Dinner In a hurry

So I have discovered these great little chicken sausages everywhere now! I picked these up at Trader Joe's. I think tonight's flavor was Spinach Asiago? Toss them in a skillet for about 10 minutes, or throw them on the grill! Dip these babies in a little Dijon and you have a great little 3 PPV deliciousness that taste like it must be a whole DAYS worth of points!



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Breakfast...Open Faced!

I like a LOT of food for as few points as possible. This is a great way to get in your morning protein and enjoy a plate full of great tasting food!

I remember as a kid going to Hardee's with my dad just about every Saturday morning for a Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit! I would dip each bite in a little bit of ketchup. I don't even want to think about how many WW Points that might be! AAAAHHHHHHH! It does help explain how I became a Weight Watcher member though......

This is my recreation, and I love it!

1 toasted light English muffin (3 PPV)
4 egg whites (1 PPV)
1 slice light cheese (1PPV)
1 T. bacon bits (1 PPV)

I toast my English muffin. Then I put 1/2 cheese slice on each English muffin half. I cocked my egg whites in a small skillet with 1 T. Of bacon bits sprinkled on top. When the eggs are set, I flip my little circle of eggs in half and continue to cook. When my eggs are completely cooked, I cut that in half and place on each muffin half.


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Oatmeal Banana Peanut Butter Bar!

I found this tonight on Pinterest and it was DELISH!

Check out the original recipe......but calculate your PPV if you make it like the original recipe says to.

Oatmeal  Banana Peanut Butter Bar


I did change up the recipe a bit to make these a little more point friendly. I substituted Splenda Brown Sugar and Better N Peanut Butter, which I have purchased at Target and at Trader Joes.

This 4x4 square is 4 PPV after I made a few changes.







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Burgers and Fries!

It's on the menu at LEAST once a week now!

1 Pound Ground Turkey, 93% fat free, 1 egg and Cavender's Greek Seasoning. I LOVE this seasoning. It's great on popcorn and veggies, but this is one of my favorite places to enjoy it!

I like to assemble my burger, with a slice of cheese and pop it on a whole wheat bun and wrap it in foil while I finish up dinner. This makes the bun soft and just a bit steamed from the heat!

Baked Zucchini Fries

The zucchini fries are a bit of a new find. Mix a little parmesan, some panko bread crumbs, cracked black pepper and a little garlic powder. Dip your zucchini in egg whites, then coat with cheese and bread mixture. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then flip each one and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes. They are super crisp! I dipped mine in a little light Ranch.

Finished off with a little fruit.

This entire dinner was 11 PPV and I feel like I had great meal of "Burger and Fries"!

Good Choices, Good Mood, Good Day!

This is a great little snack after a workout! It's my Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie. It's a WW Smoothie packet with 1 C cold water, with 1/2 frozen banana, and 2 T. PB2 (This is a peanut butter powder usually found in the health food section of your local grocery store, or Whole Foods?)

I walked the dogs, lifted weights at home, and hopped on the treadmil for 30 minutes. It's been a great productive Monday, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week!

Gooey and Yummy Cheese Sandwich!

I love a warm sandwich! This tasty little treat is super easy to make and as far as I'm concerned, Restaurant quality! (maybe a little exageration here) I love my light Italian Bread (2 slices, 2 PPV), and I use one serving of deli turkey, and 1 T. of Light Country Crock (1 PPV), 1 slice of cheese (1 PPV), and one wedge of laughing cow cheese (1 PPV). I LOVE the garlic and herb and used that today. My picture doesn't really show the gooeyness of the cheese, but is was soooooo good. This was a 6 PPV Sandwich!

Get those fruits and veggies in to help fill you up, and knowing you're eating healthy, makes you feel GREAT!

Treat yourself and take a few extra minutes to make your plate really look appetizing. If you would do it for company, then do it for yourself. It only takes a little extra time, and you just might eat a little slower and appreciate your meal more!

Now out to walk the dogs!

Protein in the Morning!

When I know I have a busy day ahead, I like to get in as much protein for as few points as possible. I found this Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage and thought I'd give it a try. It's pretty tasty! The serving size says 2/3 C., but I thought 1/3 C. was plenty, and I didn't want too much sodium. 1/3 C. of the sausage was 280 mg of sodium and 1 PPV. I scrambled 4 egg whites (1 PPV), and added 1 laughing cow cheese wedge (also 1 PPV)after everything was cooked, and it gave my yummy breakfast a nice creamy finish!

I like a grapefruit every once in awhile, but they can be such a booger to eat!

This was a great and filling breakfast for only 3 PPV!

Tzatziki Chicken Salad

I LOVE this sauce on just about everything. Dip veggies, or pretzels, or crackers in it! Spread on a whole wheat tortilla and add your favorite fillings for a roll-up!

Today? I mixed 1 T. of Tzatziki sauce (1 PPV) with 4 oz. of rotisserie chicken (3 PPV) and put it on a toasted piece of Lite Italian Bread (1 PPV)! I love to have something crunchy to eat with my sandwiches, so lately I opt for some 0 PPV crunchy veggies. This time I chose red bell pepper. I love the sweetness they have.

The orange gave me a little something sweet for desert and it helps me to avoid the sweet cravings later in the day.

This was great and filling 5 PPV lunch!

So Many Great Tools!

This is a favorite "Snack to Go"! I picked up this little mini blender at WalMart for, I think, 12 bucks! What a DEAL! I certainly use it for my smoothies, but it also comes in handy to puree in small batches for my soups! But this particular use was for a Blueberry Smoothie. A WW packet of Vanilla Smoothie mix, 1 C frozen blueberries, and 1 C of water. Delicious! Another reason I love this little blender, it's fits right in the cup holder in the car!

Preparing for the Weekend!

I'm sure as with many other folks, the weekend can be the hardest for staying on track with healthy eating, and overall, healthy choices. Winter seems even more of a challenge for me when the weather is cold. I'm an expert in excuses. "It's too cold to go the gym." - "I think my car runs poorly in the cold." - "If I go out in this cold, I'll be tempted to go through Starbucks and order something I shouldn't." - "I NEED to make this big pot of chili, so I probably don't have time to go to the gym." Okay, all kidding aside, some of these thoughts have really gone through my head. But I know it's only good choices that will get me the results I want. I have said before that I am in no hurry, and I still am not, but I do continue to look for different ways to change things up, because I DO get bored easily. I tend to not want to get out of the house unless absolutely neccessary, and when I'm home, I like to eat, and when it's cold, I crave comfort foods.

I love a pancake on a Saturday morning, and this is one of my favorites. The recipe for this favorite is in my post on 5-16-11. I topped this with a half of a sliced banana, 1/2 T. mini choc chips, and a drizzle of honey! DELISH!!

So today is Saturday and we are having friends over tonight to play dominos or pool, or whatever we decide we are in the mood for. What I don't want to happen is for everyone to hang out in the kitchen and snack and drink all night. So I am making a big salad, and baking thin crust pizza (a comfort food I love, and can enjoy in moderation). I think I'll have flavored water and focus on the conversation and the game of choice!

Weigh In Day!

Friday involves a WW meeting, followed by the gym, followed by lunch. I hate to eat anything before I weigh in, and I usually take a coffee and a protein bar, but I'm trying to change things up a bit, and save some of my moring points for my Friday night out. WW really focuses on Power Foods. Those are mostly fruits and veggies, lean meats and whole grains, and skim milk and I believe non-fat yogurt. So for my breakfast I chopped up an orange and an apple and topped it with 1/3 C. of fat free WW vanilla yogurt. Total = 1 PPV. Instead of hitting the Starbucks drive through for my Misto (half coffee, half steamed skim milk) I used my new toy that my husband got me for my birthday, my Keurig! My coffee drink with a packet of sweetner = 0 PPV! My previous breakfast of a protein bar (5 PPV) and a Misto (2 PPV) is something I will still enjoy, just a little less frequently.

After hitting the gym, I met up with my Pops at Panera and feasted on the Grilled Chicken Caesar, with the dressing on the side. I was satisfied with half of the dressing, 2 PPV, and the chicken was delicious! I was so full, I saved the apple they served on the side for later in the afternoon! A pretty successful day so far!

I have a group of friends that love to have Happy Hour on Friday. I love it just as much as they do, and am often the one to suggest it. I like my beer or wine, and with a Happy Hour and cocktails, you gotta have snacks! So last night I hosted the Happy Hour. I'm on a two week break from alcohol trying to break a plateau, but I decided I was strong enough to handle the task at hand. Happy Hour with NO cocktail for me! I popped 94% free popcorn, put out a few pretzels, and kept it simple. My drink of choice? Ocean Spray Diet Sparkling Cranberry. One can is 10 calories, and in a fun glass and a lime slice, nobody even notices your not having the calories they are! Happy Hour was a success!

At dinnertime, I really wasn't too hungry, but I knew it would be a mistake to not eat my points for the day, and I would probably wake up too hungry, so I baked tilapia with 1 tsp of butter infused olive oil on each fillet, a little kosher salt and cracked black pepper, topped with some chopped tomatoes and reduced fat feta cheese. One tilapia fillet, as prepared, was 6 PPV!

Feeling really good about today!

My 2 PPV Snack before going out!

I'm taking my niece out for dinner for her 18th Birthday! She picked pasta! I plan on a Caesar (dressing on the side, duh) no croutons, with grilled chicken. So I thought I'd fill up on a little something I really do enjoy. 1 cup of blueberries, 1/3 cup of WW Vanilla non-fat yogurt, topped with 1/4 cup of kashi!

5 PPV Breakfast

I have a lot of favorite breakfast foods, and this is certainly one of them! Easy and delicious. I like the steel cut oats, and I like the Quaker quick cooking oats, but sometimes I'm in a hurry and go for quick and tasty. This is a bowl of Quaker Instant Oatmeal (cinnamon and brown sugar), topped with half of a chopped apple that I had previously topped with cinnamon and put in the microwave for one minute. The other half of the apple I dipped in 1 T. of Better N Peanut Butter. The oatmeal was 4 PPV and the Peanut Butter was 1 PPV. And of course, the apple was ZERO!

7 PPV Chicken Taco Salad

This is SUPER easy. Place frozen chicken breast in the crock pot and top with a jar of your favorite salsa and your favorite taco seasoning. Let it cook all day, and then shred. Make soft taco's in a high fiber tortilla, or taco salad, or a tostado, or snack on some nacho's made with your favorite baked chips! The possibilities are endless!

Last night for dinner, I topped a bed of shredded lettuce, added some cheddar cheese, a few chopped up cherry tomatoes (there buried in there somewhere), and a little sour cream!

I also like to eat this with lots of chopped up bell peppers, onions, even cucumbers to really bulk it up. It's great with a few baked tostitos crushed on top too! But I ate what I had in the fridge and pantry tonight and was completely satisfied.

3 PPV Breakfast

This was a super breakfast of 4 scrambled egg whites on light Italian Bread, toasted and topped with a little salsa. 1 cup of fresh blueberries mixed with 1/3 C of Fat Free Weight Watchers Vanilla Yogurt! Filling and delicious!

8 PPV Lunch

We ordered Chinese last night, which really isn't my favorite and I rarely eat, but the hubby loves it, so once in a while I give in. I ordered Chicken and Broccoli in Black bean sauce, and I always pass on the rice. I ate half and saved the leftovers for lunch today. It's hard to calculate the points on this not really knowing exactly how it is prepared, but I have read that black bean sauce is one of the healthier options, and I do like the taste! I counted this lunch today as 8 PPV.