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.