Team Mickey - Biggest Loser "No Excuses" 2012 Challenge

[cruisecrasher]

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?

Favorite healthy food:
Pear all sliced up with Almond butter (natural, no salt)

Favorite non-healthy food:
Many, but a good slice of apple pie is up there

Make it healthy:
"oven baked" apple
Thinly slice one apple (cored but you can leave the Peel on) into a microwave safe bowl
Add and toss with 1/4 tsp either apple pie spice or (cinammon and a pinch nutmeg)
Cover
Microwave 2 1/2 minutes stir and cook additional half minutes until somewhat translucent.
Mmmm.
Tastes like apple pie filling, without added sugar or fat!
If I'm feeling like dessert for breakfast, I'll pour it over some oatmeal with walnuts or pecans.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Good morning!

Favorite healthy food? Steamed veggies with a squirt of lemon. Or salmon. That stuff is so low cal, I am shocked every time I eat it and enter it in to My Fitness Pal.

Favorite non healthy food? Any form of potatoes.

I eat baked or roasted potatoes a lot for my potato fix. I don't get fries anymore or buy chips.

When I eat fast food or a restaurant I order iced tea or have water as my drink. I do look at the menu to see if they have anything listed "low cal" and if they do not or I get something "heavier", I try and guesstimate how much I should eat to stay within my "300" calorie meal.

Coffee. I use table sugar in it. I am not going to give it up right now in the dead of winter however I am using sugar cubes to measure exactly.

ETA...SODA!!! My arch enemy. I am down to 1 soda a day or no soda a day. I have replaced it with tea. Mainly hot tea right now. Today, I am going to go and buy a lot of herbals & green tea without caffeine because I have to lay off caffeine.
.
.

 

[cruisecrasher]

Watching Return of the King, one of my all time favorite movies!

Guess I should send my weigh in to dvccruiser76! I'm up again this week. I'm going through my yoyo stage right now as I slowly get back into working out. I am down from yesterday so I guess it could be worse!

TTFN

I love Return of the King!

As to yo-yo stage I'm wondering if I've gained muscle this week cause although I'm up half a pound everything fits better.

Two hours until DH lands on the plane back from Argentina!!!

I survived two weeks with just me and the kids and have no idea how military wives do it.

 

[cclovesdis]

Morning Mickeys!

for all our Tink 1/2 an 5k runners!

I slept in for a Saturday, but only like most people do! That really makes me happy. I am so glad I'm kicked the nap to the curb. I'm planning on some good exercise today. I found a GF granola that has some dairy free chocolate chips in it. I ate it as a snack yesterday and today I'm going to mix some in with my Chex for breakfast. I am so bored of Chex and GF corn flakes and I'm hoping this will help.

Off to clean my bedroom.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

CC

 

[tigger813]

Morning all!

Tired this morning but it was a long day yesterday. Just made pancakes for everyone for breakfast! Need to take Izzie to basketball in 90 minutes so I should probably take a shower.

We will go right from Izzie's basketball to Ash's game next door at the middle school. Then we will come home and have lunch and shower and I will take Izzie to a birthday party. I will pick her up and take her to buy new sneakers and get steak tips for dinner tomorrow night!

Have a great healthy day! I need some water now too!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?

QOTD: My favorite healthy food is my new chocolate mint shake that I make.

Do you have a recipe for that shake or is it something you buy?

I don't know that I have any specific "favorites" in either category. I have a lot of things that I really like. Desserts/sweets and really good popcorn are probably my favorite unhealthy things and to me it really isn't worth it to try to make them "healthy". I would rather just eat them in moderation when it is appropriate or skip it. I have mentioned many times that if I need a sweet/chocolate fix I enjoy diet hot chocolate but that really isn't any substitute for a rich gooey cake and ice cream!

I also like a lot of the healthy things we have been making. I have found a lot of recipes that use things that are SB friendly and make a wonderful meal. Give me a good steak and side of spinach or asparagus and I am a pretty happy girl, even without the baked potato.

I do think the thing that I miss the most are white rolls and french bread. Sure I can have/make whole wheat versions but they just aren't the same.

Favorite healthy food:
Pear all sliced up with Almond butter (natural, no salt)


Make it healthy:
"oven baked" apple
Thinly slice one apple (cored but you can leave the Peel on) into a microwave safe bowl
Add and toss with 1/4 tsp either apple pie spice or (cinammon and a pinch nutmeg)
Cover
Microwave 2 1/2 minutes stir and cook additional half minutes until somewhat translucent.
Mmmm.
Tastes like apple pie filling, without added sugar or fat!
If I'm feeling like dessert for breakfast, I'll pour it over some oatmeal with walnuts or pecans.

I just bought pears yesterday and have a jar of Almond Butter I got a few weeks ago but haven't figured out how to use. Going to try this! Any other suggestions of things to do with Almond Butter?

Also going to have to try the apple. Might also be good with some ff plain yogurt

Two hours until DH lands on the plane back from Argentina!!!

I survived two weeks with just me and the kids and have no idea how military wives do it.

I had one of the best meals I have had in a LONG time at TGI Friday's yesterday! It was the Mediterranean Beef Skewers. They were cooked perfectly and so tender and flavorful. I had roasted veggies that included what I think was sweet potato and ginger lime cole slaw. It is hard to tell just how much calories/fat/carb is in restaurant meals because they list the nutrition information as it is served but that isn't how I eat it. I didn't have the Tzaziki sauce which I am sure was full fat. I subbed the low fat/calorie/carb Ginger Lime slaw for the Jasmine rice pilaf it was supposed to have. It also came with grilled Pita which I was going to skip but it was so wonderful looking I had to try it. YUM! Not like how a pita usually is, this was very soft and pillowy-- NOT SB approved but I did keep it to only 2 of the triangles which was probably about 1/2 of a small pita. Truly one of the best things I have eaten in a Restaurant ever. And it is nice to have a low carb alternative to my other Friday's favorite, the Bruschetta Chicken and pasta.

After lunch DD11 and I went and bought stuff for her birthday party in March. It was a nice time with just her and I. Then we went to the mall to pick up DD16 and her friend and DD11 went shopping at Claires with a $20 gift card she got for Christmas. Then we ran to Walmart to get some produce and bread and so I could pick up my WATP video. I was really tired and my feet were hurting pretty bad about 1/2 way through Walmart. I was not happy because I wasn't on my feet much and I have been able to go a lot longer than I did. No idea why yesterday was bad.


It is a quiet day here. DD11 has a friend over, DD16 is at a Band fundraiser and I need to go clean something. Not sure what yet but I have to get something done.

Have a great ON PLAN day!

 

[glss1/2fll]

Proud Mama Moment: DS1 made the game winning shot with one second left of the basketball game, thereby beating the school's biggest rival! It was awesome! woot woot The crowd rushed the court and DS1 said it was like floating. He was a very happy teenager.

Not much on the agenda today. I have some JCPenney "reward" cards worth a whopping $10 so might try to use them up before they expire on the 31st.

Had hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls today. Not necessarily off to a good start, but I'm considering it my treat for the day. I didn't run yesterday but I'm pretty sure my knee is fine now so will go this afternoon when it's closer to 40 than 30!

Our niece who had twins gets to bring them home today; they are 2 weeks old! So cute. DFIL is recovering reasonably well from his strokes and hopes after the weekend to leave the hospital and move to a rehab center.

Hope everybody has a great weekend--go runners in California!!!

 

[50sjayne]

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?

Lately-- found some breaded chicken at Costco that is really good it's breaded with panko.
Sweet potato fries.
Ceviche
Brusell sprouts

Non healthy--nachos, hamburgers
nachos--use lighter cheese, lots of tomatoes, green onion, olives, fat free sour cream, guac.
Hamburgers--I've blended in chopped up mushrooms and that's actually really good. fat free cheese, and super lean bacon.

 

[BMC423]

Hope DS feels better soon. If it makes you feel any better, my father always thought I was fine unless I was throwing up. A cold was always treatable with some nasal spray.

Hope you are able to finish all of your work! Keep us updated.

Thank you!! He was able to go to daycare on Thursday! Yes, I finished all my work after a long night... I was completely drained last night but feel much better today.

I was so lost, and I wasn't the only one. I had to as where the produce department is. I'm serious. How can you not find the produce department? Well, first of all, it was tiny. Then, I couldn't find the produce on my list and the tomatoes looked horrible. I was shocked at some of the prices too.

This is a big problem for me too... my supermarket is very small and yes there are is a very limited produce section. I can't wait till it warms up and we could hit up the farmer's markets.

Don't you just love those cute little schedule-busters? It never failed that my kids would get sick when I absolutely couldn't take time off (when they were babies). I'm knocking wood that they stay decently healthy this winter! We've had a couple of colds, and they both had ear infections before Christmas, requiring antibiotics. But they've been mostly smooth sailing since - I just cringe every time the school's phone number shows up on my cell!
OMG, I hear you. When my friend (a super-tiny, super-energetic, would-be-annoying-if-she-weren't-so-sweet Zumba instructor who's also a colleague)

Liz, I hate them and I know what you mean about the school's phone number... my heart starts racing the minute it shows up lol. Oh that comment about your colleague

I'm just gonna post and run. It's no wonder I'm sick. 3 out of 7 students I serve were sick yesterday, some classes were down upwards of 8 or 9 kids and several teachers have the flu. Thankfully mine's mostly sinuses and a cough, nothing too unbearable.

Feel better soon!

Ice, ice, baby! That's what I've got on my knee right now. I did something to it I think Sunday. It hurt a wee bit yesterday, and of course I ran. It felt fine. Not so much today! Bummer.

Oh No! Hope your knee gets better soon.

Good morning everyone! I've been out of the thread loop, my laptop at work was down and home has been a little busy. Hope everyone is doing great and I did see the losers list for the week so CONGRATS to all! I ran my fastest 5k yesterday after work, 38:34. It was one of those "wow this is pretty painless" runs, not the kind of run I feel like I'm wearing lead shoes! Have a great day!

Great Job!

Welcome Something New Wednesday QOTD: Disney is unveiling a brand new tv channel – Disney Junior. This 24/7 channel will be completely devoted to material for preschoolers. If you could have a Disney Channel devoted completely to your interests, what would the programming include?

Maria

I would say a combination of what some of you guys have already mentioned, some behind the scenes, some restaurant reviews, some cooking shows, some what's coming, some movies... a little bit of everything.

BMC423: We're going to be there May 1st - 8th. Originally we were staying at BLT in a 1 bedroom. I canceled that reservation (to save DVC points) and booked a room at Coronado Springs.

Oh ok... Maybe we'll run into each other we will be there from 5/6- 5/12.

Fridays QOTD: What are your plans for the weekend? How will you incorporate your new healthy ways into the weekend? Make a goal for the weekend involving food and exercise!
TTFN

This weekend we are cleaning up, and catching up on housework. Tonight we'll go to Sunday Mass at 5:30 and then get some chinese that's a tradition around here. As always I will try to find something to eat that will fit into my calories. Tomorrow I will work on homework and on getting ready for the week. Have a great weekend everyone!

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?
TTFN

My favorite healthy food is Salmon... I love Salmon its my go to when dining out and there are few healthy choices.

My favorite non-healthy food is anything that can be had for dessert.

Proud Mama Moment: DS1 made the game winning shot with one second left of the basketball game, thereby beating the school's biggest rival! It was awesome! woot woot The crowd rushed the court and DS1 said it was like floating. He was a very happy teenager.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?

TTFN

QOTD -- my fave healthy food...I love tilapia w/ lemon pepper seasoning. I also really like Greek Yogurt...I think the Chibani brand is my fave.

my fave non healthy food...enchiladas. We make a healthy version w/ chicken and spinach, fat free cream cheese, and corn. Delicious!! We also have a healthier version of cheese enchiladas we are trying in the next week.

In a close second for fave non healthy food...pizza. We make our own with whole wheat crust, fat free cheese, turkey pepperoni and Ragu.

 

[cclovesdis]

The Cooking Light sausage & spinach risotto was *amazing.* I double-checked all the nutritionals because it tasted so much richer and creamier than I would have guessed by the stats and points! Definitely keeping that recipe, and I have half-serving leftovers in the fridge for the weekend. OM NOM NOM.

We went to a concert tonight with the girls, and there was a reception afterward. I had 7 points left on the day going in, and I had a half-glass of red wine, one little flat square of cheese (about 1/4 ounce, I think), and one Milano cookie. Two points left! I'm too tired to eat anything else at this point, though. I'm going to work on the new late-January resolution and go to bed early tonight! (Okay, I might read a chapter or two first...)

XO
Liz

Evening all,

Home from Winterfest! Won 2 cakes during the cake walk but NO BASKETS in the raffle. We did sell $1200 worth of books at the Usborne Books booth! So excited since all the proceeds go back to the school! The teachers are also getting a lot of new books for their classrooms. I earned some money for our vacation and am getting some books for the girls for Easter.

Sounds like a great night!

Saturday's QOTD: What is your favorite healthy food and what is your favorite non-healthy food? Is there anything that can be done to your non-healthy favorite to make it healthy?

Healthy: Apples, broccoli, bananas, strawberries, eggs, carrots, eggplant, most veggies and fruits really and chicken

Non-healthy: Pretty much any dessert that is GF-still working on making them healthy

I had one of the best meals I have had in a LONG time at TGI Friday's yesterday! It was the Mediterranean Beef Skewers.

Sounds delicious too!

Proud Mama Moment: DS1 made the game winning shot with one second left of the basketball game, thereby beating the school's biggest rival! It was awesome! woot woot The crowd rushed the court and DS1 said it was like floating. He was a very happy teenager

This is a big problem for me too... my supermarket is very small and yes there are is a very limited produce section. I can't wait till it warms up and we could hit up the farmer's markets.

Me too!

In a close second for fave non healthy food...pizza. We make our own with whole wheat crust, fat free cheese, turkey pepperoni and Ragu.

Sounds good to me!

 

[cclovesdis]

Evening Mickeys!

We did go to my sister's and BIL's today, although I went up later than my parents. I needed to clean my bedroom and do some other odds and ends first. Lunch ended up being okay despite some concern considering I knew there was a chance we would go out for dinner. My father forgot to bring up my deli meat and cheese so I ate peanut butter and jelly. I portioned everything and journaled it. As I expected, we went out to eat. We went to Red Robin. I looked over the menu ahead of time and decided on what I wanted to eat. I didn't realize until I went to put what I ate into myfitnesspal that I could calculate nutrition info ahead of time. But, everything worked out fine and I am slightly under my calories for the day! And, dinner was delicious!

I did not go to the gym today, however. We did walk around Home Depot and Kohl's and we walked from one store to the other, which was about a 1/4 of a mile. Not much, but it was something. I am determined to make it to the gym tomorrow.

I think I am fighting a cold and am starting to feel tired.

Have a great, OP day tomorrow everyone!

CC

 

[tigger813]

Lately-- found some breaded chicken at Costco that is really good it's breaded with panko.

We LOVE those chicken with panko tenderloins! They are sooooo yummy!

 

[tigger813]

Hey losers,

Not done my best today but I don't think I overate either! Too tired from last night to do any workouts. Took the kids to get shoes and boots this afternoon and then made small bowls of spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread. Followed by a raspberry mudslide!

QOTD: Sunday: OK, so I apologize to those NY Giants fans out there ahead of time! I am a HUGE PATRIOTS fan, particularly WES WELKER! Whether you are watching the SUPER BOWL or not, come up with a healthy treat that would be great to eat during the SUPER BOWL next Sunday evening! Please share the treat and or recipe with us and who you are rooting for! I promise not to hold it against you!

Watching Dodge Ball with my DH right now! Kids are finally in bed! I need to pick up some salad tomorrow to have with our steak tips!

TTFN

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

bumping because we were way down the list.

Off to Ikea today to get the boys new bunks and finish getting their dressers.
I'll get my workout today walking through that store!

 

[BMC423]

Hey losers,

Not done my best today but I don't think I overate either! Too tired from last night to do any workouts. Took the kids to get shoes and boots this afternoon and then made small bowls of spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread. Followed by a raspberry mudslide!

QOTD: Sunday: OK, so I apologize to those NY Giants fans out there ahead of time! I am a HUGE PATRIOTS fan, particularly WES WELKER! Whether you are watching the SUPER BOWL or not, come up with a healthy treat that would be great to eat during the SUPER BOWL next Sunday evening! Please share the treat and or recipe with us and who you are rooting for! I promise not to hold it against you!

Watching Dodge Ball with my DH right now! Kids are finally in bed! I need to pick up some salad tomorrow to have with our steak tips!

TTFN

Well.... I'll apologize to you ahead of time too, given your patriots superbowl history with the Giants it's not looking too good! We are Jets fans here so naturally we're rooting for the Giants!
Well here is my snack...

Tomato Basil Crostini

12 slices Italian bread, 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon large capers or chopped ripe olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 slices (1 ounce each) mozzarella cheese
1. Heat oven to 375°. Place bread slices on ungreased cookie sheets. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil over each bread slice.
2. Mix tomato, basil, capers, salt and pepper. Spread half of the tomato mixture over bread slices; top each with cheese slice. Spread remaining tomato mixture over cheese.
3. Bake about 8 minutes or until bread is hot and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

90 Calories per Slice

 

[cclovesdis]

Morning Mickeys!

I am definitely fighting a cold. I don't have a cough, so I'm not going to complain too much.

QOTD: What is the Superbowl? It's really not a big deal for us. We are Patriots fans having lived in NH before moving to CT. We eat a regular dinner and then I'll go to church. If I eat after church, it won't be party style food. We usually go out for a meal. I prefer to know ahead of time, but that never happens.

Off to go clean up some odds and ends.

CC

 

[lovetoscrap]

Proud Mama Moment: DS1 made the game winning shot with one second left of the basketball game, thereby beating the school's biggest rival! It was awesome! woot woot The crowd rushed the court and DS1 said it was like floating. He was a very happy teenager.


Our niece who had twins gets to bring them home today; they are 2 weeks old! So cute. DFIL is recovering reasonably well from his strokes and hopes after the weekend to leave the hospital and move to a rehab center.

for your DS! That is a moment he will remember and cherish for the rest of his life.

Sounds like things are getting better for your family members. I am sure that is a relief to you also.

QOTD: Sunday: OK, so I apologize to those NY Giants fans out there ahead of time! I am a HUGE PATRIOTS fan, particularly WES WELKER! Whether you are watching the SUPER BOWL or not, come up with a healthy treat that would be great to eat during the SUPER BOWL next Sunday evening! Please share the treat and or recipe with us and who you are rooting for! I promise not to hold it against you!

Not really a football fan so sorry to say I don't really care who wins the game and am not planning to be watching. But if I were I think I would make the Roasted Beans that I gave the recipe for earlier in the thread. And last night I experimented with making Kale Chips (Roasted Kale). I have never had Kale before. The family HATED it! I thought it was okay, a little to earthy tasting for me but I might try them again and adding some more seasonings like maybe some taco/mexican spices to jazz it up and maybe help cover the earthy flavor. They are really easy, in fact pretty much just like the beans!

Wash Kale and trim to remove the center stalk. Cut into roughly same size pieces and dry thoroughly. Put in a plastic bag or large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and toss to coat. Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast at 300-325. The recipe I used said it would take up to 35 mins but mine only took 15. Watch it carefully because it will burn fast. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt and eat. These don't keep well so they need to be served pretty soon after making.

Off to Ikea today to get the boys new bunks and finish getting their dressers.
I'll get my workout today walking through that store!

Ikea! Most of my scrapbook room is Ikea! (but not the really cool "craft room/office" type of stuff. The really cheap wood shelves that were all we could afford to buy when we got married and 2 tables that were in the scratch and dent room! But it all works great and I love the flexibility of their stuff. And of course the durability since we have been using some of this stuff for almost 20 years!


Another quiet day. I just made a pot of 5 Can Soup for my lunch today and this week. I am really loving soups for lunch. They are so quick and easy to make and heat up and so filling and healthy. Add a little salad for some veggies and that is all I need. Often I don't even need a snack because I am so full from just that.

I did eat my Lime and Lemon Yogurt "pies" and they were really good! I was concerned they would be more sweet than tart when I made them but after they sat in the fridge the flavor got more intense and they really were perfect. Going to have to make more of those!

A friend was cleaning out her SB stuff yesterday (she used to sell CM) so I went over there and "shopped" from her and got some great stuff. The best part was she just wanted it gone so even though I had taken plenty of money she didn't want anything for it!

I cleaned some of my kitchen cabinets today as part of my ongoing kitchen reorg. I need space for the canning jars I am now using for my salads and other things, and we just are out of space. I found over a dozen glasses in the top back of the glassware cabinet that haven't been used in at least 2 years. I send DD11 upstairs to ask DH if he saw any reason to keep them (they are the size he likes for having wine in). She came back and said "Daddy says they are nice glasses and he would probably use them." So I told her to go back and tell him that is fine if he wants to keep them but HE has to find somewhere to put them. She came back and said "Daddy says that he really doesn't like these and we should get rid of them!" I have a box of stuff to freecycle/donate.

Since I have done dishes, cleaned cabinets and picked up the living room I think I am going to try to get some scrapbooking done. Everyone have a great ON PLAN day!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

CONGRATS TO OUR TWO LISAS (lisah0711 and liesel) for completing the inaugural tink half marathon!!!!

 

[KippWade]

Wow, too much time has passed since I've checked in last! After Marathon Weekend, I pretty much hit a demotivated mood. Having solely focused on that one event for so long (last March), once it was past, my motivation balloon popped.

For my first running event of any kind, ever, I think things went well. I met many WISH'ers at the 2 meets I attended and had a blast.

Then, after running the Half on the 7th and returning to the real world on the 10th I just ran out of steam.

I've sent in my weigh-in for this week and I've managed to get it back to at least my first weigh-in. I somehow managed to keep it below 250# the entire time, but I'm thinking that it was either sheer dumb luck, or my thoughts on "bad" decisions are actually getting to be slightly better decisions than I think.

It also could be that I'm just now feeling guilty about not having run since the 7th!

So, I'm back and want to really get back into the swing of things.

My blog link is in my signature and I've written some details all about my first ever Marathon Weekend experience