in.  Part of what I got is something I’ve been seeing on TV.  This contraption allows you to make chips at home.  You can use apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes and more.  It comes with a slicer (which I’ve already cut myself on) and then you slice them up, put them on the tray, stick them in the microwave for 3 minutes, pull them out, put them on a plate and season them.  Most of them come out super crisp.  The best and worst part about it is that one potato makes a TON of potato chips and you can’t layer the slices on the tray so I made several trips to and from the microwave.  You can stack multiple trays on top of each other so I should probably buy more.  Either way, I love this thing.  I want to try apples next.

I also tried a new frozen fry treat.  These steak fries are really tasty out of the oven, especially with a little salt OR cinnamon sprinkled on them.  As you can see, you don’t get very many in a serving but they are only 120 calories or so and I love the taste of them. They also make the house smell great.  I definitely recommend you try them but try not to indulge on these…stick close to the serving size.

I had a relaxing weekend which was nice.  My mom and I went for our usual walk and took my dog Pacey.  He had never seen a fire hydrant before so she wanted him to pee on it…I don’t think he liked it very much…it was kind of gross.  Also, Jordan came down and we hung out and had a fun time eating things we shouldn’t (which is EXACTLY what I need), watching movies and being silly.  It was nice.

My post next week will be brief because I am headed to Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday for a work trip.  I’m excited.  Please keep me in mind as I will be travelling by plane and car.

That’s all for this week.  Have a good one, y’all! Bye!

“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love.” Professor Albus Dumbledore-Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Meatless Monday

It’s raining and it’s a Monday but that’s OK.  There are worse things in life…even though it may not seem that way sometimes.  So, “No Weigh May” is officially over.  I weighed this weekend for the first time in a month and I was up 4.2 pounds from my lowest weight.  I know that this sucks but I had a lot to eat in the middle of May so overall, I wasn’t too terribly disappointed.  I consumed too many calories this weekend but I’m back on track today.  I am hoping to get those 4.2 pounds as quickly as possible even though it’s going to be difficult because it seems I have a lot going on this summer that could get me into trouble weight wise.  I will keep plugging along with exercise and hope that I can shed a few pounds before football season.

The recipe this week is not the prettiest thing I’ve ever produced but it was good.  The Hungry Girl loves her veggie burgers and I do too.  Nothing compares to a big, juicy burger from the grill so I definitely don’t compare a frozen veggie burger patty to beef but they are filling, low in fat and they taste pretty good.  They especially taste good when you add cheese, veggies and turn it in to a wrap.

Since I show you veggie patties in recipes sometimes, I wanted to encourage you to try them.  I know that there are people out there who find the concept disgusting but I beg of you to just try it. I went through a vegetarian phase of my life but in the end, my love for meat took over.  While I was a vegetarian though, I tried a lot of Boca and Morning Star products that I really liked.   A griller style veggie burger can be as low as 70 calories.  They have fiber and you can dress them up.  Last week, I made a double cheeseburger out of two patties and added a slice of bacon (which sort of takes away from the “Meatless Monday” theme I was going for but I love bacon so it’s OK).  It was a big sandwich and tasted great.  Give them a shot.  If you hate them, you never have to eat them again and you can send them my way.  I also like other products like the “chicken” patties and crumbles that you can add to tacos or spaghetti.  The veggie products are great fillers, they are healthy and they aren’t as bad as you think they are going to be, I promise!

I had a great weekend! I saw a lot of friends, enjoyed a festival, went to eat and to Bed, Bath & Beyond with Jordan to spend the gift card he got me (I will probably be sharing what I got soon) and had a great dinner with my family last night.  I’m tired today and hungry of course but I am motivated to get these extra few pounds off so I may be a little deprived this week and I’m going to exercise like a crazy person as usual…I will keep busy and charge through. 

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Good luck to the ladies softball team from the University of Alabama...they are looking to win a national championship game this week.  Roll Tide!

Bye!

“I can see the weight there in your eyes
I can feel the thorn in your side
Your knuckles are bruised from a losing fight
One way down a dead end street
Broken glass underneath your feet
You think the day won't break the sunless night

The sun will rise
The sun will rise
When you've lost your lights
The sun will rise
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

I've been in stuck in a storm before
Felt the wind raging at my door
Couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't find a way out
Somehow my clouds disappeared
Somehow I made it here
Maybe just so you could hear me say

The sun will rise
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
When you've lost your lights
The sun will rise
It'll be alright (It'll be alright)
It'll be alright
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

And though you can't see it's
So hard to believe it
Sometimes you just need a little faith (All you need is a little faith)
There's an answer to your prayer
And I swear that there'll come a day, yeah

The sun will rise
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
The sun will rise
Yeah
The sun will rise
The sun will rise
The sun will rise…” The Sun Will Rise-Kelly Clarkson (written by Kara DioGuardi)