BYOF - Bring Your Own Food

i cant explain how happy i am to report that the mri didnt show any changes that would be causing my current pain.  i was very scared and nervous that i was going to end up with another fusion.  i can handle the pain better knowing that it will only be for 2-4 weeks.  of course i would rather not have pain, but this is my life now.  my back will never be 100% and i have accepted that as my reality.  i am comfortable with living my life with limitations and caution.  i just really did not want to go through another fusion again!  definitely a wonderful day!!  i also completed the second day of the math seminar i was attending which was unbelievably inspiring & motivating.  professional development is such a crucial part of teaching.  as educators we should never stop educating ourselves and exploring different strategies to help us be better at our jobs.  i think this applies to life in general too.  we shouldnt stop looking for ways to grow and learn; which includes being healthy.  weight watchers is great at providing its members with information that is easy to comprehend and easy to incorporate into our daily lives.  one strategy i learned from being on weight watchers is to BYOF - Bring Your Own Food.  that is how i was able to control my points at this seminar where there was food being offered all day long.  i was not able to find out in advance what would be available to us so it was easier for me to pack my own food & bring it with me.  i was able to avoid the cookies and the great smelling lunches because i had my own yummy treats.  i also took into consideration that i will be eating "naughty" foods saturday and sunday so i wanted to conserve my weekly points.  it was not worth it to me to dig into my weekly points in order to have cookies &/or a hot lunch for the past two days.  i enjoy the foods i brought with me & didnt feel deprived one bit!  i know i will have my share of wonderful sweets & carbs this weekend yet still eat within my daily/weekly points. 

here is what i ate yesterday, thursday, march 10, 2011,  & i felt great about my meals at the end of the day!

Morning
Honey Sunshine (1 large banana, 1/2 cup trader joe's organic vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup kashi honey sunshine cereal)	3
Coffee (1/4 cup fat free half & half, 2 tsp organic turbinado raw cane sugar, 6 cups black coffee)	2
Subtotal	5
Midday
1/2 serving(s) Trader Joe's Organic Nonfat Yogurt French Vanilla	2
1  cup(s) fresh blueberries (in the yogurt)	0
1  cup(s) grapes	0
1  medium nectarine(s)	0
1  medium orange(s)	0
1  serving(s) Trader Joe's Organic Light String Cheese	1
Subtotal	3
Evening
1  cup(s) mixed greens (trader joe's organic romaine lettuce, trader joe's organic broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes, red onions, and cucumber)	0
1  serving(s) Trader Joe's Fat Free Crumbled Feta (in the salad)	1
1/2 serving(s) Plumrose 25% Lower Fat Bacon (in the salad)	1
1  serving(s) Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Ground Turkey Breast (in the quesadilla)	3
1  serving(s) Maple Grove Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing	0
1  serving(s) Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Salsa (on top of quesadilla)	0
Quesadilla ~ 2 pt tortilla (1 la tortilla factory low carb large whole wheat tortilla, 1/2 cup trader joe's low fat vegetarian refried pinto beans, 2 tbsp trader joe's reduced fat shredded mexican cheese)	5
Subtotal	10
Anytime
1  bag(s) Healthy Pop® 100 cal butter mini bag	3
1  serving(s) Turkey Hill Pinstripe Brownie Blast	3
1  Chocolate Marshmallow Madness	3
Subtotal	9
Food PointsPlus values total used	27
Food PointsPlus values remaining	2

i love mexican and love the fact that it is so point friendly!!  here is how i prepare my quesadillas.

• i spray a frying pan with trader joe's italian olive oil spray (frying pan has been on medium-low heat for a few minutes) & cook the turkey meat.  as it is cooking, i break up the meat into small bits.  
• once the turkey is cooked, i add about 2-3 tbsp of water to the frying pan with about 2 tsps of taco seasonings.  when the water has completely evaporated, the turkey is ready to go into the tortilla.
• i already have the refried beans in the tortilla on a plate so i just add the turkey & cheese.
• i put the tortilla with the refired beans, turkey & cheese back into the frying pan which i have sprayed with olive oil spray again.  after a few seconds, i fold the tortilla in half & press down a bit to evenly spread out the ingredients.
• i cook both sides for about 3-4 minutes or until browned.

here's what my meal looked like & it was DELISH! :)

here is the recipe for the chocolate marshmallow madness cupcakes again.  i seriously have one a day! :)
http://www.hungry-girl.com/show/chocolate-911-chocolate-marshmallow-madness-cupcakes-recipe 

hope everyone is having a wonderful guilt free day & has great plans for the weekend!! :)