Menu Plan Monday 11/3

I've been working hard this past month at changing my eating habits... which means that the rest of the family is benefiting, too, since I do all the cooking.  It's all good.  ;)

On Sunday morning, we tried these Cottage Cheese Mini Pancakes by Weelicious.  They got rave reviews in my house-- the kids couldn't figure out the mystery ingredient.  My daughter (a Type I Diabetic) had a whole plate of pancakes and low sugar syrup for only 42 carbs-- you can't beat that!

Here's the plan for this week:

• MONDAY: Dashing Dish's Crockpot White Chicken Chili  
• TUESDAY:  Greek Marinated Chicken, Broccoli, George Stella's Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• WEDNESDAY:  Crockpot Turkey Smoked Sausage, Green Beans, Potatoes
• THURSDAY:  Crockpot Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Meatballs (based on this recipe)
• FRIDAY: Turkey Sausage, Egg, and Broccoli Breakfast Casserole (based on this recipe but using turkey sausage crumbles)

For more ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday!

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Healthier Me

Hello, blog land.  I haven't blogged much for a while now, and I do miss it.  It's ok, though, as I never wanted this blog to become a full-time thing.

So, recently, I've been working hard on my eating habits. Here's what's working for me:

• I've successfully given up my daily Mountain Dew habit.  It's been a lot easier than I thought, actually.  In the past month, I've had three... and I only actually finished the first one of them.  The other two, I took a couple of sips, then decided it just didn't taste good so I didn't want to waste the calories on it.   I'm amazed at how something I used to drink daily (sometimes more than once a day) now doesn't taste good to me!
• I am logging every single bite I eat into MyFitnessPal (free website/app).  I've used this in the past, and I know that any time I log my food, I automatically eat better.   Right now I'm on my 27th day straight of logging!
• I used the The 17 Day Diet Breakthrough Edition to start my weight loss.  I followed the program about 90% for the first cycle of 17 days, then decided to transition to just watching what I eat instead of following the next cycle.  (I kept my coffee creamer, and I had a few other things that weren't 100% legal on the plan, but I still lost 9lbs in those 17 days!)  If I find that I start gaining or just not losing, I will definitely hop back on the 17 day wagon.  
• I'm learning that many of my new food preferences fall under "clean eating" categories.  My tastes are definitely changing, and several of my old go-to snacks just taste... funny.   That definitely makes it easier to stay away from some of the bad stuff!

I'm working on this week's menu plan, and it will be up tomorrow for Menu Plan Monday.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Menu Plan 1/9 with points

DH and I have agreed that we both need to get back to eating better.  The holiday foods were wonderful, but the extra couple of pounds I picked up were not.  Time to start counting WW points+ again!

• MONDAY: new recipe from Pinterest: Skinnytaste Quick Skillet with Mushrooms and Onions  (might wrap this in tortillas-?)  (only 2 pts+ per serving) and tossed salad 
• TUESDAY:  broccoli & sausage crustless quiche (5pts+), toast (1pt+), fresh fruit (0)
• WEDNESDAY: new recipe: Skinnytaste Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup  (7pts+)  I'll have to leave out the chipotle adobo sauce for the kids, of course!
• THURSDAY: buffalo chicken salads (salads with grilled chicken tossed in buffalo sauce)
• FRIDAY:  family favorite meatloaf (7pts+), mashed potatoes (3pts+), green beans (0pts+)
• SATURDAY:  homemade pizza
  

..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links. You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Menu Plan Monday 6/27

Hey, I'm actually posting this on Monday instead of Tuesday for a change. Are you impressed? LOL!

We just bought a 1/4 of a cow, so my menu plans for the next few weeks will be much heavier on the beef than usual.  We've got to use up some of this beef so I have room in the freezer to buy other meats! 

• MONDAY: grilled hamburgers on buns (8pts+), salad (0-3pts+ depending on dressing)
• TUESDAY:  family favorite: crockpot beef machacha, on tortillas or nachos, with tomatoes/ lettuce/ cheese (points will vary per person)
• WEDNESDAY:  frozen chicken piccata, noodles, steamed broccoli
• THURSDAY: new recipe: crockpot beef & broccoli (9pts+) over rice (5 pts+)
• FRIDAY: new recipe: corn and salsa chicken packets  (8pts+)  *I think I'm going to try grilling these instead of baking them.  I might also add a can of black beans, as one reviewer did. 
• SATURDAY:  every Saturday: homemade pizza and tossed salad 

Many of my beef recipes are higher in WW points than I usually like to go for supper. I need to find some lower-points beef recipes.  Any suggestions?

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Light at the end of my tunnel...

Finally!   After a crazy couple of months with me working 5-6 days a week, I can finally see on the calendar a date when things will get back to a little more "normal" with my {allegedly} part time job.  Whew!

A few updates:

• for those of you who have been weight watching with me... I'm down 19-20 pounds, depending on the day.  ;)   (Although this week I have really not been sticking to my points so I may have gained a little back-- we'll see on Sunday!)
• for those of you from the DOC (Diabetes Online Community).. my daughter's blood sugars have been fairly stable with no crazy/scary events recently.  We have had the CGM in our possession for a month now, but we haven't started using it yet because DD is really fighting us on it. She already goes through so much with her diabetes and her pump that I have been reluctant to push yet another thing on her.  I wanted her to have some say in the matter, since this is one of the few aspects of diabetes that she can actually control.  However, two days ago we struck a deal: when she starts wearing it, she can get her ears pierced, which she has been begging to do for months now.  We may start it this weekend!
• for those of you who don't read specifically for either of those reasons, thanks for sticking with me!  I realize that my recent sporadic blogging isn't good for growing readership, but during this busy season of my life, I'm OK with that.   I'm grateful for each of my bloggy friends!

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinions.

Watching My Weight Wednesday

I've been doing Weight Watchers online since the middle of January, and I've lost 14.6 pounds so far.  I have lost something every week except for two-- one week (funeral week, where I lived on funeral casseroles at my parents' house for five days and didn't care about points) I gained four pounds, and another week I gained 6 ounces.   Every other week, I've lost, usually between 1-2lbs. each time.  I'm happy with that... slower than I'd like, but steadily losing, so that's what really matters.

What's working for me: 

1. Making my daily points a game.  I'm already carb counting everything we eat due to my daughter's Type I Diabetes.  So, adding in the "challenge" of counting my points really is a game in my head.  
2. Tracking everything.  I keep track of what I eat in my online food diary at the WW site, using either my home computer or my phone.   I know I could do this for free by just writing it on paper, but I am a tech-oriented person... using the computer or my phone makes it fun, which makes me stay with it.  So, I'm still shelling out my monthly fee- at least for the time being.  (My DH and I have already discussed this budget-wise... it's one of the first things we'll cut if needed, but for now DH wants me to keep it up since I enjoy using it so much.) 

One of the best ways for me to play my "game" is by using several different sites for recipe ideas and WW tips.   Here are some of my favorite WW-related sites:

•  "Point-less" Meals
•  Danica's Daily
•  My Kitchen Adventures
•  Friends for Weight Loss (WW support group)

If you know of others I should check out, please let me know in the comments.

Check in with others who are watching their weight each Wednesday over at Angie's Healthy Living Blog.

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with WW, I'm just sharing my personal experience with their online program here. 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  
You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Menu Plan: March 7th

This week includes my meatless meals for Ash Wednesday and Friday... those will get some meat added to them for my husband and son.   WW Points Plus are noted when I know them. All of these recipes are new to us this week!

• MONDAY: foil pack taco chicken (8pts+), tossed salad with fat-free vinaigrette (0pts+)
• TUESDAY: Fat Tuesday!  Sharon's oatmeal pancakes (2pts+ each) and turkey sausage (4pts+)
• WEDNESDAY:  egg, cheese, and veggie breakfast burritos with salsa (pts+ will vary per person) 
• THURSDAY:  broccoli & sausage crustless quiche (5pts+), toast (1pt+), fresh fruit (0)
• FRIDAY:  grilled cheese (5pts+), tomato basil soup (2pts+) 
• SATURDAY:  homemade pizza & tossed salad   *This past Saturday I was running ragged and considered picking up a deli roasted chicken for supper while we were getting groceries.  My 7 year-old daughter was horrified... "But Mom, it's Saturday, you always make homemade pizza!"   LOL.  We compromised by buying a clearance deli pizza at the grocery store for $5.  ;)

Edited to add:  After looking over this post my husband has informed me that going seven days without any "dead cow" is too long for him...LOL!  (In truth, I did wonder if it was a little too breakfast-heavy for him when I was writing it up.)    Therefore, I will add in his requested hamburgers and/or steaks to switch out some of the planned meals this week.  ;)

Check out lots of others' menus and post your own at Menu Plan Monday!

Menu Plan 2/21-- Ten Down edition

I've officially lost ten pounds now by following the Weight Watchers online program for the last month! :)

Points Plus are listed here when I know them:

• MONDAY: pepperoni omelets (egg beaters, peppers, onions, cheese, pepperoni, pizza sauce, etc.- pp will vary per person), fresh fruit (0pp)
• TUESDAY: WW chicken fingers with BBQ sauce (5pp), oven fries (3pp), steamed broccoli (0pp) 
• WEDNESDAY:  family favorite meatloaf (7pp), mashed potatoes (3pp), green beans (0pp)
• THURSDAY: baked macaroni with cocktail weiners  (Not gourmet, LOL, but a special request of my 7 year-old who is sitting here working on the menu plan with me!) and veggies
• FRIDAY:  hamburgers (5pp without bun), tater tots (4pp), salad (0-2pp) (requested by the "boys"-DS and DH)
• SATURDAY:  To be determined.  I'll be spending the entire day baking in preparation for my sister's bridal shower, so dinner will probably be something easy I can toss in the crockpot in the morning.  I'll decide after I get groceries and see what I find on sale.  ;)   

 

Menu Plan: Weight Watchers, week 2

I'm a day late, but after figuring this all out I'm posting it anyway! ;)

My menu this week is kind of vague.  That's because I'm reading through new-to-me recipe blogs whenever I get a few free minutes to play online in search of great new recipes that are WW friendly. 

• MONDAY:  Little Smokies, WW Baked Macaroni &Cheese with Broccoli (7pp)    
• *Recipe Review: This was nice and creamy... but kind of bland.  To be fair, I left out the mustard as my family usually does not like macaroni recipes with mustard, so that probably would have provided a little more flavor. 
• Yes, I know, Little Smokies are an odd menu item... but I had one package left after the holidays! The kids think they're a big treat.  :)
• TUESDAY: something to use up thawed stew meat 
• my homemade vegetable soup (that's my recipe posted on Food.com) (6pp as written- I'm making some substitutions and it should be around 2-3pp per cup)
• or beef stew?
• WEDNESDAY: buffalo chicken-- over chef salads?  on sandwiches?
• I'll grill some chicken tenders in the George Foreman grill and then shake them in our favorite wing sauces.  The kids will probably have chicken nuggets.
• THURSDAY: ham omelets-- everyone can pick what else they want in them: peppers, onions, cheese, mushrooms, etc.    I'm looking at various recipes but will probably make them my usual way with Egg Beaters.
• FRIDAY:  WW chicken fingers with BBQ sauce (5pp), oven fries (3pp), steamed broccoli (0pp)  
• I didn't get to this meal last week- we had baked chicken & mixed veggies instead.
• SATURDAY:  our usual homemade pizza    
• Last week I experimented with a new crust and sauce, and both got mixed reviews.  I'll be trying new recipes again this week, but I haven't decided which ones yet!

And with every meal I'm adding in fresh fruit of some sort-- apples, oranges, bananas, and blueberries

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Menu: back to Weight Watchers edition

I officially joined Weight Watchers Online yesterday.  I've done WW at home before,  using the materials I bought off eBay, but now, with the new PointsPlus system, everything is different.  I never thought I'd pay for something like this, but I got a good deal (no joiners fee with 3-month membership), and so far, I'm pretty impressed with their online tools.    And no, nobody is paying me to tell you this- it's just my personal opinion!

I'm still learning the new PointsPlus system, so some of these meals are a little high in points.  I hope to find other ways to prepare the dishes and lower the points as I go. There will definitely be some tweaking!  ;)

• MONDAY:  family favorite meatloaf (7pp), ww mashed potatoes (4pp), green beans (0pp)
• TUESDAY:  Kids's request: pancakes (still searching recipes), bacon (3 pieces=4pp), fruit salad
• WEDNESDAY: WW chicken fingers with BBQ sauce (5pp), oven fries (3pp), steamed broccoli (0pp)
• THURSDAY: my homemade vegetable soup (that's my recipe posted on Food.com) (6pp), grilled cheese sandwiches (6pp)
• FRIDAY:  pork roast & veggies (no clue on points, LOL) in the crockpot, tossed salad (0pp)
• SATURDAY:  homemade pizza using my favorite bread machine dough

If you have any pointers or know of any great WW blogs, I'd love to hear from you!  :)
 
This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.