day sixty...a day at a theme park

Today I went to Knott's Berry Farm...my first time going to a theme park since starting the Take Shape For Life program. And...it went really well! My friends are the best and really supportive with all my special food requests and eating. It's really important to have people who support you.

Breakfast
Beofre even going to the theme park, I had to make about 75 chocolate covered strawberries for a church event. So I woke up early and drank a vanilla shake while dipping the berries and sprinkling them with sliced almonds and coconut.

Morning Snack
After the strawberries were done, I made a chai latte to bring with me to meet my friends and head on over to Knotts.

Lunch
At this point in the day, we were all at the park and going on rides like no one's business. The park was empty so we went on a ton of rides. While walking about from ride to ride, I pulled out some vanilla snickerdoodle cookies (using the vanilla pudding mix) I made yesterday to munch on. I know they don't look all that appetizing, but trust me...they were good and satisfying. I will also be posting the recipe for these soon.

Afternoon Snack
We went out of the park to grab some food around 2pm. After looking around a bit, we decided on TGI Fridays. I ended up eating my lean and green meal at this time and ordered the Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Caesar Salad minus the balsamic glaze drizzle, the Caesar Vinaigrette, and focaccia croutons. I ate pretty much everything except the tomatoes and some of the lettuce. Oh, and I didn't have the dressing either...left it on the side.

Dinner
I wasn't able to snap a photo of my dinner because it was dark and we were walking around. But anyways, I did have some honey mustard pretzel bites. It was really easy to just pop them in my mouth as we walked about.

Dessert
I was back home by the time dessert came around and I ended up eating a smores crunch bar and boy did it hit the spot. It was really good tonight...perfect treat to end a fun, wonderful, and successful day.

Here are a few photos of me and my friends throughout the day...

The Girls...Liz, Kiera, and me

Me and my friend, Caleb just about to go on the ride, xcelerator

Such a fun day! And I am living proof that  it is possible to stay on track (despite all the funnel cakes, ice cream, and hamburgers) while going to a theme park. My only suggestion...come prepared. I don't think I would have stuck to the plan if I was not prepared in all my meals. Look up the restaurants beforehand in and around the park before you go so you know what you can and cannot eat.

Hope this helps and encourages you to stay on track during your next outing. Have a blessed night!

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-two...doubt

Yesterday at my second Christmas party, our college pastor, Abraham deAlba spoke on doubt and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Me? Doubt? Never. But...I was wrong. I have been doubting God unknowingly, thinking certain things will just never come to pass. I am a doubter. Simply put.

I need to remember that the Lord has a plan. Sure, I may not know when it will come to pass, but He does and that is all that matters. Easier said than done, right? I want things to happen right now...today. However, I cannot doubt God. I just can't. There is no sound reason why I should. I mean, He is the God of the universe and knows every little detail about me, and I want to doubt Him? I am crazy!

So that is it...no more doubting. No more questioning God. I need to practice patience and rely fully upon the Lord and trust in His timing. He will make my desires come to pass if it is His will.

Now that we have that settled, let's move on to my eats for the day!

Breakfast
Had a lovely morning sleeping in today. Once I woke up, I made a mocha shake and drank it once again while curling my hair...I think I am going to make a habit out of this.

Lunch
After church I was hanging out with a friend at Portola Coffee Lab and while drinking an iced coffee I had a bag of cheese pizza bites. Honestly, not the best pairing, but still good when eaten by itself.

It was also my friend's first "hipster coffee" so I had to snap a picture of her taking a picture of her beautiful mocha...she's the cutest. Love you Kim!

Afternoon Snack
Once I got home from my coffee visit, I cleaned the kitchen and then had a chocolate crunch bar. I then started to put together and cook my dinner.

Dinner
I made a new lean and green meal for dinner! I am still testing it out, but I am hoping to master the recipe by Christmas. I made a turnip gratin. Not my favorite to be honest...it still needs a bit of tweaking. Keep a lookout for the recipe soon.

Dessert
I had a calorie burn cappuccino as soon as I got home from church. Don't know why, but I was just in the mood for a nice hot cup of coffee.

Dessert #2
I had some friends come over after church and while I made them some cookies, I also made myself some chocolate chip pancake cookies. They were really good...very similar to a doughnut hole. I will post the recipe soon.

That is all I have for today! Hope your day is blessed!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty...the dancing queen

Today was so much fun. It was one of the best days I have had in a really long time. But I will get to that in a minutes...first, let's talk about the eats for the day.

Breakfast
I slept in until 9am and then made myself a strawberry shake. I don't know what I was thinking it would taste like, but it was rather good. It tasted a bit bland at first, but the flavor really kicked in by the second and third sip.

Lunch
By the time lunch came around (it was too late for a morning snack) I was out and about buying groceries for a little get together I was having with my friends later in the evening. Instead of buying some groceries to make a new recipe or a salad, I decided to just go out and buy a salad from Chipotle. I have been on Medifast for a month, so I thought it was a good test for me. So, I walked into Chipotle, ordered a salad with chicken, a tiny scoop of fajita veggies, and topped it all off with pico de gallo. It was delicious! And you can't beat it for only $6.75. The next time you find yourself on the road, don't cave into the fast food restaurants. Instead, look for a Chipotle and grab a salad from there...you won't regret it.

Afternoon Snack #1
After lunch I threw the pork in the crockpot (I made bbq pulled pork sandwiches), and prepped the apple pie. Before I moved on to cleaning the house, I ate my first snack of the afternoon...nacho chili puffs. My goodness...these are so good! As you remember, I am not a fan of the parmesan puffs, but these are a different story. For some reason the flavor of these reminded me of eating a bean burrito from Taco Bell. Pro or con? I don't know...you can decide for yourself.

Afternoon Snack #2
After finishing my first snack, I got right back to work and started cleaning up the house. The owners of the home I am housesitting are returning tomorrow, so I wanted the house to be all clean for them. No one likes to come home from a trip to a dirty house. So after cleaning for a couple hours, I made my second snack and started to get ready for a wedding reception taking place in only an hour. I had to eat quickly, get ready, and head off. In my hurried state, I made some mini pancake cakes. Basically a pancake mug muffin cut into four pieces. Delish!

Dinner
I wasn't able to snap a picture of my dinner, because I had to eat it during the reception. It was good though! I was able to talk to the people at my table about the Medifast program. As usual people seem skeptical (hey, I was at first), but once I explain it, they understand and some are even interested. Oh! And in case you were wondering, I had the lemon meringue crunch bar. This is basically a dessert in a bar. So good!

Dessert
After coming home from the reception, it was time for my friends to start arriving! I finished up dinner and got everything prepared. While they ate, I heated up some water in a kettle and made a calorie burn cappuccino. I knew it would be a long night, so I figured the caffeine was perfect. Plus, it kept me full for the remainder of the time I was awake.

Now you may be wondering why I titled this post "The Dancing Queen (or King)"...well, one of the couples who came over brought over this dancing game using the xbox connect. It was so stinkin' fun! You are jumping around trying to mirror the dance moves...and the best part of all, you are burning calories. My friend Kiera snapped a few shots of me (on the left) in action with Summer. Summer was the dancing queen and her husband was probably the dancing king...they were pros. Sorry for the blurry pictures, but we were moving and dancing the night away! Literally though...we played this game and another game after that for a good 2-3 hours.

I hope your Saturday was as fun as mine!

xoxo,
Toni