Keurig Mini

I bought myself a little Christmas treat this year.

A Keurig Mini!

I’ve been doing a lot of research of late in regards to these types of machines, and Keurig came out on top.

The main reason? Is that you can buy a reusable K-Cup to make your own cups. Without sounding preachy, I don’t like all the plastic that goes into the K Cups, so I will be purchasing a reusable K Cup soon!

I decided to try it out today.

Pretty eh?

The machine came with a variety of different coffees.

.

I chose Emeril, just ‘cause I have a crush on him. “BAM!”

I put him in the machine…

Added some H2o…

Waited for about 3 mins

and had a 3/4 full (not sure I’m a fan of this) cup of steaming hot coffee!

What do you do with a 3/4 cup of coffee? Make a misto!

I actually ALWAYS turn my coffee into a misto, so this was actually a perfect amount of coffee.

Overall: Keurig = win!

What kind of coffee maker do you have?     

Healthy’ish Twice Baked ‘Taters

How good does this look?

When I first rejoined WW, I was having an email marathon with my old roommate Katie regarding new foods, point values etc.

She told me how she made twice baked potatoes using Lilydale Turkey Bacon, and immediately I wanted to create something similar. Check out the nutritional information in the link, very low calorie!

I microwaved a russet potato until it was soft, and scooped out the insides.

I coated the skin in EVOO and a little salt, and threw it into the oven at 400 until it was crispy.

In the meantime, I mashed up the innards with a little FF sour cream, milk, Epicure Potato Topper, and some chopped turkey bacon.

Then, the innards went back into the crispy skins, topped with some light old cheddar and went under the broiler until warmed.

End result: DELICIOUS!

I served it with some ham slices, and an unpictured side salad.

   

I roughly estimated the potato to be about 8 points of deliciousness!

Check it out!

I finally found some time to sit down and write my About page, and update the Jersey section.

Back on the straight and narrow

With the bulk of the holidays behind us, I’m sure I’m not the only one whose body is currently hating me for torturing it with WAY too much sugar, fat, sugar… oh and more sugar.

I had good intentions going it, but once again, staying on track during the holidays was a huge FAIL.

In fact, I had good intentions to get back on track yesterday. I started my day out with Body Combat, and a Vivanno from Starbucks and that’s about where the healthy living stopped.

BUT, today… TODAY is the day I get back on track.

It certainly didn’t help that these deliciously buttery cookies were the first thing I saw when I walked downstairs!

 

I got the images of shortbread out of my head, and whipped up a salad in a glass. Not so much on the salad, as I only had about a cup of spinach. Into the blender went: 1 cup water, 1 cup mixed berries, 1 banana, handful of spinach and a splash of skim milk. I was also out of yogurt.

On tap for today: A trip to the mall. I have a Lululemon gift card that’s burning a hole in my pocket. I’d really like to try their new Silverescent Luon Crops. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that the word “Crotch Sweat” exists in my vocabulary. I try so hard to keep my workout gear smelling fresh and uncrotch-like, but haven’t had much luck. Has anyone tried the Silverescent Luon Crops?

While I’m at the mall, there also happens to be a Goodlife, and it just so happens my favourite instructor ever is teaching Combat, so I’ll hit up her class with my buddy Lisa.

Here’s to health and happiness today!

Scrooge

The look on Samuel's face is exactly how I feel about Christmas.

Can we fast forward to January maybe?

Heaven... in a styrofoam take-out container

This appeared on my desk just now.

Its a Skor cheese cake with an oreo shortbread crust.

Are you kidding me?

How can I resist that?

....too bad I had "All you can eat" sushi for lunch.

Lord, give me strength to resist the evil deliciousness of this heavenly creation.

Miracle

I got a manicure today. I’ve been home for 2 hours, and I have yet to muck it up. It’s a miracle!!

Color is “Ski Teal We Drop” by OPI.

Can’t say the same for my pedicure though. Yep, those are sock marks.

Color is “Ali’s big break” by OPI.

Wait, is it gross to post a picture of your ridiculously large big toe on the internet?

No gym tonight, as it took forever for my mani/pedi.

Dinner was quick, healthy and delicious.

Roasted butternut squash, steamed broccoli and sautéed shrimpies.

We’ve got quite a pit of snow of late. Snow to Jersey = tons of snow in her toes. She went to the groomer yesterday, but the snow is still getting packed in there.

Doggie winter boots = Return of the pathetic face.

Good thing her adorable face still exists.  Her new hair ‘do has made her (already high) doggie confidence soar.

      

Love that dog to bits!

Update

I’m due for an update, but first… dinner!

Bowties with sweet peppers, mushrooms, Italian sausage, tossed in a can of tomato soup.

This is one of my FAVORITE pasta dishes ever. Its so simple too!

Problem is, I didn’t have the points to have a huge serving of it, so I had it as a side served with some roasted butternut squash and a salad.

   

Updates/Random thoughts/Stuff/Things:

• I lost 3.5lbs this week. Weeeeee!
• I’m currently watching The Town as I write this. Hello Ben Affleck and your delicious body.
• I’m really not ready for Christmas in the slightest.
• I think the new Weight Watchers program is going to cause carbophobia.
• I’ve been working out pretty hard of late. Feels good to be getting back to the old Amy.
• Speaking of which, my legs are hurting today. Hurts so good.
• That being said, I suck at running currently. Slowly but surely, I’m finding my mojo again.
• I’m loving Lynn’s Style Diaries. Its made me think a lot about my current (lack of) style. I like to think that I’m pretty well put together, but in the winter, I look like a librarian. Pants, collared shirt, sweater. I’m great at things like manicures, make up, hair…. but accessories and clothing. Not so much!

That’s it, that’s all! Ciao!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy!!

Well, we ended up going out for lunch again today. ‘Tis the season!

We went to East Side Mario’s, and I had the Portabello Pannini with a side garden salad. It was delicious, and didn’t do too much damage in the point department.

A couple of office cookies later, I found myself low in the point category for supper time so I had to get creative.

You can never go wrong with fish!

Pan seared coriander crusted tilapia, mixed greens, red pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado, pinenuts and a little ranch dressing.

Delicious!

Tomorrow is my first WI since I’ve been back on plan. Wish me luck!

PS: I totally skipped the gym in favour of the dog park again. Ooops.

Scenes from an office Christmas lunch

Please excuse the lacklustre photographs. Its hard to discreetly photograph the food at an office party! :)

Starters:

Main course: Turkey, tourtière with homemade “fruit ketchup” greens, and a stuffing’ish casserole. There were also green beans, mashed potatoes, meat balls, and brussel sprouts.

 

Dessert: Which I didn’t photograph up close because I didn’t have any: Buche, or a Christmas Log.

And the wine… sooo much wine! I have to admit, I love our office parties because so many of my colleagues are wine connoisseurs. Today I discovered Ménage à Trois and tried a verrry pricey bottle of Amarone for the first time!

The hardstuff…. rum and diet, and a jello shot. I will confess to you that I drank that rum and diet at approx. 10h30am. It helped me to be a better bowler, I swear!

   

I am proud of the way I handled my eats today. I hit up the gym afterwards for a sweaty Body Combat class, so I feel redeemed. All in all, I great time was had by all!

Oh, and in case you were wondering… I didn’t eat a single green cookie alllll day! :)

Proud of me

Yesterday's meal plan was foiled by a bagel, and a gingerbread cookie.

The thing I find the worst about the new Weight Watchers plan is that anything that resembles a carb, is ridiculously high in points. But, anyways, I digress.

I arrived home with 2 points left. Yep. 2 measley points.

Good thing is, I wasn't really all that hungry. So I made a salad in a glass and called it a night. Go me!

I've been spending a lot of time at the the dog park in lieu of the gym, but thats ok. It makes me happy, and it makes Jersey happy too!

Today, I must continue to make myself proud. Its our office Christmas party, which will comprise of bowling, wine, cookies, and a delicious catered Quebecoise lunch!

I just need to resist these damn cookies. Look at them. In all the icingy-goodness.

Have a great day!

Porcelain Gods

I spent a huge portion of my evening praying to the porcelain gods.

Source

I think there might have been something in the sub I ate from Subway, as I didn't eat much else yesterday. I've never had food poisoning before, but I'm pretty sure I had a mild case of it last night.

My stomach is still a little "rumbly" today, but the nausea is gone. Needless to say, my gym plans were foiled, but I'm hoping to make it there tonight.

After the rather torturous evening I had last night, the thoughts of eating Subway ever again actually kinda make me gag. I think I will need to find a new "old faithful" in the lunch department.

...and here I was all worried about staying within my points!

The return of old faithful

Usually I'm pretty good to pack my lunch for work.

However, my weekend was a bit of a blur and I didn't have time this morning. What does a recommited point counter have for lunch?

SUBWAY!

6 inch roast beef on brown bread, topped with a kazillion veggies, a smidge of honey mustard and S&P.

I also had a cookie, and a diet coke. In my humble opinion: fountain diet coke tastes 110% better then canned.

And just to pat myself on the back a little, I gave the second cookie that came with the combo to my colleague.

*EDIT: My cookie was only 1 point less than my sub. I should know better!

On tap for the rest of the day: Survival of the office woes, Body Combat, a 20 min run, and the procurement of some healthy eats.

What are you up to today?

I did it!

I signed up for the new Weight Watcher’s PointsPlus program.

It feels so great to be motivated about something again. The new program is completely different then the ones I followed in the past, so its going to take some getting used to.

The thing that is the worst right now, is that all the points values are different. After years of counting points, I got to know all the point values by heart… but now its a whole new ball game.

The best thing right now? Fruit is zero points! I love, love, LOVE that Weight Watchers is focussing on whole foods. Like many, when I lost the majority of my weight, I rarely ate bananas because it would cost me 2 points. Now I can enjoy them without worrying about the points. Score!

In fact, I was able to enjoy this entire smoothie without it costing me any points!

Anyone recognize my glass?

Today’s mix was extra delicious. Water, banana, frozen raspberries, frozen mango, frozen blueberries, spinach, and a splash of skim milk.

The raspberry/banana/blueberry combo is delicious. Try it!

Lunch was leftover thai food. 1/4 cup rice, 1/2 cup pad thai, 1/2 cup green curry. YUM!

I went to Body Attack this morning and worked HARD. I feel like I’ve lose a lot of my agility in the last little while though. I’ll get back to where I was. I promise!

Remember this little guy?

The love affair continues:

…and because I had a request to show some more of my fur babies, from the archives: My little buddy, Samuel.

How cute is that face?

Here’s to a healthy and happy weekend!

Comfort in a bowl

Wow. I need to toot my own horn a little bit with this soup.

After seeing this recipe, over on Eat, Live, Run I knew I had to have it.

I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand however, so I went with what I had on hand.

Coconutty Curried Butternut and Green Lentil Soup

1 butternut squash

1 cup green lentils

2 cartons of chicken broth

1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped

1 T fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

1 can of lite coconut milk

 

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepot over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute for about five minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic and continue to cook for three more minutes, stirring often.

Add the butternut squash, lentils, chicken broth, salt, cayenne and curry powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils and squash are tender and cooked through. Add coconut milk at the end.

Transfer soup to a blender and process until smooth.

This soup was pretty much amazing. The color was kind of off, as I used green lentils… but holy man, the flavour was perfect.

I don’t know why I don’t make homemade soup  more often. Its cheap, easy, and way tastier then the canned crap!

Happy Friday!

Stuffed Sausage

Today I felt (and looked) like a sausage stuffed into my clothes. I can't think of a worse feeling in the world.

(Yes, I know I'm sitting down, but I just feel SO gross.)

I've been making a conscious effort to eat well and exercise, but the scale isn't budging.

I workout a lot. And I work out hard.

But that's not enough. I need to make an effort to control what exactly is going to my mouth, and how much of it.

I vow to you all, tonight I will weigh myself and sign up for Weight Watchers again.

I've heard some pretty great things about the new program, so I'm going to jump in with both feet. Weight Watchers changed my life once, so I have no doubts I will succeed a second time around.

I'll update with more specifics later, but I had to get this out while I was feeling courageous.

Return of the greens

About a year ago, everyone was raving about Amazing Grass.

It was the first product I had received to review, that I actually purhcased!

In an effort to increase my fruit and veggie intake, I've reintroduced "Salad in a glass" into my morning ritual. This morning, I happened to be out of spinach, so I decided to go back to old faithful.

In the mix:

1/2 cup water, 1 cup milk, 1 scoop Chocolate Super Food, one banana, and a handful of frozen strawberries.


Generally, I'm not a fan of chocolate mixed with berries but I was out of ice cubes and I find I need this drink to be super cold to enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour. It was delicious!

I feel so healthy when I up my fruit and veggie intake.

In other news, the new Weight Watchers program launches today. A huge part of me is tempted to rejoin. I hear that they are incorporating more focus on whole foods, and that fruit is zero points! No more guilt for eating bananas? That is almost reason enough for me to sign up!

Does anyone have any feedback on the new program thus far?

‘Tis the season

Hello Lover.

Source

Right around this time of year, I meet my absolutely favourite ice cream ever nemesis.

Presidents Choice Candy Cane Ice Cream.

One would like to think that I can exercise some self control with this stuff in the house, but I absolutely cannot. I can hear it taunting me from the freezer: “Ammmmmmmmmmmmy, come and eat me”

I’ve caught myself MANY times sneaking a spoonful or 7 right out of the container.

Some might like to say “Why Amy, why don’t you just NOT buy any?”

Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! What makes this problematic is that I find myself close to it almost everyday as my gym is located in a Loblaws. And if you think it taunts me from my freezer at home, you should hear it taunt me at the store. “Ammmmmmmmmmmmy, you just burned a million calories. Come and take me to your palace”

Sometimes I even catch myself thinking about it mid-workout. Yes, this is true.

Its a perfect combination of minty, chocolately, creamy deliciousness.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the holidays. But this my friends, makes my holiday season just a little brighter.

My name is Amy, and I’m a Candy Cane Ice Cream Addict.

Happiness

I read something this morning over on the Fitnessista's blog.

"My happiness is in my own hands"

I need to remember that during these tough times.