Artichoke and Feta Turkey Burgers

I Really enjoyed the flavors of this burger.. it went really well together! The original recipe calls for stuffing the burger and about a dozen othere steps that I didnt bother with.. If I can simplify..I am all for it! Original Recipe here.

Artichoke and Feta Turkey Burgers (271 Calories/9 grams Fat/1 gram fiber/5 servings)

• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey, (seasoned to you liking..ie..salt, pepper, onion, garlic)
• 2 artichoke hearts, sauted in salt and pepper and cooking spray.
• 6 T FF Fetta cheese crumbles
• buns
• lettuce
• tomato

Fold feta cheese into ground turkey and form into 5 patties. Grill. Top with sauted artichokes, lettuce and tomato.

its been awhile since my last weigh in..

its been slow going but.. it is still going! and its 142! I have also in the last week started weight training.. so in the next few weeks I am going to try to not focus as much on what the scale says and attempt to build some muscle! wish me luck!
178..Starting weight
156.. (Smallest since having children) New nail polish152..(smallest since becoming pregnant w/ Fhillip)..New shirt
148..(30 pounds)..Healthy cookbook
142..(wedding weight)..new hair cut and foils
current weight... 142
138..(40 pounds gone!).. Family portraits
130.. (just a big deal!)..new swim suit!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Have you ever ordered a dish of Chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden? Or their Alfredo Pizza? or even just the dipping sauce for the bread sticks? All super yummy! But if you are on a diet.. Alfredo is just plain out of reach.. Because the dipping sauce alone has 380 Calories and 35 grams of fat.. add some pasta and chicken to make it the meal? and you have 1440 Calories and 88 grams of fat.. yeah.. I can feel myself gaining weight just thinking about it.. This sauce hits the spot without hitting your thighs.. It makes quite a bit, I had enough for sauce on a pizza and to cover pasta and broccoli. original recipe here.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce ( 530 Calories/ 55 grams Fat/2 grams fiber/ no servings.. but it makes tons and you could get many individual meals out of it!)

• 2 Cups almond milk ( or just low fat milk)
• 3 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese,
• 2 T Flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 T butter
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 cup grated parm cheese

Toss milk, salt, flour, and cream cheese into a blender and pulse till smooth. Set aside. Saute butter and garlic until garlic is brown and fragrant. add milk mixture and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes until it starts simmer, keep cooking a few more minutes until sauce becomes thicker. Stir in cheese until melted. take off heat, cover, and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Breakfast Ranch Stars

These were really good, but salty.. I think its due to the fact that I thought I had more sour cream in the house but didn't.. so I just used what I had. I will make this again.. but either with less of the seasoning packet, or more sour cream in the mixture, or both. Original recipe here

Breakfast Ranch Stars (80 Calories/2.5 grams fat/ 24 servings)

• 1 c and 1/4 cup FF Sour cream (I will add more next time)
• 1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lb turkey Breakfast sausage, crumbled and browned
• 1 cup reduced fat cheese
• 24 won ton wrappers

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for won ton wrappers and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. While mixture is being chilled, press won ton wrappers into greased muffin tins and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and cool for a minute or two. add filling to each wrapper and bake additional 5-7 minutes.

De-light-ful Blueberry Pie

This was light and refreshing. Really easy with no baking required! How can you go wrong?? This would be great with any berry.. but blueberries have been a good price at the store.. so blueberries it is! My 2 year old.. kept saying over and over... "mhhh blueberry pie...mmmhhhh yummy!"  Therefore this gets 2 thumbs up! The calories and fat could be lower if you use FF cool whip..but I really don't like the flavor of it..so regular is used.
Original recipe here.

De-light-ful Blueberry Pie (229 Calories/ 9 grams fat/2 grams fiber/ 8 servings)

• one graham cracker crust
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 light (6 oz each) FF yogurt ( blueberry flavor)
• 1 container cool whip

Blend ingredients and pour into crust..refrigerate!

Chicken Adobo

Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines..and funny enough even though every household makes it,  almost no one makes it the same.. its always left up to a persons taste.. adobo is a stew or a simmer of meat or vegetables cooked with vinegar, and pretty much always flavored with garlic and soy.. so here is my take on it!

Chicken Adobo (248 Calories/ 9.5 grams fat/5 servings)

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar ( I used cane)
• 4 peppercorns crushed
• 1/4 cup onions,  chopped

Marinate all ingredients except onions for a few hours. dump marinade and chicken in a deep pan with 1/2 cup water ( more or less depending on how it takes to evaporate) and add onions. simmer  for 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is soft and tender.

Buffalo Turkey (Chicken) Bites

I love buffalo flavors.. one of my faves, so glad a I made these.. with more leftover turkey! ( but Chicken would be great in this too!) Original Recipe here.

Buffalo Turkey Cheese Bites (292 Calories/18 grams fat/.5 grams fiber/ 4 servings)

• 4 oz 1/3rd less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 pound cooked, shredded turkey ( or chicken)
• 1/4 cup Franks Hot sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

breading

• 1 egg
• 2 T flour
• 3T bread crumbs

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl..refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up. Roll into balls and coat in flour, then egg,  then the bread crumbs. Placed on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 350! yum!

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Turkey Tetrazzini

What happens when you cook a whole turkey? turkey leftovers of course! This meal comes together in minutes.. I like that on days I'm not really in a cooking mood..but at the same time.. my family feels they need to eat everyday.. so I get to do it either way.. lucky me! :) Original recipe here.

Turkey Tetrazzini (240 Calories/11 grams fat/2 grams fiber/4 servings)

• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1.5 cup dry egg noodles, cooked
• 1/2 pound cooked, shredded turkey
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• pepper to taste

Spray non stick pan with cooking spray, Saute frozen peas 2-3 minutes until soft. Toss in turkey, stock, and cream cheese..heat until melted through and sauce thickens. Stir in noodles. That quick and easy.

"Smoked" Turkey

Turkey shouldn't just be for holidays.. If you don't mind eating it for 4 days straight it really is a cheap way to eat.. and it tastes so yummy! This had a mild smokey flavor that made me want to keep eating! Original recipe here

"Smoked" Turkey (170 Calories/ 8 grams fat/ 4 oz)

• one turkey, thawed
• 1 cup kosher salt
• one small bottle liquid smoke

Mix salt and smoke with 1 gal. water in a 5 gal. bucket or stock pot. Insert turkey and fill w/ water until covered. Marinate in fridge for 12-24 hours. Remove from water and pat dry.. Coat in cooking spray and bake as usual.

Pizza Bubble Ring

What a fun way to change up pizza! and It's a hit for little and big kids alike.. I could have eaten the entire ring.. but that probably would not have been a good idea.. so I ate 2.. I was a good girl! Original (very fattening) recipe here.

Pizza Bubble Ring (160 Calories/ 10 grams fat/10 servings)

• 1 package Golden layers Grands Jrs (12oz)
• 4 sticks low fat string cheese
• 30 slices pepperoni
• butter flavored cooking spray

Separate can of dough into 10 biscuits; press or roll each into 3-inch round. Place 3 pepperoni slices in center of each biscuit round. Top each with piece of string cheese. Fold dough around filling. Place in greased rounded pan..Spray top with cooking spray..Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Blueberry Coconut cake

This is yummy :) and it great warm with a little ice cream! you can really taste the lemon zest.. and that is a good thing. Original Recipe here

Blueberry Coconut cake (195 Calories/3 grams fat/1.4 grams fiber/10 servings)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

zest of one lemon

6 ounces plain Greek yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1  heaping cup blueberries

1/2 cup shredded coconut

 splash of coconut milk (I had it.. thought it would be good.. but I'm sure regular milk would be good too)

Preheat oven to 350F.. Mix all ingredients, mixing the blueberries last, to keep from smashing them. Pour into a  greased bread or bunt pan.. bake 50-60 minutes.

Bean and Cheese Burger

This is what I would like to call a lighter dish..neither option is really that great for you.. but when you compare it to the possible calories count you would get from using full fat ingredients this is still a better option. An why wouldn't you you want that? Original Recipe here

Bean and Cheese Burger (410 Calories/11 grams of Fat/4 grams Fiber/5 servings)

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup Salsa
• 4 oz 2% Velveeta cheese
• 1 cup FF re fried beans
• 6 corn tortillas (cut in triangles and baked at 400F for about 10 minutes)
• buns

Form ground beef into 5 patties ans season and cook to your liking. melt cheese ans salsa together. Warm beans. Layer Beans, burger, cheese then chips.. enjoy!

First step on the scale: 2011!

And the verdict is in..145! (and three pounds away from my wedding weight.. almost 7.5 years ago!) I can't believe its been that long.. Oh and on Saturday on a whim I tried on a pair of size 8 pants at Old Navy just to see how they fit (I also know that Old Navy can be a little more forgiving than some other brands) and while it was still a little tight. I didn't have a problem zipping it up! (  I didn't have to do that lay down trick.. If you are a woman you so know what I mean!) So here is my virtual happy dance!

Twice Baked potatoes

A tasty way to eat your potatoes!

Twice Baked Potatoes ( 154 Calories/ 3.7 grams fat/2 grams fiber/5 servings)

• 5 mediums sized potatoes
• 2/3 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup stock or broth ( I used chicken)
• 3 T FF sour cream
• season salt
• pepper

Wash and prick potatoes and bake in oven for about an hour at 400F. While they are still hot, take a spoon and scoop the whites out of the potatoes and put it in a bowl. mash whites with broth, sour cream, salt, and pepper. put mixture back into skins and top with cheese. Bake until heated and cheese is melted.

Slow cooker Chicken and Wild rice

This is very very yummy.. and VERY VERY easy! Even if you are the worst cook in the history of the word this will come out tasting great! :) I didn't even change the recipe in the slightest from the recipe here.

Slow cooker Chicken and Wild rice (257 Calories/5.5 grams fat/1.5 grams fiber/4 servings)

• 1 lb Chicken Breast
• 1 can 98% FF crm of mushroom
• 1 T dried onion flakes
• 1 bag Uncle Bens Ready Rice ( I used Long grain and wild)

Put first 3 ingredients in a crock pot..cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Heat rice in microwave for 90 Seconds. dump in crock and stir. Eat!

New year, New Start.

Every year it seems I always make the resolution to lose weight.. well... This year isn't any different, but it already feels better :).. all because I've already seen what I can do and I'm not starting at the beginning! I kind of took some time off from counting calories (and exercise for that matter..(eep!) the last couple of weeks to enjoy the holiday season.. and when I weighed myself yesterday was pleasantly surprised that I had only gained a pound .. that I can live with.. now to get back on track to a smaller fun sized me.. As it stands today I am six pounds away for being at the  very top of a healthy weight range.. (and my wedding weight ironically enough!) ..Nap time for the kiddos and workout time for me!

Diet Cola Chicken

So during my many searches on the Internet there are countless marinades using soda.. they have always intrigued me.. but here is the thing.. I do not buy soda with sugar in it..The kids don't drink it.. and I don't need the calories..so then I thought.. why have I never seen anyone do this with diet cola? I think its rather tasty and you avoid the calories :) I only marinated this for 4 hours..( just because I forgot) next time I will definatly marinate over night) original recipe here

Diet Cola Chicken (133 Calories/2.5 grams fat/4 servings)

• 1 lb Chicken breast
• 1 cup diet cola made with Splenda ( Splenda holds up to heat.. Aspartame does not)
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/2 T Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T brown sugar

Put everything in a  large zip lock bag, marinate at least 4 hours ( preferably longer). Grill.

Cheerios Banana Muffins

My 4 year old loved helping me made and eat these little muffins! Then again he loves helping when I bake anything.. he must get this from his mama! :) Original Recipe here

Cheerios Banana Muffins (120 Calories/ 3 grams fat/ 1 gram fiber/ 12 servings)

• 2 cups Multi-grain cheerios, crushed
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)

Preheat oven to 400F..Mix all ingredients and divide evenly in greased muffin cups..Bake for 18-20 minutes.