Chicken Taco's Recipe

I am not trying to be dramatic, but when my youngest sons were small and you'd ask them what was for dinner, they would always want tacos-which were never my favorite.  I guess because I just was never really crazy about ground beef.  But since starting my weight loss journey for the 100th time, I realized I could use other ground meat like turkey or chicken (which is what I prefer).  Now, I am wanting to have tacos all week long like the boys did.  I finally get it.  Ok, well I am not one of those bloggers that just go on and on about stuff before we get to the recipe.  So here goes.

What you'll need:

1 pound of lean ground chicken
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange or green bell pepper, chopped
1 can of salsa verde
1/2 package of low-sodium taco seasoning (or use your own blend)
(1 tsp of each: onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt & pepper)
Pam

What you'll do:

Spray your skillet with some oil (3-4 sprays), and add in your peppers and onions plus seasonings.  Season with your heart, you can add more or less of really whatever you want.  Once the veggies are tender, make a center and add in your meat and season your meat as well.  Chicken doesn't have much flavor - so go crazy.  Keep an eye on your meat, and keep chopping until well crumbled.  Once the meat is cooked, 5-7 mins-add in the can of salsa verde and simmer on low until thickened.

Heat your corn street tacos in a separate skillet until browned up a little.  And assemble.  At this point, you can eat them however you like, adding lettuce, avocado, sour cream, or cheese-whatever your taco-eating mind can come up with.

I did not create this recipe, you can find a version of this all over TikTok, YouTube or online.  I have four of these at a time, and without the toppings it is 3 Weight Watcher Points :)

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Unfocused.

I love food.  I have the body of someone who loves food to prove it.  But over the years, and as I get older I find it much harder to be healthy-due to unhealthy habits.  I have been thinking about making some changes in the way I cook, the way I eat out and the way I deal with food/my relationship with food as a whole.

In talking to my daughter, who is a long time vegan-we & I mean my family tend to have the meat as the main focus of each meal.  When really, it should be the tiny portion or maybe just not even there to start with.  Don't get me wrong, I like eating meat.  But I don't have to dislike it to try to change my relationship with it or change the way I eat on a daily basis.  In having said all that, I have decided to scale back on my meat intake.  I am going to try to reduce the amount of dairy, eggs and sugar I intake as well.  Focusing more on whole real foods as the major and main source of my diet, not the other way around where as my daughter puts it.  So when cooking, making vegetarian dishes or versions of dishes for myself and even the family!  Making things plant based; and real.  Having fruits and veggies available at all times for snacks, not string cheese and potato chips.

I don't want it to be a big deal, or to announce it to the world as who knows what will happen in a month, two months-will I be able to keep up with it?  Will I loose my focus?

To sum it all up, my main focus isn't to become vegetarian per say, it's about being healthy and eating healthy.  Making smarter choices when I am able and just being more mindful.  I want to be strong, in my body and in my soul.  Last night, as I sat on my porch having a glass of wine I could hear the cows at a neighboring farm moo and I thought, I won't be eating any of you guys for a long long time & felt happy about that.

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WW Lasagna - 2pts per serving

Good morning, well last night I played around with a recipe I came up with after looking at about 10 different recipes for lasagna.  I wanted easy, I wanted quick and I wanted low in points.  I found the easy, I found the low in points, but it did take a bit of time (cook time was an hour).  Now, I say zero points because I am sure you can use ground turkey (I just didn't have any at this time) and you can use a lower fat cheese, I just didn't have any and prefer the 2%.  I'd love to hear if someone else made something similar, with fewer points!  Here is what I did:

Ingredients

• 6 links Butterball Natural Turkey Breakfast Sausage Links (cut into small pieces) (4pts)
• 2 1/2 cup Marinara (0pts) I used some I made from www.skinnytaste.com
• 6 sheets DeLallo Oven Ready Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (0pts)
• 1 1/2 cup Great Value Fat Free Cottage Cheese (small curd) (0pts)
• 1 1/2 cup Kraft Natural 2% Mozzarella Cheese (14 pts)
• 1 oz of Fresh Graded Parmesan Cheese (4pts)

8x8 casserole dish - 350 pre-heated oven

What I did

• browned meat in skillet on medium heat with a couple sprays of oil to keep it from sticking
• spread one cup of the marinara into the casserole pan
• put the rest of the marinara into the sausage - and warm up
• layer 2 noodles, 1/3 of the meat mixture, 3/4 cup of cottage cheese & 1/2 cup mozzarella
• repeat
• use the final noodles, meat mixture, mozzarella and then add the parmesan cheese
• cover tightly with foil, bake for 1 hour
• let stand for 5-10 mins
• ENJOY!

I cut this into 9 slices at.........2pts per slice.

I sadly didn't get a photo because I didn't get home until 6:15pm-it took me over an hour to have this little dish completed and I was starving.  Next time, I promise, though I do have some for lunch today-wonder if I could make it look good left over and re-heated?

Anyway!  I cannot wait to make this again!

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Grilled Cheese-Family Favorite.

So, I am always looking at recipes on facebook, instagram, websites, blogs, pinterest...all over.  I came across a recipe for a grilled cheese recently, and could only remember it was on wheat bread, had fig preserves on it, arugula and brie.  I should have pinned it or something, but anyway I ordered the ingredients that I could remember, did a grocery pick up and came home and made this amazing treat.

What I used:
My George Foreman indoor grill
Couple of sprays of Olive Oil (I used the hand squirt version from Pam)
One loaf of whole wheat french bread (sliced)
President Brie
Fig Spread/Preserves
Arugula Lettuce

I put the sandwiches together, as seen above (spraying a few sprays on top of the bread that is being cooked) and cooked two at a time (they are small) on my GF grill until the cheese was melted 2-3 mins.

Mmm Mmm GOOD!

Now, these are not exactly WW friendly, they turned out to be about 5 points per sandwich.  But worth it. 

xoxo, Lela

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New Outfit/New Size.....

This weekend I am on the hunt for my FitBit Charge 3 band, size small.  That is something I really thought I would say, even though my wrists are small for my size-since being on WW they are even smaller.  I am down about 10 pounds now, and that apparently is in my wrists & ankles lol!

Today, I am wearing a pair of jeans I bought me for the future.  I bought them because they were on sale, $30 regularly $70!  I got them in a size 16 so I would have at least one pair of jeans when I lost enough weight.  When they came in the mail, I pulled them out and said out loud "damn these things are small, glad they have some stretch to them...no way they'll fit me now!".  And then I shrugged my shoulders and attempted to put them on, and they actually fit like a glove!  WHAT?  Voodoo!

 & so my story continues.....

xoxo, L

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Recipe - Zero Point Homemade Chicken Sausage

Zero Point Chicken Sausage

1 1/2 pounds of ground chicken*

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I also like red pepper flakes)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

**you can use whatever spices you like for sausage**

Put your ground chicken into a bowl that has a lid and set aside.  Mix the spice together in a smaller bowl and then sprinkle on top of your chicken, mix that really well getting all those yummy spices all mixed into the meat.  Put the lid on your bowl of chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator over night.

The next morning, when you're ready to enjoy, prep your non-stick skillet with a few sprays of cooking oil on medium heat.  Pat out your sausage into 16 patties, place in your hot skillet and cook sausage until completely (about five minutes on each side).

*you can grind your own chicken as well using two or three chicken breasts

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WW & Eating Out Around OUR Town

Well good morning, today I did a little research about what to eat while out and about that has low points, I read a few blogs but they points are not adding up in my app (purple).  So I am creating this little cheat sheet, basically for myself - but if someone else wants to use it that is fine by me - and I am only adding in food because I don't drink any of their "fat" coffee drinks, soda or juice.  I have water or unsweetened tea.  And I am really only adding items that I would actually eat to this list, since this is---well, my list haha.

I'll start with DD & DB because they are the closest to me at work :) Starbucks is in the BUILDING.

Dunkin' Donuts & Star Bucks

DD Hashbrowns - 4pts

DD Ham Egg and Cheese Wake up Wrap - 5pts

DD Egg and Cheese Wake Wrap - 5pts

DD Bacon Egg and Cheese Wake up Wrap - 6pts

DD Egg and Cheese on English Muffin - 9pts

DD Plain Bagel - 9pts

DD Ham Egg and Cheese on English Muffin - 10pts

SB Classic Oatmeal (no toppings) - 1pt

SB Classic Oatmeal with Blueberry - 3pt

SB Ham, Cheddar and Peppers Sous Vide Egg Bites - 7pts

SB Plain Bagel - 8pts

SB Butter Croissant - 8pts

SB Bacon and Gryere Sous Vide Egg Bites - 9pts

SB Bacon Gouda and Egg Breakfast Sandwich - 10pts

SB Fig and Chicken Spread Sandwich - 13pts

SB Sausage Cheddar and Egg Breakfast Sandwich - 14pts

SB Roasted Ham, Swiss and Egg Breakfast Sandwich - 15pts

Chick-fil-a

0-5 points

Breakfast

Hash brown scramble bowl with grilled chicken (no potatoes) - 3pts

Lunch/Dinner

Grilled Chicken Nuggets (12) - 0pts

Chopped Egg Topping - 0pts

Fruit Cup (small or medium) - 1pt

Light Italian Dressing - 1pt

Buffalo Sauce - 1pt

Honey BBQ Sauce - 2pts

Regular BBQ Sauce - 2pts

Side Salad (no dressing) - 3pts

Chicken Noodle Soup (small) - 3pts

English Muffin - 4pts

Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast

Egg White Grill - 6pts

Hash Browns - 8pts

Chicken minis (3) - 8pts

Hashbrown Scramble Bowl with grilled chicken - 8pts

Bacon, Egg and Cheese on English Muffin - 8pts

Greek Yogurt Parfait with-out Granola - 7pts (with granola 9pts)

Lunch/Dinner

Chick-fil-a Sauce - 6pts

Grilled Chicken Filet Salad (no dressing) - 6pts

Nuggets (8) - 6pts

Superfood Side (small) - 6pts

Waffle Potato Fries (small) - 9pts

Chicken Tortilla Soup - 9pts

Cobb Salad with Nuggets (no dressing) - 10pts

Mac and Cheese (small) - 10pts

11-15 points

Breakfast

Chicken Minis (4) - 11pts

Hashbrown Scramble Bowl - 11pts

Buttered Biscuit - 11pts

Chicken Biscuit - 15pts

Lunch/Dinner

Waffle Potato Fries (medium) - 11pts

Chicken Sandwich - 12pts

Spicy Chicken Sandwich - 12pts

McDonalds

0-5 points

Breakfast
Scrambled Eggs - 0pts
Egg White & Turkey Sausage Bowl - 5pts
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (no brown sugar) - 5pts
Hash Brown - 5pts

Lunch/Dinner
Side Salad (no dressing) - 0pts
Apple Slices - 0pts
Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken (no dressing) - 5pts
Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken (no dressing) - 5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast
Egg McMuffin - 7pts
Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait - 8pts
Sausage Burrito - 8pts

Lunch/Dinner
Chicken Nuggets, 4 nuggets - 6pts
Small French Fry - 7 pts
Hamburger - 8 pts
Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 9pts
Cheeseburger - 10pts
Caesar McWrap with Artisian Grilled Chicken - 10pts

11-15 points

Breakfast
Hotcakes (no syrup) - 15pts
Apple Pie - 11pts
Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles - 13pts (I have them take off the cheese for less points)
Sausage McMuffin with Egg - 14pts
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit - 14pts (I have them take off the cheese for less points)

Lunch/Dinner
Filet-o-Fish - 12pts
McChicken - 13pts
Bacon Ranch Salad with Buttermilk Crispy Chicken (no dressing) - 13pts
Bacon McDouble - 14pts
Quarter Pounder with No Cheese - 14pts

Subway

One thing to remember, at Subway is the cheese is 2pts a slice-so you can reduce the points by just not having cheese :)  These points are calculated wo/sauces (they can cost you-so look them up)

0-5 points

Breakfast

Apples - 0pts
Egg Patty - 1pt

Lunch/Dinner

Fresh Fit Oven Roasted Chicken Salad (no dressing) - 0pts

Fresh Fit Veggie Delight Salad (no dressing/cheese) - 0pts

Low Fat Vinaigrette Dressing - 1pt

Fresh Fit Turkey Breast Salad (no dressing) - 1pt

Fresh Fit Roast Beef Salad (no dressing) - 1pt

Fresh Fit Rotisserie Style Chicken Salad (no dressing) - 1pt

Fresh Fit Black Forest Ham Salad (no dressing - 2pts

Fresh Fit 6" Oven Roasted Chicken on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast

Egg and Cheese on Flatbread - 9pts

Lunch/Dinner

Fresh Fit 6" Turkey Breast on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 6pts

Fresh Fit 6" Rotisserie Style Chicken on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 6pts

Fresh Fit 6" Roast Beef on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 7pts

Tuna Salad (no dressing) - 7pts

Fresh Fit 6" Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 8pts

11-15 points

Breakfast

Bacon Egg & Cheese on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 10pts

Bacon Egg & Cheese on Flatbread - 11pts

Steak Egg & Cheese on Flatbread - 11pts

Lunch/Dinner

Tuna on 9-Grain Wheat Sub - 12pts

Tuna on Italian Sub - 13pts

Wendy's

This place is the closest to our house, so it's easy for the husband to run in and run out :)

0-5 points

Breakfast

Apple Bites - 0pts

Lunch/Dinner

Baked Potato (plain) - 0pts
Grilled Chicken Patty Only - 0pts
Saltine Crackers (1pk) - 1pt
Lite Sour Cream - 1pt
Small Chili - 3pts
Jr. Hamburger Patty Only - 3pts
Large Chili - 5pts
Chicken Nuggets (4) - 5pts
Garden Salad (no dressing) 5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast

Breakfast Potatoes (small) - 7pts
Bacon Egg and Cheese Classic - 8pts
Sausage and Egg Burrito - 8pts
Artisan Egg Sandwich with Bacon - 10pts

Lunch/Dinner

Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 6pts
Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 7pts
Chicken Nuggets (6) - 7pts
Grilled Chicken Wrap - 8pts
Jr. Cheese burger - 9pts
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (half dressing) - 9pts
Small Fry - 10pts
Crispy Chicken Sandwich - 10pts

11-15 points

Breakfast

Breakfast Potatoes (large) - 11pts
Bacon Egg and Cheese on Croissant - 13pts
Bacon Egg and Cheese on Biscuit - 14pts

Artisan Egg and Natural Sausage - 15pts

Lunch/Dinner

Jr. Bacon Cheese Burger - 12pts
Chicken Sandwich - 14pts

Popeyes

Blackened Tenders - 5 for 1pt
Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Gravy - 2pts
Green Beans - 2pts
Red Beans and Rice - 5pts
Coleslaw - 5pts

Taco Bell

0-5 points

Breakfast

Mini Skillet Bowl - 4pts

Breakfast Soft Taco with Egg and Cheese - 4pts

Hashbrown - 5pts

Lunch/Dinner

Black Beans - 1 pt

Black Beans & Rice - 4pts

Soft Taco with Chicken - 4pts

Crunchy Taco with Chicken - 4pts

Crunchy Taco - 5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast Soft Taco with Bacon - 6pts

Breakfast Soft Taco with Sausage - 6pts

Grilled Burrito with Fiesta Potatoes - 9pts

Grilled Burrito with Bacon - 10pts

Lunch/Dinner

Cheesy Rollup - 6pts

Chips & Salsa - 6pts

Cinnabon Delights (2pk) - 6pts

Soft Taco with Beef - 6pts

Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes - 7pts

Cinnamon Twists - 7pts

Spicy Potato Soft Taco - 7pts

Bean Burrito - 8pts

11-15 points

Breakfast

Quesadilla with Bacon - 15pts

Quesadilla with Steak - 15pts

Quesadilla with Sausage - 16pts

Lunch/Dinner

Shredded Chicken Burrito - 13pts

Hardee's

So don't hate me, but we don't really have a lot of places to eat breakfast or fast food breakfasts that are going to be low in points.  Hardee's is a go to for my husband, but looking at the points today I can see that this will be a hard one for me to justify when using points-so may not be going back to this joint for a while.

0-5 points

Breakfast

Couldn't find anything

Lunch/Dinner

Chicken Soft Taco - 5pts

Chicken Hard Taco -5pts

6-10 points

Breakfast

Small Hash Rounds - 9pts

Lunch/Dinner

Chick Tenders (3) - 6pts

Small Hamburger - 8pts

Small Cheeseburger - 9pts

Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich - 9pts

Small French Fries - 10pts

11-15 points

Breakfast

Frisco Breakfast Sandwich - 12pts
Egg and Cheese Biscuit - 12pts

Breakfast Slider - 13pts

Loaded Breakfast Burrito - 14pts

Lunch/Dinner

Beer Battered Onion Rings - 14pts

& other places I like to go:

Chipotle

Roasted Corn Topping - 0pts

Fajita Vegetables Topping - 0pts

Black Beans - 1pt

Pinto Beans - 1pt

Lime Brown Rice - 3pts

Chicken - 3pts (donno why)

Steak - 3pts

Cheese Topping - 4pts

Sour Cream Topping - 5pts

Queso - 5pts

Carnitas - 6pts

Lime White Rice - 6pts

3 Taco Size Tortillas - 7pts (you just have to add in your toppings)

Burrito Size Tortilla - 9pts (this is why I get the BOWL)

Chips - 17pts (wowza)

So I normally get "burrito bowl, chicken, black beans, white rice, fajita veggies, corn, sour cream & cheese" for 19 pts-now mind you, I have not gotten this since I started WW-so I'd get the brown rice now and maybe lay off the sour cream/cheese (maybe do light or 1/2 to cut that down and make it a for 9pts (not bad)

Panera

Breakfast

0-5 points

Steal Cut Oatmeal with Almonds Quinoa and Honey - 4pts

6-10 points

Ham Egg and Cheese on Farmstyle - 7pts

Steel Cut Oats with Apple Chips and Pecans - 9pts

Steel Cut Oats with Strawberries, Pecnas and Cinnamon Crunch - 9pts

Chipotle Chicken Scrambled Egg & Avacado Wrap - 10pts

11-15 points

Bacon Egg Scramble Cheese Wrap - 11pts

Egg and Cheese on Brioche - 11pts

Bacon Egg and Cheese on Ciabatta - 12pts

Bacon Egg and Cheese on Brioche - 14pts

Steak and Egg on Everything Bagel - 13pts

Lunch/Dinner

0-5 points

Apple - 0pts

Banana - 0pts

Fruit Cup - 0pts

Ten Vegetable Soup (cup) - 1pt

Chicken Noodle Soup (cup) - 2pts

Slice of French Baguette - 4pts

Caesar Salad with Chicken & Dressing (half portion) - 5pts

Turkey Chili (cup) - 5pts

6-10 points

Half Steak and Arugula on Sourdough - 6pts

Modern Greek Salad with Quinoa and Dressing (half portion) - 7pts

Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken & Dressing (half portion) - 8pts (4pts without dressing)

Half Napa Almond Chicken Salad on Country Rustic - 8pts

Half Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT Sandwich on Country Rustic - 9pts

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (cup) - 9pts

Creamy Tomato Soup (cup) - 10pts

Half Roasted Turkey Apple and Cheddar on Cranberry Walnut - 10pts

Autumn Squash Soup (cup) - 10pts

11-15 points

Half Toasted Tuscan Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta - 12pts

BBQ Chicken on Flatbread - 12pts

Half Cuban on Ciabatta - 13pts

One of my favorite things to get at Panara is a 2pick for lunch (easy enough) and the bacon souffle, which is 21 points.  I can get the cheese one for 19 points....but why bother-no more souffles for me.

Chili's

0-5 points

Steamed Broccoli - 0pts

Black Beans - 1pt

House Salad (no dressing) - 2pts

Corn on the cob - 3pts

Southwest Chicken Soup - 3pts

Chicken Fajita's (no toppings that are not free)- 4pts

Side of Mexican Rice - 5pts

6-10 points

Classic Sirloin (no sides) - 6pts

Grilled Chicken Salad - 7pts

Sirloin with Grilled Avocado - 7pts

Ancho Salmon - 9pts

Margarita Grilled Chicken - 10pts

Mango Chili Chicken - 10pts

11-15 points

Lunch Combo-Boneless Wings (no fries) - 11pts

Loaded Mashed Potato - 12pts

Home-style Fries - 13pts

Lunch Combo-Tacos 1975 (no chips) - 14pts

Chicken Caesar Salad - 15pts

Lunch Combo-Bacon Avocado Chicken Sandwich (no fries) - 15pts

Olive Garden

0-5 points

Grilled Chicken on Garden Salad (no cheese/no dressing) - 0pts
Whole Grain Linguine - 0pts

Minestrone Soup - 1pt

Paste e Fagioli Soup - 2pts

Salad w/dressing - 4pts

Breadstick - 4pts

Grilled Salmon - 4pts

Chicken Fingers (app) - 5pts

6-10 points

Create your own Pasta Marinara Sauce - 7pts
Chicken Piccata (dinner) - 8pts (lunch portion is 7pts)

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup - 8pts

Chicken Margherita (dinner) - 9pts

11-15 points

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (lunch) - 11pts

Chicken Giardino - 11pts
Whole Wheat Linguine with Meat Sauce - 11pts
Zoodles Primavera (lunch) - 15pts
Cheese Ravioli (lunch) with Marinara - 15pts

So you can get the whole grain pasta with grilled chicken (0 points) add in marinara for 7 points (yum)

Texas Road House

0-5 points

Buttered Corn - 2pts

Herb Crusted Chicken - 2pts
Grilled BBQ Chicken - 2pts
Mushrooms - 2pts

Sweet Potato - 3pts
Fresh Veggies - 3pts
Grilled Salmon - 3pts

Sirloin - 4pts

Roll - 5pts / Butter is 4pts

Side Salad (no dressing) - 5pts
Mashed Potatoes - 5pts
Smothered Chicken with Jack Cheese - 5pts

6-10 points

Portobello Mushroom Chicken w/veggies - 7pts

Ranch Dressing - 10pts (wowza)
Chicken Critters - 12pts (with steak fries it's 19pts)

11-15 points

Side Caesar Salad - 14pts
Fried Catfish (3) - 15pts

Waffle House (breakfast only)

0-5 points

Scrambled Egg - 1pt per egg (with cheese 3pts)
Over Medium Egg - 1pt per egg
Hashbrowns - 2pts
Grits - 3pts
Ham - 3pts
Bacon - 5pts
Sausage - 5pts

6-10 points

Buttered Toast - 7pts for wheat & 8pts for white

11-15 points
Waffle - 16pts

FYI this is a WORK IN PROGRESS!

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WW-GO PURPLE!

So WW rolled out a new program recently, and you get to pick which one works best for you:

Green (100+ zero point foods) the most points to "spend"
Blue (200+ zero point foods) most like freestyle with a moderate amount of points to "spend"
Purple (300+ zero point foods) the least amount of points to "spend", I get a mere 25 points a day.

Having said that, I did pick the purple plan-because it worked the best with my lifestyle and that of the families.  It still forces you to make good choices in your food choices and most specifically snacking since those points will be used mostly for snacking lol!

I will find it hard to eat whole wheat pasta and brown rice, but I have learned during my journey that spiralized veggies are amazing and so is riced veggies!  You really don't feel like you're missing out on much in that regards.

You know, I should challenge myself to eat an entire week using nothing but zero point foods!  That would mean I would need to drink my coffee black-hmmmm let me think about that for a moment, lol!  I guess I could always drink hot tea in the morning, I can stomach that with no sugar or cream.  I'll circle back to that at some point.

(photo of a 4 pt breakfast on purple (and blue) 6 pts on green - water poached egg on Sarah Lee 45 calorie bread with 1/2 table spoon of Earth Balance smeared on the bread).

I hope that I can be successful in this journey, it's a lot harder then I ever really imagined.  I love food so much!  And food really does love me, lol :D

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Apples & Sauce

I won't make a habit of this, but I do love me some sliced apples drizzled with about 1 tablespoon (maybe less) of Smuckers sugar free caramel sauce.  (1pt).  Not a bad little snack when you're craving something low in points and sweet.  This isn't something I am always craving, sweets....so no need to warn me about sugar free items.  I got this.

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WW Friendly Pizza Dough

So I've made the two ingredient pizza dough before & it's "okay", I mean-it's better then NO PIZZA for sure.  But I have been seeing on a facebook group for WW recipes for a "skinny pizza dough" that is sort of the same, but with a few different ingredients.  I am thinking, this "skinny" version may be way way better!

What you'll need:

• 1/2-3/4 cup of water
• 1tsp of yeast
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 cups of self rising flour

What you'll do:

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
3. Stir in yogurt and mix until it starts to combine
4. Start by adding in about 1/2 cup of water, add more by the tablespoon if there is loose flour in the bowl
5. Dust counter top with about 2 tbs of four, add dough (should be a little sticky) - work until no longer sticky
6. Sit dough back into bowl and let rest for thirty minutes
7. Or roll it out and form into pizza crust and let sit for thirty minutes, poke with fork a few times to prevent bubbles
8. Add toppings of your choice
9. Bake on lined cookie/pizza sheet for about 14 minus
10. ENJOY!

Original recipe can be found here (My Bizzy Kitchen)

I have not tried this recipe yet-but I plan to, writing this post to "remind" me later :)  Oh and apparently, you can use this recipe to make other things like:

• Cinnamon Rolls
• Naan Bread
• Garlic Knots
• Garlic & Cheese Bread Sticks
• Meat/Fruit Pockets
• Calzones
• Stromboli Sandwiches
• Muffin Tin Taco Cups
• Pot pie top crust

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WW Sides Ideas, Part 1

I have the largest time with figuring out what sides to have with what.  Or just what sides to have in general.  You'd think it would be easier, because it's just veggies-but my mind just cannot wrap my head around not having potatoes or rice, I suppose.  It's the way I was raised, eating items from every food group.

I decided to write a blog post with some sides ideas, that I can refer back to....here goes.....

1. corn on the cob
2. Italian peas
3. roasted broccoli
4. roasted green beans
5. Brussels sprouts
6. roasted carrots
7. asparagus
8. riced cauliflower
9. acorn squash
10. zuccini
11. roasted cherry tomatoes
12. yellow squash
13. butternut squash
14. strawberry balsamic salsa
15. sugar snap peas
16. salad
17. tangy coleslaw

Most of these can be made zero points, or just a few if adding some sort of fat to them, or cheese (like on the Brussels sprouts (mmm).

One thing I have learned is that roasted veggies are amazing, I thought I would just go to heaven on the spot when eating roasted broccoli for the first time.

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