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!

WEIGH-IN, CLOTHES AND DINNER

I made the most delicious dinner last night! I can't post a picture of it in all its delicious glory because my camera may be toast. For a person that uses her camera everyday, this is not good news! Anyway, here's my "recipe"!! This is not an actual recipe, but just everything I throw in a bowl. The amounts depend on how much I'm making. You're smart, and could figure it out! We have just recently discovered the Quorn chik'n tenders, and seriously, Paco and I love it! We've used it 3 times this week!

QUORN AND BEAN BURRITO

Quorn chik'n tenders (chicken substitute, and SO good!)
low sodium black beans (rinsed)
salsa (I use chachi's key lime and garlic)
light sour cream or greek yogurt
large tortilla (I use La Tortilla factory, tomato basil)

Brown the chik'n and season with taco seasoning. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and spread on a tortilla. That's it! Lots of variations to this...you could also add in corn, cilantro, onion and sprinkle in some cheese as well. This is so quick, very filling and SO delicous! Also, for my weight watcher friends, only 4 points for the whole thing (without cheese)!

On to my weigh-in. It may not LOOK very impressive, but here's the thing. After I hit the 50lb mark, I had a girl scout cookie incident (or two?), gained back about 3-4 pounds or so, and was unable to get to the gym for a few days. Now I have re-lost those 3 and an additional 2. I'm happy with that!! Hey, we all have to have our fun, right?

I went through my dresser and closet last night. Pulled out a bunch of clothes that are too big, including 6 pairs of jeans! Wow!! I also bought a cute outfit to wear to a wedding today. I will have you know that I am ONE size away from not buying plus-size jeans anymore. WOOT! That's a huge deal!

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

A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

This afternoon I made something a little different for the kids and I to share for our after-school snack. We all loved it! I found the recipe in the Biggest loser 30-day jump start book. Oh how I love all the Biggest loser books!!

PEANUTTY SPREAD
*Blending creamy peanut butter with silken tofu cuts the calories and fat by nearly two-thirds. It's the perfect high-protein snack, whether spread on a whole grain cracker or used as a dip for apple slices or raw vegetables. And one dollop makes a wickedly good topping for your favorite fat-free chocolate pudding.

• 1 cup (about 9 ounces) silken tofu, drained (I suggest pressing it dry with paper towels as well)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 4 tsp honey
• 2 tsp lime juice

Place the tofu, peanut butter, honey, and lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend or process until smooth. Add a few teaspoons of water if necessary. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 12 ( 2 tbsp) servings.

60 calories, 3g protein, 4g carbs, 4g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 30 mg sodium (1 weight watcher point)

I would recommend chilling it first, I think its much better cold! We had this with apple slices, and it was really good! If you try it, please let me know what you think!

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

This stuff is the bomb! I'm sharing the recipe..but  reminding you that I don't usually follow a set recipe. I find a general recipe and mix it up to our liking. So....here you all go!

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

• multigrain tortillas
• diced red and yellow peppers
• diced tomatoes
• chopped onion
• chopped cilantro
• shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
• green enchilada sauce
• taco seasoning, olive oil and cooking spray

Coat a pan with cooking spray, and saute the peppers and onion until tender. Add in a little taco seasoning for flavor. In a seperate pan, heat olive oil and brown both sides of each tortilla lightly. After browning, lie tortillas on paper towels to absorb as much excess oil as possible. Lightly coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place a small amount of the pepper/onion mixture in the center of a tortilla. Add a little cilantro, tomatoes and cheese, then fold tortilla over and place seam side down in your pan. Repeat until you have used all your tortillas.

Sprinkle cheese (as much or little as you like) over the top, and then pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the entire pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Spray cooking spray on the inside of your foil so the cheese doesn't stick!

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking until heated through.

**variations:

• if you like a little kick, add in diced chilis and use pepperjack cheese
• add-in chicken
• add-in zucchini, black beans or olives
• use red enchilada sauce instead of green
• add a dollop of plain yogurt on top (instead of sour cream...you won't notice the difference!)
• cut out the browning of the tortillas, and use low-fat cheese to make it healthier

This was AMAZING!! I added chicken in 3 of the tortillas for my husband, but honestly I think he will love the veggie ones just as much. If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear your feedback!

VEGETARIAN CHILI

Last night I made what might be my all time favorite chili....EVER. It started out with a craving for chili, and since I didn't have everything I wanted, I just improvised. So, this will not be a traditional recipe, but rather just a list of everything I threw in. The amounts are up to you, depending how you like your chili!

VEGETARIAN CHILI

kidney beans

chili beans

black beans

canned tomatoes (I used the basil, onion and oregano type)

chopped celery

chopped carrots

taco seasoning (I was out of chili seasoning)

oregano

basil

onion powder (I was out of real onions, but I always prefer real onions)

worcestershire sauce (around 1/4 cup or so)

I planned on throwing in a package of morningstar "burger", but was out.

This was amazing!!!!

GET-WELL-SOON SOUP

I am under the weather. WAY under. After a miserable night of coughing, blowing my nose, nursing a sore throat, and facebooking from the comfort of my bed on my blackberry at 3am concentrating on my rest, I called in sick to work and headed to the Doctor. Diagnosis? Full blown sinus infection. I will be kind and not tell you what symptoms require a diagnosis of full-blown sinus infection.

Anyway.

I have come up with the perfect get-well-soon-recipe. It is pictured below.

Yes friends, my recipe includes a bowl of homemade vegetable soup, one glass of ice water, echinacea (which was supposed to protect me from the crud in the first place), ibuprofen, and antibiotics. Yum.
For those of you interested, here is my "recipe" for the homemade vegetable soup. Be forewarned, this is a throw-together-whatever-you-have kind of deal. That really is all I did, and it turned out to be one of the best soups EVER!!
Vegetable soup
3 32-oz containers of vegetable broth (better yet, make your own. No, I didn't. I'm sick!)
2 cups each sliced carrots, celery, onion and zuchinni
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can progresso light rice and vegetable soup
1 pkg morninstar "griller crumbles", (you can substitute a 1lb of ground beef if you wish)
2 cups peas
pepper and sea salt to taste
In large pot, combine broth, veggies, tomatoes and soup. In a seperate pan, brown your "meat", and add in to large pot. Simmer until vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Then, add in peas and simmer for about 5 minutes.
This is good with a sprinkle of parmesan on the top. Mmmmm. I feel better already!

TEXAS CAVIAR

This is one of my favorites.....I make it at least once a week for meals or just snacking. I've come across several recipes...this is a mish-mash of all of them.

TEXAS CAVIAR

2 cans low sodium garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 red onion, chopped

6 vine tomatoes, diced

1 pkg frozen corn, cooked and cooled

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

a few splashes of low fat italian or balsamic dressing, for moisture and flavor*

pepper to taste

*I used Kraft light balsamic vinaigrette

Mix ingredients in a bowl and enjoy. This is even better the next day! I like it with tortilla chips, or else wrapped in a whole grain tortilla with a little plain yogurt instead of sour cream.

Guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow?

POLENTA AND MARINARA

Next up in my favorite foods line-up.....Polenta. It's just cornmeal and water. Honestly, I've only prepared this once, but I loved it! Yesterday I used Freida's basil oregano polenta, sliced it, and browned it in a little bit of olive oil and garlic. Then, I topped it with a little low-fat mozzarella.Delish! They make several different varieties of Polenta, so I'm anxious to try them all. It's also simple and inexpensive to make yourself. There are also many, ways to serve it. In fact, tonight I am preparing it again, like I did yesterday, but am topping it with some homemade marinara sauce and fresh grated parmesan. I think it will be a good change from pasta. You can usually find it in the refrigerated section of the produce department.

Speaking of homemade marinara sauce, this stuff is FANTASTIC. Way better than anything you will find in a jar, without all the preservatives. I got the original recipe out of the Biggest loser cookbook, and have tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes.FRESH MARINARA SAUCE

Olive oil spray

2 cups minced sweet onions

4 tbs freshly minced garlic

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes*

3/4 cup water

4 tbs no-salt-added tomato paste

4 tsp honey

2 tbs dried oregano

4 tsp dried basil

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley

a couple splashes of marsala

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I like crimini)

*I actually used seasoned diced tomatoes, because that's what I had in my pantry. It makes for a chunkier sauce, but tasted just as good.

Spray a large nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender, (should not brown) for 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and parsley until well combined. In a seperate pan, saute' the mushrooms in some garlic and a light bit of olive oil. Add mushrooms to marinara sauce. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.

SMOOTHIES

Sigh. What can I say about smoothies. I.love.them.with.all.my.heart. They make a great meal, recovery drink after a workout, or even just as a snack. Do whatever you want. You're the boss. Except when I am.

Here are my 3 favorite recipes.

Peanut butter and banana smoothie:

1 banana

1 cup almond milk

2 tbs ground flaxseed

1 tsp peanut butter (although I secretly put more or just eat a gob off the spoon)

2 scoops vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder

handful of ice

I have this for breakfast on my days off. You may be wondering why only on my days off. Mainly because I don't think my husband would appreciate me firing up the blender at 4:30am and waking up the whole family. He's funny like that. I also have this after a workout. The whey protein helps your muscles recover and rebuild.

Berry protein smoothie:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 small container yogurt (plain, strawberry or blueberry, whatever)

1 cup almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 tbs ground flaxseed

1/2 pkt stevia natural sweetener (if you want a sweeter drink)

(no need for ice in this one since you are using frozen berries)

Groovy green smoothie: (photo from allrecipes.com)

1 banana
1 cup grapes
1/2 apple (leave the skin on...thats' where the nutrients are silly!)
1 container low fat vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 tbs ground flaxseed
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
Ice (or else you could freeze the grapes beforehand!)

You may remember my previous post about groovy green smoothies...we still love them!
Of course, with smoothies, the sky's the limit. There are SO many variations you can use. Look on allrecipes.com for gobs of smoothie recipes!!

27 POUNDS!!

I have hit the 27 pound mark in my weight loss journey. It feels great!! The changes I have made in my diet/lifestyle have become my new routine now. Probably the biggest change I have made is cutting out meat products from my diet. About 2 months ago I cut out red meat, and I really notice a difference in how I feel. The big challenge will come tomorrow, when we have a prime rib dinner at work. Will I be able to resist temptation?

This morning I made protein berry smoothies for breakfast. Here's the recipe...they are delicious! PROTEIN BERRY SMOOTHIE
*1/2 cup frozen blueberries
*1/2 cup frozen strawberries or raspberries
* 1 cup almond milk (or fat free milk if you prefer)
*1 scoop vanilla protein powder
*1 tbs flaxseed
*1 small container flavored low fat yogurt
*1/2 packet of all natural sweetener, if you want it a bit sweeter (I use stevia)

PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

I just tried this recipe for a breakfast protein smoothie. YUM!!

Mix the following together in a blender:

1 small banana
1 cup fat free milk
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I use the biggest loser powder)
Ice

This was SO good..and very filling because its full of fiber. Give it a try!

*This recipe came from Bob Harper's "Are you ready!" book

PUMPKIN DIP

I came across a great, yummy, delicious recipe for pumpkin dip! Serve it with apple slices for a healthy treat!! My kids loooooove it!

Pumpkin Dip

3/4 cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese *

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons maple syrup *

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

24 apple slices

*I used fat free cream cheese

*I didn't have "true" maple syrup, so I just used some light pancake syrup. Tasted great!

I also added a little extra cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for extra flavor. To make it even prettier, you could add a scoop of fat-free cool whip on the top!!

Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add syrup and cinnamon, and beat until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Serve with apple. Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 2 tablespoons dip and 2 apple slices)

CALORIES 107 FAT 3.2g FIBER 1.4g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003