Better than Red Velvet Cake

I am sure some of you have seen the Diet Coke Cake that Weight Watchers promotes...  Well today, after some time searching for diet creme soda, I tried a different combination and it is fantastic!

• red velvet cake mix
• package of sugar free instant jello pudding... white chocolate
• 11 oz (almost one can) A&W diet Creme Soda

Mix these together and bake according to package... low sugar cream cheese frosting would rock on this, but we just used fat free whip cream today.

Shrimp Creole

I can't recall every having any cajun cooking of any kind in my life.  No Gumbo, no Jambalaya, and certainly no Creole.  I don't even know what Creole means, but I thought... what the heck... why not try this recipe, too.  So I combed the spice rack at the grocery store for cajun seasoning, pulled out the cayenne, and gave it a try.  I have no idea if it's good creole, but it was good food.

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning of choice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tsp Worcestershire
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
• parsley

Put 1 & 1/2 cup brown rice and 1/4 cup wild rice to boil/steam (however you make your rice).  Takes about and hour.  After about 15 or 20 minutes

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion, green bell pepper, garlic and celery and saute until tender.  Add tomatoes and sauce, cayenne, bay leaf, and cajun spice and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Make slurry of the flour ans water.  Stir into the tomato mixture.  Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Add shrimp, worcestershire, and hot sauce... Stir together.  Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until shrimp is opague and cooked through.

Sprinkle with parsley...  I calculated 8 points plus (including rice) - 5 servings

So if anyone that knows creole tries this... let me know how it compares.  Either way I'll be making it again.

Oh ya... don't forget to remove the bay leaf ... don't eat that thing.

Day Fifty-nine

Coffee with creamer
Special K fruit and yogurt with nonfat milk
Smart Ones Pasta Primavera
100 calorie pack chips ahoy
chicken taquitos turned salsa chicken pizza
cookie dough ice cream sandwich (breyers)
Honey nut cheerios with milk (middle of the night snack)

Day Fifty-eight

1/2 cup grapes
leftover stuffed pepper and V-fusion juice
6 inch subway turkey sub with cheese and sweet onion sauce, baked chips, and pepsi one.
Multi grain snacks
WW ice-cream sandwich

Day Fifty-seven

coffee with creamer
smart ones santa fe chicken, V-8 fusion, and 100 calorie pack chocolate chip
pita pizza
Jello

Day Fifty-six

Coffee with creamer
Special K fruit and yogurt with nonfat milk
KFC orignal recipe strips with Honey BBQ sauce and side salad with light Italian dressing
chicken stuffed pepper and cheesy buscuits
Honey Nut cheerios/nonfat milk

Stuffed Peppers and garlic buscuits.

In an earlier post on FB I referred to these as turkey stuffed peppers, but that's just what the recipe read... I actually used some of the chicken that I ground yesterday instead of turkey. which turned out great!!!

Here's what I used...

• 1.3 lbs ground chicken breast
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/4 cups fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt to taste
• 3 large bell peppers
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 3 cups long grain brown rice, cooked
• 1/4 cups fat free cheddar cheese
• cooking spray

Prepare brown rice.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mince/Chop onion, cilantro, and garlic in food processor.  Spray medium saute pan and saute onion, cilantro and garlic. 2-3 minutes.  Add ground chicken and 'brown'.  Season with garlic powder, cumin, and salt (about 1/2 tsp).  Once 'browned' add chicken broth and tomato sauce.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Mix with rice.

Wash and cut peppers in half, cleaning out the seeds.  Place in a baking dish and stuff each pepper with chicken rice mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove cover, and top with cheese.

This amount made 6 servings in a pepper and 2 that was just rice and chicken (Neither Kyle nor Kery like green peppers yet, but Kery's best bud did!!!)  If I calculated right each serving is 4.5 points...

I served with some carbquick cheesy biscuits that I made

• 2 cups carbquick mix
• 1 cups fat free milk
• 1 cups shredded cheese
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp melted fat free I can't believe it's not butter

combine mix, garlic, and cheese.... slowly add milk until combined.  Separate into 1 oz portions and bake 8-10 minutes.  brush with melted 'butter'. Whole batch is 24 points so each biscuit would be less than 2 points...  I think I'll get almost 20 or so biscuits... I have kept half for later in the week so I'll know for sure soon.

Note:  Next time I would add some salt to the mixture... or garlic salt.

Week 8 Weigh In

     If you'll remember... last week was a woppin' 4 pound loss that nearly floored me due to shock, so this week I was clearly not expecting to loose a thing!  I was even prepared to have put on a bit of those 4 pounds.  So this morning I hesitantly stepped on the scale... hoping that it would be that bad.  What I was surprise and delighted to see was that I have left the 230's behind (barely) and was weighing in at 229.8!  That's six tenths of a pound.  I tell ya, with the weekend I had (2 social events) AND the pool being closed for maintenance for the entire week... I'll take it!!!

Total loss so far of 17.4 pounds!

Days Fifty-three through Fifty-five

Took some vacation time and although I paid attention to what was eating I neglected the posting so now is the time to catch up from the weekend.

Day Fifty-five

Garlic lovers roast with miracle mashies and green beans almondine
Strawberry cake thing that didn't turn out right... tasted good tho'.
Weight Watchers ice-cream sandwich

Day Fifty-four
Special K berries with nonfat milk
Taco Bell beef fresco burrito supreme with mexican rice
taco, crackers with spinach dip, cookie brownies

Day Fifty-three
Honey nut cheerios and nonfat milk
leftover sesame chicken with rice
6 oz filet, 3 large broiled shrimp, baked potato, salad with raspberry vinegarette
2 amaretto/sours