ode to produce...

yeah.. so.. i didn't go to the farmer's market last weekend since i decided to stay up until 6am. (not a rare occurence for me since i'm usually still at work at that time). however.. i woke up at 1pm and was mad at myself for missing it.. only to find that - WOOHOO - i get my monthly produce delivery this week!! i'm so excited. i use a company called 'planet organics' that delivers all around the bay area, but if you look, i highly suggest trying to find a produce delivery or food co-op in your area. co-ops tend to be cheaper since they send you whatever they have available that week, and you tell them how many people you want produce for. unfortunately, there aren't any near me. so i go with the delivery service that allows you to customize your 'box' with whatever as long as it's $32 minimum. it's a little pricey, but i only have it delivered once a month, and i make sure to log in and fill my box with stuff i know i'll use.

so i'm looking forward to my delivery on wednesday.. but until then i'll survive on frozen fruits and veggies. not that there's anything WRONG with that.

and while we're on the topic of frozen produce.. if you do find yourself looking at a bunch of browning bananas or squash that's getting soft by the second.. don't think twice about freezing them. right now, in my freezer i have:

apples
bananas
peaches
strawberries
grapes
zucchini
summer squash
wax beans
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots

all of these were at one point fresh, and as i saw they were about to turn, i chopped them up, and put them in labelled ziploc freezer bags. i can't tell you how much money i've saved.. i just hate throwing stuff away! some of the fruit i eat frozen or use in smoothies, and the veggies i add straight to the saute pan or microwave them with a little seasoning. just today i made a totally awesome dinner with some frozen produce:

zucchini
red onion
red bell pepper
cremini mushrooms (these were fresh)

spray veggies with olive oil cooking spray and toss with salt and pepper. preheat grill, throw veggies onto a grill pan, and cook along with whatever meat you're having that day (for me it was lean pork chops marinated in chaka's mmm sauce. i made some brown rice cooked in low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, and had a delicious dinner that my bf called 'a keeper'. hahaha.

so go forth, and eat your veggies!

week 2 back on track

yes, that's accurate.. i updated my weight graph and i gained back almost 20 pounds in 6 months. disgusting.. i know. part of me really really really wants to change that graph so that it starts with my restart date from a couple weeks ago.. but the other part of me knows that seeing it is a good reality check.

on the plus side.. i saw my roomie from college and her sister today (shaden and sara) and they both said that i look like i've lost weight.. i think i'm one of those lucky people who carries their weight really well.

this has been a roller coaster of a week for me. for the most part i did okay.. i was sick last week around WI, some sort of stomach bug.. and didn't feel right all weekend. i had some crazy breakdown on monday and ate an entire sleeve of oreos. gross.. i know. but other than that it was pretty good. i went to happy hour with my girlfriend lisa on friday and tracked everything we had.. and that took away all my WPA (hence the reason my unfortunate oreo incident was more than just unfortunate). all-in-all.. we shall see the results later on today.

no crazy good recipe finds this week. and back to the farmer's market this weekend. i still have hope that this time i will be successful.. for good!

successful week!!

i am so super excited to be back on track.. i'll have to update my stats and progress on the blog when i'm at work this weekend. lol.. i love catching up on non-work-related activities at work. good times.

i walked quite a bit this week, but no actual 'working out' activities. maybe as i start jiggling less in my work-out clothes i'll be more comfortable turbo jamming again. it is SO fun! i'm not an avid gym-rat, but when i do workout, i stick to the ones that i enjoy:

jillian michael's 30 day shred
turbo jam cardio party
10-minute trainer

the latter 2.. shh.. i got on ebay. a lot of people complain about beachbody's sales' tricks, so i decided to stay away.

on to what actually helped me get through this week:

1. getting rid of trigger foods! thank you hungry girl!
i made my boyfriend's friends eat our bags of chips and oreos.
2. pre-planning for my baking orders. i had an order of cupcakes and 2 apple tarts for saturday.. normally i would eat all the leftovers, but as soon as i made them i took any leftovers to friends or.. once again.. made my bf's friends eat them.
3. stocked up at the farmer's market. i know i've mentioned how much money i save at the market every weekend before, but this week i made sure to buy lots and lots of veggies.. and forced myself to use them. i made eggplant parmesan (baked, not fried), pasta pomodoro (with chicken breast, zucchini, tomatoes and a ton of fresh basil), stuffed bell peppers (with lean ground beef), boiled corn on the cob (so sweet and delicious it didn't need butter), and lots of snacking on carrots and celery.
4. holey donuts! - i got some on a good deal they were running.. $5 a box, and they are amazing. i haven't been eating them every day (they run 3-7 points each), but they are delicious when you have a craving.
5. vitatops - i get them on amazon (free shipping!) and yes, i've mentioned them before.. but when you're really hungry between meals, it's the best, most delicious 1 point you can spend. my favs are deep chocolate and apple berry.
6. cool-ups - i bought mine at bed bath.. and i didn't use them a ton this week, but they were great over the summer! you can portion out your slow-churned ice cream.. and it's easy to control how much you're eating! yum!

if anyone is interested in the recipes i used this week.. let me know. i'll post them up!