Crockpot Jambalaya

Want a touch of the south mixed with the heat of the summer? Time to cook up a good ol' crockpot full of jambalaya & with this recipe it's even weight friendly! I'm not a seafood eater so I use full cooked chicken breast pieces in place. You can actually enjoy it with a brown rice also, I prefer to use instant brown.

Either way, your family is bound to enjoy a touch of the south with this awesome dinner!

Crockpot Jambalaya (5)
Serves 8


1 cup chopped onion

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1 (28 oz.) can un-drained diced tomatoes

2 cups fully cooked smoked sausage, chopped

1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. red pepper sauce

3/4 lb. uncooked peeled deveined med. shrimp, thawed if frozen or I use chicken breast strips

4 cups hot cooked rice


Mix all ingredients except shrimp (or chicken) and rice in 3 1/2-6 qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hrs. or until vegetables are tender. Stir in shrimp or chicken. Cover and cook on low about 30 min. or until shrimp are pink and firm. Serve with rice.

Per serving: cal 245, fat 10g, sat fat 4g, chol 60mg, sod 700mg, carb 30g, fib 2g, prot 11g

WE CAN DO THIS!

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Finding Time For Yourself

I know sometimes it's hard as a parent, a spouse, or whatever area of life that seems to take up so much of your time - to find time for YOU.

This is my time to tell you how important it is! It doesn't have to be 3 hours of non-stop me time. It can be 10 minutes of walking around the closest 2 blocks and coming back home. I guarantee you the house will not be burned to the ground (it takes longer than 10 minutes for that) and nobody will have bled to death (ok, I'm hoping on that promise cuz sometimes a severe wound in the right place can bleed out quick), and the family will probably not even have noticed you left for those quick 10 minutes!

It can be as easy as incorporating some "extra movement" in your daily routine & chores too!

After the whole gang goes to bed, you're doing those 800 loads of laundry that nobody else seems to know how to do, take the time to go up and down those stairs (on purpose & on both legs, not using your bottom to bump down like when we were kids) 4 times or even 6 times. It's a quick workout & burns off some calories. No special equipment needed either (ok, other than a washing machine and dryer?). If you ever run out of clothes to do and need a reason to run up and down those basement stairs, please just email me... I have plenty to go around!

Turn on the radio in the kitchen or the iPod, or turn up the computer or music station on the tv, wherever you get that music from and get going with making dinner. Chances are it's just you making dinner as usual, so who's gonna know you're dancing while cooking? Shake that groove thing, cook up that healthy dinner & you're not only losing calories while cooking but killing 2 birds with one stone! Cook 'n Dance is my newest video soon to be released... um, well as "soon" as I can get someone to sponsor it's making & marketing! But you know what I mean... you get in the groove while cooking, dancing around with that spatula and I'm telling you girlfriend (or guy friend if you're a man reading this) your bootie is gonna love you!

So it's time for bed. I'm lucky enough to go to bed alone, with the exception of 4 furry creatures that think they own the bed (yes, sheets get washed every other day at this point because of those hairy brats) but if you're in there and the spouse is already asleep or not in there yet... perfect time to do some leg lifts! Again, I'm thinking killing 2 birds with 1 stone... as you're doing leg lifts one at a time slather on that lovely smelling lotion to smell good and keep your skin & feet all smooth and beautiful. 10 leg lifts on each side!

If nobody is in the bed yet, do some scissors with your legs too. You can do these on your sides (see the pic on the left although this person is at a pool it's the same technique but in your bed) or lying on your back and doing them open & shut/left to right. These are my favorite. I do them when I go to bed & wake up! LOL It's just one of those "KID FUN" things I love... kinda like bumping down the basement stairs on my bum!

Another fave of mine is to put a pillow between your legs, hold it tightly then pull your legs back & forth, it helps the core muscles too! See the picture at the right to see what I mean. They use a ball in the image but I use a pillow. As long as your holding something there and pulling back and forth you are working those muscles! Do 10 or so, quick & easy and again, no special equipment needed!

If you're lucky enough to live without a significant other (like me) you don't have to care who sees you doing these crazy things with your legs as you burn off a few calories and tone those gams!

Simple steps at work will help keep and get you healthy too. I can't do many of these, first off because I don't work outside the home.. secondly as I'm limited with my walking/stair ability. But for those of us that the only thing holding us back is our weight.... park just a little further away from the office and walk. Take the steps, not the elevator. Need a drink of water, refilling that bottle you have with you? Use the extra moment to take a complete walk around the floor or up & down 2 floors of steps if available and come back to the desk. Gets your blood flowing again, fills up your water bottle and you have an excuse for being gone those 5 minutes ("I was getting water").

Also, if you find yourself sitting at your desk... take the time to stand, stretch, bend & move. Here are a few stretches from LHJ that they suggest. It will keep you from being tired, it will get you awake again & it will burn just a couple calories if you do a couple stretches on each side. Of course your co-workers will wonder if you are insane, but that's always a plus because then they ask you LAST to do something for them.... see, again I'm thinking of killing 2 birds with 1 stone! Doing stretches, left, right, up, down, twist & tone up that body/burn some calories PLUS it's a way to get less extra work from co-workers who "need help"!

I realize that finding time for yourself is often hard if not impossible. Add to that the fact that most days you are worn out from every day stresses and work loads and you think "WHY would I even want to get out there and walk or move as opposed to sitting on the couch and vegging?" I can give you many answers to that question... first off YOU ARE WORTH IT! Secondly, your body needs to move to get healthy. It doesn't have to be huge workouts. I am very physically limited but I make it a point to do some type of movement each day/night. Stretching, moving, wiggling, etc. all make a difference and it burns off more calories than sitting on your butt complaining! Third, and most of all... when you do get up and move.. you get more energy AND feel better. Your family, friends, kids, all see you feeling better and might even join in on those quick 10 minute post or pre-dinner walks. Next thing you know, between your healthy eating habits & healthy lifestyle you just might have a group of healthy followers, admiring that NEW YOU!

Let's do this together! We can get healthy, without excuses of why NOT to!

WE CAN DO THIS!

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I just wanna eat the WHOLE batch!

My biggest issue with baking anything is that I cannot trust myself around the whole batch.

These are the perfect solution for those of us *cough* who simply cannot trust ourselves around an entire "batch" of baked goods. I am one who tends to have trouble with portion control, especially when it comes to sweets.

These Oatmeal Cookies make 2-4 cookies at a time, all edible at once & cook up quickly! Great part is, you can mix up the flavors of cookies, simply by changing the flavors of oatmeal. Remember to check the oatmeal packets first, the "cost" of points on the packet is the "price" you pay for the entire batch. Generally, I can find oatmeal in tons of flavors for about 2 pts per package! That's not bad for being able to eat the WHOLE batch!

"Whole Batch" Weight Friendly Oatmeal Cookies

1 Individual Serving oatmeal pack (maple brown sugar is my fave) (any point friendly oatmeal pack)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pack Splenda® (remember Splenda® "bakes" better than the other substitutes)

Preheat oven to 350F
Stir together ingredients.
Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet.
Makes 4 small or 2 large cookies.

*Points go according to whatever the Nutritional Info on the oatmeal pack is!

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Cajun Ranch Chicken Salad

Today was a rainy, dreary day in Erie so I decided to do a little creative indoor grilling for the son and I for lunch. He was thrilled with the results (I always love when I make it healthy & he doesn't say "This is tasteless like healthy food") & I even re-created the chicken itself for my older daughter's dinner (she works odd shifts) in sandwich form!
Grilled Cajun Ranch Chicken Salad (5)

Salad Mix *as much as u want 2 make your salad as big as u want (0)
2 oz. chicken breast (boneless, skinless) (2)
1/2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning (I buy generic brands but use your fave) (0)
1/2 tsp. Ranch Seasoning (I get mine in at GFS but you can also use Ranch dry mix) (0)
1 oz. Fat Free Feta Cheese (1)
1 oz. Fat Free Cheddar - shredded (1)
7 Special K Crackers (I use roasted tomato usually) - crumbled (1)
Fat Free Italian Dressing (I use Wegman's FF Italian Parmesan) (0)

First place chicken breast on indoor grill. Season with ranch seasoning & cajun seasoning. Grill until juices run clear. Larger breasts can be used if you're really hungry, I tend to buy smaller half breasts, which run about 2-2 1/2 oz. total.

In the mean time mix up the rest of ingredients in your bowl. You can add tomatoes, onions, green peppers, etc. without adding any points so go for it! The "Special K" Crackers I use in place of croutons, they add so much more flavor & are only 1 pt, 2 if you put 17 in the salad.

Cut chicken into medium sized chunks. Place on top of salad fixins!

Top with dressing (FF Ranch is also great with this)

Total time to make: 12 Minutes
Serves 1 (easily doubled, tripled, etc. to feed the family)

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Sharing some ONLINE recipes

Today's blog I'm going to share some great recipes I've found online.

Here's a great Squash & Tomato Bake for 2 pts per serving! BHG's blog offers up the entire recipe & it couldn't be easier! While BHG says it's a great "side dish", why not make it the main course & double up the recipe?

Of course, what "Weight Watcher" would be a tried 'n true WW if we didn't check their site for great ideas & recipes?

Here's one of my absolute favorite recipes, any time of year: Baked Potato Soup I even lower the points a bit by using the fat free sour cream in the recipe (replacing low fat) & sometimes even a fat free shredded cheddar.

Hungry Girl is everyone's favorite, ok maybe not EVERYONE but anyone that knows this is a life change and you are never going to go your entire life with never touching a "yummy bad for you food"! If she can make something that "used to be" bad for you, into something not so bad, why not?! Here's one of my faves, her fabulous fudge, but let me warn you the pieces are small (36 pieces from an 8x8 size pan) AND control is the issue with these. I usually make these if I'm going to a "bring a dish" type deal. They are only 1 pt per piece, so you can afford to grab 2 or 3!

With summer here we all love to grill out. I tweak the HG version of this Teriyaki Burger, adding 1 extra point by using 95% FF beef instead of the Boca Burger, but for those who don't mind Boca's go for it! The toppings are what make the burger & let me tell you, you will have everyone asking for these babies again!

Another summer favorite of mine is a creation from Kraft. I make these in my crockpot instead of my grill, quite often, just to save time. At 3 pts these BBQ Chicken Packets are to die for, from the grill, the oven or the crockpot. Either way, they are great & your family will love them. They're also great to make for when company comes over, just grab a packet and your dinner is there! Add your sides & off you go! Easy clean up, great flavor!

So there's just a few of my internet favorites that I utilize often on the Weight Watcher plan! As always, check your points with any changes you make to the recipe! All of the recipes do have full cal/fat/fiber listed so you can figure out points yourself too!

Share some of your favorites from the net!

Keep up the great work and get healthier with each & every new day!

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It's all in the numbers... or is it?

Everyone starts their "DIET" with numbers. I weigh this much, I need to lose this much, I've lost this much..... all NUMBERS.

But what if we ignored those? What would happen?

Sure, we wouldn't be CERTAIN of how much we've lost exactly BUT we would, instead be rewarded with how much better we feel! We would KNOW by the way we feel if we lost. We could tell by the way our jeans fit, our shirts hung on us, where our belts fastened.

We'd quickly learn that DIETING is a temporary fix, based on numbers while HEALTHY LIFESTYLE is a change in habits & LIFE, resulting in feeling better & ultimately in obtaining a much healthier weight.

Healthy Lifestyle is a lifelong option. Dieting is simply, a temporary fix.

Don't get me wrong, we often NEED the numbers to keep us "honest". I can quite often think I've "eaten healthy" this week, ignored keeping track of what went in my mouth, and convinced myself I remained "on program" so I'm sure I didn't gain. BUT the truth of the matter is, you know by the feel of your body if you've remained "healthy". I will get on the scales that week, have a gain and go "ok, I knew I screwed up" or I'll feel like my stomach is going to fall out one end or the other of my body & think "yup, I knew I shouldn't have eaten that". BUT remember too that NUMBERS lie. Yes, they do my friend. NOT ALWAYS, but sometimes. You might stay on track for healthy eating and have no weight loss. You may have worked out like a mad man/woman and seen no change in the numbers on the scale. You may have eaten the world's largest hot fudge sundae with chocolate chip cookies & whipped cream and "gotten away with it" according to the scale this week. BUT believe me, in the end our body knows what we've done & it will let us know eventually... even if it's AFTER the fact!

That grumbling belly after you scoffed a fast food "chicken because it's healthier - NOT" sandwich & a "few" fries doesn't happen because your body is saying "Thanks my friend, now I'm full & satisfied"! That grumbling belly is a result of eating poorly & your body asking "What the heck are you thinking you moron?" and it quickly tells you that you are NOT eating healthy.

Nobody is perfect. We all have cravings, down moments, binge eating (hopefully lessening as we progress with our healthy lifestyle.. I know mine has) or stress eating that completely obliterates our "HEALTHY" lifestyle option we've chosen to go for. We are not perfect. Did I mention that? But remember this.... we are PERFECTLY in control of our life. WE can decide how often we make bad choices, how good we feel after making good choices and how often we decide to do either.

Sometimes we just need to make that bad choice. That's ok, just don't start depending on that bad choice to make you feel better or take away the pain of something else. Instead, find a GOOD choice to depend upon for that.

A weight loss is always "great" for most of us but what we need to focus on is not the numbers... not how much we've LOST or GAINED (although pay attention to that one first because continuous gains will definitely make us feel poorly) but instead on how great we feel making good decisions about our lifestyle & eating options.

But we also have to be honest with ourselves & decide that just because we made ONE good choice, it is not an open ticket to make several poor choices now. Outnumber the bad choices in your life.... from your food choices, to your acquaintance choices, to your life choices in general and I guarantee you will feel better about your life as a whole!

So start this week out by saying "I won't focus on the numbers as much as I focus on listening to my body about how it feels after I put something in my mouth". The end result, your body usually will NOT lie to you if you listen with open ears, mind & honesty in your heart!

Stay healthy this week!
AND FOCUS ON BEING A HEALTHIER YOU!!!!!!!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu

One of my favorite foods is Chicken Cordon Bleu but trying to lose weight means lower fat, lower cal, lower taste, right?! WRONG! Check out this awesome version of the formerly HIGH cal, HIGH fat entree! Now it's LOW fat, LOW cal & LOW in points!

Add a big serving of broccoli, steamed or some potatoes & a salad. You have a nice meal!

Of course you can make as many of these as needed for your family, all the same way. It's simple, fairly quick and sooooo delish! Friends and family will swear it's the standard version, only you'll know it's a little healthier!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lite Style (5)
(serves 1) - recipe can be made into as many servings as needed

Ingredients:
One 5-oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlet
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature
1 oz. (about 3 slices) 97 - 98% fat-free ham slices
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put chicken in a large zippered plastic bag, squeeze out as much air
as you can, and seal. Using a meat tenderizer or a can, carefully
pound chicken through the bag until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove
chicken from the bag, and season to taste with salt and pepper on both
sides.

Lay the chicken flat and spread the cheese wedge over it. Evenly layer
the ham slices on top of the cheese. Starting with one of the longer
sides (or any side, if it's square), tightly roll up the chicken
breast cutlet, and secure with toothpicks.

Place chicken roll in a baking dish lined with foil and/or sprayed
with nonstick spray, and then cover the baking dish with foil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil covering
the dish. Continue to bake (uncovered) for an additional 15 minutes,
or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!

MAKES 1 SERVING
Serving Size: 1 chicken cordon bleu (entire recipe)
Calories: 222
Fat: 4.5g
Sodium: 692mg
Carbs: 2g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 40g