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With My Bear After Losing 54.6lbs!

So very much has happened since my last post on this blog! I've gotten married, moved from Texas to East Tennessee, and most recently had my first child! One would think that after working so hard to lose nearly 60lbs that maintaining the loss would have become a top priority...of course we all know that life doesn't work that way and suffice to say that stuff happens! So now I am literally back to where I started Weight Watchers within a one pound margin and I am finding comfort in this starting weight. Comfort in the fact that I have been exactly here once before and I was able to do it so doing it again (this time with the extreme motivation of my son) will be hard but I know that I can! Just like last time around I will be sharing photos and recipes of new dishes as I go along...I'm not sure if I even have anyone following me anymore but that's o.k. too! I am motivated and ready to get losing!!!

Me Now with My New Little Man!!!

Working On It!

Ok everyone...I promise that I've not given up just yet for the New Year...in fact I have been working on a surprise, a new website! It recently came to my attention that I could make a website out of PiggtoFit and though this medium is excellent the idea of taking it one step further had a certain appeal that I couldn't resist. Plus I am finding great fun in teaching myself how to execute minor coding sequences. I was hoping to have the site up and ready before the start of this week...if I cannot get things operational by the next day or so I will pull some of the new recipes I've posted on the site and put them here to keep you all in good cooking spirits...until then, Keep your Fingers Crossed! Piggytofit.com!!! =)

Penne with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

Delicious! That is what this dish is...absolutely so good and incredibly easy to make! If you can boil water then you can make this insanely good tasting meal...the secret to this recipe lies in the use of goat cheese. I love cheese of any kind but have never cooked with goat cheese before, this is all going to change! The sauteed zucchini tossed in olive oil with the penne would have made for a sufficiently good time...but the last minute inclusion of goat cheese transformed the dish into a creamy, out of this world alfredo-like sauce! I had not anticipated the cheese to melt in such a manner...it quite seriously looked and tasted as though I had prepared a full flour/butter based cream sauce. Such a delightful meal and a great way to enjoy pasta on this new Points Plus program (side note...my goodness how busy WW meetings are right now! I went to my usual Monday night and people were swarming around reception like flies on honey!) This will definitely be a repeater, gotta try: Penne with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

Beef Stroganoff

For the second half of our Beef Burgundy Stew creation we have the popular favorite, Beef Stroganoff. Admittedly beef stroganoff is one of my all time favorite dishes...we're talking death row last dinner favorites...so as such I feel no guilt in telling you that this is by far one of the least favorite versions I've tried to date! That might be a bit harsh...the stroganoff part of the recipe is par but still lacks the usual zest of the traditional recipes leaving for a literal watered down version of our previous stew that had such robust flavor on its own. The downfall of this dish then is the use of orzo pasta in lieu of the more commonly used egg noodle....rice shaped noodles never will be able to hold the "ooh and ahh" luster of their hardier egg noodle cousin. My recommendation then would be to replace the orzo with egg noodles compensating the points difference and add a little more spice, even if just Worcestershire Sauce, to the stroganoff portion. I'll still provide link to the original recipe in case there exists a hard core orzo fan out there that is just dying to try a new rice/pasta/concoction! Happy Cooking! Beef Stroganoff

Beef Burgundy Stew

The first dish of the New Year mimics cooking great Julia Child's classic Boeuf Bourguignon; though our healthier version banishes bacon and encourages lean cuts of beef the overall taste and texture of the dish remains for a hearty, full bodied stew. I was admittedly surprised to see the continued inclusion of flour, wine and olive oil for the recipe...especially when it only topped out at 9 points plus per serving (I shall try to call them Points Plus but really they're still just points to me!)...This recipe comes from the WW Now & Later cookbook, as is the case with many of you my cookbooks are from the WW Momentum program which fortunately includes all of the nutritional information allowing for easy points conversion. On a similar note I am undecided on the utility of going back and converting all previously posted recipes or simply leaving them as remains...we shall see on that one! Getting back to our dish at hand...I must say that this is an excellent recipe to start off your New Year's diet with, fatty foods help dispel excess alcohol, can you really go wrong with beef stew?? I should mention before concluding that this recipe will make enough to serve 8 people 1 1/4 cups each...you can either stop here and have a lovely dinner party, save the extras for your busy work week or save 3 cups worth to continue on with the next stage. I'll be posting the "later" Beef Stroganoff tomorrow so start now to keep up...Happy Cooking, Beef Burgundy

New Year/New Program

If anyone is still out there then you are painfully aware of my lack in dedication to keeping readers updated on my transformational culinary escapades! Since we have last met I confess to the following: hitting a plateau, gaining a few pounds back, and utterly hating that both of these coincided with the launch of the new Weight Watchers program! On principle it must be said that while the plateau was inevitable I somehow believed that it, "would not happen to me"...truthfully I thought that the weight would continue to magically melt away as it did for so many weeks. I suppose it only goes to show that even the most diligent of health conscious transformers reach the point where it does begin to come off in .04 lbs/week. Now don't get the wrong idea, I haven't piled on fifty pounds or anything close to the sort but I have gained back a fair 10-15 over this lovely holiday season (did I mention that we are a Chrismukkah household and had the full pleasure of 8 nights of fried food in addition to Christmas feasting?)...and what about this new program...the zero point/unlimited fruits and most veggies is ingenious...but did you have to make all of my favorite pasta dishes terrible?? Where does this leave us? Well, here goes my end...I hereby resolve to post as diligently as I did when I first created this site...to push through this stupid plateau and show anyone else out there struggling that one step back most definitely does not mean you should give up...and most importantly to make 2011 the year I reach Goal! So if you're there...and if you want to resolute with me then be prepared for new recipes (Points Plus Style) and new insights on just how terribly difficult it is to learn a new trick, especially when that new trick is living a healthy life! so...Happy New Year!!!

 

p.s. Better make the most of 2011, it's the year before the world ends! ;)

Yummy Cupcakes!

Ok...for those of you that have been following me it would make sense that you'd be under the impression I've all but forgot about this blog...the truth is I have been experiencing  health issues over the past month that have left me a little under the weather to say the least! At this point the specialist I went to believes that I am protein deficient (a condition that has caused hair loss, involuntary shaking, passing out, hot flashes, etc) a blood panel will rule out the other contender, thyroid problems, but we are waiting to figure out an insurance solution before we proceed...at any rate I have been feeling better over the past few days and wanting to get back into the kitchen! This first recipe is not really a recipe rather a commentary on some new Pillsbury products. I first heard about the new sugar-free line at my local WW meeting and waited until I saw the new goodies appear at my grocery. Currently there are only two choices of batter and two choices of frosting...but who cares when the options available taste heavenly! I tried out the sugar-free devil's food cake and topped it off with the sugar-free vanilla frosting...to make things fall festive I added a bit of orange food coloring to my frosting to enhance the cute cupcake holders I found. I also added a bit of orange flavoring to enhance the vanilla and the end results are a wonderfully decadent cupcake that tastes absolutely as good as "the real thing!" These cupcakes will run you 3pts a piece but are well worth the points for a delicious dessert treat! For more information here's a link to the new products: Pillsbury