Birthday!!!

On May 1 I celebrated my 27th birthday! This year my birthday seemed to come up quickly- maybe it was the cold weather all through April but it just didn't feel like my birthday, or maybe I am just getting older and celebrating with my husband and family is all I need to mark the beginning of a new year.

All week I went to Bar Method classes and pushed myself really hard. I took Thursday off so I could spend my morning with Ryan and Haley and have a warm birthday breakfast with them. Of course, because I am up earlier than anyone, I cooked this wonderful Meal 1!

We had a leftover mix of what was in the fridge but made something really delicious. I had leftover tex-mex hash (sweet potatoes, ground beef) with a fried egg, chicken sausage, mango and a small bite of chocolate walnut banana bread. Ryan had spaghetti squash pizza (squash, ground beef) with a fried egg, chicken sausage, mango and banana bread. It was so filling and even better a few days later. I loved both hash's and can't wait to make these dishes again and have leftovers! I am also so happy and impressed that Ryan loved the spaghetti squash pizza and even had it for breakfast!

 

I got to work and had a wonderful surprise - my friends decorated my desk in streamers and birthday decorations. It made me so happy and feel so special. It was finally starting to feel like my birthday!

 

Work was busy so the afternoon flew by. I treated myself to a sashami and naruto roll birthday lunch and also received an amazing surprise - a flower delivery from Ryan. I usually hate flowers because he sends them on valentine's day when everyone else received flowers so I don't feel special. But birthday flowers were truly amazing. I couldn't stop smiling and I was so impressed that Ryan had planned ahead and thought to deliver them to my office!

 

As another birthday treat, Ryan was cooking dinner for us! He had planned to make coconut chicken, coconut spicy shrimp and garlic sauteed bok choy. I was excited to get out of the kitchen, nervous too because I am a control freak in the kitchen, but really happy. Ryan was cooking everything perfectly and I felt calm for the first time - I also knew he was using only Whole30 compliant ingredients and had no worries!

Dinner was delicious! We will definitely be making these recipes again!

Now here is where things got fun and scary. After 45 days, I broke my Whole30. I had honey. Now although I had already planned to break it May 3 with dairy, I couldn't imagine a birthday without a birthday cake. That morning I had gotten up early to make a raw cheesecake and it was in the fridge ready for us after dinner. So this was my first sugar in 45 days, my first after meal dessert in 45 days, my first really sweet treat in 45 days!

The raw cheesecake was made wit a crust of dates, walnut and pecans, a layer of cashew cheese (cashews, honey, coconut oil, lemon juice) and a layer of cashew cheese with berries.

It was delicious! It was really sweet. I only had a small piece to begin but did end up going back for a 2nd small piece. For someone who did not consider anything dessert unless it was chocolate, this was an incredible birthday cake. Ryan loved it too!

I tried not to feel guilty about having sugar and ending Whole45. I had accomplished so much and was still eating clean and paleo and Whole30 compliant except for the honey so there was nothing to feel bad about. The sugar did affect me though and I felt it. After eating 1 slice, I went back for seconds. In 45 days, I didn't have seconds. In 45 days I hadn't had an after dinner dessert so my body was full from dinner and I was still feeding it more, and I was feeding it sugar. I went to bed that night after 3 hours of watching House of Cards with Ryan and woke up at 5AM for Bar Method feeling achy and tired. I had a good class - not great - but it felt really good to shake and stretch.

The work day yesterday was busy and I was treated to another sushi lunch for a belated birthday. At 3PM though, I started to snack - something I hadn't done in awhile. I had plantain chips in my desk (maybe I shouldn't keep them there so I don't snack) and felt bad about myself afterwards - another thing I hadn't felt in 45 days.

Ryan and I cooked another fabulous dinner together after work. Zoodle Bolognese. Ryan even said zoodles were his new favorite pasta replacement!!! We had a brussel sprout and apple salad on the side.

I loved the meal and felt full and satisfied but then I treated myself to another piece of cheesecake (the last in the house). I started to feel a bit bloated after eating it and itchy and my stomach seemed upset. I guess I now know how my body reacts to sugar. It doesn't have to be white table sugar to be considered "sugar." Honey, fruit, maple syrup - all paleo approved sugars - are all sugar and the body sees it no different than table sugar. I am not going to say no ever again to sugar but I will have to have it in small amounts and not everyday. It will have to be a treat in order to keep my body feeling as amazing as it did for the past 45 days!

We are still going to Delmonico's for my Birthday dinner so now I won't be so fearful of dairy for dessert. Although that will be a reintroduction food after Whole30, I have already ended my Whole"45" so the feeling of guilt are gone. I am only nervous how my body could react to dairy since I hadn't had it for so long.

I am so proud of how far I have come in my food journey and feel proud and happy. I know I have changed mentally and physically and look forward to this journey continuing. Even if it is not Whole30 all the time, but paleo 100% of the time. I don't miss bread, dairy, soy, grains, legumes and I plan to keep them out of my body and keep myself as healthy as I can be!

XO

Spin, Breakfast, Tacos and a Cleanse!

Last night I went to spin and Nicky K. was subbing for Pablo who was traveling this week. Her class is so much different than Pablo's and I'm glad I got to experience her teaching. She did a lot of interval training, more out of the saddle to the saddle and back out again to get us moving wheras Pablo does one song standing another seated - Nicky does both in one song. She walks around with high energy, singing along to the music and is full of energy. She doesn't bike along with us as much as Pablo and she is very strict about resistance and following along and reminding us of our RPM but it's great energy, a hell of a work out and I felt the class feeling lighter and tired. When I got home, I had a salad that I made for lunch but never ate which was spinach, shaved brussel sprouts, peppers, tomato, carrots, cabbage, walnuts, goji berries and almonds. I had very little arctic zero chocolate peanut butter to finish my meal but got in to bed early because I was so worn out.

I had some great activity yesterday with Bar Method and Spin and had 5 WW activity points and over 14,000 steps. Again, the fitbit did not track spinning too well because I was locked into the bike and not "stepping" but it felt great to get my body moving!

I did not go to Bar Method this morning because I wanted to give my body a chance to rest and my muscles to repair. I had done Bar Monday, Wednesday and Thursday morning this week and spin Thursday evening so I felt okay taking the break. However, we are going out for Mexican tonight with a lot of friends for Tina's birthday so I really wanted to push myself this week to work out and eat clean in preperation for this meal. We are also going for gluten free pizza tomorrow night (made with a cauliflower crust) before going to see Bryan Cranston in "All The Way" so hopefully I can get to a Bar class tomorrow morning so I don't feel so bloated from the dinners. But I don't want to feel like I miss out on anything and I can still go out with friends and be included so since we are having pizza tomorrow, and I refuse to miss out on pizza I think I am going to go with a chicken fajita (without the tortilla) for dinner tonight. It is fresh vegetables and protein cooked on a sizzling black skillet served with salsa. It sounds fresh and clean and if I can avoid the tortilla then it won't be as heavy a meal as it could be.

Ryan and I had breakfast together this morning. He is so busy with work and was up early this morning getting a research paper done before 10am so I made us breakfast while we sat on the couch and watched the Today show (did you see the Sochi rescue puppies? So cute!)

Ryan had a bacon and provolone omelette which I whipped in the nutribullet to make it extra fluffy and light. I also made his a spinach, apple, goji berry, almond, walnut, raspberry, blueberry nutribullet! I also put some Eleven Madison Park granola on the side for some added love!

I made an egg white and oatmeal pancake blended with chia seeds and a Tbsp of pb2 chocolate powdered peanut butter. I topped it with a banana and yummy toppings (all weighed out ahead of time to be 0 WW points). Toppings included 2g walnut pieces, 3g slivered almonds, 5g goji berries, and 4g hemp granola cereal. It was heavy, filling and delicious and I hope it keeps me full through the morning. I am going to get a salad from Just Salad for lunch with spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, banana peppers and butternut squash for 0 points because I know dinner will put me over, but I don't want to worry about it since I saved all of my weekly 49 points just for this weekend and the dinners we have planned.

Ryan is leaving on Wednesday through Saturday for a business trip to Houston, TX. He has been working so hard on his research and presentation and I am so excited for him! While he is gone, I schedule a colonic at Gravity East Village for Thursday. I work out, I eat well, but I still feel...well...backed up. With spring starting, I want to feel relieved so I decided to go with a colonic to clean my system out. I am going to follow this up by starting another 10 Day Advocare Herbal Cleanse which will help restore all of the good bacteria that is expelled from my body from the colonic. The colonic at Gravity East uses the gravity system which fills your body with water through a tube and then, with a different tube, relieves toxins and waste from your body without suction (which puts a lot of pressure on the body). They will be able to see waste that is old and built up and we can decide from there if another colonic is needed sooner rather than later. I am also planning to do an infrared sauna treatment afterwards which will further rid my body of heavy metals and toxins. In July when I was doing my bloodwork for my thyroid, my heavy metals tests came back high for Mercury and Lead so this will be extremely beneficial and hopefully I will feel better afterwards.

In order to prepare for the colonic (and the advocare cleans), I am going to eliminate beans and legumes from my diet 4 days prior, dairy, fried foods, and soda 2 days prior (not that I eat that anyway) and 1 day prior and the day of, no meat. I am going to eat a lot of salads (just like I normally do) but cut back on anything that isn't raw, steamed, blanched, or slightly cooked. With Ryan traveling this will be much easier! Monday I am having friends over for lunch and was planning to slow cook pork and sweet potatoes. This will be a good "last supper." but still be healthy and clean. I am doing a FreshDirect order with a lot of vegetables, salmon, tilapia, no refined carbs (pasta, bread, grains), and some quinoa. Since I am eating clean prior to the colonic, the Advocare Herbal Cleanse will be a great follow-up and will help restore my body after cleaning it out! I am not looking to lose weight with the colonic, I just want to clean myself out from all of these "leftovers" so that I have room to fill my body with clean, good nutrients. I feel like I eat well and workout but something is missing. I still feel "crappy" (pun intended) and I find it hard to "stay on track" because I don't "feel good." I feel bloated and heavy and not normal no matter how many salads I eat. And not feeling well leads me to eat the bad stuff like the ice cream and chocolate and chips. If I can jumpstart my emotions and how my body feels, then it will be a lot easier to fill it with really good stuff! And yes, I am being a good wife, and doing this when my husband is not home. Everything should be expelled from the body during the session and you won't run home feeling the need to go to the bathroom, but Ryan will not want to talk about it and hear about the treatment so it is better to do while he is away!

I might do a Cooler Cleanse Juice Cleanse the day of the colonic so that my stomach is empty. I have to stop eating 4 hours prior and stop drinking 2 hours prior so that my stomach and bladder are empty which lowers the need to go to the bathroom during the treatment.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. It should be warming up soon, so go out and take a walk and enjoy life!

XO

Slow Cooked Turkey Meatballs

I love coming home to the smells of a home cooked meal. I think it was part of growing up - my mom would cook dinner every night for the family when we got home from school and the smell of it throughout the house is something I will never forget. And she always had fresh baked bread to go with the meal. On weekends, she would even make homemade bagels.

Last night I walked home from work. It was a little bit cold, but since I had been sitting at my desk all day and I hadn't done a morning bar class, I knew I needed a little activity! So I walked home (that got me to a total of 9,000 steps for the day and 1 WW activity point). I got home within 20 minutes and the turkey meatballs I had prepped in the morning were warming in the slow cooker. I love that I was able to cook them for 6 hours, but still keep them warm even though I wasn't home! Slow cooking is so easy and because I slow cook in large batches, we have leftovers for days! I was already thinking about all of the meal possibilities that we could make with left over meatballs (meatball parm or meatball wraps anyone)!

Ryan and I had meatballs with mashed potatoes (FreshDirect Sides in a Snap) and asparagus. I love crunchy, bright green asparagus and it was a nice break from our usual salad. 4 meatballs with sauce were 5 points and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes were 5 points. The meat was dense, but still moist from having slow cooked for 6 hours. Next time I might even cook it for 4 or 5 hours since the meatballs are so small. Or I could make 12 meatballs instead of 24 so that 2 meatballs would be 4 points. However, eating more is a mind game so having 4 meatballs (small) instead of 2 (large) seems like a lot more to me. And if I think I am eating a lot more, then I stay fuller longer!

For dessert, I had a Yopa greek yogurt with dark chocolate bits that I had put in the freezer. It was just like eating ice cream, and I topped it with a banana.

Tonight I am going to SoHo for a Bar Method class. I really wanted to sleep in now that the upstairs neighbors haven't been so loud and I wanted to have breakfast with Ryan! He made ham and cheese on udi's gluten free bread with eggs over easy and I had an egg white omelette topped with powdered peanut butter, flax seeds and a banana! It was fun to sit around with Ryan, watching the morning news and getting ready on my own time. However, this morning, I am feeling not working out and I feel a little sluggish. I am excited for an evening class, but I am not excited about it being at 6:30pm. It means I won't be home until 8pm. I hope it warms up a bit so maybe I could bike home. It's been awhile since I took citibike since I got so used to the early morning bus/train commute, so it's about time I took a bike ride!

I also plan to go to spin tomorrow night. If I am going to complain about feeling bloated, sluggish, tired and not happy, then I need to do something about it. A good diet is great, but exercise helps get everything moving and sweating mentally tells me that I am doing something good for my body. I sweat a lot more in evening bar classes because the studios are warmed up, people have been in classes all day, and the air is not as fresh (sounds gross, but the morning classes have cold studios from not being used all night, so I don't break a sweat). It's all mental - I am not working any harder in an evening class than a morning one, but sweating makes me feel like I am pushing myself harder. I also am a bit more flexible at night because my body has been moving all day (well, not really since I sit for 8 hours). I feel more flexible, stronger, and more capable of going lower, tucking harder and even taking some of the challenges like raising my legs in flat back or the L shape in round back. I did hurt my shoulder last night, so unfortunately I will be modifying with push-ups at the bar tonight. I am going to have a Quest Cookies and Cream bar before class (my new favorite flavor) and a pre-made kale and grain FreshDirect salad when I get home for muscle recovery protein! Night classes usually energize me, so I hope that I will be able to fall asleep reasonably early. I have been feeling so refreshed lately now that I have been sleeping through the night!

I also worked to work this morning, again, it was cold, but it felt good to get in some activity before I sat around all day since I didn't do a morning bar class!

Below is the Turkey meatball recipe. Skinnytaste recipe can be found here! I used 99% fat free turkey breast and gluten free breadcrumbs. This can be made with turkey, chicken or beef (WW Points will vary). Enjoy.

Skinnytaste Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs
Servings: 6 (4 meatballs)
Weight Watchers Points: 5

Meatballs
1 pound turkey breast, ground
3 tbsp Schar gluten free breadcrumbs
4 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Mix all of the ingredients together.

2. Form small meatballs and set aside (24 meatballs)

3. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

4. Add garlic and saute until golden, be careful not to burn.

5. Pour crushed tomatoes into slow cooker with bay leaf. Add garlic and oil from pan.

6. Add meatballs to slow cooker.

7. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve and enjoy!

Gnocchi Friday and Taco Sunday!!!!

Having a table to eat at makes it a lot more enjoyable to have family dinners. And the dishwasher makes cleanup much easier, so cooking is more enjoyable when I don't have to worry about how many pots, pans and plates Ryan will have to wash later! Tacos were always difficult for us to eat at the old apartment because we used to many bowls to layout the toppings and we couldn't enjoy the meal knowing how much clean-up would be involved in eating the meal. But last night we made tacos and the cleanup was fast and easy and we sat at a real table and not one that folds up and we had a real family dinner - including Haley rubbing on our legs trying to get some meat.

Our taco bar included turkey breast, bison, spinach, tomatoes, salsa, cheese and refried beans. We wanted to purchase items that would be used again for other recipes or snacks so that we didn't have useless ingredients in our fridge that went bad. I hate wasting money on groceries that are not multi-purposeful. And tacos are a great way to use extra ingredients that would otherwise be going bad. We had left over bison meat from earlier in the week and before freezing it and forgetting about it, we cooked it up and crumbled it and added some taco seasoning and had a great addition to our taco bar! We used both hard and soft yellow corn tortillas but we both agreed the hard tacos are so much better - a lot messier but the crunch is so much better than the corn tortilla which is small and just as hard to eat.

My total WW Points for having 2 hard shells, 2 soft tortillas and 4 oz. bison, and 1/4 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup taco shredded cheese and all of the vegetables was 14 points.

We did a lot of other cooking this weekend as well. Friday night we used Cappello's gnocchi and made crispy pan seared gnocchi with chicken sausage and spinach! The serving size for the gnocchi is 2 oz. (5 WW Points) but it seemed like such a small amount so I had 2 servings of gnocchi and half a chicken sausage link. The total WW Points was 14. I love making the gnocchi crispy because otherwise the potato is too mushy. Gnocchi cooks fast and pan searing it also gives me more time to prep the sausage and vegetables and warm the gnocchi up in some olive oil. It was a great dinner, and one Ryan and I have made before - Cappello's gnicchi was really fresh and tasted great. This dish is so versatile - you can use any vegetables, different meats (or no meat) and add spices and herbs to keep it fresh. I want to make this next time with bacon! Bacon with any meal is always perfect! I added broccoli to our recipe Friday night to use up the florets that we had left. Feel free to use any vegetables or leafy greens that you like!

Crispy Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Spinach
Servings: 1
Weight Watchers Points: 14

2 Servings (4 oz.) of Cappello's Gnocchi
1/2 link, Applegate Farms Organic Chicken & Apple Sausage, Mild
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup spinach
1/3 cup broccoli

1. Boil water in a saucepan - once water is boiling, add Gnocchi and cook following instruction on the box (3-5 minutes). When gnocchi float to the top, they are cooked through! Drain and set aside.

2. Heat a saucepan over medium and add olive oil.

3. Add chicken sausage and cooked gnocchi to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, flipping both the gnocchi and chicken sausage to brown on both sides.

4. Add spinach (and other vegetables) and cook until wilted.

5. Serve and Enjoy!

We spent all weekend working on the apartment - Ryan installed track lighting in the living room with my dad and my mom and I went shopping at Home Goods - we went twice because they had so much great stuff. I hate having "stuff" but we bought some great pieces that make the living room feel warm and inviting and lived in. We need to hang some photos in the living room and bedroom. The place is really coming together nicely and I can't wait for our dining room table to arrive so we can be "done" for awhile with setting up. I just want to live there and enjoy it without thinking about the next project. Haley seems very comfortable in the new apartment. There is so much space for her to run around. She even wore herself out this weekend exploring the new place!

Saturday we were really busy with my parents and went out for a great Italian dinner. It's called Frank's Pizza and the front part is a regular NYC Pizzeria with no frills but if you walk through a back door, it leads to a beautifully small dining room that feels like you are stepping into Italy. It even felt like we were eating in Italy because the meal was long and you got to rest in between each course and the food was delicious. Ryan and I split the hot antipasto to start which had mussles, clams, eggplant and stuffed mushrooms. For dinner I ordered clams and mussels with a red sauce with a side salad instead of having it over pasta. Ryan had shrimp fra diavlo. My mom got eggplant and my dad got the same meal I did, just over pasta. We had tartufo's to finish the meal. Everything was perfect and it was a great way to end a long day.

Sunday we went to Home Depot early to get parts to finish the track lighting. We decided to take citibike there and the bus back! The bike ride was easy early in the morning ebcause there wasn't a lot of traffic. We got there in under 15 minutes! Before we left Ryan had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast and I had an egg white and oatmeal pancake. I love cooking in the new kitchen!

We got back from Home Depot and had a quick lunch before we got started working! We made tuna fish salad with spinach, carrots, celery, avocado and "The Real Deal Veggie Chips" for some added crunch. We used Dijon mustard instead of mayo and I weighed the avocados because even though they are healthy fats, they are also a lot of WW Points. I used 30gm of avocado for only 1 point.

This week is pretty busy and I don't think Ryan and I will have much time for meal prep but I did put a FreshDirect order in for tomorrow so we will have some easy dinners to prepare at home like Salmon, Stewed chicken, fresh produce for salads and juices and sweet potato side dishes. I also got everything to make Chicken Parm! Tomorrow is our anniversary, celebrating 7 years since we met at Clark University. Friday is also Valentine's Day so we decided to make dinner together Friday to celebrate everything. Ryan's favorite meal is chicken parm so we are going to make Baked Chicken Parmesan with gluten free breadcrumbs! I can't believe tomorrow is 7 years that we have been together. We have gone through so much and practically grown up together. I met Ryan when I was 19 - I am now 26! My life has become intertwined with Ryan and I could not be happier to have married my best friend. March 1 is our 1 year wedding anniversary and it seems to have gone by so fast! I can't wait to celebrate many more memories together as a couple and as a family!

This morning I took citibike to Bar Method. I went really slow because the roads were slushy from a brief snow last night. It took me 19:57 minutes! It was cold but I enjoyed the freedom of being on my own time and not relying on a bus or subway. I loved working out before my workout too - my calves and thighs are burning!! Bar Method was great too. Because of the move I have only been 3 times in the last week so I was shaking for the full hour. And my already burning thighs suffered more with waterski seat work! Hopefully now that we are more settled in our new location I will pickup my regular Bar Method schedule (M, W, F, Saturday/Sunday). I still have to think about how to commute there when it rains because I am sure I will not want to bike and get wet on my way there. There is a crosstown bus that I can take, I just have to figure out the schedule that early in the morning!

I had an "Amazing Green Acai Bowl" from Juice Generation for breakfast (I ate it too fast to photograph) and have Juice Generation Coconut Ceviche and Daily Detox juice for lunch. I want to limit my spending on food and meal prep more at home so I ordered some great stuff from Fresh Direct that will come tomorrow morning before work! I love the Acai Bowls and Juice and Raw Food though so maybe only on Bar Method days will I get it since that is 3 times during the work week. It's expensive but it is so delicious, filling and healthy.

I have a focus group tonight after work so I brought a cookies and cream quest bar to snack home before I go home. There is a citibike dock outside of the location I will be at tonight so I plan to bike home!

Have a great day everyone!

XO

Bacon Wrapped Steak

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted, apologies for my absence. Ryan and I have been consumed with moving and packing and we have barely had a home cooked meal at all this week. We go to work, come home, pack and go to bed in an apartment filled with cardboard boxes. I go to Bar Method in the morning so that I can stretch and hopefully get my muscles to stop hurting from all of the packing and lifting and sorting and cleaning! It's a crazy mess and I just cannot wait to be officially moved this weekend! I have been getting a steady 3 Activity Points per day between morning Bar Method classes and spending the evenings packing! I feel good this week - I feel healthy, strong and my clothes are fitting, I am not over eating. I am happy! And that is the best part! I feel good. I have a positive attitude and everything else is falling into place around me!

The last home cooked meal we made last weekend was delicious though and I have been meaning to share the recipe. It is a quick, easy, delicious one that is sure to please everybody!

Bacon Wrapped Steak
Servings: 2
Weight Watchers Points: 10

1 pound Premium Black Angus Beef Sirloin Filet (or any steak/meat of your choosing)
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 slices of bacon

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Salt and pepper both sides of steak.

3. Wrap each steak with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick

4. Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.

5. Add steak and sear on both sides, 1 minute per side.

6. Transfer steak to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes for medium rare.

7. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

We had this with a side of broccoli florets and Ore-Ida steak fries (gluten free)!

Because all of our food and cooking supplies are now boxed up, I have been eating breakfast and lunch out which is getting to be expensive, but I have been enjoying it. Breakfast has been a rotation of Acai Bowls from Juice Generation. I have switch between Amazing Green (9 WW points), Almond Butter Bliss (12 WW points) and Coco Acai (11 WW Points)! They have all been extremely delicious and filling. Sometimes I don't even realize it's lunch time when I check the clock at 1:30pm. I am full, but not stuffed and I feel light and good after eating them! I might have to budget these in a couple times per week even after the move! The points values are high for the bowls (a lot higher than my usual 4-6 WW points I allocate for breakfast), but they are keeping me full longer and I have found myself not snacking throughout the day. Even with the higher WW points, I am still sticking to my daily 26 points and not going over! It's a different feeling to be full and satisfied by a meal and not hungry all the time.

For lunch I have been sticking with salads and have been surprised by Subway chopped salads. The Double Stuffed chicken salad (5 WW points) is filled with all of the veggies they have to offer, 2 pieces of chicken and a little olive oil (though it doesn't really need the dressing) and it is clean, light, simple and really good. The oven roasted chicken salad is only 3 WW points, but the double stuffed is a lot more filling! I have also been enjoy lemon chia seed water which is really great for a satisfying beverage and the chia seeds help keep you full for a long time! The seeds expand in the water and become like a jelly paste and expand in your stomach to trick you to think you're really full! I have been having this at night since we don't have much at home for dinner besides Garden Lite Souffles and Quest Bars. I love the refreshing taste!! It is just 1 tbsp of chia seeds and a slice of lemon (1 WW point).

I have also spent this week listening to The Institute for the Psychology of Eating Online Future of Nutrition Conference. Its a 5 day podcast with experts in the field of health, wellness, nutrition and fitness. My favorite podcasts have been with David Perlmutter (author of Grain Brain), and Mark Hyman. I will share some of their insights in a separate post. I have learned so much and am excited to be on a path of self wellness that is supported by experts and becoming more popular and less of a fad or trend.

I hope everyone has stayed warm this week despite freezing temperatures. Surprisingly, we are going to have a heat wave of 40 degrees this weekend so I hope everyone has a fun Super Bowl weekend!!!

XO