Yummy Soup!

As promised, the soup recipe:

1lb ground beef [ground turkey will work too. Brown and pour off excess grease]
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans [sometimes I leave this out]
1 can stewed tomatoes [I usually run through the blender]
1 can green beans
1-2 cups frozen Lima beans
1-2 cups frozen peas
1 large chopped onion [saute before adding to mixture. can cook them with the meat if you want]
2 carrots sliced into bite size pieces [I cut them pretty small]
3 cups diced potato
1 small can tomato sauce [we accidentally used tomato SOUP this time but really liked it]
3 beef bouillon cubes [dissolve these in 2 cups of water then add]
1 T Mrs. Dash seasoning
Garlic powder [to taste]
A dash of basil [I use dry for this]

Use all the liquid from the canned veggies. Add or subtract any veggies your family likes/dislikes. Add more water if you want it "soupier". Simmer for about an hour on medium heat. I usually taste after it cooks a while and adjust seasoning.

This makes approx. 8-12 servings depending on the amount of liquid. For the 12 serving calculation its only 2 WW points per serving! I ate this for lunch today...SO yummy and SO filling. Enjoy!!

One day late Wrap-up

I meant to do an entry yesterday, but kept getting busy. This weekend was crazy. Most of you probably already know that my Grandpa took a nasty fall and ended up in the hospital. It looked very bleak for a few days but he showed a slight improvement yesterday, so that must be a good sign! He was having a hard time eating so, instead of telling any of us, he just stopped eating. This was most likely one of the contributing factors as to why he lost his balance, fell and then was too weak to get to a phone for help right away. Luckily, my Dad called to check in, and when he didn't answer after several calls, sent his wife over [she had to break a window to get in!] and found him. Anyway, since he has a hard time swallowing, I made him some homemade soup and mashed potatoes, thinking those would be easy for him to eat until he re-gained some strength. He has 24 hour nursing care right now, and they said he LOVES what I made him. [I'll post the yummy soup recipe later.] I plan to go over to his home tomorrow to visit him. I love him so much, and he is my only grandparent left...and I'm just not ready to say good-bye yet, so we all keep telling him he simply HAS to get better.

In other news, I've lost 19 pounds since May 1st!! I am really excited about it, but I know I have to start working out to avoid the dreaded "weight loss plateau" I always hit [and then usually give up]. My goal is to lose 30 more pounds by Sept. 25. We will see... ;)

Ryan is out of town. Again. I bet you are all as sick of hearing this as I am of telling you. This has been a bit trying to our relationship recently. When he is gone Monday through Friday and we have separate stuff planned on the weekends, it leaves us both feeling a bit...neglected. So, we have vowed that after this weekend, we will bring back "date night" every Saturday night. No matter what, as long as he is traveling...which looks like it will be until at least August.

I hope everyone has a great week! xoxo

Oops...

I officially suck. I haven't blogged in over a week!! Oops!!! Work has been a nightmare and by the time I get home, I don't feel like sitting in front of a computer.

Not too much new around here anyway. Ryan is traveling. Again. And will be all week, every week from now until mid-July. [Insert a very sarcastic "Yay" here.] We ate like crap this weekend, so I only lost 1 lb. Shame on me. I know better.

Speaking of food...here are two more recipes I love and thought I'd share.

Cheesy Broiled Fish [This one is a crowd pleaser in my family]
2 lbs orange roughy [adjust for # of people you are serving]
2 T lemon juice
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c butter
3 T light mayo [I sometimes only use 2 T because I don't love an over-mayonnaisey taste]
2 small scallions, chopped

Broil the fish until almost completely cooked. Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients. Pull out and spread mixture on top, broil for 5 more minutes until melted. We usually serve this with one or two veggie side dishes. Enjoy!
This serves about 6 and is 7 WW points.

Rachel's Favorite Pancakes [Really this is our family's favorite pancakes. Growing up my Dad made these every Saturday morning. Frankie & I loved to help. Now we make them. They are also the only pancake Ryan likes.]
1 1/4 c flour
3 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
3 T butter, melted

Sift together dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry with milk and egg. Slowly incorporate melted butter. Cook on a griddle between 350-375*. When the wet surface is covered with little bubbles, its time to flip! [A note, I start with 1 c milk and add the extra 1/4c in to the batter as needed. Ryan likes thin pancakes, so I use all 1 1/4c when he will be eating them.] I dare you to not fall in love with these!
This makes approximately 14 pancakes, depending on how big you make them. We use a ladle to measure the amount of batter that goes down. They are 2 WW points per pancake [without syrup]. I love them plain or I like to top mine with 1 T of reduced fat peanut butter if I don't want to use points on syrup. Mmmm...makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Recipes & Ryan

We had a really nice, low key weekend, so no need for a weekend wrap-up. Instead, I'll do a Ryan Wrap-up:

As most of you know, Ryan has a had a rough couple of weeks. It seems like we both keep getting slammed with stuff, but hopefully this is the last of it for a while. When we first started dating in 2002, Ryan had some stomach issues. The put him on meds, and it seemed to clear up. About 2 weeks ago, some of the symptoms started again. He was vomiting a lot, almost every day. I called his Gastroenterologist to get him an appointment, and his doc said, let's skip the visit and go straight to the tests. So, on Friday Ryan had an EGD [endoscopy] and stomach biopsy. Immediately, they found his hiatal hernias had returned, and that he may have gastritis. We will know about that by the end of the week. Hiatal hernias are very treatable, my Mom and I both have/had them. The doc also said he needs to drop some weight. Looks like we are in this together. ;)

That brings me to the recipes. I've had a handful of people ask me to post some of the recipes for healthy, and tasty, meals. Unfortunately, I don't have the calorie counts for these. Only the weight watcher points, but I assure you they are all healthy. I'll post two today, and more through out the week.

My Mom's Stir fry

This is one of my favorite meals.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 c broccoli, cut into pieces

1 c celery, chopped

1 c carrots, chopped

1 c snow peas

c baby corn

2 T corn starch

4 T low sodium soy sauce

4 T cooking sherry

2 t canola oil

We prepare this in a wok, or stir fry pan. Cook the chicken. Add in the veggies once chicken is done. Mix in the soy sauce, sherry and canola oil. Mix well and stir in corn starch. Let sauce thicken a bit. We serve this over plain white steamed rice. Serves about 6, and the stir fry itself is only 3 WW points.

Taco Ring

I've been making this for years, and I love it. My Mom requested it this week, so I'll be making it tonight. It's one of the highest points count foods I make, but it is so yummy and really satisfies my craving for comfort food.

2 packages of crescent rolls [I get the reduced fat kind]

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can re-fried beans [can use black beans too]

1 c Mexican cheese [I use the WW Mexican cheese]

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c onion [optional. I do not use onion]

Salsa, black olives, avocado, and/or light sour cream as garnish.

Cook the ground beef. Mix in taco seasoning while cooking. Drain well. In a large bowl, mix beef, beans, garlic, cheese and onion. Mix very well. On a pizza pan, or round pan, lay out the crescent rolls so that the fattest part of the crescent is flat on the pan, connected all the way around so that it makes a circle. Scoop the mixture onto each crescent so that it also makes a connected circle. Fold the skinny part of the crescent over the mixture to "seal" it. Cook per directions on crescent package.

This serves 5-6 and is 8 WW points per serving. Below is a picture of the finished product.

Enjoy!

Weekend Wrap-up!

What a weekend! It went by much too fast, as so many do, but it was a good one.

Saturday - Ryan went to help his friend Tony fix his car, so that left me at home alone with my Mom. So, what does that mean, you ask? Why it means we watched Glee and Twilight, of course!! It was the 3rd time I'd seen the "series premiere/sneak peak" of Glee, but my Mom had not seen it yet. She felt the same why I did. [I cried the first time I watched. Okay, I cried the 3rd time too.] It just reminds me so much of my days in Shades of Blue, the show choir at Flower Mound HS. Those were some of the best days of my life. As for Twilight, I don't think my Mom or I should admit to how many times we've seen it. But, it never gets old. [And of course the New Moon trailer came out Sunday! Eeeeee....hurry up November 20!!] Ryan finally got home around 5:30 and we went to the grocery store.

Sunday - We went to church which was followed by the going away party for our beloved Pastor. He has been at our church for 9 years, and married Ryan & I. For those who are not familiar with the Methodist church, Pastors generally only serve at each church for 5-7 years. This is done primarily to teach us that the Pastor does not "make" the church...in other words like the old Bible song says; "The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple. The church is not a resting place, the church is the people". Nine years is an incredibly long time for a Pastor to be a one church, and we are so lucky he was able to stay as long as he was. It was an emotional day for many of us who have been at the church the whole time. And a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time came, so it was good catching up with some of them. After church, we came home, changed into our suits and headed to the pool for an hour or so. The water felt great and it felt really good to be in the sun. I'm so pale, I'm practically translucent so I will definitely be spending more time in the pool. Then we came home, made dinner and relaxed. It was a great day. Also, on Sunday, a wonderful thing happened for my Mom. She had interviewed to work for a doctor from our church about a month ago, and never heard anything. Well Sunday, the doctor came up to my Mom and offered her the job!! I am SO happy for her!!!

So, that brings us to today. The first thing I do on Monday mornings is weigh myself. I started WW exactly one month ago today. I lost 4lbs last week!! Which means, I've lost 13lbs in one month. I am ecstatic!! And it makes it SO much easier to stay motivated! I have a long way to go still, but every pound counts. I cannot really tell a difference when I look in the mirror. The difference right now is that I am able to wear clothes I hadn't fit into since the wedding. I said I wouldn't buy any new clothes until 20lbs, but there is the cutest dress at Old Navy I've been eyeing. I may have to change it to 15lbs... ;)