Monday: Ginger Beef Stir-Fry

Tuesday:  Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole, Mixed Veggies

Wednesday: $5.00 Pizza Night (6pts/slice) and Salad

Thursday:  Homegroup Night

Friday:  Cafe Rio Pork Salad, Homemade Salsa & Chips

adapted from Cooking Light

INGREDIENTS:

• 3  tablespoons light soy sauce
• 4  teaspoons  cornstarch
• 1  tablespoon  hoisin sauce
• 2  to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee – found in the Thai department of most grocery stores)
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  teaspoons  dark sesame oil
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped green onions
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh ginger
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  pound  boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 5  cups  (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1  cup  red bell pepper strips
• 3/4  cup  (2-inch) slices green onion tops
• 2  cups  hot cooked brown rice

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

Lee Kum Kee Sauce (I found it at Hannaford) 

2.  Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds.

3.  Add beef to pan, and sauté for 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan.

4.  Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; heat over medium-high heat. Add beans and pepper to pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

5.  Add 3/4 cup green onion tops; sauté 1 minute. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Makes:  4 Servings – 1 3/4c. Beef Mixture, 1/2c. Rice
WWP: 9

Click here for the printable version of Ginger Beef Stir-Fry!

There is no good excuse for the desertion.  There is also no good excuse for the 10lbs that found there way back on my rear end.  Hump.

If I were honest with myself I guess I should say that I just gave up.  Life got really hard and counting points and exercising took a back burner.  So far back that it wasn’t even on the proverbial stove.

My husband and I started infertility treatments last April, shortly after posting got noticeably sparse.   Instead of counting calories I was counting days:  cycle days, calender days, days ’till I have to do this or that.  My focus shifted.

Months later I’m still figuring things out.  We’re still doing treatments, but now I understand more than ever the principle of balance. 

So I’m back.  Back counting, back-on-track (fingers crossed) and it feels good!

I don’t know how I lived this long before discovering pumpkin butter.  I guess I shied away from it because it has “butter” in the name, and all things butter are high calorie and fat.  Not pumpkin butter though.  Two tablespoons of this delicious stuff has only 60 calories and 0 fat!  Score!  I got mine at Stonewall kitchen.  Buy it here.

Pumpkin Oats

• 1/2c. Quick cooking oats
• 1c. Water
• 2 tbsp Pumpkin Butter
• 1 tsp splenda (optional)
• Sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice & cinnamon
• Slivered almonds (I used 8 grams)

Boil water and add oats, stirring until water is absorbed.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and enjoy!

WWP:  4

Serves:  1

Campbell’s Select Harvest, Healthy Request Soups (could that name be any longer?)

I’m a big fan of soup; especially for lunches.  Usually, I make a big pot during the weekend and then freeze individual portions for a quick grab n’ go lunch.  Lately though, I’ve been too busy for that!  These soups are a great alternative.  They are yummy, cheap ($1.29 at Wal-Mart) and easy.

My favorite flavors so far are:

Italian Style Wedding (2pts per cup, 4pts for the entire can)

Light Vegetable Beef with Barley (1pt per cup, 2.5pts for the entire can)

Healthy Choice Café Steamers

I do not like most of the Healthy Choice products I’ve tried beforehand, but these bowls looked big and they had relatively low points so I thought I would give them a try.  To my surprise they were delicious and filling! 

My favorite flavor is the Grilled White Meat Chicken & Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce (4pts).

The Chicken Marsala (5pts) is also good, but it’s not as filling.

Healthy Choice just came out with new Asian inspired steamers.  I have yet to try them, but if you click here you can get one for $1 off!

Monday:  Leftover shredded pork burritos and edamame

Tuesday:  Smitten Kitchen’s huevos rancheros and black bean and lentil salad

Photo courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Wednesday:  Leftover three bean turkey chili and cornbread

Thursday & Friday:  Away in NY for my sister’s wedding!

Check out Organizing Junkie for more menu’s!

Speaking of biting….these are worthy of just that.  They are a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

For the recipe and step-by-step pictures head over to Mennonite Girls Can Cook!

WWP:  4

Servings:  10 medium size scones

Now I’m sitting downstairs willing myself to finish the slide show I started for my sisters wedding next week.  It’s almost done.  Almost.  I just have to set music to it which is the most annoying part – by far.  I’m just sick of looking at it, so I thought I would do a little link-fest instead.  That’s much more fun.

Here are some things that have piqued my interest in the blog world as of late:

White Bean Cassoulet  - I have to make this.  I just have to.  Although, I’m afraid of how high in points it will be.  For now, I will just drool.  Lisa Garza, a contestant from The Next Food Network Star made this on the final day of the competition.  Did anyone catch it?  It looked amazing.  She didn’t win though.  No one I ever want to win actually does.   Oh and I have to have this apron.  If your going to cook french food you must dress the part.   Right?  Yeah, my DH didn’t buy it either. 

Check out the Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Black Bean bites over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.  Weird flavor combination for me, but worth a try just for curiosity sake.

The Leftover Queen recently posted a recipe for Mozarella Stuffed Portabellasthat looks easy and delicious.  They will definitely make it into the meal plan next week.

Dani Spies‘ Apple and Cheddar Egg Pizza looks too good to pass up!  Doesn’t that sound so good?  Lucky for me I have leftover apples around from making Apple Crisp Cake the other day. 

I want these too.  Aren’t they the perfect bowls for chili?  Three Bean Chili, perhaps?

Great blog post on Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah) over at Slim Shoppin’.

Free Weight Watchers Calculator!

Stephanie’s crock pot Chicken Cordon Blue looks really good and easily adaptable to WW friendly crowds.  She has committed to crock-pot something everyday for an entire year.  You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff she comes up with.  Head over to A Year of CrockPotting and check it out!

Finally, Pioneer Woman Ree inspired me to make one of my favorite dishes: Shredded Pork.  I have some bubbling away in the crockpot now.  She makes her’s a little different than mine (I like sweet, she likes spicy), but it still looks amazing.  I’ll be posting the recipe and pictures of mine later today.  While your over at Pioneer Woman don’t forget to enter in her latest cooking related contest.  She’s giving away knife sets!

Well, that’s enough procrastination for now.  The slideshow is calling!

Have a great Saturday!

It makes 12 servings at 8pts a piece, which is a little hefty, but totally worth it.  Hey, what are flex points for anyway?  With that said, if you have any ideas on how to make it more figure friendly I want to hear them!  My brain was tired today.  Probably because I spent the first part of the morning grocery shopping at Super Wal-Mart.  That place can suck the life out of you faster than anything.  Ugh.

My plans for this dessert are to have a small piece after dinner (in additional to the tablespoon(s) fulls I had when it came out of the oven – HOT) and then get rid of it as fast as possible (i.e. give it away to a skinny unsuspecting friend).  It’s so good, it simply musn’t be left in the house.  I bet your wondering about that white stuff.  Well, yes that does make it more points, kinda.  It’s Blue Bunny Fat Free Sugar Free vanilla frozen yogurt  (click here for a printable coupon) and I had less than 1/4c. which isn’t even 1 pt!  I love you Blue Bunny.

Apple Crisp Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Cake Mix (I use Dunkin Hines French vanilla)
2 1/2c. Rolled Oats
3/4c. & 2 TBSP Butter, melted (I use Smart balance)
6 Apples, diced
1/3c. Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Add diced apples, cinnamon, sugar and flour and toss until evenly coated.

2. Cut 2 TBSP of butter into 8 equal portions and place on top of apple mixture.

3. In a separate bowl combine cake mix, rolled oats and 3/4c. of melted butter and stir until crumbly.

4. Spread mixture on top of apples evenly and press down with your hands (yep, roll up your sleeves ladies).

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Enjoy! 

(if your quiet you can hear the angels singing in Heaven)

WWP:  8

Servings: 12

Click here for a printable version of this recipe!

We’ve been traveling far more than I desire to this summer.  Off on vacation with the in-laws, picnics and bbq’s, local fairs, bridal showers in New York, and the latest – SOULFEST, a four day Christian music festival and camping excursion with 6 of our teens from youth group.   

I’m plum exhausted.

Next week is the last trip of the summer: New York again for my baby sister’s wedding.  The 8-hour trip gets longer every time.  Fly?  What a great idea, except the nearest airport is over 2 hours from my parents house.  Can you say boondocks?

Upon returning I plan to practice agoraphobia.   Hibernation will commence September 1st.  All joking aside I’m really looking forward to fall.  Back to schedules, cooler weather (although 65 is pretty cool), leaves, pumpkin spice candles, far less tourists (especially ones that go 10 miles below the speed limit in the left hand lane) and fall cooking (read: soup/stew/chili).

Are you ready for fall or are you clinging every last bit of summer?

I decided to take advantage of the weather and day off and cook me up some chili.  DH won’t touch the stuff seeing as how “everythings is all mixed together”.   Looks like chicken fingers for him tonight.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

Click below for the recipe and more pics!

INGREDIENTS:

• 20oz. Italian style ground turkey
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans low sodium tomato soup, such as Campbells Healthy Choice 
• 1 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a cast iron pot add olive oil and onions over medium heat and stir until translucent.

2.  Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.

3.  Add tomato soup and all of the spices and stir until mixed.

4.  Gently stir in the beans.

5.  Put on low and simmer for 4 hours.

(this picture is blury on purpose!  I don’t want you to see how badly I need to clean my stove!)

Servings:  8

WWP:  6 per 1c.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe!