Small Victories - Pajama Pants

Most people who know me, know that I love to lounge around in my pajamas when I can. This time last fall, I bought probably my favorite pair of pajama pants of all time. I got them at Target and they were flannel with grey and white checks on them. My favorite part was that they had small lines of light blue and light pink edging the checks. The only thing I didn't like about them was that they were a size XL! I've always been bottom heavy, but even before I got pregnant I was wearing medium sized lounge pants. I was 175lb last fall, only about 10lb up from my pre-pregnancy weight. I had a hard time accepting that only 10lbs would put me up two pants sizes (general sizes, not numeric sizes).

The last time I wore those pajama pants was in April at Easter when we went home to Pittsburgh. It was cold there, when it wasn't down here, so I didn't wear them again. I've had my eye on a new pair (same brand and still at Target) for a while and was waiting until closer to my trip home this week. As luck would have it, they went on sale when I was going to buy them this week anyway. I went today and unfortunately, the brown and pink plaid ones I had my eye on were only available in sizes small and XL (I guess that's what I get for waiting). I did find another pair that was dark blue with light blue spots that was the same brand and took a medium into the dressing room to try them on. Not only did I get them on, there was wiggle room!!! Not enough wiggle room to consider trying on a small, and me even thinking that someday my butt could be a small blows my mind.

Weigh-in for 10/8/2011

Last weigh-in (10/1/2011) : 153.4 lb

This weigh-in (10/8/2011) : 152.2 lb

Change : 1.2 lb lost


3 weeks of "maintain" down, 3 to go! I'm halfway home! I'm very happy with my weight loss this week. Brady had a cold last weekend, that he in turn gave to me and Andy, and we have battled with it all week. The only positive about being sick is that you don't have a very large appetite. My next weigh in will be in about a week and a half, while I am at home in Pittsburgh. I wouldn't be shocked if I see a small gain at that time because there will be a lot going on.

Kringles

Those of you located in the Midwest are probably familiar with O&H Danish Bakery, located in Racine, Wisconsin. I had never heard of this bakery until I met Andy and he knew of it because he had spent a summer working in Racine. This bakery is famous for making kringles, which are a traditional Danish pastry. They can be filled with fruit or cheese, and sometimes have an iced topping. It's a large pastry that can serve about 12 people. Andy introduced these to me and it was love at first sight. I think the first one I ever had was cherry and I LOVE cherry. Since then, I think we have gotten about 2 a year and often get them for my parents as a gift. To date, I think I've tried over 10 flavors and they're always introducing new ones. My favorite was probably the pumpkin caramel we had a few years ago. My last birthday was the first Friday of Lent, so we got a King Cake kringle to celebrate. They only offer those during February and March so we hadn't had one before. This fall they introduced two new flavors, apple crumble and pumpkin cheese. Both were very appealing to me, but we decided on the apple crumble, which is only available in September. It was delicious and reminded me of my Oma's apple strudel. When it arrived, there was of course another catalog and we saw they now have a red velvet kringle. That's something we will definitely have to get before we head overseas.

Southwest Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 packet taco seasoning
1 bag of salad
Fat-free cheddar cheese
Multi-grain Tostitos chips
1 can black beans
1 bag steamfresh corn
Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch dressing


Step 1:

Cook chicken in a pan and when no longer pink, add taco seasoning according to packet instructions. Microwave bag of corn and black beans (separately) in a microwave-safe container.

Step 2:

Start putting together salad. This works best as a salad bar where everyone makes their own. This is how I do it. I lay down a bed of salad, weigh out about 4oz of chicken, then add 1/4 cup fat-free cheddar cheese. I top that with 1/2 cup corn and 1/4 cup black beans. The final touch is about 1/2oz of multi-grain Tostitos and 2 tbsp spicy ranch.


14 Points Plus (according to how I prepare my salad)

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 - 15.5oz cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
14.5oz can chicken broth
2 - 4oz cans chopped green chilis
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream


Step 1:

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink.

Step 2:

Add beans, broth, chilis, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Step 3:

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream. Serve immediately.


Make 9 servings (1 cup = 1 serving); 6 Points Plus per serving

October 2011 Goals

Last month was awesome. I hit a goal that I'd been working towards for almost 5 1/2 years and even managed to push past it by 1.6lb. I am in the midst of my 6 week "maintain" period and getting excited to become an official lifetime member and stop paying each month. This month brings with it an incredible challenge : Halloween. I love candy and I'm hoping that the trick-or-treaters take the majority of the candy that I'll be buying. I also will be taking a trip home (on a plane this time) and making it to my only Pitt football game of the year (can you say Primanti's sandwich?). I would really like to make it under 151lb by the end of the month, which would mean 2.4lb lost. I will have 3 more weigh-ins this month, so I need to average 0.8lb per week.

Weigh-in for 10/1/2011

Last weigh-in (9/24/2011) : 153.4 lb

This weigh-in (10/1/2011) : 153.4 lb

Change : 0 lb

2 weeks of "maintain" down, 4 to go! I am more than happy to see no change on the scale than see a gain. I'll take it and move on towards the new week ahead of me. This week, my plan is to get back into the gym for the first time since the end of July, so hopefully that will give me a little kick start!