Friday Fiesta

Thanks for your great advice about ways to outsmart the snooze button!! I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who has a snooze addiction! 🙂

Today was a super-productive day at work. We started with our monthly unit meeting and we accomplished alot. It reminded me how lucky I am to work with such an intelligent and creative group of women. We met at Starbucks and I had a grande coffee with cream…nothing fancy today. Back at my desk at the wellness center, lunch was leftover lasagna from last night…stay tuned – I’ll add my lasagna recipe to my Favorite Recipes page ASAP. Thanks for asking!

After lunch, I went to the hospital for the afternoon- I saw a diabetes nutrition consult, had another meeting…and had a snack. Fage total with honey- this is so good- almost cheesecake-like….

After work, I stopped by Sephora – it is totally one of my favorite stores ever! I try not to go there too much because I could easily spend way too much money! I’m not really a clothes shopper, but give me a shop full of skincare, makeup, and fragrance…I’m in heaven. I was searching for a new fragrance…I love Philosophy Amazing Grace, but I wanted something different, so I tried a new Philosophy fragrance, Unconditional Love – love it!! When I got home, I went for a nice walk around the neighborhood and then Anthony and I tried a new Mexican place for dinner – yes- we do eat Mexican once a week (or more some weeks). We started with chips, salsa, and guacamole…pretty good, but not as good as our favorite, La Fiesta.

And, I had a vegetarian quesadilla for my entree….it contained beans, peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and cheese…very good.

I firmly believe that Mexican food can be part of a healthy, balanced diet…but making good choices and portion control is key. I left most of the rice and 1/4 of the quesadilla on my plate and was satisfied, but not stuffed.

Now, Stacy and Clinton are calling my name…time for my weekly What Not to Wear slumber party with my sweet husband!!

I’m so excited – two very special guests are coming to visit tomorrow!! Do you have big plans for the weekend?

Goodnight!

Bath Time

Happy Sunday night! I can’t believe the weekend is almost over so soon!

After church, and volunteering in my Toddlers room full of 18 kids today (yes – 18 children between the age of 1-2)…I was ready for some rest and relaxation. First, though, we had lunch at one of our favorite Mexican places. Of course, we started with our traditional chips, salsa, and guacamole.

It is so easy to eat unhealthfully at Mexican places, but you can also eat relatively well, by making smarter choices, watching portion sizes, and observing your fullness cues. To me, little splurges are definitely worth it. For my entree, I chose a simple cheese enchilada, which I covered in salsa, + beans and rice.

Lunch was amazing. After lunch, we did our quick weekly grocery shopping trip and came home to relax and rest…one of the best parts of the weekend.

And, I had this deliciously juicy plum…

Dinner was delicious too – grilled wild tuna steaks with a ginger-orange sauce, baked sweet potato, and sauteed spinach….

Now, it is bath time for 3 dogs! Yes- we have a fun hour ahead. Then it’s time to prepare for a busy week. I hope you’ve had a great weekend. Thanks, as always, for reading.

Goodnight!

Chocoholic

Thank you so much for your insightful and thoughtful comments on my earlier post about blog quantity vs. quality. I so appreciate your insights. It is awesome to be a part of such a great community.

I think I’ve been craving chocolate all day- and this Hershey bar was calling my name, so I enjoyed it slowly at my desk this morning while I worked on my Certified Diabetes Educator continuing education. You know, I love dark chocolate, but sometimes, there’s just nothing like a simple Hershey’s milk chocolate bar.

I’ve been busier with nutrition consults lately, but today, we had several patients scheduled that didn’t show up…which means I had a little more free time to catch up on paperwork and planning….always a good thing, but I definitely love spending time with my patients too.

Lunch was a huge salad from the hospital salad bar + cottage cheese…very filling and perfect -yum.

After work, I did a quick grocery store run since we missed our usual grocery shopping trip last weekend. When I was putting the groceries away, I snacked on a couple of these Sunsweet dried plums -have you tried them packaged individually like this? They are so good and a great source of antioxidants and fiber.

Dinner was chicken fajita wraps…I had one flat-out wrap with sauteed chicken breast, onions, and peppers + cheddar cheese, salsa, and sour cream…and homemade guacamole and sweet potato chips on the side.

Now, I’m craving chocolate again…I may have to have a small bowl of chocolate ice cream before bed.

Thanks again for reading. I love hearing from you- please feel free to ask questions any time. I’m also always up for suggestions if there are certain nutrition-related topics you’d like to hear more about.

Have a great evening. Goodnight!

Anthony’s Southern Meal Part 2

I had such a good morning…after my walk and our breakfast, I headed out to browse around the Farmers Market.

I picked up some beautiful juicy blackberries and some really good raw granola…you’ll be seeing both of them over the next few days! I just love the atmosphere at Farmers’ Markets…this one is in a really great downtown square…there were kids playing in the fountains and lots of dogs out and about – I saw a Great Dane that had to be over 150 pounds-he was beautiful. I also got this delicious fresh iced coffee to enjoy on my way to the grocery store….

After grocery shopping, we had a quick lunch…veggie burger, sweet potato chips with salsa, and tomato…

And then, I had some nice me-time. I did an at-home mani and pedi and it was so nice!

So, here’s a picture of my new haircut. If you know me, you know that this really isn’t that different… but the bangs are new -a big change for me…I don’t want to be that person that has the same hairstyle for decades…but I’m afraid I’m on my way!

So, tonight we went backwards a few days on our planned meals from last week. Anthony was going to make his home-cooked beans and cornbread on Thursday, but I had to work late and he went fishing with his dad. So, tonight, we had Anthony’s special home-cooked meal. His parents came to join us for pinto beans, cornbread (cooked in a cast iron skillet), and tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden. It was delish.

Now, I need some relaxation time with my sweet husband. Hope your Saturday has been great!

Goodnight!

Wii Night

Hey everyone!! Hope you’re having a good night!

Today was a busy day at work…I had some diabetes nutrition consults…and worked on a TV segment I’m doing next week on breakfast. I know that most of you eat breakfast every day, but you’d be surprised how many patients/clients that I counsel who never eat breakfast. While I was working, I had some juicy cherries at my desk.

Lunch was leftover whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs….just as good as last night…

My friend Michael decided to visit for a couple of days…so he met me after work. Anthony had a meeting tonight, so Michael and I grabbed a quick dinner at Salsarita’s…I had two soft chicken tacos with salsa, guacamole, tomato, onion, and cilantro…yum.

And, yummy chips with salsa…I know, I just had Mexican two days ago- I could eat this every day!

After dinner, we browsed through a bookstore for awhile and I had a decaf latte…

After Anthony’s meeting, Michael and I met him at home and decided that Wii was in order…we haven’t played in months. First, I won at a game of bowling…then Michael killed me in two tennis matches. Now, I can hear Anthony and Michael playing tennis and golf while I blog! Gotta go join in a few more minutes of fun before I get in bed…Have a great evening. Goodnight!

Sunday lunch + Grocery shopping

I love Sundays….I wish they were longer!

After church, we went to one of our favorite Mexican places…of course, we started with chips, salsa, and guacamole – I love the colors!

And, I had an Ensalada San Marco- basically just lettuce, grilled chicken, tomato, and avocado- which I promptly topped with almost a whole bowl of salsa – it was nice and light for a Mexican meal.

After lunch, we did our main weekly grocery shopping…here’s what was on our list….

Produce:

• mixed greens
• yellow onion
• sweet potatoes
• raspberries
• grapes

Meats:

• chicken breasts
• lean ground beef

Starches:

• whole wheat hoagie rolls
• Arnold sandwich thins
• naan
• pinto beans
• garlic bread
• whole wheat spaghetti

Miscellaneous:

• Fiber One cinnamon cereal
• half and half
• sweet potato chips
• eggs
• 1% milk
• Kashi waffles

We’re already stocked with bananas, blueberries, blackberries, canned tomato sauce, and broccoli to put together our weekly meals. Anthony and I both have a busy week this week, so we won’t do as much cooking probably. Here’s our plan for now.

Sunday: pesto grilled chicken with sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli

Monday: Spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, and salad

Tuesday: (Anthony has an evening meeting), so I’ll have a meatball sub with sweet potato fries

Wednesday: (I have girls’ night dinner out), so Anthony will have a meatball sub with fries/chips?

Thursday: (I have a late night at work), so Anthony wants to make his special pinto beans and cornbread- it was so good last week.

So, much less cooking than usual, but with a busy week, it still helps to have a general plan to go by. Have a great Sunday afternoon!

Treat day

Thanks for your ideas on getting more sleep!! I know I need to put some of them to use…I’d love to just work with my natural body rhythms and go to sleep around 11:30 or 12:00 and sleep until 7:30 or  8 am, but that doesn’t work too well with a commitment to be at work by 8:00 or 8:30 – thanks for your good ideas though, I’m going to work on doing better!!

Today was a day of dining out + a day of treats…I’d love to show you that I cook at home and prepare and pack my healthy lunch every day, but in my real, busy world, that just doesn’t always happen…so, I try to make as healthy as possible choices when I do eat out (most of the time!).

This morning , I took my staff some coffee- it had been a long week and they needed a little treat – I had a tall latte…

On my way to the health fair this afternoon, I grabbed a quick lunch at Subway- roast beef on honey oat with all the veggies and cheddar sun chips….

I spent my afternoon representing our weight management center at a health fair for the local county employees – it is a huge health fair that we have attended every year for the past several years – it’s a great opportunity to share our programs and services.

On my way home from work, I stopped to visit my friend Tammye and her daughter, my love, McKenna…we sat out by the pool while McKenna played and had a great time chatting and splashing.

Dinner tonight was….Mexican!! Yes- I think it’s been at least two whole weeks since we’ve visited La Fiesta – that’s a record! We started with chips, salsa, and guacamole.

And a chicken fajita quesadilla for my entree…

Since I love chips, salsa, and guac so much, I usually indulge….but, saved a little room by eating only half of the quesadilla – it was delicious though.

After dinner, we stopped by to visit Anthony’s parents and they talked us into having a little bowl of ice cream…perfect.

My parents, my sister and brother-in-law and the kids got to hear Christabel and the Jons tonight  – LOVE this band- they played at our wedding and are amazing! I think I’m going to have to watch our wedding dvd to remember all the songs they played at the wedding!

Have a good evening! Goodnight!

Condo for sale

What a busy day! I’m so happy to be home.

I had a busy day at work…lots of catching up on phone calls, paperwork, generally things that aren’t my favorites…but I do feel good when I get them accomplished.

I tried this new Think Thin bar at my desk while I was working on an article for a local newspaper about “Healthy Eating on a Budget”….my deadline is tomorrow, so that’s one thing I haven’t gotten finished yet. The bar was pretty good…not the best…but decent.

Then, I had a meeting regarding Juice Plus. Do you know anything about it? I’ve done research on Juice Plus several times over the years. The research seems to be mixed…it is probably a good supplement…but I believe we should primarily focus on getting our nutrients from real fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Our bariatric surgeon is interested in promoting Juice Plus to our bariatric patients…which is probably a good idea, since they can’t always eat near as many fruits and veggies as they need each day. We sampled a couple of their new protein drink options during the meeting….

Late lunch was at my desk: tuna salad on wheat and a small salad….

Anthony and I both had a long day and we were craving the same thing for dinner….Mexican. I know, I know…we eat Mexican a lot- out and at home but I am in love with chips, salsa, and guacamole! And, tonight….I really wanted a margarita….it isn’t as big as it looks, but it was deeelicious!

My favorite part of the meal….

By this time…I was so happy I didn’t even care about dinner….I couldn’t really make up my mind…I ended up ordering a combo of chile relleno and an enchilada…I ate about half of this plate…but plenty of chips, salsa, and guac.

After dinner, we headed to our condo….my condo that I bought on my own in 2004 (before I had even met Anthony) – I loved living there and we have had it on the market since last September right before we got married….so far…no luck. It is so cute though…we went over tonight just to do a little cleaning and a little more de-cluttering (I have way too many things still there). Hopefully it will sell one day…if not, we may be landlords…maybe “condo for rent”!

 

It has been a long day…time for a shower and bed. Goodnight!

Unplanned + Planned

Today’s meals were a mixture of planning and convenience.

After my 6 am sculpt class, I rushed to work without planning lunch. Since I had a busy day with back-to-back nutrition consults and meetings….I was starving by 11 am with no time for lunch…so I stopped for a delicious Blueberry Heaven smoothie from Smoothie King as I drove between offices….I love these and they work great as a snack when lunch is delayed.

I got to have lunch a little after 1:00 during a walk-planning meeting. Our weight management center hosts a walk each fall and I can’t believe it will be here in just a couple of months! Since the smoothie held me over pretty well, I kept lunch small – a grilled cheese sandwich and an apple from the hospital cafe.

After a busy afternoon seeing diabetes consults, I was so excited to come home for a night with my husband. Dinner was my “planned” meal of the day…homemade chicken and veggie quesadillas (made with leftover chicken from last night)…

With homemade guacamole and salsa and Food Should Taste Good chips to share…jalapeno and sweet potato flavors.

Yum! I love homemade Mexican food!

Off to spend time with my amazing husband. Goodnight!

Date Night

I can’t believe the holiday weekend is coming to an end…so quick.

Anthony and I had a nice night alone tonight….it was fun to just have some quiet time together after a busy weekend. Anthony chose the restaurant, a local place called Calhoun’s…they’re known for their ribs and barbeque, but have a nice variety on their menu. I started with a house salad with honey mustard and a nice glass of Cabernet.

And, since it is still gray and dreary (and now raining), I decided on another of their specialties…white chicken chili. It was perfect…topped with a spoonful of homemade salsa and some crispy tortilla chips…totally hit the spot.

I’m off to savor the last few moments of the weekend. See you tomorrow. Can’t wait to announce the winner of the Trader Joe’s Giveaway!

Goodnight!