Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sweet Potato Polenta
I had such a great dinner tonight. I decided to use the polenta that I had in the fridge. I also had part of the sweet potato from last night so I decided to incorporate the two. Introducing Sweet Potato and Egg Polenta.
I started off with one serving of polenta (70cal, 1pt) and smashed 4oz of sweet potato (103cal, 1pt).
Next I added 1/2 cup of my liquid eggs from Trader Joe's (60cal, 1pt).
I put a wedge of Laughing Cow Swiss (35cal, 1pt) and microwaved it for 4min.
The finished product was SO good. All the different flavors were great. I enjoyed a big salad (same as last night) and a piece of whole wheat toast (90cal, 1pt) with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray.
I am now trying to decide which one of these beauties I am having for dessert. There will be a vitamuffin and probably a banana on top too.
Going to watch The Hangover with my husband. G'night!
I started off with one serving of polenta (70cal, 1pt) and smashed 4oz of sweet potato (103cal, 1pt).
Next I added 1/2 cup of my liquid eggs from Trader Joe's (60cal, 1pt).
I put a wedge of Laughing Cow Swiss (35cal, 1pt) and microwaved it for 4min. 
The finished product was SO good. All the different flavors were great. I enjoyed a big salad (same as last night) and a piece of whole wheat toast (90cal, 1pt) with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray.I am now trying to decide which one of these beauties I am having for dessert. There will be a vitamuffin and probably a banana on top too.
Going to watch The Hangover with my husband. G'night!Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Happy Meal
I am actually on schedule this morning. Some mornings I feel like I am running around, but not getting much done. Today I am going to be able to sit down and eat my oatmeal before doing morning drop offs at school.
Last night I brought back an old friend. I have not had sweet potato for almost a week. I used to eat them for every meal and am surprised that I don't have an orange hue to my complexion.
I simply microwaved this guy for 4min on each side in a paper towel.
I cut up 6.4oz (yes, I measure it on my food scale) and put it in a whole wheat tortilla with provolone.
I had a delicious salad to go with it. This picture is before I added brussel sprouts and sesame soy dressing from Trader Joe's.
I saw this article online last night and I thought it was interesting. A county in California is banning Happy Meal toys. The idea is that the toys are encouraging children to eat fatty, unhealthy food.
I am not quite sure how I feel about this. Yes, my kids don't eat Mc. Donald's unless they are with Grandma, but I think that the happy meal toy is a big treat. I used to love getting them when I was little. My kids still can get the apple dippers and milk instead of fries and a coke, so I think an occasional cheeseburger won't kill them. Isn't it up to the parent's to decide how to feed their children? Would I love to not have to sneak the little toys to the trash while they are asleep, of course. Would I want to deny them the joy of getting the Kung Foo Panda toy they were hoping for, nope.
What do you think about the ban on Happy Meal toys?
Last night I brought back an old friend. I have not had sweet potato for almost a week. I used to eat them for every meal and am surprised that I don't have an orange hue to my complexion.
I simply microwaved this guy for 4min on each side in a paper towel.
I cut up 6.4oz (yes, I measure it on my food scale) and put it in a whole wheat tortilla with provolone. 
I had a delicious salad to go with it. This picture is before I added brussel sprouts and sesame soy dressing from Trader Joe's.
- cooked Broccoli
- mixed greens
- spinach
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- mushrooms
- brussel sprouts
- carrots
- 14g goat cheese
- 2tbsp sesame soy Dressing
I saw this article online last night and I thought it was interesting. A county in California is banning Happy Meal toys. The idea is that the toys are encouraging children to eat fatty, unhealthy food.
I am not quite sure how I feel about this. Yes, my kids don't eat Mc. Donald's unless they are with Grandma, but I think that the happy meal toy is a big treat. I used to love getting them when I was little. My kids still can get the apple dippers and milk instead of fries and a coke, so I think an occasional cheeseburger won't kill them. Isn't it up to the parent's to decide how to feed their children? Would I love to not have to sneak the little toys to the trash while they are asleep, of course. Would I want to deny them the joy of getting the Kung Foo Panda toy they were hoping for, nope. What do you think about the ban on Happy Meal toys?
I am off to eat and get ready for the day. See you at lunch.
My Favorite Things
Raindrops on roses
and whiskers on kittens
that is all I know of the song, but I thought I would show you some of the foods that I always have on hand. They are staples of my diet and I usually eat them all at least once a day. Here are my favorite things.
Bagged produce. I know it would be cheaper to buy my own and chop it, but when you are starving and have just given three baths, bribed your 3rd grader to finish his homework, and convinced Conner to "put down the scissors", you have little energy to slice and dice. That is why my fridge is always fully stocked with produce.
Sweet potatoes. You can buy them in bulk at Costco, nuff said.
My liquid eggs. I love these things. I just microwave 1/2 a cup of them in a bowl with some spinach and they make and excellent sandwich, wrap or burrito.
Flat Out Wraps. I will be honest, at first I didn't like them, but now I am addicted. I like to put a little PB on them for breakfast. Really good, and great nutritional stats.
My favorite tortillas. I can only find them at Vons, but I love them. They are huge, 100% whole wheat, and 100 lovely calories.
My crack. My husband actually commented one time why they don't make these in bigger jars. Try this in chocolate pudding with some fiber cereal sprinkled on top. Tastes like a crunchy pb cup.
Almond milk. For my oatmeal. Only 40cal per cup.
My oats. I mix a little of each together. So good. If you have not tried the Scottish ones, you must. Very chewy and dense.
TJ's High Fiber Cereal. I sprinkle this on yogurt, pudding, even broccoli.
My favorite yogurt. Only 50cal so 0wwpt.
I love my desert and never, ever skip it. These usually make an appearance. I make my yogurt bowls with these two. The chocolate is technically 0wwpt.
My new wonderful find. These are the best ever! I just tried the Dulce De Leche flavor last night. Creamy, filling and a great size. Only 150cal, 2wwpt for the entire container. Put these on a vitamuffin and you will be very happy.
Here are a few other unpictured favorites: Laughing Cow Cheese, Vitamuffins, WW Bread from Trader Joe's, Vegetarian Refried Beans, light string cheese. egg white egg salad from TJ's, Gardenburger Vegan Burgers.
Since I am talking about my favorite things, of course these three are my MOST favorite.
Oh.. and bedtime is a favorite of mine too.
and whiskers on kittens
that is all I know of the song, but I thought I would show you some of the foods that I always have on hand. They are staples of my diet and I usually eat them all at least once a day. Here are my favorite things.
Bagged produce. I know it would be cheaper to buy my own and chop it, but when you are starving and have just given three baths, bribed your 3rd grader to finish his homework, and convinced Conner to "put down the scissors", you have little energy to slice and dice. That is why my fridge is always fully stocked with produce.
Sweet potatoes. You can buy them in bulk at Costco, nuff said.
My liquid eggs. I love these things. I just microwave 1/2 a cup of them in a bowl with some spinach and they make and excellent sandwich, wrap or burrito.
Flat Out Wraps. I will be honest, at first I didn't like them, but now I am addicted. I like to put a little PB on them for breakfast. Really good, and great nutritional stats.
My favorite tortillas. I can only find them at Vons, but I love them. They are huge, 100% whole wheat, and 100 lovely calories.
My crack. My husband actually commented one time why they don't make these in bigger jars. Try this in chocolate pudding with some fiber cereal sprinkled on top. Tastes like a crunchy pb cup.
Almond milk. For my oatmeal. Only 40cal per cup.
My oats. I mix a little of each together. So good. If you have not tried the Scottish ones, you must. Very chewy and dense.
TJ's High Fiber Cereal. I sprinkle this on yogurt, pudding, even broccoli.
My favorite yogurt. Only 50cal so 0wwpt.
I love my desert and never, ever skip it. These usually make an appearance. I make my yogurt bowls with these two. The chocolate is technically 0wwpt.
My new wonderful find. These are the best ever! I just tried the Dulce De Leche flavor last night. Creamy, filling and a great size. Only 150cal, 2wwpt for the entire container. Put these on a vitamuffin and you will be very happy.
Here are a few other unpictured favorites: Laughing Cow Cheese, Vitamuffins, WW Bread from Trader Joe's, Vegetarian Refried Beans, light string cheese. egg white egg salad from TJ's, Gardenburger Vegan Burgers.
Since I am talking about my favorite things, of course these three are my MOST favorite.
Oh.. and bedtime is a favorite of mine too.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat.
Ragnar was a blast! Exhausting, chaotic and fun. 
The adventure started on Thursday night. We all met at one of our teammate's house and drove up to the hotel. There were 11 people on our team. Since our race time was at 7:30am on Friday, we decided to get two hotel rooms to share in Ventura close to the race start. I probably went to bed around midnight, but since it was before a race, I didn't sleep very well.
The race is made up of 36 different legs. Most teams have 12 runners so each person runs 3 legs. Your team has two vans. Van 1 runners run the first part of the race. During that time Van 2 hangs out and supports the other runners (or drinks beer). I was in Van 1 so I was excited to run the 4th leg of the race. The race officials give you a "slap" bracelet. All you 80's and 90's kids remember those. That is your baton. When your runner crosses the exchange, you slap on your bracelet and start running.
My first leg was beautiful. I ran through strawberry country with farms on both sides. I was worried about my leg, but ended up running 7.7 miles in under an hour. I have to tell you, speed work really helps. It was about 11am, so it was just starting to get warm, but not hot yet.
My first leg.
Once you take off running, your van picks up the runner that just finished, then proceeds to the next exchange. Unfortunately, the directions they gave were horrible, so there was a lot of wrong turns.
Some of my team (minus 1). This picture was at a van exchange on day two. After getting 90min of sleep, total. We all look surprisingly perky for having just ran all night.
My van!
I had a short break after running her leg with her. My next leg I ran by myself. It was about 2am and I ran down Sunset Blvd. I found a group to stick with and did not feel unsafe at all. It was so fun because all the bars were getting out so the drunks were cheering us on. I kicked but at speed. I looked at my garmin at one point and was doing a 7:11. My new motto is "The faster you run, the sooner you're done".
Ragnar is very big on safety. When runners ran at night (from 6pm-6am) we were required to wear reflective vests, a flashlight, and blinking back lights. We also were required to stop for the signals and run against traffic at all time. This is what the streets looked like with the runners in their gear.
After our van finished we met our group at the Santa Monica Pier and got the hotel keys from the next van. We all took quick showers and crawled into bed at 3:30am. We were hoping to be able to sleep until 6am, but we got a call from Van 2 at 5 saying it was time to meet again. I have never hit the pillow and fallen asleep so quickly.
The adventure started on Thursday night. We all met at one of our teammate's house and drove up to the hotel. There were 11 people on our team. Since our race time was at 7:30am on Friday, we decided to get two hotel rooms to share in Ventura close to the race start. I probably went to bed around midnight, but since it was before a race, I didn't sleep very well.The race is made up of 36 different legs. Most teams have 12 runners so each person runs 3 legs. Your team has two vans. Van 1 runners run the first part of the race. During that time Van 2 hangs out and supports the other runners (or drinks beer). I was in Van 1 so I was excited to run the 4th leg of the race. The race officials give you a "slap" bracelet. All you 80's and 90's kids remember those. That is your baton. When your runner crosses the exchange, you slap on your bracelet and start running.
My first leg was beautiful. I ran through strawberry country with farms on both sides. I was worried about my leg, but ended up running 7.7 miles in under an hour. I have to tell you, speed work really helps. It was about 11am, so it was just starting to get warm, but not hot yet.
My first leg.Once you take off running, your van picks up the runner that just finished, then proceeds to the next exchange. Unfortunately, the directions they gave were horrible, so there was a lot of wrong turns.
Some of my team (minus 1). This picture was at a van exchange on day two. After getting 90min of sleep, total. We all look surprisingly perky for having just ran all night.After our van finished our first legs, we had time to kill while the other van was running. We ended up driving to the next exchange point to acclimate ourselves with where we needed to be, and then stopped for dinner. We went to Marie Callendars. I so wanted pie, but was afraid that my tummy would act up if I ate it before running. Let me tell you, we looked like quite the motley crew in the restaurant. The smell was probably lovely.
We started our next legs about 9pm. Unfortunately, these run were in some unsavory parts of Los Angeles. The race was supposed to have police every 1/2 mile during these legs, but they were not there. I ended up running the leg below with my friend so she didn't run alone. It was really dark and there were not many runners to be seen along the course. We ran this leg about 1am.
My van!I had a short break after running her leg with her. My next leg I ran by myself. It was about 2am and I ran down Sunset Blvd. I found a group to stick with and did not feel unsafe at all. It was so fun because all the bars were getting out so the drunks were cheering us on. I kicked but at speed. I looked at my garmin at one point and was doing a 7:11. My new motto is "The faster you run, the sooner you're done".
Ragnar is very big on safety. When runners ran at night (from 6pm-6am) we were required to wear reflective vests, a flashlight, and blinking back lights. We also were required to stop for the signals and run against traffic at all time. This is what the streets looked like with the runners in their gear.
After our van finished we met our group at the Santa Monica Pier and got the hotel keys from the next van. We all took quick showers and crawled into bed at 3:30am. We were hoping to be able to sleep until 6am, but we got a call from Van 2 at 5 saying it was time to meet again. I have never hit the pillow and fallen asleep so quickly.
My last leg was amazing. I ran through Long Beach and actually ran on part of my 1/2 marathon course. I got to run on the boardwalk and the weather was perfect.
Once our van was finished with our last legs, we met Van 2 in Huntington Beach to exchange some gear. We were done after that until we had to meet later to cross the finish line as a group. We went home and I made Jeff take me to Marie Callendars again so I could get pie. I have never been so hungry. I think the lack of sleep mixed with the running did a number on my appetite. I seriously ate all my food, my kids food and three deserts. I came home, took a shower and crashed for a few hours.
Hungtington Beach, our van was finished!
We got a call from Van 2 letting us know what time to meet them at the finish line in Dana Point. We all crossed together and got our medals. You can tell those in van 1 because we had all showered and changed out of our running clothes.
This is our team minus 1. One of our van mates had to head out as soon as she was done running. The little boy in red accepted her medal for her (he's a son of one of the guys).
Once our van was finished with our last legs, we met Van 2 in Huntington Beach to exchange some gear. We were done after that until we had to meet later to cross the finish line as a group. We went home and I made Jeff take me to Marie Callendars again so I could get pie. I have never been so hungry. I think the lack of sleep mixed with the running did a number on my appetite. I seriously ate all my food, my kids food and three deserts. I came home, took a shower and crashed for a few hours.
Hungtington Beach, our van was finished!
We got a call from Van 2 letting us know what time to meet them at the finish line in Dana Point. We all crossed together and got our medals. You can tell those in van 1 because we had all showered and changed out of our running clothes.
This is our team minus 1. One of our van mates had to head out as soon as she was done running. The little boy in red accepted her medal for her (he's a son of one of the guys).I ended up sleeping most of Sunday. I woke up pretty early, went grocery shopping, then went back to bed.
I feel great now. I think I got a mild case of shin splints and my ankles are slightly sore, but that is it. I think the hardest part of the race was being in a van for such a long time. You didn't have time to stretch after you ran because you had to get to the next exchange in time. We all were a little stiff.
I will definitely be doing this race again. It was tons of fun and all the participants were great. People decorated their vans, wore costumes, and partied the entire time. I still have not gotten all of my pictures back, but when I do, I will post the rest. It was a great weekend.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Lazy Blogger
I am so sorry that I have not blogged for a bit. I am waiting for a friend's pictures from Ragnar so that I can give a full recap. So in the meantime, I will give you today's eats.
I woke up super early this morning. Probably due to the fact that I slept on and off most of Sunday. I bought some new Cream of Rye cereal from Mother's and I really like it. Breakfast consisted of:
Here are the stats:
Only 2 points.
I was craving veggies since I was not able to eat as many as I usually do this weekend. I had a HUGE salad for dinner.
With my salad I made a quesadilla. I think I found a new favorite creation.
I woke up super early this morning. Probably due to the fact that I slept on and off most of Sunday. I bought some new Cream of Rye cereal from Mother's and I really like it. Breakfast consisted of:
- 36g Cream of Rye (110cal, 1pt)
- 20g Scottish Oats (80cal, 1pt)
- 1/4 cup Almond Milk (10cal, 0pt)
- Cinnamon and Sweet n' low
- Trader Joe's WW toast with spray butter (90cal, 1pt)
- Half an Orange (~30cal, opt)
It was very filling and good. I love this oatmeal because it is high volume. I like to see a full bowl of food when I eat.
After dropping Conner off at preschool I went to the gym. My legs are a little sore from my race and I think I have a mild case of shin splints, so I was planning on doing the elliptical, but when I got there they were full. I ended up running 5 1/2 miles with intervals and hills. It felt good to move my stiff legs. After running I went to Pilates. If you have not done Pilates, I highly recommend it. I am getting defination in my abs that I have not seen since way before kids.
I had a Fiber One Yogurt (50cal, 0pt) and 1/3 Cup TJ's Fiber Cereal (40cal, opt) for a snack before picking up Conner.
Lunch was delicious.
- 1/2 Container Spicy Egg White Egg Salad (50cal, 1pt)
- Earthgrains Sandwich Thin (100cal, 1pt)
- Laughing Cow Light Swiss Wedge (35cal, 1pt)
- Sprouts, Tomatoes, Broccoli
- Unpictured small peach (0pt)
I decided to take a LIFT class at 4:30 and before going to the gym I had a Fiber One 90cal bar. I try not to eat these as I am not a fan of the long ingredient list, but I had one leftover from this weekend.
I purchased some protein shakes from Trader Joe's when I was there yesterday. One of my instructors recommended that I eat more protein. I was always hesitant about shakes because I thought they were really caloric, but these are great. I had one after class and was pleasantly surprised. It also kept my hunger at bay until dinner.
Here are the stats:
Only 2 points.I was craving veggies since I was not able to eat as many as I usually do this weekend. I had a HUGE salad for dinner.
- Mixed Greens
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Sprouts
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- 2Tbsp TJ's Soy Sesame Dressing (35cal, 1pt)
With my salad I made a quesadilla. I think I found a new favorite creation.
- La Tortilla WW tortilla (100cal, 1pt)
- 14g Goat Cheese (40cal, 1pt)
- 21g Light Swiss (50cal, 1pt)
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
I am going to have a vitamuffin pudding bowl for desert.
I promise as soon as I get my Ragnar pictures back I will post them with a full recap. It was a great race and I am definitely doing it again next year.
Sorry for being so lazy, I promise now that I am caught up on my sleep, I will post as usual.
Goodnight.
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