Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1/3 C. graham cracker crumbs
1 can (16 ounce) pumpkin
2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese
3/4 cup splenda
3 T. whole wheat flour
1 T. nonfat dry milk powder
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground allspice
1 egg white
3/4 cup canned evaporated skim milk (I used fat free)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Add graham cracker crumbs.  Shake to coat pan evenly and set aside.  
Combine pumpkin and ricotta cheese in food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Add splenda, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, allspice, egg white, evaporated milk, oil, and vanilla.  Process until smooth.  

Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.  Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.  Remove springform pan side.  Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.  I sprinkled the top of the cheesecake with graham cracker crumbs, topped it with fat free cool whip, and sprinkled it with pumpkin pie spice.  My recipe for baked apples would also be a very good topping.  

Wild Rice with Cranberries and Apples

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 cup wild rice, uncooked
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup dried cranberries
1 large apple, diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:

Place brown rice and wild rice in a large saucepan with the broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.  Transfer rice to a large bowl and add cranberries, diced apple and walnuts.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsweetened apple sauce
3 C. mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. sugar or sweetener of choice (I like to use Stevia or Agave Nectar)
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix together and place in casserole dish.

Topping:
1 small can of crushed pineapple with juice
1/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. sugar or sweetener of choice
1 C. unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 C. chopped pecans

Blend together and place on top of potatoes.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Italian salmon with tomato sauce

Ingredients:
6, 4 ounce portions of salmon ( or chicken breasts )
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried oregano
1 cup of canned, diced tomatoes
2 T. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 C. cold water 
salt and pepper to taste
non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.  Add basil, oregano and diced tomatoes with juice.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in cornstarch mixture and thicken to preferred consistency.  Place fish or chicken into baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Cover with tomato mixture.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork.  

This is one of our favorite recipes...so easy and tastes really good.  I served this with steamed veggies and sweet potatoes.  For the potatoes, peel and slice and then place on cookie sheet.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.  Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until tender.

Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 C. splenda
1/2 C. orange juice
Instructions:
Wash cranberries in a colander with cool water.  Drain the cranberries and place in a medium sized sauce pan.  Place pan over medium high heat.
Add splenda and orange juice to the pan. Stir well to incorporate the splenda as it melts with the heat.  Once the splenda is completely dissolved, cover the pot and let cook.  Keep the lid on the pot for 20 minutes.  Uncover and stir.  Turn the heat to low for another 10 minutes.  The cranberries will burst open releasing pectin.  Pectin is a natural gelatin contained in the berries.  This will allow the mixture to thicken.  Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.  

If you have leftovers, the cranberry sauce is really good mixed into hot cereal or plain, nonfat yogurt. 

Parting ways with Miss Clairol

To dye or not to dye?  I remember finding my first gray hair at an early age...17 to be exact!  I would find them here or there, but it never got to the point of "needing" to dye until about ten years ago.  I went to salons for the first few years, but as the kids got older and more expensive, I could not afford salon visits for color.  I began coloring at home.  I didn't  mind it at first, but after awhile I noticed the color wasn't lasting as long as it used to.  The gray was more difficult to cover.  I was tired of the mess and the smell as well.  A few months into my healthy lifestyle change, I started thinking about letting my hair go gray.  I'd then push it to the back of my mind and think to myself, "maybe when I'm older".  Every few days, I'd find myself thinking about it and eventually looked online for some information.  I found the "Going Gray Looking Great" site.  I loved reading all the bios and looking at the pictures of women who had transitioned and let their silver shine!  I was still nervous about the thought and would even minimize the screen if anyone walked into the computer room while I was on the GGLG site...lol!  Last Feb., I looked in the mirror and saw the changes in my body as the weight came off.  I then looked at my hair...shoulder length, dyed black, dry mess...and thought, "what the hell?!"  Let's make this a total body change! I began chatting with several of the women on the GGLG site and became friends with a lot of them on Facebook.  It's been so nice to have encouragement along the way.  I have become very close to some of those women and am proud to call them my friends.  In April I decided to cut my hair short.  As of last summer, all the dye had been cut out and I was left with a salt and pepper spiky do! I love the ease of not coloring my hair anymore and I love how easy my cut is.  I get a lot of compliments on both the cut and color.  I had a young teenager ask me if I color my hair this way.  I smiled and said no...that it was natural.  She told me how nice it looked.  I then had three different 20'ish year old guys ( within a couple weeks time ) tell me that they loved my hair and how cool it looked.  Two of these guys had gauged ears and one had spiky hair as well.  I guess those of us who go against the "norm" of society have to stick together...ha ha!  I thought I may look or feel old with my gray hair, but I feel the exact opposite.  I feel like a new person and it's been for the best...=)

Matty's Skinny Soup- Dr. Oz show

Ingredients:
1 ( 2 lb., 3 oz. ) can of diced Italian tomatoes
4 cans of water ( use tomato can )
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 large onions
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 lb. bag of baby carrots
1 bunch of celery
1 med. green cabbage
salt and pepper
Directions:
Blend tomatoes and 4 cans of water.  Add 4 bouillon cubes.  Shred or chop all veggies, except cabbage.  Add to broth.  Cook for 2 hours and then add shredded cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  To make soup more of a "meal" you may add cooked brown rice.

This soup is SO good!  It's great for snacks as well.  I added leftover turkey to it a couple days after Thanksgiving and that turned out really good.  The leftovers make for a good lunch.

NOTHING tastes as good as thin feels....=)

Happy Holidays!
With Christmas fast approaching, goodies are starting to show up on our doorstep.  A sweet neighbor of ours brought cookies over yesterday.  I left them out on the counter for anyone who wanted to enjoy them.  I walked by them a few times and will admit that my mouth actually watered a time or two.  I then remembered the new jeans I bought a few days ago...the SIZE 10 jeans I might add!!! I smiled to myself and the saying, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" went through my mind.  As tempting as food is around the holidays, I have stayed on track and plan to stay on track.  I made all low fat dishes for our Thanksgiving meal and our Christmas meal will also be low fat.  I know that as a food addict, I would crave the food even more after eating it.  That along with what the fat and sugar would do to my digestive system, has me wanting to stay on track.  I wanted to do something for my neighbors this year and since I don't bake anymore, ( for obvious reasons! ) I bought Betty Crocker sugar cookie mixes and some holiday cookie cutters to put with them.  I delivered these this past weekend.  I had one neighbor invite me in and then say to his wife, "Look, Lori is half the woman she used to be!".  He also told me that he doesn't make a habit of looking at other mens wives, but just can't help but notice how good I look.  LOL!  I also had a neighbor say, "Girl, if I had seen you on the street, I wouldn't even recognize you!".  I was also told by another neighbor how impressed she has been with the weight loss our family has achieved.  All of these very kind comments along with my new size 10 jeans, give me the willpower to look past those Christmas goodies...=) 

Updated photo

This picture was taken right before Thanksgiving.  19 months and 129 lbs. later, I can now fit into one pant leg of the jeans I used to wear!  I look at those jeans and wonder how I was ever that big. 

Turkey Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:
1 package honeysuckle white lean turkey breakfast sausage ( tube )
4 bell peppers ( green, yellow, orange and red ) sliced 1/8 inches thick and then cut in half.
1 very large onion, sliced 1/8 inches thick and then cut in half.
10 sliced mushrooms
1 ( 28 ounce ) can of Italian crushed tomatoes
3 T. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
non-stick spray
Directions:

Take a large non-stick skillet pan and coat with non-stick spray.  Turn heat to medium setting.  Put sausage in skillet and brown.  Drain fat from sausage and set aside.  Wipe pan out and return to heat, after spraying with non-stick spray.  Place onions and mushrooms in pan along with salt and pepper to taste.  Saute' on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Place pepper slices in pan with onions and mushrooms and saute' for 5 more minutes.  Add cooked sausage into the pan with pepper mixture.  Add the can of crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.  Simmer over low for 20 minutes.  Serve over brown rice with a side of veggies or squash. 
 

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter ( I used spray butter )
1/2 C. sliced carrots
2 stalks celery, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 C. diced onion
4 C. peeled and diced butternut squash
2 C. diced potato
32 ounce chicken broth
1 T. brown sugar ( I used splenda )
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dried sage
1 pinch cayenne pepper or a douse of hot sauce
Directions:
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onions, carrots, celery and garlic.
Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the squash, potatoes, sage, salt, red pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes or until everything is tender. Stir in 1 T. of brown sugar.
Use immersion blender or transfer soup to a regular blender and puree until smooth.
Top with parsley and fat free sour cream.
I served this with whole wheat saltine crackers.
I've made this recipe twice in the past week and it is SO good! Very easy and healthy.

Baked Apples

Ingredients:
6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup splenda
3 T. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins ( I usually use craisins. I've also used a combination of craisins and dates )
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup 1% or skim milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place apples in a large bowl. In small bowl, mix together splenda, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir spice mixture into apples until evenly distributed. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon into prepared dish. Pour milk evenly over apple mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until soft and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
I serve this over hot cereal or mix it into plain yogurt. It smells so good while cooking!

Weight Watchers Pork Piccata

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
3 T. all-purpose flour ( I used whole wheat )
1 tsp. table salt, divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 lb. lean pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 16 thin slices
2 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
3/4 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. butter ( I used spray butter )
1 T. capers, drained
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
12 oz. spinach, baby variety

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Sprinkle over both sides of pork, shaking off excess.
Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add pork ( in 2 batches if necessary ) and cook until just cooked through and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Set aside on a serving plate and cover to keep warm.
In a cup, whisk together broth, lemon juice, cornstarch, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper until blended. Pour into same skillet and whisk to combine with pan drippings. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat, stir in butter until melted. Stir in capers and spoon over pork, cover to keep warm.
Heat remaining 1/2 tsp. oil in same skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach to skillet in batches, tossing mixture and adding more spinach as some of it cooks down. Cook, tossing, until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, a pinch of pepper and serve with pork. Yields 4 slices pork, about 3 T. sauce and 1/2 cup spinach per serving.
Point value 5
* I have made this once with the spinach and it was pretty good. This last time, I served it over brown rice along with steamed veggies, whole wheat roll and baked squash.*

Linguine and Quinoa Meatballs with Tangy Tomato Sauce- Dr. Oz show

The Sauce:
1/4 C. olive oil
1 large onion, finally chopped
3 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large carrot, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 ( 28 oz. ) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 T. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
The meatballs:
3 T. canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 1/2 C. cooked quinoa
1/2 C. reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/4 C. egg whites
3 T. parsley
1/2 T. salt
3/4 T. pepper
1 lb. whole wheat linguine
Directions:
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar. Simmer 20 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to keep warm.
To make the meatballs, preheat oven to 425. Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, quinoa, parmesan cheese, egg white, parsley, salt, pepper and cooled onions. Mix with hands or large spoon until mixture is smooth. Roll the meat mixture into 2 inch balls and set them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in neat rows. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until nicely browned, but still soft to the touch.
In large pot of boiling water, cook the linguine. After the linguine is done, add to sauce and stir to mix. Serve with meatballs on top.

Almond and herb baked tilapia- Dr. Oz. show

1/2 C. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1 C. sliced almonds
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. chopped parsley
8 pieces of tilapia ( or chicken breasts )

Place tilapia in baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Season fish with salt and pepper. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, almonds, garlic and parsley in bowl. Place mixture on top of fish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork and almonds are slightly brown.

Fettuccine Alfredo- Dr. Oz show

2 lb. cooked whole wheat linguine
1 1/2 heads of cauliflower, cored, broken into small florets
1 T. minced garlic
2 scallions, chopped
1 small can of chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
reduced fat parmesan cheese

Steam the cauliflower for 20 minutes or until very soft.
In a large blender, combine the cooked cauliflower, minced garlic and the chicken broth.  Puree until silky smooth. Pour the puree into large skillet and heat over medium heat until steaming. Toss in the cooked pasta and add salt and pepper to taste. Top with reduced fat parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped scallions.

I served this dish with baked veggies.

Grilled chicken and shrimp

We eat a lot of chicken and I like to try new things so I don't feel like I constantly serve the same type of chicken. We grilled the chicken last night and seasoned it with salt, pepper and garlic powder. I sauteed mushrooms, onions and large shrimp in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper and then served it over the top of the chicken. Steamed green beans and zucchini with garlic on the side, along with brown rice and corn on the cob.

Chicken Fajitas

This is a quick and easy meal. I started out by coating a skillet with olive oil and then adding about 1 T. of minced garlic. I then added thawed chicken breast tenders to the skillet and seasoned them with salt, pepper and a little bit of lemon pepper. Cooked until well browned. While the chicken was cooking, I sprayed a small skillet with non-stick spray and added chopped onions and sliced mushrooms, sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cooked these until tender. I served the chicken, along with the mushrooms and onions on a whole wheat tortilla, topped with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, sliced black olives, salsa and fat free sour cream. As a side, I served corn on the cob and fresh fruit. Another idea for the chicken is to mix about 1/2 C. olive oil, 1 tsp. of minced garlic, a splash of low sodium soy sauce, black pepper and some ginger together in small bowl. Place chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag, add mixture to bag and let it marinate for a few hours before you are ready to cook. I've also added dijon mustard to the marinade on occasion.

Beef and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie- Dr. Oz show

Ingredients-

5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup unsweetened Silk
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Filling-

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 T. tomato paste
2 T. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. unsweetened Silk
1 C. beef broth
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Directions-

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large saucepan, boil potatoes and 2 tsp. minced garlic in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic, return to saucepan and mash with potato masher or hand mixer. Stir in silk, olive oil, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. While potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to hot pan and brown the ground beef. Add onion, carrots, celery and saute until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and tomato paste, stirring until liquid reduces, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir for 1 minute. Slowly add silk, stirring continuously until completely combined. Add beef broth and Worcestershire, simmering for 3-4 minutes. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Spoon beef mixture into 2 quart baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are brown and juices bubble around the edges.

I served with steamed veggies, whole wheat roll and fresh fruit.

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Jennie-O lean smoked turkey sausage. This sausage is very good used in stir fry or in egg white omelettes. This is the turkey sausage used in the turkey sausage/broccoli casserole recipe.

Crockpot pork chops

7, thin cut, boneless, lean pork chops
small onion, cut into large chunks
2 T. minced garlic
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1/2 of a 14 ounce can beef broth
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
salt, pepper and garlic powder

Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Season pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown pork chops in skillet until browned on both sides.

Place chunks of onion in the bottom of the crockpot. Place browned pork chops on top of the onions. In mixing bowl, whisk together soup, broth, minced garlic and worcestershire sauce until well blended. Pour mixture over the pork chops. Cook in crockpot on low for 7 hours. Serve over brown rice with a side of steamed veggies and a whole wheat roll.

Cranberry meatloaf- Dr. Oz. show

1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup ketchup
2 T. mustard
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 of a yellow onion
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 can tomato soup
1/2 can water

Preheat oven to 375. Chop up onion into small pieces. Cook in small frying pan with 1 tsp. olive oil, until onions are soft and light brown.
In large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg substitute, milk, ketchup, mustard, oregano, garlic salt, breadcrumbs, cranberries and cooked onions. Mix ingredients with hands or large mixing spoon until evenly mixed. Transfer into baking dish and mold into loaf. Place tomato soup directly on top of meatloaf. Add 1/2 can water directly on top of soup. Cook 45 min.- 1 hour.

Mashed potatoes-
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 cup silk unsweetened soy milk
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Boil potatoes along with minced garlic until tender. Drain potatoes and garlic. Mash with potato masher or use hand mixer. Stir in silk, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix until well blended. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Gravy-
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well blended. Heat in microwave or in small saucepan until bubbly and hot. Serve over mashed potatoes and meatloaf.

I served this with steamed squash, broccoli and asparagus and a whole wheat roll.

Product watch

One way to curb the munchies is to chew gum. It keeps your mouth busy!! I always buy the sugar free brands...there are plenty out there to choose from. I also like to chew gum while I exercise.

Heart Smart Tilapia-Dr. Oz show

5-6 tilapia filets ( or chicken breasts )
1 package of imitation crab meat
1/4 C. bread crumbs
1/4 C. egg substitute
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
fat-free non-stick cooking spray
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. reduced fat Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Season filets on both sides with salt and pepper and place in dish.

In mixing bowl, combine crab meat, bread crumbs, egg substitute, garlic, onion, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and then add handful of mixture on top of each filet. Spray fat free cooking spray on top of each filet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

I served this with steamed asparagus, green beans and squash, corn on the cob and a whole wheat roll.

Turkey sausage and broccoli casserole

Jennie-O lean smoked turkey sausage ( I used half of the package )
Steamed broccoli
1/2 C. reduced calorie cheese ( I used the grated weight watchers mexican blend)
1/2 C. lite mayo.
1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. curry powder
3/4 T. lemon juice
2 C. cooked brown rice

Place steamed broccoli on the bottom of a baking dish, next add the turkey sausage, cut up into bite sized pieces. In mixing bowl, add the soup, mayo., curry powder and lemon juice. Whisk together until well blended. Add the cooked rice to soup mixture and mix well. Place the rice mixture on top of the turkey sausage. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. I served this with steamed cauliflower and squash and a whole wheat roll. Instead of the turkey sausage, you can use chicken. This is good as well.

Pictures

Books

I LOVE to read. My favorite types of books are mysteries and suspense. One of my favorite authors is Sue Ann Jaffarian. She has three series out now. She has been a friend of mine on Facebook for sometime, but recently contacted me after I had posted some weight loss journey pictures. She wanted to send me an autographed book which is a real treasure!!

Pictures

Pictures

The first picture of Eddie and I was taken in July of 2010 at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. The second picture was taken July 27th 2011 in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. We go to Lava each summer. A quaint little town with small shops to visit, an olympic size swimming pool and natural hot springs.  We rent a house, so that we can cook our own meals. It's very peaceful and relaxing.=)

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Lay's Baked Chips, Wasa multi grain crispbread and Quaker rice snacks. These are all good as a side to sandwiches or salads. I have to be careful with the rice snacks because they are very good. Count out your portion and put the bag away! I just bought some of the bigger rice cakes in chocolate flavor. I have not tried them, but my daughter likes them topped with reduced fat peanut butter.

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Baked Tostitos scoop chips and Chachies mango peach salsa. This makes for a good snack. You can also top your chips and salsa with some fat free sour cream. This salsa is the best I have found and is also very good on tacos and fajitas. I have found it at Walmart over in the refrigerated section next to the deli counter. I have also found it at Fresh Market ( formally Albertson's ) next to the cheese. Costco also sells it.

Pasta with hamburger

Here is another "made up" recipe...I do this quite often. I take regular recipes and add and subtract a few things to make them healthy.

1 lb. extra lean hamb.
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
2 T. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 box of cooked whole wheat penne pasta
1 jar of ragu lite tomato basil, sugar free spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1 cup reduced fat grated cheese ( I used the weight watchers reduced fat mexican style grated cheese )
reduced fat parmesan cheese

Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil. I have found that when browning the extra lean hamb., it tends to stick to the pan if you don't use a little bit of olive oil. Add minced garlic and onion, cooking until onions have softened. Add hamb. and cook until browned. Add spices, stirring well to coat beef. Stir in spaghetti sauce and cottage cheese. Add cooked pasta and mix well. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated cheese and a little bit of reduced fat parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. until bubbly and hot. I served this with steamed veggies and whole wheat rolls.

Shrimp Pasta

I kinda made this recipe up. It was very easy and tasted really good, so I wanted to share it with you. I coated the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and then added minced garlic ( I'd say about 2 Tablespoons) and chopped yellow onions. I then added in large shrimp ( tails removed) and sprinkled with salt, pepper and a little bit of lemon pepper. After it was heated through, I added cooked whole wheat linguine noodles. I then mixed about a half jar of Ragu Light/ sugar free tomato and basil spaghetti sauce with about a cup of fat free sour cream. I added this into the pasta and mixed well, cooking until heated through. I served it topped with sliced black olives and grape tomatoes. I also topped it with just a sprinkle of reduced fat parmesan cheese. I served it with steamed veggies and a whole wheat roll. This pasta would also be good with grilled chicken or salmon.