Brownies? Heck Yeah!

So, I really waned brownies and I had heard about Black Bean Brownies from some other people, I thought I would give a try. Well, let me tell you,they were frickin' awesome!!! I don't even know how to describe them! I couldn't taste the black beans at all! The only difference was a bit of cakier texture, but I like cakey brownies. I had to restrain myself! Well, I didn't do a very good job of that today (I'm not counting POINTS again until tomorrow), but will if they last very long. I found a lot of different versions online, but here is what I did. It was stupid easy and quick!

Black Bean Brownies

1 box brownie Mix
1 15 oz. can black beans

Preheat oven to 350. Drain and rinse the beans. Put beans back in the can and fill with enough water to cover the beans. Pour beans and water into a food processor or blender. Warn children that the noise will be loud! Puree the beans. Mix into brownie mix. Pour into a greased 11x7 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into 20 squares for 2 POINTS each.

Here are a couple of mine:



Then I did this:


AWESOME!!

Yellow Chicken?

That was the color of our dinner...bright yellow! It tasted really good though, so I am going to share the recipe with you!

Lemony Chicken
4-5 Chicken breasts
lemon juice
lemon pepper seasoning

Do NOT preheat your oven yet!!! Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place your chicken breasts in it. Take a fork and stab the heck out of the chicken, both sides. Go on, get all your frustrations out on the poor bird! With the bottom sides of the breasts up, poor some lemon juice over them. Flip the breasts over and poor more lemon juice on top. I really didn't measure here, just eye it...you want some to pool in the bottom of the dish. I probably used 1/2-1 c. Then heavily sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until about 30-45 minutes before ready to eat. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook chicken until a thermometer reads at least 165 degrees. When done, pull out and let sit for 5 minutes (you should do this with most meats...it seals in the juiciness!). Serve. I found it even better once the chicken was cut to spoon a little of the leftover lemon juice in the pan over the pieces....YUM!!

My first weigh in for this contest is tomorrow...wish me luck!
With love,
Theresa

Check Out These Cupcakes!!

What? Two posts in 1 day you say? Why not!! You HAVE to check out this post over at Skip To My Lou for the most AMAZING looking cupcakes!! I can't wait to try these with the girls!

How To Make Rainbow Colored Cupcakes

I mean really!! How awesome!! They just look so yummy! I've got to get me some Wilton colors...I think they are on sale at Hobby Lobby and Jo Ann's this week (Unfortunately, I am not paid to advertise there! Oh well!).

If I can get them made some time soon, I promise to post pictures!
With Love,
Theresa

What A Crazy Week This Has Been!

I'm really not doing very well here with this blogging the past 2 weeks, am I? I apologize, life just has been crazy as I am sure it is for all of you!

Last week was the week of doctor appointments in this house! M had an ENT appointment, L and I had eye doctor appointments, and M had an eye appointment and had one eye probed. Then this morning, he had tubes put in his ears. Crazy huh? Good news is that L's eyes are fine and she doesn't need glasses. I am getting new specs and can't wait for them to come in!! They are extremely cool!! M is doing well now, he is resting comfortably in his room and hopefully will be feeling great when he wakes up (doubtful, but one can hope!) He still has to have the other eye probed, but that will be in June. So, after a stressful week of appointments, we can rest a bit!

It is Tuesday and I do have some weight loss to report! Technically this week I lost about 6 pounds, but not really. Remember? I had gained 3 at my mom and dad's house over last weekend, but I'm not really counting those. So, I really lost about 3.2 pounds. In total I am down 48.8 pounds!!! I have hit my 4% goal for in between Biggest Loser contests. The next one begins June 1st. I know that I most likely won't win it, but I am going to use it to help me get the next 20 pounds off! I would love to ht my goal before the end of it!!

I know I have missed the past 2 Munchy Time Mondays so you are probably really wanting a recipe huh? I know you all just crave my wonderful culinaryness (no, not a word, but one I will use anyways!). So, I have given this some thought and decided on Chili Parmesan Chicken and Cake Cookies. The chicken is SO good and moist and the cookies are a very easy recipe that always gets RAVE reviews!! I could sit down and eat them all by self! Not that I would mind you as that would be bad. Nor have I ever done that, nope not me, not ever! :) Okay, maybe once! :)

Chili Parmesan Chicken
(from www.kraftfoods.com)
1/4 c. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 rs. chili powder
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Mix cheese and chili powder in pie plate. Add chicken, turn to evenly coat all sides. Place chicken in shallow baking dish (spray first!!). Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Cake Cookies
(origin unknown)

1 box cake mix (I've tried these with just about ANY kind, lemon though are my favorite!)
1 egg
2 c. cool whip
powdered sugar

Mix first 3 ingredients. The mixture will be dry...do NOT add more Cool Whip, trust me on this!! Shape into balls, roll into powdered sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let cool on pan for about 2 minutes, move to wire rack to finish cooling (assuming they last that long!) Makes around 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes as much as I do!!

Have a great day everyone!
With love,
Theresa

The Never-Ending To Do List!

Do this, do that, do this, do that...Does it ever feel like that list ever ends? Mine doesn't. It seems like every day, that list just gets longer and longer! Laundry, dishes, laundry (5 people, lots of laundry!), pick up toys, clean out closets, make dinner, vacuum floors, wash floors, make sure kids aren't killing each other, and that is just normal mommy stuff! I also need to hem the sleeves on 4 shirts for my dad, finish my commissioned knitting, and find time to make it to the gym almost every day! I know all moms go through this, just sometimes it feels like so much. And there are plenty of days when all I would really like to do is sit down and play a game with my beautiful daughters! I have a hard time remembering that the chores will always be there and the kids will only be this little for this long. I MUST do better to remember that!!

So, what IS for dinner tonight? Well, dinner is being made courtesy of my good friend Natalie over at Mommy On Fire. After M was born, she brought us this AMAZING buffalo chicken. I LOVED it so much and have been craving it. Well, found out that she has the recipe posted on her blog. So, Check out her recipe for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches!!

To thank Natalie for supplying this recipe (although she doesn't actually know that I linked to it...oops!), I want to encourage everyone to do something for me. She is up for a BLOG award at I AM MOMMY. So, please, please please go check her out. Scroll down to "Most Inspirational" Blogs and click on "Mommy On Fire". You don't have to join anything to vote, just go check her out and PLEASE vote for her. I would love for her to win this. Natalie is an UNBELIEVABLY strong woman who inspires me greatly. She is a wonderful writer, and even better friend, and a beautiful beautiful child of God!

Well, gotta get to that To Do List while kids are napping! Have a great day everyone! See you for weigh-in tomorrow!
With Love,
Theresa

Lasagna City

It is almost 8:30 at night and the kids are in bed. I am pretty tired, so I am going to post this really quickly. I have had some requests for my lasagna recipe and for the WW version of lasagna my friend Erica game me. Here you go:

WW Lasagna:

1 bottle of Vodka Sauce
15 oz. Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
10 oz Frozen Spinach, thawed/drained
1/2 c. low fat (or 1 c. fat free) shredded cheese
1 egg white
1/4 t. nutmeg
9 no boil lasagna noodles

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ricotta, spinach, egg white, and nutmeg. Spoon 1 c. of vodka sauce on bottom of 11x7 pan (spray pan first). Layer as follows: 3 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, 1 c. sauce, 3 noodles, rest of ricotta, 1 c. sauce, 3 noodles, remaining sauce. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, bake 5 more minutes. Cut into 6 servings (6 POINTS each).

My Lasagna:
12 no boil lasagna noodles
15. oz Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
4 c. shredded mozz. cheese
1 T. oregano (or Italian seasoning mix)
garlic powder
1 pkg provolone cheese
1 pound ground beef (I usually use angus or sirloin)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
3/4 c. water
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pkg. of sliced pepperoni
1/2 c. parm. cheese

Heat oven to 375. Brown ground beef (I'll often cut up an onion and brown with beef and throw in some garlic too!), drain if needed. Add one jar of sauce and water to ground beef. Stir in the pinch of nutmeg. Mix up ricotta, egg, 2 c. mozz. cheese, oregano, and a good sprinkle of the garlic powder. Spray 9x13 pan. Pour 1/2 of other jar of spaghetti sauce into bottom of pan, spread around. Layer as follows: 3 noodles, 1/2 of ricotta mixture. 1/2 of provolone slices, and 1/2 of pepperoni slices, 1/3 of beef and sauce, 3 noodles, rest of ricotta, provolone, pepperoni, 1/3 beef and sauce, 3 noodles, rest of beef and sauce, 3 noodles, other half of second jar of sauce. Sprinkle with 2 c. sauce and 1/2 c. parm cheese. Cover tightly with double layer of aluminum foil (tip...spray foil, cheese won't stick!). Bake for 60 minutes (take off foil for last 10 minutes of baking). I HIGHLY suggest you put a large cookie sheet under the pan to catch spills...my oven is a MESS! Take it out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes to set. ENJOY!

I hope that you enjoy these! Let me know if you have any questions. For the record, MY lasagna is SO NOT DIET WORTHY!!!! But, it is OH so good!!! Have a great day everyone!
With love,
Theresa

Low fat, low cal, and WAY good!

Today's Munchy is something my mom made a lot when I was a kid. I remember it fondly and make it often as an adult. I'm sure that other people may call them something else, but we have always called them "Country Beans". There are 2 different ways to make Country Beans, but I like to make them as low fat and low calorie as I can. Of course you can make them on the stove, but I prefer to put them in the crockpot (shocking I know!)

Country Beans
4 cans cut green beans (undrained)
1 onion, sliced
1 can corn, drained
1 pkg. turkey smoked sausage, sliced into about 1/4 inch slices
Salt/Pepper

Put everything into the crockpot and add enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6 hours.
POINTS value for a GOOD size portion:3 (2 for sausage, and 1 for onion and corn).

For the times when I am not watching my weight and could care less if something is low-fat/calorie, I make this a little differently. I wash and cut up 2-3 potatoes and use REAL smoked sausage or kielbasa, not turkey smoked sausage. This is GREAT served with corn bread (buy the EASY Jiffy Mix box).

I hope that you enjoy this! It is one of my favorites!

Tomorrow is the final weigh in for my Biggest Loser contest...wish me luck!
With Love,
Theresa

Lovely Monday (Munchies!!)

What a great Monday!! Yes, not usually the highlight of the week, but I have really had a great one! First, I was able to actually get a shower, fix my hair, and do my makeup this morning. If you are not a mom, you have NO IDEA just how wonderful of a thing that is! Then I went to MOPS. I feel SO good about myself after MOPS. Everyone was telling me how great I looked. Seriously, I feel HOT!! Then the kiddos and I came home, grabbed lunch and went to the gym. I wasn't sure how they would do with being in child care in 2 different places, but they were great! I had a good hard workout and am now ready to weigh-in in the morning. We had a great dinner of Grilled Chicken (thanks E!) and then we all went and played outside for a while. It was a fun fun day! I am exhausted! Tomorrow the kiddos are getting their pictures taken by my beautiful wonderfully talented cousin, Jennifer. Between the 2 of us, we have so many ideas! I can't wait!

Are you ready for a recipe? Now, don't judge before you try them! I made Salmon Patties the other night. I have memories of my mom making these when I was a kid and I hated them! Not only did they smell, but it always bugged the heck out of me that the can was smaller at the bottom than it was at the top. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did. But, I know salmon is good for you and E likes it so I thought I would give it a try. Now, I feel like I should warn you. When you open the can, be prepared for the fish skin and some cartilage. I was not expecting that at all! E laughed at me some as I yelled, "What the hell?" Once I got over my initial shock, I got to work. These are SUPER easy and they were really good! I will make them again.

Theresa's Salmon Patties

2 cans salmon, drained (don't feel like you have to get ALL the liquid out, a little won't hurt!)
1 c. bread crumbs (I used the 2 heels of my Brownberry Double Fiber bread and just ran them through my food processor)
1/2 onion, minced
2 eggs (whip them up a little in a bowl before you add them)

Mix everything together! Spray your pan with cooking spray. Make 1/4 c. patties and smash with your impeccably clean hands! Cook until brown on one side, flip and cook until brown on that side. Pretty simple.

I got about 16 patties out of this. They will reheat well too. The only thing I would do differently next time is add some spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Cayenne pepper, maybe some cumin, salt,pepper, whatever you like!). I also served with low-fat sour cream which was really good. E had horseradish sauce with them and said they were fantastic! I figured these to be 2.5 POINTS for each patty.

Let me know if you have any questions. Oh, you might want to open a window while making these though, they are a little stinky.

Well, have a great day! See you tomorrow!
With Love,
Theresa

What To Make?!?!

For all my food stalkers out there (yes Jennifer, I am talking to you!) I have NO idea what I am making for dinner. I am thinking about Smoked Turkey Sausage Sandwiches. No, not very exciting, but for whatever reason, it sounds AWESOME! Maybe some Shell's and Cheese and some veggies would round out the meal just fine. Yes, that is what I am going for...

Now, what for you to make? Well, let me tell you that I use my Crock Pot a TON! Seriously, I LOVE my Crock Pots (I have 2!!). I make chicken, beef, pork, just about anything I can. I love that I can put it on and forget about it! In fact, tomorrow, I think I will make Chicken and Noodles in the Crock Pot...sounds good! Why am I telling you this? Well, today's Munchy Time Monday recipe is for the Crock Pot! This is seriously about the EASIEST thing you will be able to do. For anyone that says, "Oh, I'm can't cook, I don't know how.", I PROMISE you can do this!

"Roasted" Chicken
1 Whole Chicken
Any Spices you want on it (I use Garlic [of course], onion powder, a little salt, pepper, paprika, and usually some cayenne pepper. You can also use a bag of Lipton Onion Soup Mix!)
Chicken Broth or water
Onions, Carrots, Celery (optional)

Spray your Crock Pot!! Trust me on this! Next, make sure that you have removed the innards if the chicken you bought didn't already come de-innarded (lovely made up word, huh?). If you leave the insides in the bag in the chicken, well, let's just say GROSS!!. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cool water. Place in Crock Pot on it's tummy. Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you want. Pour in a little water or broth (liquids do NOT evaporate in a Crock Pot, so whatever liquids you put in will be there when you are done!). If using veggies, either stuff the chicken with them (you can also throw some cloves of garlic in there too!) or just put them in the Crock Pot with the chicken and spices and liquid. Put it on low and let it cook all day! Pretty simple, isn't it? Now, if you are a little shorter on time, crank that puppy up to high and it should cook in 3-4 hours. Remove from Crock Pot. Word of warning, the chicken will be VERY tender, as in fall off the bone. Make sure you do not choke on any bones accidentally!

Now, Crock Pot Tip...DO NOT REMOVE LID DURING COOKING!! When you remove the lid, you let all the heat/steam out and that makes your cooking time take longer. Seriously, just leave it alone!

Well, that is the tip for today! Enjoy this gorgeous day and have a good one!
With Love,
Theresa

Take It Off Tuesday (plus another recipe!)

I hit 28 pounds today! I lost 1.6 pounds this week. I feel a little bittersweet about this. I know that 1.6 pounds is a GREAT weight loss. I do. But, for some reason I just feel really defeated. Stupid I know, but I think that part of my disappointment is because of the Biggest Loser contest I am doing. I just REALLY want to win so to see a smaller weight loss is frustrating, but like my friend Erica said, that is 1.6 pounds that is no longer on me. She compared it to 1.6 pounds of ground beef...that is a lot! So, I should feel better about my 1.6 pounds, huh? Especially since we had J's birthday party and I ate some Pizza Hut pizza, brownies and ice cream. OK, going to be PROUD of my 1.6 pounds!

The contest has 28 more days. My goal is 15% of my original body weight. That means I need to lose 9.5 more pounds. I don't really know if it is doable or not, but that is my goal. At this point, I have already hit my goal for the entire contest (10%) so anything else is gravy...mmmm....gravy! ;)

I tried something new Friday morning. I went to a class at my gym called "Barre". It is based on the principles of ballet and even though it wasn't the sweat inducing workouts I usually like, it was pretty good. My calves were SCREAMING for 4 days! There was a lot of ab work and work of all those little muscles that don't normally get hit in a workout very easily. I am hoping that I can make it to the class again soon. It only meets on Monday evening and Friday mornings. Evenings are rough because of family time and L goes to our neighbors house on Friday mornings. So we will see, maybe we can do an every other week thing, although I would prefer going more than that. I don't know though, maybe I'll have to check out some of the gym's other locations and see if it is anywhere else at different times. :)

I made a Weight Watcher's Shepherd's Pie last night. It was SO good. I had a lot of people asking me for the recipe. So, here it is. I got it from the Weight Watchers newsletter that gets emailed to me every couple of days. Here you go:

Classic Shepherd's Pie

2 large Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 c. fat-free sour cream
1 T. reduced-calorie margarine
1/8 t. table salt (or to taste)
2 t. olive oil
1 c. onions chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium stalks celery, diced
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. rosemary, fresh, chopped or 1 t. dried
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. table salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 c. canned chicken or beef broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.
5 POINTS per serving

Now, what I did different...
I used Ore-Ida steam and mash potatoes...God love whoever invented these!! What a novel concept...I hate peeling potatoes!
Instead of cutting up the onions and celery, I used a frozen mix that had those plus green pepper already diced up, then I just added carrots to the mix. I know you can buy the mix with onions, celery, and carrots, just didn't have it on hand.
I also put in a little Italian Seasoning in with the spices.
Oh, of course I added garlic too! :)

Everyone liked it! Enjoy! Let me know what you thought!

I forgot to add that I started Level 3 of the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred yesterday. Did it again today. There is something oddly gratifying about hitting Level 3 on the DVD player! :)

Have a great one...until tomorrow!
With Love,
Theresa

Bruchetta Chicken...YUM! (Munchy Time Monday!)

Hello all! What a great weekend! I hope that you had a good one too! Saturday was J's Birthday party with the family. It was a great time. I ate too much, but oh well. One cheat meal in 6 weeks isn't too bad! I just can' believe I used to eat like that all the time. My stomach was paying for it yesterday! We just had Pizza from Pizza Hut and brownies and ice cream, and I didn't even over eat, but I haven't had that much fat all at once in a while. Oh well, life goes on!

So, for Munchies today....I had a lot of people ask about my Bruchetta Chicken recipe when I posted something about it on Facebook last week. I'm sure that I found this recipe somewhere or adapted it or something, but I honestly have NO idea where from. Then again, I might have just come up with it on my own. Who knows! Without further ado....Bruchetta Chicken!

4 Chicken Breasts
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Oregano
Parsley
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Crushed Black Pepper

Spray baking dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken into baking dish, sprinkle with Garlic Powder and Onion Powder. Drain tomatoes (there will still be some liquid, don't stress). Spoon tomatoes over Chicken. Sprinkle with Oregano. Bake until chicken is done. (I'd like to tell you 30 minutes, but it depends on how thick your chicken breasts are...I use a meat thermometer). Sprinkle with 1/4 c. cheese per chicken breast and sprinkle with Parsley and Black Pepper. Bake 5 more minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes (this makes the chicken juicier!). Enjoy! 4 POINTS, unless your chicken breasts are bigger...add points accordingly!

I hope you enjoy this. It is one of my favorite ways to make chicken!

Until tomorrow!
With Love,
Theresa

Fruit Loops, Sloppy Joes, and Sleepless Nights!

Hello there! Happy Munchy Time Monday! Did you have a good weekend? We did. We didn't do anything special, but enjoyed some family time. Saturday we all worked out here at home (the girls included). It is hilarious to watch J do squats! Then we went to the gym together. I ran into an old co-worker on the treadmill. I am seriously uncoordinated enough, but try walking on the treadmill and talking to the person next to me was an experience. I swear I about wiped out about 4 times! Then we came home and everyone took a nap after lunch (it was wonderful!). We had a great family dinner after watching Purdue get spanked. Sunday M and I went and picked up L's trial bed and then went and got some bedding. I was able to get MOST of the house clean thanks to my wonderful hubby.

So, at this point I am just downright exhausted. M doesn't want to sleep at night, or during the day or any time if he is not being held! I am trying to determine if he is old enough to Cry It Out yet. I hate to, but Mama's gotta get some sleep little boy! As I type this (from my phone of course since M INSISTS on being held) L & J are supposed to be napping in their room together for the first time. We shall see! I've already put J down 3 times now!

MUNCHIES:

I don't know if I have posted this recipe in the past, but it is worth posting again! This is one of my favorite all-time treats! My MIL gave me the recipe and I would eat it everyday if I could. To make it even better, it only takes 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes plus a little drying time!

Loopy Bark
1 box Fruit loops (I SO use generic!)
1 large block white chocolate or vanilla almond bark

Poor Fruit Loops into a large bowl. Melt bark according to pkg. directions. Poor melted bark over fruit loops. Stir well until Loops are all covered. Spread onto wax paper until dry. Store in air tight container. Enjoy!!

Now I realize this is gross, but feel I should mention it just in case you give this to your kiddos (which come on, if you have kids, you KNOW they will want some!). If you eat too much of this, your poop will be black, or dark blue or green. I can only tell you that I learned this the hard way when I changed my daughter's diaper. I just want you to be prepared! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Now, for my latest meal. I have ALWAYS been ONLY a Manwich person when it came to Sloppy Joes. No generic for us! Then I started doing Weight watchers and found a recipe for sloppy joes in one of their recipe books. I have heavily adapted it, but I will tell you it started out like the Barbecue-Sauced Sloppy Joes from the Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites if you want to see the original. Now for my version...

Theresa's BBQ Sausage Joes:

Cooking Spray
1-1 1/2 onions, chopped,
1 lg. green pepper, seeded and chopped
at least 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey sausage
Chili powder
Ground cumin
dried oregano
mustard powder
garlic powder
nutmeg (just a pinch!!!)

1/2 c. prepared BBQ sauce

8 oz. can tomato sauce

Spray large skillet. Cook Onions and peppers until soft. Add Turkey Sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add spices. Now, as you can see I don't give you amounts because, well, I don't measure them! :) I just throw them in until it looks about right. But, I'm going to guess it is about 1 or 2 tsp. of each spice except for the nutmeg. I only add a pinch just to bring out flavor. Trust me on this! Mix together. Then add BBQ Sauce and Tomato Sauce. Stir and cook until heated through. I serve this with Brownberry Double Fiber Bread (1 PT. per slice). So total, this is about 5 points per slice.

I hope that you enjoy today's munchies. I know that I have! Tune in tomorrow for Take It Off Tuesday to see if I hit my 2.6 pound goal for the week (I am HIGHLY doubting it, but you never know!).

With Love,
Theresa

Take It Off Tuesday!

Well, today is Tuesday and that means Weigh-In Day. I am involved in a Biggest Loser contest that a friend from MOPS started. We started January 26th and it runs until April 26th. The person with the biggest percentage of weight loss wins 60% of the pot, 2nd wins 30%, and 3rd place wins 10%. With over 40 people involved and all of us putting in $10, that makes a pretty good pot for the winner. Of the people that have posted online, I have been going between the top 3 spots (at least as far as I can tell anyways). I would LOVE to win this pot...not only for the massive weight loss, but think how much yarn that could buy! :) As of this morning I have officially lost 22.4 pounds. My goal for the entire contest was 25 pounds, so I will be ecstatic if I can hit that LONG before the contest is over. I am hoping to really kick some tail this week and get that 2.6 pounds off to hit it!

What have I been doing? Well, I am following the Weight Watcher's program, although I am not a member. My wonderful cousin Jennifer was kind enough to pass on her information to me so I have been using it. I also have several friends that are or have been members so they are helping a lot. I have also been working out a TON! I don't think I have worked out this much since playing sports in high school. I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred which is KILLER! If you haven't checked this out yet and are looking to get into shape, see what you think. I got it for $9 at WalMart and I have to say it was $9 well spent! As of this morning, I am on Day 6 of Level 2 and it is rough. Each day gets a LITTLE easier, but it never gets easy! I'm told that Level 3 is even worse! I am also going to the gym at least 4 days a week. I would love to go every day, but that doesn't really work with my schedule, at least not right now. At the gym, I have been doing 30 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes on the treadmill. I have been averaging between 5 & 6 miles and 150 calories on the bike and about 1.5 miles and 200-250 calories on the treadmill. I have to admit, I don't think I have been really KILLING myself at the gym, although this morning I stepped it up some. I made sure I got at least 450 calories burned (according to the readouts on the gym equipment). But, I think that I am going to REALLY start pushing it more. I would LOVE to run. Well, let me rephrase that. I think that running would really benefit me weight loss wise. I actually really do not like to run, but think it would be good for me. When I tried it the other day though, I thought my knees were going to explode. Shred is pretty hard on the knees so I am wondering if that is just too much pressure on them to do both Shred and run. I am thinking I might have to get on the Elliptical machine to get that type of exercise in until I am done with the Shred.

Facebook has been a wonderful motivator for me. I check in with how I am doing everyday and it is a wonderful way of being held accountable! I am pretty sure that there are some of my friends on there that are checking to see how I am doing to, so I don't want to disappoint! :)

I am starting to get into some smaller clothes which is always cool! I have been setting mini goals for myself. The first was 15 pounds. I told myself that I would buy some new make-up. I did. When I hit 20 pounds, I got my eyebrows done. When I hit 25, I plan on getting myself a hair cut (it is severely needed!). I haven't figured out after that, any ideas?!?! But those mini goals are really great to help me stay motivated!

So, that is my weight loss journey for today! I'm just going to keep plugging away!

I do have a cute L-ism to go along with this though. Last week, I went to the gym on Monday. When I went on Tuesday, L asked why were at the gym again. I told her, "Mommy wants to be skinny. Don't you want a skinny mommy?" Her eyes got HUGE and she shook her head and said, "No, I want YOU to be my mommy!" Gee thanks L! Out of the mouths of babes!

I do want to tell you how the Pineapple glazed chicken was from yesterday. I have to admit that I was lazy and did not do ANY of the last step with the cornstarch. I just pulled the chicken out of the crock pot and spooned the juices all over the pieces. I have to say, I thought it was really great! I will most definitely make it again. I did forget to add that I put some garlic in, because unless my BIL is here (he's allergic), most EVERYTHING in this house gets garlic in it! :) I give the recipe 2 spoons up! :)

Come back tomorrow and check out my Book Worm Wednesday when I tell you what I've been reading!

Have a great one!
With Love,
Theresa

Munchy Time Monday

Happy Monday!! So, here is the first post in my new blogging regime! :) Munchy Time Monday! I have been thinking about what I want to post. So, I have decided to do this a couple of ways. First I am going to post something with lots of "munchiness" and then if I am making something special or new or post worthy for dinner, I will post it too! So, first off is something VERY easy, but SO yummy and can totally be adapted to your own taste and calorie counting level!

Yogurt Pie
2 6-8 ounce containers of flavored yogurt (the same flavor)
1 small tub Cool Whip
1 Graham Cracker Crust
(I use the lowest fat or fat-free versions of these ingredients that I can find, but use what you want!)

Mix yogurt and Cool Whip together. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Cut and enjoy!

Yes, I know this is an EXTREMELY easy recipe, but it is one of my favorites!! I hope you enjoy it too!

And as far as what is for dinner? I am making Pineapple Glazed Chicken. I adapted a recipe from Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites cookbook (Pineapple and Honey-Glazed Chicken). Their recipe says to marinate the chicken and stuff. Well, I didn't have the time to do that, so instead, I pulled out the trusty Crock-pot (Seriously, I LOVE the crock pot! Who invented it? AWESOME invention!!). Here is what I did:

1/2 c. canned crushed pineapple in juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. honey (I did NOT have this much honey, but I suggest adding it if you have it!)
2 T. lime juice
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger (I don't keep fresh ginger, I just sprinkled some powdered ginger on there!)
1 shallot, minced (another thing I don't have, so I minced up 1/2 an onion and used it instead!)
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (wear gloves or wash hands immediately after...do NOT touch eyes!)
4 Chicken breasts
1/2 t. cornstarch
2 t. water
1 T. Parsley

OK, so I am REALLY lazy and did not even thaw my chicken, I just stuck it in the crock pot! Hopefully this works. So, Put the chicken in the crock pot, cover with pineapple, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, ginger, shallot (onion), & jalapeno. Put on high...let cook all day till chicken is done. If you notice chicken is done, turn down to low and just let cook (that is what I am going to do!) Then I will follow the rest of the directions in the book!

Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer the chicken to a platter; keep warm. Poor the pan juices into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until the juices are reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 10 seconds; stir in the parsley. Serve the chicken with the sauce. POINTS VALUE: 4

I am trying this recipe right now. Tomorrow I will let you know how it went, what it tasted like and maybe even get a picture of it! :)

Now for life things...I had MOPS this morning. Talk about an emotionally draining morning. A good friend shared her story and the entire room was crying. If you are interested, you can check out her blog at www.mommyonfire.com. She is an amazing writer and an even MORE amazing person. She inspires me! I love my MOPS group. The women that I have met in this group are just incredible women. They are all at different places in life, although most have small children. But, some do have older children, and there are Mentor Moms whom have grown children. They are great at reassuring me that the rough days with babies won't always be rough days! The one at my table is an incredibly strong woman whom I adore. She is kind and caring and has a very positive outlook on life. She is a wonderful mother and I strive to be like her when my kids are grown! She is also great about holding M when I want to knit during the meeting! :) This group of women and all of the moms at MOPS are such a GREAT influence on my life. I look forward to this meeting all weekend. NEVER in my life have I looked forward to Monday mornings, but I do now. They are wonderful. If you are a mom and are looking for a group of women, please find a MOPS in your area. There is discussion of God, but please don't let that deter you if you are not religious. There are women there that will help you on your path to Christ if you are trying to find your way, but NO ONE is going to beat you over the head with it-at least they don't in my group and I would hope that no one would in any group. Seriously though, if you are looking for a wonderful group of moms, check out MOPS! I love it!

I am struggling though right now with something as a Mom. Lately I have noticed that L doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for her things. I have been trying and trying to teach her to have respect for her toys. People have given her these things because they love her, but other than her "mommy bear" she doesn't really take care of them very well. Even stuff that I KNOW she loves I find thrown down on the ground. It is very frustrating. Last night though, the frustration hit an all time high as I discovered that she seems to be lacking in respect for other people as well, particularly me. It is very sad to me as I stay at home with her all day long and I feel that she has no respect for me. Don't get me wrong, she is a very sweet child and I know that she loves me and she knows that she is loved. But, she has started back-talking and just seems to have no care of the fact that I stay home for her (and J and M). I got so upset that I started crying and left the table. I know that E was really upset with her, but I just had to walk away. I don't know if I was crying because I was sad or angry. I just don't know how to teach her respect. I guess I should be happy that she feels comfortable enough to know that I will always love her even if she yells at me. I will just keep trying to teach it to her I guess and pray that at some point she realizes how she needs to treat people and her things.

Well, that is it for Monday. I hope that you are all well and enjoying the sunshine! It is beautiful isn't it!?!?! Come back tomorrow for the results on the Pineapple Chicken and for "Take It Off Tuesday."

With love,
Theresa

Diet Soda Cakes Recipes

My friend Kelli shared thesewith me. A lot of my Facebook friends asked me to pass them on. THis seemed like the easiest way. Thanks Kelli! I can't wait to try them!

1- lemon cake mix (i use duncan hines) and 1 can sprite zero... mix together and put in 9x13 GREASED cake pan... bake 28 minutes... at 350....take 1 small box sugar free lemon jello - mix with 1C boiling water... pour over cake ... place in fridge... cut into 12 pieces.. 1pt per piece...

1 Vanilla or french vanilla cake mix... 1 can sprite zero - mix place in 9x13 greased pan.. bake 28 minutes.. at 350 ...Mix 1 small box (any flavor sugar free jello) I use strawberry - cherry, raspberry) with 1 C. boiling water - pour over cake. Firdge and eat - 12 slices 1 pt each ...

1 devils food cake mix with 1 can pumpkin... mix well (I use mixer) pour into 9x13 greased cake pan... cut into 12 pieces .. 1 pt each bake 28 minutes at 350

1 yellow cake mix with 1 can pumpkin .. mix well... (use mixer) pour into GREASED 9x13 cake pan... bake 28 minutes at 350 .. 12 slices 1 pt each...

Enjoy!
Theresa