MENU Madness

2 Rotisserie Chicken DRUMSTICKS-1 point per drumstick
Steamed Potatoes (1 small), handful of Carrots, handful of Sugar Snap Peas--2 points
(*Add in 2tsp light margarine and sprinkle in some Italian Seasoning)
Whole Wheat Roll with 2 tsp light margarine--2 point
6 Points Total

BBQ Pulled Pork, 1 cup--8 points
1 Regular Bun--3 points **Could substitute whole wheat roll or bread for only 1 point
Pickles and onions--0points
1 serving Baked French Fries--3 points
Salad with fat free dressing--0 points
12 (*with whole wheat bread/roll) or 14 points (but WELL worth it!)


Bubble UP Enchiladas (*see earlier post for recipe)--6 points per serving
Chili beans, 1/2 cup--2 points
Corn--1 point
9 Points

DESSERT!!!!

1 Jello Brand, Dulce Sugar Free Pudding Cup
1 Banana cut up *Layer on the bottom of the bowl, and on top of pudding
2 points!!!!

1 sugar free snack pack pudding (*any flavor)
2 tbsp Sugar Free Cool Whip *Blend Together in a bowl to create a mousse
2 points!!!!

1 serving frozen fruit of your choice *heat in the microwave for 30sec-1min--add splenda to sweeten
Add 2 tbsp FROZEN sugar free coolwhip (will taste like ICECREAM!)
2 points!!!!

NEW RECIPE BUT WORTH A TRY

Butterfinger "Pie"  (4 points)

1 angel food cake (prepared)

1 oz fat-free sugar-free vanilla pudding (mix larger size)

16 ozs cool whip (fat free)

8 12 ozs candy bar (size butterfinger) 

1	Spray a 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray.
2	Tear angel food cake into bite size pieces.
3	Prepare pudding with 1-1/2 cups of skim milk and mix with 2 containers of Cool Whip Free.
4	Crush candy bars.
5	Layer 1/2 cake, 1/2 of pudding mixture and 1/2 of crushed Butterfingers. Repeat layer.

 

1 12 cups skim milk

going the extra mile

When I am doing any type of exercise that includes mileage, I watch the counter like a hawk.  Every tenth of a mile, every second it takes to get there, I soak it all in and attempt to make myself pedal a little harder, jog a little faster.  Every extra bit of mileage I can fit in makes me feel accomplished.

Most of my cardio workouts last about 30 minutes.  I don't know about you, but I try to stay engaged, but after 30 minutes I start to get bored.  SO I have to fit in as many miles, as many calories, as much sweat as I possibly can.Today, I was able to fit in a whole extra mile. 

To the fitness buffs and cardio queens this is no big deal. 
But for a fluffy gal with lower back issues, I am more than thrilled!

I was able to fit in a 7 mile bike ride in 30 minutes.  Up til now it was 5-6 miles and I was content with that.  This is BIG STUFF people.

I give half the credit of this accomplishment to my husband.  How is that possible you ask?  He's not pedaling the bike for me, right?!  WELL we have had this lovely piece of equipment sitting in our livingroom for almost 3 weeks now.  Til this week I had only used it ONE time.  Tuesday night, my sweet loving (*and oblivious) husband asked me "Why I hadn't been using the bike that I was advocating so hard to get?"   
 After a few seconds of hurt feelings mostly comprised of wounded ego and guilt I attempted to be mad at him for questioning my workout ethics, but then I had to take a long deep breath and ask myself...
"WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN USING THIS BIKE?!" 

There's only one answer: I'm using excuses of basically anything and everything to get out of doing it.  AKA--I'm lazy. 
And that has to change.

So, THANK YOU to my handsome husband for accidentally motivating me to go the "extra mile" 

...literally. =)

Bandaids

Food is not a band-aid.  It will not fix whatever you are using it to cover up. 

What a profound statement. 
Food is not a Band-aid.

How many times in my life, and maybe in your own, has food been used as an emotional crutch?
A mental distraction? 
A physical release of life? 

But the truth in the matter is, FOOD IS NOT A BAND-AID.

It will in fact cause more problems that it will solve.
It will snowball your life into a host of other ailments that you will try to eat your way out of. 

It will cause health issues: obesity, diabetes, acne, bone density loss, arthritis, high blood pressure...
It will cause emotional and mental issues: lower self esteem, lacked confidence in almost every aspect of your life even if you don't realize it, depression, eating disorders...

As a society we immediately gravitate towards food for EVERYTHING.
Celebration? Dinner Party, BBQ, Cake and Punch
Funeral? Casseroles, Comfort Food
Family Time? Dinner Table, Breakfast/Brunch, Picnics, Movie Snacks, Sunday Dinner after church

...can you see where this is all leading for someone who seeks sometime of answer for their problems?  We are raised to associate food to solving the answer to everything.

but FOOD IS NOT A BAND-AID.  
Maybe I can keep this in mind when I need to process whatever I am going through in my life to find an alternative to using food to patch together what I am needing to accomplish.



HAPPY MONDAY!!!

RECIPE TIME

SUPER EASY BubbleUp Enchiladas

1 pound ground turkey
1 10 oz can Enchilada sauce
1 can Tomato Sauce
1 can reduced fat Refrigerator Biscuits (cut into 1/4ths)
Mexican Cheese Blend to Top the dish

Preheat oven to 350*
Brown your turkey meat (I also added some green peppers, onions, and 1/4 corn to my meat mixture).
Add your enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, AND your refrigerator biscuits.
Pour into greased 8x10 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
Add cheese to top and bake for 10 additional minutes.

Nutrition  Info: Calories 390 | Fat 11.5g
Weight Watcher Recipes 6 points (old points)
      Serves 6

Overall this dish was super easy to make and very filling.  Even my husband liked it and said it was a "do again" kind of recipe!

weakness into strength

My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.  ---Michael Jordan

I am my own worst enemy.  

I can take my biggest weakness (being food) and let it overcome me.  I can get so down when I start to feel "food guilt" and continue to go on a downhill slide because it's what I do. 

So with that said, "My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength" is a new mantra.  

Food should not be a weakness because it should be the way to stay healthy.  

You should never lose yourself to something that can spoil. =)

I am proud of the progress I have made even if it has taken a while to accomplish it.   I will take my moments of weakness that I typically punish myself for and make myself transform that self degradation into strength to continue working on becoming a healthier me.

NO MORE WEAKNESS---not even for chocolate =)