Tata for Now

The next few weeks are going to be a little rough with holiday travel, time off work, etc. so I am going to take a short break from blogging until 2011. I'm excited to get through this holiday eating healthy, working out and getting familiar with the new PointsPlus program. So far so good.

Next time you hear from me, it will be 2011 and 9.5 short months to go to reach my goal!! It's on friends...it's on.

Have a wonderful holiday! Remember...nothing tastes as good as thin feels :).

PK

Down down down...

My Friday started off pretty fantastic! I lost another 1.8 at WW today!! I didn't know what to expect when I got on the scale, but I basically jumped in the air like a 1990's Ford commercial. 23.2 lbs more to go. I feel like I have been in the 0 - 5lb range for quite some time. I was thrilled to finally get past the 5 lbs.

Lisa is the leader on Friday mornings and she rocks! Honestly I feel comfortable asking her any question and talking through my week, my menus, etc. I stayed after the meeting today and had her explain the new PointsPlus plan. I am actually really excited about it, now that I understand... I bought myself a little purse calculator that should help me figure out points throughtout the day. It's cute! Looks like a compact.

This weekend may be a little rough. We have Monster's work holiday party tonight, an ugly sweater party tomorrow night and we are celebrating the holidays on Sunday with dinner at Ruxbin. Oy. It's a lot of great stuff going on, but just need to make sure I watch my portions, alcohol and get my booty to the gym.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 2 pieces whole wheat toast, egg beaters and laughing cow - 5 pts
Snack - granola bar - 3 pts
Lunch - TBD. I have lunch here, but I plan on running errands over lunch which may mean I am grabbing something while wondering around. I should just eat what I have here which is a Lean Cuisine panini.
Dinner - We will be dining at Sunda tonight. I'm not sure of the menu, but plan to eat some great sushi.

I will report on Monday. Have a great weekend! Also, sorry if I haven't been blogging as much as usual. It's been a crazy few days with work, etc. Forgive me :).

PK

A Little Lost

I spent some of Saturday and Sunday trying to figure out this new WW program and I am lost! I don't understand the new plan and a little annoyed that I have to buy a brand new ww calculator just to figure out how many points each product is. Just seems annoying that they don't have the tracker that slides and configures each items of food on the WW food guide anymore. F. I am going to have listen extra carefully next Friday so I actually get what this new deal is.

Well this weekend was one of the best! Friday after the holiday party, we just hung out and relaxed. We actually relaxed most of Saturday too! It was cold, snowy and rainy outside so my apartment was the perfect place to be. I did manage to make it to the gym for an hour of cardio on Saturday which was great. Walking to and from the bus in pouring cold rain was not great.

Saturday night we hit Sushi Toro for dinner! It was awesome! Maybe one of my faves. We did pretty well with the rolls. Monster allowed me to order some healthy ones which were all very good. The Futo Veggie roll was great. I also ordered the salmon avocado roll. Yummo! Toro is BYOB, so we brought some Goose Island Sofie's which were nice.

After sushi we hit "Black Swan" at the Landmark theater. I really have no words about the movie. It was just plain nuts! Very dark.

On Sunday we brunched at Perennial. I went with a spinach and mushroom omelette and asked the waiter to be very light on the goat cheese. I managed to order turkey sausage and wheat toast too. Whoops. It was breakfast and lunch so it was ok. The omelette was served with potatoes which I shared with Monster. They were good!

After lunch we hit the new Jewel on Southport. Wow, now this is a dream! This Jewel is big and bright! It also has the liquor store upstairs. Wowza. I wish I lived closer so I could frequent this Jewel. I had to pick up some groceries for Emily's holiday party which was at 4pm yesterday. I made Oreo Balls and a brie and apple toast appetizer. Both were delish! Emily served lots of great things at this party. Everyone brought some really tasty stuff too.

Two parties down, Two more to go...

This morning I planned my breakfasts and lunches for the week along with my workouts. I packed some great lean cuisine meals with 100 calorie packs of baked cheetos for some lunches and soup for the other days. I also brought 2 multi-grain bagels to have for the week. I will just have half of one bagel for breakfast. These bagels are big so should keep me full. I may have some yogurt and granola left over from last week that I can have if I got bored of the bagels.

For my work outs I plan to do cardio tonight, lift tomorrow, cardio with abs on Weds and Thursday and then Friday a little of everything. I may take one of these days off depending on what my week looks like. I also plan on hitting WW on Friday to try and figure out this new WW plan! Ug.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Egg white and soy sausage egg wrap - 6
Snack - WW pretzel bar - 1
Lunch - Baked Cheetos, green apple and Philly style cheese and steak panini (great LC meal!) - 8
Snack - PBGB - 2
Dinner - maybe a cutie pie from Homemade Pizza Co. I am having dinner with the gals at Kenoe's and not sure what our final plan is. TBD.

I hope you are staying warm and having a good Monday!
PK

Bravo

Well, the weigh in went down and bam, I lost! Only .2, but that makes me happy. It's not a gain. I am extremely happy b/c I haven't weighed in since before Thanksgiving! I have 2 more big holidays to get through, but I feel good about it.

WW has a new point system that I need to read up on. Looks interesting. Basically the ProPoints plan revolves around the different kinds and amounts of fats, carbohydrates, proteins and fibers found in food and drink, as opposed to just their saturated fat and calorie values.

This new system doesn’t totally depart from the old one; each Weight Watcher is given a certain point limit which has been calculated from their height, weight, sex and age.

The average daily allowance is 29 ProPoints. However, one of the main differences to the old system, and arguably one of its biggest selling points, is that there is an extra bank of what they call 49 real living points. Any dieter can use some or all of this bonus allocation when they fancy being a bit naughty, whether it be for a birthday night out or when they want to have some junk food.

Another change from the old system has ALL vegetables and/or fruit having no ProPoint value. This can encourage dieters to eat as much healthy foods as they want. It could also help people to achieve the 5 portions of fruit or vegetables per day recommendation from the Department of Health.

I need to give it some time, but hopefully this is a good change! I plan on keeping up the workouts and blogging my meal plans.

One thing that I love is that if you lost a certain amount of weight or doing something over the top, the WW leader gives you a Bravo sticker. It's just a simple sticker that you can buy at a craft store, but this sticker makes me happy. I strive to get one each week. I only have one, but I the plan is to have atleast 5 by the time I have reached my goal :).

Well last night I never made it to the gym. I decided to nap for 30 mins and the 30 turned into 2 hours! So instead of the gym, I decided to make dinner instead. The taco bake turned out great! I ended up eating this which was fine b/c I watched my portion size.

Today we have our holiday party at work and we leave around 11:45 to head to the Chopping Block for some competition amoung our co-workers. I love this idea for a holiday party. There will be drinks, appetizers, food, desserts and more! The best part is cooking. Not sure what we will be served, but I am on a weight loss high and plan to stick to my routine.

Aside from the party, this weekend should be low key. Staying in tonight, maybe a movie tomorrow night, brunch on Sunday and a small holiday gig at my friend Emily's. I will be back Monday with a full report!

Have a great weekend and stay warm!
PK

Weigh in is approaching

Last night was wonderful. RJ is so adorable and I could just stare at him all night. He is such a good baby. His parents are doing an awesome job too! What an adjustment!

The ladies stayed in and ordered Pockets for dinner. I went with my favorite tuna salad. I'm glad we stayed in, it was way too cold outside!

I decided to work from home today so I'm sitting in the chair working on some docs that need my undivided attention. I will probably get to the gym this afternoon/early evening for some cardio and abs. I'm going to weigh in tomorrow morning so I need to bust my butt at the gym and really focus on what I eat today.

My meal for the day:
Breakfast - Egg beater and soy sausage wrap - 6 points
Snack - pita and hummus - 4
Lunch - Morningstar buffalo nuggets and a salad - 8
Snack - granola bar - 2
Dinner - I am making a taco bake for dinner tonight. I will probably just have a tiny taste of it, but really am excited to bake it! I got the recipe from a friend at work and it's not too healthy. I'm sure I could make it low fat, but maybe I can try that next time.

Enjoy your day!
PK

Holiday Parties

A few weeks ago I was bummed that we didn't have one Holiday Party to go too this year. Luckily everyone got their s#!* together and there are a few on the books. Yippee!!! This Sunday I am going to bring an appetizer and wine to Emily's to kick off party season. Not 100% sure which appy, but I am thinking my brie and green apple baguette appy. The sauce on these bad boys are ridic!

The past few years there was always an Ugly Sweater Party planned mid-December that I looked forward too. I have a miserable red plaid skirt (tee length) with a holiday turtleneck (has holly on it) and sweater vest from Kmart that is perfect for this occasion. For some reason, this year the party isn't happening. Luckily one of our friends is throwing a party on the 18th with this theme, so I am all set.

These parties always have great food and drinks. It's the perfect time to make that holiday cocktail with egg nog or cider that is TDF. One thing I noticed is that both of these kill my stomach, so I'm going to pass on these drinks this year and try something lighter. Maybe just my standard vodka, soda with a splash of cran or red wine. I haven't been drinking much lately, so I may just stick to H2O. Game time decision.

Last night we skipped Potbelly's and I just made a quick dinner at home before the movie. I had soy nuggets and pita chips with hummus before venturing out in the cold to check out 127 Hours. It was an awesome flick! A little bloody, actually a lot bloody, but this story amazes me. If you have a strong tum, def go check it out. After the movie, we watched the Dexter Season 4 final eppy. Now that was bloody too! It was ridiculous and mind blowing, but bloody. Glad we got in this last eppy so we can finally watch season 5 of FNL!!! I have missed Coach T :).

Today I got up and did 45 mins of cardio. I was a sweat machine!! Luckily I'm not too sore, so the cardio wasn't miserable to do. The most miserable part was walking from the bus to the gym. Brr!!!

My meal plan for the day:
Pre-gym - vanilla cereal bar - 2
Breakfast - vanilla yogurt with low fat granola - 6
Snack - WW pretzel bar - 1
Lunch - Pizza pocket with a red apple and laughing cow - 8
Snack - pretzel slims
Dinner - TBD. Tonight I am having dinner with RJ Hull. I guess his mom and Ali will be there too :). Not sure what our plan is, but we are ordering in. It's too cold for the babe to be roaming around! I'm looking forward to catching up with the ladies.

Have a great day!
PK

It's Freezzziinnggg out...

This is the weather where you never want to leave your place. You dread getting out of bed and the second you step outside, you do everything in your power not to run back in the door.

Rewind to last night...After 45 minutes of cardio and a cold bus ride home, I made spaghetti and turkey balls for Monster and I had a salad with 4 soy nuggets with bbq sauce. I'm really trying to watch my points this week. It was awesome to be back at the gym after the weekend off. The gym was packed though!!! Unfortunately on Monday's I like to bring breakfast and lunches to work for the week, so I have to hit the gym post work. The rest of the week, I prefer the mornings. That's my plan this week.

I woke up this am and got in a great hour work out. I did a 10 min cardio work out followed by legs, abs and then arms. I felt wobbly legs when I walked down the steps to shower up at Xport. I tried out my leg move from last week. Let's pray I can walk the rest of the week.

I couldn't wait to get to work and eat! The work out made me very hungry.

My meal plan today:
Pre-gym - cereal bar - 2
Breakfast - vanilla yogurt and low fat granola - 6
Snack - WW pretzel bar - 1
Lunch - pizza pocket from Aldi, carrots and pop chips - 7
Snack - apple with laughing cow - 3
Dinner - TBD. We are going to catch a movie tonight and I think we may grab something close to the theater. My vote is Potbellys!!! There salads rock.

Have a great cozy evening.
PK

Zoo Lights

Friday night was such a perfect little date night. I picked up pizza at Homemade Pizza Co (cutie pie light cheese and pineapple on whole wheat for me and medium tomato, garlic and mozz on whole wheat for Monster) for dinner and we went off on our fun night on the town. We picked up a few road soadys for our trip around the zoo. Half of the zoo was decorated with beautiful lights. Holiday music played on the loud speakers and there were quite a bit of people just walking around enjoying the night. I loved it and hope to make it a tradition! We had our friends Mike and Jenna with us too which was a great time!

After the zoo, we headed downtown to see "Love and Other Drugs." I gave the movie a 6 out of 10. I was so excited to see it, but I was kind of confused throughout the movie. The storyline was random and a few of the characters were just thrown in for no reason. My reco is to not pay money to see it in the theater. Def go to the cheap theaters or redbox it.

On Saturday, we had plans to shop and that was it. We hit up some furniture stores and I knocked out a few Xmas gifts on North Avenue and Armitage. I started to feel crummy so I went home and napped and decided to be a bum all night. It was much needed!

We celebrated Stacie on Sunday at her baby shower. It was lovely to catch up with the girls and see a few of our cute pregnant friends. Stacie is due mid-January and I can't wait to see Baby E! Stacie is not finding out the sex of her baby so that will be a wonderful surprise! We hit the grocery store last night to end the weekend and I crashed early. I was still fighting this bug.

I did fine on the diet this weekend. I didn't make it to the gym, but I truly didn't feel well enough to go. I plan to get back on gym mode this week and have a great week on the diet as well. I spent about 20 minutes this morning organizing my week of meals and writing down points for every item. I may try and do this every Monday am. It gets me motivated to eat well all week.

My meal plan today:
Breakfast - low fat vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup of low fat granola - 6 points
Snack - N/A
Lunch - Healthy Choice soup and oyster crackers, carrots and pretzels with hummus - 10 points
Snack - PB choco chip granola bar - 2
Dinner - I have lots of options at home for dinner. I need to figure out what Monster is in the mood for, but I'm thinking comfort food. It's freezing today! Maybe some stir-fry??

I'm off to the gym for some cardio tonight. I think I'm going to start running again. Maybe not tonight, but soon :).

Hope you had a good weekend!
PK

It hurts to walk...

I AM SO SORE!! I feel like I did the first time I ever worked out. Has that ever happened to you? It hurts to walk, sit, put on shoes, etc. Haha. Monster told me that my muscles are not used to the new exercises I did. Really legs? Let's get better.

Even though it hurts to do anything, I did make it to the gym this am for 45 mins of cardio. It was so nice to have a good sweat session though.

I'm excited for a nice chill weekend. We are hitting zoo lights at the LP zoo tonight and then a movie (Love and Other Drugs.) I hear zoo lights is a good time and will be sure to let you know how it goes when I blog on Monday. We have some shopping to do on Saturday and then Sunday I have Stacie's baby shower! She is such a cute little pregnant chick. I'm excited to see her, her belly and all of my girls + Nate on Sunday. Rumor is there will be mimosas! Score.

My meal plan today:
Pre-gym - choco cereal bar
Breakfast - toast with rfpb
Snack - WW pretzel bar
Lunch - chicken chili, side salad and a wheat roll
Snack - Nada
Dinner - TBD. May hit up Homemade Pizza Co before zoo lights.

Have a great weekend! It's going to be a snowy one tomorrow so stay warm and dry.

PK

And snow

Well it's official. We have flurries and it's cold! I mean really cold. Walking to the gym this am was painful, brutal and made me cry. Well not really cry, but my eyes were watering when I arrived to the gym. I don't ever think I have been that happy to step inside Xport. Ha.

I had about 45 minutes to lift and decided to try some new leg exercises and my legs didn't stop shaking until about lunch. Who knows how I will be feeling tomorrow. The mornings are started to get crowded which I don't love, but it's so nice to get the work out of the way. I plan on going tomorrow am for a good cardio session as well.

I picked up a loaf of whole wheat bread last night and decided it was time to bring toast back into my life for breakfast. I love toast so much. It actually reminds me of my girlfriend Beth. She used to make toast every morning when we worked together. She loves it more than I do! I also packed some reduced fat peanut butter for the toast as well. This breakfast kept me full until lunch.

My meals today:
Pre-gym - chocolate cereal bar
Breakast - 2 pieces of toast with RFPB
Lunch - chicken with stars and oyster crackers along with morningstar buffalo nuggets
Snack - WW pretzel bar
Dinner - I think Monster and I are going to The Counter tonight. I bought a groupon the other day - pay $10 for $20 worth of food. Now that's a deal!

Monster and I are going to The Apollo Theater to see one of his friends in a comedy deal. I don't know much about it, but i'm sure it will be a great. Stay tuned for a report tomorrow.

Have a good night!
PK

Hibernation Time

Tonight we are expecting a low of 22 with flurries! I can't believe it's going to snow. I know it's December, but I am not sure I'm ready for it. Looks like I don't have a choice. I have decided that this winter I am going to hibernate. The plan will be gym, work, home. Of course I will make exceptions, but I hate being cold and I hate being outside in the cold. Luckily Lindsay lives in the building and we both love wine. :).

In other news...I skipped my gym session last night. I felt over tired and my head was pounding all day. I had a little bit of a sore throat too. I feel better today after medicating myself with Tylenol and OJ. I think its the change of weather that is getting to me. Also it could be all of the running around we did while I was home in Des Moines last week.

After a good night's rest, I got up and hit the gym. It wasn't an easy work out, but I did 40 minutes of cardio and abs. I felt weak for some reason. I think it's maybe getting back into it after a few days off.

My meal plan for the day:
Pre- gym - cereal bar
Breakfast - multi-grain bagel
Snack - Island Snacks Gummy Bears - about 12. I had a craving and we have a ton of single serving bags from one of our Kmart vendors I work with, Island Snacks. I like that some of the bears are purple in this package too.
Lunch - Soup and buffalo nuggets from Morningstar
Snack - 1 point WW pretzel bar
Dinner - TBD

We are going to see Ryan, Kristin and baby RJ tonight. I am so excited to meet him! He is going to be such a small peanut. Only 1.5 weeks old! I am not sure I am going to leave their condo ever. :).

Have a good day and stay warm!
PK

Much needed break, but loving being home!

Oh Chicago how I have missed you. It was a wonderful week at home, but there is nothing better than stepping into your house after a week of living out of your suitcase and just feeling that Ahh moment. I haven't spent this much time at home since Summer break back in college :). Unfortuately there were a few hiccups at home, but everyone is happy, healthy and well fed.

It was a busy busy week. I did my best to see all of my friends and family as much as I could. Here is a quick recap of the events:
Saturday - Iowa City for the game and then back to Des Moines.
Sunday - Lunch with my Dad and dinner with a few friends at Wellmans. We also had a 90210 moment at Jordan Creek mall with my family and Monster's family. Very Peach Pit :)
Monday - Gym, grocery shopping (awesome T Joes in Des Moines!) Sam's tae kwondo (hilarious!) mall and dinner.
Tuesday - Gym, finished grocery shopping, Coach's pizza with Lindsay and Darren. I learned how to play Buck Hunter at Coach's. I would give myself a 2 out of 10. Big time fail!
Wednesday - Gym, prep for Thursday's lunch, lunch with Paige, hair cut, surprise party at Gino's for James! Wellmans for drinks.
Thursday - Cooked all morning, quick lunch at Mom's, lunch at Monster's, back to my Mom's to hang with Maggie Lane. SO FULL ALL DAY!
Friday - Headed to Mo-town for Thanksgiving at my Dad's, quality time with about 20 fam members, Dinner with Monster's fam, card night at Monster's.
Saturday - QT with my mom before she felt sick, Wellman's for the Iowa Game, Mercy West to see my Mom, dinner at Boston's with my siblings, Shannon and Courtney's for a final night out.
Sunday - Trek back home and relaxing all night.

Gosh it was tough to remember all of that! It really was a great time. I love Thanksgiving and what it's all about - Family. We will make a few adjustments next year so we are spacing out meals better.

I would say I did about average while I was home. I got to the gym, ate well Saturday - Wednesday. Thursday I didn't do too bad either. I just think my portions were off from Friday - Sunday. As my stomach grew from all of the meals, I felt like I was always hungry. I also didn't have time to make it to WW while I was home. This gives me a solid week to be strict on my diet and work out plan. I need to get a move on this 30 x 30! September will be here before we know it. Yikes!

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Starbucks english muffin sammy
Snack - 1 point pretzel bar from WW
Lunch - Pockets! I went with my standard pocket order.
Snack - cereal bar before the gym
Dinner - TBD

I need to get to the grocery store this week. I need fresh veggies, fruit and lunch/dinner options.

I have a serious cardio seshy at the gym tonight planned. 50 minutes of sweat.

Have a good Monday.
PK

Go Away Cold!

Of course I get sick right before I go home for Thanksgiving. I think I can kick the cold with some meds, OJ and rest. Not sure what type of rest I will get with Iowa City tomorrow, but it's fine. I can rest next week :).

I'm so complainy when I'm sick...

Dinner last night was great! Always nice to catch up with a great pal and old roommate. Kristi was as shocked as I was to hear about the new Forever 21 opening up in our old neighborhood. WTF? Still annoyed about this. Why did North and Clybourn get so cool after we left!?!? I mean 5 years people, I lived their for 5 years!!!

We went to Kirkwood which is always tasty. I went with the homemade garden burger on multi-grain toast. YUM! I also skipped the fries(I pondered getting sweet potato fries) and went with a cup of their soup sans chedder cheese. After din, I came home and tried to pack my suitcase, but my big chair looked much more comfy. I parked their for the night.

I managed to set my alarm for 7:20pm instead of 7:20am last night. Thank God Paige called and woke me up around 8am! That would have been interesting to walk in at 10am in a cold coma. I rushed to get ready and got to work a tad late.

I don't really have a taste for anything so eating today has been interesting...

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Yogurt with granola
Lunch - All of my groceries at work are basically done except for a few random items. Going out in the cold sounded miz so I made a random lunch. Soy nuggets, a babybel cheese wedge and a just for one Green Giant brocoli with cheese sauce single serve deally. Haha. How random is that?
Snack - TBD
Dinner - I want soup or something light. Maybe toast :). If the appetite is back, I will change it up.

So as you know I am heading home tomorrow until the 28th. I will do my best to keep up with my blog, but no matter what I am dedicated this week to stay on track with my diet and working out.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
PK

And down we go...

My sushi date was awesome last night! Marty and CP were both wonderful company. We had an awesome selection of sushi. All the rolls were healthy and my dates were fine cutting out the spicy mayo from a few of the rolls. Such a great support system. I drank a lot of water and skipped the wine. I was preparing for my weigh in this am.

I sort of dread getting out of bed these days when it's so cold outside. I have been sleeping with the window cracked a bit in the other room, because my apartment gets pretty warm, but this morning I was shivering! I had to hit up WW, so I couldn't stay in bed all morning :). I am glad I went though, because I lost 2.2!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited! I have been bummed this past week thinking about the gain from last weekend and trying my best to get back on track, eat well, work out, count points, etc. Well, it paid off! It really made me think about the upcoming week too. I know it will be hard, especially with possibly 3 Thanksgiving meals, but I am going to do it. I am going to lose weight next week :). I don't care if its .2, but I want to lose.

I unfortunately can't make it to the gym today, but I plan on eating well all day. I have dinner plans tonight with Kristi, so I will make sure I make good decisions while dining out.

My meal plan of the day:
Breakfast - Egg beater wrap
Snack - 1 point choco pretzel bar from WW. These were on sale today!
Lunch - Lean Cuisine bbq chicken pizza and red grapes
Snack - Babybel cheese
Dinner - I probably will get a salad or the veggie burger at Kirkwood.

After dinner, I will be packing up my suitcase and prepping for home. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving!!!

PK

Sushi Date

Happy Hump Day! My hump day started with a serious weights session at the gym. I focused about 30 minutes on my arms and back and then 20 minutes on my legs and tush. Already feeling a tad wobbly, but I love this feeling.

I was in the suburbs earlier today and have been home this afternoon working. This allowed me to organize for my upcoming trip to D Town. I started setting things aside. On the list are work out clothes for almost every day while I'm home. I am hoping to work out at a gym with just a one week guest pass. Taking a week off will be a bust considering I know what holiday eating is like...I really think that I will be fine though. It's all about portions :). It will be good to change up the gym routine for a week too. Makes things fun.

I am meeting my good pal Marty for sushi tonight at Cafe Sushi. CP will be with us too. This seems to be my go to sushi place these days. It's yummy and cheap!

My meal plan for the day:
Pre-work out - Cereal bar
Breakfast - Low fat turkey sausage/egg white english muffin from Bucks
Lunch - Bowl of gumbo and salad from J. Alexanders. I went with the rotisserie chicken cobb salad. I only had a bit of it since the soup was filling, but it was pretty good. The bacon made it salty so I shoved that on another plate. Also, the blue cheese crumbles were overwhelming so I got rid of that as well. I should just stick with my veggie burger at J's. If it ain't broke...
Dinner - My standard sushi meal is usually a veggie roll, tuna and avocado or mexican roll and miso soup. Not sure what I am feeling yet for tonight.

I am debating weighing in tomorrow. I went last Thursday so I should probably go. I feel good about my week. Let's hope for a loss :).

PK

Countdown is on for Des Moines

I am so antsy to get home to Des Moines for the holidays. Thanksgiving has always been my Mom's favorite holiday and in the past few years, it has become my fave as well. I love having all of my family members in town and just hanging out and relaxing while in a food coma. I can't wait to see the little kiddos too.

We leave Saturday morning to head home with a quick pit stop in Iowa City for the Iowa vs Ohio State game. I hope it's a better game than this past Saturday. Cross your fingers!

Well last night I skipped the gym, but walked home from work. Since it's still somewhat nice out, I would much rather be outside. I also haven't bought a new book to read which makes cardio seem so much longer than what it is. The walk is a little over 3 miles.

I made a cheddar cheese, baked potato and brocoli Lean Cuisine meal with a salad for dinner. This LC may be one of my faves! I recently picked it up because it was on sale for $1.99 and now look for it when I am at the store. I sometimes add additional veggies to it which I did last night to make it a tad more filling.

I planned to hit the gym this am, but hit snooze a few too many times. :). I have my gym bag, my Real Simple magazine and headphones packed, so I will be hitting the gym tonight for a good cardio session.

I have done great on my diet today and have plans to have a light meal for dinner as well.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Egg beaters with laughing cow and giardinera in a wheat wrap from Aldi - YUM!
Snack - nada
Lunch - Lean Cuisine chicken ranch flatbread, carrots with hummus and fat free vanilla yogurt from Aldi
Snack - Grapes
Dinner - Fit and Active lasagna with cooked spinach

My week is getting booked up with plans. I have dinner plans with my old pal Marty tomorrow night. CP will be joining us and I know those 2 are going to be insta-friends. I have lunch plans with KT on Thursday and dinner plans with Kristi Thurs night. Not really helping my stict budget, but sometimes you just have to forgetta about it.

Have a great day!
PK

Whirlwind Weekend

Another crazy weekend down. We had so much going on, but it was a ton of fun.

On Friday we had the 3rd Annual Autism Speaks Heroes Ball for my work. Saturday we went to the Iowa/Northwestern Game at 8am until about 4pm. On Sunday we had Friendsgiving in the afternoon. It was non-stop, but one for the books. We had a great time.

I need to start tracking my food during the weekends b/c I can never remember!! I do know that we didn't eat anything except breakfast on Saturday which made me very unpleasant to be around. When I got home I had some pita chips and hummus and then Monster made me dinner which included a Lean Cuisine mac and cheese meal with soy crumbles and veggies.

Yesterday I made my standard breakfast wrap with my egg beaters and laughing cow cheese.

I ran a bunch of errands and made some soy crumble tacos for lunch. I knew we had a big dinner planned so I did my best to save points.

Our Friendsgiving Feast included the following:
Stuffed mushrooms
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Puppy Chow
Dip with carrots and fritos

Deep fried turkey
Smoked chicken
Pulled pork
GB casserole
Mac and cheese
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potates
Rolls
Stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Etc...

It was awesome! I did my best to watch my portions and eat healthy stuff. I was able to have a taste of everything I wanted. I also had a few glasses of wine :).

I plan on doing my best all week to stay on track! I am going to hit the gym as much as I can and also track my points.

My plan for the day:
Breakfast - Egg beater wrap
Snack - 90 calorie cereal bar
Lunch - Spin/Artichoke WW sandwich with baked lays and carrots
Snack - Grapes
Dinner - WW meal

I am going to hit the gym tonight for 20/15/10 of cardio.

Happy Monday and talk to you soon!

PK

Nothing Tastes As Good As Being Thin Feels

I wish I had better news for ya'll, but today was not a success at WW. It ruined my mood for most of the day, but then I decided to pick my head up, get back on that horse (as Paige called it) and stay strong.

I was researching some great movitational quotes and came across one of my faves. "Nothing Tastes As Good As Being Thin Feels!" I heard this in college from my old WW leader who I loved! I went every week b/c we had a special bond and she kept me motivated. When she said this quote, I believed it and I thought about it almost every day.

The lady at the front counter today looked much younger than me which I thought was interesting. I was nervous stepping on the scale and when I noticed the gain she said: "Just keep it up! Make good decisions. Drink more water, eat filling foods and keep up the work outs. Today was not your day, but next Thursday will be your day. If not next Thursday, the following Thursday." She motivated me and gave me a pat on the back for going in this morning and not giving up.

So I came to work and have made great decisions all day! Take a look. I unfortunately didn't get to the gym, but will be walking home from work tonight which to me is something. It's about 3 miles and I can't wait to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Breakfast: Soy sausage and 1 hard boiled egg
Snack: Light Babybel cheese
Lunch: WW rice and beans meal and an apple with laughing cow
Snack - Wheat pretzels with hummus
Dinner - We have friends in town tonight so we will be going to dinner. I know I need to stay on track, so where ever we go, I will be making a good healthy decision.

Sorry for the bummer update. It's ok though! I'm ready to focus on the week and have a success next week.

PK

Danity Kane

A few years ago, Danity Kane, Day 26, Stacie and I celebrated Nate's birthday at Lumen in West Town. I have to bring up this story because Nate and I have been through a lot together and I always rememeber this night. The only thing missing that night was Laurie Ann Gibson. :) Gosh she's amazing. We had a blast that night and I have some fun pictures to prove it!

I thought about this fond memory last night after Monster and I left Hunter's place for dinner. Nate and Hunter cooked us an amazing spread and everything was delish! I love our double date tradition. These boys are very special to me. :)

The menu from last night included:
Champagne and red wine
Cowboy caviar with jalapeno tortilla chips
Veggie spring rolls with dipping sauce
Chicken stir fry with cashews, asparagus and brown rice
Salad with cucumbers, carrots and low fat Asian sesame dressing
Scotcharoos from Sweet Mandy B's! Nate and I split one of these bad boys and I have no words to explain how good they were! Yum!

The boys did a fab job. It's our turn to host next time and I already have ideas in my head. I am thinking something maybe my mom would serve over the holidays like brisket and noodle kugel. We shall see.

I am planning on going to WW tomorrow morning. I am nervous to see where I stand after these past few weeks. I have been doing well all week so I plan to go with a positive attitude. If I gain, I gain. Gives me the motivation to work harder over the holidays.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 1 hard boiled egg and 1 soy sausage patty
Snack - lowfat babybel cheese
Lunch - I am meeting my girlfriend Kate for lunch at E-Leaven Bakery. I checked out the menu and it looks like they have great soup and salad options. I plan to go that route
Snack - TBD
Dinner - WW meal with a salad

I will be heading to the gym after work tonight for an hour of cardio.

Have a great day!
Peri

Thanksgiving Countdown

My Mom asked for my help this year planning our Thanksgiving meal. I absolutely love to cook, so planning out the meal and giving everyone a side dish, entree or desert has been fun for me. I am tasked to help my Mom with the brisket, noodle kugle, salad, mashed potatoes and dessert. I would love to be in charge of the turkey some day, but for now, we will order from a local grocery store. Some years it's just easier to do that.

So last night I decided to take a stab at a mashed potato recipe I found in one of my food mags. (I have been obsessed with looking at the Food Network magazine, Rachel Ray magazine and other food magazines and tearing out holiday recipes! My recipe book is growing by the second!) The potatoes turned out freaking ridiculous! I also made enough to feed us until 2011. I will most definitely make this dish for the fam in a few weeks.

I served this with maid rites and a veggie medley I got from Aldi. I asked a few friends if they knew what maid-rites were and was shocked that no one knew! When I googled it today, I noticed that it's as a fast food restaurant which has about 70 locations throughout the Midwest. We grew up having maid-rite sandwiches at family functions or parties. It's an easy thing to whip up and the recipe I stole from the Iowa Girl Eats blog was delish!

For those of you out there not sure of what a maid rite is: it's a "loose meat" sandwich. While the component meat is similar, the Maid-Rite sandwich's meat is not formed into a patty, making it similar to a sloppy joe only without the tomato-based sauce.

Sorry for the random rant on maid-rites :).

I had a great work out last night and woke up early to hit the gym again. I did 30 minutes of cardio (walked at an incline on the treadmill) and did about 25 mins of arms. I have a feeling I will be sore tomorrow which is fine by me.

My meal for the day:
Pre-workout - Cereal bar from Aldi. Only 90 cals
Breakfast - Hardboiled egg and soy sausage
Snack - Veggies and hummus
Lunch - Morningstar buffalo nuggets and soup
Snack - Red grapes
Dinner - We are having dinner with Nate and Hunter tonight and they have planned out the menu. When I talked to Nate the other day, he told me that the menu is being prepped with 30 x 30 in mind. What a good pal! Nothing like a solid support system!

I'm looking forward to catching up with the boys. Have a good one!
PK

What's my Deal?

I have been so sucky at this lately. I am not sure if it was the NY trip, but I'm having an issue getting back on track 100%. This weekend I didn't really focus on what I was eating and never made it to the gym. Big Fail! So I hit the grocery store yesterday and have decided to do really good this week. I have a few lunches and dinners planned and somewhat of a crazy weekend ahead, but my goal is to hit the gym 5 days and stay on track!

My meal for the day:
Breakfast - one hard boiled egg and one soy sausage
Snack - Babybel light cheese wedge
Lunch - Soup and salad and veggies with hummus
Snack - red grapes
Dinner - TBD. I bought stuff to make maid rites (on the lighter side) and a potato dish. I will see how it goes, but will make some veggies as well.

Gym plan - I am going to hit the elliptical for 40 and the tread for 10. Possibly get in some abs as well. I am going to do 30 mins of cardio tomorrow am and shoot for arms/legs. It's been awhile since I have lifted, so it could get interesting.

Have a good day!
PK

Emotional Wreck

My mom had surgery on Monday and I am an emotional wreck since I am not there with her. This is the downside of living 6 hours from my fam. I have been able to talk to her briefly each day for about 15 seconds, but she just doesn't sound the same. She is very tired and in pain. I know my Mom will be better soon, but the recovery time will be weeks. If only i could teleport back to Iowa...

Thanksgiving will be here soon and I will be home for 8 days which is plenty of time. My job will be to help prep for our turkey dinner and hang with Helene. I am not sure if I can make a brisket like my mom, but I will do my best. The rest of the dishes are taken care of by other family members and we are going the Dahl's route this year for our turkey. I can't wait to be in charge of the turkey soon. Gives me a bit of anxiety and sort of makes me sick to my stomach. It just doesn't sound like a fun process.

I am starting to feel a bit better and back in my routine since NYC. I hit the gym last night for 50 mins of cardio. I have been so attached to my book and actually started full out crying on the elliptical yesterday. Haha. I looked like such an idiot... Sometimes you just can't help it and sadly, this is not the first time I have cried on an elliptical. I watched Father of the Bride 2 a few months ago and was using my shirt to wipe the tears. Oy.

After the gym, we went for dinner at The Boundary. This is one of my favorite bars to eat at in Chicago. I also had a restaurant.com to use so dinner was cheap! I went with the Waldorf Wrap and a side salad. I saved half of the wrap for work today too! It was delish.

My plan for today:
Breakfast - Dannon 80 calorie vanilla yogurt with low fat granola
Lunch - Waldorf wrap with baked lays
Snack - Apple
Dinner - Either chili and a baked potato or a Fit & Active lasagna. Depends on what I am in the mood for when I get home.

I am going to hit the gym after work for 30 mins of cardio and arms. I will do the same tomorrow but work on my legs.

Sorry for the sad blog today. Sometimes you just want your Mom :).

PK

Too much candy!

Put the Halloween candy away! I can't stop picking at it. I am not even eating it, I am hoarding it in my desk just in case I need candy during the day. Ug, it's so tempting when it's every where.

I met CP for dinner last night at Cafe Sushi. I went with miso soup, a Mexican roll sans spicy tuna and a veggie roll. I love their sushi and it's cheap! It was lovely to catch up with CP as well :).

I did fairly well on the diet yesterday. I tried drinking more water so I didn't feel hungry. After all the food I had in NYC, I didn't think it would be easy to get back on track, but so far so good.

I am going to hit the gym tonight after work and plan on another cardio sesh. Sleeping in this am felt marvelous! I needed it.

My meal for the day:
Breakfast - Egg wrap with soy sausage and giardinara. I missed this!
Snack - Tootsie rolls :).
Lunch - Southwest pocket and baked lays with salsa
Snack - I am going to run to whole foods and get some snacks(fruit) for the next few days.
Dinner - WW meal with veggies

Have a good one!
PK

I Heart NYC!!!

Well that was a trip. Honestly, we had the best time. I cant' say I did amazing on my diet, actually I sucked...but we walked all day everyday and so I thought that was great exercise :). It probably evened it self out, but still.

Here is a quick snapshot of what we did...

Thursday: We flew out and actually had a great time on the plane. The gal sitting next to me went to college with one of my friend's husband. She lived across the street from where we were staying so we shared a cab and are now friends :). Han, B, Monster and I went for dinner at Schillers in the LES after we arrived. It's kind of a classic spot that I always try to get to when I am in NYC.

Friday: M and I got moving around 10ish and went up to Rockefeller Center to start our day. We walked Fifth Ave, ate some street corner food, saw St. Pat’s cathedral, hit up The Plaza (my fave), the Apple store, walked Central Park, the ice rink and took a ride on the carousel. We saw Strawberry Fields and walked down Columbus until we hit Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle. I saw Kelly Ripa on the upper west side running to her car from the salon. I kind of freaked out from excitement. She is my sister’s favorite. Han was super jealous too b/c she used to watch her in one of her soap operas. We took the train back to H/B's but stopped in Soho for Pinkberry before heading back for a nap.

H/B had some peeps over before dinner at Supper and we spent some time on their rooftop which has an unbelievable 360 view of Manhattan, NJ, the bridges etc. After din we were out until about 3am at a speak easy called Back Room where you drink out of tea cups. Love it!

Saturday: We had a late start, but went for brunch with my Sam who I used to work with. She just got married in August so it was fun to see her and catch up. After brunch we hit Union Square and then stopped at one of the oldest bars in the US called McSorleys. It was so cool and historic. Basically you order light or dark beer and it’s $5 for 2 mugs. We then went to an Iowa bar in Midtown called Opal to watch Iowa kill MSU. We drank plenty on Saturday and I didn't feel so hot that night. We did manage to go for Mexican at Barrio Chino which is Padma from Top Chef’s favorite restaurant. We stopped at Rockwood to hear some live music before heading home for the night. I slept very well :).

Sunday: M and I headed downtown to see Ground Zero, Wall Street, The NYSE, Federal Hall Museum, Statue of Liberty, the bull, etc. We had tickets to see the Green Day American Idiot Broadway Shot at 3pm so we took a train to meet H/B. The show was unbelievable. It is a must see!!! Also, Lea Michele from Glee sat 2 rows in front of me so I freaked out. Dinner was sushi and wine and dessert was a cookie sundae...just what we needed.

The trip was awesome and I can't stop smiling about it. The pics that Monster took were great too! I can't wait to re-live the trip again after the pics are posted.

I was so beat yesterday and had no food at work so I basically took yesterday off as well. I wanted to start fresh today which I did!

I got up this morning and did 45 mins on the elliptical and 15 mins of abs. I plan on eating well the rest of the week and trying my best to work out atleast 5 times.

My meal for the day:
Pre-workout - Cereal bar
Breakfast - Low fat granola with vanilla soy milk
Snack - Red grapes
Lunch - Soup and salad
Dinner - TBD. I may meet CP for dinner, but planning on something light no matter what. I have some WW meals at home that I may go with.

I hope you all had a great Halloween! So glad I missed it...i hate it. Haha.

PK

Be back soon...

I have to take a last minute trip to Iowa tomorrow and Thursday I am heading to NYC so you will hear from me next week. I am planning on staying on track while away. I can still get crazy and enjoy myself, but watch my portions at the same time:).

I skipped the gym this morning and bummed I did. This wild and crazy storm that was supposed to happen all day sort of screwed up my plans. I turned off my alarm and listened to the rain vs getting my butt out of bed and on the bus. I have been ok on my diet today though and have dinner at Sable with Monster tonight.

My meal plan today:
Breakfast - Hard boiled egg and soy sausage patty - 4 points
Snack - Choco chip granola bar - 2 points
Lunch - soup with oyster crackers - 5, Southwestern pocket from Aldi - 5, carrots and hummus - 2 = 12
Snack - cookie - 3 points
Dinner - TBD. The menu is so good, so I am not sure what to get.

Have a great rest of the week and weekend! Talk to you next week.

PK

It's a short week at work and I can't wait!

I will be smiling all week this week. Monster and I are taking off on a little vacation on Thursday through Monday to NYC! Hannie and Brady are there for only for months which gave us a perfect excuse for this little getaway. Also, Monster has never been to NYC so this will be an exciting touristy adventure. We have lots of friends to see including some family and it will be wonderful to do this in the Big Apple!

I am going to do my best to rememeber my meals from this past weekend...I guess I should be blogging on Saturdays and Sundays so I can keep track. Maybe in 2011 :).

Friday after work I hit the gym for some cardio. I did about 40 minutes on the EFX and 10 on the bike. I also walked home. I just had too b/c the weather was perfect! Best to take it all in before the snow sneaks up on us. Grr... Not ready for winter.

I made a nice salad for dinner and kept it light as I knew I had a weigh in the following morning. I lost more than .2 this week :). I lost .4! Ha, I think I am on this strange plateau and need to do something to start droping more. I am going to cut back on the carbs this week before the trip and also drink more water. With how much I have been working out, I should be hydrating more than I usually do.

After my weigh in, I lounged around with some coffee and made a breakfast wrap to start the day. We had plans to visit friends in the suburbs for the Iowa Game so I grabbed some grapes before we hit the road. I had a few beers at our friends place along with some pizza. I snacked on chips and black bean salsa and also had a mini cupcake. I like to keep Saturday and Sunday as my extra point days and try hard during the week to stick to my points. When we got back from the burbs, I made my favorite couscous for dinner. I paired this with a few soy nuggets. We had Ally's birthday party at Theory on Saturday night. Luckily it wasn't too late of a night. After a few vodka sodas and a shot of something awful (tasted like cough syrup) I was done drinking. We took the b'day girl home and called it a night.

Yesterday I spent the day with Kate and CP. We walked around trying to find a lunch spot and decided on Jacks Bar and Grill on Southport. I wanted a good burger or sandwich and Kate swore by their sweet potato fries. After a full group decision on bottomless mimosas and realizing they were out of sweet potato fries, I decided on a pulled pork sandwich with tots. Probably not the best lunch option, but as mentioned before, Saturday and Sunday are my free days. The lunch was awesome and I left a good portion of the tots for the garbage.

The remainder of the day was lazy. I caught up on some tv shows and took a little nap. For dinner I made a big batch of turkey chili. I had enough to serve an army! I froze 2 big containers of it for another time and saved some for work this week. I used a recipe from my favorite blogger, Iowa Girl Eats. Check out this blog for the sweet and spicy chili recipe!

http://iowagirleats.com/2009/08/31/9-mile-monday-recipe/

For dessert I had had some rainbow sherbet that cost me basically $1000 at the market next door.

I plan on hitting the gym after work today. I just started reading a new book on the ipad which always helps the cardio fly by. My plan is to spend some time on the elliptical tonight while reading and also do abs. Hopefully it's nice out afterwards and not raining so I can walk home.

My meal plan for the day:
One hardboiled egg (2 points) and one Morningstar soy sausage patty (2 points) - 4 points
Red Grapes for my snack - 3 points
Lunch - Turkey Chili from last night with oyster crackers - 7 - 8 points
Snack - carrots (0 points) with hummus - 3 points
Dinner - WW meal (TBD) -

As you can see above I am going to start working on my points again too. I have been slacking on this. I just added an online WW tracker to my favorites on my computer which should keep track.

Have a good day!
PK

DDRRRAAAGGGIINNNNNNNNNGGG...

This week has been the longest week EVER! It must be that I am slower at work, but I feel like each day has been 1000 hours longer than usual at work.

We've got somewhat a chill weekend ahead here. Nothing huge planned but watching the Hawks win against the Badgers and celebrating Ms. Ally's big b'day. I am ready for a low key cheap weekend b/c next weekend we take off for the Big Apple to see Hannie and Brady. I can't wait!!!

This morning I decided to sleep too late so I missed the gym. I was actually pretty mad at myself for doing this so I just decided to set my alarm for 7:30 and sleep in a bit more. Ha. I will be doing 50 - 60 minutes of cardio tonight after work. Hopefully I have the energy to do this. I'm beat!

My meal for the day:
Breakfast - Low fat vanilla yogurt and low fat granola
Snack - N/A
Lunch - Left over stir fry from Wednesday and carrots with hummus
Snack - Low fat smores granola bar
Dinner - Salad and soup

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm going to WW tomorrow am and hoping I lost more than .2. It's been ok week for eating, I think next week I may cut out some bread. I don't eat a ton of it anymore, but I think it may be a good change for a bit.

PK

Stuffed

We had a client lunch today at Hub51 and I am stuffed! Extremely uncomfortable stuffed. The issue...nibbling on appys. When will I learn?

I just had to rant about that. :).

Last night I made dinner. I had been craving something home cooked and stir-fry came to mind. I had a mixed vegetable bag with sauce from non other than ALDI! I picked up some chicken and steak from the market and added it to the veggies atop some brown rice. It was a delish meal! I picked up some crab rangoons to eat with the stir-fry. It just felt right and these guys are Monster's faves! I made plenty of stir fry so leftovers are packed for the next 3 days.

This morning I hit the gym for 30 mins of cardio and some arms. It was rough to get out of bed and wake up, but happy I got in a work out. I do have to confest that I skipped last night's work out...I just wasn't feeling it. You will have those days.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - low fat granola with milk
Snack - n/a
Lunch - Turkey chili and house salad from Hub51. I also had some nibbles of chicken nachos and hummus for apps. I was and still am stuffed!!!
Snack - n/a
Dinner - something light! Maybe toast? I am not hungry at all so nothing really stands out. A lot could change by dinner time.

Tonight I am heading to Suz's new pad. I can't wait to see the new digs and rub her belly! There could be nothing cuter than a 7 months pregnant Susan Boozen.

Have a good night!
PK

Fashion Show Failure

I can't believe I forgot to blog yesterday! It was kind of a crazy day so it slipped my mind. Anywho...

I met some girlfriends last night at the Fashion Focus event in Millenium Park. I gave it a 2. I would've given it a 1, but I was with some of my favorite gals, so it gets a couple points. We waited in line to wait in another line to wait and see nothing. It was awful! The set up was terrible, we missed my friend's cousin's line. Well we saw some of it, but it was behind a sheer curtain. BIG FASHION SHOW FAILURE! I know an event agency that could rock that event! :). If you have time though, check out Kristin Hassan's line. Kristin was chosen as one of six designers for the inaugural year of the Chicago Fashion Incubator @ Macy’s on State Street. Her website is http://kristinhassan.com/

Yesterday I skipped the gym in the morning b/c i didn't want to carry around a huge gym bag with me during the fashion failure event.

My meal plan from yesterday:
Breakfast - Egg Beater with laughing cow, giardinera and soy sausage wrap
Snack - Oatmeal and raisin granola bar - 90 cals
Lunch - 5 soy nuggets and 2 point progresso soup with oyster crackers
Snack - yogurt and granola - this had to tie me over until after the fashion show which worked! It is a very filling snack.
Dinner - Miso soup, salmon and avocado roll and mexican roll (sans spicy mayo)
I haven't had sushi in ages!

Today I am going to hit the gym after work. Hoping for some cardio and arms. I may wait to lift tomorrow am though b/c the gym post work has started to get so busy!! Note to self...go to the gym in the am! I am going to hit the gym in the am on Thursday and Friday. Hopefully Sat am too.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - vanilla fit and active yogurt with low fat granola cereal
Snack - no snack today
Lunch - NE clam chowder progresso soup. 1 can of soup is 2 points. Maybe veggies with hummus too.
Snack - grapes
Dinner - I am going to make something tonight. Maybe stir fry or pasta. I am in the mood for a home cooked meal. Wish my mom was making it though and not me.

Have a good day!
PK

P.S. I do want to point out that Monday after the gym, I tried a new Fit & Active meal from Aldi. The shrimp, pasta and vegetables in cream sauce was so GREAT! A very small portion, but it was fine and somewhat filling.

Happy Monday!

What a silly phrase. Is anyone really happy on Mondays? I usually am, but I think this saying can be annoying.

The weekend was great. We were able to get a lot accomplished and see lots of friends. On Friday, we tried out Urban Burger Bar on Clybourn with my old boss and her fiance. UBB was AMAZING! Get their asap. I went with the veggie burger and sweet potato fries. Monster loved his burger too! I want to go back and try the turkey burger or tuna burget. I don't think you can go wrong there. I stayed away from the booze on Friday since I knew Saturday would be a long night.

We got up and hit the gym early on Saturday to start the day off right. We grabbed a quick bagel at Einsteins before Xport. I got in 55 mins of cardio with some lunges. I went to Dominics after the gym to pick up some soup and WW meals for the week. This shopping trip made lunch an easy decision. I made a light spinach salad and had a Lean Cuisine spinach, artichoke and chicken panini. We had a charity event on Saturday night and I didn't really stick to my diet there. It was a buffet of misc items and I just sort of tried a little of everything. I don't even know what half of it was, but we were drinking wine and I knew I needed something to fill the tum.

Yesterday we went for brunch at Sola in North Center. I had the green market omelette with wheat toast. The veggies in the omelette were very fresh. I would def go back for brunch at this spot. It's in a cool location too. I skipped lunch and just snacked on some low fat pita chips in the afternoon before grocery shopping. Dinner was 5 soy nuggets, cauliflower with cheese (40 calorie microwave item) and some pita with hummus. Kind of a random dinner, but after a solid run at Aldi and T Joes, I was so excited for dinner.

I plan on working out tonight. I am thinking 45 mins of cardio and some abs. I haven't been lifting as much, so tomorrow morning I will be doing 20 - 30 mins of cardio and arms.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Egg beater with laughing cow, soy sausage patty and giardinera wrap (i've missed this)
Snack - 90 calorie granola bar
Lunch - Lean Cuisine chicken ranch flatbread with baked lays and cottage cheese
Snack - red grapes
Dinner - TBD

I have plenty of groceries to last me for the week. I am going to avoid eating out as much as I can. This is one of the things I need to work on! I know I can do it.

Looking forward to a solid week!
PK

Baby Steps

Last night was a great time! I met Lindsay and CP at Benchmark in Old Town for dinner. After some of their chicken toritlla soup and a house salad, we were on our way to a Mercy Home charity event hosted at the Nicole Miller boutique. I had a great time even though I was booze free. It's fun to go to these type of events where everyone for the most part is dressed to the 9's. I wish I had tons of money to spend there...oh well, maybe in a few years.

I was feeling a tad under the weather and my bed was calling my name, so I left at a reasonable time and went home for some R & R. We have a big weekend ahead of us so I wanted to get to bed super early and sleep off this small bug.

I got to WW this morning! I lost another .2. This process has been tough. A lot of baby steps to become fully dedicated to this diet and work out plan. A few things I am going to work on are listed below:

1. Cut back on eating out! I have been doing this way too much lately which doesn't help my portion control issue. At restaurants, they are usually extremely generous with portions and it's pretty tough not to eat what's on the plate. Especially if it's healthy, like a salad or chicken.
2. Work on cutting back on drinking during the week. Now I won't put a hard stop to this, but I am going to cut back big time. I love me a glass of red vino after a long day, so I am not going to say I am stopping 100%. Maybe 1 or 2 a week is good to me. :).
3. Working out on the weekends. I usually get one day in, but I am going to try for Sat and Sun. Since it's getting cooler out, it may be nice to sweat it out at the gym on my typical off days.
4. Get to the grocery store every week or when needed. I have been delaying this for weeks! I need to go and stock up on some fruits and vegetables, dinner options, frozen meals for lunches, etc.

I will keep you posted on how well I am doing with this.

Meal Plan for the Day:
Breakfast - 2 pieces of 35 calorie multi-grain bread with pumpkin schmear from Einsteins
Snack - cup of low fat granola cereal
Lunch - Subway - standard meal, but may go with their soup instead of chips today
Snack - 100 calorie oreos
Dinner - TBD. We are going to meet a good friend of mine at Urban Burger Bar so I am sure I will do a veggie burger or maybe their tuna burger. Something tasty and healthy.

This weekend we are going to be busy. We have a 30th b'day party for a good friend on Saturday night hosted by his wonderful wife and a charity dinner at East Bank Club supporting ITK.

Have a good weekend!
PK

PS...if you are a die hard chicken tortilla soup fan, def try out the Four Corners options. It tastes just like the soup from Mondo's Iowa City! Oh how I miss that place.

It's the little things

As I am walking to the bus last night, I ran into a friend, a fellow follower of 30 x 30. After a brief catch up, she told me that she loves the blog and has decided to join WW after reading it. I had lots of emotions about this. First, I was over the moon that I had someone who was excited to read my blog daily. Second, I do this blog just to track my meals and work outs to reach my goal and ecstatic that this would convince someone to start doing WW or work out more. It truly was amazing to hear this. Thanks C!

Last night was a wonderful night. Monster and I grabbed dinner at Old Town Social and listened to Jeffrey David rock out. He is totally my fave and I have a small crush on him :). While sitting at the bar, I had a pear cider beer that I probably won't have again. It's very sweet. Monster and I shared the Vegetarian sandwich for din. This was so good!!! Pretty big, so good for 2 people to share. We didn't need a side with it either. The Vegetarian had chickpeas, marinated goat feta, sweet peppers, salsa verde on whole grain bread. Def try it if you go!

This morning I planned on going to the gym, but decided to be lazy and make a grocery list instead. I plan on going this weekend, so why not take a day off?

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - english muffin with laughing cow cheese
Morning snack - granola bar
Lunch - Subway or pockets. Not sure yet, but either sound tasty
Dinner - TBD. I am going to a Nicole Miller Fashion event in Old Town and they are serving some apps and champagne. I plan on skipping the champagne since I am going to weigh in tomorrow am, so will probably just stick with water and grab a light dinner on my way.

Wish me luck!

PK

I miss Pockets...

It's hump day already! I love short weeks.

Last night was wonderful. I went to the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook to check out a reception space for a wedding I am helping plan next September. The venue was so pretty. It didn't feel like I was in Chicago, more like Colorado or Utah. I grabbed some low fat plain pita chips for the road b/c I left right in the middle of rush hour traffic and knew I needed a small snack before dinner. I spent about 2 hours at the hotel and then headed home. I was really hungry by that time and I was craving Pockets :). Luckily I was close to it and grabbed my standard salad from there for dinner. I had about half of the roll and all of my salad and I was a happy camper! This salad can def be 2 meals, but I decided to eat it all in one sitting. That's what happens when you work late and don't until 9:15pm :(.

I hit the hay early so I could get up and go to the gym for 45 mins of cardio and abs. I had a cereal bar on my way in to Xport. The work out felt great! I love getting it done in the am so I have my night free.

I haven't been to the grocery store so the last few meals have all been out which stinks. I hope to get there Saturday so I can cook some meals for next week.

For breakfast after the gym I had an english muffin sandwich from 'Bucks. I crave this whole wheat english muffin sandwich with egg whites and turkey bacon.
My mid morning snack was a 100 calorie smores granola bar.
I had lunch at Portillos and went with the Buffalo Chicken Wrap (blue cheese on the side) and a side salad.
I will be passing on the afternoon snack since lunch was filling.
Dinner is TBD.

I am going to a bar tonight to listen to a local artist, Jeffrey David, who played at Hannah and Brady's wedding. He is so awesome! I recommend checking him out if you can.

Have a good day!
PK

Marathon Weekend

What a weekend! I had yesterday off so I didn't get a chance to blog, but this weekend was a whirlwind. We walked, ate, shopped, monster completed his second marathon, ate...ha. But really, it was so cool! Monster finished his second Chicago marathon along side his best friend Kevin on Sunday! It was an emotional, inspiring and such a proud moment/event.

We had plenty of visitors in town this weekend to cheer on the runners. Monster's mom and dad were in town along with Kevin's whole family. We came up with a great plan for spectating and ended up seeing him in 3 spots. They looked like this run was just a breeze at mile 6 and 13 and then mile 26 was another story. Who cares though, honestly they finished!

Deets from the weekend:
Friday night I met the fam downtown to do some shopping before heading to the Paramount Room for dinner. I had the grilled mahi mahi with quinoa and cucumber salad. We all split the apple bread pudding :). I enjoyed one cider with dinner.

On Saturday, we did brunch at Southport Grocery. This was a tough place to find a healthy omelette option. I went with the spinach and artichoke omelette which had cream cheese in it. I did my best to seperate the cream cheese out with out looking like I had terrible manners or was a 5 year old. I went with wheat toast instead of the red mashed potatos. We walked around Armitage and then hit the Marathon Expo. Before the carb up dinner at Scoozie, we had a small break where I had some baked lays and salsa to tie me over until dinner. At dinner, I had a glass of champagne to start and had a few of their rolls which I didn't need at all! I did skip pasta though and went with their chopped salad for my entree. It was delish! We did order a few apps pre dinner. I had a few bites of the mushrooms and calamari. For dessert, Monster and I split a peach pop tart. It was a perfect size for 2 or 3 to share and just have one bite. It is not something i would usually order, but we were celebrating!

Marathon day on Sunday was interesting in regards to my food plan. I had an english muffin with laughing cow for breakfast before walking around the city to spectate. For a snack, I brought a 90 calorie breakfast bar. We did Potbelly's for lunch. I had a turkey sandwich with baked lays. This is my favorite sandwich shop in the city. I love how they toast the bread and love how they add hot peppers! We continued the day with a Sunday Funday which got a tad out of control. I had about 4Miller Lites and a few tator tots. For dinner, we ordered Dags and I had a few pieces of the thin crust spinach, mushroom and tomato pizza. I think after all the walking we did, it was totally fine to have a free day from the diet and I don't think I did awful, but it was tough to manage.

Yesterday we had the day off and I planned on getting a lot done. I got up and had an engish muffin with low fat pumpkin schmear from Einsteins. I hit the gym for 40 mins of cardio and abs. For lunch I had my norm from Subway. We decided to go see Social Network (highly recommend it) and I had some of a pretzel before realizing I wasn't even hungry and passed it off to Monster. We walked to and from the movie which wasn't easy on Monster's sore legs. For dinner I had soup (2 points for the whole thing!) with oyster crackers, 35 calorie toast (2 pieces) with laughing cow and a small spinach salad with tomato, sliced almonds and honey mustard dressing.

I think all in all I did ok this weekend with eating. I did make really smart choices and feel that we did enough walking that I had plenty of free points to use. :).

As for the remainder of the week, I do plan on being on the diet 100%. This morning I got up and went to the gym. I did 30 mins of cardio (10, 10, 10 on 3 diff machines)and lifted my arms. When I got to work I had low fat granola with milk for breakfast. Lunch will be soup and an english muffin with laughing cow. I will be in touch tomorrow about the remainder of my meal plan for today.

Have a good one!
PK

Congrats to Paige!

TGIF!! It felt like ages before this day arrived... So happy it's here. We have a great weekend ahead and the weather is gorgeous outside. This will make for a much better marathon. No rain or snow or 100 degree weather for 10.10.10. Monster and Kevin are ready to dominate and I can't wait to see them at a few different spots on Sunday. We will for sure be celebrating after on Sunday.

In other news, Paige and Aaron just heard that their offer was accepted and they are moving to a new house!!!! Such great news. I am so happy for them. Binks will have a huge backyard to run around. Also, their neighbors are their best friends! How nuts is that? So the move will take place probably in December. Hopefully I am not in town for that one, haha.

My work out last night was awesome! I ran 3 miles and did 25 mins on the elliptical. It felt great to run and actually was surprised that I could run this distance after taking a break.

I was pretty hungry when I got home, so my plan for soup failed and I went for some pasta and a salad.

I got up this am and went to the gym to lift. I did about 15 mins on arms, 15 mins on legs and 10 on abs. It felt really good. I then walked to Einstein's and got a bagel thin breakfast sandwich. I have been thinking of trying these for awhile and to be honest, won't probably order one again. I had the egg white, turkey sausage sammy on a wheat bagel thin. It has salsa on it and I think that threw me off. The coffee (vanilla and hazelnut) was awesome though!

I am working from home today so not sure about my lunch plan. I will probably do a sandwich or soup. Something light and easy. We have dinner plans tonight with Monster's Fam. I can't wait to see them and start the marathon weekend celebration.

I will be back on Monday! Have a great weekend.

PK

PS, I am going to head to WW next Friday.

It's almost the weekend!

I have been slacking on my work outs this week! It's been a struggle to get out of bed in the morning. I just need to do it. I will start with the morning work outs again next week. :). Also, need to cut back on my afterwork plans. It ruins my gym plans post work!

I do plan on hitting the gym tonight after work for some cardio. I missed it last night since I was spending time with Mr. Graham! Omg, what a cutie! Amie and Dave are going to be wonderful parents.

I got home pretty late and had some carrots and hummus while I prepped my salad and WW meal. I had the potato, brocoli and cheese meal which was EXTREMELY tasty. Only 5 points too! I did add some frozen vegetables to this dish, but they are zero points. I had a side salad with the dinner and it was a delish dinner. I also had a small bowl of vanilla ice cream as a late night treat. I really didn't need it, but I wanted something else.

After hitting snooze about 6 times this am, I packed my gym bag and headed to the bus for work. On the way in I plotted about my meals for the day. My norm for breakfast (vanilla yogurt and low fat granola,) 100 calorie cheetos for my snack, WW pizza with applesauce for lunch (I had soup yesterday instead so I saved this for today) and probably a banana for my afternoon snack before the gym. Dinner may be soup again with hummus and carrots. Something light. I can't decide if I am going to WW tomorrow. I may go Saturday or possibly wait a week. I guess I will decide tonight.

I'm getting excited for the weekend! Monster's fam arrives tomorrow early afternoon, Kevin's fam arrives Saturday and then we have a big dinner planned on Saturday night so the boys can carb up for their 26.2 mile run! Yikes! They will do great. I think we have finally nailed down a plan for spectating as well. Ug, I know I am going to cry. Such a sap.

Tata for now!
PK

Success!

Last night was a blast! Hunter and Nate were fab guests and we can't wait to get together again. There is nothing better than catching up with friends. Nate and I have been friends for over 10 years, (yikes...atleast we still look young and fab) so when we get together we can talk about everything and anything.

I made a schedule for prepping the apps, entree and dessert and I was pretty close to having it all done by 7:30. The shells always start off tough and then once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake! I of course made too much so now Monster has lunch all week :).

I am looking forward to eating lighter today and tomorrow and hoping for a loss on Friday am.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - vanilla yogurt and low fat granola
Snack - 100 calorie bag of cheetos
Lunch - WW pizza with apple sauce
Snack - Banana
Dinner - TBD probably salad and soup

I am going to visit Amie and baby Graham tonight after work and then heading to the gym from there. I am going to do 45 mins of cardio and some ab work.

It's been a nice day at work and it's beautiful outside! I am praying for good weather through the weekend for Monster's big marathon on Sunday. 26.2 really long miles. It's such an exciting day and I can't wait to celebrate with him post race. I will be all over the city watching the runners.

Have a good day!
PK

Double Date with Nate!

Is it really only Tuesday? Ug, this week is draggin!

Well last night I had an amazing work out! I did about 55 mins and then hit the grocery store where I managed to carry my huge gym bag and heavy grocery bags all the way home. I had Monster there to carry some, but my arms were shaking and my shoulders did not feel great.

Dinner was some baked lays with salsa as my app and then a WW lasagna dinner with veggies. I was so hungry! I had some major cleaning and prep to do for my dinner date tonight with Nate and Hunter! I am prepping some fun items. The menu is as follows:

Apps:
Hummus with pita chips and carrots
Chip dip with fritos - stole the recipe from Melinda this past weekend
Candy Corn Halloween Mix

Entree:
Salad with tomato, carrots, cucumbers and sliced almonds with dressing of your choice
Jumbo stuffed shells
Garlic bread

Dessert:
Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream

I can't wait to have the boys over. They are 2 of my favorites and it will be fun to catch up.

I planned to get up this morning and hit the gym for some weights and abs. Unfortunately I shut off my alarm and didn't wake up until 7:45! I must have been tired. Oh well. I will go the rest of the week.

My meal plan for the day is as follows:
Breakfast - granola with vanilla yogurt
Lunch - soup with oyster crackers, 100 pack of baked cheetos and applesauce - so random!
Snack - 100 calorie oreos
Dinner - I plan on eating salad with a one or two stuffed shells. I need to watch my portions tonight.

The gym is a must tomorrow am!

PK

Miss Mags Turns 2!

Happy Monday! I had such a wonderful weekend. The birthday celebration on Friday was a blast at Tango Sur! We had about 20 people stop by to celebrate. We flew to KS bright and early on Saturday and spent the day with my family. It was a quick trip but so many memories were made. I am so happy we were able to celebrate Maggie turning 2!! I miss her already. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and miss them tons. We got back yesterday around 5:30 and spent the night cleaning up and getting ready for the week. I am ready to get back on track. This weekend was go go go and I am ready to get back on a work out routine and eat some healthy meals!

Here are some food details from the weekend. At dinner on Friday, CP and I shared mostly everything. We split a cheese and spinach empanada (so good!) a roll, the El Filet entree which is 2 steaks. I ordered asparagus and a plain sweet potato. I also probably had way to much wine, but it happens. We made a quick stop at Blue Bayou before heading home to get ready for a quick 5 hours of sleep.

On Saturday, I split a half a bagel at O'Hare. I also snacked on some trail mix once we landed in KS. My brother ordered so much pizza for lunch and I went with 2 pieces of veggie with half a breadstick. Unfortunately I didn't have any of the garlic butter, but that by far makes pizza so much better. There were snacks around all day. I did my best to stick to the healthy options. There were dips, veggies, chips, ice cream cake, lots of cupcakes, salads, bbq, etc. I only had a couple of bites of Monster's ice cream cake, but it was from DQ and top notch! Dinner I had a hot dog, veggies and some of Melinda's famous mac and cheese. It was so good! Probably not healthy, but that is why portion control is important.

I was not feeling so hot when I went to bed b/c of the random food I ate, but I took it easy on Sunday which helped the tum a bit.

Melinda made a huge breakfast spread. I had some scrambled eggs, grapes and one pancake. It was delish. For lunch I had a multigrain bagel from Great American Bagel. I probably had enough bagels this weekend. I need a good break from them... I snacked on some baked lays when I got home and then made a salad for dinner.

You know when you aren't even hungry, you just know you should eat? That's how I felt all weekend. I plan on focusing this week on making good decisions and working out. I also need to be drinking more water which I plan to do.

My meal plan for the day:
Egg white sandwich - 2 slices of 45 calorie bread with egg whites and low fat pepperjack cheese. 5 points
1/3 cup granola for a snack - 2 or 3. I need groceries!
Lean Cuisine Chicken Philly Flatbread - 7 points, 100 calorie baked cheetos - 2, apple with laughing cow - 3, Total - 12
Snack - 100 calorie snack? - 2 points
Dinner - WW lasagna

I need to start counting my points again. I also hit the grocery store at lunch so I have some snacks and soup for the week. I also picked up more yogurt and granola for breakfast. That will help me go to the gym in the am.

I have some lunch and dinner plans with friends this week and I am going to work on portion control. I also plan on making good decisions on what to eat at each restaurant.

Have a good monday!
PK

will power paid off!

My Friday morning started off wonderfully. I got on the scale and lost 1.8 lbs! I am .2 from my 5 lbs mark since i put a few lbs back on after my b'day adventure. I will get there...patience.

I decided to stay for the meeting today. I really enjoy the meetings and the stories/advice always motivate me. Lisa, who is the leader is such an inspiration. She is a life time member and looks great. If you are interested in going to the WW on Diversey and Clark, make sure you check when Lisa is leading. She rocks!

I also decided to share with everyone in the meeting that I do a food blog to track what I am eating every day. It was awesome to see the other WW members interested and Lisa was curious if I would share the blog with other members. It was a huge compliment and it inspired me to continue the blog. She also was certain that I would reach my 30 x 30 goal. I left with a huge smile on my face and ecstatic that I had such a huge support system.

I have a b'day dinner tonight for one of my best guy friends who is turning 30. We are going to Tango Sur which is known for their huge portions and steak. The El Filet is supposed to be the best item on the menu. I am going grilled chicken and baked potato though.

With that said, here is my meal plan for the day:

Breakfast - granola with yogurt
No mid-morning snack
Lunch - grilled chicken on wheat from subway and baked lays
No mid afternoon snack
Dinner - chicken, baked potato and red wine! I can't wait.

We are off to KS tomorrow for my niece's 2nd birthday. I plan on sticking to my diet and making good decisions.

I will respond on Monday.

XOXO!
PK

Will Power

Would you like bread? No thanks (OMG I would love bread!)
Any wine with dinner? No thanks, water is fine (I want a whole bottle, are you kidding me?)
Apps anyone? Eh, it's ok. I am just sort of feeling dinner. (Everything looks so good! I will have a bite of each)

Haha, ok so maybe not that dramatic, but I have been seriously will power crazy these past few days. I have cut back on drinking during the week and have learned to eat only healthy options while out to dinner. Sticking just to the entree. I love dessert so much so looking at the menu is as far as I get with it.

Dinner last night was good. All of us had different expectations since Deleece and Deleece Grill & Pub are two different menus. We went to the more expensive place which ended up being great, but the menu was smaller. I was kind of craving a turkey burger which they didn't have so I went with the albacore tuna with chipotle sauce (on the side.) This came with sweet potato fritters, mushrooms and leeks. Mighty tasty! Everyone liked their dinner too. I was struggling on what to get b/c the chicken looked great as did the salads.

This morning I skipped the gym. I am walking after work with Christina which I am so excited about. I need a break from the gym.

My meal plan for today is:
Breakfast - Fit and Active Key Lime Pie yogurt with granola
Mid-morning snack - string cheese
Lunch - I made a salad from a deli down the street. It had lettuce, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, light feta cheese and peppers. I also got blue cheese dressing on the side. I had some soy buffalo nuggets at work so I had this on top of my salad.
Mid-afternoon snack - apple and laughing cow wedge
Dinner - TBD. I may just pick up a subway sandwich before my walk with CP.

I weigh in tomorrow and hoping for good results! I have worked really really hard this week and my will power is at a 10!

I will fill you in tomorrow am.

PK

Soup time!

It feels like Thursday today. Am I the only one that feels that way? I think that means I need a vacation! It just so happens that Monster and I booked a trip to NYC today for Halloween weekend! I am on top of the world excited about this trip. I can't wait to tear up the town with Hannie, Brady, my cousins, etc. It's long overdue and I am so excited Monster finally gets to see one of my favorites cities!!! He is a lucky duck though. He travels to DC right from NYC. Hitting two of my faves in one week!

So I have been on a soup kick. This is a perfect lunch or light dinner. I usually go for the healthy choice or the lighter/less sodium versions. My gotos are new england clam chowder (one day I will have the real thing!) gumbo, chicken and dumpling, mexican tortilla, etc. I will basically have anything as long as it's not creamy or bad for you. I had soup for dinner last night and soup for lunch today. Better spread it out or I am going to get sick of it!

Last night I did 30 minutes of cardio and abs. It was a good work out even though I meant to do 60 mins of cardio. Oh well. I was antsy to get home and watch Glee! OMG, I loved it. I ended up re-winding a few songs and just smiling the whole time. I remember coming home to my old apartment and I would look in Lindsay's room and she would have the biggest smile on her face during Glee. I had the Lindsay face on last night. I mean seriously, Britney Spears and Glee! Can't beat that.

I also snacked on some pita chips and hummus while waiting for my dinner partner who just so happened to show up right as Glee ended.

I had a few baked lays and new england clam chowder (healthy choice version) with oyster crackers for dinner. It was a random dinner (I seem to do that a lot) and perfect for a chilly night. My dinner partner (Monster) had the left over pizza from Dominoes. Kind of glad it's out of the house. No need to have that staring at me.

Today I got up and did 50 mins of cardio at the gym. My legs are hurting a bit so I may take tomorrow morning off and just plan on going for a walk with Christina tomorrow night. Doesn't that sound lovely?

Here was today's meal plan:
Pre-work out - 90 calorie cereal bar
Post - work out - banana yogurt (light and fit Dannon) and granola
No snack
Lunch - surprise surprise - Healthy Choice Gumbo soup with a Fit & Active Southwest Pocket
No afternoon snack
Dinner - We are going on a double date with Kate and Terry tonight. I'm excited to try out Deleece on Southport for dinner.

I will fill you in tomorrow on my healthy choices. I am going no booze tonight.

Have a good night!
PK

Steak Fries

Why am I obsessed with fries? I think its an obsession with potatoes. I can never pass up fries. How do people have leftovers of french fries? I wish they would eat them all so I wouldn't be tempted. I thought about this today when I was out with my co-workers for a client b'day lunch. I ordered a healthy salad, even skipped the roll and I couldn't pass up a handful of fries. It's fine b/c I have the points to eat them, but I don't need them. Grrr.

Sorry about my rant :).

Last night I lifted for 40 minutes. It was a good work out, even though I am not too sore. I love feeling sore! It's so weird, but it makes me feel like I worked so hard.

I had soup (healthy choice chicken and dumpling) with oyster crackers for dinner. I paired this with my 2 left over soy nuggets and some baked lays. It was a strange dinner, but i was so hungry!!!!!!! For my late night snack I had 100 calorie mini cupcakes with a dab of peanut butter. Such a good way to end my day.

Today I slept through my alarm and decided to work out this evening. I came to work and had a simple breakfast of yogurt and granola (yum!)

No snack was needed as breakfast filled me up big time.

Lunch was a Grecian Salad from Kerryman with light feta cheese. They drenched the salad in dressing (fail,) but it was ok since it was balsalmic vin. I also had a handful of steak fries which I am still dreaming about.

My late afternoon snack was an apple with laughing cow spread.

Dinner tonight will most likely be soup again or some left over pizza from Sunday.

Off to the gym!
PK

Maybe I am not ready for fall weather!

Happy cold Monday!!!!!!! I was frreezzzing coming to work today. Who knows how to dress during this season? Obviously not I. I always say that I am ready for Fall, but I need a few more sunny days.

I had such a wonderful weekend and I feel very refreshed today. Friday night I met friends for dinner at Hub51. I had a few cocktails on Friday including 1 Bud Select at Happy Hour, glass of malbec with dinner and glass of champagne for my after dinner drink. I also ordered a Bud 55, but that's like water so I don't think it counts. Dinner was a turkey cobb salad from Hub. I asked for no bacon and light on the cheese so basically it was lettuce and roasted turkey. Probably won't order this again...We were celebrating an engagement and a few birthdays so the 2 orders of carrot cake were a crowd favorite! I only had one bite and I am so glad I did.

Saturday I didn't wake up until 11am (whoops.) I had a homemade breakfast wrap (wrap from Aldi, egg beaters and pep jack cheese) and that tied me over until the apps that were served at the Hull Baby Shower. After breakfast, I made pumpkin chocolate chip bars to bring for the shower. I had a small sliver, but they were tasty!!! I am not a huge baker, so it was fun to try something different.

Saturday was my free day so I had a taste of everything at the shower. Pita chips and hummus, a few chips and guac, chicken, salad and pasta salad. Delish! The hosts also got a cake from Bittersweet on Belmont and it looked too pretty to eat! I had a bite and they for sure know how to bake cakes. I also had a miller light and a apple cider rum drink that made me pretty drunk! Haha, not sure I can handle that drink again.

We met a few others at Southport Lanes where I had about half a MGD 64 and hummus with pita and veggies. I was beat so we hit it early.

On Sunday, I was a major bum. I had an egg wrap for breakfast and left over couscous with my soy buffalo wings for lunch. A very random lunch. I hit the gym in the afternoon for an hour of cardio and decided to walk home and ejoy the weather. It was cool out, but very enjoyable. I also was wearing my hawkeye sweatshirt and wanted to support them loud and proud after their huge butt whopping against Ball State on Saturday.

Dinner was interesting...Monster and I decided to order the $5.99 medium pizza special from Dominos for dinner. I have been hearing about their new crust, so why not? We ordered 2 pizzas - 1 for him and 1 for her. I went with extra light cheese (there was no cheese on my pizza) mushroom and spinach. Monster went with mushroom and sausage. I was hesitant about the 'za because Lindsay called me trashy (haha) for ordering it. I thought it was yummy! I even have enough for today and tomorrow - both meals if I wanted.

I am working out after work today and plan on lifting for about 30 - 40 minutes. My meal plan for the day is as follows:
Breakfast - Egg White, soy sausage, laughing cow sandwich
No Snack
Lunch - 2 pieces of no cheese pizza (ha) from Dominoes and watermelon
Snack - baked lays and hummus
Dinner - Soup with soy nuggets

I have some portabello mushrooms at home that I need to use this week. I am thinking of making some pasta with mushrooms for one dinner and a mushroom pizza for another. I stole this idea from my girl Hannah. In college she used the mushroom as her crust and added sauce and mozz cheese over it. Yum!

I am going to work hard all week and pray for more than .2 on Friday! We have a busy week and weekend ahead, so getting to the gym is major important.

Wish me luck!
PK

.2 Grrr...

Happy Friday All!

I had a wonderful dinner with my man Nate last night. We went to Sunda and shared edamame and some delish sushi. All rolls were healthy and we had plenty left over. It's tough not to order the really good/bad rolls with spicy mayo, tempura, etc. That's usually Nate's go to, but he was a trooper with me last night and stuck with the garden veggie, sunda summer roll and a few of the tuna rolls.

I went to WW this morning and lost only .2. It's better than nothing, but I was really hoping for more. This going out to eat business has to stop! This weekend I have plans to eat out on Friday and Saturday night and then again next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I really need to watch my portion sizes at the restaurants. That will make a big difference.

Anywho...

Breakfast this morning was an egg beater wrap with light pepperjack cheese and some giard.
I'm skipping my mid-afternoon snack as I am not that hungry.
I packed a spinach salad for lunch with soy nuggets and some pretzels.

I have dinner tonight at Hub51. I plan on having a beer or two and then sticking with one sushi roll or a salad. I will have to see how I am feeling.

I will try to be in touch this weekend! If not, def on Monday.

Have a good one!
PK

J. Alexanders

OMG, have you been? It's outstanding. I am seriously obsessed with this place. A few of my old roomies make fun of me b/c there was a time that this was the only restaurant I would want to eat at. In Chicago when there are clearly amazing restaurants and new ones opening every day, I just loved J's.

Kate took me to dinner last night for my birthday (it's very over, haha) and I went a different route for dinner at J's. My go-to is the veggie burger with israeli couscous, but I was craving a baked potato. I was talking about baked potatos so much that I convinced Kate to get one. haha.

I decided to try their soup of the day which was gumbo and of course ordered a baked potato with all the fixins on the side. I tend to use all the fixings on my b potato when I ask for them on the side b.c it's a better portion size. When it comes with everything already on the potato, they just scoop them up and throw them on. You have no idea how much butter, s.cream, cheese, etc they actually give you.

Dinner was a 10! A few tricks I tried for dinner are:
-They put croissants down right in front of us prior to our entrees arrival. Kate and I both picked at one and didn't even finish it. Next time I may ask them not to bring them. :).
-In my gumbo I asked them to include very little rice in the soup. I didn't want the calories and the soup was so delish that I didn't need the rice.
-I skipped a glass of wine. I wasn't really in the mood to drink and I went for water instead.
-I skipped carrot cake. J's by far my friends has the best carrot cake in the city. I know I know...Hub's is good too, but I still love J's more!

I had plans on going to the gym this am, but got up in the middle of the night and decided I wanted to sleep instead. I really like working out in the am, but I wanted to give me body a rest. My legs are super sore. I did some yoga when I woke up, but nothing crazy.

Meal Plan:
Breakfast - 2 pieces of 45 calorie toast with laughing cow and a soy sausage
Snack - Key lime yogurt (100 cals from Aldi) and a 1/3 cup of granola
Lunch - Fit & Active southwestern pocket, salad
Snack - pretzels and hummus

Tonight for dinner, I am meeting one of my fave boys, Nate. We are going to Sunda and I plan on eating light. Maybe one roll of sushi, miso soup and edamame? That sounds delish already.

Wish me luck! I am weighing in tomorrow am. I hope it goes well.

XO!
PK

Happy Hump Day!

Happy Hump Day all. Sorry I didn't get to this yesterday. It has been busy at work and I'm trying to stay on top of eating well and working out with this chaos.

Yesterday I got up early and went to the gym for a lift session. I dread the lift sessions, but I love the sore feeling it gives me the next day or two after. I saw one of my work friends there too, so that was fun! After 45 mins of lifting, I was off to get ready for work.

I started my day off with a 90 calorie cereal bar before the gym and then granola and vanilla yogurt for my real breakfast post work out.

No morning snack yesterday. Lunch was carrots, pretzels and hummus and a Fit & Active Southwestern pocket. It was tasty!

My afternoon snack was an apple with laughing cow - swiss cheese wedge.

I had one of my last b'day dinners with Ally last night. We went to May Street Market for some wine, apps and desserts. I have been working out extra hard this week and was able to save some points to enjoy dinner to the max last night. We shared apps which included: salmon and tuna sashimi wraps (we didn't love this,) half order of fried green tomato (yummo) and mussels & frites (amazing amazing amazing!) We basically licked the bowl of the mussels, haha. It was awesome. We had 2 desserts too. The cracker jack ice cream and trio of cupcakes (they are famous for these.) Both were awesome. I would love to try dinner there some time soon. The tofu looked outstanding there!

I got up this am for a 60 minute cardio work out. I love bringing my ipad with me to the gym. I just read and the time flies by. I actually did 65 mins of cardio because of this. It started the day off wonderfully. I treated myself again with the reduced fat english muffin sandwich from Starbucks and a pumpkin spice latte. My order is classic for this drink. Hannie and I used to love going into bucks and saying this order. Tall pumpkin spice latte, 2 pump, skim, no whip. Haha. We thought we sounded cool...prob just the norm for the staff at bucks. Oh well!

I am going to be super hungry today. I can feel it. I am going to eat a few of the cheddar cheese rice crackers for my mid-morning snack and then go with soup and soy nuggets for my lunch. I may need to head to whole foods for some fruit. I'm craving watermelon or grapes.

I have dinner plans tonight with Camp Kate! I need to do some quick fall/winter shopping in the old hood before we grub. I am in a total shopping mood!

Have a good day!
PK