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 forty-four...take my life, take all that I am

Today I want to keep it short and sweet. I went to church tonight and the worship leader sang a song that really spoke to me. Here is the youtube video which subtitles the lyrics...it is called "Like an Avalanche" by Hillsong United.

Powerful words, right? I encourage you to make that your prayer today..."Take my life, take all that I am, with all that I am, I will love you. Take my heart, take all that I have, Jesus how I adore you."

Breakfast
My lovely cats decided to wake me up around 5am this morning, but I was able to get back to bed and sleep in until 10. Sleep is a wonderful thing. Once I woke up, I made myself a dark chocolate shake.

Morning Snack
After I drank breakfast and read my Bible, I started to clean the kitchen and the kitchen floor. In the middle of my cleaning, it was time to eat my morning snack...or really an afternoon snack. Instead of having my lean and green meal (since it was lunchtime) I decided to have the honey mustard pretzel bites so I could easily stick one in my mouth while continuing to clean.

Lunch
After I finished cleaning, I headed over to Trader Joe's and did a little food shopping for the week. I bought some lettuce, shredded Parmesan cheese, and chicken burgers, as well as some probiotic pills. Once I got back home, I made a salad with romaine lettuce, a pizza burger, shredded Parmesan cheese, and light chipotle ranch dressing. Delish!

Afternoon Snack
A few hours later, I made myself a calorie-burn cappuccino. Instead of mixing it with water, I tried mixing it with black coffee. I have no idea why I haven't been doing this the whole time. The cappuccino was so good! I will be probably be doing this all the time now. Maybe I will try it with the chai latte...or add some espresso shots to it.

Dinner
A little while later, I went to church and wasn't able to eat until after. I was a tad past three hours, but by only about 15 minutes. Saturday nights at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa are so amazing. If you ever have time on a Saturday night, I highly encourage you to come. I wasn't going to come tonight actually, but the Lord put it on my heart to go and I am so happy I listened to Him. Click here to listen or watch past messages. After the study I drove home and while waiting for a parking spot, I snacked on a s'mores crunch bar (thankfully I packed it in my purse).

Dessert
I was up for a while, so when it was time to eat dessert, I was kind of hungry and thankful I had one more meal to eat. I sipped on a coffee milkshake and then called it a night. I just love these milkshakes and can't get enough of them. Really feels like you are "being bad".

Oh and a little side note...you may have noticed that I didn't post a weight update yesterday, and well, that is because I didn't bring my scale with me on the road trip. So...I will just wait until next Friday to weigh myself and update you all.

My kitties also say hello and goodnight!

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

day eight...the big weigh in

Today is the day. The first day of my second week, and my weight in day. Let's just say...I was a little nervous. Not because I went off the diet (because I didn't), but more of just doubting myself and thinking, did I eat everything right and how and when I was supposed to? Well, I got my answer when I saw the number on the scale. But I will reveal all that at the end of the post. Keep the suspense building.

I was crazy busy (again) all day and had to eat most of my meals on the go. Why? You ask. Well, I was setting up for the Men's Conference which is tomorrow. Here is what I helped do...

Lots and lots of books to set up. But it's pretty fun. Kept my mind busy and not wandering and thinking about food—which usually tends to happen when I have an idle mind. I am sure many of you know what I am talking about.

I was also faced with a temptation...a giant box of chocoalte (I didn't take a picture of it, because I don't want to stumble anyone), and it was hard not to just grab one and eat it. No one had to know. But even though I could smell the chocolate, I resisted and asked myself, is it really worth it? And the answer is no, it's not. And it never will be. That's that.

Breakfast: Mocha Shake

photo cred: theveggiehouse.com—I forgot to take a photo, so I borrowed this one :)

I don't think I will ever get tired of this shake...it's just that good.

Like I mentioned earlier, I was busy today, so I had my next meal while driving. I wasn't driving though, so that made it a bit more easier to eat.

Morning Snack: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

I wasn't a big fan of the oatmeal, so I found a recipe that made these delicious muffins using the apple cinnamon oatmeal mix along with the spiced pancake mix. Click here for the recipe.

Then I got to work making those tables look pretty, and before you know it, two and a half hours passed and it was time to eat...again!

Lunch : Parmesan Cheese Bites

I know I usually have my lean and green meal at lunch, but there was just no time. I did think ahead and brought all my snacks just in case—which was good, because I didn't end up having my lean and green meal until dinner, so I was covered.

For my afternoon snack, I was in the car once again. I forgot to snap a photo, but that's ok. I just borrowed one from Medifast. :)

photo credit: medifast1.com

Once again, the picture shows two bars, but I only had one. Just to clear up any confusion. :)

Now comes the fun part. Dinner. I did something a little different tonight. Thanks to my health coach, Charlotte, who gave me tons of ideas on what to eat. One thing she suggested were these vegetarian pizza flavored burgers from Trader Joe's. Oh my, they were so good! I also had some mini zucchini just laying around, so I decided to make mini pizza bites.

Dinner: Mini Pizza Bites

They look pretty good right? It was a nice change up from my usual salad. Click here for the recipe.

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

Now on to dessert...

Dessert: Coffee Milkshake

I did it again. Same thing as last night. Only difference is, this is coffee flavored, whereas I had the peanut butter last night. Which one is better? Well, I think the peanut butter tastes a bit better, but they are both delicious.

Well, before I sign off, I guess I should let you all know what my weight was this morning. You ready? Okay...so as of today, I weight 158.8 pounds! That is a total weight loss of 7.4 pounds in only one week! And to be honest, it feels like I am not even on a diet. I love most of the Medifast food and actually find myself looking forward to it! Can't wait to see the results next week. The number on the scale is only going down from here—I promise you that.

Blessings!

xoxo,
Toni