Back in Texas Again!

Hello friends! 

I am back from Fantasyland a/k/a Orlando.  We had such a nice time, and some breakthroughs while we were there.  My son. The three-year-old. The one that is going to drag a suitcase of Depends down the wedding aisle? MAKING HUGE STRIDES in the potty training department.  He actually went in the potty each day while we were at my mom’s house.  He’s still not perfect, but hey…a victory is a victory. 

We got to see my sister and brother.  I may not have told you all, but this trip was SUPPOSED to be for a wedding.  My youngest sibling, Kevin, was supposed to be married on 3/12, but his fiancée called it off back in November.  Since we all had purchased our airfare prior to the cancellation of the wedding, we still thought it was a great opportunity to see each other (it’s been at least three years since the Paget kids have been together!) and to cheer Kevin up (but to our delight, he’s already happy---he’s DATING AGAIN!!!).  As far as fun stuff to do, we took the kids to Cocoa Beach to get their toesies in the sand. Adam hadn’t been to the beach up until this point in time, so it was fun to see him running around.  Morgan? She loves the sand and surf, so she was right at home.

We didn’t do Disney this time around, but we took the kids to the Orlando Science Center where they were able to see an IMAX movie, and get their hands on some cool stuff.  We dragged my brother and sister with us and we had a nice afternoon.  I also had a chance to catch up with some wonderful friends.  I saw my Rollins MBA buddies and some of my high school friends.  We ate good (healthy) food and I indulged in a nice glass of wine.  All in all? A nice break. The best part? Not having the work PC with me and not checking work email or voicemail one time while I was gone.  It felt GREAT!

You may wonder why Steve (wonderful hubbie) isn’t in any of these shots. Well…he is my personal paparazzi, so he was actually taking those photos!  Speaking of photos…here is the latest in my ‘Before and After’ series.  Again—left photo? San Antonio 2008 and the right photo? Cocoa Beach, March 2010.  Take pictures people. It really helps you to gauge your progress, even if the scale is not moving.  I know I have been frustrated with the slowness or stagnancy of the scale, but I can actually SEE my progress below.  I keep harping on this, but PICTURES REALLY ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!!!! I try to do this kind of comparison once per quarter.  This allows me to be reminded of where I’ve been, and where I am right now.  I think that I will put this one up on the fridge so that I can use it as an anchor.  I need anchoring. Badly.

 Below are some other shots of the vacation.  

Left: my soon-to-be-potty-trained son, Adam and me on Cocoa Beach. He was supposed to be waving at daddy.  Oh well!

Right: my daughter Morgan and me on Cocoa Beach. Love this shot!

Left: the family out in front of Ron Jon’s Surf Shop in Cocoa. Adam, again, being difficult!

Right: my wonderful MBA buddies, standing in front of Roy E. Crummer Hall at Rollins.  We have (from left to right… Steve, Marie, ME and Jeff).  These are wonderful people

I did manage to maintain over vacation, which is great.  I got in some good exercise, going running (and walking) with my brother each morning. I managed to get in between 7,000 and 9,000 steps each day.  I also took charge of most of the cooking so I knew that I had control there as well. My parents don’t seem to mind though J

This week’s meeting focused on portion control, and I have attached a great compilation of meeting-themed materials for you to read.  This week’s closing quote deals with success and perseverance.

“Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.”

- Orison Swett Marden

ATTACHMENTS:

This week’s attachment goes along with the meeting topic of portion control.  There are recipes and tips included.  A great read!

GLUTEN FREE CORNER:

Stay tuned!

RECIPES

Mexican Casserole                     

This casserole was posted in the meeting room and looked nice and comforting.  It’s done in the slow cooker which is an added bonus!

POINTS® Value: 4

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat wraps

1 can fat free refried beans

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

½ jar salsa

1 oz fat free shredded mexi-blend cheese

Instructions:

Line crockpot with foil.

Combined drained beans and corn. Layer 1 wrap, beans, salsa and cheese. Repeat and end with wrap and cheese on top. Cook on high for 3 – 4 hours. Lift out foil, cut into 6 portions and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Another great one given to me by Coach Dwayne, courtesy of Eating Well.com.  Moms and Dads like wraps because they are neat and compact—so beware.  This one is messy and spicy! This one combines buffalo chicken in a modern wrap and is guaranteed to drip. Get out the big napkins and have a ball!

POINTS® Value: 6

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 35 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's RedHot

3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound chicken tenders

2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

1 cup sliced celery

1 large tomato, diced

Instructions:

1. Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders; cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.
3. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.
4. To assemble wraps: Lay a tortilla on a work surface or plate. Spread with 1 tablespoon blue cheese sauce and top with one-fourth of the chicken, lettuce, celery and tomato. Drizzle with some of the hot sauce remaining in the bowl and roll into a wrap sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving:  275 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 3 g fiber; 756 mg sodium; 266 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (35% daily value), Selenium (28% dv), Vitamin C (20% dv).