3 cups All Bran Cereal

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 package of Low Fat Brownie Mix

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Soak the cereal and water together for a few minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients & mix together.

3. Spray muffing tins with Pam. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

This is an old WW recipe, I cannot believe I haven’t shared it yet! It’s a great way to get some bran in your diet & at the same time it tastes yummy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

4 tbsp light peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 1/2 cups Rice Crispies

1 package fat free chocolate pudding (using 1 1/2 cups skim milk or 1%)

* Microwave peanut butter & honey for 20 seconds.

* Stir in Rice Crispies

* Mold mixture into pie plate & chill for about 1/2 hour (I do not own a pie plate so I just used a shallow casserole dish!).

* Put pudding into Rice Crispie shell

* Chill

* Serve with 2 tbsp Ultra Low Fat Cool Whip

Makes 6 servings. 3 points per serving.

Everyone loved it! It is yummy, yummy in the tummy!!!

Home-Style Meat Loaf

3/4 cup ketchup, divided

1/4 cup minced fresh onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 pounds ground round (I use extra lean & I have used ground turkey before)

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, onion, & next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add meat & oats; stir just until blended. Shape mixture into an 8×4″ loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray (I just use a bread pan). Brush remaining 1/4 cup ketchup over meat loaf. Bake at 350F for 1 hour & 10 mins until done. Let stand for 10 mins before slicing. Cut into 12 slices. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices). WW Points: 5

Per serving: Cal 242, Fat 7.5g, Fibre 1.4g

Chicken ‘n’ Cheese Casserole (a real WW recipe)

2 cups cooked macaroni

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 cups canned condensed cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

2 cups fat-free milk

8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. In large casserole, combine all ingredients, mixing well.

3. Bake, covered, 35-45 mins. Remove cover; bake 10-15 mins longer. Serve immediately.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I just make this in 1 large skillet & than bake in the oven. I use low-fat cream of mushroom soup & I just serve salad with it. This is a staple in our household, I have been making it for a while now.

Prepare-Ahead Tip: Combine all ingredients, cover, & refrigerate overnight, then bake as directed.

Makes 8 servings

CAL: 262, FAT: 12.7, FIBER: 0.6 WW Points = 6 

Ok, I know I suck! I could come up with a milliion excuses why I’m up this week but, I won’t bore you! I didn’t get a chance to weigh in last week so this is what happens!

I find that I need to be literally 100% on top of it, if I’m not I suffer. I’m learning things every single day. At today’s meeting we talked about “Managing your thoughts”, it was a great topic.

Are you happy? If you are not why? You need to surround yourself around people that make you happy. Being & staying positive, getting back on that “horse” so that you can have a great week this week…yada, yada! So I will get back up on my trusty steed & perseverve. Now on to the recipe.

Ham & Pineapple Stir Fry with Cashews (or without!)

1 Maple Leaf Medallion Naturally Low-Fat Smoked Ham (trimmed & cut into 3/4″ cubes)

1 red onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 orange pepper, sliced

1 398 ml can pineapple chunks drained

1 350 ml jar sweet & sour sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup whole cashews

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions: In a large frying pan – stir fry vegetables & ham on high heat in small batches. Keep batches in a colander until finished. In large pot, heat sweet & sour sauce with sesame oil. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium, add pineapple & heat through. Return ham & vegetables to frying pan & pour sauce over top. Stir & cook until hot. Serve on a bed of basmati rice & garnish with cashews (if you choose).

I did not use any oil at all (sesame or vegetable). I used Canadian Back Bacon (2 slices for 1 point) & you can omit the cashews. I served over steamed rice. I also just cooked everything in 1 skillet, none of this cooking in batches!

Enjoy!

Weight loss this week: 0.8 lbs

and I’m taking it! I’ve really been fighting the cravings (salt & sweets) this past week due to “Woman” stuff so I’m happy with this. So it is fitting that this week’s recipe is a “sweet” recipe.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 tbsp butter, softened

2 tbsp Canola Oil

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1 large egg white

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream together butter, oil & brown sugar. Add vanilla, salt & egg white, & mix together thoroughly.

Mix together flour & baking soda. Add chocolate chips & stir to distribute evenly.

Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake cookies for 4-6 mins, then cool on a wire rack.

Yields: 2 Dozen (I managed 2 1/2 dozen)

WW Points: 2 cookies for 1 point

Southwestern-Stuffed Turkey Burgers (or chicken) (click on the title for recipe)

This was a yummy recipe I made Sunday night for dinner. I changed a couple of things, I used lean, ground chicken, I didn’t use any Miracle Whip (hate that stuff!) and we just had the burger by itself (no bun – personally I think buns are such a waste of points) with a yummy salad and some rice, & I only ate 1/2 of my burger. I had 1 extra patty left & I just cooked it as is for the kid’s, no cheese or salsa in the middle & it was yummy too.

Easy Chinese Chicken Stir-Fry

1 tsp oil

1 lb pork tenderloin, beef or boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin slices

2 carrots, sliced

1/4 cup Kraft Signature Sweet Onion Vinaigrette Dressing

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp water

1 green onion, thinly sliced

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; stir-fry 5 min.

STIR in dressing, hoisin sauce and water. Stir-fry 7 min or until carrots are crisp-tender.

ADD onions; cook 1 min.

SERVINGS SUGGESTIONS: To make this a meal, serve this tangy stir-fry over hot cooked angel hair pasta, rice or in my case vermicelli or just with a salad.

Makes 4 servings, 1 cup (250 ml) each.

CAL 240, FAT 8 g, FIBRE 3 g WW Points = 5

I just wanted to clear up that it looks like I make a lot of food! Well I always try to make left overs for my hubby’s lunch the next day & if it is something I will eat the next day than I want to have extra’s too! & my hubby eats a fair amount of food & he DOES NOT have a weight problem (just sick I say!) – just in case your wondering!

Recipe from the Winter 2008 Kraft What’s Cooking Magazine.

Chicken Noodle Bowl

300 g (1/3 of 900-g pkg) linguine, uncooked

3 cups broccoli florets

3 carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 tsp oil

1 lb (450 g) beef sirloin steak or boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork tenderloins

1/4 cup Kraft Signature Asian Sesame Dressing

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 min of the pasta cooking time.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook 4 min or until borwned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce, cook 2 min or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture; toss to coat.

Makes 4 servings, 2 cups (500 ml) each.

CAL 530, FAT 13 g, FIBRE 5 g WW Points = 11 for 2 cups

OK, a couple of things I did with this recipe is I didn’t use oil to cook with, I used a non stick skillet, I also substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I only ate 1 cup of this and than had a yummy, big salad, so than it’s 5.5 points for 1 cup, I’m sure it’s a bit lower though with not cooking with oil & using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Recipe is from the Winter 2008 Kraft What’s Cooking Magazine.

It’s been 1 week since I started WW (for I think the 6 or 7th time!), it’s been a great week. A couple of changes I made are: I don’t eat after 7PM, just water, I keep track of my points in a journal, I’m trying lots of new, yummy recipes, working out regularly, eating protein for breakfast, staying away as much as possible from processed foods & I’m just trying to change my whole mental attitude, I want 2008 to be “the year”. This is my goal for this year: to become a healthier individual both mentally & physically with the support of my hubby & kids. Every Wednesday I will post my success and a recipe that I have tried during the week that my family & I have found to be very yummy!

Weight lost this week: 3.2 lbs

Chewy Shreddies Cereal Bars

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 Smooth light peanut butter

3 cups Shreddies

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Spray 8-inch squre pan with cooking spray; set aside. Microwave corn syrup & peanut butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until peanut butter is almost melted; stir until well blended.

Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Press into prepared pan.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Makes 20.

CAL 130, FAT 4 g, Fibre 2 g WW Points = 3 (very, very low 3) for 1 bar, but, I cut mine a bit smaller to make more & I’m counting them as 2!

Satisfies your sweet tooth!

Recipe is from the Winter 2008 Kraft What’s Cooking Magazine.