Enjoy!

From the Weight Watchers website
8 points per serving. Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Putting it all together:

* Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

* Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

* Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

* Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

* In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

I had my ah ha moment in the month of June.

It actually happened twice.

I was asked if I was pregnant.

Twice.

Talk about embarassing and a shot to one’s ego.

So not what I wanted to hear.

So here I am.

Trying to stay on the bandwagon.

Trying to eat better and exercise regularly.

I’m  not sure if I can handle another question about how fat my stomach has gotten.

Rice, Ham and Broccoli Casserole

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and drained
3 cups cubed cooked ham
1 can (10 and 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (8 oz) reduced fat cheez whiz
1 cup milk
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

In slow cooker, combine the ham and broccoli. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients; stir. Pour the mixture over the ham and broccoli and stir it all together.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until rice is tender.

About 4-5 servings.

I really liked this salad. It was quick and easy to put together and is a great use of left over Diet Coke Chicken. I didn’t have red onions or jicama so I had to do without. It wasn’t a huge issue but I did notice that they would have provided a nice crunch to the salad. We topped ours off with Ranch dressing – Full fat for Mike and Spritzer Ranch for me. Very tasty.

6 Weight Watcher Points

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
For Salad:
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 ounces cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped jicama
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 tbsp canned sweet corn kernels
2 tbsp canned black beans
Optional: 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For dressing:
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar (not packed)
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Chopping it up:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Coat chicken in sauce. Heat if desired.
2. Place all other ingredients in a bowl and toss until mixed.
3. Top salad with BBQ chicken and enjoy

To make things even easier, use the Diet Coke chicken and coat with 1/4 cup of bottled BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:
1 tray frozen Green Giant Just for One Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
3/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (egg Beaters)
3/4 cup frozen potatoes (O’Brien)
1 slice Canadian bacon, chopped
2 tbsp shredded, fat-free cheddar cheese

Making it into a meal:

1. Prepare Broccoli and Cheese sauce according to package directions. Set aside
2. Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add egg substitute and scramble for 2-3 minutes, until fully cooked. Place scrambled egg substitute into a microwave safe bowl and set aside.
3. Remove skillet from heat, re-spray with nonstick spray, and return to heat. Raise heat to medium-high and add potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thawed and lightly browned.
4. Add Canadian Bacon and cook until hot and a little crispy, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add potato-bacon mix to the bowl with the egg scramble and then add broccoli and cheese and stir.
6. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the bowl and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

5 Weight Watcher points per serving

So I am hoping to accomplish a few things with this menu planning thing. The first is I hope to cut my calories down by preplanning fun, new recipes and mixing them in with some tried and true favorites. Second, I am hoping Mike and I can cut our grocery shopping list down and save a little money here and there. Fingers crossed!

So if this works right, here is the July 2010 menu. I have added known Weight Watcher points where I could and plan to add points after I make something and can calculate the points. I have linked to recipes that I have posted in the Sunshine Rewards Forum or recipes I found there. Any other recipes are from the Hungry-Girl cookbooks and I’ll post them as I make them. Just yell at me if there is a recipe you want and I haven’t shared it in a timely manner or if you want to skip ahead.

July 2010 Menu Plan

Anywho, if you are looking for a new fish meal to spice things up around your house let me suggest the following:
Fish packet with Asparagus and Lemon
Whole wheat couscous with shrimp, fat free feta, and broccoli

All you need is foil, an aluminum baking sheet, a skillet and a sauce pan.
For the fish:
1 bag of tilapia or cod (any flaky white fish really)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of garlic
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bunch asparagus

1. Line baking sheet with foil. Wash and trim asparagus. Line bottom of cookie sheet with asparagus.
2. Place fish on top of asparagus (frozen or thawed).
3. Mix butter, garlic, and parsley. Then rub into each fish piece.
4. Cut lemon into slices and put 1-2 slices on each fish.
5. Cover fish with foil forming a packet and cook 10-15 minutes.

For the couscous:
1.5 cups Water, 1 cup whole wheat couscous, 2 tablespoons garlic, 1 tablespoon oil. Bring water and oil to a boil. Remove from heat and add garlic and couscous. Let sit covered for 5 minutes. Add in as much broccoli as you like (defrost the frozen kind) and then add as much crumbled fat free feta as you like. Same with lemon juice.

Crawfish Casserole

1 tbsp light margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb crawfish tails, rinsed
1 can 99% fat-free cream of XYZ soup
3 cups cooked rice
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
dash red pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes and green peppers (aka Rotel)
1/2 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese

In a large pan, coated with nonstick cooking spray, melt margarine. Add onions, green peppers, and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in crawfish, soup, rice, lemon juice, seasonings, tomatoes and green chilies. Mix well. Turn mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

As prepared: 281 calories, 136mg Cholesterol, 4.8 gms fat, 15.2% Calories from Fat

BBQ Pineapple Chicken Wraps! All I needed were 2 of my low carb wraps and some BBQ sauce to add to four ounces of chicken and a third cup of pineapple tidbits. The results were absolutely delicious and is something I’ll be eating tomorrow to finish up the pineapple and the chicken.  The best part was that everything was already sitting in my refrigerator and is pretty low in Weight Watcher points!

Overall Yoplait did another great job with their flavored fat free yogurts. While I wouldn’t say this is a true red velvet cake taste, it is still very yummy. My husband likens it to the Very Cherry flavor but without the cherry pieces in it. I disagree slightly as it doesn’t have that strong of a cherry flavor but it is there hiding in the background. Between this one and the Banana Creme Pie flavor, I think I am set for life just rotating the two flavors every other day.

I was visiting the Yoplait website and noticed that they are about to release fat free Greek Yogurt. I am interested in trying it as it should have 2x’s the protein of regular yogurt and it has been known to have good health benefits. Hopefully it will be in a store near me really soon.