I've decided to take a different approach with my blogging my friends...I'm going to share all aspects of life that I feel comfortable and this includes my weight battle. I've lost 100+ pounds so far but it's not just recipes. I invite you to enjoy, truly, One Day At A Time with me.
This is one of my fave, easiest sandwiches to make and YES you can eat it for meals OTHER than breakfast!
Here's what you need for ONE sandwich (3):
Cajun Egg Sammy (3)
1 light muffin (I use Wegman's lite Muffins - 1 pt) 3 egg whites 1 1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning (more or less depending on your preference & the brand) 1 slice 2% Pepper Jack Cheese (I use Wegman's brand) 1 squirt of Fat Free Creamer (I buy the FF coffee creamers because they last for 30 days, on the counter, no refrigeration needed! Even the French Vanilla is fine for this, it's not overly sweet)
Place egg whites, creamer, Cajun seasoning in a small dish (microwaveable)
Whip with a fork
Microwave for approx. 1 1/2 minutes (more or less depending on your microwave) until eggs are no longer runny and when fluffed with fork look fully cooked.
While eggs are nuking, toast your muffin.
Remove toasted muffin immediately when it pops up, add 1/2 slice of cheese on each side of the muffin.
Flip the eggs onto the muffin, press together. Cheese on both sides helps hold it together.
Ready to eat!
While this sounds super spicy it really isn't. The "Cajun" spice generally isn't as spicy as it sounds it would be. I tend to purchase the generic brand from Big Lots but I've used some of the better brands also & they all tend to be more flavorful than "hot".
Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
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Who Else Helps me get healthy? These are just a few....
1.
2.
3.BWJEN
4.FabFatties
5.
6.
7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
While this does & doesn't have it's place in a "weight loss" blog, I have to share. It's a part of me. Yeah, btw, I'm very "EMO" lately. Thank God for PMS!?
For those who don't know me, while this doesn't sum me up, it tells a lot about me in one sentence. "I am a cancer survivor, five times, 4 different types". Cancer will never BE who I am, but it is and always will be part of what has helped MAKE me.
Knowing my surviving, you will understand my undying love for Lance Armstrong.
I recall the 4th time I was told I had cancer. It was actually the 3rd time for surgery but the 4th cancer as they found lympnodes hiding the nasty shit while they were in there for the thyroid cancer too. I'd been thru it 2x before. You tire of it, in case you don't know. I had 3 kids, an idiot sperm donor that got the title "Father" to them but never knew how to keep up to the title he should have been so proud of, and once again would have zero income. I was alone, had to be the strong one, had to make them all know it was going to be ok. "No big deal" became my outside face. I had already been diagnosed with MS years before the 2nd cancer bout. I call the MS my "in between" battle. Unfortunately it hasn't decided to just leave me alone even though I won't let it win. But I digress. My work was now "angry" at me that I had to leave yet again for cancer. The nerve of me. My boss actually called the day of my surgery, to my room, in Pittsburgh (2 hours from where I live) to ask me about something at work & ask me when I'd be back. (Boy I bet I gave him one hell of an answer because I was still out of it from the anesthesia!)
Iremember the day I went to the hospital, after wearing my strong face for the family, hugging kids, parents, telling the it would all be ok, I'd be fine, it was no big deal... I broke down. I remember stopping, and truly wondering if I wanted to do this, thought long, thought hard... did I want to ask God for what I was about to ask? Would he know if I truly meant it in my heart or was just feeling sorry for myself. My mind kept the words moving "God, just take me. I can't do it again. I just can't. Please make sure my kids are okay, know I loved them, but please God just take me. I can't do it.... I can't do it."
The next part people will probably think I'm crazy, lying, insane or a mixture of the three.. but it's the truth.
Lance Armstrong had created the Livestrong Foundation, what seemed like just recently then. It could have been longer, but I recall the craze of everyone wearing the "yellow" bracelets as a "trend" because all the celebs did it, it was so cool. My family wore them because after looking high and low & finally finding enough for each of us, we had a reason. We KNEW why he made them. It wasn't a fashion trend. If he wanted a fashion trend he could have designed the newest look in cycling clothing, t-shirts or work out gear. Lance created those bracelets to bring cancer to the front lines, so WE could shoot it down. Every person who ever experienced cancer in any way, shape or form knew this. It wasn't a fashion statement, it was a statement of Lance Armstrong's strength, faith & desire to beat the odds.
I laid there that moment and oddly enough his image popped into my head. I recalled the moment he stood, after winning "The Tour de France" yet again, only this time after being told he'd be dead instead. AFTER cancer.
I realized, THIS was the person I was supposed to be. If he could do it, what the hell right did I have to sit here and feel sorry for myself & ask God to give me the easy way out? NONE!
I remember just before I "went out" I spoke to God. I hoped he heard me because I screamed it in my head "GOD! GOD?! I want you to know, I DESERVE to make it, to beat it and my kids DESERVE to have me. Don't you take me GOD, I'm not finished here yet." Then I remember meekly saying in my mind "Ok?". As I went to sleep to be operated on once again I remember them wiping a tear from my cheek & telling me it was all ok. I smiled and said "I know".
I've NEVER written about my cancer. Oh sure, in blurbs, clips, quick responses. But I've NEVER poured it all out there. Even my kids have no clue what the last bouts were all about in my heart. I watched this video of Lance Armstrong today (embedded above), and it was all kewl until the pics of the cancer images & his x-rays came up. At that point I lost it, I cried like a baby. Yeah, "EMO", but also because I realized WHY he is so very much my hero. Say what you want about him. A lot of people love to hate him. Of course they do, he's not only a survivor but a leader. A lot of people can't stand to see that. It makes those who are weak realize how weak they are. A lot of people say he's "arrogant" or "mean". Hell yeah he is. You ever fight cancer? You don't do it by being nice to it. You beat the shit out of it & toss it to the curb for a proper stomping.
While I may never be as strong as Lance Armstrong, I hope that some day... when the Good Lord does take us all & we all meet in heaven.... I get my chance to stand next to him. To smile at him and tell him what an inspiration he was to me. How much of a difference he's made in my life and in the lives of so many others.
And for those of you out there still hating him..... please don't stop. It's what keeps people like him going. He needs to prove you wrong, just like he needed to prove cancer wrong, just like he continues to prove cancer wrong. Oddly enough the things that try to hurt him the most are the things that make him stronger every day and a true CONQUEROR.
So that's my story. Only been told in 140 characters or less on twitter for the most part before. Never shared with the world, for sure. But now out there for everyone to see. I've never been ashamed to tell it, but always been scared. Because you see, every time I say I'm cancer free that bastard comes back. Every time I say I've beat it once again, it takes me for another battle. And all I can say is, if it does... if it rears its ugly head again... I will have this video to watch... to inspire me... to make me know I can do it.
Thanks Lance for making cancer seem like the weakest link sometimes. And for when it does beat us, it only inspires people like you to step up the battle. You and your entire foundation deserve to not only be recognized but applauded, thanked and dammit if I ever meet ya... kissed one big huge wet one! (I hope there aren't THAT many employees at the foundation... my lips can't take THAT many big wet ones! LOL)
Long ago, one of the "crazes" to hit the malls was a store/restaurant that sold "Smashed Potatoes". They were basically baked potatoes, loaded up with TONS of different things (most of them loaded with fat & calories).
My all time fave was the Smashed Steak Potato, a baked potato loaded to the hilt with caramelized onions, sour cream, cheddar cheese & steak. You could add anything else you wanted or could think of if you wanted, to any of the already "created" flavors. The place was awesome and fairly inexpensive considering what you got. The considered the potato "Smashed" because they took a baked potato & smashed it on a grill (of course with tons of butter/oil) then flipped that onto a plate & loaded it up with everything imaginable in thousands of different creative ways!
Of course, I loved it and shortly after it closed!
BUT fear not, I instantly figured out (not that it was hard) how to re-create these awesome babies at home and my kids thought I was the reigning queen of the kitchen! We had smashed steak potatoes nearly once a week, for months (at a fraction of the cost it was to take 3 kids and myself there).
As time went on the newness and intrigue of the recipe wore off and it became a sort of lost creation. Once in a while I'd pull it out and make "Smashed Potatoes" for the kids and we always loved it, but I no longer wore out it's welcome with a weekly dinner consisting of "Smashed Steak Potatoes" as our entree.
What I love most about re-creating my "old" recipe is that it tastes basically the same, with not even a fraction of the calories and is literally a quick and single platter entree that fills you up well!
Smashed Steak Potatoes (6) Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 baked potato(I purchase the already washed/wrapped, ready to micro in 8 minute potatoes for $1.50 each... saves time & well worth the cost) 2 Tbsp. Fat Free Sour Cream 1/4 Cup Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese 2 oz. 98% Fat Free Shaved Steak(I buy mine from a restaurant supplier but you can buy 98%-99% FF Shaved Beef in your deli) 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. A-1 1 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. garlic salt1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/4 sweet onion, sliced(I prefer Vidalia while I can get them)
Place baked potato in microwave or oven if you prefer and cook completely.
While potato is cooking, begin to caramelize onions in non-stick fry pan. You do not need to put any oil in the pan as long as you use a non-stick pan & constantly keep moving the onions so they don't burn, over a medium heat. Once onions are cooked thoroughly, place beef, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic salt & ground pepper in fry pan. Cook until heated through.
By the time the potato is done cooking, the beef & onions will be hot & ready to place on top of potato.
Move the fry pan ingredients to one side and cut open the potato, squish potato down into fry pan, skin side up. This allows the potato to soak up all the delicious flavors of the cooking meat & onions.
Take potato out, place on platter. Top with all ingredients in fry pan. Top with shredded cheddar, A-1 Sauce & sour cream. Salt & pepper to taste.
I use this as a main course. It is amazingly delicious and so very filling. You can add or take out ingredients as you please. Sometimes I'll add red & green sweet peppers to make a "philly steak" style smashed potato. Sometimes I replace the steak with chicken & top with some salsa. Anything you can think of as a topping can be put in, just remember to change the points value for each item.
And of course, since the total "meal" points are so low you can add a little dessert (bowl of FF Frozen yogurt or something special) and not even begin to feel guilty with the entire dinner!
Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
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Who Else Helps me get healthy? These are just a few....
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3.BWJEN
4.FabFatties
5.
6.
7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
I must confess, I am a cheese addict! It's been the hardest part of getting healthier & I often do falter to the whims & desires of REAL, full of fat, cheese. What I love about this recipe is that Asiago cheese is pungent enough to use just a small amount but give tons of flavor. Not to mention Asiago is one of my absolute favorite cheeses!
Asiago, Potato, and Bacon Gratin (5) Serves 6
1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 teaspoon salt, divided Cooking spray 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups Skim milk, divided (1 1/2 cups & 1/2 cup) 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Asiago cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I use center cut bacon) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I use canned, reduced fat Parm)
Preheat oven to 350°. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Drain. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside and keep warm.
Heat a medium saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sprinkle flour over shallots. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 9 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, Asiago, chives, pepper, and bacon.
Arrange half of potato slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
CALORIES 250 FAT 8.2g FIBER 2.3g
Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!
Who Else Helps me get healthy?
1.
2.
3. BWJEN
4. FabFatties
5.
6.
7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
The other day I had the biggest craving for French Toast. Unfortunately I caved in to my craving at the wrong time and in the wrong way, I had a 4th meal at 2am with my daughter at Perkins Restaurant. I decided I'd been dying for some french toast so got the "small stack" (3 pcs) as opposed to the regular sized (kudos to me for making at least that better choice)but either way I knew it was high in points and at the wrong time.
No biggie, bad decision but good decision in the case of I chose less than I would have ever chosen before and I got my fix on & moved on. I never got fat by eating 3 pieces of French Toast and I knew I wasn't going to gain back every pound I had lost.
So I began to search through my recipes and found one that I'm definitely going to be making when I get one of those "French Toast Cravings" again! LOL I've made this before and it rocks. I do add the FF cream cheese for a "stuffed" French Toast, so make sure you add the points for that. I generally use 1/2 pkg, divided by 6 servings & I add a point per serving. Don't forget, this is made the night before you bake it, as it sits in the fridge overnight. Makes it easier to get things made and into the fridge, ready for baking in the morning & no messing around. I kind of like that, as I'm not a morning person!
FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE (2) Serves 6
Ingredients:
10 slices light bread 1 1/2 cups skim milk 1 cup egg beaters 2 1/2 T. firmly packed Splenda brown sugar blend 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1. Coat a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray. Arrange 5 slices of bread in bottom of dish. (I use an 8x8 or 9x13 pan)
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well with mixer or whisk. Pour half the batter over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top and cover with remaining egg mixture. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
3.In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove foil and lightly spray the top with cooking spray. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until browned.
Serves 6 NI per serving: 142.6 calories, 1g fat, 4.16g fiber
*add 1 pkg of FF cream cheese in between layers of bread for a "stuffed" french toast but remember to add the points for this ingredient! Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!
Who Else Helps me get healthy?
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3. BWJEN
4. FabFatties
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7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
One of my favorite things to eat as a non-healthy eater were casseroles. My kids would call me the "Casserole Queen" but the generally meant using tons of fatty ground beef, cheeses, etc.
I've learned to recreate one of our favorites to make it more healthy. Originally a Bisquick recipe, the changes I've made make very little difference in taste but tons of difference in calories, fat & points!
Cheeseburger Pie (4)
Yield: 8 servings; (counts as 4 per piece)
Ingredients
1 lb 95% or higher Lean Ground Beef
1 Large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup No-Fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Low Fat Bisquick Mix
1 cup Skim Milk
1 Eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 9" pie plate with cooking spray.
In skillet, cook beef & onion over med heat 8-10 min, drain any fat. Stir in salt, spread in pie plate and sprinkle with cheese.
In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until well blended. Pour into pie plate on top of other mixture.
Bake 25 min or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into 8 pieces.
What I love about this recipe is that I can cut it into 8 pieces but those who are not watching their weight can eat 2 pieces & not feel like they're eating "diet" food. I usually make 2 batches if feeding more than 4 people.
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!
Who Else Helps me get healthy?
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4. FabFatties
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7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
This is a fun recipe. A friend shared it with me and I tried it one night. They're great. The downfall, they make 18 & if you don't freeze them (still good frozen) or have someone to help you eat them... make them for a picnic and take them where you can eat 1 or 2 and leave them! LOL
Whoopie pies(2)
Servings | 18
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening (Crisco or similar) 1 egg white
1/2 cup skim milk 3/4 cup marshmallow spread (such as "Fluff")
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar shortening and egg white in a medium bowl until fluffy and well blended about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture then the milk until just blended.
Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto large ungreased baking sheets making 36 cookies bake until top springs back when lightly touched 5-7 minutes. Cool completely on the sheets on a rack. Spoon 2 teaspoons marshmallow spread on the bottoms of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Also freeze fairly well.
Do NOT stack cookies as they are VERY moist & will stick together. Put waxed paper between or parchment paper between cookies if you must stack!
While I don't have the exact Nutritional Info on this, at this point level I would assume they are about 100 calories each, due to the fact they are worth (2) each. I think that's a very good estimate.
WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!
Who Else Helps me get healthy?
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3. BWJEN
4. FabFatties
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7.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man! Diary of A Winning Loser
