Happy Easter!

I was told by my grandmother that she was going to tell on me, to all my WW friends, because of my behavior this weekend...

I refuse to say that I've been bad. I refuse to say that I've blown it and messed up.

A member came to me on Saturday asking "how I do it". "It" being eat a little more freely on Saturday and then getting myself right on track without blinking an eye. I told her that the key to it all was tracking.

After this weekend, I believe the key to it all is the mentality behind your journey.

Yep, I'll admit it...I spent the whole week talking to myself and making the decision to not track Saturday and Sunday. I decided not to track after my first 2 meals on Saturday because I was going to a family buffet that was going to be absolutely delicious and I did NOT want to spend quite a bit of time tracking food when I could spend time with family.

SO I didn't...and I filled up 2 plates. Had great sources of protein and vegetables, but also enjoyed a really delicious piece of bread. I then filled up a second plate with fresh fruit, and any dessert I felt so inclined to try. Most were delicious, but the ones that were NOT yummy after the fist bite, back on the plate it went. I left feeling SO FULL but also so liberated because I did NOT feel guilty about my meal!

Later that evening all the girls got together and went to Kneader's for dinner. I decided, while waiting in line, that I was going to get a hot reuben sandwich. I get to the front of the line, and I panic. I order a BBQ salad instead with dressing on the side. What? I panicked and ordered a salad? WHO IS THIS PERSON?! Oh yeah, it's me...making healthy lifestyle changes while still eating things that are delicious. And really, the salad was so delicious. I'm grateful for my panic button being equipped with the spill out words of salad ordering.

When I came to my senses, my sister was ordering and I told her to order a cinnamon roll on the side of her meal...so we could share it.

Phew...yeah, we're good. Back to eating the way I wanted to with no guilt required. :)

EASTER SUNDAY!! We had Belgium waffles for breakfast and I ate 2 whole, protein packed, waffles with scrambled eggs and blueberries on the side. The waffles I made for myself were from a fellow Connect member, shout out to @mudhustler for his Big Bad A** Waffles for only 4 smartpoints each. You use Kodiak waffle mix, Quest protein powder, cinnamon, stevia, brown sugar stevia, baking powder, and water. That mix makes 2 waffles. Light, crispy, and very delicious.

We then head to church and I'm sporting my mint green Easter dress I was so excited to wear. Felt a little more full and a little heavier than usual today, but I knowingly contribute that ALL to my food choices being heavy on the carbohydrate side. It'll be gone by Tuesday, maybe even tomorrow.

After church, I got Little Man down for his nap and my husband, sister, and myself all decided to do a light lunch, enjoy some Easter candy, and then have Easter dinner later tonight. Homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch, and then I ate whatever Easter candy my little heart desired.

I enjoyed 1 Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Salted Caramel truffle, 1 Trader Joe's Cinnamon Graham cracker, I lost track of Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Eggs, but I think it was around 10, um 3 See's Candy Gummies, 2 Mystery Flavored Peep Chicks, and a whole BigKat KitKat bar I just couldn't put down...and then I stopped and called it an afternoon. Tonight we will be having roasted spaghetti squash with homemade turkey/chicken meatballs, jell-o Easter jigglers, and my See's Chocolate Butter Egg as well as my See's Chocolate Bordeaux Egg, and maybe eat my personal package of Cadbury Eggs.

YES! I LEARNED MY LESSON! I did NOT purchase a big size bag of Cadbury eggs...just a personal size. And I call that a victory! I only purchased candy that I REALLY wanted this time of year...No robin eggs, no whopper eggs, no jelly beans, no personal box of Chick Peeps, no personal chocolate bunnies, no mini caramel Cadbury eggs wrapped in gold wrapping, and no mini Cadbury eggs wrapped in the blue and red and green wrapping that come in like 12 to a package!

This Easter has been a GREAT victory for me and I feel like I've come SO FAR and done SO MUCH GOOD and have made SO MANY GOOD CHANGES compared to last year, that I can't help but celebrate. I only bought the candy that mattered to me, and heck yes, I am totally enjoying it.

This picture is of our family share bowls. The eggs contain sour gummies from See's that were divided out of only ONE package, there are 4 suckers-1 of strawberries and cream and well as orange cream-2 for me and 2 for my husband. A package of Chocolate Butter Eggs to share with my husband, myself, my sister, and baby, and then 2 packages of personal Cadbury eggs for my husband and I, an opened package of an already consumed KitKat bar, and then a little bowl of 1 package of Reese's Eggs. If those are NOT consumed by tonight, they are going to be packaged up and sent away with my husband to work. Unfortunately those little delicious morsels do NOT come in individualized packages and are also a weakness for me. Boo.

But, I've enjoyed my food. Like I said, I spent the whole week deciding that I would NOT track Saturday and Sunday, just to try this aspect of my journey. Even though I have enjoyed my weekend, I don't think I'll do it again without a lot of contemplation beforehand. I'm so ready to get back with my tracker Monday morning and getting all of my FitPoints this coming week. Every weekend I feel like I'm getting stronger in my resolve to change my eating. It may not seem like it to all of you, but I really do feel like my choices are getting easier and easier to make. I'm not tempted by candy bars in the store; now it's deciding whether or not to buy a second package of blueberries that are on sale or saving a bit more money to go out to Trader Joe's and purchase a 3rd Opal Apple. 

These treat-a-palooza weekends are few and far between for me, and this holiday is the first that I've decided not to track. I still feel accountable because, frankly, I'm tattling on myself.

But I do this so that all you out there can keep hope. You CAN eat what you want, you just have to get your brain and your emotions on board. Even if you've eaten as much as I have this weekend, or eaten the equivalent of my consumption in under an hour today...Do NOT tell yourself that you've blown it. Stop yourself and think about the mentality behind your actions. Were you self-aware or were you trying to fix, hide from, ignore something? If yes to any of the phrases I mentioned after the word "or"...

It's alright. I forgive you. Now, forgive yourself. Go to the mirror, RIGHT NOW, and say "I accept myself completely and unconditionally, right now." You may even substitute the word "accept" for "forgive" and then say the phrase AGAIN with "accept". After doing this, commit with me to get back on plan and back to your regular structure with the sunset and be ready to conquer the day with the sunrise.

Happy Easter, everyone. He is Risen. Because He conquered death, so shall we! Because He conquered all sin and paid for our debts, we too can master the mortal man within us-conquer our appetites of the natural man, and be our best selves. I am grateful to my Savior, Jesus Christ, for all He did for me and all He does to continue to bless my life.

May you find His peace with you this wonderful, beautiful, delicious, Easter Day!

All my love,

Camille

*Later that evening...Turns out I did NOT eat my See's Butter Egg. I decided to save that for NEXT Saturday rather than make myself sick. I ate my mini eggs, and surprisingly, they weren't as delicious as the day I ate an unlimited amount. Not wanting them again any time soon. As for the Chocolate Bordeaux egg? I ate only half and am saving the other half for next Saturday :) I decided to end my night with my last 32oz bottle to complete my 128 oz water consumption a day, and a good handful of sour See's gummy bunnies. Life is good :)

5 Tips for Tackling Treats and Temptations

As you find the structure and happy medium in your relationship with food, meaning finding the balance between food being a fuel source as well as a source of happiness, you'll find the things you start to buy most often will change. For some of you, you will notice your tastebuds changing, and you are feeling great! But remember, every so often, a darn craving will creep right in and try to sabotage you. Don't let the craving control you. In fact, take your power back with these simple tips!


1. Buy Only Things You Love
     I read somewhere that a fellow WW member only buys things that she LOVES. She doesn't waste her calories or her money on things that are "OK". For example, if you are craving a cheeseburger, don't settle for McDonald's. Go out and get a CHEESEBURGER! Now, if you LOVE McDonald's that's a different story...don't settle for anywhere else. If you love chocolate, don't just grab a plain old Hershey Bar...Hunt for the portion size of the Symphony Bar (with the blue writing) and enjoy it. Don't settle for something that won't satisfy the craving.

2. Make It An Event
    When you go to purchase a treat, make sure you can find a way to purchase 1 or if it's a package, find someone to share it with...outside the home. If you have to bring it home, make sure the treat is portioned properly and finished before you leave the table. Don't let it sit around. Make that purchase an event and savor it. For example, cupcakes. I LOVE THEM! For that reason, I'm not going to make cupcakes UNLESS I KNOW that I'm making them for an event and there will be NO LEFTOVERS. I'm also not going to buy a 1 dozen box from the store...there is only 3 of us at home. If I want cupcakes, I'll ask my family if they want cupcakes too. If they do, we'll go to a cupcake shop and get 1 cupcake each, or ideally, share a cupcake with someone. That way the craving is satisfied and you don't have any temptations to bring home with you.

Now, I get it. You may be the only one on your journey, and you have other family members who still like to have treats around the house...

3. Don't Keep YOUR Temptations Around the Home
     My pantry is slowly becoming void of treats, but the treats that tempt me are completely gone. This has taken months of slowly depleting because my husband hasn't been on board until recently. He's starting to really love the idea of "going out" for our treats, whether it's for dinner or for ice cream. Anyways, what do I have left? I have a cooking shelf that I store chocolate chips and candies to bake with, but they don't tempt me because the empty nutrition just isn't worth it to me. No temptation. I have 1 jar of pre-portioned OREO cookies for my family to enjoy in Cinnamon Roll, Red Velvet, Thin Chocolate, and Thin Vanilla. Those have no longer become a temptation for me either. I have a plastic container of packaged poptarts that were bought in a moment of weakness that will NOT be refilled. I did have one a few Reset Days ago, and they were NOT as good as I remember. So, I'll soon have a container to use for something else. I have a pre-portioned container filled with baggies of Gingerbread Men, as well as Mini Nilla Wafers, and Blueberry Acai Chocolate Treats. Some of these things I really DO enjoy  but I've given myself structure and my next tip is how I avoid bingeing on them...

4. Safeguard Your Snacks
     Now, there are some treats where your family will love them and you will too. Sometimes, those purchases are unavoidable. As I mentioned above, I have things pre-portioned...with points written on them. So the treats that ARE a temptation for me, they aren't blaring in my face in the box. At a point in time where I WASN'T hungry, I put EVERY SINGLE TREAT into ziploc baggies and wrote the points for each serving. I then put them in plastic containers with the point value labeled outside of the box, and then I put them on the HIGHEST SHELF POSSIBLE.

5. Know Your Trigger Foods
     Now, I'm a BIG believer in NOT depriving yourself. That's a Camille-ism as one of my WW friends once told me. Enjoy the foods you LOVE, but then again, take a look at exactly what you DO love. Everyone has trigger foods. Those are foods that once you start, you just can't stop. Mine are Lay's Potato Chips, milkshakes, and brownies...to name a few off the top of my head. At this time, I can't tell you the last time I had either of those because I know what they do to me MENTALLY. I LOSE control, I LOSE ALL POWER, and I give in and I go...and go...and go. And then what happens?

I'm mentally and physically sick. The mental aspect of it is becoming more powerful to me because that's what I'm currently striving to understand. Why would I subject myself to a food that takes over me? I want to be able to have power over my food, not the reverse. I know that my resolve automatically becomes weak AS SOON AS I PUT A PIECE OF THOSE FOODS IN MY MOUTH! One Lay's Potato Chip? Thanks! I'll take the whole bag! 1 brownie? Um, let's cut that sucker a LITTLE BIGGER and call it one. A milkshake? Sure let's get a small size and split...Oops, sorry hon, we might need to buy you your own. I kinda finished it already... No control whatsoever. We all have them, and THAT'S when it is TOTALLY acceptable (because the mentality behind the consumption of that particular food is NOT apart of the lifestyle you are striving to attain) to eat something different.

I was tempted last night when my family wanted to go out for milkshakes. My husband offered to share one with me, which was way awesome and in all reality, a first. My sister wanted Cookie Dough and I told my husband to order the flavor. He picked Marshmallow. My inner dialogue upon hearing his order?

BLECHK!

BOO!

Oh, thank you!

Marshmallow is NOT a milkshake flavor to me. Why waste that on a milkshake? It's so close to vanilla?! My husband LOVES IT and though I wasn't happy with the choice, it was SUCH a relief because...

I. Wasn't. Tempted.

I was tempted by my sister's milkshake as we drove home with it in the car to give to her at home, but I resisted because I prepared a treat in my mind that I could enjoy at home.

The rest of my Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, mixed with my Protein Vanilla Pudding. 11 smartpoints...and it HIT THE SPOT.

See the method to my madness?

If I do desire any of the treats listed under tip #3, I've given myself some minor blocks to help me determine if I really want it. All the treats are out of the box and pre-portioned. Points are written on the bags so I KNOW that if I'm grabbing two bags, I'm going to be consuming 14 points right off the bat for 4 Oreo's. All my treats are in containers with the points visible on the outside of the container. Tubs with treats are placed on the highest shelf possible in my pantry.

There is a LOT of mental awareness that I'll be going through when a craving hits. If you try these tips, you'll see that they will help you manage your cravings. If you don't have temptations in your house and you are craving something, what a fun way to go for a family outing! If you DO have one of your cravings around the house, you've given your brain enough flags to start the positive self-talk and opportunity for reflection to decide if the treat you are searching for is REALLY worth it. If it is, don't settle for anything less. SATISFY THE CRAVING. You are FAR less likely to go hog-wild if you choose to listen and satisfy your craving with EXACTLY what it is that you are craving.

Stay strong,
Camille

So the Day Didn't Go As Planned...

Sometimes, we just need to get some things off of our chests. I wrote this post...almost a month ago, but it seems fitting to post this week after I have personally come back from a slump. We need to remind ourselves how far we've come so that we can propel ourselves forward. We can be frustrated for a time, but we can't let the frustration derail us. I made my goal, that you'll read below, to workout 18/20 workouts...turns out the following week I didn't do a dang thing. So...instead of sliding all the way downhill, I jumped right back on the bandwagon the next week...and so far? I've only missed 1 workout due to illness. Reassess, recommit, and go get 'em!!

Even when you are doing great, sometimes life gets in the way. It's how you handle the setbacks. That's what REALLY defines you.

I finished this week off -9 Weekly Smartpoints. Bummer. That wasn't my plan, and even today, I went over by 2 smartpoints TOTALLY by accident! When I was reviewing my meals for the day, I realized I forgot to count 1 egg with my lunch. Boom, right there. But you know what? That's the beauty about writing down what you eat WHEN you eat it. You are DEFINITELY more aware of what is going on with your body.

I'm pretty much expecting a gain on the scale tomorrow. This week has been a Slingshot week: everyday being high carbs. And you know what? I FEEL heavier. I dipped into my FitPoints to even everything out, so I'm still okay in that regard, but I'm pretty positive I'm retaining water. I wasn't feeling very well today, so I didn't get as great workout in as I wanted. On TOP of that, I did not complete my 9MM today. So, at the end of a month's time...20 different workouts, I completed 16. Should I get down on myself that I didn't do the whole 20? I would have in the past. But I realized today, which I've said often in my posts...There is NO reason for me NOT to start again on Monday. There is NO REASON for me NOT to set a goal to reach all 20 workouts with this next cycle. And that's exactly what I am going to do. I WANT to see improvement, I WANT to do better, and I've decided that I want to show up for my life. So, I need to take into account what my first month brought me and set my goal a little higher. My goal for this next round of workouts is to get 18/20 workouts completed. Then, by the third round...all 20 will be no big deal to complete. It's all about baby steps, right?

I'm human, too.

Sometimes things happen that aren't in our control. That's the key: WE AREN'T IN CONTROL SOMETIMES. I was a control freak, and I still kind of am. If I don't have some sort of power in SOME WAY, I get anxiety and a little overwhelmed. I think it's the oldest child syndrome? I've really tried to dial it back and realize that sometimes things just happen. It's then MY JOB to make sure I make the best of it because there is no point in agonizing about something that I can't change anyway.

Bing! Life's story.

So, I'm going to dust myself off, realize today was an off day. Expect a gain on the scale and EXPECT to lose that gain, if not more, the next week. Always looking forward, not looking back at what I coulda-woulda-shoulda. The sun will continue to rise and set...just amidst the business of what we call life, make sure you take time to look at it. Or snap a picture while waiting at a stop light right as the light switches to green...

There's no fixing the past, only learning from it.

Stay true to yourself,
Camille

For the Days When You Don't Have Brain Power

Make sure you have FOOD POWER!

Thursday was a tired day for me. I'm going to have to gather up some motivation and get going. You know, I realize that I can go for couple days on the highest of highs, and then have some low days, and then I can alternate between high motivation and low motivation in only a week's time!

Please tell me I'm not the only one??

First meal of the day started off with my new favorite treat: 1 cup Lowfat 1% cottage cheese (4sp), 1/2 c drained mandarin oranges, and 1/4 c Kashi Go Lean Clusters Vanilla Pepitas (2sp). I add just a little bit of natural sweetener and it's such a treat...one of favorite meals to eat first thing in the morning.

It was Motor Class Day for Little Man, and so I needed a LC meal that would be easy to carry. So? I turn to my favorite go-to, a Smore's flavored Quest Bar (4sp) and 2 T unsalted mixed nuts (3sp). Yes, a little higher than normal, but it was very fulfilling and I just made sure to make a 5 smartpoint meal for my 3rd.

And I did! I enjoyed some leftovers again! A good helping of roasted spaghetti squash, 6 oz of shredded chicken breast (4sp), 1/2 c green beans, 1/2 c mushrooms, 1 c romaine lettuce, 2 T Kirkland Organic Salsa (0sp), and 1 Frigo Cheesehead Light String Cheese Stick (1sp). A WHOLE PLATE of food, and then some, for only 5sp!

Healthy food can be so delicious and not even have a lot of brain power to make! When you do have enough brain power to make a delicious meal with chicken or some type of protein, make enough to carry over into the next day. That way you can throw something simple, yet delicious, together in no time!

My fourth meal was as quickly put together as it was to eat. I'm pretty proud of this meal because it was my whipped together version of a Jimmy John's Unwich sandwich. I was running tight on time to get to work, with getting my family fed, and I just though about calling JJ's to make me a sandwich. See what I did there? Anyway, I realized that I actually didn't have to spend any money and I could probably put together a great meal in no time! So what did I do? I finished off the last bit of spaghetti squash, grabbed and washed 4 leaves of butter lettuce, some squeezes of mustard, 8 slices of Kirkland turkey breast for 3 smartpoints, 4 slices of pickled cucumbers, and 2/3oz of unsalted nuts for 3 smartpoints. All of that for 6 smartpoints!!

Remember, even when you are in a rush, make your plates pretty! Make them visually appealing and it adds to the experience while eating!

Now, my 5th meal was something I had been CRAVING!! In comes my super friend M&M to save the day. I had run out of Fage earlier in the week, and I didn't realize HOW MUCH I DEPENDED ON THAT STUFF until it was gone! So, I texted M&M to ask her if she had 1 cup left and if she did, to bring it tonight and I would make us a treat. SCORE! She totally did, and Vanilla Protein Pudding came to be!

Vanilla Protein Pudding (6sp)

1/2 c Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt

2 T vanilla protein powder

1 T crunchy almond butter (you could do smooth if you wanted)

Mix all together an enjoy!

You start the day off great and finish the day great. You are getting your confidence and strength back in your promises. You are slowly getting your power back! And then...life happens. In my life, it so happened that my sister comes running from upstairs saying that Mom and Dad are going to send fudge from the best fudge shop our family knows of. You can only find it in NC...and your mom and dad live only a few hours away...and if you ask your mom for some, she'll send you two pounds per person unless otherwise specified. 

So...

What do you do when you are on a lifestyle journey?

You do this...

Yep, you run to the nearest computer, gather your sister and husband around the computer and go through every single picture and every single flavor and decide on your top...6... BUT, you make sure to specify ONLY THE SMALLEST WEIGHT of each flavor. And then...

You plan for it.

If it arrives earlier than the day you plan to eat it, put your portion away in the fridge and write all over it and make sure you ENJOY IT the day you've planned. There is so much more to planning your treats. Not only have you planned for them point wise, but you have also mentally and physically prepared for them, so there is NO GUILT involved upon consumption. Remember that!

Happy eating everyone and make sure you have enough of your faves around so that when you JUST CAN'T THINK...you can safely reach, and enjoy!
Camille

Hump Day...Middle of the Week

Are you going to ROCK the middle of the week? Or have it be your capstone and slide down the hill for the duration of your work week AND weekend??

I've found that WEDNESDAYS are like, my favorite day. They can either MAKE my week, or BREAK my week. If I ROCK my Wednesdays with my nutrition AND my workouts? Nothing can stop me.

Remember how I posted about reaffirming my promises and getting myself out of a slump on a Tuesday night one post? The next morning was Wednesday and I got up early. I got up early, and I FELT GREAT! It rejuvenated me, and I was able to have my time...Get my 9MM done, get my breakfast eaten, pack my husband's lunch AND make him breakfast AND start my morning treadmill workout...all before the baby woke up. It was AWESOME! I made 10k steps before 8am that day! And by the end of the day...I don't know HOW it happened, but I had managed to earn 21 FitPoints and walk 26,116 steps by 9:30pm.

WHAT?!

And I also felt like a truck had hit me when I woke up Thursday morning, BUT THAT'S OKAY! I don't have ANY desire to get that many steps again...my regular goal of 10k is just fine with me. :)

Wednesday was a High Carb Day...Woo Hoo!! Welcome Fruit and Grains to my day! Now, get in my belly!

I started the morning off with my FAVORITE breakfast...Apple Cinnamon Muesli for 8sp. I make it the night before so it's a no brainer when I wake up! Recipe to be found on blogpost: I Tried New Things Today

I just dump it in a bowl and enjoy OR I put it in a smaller container and enjoy right out of the jar! Apples are ALWAYS fresh and NEVER brown :)

Second meal of the day was nice and early, around 9am. So, I satisfied myself with 1 Cara Cara Orange (SO YUMMY!! Kind of like a blood orange...a mix between a citrus and berry taste, DELISH!) for 0sp, 2 Low Sodium Rice Cakes (2sp), 1 Premier Protein Shake (2sp), and 2 T of PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (1sp). A great easy meal to eat for only 5 smartpoints!

Remember, though your meals may be simple, don't forget to take the time to make them look nice. The more visually appealing they are, the more enjoyable it is to eat!

Time rolls on and I find myself trying to keep busy! My workout is done for the day, the laundry is in the process of washing and drying and being folded, but all in all, I don't really have anything to do while the baby is sleeping! It was a weird feeling! I got a lot finished, and had a quiet 3rd meal, or lunch, to myself.

I had some roasted spaghetti squash (0sp), 1/2 c white rice for 3sp (leftovers from the night before), and 1 Superfood Veggie Patty (5sp). So, it was an 8 smartpoint meal, and I could have eaten a different carb for lower smartpoints, but you know what? I really wanted some rice! And some was already made, just needed to be reheated, so that's exactly what I did! I just made sure that my next two meals would split between 9 smartpoints. Doing math quite often, but it's almost like a puzzle, that you CAN WIN, if you just put in a little thinking time...and have easily accessible foods you KNOW the points value for.

Fourth meal consisted of a Smore's Quest Bar (4sp) and the last quarter of Little Man's banana, still in the peel. I enjoyed that bar and banana on the easy walk around our neighborhood.

As soon as I get back to the house, it's time to get ready to sub for a meeting out in Orem. That means, food to go. The center out in Orem is right next to a Subway, and I contemplated all day long if I just wanted to get my dinner there. I decided that I couldn't really enjoy a GOOD sandwich for 5 smartpoints or less, so, I made up a quick and easy, as well as nonconventional, dinner.

1/3 c Kashi Go Lean Clusters Vanilla Pepitas (2sp), a dash of zero calorie sweetener, 2 T Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt for 0 smartpoints (yes, I got EVERY LASY BIT of yogurt out of the tub before I had to throw it away), and 3/4 c Nordica 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese for 3 smartpoints.

Boom. Victory. Made a totally delicious and satisfying final meal for 5 smartpoints. I met my points for the day and headed home.

Upon returning home, I had a bite of the crockpot chicken I had made for my family...It was no more than an ounce, so I tracked 3/4 of an ounce of chicken breast of my tracker, and then I helped myself to some canned pears my sister-in-law gave us...and ate the rest of the jar...for 0 smartpoints. 

Now, I'll confess by the end of the night, I was REALLY craving chocolate. My Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Truffles were STARING at me. I had 4 Weekly Smartpoints left...and 1 truffle is only 3 smartpoints. 

Is it worth it? 

Here comes the internal dialogue: I totally know they are delicious, and so I wouldn't be wasting my points. BUT, is having a treat today really worth throwing my lifestyle goals out the window? Saturday is my day to have treats, so is it really worth spoiling your 4 week success thus far? What could I...

And then I remembered my blessing of Daily Hugs: Quest Cravings Protein Peanut Butter Cups

For BOTH peanut butter cups, you would spend 7 smartpoints. But for only 1 peanut butter cup, which is more than enough to satisfy the craving and STILL FEEL like you are on track, it's only 4 smartpoints. I opted for 1 peanut butter cup to finish off my weeklies.

I can make it. Only 2 more days until Reset Day and my blessed weekly points come back to me! Even though I went for the high smartpoint option, for me it was totally worth it because I didn't feel guilty. It TASTED like a treat, but it wasn't a total indulgence...like it would have been had I eaten the truffle.

The food you eat...watch the mentality behind it. You CAN eat whatever you so choose. For me, that truffle was TOTALLY in my smartpoint balance...but I would have felt guilty afterwards eating it, because it would have been a deviation from the promises and goals I have made and set for myself.

I cannot emphasize enough how important SMART goals are! Make sure you take time for yourself to set those! Make them meaningful and important because THOSE GOALS WILL KEEP YOU ON TRACK WHEN NOTHING ELSE WILL!!

I rocked my middle of the week...and I'm ready to take on the next two days of LC foods!

Enjoy the sunshine,

Camille

To Create or Do What's Easy

That was my question ALL DAY on Tuesday. We are running low on groceries, but still need to make it to the end of the month with what we have. It made me a little anxious, at first, seeing our fridge and freezer become slowly depleted. BUT, I decided to face my fear and turn it around.

I'm doing AWESOME at making sure we use what we have!

Sure, my grocery list is a mile long and I am counting DOWN the days until the next month's shopping day, but you know, we are making do!

With that being said, I've been needing to tap into the gene's I've received from my father and get creative in the kitchen. Sure, it would totally be easier to eat out, but then a saying comes to my mind:
Choose Your Hard: Being Fat is Hard and Getting Fit is Hard. Which will it be?

I was able to pull myself out of a downward slide Tuesday evening. I had let my exercise relax a bit over the weekend, and my mental fortitude was shrinking. I finished the last book of Chris and Heidi's motivational readings, and this was the last thing they wrote before starting pictures of recipes and workouts:

"Remember: the downward spiral doesn't have to continue."

It was like a lightning bolt struck me, like the words kept echoing in my brain. Chris and Heidi? How did you know I needed this today?! I CAN get my power back and I CAN get my life under control and I CAN pick myself BACK UP and start again. I'm not so far gone that it's all for nothing. When you trip and fall down the stairs, you don't just lay there the rest of your life! So, I reassessed my situation and recommitted. It was my timing. I became unmotivated to workout while my son was sleeping because other things seemed to fall into that time. Priorities right?? I figure that I'll need to be more flexible. Thursdays I'll still workout during Little Man's naptime because we have to be ready and out the door pretty early, but on the other days, I need to get up early to start my meal timing right. That's my goal for tomorrow...no more waiting around, it's time to show up.

First meal of the day: My favorite breakfast sandwich. Food is SO versatile...You can take one recipe and change a few things to make a FANTASTIC new meal! I've changed the meat quite a few times with this baby, even which type of cheese I use, and it always works out deliciously. Don't be afraid to be creative!

Breakfast Sandwich 4 smartpoints
3 oz Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Honey Smoked Turkey Breast (1sp)
1 Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese Wedge, Creamy Light Swiss (1sp)
1 Bubba's Lite English Muffin (2sp)

Toast the muffin while your egg is cooking. Once the egg is cooked to your desire, place meat on top of egg in pan, remove from heat and cover with pan lid. Spread cheese on muffin sides and then remove egg and warmed ham to your muffins. Enjoy!

Second meal was simple. My LC days tend to be much simpler or much more creative. This meal was simple, just a Lemon Cream Quest Bar and 2 T of unsalted mixed nuts for a meal of 6 smartpoints. Yeah, feeding yourself can be boring sometimes, but make sure you still enjoy what you are eating. Those two things sounded good to me and so I did enjoy it!

Midday, I started to get HUNGRY. I started to feel my resolve slip away and just eat EVERYTHING. Thank goodness for my steamer and pre-portioned veggie bags! Steamed and seasoned mushrooms, green beans and 1/2 T Salted Almond Butter (1sp) and 2 oz of Old Trapper's Original Beef Jerky (2sp) to hold me over until it was 3rd meal time.

For my third meal, THAT was an opportunity I took to be creative? Remember how I mentioned on my post entitled Monday, Monday, Monday! that I had made a low carb version of Costa Vida's Baja Bowl? And THEN I also mentioned Low Carb Imitation Baja Bowl 2.0? Well that's what I made for today. (Just a head's up, I'm only posting 4 days a week, so my posts are written in different tenses because I post them on days different from when they are written. Today's post was about my meals on a Tuesday, though writing it on a Thursday and posting it probably a week later...Don't want to overwhelm you all with so many posts a week!)

So, it was Baja Bowl 2.0 that I SERIOUSLY loved for lunch today. I added peppers, and a creamy swiss cheese wedge, and TACO SEASONING!! Still super low in points, and absolutely delicious! It was like a Mexican Stir Fry! Check out the recipe on blogpost: Monday, Monday, Monday!

So filling, I encourage you to try it out! And only 5 smartpoints? YES PLEASE!

My 4th meal of the day was a new recipe that I tried. I also had to decide if I wanted to try something new, or just do what was easy. I am wanting to push myself and try new things, give my audience a wider variety of things to try and enjoy. So here it is...

Vanilla Protein Pudding (6 sp and makes 1 serving)
1/2 c Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt
2 T Vanilla protein powder
1 T Almond Butter
Zero Calorie sweetener to taste

Mix together and enjoy!

I am currently out of greek yogurt or else I would be making this again. And my HUSBAND even enjoyed it! He cleaned the bowl! Greek yogurt and almond butter...what?! Little Man even asked for a few bites. All in all...a protein pudding success. I can't wait to make this again!

Last meal of the day...Hubby voted for spaghetti...squash! SPAGHETTI SQUASH?! WHAT?! What is HAPPENING to my FAMILY?! Oh yeah, that's right, they are making changes too...because I decided to change. My sister, Cookie, LOVES roasted spaghetti squash with meatballs at our house. She gets so excited.

Have you ever roasted spaghetti squash? It smells DELICIOUS and it's super simple. Just cut your squash in half, get the guts out, place both halves cut side up in a pan filled about 1/2 way with water. Place them in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. If my squash is ready before the oven is, I just put those babies in the oven and let them sit for about an hour or so. Hasn't failed me yet.

While the family had garlic bread, I had roasted rainbow carrots (so fun! They come in purple, white, and orange! I've even seen yellow ones!)

Green salad with Marzetti Light Balsamic Dressing (1sp), Roasted rainbow carrots seasoned with favorite seasonin (0sp), 4 Blueberry Jalepeno chicken meatballs (5sp), a heaping serving of roasted spaghetti squash (0sp), and heaping 1/4 c of Prego Light Smart Traditional Spaghetti Sauce (1sp...on my tracker I counted it as 2/3 a serving, and it's still 1sp)

Very filling, very satisfying, very low carb, and everyone was happy. Little Man LOVES this meal...he can't ever get enough of the spaghetti.

Yes, I went over by 1 sp for the day...but I still had my weeklies to tap into! It's not often that I tap into them, but thank GOODNESS I was wise on my reset day and had 8 Weekly Smartpoints to spare! They DO come in handy.

Eat them!
Have a wonderful day my friends,
Camille

Monday, Monday, Monday!

What should I eat?

Does this thought sound familiar to you? Yeah, it's a constant when I DON'T MEAL PLAN! Sunday was a pretty busy day, and I didn't get to have my time to meal plan. So, my beautiful chalk calendar...is blank. I'm truly winging it this week. Why? Well, #1 I didn't get the chance to set time aside and #2 We are low on groceries, so I've got to make do with what we have until next paycheck.

Any of this sound familiar?

On TOP of those 2 reasons, I have to be creative and challenge myself because I have quite a few low-carb days this week. So no easy reaching for sandwiches or fruits or chips or pretzels or tortillas. Nope, I've got to use up my veggies and get down with my protein.

Meal #1 was a different twist on my typical Triple Berry Treat. I don't have any more berries, but I DO have a cold can of mandarin oranges sitting in my fridge...

Viola! 1 whole can of DRAINED mandarin oranges,  1/2 cup 1% Cottage Cheese, 1/2 cup Fage Total 0% Nonfat Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup FLAVOR FAVE: Kashi Go Lean Clusters: Vanilla Pepitas, and a couple dashes of zero calorie sweetener. Yummy use of 5 smartpoints.

Second meal of the day I turned to unsalted nuts and a protein shake. I did 2 T of unsalted nuts for 3 smarptoints and again made a 3 smartpoint chocolate shake. I've mentioned the recipe in previous blogs, so take a look!

I savored those nuts and I savored the shake. With smaller meals, i.e. low carb meals, the key to not feeling deprived is taking the time to really TASTE the meals and all the flavors, as well as drinking your water. Remember? Miss Fish over here guzzling at least 128 oz of water a day. Yeah, a ton...But I would seriously suggest work on your water in-take...8-8oz glasses a day. Flavor it if you have to, but get your water in!

I was still feeling a little hungry in between my second and third meal, so I grabbed a bag of pre-portioned sugar snap peas, green beans, and mushrooms. While my green beans and mushrooms were steaming in the microwave, I snacked on the sugar snap peas. Convenient, yes? Once the microwave sounded, I added some seasoning to the veggies and enjoyed that little bowl. Totally held me over until lunchtime.

Third meal of the day was a low carb recreation of my Baja Bowl I had on Saturday. (Fast Forward-Man, that Baja Bowl...probably something I am going to get again on Saturday, even though I've already recreated it twice now).

Low Carb Imitation Baja Bowl (5sp)
4.1 oz of rotisserie chicken breast
1 individual cup of GoodFoods Chunky Guacamole
1-1 1/2 cups Riced Cauliflower

Mix all ingredients together in a pan and cook until fully heated through. Enjoy

Now I ate that Baja Bowl with a light string cheese stick to make my meal a whole 6 smartpoints. Not very colorful, but it WAS my first try at making the stuff.

*Fast forward to the next day, and I recreated it with even MORE flavor and MORE color!

Low Carb Imitation Baja Bowl 2.0 (5sp)
1/2 c green peppers
1 cup riced cauliflower
1/2 T Low Sodium Taco Seasoning
2 T salsa
1 individual cup of GoodFoods Chunky Guacamole
3 oz rotisserie chicken
1 Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese wedge in Light Swiss

Place peppers and cauliflower in a pan to cook. Add taco seasoning and 2 T water to help the veggie cook and absorb the taco seasoning. Once water is evaporated, add salsa, guacamole, chicken, and cheese wedge. Stir ingredients together, mixing and mashing as you go, so that all ingredients start to blend together. Meal is ready when cheese is melted and blended with the rest of the ingredients.

My 2.0 version was delicious and I loved the peppers that I added. I seriously can't wait to make this meal again.

Now, rewind with me to my original day where I'm coming up on my 4th meal...which happen to fall at dinnertime. Earlier, I had grabbed 2 HUGE salmon fillets out of my freezer to use, and stripped the skin and cut them into 8 small fillets. I called up my dad and he gave me the suggestion of making a ginger soy marinade and then cooking the fish. All I needed to do was use the same base as my stirfry...

Salmon Soy Marinade
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 T oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 fish sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T zero calorie sweetener
1/2 T Agave Nectar

Place salmon fillets in large gallon bag with a good drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of 21 seasoning. Pour in marinade and close bag. Make sure all fillets are coated and place bag in bowl in the fridge and let set until ready to use for dinner.

My marinade sat on those fish for about 5-6 hours...and when I pulled those babies out to grill...they tasted AMAZING. My sister Cookie, who HATES fish...asked for a second helping!

While my family had white rice with veggies, I switched my rice for some riced cauliflower and had a 3 smartpoint dinner.

Yeah, that left me with 9 smartpoints for my last meal! I was pretty hungry by the time my 3 hours of waiting were up, so, I decided to indulge in my Fage Total 2% Lowfat Greek Strained Yogurt with Honey

It. Was. Worth. ALL. 9. SMARTPOINTS. It was so yummy, and that greek yogurt really filled in the cracks of my hunger pangs.

I had 30 smartpoints for the day, feeling satisfied and quite proud of the meals I had "winged" that day.

Don't be afraid to TRY, because you never know what the outcome will be if you don't!
Happy eating,
Camille

Ending the Slingshot, Starting Turbo

So all my Carb Cycling friends out there, even those who aren't carb cycling but may be interested...I finally finished my Slingshot Week. M&M did it with me and by the time Sunday came to an end, we were BOTH seriously CARBED OUT! Turbo Cycling is going 2 LC days to every 1 HC day, so essentially Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday are high carb days.

M&M LOVES LC days simply because you just FEEL lighter. I love them for that reason too. Your body flushes all the water it's been holding due to carbohydrate consumption, and so the heaviness you feel dissipates throughout the day. I struggle a little more on LC days because my energy levels are low (it's a good thing...your body is burning fat for energy) and I seem to be hungrier much faster. Those are normal things to experience on LC days, but combined with low energy and no quick carb consumption, meal planning is your BIGGEST friend. AND having LC friendly foods that take hardly any brain power to put together.

As I prepped for my upcoming 2 days of LC eating, Sunday was my final day of Slingshot, which meant a HC day along with family dinner. Now, family dinner...that's a WHOLE 'NOTHER PLACE of temptation in it's own, but I knew what was coming: homemade chicken alfredo. I was SERIOUSLY done with carbs by Sunday afternoon, but I KNEW I needed to finish out the day as planned and finish strong. So...what to do about family dinner AND what to do about my whole Sunday??

For breakfast, I served both my husband and myself my Spanish Eggs with 1 tortilla. He liked it, I loved it, and it kept me so full and satisfied the whole three hours until I needed to eat again!

Spanish Eggs with Whole Grain Tortilla (5sp)
1/2 steamed green beans, cut into thirds
1 whole egg (2sp)
3 egg whites (1sp)
2 T salsa
1 Food for Life Sprouted Grain Tortilla (2sp)

Steam green beans in a pan until they are ALMOST done and drain water. Add favorite spice to green beans, then drop in egg and egg whites. Add salsa and cook until eggs are just the way you like them. Serve on a plate with 1 warmed tortilla on the side

Second meal was my favorite go-to...Smore's Flavored Quest Bar (4sp). I LOVE that these babies are SO filling and SO LOW in smartpoints, considering that there are a LOT of protein bars out there that cost a pretty smartpoint penny. Munched on that, and then came home and had a variety meal.

I had some leftovers that I needed to work with, and some cravings that I needed to calm down! I satisfied that craving with 1/3 serving of my Clean Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie dough for 7 sp, 3 oz of the last of my Cilantro Lime Shrimp from Costco (1sp), 1/2 cup celery with 1 T of Salted Almond Butter (3sp). Yeah, it was a strange meal when all said and done, but my craving was gone and I was able to hold out for dinnertime.

How did I manage to make it through a delicious plate of homemade chicken alfredo?? Well, I didn't have the exact recipe, but I used the calculation of Stouffer's Chicken Alfredo, Family size...For a whole cup of that stuff, it's 8 smartpoints. So what did I do? Instead of using the large spoon in the bowl, I grabbed my sister-in-law's 1 cup measuring cup and gave myself 1 cup of the chicken alfredo, and then I sat down and ENJOYED IT. I made sure to give my plate a GOOD heaping dose of veggies (that I got to bring because we were in charge of the side) and enjoyed the whole thing.

The best news is, I was still within points and I didn't feel deprived...until dessert-which my other sister-in-law brought. Oh gosh...Cheesecake with fresh strawberries. Oh my GOSH I love cheesecake. I haven't had it in so long that I had forgotten how much I loved it until I saw it. So, before I dove into one of the ridiculously small pieces...I scanned it. 18 smartpoints for one piece! *small sob inside* *okay, more like a huge sob* Now, mathematically, I couldn't have it with my smartpoints...It would put me in the negative. It's not that I felt deprived, I actually cut a slice in half and gave it to my son...swiping off the remnants of the knife and tasting it...deciding if it was worth going into the negatives for. Mmmm, it was yummy! For a dang Walmart Cheesecake? It was YUMMY!! But, you know what?? I remembered that I still had banana cream yogurt at my house...I could have a WHOLE SERVING of my Protein Banana Pudding (The Devil Done Me In...With No Regrets) and only use 8 smartpoints. So, I enjoyed that swipe of the knife, tracked it as 1 smartpoint, and loaded up on the fresh strawberries my sister-in-law brought as a topping. She even brought 2 different bowls...strawberries WITH sugar, and strawberries without. She was so thoughtful! I pretty much ate the sugar free bowl by myself...and everyone was going for the sugared strawberries anyway, so no big deal I guess.

I survived family dinner...with 1 smartpoint left to spare. I was craving something sweet, something cookie-ish, almost just the crust of the cheesecake. So what did I go for?? I remembered that we had 5 Mini Nilla Wafers in a pre-portioned bag left over from a previous meal...that equalled 1 smartpoint. So, I had those, and decided to have a Dannon Greek Light and Fit Salted Caramel Yogurt (3sp) as an accompaniment.

I ate those cookies nice and slow, dipping them into the yogurt and savoring every bite. Yep, I even enjoyed them in bed, watching my favorite show. It was such a treat. Now, I don't think I'll get this flavor again as a staple...maybe a rare treat, but it wasn't sooo good that I'm rushing to the store to get it. If you want something caramel-y but not have the burden of the points, then this is a good alternative.

All in all, I ended my slingshot week with 33 smartpoints to the day, and 5 Weekly Smartpoints to use at my discretion for the coming week. It was truly, a great start to my new Turbo Week.

Bring on the Low Carbs and the fat burning cycle!
Camille

Clean Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Warning: THIS is a GREAT thing to eat on Reset Day! It's also something that you would plan to eat using your Weekly Smartpoints.

For the WHOLE recipe...it's 21 smartpoints. My palette has changed, and so it tastes like cookie dough to me. I'll definitely make it again to eat on another Reset Day. Such a GREAT replacement for full fledged cookie dough and it's totally safe to eat! No raw eggs!

So this baby lasts a LONG time! I still have 1/3 serving left in the fridge to enjoy as a HC meal. If I were to eat this WHOLE THING on a Reset Day, I'd probably make myself sick. I just don't have a high tolerance for sweetness anymore, and this baby...1/3 portion, really satisfies me.

It's a pretty crumbly cookie dough, so I added 1-2 T of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk to make the dough more like actual cookie dough, and because I add so little, there aren't extra points added.

I toggled back and forth with some of the ingredients to try and make it lower points before I even made it. But, I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to make the recipe with the ingredients it called for to really get the full effect of the recipe; I decided that if I wanted to, I could make it again with the changes. Honestly, I'm glad I stuck with the ingredients AND added the almond milk because it was truly delicious.

Clean Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (21 smartpoints)
1/4 t vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 T mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
4 T oat flour (I used coconut flour because that's what I had...I could have used regular flour, but I wanted to try the coconut)
1 T raw honey
1-2 T Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy. Refrigerate for storing if not consuming the whole portion at one sitting.

Friends, 21 smartpoints may seem like a LOT...and it is. But remember, this journey is about LIVING and ENJOYING. If you can make a clean cookie dough recipe and enjoy it (WITH PROTEIN?!), then there is a victory! You may even get to the point of portioning it and savoring every bite. THAT'S what we are working toward.

Don't be afraid of the smartpoints value...You HAVE WEEKLIES TO BE USED!!
Happy tasting,
Camille

Saturday's Reset Success

It's Weigh-In Day. I had eaten into my Weekly Smartpoints and PAST them...ended my week -9 smartpoints. I was prepared for a gain because I just FELT heavier, and I was bummed that I ate into the negatives. I really worked on that this past week, and I still tipped over! So even though I was expecting a gain, I probably gained EVEN MORE because of my -9 smartpoints. (See? The mental struggle never stops!)

Saturday morning comes around and it's time to face the scale and see that expected gain. 

Last Weeks Weigh In: 135.0 (GOAL!)

Today's Weigh In: 134.8

Total LOSS: -0.2

WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! I was SHOCKED. I couldn't BELIEVE it. I stepped off the scale and almost cried. There I was talking all negative, blowing my effort to try something new, not really believing in it, but trusting it...and the plan STILL pulled through.

How many times do we do that to ourselves with WW? Trust the plan...trust your leaders...trust, trust, trust.

I had packed my lunch the night before because I just know that my Saturday mornings are a little rushed to get out the door and get to work. So, when I packed I plugged in my Saturday's points. I knew what I was going to eat on Saturday the night before, no thinking needed for a busy day. I wanted to see how it would help my reset day and it helped me stay SO MUCH MORE within my smartpoints! I ended the day +8 Weekly Smartpoints!! I felt satisfied and had some to spare!

Fast forward to after weigh in. I happily enjoyed a night-before-prepped Cinnamon Apple Muesli (8sp) for breakfast. I really think that is my new favorite breakfast. Simple to prep the night before, and even easier to eat!

In my lunchbox to eat at work I packed 1 bag of carrots (0sp) and a Mint Chocolate Chunk Quest Bar (so yummy!) for 5sp to eat for my second meal, and 1 bag of celery to eat with my PB2 and Banana sandwich (4sp) for my 3rd meal.

PB2 and Banana Sandwich (4sp)

2 T dry PB2 with Rich Chocolate

1 T water to mix with PB2

1 sliced banana

1 Papa's Organic Thinwich Sandwich

For my 4th meal, my husband REALLY wanted a burrito. It's his reset day too, but I wanted to share a burrito with him because I had made some Clean Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (recipe to come in the future!) to eat on my reset day, and that sucker was 21 smartpoints to eat with my weeklies. After some conversation, I found that the cookie dough could be broken up and eaten on different days...equalling a meal and way less smartpoints to consume in one sitting. So, I settled for 1/3 of my Clean Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for 7 smartpoints and went to my husband's favorite fast food Mexican restaurant. 

A burrito sounded DELICIOUS...but, I didn't really want to spend all those points! I REALLY wanted my chocolate chip cookie dough! So, I discovered the goodness of Costa Vida's Baja Bowls. Everything that a burrito contains, without the tortilla. I tracked it as if I was at Cafe Rio, and had a DELICIOUS...oh my gosh, so good, lunch for 15 smartpoints. I got everything...black beans, rice, cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, guacamole, pico, lettuce, AND the sauce. And I'm telling you..I WILL be getting that baby again!

After meal #4, we decide to go visit my in-laws and have a good talk about life and what's been going on with everyone. My sister-in-law was there with her little boy and so Little Man and Flintstone got to play and have a good time while we all caught up and visited. The evening started getting later and my 5th meal was coming just around the corner. My in-laws mentioned that they wanted to go see a show earlier, and I told my husband if he changed Little Man's stinky diaper...we'd go too.

So we went and saw Race, the story about Jesse Owens. It was AMAZING! But I didn't go to the theater empty handed. I DID go hungry, but I planned exactly what I was going to do. Little Man needed to eat and so my mother-in-law suggested a corn dog. A corn dog sounded great for Little Man, and honestly, it sounded great to me too! I looked up a corn dog, and it was a good 6 smartpoints. I tracked it and I enjoyed that sucker, nice and slowly, after we sat down to watch the show.

Rewind to before we even got to the theater. My house is in between my in-laws and the movie theater,. So, I asked my husband if we could swing by the house to get Little Man some pajamas, our movie mugs, and snacks for me. I didn't want to waste my points on popcorn. I know myself, and if I didn't have something, I would dip into my husband's bucket and have no idea how to track it all. So I grabbed a pre-portioned bag of pretzel rods (1oz for 3 sp), 6 little balls that were already pre-portioned of Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai and Blueberry Snacks for 3 smartpoints, 1 pre-portioned bag of sugar snap peas (0sp), 1 pre-portioned bag of celery (0sp), and a pre-portioned bag of Cracker Jack'D Hearty Mix Peanut Butter and Chocolate Flavored Snack Mix (1oz for 6 smartpoints). 

I ate everything EXCEPT the celery.

And I enjoyed the movie...and still ended my day with 8 smartpoints to spare.

I felt SO HAPPY and SO successful at the theater by eating things that I WANTED...not eating things because they were there and it's just tradition to eat ________ at the theater.

Saturday's Reset Day was a TOTAL SUCCESS and a great kickstart to my brand new week.

You can do it too! All it takes is a little effort to get tracking, planning, measuring, and weighing to be apart of your lifestyle. Once you do...it will 

Change. 

Your.

Life.

I promise you it will, because it has mine!

Keep up all the hard work,

Camille

I Tried New Things Today

Beyond the Scale is all about food, fitness, and fulfillment. I honestly tried something new in ALL three categories yesterday. It was Thursday and it was a busy, busy day. The mornings are always nuts with getting Little Man ready for his motor class, or his time to "play". Luckily, I was able to refer to my meal planning menu, make a quick change, and still find success!

I had prepped my breakfast the night before...Cinnamon Apple Muesli. The picture below is what it looked like all prepped and ready to go. Yes, it's in an old spaghetti sauce jar...don't judge.

This is how it looked all dumped out of the jar. Surprisingly, the apples were not brown! They were crisp and fresh, as if I had just cut them!

It was really yummy, quite filling, and cost me a whole 8 smartpoints. Yes, it's a little higher than I normally like to spend, but I was going to have a FULL morning, and so I enjoyed every single bite! Before I give my recipe, I just want to make the clarification that you can use ANY brand of whatever ingredient my recipe calls for. You don't have to stick to what I write, I just put it out there if people are in need of suggestions.

Apple Cinnamon Muesli (8 smartpoints)
1/3 c uncooked rolled oats (I just used Walmart's brand)
1/2 c Blue Diamond Unsweetened, Vanilla Almond Milk
1 T  Fage 0% Total fat-free plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup GNC Total Lean 25 French Vanilla protein powder
*1 T Kirkland Signature Extra Fancy unsalted mixed nuts
1 apple

Mix rolled oats, vanilla almond milk, greek yogurt, and protein powder together in a bowl and then pour into a mason jar. Chop your apple into bite size pieces and drop into mason jar. *Take fancy mixed nuts and put them in a nut and seed grinder and then sprinkle on top of apples in mason jar. Close and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy in the morning!

*You can replace the nuts with slivered almonds. I didn't have any slivered almonds on hand, so I made do with the tools and food I already had! So instead of placing them in a nut and seed grinder, you can just sprinkle the slivered almonds on top!

Delicious and very filling!

Because my breakfast was a little higher in points, I found myself eating a delicious Smore's Quest Bar (4 smartpoints) and a banana for my second meal, prepping me for my adventure into Costco.

My third meal was a little scattered because I had some writing to catch up on, and a Little Man that needed some play time. I just cut up some veggies and steamed them, all the while enjoying my fruit dip I had made the day before with an apple and some Cilantro Lime Shrimp. All in all I spent another 4 smartpoints on my meal.

It was helpful that I just had a small meal at that time because I remembered that I needed to make a Blueberry Cheesecake version of my The Devil Done Me In...With No Regrets! I forgot to take a picture of it, but it was SO delicious!

The Devil Done Me In...With No Regrets: Blueberry Cheesecake 
(Makes 2 servings, with 4 smartpoints per serving)

1 container of Dannon Light & Fit Greek Blueberry Flavored Nonfat Yogurt
14 Mini Nilla Wafers
1/3 c fresh blueberries, slightly mashed
2 1/2 T Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
8 g Sugar Free Fat Free instant Cheesecake pudding mix

Mix cheesecake powder, yogurt, and almond milk all together. Place 6 Nilla wafers on the bottom of your container and then a layer of yogurt. Spread fresh blueberries on top of yogurt layer, and then spread another layer of yogurt on top of blueberries. Lay 8 cookies and then final layer of yogurt. Store in fridge for at least 5 hours. Enjoy!

I shared with my friend M&M...and she loved it again. After she finished the last bite, she and I started brainstorming OTHER flavors we could try. I think on the list we've got a Key Lime Cheesecake in the works, and even a Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. We'll see what the future holds!

At work was where I tried something new, tackling both Fitness and Fulfillment. By the time my meeting was over, I still needed to run 30 minutes on my treadmill at home and do my 9 MM...putting me getting to bed, MAYBE around 10:30pm with workout and shower and everything. So? I decided to use the whole hour and 15 minutes M&M and I had left to walk the WW Center and talk. I was able to get my 10k steps after 30 minutes of walking, but the whole time, M&M and I talked! It was a nice stress relief to just chat about life, while getting is some good steps at the same time. After I hit my 10k, we sat enjoyed the Blueberry Cheesecake and just chatted some more.

I changed my mindset about fitness for the day. I decided to walk and get my 10k steps during some down time at work instead of dreading my workout when I got home. If I dread something, I see no point in continuing. So, even though I didn't do my workout, I DID do my 10k steps, and felt accomplished for the day. Flexibility is so important and being consistent. Life keeps going, and it's never to late to pick yourself and go again the next day.

As far as fulfillment, it was so nice to just talk, like I said before. It's a really great thing when you have great co-workers...NEVER a dull moment!

That Blueberry Cheesecake was my 5th meal of the day and it was delicious and so satisfying! Honestly, it tasted BETTER than cheesecake. M&M and I were talking saying how her husband, when she made the Chocolate Strawberry version, said it just tasted like yogurt. M&M and I have found since we have been cutting back on processed sugar, our tastebuds have changed. The idea of us eating REAL cheesecake, kinda made both of us sick. These desserts are so yummy and full of protein...it's really like a fun dessert we share each Thursday!

So, rewind to what we had for dinner. I had put a Jenni-O Applewood Smoked Turkey Tenderloin (I had 4.5 ounces for only 2 smartpoints!) in the crockpot and set it to cook for 8 hours. I had the tenderloin cooking in 2 c low-sodium chicken broth made with FLAVOR FAVE: Better Than Boullion Reduced Sodium Chicken Base, 1/2 c apple cider vinegar, 1 c water, 1 tsp apple pie seasoning, and 1 T of FLAVOR FAVE: Stubb's BBQ Natural Spice Rub. 

I mixed all those ingredients together and had them stewing while I got the tenderloin out of the package and into the crockpot. I poured the liquid mixture right over the top and had it set for 8 hours. The turkey turned out delicious and I served it with Baked Parmesan Sweet Potatoes, 1/2 of a Cara Cara Orange that I split with my husband (something new I tried and loved!), and sauteed mushrooms, green beans, and sweet peppers with a little bit of garlic.

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potatoes (Makes 6 six servings, with 3 smartpoints per serving)
2 medium uncooked sweet potatoes, cut and cubed
2 tsp minced garlic,
1 T olive oil
4 T Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 T of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Spice Blend

Place all ingredients in a bag, shake it up, and lay on a cookie sheet. Cook potatoes for 18-22 minutes (depending on your oven...mine turns out perfect after 20 minutes) at 400 degrees.

For this whole beautiful plate you see here, it only cost me 5 smartpoints. It makes me seriously, so happy, when I know I'm feeding my body so much and it is also SO good for me. Smartpoints totally helps me with that because the lower in points you meal, the better it is for you! 

Success.

So, I'm a BIG person on eating your points, and if you are just so full in a day and can't possibly eat more...at least be within 2 smartpoints for your day. 

Well, I had 5 smartpoints left and was totally satisfied. I knew that I needed to be a little closer to my daily smartpoint total, so I knew my safest bet would be to turn to a protein source. I decided to open up my Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt in Blood Orange flavor for 4 smartpoints and have 3 oz of rotisserie chicken breast for 1 smartpoint. The Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt was another food item that I tried for the first time...meh, I wouldn't recommend it. It honestly reminded me of the flavor of cheese, but was addicting at the same time. I got about 1/2 way through it and decided I need to have something else with it, so I decided to dip into my weekly FitPoints and finish the sucker off with a FLAVOR FAVE: Bamboo Lane Crunchy Rice Roller (2 smartpoints per roll)...and I'm so glad I did.

Yeah, not too happy that I had to dip into my FitPoints, but that yogurt was like good but weird at the same time, and so the rice roller made it just perfect. I definitely think I'll stick with Dannon Greek Light & Fit and my Fage 0% Total Greek Yogurt, but you are welcome to try it! M&M loves it, so don't rely just on me :)

Don't be afraid to try new things because you'll never know if you like it or not unless you try,

Camille