PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS

This recipe comes from Women's Health magazine...and my oh my...are they delicious!! Great snacks for before or after a workout!

PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BALLS

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (not the quick cook)
• 1 cup diced apricots*
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 3 scoops vanilla protein powder
• cinnamon to taste

In a pot, heat honey and peanut butter until runny. Mix in apricots, nuts, oatmeal and protein powder. Stir until well-coated. Let mixture cool in fridge and then roll into bite sized balls. These can be frozen and taken out one or two at a time (if you really have that much self control!)

*Somebody (husband!) ate part of my bag of apricots (isn't he sweet?), so I had to substitute a half cup of craisins. Yummy! I also had a fleeting moment where I considered throwing in a few chocolate chips, which would certainly be tasty, but not very healthy!

Hope you love these as much as I do!

NOODLES, NOODLES, NOODLES

Tofu Shirataki noodles. My  husband and I have heard all sorts of great things about them, and wanted to judge for ourselves. They rock!! They are also a much better alternative to regular pasta, especially if you eat white pasta, which is basically just refined white flour. In case you've been living under a rock since...well forever...white flour is BAD. Naughty white flour has no love to give you.

The following is an excerpt from Hungry Girl, who is pretty much divine in all ways. In my humble opinion. You may remember that I adore her cookbooks, and there are many recipes in them that call for these.

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There are two schools of thought regarding Tofu Shirataki. There are the LOVERS and the HATERS. Very few people are on the fence about this. (It's kind of like cilantro in that sense, but that's another story.) We're convinced that people who don't love Tofu Shirataki noodles simply don't know how to use them. Here's EVERYTHING you need to know for prepping these noodley pals of ours. (Pssst... look for them with the Asian items in the fridge section of the grocery store.)

1. An entire 8-oz. bag has just 40 calories. An 8-oz. package of regular pasta has TWENTY times as many calories. You can eat SO MUCH MORE Tofu Shirataki than regular pasta for the same number of calories! Please consider this when preparing (and chewing) them.

2. These noodles need to be rinsed thoroughly and dried well... very well. Dry them INSANELY well. Blot them with paper towels (repeatedly!) or stir-fry 'em over medium heat until they are completely dry. Get all the moisture out. ALL of it.

3. They're CRAZY-long and unwieldy. They should be cut up a bit (with kitchen shears, or carefully with a knife), no matter how you wind up using them.

4. They work best with thick, creamy (guilt-free!) sauces -- The Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges are a fantastic sauce ingredient for these noodles. Red sauces -- especially thin ones -- don't work quite as well. Tofu Shirataki's also great in soups, casseroles, and stir-frys.

ENJOY!!!!!

PORTOBELLO PIZZA

Found this one in the Biggest loser 30 day jumpstart book. OMG. SO GOOD! Yes, it tastes EVEN better served on a Christmas plate that someone was too lazy to pack up this year.

PORTOBELLO PIZZAS

• 4 whole portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
• 1/2 cup low-fat marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup lean turkey Italian sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled (or meat substitute if preferred)*
• 4 tbs shredded fat-free or low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 2 tsp freshly granted parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wipe the mushrooms clean of any dirt. Place them on a baking sheet, gill side up. Spoon sauce over each cap, then sprinkle on the sausage and cheeses. Place the mushrooms in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.

**I omitted the sausage....ordinarily I would use soysauge or soy crumbles, but just didn't feel like messing with cooking it up today. Also, I forgot to pick up basil and used cilantro instead. It was wonderful! I baked this much longer than what the recipe calls for....more like 20 minutes. Hope you love it!

97 calories, 10g protein, 7g carbs, 3g fat, 2g fiber

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Yes, here are yet MORE of my new favorites! Does it seem like all I do these days is talk about food and weight loss?  First up are these Yoplait Delights parfaits. They come in caramel creme, chocolate raspberry, lemon torte and triple berry creme. They are only 100 calories, and 2 points each. BUY THESE! Buy more than one...if you must! Go HERE and print up to (2) $1.00 coupons! WOOT! I tried the lemon torte just awhile ago and it is goooood!

Oooohhh, this is one of my all time favorites...thanks to Amanda! Kashi GoLean vanilla oatmeal. This has 7 whole grains, 150 calories, 2 fat and 7 fiber! SEVEN FIBER people. Only 2 pts per serving. I love to add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and a splash of almond milk. I've also heard of adding in a little peanut butter and honey....which of course would add points but would be oh-so-lovely. Do what you must.

Next up? Fiber One yogurt. Flavors? Peach, Vanilla, Strawberry and Key Lime.These have only 50 calories, zero fat and a fabulous 5 grams of fiber. This, my friends, makes it ZERO points! Yes!  Go HERE for a $1.00 coupon!

I just keep on going, don't I? I'm amazing. I'm doing this all for you. I'm selfless like that.

Now onto laughing cow light cheese wedges. No, these aren't necessarily a new item, but I just came across them for the first time. Where have I been? Today I bought the garlic and herb. Haven't tried it yet but have heard nothing but amazing things about it! Heres the lowdown...25 calories, 2 gr. fat, and no fiber. It is only 1 point per wedge! I have looked and looked for a coupon and haven't found one online yet. If you know of one, contact me and I'll post it!

Since I'm in coupon-crazy mode today, check out THIS site, where I just printed nearly 20 coupons!! LOVE IT!

YES, MORE FOOD!

MORE OF MY FAVS, NON SCALE VICTORY!

Here are a couple products that I love!

These Fiber One bars are soooo good! They have 140 calories, 4g fat, and 9 fiber, and are 2 WW points. YUM-O! I also love these progressso soups that have 0 WW points..however, if you eat the entire can, it actually counts as 2 points, but 2 points for a meal? I'll take it! The only downfall is they are awfully high in sodium. Personally, I don't worry too much about sodium because I figure I drink enough water to counteract that. Yes, its a processed food, but sometimes the convenience is worth it. The Italian style vegetable pictured above actually has a beef broth base, and for whatever reason I missed that and ate it anyway. Since I haven't eaten meat, chicken or pork in almost 5 months, it didn't sit right with me. They were on sale at the store so I went back and stocked up but made sure I avoided the beef base. These soups are great, and very filling...especially when I have abandoned all self control, ate irresponsibly and used all my points up before noon ahem....need a very low point snack in the evenings. {Grin}

And, in other exciting news....I am still stuck at a plateau. UGH. However, yesterday I bought new jeans and fit into a size I haven't worn in a looooooong time. Can I get a shout out? WOOT!

SWEETS AND THINGS

Have you tried these? They are SOOO good, and for you weight watcher folks, only ONE POINT per package! They've got 100 calories, 3 grams of fat and 5 grams of fiber. That's awesome for a sweet snack. The kids love them too, so as you can imagine the box didn't go very far! :)On to other news...my husband was sweet enough to hang out with the kids after school so I could hit the gym after work, run home and shower, and then leave again for yoga class. It was such a treat, and did wonders for my mood. To make the evening even better, Cole was in charge of preparing dinner, setting the table, serving AND cleaning up. He had to do this to earn one of his cub scout achievements. He made tacos, and did a great job!

Tomorrow evening the 2nd graders at Cole's school are having a fundraiser pasta dinner, and will be performing a few songs. They are raising money to go downtown and see a live performance of "The Wizard of Oz". Since Gracie is in a 1st/2nd combo class, she gets to take part as well. They have been working hard on their songs...it will be a very entertaining evening!

Remember my "Biggest loser" contest at work? The final weigh-in is this Friday. We'll see how it goes! Regardless, I'm really proud of myself for what I have already accomplished. It's been a fun thing to do and most importantly, has completely changed my life for the better. It's also taught my kids the importance of healthy eating and excercise. Every day I see them make a choice that reinforces our new lifestyle. Maybe its drinking a glass of water, choosing an apple or cheese for a snack, Gracie turning on a yoga video, or Cole choosing to ride his bike instead of sit inside. We are all living a healthier and happier lifestyle, and I am nearly 40 pounds lighter! The other day I picked up two 20-pound bags of bird seed at the store. I couldn't believe that was equivalent to how much less weight I am carrying around. Amazing!

It's off to bed now, as it will be a painfully early morning for me. (4am....how rude!) Wishing you all a wonderful evening!

A BIT OF BABBLE

This past Friday night I met up with some girlfriends after work for our friday night knitting club. Its great fun. We meet at a coffee shop, visit, knit, and beg Amanda to fix all our mistakes. It's awesome. We even have a new member who just happened to be walking by one day, stopped to chat about our knitting, and has now joined us!

In other news, I am preparing for my inventory "re-do", after a disastrous screw up a few weeks ago (not on my part), caused us to start over at square one. Irritating.

My weight loss journey continues to go well! 36 pounds so far! I've been a bit frustrated with how slow it seems to go for me, and I think part of that is due to a medication my Doctor put me on a few months ago. The number one side effect is weight gain. Oh goody! On a positive note, I guesss its great that I'm losing at all! I may quit taking it, as its not a "necessary" prescription, just something I've been trying out. We'll see about all that.

Our final weigh-in at work for our "biggest loser" competition is on Feb. 4. I'm in the top 3! Wish me luck, I've got some serious competition! I've had several people tell me that they've been inspired by what I've been doing, thats such a wonderful compliment. Hearing that really inspires ME as well! Thanks to you all!

A bit of great news is that I feel fantastic!! After 3 months of a vegetarian diet, minimal sugar, very little processed foods, nearly a gallon of water a day, and hard excercise, I have never felt better. I finally feel like I got over that hurdle that was always holding me back from becoming who I want to be. I have wasted alot of time being overweight, and I will never go back to that lifestyle. The good thing is, my new lifestyle makes me so happy! I crave nutritious foods, and love researching health and nutrition so I can continue on this lifelong journey. Most importantly, its teaching my children good habits so they don't have the same struggles as I have. I love seeing them grab an apple, carrots, or a glass of almond milk out of the fridge for a snack. I've found that kids will generally eat whatever you put in the house. They'll eat the chips, cookies and other garbage if its there, but if you put low calorie goodies, fruits and veggies, they are just as likely to grab those. There are so many great low-calorie snacks on the market these days. Read your labels!!

On that note, I found a few new products that our whole family liked!

These are YUMMY!! Morningstar does put alot of extra stuff in their products, but I do really like this one, as did Paco and the kids. No one noticed a difference. They are 4 weight watcher points per serving, and a good source of fiber, which is key to weight loss. Tonight we are having a chef salad and Im going to cook these up and toss them in. Sounds sooo good! My original plan was just to try the vegetarian lifestyle for 3 months, but honestly, I don't think I could ever go back to my old ways. I feel too good! Oh, this stuff is TOO good. Again, fiber rich (6g!), and, for my weight watcher friends, only 3 points per serving. I mix a little flaxseed and almond milk in it for even more flavor and nutrition. The kids gobbled this up this morning!

HERE'S WHAT I THINK

I thought I would share about a few products we tried this week, as I look for alternatives to meat products.

Last weekend I made homemade italian wedding soup, and used this Gimme Lean "sausage", aka "soysauge". I LOVED it. I actually made two batches of soup, one with the soysauge for me and the other with pork sausage for Paco. He actually said he couldn't even taste the difference. The best part? This stuff has 60 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol and 7 grams of protein. The only downfall is the price...roughly about $3.50-$4.00 for a package. I will watch out for sales and coupons so I can buy more!

There have been a few of Morningstar's products that I didn't care for, but I did like this stuff. Paco (who is trying to be very supportive in my non-meat-eating venture), cooked it up for us last night and put it in a taco salad. Paco said he wasn't crazy about it, but I really didn't notice a difference and would use it again. This stuff is also pricey, close to $4.00. I thought I would try it this weekend in chili....YUM!

FLAXSEED

Favorite healthy food # 2 ? Ground flaxseed. Oh my, I love this little superfood. It's one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. Flaxseed can lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. It's full of fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. Research has revealed that lignan in flax seed shows a lot of promise in fighting diseases such as breast cancer, and helps boost your immune system. Not bad, huh?

I use flaxseed every single day. I prefer to buy it in the bulk foods section and grind it myself in my coffee grinder. (obviously, clean our your grinder first!) It's also cheap to buy it this way! We put it in all our smoothies, on top of cereal, in pancakes, include it in our bread recipes, and on sandwiches. One of my favorite ways to have it is to spread a little peanut butter on a banana, and then sprinkle flaxseed on it. It has a nutty flavor to it. Because its so rich in protein and fiber, it is very filling, which may stop you from reaching from that package of delicious mint oreos!!

Coming tomorrow.....smoothies. Mmmmmm!!

RAINBOW CAKE

Now I know I've been talking all "healthy" lately, and I really am sticking with that...

BUT. Will you look at this cake? Gimme. Check out all her other yummy wonderfulness here!!
Gimme.

FAVORITE THINGS

Since I have been so focused the past few months on a healthier lifestyle, I thought it would be fun to share some of my new favorite things pertaining to health and nutrition. So, each day for the next week or so, I will post one thing that I "can't live without", just for fun!

Today's item? ALMOND MILK. Where has it been all my life? Seriously, this stuff is divine. It's low in calories, low in fat and is cholesterol free. Its lactose and gluten free and is a great source of calcium, and vitamins D & E. It's nutritionally rich and free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Everyone knows that almonds are sooooo good for you. I use the vanilla almond milk instead of cow's milk in our smoothies and cereal, and plain unsweetened almond milk for baking, etc.

Give this stuff a try, I don't think you'll be dissapointed. My kiddos drink it right out of the carton. Seriously. Out of the carton. Even my manly, milk-drinkin husband likes it. For extra incentive...go to the Blue Diamond website and print yourself a coupon. Just click on "promotions", and you can print two 50-cent coupons.

YUM.