Home Again!

Wow, what a whirlwind week it was!  From the James Taylor concert last Thursday night through my family reunion in Virginia, this week went by fast, but I packed a lot into that week, that’s for sure!  I plan on doing a vacation recap post tomorrow, but I wanted to thank my twin sister Jennifer for her guest post and continuing to inspire me to get my shit together so I can have as much success on the scale as she has had this year.  So proud of you Jenn!

And a huge thank you to Hannah for her 4th of July BBQ post – I think she ate the most meat I’ve ever seen her eat before on the 4th!  I don’t think we’ll be sharing a t-bone steak anytime soon, but glad she’s getting some protein from meat.  I am sure she and Jacob enjoyed having the house to themselves for five days.  They joke that they’ll continue to live here until I need to be placed in a nursing home.  Either that, or I’ll come home one day and find a tiny house in my back yard where they will live!

I have to apologize to Ally, because I wanted to repost her Aldi post about feeding a family for five for $170.  Unbeknownst to me, my Aunt decided to cut the wi-fi from the river house because she just isn’t there often enough to use it.  I had my cell phone, but it’s super hard to post stuff on my WordPress App, but click on that link above and you’ll find out how she feeds her family good wholesome food for $85 a week for a family of five – very impressive!

It was back to work for me, so I did my staggered breakfast/lunch/dinner.   I decided on both savory and sweet – two pieces uncured bacon (2) one egg and egg white scramble (2) and Chobani (2) with my one point fruit sauce (1).  It was filling for 7 smart points.

And even though I knew I’d be on my feet most of the day, I still got out and knocked out a quick 30 minute walk before I had to get ready.

And Roz, I saw a random heart!

I hadn’t done any grocery shopping yet, so decided to hit up Subway on my way to work.  Their 6 inch black forest ham sandwich without cheese on whole grain is 8 smart points.  I used some of Hannah’s leftover fruit to accessorize my lunch.

It was hot out yesterday.  I sweat balls both loading the car and unpacking the car.  I brought 2 liters of water with me and drank every drop and never even had to go to the bathroom!  It was a ghost town market – my boss said it is usually a slow week after the 4th of July, but it will pick up.  The market I am doing tonight in Lincoln Square sells wraps and salads so hopefully we’ll be busy.

So I decided that on nights when I don’t eat dinner until 10:00 p.m., that I am ditching my pizza/frozen pizza combo and am going to have lo carb dinners.  I mean, I literally go to bed by 11:30 so no sense having a heavy meal right before bed, but I was really hungry by the time I got home.  Beef to the rescue!  Have you tried sirloin tip steak?  It’s super economical – my six ounce steak was only $2.76.  I used my hardcore carnivore black rub, cooked the steak whole for 2 minutes a side, then let that rest while I sautéed my zucchini.  Then I cut the steak into bite sized pieces and tossed it all together for another minute.   I used a bit of grapeseed oil in the saute, but this plate comes in at 8 smart points. 

I felt very satisfied after dinner, but that didn’t stop me from eating some of my Aunt’s salt and pepper nuts – gah!  They are so good, but I have to stop eating stuff that doesn’t belong in my mouth.  I had the points for it, but I don’t want to get into the late night snacky habit again.

It was actually nice to disconnect over the weekend.  I’d use my data just enough to post something on Facebook or Instagram, and then jump right off.  I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on!

But for now, I’ll just dream of having my morning coffee this morning like I did a mere two mornings ago.  I got up early and sat on the dock, sipping my coffee, for an hour before anyone else got up.  It was glorious!  I had no where to be, I watched the birds fly around, and hear the water hitting the dock.  It’s just a reminder to slow down and enjoy the beauty in the world.  This is definitely my happy place.

Alright, time to catch up on some computer work, get a walk in and then pack my food for the day before work.  Another hot day today – 90 degrees!  I believe I’ll bring an extra bottle of water today.

Make it a great day!