recipe: crock pot santa fe chicken

This? Is delicious served over brown rice and super easy to throw together the night before. Turn your slow cooker on in the morning and voila!

Original recipe can be found here: Gina's Skinny Recipes | Skinnytaste.com (LOVE her recipes!)

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
Servings: 8
Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 4
Calories: 190, Fat 1.5 g, Fiber 5.6 g, Carbs 23.1 g, Protein 21 g

24 oz (1.5 pounds) chicken breast
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
2 tbsp dried cilantro (I didn't have fresh)
14.5 oz fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice (extra Points).

another idea for turkey leftovers

No, I don't have any turkey left from Thanksgiving but I did make another recipe that we really loved with our leftover turkey. If you're having turkey for Christmas this is a great idea for leftovers. We're having ham so it will probably be awhile before I make these again.

This recipe is from Gina's Skinny Recipes and the original can be found here.

Baked Turkey Croquettes

POINTS Plus: 6
Serving Size: 3 croquettes
Servings: 6

12 oz cooked turkey breast, chopped fine with a food processor
3 potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
¾ cup fat free chicken broth
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
½ cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg, whisked
Olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp)

In a large bowl, mash potatoes with ¼ cup broth, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Sauté garlic and onions in oil on low heat. Add parsley, salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add turkey and remaining broth, mix well and shut heat off.

Add turkey to mashed potatoes and using your clean hands mix well. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

Preheat oven to 450.

Measure ¼ cup of mixture then form into croquettes. Place on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining mixture.

Dip each croquette in egg wash, then breadcrumbs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup. Spray generously with olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp worth). Bake in the oven 15 minutes, or until golden.

holiday hoedown check-in ~ week 3

It's finally happened. I've finally stopped letting things that are out of my control thwart my weight-loss efforts. I don't know exactly what happened but a switch flipped and I'm done. Done letting my husband's work schedule dictate my routine. Done letting my mind tell me I'm not doing it right or good enough. Done with the negative thoughts about how long this will take (forever - because we all know it never stops - we may get to goal weight but we can't stop being healthy because we lost the weight). Done beating myself up for one bad choice which ultimately turns into several bad choices. I'm done putting everyone else first and not worrying about me.

And with that, I give you my weekly weigh-in deets:

Challenge Starting Weight: 199.6
Change This Week: -1.7
Change for Holiday Hoedown Challenge: -2.4
Total Pounds Gone since 9-8-2010: 6.4

How am I doing with my goals from last week? Pretty darn good, I think. Except for the water. Need to work on that this week!

• Track my food and do my absolute best to stay within my Points target on Weight Watchers. - YES & YES - No cheating. Not once!
• Attend my Weight Watchers meetings consistently. - Yes! Went to Tuesday morning meeting.
• Drink. More Water. - Meh, notsomuch. Will do better this week!

Now, off to see how my fellow Shrinkers did this week!

holiday hoedown check-in ~ week 2

Depression and anxiety are ugly creatures. And they both tend to leave me paralyzed, existing and just going through the motions. The nightmares and lack of focus, I'm sure, are a result of my doctor switching my medicines. I went from being very sad to not caring and quite frankly, a bitch. (If I was bitchy to you over the last few weeks please, please forgive me. I am truly sorry.) I'm working on my -ahem- attitude, but suffice it to say it's been difficult.

I did weigh in the last 2 weeks - down .4 last week and .3 this week. Not fabulous, I know, but no gain over Thanksgiving makes me feel better.

Know what else makes me feel better? The new Weight Watchers plan! Today was my first day following it by the book and I had no headaches, was NOT hungry and just felt good. Recently (over the last year when I've attempted to follow Weight Watchers) I was so hungry. All. The. Time. What a relief to eat and not feel hungry and know that I stayed on track.

I have not logged any minutes this week because the back/hip/leg pain is back. Gah. There are days I wonder if it will ever end, yo. But I am not going to let it derail me. I just need to find something that works fitness wise and run, or ummm, walk slowly with it.

As far as the non-fitness challenge this week, the three things I'm going to do this month to help me stay on track is:

• Track my food and do my absolute best to stay within my Points target on Weight Watchers.
• Attend my Weight Watchers meetings consistently.
• Drink. More Water. It's kinda like the Chick-fil-A cow with his Eat. More. Chicken. sign. You know which one I'm talking about, right? This one.

I realize these are so simple but you'd be amazed how hard this is for me some days. Especially when I'm dragging my 3 year old to a meeting with me.

Anyway, what I'm NOT going to do is quit or give up regardless of my mood, attitude and/or disc problems.

Here's to a good report for week 3!

i choose me

Some Most days it's hard to choose me. It never used to be this difficult. Then again, long, long ago, when I was successful with weight loss, exercised and all that other hard stuff I didn't have little people to care for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pointing blame and saying it's their fault. It's not. I just need to figure out how to make ME a priority again. I already took the first step. I re-joined Weight Watchers this past week. But the daily choice to choose myself? It's tough, yo.

i love myself. i really do.

This week's mini challenge at Shrinking Jeans was to find 3 ways to love yourself each day in an effort to stop negative self-talk.

Here's my list from this week...

1. Painted my toenails
2. Took longer than usual showers & showered every day (big accomplishment, yo)
3. Shaved my legs twice
4. Got a manicure
5. Took an extra few minutes and put on makeup (I've been skipping that quite a bit the last few weeks months)
6. Wore perfume
7. Started taking my multi-vitamins again (I had started slacking and they always make me feel better)
8. Only had a few bites of the shared dessert our family had out the other night (instead of gorging myself)
9. Smiled at myself in the mirror more than once
10. Just finished my meal plan for next week so I am prepared to eat right and stay within my Weight Watchers Points range
11. Made a girlfriend date with my BFF to go see a movie this weekend
12. Reminded myself that I am strong and capable of whatever I set my mind to
13. Wore a dress and cute shoes when running errands a few days ago
14. Made time to just sit and relax a little more than usual

Do YOU love yourself? Prove it. Do something nice for you.

shrinking days of summer - finale

Today marks the end of the Shrinking Days of Summer Challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. This week I am down 0.6 but up 2.0 for the challenge. I'm not beating myself up, I'm not stressing about it, I'm really okay with it. There's always next week and the week after and....well, you get my point. It's a daily commitment. It's a daily choice. Some days I choose to stick to Weight Watchers and count my Points. Other days I don't. And until I make that commitment DAILY, I'm not going to see much change. I'm going to continue to gain and lose the same few pounds. I know this.

The challenge I am having is sticking with it daily. I know I can do it and I know it works (lost 60 lbs on Weight Watchers before). But that was before kids. I also know that I'm struggling with life at the moment and the stresses associated with it. I know I need to take care of me regardless of what hurdles come my way. I say I will and then something is thrown in my path that catches me off guard and I am sidetracked for however long. Any suggestions on how to stop getting distracted and FOCUS?

recipe: fresh strawberry crepes

We had yummy strawberry crepes for dinner tonight. Breakfast was my plan originally (eggs, etc.) but then I saw Weight Watchers tweet this super easy recipe and I decided to try it instead. You should too. I promise you won't regret it!

And yes, it's listed in desserts but it still made a terrific dinner. Hubs requested bacon as well so we had bacon on the side.

Fresh Strawberry Crepes
POINTS per serving: 3
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 crepe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

5 large egg whites
1/8 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fat-free skim milk
1 cup all purpose flour
8 sprays cooking spray
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced very thin (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, salt, vanilla extract, melted butter, milk and flour until just combined.

Coat and 8- or 9-inch skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of batter and tilt skillet to cover entire bottom of pan with a thin layer of batter. Cook for 2 minutes; flip over. Top with 1/3 cup strawberries; cook for 2 minutes more. Fold crepe over and slide onto a serving plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients; sprinkle with sugar.

Devour and enjoy!

i choose me

Since becoming a mom I realize that I tend to put myself last. A lot. This isn't good for me - nor is it good for my family. And you know how the saying goes...



But of course *this mom* IS happy? Why? Because I chose happy, remember? And yes, it's a daily choice to be happy but I will and I do. It's better for me and it's better for my kids.

But you know what I forget to do when it comes to choosing me? Put my health first. (Thanks Heather for the gentle reminder.)

Starting today I choose to protect my skin by wearing sunscreen not only on my face but also on my neck, chest, arms and hands.

I choose to make my health a priority again. It's taken a back seat to too many things. (Oh! Hello there, Weight Watchers, my long lost friend!)

And I choose to love myself and my body at every. single. stage of the game. I only have one body and one life so I WILL make the best of it. (Even when my back is screaming at me.)

How about you? What do YOU choose?

Have you heard of the American Cancer Society's Choose You movement? It's all about making the commitment to live healthy and make early detection a priority through regular health checkups. Click HERE to learn more.

i am an addict

I am addicted to sugar, bad carbs (think cake, biscuits, etc.) and caffeine. And I don't know how to stop it. Re-join Weight Watchers so that I am accountable for the number of Points I put in my mouth daily? That's all well and good but truthfully I can work the addiction in to my Daily Points Allowance. I've thought about counting calories as well. Then there's always clean eating and the idea that if a food has multiple ingredients don't eat it = an apple is an apple, an egg is an egg, etc. Truth is I'm not sure what to do. I know if I just pick something and stick to it the weight will come off. And regardless of what direction I take I need to break the addictions.

And there you have it, this week's...