Terry’s Wicked Wings

From Food

BBQ Wings

From Food

Buffalo-Style Wings

12 whole fresh chicken wings

1 bottle of fat free Italian dressing

1 small onion

2 cloves of minced garlic

3 tbs. of hot sauce or to taste

Non-stick cooking spray

Your favorite buffalo or barbeque sauce

 

Cut whole wings into two pieces at the joint and discard the tip. In a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie, add the bottle of Italian dressing, onion, garlic, and hot sauce. Add wings. Seal the bag tightly, shake and toss wings a bit, then add bag to a container and place in refrigerator for anywhere from an hour to 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375. Spray cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray. Remove wings from marinade and place on cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with your favorite buffalo sauce or barbeque (KC Masterpiece!!) sauce. I made half and half to please the entire Super Bowl crowd. J Bake another 15 minutes until chicken is completely done, white, and easily comes away from bone. Serve hot and with extra sauce! I am unsure of the nutritional values, but these are baked not fried. Watch the nutritional information on your sauces as they can contain a lot of calories. I would guesstimate these wings to be 2 points each. THAT'S A GUESS!

Jelly Window Pane Cookies

From Food

Your Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe (I used store-bought dough *blush*)

8 oz. of Your favorite flavor of jelly, jam, or preserves (Strawberry Preserves)

¼ c. powdered sugar

 

Preheat oven according to sugar cookie recipe directions. I also like to use the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens (red and white) cookbook, and if you don't own one… you must. You can't call yourself a cook without it! Roll chilled dough and cut into shapes. I used a heart because it was Valentine's Day. Make sure you have another cookie cutter that is smaller than the one you're using to cut initial shape to make the center. I used a smaller heart. DO NOT CUT the center before baking. I tried, it wasn't pretty. Just cut out the basic large shape and bake according to directions. When hot from the oven, carefully cut the center out of half the shapes leaving a whole cookie for the bottom. Transfer cookies to wax paper carefully removing hot centers from cookies. (Feed centers to your hungry, drooling toddler or decorate) Sprinkle the cookies with the holes with powdered sugar using a salt shaker (remove the salt first… need I say?) full of powdered sugar or a sifter. Spread the bottom cookie generously with preserves putting most of the preserves in the center to prevent oozing around the edges. Top with powdered sugar cookie frame. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container. These cookies were absolutely delicious! Try different shapes and jelly flavors for different occasions! Not weight watchers, eat at your own risk! J

7 Layer Taco Dip

From Food

8 oz. light cream cheese

8 oz. light sour cream

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 lb. of hamburger

1 16 oz. can black beans (or refried beans*)

1 8 oz. jar of taco sauce

½ c. green onion

½ c. tomato

1 sm. can of sliced black olives

1 7 oz. pkg. of 2% Mexican style shredded cheese

 

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Brown hamburger and add drained and rinsed black beans. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix cream cheese and sour cream thoroughly in a medium sized bowl. Add taco seasoning and mix well. In an 8 x 8 pan, spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom evenly. Top with hamburger and beans. (If using refried beans, put them below the hamburger) Top hamburger with taco sauce, onion, tomato, olives, and cheese layering everything in that order evenly. Serve immediately or refrigerate. You can make this dip a day ahead. Serve with baked tortilla chips. Makes 16 ¼ c. servings for 5 points. 200 cal; 11 g. fat; 1 g. fiber. You can also substitute fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream, and fat free shredded cheddar for a lighter recipe. *using refried beans will alter nutritional values.

That's Diet Cobbler?!

From Food

1 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ c. vegetable shortening
16 oz. bag of frozen fruit (blackberries, cherries, peaches, apples, etc.)
4 packets of Splenda (optional)
¾ c. (6 oz.) of diet Sprite or 7-UP

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture looks like cornmeal. Set dry mix aside. Place bag of frozen fruit into 8 x 8 pan (do not thaw). Sprinkle Splenda over blackberries (if using different fruit, sweetener may be omitted depending on sweetness of fruit). Cover fruit with dry mix. Pour Sprite over mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 min at 350. Uncover and bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool. Cut into 16 pieces and serve warm or cool. 2 points per serving; 109 cal; 3 g. fat; 2 g. fiber per serving.*Nutrition facts were calculated using frozen blackberries. Different fruits may yield different nutritional information.

Oh Cherrios, Oh Cherrios.. why do you mock me?

Well, sorry I haven't even put a menu up for this week! I've not done very well on my Weight Watcher endeavor as far as planning goes. Maybe it's the constant snow storms that get me down! My cupboard is getting bare and my dishes are piling up. Ugh. Nonetheless, I am continuing with my workout regimen like a real soldier, and hope to make a good wholesome dinner tomorrow night consisting of pork chops, mashed potatoes, and peas.

I have this serious cereal problem right now. I have always loved cereal and when I was pregnant I really went nuts on the stuff. Upon returning to Weight Watchers after Drew arrived, I still found myself reaching for the cereal bowl. I wasn't losing weight very well and every other week I would gain, or so it would seem. So on top of starting a new insanely difficult work out plan, I decided to leave the cereal bowl in the cabinet for awhile. It has been hard. I was eating cereal two or three times a DAY! I would look at the gallon of milk at the end of the day and think... wow I wonder how many points half of that gallon is?! It was truly a problem. I mean, it's not like I was breaking out the Shredded Wheat and measuring cups. I had Honey Bunches of Oats in my bowl, and believe me the bowl was running over.

So I put my foot down, dug my heels in, and committed to not eating cereal for one week. One week turned into two after I had lost like 4.5 pounds that first week... two weeks turned into three after seeing a 3.5 pound weight loss, and as I approached my third week of no cereal I thought I could handle it no sweat. I gained last week. 1.5 pounds. It wasn't the cereal... because I still haven't touched the stuff (staring at it longingly doesn't count). Last week was Super Bowl week, and I had taco dip, hot wings, and yes.. oh yess.. Pizza Hut pizza (meat lovers!). Oh, the recipes for the taco dip and the hot wings are to come! They fall in that figure-friendly-ish category ;) So here I am halfway through week three without cereal (Monday will begin week four since I've had my lips around a milky spoonful of sweet goodness), and I'm about to break like an '03 Ford Taurus (inside joke.. haha).

Why do I even want the cereal in the first place? Is it that tasty? Is it that satisfying? Most of the cereal I am lusting for contains no nutritional value what-so-ever. Sure there are claims on the boxes about whole grains, extra fiber, vitamins, and "part of a balanced breakfast," but the sad truth remains that it is just carbohydrates dredged in mountains of sugar and food dye. Oh the sweet little Fruit Loop O's dance in my head creating little rainbows of goodness taunting me from my toddler's high chair tray. If I eat the cereal, I will be giving in to the craving not the hunger. I'm not hungry for cereal... I just want to eat the cereal. So I will not. I will stand strong. I will laugh in the face of Toucan Sam and urge him to keep tempting me because this cereal-loving maniac isn't folding this time. Keep your cartoons, carbs, and high fructose corn syrup. It's time I got healthy, and left the cereal behind!

Amazing Low Calorie Chocolate Cookie

From Food

1 ½ c. flour

½ c. sugar

½ c. cocoa

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 egg whites

½ c. light corn syrup

 

Mix all dry ingredients. Add egg whites and mix. Add light corn syrup and stir. Batter will be extremely thick and sticky. Using two spoons, drop teaspoons onto cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 8 to 10 min at 350. Makes 45 cookies. 38 calories; 0.2 g. fat; 0.4 fiber per cookie. Serving size 2 cookies for 1 point! Or if you make them bigger and only get 22 cookies out of a batch then count them 1 point a piece. Caution: 3 cookies are 2 points! The whole batch totals 1,712 calories, 8 g. fat; 19 g. fiber. Divide nutritional information by the number of cookies made for exact totals.

From Food

Toddler Approved!

Shrimp Fried Rice

From Food

2 c. brown minute rice

1 lb. of shrimp (precooked and frozen or raw)

1 sm. onion

2 tbs. olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 eggs

1 ½ c. frozen peas    

¼ c. soy sauce (to taste)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste/optional)

 

If shrimp are frozen, take them out of the freezer and place them in a colander in the sink. Run cold water over them to thaw. Cook brown minute rice according to package directions in microwave or stove top. Use caution if cooking on stove top as you may want to reduce the amount of water and/or cooking time to prevent the rice from becoming overcooked and mushy. While the rice is cooking, chop onion and sauté in a large deep skillet on medium low heat in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. If shrimp are too large, cut them in half using kitchen shears or knife. Add rice that has been fluffed with a fork to skillet increasing the heat to medium high. Stir for 1 minute. Add two eggs, and cook until no more raw egg remains stirring constantly. Add 1/8 c. of soy sauce. Continue stirring constantly adding shrimp and then peas. Add remaining soy sauce and cayenne pepper. Stir until contents have heated through. Taste and add more soy sauce and cayenne accordingly or add to plate. Reduce heat to low and serve! *If you chose raw shrimp, cook them after you have cooked the onion. Add the shrimp when the onion has cooked and only cook for 2 minutes as shrimp will continue to cook throughout the process. Makes 8 servings (apx. 1 c.) at 5 points each 220 cal; 7 g. fat; 2 g. fiber. Total batch contains 1,764 cal; 54 g. fat; 16 g. fiber **You can also substitute left-over whole wheat spaghetti for rice, chicken for shrimp, and add or substitute just about any vegetable. Mushrooms are also delicious! Just be sure to adjust nutritional information accordingly.

Taco Soup

Everything you want from a big plate of Mexican in one healthy, delicious bowl!

From Food

 

1 lb. 93/7 hamburger (or lean ground turkey)

1 large chopped onion

1 (1 oz.) pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch

1 (1oz.) pkg. taco seasoning

1 (16oz.) can light red kidney beans

1 (16 oz.) can black beans

1 can of corn

1 (8 oz.) can of Mexican Style Tomatoes (Rotel)

1 (8 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

 

2% Shredded Cheddar (or Mexican-style) cheese, light or fat free sour cream, and green onions for garnish if desired.

 

Brown meat and onions in large pot. Drain any fat. Add ranch and taco seasoning to meat. Add both beans, corn, and all tomatoes ALL UNDRAINED. On medium high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for one hour. If too thick add a cup of water. 2 points per cup. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions if desired. Great served with baked tortilla chips.

Tropical Chicken Salad

From Food

Ahh, the simplicty of paper plates! Let's not over-complicate our lives :D

1 diced chicken breast (grilled or pan fried in 1 tbs of olive oil)

OR 2 cans of chicken chunks, drained

1 sm. can of crushed pineapple, well drained

Appx. 30 white grapes

1 sm. can water chestnuts, drained

3 tbs. light or fat free mayo    

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Whole Wheat Pita (or bread of your choice including whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat English muffins, etc.) For a sinful treat, this is delicious on croissants as well.

 

I like to use chicken left over from dinner the night before, but you can also used canned chicken. Dice chicken and place in large glass bowl. Slice grapes in half and add to chicken. Add drained pineapple, chestnuts, mayo, chopped celery, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Serve immediately stuffed in a whole wheat pita or on bread of your choice or refrigerate. Delicious up to 3 or 4 days. This dish makes a fantastic light lunch. 2 points for a cup BREAD NOT INCLUDED.

Spinach-Cheese Frittata

From Food

I fully acknowledge that my bacon is too crispy here.. but hey you're not supposed to be looking at the bacon anyway! The frittata is the star of the show!

4 eggs

2 egg whites

1 sm. pkg. frozen chopped spinach

2 tbs. chopped scallion

½ c. of fat free OR **2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese

¼ tsp. each salt and pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 400⁰ F. Beat eggs and egg whites. Stir in defrosted spinach that has been thoroughly drained by squeezing it in a clean towel. Add scallion, salt, and pepper. Coat a 12 inch oven-proof skillet with non-stick cooking spray. *If you do not have an oven proof skillet, you may transfer the egg mixture to a sprayed glass pie pan before placing in oven. Poor egg mixture into skillet and cook until partially set, 5 minutes. Top with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove and let stand 1 minute, cut into 8 wedges. 3 points for 2 wedges. **Side dishes not included in points values **If you used 2% cheese, adjust points accordingly. This recipe was borrowed from Weight Watchers Weekly newsletter, January 10-16, 2010.

Guilt-Free Enchiladas

From Food

1 lb. 93/7 ground beef (or lean ground turkey)

1 small chopped onion

½ green pepper (optional)

1 can of black beans

 

1 sm. can enchilada sauce

1 c. skim milk

1 7oz. bag 2% Mexican Style Shredded Cheese (or Cheddar)

1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

 

1 pkg. Corn tortillas (about 13)

Non-stick spray

 

On medium high heat, brown hamburger, onions, and green pepper. Drain fat if any, and stir in drained and rinsed black beans. Turn heat down to low. Combine enchilada sauce, milk, soup, and 1 c. of cheese. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. Soften corn tortillas in microwave. I soften them 6 at a time so they don't cool too quickly making them easier to work with. Spoon beef and sauce cheese mixture onto tortilla and roll. Place in 13 x 9 dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat until dish is full. Enchiladas should fill pan and fit snug. Pour the remaining sauce cheese mixture over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese to taste. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve. Top with sour cream and green onion if desired. (1 enchilada: 4 points; 2 enchiladas: 9 points) 217 calories, 8 g. fat, 3 g. fiber per enchilada

Menu for Week of: 2/2/2010

If you've ever joined Weight Watchers, you already know that your week revolves around the day you weigh in. My weigh in day is Tuesday, so I start my menu off then as it is kind of like the beginning of my week. This menu helps me tremendously because it keeps me on track for dinners even when I don't feel like cooking, I already have a plan, so it's not as overwhelming. You can follow along, or just use some of my ideas. You'll notice that I actually eat normal stuff and you have to remember that my husband has to eat this stuff too. So it's not all grass and water. I will try to include as many recipes as possible so that you can use my menu if you'd like. Most of my food, however, is self explanatory :D Enjoy!

Tues: McDonald's Night (or your favorite resturant... or left overs.. or a soup and sandwich.. hey you can't break your neck in the kitchen every night ;) )

Wed: Shrimp Fried Rice

Thurs: Taco Soup

Fri: Hamburgers, Fries, Carrots

Sat: Left Overs

Sun: Grilled Salmon, Salad

Mon: Sloppy Joes, Cheesy Rice, Green Beans

Oh, and McDonald's isn't my favorite resturant by the way, it's just where my family likes to go.. and they have 3 point ice cream cones! :D What I've been doing with my ice cream is getting a plain sundae (aka ice cream in a cup)and putting the caramel apple dip from the apple dippers on it! Caramel Sundae for 4 POINTS :D woot woot

My Story

I was born in Kansas City, Missouri where I grew up loving macaroni and cheese, Little Debbies, and chocolate donuts covered with peanut butter! :D I have always been well... chubby and it didn't really bother me until high school. I didn't know the right way to eat or exercise but managed to lose a little weight by replacing my meals with Dr. Pepper. Once I was an adult, I didn't really care. The size I was.. was my size and that was all there was to it. I got really big... really really big. And my biggest clothes wouldn't fit, I was uncomfortable doing EVERYTHING. One of my last straws was when I went to Cedar Point and couldn't FIT on any of the rides. I screamed and cried until I got my money back and then went out and ate the rest of the weekend. I wasn't happy with who I was though I always had a smile on my face. Here is a picture of me at my heaviest in May of 2007.

From Weight Watchers

It was then that I realized action needed to be taken. I joined Weight Watchers with my mother-in-law who had been a member for years and was maintaining at her goal weight. I wanted to become a lifetime member. I worked, and worked, and worked. 15 months later I was ten pounds from my goal and feeling wonderful!! :D I was finally thin... sort of.

From Weight Watchers

About a week after this photo was taken (or maybe even closer than that), I got pregnant with my son, Andrew. The pregnancy gave me the license to eat I guess. I had chocolate and ice cream and goodies that I wouldn't have touched just a month before. I was almost back to where I started when he was about 9 months old and I decided to pack him up and return to Weight Watchers.

From Weight Watchers

It's taken me a year to lose 47.5 pounds. I haven't been as focused this time around, as anyone who has a child can relate!! But I've put the hammer down and I'm full steam ahead. I make a menu every week and I will post it to the blog. I am going to try to put as many of my recipes on here as possible to share with everyone. If you are trying to lose weight or are just looking for good recipes, I want to be a helping hand, maybe even an inspiration. It's a constant battle. We have to eat to live, not live to eat. And unlike cigarettes, where you can just throw the pack away and walk away... we have to eat something everyday to stay alive. So it's rough. (not that quitting smoking isn't... I've been there too) So enjoy my recipes, my humor, my company.. And feel free to share your struggles too. A battle is always best won by fighting with a friend. This is me recently.. somewhere in between.... Better pics to come!

From Weight Watchers

Wow, I wanted to update this story. Sad to say, I've gained that 47.5 lbs and then some. Here I sit, bigger than ever, back to square ONE. I've decided to try a different approach... Food Art Journaling. (Yeah, I made that up myself... I think. LOL) A lot of people put all of their food they eat daily in a journal. A lot of people create Art Journals. I decided to combine the two to make a truly interesting journey implementing my creative skills and passion. I will keep track of goals, rewards, feelings about each and everything I eat, and even score myself daily on how well I "followed my program." What is my program... drinking six 8oz glasses of water a day, choosing fruits, veggies, lean meats, lowfat or fat free dairy, and whole grains. Each category is worth 2 points for a total of 10 daily points. (easily converted to a percentage for a letter grade, haha) Did I mention I'm a teacher? LOL I don't teach, I stay home with my son, but that's a different story altogether. Point being... I am dealing with the WHY when it comes to my battle with eating. I have never explored the WHY. I have measured, counted, and prayed for a miracle, but never FIXED the problem. This journey will fix my problem... and I'll have some awesome documentation to show for it!

This picture was me at Easter this year. I'm probably even bigger now than I was then. I'm suffering. And I refuse to suffer at my own hand any longer.

From Weight Watchers

Sinless Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was the best spaghetti and meatballs I have ever eaten. Seriously! It was inspired by a recipe by Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa!

From Food

Meatballs:

1 lb. 93/7 ground beef (or lean ground turkey)

2/3 c. quick cooking oatmeal

1 tbs. parsley flakes

1 tbs. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Dash of nutmeg

¼ c. parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten

¾ c. warm water

Olive Oil to coat pan

 

Sauce:

1 tbs. olive oil

1 sm. chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ c. apple juice (or white wine)

1 28 oz. can diced tomato

1 tbs. parsley flakes

1 sm. can of cooked mushrooms (sliced or pieces)

1 tsp. each dried Basil and Oregano

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

½ Jar of Ragu Traditional Old World Style spaghetti sauce (or your favorite sauce)

 

Place hamburger, oatmeal, parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and ¾ c. warm water in bowl. Combine lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form mixture into 1 ½ inch balls. You will have about 20 meatballs. Preheat large deep skillet coated with olive oil (only 2 tbs. or so). Very carefully, place meatballs in oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat turning with a spatula or fork. This should take about 10 minutes. Do not overcrowd the meatballs. If you need to, do a couple batches. Remove the meatballs onto a plate covered with paper towels. Leave the remaining oil in the pan.

For the sauce, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add apple juice and cook on high heat, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and spaghetti sauce (you can also substitute your favorite brand of spaghetti sauce).

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked whole wheat spaghetti and top with grated parmesan. Meatballs are 1 point per ball, pasta is 4 points per cup, and sauce is 2 points for ½ c.

Shrimp & Veggie Pasta

From Food

2 c. fresh broccoli

12 oz. Whole Wheat Rotini (or Whole Wheat pasta of your choice)

 

1 bell pepper (color of your choice), chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 c. sliced mushrooms

3 tbs. olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

 

10 oz. raw, peeled, deveined shrimp

2 – 3 tbs. apple juice (or white wine)

1 tbs. lemon juice

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 tbs. dried basil

 

28 oz can diced tomato

¼ c. fresh chopped parsley

¼ c. shredded carrot

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan

 

Steam broccoli just until tender as it will continue cooking later. Set aside. Cook pasta until al dente as it will also finish cooking when added to main dish. Set aside. While broccoli and pasta are cooking, chop onion and bell pepper. Slice mushrooms. In a large deep skillet, sauté onion, pepper, and mushrooms in 1 tbs. of olive oil for about 8 minutes on medium heat until tender but not brown. Chop parsley and set aside. Add lemon juice, apple juice and garlic increasing the heat to medium high. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more allowing the juice to cook out. Add shrimp and season with the cayenne, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Feel free to add more seasoning to taste. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes only until they start to turn pink. They will finish cooking as the dish simmers. Add diced tomato, pasta, broccoli, shredded carrot and parsley (reserve 1 tbs. of parsley for garnish). Simmer covered on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked out. Top with 2 tbs. of olive oil and toss. Serve with grated parmesan and parsley to garnish. Enjoy! Serving size 1 ½ c for 5 points. 275 cal; 8 g. fat; 8 g. fiber