Good Friday Ranch Crusted Tilapia & Easter Candy points

Last night's Chicken Pot Pie was good. It wasn't as good as my "from scratch" Chicken pot pie....but I'm dieting, right? So, I probably need to skip the recipe that calls for milk and butter in the sauce and "real" pie crusts!  I may play with it and see if I can find a happy medium between the two, though.

Tonight for our Good Friday meal is Ranch Crusted Tilapia.  I think it looks yummy! I'm not entirely sure about the points value, but I'm guestimating 5 points per fish. I'm thinking I may pan "fry" in a littlte bit of olive oil, as baking it sometimes makes the breading a little too moist for me, but based on other recipes, if you choose to bake , do so at 425ºF for about 20 minutes or until they easily flake with a fork.

Ranch Crusted Tilapia

Breading:
3 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/4 Packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (the powder)
1/4 tsp pepper

Wets:
1 egg white and water for dipping and wetting fish

Dip fish in wets, then coat in the breading mixture and bake

 or pan fry (with a little butter/oil to coat pan) until done.

 

Hope y'all have a great Easter Weekend!! And for those of you wanting to indulge in some yummy Easter candy - I found this great chart telling how many points your fave candies are. Its from a blog post in Feb. 2013. (for entire blog post, which has A LOT of candy listed- go here)

 

Easter Candy

Brach’s Robin Eggs (6 pieces) = 4.5 points
Cadbury Caramel Egg (1 egg) = 5 points
Cadbury Chocolate Egg (1 egg) = 4.5 points
Cadbury Creme Egg (1 egg) = 4 points
Cadbury Mini Eggs (12 eggs) = 4.5 points
Dove Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny (6 oz.) 1/4 of the bunny = 6 points
Hershey’s Candy-Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs (4 eggs) = 2.5 points

Hershey’s Kisses (10 Kisses) = 7 points
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (35 pieces) = 3 points
Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs (3 eggs) = 2.5 points
Milky Way Egg (1 egg) = 5 points
Peeps (3 pieces) = 3 points
Snickers Egg (1 egg) = 4 points

Here are some other charts if you don't see your favorite above:

http://prosites-waynewatcher.homestead.com/index_eastercandy.html

http://burrridge.patch.com/articles/weight-watchers-points-for-easter-candy

 

And I have a question for those of you who have husbands on WW or are guys yourself....what is their/your points value per day??? My hubby is thinking of joining me and a 2012 Weight Watchers daily points calculator we found online says he should have 43 points per day!!!  That seems high to me, as my points per day is only 26, but then again, everytime he HAS done WW with me, his points per day HAS BEEN a lot higher than mine.  Does 43 sound right? YIKES!

My ring, a size 10 dress and chicken pot pie!

Weird title, I know! 

1st and foremost- I GOT MY WEDDING RING OFF!!! (and I prompty put it right back on after a good, thorough cleaning and a squirt of Windex to make it SHINE!)  As some of you may remember, not being able to get my ring off was my main reason for wanting to lose weight because it was beginning to hurt and was dirty! My finger is now permanently warped, though...its weird. It like my finger grew around my ring. Some people have a "tan line" where their ring is- I have a permanent indention!!

 

2nd - I bought a dress today for Easter - a size 10!!!  I have always typically been able to wear a size smaller dress then the size pants I wear, but still....yeah!!!  I'm still about 8-10 lbs away from my overall goal being able to comfortably wear a size 10 in pants/shorts, but that is sooooo do-able! 

3rd- dinner tonight is Weight Watcher's version of chicken pot pie. I haven't made it in YEARS. We'll see.....I have a *different* chicken pot pie recipe (NOT WW) that I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE, so we'll see if this one even compares.

CHICKEN POT PIE-WW

Ingredients
1 cup Reduced Fat Bisquick (I use the Healthy Heart Bisquick)

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)

2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed

2 cups cooked, chopped white chicken meat

2 cans fat-free Cream of Mushroom soup

 
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Mix together veggies, chicken, and soup. Pour into casserole dish.

In another bowl, mix Bisquick, milk, and egg. Pour over the top of the chicken mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.

 

If  6 servings = 5 POINTS each/ or if  4 servings = 7 POINTS each

This recipe came from the WW Magazine cookbook "6 O'Clock Solutions".

A super simple, yummy chicken recipe

Sorry folks. I haven't forgotten about you. Its just been a crazy insane week or so. My hubby was out of town last week and when that happens, I generally don't cook, hence no recipes to share. We had outings Friday and Saturday, so again...didn't cook then, either. I DID cook last night- a super simple and yummy chicken recipe. Its one of my favorites from Weight Watchers WAY BACK. It USED to be 5.5 points. I now give it 6 due to the increased value in points in some foods...and truly, it depends on the size of chicken breast you use. I had about 1 to 1.25 lbs of chicken and cut it into 5 serving pieces, which I then flattened out pretty well. I served with green peas, roasted zuccini and sauted mushrooms. Here is the recipe:

Provolone Chicken

4 - 4oz chicken breasts
1/2 cup flavored bread crumbs (I use Italian herb bread crumbs)
1 tspn Italian herbs
1 tspn butter (I use a small "pat" of butter...probably less than 1 tspn)
2 slices Provolone cheese, cut in half

Preheat oven to 425. Flatten chicken and place in a greased (Pam) 13x9 inch pan. Place bread crumbs in a flat dish and press both sides of the chicken into the crumbs. Place coated chicken into pan and sprinkle with Italian herbs. Top each with 1/2 slice of cheese. Dot with butter and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

4 servings - 6 points each

On a separate note, I'm officially "down" 13 lbs. I've been stuck on 13 lbs for about a week now and trying not to get frustrated. The good news is that some of my size 12 jeans are loose. 10's are still way too tight. Hum.....My goal is size 10 by Memorial Day so I have 2 months!! 1 pound a week will probably get me there!!

2 lbs in 2 days and 2 more recipes!

I've lost 2 lbs in 2 days! Huh???  I haven't done anything different except just barely get all my points in each day. No extras. So....officially down 12 lbs. and officially "comfortably" in a size 12 (and -tmi-down a bra size, too!)!!  I'm taking my oldest daughter shopping tomorrow for her birthday, and I may have to grab a few new things for me, too, while we are out! YEAH!  I still can't get my ring off, though. What's up with that?

So, the Broiled Tilapia Parmesan we had the other night was SOOO good. I highly recommend that recipe!

Last night we had Chicken Cordon Bleu - a recipe I found years ago, but I've never made. It reminded me a little of the recipe I have where I cook chicken wrapped in bacon in the crockpot with cream of something soup....but this was MUCH healthier. 5 points per chicken "bundle." I served it with steamed broccoli, green peas (my youngest daughter had 3 helpings!) and watermelon. The whole meal was 5 pts, so I finished it off with a 3-pt WW ice cream treat!

	Chicken Cordon Bleu
	Ingredients: 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast 3-4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature ( I used about 1/2-3/4 of each wedge on each chicken breast...I used 2 1/2 total wedges) 3-4 oz. (about 8 slices) 97 - 98% fat-free ham slices (I used 2 slices on each one) salt and black pepper, to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put chicken in a large sealable plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as you can, and seal. Using a meat tenderizer or a can (I use the thick end of my ice pick!), carefully pound chicken through the bag until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove chicken from the bag, and season to taste with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the chicken flat and spread the cheese wedge over it. Evenly layer the ham slices on top of the cheese. Starting with one of the longer sides (or any side, if it's square), tightly roll up the chicken breast cutlet, and secure with toothpicks. Place chicken roll in a baking dish lined with foil and/or sprayed with nonstick spray, and then cover the baking dish with foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil covering the dish. Continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!
	Serving Size: 1 chicken cordon bleu Calories: 222 Fat: 4.5g Sodium: 692mg Carbs: 2g Fiber: 0g Sugars: 1g Protein: 40g POINTS® value 5*

 

Tonight I plan to make a recipe I saw on Pinterest for Layered Mexican Chicken -Go HERE to find the recipe.

 

Saturday we will be going out to our local yummy Italian restaurant for oldest daughter's birthday - her choice. On my Sunday night menu is another fish recipe, too....HERE it is. I noticed that the recipe only makes 2 servings, so I'll have to double it. It is not a WW recipe, so I'll have to configure points, but it can't be more than 6-8, maybe less if I don't use so much butter. We'll see. I'll report back on Monday!

 

In the mean time, if YOU have a yummy WW recipe for a meal, snack, dessert, whatever, that is easy, please feel free to send it to me. I love to try new things, as getting bored with the WW recipes I have is one reason I stop making and eating them! Post your recipe in the comments, or if you know me, feel free to email or FB me the recipe!

Fish...its whats for dinner.

I've "officially" lost 10 pounds! Whoop Whoop!!!

Tonight its fish for dinner....one of my favorite recipes. The WW points posted below are the OLD points, not points plus, which I'm guessing are at least 6. I'll serve with leftover vegie spiral from this weekend and maybe broccoli and a fruit salad.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
WW points – 5 points per fish

1 pound tilapia fillets (usually 2-4 fillets)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup butter, softened (I use "light" or low fat)
1 1/2 T mayonnaise (I use low-fat w/ Olive Oil)
1T fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
pinch onion powder
pinch celery salt

Preheat your oven's broiler, and grease a broiling pan, or line with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, and lemon juice and season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt, mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan.

Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Flip the fillets over, and broil for a couple more minutes.

Remove the fillets from the oven, and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side and broil for 2 more minutes, or until the topping is browned, and fish flakes easily

with a fork.

Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Recipe easily doubles. Do not freeze.

A Weekend Full of Food & Vegie Spiral Recipe

Today marks one month I've been back on Weight Watchers. I've lost 5 lbs, which as I remember, is about right for me. If memory serves, it typically takes me 4-5 months to lose 20-25 lbs. My original goal was 10% of my body weight and I'm over 1/2 way there, however, after going through boxes and boxes of size 10 clothes I am still hanging on to, I believe my goal will be a size 10...however much weight that is, which I suspect will be about 7-10 more lbs than my original goal. But here's the deal. I probably have 3 boxes of size 10 clothes- pants, shorts, dresses, shirts, etc., all in size 10! I can save a ton of money by not having to shop too much when I reach my goal. Most are just plain jeans, khakis, black pants, etc....nothing that goes out of "style". I will probably need new "trendy" summer shirts by the time I reach my size 10 goal, though. SO...my new goal...a comfortable size 10, however much weight that is! (I'm GUESSING about another 15-17 lbs). I am hoping to reach that goal by Memorial Day.

I hosted a lot this weekend...a Slumber Party for my almost 10-year old, which consisted of pizza (which I didn't eat) and FroYo (which I did eat- but it was 'sorbet' with fresh fruit on top!). I ended up eating steamed Chinese "dumpins" or "potstickers" or whatever they are called, for dinner. I probably ate one or two too many, but they were yummy!  I calculated that they were about 5 pts for 4 of them.

Saturday night we had family over and hubby smoked some chicken breasts. We had 2 different vegie dishes, both really good, as well as cookies, and appetizers (Wholly guac & chips and cocktail shrimp & sauce). I ate way too much Wholly Guacamole, but OMG, its soooo good!!! The dinner was "low points", but the appetizers and dessert...not so much. I knew it was coming, though, so I ate a small points breakfast and a 3-point lunch and I had almost all of my "extra" 49 points to use!

Sunday night, hubby grilled a venison steak. I made this Vegie Spiral from the blog "For the Love of Cooking", to go with it and it was good.

I think I packed the vegies TOO tightly together in mine. I used 2 potatoes and I think one (1) would have been sufficient. I don't think I used but about 1/4 cup of cheese on top, either, so I gave it 1 point per serving to account for the potato slices and scant amount of parm cheese. It was missing  something...which I ultimately decided was BUTTER!  Next time, I may give it a few squirts of "I Can't Belive its Not Butter" spray and see if that improves it. I also think it was TOO garlicky, if there is such a thing. Maybe 1 garlic clove would have been enough? And next time, I may sub bell peppers for the potatoes. I also served a fruit salad and Sister Schubert Parker House style rolls (soooo good- 4 points for 2 of them, but so worth it!).  They talked me into going to DQ for dessert and upon doing a little research on the internet, I settled on a DQ sandwich for 5 points, which was way better and the same size as the 11 points for the mini-Blizzard! YIKES! Although not on the big board menu, they do sell the DQ sandwiches and Dilly Bars (another low point option). The small cones (not dipped) are also low in points if you really need a DQ fix!

Whew - basically the weekend was all about food, but I managed to survive it without gaining any weight. I didn't lose any, but I DID NOT GAIN ANY!  That is a win in my book!

Today is Monday- leftovers for dinner, which probably means smoked chicken and leftover vegies. The rest of the week looks like this:

Tuesday: Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Wednesdsay: Baked Ziti (from the freezer- prepared months ago before I was on WW- I will have to watch my portion size, as NOTHING about this dish is "diet", but it needs to be eaten soon!)
Thursday: Chicken Cordon Blue, made with fat free ham and Laughing Cow swiss cheese
Friday: Layered Mexican Chicken (from Pinterest- a WW recipe)
Saturday - my oldest daughter's birthday, so its her choice. I'm guessing Spaghetti.
Sunday: Sauted Tilapia w/ Lemon-Peppercorn Sauce

And how is this for motivation- I have to get my Driver's License renewd before 3/30. I would like to drop another 3 lbs by then!!! I think I can...I think I can.....

1 point Chocolate mini-Cupcakes

Last week I said I'd post this recipe - here ya go! Its great for chocolate cravings and only "about" 1 point each. They are actually about 1.4 points each, but I rounded down. My oldest daughter loves them, too, and I've packed them as dessert in her lunch box several times. I froze 1/2 of them, so I wouldn't have the temptation of so many chocolate cupcakes readily at hand.

2-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Mini-Muffins (cupcakes)

makes approximately 36 mini-muffins

Ingredients
1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

Directions
1. Preheat the oven per box instructions. Spray the mini-muffin pan/s with a baker’s spray (baker’s secret or Pam)
2. Combine the cake mix and the pumpkin and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until well blended and fluffy.
3. Spoon a heaping tablespoon into each well in the mini-muffin pan and bake for about 18-20 minutes.
4. Allow to cool.

You can garnish with powdered sugar or a pecan, but both of those add unneeded calories in my opinion. They are approximately 1 WW point each without any garnish. I believe you can make basically the same recipe with Diet Coke (instead of the pumpkin) if you desire. They are not as dense, if memory serves me.

Busy week & Meal Planning

I've been MIA for a while - so sorry! Its been crazy for the last 5 or 6 days!

Good news- I've officially lost 9 pounds total since 1/20/13. Hopefully I'll reach 15 pounds lost by Easter! That is my March goal.

Between Birthday dinner, Girls Night Out and other unexcepted happenings, I used all my 49 extra points last week, a first for me. BUT, that is WHY Weight Watchers gives you those extra points- for weeks like that! Things come up - Go out- have fun- be bad then jump back on the wagon! Don't deprive yourself.

However, one of the best ways to STAY on track is MEAL PLANNING!!   I've been on a meal planning kick for about 8 months now and it saves my life. Seriously, I'm not sure HOW I ever lived without it as a working mom. At the end of each month, I download a Word calendar template for the next month and start filling in the blanks for each night with recipes I know my family likes and new recipes to try. Chicken, fish, pasta, beef, leftovers, eat out...whatever. Its also seriously helped my budget. I shop 2x a month for my meals and the weeks in between are "filler" weeks when I have to shop for perishables like produce, milk and other things my family goes through very fast. I make a list based on my meal calendar - the ingredients I need versus the ingredients I already have on hand in the pantry or freezer. I also like to freezer cook, so a few times a month we eat meals from the freezer and other nights I double or triple what I cook to replenish the freezer.  Some people prefer to meal plan week by week so they can plan based on grocery sales that week. I'm not much of a couponer and I'm loyal to my Kroger, so the monthly calendar works best for me.

Being on Weight Watchers, meal planning has been wonderful. I can look at my entire week and know which days I have wiggle room for points in other meals that day or snacks. Some days dinner may be more points than usual, but considering I am cooking for 3 other people, I have to allow higher-points meals every now and then. Mondays are ALWAYS leftover nights. Its a busy night for my youngest daughter during the dinner hour, so I don't cook. I usually build in about 2 "eat out" nights each month, as well, which has SERIOUSLY helped the budget! Now, don't get me wrong- things come up like an invitation from my parents to eat with them...usually that means that whatever I was planning for that night's dinner gets bumped to the next night or whatever works.

Everyone likes being able to see what is for dinner because the calendar is posted on the frig. This however, has NOT cut down on the moaning and whining from the kids that they don't like what I'm making....still happens. I do take their opinions into my meal planning, but they are so picky and if I made something EVERY night just for them, we'd be eating chicken nuggets, hot dogs, grilled cheese and spaghetti all the time. Not gonna happen.  They need to learn to try new things and that sometimes...they get what they get!

So, for example - this is what I have planned for this week:
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday (tonight): Breakfast (planning some turkey sausage patties, scrambled eggs, english muffins or maybe some pancakes and fruit salad)
Wednesday: WW Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches, with a vegie side item (recipe for soup posted in February)
Thursday: Baked Ziti (from freezer)
Friday: Chicken Cordon Blue (A new WW recipe to try)
Saturday: Grill Night- Husband's Choice
Sunday: Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken (A new WW recipe to try)

So - just to show you what happens when a kink is thrown into the mix: Thursday, my hubby won't be home for dinner and we just found out that my oldest daughter has volleyball from 6-7:30 that night, as well, so the Baked Ziti will just stay in the freezer. The kids and I will eat leftovers. Friday, my oldest daughter is having a birthday party - a change in the calendar since I originally made it. So, the Chicken Cordon Blue will get bumped to the following Friday, when her birthday party was originally planned and now we will be home.

Try it - see if it makes you life easier! It sure has made mine more manegable and dinner time easier. And like I said - as far as managing what I eat- its wonderful to be able to look ahead and PLANNING is key to weight loss. Knowing what you are cooking seriously cuts down on those last minute trips to restaurants or picking up take-out because you forgot to thaw the chicken!  Cooking and eating AT HOME benefits your diet and benefits YOUR FAMILY. :-)