Days 12, 13, and 14 - Vegas baby!!

I went to Vegas this weekend to spend time with my mom and sisters, minus Ash. We had SOO much fun! So our fun always includes food, but this weekend, I was so proud of my choices. Anybody that knows me, KNOWS that I LOVE popcorn! And let's get serious - butter, and salt and yummy goodness. I normally would down a whole bag of microwave popcorn myself. Or, when we go to the movies, a bag by myself. (We won't mention what size.) It's one of my many favorite treats. But holy cow, I didn't realize the amount of fat I was consuming, and it's opened my eyes. I'm a changed woman! This weekend, I consumed a bowl of AIR POPPED popcorn, (thanks Ang for finding your air popper for me!), so no oil used, and a little "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, a sprinkle of salt, and 0 grams of fat!!! I said zero!!! A bag of the microwave stuff had 12 grams of fat per serving. Guess what people? There is 3 servings per bag!! Who just eats a 1/3 of the bag?? Not me!! So that's 36 grams of fat per bag. 36 to zero, that's pretty awesome.

This is the quinoa and black bean recipe I found on allrecipes.com that I altered a bit. Top it with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime - delicious! We added avocado the next day and I loved that even better! I made this dish for everyone, so everybody that night had a vegetarian meal and it went over great! Kayla and Shawn saw me load up the cilantro and lime so they did also....I was worried they wouldn't like it after that, and they really didn't. But they saw their daddy dipping his chips in it, so they did that and like it just fine! haha

Everyone got Pei Wei one night, and so I got a bit scared. "What will I order?" AAHH!!! Not to worry, I have found that all the places I have been are more than willing to accomodate you and your special requests. If you want a healthy dinner, not cooked in oil, (make sure you specify this!) then order this.....Sesame tofu with extra vegetables and small portion of brown rice. This was off the hook!!!! Everyone was curious about the tofu, so everyone tried a bit and were amazed! The texture was so tender just like a lean piece of meat, but without the added hormones and gristle, yuck!! This really was divine, and I enjoyed every bite!!

Ok, so traveling on the road is a little hard, but I found a delicious alternative to what we might always get. Normally, I might get something from Taco Bell, or even McDonald's if I was with Jason. But this time, there were better choices made! This is a veggie sub from Subway - whole wheat bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppercinnis, pickles, lettuce, spinach, a little avocado, mustard, pepper, and oregano. I didn't miss that slimy deli turkey meat one bit!! Or the cheese!! YUMMY!!!

I am amazed on a daily basis how much I truly thought I was eating healthy, but in reality, I really wasn't. Now that I am really being aware of what I'm putting into my body, it feels great in more ways than one.

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks! It's gone by fast. The time will pass regardless of what we do with our lives, so why wait!! Tomorrow, next month, the next year will be here anyway, I might as well be making the best choices for my health, and I am feeling pretty great. :)

Ang says she can tell I've definitely lost weight. That is very exciting to hear! I can take my jeans off without buttoning them, wow! Mom says I have lost the "puffy" look....alrighty. haha

I'm so grateful for this weekend away. I had so much fun, and much needed girl time!! I love my family, and am so grateful my mom IS BACK! What a blessing to us all!! I love my mom, my sisters, my niece and nephews, and my Jason. I will be posting later about the wonderful, most amazing gift Angela gave me this weekend. I will treasure it for always.

Until tomorrow foodies :)