Fabulous - frozen yogurt bites!

Frozen yogurt bites! Drop yogurt off spoon onto wax paper and freeze.  Bag them up for a sweet treat!  You'd be amazed how many you can get from your favorite Yoplait fat free yogurt - like my faves Boston Creme Pie, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, you get the idea. :)  Yoplait is 3pts for the entire container - so do lots of small bites and break up the points or eat them all at once while watching your favorite movie.  Such a fun idea with summer coming.  Enjoy!

ONE point muffins!!!!

Banana Zucchini Carrot Muffins - totally substituted out and really pretty delicious.  I was bored with eggs, and since it was snowy and cold out - I thought I'd bake.  I found this recipe online and then totally changed it. :)  I'm pretty darned pumped to offer you ONE POINT yummy muffins!

Servings: 12
WW Points: 1pt each

Ingredients:

1/3 cup egg whites

1 cup Stevia in the Raw (or for two point muffins, do 1/2 sugar substitute - 1/2 sugar. It does have a bit of a "sweetner" taste. Up to you!!)

1/3 cup unsweetened or natural applesauce

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of vanilla

3 medium ripe bananas

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups of oats

Instructions:

Bake at 350 degrees in 12 muffin tins for approximately 25 minutes.  Cool and serve. I use Brummel and Brown's yogurt butter which is one point for one tablespoon - so I had two muffins w/ 1/2 TB on each - warm from the oven and savored the moment. :)  Snowy morning, warm muffins, and still losing weight - perfect combination! 

Attention Coffee Lovers

So I found that fat free half-n-half is zero pts for 2TB!!!!  That's pretty darn good!!!  Now, I still need a little bit of Stevia in the raw to cut the harshness of coffee - but clearly that's a personal preference.  Not gonna lie, it's still not as good as full fat yummy flavored creamers which I still use on occasion when I want to count the one or two points, but it's certainly good enough when I need those zero point mornings.

12 Weeks Down

Just a short word of encouragement.  I just completed my 12th week on Weight Watchers and I am officially down 27lbs. I am officially down 10%+ of my initial body weight and only 7lbs away from my pre-baby weight.  I still have a million pounds to go, BUT I'M 27lbs DOWN!!!!  Celebrate every victory!

The program works.  Because we all have different bodies, different motivation - we're going to lose at different rates - BUT the program works.  Stick to what you know, don't try to cheat the system, follow the rules and enjoy every second of living the active, healthy, amazing life you deserve.  No loss is too little, and no effort to small. 

I'll see every one of you at the finish line - because WE GOT THIS!!

Tamale Pie

Now for all the Mexican food fans - this does not (according to my husband) taste like tamales.  :)  If you go into it as a healthy Mexican food option - then I think you'll enjoy it as much as me.  If you want true tamale's - save ALL your points and go buy them! :)

Servings: 8 (I cut it like a pie)
WW pts: 4pts

Ingredients:
Filling:

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced mushroom
• 1 lb ground extra lean Jennie-O turkey
• 1 4.5oz can diced green chilies
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• Dash of pepper
• 1/2 cup of 2% shredded Mexican cheese

Topping:

• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it into small chunks with a spatula. When the beef begins to brown add in the mushrooms, onion, and chilies. Cook until the veggies are tender. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, chili powder, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.  Sprinkle cheese on top of meat mixture.

Place a small pot over over medium heat. Add in cold water, salt, and cornmeal. Whisk the ingredients together until the cornmeal absorbs all of the water and has thickened. Stir in the butter.

Spoon the cornmeal mixture over the top of the skillet, spreading it into an even layer. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm with fat free sour cream on the side.

Zucchini Cheesy Goodness

Saw these on pinterest the other day and revised them for WW.  They are scrumptious as a snack or side dish for dinner.  Oh, and super easy too!!

3pts for whole zucchini

Ingredients:

• zucchini cut in half length wise - seeds scooped out with a spoon
• tomato sliced thin
• olive oil
• cheese of choice (recommend mozeralla or fontina)
• Parmesean cheese
• Panko breadcrumbs

Instructions:

• drizzle olive oil over zucchini
• put tomato slices along middle of zucchini
• sprinkle w/ salt and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes
• Fill each half w/ one ounce of cheese each (I used whole mozeralla that I tore)
• sprinkle w/ parm cheese
• add one tsp of panko breadcrumbs to each
• Put back into oven for approximately 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.  Eat right away!!!

Favorite Food Products & Best Tips!!

This is a post for all of the newbies joining our loser community :) - as well as a reminder to those of us who have been at it for a bit.  One of the main lessons I learned from my lackadaisical week is that going back to the basics is where its at.  The program works for a reason, so work the program!

Favorite WW Products I've found so far:

• Mini Phyllo Pastry Shells - found in the same freezer section as cool whip.  Ours were hidden, so look carefully or ask!  These are good for just about everything. :)
• PB2 powdered peanut butter.  It's pricey, but the best if you're a peanut butter-holic like me.  Two tablespoons are only 1 point!!!  (You mix it with water, you don't eat it powdered.)  Again, keep you expectations realistic, but I swear by it.  I eat it plain, on tortillas, with veggies or fruit,  in smoothies, and in recipes that call for peanut butter.  Here is the link for it on amazon!!  http://www.amazon.com/PB2-Powdered-Peanut-Butter-Calories/dp/B002GJ9JWS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330055714&sr=8-3
• Mission Carb Plus Tortillas.  1 point for the small ones, 2 points for the medium size.  These are great for veggie tacos, tortilla pizzas, enchiladas, sandwiches, you name it.
• Jennie O extra lean ground turkey and turkey kielbasa.  I use the ground turkey for so many things and the turkey kielbasa for breakfast skillets (one of Perg's and my favorite meals).  The healthiest meat I've found by far.
• Gordon's Grilled Shrimp!  The whole bag is only 6 points!!!!  Delicious on their own, or in pasta, tacos, etc.
• Popchips with french onion dip made with low-fat mayo and fat free sour cream.  YUM!!!!
• You need a food processor for this one, but banana soft serve ice cream!!  Freeze some bananas, puree in food processor for approximately 5 minutes - voila - you'll swear its soft serve ice cream!  I know it sounds too good to be true, but crazy enough, it is. :)  Or if you want the "ice cream" but don't want to buy a food processor - get this instead.  It's SO cool and I want one really bad.  :)  http://www.amazon.com/Yonanas-902-Cream-Treat-Silver/dp/B005083ECS/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1330057179&sr=1-1-catcorr

Best Tips I've Learned so far in the WW world:

• Drink your water!!!  And keep track of how much you drink.  Don't "think" you got your daily water in, KNOW!
• Measure your food.  I got lazy with this last week thinking I knew the correct portion sizes and it nearly bit me in my slowly shrinking booty.  There is a reason for this - it's called portion control.  We are Americans, we don't understand this - so measure!!!!  No excuses. 
• Journal absolutely everything that goes in your mouth.  Even if it's just a taste.
• BLT's!!  Bites, licks and tastes count as one point - so make sure it's worth it.
• Sugar free mint gum or mints=appetite suppressant.  So are lemons.  Between meals if you're feeling snacky - suck on a lemon slice or chew a piece of mint gum - it really will help.
• Failure to plan is planning to fail.  Write out and plan your meals for the week.  Prepare snacks in advance - getting to where you're starving is just a recipe to make bad choices. 
• Bulk up everything you eat with tons of veggies or fruits.  For example, my husbands breakfast skillet has onions and peppers along with his turkey kielbasa & hashbrowns.  Mine has onions, peppers, zucchini, spinach, garlic, portobellos, so on and so forth - along with the kielbasa and measured hashbrowns.  I get to eat just as much as him, just with free point foods instead!  You hopefully get the idea. :)
• Be active.  Even if you can't or don't want to exercise - be active.  Every little bit adds up!
• Last one, and I know it sounds a little lame, but I have the lost pounds to prove it works!  When you wake up in the morning - stretch really tall, then touch your toes slowly, and breathe deeply for a couple of times.  Get your mind right and ready to start the day.  I have a baby who normally wakes me up, but taking the best care of him means taking care of me first - so take a deep breath, stretch out those muscles and know you got this!

There are a million more I'm sure I could come up with, but this is a great place to start or go back to. REMEMBER - NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING HEALTHY AND THIN FEELS.  Enjoy every day, indulge where it matters to you, but keep tight to the program.  It works, it really really works.  Go kick some WW butt!!!! :)

Inside Out Pot Pies REVISED

My new FAVORITE WW food product is mini phyllo pastry shells!!!  They make it so incredibly easy to make all sorts of things extremely healthy.  I used the rest of my roasted veggie mixture from the pot pies I made the other night, and simply spooned them into the shells and bakes for 10 minutes.  This entire cookie sheet is only 9 points for 15 shells!  Plus easily several servings of veggies.  Working with sheets of phyllo dough is a pain at best, so having pre-made shells ready to go makes my life SO much easier.  YAY!!!!  :)

Some other ideas for the shells - which are 1pt for 2 shells.

• fill with cut up berries and top with fat free cool whip - no points except for the shells!
• Fill with ww tuna or chicken salad
• egg mixture for breakfast (egg whites, green onions, peppers, any other veggie) - fat free cheese if you want!
• little mini-pizzas
• the sky is truly the limit!!!
   

Roasted Veggie Inside Out Potpies

Easy, LOW POINT, large veggie serving potpies!  I made a chicken potpie w/ pie crust for Perg, but made this roasted veggie version for myself in muffin tins - I definitely did not suffer!  Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Serving size: 1 cup

WW Points: 1.5 each!

Ingredients:
I used the following veggies that I roasted, but obviously you can use whatever you want!

• zucchini
• asparagus
• broccoli
• sweet peppers
• onion
• green beans
• spinach
• portobellos

1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
salt & pepper to taste
5 sheets of phyllo dough

Instructions:
Cut up veggies, mist with olive oil, sprinkle w/ salt and roast in oven at 450 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.  Combine w/ soup, salt & pepper - set aside.

Take the 5 sheets of phyllo dough (keep stacked) and cut into six equal portions.  Mist six muffin tins w/ olive oil or Pam spray.  Here comes the somewhat tedious part.  Mist each sheet and line each muffin cup w/ the 5 sheet mini stack.  So for clarity, each muffin cup has five cut sheets (stacked), each misted and formed to the cup.  Phyllo dough is VERY thin, hence the reason you have to stack five for each cup.  Bake alone, at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.  Take out of the oven, fill with veggie mixture and put back in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes or so.

ENJOY!!!

OMG - Strawberry Cheesecake Bites!!

Here is a FABULOUS dessert, but with hardly any guilt!!  These are technically zero points - but I would count 1 point for every four or five you eat (depending on how big they are).  ENJOY!!!!!!!



Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
adapted from Nutmeg Nanny by Karen

Ingredients:
-1 lb large strawberries
-8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
-2 TB powdered sugar
-2 tsp truvia
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-graham cracker crumbs

Directions:
1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary (some may already be hollow inside). Prep all strawberries and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, truvia and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

OMG!!!  Do this, do this now!

Servings: 8
WW Points: 6 points per serving


Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Recipe adapted from: Six Sisters' Stuff by Karen

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Salt and pepper
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp of sugar substitute (or another 1/2 cup honey for more points)
1/2 cup soy sauce - low sodium preferred
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. package of frozen broccoli spears
1/2 red bell pepper cut into strips
2 chopped green onion (optional)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - doesn't really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Toss in broccoli (frozen is fine), bell pepper and green onions (if you want).  Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.


*You can also sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top if you want more heat.

Prep Sunday!

So in my efforts to recommit myself to my goals - I am having a food prep Sunday.  Here are some things I'm doing to not only make good choices, but also take some of the stress out of my week.

1. Cooking a pork tenderloin in the crock pot for two dinners this week.
2. Chopping all my fruits and veggies for the week and labeling them in ziploc baggies so meals and snacks are easy.
3. Writing IN ADVANCE, in my journal so I know what I'm eating and what my week looks like.  I want to be extra on it this week since I have some make up work to do.
4. Making the lightest verstion of my veggie quiche for my breakfasts so I can spend more time with Brady but still get a healthy jumpstart to my day.
5. Going to the gas station to get my non-environmentally friendly styrofoam cup to increase my water.
6. Making sure I have mint gum in my purse to stretch my "in between" times.
7. Completely cleaning out my fridge and pantry so all my choices are good ones, and the temptation to cheat is eliminated. 

New recipes to come this week - I promise!!!  Until then, go back through your journals to a very succesful week and reproduce many of those meals and snacks.  This will help motivate you as you already know your weigh in will be successful.

LETS DO THIS!!!!!

Re-Committing

I have a confession to make.  Not a happy one, not a motivating one.  I am getting ready to finish my 11th week of WW, and I blew it.  Not just a little bump, but a big huge dump truck of dumb choices. 

My first mistake was thinking I can have two days off after my weigh in because I have five more to make up for it.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  There are no "days off" in the WW world.  This is why they give you the extra 49 weekly points - so you can have moments of indulgence, not entire days. 

My second mistake was eating an unhealthy version of my "trigger" food.  Tuesday night we had pepperoni pizza.  It was a "holiday" (Valentines Day), and since I still had my six days left I thought what the heck?  Boo!!  I should've gone with my instincts and gotten a thin crust veggie pizza like I usually do when we order pizza.  So instead I ate too much pepp pizza and was so upset with myself I didn't journal so I wouldn't have to acknowledge it.  This started me on a rapid downward spiral into not making good food choices the rest of the week.  As not only did I eat bad pizza and too much of it on Tuesday night, but then we had leftovers that I couldn't or didn't stay away from on Wednesday.  Double boo.

My third mistake was not eating my fruits & veggies or drinking my water.  Since I was on this downward spiral, had some uncommon stresses in my week, I quite frankly just stopped making that extra effort you need to be successful in reaching your goals.  I MAYBE had one or two servings a day, and MAYBE had two or three glasses of water.  *shaking my head at myself*  WW works because it is a healthy, balanced food plan - taking out both those elements does not equal success either for your weight loss or your health.

And finally, my fourth mistake - and the biggest one - was not journaling.  Because I was ashamed of myself and knowing I was making conscious bad choices - I didn't journal until today (Sunday).  I didn't want to see what I was doing to myself.  So instead of owning my decisions and just dealing with it, I hid them which is ironically what has made me so overweight in the first place.

I apologize for also having gotten lazy with blogging, with discovering new recipes to share with you, and for letting my judgement become impaired and in turn becoming what NOT to do, instead of a positive example.  Let my bad choices and mistakes be a lesson for you that you do not have to learn first hand.  Know that your LIFE is more important than food, and that your GOALS matter enough to do the work WW requires.  Like the commercials say "if you want it you got it" - but you have to want it more than you want a piece of pizza,  more than you want to just put the pen down and fall back into bad habits.

This is a new day, a fresh start and time to repent and move forward with a hard lesson learned.  I DO want this, and I am re-committing to putting in the work and effort it takes to get there.

A simple, delicious snack!!

These are Caprese bites I had as a side for my lunch today.  VERY easy, and 100% delicious. I believe it made approximately 13 little bites, give or take. I simply took a tooth pick and layered in this order:

• grape tomato
• piece of fresh basil (however big or small you prefer - to taste)
• piece of whole mozzarella (I used one ounce for the whole dish, cut up - its the only thing with points in this whole snack!)
• another grape tomato
• dipped in balsamic vinegar reduction (on the side to the left)

Whole snack - 2 points as well as a serving of veggies & healthy dairy!

You could also add avocado, just count the points!  To make balsamic reduction - simply take 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1 TB of  truvia - heat on the stove on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until syrupy.  Let cool.  You can also just use plain balsamic vinegar - I just think this tastes better and is worth the extra effort.  Also delicious on salad and grilled or baked salmon!

5lbs of fat!

For those of us who gets discouraged by losing only one pound or so at a time - remember you are doing something SIGNIFICANT for yourself and for your health.  Here is a picture of 5lbs of fat.  For every ounce you lose, you are taking this off your body for good. 

MEASURE your food!  JOURNAL everything you put in your mouth!  Be ACTIVE and move your body!  Do not give up, do not get lazy, do not lose sight of why you joined WW in the first place.  You are fighting for your health, for the life you want, and for living that life in the best way possible. 

So renew your attitude, follow the plan without deviating, and LOVE who you are.  You got this!!

One more cheat tip

Chew any kind of mint gum, swish mouthwash or brush your teeth!  The flavor of mint will help deter your desire to eat.  Promise.  There are no excuses with the option of a million gums, travel size mouth wash, or the Colgate Wisps (disposable toothbrushes ready to go).  I swear by this technique!  It won't work forever, but definitely helps!

Little Cheat Tips

Here are just a few little cheat tips to help you in any situation where you will have access to food you didn't make (aka: restaurants, parties, get togethers, holidays, etc.)  REMEMBER - this is only a moment of your life - the way you look/feel/health, etc is what will impact you long term. 

1. Wear your snuggest fitting jeans.  I know they aren't your most comfortable, and wearing elastic would be so much more appealing - but when your jeans just fit it will keep you from over-eating and making your jeans impossible to not unbutton. 
2. Simply fill your plate with the correct portions - just like you would for a meal - and DO NOT GRAZE!!!  It's the snacking you don't measure or count accurate points that will wreck your momentum and success. 
3. The "buffet" lifestyle is what got you here in the first place, so LET IT GO.  You do not need multiple plates of food.  Just because it's there doesn't mean it needs to go in your mouth.  Go ONE time, fill your plate with measured portions, and enjoy! 
4. If you feel snacky - eat veggies.  Sure, they aren't as good as Lays chips w/ french onion dip, BUT you will feel so encouraged tomorrow when you made the healthy choice.  If you're like me and plain veggies aren't appealing, get some fat free sour cream and onion soup mix and make your own dip.  MEASURE!
5. Drink tons of water.  In between every three bites or so, drink half a glass of water.  When you get snacky or want to graze, put a drink in your hand.  Sure you'll pee more, but that "full" feeling will help you from overeating.

Again, don't let a moment deter you from the healthy, amazing life you are working for.  YOU GOT THIS!!!!!!

Japanese Veggie Glaze

OH SO GOOD. Not really an easily shared Super Bowl recipe, but you won't want to share it anyway. :)  You could also make this with chicken - just factor the points!!

Serving Size: 1 cup
WW Points: 1 pt per cup!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 cup of chopped broccoli
• 1 cup of chopped spinach
• 1 cup of zucchini
• 1 cup of onion
• 1/2 cup of red pepper
• 1/2 cup of green pepper
• 1 can of chopped water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup of snow peas
• OR whatever veggies you want!!!
• Glaze
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• 2 1/2 TB of sugar
• 1 clove of chopped garlic
• red pepper chili flakes to taste

Directions:

• sautee all veggies for about 8-10 minutes until tender crisp
• Add glaze ingredients to pan
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes
• Bring back to high heat and cook until liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze

To live or not to live...is this really a question?

As we look towards the Super Bowl this Sunday, it occurred to me that as Americans, this is yet another day we mark with food.  I want to encourage each of us to start looking at each holiday and event in our lives to be marked with memories and experiences - not food.  As long as we live, food will always be a part of our lives - BUT it is up to us to determine the quality of that life.  You have the power to determine what kind of life you lead, and how that will impact you and your family.  So as we have fun watching the game on Sunday, remember always, that LIFE is so much more than food.  It's family, friends, memories, adventures, and enjoying every second of this beautiful life God has given us.