Menu Plan Monday - 5/11/09

I took a week off from menu planning to see how it would go. I was pleasantly surprised. We ate in every night except the weekend which I would have planned for anyways. I didn't stress over what to have since we really had many options. The biggest problem that I am running into is baseball games/practices. We normally eat between 6:30 - 7:00pm. With baseball 4-5 nights a week, it's hard to fit dinner in before and it's so late after that nobody's really hungry. I think that's why skipping a week of menu planning went so well. I wasn't wasting my time preparing a meal that either not going to get eaten or would sit for 2 hours until we returned from baseball.

Here's my menu plan:

Breakfast Options:
Waffles
French Toast
Omelet/Scrambled Eggs, toast
Cereal
Fruit

Lunch Options:
Soup/Grilled Cheese
Bologna Sandwich, salad
Bagel Bites
Salad, Fruit

Dinner:
1. Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue, Veggies of some sort
2. Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles, salad

3. Cabbage Rolls
4. Cheeseburgers and/or turkey sausage. cole slaw, french fries
5. Pork Chops with Cider Gravy, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Apples and Onions

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

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway - 1 - $100 Home Depot Gift Card (ends 5/12/09).

Happy Mother's Day!

Image from Coolfreeimages

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.

For the Locals: Free Tan @ LA Tan on Mother's Day

Mother's tan free at LA Tan on Mother's Day - Sunday, May 10, 2009. Print this coupon to take with you.

Outback Steakhouse: FREE $10 Certificate on Mother's Day

Take your mom to Outback Steakhouse this Mother's Day and she will receive a $10 Certificate good for her next Outback visit. Certificates are while supplies last. Click here for more information.

Snack Time: Sandwich Thins

A few weeks ago while I was out picking up our weekly bread supply I ran across Arnold Select Sandwich Thins. I had never seem them before but when I picked them up I had to buy them. They are big, soft, flat buns...and 100% whole grain. If you are following Weight Watchers, they are only 1 point! Nutritional information… 100 calories, 1g of fat, 6g of fiber, 2 g of sugar, 5g of protein per bun! No high fructose corn syrup, 0 trans fat, low cholesterol and excellent source of fiber!!

I have used these for everything...sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, or even in place of my bagel. They are fabulous! They are a bit pricier ($2.59) than regular buns but they're a much healthier alternative. I have found them at Cub Foods, Kroger and WalMart. At two of the three stores, they were located on the bottom shelf in the bread aisle. This week Kroger had them on a special display. They come in Whole Grain, Multi Grain, and Seedless Rye. You get 8 to a pack.

Have you tried them yet? If so, what do you think?

Coupon Inserts for 5/10/09

There will be 2 inserts in Sunday's paper - May 10, 2009. It will be a Smart Source and a Red Plum insert.

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.

Weigh In Wednesday - 5/6/09

Here it is again...another weight loss post! I'm down 1.6 pounds on my scale and 2.2 pounds on the WW scale. It was definitely more than I had expected. I was feeling like I had gained about 3 pounds this past week.

I'd have to admit that my workout this week weren't the greatest. I ran here and there. If I only had 15 minutes, I ran for 15 minutes on the treadmill. Whatever time I could dedicate to working out, I did even if it was only 5-10 minutes. I did a lot of walking on Saturday then on Sunday I worked in my fiance's mother's yard and ours. I finished our yard on Monday. I really didn't do much sitting around this past week.

As far as eating, I'm finding that I'm eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. It seems to happen this time of year. My favorite food this week was my WW bagel topped with WW cream cheese, Tastefully Simple Green Tea Peppercorn (sprinkled on) and a slice of tomato...yummy! Since they lowered the price of the Tim Horton's small Iced Cappuccinos, I think I've been having one EVERY day. Bad habit that I need to kick.

One topic that I've really been trying to work on is - "When you turn the negatives into positives, you will see positive results." I'm one to say, "Yeah, I've lost 17.8 pounds at Weight Watchers BUT I have a lot more to go." Or "I already blew it for the day, I'll start back on my diet tomorrow." I think I'm on the right thinking path now.

My goal this week is to workout everyday. Yep, everyday. I've been running,walking and strength training but feel that I need to do a little more. I'd really like to lose 2.2 pounds this week to hit my goal #3 of 20 pounds and be 40 pounds away from my weight loss goal for the year. My weight loss goal for the year may change as I near the goal. I'm finding that my weight may not be the ultimate determination of my goal. My real goal is to be toned and trimmed - not read skinny.

How did you do this week? What challenges are you facing? Did you try anything new this week?

Goal 12/31/09	56.2
2009 Weight Loss-to-date	-14.0

Weight Watcher Weight Loss

Goal #3	20
Weight Loss (since 3/11/09)	-17.8