A bit Manic

Well, we've made it to New Year's Eve with the world still in orbit and a few new feet of snow, well maybe 6". Any hoots, I just finished cutting up all of the veggies for the veggie tray and I need to make the low fat dill dip that I will serve with it. You know, I may go to the store to get the things I need for the fat free cilantro one.... hmmm..... Yes, I will. Now if I can only remember the recipe. I think I need tomatillos, cilantro and fat free mayo. Hmmmm.... I have been looking forward to the dill dip my mom used to make when I was a kid that is just mayo, sour cream, dill and accent. With the light versions of the mayo and sour cream, it's not too bad if you go light on it. Hmmmmm... I think I am done with the store and spending money this year :D Plus, I am not a big dipper any more. I don't need much at all :) Life it good. Changes are good :)
Now on to a more world shattering question, Why is Chex cereal SO good??? Seriously? I don't really like it for an actual breakfast cereal, but Chex Mix is HEAVEN and those Muddy Buddy things with chocolate and peanut butter are DIVINE! Who knew that some weird cereal could change my world forever. Thank heaves a few hundred, ok, about 20, of our closest friends are coming over tonight to eat us out of house and home :) I should only end up with just one or two handfuls of those two deadly treats :) I bought a whole case of diet Sunkist for me to keep myself out of too much trouble ;D Oh, and I did make the Bourbon Chocolate Pecan pie last night. Our company ate the WHOLE thing! I only got my one regular piece and the rest was devoured! I am so glad that I have family with good taste and a hearty appetite :) The only one who did not finish her piece was my nephews new fiance. It's a good thing she was sitting across the room from me and that my nephew finished hers off, or I would have had too ;D
AND, just to let you know, I don't believe that anyone reads my ramblings, so if you do, LEAVE ME A COMMENT and tell me HI and Happy New Year!
Have the best night ever and do what you can to make good choices. You might not be "perfect" tonight, but you can be pretty darn close :) I am forever amazed at how different my choices are. I was reminded of this quote a few weeks ago by Tina, one of my sweet members in Payson, "How can I become a Butterfly?" she pensively asked. "You must want to fly so much that you're willing to give up being a caterpillar."
~Trina Pallus
I am going to use this quote to keep me on track tonight. I really want to be the butterfly. I don't want to be the caterpillar who eats her way through the world ... or a party :)
Have the best night ever! Drive save :)
xoxoxoxo

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Does my nose look BIG?

I think my nose looks big in the picture below and that I look a bit wasted.  I probably am from all of the SUGAR!!! ;)
Today's eats have been good.  One hard boiled egg and 1.5 Triscuits, one WW smoothies with milk.  The peanut Thia salad from Zupa's and one bite of their Million Dollar bar.  I did eat the bread and chocolate dipped strawberry.  We are having "Spenchilada" (it is what my 15 year old called enchilada when she was 4) and salad for dinner.  I am making the Bourbon Chocolate pecan pie too.  We are having house guests and they LOVE pecan pie :)

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Proof of my penance!

I only ate ONE!

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The Cone of SHAME!!!

I just ate a Krispy Kreme Donut.  I have to wear the Krispy Kreme hat until I go to bed.  I did great for breakfast and lunch.  I did have a few handfuls of spiced gum drops.  I should have not done that.  I also ate a squished kiss from the floor in my boys room.  The treats are going straight to the trash RIGHT NOW!  Now for the real confession.  You say, "She ate MORE crap than that???"  Yes, my good friend and fellow WW lifetime member, brought over a pan of cinnamon rolls.  I ate two :(  For dinner I am going to have some tea and diet Pepsi.  I did get in my vitamins.  Maybe I will have my WW smoothie for dinner so I can get in my dairy.

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Not Time :(:::::::::

Man alive!  I had a very good eating day.  I only had about 8 kisses, the chocolate kind, and a small to regular piece of fudge.  My meals were high in veggies, medium in lean protein and low on crappy carbs.  My points were perfect and I am pooped out!  I am off to bed.
I did read all day long and did all of the holiday laundry :D

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So far so good :)

I had a mini roll with a tiny piece of ham for breakfast, running out the door to church. For lunch I had another mini roll with a little bit more ham and a slice of salami and a WW smoothie. I meant to have an orange, but forgot. After going and seeing my friend sing in her church, I had a small piece of the ever divine Bourbon Chocolate Pecan pie. It is all gone now. The rolls are in the oven and we are headed to my brothers for dinner. I am vowing to only have turkey and one roll. If I do this, I should be OK. I have been drinking a TON of water and trying to avoid the carbs, but I cannot. I am going to have to go shopping soon, if I am going to do better. I just really am shopped out. Now would be a good time for some good samaritan to leave groceries on my porch, not for lack of funds, but for lack of any desire what so ever to step foot in another store :) Happy Sunday!
Oh- we watched Julie and Julia last night. That was VERY cute and made me reminisce the days when I used to use 2-3 pounds of butter per week. Yes, I really used that much butter. Now we maybe use 1-2 lbs per month. What changes :) I am making that Beef Bourguignon as soon as I can get myself into a store :)

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I ate more candy than I listed :(

I am pretty sure that I ate more candy than I listed below, but it is a blur.  I had a stress attack in the afternoon and I indulged.  Oh, I ate a slice or two of salami as well.  I feel like I am going though withdrawal.  Boy, tomorrow should be great :)  I am making rolls for Sunday dinner, but I am only making one pan full.  If I don't put out the real butter, I should be OK ;)  I am going to load myself up on the turkey and skip the rest.  I hope there is no dessert!  I'd better call my sil and tell her that I am in need of some extra moral support.
 
Saturday, December 26, 2009

Morning
1  item(s) egg	2
1  item(s) egg white(s)	0
1  tsp olive oil	1
1  medium orange(s)	1
1  serving(s) Whole Wheat Tortilla, Healthy Harvest	0
Subtotal	4
Midday
1  item(s) egg	2
1  serving(s) imperial margarine	2
1 1/4 item(s) Original English Muffin	3
12  piece(s) Kisses brand milk chocolates	6.5
1  tsp flaxseed oil	1
1  medium orange(s)	1
1  piece(s) fudge	3
1  Mom's Rolls	3
Subtotal	21.5
Evening
2 1/3 cup(s) mixed baby greens	0
1/2 item(s) cooked chicken fillet	1.5
1/2 cup(s) bread stuffing mix, prepared	4
Subtotal	5.5
Anytime
1  serving(s) Herbal Tea	0
Subtotal	0
Food POINTS values total used	31
Food POINTS values remaining	0
Activity
22 min Running	3
30 min stretching	1
20 min Sit-ups	3
10 min walking, brisk	1
Activity POINTS values earned	8
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids          Milk & Milk Products     Fruit & Vegetables          Multivitamin/Mineral   Healthy Oil     Activity   Lean Protein    Whole Grains

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Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it!

Oh man- just for the record, not tracking and eating EVERYTHING under the sun makes me gain TEN pounds flat between Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Fortunately, I am watching Anne of Green Gables today and she so eloquently reminded me that today is fresh with no mistakes in it....yet ;)  I have had 2 chocolate kisses :(  I need to find the points out for those bad boys :)  I have had a zero point tortilla with an egg and an egg white with 1 teaspoon of oil.  I ran OUTSIDE this morning and did all of my stretching and a killer ab workout.  I am repentant and humbled.  I am hoping that the majority of the weight gain is water ;)  A girl can dream cant she?
Have a great weekend :)  I am going to straighten up a bit and just chill out :)

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Merry Christmas!!!

I don't remember ever being this busy in my life!  Just FYI, I am eating WAY too much!  I am ever so glad I had my monthly weigh in at the first of december.  I am still under goal, but just by the skin of my teeth, well about .8 of a pound ;)  I am doing my very best to be PERFECT when I can and then trying to NOT eat ALL of the treats that I come across.  I have been pretty good :)  Not "good" good, but "christmas treats are everywhere and I love it" good :)  I will write again when I get a second.  I have been up since 5:30 am wrapping presents and shopping.  Now I am off to go sledding with the kids!
Merry Christmas!!!!

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The BEST thing EVER!!!

Ok- not to endorse a product, but my friend gave me a BlenderBottle for christmas and I LOVE it!  It has a ball whisk in it and it mixes even the most stubborn substances up REALLY fast!  The Good Earth has them and you can order them online.  Their web address is blenderbottle.com.  I am SO happy with mine, I might just pass out!

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Let's CELEBRATE!!!

Good Afternoon!
Are we all enjoying this FABULOUS lull in the weather? :) It's cold, but it's not THAT cold :) I hope y'all are ready for the up and coming celebrations and have some time to enjoy the season. What a wonderful time of year. I know this time of year can be a bit stressful, with all of the preparations and DELICIOUS food laying around in copious amounts, but hey, please try to take some time for you and enjoy yourself. We have been working all year on ways to manage these situations and you can do it! As a matter of fact, this week in the meetings we are going to be celebrating all of our successes throughout the year. We have all made huge changes and defeated plenty of demons this year. Come to your meetings this week ready to whoop it up and really take stock of how far you have come!
I can't wait to see y'all!!

Tuesday Update

I did alright today.  A few too many snips of goodies here and there.  I had about 8 cinnamon santas.  I ate a huge green salad and a pork chop for dinner and one of the new almond bars at Weight Watchers.  They are NUMMY!!!  I ate three peanut clusters.  Oh, I just ate a delicious orange for a bedtime snack.  Here is hoping that tomorrow is more balanced and regular.

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Chicken with head cut off...

I just can't believe how busy I am.  I have got to hop on the treadmill before work, so this will be short and sweet... well, actually salty.  One word to describe the weekend eats.... CHEX MIX!  I made it and I ATE IT!  Salt does a number on me, so I am packing about 5 pounds of extra water around.  I knocked off two of those pounds this morning, and so long as it is gone by Thursday AM, it will appear to not have caused permanent damage.  Here's hoping.
Yesterday was not too bad except my best buddy has us over to make sugar cookies and frost them Monday night.  I ate one there, two more before I went to bed and then 2 for breakfast :(  I am SO weak near them.  They are my kryptonite!  I have no power to resist when they are near me.  This morning I actually felt sick and hung over.  I feel better now.  For lunch I had a diet coke and about a 1/2 of a Costco ff frozen yogurt and 2 bites of my sons hotdog.  I did have 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast. 
I have not idea what I am going to have for dinner.  Probably lettuce.  I have got to get this water off.  My face feels so puffy and water retention makes me feels so ill.
I get down on myself for not being perfect all of the time, but then I just have to remind myself that I am SO much better than I have ever been!  Progress is progress, and ALL progress deserves a celebratory shout! :) Yee Haw!
Oh- I forgot to wish a very Happy Hanukkah to all who are celebrating the Festival of Lights!  :)
PS- I have no idea how many points I am eating.  Let's just say that I am pretty sure that I have eating the better part of my WHOLE blocks points and the scale is not happy about it :p

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I got a haircut :)

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Christmastime :)

How is everybody doing tonight?  Are you enjoying our warming trend?  It's downright balmy ;)
I hope that y'all are enjoying this special time of year.  I really do love the holidays, but am feeling pretty grateful that they are only once a year :)  We decorated gingerbread houses tonight, and I finally got all of the royal icing off of the floors, benches and chairs :)  My sweet son wants to know when he can eat his masterpiece :)
Well, I sure hope that you have your meeting scheduled for this week.  This week, we are going to be working on how to stick it out when it gets just too hard!  Perseverance is our best friend.  Perseverance is the key to our success, today, tomorrow and through the rest of the year.  Come on in and see how we can get that perseverance level up and STRONG.  I can't wait to see you!

Marion

Visit my blog at Melting Marion

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Lentil and Black Bean Chili

  

POINTS® Value:    5 Servings:  8 Preparation Time:  14 min Cooking Time:  22 min Works with Simply Filling

Ingredients

	1 1/2 cup(s) dried lentils, French-variety, picked over for debris
	1 Tbsp olive oil
	1 large onion(s), diced
	1 large sweet red pepper(s), diced
	2 Tbsp minced garlic
	3 Tbsp chili powder
	2 tsp dried oregano
	1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
	1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
	1 tsp kosher salt
	29 oz canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted with chiles, undrained
	31 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

Instructions

• Place lentils in a large sauce pan and cover with water by several inches; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are tender but retain a little bite, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain well and set aside.
  
  
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, pepper and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
  
  
• In a cup, combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne and salt; add to skillet and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring often, about 1 minute.
  
  
• Add tomatoes and their juice, and beans to skillet; stir well to combine. Cover skillet and simmer so flavors can blend, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold in lentils and cilantro; serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes

• *Could affect POINTS values.

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Could there be more?

Yikes! I am sure I ate more than this, but I will take this total and run with it :) Speaking of running, it feels so good to be running again, even if it is only a few miles everyday :)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Morning
1 item(s) egg	2
1 large banana(s)	2
1 serving(s) Whole Wheat Bread, Sandwich Walmart	1
Subtotal	5
Midday
2 serving(s) Whole Wheat Bread, Sandwich Walmart	2
3 serving(s) Flax Seed Oil	1
1 serving(s) Ham, Costco Kirkland Extra Lean	1
1 tsp Light mayonnaise	0.5
Subtotal	4.5
Evening
3 slice(s) French bread	4
2 serving(s) imperial margarine	4.5
1 Baked Potato Soup	5
Subtotal	13.5
Anytime
No entries for this meal time.
Subtotal	0
Food POINTS values total used	23
Food POINTS values remaining	1
Activity
24 min Running	3
30 min stretching	1
Activity POINTS values earned	4
Check off these important items daily:
Liquids Milk & Milk Products Fruit & Vegetables Multivitamin/Mineral Healthy Oil Activity Lean Protein Whole Grains