Creamy Broccoli Soup....

...Minus the cream!

Yep! I whipped this soup up yesterday and I loved it! You get 2 CUPS of this soup for ONLY 2 points! :)

Creamy Broccoli Soup
Serves 4, 2 Cup servings, 2 PointsPlus

4 Cups Broccoli
3 Stalks Celery, diced
1 Cup Carrots, diced
1 Small onion, diced
6 Cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable)
Black pepper to taste
*optional* Shredded cheddar cheese for topping.

Spray large pot with PAM, add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for a few minutes- until onions are translucent.

Add stock and broccoli; bring to a boil. Lower heat then simmer uncovered until carrots and broccoli are soft.

Let cool slightly then blend soup using either an immersion blender or a regular blender done in batches. Blending it makes it creamy! :)

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese for additional points. :) YUM! I promise you won't miss the cream!
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Sean and I are going to have dinner tonight with his family but I really don't want to be on the road tonight. We will probably be in bed before midnight and that is fine with me! lol

I have lots of reading homework for my sessions and I plan on doing my studying today. So far all is going well with it! :)

I wish everyone a safe and happy new year! I am looking forward to 2011! It's going to be a great year! :)

Laughing Cow Alfredo

Hi guys! Yesterday was another session over in Palo Alto for me so I ate one of my breakfast sandwiches and packed a baggie with 13 almonds for 2 points and a banana as snacks. I decided to take BART and CalTrain over there because it's just less stressful then dealing with traffic but yesterday it took me even longer than the 1st time. It was also FREEZING cold, windy, and with random downpours. :-/ Not too much fun, but I survived!

After my session I decided to grab lunch before I got back on the train. I splurged a little ($$speaking) and decided my trip over there was deserving of a nice lunch.

 mmm coffee to warm me up!

 I ordered the Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Calamari Strips. It was delicious! I may dream about this salad soon! :) Looked up points for it when I got home and 10 for the salad, 2 for the grilled calamari. Not too bad.

Finally at home and I tossed this spaghetti squash in the oven to roast it. Cut, scoop out seeds, place open-face side down- roast for 45 min (this was a small one) at 400 degrees.

 I let it cool and then shredded it up. Put 1/2 away and measured out 2 cups of it for my dinner. I sat for a while and thought about what I wanted to top it with and decided on a creamy alfredo sauce would be yummy....and SINFUL! No, not if you make it with LAUGHING COW!

Laughing Cow Alfredo Sauce 
Makes 1 Serving, 4 PointsPlus

2 Light Swiss Laughing Cow Wedges
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
Pinch or two of pepper
Tablespoon or two of water

In a medium sauce pan add Laughing Cow wedges, 1/2 & 1/2, nutritional yeast, garlic powder.  Using a whisk and on medium heat whisk sauce until creamy and all cheese lumps are gone. Add in parmesan cheese and stir- sauce will be thick so add as much water as you like to thin it out a little bit. Add in pepper and stir. Top pasta, spaghetti squash or anything else you like alfredo sauce on! SO good!

Try it, you will like it!  Tell me all about it after! :)

 Side of fresh raw veggies!

I am being lazy this morning...I had some Bob's Red Mill for breakfast with a banana in it and I think it's just going to be OK to have a lazy day! :) We already need to re-stock our fruit/veggie stash. Man we really go though produce! lol So I think a trip to do that and oh yeah, laundry is on the list. :-/ Anyone have FUN New Years Plans? We aren't sure yet...but the 1st is my Dad's birthday and we are headed over to my parents on Saturday for dinner and birthday celebrations. :)

I hope everyone has a great day! :) BYE!

Weigh-In After Holiday

Let's get right to the point.....lol I was up .8 No worries at all! If I can enjoy the food that I eat once a year and be up only .8 I will take it! :) Moving FORWARD! We had a very nice Christmas. Sean was sick and my camera decided to take blurry pictures- NICE! lol Santa needs to come back soon I guess to deliver a camera! :-/


Ok so a few pics- Sean never wants presents and the ones that I get him are always personal. So I ordered a picture book from Snapfish. HE LOVED IT! (aww sick boy)

 Dad in his robe...

 my favorite pic but its BLURRY! Mom opening her iPad. I love the shocked face! lol :)

 Sick boy making our traditional pizzas!

My Mom cutting into the dish she makes ONCE A YEAR that I was DYING FOR! I have no idea how to spell it. lol It's dough with ground pork, cheese, spices, & anchovy oil. YUM!

 look how happy a slice makes me!

 ooh yes!

Ah yes, back to reality!  BIG ASS SALAD! Lettuce, red cabbage, shredded carrots, garbanzo beans, grilled chicken, toasted sliced almonds.

 This Trader Joes dressing that I tried is tasty!

 Nice stats!

 Today I had to run over to see my parents...lunch was a turkey & roast beef sandwich on a bagel thin, pickles, & popchips. :)

 Dinner was vegetable won ton soup. YUM!

I have been really busy reading and learning all of the lessons in the book 8 Steps To A Pain Free Back. 

I go back tomorrow for another session with Esther. I know the first few days after I saw her I kept waiting to feel more pain...it's a very strange feeling for me to be in constant pain then all of a sudden it's a much lower pain level than I have been used to. Weird! I am really happy that I already can tell these sessions are working for me. :) It will be something that I need to focus on and constantly practice, but it is worth it! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday! I have been really behind on reading blogs with all of the homework I have been doing for my sessions. :-/ I miss reading I really do! Hope everyone is doing well with all of this crazy weather out there too! STAY SAFE!

BYE! :)

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish all of you the best this holiday season! I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, & happy holiday! :)

 My color changing snowman says HI! :)

 oohh ...aahhh :)

Merry Christmas!
xoxo
tracey

Hope

Hi guys! I had a busy day yesterday. I know I've posted a few things about the sessions I was attending but I was nervous adn didn't want to talk much about it. A while back a couple of women at the therapy pool that I attend told me about the author of the book 8 Steps To A Pain Free Back. They both raved about her and told me I should look into it. I asked how much the sessions were, and never looked any further into it. Then Sean's Mom told me that one night she was watching the news and saw some program and gave me a piece of paper with this book title written down. I looked it up online and Sean & I decided that this was worth trying.

Yesterday I went to my 1st session with Esther Gokhale. She teaches posture modification. I had to travel to Palo Alto and I made the decision to take BART and then transfer to Cal Train for the trip. I knew sitting it the car in traffic would not be fun! This was an adventure! I had never traveled that far on Bart or ever taken Cal Train! I had a good day...and besides the 4 hour journey there and back, I would consider yesterday a success.

The book which I ordered on Amazon before hand was my homework. Meeting Esther was very comforting. She herself had struggled in the past with debilitating back pain. She was very helpful and she showed me how to sit, and lie down while stretching my back. I left a little sore, which she said is normal, but more importantly, I left with HOPE. :)

I am very excited to learn more. I know this is about what I do at home with the lessons. I need to practice this and be very aware of my movements. One thing I have noticed already is that my pain level is significantly lower. I have muscle soreness which Esther said I could experience, but not the normal PAIN that I have. This is just from stretching my spine and getting the pressure off of my compressed disks! Wow! :) Amazing! I need to go 3 more times to finish the sessions.


I came home yesterday very tired! Remember I tried to plan an EASY dinners? Well I bought this NEW find from Trader Joe's but when I went to open it I glanced at the sodium- 1000 mg!!! WHOA! I was glad tomorrow wasn't weigh in...and I unpacked it and followed directions to cook it.  BLAHHH it was SO nasty! WAY too salty and the won tons were not very good. I took a loss and tossed it. Oh well. I ended up heating up a pack of Madras Lentils instead. I was so tired I forgot to snap a pic to share. Sorry. :-/

I know I've mentioned the NEW Friends For Weigh Loss site before but it really is worth mentioning again, especially since I am the featured Success Story right now! :) Go See! Oh and if you are a member over there Danica let me know that the new BLOG BUTTON is available so go grab it!! :) 

I know the next few days for us will be filled with family, friends, and holiday celebrations. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Remember to relax, and enjoy the moments and memories you create. Ohh and because a few people have recently said it to me and it has helped, Be Kind To Yourself. 

:) 

EASY!

Yesterday I mentioned that because of the upcoming holiday crazies I made sure dinner this week were on the EASY side. I wanted to show you last nights EASY EATS!
Mushroom Risotto-

 & a BIG side salad

 Oh and my secret....the risotto was from a package! :)  I doctor it up a little by sauteing fresh sliced mushrooms first in the pan then adding in the frozen bag. It bulks it up nicely! Ever try this great dish from Trader Joe's? We love it as a side dish or in this case a meal! :) It makes 3 servings but if you do the WW math 1/2 the package is 6 PointsPlus. I took about a third of the package and gave a larger bowl to Sean so I counted 4 PointsPlus for my bowl.

I just came home from my Weight Watcher meeting today and I was down a pound. I had a great week but didn't seem to get rid of the extra puffiness that came along with TOM last week. lol Oh well...any loss this time of the year is a success! Heck I would have been happy with a stay the same week! :)

Gotta eat lunch and then figure out my travel plan for tomorrow's adventure down to Palo Alto for those sessions. I'm trying not to stress about it and make it a fun day....wish me luck. lol :)

BYE!

TIME IS FLYING!

I have no clue where the weekend went and today went by faster than any Monday I've ever lived through! lol Wow...ok so Saturday I went out to shop, eat & cook with my Mom. :) For lunch we split tuna on a bagel, had some Pop Chips and a fruit cup.

 Then for dinner I brought over a pot of soup and we doctored it up! We added thinly sliced sausage to it. YUM!

 Here is the final product-

 Here is the recipe-

White Bean & Potato Soup
Serves 6
4 PointsPlus *plus added points for sausage*

24 ounces Cannellini (white) beans- rinsed& drained
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken stock

-Add stock & beans to blender & puree until smooth.   Set aside.

1 small onion diced
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
10 ounces yellow dutch potatoes cut into small pieces

In a medium pot sprayed with PAM cook onions for a few minutes or until translucent. Add in carrots,  celery, and potatoes. Place bean puree into pot and season with salt & pepper if desired.  Bring to a boil, cover & cook for about 20 min or until potatoes are soft.

*You can add whatever pre-cooked sausage you like. I went with an Italian style Aidell's but it was 5 points a link so I used about 1/2 of it in my bowl. It made it heartier and was a good addition to the soup.
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On Sunday morning I made a mad dash over to Trader Joe's before they got hoppin! My LOOT-

 Sean and I did a lil shopping then wandered over to our favorite Chinese place for lunch- Chicken & mixed veggies-

Meals for this week will be EASY and FAST! I was craving roast beef wraps this week especially after finding the Laughing Cow Sun Dried Tomato- Mozarella flavor last week! I complained to my local Safeway that they never had it and the next time I was over there I was shocked to see it! :) YIPPEEE In my opinion it goes well with roast beef....you gotta try it!

Had it with a lil plate-o-veggies and a PERSIMMON! Ok so I ate it, but it's not really my favorite. lol

I am EXHAUSTED! I have my first session with the author of the book 8 Steps To A Pain Free Back on Wednesday. I am excited to meet her and hear what she has to say. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to try it out. Who knows, maybe some pain fee days are in my future. :) 

I hope everyone is managing to get through the holiday rush without too much craziness! I think the most important thing to remember is to relax, enjoy, and have fun. :) 

Bye!

STILL HERE! lol

Wow...I think I blinked and the week FLEW by! I guess it's just a busy time of year and I think you will all agree!

Let's see...I have taken a few pics to share...so maybe I will just share those! :)

I doodled for Tonyne's Advent Activity this week! :)

 I played around and got all dramatic with a new iPhone app- Hipstamatic. lol

 Roasted up a spaghetti squash and ate it with Brummel & Brown yogurt butter & parmesan and made a garlic sandwich thin to go with it! YUM!

 Leftovers- Thai Chicken Ginger Burger & spaghetti squash.

 New squash to try!

 Can you say Kabocha? :)

 hummm what to make with it??

I was in luck! I saw THIS recipe over at Just Hungry! I left out a few things but this was a great side dish! :) YUM!

Got all excited when I saw David Kirchhoff the CEO of Weight Watchers TWEET about the NEW Weight Watchers Kitchen Companion iPad app!!! OMG IT's SO COOL! Yes, I am such a geek! lol Look how cool the home page is with all of the great recipes!

Oh and all was going well until I colored my hair and it came out WAY darker than I wanted it...oh well. :-/

 This might sound silly but my NSV for the week was definitely the choice I made last night. I decided that 2 slices of bread for 4 points was just NOT worth it! I used ONE slice for my BLA (yeah I had no T lol) WHOOHOOO GO ME for skippin the 2nd slice of bread! This is a HUGE step for me! Seriously I love bread! lol :)

 I have homework this weekend. I am attending sessions with Esther starting on the 22nd and I got some reading to do before hand. I am very excited to get the chance to do this & hopefully see some relief. :)

 I got distracted last night when I saw what was on TV! BUDDY THE ELF!!! I LOVE HIM! :)

I also made some chocolate treats yesterday and stayed away from those! I think I was born without a sweet tooth...and I guess that is a good thing! :)

So today I am planing my meals for the upcoming busy week and trying to make things EASY! :) I am going to head over to my parents house and I am bringing a soup that I made the other night. It was a WW recipe but I changed a few things and I am actually going to add a few more changes as we re-heat it tonight for dinner. :) I will take pics and share with you soon!

Have a great day everyone!

BYE!