Crabby Joe's

No, my Joe isn't crabby... He's actually a pretty happy guy :D lol

This Joe is crabby, but his food isn't :) lol



I know, I'm a dork, lol. I went to Crabby Joe's for dinner with Jody and Heather. Yay! :) Unfortuntely, I didn't take a pic of my meal and I couldn't find it on the internet but I will describe it in the best way possible...by copying and pasting what it says on the menu itself, lol.

Grilled Veggie Wrap

Grilled red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes,

goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto wrapped in a flour

tortilla and baked in the oven.

It came with a soup, salad or fries. I did good and ordered a salad but Crabby Joe's only had Ranch or Balsamic vinegar dressing, both of which I don't like. Opted for a Caesar Salad and although it was delish, could not help but think of how bad it was for me :(

Caesar Salad:

Crisp romaine lettuce, bacon bits, croutons and parmesan

cheese tossed in our creamy Caesar dressing.

This is where my willpower was defeated. Both girls ordered dessert and there was no way I could watch both of them eat my favourite things without going totally nuts. I even asked one of my gf's if they wanted to split a dessert. She's prego and said no, lol.
Here is what I ate and although it was delicious, I am still feeling super guilty.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane...

I was going through some old pics and realize that you don't notice the changes your body makes until you compare photos. If this isn't a motivation picture I don't know what is, lol. Enjoy! xo

             

Taken October 31st, 2009 around 280lbs                    Taken June 30th, 2011 around 230 lbs

Breakfast

2 slices of Vegehut Kamut N' Flax bread
Light Ricotta cheese
Apple slices

Last Night's Dinner

Homemade tuna burger with fat free Swiss cheese
Mixed veggies
1/2 cup of tuna macaroni salad

Tonights dinner

My dinner :)
1/2 cup of Tuna macaroni salad: rice pasta, fat free mayo, tuna, green onions and celery
Chicken burger with fat free mozzarella
Romaine lettuce with fat free Italian dressing

Tis' The Season...

I know I'm wayyyy to early to be thinking about the fall/winter season but it's particularly chilly today and I wanted to bust out my "fall" coat :) I love this coat. I bought it Black Friday 2009 at the Old Navy in Pennsylvania. I remember seeing it at home but of course they didn't have my size. I was so happy when I found a size XXL for $20!!!

Me in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 2009. "Around" 280 lbs. (Notice how the buttons are popping and how tight it is around my stomach).

Here is me today, 224lbs. I love this jacket and I'm not ready to give it up yet. I was thinking about trying to move the buttons over, and make it fit properly. I went to measure how much I would need to adjust it and it looks like about 7"! Ahhh, feels good!

Decision Made :)

Thanks to those who gave me their input about the dress. Many of you liked the first one but I will tell you how I came to my decision :)

Dress #1: Addition-Elle, Size 14, $69.99 (On Sale)

I really did like this dress. I liked the way the top covered up the chunk around my arms, lol and it does look pretty classy ;) lol but I felt like it made me alook a little older than I am. I felt like 35, lol. Also, my tummy is my problem area and I did not feel comfortable in it. Especially since It's an Italian wedding and I have told myself I am going to eat like an Italian that night and drink like an Irishman, lol. Hellllllssss yaaaaa! LOL


Dress #2: Addition-Elle, Size 14, $99.99

I really liked this dress. It came in purple and black. The style hid my tummy issues, gave me an hourglass-type figure and...it has pockets!!!! LOL. I probably would have bought it right then and there but it was $99.99 :s Keep on shoppin!


Dress #3: Sears, Size 14, $79.99

MY DRESS! So this is the dress I chose :) Very similiar to the purple one but I fell in love with the colour... and the price :) Since I am broke as ass my wonderful and amazing boyfriend was able to help me out :) He's awesome <3
Since I am a control freak and very detailed oriented (lol) I have already figured out what I am going to do with my hair and shoes. Shit, you'd think it was my own wedding, lol. So stayed tuned to see the final result October 15th! lol


Yes, peacock blue = peacock feathers in my hurr, lol
 Sparkly shoes to bring out the jewel-tone in the dress :)

Friday Shopping with Jen! Need Your Opinions!!!

My lovely sister drove a whole hour to come visit me today :) We went to a few stores on a mission to get a feel for a dress for my cousin's upcoming wedding. I know I said I wanted to try to fit into my old red dress and although I do fit into it, I realized that, I need a nice new dress to show off my new figure ;) lol.
There are three dress possibilities. I already have my opinion, now I need yours :)

# 1:

Dress #2:

Dress #3:

FYI: The first 2 are size 14s, the blue one is a size 16 ;)

Also, had some yummy non fat key lime pie frozen yogurt ;)

Recent Dinners

So the last few evenings have been so chilly out and it's making me get into the "autumn spirit". I know, way too early to be thinking fall but it is my favourite season :) With cooler weather also brings my desire to cook dinner! lol Here is what I made Tuesday night:

\

1/2 cup of cereal pasta with 1 tbsp of light salmon cream cheese

1 filet of sole

Asparagus with a tbsp of light ricotta cheese

Chicken breast (deck of cards size)

1/2 cup of quinoa with low sodium soy sauce

Asian style frozen veggies

Also, notice the glass of Peach Mango V8? Started taking my Inositol again today :)

(I've been really slacking on taking my supplements, partly because  I started running out and didn't have any money to buy new ones and partly because I\ve been waking up at noon for 2 months and missed a bunch of my morning ones, lol. Hopefully I\ll get back on track in September!)

I Want Junk Food!!!

I have no idea what is going on with my body today but I am having severe cravings!!!
Yesterday I was on the brink of ordering pizza just because my air conditioner was still not working and I didn't feel like cooking in a hot apartment. Knowing Joe usually hits Timmy's on the way home from work, I was thisclose to asking him to grab me a donut. A donut!!! I should get off my butt today and pick up some groceries but I'm a little worried I will make some bad choices, lol.
Quick question: What do you think a couple should spend on groceries per month? Seems like we do groceries often but we aren't spending too much each time, or so I think. I'd appreciate your input!

Best Gluten Free Pasta!

As an Italian girl, I love my pasta so turning gluten free has had a big impact on me. Firstly, I made the change very slowly-- going from white to whole wheat pasta and then trying a variety of gluten free pastas until I found one I liked. The first type I tried was "brown rice pasta". If you've had Pad Thai, it's the type of noodles that are used in Pad Thai. I've also tried Spelt pasta and Kamut pasta, both pretty good but mostly tasting like whole wheat. My favourite pasta, and the type that most resembles the "white" one is this: CEREAL PASTA?!?! It's basically made up of a bunch of different type of gluten free grains including rice, buckwheat and corn. I love it :) You can get it at Costco-- 2 bags for $5.99

Great Day!

I had a great day today :) I got a new part time job and I am getting a sweet cheque from my apartment rental company. Not bad!

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast:

Banana (on my way to my interview)

Lunch:

Grapes

2 slices of gluten free bread

Sundried Tomato Copanada (From Fiddleheads. All organic but probably full of fat. They had a free sample and I was hooked so I decided to treat myself, lol)

Dinner:

Salmon portion

1/2 cup of cereal pasta with light Salmon Cream Cheese (delish!)

Brocolli with one Fat Free Kraft Single

Back On Track...

So I am back on track this week and proud of it! Lost 3 of the 5 lbs I gained this weekend, (lol) and headed back to T-Zone today. Also made a supper yummy and healthy dinner :)

Risotto with brocolli and mushrooms

Filet of Sole

Brocolli with fat free cheese

Confession

Had a great weekend but ate horribly! Nonna cooked all weekend and I ate all weekend, lol.

Back on track tomorrow!!