The Week Is Underway !

Can you believe that Christmas is just 2 weekends away ???? Where did this year go? It was a great year for me, and I can’t wait to see what 2010 holds in store !

The knowledge of the fast approaching holiday even made Monday a little less horrible ! It was the usual busy fist day of the work week, but it just seemed a little easier to tolerate for some reason.

I got up this morning and did my workout while watching ” Tough Love” on TV.

• Total Body Free Weight Circuit
• 30 min. HIIT : treadmill

I brought breakfast to work with me again today. I find that I am better off eating breakfast a little later [7am instead of 5:30am]. I don’t need to snack mid-morning if I do. I brought a Breakfast Cookie and a banana.

Here’s lunch. A mixed bag today! Peach Chobani Yogurt, vanilla protein powder, and puffed wheat cereal. I also had 2 clementines , and a 100 calorie Hershey Bar. I am trying to keep my a 3 meal a day plan. I am making the meals a little larger, and they seem to carry me through to the next meal better. I haven’t been experiencing very much hunger until about an hour before the next meal , and even then it is manageable hunger.

Dinner tonight was excellent!!! I had some tilapia and stuffed zucchini [I made yesterday}. I will definitely making these again ! The combination of spicy rice and cheese along with the zucchini was so good ! This was a great,  filling  and flavorful meal ! I loved it !

Dessert tonight was a scoop of Cookie Dough Ice Cream [lite] a dollop of whip cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. It is really cold out here. Don’t ask me why I am eating Ice cream in this weather, but it is what I’ve been wanting lately!

Lately, my night-time routine is to have a cup of decaffeinated tea [I love Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea] while I read and relax before going to sleep. I am not hungry after dinner and dessert , but for some reason I am always tempted to snack before bed. I think it is just a habit, and a bad one at that ! The hot tea kind of detours the habit a bit. It’s been working really well for me lately.

I am really happy to have Monday behind me. Now that the work week is underway it isn’t as overwhelming as the prospect of it seems on Sunday night ! I am off to my warm bed with a cup of tea and a good book !

Have a great night !

Snowy Sunday

This morning I woke up to a Winter Wonderland! It was truly beautiful. A perfect Sunday to lounge around in my PJs all morning sipping tea and feeling grateful for a warm, cozy house. And that’s exactly what I did !

I wasn’t really hungry for breakfast until about 9:30. Lately I have been trying to listen to my body and eat when it’s hungry, instead of eating because I think it is time to eat. I am also trying for 3 meals a day lately , and so far so good. I have cut out almost all snacks during the week, I still have them on weekends now and then. This morning I had a Breakfast Cookie and a banana.

After hanging out most of the morning, I though I’d better get some of the usual preparation for the week done. I cooked a few chicken breasts for the coming week, and also made lunches for tomorrow and got Matt’s lunchtime snacks bagged up and ready.

When lunch rolled around I threw together some chicken salad which I had on a bed of spinach with Special K crackers , baby carrots and a clementine. I ate it while catching up on “The Biggest Loser” DVR.

I also had 2 “Little Debbie” swiss rolls dessert.

After lunch I made my own version of zucchini boats. I stuffed zucchini with “Kashi” Fiery Fiesta Rice and topped them with reduced fat Mexican cheese.

They smelled really great, but I will have to let you know how they taste when I eat them during the week ! This was a super easy way to make a side dish, I hope they taste as good as they look , because I will make them all of the time if they do !

Dinner tonight  was Shrimp Ravioli. These have been in the freezer for a while. My husband bought them for me as a treat when he was doing a service call at a local Villarina store. At the time he bought them I was worried about the calorie content , since there is no nutritional information on the package. I decided to have them tonight anyway. I’ve had them in the past and they were excellent!

Tonight’s were just as good! I could have cooked the a bit longer, but they were still great. The filling is amazing! I had them with some fat-free parm. and a few spritzes of Olivio. I paired them with a spinach salad.

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted a Diet 7up cup cake or a scoop of ice cream ………… so I had both ! A cup cake and a spoonful of Churn Style Lite Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  I think ice cream and cake are my absolute favorite dessert combo!

So another weekend is over. I got a lot done, and I am ready to start another week [I guess]. I just need to get though tomorrow and the rest of the week is all down hill. I am going to try to begin the week with a positive attitude. Another weekend is just 5 days away ! Have a great night !

Let It Snow !

Happy Saturday ! My house is clean , all of my Christmas decorations are up, we just went food shopping and it is a lovely snowy night here in CT! I love nights like this. Knowing I don’t have anywhere to go tomorrow, I don’t care how much snow we get !

Before the weather started today , I got the Husband outside to put up our Christmas lights. He is such a good sport! And they look beautiful !

Here is our cute little Christmas house! I love it!

I slept in this morning and it was sheer heaven! When I finally got up , I threw in a load of laundry and made some tea. At about 9:00 I decided I best get to work, I had [as usual] a full day of cleaning ahead of me so I ate my breakfast cookie and got to work. I did EVERYTHING today . I even ventured into the “Man Cave” tackled the bathroom down there !

The “Man Cave” is what we affectionately call the finished basement in our house. It is Matt’s space. He has a huge TV, all his video games and movies , and all of his crazy artwork and collections down there. My workout room is also in a smaller room down there, but for the most part the entire area is his. We made a deal when we moved into this house , I was not allowed to get on his back about how the space was kept. He can be as messy as he pleases and I am not allowed to nag about it. Plus he has to clean it himself . Unfortunately the bathroom down there was getting totally out of hand , so I put my foot down and cleaned it !

I took a break from cleaning around 1pm and had some lunch. I had a Quesadilla  made with re-fried beans and reduced fat cheese on a wrap. I added a few baby carrots.

I also had a 100 calorie chocolate bar , for something sweet.

About 4:30 I had a snack because I knew I would be out shopping at dinner time and I would be eating a little late. I had some Special K crackers and a Diet Coke to hold me over.

When we finally got home from food shopping I was ready to eat. Something quick and easy tonight. A Garden Burger on a Sandwich Thin and a spinach salad.

I am not sure what dessert will be tonight. I am thinking of watching a movie and having a snack while I watch , so I will be replacing dessert with a night-time snack, I think. Anyway , I am going now to take a hot shower and put on some warm PJ’s and relax for the rest of the night.

I will leave you with a funny picture of my husband and our cat, Little Edie Beale. She is in love with my husband, and this is what she does every single night. While he reads before going to sleep, she sits on the night stand and patiently watches him. When he finally turns out the light to go to sleep, she snuggles in next to him for the night. I usually miss this  because I am more often than not asleep by the time he comes to bed, but he’s been telling me about it. Last night I finally saw it for myself, so I had to get a picture of it! It’s pretty cute !

I hope everyone has a relaxing Saturday night !

Fast Week !

It amazes me how quickly weeks pass. Mondays always seem so daunting to me! But once I get through them, the entire week slips past me! I couldn’t be happier this week especially. I have been crazy busy at work and I am so happy the week is at its end!

Matt and I were BOTH in bed at 7:30 last night! I was completely beat , and I guess he was too. I’ve been incredibly tired this week and couldn’t figure out why. I just figured it was a post Holiday thing. But today after work and unexpected visitor showed up ! Good old TOM ! Great just what I needed!Oh well.

So tonight’s post will be short and sweet …… I am in the mood for a hot cup of tea and a good book read in my warm cozy bed as soon as soon I am done here! On to my food today!

I drove to work this morning munching on a banana and sipping green tea.

Once I got to work I did some of the [backed up] filing, and then dug into my Breakfast cookie! Boy, I love these things …… as I am sure you can tell !

Around 11:00 I was hungry so I had a clementine. They are supposed to be the seedless kind, so I was a little miffed when I had to spit out 6 seeds !

I have been in the mood for a PB&J sandwich lately , so decided to have one for lunch today …….. Nothing is better than  simple PB&J any day of the week!

I had some humus with baby carrots along with my sandwich.

I am pretty much out of everything since it is the end of the week. Diner tonight was not too exciting , but it still tasted good. I had a turkey burger, leftover Annie’s Mac & Cheese, and a spinach salad.

For dessert, I had the last 1/2 c. of frozen yogurt, with chocolate syrup and whip cream.

Now I am ready for bed ! I can barely keep my eyes open over here ! I hope that everyone has a great Friday !

A Milestone

Six months ago today I reached my goal weight of 140 lbs. It was a huge day for me. It was a goal I had been working toward for what seemed like forever. My all time highest weight, when I got engaged in 2006 was 210 lbs. The same week I reached my goal weight, I bought my first pair of size 6 jeans. I was ecstatic! I was also terrified ! Dieting was the easy part. Move more, eat less, simple. But would I be able to keep it off? That was the question that plagued me! I knew how to diet, but I didn’t know how to maintain.

Statistically, 95% of people who lose a substantial amount of weight, gain it back [ and then some] within 5 years! That is scary. It was scary to me then , and it is scary to me now!

This morning I got on the scale to make it official. I am 140.4 lbs. after 6 months. I have maintained my goal weight! I couldn’t be happier! I know it is nowhere near the 5 year mark , but to me it is something big! It is half a year. I actually made it through half a year. Although I did a lot of panicking in the beginning, I’ve learned to relax a little , I’ve learned more about my body and it’s natural fluctuations in weight, and I’ve eaten dessert every single night along the way !

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way getting cocky about maintenance . I still say it is harder than dieting in many ways. But I feel great knowing that it wasn’t impossible, and it wasn’t all that painful either. I am very happy with my progress so far , and I plan to keep it going .

This morning I got up and worked out as usual:

• Free Weight Total Body Circuit (x2)
• 30 min. HIIT Treadmill

On my drive to work this morning I had a banana with my green tea. I am drinking a new brand of tea, and it must be stronger than the stuff I am used to because it really makes my stomach flippy! It’s weird. The banana helped a little though.

When I got to work I dug into my Breakfast Cookie. It is fast becoming my favorite meal of the day! I literally could eat them 3x a day and not get sick of them !

For lunch today I had some cottage cheese with an apple sliced up……………………

Some humus with baby carrots………………………….

And a clementine .

I had leftover sauce and meatballs from Sunday night for dinner with whole wheat pasta and fat-free parm. cheese. It was really filling , but I still wanted just a little taste of sweet.

I decided to have a handful of chocolate covered raisins and call it a day !

I didn’t get to bed as early as I would have liked to last night, so tonight I am hoping to make it an early night and get in some extra rest. Work has been so busy the past 3 days, and I feel like I really need extra sleep. Lately I walk into the place and wonder how I will make it through the day! Then I get busy and my energy level rises and I make it through!

Have a great night !

An Early Christmas Gift

I had another physically tiring day today. Remember when I mentioned months ago that I was packing up our Rehab Dept. at work? Well, today I spent the day unpacking ! I am so sore and exhausted I can’t believe it ! But I am trying to think of these crazy days at work  as workouts. I burned a LOT of calories today for sure!

I got up this morning and worked out. Today was a cardio day:

• 30 min. on the Spin Bike
• 30 min. on the Elliptical

I have a new routine in the mornings. I make lunches for myself and my husband in the mornings for the following day. I also make my Magic Cookie. Because of the extra time spent preparing for the next day, I don’t have enough time to est breakfast , so I bring it with me [the Breakfast Cookie is so portable, it makes packing it and eating it at work easy] and eat it when I get in to work.

The Green Tea on an empty stomach made me feel a little queasy again so before I left I downed a banana.

I did my cookie a little differently today. It contains oats, Fiber One Cereal, chocolate chips , reduced fat peanut butter, Marshmallow Fluff, pecans,vanilla protein powder and coconut. It was AWESOME ! One of the things I love about these cookies is that the add-in combination are endless !! I love the idea of trying new flavors and textures. It makes it so that you never get bored !

The cookie’s magic powers kept me going until lunch [2:00] ! Good thing too , I didn’t have a second to spare to stop and eat a snack anyway!

Lunch today was Strawberry Chobani Yogurt with Vanilla protein powder and granola.

These are my snacks that I packed for the day. I had the clementine with my lunch , and the apple on the ride home. I never got to the almonds.

When I got home today there was a nice little gift waiting for me ! A package from Old Navy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ordered this stuff on Thanksgiving and I got it today ….not bad ! I used my house sitting money. I find that Old Navy and Gap clothes fit me the best , and almost everything in either store is my style preference. I was so excited ! I couldn’t wait to rip into the box ! Here is my loot !

I got a black cable knit cardigan sweater, a navy blue V-neck sweater and a sky blue V-neck sweater, and a navy blue and gray long sleeve V-neck T- shirts. I also got a black pencil skirt. And now for the best part !!!!!!!!

NEW BOOTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been wanting knee-high boots for ages, but my calves were always too fat for them ! Plus I wanted them to wear with skirts and dresses as well as jeans ….. but again, I felt to fat and dumpy. I am so thrilled to finally have a pair. I plan to rock them this Holiday !!!!!

I was in the mood for eggs tonight, so I made an omelet with Laughing Cow Lite Swiss Cheese  and baby spinach. I had a whole grain English muffin and a spinach salad! It was perfect !

Dessert again was 1/2 c. of Mint Oreo Cookie Frozen Yogurt, chocolate syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream.

I am off to bed. I feel a cold lurking somewhere inside me and I am hoping to head it off with as much rest as possible ! Have a great night !

Just Another Manic Monday

Why is it that whenever I take a few extra days off, I always walk into a mess when I return to work ? I didn’t stop , except to eat all day long ! The only good thing about a day like today is that it flies by! I just try to think of it as extra exercise!

I got up this morning and had a great workout. As I mentioned , I’ve been doing a circuit routine I found in Oxygen Magazine a while back . I love it ! It is fast and I really feel it once I am done ! Whenever I find a routine that I think I may want to try, I add it to a huge 3 ring binder that I keep. I just punch holes in the pages and add it to my book. Since I change-up my routines every 4 weeks, I eventually get to them , and sometimes I will recycle the ones I especially liked year after year. I’ve been adding to this book for a while now , so I have quite a selection. I have enough workout routines right now that I can change-up once a month for over a year without doing the same workout twice ! And I am still adding to the book !

Here is today’s workout:

• Free Weight Total Body Circuit ( from Oxygen Magazine)
• 30 min. HIIT on the treadmill

I was running a little late this morning , so I brought my Magic Cookie to work with me today ! By the time I got to it I’d had 2 cups of Green Tea on an empty stomach …………… I was feeling a little bit queasy ! Once I  ate something I felt much better. I had a Breakfast Cookie, and a banana.

As I mentioned today was full of a lot of running around ! I definitely worked off my cookie !

At about 11:00 I was more thirsty than hungry , so I had a clementine. It did the trick and got my through until lunch.

Lunch today was great ! I had tuna  and baby spinach on a whole grain Sandwich Thin.

I also had some Humus and baby carrots on the side.

I am learning that if I eat something high in protein and high in fiber, in the same meal , I am not as hungry for a longer period of time after I eat. I am making it a point, especially at breakfast and lunch to make sure I have this protein/fiber combination so that I don’t feel the need to snack as much . I would love to get to the point where I am just eating 3 square meals a day, most days.

 

By the time dinner came around I was ready for it ! I had  Kate [niece] tonight so time is limited. I seem to always be in the mood for Mexican on Mondays ! Tonight was more of a burrito ! I used Fat Free Spicy Re-fried Beans, and Kashi Fiery Fiesta Rice, and Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese on a tortilla. It was so filling , and  provided just the zesty Mexican flavor I was craving ! This is definitely one of my favorite meals ! I paired it with a baby spinach salad.

 

Dessert tonight, Mint Oreo Cookie Frozen Yogurt with a squirt of chocolate syrup and a plop of whipped cream ! Perfect ending to a crazy day ! I am impressed with the fact the this small scoop of  frozen yogurt is just enough. In the past this would be nothing ! I would fill this entire bowl , drown it in chocolate syrup and load on the whipped cream! That was the only way to eat it! Or so I thought. It feels good to enjoy something , but not have to do it in excess, and still be perfectly happy and satisfied with it. It feels liberating to know that I can enjoy something I love and not have it cancel out an entire day of good eating in the process !

 

I leave you this rainy Monday with a cute picture of Miss Zoey ! She is much better lately about having her picture taken. Usually she turns her head at the last-minute and ruins the shot ! I am off to bed early tonight. I had a typical Sunday night’s sleep last night! The only word I can think of to describe it is choppy! I would  sleep and wake up on and off all night long ! I need a really good night’s sleep tonight. I worked hard all day and I can really feel it about now !

Have a great night, stay warm , and sleep tight !

I Can’t Beleive It’s Over !

Oh well ! Another Thanksgiving Holiday bites the dust ! I look forward to the time off  rather than the actual Holiday these days ! Tomorrow it is back to the old grind.

I had some time to myself today and made a really interesting revelation. This was the first Holiday where I can remember feeling like I looked decent. The holidays of the past involved agonizing over what to wear , because everything made me look fat. Trying on the few things I had , trying to cover up this or that. I would inevitably end up wearing the biggest and longest sweater I could find and a pair of jeans, or sometimes ever sweat pants ! This year I wore jeans and a top that actually fit ! I even wore my new brown boots ! I forgot to ask my husband to take a picture, I wish I had one just to commemorate my first Holiday at goal weight ! It was nice to feel good about myself for once, and not feel uncomfortable in my own skin ! It was a totally different feeling than I am used to,but different in a good way.

This morning I got up to take care of the dogs [house sitting] and drove into the driveway only to find that the people were HOME ! I got the dates messed up! I thought they were coming home tonight at 7pm, turns out it was last night. So I drove home thinking I would crawl back into bed. I did , but couldn’t sleep and neither could Matt so we ended up way too early !

I had some tea with Santa, because I didn’t want to eat breakfast too early. It makes for a long time until lunch !

At 8:30 I could wait no longer ! I was craving my Magic Cookie ! Since we went food shopping last night, I stocked up on a few add-ins for my cookies. This cookie had chocolate peanut butter, pecans, chocolate chips, coconut, and some marshmallow fluff ! It was awesome !

After breakfast, I started doing some more Christmas decorating. I did up the mud room, and finished up the kitchen, but decided I needed to go back to the Dollar Store for a few more things. I scored big time too ! I got a table-cloth for our Christmas Eve open house and a runner, some pretty napkins, some cute little felt trees , a little tin Santa, and some Christmas hand towels for the bathroom and dish clothes for the kitchen ! Next weekend we are buying new lights [ I didn't like the colors of last year's lights] for the outside of the house and we are done in the decorating dept. All that is left is cookie baking, that we do with Kate every year.

We had to make a quick stop at Walmart and found this ……………

Matt was really excited to find this recipe ! He is super picky about tomato sauce and prefers to make his own using Spatini Seasoning Mix. [Did I ever mention that my hubby is a trained chef ?!!! The man who hates just about all food !  He didn't like the restaurant business so he is now an electrician !]  The only problem is that they stopped making it ! So we pretty much bought the whole book for this recipe !

When lunch rolled around I wanted something light because we had a big dinner planned for tonight. I had some peach Chobani with 1/2 scoop of protein power and some granola.

Along with the yogurt I had 2 clementines for dessert.

For the rest of the afternoon I was a bum ! I watched , what is to me the ultimate 80’s movie Three Men And A Baby . I was an 80’s girl , and the clothes in that movie brought me back ! Hideous boxy jackets and stirrup pants ! And the hair ! I had that big curly piggy-back perm too !!!!! It cracks me up ! The stuff I wore out and about is the same stuff the kids I know are wearing for Halloween costumes !!!!!!!

I had a few handfuls of theses …….

And for than a few of these ……….

And finally some of this ….. to hold me over until dinner !

Matt made us dinner tonight. On Sunday nights if it is at all possible, we try to have dinner together. During the week is tough, and since we rarely eat the same meals it is even tougher ! Tonight Matt made rigatoni with a red sauce and mini-meatballs . He also made Texas Toast , and I had some of course! That stuff is so good ! Matt dished out my plate for me before I got in the kitchen to do it myself! He really piled it on! I am not ashamed to admit ……. I ate every last bite ! It was DELICIOUS !!!!!! The whole meal !

I am skipping dessert tonight . I think I ate more than enough dinner to make up for it !

I have everything prepared for tomorrow. Both of our lunches are made , and even my breakfast [Magic Cookie], clothes for my workout and work are ready to go ! I think I will hang out with Matt for a little while and crawl in bed to read ! Another week lies ahead and I will hopefully be ready for it, with a smile on my face and a song in my heart ! ( NOT !!!!!!!!! ) Sleep tight !

To Do’s Saturday

This Saturday , as is true for most Saturdays, I had a To Do List a mile long.

 

Matt and I were both in bed last night a little before 8:30 ! That hardly ever happens ! I am usually the early bed goer in the family, he is the night owl . But for whatever reason we were both beat ! The alarm sounded for me at 5:00 am and I was off to take care of the dogs. [house sitting ] When I got home at 6:15 , I crawled right back into bed and slept until 9:18 !!!!!! Now that is late ! I must have needed it though , because it felt incredible !

 

Thankfully , breakfast  was simple this morning. I had 2 leftover pancakes from yesterday, and all I needed to do was heat them up and eat them ! I wanted some fruit with breakfast , but we were all out !

After breakfast I got to work on my huge list of To Do’s. I think I got more than half of them done before it was time to go back out and take care of the dogs again !

 

I took a break from To Doing around 1:00 and had some lunch. I had a Vanilla Chobani Yogurt with granola and I decided to try another little experiment. I added 1/2 a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the mix. I noticed what a great difference the powder made when I had it with my Breakfast Cookie, now formally renamed the Magic Cookie , by me ! I was afraid that I would taste a difference , but I didn’t . I was wondering if I would be satisfied after eating it like I am when I eat the Cookie.

 

For dessert with my lunch I had a Tootsie Roll. I was in the mood for something chocolate ! I am happy to report that the yogurt with the added protein  powder DID curb my appetite for the rest of the day ! I didn’t need an afternoon snack , and I didn’t eat dinner until 6:00 ! Does this stuff really make a difference ? Am I on to something here? Is it just me? Or is it all in my head ? Honestly , I don’t even care ! I am just thrilled that it works this way ! I hate the stuff in smoothies, which is what I originally bought it for. It usually made me feel nauseous , and the taste was too much for me anyway, I could hardly gag the whole thing down ! I have tons of it that I never used , and now I’ve found a new use for it ! Next time I have oatmeal for breakfast I will try it in that and see if the effect is the same !

 

Matt and I went food shopping around 5:00 so by the time I got to dinner I was hungry ! I heated up left over chicken and Annie’s Mac & Cheese , then added a spinach salad to have with it.

 

After dinner I put together my “Magic Cookie” for tomorrow’s breakfast and stuck it into the freezer.

No dessert tonight because I will probably end up having a snack since I will be up later tonight than usual. I am not sure what that snack will be. Maybe some popcorn, or some honey wheat pretzels ! Something snaky to have while catching up on The Biggest Loser on DVR !

Tomorrow we have some errands to run and the second half of my To Do List to conquer ! It is also the last day of house sitting [they come home tomorrow night at 7pm] ! I will be glad for this job to be over with ! I hardly ever house sit in the winter, mostly in summer. It is a lot easier for some reason when it is warmer out. Especially climbing out of bed so early !

Hope everyone is having a great weekend ! I’m off to shower and get into warm PJ’s and call it a night !

………. And The Holiday Season Begins !

By the time I finished blogging last night I could barely keep my eyes open ! I must be getting old, because any change in my usual routine is exhausting ! I slept like a baby last night , until the blasted alarm clock woke me at 5am and I was off to take care of business. It was cold and damp, so the dogs I am caring for did NOT want to stay outside for very long, not that I could blame them. I had every hope of going back home and crawling right back into bed for an hour, but when I reached the my house it was apparent everyone [my niece slept over last night] was awake. Oh well !

We hung out for a while until Matt had to leave for work and then I made Kate a special surprise !

 

Cadbury Drinking Chocolate with a plop of whipped cream on top !

 

I think she kinda like it !!!!! Then I set to work on a special breakfast for us.

 

I made a batch of Protein Pancakes :

• 1 c. of oats
• 1 c. of fat-free cottage cheese
• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 t. of vanilla
• 1/4 t. of cinnamon
• 2 packets of Slenda

Blend it all up in the blender and your batter is all set for spooning out into pancakes. This recipe makes about 6 good size pancakes. I usually eat 2 and put the rest in the fridge to reheat for the next day. They are just as good reheated.

 

I did my best not to let Kate see that I was using cottage cheese in the pancakes because I knew it would turn her off. She would not like them before she even tasted them ! Unfortunately she must have seen me use it because when I asked if she liked them she said, ” yes and no”. I asked her what she didn’t like about them, and she said, “when I bite into them they taste like cheese ……. “! Oh well I tried! In this picture she is putting up a brave face !

 

Here is my breakfast ….. 2 pancakes with Olivio and a little sprinkle of cinnamon /sugar ! They were awesome, and did NOT taste like cheese !

 

While Kate played I worked out.

• Free weight Circuit x2
• 30 min. HIIT on the Spin Bike

By the time I was done with my workout it was time for lunch.

 

No time for anything big and involved , so I just had a banana with peanut butter.

 

And a handful of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. Then it was time to get to work !

 

We have a tradition that’s been going on since Kate was a baby. We always put up the Christmas Tree together the day after Thanksgiving. She is always with me on that day (because my sister works in Retail) . We decorated the tree and decorated the rest of the house too. I also like to do it early because I like it all down and put away the day after Christmas ….. I like beginning the New Year with everything back in order. ( I know I am weird)

I have some favorite ornaments. Here are a few ……..

 

Our Sock Monkey Reindeer, I think he is so cute !

 

I made this in 2nd grade for a Christmas Bazaar my school/church was putting on. I got in trouble from one of the Nuns because I painted it too sloppy , and she told me no one would ever buy it. I went home in tears and told my mother about it. My mother went to the Bazaar and searched for it and bought it. She brought it home and told me she bought it because she thought it was beautiful. I do too , and still hang it on my tree !

 

Someone gave this to us on our first married Christmas together. [ Matt loves Penguins]

After all the Holiday decorating I was hungry again !

 

As a snack a had a serving of corn chips and 1/2 c. of cottage cheese …… I like to dip the chips in the cottage cheese, I usually add some salsa to it but I didn’t have any. This was just as good though.

 

For dinner tonight I had Talapia, with Lemon Pepper Seasoning and some couscous. I planned to have a salad with it , but when I went to make it the lettuce was inedible ! Good thing tomorrow is food shopping day !

 

Last but not least , dessert. Mint Oreo Cookie FroYo  with some chocolate syrup [lite] and a dollop of whipped cream.

It is a cold rainy night here in CT. I usually love to catch up on some DVR shows and stay up late on Friday nights, but tonight I think I will curl up in my nice warm bed and catch up on some reading ! Have great night !