Back to School

Back to School= Routine (and a packed lunch)

I love the feeling that comes with going back to school. Its a fresh start. I am back on a schedule. I have to be organized. Last night I packed my lunch and I was so excited to be eating healthy again. I've taken a HUGE step back in what I've been eating. I want to get on track now so that I have some routine of what I'm eating when I (hopefully!) become pregnant.

Last night I envisioned making a berry green smoothie this morning plus a bowl of cheerios. I ended up running late and skipped the smoothie and brought the box of cheerios and carton of milk with me to work. Big mistake. Dunkin Doughnuts persuaded me to eat one of their fresh glazed yummies rather than my cheerios. There is always very tempting, unhealthy food circulating around school. I know that I need to come prepared (having already eaten breakfast) to avoid succumbing to these sugary pitfalls!

After my disastrous breakfast, I redeemed myself at snack time with a Trader Joe's Apple Banana Fruit Crusher. Now a little disclaimer- I have avoid the babyfood pouch trend like the plague. I'm not into gogurt or sucking down food like I lost my dentures. BUT I saw these a Trader Joe's and noticed the only ingridents were apples, bananas, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), and citric acid. They didn't contain artificial sugars or colors and the pouch is also VERY convenient. I can toss a few of these in my purse to curb hunger without worry that they'll go bad if I don't eat them like regular fruit would. I'm definitely sticking to these yummies. BTW- They are each only 60 calories.

For lunch I had two low carb wraps each spread with half of a garlic laughing cow cheese, topped with spinach, and left over garlic Parmesan chickin shredded into pieces. Yum! I finished out my lunch with carrots, apples, cucumbers, and an ounce of hummus for dipping.

Yay for a healthier start to the school year!

Anni Eats... and gets fat

Yup that pretty much sums it up recently. I haven't been eating well or exercising. I just haven't cared. I get off schedule and I can't get back on. I'm working really hard to get back on this week. We'll see what happens. I've made empty promises before. Maybe I'll go to a weight watchers meeting tomorrow to kick things off. We'll see how it goes!

So about that running...

I had too much fun at Alive after 5 and unfortunately already messed up one of my goals. In fact, after reading my blog this morning Kathryn actually chuckled at the idea that I would possibly run after alive after 5! At least I thought about it!

I am running today though. My plan is to leave school right away and get in at least two miles before showing and heading to Kenny Chensey!

Yay!

My Day in Food 6/1/11

Breakfast
Rosemary Ham Slices

Snack
Homemade cupcake from a student

Lunch
Spinach salad with ham, bell pepper, honey goat cheese, and cucumber

Dinner
Split two cheesy appetizers & ciabatta at Brio
Steak bruschetta for my meal
Had three sugary martinis and two beers

Goals for June

I have two goals for June

1) Run Everyday- I don't care if its only a mile jog. I am going to run everyday. Even today, when my plan is to go to Live After 5. I'll do at least a mile when I get home. Even if I am a little tipsy!

2) Try New Foods- I've had an overwhelming desire to go to Earthfare and just peruse around the isles finding new foods that I've never tried before. I read today on Mary Clare's Blog about a green called Kohl-Rabi. I want to start cooking with new foods! This weekend seems pretty low key so maybe I'll find the time.


Do you feel the need to set new goals every month? What are your June goals?

My Day in Food 5/31/11

Breakfast
Carrots
Hummus
Trader Joe's Honey Greek Yogurt

Snack
Carrots
Hummus

Lunch
8 Avocado and Salmon Rolls (w/ white rice)

Dinner
1/2 Bag of Trader Joe's Linguine w/ Clam Sauce (btw- this made me feel terrible. Like really upset my stomach. It was really greasy.)

Snacks
6 Trader Joe's Chocolate and Shortbread Cookies
2 Small Glasses of Sparking White Wine

Ashamed... but today is a new day!

I totally flubbed my diet this week. Flubbed seems to be an appropriate word to illustrate my lack of healthy eating this week.

My problem definitely is being unprepared. That is my goal this week. Work on being prepared and making good choices during my free time. You would be appalled by what I ate this weekend! While babysitting I ate like a kid. I didn't really over eat but I did enjoy my far share of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Mac and Cheese, and Chicken Fingers.

The trip to Atlanta was Terrible! Don't travel hungry because you'll eat the grossest things! I never eat fast food and for some reason I let loose with the nastiest stuff. As someone that prides them self as a pretty "whole"some eater, I'm embarrassed by my choices. But I did promise to be honest with this blog so hear goes!

Poor Choices Include:
1 and 1/2 Roast Beef w/ Cheese Sandwiches from Arby's
2 Friend Potato thingys from Arby's
2 Mozzarella Sticks from Arby's
1 Chocolate Shake from Arby's
4 Mini Vanilla Bean Cupcakes from Trader Joe's
2 Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sweet Tomatoes
1 Corned Beef and Provolone Sandwich
Lots of steak fries
1 Regular Size Cheeseburger from 5 Guys
1/2 a Portion of 5 Guys french fries
1 Coke Icee
1 Small Coke

Yuck! How was your weekend eating? Do you have a hard time sticking to healthy food on the road? What is your solution!?

Going Downhill Quick!

My diet/exercise routine went downhill quick. I started out so well. I can feel myself slipping... like the ice cream I ate yesterday and the flying biscuit this morning. I can identify two main problems.

1) I am not prepared. Yesterday I worked through lunch and didn't stop to eat. I had a cupcake (which brings me to point #2...) and then when I went to babysit I was starving. Of course I didn't pack anything to eat so I was stuck with food at their house. I went for the turkey meatballs and cheese stick thinking they'd be ok. They didn't really fill me up so I went for the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Now, I normally hate sugary cereals but these were calling my name. Luckily my sister was there to keep me from indulging. My mind cleared and I realized that I didn't really want that Cinnamon-y goodness anyway! Whenever I am not prepared I eat like crap.

2) Eating out. When I can control the food in my house I am awesome. When I'm somewhere else I eat terribly. I eat like it's my last meal on earth. Yesterday for example, I had to meet my husband somewhere on Fairview Road and guess where I picked... Ben and Jerry's. Did I go for the low-fat ice cream, the frozen-yogurt, a fruit smoothie? NOPE I went full-fat ice-cream and enjoyed every bite. I did manage to leave off the whipped cream and hot chocolate though! The night was made even better by dinner at Salsarita's. Could I have ordered a salad? Yes. Did I order a salad? No. I went for the large steak burrito with chips (and not quac or salsa but queso as my dip of choice). Granted I only ate 1/2 of the burrito, I definitely could have made a better choice.

Why is it so hard to eat healthy at restaurants? I try not to eat out much so when I do I ALWAYS over-indulge. I'm way over my points and haven't been exercising. Being off my schedule is really messing me up. Luckily, I'm keeping everything on this blog and hope that I will hold myself to it to keep struggling through this weight loss journey!

My Day in Food 5/26/11

Breakfast
Berry Green Smoothie with yucky spinach (3p+)

Lunch
Boar's Head Rosemary Ham (2p+)

Snack #1
2 Made from Scratch Cupcakes (6p+)

Snack #2
6 Small Turkey Meatballs (6p+)
String Cheese (1p+)

Snack #3
Small cup of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Chocolate
(totally worth it!)

Dinner
Half of a Salsarita's Steak Burrito
Chips and Queso

Do Not Use Frozen Spinach!

I'm running low on groceries and babysitting/going out of town this weekend so I'm trying to avoid buying anything. I was out of spinach for my morning smoothie today and subbed frozen spinach instead of my fresh baby spinach... Um yuck. Normally the spinach taste totally blends. Frozen spinach, not so much. So lesson learned, no frozen spinach in smoothies!

Yesterday, 5/25

So yesterday was not my best eating day. I wasted several points on "treats". You can probably tell from the lack of blog posts yesterday that I was a little busy. My classroom was in desperate need of some spring cleaning. I ordered new cabinets for storage and they arrived yesterday. I spent most of the day cleaning my room. At the end of the day it was time to head home and I still had some grading to do. I searched EVERYWHERE for the papers and couldn't find them. I was getting stressed. I thrive in chaos. Neatness gives me anxiety. While searching I found a kit-kat and reese's cup and ate them. Was it the best move? No, but I'm learning that when I'm stressed, tired, or anxious, I turn to food (and bad food at that!). Definitely something to work on. 5 points could have been much better spent.

I pride myself on trying to eat whole foods, natural sugars, local and organic as much as possible. There are definitely times when candy hits the spot but overall I don't want it to be an everyday part of my diet.

As far as exercise, Bo and I headed to the Dowd Y for a hip-hop class. We both grew up cheering and dancing and although we're not the best we always have fun taking these classes. I got confused with the class start time and ended up arriving 12 minutes late. The class is out in the open in front of everyone (and there are PLENTY of onlookers) and we didn't feel like joining late so we turned around and left. At least Bo got to pick up her Y card so the trip wasn't completely pointless.

We headed home with the intention of going to the Harris Y for a Zumba class. After waiting around the house for 30 minutes or so we decided Zumba was not in the cards for the evening. We took the dogs on a 2.5 mile walk instead. It was nice enjoying time with my mom and sister just talking and walking and our dogs were dead tired when we got home. Walking isn't the best exercise but I'm glad when I do it.

Tonight  I'm headed to babysit a family for the weekend. I'm not sure how much exercising I'll be getting in so I really need to watch what I'm eating. I can't let junky food like mac and cheese and kids chicken nuggets get the best of me!

By the way- Bo dropped out of the biggest loser contest so its just me and Jay. I don't think Jay has weighed himself but I am down 2.5 pounds so far! Yeah!

My Day in Food 5/25/11

Breakfast

Green Smoothie (4p+)

Lunch

Pineapple (0pt)

Lots of Boar's Head Rosemary Ham (2p+)

Baby Carrots (0p+)

Laughing Cow Cheese (1p+)

Trader Joe's Hummus (1p+)

Snack

1 Snack Size Kit-Kat Bar (3p+)

Reese's Cup (2p+)

Snap Pea Crisps (2p+)

Dinner

1 Cup Trader Joe's Brown Microwave Rice (6p+).... Whoa! Didn't realize brown rice was so many points!

Trader Joe's Grilled Frozen Chicken (2p+)

Trader Joe's Soyaki Sauce (2p+)

Trader Joe's Frozen Stir Fry Veggies (0p+)

Dessert

Skinny Cow Caramel Bar (3p+)

My Day in Food 5/24/11

Breakfast
Green Smoothie (4p+)
4 Slices of Rosemary Ham (1p+)

Lunch
Pineapple (0pt)
Ham, Laughing Cow Swiss, Spinach, and Yellow Pepper Wrap (3p+)

Snack
Ham, Laughing Cow Swiss, Spinach, and Yellow Pepper Wrap (3p+)
Carrots (0p+)
Cucumbers (0p+)

Dinner
Anything I want at Rock Bottom...I have 18 points left for the day, not including the points I earned running this morning. I'm going to indulge a bit!

I had the hazelnut crusted chicken with yummy mashed potatoes and green
Beans and a light beer. Speaking of beer, I haven't been posting drinks because I only drink water (and wine/beer). I still don't drink enough water but I'm working on it!

What do I want to eat?!

Lunch time came around today and I was STARVING for more rosemary ham. I mean craving enough to drive to Harris Teeter and buy some more since I already ate the portion I had out for lunch. Too bad the Teeter near school doesn't carry Boar's Head brand. I bought some Virginia ham to make my wrap but was not excited at all. I just kind of stared at it and have yet to make a wrap. I think I'm going to save the calories since I'm not truly craving it anymore. I'm trying to pay attention to my body and decide what I REALLY want to eat instead of eating empty calories of foods that I'm not really enjoying.

I also just remembered that I have a church meeting at Rock Bottom Brewery tonight for dinner. I'm currently looking over the menu to find something remotely healthy to eat. Unfortunately, they don't post their nutrition facts making it EXTRA difficult! I'm going to scale back on lunch and just eat some fruit and veggies to hold me over because I know when dining out food always has more calories. 

The First Day

So I struggled a bit the first day. I definitely need some protein in the morning to keep me feeling full. I tried to eat the carrots and hummus instead but was still left feeling empty at snack time. I ended up eating the ham from my sandwich and then needed to eat yogurt for lunch for more protein!

Pizza was definitely my weakness yesterday. I tried to avoid it but there was no way. Yummy hot cheesy pizza. Not good but I'm not going to stress over it.

The Zucchini Burgers were AMAZING. Sooo good and so healthy. What other food has veggies, egg (protein), whole wheat (carbs), and cheese (dairy) all wrapped up into deliciousness! I CRAVE carbs and this tasty burgers will be a great solution to my cravings.

Bo and I started the day with another 2.6 mile run and boy am I sleepy! I want to start doing double workouts soon to jump start my weight loss.

Not sure what's on the menu tonight. Probably stirfry with chicken breast and brown rice. It's easy and I keep bags of Trader Joe's frozen stir fry veggies on hand. Quick weeknight meal.

My Day in Food 5/23/11

Breakfast
Green Smoothie (4p+)

Snack #1
Carrots and Hummus (2p+)

Snack #2
4 Slices of Rosemary Ham (1p+)

Lunch
Trader Joe's Honey Greek Yogurt (3p+)
14 Almonds
10 Dark Chocolate Chips

Dinner #1
2 small slices of cheese pizza

Dinner #2
Kale chips
Zucchini Burgers
Salmon
Salad with carrots and cucumbers
Sweet Potato Spears

Let's Get Started

So my baby sister, Bo is living with Jay and I for the summer. All three of us have decided it is time to lose weight and be healthy! We're going to have a "Biggest Loser" contest going on in the house. We'll be doing public weigh in's, exercising together, and may even have a prize for the "Loser" ha! I was so proud of my sister for getting up and running with me and my running partner this morning. This running stuff is hard to do alone at 5:45 in the morning. Running with a group helps tremendously. We did 2.6 miles this morning in 33 minutes. Right now we are running for 3 minutes and then walking a minute. This method is great for beginner runners and helps prevent injury. Bo and I plan to do a mix of running, weight training, dance classes, and possibly a few boxing sessions to get in shape!


The meals so far:
Breakfast- Green Smoothie.
Snack #1- 4 slices of Boar's Head rosemary ham (YUM)
Snack #2- Baby carrots and hummus
Lunch- Trader Joe's Honey Greek Yogurt with almonds and a few dark chocolate chips with more baby carrots and hummus 


My intention for today was to make ham, spinach, yellow pepper, and laughing cow cheese wraps for lunch however I forgot the spinach at home and ate the ham for snack. Tonight I have a cheerleading practice afterschool and meeting (complete with pizza) until 7. I don't know if I'll last that long before dinner. I'm always STARVING on days that I run. I've got some snacks to keep me company. I'll report back at the end of the day and do a round-up of how I did. 


The plan for dinner is Salmon and Zucchini Fritters from Beth's Journey. 


Smoothies
 1/2 cup Almond Milk
1 cup Trader Joe's Green Plant Juice
1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Frozen Berries (blue berries, strawberries, and raspberries)
1 large handful of spinach
[Image]
Blend all ingredients together. Feel free to play around with the proportions. It was a greenish-maroon color (very appetizing) and delicious. It was the perfect sweetness and super healthy!

You can also check out this video for more ideas! 

Zucchini Fritters

These zucchini burgers are absolutely delicious, moist, and packed with flavor. The entire recipe has 10 pts+, so if you make 5 larger patties they will be 2pts+ a piece, or 10 smaller slides will be 1 pt+ each. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
1.) Grate the zucchini and add 1 tsp of salt. Wait 5 minutes, and then squeeze out the excess moisture with cheese cloth or paper towels.
2.) Add drained zucchini to a large bowl and mix with carrot, egg, onion, and pepper.
3.) Stir in whole wheat flour.
4.) Carefully fold in feta, and the mixture is ready to be cooked.
5.) Heat a pan with nonstick spray or oil.
6.) Divide mixture into patties, either 5 larger or 10 smaller.
7.) Cook for 4-5 minutes per side.

New Blog. New Purpose

So I've decided to start another blog. I REALLY need a place to track my eating and exercise without boring you all to death on my other blog thus Anni Eats... and gets skinny! I'm going to try to track what I eat daily and my exercise. This is the first step to losing weight and it really works. I need to get back on weight watchers but I hate the feeling that I have when I'm on weight watchers. All I do is think about what I'm going to eat next and I begin to get obsessive. So anyway. Lets see how this goes! If you've got any good recommendations to eat healthier (i.e. Eat this Not that!) please let me know!