food-a-pa-looza

day: 49
my supah bloggah’s!

okay first things first – i have been totally outta the bloggy-loop the past two days. busy, a wee bit sick, and we had a random 3 hour long power outtage today?
thankfully – i had just completed my 30 day shred (day 14 bitches!) , was guzzlin’ my water, sat down to track my food & activity on weight watchers e-tools when *poof* no freakin’ power!
we are such a spoiled society – only my 2 year old daughter wasn’t bouncing off the walls.

anywho – so i am wicked behind in reading about all you fabu peeps – but i will catch up.
pinky swear!

plus i see there are has been some major award swappin’ going on & i promise to *pay it forward* asap!

so despite being a wee bit sick (i refuse to admit that i have a full-blown cold) this weekend was what i can only properly deem as *food-a-pa-looza* and i will be lucky to looza any weight @ weigh-in this week after the utter garbage i consumed.
yes – it could have been worse & has many, many, many times in my lifetime. but i did overdo it.
(traditional self-portrait as we head out)
bri & i had a*date nite* (i hate that terminology for some odd reason) last night & went to our favorite mexican restaurant. and while i had another dish off the vegetarian menu it is still drowning in ooey-gooey full fat cheese. plus i had a humongous ass margarita & it is a fuckin’ shame how many points weight watcher makes you count for those.
heh.
oh and i had a nice glass of wine when we got home last night.

then today we went to our favorite chinese restaurant. there again i made better than average choices but ack. i was wayyyyy over daily points this weekend & dipped pretty deeply into my weeklies.
not that i can’t – weight watchers allows me to eat whatever the hell i want as long as i track it & count my points. but here lies the problem when you go out to eat. unless it is some chain restaurant how do you know if you are counting points correctly?
i always have this chicken dish @ our fave chinese place that has a mustardy sauce – their house specialty – and i have no earthly effin’ clue what is made of let alone how many points. so i am guesstimating & praying i come close!
but i do the best i can & tend to over-compensate for a lack of solid knowledge.
and i worked out like a fiend yesterday & today – so i think i am ahead of the game or at least not draggin’ behind too-too terribly.

we rarely if ever eat out two times in a weekend so i will consider it a learning experience & move on!
and what did i learn?
there is no need.
i felt overfull and lethargic for the rest of the day today until i literally made myself get up and do the shred.

we will never stop dining out – we are foodies who love a good meal. but i think our once a week saturday night dining out is enough.

well my luvies – i gotta get my butt to the gym to work off food-a-pa-looza!

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!
xxoo
cyn


(click & vote pretty please with sugar on top)

ROCK OUT with your CROCK OUT -- vol.3

day: 23
hiya bloggy peeps!

<div align="center"><a href="http://chunkygoddess.blogspot.com/" title="misadventures of a chunky goddess" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uGyLRJ9HiY/TnApHBV-xVI/AAAAAAAAIE4/gaQAavBaP1A/s300/101333488_xrF8JesR_b_ImitateHDR_1.jpg" alt="misadventures of a chunky goddess" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

welcome to rock out with you crock out!!
this is my homage to my most favorite kitchen gadget ever – the blessed crock pot.
because even i can crock pot like a mofo!
i mean who can’t really??

and all of the recipes featured here will be healthy and/or weight watcher recipes – this is a weight loss blog after all.

so here it goes…
first i gotta brag… cause that’s what ya do when ya gotta big crock!

kapow!

look at this brandy-new massive 7-quarts of hot kitchen gadget-ry!
and i got it all for my bitches (that’s you by the way) because… size does matter!

anywho --
tonight i made crock pot minestrone!
a recipe that my weight watcher leader tricia handed out last friday at our meeting (that nano second i was paying attention instead of being pissed off).
she snagged it off of skinnytaste -- an ah-may-zing site – go perv it when you can.

crock pot minestrone soup
gina's weight watcher recipes
servings: 6 • serving size: 1 1/2 cups • old points: 4 • points+: 5
calories: 215.7 • fat: 0.7 g • protein: 8.7 g • carb: 42.0 g • fiber: 6.7 g

1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
1 oz chunk of good parmesan cheese rind
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley leaves
salt and fresh pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)

(here are my shopping-on—budget ingredients)
rinse and drain beans. puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

(i mashed in lieu of blender and it was fine)
in a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

(looks awesome and smells so freakin’ good)
forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. cover and cook 30 more minutes. add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.

(i served with a crusty italian bread for extra points and some vegan parmesan on top for extra points)
i omitted the parmesan rind (seriously do people have this stuff lying around i ask you???). i also used tiny bowtie pasta and dry herbs (sadly as i fucking killed my herb garden a month ago).
i also found that this needed the full 8 hours of cooking time – although i doubled the recipe (was really way too much food) and because i am still tweaking my new crock pot.
(i gotta caress it like a new lovah and learn it’s turns on and such… apparently this bad boy likes to take his time --- purrrrrrrr, yeah baby!)

this is a super easy über delish recipe!
hearty, fresh, healthy, low in points and perfect for the impending fall weather (although we are still sweating balls here in rhode island and i am doubting fall will ever come our way?).
the 1 ½ cup serving (with the slice of bread) was more than enough to satisfy my amazonian hunger.
and perfect for my vegetarian/vegan friends!

two thumbs and a spoonful of minestrone up!
my family agrees -- they better – we have minestrone for days!

i believe my *can crock pot like a mofo* status is officially reinstated.
that’s right!

now go on – crock pot something why dontcha.

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!
xxoo
cyn

meh

day: 21
‘ello blogdom!

i gotta tell ya – i am in no mood to write, but i made a promise to at least try and write something everyday for a month (NaBloPoMo) – so here i be’s!

today was a bad day, okay not bad, just eh -- bri and i bickered (and had a pretty nasty drag out fight) all day.

(number one rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club -- ooops!)
i hate when we have days like this…
i know it happens to all (okay most) couple; but ack.

and it takes it’s toll on us both – for me it meant not making it to the gym.
i had to stick around and have that drag out brawl after all… dumb!
in hindsight; i shoulda said *fuck this noise* and went.
but i care too much and that would feel like not caring.

i wish there was a way to wave a magic wand and make things different.
not better, different.
we will be fine; we always are.
but something has to give in our life so we aren’t compelled to use one another as an emotional punching bag.

the good news is that i made killer vegetarian stuffed peppers tonight.
can ya believe i forgot to take a pic?
i was starving and had one thing on my mind – stuffin’ my face.

also good: i am well within my points and ate clean today.

i also learned something – brown rice is horrid when cooked in a microwaveable rice cooker. blech!

that’s all i got & promise to be back to my sassy-pants self tomorrow.
besides – could be worse…
heh

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!

xxoo
cyn

*** thanking google images ***

a good freakin' day...

day: 20

nei ho bloggy-sphere!

okay, so i am over my little hissy fit from yesterday.
i get pissy when things don’t go my way…
but eh… such is life.
and yeah it sucks!
but i need to put my big girl panties on and just deal with it!

so i took my frustrations out in my gym…
went last night and today giving me 21 ap’s so far.
i made the eliptical cry!
or the other way around – i don’t recall exactly.
all i know is that my tits were in a puddle around my ankles and i felt pretty fuckin’ good – minus the melted nips and all.

and then i was like to hell with it and brian and i went out to dinner tonight.
mexican dinner!
andalé!
(have i mentioned that i would sell my soul for a good mexican food?)

we checked out a new place as rhode island sucks in the realm of good mexican food. i am seriously thinking of uprooting and moving to the west coast for the authentic mexican food alone.
but i digress…
luckily this new spot rocked balls and we were really impressed!
and yeah, i dipped into my weekly points by a total of nine (big freakin’ whoop!) – but we had so much fun.
surprising they had a vast menu and i ordered a vegetarian plate – spinach burrito (which was too.die.for), cheese enchilada, and a mushroom quesadilla.
sadly it came loaded in a tomato based sauce that had a cheese taste to it as well as the melted cheese on top of everything – and i love cheese, but it was in overload mode. so i basically ate about a 1/3 of the dinner and called it a day.

okay confession…
i opted to sacrifice the food in lieu of a margarita – i have standards you know…
a yummy margarita i might add – and don’t ask how many points – you will cry!
but i had a very plain salad for lunch today in order to have this puppy!
so worth the sacrifice…!
i needed tonight.
wait… we needed tonight!

okay yeah we were home by 8pm – but at least we got out, and i got to let my hair down (literally as i live with it up in a clip 24/7 and didn’t realize how long it has gotten – i need a freakin’ haircut!), chill with my lovah, have an adult beverage, and some yummy mexican cuisine!
win/win/win/win/win

today was a very good day!

spread the bloggy l♥ve, eat your veggies, and love yourself!
xxoo
cyn

wanna see more photos of my margarita inspired night out?
check out my other blog the purple goddess -- my family/photo blog.

five days in...

day 5:

so the end of day five approaches and i have really mixed emotions about how my first week is going so far.
but then again i always do.

the first week is the hardest.
duh, of course it is.
and even though i am super motivated it is still a struggle to end my shitty habits and to get back to a healthy frame of mind.
oh and let usnot forget mother nature and her need to make me a hormonal lunatic with a penchant for candy and well i am just not a happy camper.

but despite my whining i have hung in there –
i have measured, weighed, and tracked every morsel that has entered my trap.
i even tracked the blts (bites, licks, and tastes).
i still have plenty of weeklies – 39 or so at least -- i had a glass sangria earlier and we plan on firing up the bbq tomorrow night as well.
i have also earned plenty of ap’s (14+) despite a bum knee that is trying like hell to make me quit.
so all in all – while i may be moaning and groaning – i am in fact working it pretty damn well!

i think my major issue is truly the pms – seriously, i think after age 40 is should be a voluntary thing. something you take on willingly and only to get out of work, mowing the lawn, and/or annoying family functions.

and today should have been my comeback meeting at ww– but by the time brian (my hunny) got home (he works a wicked early morning shift) it was too late to make it there.

so i am focusing on the upcoming week so i can kick ass and have a great first weigh-in next friday and be pumped for my meeting as well.
i have missed my meetings and most of all my leader tricia who is just wonderous!

and another thought that has been cruising around my brain the past few days…
i am seriously thinking of going back to eating 100% vegetarian again. it has only been a few weeks and honestly i do still eat primarily a plant based diet – but i have fully let veganism hit the curb.
and there again – i resist dairy way more than i eat it – but i have allowed myself a lot of leniency and flexibility these past 6-8 weeks while i focused on getting my head straight.

i was diagnosed with depression and have been getting adjusted to wellbutrin for the past two months. it has been an transition but overall a positive experience. i feel more able to cope and have had an immense sense of clarity in reconigizing toxic situations and people that i needed to weed out of my life.

i feel better than i have in years and like i said, i am so ready to weed out negativity and focus on what i need to do to make me better in mind, body and soul.
ya gotta improve from the inside out after all.
i got the inside in a much better place – let’s see if we can renovated the outside a bit?

i feel like i am on a great path in so many ways and it feels good to be me again.
so take that mother nature and your effin’ pms!

take a minute and love yourself today -- you know you need a hug!
cyn