Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus With Savory Breadcrumbs

This is a recipe I've been wanting to try for a while.  There are loads of similar recipes but I sort of made up one of my own.  

I did see a magazine that listed a recipe for prosciutto wrapped around slices of pear and arugula so I thought I'd try that first.  I mean, easy peasy right?  

Yes, it was easy peasy but it wasn't all that good.  It was fun to try though.  

So, I decided to move on and try something else.  

I wrapped bundles of 3 asparagus with one slice of prosciutto then placed it in a sprayed Pyrex dish.

Next, I mixed two Tbsp of Panko(Japanese bread crumbs) with 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan and 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp dried parsley.  

I toasted the breadcrumbs on a sprayed skillet until they just started to lightly brown.  

Then I removed them from the heat and sprinkled them over the asparagus.

I had extra asparagus so I threw them in and put breadcrumbs over them as well.  

I baked this at 425 F for 15 minutes, until the asparagus was tender.  

While that was baking I made myself a salad with all that leftover arugula, pears and added feta and 1 pt Panera Poppy seed dressing.  

Here's how they came out~

The verdict?

They were good, but honestly I think I'd like these just as well or better with regular bacon.  

I'd use the pre-cooked Hormel Black Label bacon.  It's low in points and way, way cheaper!

Let's talk points-

It's 6 points for 2 oz of prosciutto.  That's the whole package.  

The breadcrumb mix comes out to 2 points for the whole mix.  

That's 8 points total and then you can divide it up however you like.

I think this would serve 4 nicely which would put it at 2 pts per serving but you can decide how you want to divvy it up.  

I think these make a nice appetizer or side.  

I would also mention that with the prosciutto it comes out a bit salty even for me.  

Lastly, the plain asparagus with breadcrumbs were also really yummy!

So, bottom line- next time I'm not paying for the prosciutto and will use Hormel Black Label bacon instead.

With those changes it will be a keeper!

It's always an adventure!

Happy Cooking!

The Sabotaging Thoughts of Maintenance

I told you there was more bubbling up inside of me.

Well, here is some of that.

This is more Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT) for weight loss.

I have decided to try and start journaling and writing down all of my sabotaging thoughts that are keeping me stuck and write new responses to those.

As I started writing it felt like I'd opened the flood gates.

I think there are so many of these unanswered sabotaging thoughts and there is a part of me that is so happy I'm addressing this so I can move into a place of greater peace and self love.

I hope these are helpful for you too.

As always, if any of you have any of your own sabotaging thoughts you'd like help in answering I'd be happy to try to do that for you.

Here we go...

Sabotaging thought:  Just one piece ….  I’ll just have one treat today(that I'm not tracking) and then I can start over and still make it work to lose weight in one week. 

Response:  Obviously my “just one treat” philosophy has been very effective at gaining weight but makes it nearly impossible to actually lose weight.  I have to make a choice here:  Continue on with unplanned eating or PLAN for my indulgences and track everything.  It all depends on what results I want in the long term. 

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Sabotaging thought:  I’ll have this now and just not eat the rest of the night or really cut way back tomorrow.

Response:  That never works.  I mean just look at your history.  Has it ever worked?  

It’s unhealthy to skip meals.  It only leads to increased hunger as well as increased likelihood to binge.  I have to stop living for the tomorrow that never comes and choose to live for TODAY.

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Sabotaging thought:  Well, I’ve done REALLY good for like three whole days!  I can already tell I’ve lost weight.  My clothes feel looser.  

It’s okay if I just have a little of what I want for today(which becomes three days or more of binging, none of it tracked or planned eating). 

Response:  Great job!  You have done really well and I’m so proud of you!  However, if you really want to start seeing a change, not only in the scale, but at your waist line then you have to decide to plan and track all your indulgences.  You CAN have treats on this plan but to be successful it needs to be planned and tracked.  

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Sabotaging thought:  I blew it.  I feel so ashamed.  Everyone thinks I’ve got it all together but I don’t.  If they only knew the truth.  I feel like such a failure sometimes I just want to cry.

So many people are working to get a blue dot every day for a month and I’m just trying to get one blue dot day, …. Sometimes just one good meal.  I feel so guilty.  I feel like giving up. 

Response:  Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.  It’s what you do afterward that makes all the difference.  How many times have you encouraged others who are struggling?  You deserve the same level of love and compassion.  So, I’m going to tell you what you tell everyone else. 

You can hate your way to change but you can only love your way to transformation. 

It doesn’t matter if you’ve messed up little or big.  It doesn’t matter if this is your first mistake or your five hundredth.  You’re never too far to come back home and live the life of your dreams and be the person God made you to be.  "Pick up your mat and walk" by laying aside your shame, need for approval and perfection and accept the love and healing that is waiting for you.           

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 Sabotaging thought:  I feel like I’m being punished.  Am I really going to have to track for the rest of my life?  When does it ever stop?  I’m hearing all the voices from all the people who’ve already been saying this to me, “I could never do that.  I’m not going to count points for the rest of my life.  That’s ridiculous”.  If this is never going to stop I might as well give up. 

Response: It’s not a punishment.  It’s a choice.  You alone can make this choice for yourself.  

What other people think of your choices or you is none of your business.  You can choose not to try and to eat whatever you want whenever you want and stay overweight or obese or you can make a different choice.  Every day at every meal you have a choice.  The question you have to ask yourself is “Is it worth it?”  Are you worth it?  Is it worth it to be able to grow old without disability brought on by obesity?  Or would you rather continue to be independent and retain your freedom as long as possible?  Is your quality of life worth it?

There's still more.  

So this is definitely 

To be continued....

The Lighter Side of Pasta~ Zucchini Lentil Pasta Mexi-Mix

At our last WW meeting someone told us about a new product.

It's Birdseye brand Veggie Made Zucchini Lentil Pasta.

What's the big deal?

It's only 3 pts for a 1 1/4 cup serving!!!!

That's awesome!

I found these at both Wal-Mart and Target in the frozen foods section.  

When I went hunting for this I also found a marinara and a cheddar sauce version of these.  

I didn't buy the one with the cheddar sauce but I did by the one with marinara.  I haven't made it yet but it's only 1 pt higher(4 pts per serving).  

Still very low in points.

The other great thing is that these are steamers.  So you can just put them in your microwave for a few minutes and they're done.

Tonight I decided to use them in a skillet meal.  

Again, this was one of those make-it-up-as-you-go-along kind of things.

Ingredients

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey

1 whole bag plain zucchini lentil pasta(as above), cooked per package directions

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (4 oz dry wt) can of mushrooms, drained

1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Taco spice, Chili powder or both(add it to taste)

Instructions

Spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil spray and brown the ground turkey.

Next add in the dry spices and pasta.  

Add in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, mushroom and stir to blend in.  

Stir and enjoy!

This serves 4 and comes out to 6 pts per serving.  

I asked my husband what he thought of the pasta and he said "It's good. (pause)  Hey, did you make the sauce or did you buy that?".  "I made it" I said.  "Wow, it's really good!".

As I've said before, one of the big things I truly in all honesty do not miss anymore is pasta.  

I usually make spaghetti squash or spiralize other vegetables.  

This is definitely something I would make and eat again.  

And, it was so darn easy!

So, for those of you who don't like to cook(and there are many of you and love personally ;) ) this recipe is for you.  

This requires little time, effort and ingredients.  

The tsp of low fat cheddar cheese is extra points!

Happy Cooking!

Best Hummus Ever!!!

One of my friends started bringing this particular hummus to our book club get togethers.

Let's just say I loved this so much I bought THREE of them!

I could just sit down with a spoon and eat this stuff plain, but....

I try to control myself.

I usually portion myself out and use a zero point veggie like baby carrots or celery or peppers to dip with.

The original and cayenne flavor are 2 pts for one 2 Tbsp serving.

The beet flavor is only 1 pt per serving!

Happy Snacking!

Lily's Delicious Dark Chocolate Mmmmm......

This is another product I saw on WW's Connect.

I picked this up at the local health food store.

This is a no sugar added product that is sweetened with stevia.  

It's only 1 pt for two squares!

Woo hoo!

Now you know why I felt it a moral imperative to find this.  

The only down side is that it's a little pricey and the squares are kind of small but it's still pretty good for a dark chocolate bar.

When you have to have a chocolate fix this works!

Faux Potato Mushroom & Chicken Soup

On Father's Day the three of us decided to make a day of it together.

On a whim we decided to take our son canoeing for the first time.

I didn't have a lot of time to cook but I wanted to fuel up before we left.

Glancing around my kitchen I saw my ugly, but sweet celery root(celeriac) and decided to use that.

It was a bit overcast so I felt like making a soup.

This is relatively easy in my opinion and low in points.

Gotta love that combo.

I do have a somewhat similar post that I've done before but this time it's a bit easier.

My awesome leader, Nancy, has really turned me on to the pre-cooked canned chicken and mushrooms.

It saves loads of time!

This is a great thing when you're tired.

On with the show....


Ingredients

1 large celery root(or two small ones if you can't find something large)

1/4 cup caramelized onion

3 cloves fresh garlic

1 (12.5 oz can) of chunk white chicken breast

2 cups chicken broth(or broth of choice)

1 (8 oz can mushrooms)

1 cup skim milk

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Parsley to garnish with if desired

1 cup water

Salt & pepper to taste

1 pinch of cayenne(more if you like it hot!)


Instructions

First of all, if you've never seen a celery root, here's what they look like-

They're kind of ugly, gnarly little things but they're really pretty great.

First thing to do is to supreme it which means you very carefully start cutting the outer skin off.

After that I start cutting thick slices and then cube it into 1 inch chunks.

Add the water and two cups chicken broth to a large pot and then add in the celeriac.  

Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil.  Boil for at least 20 minutes or until the cubes are fork tender.

Next add in the caramelized onion and, using a garlic press, 3 cloves of fresh, pressed garlic. 

I keep pre-measured 1/4 cup servings of caramelized onions in my freezer.  You can find out how I make big batches in the crock pot here.  

I'd highly recommend doing this.  Cooking them in the slow cooker saves gobs of time and they get that lovely caramelization without have to stand at the stove forever.  

But the best part is the flavor you get without all the added points.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite kitchen hacks.  My freezer is always stocked with these babies ;)

Once you've done that use a hand, emulsion blender to blend it all together in the pot.

Be careful that the hot liquid doesn't splash out and burn you!

Once it's well blended and smooth add in the milk.  

Stir and then add in the mushrooms. 

I use my clean hands, or you could use a fork, to break up the chicken chunks until it has a more shredded consistency.

After you've shredded the chicken add that into the pot and stir well.

Let this cook for another 5 minutes or so on low-medium heat.

There are no potatoes in this soup and yet it absolutely has a lovely potatoey texture.

This serves 4 at 4 points a piece.

This is pure comfort food, in taste and texture.  

It will stick to your ribs as the saying goes.

And, it's only 4 points!

Surviving Maintenance

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it".

Albert Einstein said those words and lately they've been haunting me.

I've come to a realization that I'm trying to do the same things I did for the new place I'm at in life.

What I've come to understand is that maintenance is in a whole other zip code and head space than losing was in.

Yes, tracking, eating smart and weighing in will always be tools to use but I think it's become pretty clear by now that I need to do some psychological re-wiring.

So, I'm going back to the most fundamental thing that worked for me before, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT).

Of course I'm specifically talking about addressing sabotaging thoughts as I've learned to do after reading The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck.

What I realized is that, although some negative thoughts will always be there for me to challenge, there are some new ones now that are very specific to being a Lifetime member.

Before I get into that I want to give some input on other things I think would be really helpful.

I really think that people who are doing WW should be required to take a transitions class after making goal.

I think they need to get a heads up into the mind games that will be played and the way it will feel.

In addition I think it would be helpful to have sessions available for people who have made Lifetime but are struggling.

It would be a support group specific to the struggle of maintenance.

The other thing I realized is that when you're losing you're constantly rewarded with small charms for all the little goals:  first 5 lbs lost, 5% lost, 10% lost, 25lbs lost, and so on.

If you don't do Weight Watchers you may not be able to fully understand this but those little charms are a really big deal to your psyche.

Although we'd like to think we don't need little rewards the truth is that those little charms feel like a REALLY BIG DEAL when you're getting them and they really do help keep you motivated.

I think this is in part due to the fact that you're getting tangible evidence of your success.

It rewires your brain to start seeing yourself differently.

Now, you're successful!  Hooray!

The problem is that once you hit Lifetime there's not as much fanfare and it becomes more monotonous.

It's tough.  Anyway, on with the CBT...

Here's one of my sabotaging thoughts and how I'm choosing to answer it right now.

Sabotaging thought:
Maintenance is HARD!  This is way, way way harder than losing was!  This stinks!  I feel like I can't do it.  I've lost motivation and I just want to eat like I used to.  I feel like I've earned the right to eat.  I just want to pig out.  Why can't those dang cravings just go away forever?  Why can't I just be done with all this?!  I'm so frustrated!!!!

Response:
You're right!  It IS hard but you have a choice; you can either wallow in self pity and resign yourself to this mindset and gaining back all the weight you worked so hard to lose or you can choose to do the work that is before you.  The fact is that you're still learning.  Lifetime is not the end because there is no end.  You don't get it done.  Maintaining the healthy weight and body you want takes a Lifetime commitment to this work.  The good news is that you've done this before and you can do it again.  You have the skills and you know the program works if  you work the program.


There's going to be more at a later date.

I can feel it bubbling up...

But for now it's a good start.

Just remember, if your'e struggling, you're not alone.

We all do.

But the other thing that I also know is that we can all do this!

A Glimpse Into The Future You

I found this site on Connect.

It's a really cool website where you can put in your stats- height, weight, general body shape, etc and your goal weight.

They have an avatar, a virtual model of sorts, that they show at both your before weight and after(at goal weight).

What a great tool to encourage you and help spur you on when motivation is waning or when you want to see what you're working for.

It would be even better if they could use actual photos of us but this is still pretty cool.

Try popping over and taking a look.

It just might be the motivation you need.

Individual Chicken & Rice Casseroles

I found this recipe one night while I was trying to find inspiration for dinner.

You can find it here.

I did make some small changes.

First, I had asparagus on hand but not broccoli so I used that.  Secondly, I used canned chicken for the meat instead of turkey.  Third I omitted the oil and just used olive oil spray and broth to cook.  Fourth, I put the oven on 425 instead of 375.  Fifth, in addition to the garlic powder it called for, I used 2 cloves of fresh pressed garlic.  Finally I used Greek cream cheese instead of regular low fat cream cheese.  It's something I've been wanting to try and it was a good excuse as any to try it out on this recipe today.

This recipe was another good excuse to use my cook little individual crocks that my friend Tia bought for me.

Thanks Tia!



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups worth of asparagus(I ended up using one bunch from the grocery store)

1 cup of chopped onion

1 cup of cooked wild rice(or rice of your choice)

1 cup skim milk

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

4 oz of light cream cheese(or Greek yogurt cream cheese)

1/2 tsp garlic + 2 cloves fresh pressed garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped chicken breast

1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

broth of choice

cooking spray


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Place the rinsed asparagus whole on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Roast for  12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Then chop them into bite sized pieces.

Spray 4 mini casserole dishes with cooking spray.

Use broth to cook onion in a non-stick skillet on medium high heat until soft and cooked well done.

Add in fresh garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

The red tube above is my garlic peeler.  These are so easy to use!

The original directions say to remove the vegetables from the pan and set them aside at this point however I did not do this.

To the same skillet, add in the milk and flour, whisking constantly until the flour is dissolved and the mixture starts to thicken, about 1 minute.

Add in the cream cheese and cook for 3 minutes or until the cheese is dissolved.

Next add in garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir.

Add in the chicken, rice and asparagus and stir well.

Divide evenly into individual ramekins or crocks that hold one cup.

Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of cheddar cheese on each one.

Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This makes 4 servings and comes out to 8 pts a piece omitting the olive oil as I have above.  


I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS RECIPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is so insanely delicious!  I'm so happy with how this turned out!

Next time I will add a few mushrooms, a little more black pepper and maybe a pinch of cayenne but overall this recipe is a 10 in my book.

I hope you'll give this a try.  It's well worth your time.

Happy Cooking!

A Side of Fingerling Potatoes Please

I picked up these multi-colored fingerling potatoes at the farmer's market last weekend.

They're so pretty I couldn't wait to cook them up!

I simply washed them and then cut them in half lengthwise.

Then I added in a sprinkle of dried parsley, oregano and kosher salt.

I added in 4 small cloves of fresh garlic.  I used my garlic press for this.  

Toss the garlic in with the potatoes and stir well to make sure all the herbs are mixed in.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with olive oil spray. 

Bake at 450 F for 30 minutes or until cooked through and a little crispy at the edges.  

You can portion yourself out on this one.  

Potatoes are 4 oz for 3 points which isn't bad if you ask me.  

We ate these as an appetizer tonight.  

It was kind of fun to snack on them and they looked really pretty.  

Since they weren't loaded with oil they weren't high in points like you'd get at a restaurant.  

That's the beauty of eating in.  You get to control what goes into your food, how it's treated.

And you're more accurate in counting points.  

These would also be lovely with a little smoked paprika and/or cayenne.  

My husband and I tend to like heat. ;)

Enjoy this as a side or as an appetizer like we did.

Happy Cooking!