Nachos

I just ate my delicious nachos for lunch. They were everything I dreamed they would be.

Points? 2 servings (approx 28 chips) baked tortilla chips (4). 1/4 cup fat free cheese (1). 1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack and Colby (3). Total: 8 I am in heaven! I was so thrilled that I took a picture!  Who takes a picture of nachos???

My other superbowl tip? Portion, Portion, Portion. Just remember, you can eat whatever you want-- just not all of it and all the time! Baked chips are excellent, so are Fat Free Pringles, and there is lots of low point popcorn out there. I am going to go for big volume and low points. We'll see how it goes!!
On the Journey.
Stef

Easy Enchiladas

This is a blend of a Weight Watchers  recipe and just an old favorite enchilada recipe. This is the second time I have made it.  Tonight, I was able to make 10 enchiladas with this recipe, so I made 6 and froze the filling for Tuesday night when I am cooking for others again but have a very hectic day at work scheduled (which is good, right!).

Easy Enchiladas:

3 chicken breasts, seasoned with whatever you want (Mrs. Dash?) and boiled then shredded.

Preheat Oven to 350
Warm up a dash of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.  Add chicken.
Add in 24 oz chunky salsa (you'll have to buy more than this, or just hold back one cup for later)
Add in 1 or 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
Add in chopped scallions.  I have just been buying a smaller bunch and using it all b/c I don't want them in my fridge.
Add in chili powder.  I used about 3 teaspoons.
Add in ground cumin.  I used about 1.5 teaspoons.
Add in any other seasonings you want.  I used Tastefully Simple "onion/onion", a little Italian seasoning, and the Tastefully Simple "Seasoning salt."  I am discovering that "low point" food is typically very bland so I have been consulting my Weight Watcher cookbook and using a lot of seasoning.  Truth is, fat is seasoning.  So remove it, and food is quite bland.
You can also add in about 3/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained.  I leave these out b/c Dave doesn't love them.
Add in 1/2 -to  2 cups shredded Monterey Jack (I use about 1/2 cup fat free cheddar)
Heat through.

Add about 1/2 cup salsa to bottom of baking pan.
Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture to the middle of tortilla (whole wheat, white, low carb-- you choose!).  Roll.
Place seam side down in pan.
Repeat.
When finished, add another 1/2 cup salsa over tortillas and top with as much cheese as you choose.

Bake at 350 for about 20 min.

Total Points:

Ronel is Home

I have been following this story and just wanted to pass along the good news. Click here to be inspired and join me in thanking God for his story and praying for all the orphans in Haiti and around the world.

On the journey.

Stef

Weigh In Week Two: Say What?!?!

I got on the scale today and almost fell off! I couldn't believe it. I had broken my "won't get on it for a week" rule about mid week and realized that I had lost about 1.5 lbs. That is fantastic, and in my first few weeks of WW in the past, I did lose 2 or 2.5 lbs, so I figured I was right on track with that. Plus, the more weight one has to lose, typically the quicker it will come off in the beginning.... anyway....

My weight loss this morning was 4.2lbs! I simply can not believe it. Well, I can actually. I weighed in first thing in the AM, in my PJ's-- which is consistent with last Friday. Which means my weight will fluctuate all day as I eat. And, honestly, a lot of this is probably water weight. I have been hitting the water hard, which ironically leads to an overall loss of water weight (your body says "Hey, I'm getting enough water. I can let go of this water reserve.") So I am THRILLED but cautious. My suspicion? Next week will be a much much much more moderate weight loss, and the two weeks averaged together will be more "typical."

Probably the best thing about this, though, is that my favorite, standard black dress pants are fitting sooo much better. They are a size bigger than I like to buy, but at least I can comfortably wear them. We booked our plane tickets and hotel to Vegas this week--

Some Pics of the Babe

Dekker is getting too big.  Don't you just love his smile?!?  His shirt says "Handsome Like Daddy" and I couldn't agree more.  Hello Sweet Boy!



Proof that we do have one of the best dogs in town.  Dekker and Josie are really buddies!  Their relationship is changing now that Dekker is more on the move... so we'll see how things continue!



My little Conductor.  I recently found this while changing out all his clothes to 12 months or bigger.  Where did my little boy go.........



On the move!



Loving the Jumper!  We recently raised the height of this, and Dekker is getting a lot of miles out of it.  It's a nice break from chasing him all over :)



Dekker has a little cold right now and gets tired easily.  The sweet thing just lays his head down whenever he can.  You'll be happy to know I took this clue and got him right down for a nap!

On the Journey.

Stef

My Heart Hurts

http://www.forhisgloryoutreach.org/

I absolutely can not get this organization out of my mind.  I am acquaintances with a family out of Aurora, Nebraska who adopted two boys from this orphanage and sent me an e-mail weeks ago asking for financial donations and prayer.  I am an anxious person by nature, and this type of stuff is so incredibly hard for me.  My heart just hurts and I feel totally helpless! Surfing around their website brought to me another harsh reality: For every child who has made it to their "forever home" in America or Canada or wherever, there is another child to quickly fill their place at the orphanage.  For every child we see smiling on the news at a happy reunion with their adoptive families, there are several more children still in Haiti.  Some were orphans before the quake, some were not.  Ug.

My goal here is not to be a "Debby Downer," but to call you to pray pray pray for these children regardless of any pending adoption.  And in the case that they do have families in the US or elsewhere who are STILL trying to get their children home, please stop and say a prayer for them, too.  I learned some interesting things here: I found the story about Ronel particularly interesting from several perspectives, as well as her comments regarding UNICEF.(Ronel's adoptive parents have a blog here.)

I am studying the book of Esther right now and we have been chronicling what it would be like to lose both father and mother.  Devastating!

Weekend Food Logs

Well, I survived the weekend!

We had a ball with my parents.  We ate at Senor Matias.  It was pretty good Mexican food... but our quest for the best Mexican food restaurant in Omaha is still on.   Any suggestions?  We've already tried La Mesa, Roja, and Senor Matias.  And Hectors.

Saturday:
Bread and Honey: 2
BBQ Beef: 6
Pear: 1
WW Ice Cream Bar: 1
Chicken Quesadilla: 12
Guacamole: 2
18 flour chips: 9
Diet Coke: 0
Salsa: 0
TOTAL: -12

Well, I am fairly proud of myself for Sat.  The restaurant had no nutritional charts on their website so I just used my "Complete Food Guide" book from WW.  Again, I think this is where a little extra grace is required.  We can only do our best, and I believe getting frustrated and upset is what leads to burn out, hopping off the plan, and ultimately more weight gain.  So I told myself I would have a nice night wherever we went but that I didn't have to eat like it was the Last Supper.