My Week! January 4-10, 2016

Well, we all made it through the first full week of January! That deserves some sort of reward, doesn't it?

I hope everyone enjoyed their week. For me, it was tough because it was my first full week back to work after Christmas break. Part of me was dreading it, but part of me was also ready to get back into a regular routine again. I was so excited to see all of my kiddos!

It was also nice to get back into a regular routine of working out and eating right/staying on track. My breakfasts during last week consisted of cinnamon swirl toast and mixed berries (5 sp). I am planning to have the same thing again this week, but may switch it up a bit and have some low fat nutri grain waffles/fruit (4 sp).

*Plate: Pioneer Woman Collection from Walmart

Snacks last week consisted of a light babybel cheese (1 sp) and 14 lightly salted almonds (2 sp) during the school day, and a honeycrisp apple, Special K granola bar (4 sp), and turkey pepperoni stick (1 sp) for an after school snack before the gym.

The Special K granola bars were new to me, I had never tried this flavor. I LOVE them (dark chocolate granola). Also, the turkey pepperoni stick was new to me. I found them at my local grocery store, Hy-Vee. They tasted like beef jerky. So good and a yummy combo with the crisp apple.

I was so happy to finally get back into the gym, but MY GOODNESS, it was CROWDED. And of course, that's expected with the New Year. My sister is a manager at the gym I go to and she said it's always so busy January 1st until close to the end of February when it starts to die down a bit. My workouts usually consist of cardio on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then I rotate between arm and leg day. I also started incorporating the stair stepper for the last five minutes of my workout. It is KILLER, but makes me end my workout on such a high and burns so many calories.

*Watch: Polar Watch FT4

Dinners last week:

Monday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup from: Emilybites (8 sp per cup)

This soup is AMAZING. My hubby even loved it too. Perfect for leftovers too.

Tuesday: Bubble Up Chicken Pot Pie Casserole from: Emilybites (9 sp)

This is another favorite. Such a good comfort food, especially this time of year. I believe it calls for 1 tsp of thyme, but that is a strong seasoning to me, so I have been using 1/2 tsp, and it's perfect.

Wednesday: Doritos Taco Salad from: Emilybites (4 sp per cup)

I had never made this before, but I've seen it all over my instagram feed. It was so easy to throw together. It will definitely be made again!

Thursday: Flatout pizza (7 sp)

This is a go-to dinner quite often. If you've never tried the flatout wraps or pizza crusts before, you definitely should. I find mine near the produce in my grocery store. Use whatever toppings your little heart desires!

Let's talk about this beautiful combo for a second. Oreo thins. Jif whipped peanut butter & salty caramel. Do yourself a favor and try this combo. You will thank me, I promise. Side note: You must have EXTREME self-control. That is all.

Fast forward to this past weekend. After a week back to work after a long Christmas break, I was reeeeally looking forward to the weekend (is that bad?). Friday evening I went to Old Chicago with a friend that I work with to catch up over our week and have some fun girl time. On Saturday, I woke up and had some Kodiak protein pancakes (5 sp) with an egg and two egg whites (2 sp).

I also had some motivation to get a mid-morning workout in. I honestly couldn't even tell you the last time I worked out on a Saturday. It felt so good! I would love to keep this motivation forever, please.

*Water bottle: Ross

*Kate Spade earbuds: Best Buy

Saturday afternoon was the much anticipated Chiefs/Texans playoff game. I have been a Kansas City Chiefs fan my entire life (growing up here, you don't have much choice). Kansas City has been waiting for the Chiefs to win a playoff game for nearly 22 years and it finally happened yesterday. AND they shut the Texans out, 30-0. It's been quite the year of sports for Kansas City. I hope the Chiefs can keep it up. I'm really looking forward to watching them play against the Patriots next weekend!

Today was my weekly grocery shopping day. 

On the menu this week: cheeseburger soup, buffalo chicken roll-ups, taco salad, and baked chicken with sweet potato fries, and veggies.

The rest of my afternoon was spent with my momma. We went to TJ Maxx to look around. She's the one with the gift card, and I'M the one who walked out with a purchase- haha.

I hope you all have a fabulous week! I am excited for week #2 being back on track, eating right, and exercising. Pictures like this keep me going: