Single Girl Dinner & A Run

Last night I finally got my run back on after the ankle stress/skin splint debacle. Went OK! Didn't go too far but it felt great to get a workout in. Plus you know what today is...Cardio Dance Wednesday.

After my workout I cooked one of my single girl dinners. AKA a Meal-In-A-Bag with usually a little sprucing up. Last night I made Tastee Choice Asian Shrimp Stir Fry. It is incredibly low in points (3 per serving!), fat, and, carbs. I added a little soy sauce and some Asian spices, but overall it didn't need much "sprucing". I served it with some Trader Joe's Vegan Veggie Fried Rice (4 points, not pictured).

After dinner since my roommate is gone on vacation I decided in his absence to cram in all the chick flicks I can. Last night was "What's Your Number?" with Anna Faris. Super cute! Tonight who know's what is on the movie list, but after Cardio Dance I know there better be something good on the menu....I'll keep you posted.


<3 xoxo <3

To read more about my workout and dinner check out my Weight Watchers blog.

Life Taken Over!

Hi Everyone! So sorry I have been missing for a little over a week. I will be sure to be back full force starting this week.

Unfortunately I have some sad news. My grandfather passed away on Tuesday of last week. He was surrounded by family and went peacefully he was 93 years old and lived a wonderful life. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/baltimoresun/obituary.aspx?n=hunter-kimbal-helferstay&pid=157766771

So because of funeral arrangements and the memorial day weekend, topped with a very busy week at work for me I haven't done much Licking the Plate of Life. :)

But don't you worry, I'll be back later this week.

<3 xoxo <3

The Jealousy Monster Awakens

Welp. Today the Jealousy Monster is back. Everyone headed out to Taco Bell and I will be eating 3 oz of chicken, 1/3 cup of corn, and 1/4 cup of brown rice at my desk for lunch. It's not my friends and coworkers fault I am cranky and jealous, but I'm surely cranky and jealous.

Don't give me a lecture on treating yourself every once in awhile. I do that! I allow myself to eat a little more than I should of something I like, or a cookie, or piece of chocolate. But my brain knows that Taco Bell is off the menu no matter what (its a slippery slope).

So if you work or live or talk to me regularly watch out today if you come near me with yummy food. The jealousy monster will probably growl at you and give you a nice good scowl.

On a good note, its Cardio Dance Day! Which means I'm off to the gym tonight to bust a move as long as my shin splints allow it!

<3 xoxo <3

Shin Splints and Salads

Last night I text-ed my mom this picture and said, this is what happens when you have too much weight on you and you try to run. Shin Splints.

I wish each time I had taken a bite of a cheeseburger, or had an extra serving of whatever I was eating, or ate just because I was bored...someone would have told me that one day I would want to run. And every single one of those pounds I put on would make it harder for me. Even at 40 lbs lighter, its still hard to have all that weight pounding on my joints. I remind myself that with each pound it will get easier and hurt a little less but I also convinced myself that a really great pair of running shoes absolutely had to be purchased to help as well (which is actually a solid theory). 

Those are Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 shoes. They are a stability shoe since I have trouble with my arches collapsing, and they are a god send. Thanks Mom for the new shoes (yes, spoiled Emma here).

So, enough about the Shin Splints and feeling bad for myself. I thought I'd share my salad secret. One of my favorite things to bring to work for lunch is a pre-made salad. It requires absolutely no cooking effort on my part and requires no cleanup either! My current favorite is the Dole Southwest Salad Pack. 

Now, here comes the secret part. You have to be very careful about these salads. They are usually between 2 1/2 to 3 servings per bag (1 - 1/2 cup serving), so you have to tweak them a little to get something filling and low in calories and WW points. 

This salad comes with Taco Ranch Dressing, Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Cheddar Tortilla Strips, and Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce. If you are a Weight Watchers goddess like me you can probably count up the points in those 5 things pretty fast and count out this salad as a meal (i.e. making a large salad for lunch instead of a 1 cup serving). So here is the secret to get the salad down to right around 5 or 6 points depending how heavy your hand is. :) 

• Use all of the lettuce- This way you get a large portion of a 0 pt food 
• Use only 1/2 of the Taco Ranch Dressing- It is pretty thick and spicy and I promise you don't need all of it
• Throw the sour cream away immediately- Grab your own fat free sour cream, use it generously if you want, if it's fat free like I use, it's 0 pts for up to 1/4 cup
• Use about 1/4 of the Tortilla Strips- There are a lot and honestly the lettuce is plenty crunchy, you don't need extra crunch
• Use about 1/2 of the cheese- It adds a nice little kick and 1/2 of the packet is only about 1 tbsp 

And TADA! A huge yummy salad for lunch. Today I added a piece of chicken (3 oz) so I marked it around 8 pts. Yummy! 

Hope you enjoy! 

<3 xoxo <3

I Love America's Dairyland

I have been super busy since about Thursday of last week, with no end in sight. Everything though has been a lot of fun. So I am just finally getting to writing about my trip to Wisconsin to meet baby Gabriella!

Last Friday my sister Colleen and I took off from sunny and warm Baltimore and headed to America's (rainy and cold) Dairyland....Wisconsin.

After a few glasses of wine I was able to comfortably board the plane without fear of dying.

We made it safely to WI in a little under 2 hours and headed straight to see baby Ella. I scooped her right up. She is so tiny and cuddly.

Friday evening we pretty much relaxed and hung out with my sister Carolyn and baby Ella. We introduced my brother-in-law to Scramble with Friends on his iPad and the night was spent playing a lot of Scramble games. 

On Saturday we ventured out with Ella to show me the sites. We went to lunch a place called The Brat Stop. I got my first taste of fried cheese curds! SOOO fantastically yummy (and non weight watchers friendly, but I had to try the local specialty!). Then they took me to the Cheese Castle. Apparently cheese castles are pretty popular in WI. I had no idea, but it was pretty cool! 

After dinner on Saturday (my sister Carolyn made us yummy ham and sweet potatoes and green beans... definitely weight watchers friendly, I was very happy), the girls went out for some Cinco de Mayo fun! We hit up down town Racine, WI and boy did we live it up! I remember most of the evening, but I hear I may have fallen asleep in the car on the ride home. Guess we had fun huh? 

It was nice to have a night out with just the girls and I was so happy we could take Carolyn out for some Mommy time! 

On Sunday we lounged around and held Ella pretty much all day. I was trying to get every last minute of cuddle time I could in and I know Colleen felt the same. We passed her back and forth all day long. 

Monday came way to quick and before I knew I was back in Maryland missing Carolyn and Ella so very much. I absolutely can't wait til the next visit in August. I know she is going to be so BIG! 

A couple of other quick last minute notes from the trip:

- I got to see the Johnson & Johnson family home! It is right down the street from my sisters house and is HUGE!

- Lake Michigan is WAY bigger than I expected!

- We got to give Ella a bath...it was so fun, even though she wasn't very happy in the beginning. 

- Colleen and I ran on Saturday (had to burn off those cheese curds) and I PR-ed my mile time by almost a minute! 

<3 xoxo <3 

PS: I am making weight watchers Lemon Bars for Mother's Day this weekend. Be sure to check back to see how they turned out and get the recipe next week! 

Here's to me!

No time to blog today, but had to share this since its exactly how I feel!

<3 xoxo <3

Want to be a runner? Gotta dress like a runner!

We all know I will use any excuse in the world to buy new clothes and accessories. Beyond that, if I can make them pink or purple I'm definitely headed straight to the checkout counter. So at our Next Step FIT training last week when they brought clothes, shoes, and accessories to show us, they knew exactly who to market to. Everything pink I simply had to have. :)

Off I went on Sunday to the sporting good stores and Target. I got myself a Nike running skirt, SpiBelt in pink polka dot, and pink Under Armour headbands.

So far I have loved using all my new gear to run in. However, the running part seems like it should be so much easier now that I have all the appropriately colored gear (oh and useful too). 

Hopefully they don't have any more of the 'show and tell's' at our FIT training sessions. If they bring more pink stuff, I am going to need it.

<3 xoxo <3


PS: New Weight Watchers blog on PF Chang's bag meals (remember you might need to put in ID 1071987).