pumpkin pie custard

This is the perfect holiday treat for those of you staying on plan. You will trick your taste buds into thinking you are eating something "naughty", but you are really only eating something "nice".

Recipe is adapted from Sandy's Kitchen Adventures.

Step One
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients. You will need:

1 package of Medifast vanilla pudding
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup water
12 drops of the pumpkin pie capella drops (add a packet of splenda if you don't have the drops)
Light cool whip (optional)

Step Two
Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Step Three
Pour the mixture into a greased ramekin.

Step Four
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set.

Step Five
Serve warm or refrigerate overnight. Oh and add a dollop of light cool whip if you so desire.

And that's it! Enjoy!

xoxo,
Toni

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-nine...an unintentional mistake

So...I made a mistake today. It wasn't until after the fact that I realized it was a mistake though. Okay, before you start thinking the worst, let me just tell you. I had brussel sprouts for my lean and green meal. You may be thinking, gross, why brussel sprouts? But...I was working on a recipe to make them more delicious for you all and, they were...until I found out they are off-limits.

However, it wasn't until after I was entering in my foods on my Take Shape For Life app on my phone that I realized brussel sprouts weren't on the list of approved vegetables. So I looked it up online and found out that this particular type of vegetable is high in carbs and thus, not allowed on the program. Oh well...I guess you live and learn. And hey, I suppose it's better to eat a wrong vegetable than a cookie. ;)

Breakfast
I took advantage of this lovely Sunday and slept in until about 10am. Once I got up, I made a mocha shake. I added a tablespoon of instant coffee to up the flavor a bit. It's amazing what a simple tablespoon of coffee can do! The shake was so good!

Morning Snack
After church was over, I ate a strawberry crunch bar. After the first bite, I wasn't a fan. But after a couple more bites my taste buds adjusted and it wasn't all that bad.

Lunch
Here is where I messed up...on accident. I had some roasted parmesan brussel sprouts with a pizza burger on the side. It was crazy good, but I will not be having brussel sprouts again now that I am aware they are off-limits. I will still post the recipe later on this week for those of you who can eat brussel sprouts.

Afternoon Snack
Lunch kept me full so I was really only eating my next snack because I had to. I ended up having some mixed berry cereal as well as a bottle of water. I have been slacking on drinking water today, so I drank a bunch with the cereal.

Dinner
I had my next meal while my parents and I watched church online. I sipped on a calorie burn cappuccino while they drank just black coffee. Perfect pairing...coffee and the Word.

Dessert
I ended the night with a delicious and warm blueberry muffin soft bake. I allowed the batter to sit for a few hours and then microwaved it. Not sure if there was a difference by letting the batter sit around, but it was sure good...a little more dense than usual, but good.

I am going to Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow, so we will see how that goes food wise. I have all my snacks prepared and ready to go, so it will just be a matter of when and where I eat my lean and green meal. I will let you all know tomorrow night how it went! :)

I will leave you with a picture of tonight's sunset...so beautiful....looks like the sky is on fire. God is so amazing...it's like He painted this picture for all to see and stare in awe.

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-eight...temptations and diet soda

I lived on diet soda today. I know it is terrible for me, but I was just having one of those days. Early this morning, I had some friends come over and we started making some paper tassles to use as decorations for a missions day we are having at our church. But while we were making them, they snacked on some delicious goodies while I was good and stuck to my own meals.

It was hard. I don't know what it was about today, but it was hard all day. I wanted to eat, but thankfully my spirit was stronger than my flesh and I was able to restrain. But...I also drank my fair share of diet ginger ale as well. I know, I know...diet sodas are terrible for me, but I think it better for me to drink those than eat something that would set me back, right?

But anyways...I did manage to keep myself busy and in the process created a new recipe as well. I will post it soon, of course. :)

Breakfast
As I mentioned earlier, I had some friends come over this morning and while they snacked on some pumpkin bread, I had a cookie dough chewy bar. To be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of it, but when I dipped it in some coffee, it was quite delicious. The hot coffee melted the bar a little bit and created a delicious treat.

Morning Snack
After the girls left, I started working on some freelance work while snacking on some chili nacho cheese puffs. Along with my first diet ginger ale of the day.

Lunch
For lunch I had an eggnog vanilla shake. I know I had one yesterday, but I just couldn't resist...needed to have another one today. :)

Afternoon Snack
Here is where I got creative and made a new recipe. I made a cheesy spinach and kale dip and used celery as a means to dip...rather than the usual chips. And...I also paired it with my second diet ginger ale.

Dinner
I had dessert for dinner...a brownie soft bake to be exact. The dip kept me quite full so this small snack was perfect. And for some reason, the brownie was really good tonight...almost tasted like a "real" brownie. Oh...and I had my third and final diet ginger ale of the night.

Dessert
To end the night I sipped on a coffee milkshake. It was a lovely end to the day. Despite my overwhelming urge to eat, I made it through and ended with a frozen treat.

So, overall the day went okay. Sure, I was tempted, but it was good to know that my spirit is becoming stronger than my flesh. God won and satan lost. What, what! Victory!

Alright...I am still sick so...good night! ;)

xoxo,
Toni

day fifty-seven...month two update

Hi friends! Can you believe that it has already been two months!? I mean, where has the time gone? It's flown by, that's for sure.

The reason for my quote above is because I was so concerned about my weigh-in this morning and what would happen...what if I gained? But you know what? Instead of worrying about it, I should be excited to see how my hard work has paid off! :D Future notes to myself.

I have to tell you, that I am the happiest I have been in a long time. I know that I am not at my goal weight yet, but I feel so much better and am even more confident when speaking with people. The shy girl who stood in a corner is gone...hopefully for good. :)

But anyways, let's move on to what I ate today so you can see my updated photos and measurements!

Breakfast
It's Friday, so it is going to be a fun eats day. With that being said, I made myself an eggnog shake this morning. This has got to be my favorite shake...by simply mixing the vanilla shake with some eggnog capella drops, I can create the drink of my holiday dreams.

Morning Snack
I just love the hot drinks in the morning. I am so happy I ordered enough to have one every day. At first I liked the calorie burn cappuccino better, but now I am leaning towards the chai latte. I don't know...they are both so good! But today, I had the calorie burn cappuccino and loved every sip!

Lunch
I got a little creative for lunch today! It's Friday, so why not? I made cilantro-lime cauliflower rice and topped it with some chicken and light shredded cheese. So stinkin' good! The lime totally compliments the cauliflower. I will be posting the recipe for the rice soon!

Afternoon Snack
Keeping up with the favorites for today, I had some brown sugar cinnamon cereal crunch while sipping on some coffee as well.

Dinner
For dinner, I made something new again. I guess I was just in the mood to try out some new recipes. I made a pumpkin pie custard. And yes, it is as amazingly delicious as it sounds...and then some. So good! Definitely a holiday favorite. I will be posting the recipe for this as well fairly soon.

Dessert
I sort of wanted a chai latte for dessert rather than a crunch bar, so I made one and brought it with me to church. It was perfect because I put it in a red holiday Starbucks cup and I was able to drink it without anybody wondering what it was. ;)

Update
Okay...the moment you are all waiting for...the updates! Well, for starters, I only lost one pound this week, but considering all that has happened with me being sick, etc. I count that as a victory. And let's be real...I am still going down on the scale and have not gained, so double victory. I am excited to see what 2014 has in store for me!

Click here to see my starting pictures
Click here to see my month one update pictures

...and here are my month two update pictures...

Measurements

weight: 141.6 (-8.6 pounds)...I only lost 1 pound however from last week's weigh in
total lost: 24.6

biceps: 12" (-.5") 
total lost: 1.25"

forearm: 9.6" (-.4") 
total lost: .9"

chest: 35" (-2") 
total lost: 5"

waist: 29" (-1") 
total lost: 5.5"

hips: 36.5" (-2.25") 
total lost: 4.5"

bottom: 39.5" (-1.5") 
total lost: 3.75"

thigh: 23.4" (-1.1") 
total lost: 2.85"

knee: 16.5" (-.5) 
total lost: .75"

calf: 15.2" (-.8) 
total lost: 1.3

neck: 12.5" (-.25") 
total lost: .25"

Total inches lost this past month: 10.3" 
Total inches lost overall: 26.05"

I am over the moon...it's amazing how much your body changes day by day. Even though I don't see it, my body is slowly making progress. I hope this encourages you somehow today. I mean, I am a living example that if you stick to this program, you will lose weight and inches.

Please keep me in prayer for this next month and that I would stay on plan and be able to encourage and help others around me. Also, if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me at confessionsandfood@gmail.com...I would be more than happy to help!

xoxo,
Toni