Lettuce Eat Cake

Feb 27, 2010

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

Cheesy Beans and Rice

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

Ingredients

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

Directions

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Reckoning Day

Feb 26, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Ham and Noodle Casserole

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

Ingredients

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

Directions

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lettuce Eat Cake

Feb 24, 2010

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

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

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

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

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Crockpot)

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup LT04, 183, 5 pts

Ingredients

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

Directions

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

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

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

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

Tasty Lentil Tacos

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

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

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

Seven Grain Bread

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

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

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

Mozzarella Pepperoni Bread

Mozz Pepperoni Bread LT02, 18, 2 pts

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

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

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

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables LT03, 134, 7 pts

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

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

Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos

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

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

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

Taco Soup

Taco Soup LT04, 40, 4 pts

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

Spinach Stuffed Pizza

Spinach Stuffed Pizza LT04, 183, 5 pts

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

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

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

Spicy French Dip Sandwiches (Crockpot)

Spicy French Dip LT03, 116, 7 pts

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

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

Southwestern Chicken Soup

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

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

Roasted Vegetable Ziti Bake

Roasted Vegetable Ziti Bake LT02, 183, 4 pts

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

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

Ranch Ham n Cheese Pasta

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

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

Makeover Creamy Broccoli Casserole

Makeover Creamy Broccoli Casserole LT03, 93, 5 pts

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

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

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

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

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

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

Ham and Cheese Strudel

Ham and Cheese Strudel LT02, 102, 8 pts

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

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

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