Menu Plan Monday - 6/29/09

Last week I had planned enough items that we would be covered for the week. With my fiance' out of town, I kind of just let the menu go to waste. The kids decided on luncheon meat sandwichs two different nights, chicken nuggets another night and we picked up dinner the one late night that we had. Needless to say, I still have a lot of meat in my freezer that needs to be used. So, I'm using three of the four items from last week.

This week I am only planning for 4 nights since we will be camping Friday - Sunday. I will post my "diet" plan for the weekend before Friday so that you can see that camping doesn't have to take you way from your goals.

Here's my menu plan:

1. Pomegranate Chipotle Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onions, Mashed Potatoes
2. Pot Roast and Veggies

3. Grilled Chicken & Vegetables
4. Grilled Turkey Cutlets, vegetable, fruit (kids); Turkey Cutlets and Parmesan Salad (me)

To see more menu plans, visit Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Weekly Weigh In - 6/27/09

I'm behind again but I wanted to get my weigh in post out there before I start a new week. On Wednesday, my scale reflected 0 pounds lost. I honestly thought I was going to have a gain. I felt fatter than I ever have...I was bloated and I think holding all the water from the day before (which was over 100 oz). I did sneak on the scale Friday morning since I noticed I wasn't as bloated. It showed me down 1.4 pounds (nope, I'm not counting it since it wasn't my weigh in day). On Saturday, I went to Weight Watcher's to weigh in. I was down .8 pounds - inching closer to my 30 pound weight loss goal.

I had a pretty active weekend with laying sod and working in our yard - mowing and weeding. I did go to the YMCA and workout on the elliptical for a while. It felt good since it was something different (other than running). I'm going to give my all this week in hopes over hitting or coming really close to my 30 pound goal.

One thing I'm going to work on this week is preparing for our weekend of camping. I've made a list of items that I will be purchasing or pulling from the stockpile to take with us. Since most of our meals will be cooked on the grill, I will be able to throw in my Fat Free Ball Park Frank (1 point) and some fruit to grill. I've even got a few desserts that I will be taking along so that my temptations for the fattening stuff will not take over. I don't see exercise being a problem since there is plenty of land to walk/run on and I will probably be chancing my kids around on their 4-wheelers.

How are you doing on your weight loss goals this week? Have you hit any of your major milestones yet? 10%? 25 pounds?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-21.0

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-27.8

Coupon Inserts for 6/28/09

There will be 2 insert in Sunday's paper - June 28, 2009. It will be a Smart Source and a Red Plum.

Remember that when you purchase your paper from the store, you are not guaranteed coupon inserts. I would check each paper before purchasing multiples. Or save money and trees, purchase only the coupons you need at The Coupon Clippers.

There's definitely a variety of coupons in this week's inserts. I didn't see anything that really stood out except $1.00/1 ALL detergent. It might just that I do a lot of grocery shopping. I haven't had a big shopping trip in weeks. I normally just run in to pick up bread, milk, eggs, produce and meat (depending on what's on sale).

Fisher Price: Free Precious Places DVD

Click here to order your free Precious Places DVD.

Menu Plan Monday - 6/22/09

Last week I didn't do menu planning. Our week was crazy. We had a baseball game every night except Friday. There were two nights that both kids had baseball games. We did manage to eat in every night though. We even tried the Crockpot Chicken Parmesan. It was delicious! I ate the leftovers for lunch (I'm not a leftover eater either).

This week will be an easy week since my fiance' will be out of town until Friday. We have plans for date night on Saturday night and a 50th wedding anniversary party on Sunday. I will only be menu planning for 4 nights this week!!

Here's my menu plan:

1. Pomegranate Chipotle Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onions, Mashed Potatoes
2. Cheeseburgers, French Fries, Fruit

3. Grilled Chicken & Vegetables, Greek Salad
4. Grilled Turkey Cutlets, vegetable, fruit (kids); Turkey Cutlets and Parmesan Salad (me)

I will be cooking lunch on Saturday. Since we never got around to having the Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Panini, I'll be making that for our Saturday lunch. My fiance' cooks breakfast on Sunday.

To see more menu plans, visit Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Weight Watcher Weigh In - 6/20/09

This week I weighed in at Weight Watchers down 1.4 pounds. I'm just 3 pounds away from Goal #4. I'm trying to hit the goal by July 4th...we'll see how it goes.

One of the things that we talked about at this week's meeting was breakfast. It' really got me thinking. I used to not eat breakfast, mainly because I didn't have time. A while back, maybe about a year ago, I read and article about the importance of eating breakfast while dieting. It helps jump start your metabolism and can keep you from snacking or over eating later. The key is to eat a filling low sugar breakfast. Lately, I have been making up big batches of breakfast burritos that my fiance' and I can take to work with us or eat on the go. If you don't eat breakfast because you don't like breakfast food, find something that you do like and have it for breakfast. Breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast food.

What's your favorite breakfast food? If you are following Weight Watchers, do you skip breakfast or eat very little for breakfast to save your points for later?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-21.0

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-27.0

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's day to all the dads out there!

Weigh In Wednesday (posted on Friday) - 6/17/09

This week I weighed in on Wednesday but have been busier than normal. I weighed in on my scale down 0.4 pounds. Not an awesome week but I’ll take it – it’s a weight loss. I'm up to 21 pounds lost since the first of the year. The first 3 months I didn't do too well...I gained more than I lost. This week I had a health problem (nothing major) that I was dealing with. All’s well now. I will say that I was VERY stressed out with that and the busier than normal schedule. I felt really weighed down. Stress is heavy, right?!?!

Here’s a sample of my schedule…

5:00 am - Wake, Immediately shower

5:20 am - Start 1^st load of laundry

5:20 – 5:50 am - Get ready for work

5:50 – 6:30 am - Clean house (not Lysoling and scrubbing during the week) – dust, wipe tv screens and mirrors down, empty trash cans, sweep floors, put dishes away…things like that. Switch laundry over and start 2^nd load.

6:30 – 6:40 Pack lunches and make sure all necessary items are ready to go

6:30, 6:35, 6:40 am - Wake kids up *usually doesn’t work on the first try

6:40 – 6:50 am - Make youngest son’s bed and vacuum house

6:50 – 7:00 am - Final sweep of the house - eveything picked up and turned off and/or closed

7:00 am - Drop kids off at daycare

7:45 am - Arrive at work

**An hour during the day is used for lunch. It varies from day to day. I normally pack my lunch and run errands during my lunch hour. Today I’m writing this blog post.

5:00 pm - Leave work and RACE home

5:45 – 6:15 pm - Pick kids up from daycare and arrive home, dinner prep (if necessary)

6:15 pm - Head out to baseball. Lately it’s been one or both of the kids playing.

8:30 -9:00 pm - Arrive home from baseball

9:00 – 10:00 pm - Cook dinner, eat dinner, get as much ready for the next day as possible and get kids in shower

10:00 pm - Kids go to bed – I watch news/weather

10:20 pm - Head off to bed

In morning, REPEAT!

This Is why I haven’t been around here too much lately but also why my weight loss hasn’t been the greatest. We really didn’t work changing our schedule too much since we knew it wouldn’t be the same long (baseball ended this week). With baseball being over, we have laid out a new schedule. It will include me getting up earlier to work and then there will be 3 nights a week that we will head to the gym. Those days will vary each week.

My eating has been really good. One thing that worried me with returning to work was all the breakfast and lunch meetings. To this point, I haven’t ate at any of them – haven’t wanted them either. I’ve been eating more fruits than vegetables. I need to add more vegetables into my meals.

Workouts were slim this week. There were two days that I ran a mile and one day that I ran two miles. I did my strength training for 15 minutes on 2 days. Other than that, I haven’t been nearly as active as I had been. But, that will be changing this week.

I’ll try to post the Weight Watcher weigh-in tomorrow. Again, I have a jam packed day (actually, whole weekend is jam packed).

How are you doing on your weight loss journey? Stress keeping you from losing?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-21.0

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-25.6

Events: Bass Pro Shop Free Famiy Crafts - June 20-21, 2009

Bass Pro Shop will be offering Free Family Crafts this weekend - June 20-21, 2009 from Noon - 6:00pm. Crafts are while supplies last. This week they will be making Plaster Animal Tracks. Click here to find a location near you.

Mark you calendar for future craft weekends too...

June 27-28 - Make a patterned keychain
July 4-5 - Design your own birdhouse

Chick-fil-a: Free Milkshake for Dad - Saturday, June 20, 2009

On Saturday, June 20th, bring your dad to a Chick-fil-A and he will receive a FREE 14oz. Hand-Spun Milkshake. Dad must be with a child to receive offer. Not all locations are participating, click here to find out if your nearest location is participating.

TCBY: Free Cone or Cup on Father's Day

TCBY - FREE cone or cup for Dad on Father's Day - Sunday, June 21st. Click here to find a location near you.

Can't make it on Father's Day? Don't forget that they have $.99 Waffle Cone Wednesdays (at participating locations).

Coupon Inserts for 6/21/2009

There will be 2 insert in Sunday's paper - June 21, 2009. It will be a Smart Source and a Red Plum.

Remember that when you purchase your paper from the store, you are not guaranteed coupon inserts. I would check each paper before purchasing multiples. Or save money and trees, purchase only the coupons you need at The Coupon Clippers.

IMO, there really weren't a whole lot of coupons in this week's inserts. There are Huggies coupons for those that purchase diapers.

Staples Deals - Week of 6/14/09 -6/20/09

I wanted to pass along some of the great deals that Staples will be having starting Sunday, June 14, 2009. Click here to see the ad sneak peek. On Sunday and after, you will find the ad here.

$1 Deals
Pentel R.S.V.P. Ballpoint Pens, fine - 5 pack
Sharpie Major Accent assorted highlighters - 6 pack
Crayola Standard Crayons 24 pack
Staples Accent 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" Fat Book, 200 sheets
Swingline 8" Bent Handle Scissors
Staples Photo Plus 4"x6" Paper - 60 pack ($9.99 - $8.99 easy saver rebate - limit 2 per customer)

$2 Deal
Staples Bright Multi-purpose Paper, 500 sheet ream ($7.29 - $5.29 easy saver rebate - limit 2 per customer)

Weight Watcher Weigh In - 6/13/2009

This week I weighed in at Weight Watchers down 0.8 pounds. I was not able to stay for the meeting since I had my youngin' with me. The Saturday morning class is too packed to have him in there with me.

Did you know that after working out, you should have protein within 5-20 minutes after your workout? This is the optimum time frame to take in protein! You can maximize your results and have better muscle recovery by having something like a protein shake. That's why so many fitness clubs have been adding shake/smoothie bars into their clubs.

Until next week, happy weight loss and exercising! Remember, the weight didn't all come on in one day and it's not going to come off in one day. Take it one day at a time. Don't get discouraged. You'll be pleased with your results if you stick with it.

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-20.6

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-25.6

Events: Home Depot Kids Workshop - Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Home Depot Kids Workshop for July will take place on Saturday, July 4th. Not familiar with this clinics? You can read some my previous posts here and here about the Home Depot and Lowe's Kid's Clinics.

July 14th @ Home Depot – 9am-noon: Picnic Caddy

Freebie: GeoTrax DVD "Steamer & Samuel Save the Day"

Fisher Price is giving away another FREE GeoTrax DVD. This one is Steamer & Samuel Save the Day. It has four animated episodes on it. Click here to request yours today. free DVD with four animated GeoTrax episodes. It does take 12-14 weeks to receive your dvd.

Coupon Inserts for 6/14/09

There will be 1 insert in Sunday's paper - June 14, 2009. It will be a Smart Source.

Remember that when you purchase your paper from the store, you are not guaranteed coupon inserts. I would check each paper before purchasing multiples. Or save money and trees, purchase only the coupons you need at The Coupon Clippers.

IMO, there really weren't a whole lot of coupons in this week's inserts. There are a few goodies...might be worth ordering.

Kraft BBQ Sauce $0.75/1
One-A-Day $2.00/1

Dollar General - 10-20% off Coupon - Good June 13-14, 2009

Dollar General has released a coupon that's valid Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 2009. You can save 10% - 20% on you purchase - see coupon for details. Click here to get your coupon.

Events: Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics - Saturday, June 13, 2009

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics will be making a Putting Green on Saturday, June 13, 2009 from 10:00am-11:00pm. You can read my previous post about these clinics here.
Mark your calendars for June 27 - they will be making a pirate ship.

Weigh In Wednesday - 6/10/09

This week I weighed in on my scale down 0.6 pounds. I was actually quite surprised by the weight loss. It's that time of the month that the bloating sets in and my weight loss has been less and in some cases (before Weight Watchers) a gain would even show up. I am happy for the weight loss though...still chugging along.

During the week, I stopped by to talk to a few friends of mine that I haven't seen in almost a year. They have noticed my weight loss, how much more energy I have and how happier I am. It's great to get those compliments. It helps me to stay on the right path.

My eating has gotten better over the week. I was having a problem with my eating schedule. I was still eating good but I never knew if I was going to be able to get my morning and afternoon snacks. I've actually changed my morning snack that way I can snack whether I'm in training, in a meeting or in-between meetings. As far as my afternoon snack, I've actually made it a ride home snack since my lunch hour changes daily and afternoons are much busier.

As far as exercise, well...besides running on the treadmill and lifting weights, I haven't really done much. One thing that I have done is park out as further in the parking lot at work and use the stairs. It probably isn't as good as an aerobics class or using the elliptical or something along those lines but it's better than nothing.

My goal this week is to try to do more exercising. We have baseball every night during the week and normally don't make it home until 8:30 pm then it's time to get dinner served, get the kids showered and in bed, and get things ready for the next morning. But, I'm going to walk during my oldest son's baseball game since I can see the field as I walk the path. I also plan on working out more over the weekend than I have been. I'm hoping to see a higher weight loss next week.

How was your week? What are some exercises that you do when you are short on time?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-20.6

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-24.8

Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards: Point Codes

Are you in need of some Huggies Reward points?

5 additional points and $2.00 coupons:
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1 additional point:
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2 additional points:
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5 additional points:
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Sears: Spend $50, Get $50

Visit Sears and purchase $50 worth of men's pants or jeans between June 7 -21, 2009, and receive $50 rewards cash back by mail to use on a future purchase (certain dates). To get all the details, check out the rebate form here.

This might be something for you could do to get a Father's Day gift then use the rewards towards Christmas gifts for your dad or husband.

Walgreens: $5 off $25 Purchase Coupon - Good June 10-11, 2009

Walgreens just issued a new $5 off your $25 purchase coupon for June 10 - 11, 2009! Go here to print your coupon now! Coupon is good online and in stores!

Menu Plan Monday - 6/8/09

We ate from our menu last week with the exception of the crockpot chicken parmesan. It will remain on this week's menu. I will only be planning 5 dinners this week as we have plans on Saturday and my fiance' cooks on Sunday. We didn't get to enjoy our Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Panini so those will be Saturday's lunch this week.

Here's my menu plan:

1. Chipolte Pepper Chicken Kaboobs
2. Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onion sandwiches

3. Homemade Pizza (mine will be made on Flat Out)
4. Crockpot Chicken Parmesan
5. Manicotti (freezer meal)

I will be cooking lunch on Saturday. I've started cooking lunch on Saturdays (as long as there are no baseball games or other events that interfere) and my fiance' cooks breakfast on Sunday.

Saturday lunch - Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Panini

To see more menu plans, visit Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Giveaway: Woman's World Snack Pack

The giveaway is now closed...we have our winner - Denise!

Over the past couple weeks, I've had the opportunity to try some of Frito Lay's new products - Baked! Chips and Smart Food snacks. They are both very tasty! In my opinion, the Baked! Chips were better than regular potato chips. They didn't leave your fingers greasy after eating them. The Smart Food snacks were my favorite. Smart Food is popcorn clusters that come in great flavors: Honey Multi-grain, Cranberry Almond and Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan. They come in individual packages that have a calorie count of about 120. They are great for on-the-go snacking. Cranberry Almond was my favorite.

Previously, I had mentioned Only in A Woman’s World's funny webisodes of situations only a woman can appreciate. One of the features of the website is that you can become like one of the girls and create your own avatar. Here's mine...

Today I have a chance to giveaway one Woman’s World Snack Pack including a bowl, Baked!, Flat Earth and Smart Food snacks, and a two month subscription to NetFlix for the winner. The Netflix subscription sounds perfect and just in time for this summer.

Enter by visiting the Only in a Woman’s World website, trying out the new avatar creation feature and leaving a comment here to let me know what your ‘look-alike’ is wearing. Be sure to leave your email address.

The contest will close on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at midnight EST. I will notify the winner via email.

Weekly Weigh In

As you have noticed, I haven't been around too much over the past two weeks. I lost internet access for a while and trying to find computer time has been next to impossible. I'm working on it though. I'm hoping to have at least two days a week that I know I will be able to post and then try to squeeze in some time on other days. Hang in there...

Another loss for me, 1.6 pounds on my scale and 1.0 pound on Weight Watcher scale. It's great to finally have the weight coming off. At the beginning of the year, I had re-started my weight loss journey. I had many barriers in my way. I've found a way to work around a few of them and the others I got out of my way.

My eating has been on track. I've been grilling my fruits and vegetables at night to make it a little more interesting and flavorful. My favorite fruits are grilled peaches, pineapples and bananas. The vegetables vary. It depends on what we are having and whether they go directly on the grill or not. I haven't found one that I stick with like the fruits.

I've been working out this week with running then weights and stretching on opposite days. I've made it to the 2-mile mark. I can now run 2 miles without passing out or my side cramping up. I get a little bored after the first mile but I think of my goals and how far I have come with the running program - I can't give up now.

My goal this week is to stay focused on eating right and getting at least 3 workouts in.

How did you do this week? Did you try any new foods this week?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-19.6

Weight Watcher Weight Loss (Updated on Saturday)

Goal #4	30
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-24.8

My Return To Work...

This week I tackled going back to work full-time. It's something that I've been meaning to post about but my internet connection went away for a couple of days...actually, the modem broke.

Last Tuesday was my first day back to work. It didn't get off to a smooth start though. I had to run out to the store Monday night to grab a few items. I didn't get out of the driveway - my starter went out. My fiance' was able to get his mother's car for Tuesday...thank goodness! What a blessing! My other option would have left me in tears and bald... Work went good and some people were shocked to see me. I guess they should read my blog. They would have found out I was coming back.

Wednesday didn't go too smooth either. My son got sick. It was awful. Let's just say it left my sister sick to her stomach and my fiance' had to come home from work. I couldn't call off on my second day of work.

Thursday my fiance' had to head out of town for what he thought would be an overnight trip and return on Friday.

Friday my cell phone buttons quit working. If the phone rings and I get to it to answer it, I can talk on it. I can't text or dial out. NONE of the buttons work. I think my fiance' jinxed me. He was going to buy me a new phone for my birthday but I declined the offer. I wanted to stop my service when the contract is up which is a little over a month away.

On Monday, I had to attend a new employee orientation. It was pretty boring. I had heard it all before...after 5 hours, I was ready for lunch! My fiance' also had to head out of town again. Lastly, I got to the daycare 10 minutes before the daycare closed. I'm glad I wasn't late - it would have cost me $20. Then I get home and find out my modem is broken.

Now doesn't that sound exciting? Should I be happy that I returned to work? I wonder if all this would have been a big deal had I not been working. I'm thinking I would have blown most of it off but with being on the go constantly it seems like I can't get ahead of the game. Here's to a better second half of this week!

Visit Tackle It Tuesday to see what others are tackling and Talk About It Tuesday to see what others are talking about.

Menu Plan Monday - 6/1/2009

Last week I did menu planning. We followed the plan until my fiance' got called to work out of town. It was nice because I cooked the kids what they wanted - i.e. spaghetti versus having to cook a big dinner. We didn't eat out Stuffed Peppers so they will be staying on the menu for this week. My fiance' is also out of town 2-3 nights this week so the kids have picked two items and then there's homemade pizza that we will have on night number 3 whether he comes home or not (it's about the only thing they eat that I will eat too).

Here's my menu plan:

1. Kids - Mini Corn Dogs, French Fries, Fruit
2. Kids - Applebees (free kids meal coupons)

3. Homemade Pizza (mine will be made on Flat Out)
4. Crockpot Chicken Parmesan
5. Mexican Rubbed Pork Chops with grilled veggies, grilled peaches
6. Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I will be cooking lunch on Saturday. I've started cooking lunch on Saturdays (as long as there are no baseball games or other events that interfere) and my fiance' cooks breakfast on Sunday.

Saturday lunch - Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Panini

To see more menu plans, visit Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.