Recipe of the Week: Overnight Oatmeal Two Ways

I really love a bowl of hot oatmeal on a cold January morning. However, that is not always realistic because I end up grabbing something that I can eat on the go. I mean, I don't go through the drive through every morning either. I make food that is easy to grab and go. Breakfast sandwiches in my Breakfast sandwich maker. A frozen Jimmy Dean Delight breakfast sandwich, protein shake and a fruit.

All of my 'go-to' quick breakfast items have one thing in common. They are lower in Smart Points values than I feel like I need when working out on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 1/2 hours. There is just not enough protein to keep me satisfied and not enough calories to carry my energy level through to lunch. I end up starving after my Walking for Fitness class on those days and I still have strength training to get through immediately following walking for fitness class. I am usually wiped because I also workout in the morning as well.

I keep seeing things on the web about overnight oats but none of the recipes seemed to have enough of what I wanted. I thought it would be easy enough to slap some things together and have a healthy nutritious breakfast that would carry a Smart Points value of around 10 points. Something filling and high in protein to aid in energy and muscle recovery. I will also be adding my chocolate overnight oatmeal recipe that is only 5 Smart Points and makes a good meal as well on days when I am not hitting the gym.

Overnight Protein Oatmeal

One Serving - 11 Smart Points

Ingredients

• 1tbspNutiva Chia seed
• 1scoop(s)Vega Vanilla flavor protein and greens
• 1 1⁄2cupSilk Almond Coconut Blend, Unsweetened
• 1⁄2cup(s)uncooked quick oats
• 2TbspPB2 Powdered peanut butter
• 1mediumbanana(s)
• 
  

  Instructions

• 1. Add dry ingredients into a container with a lid of your choice.  
• 2. Close lid and shake until thoroughly incorporated.
• 3. Add almond coconut milk and sliced banana.
• 4. Close lid and shake vigorously.
• 5. Place in fridge overnight.

Chocolate Overnight Oatmeal

One Serving - 5 Smart Points

Ingredients

• 1⁄4cupKroger Old Fashioned Oats, 100% Whole Grain
• 1⁄2cupAlmond Breeze Unsweetened Almond coconut 
• 1TbspMighty Nut Original powdered peanut butter
• 1tbspHershey's Cocoa, 100% Cacao, Special Dark
• 1⁄2TbspGrocery - Chia Seeds
• 1⁄2mediumbanana(s)
• • 
    

    Instructions

  • 1. Add dry ingredients into a container with a lid of your choice.  
  • 2. Close lid and shake until thoroughly incorporated.
  • 3. Add almond coconut milk and sliced banana.
  • 4. Close lid and shake vigorously.
  • 5. Place in fridge overnight.

January 2016 Progress Post

 

Well, Happy New Year! In honor of the new year after this post I will not make mention of last year's progress except for on the year anniversary of that particular progress post. It is a new year and it is time to wipe the slate clean so to speak. I will still be referring to my weigh ins for the week from which I started until I come up with something better. This way I can gauge my progress and look back on how far I have come. I was excited for this months progress post due to the fact that I am starting to feel like I have been making some very good progress. It is also coming up on my one year anniversary of this new and ongoing journey to a healthier, and happier me.

If you would like to check out my progress posts for 2015 here they are:

1. August 2015
2. September 2015
3. October 2015
4. November 2015
5. December 2015

I have made more progress then even I thought I would. I am dedicated to this lifestyle and in January I added more exercise to my current healthy food stuff. This is something that I have been not doing because food was my biggest demon. I got this though and I know that if I want to keep progressing and become healthier I need to incorporate exercise into my life.

I am starting to like the way that my arms are looking from the back. There is less fat that hangs over my elbows. I never even realized that I could have 'rolls' on my elbows. Man, I was so oblivious to my body and what I was doing to it. I also feel like my calves are shrinking, but in a good way. Maybe I could have those muscle indentations be evident in my calves one day.

I am digging this picture! I feel like I have a waist. I mean, I always had a waist, I just found it again and it is more defined. I also am hating this picture because I feel like my 'muffin top' has gotten larger. Although maybe that is because I am losing inches everywhere else before I lose it in my stomach area. I hope that is not the last place that the weight will be gone from. However, this is me that we are talking about and that is exactly what is going to happen. Lucky me!

My measurements really showed some movement this month. I think this has to do with the fact that I did not take any in the month of December. I am excited to see how February's will turn out.

Measurements	March ‘15	Sept. ‘15	Oct. ‘15	Nov. ‘15	Jan. ‘16
Neck	-	15.5	15	15	14.5
Right Arm	-	20	19.5	18.5	17.5
Left Arm	-	19.5	19.5	18.5	17.5
Bust	-	50	49	49.5	48.5
Waist	-	45.5	43.5	43	41.5
Hips/Rear	-	54	53.5	53	50.5
Right Thigh	-	30.5	30	31	29.5
Left Thigh	-	30	30	31	29.5
Weight	306.4	263.3	261.6	260.4	247.2
Dress Size	24/26	22	20	20	18/20

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 45

I am so excited that I could literally jump for joy! I finally hit my goal of being under 250 pounds!!!! This is a huge achievement for me and I really plan on sticking with it! I am excited to see where this journey will continue to take me! My next mini goal is to hit my 60 pounds lost mark and then to get my weigh down under 240. My next big goal is to get to onederland. I am planning on stepping up my game and fitting in more activity in my everyday routine.


This weeks meeting was on point with my goal. To fit in more activity in my everyday life. It was about getting more activity in no matter your schedule. You can even do something when you are stuck sitting down for periods of time.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by February 15, 2016. They are also running a promotion to lose 10 pounds on them. If you join sign up for selected plans, lose 10 pounds in the first 2 months (which is very do-able) they will either refund you for the 2 months you paid for or apply a credit to the following two months. That is like getting 4 months for the price of two!!

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 247.2
Current Week: - 3.6
Total Loss: 59.2

Recipe of the Week: Baked Tortilla Chips

I love chips and salsa. I really love that salsa is 0 Smart Points (well, most are). There is just something amazing and tasty about the salty, crunchy goodness of warm tortilla chips. You know, like the ones they bring to the table at Mexican restaurants that happen to be like a bazillion points. I love warm tortilla chips.

Heck, I love tortilla chips in general. I just don't like the store bought ones. This is because I usually end up getting white corn bite size ones because they typically are lower in points. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy them, but they just don't hit the spot sometimes. Especially when my boyfriend makes his AMAZING homemade guacamole.

Even just thinking about it is making my mouth salivate. I guess that means I need to pick up the supplies and 'surprise' him with them in order to get me some of that guacamole. I don't even like avocados, but I will eat and entire bowl of his guacamole without even batting an eye. We even fight about who gets to eat the last of it. The Superbowl is in a couple of weeks and maybe I could use that as an excuse to get him to make some. Like I need an excuse, he would make it in a heartbeat.

Anyway, I also hate that when you do find some yellow corn tortilla chips you get only 12 chips for usually about 4 Smart Points. I don't know about you, but for me 12 chips is just not enough. I want like twice that. Man, I guess I just want it all. I was thinking about ways that I could get more chips for the same Smart Points value.

That's when it hit me. Tortilla chips are just cooked tortillas! I know, shocker, but it had not even occurred to me that I could cook tortillas and come out with some chips. I usually always have corn tortillas in my cupboard as well. I keep the Mission Yellow Corn Extra Thin Tortillas at all times (well, most times) because you can have 3 of these tortillas for only 4 Smart Points and they are so yummy. Just make sure you warm them up in a nonstick skillet if you are planning on making tacos with them or they will crumble apart.

I turned my oven on to 350 degrees. While the oven was preheating I took 3 tortillas from the package. I stacked them and used a pizza cutter to cut them into six pieces. Which means I already have 18 tortilla chips for four Smart Points! This is sounding good already. I lightly sprayed a baking sheet with cooking spray and laid the tortilla pieces out  around the sheet with some space in between the pieces. I then lightly sprayed the top with cooking spray as well. Once the oven was preheated, I popped the baking sheet in the oven for six minutes. Take the chips out, flip them over and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place them back in the oven for about another 4-6 minutes, until they turn golden brown. I found 5 minutes was perfect in my oven, but yours might be different. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more salt, if desired. Eat warm with salsa or some amazing guacamole. Make more than one serving and store in an airtight container. I prefer to just make what I want to eat at a given particular time because I love to eat them warm. Enjoy!

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 44

I experienced another loss this week and although I am disappointed in the amount I am trying to look on the bright side. I am approximately one pound away from my next mini goal of being under 250 pounds. I am so close. Looks like I need to step it up this upcoming week in order to hit that mini goal. I do not remember the last time I was under 250 pounds. I have probably been around 250 pounds since maybe high school. That was a normal weight for me and I accepted it. Now I am working hard to change that and to keep going. Two hundred and fifty pounds will no longer be a normal weight for me. I am excited to see where this journey ends up.                                                                                                                                                                         This week's meeting was about believing in order to achieve your goals. It was about changing your attitude and how your thinking. Making small changes for positive thinking that will help you and not hinder you in achieving success. So you gained one week, no big deal, look how far you have come. This is some thing that I have learned over my many, many attempts to lose weight. However, it was not until this particular journey that I have really learned to take this to heart. Otherwise my mind would force me to stop and give up. Now those disappointments only spur me to keep going. Well, that is after I beat myself up and have a pity party. This is where my boyfriend comes into play. He always snaps me out of it and that is the best thing. It has helped me to acknowledge when I am feeling that way and then I can address it and work through it. Here is to reaching my mini goal next week. After that my mini goal is to lose 60 pounds. I got this!

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by March 14, 2016. They are also running a promotion to lose 10 pounds on them. If you join sign up for selected plans, lose 10 pounds in the first 2 months (which is very do-able) they will either refund you for the 2 months you paid for or apply a credit to the following two months. That is like getting 4 months for the price of two!!

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 250.8
Current Week: - 0.4
Total Loss: 55.6

Recipe of the Week: Fruit & Cheesecake Dessert

This week's recipe is an indulgent bang for your buck. I LOVE cheesecake! I haven't had it is so long though because the 'good' cheesecake would use up my entire daily points allotment. Which would be okay if I could survive on on slice of cheesecake for an entire day. Guess it depends on how large that one piece of cheesecake was. Ha!

This recipe can also be changed to suit your mood. There are many different flavors of of sugar-free, fat-free pudding mixes. The possibilities are endless. I have used the chocolate, but found this cheesecake one and it was divine. I would also like to point out the amount of pudding in the cup I used. I had enough points left so I actually had a full cup of pudding which was 4 Smart Points™. One serving is 1/2 a cup prepared pudding, which if you use a different type of milk the Smart Point™ value of the dessert may change. I would also like to point out that when using the coconut almond blend, it does not set up as much as with cows milk. However, this did not make a difference to me and the cheesecake pudding tasted like the real thing. And I loved the amount of fruit that was in it although you could use more if you wanted to. There is no suck thing as too much fruit, especially when they are 0 Smart Points™!

It was so hard not to eat any of the fruit as I sliced it. Notice how the banana is missing the ends. I may or may not have eaten them. I was also popping blackberries like tic tacks. I think maybe nest time I will try blueberries and raspberries. Maybe grapes, mangoes, or some other exotic fruit. There will be plenty more times I am sure.

Fruit & Cheesecake Pudding Dessert

2 Smart Points™ for 1/2 cup pudding. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 2cups
  Silk Almond Coconut Blend, Unsweetened
• 2Tbsps
  fat free skim milk
   
• 1packageJell-O Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling, Sugar Free/Fat Free, Cheesecake
• Fruit of your choice, sliced.

• 
  
  

  Instructions

• 1. Make pudding as instructed with silk almond coconut milk and 2 tbsp skim milk.
• 2. Pour pudding evenly into 4 pretty dessert glasses.
• 3. Let set in refrigerator for 30 mins to 1 hour. Slice desired fruit.
• 4. Remove from refrigerator and place sliced fruit on-top.
• 5. Stir in fruit and enjoy.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 43

Oh heck yes! I finally hit 55 total pounds lost! I am that much closer to hitting my next mini-goal of under 250 pounds. The working out that I have been doing at home and at school is really paying off. Man, maybe I should have started working out consistently sooner. However, I did not because I was focusing on the food that I was eating. That was the hard part about losing weight for me, or so I thought. I just know from my previous experiences with attempting to lose weight failed because I tried to make to many life changes at once. This time was going to be different though because I was going to focus on the food until 2016. That is when I decided that I would have the food part down and then I could add in the exercise portion once I had more energy and motivation.

This weeks meeting was all about using your weight watchers tools to help you succeed and stay on track. I have the monthly pass which allows me to use the online tools, the smartphone app, and attend meetings. This works out the best for me because if it wasn't for the meetings I would stop using the other tools. I have been able to stay on track because I have the e-tools and I can use the app anywhere I have an internet connection. It is the sum of everything that has helped me stay on plan and be as successful as I have been so far. My nest mini goal is so close I can almost taste it. Ha!

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by March 14, 2016. They are also running a promotion to lose 10 pounds on them. If you join sign up for selected plans, lose 10 pounds in the first 2 months (which is very do-able) they will either refund you for the 2 months you paid for or apply a credit to the following two months. That is like getting 4 months for the price of two!!

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 251.2
Current Week: - 3.8
Total Loss: 55.2