Correction to Lemon Tartlet Recipe

One of the cats must of walked over the keyboard before I published my post so here is the complete recipe.

Lemon - White Chocolate Tartlets

Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 tartlet, Fat: 1 g - Protein: .5 g - Carb: 5.5 g - Fiber: 0 g 

Ingredients:
     1 package frozen miniature phyllo shells
     4 tablespoons lemon curd (such as Dickerson"s)
     1 tablespoon white chocolate morsels
     Fat-free whip cream

Directions:

Combine lemon curd and white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on High for 30 to 40 seconds (morsels will not look melted).  Stir until morsels melt.  Spoon the lemon mixture evenly into phyllo shells.  Top with fat-free whip cream.

To make it really festive top with optional fruit such as raspberries.

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Weather Permitting

Wow! Week #12, how did I do?  Who knows...my Weight Watchers meeting was cancelled today due to the snow.  I never heard that in Las Vegas, but the fact remains that I feel like I had a great week and I don't need the scale to tell me that.  Sometimes I think we put way to much emphasis on the scale, we know if we had a good week or not .  We know if we exercised, followed our good health guidelines and if we tracked, don't let the scale fool you with a false sense of security.  We still have to make a commitment to change our lifestyle to a healthy one.

Our little town of Bolivar has taken on Americas challenge to get healthy, they started a program six weeks ago to lose weight and at the end of the six weeks if you lost at least 6 pounds but not more than 12 pounds you would be entered into a drawing for prizes like iPads and other goodies.  I figured why not I was in the process of getting back to goal so I signed up and this Monday was the final weigh in.  I lost exactly 12 pounds over the 6 weeks, maybe I'll win an iPad.

Exercise has been slim this week as the gym was closed Thursday and Friday due to an ice storm, we had rain, sleet, snow and ice.  We didn't leave the house on Thursday but on Friday we decided to get bundled up and walk to our local market as we didn't want to try and drive due to the condition of the roads.  The market has a deli area and some seating so we had chicken and salad and then walked back home.  Today we woke up to 5 inches of snow, again the schools and the gym were closed and we aren't going anywhere.  By the way it's still snowing, who knows what the total snowfall will be.

This is from our back deck

 

From the front porch

 

Poor Abby, trying to find a spot to go potty!

When I started this blog I wondered if anyone would read it, was I surprised when I found out that it's being followed not only in the USA but also Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Finland, United Kingdom and Croatia.  Thanks to everyone for your support and don't hesitate to share it with friends and family.

I want to remind everyone to keep tracking, the accountability will aid in your success.  Here are a few little sayings to help remind you to track, why not put them on post it notes and stick them all over, what great reminders.

     If you bite it, write it.
     If you drink it, ink it.
     If you snack it, track it.
     If you nibble it, scribble it.
     If you steal it, reveal it.
     If you hog it, log it.
     If you grab it, blab it.
     If you lick it, BIC it.
     If it goes in your smacker, put it in your tracker.
     Grab your pencil, before your utensil

Have a great week, I hope you enjoy the food find and recipe this week.

For a real treat you'll enjoy this food find, Jan likes the Chocolate Cupcake pudding and I like the Lemon Meringue.  We got it at Walmart with the non refrigerated puddings, only $1.00 for a four pack.

Lemon – White Chocolate Tartlets

 

Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 tartlet, Fat: 1 g - Protein: .5 g - Carb: 5.5 g - Fiber: 0 g 

Ingredients:
 

     1 package frozen miniature phyllo shells
     4 tablespoons lemon curd (such as Dickinsons's)
     1 tablespoon

Directions:

Combine lemon curd and white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on HIGH for 30 to 40 seconds (morsels will not look melted).  Stir until morsels melt.  Spoon the lemon mixture evenly into phyllo shells.  Top with Fat Free Whip Cream.
 

To make it really festive top with optional fruit such as raspberries.


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I Never Thought I'd See This

I hope you all had a great Valentines Day, for those of you that might of eaten a little to much candy I want you to keep in mind that a balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.  Jan and I had a quite Valentines Day with lunch at our local diner Brenda's Cafe and as usual it was GREAT!

I always look forward to my meeting day, not just for my weigh-in but for my meeting too.  It gives me the opportunity to learn and to share, Meetings = Success.  So week #11 looks like this:  I was down 3.4 pounds for a total of 25.6 pounds.  What worked for me this week, planning ahead.  There were several times last week that I knew my choices were not going to be the best for me so I brought fruit and Veggie Straws with me  so there was no bad choices made.  Activity was also good for me this week as I went to the gym 4 times and increased my running distance and pace.  I Volunteered 1 day with Horses of Hope and got plenty of walking in and then on Saturday we went to the zoo and walked for about 2 hours.

 

I Never Thought I'd See This

When we got to the zoo Jan said lets go the opposite way we usually go, I asked her why and she said I just feel like we should go that way this time, so needless to say, we went her way.  One of the first animal enclosures that we came to was the giraffes and while we were looking at them one of the zoo volunteers says that the giraffe out in the middle of the enclosure is in the process of giving birth.  Once we were able to zero in on that one we could see that there were legs hanging out from behind and was told that they give birth standing up and the baby just drops on the ground from about 6 feet up.  About 15 minutes we could see the baby completely slide out and hit the ground with a loud thud and splash and just lay there, I thought the baby was dead as there was no movement at all for several minutes and then all of a sudden an ear twitched while mommy was doing clean-up and then more and more movement until the baby was sitting and then standing up.  What we found to be unusual was that the other giraffe mommies all came over to help clean the baby up.

The circle of life, Sunday the mommy giraffe died from heart failure and other complications.  Baby is doing well and is being bottle fed.

You can see the newborn Giraffe sitting on the ground, 10 minutes after it was born.

Within thirty minutes the baby was standing.

One of my favorite things at the zoo is the elephants so after the giraffes and all that excitement we hoofed it over to the elephants just to see that they weren't outside.  Needless to say I was a bit disappointed but I was able to get a picture with an elephant statue ( they're always outside).  It was a little cold, only 32 degrees, but a great day at the zoo.

Burrrrrrr!

 







A little thought about exercise......................

I signed up for an exercise class
and was told to wear loose fitting clothing. 

If I had any loose fitting clothing,

I wouldn't of signed up in the first place.

I love the food find this week, as some of you know there are two things that I really enjoy, chocolate and cereal, so whats better than the NEW Cap n Crunch Chocolatey Crunch, YUM!

 

 Hard to read, 3/4 cup, fat 1g, carbs 23g, fiber 1g, protein 1g

 



I have been eating more shrimp than usual lately and this recipe was right up my ally, enjoy.

Coconut Shrimp

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 3 shrimp, 1 tbsp sauce Fat: 3.5 g - Protein: 10 g - Carb: 14 g - Fiber: 4 g  

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (24) large raw shrimp, peeled and deviened (weight after peeled)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp panko crumbs
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour 
• 1 large egg
• pinch salt
• non-stick spray

For the Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sugar free apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl. Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Lightly season shrimp with salt. Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked though. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and place in a small bowl.

If you received this post by email subscription and you want to see previous posts click on Choosing to be healthy at the top of this post or go to http://choosingtobehealthynow.blogspot.com

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We All Have Those Weeks

Weighed in today, Week #10, I was down .2 for a total of 22.2, and instead of whining about it, I thought to myself what really made this week different.  I came to the realization that there were three things out of the ordinary this week.  First, we went to Branson for 3 days and stayed at a really nice resort called the Ozark Mountain Resort.  This took me out of my routine and comfort zone.  In the picture below I'm standing on one of the balconies overlooking Table Rock Lake from our condo unit.

 

 

The next picture is the Branson strip at night, not quite Las Vegas but there must be at least 30 to 40 theaters and the talent and shows are incredible.  We saw 2 shows, Country Jubilee and the Hughes Family, they were both great but the Hughes Family was "IT."  (IT is the name of their show - See it...hear it...feel it...love it!  Five brothers, five wives, four adopted sisters and brothers from Russia and 34 children all singing, dancing and playing musical instruments, that's a total of 48 and they were absolutely fantastic, a must see.

 



 





Second, on Friday night we went out for a really nice dinner at The Texas Cattle and Land Restaurant, and even though I did my best to watch my portions we started out with deep fried pickles, then a wedge salad that could have feed four.  My entree was a grilled chicken breast and steamed spinach, although the chicken breast was at least 7 or 8 ounces.  Then the waiter was so thoughtful as we were passing on dessert,   he told us they use "Blue Bell Ice Cream", he brought us a scoop of ice cream so we wouldn't miss out trying it.

 

Third, I started an antibiotic this week.  I woke up Sunday morning with a toothache, I saw my dentist at church and told him what was going on and the next thing I know I was in his car going to his office.  Long story short a small infection that is being cleared up and we did get back to church before the service was over.  Now that's what I call service, thanks Dr. G.

 

There you have it, three things could have affected my weight loss this week.

 

Now that I'm back home it's weighing and measuring everything that goes in my mouth.  If you don't have a food scale I highly recommend you get one, it makes a huge difference.  I like the Weight Watchers scale as it will also calculate the points for what you are weighing.

 

Don't forget Thursday is Valentines Day, let your special someone know that something other than candy would be a welcome gift.  Remember if you don't ask for what you need, they will give you what they want to.

 

Now for my food find and recipe for the week, by the way our cat Cinder liked last weeks food find so much she wanted them all to herself. 

 

 

Veggie Straws, I forgot all about these, they take care of the crunchy salty want and the serving size is huge, 38 Veggie Straws.

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

 

 

Servings: 9 • Size: 1 square
Calories: 150 • Fat: 7.5 g • Protein: 5 g • Carbs: 15 g • Fiber: 0.5 g

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 1/2 cup crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tbsp light butter, softened
• 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 oz Baker's semi-sweet dipping chocolate
• 18 raspberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter with a fork until mixed through. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites and flour, do not over beat. Pour over graham cracker crust.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature then chill a few hours in the refrigerator.

Cut the cake into 9 slices. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time until melted, careful not to burn. Use a spatula to drizzle the chocolate all over the top of the cheesecake. Top each piece with 2 raspberries.

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Moving More All The Time

WOW, what a great week, this weeks weigh-in was such a surprise.  Week #9, a 3 pound loss for a total of 22 pounds surpassing my 10% weight loss goal.  I received my 10% key chain which I am really happy to share with you.

I must say I didn't think it would be any big deal getting this key chain but it was a great feeling knowing that I had achieved this goal.  After my weigh-in I kept thinking what did I do to have such a good week, well it's simple I worked the program--if you work the program, the program works.  What's not simple is working the program all of the time.  There are so many distractions in our life and when one pops up I try to look at it and figure out how I can make lemonade out of lemons.  Let me give you a couple of examples this week.  Saturday our gym is closed (that's another story) and while we were in Springfield (that's the big city) Jan said lets go to the zoo.  Now it's not a big zoo but it has everything you would want in a zoo and with plenty of hands on things to do like feeding the giraffes, etc.  We walked for a solid 2 hours, what a great way to get some exercise in.  On Mondays, we volunteer at Horses of Hope and we walked the horses around with children on them for 3 hours, that were physically and or mentally challenged.  Take a look around and figure out how to make your distractions work for you, it will make a difference and you'll feel good about it.





Having fun feeding the Giraffe's



This week was pretty exciting as I was asked at my Weight Watchers meeting last week why I haven't applied to come to work for them.  I told them I was waiting to get back to goal, but they said you're close enough and the next thing I know I was having an interview with the District Recruiting Manager.  I will keep you informed as to what happens.

I've been telling you that I was going to share some food finds and recipes with you so here goes.  The food find is Crunchmaster 7 Grain Crackers, we found these at Sam's Club, they're great tasting and the serving size is huge, 16 crackers.  The recipe is for Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken, can you say easy and yummy.

 

 

  

 

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken



Servings: 8 servings  Size: 1 cup
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 6 g • Carbs: 23 g • Protein: 21 g

Ingredients:

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

Directions:

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot . Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste.

Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings.  Chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, fat free yogurt or sour cream and reduced fat cheddar.

Don’t forget to add the nutritional information for the rice and or toppings.

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