LOTSA Cookin!!!

So today was a day full of cooking! I got up early and went to the farmer's market to get some fresh tomatoes. Store-bought tomatoes have NOTHING on home-grown ones! Afterwards, I came home & cleaned the messy kitchen. I just can't wait to cook (and dirty it) when it's clean!

First, I got the crockpot going with my favorite soup: Chicken Tortilla Soup

While that was cooking, I mixed up some healthy fruit dip. This dip is amazing! You can find it in deborahsw's blog here It's so versatile, too. You can eat it as fruit dip, eat it with graham crackers, frost cookies or cupcakes with it... the possibilities are endless! Her recipe is for cheesecake dip, but you can use any SF/FF instant pudding, and get endless flavor possibilities too! Chocolate would be awesome! I figured up points for 2 tbsp, and it's 0 points!!!

One thing I like to do is use FF cool whip in between graham crackers, then freeze them. It's a nice little frozen treat that's almost like an ice cream sandwich. Well, today I made them with LF cinnamon graham crackers & the cheesecake fruit dip. YUMMY! For one sheet of graham crackers broken in half to make a sandwich, plus about 1-2 tbsp of the dip, it's only 1 point! Aren't they pretty:


For dinner, I whipped up my beef enchiladas. They were super delicious, once again! I added in a can of chiles this time (forgot them last time), and it gave it a great kick! Along with the enchiladas, I also enjoyed one of my fresh tomatoes w/some olive oil & feta cheese. It's also good w/goat cheese, like I did last time.

Finally, after dinner, I tried out Trisha's cake cookies recipe, but I used milk chocolate cake mix. These suckers are AMAZING! They're only 1 point each!!! I got a brilliant idea to make my own version of Fudge Rounds (you know, the Little Debbie full-of-calories snack?). I'd make the chocolate fruit dip I mentioned wanting to try, put a little between two of these chocolate cake cookies, and voila! Two point homemade fudge rounds! Here are my lovely cake cookies:


So like I said, today was a day FULL of cooking! I'm exhausted, but I feel like I accomplished so much!

Off-kilter

I just haven't felt great about WW this week. I've stayed on plan, don't get me wrong, but something's been off. I think my problem is that I haven't had like *any* water this week, and I can definately feel a difference. So, today I've got it next to me, all filled up & ready to drink! The scale's been up a little bit since I took a client out for lunch on Wednesday. We had pizza, and I've felt bloated ever since! Hopefully getting back on track w/my water will help.

I've used my BL workout DVD once, and I felt the burn, lemme tell you! I did the warm up, then the strength/core workout, then cool down. I didn't hurt the next day during the day, but the next evening, oooh, my muscles were like jelly! Last night I used my ball & bands & did a couple of the free sparkpeople workouts. They only have a few, but it was a pretty good workout. I'll admit that I'm a little scared of the ball. First of all, I have a fear of the thing totally popping while I'm using it. Then my balance with it is horrible at this point, because I've never used one before, so I'll probably wipe out a time or two before this is all over.

After work I'm going letterboxing with a friend. I'm going to look online for some new boxes that require some hiking.

I think I've also kind of been in a funk this week b/c the kitchen is a MESS, and I haven't cooked all week. We have a teeny tiny kitchen, so if I get behind on dishes or taking the trash out, the place is just no usable at all. I should clean that tonight. I'm thinking about making some more of my stuffed burgers that are oh-so-good. They make a ton, and so I freeze half of it. Maybe I'll also make a crockpot of my chicken tortilla soup and freeze some of it too.

I need to get back to posting recipes on here... it's called Teale's Meals for a reason! This weekend I'll get back on that for sure! I hope to try 2 new things this weekend, that's my goal! I'd also like to get to the gym once.

OK, I better get back to work... they don't pay me for nothing (although they don't pay me enough!). Hope everyone has a great OP weekend!

Looking Great in 2008--Week 2

Well, this past week presented some challenges, but I came out on top. As strange as it sounds, I love the feeling of guilt... let me elaborate. Guilt means I realize when I've done something wrong. If I can recognize my mistakes and pattern behavior, I'm more likely to succeed. So, even though I stayed within my points this past week, I felt guilty about my meal choices. I didn't eat the best food.

I had a birthday, which was the main source of the bad food. Meals out, cake, drinks at the bar.... you get the idea. I did plan ahead, however, and I made sure to work out to try to compensate for it. And compensate I did... the scale was down 2.2 more pounds this week! That makes my total 313.6 (and 14 pounds lost since 8/21, when I started WW).

Today I purchased an exercise ball, some resistance bands, some hand weights, and The Biggest Loser workout DVD. It's a couple years old... but workouts are workouts! I would feel more comfortable using bands/weights/ball at home than at the gym. I received a copy of Buff Brides for my bday, and I certainly would feel silly at the gym w/my book open to my exercises. So, I shall be moving the coffee table every so often so I can look at Bob's sexy abs whilst working my booty off (literally). Tonight I did a 30 minute workout, including warm up & cool down. I also bowled 3 games at the bowling alley. Good day for APs!

So, tomorrow will be a better day, food wise, and I'm hoping to reach 15 pounds lost by next week! I hope everyone has a great & successful week!

Exhausted

Today was a good day for exercise. I went out this morning for an early 30 minute walk. I just walk around my neighborhood at a pace somewhere between leisurely & brisk... I break a sweat, but I don't really get my heart rate going too high.

This afternoon I decided I'd go letterboxing. Many of you may not know what this is... and to be honest, a year ago, I didn't either. It is a fantastic hobby, and you can find out more information at http://www.letterboxing.org The brief synopsis is that people plant small tupperware type boxes out in nature (usually in parks, but sometimes in other public places); in these boxes is a rubber stamp & a small notebook (called a logbook). As a letterboxer (someone who looks for boxes), you go to that website, search the map for your location, and there you will find clues for boxes in your area. Some clues are straightforward, and others are more difficult to interpret. So you set out with the clue in hand, a rubber stamp, stamp pad or markers, and a logbook of your own. Some boxes are easy to find & don't require much hiking... but others take you on long hikes through the woods, or on paths throughout parks. By following the clues, you should be led to the box (sometimes the boxes disappear though, which is a disappointment!). Once you find the box, you take your stamp, and stamp it in the box's logbook as "proof" you were there. You then sign it with your name (or "trail" name--something made up), date, and where you're from. Then you take the box's stamp & stamp it in your personal logbook, which documents that you found that box. I always write down the date, the name of the box, and the location. Then you box the letterbox back up the way you found it & replace it in the same spot so that the next person can find it. Boxes are often hidden in holes of trees, or underneath rocks, etc.

So anyway, now that you know a little more about letterboxing... I went on QUITE a hike today looking for a handful of them. All of the boxes I was looking for were at this huge park... and my friend and I probably hiked for almost 2 hours. We only ended up finding two of the many we were looking for, but we got such exercise while doing it! But now, I am absolutely beat! I was afraid that I'd gotten poison ivy or poison oak b/c my ankles were looking splotchy. We were off the beaten path a bit & wandering through some brush, so it was quite possible. I took a shower as soon as I got home, and I'm not itchy, so I think I'm in the clear!

Tomorrow is my WI. I'm not really sure what to expect. On one hand, I stayed within my points every day. But on the other hand, I feel like I didn't really eat like I wish I would have. So, we'll see how the scale looks tomorrow. I usually go to a 6:00pm meeting, then come home and watch the Biggest Loser... but I've got to work late tomorrow, so I'm gonna go to my meeting at 10am I think, cuz my same leader does that one, and I really like her. I'll miss the first half of BL too b/c of work... damn work! I'll still get to see the WI and elimination though, so that's good!

I hope everyone had a good Monday, and has a great rest of the week!

Another year older

Yesterday was my birthday. It turned out to be a fun-filled day, and I didn't do too bad food-wise. I saved up my flex points to use, plus I had all of my daily points. I had just a light breakfast (granola bar & light string cheese), then lunch was at the Olive Garden. That's not exactly a good place to eat healthy... but I didn't do so bad. I only ate 1 1/2 breadsticks, instead of the 3 or so I used to eat. I ordered soup/salad for my meal, but didn't even eat much of that b/c we had an appetizer. I did splurge on the appetizer, but I counted points generously, to make sure I wasn't eating more than I had points for. My parents brought me a cake, and Mike & I shared a small piece.

Later that day, I went out and had a few drinks w/family. Those were unexpected points b/c I hadn't planned on a bar trip for my bday. But, I budgeted my points, and that was that. I also had a junior size chocolate shake that was unexpected, but again, I budgeted for it.

Dinner was pretty good. A friend and I went to Flat Top Grill, which is a create your own stir-fry place. I *love* it. I had tons of veggies, some noodles, and chicken. It was delicious! Then my friend came home w/me for a little while & we had cake.

I stepped on the scale this morning to see if yesterday stuck to me too much, and I was still showing that I was down a couple pounds from Tuesday's WI. I don't "count" these middle of the week weigh-ins, but I like to check just to see how I'm doing. I didn't get to the gym at all this weekend, which I'm a little bummed about, but I'll just have to get there tomorrow!

I hope everyone else had a good, HEALTHY weekend!

Progress

I thought that I would take some progress pictures. The first set is from June, when I was 15 pounds heavier than I am now. I can't tell any difference yet, but I still thought they'd be good to have.

The left side is the before, the right side is the after.

FRONT


SIDE


The afters look like they're a little farther away... and of course black is slimming. lol...

What do you think?

Funk

The last 48 hours, I've just kind of been "blah" about food and exercise. I've still stayed w/in my points, but I would have been happier with different decisions. When I have cheese in the house, I eat it. I love me some cheese w/the baked ritz chips. And I had that for breakfast yesteday. That's not a healthy breakfast! Yes, I stayed w/in points... but afterwards, I felt bad about it. I suppose this is a good thing. Guilt is good. It means I'm learning. There were some other meal/snack choices that I made that just weren't as healthy as I would have liked. But, you live and learn.

I'm certainly no expert on weight loss, but it's common sense that what works long-term is changing your habits. Learning to eat healthier overall, and when you indulge in unhealthy items, to do so only in moderation. It troubles me when I see people who are following fad diets... whether that's cutting out carbs, eating minimal calories, or whatever... because all it is is a Quick Fix. Just take a look at the food pyramid. They actually have really good tools at www.mypyramid.gov that include calculations for the amount of food you should be taking in for your height/weight and goals (such as maintaining, losing, or gaining weight).

People are going to do what they want though, and that's why so many fad diets exist, because people want instant gratification. Well let me tell you, if there was some magic pill that was healthy that made us shed the pounds w/no repurcussions, we'd ALL be taking it. But there's not. You had to work hard to get fat (even if it doesn't seem like it was hard work, it was... you put your body through a lot of crap to get heavy!), so why shouldn't you have to work hard to take it off?

Peanut Butter Jammies

I didn't use the jam, so I guess I can't really call them jammies! I used one Reese's Pieces or one peanut butter chip on each cookie instead. It doesn't alter the points... these are only 1 point per cookie!

Peanut Butter Jammies
Makes 3 dozen/1 point per cookie

1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten (I used egg beaters cuz that's what I had!)
6 tbsp strawberry jam

(Preheat oven to 375)
1. Place PB, sugar, and egg in medium bowl & beat w/mixer on medium until smooth.
2. Add flour & stir well, then shape dough into 36 (1 inch) balls.
3. Place on cookie sheet sprayed w/cooking spray, 1" apart.
4. Press thumb into center of each cookie.
5. Bake cookies 12 minutes, then cool on wire rack.
6. Spoon 1/2 tsp. jam into center of each cookie.

Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese

This makes a BUNCH, and you get a giant serving! Unless you like mustard, I would omit it, b/c you can definately taste it in there....

Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese
6 (1 1/2 c.) servings/5 points each

4 c. uncooked macaroni
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/4 c. skim milk
1/4 c. LF cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp worcestershire
1/2 tsp minced garlic (from jar)
1 1/4 (2%) cheddar

1. Cook pasta according to box; drain & set aside
2. Meanwhile, put flour, salt, and pepper in large saucepan. Add milk, stirring w/whisk until blended.
3. Drop cream cheese by spoonfuls in milk mixture & bring to boil over med-high heat, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce heat & simmer 2 minutes until the cheese melts.
5. Stir in mustard, worcestershire, and garlic and simmer 1 minute, then remove from heat.
6. Add cheddar cheese until it melts, then combine pasta & sauce in a large bowl until mixed.

Dinner tonight

Tonight I attempted a recipe that Trisha posted recently. It was for chicken breasts covered in French's cheddar flavored dried onions. The recipe can be found here

She said they were great, and I'm glad she enjoyed them, but I just wasn't much of a fan. I think I just didn't love the cheddar flavor of the onions.... so don't lose faith in the recipe b/c Trisha liked it! Here's a picture of mine:



I also made homemade stove-top mac & cheese. This would have been good if it weren't for the mustard & possibly the worcestershire sauce. You could DEFINATELY taste the mustard... and for someone that isn't a fan of mustard, it wasn't too good. Mike said it "tasted like pickles" LOL. It was a great consistency though, and a HUGE portion for only 5 points (1 1/2 c. serving). I'd make this again, but modify it. I'll post the recipe in the next entry! Here's a view of the macaroni & chicken... see how big a mac & cheese serving is? I could only eat half of it!



Finally, for dessert, I made PB&J cookies... only I apparently NEVER follow recipes all the way, so I just made them peanut butter cookies w/a reese's pieces or peanut butter chip on top. The actual recipe calls for you to put strawberry jelly on top, but I decided against that at the last minute... I'll post that recipe after the mac & cheese one in a few!



Whew, there was a lot of cookin' going on tonight! My goal is to try at least 3 new recipes per week so that my meals don't ever get routine or boring... and I tried 3 tonight alone! Go Teale!

AM or PM?

I dont' know how people work out in the morning. I tried this morning, and I was exhausted ALL DAY LONG. I came home at noon and took a nap! I've heard people say how invigorating it is, and how energized they feel all day.

Not me.

Tonight I may go for a walk b/c I didn't get as much of a workout in this morning as I would have liked b/c I was dragging ass.

I'm also excited for tonight's dinner... I'm going to make Jerk Chicken w/the Lawry's 30 minute marinade, and stove-top homemade mac & cheese that I got from an old issue of Cooking Light. And for dessert, I'm gonna make these 1 point peanut butter & jelly cookies! I'll be sure to post pictures:)

Yummy Breakfast Burritos

McDonald's breakfast burritos used to be one of my hardcore weaknesses. I would get 2 of them almost every morning before work. These suckers are like 6-7 points EACH, and I'd eat 2. Well, I do miss them, I won't lie, but I made my own version today that are half the points!

Breakfast Burritos
3 points per burrito

2 small flour tortillas (6" ones)
1 individual sized container of egg beaters (I believe there's 1/2 c. in the individual containers)
2 Bob Evans turkey sausage patties
1/4 c. reduced fat mexican blend cheese
salsa

1. Cook your egg beaters as usual in a skillet.
2. Meanwhile, microwave the Bob Evans turkey sausage patties until hot through.
3. Once eggs are cooked, divide between the two tortillas evenly.
4. Dice up the turkey sausage patties, and put one in each tortilla.
5. Sprinkle each burrito w/cheese, then top w/salsa & roll up! I then like to micorwave them rolled up for about 30 seconds, so everything melts together & the tortilla is good and soft.

This is SO filling, and I'd probably only eat one next time. Those of you that like onions, peppers, etc. could throw some of those in your burrito too! So good!

Back at it

Well, as I promised myself I would, I went back to the gym today. I've never been a morning gym-goer, but this morning I gave it a try. I've decided that I prefer the late afternoon/early evening crowd better. It's more of the "mom" type crowd in the afternoons... this morning was the hardcore "athlete" crowd. Yes, those are stereotypes and generalizations.... but it was just my observation. I think what I will do instead of morning gym visits are morning walks, then afternoon gym visits. This won't be every day, of course, maybe alternating days at the gym vs. walking in the neighborhood.

All I did today was warm up for 10 minutes walking on the treadmill, then I did upper body strength training. I did probably 10 machines, just one circuit, 12 reps at each machine. I'm gonna feel that tomorrow!

Now I'm getting ready to head to work.... I made some great breakfast burritos this morning after the gym. Only 6 points for 2 burritos! Next time I think I'd only have 1 though, I'm stuffed now!

Anyway, hope everyone has a great on plan day!!!

Look Great in 2008 Week 1

I decided to join Tales from the Scales new challenge, Look Great in 2008. We weigh-in, and write weekly, posted on Tuesdays. Works well considering my weigh-in day is Tuesdays!

So I've never revealed my weight on here before. I was embarrassed for anyone in my real life (besides WW buddies) to know my weight. But you know what, my weight is just a number. It will not define me. It is one part of me, not who I am.

Tonight I weighed in, and the scale read 315.8

That puts me 11.8 pounds lost since August 21. My goal was 10 pounds by my birthday (9/22) and I surpassed that goal!

I am so proud of myself for how I'm doing. I'm choosing to immerse myself in all things healthy-lifestyle-related. I'm going to my weekly meetings, I'm checking out cookbooks & past issues of WW magazine & Cooking Light from the library, I'm reading Dr. Phil's book a bit here and there, I'm watching The Biggest Loser. I'm trying to live the healthy life, not just be on a diet. I look to these things, as well as all of your blogs for inspiration. If you can do it, I can do it! WE can do it.

Yesterday I wrote about My Story so if you're interested, feel free to check it out.

My goals for this challenge are to continue to do everything that I'm doing. I know that I will get to roadblocks at times, but my hope is to persevere, keep my chin up, and know that in the end, I will come out on top.

And my first step is that tomorrow I go back to the gym.

I've been slowly adding exercise in to my routine. I've started walking 3-5 times per week for 2 weeks in a row now. So this week, we add the gym. I may just make it 10 minutes on the elliptical, but I will try. I can't succeed if I don't try.

I can't succeed if I don't try.

My story (bound to be long)

I realized that I haven't ever shared my weight loss "story" so to speak. I've spoken generally about it, but never gone to the beginning and gotten it all out. So that's what this is.

I don't know *exactly* when I became fat. I know that it was in a year's time, when I was a toddler. I don't know why. I see pictures of myself at about 3 1/2 to 4 years old, and I was an average looking toddler. I had a little baby fat, but certainly not overweight. When I was 4, my family moved to the town I was raised in through high school. Sometime between when we moved and when I started kindergarten, I gained weight. A lot of weight.

This is something I need to ask my mom about, to find out what on earth made me balloon during that year. My school days memory book lists my kindergarten weight as 108 lbs. As a 6 year old. And from there, it was up and up and up... every single weigh-in at school, I weighed more. I don't remember eating tons of junk, and I don't remember being sedentary... I just remember gaining weight.

Kids are cruel. They'll do anything to make other people feel bad, because for some reason they get a sick pleasure out of this. I was teased all through school, and I grew a very thick skin. I stopped getting my feelings hurt... I understood that these kids were mean, but I wouldn't let them "win" by letting them get to me.

The summer after 8th grade was the only year that I actually lost weight. I played softball, and did a lot of bike riding and stayed busy. My freshman year school picture, I actually look *thin*! But, that didn't last for long... my weight then continued to go up.

When I was 16, my father passed away suddenly from a massive heart attack. He was only 38 years old. His parents had always raised me, and actually adopted me when I was in 2nd grade, so I still had a stable family, but I was definately devastated and lost w/o my Daddy. Food tasted good and made me feel good. This is the first time that I consciously remember eating to ease the pain.

My weight pretty much plateaued around 280 pounds when I was 17. For the next 5 years or so, I was always right around that weight, give or take 5-10 pounds. If I watched what I ate, or if I ate like crap, I still stayed right there... so I figured why bother trying.

Then one day, I decided to make a change. I was headed to Dairy Queen for some junk food, and instead, I went to Weight Watchers. I wrote about this recently. A friend of mine had been doing the program for a few weeks, and we diligently went to meetings every week. From February-May, I lost over 40 pounds on the program. I wasn't *really* learning anything though. I was still eating a lot of junk, I was just limiting the intake & staying w/in my points. I wasn't changing my lifestyle. The summer came, my friend moved home (we were at college), and eventually I stopped following the program.

Slowly, weight came back on. I tried probably 3-4 times since then to get started back up on WW, but each time, my heart wasn't in it. I *knew* I needed to do something, I just lacked ALL motivation. I stopped caring.

My boyfriend (now fiance) moved in with me last October. We both started putting on the pounds... lots of eating out & lack of activity. I got comfortable in our relationship, and when you have someone telling you how much they love you, *no matter what*, it's easy to just kind of let yourself go. And that's what I did. I gained probably 40 pounds in the past year. My clothes were tighter and looked messy on me. I was getting winded going up the stairs to our apartment. I was lethargic all the time. Yet I completely lacked motivation....

Until August 21.

Finally, motivation was back, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was getting married in 7 months. Not only do I not want to look the way I do on our wedding day (yes, vain, I know), but I don't want to be a wife that lives such an unhealthy lifestyle. On the 21st, I went back to Weight Watchers, and I went back whole-heartedly. I am really following the program as much as possible this time (I'm a work in progress though!). I'm immersing myself in all things healthy, making weekly trips to the library for reading material/cookbooks, grocery shopping for fresh foods & cooking more, and finding the support & kind words from others through their blogs.

This time is different.

I won't be at my goal weight for our wedding. I probably won't even be halfway there. But that doesn't mean that I won't ever reach it. I will.

I know there will be hard days, and there will be days when I just want to quit. But I won't.

I want to be healthy, and I will be healthy.

Victory & immense pain

First we'll talk about my victory. I went for a walk this morning (no, that's not the victory!). About halfway through the walk, I have to cross a big street. There's no light there, so I pretty much have to cross at an opportune moment between a break in traffic. This morning it was pretty busy, so I had to jog across the street.

And when I got across, I kept jogging.

I jogged for just one block, but that's one more than I jogged yesterday. And let me just say that I have *never* jogged in public before, outside of forced exercise in P.E. At first I was nervous/embarrassed about a few cars that were driving by, and then I was especially embarrassed when another (in shape) jogger crossed my path at the 1-block intersection.

But who cares.

I jogged.

*****
Now, my immense pain... I bought some arch supports for my new shoes, in hopes that it would help my crampy/burning foot problem when walking. It did NOT. It was probably 3 times WORSE today than without the inserts. About 2/3 through the walk, I honestly didn't know if I could make it home because with every step, it felt like knives stabbing into my feet. Obviously I made it and kept going, but MAN, it was unbelivably painful.

Now, my question is, do you think this is just my feet in shock b/c they've never been supported like this before? Do you think they need to get used to the inserts, or is it just totally abnormal for me to be in such pain using these things?

No temptations

This was my first of 2 weekends in a row that I will be having a couple meals out. This weekend it was b/c of going out w/friends for plans, and next weekend is because of my birthday. I used to not really think about these days because I'd just save up flex & use them then. Now though, I'm not even really tempted by the "bad" stuff, the good stuff is what I'm attracted to!

Last night we went to Carlos O'Kelly's. I was visiting my old college town to see a friend. That's one of the places we don't have in my town, so I wanted to go there. I also knew that they had a lighter fare menu (albeit small). Staying OP wasn't debateable. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to go out, or else eat crap when going out, as long as you PLAN. PlanPlanPlan!

I opened the menu and didn't even bother reading about the cheesy, calorie-ridden stuff I used to get, I looked at my 4 lighter fair choices, and chose between those. I chose to have the Pico Enchiladas. Instead of being covered in cheesy sauce, it had a big scoop of pico & sour cream. Instead of being filled w/cheese, it had spinach, mushrooms, and onions. I ordered the 2 enchilada meal, but I only ended up eating 1 because it was so loaded w/stuff. They served it w/lettuce, tomatoes, and some cheese on the side, as well as rice (then I had a small order of beans)... so after only 1 enchilada, and not even eating all my sides, I was full! I left food on my plate!

Afterwards, the plan was to get ice cream. ColdStone to be exact. Which has WONDERFUL tasting ice cream. But considering what I used to always get is between 15-20 points, no way was I even considering that! I didn't think twice about my decision to get the smallest size they had of Sinless Sweet Cream. A mere 3 points per serving. Instead of the 12 point Cake Batter ice cream. Does cake batter taste better? Yes. But do I feel better for having eating te sinless sweet cream? HELL YES! I also got 2 add-ins with it: caramel & sprinkles. They added 2 additional points to my ice cream, but they also made it taste so good, and I forgot I was even eating the non-fat variety. The caramel gave it more sweetness, and the sprinkles gave it texture, which diverted from the less creamy texture of the ice cream. I was very proud of myself about the ice cream, as ice cream is one of my two main weaknesses (the other being cheese!)

Then today I went to the farmer's market w/my friend. I got lots of veggies (broccoli, corn, tomatoes, green beans, and a squash (never cooked it before... any recipes for butternut squash?). After the market, my friend wanted to get breakfast. Breakfast food is also another weakness.... but not today! I ordered all a la carte. I got an English muffin, an order of egg beaters, and a slice of ham.... I was going to make my own McMuffin! Only thing is, I forgot to tell them no butter on my muffin.... I was a little bummed about that... but I decided only to eat half the English muffin w/my eggs & ham. Then I also got a small fruit plate. Much more satisfying than a huge order of biscuits & gravy would have been.

It probably sounds like I'm bragging... and I guess I kind of am... but my hope is that it inspires other people when they're in less than ideal meal situations. My birthday is next Saturday, and we'll be going to Olive Garden. I will have some points saved up to indulge in dessert on my day, but as for my meal, I'll plan ahead & go into the restaurant knowing what I'm about to order.

Tomatoes & Olive Oil w/Goat Cheese

Went to the farmer's market this morning & got some fresh tomatoes & goat cheese, which I thought sounded delightful together, so I threw this together:



I used the recipe builder on WW, and I came up w/5.5 points for that whole bowl full. It's so delicious!!!

Tomatoes & Olive Oil w/Goat Cheese
1 serving/5.5 points

1 medium tomato, diced (about 1 1/2 c.)
1 tbsp olive oil
The following to taste: minced garlic, pepper, misc. seasonings (I like to use Cavendar's Greek seasoning)
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled on top

Dice tomatoes, then mix with all ingredients except cheese. Crumble cheese on top & enjoy!

AMAZING 2 point burgers!!!

I found a recipe the other day for stuffed burgers, and let me tell you, they were wonderful. These things taste like they should be more points because they're so flavorful & delicious.... but only 2 points per patty! I ate 2 of them & added some goat cheese on top & just ate them by themselves w/o a bun.... 5 points for all of this deliciousness:



Stuffed Burgers
11 patties/2 points each

1/4 c. egg beaters
1 c. water
1 (6 oz) box Stove Top stuffing (I used Savory Herb)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic (from jar)
2 green onions, slice thin
1 pound lean ground beef

1. In medium bowl, combine egg substitute & water. Stir in stuffing & let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the garlic, onions, and ground beef. Mix well w/hands to combine.
3. Divide into 11 balls.
4. Place 4-5 balls in skillet w/cooking spray, then flatten w/spatula. Cook over medium heat on each side until meat is no longer pink inside.

I cooked 6 of these, then put the 5 other raw balls into individual freezer bags & smashed into a patty. I'll freeze them until I want more stuffed burgers!

Things I love...

The following are some of my favorite WW friendly foods... what are yours?

Healthy Harvest whole wheat spaghetti w/spray butter & parmesan cheese
Smart Ones cookie dough sundae
Baked Tostidos scoops & salsa
Baked Ritz chips
WW cinnamon crunch cereal
Right Bites fudge stripe & grasshopper cookies
Strawberries w/ff cool whip
Salad Entree things (near the lunch meat usually) that all you add is lettuce (and I use my own dressing)
Lawry's 30 minute marinades (love the Jerk Chicken one!)
Laughing Cow light cheese (good w/those baked ritz I mentioned!)
Oscar Meyer turkey breast
Pepperjack Kraft singles
Sargento LF Mexican cheese

These are just a few that I thought of... share your suggestions!

Does this happen to anyone else?

When I exercise, my feet feel like they are cramping up & they kind of start to burn. Even after I take my shoes off when I'm done, they feel achy/crampy. I am flat-footed, so maybe that has something to do with it? I *just* went to a nice shoe place & got fitted for work-out shoes, so I know it's not the shoes that are my problem...

I usually keep going when it happens, but man does it hurt!

Yummy meal ideas

I used to have the following 2 meals a lot the last time I was on WW. I don't recall exact points on some of it, so you'd want to double check w/your slider!

Tuna Melt
4 points (?)

2 slices bread (the 1 point a slice kind, or better)
1 small can tuna (the snack size)
1 slice kraft singles American cheese
Spray butter

1. Heat skillet on med-high
2. Butter one side of both pieces of bread, then put one slice, butter side down, into the skillet.
3. Place one slice American cheese on top bread.
4. Next, spoon tuna (drained) onto the slice of cheese, then top w/the other piece of bread, butter side up.
5. Cook like you would a grilled cheese, and enjoy!!!

This one makes me think of my childhood... we used to have this a lot as a kid!

Fish Sticks & Mac/Cheese
2 servings/6.5 points (?)

1 Smart Ones Mac & Cheese, cooked according to the box
10 fish sticks, baked according to package

Split the mac & cheese & serve w/5 fish sticks!

Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff

I found this through someone else's blog and thought I'd give it a try. You could easily do it on the stove rather than the crockpot, but this way it was ready when I got home, and the chicken was fall-apart tender!

Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff
6 servings/4 points

6 (4 oz) boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) container FF sour cream
1 can FF cream of chicken soup
1 packet Lipton's dry onion soup mix

1. Spray crockpot w/cooking spray, then put chicken on bottom
2. In a bowl, mix the other 3 ingredients well
3. Pour over chicken, cover, and cook on Low for 6-7 hours.

Serve with rice or pasta for additional points! I used Healthy Harvest wheat spaghetti and it was great!

Non-scale victories

I think it's really important to measure your success not only on what the scale reads, but also by other victories throughout the week. The number being smaller on the scale isn't necessarily the most important victory. Changing habits is the ultimate victory, to me, because by changing those bad habits, that number on the scale is ultimately affected. NSVs are especially important if you have a week where you feel like you tried really hard, stayed OP, but the scale didn't budge, or maybe only budged a few tenths of a pound. You feel like you did everything right, why aren't you seeing results! That's when NSVs are especially important.

Here are a few of mine that I've had in the past week:
--Drank ALL my water yesterday for the first time probably ever (and peed like twice an hour!)
--Resisted my urge to get ice cream from DQ the other night & had a WW bar instead.
--A few days ago, when going through the Starbucks drive-thru to get a light carmel frap, they offered me a free sample of some delightful, fatty looking pastry. I said no thank you.
--Yesterday the CEO of my company brought in Panera bagels and told me to help myself. I declined. I love Cinnamon Crunch bagles w/hazelnut cream cheese. ugh.
--Yesterday I picked up my friend from her job at Atlanta Bread Company. She offered me a free cup of soup. The loaded potato sounded divine. But instead, I had the vegetable soup.
--I walked 4 times last week. I'm in my build up stage of exercising. I hope to go get myself motivated enough to start going back to the gym w/in another month.
--We didn't order pizza even ONCE last week! Pizza was a staple in our household... sometimes we'd order 2-3 times/week from Papa Johns. Even since starting WW we've ordered a couple times, but I've had just thin crust cheese & eaten only a slice or two.

So, these are some of mine... I challenge all of you to list some of your own... it's great encouragement!!!

Floating away....

So today has been the first day that I've tried to drink immense amounts of water. Usually I'll drink a couple glasses of crystal light, so that's better than nothing... but I'm just not usually a water drinker.

Well, I purchased this fancy little pink water bottle that I just love to tote around, and I've been nursing my water all day.. I've got about 12 ounces left for the whole day. Let me tell you, I feel like my insides are sloshing all around b/c I've had so much water! And I've had to PEE like CRAZY!

I do a lot of driving around town in my job, so I have this little trick now that I plan to follow... every time I stop at a traffic light, I take a drink. I'm not really one to sip water, I usually take a few gulps at a time... and just by doing my driving alone, I drank over half of my water!

And now currently, I'm indulging in my afternoon Hershey's wafer snack. I'm in heaven!

Last night

So, the evening started off w/the weigh-in that I posted about earlier. I'm happy with that... of course we'd ALL want to lose more than we do every week, but a loss is a loss! I don't believe that I've actually stated my weight in this diary. It's not because I don't want other bloggers to know, or the WW friends of mine that read this... but there are "outsiders" (lol) that know about this blog, and at this weight, I dont' feel comfortable with it being public. But let's just say for now that I could lose half my body and be at a healthy weight for my 5'6" frame.

After WW, I picked up dinner for Mike & I. We got chicken fingers & cheese curds from culvers. The chicken fingers, not so bad at all... the cheese curds, BAD. This was my one "bad" meal of the week, and let me tell you, I'm not interested in having that again any time soon. I had indigestion & such a stomach ache ALL NIGHT. My body isn't used to the fried stuff anymore, it's so strange!

When I got home, it was time for The Biggest Loser. I've never watched it the first time around before. I always watch re-runs on other networks (Bravo & Style show them pretty much daily), but this is the first time I'm following the show each week. And I even got Mike to watch with me for most of it. I'm not intentionally trying to influence him and his eating habits, but I think I am anyway. I love him exactly how he is (and he feels the same about me), but if he wanted to eat healthier & exercise with me, I have no problem with that! So about the show... I like the idea of having 3 teams. I can't imagine the hopelessness that the black team felt when they were thinking they were going home. They'd gotten to the show, but once again, they hadn't been good enough. I was so happy for them when Jillian surprised them! I also love Jerry. I'm pulling for him right now. I think he is full of surprises; first he wins the captain position, and then to lose 30 POUNDS?!?! Way to go Jerry! I wasn't surprised to see Amber go. Her attitude was piss-poor. I never WANT to see someone have to go home, because they all NEED to be there, and I'm glad to see she's made progress since leaving the show. But that kind of attitude would piss me off & bring me down if I was there w/her... so no shock that she was voted out.

After BL, I went to WalMart to pick up some things and talked to a friend of mine that's also doing WW. She's at a lull right now, lacking motivation. I've been there in the past, and I certainly know how it is. But you've GOT to stay positive! Planning an entire day, week, or more off-plan b/c of food-centered events doesn't teach you anything! In our society, food is at the center of SO many events, that it IS difficult to stay on plan, but it feels AMAZING when you get past those events and didn't let food control you! Birthdays, potlucks, parties.... we all go through these, and we will continue to go through them our entire lives. I don't know about any of you, but I don't want to feel like a prisoner when it comes to these events. I don't want to think that I either can't go, or I have to eat off plan. I can go AND I can eat well AND I can enjoy myself! And so can ALL of you.

Good Weigh In

Tonight I had my week 3 weigh in. And I was down another 1.4 pounds! That makes 7 total in 3 weeks. It's slower progress than I had the first time on WW (Lost 6.4 the first week alone that time!), but, a loss is a loss, and I am very happy with it! I'm going to try to start walking 5 days a week. I have a gym membership, but too much at once, and I get burnt out & just stop going... so, baby steps w/the exercise this time around!

Heavenly

I discovered the most wonderful thing in the world today. Seriously, even better than way back when, when I first had the cookie dough dessert that Smart Ones makes. Maybe these aren't new, but they're new to me.

Hershey's 100 Calorie Wafer Bars

Oh.My.God.

I got them at Target, and there are 7 packages of bars in the box (2 bars per package). They are about the size of the Reese's Sticks that they used to make, and they taste very close to a Kit Kat. And they're 2 points!!!

This is my salvation for that time of the month.

I used to eat a king size Hershey's bar (or 2) the day before my period... the chocolate is the only thing that could make me feel less like crap. One of these babies though, is certain to have the same effect!

I highly highly reccomend you run out right now and pick up a box for when you're having that chocolate craving!!!

Seafood!

I'm reading Cooking Light's last year's holiday issue... and there are two very yummy sounding recipes that I plan to try VERY soon!!!

Hot Crab Dip
20 (3 tbsp) servings/2 points each (maybe only 1.5... it was right on the line, but better safe than sorry!)

1 c. FF cottage cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz (1/3 less fat) cream cheese
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 pound lump crab meat
2 tbsp parmesan
1/4 c. bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Combine 1st 8 ingredients in food processor until smooth.

3. Combine that mixture, cream cheese, and onion in a large bowl. Gently fold in crab.

4. Place in an 11x7 baking dish coated w/cooking spray & bake for 30 minutes.

5. Sprinkle w/parmesan & breadcrumbs & bake 15 more minutes.

Serve with melba toast or pita chips!

Spicy Shrimp Cakes
10 cakes/2 points each

1 pound medium shrimp
1 c. finely chopped red pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
3 tbsp. reduced fat mayo
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg. egg
1/4 c. finely chopped cilantro
3/4 c. Panko (Japenese bread crumbs)

1. Place shrimp in food processor & pulse 10 times or until finely chopped

2. Heat skillet on medium & spray w/cooking spray. Add pepper & saute 3 minutes; add garlic & saute 1 minute. Place in large bowl.

3. Add all ingredients through egg & stir well. Add cilantro & 1/4 c. Panko.

4. Divide into 10 patties & dredge in remaining Panko. Chill 1 hour.

5. Heat pan on medium-high heat & spray w/cooking spray. Add 5 cakes to pan & cook 4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove & cover with foil to keep warm, then cook the remaining 5 and serve!

Didn't do it.

After I made that post, I checked my email pretty much non-stop for about 1/2 hour, waiting for someone to comment & tell me "go get that blizzard!" I didn't get such a comment, and I didn't act on my impulse. Instead, I had one of my WW cookies & cream bars, which are delightful and a fraction of the points that the blizzard would have cost me. My fiance even tried one (this from the person who was anti- ANYTHING healthy a few weeks ago) and loved it.

When I was waiting for those comments from people, I thought back to the day I first joined WW back in 2005. I had a friend who had been doing it for about a month, she had good things to say, but I felt like I'd be embarrassed to be on such a public "diet". The day I joined weight watchers, I was actually on my way to Dairy Queen. The DQ shared a big parking lot w/the Weight Watchers & a few other shops. Instead of pulling through the drive through, I pulled up to Weight Watchers. I was terrified and held back tears. It just so happened that I came about 1/2 hour before a meeting was due to start. How perfect! I nervously stood in line and when I got to the desk I told them "I need to join today". They got me set up, I weighed in, and then I sat nervously in a room that was filling with people. I texted the friend that had told me about WW, and she called me back immediately "Oh my God, I'm on my way to the meeting right now!" It truly was meant to be. Of all the times to pick to go to WW, I picked a time that a meeting was about to start, and of all the meetings, I picked the one that my friend attended too, unbeknownst to me!

So, that story went through my mind tonight when the little devil was sitting on my shoulder. And I have to thank all of you for NOT telling me to "treat myself". Whether that was because noone had a chance to read the blog or not, it's a blessing. So I enjoyed my 2 point bar, and then I walked to the library and picked up some new cookbooks & some old issues of Cooking Light, then walked home. Then Mike (fiance) and I did some cleaning, and here I am, sitting here & feeling MUCH more satisfied than I would have had I gotten the DQ.

Whipped up some dinner!

Well, the other day I posted something for Chili Cheeseburger Casserole. I glanced at the recipe & this weekend I thought I got the right stuff at the store.... not so much. I was supposed to get mac & cheese, and instead, I got elbow macaroni, and I got a package of cheese. LOL

So, I improvised. Browned some hamburger with an onion & some garlic. Added a can of turkey chili, seasoned w/more chili powder & a little salt. Meanwhile, I cooked the macaroni, then added it to the mixture. Threw in a cup of my lowfat mexican cheese that was leftover from last night, and ta-da! Dinner!

It was 8 points for a serving, but it was very filling. I also had a salad with it. SO good.

I've got something like 28 flex points left this week, and I'm dying for a DQ blizzard. I weigh in tomorrow night. Should I treat myself, or should I not? Decisions, decisions...

Work in Progress

I think overall, I've done really well these first few weeks back on WW. I've made a lot of huge changes, the biggest being my fast food eating. I've totally stopped. I would say that before WW, I ate out at least once a day. I have a job where I'm on the go a lot, and it was just easier to eat out. No more though. I won't lie though, sometimes the temptation is there. I won't give into that temptation though, because I never want to be where I am, physically, again.

I did have two meals out this week, but not fast food. One night we had pizza, and one day or lunch my coworkers and I got Chinese. I know these weren't the smartest choices. I stayed within my daily points on both of those days (I feel like I get SO many points since they changed the way points are figured since last time!), but I wasn't happy w/the decision.

I also struggle when I cook things. When you cook or bake, it serves way more than just 2 usually. So I feel like I have so much food left or leftovers, and I hate for stuff to go to waste, so I eat it. A good example was last week when I made the cookies & cream dessert. It made a 13x9 pan, and I ate it all over the span of a week. I wouldn't have devoted that many points to sweets had I not made so much... so, from now on, when I bake, I keep half at home and take half to work. I need to learn good habits, and eating a whole pan of dessert (even over several days) isn't healthy!

So, I weigh in tomorrow evening. I'm nervous because I don't feel like I had as good a week as I could have. I did walk 3 times though, which is a 300% improvement from last week:)

I'm really enjoying reading everyone's weight-loss blogs on here. It's great inspiration, and that's such a big help since I'm doing WW by myself this time. I have other friends that are on the program, but they're long-distance friends, and it's not the same as having that buddy w/you every day to keep you accountable.

Overate

So I did something tonight I haven't done in about a month. I completely GORGED at dinner and ate way too much. I hate when people justify their binges by saying "well, I had the points for it, so it's not so bad". I'm trying to make this a lifestyle change, and the lifestyle I want to live is one that DOESN'T binge on food! So, yes, I did have ample points, and I didn't go over them, but I still don't consider that staying on plan. I acknowledge my mistake though, and am going to make a conscious effort to not let that happen again. I ate 4 of those enchiladas. Ouch!

After dinner I went for a brisk 30 minute walk. That doesn't make up for the over-eating, but I think that was a good decision on my part, instead of just sitting on my butt in front of the TV. That also makes it my 3rd walk of the week. Our challenge at WW last Tuesday was to walk/exercise 3 times this week for 30 minutes each. So, I met my goal!

I'm trying to add in something new each week, rather than try to make this total healthy turn around all at once. I've done that before, and it's overwhelming, and I quit. The first time on WW, I didn't even begin exercising until probably 3 months on the program. I had success just eating more healthy foods. The next time around though, I tried implementing all the healthy foods, drinking tons of water, and hitting the gym 3-4 times a week... that lasted all of about 3 weeks, and I was just too stressed & overwhelmed to keep it up. So, this time, it's baby steps, and hopefully all those baby steps will add up to one big change!

I've added a few weight loss blogs to the sidebar as inspiration. If you've like to be added, feel free to comment. Those are just a few I stumbled across today while browsing.

Oh, and in other news, I tried the WW yogurt that a friend of mine reccomended: Amarreto Cheesecake. It's 1 point. It's not bad, but I thought it tasted kind of like chemicals. I crushed up 1 reduced fat oreo & mixed it w/the yogurt, which made it 2 points, and I ate it as dessert for lunch. It was pretty tasty... I'm picky about yogurts b/c I don't like fruit in them, so this was something to add to my selection!

Beef Enchiladas!

I made these tonight, and they were delicious! The only thing "light" in them was the cheese on top. I have totally changed my opinion of light cheese since I tried Sargento's reduced fat mexican blend! The Kraft stuff is too dry for my liking & doesn't melt too well. Sargento though, I am a fan! Here's a picture of it in all it's deliciousness!


Beef Enchiladas
10 enchiladas/4.5 points each

10 small flour tortillas
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup reduced fat mexican cheese
Salsa (optional)
Taco seasoning (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown hamburger in skillet & season with taco seasoning.
3. Add 2/3 can enchilada sauce to hamburger. Set aside 1/3 of the can.
4. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
5. Fill tortillas with hamburger mixture & place in baking dish seam side down.
6. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce & sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.
7. Cover with foil & bake 20 minutes.

Top with salsa (0 points) or sour cream (additional points).

DELICIOUS!

Versatile Mexican Dish

I decided to make my own Mexican recipe tonight. I thought about a casserole, but I'm always making casseroles, so I thought a dip might be nice! I came up w/the following recipe, which acts great as a dip, or just a main dish by itself (either plain, or wrapped up in a tortilla!)

Mexican Dip
6 large servings/3 points each

1 can 99% ff white chicken
1 can black beans, drained
1 small can corn, drained
1 can chiles
1 can ff cream of chicken soup
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup of salsa (optional)
Cumin & Chili Powder to taste (optional)

I basically just added all of this to a large skillet & cooked until it simmered & was hot. I ate it tonight w/some baked tortilla scoops, it was delicious! If you were having this just as a snack, you wouldn't probably want as generous a serving as I gave myself. I was eating this for dinner, and the serving was very filling (and full of fiber!). This would also be good w/some lowfat mexican cheese or a dollop of sour cream on top, you'd just have to adjust your points values!

Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert

After making the cookies & cream dessert last week, I decided to try to make a similar dessert of my own. I wanted to make a smaller dish than the cookies/cream dessert, because that made so much!

Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert
4 servings/5 points each

3 cups skim milk
1 package sf/ff instant cheesecake pudding
1 package sf/ff instant chocolate pudding
6 reduced fat oreos
1 cup lite cool whip

Crush the oreos and set 1 tbsp aside. Sprinkle the remaining oreo crumbs on the bottom of a round 9" baking dish. Mix the cheesecake pudding and 1 1/2 cups milk until thickened. Pour on top of the cookie crumbs. Mix the chocolate pudding and the rest of the milk until thick & pour that on top of the cheesecake pudding. Last, spread 1 cup cool whip on top & sprinkle with the cooking crumbs you set aside.

It's obviously not the real thing, but it's a healthy version of chocolate cheesecake & takes less than 10 minutes to prepare!

RAVE: Smart Ones Quesadillas

I sometimes get in the habit of always picking up the same kinds of Smart Ones at the grocery store each week (usually Mac & Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas). I decided to give some other meals a try this week, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a few new choices!

The one that was most appealing to me was the Chicken Quesadillas. They come 2 in a box, and they're 4 points each. They come in a little sleeve to cook in, similar to hot pockets (they're about the same size as hot pockets too, plenty of food!). Let me just tell you, they were delicious! I had one for lunch w/a salad, and it was fantastic!

Definately reccomend these suckers!

Success

I just had my weekly meeting at WW. I was concerned about the weigh-in because of the Labor Day weekend & attending a couple cook-outs. I stayed within my points, but I still wasn't feeling confident. It worked out though, I was down another 2.6 pounds, making me down 5.6 in 2 weeks! My goal for this week is to exercise in some form for 30 minutes, 3 times. That may just mean going for a walk, but at least it will be something.

Also bought the new WW dessert cookbook tonight at the meeting, so I'll be looking through that & possibly posting some later tonight. Made the cookies & cream dessert that I recently posted also, will give an edit on that after I give it a try!

Mexican Dip

This sounds really easy & really delicious! I think it'd also be good layered. Be sure to add in points for chips or tortillas!

Mexican Dip
15 (1/4 cup) servings/2 points each

1 lb. lean ground beef
16 oz jar salsa
16 oz vegetarian refried beans
8 oz FF Mexican cheese

Brown ground beef, then add salsa, beans, and cheese. Serve immediately or keep warm in slow cooker.

From Dawn Hall's "Down-home Cooking Without the Down-home Fat"

Chili Cheeseburger Casserole

This sounds a lot like hamburger helper!

Chili Cheeseburger Casserole
5 servings/6 points each

1 lb. ground beef
1 (15 oz) can FF chili
1 c. hot water
1 (7 1/4 oz) box macaroni & cheese
1/2 c. diced onion

1. Spray skillet w/cooking spray
2. Combine all ingredients in skillet over high heat.
3. Bring to boil; stir frequently
4. Reduce heat to low boil
5. Cover & cook for 8 minutes; stir occasionally.

This recipe doesn't say to brown the hamburger first, but I think I probably would; I don't know that it would get cooked in just 8 minutes...

From Dawn Hall's "Down-home Cooking Without the Down-home Fat"

Cookies & Cream Dessert

Another new recipe I found in a library cookbook. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds delicious. Reminds me of the dessert I used to have as a kid, "Dirt"

Cookies & Cream Dessert
20 servings/2 points each

1 (7 oz) box LF Oreos
1 (8 oz) box FF Cool Whip
1 (8 oz) box FF cream cheese
2 (1.4 oz boxes FF/SF chocolate pudding
3 1/2 c. skim milk

1. Crush cookies in a ziplock bag using rolling pin or hammer; set aside 2 tbsp.
2. Mix 1 1/2 containers Cool Whip, cream cheese, and cookie crumbs until blended.
3. Spread this mixture into a 13x9 pan
4. Mix pudding & milk until blended
5. Spread pudding over cookie mixture
6. Spread remaining Cool Whip over the pudding
7. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp cookies on top.

Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

From Dawn Hall's "Down-home Cooking Without the Down-home Fat"

*edit* I made this today, and it's pretty good. I would reccomend using 4 cups of milk, rather than only 3 1/2. The instant pudding usually calls for 2 cups per package, and only using 3 1/2, the pudding is rather thick & it was hard to spread. I also added a couple packets of sweetener to the cool whip/cream cheese/cookie mixture b/c it wasn't sweet enough to my liking. To divide portions, I like to lightly run a pizza cutter across the top of the dessert, that way there's no question about how large a serving size is!

Mint Mousse

This sounds delicious!

Mint Mousse
5 servings/3 points each

1/2 tsp. mint extract
1 (12 oz) container FF cool whip
1 (4 serving) box sugar free vanilla instant pudding*
6 drops green food coloring (optional)

Mix all ingredients & stir for 2 minutes. Ready to serve, or refrigerate until desired.

*I think that a great variation would be to try this w/chocolate pudding, and omit the food coloring. Would make a great chocolate mint dessert! Might even be good in the freezer as a sort of mock mint chocolate ice cream!

You can also mix any kind of SF pudding w/FF whipped topping to create your own mousse!

From Dawn Hall's "Busy People's Low-fat Cookbook"

Corn Casserole

I haven't tried this yet, but I think it will be a great substitute for my usual scalloped corn that I make for the holidays. Sounds delicious!

Corn Casserole
15 servings/2 points each

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernal corn
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream corn
1 (6 serving size) box corn muffin mix
1/2 c. FF margaraine, softened
1 c. FF sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray 9x13 pan w/cooking spray
3. Stir all ingredients until mixed
4. Spread into pan & bake for 35-40 minutes, or until top is golden brown

From Dawn Hall's "Busy People's Low-fat Cookbook"

Enchiladas were GREAT!

So I gave those Chicken Enchiladas a try tonight! I tweaked the recipe a bit, as I am guilty of doing from time to time. I used a big can of chicken instead of raw chicken breasts. There were less points in that, so I was able to bump up the fat free cheese to full fat (I like it better). I ended up only using 9 tortillas instead of 10 because I ran out of room in the pan, and I was a little more generous on my chicken mixture, so I was out of it anyway.

Because of those changes, it bumped the enchiladas up to 3.5 points each, instead of 3 points each. I'm ok with that! They were delicious, and even my fiance, who thinks he hates anything WW friendly, ate them up! The soup mixture that you put on top is pretty thick when you spread it on, but it thins up in the oven, and it's just like a poblano cream sauce! I think next time I would throw the can of chiles in the soup mixture instead of in the chicken mixture.... there were plenty of chiles & flavor in the chicken stuff b/c of the salsa, and the chiles in the cream sauce would have added some more flavor & color.

Definately something I would make again!

Chicken Enchiladas

I'm making this tonight, and I know others who have made it and LOVED it. It calls for boneless/skinless chicken breasts, but you could use canned chicken if you were in a hurry, and just adjust points values for that!

Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 10 enchiladas/3 points each

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 can FF cream of chicken soup
5 tbsp FF/LF sour cream
16 oz salsa
10 low fat flower tortillas (the small ones)
1 can chiles
1 diced onion
1 c. FF cheddar cheese

1. Cook and shred chicken in skillet.
2. Add salsa, chiles, onions, and simmer
3. In small bowl, combine soup & sour cream
4. Add 6 tbsp of the soup mixture to skillet
5. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray
6. Fill flour tortillas w/chicken mixture & roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish.
7. Cover w/soup mixture & top w/cheese
8. Bake about 15 minutes at 350 degrees (or until cheese on top melts)

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

*edit* Tried this one tonight, and it was OK. I bought brown sugar smoky bbq sauce. I found that the sauce wasn't sweet enough to my liking though, so I added a packet of sweetener to it. Not too bad, filled me up!

I haven't tried this one yet, so can't attest to the BBQ sauce.... you could try your own BBQ recipe and adjust points accordingly if you wanted! It sounds great though. These points values are for the meat/sauce only, not a bun (but I'd reccomend Healthy Life wheat hamburger buns, very low in points!)

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
8 servings/4 points each

3/4 c. diet cola
3/4 c. BBQ sauce
1 diced onion
2 lbs. pork tenderloin

1. Cut loins into small pieces, then add all ingredients to the crockpot.
2. Cook on high 5-6 hours.
3. Remove the pork, shred, then return to sauce & enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Pie

This "pie" is very similar to quiche... I ate it for dinner one night, and breakfast the two following mornings. It was great as an evening or morning meal! It doesn't make a huge amount, which is great for some people... I know sometimes I make a pan of something, eat one serving, then I have a whole pan of leftovers!

Ham & Cheese Pie
4 servings/4 points each

1 1/2 c. diced cooked ham
1/4 c. diced onion
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (2%)
1/2 c. bisquick
1/2 c. egg beaters
1 c. skim milk

1. Grease the bottom of a round baking dish or pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix ham, onion, and cheese in bottom of dish.
3. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients & pour in baking dish
4. Cook at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean

Crockpot Tortilla Soup (A+)

I made this last weekend and it is FABULOUS! Even my non WW friends loved it, it was full of flavor! It made a big pot full, so I froze individual freezer bags with it, so I can have soup at a moment's notice if I want!



Crockpot Tortilla Soup
1 point per cup

8 oz raw, cubed chicken breasts
2 c. frozen corn
1 onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
4 c. chicken broth
10 3/4 oz. diced tomatoes, pureed
10 oz Rotel tomatoes w/chiles
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
(it also called for some cayenne, but I left it out, as I don't like things too spicy. It was plenty spicy w/o it!)

Combine all ingredients in your crockpot and cook for 5-6 hours on high. Serve w/tortilla chips & cheese, if desired (adjust points per bowl for that!)

5 can soup

I haven't tried this yet, but I think I'm going to give it a try tonight or tomorrow. If you're watching your sodium, this might not be the best recipe for you, as it's all canned stuff... but you could try using frozen or fresh veggies & adding some chicken stock.

Five Can Soup
1 point per cup

(do not drain anything!)
1 can Progresson Minestrone
16 oz can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (plain, or seasoned)
16 oz can mixed veggies
16 oz can black beans (I might drain these though, I don't like the goopy stuff in black beans!)

Combine all ingredients in a pot, then bring to a boil. Cover & simmer about 20 minutes. Add chicken broth if desired, may need a point adjustment.

Stuffed Shells

So I attempted a new recipe tonight. It was pretty good. Next time I would go lighter on the oregano though, and maybe add some ground beef in the sauce (which would need a point adjustment). A serving size is 4 shells, but they were filling (along w/my side of corn & a salad), so I only ate 3.

Stuffed Shells
6 servings/4 points each (1 point per shell)

1 c. part skim ricotta
1 c. low fat cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder (I used minced garlic instead)
1 tbsp oregano (I'd go less on this next time)
1/4 tsp pepper
3 c. canned tomato sauce (I added some pepper & garlic to it)
1 lb. cooked jumbo shells (24 of them)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix cheeses, salt, garlic, oregano, and pepper
3. Spread a bit of tomato sauce in bottom of 13x9 baking dish
4. Fill cooked shells w/cheese mixture & place in baking dish, then spoon remaining tomato sauce over shells.
5. Cover & bake 20 minutes (I found that 25-30 was more like it to really get the cheese/sauce bubbling)

Meetings week 1 & 2

August 21 was my first meeting back at WW. I went to a Tuesday evening meeting, and I really like the leader so far. She's upbeat, funny, and seems like a nice person. Her name is Ami. My first week there, I was terrified. Why, I don't know... because I'd done this before. It's different when you're doing it with a buddy though, and you have their support & encouragement (not only on weigh-in day, but throughout the week). This time, I had to walk into an unfamiliar place, with NO familiar faces... but, the bottom line is that we all are there for the same reason. We all have the same goal.

So, I signed up & stood in the weigh-in line. I'm at my highest WW weight this time around (I've been heavier, but not documented on official WW documents!). I took my seat & waited for the meeting to start. Sometimes meetings have cheesy themes, but you get out of them what you and others put in... participation is so important! The first week's meeting was about how it's not the mountain itself that's hard to get across, it's the little pebbles along the way that can trip you up & make you want to quit climbing. Kind of a weird analogy, yes... but when you think about it, it's true. It's not necessarily the task of losing 100 pounds difficult for me, but it's little things along the way that may make me want to quit. Examples: not seeing the results you'd like to see despite working hard, temptation of going off plan, laziness, etc. Rather than think "I'll never lose this weight, it's just too hard," it's important to just focus on those little "pebbles" and worry about them one at a time, as they come up... So if I worked hard one week & didn't see as big of a loss as I wanted, if I see a loss, that's what's important. Or if I have the temptation to eat something that's going to cause me to go over my points, I'll choose a healthy alternative instead. Or if I'm feeling lazy, I'll tell myself to get off my booty & get my head in the game!

Second week at WW, I weighed in, and I was down 3 pounds! This past week's meeting was somewhat similar... it had to do with "boulders" (what's w/all the rocks lately?) getting in our way and how sometimes it seems like we can't get around them no matter how hard we push. The moral of the story is to use all your resources to get past that hurdle. The resources that are out there are: WW materials given at meetings (or online info), other members, etc. Some hurdles are: trouble getting in fruits/veggies or water, eating on the run, not having time for exercise, etc. There are ALWAYS ways around these roadblocks, you just have to use the tools that are at your disposal!

Well, enough about this for now... I'm off to the library to pick up a copy of "Buff Brides" that I requested... gotta set my wedding workout plan into action!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! First, let's get to introductions.... I'm Teale. The E is silent, hence the cleverness of the rhyming blog title. It would just be silly to be called "Tealie's Meals". That doesn't rhyme, nor is it the way to pronounce my name...

Now that that's cleared up... who am I?

I am a soon-to-be 24-year old woman. I am getting married to a wonderful man in just about 6 months. I decided a couple weeks ago that I needed to adopt a more healthy lifestyle (again), and joined Weight Watchers. No, it's not my first time on the program, either. I had great success with the program a couple years ago, losing about 40 pounds in 4 months. The program works if you work it. The better you follow it, the better your results will be. I stopped attending meetings, thinking I could do it on my own (as many are able to), but that was a bad decision on my part. For the past two years, I've gone on and off of the healthy living wagon... so what makes this time different?

In the past, I've continued to eat bad stuff, but I ate less of it. Yes, technically you can still lose weight this way... but I didn't learn anything! I was staying within my points for each day/week, but I wasn't getting a balanced diet. So many people say it, but it's true: this isn't a diet, this is a lifestyle change! This time around, I am eating more fruits & veggies than my digestive system knows what to do with! It's been quite a shock to the old tummy to be filled w/salads & fruit, that it's taken a few belly aches & some getting used to before my body appreciated all that good stuff had to offer. I'm also trying a lot of new recipes instead of just falling into the habit of finding what I like and sticking to it. That gets boring, and when you're bored is usually when you start to stray from the plan.

What will this blog have to offer, you may ask?

I will be posting recipes that I've collected or made up, as well as points values, and sometimes pictures of what I've made. Any of the recipes can be tweaked; you can add or remove ingredients based on your tastes/preferences, but then of course you may have to adjust the points values. I'll also be posting summaries of my week at Weight Watchers, including my progress and meeting topics. Finally, I'd also be glad to answer any questions that others might have about the program, either based on my personal knowledge, or information other websites might be able to provide you with (simply leave a comment & I will answer the question(s) in an entry).

I think that's about it for now, I hope you enjoy my food/Weight Watchers blog, and I hope you come back soon:)