Garden Update

So I told you all a few months back that I planted a garden, right? Well, I thought I would give you an update on that garden.

In the garden, I planted 3 green leaf lettuce plants, 4 tomato plants, some cucumbers, green onions and some bell peppers. I might have planted zucchini, I can’t remember. Only time will tell on that one.

I’m sad to say that the lettuce didn’t make it. I think the rabbits had a wonderful feast on it and ate it pretty quickly after I planted it. I hope they enjoyed it, because this is the last year they will be eating my lettuce 

I also lost a tomato plant. I’m not sure why, it just withered up and died. I thought I was going to lose another one, but it seems to be doing ok now, just a little smaller than the rest.

A couple weeks ago, I realized that I have some tomatoes growing. They’re still pretty small, but they’re there. When I went out to count them the other night, I counted nine of them. I was pleasantly surprised that I have that many. I absolutely love tomatoes. I have a lot of great recipes that I want to try with them. Up until now, I have been getting fresh tomatoes from my parents and from my sister. I really do appreciate that, but I really want to get some of my own. It will make me feel so accomplished!

My green onions are doing pretty good, too. And I also have a couple of peppers growing. One looks like it’s not going to amount to much because of a spot it has on it, but we’ll have to wait and see. These ones are on the orange pepper plant. There aren’t any yet on the red pepper plant. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

With everything starting to produce, I decided to put something up to keep the critters out of it. It’s not the most beautiful thing in the world, but I think it will work. We got some posts and put chicken wire around it. We also put some bird netting over top so that I could still get into the garden to collect my goods when they’re ready.

I will keep you all posted throughout the season both with the garden and any recipes I make using veggies out of it!. I'm really hoping that my black thumb might be turning green!

So long for today…

Lighter Peanut Butter Pie

Last week, a friend of mine poste a picture on Facebook of a delicious looking peanut butter pie. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I was going to make it. She was nice enough to give me the recipe. When I saw this recipe, I knew a) that it had to be lightened upand b) that it COULD be lightened up! I made a couple of easy swaps and came up with this recipe.

Even though it's lighter than it was, it is still pretty pointy for a dessert. Everyone that tried this said that they really liked it. Even though I'm not a huge fan of PB desserts, I also thought it was pretty good. What I love about this are the huge number of possibilies that I can try in variations for it. I'm going to have fun changing up a couple of ingredients to make a different pie all together. You can expect to see those in some upcoming blog posts. Here's the recipe:

LIGHTER PEANUT BUTTER PIE
adapted from Loree Foster
Servings: 16
Points+: 10

8 oz. light cream cheese, softened
3 8-oz. containers, fat free Cool Whip
12 oz. jar of creamy peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. vanilla
2 graham cracker pie crusts

Cream together cream cheese with 2 containers Cool Whip on low with electric mixer, increasing to medium speed as it becomes easier.

Add peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla, still beating on medium speed until creamy. Spoon into pie crusts.

Top each pie with 1/2 container of Cool Whip. Cover and freeze 3 - 4 hours. Allow to sit out 15 - 20 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

EXERCISE
Well, believe it or not, I took a day of rest today. These don't happen very often with me, although the do seem to be happening more and more often. I decided to rest today since my knee has been bothering me. I'm not sure about the reason for that, but I'm thinking it might be because of all of the lunges that I've been doing in Ripped in 30. I'm hoping that by resting tonight and upping it to the next level tomorrow, my knee pain will be a thing of the past. At least for now!

So long for today...

Fresh Summer Corn Chowder

Wow! Where did the weekend go? I am definitely not ready for the work week again. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun! We all had such a good time camping this weekend. TC is already trying to figure out when we'll be able to go again. Probably in a couple of weeks as long as nothing comes up to fill the calendar. We'll have to see.

I have been looking for a corn chowder recipe for a couple of weeks. I've looked on Pinterest and I've also Googled it. I just couldn't find one that I liked though. It seemed like they all had potatoes or some other ingredient that I didn't really want in it. So I decided to try to come up with one on my own. I figured out what I did want and went from there. TC really liked this soup he ate his and Addison's since she wasn't really in the mood to eat dinner tonight. Here's what I came up with:

FRESH SUMMER CORN CHOWDER
A Southern Living Yankee Original
Servings: 4
Points+: 6

6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, any color, chopped
6 ears corn on the cob, cut off cob and cobs saved*
1 15-oz. can FF chicken broth
16 oz. FF half and half
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. parsely
1/4 t. thyme

Heat medium pot over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add turkey bacon and cook about 5 minutes, add onion and pepper and cook until veggies are tender. Add remaining ingredients and heat until just about to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

* I added the cobs to the soup with the other ingredients to try to get a little extra flavor. When the soup was just about done, I removed them and allowed it to cook for a couple more minutes.

EXERCISE
I got up again this morning and went for another run. My knee has been bothering me the last couple of days, so I tried to take it a little easy on it and even incorporated some 30 second walking intervals into the run on my way back. Since it's Sunday, you know what that means...Yoga Meltdown. It will be level 2 tonight. I'm pretty tired, so I probably don't need the yoga to help wind down, but I think my muscles could really use the stretch tonight.

So long for today...

Light & Tasty Zucchini Casserole

This weekend, we are having our maiden camping trip in the new camper. We are calling it "Glamping" since some call it glamorous camping. TC has been saying that we are roughing it easy this weekend. Whatever you want to call it, we're having a good time. My parents brought their motorhome and are staying next to us, so anything that we realize we've forgotten, they have been able to supply for us.

We had our first cookout tonight while we were camping and everything was delicious. We had some grilled burgers, zucchini casserole and corn on the cob. Dessert was a peanut butter pie, but that will be in another post. Since I am still trying to use of the last of the zucchini, I was happy to make a recipe that was on one of the blogs that I follow. It turned out very yummy and since it's pretty low in points, that's even better! Here's the recipe:

LIGHT & TASTY ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE
adapted from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life
Servings: 9
Points: 3

1 t. olive oil
3 t. butter, divided
6 c. coarsely grated zucchini
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped peppers
1 T. flour
1 c. low-fat evaporated milk
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
3/4 c. shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 large egg whites
1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, and peppers and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the liquids have evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Add 2 teaspoons of butter to skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add milk, Dijon, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and whisk until mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until blended. Pour over zucchini mixture, stir, and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into zucchini mixture, then pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining teaspoon of butter, combine with panko breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!

EXERCISE
I got a late start today, but I did get in a 4 mile run. I ran out of the campground and into our company's executive conference center. It's a beautiful property that is adjacent to the employee recreation area where we are staying on the lake. We also got to spend a little bit of time on the lake before the storms hit and I did a little bit of waterskiing. Love the active weekends!

So long for today...

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Well, I am still staying on plan with my eating. I got thrown off a little bit today for lunch. I was planning to eat a pear and almond salad, but after I had gotten the lettuce ready, I realized that I didn't have a pear for the salad. I had to improvise and instead, made a baked sweet potato for lunch. Along with that, I also had some green beans, some baby carrots and also some Chobai 0% yogurt to get in some extra protein. I'm pretty proud of myself. Usually, this would have thrown off my whole day and I would have started eating anything and everything. But I stuck to the plan and came in only 1 pt over for the day. So far this week, I've only used 3 weekly points.

So remember yesterday when I showed you a picture of the sour cream noodle bake that we had for dinner? It was so good, we had it for leftovers tonight. It was just as good the second day. This reminds me a lot of lasagna, but it's a lot easier. Plus, the sour cream in it added a little extra tang. This is definitely going to be made again and probably soon! Here's the recipe:

SOUR CREAM NOODLE BAKE
adapted from Allrecipes
Servings: 6
Points+: 11

6 oz. wide egg noodles
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 c. spaghetti sauce (I used Prego Light)
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain.

In large skillet over medium heat, cook meat until well done. Add bell pepper and galic. Cook until veggies are tender. Add spices and tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add cottage cheese, sour cream and green onions. Stir until well combined.

Spray a 2 qt. baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour noodle and meat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

EXERCISE:
Even though it was late, I got in my Yoga Meltdown for the evening. I managed to do Level 2 of the workout even though I was pretty tired. I'm not sure why. So this helped to make up for that extra point that I had. I'm hoping to get a couple of runs in over the weekend. We're doing our maiden voyage in the camper, so running will be my best bet. Let's hope mother nature cooperates with my plan!

So long for today...

What I Ate Wednesday #1

Here it is! My first What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW). I have been taking pictures all day of what I have eaten. I was worried that I might forget a couple of times, but I remembered every time. I'm pretty proud of myself for that.

I decided to start the WIAWs to help myself to be more accountable with my eating. The week of the 4th of July, I had no reservations about what I ate. It was a week full of family, friends and food. While I did enjoy myself, I was very aware the whole time that I wasn't staying OP. This stayed in the back of my mind. Finally, on Sunday, I decided to get things under control. Although it's taken me a couple of days to do it, I really think I've reined things back in.

Today was a different day for my eating. I did better today than I have in a long time. I have you all to thank for that. I knew that I wanted to be completely honest with you about what I ate today. I promise that I really did take pictures of everything. There were a couple of times that I wanted to snack on something else, but I didn't want to take a picture of it and have you all know that I ate it. So I didn't eat it. You all helped me to have stronger willpower today, and for that, I thank you.

Ok, so let's get to it. Here is what I ate today:

Every day I go to work, I start the day with a 16 oz. cup of decaf chai tea. To this, I add 1 packet of Stevia sweetner and 2 T. of fat free half and half.

CHAI LATTE - 0 Points+

Breakfast today was 1 egg plus 1 egg white, 2 pieces of Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful Multi Grain bread and a banana.

BREAKFAST: 5 Points+

For lunch, I had a pear & almond salad that consisted of a bed of romaine lettuce, 1 pear, 1 T. sliced almonds and 2 T. of Trader Joe's Raspberry Viniagrette. I also had 15 Special K Cracker Chips and some grapes.

LUNCH: 4 Points+

For my afternoon snack, I had some light string cheese and some strawberries.

SNACK: 2 Points+

Dinner was a new recipe that I tried. It was Sour Cream Noodle Bake. Don't worry, I'll post the recipe later this week. I also had some fresh corn on the cob from the farmer's market with it.

DINNER: 10 Points+

After dinner, I always have to have something sweet. Along with my Sleepytime tea, I also had a Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Chip Brownie. They were my latest discovery last weekend!

SNACK: 2 Points+

Ok, so in full disclosure, I also had one orange gummy bear that Addison fed to me. Since she fed it to me, I couldn't take a picture of that one, but here is one of his friends:

When you add it all up, my total Points+ for today was 23. I had 3 pts leftover for the day, but since my weight has been up a little bit this week, it's ok with me. Hopefully that might help bring that number down a little bit on the scale.

EXERCISE:
Tonight's exercise is going to be Level 1 of Jillian's Ripped in 30. I was debating between that and running, but Mother Nature made that decision with all the rain. I'm not complaining though, we need the rain and I'm horrible at making decisions!

So long for today...

Mushroom & Swiss Burger Cupcakes

Well, i am happy to report that I am still on the wagon. My day at work went by very quickly which really helped me not to graze today. I've also been eating eggs for breakfast. I think that this helps me to stay fuller longer and not want to snack as much. The only thing that I had that I didn't plan to eat was some english muffin bread with lemon blueberry curd after dinner. I had made the bread over the weekend and I need to use it up. So I had a slice with some curd for my sweetness after dinner.

Dinner tonight is something that I am very proud of. I developed my own "cupcake" recipe. It has the same flavors as a mushroom and swiss hamburger. TC really liked the cupcakes. Addison loved the gravy that was on top and I think she accidently ended up eating some of the cupcake, too. I'm sure she was confused when I told her we were having cupcakes for dinner and then I gave her one of these. But at least she ate some of it! Here's the recipe:

MUSHROOM & SWISS BURGER CUPCAKES
a Southern Livng Yankee Original!!
Servings: 4
Points+: 7

1/2 lb 95% lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 c. mushroom gravy (I used a McCormick's packet)
4 Laughing Cow Light Swiss wedges, chopped
24 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)
1 c. 2% milk swiss cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Cook mushroom gravy according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Add the seasoned salt, onion, garlic & mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the beef and veggie mixture, cheese wedges and mushroom gravy. Microwave for 1 minute on high. Stirring well to combine until cheese wedges are melted and beef mixture is fully coated with cheese and gravy.

Press a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin pan. Spoon about half of the beef & cheese mixture evenly among the wonton wrappers. Sprinkle about half the swiss cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

EXERCISE
My exercise tonight will be level 1 of JM's Ripped in 30 again. I'm planning to work my way through this DVD again and supplementing it with some running and yoga as well. As I've told you before, I do better when I have structure. So I'm trying to structure my eating and my workouts again to help me to stay in control and on plan!

So long for today...