day sixty-two...it's my grandma's birthday!

It was my grandma's birthday today! The picture above is of me, my grandma, and my mom (taken last year)...three generations!

My grandma is the best grandma ever...seriously. She is also like a second mom to me. I love her dearly. I went out to lunch today with her, along with my brother and my grandpa, to celebrate her special day of birth. It was just a sweet time of fellowship and catching up. She lives nearby, so it's always nice to get together whenever possible.

I hope you have a very blessed birthday, Grandma! Love you! xoxo

Breakfast
Same old breakfast this morning...eggnog shake. I know I get pretty repetitive with my foods, but hey, when you like something, why change it?

Morning Snack
I had a chocolate chip cookie dough chewy bar this morning, and I paired it with some coffee so I could dip it in there. The hot coffee melts the chocolate a little bit creating this delicious holiday-like treat!

Lunch
As I mentioned earlier, I went out to lunch today for my grandma's birthday. Well, one of her favorite places to eat is called The Habit. So, I looked up the menu online beforehand and found out what I was going to order before I even got there. Looking at the menu too long at a restaurant always causes me problems. So, with that said, I ordered a ceasar salad (with no croutons and dressing) and added some tri-tip to it. The meat was so tender and juicy, there was absolutely no need for dressing.

...and here is a quick snapshot of my grandparents. Aren't they the cutest? ;)

Afternoon Snack
Steak usually tends to keep me quite full, but I was fairly hungry by the time the next snack time came around. I stuck to something simple and drank a chai latte. Sort of helped to settle and digest all that meat I had.

Dinner
I was out and about during dinner, so I just snacked on some brown sugar cinnamon cereal crunch. Have you noticed how crowded it is out there?! There are people everywhere you go! I only went to Target and Trader Joe's and it took me well over an hour and a half to get my shopping done! So crazy.

Dessert
Once I finally did make it home, it was time to go to church. After church I made some mini brownie bites using the brownie soft bake and called it quits for the night. I was exhausted. PS...these brownie bites were amazing! I will post the recipe soon. :)

I hope you have some fun while doing your shopping this weekend. Remember to keep a smile on your face at all times...it will only soften those who are upset and frustrated. Just simply smile! :D

Once again, happy birthday to my dear grandma...love you!

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-four...I heard it through the grapevine

I was listening to a Bible study taught by Abraham de Alba the other night while running and he started talking about grapevines and brought up some really good points that I thought I would share with you.

When you look at a single grapevine, you will notice that all the branches are twisted and wrapping around each other. That is how our Christian lives are supposed to be...we are to be twisted and tangled with Jesus. He needs to be in every aspect of our lives.

Grapevines are also tangled together with other grapevines. A grapevine does not stand alone...it has other grapevines on either side of it. This is how we are to be with others...in unity. You don't want a church to be divided, but rather having the body of Christ joined together, working together to glorify God.

The same analogy can even be applied to the Medifast program or any other health program for that matter. You cannot stand alone. You just can't. You need the Lord and other people on either side of you, encouraging and working with you to reach your goals. A grapevine that is alone will not bear fruit. Don't be that lone grapevine...grab hold of those around you and hang on tight!

So anyways, that is my little encouragement to you all today. Hope it blesses you as much as it did me.

Breakfast
For breakfast I whipped together a mocha shake with a few drops of the capella coconut flavored drops. So really, I had a mocha coconut shake. Delish!

Morning Snack
I had some work errands to run so I made my chocolate chip soft bake in a disposable cup rather than the tray. I had no issues...worked like a charm. However, I do prefer the tray over the cup.

Lunch
Yep, you guessed it...I had another salad today. Today I had the chili lime chicken burger on a bed of romaine lettuce with some light Italian dressing. Hey...if it's good, why mess with it? :D

Afternoon Snack
I tried something new today for my afternoon snack...the mixed berry cereal crunch. I was skeptical about these, but they were not bad! The taste is very similar to froot loops. I love cereal, so this is a perfect alternative for me.

Dinner
I can't drink water or shakes right before church, so I had a simple lemon meringue bar for my dinner. Don't judge...I took the picture in my car while driving...in my defense, I was at a stop light. ;)

These bars are filling! I mean, they look so small (and they are), but I am always full after eating one. Love that full feeling.

It started raining as we were walking out of church!!! I love the rain and just want it to pour! Bring on the rain!!! Can you see that the leaves are wet...the shininess on them is from rain. :D

Dessert
After church was over, we came straight home and I made myself a peanut butter milkshake. For some reason I just love ice cream and other cold desserts when it is raining. I don't know why...I just do. I tried to capture the rain falling outside, but I obviously failed. At least you can see the wet pavement...or can you?

I pray you have a blessed day! Remember...don't be a lone grapevine! Grab a friend and get working together. :) 

xoxo,
Toni

day thirty-two...what's in the red cup?

I love the eggnog latte from Starbucks. It is my all time favorite drink...and I can only get it once a year...this time of year. I walked into Starbucks last night after doing a little shopping at Trader Joe's and saw that the holiday drinks were here and available. I will fully admit that it is going to be a challenge this season not to buy any of these drinks...especially the eggnog latte which is probably the worst one out of the bunch. So I am going to resist and not give myself any liberties to buy one. I can make my own at home, Medifast style. ;)

But please pray for me in this season when food and drinks are the center of attention...it is hard for me because my mind thinks, "You only get this once a year...just get back on track after Christmas..." But you know what? I don't want to stop doing the Medifast program! I love what I am doing and really love the results...why mess that up with a drink I will consume in less than an hour? It is just not worth it, right? Right.

Breakfast
It's nice to be back home and back on my normal routine. I made myself a dark chocolate shake and put a little less ice in it to make it more creamy...and it did. It was a delicious shake. Oh, and say hello to the family cat, Bristol...he likes to photo bomb pictures.

Before I had my morning snack, I sipped on some vanilla cinnamon tea I got from Trader Joe's last night. It was so good! I loved the taste of it...plus, it smells just like Christmas.

Morning Snack
After my tea, I made myself a chocolate chip pancake in a mug. I added way too much water, so instead of it becoming a muffin, it became a soft, crumbled mess. Either way it was fairly good. Tasted a tad too eggy for me, but the chocolate chips helped balance everything out.

While shopping last night, I also bought myself some flowers for my desk at work. It is going to be a long and busy week, so I thought these might brighten my day if things get too crazy and stressed. Aren't they pretty. :)

Lunch
I am just trying all these Trader Joe's products left and right today. For lunch I made myself a chili lime chicken burger chopped up and put on top of a bed of lettuce with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and Italian dressing. This burger is to die for. It is packed with flavor and tasts amazing. Loved it! This time the other family cat, Peggy, wanted to be in the shot.

Afternoon Snack
For my afternoon snack I had some cheese pizza bites. I was craving something crunchy ever since I finished lunch, so this snack was a perfect fit.

Workout
I didn't wake up early this morning...BUT...I did go for a run/walk after work. Yay! It was 2.11 miles...not a bad start.

After my run/walk, I came back home and did a 10-minute arm toning workout.

Dinner
After completing my workout, I ate my dinner for the day. I tried out a new bar...a chocolate crunch bar. My goodness...this is full of chocolate. If you are craving chocolate this is the thing for you. Just have some water handy because you are going to need it. Overall it was fairly good...not my favorite, (I don't think any bar can beat out the s'mores crunch bar) but still good.

Dessert
To end the night, I had a peanut butter milkshake while watching last week's episode of The Biggest Loser. Perfect combo. :)

Today was a good day...I stuck to the Medifast program and I even worked out!

Just remember to keep it clean when it comes to filling that red holiday cup. No eggnog, folks...stick to the skinny drinks or just keep the coffee or tea black. You can do it!

xoxo,
Toni

Pizza Boats

I finally have a recipe for you all!

I tried this last night, and it was divine. Definitely a "comfort food" kind of meal. I really don't even like zucchini but I loved this, and I promise you will too.

Step One: Gather your ingredients. You will need mini zucchini, pizza flavored meatless burger, light mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce. All these ingredients can be bought at Trader Joes—that is where I do most of my shopping. If you can't find the pizza burger, you can use any meatless burger or ground turkey.

Ingredients:
1 Trader Joe's Pizza Meatless Burger
1/4 cup of marinara sauce
1 ounce of light mozzarella cheese
about 12-15 mini zucchini
1 teaspoon of olive oil (not pictured)

Step Two: Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil into the bag and steam the mini zucchini in the mircrowave or on the stove.

Step Three: Cut the ends off of the zucchini and then take a sliver off of one side. Just cut the skin mainly.

Step Four: While letting the zucchini cool down, go ahead and crumble up the burger. It really just falls apart.

Step Six: Add the marinara sauce and mix it up.

Step Seven: Scoop out a bit of the zucchini flesh. You can add the it to the meat if you like or just save it for something else.

Step Eight: Pour the burger mix into each zucchini "boat" and then sprinkle the cheese onto them.

Step Nine: Cook it in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds—basically until the cheese melts. Just keep an eye on it. And then enjoy!

That's it! It is a fairly easy recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Medifast Lean and Green Breakdown:
Lean: Trader Joe's Meatless Pizza Burger, 1/4 cup of light mozzarella cheese
Green: 2 cups of mini green zucchini, 1/4 cup of Trader Joe's marinara sauce
Healthy Fat: 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

xoxo,
Toni