Happy Monday all!  I was off running ~ “literally” this morning when I left the house with only 8 minutes before the train arrived.  Actually I am pretty sure running from the bedroom to the kitchen to the living room and out the door didn’t really let The Husband sleep in ~ oops LOL…..

I managed to park and run to the train stop just as it was pulling in.

NOTE TO SELF ~ tell my brain the train is arriving 10 minutes BEFORE it does so then I am never late, right? ha!

Even though I pretty much had no time, I still managed to throw a few things in my bag for my ride for breakfast.

Mixed Berries ~ I am IN LOVE with these organic berries we got at Costco ~ they are firm!

Plus an Egg-Wich (5 points+)

When I hopped off the train I created a little “competition” and “challenged” myself to walk as fast as I could to beat The Guys (my walking buddies) who took the shortcut route.

I did it ~ Girls Rule! I walked my 1.3+ miles in 17 minutes passing them before they got to the front door!

Work is really crazy busy still, but, we all still found time for our Holiday Party ~ Mexican Food that was catered!

I had 6 chips with salsa to start x’s 2 (4 points+).

We were all served up plates of Tacos ~ I think they know me too well already LOL.

Chicken Taco (5 points+) ~ my favorite!

Pork Taco (5 points+)

With Rice & Beans on the side (5 points+ for what I ate)

I had actually planned on passing up dessert but one of my co-workers delivered this Red Velvet Cupcake.  I thought of trying to take it home to The Husband but didn’t think it would make the train ride.  It was totally worth it (5 points+)

Since we already had our salad mix made up from last night, dinner only took about 10 minutes to make.

I have pretty much decide BACON, cheese and sunflower seeds totally go with grapes on top of salads ~ this combination made our salads creamy, crunchy, smoky, sweet and not like any “diet” salad you will ever eat!

SUPER EASY CHICKEN SALAD WITH BACON & GRAPES (print it!)

In the mix:

• Organic Mixed Greens & Organic Romaine
• Organic Shredded Carrots, Red Cabbage & Organic Broccoli Slaw
• Snap Peas, cucumber, mini bell peppers, GRAPES
• 1 Tbsp Sunflower Seeds (1 points+)
• 1/2 oz low-fat sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded (1 points+)
• 2 slices Trader Joe’s Bacon, crumbled (2 points+)
• 2 oz cooked chicken breast, (2 points+)

Drizzled with 2 Tbsp BoltHouse Yogurt Ranch (2 points+) ~ it tastes pretty close to homemade ranch!

• Total Daily Points+: 37 (not bad for a holiday party day & I feel good about using my WPA!)
• Total Activity points+: 3 for my power walks

Q’s

I cannot wait for The Biggest Loser Finale tomorrow night ~ who are you rooting for???

I am torn but I think I want Ramon to win or Antoine, but, not John

Night all!

Happy Wednesday all!  I really wanted to have someone whip up a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup for me this week since I am trying to get over this cold.  I am sort of a soup snob.  I LOVE homemade soups and rarely eat canned soup even when I am sick.  It is so easy to make hearty chicken noodle soup that tastes like it has been cooking for hours in just 3 simple steps.

This recipe works well if you have leftover chicken to use up, chicken in the freezer (it can go straight in the pan) or you could even take a short cut and use a rotisserie chicken.  The fresh herbs and lemon juice really brighten the flavor, while the fire roasted tomatoes bring a smoky richness and homemade soup taste.  I used a few sprigs of fresh herbs I had in the garden, however, you can use dried herbs if that is all you have on hand.

This soup is packed with veggie goodness and delicious by itself, however, I bet it would be even better if someone would come over and make me homemade crusty sour dough bread LOL.

I will be explaining my Recipage Recipe Organizer soon (it’s so cool!), but, for now, if you would like to print, email, send it to your phone, facebook or tweet this recipe, CLICK HERE.

HEARTY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 sprig  rosemary, thyme and oregano or 1/2 tsp each dried
• 1 bay leave, fresh or dried
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted, Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, optional
• 4 oz whole wheat egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley to garnish, optional
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Combine chicken broth through bay leave in a large soup pan over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  If using fresh herb sprigs, remove and discard sprigs and bay leave. 

2.  Remove chicken breast, shred and set aside.  Add carrots through parmesan and return to a boil.  Cook for 10 minutes, until carrots are softened slightly.  Add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes.

3.  Return chicken to pan and season to taste with black pepper.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley before serving.

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/2 cups each, 5 points+ each

Nutritional information per serving, based on 6 servings

Thanks for all the congrats on my new job!  I LOVE that you all are so supportive and I can’t wait to share my new adventures in Sactown with you all.  I will be back tomorrow with a normal daily if I stop eating something other than soup and fruit, but, for now, I am off to drink my Echinacea Tea with honey and catch some z’s.

Night all.

Hi, I’m Shannon from Shannonskitchencreations.com and Danica asked me to be one of her guest posters this week! I was thrilled to be able to share with you a little about me and my site. I am a SAHM of 3 small children and I have been working hard to get back that pre-baby body from 7 years ago. I am a weight watcher’s lifetime member, but I have never been able to get back to that “Golden” number! I started my site originally to just document some of my favorite sinful recipes, but after having my third baby in January I decided to add healthier recipes to my blog. I create down home comfort foods done in a lighter way. I love fried chicken, pizza and ice cream. So you will find lots of those recipes with weight watchers points. I have lost 40 lbs so far with 20 more to go! I also love to review and giveaway healthy foods. Up next is 5 bags of Food Should Taste Good Chips! I just recently started a second mommy fashion blog called whatshotmommy.com! Here I share video tutorials and bargains on how go from frumpy to fabulous! Check it out!

The recipe I chose to feature in this post is one that has been sitting in my recipe box for over a year. I get Food Network magazine and love tearing out recipes that sound and look delicious. I am a huge fan of Buffalo wings. I love the spicy kick mixed with the creaminess of the blue cheese dressing. However, in restaurants they are deep fried and very high in points!! So when I took out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese I knew the nutritional info was going to be scary….IT WAS!!!!

Each serving had 868 calories, 48.2 grams of fat, 1465 mg of sodium, 79.6 grams of carbs, 3.9 grams of fiber and 28.9 grams of protein! 1 cup was 23 points + each!!! Ouch!!!

So I decided to modify the recipe with some healthy alternatives. I swapped out the half and half for 1 % milk, used low fat cheese and sour cream and opted for whole wheat pasta. I was able to shave a whopping 15 points off per serving, so 1 cup is only 8 points +!! This was spicy, creamy, cheesy and just down right awesome!!! Enjoy and make sure to visit and like me at Shannon’s Kitchen Creations on Facebook for new recipes and giveaways and at What’s Hot Mommy for all my makeup, skincare and fashion accessories ideas and giveaways!!!

Light Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

 Adapted from Food Network

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 1/4  cups 1 % milk
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup light blue cheese dressing
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 7 baked tortilla chips crushed

INGREDIENTS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

3.  Melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the milk, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4.  Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

6.  Top with blue cheese dressing, crushed tortilla chips, and parsley. Bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings, 8 points + each

Nutritional information, 1/6 of casserole – 8 points +

297 calories, 10.6 grams of fat, 94 mg of sodium, 32.3 grams of carbs, 1.2 grams fiber, 17 grams protein

Thanks Shannon for sharing your story, success and one recipe I already know we HAVE to try!  I LOVE the idea of putting crushed tortilla chips on top of my mac n cheese along with buffalo chicken ~ YUM!  Your recipes are fantastic and you are truly an inspiration!

Danica

Happy Friday Eve all!  I am going to have to “GEEK” Out on you all tonight just a little.  Have you all seen the Progress Reports BETA on your WW Online tracker yet??  It IS SO cool because I am a visual person and it honestly gives you so much information about the week and the month (each layout is different!)

The COOLEST part about this ~ it doesn’t matter if you are tracking on your cool new Weight Watchers BETA App or online ~ it sync’s it up to BOTH. 

Total motivation to TRACK IT ALL just so you can get fun charts and graphs to let you know how you are REALLY USING your points+!  It’s also a great way to see where you can improve.

OK ~ GEEK out session done!  Go check it out and you will see exactly what I mean!

This morning I think my brain was still broken….I didn’t make a pre-workout snack, didn’t pass go or collect $200.  When I got to the office I was STARVING….after rummaging my desk, I found a pack of Low-Fat Cinnamon Grahams that I figured I could stomach and still workout. (2 points+)

I am pretty proud of myself because I honestly did NOT want to workout today at all.  It is days like this that I think I push myself to MOST

* 21 minutes on the treadmill including a maxed out hill (20 cross ramp, 20 resistance)

* 13 minute 3 minute jog/1 minute walk intervals on the treadmill

* Crunches and oblique crunches to fatigue

* 25 push-ups

* Lots of stretching

THE END!

I definitely earned my post workout snack ~ 1/2 cup Tracey’s Trail Mix (3 points+)

Maple Veggie Sausage (2 points+) ~ I had to tell my mouth my stomach said it didn’t need two of these.

Apple Bites!

I decided I didn’t want my lunch today because I was CRAVING a BIG GREEN SALAD!  I figure anytime I am craving veggies over carbs ~ GO WITH IT!

I should be more specific ~ I WANTED The Pasta Shop Salad Bar! I LOVE them and made sure I sampled almost every salad they had.

Fresh citrus, apple, grape arugula salad

Lemon Broccoli Salad with peanuts

The BEST green beans and mushroom salad I’ve ever had ~ it tasted like sweet balsamic with fresh herbs.

Honey Balsamic Mushrooms, Onions and Red Peppers….I pondered going back and buying an entire container of just these!

More of those amazing roasted carrots & butternut squash.  I am totally going to ask the chef one day how they get their veggies so caramelized….it’s AMAZING!

Cheesy Polenta Cubes

I put everything on top of a bed of mixed greens & carrots.  My protein was an egg underneath the bread).  I didn’t need dressing. (12 points+ estimate)

I rewarded myself for not buying ANY of their delicious looking desserts buy buying a small piece of Sea Salted Burnt Caramel Chocolate.

Definitely not as good as the Pete’s squares, but, not too bad either.

I put Shannon’s Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot this morning.  My only changes were to add corn, onion and garlic.  I doubled the vegetables and this soup filled my entire 3 quart crockpot.

Topped with tomatoes, 1 Tbsp LF Sharp Cheddar, 1/8 AVOCADO and cilantro. (6 points+)

The Husband “scoops” his soup…I like the crumble mine over the top so I have a little crunch in every bite. (4 points+)

I actually bought banana bread bananas at my local grocery store (they are half price and ripe) just so I could make my Brown Sugar Banana Nut Muffins for The Husband.

I was multi-tasking while baking these muffins chatting with Zesty Cook about a super cool project we are doing for Friends for Weight Loss when I realized I didn’t have enough baking powder.

Thanks to Zesty for SAVING me and letting me know what I could substitute for baking powder.

Here is HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BAKING POWDER

1 tsp “baking powder” = 1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp baking soda

Worked like a charm and ~ puffy muffins and you’d never know I didn’t use the real deal!

Ummm, I can NEVER make these without eating one HOT right out of the pan (5 points+)

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Shannon shows us how to make some serious protein packed Stuffed Zucchini!

GIVEAWAY!!

* Tonight is your last chance to WIN A WINE TASTING KIT ~ Winner selected tomorrow!

Q’s

Ok ~ I have to know since it’s all the hype…..Are you watching the Royal Wedding?  If so, how EARLY are you getting up?! Fess up

I actually have a few friends getting up at 4 and 5 am to watch.  Some friends are even hosting breakfasts and tea parties, but, it wasn’t enough to get me out of bed.  Since I am a morning person, I did tell my them I’d text them if I was up

ONE MORE DAY ~ Night all!

Happy Monday All! Wow, I guess you all do want to know how my brain works and why I changed my Weight Watcher Meeting Day as mentioned on yesterday’s post.  For what it’s worth, here was my logic:

* Weighing in on Sunday makes it “challenging” because I try to eat light and low sodium 1-2 days before weigh in.  We usually go out on Friday and/or Saturday nights which can sometimes mess with my weigh in results.

*  If I weigh in on Friday morning and we DO go out on Friday and/or Saturday, I have an entire week to be good and not have it show on the scale.  I usually do great at making my meals/staying on track during the week so I can enjoy our weekends without wondering if it will affect my weigh-in.

* Ironically, I think it might encourage me to do better on weekends because I don’t like using all my WPA up at the beginning of the week.

* I usually have to miss at least one WI meeting a month where I do a fly by weigh in so we can head to the antique show.

* If we travel for the weekend, I can weigh in BEFORE we go instead of just skipping the meeting.

* I LOVE my Sunday group and will miss them, but, sometimes it’s fun and gives you renewed motivation to visit different meetings.

* I LOVE My Sunday Leader, but, she also teaches the early morning Friday Meeting!

I am sure there are probably more reasons I could list because I had quite the conversation in my head for about a month while I pondered.  It’s all about trial and error and finding what works best for you.  I am hoping this is My SOLUTION!  I will definitely keep you all posted on how it goes.

The Husband was nice and brought me a Venti Iced Dirty Latte (Nonfat, Decaf, Latte with 1 pump Mocha) to start my day! (4 points+)

He also brought donuts home, but, I didn’t have any.  Instead, I whipped up a delicious Protein Pancake.

Click HERE for the Recipe ~ Topped with 1/2 a banana, 1 tsp of Whipped Butter, 1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup and a sprinkle of Organic Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (10 Points+)

Breakfast kept me full all morning long ~ no snacks required.  I think being super busy at work does that to you too.

I couldn’t wait to dig into lunch.  I whipped up this AWESOME Cooking Light recipe for Chicken and White Bean Soup that was recommended by one of my super cool readers.

CLICK HERE for the Recipe.

Any recipe that starts off with crisping up 2 slices of bacon is a WINNER in my book

Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and set aside.

I used chicken breast over chicken thighs because it is what I had on hand.  Add the chicken to the bacon grease and cook for about 6 minutes.

While the chicken cook, I prepped all the remaining ingredients.

Mushrooms, garlic and onion.

Diced tomatoes, dried oregano (it’s what I had vs fresh) and crushed red peppers (ummm, because I add them to everything).

Parsley.

I sort of didn’t read the recipe all the way through since I was supposed to remove the chicken before adding in the mushroom mix.  Eh, I went with it and cooked it as though I was following the recipe

As much as I love fresh tomatoes, I actually think that canned diced tomatoes might give this soup even more flavor.

Add back the bacon, plus 2 cups of broth and water.

Add 2/3 cup of Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta and cook for 8 minutes.

Add your beans (I used pinto because it’s what I had on hand) and cook for 2 additional minutes.

Remove from heat and add parsley plus a splash of vinegar.

Divide into 4 bowls, top with parmesan and crush red pepper flakes if desired.  The entire recipe made about 8 cups.  Each serving is 8 points+.

Crusty French bread for dipping.  I had a slice for 2 points+.

My belly was full but my mouth wanted something sweet so I snacked on one dried pear.  As odd as it sounds, it definitely hit the spot.

I snacked on some banana chips and watermelon chunks.

Dinner tonight was actually picked out by The Husband when he was glancing through my Weight Watcher magazine.  He is funny because he always says he never looks at my magazines, but, then will come and show me a picture or tell me a story LOL.

Weight Watchers Best-Ever Cheese Steak Sandwiches

They are actually really simple to make and only 8 points+ each.

TIP!!! I absolutely agree that having your pan SUPER HOT makes all the difference in the world when you are trying to “create” a nice crust on your steak. 

The only seasoning I used on my steak was Emeril’s Original Essence.  HIs Essence Spice Mix is versatile and can be used on so many things to bring out the “natural” flavor.

NOTE ~ The BIG steak is for this recipe and the other two were cooked up for The Husband as “snacks” as requested.

I seared each side in 2 tsp canola oil for 5 minutes and then place the steaks in the oven on low to finish cooking.  My coal was Medium to Medium Well as The Husband doesn’t like his steak any other way.

Don’t worry, even though it looks burned, it doesn’t taste burned.

Add 1 tsp canola oil along with  your mushrooms, onions and garlic to the same pan you seared your steaks in so they absorb all the bits of flavor.

Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

Add in the sliced steak.

Plus a little less than 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  I reserved about 2 tbsp to add to the top of the sandwich.

This was the HARDEST PART ~ take out the soft part of the bread and throw it away ~ who does that?!  I reluctantly did….

Add Cheese Steak Mix and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  The Husband actually came into the kitchen at this point and was like ~ that’s MY SANDWICH, right?! LOL.

Cut into 4 slices and serve.

MMMMMMM!! We both LOVED this and I am not even a huge cheese steak fan.  It honestly tastes just like a good well seasoned steak, mushroom and onion sandwich with hints of cheesey richness for only 8 points+.

For our sides, I made a Quick Tomato Basil Caprese Salad

In the food processor add and puree:

~ 1 cup basil leaves

~ 1 lemon, juiced

~ 1 garlic clove

~ 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

~ Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Pour over

~ 1 Pint organic cherry tomatoes, halved

~ 1 container fresh mozzarella balls

Makes 9 servings, 1/3 cup each, 2 points+ per serving

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Shannon shares a super easy recipe for 6 points+ Buffalo Chicken Pizza! Click HERE for the recipe!

GIVEAWAYS!!

* Win a Case of Chobani ~ Click Here

* Win an ENTIRE YEAR of ORGANIC VALLEY GROCERIES ~ Click HERE!

Q’S

Do you attend meetings? If so, what do you love most about your meeting?  Do you pick a certain day of the week to weigh-in? 

Night all!

Happy Biggest Loser day all!  Bacon ~ where do I start?! I think there were several ways you all have eaten bacon that I NEED to try!  Thanks for the great comments on the BACON Baked Tortellini with Vegetables….I honestly think bacon makes just about everything taste better.

Did I mention I am SO PUMPED that the Biggest Loser contestants are going to New Zealand?!  I LOVE watching shows where they travel to places so I can decide if I want to add their travels to my life list of places to visit.  Tonight’s show should be good!

This week I am bringing back my egg and banana combo because well we bought 5 dozen eggs and it’s a quick pre workout breakfast. (2 points+)

I only had 25 minutes for my morning workout so I really pushed it on the Elliptical this morning.  I started off with a 2 minute warm up then alternated doing 1 fast song with 1 hill and then 1 pedaling backwards as quickly as I could.  My heart rate was up the entire time and I almost think that was harder than running on the treadmill.

Post workout snack ~ LEMON MERINGUE PIE!

* 1 LF Cinnamon Graham Cracker (2 points+)

* 1/2 cup TJ’s 0% Greek Yogurt (1 points+)

* 1 tsp TJ’s Lemon Curd (1 points+)

I really have to work at not licking the bowl whenever I eat this ~ it’s just such a good combination.

This week’s lunches are joint effort.  I whipped up a modified version of this Cooking Light Chicken Tamale Casserole and she is bringing the greens!

My changes included

* using Low-Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese versus full fat Mexican Cheese.  This saves you 6 points+ (about 1 point+ per serving!)

* Adding the enchilada sauce to my shredded chicken versus pouring it over the corn tamale casserole because I thought that would make it soggy.

* I didn’t use the FF Sour Cream as a topper – instead I used Salsa!

CLICK HERE for the Recipe!

You could easily use leftover or rotisserie chicken for this recipe.  Since I didn’t have either on hand, I made my own shredded chicken.

SIMPLE SHREDDED CHICKEN

* 2 chicken breasts (they can be frozen)

* 1 large sauce pan filled with water and 1 tsp salt

Add chicken to the salted water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 20 minutes, remove and shred.

Using my food scale, I weighed out 8.5 ounces of Trader Joe’s Corn Muffin mix since it was what I had on hand.  Stir just until combined the cheese through the chilies.

Pour mixture into a prepared 2 quart casserole pan.  I used 11 x 7. 

Bake at 400 until set (no soggy middle parts).  For me it was about 20 minutes.

I honestly believe the SECRET to really great enchiladas lies in GOOD QUALITY SAUCE!  Frontera makes my FAVORITE jarred sauce out there…..all the flavors are awesome.

Real ingredients!

Decent stats (an entire jar is only 80 calories)

This was one change I made because I wanted my chicken to have flavor and I didn’t want my casserole to be soggy.  INSTEAD of pouring the sauce on the corn mix, I poured it on the chicken.

Then, I layered that chicken on the casserole.

Poured a little more sauce on for good measure.

Top with CHEESE!

Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes and slice into 8 servings for 7 points+ each (if using LF cheese), 8 points+ for full fat cheese.

The result is AMAZING!!!  It’s sweet, spicy, smoky and dense.  I think it tastes like having chicken enchiladas on top of that sweet corn cake you get on the side at Mexican Food restaurants.

My co-worker made us nutty salads which I LOVED! So FUN ~ I LOVE that we both put our brains together to create one amazing Mexican-Asian Fusion Lunch!

* Organic Mixed Greens plus shredded carrots

* 1 Tbsp chopped dry roasted walnuts (1 points+)

* 1 Tbsp TJ’s LF Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette! (1 points+)

Although my lunch was delicious, I was STILL hungry after waiting 20 minutes.  I went back for a Light String Cheese and that did the trick (1 points+)

I had a gift card from Pete’s so I stopped for an Iced Dirty Latte for my train ride home (medium nonfat, decaf latte, 1 pump mocha) (3 points+)

Dinner tonight was a combination of yesterday’s lunch salad (2 points+)

and more BACON Baked Tortellini with Vegetables ~ I think it’s even better the next day (11 points+).

Dessert involved a couple of The Husband’s Red Vines which I am usually good at pretending the HUGE Costco sized jar isn’t there (3 points+)

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Check out how Ann, LOST 60 LBS IN 33 WEEKS! Click HERE to be inspired!

Q’S

Who are you voting for on BIGGEST LOSER to WIN?

I am all about the original “Purple” girls.  I just LOVE them, their attitude and their LOVE of Curtis Stone’s Hotness! And no I can’t pick just one.

Night all!

Said with my BEST Italian accent, um, if I have one of those The Husband is Italian – does that count?!  Tonight we made a seriously AMAZING Stuffed, Cheesy Chicken over Chive Buttered Parmesan Pasta.  I am not sure if “Rollatini” in a real name or not, but, I am calling it that because we STUFFED and ROLLED the Chicken to make Rollatini’s….see, it works!

Before I jump into this awesome recipe, I have to tell you all that I am GUEST POSTING with a few thoughts on Points+ and my Daily Eats over at RONI’S WEIGH.  I think she is posting it later tonight or tomorrow so CLICK HERE to check it out and read it if you want to know how today’s deliciousness went down!

To keep you all entertained until my post goes up…….I present (I still feel like I should have a drum roll sound or something on here for it LOL).  It’s not fancy like a chef or anything, but, it was just really good ~ we both LOVED it!  It’s late, I must be tired

CHICKEN “ROLLATINI”

INGREDIENTS

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1.25 lbs
• 2 ounces Sun Dried Tomatoes, not in oil
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 6 Tbsp finely shredded low-fat mozzarella
• 3 cups Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
• 1 Zucchini and 1 summer squash, quartered and diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 c cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp fresh chives, minced
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Soak tomatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain.

2.  Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound away with your meat tenderizer to make them about 1/8th to a 1/4 inch thick.

3.  Sprinkle each side with sea salt, black pepper and dried Italian Seasoning.

4.  Place 5-7 spinach leaves, 2 Tbsp of sun dried tomatoes and 2 Tbsp of mozzarella on each breast.Roll up each breast, tucking the “stuffing” in as you make your “rollatini”.  Use toothpicks to secure.

5.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tsp olive oil.  Add your “rollatini” and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before removing toothpicks.

6.  While the chicken cooks, prepare the pasta according to the packaged instructions.

7.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray.  Sauté the squash, carrots and mushrooms in nonstick spray for 4-5 minutes or until tender.  Toss in the cherry tomatoes and remove from heat.

8. Drain pasta, add in butter, parmesan, chives and veggies.  Toss gently.

9.  Slice chicken into 1 inch pieces and serve “fanned” over 1 cup of the pasta mixture.  Sprinkle with additional parmesan and chives if desired.

Makes 6 servings, 1/6th of the chicken and 1 cup of pasta per serving, 9 points+

Nutritional information per serving

STEP – BY – STEP

Did you al know that Trader Joe’s is now carrying Sun Dried Tomatoes not in oil?!  I was so pumped when I saw that.

Boil 2 cups of water and add 2 ounce of sun dried tomatoes.  Let stand for 5 minutes then drain..

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound away with your meat tenderizer to make them about 1/8th to a 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle each side with sea salt, black pepper and dried Italian Seasoning.

Place 5-7 spinach leaves and 2 Tbsp of sun dried tomatoes on each breast.

Top with 2 Tbsp’s finely shredded reduced fat mozzarella.

Roll up each breast, tucking the “stuffing” in as you make your “rollatini”.  Use toothpicks to secure.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tsp olive oil.  Add your “rollatini” and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.

Remove and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Let stand for 5 minutes then remove tooth picks.

While the chicken is cooking in the oven, work on your pasta.  Prep all your veggies.

Cook the pasta according to the packaged instructions making sure you salt your water.

Sauté the squash, carrots and mushrooms in nonstick spray for 4-5 minutes or until tender.  Toss in the cherry tomatoes and remove from heat.

Drain pasta, add in butter, parmesan, chives and veggies.  Toss gently.

Carefully slice your chicken “rollatini” to make “sushi” as The Husband called it.

Serve over 1 cup of pasta with 1/6th of the chicken slices.

MMMMM~~~ Cheesy, tangy, sweet, herby stuffed Chicken Rollatini!  It’s really even more tasty than it looks!

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Shannon teaches us how to make super juicy, crunchy “fried” chicken the healthy way!

Q’s

Have you ever “stuffed” chicken breast?  If so, what was your filling?

I have made a Chicken Cordon Bleu before but that is it.  After making tonight’s dish, I am wondering why I don’t’ make more stuffed chicken.  I bet I could do something on the GRILL (translation – less dishes!)

Night all!

Happy Monday all!!  I was up bright and early at 5 AM this morning since today was the BIG day for us all to officially be moved into our new building.  I will be the first to admit at first I wasn’t super excited about it because I LOVE Napa, but, after seeing our new “digs” I LOVE it! 

Can I just tell you all The Husband is so freakin’ cute?? He wanted to know if I wanted him to get up early and take me to the train like a parent would take their kids to wait for the school bus ~ LOVE him!

Since I was short on time but knew I NEEDED protein to last me 7 hours, I whipped up an Eggwich ~ 6 points+.

Plus a Venti Iced Dirty Latte for the road (iced, nonfat decaf latte with 1 pump mocha) ~ 4 points+

I brought a few snacks in my bag because I had a feeling I wouldn’t make it 7 hours without eating again.  I snacked on a banana and counted out 7 cashews for 2 points+.

I snapped a few pictures to show you all how cool our new building is ~ I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the artwork and the fun layout.  The new building is VERY GREEN complete with sky lights for nature light (this is AWESOME for my pictures!)

The one added bonus is that my office is on the opposite side of the bathrooms so I will be getting in a ton of steps

The phrases all over the office just make me smile whenever I see them and the planters throughout are awesome.

I took this pic for The Husband ~ the floors are bamboo for those wondering.

Bernie is all over the walls ~ I know some of you love this cotton tail

Fun artwork and amazing murals are throughout the office.

Lounge area!

Work spaces!

The new kitchen you all will see me whipping up my meals in.

We now have a full on GYM in our building complete with a personal trainer!

We all received super cool bags and goodies at our desk.  My FAVORITE thing about my desk is the dry erase board you see on the right ~ fun!

After we were all settled our catered lunch arrived from Picante.

When lunch rolled around, I was “slightly” starving and made a HUGE Taco Salad with everything on it. (10 points+ and worth every bite!)  I think I may have found my favorite new Taco place

* 2 cups Tossed Salad, 0 pp

* Handful of tortilla strips, 1 pp

* 1/4 cup pinto beans, 1 pp

* 1/4 cup rice, 2 pp

* 1/4 cup pico de gallo, 0 pp

* 1/4 cup guacamole, 2 pp

* 4 oz Chicken, 4 pp

* 3 jicama Sticks, 0 pp

I grabbed a vegetable tamale too when someone told me it had butternut squash in it ~ looks good, huh?

It was actually not good at all ~ I tossed it figuring it wasn’t worth wasting the points+ on a food I didn’t enjoy.

I snacked on a nectarine and Trader Joe’s Lite string cheese on my drive home (1 point+)

I honestly had NO energy by the time I got home, but, I remembered my Exercise Week with Marisa last week and knew I’d feel better if I got in my workout.

I spent 30 minutes doing the C25K (Couch to 5k) 2.1 plus lots of yoga stretching before whipping up a quick “stir fry” dinner that only took minutes to make.

I “fried” 1 lb of chicken breast in 2 tsp of Dark Sesame Oil until browned.

Set the chicken aside.

Add 2 more tsp dark sesame oil along with 1 Tbsp of ginger and 2 garlic cloves minced.  Cook for 30 seconds.

Add broccoli plus 1/4 cup water.  Cover and let steam for 3 minutes.

Return chicken to the pan with 2 Tbsp Black Bean Sauce, 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce and 2 tsp Sriracha.  Heat through and serve.  Makes 4 1 1/4 cup servings ~ 4 points+ each!

I served mine over 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice for 6 points+ total.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 10 oz fresh organic broccoli florets
• 2 Tbsp Black Bean Sauce with Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce
• 2 tsp Sriracha

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Add 2 tsp sesame oil and fry the chicken breast until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

2.  Add remaining 2 tsp of sesame oil with the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.  Add broccoli and water.  Cover and steam for 3 minutes.

3.  Return chicken and add black bean sauce, teriyaki and sriracha cooking for 1 minute until heated through.

Makes 4 servings, 4 points+ each

The perfect ending to a Monday ~ DOVE LOVE (4 points+)

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Tracey shows us all how to make a Simple Gnocchi with Pesto ~ Yum!!!

* Just ONE MORE DAY to enter to WIN A $50 TRADER JOE’S SHOPPING SPREE

Q’s

Do you make Stir Fries?  If so, what do you put in them?

I LOVE stir fried vegetables with Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki and any stir fry with black bean or oyster sauce for a quick, low point meal.  Must haves for my stir fries include fresh garlic and/or ginger along with a good sauce.

Night all!

Happy Monday all!  When I was originally putting my breakfast together, I was thinking I was creating a “smiley” face with my banana and Taco Egg Muffins.  But, when I posted the picture……

It kinda looks like a HAPPY MONSTER! LOL…..creepy!

I had TWO Delicious Taco Egg Muffins for 5 Points+.

I was really looking forward to my Homemade Chinese Chicken Salad for lunch, but, there was a change in plans.  I had to go to Oxbow Market and Gott’s Roadside Grill to do some Sustainability/Composting/Recycling research. Sometimes it is awesome when work involves good food

I got the Turkey Burger ~ :Ground Turkey with Fresh Herbs toped with homemade apple onion chutney, cheddar cheese and romaine lettuce”.  No mayo! SO GOOD! 13 points+

Sweet Potato Fries…..I tried to resist, really, but, figured it was worth it busting into my WPA.  Might as well get it out the way early in the week LOL. 11 points+

Since I missed out on this salad at lunch, I decided it would make a FAST dinner since everything was already prepared.

Dinner tonight was made to host all my Craving Ellie in My Belly Friends (CEiMB) Cookbook Club Friends.  I picked this recipe because I LOVE Chinese Chicken Salad and as spring approaches I find I want salad more often.

This week’s recipe is Ellie Krieger’s Savory Chinese Chicken Salad.

This recipe is SUPER easy to make and honestly might be my FAVORITE new Chinese Chicken Salad of all time.  I LOVED IT and cannot wait to eat it again!

You could take shortcut by using rotisserie chicken or you could cook up the chicken Ellie recommends.

Combine 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce with 1/2 Tsp Sesame Oil.  Brush it over 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast and cook it in the oven or on the grill at 400 for 20 minutes.

Chop your chicken and set it aside.

My ONLY change to Ellie’s recipe was to add a bunch of toasted sesame seeds because I LOVE the flavor they give when roasted.  To toast them, cook them over medium heat for 2-3 minute until browned.

Whisk together the dressing adding in the toasted sesame seeds.  You do not have to wait for them to cool.

I saved a few steps by buying pre-shredded red cabbage and carrots.  Then, I chopped up the scallions and Napa cabbage.  I omitted the water chestnuts only because I forgot them.

Toss the veggies together.

Then, layer up the salads.  I divided the veggie mix into 4, then, topped my bowl with 3 ounces of chicken, 1/4/ cup mandarin oranges, 1 Tbsp Roasted Almond slices and black sesame seeds (optional).

Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the dressing and dig in.  My entire HUGE SALAD clocked in at 7 points+.

If you like Chinese Chicken Salad, you HAVE to try this recipe ~ it’s AWESOME!  Click HERE to get the recipe.

WEEKLY GOAL UPDATE

~ I bonded with my treadmill and completed day one of C25K plus did 20 Minutes of Gentle Hatha Yoga

~ I guzzled 80 ounces of water!!!

~ Eat less…um, working on that, but, I think I balanced out today by not having any snacks and lightening up dinner.

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* Zesty Cook shares his Portabella Bacon “Stuffed” Pizzas ~ HOLY YUM!!!

Q’s

Are you watching The “Boring” Bachelor this season?  If so, who are you voting to win ~ Chantal or Emily???

Emily pulls at my heart strings every time she shares the story of her life……plus I LOVE her accent.  However, I think that he has better chemistry and seems less nervous with Chantal.

Night all!

This morning I weighed in and was up only .6 lbs. I say “only” because honestly I felt like it was going to be more.  I am glad I faced the scale when I didn’t want to.  I pretty much earned it this week because I tossed out my idea of planning my day out (something I do daily BEFORE I eat anything) and thought I didn’t “need” to exercise at all this week.  I am chalking it up for what it’s worth, learning from it and moving on with 3 GOALS this week:

1) Track EVERY single BLT, Bite, Lick, Taste

2) Water, water and more water!

3) Workout 3 times along with my daily yoga

I was actually “willing” my meeting to be over so I could go home and dig into breakfast.  I usually snack on my banana before my meeting but, I forgot it.

Sometimes you just can’t get enough of a good thing ~ another eggwich (6 points+)

Plus a “naner”

This is what happens when I leave my drink sitting around.  The Husband draws random pictures on it.  He said the flower is one of the ones you “blow all the pedals” off

Grande Dirty Latte (nonfat, decaf latte, 1 pump mocha) (4 points+)

After I was sufficiently satisfied, I headed out to do our weekly grocery shopping and came home to whip up a few things to get ready for the week (prepping lunches, boiling eggs, etc).

#1 Shannon shared these delicious Low Fat Banana Bread Cookies last week on Friends for Weight Loss.  OMG!!!  You all have to make THESE COOKIES!  They are amazing and only 2 points+ each.

The only modification I made was to use 1/2 cup dry roasted walnuts for the cherries since I knew The Husband wouldn’t eat them if they had any dried fruit in them and I surely didn’t need 30 cookies for me only.

I instantly ate 4 cookies as I dished them off the pan while they were HOT.  (7 points+)

#2 BEST IDEA EVER!!!  I marinated some organic chicken tenders in Trader Joe’s LF Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette then grilled them up for salads this week ~ I cannot wait!

We finally stopped for lunch at 2 PM and decided to use our FREE Chipotle Coupon.  I LOVE that our 2 drinks (tea for me, soda for him), his burrito and my HUGE bowl cost $9.81!

* Lettuce (0)

* Chicken (5)

* Pico de Gallo (0)

* Corn Salsa (1)

* A little cheese (less than a serving) (2)

* GUACAMOLE! (4)

After lunch, we went to see UNKNOWN!! It is SO GOOD and TWISTED ~ I absolutely LOVE It when movies keep you guessing the whole way through.

I honestly had such HIGH HOPES for tonight’s Slow Cooker Recipe ~ it has chicken, brown rice, wild rice, tons of veggies ~ I mean, how can it not be great?!  Well, let me tell you how…..You cook the rice so long it um, dissolves ~ oops!

I adapted this recipe from my Weight Watcher’s Slow Cook-It Recipe by adding more veggies, herbs, changing up the rice and using what I had on hand.

The flavor is amazing and I imagine if I cooked it less, it would’ve been AWESOME with great chewing power.

SLOW COOKER BROWN & WILD RICE CHICKEN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 small carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 oz. package sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup brown and wild rice blend (or 1/2 cup each brown rice and wild rice)
• 2 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (you could use poultry seasoning)
• 2 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs. chicken breast tenders
• 10 3/4 oz. can low-fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups frozen peas

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion to 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.

2.  Stir in broth, carrots, mushrooms, rice blend, celery, garlic, 21 seasoning salute, thyme, sea salt and black pepper. Mix well. Top with chicken, placing it toward center of slow cooker.

3.  Cover and cook until chicken and vegetables are fork-tender and rice is tender but still slightly chewy, 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 5 hours on low.

4.  About 25 minutes before cooking time is up, stir soup and peas into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until mixture simmers, about 20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

Nutritional information based on 6 servings, 7 points+ each

STEP-BY-STEP

Sauté your onion in nonstick cooking spray over medium heat, until softened, about 5 minutes.

While your onion cooks, prep your vegetables.

Add your veggies, spices and thyme sprigs.

I had this Basamati Rice Medley on hand, but, in the future, I’d use a brown rice blend since white rice breaks down too fast in the slow cooker.

Add 1 cup of rice (1/2 wild, 1/2 brown rice).

Add your broth.

Top with your chicken, cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

This is the point of when I SHOULD HAVE stopped and added the mushroom soup and peas, but, I kept going to 2 more hours.  I have adjusted the time above to take off 2 hours.

I LOVE that Trader Joe’s has a healthy alternative condensed cream of mushroom soup.

That has REAL ingredients and decent stats.

Add your mushroom soup and peas.  Turn to high, cook 10 minutes until heated through and simmering.

I used a 1 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out my serving and topped it with a little fresh parsley.  The flavor tastes just like the “chicken and dumplings” with a nice crunch in the vegetables.  I ate half of this before I just couldn’t do it anymore (4 points+)

The Husband is a trooper – he ate two bowls!

NEW AT FRIENDS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

* New Tip of the Week & Guest Recipe ~ check them out at the bottom of the page!

* This week’s Challenge ~ Self Awareness ~ are you in?

HERE IS WHAT IS ON THE MENU THIS WEEK

* Cheesy Mini Meatloaves, simple salad with balsamic

* Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Garlic Bread and Salad

* BBQ Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes & Grilled Romaine Salad

* Sausage & Vegetable Deep Dish Pizza, Salad

* Green Lite Bites ~ Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Asparagus Fries

* Vegan Nachos

DESSERT ~ CEiMB ~ Banana Splits with pineapple brown sugar topping

I really want to try this Cauliflower Pizza Crust but The Husband told me no more funny things with cauliflower

GIVEAWAYS!!!

* Win the new Green Lite Bites Weight Watcher Friendly Cookbook ~ click HERE to enter.

* Corinne is having her 1st giveaway ~  a FULL CASE of Chobani ~ Click HERE to enter.

Q’s

Do you let your cookies cool before you eat one or do you have one as soon as they come out of the oven? 

I can NEVER wait to dig in and always have to have a cookie as soon as I can get it off the tray ~ hot or not

Night all!