Day 22

Well it's pretty obvious I'll never get hired as a food photographer but that's not what this blog is all about now is it? Hey and check out that fancy pooh plate too!

These Pepperoni Pizza Potato Skins were awesome! I wish I could have ate all of them LOL! My husband "the chef" put these together for me. These are definitely a great substitute for a slice of pizza. These are actually whole servings, so one of these would be 4 pts. Another substitute was my husband didn't use red pepper flakes but did use pizza & pasta seasoning on the sauce. Oh and I now see he didn't finely chop the pepperoni. I'm going to have to get on him about making my meals like the directions say ;)

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, baked, cooled completely, quartered lengthwise
A few sprays of nonstick cooking spray
2 oz pepperoni, finely chopped
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/8 tsp dried oregano, red pepper flakes or garlic, or to taste
1/3 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese; shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degreesF. Thoroughly spray a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray.

Slice just the top portion (which is about two thirds of the potato flesh) off of each potato quarter. (You can save the potato flesh for later cooking, if you'd like). Layer two teaspoons of pizza sauce over each potato quarter; then sprinkle the pepperoni and cheese over the potatoes.

Gently place the potato skins on the baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake until cheese melts and potatoes are hot, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with red pepper flakes, dried basil, garlic or oregano.

Makes 4 servings.
Serving Size: 2 potato skins

Weight Watchers Points Value = 4 points

*Be certain to let the potatoes thoroughly cool before you cut them and scoop out the inside.


I also wanted to add that I got these recipes from a few blogs online. Unfortunately I can't give credit to those bloggers because I ran them off in word and I don't have any of the sites listed.

Day 11

Chicken Taco Salad

This was a great meal! The whole family enjoyed this one very much!

3/4 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups (8 ounces) diced cooked chicken breast
1 (8 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups corn chex
3/4 cup chunky salsa
6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

In a large saucepan sprayed with olive-flavored cooking spray, brown onion. Stir in chicken, pinto beans, water and taco seasoning. Mix well to combine. Lower heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, combine lettuce, tomato and green bell pepper. Spoon hot chicken mixture over lettuce mixture. Top with cheddar cheese and corn chex. Toss gently to combine.

For each serving, place about 2 cups mixture on a plate and top with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Serves 6

Per serving: 232 Cal., 4g Fat, 22g Pro, 27g Carb, 344 mg Sod., 5 g Fib

Healthy Exchanges: 3 Protein, 2-2/3 Vegetables, 1/3 Bread, 15 Opt. Cal

4 WW Points


I will add we didn't bother with the pepper because my husband and daughter don't like peppers.

Day 8

Today was my first weigh in. I lost 2.4 pounds. Not what I had hoped but nonetheless it was a loss not a gain, as my DH reminded me. Easy for him to say considering he's lost 7 pounds during the same time period.

I gathered a bunch of weight watcher recipes from the internet and each day we decide on what to have for dinner. My DH has been helping me out and making meals for the family to eat which is nice. Usually I'm the only one watching what I eat. This is called Crispy Chicken and it was very tasty! The ranch dressing gave it a lot of flavor. I really liked it as a matter of fact even the 10 year old picky eater liked it, that's a huge plus.

It's really easy to make too!

4 (4 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup fat free ranch dressing
1/2 cup cornflakes, crushed
spices of choice (parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.)
salt (optional)
cooking spray

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix spices, salt and cornflakes in a bowl and set aside.
Dip chicken in ranch dressing. Roll chicken in cornflake mixture.
Spray rack with cooking spray. Put chicken on rack on a cookie sheet. Cook until chicken is done, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Makes 4 hearty portions

4.5 WW Points

Day 3

Still not feeling that great. I made it through another day of weight watchers. It's actually not been bad at all. I'm not really craving anything. I'm not even eating all my points, which is really not a good thing. I'm leaving about 8 points at the end of the day but I'm not hungry nor am I feeling well so maybe that's why.

I still need to get my butt on the elliptical or go snowshoeing. I normally am good at working out when I'm dieting but I have been a real slug the last six months. I normally run all spring/summer but this year I had a really painful foot issue from running and it's totally ruined any drive to workout for fear the pain will come back. The plans are to go to Sneaker Plus get fitted with the correct running shoes for my pronation and get some inserts for my flat arches. Hopefully that will make a world of difference!

Cajun Chicken Wrap

Day 2 - I didn't feel well this morning. Not sure if it's sugar withdrawal (LOL) or I'm getting a cold or something.

I didn't eat as much today. Not sure if it's because I wasn't feeling well or because I was satisfied with my meals.

I've been compiling some recipes and ingredients in the last few weeks. In hopes of finding some good meals besides Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones a few times a week. My husband put this one together for me. I got home from work in time to make the dressing spread. This is a Cajun Chicken Wrap and it's only 3 points on Weight Watchers. I used a whole wheat flour totilla but couldn't find any that were fat free. So this could possibly be 4 points. It really was a great meal but the cajun seasoning was a little too much for my taste. When I have this again, I'll probably only use half the cajun seasoning that the recipe calls for. I literallly sucked down a whole bottle of water with this sandwich.

Getting started

Today's the day. The day I take control of my life. I'm back on Weight Watchers. Well, since I've gained more weight than the first time I went on Weight Watchers I get less points :(

I did well today. I had an egg beaters omelet for breakfast, salad for lunch, grapes with yogurt for an afternoon snack and a Healthy Choice meal for dinner. I actually still have 3.5 points left but I'm not hungry. Wait, did I just say that? Me not hungry? I drink coffee all day so it's going to be tough to drink more water. I did drink 2 - 16.9 oz. bottles of water today.

So I did cop out on the fitness part today. I was supposed to get up and use the eliptical but I decided I would do it after work. Again, I never got on it.

There's a goal to set - get on the eliptical tomorrow!