Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground turkey
1 jar Heinz fat-free roasted turkey gravy
1 package Bob Evan's microwave mashed potatoes (in the refrigerated section)
1 package Birds Eye Steam Fresh super sweet corn (freezer section)
1 cup 2% milk cheddar cheese


Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a pan until at medium heat, then add turkey, cooking thoroughly. Cook mashed potatoes in the microwave according to package instructions.

Step 2:

Once meat is no longer pink, add jar of gravy and warm meat and gravy on low. Once the gravy is warm, place meat and gravy mixture in an 8x8 metal baking dish. Cook frozen corn in the microwave according to package instructions.

Step 3:

Layer cooked corn on top of meat and gravy. Spread mashed potatoes over corn layer. Then place cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.


Makes 6 servings; 9 Points Plus each

Pumpkin Oat Bread

Ingredients:

Pam cooking spray
1/2 cup regular butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups uncooked quick oats
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
24 walnut halves


Step 1:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with Pam cooking spray.

Step 2:

Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin; beat well. Add salt, pumpkin pie spice, flour, oats, and baking soda.

Step 3:

Pour batter into prepared baking dish and place walnut halves on top so there will be a half of a walnut on each piece. Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, and use a toothpick to test.

Step 4:

Cool in pan and cut into 24 servings.


Makes 24 servings; 4 Points Plus per serving


We made this recipe over the weekend to take home for Thanksgiving and it was AMAZING!!! Normally pumpkin bread ranges from 8-10 Points Plus, so this recipe allows you to have that great pumpkin bread without feeling like you've killed your day.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1lb filet mignon beef, trimmed, divided into 4 - 4oz pieces
2 sprays of Pam
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water
2 1/3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp fresh chives, minced


Step 1:

Rub 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper all over steak. Coat a grill pan with cooking spray (Pam); set over medium-high heat. Heat pan until it's almost smoking. We used an outside grill, so either works.

Step 2:

Place steak on pan and cook, without turning, for about 5 minutes. Flip steak and cook about 4 to 6 minutes for it to reach medium done. Move steak to a cutting board and loosely cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 10 minutes (steak will continue to cook under foil).

Step 3:

To make the sauce, bring a small saucepan 1/3 filled with water to a boil. In a small metal or glass bowl, beat egg yolk with 1 tbsp room-temp water until frothy. Create a double-boiler by placing the bowl on top of the saucepan. Stir constantly until yolk thickens (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove egg yolk from heat; slowly whisk in melted butter until well-combined. Stir in lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper; whisk in fresh chives.

Step 4:

Serve steak with sauce.


Makes 4 servings (3oz cooked steak and 1 tbsp sauce); 6 Points Plus each

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat rotini pasta
1lb lean ground turkey (you can also use lean ground beef)
1/2 package of turkey pepperoni
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
12oz jar of pizza sauce
16oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 package 2% mozzarella shredded cheese


Step 1:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta according to package instructions (helps to leave it a little al dente). Drain and place in a 9x12 baking dish.

Step 2:

Place ground turkey and pepperoni in the same pot that you cooked the pasta. Stir over medium high heat, adding chopped onion when meat is partly cooked. When meat is fully cooked, stir in salt, pepper, and oregano. Add pizza sauce, tomato sauce, and sugar to cooked meat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step 3:

Stir drained pasta into meat sauce. Pour half of the pasta-meat mixture into the 9x12 baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of mozzarella cheese over mixture. Place remaining pasta-meat mixture on top and top off with the remaining cheese.

Step 4:

Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!


Makes 8 servings; 8 Points Plus each (with ground turkey)

Quick Chili Con Carne

Ingredients:

1lb extra lean ground turkey or beef
1 package chili seasoning mix
16oz can of tomato sauce
16oz can of light red kidney beans


Directions:

Brown meat. Stir in seasoning mix according to package directions. Add tomato sauce and kidney beans. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy!


This also is good as leftovers, served over a baked potato. Poke holes in potatoes, cover in olive oil and salt, then place in oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes at 400 degrees.


Recipe makes 6 servings; 4 Points Plus each (with ground turkey)

7 Layer Taco Dip

Ingredients:

16oz can fat-free refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
8oz light sour cream
8oz light cream cheese
12oz jar of chunky salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup fat-free Cheddar cheese
1 bag Baked Tostitos scoops (more if you have a larger event)


Step 1:

Mix refried beans and taco seasoning with an electric mixer and spread into the bottom of a pie dish or serving dish.

Step 2:

Mix sour cream and softened cream cheese with an electric mixer and spread over bean layer. Add salsa. It helps to drain it a little so there isn't too much liquid.

Step 3:

Sprinkle lettuce on top of salsa, then cover lettuce with Cheddar cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve.



This is a great recipe for game day if you're stuck at home or want to have people over to watch the game.


Makes 6 servings; 5 Points Plus each. Baked Tostitos scoops are 3 Points Plus for 15 chips.

Apple Crisp

We had guests for dinner last night and this is a great dessert recipe. It makes a large dish, so if there aren't many people, you can cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

For the base:
5lb granny smith apples
grated zest of 1 orange
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Splenda blend granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup Splenda blend granulated sugar
3/4 cup Splenda blend brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 lb cold unsalted butter, diced

Note: the packages of Splenda blend say to use only half of what it calls for in regular sugar, but after many uses, we've learned that's not the case, so if you don't use Splenda blend, the measurements for real sugar would be the same as listed above.

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish. Peel and cut apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the baking dish.

Step 2:

To make crust, combine flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in a bowl and mix until the mixture is crumbly and and the butter is the size of peas. We use a spatula to mix but you can use a mixer on low speed. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Step 3:

Bake for 1 hours until the top is brown and apples are bubbly. We suggest making it a bit before you plan to eat it because it stay hot a really long time and will stay warm for hours if just covered with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Make 10 servings; 15 Points Plus each

Oven Stew

Ingredients:

1lb stew beef
1 onion
celery
carrots
red potatoes, cut chunky
1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can peas with liquid


Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 2 1/2 to 3 quart Corningware dish, place a layer of stewing beef, onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes.

Step 2:

Layer over all : can of cream of mushroom soup, then can of tomato soup, then can of peas with all liquid. Salt and pepper to taste. DO NOT STIR. Be careful not to fill dish to the top to prevent spilling into the oven. I recommend covering a baking sheet with aluminum foil and placing the dish on sheet in oven.

Step 3:

Cover dish and bake in oven for 3 hours. Enjoy!


Makes about 9 servings; 9 Points Plus per serving

Baked Ziti with Chicken

Ingredients:

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
28oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
12 oz cooked whole-wheat pasta
6oz shredded 2% mozzarella cheese


Step 1:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain off any fat, then add onion and green pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes

Step 2:

Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Bring to simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Step 3:

Stir in cooked pasta and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Top evenly with remaining cheese.

Step 4:

Bake until cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces.


Serves 8

Slow & Steady

Pre-Pregnancy

Post-Pregnancy

Most people start a diet expecting big results fast and that's not usually how things work. Average weight loss per week on weight watchers is 0.5lb - 1.5lb a week. This means that there are bigger weeks and then there are weeks that are smaller or even possibly a maintain or gain. I've seen it all in my 5+ years on program. It always starts out big and then tapers off as your body recovers from the shock of less calories.

Above are two charts that show my weight loss. The first one is my first 3 years before I got pregnant and the second one is the last 18 months since Brady was born. So take into account that the second one is only half the amount of time as the first. As you can see both started out going down really fast, then they started to level out. You can see in the first chart how I've gone up and down, although never close to gaining it all back (except when I was pregnant). It's tough losing weight and even harder keeping it off. Those who stick with it are those who understand it's a process that's not going to result in 30lbs lost in 2 months.

Since I gained last week, it makes me worry about bouncing up again or hitting a plateau. I've had hot streaks like this before and they don't last forever, so I'm always thinking it's going to end at any time. Before this current hot streak, I was stuck in a plateau from Thanksgiving to the beginning of April, bouncing between 172lbs and 170lbs. It's a tough place to be mentally because you just feel like throwing in the towel and as shown by my first chart, I've done just that before. Gaining 15lbs because you're tired of being stuck in a plateau doesn't make you feel any better. Especially, when you start thinking that you have to take it all off again. When you hit a plateau, it helps to chart your entire weight loss and look at the trend. If it's a slow, steady, downward trend, you need to focus on that.

Harvest Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2lb bottom round steak, trimmed (eye of round works as well)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 14.5oz cans low-sodium beef broth
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 pound baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved


Step 1:

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer beef to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Step 2:

Spray skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.

Step 3:

Combine one can of broth and tomato paste in skillet. Bring to boil, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Pour broth mixture into slow cooker. Stir in remaining can of broth, carrots, and celery. Press potatoes into vegetable mixture. Cover and cook until beef and vegetables are fork tender, 5-6 hours on high or 10-12 hours on low.

Step 4:

Transfer beef to cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon into a bowl. Cut beef across the grain into 12-15 slices. Serve with vegetables and gravy.


Serving size: 2 slices of beef with generous 3/4 cup of vegetables and 3 tbsp. of gravy (279 calories, 6 grams of fat; 7 points plus)

BBQ Biscuits

Ingredients:

1lb extra lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup fresh minced onion
1 tbsp brown sugar
12 oz can Hungry Jack or other brand of flaky biscuits (not Grands)
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese (2%)

Step 1:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray muffin tins. Brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked. Stir in barbeque sauce, onion, and brown sugar, cooking 1 min to blend flavors.

Step 2:

Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press each to form a 4 inch round. Place each one in muffin tin, making it go up the sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the beef mixture into each biscuit.

Step 3:

Bake for 10 to 15 min or until edges of biscuit are golden brown. Let cool for 2-3 min then enjoy!