Monthly Weigh In

I have been struggling all month to get back on track with my diet and lose the weight that I have set as my new year resolution. During the month of January, I lost a whopping 2 pounds. Kinda lame, but I am feeling like February is going to be a great month for losing 8 pounds to get back on track for my goal.

So here is to me staying focused, eating better, and working my weight off.

Moral of the Story: If I ask, beg, cry about wanting a chocolate bar...please don't give in. I don't need it.

In the next month I will get around

I will be attending three conferences during the month of February! Exciting? YES! Tiring? YES!

I will be in Arkansas February 3rd-8th (anyone have any fun things to do in Little Rock?), Orlando February 19th-20th, and Jacksonville Beach February 26th-28th. The other days I will be home in Gainesville trying to attend grad school and not fail.

I LOVE being involved with my organization, and I LOVE being state president (it sounds legit right), and I LOVE going to grad school because I will almost be done but sometimes I want to put it all on hold and just sleep and have no responsibility.

Needless to say that the month of February is most likely going to bring me some awesome experiences, new friends, and maybe some sleepless nights catching up on homework.

Moral of the story: No one can be on top of everything all of the time. Not even me.

Have you heard about Hungry Girl?

I am working towards my New Year's Resolutions and I have fallen deeply in love with Hungry Girl! Her advice is awesome and she tells the truth!

Lisa Lillian a.k.a Hungry Girl came up with the idea to remake everyday food into healthy food and she has done it with great success. She currently has two cookbooks with two more coming out this year. My favorite part of the whole idea is that she sends daily email filled with even more recipes, tips, and the latest trends. Check out the hungry girl website.

Hungry Girl has remade some of my favorite recipes and the best part of the recipes for me is that they are all already converted into Weight Watcher points on her website. Let me share with you some of my favorite recipes:

Crazy Good Turkey Taco Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 pound raw extra-lean ground turkey
2 slices of fat-free cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/2 cup canned sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix, dry

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cook peppers and onions for three minutes over medium heat in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray

In a large bowl, combine onions and peppers with turkey, corn and seasoning mix. Spread half of the mixture evenly into the bottom of the loaf pan (about 9"x5") sprayed with nonstick spray.

Layer the two slices of fat-free cheese on top of the mixture (try to keep slices away from the pan's edges). Evenly top with the remaining meat mixture.

Pour the salsa over the top of the loaf. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Top loaf with shredded cheese. Return loaf to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.

Number of Servings: 6
127 calories, 1g fat, 688mg sodium, 7g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 2g sugars, 22g protein

Veggie-Loaded Tangy Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

One 6-oz. can tuna packed in water, drained & flaked
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or any combination)
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 tsp. honey mustard
1 tsp. sweet relish
dash salt
dash pepper
Optional: additional salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine mayo, honey mustard, relish, salt and pepper, and mix well. Then stir the tuna into this mixture. Finally, fold in all the veggies. If you like, season to taste with some more salt and pepper. Mmmmmm!!!

Number of Servings: 2
153 calories, 2.5g fat, 730mg sodium, 14g carbs, 2g fiber, 7g sugars, 18g protein

Moral of the Story: Try Hungry Girl! Her recipes are fun, easy, and delicious (most times).

Golden Globes

I thought the show last night was very entertaining and here are my favorite highlights:

1. Michael C. Hall - He is amazing as Dexter and I am glad to hear that his battle with cancer is fine and in remission. Dexter deserved to win!

2. Sandra Bullock - I liked her dress. The purple was pretty and I thought her hair looked amazing, but according the reviews I have heard today..I might be the only one.

3. Robert Downey Jr.'s acceptance speech in which he thanks no one was brilliant. Sarcastic, full of personality, and I think it showed us how shocked he really was to win. Now I really want to see Sherlock Holmes

4. Harrison Ford looks old. Real old. Calista Flockhart looks skinny. Real skinny.

5. The cast of glee was so excited to win and I was so excited for them to win. The show is a guilty pleasure of mine and I love to see new shows succeed.

Check out this site for more highlights from the show.



Moral of the story: Awards shows are a really great way to spend a Sunday night. Bring on the Oscars!

Scarves, Gloves, and other warm winter clothes

In Florida we hardly often get to see the freezing temperatures that the rest of the country experiences all Winter long, but not this year! The temperature in Florida has been below 40 degrees for almost 2 weeks and I love it! The best part of the weather is dressing for it, I get very excited to throw on a scarf and a coat because it make me feel much cooler than the way I normally dress.

Right now I am loving:

Source of Wisdom Virtual Stretch Jeans

These jeans have no zippers and you just pull them up like leggings! However, they don't stretch out throughout the day and they come in different styles and washes! I could seriously wear these jeans everyday if I were allowed to wear jeans everyday.

Peacoats

I am addicted to Peacoats! I find them classy yet comfortable. I think that every girl should own at least one and I am a big fan of the buttons on these!




Scarves

If there is even the smallest hint of chill in the air, I am grabbing a scarf and wearing it! They add color to any outfit and the majority of them are budget friendly.




Moral of the story: Since I cannot buy clothes due to my New Year's Resolution, I will blog about them instead.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

I really enjoy the new song from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys! It makes me very excited about moving to New York! Take a listen:



Moral of the Story: Music can make any bad day, turn around, and be good again!

It's a New Year and a New Me

I have failed my blog. I am turning a new leaf this year and I am going to blog about my 2010 adventures. This year is going to be BIG! I will start and finish Graduate School! I will move from Gainesville to New York City (next December). I will accomplish big things this year, I can feel it!

Since it is customary to make New Year's resolutions, I have. They are:

1. Lose 71 more pounds before December (I have currently lost about 30). Not entirely crazy, but I will have to work long and hard for this. I am continuing Weight Watchers, and I have decided to start attending meetings :)
2. Do NOT buy clothes. Unless resolution number 1 becomes real and I can no longer wear my pants. This is by far the hardest resolution because I am a self-proclaimed shopaholic. I cannot control myself when there are sales. I work in a clothing store for goodness sake. I m going to have to use all of my willpower to complete this resolution.
3. I will BLOG! Seriously..at least once a week.

This is my completed list of resolutions. I have other mini goals that I would love to accomplish in the meantime, but these are the big 3. Promise.

Moral of the story: Turn over a new leaf once in a while,the other side may be greener :)