It's almost fall, ya'll!

I absolutely love fall. The cool air, the changing trees, cute closed-toe shoes, football, holidays (including the most important, my birthday. Ha!) and of course, the FOOD. With the season steadily heading our way here in the South, I decided to get in the spirit and make pumpkin oatmeal bars. I got the idea and the recipe from a fantastic blog I follow -- Points and Pounds. (A big thank you to you, Jeannie!) These yummy, festive eats are only 1 Weight-Watcher point per cookie and were super easy to make. Not to mention, my house smells amazing! It makes me want to throw a log on the fire and wrap up in a warm blanket.

Since I had such a good time making Jeannie's cookies, I thought, why not make this a weekly thing? So on "Meg Makes It on Mondays," (Cute, huh?) I will choose a healthy recipe or meal idea from the various blogs I read (with permission, of course), or from those budding chefs out there that wouldn't mind sharing their culinary creations with me via e-mail (twopounds2@yahoo.com) or in my comments. I'm open to anything -- vegetarian, gluten-free, no dairy, low carb, all carb -- your choice! Me, and my hungry husband, would appreciate some new dishes! :)

Help, please!

For anyone that has used Blogger, why can't I add any blog I want to my blog roll? Is there some Blogger rule I'm missing here? I've tried to add several tonight, and it won't save.

Fishing…and too much food

"Where's my fish?"

I wish I could say that I did as well on my food plan yesterday as I did Friday, but I didn’t. At all. I started yesterday seemingly well, with two organic eggs and dry, high-fiber toast for breakfast. I met my friends for some fishing around 11, so we decided to stop for lunch before riding out to the pond. Everyone wanted KFC, so I asked if we could do a half-grilled, half-crispy bucket. I also ordered a side of green beans, with all intentions of staying away from the macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and of course, the to-die-for biscuits. But did I? Nope. I think I was having third-child syndrome and didn’t want to be left out of what everyone else got to eat. Kinda like when I was a kid, and my older sisters got to watch scary movies and I didn’t. Despite knowing that I would have horrible nightmares about men in masks chasing me with chainsaws, I had no interest in watching age-appropriate programming. The same scenario could be said of yesterday, except substitute food instead of flicks.

I got a couple scoops of everything except for the macaroni and cheese, and even had an –sigh – extra crispy chicken thigh along with my grilled breast. To make things tastefully worse, Lori’s sweet mom made us homemade cupcakes. Who can say no to one of those?

The food setbacks didn’t hinder the fun of fishing (although my dog almost choking to death did. He got a hold of a chicken bone, but luckily, Lori’s husband was able to pull it out of his throat – thanks, Teddy!). A favorite pastime of my family, all those poles and hooks brought back a lot of great memories. The sky was perfectly cloudy, the long dock warranted enough room for casting and conversation and the bugs seemed to be dormant for the few hours we were there. I did catch two small brim, which I (or really, Jessica’s fiancé, Mike) released back to their watery abode.

It was almost dinner time when we decided to pack up and head for home, and the consensus for the evening meal was Chinese. (Another sigh) I chose beef and vegetables with a cup of hot and sour soup, which I guess isn’t too terrible, but I was pretty lax with the portion size. To top it off, Mike and Teddy purchased Blue Bell’s new ice cream, “Groom’s Cake,” which I devoured two heaping scoops of. Why, Meg, why?!

Everyone keeps saying, “Oh you deserve a cheat day,” or “don’t worry about it.” But, with pictures just weeks away and a bridesmaids dress to zip up in almost three months, I really can’t afford to have a few chips here or a cupcake there. Not to mention I haven’t full-on worked out in three whole days.

I know I am way too hard on myself at times, (ok, most of the time) but on the other hand, when I fill up on greasy, MSG-loaded eats all day, I feel like a masochist. I read all these great success stories of people losing weight and keeping it off, and I truly want that for myself. But I don’t want to sit around eating a salad while everyone wolfs down Chinese and ice cream…where is the balance, I wonder?

The good choice

Like most normal, hard-working professionals, I adore Fridays. And Saturdays. And let’s not forget Sundays. Basically any day is a favorite of mine that I don't have to get up at 6 a.m. and perform my usual 8-4:30 routine. It's not that I don't like my job, or that I'm not appreciative of it (especially in this economy), but like the song goes, isn’t “everybody working for the weekend?”

The weekly two-day break is also the toughest time for me to stay focused on my food and fitness plan. Maybe it is all the out-to-eat invites from friends and family, feeling more relaxed, having more quality time to spend with the husband, wanting to veg out on the couch and numb my brain with stupid TV shows for a minimum of oh, six hours -- who knows.

So last night, my friend, Jessica, and I decided to have another girl’s night in, get some food and watch “Sunshine Cleaning.” She was having some electrical troubles at her house, so she didn’t think she’d be able to make it. That left me to make the decision about what I wanted for dinner. Uh oh! The healthy girl on my right shoulder was telling me to go in the kitchen and make the veggies and turkey I already had in the fridge. The rebel on my left was pleading for Thai food or pizza. What to do?! Well, I did listen, just a little, to the left and look up the menu online for my favorite Asian eatery. But then, it was like the healthy girl gave me a swift slap in the face, banned me from the Internet and sent me in the kitchen to make turkey burgers and stir-fry cabbage, green beans, broccoli and onions. Jessica ended up getting to come by, and not being a big turkey burger fan, actually really liked mine! (I think it was the feta cheese I sprinkled in the meat.) I stayed in my Weight Watcher points and had a delicious meal to boot!

Now choosing the healthy meal may not seem like much of a feat to everyone else, but for me, it was a huge leap in the right direction. I give in too much when it comes to not-so-good-for-you food, and this time, I stuck with my goals, instead of filling up on food that would stick to my stomach! Proud can’t even describe it.

I hope today will be just as successful. I will be heading outdoors (again, I don’t know who this woman is here lately with all the wilderness activities -- see Outstanding Ocoee and Back to Civilization) to go fishing with two of my favorite ladies – Lori and Jessica – on Lori’s family’s 28-acre land. While it may not burn that many calories, all the laughing we tend to do will! More on our fishing excursion tomorrow!

Have a healthy weekend!

I'm back!!

After two weeks, a bottle of anti-inflammatory meds, dozens of ice packs and hobbling around in a brace, I -- and most importantly, my tibia -- feel great! For those of you who may not know, I found out I had a case of tendonitis and was nixed from heavy exercise for 14 whole days. So today, I was more than ready for a workout.

After a quick nap when I got home from work, (our two cats and our dog decided to play chase at 3 a.m.) I put on my new sneaks and took Tex out for his daily walk, only this time, we kicked it up a notch and got a steady speed, and even jogged the last leg home. Then I put on The Firm's DVD called "Total Body Time Crunch." It is a combination of cardio and strength training, and by the end of it, I was burning up -- hopefully because I was sweating out a ton of calories! My foot/ankle was feeling a bit sore by the end of it, so I'm icing it down as we speak. I'm sure it will take awhile for it to fully feel better, but it is worlds better compared to the pain a few weeks ago!

As for the food plan, all the protein I've been eating has really made a difference in satisfying my appetite. Veggies or fruit and boiled eggs, mostly the whites, have replaced my usual granola bar or bag of popcorn for a snack. And here's a fun fact...I just found out what the difference is between white and brown eggs...the color of the chicken! White chickens lay white eggs and brown chickens lay brown ones...who knew?

I did indulge in a few chips (my weakness) and a margarita (my other weakness) with my friend, Sara, last night, but I think all and all, I've done pretty well this week. I even have 3 Weight Watchers points left today, so I may have a few unsalted peanuts and a piece of fruit later. Yum!

Does anyone have a success or milestone they would like to share?

Feeling a little soupy

Tonight, I decided to make a pot of one of my favorite soups -- veggie! I got the recipe years ago from a Weight Watchers book and have since revised it to include whatever canned, fresh or frozen goods I have on hand. This batch had the usual stewed tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, green beans and onion, but I added a can of lima beans and a frozen bag of corn. I simmered the veggies in two boxes of fat-free, MSG-free chicken broth, sprinkled on some oregano and basil and 30 minutes later, ta da...dinner! This dish is a big staple for me when I'm trying to lose some l-bs because it not only makes a great, nutritious meal, but also a vitamin-packed snack. Since I am trying to eat less carbs, this soup will be sensational when hunger comes calling.

I really am proud of how well I did on my Weight Watchers/low-carb plan today. I had cottage cheese and berries for breakfast, a big salad with shrimp, beans and a sprinkle of feta cheese for lunch, an apple for a snack and then the veggie soup, plus a hamburger patty and a cup of baked sweet potatoes. Some of my menu items are a bit carby, but at least they are the good variety. As a said in an earlier post, sweet potatoes are jammed with nutrients, as are beans, which of course are notorious for having lots of fiber goodness. My main goal is to get back to "real" foods, and try to stray away from any meals that have a laundry list of ingredients, most of which I can't spell or say, much less know anything about. I think I accomplished that today, so gold star for me! :)



Oh, and about the apple cider vinegar I was going to try a few weeks ago...well, I choked the stuff down for two days and quit. I seriously felt sick all day, and for some reason, I felt a lot more hungry. I think I'll just stick with the food and fitness plan for awhile. :)

Outstanding Ocoee

What a weekend! After Saturday, I think I have a new aquatic obsession…whitewater rafting. My friends and I had an absolute blast on the Ocoee, and surprisingly, no one fell out of the boat, although we did get a good soaking. The rapids were just mean enough to make it thrilling and scary all in the same synchronized row. And the names of them were hilarious! My personal favorite was “The Grumpies.” Ha Ha!

After our 5-mile joy ride was over, (sad face) swimming in the river was next on the outdoor agenda. The water was the perfect degree of cold, and the current was strong enough to give the legs a good workout. This was my first time to exercise the gams since my foot went in a boot almost two weeks ago, and while I did pretty good, my ankle was ready for an ice bath when I got home. Thursday, I have the go-ahead to ease myself back in to my fitness regime, and I have to say I’m a little nervous that the tibia will revert to its “grumpy” itself. I really miss the EA Active, but the Sarg may have to wait another week or so to enlist me back into boot camp. I don’t think a lot of running and jumping would do anything but put me back in a brace…for good. I have a great elliptical machine that is very lonely in our exercise room, so I may do that for a week or so and see the leg’s reaction…hopefully it will be a good one.

As for the food plan, I haven’t been the strictest of sorts the past few days. I’m disappointed in myself, actually. But like riding a bike, I’ve got to pick myself up and start peddling again. I guess successes and setbacks are all part of the process, but I’d rather not have so much of the latter. I’m making my grocery list after I finish this post to include, but not limited to, eggs, cottage cheese, veggies, fruit and lean meats. I think I eat too many carbs, so my plan is to make better, protein-packed choices and skip the prepackaged aisles.

Here’s to a fresh, healthy week!