Hidden Veggie Meat Pasta Sauce

I am a big fan of beefing dishes up with veggies. Not only does it make the meal much bigger for the same amount of WW points, it also can save you money. You can use less meat, which is expensive, and have your entire meal be much cheaper, and you don't even know what you are missing!

Whenever I make this meat sauce, it is slightly different, as I don't use a recipe. I am going to try and remember the exact measurements I used, but you can vary the amounts of spices you would like to use.

5 Servings/2 pts ea. (about 3/4 C) (This is only for sauce, you need to add additional points for pasta)

1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef (4% fat)
1 large zucchini (grated)
5 oz. sliced mushrooms (chopped finely (I use food processor)
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (can add more if you wish)
1 T oregano
1 T basil (can add more if you wish)
3 cans diced tomatoes (garlic, basil and oregano style, the ones with no sweeteners)
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar

Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Cook onions until soft. Add ground beef and cook till brown. Add shredded zucchini and finely chopped mushrooms. Add garlic, oregano and basil. Stir till combined. Add add 2 cans diced tomatoes, sauce and tomato paste. The third can of diced tomatoes you need to blend up in food processor or blender until tomatoes are finely chopped. Add to sauce mixture. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down temperature to low and simmer for a while. I simmered it for 1 1/2 hours, that is great if you have the time, but it probably needs to simmer at least 20-30 minutes to blend flavors.

When I served this over high-fiber or whole wheat pasta, my husband really liked it. It makes a very nice serving size with the pasta, and is very filling. He was very surprised when I told him that it was full of veggies. Your family will never know!

It All Evens Out

During these last few months, there have been some discouraging weeks, where I feel like I did everything right, and lost barely any weight. Then there have been weeks where I really didn't stay on plan, or didn't exercise enough, or whatever. And surprisingly sometimes I lost weight on those weeks. There were weeks where I was stuck in a plateau.

There have been days where all I wanted to do was eat eat eat. Chocolate, breads, sweets, crazy cravings. There also have been days when I wasn't even hungry for all my points for the day. Yesterday, after dinner, I had 3 points left, and I wasn't even very hungry. But because they were there, I ate a granola bar. I could have done without it.

Even though these ups and downs have happened, I'm learning to see the bigger picture. I have lost almost (hopefully by next weigh in) 10% of my body weight. That is such a great feeling. Did those frustrating weigh-ins really matter in the long run? No. It may be taking me longer to lose this weight than I thought it would originally, but I am learning to be ok with that too. I am learning to "love the process."

Check out Roni's post on this. It really is mind-altering. Learning to love the process is just as important as loving the result. It is so true.

Thanks Roni!!!

So next time I (or you) have a bad weigh-in, or we eat out of control for a day, or whatever the challenge may be, we need to realize that it will all even out in the end, as long as we love the process and not quit.

Warm Zucchini and Corn Salad

Today started off with a great start. I actually got out of bed early, and got my workout in before 8:30. (I am NOT a morning person) This gave me time to shower, eat breakfast, get my daughter ready and leave the house by 9:45 for Mommy and Me Ballet class.

Today was my cooking day, and not only was I cooking for my cooking group (we now have a third member), but I made dinner for 2 other families, one who just had a new baby. I was cooking from 1:30 till 5:15 non-stop. Won't be doing that again for a while... Since I was cooking for a large amount of people, I decided to make my yummy creamy chicken enchiladas. I made a couple of small adjustments to the recipe which made it even better.

As a side, I made this really tasty Warm Zucchini and Corn Salad. It is a great side dish for Mexican food. You could eat it as a dip with chips too, I guess.

Here is the recipe:

4 Servings/1 pt. ea. (about 2/3 C)

1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn, frozen
2 1/2 cups diced zucchini
2 T green onion, chopped
1 t. olive oil
1 T lime juice
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. salt
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Toss corn, zucchini and green onions with olive oil. Pour into large skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until zucchini is fork-tender. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.

I love finding healthy side dishes that go with Mexican food. It seems like rice and beans are your only option, and to eat rice and enchiladas is a bit too many points. Anyone have any other sides that you eat with Mexican food? I would love to hear them...

Product Review: Kellogg's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Bar

I was at the grocery store and they were handing out samples of some new fiber bars, comparable to Fiber One bars. I grabbed one and was really surprised by how tasty it was. Way better than Fiber One bars, in my opinion. The bars are a tiny bit smaller, but not by much.

They come in two flavors, Chocolate Chip and Dark Chocolate Almond, which is the one that I bought. 2 points a piece, 130 Calories, 5g fat, and 9g fiber. The Chocolate Chips have a little less calories.

Check them out!!!

Forever Plan

I've been thinking a lot about how in the past, I've done Weight Watchers, and lost some weight, and went back to the same bad eating habits, and gained the weight all back.

What is going to make this time different? I was gung-ho in the past also, and still "fell off the wagon." I am not sure I know the answer, but I think my thought process is different this time. I feel like I now know that this is not just a temporary way of living. This is my forever plan. I will ALWAYS have to live like this, eating right and exercising.

And you know what? I am OK with it. Yesterday was my flex day (where I eat my flex points) and though it is fun to not have to be as careful, I do notice I don't feel as good at the end of the day. I feel sort of energy deficient, lazy, full or something.

Another thing that makes this time different, is all the blog reading and writing I am doing. It is so motivating to see other "regular" people (not celebrities with trainers and chefs and nannies) who can lose the weight and keep it off. Reading these stories and following the good examples of my fellow bloggers really helps me see the big picture in a way I have never experienced. Thank you for your stories.

I am counting on myself this time. This time is for real. Forever.

Feed the Hungry by Losing Weight

For all you people out there who are actively losing weight, why not kill two birds with one stone?

General Mills has teamed up with NBC’s The Biggest Loser and Feeding America to encourage people to get fit and feed the hungry. You can pledge to lose weight at PFPChallenge.com and for every pound lost, General Mills will donate 10 cents, equivalent to one pound of groceries, to a local food bank based on the ZIP codes of participants.

Whether you are an avid The Biggest Loser fan, in need of dropping a few pounds, or just want to feel good and make a difference, the Pound For Pound Challenge is an easy way help eliminate hunger in America. The Pound For Pound Challenge gives Americans the opportunity to assist in hunger relief and help families in their neighborhoods by simply pledging to lose weight and get healthy.

Here are the ways you can participate in the Pound For Pound Challenge:

· Pledge to lose weight at www.PFPChallenge.com or www.biggestloser.com. You can also donate directcly at these sites.

· Mail-in the Pound For Pound lids and seals from specially-marked General Mills products. For every lid or seal mailed in, General Mills will donate 10 cents to Feeding America. Brands with the Pound For Pound lid or seal are included in this press release.

· Donate directly to Feeding America by visiting www.PFPChallenge.com or www.biggestloser.com.

Soup and Sandwich Dinner

I thought I would have a soup and sandwich dinner tonight. I made my favorite french dip sandwiches and they turned out great. For once I didn't overcook the meat. I added a photo to the post if you want the recipe.

The soup I made was Cream of Zucchini, and it was amazing- 2 pts. per cup. I got the recipe off of A Veggie Venture and if you click on the link, you can get the recipe. Every recipe I have gotten off of that blog has been amazing. So if you are looking for more ways to eat more veggies, look no further!

The soup was restaurant quality, in my opinion. She offers variations in preparation, so this is what I used: I used chicken broth for the liquid, stuck with the brown jasmine rice that she uses, and followed the recipe pretty much exactly. The only thing I did differently was use a hand-held blender and blended the soup right in the pot instead of transferring to a blender. I think it saved me a little time. I used light sour cream and tasted wonderful.

I also began thinking of other veggies I could use to make it, mushroom, or cauliflower would be great variations....

Check it out!