This post brought to you by Slim-Fast. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am not good when it comes to any type of dieting. I am fortunate that I’ve never been way over weight, but I know I could stand to lose a few pounds. At this time of year it’s difficult to keep from adding pounds with all the great treats everyone is busy making. Just the other day I was given a box of homemade chocolate pretzels. It took all my will power to not down the entire box before I even got home!
To help me keep the excess pounds off so that I don’t look like a blimp in January, I try to eat healthy, low calorie meals that allow me to have a few extra calories worth of treats. I think that’s why I really like the Slim-Fast 3•2•1 Plan, it pretty much allows me to follow my own plan without sacrificing taste, allowing me to feel satisfied, not hungry, throughout the day.
The Slim-Fast 3•2•1 is easy to follow and it’s flexible. Each day I can have 3 snacks like fruit, veggies or even the Slim-Fast 100 calorie snack bar which is specifically designed to help curb those in between meal cravings for sweets. Also, I can either drink 2 Slim-Fast shakes or eat 2 meal bars each day. I like drinking the creamy milk chocolate shake for breakfast and the other one as a late lunch. They keep me full while providing balanced nutrition until I cook dinner in the evening. The shakes come in other flavors too including French vanilla, rich chocolate royale, cuppuccino delight, and strawberries n’ cream.
Finally, as part of the Slim-Fast 3•2•1 plan, I try to fix a balanced 500 calorie meal for dinner. I’ve also learned that it helps to remember that half my dinner plate should be vegetables, 1/4 should be protein (meat) and the other 1/4 should be whole grains.
I also like Slim-Fast because it’s available where I normally do my grocery shopping so I don’t have to make an extra trip to another store just to get it. Heck, it’s even available at Amazon.com. If you can’t locate it, check the pharmacy section of your grocer and don’t forget to “like” them at http://facebook.com/slimfast
That’s right, I’m almost done with my to do list and ready to sit back and simply enjoy the holiday. I finished my shift this morning and am now sitting here organizing my grocery shopping list and coupons, getting ready to head out the door to get the supplies for Christmas day dinner. It’s just the 3 of us, so we keep it pretty simple. We enjoy a spiral sliced ham, some scalloped potatoes and a vegetable or two. We never ate our asparagus at Thanksgiving, so I think I will try to buy more today, that would go nicely with ham.
I got a few gifts wrapped yesterday and need to go get some gift bags and/or shirt boxes in order to wrap the remaining gifts. Found out through my daughter that my husband did actually buy me a gift (a rather expensive one at that) even though he said he agreed we wouldn’t exchange with each other this year. So, I went out and got him something yesterday. It’s not the gift I really truly want to give him, but I can’t afford that one right now, so went with a plan B, I just hope he’s not disappointed. Anyway, it’s wrapped and ready to go under the tree. We don’t put gifts under the tree until the night before Christmas, a tradition started when our daughter was born.
So, I’m off to the grocery, wish me luck and I am hoping it’s not too crazy and crowded!
Are you done with your holiday shopping? I am. I have to be. My budget was cut in half this year and I have no more gift money so I am done.
I actually sat down with my husband tonight and asked him if he would be all right with he and I not exchanging gifts this year. I think he looked relieved and he agreed that we would skip it. I could go out and buy him something, but it wouldn’t be what he really wants and I would be wasting the money. The same is true for him buying a gift for me. We are just in a number crunch right now and I told him I would rather wait a bit and get him something I know he wants and get it when I can afford it. I just am trying so very hard to not use credit cards!
Thankfully I was able to order most of my daughter’s gifts online and was able to use Paypal. It’s like my secret stash of funds. It’s where all my online earnings go to throughout the year and I really never spend it except at the holidays. It’s a very nice little fund that puts a smile on my face and has once again made holiday shopping easier on the wallet!
Maybe I need to get back to sewing and selling items, that was certainly another way of getting extra funds!
My mom and sister spent a week visiting me last week and was such a wonderfully relaxing visit. We did go out each day they were here and hit a quilt shop or two, but for the most part, we stayed home and chatted. While we were chatting, our fingers were busy, mine were on the computer or ipad and my mom and sister were busy with their crochet hooks. I lost count of just how many hats they made, but here are just a couple of the kids size.
My mom & sister are here visiting for a few days and we went out to dinner. The shopping center where the restaurant was located was decorated with white lights and was beautiful. We had the best table in the restaurant with a view of this tree that was absolutely mesmerizing. You have to watch the video in order to see the rest of the light that “drop” from the tree. I wish I could have this tree in my front yard, it was absolutely beautiful.
