The Reason for my Sporadic Posting

I know I haven't kept up with my posts very well in the past week or 2. I just wanted to share the totally adorable reason:

My Beautiful Hannah

My husband hated the bonnet- I think it's the cutest!

                                   

A decent family shot since there's only 1 chin on me. Woot! Woot!
(Nevermind that Brooke isn't smiling. . .)

I can't remember if I was blowing raspberries on her cheek or kissing her, my cheeks look super puffed.

God Bless Hannah! (This is the only picture of the actual baptism where I don't have multiple chins)

My little monkey- Brooke with her Nana (my mom)
That's chocolate and dirt on her face- lol

The girls playing together this morning in Hannah's new toy

We had about 40 people over after the ceremony Sunday so I was busy all week prepping. I fully expect tomorrow's weigh in to be a disaster after that celebration! Plus, my birthday was yesterday and, although I didn't over-eat all day, I did make VERY poor choices. I had a candy bar for lunch, my mom made chili for dinner and there were Mudslides, cookies and an ice cream cake for dessert. 

So, definitely expecting a gain tomorrow. 

We shall see!

Thanks for reading!

Monday Review-

Sorry for the delay! We Christened my daughter yesterday, so I was wrapped up in party planning, shopping, cleaning and cooking last week. I missed Project 10- so I will double link this week for that (including the promised "Get back on track" post).

Today I'm going to review a new (well, new to me anyway) product for you all!

I apologize for the crappy cell phone picture

From the makers of the popular White Cheddar Popcorn comes Smartfood Selects Sesame Garlic Hummus Popped Chips. They are a crunchy, flavorful and satisfying snack that will appease any salt craving. The 3 point plus,16 chip serving is perfect to eat alongside a sandwich or salad for lunch or alone as a snack. No dip is needed since the flavor is "popped" right in! My sister actually picked these up at Costco and brought them to me to try. They remind me of Special K cracker chips- but much crunchier. I actually liked them better than the Special K chips. I can't wait to try another flavor- but I have yet to see them in a store near me (besides Costco which only carries Sesame Garlic ones). I think this must be a new flavor since it isn't listed on the Smartfood website. If anyone sees these in a store on Long Island- let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Weigh in Wednesday

Epic Fail for this week- I'm up 0.8lbs.

I guess it was to be expected after all the holiday festivities. When I stepped on the scale after all my celebrating on July 4th- I had already gained back all the weight I lost last the week before. I was good for the weekdays (other than Wednesday) but, I went off track again on the weekends. My biggest problem is not tracking on weekends. We do so much "spur of the moment" eating (at parties, restaurants, barbecues, etc.) that I just let it go. It's definitely something I need to work on.

I won't lie, when I stepped on the scale this morning this is what I heard in my head:

Next week I'm hoping to hear some sort of victory noise! Fingers crossed...


I'll be back tomorrow with my Project 10 post. This week I'm going to talk about getting back on track after a slip up.

Thanks for reading!

Monday's Review--On Friday (Oops...)

If you read my post from Monday, you probably figured out that I had a rough night. I never got around to writing my review, and I'm SO sorry because it is a GOOD one!

As soon as I saw this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog, I knew I had to try it. I made it last Friday evening to bring to a concert at the beach. It as A-Maze-Ing!! It works out to 5 points plus for a 1 cup serving. I think I'm going to quadruple the recipe and serve it as a side at my daughter's Christening celebration later this month.

I strongly urge you to try it ASAP!

BLT Corn Salad Wraps

(Slightly adapted from Joy the Baker)

3 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cleaned

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

4 or 5 chopped green onions

1 avocado, diced

3 sliced crisp cooked bacon, diced

juice of 1 lime

about 1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

about a teaspoon each of chili powder and smoked paprika

1 small jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don't like some heat!)

butter lettuce leaves

Either fire up the grill or turn your gas stove burners on high. Place the corn directly on the grill or burners and char- I used the stove and turned the ears every few minutes. 

Once the corn is charred on all sides, cut the kernels off the cob into a medium-large bowl. 

Crumble the well-done bacon into the bowl and add the tomatoes, green onions, avocado and jalapeno. Squeeze the lime juice over everything and add seasonings. Drizzle olive oil and stir to combine everything together.

Separate lettuce leaves, clean and dry each one. Scoop a few tablespoons of salad into each leaf and fold it up. Enjoy!

When I make this for the Christening I'm going to serve some chips alongside so people can use it as a corn salsa too! 

I give this recipe 5 stars!!!! Yummmmmmmy!

Thanks for reading!

Project 10: Rewarding Yourself

I've decided to dedicate this week's Project 10 post to rewards. In the past (the VERY recent past) I frequently used food as a reward for a job well done. I did it this week as a matter of fact. After posting about my 3lb weight loss- I "rewarded" myself by eating whatever I wanted at the July 4th BBQ we went to- which was thrown by a friend who is an AMAZING caterer. I didn't stuff myself- but I did sample a little bit of everything (including the desserts) AND had 2 beers. I shouldn't have been shocked to see those 3lbs added back on when I stepped on the scale the next morning.

I think many people have a food=reward mindset, most likely carried over from childhood. I remember going to Friendly's to celebrate after a chorus concert or dance recital, getting an ice cream sundae for a good report card, going out to dinner after good news at a parent teacher conference. I was a great student- maybe that's why I was so chubby as a kid!

I need to work on my perception of food. Food isn't necessary to have a good time, it is necessary to live. Filling my body with junk is only going to reduce my lifespan thus reducing the time I have to enjoy! I have to think of other ways to reward myself. I've started a wishlist on Amazon so I can choose things as I reach my weight loss and healthy living goals.

How do you reward yourself for a job well done?

Thanks for reading!


(Head over to Stephanie's Mommy Brain to read all about Project 10 and visit the other bloggers who are involved!)

Wednesday Weigh In

I expected horrible results to go along with the party filled week I had. I was WRONG!!! I can't tell you how excited I was to step on the scale this morning (with gritted teeth) and see a 3 pound loss! Yes-- three! That brought me down to my first 5% goal and a total of 11.4 lbs lost! I rewarded myself with 2 bites of the ice cream cake left over from my nephew's birthday last night. I knew I was wighing in today so I avoided it while everyone else dug in. I'm off to yet another BBQ to celebrate Independence Day! Happy 4th of July and God Bless our armed forces!

Thanks forcreading!

Stress

I am writing this post to avoid going on a binge. My husband is being a pain in the rear, my toddler is showing me the definition of "terrible 2's", the dog just knocked over my 6 month old, dishes are piled in the sink, dinner still needs to be made and I just want to eat. I need to find a way to deal when all I want to do is bury my head under the covers until everyone is happy OR eat 3000 calories worth of junk.

I already gave in a bit and had a skinny cow ice cream and now I want something salty. The dishes are calling my name- hopefully that's enough of a distraction 'til dinner's on the table.

How do you all cope with stress eating when you can't just escape?