HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BESTEST

See the girl below in the blue?  Yeap, that's my Homie-G (Aka Lauren) and today is her

BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest most genuine girl I know!

Words can't explain what you mean in my life.

Front Row:  Blair, Me, Lauren

Back Row: Sharon, Leslie, Sarah

WWW Week Nine and Week Ten

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I missed my WW Weigh-In two Wednesdays ago due to the house inspection so this week I was weighing in for both week nine and ten and..........

I lost 2.8 lbs in the last two weeks bringing my total to 14lbs!  Yay me!

Last Friday night, "Charleston" had gone to stay with Sister and Sam so that he could hunt in Greensboro early the next morning.  Therefore I had the house to myself and I took the opportunity to enjoy some wine and do a little SPRING cleaning!  I switched the clothes out of my closet, winter to summer, and in the process of doing so, stumbled upon a pair of jeans.  They were a pair of Sevens that I purchased my sophomore year of college.  I have not worn these bad boys in FOREVER because A. they are worn to death and B.  they have not fit in years.  Well guess what?  They fit again!  I almost cried I was so happy. 

For years I have been wanting to lose just this little bit of weight that has been dragging me down and its finally happening.  I'm disappointed that it took me this long to admit that I needed some help but then again, better late then never!

Easy Slow Cooker Dinner

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I was in a hurry the other day at the grocery store trying to pick something out for dinner. I knew I wanted to use my Crockpot but my brain wouldn't act quick enough to come up with something creative so I opted for this:

via

Best decision I made all week.  "Charleston" was working from home last Thursday so around 11:00am I had him follow the recipe on the back of the packet and by 7:00pm our dinner was done.

It was amazing.

The chicken was tender and the sauce had so much flavor.

I served it over rice for dinner.

For lunch the next day, I shredded the chicken like BBQ and served it over pasta - EVEN BETTER!

Try it!

RECIPE ON PACKET:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH

You Will Need

2 ½ lbs. chicken parts

1 pkg. (8 oz.) fresh mushrooms, halved or sliced

1 pkg. McCormick® Slow Cooker Italian Herb Chicken Seasoning

2 cans (14 ½ oz. each) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

PLACE chicken and mushrooms in slow cooker.

MIX Seasoning, tomatoes, and tomato paste until blended. Pour over chicken and mushrooms. Cover.

COOK 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

IMPORTANT: For best results, do not remove cover during cooking.

Pipestem State Park This Weekend!

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WE ARE GOING CAMPING!

I am so excited.  This coming weekend "Charleston" and I are headed to Pipestem State Park in West Virginia to meet a bunch of our friends to camp. 

The occasion?  My brother-in-law's BIRTHDAY!

Yesterday, "Charleston" and I ran all around Charlotte getting our stuff together for the trip.  We own most of the items we need to camp but were missing two staples:  sleeping bags

Instead of borrowing two bags from his parents we decided that it would be worth our money to buy our own.

"Charleston" found his at R.E.I and I got mine at Dick's Sporting Goods.

We were like little kids in the candy store when we got home so we had to pull them out before bed and try them out:

How do we look?

ready to face the wilderness?!
I tried to get "Charleston" to buy one of the double bags for both of us to sleep together but he was having NONE of that!  I just don't know why...  :)

Happy Birthday Sam!  Can't wait to celebrate you this weekend under the stars!

New Favorite Design Blog

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I can't get enough....it's my new favorite "design" blog: Stay at Home-ista   It's simply fabulous.  Meet Jessica and meet Jessica's house:

Every square inch is done to perfection!

"Charleston" would die to have one of these in our living room.  West Elm purchase maybe?!

Simple and Elegant.  LOVE the ceiling!

Um yea, that's her kitchen.  No joke insane.  Check out the view!

Genius

 That makes me want to read; just shows you how much I love it. 

The view from her shower....why would you ever leave home?



Growing Up

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I remember specifically it was love at first sight. I was in the car with Beth, my real estate agent, and she was taking me to see a property that she thought I might be interested in. On the way there we past IT. IT had a FOR SALE sign in the front yard. I immediately looked over at Beth and asked the price of IT. Obviously IT was out of our price range because IT did not appear on my radar. I am not even sure if she had time to give me a number before I said “I don’t care, I want to see the inside.”


“Charleston” and I started our house hunt by listing our “must haves” and top of my list, besides 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms was location and neighborhood. I have no intention of buying a “starter” home for just “Charleston” and I. I want a space to grow into as a family. Therefore, I wanted a neighborhood like I grew up in - Something nice and safe; the kind that allows your kids to run down the street and out of sight with no worries. This house sat in that kind of neighborhood. “Charleston” wanted brick and this house was all brick. I wanted a nice lot with a low maintenance yard and this house has all that and more.

Beth made a couple phone calls and next thing you know I was walking in the front door. Besides having four bedrooms and three bathrooms, this house had a large living room, just the entertainment space “Charleston” and I both had on our list. Before even viewing every room I knew “Charleston” would be in love and couldn’t wait to get him over there. Next day, he looked, he saw, and he was even more in love then I was. Rush forward several days and we were going back and forth with the seller on a price. On April 2nd, our offer was accepted. Even though the listing price was above our price range, we negotiated enough bringing our final offer right inside where “Charleston” and I are comfortable! Now it’s the waiting game….inspection is tomorrow….our fingers are crossed it all goes well!

It has been weird discussing our house hunt with many of our friends and family because what might be important to us has proved to not be a priority for others. Therefore I am sure someone will look at this home and go “what are they thinking” while others will feel that the houses we look at throughout our house hunt are awesome. But in the end, it only matters to two people…me and “Charleston”. That’s what I am excited about. I am excited we are doing this together and we are in this as our own little family. It’s a cool experience in that this will be the first house that either of us has owned!

Keep your fingers crossed friends and say your prayers that this works out!! Keep you updated!

Kids and Easter

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I LOVE watching my sister and Sam establish traditions in their house with my niece and can't wait one day to hopefully share some of the same ones with my family.  Last year Olivia was too young to understand Easter and how the Easter Bunny comes to visit but this year, she was a total blast.

The Easter Bunny came and left a trail of eggs from Olivia's bedroom all the way to the living room..

The eggs led to her Easter Basket.  She is still too young for candy so this year she got several Kidsong DVD's and some books; the little girl is a serious bookworm!

Around 8:30am, before Church, she woke up and started following the egg trail....

Sill following.....

She finally found her Easter Basket that the Easter Bunny delivered!

That DVD looks massive against those sweet baby hands!

She totally checked out, cover to cover, each book and DVD.

Blair got Olivia changed into her Easter Dress and while Sis was getting ready, she sat Olivia down with one of her new Kidsong DVD's and Livi was 100% engrossed.  I can only imagine how this scene played out when Blair told her it was time to leave for church....tears were definitely involved. 

Happy Easter Olivia Claire!

Spring Shoes

I love Spring because I love sandals....of all kinds.

But for some reason this week, I can't stop looking at the ones that just scream, COLOR!

BCBG Perrin Wedge

Charles David 'Baja' Sandal

Kate Spade New York Multi Color Sandal 

Charlotte Olympia 'Serena' Bow Sandal 

WWW Week Eight

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This week at Weight Watchers Weigh-In Wednesday.....I lost a big fat goose egg... 0.  That's right, not a pound up or a pound down.  Bummer.  I am getting closer to my goal weight so our coach said it was going to be A LOT harder to lose weight each week and she was right.  Just gotta tighten the reigns this week!

But moving on.
In other news.
There is A LOT going on in my little world that I think has had me slightly distracted:

1.  I found my WEDDING DRESS! Its the exact look I was going for!  There are so many options out there I can easily say I was 100% confused and probably over shopped.  But when I put my dress on and my mom, sis, niece and bestest bud fell in love with it...I knew it was the one! Mum is the word from here on out because I don't want "Charleston" to get the slightest whiff of what it looks like.  We will revisit this topic in a year :)

2.  "Charleston" and I have started our hunt for a house.  We have the sweetest lady, Beth Carpenter, as our real estate agent and I have LOVED working with her; it's just like shopping with my mom!  We are not in a rush to find a house and we don't have to worry about selling anything before we buy so.... the entire experience so far has been a lot of fun!  Fingers crossed we find a gem!

Happy Friday Friends

Picture Text From Livi

A picture text last night from Olivia:  "Hey Aunt Blain!"

My response:  "Hey you little ham!  Where are your clothes?!!!"

Then I get the following picture with:  "Do you want me to go upstairs and play in your bed?!"

(I claim the guest room upstairs in their house because I am the only one that sleeps in it!)

God love that sweet precious little angel face...miss you so Olivia Claire!

Shopping Bag Gallery Wall

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I am LOVING this idea:

via

Just like the girl that posted this picture, I feel that sometimes just shopping in the designer boutique store can be just as exciting as actually making the purchase.  What better way to display that feeling all over again then to display the designer bags they came in on a gallery wall. 
How awesome will this look in my dream house dressing room/closet one day?!  Fabulous addition to my lady-lair!

Even though you don't wear those Chanel shoes everyday, the bag is a simple reminder of the fun experience!

Eliza J Dot Dress

LOVE...

LOVE...

LOVE....

the new Eliza J Dot Dress

It comes in three styles.  How cute would these be as bridesmaids dresses OR a rehearsal dinner dress?!

I can't decide which style is my fave:

Eliza J Embellished Metallic Satin Strapless Dress

 Eliza J Belted Satin Dress

Eliza J Belted Ruffle Satin Sheath Dress

Happy Friday Friends!

I am getting into some wedding dress shopping this weekend and some Wolfpack Basketball tonight! 

GO STATE!

Can't wait!

WWW Week Seven

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And again... yesterday was Weigh-In Wednesday here at work for our Weight Watchers Program and again....I had a pretty good week despite the fact that Saturday was St. Patty's day where I threw it back college style.  I attended a keg party all day with some friends and then went out to dinner and to the bar that night!  Seriously fun times; I am jealous of all those college kiddo's on spring break  :(

I lost 2.2 pounds this week which puts me at a total of 11.2 pounds since starting the program!

My small accomplishment was getting into a pair of Express Editor Dress pants that are a size 4 that I have not been able to wear in AT LEAST three years; so glad I held onto them because they are like new! 

My biggest motivation has been my friends and "Charleston." I am so lucky that they allow me to be open and honest with my feelings and how I feel about myself whether it be a "good" day or a "bad" day.  Because of that comfort, I am not the slightest bit embarrassed when we talk "points" when ordering from a menu or someone asking me out in public how it's going.   Compliments keep me motivated and "Charleston" keeps me in check. I LOVE the fact that he allows me to fix anything for dinner and he never complains.  When its his turn to cook, he questions the ingredients and their point values before putting it into a dish.  I would feel isolated and alone without each one of these people.  Much love and thanks.

Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

I love a good salad but the key ingredient to a good salad is an awesome dressing.  On my little Weight Watchers adventure I have quickly learned how fast a 0 point salad can climb to a 6 point salad in a heartbeat when you choose the wrong dressing. 

Therefore, I decided to eliminate the chance and make my own.  I tried out the Greek Vinaigrette recipe found on the weight watchers website. The entire recipe serves 8 and each serving is only 1 point!  SCORE

Its delicious- light and fresh.  I think it would also make a good marinade for chicken or pork!

Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Ingredients
1/4 cup(s) white wine, dry-variety

1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
1 medium uncooked shallot(s), minced, or more to taste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine wine, lemon juice, shallot, sugar, and mustard; slowly whisk in oil. Whisk in herbs, salt and pepper. Yields about 4 teaspoons per serving.

 
You're turn....try it out!

New Hair Products

Stalk me on Facebook and you will notice that the length of my hair has not crossed the threshold of my shoulders in, well...actually, way before I even joined Facebook back in college.   I have always kept it short because my hair is so fine and thin that I feel as it gets longer, it gets straggly looking. 

Well I changed my mind and I want to start trying to grow it out so that hopefully in a year (yes, it might just take a year) I can wear it in some sort of up- for the wedding.  In order to begin the process and have it healthy I knew all along I need to start taking better care of my hair. 

My first step was a much needed visit to Modern Salon in the Hearst Tower for some hair care T.L.C.  I got a good trim, deep condition treatment, soft highlights and some advice from one of the sweetest gals in the salon, Codie.

Since my visit I have discontinued the use of all my old hair styling products that were drying my hair out including hair spray! (I know, it's not the 80's but I still used hair spray to manage fly aways and give me some root boost.)  All of my old products contained some sort of alcohol and each were causing major build up which ultimately weighed my hair down.  I have also stopped shampooing my hair every day.  Now I only use shampoo two or three days a week and I have noticed a tremendous difference in the shine and texture of my hair.

I do still wake up in the morning with MAJOR bed head so I will either spritz my hair and re-style or just wet and condition to give it some moisture while its wet.  Before I style, I use my NEW products that I purchased at Modern.  I absolutely LOVE them.  They are light, and really give my hair a soft texture that I have always wanted:

damage remedy daily hair repair

Smooth Infusion style-prep smoother

So far I feel like I am on the right track!  Codie gave me some little secrets about heat styling with a hair dryer and a flat iron and I am trying my hardest to put those tips to good use so that come next March, I might have a thick, healthy pony-tail!

Fingers Crossed



Creature of Habit

I am a creature of habit and I like it, especially when it makes this city feel like a small town. 

I eat at the Energy Cafe across the street from my work at least three days a week whether it be breakfast or lunch. 

As soon as I walk in the door, the guys behind the counter greet me with "Hey Blain, how's it goin?"  I don't have to tell them what I want and they already have a brown piece of paper on the counter with my name written on it ready to build my Towering Turkey and Cheddar or Egg Delight Sandwich depending on the meal.   

Little things like this make Charlotte feel like home and I like it!  Puts a smile on my face.

Happy Friday Friends!

WWW Week Six

Weight Watchers Wednesday Week 5!

At 11:15 yesterday I arrived at my WW Weigh-In Wednesday feeling pretty good about myself because for the first time since being on the program I followed every exact rule of success. I counted my points ACCURATELY, I measured my food ACCURATELY and I did not CHEAT; not once. If it went in my mouth, it went down in my journal and my points were subtracted from my 26 daily allowance.


My carefulness paid off because I lost 3.2 pounds this week! Yay! That’s a total of 9 pounds since I started the Weight Watchers Program!

The hardest thing for me this week was not the food, it was handling alcohol consumption. Alcohol on Weight Watchers can really swallow your daily points fast. Each beer, liquor drink or glass of wine (a 4oz glass of wine, not a “Blain” glass of wine) can EASILY be 4 points. In order to enjoy a weekend with my girlfriends who were in town from Raleigh, I made many conscious decisions so that I could eat out and have a night out on the town that all of us have been planning for some time now! Overall, super success! Not once did I feel deprived while trying to lose weight. I wasn’t some crazy person trying to skip all carbs or some other diet gimmick. I had a couple beers while watching basketball, a cocktail with dinner at Vida and some drinks that night at Dandelion. I was simply being cautious about how much I was consuming and its ingredients. That’s it, plain and simple.

Yay me!

I Love Being An Aunt

This little girl just melts my heart and turns every bit of me to mush.

When I hear her sweet little high pitched voice say "Aunt Blain" over the phone it makes me want to jump in the car and head to Kernersville to squeeze and kiss all over her.  I am a sucker and already know that I will never be able to say no to her and she will get her way with whatever she wants from me. Sorry Sister and Sam but I will not be able to stand up to that precious face!

Blair sent me this pic the other night saying that Olivia sat in her bed during nap time just talking up a storm to herself so .....when they got home from dinner, she sat down in her chair crashed hard.

XOXO Olivia Claire

WWW Week Five

I forgot to update you (aka – hold myself accountable) last week on my Weight Watchers progress. Last Wednesday I was down another ½ pound in a week. Slllooooowwwwlllyyyy but surely. I honestly went in last week expecting to lose nothing or gain some weight because I cheated. I didn’t count EVERYTHING that went into my mouth and I didn’t measure as accuractly as possible. I would eat a pickle (0 Points) and “Charleston” would deep fry a pickle. I would have several pieces of his and never count the fried ones. Shame on me.

I was a little discouraged UNTIL this past weekend when I got into a pair of jeans I bought a month ago, accidently at the wrong size, and had yet to find the time to return them. Im sure it has happened to all of us at some point; we take two different sizes into the dressing room, one works and one is waaaayyyy to tight and sure enough, we accidently leave with the ones we couldn’t get buttoned. That was me in Banana Republic outlet. Long story short I am really glad I had not returned the smaller size for the bigger size because I slipped those bad boys on Saturday night and buttoned them without even having to suck-in! Those were meant to be MY jeans from the start.

Vegetable Soup

I got my butt in the kitchen again Monday night and made the freshest homemade vegetable soup and of course, it's Weight Watchers friendly.  1 cup = 1 point!  How bout them apples?!

I loved it.  Because it made so much I divided it out into little containers to take to lunch and have for dinner.  It honestly has gotten better the longer it sits.  I will either use this soup as an appitizer or side item to my meal OR I will chop up a piece of grilled chicken, add some shredded cheddar cheese and a couple crumbled up saltine crackers and make it my meal.  The possibilities are endless!  Maybe add some cooked rice?  Or cooked potatoes?  Can of white beans?  I just can't decide!

It's light and fresh and the best part is that it doesnt contain all the sodium that comes from canned vegetable soup.

Fresh Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 medium uncooked carrot(s), diced
2 small uncooked zucchini, diced
2 cup(s) uncooked savoy cabbage, or other variety, shredded
2 cup(s) uncooked leek, chopped
2 cup(s) uncooked cauliflower, small florets
2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
2 cups chopped spinach *I added this on my own
1 medium uncooked onion(s), diced
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
1 rib(s) (medium) uncooked celery, diced
2 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped
6 cup(s) fat free chicken broth
2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Instructions
Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes
If you like thick soups, consider pureeing this recipe in the pot with an immersion blender.
There are so many variations on this recipe. Add or leave out vegetables to suit your taste.

Save time by using frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones (though the texture of the soup might change a bit). You can also buy small amounts of pre-cut vegetables from your supermarket's salad bar.

Dog Frosting

There are those that dress their dogs up in clothes.

There are those who stuff their pups in bags and carry them around everywhere they go.

Their are dogs that wear Halloween costumes, winter coats and even life jackets at the lake.

If it were me though...

and I had a dog.....

it would wear jewelry:

via

That's right.  In total Blain style, my pup would be all blinged out.  All dogs "frost yourself!"  Super Cute!

Weekend Cooking

I was in the mood yesterday to try something new so I attempted a homemade pasta sauce and I was highly impressed with the results!

I made the Weight Watchers version of a Creamy Tomato Sauce and honestly, I probably will never buy pasta sauce again.  It was delicious, SUPER easy, SUPER cheap and healthy.  Pasta sauces from the shelf are full of preservatives and sugar and honestly not worth the cost when you see how cheap you can make it. 

Creamy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium uncooked leek(s), finely chopped (white part only)
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
6 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp basil, fresh, finely chopped
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Instructions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in oregano; cook 45 seconds. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer; partially cover pan and simmer 3 to 5 minutes.

Puree sauce in pan using an immersion blender. Or working in batches, transfer tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (careful not to splatter hot liquid); return pureed tomato mixture to pan.

Set pan over low heat and add milk; simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove pan from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.


YUM, total comfort food!  I even brought some today to drizzle over a piece of bread to go with my lunch!

My Style "Outdoor" Wedding

I was scrolling through a wedding blog the other day when I ran across this picture that acompletely caught me off guard and took my breath away:

How absolutely amazing is that church?!  At first, I didn't think it was finished and thought there might be a story behind it but NOPE, its complete and it's gorgeous!

That is the Anthony Chapel at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (photos via Melissa McCrotty Photography)

I have said it several times that I am not the kind of bride to plan an outdoor wedding even though I would LOVE the look and feel of something outside; I am just not risky enough to battle weather conditions and my perfect day.

But if I had this place, I would be in HEAVEN!  This place would  be my kind of destination wedding venue.

 I am jealous of all you brides in Hot Springs, Arkansas to have this in your backyard.  No fair.

Look at how pretty even the floor is and how much of a touch the undecorated pine tree adds to the entire ambiance.  Simply gorgeous. 

I can't help but also comment on how well the bride pulled off an elegant wedding in the middle of such beautiful scenery.  Love everything about this wedding!

How cute is her Buffie's in Sheridan reception dress!

WWW Week Four

Weight Watchers Weigh In Wednesday is baaaaaaakkkkkk.

Well....another week gone and another ½ pound lost. That’s right, only ½ pound but I am OK with that because I am honest with myself and I know what I did wrong.


This week I did not track my points as accurately as I should have and I know that led me to definitely go over my allotted weekly amount. It was a hard week. I ate dinner out three times AND went out to the bar Saturday night. A night out at the bar and losing weight are very hard to do hand in hand but like everyone reminded me, loosing is better than gaining AND again, this is real life weight loss, not The Biggest Loser. I want to go out for friend's birthday dinners and I appreciate date nights with by fiancé so yes, that’s my life and I don’t want to miss out on it.

I will give myself some credit that while out to dinner Friday night at Zio with “Charleston”, I passed on the bread basket which I usually would have had at least two pieces, started with a garden salad with dressing on the side and only had two small slices of thin cheese pizza. The issue came when I got home. Later that night I got a little hungry and instead of reaching for a healthy low-point snack, the leftover pizza was calling my name and I finished it! Not good.

Saturday night, “Charleston” and I joined our friends out at Brazwells and Andrew Blairs and I can totally say that the points that came with drinking a beer, a glass of wine, and a liquor drink were TOTALLY not worth it. I could have sipped on a glass of water and still had the same amount of fun. I am learning my lessons and next time I will do differently.

On Monday night I went to dinner at DISH for my friend Lauren’s birthday. Check out the DISH menu and you tell me what looks healthy…NOT MUCH! DISH is a place for good, down home southern cooking! I had eaten a salad for lunch so I couldn’t swallow anymore rabbit food, therefore I opted for the Grilled Chicken Pesto Pita, hold the cream cheese and grill with no butter. On the side I chose the vegetarian chili. Both ended up to be DELICIOUS and totally worth the points that they were. If it was any other night and I was not trying to lose weight, I would have probably gone for their salmon patties with Mac-n-Cheese and collard greens. Their entrees also come with a biscuit and deviled egg which I would have finished as well.

I might not be losing extreme amounts of weight each week but I feel better now that I am starting to make smarter decisions when it comes to food. I also have a pair of pants on today that I have not been able to wear in quite some time. At least if the scales are not speaking for themselves my clothes are!

Yay for another week to start fresh and hit the nail on the head for a successful week!