A Little Less Fluffy

My husband, my mother and I just returned from Alabama where we were visiting family. I really haven't realized how much weight I had lost till I looked at the pictures. I usually am behind the camera not in front of it. I love taking pictures but not being in them. But can you blame me, I was 306 lbs. I now am 220 lbs to 230 lbs right now. I will let you see the difference.

At 306 lbs, My heaviest.

This is my Alabama Photo with my husband that has also lost 60 lbs.

I am still wanting to get myself down to a healthy 145 lbs but all in time. I about to start the hard process of what is the P90X exercise system...AHHHH. I have done this at about 280 lbs and I almost died. I hope it is easier this time around. I really want to be below 200 lbs by 16 December. Why? You ask. My husband and I are taking my Mom to Disney for Christmas. I have ordered a swimming suit. (Scared to death) I haven't been in a swimming suit in about 10 years and even longer than that in public. But, I am living it up I can't wait to show off all of my hard work. I don't care what others think..well...not to much. LOL. Take care everyone. Hopefully, I will be back soon with more recipes and an update on my weight loss!!!

Halloween

I have been so busy since Halloween. I figured I would let you all see what I was for Halloween and how I decorated my yard this year. Right now I am looking up Christmas crafts, listening to Christmas music, and putting up my Christmas Decor. Tree is up right now but it is not decorated yet. When I get everything done I will post my Christmas Decor pictures.

So here is the husband...he was a undertaker/grim reaper.

I was a living dead girl....I even made my neck up like it was slashed. 

And drum roll......here is my masterpiece...MY YARD

I hope you all love the photos. I want to dedicate some time now to my crafty side. I love to draw and make crafts. I have been gone from that for a long while and have been craving to bring out my artsy side once again. I am even thinking about selling some items on etsy. I hope I take some time to fulfill this urge. LOL 

Addicted

So I have decided to look into Pinterest. I wanted to see what all the buzz was about. Well, now I'm addicted to it. CRAP!!! I love making little boards and pinning pictures and videos. I love sharing my own awesome pictures that I have found and I have taken. I can't stop this insanity. I have been pinning like a maniac. Now it is 4:10 am  and I have been pinning since midnight. I'm totally sick. I have so much to do in a couple hours. Such as go grocery shopping, carve 6 pumpkins, clean my house, and set the rest of my yard up for the tricker treaters to walk though on Halloween, all with my husband that is sound asleep in our soft, comfy, fluffy bed. I do our yard up big on Halloween a full graveyard equipped with Zombies, larvae bags, grim reaper, skeletons, tombstones, rats, pumpkins, severed head, and of course cobwebs. Soooo, I need to sleep but I can't I am freakin wide awake typing this and wanting to get back to Pinterest. AaaaHhhhhhh......ok...im ok....lol I am going to straighten my house in just a moment, make my menu out for this week....try to be productive while messing on Pinterest. LOL I hope everyone has a great weekend. I will post some Halloween Pictures soon.

Broccoli Salad

I love finding new and easy ways to make up sides the night before so the husband can take it to work. This is another recipe and picture that I have found from www.genaw.com. I have changed a few things I just sprinkle a few bacon pieces and I omit the sunflower kernels to make it a little healthier. The people doing special diets will have to tweak it a little more. I loved the cauliflower salad recipe so much I wanted to also share this one with you also. Enjoy!!!
 
BROCCOLI SALAD
1 bunch fresh broccoli, finely chopped, raw, about 1 pound
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped, 2 1/2 ounces
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
12 ounces bacon, chopped and fried until crisp
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
Put the broccoli and onion in a large bowl. Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar and Splenda; pour over broccoli and mix well. Just before serving, stir in the bacon and sunflower kernels.
Makes 6-12 servings
Do not freeze
Per 1/6 recipe: 590 Calories; 53g Fat; 21g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 recipe: 442 Calories; 40g Fat; 16g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
Per 1/10 recipe: 354 Calories; 32g Fat; 13g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Per 1/12 recipe: 295 Calories; 27g Fat; 11g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Cauliflower Salad

This picture and recipe is another from www.genaw.com. I love cauliflower raw...but the husband not so much. I make this up in one bowl and let it sit over night for the best taste. I have made some changes to the recipe though. I love more bite to my salad so I add about 4 teaspoons of dijon mustard. I omit the green onions and add a small amount of red onion. Lastly, I am lazy I don't cook bacon up to put in this I go and purchase the bacon pieces that go on salad and just sprinkle a little in to add a little bacon flavor. I am not supposed to have that much bacon sooo....that is why I love the convenience of the prepackaged kind.  I don't know if everyone will love this one but it is worth a try. The husband will actually raw cauliflower but only if I fix it like this. Enjoy!!!



COUNTRY CAULIFLOWER SALAD
4-5 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound fresh cauliflower, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fry the bacon until crisp; drain the fat. Combine all of the ingredients and chill well before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings
Do not freeze
Per 1/6 Recipe: 190 Calories; 18g Fat; 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 142 Calories; 13g Fat; 3g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Mexican Chicken

I love Mexican food and I have been on a little bit of a Mexican kick here lately. I have found this low carb website that I have just fell in love with. I found this Mexican Chicken recipe on there. This site is called www.genaw.com. It definitely is a site worth checking out if you are on a low carb diet. There are many recipes from appetizers to dessert. I love that the main dishes are busted down into pork, beef, veggie, etc... Makes it really easy to select the protein for the evening and do a quick search in just that category.


OK.... So tonight for dinner we are having Mexican Chicken with green beans. It also pairs well with just a salad too. I like my food a little on the spicy side so I used the Hot Enchilada sauce, but you can use mild or medium. It all depends on  how hot you want it. The chicken comes out really juicy and full of flavor from baking in the Enchilada sauce. I hope all of you enjoyed the other recipes and I hope you enjoy this one too. 

MEXICAN CHICKEN
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Seasoning for Tacos
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onions, chopped

Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with taco seasoning; grill or sauté. Cut the chicken into cubes and place in a greased 8x8" baking dish; season with salt to taste. Add the enchilada sauce and toss to coat the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and bake at 350º for 10-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Scatter the green onions over the top.

Makes 4 servings
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 266 Calories; 12g Fat; 33g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

Less of Me

I am a long way away from my goal of 145 lbs but I am on my way the photo below was taken at a winery about 2 years ago at my heaviest. My heaviest was 306 lbs! I couldn't believe that I had let myself get this out of shape. I was doing all the wrong things...fast food everyday and no exercise. I had to do something. I tried p90x for about a year and reduced portion sizes in my food and I lost about 40 lbs. I started putting the weight back on though so...I started Medifast at the end of January of this year. I have managed to get my weight down to 216 lbs. I have had some medical issues that have derailed my weight loss...but I have been watching what I have been eating and havent gained any of the weight back. Me and the husband have recently decided to take the nutritional information from medifast and do it ourselves with Special K bars and such. The medifast worked it was just about $300 a person before our lean and green meals that we had to buy and cook. Way too expensive. So far so good on our own. My next task....the elliptical machine. I need to get my mind set that I have to exercise no matter what even if its a little every day. I just wanted to post this picture to let everyone know the hard work is worth it and that I can make it to my goal..I just can't give up no matter what. I might get side lined but I have to get back in the game time after time. I hope everyone enjoys the updated picture.....I know I feel better and look better than I have in years and that means the world to me!!!!! :)

Carne Guisada

So...This was wonderful. I have a favorite local Mexican restaurant that serves chunked beef that tastes just like this in their chimichangas. I haven't been able to have my favorite meal because of the the carb and calorie count, because I cant just eat the meat. They serve rice and beans with the meal which i gotta have if i go...I dont have to have it but I will...LOL I was starting to be so sad i was missing my yummy spicy food . LOL But I found this...Wonderful Recipe. Now I can have the taste of my Mexican restaurant but in a healthier capacity. My husband just throws all this in a crock pot and adds a little extra water to cover the meat. It turned out so tender and juicy.I do not put anything on top of it but a little reduced fat Mexican cheese. If you want to use low carb tortillas to make a wrap or make into a taco salad...there are many options to change this up.  I have paired this up with garlic green beans, broccoli, mashed cauliflower and just a simple salad. I hope everyone loves this as much as I did. The original recipe follows below try either the crockpot or the way they did it below I am sure that this recipe will not disappoint. Enjoy!

DOTTIE'S CARNE GUISADA 

2 pound chuck roast, trimmed and cubed
2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, diced, 2 1/2 ounces
4 ounces canned chopped green chiles
14 ounces beef broth
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. I used my 8-quart Dutch oven which was much larger than necessary to hold all of the ingredients. Using a larger pot gave me more surface area so I was able to brown the meat in a single layer. Brown the beef on all sides. Add all of the remaining ingredients; bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid and raise the heat.* Simmer until the liquid has thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve in low carb tortillas or over chopped lettuce, if desired. Top with whatever you like from cheese and sour cream to guacamole, etc. The counts below do not include the tortillas, lettuce or toppings.

Makes 4-6 servings
Can be frozen

* I skipped this last step and drained the meat in a large colander, saving the liquid. I put the meat back in the pot and shredded it with two forks. Then, I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum over the meat and stirred it in well. I poured in 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved liquid and simmered it just until the sauce thickened. If you want to serve this like chili in a bowl, do not drain the liquid like I did. If you want to serve it in tortillas, it would be too soupy without draining off most of it. I used just enough to make the meat moist but not soupy. There is enough sauce that it could easily accomodate a 3 or 4 pound roast to stretch the servings and the carbs. By draining off most of the liquid, you'll save a few carbs as well but it was too hard to calculate the carb savings so I didn't.

Grilled Smothered Chicken

GRILLED "SMOTHERED" CHICKEN 

6 boneless chicken breasts
Salt, pepper, and desired seasonings to taste
Butter 

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped, about 6 ounces
1/2 cup onion, chopped, 2 1/2 ounces
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Flatten the chicken, if desired; sprinkle with desired seasonings. Grill until done to your taste. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms, green pepper, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Place the grilled chicken on a baking sheet, cover with the vegetables, then smother with cheese. Bake at 350º about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings
Do not freeze

Per Serving: 332 Calories; 18g Fat; 38g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

I got the original recipe from this website: 

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/smothered_chicken.html

Love....Love....Love this recipe. We mostly grill the chicken but we have also baked the chicken in a glass casserole dish the oven until fully cooked then added all the sauteed veggies and a little cheddar cheese and bake until cheese melts and is ooey and gooey. We are having this tonight for dinner we are paring this with a small salad. I hope everyone enjoys this recipe. 

PCOS

I have had some issues in the last couple months with my Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. I have been away from my blog because of depression and doctor appointments. I have stalled out with my weight loss. I started at  306 and I am down to about 222. I have remained at that weight for the last couple of months. I have to get back into eating better even on the weekends and commit to exercising on a regular basis. I have had severe migraines, my hair has starting falling out. I have to really get back into being my own doctor at times and find information on my own. Sometimes when I say PCOS...I get a blank stare. Then I think here I go again. I am going to start posting not only healthy recipes but my vent and informational progress with my PCOS. I need an outlet other than my poor husband lol. I hope everyone out there is doing good and keep checking back for new posts.  :)

Quick and Fast

I think me and the husband is going off medifast. I have lost over 50 lbs with it but it is expensive. We have scoped out Special K and Fiber One Bars along with Snackwells cakes for dessert. We are both trying a complete whey protien shake mix as well. We just cant see paying this much for food each month. We will see how our stint off of Medifast goes. I do know that I can stay on Medifast the rest of my life and need to eat healthy day by day whether supplemented by Medifast meals or not. I started at 273 lbs and I now weigh in at 219 lbs. I still have a long journey ahead of me since I want my end weight to be about 145 to 135 lbs, but I know I can do it. I hope everyone is having continued success of weight loss on their own individual journey!!!

Sandy's Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake

This has become a regular and a favorite recipe in our house. The chicken bake with the buffalo sauce is creamy, hot and spicy. I have had tons of people ask me for the recipe. I usually serve it on a bed of broccoli. The sauce is really a good compliment to the broccoli and gives the old veggies a little kick. I hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as me and I encourage you go to over to www.lighterrecipes.com and check out the rest of Sandy's wonderful recipes!!! Thanks Sandy for another wonderful mainstay recipe in my house!!!

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake

(Aka Buffalo Chicken Dip)

www.lighterrecipes.blogspot.com

Slightly adapted from Melissa Aka Want2BeThin789

Ingredients:

13-14 oz raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts - yields 9 oz cooked (1 1/2 Lean)

2 oz or 1/2 cup 2% reduced fat cheddar cheese (1/2 Lean)

1/4 cup Frank's Hot Wings Sauce (4 Condiments)

1/4 cup Light Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing  (2 Healthy Fats)

2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese (2 Condiments)

6 Servings of Veggies (6 Greens)

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken breasts for 30-35 minutes or until cooked. Remove chicken breasts from pan and chop the chicken into small pieces. Place chicken inside of a baking dish. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, combine Frank's Hot Wings Sauce, ranch dressing and cream cheese. Heat over medium high heat, stirring until cream cheese is completely melted. Once melted, pour the sauce mixture over chicken. Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with 1 1/2 cups of celery or your favorite veggies for a complete lean and green meal.

2 Servings with 1 Complete Lean and Green, 3 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat per serving

*Note: You can use 1/4 cup fat free ranch dressing and treat it as 2 condiments. Then use 2 tbsp of regular cream cheese as your two healthy fats.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

I love stuffed peppers!!! With this recipe I didn't even miss the rice that is normally stuffed into the green pepper mixture. This is one that I will be happy to cook again and again!! This is a FAVE!!!  The original recipe is below for the Italian Stuffed Peppers from the time savor gourmet cookbook.  I changed a lot on this recipe. First, after cleaning up the bell peppers I boiled them for 5 minutes. Second, I  cooked and browned my ground beef and mixed all of the remaining ingredients in the pan letting them simmer before inserting it into the bell peppers. This recipe only allows you to have 2 green so to make it 3, I added 1C of tomato puree! YUMMY!!!!!

4 Small bell peppers, about 1/2 C equivalent each
1 1/2 lb Lean ground beef
1C Mushrooms, diced
1C Zucchini, diced
1T Time Savor Gourmet Tuscan Fantasy
1T Time Savor Gourmet Viva Italiano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the peppers. Cut the top 1/2" off the pepper horizontally to crate a cup. Remove the seeds and rinse. Set peppers in a 9 X 9 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Divide the mixture equally into four parts and stuff into the peppers. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until meat in thoroughly cooked.

Serving: 1/4 of this dish is 1 lean and 2 green. I added 1C of tomatoes to make it 3 green.

Sandy's Shrimp Scampi and Zucchini Ribbons

I have been looking forward to having this recipe for weeks now, but each and every time I put it on my menu there are no zucchini to be found at my grocery store. It was 3 weeks of a zucchini shortage around here. Finally, I put it on the menu yet again and yippee the store had zucchinis!!!! This was wonderful, but I knew I was gonna love it, because it combined my two favorite things Shrimp and Zuccchini Ribbons. Sandy's blog doesn't disappoint yet again. Here website http://www.lighterrecipes.com of tons of wonderful recipes. If you haven't yet please go check it out!! I hope every enjoys this recipe as much I me and the hubby did!! The greatest part one pan to clean up! Enjoy!!!

Sandy's

Shrimp Scampi and Zucchini Ribbons

Ingredients:

8 oz shrimp, cooked, deveined, tails off - should cook down to 7 oz (1 Lean)

2-3 medium zucchinis or 270 grams (3 Greens)

1 tbsp light butter (1 Healthy Fat)

2 wedges light garlic and herb laughing cow cheese (1 Healthy Fat)

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (1/4 Condiment)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 Condiment)

1 tsp lemon (1/2 Condiment)

1/8 tsp salt  - optional (1/2 Condiment)

Dash or 1/16 tsp of pepper (1/8 Condiment)

1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes  (1/6 Condiment)

Directions:

Peel the zucchini with a potato peeler until you reach the core with the seeds. The seeds will make it mushy so try not to include them. (save the core for your salads or another use). I find that the best way is to weigh the zucchinis to get the best measurement. I peeled the zucchinis and weighed them until it reached 270 grams which is 3 servings of cooked zucchini. I find that when I use 3 servings of the cooked weight from the Vegetable Weight Conversion Chart, it comes pretty close to 1 1/2 cups after it is cooked. If you just measure 1 1/2 cups of  raw veggies, the veggies will shrink when cooked and you actually are cheating yourself.  Set aside.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic, parsley, lemon juice, chicken broth, laughing cow cheese, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add zucchini ribbons and cook stirring frequently just until the zucchini is about to get soft about 2-3 minutes. Toss in shrimp and heat until warm. Serve. This sounds kind of strange but what I do is take the shrimp out and weigh them to see how much they shrunk and to make sure I am getting 7 oz. Mine shrunk to about 5.25 oz (3/4 Lean) so I added 1 oz of Sargento 2% Italian Cheese Blend (4.5 grams of fat) on top of my dish. I didn't have 8 oz of shrimp but only 6 oz so that is why I had less too. The cheese really completed my meal! Top with cheese if necessary. Enjoy!

1 Lean and Green Meal with 2.54 Condiments and 2 Healthy Fats

Tuscan Turkey w/Red Pepper and Green Bean Salad

I found this recipe in the Time Savor Gourmet Cookbook! This meal was wonderful. This salad is served cold and would be great as a summer salad with a steak, grilled chicken, or in this case turkey. I love my private chef (aka my husband). He seems to make everything taste so wonderful. I think there is a saying that everything tastes better when you don't have to cook it. LOL We only made a portion of the dressing that goes on the salad because it made way too much for just two servings. We also put the salad, after it was all mixed with the dressing, in the freezer to cool down quickly while we prepared, and cooked the turkey. Quick and easy meal that we will continue to have over and over through the summer. I hope everyone enjoys!!!

Tuscan Turkey Cutlets
2 tsp Roasted Garlic Oil
2 6 oz Boneless, Skinless turkey cutlets
2 tsp Tuscan Seasoning
Natural sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat oil over high heat until sizzling. Place cutlets on a plate and sprinkle liberally with tuscan seasoning. When oil is hot reduce heat to medium and add cutlets to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until turkey is thoroughly cooked. Remove them from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serving: 2 lean and 2 healthy fat option


Balsamic Laced Red Pepper & Green Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Salad:

2 C Medium red bell peppers, sliced thin
2 C Green beans, ends trimmed and steamed crisp tender
1/4 C Scallions
1/4 C Mustard Vinaigrette (Recipe follows)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Balsamic & Mustard Vinaigrette:


1/3 C Balsamic Condimenti
1/3C Spicy brown mustard
4 tsp Roasted garlic oil
3 T Chicken broth
2 tsp Garlic Seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in the large bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes until a thick vinaigrette forms and all ingredients are incorporated. Makes 1 cup vinaigrette. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Serving: 1C Salad with 1 tsp vinaigrette is 2 green and 1 healthy fat option

Doctors Visit

I just visited my doctor today. I couldn't wait to see him I had not started the Medifast diet the last time I was in his office. I had lost 42 lbs since the last visit. I couldn't wait to see his face.I have been going to this doctor for years about my PCOS. He had watched me try everything to lose weight with medications, exercise and diet. Nothing seemed to work. I found Medifast over 3 months ago and just jumped head first into the program. So he walked into the room and said well don't you look different. I happily said yes and told him to look at my weight. His eyes about bugged out of his head when he had seen how much I had lost. He asked what I have been doing and I told him about Medifast. I even took my recipe binder in with the rules and regulations over our lean and green meals to show him how simple it was. He was amazed how easy and how much of the lean and green you could have. I told him that he should let his other PCOS patients know about it and maybe it would work for them. I want everyone out there to know how easy this is if you just try. He was so excited for me and told me to not to come back for 3 months and we would see then where my weight was at. He kinda looked at me and said jokingly "my little girl is growing up she doesn't need me anymore and thats a good thing" LOL...I love my doctor he is just a caring old clown. I guess we will see what the scale says in 3 months. Hopefully, I am 30 lbs lighter. I have been averaging about 10 lbs a month of weight loss and I hope that continues for the duration of my weigh loss journey. I am hoping to hit my goal weight around christmas or the new year. What a great gift to myself and my husband...a new me!!!!

Yoga and Tanning

Well I started Yoga back this week. I plan on doing yoga about 3 times a week. I might start doing Zumba on Sundays. I have a friend that is dying to go to Zumba, so I just ordered smaller Yoga pants and plan on starting Sunday if they get here. I am doing the Namaste, Shiva Rea Daily Energy on Discovery Health and I am doing Stretch X and Yoga X from P90X. My reward for losing over 40 lbs is that I started tanning in a Bronzing bed. I love the relaxation that comes from tanning. I am so pasty white usually so to keep from burning so much in the summer I will tan a little bit. Since I have lost all this weight we plan on doing more things outside in the summer so I'm starting with my base tan now!!! I hope I continue to lose about 10 lbs a month. I would like to be down at least another 20 lbs by my birthday in July. I am trying Sandy's

Italian Turkey Sausage with Spaghetti Squash except I am going to mix it up a little probably take away the fennel seeds, add some more Italian seasonings and use chicken instead!! I will probably post pictures and the adapted recipe tonight or in the morning. Take care!!

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

This recipe is out of the Medifast Cook book. I love mushrooms but I guess I don't care for Portabello mushrooms. LOL I had two mushroom caps for my dinner last night and only was able to get through one and half of the other. The overwhelming taste of dirt kept creeping up in my mouth. I think I will try to find some large white mushrooms and just stuff tons of those next time. LOL I was hoping that this would become a favorite of mine but I just didn't care for the taste. If you are a portabello mushroom lover this recipe is for you because the filling is wonderful and cheesy. I am down 41 lbs in about 3 months. I have to keep going at this and finding new recipes is the one way that I keep things interesting and how I keep on track. I am building a recipe book not only for the time that I am on Medifast but for the continuation of my life. This to me is not a diet....IT IS A LIFE STYLE CHANGE!! I wish continued success for all that deal with weight the way I and many others have. We can do this one recipe at a time!! :-)

Summer Squash Gratin

---

The gratin turned out wonderful. A bit cheesy, a bit crunchy, and very filling. We’ll definitely be making this again – with all kinds of variations. This recipe called for zucchini, unfortunately they were out at the store so we used all yellow squash. The original recipe also suggested using eggplant for a different taste. This is a great adaptation from the original recipe. I was thinking I was gonna miss the panko bread crumbs the the Medifast Crackers did a great job. We cook so much with garlic now it is just easier to purchase the garlic already minced in the jar. If you use fresh garlic it will need to be sauteed so you might have to split up your spritzes of oil spray between your Z&S and your garlic. I hope you enjoy this recipe, I think I will wait and see if the store get more zucchini and try it in this recipe the way it should have been made. The yellow squash was excellent by the way just looking for different variations. ENJOY!!!!

Summer Squash Gratin

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 1/2 cups sliced medium squash

• 1 ½ cups sliced medium zucchini
• 1 ½ cups sliced medium tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (we used the already prepared garlic in a jar)
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• one package crushed Medifast crackers
• 10 second spray of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon dried basil

This makes two servings

Per serving
½ Lean serving
3 vegetable servings
2 condiments
½ optional snack

Instructions

·        Begin by slicing the Z&S into 1/4" slices.  I sprinkled them with salt and about 9 spritz of oil and sautéed them, but broiling or grilling would work too. When they’re done they should be medium-crispy little chips.

·        While the Z&S cook, slice the tomatoes into 1/4" slices as well.

·        Preheat the oven to 350* at this point. Combine garlic with 1/2C of the shredded cheese and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil and mix well.

·        To assemble, use a 8 x 8 baking dish. Give it a quick spray and begin layering the Z&S. Allow each "chip" to slightly overlap its neighbor. Once you have a complete layer, sprinkle with some of the cheese, garlic, basil mix. Everything should be salted enough, but I recommend a healthy peppering.

·        Continue layering the Z&S and cheese until you run out – then layer the tomatoes on top. Combine the rest of the cheese with the medifast crackers and sprinkle over the entire dish.

·        Bake for 25 minutes.

NO DOUGH PIZZA

I have been wanting pizza since I started Medifast. I tried to love the Cauliflower pizza but I just couldn't. The crust to me tasted just like cauliflower. I also just found another recipe that combines the medifast crackers and eggs to make a dough. I will try that in a couple weeks and let you all know what I think. I think this was really good, I was not impressed with the Walden Farms sauce. I would recommend another low carb brand. Other than that the meal was really good. We had a small side salad to finish off the requirement for our greens. I hope you enjoy this it was a nice substitute for regular pizza. Don't forget if you want different toppings you can add them just keep them on plan!!!

No Dough Meat Crust Pizza

Ingredients
12.5 oz Lean ground beef
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese; shredded, divided
1/2 cup Walden Farms Pizza Sauce
2 thin slices of Onion
½ cup sliced green peppers

1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced tomatoes

This makes 4 servings
Per serving
1 Lean serving
1 vegetable serving
1 condiment serving

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef; drain.

3. Place meat in a mixing bowl and mix with 1 cup of mozzarella.

4. Spread the mixture into a circle on a round pizza pan or baking stone(I prefer the stone); and top with 1/2 cup pizza sauce.

5. Top with the rest of the mozzarella, optional toppings and seasonings.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.

Comments: Tastes like a pizza, cuts like a pizza, yet there is nodough....though do have a fork and knife on hand for eating purposes becauseit can get a little messy if eaten with hands only. I am a South Beachdieter with a love for Italian foods and this is what curbs my craving forpizza. I love mine with the turkey pepperoni slices, onion, green peppersand mushroom. Serve with a tossed salad or marinated veggies.

Spanish Chicken (Crockpot-Style!)

I love this meal because I get to throw it in a crockpot and forget it. This is not only yummy but filling also. I got this recipe off of www.getskinnybehappy.com when I first started Medifast. We have ate it several times just because it is yummy and convenient. I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Enjoy!!!!

• 4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 1 can (4oz.) sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teas tarragon
• 1/2 teas savory
• 1/4 teas garlic powder
• 1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

Arrange chicken in bottom of crockpot. Add the onion, beans, mushrooms, tarragon, savory, garlic powder, tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Servings: 4 to 6

Mesquite Shrimp with Zucchini and Squash

This recipe is my main stay. I have went back to this recipe over and over in the time since I started Medifast. I love the spice that the Mesquite seasoning gives the shrimp. To make it simple I purchase the frozen and already peeled shrimp at the store but you could buy the fresh shrimp also. I cook mine on my George Forman Grill since it has been really cold in Missouri. As it warms up here I will be grilling them out side on some skewers on the grill, hopefully it will be soon. The zucchini and the squash are an excellent choice with this and it will being going in some tin foil on the grill out side too. I found this recipe on the Get Skinny Be Happy website. They have tons of other wonderful Lean and Green Recipes on this website that I have been using in my menu week in and week out.

Mesquite Grilled Shrimp

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 7oz. large shrimp
• 3/4 cup sliced zucchini
• 3/4 cup summer squash
• 1 tablespoon mesquite seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• oregano (if desired)

Directions

Place foil on grill. Spread zucchini and squash on grill and sprinkle with oregano. Brush shrimp with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with mesquite seasoning. Grill turning once.

Chicken Parmesan For Two

Chicken Parmesan for Two


Adapted from Original Recipe from BigOven:

Yield: 2 , Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
2 6 oz Boneless Chicken Breasts; halved (1 lean)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; grated (2 condiments)
1 teaspoon Oregano (1/2 condiment)
1/2 teaspoon Paprika (1/2 condiment)
2 teaspoon olive oil (1 healthy fat)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine Parmesan, oregano, paprika,
and salt and pepper to taste. Line shallow baking pan with foil. Now dip the chicken in the oil and then dredge in the cheese mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.

Hamburger and Green Beans

I have been doing good on my weight loss so far but a craving for a burger has been strong for the last couple weeks. So...we were supposed to have meatloaf with green beans but it turned into a hamburger and green beans. The sun was shining outside yesterday so we decided to grill a burger. We had sugar free ketchup, lite mayo, tomato, and a small slice of red onion on my burger. I finished the meal off with the rest of my green with green beans. I have to get in the groove of taking pictures of my food. I just devoured the burger because I was looking so forward to it. So...I took no picture to post on here. LOL I am happy that I am down another 2 lbs. That is a total of 36 lbs in 10 weeks. The best lifestyle change that we have done so far. I have to start back in at least 3 days a week with my yoga. I had been doing yoga for a week straight and then I pulled something in my lower back. I have been doing nothing for about 3 weeks now. I gotta get back into it because that is a intricate part into my lifestyle change. Learning a new way of eating is one thing but getting off my butt and exercising is also an important part also. I love yoga so that is the exercise of choice at this point. I hope my new recipes get approved soon by nutrition support. I found several new recipes to convert but I always need some advice from nutrition support to make sure I am not going off plan. Take care and good luck to everyone!!!

Temptation and I lost 5 lbs!!!

I just stepped off the scale and I am 5 lbs lighter than last week. That makes a total of 34 lbs shed in 9 weeks. I am starting to run out of clothes to wear. I have boxed up all my fat clothes and have decided to donate some and sell the rest at consignment. I plan on buying just a few new items because I do not know how long I will be in those clothes before I am swimming in them also. I have never lost this much weight this fast in my life. I worked my butt off last year to lose a total of 40 lbs and here I am in 9 weeks 34 lbs lighter. I love MEDIFAST!! So, my friend was having this tastefully simple party last night tons of CARBS!!! I decided before hand that I was gonna eat my lean and green right before heading over there and then take my trusty Oatmeal Raisin Bar for support. As they passed around plate after plate of chips and beer bread all accompanied by cream cheese laden dips, I calmly just passed each plate on to the next guest not even thinking about indulging for a second. Next, the pass around came to dessert the same thing happened and I whipped out my bar. I had water to drink the whole night and I was perfectly fine. My friend was actually amazed that I didn't sample one thing. There was another lady that was supposed to be there that was on Medifast also but she thought temptation was too great so she didn't end up coming to the party. I am learning that if you give know what to do and plan for situations like this there is no reason that you can't hang out with friends....Even at a CARB laden party!!! I have learned so much so far from Medifast and I will continue to put those lessons to use now, until i reach my goal weight, and beyond. I will be back at my skinny self once again and this time I plan on staying there!!! Have a great day and Keep up the good work!!!!

Rock tickets and Herbed Beef

First off, I am so excited I just scored tickets to go see Three Days Grace only for $30 a ticket and only 30 minutes away. They are sold out now!!!I can't believe I scored tickets. Now it is time to just listen to them on my Ipod so I can learn every word to their songs. I love three days grace!!!!!

 Wonderful Recipe!!! I found this in my new Medifast Cookbook. I had asparagus and the hubby had green beans! He doesn't like Asparagus. This is a definite favorite of ours!!! Well I have a migraine so this one is gonna be short and sweet! I hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as we did. Have a good Day!!!

My little Secret Weapons

Some of my ways of keeping my life sane with my medifast diet: #1: I place my days worth of Medifast food in a Ziploc bag and place a weeks worth in a rubbermaid tub!!

 The blue tubs are my husbands and the pink are mine. Four bins a piece will hold a months worth of medifast meals. So easy just grab one and go.

I have bought a simple binder with sheet protectors to keep all the recipes that I love that I have found on various websites. I print them out and keep the ones I love and throw away the ones I don't. LOL

 I have also included all the medifast guidelines such as the lean, green, meatless options and also veggies guidelines. I also include the condiment guidelines. This has worked great because it is with my recipes and it is close in my kitchen for very quick reference when preparing meals.

 Digital kitchen scale I have purchased at Wal-mart that helps weigh out my lean and green portions.

 My little crock pot....I also have a bigger one!! Great for days that you want to just throw stuff in a pot and forget it till meal time.

 My George Forman Grill is good for all meats but I still prefer my outdoor grill..Very good for my shrimp recipes.

 Food processor for marinades and anything that just needs a good mixing!!!

 I love my royal prestige steamer. A good steamer is a must have. We steam or grill most of our veggies.

 I mix all my shakes with my magic bullet and then refrigerate over night no grit just creamy shakes.

 This is my pampered chef measuring cup...one side is for liquid and other for solid measuring. LOVE IT!!

 I have a dry erase board that I put my menu on for each week. This is great for knowing what meat to lay out for each night. I also only purchase the amount of food for my lean and green each week.

Well, these are my secrets If you having any questions just comment below!! Have a wonderful Day!!