Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup

Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup 2 pts for 1 cup soup (without cheese or chips)

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups fresh corn or frozen corn
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
16 baked tortilla chip scoops, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

In a large kettle or Dutch oven, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion and jalapeno pepper until tender; add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, corn, beans, lime juice, salt, hot pepper sauce, pepper and reserved chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Top each serving with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Editor's Note: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching your face.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (one cup soup with 1 tablespoon cheese and two crumbled tortilla chips) equals 227 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 647 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 21 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

******
Made June 8, 2010. I was happily surprised to see the soup by itself was only 2 points for 8 servings. I added the chips and cheese separately when I calculated my points because it was easier to get an accurate accounting.

Variations:
*I cooked it in the crockpot on high for 4 hours. I cubed the chicken (which was frozen) and added all the other ingredients except the cilantro which I added in the last half hour. The leaves did look kind of bleached by the time the timer went off, so next time I might wait to add them. But, it did give them a chance to add their flavor to the soup.

*I did not add the jalapenos, so this soup was not as spicy as it could have been, but it had a wonderful flavor.

*I used white corn instead of yellow, so it looked really bland. Probably if I had used jalapenos or yellow corn it would have looked more colorful. I was surprised it didn't call for diced tomatoes. Perhaps a future trial might include a can of ro-tel in place of jalapenos.

Coming Home

I wanted to blog last night, but ended up turning the computer off in case our power went out with the storm overhead.

Maybe it's the relaxing pace of summer hitting me, but yesterday I actually pulled out my spiral with the recipe plans and WANTED to make dinner again - and I did! I had this feeling like I'd been on vacation and finally came home. And really, I have been mentally checked out. We spent just about all our grocery money on restaurants and laundry and dishes have been done minimally. So, I guess without the rush-rush of school and piano afterwards plus all the other demands, I feel like I can concentrate on being home and all that requires. It's nice to enjoy my responsibilities and my kids.

I even finished my two skirts I'd started last month. I'm pretty excited to have two new skirts hanging in the closet. I will post pictures in a little bit. I did step-by-step pics for the blue one to put up a tutorial. With all the sewing I've done lately I may add a sewing link.

Summer Day 1

Well, I managed to do CardioX this morning AND a 15 minute walk. yay!! I have my doubts about how long I'll really be able to do a double duty workout b/c I was only half-heartedly doing the P90X, but we'll do something at least. We didn't have time to go to the track to walk, so we just took one around the neighborhood. I think 15 minutes is just about right for Jared.

Weigh-ins:
Saturday - 153 something
Sunday - 154 something

I was glad that my Sunday weight seemed to line up better with my Saturday weight. There was a 3 pound difference between this week and last week's weight. crazy! My eating habits weren't that great this week with all the birthday celebrating, so I'm glad that there was still a weight loss at all.

I had my first real public appearance in my swimsuit Saturday. I was told it was time to get a new one because this one was hanging off of me lol I do agree that I could use some new bottoms at least b/c they were pretty loose. I guess that's a benefit to a tankini :)

I think I'm ready to do some clothes shopping. I was telling Matthew that I'm a little afraid to do that because I'll be comfortable in my clothes and it's more likely that I'll give up at that point. I think that was one of my contributing factors for stopping last time. I can probably get away with waiting on my day-to-day clothes. I've found t-shirts for $2 at Target, so I'm really ok there. My pants are big, but they are still wearable. The big need is in my Sunday wardrobe and underclothes. I can't wear the t-shirts to church, so I've pretty much been left with one blouse for church and it's a sweater. All my others are really too big or are long sleeved. I need to finish the skirts I started, and that would help a bit too. My other hesistancy is the 'what if' factor. What if I get pregnant in the next couple of months? Would it be better to spend money on maternity clothes? or to have the regular clothes? And what if I buy a bunch of new clothes, get pregnant and then can't ever fit back into this size? decisions decisions....

Miracles!

Tonight was the first night in a LONG time that I made dinner. What a difference a home cooked meal is in points!! I made sweet and sour meatballs served over brown rice with a side of california baby blend vegetables and steamed zucchini. Total points = 9 points for the whole thing! I have a fridge full of take-out leftovers (mostly in honor of all my birthday dinners) that are high in points - but yummy to the tummy. This morning I was thinking that there is no way I can live off of 23 points. It's impossible! I realize that statement is true if I am eating out every day, but if I get my act together and actually prepare meals in my own home it is possible. Inviting the missionaries over for dinner was the only reason we didn't eat out tonight.

Jared was so excited when he saw what we were having for dinner. He gave me a huge hug and thanked me for making his favorite meal. It's a good thing I had a package of meatballs in the freezer. I chose this entree because it was so easy. I guess I have to start back into a cooking routine somewhere :)

On another happy note - because the missionaries were coming and our sink was overrun with dirty dishes and the kitchen was an absolute mess, we put the dishwasher back together with the new control board. YAY for working modern technology!! The dishwasher is running the load of dirty dishes from dinner as I type and it is music to my ears :) This has been a huge hurdle for making dinners at home, so hopefully this will also help motivate me to get back in the kitchen!

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy 33rd Birthday to me :) It has been a wonderful day, and I'm so grateful for good friends and a loving family!

A good friend was so thoughtful and brought us dinner tonight in honor of my birthday. She brought salmon, a salad, and baked sweet potatoes plus a muffin dessert sort of like ones that are made at Mimi's Cafe (never eaten there, so I have nothing to compare it to). It was delicious, and I appreciate her efforts to make a good healthy meal for me. Too bad I blew my healthiness AFTER dinner :P

It's only Tuesday and I've already eaten through ALL of my weekly points AND yesterday's activity points. Man!!! I know it's my birthday, but goodness!!! I actually would have been ok, but we went to Chili's to celebrate this evening - crap. I just remembered about the choc covered bananas the boys made me for my bday treat:P and I forgot to account for the dessert muffin I ate - Anyway, and I got a free fudge brownie sundae which is a whopping 32 point dessert. I decided the heck with it and ate as much as I could (which was most of it.) So, I lost a good 21 points - a DAY'S worth of points!! - on a brownie that made me feel sick afterwards because it was so rich. I should have just stopped with the chips and salsa. Just for the record, I am glad to have spent the evening with friends and I am not disappointed or upset about anything that happened there other than my own lack of self control.

This week isn't really going to get any better when it comes to my points. My parents want to take us out to dinner one night, Friday I'm having a pizza party for my piano students, and Saturday is a birthday party. I'd say for the first time since I started WW in January this week is a WASH!! I may get to find out what happens when you use all available points :p Guess it's time to workout two or three times a day :p

Hopefully this doesn't become a habit. There is a reason I am hesistant to buy new clothes :P Stop the Insanity!!!

Merrily we roll along...

40 points spent today. DOUBLE my daily allowance!! At this rate I'll be back where I started in no time at all!! My birthday week was the hiccup two years ago when I was losing weight, and it seems to be deja'vu. Part of my relaxed attitute lately has been an experiment of sorts to see what if I could maintain healthy eating habits if I weren't constantly checking my points. Apparently the anwer is no. I know how much each thing is worth, but I fail to add them all up - which is where the problem lies. I was doing better when I had 25 points to spend. This 23 points business is hard! Or maybe I'm just getting lazy (which is probably the real problem).

Consequences Happen

Weigh in - 157.2. Ugh!! Very disappointing considering just moments earlier I weighed on the 'off' scale at 152.6. Although the actual pounds are off, it is usually accurate in the direction my weight is headed. I guess all the bad eating has caught up. Unfortunately it's not going to improve over the next week with my birthday being on Tuesday and we already have plans to go to Chikfila for lunch. *sigh* The good news is that when I go up I tend to be jolted back into a stricter regiment.

I know a lot of this bad eating is because I'm not cooking our dinners. I realized the other day when I was posting my recipes that I quit making dinner when our dishwasher went out of service. Having to wash the dishes by hand really makes being in the kitchen a drudgery.

Here's to a better week!

Granola Cereal Bar

Granola Cereal Bars 6pts each in 12 bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter and corn syrup; cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil, stirring once. Stir in the vanilla; add oats and cereal. Fold in chocolate chips. Press into a 9-in. square pan coated with cooking spray. Cool and cut into bars. Yield: 1 dozen.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 bar equals 199 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 88 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

*******
Made May 27th. These were so good!! Dangerously good at 6 pts for 12 servings!! Well, per the nutritional info they are only 4 points, but I substituted the swirled chocolate and peanut butter morsels for the mini chips because that is what I had. Wowsers!!

The only problem I had with these is that they didn't keep their form very well. They were very crumbly. But, I'm willing to overlook that considering how delicious they were!

Eggplant Bruschetta

Eggplant Bruschetta 1pt per slice

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Place eggplant slices in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt and gently toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Coat both sides of each slice with cooking spray. Place on a broiler pan. Top eggplant with tomatoes, basil and cheeses. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until eggplant is tender and cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 2 slices equals 68 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 242 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

*********
Made May 27th. I made this for bookclub tonight, along with the Feta Spinach Melts that are so yummy. One person seemed to really like them. I do not have a working broiler, so that may have effected their turnout. I thought they were ok. Unfortunately they were cold by the time I had one, and I think it probably would have been better fresh from the oven.

Endure to the End and Lengthen Your Stride!

Today I weighed in at 156.1 and received a congratulatory star from WW for hitting 25 pounds lost.

Despite the weight loss, I have been feeling really flabby. My arms are a large source of discontentment in that regard. I remember being in 7th grade and watching my math teacher writing on the chalkboard - more specifically, I remember watching the skin under her arms flap as she wrote on the chalkboard - and promising myself that I would never let that happen to me. I am always aware of my arms, but become even more aware as I teach my piano students and catch a flap from my under arm in my peripheral vision as I point to something on the page. blech When I was doing P90x regularly the muscles were getting toned enough that the flap was disappearing - and it stayed that way for awhile after we started walking all the time too because I was pushing a stroller. But, Aaron has been at home most days lately so the arms aren't getting that extra work out. And it is showing. I feel soft in the middle and on my arms -- and in my resolve.

This has been a bad week for food. I've stayed within my total point allotment (daily and weekly), but I've eaten more than my stomach is used to anymore so I've felt so stuffed. This feeling has certainly contributed to the flabby feel I'm sure. Monday I had dinner at my parents', Tues was a Carl's Jr hamburger - I was SO hungry for a hamburger. I don't remember the last time I ate a restaurant burger. I had the points for it, so I went for it. YUM. Wed Jared earned a trip to Mr. Gatti's - there's a reason you don't see skinny people at buffets. Oh I was stuffed. Thursday Matthew came home with free Chikfila coupons, so we ate there. Friday I made mac n cheese with sausage for dinner, then Saturday was a birthday party. I don't think my body got a single healthy meal this week!! I've totally failed on the not eating after 9 pm goal too.

The last few days I've been so worn out too. Part of that is my fault because I stayed up late reveling in the quiet of the house while half the family was out of town. It caught up with me when everyone returned and the workload doubled again. I'm sure my choice of cuisines played a part in it too. And hormones.

After I inputed my weight for WW, I got this message from the system:

Please note:You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in 1 week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how.

So now I wonder, is this flabby feeling possibly related to rapid weightloss? And the tired feelings anemia? I probably ought to be taking vitamins, and I've even thought about it every once in awhile. I guess I need to be more diligent in that regard so that I can trully be healthy and not just someone who's lost a lot of weight.

My plan for the summer is to re-integrate P90X into my routine and hopefully that will help counteract this flabby feeling. Our walking group will go on hold until school starts again, but I know Jared is interested in exercising. My goal is to go down to a school track in the mornings and walk. I don't know if I'll really be able to maintain an early morning schedule - getting up at 6:45 am, but I'd like to at least try. If I can manage it, my hope for a routine is this:

6:45 am get up
7:00 am P90X
8:00 am walk track
9:00 am come home, shower, start day, etc.

OR I may alternate walking and P90x. We'll see what happens.

I've come so far I don't really want to give up, but I'm hitting that point where I'm becoming more relaxed in my fervor. I know one of the reasons I ate as bad as I did this week was a mental test to see how much I could get away with without 'paying' for it. I recognize that as one of my subconscious reasonings, and so far the scale has let me get away with it, but my physical feelings tell me it cost a lot more.

So with all these thoughts it mind, I was contemplating the concept of 'enduring to the end' this week. There is a reason the Lord includes "enduring to the end" as a requirement for salvation. I was discussing this topic with the Primary President on Saturday, and she said that she hates that phrase because "endure" conjures up such a negative feeling for her - drudgery, bad experiences, etc. I told her that that is exactly why enduring is part of the package. Even when we're going through a good spot, sometimes we get bored or tired with what we're doing and want to do something else. The true test is whether we'll persevere despite the drudgery and boredom.

I resolve to 'lengthen my stride', cowboy up, and endure to the end. Here's to perseverence!!

Soliciting Opinions

I wanted to scratch that itch to make a skirt, so I pulled my stuff out tonight to do it. I'd prefer to practice before messing up my better fabric, so I tackled the skirt I started two years ago. I ironed and measured for the difference. The ruler is the new line - see all that fabric to the right that's going bye bye?

It's always a good idea to try something like this on, so I did. This is what the end product is supposed to be like:

However, look how small the waist really is. I could trim it off to fit at the waist, but I kind of like the high waist. I could add a band so it'll stay up. It could even be used as a halter dress because of the way it fits.

But I also thought about sewing a top to it. All that fabric that I trimmed off could be put to use. The idea was to make a sort of criss-cross top - a dress with an empire waist.


Now, here's your part - tell me which one you'd vote for.

Trimming the Fat

Sometimes it takes a visual reminder to show how far you've really come. After participating in a Young Woman's mutual this last week in which the girls were attempting to make under-skirts using an A-Line pattern, I got a bee in my bonnet to revisit this project on my own. When I was losing weight with WW two years ago I attempted to make a skirt to help supplement my wardrobe until I was able to lose enough to warrant clothes shopping. I cut the skirt and sewed the edges and got stuck at the waistline. At this point the skirt has too much fabric and I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to best salvage the project. It's going to require trimming the sides a total of 5 1/2 inches. whoop! But, this was not the really amazing thing to me.

I was digging through my fabric stash to see what I might want to use to make a new skirt out of and came across a blouse that I started eons ago - like around 2002. For a Relief Society Enrichment night we had the opportunity to sew an article of clothing. I picked out a pattern for a blouse that would go with a skirt I loved at the time. Apparently I got stuck where I always get stuck - hemming. I discovered the only thing left to finish it would be to hem ONE of the slits. I love the fabric and it was so close to being done! Anyway, on to the story...

Here's the pattern
- notice the size? I was closer to 24 at the time. I tried it on for the heck of it and it fits like a sack of potatoes!!
Now the amazing part - I could trim the sleeves off the blouse and convert it to a skirt easy! The neckline may even be perfect for the waistline.I'd have to add a zipper because there's no give otherwise to make it over my shoulders, but wow! How did I let myself get so big to begin with?! It almost made me cry to see that visual. It's easy to be proud of myself for shrinking so much, but I should never have had to come so far. The neckline is my waistline?! Ridiculous!

On a side note, the leftover fabric for this blouse has enough material that I could make me another skirt too! YAY!

Shock and Awe

Weigh in day for contests: 156.5!!! I lost 2.2 pounds from last Sunday. Matthew says the war is on now because I weigh less than him :D Never thought that day would come!! Sometimes I think my body benefits from a day/week of indulgence because I seem to drop really quickly right after that. Of course, the trick is to not over indulge ALL the time. I try to be good most days so it must balance out somehow. I am 6 pounds from goal. Hard to fathom.

I've noticed my size 14 capris are getting baggy - the ones that were a little snug. And the Target tshirts I have that have been tighter than I really prefer are getting more comfortable, but I think it may be time to go shopping soon! I'm just afraid that once I go shopping I'll give up because I will be comfortable in my clothes. So, I'm trying to hold out a little longer.

Yesterday I was realizing that the new families in our ward will have only known me this size. It was weird to think that I could be labeled as "one of those skinny people".

Random Rant

It doesn't matter what size a person is - everyone gets uncomfortable when their clothes don't fit as well as they once did. Sometimes I can look in the mirror and see a skinnier version of myself, but I usually avoid the mirror and just go on the way I feel in my clothes. Over the last few days I can feel fatness. Today my pants were even a little bit snug compared to the way they've been fitting. I really don't want to backtrack, but I am struggling against the tide of apathy. Yesterday I wanted to eat all day long. I had Matthew pick up pizza on the way home for dinner and I let all restraint go and had 2 1/2 slices even though I only had points for 1, plus I had a cookie in the evening. I decided to give myself a mental break for the week and allow myself to use my weekly points. So tonight I ate a fudge poptart. Yum. I'm afraid though that I'll loose the ground I made in getting to the 150s.

I have been feeling so full after eating that I'm having a hard time gauging if I'm overeating or if it's just that my stomach has shrunk enough that I feel fuller faster. I look towards weigh in day with anticipation - either it will verify a shrinking stomach or an overindulgence.

I go back and forth about how much of a workout my walking routine really is. We have been walking 3 miles in about 50 minutes. It has a few smaller hills and one fairly steep hill. It's between a low intensity and moderate intensity workout. We've added an extra loop to the course which is about a mile, so we're walking longer to help compensate for it. This week another friend decided to join us. She has a longer stride than us, so I've found the two days she's walked with us that we have been pushing the envelope. It's been good because it's been too easy to walk at a slower pace. I was really feeling it today. Maybe I've been hungry this week because the exercise has been more strenuous, but I doubt it.

Here's hoping I really am making progress and not backtracking!

Quick Turkey Casserole

Quick Turkey Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons canola oil
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fine cornflake crumbs
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

In a nonstick skillet, cook onions and sugar in butter and oil over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, place cream cheese in a shallow microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until softened. Add soup; stir until blended. Add the rice, turkey, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.

Toss onions with cornflake crumbs; arrange over turkey mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes or until topping is heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup) equals 375 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 625 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 22 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

*****
Made May 12th. This recipe really is quick to put together! The longest part was carmelizing the onions. I cooked the rice up in the afternoon so that I wouldn't have to wait for it before putting the dish together which worked out really well. I had just enough crumbs left of a box of cornflakes for this recipe, so it was a good way to use them up!

I used jasmine rice because it was what I had on hand, otherwise I would have substituted brown rice. Instead of turkey I used the Tyson teriyaki chicken breast filets - which I am loving because I don't have to worry about cooking the chicken. I'm down to one last filet and then I'll have to start cooking my own chicken again! lol I also used 1 TB of margarine instead of half oil and half margarine. I realized as I was inputing this recipe into WW that I forgot to add the paprika. oops.

The dish was really good and creamy, but high in points. I did use neufchatel cream cheese so that helps. As written it is 8 points for 4 servings with 3/4 c. = serving. I dished myself 3/4 c and I think there were more than 4 servings left. I need to remeasure for myself. It's possible it made more like 6 or 8 servings.

I would definitely be interested in making this again. It would make a good standby recipe if I have rice or meat that needed used up.

The Weighty Matters

I am so far behind in my posting, but I've had lots I've wanted to share. I thought about going ahead and posting each news separately, but will combine them instead so as not to cloud up anyone's email account with my blog posts :)

Weight Loss Contest Starting Weigh in for May 1st:

159.8!!! Couldn't believe it! I FINALLY broke the 160 barrier. yay!!! I was afraid it was a fluke because it was only by 2 oz, but then on Sunday for WW I weighed in at 159.4. *whew*

I did Race for the Cure May 1st. With the course that I've been walking in the mornings, I was well prepared for the event. We kept a pretty good pace and stayed right with the people we started with. What was really amazing to me was thinking back at the year that I went with Matthew when Jared was little. We started off fairly close to the front as the walkers were given the 'go', but by the end we were heading up the rear. It took forever and it was quite the challenge for me. I've come a long way!!

May 5th
"You've Got to Give a Little, Take a Little"

I married a man who weighed 119 pounds on our wedding day. Weighing in at 165, I was a little self conscious at the disparity. Just for the heck of it one day after I gained a lot more weight, he tried my pants on and could fit both of his legs through one of my pant legs. Pretty early on in our marriage I accepted the fact that I would never be one of those women who'd borrow their husband's suit coat to stay warm at church. One of my secret goals and hopes with this weight loss is that I'd be able to fit into Matthew's jeans. Like most things in our marriage, we're meeting in the middle. He's gained weight and I've lost it. Just to see, I grabbed one of Matthew's size 34 jeans and tried them on. allelujah!! They fit!! and a bit loose at that!! WOOHOO! Secret goal accomplished!!


More Clothes Nostalgia

I was talking to my mom the other day about a dress I made when I was a senior in high school. I procrastinated hemming the sleeves and outgrew it before I ever wore it. I finally gave it to one of my young women a few years back. I was curious if I could wear it at this point, and Mom suggested I try the dress she has in her closet made from the same pattern. So when I was at her house on Saturday I raided her closet for dresses from the past. First order of business was this particular dress. It fit!! It's an empire style waist with darts across the chest. It was a bit short, but the pattern allows for a longer skirt length. It fit perfectly actually.

The next dress I tried on was another one of her's, but I wore it quite often those last few years of high school. In fact, it was my prom dress senior year. It was a long black dress with an empire waist and white top with a ruffled neck and wrists. Elegance!

Feeling even more adventurous I found a dress that was made for me for a band banquet my junior year of high school - my first date. wowzuhs!!!

Mom wanted me to try my wedding dress on again. Two years ago when I started being really serious about weight loss, one of the motivations was to be able to fit into my wedding dress for our 10th anniversary. I managed to do it. Well, this year my dress wouldn't fit. It's too big!!!!

I should have pictures taken - then and now. Maybe I'll have to play dress up again another day and do that. It's very motivating to fit into clothes I never thought I'd be able to again. It was even motivating for my mom who has decided to make some new goals for herself too.

Since I don't have pics of my dress up nostalgia, I'll post this one instead. It would have been the perfect before and after because my ability to fit into this blouse was that dramatic. At the beginning of the year I could only wear this as an outer shirt covering a t-shirt. The only button that could be done was the 4th and 5th ones, and my arms were really snug in it. I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I put it on and could wear it as it was intended. Even my arms had room!



On a side note, today's weigh in was 158.7! whoop whoop!!

Berry Barbecued Pork Roast

Berry Barbecued Pork Roast 6 pts for 3 oz and 1/4 c. sauce

Ingredients
1 boneless rolled pork loin roast (3 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Place with fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook and stir for 10-12 minutes or until cranberries pop and sauce is thickened.

Brush some of the sauce over roast. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, brushing often with sauce. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with remaining sauce. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 3 ounces cooked pork with 1/4 cup sauce equals 262 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 67 mg cholesterol, 190 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fruit.

****
Made May 9th. Because Matthew does not care for pork, I substituted beef eye of round roast for the porkloin. I also cooked it in the crockpot. If you follow the link to the recipe, the picture is nothing like what mine turned out to look like, but it was still pretty delicious!!

For cooking in the crockpot: I trimmed the fat, set the roast in the crockpot, and sprinkled the salt and pepper as directed. Then in a separate container I mixed the OJ, BBQ and sugar; poured it over the meat into the crockpot and topped the roast with the cranberries. I cooked it on low for 8 hours. The roast was really tender and by the time I remembered I needed to take a picture and moved it to the loaf pan, it was falling apart.

I would like to try to make it again following the actual directions to see what difference it makes.

I served this with mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, and california blend vegetables with cheese sauce. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Slow Cooker Pork and Apple Curry

Slow Cooker Pork and Apple Curry 5 pts for 2/3 c. mix plus points for rice

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Hot cooked rice, optional
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Directions

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender.

Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring once.

Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with raisins and coconut. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup curry mixture with 1-1/2 teaspoons each raisins and coconut, calculated without rice) equals 235 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 68 mg cholesterol, 341 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 fruit.

****
Made May 5th. I enjoyed this recipe though there was a bit of bite to it. We couldn't pinpoint what exactly was causing the spice. I used a mix of pork loin and venison stew meat, so it could have been the way the venison was cured.

Mediterranean Medley Salad

Meditteranean Medley Salad 2 pts for 8 servings of 3/4 c.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can (6 ounces) light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup grated carrots

LEMON HERB SALAD DRESSING:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine salad dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Yield: 4 servings.


Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/2 cups) equals 284 calories, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 669 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 14 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 fat, 1 vegetable.

******
Made May 3rd. This salad really surprised me. I enjoyed it!! I do not particularly like eating olives or tomatoes and sometimes even tuna, but the flavors all blended so well that it was pretty good!

What was the problem?

All the disposables are gone - well, all but 2, but they are backup for Matthew, so we are back in full swing CD mode. As I change each diaper I think, what was so hard about this? Why do I become so lazy? It's really not that big of a deal!

Last night Aaron didn't want a diaper on. At least, not Buzz Lightyear (pullup), not jungle (CD cover), not turtle (sposie), not blue or white or yellow or penguins. Finally he pulled out Jared's night diaper - a polka dot one, that's what he wanted. We were like, fine. whatever. So, he wore Jared's size 6 diaper until he fell asleep. Then I changed him into a whale :)

Resisting Temptation and starting anew!

I guess I'll start with the new - weight loss contests are starting again. Both the Biggest Loser challenge with my SIL and the Lettuceeatcake challenge with my friend J. This will be good for me. I don't really plan on doing anything different than I have been doing because I'm not, but it is nice to have someone tangible to be accountable to. Or maybe because I like the attention. Either way, I'm going for round 2 starting May 1st (inconvenient that happens to fall on a Saturday and not my Sunday weigh in day). Oh well.

And on to the old....

Even though my bathroom scale has issues, I still habitually get on it every day after getting out of the shower. It is off by a few pounds, but while I've been stuck in my plateau it's been pretty consistently at about 160.4 or .8. The last few days I've seen 158.4 and 159. something. Although it is not reliable, it is giving me hope that maybe my efforts at curbing the late night eating is paying off. Last night was bookclub and I miraculously still had 7.5 points left after dinner, so I did end up eating after 9 pm - but not past 9:45! :)

Today I am on an eating binge - or at least trying to manage not to be. Unfortunately all my snacks like carrots and fresh green beans are gone, so my easy out is missing. I am trying really hard to talk myself out of eating through my weeklies. It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have a Mexican cultural night at the church plus a friend's birthday party (catered from Salsalito's YUM) AND a taco dinner fundraiser at the church tomorrow night. Hello food, bye bye points!!

I ought to be doing something productive like cleaning the house or updating my piano lesson records, but I'm having a hard time focusing on that. *sigh*

Diaper news

In diaper news.....

I got lazy with the cloth diapers. And with potty training. I knew it would happen. We budgeted $20 in order to buy a big box of wipes, but after talking about it we decided to divie up the money between diapers and wipes. So, I bought a $6 pkg of diapers last Monday because I had a coupon and figured they'd last us the last two weeks of April - until we budget for May. uh, NOT. They lasted a WEEK!!! So, Aaron is back in cloth.

I did hate how quickly we went through the sposies. It felt like such a waste of money, but boy are they convenient!! Maybe Aaron will care about potty training again. Maybe we'll win the lottery. ha!

Checking in

I thought I'd report back on how my goal is going. Today is day three and I am pleased to report that I have managed to not eat passed 9 for the last two days. On the flip side, I've been hungry by the time I go to bed. Of course, if I went to bed before 1 am that might help a bit with that :p lol

Tonight I had 4 points after dinner. I should have used them more wisely, but I spent them on a brownie. I was a bit shocked and disappointed to see the brownie would be 4 pts, but I ate it anyway. After it was gone I thought of a lot of other things I could have eaten for 4 pts that would have been more satisfying for hunger pains. Oh well.

Mexican Spaghetti Sauce

Mexican Spaghetti Sauce 4 pts 10 servings (3/4 c. sauce)

Made April 27th. I was afraid this sauce would end up being too spicey for the children, but they actually liked it and there wasn't too much of a bite. I did hold back on the salsa and only put like 1/4 c. in (I ran out). I think that some grated cheddar cheese on top would make a really great addition to the flavor and help tone down the spice if one thought it had too much bite.

Other variation from the recipe - I didn't rinse the meat with the hot water. I have never even heard of doing that before, plus there was so little grease that I didn't even need to drain it (I happened to use venison).

While putting the sauce together, I was a little concerned about how far the sauce would stretch. The recipe says it would yield 10 servings (which is why I made it), but I wasn't convinced. Once I added the meat though I was glad I reused the big pot I cooked the noodles in. There is no doubt it would serve a large group.

I am curious how the flavors will set over night and look forward to the leftovers!

Fruited Chicken Salad

Fruited Chicken Salad 7 pts for 1 cup

Made April 26th. We really enjoyed this recipe!! I was really surprised when I inputted the recipe to see it total 7 points. The nutritional info as written is only 4 points. I'm not sure where the 3 extra points came from, but my guess is that it is because I used 5 of the Tyson teriyaki chicken filets. The other change I made to the recipe was using 1 c. of raisins instead of 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of dates. Whatever the cause, it was worth the 7 points!!

This salad was really good on a bed of lettuce (like a lettuce wrap), as an open face sandwich, and also in a pita. In fact, I went to the store today just to buy pita bread to finish off the leftovers!

Aaron refused to eat it last night, but he tried my pita sandwich and liked it. He asked for his own and suprised me when he was able to pick out all the ingredients, well all the fruit ingredients at least. While I went to take a nap, Aaron made his own snack size version of his sandwich:

Pineapple Salad

Pineapple Salad 1 pt for 1 cup

Made April 26th. The salad was pretty good. Next time I'd choose to either cut the pineapple into chunks or just buy the chunks or tidbits. The slices made it more uneven in the getting.

I served this as a side to the very yummy Fruited Chicken Salad.

Crepes

Crepes 1 pt each

Made April 25th. This recipe is for strawberry crepes, but we're out of strawberries and Jared wanted crepes. This recipe is slightly different than the other crepe recipe so I figured I'd try it just to see the difference.

The recipe calls for 3/4 egg substitute, but I don't have egg substitute. 1/4 egg substitute = 1 egg. So, basically it calls for 3 eggs. I planned on using 1 egg and 4 egg whites, but I only managed to get two egg whites in. When I went to do the third one the yolk plopped in so I ended up using 2 eggs and 2 egg whites. It all works out.

The crepes were good. We used homemade Greek yogurt, raspberry freezer jam, frozen blueberries and powdered sugar as filling/topping. YUM!

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole 4 pts for 1 cup

Made April 24th. This poor casserole. I had been planning on making this for three days. I started putting the ingredients together on Wed, but didn't get it finished before piano lessons started. Since it takes an hour to cook, I made the chicken sandwiches instead. Then Wednesday we tried again and Matthew finished putting it together but through a miscommunication didn't put it in the oven to cook. So, I made the pancakes. Then Friday I'd planned to get it in the oven, but I was gone all day and we didn't have the hour to cook it so we had Papa Johns. FINALLY Saturday it made it to the oven. Unfortunately it had had all the wet ingredients mixed in so the stuffing was pretty soggy. We really liked the flavor, but the texture left something to be desired. Oh yeah, I burned the bacon on top too. Oops.

I may try it again without all the oops. It has great potential.

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes

Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes 1 pt each

Made April 22nd. I'm not sure how accurate the points are. I've been making yogurt and strained the whey out of it. I substituted the whey for the buttermilk and I can NOT find nutritional info for whey. So, there's a possibility that these are really 2 points a piece, but oh well. They whey worked really well. The pancakes were a little runnier, but this recipe is one that is a bit touchy anyway. I used to make these pancakes almost every day, but it's been a while. If you use buttermilk, these are very thick and require heating for longer at a lower temperature. With the whey they cooked pretty quickly. Still a pretty yummy variation on the traditional pancake.

Hot Swiss Chicken Sandwiches

Hot Swiss Chicken Sandwiches 6 pts

Three Step Taco Salad

Three Step Taco Salad 4 pts for 1 1/2 c.

Made April 19th

FAIL

ok, so I've already failed on my goal on the first day :p BUT, I did have to rush through dinner before calculating points because of a meeting. AND, once I figured out I was missing 3 points I quickly picked something and ate it. This may be harder than I thought....

Plateau

161.6 - same as last week's weigh in. I have a touch of 'indigestion' that I think if resolved would lower the number a few ounces at least. But, it's there and that's what I've got. And even so, it shows I haven't lost enough to make a difference.

Jared and Aaron weighed themselves before me, and Aaron got a message about food eaten late at night not getting digested as efficiently as food eaten earlier in the day. I think that may be a key for me. I tend to use my points sparingly throughout the day so that when Matthew and I have our evenings together I can snack right along with him without overdoing my points. I guess this week I will experiment with curbing the late night snacks. Ok, so here's the goal: All points must be consumed by 9 pm. I know it's not very early, but there have been days when I'm finishing my points up at 11 at night.

Just say 'no'

I just have a moment, but I wanted to comment that I am always amazed at how exercising discipline in my eating habits transfers to all areas of my life. It's a blessing on many levels to be able to say 'no'.

Weigh in

woohoo a whole 2 ounces gone. bah! I was expecting greater things this week because I was eating less and getting 3 activity points a day for my 3 mile walk, but alas I actually feel fatter. Maybe it's the fat loosening up ready to go away, ha ha. I'm thinking I may need to get up at 6 am to do CardioX and then keep my walking routine going too. I really don't like that idea because then I'd have to go to bed earlier :p

Zucchini 'n' Potato Pie

Zucchini 'n' Potato Pie 3 pts in 8 servings

Ingredients
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Crisco® Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil
4 egg whites
2 eggs
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, egg, onion, Parmesan and salt. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. pie plate. Bake 400° for 20 minutes.

In a large nonstick skillet, saute zucchini and garlic in oil until crisp-tender. Cool for 5 minutes. Spoon into potato crust. Combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over zucchini mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 350°; bake zucchini pie for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One piece equals 212 calories, 14 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 119 mg cholesterol, 398 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 14 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

*******
Made April 18th. The only adaption that I made to the recipe was not using the oil to saute the garlic and zucchini. I simply sprayed the pan with nonstick spray and added a TB of water.

I enjoyed the dish.

Cheddar Potato Chowder

Cheddar Potato Chowder 5 pts for 1 cup

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 cups diced unpeeled red potatoes
1 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham

Directions

In a Dutch oven, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, place flour in a large saucepan; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir the ham and the cheese sauce into undrained vegetables; stir until combined. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 212 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 29 mg cholesterol, 847 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.

******
Made April 17th. This recipe was pretty simple to make. I wondered if I really had to make the sauce in a separate pan though because I've made other sauce recipes right into the soup. I went ahead and did it the way it described though to stay true to the recipe this time. Next time I will probably not dirty the extra pan. I was impressed with how quickly it thickened though. It was the quickest and easiest I've ever experienced. I don't know if it was the 2% milk or the way I blended the flour in that made a difference. Or maybe it was my new pan. Who knows?!

I had a package of Four Cheese Mexican style in my fridge, so I used that instead of taking the time to shred the 2 cups of cheddar.

This recipe was a huge hit with Aaron (and me). It was really good!!

Summer Fruit N Pasta Salad

Summer Fruit n Pasta Salad 3 pts for 1 cup

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 teaspoons snipped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash hot pepper sauce
2 medium tart green apples, chopped
2 medium red apples, chopped
1-1/2 cups seedless grapes
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
2 medium firm bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt and hot pepper sauce.

In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, apples, grapes, celery and mandarin oranges. Gently stir in 1 cup yogurt mixture.

Cover and refrigerate salad and remaining yogurt mixture for 2-3 hours. Just before serving, stir in bananas, walnuts and remaining yogurt mixture. Yield: 14 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 199 calories, 8 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat.

******
Made April 16th. I didn't get to chill the salad for the full 2- 3 hours. I'm not sure how much of a difference it would have made, but the flavors might have blended a little bit better. When we ate it as leftovers the next day the dill wasn't quite so strong. The salad was a brown kind of color after sitting in the fridge overnight. I think it was from the bananas oxidizing. The color certainly didn't take away from the flavor though. It was still really yummy! I did feel like tuna would have gone well in it.

Jared LOVED this salad, and Aaron liked that it had grapes.

Menu Peek

I've had some computer issues that make me feel like posting pictures and updating my menu is a huge ordeal. But, I finally uploaded pictures so I decided to just give a glimpse of what we've been eating this week with their links. I'll go back and post the actual recipes when I get a chance.

Southwestern Broccoli and Cheese Soup 2 pts

Taco Noodle Dish6 or 7 pts

Baked Ziti Casserole

Chicken and Mandarine Oranges

Eat much lately?

I am struggling to eat my 24 points! I never thought I'd see the day when I would understand how my MIL could get away with eating so little. She can eat an orange and be good for HOURS. Yesterday I had 3 points leftover and tonight there were 8. I had to find things to eat, so I enjoyed some chips w/ queso and salsa and still had to find more to eat. By the time I ate my final point (a piece of bread) I felt absolutely full/stuffed. It makes me wonder if I missed something in my food diary.

Put Your Picture Away

Today I faced the challenge of going through my clothes - especially the ones that I'd been given recently so I could find a spot for them. Happily I discovered the ones that didn't fit when they were given to me about a month ago are fitting much better now. yay! I committed to getting rid of the clothes hanging in my closet that I haven't worn in years or know I won't wear. I've bagged them all up and earmarked them for donations to upcoming garage sales.

I pulled the clothes that were size 16-18 (skirts/pants/capris) that are now too big and added them to my maternity box. Four months ago I was packing my box up and saying goodbye to a pregnancy that wasn't meant to be. When I was pregnant and going through my maternity clothes to find ones to wear most of my clothes were too big. YAY! I'd packed away all my size 20W into my maternity box thinking that I might need them to get me by until I needed the actual maternity pants. I had the same thought as I added my outgrown clothes today. We'll see what happens. Who knows, maybe the next time I need the maternity box the size 16 will be way too big too and I'll end up giving those away like I did the others.

20 down, 10 to goal!!

I've been kind of lagging behind here with my posts!

Yesterday was the last day of my sister-in-law's Biggest Loser competition. As of the afternoon when I logged my weight, I was number 2. My usual day difference weight showed itself again. I weighed at 163.8 or something like that, so I didn't do as well as I'd hoped for the final weigh in. BUT, today I was down to 161.8. I did manage to lose another pound for WW. YAY!!!!!

I've lost a daily target point so now I'm down to 24 points a day. I noticed that my WW's plan was set to maintenance mode, so I had to delete all my weights to reset my goal and plan. Because of the way it was set up, I started my day on Jan 3rd which had a weigh in of 182. Before that weight never really played a role in how much I'd lost. Now it is acknowleged and accounted for which means I've lost 20.2 pounds since the beginning of the year!! YAY me!!! Today I got the 10% lost star :) The goal is 150 in my mind, but I reset my goal to 140. The healthy BMI range is 122 - 146. I think I will be content at 150. It is hard to fathom losing that much more weight. But, we'll just see what happens.

As I was choosing clothes from the closet for church today, I was realizing I don't have a lot of clothes that fit anymore for Sunday. I have a few skirts (mostly browns), long sleeves or sweaters(it's getting to be summer) and T-shirts (which I don't want to wear for church). There is a beige top that is my standard 'nice' blouse that can go with anything, but I was noticing it isn't fitting so great anymore. It's a perfect fit for about size 16. I guess my top is closer to a 12 now. The darts are really sad looking. I was given a bunch of clothes (thank you S!) but I think I need to go through them again. Probably if I actually hung my clothes up I'd discover I have a better selection than I thought :p

Go Potty, Eat CANDY!!!!

Today Aaron decided it was a good idea to go potty in the toilet. The end result of getting candy of course was his ultimate motivation - and he probably ate more candy than 'real' food today, but he's developing a habit of using the facilities instead of his diaper. At least, that's what I'm hoping. He did choose to brush his teeth all on his own tonight. I guess all those jelly beans were starting to bother him.

We started in a diaper this morning, but after a huge yucky blowout (right after I changed him no less), he didn't want to put a diaper back on. He did want to go potty in the toilet however, so I bargained with him. He ended up in a diaper of some sort today, but we still called it 'underwear'. Basically I used all my fitted and pocket diapers that could snap into shape so that they could be pulled up and down like underwear. And learning from last attempt, I made sure the diapers had a liner so that should a poopy 'accident' happen, I'd be able to flush it with ease.

Today's efforts came with mixed results. He did use the toilet a lot, but every use came after wetting himself. Eventually I figured out to use the pocket diapers so that he'd have a cover (although my FuzziBunz are worn out enough that we still had leaking). He was trying hard to get his candy, so sometimes he spent a good half hour in the bathroom waiting to go potty. But the time spent paid off. Several times he would go potty, get up and start to get dressed and tell me that he had more. And he did! This occurrance was more frequent in the afternoon after watching Jared go potty. Aaron had to go potty like Jared, so he'd stand at the big toilet. He'd get so excited about 'making mountains' that I don't think he ever quite got done.

I was impressed that one time he wanted to sit on the big potty. What he really needed was to have a bowel movement, but eventually he gave up on the big potty and wanted his small chair again. He never did have his poop, but he gave it a grand effort. In fact, he's tried to poop on the toilet two or three days in a row now, but without success. Still, he's had gas while sitting there and that's progress. He recognizes when it is coming. Soon he'll get used to the sensation and position and be able to get two candies!

It was really nice when he was gone for a few days and I didn't have to worry about diapers all day. If Aaron keeps this effort up, it might not be long before I won't be changing diapers all the time :)

Spinach Turkey Roll

Spinach Turkey Roll, 4 pts for 8 servings
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2004, p29

Ingredients

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and mustard. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well.

On a sheet of waxed paper, pat turkey mixture into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Sprinkle with spinach and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling waxed paper away while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Heat remaining spaghetti sauce; serve over turkey. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 each) equals 230 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 137 mg cholesterol, 395 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable.

**********
Made April 5th. This has been on the menu since I went through the cookbook and I finally had the time to make it. The hour-long cooktime makes it challenging because the heating is off in our oven, making it so everything takes longer. I was pleasantly surprised when this dish was ready in an hour and a half.

I used 99/1 ground turkey, which I'm sure helped keep the points low. I ran out of mozz cheese, so I mixed some cheddar in with it too. My spaghetti sauce was leftover from spaghetti I had made previously. I prefer Del Monte's Four Cheese, so that was what I used. I don't think I spread it out quite as much as the recipe calls for because I was able to fit it in a 7 x 11.5 pan (or whatever the size is just under 9x13. I cut the loaf into 8 slices too. For 6 servings the points would have been 6.

I am quite pleased with the final product. Jared said it was ok, but I enjoyed the meatloaf flavor without all the points. It is a good healthy option to meatloaf. I think next time I might try fresh spinach instead of the frozen because I don't care for the frozen spinach taste, although it wasn't very strong in this recipe.

Creamy Vanilla Pudding

Creamy Vanilla Pudding, 5 pts for 1/2 c.
published in Reminisce Extra April 1993, p49

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups milk, divided
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place 2 cups milk and salt in a saucepan. Sprinkle sugar on milk and do not stir; heat over medium-high. Quickly combine cornstarch with remaining milk; add egg yolks and mix well. When milk comes to a full boil, remove saucepan from the heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. Pudding will begin to thicken. Return to the heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into individual dishes. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.

*****
Made April 3rd. I had 5 egg yolks left over from last week's recipes, so I made this pudding to use them up. I had to double plus half the recipe to accomplish it, but it was perfect for our family get together. The pudding was extremely rich (perfect for dipping tortilla chips in though). It is no wonder it is worth 5 points.

I ran out of cornstarch, so I used flour to make up the rest. Unfortunately I got cornstarch or flour lumps when I mixed it with the milk. I probably needed to use a bigger container so that it could mix better. But the pudding did thicken up really nicely, so the lumps were mostly aesthetic as well as surprising for those who got them ;)

I used skim milk and Imperial margarine for this recipe.

"Be diligent, that thereby [ye] might win the prize"

This morning as I struggled through CardioX, I realized the spiritual parallel of 'taking it easy'.

A month ago, an exercise buddy and I had become so proficient with the CardioX video that it was no longer a real workout. We were maintaining but not improving. We had to step it up a notch and add the Plyometrics video in our week. Once we did that, we saw immediate muscle improvement and quicker weight loss. We were so happy about where we were and what we were doing that we both felt ready to try the entire P90X program. Then something happened, spring break and the time change hit and that buddy lost her motivation. We all did, but we tried walking a couple of days instead of the video. Eventually she decided to 'retire'. My other exercise buddy is getting motivated again, but she prefers to walk instead of the videos so when we don't walk together, I try to do something on my own but there are still some days that I miss. It's been about three weeks since spring break, and I think I've done CardioX about once a week. I can still get through the video, but it is a challenge. It is amazing how quickly our muscles deteriorate when they are not constantly being pushed or utelized. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.

How often do we do that to our spiritual muscles? How often do we go through times when we are being so good and diligent at reading our scriptures, saying heart-felt prayers, attending the temple, paying our tithes and offerings, etc. and we feel strong and confident; then something happens and it messes up our routine and we get lazy or distracted? If we don't hurry up and get back on the wagon, soon the day will be gone and we'll be left on the ground in darkness. Time will pass and a moment will come when we'll realize that we are nowhere where we wanted to be. We might have even forgotten where we were headed or how to get there. Deuteronomy 4:9 reads, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons." No one is exempt from this predicament. All it takes is to get complacent in our efforts. Jesus warned:

Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

The good news is that through the atoning power of Jesus Christ the day will come again. But how much better is it to pick ourselves right back up, climb back in and ride through the darkness protected? In King Benjamin's final words to his people, he counselled:

But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen

1 Week left and more than halfway there

I realized yesterday when I weighed in for my sister-in-law's Biggest Loser contest that there is only 1 week left. ACK!! Currently I'm number 2 in weight loss. After the Lettuce Eat Cake contest was over (at 9 weeks), I figured that I'd be ok with the BL contest lasting one more month - I'd be able to reach my goal. Uh, well, I don't think so - especially after last week's horrible weigh-in. Saturday I was 164.7 and Sunday I went back up to 166. argh. I started the week off doing well with exercise and eating habits, but Thursday and Friday went without exercise. And I didn't even care! That's the sad part.

Easter candy and family time posed a challenge this weekend too. But, I tried to be vigilant. I was pleased to see that my weigh-in yesterday was 164.2. I braced myself for another weight gain this morning though because that's what happened last week. And although my weight did go down this week for yesterday's weigh-in, it was only in ounces. So drumroll for today's WW Weigh-in..........









162.7!!!!!

The funny thing was that this morning I was going to compose a blog post entitled 'Thunder Thighs'. I will probably still do it because it is something that haunts me. It is nice to know that even though my exercising isn't great, I can still do something about my weight by controlling my eating habits. And I'm ecstatic that I feel so close to my weight loss goal. I don't think I ever really thought I'd reach it. I'm over half-way now. YAY!!

I was talking to friends about this effort, and I emphasized to them that this has been a LONG process even though they are only aware of the last three months - an over FIVE years process. Actually, I just realized it's been over six at this point. One of these days I'll finish my draft of 'From Here to There and Back Again' about my complete weight loss journey, not just this leg of it. But to give you a brief idea, almost two years before Jared was born I tipped the scales at almost 250 pounds. I was buying clothes in a 2X and some 3X when I went to work and couldn't eat all day.


I know myself well enough to realize that this will be a lifetime effort. I would fall right back into my old habits without the accountability of a food diary/WW. It's happened too many times before.