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