Ramona’s Poppyseed Dressing

I no longer eat low fat salad dressings.  They just aren’t as good as the real thing. 

I eat one tablespoon of real dressing and count it as 2 points.  I would much rather give up the points and have something fantastic.

This is my very favorite dressing, I have modified it by using Splenda instead of sugar.  I only use 1 tablespoon, but I put my greens in a large tupperware container with a lid and shake, shake, shake, that way the dressing distributes evenly and it’s enough.  You can add fruit to your greens, strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges, or just onion and mushrooms.  It’s the best salad dressing I’ve ever tasted.  Enjoy  ~ jan

Poppy seed dressing:
3/4 C. splenda -I cut this back a bit, i think 3/4 is too sweet, so I use a heaping half cup of splenda
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 C. chopped onion
1 t. salt
1/3 C. balsamic vinegar
1 C. mazola oil
1 1/2 T. poppy seeds - always store poppyseeds in fridge, they get rancid easily, if you have them in pantry, throw them out and buy fresh
To make dressing:
Whisk together all ingredients until you can no longer feel the sugar grains (because they have dissolved in the liquid) and the whisk leaves a trail in the thickened mixture.

Makes about 3 cups, so you will have leftover dressing.

NOTE: When I make this, I find it necessary to blend dressing ingredients in my blender to get the silky smooth, honeylike consistency.  This stuff is nectar of the gods, you will never regret giving up some of your precious daily allotment for this.

Monday Morning Review…

I’ve lost another pound this week, down a bit over 11 lbs. now.  I stayed low in points, but even so,  I knew it was time to slow down a bit with the loss, let my body catch up.  That’s the way it works for me.

We’re going to Ryan’s for a few days, that will be such a challenge, lots of temptation, but I’ll cope.  I’ve purposely stayed low in points, as I’m sure I’ll bump it up at his house, which isn’t a bad thing, I need to shock my body with more calories, so it doesn’t hibernate in starvation mode.

Life is good, I continue to tweet every bite, weigh everything I eat, I’m managing to stay motivated, for today, it’s working…

Pearls of Wisdom from the Spark Community -

1. Losing weight is hard!
2. Being fat is harder!
3. I rather be fit and healthy than fat and unhappy.
4. Giving up is not a good option.
5. Set backs are inevitable.
6. Overcoming setbacks can make your stronger (if it doesn't kill you- just kidding.)
7. Stay in the game long enough and eventually you will hit a plateau.
8. Pushing harder doesn't always yield the best results.
9. Listen to your body and take a break when you need to.
10. Reach out to at least one person everyday on SparkPeople. (Friends or strangers, it doesn't matter.) It helps and keeps me accountable.

Another week in my life of eating healthy, one day at a time…

It’s Monday morning, the 18th, I’ve been dieting since April 1st and I’m down a little over 10 lbs. now.  Last week was a hard one, I had one day that regardless of what I ate I was starving.  I ate 22 points, but I reigned it in and I quit.   That’s the important part, I quit eating, and the next day I was back on track.

I continue to do well, still excited about the small changes, I’m seeing.  Capri’s feeling really good, another 7-8 lbs. and hopefully some of my size 12’s will be starting to fit. Sure, I’ll have a muffin top in them, but there  is just something about being able to wear a 12 again.  Silly, I know it is, it’s all about the fit, not the tag, we tell ourselves that, but old habits die hard, it’s a numbers game…

My weight has been dropping really well, it’s time to play catch up.  This is how my body works, now that I’ve lost fairly rapidly, I’ll stall out for 2-3 weeks, then I’ll have another significant loss. But I know if I stay on track, I’ll go ahead and lose.  Hubby took me to Deerhead last night, I only ordered a grilled chicken breast, dry, no oil.  I had a tomato, ate the chicken, and blotted just a few of his breaded mushrooms with a napkin to get the grease out, and it was okay.  Sure, I would have rather had a pizza, or a fried catfish sandwich, but I didn’t, and it was enough food to satisfy me.  Sometimes it’s one meal at a time, just getting thru one meal to the next.  We got to Versailles next week to visit Ryan and Lindsay.  It will be a challenge, he is such a good cook.  But I’ll make it work, I really will…

And so my week begins again, just keeping focused, measuring everything I eat, tweeting those points, it’s working, for today, it’s working…

Skillet Lasagna

A much quicker version of the Italian classic; less time, but no less taste.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion (chopped)
3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1-1/4 cup water
8 oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried basil leaves 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp salt
2-1/2 cup broken up whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/4 cup fat free grated Parmesan cheese
Dash Basil and Pepper (optional)
1 egg
Shredded fat free mozzarella cheese for garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown beef with onions and garlic. Drain. Add tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and salt. Stir in uncooked pasta. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Combine cottage and Parmesan cheeses. Mix in the egg. Sprinkle in basil and pepper to taste. Drop cheese mixture by rounded tablespoons onto pasta mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and serve. Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user DREAMANGELE.

Cucumber salad, one of my all time favorites…

I’ve loved this salad since I was a little girl. It was always Daddy’s family favorite, and they made it for summer picnics. The original recipe was made with oil and banana peppers, but I’ve lightened it, so that it’s totally Weight Watcher friendly, and no points.

1 cucumber, preferably English seedless, peeled, sliced and cut into small dice.

1 green pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 large tomato, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

red pepper flakes to taste

5 packets of Splenda.

Refrigerate several hours to blend flavors. You can add additional veggies, especially tomatoes to the marinade as you eat it, without having to make a fresh batch. It keeps for days in the fridge…

I use this Williams Sonoma Vegetable Chop and Measure to make this salad. It’s a wonderful addition to your kitchen and will make quick work of dicing veggies

Weekly thoughts about eating healthy…

I made it thru Mother’s Day without doing damage.  I’m learning that I don’t have to be perfect, that I can have an occasional treat and it not sabotage my weight loss efforts.  I think why I did so well, even with family here for days, was that I didn’t fight it.  I didn’t brood about what I couldn’t eat, I just accepted it and ate healthy, except for that piece of wonderful strawberry shortcake.  I’ve now lost nine pounds since the first of April.  It’s a good feeling, my muffin top is shrinking just a bit, my jeans no longer torture my mid section, but when I saw Mother’s Day pictures of myself I was still horrified.  I hope to lose another twenty and stabilize.  That’s reasonable for my age.  It does no good to tell you all how much I weigh, as I don’t know myself.  No feet remember?  No way to tell, you just have to go by the size you wear.  I just know what the scale said and what it says now, and it’s telling me I’m down 9 lbs.  Size 14 is very comfortable for me now.  Since you lose a size every 15 lbs. if I lose another 20, I will be a comfortable 12.  Of course I would love to be a 10 again, but older women can look really bad if they lose too much weight.  Anyway, I have a long way to go before I really access when I want to stop losing and hopefully, maintain.

If I’m honest with you, I have few illusions that I will be successful with this.  That’s a defeating thing to say, but this is certainly not my first rodeo with weight loss, but I do think it’s my smartest.  All the stupid, silly things I’ve done, ATKINS to be exact, have been in vain. Low carbing is hideous, you’re so deprived and it doesn’t accomplish anything long term for me, but it has shown me that I need to eat adequate protein to feel sated, and to avoid sugar at all cost, because it spikes insulin and makes me hungry.  Weight Watchers is the most sensible eating plan of all, but I’m not doing it like I did when I was in my early 50’s, then I ate lots of processed food, ice cream bars, low calorie cookies, a lot of white diet bread, now I eat only whole grains, brown rice, few potatoes, except for those light chips.  That’s my treat, they’re so good at lunch, even if they are processed.  And I allow myself to eat 18-20 points.  I used to try and hold it to 16, and I was always hungry.  I’m not in so much of a hurry this time, and I’m much more satisfied eating within this point range.  I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I do eat beans, peanut butter and soy products for the protein.  I enjoy these foods, so it’s easy for me…

Yesterday morning we ate out, I ordered fresh strawberries, plain, they came with just a dusting of powdered sugar, and that was enough to make me hungry all day.  Sugar is just not a good thing in my life, and as long as I make things at home, I can substitute Splenda and still satisfy my love for something sweet.

I may ramble on about how I’m doing weekly, just ignore me if it doesn’t interest you.  I do this for myself.  I Tweet What I Eat because it keeps me honest.  Maybe nobody even reads it, I don’t really care if you do or not, I’m doing it because for now, today, it works for me.  As I’ve said before, the idea that I’m putting it out there for everybody to see is keeping me accountable, and it’s saving me the $12 I would spend if I attended Weight Watcher Meetings weekly…

Hungry Girl’s Cheesy Cornbread….

Boy, do we have a winner with this recipe, ladies.  These corn muffins are just 2 points each, they are so  moist they are almost like a spoonbread.

The recipe is in my archives, but here it is again.  First is Hungry Girl’s exact recipe, followed by just a couple of revisions.

Cheesy-Good Cornbread Muffins
PER SERVING (1 muffin): 85 calories, 1.5g fat, 240mg sodium, 14g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g sugars, 4g protein -- POINTS® value 2*
Cheesy cornbread muffins for only 85 calories each?! How can it be???
Ingredients:
1 cup canned cream-style corn
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Optional: 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, cornmeal, Splenda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together all other ingredients -- then add the contents of the small bowl to the large one, and stir until well mixed.
Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line it with baking cups. Evenly distribute muffin batter among the cups. Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes (until muffins are firm and a light golden brown). Allow to cool and then enjoy!
MAKES 12 SERVINGS

And here is what I changed – I didn’t have 1/2 cup of fat free sour cream, so I used 1/4 cup of ffree sour cream and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt.  I substituted 1/4 cup finely chopped onions for the chives, and I put in 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of hot sauce.  I also didn’t have egg beaters, I used 4 egg whites to equal 1/2 cup.  I used fat free Kraft shredded cheese rather than reduced fat.

I divided these into 12 muffins and baked them for approximately 20 minutes, they weren’t  done in 15 minutes as she suggested.  They were just lightly browned in 20 minutes and perfect.

I counted these muffins as 2 points each.  I also  want to try this with whole-wheat flour and see how they come out, as I am tring to not continue to eat white flour.

This recipe is 4 stars, give it a try!

Banana Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

2 slices high fiber wheat bread (I like to use Milton's 100%whole wheat... but I used Natures Own Double Fiber for the recipe calc)
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg beaters
cinnamon to taste
1TBLS low fat cream cheese
1/2 banana sliced
2TBLS sugar free syrup
spray butter

Directions

Combine egg sub, vanilla extract and cinnamon
Spread cream cheese on on side of bread and top with banana slices. Put bread slices together to sandwhich banana and cream cheese. Dip opposite sides of slices into egg mixture. Cook on medium until browned on each side. Spray with spray butter and top with SF syrup :) enjoy!
Number of Servings: 1

Nutritional Info – 4 WW Points

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 229.3

• Total Fat: 3.9 g
• Cholesterol: 9.0 mg
• Sodium: 431.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 39.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 12.1 g
• Protein: 14.1 g

Source:  SparkRecipes/Calliefornia

Roni’s Whole Wheat Pasta Pie

• 12 oz whole wheat rigatoni
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 gloves garlic minced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz fancy shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• dried parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until just done. Shave off 1-2 minutes from the time given on the box. I cooked mine for 10.

While preparing the pasta you’ll be making the sauce. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey with the olive oil, onion and garlic. Add the zucchini and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

By this time your pasta should be ready. Drain, rinse with cold water and put back in the pot. Add 1/4 cup of the crushed tomatoes and stir to coat the pasta. Set aside.

Add the remaining crushed tomatoes to the skillet. Stir and add the tsp of basil. It should boil fairly quickly. Lower to a simmer.

Returning to the pasta, add the 1/2 of Parmesan cheese and stir to coat.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Begin to place the pasta upright in the pan. It will be a little touch and go for a bit but you’ll get the hang of it. I started with the perimeter and worked my way to the center. It took me about 10 minutes. Don’t worry some will be taller and shorter. Some will even have a bend. It will all work out once you are finished.

Top the pasta with the meat sauce. Now, I do NOT have patience to make sure there is meat and sauce in every tube. I just banged the pan a few time allowing things to setting and then added some more sauce until all but about a cup or so was on left in the skillet.

Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle a bit of parsley on top. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge. Release the spring form and viola!

Add a splash of water to the remaining sauce in the skillet to serve on the side in case anyone wants a little extra.

Now, for the nutritional information. I reduced the amount of pasta, cheese and meat from the original recipe, yet used the same size pan. Using the ingredients originally posted on Noble Pig and using the same number or portions for each recipe (6), I reduced everything but fiber, that I increased. :) Here is a little side by side from Nutrition Data. Remember these are just estimates.

You can see pictures of how Roni made this on her site.  Here’s the link!

Sausage & Pepper Skewers…

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 large green bell pepper cut into large chunks
• 1 large red pepper cut into large chunks
• 2 thick slices of a large sweet onion cut into large chunks
• 20oz (6) Italian turkey sausage links (I used Shady Brook Farms Hot) partially defrosted
• 8 skewers sticks
• non-stick cooking spray (for grill)

Preheat the grill.

Put the olive oil, vinegar and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Add the pepper and onion chunks. Toss in the oil mixture to coat.

Cut each sausage links into 4-5 chunks. If you keep the sausage slightly frozen this process is much easier. Simple defrost frozen sausage for a few minutes in the microwave.

Toss the sausage chunks into with the pepper and onions

Skewer the sausage with the pepper and onion, alternating the three ingredients. I shot for 4 pieces of sausage per skewer.

Makes 8 skewers and I had enough veggies left over for a veggie one.

Lower the grill to medium cook for 20-25 minutes turning frequently.

Serve  on a bed of instant whole grain flavored rice.

Aprox Nutritional Information per serving

Servings
Amount per Serving
Calories - 260
Fat - 13
Fiber - 2
WWPs – 6

Another great recipe from Roni at GreenLiteBites.  More pictures here.

Whole Wheat Pizza Margherita

Serves: 8

Details:

Sometimes nothing satisfies like a slice of cheesy pizza. This one's made with a whole-wheat crust and part-skim mozzarella, so it's ideal for South Beach Dieters — and anyone in the mood for a slice.

Tip:

Note: If you don't have a rolling pin, use a wine bottle or stretch the dough out with your hands. If the dough springs back too much, let it rest for 3 minutes to relax the gluten. The cornmeal on the pizza stone or baking sheet makes the crust dry and crunchy. The basil shouldn't go on until after baking, or it will burn.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus additional for kneading

Topping:

• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced, then cut into half circles
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella, thinly sliced into half circles
• Extra-virgin olive oil (optional garnish)
• 8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Dash of cornmeal for pizza stone

Nutritional Information:

237 calories
7 g total fat (2 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
31 g carbohydrate
12 g protein
5 g fiber
703 mg sodium

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine yeast and warm water; let sit until yeast foams, about 5 minutes. Stir in oil and salt. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing with a large spoon, until dough comes away from the side of the bowl and holds together.
2. Sprinkle additional flour onto work surface. Turn out the dough and knead about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and springy, adding only enough flour to keep it from sticking to the board.
3. Form dough into a ball; place in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
4. To make pizza: Preheat oven to 475°F. Place dough on lightly floured work surface; flatten with your hand. Using floured rolling pin, roll dough outward from the center. Form dough into a circle or rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
5. Sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal. Lay crust on stone or sheet. Lay alternating slices of tomato and cheese on top of the crust, slightly overlapping each piece. Lightly drizzle with additional oil, if desired.
6. Let pizza rest 10 minutes. (This step can be skipped, but it makes for the crispiest crust.) Place pizza in oven and bake 20 minutes, or until cheese is melting and browning a bit. Sprinkle pizza with sliced basil leaves.

Source: southbeachdiet.com

Red Robin, fuggedaboutit…

Red Robin just opened in Heavensville. Hubby loves their burgers and is excited about going.  I just checked with DWLZ to see how many points.  Holy Crap, there’s more points in a burger than I eat in an entire day.  A LOT MORE!  Just look at this – the numbers at the end are the points.  *GASP*, the peppercorn burger has 35.5 points in it!!!!! 

Burgers, as served
5 Alarm Burger (907 cal/58g fat/3g fiber/49g carbs/46g protein) 22.5
A.1. Peppercorn Burger (1400 cal/94g fat/3g fiber/88g carbs/54g protein) 35.5
Bleu Ribbon Burger (1022 cal/61g fat/3g fiber/62g carbs/46g protein) 25
Guacamole Bacon Burger (1151 cal/76g fat/3g fiber/52g carbs/62g protein) 29
Monster Burger (1151 cal/69g fat/3g fiber/57g carbs/74g protein) 28.5
Pot Roast Burger (725 cal/38g fat/3g fiber/56g carbs/38g protein) 17.5
Red Robin Bacon Cheeseburger (1030 cal/70g fat/3g fiber/47g carbs/52g protein) 26
Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger (850 cal/49g fat/3g fiber/57g carbs/46g protein) 20.5
Royal Red Robin Burger (1178 cal/82g fat/3g fiber/48g carbs/60g protein) 30
Santa Fe Burger (1036 cal/63g fat/5g fiber/62g carbs/46g protein) 25 (25.5)
Sauteed 'Shroom Burger (971 cal/60g fat/4g fiber/52g carbs/60g protein) 24
The Banzai Burger (1054 cal/63g fat/3g fiber/69g carbs/48g protein) 26
Whiskey River BBQ Burger (1169 cal/72g fat/5g fiber/77g carbs/49g protein) 28.5 (29)
Knife & Forkers, as served
Bruschetta Chicken Burger (876 cal/54g fat/4g fiber/54g carbs/46g protein) 21.5
Burger Parmigiana (1081 cal/68g fat/5g fiber/82g carbs/60g protein) 26.5 (26.5)
Chili Chili Cheeseburger (979 cal/57g fat/6g fiber/58g carbs/58g protein) 23.5 (24)
Honky Tonk BBQ Pork Burger (811 cal/33g fat/5g fiber/78g carbs/41g protein) 18 (18.5)
Chicken Burgers, as served
Blackened Chicken Burger (791 cal/48g fat/2g fiber/49g carbs/45g protein) 19.5
California Chicken Burger (982 cal/62g fat/3g fiber/50g carbs/53g protein) 24.5
Crispy Chicken Burger (929 cal/56g fat/4g fiber/71g carbs/37g protein) 22.5
Teriyaki Chicken Burger (900 cal/47g fat/3g fiber/65g carbs/55g protein) 21.5
Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Burger (994 cal/54g fat/5g fiber/77g carbs/49g protein) 23.5 (24)
Adventuresome Burgers, as served
Crispy Fish Burger (565 cal/27g fat/3g fiber/58g carbs/24g protein) 13
Grilled Salmon Burger (806 cal/32g fat/2g fiber/52g carbs/36g protein) 18.5
Grilled Turkey Burger (704 cal/45g fat/3g fiber/47g carbs/29g protein) 17.5
Lettuce-Wrapped Protein Burger (560 cal/37g fat/3g fiber/17g carbs/36g protein) 14
The Garden Burger (578 cal/18g fat/10g fiber/63g carbs/22g protein) 11.5 (12.5)

If you want to depress yourself even further, here’s the complete menu…

Awesome breakfast, 4 pt. burrito…

La Prefidera Low Carb 1 point tortilla

onions and red peppers sauteed in non-stick skillet sprayed with Pam

1/2 cup refried beans

1/2 cup egg beaters

fresh spinach

taco seasoning

taco sauce

salsa

Sprinkle the onions and peppers  with a teaspoon or so of dry taco seasoning mix, and cook in the nonstick skillet until somewhat limp.  Meanwhile spread 1/2 cup of fat free refried beans down the middle of the tortilla.  Add the cooked veggies to the top of the beans.

Scramble the egg beaters with a handful of fresh spinach in a skillet until cooked.

Pile on top of the burrito filling.  Add the mozzarella cheese and squirt on a healthy line of  Taco Sauce (I use Pace).

Fold tortilla into an envelope, then wet a paper towel, place on top and nuke it in the wave 1-2 minutes until it’s hot and the cheese melts.

Remove, add another sprinkle of cheese and salsa.

This is fantastic, very filling, and full of fiber and protein so you don’t get hungry again for hours.

The points for this, only 4.  1 point for the beans, 1 for the egg beaters, 1 for the cheese and 1 for the tortilla.  Pretty amazing, huh?

It’s all good this morning, well, kinda….

The good news is that I’m now down four pounds since April 2.

And, I dug out the capris from last season, put on a pair with a sweater this morning, dunno why it’s only 50 degrees, but I did. Anyway, the good news is that they slid right on, no problem, which means that I’m not fatter than I was last year.

The bad news, however, is that they are my big girl capris, my wannabein capris are all stacked to one side. But they’re just a size away, I can do it…

It really helps to be public with this. It makes me be accountable. At least for today…

Are any of you out there doing this weight thing with me? I see from my stats that this site is getting a lot of traffic, so you’re all watching, but you’re watching silently.

I love imput, don’t get hardly any from of all of you, and that’s fine, but I would love to hear any ideas you might have. We’re all in this together…