I fit into some old jeans today....

I've been beginning to see/feel the progress in the way my clothes fit.  This last few days I've been able to pull out a couple of my older clothes which has felt very rewarding.  It has kept me from going completely overboard this weekend... :)

Veggie Packed Goolash...

So I took the goolash that I normally make with beef, noodles and sauces and switched it up a little.  It turned out good and I'm calling it Veggie Packed Goolash.

• 1 lb 90% ground beef
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 2 tender celery stalks, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Molasses
• 2 tsp splenda brown sugar, packed
• 1 can Manwich
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 box Ronzoni smart pasta elbow noodles

Boil water for noodles.  Boil and strain.

Brown beef with chopped garlic.  Add veggies and simmer for 4-5 minutes.  Add Manwich, soup, brown suger and molasses.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Mix with noodles.  Serve.

Makes about 10 cups at 6.5 points each cup.

Day Thirty-Nine

Day Forty

Banana and coffee with creamer
Chicken Avacado salad  with diet Pepsi
pb&j sandwich with baked Doritos
WW ice cream sandwich

Day Thirty-Nine

Coffee with Creamer and a banana
Sandwich bar (Potluck at word)

• flat out wrap - 4 pt
• 4 oz chix off the bone - 4 pt
• 1 Tbsp Light Miracle whip - 1pt
• 1 slice fat free Kraft single - 1 pt
• onion, lettuc, and cucumber
• 1 serving of cheetos - 4 pts

Bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with nonfat milk

Day Thirty-Eight

Special K yogurt and berries and nonfat milk
coffee with creamer and a banana
apple
Smart Ones chicken and cheese Quesadilla
Shortbread cookie 100 calorie pack
Taco Bell Steak Fresco Burrito Supreme with Mexican Rice and Dt Dew
Bowl of Special K with nonfat milk

The best Tuna Melts I have every had!

Who knew you could put more than Tuna and cheese in a good tuna melt?  Well, not me!  I made another Andi adaptation to one of Gina's Awesome recipes again tonight.

Tuna Melt

• 2 small cans tuna in water, drained
• 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cups celery, chopped/diced
• 2 Tbsp (approx) of red onion, minced
• 4 Tbsp Miracle Whip
• 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 5 slice whole grain bread
• 10 slices Kraft fat free cheese singles
• 2 tomatos

Preheat oven to 350

Combine tuna celery, carrots, onion, miracle whip, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Place 2 slices cheese on each piece of bread. Pile equals amounts of tuna mixture onto each piece and top with a slice or two of tomato (tomato is a must... it was fantastic warm!)  Arrange on non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. 

Counts for the items that I used brought me to 5.5 points each open face sandwich... with an apple and some chips... one was enough!  This one will become a regular here...  it was fast and easy.

Day Thirty-Seven

Well... today I am exhausted.  I think that my body didn't recover from shoveling yesterday and swimming made it increasingly tired!!!  I just finished reading my homework for class tomorrow night and when I got up from the chair I could have fallen over... very sore.  Glad to have a night off tomorrow, but I'll be back at the pool on Thursday, you can bet on it!

Banana for breakfast... on the run...
Apple for snack... on the run...
PB/J bagel thin with banana for lunch (almost on the run).. phew!
Skinny Tuna Melts - (totally fantastic) with an apple and pretzels
bowl of Special K with Strawberries and 1 cup nonfat milk

Day Thirty-Six

Since I shoveled tons of snow today, I'd say I got enough exercise! 

Honey Nut Cheerios and nonfat milk
left over spaghetti with cilantro turkey meatballs and sauce
2 bananas throughout the afternoon...
1 1/2 spinach lasagna rolls

Week 5 Weigh in

This morning feels like a lazy day with all the snow and not being able to get out of the house... :) but I still remembered to get on the scale to check progress.  Good news and great numbers!!!  I am down another 3 pounds from last week Monday! Totalling 11.8 pounds... only .2 away from my first goal of 5%!  I just can't believe how easily this is going!  I don't think it would be if I wasn't trying different recipes and making things from scratch (a little). 

Besides purchasing 'low to no fat foods' like sour cream, milk, and cheese I haven't been buying much 'diet food', which is great!  I guess the point I am trying to make is that by choosing to cook the way I have been I haven't really felt like I'm on a 'diet'.  I have simply been eating the same stuff, just watching portions and making better choices.  I have found that I still get to enjoy my favorites... I just plan them rather than eat them by impulse.

Added benefit being that my family is eating better too!  I am no longer making double meals (One for them and one for me).  Instead I make sure to have regular options in house....  regular sour cream, milk, cheese... these are staples around here!  I make sure there are both the fat free or low fat options as well as the stuff they are used to that can be used as 'add-ons' to the recipes that I am making with the no fat items.  A fair compromise I think, that seems to be working well.  I even have 'healthy' buns vs. regular buns and I've had the boy choose the 'healthy' option more than once!

Tonight I'm making Spinach lasagna rolls and I can hardly wait!

Day Thirty-Four and Thirty-Five

Day Thirty Five

Chicken zucchini burgers with shells and cheese
WW Dreamsicle Dessert
5 baked doritos

Day Thirty-Four

Honey-Nut Cheerios with nonfat milk
leftover sloppy joes and baked seasoned fries...
cilantro turkey meatballs with spaghetti noodles and sauce
5 baked doritos and 2 laffy taffies...

Chicken Zucchini burgers ...... Yummy!

This recipe was listed online as a turkey burger recipe, but I had thawed ground chicken in the fridge to use so I thought... why not?

Turns out that chicken makes a great burger!!!  I cooked them on the George Foreman grill rather than on the stove and I really like the way the cooked!  Much more even than beef burgers.

• one pound Ground Chicken
• 1 small zucchini, grated
• 1 Tbsp red onion, grated
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped or grated
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• Salt and Pepper

Combine chicken, zucchini, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.  Form 6 equal patties.

I made them ahead of time and put them in the fridge for a couple of hours so they were nice and firm when I began cooking them. 

These are so light on points that I didn't feel bad serving them with good old 'shells and cheese'.  (I'm just not ready to tackle homemade mac n cheese... soon tho'... very soon).

Each patty is 2.5 points... I ate with the thin sandwich buns that are available for 3 points with Miracle whip and no fat cheese, onion, and lettuce.   6.5 point burger!  totally worth it!  It was good.