Pants on the Ground

Remember that funny "song" from a few years ago...Pants on the Ground? That is how I feel today! I am in that weird "in-between" size. Not quite a 14 anymore, but not really a 12 yet either. 14's are way too loose...12's are still a tad snug, with the exception of 1 pair. Ugh. So, I'm still wearing the 14's. I feel like I'm walking around with one hand on my waistband, constantly tugging up my pants! Its a GOOD THING, though! No recipes today, howerver, for your entertainment, I snapped this short video 3 years ago of my THEN 3 1/2 year old (now 6 1/2 year old) singing Pants on the Ground in the bathtub. No worries- she is completely covered up - no indecent content here!!

Birthday dinner last night wasn't TOO bad- I ordered Baja fish tacos, which were ok. One of the side items was dripping in buttery goodness, but oh well! It was my birthday! Which justified the 2/3 of the piece of carrot cake I ate, too, right? Overall, I think I ended up giving myself like 30 points for dinner/dessert last night. I may have over calculated..I may have undercalculated, but who knows. I didn't go completely overboard and I only gained 1/2 lb between yesterday a.m. and this a.m. - small victory! 

I am making Chicken Noodle Soup tonight- not really a WW recipe, but its not really that full of calories or fat anyway and I found some whole wheat "egg noodles" to use in place of regular egg noodles, which will bump up the nutritional content. Hope it taste the same, though!  That is the good thing about WW- you can use your own recipes, just adapt them. Tomorrow I am making an old WW Deep Dish Pizza Casserole that I've had forever and I really like! And maybe some "brownie" bites, which pretty much just consists of a can of pureed pumpkin and a box of chocolate cake mix and a mini-muffin pan. They are GREAT for chocolate cravings and only 1 point each, if I remember correctly. I will re-calculate the points after I buy the cake mix. I will post those recipes tomorrow!

Tomato Soup

Although I'm making chicken tonight, I'd rather have this soup. Its going to get colder this week, so maybe one night we'll have this and Grilled Cheese! Its really yummy and the pepper gives it a tiny kick! The points may have changed, though, as it was calculated using the OLD points system. It CAN'T be any more than 2 points per serving though. I will re-calculate when I make it later this week.   To go with it, I typically make Grilled cheese on low-point bread with 2% milk cheese slices (1 pt per slice) or WW cheese slices (also 1 pt per slice). Add a fruit salad and its a pretty filling dinner (or lunch) for only 5-6 points! I am not 100% where this recipe ORIGINALLY came from - my mother gave it to me!

Tomato Soup

About 1 WW point per cup

 

28 oz. Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes

26 oz. tomato soup, undiluted

32 oz. chicken broth

½ teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground

Salt to taste

Optional – Italian Seasoning

 

Pulse Italian tomatoes in food processor or blender until diced finely.  Recipe called for Progresso Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs. (I couldn’t find it so I used Del Monte’s diced with basil, garlic and oregano. Then I added about 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.)

In Dutch oven (large pot) mix blended tomatoes, soup, broth and pepper

Cook over medium heat – stirring occasionally – 10 or 15 minutes Just until hot.

 Makes approximately 11 cups

A 2 cup serving = about 110 calories and 0 fat. 

Just under 1 fiber.

 

Serve hot and may top with or without any of the options below:

Parmesan Cheese

Fresh chopped parsley

Sour Cream

Croutons

Fresh tomato diced

Weekend Update - ribs & Chinese food

Ok - First and foremost- the blackened tilapia tacos on Friday were good. Not great. I think I would have preferred just the Blackened Tilapia! It was pretty yummy by itself. And I left out the cumin in the spices. I don't like it and didn't have it on hand. It tasted fine to me. The Key Lime sandwiches were good, but I am quickly discovering I'm not a fan of Greek yogurt. They were too.....tangy? yogurty? I think I might have liked it better with maybe a mixture of FF Coolwhip and a Yoplait Key Lime Pie yogurt. I may have to play around with it.

Saturday, hubby smoked "spare" ribs, complete with a yummy honey and BBQ sauce mixture on top. I ate four, along with some roasted vegies and some fruit. They were SOOO good. My WW book said 4 spareribs are 9 pts, but since it probably didn't consider the sauce, I gave myself 12 pts. I had the points to use, so it was all good!

Sunday, hubby and my oldest daughter wanted Chinese. I did Chinese food a lot my first few rounds on WW and knew that Moo Goo Gai Pan (5 pts- 1 cup) and egg drop soup (1 pt- 1 cup) were ok. Add in 1 cup of steamed rice (5 pts) and I did okay for dinner...11 points. I may opt for steamed dumplings next time (7 pts for 4, maybe?), as this particular restaurant's Moo Goo Gai Pan was pretty tasteless. Tonight is ballet night for my youngest, which means I'll be running to/fro during the dinner hour(s), so Mondays are typically leftovers or "fend for yourself" nights.

Mondays are also the "end" of my week, and I have 35 points in my bank to use (or lose). I probably will not use them this week. I'm sure I will use my points next week, though! Birthday dinner on Wednesday night and a possible Girls Night Out on Saturday night! Looks like my total lost for this week will probably be 2.5 lbs - which brings my total lost to 8 lbs (4 lbs lost on WW in the last 2 weeks).

I also have a Honey Pecan Chicken recipe in my frig that has been in the freezer for 6 months. I HAVE to make it soon. Its NOT WW friendly, as some of the ingredients for the sauce include butter, whippping cream, orange juice and whiskey! I will just use very little sauce on my chicken. The chicken itself won't be but about 5-6 pts, I think. I would post the recipe, but its SO not diet friendly. Maybe I'll make it tomorrow. :-)

1 point tortillas

Not much new today - only I've lost that 1 lb I gained on vacation, plus another 1 (so down 2 lbs since Tuesday!), AND I'm in a size smaller pants today! Not all my size 12's fit yet, but this one pair did, so I seized the opportunity and I am wearing those badboys! Yippee!!! Total of 8 lbs lost since Jan. 20th.

And as I mentioned  yesterday - I found some 1 point tortillas at Kroger. They were on the "mexican foods" aisle, with those tortillas, but separated from them. All the way at the bottom, to the right hand size. Hopefully they will have more when I go back! I use them for everything from quesadillas to turkey wraps for lunch. Love!

Hot & Cold - Blackened Tilapia Tacos & Key Lime Pie Sandwiches

With hubby out of town this week and a busy activity week for the kiddos, I haven't cooked. I've been eating leftovers and last night I ate at Church. HOWEVER, tomorrow night, I plan to make Blackened Tilapia Tacos. While I will probably be the ONLY one to actually eat a TACO, I look forward to this. It looks yummy. I fully expect the kids to turn up their noses (but who knows) and hubby just to eat his Tilapia sans the taco.  Regardless, it looks good. I bought some "homemade" Pico de gallo to add to it and a few fresh avacados. I MAY leave out the cumin in the spice mix. I'm not a fan. I'm guessing it will be fine without it. Thoughts?

Blackened Tilapia Tacos (7 points plus)

Ingredients (Serves 2-4)

½ Teaspoon Paprika

¼ Teaspoon Salt

¼ Teaspoon Pepper

¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder

¼ Teaspoon Cumin

3 Tilapia Filets (3 pts per 5 oz)

1 ½ Tablespoons Olive Oil (I add 1 point for the olive oil)

1 Avocado (1/4 of an avacado is 2 pts)

4 Whole Wheat Tacos (I found some Tortillas at Kroger that are only 1 point each! If you cannot find these, most whole wheat tortillas are 3 pts each. Be sure to make the adjustment in the points total. I will try to take a picture of the brand I bought and post it later.)

Combine the dry seasonings in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Lightly dust each side of the tilapia filets with the seasoning blend. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tilapia to the pan and cook the tilapia for five minutes on each side. Warm the tortillas. Smash a little bit of avocado on each tortilla. Place a half of a tilapia filet on to each taco. Break the filet apart a little bit. Serve with a little bit of fresh pico de gallo or salsa and some jalapeno slices.

Here is the link to the original recipe if you want to go take a peak at the pictures or step-by-step directions:
http://www.sarcasticcooking.com/2012/06/20/blackened-tilapia-tacos/

Any suggestions on side items to go with this?

And I'm thinking after the "heat" from the tacos, we may need something "cool." I'm considering this:

Too-Cool Key Lime Pie Sandwiches                         PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, 1 sandwich): 128 calories, 1g fat, 105mg sodium, 24g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 16g sugars, 7g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*                 Even if you're not a huge fan of key lime pie, you'll FLIP over these. SOOOO AMAZING!!!!!!! Ingredients: 1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like the kind by Fage or Chobani) 1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar 1 tbsp. lime juice (key lime, if available) 2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 4 squares Directions: To make the filling, combine yogurt, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the freezer for 25 - 30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency (very thick but soft enough to stir). Place two graham cracker squares on a plate with the cinnamon-covered sides down. Give filling a stir and evenly distribute between the two graham cracker squares, about 1/4 cup each. Gently place another graham cracker square over each filling-topped square, cinnamon-covered sides up. Place in the freezer until filling is firm, at least 1 hour. Enjoy! MAKES 2 SERVINGS     Originial recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/show/2071   Looks good, right? I will probably double it to make sure I have one for every member of the family.   Can't wait!!!!

Back from traveling and Cola Chicken recipe

Well, I'm back from our mini-vacation and I'm happy to report that I only gained 1 pound! WOW!  I packed good snacks and tried to eat smart meals at restaurants (except for Pancake Pantry, where my oldest daughter and I split an order of 5 large Sweet Potato Pancakes w/ cinnamon cream syrup! I've been daydreaming about those pancakes since I had them 3 years ago, so it was well worth the splurge!!)  I did get some exercise - attempting to ski for the first time in 20 years was KILLER and ice skating was painful as well. Two days later and my upper body is still VERY sore!

Travel days are the worst, but I packed plenty of water and fruit for snacking in the car. Going there, we stopped at Cracker Barrel and I had grilled chicken salad and didn't eat the deviled eggs or "wedge of cheese", so it was somewhere between 8-12 points, based on what I can find online.

While there, we ate at the cabin the first night (turkey wrap, Sunchips, vegies and fruits) and we ate out for B'fast the the next day (see above) and lunch that first day I had a "Fruit Plate" with homemade chicken salad (only ate 1/2), some sort of jello dessert and about 1/2 cup of corn chowder. Points completely UNKNOWN!  Dinner was grilled burgers, chips and vegies. (and would you believe me that the chips gave me heartburn both nights!) The next day we ate b'fast at home, lunch at the ski lodge (grilled chicken sandwich and some fries) and dinner was at a local brewery - BBQ chicken (with cheese and tomatoes on top), mashed potatoes and broccoli...and 2 beers...oops!

Coming home, the girls wanted to eat at Wendy's for lunch on the way home, so I ordered a "half" Baja salad, which was only 7 points, but I only ate about 1/2 the chili.  (however, I was STARVING just 2 1/2 hours late. I probably should have eaten all the chili. Oh well!) I did however, share a small bag of gummie bears with my daughters! :-) 

But overall, I was VERY happy with only 1 lb weight gain!  Back on the wagon today!

Well, I will report that the Oreo Mousse on Valentines night went over VERY well at my house. The kids and hubby LOVED it and I even put it in fancy glasses to serve it in. I had plenty leftover to take on our vacation, so we ate it there, too. My oldest is requesting it again ASAP!

Last Wednesday night I made Cola Chicken, an OLD Weight Watchers recipe that I adore because #1) its SO easy and #2) its SO good!

Cola Chicken

Makes 4 servings

 Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1 cup ketchup
12 oz can diet cola (any kind of cola - Pepsi, Coke, generic, I just always use Diet Coke)

Directions

Whisk ketchup and cola in separate bowl. Put chicken in non-stick skillet.  Pour ketchup and diet cola over the top.  Bring to boil.

Cover, reduce heat and cook for 20-25 minutes.  Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken (about 7-10 minutes).  It turns into the most  incredible BBQ sauce and it's only 6 points per serving.  Yummm!

FYI:
3 oz chicken breast = 5 points plus
4 oz chicken breasts = 6 points plus

Tips: I usually just buy a can of diet cola from a vending machine. I also flatten the chicken breast  before cooking.


If memory serves me correctly, I served this with steamed broccoli, roasted vegies and fresh fruit salad. Both kids DID eat this!

This week is going to be a little topsy turvey....hubby is out of town, so the girls and I won't be eating sit down dinner but maybe one time, and I have "soup and sandwiches" on the menu that night. I may make some yummy homemade WW tomato soup and do grilled cheese sandwiches. If I remember correctly, the soup is 1 point and the sandwiches are 4 points each. Not a bad dinner!! I'll post that recipe later this week. I have blackened tilapia tacos on the menu for Friday night, and quite frankly, I'm excited about trying that recipe!

 

Valentine's Day and Dessert

Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Those you know me well, know that I am not a fan. I can't give you any good reason WHY I don't like Valentine's Day. I just don't. BUT, I go along with it for my kids' sake. They LOVE giving their friends valentines. This year we did Pixie Stick valenties and they each had to write all their classmates' names on the cards and assemble. My oldest daughter, a 4th grader, was totally annoyed that she had to give the BOYS cards that say Be My Valentine, upon which she crossed out those words on the cards to her male classmates. Geez.   In previous years, I've gotten them new heart PJ's or shirts (now of which they are "too old" for so I'm told). Last year I heart-bombed their bedroom doors, which they LOVED.

 

 

Each heart said something I loved about them. About 1/2 of the hearts are STILL on their bedroom doors a year later. This year, I'm going with a not-so-healthy plan, but they will be 100% excited. This box of Lucky Charms cereal will be a HUGE hit. Lucky Charms is their #1 "vacation food" - meaning they are ONLY allowed to have it on vacation. We leave for a mini-vacation on Friday, so I'm killing two birds with one stone! I'm sure they will want to have it for b'fast tomorrow, and on a day where they are going to be stuffed silly with other junk food and candy, its ok. Its one day- its definitely NOT something I'd allow ANY OTHER school morning. Ever. 

 

And another HUGE hit from last year at the Kindergarten Valentines party were these Strawberry roses:

I used the HUGE dipping strawberries and painted candy sticks green. The kids LOVED them. The only bad thing was I only made 1 per child. They all wanted more. I'm contemplating doing them again this year. Problem is...its tomorrow....I don't have the sticks or the strawberries. If I do them again, I may not paint the sticks. Regardless- they are a prefectly adorable and HEALTHY valentines idea. I think I got the idea off of Pinterest. Those "strawberry roses" had been drizzled with chocolate. The kids loved them without, and so did I!  Win-win!

We have several things working against us as a family for dinner tomorrow night, so I'm not sure what I'm cooking in the small time frame I have. My original plan was for hubby to grill some venison tenderloin, which taste JUST LIKE steak, but 1/2 the fat. I love it.  And I want some sort of fun dessert. I'm thinking about this:



 
OREO MOUSSE-WW (source- Weightwatchers.com)
PointsPlus Value: 2

	8 serving(s) fat-free sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
	16 oz Cool Whip Whipped Topping Free cool whip
	3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
	3/4 oz Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Oreo

Instructions

• Mix pudding mix and milk together either in a blender or with a whisk. Let sit in a mixing bowl til it slightly thickens. In the meantime spray a clear glass bowl with cooking spray. Open the bag of Oreo Crisps and roll them til they are crumbles. Sprinkle some around the sides and bottom of the bowl. Now fold the whipped topping into the pudding until thoroughly combined. Spoon 1/2 the mixture into the prepared bowl,top with some of the cookie crumbs and repeat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

I may use the entire package of the Oreo "crisps" (gasp!) or just use some plain old mini-Oreos and calculate the new points. We'll see. Looks yummy, though! I have some fun parfait glasses I may serve it in - that sounds fun, right?

Preparation is key

I like to be able to open the frig or cabinet and grab and go. I usually do a lot of prep work on grocery day. Last Saturday I spent 3 hours in the kitchen doing prep for the meatloaf, making hubby's breakfast burritos for the freezer, chopping vegies and fruit and more. Whew!

My biggest tip for Weight Watchers people is to take your points calculator with you grocery shopping!!!   I cannot even tell you how much stuff I put back after I took the time to calculate the points per serving and realized that "low cal-low fat" snack would cost me 4 points! I typically keep my snacks to 2 points, MAYBE 3.  LOTS of things I thought were good healthy options went quickly back to the shelf. Take the time - read the labels & calculate the points BEFORE you buy it and bring it home.

After doing Weight Watchers now....4 times....I have learned that as soon as I get home from the grocery, I need to do this routine (a lot of which you can do simultaneously)..and yes...its a lot of work, but just once! Then you are good to go all week!

1) Put the berries (all berries- strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries) into a vinegar bath. I fill up the sink about 1/3 full with cool water and add a cup or so of white vinegar. Let the fruit soak while you do other things, then take it all out and put it back into its containers. No need to rinse. The vinegar is so diluted you won't taste it. This keeps your berries fresher longer. I hate nothing more than spending $5 for a little pack of raspberries and then finding them moldy 2 days later. This vinegar wash prevents that. Plus, all your berries are washed and ready to eat, as well! And berries are SOOO good for you! :-)

2) I go ahead and slice up 3 or so bell peppers (yellow, red & orange) and divide them out into 6-8 baggies. To those baggies, I add some sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, carrots and maybe some celery. (I usually don't add cucumber, as cucumber slices can get slimy fast). These pre-portioned vegies keep 4-5 days. I usually grab one to go with my lunch each day and maybe as a later afternoon snack, as well. I don't have a lot of time on my lunch break, so the faster I can assemble a healthy meal, the better!

3) Chop up any melons - like cantelope, honeydew or watermelon and put into separate tupperware containers. Again -easy to grab and ready to eat!

4) Pre-portion other snacks. I love the small Quaker rice cake things - the chocolate ones, the apple cinnamon ones, etc....13 little cakes are 1 serving, so I put 13 into a ziplock bag, write the amount of points on it and easy, peasy....quick grab snack! This can be done with any food that comes in a box or bag. Pre-portioning is KEY and don't eat out of the box/bag, as its TOO easy to several portions this way and not even realize it.

5) Keep apples, bananas and oranges in a bowl on the countertop or kitchen table. Its in your face, so to say, to make a good snack choice!

6) Slice up celery and put it into a separate tubberware container. I love having celery ready at hand for anytime I might need a little peanut butter pick me up! I Love PB on celery! So do my kids!

7) Hard boiled eggs are a quick protein fix and I lately I've been boiling a dozen at a time on grocery day. Hubby is doing a high-protein diet, so he is going through eggs like crazy, but regardless, they are a good, healthy food...even better when you discard the yolks and just eat the egg whites. ;-)

8) Water- load up the frig with as much bottled water as will fit in it. Its an easy grab-n-go drink.

and some other tips...

9) Popcorn - 100 Calorie smart pop bags. Love them. Popcorn can be a huge hunger-killer. I always have popcorn on hand in my cabinet!

10) Pre-packaged tuna. Lots of people don't like tuna, but I love it. A quick lunch is a pre-packaged 90-calore pack of tuna (my favorite is Hickory smoked), about 2 chopped up sweet pickles and a little bit of Low fat, Olive Oil Mayo (maybe a Tbsp?). Mix it up and eat on whole-grain crackers or on a whole-grain wrap. These are great for a quick lunch prep! Hubby likes them b/c its something he can grab when he has to travel out of time and make whereever he is. He adds a hard boiled egg to his tuna salad.

Hope those tips help...even if its just making your kitchen a little healthier! And FYI - my kids are NOT 100% on board with my "diet" as they call it. I haven't completely cut out all of their snacks. They love Stouffer's "Whales", granola bars, apple sauce, and ice cream (although I now have them just about completely switched to the WW Snack size fudge bars!). They are still growing and both are active and neither one drink soda. I'll allow them a few extra calories here and there! :-)  I pack their lunch usually 3 out of 5 days at school and I always include at least one vegie serving and one fruit serving (and sometimes 2 fruits - 1 for snack and 1 for lunch). They do eat them, too! Dinner time is still a major struggle, though. So, just know that my family is normal...I have resistent kids. Baby steps.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Part of eating healthier in incorporating more fish into our weekly menu. I have many loved Tilapia recipes, but not many "other" fish recipes. I have scarce few shrimp recipes, as well. I need to find some new ones. But, until then, here is one of my favorites that I found many years ago.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
OP: Katie (Katiedid) from Recipezaar

Points per serving: 4

3-4 tilapia fillets, depending on size
1/4 cup breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil

Thaw and wash tilapia fillets if frozen.

Pat dry on paper towels.

Combine crumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder on a plate, mixing well.

On a different plate, pour 1 tbsp lemon juice.

Working 1 at a time, place a fillet on the plate in the lemon juice, sprinkle with desired amount of kosher salt (be careful about how much salt is in your parmesan, crumbs, and other seasonings), black pepper, and garlic powder.

Turn the fillet over in the lemon juice and sprinkle seasoning on the other side.

Dredge fillet in the parmesan mixture patting it all over to coat.

Place in an oiled baking dish, repeat with remaining fillets.

Sprinkle a little lemon juice over fillets and drizzle or spray them lightly with olive oil.

Bake at 425ºF for about 15-20 minutes or until they easily flake with a fork and edges are browning (you can sprinkle some more parmesan on top if desired). You can also bake these faster at 450ºF.

 

 

 

This was served with roasted asparagus, stuffed portobello mushrooms (3 pts) and fruit salad.

Total dinner was 7 points. I debated serving brown rice, as well, but with the bread crumbs in the tilapia and the bread crumbs in the stuffed mushroom, I opted not to. I was hungry a few hours later...I should have served the rice, which would have been an additional 3 points.

 

Comfort Food - Meatloaf

Comfort foods....we all love them. I think about Cracker Barrell when I think of comfort foods...chicken-n-dumplins, hashbrown casserole, breakfast foods, roast beef and meat loaf.

Meatloaf is a love it or hate it item. I really like meatloaf, just not very often. And its certainly NOT a healthy option with 2-3 lbs of ground round, eggs, breadcrumbs, ketchup and other sinful things. 

MANY years ago (I think on round #1 with WW), I found this recipe for meatloaf and instantly fell in love. I've made it countless times over the years, but NEVER have I made it the way I made them Saturday night. I made Meatloaf Muffins.  As far as portion control, this couldn't be more perfect. Each "muffin" is 4 pts. (as opposed to making it in a loaf shape - 8 slices- each slice is 5 pts and tend to fall apart easily).

Manhandler Meatloaf

Approx. 20-30 minute prep time.

Recipe makes 2 Loaves - 8 servings per loaf

Or 22 Meatloaf Muffins- 4 pts per muffin

SERVING SIZE:  4 oz serving (8 slices per loaf) or 1 muffin

POINTS:  5 pts per slice (or 4 pts per muffin)

 

Ingredients

1 (6 oz) box pork-flavored Stove Top stuffing mix
1 (8 oz) carton egg substitute - (Egg Beaters)
1 cup mild thick n' chunky salsa
1/2 cup honey barbeque sauce
1 (14 oz) pkg fat-free smoked sausage
2 lbs lean ground beef (I use ground venison - my hubby is a deer hunter and I have a freezer full)

 

Glaze

1/4 cup grape jelly
1/2 cup honey barbeque sauce
2 tbsp salsa

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

With a blender or food processor, grind up the  stuffing mix bread crumbs into fine bread crumbs.  

In a large bowl, combine  egg substitute, salsa, BBQ sauce, bread crumbs, and seasoning packet from stuffing mix.  Stir well until combined.  

Cut sausage lengths into 1 inch pieces  and grind in blender.  Combine ground sausage, ground meat with the bread crumb mixture.  Use your hands.  

This makes TWO (2) meatloaves.  (or 22 muffins)

Bake meatloaf in oven for 50 minutes (freeze the other one to bake later)...then spread on glaze and bake another 10 minutes.

 

OR

 

Fill 11 of the 12 muffin spots in a muffin tin with the meatloaf mixture. Using your finger or thumb, put a small indent in the top of each one. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and using a paper towel, soak up the "liquid fat" on top of each muffin. Add about a spoonful of glaze on the top of each muffin and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let cool. Serve.

 

 

 

 

I made 22 muffins. 12 of the muffins I let completely cool and then I wrapped them INDIVIDUALLY and froze them. I can grab one out of the freezer- microwave for 1-2 minutes and have a yummy homemade meatloaf for lunch some day! Or dinner in a pinch!

 

I served our meatloaf muffins with a sweet potato, broccoli and fruit salad. The entire meal for me, with 2 meatloaf muffins was around 11 points, as my sweet potato was small...but still 3 points! I had the points to use, so it was okay. And a very good, comfort food dinner! (FYI- my kids and husband all had a "white" baked potato with theirs).

 

Making Food a Priority

I started my first weight loss journy in 2001. I wanted to lose a few pounds before I had baby girl #1. I ended up losing around 30 lbs with Weight Watchers. It was relatively easy and just required some tweaks to my eating habits here and there, and to my recipes, as well. Here is me before Pregnancy #1.

 The Pregnancy of baby girl #1 in 2002-2003 gave me an additional 50 lbs. Ugh.   So, several months after her arrival, I started the WW process again and got within 5-10 lbs of my original pre-baby weight. It was A LOT harder this time around. Maybe because, I don't know...I had a BABY now. I couldn't go to the gym 5 nights a week. I didn't have the time to adequately prepare foods the way I had before. I found myself eating A LOT of SmartOnes, Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisines because they were quick, thoughtless options when I was chasing a crawling baby all day! And today, I cannot eat ANY of those items. They ALL taste the same to me, no matter if I'm eating spaghetti, chicken and broccoli or an enchilada. I just can't stand them. That was almost 10 years ago...I still can't eat them.

By the time I was pregnant with baby girl #2, I'd gained back probably another 10 pounds. This second pregnancy saw a weight gain of about 30 lbs. Several years after her arrival, and not being able to shake the baby weight, I did Weight Watchers for a third time. I started in January and "ended" in May and lost about 25 lbs, but I couldn't maintain it. My kids were getting older and eating "real" food and hated all the "healthy" options. I couldn't work out like I wanted...okay...lets be honest...I just plain hate to exercise. Forcing myself to do something I hate just wasn't cutting it. I hated running....walking I could do, though, so I did.

After my third go-round with Weight Watchers:

And through the years....the weight crept back on..and on...and on... because, well...the kids are even older and way busier. Getting a healthy meal on the table was replaced by getting ANY meal on the table that all four of us would EAT. I've never been a fan of boxed meals, so I've always started with fresh ingredients, but it may include 2 cups of butter or 1 cup or shredded cheese or 6 slices of bacon...you get it.

Last fall we had family portraits done. I loved them. There were some spectular pictures. But, I didn't order some of the ones I really liked. Why? I didn't like the way my arms looked. They looked fat.

I am 37 years old,  5'6" and currently wear a size 14. I hate that. And I realize that due to my hate of exercise, I'm never going to be able to maintain a size 6-8 body size ever again. I'm ok with that. I'd really like to just maintain a size 10...maybe even a 12. I can lose the weight. I've done it 3 times before. Its MAINTAINING that I have a problem with. I start out gung-ho and "I'm never going to be THAT size again", yet a year or two later...I find myself back there again. YO-YO.

So - here I am on my 4th go-round with Weight Watchers. The program has changed a little bit, but its basically the same. Its still counting points. Some people hate counting anything- points, calories, carbs, fat grams, whatever...but it helps me see what I'm putting in my body. And I need to have accountability to that number. That number of points I'm allowed each day.

But here is the thing about Weight Watchers, you can eat/drink whatever you want.Nothing is off limits - but you ARE accountable for those choices. While my daily points value is 26 - I'm allowed 49 extra points each week (basically 7 extra per day or to use all at one time going out for pizza, or having that piece of cheesecake that you REALLY want!). I like their tag line - when a program is built for human nature, you can't fail.

I haven't OFFICIALLY started with Weight Watchers yet- That "big day" is coming up on 2/19. I will do my first weigh-in and decide on my goal, which at this point, is only 15 lbs. I think I can maintain that.

I will be using this blog 99% of the time to post recipes or tips of what recipes were a hit with my family and other tips and tricks, as well as links to any other websites I find helpful. The recipes will be generally healthy, that fit a lot of different "diet" plans. I will try to post the points amount per serving if I have calculated it. If not - just add each ingredient point value together and then divide by the amount of servings.

I had been blogging about another "diet" journey I had been doing, but ultimately decided to ditch because it didn't work for me. However, there are some good recipes over there- if you need some recipes to get you started- check out: http://myadvo24journey.blogspot.com/2013/01/readysetgo.html
The days that have recipes are Days 3, 5, 6-7-8, 9-10, 12, 16-17 and 18-19. I will probably be re-posting those here eventually, too, though.

So, if you are on a weight loss journey or just want to find some healthier recipe options for your family - welcome!!