Hey guys...sorry I disappeared again. I've been cooking, just haven't been great with tracking my meals...again. Goodness, this could be the story of my life. How on earth do you stay motivated?? I always seem to lose it after 3-4 weeks. I'm over it. I'm over the meal planning, I'm over figuring out all the points for the meals I'm eating. I'm even over cooking. I seriously thought by paying for a meal plan I'd get excited again but it's just not happening :(
Anyway, here's what's on the menu for this week:
Monday: Garlic Chicken Linguini and salad
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce and honey carrots (I'll probably skip the carrots and go for a salad instead)
Wednesday: Crockpot Ham and Beans with cornbread (and another salad, I'm sure)
Thursday: BBQ Pulled Pork (another crockpot meal, but we're heading to the Houston Livestock Show and like to come home to some BBQ Pork!)
Friday: Cajun Shrimp and Rice (I love Lent...we eat more shrimp during lent than any other time of the year)
Saturday: Probably leftovers. No, sandwiches for the girls and a date night for Mommy and Daddy! YAY!! We're going to a Mexican restaurant downtown call Cyclone Anaya's. Eric's been there before but I haven't. But seriously, how can you NOT like Mexican??
I haven't worked up the points plus values for these dinners yet, but when I do I'll post them!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fajita Burgers
Be warned: This is NOT figure friendly...but it sure is tasty!! I figured this at 17 Weight Watchers Points Plus values. Ummmm...that's not good considering it's a pretty small burger AND I only get 29 PP per day! However, it's a super yummy cheat meal :) Sorry, I didn't take any pictures, we ate them too fast! Actually, I have one leftover that I'm planning to eat later this week so I'll try to remember to take a picture of that when I put it all together.
The recipe:
1 lb ground beef (I used ground chuck because it makes the juiciest burgers, but it's definitely the fattest option!)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1/2 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup salsa verde
1 package hamburger buns
1 rip avocado, smashed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Tortilla chips for serving with remaining salsa
1) In a large bowl, combine ground beef, worcestershire sauce, cumin and chili powder. Form into 4 patties.
2) Cook over medium heat on a non-stick skillet for about 4 minutes on each side (Eric did them on the grill for about 4 minutes per side). Add cheese slices immediately.
3) In a separate skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add salsa verde and cook for an additional 2 minutes. (I don't like to pay attention to times when sauteeing onions...it always seems to take longer to soften them)
4) Mash avocado and combine with mayo. Season with salt and garlic powder. (This was AMAZING!! We also dipped some tortilla chips in it! I blame this for my measly weight loss of .4 pounds this week...so be careful!)
5) Heat buns and assemble burger. Place patty on bottom bun, top with salsa mixture, and smeat avocado mayonnaise inside top bun. (When we did it in this order a lot of the salsa mixture and mayo squeezed out when we bit into it. For Eric's second burger...yes, he ate TWO!...he put the salsa mixture under the burger, then the mayo on top and that worked out much better.)
Seriously you guys, I've had some good burgers in my life, but this was one of the top few! So, if you ever feel like splurging and using some of your flex points, then go for this! One thing I suggest, though, is to PLEASE eat it as the recipe calls. I could tell my husband was skeptical at first because he judges food before he tries it. All I asked of him was to have his first burger EXACTLY as the recipe calls for. He hesitantly agreed...but his second burger he fixed the same way!! So if my judgemental husband likes it, I'm sure you will too!!
Let me know if you make these!
**EDITED about one hour after posting this...just realized Eric took the last fajita burger for his lunch today :( I'm crushed...I don't get to taste that deliciousness again AND you guys won't get a picture of it. Ughh....this just ruined my day. :(
The recipe:
1 lb ground beef (I used ground chuck because it makes the juiciest burgers, but it's definitely the fattest option!)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1/2 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup salsa verde
1 package hamburger buns
1 rip avocado, smashed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Tortilla chips for serving with remaining salsa
1) In a large bowl, combine ground beef, worcestershire sauce, cumin and chili powder. Form into 4 patties.
2) Cook over medium heat on a non-stick skillet for about 4 minutes on each side (Eric did them on the grill for about 4 minutes per side). Add cheese slices immediately.
3) In a separate skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add salsa verde and cook for an additional 2 minutes. (I don't like to pay attention to times when sauteeing onions...it always seems to take longer to soften them)
4) Mash avocado and combine with mayo. Season with salt and garlic powder. (This was AMAZING!! We also dipped some tortilla chips in it! I blame this for my measly weight loss of .4 pounds this week...so be careful!)
5) Heat buns and assemble burger. Place patty on bottom bun, top with salsa mixture, and smeat avocado mayonnaise inside top bun. (When we did it in this order a lot of the salsa mixture and mayo squeezed out when we bit into it. For Eric's second burger...yes, he ate TWO!...he put the salsa mixture under the burger, then the mayo on top and that worked out much better.)
Seriously you guys, I've had some good burgers in my life, but this was one of the top few! So, if you ever feel like splurging and using some of your flex points, then go for this! One thing I suggest, though, is to PLEASE eat it as the recipe calls. I could tell my husband was skeptical at first because he judges food before he tries it. All I asked of him was to have his first burger EXACTLY as the recipe calls for. He hesitantly agreed...but his second burger he fixed the same way!! So if my judgemental husband likes it, I'm sure you will too!!
Let me know if you make these!
**EDITED about one hour after posting this...just realized Eric took the last fajita burger for his lunch today :( I'm crushed...I don't get to taste that deliciousness again AND you guys won't get a picture of it. Ughh....this just ruined my day. :(
Thursday, February 9, 2012
FREE Smoothie!
I found a great smoothie that has ZERO Points Plus values!! I'm pretty much addicted to Pinterest (but who isn't??) and found this recipe while looking for some weight loss motivation. Here's a picture of this smoothie taken from this blog. (I took a picture of mine with my cell phone but haven't loaded it to my computer...)
For the full details of this smoothie, here's the direct link to her recipe. I actually had to make two of these smoothies this morning. I made one but before I got around to drinking it, my girls had finished over half of it! I let them share the rest of it and made a fresh one for myself :)
Seriously, guys, try this one out! It is so much better than I expected. You can't go wrong! AND, you can use any kind of frozen fruit in it. If you use blueberries or other dark fruit, it won't be as bright green as the one in the picture, but it'll still be delicious. I made one with mixed berries the other day and it was amazing. My favorite, though is the frozen mixture of strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple. YUMMY!
For the full details of this smoothie, here's the direct link to her recipe. I actually had to make two of these smoothies this morning. I made one but before I got around to drinking it, my girls had finished over half of it! I let them share the rest of it and made a fresh one for myself :)
Seriously, guys, try this one out! It is so much better than I expected. You can't go wrong! AND, you can use any kind of frozen fruit in it. If you use blueberries or other dark fruit, it won't be as bright green as the one in the picture, but it'll still be delicious. I made one with mixed berries the other day and it was amazing. My favorite, though is the frozen mixture of strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple. YUMMY!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Week One Weight Loss
Whew...I lost 2.4 pounds this week!! I was so nervous stepping on the scale. I know I "cheated" a lot this week. I didn't track everything I put in my mouth and some of my meals I was just too lazy to figure it all up. Plus, Walmart had Marshmallow Fluff on sale for 50 cents a jar so you know I couldn't pass that up! I may have snacked on a spoonful or two of that while making a fluffanutter sandwich for Maddie. And I may have licked the peanut butter off the knife and had a little more too...
This week, I WILL do better! I will track everything I put in my mouth and drink even more water than I had been. I went caffeine free starting last Wednesday and it has forced me to drink more water when I'm not walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. I'm feeling a lot better energy-wise now that I've cut out caffeine and increased my water intake. I'm not saying I'm ready to go morning til night, but I definitely have more energy than I did even two weeks ago. YAY!
On tonight's menu we have crock pot shredded beef flautas. Oh yum. My house already smells good and it's only been going for an hour. Chuck roast, garlic, salt, cumin, green chilies and cilantro. Seriously, does it get any better than that?? I'll try to remember to take some pictures tonight when I'm putting the flautas together so you can see how they go.
As of right now I'm planning on having 3 oz of the roast with 4 corn tortillas. I'm not exactly sure how 3 oz looks so I might have to go with a little more. But anyway, with the brand of white corn tortillas I bought and 3 oz of beef chuck roast, it works out to 11 points plus. Not bad, huh? That sounds like a reasonable dinner. Although I'm afraid I might still be hungry and if that happens I'll just have a big bowl of fruit and hope that holds me over :)
This week, I WILL do better! I will track everything I put in my mouth and drink even more water than I had been. I went caffeine free starting last Wednesday and it has forced me to drink more water when I'm not walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. I'm feeling a lot better energy-wise now that I've cut out caffeine and increased my water intake. I'm not saying I'm ready to go morning til night, but I definitely have more energy than I did even two weeks ago. YAY!
On tonight's menu we have crock pot shredded beef flautas. Oh yum. My house already smells good and it's only been going for an hour. Chuck roast, garlic, salt, cumin, green chilies and cilantro. Seriously, does it get any better than that?? I'll try to remember to take some pictures tonight when I'm putting the flautas together so you can see how they go.
As of right now I'm planning on having 3 oz of the roast with 4 corn tortillas. I'm not exactly sure how 3 oz looks so I might have to go with a little more. But anyway, with the brand of white corn tortillas I bought and 3 oz of beef chuck roast, it works out to 11 points plus. Not bad, huh? That sounds like a reasonable dinner. Although I'm afraid I might still be hungry and if that happens I'll just have a big bowl of fruit and hope that holds me over :)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
What Do You Snack On?
I enjoy a good, satisfying snack in the afternoon. Right now I'm snacking on a 5.3 oz cup of nonfat Greek Yogurt, mixed in 1/4 cup grape nuts cereal and drizzled on a little honey (less than a tsp). The Greek Yogurt is 2 PP, the 1/4 c grape nuts is 3 PP and I didn't give myself any PP for the honey (1 Tbsp is 2 points and I used WAY less than 1 tsp even). It was a delicious, healthy snack full of fiber and protein.
Starbucks is selling a Greek Yogurt Honey Parfait right now. One of my friends recommended it to me and I about DIED when I looked at the nutrition information!! Check it out here. The PP value for this tasty treat is 9. I think I'll continue to save myself the 4 extra PP and keep making it on my own (and I'm sure mine is much cheaper, too!)
A helpful hint for Greek Yogurt...try not to buy the sweetened, flavored ones. They're LOADED with sugar and, therefore, carbs. Buy the plain ones, sweeten it with a little drizzle of honey or some frozen fruit. If you mix in the frozen fruit (0 PP) the night before, it'll be all thawed out and ready for a mid-morning snack the next day! Also, if you decide to add the grape nuts, I like to let it sit for a few minutes so they soften a bit. (But sometimes it's really hard to resist eating it immediately).
Let me know what your go-to snacks are!! I'm always looking for some new ideas :)
Starbucks is selling a Greek Yogurt Honey Parfait right now. One of my friends recommended it to me and I about DIED when I looked at the nutrition information!! Check it out here. The PP value for this tasty treat is 9. I think I'll continue to save myself the 4 extra PP and keep making it on my own (and I'm sure mine is much cheaper, too!)
A helpful hint for Greek Yogurt...try not to buy the sweetened, flavored ones. They're LOADED with sugar and, therefore, carbs. Buy the plain ones, sweeten it with a little drizzle of honey or some frozen fruit. If you mix in the frozen fruit (0 PP) the night before, it'll be all thawed out and ready for a mid-morning snack the next day! Also, if you decide to add the grape nuts, I like to let it sit for a few minutes so they soften a bit. (But sometimes it's really hard to resist eating it immediately).
Let me know what your go-to snacks are!! I'm always looking for some new ideas :)
On the Menu: Smothered Pork Chops and Rice Pilaf
For the Pork Chops:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I will be using cooking spray to avoid these extra points)
4 Pork Chops, any kind will work
4 Tbsp flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika
1 C chicken broth
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp cajun seasoning
For the rice:
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
4 green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter (I'll be using margarine)
1 C chicken broth + 2 cups water (use remaining broth from can & add water to make 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C slivered almonds (2 ounces)
1. Start rice. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Saute 1/2 of green onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add rice, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until water cooks out - about 30 minutes (depends on your type of rice...mine was done in about 20). Once water is cooked out, remove from heat and stir in remaining green onions and almonds. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour and brown both sides in the hot oil, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Add vegetables and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add broth and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through. Serve over rice.
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I will be using cooking spray to avoid these extra points)
4 Pork Chops, any kind will work
4 Tbsp flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika
1 C chicken broth
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp cajun seasoning
For the rice:
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
4 green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter (I'll be using margarine)
1 C chicken broth + 2 cups water (use remaining broth from can & add water to make 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C slivered almonds (2 ounces)
1. Start rice. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Saute 1/2 of green onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add rice, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until water cooks out - about 30 minutes (depends on your type of rice...mine was done in about 20). Once water is cooked out, remove from heat and stir in remaining green onions and almonds. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour and brown both sides in the hot oil, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Add vegetables and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add broth and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through. Serve over rice.
Melt butter in saucepan for rice.
Saute green onions and garlic for 1 minute.
Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour, then brown for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Since I used cooking spray instead of oil, the flour didn't brown all the way, but it's ok because it cooks once the broth is added.
Add the veggies (green pepper, onion and green onion) and saute for 5 additional minutes.
Here's how your rice should be looking (keep it covered...I took the lid off for the picture).
Add broth and cajun seasoing. Your house will begin to smell AMAZING at this point!
The finished product. Hubby and I both LOVED this. It's totally a company-worthy dinner.
Reviews: This was the best meal I've cooked in a LONG time! I couldn't get over how all the flavors really came together so nicely and the pork chops seemed to just melt in our mouths. Wow! The girls gave mixed reviews. The 3 year old said the pork chop was too spicy and wouldn't eat the rice because it had almonds in it. If she had tried it, I'm sure she would've liked it. She ended up eating leftovers from the night before. The 17 month old devoured the rice and ate a good portion of the pork chop. She didn't seem to be bothered by the spicy cajun seasoning. That's my girl!! If I ever make this for company, I would definitely make a serving of pork chops without the cajun seasoning for the kids. Maybe even just make bbq pork chops for them instead :)
Weight Watchers information: Each pork chop was 3 Points Plus values for a 3 oz chop. There's such a small amount of flour added to each chop that it doesn't increase the PP at all. The rice, on the other hand, is much higher...a 3/4 c serving yields 6 Points Plus values. Keep in mind, these PP values were based on using margarine instead of butter in the rice and using cooking spray instead of vegetable oil for the pork chops!!
Let me know if you make this and what you think of it! I promise you won't be disappointed!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Turkey Chili in the Crock Pot
Sorry for the ridiculously long break...I had surgery on my knee 3 weeks ago and it threw me WAY off course. I'm talking I gained weight like you wouldn't believe :( Ugh...so here I am once again getting back on track!
Last night I made the most delicious chili I've ever made in my life. I signed up for a meal plan that I get every week that includes a shopping list. Yay for shopping/meal planning made easy!! Most of the meals are pretty heavy on the Weight Watchers Points Plus values, but this turkey chili was EXACTLY what I needed to start my journey again. I made it without telling my husband that it was turkey instead of beef and he couldn't tell the difference. Woo hoo!
Now, this recipe calls for you to brown the ground turkey with the onions and garlic before putting it in the crock pot. This turned me off at first and I didn't want to make it. I mean, what's the point of cooking when you're using the crock pot? Isn't that the beauty of the crock pot? It does the cooking for you!! Oh well...I understand the point of browning the meat first. If you don't brown it and crumble it in a pan, then it'll just form a solid brick of meat in your crock pot.
Crock Pot Turkey and Black Bean Chili
1 lb ground turkey
1 14.5 oz can black beans, not drained
1/2 onion (I accidentally put the whole onion in and didn't find it to be too "onion-y")
4 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
*note: I didn't actually measure the dry seasonings, I just eye balled it and it came out great!
In a large pot, brown turkey with onion and garlic. Drain and add to crock pot.
To crock pot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans and seasonings.
Stir ingredients, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. (I cooked mine about 5 1/2 hours, but it's no big deal because there are no raw ingredients)
We enjoyed ours with some pasta shells and it was so delicious. I ate another helping for lunch today (with no pasta) and it was just as good as last night!
Points Plus value for this meal is 6 for a 1 1/2 cup serving of chili. I'll be making this frequently!!
Last night I made the most delicious chili I've ever made in my life. I signed up for a meal plan that I get every week that includes a shopping list. Yay for shopping/meal planning made easy!! Most of the meals are pretty heavy on the Weight Watchers Points Plus values, but this turkey chili was EXACTLY what I needed to start my journey again. I made it without telling my husband that it was turkey instead of beef and he couldn't tell the difference. Woo hoo!
Now, this recipe calls for you to brown the ground turkey with the onions and garlic before putting it in the crock pot. This turned me off at first and I didn't want to make it. I mean, what's the point of cooking when you're using the crock pot? Isn't that the beauty of the crock pot? It does the cooking for you!! Oh well...I understand the point of browning the meat first. If you don't brown it and crumble it in a pan, then it'll just form a solid brick of meat in your crock pot.
Crock Pot Turkey and Black Bean Chili
1 lb ground turkey
1 14.5 oz can black beans, not drained
1/2 onion (I accidentally put the whole onion in and didn't find it to be too "onion-y")
4 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
*note: I didn't actually measure the dry seasonings, I just eye balled it and it came out great!
In a large pot, brown turkey with onion and garlic. Drain and add to crock pot.
To crock pot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans and seasonings.
Stir ingredients, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. (I cooked mine about 5 1/2 hours, but it's no big deal because there are no raw ingredients)
We enjoyed ours with some pasta shells and it was so delicious. I ate another helping for lunch today (with no pasta) and it was just as good as last night!
Points Plus value for this meal is 6 for a 1 1/2 cup serving of chili. I'll be making this frequently!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Effective use of PointsPlus values
Just how do you work it out so you have enough PointsPlus values remaining at the end of your day?
For me, I plan my dinners FIRST! I make sure I know exactly what I'm having for dinner each night, down to side dishes and toppings on my salads (different types of dressings have different PP values!). I make sure to reserve those PP for dinner and adjust my breakfast and lunch accordingly.
Here's the planning document I use to plan my meals: (I start my week on Saturday because I generally do my shopping on Friday) It's just something I made in PowerPoint, nothing fancy...but if you'd like me to email you the Power Point let me know, I'd be happy to share!
For me, I plan my dinners FIRST! I make sure I know exactly what I'm having for dinner each night, down to side dishes and toppings on my salads (different types of dressings have different PP values!). I make sure to reserve those PP for dinner and adjust my breakfast and lunch accordingly.
Here's the planning document I use to plan my meals: (I start my week on Saturday because I generally do my shopping on Friday) It's just something I made in PowerPoint, nothing fancy...but if you'd like me to email you the Power Point let me know, I'd be happy to share!
The first thing I do is fill in my dinners for the week:
I figure out the PP values for my dinners for the week, then write the remaining balance for the day to the right. (Sorry, I scratched some out before I remembered to take the picture). I do this because dinner is the most important dinner of the day for me. I want to eat the same thing that my family is eating. I already refuse to make different meals for the kids, so why would I cook a special meal for myself? Some of my recipes aren't necessarily "Weight Watchers friendly", but that's the whole point of Weight Watchers...eating what you want, just controlling your portions and being aware of what you're putting in your body. I just have to adjust what I have for breakfast and lunch if I'm having a high PP value dinner.
After I have my dinners all figured out, I fill in the rest of my meal plan for the week:
It isn't pretty, but it gets the job done :) I like having my entire week of meals planned out, including snacks, because it takes the guess work out of it. If I'm feeling a little hungry in the afternoon and I want a snack, I'll just look at my meal plan instead of looking in the pantry! I really do find that I do a better job staying on track when I do this.
Now, of course there are times when I stray from "the plan", but I don't get all thrown off when I do. I just make simple adjustments for the day and make sure I stick with the same number of PP values for my breakfast and lunch so I can still have the same dinner. The best part of WW is the 49 Flex points you get every week! So if I go over by 1 or 2 PP sometimes, it's not going to kill my week.
You may have noticed on Wednesday, I planned 3 PP for a beer. I decided to go ahead and track the beer this week, but once I get into a good routine and feel back in control of my diet, I'll use flex points for my alcoholic beverages. I'm not a big fan of using points for drinks, I like to save them for food!! But, sometimes a girl just needs a drink :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Meal Planning 101
My biggest struggle is how to plan good, healthy meals that fit in well with Weight Watchers. I have several WW cookbooks, but honestly I don't want to eat out of those three cookbooks every day. Figuring out the PointsPlus values on your own recipes is no easy task. Well, it's not that it's hard, it's just time consuming. When I get recipes off of the internet sometimes they'll have the nutrition information so that makes it easy to use my WW PointsPlus Calculator to get the values for the meal. Here's how to get the values for a recipe you like to make but have no nutrition information with it...
The recipe I'm going to use can be found here. Stephanie O'Dea's Chicken Enchilada Chili. One of our favorite, go to crockpot meals!
Basically, what you want to do is figure out the PP value for each ingredient, not per serving, but for the entire recipe. It looks like a lot of PP, but when you divide it down into servings it's obviously much more manageable!
1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) I figured up to be 24 PP
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (2 cans) is 9 PP
2 chopped celery stalks is 0 PP
2 14.5 oz cans of tomatoes is 4 PP
2 15 oz cans of kidney beans is 25 PP
The rest of the ingredients are 0 PP
The total for this entire recipe is 62 PointsPlus values. If this was a casserole I could easily cut it into even servings and divide the 62 by that. Unfortunately this is chili. So the first time I divided it out into even serving sizes (I decided I wanted to make this into 6 servings). Simple enough...62 divided by 6 is about 10 PointsPlus values. I just make sure to divide the full meal out into servings before we sit down to eat. I serve up two servings (one for hubby, one for me), then I put one serving in a container for the fridge for leftovers the next day, then the other three servings I put right into freezer bags and put them in the freezer for later.
I serve cornbread to go along with this almost every time and here's the breakdown for that:
1 c cornmeal (12)
1 c flour (11)
2 Tbsp sugar (2)
1 c skim milk (2)
1 egg (2)
1/4 c vegetable oil (14)
Total: 43 PointsPlus values.
The square baking dish is easily cut into 9 even pieces of cornbread, which divided out to about 5 PointsPlus values per piece of cornbread (totally worth every bit of it!!).
So, when I know I'm making this meal for dinner, I know I need to allot 15 of my 29 daily PP values. Easy enough!
Let me know if you have any questions!
The recipe I'm going to use can be found here. Stephanie O'Dea's Chicken Enchilada Chili. One of our favorite, go to crockpot meals!
Basically, what you want to do is figure out the PP value for each ingredient, not per serving, but for the entire recipe. It looks like a lot of PP, but when you divide it down into servings it's obviously much more manageable!
1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) I figured up to be 24 PP
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (2 cans) is 9 PP
2 chopped celery stalks is 0 PP
2 14.5 oz cans of tomatoes is 4 PP
2 15 oz cans of kidney beans is 25 PP
The rest of the ingredients are 0 PP
The total for this entire recipe is 62 PointsPlus values. If this was a casserole I could easily cut it into even servings and divide the 62 by that. Unfortunately this is chili. So the first time I divided it out into even serving sizes (I decided I wanted to make this into 6 servings). Simple enough...62 divided by 6 is about 10 PointsPlus values. I just make sure to divide the full meal out into servings before we sit down to eat. I serve up two servings (one for hubby, one for me), then I put one serving in a container for the fridge for leftovers the next day, then the other three servings I put right into freezer bags and put them in the freezer for later.
I serve cornbread to go along with this almost every time and here's the breakdown for that:
1 c cornmeal (12)
1 c flour (11)
2 Tbsp sugar (2)
1 c skim milk (2)
1 egg (2)
1/4 c vegetable oil (14)
Total: 43 PointsPlus values.
The square baking dish is easily cut into 9 even pieces of cornbread, which divided out to about 5 PointsPlus values per piece of cornbread (totally worth every bit of it!!).
So, when I know I'm making this meal for dinner, I know I need to allot 15 of my 29 daily PP values. Easy enough!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Getting back on track
Every year I'm sure thousands and thousands of people resolve to "get back on track" or "lose weight" or "get back to a certain size". Fundamentally we all know exactly what we need to do to achieve those goals. The problem is we make excuses to ourselves as to what we haven't done it. Here are some of my favorites...
~I don't like to waste food (eating our kids' leftovers)
~I just don't have the energy
~I'm at home with the kids all day
~I don't have time
~I can't afford to eat healthy
~I've tried on my own, but I need help
~"insert your best excuse here"
I'm guilty of using some of these excuses. I'm a stay at home mom, with little to no energy and some days I feel like I don't have the time to dedicate to leading a healthy lifestyle. I've tried on my own in the past and have failed. I've also tried on my own in the past and succeeded! The difference? I had the drive to do it. I really want to be healthy. I want to teach my girls by doing, not by saying. If I show them by example that you don't have to "diet" your entire life, they will grow up to be more confident and they will KNOW how to feed their own families one day. I struggle so much with my diet because I didn't grow up in a household where we naturally ate healthy. We had very few fresh fruits in the house and at over-cooked, boiled vegetables. When we had the occasional fresh salad we loved it! Now, don't take that as I grew up in a house eating fast food all the time or the worst foods ever. That isn't the case either, I just think my mom didn't know...also, we really couldn't afford fresh fruit and all the veggies came from PapPa's garden. PapPa also had a small beef farm where we got our beef from and raised pigs for pork. So, there you have it...we ate a lot of beef and pork!
We all KNOW how to lose weight. Burn more calories than you take in. Simple, right? In theory. But why do we all have such a hard time just doing it?? Why can't I just put in my mouth the foods that are good for me and avoid the foods that are bad for me? It drives me crazy!
This year I'm getting back on track (again). I'm done having kids so it's time to get my body where I want it to be, get back to cooking healthy meals and stop giving my kids convenience items. My girls love fresh chicken nuggets, why do I keep buying the overprocessed ones?? Because it's easy...It's time to start leading my family by example and doing what's best for all of us. Get us into healthy habits that will last a lifetime and stop serving foods just because they're "kid foods". Who says good, healthy dinners aren't "kid food"? My girls will eat almost anything I give them, so why do I keep giving them mac & cheese and frozen fish sticks? Ugh...
Through this blog I'll be posting the meals I'm feeding my family. I'll post recipes (or links to recipes) and give you the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values I've figured up for them. Now, as a disclaimer, the points I'll figure up will be according to the specific brands of foods I'm using and weights of meats I'm using. If you want EXACT numbers for your meal, then please figure them up on your own. Or feel free to use my number as figure it as "close enough"... :)
Please give me some feedback if you make any of the recipes and let me know how you (and your kids!) like them. I'll work on getting some pictures of my meals too...but don't expect professional quality, I'm just an amateur and generally use my iPhone to take pictures! :)
~I don't like to waste food (eating our kids' leftovers)
~I just don't have the energy
~I'm at home with the kids all day
~I don't have time
~I can't afford to eat healthy
~I've tried on my own, but I need help
~"insert your best excuse here"
I'm guilty of using some of these excuses. I'm a stay at home mom, with little to no energy and some days I feel like I don't have the time to dedicate to leading a healthy lifestyle. I've tried on my own in the past and have failed. I've also tried on my own in the past and succeeded! The difference? I had the drive to do it. I really want to be healthy. I want to teach my girls by doing, not by saying. If I show them by example that you don't have to "diet" your entire life, they will grow up to be more confident and they will KNOW how to feed their own families one day. I struggle so much with my diet because I didn't grow up in a household where we naturally ate healthy. We had very few fresh fruits in the house and at over-cooked, boiled vegetables. When we had the occasional fresh salad we loved it! Now, don't take that as I grew up in a house eating fast food all the time or the worst foods ever. That isn't the case either, I just think my mom didn't know...also, we really couldn't afford fresh fruit and all the veggies came from PapPa's garden. PapPa also had a small beef farm where we got our beef from and raised pigs for pork. So, there you have it...we ate a lot of beef and pork!
We all KNOW how to lose weight. Burn more calories than you take in. Simple, right? In theory. But why do we all have such a hard time just doing it?? Why can't I just put in my mouth the foods that are good for me and avoid the foods that are bad for me? It drives me crazy!
This year I'm getting back on track (again). I'm done having kids so it's time to get my body where I want it to be, get back to cooking healthy meals and stop giving my kids convenience items. My girls love fresh chicken nuggets, why do I keep buying the overprocessed ones?? Because it's easy...It's time to start leading my family by example and doing what's best for all of us. Get us into healthy habits that will last a lifetime and stop serving foods just because they're "kid foods". Who says good, healthy dinners aren't "kid food"? My girls will eat almost anything I give them, so why do I keep giving them mac & cheese and frozen fish sticks? Ugh...
Through this blog I'll be posting the meals I'm feeding my family. I'll post recipes (or links to recipes) and give you the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values I've figured up for them. Now, as a disclaimer, the points I'll figure up will be according to the specific brands of foods I'm using and weights of meats I'm using. If you want EXACT numbers for your meal, then please figure them up on your own. Or feel free to use my number as figure it as "close enough"... :)
Please give me some feedback if you make any of the recipes and let me know how you (and your kids!) like them. I'll work on getting some pictures of my meals too...but don't expect professional quality, I'm just an amateur and generally use my iPhone to take pictures! :)
Chicken Thighs with Spinach and Mushrooms
And another Weight Watchers recipe to share with you. I LOVE this one and so do my girls! We eat a lot of chicken thighs in our house because a) they're cheaper than breasts and b) the PointsPlus value is the same as breasts for one serving! Oh, and they're super yummy and moist!
1 (8-ounce) package no-yolk wide egg noodles
1 lb skinless bonelss chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 (8-ounce) package white mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I leave the seeds in...who has time to take them out??)
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use my homemade broth, but don't know how it affects the PP value, I don't make any adjustments)
1 bunch baby spinach (The recipe doesn't specify, but I like to do a coarse chop on the spinach so we don't have big pieces in the meal)
1/4 c low-fat (1%) milk (I use skim because that's what we keep on hand)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, omitting salt if desired; drain. Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until browned. Transfer to plate.
3. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, broth, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach, milk and Parmesan into chicken mixture. Cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted. Serve over noodles.
One serving is about 1 1/2 cups and is 8 PointsPlus values. Not too shabby! The only problem with this yummy recipe is sticking to only one serving!! (Sometimes I'll allot 16 points for my dinner just so I can have a second helping) :)
1 (8-ounce) package no-yolk wide egg noodles
1 lb skinless bonelss chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 (8-ounce) package white mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I leave the seeds in...who has time to take them out??)
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use my homemade broth, but don't know how it affects the PP value, I don't make any adjustments)
1 bunch baby spinach (The recipe doesn't specify, but I like to do a coarse chop on the spinach so we don't have big pieces in the meal)
1/4 c low-fat (1%) milk (I use skim because that's what we keep on hand)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, omitting salt if desired; drain. Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp of pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until browned. Transfer to plate.
3. Add mushrooms and onion to skillet; cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, broth, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach, milk and Parmesan into chicken mixture. Cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted. Serve over noodles.
One serving is about 1 1/2 cups and is 8 PointsPlus values. Not too shabby! The only problem with this yummy recipe is sticking to only one serving!! (Sometimes I'll allot 16 points for my dinner just so I can have a second helping) :)
Weight Watchers Baked Ziti
Here's another Weight Watchers recipe we'll be enjoying later this month. The portion size on this recipe is smaller than I would normally eat, but I serve it with a piece of garlic bread (Texas Toast) for 4 points plus, and a salad (however big I feel I need...) for 2-3 points, depending on toppings, and it makes a really big, satisfying meal.
Weight Watchers Baked Ziti
3 sprays cooking spray
1 pound uncooked pasta, rigatoni or penne
3/4 pound part-skim ricotta cheese (I've substituted cottage cheese)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 c store-bought marinara sauce, divided*
1/2 pound shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c basil, cut into ribbons, for garnish (I leave this off or will add some dried basil to the sauce for flavor)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a lasagna pan with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cool water and drain.
While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes, 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and 1/3 c marinara sauce.
To assemble ziti, spoon 1/2 c sauce on bottom or prepared pan; top with half of pasta in an even layer. Evenly spread pasta with ricotta mixture; cover with half of remaining sauce. Top with remaining pasta and spoon remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Tbsp Parmesan. Bake until cheese melts and is browned, about 20 to 30 minutes. Allow zitit to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.
*If you don't have a store-bought sauce on hand, you can use fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead (could affect PointsPlus value).
You could also add any kind of lean meat to this recipe, just be sure to add in the PointsPlus value for the meat!!)
Weight Watchers Baked Ziti
3 sprays cooking spray
1 pound uncooked pasta, rigatoni or penne
3/4 pound part-skim ricotta cheese (I've substituted cottage cheese)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 c store-bought marinara sauce, divided*
1/2 pound shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c basil, cut into ribbons, for garnish (I leave this off or will add some dried basil to the sauce for flavor)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a lasagna pan with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cool water and drain.
While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes, 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and 1/3 c marinara sauce.
To assemble ziti, spoon 1/2 c sauce on bottom or prepared pan; top with half of pasta in an even layer. Evenly spread pasta with ricotta mixture; cover with half of remaining sauce. Top with remaining pasta and spoon remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Tbsp Parmesan. Bake until cheese melts and is browned, about 20 to 30 minutes. Allow zitit to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.
*If you don't have a store-bought sauce on hand, you can use fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead (could affect PointsPlus value).
You could also add any kind of lean meat to this recipe, just be sure to add in the PointsPlus value for the meat!!)
Smothered Pork Chops with Onion Gravy
4 (6-oz) bone-in pork loin chips, trimmed (I use boneless most of the time)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c water
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 c reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard (I use whatever spicy brown mustard I happen to have on hand)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I use about a tsp of dried)
1. Sprinkle the chops with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onions and water to the skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender, 12-15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the onions with the flour; cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. Add the broth, mustard, and thyme; bring to a boil, stirring until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Return the chops and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chops are heated through, 2-3 minutes.
6 WW points plus values for 1 chop and 1/4 cup of sauce!! Not bad for a delicious dinner!
This is what's for dinner tonight! It's one of our favorites, even our 3 1/2 year old and 16 month old like to eat it. I usually just leave the extra sauce off of theirs and try to keep the onions off of their plates. Tonight I'm serving this meal with some kind of pasta and canned green beans.
I'll be posting more of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes soon, so stay tuned!
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c water
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 c reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard (I use whatever spicy brown mustard I happen to have on hand)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (I use about a tsp of dried)
1. Sprinkle the chops with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onions and water to the skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender, 12-15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the onions with the flour; cook, stirring constantly 1 minute. Add the broth, mustard, and thyme; bring to a boil, stirring until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Return the chops and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chops are heated through, 2-3 minutes.
6 WW points plus values for 1 chop and 1/4 cup of sauce!! Not bad for a delicious dinner!
This is what's for dinner tonight! It's one of our favorites, even our 3 1/2 year old and 16 month old like to eat it. I usually just leave the extra sauce off of theirs and try to keep the onions off of their plates. Tonight I'm serving this meal with some kind of pasta and canned green beans.
I'll be posting more of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes soon, so stay tuned!
Monday, January 2, 2012
What's Cooking?
It's a new year!! What are you cooking this week?
Here's our menu for the week...
Monday: Make-ahead Manicotti (can be found on allrecipes.com)
Tuesday: Homemade Turkey Potpie (made with leftover Christmas turkey, homemade broth and I'm even going to go crazy and make the pie crusts!!)
Wednesday: Leftovers (Hey, momma needs a break sometimes!!)
Thursday: Smothered Pork Chops (a Weight Watchers recipe that is one of my favorites)
Friday: Asian-Inspired Salmon (a recipe I found on the slimfast.com website YEARS ago that I still love to make)
Saturday: Fettuccini Carbonara (can also be found on allrecipes.com)
I'm trying to have some "regular" meals to make my meal planning easier. Monday is meatless meals (saves on our budget). Tuesdays will be chicken (the cheapest meat I can find). Wednesdays will be a crockpot meal or leftovers (We go to play after school on Wednesdays so I need an easy meal night). Thursdays will be beef or pork. Fridays will be seafood night. Saturdays will be the night to try a new recipe or to have leftovers if I'm not feeling ambitious enough to try a new recipe!
By categorizing each day of the week, it made it super easy to go ahead and plan out dinners for the entire month of January. Yay! Now I have a list of all the meats or other items I don't generally keep on hand so I can watch the sales flyers from our local stores to see when something goes on sale. Then I can pick it up when it's on sale and SAVE MONEY!! The only downside to planning the whole month at once is that I'm sure hubby will come to me at some point and say, "We haven't had chicken fajitas in a while. Any chance we could have them TONIGHT?" :) I'll just have to tell him they'll go on the menu the first Tuesday in February. Ha!
Happy New Year and Happy Cooking!!!
Here's our menu for the week...
Monday: Make-ahead Manicotti (can be found on allrecipes.com)
Tuesday: Homemade Turkey Potpie (made with leftover Christmas turkey, homemade broth and I'm even going to go crazy and make the pie crusts!!)
Wednesday: Leftovers (Hey, momma needs a break sometimes!!)
Thursday: Smothered Pork Chops (a Weight Watchers recipe that is one of my favorites)
Friday: Asian-Inspired Salmon (a recipe I found on the slimfast.com website YEARS ago that I still love to make)
Saturday: Fettuccini Carbonara (can also be found on allrecipes.com)
I'm trying to have some "regular" meals to make my meal planning easier. Monday is meatless meals (saves on our budget). Tuesdays will be chicken (the cheapest meat I can find). Wednesdays will be a crockpot meal or leftovers (We go to play after school on Wednesdays so I need an easy meal night). Thursdays will be beef or pork. Fridays will be seafood night. Saturdays will be the night to try a new recipe or to have leftovers if I'm not feeling ambitious enough to try a new recipe!
By categorizing each day of the week, it made it super easy to go ahead and plan out dinners for the entire month of January. Yay! Now I have a list of all the meats or other items I don't generally keep on hand so I can watch the sales flyers from our local stores to see when something goes on sale. Then I can pick it up when it's on sale and SAVE MONEY!! The only downside to planning the whole month at once is that I'm sure hubby will come to me at some point and say, "We haven't had chicken fajitas in a while. Any chance we could have them TONIGHT?" :) I'll just have to tell him they'll go on the menu the first Tuesday in February. Ha!
Happy New Year and Happy Cooking!!!
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