Baked Spaghetti with a twist

I LOVE this recipe. Since I first made it and posted about it, I've made it a few more times. Each time I've made it (after the first try), I've made extra and frozen it for later consumption- turns out perfect every time! (The only downside being that I cook it 2-2.5 hours at 350 from frozen... you have to plan ahead.)

Today I decided to try something a little different with this recipe. I am low on frozen/canned veggies; and more than once I've considered tossing in a can of vegetable soup to add more veggies and flavor. Today I took the plunge and added THREE cans of soup- minestrone, vegetable, and tomato. I also added a bag of mixed soup beans (dry). I don't have much ground meat in my freezer, so I'd rather not use what I have to make this sauce meaty- I figured that adding the beans would bulk it up and add fiber and protein, cheaply. I used 2 cans of spaghetti sauce and 4 cans of diced tomatoes, so this is a big pot of sauce- I sure hope it tastes ok! I started simmering my sauce around noon, so the beans will have plenty of time to re-hydrate before it's time to eat them.

I'm trying to decide whether to use whole wheat or regular spaghetti. I'd rather use the whole wheat, but I have a ton of regular stockpiled (bought a lot when it was on sale, maybe before I started Core). At this point, I'm considering using some of both- maybe a box of the ww and a bag of the other.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about this- hope it's good!

A Change

Folks, it is time for a change in my life. I have been primarily a SAHM for the past 5 years, before that I worked in restaurants (serving, bartending, and managing), and in aquatics. During my time as a SAHM, I've worked part-time for the Red Cross, and I even had an 8-month stint as a manager at a local fine dining restaurant (I quit because the hours sucked big-time).

We've decided that I need to go back to work, and I decided to get back into a restaurant- mainly because the hours are somewhat flexible and they are definitely NOT non-profit (like the Red Cross or most places where I could use my education). I wanted to stay close to home to save on gas, and a friend got a job working at a new place that's opening pretty close to home... it sounded like a fun place to work, so I applied too- training starts Monday! I'll be working nights and weekends, so Hubby will have to sacrifice some of his Masonic activities to stay with the kids, but I think this will be good for us. I'm really excited about working in a restaurant again, especially about being just an hourly employee- management is nice because the pay is steady, but the hours are terrible and often the waitstaff makes every bit as much (or more) as the managers do.

The thing with working in a restaurant is that you're always around food. I happen to like food. Fortunately, I've been reading Kath Eats Real Food and have been trying to eat more like Kath does lately (she eats "real" food- less grease, more purpose); her choices must be rubbing off, because as I look at the menu of this restaurant, there isn't much that really interests me. It is typical American fare- lots of grease and fatty stuff, not much on the healthy side, though there is a salad bar. Hopefully I'll be able to withstand the temptation and continue in my quest to eat healthier. In an effort to do so, I am going to take an idea from Kath and attempt to photograph everything I eat. (Yes, she really does post a picture of everything she eats!) If I'm going to be working in a restaurant and trying to be accountable for what I consume, this makes sense to me- be accountable to myself and to the internet for what I eat. Maybe I won't be successful at this... I'm sure Hubby will laugh... for sure I'll get some weird looks as I snap photos of my food... but if that's what it is going to take to hold myself accountable, I'm sure willing to try.

I did not take photos of breakfast, but wow was it yummy! I had about a half serving of oatmeal, mixed with 2 handfuls of homemdade granola, about a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a tablespoon of brown sugar- all mixed up it is SO good. I also had an iced latte, with sugar-free syrup and skim milk.

HELP!!!

PLEASE HELP!

My computer suffered a heart attack Monday night and yesterday it was wiped clean and revived. I have spent the better part of the last two days working on it and have it almost back up and really going... but I lost ALL of my bookmarks.

I know that doesn't sound like much, but I had a lot of bookmarks.

Please help me replace them! I would love it if you would leave a comment (or several), recommending sites that I should visit and bookmark. Here I'm really looking for cooking/weight loss/WW/recipe sites and blogs.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Stress Consuming

So I've realized that I don't "stress eat" as I've said. I "stress consume". This means I'll inhale any high-calorie consumable possible when I've experiencing stress. Especially child-induced stress.

I've decided that the planets must have been aligned the past 3-4 days, because every child I've had contact with has been behaving badly. Yesterday I seriously considered bringing out the booze at 9:30 AM. I did not, but I DID stop at a gas station for a Diet Coke and was thrilled to find a Little Debbie display... I caved in to two items that surely had enough fat and calories for the week... oh well.

Last week was just off. We ate out a lot (several invitations from friends and family) and I didn't have many groceries or a planned menu- which made it harder to turn down dinner out. I did make significantly better choices than I would have made even a year ago. I did NOT request my food without butter/sauce (as Core would dictate), but I did order Core foods and ate them as prepared... so, with the added fat and calories. I also drank an adult beverage every time we went out. And you know what? I have zero regrets about my choices last week. Sure, it wasn't the best; but it certainly could have been much much much worse.

Saturday I wrote a new menu and went grocery shopping and we got back on track once again. Our menu for the remainder of April isn't all Core, but it is family friendly. Tonight's meal was Margarita Pita Pizzas, from an older Pampered Chef "It's Good for You" cookbook. You make a sauce out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning; spread it on a pita round (uncut, without a pocket); and top it with roma tomato slices (I used canned diced tomatoes), basil, and mozzarella. This time I also added sliced mushrooms. Bake at 425 until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. YUM. Great with a red wine.

If you haven't guessed it, I'm really not on track here; mainly because I gave up my Monthly Pass and haven't been weighing in. Honestly, don't really care right now, either. I have two pairs of size 8 jeans that fit me fine. No, the jeans (size 4) I wore a year ago don't fit- they're way too tight. No, I haven't tried on my capris or shorts, so I don't know what of those will fit. I probably need to lose a good 10 pounds for those to fit well, but not knowing is kinda nice.

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting here in the next month or so, but I am trying to post more on my non-food blog. If you're wanting to check in, stop over there and say hi!

March

So March is almost gone and I really haven't said much this month... I'd planned on working hard at getting the rest of the way back to goal this month, weighing in by the end of the month, and being free.

Then I went to my final WI of February, and I was so mad when I left that it really affected my losing. I went off-plan and stayed off for a while. My house was in total disarray for a while due to the installation of 350 sq feet of hardwood flooring, and with that, my kitchen was buried and we did a lot of eating junk. Also, March is Shamrock Shake month at McDonald's. I absolutely adore Shamrock Shakes... I love love love them and I do not know when to stop. And there is a McDonald's roughly 2 blocks from my house.

I got back on schedule for our planned dinners, realizing how much more money we were spending by not planning ahead. I made Roni's whole wheat pizza dough and topped it with Core toppings.



I planned out a new menu, sticking to healthier-but-not-necessarily-Core entrees, and am halfway through that. Easter dinner wasn't totally Core, but was very point friendly (as both of my parents are on Flex). I didn't buy too much Easter candy, and while I did eat some, I didn't OD on it.



But then I got sick (again). All last week I was miserable, this week seems to be slightly better. I was eating roughly one meal per day and wasn't really hungry for more. My stomach shrank and my appetite did as well... I lost a good five pounds. All of my pants are too big, but my at-goal jeans from a year ago are still a bit too tight. (I tried them on this morning, hoping that just maybe today would be the day!)

I'm getting over this yucky bronchitis, but I don't want to destroy the progress I made towards goal... my self-control kicked in today and I am pleased to report that I did not give in to desire and stop for a fast-food shake or other treat. This week's menu is almost entirely Core, which should also aid in additional weight loss. That being said, I'll try to pop in here more often...

still here, not doing so hot

I've been off plan since my last weigh in... have had a ton going on and haven't been on plan really at all.

I exercised all week last week, but then with everything else I didn't keep it up this week. The prince has spring break this coming week, so I'm not sure if I'll get it in then, either (I've been doing it during naptime).

I bought a regular hula-hoop at Target (I spent some time and found the biggest one there, it comes to about my waist), and I've been doing that for about 15 minutes a day. I also bought a workout DVD, but I haven't tried it yet- I'll let you know!

Latte Demonstration

I've had a couple of questions about how I make my morning latte, so I decided to walk you through. The princess thought I was nuts this morning, taking pictures of myself making my coffee- but I guess it's nothing new! LOL

About a year and a half ago I worked out how much hubby and I were spending on buying coffee... waaay too much. I decided that we could be making our own for much less money, so I did a little investigating and decided to start with a stovetop espresso maker. We paid less than $20 for the silver one at World Market, I THINK it is the 6 serving size.



I bought the pink one recently, thinking that I never use all of the espresso that I make each morning, and that I wanted the smaller, cuter one for myself. Hubby hasn't been drinking coffee lately, and I thought that this would be the perfect size for just me. I was wrong- I've only used it once, and it didn't make nearly as much as I use... I guess I use more than I realized.

I don't actually make espresso- it is technically called "stovetop espresso", which is similar to a "cafe americano"- or halfway between coffee and espresso. For more info on my espresso maker and how it works, this Wiki page about the Moka Express is fantastic!

I use regular coffee grounds instead of the expensive espresso grounds. I don't know if there is a taste difference, but the cost difference is incredible. I've been buying my grounds at Sam's Club- I pay about $6 for this big tin:



I measure out a cup of skim milk and microwave it- my microwave has a "beverage" setting that I use... about a minute and a half, I think.





While the espresso and milk are cooking, I measure out my syrup. This week I'm using the Kahlua flavor, and since I decided to decrease the amount of syrup I use, I've been using 50 mL- which is about 1.6 ounces. The measuring tube I use is a teeny baby bottle (Enfamil) that we got from the hospital when the princess was born- I use it because I don't have a teeny measuring cup and this does the job. I go ahead and pour it into my mug while I'm waiting for the milk and espresso.







When the milk is done, I pour it in, then add espresso to top off the mug- if I'm using a bigger mug, I end up having more caffeine for the day. I'd never measured the espresso before today, but it turns out that I use almost a full cup (!!!) of espresso! (Wow, no wonder I have the jitters sometimes!) I ALWAYS use a travel mug. I like to take my time with my coffee, and it might take me an hour or two to drink the whole thing... the travel mug really helps to keep it warm. Also, I am picky about my mugs and will only buy 16 or 20 oz mugs- anything smaller and I don't have enough room, anything bigger and it takes too much espresso.



And that, my friends, is how Blondie makes her morning latte. :)

Word Cloud

Becky created a word cloud for her blog today, and provided a link so we can make our own! You just go to this site, enter the address of your blog, and their webbot will search all of the content to create your very own word cloud- the words are those that you use most often, and their size is based on the frequency that you use those words... and they put everything into alphabetical order for you, too.

Here is my word cloud for this blog:



Kinda neat, isn't it?

Thanks Becky!

*^&%&#&$ Scale

I don't know that I've ever been MAD about a WI before.
Disappointed, sure.
Surprised, yes.
Mad? This is a new one.

I've been watching my scale here at home for the last week or so, it has been creeping downwards as I am extra careful about what I eat. I'm trying to be more careful and maybe go overboard on the "diet" (no, not lifestyle for now), trying to get rid of these pesky couple of pounds and down to goal.

I had a really difficult time with the last 10-15 pounds last time, too- it took FOREVER to lose them and no time at all to regain them. I ended up setting my WW goal weight higher than I'd wanted to, just because I kept hovering around it.

My scale at home this morning was clearly pointing to 140. 140!!! My goal weight is 138. I wanted to get to WI right away so nothing would happen to that beautiful number I saw on the scale... I weighed myself at least 5 times before I left this morning, just to make sure that it wasn't a fluke and that I really was seeing that number.

I had to wait and wait at WW this morning- about 20 minutes just to step on the darn scale. When I got on, I said "Now, that isn't right!" (and I think I said it a little louder than maybe I should have!)... that @#$%%$## scale said 146.2. 146.2!!! WTF?!?!

I overcame the very strong desire to go eat something yummy... realizing that it was habit, not desire or craving, and came home to make my coffee and bulgar and rant a bit. I ended up skipping the bulgar and having a half of a peanut butter sandwich, and now I feel better. But I'm still pretty ticked. Hubby thinks we just need a new scale.

I AM down from my last WI, and even down a bit from 2 WIs ago (Feb 7)- but only down 0.6 from then. Remember I skipped last week, knowing that it would be up. I guess it IS a good thing that I'm down, but I'm really steamed that my usually accurate scale was this far off- and that I was all ready to see a really fantastic loss this week, especially because I've been working so hard, and was really looking forward to being down so close to goal. Ugh.

APs and WPAs

Well, I did end up doing a bit of swimming tonight... all of 250 yards... or maybe just 200... either way, that sucks. Alot.

I am so out of shape, I can't believe that I just did around 200 yards- I'm sure I could have done more, but I didn't want to put in the time and effort if the quality wasn't there, and I knew that my technique was starting to suffer. I'm thinking I'd like to put in 15-20 minutes of swimming every day to start, and build up from there so maybe I can be back in shape by summer... but can't see paying $3/day to swim for maybe 20 minutes- that's a bit insane. So I'll swim the next few nights after this class, then I'll figure out what to do next.

I was reading on one of the WW Msg Boards about hula hoops- they were discussing how hula hoops are good for both cardio and abs- and specified one brand in particular... a weighted hoop, they were suggesting using a 3 lb hoop for 10 minutes every day. (Apparently the 3 lb version is what they use at Curves.) So I looked on the website- this 3 lb hula hoop is THIRTY BUCKS plus another ten for shipping! Holy cow- FOURTY BUCKS for a HULA HOOP?!? Uh, no. Not happening, though it does sound like a good idea. I think I'll start with a cheapo from Target instead.

On the WPAs front, I ended up using some tonight- the Prince wanted cookies and I gave in, and had to taste one...two...five. To the tune of 12.5 WPAs. Ouch. But they're gone now and I'm over it.

Be back tomorrow afternoon with my WI report! Have a great night!

Still OP

Yesterday I used 4.5 WPAs, and I'm thinking that 5 or fewer is "OP" to me... I haven't used any so far today, and have no plans to, either! This is a great feeling.

Last night I spent about 30 minutes shoveling snow. It wasn't terribly strenuous, but it certainly did use muscles that I haven't used for a while- I probably earned 1 or 2 APs for it, which makes the WPAs I used for lunch even fewer. Tonight I am supposed to do some swimming... I'm not sure if I actually will or not. I'm teaching a class that is half classroom and half pool, and offered to get in with them tonight and demonstrate some strokes. BUT they've got a lot of other things that need to be covered, so I might suggest that we skip the stroke work tonight and move it to Thursday. I'll let you know if I earn APs tonight for that swimming. :) This is the class that I'd mentioned a while back was cancelled- the very next day we had 4 people register, so we kept it a "go"!

I had my latte this morning, again with a smaller amount of syrup (and no adjustment period- good right away!). I also ate some bulgar and some of my stovetop popcorn- prepared core. I've not been super hungry lately and I don't want to force myself to eat just because it's "time to eat". I'd rather eat when my body is hungry and have the potential for losing more before I WI tomorrow. I haven't had my water yet today, but I know that I'll be able to get in at least 64 oz... yesterday I drank about 130 oz!

Dinner tonight is probably going to be leftovers for me. The kids want pizza and Hubby will eat at his meeting, so I'm not going to bother cooking just for me. I still have plenty to choose from in the fridge, and it's all core.

I'm really looking forward to my WI tomorrow morning- can you believe it?! I'll be posting at about this time tomorrow and I'll let you know about my day and about WI! Have a great OP day!

water-water-water and my scale

I told you that I'd put an old water bottle back to work... one of the reasons I wanted one with a straw is because I KNOW that I drink more if I have a straw. Why? Because I mindlessly suck it down. I'll sit with the bottle near me and just totally absentmindedly drink. And drink and drink. For something to do, I guess. Totally better than absentmindedly eating, which is a distinct possibility and I'm sure the main reason I am trying to LOSE weight. As I type this, it isn't quite 1:30 in the afternoon and I've already downed 64+ oz of water today!



I know that this is a good thing, and the scale is agreeing with me. Now that I've been doing this for a few days, the scale was much closer to the next number than it's been for a while. ??? What the heck does that mean, you ask? This is my scale:




(the "screen" had some water damage a few years ago... this is as clean as it gets... but it still works!)

I generally judge how I'm doing based on which number the pointer is closer to... or between. I've had it for several years, and it seems pretty accurate. I'm somewhat interested in getting a new digital model, but this does just fine, so why bother spending the extra money?

Bulgur and a Latte

Have I mentioned that I'm out of my two favorite SF syrups? I am. It really upset me that Sam's has been out of Caramel and Vanilla for weeks... but a week or so ago I decided to branch out and try some of the other flavors that I had in my cupboard. I emptied the Egg Nog a couple of days ago (I love this flavor, but I've had to order it online because I can't find it anywhere locally!), am almost out of Chocolate, and have moved on to Kahlua (which I haven't liked in my coffee, even though I love the "real" thing). I tried the Kahlua yesterday and it was pretty good. I did realize that I'm losing my taste for sweet, so I decided to cut back on the syrup today- I used about 75% of what I usually use. It took a bit of getting used to, but I'll use that (smaller) amount for now, maybe cut back more eventually. It feels good to be cutting back on sweets and eating healthier.

I've been eating bulgur for breakfast for a little over a week and I really like it- I'm almost out of bulgur! I've found that I don't have to cook it on the stove, just soak it and cook it just before eating. I've been preparing it at night, in a storage container, with milk and SF syrup, and have been adding in some unsweetened cocoa powder (the kind for baking). In the morning, I microwave it until it's warm enough for me and stir... it's pretty tasty. ***Warning! This (especially when combined with coffee) is pretty tough on your insides and will have you spending more time than usual in the bathroom!***

Both are Core, and it really feels good to be on plan. I stayed on plan all day yesterday and did not use ANY of my WPAs! I chose to use some today for my lunch, but I still feel like I made a good choice and didn't use them for something outrageous like I've done in the past. Also, part of my problem in the last few weeks has been peanut butter- I love the crunchy kind so I don't buy it... but Hubby did, and I'd been eating it- but it's almost gone now, and the Prince will be upset if he knows his mom ate the last of it, so I'm staying away. Hooray, I'm on plan!

On Plan!

After Thursday's post (and the sweets totally gone!) I've been doing pretty good. Sometime last week I dug out a water bottle that I haven't used in ages, thinking it had all of the characteristics that I was looking for in a water bottle (big, cupholder-friendly, straw, ability to "close" the straw so it won't leak)- and it meets all my requirements! I've been drinking tons this week, thinking that maybe this bottle holds 20-22 oz... I finally measured it out this morning and TADA- it holds a whopping 32 oz! Even though I'm spending significantly more time in the bathroom, I think that this re-find has been very good for me.

I will return to WW on Wednesday for the final WI of my monthly pass... the scale in my bathroom makes me think that I'll be satisfied with that WI, so long as I stay OP. While hubby thinks I look "fine", I'd be happier if I were in those clothes that I bought last year (when I was at goal)- so I WILL be staying OP and you're here to keep me accountable!

Flex or Core?

So I've been spending a lot of time reading message boards the last few days... mainly the WW Core Board. I found a couple of great threads that discuss this topic and wanted to share them with you. My favorite post of all comes from the Bootcamp Buddies board and I think it is so well written that I'm not only giving you the link, I'm giving you the post!

These questions always concern me because there seems to be too much interest in losing weight more quickly. I think the bottom line is which plan is the plan that fits your lifestyle and will become your LIFESTYLE...

I have done ww off and on most of my life. I came back to ww in June 05, almost 46 years old and 14 lbs over goal. I started core then and haven't done anything else for even one day ever since and I will never eat any other way. I lost the 14 pounds in two months. Prior to this I felt like I couldn't lose ANY weight, no matter what I did.

Flex is not for me. I would not lose or maintain on it because it is just not the right plan for me. It is too difficult for me to stay on plan....Flex allows me to eat things that are triggers and make it more challenging for me to stay on plan.

Core has pretty much forced me to stop eating the things that are triggers (or I eat very small amounts of them)...Core totally feels like a lifestyle and one that I love.

I think it isn't about which one is good for losing or maintaining it is about which plan is the plan for YOU...of course one might be the right plan for you right now and the other might be the right plan for you at some other point in time. But that still means that it is about WHICH PLAN is the RIGHT plan for YOU, RIGHT NOW...which plan will you STICK to!!!

Personally, I think that flex works better for people who aren't as sensitive to simple carbs and who can handle eating more refined type foods...people who truly only need portion control and increased self monitoring...whereas core may be a better plan for those of us who have a biochemical reaction to things like simple carbs that makes it REALLY hard for us to stop eating them once we start...So we need to be nudged into eating more complex carbs, etc. and away from the simple carbs. I know for me that core has been "THE ANSWER" to my lifelong eating problems....Flex can be that for other people with a different set of problems (perhaps more related to just learning which foods are healthier, learning portion control, etc.)...

No one can tell someone else which plan will be best for them...and neither plan is "better" for losing vs. maintaining.

Those are my thoughts.
__________________
Lynn

Click here for the thread that Lynn posted on

Click here for a great thread on the WW Core Board

Food Journal, Leftovers

latte- CORE
toast w/ cinnamon sugar- 2
leftover chicken fried rice- CORE
leftover xmas candy... pts guess- 24
popcorn- CORE (I pop it myself to keep it core)
LOTS and LOTS of water- CORE

Today was day 1 of my week and I am counting 26 WPAs used. I ate the candy because I was bored- not because I was hungry... but I insisted that Hubby and the kids finish the bag... I'm guessing on the points for it- I'm counting half of the bag. THANK GOODNESS that temptation is out of the house!

I really wasn't hungry after the popcorn- probably too many calories for my body to handle as it was. The kids had leftovers for dinner and Hubby had a dinner meeting, (and I was headed out to teach from 6-10 tonight) so I decided we'd skip tonight's planned meal. We had so many leftovers in the fridge, it helped to skip the cooking tonight and work on eating some of what we already had prepared.

Not a very good WWer or blogger...

I've been missing lately... I'm still READING blogs, but I've not done very well WRITING them. My other blog hasn't been updated in 3 weeks! Goodness, I'd better get working!

I decided not to WI this week. After my decision last week to get back to basics, I tripped, stumbled, and landed face-first (figuratively speaking, of course). I picked myself back up Monday and have been shuffling along this week, doing ok but not great. I went grocery shopping last Saturday and stocked the shelves with core foods, and I've been following our planned menu (and even eating those core leftovers for lunch!), but I still don't want to face the scale this week. Next Wednesday is the last day of my current Monthly Pass... I'll WI that day and hopefully I'll be down a bit. In reality, I won't need to go back until the end of March (assuming I get down closer to goal) to be free under the Lifetime rules. Not sure what I'll do about WI in March- we'll see how I do, staying OP and according to my bathroom scale.

I've made some tasty things this week:
Grilled Salmon and veggies on Sunday
Italian Pasta and Bean Soup on Monday
Chicken Fried Rice on Tuesday

No pictures, but good stuff. Hubby said that the soup seemed to be 99% done, but missing something- we couldn't figure out what that might have been. The chk fried rice was very good, I will definitely make it again. Here are the recipes:

ITALIAN PASTA AND BEAN SOUP
8 or more servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Two 16-ounce cans cannellini (large white beans), drained and rinsed
7 cups water
2 cups diced zucchini
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning mix
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups ditalini (tiny tubular pasta) I subbed WW penne to make this Core
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden. Add the beans, cooking liquid or water, zucchini, bay leaves, herb mix, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the soup to stand for an hour or so to develop flavor.

In a separate saucepan, cook the pasta al dente. Rinse briefly under cool water until it stops steaming. Add the parsley to the soup and heat it through. When the soup is hot, add the cooked pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once.
I found this recipe here...


CHICKEN FRIED RICE
2 sprays cooking spray
4 large egg white(s)
1/2 cup scallion(s), chopped, green and white parts
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
12 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup carrot(s), diced
2 cup cooked brown rice, regular or instant, kept hot
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add egg whites and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Offheat, recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; sauté until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Stir in reserved egg whites, cooked brown rice, peas and soy sauce; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
I found this recipe here...

Hiding

Yes, I've been hiding. From you.

My kitchen is stocked FULL of Core-approved foods.
My scheduled menu is posted, and is being followed.

I'm not hungry. BUT I'M EATING ANYWAY. I'm eating to eat. I'm eating because my habit is that I eat when the kids sleep. WTF is my problem? I had an inner-monologue/discussion and chose to eat anyway. Duh... I'm totally sabotaging myself. Ugh.

All I need to do is be down 7 pounds by my first March WI- probably 3/6. But this week I've likely GAINED again instead of lost, so I'll need to lost more than those 7 pounds. Seriously, I have issues.

Back to Basics

Well, I sure didn't deserve or expect a loss, but I was still a bit disappointed to see a gain (up 0.6) this morning... though I deserved it, and I probably had lost too much last week due to the illness (and not eating much). Still, it's back to basics for me.

I am sitting at my dining room table, drinking my latte (Core), and eating a new breakfast. Breakfast is something that has been difficult for me on Core- I like to have something with carbs and fiber along with my coffee... carbs are rather restricted on Core. After all of the interesting things I read yesterday about eating "cleanly", I decided to try something new. I got a bowl of leftover brown rice, added some skim milk, cinnamon, and about 1 tbsp of sugar (I don't use Splenda), and microwaved it- it tastes similar to oatmeal. It's a good breakfast, but I'd rather use a grain that doesn't restrict what I eat later in the day.



-------(skip ahead a couple of hours)-------

I cooked up some bulgar so I can eat this regularly. I used half water and half milk, and tossed in plenty of cinnamon and a bit less than 1/4 cup of brown sugar... I'll need to count 3 points for the entire batch, but it will probably take 3-4 days to eat the whole batch. I'm not sure if I'll try this tomorrow or wait another day for this, because I still have a good amount of brown rice leftover from the other night. Either way, I'm glad to have this waiting for me.

For lunch today I'm having leftover chicken with squash from the other night. It's just as good today as it was then! I needed the sweet taste of the squash to curb the cravings for sweets, mainly caused by my mom...



My mom sent over a bunch of V-Day gifts, including her traditional Rice Krispies heart. She decorates it with frosting and fills the middle with candy (last year it was Kissables!)... the container is about 12 inches in diameter, so it's a good-sized treat. Tons of points. The past two years I've hidden it from my family and eaten the whole thing myself (over time, not in one sitting). This year it is on the kitchen table... I'm hoping Hubby will do more than his part to help it disappear so I'm not tempted. :)

Food

I've been blog-hopping today and have found a couple that really interested me... and made me think about changing my eating habits. I mean, really changing them.

I'm thinking about eating more "cleanly"... fewer processed foods. This is a change that will take some time, and some adjustments, but I'd like to work towards it- certainly not something that I can do overnight.

Check out eat like a caveman and Kath Eats Real Food- two blogs that I found today that have intrigued me.

We'll see how this goes, but I'm willing to make an effort and work on this!

Chicken, Wontons, and more

For starters, tomorrow morning is my regular WI day. I absolutely DO NOT deserve a loss, so I'm not really looking forward to this WI. I haven't been eating well, and I can tell- I've been craving more sweets (once I start eating them I crave them more) and I've had less energy. I'm needing to write out a new menu and go grocery shopping, that coupled with the illnesses that are still plauging my family are causing me to slack off a bit in the food area.

Dinner last night, however, was AWESOME and Core... and I was very proud of serving it to my family. I used this recipe:

Maple-glazed chicken with sweet potatoes
This works equally well substituting a whole, lean boneless pork tenderloin for the chicken.

1.5 lbs bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (original recipe calls for a whole, cut up chicken)
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons maple syrup (150 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber)
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 400° F. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Arrange the chicken, onion, and sweet potatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Drizzle with the maple syrup and top with the sprigs of thyme.

Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes (increase time to 1 hr, 15 mins if you use a whole, cut-up frying chicken). Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Remove skin prior to eating.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

--Adapted from Real Simple magazine, December 2005

from Heather's site and tweaked it a bit. I went looking for chicken recipes, and this looked good. I used one butternut squash, about half of a large purple onion, and 4 chicken breasts. (I skipped the thyme)





I also served this with brown rice.



The kids and I loved this meal, but hubby was looking for snacks a couple hours later- he thought it was a "skimpy" meal. Sorry, hubs- this meal will definitely be back!!


A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to try artichoke/spinach dip in the wonton wrappers. I finally did this a few days ago and they weren't bad... not fantastic, but not bad either (or maybe my tastebuds are a bit off still from my cold). I used a recipe from this book and subbed Core ingredients for the non-Core ones (used FF mayo, etc). I used a whole package of frozen spinach instead of a smaller amount of fresh... I used the defrost mode on my microwave and squeezed out the excess liquids before adding it to the mix.






ready to cook!


ready to eat!

Core

I am a huge fan of Core. I was scared of it, and had no intention of trying it until Hubby suggested it... because the leader had mentioned that people are doing very well on it.

I love that I am being a great role model to my kids- they love to eat their veggies! They're learning what good foods are and how to eat healthy. They aren't asking "where are we going for dinner?" or "what's for dinner?", they're asking "what are you making for dinner?". While this isn't much different, it really is- they understand that mom is cooking dinner for them, and they know that it is going to be something healthy.

The Prince used the last of the jelly last week- he'd recently emptied both the reduced-sugar strawberry, and the regular grape jelly... so when we went to the store, he wanted to buy the "healthier kind" of both flavors. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a reduced-sugar grape in a squeeze bottle (I offered to buy the squeeze bottle of the full-sugar variety), and he decided that he'd rather just have the "healthier strawberry kind." Seriously folks, how cool is that?

Also, he had a friend over on Thursday... I served Baked Spaghetti for dinner, thinking that spaghetti would be good for the kids. The friend freaked out that it had "other stuff" on it- he just likes noodles, meatballs, and cheese. Prince said "it's got all of that, and yummy vegetables, too!" OMG. I don't know if I've ever been prouder. The friend ended up having PB & J.

But back to Core. Eating healthier... more of a lifestyle than Flex (who can count everything for the rest of their life, really?)... teaching my kids good habits... easier on my budget (less eating out, better planning). I HIGHLY recommend Core. I found this post that really backs me up- please read it, it's right-on.

Congratulations

If you're reading this, PLEASE stop over and visit my friend Sara- she had a rough time over the holidays and is just now getting back into the swing... and she had an AMAZING WI today, she deserves congratulations!

I'm proud of you, Sara! I know you can do this!!!

Down 2.8!

I guess being sick really did help me on this journey- this was a great WI. I am 8.8 lbs over my WW goal- so just 6.8 lbs away from being FREE again... I have confidence in myself, so I cancelled my Monthly Pass- effective 2/27. I asked about it, because I wondered if I had to get back down to goal before the 2 lb leeway went into effect (I don't!). The gal told me to figure out where I thought I would be on my expiration date and make sure to cancel on time... and that it would be worth it, even if I ended up paying for a week. I figure that even if I'm not quite there by the last day of my MP, I should be able to be there by my first March WI (if I can't lose 7 lbs in 3 wks, I should be able to lose it in 4 wks).

I don't have much planned this month that would deter me from my planned menus. I'll be teaching two full Saturdays, which will suck food-wise, because I usually run to Quiznos for the best sandwich ever- with added tomatoes. The stats on that thing are insane, so I'll have to make sure I take leftovers or something. I do have a class scheduled every Tuesday/Thursday night (starting next week), but as of yesterday it was going to be cancelled due to low enrollment. That class would have allowed me to have dinner at home, and would have had me moving more and getting in more activity than normal- I'm pretty bummed that it isn't going to happen (and the money really would have been nice, too).

Do you know the details about canceling your MP? YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN THE FIRST HALF of your MP month!!! They bill you about halfway through your month, and if they've already billed you, your cancellation won't go into effect until the end of the NEXT month! Of course, there are a couple of exceptions, but that's their normal procedure. This means that you MUST PLAN AHEAD when you think you might be ready to cancel. If you're canceling because you hit Lifetime, that's one of their exceptions, but (from personal experience) CALL THEM RIGHT AWAY when you get LT- don't dawdle.

Wonton Pizza Bites

I made these tonight, using Roni's recipe as a guide, and they were a hit! I only made 12- mainly because I was afraid they wouldn't all get eaten/they wouldn't reheat well- and I wish I'd made more. Everyone wanted more!

The fam was starving again (seriously, they eat constantly, yet they're always STARVING!), so no pictures tonight- sorry!

WI tomorrow... I'm interested to see how I do. I ate some outrageously high point foods (mainly this) a few days ago, but I also haven't eaten much period. (Do you eat when you don't feel good?)

That's all for now. Have a great night!

Turkey

Happy Shrove Tuesday! We were supposed to go to church for a Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras celebration tonight- dinner included- but due to lots of snow and me feeling icky, we skipped out. While it would have been a great time, I know that I wouldn't have eaten anywhere near on plan.

So instead, I made a turkey... it was 'scheduled' for last Thursday. I've had this bird sitting in my fridge since I brought it home a week ago, and figured I'd better make it soon. If you've never made a whole turkey, IT ISN'T HARD. I make one every Thanksgiving, and I usually make one at Christmas, too. Today I just tossed it into the roaster, added some juices and spices, and let it go... it was done cooking by about 3:00. (A fully thawed turkey only takes about 3-4 hours to cook. I have no idea why my grandmother used to get up at 5 AM to start the turkey.)

I pulled it out and pulled off the meat, then decided to try something I've never done before- make turkey stock with the carcass. I put the carcass/bones/random scraps of meat into my stock pot, filled the thing with water, and let it boil. I lowered the temperature and covered it, and am going to let it simmer at least until I go to bed. This gal suggests letting it simmer overnight!

The bowl of turkey meat, covered in juices, went into the fridge to wait for dinner... when it was served with the remaining sweet potato fries from last night.

A nice Core dinner. It was so simple to prepare, and pretty tasty, too.

Funny Little Story/My Kids Eat Healthier Than Yours Do

ThirdKid is usually at our house for lunch, but his mom usually sends him a lunch (it's SO cute to see him carrying his lunchbox!!!). Today he was coming at a different time, but leaving right after he and my kids usually finish lunch. His mom asked if I could just feed him with my kids if she wasn't able to send him a lunch (long story, she's having health issues).

I had every intention of serving the kids clementines, peas, and Spaghetti-Os. Except I couldn't find the Spaghetti-O's in pantry. Anywhere. I knew I didn't have enough chicken nuggets for all three of them (because my kids have eaten so many lately), so I decided to stick with fruits and veggies. They all had 2 clementines, 1/3 can of peas, and 1/3 can of corn for lunch today. They loved it and they ate almost everything. Not a big deal for my kids, they love fruits and veggies. ThirdKid was a bit more of a struggle, but even he ate most of his peas- the one thing he told me that he didn't like!

When his dad came to pick him up, I explained what had happened, and that the Prince's favorite lunch is a can of corn and a can of green beans. (I am SO not kidding!) ThirdKid's dad was really surprised, and rather impressed that I got his kid to eat all of that for lunch! (He rarely eats even 1/4 of what his mom sends, and I NEVER let him have the "fun" stuff before he finishes his healthy stuff. That's the rule I use with my own kids, and if he's going to eat with us he can follow my rules. His parents think it's a good rule, but they don't use it.) ThirdKid's dad then says "I hope he doesn't grow out of that soon" or something to that effect. I responded by saying how that's what my kids are used to- they eat a lot of fruits and veggies.

Until I was sitting down to type this out, I didn't really realize just how much healthier my kids eat than pretty much anyone else we know. The Prince's friends always have cookies and juice and other treats at their houses- even strawberry milk! My kids know that these things are treats. They love cookies and juice, but we rarely have them in the house. I don't buy juice... if they're thirsty, their options are milk or water. When we go out, SOMETIMES I'll let them have a non-caffinated soda, but usually they get chocolate milk (and that's a nice treat for them!).

I am NOT saying that they don't eat junk, because they do. But I think my idea of them eating junk is a lot different than most people's. They snack on popcorn and fruit, and sometimes I'll make them chocolate milk or lemonade to drink. Sometimes I buy them crackers or yogurt to snack on. I buy Honey-Nut Cheerios and Fruit Loops and they love those. When I buy them fast food, I usually choose the fruit option (and yes, the Prince does use the carmel dip for the apples at McD's)... or I'll get one meal with fruit and one with fries, and they'll split both. Good grief, as I'm typing this I'm feeling more and more like my kids don't eat anything fun... but that's certainly not true, it just isn't the norm at our house.

The Prince had a friend over a while back, and when the Prince wanted a snack, his friend said "Me too! Let's have cookies!". He was almost confused when I said that we didn't have any cookies- like it was something that never happens at his house. My SIL always has tons of junk (yes, junk- candy bars, bags of sweet snacks, juice boxes, etc) at her house, available for the kids to help themselves.

Is this the norm? What is it like in your house? In the houses of your friends?

Meatballs and Sweet Potato Fries

for dinner tonight- yum. I didn't end up making meatballs yesterday, I started feeling pretty bad again and decided (once again) not to bother cooking.

The meatballs were just as I posted yesterday, I ended up with 64 meatballs. If my calculations are correct, that means that 5 of them are Core + 1 pt- not too shabby! I served them with a side of spaghetti sauce for dipping.

As promised, here is a picture of my "meatball pan":



See the nice grooves? These are great for collecting the grease, but they make this thing a royal pain to clean. My mom has something similar to this that she's had forever, she only uses hers for meatballs and bacon in the microwave. Shortly after I got married, we were having company over for dinner and I was making spaghetti and meatballs. I realized I didn't have one of these pans, crossed my fingers and ran to Wal-Mart... thank goodness I found this!

I also did sweet potato fries, using suggestions found here and here. I ended up using 3 sweet potatoes, the kids munched while I cooked. Unfortunately, I overcooked a few fries:


Ready to go down the disposal


Still a little burnt on the bottoms (these did get eaten, though!)

After a little trial and error, I found what I liked, though I would have preferred them to be a bit crunchier (the slightly burnt ones were crunchy!). Someone on Roni's food blog suggested double-cooking them, I might try this next time.


The best batch, though a bit soft for my taste

Roni suggested using a big knife to cut the sweet potatoes. She wasn't kidding. I love this big knife, but don't use it very often... cutting these things definitely called for it!



She also suggested curry powder on sweet potato fries. I did try that, but was not impressed. I really preferred just the kosher salt. Please realize in the pictures that I didn't clean the pans in between uses, I just laid new raw sweet potatoes on top of where I'd already cooked some- so the pictures look like I used a lot of baking spray and salt. (I didn't use as much as it appears!)

Everyone was happy with dinner tonight. I was surprised that I ended up needing all 3 sweet potatoes. Had the kids and I not munched while stuff was cooking, one probably would have done the job, but at the end of the night, we only had a handful left over (so three was a good number). Will definitely make these again.

Super Bowl food

On my planned menu for today, I have onion rings, spinach/artichoke dip, and sweet potato fries.

Because I just did onion rings this past week, I think I'm not going to be making those. I bought some wonton wrappers this week, (thinking I'd make some Pizza Bites) but then I thought about making Spinach/Artichoke Bites- putting some of the dip in the wrappers! I was also thinking about making mini meatballs today, as they were also on my menu for last week... which has been totally ignored due to the sickness at my house.

In all honesty, though- none of this really sounds good to me today. Hubby went back to the Dr. yesterday morning and was diagnosed as having the early stages of pneumonia... I have either a really light case of the flu or a nasty cold... and the kids are fine, just suffering from a few coughs and runny noses. Hubby has spent the better part of the last FIVE days sleeping... I have been pretty ok, except Friday when I was really dizzy most of the day. Mine goes in waves, alternating from being almost fine to wanting to crawl under a rock.

The kids have been eating a lot of chicken nuggets and canned veggies, we've been taking a lot of pills and vitamins. We're not going to even talk about the number of points I've eaten in the last few days. I figure that my body needs the calories to fight whatever this is. :)

At this point, I'm still planning on making the meatballs today. Those are SO good, and will get eaten. They are ALMOST core- the only non-core item in them is the stuffing. The entire box of stuffing is 12 pts, so depending on how many I make, these will be 1 pt for maybe 3 or 4. I'll figure it out and let you know how I do. The recipe is here (as a meatloaf), but I usually make it into small meatballs. I got a very similar recipe from a WW leader about a year ago, so I think that maybe this one has been floating around the WW circles for some time.

For some reason, the link to the meatloaf recipe isn't working- it appears that the entire site is down right now! I found this recipe on the Bootcamp Buddies- Weight Watchers Support Forum, under the heading "Stove Top Meatloaf":

2 lbs 96% lean ground beef
1 box Stove Top Stuffing
1/2 cup egg substitute (I will use 2 eggs)
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and add a bit of ketchup and dijon mustard (optional). Divide into 2 loaves, coat with a thin layer of ketchup or barbecue sauce and bake for 45 minutes or more until meat is no longer pink.

Serves 8
WW Winning points- 4.75/serving (Winning Points indicates that this has definitely been around a while!!!)

Total recipe is 38 points so you can choose to get more or less servings depending on how many points you have to spend. ***Be sure to adjust points if you use a different grade of beef.


Like I said, I make these into mini meatballs. I cook them in the microwave, on a pan that I know of as my "meatball pan"... but I don't know what it is really called. It isn't easy to describe, so I'll post a picture of it when I post pictures of the meatballs. I've also made this recipe in muffin tins (as someone on that forum suggested), but my family wasn't too impressed with them.

Sick today

I got it, too. I woke up this morning and it was rather obvious that I'd finally succumbed to the flu that has hit my house... so I won't be posting anything else today.

I hope everyone else stays healthy and I hope to be back here and posting my food journals again soon! (I have yummy stuff in store this week!)

Omelette Cups

Our dinner tonight was thanks to my good friend Sara, who sent me the following email about a week ago:

I just found this core recipe on the WW msg board and thought of you. Sounds really good so I think I'll try it too!

Spray muffin pan with pam
For each muffin cup, put in 1/4 c. SW eggbeaters or plain ones or 1 egg
Add a pinch of FF cheddar cheese
Add diced ham or veggies or any combination you like

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes and voila.

These are core and are 2 for 3 points.

They're good to make ahead, keep in a baggie in the fridge for up to a week, or to freeze for up to 3 months.


I decided that this would be a good opportunity to use some of the leftover pot roast from last week... mainly because diced ham was mentioned and I don't eat ham.

I diced some of the leftover potatoes from the roast, shredded some of the meat, and started building in the muffin tins. I added sliced mushrooms (canned, because I don't have the time or money to buy whole mushrooms and clean and slice them), some of my frozen veggie mix, and a little pinch of cheddar cheese. I scrambled up some eggs (I ended up using 5), and spooned/poured egg on top of the veggie pile in each cup. I filled each cup to the very top, and baked them for about 30 minutes... I didn't think they looked done at 25 minutes.

I told the kids that they were omelette cups and the Prince had seconds! Sorry that I don't have pictures, but they were hungry hungry and I didn't have a chance! I ate two of these and thought it was enough food for me.

Todays food journal:
latte- CORE
FiberOne bar- 2 pts (2/35 WPA used)
Diet Coke- 0 pts
1/4 Laughing Cow wedge- 0 pts
carrots- CORE
2 omelette cups- CORE +1 for cheese (3/35 WPA used)

I know, that isn't enough food. But I haven't been terribly hungry, and I'm living with sick people- not appetite-inspiring.

Tomorrow night we're supposed to go to an Italian dinner with drinks. It sounds like a lot of fun, but I know I'll use several of my 32 remaining WPAs. Hubby is still feeling pretty yucky, though, so I'm not sure if we'll end up going.

Counting points

I just came back from WI- I lost exactly 1 pound this week!

I'm thinking that I need to work on my menus for a shorter timeframe than I'd tried to do, maybe do them a week at a time. I am going to revise our menu for the rest of this week and next week today, and probably will go to the store tonight again. Having a sick family has not been good for our following CORE, as I haven't felt the need to cook for a family of sickos. Our supply of leftovers has diminished to nearly nothing, so I'm needing to address this asap.

I've said before that I make myself a latte every morning. I have a great little stovetop espresso maker, I microwave my milk, and I use SF/FF DaVinci syrups for flavoring... I buy these at Sam's for less than $5/bottle. My latte is Core or 2 pts on Flex. I've gotten into the habit of eating a FiberOne bar with my coffee for breakfast, which is also 2 points (not Core). I'm not really a breakfast person and have trouble eating much in the morning, coffee seems to fill me up enough. The bar is a move in the right direction, though I'm also a big fan of Thomas LF/high fiber English muffins with reduced-sugar Smuckers (0 pts if you don't use much). I'm out of the muffins right now, but I think I'll add them to my Sam's list.

I'd like to stay on Core, but I'm going to keep better track of the points that I consume. I know that I would be losing more if I were staying closer to the 35 WPA... that's really hard to do! I'm trying to look at this as a lifestyle change- not a diet- and approach Core realistically. Honestly, I don't think that 35 points over and above any Core foods is terribly realistic for me; maybe 50 is more likely to happen... I'm a mom on the move, for goodness sakes! When I was losing a lot on Flex, I found that I lost more in the weeks that I didn't use my 35 WPA, or used very few of them; I know that the same approach should work on Core.

Snacks for Dinner

Tea for breakfast: 1 pt? (It had lemonade powder to soothe my sore throat)

Lunch was on the run:
Starbucks Skinny Latte: CORE
Starbucks Cinnamon Chip Scone: WAY NOT CORE... 19!!!!! points... totally not worth it (I should have stopped for a burger instead!)

afternoon treat w/ the kids: 1 scoop LF yogurt @ Baskin Robbins: 4 pts

and snacks for dinner. Potato wedges (CORE!) and HG's Onion Rings (CORE or pretty damned close)

The wedges I just sliced up a couple of potatoes, sprinkled them with seasoned salt and Mrs. Dash, and tossed them on a PAM-sprayed pan... they cooked for 15 or 20 minutes at 350. I just used one onion tonight, and sliced it rather thin... used 2 full eggs for dipping. I also used quite a bit of Fiber One. I've done these before and have really liked them. Tonight they were good, but I didn't think they were over-the-top good. Maybe that's because I've been craving real onion rings.


In other news, this is a short and to-the-point post tonight because of the situation at my house for the last couple of days:
2 sicko kids, 1 sicko Hubby, and my lymph nodes are way swollen. I don't have a full-blown version of what they've got, but I've got their sore throat. And I'm dealing with all of their whining. Oh, joy.

I am supposed to go to WI in the morning, but I'm not sure if I'll get that done- we'll see how the rest of the fam is.

Guilt-Free Alfredo!!!

OMG.
Seriously, wow. For dinner tonight, I combined a couple of things that I've learned about online:spaghetti squash and Hungry Girl's "girlfredo". And I'd like to repeat, WOW.

I used the Lite Garlic and Herb cheese wedges instead of the regular flavor, and I think that really added to the flavor. I served the kids the squash topped with leftover spaghetti/meat sauce from my cooking day last week. Their meal was entirely CORE, mine was not... but the couple of points were definitely worth it. HG says that one serving equals 1 pt, I know that I had more than one serving.

Hungry Girl's "Girlfredo"
1/2 Wedge The Laughing Cow Light Cheese
1 teaspoon Fat Free Sour Cream
2 teaspoons Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper (if desired)

Combine cheeses and sour cream, Mix thoroughly. Microwave to help melt cheese, and mix some more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy. Serves 1.

I made this with 6 wedges and roughly 12 times the FF sour cream. I did not have 12 times the parmesan, so I dumped in what I had (maybe 8 or 12 teaspoons?). I loved it, so did Hubby!!!

For the squash, I pre-cooked and prepared it a few days ago; it's been sitting in the fridge, waiting for tonight. I'm glad that I did the prep work ahead, just because while it wasn't really time-consuming, it still took time. Hubby and I enjoyed the squash instead of "real" noodles, and he said that it really filled him up. Please note that this is a vegetable, and it does not taste like pasta!!! It is a bit on the sweet side, kinda smells like pumpkin (especially before you cook it!), and is definitely a veggie... that said, I will for sure make this again.

CrockPots, anyone?

I've decided that I need a new crockpot. The one I have works great, but it's getting a bit small. No, it isn't shrinking, but my family is growing (as is the amount of food that I cook!). The one I have was a wedding gift (8 yrs ago!), and I thought it was 2 quarts... but a bit of research on the company's website makes me think maybe it holds 3 qts... either way, I think I want a bigger one.



Do you have a bigger crockpot that you would recommend? I'm thinking probably 5-6 qts. I don't buy a darned thing without researching a little (to find out if what I'm buying will turn out to be crap), and I haven't found too many opinions on crockpots. I don't want to spend big money, but I don't want to buy something that I won't be happy with, either.

I'm also thinking about getting one of these neat units. My grocery store has a coupon for them this week- $10 off- that's 1/2 price! What a deal! Although I have no immediate use for this, I wanted something like it around the holidays, and I'm sure it would be a handy thing to have around. Anyone else have one?

Thank you so much for your comments! I appreciate any advice you can offer!

To increase my chances at getting responses to this post, I'm cross-posting it on both of my blogs... thanks for understanding!

I suck. But I'll do better...

I really feel bad that I haven't done a darn thing that I said I was going to. I said I was going to do the Calendar Girls challenge, and I've done terribly at that... mainly because I haven't stayed within 5 pts/day over Core.

I haven't been blogging here every day, and I really haven't been posting my daily food journal.

I haven't been back here since Friday to post that soup recipe that I promised.

I haven't cleaned up and added links to make this blog easier to navigate (and find older recipes).

And... I haven't been on plan. At all. I've been ignoring this diet all weekend and I have a feeling I'll pay for it at WI. Thank goodness I have a few days to make up for what I've done (or haven't done).

So yes, I think I suck... but I know I'll do better.

Facelift, Week's worth of updates

So what do you think? Do you like the new look?

Honestly, I was trying to make some bigger changes, but it turned out that I'd bit off more than I could chew- this was enough of a facelift for now; but I AM still going to be typing out recipes.

I have been really busy and really wiped out all week- haven't had any desire at all to sit down at night and write about my day. I'm very sorry, because I've not been doing anything towards my goal of blogging my daily food journal... let's see...

Sunday night we went out for dinner with my family, after a stressful afternoon at the assisted living center with my grandma. I did not stick to Core, but I did limit my portion size and split a lettuce/chicken wrap with my mom. (I did eat the onion rings that came with it, and drank a hard English cider- totally not OP!)

Monday night I made a recipe that hubby had copied down at a WW mtg- pasta with broccoli, cauliflower, and lemon. It's Core if you sub FF cheese for the regular cheese... but I've never seen FF parmesan in the store, have you?!? So it was almost Core. Hubby liked it, but I was really not impressed... I'm not even going to give out that recipe. :(

Tuesday the kids and I went grocery shopping, hoping to get back in time to make dinner early enough that hubby could join us before he had to leave for a meeting. He'd asked that we pick something up for him to eat if we didn't think we'd be home in time... so I got Hy-Vee Chinese (really great Chinese food, right there and made fresh in the store!) and caved, buying Chinese for all of us (instead of the low-point-but-not-Core soup I'd planned).

Later that evening, I realized that the Prince had a nasty case of pinkeye, and I freaked out about it. I know that this is very contagious and I went a bit nuts, washing my hands after even touching him- trying NOT to get it myself. The pinkeye really grossed me out and I knew that I didn't want it to spread through our whole house... can you imagine giving putting eye drops into the eyes of a 21-month-old?!? We went to the Dr. Wednesday morning and got him on the prescription, but that meant no school for him.

I decided that since I'd be at home all day Wednesday, not having to worry about taking 3 kids to and from preschool (and waking 2 of them from their naps to do it), I'd do some prep work and some cooking. I made about 12 quarts of marinara sauce, added browned ground turkey (and beef bullion cubes to make it "beefier"), and pre-made 3 baked spaghettis and 2 lasagnas- all Core except for the cheese on top. My busy season is fast approaching, and it will be nice to be able to pull these out of the freezer without having to put in the time of putting them together.

For dinner last night (still Wednesday), I made the soup that I'd planned on for the night before (until I caved for Chinese!). I will edit this post (hopefully 1/25) with that recipe... The recipe is not mine, but came from a friend of my mom- she says that it is 1 point per cup, but I've never done the math. I've made it as written, but I think it's too time consuming, so I usually tweak it a bit. I use all frozen vegetables, the whole pound of cheese, and about 4 ounces of extra chicken broth. I usually skip the potatoes, but yesterday I remembered that I had about a half of a bag of hashbrown potatoes in the freezer- I dumped in about half of that. I also usually skip the Butter Buds, but I'd recently bought a shaker, so instead of an envelope of BBs, I gave it a few shakes. Really, anything to follow the "gist" of this recipe, but to make it easier. Still tastes great, and is fine to freeze and reheat! Unfortunately, neither of the kids liked this soup (just means more for me!)

Tonight I made a pot roast with a top round cut, cooked it all day in the crockpot with carrots, chopped potatoes, onions, and green beans. My dad and brother joined us for dinner, and the adults all gave this two thumbs up. The kids did not.

I did not do well on my 35 WPAs for the upcoming week... today I went overboard on them... an ice cream cone at home (I'm counting it as 8 pts), a medium-sized chocolate shake and roughly a medium order of fries from McDonald's (the fries were in the bottom of the bag, they'd all dumped out... I DID buy them for the three kiddos that NEEDED snacks while we were out running today... and the shake just sounded SOOO good...) I really don't want to know how many points I consumed in the car today, because of that little McD's stop. Thank goodness it was on the starting end of my week and I can work to compensate for that the rest of the week!

Now, to wrap up this ridiculously long post, I weighed in today: down 1.2 from Saturday! (only 5 days between WI instead of the usual week!) That puts me 12.6 over my WW goal, and 10.6 over where I won't have to keep paying!!! Five weeks left in my personal challenge period (through the end of February) and I am on track to surpass my goal of losing 2 lbs per week, which would bring me to 3.8 over my WW goal. IF I can continue this good run, 2.5 lbs/week would get me all the way down to goal- this is exciting stuff!

I WILL get back here and post the soup recipe, as well as some of the others I've mentioned. And pictures from my day in the kitchen yesterday. Dinner tomorrow is lasagna, ready and waiting to go into the oven... this one has a twist, and I'll show that off tomorrow, too.

Updating Blog Setup...

I'm still here, just going to take some time and organize a bit.

I'd like to type out all the recipes I've mentioned so far, mainly because Heather's site isn't up right now. I'm also planning on tagging my old posts and adding a link list so that things are easier to find.

I've been looking at blog templates, too, mainly because I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the current one... so this blog might look a bit different the next time you check in (or it might not!).

I mentioned to Sara the other day that I need to start being better at actually COUNTING my points, and posting those along with my food journals here. I know that will help me to be successful, and that is where the accountability comes in... so I might figure out how to build a table so my food list and counting looks cleaner when I post.

I have been sticking to Core, and I've worked out a planned menu of dinners for the next few weeks. Now I need to hit the grocery store again! Tonight's dinner is NOT Core, but is a variation on one of my mom's WW recipes... very low pts.

Salmon tonight, and an explanation...

Tonight I made salmon, veggies, and bulgar for dinner... all Core! No pictures, as my family was starving. I made chicken nuggets for the kids instead of the salmon, but only because I only found 2 salmon fillets in the freezer- if I'd had more, they would have had it too. This was my first experience with bulgar, and although I know it is usually served IN something, I chose to serve it as a side... it is supposed to be a good substitute for brown rice, so I figured why not? Hubby was not impressed (neither was I, but it wasn't too bad), but both kids ate it. Princess wouldn't touch it, but ate her entire serving when Hubby spoon-fed it to her; the Prince said it was "his favorite". (Goofy kids!)

I mentioned I had bad news... when I went onto Heather's Recipe Site the other day, this email is posted on her front page:

Sorry, folks - Weight Watchers says game over.



From: WeightWatchers.com

Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 5:04 PM

Re: Warning #3

Dear Heather,

Your posts on WeightWatchers.com’s message boards have again come to our attention. Despite multiple warnings, we found that your posts were again in violation of the WeightWatchers.com Terms and Conditions. This is your third and final warning.

2 TBS all-purpose flour (1 WPA over six servings = 0 WPAs)

By registering with our site you agreed to abide by our Terms and Conditions, which outline our community standards. We encourage you to review these terms. If we find that after this warning your posts still do not comply with the Terms and Conditions, we may be forced to take further action. This may include, but is not limited to, revoking your privilege to use all or parts of our website as well as banning your user name from our message boards. If we feel your violation is egregious or if you continue to disregard our warnings, we will notify your ISP of your actions on our site and work with them to find a solution.

We hope you will give this serious consideration.

Sincerely,
Brandon
Customer Service Associate
www.weightwatchers.com

There were no links and all of the links that I have bookmarked (and included in previous posts) were broken. I ended up going to the WW message boards to search for the recipe I'd planned on for dinner that night, and posted this on those boards as well. Tonight when I went to her site, the email was gone (glad I posted it elsewhere, or I couldn't have shown you!), and this was there:

Make your voice heard!
Complaints (ahem), comments, and suggestions can be directed to:

Sharon A. Fordham, CEO
Weight Watchers International, Inc.
11 Madison Ave., 17th Fl.
New York, NY 10010

The site appears to be in the process of being re-built... but all of the links are password-protected. I don't know if they will stay that way or not, but I'm going to try to contact Heather and ask. I'm also going to complain to Sharon about this!!!

If you've been using Heather's site, please voice your complaints as directed above. I LOVED her site and will be very disappointed if I can no longer use it and share those recipes and pictures with you!

Down 4.0!

We've had a busy few days- the last thing I've had time to do was post, let alone go and weigh in... my WI day is Thursday, and I just was able to go this morning (Saturday). Sure, I could have left the service guys at my house and taken both kids and weighed on Thursday, but I have issues with leaving strange men in my home alone.

If you want details on what's been happening around my house the last few days, please check my other blog. This one is about food and my weight loss journey. That one is about anything else I decide to ramble on about. (Big cheesy grin...)

So I think I like this Core stuff... no counting (except the 35 weeklies)... just eating healthy UNTIL SATISFIED. That does not mean eat until just past full, then when putting away the leftovers an hour later, eat another serving or two because it was just SO GOOD. Yeah, we've all been there. You know what I mean.

Let's see... Tuesday I made the awesome Baked Spaghetti that took entirely too frickin' long to prepare. I haven't offered the leftovers to anyone else in my house because I am hoping no one remembers them, and am eating them myself. Wednesday was church night... no control over what is served... this was a good week- they served sloppy joes and baked beans, ice cream sandwiches for dessert. I ate my 'joe' without the bun, and finished my kids' dinners too- I NEVER make baked beans and they were yummy. I think beans are lower in pts if they don't have pork in them... these did not appear to be "porky". Oh, and yes, I DID have dessert. 6 points, I believe.

Thursday I made Taco Soup, which I was very excited about (until I found out that my mom says it's an old WW recipe that she's had for years). After it had been cooking for a couple hours, I stirred and wanted to taste... and ended up having 2 little bowls of it! I loved it at dinner, too, and while the family didn't rave they did eat it all... hubby said it would be really good with cheese. I think it is more of a chicken chili than a taco soup... either way it's yum. Too bad I won't be making it again. Hubby asked me last night if I would please never make it again, and I think he was right... our family has been really "musical" lately from all of that "musical fruit". (I know, TMI!) Last night and today my tummy has been all tied up in knots, which really isn't fun.


Taco soup leftovers- I forgot to take a picture earlier

We were boring last night and just did leftovers, but this is good because I'm working on making sure that they get eaten (instead of taking up space in the fridge and eventually tossed).


lots of leftovers!

I've not been good at keeping track of my 35 pts this week, but I have been careful at what goes into my mouth. I've been craving something chocolatey and sweet, but instead of baking I've been hitting my stash. I've tried a pk of Hostess 100-calorie cupcakes (which kinda helped), and FiberOne bars (which helped a lot, surprisingly). I'm making a point to exclude bread from my diet, partly because I know that it is high in points, and partly because I don't like it plain- only with stuff like butter and cinnamon-sugar, or peanut butter... not what I need to be eating.

I did well on WW when I was on Flex, too, but I had a much higher daily pts allotment... I think it would be really hard for me to stick to 21 pts (which will probably be 20 next week!) and not be starving. I know that there are ways to do it- my mom eats a lot of plain tomato soup and veggies- but I'm running a household with young kids and don't have time to cook for them and something else for me. I want real food, and I don't want to feel like the rabbit that I would resemble if I was trying to stick to 20 pts/day. I was breastfeeding the whole time I was on Flex, so I had between 32 and 29 pts/day- that's more like it! I'm guessing that I eat 25-30 pts/day on Core, and I'm eating food that I like- I really don't understand HOW I'm losing, honestly! Flex gave me the mindset that pasta is a no-no, along with fish and red meat. I'm eating those things, so why am I losing? It's because I'm following the Core plan, and eating healthier versions of these foods... and eating reasonable portions. It's hard to stop when I'm satisfied sometimes, but nice knowing that I'll just have more tomorrow for lunch. I'm learning, but it seems to be working.

Now to my current progress on last week's goal declaration: lose 2 lbs/week for 7 weeks- the final WI of my personal challenge being 2/28/08. If I were to accomplish this goal, I would be exactly 3.8 lbs over my WW goal, making it very attainable.

I am now 13.8 lbs above goal. (7 lbs down in 2 weeks! Yippee!) I have 6 weeks left in this personal challenge. If I lose an average of 2.3 lbs/week between now and then, I will have beaten my challenge and will be at goal. At my current rate of progress, this seems reasonable. At the very least, one would assume that I would be able to be very close to that goal weight, right?

I'm not so sure. I remember how hard it was to lose those last few pounds... I really hope that I'll do ok this time around.

Lots to say...

but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I have a fabulous new recipe to share, plus some big-bad-bummer news...

(but don't worry, I'm not going anywhere- I'll be back in a few hours to fill you in!)

Baked Spaghetti

Tonight we had Baked Spaghetti on the menu, I'd estimated that this would take about 2 hours to prepare, but it appeared that it would be a "hands-off" two hours: a little prep work, let it sit and cook, a bit more prep, cook some more, prep one more time, cook and serve.

The prep took much longer than anticipated.

This recipe starts out by making a sauce, which will sit and simmer for about an hour.


the start of the sauce

I was about a third of the way through the ingredients list when I realized that this sauce is extremely similar to my homemade sauce... so similar that I decided to eyeball the measurements and add in a few other things. I added a bit more garlic (powder, not fresh); I substituted minced (dried) onion for fresh chopped (and I'm sure I used way more than called for); I skipped the bay leaves (I've never liked bay leaves); I also skipped the green pepper (didn't feel like chopping today), but tossed in a cup or so of frozen veggies*. I also added some leftover spaghetti sauce that I had in my freezer from a while ago- maybe a cup? Also, this recipe calls for 2 cups of diced tomatoes and 2 cups of tomato sauce. A can of tomatoes is 14.5 oz, tomato sauce is 15 oz- each notquite 2 cups. I figured it would be ok, and I'd do it again at just one can of each. The tomatoes I used were the kind with garlic and onion... I never buy the plain diced tomatoes, always with flavor.


sauce is ready to simmer for an hour

*About my frozen veggies: Shortly after I started WW, I bought lots of fresh veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, carrots) and spent an evening dicing, mixing, and bagging them into gallon-sized freezer bags. These bags of frozen veggies have been fantastic for me- it's so easy just to toss a handful or so into whatever I'm cooking to "healthy" it up a bit. (Even boxed mac & cheese tastes better with a couple of cups of veggies!) My family never minded that I was adding veggies to most of our meals, and the kids sometimes prefer to eat the veggies instead of the rest of the entree! I always have these on hand in addition to whatever other frozen/canned veggies I have, and I tend to use these way more often.
The first time I did this, I let the veggies sit out for a couple of hours before I got them into bags and in the freezer... they dried out quite a bit before I froze them. I wish I'd done that every time, because the juice from the veggies forms ice inside the bags- I have to break up the ice before I can scoop out the veggies.


my bag of veggies

After letting the sauce sit and simmer for about 45 minutes, I started browning the ground beef. Mine was stored in our chest freezer and took at least 15-20 minutes to go from really-frozen to brown, so I added it right into the sauce when it was ready.


doesn't that look delish? sauce with meat added

The sauce/meat mix is supposed to simmer for another 20 minutes, so I used this time to cook the pasta. The recipe calls for 8 oz of uncooked spaghetti, I used one full 12 oz box. (Because what am I going to do with 4 oz of pasta?) I added water to the pan I'd used for the meat and put the pasta right in- didn't worry about cleaning it first. The extra bit of grease from the meat was enough that I didn't feel the need to add any oil to the water, and I think it gave the noodles an extra bit of flavor.


noodles cooking in water and leftover beef grease

Finally- ready to prepare for the oven! This is where I was ready to call it quits and just serve it like regular spaghetti. I was ticked that it had taken so long to prepare (especially when the sauce was so much like my own, I usually add ground beef to my sauce, too!); and I couldn't see what good baking this in the oven was going to do other than take longer. The Prince was starving. But I kept working, essentially building a lasagna.

First a layer of sauce, then noodles, then cheese. (The recipe calls for 2 cups of soy or FF cheese. I used maybe a cup-ish of 2% cheddar, because I was unable to find soy or FF cheese. FF cottage cheese would probably be great in this.)





I layered until I was out of noodles, topped with sauce (the top layer was a bit skimpy on sauce), and FINALLY put it in the oven to bake for 30 min. Take it out, top with cheese, return it to the oven. Set the table, take dinner back out of the oven and serve. We sat down a little after 6, I started this project at about 3:45. My kids like to eat between 5-5:30.


ready for the oven


all done!


this took some work- it did not look this nice on the other plates!

Was it all worth it? Oh yeah- I'm actually surprised at how good this really was! I figured it would just be glorified spaghetti, nothing too exciting (and I was not happy about that, based on the amount of time involved). And it really was just glorified spaghetti, but it was gooood.


the Princess approved!


so did the Prince!

Next time, I'll use just one can each of the tomatoes/sauce (like I did today) OR I'll use 2 cans if I don't have any leftover sauce to add in- probably because I used extra noodles, there almost wasn't enough sauce. Again, I'd wing it on the sauce recipe and add in the veggies (still omitting the green pepper and bay leaves). I would use the whole box of pasta, too- that worked well. I would SKIP the cheese- I couldn't taste it anyway- or use FF cottage cheese in between the layers to give it more of a lasagna taste. If I could find WW lasagna noodles, I'd definitely use those instead and really make it a lasagna instead of baked spaghetti. No need for cheese on top, it's only really good if you use a lot so it gets ooey-gooey, and with this amount I didn't think it was worth it. Most important thing about this meal? EAT SLOWLY AND SAVOR IT- I realized when I got up for seconds that I didn't need more, but I still wanted more, so I got just a couple of bites and enjoyed those slowly.

If you try this, I really hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. Be liberal with your spices/seasonings, this might be a bit bland as written.


All-Core, all-day except for the cupcake at breakfast!