What I've Learned

So, I took a hiatus...obviously. I didn't realize how many people actually look at and depend on this blog. I got an earful this weekend. =)

I learned a few things while taking a break from bettering myself and I'm going to share them with you in hopes that you won't do what I did.

Lesson #1. Junk food tastes good, healthy food tastes better. 
Yes, you read that right. I found myself severely missing my good ole' healthy foods. I have eaten so much junk in the past few weeks that I wasn't feeling well at all. Honestly, I found myself craving a salad after eating pizza pretty much daily...yup, and we all know how much I love pizza!

Lesson #2. Eating poorly makes you feel awful.
True statement. I wasn't feeling up to anything. I felt lethargic and lazy. My body didn't have the sustenance it needed to get through the day. Yesterday I ate three bagels and bagel bites. Yes, you read that right. My husband and I drove home from Michigan and I slept pretty much the entire way. I was exhausted. Part of that was emotional exhaustion, but the majority of that was sucky eating exhaustion. Absolutely ridiculous.

Lesson #3. Lack of exercise makes you tired. 
I thought I felt tired after exercise...wrong-o. Exercise energizes my body and helps jump-start my day. Honestly, I've been doing lots of Netflix-ing as of late and I don't like it. Run jump dance skip walk...move. Get out there and do it and you'll feel better. You only ever regret not exercising.

Lesson #4. Others count on your successes.
This is a lesson I learned over the weekend. I had people come up to me and ask why I haven't been blogging. Well, folks, it's because I haven't been succeeding. I've been pretty much derailed and it's painful to admit it. Here's the deal, I'm back with a vengeance. I'm out to lose..weight, that is. You have no idea how much impact your personal journey has on others! Keep doing what you're doing and lose the weight. You make a difference in other people's lives even if you don't realize it.

Lesson #5. Don't use emotions as an excuse to eat poorly.
My grandma passed away this weekend. I used that as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. I didn't care at all. I'm well aware that I'm an emotional eater, yet I continue to eat poorly when my emotions get the best of me. Don't let that happen to you! Rather than eating the house down when something comes up,  go for an extra long run or go out and do something! Lesson learned, Allie, lesson learned. =)

Lesson #6. A bite here and a bite there really do add up. 
I've been working in a day care and every day during snack time I took a sample. This is bad...very bad. I'd wind up forgetting what I'd inhaled everyday and, lo and behold, I was gaining weight again. Samples equal points, people...I know better than anyone. So, when you're making that dessert for your church potluck, don't lick the bowl and expect it to disappear into thin air.

Lesson #7. Don't do it again. 
I've learned my lesson. I've been feeling awful the past month. I admit that I've tried several times to get back on track, but my heart just wasn't in it. Guess what? It is now. Holiday season is breathing down my neck and I've gotta get myself prepared for that awful beastie. You should too! Seriously.

I love you guys and I'm so thankful that all you beautiful people read my blog. I hope and pray that it is helpful for you! If, like me, you've been derailed, I wish you the best of luck in getting back on track with me. =)

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Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

Guys, these are so good. There are no words to describe it! AND, they're only 3 points+ per cookie! I've recently been introduced to Nutella (as in somebody MADE me try it). I will never go back! I've been Pinteresting like crazy to find delicious recipes I can use Nutella in. This one was a winner. I found it at The Sister's Cafe (thanks) and immediately had to try them!

So, first things first, here's what you need:

2 sticks Butter at room temperature
2/3 c. Peanut Butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 c. Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 2/3 c. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 heaping c. Nutella

1. Cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. 

 2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. 

 3. Add to the butter mixture.

 4. Add spoonfuls of Nutella to the top of the dough. Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella through the dough. If you want lovely, marbled cookies then don't overmix the Nutella! I mixed mine a bit more than I would've liked, but I'm forgiving myself since it was my first (and definitely NOT my last) time making these. =) 

 5. Put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to set the Nutella before putting the cookies on your cookie sheet. 

6. Dollop about 1 T. of mixture onto your cookie sheet per cookie. This will yield about 48 delicious, mouth-watering cookies. =)

7. Bake the cookies at 350° for 10-12 minutes. The edges should be golden-brown. Don't over-bake them. They'll have to sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool. They'll look like the picture below when you take them out (nice and fluffy)...

 ...and they'll look like this when they're done sitting (flat). Don't worry or think you did something wrong when they flatten out!

I've already eaten two tonight (Yes, I counted them). The hubby likes them too and I'm sure they're going to be a staple at the June household! I hope you guys enjoy these cookies as much as we did!!!! =)

Nutritional Information

Calories: 115.7

Total Fat: 5.6 g

Sodium: 148.3 mg

Carbohydrates: 14.9 g

Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g

Protein: 1.9 g

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Easy Garlic Chicken

I made this delightful recipe (found via Pinterest) the other night and it was delicious! The chicken was super tender and it had a really great flavor! *Please note that these photos are from a half batch*

So, here's what you need (for a full batch):

4 6 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
4 T. Brown Sugar
3 tsp. Olive Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 500° and lightly grease a casserole dish.

2. In a small sauté pan, sauté the garlic with the oil until tender.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in brown sugar.

*It should look like this picture when mixed*

4. Place the chicken breasts in prepared baking dish and cover with garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

Do not be alarmed if it smells like it's burning. As you can see from the photo above, the sugar will burn a little bit in the bottom of the pan. 

I love chicken recipes because they're so low in points! One 6 oz. chicken breast from this recipe is 6 WW points and it's soooo much better than just plain ole' chicken!

Nutritional Information

Calories: 371. 75

Total Fat: 16.06 g

Sodium: 121 mg

Carbohydrates: 51.96 g

Dietary Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 23.76 g

Stay tuned for...

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How to Eat When Camping

This is a tough one, guys. Vacations are the downfall of lots and lots of people's diets. So, hopefully this post will help you enjoy your vacation and your post-vacation weigh-in!

My first tip to you is to pack your own snacks. The idea behind this tip is that you'll opt out of all those pre-packaged snack foods and head for something that will satisfy you and not bust your waistline! Typically, people head out on vacation, have a couple mojitos, enjoy a nice big lunch, snack out on some brownies that were brought along, BBQ a big ole' dinner, and then have some s'mores around the fire. Your goal should be to overcome that temptation. Make your own healthy snacks that are equally tasty. It's not that difficult to throw an apple and an iced tea in your cooler when you're heading to the beach. You just have to prepare in advance to do that. P.S. Sweet graphic, right? My favorite part is the square root symbol (clearly I couldn't find a check mark).

Tip #2. Find ways to make your favorite vacay snacks healthier. When roasting a s'more over the campfire opt for some hershey syrup on it instead of half of a hershey bar. It tastes just as good and is way less points and equally messy! =) When you know that you're going to have a less-healthy treat, make sure to drink a big glass of water first and eat a healthy snack. It'll fill you up and you'll want less of the unhealthy snack. Another idea is to make up some trail mix before you leave and use that as a go-to when you get the urge to snack.

Tip #3. Utilize your grill. Camping and grilling go hand in hand. Grill up your meat for dinner and throw a ton of veggies on with it! If you make too many vegetables you can use them for lunch/snacks the next day! You can also throw some extra chicken on to save for your salad the next day (yes, you can eat salads on vacation). I know that this is a million dollar idea, but I'm sharing it with you. =) Use it.

Tip #4. Be mindful of your portions. Vacation does not equal vacation from your meal plan. Don't let this slip while you're vacationing. You do this all the time at home and your vacation routine shouldn't be any different.

Tip #5. Go into this thinking you can do it. You can! It's all about your mindset. You're still preparing all of your own meals...the only difference is your location.

If you are heading on a vacation any time soon feel free to contact me for encouragement and any specific questions you have! I'm more than willing to help you out!

Stayed tuned for tips on how you can dine out in a healthy way!

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Key Lime Pie

So, this dessert is pretty darn tasty (and, like the last one, easy)!

Here's what you need:
1/4 c. water
1 package sugar-free lime gelatin
2 containers fat-free key lime pie yogurt
8 oz. frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1 Keebler ready crust reduced fat graham pie crust

1. Heat up your water in a microwave safe measuring cup for 45 seconds or until boiling.

2. Whisk in Jell-O until dissolved.

3. In a large bowl mix together the Jell-O mixture and yogurt.

4. Fold in the whipped topping.

5. Carefully spread this mixture in the ready-made crust and refrigerate until it's set.

Garnish as desired and store in the refrigerator. This is 4 WW points per piece. It's delightful! Try some variations of it and let me know how they turn out!!! Enjoy!

Nutritional Information (per 1/8 of pie)

Calories: 160

Total Fat: 3.5 g

Sodium: 115 mg

Carbohydrates: 27 g

Dietary Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 2 g

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Weight Watchers Point System

It's been brought to my attention that half of you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say Weight Watchers (WW) Points. I'm going to let you in on the secret. =)

The WW program assigns point values to all foods. Every single thing you consume has a point value. A couple years ago the WW program had a complete overhaul and now uses the PointsPlus system (which is what I am talking about on this blog).

About the program...

1. Uses fat, carbs, fiber, and protein to calculate PointsPlus values. 
Basically, they've become more informed of what is good for you and what isn't. The PointsPlus program calculates points based on how much fat, carbs, fiber, and protein there are in any given food (you have to purchase a PointsPlus calculator to participate). The goal is to eat foods that are high in protein and fiber and low in carbohydrates and fats. Those foods are healthier due to the body working harder to process protein/fiber. The body stores more calories of foods that are higher in carbs/fats. The picture to the right is a screen shot of my e-tools app for my iPhone (LOVE IT). This is how I figure out points for foods. You can also purchase an actual PointsPlus calculator from any Weight Watcher's location, online, etc.

2. All fruits and vegetables (excluding starchy veggies) are zero points.
You can eat as many fruits and veggies as your little heart desires (YES!). I stock up on fruits and veggies at the grocery store as they have now become my go-to snack.

3. Each person is given a daily PointsPlus target each day and a weekly bonus allowance.
Your daily PointsPlus target is the amount of points that you are required to eat each day. For instance, I'm allowed 26 points per day. I have to eat that much each day. If you eat less than that amount of points your body isn't receiving the nutrients it needs and it will go into, what I like to call, "starvation mode." You don't want that. I'm also allowed 49 "bonus" points per week. The beauty of this is that if I'm going out to dinner with friends I don't have to worry about going over my daily PointsPlus target because I have some wiggle room due to the bonus points. The flexibility of this program is magic. For me, it's what makes it do-able.

4. Simply Filling
This is the option for those of you that would have trouble writing down each and every thing that you eat each day. This option wants you to eat primarily "power foods." These are foods that provide high energy and nutrients. If you look at the picture to the left you can see foods with those lovely green triangles. Those are considered power foods. Weight Watchers has a very extensive list of power foods which are available to you through the program. You don't have to track your foods which is the beauty of this method. You eat until you are satisfied and that's it. Also, the 49 bonus points are still available for you to use besides the power foods.

5. BE ACTIVE!
Weight Watchers also has a point system for activity! If you earn a point for activity, you can swap it for a point for food. So, if I go running for 30 minutes and earn 6 activity points, I can use those towards food during my week! Yay! Incentive to exercise! Of course, you're not required to eat those points...it's just an option and an added bonus for people like me who LOOOOOVE food...and beer. =)

6. Good Health Guidelines
I've already addressed these in my "I Hate Vegetables! Help!" blog so feel free to check those out again too! =)

All in all, this is a wonderful, well-rounded program. I never feel as though I'm not getting enough (when I follow the plan correctly). I know that if I screw up a new day is only a few hours away. I HIGHLY encourage those of you who have tried and failed at a variety of other programs to try this one! I've tried a multitude of other plans, but none of them have carried the same success as Weight Watchers. Try it and love it...you won't be sorry. =)

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