Watching What We Eat Wednesday

CROCKPOT EDITION!!

Well, I have made the recipe below TONS of times and it's easy and delicious! I did, however, get this exact recipe off of DWLZ.com. I'm too lazy to run upstairs and grab mine when I can just copy and paste this one. Did I mention it's yummy and easy? I can't wait to get some more crockpot recipes. It's a method I love to cook with, but don't know too many crockpot recipes that are low in points! Bring em' on! :)

Chicken Stroganoff - Crockpot Method

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 pound frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
16 oz. carton fat free sour cream
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Put frozen chicken in bottom of crockpot. Mix soup, sour cream, 
onion soup mix and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 7 hours. 
Makes 6 servings. (serve it over rice or noodles, but be sure to add those points)

POINTS:  4

I'm Back and full of Motivation!

Well, we had a wonderful vacation in Yellowstone. Now that we are home, I'm even more eager to lose more weight!! I feel really good right now, but know that my weight can get lower on the scale. I'm about 2 pounds from my WW goal, which makes me ecstatic! So, that is my focus right now. Once there, I have a goal to get 10 pounds below that. I originally set my WW goal at the higher end of the spectrum. I know I feel good at goal, but know I feel even better 10 pounds below that. It's funny because I don't feel as "skinny" as I did when I have been at goal before. I know it has a lot to do with having 2 kids. There are just some things that don't go back to where they were. I just have to come to terms with that. It's just hard to still see a roll when I sit or whatever. I want it GONE! I think another 10 pounds will help ease that frustration a bit. 

It has been nice to start doing some shopping. I have bought 2 new pairs of jeans. It's been a long time since I've done that. Not because I haven't had the money or have been told I can't, I just didn't want to. I felt gross and fat and had NO desire to shop. I love that the desire to shop and look good is slowly coming back. The best thing is to grab jeans off the shelf and think they're gonna be too small and tight and to realize that you can put them on and pull them off again without unzipping or unbuttoning! That is an AWESOME feeling. I can say I had a HUGE smile on my face when I had to go not only 1 size smaller, but 2 sizers smaller than I thought I was when I walked into the store! YAY!

Another great bonus of my weight loss journey is that my husband has decided to start his own weight loss journey. This makes me SO HAPPY! I love my hubby dearly and love him no matter what he looks like, but also want him to be healthy and around for a long LONG time. It makes me so happy that he's deciding to try to lose weight and is starting with little goals and going from there. He's already lost 8 pounds in a week! I'm thrilled that he's having this new outlook on life and health! 

Well, that's about all I have to report right now. I'm sorry I haven't been around for awhile, but plan to be back full force and checking out all of your blogs. I hope to find even more weight loss buddies and get even more motivation!

Have a great week!

I'll BE BACK!!!!!

I'm headed off to vacation! Life has been crazy and hectic, but it doesn't mean I'm not eating well and losing weight. I'm excited to come back from some time away and get back to posting again on this blog! I've missed all the motivation and inspiration I get from my weight loss blogging buddies! Sorry, I haven't been around, but I WILL BE BACK!!! 

Here's to a fantastic weight week for us all!!!!

Watching What We Eat Wednesday #5

So, this week's recipe is one of my favorites! Generally speaking, I'm NOT a bran muffin fan, but these muffins are DELICIOUS and only 2 pts each! My friend Kathleen came up with this recipe. She's an AMAZING cook and has lost 100lbs with WW! Anyways, I LOVE THESE MUFFINS! LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM! I need to make me a batch now! Hope everyone's week is going fabulous! :)

Kathleen’s Bran Muffins  (2 points) 

½ cup Hot Water     

½ cup “All Bran” Cereal 

¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce  

1 cup Splenda

½ cup Egg Substitute    

1 cup Buttermilk

1 cup Bran Flakes     

1 ¼ cup Flour     

1 ½ cup Oats

1 tsp. Salt     

2 tsp. Baking Soda

2 tsp. Baking Powder   

 4 tsp. Cinnamon 

2 Tbl. Molasses   

 1 tsp. Vanilla 

Preheat the oven to 400° 

Mix the hot water and All Bran cereal and set aside.  Mix in a bowl for 4 minutes the applesauce, Splenda, egg substitute, buttermilk, and bran flakes. Mix the molasses and vanilla into the applesauce mixture.  In another bowl mix the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.  Add the dry ingredients to this mixture just until combined.  Spoon the mixture immediately into a 12-count muffin tin.  The tins will be full.  Bake for 13-15 minutes. 

recipe by: Kathleen Wilson

Watching What We Eat Wednesday #4

I have family in town, so this is short and sweet. Hopefully you all like this recipe. It seems to be a perfect treat to sit and munch on outside while on a picnic. It's really simple and so refreshing. The best part is it's guilt free! 

Banana Pops (2 WW pts)

2 medium bananas, peeled and halved crosswise

1/4 cup crisp rice cereal

1 tablespoon toasted chopped coconut

1 tablespoon finely chopped peanuts

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, or apple pie spice

2 teaspoons maple-flavored syrup

-Insert a wooden stick *into the cut end of each banana half. Place on a baking sheet. Freeze 1 hour or till bananas are firm.

-Meanwhile, in a shallow dish mix cereal, coconut, peanuts, and nutmeg. Brush frozen bananas with syrup, then roll in cereal mixture to coat.

-Wrap each pop individually in plastic wrap; return to freezer. Freeze 2 hours more or till completely frozen.  

-Serves 4.

*NOTE- If desired, substitute plastic forks or knives for the wooden sticks :)

Nutrition Information- 93 calories, 1 g protein, 19 g carbs, 2 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 23 mg sodium, 266 mg potassium.

ENJOY!

YAY, an AWARD!

Well, I woke up this morning to find that I was the recipient of a fine award! Boy, did this ever MAKE.MY.DAY!! I've been lacking when it comes to writing posts on this blog, probably because I have been lacking when it comes to doing well with my weight loss goals. It's not like I'm gaining left and right, but I'm not losing like I want to either. I'm been stuck around this same weight for some time now and need to get my rear into gear! I hate that I'm not seeing the scale go down as quickly as I like. However, I need to remind myself that when you get closer to your goal, getting the weight to come off becomes even more difficult. Those last few pounds prove to be really stubborn!!!

Nuff said about that. I'm happy to get this great award from Lorie!!! Her blog is inspirational to so many of us and I can't go a day without reading it. It's my "pick me up" when I need the extra push to keep going!! 

I really need that push right now because I want to make my goal I set for myself. I wanted to get to my original WW goal before my MIL got home and she gets home on the 24th of July!! AHHHH! I don't have much left to lose to get there, but what I do have to lose is proving to be rather difficult to get off! I'm TRULY gonna focus and write EVERYTHING down that I eat and try really hard to get to that goal. Although I know it is obtainable, I'm also not gonna beat myself up if I don't quit make it. I'm not saying I'm already giving up, I'm just being realistic and gonna be happy with the LOSS I see by the time she gets home. I WILL weigh less in a few weeks than I do now and that will be great motivation for me to KEEP ON GOING! I have additional weight loss goals beyond this goal on the 24th of July, so I have reason to keep my spirits high and remember to FOCUS ON WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, NOT what I have not yet accomplished. It's best not to wallow in our downfalls. We must pick ourselves up and try try again! We'll be SO MUCH HAPPIER with ourselves if we focus on the positive and look to the future rather than justifying our downfalls and getting trapped in the vicious cycle of over-eating and sedentary lifestyles! 

Alright, there's my soapbox for now. I'm too lazy to re-read it and ensure it makes any sense. Hopefully it does. I'm so happy to have met the bloggers I have that continue to motivate me and pick me up when I am down. That is truly the reason for my success!! To all of you bloggers that have not yet received the award I have made and are here reading, be sure to snag up my custom made award for all my MOTIVATORS! It's over there on my sidebar!

It's all of you who truly keep me on the path towards weight loss!!

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday #3

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The recipe I'm posting this week is SUPER easy and really really good. I didn't think my hubby would like it as he's not a onion fan, but he really really thinks these are delicious! YAY for me as I LOVE onions. Anyways, these are so good! You'll feel like you are cheating!! Enjoy! I'm excited to come around and see everyone else's recipes for this week :)

Twice-Baked Potatoes (2 WW points)

4 small baking potatoes (5 to 6 ounces each)

2 ounces reduced-calorie cream cheese, cubed and softened

2 tablespoons snipped chives (I just use finely chopped green onions here as I have that on hand more often than chives)

1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/8 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons skim milk

Paprika

*Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or til tender. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out each potato half, leaving a thin shell. Set shells aside.

*Put pulp into a small mixer bowl. Add cream cheese, chives (or green onions), basil, salt, and pepper; beat until smooth. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, beating until potato mixture is fluffy and smooth.

*Pipe or spoon potato mixture into shells.  Sprinkle with paprika. Place on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil.

*Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Uncover potatoes and bake 10 minutes more or til heated through. 

Nutrional Information per serving: 98 calories, 3 grams protein, 18 grams carbs, 2 grams fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium, 318 mg potassium.  Not exactly sure what the fiber count is for you doing WW, but an average sized potato has 3 grams of fiber, but that DOES include eating the skin of course. That's where most the fiber is located :) ANYWAYS, I just count this recipe as 2 WW points as I usually don't eat the skin anyways and even if I did, the the point value is right on the border b/w 1 and 2 points, so I always round up :)

There is also Microwaveable directions. I've never tried them this way, but here are the directions in case anyone is interesting :)

Microwave Directions: Micro-cook pricked potatoes at 100% power (high) for 10-12 minutes or til tender. Halve potatoes and prepare filling as above. Place filled potato shells on a 12 inch microwave-safe platter. Cover with venter clear plastic wrap. Cook on high for 1 to 2 minutes or til heated through.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cook Book

ENJOY!

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