Lettuce Eat Cake

Feb 27, 2010

It's the end of my WW week and I have 28 of 35 weekly points left and 14 activity points. I did pretty well at the girl's night last night. I did my best to figure out points for it and only ate into 1.5 of my weekly points. In fact, I ate small portions and ended up feeling sick before finishing everything. I was amazed at the way my body responded to it. Then today happened. It was Stake Women's conference and lunch was served. We had a turkey club sub sandwhich with an Italian pasta salad and fruit-ki-bob. OH dang, I just realized I didn't account for the fruit. Oh well. I figured I ate about 13 points at lunch. I really wasn't hungry for dinner, but we were going out as a large family to a Mexican restaurant. I tried to eat controllably? and didn't do too shabby. I ate into 4.5 of my weeklies because of the little things I wasn't disciplined enough to say no to - tortilla w/ butter & sugar (particular weakness for those yummy tortillas), chips (didn't do too bad, but kept going for one more), and a sopapilla (allowed it b/c we never get them). I feel heavy and full now, and I'm hoping that the scale is kind to me tomorrow. I wanted to come home and do some P90x to feel better, but I'm on the computer avoiding dishes instead. And I want to go to bed.

Cheesy Beans and Rice

Cheesy Beans and Rice LT03, 186, 5 points for 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to a bowl; add the beans. In a nonstick skillet, saute onion in oil for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat.

In a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer a third of the rice mixture, cheese and tomato mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining rice mixture and tomato mixture.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.


Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 306 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 15 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

*********
I made this last night (Feb 26th) for a girl's night with Mexican themed food. This is not a dish that is new to me. I have made it a few times before, and it's usually well received by everyone but my family :)

When I've made it in the past I've always used white rice, but this time I used brown like it calls for in the recipe. It is good either way. The recipe calls for 1 c. of rice, but I cooked 2 cups and used almost all of it. The cheese helps soften the bite of the Ro-tel, and the flavors all blend really well.

The WW points came out to 5 points for 8 servings. I mentally divided the dish into 8 pieces, but one could easily get double that for smaller portions.

Reckoning Day

Feb 26, 2010

Today is reckoning day for my goal to fit into the clothes that Matthew's great aunt gave me. The capris are size 16 with the exception of a 14 which must be a more expensive brand b/c it fit before the 16s did. A month ago I could have worn them, but they wouldn't have looked so good. Amongst the clothes were two size 12 Levi Jeans. I had no delusions about being able to fit in those any time soon. So, how'd it go you wonder? I was nervous. The first set of clothes I pulled out are stretch bermuda shorts. The waist was loose, but the legs were iffy. I could get away with wearing them, but they probably wouldn't be my first choice to put on. They're excellent for a hang-out-with-the-family day. The two capris fit well and were flattering. It's kind of nice to be in clothes that fit. One of my normal capris were falling down this week :)

Just for the heck of it I decided to try on the size 12 jeans. The first one I pulled out are size 12 relaxed fit Levi's. Oh My HECK!!!! THEY FIT!!!! and they looked pretty good too!! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited!! I took a pic in them so that I can have some sort of comparison. They fit but they could probably fit better. They're bordering the line of long term/all day wearing comfort if that makes sense, but I'd be willing to wear them in public. The other pair are size 12M Levi boot cut 551 (I think). They did not fit as well, but I can pull them up and snap them so it's still good. Again I took a pic so that I can have some comparison. I am so excited. Since that trial session worked so well I decided to try on one of the shorts I bought the summer I got down to 167. Success!! In fact, the one pair I tried on was just right, but headed to being loose. woohoo! I have a new wardrobe waiting for me now :)

My efforts to not use any weekly points is going really well. I'm trying to decide how vigilant I'm going to be tonight though. I'm going to a girls' night out and there's ALWAYS lots of yummy food!! It's a Mexican food theme, so I already have an idea of what is waiting to tempt me. Unintentionally I have 15 points for the rest of the day still (and it's already after 4), so I have enough points to enjoy myself tonight w/o weeklies. I need to decide though so I can have a game plan in mind. It really helps when I can calculate points ahead of time and input them in. It makes it so much easier to know how many points I'm spending before I even start.

Oh yeah, last night for the heck of it I weighed myself on my parent's scale. I knew I'd weigh more because it was the end of the day and because I was dressed to shoes, but to my great delight I was 170.5!! I am excited to find out what my final weigh-in will be on Sunday because I was 170 on Sunday's weigh in. woohoo!!

This has been a fantastic week in Operation Get Healthy!!

Ham and Noodle Casserole

Ham and Noodle Casserole LT04, 151, 4 pts for 8 servings

Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked yolk-free fine noodles
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 1% small-curd cottage cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dill weed or 1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add noodles and toss to coat. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/2 cups) equals 266 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 702 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 21 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

*********
Made Feb 24th. The recipe was pretty easy to put together, and it got a thumbs up from everyone but Aaron.

I accidently added the whole 8 oz bag of noodles when it only required 6, and the same happened with the mixed vegetables. I ended up using the entire 16 oz bag instead of just 10 oz. As for effecting the recipe, it didn't really - only in the point value. But, it evens out because it creates more servings which in turn lowers the point value.

I have no idea how the published nutritional info only equals 4 points for 4 servings because there are a lot of high calorie items in the recipe: ham, sour cream, cottage cheese, even the noodles are pretty high point. Oh well. This recipe is a keeper.

Lettuce Eat Cake

Feb 24, 2010

After reading how well others are doing in this contest, I'm a little weight-loss envy. I know that slow and steady is the best way to lose weight but I'm willing to kick it up a knotch. I decided to make some changes this week. Just to see if I can do it, I'm trying not to eat any weekly points and so far I have success! Actually it's working really well. By the end of dinner I've been having at least 4 points left over. Oh how wide the world is with points at the end of the day!! Yesterday I had 8, so I had a toaster strudel with milk and cheese and crackers. Yes, I know, not the healthiest of options - I could have had a ham sandwich or another helping of dinner, but the food I chose is a special treat. Plus I felt like a ham sandwich would have been too filling. I wasn't very hungry and wanted a snack, not a meal.

My daily menu has been working well for me: Breakfast (3.5 - 4 pts): 1/4 c. dry oatmeal, .2 oz dried apples or 1 TB raisins, with 1/2 c. milk; Lunch (5 - 8 pts): ham sandwich made with Whole Wheat Thin Buns (awesome b/c they're only 1 point and you get a full bun) or dinner leftovers and 5 baby carrots; Dinner (about 10 pts): whatever I make :)

As for exercise, Monday was CardioX (usual), Tuesday was PlyoX (every time it gets easier, but it is still hard), and today I tried the Core Synergy. I'm sore from the plyo yesterday, so I thought the core would be a good choice because in my mind it wouldn't be working my legs so much. Uh, WRONG! It's synergistic because it works everything. Oh the lunges!! I hate pushups and guess what kind of exercise helps the core? ugh. It'll get better, but I have the same feeling about this one as I did about plyo - get thee hence!! I think I'll have to do it in a group to be willing to really bring it. It's too easy to sit and watch the video on the hard ones when I'm by myself.

I don't normally pay attention to the image in the mirror, but I've taken a peak the last couple of days. Monday I was kinda shocked and disgusted to see my ribs peeking through and thought, if only the weight would disappear a little more proportionately (spelling?). Then I noticed my arms. Wow! I have definition! I can see biceps! My triceps could use some work, but it was kind of exciting to see muscles there nonetheless. In yesterday's peak, I noticed I actually have some tone in my abs. woohoo! The baby belly flab is still around, but I'm motivated to work the core some more (another reason I chose to try the Core Synergestics video today). YAY for P90X!

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Crockpot)

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup LT04, 183, 5 pts

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1-1/4 pounds)
1-1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the cilantro and salt.
Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/3 cups) equals 247 calories, 1 g fat(trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 785 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrates, 13 g fiber, 14 g protien.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 very lean meat, 1 vegetable.

**********
Made Feb 21st. This is one of those rare recipes that didn't make it to the website which didn't seem like a big stroke in its favor, but I was pleasantly surprised. I prepared this for our Sunday meal, so the house was smelling really good when we got home from church. Matthew and I liked it, Jared thought it was so-so, and Aaron wouldn't touch it.

This recipe is my first really good experience with lentils. They turned out so soft, and the sweet potatoes and carrots blended into a really good flavor. This dish is really filling and hearty too. I would be willing to make this again.

Tasty Lentil Tacos

Tasty Lentil Tacos LT02, 179, 1 pt (for the taco filling in one taco)

Made Feb 1st. The nutritional info on the recipe gives me 7 points, so that is how I'm going to label them.

I made these once before when the '02 cookbook was new to me, but they didn't turn out very well. My lentils were old and never softened up. I decided to give them another try and bought a brand new bag of lentils in hopes that they'd turn out better this time. The lentils did soften up a bit more, but I've decided I just haven't had enough liquid in the pan for them to absorb and soften. These are ok, would work in a pinch, but they are not a favorite method of preparing tacos.

Seven Grain Bread

Seven Grain Bread LT02, 192, 2 points (depending on the width of the slice)

Made Feb 10th. This is another of those recipes I've wanted to make for several years, but never had. One of the things stopping me was the Five Grain Cereal. I found a recipe to make my own and purchased the barley for it, but still never did it. I finally found the umph this month to make it. The recipe I used for the five grain cereal is here.

We really liked the consistency of this bread. It was somewhat chewy with a slight crunch to it.

Mozzarella Pepperoni Bread

Mozz Pepperoni Bread LT02, 18, 2 pts

I don't have the dates for when I made this because I've made it several times. I LOVE this recipe!! It is so easy to make, and it really is only 2 points a slice!!

The first time I made it I bought a french bread loaf off the grocery store rack and cut it myself at home into the 1 in slices as the recipe directs. The second time I went back to the bakery and asked them if they could slice it for me, but to make sure that it didn't cut all the way through the loaf. She wasn't sure she'd be able to meet my request, but she did!! The slices ended up being more like 1/4 - maybe 1/2 inch in width. I loved having uniform pieces, but I discovered the problem with thin slices is that they get stuck together and tear really easily.

The boys didn't care for this type of pizza very much because the crust is so hard, but Matthew and I like it. I took it to a playgroup and it was a big hit amongst the adults there too.

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables LT03, 134, 7 pts

Made Feb 5th. There is a 3 point difference between the published nutritional info and my final product. I used John Morrel's polish sausage for my sausage and well, that's just full of points!

I wasn't too sure about this dish. I chose it because we had the sausage in the freezer. However, Matthew and I ended up really liking it. The boys on the other hand, did not.

Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos

Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos LT03, 151, 6pts for 2 tacos

These were made on Feb 18th (Thurs) and were finally all gone yesterday (Feb 22nd). This made so much taco filler that we were really tired of eating it. That aside, I liked that it is a low point meal. A serving of the taco meat is 1/3 cup which fills the taco half full. The carrots were an interesting twist, but they weren't a bad addition.

I don't think we'll make these again any time soon just because we got tired of eating all the leftovers, but I would make them again.

Taco Soup

Taco Soup LT04, 40, 4 pts

Made on Feb 11th. I happened to have exactly the 4 cups of V8 sitting in my fridge which is one of the reasons I chose this recipe. This tasted similar to a crockpot taco soup I like, but it was so much quicker. I added a can of kidney beans and a can of corn to give it so more umph. Matthew said it made it seem more like a chili though. We all really liked it. Definitely a keeper!

Spinach Stuffed Pizza

Spinach Stuffed Pizza LT04, 183, 5 pts

Made on Feb 13th. The recipe says it makes 6 servings, but I divided it into 8 pieces.

This was my first experience using frozen bread dough, but it wasn't too bad. I was surprised that I liked the flavor of the pizza (and the crust was delicious), but I couldn't eat more than the 2 pieces for my serving. It isn't a pizza where I liked it so much I couldn't stop myself. I had a hard time stomaching the idea of eating a leftover piece later. It was good, but not that good. Interestingly, this is one of the few meals that Aaron seemed to like. He actually ate all of his two pieces. Jared barely made it to the end of his first piece.

I like the concept of the stuffed pizza, but if I made it again I would probably make a more traditional pizza.

Spicy French Dip Sandwiches (Crockpot)

Spicy French Dip LT03, 116, 7 pts

Made on Feb 17th. This is one of those rare recipes where the published nutritional info and my final product actually match point values. The meat part is only 3 points, but once you add the bread product it makes 7 points. I used whole wheat bolillos as our breading.

I really liked these. It was so simple to put together and the meat was really juicy and flavorful. I did not add the can of jalepenos because we don't do spicy too well. I had a 24 oz pork roast on hand, so that it was I used even though the recipe calls for beef sirloin tip roast.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Southwestern Chicken Soup LT02, 262, 3 pts before chips & cheese

Made on Feb 2nd. YUM!! Once you add the chips and cheese, this soup tastes very similar to Houlihan's Chicken Tortilla Soup. The cayenne pepper creates too much bite for my boys, so next time I'd probably cut it.

Roasted Vegetable Ziti Bake

Roasted Vegetable Ziti Bake LT02, 183, 4 pts

Made on Feb 6th. I picked this recipe out because it looked like a hearty meatless meal. It's like a lasagna, but it uses ziti noodles, eggplant and sweet peppers as its filler. This recipe makes a LOT of food. I didn't realize it until I'd already started the process that it makes two 2 QT dishes. One could easily put it all in one 9x13 pan, but I went ahead and prepared it in 2 8x8 square pans. My intent was to freeze one, but this recipe was such a bomb for everyone but me that I ended up giving away the second dish to a friend (who happened to really like it).

One of the things I really liked about this recipe is that an 8x8 square pan divided into 6 servings creates VERY LARGE portions for just 4 points.

Ranch Ham n Cheese Pasta

Ranch Ham 'N' Cheese Pasta LT04, 185, 7 pts

Made on Feb 3rd. I really liked this recipe! I could have eaten the whole entire bowl of it. The boys seemed to like it too, but the penne seemed too cumbersome for them. I thought the flavor was comparable to a boxed ranch flavor pasta, but so much better. I would definitely make this again!

Makeover Creamy Broccoli Casserole

Makeover Creamy Broccoli Casserole LT03, 93, 5 pts

Made on Feb 9th and served with the Cream of Cauliflower Soup (LT02, 36, 4 pts). According to the nutritional information, this should have been 3 points but I guess I didn't use enough of the low fat options to keep the points down.

The mayo gives this dish a very distinctive flavor. Matthew and I liked it, but I couldn't eat a lot of it at a time.

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes LT04, 98, 7 pts for 2 pancakes

Made on Feb 14th along with Ham and Cheese Strudel (LT02, 102, 8 pts). Normally I make smaller pancakes because the batter goes farther, but this time I decided to do the full 1/4 cup pancake and ended up with the exact number the recipe gives - 8. Amazingly, these were actually filling! I'm sure it was because they were thick and hearty. We liked the yogurt and berry topping too.

I'm sure one could change the flavors up by substituting another flavor yogurt and fruit, such as peaches or raspberries.

Ham and Cheese Strudel

Ham and Cheese Strudel LT02, 102, 8 pts

After being intimidated by the phyllo dough for 7 years, I finally made these on Feb 14th. It turns out that it really isn't so hard to work with phyllo after all! These were pretty easy to put together and quite tasty. Our oven doesn't heat very well, so they didn't turn out as brown as the picture, but oh well. We ate these along with the Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (LT04, 98, 7 pts)

The first strudel I rolled ripped at the seams and was quite messy, so I used two sheets for the next few rolls after that. The last two I decided to try the one sheet again and had success. I think the problem was that I coated the parchment paper I was rolling them on with nonstick spray. The spray sopped the dough and made it stick to the paper.

In the cookbook, it says these make 6 servings but the website says 12. I think they cut the strudels in half to create the 12. Cutting them in half helps buffer the high points of a full strudel. Using the nutritional information given in the cookbook, the strudels should have been 5 points, but I used eggs instead of egg substitute and regular swiss cheese instead of low fat.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Cream of Cauliflower Soup LT02, 36, 4 points

Made on Feb 9th. This is a recipe I pulled because I had a bag of cauliflower in the freezer from an Angel Food order. I thought it would made the perfect use for it, and I was right. We liked it.

Broccoli Wild Rice Soup

Broccoli Wild Rice Soup LT04, 262, 4 pts

Ingredients

5 cups water
1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the water and rice mix with contents of seasoning packet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the soup, milk, cream cheese and salt; stir until cheese is melted. Add broccoli and carrot; cook over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender. Sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain and Wild Rice mix.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/2 cups) equals 232 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 927 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 14 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat-free milk.

**************
I made this tasty soup tonight, Feb 23rd. Everyone liked it. Well, Aaron only ate the broccoli out of it, but that's more than he's been doing at dinner. This is a quick meal to put together. I toasted the almonds in the oven and over did it, so they added a smokey kind of flavor to the soup.

Braised Pork Chops

• Braised Pork Chops LT03, 156, 6 pts

Made on Feb 16th. Let me just say, WOW!! I thought these were SO amazingly delicious. Jared really liked them, but Aaron and Matthew could have cared less. Matthew is not a pork fan, so it's no surprise that he was less than impressed. I served these over brown rice which was the perfect pairing for the sauce.

6 points is quite reasonable for this dish because just the pork chop is 4 points. The apple juice in the recipe adds the extra 2 points. Worth every bite though!

Black Bean Chicken Salad

Black Bean Chicken Salad LT04, 64, 7 pts

Made on Feb 21st paired with the Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (LT04, 183, 5 pts). Matthew and I really liked the salad. It's the first time I've really given red onions a chance and discovered I actually like them!

I used Tyson Teriyaki Chicken fillets for the chicken which worked really well. I'm disappointed that the point level is so high, but between the chicken and dressing it is reasonable. A full serving is 2 cups, but 1 cup (3.5 points) with another low point item makes a decent meal without a lot of points.

Apple Chicken Quesadillas Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Apple Chicken Quesadillas Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Made Feb 25, 2010. Calculated at 4 points. I used 6 inch tortillas and ended up with 10 servings (1 quesadilla = 1 serving). This recipe was really easy to put together and delicious! Definitely one I'd make again.

What's on the Menu

So, here's a list of all the recipes I pulled from the Light and Tasty Cookbooks 2002, 2003, and 2004 with their page in the book and point value if I'd made it and calculated it. Each recipe is linked to the website for easy reference:

• Apple Chicken Quesadillas LT04, 130, 4 pts
• Black Bean Chicken Salad LT04, 64, 7 pts
• Braised Pork Chops LT03, 156, 6 pts
• Breaded Pork Chops LT02, 244
• Broccoli Wild Rice Soup LT04, 262
• Corn N Bean Burritos LT02, 260
• Cream of Cauliflower Soup LT02, 36
• Creamed Spinach LT04, 87
• Fruity Spinach Salad LT02, 262
• Greek Pork Wraps LT02, 155
• Grilled Mango-Glazed Ham LT04, 246
• Ham and Apple Skillet LT24, 98
• Ham and Noodle Casserole LT04, 151
• Hearty Split Pea Soup LT02, 34
• Italian Beef LT04, 114
• Lemon Blueberry Pancakes LT04, 98, 7 pts
• Makeover Creamy Broccoli Casserole LT03, 93, 5 pts
• Mediterranean Lentil Salad LT03, 74, 5 pts
• Ranch Ham 'N' Cheese Pasta LT04, 185, 7 pts
• Raspberry Thyme Chicken LT03, 129, 5 pts
• Roasted Vegetable Ziti Bake LT02, 183, 4 pts
• Rotini Chicken Casserole LT03, 147, 7 pts
• Sausage Lentil Stew LT02, 252
• Southwestern Chicken Soup LT02, 262, 3 pts w/o chips & cheese
• Spicy French Dip LT03, 116, 7 pts
• Spinach Stuffed Pizza LT04, 183, 5 pts
• Spinach-Stuffed Bread LT02, 197
• Taco Soup LT04, 40, 4 pts
• Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos LT03, 151, 6pts
• Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables LT03, 134, 4 pts

There are a few missing from this list because they either weren't on the website, I didn't need to shop for them because they were bread recipes, or because I decided I didn't want to make them after all.

The recipes that fall under the 'missing' category are as follows:

Mozz Pepperoni Bread LT02, 18, 2 pts
Chicken Salad Wonton Stars LT02, 32, 1pt
Ham and Cheese Strudel LT02, 102, 8 pts
Sweet and Sour Meatballs LT02, 116, 10 pts
Seven Grain Bread LT02, 192
Golden Oatmeal Bread LT02, 196
Nutty Whole Wheat Bread LT02, 196
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup LT04, 183, 5 pts
Buttermilk Biscuits LT04, 194
Broccoli Wild Rice Soup LT04,262

Here is the ingredient list for these recipes.

Menu Experiment

Menu planning is one of those things that I strive to do that sometimes works and other times doesn't. Of course, my effort is what makes or breaks it. Last year I lifted a lot of recipes from my friend's menu which was helpful. I'd pull 6 or 7 of her recipes, shop for those ingredients, and the meal plan would last us about 2 weeks with leftovers. I like the versatility of this option instead of saying "Recipe A is for Monday, B for Tues" etc. I have thought about experimenting with once a month cooking (you shop for a month's worth of recipes, spend a day cooking/preparing them, then freeze the food until you're ready to eat it), but I just haven't made that leap. This last month I ended up with what I feel is a nice compromise. We'll see if I can keep it up, but it has been absolutely wonderful this month.

Starting in 2002, I began purchasing the annual recipe book for Light and Tasty. I discontinued this practice in 2007 when I started seeing variations of the same recipes in each book. I really like the 2002 and 2003 cookbook though, so I went back to them in January when I wanted some healthier recipe options. I began pulling recipes with a couple of goals in mind: main ingredients (especially meat) were already on hand or would be used in several of the recipes - like cilantro or red onions, meatless - especially thinking of beans as proteins, and the food looked/sounded good.

I went through my 2002, 2003, and 2004 cookbooks with a spiral notebook to keep track of each recipe that interested me, which book it came from, its point value, and what ingredients I most likely needed to shop for. The results gave me over 30 recipes - enough to last the whole month. I began with the intent of just choosing my menu items a few at a time as I did in the past, so I went to the Light and Tasty website to cut and paste the ingredients to make a grocery list. Once at the website, creating my list was even simpler than I thought! The website has a recipe box feature and a printable grocery list. So, I put all my targeted recipes for the week on the grocery list and quickly realized that I could add all the recipes, shop for them and have meals available for the whole month - which is what I did. It has been such a blessing!!

Dinner is so much easier because I know we have all the ingredients on hand. I try to look at the spiral the night before and give the family a choice from 2 or 3 items. Knowing ahead of time what I'm going to prepare makes it easier to pull meat from the freezer to begin defrosting or to start the crockpot early enough to get done for dinner. I think it has saved us money too, but I don't know for sure. I've kept all my receipts and plan to track the bill to see if we're saving money in the long run.

My hope is to go through the remaining 3 cookbooks for next month and do the same thing. I just realized that I may fizzle out once I get through the last 3 books because there aren't any new ones, but maybe I'll have to start over and focus on one book at a time. Hmm

Lettuce Eat Cake

The following are entries made on the Lettuce Eat Cake weight loss contest I enrolled in mid-January:

Lettuce Begin - January 17, 2010

I began Weight Watchers on Jan 1st with a weigh in at 180 pounds (maybe 182 depending on the scale). As of today, I weighed in at 177.4. My goal weight is 150, but I think to be at the current healthy BMI standards I need to be closer to 145. I have no training goals, but I would like to maintain a 5 day exercise program. Exercise and food intake are my dynamic duo for healthy weight. I am an emotional eater, so I need to keep an eye out for that. I have found that exercise makes an excellent appetite suppressant for me.

January 18, 2010

Today was a school holiday and the beginning of free breakfast items at the Chickfila just down the street. So, we walked to Chickfila this morning as a family. YAY for family exercise and good food! Although, apparently the yogurt parfait is the only really healthy option in their free food offer b/c the sausage biscuit offered tomorrow is 540 calories!! WOWSERS!! So, exercise for today: walked briskly 2 miles (1 mile each way) = 45 minutes.

Yesterday when I weighed in for WW I was disappointed that I'd gone back up a pound from Saturday. So, just to check for consistency, I weighed myself two more times: 175.4 and 177.8. So, I kept the first number which was 177.4. Apparently my scale isn't very consistent. But, I will accept the first number it gives me assuming it really is a reasonable number - not something way off base. Anyway, so I weighed myself this morning to see what number it would throw at me and it was 175. something. It'd be nice if it kept that number for Saturday's weigh in and Sundays! We'll see. I may need a new battery for my scale :p

January 19, 2010

Having a hard time staying on track today - It's 2 pm and I only have 9 points left for dinner. I am munchy and not feeling like being good. I think part of it may stem from getting 7 activity points yesterday. I think I have a mental thing going where I want to reward myself with food, or my body needs the extra calories from the exercise - I just need to make healthier choices. Actually, that's not completely true. My choices today have been pretty healthy, they just take up points. I had my usual breakfast, but when I got back from exercising this morning I had toast topped with peanut butter and 1/2 a banana and milk to wash it down. Fairly healthy snack, just full of points. Guess I need to go get some carrots to munch on.

Jan 20, 2010

Jared and I managed to make it out the door early this morning to get to the Chick Fil A free breakfast offer (chicken biscuit) before school started. Those are my FAVORITE kind of biscuits (and I was craving them recently), but I didn't get to eat slow and savor them because we were in such a rush to get him to school. As a result, I was hungry all morning! I did my usual P90X Cardio X routine, but I just couldn't bring it today. We've been up too late the last couple of nights and it's finally catching up. When I went to enter the biscuit for WW, I was SHOCKED and dismayed to discover that that small little biscuit was 10 POINTS!! I only get 25 for the day. So, I ate a salad and a piece of toast for lunch. Very disappointing. I did manage to end the day with 1 point left after dinner. YAY! I spent it on a piece of wheat toast w/ blackberry jam. Still hungry, but tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow's breakfast offer is the yogurt parfait = 5 points. I usually only spend 3 on breakfast. It wasn't very satifying for me when I went on Monday, so I'm not sure it is worth the extra 2 points (especially when it is playgroup day). I love the accountability of WW, but sometimes I hate not just being able to eat what I want. I like a quote that I saw on a weight loss forum:

"It's HARD to be overweight. It's HARD to lose weight. It's HARD to maintain weight loss. You just have to pick your hard."

Jan 21, 2010

Weigh-in: 172.4 Amazed! Yesterday for BL I was 174.8. But, I double checked it with the Wii and it was verified.

Jan 23, 2010

Today was weigh-in for my bro's BL competition. I was happily surprised to see I was down to 173.6! I should gorge at girl's night every night! j/k In preparation for girl's night I had 11.5 points left for the day, saved 30 weekly points, and racked up 20 activity points. I actually didn't do toooo bad considering - it was mostly chips and dip. I didn't expect to see the 3. Up until this week I've been content to weigh myself only on weigh-in days, but the fluctuation in numbers last weekend had me curious. As a result, I've been on the scale more often this week and usually saw 175. So, to see it go down to 173 was surprising. Hopefully it'll stick around for tomorrow's official weigh-in.

I finally took my before pics this morning (they won't be going on here b/c no one needs to see me in a swim suit. But, I can tell a difference already in the way it fits. I bought it towards the end of last summer when they went on clearance and it is fitting looser. I'm wearing the same pants I wore one day last week and just in these few days my pants are already really loose. I told Matthew this morning that I might be able to get back into all the shorts I bought the summer I quit WW last time (at this point 1 1/2 years ago). When I stopped I was down to 167. Here's to a quick catch-up!

Jan 24, 2010

Weigh-in at 174.0. According to WW that means I am down 6 pounds from the Jan 1st start, but for this contest I am down 3.4 pounds. yay!

Jan 28, 2010

oof. Last week was awesome and this week I'm 'eh, whatever.' It's funny how easy it is to fall back into old habits. Yay WW for keeping me accountable at least. I'm still within my point allowance, but my points aren't being used wisely. Last night at Book club I ate 2 cookies and a brownie, chips & hummus. Then I went back for another cookie b/c they were SO good. I could have eaten the WHOLE plate of them! I spent 11 weeklies as a result. Granted, that's why I save my weeklies for get-togethers. But, still.

On a more positive note, this week it has been nice and warm so I've been wearing my capris (although I really only have 2 that fit well). Matthew's great aunt had given me a bunch of her daughters clothes a few months back that were just shy of my size range. At the time I I was able to fit in one of them (a little tight, but still could get away with wearing them). I wore it this week and fit quite nicely. I tried on the other pants waiting for me and I'm not quite ready to wear them in public. They fit over everything and can be fastened, but I would be uncomfortable. I'm hoping that by the end of February I can wear them without embarassment. That's one of my goals :)

In a more interesting note, veggie juice is not such a great addition to the yogurt/fruit smoothies I've been drinking. I don't care for the taste of V8 (knock off isn't any better). I'd hoped that it would blend well with some fruit added in, but the taste was still too much. Perhaps if I decreased the volume of juice, but I'm not convinced it's worth it. It has been suggested to add raw spinach to the smoothie b/c you can't taste it but you get the benefits. At some point when I make it to the commissary again I'll have to get some and try it. Hopefully it'll go over better than the veggie juice :p

Feb 7, 2010

Weigh in: 171.7 Loss has definitely slowed down. Couldn't be b/c I'm making terrible food choices, could it?! :p WW is the only thing keeping me from stuffing my face.

Feb 11, 2010

Today is the first day in a couple of weeks where I felt like my eating was in check. I think the difference is my workout today. We've been doing the cardioX on P90X so often that it's not a hard workout anymore. A good exercise session works as an appetite suppressant for me and that element just hasn't been there. Today we did plyoX - an incredibly intense workout consistenting of almost an hour's worth of variations on squat jumps. OUCH! My legs have gone from rubber in the morning to sore at night. Interestingly though, it wasn't as challenging/brutal of a routine as the first (and last) time we tried it. The cardiox has definitely strengthened our muscles and prepared us for the plyo. I am excited for that obvious progress we've made!

So, as for my eating habits, what changed? I had oatmeal w/ raisins for breakfast (same point value as my cold cereal w/ milk) and an apple after getting back from plyoland. An apple and veggie/yogurt smoothie (1 point) as a mid-morning snack. Leftover ziti vegetable bake for lunch (huge portion for only 4 points!! woohoo!) and another smoothie serving.Taco soup for dinner (had enough points for 1 1/2 servings! yay!) and finished the night off with 2 slices of homemade bread w/ butter & honey with milk to drink. And the best part is I didn't spend ANY weekly points!!! yay!! I guess what changed is that I snacked on apples and had a heartier breakfast and lunch. The smoothies really help too b/c they are packed with good nutrients and filling for few points.

I've discovered that FiberOne yogurt is only 1 point, so I like using that as my yogurt base for my smoothie. As suggested, I've been adding spinach and carrot to my smoothies. I grind? them in the blender with a little bit of orange juice and flax seed, then add strawberries and the yogurt. 1 TB flax seed (milled or whole), 1 baby carrot, 1/2 c. baby spinach, 1/2 c. OJ, 4 oz yogurt, 1/2 c. strawberries = 1 1/2 cups = 3 servings @ 1 point each. YAY!

Feb 14, 2010

You know you've lost weight when:
~ your wedding rings go flying off your finger while reaching for an object.
~ the anchor settings on your son's car seat are too short because you don't weigh the seat down enough to fit them like before.
~ the crotch on your old clothes reaches almost to your knees.

My scale is officially off, so I'll be weighing myself on the Wii. I knew when I weighed 175 that something wasn't right. Yesterday I weighed 170 (yay!) for my bro's BL. I weighed myself on the Wii and was only 171 after breakfast and getting dressed. I went back to the other scale just to see what it would say and it said 182. Uh, definitely not. Anyway...

So, today's weigh in is 171. I made my first official WW goal (10% of my starting weight!) woohoo! My next WW's goal is 162. It's amazing to think that in another 6 weeks I could be there! I discovered WalMart has started a healthy tools section on their website, so I was checking it out yesterday. One of the questions it asked was what I weighed when I felt the most comfortable as an adult. I answered 167, which was what I was down to almost 2 years ago when I quit WW the first time. When Matthew and I got married 11 1/2 years ago, I weighed 165, but I had gained like 10 pounds in those few months before we were married. It was a bit of an eye-opener this morning when I realized I was that close to what I weighed when we began our married life. I didn't know at the time that I had started a trend of gaining weight that wouldn't end until I got pregnant with Jared. Well, I suppose it really started when I went to work at a day care. Running after 4 - 6 two year olds can do that for a person :) It helped to be on my feet and not eating all day long. At one point before my working days, my VT asked if I'd like to join WW with her. At the time, I had no idea how big I really was. In fact it wasn't until I saw a picture of me taken when I first went to work that I realized what 240 pounds (size 24) really looked like. This morning I wondered what would have happened if I had joined WW with her - how my life might have been different. But, I wasn't ready at the time and you have to be ready to commit to lose weight.

Despite the numbers (whether high or low), the best part of my weight journey is that Matthew never once complained and always loves the way I look. Granted, I think he prefers the thinner look but the outward beauty isn't nearly as important as the inner.

Feb 21, 2010

Weigh in - 170. Just for the heck of it I'm still weighing on the bad scale, and today it showed 169.2 - not too far off! As nice as it would be to put that down for today's weight, I'm kinda glad I'm still in the 70s because I'll lose a point once I get below it. lol I reached my 10 pounds lost goal for WW. In fact, since joining WW the beginning of January I've lost 12 pounds. Woohoo!!

This week has been interesting. More than once I've reached the end of the day with points left over and yet feel satisfied. In fact, Friday I had 5 points after dinner. I felt like my world was open because of the number of points, but I didn't really want anything. I chose to have ice cream b/c Matthew had made vanilla ice cream the night before and I probably wouldn't get any if I didn't take it then. The ice cream was only 2 points for 1/2 c. though, so I still had some points to spare. I spent them on cheese and crackers - another treat b/c cheese it so high point.

One of the things that has really helped is my 0 point treat - 1/2 c. berries with 2 TB whipped topping. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all 0 points for 1/2 c. Nice!! The reddi whip topping is only 15 calories for 2 TB, so another 0 points! It makes the perfect sweet treat :)

We are poor little sheep....

Just call me a sheeple - a follower. The time has come that I am joining the blog/internet world in posting my goings on in the kitchen and the bathroom scale. The idea of this website is to give me a place to unload (share) my meal planning with recipe review and weight loss journey. It is not unlikely that some of my other time fillers will make their way into the arena as well. So, a little of this and a little of that and you end up with a junk drawer :)