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...