Saturday is a special day.

It's a busy one, especially when Grammie is here to play!

I woke up bright and early and was down in the gym by 5:45 doing a lower body strength workout. Ryan got the kids their breakfast of biscuits and gravy. He made sure and let me know that he added green puree, chia seeds and flaxseeds to the biscuits. And, as always, it was turkey sausage, which helps the fat content considerably (although I still do not eat it.) He even made the biscuits in the shape of a "Y" as a tribute to our alma mater, BYU. (Go Cougars!)

I had a yogurt bowl around 8:15, but I was still hungry and knew we had a busy day ahead, so I indulged in a small biscuit with some peanut butter as well. I think it was doing the weight training in the morning--I needed more protein.
(Sidenote: What is up with blogger putting every third picture I post vertical?! It's not that way in my computer or my camera. Blogger just does it and I can't change it. I have tried. Has anyone else encountered this?! It is annoying!!)

We spent the day doing fun things with Grammie, so I had a snack of a WL shake in the car and a sandwich and fresh fruit on our picnic lunch. I didn't remember to get a picture of the food, but I got a good one of the company.

Afternoon snack was a smoothie with a vitatop--you are going to be seeing that one a lot!

Dinner was grilled salmon (SO GOOD) with grilled pineapple, corn and salad on the side.

And I did have one little Goodness Knows snack square (1/4th of a serving, mind you) to once again satisfy that mystifying part of me that CRAVES chocolate after dinner. And lunch. And sometimes breakfast.

Off to hit the elliptical!

Tex Mex Burritos

These are so fast and easy, I will often make a batch of it at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunch for 2 or 3 days.

1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans, drained
whole wheat tortillas
toppings

Brown ground turkey, drain. Add salsa and beans. Cook until warmed through. Serve on whole wheat tortillas with desired toppings.

See what I mean?

Mixing it up!

I've been doing pretty well this week at my attempts to mix it up. Yup, I'm pretty darn proud of myself.

This morning I got up and did the Winsor Pilates Leg workout.
And that is exactly what I look like doing it, too.

Breakfast for the kids was mini-muffins (because for some reason everything is more appealing when it's small), yogurt and cantaloupe.

I had...a yogurt bowl, and I loved every minute of it! My snack was once again on the go--a weight loss shake as I ran out the door.

Lunch was leftover turkey bacon quiche with avocado, because everything tastes better with avocado.

After lunch I did my first P90X work out. I've heard a lot about this from different people and my brother gave me a copy so I thought I'd give it a try. I did the Kenpo X workout--which was pretty much like an hour long cardio kick boxing class with some yoga thrown in at the beginning. I liked it! It wasn't complex, it wasn't cheesy and it was a good work out. I'm excited to try more. And that is saying a lot because I am NOT a big work out video fan.

Afternoon snack=YUMMMMM!! I did a berry Smoothie in a bowl (vanilla yogurt, vanilla protein powder, milk, and berries galore) and I added a Chocolate Vitatop on the top. Oh, it was heavenly!!


These Vitatops are very cool. Look at what it says right on the box!
So I burnt off my snack just picking the kids up from school!

And check this out!

Not too shabby! I got them at Costco. I just might have to get a membership there.

Dinner was Tex Mex burritos. Mine looks enormous, but it was really just piled high with lettuce on the inside.

I had one square of this after dinner for my little dessert.

Oh, and you should all be enormously proud of me. My mom is here and she is quite the baker. Look at what I have successfully resisted!

Turkey Bacon Quiche

6 strips lean turkey bacon
3 whole wheat tortillas
3 whole eggs
8 egg whites (or 1 cup egg substitute)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
3/4 cup reduced fat cheddar shred
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup green puree

Preheat oven to 350. Cook bacon and set aside to cool. In a 9 inch pie plate, overlap 2 tortillas and cut the third one in half to form a crust. In a large mixing bowl, beat puree, eggs and egg whites until blended. Mix in milk and sour cream. Chop turkey bacon into bite sized pieces. Add bacon, cheddar and broccoli to egg mixture; combine thoroughly. Pour into pie plate. Bake about 60 minutes. (You'll know it's done when you tap the edge of the pie plate and the filling is set and moist. If it is still liquidy, bake a few minutes longer and test again.) Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Do I eat too much?

Waffles for the kids! I just used the Bisquick Heart Healthy Mix and added chia seeds, flaxseed and green puree. We like to top our waffles with applesauce and cinnamon sugar, too. So the kids got fruit and veggies for breakfast!
(Chloe is all about being my little model lately!)

I had another Smoothie in a bowl.

Snack was a Weight Loss Shake again.

Lunch was leftover salad from last night, but I grilled some onions and added avocado and (fat free of course) sour cream. I love this salad because it is so tasty it doesn't need any dressing fattening it up!
Afternoon snack was just a heel of ww bread with peanut butter.

Dinner for the family was Turkey Bacon Quiche. I was running errands with my mom, so we had some rotisserie chicken and whole grain bread when we got home. Funny thing is, neither dinner option really appealed to me. I really just wanted a yogurt bowl. When I get obsessed, I really get obsessed. I'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning. If nothing else it makes the blog more interesting for you all of you when I don't eat the exact same thing for every meal every day.



I did munch on a few oatmeal squares as well. They are yummy!

I got up early this morning and was able to get in 25 minutes on the elliptical before someone needed me. Then Lincoln and I took my mom on our fun bike ride after we dropped the kids off at school, and I got in a nice upper body strength training session during nap time. Tonight I was feeling like maybe I overdid it with the carbs (bread and oatmeal squares) so I hopped on the elliptical again for 20 minutes.

Gosh, reading back over this, it seems like I really eat a lot.

Caribbean Chicken Salad

This is meant to serve 4, but I guess it depends on whether or not your kids eat salad...

4 portions chicken breast
McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 bag baby romaine salad
1 bag romaine salad blend
1 cucumber, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced (I used orange...)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup lite honey mustard dressing

Season chicken on both sides with seasoning. Grill until done. Slice.

Combine salads, cucumber, onion, pepper and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss. Serve salad with oranges, pineapple, cheese, dressing and chicken slices on the side so people can build their own. (I left off the cheese.) Enjoy!

**Adapted from a Body for Life recipe**

When you are looking for an excuse...

We started the day with parfaits for the kids. This time I added fresh cherries and peaches, along with pineapple, vanilla yogurt, granola and cottage cheese.

I had--can you guess??? A yogurt bowl.

Morning snack was on the road--these are perfect for just this situation.

My lunch was inspired by another blog I read, Run, Eat, Repeat. She often has "Smoothies in a Bowl" or SIAB, so I thought I would give it a try. I made a regular fruit smoothie, but served it up in a bowl with a small handful of Oatmeal Squares Cereal. That made it seem a bit more like a real meal. Sometimes I am just in the mood to actually chew something, so this was a great compromise.

Afternoon snack was a peanut butter protein shake. And I had a few of these while the kids had their after-school snack.

Dinner: Caribbean Chicken Salad with cherries and watermelon on the side. Yummy!! I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

Work out was pretty pathetic today. Between running around getting the kids to and from school, after school activities, doctor's appointments, going to the pharmacy and the fact that my mom got into town today...I know, when you are looking for an excuse, any excuse will do. I had planned on getting up bright and early to get my cardio in, but Lincoln kept us up ALL NIGHT LONG with his coughing, so that did not happen.

So--I did get in a lower body strength training session and a measly 10 minutes on the elliptical. I could/should do more now, but I'm exhausted, so I'm going to hit the sack instead.

Stressful day, but I made it.

I eat so many of the same things from day to day. Then I get bored and find a new rut to get stuck in! Anyway...

Breakfast: Yogurt bowl with strawberry Greek yogurt, oatmeal squares, chopped almonds and blueberries (Read: same as yesterday.)

Snack: Small light Activia yogurt (Key Lime Pie flavor) and one light string cheese

Lunch: (I was hungry going into this probably because 1 string cheese isn't really a big enough protein serving in the morning snack, but oh well.) Turkey sandwich (a la yesterday), a yummy peach, a few Sun Chips (Lincoln didn't finish his and I can't stand wasting food!) I finished it off with one square (i.e. 1/4th of a serving) of a Goodness Knows snack. Just enough chocolate!

Things got really crazy at this point in the day as we were helping some friends move.

Snack: Weight Loss Shake

Dinner: We grabbed some pizza for the kids and those helping with the move and inevitably I ate a few of the kids' pizza crusts--I really can't throw those away. Who doesn't like pizza crust?! Then things really started getting crazy...STRESS, STRESS, STRESS!!!!!!! Six kids running wild through my house. One of them naked. Fighting. Screaming. Tears. I am a stress eater! So I may have eaten more than just a crust...maybe a bit of the cheese, too. :( I had grilled myself a chicken breast with the intent of having a nice healthy chicken burrito, but I ended up just eating it alongside the pizza crusts/piece (those are counting as my carbs.) Random dinner. Way overdone, too. It is hard to pay attention to cooking your chicken when you are trying to avoid strangling certain offspring. Oh, and one more 1/4th of a Goodness Knows Snack, because goodness knows I NEED CHOCOLATE after afternoons like this one!

Work out: Today I really tried to mix it up, so I did an hour long bike ride in the morning. I need to figure out the mileage on that. The trail we like starts with a nice long hill, then coasts down to a park. Previously I have just continued on home from there, but today I decided to push myself and went back up the hill when Lincoln was done playing at the park. We didn't go up the entire thing, but that is a goal of mine for the future. Then this afternoon I did Winsor Pilates--the Maximum Burn Advanced Series Super Sculpting and Body Slimming. With a name like that, I'd better see some results! It was an hour long and it felt really good. Plus, I was helping my friends move--carrying boxes, running up and down stairs, chasing kids--it all counts, right?!

Right now I'm thinking I need to go meditate or do some Yoga. Or maybe just listen to some Enya. I'm sure tomorrow will be less stressful. My mom is coming to visit...

Granola Stuffed Peaches

I made these for the kids this morning. They devoured them. You serve them with vanilla yogurt and because of our overly-zealous refrigerator, our vanilla yogurt was sort of frozen. When it was all said and done, I think the kids thought they were having peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream for breakfast!

Granola Stuffed Peaches
2 (28 oz.) cans peach halves
4 TBSP butter (the real stuff! If I'm going to use butter I always use the real deal, not that trans-fat laden margarine.)
4 TBSP brown sugar
2 1/4 cups granola
vanilla yogurt

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay peaches in 9 x 13 pan, cut side up. Melt butter and brown sugar together in microwave, then stir in granola. Put granola mixture on top of each peach. Bake for 10 minutes and serve with vanilla yogurt.

Good day!

Despite the fact that I have all this company, I have been able to do really well today!

Breakfast: Yogurt bowl with added blueberries

Snack: Fruity protein shake (1/2 banana, vanilla protein powder, lime yogurt, frozen peaches and strawberries, milk and a bit of V8 Fusion lite) and (in the spirit of full disclosure) I also tasted the seven layer dip I made yesterday for the weekly social event I host at our house and had a few tortilla chips to go along with it. It had fat free sour cream and fat free beans, so I don't feel that badly about it.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich will all the fixin's (tomatoes, purple onion, avocado, lettuce, honey mustard, reduced fat pepper jack, 1 slice turkey bacon and 2 slices turkey)

Snack: 1 slice light string cheese, 1 slice low fat chocolate chip banana bread

Dinner: London Broil, corn, Sun Chips and watermelon

Work out: Upper body strength training and for cardio I hit the treadmill for just 10 minutes (then got interrupted) and 30 minutes more on the elliptical later.

Meal Plans

I just posted meal plans for August and part of September! (left sidebar)

A Day of Rest

This week's blogging might be a bit sporadic. We never, ever have visitors. This week three different families are passing through! I guess everyone decided to come at once. Right now there are 15 people in my house. Anyway, forgive me if things get crazy...

Yesterday (Sunday) was a pretty good day. I typically reserve Sundays as my free day. One of the Body for Life principles is that you take one day a week to eat whatever you want. This way you don't ever feel deprived and don't binge at other times. I learned early on that "eating whatever you want" doesn't really mean you can go crazy. You will get sick. But I do relax things a bit once in a while.

Lunch: (I didn't eat until lunch time.) We had baked potatoes. I added cottage cheese, green onions and a bit of reduced fat cheddar. Ryan also made some bread rounds on the grill. This is where I took my free day--I probably ate seven of those, the last few with honey.

Dinner: Yogurt bowl. Oh, I had a few tortilla chips, too.

It was a really crazy day--that is all I had time to eat! Well I did have a few Diet Cokes in there to help ease the stress. I also take a break from working out on Sundays to give my body a rest. I do like to go on a bike ride or a walk if I can, but again, NO TIME yesterday.