Menu Plan Monday June 30- July6

We did not eat three of the meals I planned last week and three of the meals are stuff I have almost every week, so my menu is pretty much the same, except for holiday stuff. I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex.

Dinners
Monday: Spaghetti Casserole Bake
Tuesday:Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Wednesday:Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Skillet
Thursday:Sweet and Sour Chicken
Friday:Mom's Pizza
Saturday: Grilling at families house I'm bringing Dreamsicle Cake
Sunday: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Breakfast
Low fat waffles and fruit, Southwestern egg, sausage and cheese biscuit, Cinnamon French Toast, Cottage Cheese Pancakes, and Cottage Cheese Danish

Lunch
Refried Beans Soup, and leftovers

Snacks, desserts and kid activities: Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Chex Party Mix, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Key Lime Pie, Almond Joy Smoothies, and Butterscotch Bars

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday this week as we share healthy recipes.

Go here to see more plans.

Fitness on Friday

I have been bad on exercise again last week. I guess when you quit for awhile it is harder to get back into the groove? I am doing better this week, but I went from 30 minutes to 15 and maybe I will be able to ease back into it? This week I lost 1.2 pounds. I also got my 10% key chain from Weight Watchers and my 16 week Sassy Charm for going to Weight Watchers for 16 weeks. I have really not made many new recipes this week to share with you. If you have not gotten the chance come back here on Wednesdays for Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday. I have a lot of people posting some really good healthier recipes!

Go to Natalie's to see more Fitness on Friday participants

Another WOW Moment!

Well, I had another WOW moment today. I went to the doctor and as I was sitting in the chair in the exam room waiting and I noticed that I have a lap. lol! Yes, I said it a lap. I remember being at the doctor last December weighing 323.8 pounds and I really could not even sit in the chair because I was so big. When the nurse weighed me in it said 268. I just do not remember ever going to the doctor and weighing that. I have always weighed like 280 or more. So, that was a great feeling. One nurse who used to work in the office of my ob saw me and said that I looked like a new person. Wow, do I really look like a new person? The doctor that I saw was the first one who told me I should try weight watchers. She was shocked that I lost so much. She made a statement about several of her friends who had lost 50 some pounds and gained it back several times and she wondered if I was going to do the same. That kind of hurt because I have been doing so well, but I think she was just trying to gauge how serious I really was about losing the weight. But anyways I had another WOW moment and wanted to write about it.

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday Fruits Edition

Today Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday is all about fruit! I picked fruit for our first theme because there is so much fruit in our WWWEW banner. Next week you can pick any recipe you want. Here you can find the upcoming themes so you can plan ahead.

Just go post your fruit themed recipe on your blog and come back here and click on Mr. Linky to link up. When you put your link in, please put the recipe name in parentheses like this Lorie (Apple Pie Enchiladas). That's it I can't wait to see all of your fruit recipes! And come back next week to share a recipe of your choice!

I would also like to thank Jen for making the code for me that you find on my sidebar. If you use that code, it will take people directly back to my site. Thanks again Jen!

Now onto my recipe. I found this recipe and was so excited! It is so good, even if you think cheese on a dessert does not sound good, believe me it is good. I find the Laughing Cow Cheese wedges in the deli section at Walmart.

Apple Pie Enchilada
1 medium sized apple - cored, peeled, and chopped
1 Light Laughing Cow Wedge (Swiss flavor)
1 Tortilla, whole wheat or other 1 point tortilla
Cinnamon
Splenda **optional**
Put peeled, cored, and chopped apple in a bowl and toss with Cinnamon and Splenda (if desired). Microwave for 3 minutes, or until soft. While your apple is cooking, spread your Laughing Cow cheese wedge on your tortilla. Spoon the cooked apple pieces into your tortilla. You can either just let it sit for about a minute to “melt” the cheese, or you can microwave for another 30 seconds. (I microwaved mine and I think it made the tortilla better) Fold over. Eat and enjoy!

**Note: You can also top it with 2 Tbsp Fat Free Cool Whip!

(Points will depending on the size of apple and kind of bread product you use- mine was 3 points)

Watchin' What We Eat Fruits Edition Tomorrow!

Don't forget that tomorrow is Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday Fruits Edition. I hope to see you then and lots of great healthier recipes.

Just in case you missed my post about WWWEW Themes, here's the list. We only have themes every other week. All of the other weeks, you select any recipe you want. Hope this list helps you plan for the rest of the year.
Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday Theme Schedule
June 25- Fruits Edition
July 9- Picnic Edition
July 23- Beverages Edition
August 6- Lightened Desserts Edition
August 20- Salads Edition
September 3- Crockpot Edition
September 17 -Lightened Cookies Edition
October 1- Meals that Freeze Well Edition
October 15-Halloween Edition
October 29- Breakfast Edition
November 12-Thanksgiving Edition
November 26- Soups Edition
December 10- Holiday Baking Edition
December 24- New Year's (Appetizers) Edition

Menu Plan Monday- June 23-29

Last week I tried several new recipes. Here they are and a link to each: Cinnamon French Toast, Luscious Lemon Smoothie, Fat Free Rice Krispy Treats, Crustless Dreamsicle Pie, Almond Joy Pudding. Come back this week to get the recipes for the new things I am trying. Here is this week's menu.

Dinners
Monday: Spaghetti Casserole Bake
Tuesday:Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Wednesday:Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Skillet
Thursday:Sweet and Sour Chicken
Friday:Mom's Pizza
Saturday: Eat out
Sunday: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Breakfast
Low fat waffles and fruit, Southwestern egg, sausage and cheese biscuit, Cinnamon French Toast, Cottage Cheese Pancakes, and Cottage Cheese Danish

Lunch
Ranch Chicken Salad, Refried Beans Soup, and leftovers

Snacks, desserts and kid activities: Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Chex Party Mix, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Key Lime Pie, and Butterscotch Bars

Go here to see more plans.

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday this week as we share healthy recipes. The theme this week is Fruits. To see last week's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

A WOW Moment!

My cyber friend Michelle has You Go Girl post which is where she brags on herself. I am going to have WOW moments on here when I finally do something right or something finally sinks in or just a WOW moment for me. Well, I had a WOW moment today while at church. I did not go last week because all my kids were sick so people have not seen me for awhile and everyone kept saying I was still shrinking. Sometimes that is really hard for me to see because well I guess I do not look at myself all the time like others do, lol! I just usually take the complements and go on. This time as I was walking out of the bathroom, I stood in front of the full length mirror a little longer to really look at myself. I was shocked at what I saw! I really am getting smaller and it made me feel so good! It actually gave me the boost I needed to go on some more! :) My dress that I wear to church is about to fall off of me as all my clothes are! :) I went to our new Good Will Store and saw several nice dresses for $5. I really think I am going to go back and get at least one. Since I know I am going to lose more weight, I really do not want to spend a lot of money on clothes right now. Anyways, this might just be a crazy post, but it really was a WOW moment for me! If you are losing weight and lost a bit I recommend going and standing in front of a full length mirror, it might just surprise you!

RR: Almond Joy Pudding

Almond Joy Pudding

1 box sf/ff chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 cups skim milk

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

Pour 2 cups cold skim milk into bowl. Dump in pudding mix Whisk milk and pudding mix together until mixed completely (will just begin to thicken) Add extracts and oatmeal. Whisk together and refrigerate at least 4 hours, (overnight is better.)

RR: This was just okay. The oatmeal is suppose to give the texture of coconut. This was not one of my favorite things I have tried so far.

RR: Crustless Dreamsicle Pie

Crustless Dreamsicle Pie
2 cups mandarian oranges, drained
1 small box sugar free fat free Cook and Serve (not instant) vanilla pudding
1 small box sugar free fat free orange gelatin
2 cups water
fat free cool whip (Optional)
Spray and 8 inch or 9 inch pie plate with non stick cooking spray. Layer oranges evenly in pie plate. Cook vanilla pudding according to directions but use 2 cups of water instead of milk. Add dry gelatin to pudding mixture and stir until dissolve. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then pour over oranges. Chill 4 hours.
Serves 8 at Weight Watchers POINTS®-each
Note- Make sure to check points for optional fat free cool whip. Most of the time, I add the small tub and cover the top of the pie and it usually adds a point that way, but if I add a tablespoon to my serving, it adds no points. So, just make sure you check.
Special Notes*Make sure pudding mixture is thickened enough or oranges will rise to the top. The oranges are the "crust"
*You can try this with other fruits/gelatin flavors. To make a peach pie add peaches instead of oranges and peach SF/FF Jello. To make a strawberry pie add strawberries instead of oranges and strawberry SF/FF Jello.*You can also put this in a pie shell if you want, but I am telling you my family loved it without the shell.
*If you are doing the CORE program, you could add FF milk instead of water to the pudding. you can add this on FLEX too, but you have to add the points and that's a lot of points! It was really good with just the water though and I did not have to add those points!

RR: This was as good as the other crustless pies that I have tried! Peach and Crustless Strawberry Pie.

RR: Cinnamon French Toast

Cinnamon French Toast

1 cup Egg Beaters

1/3 cup fat free milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

non-stick spray

10 slices of bread ( I used the Sarah Lee 35 calorie bread)

Whisk together Egg Beaters, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla is shallow medium bowl; set aside. Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium. Dip bread in egg beaters mixture, coat both sides. Put in skillet and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Serving size is 2 slices
I served mine with sugar free syrup and a banana

Calories 191 Fat 2 Fiber 6

RR: I loved these! They are so good. My kids and dh liked them too! Yummy and so easy!

RR: Luscious Lemon Smoothie

Luscious Lemon Smoothie

8 oz. skim milk

2 Tablespoons FF/SF Lemon Pudding mix

2 Tablespoons Fat Free Cool Whip

8 ice cubes

Blend all together until all the ice is chopped.

RR: Heather shared a recipe for a Frosty using SF/FF chocolate pudding the other day on Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday and then on a message board a girl talked about making a lemon smoothie like the Frosty recipe, so I had to try one. I love lemon and this really has a great lemon flavor! I will make again! Yummy! Now, I can't wait to try some other SF/FF pudding mix flavors!

FIF- Refreshing Drinks Edition 2

It is time for Favorite Ingredients Friday. Today is Refreshing Drinks Edition 2. It has already been so hot here in Kentucky so a refreshing drink sounds GREAT! Trying to eat healthier makes it harder to pick a cool refreshing snack or dessert, so I tried out some new smoothies. This is one I LOVE! It taste just like an Almond Joy candy bar, well almost! lol! Anyone can go to a Weight Watchers meeting and buy smoothies unless the site is a privately owned. I like to use the Weight Watchers smoothies because they are loaded with dairy and when added with fat free milk, you can count the drink as your 2 dairy servings. Getting those servings of dairy is part of the Weight Watchers program. I am also going to give you a recipe that you can make it without using the Weight Watcher smoothie mix. At my site, for the next couple of weeks the smoothie boxes are on sale for $5.00 they are usually $7.50 a box and the box has 7 packets in it. I hope you enjoy this cool treat! I know I shared this not too long ago, but right now it really is my favorite refreshing drink!

WW Almond Joy Smoothie

1 Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie Mix

1 cup fat free milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

8 ice cubes

Mix all of the ingredients in the blender and enjoy!

Made this way it is 3 Weight Watchers points and 2 dairy servings.

Almond Joy Smoothie #2

1 c. ff milk

1/2 small pkg. ff sf choc. pudding mix

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

8 ice cubes

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

(I have tried this and it is also really good!)

Also 3 Weight Watchers Points but only 1 dairy serving.

Note: You can also use any flavor s/f f/f pudding mix to create a smoothie play around for one you might like.

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

RR: Fat Free Krispie Treats

Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats
Created by Halfmysize.com
Serves - 20

Points - 1 Weight Watchers Point
4 cups mini marshmallows

1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
In a large saucepan, over low heat, combine marshmallows and buttermilk. Melt marshmallows, stirring occasionally. When marshmallows have melted, turn heat up to medium and boil mixture for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Rice Krispies. Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Turn cereal mixture into baking dish. Lightly spray a spoon with non-stick cooking spray. Press down cereal mixture with the back of the spoon. Allow to cool. Cut into 2 inch squares.

Yields: 20 squares.
Nutrition Information:58 Cal., 0 g. fat, 0 g. fiber

RR: This is a kitchen activity I did with my kids. They really liked it and they ate these like they were the real thing. While I thought they had a great flavor, I thought the texture was different. But, still they were really good for a lot less calories! We will make these again.

Southwestern Egg, Sausage and Cheese Biscuit

Here is a breakfast I have every now and then. I wish I could find the light English Muffins around here instead of using the 100 calorie biscuits, but that is all I have right now.

Southwestern Egg, Sausage, and Cheese Biscuit
1 100 calorie biscuit, cooked according to package directions (2 points)
1/4 cup southwestern egg beaters, cooked in frying pan with cooking spray (1 point)
1 Morning Star Sausage Patty, cooked according to package directions (1 point)
1 Weight Watcher Cheese Single (1 point)
Place all ingredients on the biscuit. Yummy! 5 point breakfast!

Fitness On Friday

Well its time for another Fitness on Friday hosted by Natalie at Bye Bye Fat Mom! I had a really rough week last week because everyone of my kids got some kind of virus that gave them high fevers and they wanted to be held a lot. I exercised not one day last week (my week is Wednesday-Tuesday). I still ate well though! At my weight in, I lost another 1.6 pounds, I weighed in at 269. That's 54.8 pounds! I only have .6 of a pound to reach another goal of getting my Weight Watcher's 10 percent keychain. (for those who do not know I lost 25 pounds doing WW at home before going to meetings) So, I am really excited about that. The only bad thing is because I have lost another 10 pounds I also lose another WW point. I am at 34 now. I guess this does not bother me as much as I thought it would, I am just so excited to say goodbye to the 270's. I really do not remember when I weight in the 260's in my life? So, things seem to be going well for me right now. I do find myself getting comfortable with the program and sometimes that really is not good because I think you can get too comfortable and bored with the program, that is why I like to try out new recipes every week.

My dh has been losing weight too and really not following the program, well he weighed himself the other day and realized he had gained back a lot of the weight that he had lost. Probably from eating food at work. They have board meetings once a month and have Fried Chicken and the eat on it for a couple days after. Well yesterday he started doing it the right way and asking me questions etc. So, I guess he is really doing it now. That really makes it a lot easier for me!

I also wanted everone to know about my new meme that I started last week. I had a big turnout for the first week of sharing healthy recipes. I'll put more info about that at the bottom of the post if you are interested in participating next week.

I also tried out several new recipes that I will put some links to in case you are interested.

Mongolian Beef

Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream

Diet Coke sloppy Joes

Oriental Cole Slaw

Crustless Peach Pie

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Joy Smoothie

Easy Enchiladas

Hope you have a great week!

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

Slow Cooking Thursday- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

It's time for Slow Cooking Thursday! I think this is by far my favorite recipe since I started Weight Watchers! It makes you feel like you are cheating! So yummy!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 12 ( one cup each)

16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked

1 lb. Velveeta Light (2%)Cheese

12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained & flaked

1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom soup

1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup

10 oz. can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)

4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained

1/2 cup water

1 small onion, diced

1 med. green pepper, diced

salt & pepper to taste

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.

Nutrition Info:286 Cal., 5.7 g Fat, 2.7 g Fiber

Recipe From: halfmysize

Slow Cooking Thursday is sponsored by Diary of a SAHM go look there for more recipes.

Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

Tasty Thursday- BBQ Edition

Today Tasty Thursday is all about BBQ and since I have been doing Weight Watchers, I really have not tried a lot of barbecue recipes, not that I can't have them, lol. Some of you might not know this, but I made a decision when I started Weight Watchers that I would only share recipes on my blogs that fit into my healthier lifestyle. I believed this would help me stay on track, and it has! When I was researching a recipe for this, I was shocked to read that according to Hungry Girl, "The average BBQ meal contains an astonishing 1,300 to 1,800 calories. That's more calories than some of us need in an entire day. Eeek!" I would love to find a healthy bbq recipe because I love it, but since Tasty Thursday is all about tried and true recipes, I have decided to share a recipe that goes well with bbq! I have made this and really love it, I made it without the almonds. I will be making it for my many summer events!

Oriental Cole Slaw
Serving Size : 12 (3/4 cup each) @ 3 Weight Watchers POINTS® each
(My points were 2 without the almonds)
1 package beef flavored Ramen noodles (I used a 35% less sodium packet)
1 large package coleslaw mix
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 bunch green onions -- thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I did not add these, taste great without)
Break noodles into pieces and mix with coleslaw, sunflower seeds, onions, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine ingredients for dressing in a cruet. Pour over vegetable mixture.

Dressing
2 T oil
½ c water
½ flavor packet from noodles
2 T cider vinegar
¼ c sugar or Splenda (I used Splenda)

For more bbq recipes go to The Pumkin Patch.



Please come back and visit me for my new meme Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday next week as we share healthy recipes. The theme next week is Fruits. To see yesterday's recipes from Watchin' What We Eat go here.

WWWEW Themes

Thanks to everyone for participating yesterday. I was really happy at the amount of people who posted some really great healthy recipes! Some of you have asked me to give you a list of the dates and themes we will be doing so here is the list for the rest of the year. I know we are all busy and I hope this helps you prepare better. Remember, we only do themes every other week. I like you all to be able to share recipes you want to choose too. Hope this helps and I also hope to see you next Wednesday for the fruit edition.

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday Theme Schedule
June 25- Fruits Edition
July 9- Picnic Edition
July 23- Beverages Edition
August 6- Lightened Desserts Edition
August 20- Salads Edition
September 3- Crockpot Edition
September 17 -Lightened Cookies Edition
October 1- Meals that Freeze Well Edition
October 15-Halloween Edition
October 29- Breakfast Edition
November 12-Thanksgiving Edition
November 26- Soups Edition
December 10- Holiday Baking Edition
December 24- New Year's (Appetizers) Edition

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday #1

Welcome to Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday. This meme will help us share healthy recipes each week. Every other week, I will do a themed day, where you pick a recipe in a theme. Once you place your recipe on your blog, come back here and click on the Mr. Linky and put your name and in parenthesis the name of your recipe for example: Lorie (Ranch Chicken Salad). Then put the link to your recipe post. That's all there is to it. Hopefully we will all get some really good recipes to stay in our goals for weight loss or just to be healthy. Here is my recipe.

FYI- I still have the free Mr. Linky and you have to click on the graphic. I'll upgrade soon so you can see the links, but I have to get a paypal account first sorry for the inconvenience.

Ranch Chicken Salad
13 ounce can 98% fat free chicken breast (well drained)
2 tsp. Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Mix
1/3 cup Kraft Fat Free Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain canned chicken breast. Place in large bowl and shred with two forks. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, powdered dressing and salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Add to chicken. Serve on crackers or toasted English Muffin.

Makes 4 (1/2 cup) servings at 2 Weight Watchers Points each
Note: Points do not include crackers or muffin (I served my on 1 point for 2 pieces bread, toasted) I also served with grapes for a 4 point lunch.

Variations: Replace ranch dressing with same amount of taco seasoning. You can also add onions or celery.

Now go ahead and click on Mr. Linky to share all of your healthy recipes. Come back next week as we share healthy recipes with a fruit theme (anything to do with any kind of fruit.)

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday

***This is a sticky***

This coming Wednesday, I will be hosting a meme called Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday. Find a healthy recipe to share that day and post it on your blog. Then come back and sign the Mr. Linky so everyone can share their healthy recipes. Oh and make sure you get the banner. Trista at Pumkin Patch Creations created it for me.

Please help me find some more people to participate by announcing this on your blogs. Thanks in advance!

To get picture: Click on it and click on save as picture and save it on your computer in a folder.

RR: Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound flank steak, trimmed and cut crosswise into thin strips
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (might want to add less)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Toasted sesame seeds
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add green onions, and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Add beef, and cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring frequently. While beef cooks, combine water and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour mixture over beef, cook 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened and beef is cooked through. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

Makes 4 (1 cup) servings
NI 234 calories, 11g fat, 0.7 fiber (5 points)
From Weight Watchers five ingredient 15 minute cookbook page 52
Recipe recommends serving with 3/4 cup cellophane noodles for a total points value of 8.

RR: This was really good! One of my dh's favorite meals is Mongolian Beef so I decided to try this recipe for him on Father's Day. I made the recipe as is and I really feel that 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper is way too much! Dh loves hot stuff and he was having a really hard time eating it. So, if you decide to make you might want to cut back on that ingredient. Overall the sauce had a really good flavor and dh asked me to make it again with a lot less crushed red pepper. I served with 1/2 cup white rice and some mixed veggies.

Menu Plan Monday June 16-22

Here are the new things I tried last week and a link to a review of each: HG Onion Rings, Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, Oriental Cole Slaw, Diet Coke Sloppy Joes, Mongolian Beef, Broccoli Cheese Soup (have not done review yet), Crustless Peach Pie, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Joy Smoothies, Easy Enchiladas, Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream. I did not get around to a couple of recipes for various reasons. I am still doing the Weight Watchers Flex Plan.Here is this weeks plan: (Check back through out the week for recipes and reviews of them)

Monday: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Tuesday:Spaghetti Casserole Bake
Wednesday:Bubble-Up Enchilada
Thursday:Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Skillet
Friday: Mom's Pizza
Saturday: Sesame Chicken with Rice
Sunday: Sweet and Sour Chicken

For Me:
Lunches: Ranch Chicken Salad, Refried Beans Soup, and leftovers

Breakfast: Low fat waffles and fruit, vegan sausage egg and cheese biscuits, oatmeal and fruit, and Cinnamon French Toast.

Snacks, desserts and kid activities: Creamsicle pudding, Chips Ahoy Dessert or Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Crustless Dreamsicle Pie, Chex Party Mix, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats, and Almond Joy Pudding. (Probably will not make all of this but I like having recipes ready to go to give kids activities during the summer and I need more snacks for them.)

Also, I am hosting a meme this Wednesday where we will share Healthy recipes. It's called Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday. Click on the link to read more about it.
Go here to see more plans.

Happy Fathers Day and a recipes

For Father's Day, we gave DH an ice cream maker. I knew I could find some point friendly ice cream maker recipes and here is the one we used. We ate it right out of the maker and have plenty left in the freezer. It was soft serve yummy!!! We just made vanilla.

Vanilla Homemade Ice Cream

2 (14 oz) cans fat free sweetened condensed milk (12 points)

2 (1oz) box instant sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding (4 points)

10 1/2 cups fat free milk (18.5 points)

Mix all together and place in electric ice cream maker container add ice and rock salt around freezer container as directed in manufacturer's guidelines book that comes with ice cream maker, usually makes in less that 30 minutes. Will be soft serve, freeze for thicker ice cream.

For Flavored Variations add:

-----Cherry Vanilla 1 large drained jar of chopped up maraschino cherries

----Vanilla Banana Add 4 mashed up banana

----Strawberry or Peach Chop up in small pieces 1-2 cups fresh strawberries or peaches, amount depending on how fruity you want it.

Total points= 34.5 divide by number of servings(16 cups)=2 Weight Watchers points per serving!!!! You will need to add points if you use fruits. Also you can use chocolate pudding mix to make chocolate or any flavor pudding you want. this was a nice treat and I was able to control what went into my ice cream.

RR: Diet Coke Sloppy Joes

Diet Coke Sloppy Joes

1 lb. 96% lean ground beef

1 med onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon flour

1 cup diet coke

2/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dry mustard

6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Brown beef and onion, drain well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on a hamburger bun.

Serves 6, without bun it is 3 Weight Watchers POINTS® per serving.

Note: To reduce the points you can substitute Morning Star crumbles for lean ground beef.

RR: I have made this several times and never taken a picture. So here it is. This is really good! We have made it several times! I think next time I am going to use half the ketchup and add the other half of barbecue sauce. I usually serve with corn but tonight I served with tater tots(mostly for kids. I am not a big fan of them.) and Oriental Cole Slaw.

RR: Oriental Cole Slaw

Oriental Cole Slaw

Serving Size : 12 (3/4 cup each) @ 3 Weight Watchers POINTS® each

(My points were 2 without the almonds)

1 package beef flavored Ramen noodles (I used a 35% less sodium packet)

1 large package coleslaw mix

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 bunch green onions -- thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced almonds (I did not add these, taste great without)

Break noodles into pieces and mix with coleslaw, sunflower seeds, onions, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine ingredients for dressing in a cruet. Pour over vegetable mixture.

Dressing

2 T oil

½ c water

½ flavor packet from noodles

2 T cider vinegar

¼ c sugar or Splenda (I used Splenda)

RR: This was really good. Dh really liked it and it is low in points too! Kids did not really care for it, but I loved it! I also have been told that there is a low fat version of Ramen noodles out but I could not find them.

RR: Crustless Peach Pie

Crustless Peach Pie
5 small peaches, seeded, peeled and cut into slices
1 small box sugar free fat free Cook and Serve (not instant) vanilla pudding
1 small box sugar free fat free peach gelatin
2 cups water
fat free cool whip (Optional)
Spray and 8 inch or 9 inch pie plate with non stick cooking spray. Layer peaches evenly in pie plate. Cook vanilla pudding according to directions but use 2 cups of water instead of milk. Add dry gelatin to pudding mixture and stir until dissolve. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then pour over peaches. Chill 4 hours.

Serves 8 at 1 Weight Watchers POINTS®-each
Note- Make sure to check points for optional fat free cool whip. Most of the time, I add the small tub and cover the top of the pie and it usually adds a point that way, but if I add a tablespoon to my serving, it adds no points. So, just make sure you check.
Special Notes
*Make sure pudding mixture is thickened enough or berries will rise to the top. The strawberries are the "crust" This is a very yummy pie!
*You can try this with other fruits/gelatin flavors. To make a dreamsicle pie add Mandarin oranges instead of strawberries and orange SF/FF Jello. To make a strawberry pie add strawberries instead of peaches and strawberry SF/FF Jello.
*You can also put this in a pie shell if you want, but I am telling you my family loved it without the shell.
*If you are doing the CORE program, you could add FF milk instead of water to the pudding. you can add this on FLEX too, but you have to add the points and that's a lot of points! It was really good with just the water though and I did not have to add those points!

RR: I first made the Crustless Strawberry Pie and loved it so much that I wanted to try some other flavors. This taste just like peaches and cream! My whole family loved it! I love that it is also low in points! So yummy will be making again.

For more great recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

RR: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 12 ( one cup each)
16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked
1 lb. Velveeta Light (2%)Cheese
12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained & flaked
1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom soup
1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup
10 oz. can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)
4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 med. green pepper, diced
salt & pepper to taste
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.
Nutrition Info:286 Cal., 5.7 g Fat, 2.7 g Fiber
Recipe From: halfmysize

RR: This is now one of my favorite meals! It is so easy to prepare and oh my oh so good!!! My kids and dh liked it too. We will be having again!

RR: Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mini Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp table salt

1 large egg white(s)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup

1.Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2.In a medium bowl, cream butter, oil and brown sugar together. Add vanilla, salt and egg white, and mix together thoroughly.

3.Mix together flour and baking soda. Add chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly.

4.Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake cookies for 4 to 6 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Makes 24 cookies

Serving Size-2 cookies at 1 Weight Watchers POINTS®-1

RR: I like to do activities with the kids during the day and here is one recipe I have had for awhile that I have been wanting to try. The kids loved making these. They are really easy to make and taste GREAT! I have not had a homemade chocolate chip cookie in 6 months and it was so good. Each cookie is about 3 bites. Totally worth the points or should I say POINT lol!

Tasty Thursday- Almond Joy Smoothie

Today is Tasty Thursday hosted by Trista over at The Pumkin Patch. Her new banner made me want to post a summer recipe. It has been so hot here in Kentucky already. It was 96 when I went out yesterday. Trying to eat healthier makes it harder to pick a cool refreshing snack or dessert, so I tried out some new smoothies. This is one I LOVE! It taste just like an Almond Joy candy bar, well almost! lol! Anyone can go to a Weight Watchers meeting and buy smoothies unless the site is a privately owned. I like to use the Weight Watchers smoothies because they are loaded with dairy and when added with fat free milk, you can count the drink as your 2 dairy servings. Getting those servings of dairy is part of the Weight Watchers program. I am also going to give you a recipe that you can make it without using the Weight Watcher smoothie mix. At my site, for the next couple of weeks the smoothie boxes are on sale for $5.00 they are usually $7.50 a box and the box has 7 packets in it. I hope you enjoy this cool treat! Have a great week.

Almond Joy Smoothie

1 Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie Mix

1 cup fat free milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

8 ice cubes

Mix all of the ingredients in the blender and enjoy!

Made this way it is 3 Weight Watchers points and 2 dairy servings.

Almond Joy Smoothie #2

1 c. ff milk

1/2 small pkg. ff sf choc. pudding mix

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

8 ice cubes

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

(I have not made this particular smoothie with the sugar free fat free pudding, but I have had other smoothies with it and they are wonderful!)

Also 3 Weight Watchers Points but only 1 dairy serving.

RR: Easy Enchiladas

Easy Enchiladas

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or very lean ground beef (can also use shrimp or crab)

1 can FF cream of chicken soup

2 cans Old El Paso red enchilada sauce, divided

1/2 c. RF shredded Mexican Weight Watchers Shredded Cheese

6 FF flour tortillas

If using chicken, cook and shred. If using beef, brown and drain. Preheat oven to 350. Reserve 1 c. enchilada sauce; set aside. Reserve ¼ c. cheese; set aside. Mix chicken or beef with all remaining ingredients except tortillas. Spray a 9””x13”” baking dish with Pam. Spoon enchilada sauce in bottom of baking dish, just enough to cover bottom, saving rest to top enchiladas while baking. Place mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place enchiladas, seam side down, in dish. Cover with reserved enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6 servings at 6 Weight Watcher Points each. (The points reflect that I used lean beef in this recipe.)

RR: This was really good. I still do not know if I like Whole Wheat tortillas, but right now it is the only low point tortilla I can find. My kids also ate this pretty well. I served it with corn.

I got an Award!

Jen nominated me for a blog award because my blog is the key to a weight loss success story! Thanks Jen! Now I get to nominate some people whose blogs have inspired and motivated me!

The WWChic- Heather's blog is the reason I started going to the Weight Watchers meetings instead of just doing it at home. I love all the great ideas she post on he blog. BTW, she is a Weight Watchers leader!
Tracie- This girl has lost over 100 pounds. I first found Tracie on U-Tube where she had a video giving ideas to eat on weight watchers. Well, I have since found her webpage and I have enjoyed seeing her lose weight and she just got to onederland (the 100's) She is definitely an inspiration! She was even on the Rachel Ray show! She also has Tracie's kitchen at her web page and I just love it!
Tammy- Tammy was the person who's blog I found talking about starting a biggest loser group that keeps up through blogs. I had never thought about using a blog as a way to help me lose weight and so that is how my blog was born! She has since moved her weight loss blog to her personal blog, but I still like to follow it. I also LOVE her pictures! While I did not have enough money to join the biggest loser competition, they still let me participate by giving me some greatly needed motivation!
Byebye Fat Mom- Natalie started doing Fitness on Friday and has motivated not only me but lots of people wanting to lose weight!
Melissa-Melissa posted her pictures of her wonderful weight loss on her blog which really inspired me. She has also been one great encourager to me!

There are so many other people that have blogs/web pages that have inspired me on this journey! My list is too long to name everyone!

For those I have named, please take this award and post it on your blog and pass it on to some blogs that have inspired you.

Thanks Jen for this award! I am really honored!

RR: HG's Lord of the Onion Rings

Hungry Girl's Lord of the Onion Rings

1 whole recipe is 2 points and about 15 rings is a serving. It is a huge serving size!

RR: I have had these before and really liked them. You need to season your Fiber One as the first time I tried it I did not do that and it really makes a difference! Now, my dh says they are awful. He hates the Fiber One cereal crushed up, so I may have to use Corn Flakes next time.

50 pounds!!!!

Last night I weighed in at 270.6. I lost 4 pounds last week. I do not really know how I did it, I even exercised less? But I will take it! I also got my 25 pound charm at my Weight Watchers Meeting last night. (Remember I lost about 25 pounds before going to WW.) Last night we went over simple menu ideas. It was really nice to have that information and everyone was sharing some really neat ideas! To imagine how much I have lost, imagine 200 sticks of butter. I am so happy! That is a picture of my charm that I got last night. I still have not got the key chain to put it on but that's okay. That is coming soon! Like 2.2 pounds away! A lot of things I have read online say that people who lose 50 pounds are more likely to lose the weight that they are wanting to lose because they have had a chance to make some lifestyle changes that are more permanent. I find that to be try. There are some foods I would NEVER touch again!

Waffles and Fruit Breakfast

This is one of my favorite breakfast. Enjoy!
2 Special K Red Berries Waffles- 3 points
1/4 cup Smuckers Sugar Free Syrup- 0 points (25/0/0)
1 banana, cut up- 2 points

Note: Sometimes I have an orange instead of the banana but it is still same points!

Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday

Well that is the name of my new meme. You will be able to share a healthy recipe on that day by putting it on your blog and linking back to my blog. I am so excited! As soon as I have my banner, I will put it up for everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I decided on a name. So, what do you think?

Menu Plan Monday June 9-15

Here are the new things I tried last week and a link to a review of each: Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Skillet, Bruschetta Chicken Bake, Cheeze-It Chicken, Tuna Triangles, Butterscotch Fiber One Cookies, Chex Party Mix, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls and Refried Bean Soup. I did not get around to a couple of recipes for various reasons. I am still doing the Weight Watchers Flex Plan.
Here is this weeks plan: (Check back through out the week for recipes and reviews of them)
Monday: Hungry Girl's Whopper and Onion Rings
Tuesday: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Wednesday: Diet Coke Sloppy Joes, Oriental Cole slaw
Thursday: Pizza Cups
Friday: Cheese Pizza
Saturday: Mongolian Beef
Sunday: Spaghetti Casserole Bake

Lunches: Ranch Chicken Salad, Refried Beans Soup, Broccoli Cheese Soup and leftovers

Breakfast: Low fat waffles and fruit, vegan sausage egg and cheese biscuits, oatmeal and fruit

Snacks, desserts and kid activities: Creamsicle pudding, Chips Ahoy Dessert, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Crustless Peach Pie, Chex Party Mix

Go here to see more plans.

RR: Butterscotch Fiber One Cookies

Butterscotch Fiber One Cookies

1 1/2 cups Fiber One Cereal

2 Tablespoons Reduced Fat Peanut Butter

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter an butterscotch chips. Microwave for 30 seconds; stir and microwave for 30 more seconds, if necessary for mixture to melt. Stir in cereal. Drop cookies onto a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm. Store in refrigerator.

Yields 9 cookies

2 Weight Watchers Points each

RR: I love butterscotch and I love haystacks so this filled my need for these two. They really taste a lot like haystacks! My kids loved them too. I like how it only makes 9 because once my family gets a hold of them, they are gone and I do not have to worry about them being in the house.