Food, Family & Fun!

Menu Plan Monday July 13-19

2009-07-13T11:05:00.000-04:00

Here's the plan for this week...

Dinners
Monday- Weight Watchers Juicy Hamburgers, corn on the cob, salad
Tuesday- Weekday Lasagna, salad, garlic toast
Wednesday- Monterey Chicken, green beans, rolls
Thursday- Buffalo Chicken Pasta, salad
Friday- Pizza, salad
Saturday- Crispy Chicken Drumsticks, green beans, rolls
Sunday- Magnificent Casserole, corn on the cob

Breakfast
Monday- Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea
Tuesday- Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea
Wednesday- Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea
Thursday-Cinnamon French Toast, fruit, hot herbal tea
Friday- Cereal, yogurt
Saturday- Blueberry Pancakes, fruit, hot herbal tea
Sunday- Cereal, fruit, yogurt, hot herbal tea

Lunch
Monday-Wednesday- Kids eat at Library Summer Reading Program
Thursday- Sandwiches
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday-Leftovers
Sunday- Fat Free Hot Dogs, Baked Doritos

Snacks and desserts- Chex Party Mix, Mississippi Mud Cake, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats, Pistachio Dream Cake, Wendy's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Go here to see more plans.

Menu Plan Monday-July 6-12

2009-07-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Here's my plan for the week:

Dinner:

Monday-Crispy Chicken Drumsticks, green beans, rolls

Tuesday- Taco Junk, salad, Caramel Apple Salad

Wednesday- Beef Stuffed Peppers

Thursday- Chili Mac Crockpot, corn on the cob

Friday- Pizza, salad

Saturday- Weekday Lasagna, salad, garlic toast

Sunday- Mexican Rice Casserole

Lunch:

Monday-Wednesday- Kids eat at Library Summer Reading Program

Thursday- Sandwiches

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday-Leftovers

Sunday- Fat Free Hot Dogs, Baked Doritos

Breakfast:

Monday- Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea

Tuesday- Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea

Wednesday-Low fat waffles and fruit, hot herbal tea

Thursday- Cinnamon French Toast, fruit

Friday- Cereal, fruit

Saturday-Blueberry Pancakes, fruit

Sunday- Cereal, fruit

Snacks and desserts- Chex Party Mix, Mississippi Mud Cake, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats, Pistachio Dream Cake, Cotton Candy Angel Food Cake

Go here to see more plans.

Campfire Night

2009-07-02T08:28:00.001-04:00

One of the things on my kid's list of fun things they wanted to do this summer was to make smores. I thought it would be neat to expand that idea to a campfire night. During a campfire night, we roast winnies, make smores, and just enjoy the fire. You could build a fire at a local park which has the facilities to do that, make a fire in your charcoal grill, or use a fire pit. Fire pits can range from $50-$300, so that might be an expensive purchase if you only bought it for that one time use. It could however be an investment if you planned to do several campfire night or use it when you campout. I was planning on going to a local park, but my son's Cub Scout Pack had a campfire night that we were all invited to and someone brought a fire pit. The kids enjoyed looking for sticks to roast their hot dogs and marshmallows on, but you could also use skewers. Make sure you keep safety in mind during a camp fire night by keeping your children from getting too close to the fire and having a bucket of water near the fire in case of an emergency.
After it gets dark, you can sit around the fire and tell stories. This activity was a lot of fun for my family and cost a lot less than if I would have gotten a camping site. The only money I spent on this activity was on the food and my family would have eaten dinner that night, so this was a pretty frugal activity for us. Here's a list of some items you may need for a Campfire Night.

Things to get for a Campfire Night
Campfire Marshmallows
Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
Graham Crackers
Hot dogs
Hot Dog Buns
Mustard, Ketchup, other condiments
Charcoal, wood, etc (Things to start your fire with)
Cold drinks

I hope you get the chance to have a campfire night with your family this summer.

Summer Reading Program-4-H Fun Week 1

2009-06-16T16:01:00.000-04:00

We went to the library activites again today. Tuesday's are 4-H Fun days. Today they let the kid's make ziplock bag ice cream. The kids loved it! Then they ate it and they gave them a lunch. This was one of the things one my kids summer fun list that they wanted to do. Here are some pictures from today and the recipe in case you want to do this with your kids.

Ice Cream in a Bag

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup of Half and Half

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons rock salt

1 pint-size Ziplock bag

1 gallon-size Ziplock bag

ice cubes

Fill the gallon size Ziplock bag with ice cubes and then add rock salt. Seal the bag. Put half and half, vanilla, and sugar in small Ziplock bag and seal it. Place the small Ziplock bag inside the large one and seal again carefully. Shake until mixture is ice cream or about 5 minutes. Wipe off top of the small Ziplock bag, then open carefully and enjoy!

Not So Big Bad Banana Muffins

2009-06-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

I made 4 batches of these today. I tricked the kids with the 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and they loved them. I am freezing the rest for an easy breakfast on a busy morning this summer!

Not So Big Bad Banana Muffins

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 Cup White Flour
3/4 cup Sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Egg

2 Large Bananas, mashed

1/2 cup Applesauce

1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease entire cupcake or muffin tin including the top of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In another bowl mix egg, sugar, applesauce, and bananas. Add wet to dryand stir just until combined. (A few lumps are fine.) Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared tin, filling all the way to the top. Fill unused cups with 1/3 cup water to prevent burning. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.

Notes: You can freeze these muffins and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds for a great, easy breakfast.

Makes 10 servings at 3 Weight Watchers Points each.

Pizza and a Movie Night

2009-06-15T18:53:00.001-04:00

My kids love pizza and love to watch movies, so why not do both in one night? This summer my kids made a list of fun things they wanted to do this summer and Pizza and a Movie night was one of those. I really like to do these nights because it's a time for my family to spend together doing something fun. We usually get our movie from the Redbox, which cost $1.00, but we have also gotten movies from the library for FREE. I don't cost the count of the pizza because I make it homemade and we would have had dinner anyways. So, I think this is a pretty frugal summer activity.

Here are the recipes that I used to make our pizza, pizza sauce cheesy breadticks, and Monkey Munch (our movie snack):

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough or Cheesy Breadsticks

1 1/3 cups water

2 tsp sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp cornmeal

3 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp yeast
Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer’s settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough. You can roll the dough into two 9×13″ pizzas (great for kid’s lunches!) or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks (as instructed above). Parbake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings. If making breadsticks, add your breadsticks at this time. Place into the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

You can freeze your pizza dough for an easier night.

Easy Pizza Sauce

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups water
Combine tomato paste, garlic, parsley flakes, onion, oregano, basil and water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Cool a little and spread on your pizza crust and proceed with remainder of your toppings.

Makes 3 cups

You can freeze this pizza sauce easily.

Monkey Munch

9 cup Chex

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat.Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.

This does not last long at my house!

We will be doing this several more times this summer. I hope you get to plan a Pizza and a Movie night for your family this summer.

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

2009-06-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

Our family gets together once a week, usually on Monday night and does something fun together. It's a great way to make sure that you take time for your family. So, each week, I'll post something about what we did for fun.

On our summer fun list (that my kids made) they wanted to make pine cone bird feeders. They love the birds and were really excited about this. We have two huge pine trees in our yard and I kept seeing these beautiful pone cones on the ground well we started collecting them and I knew I was going to do something with them. So here's what we did.

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Materials you will need:

Pine Cones

Peanut Butter

bird seed

string

Directions:

Place string on the end of the pine cone leaving a loop to place the feeder on the tree. Place peanut butter on the pine cone and get into the underneath parts of the pine cone. We made 4 feeders and it took a whole jar of peanut butter. Next, I got a casserole pan and place the bird seed in it and the kids rolled the pine cone in the seed. Then we hung them on a tree.

Cost-

Bird seed- $1.00 (we used half a bag)

String- $1.00 (from Dollar Tree and there is lots left over)

Peanut Butter- FREE (for me but this might cost you a little more.)

Pine Cones- FREE

Results:

So, for under $5.00 we had a really fun family time and also accomplished an activity the kids wanted to do this summer. The kids were really proud of their feeders and can't wait to see the birds eat from them. I am really glad that I waited to do this activity when my husband was home because every kid wanted you to help them. The extra hands came in handy.

So, if you want to have fun this summer with your kids, consider pine cone bird feeders.

Edible Play Dough

2009-06-08T16:37:00.000-04:00

I have been watching a lot of reruns of Jon and Kate plus 8 and I saw the Valentine's Day one where she made edible play dough and I knew I wanted to try that out with my kids. We have played with lots of other homemade play dough and the kids love it. So, I knew they would love this and we would also have a snack! I did not tell my kids that it was edible, but they figured out. Actually my 2 year old figured it out first. This lasted about an hour and half of playing with and eating. Make sure you get your kids to wash their hands before playing with the edible play dough. My kids also loved helping make it!

Here's the recipe:

Jon and Kate plus 8 Edible Play Dough

Mix equal parts of powdered milk, honey, and peanut butter.

Add flour to reach play dough consistency.

Play and enjoy!

Frugal Summer Fun- Redbox Movies

2009-06-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for fun activites for your kids this summer, but you don't have a lot of money to spend on that fun? Well, that's how I felt, so my family made a list of things they wanted to do this summer and most of them were pretty frugal activites. One activity was getting movies from the Redbox using the free movie of the month codes. We actual got to use the first one this week. We had popcorn and sodas, which cost maybe $2.00-$3.00. But all of those things were already in my pantry, so it felt like I did not spend much at all. We enjoyed watching Hotel For Dogs as a family.
Redbox is a great service for families not wanting to spend much money on family fun. You can find Redboxes in many locations. My closest one is in a Walmart, but I also have one near me outside of a MacDonald's. You will need to go to the Redbox website to find where the closest Redbox is to you. Once you find out where your closest Redbox is located go to that place. It will be hard to miss because it is a big red vending machine. You will have to have a credit card to rent a movie. The movies cost $1.00 per night. I think that is pretty frugal family fun. But, wait, on the first Monday of the month throughout this summer, you can go online and get a free movie code, we usually post it on Busy Mommy too. You need to hit the rent with promo code first and then proceed with your order, you will still need to use a credit card. If you want more than one free movie, all you have to do is use a different credit card. As long as you bring the movie back before 8 pm the next evening your credit card will not be charged. Also, if you register your e-mail on the Redbox website, they will give you a free first movie code to use and send you e-mails about upcoming movies. Another feature that I really like about the Redbox service is you can go online and reserve a movie, so when you get to the Redbox the movie will be waiting for you. You can not use movie codes on reserved movies though.
I have been using the Redbox movie service for over a year now and I have been quite happy with it! I did however have a movie that would not play. I e-mailed Redbox about my problem and they sent me a free movie code. So, I also think that they have great customer service !
So, if you are looking for a fun frugal family night this summer check out your local Redbox.

Summer Fun Plan 2009

2009-06-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was my kids last day of school. So, now it's time for me to entertain them all summer until school starts back. But, what can I do that won't put a huge strain on the budget? This year, I decided to get creative after reading an article from Momadvice. I let my kids decide what they wanted to do. I already do a lot of fun frugal activites with them so they had some ideas already in mind. It was interesting to me that they put a lot of those activites and lots more that were very frugal on the list. It was also a fun family time as we sat around talking about what we wanted to do this summer. We posted a list of the activites we want to get done this summer and placed it next to our family message board. We will be marking things off the list as we do them to make the list even more fun. I will also be posting about these activites here as we do them, so stay tuned. Here is my family's list of of the things they want to do this summer to give you an idea of what you can do for a little or no money. I am sure your family will come up with their own great ideas.

Family Summer Fun List 2009

1. Go to Burger King Playland and Eat

2. Go to the Summer Library Programs

3. Make Homemade Slushies

4. Have a Homemade Pizza and Movie Night

5. Make and Play with Homemade Play dough

6. Go get some shaved ice from a local store

7. Spend a night with Granny

8. Go to the Park

9. Make Pine Cone Bird Feeders

10. Have a Family Bake Night

11. Make Smores

12. Go to the Movies

13. Go on a nature hike

14. Go to at least 1 movie night at the park

15. Get a free Redbox movie each month (They have 1 free movie code per month)

16. Go Swimming

17. Have an ice cream sundae night

18. Read a LONG book with mommy

19. Go on a picnic

20. Make homemade ice cream

21. Make homemade bubbles and play with them outside

As you can see most of these are pretty cheap. We do take the kids to the movies in the summer which will be the greatest expense but we do go to the matenee to cut cost. There are lots of free movies during the summer at some locations but we don't live near any of those or we would take advantage of that.

Why don't you make a list with your kids before summer gets started. You may have to give them a few ideas, but it is interesting to see what they will say they want to do.

Hope you have a fun frugal summer!

Easy Pizza Sauce

2009-05-14T10:27:00.001-04:00

Easy Pizza Sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups water
Combine tomato paste, garlic, parsley flakes, onion, oregano, basil and water in 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Cool a little and spread on your pizza crust and proceed with remainder of your toppings.
Makes 4 servings
Calories 80 Fat 0.5 Fiber 4.5
~
This was really good on the pizza. I don't know about the serving size, but I can get at least 2 pizzas out of this one batch of sauce and maybe a third one.
~
Note: This pizza sauce freezes really well too.

Basic Pizza Dough

2009-05-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

I have been trying out new recipes and the thing I really like about Weight Watchers is we still have those extra 35 points to spend as we want. Sometimes, we just need to have a "treat." This is one such treat for me. I found this recipe on Mom Advice.

Basic Pizza Dough (from"How to Cook Everything,")

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea slat, plus extra for sprinkling

1 to 1 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

To make this dough in food processor: Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in the container of a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil through the feed tube. Process for 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm draft-free area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. You can cut this rising time short if you are in a hurry or you can let the dough rise more slowly in the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

To make this dough by hand: Combine half the flour with the salt and yeast and stir to blend. Add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons olive oil; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add remaining flour a bit at a time; when the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, begin kneading, adding as little flour as possible- just enough to keep the dough from being a sticky mess. Knead until smooth but still quite moist, about ten minutes. Proceed as above.

To make this dough with a standing mixer: The machine must be fairly powerful or it will stall. Combine half the flour with the salt, yeast, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 cup water; blend with the machines paddle. With the machine on slow speed, add flour a little at a time until the mix has become a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl (switch to the dough hook if necessary). Knead for a minute by hand, adding as little flour as possible, then proceed as above.

To make this dough with the bread machine: Add ingredients as follows- warm water, olive oil, flour, salt, and then add yeast at the top. Turn machine on and select the dough setting. When the machine beeps, you can roll out the dough onto your pizza stone/pan.

I made this dough in my bread machine. I watched it and it seemed really wet so I added some more flour to it. It was still a little sticky when I took it out of the machine so I added some more flour. This was really good and once I took care of the stickiness, it was easy. I added a sauce, cheese and other toppings and cooked for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Some people like to pre-bake there crust before putting on toppings and you can do that too.

If you cut your crust in 8 pieces this is 4 points per slice, but you also have to add points for sauce, cheese and other toppings. Try to stick with filling food toppings to keep this pizza lower in points.

Mom Advise Experiment: Homemade Laundry Detergent

2009-05-13T10:01:00.003-04:00

Experiment: Can I make a powder laundry detergent that will clean well, not break out my family, and be cheaper?

Experiment Taken From: Notebook 03.08.2007

Materials Needed: (See Instructables for their directions)

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda Powder (not baking soda)

1 bar Fels Naptha soap (you can use other soaps like Zote used by instructables, but I could not find that soap, others also use Ivory, Pure & Natural etc)

Food Processor or cheese grater

Use the cheese grater on your food processor and put your soap in to grate. Then take out the grated soap and put in the chopping blade on your food processor add the grated soap and the rest of the ingredients and process until powdery. I like to put a wet dish towel on top of my processor during the chopping stage. Add to container and use 1 tablespoon for small loads and 2 tablespoons for large loads.

Note: You can use a grater instead of a food processor and mix all the ingredients with your hands, but I find that harder to dissolve in the washer if it is not more of a powder like substance.

I put my washing powder in a 5 gallon bucket that I got at Walmart for about $5. I also tied a long string to the bucket with my tablespoon attached, so I would never lose it. (see above picture)

Results: I was worried about whether this powder form would dissolve as I had read others having this problem. I just turned on the hot water and swished the soap around before putting in my clothes and I have not had any problems with my powder soap dissolving. I made 10 batches of the laundry powder to save more time later and it really did not take that long to finish all of the batches. My clothes seem clean. One big difference is that this soap does not make bubbles and people worry that it will not work, but it does work fine. Nobody seemed to break out from the detergent and several in my family have broken out when I have changed detergents. I figured out that this soap cost about 5 cents a load. I was using Sun detergent and it was about 8-10 cents a load depending on where I got it from. So, while the powder detergent does not save as much as the liquid homemade laundry detergent, which is more like 1 cents a load. I am still saving money. Most tide detergents are about 20 cents a load. Personally, I was really happy with the results. I would like to mention that you really do not want to wash your food processor in the dishwasher after you have made your detergent because it will leave a soapy residue on your dishes. Instead hand wash it. Also, I have read a lot of articles saying that this type of detergent is harder on your washing machine. I read that adding some vinegar to your fabric softener dispenser every now and then will help with this problem, so I plan to do that. I also learned that vinegar works really well as a fabric softener, so I may be switching for fabric softener sheets to a homemade fabric softener soon.

Conclusion: This homemade powder laundry detergent is easy to make, if you have a food processor, and cleans well. It also did not break anyone out in my family. So, I think it is a keeper for my house.

For more experiments go to Mom Advise.

Naturally-Dyed Playdough

2009-05-07T10:13:00.007-04:00

I had this perfect project picked out this week, but it has rained every single day and we needed to go outside for this project, so we made play dough! I had never made it before and it was fun. Go here to see the first play dough recipe we made. This was the second one we tried.

Experiment: Can I make a play dough that the kids will love that is still pretty cheap?

Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 04.29.09

Materials Needed: See One Golden Apple for the original recipe

Naturally-Dyed Playdough

1 cup flour
1 cup brightly colored juice (blueberry, cherry, pomengranate, grape, etc.)
1/4 cup salt
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Put all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the dough comes together. This only takes a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, squish and knead until smooth. Voila. Store in a container in the fridge.
Note: A lovely yellow can be made by using the recipe above, replacing the juice with water, and adding a teaspoon of ground turmeric.

Results: The play dough was super easy to make, smelled good, and was pretty cheap to make. But best of all, it gave my kids hours of fun! I do however like the ease of the first recipe because I do not have to actually cook the play dough and the colors were so much brighter.

Conclusion: I like both recipes and will definitely use both of them again. Both are cheap and my kids love them!

For more experiments go to Mom Advise.

My Brother-In Laws Wedding

2009-05-04T16:49:00.021-04:00

We went to my brother-in-laws wedding this past weekend and I am pretty tired. 3 of my kids were in the wedding and my dh was the Best Man. My twins were the ring bearer and flower girl and my older son was an usher. It was hard getting them all ready and taking care of a 2 year old, but we got it done. My dh and I danced for the first time at the reception after being married for 10 years! lol!

Nathan and Katie Sue were so tired while waiting to take pictures. Katie Sue feel asleep and I love that picture of her! I can not wait to see the professional photographers picture.

Fruity Playdough

2009-05-04T16:25:00.003-04:00

This week is suppose to be rainy, that's right for the entire week! So, I planned to do this little activity with my kids when they got home today. They are hot to the touch after you make them, so I am putting them in the refrigerator and tomorrow we will get out the cookie cutters and play with the playdough. It really does smell fruity! The colors are so vibrant compared to the playdough you buy at the store too. I first saw this recipe on MomAdvise and then at Day By Day. I used the suggestion from Day By Day to use 1 tbs. flour instead of the 1 tbs cream of tarter because cream of tarter is expensive and guess what it works just fine without the cream of tarter. We will definitely be using this recipe again!

Here's the recipe!
Fruity Play Dough (courtesy of Recipezaar.com)
1 cup flour
1 package Kool-Aid (any flavor)
1 tablespoon cream of tartar or 1 Tbs flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup boiling water (the original recipe called for one cup of boiling water, but I found it made the dough too loose- aim for 3/4 cup and add more if needed)
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl then oil, then pour boiling water in and mix thoroughly. Wrap in cellophane or air tight container and store in fridge. The play dough should last a few months.

Mom Advise Notebook Experiment- Who Bread: White vs.Wheat

2009-04-29T17:35:00.002-04:00

Bread 1: Bread Flour

Bread 2: All-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

So, I decided to give the Mom Advise Notebook Experiments a try. Amy has a notebook where she list all kinds of great ideas she finds online. Many of them are projects that I really want to do. I've looked through her past notebooks and have booked marked lots of things to try. So, I'll be back for the weekly experiments. I really like how Amy makes them look like an experiment when she post them, so hopefully she won't mind if I do mine the same. I got a bread machine with our income tax refund this year and I love it. Although I still have a lot to learn! This is the first recipe we tried and really love, Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread . I was really excited to try a different one.

Experiment: Can I make Who (pronounced hooo, like an owl) bread and will my kids and husband will still like it if I substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the bread flour?

Experiment taken from: Notebook Entry 02.14.07

Materials needed: Here's the recipe that I used from SouleMama.

WHO Bread
(makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to 'basic' with medium crust)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter @ room temperature
1 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (we do 2 cups unbleached white, 1 cup whole wheat pastry)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or, one package)
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions. Makes 1.5 lb loaf, set to medium crust and basic.

Results:
Part 1: The first loaf we made was with just the bread flour. This bread rose quite a bit in my machine and looked more like a 2 lb loaf. I was worried that my lid would come off of the top of my machine, but it did not. I thought maybe I did something wrong, but I followed the instructions exactly! So, I thought? After rereading the recipe, it called for plain flour and not the bread flour, which is probably what made it rise more. My kids ate the bread fine and said they liked it okay. I liked it.

Part 2: The second loaf I made was the one that I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of the white flour. Now why would I want to do this? Well, first it is healthier for my kids and second since being on Weight Watchers, I noticed that using the whole wheat flour lowered my points sometimes and after running the recipe through the recipe builder (you have to be an e-tools subscriber to get this service) on the Weight Watchers Website, I found that it did indeed lower it by one point. If it tasted just as good, that was the one I wanted to use. The bread rose more like it was suppose too since I used the all-purpose flour. (I did not have any unbleached white.) The top fell, but the results were that my bread's crust was crispier and the bread really did taste better to me than the first one I tried. But how did my kids like it? Well, my oldest one said it's okay. I asked him what he did not like about it and he said it taste like wheat. The others are 4 years old and 2 years old and basically they will eat warm bread with butter on it.

Conclusion: Well, I guess my kids will eat the bread with the wheat in it, although they seem to like the white flour bread better. My dh and my 9 year old refuse to eat wheat bread. I don't have any other answers as to how to get them to eat healthier and to eat wheat. Personally, I liked the second one and if I make this bread again, that will be the one I choose. This however is not my first pick for my favorite bread.
~
For more experiments go here.

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

2009-04-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Well, my dh bought me a bread maker with our income tax money. I have really wanted one forever! But, with Weight Watchers, I wondered if I was going to be able to use it. So, I have been on the search for recipes I could still eat and stay on plan. My kids love the bread! I do too. I love the ease that the bread maker gives me! So, here is one that I made that I really like! I make it with my Spaghetti Casserole that we eat weekly. My dh wants us to try to use this as a pizza crust dough or even bread sticks. I think it would be fabulous as either! I have learned though that with a bread maker, you really have to deal with portion control, luckily I have a large family and usually there is not a lot left over!

Low-Fat Bread Machine Italian Bread

1 1/8 cups water
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onions
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter
Add ingredients to pan in order listed according to bread machine instructions. Program as desired.
Per serving: Calories, 184; Fat 3g; Fiber 1.3g

What's On My Nightstand?- April

2009-04-28T11:06:00.007-04:00

This is the first time I am participating in the 5 Minutes For Books, What's On Your Nightstand? I am just now really getting back into reading again. I don't know why I quit for awile, probably just busy. I just recently joined a book club, so that motivates me to get the books done. It is also giving me an opportunity to expereince new authors. I know lots of these may still be here next month, but here is what I am working on.

Fiction
1. White Chocolate Moments- Lori Wick (This is my book club book for May)
2. Kerry Madden's Maggie Valley Trilogy Gentle's Holler, Jessie's Mountain, and Louisiana's Song
3. Uncle Tom's Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe (My bookclub is reading this throughout this year.)
4. Where the Wild Rose Blooms- Lori Wick

5. An Untamed Land- Lauraine Snelling

6. Fatally Flaky- Diane Mott Davidson

7. A Body To Die For- G.A. McKevett

Non Fiction

The Power of Prayer to Change Your Marriage- Stormie Omartian

To see what other's are reading go to 5 Minutes For Books.

Tackle It Tuesday-Starting Seeds

2009-04-28T10:42:00.001-04:00

My tackle was actually done on Saturday. I wanted everyone in the family to be involved and that was the day we were all here and it was a beautiful day outside! This is a project that we had been putting off. The project was starting our seeds. We are going to be doing container gardening so if our crop is late, I guess that's okay too. We used a Jiffy Greenhouse. This was $6.00 at Walmart and allowed for 72 plants. My kids had a great time and what made it even better was that last week and this one my twins theme at head start was gardens. We even took them on a trip to Walmart to look at all of the plants and gardening stuff and buy the stuff for this tackle. My kids had a great evening and I have my containers ready to transplant when they are ready. Here are some pictures from our tackle.

For more tackles, go to 5 Minutes For Mom.

Family Easter Picture

2009-04-21T08:08:00.001-04:00

Looking Back

2009-01-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

I posted this on my other blog, but I realize that a lot of you don't visit over there, so I decided to post it here too. Happy New Year!
~
Looking back is always a great thing to do. It helps us see how far we have gone. I like to look back at the end of a year. I got a lot to look back on this year. These pictures really show that for me! I know that I did not lose the 100 pounds that I wanted to lose this year, but I also know that 77 pounds is a lot of weight and as I can see in these pictures I look so much better. I think I can truly say that I was Looking Great in 2008 and will be Looking Fine in 2009! Enjoy...these made me feel good!

1. Church Christmas Party 2008

What a HUGE difference, I can actually sit in the chair!

2. Church Christmas Party 2007

I hated my dh for taking this picture, but now I am so glad that I have it!

I remember not being able to sit in that chair because I was so big!

3. Our Christmas Card picture for 2007

Wow! My face looks so different!

4. Our Christmas Card picture for 2008, I look so different!

Over all I am so proud of myself this year! I know that I am so much happier. Some things I got to do this year that I could not do when I was heavier:
1. Wear jeans!
2. Wear panty hose!
3. Wear clothes that are about 4 sizes smaller!
4. Eat healthier!
5. Walk about 2 miles at a time without dying!
6. Read a story to my kids without feeling like I can't breathe!
7. Wrap a towel all the way around my body!
8. Fit behind the steering wheel in my car!
9. Not overeat! I've learned portion control something that was always hard for me.
10. I'm happier! I can see it in my pictures and people tell me they see it!

Honey I Shrank Our Spending!

2008-11-28T09:06:00.003-05:00

I've got lots of great new ideas posted on my other blog, Honey, I Shrank Our Spending. Come see lots of freebies and great hoilday gift ideas that won't break your budget!

Book Review St. Patrick's Day Murder

2008-11-28T08:55:00.003-05:00

St. Patrick's Day Murder written by Leslie Meier is the 13th book in the Lucy Stone Mystery series. I have read everyone of these books and really enjoy them! They are really a quick read. Each book starts off with a murder of some kind. Lucy Stone who is a writer for the local newspaper usually helps solve the mystery as to why someone died. This book has an Irish theme as it relates to the St. Patrick's theme. The local bar owner is found dead in the harbor. His brother comes to visit from Ireland and to direct a play at a local church. The play is also a St. Patrick's theme. When the director comes up dead too, Lucy begins to find several clues leading to the capture of the killer. The book is really a fun read and much like her other novels. I can't wait for the next one to come out!

Nicholas' 9th Birthday

2008-11-24T09:16:00.004-05:00

Tasty Thursday-Green Bean Casserole

2008-11-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

Green Bean Casserole (It's more like a stuffing)
1 can French style green beans
1 box Stove Top Stuffing(don't add anything to it)
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
Mix all ingredients and place in an 8 X 8 pan Cook in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
9 Weight Watcher points for the whole pan.
~
Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!
See more Tasty Thursday recipes here.

Book Review-When The Soul Mends

2008-11-20T08:06:00.003-05:00

When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall is the 3rd book in the Sisters of the Quilt series. The series is about an Amish girl who gets raped and no one believes her and she ends up leaving the Amish community. In the 3rd book, she goes back to her Amish community to mend the problems she left behind. A great series! If you like Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter you will love these books!

Honey I Shrank Our Spending!

2008-11-19T06:12:00.002-05:00

I have not seemed to get much traffic on my new blog. Thought I would remind all of my followers of this blog about my frugal blog. I have a lot of new post about saving money and great deals, coupons etc. Come visit me at Honey I Shrank Our Spending!

I am also now the Frugal Mommy writer for Busy Mommy. You should come visit it is a great website with a wealth of information!

Book Review -The Outsider

2008-11-19T05:57:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time since I have done a book review. My reading has been slow. I am in the mood to read now, I don't know if it is colder weather or what, but I am interested! I hope to do more reviews soon. So Stay posted!

The Outsider by Ann Gabhart is a book set in Kentucky at a Shaker village. The main character was brought to the village after her mother decided to join the Shakers and it is all of the world that the young girl knows until a fire happens at the village and she meets a doctor. From that time on she begins to doubt her Shaker beliefs. This is a love story.
I really enjoyed this book. I seem to like to read about the Amish and this one fits right in there with learning about a different religion. It was interesting to see how the Shakers lived and their beliefs and struggles. This book reminded me of The Believers by Janice Holt Giles, which I also enjoyed!

Lorie's Frugal Idea Notebook 11/18

2008-11-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

My Frugal Idea Notebook is where I store all the ideas I get from other blogs on the web to help me stay frugal. This week I am focusing on Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas and I found some really neat ones on the topic!

1. $5 Cake Mix Basket from The Grocery Cart Challenge (I want to make a few of these!)

2. Last Minute Gift Cards from Buzzings of a Queen Bee (I'm always needing a quick card too!)

3. A Romantic Frugal Gift from Betty Beguiles (I want to do this with my husband!)

4. Gifts your kids can make from One Krusty Mama (My kids would love to make these!)

5. Homemade Sugar Scrubs from Thrifty Jinxy (I know a lot of women who would love this!)

6. No Sew Fleece Blankets from Mom on the Go (Cheap if you have some extra fabric on hand.)

7. Giving to Charity from "Cents"able Mamma (I like to give during the holidays, here's a way that won't cost much.)

8. Using Bowls as Gift Baskets from Wildwood Mama (I have seen these on clearance and never thought about that use!)

9. Cheap Family Christmas Gifts from Curves with Attitude (I love this idea of involving your whole family!)

10. Leaf Candle from Generation Cedar (This looks like a fun project!)

11. Free Stocking Stuffers from Are We There Yet?

12. Christmas Gift Basket Ideas from Frugal Ideas From the Parsonage (This is alot like what I am doing this year!)

Halloween

2008-11-03T07:59:00.002-05:00

Menu Plan Monday Nov 3rd-7th

2008-11-03T07:54:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been awhile since I have planned my menu for the week. I know that planning is so important and could be one of the reasons I have not been doing as well lately! So, here I am back in full force to get back on the menu planning wagon! Fall is here so that means lots of great soups for me! Comfort food!

Breakfast

Oatmeal, fruit, hot herbal tea (3 days)

Low fat waffles and fruit, hot herbal tea (2 days)

Omelets, fruit, hot herbal tea

Scrambled Eggs, hot herbal tea

Lunches

Refried Bean Soup (2 days)

Cheesy Vegetable Soup (2 days)

Leftovers
Tuna Salad with fruit
sandwich, fruit
Dinners
Doritos Casserole, salad
Crockpot Potato Soup, Jiffy Cornbread
Easy 1 pt Chili, Cornbread
Pizza, salad
Scrambled eggs, sausage links, biscuits
Chicken Corn Chowder, garlic toast
Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad
Desserts/Snacks
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (I'm making Chips Ahoy Dessert with them!)
Wendy's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Chex Party Mix
Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats
98% Fat Free Microwave Popcorn

Go here to see more plans.

Menu Plan Monday September 8-14

2008-09-08T17:41:00.000-04:00

This week, I am going to start something new. I am going to have a soup and sandwiches night and a breakfast dinner every week. These are two really cheap meals to help keep the cost down. So, I am going to be trying some new soups! Come back for the recipes as I make them and post them throughout the week. I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex plan!
~
Dinners
Spaghetti Casserole Bake, salad
Soup (Cheesy Vegetable) and Sandwiches, Yum Yum Muffins
Corn Dog Casserole, salad, Chips Ahoy Dessert
Breakfast Dinner, fruit
Pizza Cups, salad, Quick Zucchini Bread
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Stovetop Meatloaf Muffins, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats

Breakfast
Waffles, fruit, yogurt
Baked Sugar Doughnuts, fruit
Chocolate Chip Pancakes, fruit
Omelets, fruit
Eggs, Biscuits, sausage links
Cereal, yogurt, fruit
Waffles, fruit

Lunch
BLT Sandwiches, fruit
Leftover Pasta Bake, salad
Broccoli Soup
Sandwich and fruit
BLT Sandwich, fruit
Find What You can (hopefully leftovers)
FF Hot Dogs, tater tots, corn
~
Go here to see more plans.

First Day Preschool

2008-09-05T16:12:00.007-04:00

First Day of Preschool, NOT

2008-08-28T09:16:00.002-04:00

Well the twins were suppose to start preschool today. So, yesterday, I spent most of the day going to doctors' appointments. In Kentucky, a child must have a physical exam, got to the dentist and the eye doctor. I also had a WIC appointment. I got home a little later than usual 10 minutes and I knew my son would be waiting on me. He rides the bus home. Something told me last week to talk to him about what to do if I was not at home when he got here. We talked about it, but I have NEVER not been here, so I thought it pretty strange to need to talk to him about what to do. It was not even a week later and this came up. So, I am glad I listened and talked to him about what to do. The problem was school let out early because of a flood. Well the buildings roof caved in from the excessive rain we were having and they let out school early, so he had been here more like 45 minutes instead of 15! I felt really bad because it was pouring the rain! Nicholas is going to 9 in November and I think I am going to go ahead and get him a house key made because should that happen again, which I have no plans for it to happen again, but if it does at least he will not be in the rain! My twins go to preschool in the same school as my older son and today was suppose to be the first day of school, but since the school is in such bad shape they have closed for the rest of the week. My twins are so upset! They have been waiting a long time for school to start and they were looking forward to today. I was also looking forward to today. I would only have one child home and thought that would give me more of a chance to do the things that I have not been able to do with all of the kids home. Oh and on a side note, the twins are pretty much potty trained! I have been trying since they were about 2 1/2 and have had no luck. I told them if the went to the potty they would get to go to school like there big brother and that was all it took! Except maybe for some suckers. We went to transition day on Tuesday and they both went all day without any accidents! We have been accident free for 3 days! I am so proud of them! I know they are excited to go to school and while I am not excited to see them leave me. I am glad that they get the chance to go for 3 hours a day, 4 days a week to have fun and learn and be around other children! I will miss them, but I know they will have lots of FUN!

Tackle It Tuesday, a little late!

2008-08-27T09:09:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was the twins transition day at Head Start, so I was really busy and I forgot to post this last night. Sorry, for the delay! I have decided while the twins are in Head Start which starts Thursday, I am going to work on some projects. I started this week by cleaning an area in my kitchen. My kitchen has NO storage. I mean it. So, I have to make the most of what I can. This is a shelf I bought and I also store some things on top of my deep freezer. The deep freezer was given to me and I LOVE having it! It was used out side and has a lot of rust looking spots on the outside, so I don't care to use it for storage on top, it covers up the bad looking parts! :) But, I have to get inside and when it gets like this, it is frustrating. The area seems to be a catch all because of the lack of storage so I have to keep on top of it and not let it get like this! Now it just looks so much better. Makes me feel better when I walk in the kitchen too! :) So, I'll see you next week for another Tackle It Tuesday project!

For more Tackles go to 5 Minutes For Mom!

Menu Plan Monday August 25-31

2008-08-25T07:45:00.001-04:00

Here is my menu for this week. I am still doing Weight Watchers Flex! Come back during the week for recipes I try and on Wednesday for Watchin' What We Eat Wednesday at my Honey I Shrank Myself! blog, where people share healthier recipes!

Dinners
Monday-Bubble-up Pizza, salad, Chips Ahoy Dessert
Tuesday-Fat Free Hot Dogs, fries
Wednesday-Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thursday-Soup and sandwiches, Butterscotch Bars
Friday-Breakfast night! Scrambled eggs, biscuits, hashbrowns, "fried" apples
Saturday- Fish Fry at church I'm bringing Honey Bun Cake
Sunday-Chili, Cornbread

Breakfast
Monday-Cinnamon French Toast, fruit
Tuesday-Eat at Transition Headstart day with twins (Dh will eat Apple Struesel Muffins)
Wednesday-Baked Sugar Doughnuts, fruit
Thursday- Low fat waffles and fruit
Friday-Cereal, fruit, yogurt
Saturday-Cereal, fruit
Sunday-Cereal, fruit, yogurt
(I've gotten a lot of cereal for practically FREE lately so we are going to be eating that up!)

Lunch
Monday-Leftovers, apple
Tuesday- Eat at Transition day at Headstart with twins
Wednesday-BLT Sandwich, apple
Thursday-Light Bologna sandwich, baked chips, apple
Friday-Cheesy Veggie Soup
Saturday-whatever we can find!!lol
Sunday- Hot Dogs, fries

Snacks (DS is in school and needs snacks to take, it is so much cheaper to make my own!)Wendy's No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Chex Party Mix
Fat Free Rice Krispie Treats
Butterscotch Bars
Low-Cal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
~
Go here to see more plans.

New Blog

2008-08-13T16:14:00.000-04:00

I have started a new blog as I need to try to be more Thrifty. I got a CVS rewards card today so now I am trying to shrink my spending. Today I got FREE toothpaste, two tubes! I think it is really FUN. Come check out my new blog.
http://mommysdeals.blogspot.com/

Our visit to Granny's and Granddaddy's

2008-08-08T09:34:00.009-04:00

We spent last week with my family. they live about 3 hours away from us and we really do not visit much. I went bymyself with the kids. I took them to my brother's house to swim. It was the twins first swimming experience in a pool over there head. My oldest got to work on swimming better too. I should really take them swimming more, but it is just so hard to do by myself with all four kids! Here are some pictures from the week.

The kids playing in Granny's pool with cousin.

Neil after eating Bluberry Pancakes!

Neil loved being driven around in this car!

Katie Sue!

Nathan!

First Day of School

2008-08-08T09:27:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my son's first day back to school. He is in the third grade. That is really hard for me to believe! We went to open house the night before and they gave away backpacks. DS took a picture because it he thought it was so neat. It was filled with school supplies. This is the first year they are allowing "regular" backpacks. They used to only be allowed to carry mesh or plastic see thru backpacks. Also, we ware not doing 4 day week school. That was a rumor going around although they did talk about it.

Making Time For the Important Things!

2008-07-25T09:22:00.003-04:00

I was reading a blog that I read a lot the other day. She had a story on there that really hit me and I wanted to share it with all my readers. She was talking about her pastor's sermon on Sunday. He got up there and in the middle of a sentence, this guy come in who was trying to run in a race and he had a heavy backpack on. The pastor asked him if he could help him and the runner told him that he was trying to run a race but he could not run because he was too weighed down. The pastor asked him what he was carrying and the man started getting stuff out of his backpack. He took out a cell phone, a laptop computer, several e-mails, a tv guide, and many more things. The pastor said I can see why you were so weighed down and could not get direction. This pastor told his congregation that a lot of the worldly things weigh us down and make it harder for us to get to where we are going. We spend so much time on worldly things that we forget about why we are really here and how important it is to spend time doing the "important" things. For example, prayer. We need to take the time in our lives to have personal prayer. That is our special time to talk to our father in heaven and ask for direction. How many of us say to ourselves, I don't have time for that? How are we going to find our way if we don't make time for it? Also, studying our scriptures is our time for our heavenly father to talk to us. He can help us find the direction that we need to go in our lives, but how many of us say we don't have time to study our scriptures, were just too busy. What are we so busy with that we don't take the time to do this? Kids, our house, that's some of my excuses. But how many of us take the time to watch a certain tv show each week? Play a computer game? Read our e-mail? Update our blog? Surf the web? Take a lot of calls on our cell phone? The list could go on forever. We seem to make time for those things we want to do, why not make time to do those things we need to do to find our way in this world? I added a lot of my own thoughts here, but the girl who this story came from said her pastor gave each of them a challenge. He wanted them to give up one of those worldly things that was preventing them from doing the things they needed to do for one week to see how they felt. Personally, I think this is a GREAT idea. I know that when I make time for those important things in my life, and I haven't mentioned this but that includes spending time with family too, I feel so much better. So, starting next Monday, I am going to give up the computer for a week. So, what am I going to do instead? I am going to spend more time playing with my kids and I am going to spend more time talking to my father in heaven (prayer) and listening to my heavenly father talk to me (reading scriptures). My kids and I are also going to go and visit my parents for the week. It will be nice to take a break from blogging and the computer. After the week, I will come back and report on what else I got done and my feelings during that time. Do you want to join me?
Is there something you could give up for one week?

Neil, My Baby!

2008-07-24T07:35:00.007-04:00

I have not posted much about my kids lately on here, so today I am going to focus on Neil, my baby. He is really growing up! I can't keep him in the playpen at all to go do something, even take a shower because he climbs right out! I do not think it will be long before he climbs out of his crib. That makes me sad because he is only 17 months. I hope he would stay in his crib until he was at least 2! He also does not want to keep his clothes on. He takes his clothes off and puts his pants on his head. He is also sucking his tongue when he is tired, just like his brother Nathan did. He really is quit the character!

4 day weeks?!?

2008-07-23T12:05:00.004-04:00

School is going to start back soon. I can't find the date that it starts back though. I looked on the county and school websites but I find nothing? I guess this would have been a good time to get the local newspaper. Anyways, I have heard rumors, which I think now are true that our school system is going to 4 day weeks. This is due to the rising gas prices. The kids will go 1 1/2 hours extra each of the four days. For me this is really not a big problem, as I am a stay at home mom, but if I was not, this would mean more money out of our budget to provide childcare for the day that the school system is "saving" money. A lot of schools around here seem to be going the 4 day week. As a former working mom, I see there side, but as a stay at home mom, I see this as time to spend with my ds doing different things for fun and learning. Hmmm. I am undecided on how I feel about it. Are any of your all's schools going to 4 day weeks?

Where have I been?

2008-07-21T08:21:00.004-04:00

I got to do better at keeping up this blog! Summer has just been so busy, but I promise I will be back! We were going to the library Mon-Weds and last week was the last week of that so I am back and will update this blog soon! I think I have put a lot of energy into my weight loss blog too because that is a HUGE focus in my life right now! Come visit me over there if you want.

My budding artist!

2008-07-18T11:23:00.010-04:00

My budding artist, Katie Sue is 3 and sometimes she really surprises me at how well she can draw! Her new thing is drawing people! These are so funny because they really look like the person. I have laughed and laughed over these. I am so glad I got some pictures of her work because she usually does her drawings on her magna doodle!
Here is some of her work!

Her Self portrait:

Her Mommy (me): lol

Her twin Brother, Nathan:

Her daddy:

Her brother, Nicholas

Her brother, Neil:

Tasty Thursday Mexican Edition

2008-07-10T08:44:00.002-04:00

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. You will need to check your ingredients because you could get different points on this one)

See more Tasty Thursday recipes here.

Slow Cooking Thursday- Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

2008-06-19T12:17:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

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.

Happy Father's Day and a Recipe

2008-06-15T14:31:00.001-04:00

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.

Another Before/After Picture

2008-06-03T09:59:00.002-04:00

December 2007

May 2008

New Family Pictures

2008-06-02T10:11:00.007-04:00

The Young Women at our church had a fundraiser so they could go to Girl's camp. They took family pictures. These were the ones taken on my personal camera and I am really hoping that the real ones come out better. But, I still like these!

May Weight Loss Picture

2008-06-02T08:41:00.001-04:00

Starting picture 323 pounds Ouch! I don't like this picture much!!!!

Here is my picture for May, the lighting was so bad, it was actually raining here. I am 275 pounds here. I can really tell in my upper body that I am losing and while I am Plump still I think I am starting to look better! I have lost 48 pounds here since starting.

Tasty Thursday Burger Edition

2008-05-23T13:33:00.004-04:00

Today's theme for Tasty Thursday is Burgers. This weekend a lot of people will be grilling out and burgers will probably be on a lot of grills. Since joining Weight Watchers, I do not eat a lot of burgers unless they are soybean. I never would have thought to try the Boca burger until I saw this recipe for Hungry Girl's Whoppers on her website. I also found a similar recipe, although it uses less Miracle Whip and ketchup, in her new book, that has been on the best seller list, on page 106 called Big Bopper Burger Stopper. My family loves this burger. The burger itself is only 1 point and there are 1 point hamburger buns. So, just think you could have a burger for 2 points without adding anything else. My dh and kids love these! I get over my craving for a burger with these too. There are also other brands of soybean burgers out there, so you might be able to find a different brand if you do not find Boca. I really like the original but the flame grilled is my favorite! I plan to take a Boca burger and a low point bun and ask them to put it on the grill for me. This will help me stay on points. I also LOVE her onion rings on page 104 in her book to serve as a side with this burger.

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

Tuesday Weigh-In!

2008-05-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I weighed in at my Weight Watchers meeting and I am happy to report that I have had a GREAT week! I lost another 2 pounds! Woo Hoo! That makes my total weight loss 48.6 pounds! I have 6.8 pounds more to lose until my next goal of reaching my Weight Watcher 10%.
Weight Watchers works people! I remember hearing people say that but I guess I never believed anything could help me. This has been the first thing that has really worked in my life! Maybe I have more motivation this time, I don't know, but I do know I love Weight Watchers! Maybe Weight Watchers works because it is all about living. I eat the foods I want. It really is a change of lifestyle and not a diet. I know I am losing weight, but I really do not feel like I am on a diet and I guess that is why it has been easier.
Tonight at my meeting we talked about how to deal with all of the picnics that are coming later this month. I have a picnic this weekend and I already told my dh that I am bringing a Boca burger and I am going to ask them to put it on the grill for me. I might have to also bring my own bun and I am bringing the Dreamsicle Cake.

Tasty Thursday(a little late!)

2008-05-16T11:04:00.004-04:00

Beef Stroganoff Casserole
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
12 oz. uncooked egg noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Brown ground beef and drain. Combine soups and sour cream. Add beef and noodles, mix well. Add cheese on top and cover with foil and bake in a 10 X 13 dish at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
Serves 8.

7 WW points (Please check your ingredients and your points, this one can have different points for egg noodles, etc.)

We really liked this. Next time I will add some more seasoning s because it really needed some. I think it needs some garlic, salt and pepper.

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

Slow Cooking Thursday (a little late!)

2008-05-16T10:54:00.005-04:00

We had this this week as we are going through Blackberry Winter. It is so good! I will warn you though, it is a sweet chili just like the recipe title implies!

Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili
8 Servings
240 Calories 4 g. Fiber 6 g. Fat
FROM: “Fix it and Forget it Lightly” Cookbook
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. prepared mustard
1medium sized onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) kidney or red beans
2 c. low-sodium tomato juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
Brown ground beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours. If possible, stir several times during cooking.

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

FIF-Weight Watchers Edition!

2008-05-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

This week the theme for Favorite Ingredient Friday is WeightWatchers. I have been doing Weight Watchers since January and have lost 46.6 pounds! Here is my favorite main dish and dessert recipe!
Doritos Casserole
6 ounces Velveeta Light(I use Weight Watcher Mexican Shredded Cheese)
2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning mix
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup, 98% fat free
1 can (11 ounces) Rotel tomatoes
6 ounces Baked Doritos, Nacho Cheese8
ounces 95% lean ground beef
Cook meat, drain and add taco seasoning. Mix the tomatoes and soup together. Then, layer meat, soup mixture, crushed Doritos, and cheese. Keep layering until done. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.Makes 6 servings, 7 WW points
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We bought some strawberries and I decided to make this low point dessert! It is so easy and very yummy!

Crustless Strawberry Pie
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 small box sugar free cook & serve vanilla pudding
1 small box sugar free strawberry jello
2 cups water
1 small container cool whip free
Layer sliced berries in bottom and up sides of 9 inch pie plate or round pan. Mix pudding mix and water and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and add dry jello mix. Let cool down some about 5 minutes. Pour over berries in pan. Put in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to chill. Serve with fat free cool whip free add points if needed.
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!
*I served this with 1 tbsp of FF cool whip and did not even have to add points for that! This makes 8 servings at 1 point each and worth every bit of that point.
*I am going to try this with other fruits and jello flavors. To make a dreamsicle pie add Mandarin oranges instead of strawberries and orange SF/FF Jello. To make a peach pie add peaches instead of strawberries and peach SF/FF Jello. I have not figured out the points on either of these yet.
*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!
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Chips Ahoy Dessert

1/2 cup fat free milk

18 reduced fat Chips Ahoy Cookies

2 cups fat free milk

1 8 oz. fat free Cool Whip

1 small box chocolate fat free, sugar free pudding mix

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a shallow bowl. Dip cookies in the milk very briefly and line 8 X 8 dish with them. Take 1/2 the Cool Whip and spread over cookies. Mix the chocolate pudding with 2 cups milk. Layer over top of Cool Whip. Dip next 9 cookies in the milk and lay on top of pudding. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.Makes 9 servings, 2 WW points.

For more great Weight Watcher recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Monday Menu Plan

2008-05-12T09:09:00.001-04:00

I so hate when I miss planning my meals. It just makes it so much easier, so I am going to try to get caught up! "Fail to Plan...Plan to Fail"
This week I am trying these new recipes: Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole, Peanut Butter Holy Cow Cake, and the Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili.
Saturday-Diet Coke Sloppy Joes on 1 pt buns, corn
Sunday- Dh is cooking and I am sure I will have to use FLEX points because I think it is steak. He ask me to give him a GREAT dessert recipe, he picked the Peanut Butter Holy Cow Cake(recipe below)
Monday-Swiss Chicken Casserole- 6 points, green beans, mashed potatoes
Tuesday- Fat Free Hot Dogs on wheat buns-3 points; Baked Doritos-2 points, corn
Wednesday- Boca Burgers, Baked Doritos
Thursday-Brown Sugar Chili (See Recipe Below)
Friday-Mom's Pizza - 4 points, salad
Saturday-Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole (Recipe below), salad
Sunday-Doritos casserole- salad
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Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole
1 pound lean ground beef
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can sliced black olives
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded (I plan to use the WW Mexican Shredded Cheese)
Brown ground beef, drain. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and a small can of tomato sauce. Then add a small can of sliced black olives. Cut up the refrigerated biscuits and stir them in. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake until the biscuits are brown. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
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Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili
8 Servings
240 Calories 4 g. Fiber 6 g. Fat
FROM: “Fix it and Forget it Lightly” Cookbook
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. prepared mustard 1
medium sized onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) kidney or red beans
2 c. low-sodium tomato juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
Brown ground beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours. If possible, stir several times during cooking.
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Peanut Butter Better Than Sex Cake
Serving size: 20, 4 pts per serving
18 1/4 oz chocolate cake mix - devil's food, 1 box
10 oz. Diet Coke
1 egg white
7 oz. FF sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons low fat peanut butter
8 oz. (1 tub) Cool Whip Free, thawed
7 Nestle Fun Size Butterfinger candy bars
Combine cake mix, diet cola, and egg white. Bake according to cake mix instructions in a floured 9x13 pan. A few minutes before the cake is to be done combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in sauce pan. Cook and stir on low to make creamy and warm. When cake is done and still hot, poke holes in top of cake with knife and pour peanut butter mixture over top of cake. You may have to spread the mixture a little to help it go down into the holes. Sprinkle top with half of chopped Butterfingers. Cool cake completely. Cover with Cool Whip and sprinkle remaining Butterfingers over top. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
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Go here to see more plans.

New Progress Pictures

2008-04-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

Starting weight 323.8 pounds

Today 280.6 Pounds

I went to Weight Watchers tonight. My leader weighed me in at 280.6 pounds and wrote that I had a 2 pound loss. After sitting down and thinking, I realized she had made a mistake. So, I took it back up to her and she refigured it and I had lost 3 pounds. Now how I lost three pounds I really do not know. I have been doing the same things I always have been doing. But I am really proud of myself! I have now lost a total of 43.2 pounds since January 7th and 16.8 pounds of that since going to Weight Watchers. I have to lose 29 pounds to get to my 10%, so I have 12.2 pounds to lose to get there! I still got a long way to go, but I know I can do it!

Menu Plan Monday

2008-04-28T07:23:00.000-04:00

Time to plan another week. At my last Weight Watcher weigh in, I lost another 2 pounds which means that I have now lost over 40 pounds. Planning my meals really helps me stay on points. I usually plan 7 meal and then decide throughout the week when I want to fix them. This is my plan until I go back to the grocery so it is a little longer than a week.

1. Beef Stroganoff Casserole(see recipe below)

2. Salisbury Steak(see recipe below), mashed potatoes, green beans

3. Deep Dish Pizza Casserole, 6 points; salad w/lite dressing, 2 points

4. Swiss Chicken Casserole- 6 points, green beans, mashed potatoes

5. Fat Free Hot Dogs on wheat buns-3 points; Baked Doritos-2 points, corn

6. Chili Dog Casserole(see recipe below)

7. Ranch Chicken- 8 points, salad

8. Spaghetti Casserole Bake (7 points), salad

9.Doritos casserole-7 points; corn

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Beef Stroganoff Casserole

1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup

8 oz. reduced fat sour cream

12 oz. uncooked egg noodles

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Brown ground beef and drain. Combine soups and sour cream. Add beef and noodles, mix well. Cover with foil and bake in a 10 X 13 dish at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 8. 7 WW points (Please check your ingredients and your points, this one can have different points for egg noodles, etc.)

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Salisbury Steak

1 pound lean beef

1 pack onion soup mix

1 can Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1 cup FF beef broth

2 tablespoons quick oats

small can mushrooms, drained

Mix water, meat, quick oats, and onion soup mix. Make into 4 large patties. Cook on med/high heat and brown both sides. Combine other ingredients, pour over patties. Reduce heat to med/low. cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

4 servings, 5 WW points

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Chili Dog Casserole

5 Low fat Hot Dog Bun

8 Fat Free Hot dogs

1/4 cup diced onions(optional)

2 tablespoons mustard

1 (15 ounce) can Turkey Chili

2 cups Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the bottom of the casserole pan with butter-flavored Pam. Break buns into bite size pieces, and place in bottom of pan with outside of buns on bottom. Slice hot dogs into bite size pieces and place on top. Mix mustard, onion, and chili and pour on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serves 8, WW points per serving 4

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Go here to see more plans.

FlyLady?

2008-04-25T08:40:00.006-04:00

Someone asked me what FlyLady was and I am sorry I did not give you the link. FlyLady is an online resource to help you organize your house. Do you ever clean all in one day just because you have company coming over? FlyLady might be for you. She sends daily e-mails to help motivate you to get your house clean. Her whole thing is baby steps. So, cleaning 15 minutes at a time really will eventually get your areas cleaned. Purging is also important. You should only keep what you need and love. Also, her big thing is cleaning your sink every night before you go to bed and always keeping it clean. She works in zones and usually gives a week to each zone. Like, this week is the master bedroom. We also get a mission each day to work on in the zone. Like this week was cleaning off your dressers one day. Go to her website and learn more. When I was doing her system I felt like I was just picking up a little each day. Things seemed to stay cleaner and I would never mind if someone was coming over. I need to work on getting to the just picking up part so I can have more time with my kids this summer. I know some people feel this is just too much but really you need to make the plan work for you even if it means changing it to fit your needs. I really loved it but quit while I was on bed rest with the twins and never went back. My house is constantly a wreck and I NEVER have enough time to clean it. I have to invite people over sometimes to motivate me to clean it. Basically, it is not dirty just cluttered. Having four kids has really made this happen fast! So, with baby steps I may get my house back to being clutter free. Also, she has a lot of great things that go along with Weight Watcher ideas like vitamin everyday, 6-8 glasses of water, and 15 minutes of activity a day. She also has a book called body clutter that is really neat. So, I think this will work real well with what I am already doing with Weight Watchers.

Doing Flylady Again!

2008-04-24T14:40:00.003-04:00

Well, I have decided to start doing the Flylady system again. I got dressed early today and got a lot done and felt better!
Here are my goals for today!

1. Laundry

2. Get dishes caught up and sink cleaned out

3. Mop kitchen floor

4. Clean off kitchen table

5. Clean off night stands in my bedroom

6. Pick up living room

7. Make my bed

Weigh In

2008-04-23T10:36:00.003-04:00

Well I lost 2 more pounds last night at my Weight Watchers meeting. Do you know what that means? It means I have lost over 40 pounds!!!! I am so excited. I loved being a loser on my birthday yesterday, it felt so good! I now weight 283.6. Trying to get to the under 270 goal I set for myself! I am getting there!

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T09:38:00.002-04:00

Menu Plan Monday April 21-27

2008-04-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

Here's my plan for the week:
Monday- Spaghetti Casserole Bake(see recipe below) (7 points), salad
Tuesday- Fat Free Hot Dogs on Wheat buns (6 points), 1/2 cup corn (1 point), Baked Doritos(2 points)
Wednesday-Cheeseburger Rollups- 7 pts (see recipe below), mixed veggies
Thursday-Ranch Chicken- 8 points, broccoli
Friday-Mom's Pizza (for kids)- 4 points, White Pizza for dh and me- 4 points, salad
Saturday- Lasagna Margherite (8 points), salad
Sunday- Chicken Doritos Casserole(see recipe below, corn
~
Chicken Doritos Casserole (8 servings)
2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts- cooked (approx. 12 oz)
1 can 98% Fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 can 98% Fat free cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups skim milk
12 oz baked Doritos- nacho cheese flavor
1 cup fat free grated cheddar cheese
nonstick cooking spray
Spray a large metal cake pan with the nonstick cooking spray. Put the Doritos in the bottom of the pan, do not crush. Cut up the chicken in bite size pieces and spread out over the Doritos Mix together the soups and milk and pour over the Doritos and chicken. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Take out and cover with the grated cheese, cook until the cheese melts.

Cheeseburger Rollup

1 lb lean ground beef

6oz Kraft Velveeta light

2 tbsp onion powder

8oz RF crescent roll dough

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook beef and onion powder until down. Drain. Return to skillet. Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Unroll dough and press into 15x8 inch rectangle. Top evenly with meat mixture. Roll up starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if needed so roll is seam side down. Bake 20 min or until golden brown. (make sure to let mixture cool some or it will be harder to roll dough)

6 servings, 7 WW pts each

Spaghetti Casserole Bake

12 oz box Reduced Carb Rotini

2 (26 oz) cans traditional Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup pizza blend regular fat cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pre-cook pasta 6-8 minutes in boiling water. Brown beef in a skillet. Combine pasta beef and sauce together. Place in a casserole dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Makes 6 HUGE servings, 7 WW points per serving.

Go here to see more plans.

Going out for my birthday!

2008-04-18T15:54:00.004-04:00

Next Tuesday is my birthday so dh is taking me out to dinner tonight to Applebee's. I am really excited! We even have a babysitter coming to our house. I like that so much better than taking the kids to Grann'y house because we only have to take one car. Then we go to my favorite place The Dollar Tree to see if they have any new dollar magazines. they have old magazines one month or newer for $1 buck and I love to go see what they got! Can you tell how poor I am, little things like this make me excited!

Favorite Ingredient Friday

2008-04-18T11:02:00.002-04:00

Awesome Fruit Dip
~
12 oz ff cream cheese
7 oz marshmallow cream
1 orange
Get cream cheese room temperature, mix together with marshmallow cream add juice from orange. You can even add a little of the pulp. Dip any fruit you like in it.
~
We used to make this at Pampered Chef parties when I was a consultant. It is really good. it is 20 WW points for the whole recipe, but I do not know how many servings it makes? This would be a treat for me now.
For more great recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Slow Cooking Thursday-Swiss Chicken Casserole

2008-04-18T05:34:00.002-04:00

This is another recipe that I enjoyed the full fat version before doing Weight Watchers, but this one is really just as good! Enjoy!
~
Swiss Chicken Casserole
~
1 pkg. Stove Top stuffing mix
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 slices non fat Swiss cheese
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
~

Place Stovetop stuffing mix(dry ingredients) in a sprayed crockpot (with fat free PAM). Add chicken breast over stuffing mix. Add the 4 slices of non fat Swiss cheese over chicken pieces.Spread cream of mushroom soup over the top of the chicken and cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup warm water around the edges. Cook on LOW in crockpot for 6 hours. If you prefer you can cook in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Makes 6 servings (1 breast and 1/2 cup stuffing) at 6 WW points each.

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

Tasty Thursday

2008-04-18T05:28:00.003-04:00

You will be amazed at how much this taste like a Snickers candy bar who would have thought and it is made with low fat ingredients and Grape Nuts. Enjoy!
~
Snickers Pie
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12 ounces (1.5 cups) fat-free vanilla frozen-yogurt, slightly softened
1 small box sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup Cool Whip Lite
3 ounces nugget cereal (Grape Nuts)
~
Mix all ingredients together and pour into 8" dish and freeze.
Yields 8 servings
Nutritional Info: (per serving) 131 calories, 4 g. fat, 1 g. fiber (3 WW points)
Note: Once the pie has sat in the freezer for a few hours, it gets incredibly hard. If the frozen pie is too hard for your tastes, you can let it sit out for 10-15 minutes, or microwave for 15 seconds, before serving.
Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

Weigh in

2008-04-16T15:41:00.001-04:00

Last night I lost .4 pound. Yes, that is all. I have decided not to worry about my weigh ins. I can't do anything about it except do the best I can on selecting my food for the week, so that is what I am going to do. So now I have lost 38.2 pounds. That's good, only 17 more to reach my WW 10 percent!!!
Last week, I had a Weight Watcher Smoothie every morning with ff milk for 3 points each and you get your two dairy in. So, I did not do as well last week at drinking my milk, so I have been reading and lots of people say when they do get all of there dairy in that they seem to lose more on those weeks. So, I am going to try it this week. I know there is lots of research to prove this theory, so now I am going to see if it helps me? I love the new orange WW smoothies! Taste like a dreamsicle!

Menu Plan Monday- April 14-20

2008-04-14T09:43:00.002-04:00

Here's my menu for this week:
Monday-Hungry Girl's Whoppers-4 points; Baked Doritos-2 points ; corn
Tuesday-Diet Coke Sloppy Joe's with Wheat bun- 5 WW points (See recipe below), corn
Wednesday-Fat Free Hot Dogs on wheat buns-3 points; Baked Doritos-2 points
Thursday-Doritos casserole-7 points; corn
Friday-Mom's Pizza (for kids and babysitter) We are going to Applebees for my birthday
Saturday-Stovetop Meatloaf Muffins- 2 points each, green beans, mashed potatoes
Sunday- Ranch Chicken- 8 points, broccoli and cauliflower mix, green beans (for kids)
~
Dessert- Chips Ahoy Dessert (see recipe below)
Chips Ahoy Dessert
~
1/2 cup fat free milk
18 reduced fat Chips Ahoy Cookies
2 cups fat free milk
1 8 oz. fat free Cool Whip
1 small box chocolate fat free, sugar free pudding mix
~
Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a shallow bowl. Dip cookies in the milk very briefly and line 8 X 8 dish with them. Take 1/2 the Cool Whip and spread over cookies. Mix the chocolate pudding with 2 cups milk. Layer over top of Cool Whip. Dip next 9 cookies in the milk and lay on top of pudding. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Makes 9 servings, 2 WW points.
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Diet Coke Sloppy Joe's
~
1 lb 96% lean ground beef
1 med onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoon flour
1 can Diet Coke
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
~
Brown beef and onion, drain well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on wheat bun (add points for bun).
Makes 6 servings
3 WW points per serving
Note: If you make this with Morning Star crumbles this recipe becomes 2 WW points per serving.
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Go here to see more plans.

Contest

2008-04-12T07:15:00.002-04:00

Head on over to Red Sox Mommy's, Natalie has a great giveaway going on right now for 3 girls t-shirts and they are cute!!! There's one in the picture!

Freezer Food Friday

2008-04-11T13:51:00.003-04:00

This is really yummy, you can make one for dinner and one for the freezer in a very short amount of time.

Lasagna Margherite

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1 (26-ounce) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce

Cooking spray

1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt6 no-boil lasagna noodles

1/2 cup (2 ounces) pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
~
Preheat oven to 450°. Spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine ricotta, 1/3 cup basil, crushed red pepper, and salt. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1 cup ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Cover and bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Uncover lasagna, and top with Parmesan and 2 tablespoons basil. Bake lasagna an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

4 servings
NUTRITIONAL INFO: CALORIES 386(30% from fat); FAT 12.7g (sat 7.6g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 24g; CHOLESTEROL 43mg; CALCIUM 620mg; SODIUM 959mg; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.4g

Source: Cooking Light Magazine November 1998

For more Freezer Food Friday recipe go to What a Crock!

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken

2008-04-10T09:10:00.004-04:00

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken
~

6 whole chicken breast halves without skin -- skinned and split

1 dash pepper

To taste paprika

20 ounces pineapple tidbits in juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic -- minced

Arrange chicken in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. In a small bowl, combine drained pineapple tidbits, mustard and soy sauce. Pour over chicken. Add minced garlic. Cover and cook on LOW 7-9 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.

Makes 6 serving. Per Serving: 194 Calories; 2g Fat; 28g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 68mg Cholesterol; 483mg Sodium.

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

Lighter BLT Pasta Salad

2008-04-10T08:33:00.003-04:00

Lighter BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
~
3 2/3 cups cooked large macaroni shells
4 cups tomatoes, cut up
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cups of thin sliced lettuce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
~
In a large bowl mix together shell, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. In a small bowl mix the sugar, vinegar, mayo, sour cream and mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over shell mixture, stir and chill.
Serves 6, 1 cup servings at 3 Weight Watcher Points Each
Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes.

A Better Look

2008-04-09T10:57:00.003-04:00

My Weight Chart:

I think this chart better shows my progress from when I started on Jan 7 of this year!

My Weigh In...

2008-04-09T08:02:00.002-04:00

Well my meeting was not as bad as I thought it would be. I was worried because last week I had only lost .8 pounds. I knew I had done GREAT this week. Stayed on points, exercised everyday, so why was I worried? I got on the scales and I had lost another 2.4 pounds! I was so excited! This puts me at 286 pounds. Since going to Weight Watchers I have lost 11.4 pounds! I have lost a total of 37.8 pounds since I started! 32 pounds would have been my 10% if I had started going to meetings when I started, but now I have to lose 29 pounds while going to meetings to get my 10% key chain. I only have 17.6 pounds to go to reach my 10% and get my key chain. I will get a 25 pound charm before I get my key chain to put it on. I am feeling so much better. I went to the grocery and got some different foods that I think will help me with this rut I am in. I thought it was kind of funny that after the lady had rung up my groceries, she said man you sure do eat healthy. I never thought someone would say that about me! lol!
Well off to start another good week, I HOPE!
Oh and the red star is my first 5 pounds, the pink star is an additional 5 pounds and the line is where I need to get to reach my 10%.

Menu Plan Monday- April 7-13

2008-04-07T09:19:00.000-04:00

I have really gotten tired of my meals, so I am trying a lot of new things this week! Here is my plan.

Hungry Girl's Whoppers-4 points; fries for kids and hubby; corn

Chicken and Broccoli Laughing Cow Fetticuine Alfredo -8 points each, salad

Slow Cooker Lasagna- 8 points, salad

Mom's Pizza (for kids)- 4 points, White Pizza for dh and me- 4 points, salad

Dorito casserole-7 points

Ranch Chicken- 8 points, broccoli and caulflower mix, green beans (for kids)

Swiss Chicken Casserole- 6 points, green beans

Desserts:

Cheesecake Dessert-2 points

Soda Cake- points depends on cake mix, I am trying a reduced sugar one, devil's food and Coke Zero Cherry Soda

Go here to see more plans.

My kids

2008-04-04T13:28:00.005-04:00

It is rare that I get a picture of them all together!

I lost my BLOG ROLL! :(

2008-04-04T08:49:00.007-04:00

I want to say that I have not been posting much over here. I have kind of been frazzled since changing my layout on this blog. I gave all my information to the person who redid my blog. I thought she would save everything and put it back on for me. Well she did not save my blogroll and I am going to have to find the time to recreate it! I miss it! It was so easy to go and visit blogs everyday, unfortunately I will probably loss some of them forever! I also can not just go to the top to get to the dashboard anymore and that has kind of been different for me. I also need to add the book I am reading to the side too. Eventually I will get this place back in shape, so please bear with me. So, if you visit here please leave a comment to this post so I can put you back on my blogroll. Thank you! Next week I am going to be working on my blog roll.

Favorite Ingredient Fridays

2008-04-04T08:45:00.001-04:00

Well desserts are not something that I get to enjoy a lot these days since starting my new healthier lifestyle, but every now and then you just want something and these kind of recipes take the guilt out of it! So, for now my desserts are going to be WW friendly.

German Chocolate Cake

One box German Chocolate cake mix

12 oz. diet coke or diet Dr. pepper

1 small box sf/ff butterscotch pudding

1 3/4 c. skim milk

1/4 c. flaked coconut

1/4 c. chocolate chips and/or chopped pecans (optional)

Mix cake mix and diet soda thoroughly, pour into a pam-sprayed 9x13 pan, bake as directed on package. While still some what warm remove from pan and put on serving plate. Poke holes in top of cake. Prepare pudding with the milk and before fully set pour gently over top of cake. While still wet sprinkle coconut and, if desired, chocolate chips and pecans. Refrigerate and allow to set for a few hours before serving.Special Notes:The pudding is a decent substitute for the usually decadent coconut/pecan icing. Since you are just sprinkling them on top you don't need too much.Makes

18 Servings: about 3 Points per Serving, please check this with the ingredients you use, as some cake mixes NI are different!

For more great recipes go to Overwhelmed With Joy!

Tasty Thursday- Lighter Alice Springs Chicken

2008-04-03T09:38:00.008-04:00

Awhile back, I posted one of my favorite recipes, Alice Springs Chicken. A dinner I loved at the Outback Steak House. Well now I found a lighter version that I still really like.
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Lighter Alice Springs Chicken
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MARINADE
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 oz. each)
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HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE
1/4 cup light mayo.
1/4 honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. white vinegar
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OTHER
4 slices of bacon
2 slices of Colby Jack cheese
2 cups fresh mushrooms
Cooking spray

Mix marinade ingredients well. Pour into Ziploc bag and add chicken. Chill in fridge for at least 3 hours. Mix honey mustard sauce ingredients well and chill. Preheat grill. While heating, fry bacon until crisp, place on paper towel to drain grease. Grill chicken 7-10 min. each side. Preheat oven to 375. As chicken grills, prepare mushrooms by spraying skillet and sauteing them 10-15 min. Transfer chicken to large baking dish. Slather each breast with sauce, 2 halves of bacon (side by side), mushrooms and cheese. Bake in oven for 7-12 min. or until cheese melts.

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4 WW points per serving, Recipe makes 4 servings

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty recipes

My Applebee's Date Night

2008-03-29T08:40:00.004-04:00

Dh and I went to Applebee's last night for date night. I was very surprised that what I got was really good! I got the Steak & Portobellos 7 point dinner. The steak and whatever kind of mushroom sauce was just so good. The broccoli was so good and had some kind of dressing on it that was fabulous! The potatoes were also good, but they did not have what I think looks like chives in the picture above. Then we had the Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake. I shared half with dh so it was only 2 points for me. I had read a lot of reviews online that the chocolate tasted like rubber. I will admit that the texture is different but with the sauce it is really good. I also learned something about an appetizer we always order when we go to Applebee's. It is the Buffalo Chicken Wings w/Bleu Cheese Dressing. Dh ordered it again and I ate three pieces. There were 12 pieces in the dish, I counted. I picked the smaller ones and only used a very small amount of dressing. When we got home, I asked dh if he knew how many calories and grams of fat were in that appetizer. He said no so I told him and now I am going to tell you: Buffalo Chicken Wings w/Bleu Cheese Dressing (1724 cal/132 g fat/2 g fiber/) 45 WW Points!!!!! Dh was shocked, he said, "That is deadly!" I do not think we will EVER be ordering that again! I had to use some of my 35 weekly flex points to eat the small portion that I ate. I would have rather spent those points on a Caesar salad! Next time I might just do that! If you are interested in finding out calorie and fat content of things you eat you might want to visit Dottie's Weight Loss Zone. That is the best source I have found to get that information! But I warn you, you just might not want to know! LOL!

Freezer Food Friday-Mustard-Dill Chicken in Foil Packets

2008-03-28T09:00:00.005-04:00

I used to do Freezer Food Friday until the person quit doing it. What a Crock! has taken it over and I am going to start posting. Most of you who know me know I am doing Weight Watchers and have lost 34 pounds so the recipes I post now are WW friendly. Enjoy!

Mustard-Dill Chicken in Foil Packs (Freezer-friendly)

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1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 Tbsp dried dill weed(can use fresh dill weed)

1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces

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Preheat oven to 350°F.Combine mustard, yogurt, garlic salt and dill in a small bowl; thoroughly coat chicken with mustard sauce. Tear off 4 sheets of aluminum foil that are large enough to wrap each chicken breast individually. Place a prepared chicken breast on each piece of foil; gather foil loosely around chicken and fold over to seal.Place foil packs on a nonstick baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes. Using oven mitts and keeping your face away from steam, open foil. Broil chicken on foil until lightly browned and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes more.

Yields 1 piece of chicken per serving at 3 points each.
For more Freezer Food Friday recipe go to What a Crock!

My new look!

2008-03-27T12:40:00.005-04:00

A few months ago, I won a free blog header from Trista at Pumkin Patch Creations. So now here is my new design. So, what do you all think? I love it. If you are needing a new header head on over to Pumkin Patch Creations. For a blog header installed, she only charges $15. I think that is a great price and I may even redo one of my other blogs! Go on over to Pumkin Patch Creations and visit and comment on the post about my new header over there.

Slow Cooking Thursday-Rice Pudding with Fruit

2008-03-27T10:18:00.002-04:00

Crockpot Rice Pudding with Fruit
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4 cups skim milk

1/2 cup rice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon diet margarine

1/8 teaspoon salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup minced dried apricots or peaches

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2-3 packages Splenda to taste at end of cooking time

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Put all ingredients except Splenda into crockpot. Stir to blend well. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once after about 1 hour. Or, cook on HIGH for the first 30 minutes, turn to LOW and cook as long as you desire. Check after the first 2 hours of low cooking and stir. If rice is not absorbing the milk quickly enough, turn the crockpot up to HIGH again. Keep cover on at all times. Before serving, add Splenda to taste. Add a dollop of fat-free Cool Whip to each serving, if desired.
Makes about 6 cups. 1/2 cup serving is about 2 points

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

Tasty Thursday-Spring Edition

2008-03-27T08:53:00.009-04:00

Today for Tasty Thursday, Trista is asking for Spring recipes. When I think about the springtime, bright colors and fruits come to my mind! Especially lemons! I LOVE lemons! Recently at my Weight Watchers meeting, we talked about low calorie and low fat desserts and diet soda cakes came up. They are so good and all you need is a cake mix (any flavor), 1 can of any diet pop flavor, and one to two egg whites (optional but helps hold cake together.) All you do is mix those three ingredients (batter will be thick!) and then bake according to the cake package directions. The recipe I am sharing today is a similar kind of cake, but adds a few more ingredients. The Weight Watchers point value will depend on what kind of cake mix you use, all have different values for dry mix, so look on the package. Most of these cakes will be between 2-4 points. Enjoy and Happy Spring!

Lemon Better Than Spring Cake

18 ounces lemon cake mix
10 ounces diet Sprite(or any lemon lime flavor diet pop)
1 egg white
1/3 ounce sugar-free lemon gelatin
7 ounces fat-free sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces Cool Whip Free
2 teaspoons lemon extract

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Mix Lemon cake mix, egg white and diet soda. Grease a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
During the last few minutes of baking, put lemon jello and condensed milk in a sauce pan and stir on medium low heat until smooth. Take cake out of oven and poke holes all over the top. Pour jello mix over warm cake, filling in the holes. Cool completely. Mix 2 tsp lemon extract with cool whip. cover cake with cool whip mix. Place cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serves 24

Trista over at The Pumkin Patch is the host of Tasty Thursday, head on over to her blog to see more tasty Spring recipes.

Book Review-A Sister's Test

2008-03-23T19:36:00.004-04:00

This is the second book in this series. This book left me with the same feelings as the first. The book is really great but it just does not end right. Well,I guess that is because there is a sequeal, but still it just did not end like I wanted. This book focuses more on the second oldest sister in the family Ruth as she is put to the test by many trials. In the end, she puts her faith in God and finally makes it. This book as well as the first are both kind of stressful as someone is out to get the family and keeps doing small threatening things as well as causing a buggy accident that leads to the death of a family member. So, the autor has thrown in a mystery in a christian fiction book. The reader is given lots of clues as to who is doing this, but we still do not find out who or why in this book. I am a big fan of Wanda Brunstetter and this book meets my expectations of her, really good!

Book Review-Roanoke The Lost Colony

2008-03-23T19:29:00.002-04:00

This is from the Keeper of the Ring Series. I do not usually read books like this. The first one that I read by this author was Uncharted, but this is really a different book. I remember in history learning about Roanoke, but nobody really knew what happened to it. Angela Hunt tries to create what she thinks might have happened to that lost colony. A very believable story with great characters that seem believeable. I got to where I could not put the book down. This book continues with other tales. The next one is called Jamestown and I am excited to read that too. I really enjoyed this book as I have both Angela Hunt books that I have read now. I have more of hers on my to read list.

I have lost over 30 pounds!

2008-03-19T11:37:00.003-04:00

Well I just realized that I have lost over 30 pounds. I usually just say 5 or whatever the loss is but I just realized that I lost over 30 pounds and that makes me feel so good! If you want to see all of my progress go here.
We are all still pretty bad. I took all of the kids to the doctor yesterday. She put all of them except the baby on Tamaflu. I really do not think Tamaflu works on this flu if you want to know the truth, all my kids have fevers right now. I feel better, but my head feels like it is swimming and it makes it hard to do anything and I really have to at least do dishes and some laundry. Well, with fevers they are definitely not into as much, so that makes it a little bit easier! I will be around, but I am a little busy right now with all that is going on.

We have the Flu! :(

2008-03-14T09:30:00.004-04:00

I am so sick! I started feeling really bad last night. Dh has been sick almost a week now and he decided to go to the doctor today. He has the flu. The doctor said it was the bad kind type b. So, she wrote me a prescription for Tamaflu. Dh will just have to deal with his for another week or so because they did not catch his in time. I just started feeling really bad. I hope that the medicine will help me, the pharmacist said that she took it and started feeling better the next day. My kids all have bad colds they have had flu shots and their doctor said that it is good for flu type a,b, and c. So, that is probably why they are not so bad. That Tamaflu is $80 for a 5 day supply. I can't imagine if we had an epidemic like they are saying we will have how we would find the money for everyone in our family to be able to take it? That's scary to even think about! I probably will not be around for a few days while we try to get better.

Slow Cooking Thursday- Tamale Pie

2008-03-13T08:08:00.003-04:00

Crockpot Tamale Pie

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained

1 1/4 ounces chili seasoning mix

16 ounces canned diced tomatoes

16 ounces canned corn, drained

1 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, milk and egg. Stir in meat, chili seasoning mix, tomatoes, and corn until well blended. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour, then on LOW for 3 hours. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serves 8

NOTE: If you would like a spicier flavor, you can add 1 small can chopped green chilies or substitute Rotel tomatoes for the diced tomatoes.

Nutrition Information: 211 cal., 2.7 g. fat, 2.8 g. fiber, 4 WW Points per serving.

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

My New Jeans!

2008-03-12T07:43:00.002-04:00

Well here are my new jeans that I bought that fit me. I have not worn real jeans in a long time, probably 12 years at least before that I wore all elastic waist. These zip up and I like my new shirt too. This will be my March progress picture too. I think the pictures were taken too differntly to tell much of a difference, but believe me I know there is a difference! If you want to compare, here are my last pictures. These jeans and shirt were my "reward" for reaching my first goal!

This is not to show you my big fat butt, but to show you my new jeans have no elastic, important only to me probably!

Well thanks for taking part in my exciting new jeans!

Also: to hear all about my first Weight Watchers meeting, go here.

For more Wordless Wednesday Pictures go to 5 Min For Mom.

Menu Plan Monday-March 10-16

2008-03-10T11:28:00.002-04:00

My Weight Watcher Meal Plan for the week:

Monday- Roasted Turkey, 3 points; 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 2 points, green beans, 0 points

Tuesday-Soft Tacos, 1/2 cup Mexican rice, 3 points

Wednesday- Deep Dish Pizza Casserole, 6 points; salad w/lite dressing, 2 points

Thursday-Sweet and Sour Chicken (see recipe below), 3 points; 1/2 cup white rice, 2 points; 1 cup peas, 1 point

Friday-Mom's Cheese Pizza, 2 slices at 4 points each; salad w/lite dressing, 2 points

Saturday-Sesame Chicken, 5 points; 1/2 cup white rice; 1 cup peas, 1 point

Sunday-1 cup Chunky Tomato Soup/Spaghetti Sauce with thin spaghetti, 6 points; 2 pieces multi gran Sara Lee bread sprayed with butter spray and garlic powder, 1 point; salad with lite dressing, 2 points

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits with juice

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces

Cooking Spray

2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry mix

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1.Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Set aside.

2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan and chicken with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until browned. Rinse stir fry mix with hot water and drain; add to pan and cook 2 minutes.

3. When chicken is almost done, combine cornstarch, next 3 ingredients, and reserved pineapple juice; stir with a whisk. Pour juice mixture into pan; stir in pineapple. Bring mixture to a boil. and cook 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened and chicken is done.

Yields: 5- 1 cup servings at 3 WW points per serving

Calories per serving- 174, fat per serving- 0.6 grams, Fiber per serving- 0.8 grams.

Recipe from Weight Watchers 3 ingredient 15 minute Cookbook page 58.

Go here to see more plans.

Monday Morning Weigh-In

2008-03-10T09:46:00.001-04:00

Well, first let me say this was a very hard week for me! I started out doing so well and then my dh's grandfather died and we were gone from home a lot! We ate out at an all you can eat steak house one night. I have read some articles on how you should eat at these places and I pretty much followed it. A big salad first then fruits and veggies and then a lean meat, I had chicken instead of steak. Doing this really helped me stay on track. I was pretty full before I even started on the chicken! I also am looking at eating out in a different way now. I do try to watch my portions and fat in things while eating out, but eating out is such a luxury for us when we do go, I am going to stop worrying about it and just enjoy it instead of feeling so guilty. I counted all my points that day except the eating out because I really had no clue on some of the things as this restaurant does not have nutritional facts online or in the restaurant. I also was snowed in for a day and really snacked a lot! I did snack on healthy things usually 1-3 point items, but my points really added up that day! Still though I have a BIG weight loss for this week! Last week I weighted 298.6. This week, I weighed in at 293.2! That is another 5.4 pounds GONE!

Goodreads

2008-03-05T10:20:00.006-05:00

Goodreads is a site for readers. You can list all the books you have read, want to read or are currently reading. You can also list all of your reviews for your books on here. The neatest part of the site is that you can link up to your friends and see what they are reading. I just recently joined but I think it would be a great place for any reader. Go check it out. If you are on there, please let me know so we can become friends!

Daily To Do for March 4

2008-03-04T08:23:00.020-05:00

I really liked the "daily list" that Tammy had on her blog yesterday. I used to do the Lorie's To Do List everyday and it really helped me get stuff done so I want to start back. I have not been doing so good on getting stuff done around the house and spending some quality learning time with the kids. So, I think this will really help me and I plan to continue it. I think it will also make me for sure have something to do and not want to eat all day. lol!
Morning To-Do's
~~1. Read with Nick to wake him up~~
~~2. Unload Dishwasher~~
~~3. Load dishwasher~~
~~4. Read Scriptures~~
~~5. Exercise (twins will join me~~)
~~6. Start laundry~~
~~7. Sweep and Mop Kitchen Floor~~
~~8. Breakfast~~
~~9. Dress and change kids~~
~~10. Update Blogs~~
~~11. Kids watch educational video(Dora~~

Afternoon To-Do's
~~1. Lunch~~
~~2. Story time with kids (we would go outside but it is raining~~)
~~3. Naptime~~
~~4. Pick-up livingroom and vaccum~~
~~5. Unload dishwasher~~
~~6. Load dishwasher~~
~~7. Clean off kitchen table and high chair~~
~~8. Check Laundry~~
9. Pick-up 15 minutes with twins in their room
~~10. Help Nick with Homework~~
~~11. Check Laundry~~
~~12. Check Blogs~~
~~13. Snacktime~~
Evening To-Do's
~~1. Dinner~~
~~2. Unload Dishwasher~~
~~3. Load Dishwasher~~
~~4. Clean off kitchen table and high chair~~
~~5. Check Laundry~~
~~6. Bathtime for kids Brush Teeth, do hair, etc.~~
~~7. Storytime~~
~~8. Prayers with kids~~
~~9. Layout clothes for tomorrow~~
10. Make to-do list for tomorrow
~~11. Read my book- A Sister's Test~~
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What I am Watching on TV Tonight:
American Idol- The Top 8 Guys Perform tonight!
What's for Dinner? Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese for everyone else. I am having a Smart Ones Weight Watcher Meal.

Monday Morning Weigh-In

2008-03-03T08:13:00.001-05:00

Today I weighed in at 298.6 pounds. Last week I was 299.2 pounds. So, that is a lose of .6 pound. Not much, but I will take it. I know I need to exercise more. I think I only exercised twice last week. I seem to get a better loss on the weeks I exercise more. I am working on getting a group of people together to exercise once a week together. This would also get me out of the house a little bit and around adults. I will try and see what I can do, I know a few people are interested. Wish me luck.

Book Review- Blessings

2008-02-28T09:14:00.004-05:00

Blessings is the third book by Kim Vogel Sawyer in the Sommerfeld Trilogy. Trina Muller, a member of the old order Mennoite community of Sommerfeld has always had a passion for healing abandoned and injured animals. Her parents encourage this tenderness towards God's creatures until Trina confesses her dream of going to veterinary college, which is prohibited by her faith. Graham Ortmann loves Trina, but worries about how can he possibly marry someone who is determined to go against the dictates of the Old Order Mennonite fellowship. Trina can never be happy if she is outside of God's will for her life. Just when she thinks she has God's will figured out for her a new Veterinarian takes over the old vets practice and then an accident happens. Will Trina be able to see all of her dreams that she thinks are God's will? That's what the story is all about and counting our Blessings! I really loved this whole series and highly recommend it!

Book Review- Bachelor Girl

2008-02-28T09:08:00.004-05:00

Bachelor Girl is the final book in the Roger Lea MacBride series The Rose Years. This series continues in telling the story of Laura Ingalls Wilders daughter Rose. This book shows how much Rose grows up as she finally leaves home for the big city of San Francisco where she becomes a telegrapher. She has a rough time starting out, but finally makes it on her own. I really enjoyed this book as all of them in the series. I never read them when I was young so I read them when I was old lol. I really enjoyed them. Any Laura Ingalls Wider fan would love them!