10 in 2010 ~ Week 5

 

Wow - 4 weeks done of the 10 in 10 Challenge and on to the 5th week!  Although I'd like to do better with my goals and plans, this challenge is helping me to stay more focused on being healthy than I would be otherwise.

I had a tough week because of a few unexpected goodies, but I managed to lose a tiny bit of weight anyway!  I lost .4 lbs this week.  I would really like to lose at least 1 lb this week.

Here's how the week went:

Weigh in at WW:  Missed the meeting, but weighed in.
Track all food:  I tracked almost every day.
3 45-min exercise sessions:  1 50-min Wii Fit Plus workout.
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  Only once or twice.  :(
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  Drank water daily, but only got 3 glasses in a couple times.
Plan meals each week:  Didn't plan ahead well but still had some yummy WW dinners and food from the freezer.

As usual, I want to do better this week.  I look at each week as a fresh start and try to have the best week I can!  How did your week go?  Struggles?  Successes?  We CAN have a great week!!

Stop by Recipe Girl to see her update, get some great healthy recipes, and read about others who are working on 10 in 10!

Have a healthy day!
Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Carbonara With Fettuccine

We recently had another really yummy recipe from WW Comfort Classics cookbook.  My whole family loved it and I can't wait to have it again!  I used bow tie pasta instead just because that's what I had on hand.

Cheesy Chicken Carbonara With Fettuccine

6 oz fettuccine

3/4 cup fat-free milk

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast

1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt if desired.  Drain and keep warm.

2.  Meanwhile, whisk the milk, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl until blended.

3.  Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon begins to brown, 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.  *Optional - add 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper with onion.

4.  Add the chicken and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the fettuccine and the milk mixture.  Cook, tossing, until the sauce is thickened and creamy, 2-3 minutes.

1 serving = 1 cup

Per serving:  311 cal, 9 g fat, 2 g fiber, 7 WW pts

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How does that sound?  I hope you get to try it soon!  I'm linking it up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Week 4

We've finished Week 3 of the 10 in 10 Challenge and are starting Week 4.  It's nice to have written goals and plans to focus on for a shorter amount of time in order to get some good habits going for 2010! 

I had a hard time staying focused this week and fell short on some of my daily goals.  But I ended up with a good weigh-in at Weight Watchers!  I lost 2.2 lbs this week!  Yay!!  I really don't know why as I was more on track the previous 2 weeks than last week, but maybe I had a delayed loss - LOL!  I was very happy and it does keep me motivated to stay on track!

My advice to you is to stay on track even if you are not experiencing much weight loss.  Some of our bodies really want to hold on to those pounds, but they will come off eventually!  Don't get discouraged!!

Here's how I did:

Weigh in at WW:  I was late again - weighed in but missed the meeting.
Track all food:  I tracked almost every day.
3 45-min exercise sessions:  Only 1 50-min Wii Fit Plus workout.
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  I think I made it once!
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  Drank water daily, but again only about 2 glasses per day.
Plan meals each week:  Planned and tried some great new WW dinners (click the dinner label on my sidebar to see some yummy dinners we've recently enjoyed)!

I need to refocus this week and get all my workouts in, get to bed on time, and drink my water!  Looking forward to how the week goes!  How was your week?  What were your successes or struggles?

Be sure to stop over at Recipe Girl to read about other 10 in 10 updates and get her healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Have a healthy weekend!

Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Spicy Taco Soup

Back with another great WW recipe from the Now & Later cookbook!  In order to make this one, you need to first make Tex-Mex Chili Pasta and reserve 4 cups.  Then you can make this yummy soup!  We did enjoy it - even my Dad, who happened to be visiting when I made it.  :)

Without the "toppings"

With everything

Spicy Taco Soup

1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.25 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 (10 oz) box frozen corn kernels

3 scallions, sliced

4 cups reserved cooked Tex-Mex Chili Pasta

3 cups shredded lettuce

8 baked tortilla chips, crumbled

1/4 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese blend

1.  Bring the broth, tomatoes, corn, and scallions to a boil in a Dutch oven.  Reduce the heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in the pasta and return to a boil.

2.  Divide the soup among 4 bowls.  Top evenly with the lettuce, tortilla chips, and cheese.

Makes 4 servings; 1 serving = 2 1/4 cups soup w/ 3/4 cup lettuce, 2 tortilla chips, 1 tablespoon cheese

Per serving:  370 cal, 6 g fat, 10 g fiber, 7 WW pts

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Yum!  It was fun putting the toppings on the soup and eating it that way.  Hope you enjoy this!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Tex-Mex Chili Pasta

I was so excited about trying this recipe out recently because you use the leftovers to make a different recipe.  I'll share the second recipe tomorrow (Spicy Taco Soup).  This came out of the WW cookbook called Now & Later.  My family loved this recipe!  My son even had 3 helpings!!

Tex-Mex Chili Pasta

3/4 pound whole-wheat fusilli

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef (5% fat or less)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups low-sodium tomato-vegetable juice

1/2 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese blend

1.  Cook the fusilli according to the package directions, omitting salt if desired.

2.  Meanwhile spray a 12-in. deep nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to med-high; add the beef and brown, breaking apart with a wooden spoon.  Add chili powder, cumin, and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute.  Stir in the tomatoes, beans, and vegetable juice; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, 5 minutes.

3.  Stir in the fusilli.  Transfer 4 cups of the pasta mixture to a container and let cool.  Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days for later use in Spicy Taco Soup.  Serve the remaining 8 cups of pasta mixture sprinkled with the cheese.

1 1/3 cups mixture w/ 4 teaspoons cheese = 1 serving, makes 6 servings plus extra 4 cups

Per serving: 317 cal, 5 g fat, 8 g fiber, 6 WW pts

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So yummy - I think your family will enjoy it!  And you use the extra to make 4 servings of Spicy Taco Soup.  I'll give you that recipe tomorrow - it's good too!  Let me know if you try this one!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Week 3

Finished the 2nd week of the 10 in 2010 challenge and am starting Week 3!  This week was somewhat better than last, though not as good as I had hoped.  I felt like I focused on it more, but the scale didn't really show it.  I weighed in at WW this morning and was down .6 lbs!  Yay for a loss, but at this rate it will take me years to get to my goal instead of months!  I plan to try even harder to stay on track and follow all of my plans this week.

Here's how I did this week:

Weigh in at WW:  I was late, but weighed in and stayed for the rest of the meeting.
Track all food:  I tracked all of the weekdays - pretty good!
3 45-min exercise sessions:  2 DVD workouts and 1 Wii Fit Plus workout, though all were only 20-30 minutes each.
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  Um, no.  Missed it by a lot!
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  I did drink water every day, but only 2 glasses a day.
Plan meals each week:  Planned dinners and they went well.

This week I need to track my food on the weekend too.  I want to get my workouts in, but make sure that I do at least 45 minutes each time.  I have GOT to get to bed earlier - I truly believe that makes a difference.  And I WILL do better with my water-drinking!  I'm working on planning dinners now for the week, but I also need to plan breakfast and lunch to make sure that I eat enough filling foods (a WW term) in my meals so that I'm satisfied.

Overall, not a bad week, but I know that I can do better.  How was your week?  Did you follow your plans?  Have you tried anything new that really worked well?  Did you have any struggles?

Be sure to stop by Recipe Girl to see the latest 10 in 2010 post and all the other updates linked up!  Come on back here this week as I'll share another healthy recipe that my family really enjoyed!

Have a healthy weekend!
Lisa  :)

Help Vote For Mamavation Moms

Mamavation is a great place to find some more motivation and inspiration for weight loss and getting fit and healthy.  Every session, they sponsor 2 moms to be the official Mamavation Moms.  Those ladies are given team support, nutritional and fitness plans, and much more.  They have to post about their progress during the 7 weeks and help inspire others.

My friend Katie from Frugal Femina made it to the Top 5 Finalists to be a Mamavation Mom!  She has already been encouraging and inspiring me on twitter in my efforts to be healthier.  I just love her - she's sweet and a little sassy!  She really wants to make it to the Top 2!  I am helping support her and voting daily for her.

Would you consider helping by voting at Mamavation?  You can look at the videos of all 5 finalists there.  You can get to know Katie over at Frugal Femina.  I'll even give you the link to her Mamavation post where she shared all her measurements.  Brave, I tell ya!

I know you'll love Frugal Femina (@FrugalFemina on twitter) and you can vote for her every day through the 21st.  Thanks for your help!  And look around over at Mamavation and Bookie Boo - more healthy resources for you.

Thanks friends!

Have a healthy Friday!
Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Four-Cheese Pepperoni-Vegetable Pizza

I got some new WW cookbooks recently and have enjoyed trying out some new recipes.  I was excited to try this homemade pizza from the WW Comfort Classics cookbook!  Don't try comparing it to pizza that you order - it's totally different.  It tastes light and healthy, but yummy.  You could certainly add more spices to the sauce or while cooking the vegetables and add on whatever vegetables you like.  I would also like to try this with Canadian Bacon instead of the turkey pepperoni.

Four-Cheese Pepperoni-Vegetable Pizza

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

8 oz. white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 pound refrigerated or thawed frozen pizza dough, at room temp

3/4 cup fat-free marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Italian four-cheese blend

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

36 slices turkey pepperoni

1.  Adjust oven racks to divide oven in thirds and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a 10 1/2x15 1/2 - in. jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray.

2.  Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over med-hi heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has evaporated, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and cook 1 minute.

3.  With floured hands, press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan.  If the dough shrinks back, let it rest a few minutes before pressing again.  Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the dough.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese blend and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan.  Top evenly with onion mixture and pepperoni.

4.  Bake on lowest oven rack until crust is browned on the bottom, 12-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese blend and 1 tablespoon Parmesan.  Bake until the cheese melts, 4-5 minutes longer.  

Per serving (1/12th of pizza): 190 cal, 7 g fat, 2 g fiber, 4 WW pts

Whole pizza = 48 WW pts (We cut ours into 8 pieces - 6 pts each)

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Do you have a lower calorie/lower fat version of pizza that you like?  I'd love to try another one!  Let me know if you try this recipe and if you make some changes to it!

I'm linking this to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Week 2

Finished my first week of the 10 in 2010 challenge and starting the second!  You can read about my goals and plans here if you missed them. 

My Dad came to visit this past week (he left today) and that is always a bad thing for me weight-wise.  When Dad and I are together, we seem to be a bad influence on each other!  We both have a huge sweet tooth and like afternoon snacks.  And when he comes to visit - of course we want to stop at all his favorite restaurants or try a new one that he might like!  So we did all that as usual, but because of 10in10 I made better food choices, drank 3 glasses of water a day and we exercised together by walking laps in the mall 3 days in a row.

I went to Weight Watchers this morning and weighed in.  Now here comes the bad news - I hadn't weighed in since right before Christmas and I gained 2 lbs since then.  :(  BUT - the good news is that I weighed myself last Saturday and my weight today is .2 lbs down from that!!  That's not much, but it's amazing considering that I usually gain 3-5 pounds during Dad's visits.  Woo Hoo!  So my 1st week of 10in10 is technically a .2 lb loss - a small start, but a good start for me.

Here's how I did on my plans:

Weigh in at WW:  I did it, but did not stay for the meeting which I need to do.
Track all food:  I tracked about half the week.  With all the eating out it was getting difficult.
3 45-min exercise sessions:  Did Wii Fit Plus 2 days and walked laps in mall 3 days - yay!
Bed by 11pm on weeknights:  Only a couple times.  I need to work on this!
Drink 3 glasses water per day:  I did!  That is a SHOCK!!
Plan meals each week:  Planned a little which is why 2 of the meals I cooked for Dad were WW recipes (which he liked)!  I'm working on this week's meals now.

I am happy about the results!  I'm really looking forward to what can happen this week since we don't have company!  We do have 1 meal out this week and I will attempt to make some good choices then.

How was your week?  Are you working toward your healthy goals?  If you had a tough week, stop worrying about it and start fresh right now!  We can do this!!

To read more 10in10 posts, go over to Recipe Girl and be encouraged!

Have a healthy weekend!

Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine

I do enjoy trying out new healthy recipes!  And my family usually likes them, which is great too!  I really enjoyed this recipe and will make it again soon.  I got it from a WW momentum cookbook.

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine

4 (5-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 pound mixed mushrooms, halved
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
4 cups hot cooked whole-wheat fettuccine

1.  Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.  Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over med.-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

2.  Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and herbes de Provence.  Cook just until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes; sprinkle with the flour.  Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer.  Add the broth and wine and bring to a boil.

3.  Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with the parsley, if using.  Serve with the pasta.

1 serving=1 chicken breast, 2/3 cup sauce with vegetables, and 1 cup pasta
456 cal, 8 g fat, 6 g fiber, 9 WW pts

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Yum!  I used several chicken tenders instead of the chicken breasts.  And I didn't cook the fettuccine long enough so it was too chewy.  I think I would prefer to use angel hair pasta in this recipe.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

I'm linking this to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam - lots of great recipes over there!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

10 in 2010 ~ Week 1

I signed up at www.recipegirl.com for her program: 10 in 2010.  It's 10 weeks to achieve healthy goals and you can join up and post about it (or not) as you go.  This appealed to me for a few reasons: Lori is a food blogger and doens't believe in totally depriving yourself; I need to refocus my weight-loss efforts and 10 weeks would be a good start; You set your own goals for this program.  Feel free to join up over there and participate or just follow along with me here if you like.

Here are my goals:
1.  To lose at least 15 pounds.
2.  To be more fit/healthy with more energy.
3.  To be motivated to continue program beyond 10 weeks.

Here's my plan to achieve my goals:
 ~ Continue Weight Watchers and attend meeting/weigh-in once a week.
 ~ Track all food eaten with WW points tracker.
 ~ Do Wii Fit Plus (or other exercise) at least 3 times/week for 45 minutes or more.
 ~ Go to bed by 11pm on weeknights (that is early for me - I have a bad habit of staying up too late).
 ~ Drink at least 3 glasses of water every day (I don't like drinking water, so even that will be tough.)
 ~ Plan out meals ahead of time each week.

I think that's a good start!  This is not going to be easy for me.  I have been struggling and this will require some self-discipline which I haven't been good with lately! 

I'll post about my progress on Saturdays and will post a healthy recipe each week and any other random posts that come along.  If you need more healthy meal ideas to help you along, check out my labels on my sidebar (or click on these links): breakfasts, side dishes, dinners, snacks and desserts.

Are you with me?  I know I can achieve my goals with encouragment and support!  What are your goals?  Let's help each other!  We CAN do it friends!  :)

Have a great healthy weekend!

Lisa  :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all!  Let's make this a great one!  Are you making some resolutions or 2010 goals? 

I will still do Weight Watchers this year and am starting another 10-week program from a blog that I'll post about tomorrow.  I'll have a healthy product review and giveaway later this month for you.  And I plan to do more regular posting here.  I already have a couple more yummy healthy recipes to share with you!

Thanks for sticking around last year and I look forward to talking with you more this year!  Let's get healthy in 2010!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Lisa  :)