First Birchbox!

About a month ago one of my childhood friends posted her first Birchbox on Facebook and I instantly knew I had to have one of my own. If you've not heard of Birchbox yet, you seriously need to check them out. It's a subscription service that costs $10 a month (including shipping) and they send you a small box of beauty samples based on the responses to their questionnaire. There's a short waiting list but it's well worth it.


Here's what I got! I hope you all like it as much as I do!

Box that was inside, as my coworker put it, "A box the most obnoxious color of pink known to man or beast."

 Welcome sheet inside my Birchbox!

First glimpse at my goodies.


















All of my goodies:


Befine Daily Moisturizer
Befine Exfoliating Cleanser
Viva La Juicy Perfume
June Jacobs Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish
ShowStoppers Fashion Tape
Color Club - Age of Aquarius - Nail Polish

ShowStoppers Fashion Tape - $9.99 (24 strips)
 I haven't tried this out yet (I don't wear too much clothing that really requires it) but have had some similar stuff in the past and it works wonders.

Befine Exfoliating Cleanser - $25 (4 oz.)
This stuff is a nice, gentle exfoliator but it doesn't really hold up while you're trying to scrub. By the time I really got going scrubbing, all the sugar had dissolved.


Befine Daily Moisturizer - $25 (1.7 oz.)
You only need a TINY amount of this stuff and it feels smooth on. After using it for a few days my skin started to break out. Not sure if it was caused by the lotion or not.

Color Club - Age of Aquarius - Nail Polish - $8
This color is a little too bright for my nails. I might try it again on my toes but it's just not professional enough to wear to work. I wish they would have sent me the purple or pink version since I would have liked it much better. It has great coverage and dries fairly quickly with two coats.















June Jacobs Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish - $60 (3.8 oz.)
This stuff is AWESOME. Absolutely love it. The smell is amazing. it scrubs wonderfully but not too rough and the particles don't dissolve. Only drawback is the cost. I can't quite rationalize paying $60 for an exfoliator. Maybe I'll use some Birchbox Points to get some money off and purchase it later.













Viva La Juicy Perfume - $69 (1.7 oz.) or $89 (3.4 oz.)
This perfume has a nice, light scent that isn't intrusive. I am usually fairly sensitive to perfumes and it didn't bother me a bit. My only complaint is that it doesn't really have much staying power. I've tried it a few days and within an hour the scent is all but gone.

 

There ya go! That's my first Birchbox! If you're interested in trying it out for yourself, do me a favor and use my referral link so I get some points (maybe I'll be able to try the June Jacobs Polish!) :) Here's the link: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=tdpsc

Jenny Craig - Week 2 Overview

I've come to the realization that it's just too much to keep up with this blog daily to track my food. I'm already doing it in 2 other ways (my planned menu that is written on, and myfitnesspal.com). Sidenote: If you haven't been to myfitnesspal.com yet, hurry. Go. It is fantastic. It's a super robust FREE website that helps you track your food intake and your exercise as well as your weight. Also, it has a really cool feature where when you have entered your foods for the day, you click complete (or something like that) and it tells you that if every day were like this, you would weigh XXX.X lbs in 5 weeks. I think it's a really handy tool.


Back to my point - these blogs will be a bit longer, but will only be posted weekly with a few things posted in between if I'm feeling frisky :)

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Saturday - Day 8
Breakfast: Blueberry Mini Loaf, 2 Clementines
Morning Snack: Skipped because of late breakfast.
Lunch: Turkey Burger, Cucumber/Tomato Salad

Had to add a pic of the Turkey Burger. I must say that I loathe turkey burgers. Typically. I literally cringed and said "oh no" when I read "Turkey Burger" on my menu. Eventually, probably once I've tried everything, I'll trust that most Jenny foods are good and not to rush to judgment. The BBQ sauce that comes with it also scared me a bit, I couldn't imagine having a turkey burger, let alone a turkey burger with BBQ sauce on it. But boy was it ever good. I suppose I'll let Jenny make my meals a bit longer.
Afternoon Snack: Smores Bar, Nonfat Latte
Dinner: Chicken Carbonara with Parmesan Cheese (2 tbsp!), steamed spinach

Okay, I didn't take a ton of pictures, but it might seem like it today. I had to take a pic of the Chicken Carbonara because it was so good. I mean who doesn't like pasta in alfredo sauce with bacon!? It was delicious. I felt like I was cheating. Not to mention that I got to add parmesan cheese. Not just a little parmesan, 2 whole tablespoons full. Hence the feeling of cheating. It was good. No, it was damn good.


Evening Snack: Frozen Yogurt with Raspberries
Exercise: Walking for 40 minutes

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Sunday - Day 9
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes & Veggie Sausage with Lite Table Syrup, Tropicana Low Acid Orange Juice (4 oz)
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar, Banana
Lunch: Chicken & Corn Chowder (added Old Bay Seasoning, yum), Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Afternoon Snack: Strawberries, Sargento Reduced Fat Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Dinner: Cheese Ravioli with Parmesan cheese (decided to move up my cheese from my evening snack to have some more parmesan cheese), asparagus

Evening Snack: Cheese Curls (was supposed to have Veggie Chips but I can't stand them, so I swapped them out at my meeting Friday)

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Monday - Day 10
Breakfast: Cheddar Cheese Omelet (yuck), banana, Starbucks Decaf Tall Nonfat One Pump Vanilla Latte, Sargento Reduced Fat Cheese Stick
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar, Strawberries
Lunch: Slice of Margarita Pizza (pre-approved by my coach), Whole Foods Salad
Afternoon Snack: Toffee Cookies
Dinner: Fish & Chips with homemade tartar sauce (made with olive oil mayo), green beans
Evening Snack: Pineapple, 0% Fage Plain Yogurt

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Tuesday - Day 11
Breakfast: Frosted Oats Cereal with Vanilla Rice Milk, Banana
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar, Healthy Harvest Applesauce
Lunch: Spaghetti with Meatballs, Whole Foods salad
Afternoon Snack: Starbucks Tall Decaf Nonfat 1 Pump Vanilla Latte
Dinner: Southwestern Chicken with Rice
Evening Snack: Frozen Yogurt with Fruit


I had a volunteer orientation today so I shuffled my whole menu around. My lunch was not frozen but my dinner was and I wasn't sure when I would be able to eat it so I switched them. Spaghetti was good, Southwestern Chicken with Rice: not so much.

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Wednesday - Day 12
Breakfast: Cranberry Almond Cereal, 1% Milk, Strawberries, Sargento Reduced Fat Cheese Stick
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar
Lunch: Broccoli & Cheese Potato with Whole Foods Salad
Afternoon Snack: Smores Snack Bar
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas with Steamed Spinach
Evening Snack: Frozen Yogurt with Fruit


I was super excited about the Fajitas which were really good. Can't wait to have them again!

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Thursday - Day 13
Breakfast: Honey Oat Bar, Banana
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar, Dole Fruit in Sugar Free Gel
Lunch: Personal Pizza, Whole Foods salad w/red wine vinegar
Dinner: Beef Chili with Beans, Sargento Reduced Fat Cheese Stick, Mixed Vegetables
Evening Snack: Chocolate Cakes, Strawberries, 1% Milk


Okay, here's my new sinful (but not so much) pleasure: Jenny Craig's Chocolate Cakes with some fresh strawberries and a glass of milk. Totally yummy and totally on diet.
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Friday - Day 14
Breakfast: Sunshine Sandwich, Tall 1 Pump Skim Vanilla Latte
Morning Snack: Anytime Bar, 2 Clementines
Lunch: Tuna Salad Kit, Whole Foods Salad
Afternoon Snack: Honey Mustard Pretzels
Dinner: Classico Chicken Parmesan with Parmesan Cheese, Cucumber/Tomato Salad
Evening Snack: 0% Fage Yogurt, Strawberries


The Sunshine Sandwich is good, but I don't care for the sauce that comes with it. The Pretzels are also good but not salty at all which was a bit of a let down.

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Week in Review:
All in all, I think this week went well. I changed things around just a bit and it worked out well for me. At my weekly weigh-in it showed since I lost another 3 lbs. Yay! This week was also super easy to follow with very few complaints. As I mentioned before, if you are looking to track your meals, I highly recommend MyFitnessPal (myfitnesspal.com) as a wonderful resource. They even have a free app! Super convenient.

Day 7 (First Weigh-in)

Since I decided to join Jenny on a Friday, all of my follow-up appointments are on Fridays which means 8:30 a.m. weigh-ins. I'm happy to announce that after one week of Jenny, my weight went down 3.4 lbs. This has got to be the absolute EASIEST "diet" (if you can even call it that) that I've ever tried. Now on to today's meals:

Breakfast:
Breakfast Scramble
Stoneyfield 0% Strawberry Yogurt

The Breakfast Scramble is nothing to write home about. It's a mix of scrambled eggs, cubed potatoes and turkey ham. How on earth you get ham out of turkey, I don't know. This is definitely not my favorite and I don't know that I'm going to be jumping at eating it again.
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Morning Snack:
Anytime Bar
Mixed Fruit
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Lunch:
Chicken Salad Kit with Applesauce
Whole Foods Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

The Chicken Salad Kit is surprisingly good. I was a little worried after my sub-par breakfast that this was going to be a day of bad food but I was pleasantly surprised. It comes with applesauce which, in my opinion, leaves something to be desired. I won't be eating their applesauce again; I'd rather bring my own that I know I like (and is probably better for me anyway since I get the "no sugar added" kind).
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Afternoon Snack:
2 Clementines
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Dinner:

Rising Crust Pizza
Mixed Zucchini & Squash

I was a little afraid of this pizza since it has tofu crumbles on it that are supposed to resemble sausage. Honestly, they don't taste like much of anything. The pizza is definitely good but can't be made in a microwave, so make sure you have access to a toaster oven or regular oven.
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Evening Snack:
Cinnamon Twists
Frozen Yogurt with Mixed Berries

So my kick for frozen yogurt is definitely gearing up. I'm sorry, if I can have cold, creamy, smooth frozen yogurt instead of yucky regular yogurt, I'm going to choose the frozen variety. The Cinnamon Twists are good also - somewhat similar to a crunchy churro.

Jenny Craig - Day 6

Breakfast:
Oatmeal Breakfast Square
Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Applesauce

The breakfast square was good. It was a good-sized portion and similar to a Nutra-Grain bar. It made for a good, quick breakfast on the go.
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Morning Snack:
Anytime Bar (Oatmeal Raisin)

I forgot to bring anything else with me today so I didn't get my fruit with my snack (oops!). I was too focused on getting out quickly today to remember ANYTHING.
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Lunch:
Beef & Cheese Slider
Salad from Whole Foods with Balsamic Vinegar for dressing
Mixed Fruit (Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries)

The Beef & Cheese Slider is fantastic. I'm not a huge burger person but it was definitely good and the perfect portion. Can't wait to have it again.
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Afternoon Snack:
Cheese Curls

The Cheese Curls were a rude awakening at first. If you are trying them for the first time, I urge you to not think of them as Cheetos. If you do, you will be sadly disappointed. That being said, after I realized that they were, in fact, not Cheetos, I quite like them.
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Dinner:

Jenny's Chicken Fettuccine with Steamed Broccoli mixed in.

Chicken Fettuccine
Steamed Broccoli
Cucumber/Tomato Salad

This dinner was absolutely awesome. I steamed some broccoli and mixed it in with the fettuccine which was a good Volumetrics trick (For those that don't know, Jenny Craig's "trick" is called Volumetrics. You eat foods that are low in calories but fill you up - which equates to a whole lot of veggies.)
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Evening Snack:
Sargento Reduced Fat Colby Jack Cheese Stick
Frozen Yogurt with Fresh Strawberries

Okay, I've been having a total craving for sweet foods and have also been wanting to try out this new frozen yogurt place. For under 100 calories (if you get the fat free varieties) it completely calmed my sweet tooth and definitely fits in my meal plan. Loving it!

Jenny Craig - Day 5

Breakfast:
Multi-Grain Hoops Cereal with dash of cinnamon
Banana
1/2 cup Vanilla Rice Milk


I'm not the biggest fan of Cheerios unless they're honey nut but, the packet said that they were good with a dash of cinnamon so I decided to give it a try. Boy were they right! Glad I was optimistic about this. The cereal, though it didn't have any added sugar, was delicious!
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Morning Snack:
Anytime Bar
Pineapple
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Lunch:
Cheesy Potatoes & Chicken
Salad from Whole Foods


Okay, the slump is in full effect now. I was dying from having the same salad every day so I gave in and went to Whole Foods across the street from my office and was pleasantly surprised by everything on their salad bar that I could eat! They had shredded beets (LOVE!), mixed bean salad , kidney beans, marinated mushrooms (in balsamic vinegar), cucumbers and tomatoes. I topped it all off with some balsamic vinegar and went to town. I was super satisfied with this and plan to repeat tomorrow. The cheesy potatoes and chicken was out of this world. Seriously, I know I say this all the time but, this was the best meal I've had yet. The potatoes were a bit dry but there was some gravy so it worked out great. It came with peas and corn so I mixed all of that together and yum! The chicken was really good. It was breaded, and fried with a bit of sauce. All in all there was about 1 chicken tender worth of chicken and it was darn good. Can I eat this every day?
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Afternoon Snack:
Strawberries
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Dinner:
Salisbury Steak
Cucumber & Tomato Salad w/Rice Wine Vinegar & Garlic Powder
Steamed Spinach


I've always been a bit afraid of salisbury steak. Why? I don't know. Something screams wrong about grinding meat up just to lump it back together. Why not just eat the steak how it was? At any rate, despite my worst intentions, it was actually really good. Surprisingly, I'm looking forward to having it again.
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Evening Snack:
Cookies & Cream Cheesecake
Strawberries
1 cup 1% milk


The cheesecake was pretty good. It was no chocolate cake (Day 2). It tasted sort of like it was filled with artificial sweeteners (which I abhor) but with the berries and milk, it was okay. Not too thrilled to eat it again, but will do so nonetheless.
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Extras:
Taste of lasagna
Cherry lollipop


Okay, so I had a bit of a weak night. My mom came home with lasagna from my favorite restaurant and I just had to try it (somehow I've never tried it). I made it out with only one small bite, but yes, I logged it. It was super good but actually super salty (I'm usually the queen of added salt). I'm not sure if it's because my taste buds have had an overhaul over the past few days or because it was actually salty but I'm looking forward to having a big salad and 1/4 of one of those bad boys soon! I was having a huge hankering for sweets that could not be stopped so I had a cherry lollipop. I think its on the limited free foods list but hell, I didn't care. It was better than the bag of butterfingers I was eyeing previously. :)

Jenny Craig - Day 4

Breakfast:
Cinnamon French Toast (with mixed berries)
Lite Table Syrup
1 cup Strawberries
1 cup 1% milk


This is the breakfast I've been waiting for since I walked in the door of Jenny Craig (or maybe even before that). When I was a kid, my mom did Jenny Craig and I always stole her French Toast. Yeah, I was, as my consultant told me, the food burglar. The syrup was the perfect amount and with the berries that come with it, and my own berries it was awesome. Couldn't be more pleased. Can I have this every day?
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Morning Snack:
Anytime Bar
Mixed Fruit in Sugar Free Cherry Gel


Okay, so I got in trouble last night at my CARE meeting (3 day checkup with my consultant). I told her that I haven't been eating my Anytime Bars. It's not that they're not good, they're okay, I just really am not hungry for them. I was told that's where they sneak in all of their supplements so if I want to avoid taking their nice big horse pill-sized vitamin, I need to eat up. That's just what I did.
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Lunch:
Soup Bowl - Tortellini Soup
Spinach Salad with tomatoes
Jenny's Dressing


Let me just start off by saying that I don't like tortellini in the least even regularly. The soup has sort of a chili-like consistency with what I think are tofu flakes in sort of a beefy tasting broth with cheese tortellini. This was definitely one of my least favorite dishes that I've had since I started and I will be begging to not eat it again.
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Afternoon Snack:
Bruschetta Veggie Chips
Strawberry Fruit Leather


I was absolutely starving this afternoon and totally forgot about my bruschetta veggie chips and could only think of the fruit leather that I have in my desk. I'm not sure if Fruit Leather is on the Jenny meal plan, but it is now. It's nothing but mashed fruit - no added sugar or anything - so I'm just counting it as a fruit serving. Once I finished the fruit leather, I was still starving so I remembered the veggie chips. It took every bit of strength I had to eat that bag. They were utterly repulsive! YUCK! This day is turning out to be not so great food-wise despite my glorious breakfast.
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Dinner:
Macaroni & Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Green Beans


The macaroni was actually really good - I've had some really bad diet macaroni and was completely impressed. Not too much to say about this meal, pretty straight forward.
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Evening Snack:
Mixed Fruit (strawberries & pineapple)
Activia Light Strawberry Yogurt

Jenny Craig - Day 3

Today I was running super late so I was glad that I prepared my salad last night so all I had to do was grab and go. (Yay for advance planning!) Here's how the day went:

Breakfast:

Cranberry Almond Cereal

Banana

1/2 cup Organic Vanilla Rice Milk

Let me just say the cereal was AWESOME. I was a bit skeptical before because I've had some healthy cereals <cough>Kashi<cough> that have tasted a bit like cardboard. Not this cereal! It was fantastic. I'm starting to rethink getting rid of breakfasts. Yeah they're expensive but they're REALLY good (for the most part - see Day 1). The banana helped since it was easy to grab (remember, I was running late) and what's easier to eat in the car than a banana. No, I didn't eat the cereal in the car; I took the time to eat it before leaving.

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Morning Snack:

Tall Starbucks Coffee with 1 pump Vanilla Syrup and a splash of non-fat milk

The dreaded Starbucks trip. My coworker with whom I typically make Starbucks runs stopped by my office mid-morning asking if I could use a cup and whether I'd like to walk around the block. I decided when better to test my willpower than right now?! I think it was a success. I typically get a Venti Vanilla Latte but opted for a tall cup of regular coffee with one pump of vanilla syrup (only 20 calories!) and a splash of skim milk. This took my regular 290 calories down to a whopping 25! Yeah, I was proud of myself too!

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Lunch:

Swedish Meatballs

Garden Salad (mixed greens, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette packet)

Sargento Reduced Fat Colby Cheese Stick

Strawberries

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I was a little worried about eating the Swedish Meatballs since I had read on a few forums that they weren't the tastiest of the foods. After giving them a try, I was glad I did. They weren't fabulous but they reminded me of something Dinty Moore which sort of reminds me of my childhood. All good things. Getting a bit sick of eating so many salads but it definitely fills me up and quickly.Wasn't really feeling eating the cheese stick, but did so anyways. I was barely hungry for my main course. I decided to end the meal with my strawberries that were supposed to be my morning snack to curb my sweet tooth.

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Afternoon Snack:

Del Monte Cherry Fruit Cup

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Dinner:

Meat Loaf with BBQ Sauce (comes with mixed veggies and potatoes)

Cucumber/Tomato Salad

Strawberries

I was eager to try the meat loaf since I've been craving meat loaf lately - yeah, I have strange food cravings. It didn't let me down. It was the perfect sized portion, as if that had to be said, and was great all around. I wasn't totally satisfied by the end so I decided to throw in a cup of strawberries for good measure.
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Evening Snack:
Smores Snack Bar
1% Milk


I was afraid that the bar would be a bit "protein bar" like and it wasn't at all. It was fantastic. Definitely cured my sweet tooth!

Jenny Craig - Day 2

I slept in a bit today and nearly missed my breakfast. April Fools' - I wouldn't miss breakfast :)

Here's a bit how my day went:

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Breakfast:

Blueberry Mini Loaf

Banana

Activia Light Strawberry Yogurt

The Blueberry Mini Loaf was pretty good but it had a strange diet food taste to it. For as expensive as Jenny's breakfast foods are, I'm not to impressed yet. I'm thinking that I'm going to be doing breakfast on my own because it just adds up so darn quick and I don't seem to enjoy their options (at least yet - I know I love Tuesday's breakfast since I used to steal my mom's when I was a kid).

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Lunch:

Turkey Club Panini

Spinach Salad (baby spinach, yellow grape tomatoes, 1/2 Balsamic Vinaigrette packet)

Dole Mixed Fruit in Sugar Free Cherry Gel

Sargento Light Colby Cheese Stick

Since I had my breakfast a bit late, I decided to skip my morning snack since I started to want my snack around lunch time. I was craving something sweet after my meal, so I had the Dole Mixed Fruit in Sugar Free Cherry Gel which hit the spot (should have been a part of my morning snack). I started off with my spinach salad which certainly was disgusting nothing exciting. On to the Turkey Club Panini (chunks of turkey breast in a swiss cheese sauce with chopped tomatoes on whole wheat bread). That thing was THEBOMB.COM. Could eat it every day. Way better than most non-diet sandwiches I've even had. I'll give it a 10+.

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Afternoon Snack:

Motts Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Apple Sauce

I ran a few errands and was planning on walking my dog when I got home but was too hungry! I grabbed a Granny Smith Applesauce (I've always loved this stuff). Hit the spot. I was supped to have some Jenny Craig Chocolate Cake for my snack but I decided to save it for after dinner :)

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Dinner:

Three Cheese Ziti Marinara

Steamed Summer Squashes with ICBINBS
Cucumber/Grape Tomato Salad with Rice Wine Vinegar

The ziti was super good. I was really impressed. I put some fresh ground pepper on it to add a bit of flavor but all in all, it was really good and definitely filling.

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Evening Snack:
Strawberries
1% Milk
Chocolate Cake

I reconfigured my day a bit so that I could have my cake after dinner (it was originally supposed to be after lunch). Boy am I glad that I did! That chocolate cake is awesome with strawberries and the milk just helps everything go down much smoother. I can't wait to have them again :)

All in all, today was a good day food wise. I wound up taking a brief walk with my pup which gave both of us some much needed exercise. Looking forward to tomorrow's meals!

Jenny Craig - Day 1

I have finally decided to take the next step to healthier living - I've joined Jenny Craig! It was definitely not the cheapest thing I've done ($349 for a one-year membership) but I think it will work out to be the best thing I've done. At least in quite a while. I'm going to keep track of my weight loss journey here as well as other things as they come up.

I recently left my boyfriend of 2 years and in the week after I left him, I lost 6 pounds from doing nothing other than actually enjoying my life. I had slowly been gaining weight the entire time I was dating him and I think it was partially caused by the increased stress that staying in that relationship caused and also due to the fact that he all but refused to eat anything but what I like to call "little kid food". You know, hamburgers, chicken tenders, french fries, pizza - the works.

My official starting weight was 223.6 lbs as of Saturday, March 24, 2012. I joined Jenny Craig Friday, March 30, 2012 after going to happy hour with one of my good friends who I had not seen in quite a while. When I saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes! She had lost a bunch of weight (50 pounds I later discovered) on Jenny Craig and I was amazed. What a testimonial.

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My Jenny starting weight was 217.2 lbs on Friday, March 30, 2012. I started on the Jenny diet the very next day. Here's a break-down of my meal from Day 1 (Jenny Craig Foods are in BOLD):

Breakfast:

Breakfast Stuffed Sandwich (YUCK!)

Kiwi

Activia Light Strawberry Yogurt

1% Milk (The plan recommends skim but I just can't bring myself to do that)

The breakfast was definitely a rude awakening, the stuffed sandwich resembles a hot pocket, which I'm not too fond of anyway. It was pretty salty and just didn't do much for me. Nevertheless, I powered through it. My plan called for 1/2 cup of cottage cheese which I attempted to eat and was disgusted by. I quickly replaced this by the Activia Light Strawberry Yogurt.

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Morning Snack:

Anytime Bar - Oatmeal Raisin

Banana

The anytime bar was much better than anticipated. In college, I used to eat protein bars, so I sort of knew what to expect.

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Lunch:

Beef Chow Mein

Garden Salad (1/4 chopped cucumber, ~10 yellow grape tomatoes, 1/2 Balsamic Dressing packet)

The Chow Mein slightly frightened me but I was still eager to try it. It was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to have it again. It was a good-sized portion and hit the spot. The garden salad was also good and despite the salad dressing being fat free (I was worried it might taste funny) it was great too.

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Afternoon Snack:

Del Monte Cherry Mixed Fruit

Steamed Chinese Vegetables (broccoli, bamboo, water chestnuts, carrots, baby corn)

I was out running errands with my mom and thought ahead to bring my mixed fruit bowl snack with me. My mom decided she wanted to grab an order of crab rangoon from our local chinese restaurant which I thought I could completely resist. Once she got her food, I quickly realized I was going to need something more substantial to keep myself from eating one of her crab rangoons (a huge weakness of mine). I went in the restaurant and asked them to prepare me a meal of just steamed veggies and they did look at me a bit odd and said that it came with brown sauce on it - which I asked them to put on the side. I just put one packet of soy sauce on it and was good to go. Crisis averted.

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Dinner:

Mesquite Chicken (with broccoli and red potatoes)

1 cup French green beans with garlic, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (ICBINBS), lemon orange pepper

Remainder of cucumber from earlier in the day mixed with 1/2 cup yellow cherry tomatoes and topped with fresh pepper, rice wine vinegar and garlic

The Jenny Mesquite Chicken was AWESOME yet again. I was super happy. It was a good sized little piece of chicken that came with a bit of broccoli and some chopped red potatoes. With my extra veggies I was a little TOO full (wait, I thought I was on a diet).

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Evening Snack:

White Cheddar Popcorn

The popcorn was really good and reminded me of a healthier version of Smartfood Popcorn (which I love) so I was a happy camper.

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All in all, Day 1 was a success :) On to day 2!