Baked Ranch Chicken= Mmm Mmm Good

Baked Ranch Chicken– 5 points +

Just made this the other night for dinner... Delicious! Definitely will be making this again, if you are not worried about points, sprinkle some cheese on top :-) 

Ingredients

§  4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4oz each)

§  1 cup cornflakes cereal

§  1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

§  1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.    Rinse and chicken breasts and pat dry. Evenly coat both sides of each breast with sour cream.

3.    In a large Ziploc bag, add the cornflakes and Ranch Mix, and crush cornflakes well.

4.    One by one, put each sour cream coated chicken in the seasoned cornflake crumbs and gently shake until chicken breast is coated.

5.    Place coated chicken in a 9×13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-fat cooking spray. Lightly mist with an olive oil mister, and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s)

Entire recipe makes 4 servings

Serving size is 1 chicken breast

Each serving = 5 Points +

PER SERVING: 198 calories; 3g fat; 10g carbohydrates; 31g protein; 0g fiber

Recipe Credit to LaaLoosh.com

Salad Dressing Without the Guilt

Salad Dressing without the Guilt!

I have finally found a salad dressing worth trying! By Bolthouse Farms: this line of dressing only has 45 calories or less per serving. One serving is 2 Tbsp (35-45 calories), 1.5-3g fat, 115-270 mg sodium, 1-7g carbs, 6 g fiber, 4g protein- that is a Points Plus value of *1. I am totally going to be grabbing this for my salads. I will report back on whether it tastes great too!

Now comparing this to the ranch that I would normally eat- which is typically Ken's Ranch Dressing ends up equalling out to 5 Points Plus! Definitely NOT worth the points!

Turkey Taco Salad= Superb

Turkey Taco SaladEntire recipe: 354 calories, 10.5g fat, 656mg sodium, 36.5g carbs, 9g fiber, 11g sugars, 31g protein --PointsPlus® value 9*  Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 oz. raw lean ground turkey (7% fat or less)
• 1 tsp. taco seasoning mix
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp. frozen sweet corn kernels 2 tbsp. salsa
• 3 baked tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp. light sour cream

Directions: 

• Place lettuce in a large bowl (or on a large plate).
• Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Cook and stir pepper and onion until softened and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
• Add turkey to the skillet, and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cook and crumble until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Add black beans and corn, and cook until hot, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer contents of the skillet to the lettuce bowl. Top with remaining ingredients, and dig in!
• MAKES 1 SERVING

Recipe thanks to Hungry-girl.com http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/show/thirty-minute-meals

Bacon Ranch Turkey Wrap

Recipe.... Success!

I tried a Bacon Ranch Turkey Wrap this week for lunch (from laaloosh.com) and I would have to say... YUmMy! Easy to make, super quick to prepare on the go, I would encourage using the points on the real bacon, it makes the taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Flatout flatbread (I used a tortilla low carb high fiber instead)
• 2 slices of bacon ( I used reduced sodium regular bacon)
• 1 oz turkey deli meat
• 1 slice fat free American cheese
• 1 tomato, thinly cut slices
• Red onion slices
• 1/4 cup light ranch dressing
• Romaine Lettuce

WW points plus (6) for 1 wrap! 

260 calories; 9g fat; 5g carbs; 28g protein; 9g fiber 

Find the full recipe here: http://www.laaloosh.com/2014/01/13/bacon-ranch-turkey-wrap-recipe/

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta – 6 points +

(Pictures property of Jillian Bernath)

Okay this is a Great recipe, light, yummy, and with the best stuff ever, ranch... bacon.... cheese... does not get better than that! Will definitely be making this again!

Ingredients

§  1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieces or strips

§  6 slices bacon, cooked (I used Applegate Farms Reduced Sodium Sunday Bacon)

§  8 oz whole wheat pasta, uncooked

§  1 packet ranch seasoning mix

§  1 cup fat free milk

§  1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar, shredded

§  2 green onions, diced

§  Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.    Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside.

2.    Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp, then drain on paper towels. Chop bacon when cool enough to handle. Drain most of the bacon drippings from the pan, leaving about 1 tbsp. Return pan to medium hit heat.

3.    Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add into the skillet with bacon drippings, and cook until no longer pink and becomes golden brown, about 4-6 minutes.

4.    Add in milk and ranch dressing packet, and stir well. Cook until thick and bubbling. Add in cheddar cheese and 1/2 of the reserved bacon. Cook, stirring regularly until cheese is melted. If sauce becomes too thick, thin it out with some fat free chicken broth as needed.

5.    Spoon sauce over pasta, and sere with remaining       bacon and green onions sprinkled on top.

Entire recipe makes 6 servings

Serving size is about 1 cup

Each serving = 6 Points +

PER SERVING: 249 calories; 5.5g fat; 31g carbohydrates; 19g protein; 3g fiber

( Find Recipe at: http://www.laaloosh.com/2014/04/15/chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta-recipe/#more-10623)

Some Good Guidelines

I love these guidelines I found on a blog:

1. Cleanses should not be considered a weight loss method.
2. Fancy shakes are not a requirement to being healthy or losing weight.
3. You don’t have to eat less to lose weight.
4. Cardio is not necessarily the answer.
5. It’s how your clothes fit that matter.
6. Fitness should be considered a boost to your efforts but not the overall answer for losing weight.
7. Some of the best foods for weight loss are those with the highest calories.
8. Breakfast is optional.  Be mindful of when you are hungry instead of eating out of habit or on the clock.
9. Your greatest success in losing weight centers around reducing sugar.
10. Fat doesn’t make you fat.
11. If it’s too good to be true, it is. Stop the cycle of purchasing weight loss promises.
12. A combo of HIIT workouts and resistance training is the best way to boost your metabolism and burn fat.
13. It takes three months to establish new habits. Give yourself the time you deserve to make it work for the long-haul.
14. If you reduce sugar you will crave it less.
15. When you slow down at meal times, you automatically eat less.
16. If it’s in the house you will eat it.
17. Grains are not a necessary component to your diet.
18. You can still eat bacon.
19. Eat your vegetables; you’re not five.
20. Gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean healthier to the average (non-Celiac) person.
21. Dehydration can mask itself as hunger.
22. Small plate = less eating.
23. Pay attention to the bliss factor when snacking. When something stops tasting blissful (usually around 3-5 bites), stop eating it.
24. You probably need less protein than you think.
25. Juice is not healthy. Eat your fruit. Drink water.

Eat with purpose.

Full article at: http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-diet/weight-loss/25-truths-weight-loss/\

Weigh in Day Week 2

It's official, week 2. I really slacked in working out this week, and I was being pretty hard on myself about it, but it is very difficult when you work midnights to want or have the energy to work out. 

I also have a confession... I did not follow weight watcher this week. In fact, I'm not sure if I will do it again. I have found something very similar but meets my needs. It is call the Eat Clean Diet. 

This is what the Eat Clean Diet is:

Clean eating is NOT a diet

Clean eating is NOT a calorie restriction

Clean eating is NOT about meal frequency

Clean eating is NOT deprivation 

Clean eating is NOT perfection

Clean Eating guidelines:

Avoid Processed foods

Avoid most refined foods

Avoid Artificial ingredients and preservatives

Avoid Alcohol

Avoid Soda Pop and Fruit Juices(added and natural sugars)

It is similar to Weight Watchers, but I can eat when I'm hungry, I don't have to completely freak out about grains/carbs, it has the same concepts, but it just seems more fitting and less "harsh" for me. I really liked not having to count my "Points" this week. I ate when I was hungry!!! I did not go grab a Big Mac, I was still making healthy food choices and watching what was in the product, but I was FULL! 

And you know what the best part is.... I still LOST weight. Maybe not AS much as I would have liked to this week, but hey, everything takes time, and I am still getting used to my new food choices. (I also only worked out like maybe 2 times :-X). 

Original Weight: 148.6 Lbs

This Week's Weight: 146.2 Lbs

Weight Loss Total: 2.4 Lbs!!!!!!!

It might not be as much weight loss as I would like, but it is still an accomplishment, and I am very happy!

**************************************
Recipe.... Fail 

Tonight I tried to make Cauliflower Pepperoni Pizza Casserole (recipe from skinnytaste.com, and I would have to say I was pretty darn excited about this recipe. It looked and smelled awesome. Until we tasted it. The cauliflower "crust" just was not very fitting for this dish. And nevertheless we probably wont be making this again...

Find the full recipe here: http://www.laaloosh.com/2013/08/13/cauliflower-pepperoni-pizza-casserole-recipe/