Too Fast? Are You Kidding Me?!

Hello all you visitors to the Pumpkin Patch!  It has been a chaotic week for sure but a great one with weight loss, yet again! 


I lost another 3 1/2 pounds this week which puts me up to 18 1/2 pounds in 6 weeks.  However; this morning when I punched in my loss, the Weight Watcher's site said I was possibly losing weight too quickly and wanted to give me recommendations to slow down my weight loss!  I thought, "What!?  Too fast?!  Are you kidding me!?"  In my opinion, I think I am losing exactly the way I want to.  I have a deadline (July) to get 50 pounds off! 


I know, I know, I get it.....losing weight consistently too quickly is dangerous and can cause health issues, but I have done this before.....I know my body will slow down.  Eventually it will become 1/2 pound weeks instead of my 3 1/2.  So I want to get as much off as I can while I am losing well.  I am not depriving myself, people.....I am eating trust me.  In fact, this week I greatfully decided to dive into a scrumptious orange triple layer cake at my granny's birthday shindig!  I ate like a pig last Friday.  I ate all my weekly extra points this week too!  I AM eating! 


This is a wonderful weight loss program!  I have figured out why I wasn't successful all those other times I did Weight Watchers......I was changing what I was eating and taking away the foods I love.  This time, I am not doing that.  Before, I would sit down to a dinner of a Smart Ones or Lean Cuisine while my husband would enjoy regular food as I drueled over his dinner.  This time, though, I am learning to adjust my favorite recipes and eat what my husband is eating which has led me to feel like I am not taking away anything.  I fixed my Beef Stroganoff recipe this week and instead of sour cream and regular cream cheese I used fat free cream cheese and fat free plain yogurt!  My husband would have flipped his lid had he known I did that, so we won't tell!  Yet, he had no clue that I had switched anything out!  Again, loving the changes I am making in my life!


Okay, so enough of that.....I know there are those of you out there that are not doing weight watchers and are longing for other stuff besides weight loss info!  So I have a treat for you!  My husband's 2nd cousin, a wonderful woman I love a lot (love you Dana) gave me a recipe I will have to fix for a treat.  I think as a reward when I get this 50 pounds off, I will make this for myself!  I am going to share it with you!  I do have to warn you though.....reading it makes you feel 20 pounds heavier! 

Coconut caramel pie

¼ cup butter

1 7oz. pck flaked coconut

½ chopped pecans

1 8oz. pck cream cheese

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 16oz. cool whip

2 baked 9 in. pie crusts

1 jar caramel ice cream topping

Directions

Melt butter in skillet.  Add coconut and pecans.  Cook until golden brown, stirring frequently.  Set aside.  Combine cream cheese and condensed milk- beat until smooth.  Fold in whipped topping.  Layer cream cheese mixture, caramel, nut and coconut mixture. 

Doesn't that sound yummy?  Come on 50 pounds!  Thanks again Dana for this recipe!

Now for all you weight loss people, I tried something last night for dinner that knocked my socks off!  Again, I have to pay credit where credit is due!  I thank my Uncle Mike and Aunt Marcia for this one!  I tried salmon (Georgia style)!  Here is what I did:

I used Schwan's fresh caught salmon fillets.  If you don't order from Schwan's you can use fresh or another good cut of salmon.  If you are using a frozen fillet, I recommend cooking it under the broiler for 8 minutes without anything on it.  After 8 minutes turn the fillets over and add to the top, 1 teaspoon margarine spread across the top and then crumble up 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar on top.  Place back under the broiler for another 6 minutes.  Enjoy over a bed of rice!  YUMMY!  If you are using fresh salmon, skip the first broiling session.  Go on and spread on the margarine and brown sugar then broil for 8 minutes.  This was wonderful and very low in points.  I counted it up as 4 points for the salmon. 

I also tried this week dipping my apple slices in chocolate pudding instead of caramel and have to admit, I liked it better! 

Tonight Kentucky plays Ohio State.  Go Kentucky!  I am posting my daughter's Kentucky picture just for good luck!  I am praying I don't regret this!  Hoping they win!  Fingers crossed!  Hope there is less of me to report next week (though not too much)....who am I kidding?!  Ta Ta!

Go CATS!  Number 1!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hey all!  I am so glad you stopped by to visit the pumpkin patch!  I have so much to tell you this week!  No I am not expecting!  (yet).....Other good stuff!  As you know, I have been doing Weight Watchers and last week I hit a bump in the road.  Well, I am happy to report that bump is gone!  I lost another 3 pounds this week!  I am so very very happy!  This makes 15 total!  15 down and only 35 to go by July!  I did try some new things this week that I will share here in a bit!  Please be sure to read all the way to the bottom.  I will be sharing my favorite food finds and 2 new recipes!

Okay, so Weight Watchers isn't all that is taking up time in my life these days!  Besides being a busy teacher and mom, I am now a busy author and illustrator for my children's book.  I have paid my first installment in having my book published!  I am almost finished with all the illustrations (only two left) and then it will be officially in the publishing process!  I will be selling my book to anyone that would like a copy.  It is a book written about a Little Girl's Dreamland.  It will be titled, "My Beautiful Girl, Go to Sleep".  I am sure you can guess where I got the idea.......if you said my own daughter, Emma......you are exactly right!  While lying in bed listening to her jabber and play in her crib one night till 10:00 pm, I came up with the idea.  Imagine that!

I started writing down the words that I wanted to tell her that would maybe help her want to drift off.  I can't wait for it to come out and be finished!  I can't wait to show it off!

I have 2 funny stories to tell!  Okay, so last week was not a good Weight Watchers week for me.  I started questioning why.  One of the theories I came up with was that I was maybe drinking too much Crystal Light and not enough of the pure H2O!  So this past week I bought 2 64 oz. jugs for my water and I happily filled my 64 oz. jug with pure and clear tap water.  My friend and coworker also started Weight Watchers last week.  I took her in the extra 64 oz. jug that I had purchased.  I figured if it was helping me, I would share. Thusday morning, she pops in my classroom at 10:00 in the morning, and flaunts her empty 64 oz. jug.  She also said, "You don't know who you are messing with when it comes to drinking your water!"  So on Friday, I periodically checked her jug to see which one of us would finish their water first.  Can you believe that just a little competition changed me from just drinking 32 oz. during the school day to downing 64 oz by noon?!  Of course, my class ended up having more bathroom breaks than usual (so I could go too)!  But I got all my water in and then some!  I think all the extra water helped to flush me out and helped contribute to my 3 pounds this week......so for that I say, "Thanks Tonia (my coworker, friend, and now competition)"!  Oh and by the way, she won.....but the challenge is on for next week!

My other funny story also happened on Thursday!  I usually take a breakfast sandwich either made by Jimmy Dean Delights or Weight Watchers for breakfast...but since I wanted a good weigh in on Friday, I decided that on Thursday I would eat one of my Weight Watcher's Blueberry Muffins for breakfast (less sodium than the sandwich was my thinking).  I packed my muffin and opened it when I got to school.  I took a bite and thought, "This tastes funny!"  But see, I had put lemon in my water and thought maybe it was the nutrasweet in the muffin mixing with the lemon in my water so of course, I took another bite.  Again, it tasted weird.  I decided to look at it a little more closely. 

Upon closer investigation, there was little fuzz on top of the blueberries in the muffin!  You guessed it!  Mold!  I am highly allergic to mold.  I immediately told my fellow teachers (after throwing away the muffin) that if they found me lying on the classroom floor, to call 911 immediately!  Of course, I didn't believe 2 bites of a moldy blueberry muffin would kill me but I didn't want to take any chances.  I just kept thinking about the headlines in the paper......."Moldy Muffin Kills Local Teacher".  I didn't want that to be my legacy so I thought letting my friends know what I had done, might allow them to tell the paramedics (if needed) what exactly I ingested!  Needless to say, everything ended up okay and I learned a valuable lesson......always check your muffin!  I am hoping this week is not as funny on my part and leave me looking like a fool!

So I promised to share some favorite food finds and some recipes with you.....and here they are!

A Few of My Favorite Things:
* Kroger brand Grilled and Ready Teriyaki Chicken Breasts (only 4 points and DELICIOUS!)
* Kroger brand Fat Free French Onion Dip (2 Tblsp. 1 pt)
* Special K chips (found in the cracker aisle) (30 of them for 3 points)  I like the Sour Cream and Onion!
* Tyson Grilled and Ready Steak Strips (Found in the Deli Meat)(I put them on salad) (1/2 the bag is 3 points)
* Still loving the Jif Peanut Butter to Go (7 points for the whole thing or I often use half and count it as 4 pts.)
*Athenos Hummus and Melba Crackers (2 Tblsp Hummus = 1 point, 8 Melba Crackers 4 points)
*Weight Watchers Smoked Flavor String Cheese (1 pt.) with 1 cup black seedless grapes (0 pt.)
*Breakstones Doubles Cottage Cheese and Fruit (3 pts.)
*Dove Dark Chocolate Pieces (1 pt. each)  I let these melt in my mouth when I am craving chocolate!
*Light Kraft 3 Cheese Ranch Dressing (2 Tablespoons = 2 points)
*Aunt Milly's Thin Buns in Hawaiian Flavor (2 pts. a bun)

And here are those recipes.....I think I will share 3 of them with you this week!  One for a dessert, one for a breakfast or energizing snack, and one for dinner!

1 = Dessert (I believe you should always eat dessert first, so we will start with the dessert recipe!)

Faux Ice Cream Buddies
*1 Keebler Brand Sugar Cone
*1/4 cup Fat Free Cool Whip
*1/2 tsp. strawberry jam or Smuckers fat free ice cream topping in chocolate/butterscotch/and caramel

Fill a sugar cone with the cool whip.  Top with the jam or topping and freeze until firm.  Enjoy for only 3 points!


2 = Breakfast or Energizing Snack

Banana Burrito
*1 whole grain low fat tortilla
*2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter ( I use 1/2 of on of my jif to go cups)
*1 banana

Spread the peanut butter evenly on the low fat tortilla.  Lay the banana at the edge of the tortilla and roll up and over the banana (in burrito fashion).  Enjoy for 7 points!


3 = Dinner

Mexican Chicken Baseballs
*3 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
*2 tsp. margarine, melted
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. pepper
*4 Tblsp. of a package Taco Seasoning
*2 Tblsp. milk
*2 Tblsp. chopped onion
*3 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
*1 8oz. tube reduced fat crescent rolls

With a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, salt, peper, seasoning mix, milk, and onion.  Pour mixture over chicken cubes and stir.  Separate the crescent roll dough into four rectangles and seal perforations.  Spoon 1/2 cup mixture into center of each rectangle.  Pull opposite corners of dough to center and seal.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Enjoy 1 baseball for 8 points!  Eat with a side of fresh green veggies or salad!


I hope you enjoyed reading this week's blog and these recipes!  I do have a pie recipe I will share at a later time for all my friends not doing weight watchers!  It is for Caramel Coconut Pie!  I just got it in the mail and it makes my mouth water just reading the recipe, so I think I will go chew some gum and drink my water so I can forget about it!  Have a great week!

I CAN DO THIS!

Okay, so this week has been challenging for me, not food wise, but weight wise.  I have lost so well the past 3 weeks.  I followed the program perfectly, maybe too perfectly!  I weighed myself Thursday morning and weighed 2 pounds less than the week before.  So I skipped back to my classroom and was feeling wonderful!  That was even with heavy dress pants on, mind you!  I was feeling awesome thinking, "Wow, 14 pounds off....this is so easy!"  Then yesterday (my actual weigh in day), I jumped on those scales and WHAMMO!  WHAT?!  I weigh the same as I did last week!?  What happened?

So I left the nurse's office depressed and stunned!  What happened in one day's time to my 2 pounds I had lost?  I know I know, this is why they say you shouldn't weigh yourself everyday!  And yes, I paid for it.  I spent my day just thinking about what I did wrong.  But I couldn't find anything wrong.  I measure everything, count everything, exercise (an extra mile this week too), I write down every little thing that goes into my mouth.  I just couldn't find an answer.  So I am left wondering if my body is just trying to catch up or if it has caught on to what I am doing and resisting giving up this stored fat. 

One thing I learned before when I lost a lot of weight, and I don't know why I hadn't done it yet this go round, was that every now and then your body has to have some extra fat especially if you have eaten like that a long time.  I think I sent my body into shock mode.  My body simply, thought, "Oh, no....she is not giving me as much fat and junk as she always does, so I think maybe I will hold onto what I have and not let it go!"  So guess what I did yesterday?!  I ate!  That will show my body who is boss!  I ate almost all my weekly extra points I am allowed on the program.  (I had not been using them in previous weeks, just my daily allowances). 

I am hoping and praying this will allow me to drop more next week when I weigh.  I think I have been overthinking the program and not allowing flexibility in.  Yes, I was discouraged but I keep telling myself one week of staying the same is better than the scales going back up!  If you are battling weight loss and you find that you also don't lose and have hit a plateau.....eat more.  I know it sounds crazy but I really think it works.  (At least I hope so.....it did in the past for me.....hope it does this time too!)  I have a couple low fat recipes to share with you.  I hope you enjoy them and have a wonderful week!

Knorr Veggie Dip
2 Tablespoons = 0 points, 4 Tablespoons = 1 point
Makes 24 servings

You need
*1 packet of Knorr Vegetable Dip Mix (found with the soup mixes)
*2 cups of Plain Fat Free Yogurt
*1 cup Fat Free Mayo

Mix all together and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 hours.  Serve with fresh veggies.



Bruschetta and Cheese Chicken
1 Serving = 9 points
Makes 8 servings

You need
*1 can (14 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
*1 1/4 cups Kraft Shredded Low-Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (divided)
*1/4 cup chopped basil
*1 package (6oz.) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
*8 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
*1/3 cup Fat Free Italian Dressing

Preheat overn to 350.  To prepare stuffing, combine tomatoes and their liquid, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, basil and dry stuffing mix, stirring until just moistened.  Pound each chicken breast to 1/4 inch thick. Place the pounded chicken breast smooth-side down, on a cutting board.  Spread with 1/8 of the stuffing mixture.  Roll chicken breast, starting at the narrow end, as tightly as possible around the stuffing mixture. Place in 13x9 inch baking dish with seam side down, as this allows the chicken to hold together nicely.  Pour dressing evenly over the chicken and bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.  Serve with a salad or veggies for a light dinner.


Have a great week....hope there's less of me to report next week!  Let's go Me!  Come on!  I CAN DO THIS!

Losing Part of Me!

Well, I did it!  I had another satisfying week of weight loss!  I lost 4.2 pounds this week which gives me a total of 12 pounds in 3 weeks!  I am not sad that I am losing part of me!  This is exciting stuff!  I have to say it again.....I love the Weight Watcher's Points Plus Program!  I am still excited everyday about packing my lunch.  I get excited going to the grocery too!  It is like a mystery I am trying to solve.....finding new foods I can enjoy with low points!  I have been successful at finding some too! 

Here are a few I have found.....
*Tyson Grilled and Ready Frozen Chicken Breasts (3 points)
*Spinach dip made with yogurt (1 point)
*Sugar Free pudding (2 points) has less points than fat free pudding! (3 points)
*Pop Tart Crispers 100 calorie packs (3 points)
*Frozen Eggrolls (5 points)
*Emerald Cocoa Almonds 100 calorie packs (3 points)
*Pringles Snack Sticks (2 points)
*Rold Gold Everything Bagel Pretzel Rings (14 for 3 points)

I'm still on the lookout for wonderful point bargin foods.  I have found a couple of recipes that I really am anxious to try.  I will share a couple with you.  I can't take credit for these.  They were found on Weight Watcher's recipe swap.

Crockpot Sausage and Hashbrowns
*14 ounce smoked turkey sausage
*16 ounce Obrien hashbrowns
*12 ounce fat free skimmed milk
*10 3/4 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
*salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine sausage and hashbrowns in the crockpot.  Combine soup and milk and pour over sausage and hashbrown mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serves 6
Nut. Info:  8 g. fat, 31 g. carb., 1 g. fiber, 16 g. protein


Pineapple Rice
*1 1/4 cup instant brown rice
*8 ounce can crushed pineapple
*1 tsp. Splenda brown sugar
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon
*2 Tbsp. Sweet and Sour sauce

Directions:
*Drain the juice from the pineapple into measureing cup.  Set pineaple aside.  Add water to bring total liquid to 2 cups.  Pour into saucepan.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and sweet and sour sauce and bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir in rice and pineapple and return to a boil.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 - 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.  This makes 4 servings at 4 points each.

And of course I have to share my own easy cheesy, lemon, squeasy recipe for my favorite snack so far!  Here it is!

Tricky Caramel Apples
*1 apple sliced
*1 to go cup Sugar Free Caramel Pudding

Dip each apple slice into the caramel!  OMG!  This is the best and most surprising snack I have had yet!  I can easily trick my mind into believing I am eating a caramel apple and better yet, the pudding underneath is very close to tasting just like fruit dip.  So not only am I eating caramel with my apple but fruit dip too!  Try it, I think you will agree that for 2 points this is an awesome snack!

Well, pink pumkin lovers out there, I am hoping you have a wonderful and fulfilling week.  I am hoping that next week there is even less of me to share news with you! 

Update on last post:  Still no word on an estimate for our basement!  Still have fingers crossed!

Later!

What A Week!

Hello all!  You know there are weeks when things just seem to be rolling along and exciting stuff happens that you just won't forget and then there are weeks when you feel like a robot.  Okay, so I have to be honest, this week has sort of been a "BLAH" week for me.  Nothing really exciting happened this week for me to write about.........or so I thought.  Then I started pondering everything that has occurred this week. 

I begin with Sunday night.  Last Sunday night, I had the worst time sleeping.  They were reporting that tornadoes were possible overnight with thunderstorms.  This kept me up.  Everytime the wind would blow, not only would the bedroom windows pop, but I would jump out of bed and turn on the television thinking we were under a warning.  We actually made it through most of the night without any sort of storms at all.  The storms rolled through around 5 in the morning (after I finally convinced myself it was okay to drift off into dreamland) and did actually spin out a tornado to the counties just south of us.  We were very fortunate that, according to the radar, a strong storm seemed to just break apart over our county and then it miraculously reformed after passing over us. 

Then later in the day on Monday, the weirdest thing happened!  It actually rained mud and dirt.  I walked out of work to the parking lot and noticed that every single car was splattered with this mysterious dirty rain.  It made me wonder what was going on and where it had come from.  Since our school is under renovation, I assumed it just affected people parked around the school, but later found out this was an entire county thing.  One theory, of course, is that as the tornado picked up dust and debris in the county south of us, it stayed in the clouds until it crossed into our county at which time it fell with rain and left dirty little splatters everywhere!  I do want to report there were no injuries with the particular tornado I am referring to.

Okay, so Monday night, we had someone come out and check out our basement.  We have plans to hopefully finish part of our basement.  We are still awaiting his phone call with an estimate.  We are praying it is what we can afford, but we are very doubtful!  I mean come on!  Gas is now almost $4 a gallon and that means everything else costs more too.  I am hopeful about the estimate but I do not live in a dreamland and understand reality!

Tuesday, at school, we had a special guest visit and talk with the kids.  She is a local mom that I see in the hallway of school everyday.  She was showing off a children's book she has written and had published.  We got to talking about publishers because well, a few years ago I, myself wrote a children's book.  I really wanted to have it published but never really felt like going through all the red tape.  She re-inspired me to seek out a publisher for my book.  So those wheels are turning in my head.  I am promising myself to attempt having my book published and I have already begun thinking about another children's book.  So in my dreams, when I actually get to sleep, I am coming up with ideas for this second children's book I plan to write.

Last night, of course when I wanted to sleep, Emma decided to wake up several times in the night.  (I am beginning to wonder if I will ever sleep.....what with children's book ideas jumping around in my head and voices of Emma ringing through the monitor and of course anxiety about the basement estimate.....makes me tired thinking about all that thinking I am doing.) 

Tomorrow I weigh in.  I AM looking forward to that!  I feel I have done farely well this week.  I will report to you in the next post how I did!  Maybe next post, I can also report we are going to finish the basement.....but I don't know.  Hopefully the next time I post, I will be well rested.