Ground Chicken and others

I had my week two weigh in and I'm down another 1.8 lbs. Isn't that weird, the same loss two weeks in a row. Thats a total of 3.6 for me so far. Mr. Josh was down 3.6 lbs! Go him!

I thought I lost more and was shocked it was only 1.8, but I'll take it because honestly if I wasn't doing this I could very much be up 1.8lbs.

I've been using my points more wisely this week, which is a hard lesson to learn. I tend to eat a meal of point dense foods and it leaves me with less points in the evening making it hard not to dip into the 35 extra points I get a week. This week, I'm saving my flex points for my moms visit and our work dinner.

My mom is visiting! I'm so excited to take her around the city and make breakfast for her. My mom has a way of making things feel warm and cozy. The summer before I moved to NYC she spent the night with me every weekend for about four weeks helping me pack and just hanging out. I really loved that time we spent together.

I'm also looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. One because of the three days off of work, and two because I'm going to tackle making a traditional spread. I've never made a turkey before or sweet potatoes, but it should be interesting. I'm getting all Martha and planning the menu and place cards. It will be too much food for three people, anyone in the area want a thanksgiving meal?

And finally ( I think), I made a great dish last night that some of you might enjoy. It was similar to baked steak, but I used ground chicken. Sometimes I find ground chicken to be tough and bland, but this was tender and very wonderful served with mashed potatoes. Plus, it was only 9 points for one serving of chicken and mashed potatoes.

I don't know what to call it...Baked Chicken "Steak"
Who knows!
Okay...
1 lb. ground chicken breast
2 egg whites
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
add your preference of other spices, I used garlic, salt and pepper

Mix ingredients with your hands and form into 4-5 4oz. patties
Heat a large pan with 1tablespoon of olive oil
Begin to cook patties on both sides, squashing a little with a spatula to thin out
Then add one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of cream of chicken soup (you can use reduced fat for fewer calories and points!), and a 1/2 can of water (you may want more as the water evaporates)
Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 20 minutes
5 points per serving

Off to work! Have a lovely and healthy Tuesday!

oh girllll

So uh yes, on a small continuation to my coffee discovery. Er...uh...it made me quite sick. Stomach ache, bathroom exchanges...yada, yada. Too much? The wrong kind? Who knows.

I did have some green tea yesterday to soothe the ache, so that was nice. I think I got too excited and drank too much, which is very possible.

After weighing myself this morning, I have to say I'm really excited to have my official weigh in tomorrow morning. The scale here is 2-4 lbs. less than the one at weight watchers. My first weigh in at weight watchers is 287 (yikes, i know) and at home the scale read 285 (still yikes, see how easy it is to regain?). Then the next week my home scale read 283.5 and weight watchers read 285 (1.8 loss). And so this week my home scale is reading 277.5! I'm excited to be back in my weight loss groove again, officially.

I'm trying to not get ahead of myself like last time and get all weight loss cocky. Reminder to self: you still have a ways to go!

It feels good to eat less. And I'll be saving my flex points this coming week for my moms visit and the flex points the week after for my Thanksgiving feast. It feels good to have flexibility and not worry that I'm "cheating" and get mentally torn up over that.

Also, me and Josh have been making a treat of chocolate rice cakes with a thin layer of peanut butter spread on top. It's very good and at the same time we both realized that is tastes very similar to a Little Debbie's Nutter Butter. The rice cake is 1 point and then the peanut butter is about 2-4 points more depending on how much you use.

Exercise? Oh yes, that needs to start happening again too.

Tonights Dinner

Turkey Meatloaf and Cheesy Potatoes

Turkey Meatloaf:
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
3 garlic cloves -chopped
1 medium/large onion-chopped
1/2 green pepper-chopped
One egg
1 cup tomato sauce
Worcestershire sauce
basil (1 tsp.)
salt (1/2-1/4 tsp.)
pepper (1/2-1/4 tsp.)
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup (save for the top)

Preheat oven to 350(f) degrees
Heat olive oil over medium heat with onions, green peppers and garlic. Cook until tender. Place onions, garlic and green peppers in a large bowl after they are cooked and let sit until they are cool enough to handle. Put the remaining ingredients in the bowl and mix well, careful not to over work the meat. Spray a loaf or pie pan with non-stick spray. Place mixture in the pan and cook for 45-55 minutes. Spread ketchup on top of your meatloaf when done and place in the oven for 5 more minutes.
The whole loaf has 18 points. I divided mine into 5 servings at 4 points each.


Quick Cheesy Potatoes:
4 medium russet potatoes-cubed
2 shallots (or medium onion)-chopped
4oz. can of chopped green chile's
1/4 cup green peppers- diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tbs. Olivio (or your choice of butter)
for taste: garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook your potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes or until tender (you can boil them as well). While your potatoes are cooking, cook your onions, and green peppers over medium heat until tender. When the potatoes are done place them in a spray pan (about 8x8) and top with melted butter, chile's, green pepper and onion mixture, and a dash or two of hot sauce. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper and then with your cheese. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly brown.
14 points for the whole dish. I split this into 4 servings at 3.5 points per serving.
This could be even lower in points with some sort of butter spray instead of butter, and reduced fat cheddar.

Total points for dinner: 8.5