I just tried this GREAT recipe from my other sister's recipe blog. It is really good and best part 0 pointsplus!!

Here is the link to there blog.
Cool Cucumber Salsa

I like to eat just as a salad, it's yummy and perfect for summer.

Dark Chocolate Cake

I'm a dark chocolate lover! So when I got this from WW I had to try it. SO GOOD! One of the ingredients might sound odd, but trust me, it's good.

By Weight Watchers

Serves 14

1 spray cooking spray
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c. melted butter
1 1/2 c. hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. sauerkraut, pureed until smooth (if this is too weird for you just use apple sauce)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and 2/3 c. of cocoa and mix. Add melted butter, hot water, and vanilla; mix well. Add sauerkraut (or apple sauce) and blend thoroughly.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in center of oven until a tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cool cake in pan for about 20 min and then turn out onto a baking rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of cocoa powder before slicing into 14 pieces. 1 slice per serving.

6 pointsplus per serving

Summer Salads!!

Whoa! It's been awhile since I posted on here. I'm totally on a salad kick lately. Mostly because I hate cooking when it's hot outside and also it's a easy and tasty way to get all those veggies and fruits in!!

By Davianne


Chicken Fajita Salad

1/2 a grilled chicken breast per person
as much of your favorite lettuce as you want
1 diced tomato per person (or more if you want)
variety of bell peppers and onions grilled or fresh and then sliced (as much as you like)
1/2 c fat free refried beans
1 tbsp light ranch dressing

Throw it all together and enjoy!! I usually do this when I have leftovers of grilled chicken and peppers. It's so easy and my whole family LOVES it.

6 pointsplus



Sweet and Nutty Salad

baby spinach and baby arugula (as much as you like)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (the fresher the better)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/4 c dried cranberries
2 tbsp grape juice dressing

Toss together and eat!

6 pointsplus


Grape Juice Dressing
1 c grape juice
2 tsp cornstarch

Mix well and refrigerate for 2 hrs.

1/4 c. is 1 pointsplus



Cucumber Tomato Salad
1 cucumber chopped
1 tomato chopped or diced
6 large olives chopped
1 tbsp olive juice
red wine vinegar to taste

Mix and enjoy! The best part about this salad........
it's only 1 pointsplus!!

30 lb difference

 So I wanted to take pictures after losing 20 lbs but I never got around to it, so I did it after losing 30.  I have lost 30 lbs in 12 weeks!!  I wanted to wear the same clothes so you can really see the difference but my pants were in the wash, but I don't know if you would have been able to see much with my pants anyway.  I'm so happy, and very happy to continue to lose more!!!!

Jewish Penicilin (Chicken Soup that will cure just about any ailment)

submitted by Klare

My husband, Darren, found this soup online when we were going through some nasty sickness.  Not only for "getting better" reasons, I absolutely love the soup while dieting!!  It's so yummy too!!  Darren has made it once a week the past 3 weeks and he and I are pretty much the only ones that eat it, which is nice that way it lasts quite awhile.  It takes awhile to make but it is so worth it!

Italics added by Darren

Thanks to Google for helping me find this great recipe at - http://jewishpenicillin.blogspot.com/

INGREDIENTS

1.     Chicken Depending on how much soup you want to make. You can use a whole chicken, or let's say 6 to 9 quarters (thigh/leg combo's).  I use 6 leg quarters.  They just fit in my largest pot.  And they’re prepackaged that way.

2.     Onions - 3 med to large onions. Ends cut off and peeled.  I use 4 med or 3 large, but I like onion.

3.     Carrots - 1 cup of either baby carrots (easy) or cut pieces from large carrots that you have to wash and peel.  2 cups of baby carrots is perfect.

4.     Parsnip - a large one (looks like a white carrot), cut the ends off and use the peeler to clean it.  I use 2 to 3 large peeled parsnips.

5.     Celery Stalks - 3 or 4 washed and the ends trimmed.  Use at least 4 if not 6.

6.     Fresh Dill - 1/2 bunch

7.     Fresh Parsley 1/2 bunch (curled or flat) Wash both the dill and parsley in a large bowl or sink at least 3 times with cold water. You can let it soak for a few minutes, which will help any grit to fall off. There's nothing worse than grit in chicken soup so do a good job. I like to use kitchen string and I tied the dill and parsley together in a tight bundle. I cook it that way and then it's easy to take it out when the soup is done.  If you don’t have kitchen string it’s okay.  It comes out of the pot easy if you haven’t stirred it in.

8.     Salt - 2 teaspoons.

9.     Chicken bouillon - 2 tablespoons - powdered type.

HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT:

1. Use a big pot that has a lid. If you don't have a lid, you can use foil when you need it.
2. Rinse the chicken, pull off any unnecessary fat that the butcher left on to weigh it down.
3. Put the rinsed chicken pieces in the bottom of the pot.
4. Add COLD water to cover the chicken and then some.
5. Toss in the 2 teaspoons of salt.
6. Heat on high until it begins to boil.
7. Turn the heat down some and stand there with it. A foamy scum will start to float. Use a slotted spoon to remove it. Repeat this until you don't see any more coming up. Now cover the pot and turn the heat to low so that it continues to simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. You'll know your chicken is done when all you have to do is touch the skin with your spoon and the skin breaks.
8. Now you can remove the chicken into a bowl pouring back into the pot any soup that escaped. Cover the bowl of chicken and set aside.  I let it cool for a half hour while I cook the vegetables.  Then I pull it apart, removing all the skin, fat, and bones.
9. Now, using a hand held fine sieve (strainer) scoop through the liquid to remove any chicken pieces or debris that might have broken away during the long boil.  I don’t have a strainer so have never done this step.
10. This is when you will stir in the two tablespoons of powdered chicken bouillon.
11. Gently put in the onions, carrots, parsnip, celery, and bundled dill/parsley.
12. Bring back to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to low to keep it simmering for another 1 to 1.5 hrs.  I always do 1.5 hours.  The onions taste fantastic when they’re thoroughly cooked.
13. I like to then take out the greens (the dill and parsley).
14. Let it cool down for a while and then put it in the fridge. You can turn the pot lid upside down to help it fit.  I usually let it cool for 4 to 6 hours before putting it in the fridge because it’s so hot.
15. Tomorrow you will skim the fat, (put the chicken in the pot), heat, and serve. 
16. You can warm the cooked chicken right in the soup as you reheat it. Some people like chicken IN their soup. We like to eat the chicken separately and we make little egg noodles (pick your favorite) to serve in the bowl of soup.  I always put the chicken in the soup.  It’s so good J

That's it. That's all there is to it.

 

Chocolate Cakie Cookies

submitted by Klare

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine (I usually use butter)
1/3 cup egg whites
3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I have use white chocolate chips before, yummy)

Mix all together, Pam the pan and bake @ 350 for 10 min.

Makes 24 cookies @ 1 point each.

Slow cooker ham and potatoes

If you love potatoes then you'll love this one. It's a healthier version of the classic. It's a bit high in WW pts, but super filling so I think it's worth it.

By Davianne Hughes

2 lbs 98% fat free ham, cubed
10 large potatoes, thinly sliced or cubed
1-2 onions peeled and thinly sliced or diced
1/2 to 1 c. diced green onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c. fat free cheddar cheese
1 c. fat free milk
10ish oz can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

Put everything in slow cooker and mix with a spoon. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours. I personally think it's better on low for 9 hrs.

Makes about 10 one cup servings

9 pointsplus per serving

First down!

Here I am after losing my first 20 lbs!

It's hard to tell, but I'm 2 jean sizes smaller. I think it's hard to see just how much smaller my middle is because in the first picture I was still nursing and now I'm not. But I'm not gonna stress because I will be getting smaller then this!!

Side note: I'm not sticking my butt out. I just have a lot of junk in my trunk! =D

Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole

submitted by Klare
(from WW 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook)


Ingredients:

1 pound ground round*
1 (15 oz) can chunky Italian-style tomato sauce
Cooking spray
1 (10 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425*
Brown meat, drain. Add tomato sauce, and cook until heated. While meat cooks, coat 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough, and press into bottom and halfway up sides of baking dish. Top bottom of pizza crust with meat mixture. Bake uncovered for 12 minutes. Top with cheese, and bake 5 min or until crust is browned and cheese melts. Cool 5 min before serving.

* I usually get the 7% fat ground beef which probably makes the WW points a point or two lower but I would still count it as is to be on the safe side.

Servings: 6
WW pointsplus per serv: 7

per serving:
Calories: 277
Carbs: 28.5
Fat: 7.7 (saturated fat 2.1)
Fiber: 1.6
Protein: 22.6

Key Lime Pie

submitted by Klare
(from a Weight Watchers magazine I've had for over 6 yrs.)

Ingredients:

1 Ready Crust Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz)
1 pkg. (4 serv size) sugar free lime flavored gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
2 containers (6 oz) key lime pie flavor light yogurt
1 container (8 oz) fat-free whipped topping, thawed

In large, heat-resistant bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in yogurt with wire whisk. Fold in whipped topping with wooden spoon. Spread in crust. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Servings: 8
WW pointsplus per serv: 5

I'm really trying to get away from eating and even having any artificial sweeteners in my house, but I just love this recipe.

Finally

I'm the sister Davianne referred too in the first post.  It's taken me awhile to finally get on here and do something but here I am!!  This is me now......

....huge.  Yes I can give excuses, I've had 5 kids, yada yada.  I am finally REALLY doing something about my weight and I HAVE to succeed!!!  This is just getting ridiculous.  Besides eating better I am also doing something called Isagenix , I'm really hoping it works.  Here's to a healthy, more thinner 2011!!