I'd Hit That

You know what really blows? Realizing you bought no salt added ketchup. Yuck. I'll give up a lot of things but salt is not one of them. Same with carbs. And chocolate. And . . . well, maybe I *won't* give up a lot of things. ;)

One good thing about having a baby who doesn't want to sleep is that I've been able to catch up on all my DVR'd shows. My DVR is seriously my new BFF. We have AT&T Uverse and they recently made it to where you can watch recorded programs off any box in your house. We keep our recorder in the bedroom, but now I can watch all my reality TV in the living room when I'm rocking my baby back to sleep. Yay!

Last night, I was finally able to catch up on last week's episode of The Biggest Loser. OMG, how sad to see LT and Tom go! That would have been a lose-lose as far as voting goes because I loved the gray team and the yellow team. I still like the orange team, but the red team (Phil and Amy?? I believe) are quickly becoming favorites of mine. There's just something about a man who will cry - on national TV - just cause he gets to talk to his kids. Phil rocks!

I was also able to catch up on Dancing with the Stars. Gotta admit it, I totally have a girl crush on Kim Kardashian. I don't know if it's her I-like-big-butts-and-I-cannot-lie or just how gorgemous she is. Buuuut, it's probably the fact that when I watched her video with Ray J, I couldn't decide which one I'd rather do! All I know is, now that she's with Reggie Bush, I wouldn't mind being in the middle of that sammich! ;) I really hope she doesn't get voted off this week. Same with Rocco -- he is too cute for words. Cloris Leachman: GO HOME! And take yo' nasty cleavage with you . . .

I also managed to catch up on the Amazing Race (gotta love how all the chicks on that show - with the exception of the token geriatric/ weird-o - MIGHT weigh 110 pounds dripping wet) and 17 Kids and Counting. That's the show about the Duggar family with the 17 kids (and one more on the way). I bet that mom just completely chucked her skinny jeans yeeeears ago . . .

You wouldn't think of reality TV as being helpful with weight loss. Well, with the exception of the Biggest Loser, of course. But, the Duggar family aside, the shows I watch are kinda helpful. DWTS and the Amazing Race both kinda inspire me as far as fitness goes. I might only be eight pounds from reaching my weight loss goal, but I am a long, long, long way from being where I want to be as far as being in shape and toning up goes. I would LOVE to compete in something like the Amazing Race (who the hell would be my partner, though? Hubs and I would scratch each other's eyes out before it was over) and I really should look into taking ballroom dancing lessons. I went on a lesson once as a quasi-date. Even though I am so extremely-you-would-not-eeeeven-believe it-incredibly uncoordinated, it was a LOT of fun. You know you can feel the burn, too. My cousin (who is a very large man) took ballroom dancing classes in college and dropped, like, 40 pounds in a semester -- even with keeping up his pizza eating contests at CiCi's buffet.

I found this recipe on Yahoo yesterday. I can't wait to try it! I'll serve with marinera sauce rather than Ranch dressing though cause blech. Do not care too much for Ranch.

Wednesday's Menu:

Breakfast:
Breakfast Scramble (1/4 cup egg beaters, 2/3 cup diced hashbrowns [just brown them on the skillet with non-stick spray], 1 tbsp real bacon bites, 1 tbsp reduced fat shredded cheese, and taco sauce to taste: 3 WW points)
2 Pieces toast
Total Points: 5

Lunch
Bacon Swiss Sandwhich
2 Rice Cakes
Total Points: 7

Snack:
Pudding
M&M's Fun Pack
Total Points: 3

Dinner
Chili
Total Points: 3-6 (depending on how much I eat)

Snack
Frozen Grapes
Total Points: 1

Total Points: 19-22

This Too Shall Pass

My baby is not feeling good. He's not necessarily sick, but he has a little bit of a cold and you can tell he just feels, well, cruddy. I have the same thing -- runny nose, little bit of congestion, sore throat -- so I know how he feels. Poor little guy. =(

When I'm sick, all I want to do is sleep and sleep and sleep. Apparently, my little guy is the exact opposite. It was after 1:30 this morning before I finally got him to settle down and sleep more than 20 minutes at a stretch. He was up again at 3:30, back down at 4:30, and up yet again at 6:30.

To say I'm exhausted would be an understatement.

I remember the days when I could go out, drink all night and follow it up with breakfast at Denny's at 4:00 in the morning. Then I could drag myself home, sleep for two hours, and get up and be ready to be at work by 8:00. Those days are long gone. Losing sleep now makes me look (and feel) like Cruella De Vil.

It also effects my work outs big time. It's a cycle. I don't get to work out at night as I'd want to because the baby's not sleeping. I don't get any sleep at night so I nap when he naps during the day and . . . guess what? I once again miss a work out! Both boys are down right now and I've managed to make 28 minutes on the bike. Let's hope the little one will at least stay sacked out for another 32. I'd prefer he stay sacked out for another, oh, 10 hours or so but I'll take what I can get.

I'm a big stress eater and, yes, things like this stress me out. I'm also a big night grazer. So when my little one isn't wanting to go down and it's after midnight, I'm really feeling the pull to the freezer . . . or the fridge . . . or the pantry. It honestly takes every big of restaint I have to keep from stuffing my face with every single one of the 2-point fun sized kitkats I have in the pantry.

This too shall pass . . .

Even with the fussy baby, I wanted to get some baking done today. I've been wanting to try these for quite some time now. I thought I would bake them today and then eat a couple of them tomorrow. Jaybird thought I would bake them today and he would make his best attempt to eat the all today. Check out how I caught him:

Apparently, they were pretty good because he told me, "I love it."

I had more (quite a bit more) I planned on writing but I already hear the baby fussing. Sigh. 36 minutes. I'll do the daily menu and then tend to him.

Breakfast
Blueberry Pancakes
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Chicken Cordon Bleu (leftov-ah's!)
Baked Potato
Total Points: 5

Snack
2 Twinkie Bites
Total Points: 3

Dinner:
Cola Chicken
Baked Beans
Oven Fries
Total Points: 7

Snack:
Hersheys Stick
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 20

Girl, I Think My Butt Gettin' Big!

Just so you know: this will be one of those good ole TMI type of posts.

I've been bitching *a lot* here lately about reduction of junk in my trunk. Pictures from the side reveal that I'm quickly obtaining one of those sexy white girl long butts like my mom sports. Love it. <==== Sarcasm

Or, well, maybe not.

Losing weight + losing butt = Time to buy new pantywears.

I don't normally wear good old full butt bikini panties, butt (haha) I decided to buy some this time around. Body by Victoria . . . the seamless kind. Sexy, too. I picked up a medium because of that whole "losing butt" thing.

Yeah, well.

I'm not sure if it's the fact that they're VS and I've never tried their panties before. Or if it's that I'm so used to having a string up my crack that all undies just gravitate to there. Orrrr if it's the most obvious selection: they just plain don't fit.

*Shrugs*

Who knows.

But I am going to opt for the hope that maybe I'm not losing quite as much boo-tay as I thought. Woo Hoo!

Daily Menu for Monday:

Breakfast:
Pancakes
Total Points: 4

Lunch
Chili Dog
Chips
Total Points: 7

Snack
Icecream Sandwhich
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Laughing Cow Chicken Cordon Bleu
Baked Potato
Corn
Total Points: 8

Snack
Hershey's Stick
Total Points: 1

Daily Total: 22

The Maintain Game

The Maintain Game . . . hopefully, within the next month, I'll be the starting quarterback in that game. ;) I'm about as nervous as (I'm sure) Tyler Wilson was today when Casey Dick got hurt in the Arkansas/ Texas game (game, route, blow-out, whatever ya wanna call it).

After Jaybird was born, I lost 51 (or was it 52?) pounds in just over six months. Here's a picture of me on my 27th birthday, when Jaidan was seven months old:

And here is a picture taken just after Labor Day of 2007. I was pregnant, but didn't know it yet so I can't really blame any weight gain on my baby. It's not a full body picture because, well, I wasn't taking full body pictures at that time (for obvious reasons):

In just a few months time, I let a good 20 pounds creep back on to my frame. Probably more. How? Well, cokes. And fried food. And fast food. And, pretty much, just heading straight back into all my bad habits.

I weighed in on a Thursday morning in late April of '07 and found that I had met my goal. The very next day, I traveled to see my brother. Any hard work at all was totally and completely blown that weekend. I ate. And I ate. And I ate and I ate and I ate. I told myself I deserved it. And, maybe I did seeing as I had worked so hard from January to be at the size I was.

But, even when we got back from that trip I fell back full-fledged into eating crap. I was going to Sonic constantly for breakfast. And I wouldn't just stop at a burrito and tots. Oh no. I had to add a Route 44 Cherry Coke into the mix. I was drinking at least two bottled sodas a day and I'd also go through several 2-liters in a week. My low calorie lunches were replaced by going to Moe's with my coworkers for chicken nachos. Or asking one of the guys to bring me back a Bacon Cheeseburger when they went to the local greasy spoon. I fell back into my old eating habits. And I fell hard.

So how am I going to maintain this time around?

Honestly, I'm not sure what I am going to do but I know without a doubt what I'm not going to do. Sugary sodas are completely and totally off the horizon. No more. They're out of my life. We're divorced. ;) Even diet sodas, while not a complete no-no, will be used sparingly. I am a flavored water connoisseur and except for the occasional craving I get for a Sonic strawberry limeade, water is my beverage of choice. I'm not falling back into any food traps either. I know the 'diet' foods I like and I'll continue to eat those. I may not measure out my portion sizes completely as I have been doing. But I'm not going to switch from my weight-friendly version of chicken parmesan back to the fatty kind either. Fast food will still be eaten sparingly. And when we go to a sit-down place, I'll either order from their light menu or share my food with Jaybird. The serving sizes they give you are humongous.

Oh, and something I definitely do plan on doing: exercise!

I read this article on Yahoo a few weeks ago: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/capessa/3581/4-reasons-we-regain-weight

It's all about maintaining weight and lists four things you need to do in order to keep your trim figure. One of those is to exercise at least one hour a day. Once the weight is gone, I plan on working on toning up (hello! I'm 28 -- much too young to be sportin' this wing span). Exercise is not going to be that hard for me. If I can fit it in now, then it's only going to get easier from here. The older my baby gets, the more he'll sleep, play with his brother, etc, and the more time Mommy will have to get her work out on.

The article also points out that continuing to keep a food log aids in maintaining weight. So that's another thing I plan to do. I may not stick to it quite as much (heck, just being honest here) but I'll plan on doing my best. =)

So, that's the plan . . . or non-plan as best I can see it. I know there will be things that come up that will make me gain weight. Our trip to California, for one. But if a pound is gained, then hopefully a pound can just as easily be lossed by working my ass off the next week. The holidays might be a tough time for me, as well, since I absolutely l-o-v-e love to bake (and love to eat what I bake even more!) but I'm hoping since we're not going home this year and I'll only be cooking Christmas dinner for six (maybe eight) then it won't be quite as tough. Bridges will be crossed as they're come to. No complete backslides after indulging over vacation. And absolutely no letting the weight slowly but surely creep back up. I want a pair of size 10 jeans that can remain in my closet long after they've gone out of style but that I can pull on each day to prove . . . yeah, Mama's still got it.

Daily Menu for Sunday:

Breakfast:
Pancakes (Bisquick Heart Smart is the shizz, yo!)
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Baked Potato w/ chili and cheese
Apple Slices w/ caramel
Total Points: 6

Snack:
100 Calorie Pack Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Pudding
Total Points: 3

Dinner
Chicken Stuffing Casserole (ohhhhh, my favorite!)
Green Beans
Bread
Total Points: 6

Snack:
2 Mini-Haystacks
Total Points: 1

Total Points: 20

Losin' It

Maybe I should just start eating junk all the time now . . .

Down another two pounds this week!

I'm really surprised. I ate out several times over the weekend, had other "nuh-uh, you don't need that" meals, and missed five full days of exercise (other than running my mouth which I'm always good at when I'm at my mom's house. Heh). I suppose maybe the bad schtuff jump started my metabolism. Who knows. I'll take it.

I now have just eight pounds to go. EIGHT POUNDS! Single digits! I think when I meet my goal I will buy myself a ridiculously slutty outfit to seduce my husband with. Hmm.

Here are a couple of progress pictures:

The Jaybird decided he wanted in on this one:

Ugh, I loathe that baby bubble. What I wouldn't give for a Mommy Makeover!:

Total lost as of today: 57 pounds. Wowza! I'm definitely on track to be down 59 lbs by Jaybird's birthday in two weeks. And I'm crossing my fingers that all the weight will be gone by Halloween. We shall see.

Confession: I'm scared shitless of trying to maintain. Shitless.

Daily Menu for Saturday:

Breakfast:
Egg Beaters
Hashbrowns
Bacon
2 Pinwheel Biscuits
Total Points: 5

Lunch
Chicken Nachoes
Fun Size KitKat Bar
Total Points: 7

Snack
Pringles Stix
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
Cheeseburger Pie
Baked Potato
Green Beans
Total Points: 6

Snack:
2 Mini Haystacks
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21

Once You Pop . . .

The way the economy is now makes it more and more painful to go to the grocery store. I swear, I bought a package of baked Doritos last week for $2.50. I paid $3.28 for them last night. Everything has gone up. I used to could buy a 4-lb bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $6. Now it's a 3-lb bag and the price has gone up to $8. Bend over!

My family is not rich by any means or stretch of the imagination, but my hubs does make decent money between his civilian job and his military duties. But with gas prices and the cost of food going up, up, up . . . we're feeling the cruch massively. I can just imagine what it is like for families who were already struggling before this economy decided to take a nose dive.

I've been trying to be more concious about the foods I buy and the money I spend on them. I buy fewer pre-packaged snack foods (like 100-calorie packs) and instead buy the stuff so that I can make my own at home. I've almost completely quit buying microwavable meals because, really, why spend $2.50 on a Healthy Choice french bread pizza when that same amount of money can go into the ingredients to make my own pizza . . . and those ingredients can be used in numerous recipes and I can get at least four or five meals out of them.

I'd been dying to try the new Pringles Stix (FYI: Pringles are one of those things that just, in my humblest of opinions, makes life better. I went through about a can a day while I was pregnant!) but, for some reason, had it in my head there were only six packages in a box. That combined with the price (over $3 -- too much to spend on a snack food that's not icecream according to Brandi's Rules of Grocery Shopping) meant they were a nuh-uh.

Last night, however, my hubby actually picked up a box and threw them in the cart. I was surprised because, well, he seems to have a sixth sense about anything that's two weight watchers points or less and avoids whatever it is like the plague. But. He bought these.

And - SCORE! - there were not six packages in the box. There were ten!

Annnnd - SCORE! - they were absolutely delish.

We bought the pizza flavor and nun-nun-nun-nun-nun I'm lovin' it!

It's amazing the things in life that will make me happy . . .

Daily Menu for Friday:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal (I'm in such a rut when it comes to breakfast. I don't really care for oatmeal, but since absolutely nothing sounds good to me at all then meh, who cares)
Total Points: 2

Lunch:
Boca Burger w/ Bacon and Swiss (Christ on a cracker! My mom discovered these burgers and I had one at her place over the weekend. They're only . . .wait for it . . . 70 calories! Hell yeah! Add a bun, a slice of turkey bacon, and half a wedge of Laughing Cow and you have a nummy nummy burger for just 4 WW points. Life is good).
Macaroni and Cheese (just a teeny, tiny 1 WW point bit)
Baked Beans
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Rice Cake
Pudding
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
Homemade Pizza
Total Points: 10

Snack:
2 Mini Haystacks
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21

Attack of the MommyBots

I went to Babies 'R Us with my mom yesterday. I love the store just as much as the next person. Reasonably priced clothes, being able to feign shock and awe that people would actually pay that much for a pack-n-play, hell, what's not to love?

Oh yeah. This one fact: I have never seen a fat chick in Babies 'R Us.

The women generally shopping in there are what I like to call MommyBots. They are the size two's with legs longer than my entire body, nary a hair of place on their heads, driving huge SUV's roaring through the parking lot, and perfectly pedicured toes without so much as one teensy tiny chip on those perfect french tips.

It disgusts me. I'd rather see a 500-pounder in a tank top scootin' through Walmart on a motorized wheelchair.

The MommyBots also have with them what I call Super Babies. Not Super Babies as in the super duper smart types. But, as in the types, who do not have cheesedip on them from lunch. The types who do not have dirty faces or sticky hands or scabby elbows. They never scream in the store and they're usually placed in one of those seriously-how-much-did-they-pay-for-that cutsie thing-a-ma-jiggers that people put in a shopping cart to keep their Super Baby from being bored and/ or gnawing on the handle.

These MommyBots never look as though they've changed eight poopy diapers in one day or as if they've ever cleaned up a play room only to find a turd in the toy box.

And they intimidate the holy hell out of me.

Even when I feel cute in my getting-so-big-they're-falling-off-my-ass cropped jeans. Even when I've, um, "borrowed" my step-sister's Chi in order to straighten my hair rather than using my $39.99 Remington for the job. Even though I know their children can't be perfect all the time -- and neither can their hair. Even though I know they have to clean up poop and drag a screaming toddler out of a doctor's office and cajole a child into doing whatever by promising them a cookie. I know all this.

I wonder if I'll ever get over that feeling of intimidation.

I don't know if it's a weight thing, a looks thing, or a perception of perfection thing. But I do know I feel like the fattest, frumpiest mom to the brattiest kids everytime I walk into that store.

But, dammit, if I don't feel like a rock star in Walmart! ;)

** Our "fake-cation" was cut short thanks to a change in hubs work schedule so we're back in the Big D. And not a moment too soon. We're glad to be back and I'm glad to be getting back to the grind with eating right and exercising. Maybe this week's weigh in won't be too bad. (We'll just forget about the corn dog. And the empenadas. And the cheesesticks. And then . . . )

Daily Menu for Thursday

Breakfast
Blueberry Pancakes
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Mexican Pizza
Chips
Total Points: 6

Snack
Brownie w/ caramel
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Faux-fried chicken strips
Oven fries
Total Points: 4.5

Snack
Frozen Grapes
Total Points: 2

Total Daily Points: 18.5

In the Country . . .

"In the country" is a fairly grand way, believe it or not, to describe where my mother lives. Basically, you turn left once you get to BFE then take two rights once you turn off the paved road. Once you think you've completely left civilization, you find their place. And that's not too much of an exaggeration.

I woke up this morning with the grand idea of doing some sort of exercise to burn off the corndog and, uh, cotton candy and, um, funnel cake I had at the fair over the weekend. There is a trail that runs behind the house so I figured we'd hit that . . . a little bit of a "hike" to burn some calories.

The best laid plans . . .

For starters, even though I brought at least half a dozen of my cute Breast Cancer Awareness socks with the little pink ribbons on the side of them I completely forgot to bring these little things called tennis shoes. That's what I get for being proud of myself for packing only three pairs of tootsie-covers . . .

My shoe options were limited to two pairs of Old Navy flip flops and a funky pair of heels. I slipped on a pair of flippers (the 2 for $5 variety, at that), strapped the baby to my chest, and put the big boy on a leash. Yes, I'm that mother. However, given the fact that he has adapted this new 'no hol' han', Mommy' policy along with I wasn't sure what kind of wild animals would be lurking on the trail that he would want to sprint after, a leash seemed like a good idea.

We sat on our walk and about, oh, a whole five feet in I realized this is a bad idea. We saw at least two ant hills that were larger than my head. To say the grass was overgrown would be an understatement. And I was so busy looking out for snakes and wildabeasts (do wildabeasts roam the wilds of central Arkansas?) that I did not realize there were mosquitos the size of pteradactyles until I had about three bites/ welps swell up. Effin' lovely.

Back to the house for us. And I've come to the realization that I need concrete in order to properly exercise. Some people just aren't made for hiking!

Hello, Old Friend!

Well, well, well.

I weighed in this morning for a two pound loss from last week. Yay! Aaaaand . . . there was a number in that middle digit on my scale that I had not seen in a long, long, long time. Try, oh, five freaking years.

I never realized how much I like the number five. It looks so much more appealing than seeing a six followed by whatever number. 159. I kinda likey.

It also means I have just ten pounds to go before I meet my goal. Ten pounds! TEN! As in, I lose just a pound next week and I'll be in the single digits left to lose. Holla!

And it feels so good . . .

A progress pic for the day. Ignore the hair. Por favor!



Not to be vain, but I see a hot chick in that picture. Yuh-huh.

Just a few hours until the Testosterone Team and I load up and get the hell outta dodge. I managed to pack everything (well, everything clothes-and-shoes wise) for the boys and I in two suitcases and one oversized diaper bag. I thought - still think - that was pretty awesome. Especially considering the fact that I only brought THREE (yes, THREE) pairs of shoes for myself. Hubs wasn't too impressed. "Can't you just take a few things and do laundry?" Boy, does this man know the way to a gal's heart. I mean, that's exactly what a woman wants to do when she's on a quasi-vacation. I'm about to orgasm at the sheer thought of it. Laundry! Laundry! Yes, yes, yes! Maybe if I'm lucky enough he'll suggest we take our own dishes when we go to Vegas so that I can wash them in the hotel bathroom sink and scrape little food pieces off with my fingernails. *Rolls eyes* Men . . .

My goal is to come back from this FAKE-ation two pounds lighter. I'd be happy with maintaining. I know my grandmother feels that old lady duty to fatten anyone up the minute they walk through the door. Take mercy on me, Grams, I haven't had fried food in months!

Guiltless = Gutless?

I used to think the best job in the world would be oiling up cabana boys. Pshaw. A little bit older and a little bit wiser. And now I know if there is oil and there is a cabana boy . . . well, I sure as hell better be the one getting crisco'd up for a good tan!

But I do believe I have figured out the best job in the world.

A food critic!

You get to eat (score!) and you get to write about it. It's like my two favorite things in the world. Add in some sexins and let me eat a bacon cheeseburger [and not gain weight, natch] at every review and, well, you've got you a little piece of Brandi Heaven right there.

After we finished running errands this morning, Hubs decided he wanted to take us all out to eat. Okay. Today was September 18th. I had not eaten out at all, in the least, not even a little bit since August 31st. Holy! This is the girl who is the Fast Foodie. This is huge. Heeeee-uge. Capital H, capital U, capital . . . you get the picture.

We walked into Chili's and I'm thinking to myself, "Great! There goes getting to eat any other GD thing for the rest of the day. I'll be lucky to get out of here and stay within my points range for the whole damn day. I'm sure a handfull of raisins will be uber yummy for supper tonight." The stank face was on. And in full force.

Ummm, tell me why I didn't know that Chili's has a Guiltless Grill?

Oh yeah . . . probably cause I was usually stuffing my face with queso. Or southwest eggrolls. Or chicken crispers. Or the turkey club. Or chocolate chip paradise pie (hello, lover!)

But today I settled on the Guiltess Chicken Sandwich, which came in at 490 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 11 grams of dietery fiber. According to two different websites, it's either 8.5 or 11 WW points and according to the online calculator I use, it was 10. *Shrugs* Who knows. The point was, I'd planned on eating two turkey sausages on bread at 6 points and a homemade Sonic Blizzard/ DQ Blast type-a thingamajig that tallied up to 4 points. Scrap the quasi-icecream and no harm, no foul when it came to lunch.

And guess what? The Guiltess Chicken Sanwich was good. Seriously good. Nummy nummy bite bites, in the words of my two-year-old. It was served with the best black beans I have ever put in my mouth and steamed veggies with parmesan (I'll pass).

And guess what else? I WAS FULL! Much to my surprise. I didn't even need the icecream. Or any other snack for that matter. My 10-point lunch was worth every point 'cause it was delish and it kept me full 'till supper time. Score!

Chili's, I now love you for more than just your french fries. And your margaritas. Oh, your Southwestern Eggrolls. Can't forget those boneless buffalo wings. And the baby back, baby back, baby back Chiiiiiiili's baby back ribs. Mmmm.

** In other news . . . I saw this article on Yahoo earlier today: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness.html?_r=1&no_interstitial&oref=slogin

A few weeks ago, there was actually a story about this on my local news. It's a treadmill desk . . . so people can actually exercise while at work. Is that not the coolest thing ever? I wish they'd had it while I was working. Maybe that would have kept my ass from expanding. Well, that and not inhaling all the free Krispy Kremes you get from working for the Po-Po . . .

No Daily Menu for tomorrow. I'll be wingin' it as we'll be travelin'. Woo Hoo.

It's the Shizz, Yo!

If it were not for Nick Jr and reality TV, I don't know that my television set would be on at all. Sitcoms just aren't good anymore. I miss the days when there were new episodes of Sex and the City, Friends, Will and Grace. Even the dramas that I once adored I feel 'meh' about. Desparate Housewives lost me right around the second season when it got too soap opera-ish (and, plus, every single episode I watched just reminded me of how much I loathe Eva Longoria-Why'd you marry HER, Tony-Parker). I lost interest in Grey's Anatomy due to the writer's strike. And, well, it's pretty much Go Diego Go, the Backyardigans, and another of my antidrugs . . . reality TV.

My guilty pleasure is the cheesy, I'd be willing to bet they all have venereal disease, drama-filled shows on VH1. Though I refuse to watch anything that has a Hogan in it, the rest of those shows instantly find their way to my DVR. I'm completely engrossed in I Love Money right now -- a fact that I'm more than a little bit ashamed of. I have no idea where in Mexico they are, but I'd be willing to bet the STD's per capita of that particular area shot way, waaaay up while they were filming. Except, of course, for Mr. Boston. I watched the pre-show. I know that he posts his [completely clean] STD record on his [apparently revolving] bedroom door.

When it comes to the shows on network, I am all about me some Top Model (of course). And American Idol (though the last season I felt more than a little "whenisthisshowgoingtoend?" about). And, of course, The Biggest Loser. How could you NOT love this show? I mean, Bob is hot but Jillian is even hotter. You get awesome weight loss tips. You totally feel inspired. It's the shizz, yo!

It is absolutely impossible to pick a favorite this early in the game. Im-poss-i-ble. I'm sure I'll feel differently when more time has passed and they've had a chance to be whiney/vindictive/ get on my last nerve. Right now, though, I find myself pulling for Ed and Heba. I think it has to do with them being newlyweds and wanting to start a family. And also with the fact that Heba is the largest female there. I can't imagine how hard that must be for her. It would be hard enough to go on that show and have to weighed in front of all of America, but to do that being the largest of your gender. Yeow - uncomfy! Especially if you're female. Ouch. About as comfortable as being Sarah Palin in a room full of feminists.

** Hubs keeps trying to talk to me (about New York Undercover - a TV series that was cancelled before I graduated high school ten plus years ago) as I type this. Grr. It's almost as though he just KNEW this entry was about the old boob tube. Hmmm. I will not get annoyed with my husband. I will not get annoyed with my husband.

Daily Menu for Thursday

Breakfast
SlimFast Shake (not willingly -- I have an early morning appoitnment and the only other portable breakfast foods in my house are 'tot-tarts).'
Total Points: 2

Lunch
2 Turkey Sausages on Bread
Total Points: 6

Snack
Frozen Cool Whip w/ M&M's (my version of a Sonic Blizzard that I have seeee-o been craving here lately)
Total Points: 4

Dinner
Baked Salmon
Macaroni and Cheese (we always have to have this - the Country Crock premade kind) when hubs is home. If I only eat 1/4 cup it's just 2 WW points)
Baked Beans (aaaaagain!)
Total Points: 6

Snack
Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 19

Too Much and Not Enough

I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in!

We're leaving this Friday and our trip has gone from 9 days to 14. I have to pack for myself and two little people, do laundry, buy a few odds and ends that we need, vaccuum, sweep, and mop my floors (ugh), and I have an appointment on Thursday. Yay.

I am afraid that I won't lose this time around. I don't know why. I've been doing everything right. Working out -- even more than usual, really, because I can take longer walks thanks to our b-e-a-utiful weather. Staying within my points range. Drinking water and not eating after 6:00. But, I dunno, I'm just having a fat week. I'm afraid that if I don't lose this week then I will lose any motivation over the next two weeks. It's going to be hard enough to lose anyway since I'll mostly be depending on other people for my meals. But, I'm afraid if I don't see a loss on the scales this time around then I'll be ready to throw my hands up in the air and have a funnel cake or five at one of the fairs we're going to.

Yes, I said fairs. We're going to a fair very close to my hometown Saturday afternoon. I'm excited to take my boys since I loved it so much as a child. The following Saturday (when I wish I'd be in Austin watching my Hogs play the Longhorns), we're going to the fair in Memphis. Fried food is my downfall. Deep fry a turd and I'd probably eat it. Sigh. Lead me not into temptation . . .

Two weeks away means it's going to be that much harder to meet my goal that I had set to lose by my Jaybird's birthday (October 10th). I still have six to go to meet that goal. If I lose two this week, one each while I'm away, and then two more the week I'm back, I'll have met it. Please, oh please, oh please!

Daily Menu for Wednesday:

Breakfast
Hashbrowns
2 slices bacon
1 slice toast
Total Points: 4

Lunch
Chicken Nachos
Hersheys Stick
Total Points: 6

Snack
Brownie with caramel
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Turkey Meatballs
Garlic Potatoes
Green Beans
Garlic Bread
Total Points: 8

Snack
Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Total Points: 21

Ahhh . . . Feels Like Fall . . .

When I woke up this morning (which was before God, by the way) it was only 62 degrees outside. Holy Moly! The temperature didn't get above 80 all day long. As much as I love sultry, hot summer nights . . . I am l-o-v-e loving this weather!

Fall is a funny thing in this part of the country. The weather will tease us for awhile. We'll have a week like this, and then the temps will shoot back up to near 100. Another week like this, another shoot up, and so on and so fortn. I know not to get too excited, buuuuuut . . . it sure is nice for now.

The boys and I were able to go for a walk this morning and when we came home I was not sweating. This is big. Huge, even. I remember a friend's grandmother once telling me, "Ladies do not sweat. Ladies do not perspire. Ladies glow." Well, fuck me, cause I sweat like a damn hog. Guess I'm not a lady. Though I think that title went out the window the first time I peed on the side of the road . . .

Anyhow, it was super nice to come in from our walk and NOT be dripping with sweat. Even nicer considering we left a good hour later than we usually do and we added a few more streets to our walk. I love what this time of year means for "working out!"

Hubs comes home tonight which means I'm probably making my daily menus in vain. I know he said something about frying fish one day this week. Sigh.

Daily Menu

Breakfast
English Muffin with jelly
Hashbrowns
1 slice bacon
Total Points: 5

Lunch
Chili cheese nachos
Total Points: 4

Snack
Mock Icecream Sandwhiches
Total Points: 3

Dinner
Southern Pork Chops
Baked Beans (we waaaaaay over bought for our Labor Day cookout and we'll probably have cans of Bush's until next Labor Day)
Corn on the Cob
Bread
Total Points: 8

Snack
Chocolate Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21

Obssession.

I have a new obsession.

Sparkrecipes.

I joined Sparkpeople in early 2007 when I was trying to lose baby weight the first time around. I rejoined it (don't eeeeeven ask me to remember my original log in and password) in June of this year when I knew I wanted to buckle down and shed the pounds. I visit the website very sporadically and it pretty much seemed to not really be anything for me once I decided to nix counting calories and start counting WW points. HOWEV-AH. They have the whole site dedicated to recipes and I am now addicted to going through them, saving them to my own cookbook, and tallying up the WW points.

I love to cook and I adore trying new recipes. This is right up my ally! Unfortunately, most will have to wait. I'm stocked on the groceries I need for the next week and Friday we'll be leaving to spend a week and a half in Arkansas and Memphis. So no Spark recipes juuuuust yet.

Daily Menu for Monday:

Breakfast:
Banana Cream Pancakes (Whoops! I lied! These are version of this recipe)
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Ham and cheese sandwhich
Chips and salsa
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Turkey Sausage w/ BBQ sauce
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
Honey Fried Drumsticks
Au Gratin Shredded Potatoes
Green Beans
Bread
Total Points: 8

Snack:
Hershey's Stick
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21

It's a Funny Thing

I'm a white woman married to a black man. Obviously, there are all kinds of stereotypes associated with being in an interracial relationship. The one that irritates me the most is the misconception that if a black man dates a white woman, she must be fat. I'll be completely honest in saying that fighting that particular stereotype is one driving force behind my weight loss. I don't want people to look at us and think, "Oh, I get it . . . she's built like a linebacker for the Chicago Bears." I wasn't fat when my husband met me and - in the words of my grandfather - good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I won't be fat again.

A stereotype is generally rooted in some form of the truth -- even if it's skewed and only a small fraction of those stereotyped actually fit into that stereotype (seriously, where is a thesaurus? Is there a symonym for that word at all? Sheesh - three times in one sentence). And, in our case, one stereotype is definitely true: I like big butts and I cannot lie. My hubs appreciates a nice, juicy booty.

I think all men have their "thing." They're either a leg man, butt man, or boob man. I've never met a man who would pass on a nice set of hooters, but there are some out there who actually go after nice legs or a nice ass first. Enter my husband.

Last night I was whining to him about the fact that I had only lost one pound last week. He whined back that maybe that's a good thing, that maybe I don't need to lose anymore weight. Why? Because he doesn't want my booty-booty-booty-booty-rockin'-everywhere to disappear. Hate to tell you, hubs, but I'm thinking that ASSett went AWOL a few pounds ago!

I've said it before: I'm losing this weight for me. No one else. However, my husband and boys are the most important people in my life so obviously the hubs' opinion matters.

A week or so ago I had said - to him and in here - that I was going to lose down to 155 and then reassess my goals from there. What I really meant was I was going to lose down to 155 and then continue to bust my ass in order to weigh 140. I'm not going to lie, that middle number of '4' is awfully important to me. I haven't seen it in years and I really would like for it to make a reappearance on my scale.

All the BMI charts (and, yes, I'm well aware that the whole BMI system is load of manure) list 145 at being the highest weight for a person who is 5'4 inches tall. BMI, however, doesn't taken into account various things. Muscle, bone structure, etc. I'm not a small-boned girl, I'm just not.

With that said, my goals have been readjusted and my new goal is 149 (see, I said that 4 was important to me!). Hopefully this will keep the little bit of junk that's left in the trunk still back there. It'll put me in a size 10 clothes (and oh em gee - cannot even remember the last time). So there we are. New goal. 149. 12 pounds away. I need to change my ticker.

Ya know, weight really is a funny thing. For some reason, the number '160' seems awfully big to me. Whereas, 159 doesn't. Changing that middle number, changing your weight watchers points . . . it just seems different. (On the same token, '170' to '169' doesn't seem as big a deal to me. I'm such a weirdo).

I was reading a blog last night from a woman who started her weight loss journey at 486 pounds. I read through entry after entry and my heart just went out to this woman. And I thought, "really? I'm complaining about sitting at 161? I was so upset about breaking 200 . . . while growing a baby?" 486 pounds. It really puts things into perspective.

Today, however, I happened to read a post on Capessa about losing baby weight. The woman the article was about did not want to top 150 pounds in her pregnancy. Are you kidding me? Do people really DO that? I would give my left boob to be at 150 pounds without another human being growing inside of me. Unreal. Like I said, weight is such a funny thing.

Daily Menu for Sunday:

Breakfast:
Apple cinnamon pancakes
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Bacon swiss veggie burger
Baked Beans
Total Points: 8

Snack:
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Rice Cake
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
French Onion Chicken and Potato Bake
Green Beans
Bread
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Haystack
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 21

Well, Isn't That Special

I am only down a pound this week. One measly little miserable pound. I keep telling myself that it's better than nothing. And it's hella better than a gain. But - BLAH. I haven't lost just a pound in two months! I remember because it was the weekend of my brother's wedding. My goal was to lose a total of 34 pounds by the time he got married. I ended up only losing a pound the week before and being off my goal by only one pound.

I really hope this is just Labor Day weekend's liquid calorie consumption catching up with me and not anything dreadful like . . . dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuun . . . a plateau (I feel as though I should whisper that word). I have six pounds to lose by my Jaybird's birthday which is four weeks from today. And I really, really want those six pounds gone! Surely, surely.

I made haystacks this afternoon for us to have as our after dinner snack. The recipe calls to divide the haystacks into six equal portions. Only problem with that, is the chocolate melts super fast once it hits your fingers. I made more like 15 tiny ones when I made them today. They're just as yummy and - BONUS - my two-year-old doesn't end up quite as chocolately when eating them. Score!

We had chicken stuffing casserole for dinner tonight. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite comfort dishes, but it's also a danger food. Why? Because I could sit down and eat the whole pan by myself! Anyhow, thought I'd share the recipe. This is Mommy and Jaybird approved - we both love it.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
8 oz fat free sour cream
1 small package of herb or chicken stuffing
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon 0-calorie butter (recipes always call for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, but I use Parkay - hell-o, cheaper!)

Boil chicken until thoroughly cooked. Drain chicken and soak in cold water to cool. Grease 9x13 pan and pour 3/4 of stuffing into the pan. Mix stuffing with butter. If chicken is cool enough, shred into small pieces and spread on top of stuffing. Mix soup and sour cream and pour over chicken mixture. Top with remaining stuffing. Poke holes in the casserole and pour chicken broth over the casserole.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

The place I got the recipe from sets the points at 7, but the way I figured it was only 5. I also third the recipe when I make it. That way, there's no leftovers and, therefore, no temptation. Holla!

Daily Menu for Saturday:

Breakfast:
English Muffin with honey
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Faux fried chicken strips (I am only making half the recipe, therefore the points value is much lower)
Honey Mustard sauce (1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1/8 tsp onion powder = 1 WW pt)
Baked Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Total Points: 6.5

Snack
Turkey links with BBQ sauce
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Chili Cheese Fries (Since I can't have them in front of the Cowboys game Monday night . . . )
Total Points: 5 or 6 depending on amount of cheese used

Snack
2 Mini Haystacks
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 19.5

Leave it to the Fashion Industry

This article about models used during New York Fashion Week was on Yahoo earlier today: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_on_re_us/fashion_week_skinny_models

Just a little tidbit or two:

Models were up to sizes 2 and 4 — not 0, according to Nian Fish, chair of a fashion designers health initiative.

Holy cow! A size 2-4. For women who are, at the very least, 5'9. Well, gawd, they might as well have a herd of rhinos stampeding down the runways. Sheesh.

"I think there's progress," said Fish, creative consultant for KCD Worldwide, which produces fashion shows and events. "The girls are still slim. We didn't want them not to be slim. We wanted a projection of health."

Of course they don't want them to not be slim. They do not even want them to be regular sized (hello! Average woman in this country is a size 14). The clothes these designers make aren't designed for normal women. They're soley designed - best I can tell - exclusively for these runways or the pages of magazines like Vogue. Or, possibly, for 10-year-old boys seeing as they have the body style to fit them properly. And, for the record, I find it reeeeeeeally hard to believe that someone who is 6'0 tall and can fit into a size 2 is exctly the picture of health. Good projection there. *Eye roll*

Young girls can now see more realistic shapes on television, from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to the plus-size winner on "America's Next Top Model." And models have largely disappeared from the covers of magazines, replaced by celebrities who generate their own is-she-too-thin headlines.

Ah, yes, that plus-sized winner of ANTM. I loved Whitney. I rooted for her to win. But, I'll be honest, I would hate to live in a world where I was 5'10, a size ten and considered "plus-sized." Not only that, but if she is successful in her career she'll be plagued with those words just like Emme is/was. She'll forever be known as "plus-sized model Whitney." Even if I was nearly 6'0 tall and even if I did have the looks to be a model, they could take their "plus-sized" and stuff it. As much as I love to watch ANTM, it just puts more of a spotlight on an industry that is, for lack of a better word, WHACK!

Honestly, the whole article made me wanna go scarf down a complete package of double-stuff oreos in defiance of what these whackjobs think the female body should be. Either that or stuff a cheeseburger down one of their size two throats . . .

*Steps down from soapbox*

Tomorrow is weigh-in. If I've lost at least 3 pounds this week then I'm going to treat myself. I'll enjoy a bowl of (five point) chili cheese fries while watching the Cowboys trample the Eagles during Monday Night Football. The chili cheese fries are well within my points range, but I normally don't eat after 6:00 p.m. and this game starts at 7:30. . . so that's my treat! Later eating. Ahhhh, the things I can get excited about. ;)

Daily Menu for Friday:

Breakfast
Egg Beaters
2 slices Bacon
1 Cinnamon Roll
Total Points: 5

Lunch
English Muffin Pizzas
Total Points: 5

Snack:
Smore Sundae
Total Points: 3

Dinner
Chicken Stuffing Casserole
Green Beans
Bread
Total Points: 7

Snack
2 Haystacks
Total Points: 2

Total Daily Points: 22

Wanna Be Like Mike

My son makes me feel like he thinks I'm an NBA All-Star. I suppose it's easy to be a supa-star if your Fisher Price basketball goal doesn't even quite come to your chest! We were "shooting hoops" today and everytime I would make one he would yell, "Wow-o-Wow, Mommy!"

Made me feel good.

I wonder if there are any openings for 5'4 white chicks in the WNBA . . .

Regardless, it feels good to be able to play and run around with my baby. I feel like I've been either pregnant or recovering from giving birth the past two plus years! It's nice to run around and be silly and, ahem, practice my moves on the court with the little guy. Plus, I'm sure it burns a calorie or two as well. Actually, I have a feeling throwing him over my shoulder and tickling him while he yells, "'top it, Mommy! 'Top it!" burns more calories than actually shooting hoops on the midget goal. But still. A calorie burned is a calorie burned!

Daily Menu for Thursday:

Breakfast:
Blueberry pancakes (I mixed the batter while watching ANTM - go me!)
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Buffalo Chicken Bites
Total Points: 9 (Wowza!)

Snack:
Skinny Cow Icecream Bar
Total Points: 1

Dinner:
Weenies and Kraut (my Granny was known for her weenies and kraut. I know it always sounds weird to people who aren't 'in the know' but it's one of my favorite dishes ever. I know I can't really do it justice the way she always did, but damn I was hell glad to see that 1/2 a can of kraut only ranks in at one WW point)
Total Points: 4

Snack:
Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 19

Carbohydrates . . . They Do a Body Good!

I've come to the conclusion that I must have PMS symptoms when I ovulate. Because I have been one hormonal, emotional beyotch today. Not to mention I've wanted to eat everything in sight. I did the same thing last month when I was in the "in between" of Aunt Flo visits. Effin' lovely.

Thing is, when I say I want to eat everything in sight I mean everything in sight. In a moment of weakness when I was grocery shopping, I picked up some packages of cookies. Four packages, to be exact, seeing as they were marked four for a dollar. They're not even good cookies. They're cheapies. The 'peanutbutter cream,' 'vanilla cream,' 'duplex cream.' Those things. I bought them mostly so the hubs would stay out of the 100 calorie packs I buy for myself, and yet all day today I've had to fight the urge to bite into one of those nasty cookies. Sigh.

I've been kinda bad here lately about straying from my daily menu. It's not that big of a deal (in my mind, anyhow) as long as I stay within the points range I've allotted for each meal. Today - thanks to those ovulation-brought-on PMS symptons as well as rainy, dreary weather - I couldn't help but lust after a McAllister's Spud Ole. It's a potato as big as your head that's doused in chili and piled high with cheese and jalapenos and chopped onions. It's absolute heartburn city and there are times when I'd be willing to offer up my first born for one! I had a potato on my menu for today, but I nixed the Hungry-Girl version of a "Mexi-tato" and made my own Spud Ole. I had picked up some Wolf Brand Turkey Chili my last grocery shopping trip and was surprised to learn that a 1/4 cup serving is only one weight watchers point. Hellz yeah! Apparently, chili is pretty damn high in dietary fiber. This is a good thing. I think I could live off chili. Anyhow, I piled the turkey chili on top of a potato and topped with low fat cheese (sorry - can't do fat free, nuh uh, no how, now way -- not when it comes to cheese) and jalapenos. Was it as good as a Spud Ole? No. Was it a good enough impersonation to knock the edge off? Yuppers. And, I have to say . . . I had never tried the Wolf brand turkey chili before -- the only turkey chili I've ever tried is Hormel. The Hormel stuff is uber-nasty. But the Wolf is great! They carry a lean beef version as well that's only a point more, but honestly -- the turkey was good enough that I don't know that I would waste the point. *Shrugs*

You know what would be really great? If food companies like Betty Crocker would sell some of the seasonings they offer with their various products. Tonight, I made Betty Crocker's skillet potatoes (if you nix the oil and just heavily douse the potatoes with cooking spray, each serving is only one WW point!). I made the garlic herb flavor and the seasoning was sooooo good. I couldn't help but think it would be super good to season some chicken with. Too bad they don't bottle that stuff and sell it in the spice aisle . . .

And, finally, my baby is four months old today. Awww. Here is a picture of the two of us today:

For comparison purposes, here's one of me with my oldest when he was four months old:

I'm not sure how much heavier I was then than I am now. But I do know those jeans (my favorite ever!) were a size larger than what I currently wear and I can distinctly remember laying on my bed to put them on! LOL.

Daily Menu for Wednesday

Breakfast
2 cinnamon rolls
Total Points: 4

Lunch
Ham and cheese sandwhich
Apple slices with caramel
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Dinner:
Baked Chimichangas
Refried Beans
Chips
Total Points: 9

Snack:
Hersheys Stick
Total Points: 1

Daily Total: 21

Scheck it Oooooout

The way my master bath is set up, you can't help but check yourself out in the vanity mirror once you step out of the shower. The mirror is right there in front of the shower. And the mirror is also very high so most of the steam and condensation doesn't quite reach the area where you actually see yourself.

Believe me, this caused no small amount of anxiety when I was pregnant and shortly after giving birth. Nothing brings you quite as close to cardiac arrest as seeing big ass, big thighs, and big belly live and in living color . . . when it's your ass, your thighs, and your belly.

So I've gotten used to checking myself out everytime I climb out of the shower. And today, for the first time, I didn't clutch the towel to me (confession: I LOVE how towels feel so much bigger around me now. Love it!). I let it drop and really checked myself out. Nekkkkkkkkid as a jaybird. Dimpled thighs and all. And today, for the first time, I thought "if it wasn't for her stomach, that chick would be kinda hot!"

I'll have stomach issues until I either have a tummy tuck or the day I die. But it's a big step . . . a huge step . . . for me to NOT be repulsed by the site of myself in all my nakey glory. Weird as it is, I'm proud. I won't be parading on a beach in a bikini anytime within the next fifty million years but . . . I guess it was just nice to look at me and see the hard working paying off . . . not just see everything that's still left to do. Good feeling.

The "tummy thing" is always my issue, but I do feel like it's getting smaller. I haven't done a "side view" in a while so here's one:

Holy saggy drawers, Batman! Where did my ass go? Check that picture out compared to the one in my header. The junk has left my trunk. Of course, when big booties come in style mine has to say bye, bye, bye. That's just the kinda luck I got . . .

But I *can* see subtle changes in the tummy area. Not tummy tuck type changes but it does look a little better. I just want to one day look like a woman whose had a couple of babies. Not a woman whose had a couple of babies, a surgical debreedment, an open wound, and 85,000 pounds of scar tissue.

Switching gears.

If you love chili rellenos (and I do!) then you MUST try this recipe! I made it for dinner tonight and WOWZA! That shizz is nummy nummy num num! (In the words of my two year old).

Daily Menu for Tuesday:

Breakfast:
Bacon, egg, and cheese burrito
Total Points: 5

Lunch:
Mexi-tato
Total Points: 5

Snack
Brownie
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Teriyaki Chicken
Skillet potatoes
Green beans
Bread
Total Points: 7

Snack:
Apples with caramel
Total Points: 2

Total Daily Points: 19

A Little Piece of Heaven!

Pretty much anyone who knows me well knows about my addiction to the Hungry Girl website. I love their recipes and their product finds and their hints and tips and well . . . just about everything about it! Their cookbook is basically my Bible. My brownie sundae as well as the Smore sundae that always seem to find their way onto my daily menus came from the website. As well as the idea of what to do with the brownie mix you have left over from the brownie sundae:

HG Tip! Wondering what to do with the rest of your brownie mix? Make single-serving brownies by thoroughly mixing 2 tbsp. brownie mix with 1 tsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute and 1 tsp. water in a small dish and then microwaving for 1 minute. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then consume immediately! Your treat will contain around 106 calories, 2g fat, 22g carbs, and 1g fiber (POINTS® value 2*).

**I only microwaved for 30 seconds and mine was heated thoroughly. Then I made it a little piece of heaven - I added a teaspoon of sugar free caramel to the top. Mmmm! Heavenly! I wouldn't want to live in a world without caramel -- that's one of those foods that just instantly makes everything better.

I am asked a lot by OD and CM people who read this blog where I find the recipes for the foods that make up my daily menus. I'm also asked from time to time about different products I use, where I find them, all that good stuff. Soooo I thought I would use this entry to share some of them!

Most of my recipes either come from the Hungry Girl website or cookbook or Aimee's Adventures. I stumbled on that website one day when I was clicking through different weight loss blogs and WOWZA . . . everything she makes is stuff that my family LOVES. Tonight we tried the BBQ Pork and it was so good. Definitely one to add to the "repeat and repeat often" file. We've also tried her turkey meatballs, corndogs (I messed this one up -- I thought I had cornmeal but it ended up I had cornstarch. So we basically had pigs in a blanket on a stick!), chicken fried steak, creamy chicken mignon, cinnamon rolls, and easy rolls. Honestly, the only recipe I've tried of hers that I wasn't totally taken with was the cheesy chicken. I'll make it again, though, and when I do make it I'll season the chicken before I put it in the crock pot.

A couple other recipe websites I've found are Dottie's Weight Loss Zone and That's My Home.

I also have recipes of my own, things I have made in the past with new, healthier versions. Here are a couple of them:

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan:

4 - 4-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 low fat mozerella cheese sticks (I use Sargento brand)
1 packet chicken flavored shake and bake (you can nix a point if you don't add this)
1 cup pre-made spaghetti sauce
Low fat mozerella cheese (I use WW brand)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking dish my spraying with non-stick spray. Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce on bottom of the pan. Pound the chicken breasts and season as you like (I use garlic salt and oregano). Halve the cheese sticks and place one half in each chicken breast. Roll the chicken around the cheese stick. Be sure to "tuck" the ends to keep all the cheese from melting out. Coat each chicken in shake and bake and place in the pan. Cover each breast with 1/8 cup of spaghetti sauce and a small dusting of mozerella cheese. Cover and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. **You can also stuff with turkey pepperoni for extra points**

Laughing Cow Chicken Cordon Bleu -- I have no idea who to attribute this to, but it has become a favorite around my house!

4 4-oz chicken breasts
8 slices low fat ham
4 slices of laughing cow swiss cheese (you can actually just use two and half them -- it's plenty of cheese and that shizz is kinda pricey!)
1 packet chicken flavored shake and bake

Preheat oven to 375. Pound chicken flat. Add two slices of ham and one wedge (or half wedge) of laughing cow cheese to each chicken breast. Fold over and secure with toothpicks. Dip each chicken in the shake and bake and place in greased baking dish. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Mexican Pizza -- this is one of my favorites!

2 white corn tortillas
1/8 cup fat free refried beans
1/3 cup Morning Star crumblers
1 tsp taco seasoning
1/2 packet of 2-pt WW cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon taco sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown each corn tortilla in a skillet. I usually spray both sides of the tortilla with non-stick spray and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Heat refried beans until warm. Heat MS crumbles with taco seasoning and enough water to make it the right consistency. You can also add chili powder for an extra kick. Place on corn tortilla on a greased cookie sheet. Top with refried beans, crumbles, and a small bit of cheese. Add other tortilla. Top that tortilla with taco seasoning and remainder of cheese. Bake at 400 until cheese is melted.

Chicken Nachoes -- I love, love, love the chicken nachoes at Moe's Southwest Grill. We don't even have one in this area that I know of, but if we did - watch out! My own version doesn't even begin to equal the Moe's version but it takes care of my nacho tooth (ya know, like a sweet tooth . . . )

3 corn tortillas
1.5 oz chicken fajita meat
1 tsp taco seasoning
1/4 cup black beans
1/2 packet WW shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon taco sauce
jalapenos, chopped

Spray both sides of each corn tortilla with non stick spray and sprinkle with salt. Cut them into quarters using a pizza cutter and bake at 375 until each side is golden brown. Heat black beans. Heat chicken with taco seasoning and just enough water to make it the right consistency. Place corn tortilla chips on a plate and top with black beans. Place chicken on top of beans and top with cheese. Add taco sauce and jalapenos. Yum!

This one isn't so much a recipe as a way to jazz up instant mashed potatoes. Yeah, we eat lots of tators in this house but making them from scratch takes too much time and energy -- two things we don't have a lot of around this place! You can easily make 1-pt instant mashed potatoes by subsituting chicken broth for your skim milk. Instead of using regular butter, use spray butter (I use Parkay -- it's cheaper than I Can't Believe It's Not Butter). Something else I do occassionally, is drop a beef buillon cube in just as the water is starting to boil. Before it has completely dissolved, I'll add the potato flakes. This gives it more of a "it's got gravy in it" sort of taste.

As far as different products go . . .

I use the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta noodles. I've only tried the penne noodles, but my whole family loved them. Hubs didn't even know they were wheat noodles! That's always a good sign, in my book. =)

The Hershey's Sticks I always have on my menu are little 60-calorie chocolate bars. They're very skinny (like I'm trynna be!!) but they totally take the edge off any chocolate craving. They have five or so different flavors but due to my love of caramel, well, um, I haven't tried any of the other flavors just yet! I always pick them up in the candy section of my local Walmart.

I think that about covers it! A lot of times I'll find a recipe on a website and tweak it to meet my and my family's needs. If you haven't noticed, I'm not a real big veggie eater. That's another thing I'm trying to work on -- and thanks to my BFF, I now have the Sneaky Chef book that teaches you to puree veggies and hide them in different recipes. Now maybe I'll be able to at least get much closer to getting those 8 servings (gulp!) a day.

Daily Menu for Monday

Breakfast
2 Cinnamon Rolls
Total Points: 4

Lunch
HG Pizza
Craisins
Total Points: 6

Snack
Rice Cake
Pudding
Total Points: 2

Dinner
Chicken Quesadilla
Chili Relleno Bake
Chips and salsa
Total Points: 9

Snack:
Hersheys Stick
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 22

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday's Menu:

Breakfast:
Cinnamon Toast
Total Points: 2

Lunch:
Bacon Swiss Sandwhich
Apples with caramel
Total Points: 7

Snack:
Chips and salsa
Total Points: 2

Dinner:
BBQ Pork Sandwhich
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob
Total Points: 8

Snack:
Craisins
Total Points: 2

Total Daily Points: 21

Everybody Always Told Me

Christ on a cracker!

Do not ask me how, but I managed to lose another two pounds this past week. Two pounds! Even with the weekend's drunken debauchery. I think I looked at the scale a good five minutes, trying to decipher whether or not it was pulling a dirty trick on me. But . . . two more pounds . . . gone, baby, gone.

Here is this week's progress picture:

My baby will be four months old in four days . . . and in those four months, I have dropped 52 pounds. After I had my oldest son, I lost 51 pounds (but to the same weight I am now - I only gained one pound more in pregnancy with my youngest than with my oldest) in just over six months. Everyone told me, "it goes fast with the first, but wait till you have your second." Well, haha, mofo's! I've had my second and it melted off two months faster. 'Course, this time around, I didn't have a baby right as the holidays were kicking into high gear. No way back in '06 was I going to try to lose the baby weight during Thanksgiving and Christmas!

It just feels good to - this sounds hokey - "defy the odds." Maybe now that I've reined in my eating habits and learned the art of portion control before reaching the big 3-0, I won't struggle with my weight in the same way as my mom and aunts have my entire life. A girl can hope . . .

Daily Menu for Saturday:

Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon pancakes (I didn't get to have them this morning 'cause I was out of Splenda!)
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Onion Rings
Hersheys Stick
Total Points: 3

Snack:
Pudding
Total Points: 1

Dinner (at the ooooooooold baaaaaaaallgame):
Turkey Burger with cheese
Turkey link
Chips
Craisins
3 Mojitos
Total Points: 29

Total Daily Points: 37

My daily allowance is 22 points so I'm using 15 of my flex points which means I still have 20 to play with. So *in theory* I could have four more mojitos. I'm not driving!

Worth it.

Tomorrow's weigh-in will be ver-uh, ver-uh interesting. Especially considering that within a three day span last weekend, I managed to eat cheddar peppers, a bacon cheeseburger, coconut shrimp, a huge breakfast at Denny's, BBQ ribs out the wha-zoo, and allllll the fixins that go along with said BBQ ribs. Not to mention the fact that I drank like prohibition was coming back. Eh, it was all worth gaining a pound or two . . .

That said - I'll be soooooooo pissed off if I DID gain a pound or two. Worth it, but still pissed. Hmm.

Hubs gets back in town tonight. We're going to our last Rangers game of the season on Saturday (hello, Mo-hee-to's!). I'm glad I discovered the art of bringing my own food. I can have a turkey burger and save up those flex points for drinks. Can I get a hell yeah?

Tomorrow's Menu:

Breakfast:
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (I'm going to try making the batter tonight and then putting them on the griddle in the morning. I hope they stay good 'cause it's a pain in the ass for Miss Lazy McLazerson to mix them every morning)
Total Points: 4

Lunch
English Muffin Pizzas
Green Beans
Total Points: 5

Snack
Caramel Rice Cake
Total Points: 1

Dinner
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Bread
Total Points: 9

Snack:
Apples with caramel
Total Points: 2

Total Daily Points: 21

Time to Reevaluate?

One good thing about a weekend with your closest girlfriends is that it is a major self esteem boost. Not only do you feel sexy by association (seriously, all my girls are fuckin' hawt). But it's nice to hear, "you look awesome!" A couple of the girls had last seen me on Fourth of July and kept commenting on how much, much, much smaller I am since then. It feels good.

One of the hubs' friends joined us a couple different times during the weekend and once the Hubs and I got a chance to be alone he told me, "Derrick said you're fine." (Note: Hubby is not AT ALL the jealous type. He likes to hear things like that. Makes me feel good). That got us into a discussion about my weight loss goals.

I am 5'4 and right now I weigh 164. I wear a size 12 clothes. I know that I am not fat. Yes, I do have a very skewed body image, but I know I'm not fat. The hubs loves the way I look now and doesn't think I should lose much more weight -- 10 pounds at the most. He thinks 24 (which would put me at 140) is way, way too much. And he's afraid I'll lose in the wrong place (i.e. butt and boobs - he's a man, hell-o!)

I'm doing this for ME and for MY health, not for him. But he's one of the three most important people in my world so his opinion does matter to me a lot.

I am trying to decide if it's time to reevaulate my goals. To be perfectly honest, I can't even begin to remember the last time I weighed 140. Well over ten years and two babies ago. Maybe it's time for the realization that even though I am only 5'4, I am not built to where I look right at 140.

I just don't know.

Right now my goal is to weigh in at 155. At that point, I can reevaluate my goals again. Maybe they'll change, maybe they won't.

Daily Menu for Thursday:

Breakfast:
Egg Beaters
"Fried" Ham
Toast
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Hotdog
Chips
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Brownie Sundae
Total Points: 3

Dinner:
Tilapia
Baked Beans
Green Beans
Bread
Total Points: 6

Snack:
Hershey's Stick
Total Points: 1

Total Daily Points: 20

The Reward of Relaxation

I figure once you've lost 50 pounds then it's time to reward yourself, right? Both my boys are asleep and I'm going to skip out on cleaning the kitchen tonight and do one of my favorite things in the whole wide world . . . lay in the bathtub and read a book! Gotta love it! =)

Wednesday's Menu:

Breakfast
Egg Beaters
2 slices Bacon
1 slice toast
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
Mexican Pizza
Chips
Total Points: 5

Snack:
Pudding
Total Points: 1

Dinner:
Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Garlic Bread
Total Points: 10

Snack:
Apples with caramel
Total Points: 2

Daily Total: 22

My Drink and My Two Step . . . My Drink and My Two Step

I spent most (most? Hell, all) of my weekend with a glass in hand acting like a teenager. I'm a little skurred to see what the combination of OMG SO MUCH ALCOHOL and bacon cheeseburgers, Pappadeaux, to-die-for ribs, and chedd-ah peppa-ah's is going to do when I step on the scale on Friday. Eeek! Buuuuut, this past Friday I managed to shed another TWO pounds. I have now hit the 50 pound mark. Woo Hoo!

I am much too tired to talk about anything of any sort of relevance so this boring blog will just be tomorrow's daily menu. Yay.

Food Fo' Tuesday:

Breakfast:
Blueberry Pancakes
Total Points: 4

Lunch:
2 English Muffin Pizzas
Apple Slices with caramel
Total Points: 7

Snack:
Hershey Stick
Total Points: 1

Dinner:
Cheesey Chicken
Baked Potato
Green Beans
Garlic Bread
Total Points: 10

Total Daily Points: 22