Anytime Turkey Chili

Anytime Turkey Chili
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41

Ingredients

2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, green pepper, oregano and cumin in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, water, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add turkey; heat through. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 241 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

********
Made April 5th: This is a recipe that I kept opening to and wanting to try but would be missing an ingredient here and there before I finally got everything together. Aside from the simmering, it was really quick to put together. I love that it had pumpkin in it. It was a really interesting soup flavor.

I served this with maple syrup corn bread and a strawberry-spinach salad.

Maple Orange Roast

Maple Orange Roast
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p26

Ingredients

1 beef rump roast or bottom round roast (3 pounds)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar-free maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large chunks
5 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown roast on all sides; drain. Place in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray.

In the same skillet, combine the orange juice, syrup, wine or broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange peel, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; pour over meat.

Place the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions around roast. Cover and bake at 325° for 3 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and skim fat. Pour into a small saucepan.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with pot roast and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked beef with 3/4 cup vegetables and 2 tablespoons gravy equals 335 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 102 mg cholesterol, 264 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 36 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 starch.
*******
Made April 3rd: It is pretty traditional for my mom to cook a roast on Sunday - especially if she has company. I used this to my advantage to try this recipe out. She provided the roast while I prepared the entree.

The roast was so tender and sweet from the orange juice. The vegetables had a sweet flavor to them as well. It was really delicious and a nice change to the usual plain roast with ketchup. Although, ketchup wasn't bad with this one either :)

Black Bean Tortilla Pie

Black Bean Tortilla Pie
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p37

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper, cumin and pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Stir in corn and green onions; remove from the heat.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with 1-1/2 cups bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Remove sides of pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cut into wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 wedge equals 353 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 842 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

******
Made March 25th: Mine didn't come out looking nearly as nice the one in the book. It did taste ok. It was very runny though. I didn't have the right size tortillas, so I used a round casserole dish instead of the springform pan that the recipe calls for. I don't know how much of a difference it would have made though.

Wild Rice Turkey Salad

Wild Rice Turkey Salad
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p27

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups green grapes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped red apple
6 lettuce leaves
6 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salt and cinnamon; stir into turkey mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, stir in apple. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 279 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 fat.

******
Made March 21st: We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this dish. It had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness.

I served this strawberry leaf salad as the side:
baby greens
crumbled feta cheese
sliced strawberries
almonds
berry vinagerrete

Orange Ginger Carrots

Orange Ginger Carrots
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p57

Ingredients

3 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place carrots and 1 in. of water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

In the same pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt and ginger. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in butter until melted. Add carrots and toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 99 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

*****
Made March 16th: served with potstickers and eggrolls. I've made another recipe similar to this called Gingered Carrots. The orange flavoring was an interesting twist. It was very saucy, so next time I'd probably add more carrots.

Orange Strawberry Smoothie

Orange Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups orange juice
1 package (12.3 ounces) silken reduced-fat firm tofu
3 cups halved frozen unsweetened strawberries
1-1/2 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions

In a food processor, combine the orange juice, tofu, strawberries and bananas; cover and pulse until blended. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 120 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 51 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fruit, 1 lean meat.

********
March 14: Since this is made with tofu, I was curious how it would turn out. It was pretty thick, but it didn't add or detract from the flavor. It seems to me we did have some ingredients missing, but I think everyone liked it.

Backlog

I have the time and disposition, so I'm going to do a massive update. I know I am way behind.

Here are my weights for the last few weeks:

May 1 - 155.9
May 8 - 154.8
May 15 - 157.6

Ouch. So I was starting a really good trend for a few weeks, but Matthew was gone with the boys and I indulged myself quite willingly. So, this week I obviously gained and regained my lack of self-control. My knees were really bothering me too, so I was hesitant about doing my exercise videos. I did do a lot of yard work though, so I am proud of that (and man was I sore!!).

This week I plan on doing better. I did my strength training yesterday and the cardio today. It was the first time I've done the cardio in at least a week/week and a half. whew!! I needed that. I hate the lunges, but I love the ballet routine at the beginning. I had the weird experience of actually feeling the cravings ooze out of me - specifically Swedish fish. Isn't that funny?!

Alright, on to my menu posts......

We have weight loss!!

Weight: 155.0 YAY!!!! I've been seeing a 2 pound loss for a few days, but I was afraid it wouldn't stick around for the official weigh in today. I'm wondering if the 3 days of strength training this week made a difference. Well, probably the fact that I didn't have a lot of indulgent opportunities helped too. A lot. We'll see how well it goes at the end of this week though b/c I have something every night and almost all of it involved food.

On another good note - we went out hiking as a family and I didn't plan my clothes well during the week to have some 'rugged' shorts to wear. I dug through my 'need to shrink into' stash and found a pair of cutoffs that I bought at a garage sale last year when I was starting into a 10. They were snug, but wearable! yay me!!

and hold......

I always weigh myself after I shower, but only the Sunday weigh in on the wii counts. I was down 2 pounds this morning. The trick is whether I can keep it down by Sunday :p Hello Easter :O

from lettuce eat cake contest update:

April 22, 2011

I suppose since I"m logged in I should update. Sunday's weight: 157.4. I think it is safe to say I am maintaining at 157 pretty well. :p I think I was down 2 pounds before the weekend, but between a Girl's Night Out Friday and Cici's Pizza on Saturday it was a lost cause. It's been really hard to control my eating this week because of the indulgence over the weekend. I haven't tracked my food at all this week - though I have thought about it in my head (at least I have that still going for me at the moment).

I've been using 4 lbs of weight during my strength training videos. I think I might be ready to up it a pound. It's so amazing to think about how heavy those weights felt a month ago when I started with them. Now when I pick them up they feel relatively light. I think I'll add my Wii weighted gloves in May. They're only a pound, so it wouldn't be quite the shock to the system, but it would still add the additional challenge.

A Step Forward!

Weigh in: 157.0 Wow! My first real pound since February!! :p I did work hard this week in the exercise department (not necessarily the food). My routine this week was:

Mon - Strength Training (SELF bikini ready)
Tues - Intense Cardio (SELF best butt)
Wed - Cardio (SELF slim, sleek, fast)
Thurs - P90X Cardio X
Fri - Strenth Training (SELF bikini ready)

I think that is what I did anyway. The past few weeks by Friday I don't do a real video but instead work in the yard or cut it short because of other obligations. So, I'm sure it helped that my workout was strong til the end of the week. We also went to Sea World Saturday so we got lots of walking in. Although, the best exercise was crawling rhrough the tunnels in the kid area. Oh man!!

As the Lettuce Eat Cake contest is drawing to a close, so is my 3 month subscription to Weight Watchers. I have not been very diligent in using it the last couple of weeks. My computer has been giving me issues and is so S-L-O-W!!! It takes so much time that I'd rather not bother trying it. So, I am in a dilemma whether I should continue to pay for the service when I'm not using it or not. I'm afraid if I don't keep it up I will lose all progress I have made. The good news is that I do have a pretty healthy exercise routine, it is just that my eating is not in check. My stress level and time constraints have doubled in the last few weeks, so I've not been cooking as much and turning to quick comfort foods. I'm afraid if I didn't have my Weight Watchers subscription in the back of my mind, all accountability will disappear and my progress will too.

Doggie Paddle

Weight - 157.9. *Sigh* Since Wed I've watched the numbers climb. I quit tracking what I ate and basically gave in to my cravings. I had a lot of special events that made it easy to indulge.

On a good note, Tues I did the double weights again and this time there was no extra soreness. I guess my body is acclimating really well. I did some research and discovered that each sandbag is roughly 2 pounds so doubling it made it 4 lbs. It's no wonder it was such a shock to my system.

Another good note, we had a little bit of a cold spell this week so I went to my jeans drawer. My jeans actually fit. yay!! They were still a little snug, but not enough to be uncomfortable. So, even though my pounds aren't going anywhere, the inches are. I'll take those over weight any day.

Weigh-in

Weigh in - 157.2. Not a big loss, but still a loss. I think my loss was actually greater than that, but I had a lot of cake and ice cream yesterday (though still most of it in my point allowance - I certainly didn't even touch my activity points) and I only got 2 hours of sleep. I think the lack of sleep is the true culprit. My body didn't get its recoup time. For the most part, my eating has been in really control.

Tuesday I added an extra sandbag to my weight lifting and boy was I feeling it! I had no idea that holding them in my hands would make my legs feel the effects too. I was so sore on Wed and was really grateful to be able to do CardioX on Thursday to stretch all of my muscles out. I didn't do an exercise video on Friday, but instead mowed and weeded the back yard.

I am way behind in posting our menus. Hopefully I'll be be able to catch up with that. I've put a calendar on the fridge so I can write down what we eat everyday. The goals is to be able to keep track of my picks so that we're more likely to get variety in a given week and know how old left-overs are.

Whew!

Today's weigh-in: 157.4 - stayed the same! I was afraid I'd gain after this week. Apparently vacations and diets don't work well together for me because by the end of it I had no self control again.

We went to Ft. Worth Tues night to try and get in the Chick-fil-a First 100 contest for their new store opening there on Thurs. Well, Matthew won which meant we camped in their parking lot for 24 hours and ate Chick-fil-a all day! Once the get everyone registered and camp set up, they serve breakfast (my favorite: chicken biscuit), then lunch (chicken strips in this case with chips), dinner (chicken sandwich or nuggets - I got the sandwich- meal: includes drink and fries), but then we were surprised with an evening snack (8 chicken nuggets) and we ended the night with an ice cream party. We were so full of chicken by the time it was over!!

There's a really great restaurant/shop called Braum's that is based in OK but Hillsboro, TX has the farthest south shop. They make their own ice cream so we *had* to stop and get some before we came on home. Ice cream for breakfast. yummmmmm. It was such a long drive home that when we stopped in South Austin at a gas station with a McDonald's I decided to treat myself (though I shared) to a shamrock shake b/c I'd heard they were yummy and wanted to try it. I think those indulgences are really what opened the flood gate and let the self-control go downhill, though I did try a little bit to exercise some discretion the rest of the week, but not as much as I should.

Anyway, long story short - I was afraid that my body hadn't picked up momentum from the work I'd done the weeks before, but apparently it had some and I didn't gain or lose. I'm satisfied with that.

A Chick-fil-a opening has the potential for great exercise though. The big game throughout the day on Wed is four-square. The first time I did the contest, I played four-square for HOURS and was sore for days afterward. I didn't play quite as much this time, but we spent time as a family playing variations of keep-a-away and four square. At the end of the day Aaron was literally running circles around the entire campground, so I was following behind. I definitely got my exercise that day.

Happy Dance

Today's weigh in: 157.3 YAY!!! Real weight loss! *happy dance*

It was a bum deal in the food department though. I was starving before church so I got my cereal breakfast. Then for lunch I made pumpkin pancakes with scrambled egg surprise (scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, and pineapple juice) and bacon. By the time I was done with that meal I had 4 points left for the day. oh boy!! With so few points left, I of course ate into my weeklies for dinner. But I'm hungry tonight! I'd love to have some toast or cereal or something even more yummy like chocolate pudding! I'm trying to be good though. I want to keep this weight loss trend - which may prove to be quite the challenge with spring break.

Sick. Again.

Yesterday I was having some internal issues that I attributed to an overdose of some yummy cookies at playgroup Thurs. But, this morning when I got out of bed I found myself dizzy and unable to walk straight. By the time I made it to the bathroom I was preparing to meet the porceline throne. I managed to take my shower, but it was rough going for a little bit this morning. When I told Matthew what was going on, he said he was feeling dizzy last night too. Sounds like it is more than cookies after all. I hope it is only a 24-hr bug.

On a positive note, this morning when I took my unofficial scale reading, I was down 3 pounds. Hopefully the trend will continue for the official weigh-in tomorrow. I think I did indeed find my culprit for not losing weight.

Go me!

I am in shock! Today and yesterday I actually managed to have points left at the end of the day to spend how I pleased. The difference? I changed my breakfast and lunch. I've been wondering if fruit has been part of my challenge in actually losing weight, so I decided to calculate my normal Kashi and fruit breakfast as a recipe instead of a meal. Oh boy!! All of a suddent those 3 free fruits (1/2 banana, 1 oz of blueberries, 1/2 peach) turned into 5 or 9 points!! No wonder!!

In the Lettuce Eat Cake contest, someone recommended a website/blog that encourages a transition into following the Word of Wisdom diet (way of eating). One of the healthy habits is to eat a breakfast cereal that has more fiber than sugar. So, I started being pickier about the cereals that I bought. Kashi GoLean fits that critera, and I happen to enjoy the taste. I stocked up on the GoLean, but there is only a week's worth of cereal in each box. As good/healthy as it is, that's an expensive habit. Another cereal I had bought was Kellog's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch. It was on clearance and the sugar and fiber content are pretty comparable. So, Tuesday I had to decide if I'd open another box of Kashi or try the Berry Yogurt Crunch. I decided to go with the Berry Yogurt Crunch. Instead of racking up 7-9 points in breakfast, I was able to keep it down to 6. The Kashi alone is 4 or 5 points plus the 2 points for milk. The choice seems to have been a good one for now.

As for lunch, I've not been doing a sit-down meal but rather snack all afternoon on small point items. For example, today I had an apple, a light string cheese and piece of wheat bread toasted with honey. The other trick is to then be busy all afternoon so I don't think about food until I pick Jared up from school and start dinner! ha!

It was such a delight last night to have 7 points to spare. 7 points don't go nearly as far on the points plus program but, it was enough that I was able to make some nachos :)

Tonight i had 5 points and spent them on an apple with peanut butter (big waste of 3 points) and a tortilla.

Hopefully if I can keep this up by the end of the week we'll see a difference in the numbers on the scale *crossing fingers*

On an exercise note, I am loving my exercise!! I love the feeling of strength - especially in my arms while I play the piano. I've been thinking about buying P90X again and doing the entire program. I love doing the weights in my videos. I think I'd be willing to do those videos where before I wasn't. And I think I'm ready to tackle PlyoX again.

Two-Cheese Turkey Enchiladas

Two-Cheese Turkey Enchiladas 6 points/12 enchiladas
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, divided
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 cup salsa
8 fat-free flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

Crumble turkey into a large nonstick skillet; add the onion, green pepper, brown sugar and seasonings. Cook and stir over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in 1 cup crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and chilies until blended; set aside. Combine salsa and remaining tomatoes; spread 1 cup into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture and 1/3 cup turkey mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture; sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 enchilada equals 329 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 49 mg cholesterol, 776 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 2 vegetable.

*******
Made March 9, 2011.
My family really liked this recipe. Jared said he didn't like it, he LOVED it! And Matthew had a hard time staying out of them.

I found the 3 TB of cream cheese/sour cream mix and the 1/3 cup of turkey mix to be too much for one tortilla. I was using the 6 in tortillas, so that might make a difference. I ended up getting 12 enchiladas out of this recipe. With the number of enchiladas I had, I found the sauce to be just the right amount. I was afraid the enchiladas might be too spicy, but the tomatoes did a good job of diluting it.

Very good recipe. I will definitely make it again.

Orange Beef Stir-Fry

Orange Beef Stir-Fry 5 pts/6 servings (3/4 c. serving)
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p38

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 egg white
1 beef flank steak (1 pound), cut into thin slices
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cups hot cooked long grain rice

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 teaspoons sugar. Stir in 2 tablespoons soy sauce until smooth. Add egg white and beat until blended. Add beef and toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine remaining cornstarch with water until smooth. Add the orange juice concentrate, ketchup, orange peel, hoisin sauce and remaining sugar and soy sauce; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry beef mixture in hot oil for 2-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir orange juice mixture and stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rice. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup beef mixture with 1/2 cup rice equals 390 calories, 13 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 48 mg cholesterol, 725 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 24 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

*************
Made March 8, 2011. I didn't use the grated orange peel, so I'm not sure if the orange flavor would be stronger if I had. The dish was pretty good, but not spectacular. I'm not sure I cut the steak in the correct direction. I took the easy way and cut it long-ways because it was nice and folded, but maybe I should have cut it along the width of the stead instead. The meat was a little bit tough.

The 5 points I calculated do not include the rice.

Pineapple Tuna Salad Sandwich

Pineapple Tuna Salad Sandwich 2 pts/1/4 c. serving
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p53

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt-free herb seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (6 ounces each) light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
8 slices Italian bread
4 slices tomato
4 lettuce leaves

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the applesauce and mayonnaise. Stir in the celery, green pepper, pineapple, onion, seasoning blend, garlic powder and pepper. Add tuna; mix well. Spread over four slices of bread; top with tomato, lettuce and remaining bread. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich equals 310 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 715 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 28 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fruit.

*********
Made March 6, 2011. Not bad. It was pretty good with the tomatoes and lettuce. Jared added crumpled tortilla chips and salsa to his and really liked it. Aaron ate the tuna salad on a tortilla chip with salsa. He actually ate about 6 of them befor he decided he was through. I ate one that was leftover and it really is pretty good with the salsa and chip!

We didn't have the Italian bread so we just used our sandwich bread.

Wall

Weigh in: 160.5 Again. Seriously?! I am not losing any weight!! I even accumulated like 30 activity points this week between rollerskating and hiking this weekend besides my usual exercise. I'm thinking fruit is a major culprit and perhaps I need better portion control. There was a lot of eating bits of this and that that are probably adding up more than I'm accounting for. The frustrating part is that yesterday my unofficial weight was down two pounds. I was excited thinking I was finally showing progress and then BAM! Back to where I was plus some. I am starting to really have negative feelings about the new Points Plus program.

I'm trying to think positively though that I am losing some inches and growing muscle. Rollerskating was a lot easier than the first time I went in January. I had better endurance and balance. I was able to make it a lot more times around before I had to take a break. But when I did eventually get tired, I was shaking all over. Then today I was playing through a song that I've been working on for awhile, and I could tell there was strength in my arms that enabled me to play with more power than I had before. It's a good feeling.

Friday I did a 10 minute focused toning video (total of 55 minutes) that I've decided I really need to do more than once a week. It's basically calisthenics, but it is a very productive video :p

Four Cheese Baked Ziti

Four Cheese Baked Ziti
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p24

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, green pepper, carrots and garlic until crisp-tender. Stir in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth and pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pan. Stir in the vegetable mixture, ricotta, provolone and basil.

Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 286 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 806 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 fat.

Ground Beef Potpie

Ground Beef Potpie
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p43

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
2 medium onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups finely chopped carrots
2 cups mashed potatoes (without added milk and butter)
1/4 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onions and carrots over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Stir in the potatoes, broth and seasonings. Spoon into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.

Place pastry over filling; crimp edges to seal. Cut slits in top. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 piece equals 358 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 539 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 18 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 2 fat, 1 vegetable.

********
Made March 1st: I have been wanting to make this recipe for weeks now, and I finally made it the day I went to Wicked, so I didn't get to eat it fresh from the oven. Matthew's first comment was about how good the crust was. He was disappointed to learn that it's just the store brand refrigerated pie crust. His second comment was asking if there was sage in it. He thought that flavor was a little overwhelming at first. I finally got some last night for leftovers. It is a delicious crust! I really liked this dish and plan on making it again.

I ended up using ground turkey instead of beef and potato pearls instead of real mashed potatoes.

Weigh-in

Weigh in: 159.8

Disappointing to not see any real progress. I am the same weight I was on Feb 6 which was right before I got sick. So I keep telling myself that my body is still in recovery mode and to think about momentum. It will come. My body is changing and getting stronger, it just isn't reflected on the scale yet.

Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwiches 9 points/4 servings (1/2 c. each)
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p48

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
6 tablespoons Miracle Whip Light
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 dinner rolls
8 lettuce leaves

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the chicken, Miracle Whip Light, cranberries, onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cut tops off rolls; hollow out each roll, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Line each with a lettuce leaf; fill with chicken salad. Replace tops. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Miracle Whip Light salad dressing.

Nutrition Facts: 2 sandwiches equals 354 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 83 mg cholesterol, 796 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat.

*****
Made Sun, Feb 27, 2011. I ended up changing the recipe a little bit because we didn't have celery, and I thought that additions might be nice. Here are my variations:

- used 1 13 oz container of canned chicken (shredded)
- add 1 TB of sunflower seeds
- add 1 TB of coconut
- add 1/4 c. chopped pecans

My final product ended up being 8 points just for the salad while the original recipe is 9 points including the dinner rolls.

Everyone really liked the salad. Aaron isn't much of a carb eater, so I put his in a lettuce leaf and that worked really well. This was a nice change to the usual tuna sandwich after church on Sunday.

Making Progress

I'm pretty pleased with my work this week. I exercised every day and cooked dinner for 3 nights in a row. Yay me!! Yesterday morning I did P90X with Julie at 5:30, so I had a lot of free time in the morning before Aaron woke up. I spent the time going through my Light and Tasty 2007 cookbook pulling recipes to create a menu and shopping list for the next however long. This has been on my to-do list for MONTHS now. I still need to sort through the ingredient list and organize and post it, but at least I have one :)

I put in my notice that I'm not walking anymore. I'm really liking the workout videos I'm using from Netflix. They are the SELF bikini ready and SELF sleek slim fast. The bikini one is mostly strength training with a tiny bit of plyo and the other is mostly cardio with a little bit of strength training. It has a lot of ballet moves in it and my calves were really sore this week. I can feel my arms getting stronger too. I was practicing the piano the other morning and found I had some power in my playing that wasn't there before. I love the feeling of being strong. There's just something about feeling muscles contract that makes me happy and wonder why or how I could have ever quit exercising to begin with.

I've done a lot better with my eating overall this week. I really believe that Kashi cereal in the morning is making a huge difference. I can go longer periods between needing to eat. Plus I've completely stocked the fridge with fruit (which is a free food for WW), so I'm using those to get me through my snackie times. Last week I'm pretty sure I depleted all of my weeklies and activity points, but this week I'm going to have quite a few left in the end. YAY for progress!!

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie, 7 points/8 servings
Spaghetti Pie published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p31

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup canned Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, garlic powder, sugar and pepper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, butter, egg whites and Parmesan cheese. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with cottage cheese and beef mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 piece equals 348 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 52 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 29 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.

***********
Made Feb 25, 2011. This was a pretty quick and easy dish to put together. Everyone really enjoyed it - even Aaron. Matthew said he wasn't too sure about it when he came home and smelled it (probably the bell peppers), but really liked it in the end.

I substituted ground turkey for the beef, put only a TB of bell peppers, and added basil to the seasoning mix. I didn't put the cottage cheese or meat all the way to the end of the "crust", so the exposed spaghetti was hard. I didn't mind it, but someone who would care should make sure to spread the topping over all the spaghetti instead of leaving it like a pizza crust.

This ia a hefty meal at 7 points for 8 pie slices.

Light and Tasty 2007 Menu

• Anytime Turkey Chili
• Apricot Orange Chicken
• Black Bean Quesadillas
• Black Bean Tortilla Pie
• Blushing Penne Pasta
• Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
• Burrito Pita Pockets
• Butternut Squash Apple Bake
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Chicken Orzo Skillet
• Chicken Rice Casserole
• Chicken Turnovers
• Chili Potpies
• Chili-Topped Sweet Potatoes
• Crab Rangoon
• Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Creamy Chicken 'n' Wild Rice Soup
• Crispy Caribbean Veggie Wraps
• Crunchy Yam Bake
• Easy Chicken Potpie
• Easy Hamburger Soup
• Four-Cheese Baked Ziti
• Greek Pizzas
• Ground Beef Potpie
• Hearty Cheese Soup
• Hearty Lentil Spaghetti
• Herb Quick Bread
• Italian Hot Dish
• Kiwi Smoothies
• Lemon Anise Biscotti
• Makeover Hot Chicken Salad
• Makeover Pineapple Casserole
• Makeover Summer Squash Casserole
• Maple-Orange Pot Roast
• Mexican Turkey Skillet
• Mixed Berry French Toast Bake
• Orange Beef Stir-Fry
• Orange Couscous
• Orange Ginger Carrots
• Orange Strawberry Smoothies
• Pineapple-Tuna Salad Sandwiches
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Rice with Summer Squash
• Simple Chicken Soup
• Skillet Pork Chops
• Spaghetti Pie
• Strawberry Banana Smoothies
• Sweet Potato Bean Soup
• Sweet Potato Scones
• Sweet-Sour Spinach Salad
• Taco Oven-Fried Chicken
• Tamale Veggie Pie
• Tofu Manicotti
• Tuna Artichoke Melts
• Tuna-Stuffed Potatoes
• Turkey Alfredo Pizza
• Turkey Fettuccine Skillet
• Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
• Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
• Turkey Wonton Cups
• Two-Cheese Turkey Enchiladas
• Weekday Lasagna
• Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones
• Wild Rice Turkey Salad
• Yummy Pizza Bake
• Zippy Chicken Soup

Tamale Veggie Pie

Tamale Veggie Pie
Tamale Veggie Pie published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p59

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder

TOPPING:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

In a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons juice; add tomatoes and juice to onion mixture.
Stir in the beans, cheese, chilies, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together the egg, yogurt and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon over filling; gently spread to cover top.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and a toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings.

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


Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 280 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 746 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 13 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Apple-Spice Acorn Squash LT06

Apple-Spice Acorn Squash LT 06, 5 points

Ingredients

1 medium acorn squash
1 medium tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons butter

Directions

Cut squash in half; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/2 in. of water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-13 minutes or until almost tender; drain.

Combine the apple, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg; spoon into squash cavities. Dot with butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 6-8 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 2 servings.

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

Nutritional Analysis: 1 filled squash half equals 207 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 47 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 fruit, 1 fat.

Work it, baby!

Feb 18, 2011

I'm back in business!! YAY!

Tuesday I felt well enough that I tried a workout video. I think I did the SELF bikini ready one. I did it towards the beginning of the month and was sore for days. I didn't think I'd attempt it again, but I found myself missing it. It was a lot easier this time around.

Wed I decided to try a 10 minute toning solutions video. I did the abs, buns, and stretch (twice) because my quads were sore from the video the day before. Oh my heck my stomach hurt!!! It still does a little. I could not do all the ab work because it was so hard and painful! It's a good thing it was only a 10 minute workout :p

Yesterday I didn't do a formal exercise, but I did put the house back in order - which is just as important to me. It's amazing what being sick for a week can do to a house :p

Today I did the SELF slim fast workout. Oh man that was a good cardio workout. I was sweating before we were done warming up!! I used actual weights with it, You're supposed to use weights with the bikini one too, but the first time I used water bottles and this week I used nothing. I'll use the weights from now on though(my arms can certainly use the toning help).

I really like the routine that's been created this week with all the illness. I think I may give up walking in the mornings. I like being able to stay home, keep Aaron asleep, and workout with netflix. It's nice having that 'me' time.

I weigh myself every day, but it only counts on my weigh in days. The other times are just a general gauge. Well, my 5 lb weight loss was definitely temporary :( I don't suppose my daily dose of 5 cookies is helping my cause :p lol

A bunch of sickos

Weigh-in: 155.4. Weight watchers is not happy with my almost 5 pound loss this week, and I don't blame it. I've been so sick off and on all week. Today I felt pretty good, but every time I think I'm getting better the next day I'm down again. Yesterday was REALLY bad - seriously non functioning. I'm so grateful to my mom who came and rescued us.

In the past when I've been sick, I still exercise and just keep on going with life. I decided this time to not do that. So, I exercised Monday and that was it. I think I'm heading into another non-exercise week, unfortunately. I made cookies tonight because I've been hungry for them, and despite the fact that they make me feel nauseous, I had to keep trying to see if a different batch would have the same effect. It did. lol So, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep that 5 pound loss, but that's ok if it means I'm not sick anymore.

*****

This illness started Tuesday, well, really Monday night. I layed down with Jared and woke up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Then Tues morning I had a fever, chills, and body aches. I spent most of the day sleeping off and on. Then that night when I laid down with Jared again, I woke up feeling like my fever broke and the aches were gone. I was feeling grateful that the bug seemed to pass so quickly. Wed I was feeling a bit better, but not 100%, then Thurs I was feeling yuck again. By the evening I was down to a stuffy nose and cough. Friday was really good. Then yesterday I was BAD BAD BAD. By Friday evening Aaron was running a fever and not doing so well.

I was worried about the boys - especially Aaron- staying hydrated. Aaron wouldn't drink his water, so I tried adding some lime juice, but he still refused. The other days I was sick I was at least functioning, but Saturday I could barely move. I was so grateful that Jared was home so he could help us as much as his little 6 yr old self could. I finally texted Mom about 11:30 to come by after work and bring some pop-ices and chicken noodle soup. She arrived sometime between 3:30 and 4 pm. She didn't get the message until then. I was feeling bad for the boys because all Jared had eaten was cereal and grapes in the morning and Aaron and I had shared some grapes at some point too. Once Mom got here and got some more liquids and a tylenol in me I started functioning a little better. I had 102 fever. She took the boys to the store and got the popsicles, soup, dinner for them and some other snacks. By the time Matthew got home about 6:30 I was feeling a lot better - at least the level that I had been the rest of the week. I'm so grateful for Mom's help. She really did rescue us. While here she also did my dishes, picked up the floor and washed Jared's sheets. Such a blessing to me. She is one of the best examples of service I know.

This morning I didn't have a fever at all - which is a first since Tues. I've felt really pretty good, but my stomach has been a little queasy. I'm hoping this is the tail end of the bug, but we'll see. Aaron's fever hasn't been so bad today, but he would not drink or eat anything until almost 4 pm. I'm just waiting for Jared to start showing signs. He went to sleep really quickly tonight, but I'm hoping that's just because he stayed up so late last night. I really don't want him to get sick. I've cancelled piano for the week already in hopes of kicking this thing to the curb and not passing it on.

Lettuce Eat Cake 2 Update

Feb 1, 2011

And so it begins...

My weigh in on Sunday was 162.0.
My exercise plans for the week:

Monday - P90X Cardio X (5:30 am at Julie's - check! YAY!)
Tuesday - 30 minute strength training/cardio video - check! YAY!)
Wednesday - JustDance (check)
Thursday - P90X (5:30 am) (check)
Friday - Just Dance (snow day)

Feb 8, 2011

I may change my format back to most-recent first. I'm not sure I like having to scroll down to find out if an update has been made....

Well, I'd say last week was largely successful. Thursday I spent cleaning my bedroom because a pipe had frozen and I needed to move all the furniture away from the walls and put a heater there (which worked perfectly for the job!) But in the process it must have sucked all the moisture out of the air because I dropped 5 pounds the next morning. I didn't believe it when I saw my bathroom scale, so I double checked the Wii. Sure enough. I am quite convinced it was all water-weight and knew that was not healhty. So, I began loading up on water to counter-act it. By Sunday's weigh-in I'd gotten back up to 159.8 I was not disappointed because I knew I'd gain some of it back. I am happy it seems to have stablized there.

I've decided I really like doing the P90X at 5:30 am. I feel so good the rest of the day, but by the end of last week I was seriously dragging. I was so tired Saturday and Sunday night that I even went to bed early (10 pm). Apparently my body was trying to fight off illness because it caught up with me last night. It's absolutely amazing how I could lay down to snuggle with my son for 30 minutes and wake up feeling absolutely awful. So, today I'm taking it easy and I'm eating whatever I feel like - potato soup for breakfast and an egg sandwich for lunch (and it's barely noon) - and trying to drink lots of water.

On another note, one of the reasons I've felt exercise has needed to take a back butner before the contest started was that I felt like my house was a disaster and I wanted to spend my time cleaning instead of exercising - which takes up a good 2 hours of my morning. I teach piano lessons pretty much full-time at this point and the bare BARE minimum is what has been getting done. I had a group lesson two weeks ago which meant all of my students come at once and the rest of the week I'm 'off'. It was really refreshing and I began tackling my home. So far I've tackled the kitchen, laundry room, our bedroom, the floors, and my son did the bathroom Saturday. Every morning my youngest has been helping me make beds too. I feel like the house is slowly getting under control again and it feels great! The 5:30 am workout has been really beneficial in this regard because I'm able to exercise, come home and shower, get my 6 yr old to school and be ready for the rest of the day by 7:30 am instead of starting it closer to 10 am.

oh my liver!

Well, more like my legs. Yesterday I went to Julie's at 5:30 am for CardioX. I was a little nervous about how the day would go, but it went really well!! I loved being able to get in the shower when I got home and still be in the timeframe/routine for getting Jared to school. Aaron was able to sleep in and I didn't have to take time out of my productive hours to shower. I was able to work on a project in the house most of the morning. I thought I'd crash - especially during piano lessons when I'd be sitting, but no! I was mentally alert and attentive the whole and still felt great later in the evening.

I must have done a pretty good job with the workout because I started feeling sore by the evening though I wasn't so sore that I couldn't move. I felt so good all day that I thought about getting up again this morning, but I decided I ought to sleep in and get the rest. I felt like running on the treadmill this morning, but decided to try out one of the exercise videos I found on Netflix. I chose the shortest one: Self: Bikini body fast (30min) It's a strength training/cardio workout. The first half uses weights and the second half has plyo moves. Despite using light weights for all the arm exercises, it is my legs that are so sore. I'm not sure I'll be able to move tomorrow! The video went really quickly which was nice. I found myself missing some of the P90x stretches though. I think I will be tired by the end of today like I expected would happen yesterday. I have to sit a lot longer for piano which may be my downfall because I can't keep moving and workout the muscles. We'll see though.

Tomorrow's exercise plan is Just Dance.

Today is the official start of the Lettuce Eat Cake contest. Matthew has decided to do it with me. YAY!

oh the cravings!

It's amazing how quick we acclimatize (sp?) to change. Today's weigh in was 162.0 for the Wii and 160.6 on the bathroom scale. Ahh the water weight release.

For the most part it has been pretty easy to revert back to a WW diet, but yesterday and today the cravings have been bad. We ate at the Guenther Mill House downtown and enjoyed a hearty lunch. Despite all that I ate, I could have eaten even more. I still felt hunger pains. After we left and continued on in our outing I started feeling more full, but the pangs were still there.

Today I am trying to resist the temptation to eat a bunch of junk. I think I'm going to have to really stock the fridge with fruit and yogurt to make smoothies until I can tame this craving beast. I am so tempted to go in the kitchen and bake some brownies or a cake or cookies - something! but to do so would be a devastation to my sensabilities. There will be a baptism this evening and I'm expecting refreshments will be served. I'm trying to assuage the cravings with the hope that I can have a treat at that time.

It's official

I re-joined Weight Watchers yesterday. I'd planned on only signing up for 1 month, but they were tricky and offered an additional savings to do the 3 month sign up. So, that's what I did. It'll work out nicely since the Lettuce Eat Cake contest will last 10/12 weeks.

Here's my basic thoughts about the new program (copied from a facebook post):

"I think the new program makes sense, but the other one was a lot simpler. Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal if I had a smart phone or an IPhone and had the apps for it because my scale and calculator are for the old program. I was really looking forward to already 'being in the element' when I got back in to WW, but I'm going to have to relearn all the points. boo. One of the draws was that it had all of my recipes and foods stored from last year, but everything will have to be re-entered or recalculated with the new information. What a hassle, but I'm sure it will allow for a healthier diet. I would avoid some healthy foods before b/c of the points attached to it, but maybe this time the new system will be better suited for a healthier choice.

I'll have a better feel for it I"m sure by the end of the week or two."

It has been relatively easy to step back into the program. Today I stayed really busy and wasn't in the kitchen munching all day which really helped. I think it is also good that I've been mentally preparing for the change over the last few weeks. It was just a matter of deciding to do it.

Diaper Pins? Who needs diapers?

I'd like to say that we are officially out of diapers, but I can't really say that. Not officially because I still put one on Aaron at night. However, we are diaper free (and almost completely accident free) during the day. Even Jared made his goal to not wear diapers at night anymore. YAY! Aaron usually stays dry all night long too, but just in case we still put one on him. There's been a few times when I'm really glad I did!

At this stage in the game we are working towards Aaron going potty all on his own. We discovered this week that he is now tall enough to turn all the lights on and off by himself. YAY! We won't need to leave a light on in the bathroom anymore because he can reach the switch. Up until this week he's 'needed' help getting his pants down because he couldn't do it. I was tired of hearing him say, "I can't!" when he can get dressed forwards and backwards just fine, so I told him he was an 'I can kid' - just do it like you are putting your pajamas on. I walked him through it and all of a sudden he wasn't saying he couldn't anymore. YAY! Sometimes he still needs a little bit of help, but for the most part I can send him to go potty and he'll come back out completely done - including hands washed and pants on. woohoo!!

It is really weird to walk by the baby section and know that we don't need to buy diapers.

Let's Begin Again

I knew my weight gain was bad, yet I could not stop eating. The cookie exchange created an eating addiction. A literal addiction where I would shake if I thought about not having something sugary to stuff in my mouth. As the weeks have passed, I've tried cutting back and have been somewhat successful. I've also been thinking about going back on Weight Watchers. I've been having these mental conversations with myself about whether or not I could do it and how I was able to do it last time, etc. Last year I started on Jan 1st whether I was ready or not and it gradually got easier. One of the mental roadblocks I realized was that I kept thinking about where I ended, not where I began. One day as I was having one of those mental conversations, it hit me that I would have 35 weekly points as my disposal, not just my daily. By the end of my WW time I had cut out the weeklies, but I certainly didn't start that way and I wouldn't have to now. I NEED those points to help wean myself off the extras. When I realized this, for the first time I thought, "I could do it!!"

I woke up Jan 1st feeling like I could take the WW challenge again, but I didn't sign up. This last week I finally decided I was ready and then it ended up being a week full of get-togethers and hormones causing a lot more caloric intake than a person should have at a time. So, I thought "Next week will be better. I'll start next week." The other side of the conversation said, "There will always be something. I can't get putting it off; I need to learn to be healthy despite the challenge of the types of food available to me."

So, begin again I must. This morning I weighed in on the Wii for the first time since November. I've been weighing myself on the bathroom scale for the last month so I've had an idea of the numbers. For the record, today there was a 1 pound difference between scales.

So, my starting weight: 163.4 (exactly 10.5 pounds higher than my last weigh in in Nov)

Lettuce Eat Cake 2 starts Feb 5th. I have 10 weeks to stay accountable to someone other than the voice in my head :p I will also be officially joining WW this week.

Matthew is also working on shedding some pounds, so hopefully with our combined efforts we can both be successful.

Cookie Fat

I don't think I'll participate in a cookie exchange ever again - especially when it involves 13 dozen cookies. The idea is that you pass them out to neighbors, etc but mine only got passed to my thighs. It has become absolutely ridiculous. There've been a few days this week where ALL I ate were cookies. I have mental reprimands throughout the day as I try to battle the urge to eat one. Usually I lose and eat one or two. Or five. It's bad.

I did P90X twice this week. YAY!

On the couch with Dr. B ~

Confession Time.

A few months ago, I attended a Primary Leadership meeting and received a small goodie bag as a token of appreciation for my service in the organization. Contained in this bag were 2 or three cookies and some brownies. I had the cookies after the meeting, then that night I ate all the rest of the goodies. I did not want them. I wanted them gone so they'd no longer be a temptation. I told myself I didn't need them and that if I don't eat them now they will still be there when I do want them. By the end of the night though, they were all gone and I felt so sick and disgusted with myself I seriously considered making myself throw up. This surprised even myself and sent red flags all over my brain. I did not do it. But, I realized that I had a problem and needed to do something about it. I was out of control. I joined sparkpeople - a free website that has food, weight, and exercise tracking tools. I was good about keeping it updated for about 3 days before it felt time consuming and overwhelming. So, I quit. And as the days go on, my eating habits have not changed.

I just finished a 9 week Biggest Loser contest, so each week I have watched my weight go up by degrees, but still somewhat consistently at 153 pounds. I did not weigh in last week, but I weighed on my mom's scale last night. 160 pounds. This morning I weighed on my bathroom scale that is a few pounds below what the Wii is measuring. 155 pounds. I must accept the fact that I am going to be back where I was last January if I don't stop. I MUST exercise some discipline and self-control. Walking each morning has been enough to barely hold on, but everyday the walk has been getting harder. It should be getting easier!! My baggy clothes are starting to fit better and my others are getting tighter.

I want to start doing P90X again b/c I know that will help target the areas that the fat is collecting, plus it is a more vigorous exercise. I just don't want to do it alone. And I am dreading the sore muscles that will come as my body gets used to it again. I also want to get back on Weight Watchers. I think I am ready. It is familiar. With sparkpeople I had to worry about calories and re-do everything. WW will have saved my profile and contain all the foods I had before. My brain is used to thinking in terms of points. My big set-back is the monthly fee. We -I - just do not have the money to maintain the program. Right now they are having the no sign up fee special. It costs $54 for the 3 months. I usually get $50 for Christmas from my parents, so that is what I plan on spending it on. I just don't know if I can afford to wait that long - physically.

With my bulimia incident, I realized that my perceptions about weight - and the reasons for weightloss - had changed over time. Up to that point, I was still trying to 'be good'. But I think to counter my obsession, I let go of all concern about weight and food intake. As a result the climb began a little more steadily. I have been analyzing and evaluating some experiences that shape the thought processes and have encouraged some of my new weight gain. To the whys:

It still throws me off when I hear people - strangers, or people not in my closer circle of friends - call me or refer to me as thin or skinny. One night with one such reference, in jest a person said, 'You're thin so that means we don't like you.' I realized how awful the prejudice is that overweight people can have against thinner people. I have felt those same feelings of jealousy and intimidation that can come from being around thinner people, but I realized they are unfair. Thin people are people with feelings too. It was a little bit shocking and hurt my feelings to be told that someone wouldn't like me because of my stature.

Now that I'm writing this, I can't remember the specifics of another chink to my motivation. I know it has to do with jokes/comments that are made regarding my weight loss from people closer to me. The end result is that I feel like I have to eat more to feel accepted.

I am a people pleaser. I want others to be happy, so I will do what it takes to make sure that happens - even at my own expense (or even my family's). Helping ensure the happiness of others is not a bad thing. However, I think in this case I need to not worry so much about what others think and just be happy myself. This is a very hard thing for me to do.

Another big contribution is stress - stress over finances. Money is more than tight and as a result I've got a two edged sword going. I am constantly thinking of ways to save money and make the food stretch, and I'm making a lot more of my own food: bread, tortillas, milk, beans, cottage cheese is my latest - and so I feel like it is more expenable. MMM homemade bread and tortillas are the best!! Very yummy - very not good to eat a lot of. I've made a lot of cookies lately too. Again, yummy but not good for the smaller tummy.

In the past it has helped me to be able to identify the causes behind the not-for-nourishment food intake. Once I know the reasons, I can stop the eating. Hopefully having penned this will do the same.

Red Alert!

*deep breath*

.....Exhale.....

Don't panic. Don't cry.
Look down.

*deep breath*

.....Exhale.....

Don't panic. Don't cry.
You are better than that.
You are stronger than this.

*deep breath*

.....Exhale.....

Don't panic. Don't cry.
Turn around and walk away.

*deep breath*

.....Exhale.....

Don't panic. Don't cry.
Keep walking.

Plum Crumble

Plum Crumble

Ingredients:

•3 pounds fresh plums, pitted, quartered, about 5 cups
•1/4 cup brown sugar
•1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
•1 cup granulated sugar
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
•1 large egg, beaten
•1/2 cup butter, melted

Preparation:

Combine plums and brown sugar, stirring well to blend. Pour into a buttered 11 1/2x7 1/2 inch baking dish.

Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the beaten egg, stirring lightly with fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the plums then drizzle with the melted butter. Bake plum crumble at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.

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Oct 26, 2010 - This is not a light and tasty recipe, but since it was my first time making anything with plums I had to share. I had exactly 3 lbs of plums left from a large co-op produce order, so I figured this was a great way to use them. My guess is that you could substitute any fruit for the plums.

This is a really simple dish and we all loved it. I don't know why, but it surprised me how purple the juices were in the final product.

Overnight Stuffed French Toast

Overnight Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

20 slices French bread (1 inch thick)
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
3 cups egg substitute
2 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup plus 1-3/4 cups sugar-free maple-flavored syrup, divided
1 teaspoon Spice Islands®, All Natural, No Corn Syrup Added, Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions

Arrange 10 slices of bread in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread each slice with cream cheese. Top with remaining bread. In a large bowl, whisk the egg substitute, milk, 1/3 cup syrup, vanilla and cinnamon; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a thermometer reads at least 160°. Serve with strawberries and remaining syrup. Yield: 10 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving equals 306 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 805 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 19 g protein.

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Oct 24, 2010 - Can we say heavenly?! These were so good! It was sad that there were only enough for each of us to get 1 1/2. The strawberry jam again was a special addition to it, but I think these would be good no matter the topping! We did not add any more syrup to them. It didn't need it. The strawberry jam with powdered sugar was great. Although, by the end we were adding some plain homemade yogurt and that was a really delicious addition. Some of the liquid steamed out and created a cream cheese consistency. YUM!

I did tweak the recipe a bit because I don't have egg substitute and 3 c. of egg substitute is equal to a dozen eggs. There was no way I was going to use a whole package of eggs on this. So, I did some research to find out what other overnight french toast recipes called for. I ended up only using 5 eggs and 1 3/4 c. milk and that was addequate. Also, I only used about 1 TB of cream cheese - not a whole package. The author of the recipe must use 1 TB per french toast sandwich I just didn't see the need for that much.

The bread I used was homemade and it fluffed up really nicely and had a nice texture and taste. It soaked the liquid really quickly. To keep the bread from being soggy on one side and not coat evenly on the other, after pouring the liquid I think flipped every sandwich over and left it so that the other side got to soak in the bread too. This method worked really well, except a few of the smaller slices did kind of crumble. In the end it was fine because it still baked up nicely and made great little pieces for the boys.

I would definitely make this again. In fact, we liked it so much we wished we could eat every Sunday morning! The only setback is that it requires a whole loaf of bread and a lot of eggs. But, the 5 eggs isn't any more than I'd use to feed our family anyway, so I guess it really isn't that bad.

Nutty Whole Wheat Bread (oven, knead)

Nutty Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup reduced-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, walnuts, brown sugar, yeast and salt.

In a saucepan, heat the water, yogurt and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes (do not let rise).

Shape dough into a ball; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Nutritional Analysis: One slice equals 156 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 167 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

*********
Oct 23, 2010 - Another really yummy bread recipe. I liked the crunch of the walnuts in it. This was a hit with everyone. Even the boys kept asking for more. I'm sure the jam helped with that too. It would have made a really great addition to a soup, but I never did get around to making one.

This was a tricky bread in that I never was sure what "knead until smooth and elastic" meant. I kept kneading it but it never got less sticky and it was always elastic. I finally got it to where I thought it was close enough - though it took a lot longer than the 4 minutes. It was kind of cool to see that it was a round bread.

Slow Cooked Sirloin (crockpot)

Slow Cooked Sirloin
Ingredients

1 beef top sirloin steak (1-1/2 pounds)
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Progresso ® Beef Broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown beef on both sides. Place onion and green pepper in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Top with beef. Combine the broth, Worcestershire sauce, dill, thyme, pepper and pepper flakes; pour over beef. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until meat reaches desired doneness and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Remove beef and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook about 30 minutes longer or until slightly thickened. Return beef to the slow cooker; heat through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving equals 199 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 68 mg cholesterol, 305 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 26 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

*******
October 18, 2010 - The picture does not do this justice. I took it as an afer-thought.

I was really impressed with this dish. The meat was so tender and the flavor was great. Matthew didn't even complain about the bell peppers! I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans. I don't make gravy very often, so I thought the juice would go well with the potatoes. It did. A-1 sauce was a really great addition to the meat too.

I did substitute the sirloin with striploin because that was what I had in my freezer.

Four Grain Bread (breadmaker)

Four Grain Bread

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups water (70° to 80°)
1/2 cup honey
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rye flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available.

Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). Yield: 1 loaf (2 pounds, 24 slices).

Nutritional Analysis: 1 slice equals 108 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 148 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.
Diabetic Exchange: 1-1/2 starch.

******
October 18, 2010 - I did not have any rye flour on hand, so I substituted some five grain cereal that I used in another multi-grain recipe. The result was a chewy yet crunchy texture that was just delicious! The honey flavor comes out really well too.

This bread is addictingly delicious!! Especially with homemade strawberry jam! YUM YUM YUM!!

Peanut Butter -n- Jelly Muffins

Peanut Butter -n- Jelly Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup reduced-fat chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup strawberry spreadable fruit

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the eggs, apple juice concentrate, peanut butter, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray. Spoon half of the batter into cups. Spoon about 1-1/4 teaspoons spreadable fruit into the center of each; top with remaining batter.

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 muffin equals 225 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 43 mg cholesterol, 315 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.

********
Oct. 18, 2010 - I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this recipe, but I was surprised the way they turned out. The peanut butter mixes really nicely into the batter and you are left with just bits of peanuts throughout the muffin. This was a nice effect, but if I were to make them again I'd just use creamy peanut butter.

I didn't have any spreadable fruit, so I made some freezer strawberry jam and used that. The picture in the cookbook shows a nice central blob of jelly, but that certainly was not how mine turned out. The jelly oozed over the edges and seeped through the muffin wrappers. I think next time I'd creat more of a well in the middle of the batter to see if that helped to keep the jam frome spreading.

These were really convenient to have on hand as a quick to-go snack, and although I have lots of ideas for tweaking, I don't think I'll make them again.

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad

Mixed Greens and Apple Salad

Ingredients:
5 1/3 c. mixed salad greens
2 medium apples
2 TB feta cheese

Dressing:
4 tsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp honey
3/4 tsp vanilla yogurt
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp garlic
salt & pepper
nutmeg

******
October 15, 2010 - I liked the flavors of the apple. It was different.

This recipe is not on the website, so I did the lazy thing and only wrote down the ingredients. The instructions were basically mix it together.