A Belated TOOT TOOT Tuesday w/ SUMMER YUMMIES for your TUMMY!

WELCOME...to  "TOOT TOOT TUESDAY" created by me, Me So Hongry! I developed TOOT TOOT TUESDAY as a means for others to toot their own horn! So, take this opportunity to boast your most recent weight loss triumphs. Or help others by leaving nuggets of wisdom that work for you! Today I want to TOOT about my yummy summer eats and treats!

Just call me the GRILL MASTER!

Last week I grilled leg quarters, corn, peaches, and chicken breast:

I used my succulent chicken to create these colorful but yet tasty tacos: 2 corn tortillas (1 pt), 3 oz chicken breast (3 pts), 1 oz of avocado (1 pt), grilled corn (1.5 pts), tomatoes & bell pepper (0 pts)...a very satisfying and appetizing meal for 6.5 pts!!!

This week I grilled some Hebrew National hot dogs for the boys, Tony Chachere Chicken Sausage (2 oz...2 pts), zucchini, onions, and Southwestern turkey burgers from the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook.

 

Southwestern Turkey Burgers
1 lb Ground Turkey Breast
1 can green chilies
salt
pepper

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and then mold the patties.  Make sure you minimize your meat handling. You want to leave air pockets in the meat so your patties retain their juiciness!

I decided  to forgo the pepper jack cheese for avocado. The Cook Yourself Thin ladies suggest using avocado if your like to cover your food in sauces.

*Extra added bonus tip. Cut Calories and WW points by serving your burger on Arnold Bread Sandwich thins! Only 1 PT....1 POINT!

Sweet Potato Baked Fries (1 serving) from Cook Yourself Thin

4 oz Sweet Potatoes

1/2 TBSP Olive Oil

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

Cut your sweet potatoes into strips. Next, I brushed my sweet potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkled them with garlic and chili powder. I only used 1/2 of a potato so I baked my fries for about 20 minutes. I made fries for one, so you will need to adjust the amount of ingredients used and baking time.

And last but not least...dessert! HEB finally started carrying VitaTops. The tweeple on Twitter constantly rave about the VitaTops, so I decided to give them a try. By themselves, the VitaTops let me down, but after I hooked them up...BOOYAH...chocolatey deliciousness!

VitaTop (1pt), cool whip (1pt), walnuts (2 pts). I received many ideas at my WW meeting on how to hook up future VitaTops.

Can you do me favor? Spread the word about "TOOT TOOT TUESDAY" via twitter using the the hashtag #toottoottuesday

Okay, so TOOT TOOT TUESDAY works like this:

1. Leave a comment tooting your own horn or share some weight loss or exercise tips that may benefit other blog readers.
   
   
2. Link up below so others can follow your thumbnail to your fabulous blog!
   
   
3. Return to your blog and spread the word about toot toot Tuesday by writing a post and linking it back to my blog. Be sure to grab the code below to let you readers know you toot! If you prefer, you can also copy&paste the image below instead of grabbing the code.
 

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Okay link-up time:

Thanks for participating and GET YA TOOT ON! I know...I know...it's Wednesday...toot away!

Glows and Grows

One afternoon while picking up my son, I sat in my vehicle mean muggin (mean muggin a.k.a. the evil eye) another parent for halting the flow of traffic in order retrieve her small child, who somehow unbuckled his seat belt and jumped over the seat into the back of the minivan. As I watched the parent wrangle her child, my mind began to wander and SHAZAAM...an idea hit me like a thunderbolt.

Since our WW leader, Karen, constantly reminds WW members to learn from our experiences, I decided to do just that! Each Saturday after my weigh-in, I plan to evaluate my lifestyle change hits and misses. My weekly evaluation aptly titled GLOWS and GROWS, will examine strategies attempted to help me successfully reach my goal weight (this year).

GLOWS: I confess. I still inconsistently track my daily food points. In the past I tracked my points in my head and never wrote anything on paper. I refer to this lackadaisical method as Wing-It-Tracking a.k.a. Keep-It-Up-And-You-Ain't-Gonna-Lose-Weight Method. My usual pattern consisted of routine tracking starting on Saturdays, and by Wednesday or Thursday any traces of tracking became non-evident. At our last WW meeting, Karen stated several times, "Those that fail to track eat 30% more food." To help me get on the right track (get it...never mind), I received this little toy(which I picked out) for Christmas: BAM!!

So, did I track everyday using my iTouch? YES I DID...EVERYDAY! My iTouch made tracking convenient and accessible. And of course the information I entered automatically synced to the eTools online program.

I used the calculator to determine points values and create new foods to be stored as my favorites.

I even tracked my activity. And what I appreciate the most about the WW App...the price $0!

GLOW: The Couch to 5K(C25K) App.
Last summer I started the C25K training program, but I must admit I never finished the program and I never ran my first 5K. On my first go-round with C25K training, I downloaded Suz's podcast to my other older generation iPod.This time, I downloaded this bad boy (bad boy: a term used to mean anything...in this case, my new app.)

What I like about this app...I can listen to my own music rather than the music provided by the podcast creator.

Needless to say...I LOVE MY iTOUCH!

GLOW: Back Up Meals
I decided to plan one freezer meal (e.g. soup or chili) each week. The freezer meals serve as back-up for times of laziness , on-the-go moments, crazy scheduling, etc. Last week I cooked Turkey Taco Soup...

and this week I made chili. A few times I arrived home exhausted after work and popped a bowl of chili in the microwave instead of cooking or running through the drive-thru.

...added some homemade chips, chives and cheese!

GLOW: I purchased this water jug from the dollar store. I previously owned a 17 oz. cup which I refilled about 4 or 5 times a day. Well, at some point refilling the bottle became a chore, resulting in me not meeting my daily water requirements. My solution to my new lazy habit of not filling my water bottle....BUY A BIGGER WATER BOTTLE!

GROWS...Okay, so I need to work on these things.

My Mom gave me the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Program. Ummm...the word extreme fails to do the P90X justice. On day 1, Arms and Shoulders (which consisted of completing 2,431,675 push-ups), I spent a majority of my workout time face down sniffing carpet fresh. At one point I just stopped and cried! After day 2, I decided to dropkick the P90X box under the bed and move on with my life. But then my Mom gave me a pep-talk and I agreed to continue torturing myself.

On the Plyometrics DVD, one of the P90X "graduates" completed the entire workout with a prosthetic leg. I said to myself, "Self. If this dude with the prosthetic leg can rock this plyometric workout, then I need to shut it and MOVE!" Curious about torturing your self? Check out the P90X video or mosey on over to YouTube

Believe me when I say, you have NOT heard the last about this P90X!

GROW: "Fried" Chicken
This fried chicken dinner, so not a winner. For the first time I made the famous cornflake fried chicken. I think my first mistake was purchasing generic cereal rather than Kellogg's. For the most part my "fried" chicken tasted like chicken covered in cereal...gross. But we ate it...all of it!

Order Up. . . Today's Special!

Tonight's post may lean a little towards the bootleg side.

Definition:
Bootleg: Although the real word means pirated music/software and illegal alcohol, anything that is "bootleg" is fake, unfashionable, or lacking in any way.

Used in a sentence:
" Lisa told me to see that movie, but the bootleg special effects left little to be desired."

Yesterday my internet gave me the blues, and tonight I mismanaged my time. So, this post may lack my usual je ne sais quoi (French for...I don't know what) that keeps some of you coming back for more.

Just a little preview of the goodies nestled in my jazzy lunch tote:

Breakfast: Eggsters

85 g of Potatoes O'Brien
3 egg whites

Directions: Mix together egg whites and potatoes O'Brien. Season to taste and then pour into your Redi-Set-Go! Wait 7 minutes and BAM...EGGSTERS!

Lunch: Chicken Charm-esan

And of course a salad...

Snacks and Back-Up Snacks
Since I eat lunch at 10:15, yes 10:15, snacks are essential to my survival for the rest of the day.

Fresh Berries courtesy of price matching at Wal-Mart. I paid $2 bucks for these blueberries originally priced at $3.48!

An orange and 2 Clementines

I love the new Weight Watchers Roasted Almond Sensation bars...on sale this week for $3.50! When times get hard and my tummy starts talking, I bust out the PB and 1/2 a sandwich thin. I keep a measuring spoon in my bag as well. Also pictured my 0 point salad dressing which also comes in Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Tonight I intended on writing a post reflecting last weeks hits and misses. Tune in for tomorrows post...Glows and Grows.

Thank You...Gracias...Danke... Merci...Grazie

When I returned home from work yesterday, I called the maintenance personnel to remove my door from the frame. Why you ask? My BIG HEAD failed to fit through the doorway as a result of ALL the love fellow blog buddies and MY SITStahs showed Me So Hongry.

I want to THANK EVERYONE for the out pour of motivational and supportive comments in response to my SITS Featured Blogger post. Let me tell you a little something about Me So Hongry. Comments serve as fuel to keep me motivated, especially when the going gets tough and I want to get going ( to the nearest pizza buffet). I want you to know, I plan to respond to each and every person who left a comment yesterday, but it may take a while. I figured if I start responding to around 20 peeps a day, I may finish around...let's see...March (lol).

I even read the comments left by the SITStahs checking in on the SITS website. I discovered that many LOVED and found my blog title humorous. And for that reason, my blog name shall remain the same until the end of time. Well for that reason, plus the fact that I purchased the domain name www.mesohongry.com. And to think, I came up with title while drive down the freeway singing (To the tune of 2 Live Crew's Me So Horny) " Ah...me so hongry...ah...ah...me so hongry. Ah...me so hongry...me eat for long time."

I especially want to THANK everyone for congratulating me on achieving a loss of 45 pounds. Believe me when I say, I am truly touched that you find me inspirational, as well as motivational. Funny thing, I sit here thanking perfect strangers, but yet I struggle with accepting compliments from familiar faces: family, friends, co-workers, fellow WW members, etc. Why is that?

I work hard on my blog and my body, but yet I devalue myself by failing to acknowledge compliments. So from this point forward, I plan to accept and embrace weight loss recognition from family and friends with grace. So with that being said, I need practice with the whole "accepting recognition graciously thing," so let's get the complimets-a-rolling!

Me. . . Brown-Bag-It? Ummm. . . no ma'am.

In keeping with my planning goal, I already packed my breakfast, lunch and snacks for tomorrow. So what does a jazzy chick like me pack her lunch in you ask? Well it just so happens, that today I graduated from carrying my Bento "laptop lunch box"(pictured below) to...

my new chic, JAZZY lunch TOTE. Check it out BAM!!!

My mom gave it to me for Christmas after I complained about my small Bento lunchbox. So bloggers, what's inside Me So Hongry's jazzy lunch tote?

MONDAY
Breakfast:
Black Bean Omelet

Lunch:Cheesy Chicken & Pasta w/ Broccoli- 3 oz of grilled chicken breast, a bunch of broccoli, 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta, 28 oz cheese, and a little turkey broth (made from the carcass of my recycled Christmas turkey) to keep the dish juicy for reheating.

And of course a salad. I eat some form of a salad daily.

THE BEST ORANGE...EVER! This orange came straight from the tree, no trucks, no grocery store...from the tree to ME!

TUESDAY
Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros- 1 corn tortilla (on the bottom), 2 egg whites, scallions, 14 oz cheese, and an undisclosed amount of Arriba salsa. I put salsa on EVERYTHING!!

Lunch: Taco Turkey Soup-black beans, corn, recycled Christmas Turkey, spicy diced tomatoes, no salt added tomato sauce, taco seasoning (season to taste), scallions and 14 0z cheese. I made the stock from boiling the carcass of my Christmas turkey.

I made my own chips. Cut two corn tortillas into triangles, spray the tortillas on each side, sprinkle with a little sea salt and bake. These chips are not an exact science, so you may need to stand by the oven and peer inside frequently. If you walk away, you may BURN your chips.

Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing


Off Topic...HELP!!
Please tell me your 3 favorite post.

Another Chance to Get it Right!

In 2010, I guarantee I'M BRINGING SEXY BACK! I failed to deliver (to myself) on my SEXY BACK promise in 2009. Rest assured my fellow bloggers...GAME ON!

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for making my first year of blogging inspirational, motivational, and exciting:

My New Blog Buddies: Thanks for allowing my blog the opportunity to entertain and motivate you as we both struggle through our weight loss endeavor. Many times last year I wanted to surrender to the food devil and just give up, but your blogs encouraged me to persevere.

Me So Hongry First-Timers:WELCOME! Sit back, strap on your seat belt and get ready for a roller coaster ride. Experience my ups and downs with me and I hope you plan to return time and time again.

My Supportive Lurkers:You know who you are. Those of you I inspired to venture to Goodwill or try new food products, show me some love when stopping by my blog.

Well without further adieu I present my 2009 weight loss adventure in pictures:

December 2008: Already 2 months into my stint with Weight Watchers

January 2009:Celebrating a friends academic achievement

March 2009: Britney Spears concert...check out the hoochies-in-training behind me. Lol.

March 2009: Spring Break at the spa with my Mom...what a treat!

April 2009: 2nd of 2 birthday celebrations in 1 night

May 2009: Chilling at the No Doubt concert with my son

June 2009: Celebrating a friends birthday and my FIRST Summer OFF!

July 2009: GAME ON! As per request of a fellow blogger I proved my dedication with my sweat!

August 2009: Waiting to perform at the Michael Jackson Karaoke Party

October 2009: 3 generations of fabulousness celebrating my Grandma's 94th birthday

October 2009: My 1st grown up Halloween complete with costume and everything

November 2009: Thanksgiving break at the Aquarium

December 2009: Yuletide by the fireside

December 31, 2009: New Years Eve

January 2008/December 2009: Wearing the same shirt...45 pounds lighter.

As you can see my hard work paid off , and a long road ahead looms before me. I must work even HARDER to continue to lose and keep the weight off. I refuse to go back to this:

ALRIGHT Y'ALL, 2010 GIVES US ANOTHER CHANGE TO GET IT RIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!