Challenge

My challenge this coming week will really test me. We are going on vacation to DisneyLand. While we are all excited, I am sure the fast food restaurants and car snacking will keep me on my toes. My goal this week is to firstly enjoy the time with my family and secondly enjoy the food I eat while still making wise choices. I always think if I buy something or am served something I have to eat it all. This has always been a struggle for me and has now become a learning process. I use to eat until I was so full it hurt or made me sick.
I love food so much that at one point it had become a bad obsession. I would eat regular meals and snack with Maddox. Every now and then I would sneak a few handfuls of chocolate chips out of the freezer to eat when I had a good book in my hand. I am making changes and it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. I tried to loose weight over and over again since I had Maddox, but would fail. Once my mom and I decided to start going to Weight Watchers together it has helped tremendously. I am a life time member, so I don't have to pay anything, but it is nice to know that I am not alone in trying to keep myself healthy and the fact that I am held accountable for my weight has also been helpful. If I get over my Weight Watcher goal weight I" have to start paying a fee. And lets face it, I have no money, I am a stay at home mom. So with my new determination to succeed in my goals I say.............
Bring on the challenges...I up for it!!!

Weight Update

So ladies....I was so excited when I went to weight watchers with my mom today. I lost 5 lbs from my last weigh in. I had gained a pound over Maddox's Birthday and that is okay, in fact I kind of let myself go and just have fun with his birthday.
He wanted a hamburger for dinner so we went to Barry's to celebrate. We were too full after his birthday dinner to have cake so decided to wait till the next day. Maddox wanted cake for breakfast so I figured...how many times will I really allow this to happen? Not often this may be the only time and since it was his birthday I said okay. So the family sat down to the table and enjoyed a piece of cake for breakfast. It was fun to see Maddox enjoying this little treat first thing in the morning.
So after my indulgence over Maddox's birthday, I am so excited to have lost some weight and happy to be closer to my goal weight. I am not being overly strict, just more cautious of what I put into my body. I had cake and ice cream over my birthday and have made sure that I watch my portion sizes. After all what kind of girl would I be if I went without a birthday treat???

Heart Happy...Donate Donate Donate

This Thursday I am going to donate blood. It has been too long since I have done this and am now feeling guilty. I use to donate because I knew I was saving a life, but now I know I am also improving my health. Each time you donate blood you remove some of the iron your blood contains. This is good news for your heart. Donating blood on a regular basis can reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. It also allows your heart to make new blood which is very beneficial. So not only are you saving a life which is reason enough to donate blood, but you are also benefiting in immeasurable ways.

My dad is an EMT and often wears a shirt with frogs on the back that says "Blood-Wise-er". Okay, a rip off of Budweiser, but it sends a much better message. Thank you Dad for setting such a great example, for giving of yourself, time and talents to save the life’s of our fellow citizens. I love you and admire you so much!!!

My good friend Taylor suggested I publish this on my blogg after I signed up to donate blood. Thank you Taylor for your friendship and encouragement!

Be Fridge Smart

When making your grocery list, look in your fridge, freezer and pantry to see if anything needs to be used up before it expires. Plan your meals around what you have, or stock up on items when they are on sale.
When buying items such as sour cream, cheese, or veggies, plan meals through the next couple of weeks that asks for these ingredients so you don't waste it. You can also freeze many foods to use later.

Save Money and Eat Healthy

I have found that I save money if I make a meal plan for the week. When I get ready to go to the grocery store, I write down what meals we want to have for dinner and what we can have for lunch. I use to not like leftovers, but due our grocery budget and not wanting to waist food, I have found that many of the meals I make actually reheat very well. For lunch we often have leftovers or sandwiches. I am still trying to turn Brooks on to eating leftovers, but he is still having a hard time.
If I make a meal plan and stick to getting only the foods that I need to make the meals, I don't end up buying a bunch of junk at the store. This has been very helpful in saving money and eating better.

Reduce fat in Ground Beef

Reduce the fat in ground beef by rinsing the cooked beef in hot water. Let the tap run long enough so the fat does not clog up your pipes. The flavor will not be affected much during this process. Plus ground beef is most always mixed into a sauce, soup or seasoning mix so the added fat will not add more flavor, just more to your waist line. :)

Cheaters Chili

2 pts per cup

1 can tomato sauce
2 cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes or mexican diced tomatoes with cilantro and lime
2 cans S&W chili beans in zesty sauce (this brand makes all the difference)
1lb 90% lean ground beef or leaner if you'd like
onion
chili seasoning and paprika to taste.

To lower the fat content, double the tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce and seasonings. This makes more chili with less hamburger. Plus this freezes up great. Just Put 1 cup servings in freezer bags and pull out when you want it.

cook ground beef and onion. Drain well. (rinsing the beef after it is cooked will lower the fat content) In a crock-pot add meat mixture, tomatoes, and beans together. Cook on low 4-6 hrs. Serve with sour cream and cheese if desired. Also good in a bread bowl. The longer this cooks the better the flavor.

Italian Chicken Pasta

Photo courtesy by
In My Kitchen Today

Makes (8) 1 C servings (6 pts)

2 chicken breasts or 5-6 tenders
1 pkg. Italian dressing mix (dry in packet)
1 pkg. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 10 oz can 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom
1 pkg. or less bow tie noodles boiled and drained

Place chicken in a crock-pot with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with seasonings and cook on low 6-8 hrs or until chicken is cooked through. Chop chicken with plastic spatula so it wont scratch the bottom of your crock-pot. Add cream cheese and mushroom soup. Cover and melt together. Boil noodles-drain and add to crock-pot. Mix well and serve.
You may add milk if sauce is too thick. I like to add Parmesan cheese for a nice flavor. Serve with salad and garlic bread if desired. To make more saucy reduce the amount of noodles used or add milk. I often like to use a packet and a half of seasoning to make the sauce a bit stronger. I love this recipe.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Makes 8 servings (9 pts)

2 pkg. crescent rolls (reduced fat for pts value)
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese (use 1/3 less fat for pts value)
2 green onions chopped (use some green tops for color)
2 C boiled and chopped chicken (may use canned)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 C bread crumbs (I use Italian style)
1/2 C melted butter (use 1/4 C butter or butter flavored cooking spray for pts value)

*you may omit the butter and breadcrumbs if desired.
You may use reg. crescent rolls, cream cheese and butter for the original recipe.

Combine cream cheese, chicken, seasonings, and onions. Mix well with fork. Divide dinner rolls into 16 sections place mixture in rolls and roll up tucking in edges or pinching them together. Lightly spray or dip in the butter. Roll in bread crumbs and bake at 375 for 25-30 min.
2 rolls per serving. Serve with salad and garlic bread if desired.
(For an excellent addition make a chicken gravy from the packet and spoon over the baked roll-ups delicious)

Chicken and Rice

Serves 6 or more (6 pts)

2 cans Cream of Celery
2 cans Cream of Chicken
1/2 can milk
11/2 C Minute Rice (use white rice. The brown rice doesn't quite cook all the way)
6 3oz chicken breasts or use tenders if you'd like

Heat in a pan the soups and milk till warm and mixed well. Make sure you get all the lumps out of the soup. Pour half of the soup mixture in a sprayed or lined pan. (cake pan or dripper pan) Sprinkle rice evenly over the soup. Place chicken over the top of rice and pour the rest of the soup mixture over the top making sure to cover all the chicken and rice. Cover with foil and cook for 11/2 hrs at 350. Take chicken off rice mixture and mix rice well into sauce. Serve.

1 serving is 1 3oz piece of chicken with 1/2 cup of rice mixture. Serve with veggies. For a good variation, sprinkle a pkg. of onion soup mix over the top. I like it both ways. Salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey Breast Dinner

makes one serving (9 pts)

3 oz turkey breast
1 medium sweet potato/yam cut into wedges
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 C Green beans or Broccoli
1/2 cup pudding made with 1% or skim milk

Cook turkey as directed. Coat sliced potato in oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast in oven till crisp on outside and tender on the inside. Serve with beans or broccoli and for dessert serve pudding made with 1% or fat free milk in 1/2 cup servings.

Mexican Chicken & Black Bean Salad

Makes 2 servings (12 pts)

2 (4oz) Chicken breasts
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 C water
1 packet taco seasoning
1 (15 oz) can black beans
4 C spinach or lettuce
2 Tbs Sour Cream Low fat or FF
1/2 C shredded Cheese Mexican style
1/2 C salsa

Greese pan and put chicken in pan. Mix sauce, water and seasoning. Pour over chicken and bake 30 min at 375. Cut into strips and lay across a bed of lettuce or spinach. Place beans, salsa, and sour cream on top and sprinkle with cheese.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1/2 C servings (1 pt)








2 C black beans (I use 2 cans rinsed and drained)
2 C corn (I use frozen)
1/3 C onion - red or green
1/4 C or more fresh cilantro (I use the whole bunch chopped)
3 Tbs Lime juice (I use fresh limes and often more juice than called for)
1 tsp olive oil (if adding more veggies add more oil and juice)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more to your liking) (I use 1 Tbs)
tomato and avocado are optional

mix well an chill several hrs or overnight. Serve with chips or over a green salad.
recipe points value is calculated without avocado.

Water, Water, Water

For some reason I have a hard time drinking through out the day. I rarely feel thirsty and know I am not getting the amount of fluids I should. So after doing some research I found out just how important it is to drink the recommended 6-8 glasses of water a day. Water not only hydrates your body, but flushes out the bad toxins and extra water weight. So that is great news for us right? Drink plenty of water and you could loose up to 5 lbs. Water also helps you to digest food and absorb vitamins and nutrients. There are so many other benefits as well such as healthy skin, an increase in physical performance and energy, and headaches come less often. So my goal is to make a habit of drinking water all through out the day. I hope you can make it yours as well.

Plus recent studies have shown that drinking milk can also help you to loose weight along with strengthening your bones and muscles. I am not a milk drinker, but know that I could down a glass a day for all these benefits.

If you are not a milk drinker or can not tolerate milk products you could always turn to Soy Milk which provides the same necessary nutrients. However, I don't know if Soy will help you to loose those extra lbs or not.

Good Fats

We all know how important it is to be careful of what goes into our body, but fats are essential for heart-health benefits. Limiting or avoiding saturated fats, such as butter and cheese can actually help reduce heart disease along with avoiding trans fats. However, monousaturated and polyunsaturated fats in moderation can actually benefit your heart.
Cooking with oils such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and flaxseed will get you the essentail fatty acids and vitamins your body needs.
This does not mean that you have to eliminate everything you eat, but be more cautious about what you buy. For instance, purchasing leaner cuts of meat and low-fat dairy products can lower your intake of staurated fat and still provide you with the necessary nutrients your body needs.