Month: January 2014

Shake or Smoothie? What’s the difference? I never really know, but from what I’ve read today, it seems as though a smoothie is made with mostly fruit, and a shake is made with mostly milk? I typically make mine with 1 cup of Milk (Skim Milk, Whey Protein, Almond milk….etc), 1 Cup of frozen fruit, and whatever else I seem to throw in it! So it seems I’m right in the middle, making neither a Shake nor a Smoothie, but a ShaMoothie!! You think I can patent that? Cherry Banana ShaMoothie!! 1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 Packet Truvia 1 Cup Frozen Cherries 1/2 Frozen Banana 2 Ice Cubes Blend…..in your blender. 🙂   Other exciting things about Sunday? It was beautiful outside, so I took advantage of that and took a 4 mile walk and was able to breathe in some fresh air!!         I got […]

One of my most satisfying meal’s, is breakfast. (You know this is the most important meal of the day, right?) I love a breakfast sandwich. I think they taste great, I can include a nice variety of ingredients, and a breakfast sandwich can keep me full all morning. I’ve bought Light English Muffins (3 PPV) forever, and I really like them, but while trying this whole Gluten Free thingymabob, I bought these!   These are 3 PPV per serving as well, and while it took me a while to get used to the different texture that they offer, they are beginning to grow on me! I did sneak in a piece of cheese on my breakfast sandwich, and I said I wouldn’t do that until after my 21 days of No Gluten, No Dairy! I was honestly so excited to allow myself skim milk back in my coffee (early), I […]

I played with an Oatmeal Cookie recipe last Sunday, and I really liked the way it turned out. It was dense and with all of the banana’s in it, it seemed more like a heavy Banana Bread than a Oatmeal Cookie.  I did like the taste of it. After adding just a few chocolate chips to each cookie, I liked it even more! I’d love to give credit to the original cookie recipe creator, but I have no idea who it is…. As I was about to put these on the cookie sheet to bake yesterday, I decided to try baking them as a bar. I’m calling them…… Oatmeal Banana Cookie Bar’s Ingredients 2 Cups Oats 1/3 Cup Natural Applesauce 3 Smashed Ripe Banana’s 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 Packets Truvia 36 Chocolate Chips (Because that’s how many I had!) 🙂 Directions […]

I’m certain that eating the right foods and feeling satisfied so that you won’t over eat works for a lot people doing the WW Simple Start or WW Simply Filling plans, but I struggle with portions, so I felt like I needed to get back to counting points and measuring my portions. Maybe forever, maybe not, we’ll see. I can honestly say that I am back to counting points and happy about it!   Breakfast Gluten Free English Muffin, 3 Egg Whites, Salsa Un-Pictured Soy Latte Pear and Grapes   Lunch 3 Egg Whites, 3 oz. Potatoes, 1 tsp. Olive Oil, Salsa   Snack Coffee and Banana   Snack I bought these for the “No Gluten”. I’ve discovered they were actually TOO GOOD to keep in my house! 10 Chips = 4 PPV   Dinner Beef and Brussels Skillet Dish Ingredients 93% Lean Ground Beef Chopped Onion 1 Cup Frozen […]

Oops… I got my little computer bugs all taken care of at the Apple Store this morning, but apparently when I did that, a whole lotta past emails went out! Sorry about that if you received an old email from me today! No Gluten, No Dairy In addition to doing Weight Watcher’s Simple Start, I decided to try the “No Gluten, No Dairy” thing for 21 days, starting on the 1st of January, and I seem to have had good luck. By good luck, I mean….it is not as difficult as I thought that it would be and my body feels really good. The No Gluten part….. I have not shopped a whole lot for Gluten Free Bread, Gluten Free Pasta, Gluten Free English Muffins, or Gluten Free Chips until this week. I can do without those things on a regular basis, and I feel like I make better choices when […]

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for a healthy Oatmeal Cookie, and pondering whether I should bring a cookie back into my house this soon after Christmas, I decided it was such a healthy recipe, how could I go wrong? So…..I baked these little guys up!     Oatmeal Cookies   Ingredients 2 Cups Oats 1/3 Cup Natural Applesauce 3 Smashed Ripe Banana’s 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 Packets Truvia Chocolate Chips, Nuts, Dried Fruit (optional)  Directions Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes! These really were good. They reminded me more of a dense banana bread. I baked the first few without nuts or dried fruit or chocolate chips. I decided to add a few chocolate chips to the rest. NOW….. it was a cookie that was NOT safe left alone with me. I was […]

I’ve had fun playing in the kitchen the last couple of day’s. Did any of you try the Roasted Spicy Chickpea’s? They really were delicious! Here’s a run down of Saturday’s Eats…….   Breakfast I am discovering that I love a diced, cooked sweet potato topped with an egg! I’ve tried a few different combinations of foods with this and like them all. I brown the potato in a little olive oil with whatever I can find in the kitchen. Onions? Bell Peppers? Yesterday I had salmon! Leftover Salmon, Asparagus and Sweet Potato I cut all of the leftovers into small pieces.  I dumped it all in the skillet in a little Olive Oil Cooking spray. I cooked it until it browned a bit and the potatoes were crispy!   I topped it all with an egg! Yummmmmm….. All of these ingredients are on the WW Simple Start Plan!   […]

In Control…….  It feels so good to be back on track and in complete control. The holidays were great, but it does feel nice to have the stress of the shopping and decorating and planning behind me. The un-decorating is complete and the house is back in order. I feel like I’ve literally become a hermit since the 1st of January, but it has been nice to get organized and get back to a routine. I’ve really been playing with my meals these last three weeks. Around the middle of December, when my weight was creeping up on me, I knew once the Holidays were past, it would be a lot easier to get myself back to my routine of planning and being more particular about what went into my mouth. A friend of mine had experimented with a cleanse a few months back and she talked about how great […]

I left the house for the first time in FOUR days on Wednesday. Due to the predicted arctic blast, I had plenty of groceries, we had nothing social planned, and really, I just couldn’t think of a reason to leave my cozy house and go out into the cold. After four days, it was time to get out! I’ve been doing everything on my schedule, but maybe not quite as early in the day as I had initially planned. I tend to get a bit excited when coming up with a new plan and those plans often include getting up at the crack of dawn. Who am I kidding? I hate to get up early unless I absolutely have to! I am doing all that I had planned, but just a little later in the day than initially anticipated. 🙂 Not included on my schedule was cramming in as many […]

Quick today, lot’s going on……. Yesterday’s Eats…… Breakfast Scrambled Eggs & Warm Cinnamon Apples    Warm Cinnamon Apples Ingredients 1 Apple, Chopped 1 T. Water 1//4 tsp Vanilla 1 packet Truvia 1/2 tsp cinnamon Directions Place all ingredients in a baggie. Seal tightly and shake vigorously, or you know…..until it’s all mixed up real good. Vent the baggie about an inch. Place on a microwave safe plate and microwave for about 2 minutes! Enjoy!  (This is great over a bowl of Oatmeal too!) Taste just like Apple Pie Filling! This recipe is adapted from Paula at Salad In a Jar!        Lunch Leftover Shredded Chicken Skillet   Snack   Dinner Mexican Chicken Skillet Dish Ingredients 1 onion 2 bell peppers Olive Oil 1 C. cooked quinoa 1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained 2 shredded chicken breast 1 cup Salsa Taco Seasoning to taste Directions Sauté Onions and […]