Worst Week of Eating...Ever!

How does one gain 7 pounds in one week?  Invite my mom for a visit and eat out almost every meal (or so it seemed).  Not that my mom was forcing me to indulge in the rich and decadent dinners out but that seems to have been the formula resulting in unwelcomed weight gain this past week.

It started with the obligatory visit to San Vito Ristorante with the obligatory gorge fest including the obligatory dessert of chocolate souffle (can't let the Little Ones down, can I?). 

"Rainbow Fish" pizza, a favorite of the Bigger One

The Carnivore had the Tuesday night special, Surf and Turf for $16.99

My mom enjoyed the tilapia

Farfalle Alessandro, a veggie option

Sharing the chocolate souffle

Technically, that day included lunch at Subway.  The Carnivore's mom and sister, with her Little Ones, plus my mom and me and my LOs enjoyed some tasty subs.  They have kids' meals which include a small sandwich, apple slices or yogurt, and milk or juice, packaged in a reuseable bag. I have more of these bags saved than I can count.  I  need to find a way to use all of these bags before getting any additional kids' meals.

The following day included a trip to the Cheesecake Factory at Fair Oaks Mall for lunch since we had a few errands to run at the mall.  That night, we ate leftovers from lunch because the portions were way too huge for any of us to finish. 

The next night we had delivery from Duk Wo.  We were pleased to discover that this restaurant delivers, because the Bigger One loves avocado sushi.  Normally we'd eat in or pick up from Burke Fortune House but it's so nice to have the convenience of delivery of the rolls he savors so much.

Three rolls, almost finished



Veggie Lo Mein, which everyone enjoyed




The Carnivore's Philly rolls and Trio Amigo (I think)




Shrimp with Cashews enjoyed by my mom and the Carnivore



Tofu, sweet and sour style...

I ordered the tofu with sweet and sour sauce, hoping it would slightly resemble the taste of a sweet and sour dish with meat.  For me, this was not a successful entree at all.  The sauce was off, the tofu was too chewy, and the pineapples tasted almost spoiled.  I was disappointed.  But I enjoyed the egg drop soup that came with the meal, as well as the lo mein.  They have a create-your-own-meal option and you can combine a protein with a sauce and add on rice, soup, and an egg roll as desired.  Plus, I think their oily fried rice is so yummy.  Really, should I be shocked that I gained weight this week?

My brother showed up on Thursday night, so Friday brought a trip to another Italian restaurant, Ozzie's, which is part of the Great American family.  If you like Coastal Flats, Mike's, Sweetwater Tavern, Artie's, etc., you'll recognize certain aspects of the menu (Spinach and Artichoke Dip) and the fact that the bread basket contains similar treats (I believe all of the bread comes from their bakery, Best Buns). 

Brother's Chicken Parmigiana



Side of marscapone polenta...so delicious!



Baked Penne and Roasted Eggplant Al Forno (Mom and I had this...loved it!)

The Carnivore's choice: Wood Grilled Red Eye, Medium Rare

Tagliatelle with meatball for kids...note the hand reaching into the pasta

 We enjoyed all of our meals, had a friendly waiter (and multiple congenial servers assisting him), and amazingly, skipped the dessert.  I'd gone there with friends months ago and had the Tiramisu Ho-ho for dessert which was yummy but not as memorable as the chocolate souffle from San Vito.

The weekend brought two birthday parties: one for the Littler One on Saturday and one for my niece on Sunday...which meant cupcakes and other high calorie treats at both events.  Check out the cupcakes that were fun to bake (with my mom and Bigger One) and even more fun to eat:

Yep, I'm not making it in the cupcake biz, but these were super moist, made with love and a little help from Duncan Hines

Even cuter were these cupcakes from my niece's birthday party...the Bigger One wouldn't touch them because they were green but he didn't know what he was missing!


Check out the adorable ladybugs, almost as cute as my niece but not quite!

As if these highly caloric treats weren't enough, the Carnivore's sister (my sweet SIL) went ahead and made these irresistible cake pops!  I literally ate three while I was watching Next Food Network Star that night in the comfort (and secrecy) of my own home.  Could you resist?

Decorated like ladybugs and apparently frosting was added to the mix...absolutely amazing!


And did I forget to mention that we also snuck in a lunch at Pizzeria Uno (I'm not telling you which day this was) where the LOs had "make-your-own pizzas" for $3.00 and I enjoyed a surprisingly good veggie burger with brown rice and cranberries as a side. 

Is it any surprise after a week of gluttony like this that I managed to pack on some pounds?  Or that I'm starting this week fresh with much healthier, home-created meals for all of us?  Last night I served the Carnivore and LOs turkey burgers with 2% mozzarella cheese on whole wheat buns with sweet potato fries.  For lunch today I had tofu and salad greens.  Time to get serious about healthier eating...

And while I am happy to be back on the right path...I do miss my mom...