Pancakes....

Are oh so yummy. And oh so addictive. So I was delighted when I found Fiber One Pancake mix - all you have to do is add water & they are just as good as bisquick. A serving is 3 pancakes and that's only 3 pts. I also found Joe's Market No-Sugar Added Whole Blueberry Syrup at Ukrop's - delicious!!

I bought the Hungry-Girl Cookbook but our oven has been on the fritz all week. We had it fixed Friday so now I'll start exploring it a little closer. But without the oven I was able to make Chilly Chocolate Cheesecake Bites and the Chocolate Mousse Cream Cones. The cheesecake bites were not very good, and they made a mess and were extremely difficult to get out of the ice cube tray.
BUT...The chocolate mousse cream cones are going to be a staple! And they are so easy! I made them for dessert one night and everybody liked them, with one pitfall - the Hershey Lite Syrup - it did not taste like any chocolate I know and I almost spit it out, but you don't really need that step.

Chocolate Mousse Cream Cones (adapted from Hungry Girl)

Mix one jell-o pudding snack with 1/2 cup of Cool Whip Free, put in freezer for 45 minutes or until mousse sets. Spoon into 2 flat bottom ice cream cones and serve. That easy, and really yummy. Makes 2 servings. (1 serving = 2 points). ***The original recipe says to put 1 tbsp of lite chocolate syrup in the bottom of the cone and swirl around to coat the cone, then put the cone in the freezer with the mousse. I'd skip that! ***


More WW Success - I've been steadily losing b/n .5 and 1 lb a week. Which isn't a lot but at this point it's not going to come off fast. I went shopping with my sis yesterday and was shocked to find that I'm now a size 6 and even had to go down to a small in some tops! That's 2 sizes in 2 months! And 5 sizes in a year! Yipee!!

MS Awareness Week

My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1999. She is (amazingly) still able to walk sometimes needing the assistance of a cane. Within the past few months she has developed the worse relapse she has had in years. My sister and I are participating in the MS Walk this spring as I am finally in the shape to do it!

Please help us lift her spirits and help fund the research that will find the cure. Hopefully by the time the Walk comes around she can join us on the route, if not then we will see her at the finish line waiting for us!

Click below for more information and consider donating!

Thanks!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/M-MWalk

Snowed In...

After being snowed in for two days we are going to venture out today. I love my Jeep :)

First stop - Barnes and Noble for the Hungry Girl Cookbook. Can't wait to give some of the recipes a try. And she has a new one coming out in April. Yay!

Speaking of books - I reread one of my favorites this weekend. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. It's amazing that this book is written by a man. He captures all the issues that Women go through so convincingly. It is a little risque at times so be ware. But the battles she goes through (Crazy parents, rape, mental illness, weight, growing up) make my issues seem so much smaller. It's a great read!

So now I'm moving on to Twilight. Yep, I'm finally giving in and jumping on the bandwagon. I am a huge Harry Potter fan (was in line when the last book came out & went to the midnight release party) and am a little skeptical but my friends have all read it and rave about it. I saw it at Costco for $7 and figured I give it a read, so we'll see how it goes.

Tested and Loved...

I read a bunch of product reviews on sites like Hungry Girl, the WW Message Boards, and in the WW Magazine. But I always wish I had a friend's perspective on some of the products before I spent my money. So I gave in and just tried them for myself. I'll post from time to time the products I have tested and love or hate. Here are some of the latest -

~ Fiber Gourmet Mac & Cheese - so I heard about this thru HG and was skeptical. You have to order it online and you have to buy it in bulk (the smallest pack is 6 boxes). I love Mac and Cheese. Love it. And I can't be on a diet that doesn't include it . These are a good stand in. A little less cheesy then Kraft's blue box but still not bad for diet food and you get a major dose of fiber. My mom and husband even eat the stuff, not their favorite but they eat it. It's 3 Points® per serving.

~ Yoplait Smoothie Mix - Mixed Berry - I happened across these in the freezer section of Costco. Each bag of mix has frozen yogurt bites & frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Stick it in the blender with milk or oj and you have a yummy breakfast. The package also recommends trying it with Soymilk and flaxseed oil - I haven't got that adventerous yet.

~ Morningstar Veggie Corn Dogs - This was the suggestion of my sister who is a professional chef. She claimed they tasted just like real corn dogs. She likes to eat weird stuff though so I wasn't sure. But I gave them a try and she was right! They are just like the real thing!! I also like the mini corn dogs. Look in the vegetarian freezer section.

~ Kettle Brand Baked Chips - Lightly Salted & Honey BBQ - delicious! Enough said!

~ Shadybrook Farm Italian Style Turkey Meatballs - put some jarred marinara in a pan, add the already cooked meatballs - simmer for 15 minutes add LF Mozzarella and put on a bun for a nutritious, delicious Meatball Sub.

Recipes

I have to share these amazing recipes from Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave" cookbook.


*Portobello Lasagna Rollups*
These are so delicious - it is definitely time consuming but worth it in the end. The Portobello's substitute greatly for the meat - even if you don't like mushrooms this is worth a try. She says a serving size is 2 rollups but I can only ever eat one with a salad. The NI is included.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/portobello-lasagna-rollups-recipe/index.html

*Baked Shrimp and Tomatoes with Feta*
Fast, easy, yummy.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/baked-shrimp-with-tomatoes-and-feta-recipe/index.html

*Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream Sauce*
DH always raves about the Fish Tacos he has at Mama Kwan's in the OBX. I always thought they sounded strange, but when I came across this recipe I thought we'd give it a try for him. And myself & my mom were very pleasantly surprised. Another easy one. This is going to be a weekly staple! Make sure you take the seeds out of the chipotles and add a little at a time until you have the right heat - not all 2 tsps at once. I used sweet corn which was a great complement to the spice in the cream.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/fish-tacos-with-chipotle-cream-recipe/index.html

Weight Watching...

I can't believe it's been a year since I've joined WW and I can't believe the progress I've made.
Anyone from my childhood/HS/College would laugh and say it's so easy for me to maintain my weight. But my body seriously turned on me when I became pregnant (and I turned on it a little too.) After the pregnancy this became all too clear - no longer could I scarf down double quarter pounders, oreos, french fries, and all my other vices, with no consequences. I gained 20 lbs from my pregnancy - and then 10 more within the first 6 months after C was born. And for over a year I just let it stay there - until January 08 when I found myself buying size 14, and looking at pictures of myself made me want to cry. I was so happy with my life as a mommy and wife but not with myself. I found the motivation thru a friend to join WW and started my journey. I joined online because I am not a sit in meeting and Kumbaya my problems with a bunch of strangers (I know strange considering I'm a lifetime Girl Scout!), or getting on a scale and announcing my failure to the world.

Within the first 3 months I lost 20 lbs. Then the summer came and I fell back into the same old ways and gained 10 back. Around November I started needing my 14s again after being in 10/12s. And new drastic measures needed to be taken. So I hired a personal trainer at the Y. The very first session she tried to get me to run on the treadmill - my heartrate shot up to 190 - we stopped. I signed up for 5 sessions, then kept adding them on - from November to mid-January she whipped me into shape. And the weight came off. Yay! I am now doing it on my own - not going to the gym so much - just being really good on the diet - and actually cooking from scratch dinners a lot. I'm 10 lbs from my goal weight and in a size 8.

I have never really done something just for myself like this and it has given me such a boost in confidence. I love going out with the girls and dancing and feeling comfortable in my own skin.

Let's hope I can keep it up! 130 here I come!

Blogging...

I've never been very good at keeping up with things like this - but I'm going to give it a shot.

I need somewhere to vent, share, get advice, and help with boredom.

My favorite topics - mothering, "dieting" (I'm supposed to call it a lifestyle not a diet - ha!), reading, music -etc.

So here it goes!! Enjoy my craziness!