SPOOKY!

Happy Halloween Fellow Bloggers! I also wanted everyone to know today is headache free! Thank you for all of your well wishes over the past few days! I almost had to rip out my eyeballs, just ask Sean. lol :) Have a safe, creepy, spooktastic, candy-free (is that possible) day! :) OH! and if you are anywhere near my Parents house, stop on by for some chili! hehe :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

No new stuff from me for dinner...sorry! Leftover Stuffed peppers with some frozen corn for tonight. I did make a creative breakfast sandwich this AM- 2 waffles, low sugar strawberry jam, and one Morning Star soy sausage patty. YUMMY!

Lunch today was a wrap with a mushroom veggie burger. I also threw in some sour cream with green onions, a couple tablespoons of garbanzo beans, lettuce and shredded carrots.

OH! So last night I took the train into San Francisco to meet up with Sean and go see one of my FAVORITE singers! Joshua Radin was playing at the same place we saw him last year- The Great American Music Hall. Great place to see a show, very small theater-perfect! If you are not familiar with Joshua's talents check out his web site HERE He's not too shabby to look at either!

So my headache is still here. I've loaded up with caffeine each day but no luck. I saw this comic and this is kinda how I feel. lol :)

Tomorrow is candy day huh? I didn't buy any for home because I know that I am headed to my parents tomorrow to have dinner and help pass out candy. Im one of the few people who are not tempted by sweets. If instead of candy we passed out baguettes of french bread, man I'd be in trouble! lol Dinner on Halloween night was always chili night. It still is! My Mom always makes a big pot of chili for us. When we were in and out of the house trick-or-treating with our friends we could always come back for another bowl. It's a great idea, and even though I'm not out there trick-or-treating I still want a big bowl! :)

Hope everyone has a safe and fun day tomorrow! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :) BOO!

HELLO!

Been kinda BLAH with a headache from hell! UUgghh! I would just pop 2-3 advil to help but I have to stay clear of any anti-inflammatory meds before my injection appointment on Monday. This Monday! I'm trying not to think about it, I am a little nervous. Cross your fingers for me, I really hope it works!

Since I made the stuffed peppers on Monday we had leftovers last night. So not much as far as new foods to share but here is the recipe I promised! :) I didn't even check to see if I have share this one before-but I took my Mom's recipe and made it into my version with ground lean turkey and brown rice, with the addition of chopped mushrooms to help keep it moist. Here ya go!

Stuffed Peppers

1 package Lean ground turkey (package is aprox. 1.25 lbs.)
4 bell peppers- cut in half
10 ounce package sliced mushrooms
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup diced onions
3/4 cup brown rice-Uncle Ben’s instant brown rice
¾ cup egg beaters
Salt/pepper

Chop up approximately 7 ounces of the sliced mushrooms (I use a Pampered Chef Chopper to make it easier), add to large bowl- reserve remaining sliced mushrooms to add to pan. In same bowl add turkey, rice, onions, egg beaters, salt/pepper. Mix until well blended and make 8 meatballs to add to each ½ pepper. Place peppers in a baking dish, cover with tomato sauce and add remaining mushrooms to pan. Bake covered for one hour at 400 degrees.

Also been having leftovers for lunch- PIZZA! Plus a side of steamed broccoli-YUM!



I had a bunch of eggs that I needed to cook-so I hard boiled them and for snack decided to add some hummus to them. I placed 2 tablespoons of hummus in a snack size zip-lock baggie and cut off the tip to make it look pretty. :) Very filling low point snack idea!

Last night I saw a great recipe from Heather for Pumpkin Pie Smoothie-Actually she posted it on Twitter. Go follow her for some great ideas PLUS the recipe!


Very excited for tonight! Sean and I are going to see one of my favorite singers Joshua Radin! You gotta check him out if you have not already! We went to see him last year at this time, same place and it was a great show! :) We are skipping the dinner at the show (last year it wasn't so tasty!) and decided to eat before hand. Not exactly sure where we will go but it will be a great evening!

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE! :)

L is for LOSER

I kept blinking at the # on the scale today at my Weight Watcher meeting. I knew I deserved a good week- I've been on a slump (stayed the same, up .6, down .4) for 3 weeks but HOLY TOLEDO! I lost 2.8 this week! Ok so here are my new totals-
Current Weight: 165.4 Total lost: 66.6 :) I have not stopped smiling since I got off that scale. :)




Off to make a BIG pot of Red Lentil Sweet Potato Curry- Here is the recipe! :)

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry with Warm Pita Bread

1 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups red lentils
3 cups of water
Whole wheat pita bread

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, and 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato, ginger, garlic, curry powder and bay leaf and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the water with chicken bouillon and stir in the lentils. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the lentils break down and the sweet potatoes are tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Season with salt.

3. While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, warm a stack of pitas. Use pita bread to scoop up curry…or grab a spoon!



BYE! :)

Old "Friend" PLUS Meal planning/shopping

Who is this? This is my old flame. He use to make me feel good. I would open a small bag-or two, lets be honest here! I liked to break him up into bite size pieces-those big ring shapes are hard to savor. I seldom enjoyed his company in front of others. He was my secret crush. Humm, why was I so sneaky with him in my life? I figured out he really was not good FOR me...and we broke up. I ran into him this past weekend at the store and took his picture for old times sake. Not nearly as good looking as I remembered him to be. Good riddance! :) LOL That is really how I feel when I see a bag of Funyons. I crack up at how much I liked them. I also remember how cut up my mouth got eating those! lol Seriously they are bad for your gums! lol

HI Everyone! I had a great Sunday! We ran all over town picking up odds and ends for this week. Small ingredients from many different stores. I always complain that I need to do my shopping at 4-6 different stores- but really I do it to save money. When I do a stock up shopping it is at a store about 35 minutes away. Sean has to go with me-I need his help carrying all of those bags! I get lots of canned goods! We have a VERY small fridge/freezer so space is limited. But one way I feel I can make up for it is buying canned foods to keep on hand. Beans- a few different varieties, many different veggies, and some dry goods as well. I find that having those items in my pantry already saves us money each week. I also buy foods and spices that I don't need a lot of in bulk. Buying in bulk allows me to try a new recipe and if I only need 2 tablespoons of pine nuts I only spend $1.45 not $15.99 for a whole pound. We have a health food store that had a great selection of spices too-great savings! I always meal plan on Sunday and get my shopping list ready- then I hit the pantry- see what I already have (shop at home) then add the fresh ingredients to the list. Saves us money and time! :) How do you all save money while eating healthy? When do you guys go shopping? I love reading blogs and I see a lot of people plan for the week, it's a great way to stay on plan!

Here are some pictures from Sunday- Lunch out at Panera Bakery- Asian Chicken Salad -minus the won tons. I order a fruit cup as my side and toss it into my salad. YUM!

Came home to relax after our running around and decided to chill out on the back deck to enjoy the great weather we had!



Already cooked dinner for tonight...Stuffed Peppers. I need to take pics and share with you soon! Weigh in tomorrow, wish me luck...Im hoping to see a loss! I think I'm due! lol Have a great evening everyone! :) BYE!

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Just woke up a bit ago and when I loaded up my pictures on my camera I noticed I forgot to share my pizza from Friday night! It was really good...and BIG! I am definitely someone that likes more bang for my buck- if its BIGGER and I can eat it for the same points I will take it! lol Check out my 6 point lavash bread, turkey pepperoni pizza! YUM! Those are my BIG dinner plates that I hardly ever use. lol We enjoyed those pizzas with a salad with this great blue cheese yogurt dressing that is really good!


Yesterday I spent the day with my Mom. We did some shopping and stopped for lunch but we both chose breakfast. I forgot to take a picture! Sorry, but I had the 1 egg(egg beaters) 2 bacon breakfast with sliced tomatoes and dry wheat toast. I added some blackberry jam to my toast it was delicious! Loved every bite....because I CAN! :) Weight Watchers is the BEST! :) Later for dinner we made turkey taco salads-one of our favorites!

Today, Sunday- Just planning on making my weekly shopping list/meal planning and running some errands with Sean. Not sure where we will head for lunch today or what we might have for dinner- we shall see! Lots of relaxing today too! :) Hope you all enjoy your day!

BYE! :)

Friday Already!

Wow this week flew by! Yesterday I attempted to make granola bars. I never claimed to be a baker...they came out too crumbly. So now we have granola! I enjoyed some as a snack over Fage 0% greek yogurt and again this morning with a banana added.

Found some whole wheat Lavash- still can't find the Joseph's brand some people have gotten. I think the NI is better on those. These are 1pt for 1/2 and 2 for the whole sheet.
I had a 1/2 with turkey for lunch one day-oh there is my Honey Crisp apple! YUM! :) Tonight I'm making pizza on the Lavash. I usually make it on the whole wheat pitas- but this is BIGGER and BIGGER is better! Makes me feel like I'm piggin out! :)

Today for lunch I wanted tacos. PROBLEM! I had zero taco ingredients-but I did have the 2 for 1pt corn tortillas and 1pt an ounce mozzarella cheese- so I got creative with some deli turkey. Would have been good with some green chilies in there too, but I was hungry and ate it up as is with a side of leftover brussle sprouts and steamed broccoli.


Last night was the last swim class with the arthritis group- one of the ladies asked us a couple of weeks ago if her husband could take a picture of all of us in the pool and she brought one in for each of us. How sweet! Someone asked her why she wanted a picture- she said to remember us by. :) So here is the group...I'm the youngest one...lol

Hope everyone has a FUN FRIDAY and a GREAT WEEKEND! :)

BYE! :)

It's all about the choices we make!

Just got home from the store...three actually. Why does it take so many stores to get a few things? lol Anyway I was thinking while I stood in line.... here are some of my old friends. These friends were secret pals. I bought them and ate them in the car on the way home real fast, hid the wrappers and then felt badly about myself. Here is just ONE of my many new friends. He is only here for a short while so I splurged and bought ONE Honey Crisp Apple. I wanted to show him off...not put him in hiding, and not eat him super fast in my car. He is siting on my kitchen counter waiting to be enjoyed at lunch. :) It really is about the choices we make.

Chuggin along

Hi! I think my back is calming down finally! I was actually happy yesterday to feel my OLD back pain instead of the spasms that started on Sunday from COUGHING! lol So tonight is the last swimming therapy with the arthritis group. I'm going to see if they offer more classes, I really liked it.

Last night we had an easy dinner. Boca burgers with home fries- YUM!

Then I looked at the clock and realized that we could make it over to Costco for a shopping trip before they closed. Whoo hoo! I hate going here alone. All of the lifting of heavy items kill me! So I was super happy to have Sean help me. The best part was that they don't have those annoying sample people there at night causing a traffic jam over a piece of sausage or a pot sticker! Is it just me or does that annoy anyone else?? LOL Seriously, its just a sample people...move along! Toilet paper, paper towels, some standard Costco items, and a couple of good finds-



The Fage greek yogurt was needed because I was coming off of a disappointing Chobani yogurt high. I was looking for that brand EVERYWHERE! I saw them a couple of towns over and decided yesterday to brave the traffic and go get some. I did have a coupon that was online buy 2 get one free. So I grabbed one strawberry and two vanilla. I ate the vanilla one for snack and I really did not care for it. It was not as creamy as Fage. I guess I will stick with what I already love. Maybe I just picked the wrong flavors? Oh well. Anyway I did see a whole case of Chobani at Costco too! I would have bought that had I not tried at already.

I guess that is all from me. I have been doing well with tracking (never really a problem for me) and since the start of my week on Tuesday I have only used 2 weekly points. I tend to feel bad when I dip into them but with being at 22 points a day I feel like I can't help but need them, but that is what they are there for! THANK GOODNESS! :) I tend to spend most of them on Sunday when Sean and I go out for lunch or for a glass of wine or two. For those of you on Weight Watchers how do you spend your weeklies? A little each day or on a splurge meal? I always like to know how everyone spends theirs. :)

Hope everyone is having a great day! I am planning on making some jewelry today! See the link on the right side with my Etsy shop? Feel free to stop by and take a peek. Etsy is a great site to buy handmade gifts. The holidays are coming up fast! :)

BYE! :)

Weigh In

I stayed the same this week. 168.2lbs. That is just fine with me. Yes, of course I wanted to see some sort of loss...but I am grateful for maintaining. Moving on...

Snack ideas for this week... I bought some hummus at Trader Joes- had some with carrot sticks. YUM!

I also bought some greek yogurts at Trader Joe's. Why are these so darn expensive? lol Greek yogurt in general is more than regular yogurt. Oh well...it is good. So I bought 2 of these containers and topped one with a tablespoon of reduced sugar jam. I loved it! I am still looking for the Chobani brand. But no stores close to me sell them. I saw them at Whole Foods a town over, so I need to plan a trip there to pick some up.

Last night for dinner I made a new recipe that I saw in a Martha Stewart magazine. It came out good...I added it all to the WW recipe builder and it was 6 points a serving. This is the recipe- but I changed a few things (like switching beef to turkey) We have another meal out of this for later this week.

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squashes
-Martha Stewart Living

2 medium acorn squashes (about 2 pounds), halved and seeded
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tsp. course salt
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place squashes, cut sides down in a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Bake until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.2.Cook Turkey over medium heat. Add, cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer turkey to a bowl or plate using a slotted spoon, keeping as much of the cooking liquid in the pot as possible. (mine didn’t have any remaining liquids-lean meat!)
3. Add oil, onion, and cook until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining teaspoon salt and the bulgur, and stir to combine. Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Take pot off the stove and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and add reserved turkey, the raisins, parsley and pine nuts.
4. Scrape out baked squashes, forming 1/4 inch thick bowls, and fold flesh into bulgur mixture. Divide among squash halves, and return to the oven. Bake until warmed through and tops are browned. 12 to 14 minutes.


Served with roasted brussel sprouts! :)

I'm about to go try ICE on my back. Feel like a lil old lady. lol Thanks for all of the nice comments. I too hope this back pain goes away. Makes me feel like I shouldn't complain about the OTHER back pain that I live with on a daily basis. I try not to. :) Hope everyone has a wonderful day. :)

Tuesday-Today is WI day!

Hi! I've been around but not posting. I coughed on Sunday morning as I was bent over and POP went my lower back. Oh gee, thanks...like I don't already have enough back problems. Enough bitching from me! Sean took me on Sunday (yes I still went, I was excited) to a bead show. I was so happy he offered to take me, then he reminded me that I went with him to a golf show years ago. Payback time? lol He went and found a chair to sit down and read the book he brought with him, but he still came with me- he is the best! :) Here is some of the goodies I bought-

Then on the way home we stopped at the produce stand and I noticed some brussel sprouts. I saw them last season at this place sold the same way and I was actually embarrassed to buy them. lol So this time I made Sean cary the stalk, but I had fun when I came home! I PUFFY HEART BRUSSEL SPROUTS!



I cut all of those lil guys off of the stalk, cut them in half, added a thinly sliced red onion, tossed them with olive oil, salt & pepper- Roasted them at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. YUM!

Off to get ready for my Weight Watchers meeting. I will come back later to post WI and a new recipe that I made last night. Yep, back pain can't stop me from eating healthy. Although I did look over at the Cheese Steak Shop on my way home from the grocery store yesterday and drool a little. I snapped out of that dream real fast when I remembered how sick those make my tummy feel when I eat them. LOL Bye for now! :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

I made such a BIG batch of Split Pea Soup that we have been eating off of it for days! lol Tonight I am taking the rest to my parents house to eat. That will be the end of that! Got some SAFE treats in the mail- Can't beat a ONE point treat! I got the variety pack again because I cant pick one or two flavors out I want them all! lol

Then yesterday I had the urge to make pumpkin muffins. Yeah with all of those muffin tops in my freezer I decided to bake?? LOL I am not crafty enough to come up with a recipe on my own- so I took a box of Fiber One Banana Nut muffin mix and added stuff to it. Ok ready...

1 box DRY Fiber One Mix
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 15 ounce can pumpkin

MIX IT ALL UP- place in muffin pan(with paper liners) Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees. I cooked until toothpick came out clean. 3 points each. :) YUM! I enjoyed mine with a cup of tea last night for dessert. The leftovers got bagged up for Sean's lunches and for my parents. ONE was all I needed. :)

So you all remember those chicken patties that I bought at Costco? I love them. I thought I would freeze some because they are a big pack and No way that I would eat them until they were gone. Well I have 3 left. I ate them every day...here is my favorite lunch with them- This is a wrap (not wrapped up yet. lol) I threw some mushrooms and some red onions in a saute pan with some PAM and a little pepper. Cooked those until soft. Then added one ounce of this cheese-my favorite reduced fat cheese ever!
Yes I keep the wrapper on my fridge- The cheese is in a ball and needs to be grated- so I do it in the food processor (EASY!) and then put it in a baggie, ready to weigh out as needed. :) Then I heat up the chicken patty on my George Forman grill and cut it in half, place it on the wrap and roll it up. Best and most filling 5 point lunch ever! YUM!

So what is everyone doing this weekend?? Any fun plans? It is going to be a beautiful day today! Mid 80's and lots of sun! I guess tomorrow will be a lot cooler. Weird weather we are having! Hope you all have a great one!

:) BYE!