Acorn Squash is Eaten!

Hey Friends!

How has your Saturday been? I woke up to teach a Killer Core and Zumba class....

We spent the rest of the day painting. All the trim is done plus one accent wall. Hubs will be rolling the walls all day tomorrow;) Then DONE....hopefully!

My "ravenous Friday" has rolled into a never-full Saturday! My cravings are out of control and I can't seem to get satisfied with anything I eat! Ugh, this is really cutting into my good eating diet! I did cave and have some whole wheat crackers (a lot!)....then came some mini chocolate chips, right from the bag! I'm still counting it all in my weekly Weight Watchers points! Hopefully I'm not ruining all my good effort!

For supper, I had this to deal with:

An acorn squash I bought about 2 weeks ago has been staring at me to EAT IT! I love squash, and acorn squash is velvety and buttery and oh, so yummy! Unfortunately, roasting it takes over an hour in the oven and that doesn't make a fast weeknight meal. So today was it's day to get dolled up!

Squash itself is 0 points-SCORE! I added lowfat butter (1/2 T. each), 1 T. of brown sugar in each, and drizzled each side with some sugar free syrup. I roasted them in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Make sure to put a small layer of water at the bottom of the pan! It comes out like this:

Everything is melted, it's slightly browned, and super soft-like maple sugar pumpkin pie filling! And, it holds its own dipping sauce! This is enough for 4 people, but you can bet I ate a whole half by myself! I would have had the other half it weren't for those dang crackers and chocolate chips;) Each half is 3 Pointsplus.

Tonight B and I are going to an 80's party with an 80's cover band! FUUUNNNNN! I found an awesome sports jacket with big shoulder pads! And B's going for the tennis country club look with tube socks! You can bet there will be some good pictures on here tomorrow;)

Do you have any other ideas on how to prepare a squash? Roasting is my go-to way, but I'd love to experiment with other preparations!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Did you know that gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian are not diets, but lifestyle choices? You won't lose weight by choosing one of these. It's a health, religion or personal choice.

Ravenous Friday

Hello Beauties!

Today is Friday-YIPPEEEE! I've been in a Friday mentality all day. My brain says, "It's Friday, let's celebrate with a big pizza, DQ blizzard and a bottle of wine!" It's like I need an award for making it through another week! Although I've been a crazy carb and sweet craving maniac this week, I've tried to keep it in check! Along with my Mexicana dinner last night, I decided my smoothie wasn't enough this morning and enjoyed a cinnamon roll someone in the office brought:( The afternoon brought even MORE sweets craving and I caved and got a handful of Jelly Belly's (my absolute fav! And my office has them for free!). But even with my set backs this week, I've still managed to keep within my WW weekly points-thank goodness!

Do you get a "Friday mentality" and let your diet go? Or slip on another goal you are working on just because it's the weekend? (workouts, alcohol, cleaning, etc?)

I started the day with a new version of Green Goddess, a Green Monster inspired by Angela at Oh She Glows.

In an Eskimo Joe's cup;)

This one had:

1 cup of light vanilla soy milk

1 handful of fresh spinach

1 banana

2 T. of PB2 (or you can just use 1T. of peanut butter)

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

Ice

It was scrumptious;) Apparently not scrumptious enough for me to say "no" to a gooey cinnamon roll! Grrr....

Lunch was one of my purchases from the health food store I stopped at last weekend.

Amy's Organic Split Pea Soup. This was....pea-y, to say the least! But I like peas so it was ok to me-very thick and I definitely added some Fiesta seasoning from Tastefully Simple to give it a kick! The whole can was only 4 Pointsplus and I got 2 veggies out of it, but I don't know if I would buy it again....

Tonight I went to my husband's basketball game and brought a Larabar with me, the last one I own! I just popped a whole bag of popcorn (2 Pointsplus for the whole bag! Thanks Boy Scouts;)

I hate to admit it, but we still have some painting to do! Promise we'll get it done this weekend;) Good night everyone and happy weekend!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Cravings can be a dirty whore to your diet?!?! How do you deal with them? Try drinking a whole glass of water followed by something small and a healthier version of what you are craving: Sweet craving, try an apple; savory craving, try a slice of lunchmeat wrapped with low fat cheese; Salty craving, try a handful of nuts or whole wheat crackers. Then wait a half hour, if you are still hungry, eat one serving of what you want!

A Mexicana Night

Howdy Folks!

I'm happy to say it's almost Friday!!! Can you smell that freedom almost here? It smells like chocolate!

I had a wonderful Zumba experience tonight that led to this:

 Which then led to this:

So Hungry!

The hubs and I had a little *tiff* last night about how unflexible I am. He called at dinner time to see if I wanted to go to my favorite Mexican restaurant (which he hates). This is unlike him and a totally nice gesture! Unfortunately, I was working out (like I do every night after work) and then forgot to check my phone (which is a usual occurance for me:) Well, that led to my inability to get out of my nightly routine. Ok, I'll admit-I AM A CREATURE OF HABIT! Especially on the weeknights! With work and working out, plus making dinner, not to mention cleaning and going to meetings, etc. I tend to keep busy! So, instead of showering and slipping into my PJ's tonight, I called him and we made a run to my fav local restaurant! I guess it helps to shake things up a bit, but dang if my schedule doesn't rule me! Maybe I should start working on that....

What do you do that drives your spouse/significant other crazy? Are you trying to work on it?

Some highlights at the restaurant:

 This has some long Spanish name that I can't remember, and really doesn't look appetizing, but it was YUMMY! It was grilled chicken and beef strips, green pepper, tomato, mushrooms and onion with Mexican white cheese over it! It comes on a bed of rice but I got plenty of carbs with the tortilla chips so I omitted it;)

We happened to sit by a family we know and the dad and son both had birthdays! The staff came out and sang the Spanish verion of "Happy Birthday" with an accordian. I guess their "schtick" is stuffing whipped cream in the birthday persons face! Remind me NOT to go to this restaurant on my birthday!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Remember posture when lifting. I always tell me weights class "Butt and boobs out!" Never have a slouchy back or tuck in your booty! By accentuating the "butt and boob" move, you'll make sure to keep a straight spine and not hurt your lower back.

Fridge Staples

Hey Buddies!

Last night I didn't get home until late because of my intervals class and another meeting right after, so I didn't have time to get my blog up-SORRY!!

Today I did another Bodyrock workout and it kicked my BOOTY!! I did almost 500 mountain climbers! While I was tucking my knees in and wishing for my Gymboss to chime so I could stop, sweat was DRIPPING from my head....

My sweaty exercise mat!

This is the way my mat looks at every workout. I tend to be a little sweatier than most:(

Literally right after my workout! I'm gasping for air!

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Tonight, I'm going to give you a glimpse into my food world by showing and telling you the staples of my fridge! These are the items I can't live without and ALWAYS have on hand for me to be a Happy Mandy!

From left to right:
1. Fat Free Shredded Cheese: Ok, not very creative on the first one, and let's face it, not very tasty either....This is the Weight Watchers girl in me-1 points vs 2 points of the regular stuff! I always keep the regular shredded cheese on hand, but sometimes if you just need some cheesiness on your omelet and you need to save a point, you always have yummy cheese's ugly aunt to come through for ya;)
2. Deli Mustard: I'm a sucker for any kind of mustard! No other condiment can give you the flavor punch and versatility as mustard, and for me, the grainer the better! I love making pretzel dip, flavoring grilled fish and just adding it to my pita or sandwich. So many possibilities for that little bottle!
3. Egg Beaters (or the off-brand): This is by far the #1 thing I can't live without! I buy several of these in the big size at a time because I LOVE THEM! They fill you up, are only 1 point and sooo easy to make into soo many incredible, yummy meals! You won't find "real" eggs in our fridge!
4. Light Laughing Cow cheese: Unfortunately, some of you might not know what this is, and that makes me INCREDIBLY sad! People, please go buy this magnificent stuff today! I add it to egg beaters in a mug and nuke for a minute or two to make a quick 2 point breakfast! I spread it on low fat tortillas, add it to steamed broccoli, use it as cream cheese in a dip! I'm getting hungry talking about my lil' barnyard friend! This is my favorite food find in probably the past few years!
5. Light Vanilla Soy Milk: I was always a skim milk drinker. I know it's a little like water but you can't argue with those calories! Well, my friends, I don't care if you are vegan or not, this is SOOO delicious AND less calories than skim milk! And it totally is not watered down in any way. You can get this in vanilla or plain, but vanilla reminds me of melted vanilla ice cream-so, duh-I'm going to go for that everytime! I've found that baking with it is superb as well! I will never buy cow's milk again!
6. Plain Yogurt: I usually have Greek yogurt on hand (have to drive 30 minutes to get it), but the Weight Watchers plain fat free yogurt is what my local grocer has and it works too. (Greek has more protein). I use this for smoothies and also add berries and splenda to it for a healthy and filling snack (2 Pointsplus). You can also make great dips and dressings by adding just a few ingredients to it. WARNING: This is not to be eaten by itself, unless you like completely bitter yogurt!

So, there you have it! These are just some of the few fridge items that I can't live without! Watch soon for my pantry selections!

Tell me what fridge favorites you can't live without!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Start your day off with some protein. This really kick-starts your metabolism and keeps your fuller longer so you won't need a "second" breakfast in an hour or two! Try eggs, soy sausage, cheese, oatmeal, peanut butter, yogurt, smoothies with fruit-all excellent choices!

We Got Dumped On!

Hey Friends!

Happy Monday! Or as happy as waking up to this can be....

It is pretty...I guess....if you're cuddling up by a fire with a good flick on. I'm not a winter/snow/cold fan. Kansas, and pretty much the Midwest, got dumped on last night! We had about a foot here in north central Kansas. So while B had a snow day from school, I ventured out in his FJ Cruiser and told that snow who's boss!!!!

After work I decided to do a Bodyrock exercise challenge at home so I didn't have to venture out in the snow any more than I had to! And it was the first time I got to use this little beaut!

Source

This is probably one of the best interval timers you can get and Bodyrock workouts are sooo much better and efficient with it! Fun!

When I was done, I made a big and EASY taco salad! Ok, let's face it-taco salads can be a go-to meal any night of the week! They're not hard and you can adapt it to what you have in the pantry. BUT, I have a trick to make this even FASTER and with no dirty pans to clean up after!

MORNINGSTAR SOY CRUMBLES

This is basically fake beef....if you didn't figure that out already;) It doesn't taste exactly like beef, but close enough! And if I can find this in my local grocer, you can too! They are frozen and you put a couple of servings in a dish, I added some taco seasoning and tomato sauce, heated, and BAM, I had taco meat! You really can't beat that!!!

9 PointsPlus

Do you have any fancy tricks up your sleeve when it comes to food shortcuts? What is a go-to weeknight meal for you and your family?

Desserted Tip of the Week: Please remember FORM OVER WEIGHT! This is the biggest thing I watch for in my weightlifting classes. If a participant is giving "The Face" and struggling to get a weight up without swinging their body weight into it, then their weight is TOO HEAVY! You're not being a wuss, a pansy, weak-you are doing what's best for your body! Everyone is at a different strength level, so just because people around you are doing heavier weight, doesn't mean you should! Granted, the last couple of reps you should be struggling, but not before then. Be careful and gradually bring yourself up to the weight you think you should be at.

Creamy Black Bean Dip

Howdy Folks!

Today has been another day full of paining! Ugh, once you start painting, it seems to never end! It really will look so nice when we are done though! (Will that day ever come???)

No workout today folks-so no sweaty picture today! A painting picture will have to do! My right shoulder DOES hurt from reaching to the ceiling all day;)

I did sneak in a little time today to make a creamy black bean dip! YUM! Basically I ran out of hummus which is my fav snack during the workday with some veggies. And I had a can of black beans I've been meaning to use.....Creamy black bean dip it is!

Afternoon snack to fuel up for painting!

Creamy Black Bean Dip

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

A couple chunks of roasted red pepper

1 minced clove of garlic

2 T. diced onion

2 T. of olive oil

S & P

A couple squirts of lime juice

I added all of these ingredients to my Magic Bullet and pulsed until combined. Taste and add more ingredients if you like-jalapeno, white beans, onions, scallions, tomatoes-whatever you like! Make this recipe YOURS!

1 PointsPlus per a 2 T. serving. Serves about 12.

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While I was in the "big city" of Salina yesterday for my dad's wrestling tourney, I went to a health food store my sister-in-law told me about-Vita-Villa. OMG, PEOPLE! I am TOTALLY in love with this store and will hit it up whenever I'm in town! All of the obscure health ingredients my fav city bloggers write about, this store has! It IS pretty expensive, but sometimes a splurge is in order! I picked up a variety of Amy's soups, Arctic Zero cookies & cream ice cream (1 pint is 150 calories!) and 4 varieties of http://www.larabar.com/.

Many of my favorite bloggers gush about Larabars all the time, so I definitely wanted to see what all the hype was about! I wasn't impressed and definitely want some reasons why these are the best bars! First, the bars I bought are between 5 or 6 PointsPlus each. Which would probably be a meal bar along with something small. No big deal, but they are TINY and I was definitely hungry within a half hour of eating it:( Second, the chocolate chip brownie kind I had really wasn't all that great....

Oh well, if you you'd like to email or comment about why YOU love Larabars-I'd love to hear it! I'm still trying to keep an open mind!

I hope you're all keeping warm on this Sunday evening! It's snowing pretty heavy here in northcentral Kansas!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Did you know that adding up smaller workouts throughout your day has the same health effects as one long workout? So try to walk to work, do some crunches on your lunch break and in general just get moving!

(Note: the smaller workouts have to be at least 10 minutes long.)

Quesadilla Inspiration

Hey Peeps!

Finally Friday, Friends, or the Triple F if you will;)

Today I have to tell you about my FANTASTIC lunch! Well, first I had a hearty bowl of delicious mystery soup from yesterday;) But I also got a great idea from a fellow blogger who I LLOOOVVEE to read every day! It's The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and she had a mouthwatering blog the other day about quesadillas! Her vivid photos and tantalizing descriptions of each ingredient really inspired me to get my Mexi on! Of course, in a more "Weight Watcher-y" way;)

Side Note: I've come to realize that EVERY recipe I have provided on my blog is TOTALLY adaptable to ingredients you like and have on hand! So please, do a switcharoo on whatever you like! Tell me about it in the comment section!

Here's who takes center stage in my quesadilla today:

 Frank's Hot Sauce, Lil' Chub 'mator's (or cherub tomatoes:), shrimp, Light Flatout Wrap, Light Laughing Cow cheese, onions and green pepper.

1. First, defrost shrimp (if need be) in a bath of cold tap water while they sit in a colander (this only takes a few minutes). Then take those pesky tails off and discard them! Squirt plenty of Frank's on it and mix together.
2. Start sauteing (is that how you spell it?) your onions and peppers. I just thought a little garlic would be devine right now;) Now, throw in that firey shrimp!

3. While these flavors are melding (did I just make that word up?) together, spread a wedge of Laughing Cow on your Flatout wrap (or tortilla) and toss cheese-side up on a hot pan.
4. Now toss the shrimp mix on one half of the Flatout wrap.

I throw on some spinach (because wilted spinach is the best!) and some more cheese (fat free, but it's not very melty-boo!) and folded it up. I put a dallop of fat free sour cream on it. It was AMAZE-BALLS! And too easy! 6 PointsPlus

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After work, I ran and got more paint for our living room. All the texurizing is done, it just needs a coat over it. Painting is a messy, long job folks! I don't recommend it.......

B has an out of town basketball game to coach so I get an evening to myself! While I adore spending time with my love, it's definitely nice to have an evening now and then all to YOURSELF! So I worked out (of course) which was a full body weightlifting hour! It felt great-I haven't lifted weights outside of a group class for months! So I was due....

I had pretty much dried off by the time the picture was taken....but you get the jist:)

What to do now? I might get started on painting, I might give myself a pedicure, I might just pop in a movie and veg out! Good night kids! I'm getting up bright and early to cheer on my dad's wrestling team at a tournament! Go BRONCOS!

Desserted Tip of the Day: Don't skip meals-in fact, eat less at your major meals and add a few extra smaller meals throughout the day. This jump starts your metabolism by eating a protein-rich breakfast and keeps it humming along by eating a couple hundred calories every couple of hours.