Recipe: Spaghetti with eggplant and tomato sauce

I just saw this recipe in the Woman's Day Magazine. It sure looks yummy!! I'm going to make it next week, hope its tasty. And its a perfect way to use some of our homegrown garden tomatoes

Spaghetti with Eggplant and tomato sauce
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 lb eggplant, diced (11 cups)
2 Tbsp salt (for soaking eggplant)
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled (if desired), seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
12 oz spaghetti or spaghettini
Oil for frying
1⁄4 cup chopped basil
1⁄4 cup grated ricotta salata orParmesan (see Tip)
Freshly ground black pepper and salt, preferably sea salt, to taste

PREPARATION
1. Put eggplant into a colander over a plate. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp salt; toss. Set aside to drain 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat until light golden. Add tomatoes and tomato paste; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and sauce is slightly thickened.
4. Meanwhile, when water comes to a boil, add pasta and cook as package directs.
5. While pasta cooks, heat 1⁄2 in. vegetable oil in another large skillet (you’ll use about 2 cups of oil). Add eggplant and fry until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Stir eggplant into tomato sauce.
6. When pasta is cooked, reserve 2 Tbsp pasta cooking water, then drain. Return pasta to pot. Stir in sauce, reserved water, basil and cheese. Season with salt, pepper if desired.

Maxine’s Tip: Ricotta salata is cheese made from sheep’s milk that is salted and aged. Aged pecorino or feta cheese can be used instead.

Nutrition Facts
Yield 4 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 594
Total Fat 21g
Saturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 8mg
Sodium 657mg
Total Carbohydrates 89g
Dietary Fiber 10g
Protein 16g

Show us where you live - kids bedrooms

Kelly from Kelly's Korner is hosting another Show Us Where you Live Friday's. This week its kids bedrooms/Nursery.

Well my boys have been in a bedroom together since they were born. A month ago the boys came up to me and asked if they could have their own rooms. It totally broke my heart, but I said yes. We took apart their bunk beds and put them in their own rooms. I just finally found the perfect bedding for their "skateboard" room. Now I'm searching for 5 drawer dresser chests and nightstands. And its a HUGE painstaking task. So since their rooms are not totally complete, I didn't want to post pics of half done rooms. So I decided to past pics from their old room, which by the way was sooooo cute!!

So these pics are from two years ago when we redid their room into a Thomas the Tank room. I loved loved loved their Thomas mural and the bunk beds were perfect for my boys. But that was when they were 3, now that they are 5 they said they were too big for Thomas :(

my sweet boy on their bunk beds.

If you are interested in the Show us where you live series that Kelly at Kelly's Korner is hosting check out her blog at kellyskorner.com.

Have a blessed week!!!
Fran

My new favorite thing....

Gotta love summertime...warm weather, swimming, baseball and ice cream. I purchased these Cool Cones push up ice cream cones. They are reusable push up cones.

I purchased these from LTDCommodites.com. Just fill them with your favorite ice cream, sorbet, or I've been filling them with yogurt and fruit. Our boys love them!!!

Check them out!!
Fran

Show us where you live - Livingrooms

Kelly at Kellys Korner blog is hosting another Show Us Where you Live Friday again. I am a little late. I am lovin' taking a peek into other ppls homes and seeing their decorating styles. After last weeks kitchen addition of SUWYL I did a little sprucing up in my kitchen. We painted a green wall yellow, I put up some pictures and bought three apothocary jars (like Kelly's) filled with pears and pomegranates. The changes make our kitchen look fresh.

This week is livingrooms. Ours is small but cozy. I didn't take photos of our familyroom. I might later this weeek and add them to this post.



This is the livingroom view from our dining room.


This is the view from the top of our stairs. A few years ago we (I mean John) tore down
a half wall and his brother in law installed new railings for us. they are beautiful!!







This is table has my two favorite things on it right now. The digital photo frame
my parents got John and I for Christmas. The bottom left of the big frame is a
digital photo frame and the other three frames are for still pics. And on the second
shelf is my Ipod Touch docking station, it has a radio and CD player too. LOVE IT!!



We live in a bi-level house, so when you enter our home you either walk up 6 steps
or down 6 steps. And this is the shelf right above the door where we put cutsy knick knacks.
And at Chirstmas, Easter and Halloween we decorate it too.

Too participate check out Kelly's blog at http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

Have a blessed week!!!
Fran

Show us where you live "Kitchen addition"

UPDATED: I decided to post a couple of updated pics of a few things I added and changed after seeing everyones beautiful kitchens.


After seeing Kelly's apothocary jars I ran out the next day and bought three....copy cat, I know. But they are just so beautiful. thanks for the idea Kelly


And this little display is in the corner of our kitchen counter.


Hubby painted this wall that was green a beautiful golden yellow, I LOVE it. It totally brightens up our kitchen, which is the heart of our home.


My friend Janine and I added these last week. they look perfect and have an uplifting message.


and one final pic. Ignore the black folding table, that was set up for a party we were having that evening. Thanks for looking!!!





Kelly at Kelly's Korner was hosting a Mr. Linky party yesterday, so I thought I would get on the bandwagon and post pics of our kitchen too. I love seeing pics of ppls homes. It gives me fresh decorating ideas. And I am in redecorating mode since we got back from vacation.

A few projects were going to be taking on over the next few months is re carpeting our stairs, tiling our entryway, re carpeting our boys new rooms, installing hardwood flooring in our office. Whew, that's a lot of stuff to do, thankfully my sweet hubby is handy and he'll be doing most of it.

Well here are a couple pics of our kitchen.

This is a pic from about two years ago, since we have painted a couple of the walls a golden yellow color.


and we have replaced the fridge with a side by side freezer on the bottom.


Here is our dining area. Love my table and chairs. the green wall is now the golden yellow and the wall with our french doors and breakfast bar is yellow too.


This is so true. I just picked this up at Kohls a few weeks ago.



I picked up these pictures at Hobby Lobby several years ago cuz I loved them so much. There are inspirational bible versus on each of the pictures. DH just recently got around to hanging them last year...lol

Check out Kelly's blog for more kitchen pics http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

Enjoy and have a blessed week!
Fran

Deals deals deals

Gotta love a good deal. I have been learning all about couponing over the past week or two. And let me tell ya its addicting!! Love it!!
Here is a pic of my deal of the day today. And a list of the items that I purchased.

Here is what I purchased and the regular price for each item
10 boxes of Kellogs cereal - avg price is $4.30 per box
(Rice Crispies, Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops)
4 loaves of Brownberry Bread - reg. price$3.85 per loaf
Box of Pop Tarts - reg price $3.00
Box of Nurtigrain bars $3.65
Rice crispy treats $4.45
Danamals $2.49
Stackers $2.75
Fruit Roll ups $2.75
2-ind wrapped Chips Ahoy (12 in each box) $7.75 each box
4 pkg - Oscar Meyer shredded Ham lunch meat $3.95 each
2 pkg - Kraft sliced 2% American cheese $4.00 each
2 pkg- Hubba Bubba gum (for the boys) $1.19 each
4 cans of mandarin oranges $1.00 each

So total before Preferred savings, coupons and catalinas was $123.17
and I spent out of pocket $ 37.42
WOW, that's a whopping savings of $85.75

Preferred savings total was: 48.45
manufacturer savings/coupons $25.55

That's my deal of the day.

Did you wear red today???

Happy St. Joseph's Day today!!!

I have always known that St. Joseph's Day is March 19 and it a hugely observed by Italian's, but never knew what exactly SJD was. I didn't even really know that it was in honor of the man who raised our Lord, Jesus. So I decided this morning to take a few minutes and read a bunch of stuff about SJD. Ahhhhh, the conveniences of the Internet.

From Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)
Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March, the Feast of St. Joseph or Solemnity of Saint Joseph is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[1] It is a Solemnity in the Roman Catholic Church, a feast in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, and a feast or festival in the Lutheran Church. Saint Joseph's Day is the Patronal Feast day for persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., for religious orders, schools and parishes bearing his name, and for carpenters. It is also Father's Day in some Catholic countries, namely Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
This date was already dedicated to Saint Joseph in several Western calendars in the tenth century. It was accepted in Rome in 1479, and in 1621 it was inserted into the General Roman Calendar for celebration throughout the Latin Rite. Since it always falls within Lent, Episcopal Conferences may, if they wish, transfer it to a date outside Lent.[2]
The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Joseph on the Sunday after Christmas.[3] Between 1870 and 1955 the Roman Rite had another feast in honour of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, a title given to him by Blessed Pope Pius IX. This "Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church", referred to also as the "Patronage" feast to distinguish it from that of 19 March, appears in the calendars of those years for celebration on Wednesday of the second week after the Octave of Easter (i.e. the third Wednesday after Easter) and was celebrated with an octave of its own. Pope Pius XII abolished this feast in 1955, and at the same time established a new feast day, that of Saint Joseph the Worker (a Double of the First Class), for celebration on 1 May, a date chosen to coincide with the celebration in many countries of Labour Day (May Day). Since not every country celebrates May Day as Labour Day, the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker was made optional in 1969

So now that I have all my knowledge about SJD, I think I'll make a good Italian dinner tonight. I was thinking I might take a stab at Bricole or just stick with making my tried and true chicken Parmesan.

Have a Happy day!!!
Fran

Hearts at Home conference

I got back from the Hearts at Home conference yesterday. WOW, so many inspirational women in one place was amazing. Jill Savage, founder of Hearts at Home, sure knows how to throw a huge party. The moms night out performances and speakers were awesome!! I'm going to go through which workshops I went to with a brief overview of what I learned in each workshop.

Friday Workshops

Finding the Hero in Your Husband
by Dr. Juli Slattery
This was a great workshop in an area I need some work on. I am a self proclaimed control freak and its hard for me to give up control to my sweet hubby. I am a first born, what do you expect. So I found this workshop full of great info and tips on how to make my hubby the hero in my life.

Dr Juli explained the needs a wife has in a marriage: they need to feel valued and cherished and need to feel protected by their husbands.

She also explained what the husband needs are in the marriage: He needs to feel respected, he needs a companion/partner - help meet, and he needs sex.

It was important to hear about those fundamental needs for the wife and husband. It made me put my relationship into perspective. I had an "Aahaaa" moment in the classroom. I actually finally got it! Got what my husband needs from me. And I needed to stop being selfish. It had never been explained that way to me.

She also went over a ton of more stuff and here is a link to her book where she explains it ALL http://www.drjuliannaslattery.com/books.asp



Red Hot Monogamy
by Bill and Pam Farrel
Oooohhlaaaalaaaa.... This workshop was AMAZING!!! I loved it so much, I bought the book and the audio CD for my hubby, John to listen to. The speakers Bill and Pam are a married couple and they sure know what they are talking about. They could bring back the sizzle in any ones marriage. They gave ideas like:

• taking 10-20 minutes out of your day (everyday) to just sit and chat about things other than the bills, kids or housework. Just talk to reconnect for that day.



• invest in a weekly date night



• monthly get away for 8-10 hours each month to really stop and focus on your husband



• once a year escape for a 2 night getaway to remind each other of the precious love between a husband and a wife.
  

They also had a great list as to why marriages with Red Hot Monogamy are a gift:
Procreation, recreation, reconnection, rejuvenation and proclamation. So who wouldn't want to go to a workshop that was going to teach us how to spice up our marriages!!

When You feel like Screaming!! Help for frustrated Mothers!
by Sue Heimer
WooHoo!! Loved this one. Mrs Sue was a great speaker, she was just like a regular mom.
She assured us that screaming and yelling (even raising our voices) at our kids is a habit and it can be broke (hallelujah). It took a while to get to the point of yelling, so it might take a little while to break the habit of it, but it is doable with a few changes. Sue gave us a few tricks to break the screaming habit

• be a confident, controlled mom - plan ahead, be prepared, stop rushing around, don't over book our social/school/sports calenders



• balance - find a hobby for ourselves as women. Our lives don't always have to revolve around the kiddos. We should try to find something we like to do. And as we do, we are calmer and happier beings.



• consistency - mean what you say and say what you mean. When the kids are not listening to you or they are being mouthy be consistent with the consequence/punishment. Kitchen timer when you want to give the kids a time limit to get something done and if they don't complete it before the time is up then they get a time out. When time out is completed, they go back and do the task they were originally asked to do. Swearing jar with coins for when the kids use a bad word money is taken out of the jar. those were her suggestions. And I think they were great ones.
  

Its important for us as parents to be compassionate to our children. When they do something that is not appropriate we need to deal with it, give them a consequence and when all is done, start fresh. Don't hold it against them. The Lords compassion's are new every morning.

She's Gonna Blow: Real help for Moms dealing with anger
by Julie Barnhill
This was one of the workshops I was looking most forward to. Mrs Barnhill went through the four types of anger moms go through. Some warning signs, reasons why we might be angry, and ways to help with getting rid of the anger. She was very candid in sharing her personal stories with the moms in the workshop. She was funny and very relatable.

Some advice I took away from this is when I am feeling overwhelmed and want to yell at my boys I should stop, speak very slowly and lower my tone of voice. And this way I cannot scream and yell like a crazy women. And always remember that God changes our hearts and we should pray for guidance on how to be the mom He wants us to be.





Mom's night out - with performances by GO Fish (gofishguys.com) and 4ever. And comedy act by Sally Baucke, she is such a barrel of laughs. This Moms night out had us up on our feet, singing, dancing and praising our Lord.














Pic of the Go Fish guys. Singing their awsome kids songs.



Saturday

Keeping your ducks in a relative Row
by Karen Ehman
This workshop was all about cleaning, organizing and de-junking your home, menu planning, grocery shopping. Basically getting your home set up to be a successful hub of your life. There was a lot of info in this workshop.

One of the things I LOVE LOVE LOVED about this workshop was Karen's suggestion about "speed cleaning" she had gotten from the founder of thecleanteam.com. basically having all the supplies your need on your body while cleaning the house from top to bottom. She wears this cleaning apron with a bunch of pockets and two loops on each side of the apron (right next to her hips) and those loops hold cleaning solutions such as Windex and Pledge. It was a genius idea, and I have no idea why I didn't think of it myself. I think this is going to be a HUGE time saver for me.

And I loved her idea of Mom's brain in a binder. Keeping all the families short term papers in a binder (such as kids permission slips, bday invites, class monthly schedules, etc) and in the binder you would have a folder for each person in the family. Everything is in this binder instead of on the counters, stuck to the fridge, in your purse.

I really could go on and on about this one.



From financially frantic to financially free
by Marybeth and Curt Whalen
Loved this one. Marybeth and Curt are very down to earth people whom I totally related to. They told their story and gave us great tips on how to start a budget and keep to it.
These 5 tips are the foundation to the success of seeking and keeping financial freedom:

• Live with a budget (for the first time in our relationship, hubby and I started a budget in January and its going very well, not as hard as we thought...lol)



• Get rid of credit cards (thankfully we have done this a long time ago)



• Learn to be givers and to tithe - God asks that we give 10% of our paycheck. Kinda hard to think about giving that much, so pray about it. God will show you the way.



• reduce spending - stop going out to eat, buy clothing at consignment shops/Goodwill, reduce your cable/Internet bill, etc.....



• Keep a positive attitude, cuz it will be hard at times. Saying this will help: We Are Gonna Get Out of Debt!!!!

Discipline that connects with the Heart of Your Child
by Jim and Lynne Jackson
This workshop basically gave tips and ideas on how to discipline your kiddo's through love. And they gave some really detailed info on these four steps

• foundation of discipline,



• connection through love,
  


• pro action learning and growing skills for each individual child,
  


• correction which is the consequences to the benefit of each child.
  

There were lots of options for workshops, not just the ones I mentioned above. These above are the ones that I took personally.

I can pretty much sum this weekend up, by saying it was a great time!!! I will defiantly be going back next year. I feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and inspired to be a better wife and mommy. One of the best parts was my hubby, John had the entire house clean when I got home and had done a little grocery shopping too (Capri-sun's ☺). What a great guy he is!!! And thanks to him for keeping our little guys busy all weekend. Or should I say thanks to our little guys for keeping daddy busy!

Me and my sister Nikki at the H@H conference

I know this was a long one, but I had lots to say...
Have a blessed week,
Fran

MPM March 9-15

Good morning and Happy Monday!! Once again is been a crazy busy week here and will continue to be busy. When does life every slow down. My boys have both been sick with colds on and off over the past two weeks.

I am slacking on my workouts, I only worked out twice last week (slap on wrist) but my goal is to get back to 5 times this week. I've lost a total of 12 pounds (yaaay!!!) and hope to lose an additional 13 before we leave for our trip.

So, now onto our menu for the week. I am challenging myself to make dinner with food that is already in my cabinets. I want to use up the food that has been in there for 3,4 or 5 months. Needless to say, I'll have to be a little more creative with my menu this week.

I am leaving for the Hearts at Home womens conference on Thursday and will be gone until Saturday evening. Thanks to my very sweet hubby for taking care of our home and children while I am gone. And I am going to try to keep the menu very simple, so he isn't slaving away in the kitchen making meals while I am gone.

Breakfasts
pancakes, berries
cereal and fruit
eng. muffin, eggwhite and veggie omlet

Lunches
Lean cuisines, tortilla chips or salad
BLT sammie cucumber, celery and ranch dip


Dinners
lemon chicken, rice and veggie
turkey sausage subs
homemade pizza, homemade bacon fries
meatloaf, mashed potatoes, greenbeans
pasta and meatballs, salad, and garlic bread
asian pork tenderloin, mashed potatos and seasoned green beans


Snacks
apple and peanut butter
popcorn
grapes and granola bar

Hope everyone has a blessed week. If you want more on MPM check out orgjunkie.com
Fran

Menu Plannin Monday (a day late) Feb 24- March 1st

Good morning....What a beautiful morning it is today! I am down 2.0 this week ☺!! And...we only have 53 days until our vacation! Yaay!!

Lots have been going on around here, thats why I'm a little late with my menu planning. Last week was a busy week, my sister is moving into her new home, so I've been helping her get the new house cleaned and painted. I've met up with some old high school friends, to reconnect and catch up. Hubby and I went out for a much needed adult evening with some of our friends, had a great time at this local bar/restaurant. So, needless to say I totally forgot to post my menu yesterday.

Breakfasts
Multi-grain Cheerios and fruit 4 points
English muffin, egg white omelet with veggies and fruit 4 points
WW tomato toast w/cheese and berry smoothie 4 points
2 mini hash brown fritatta and fruit 5 points

lunches
lean cuisine and salad 7 points
skinny chimichanga, salad
BLT wrap, tortilla soup chip and salsa 7 points

Dinners
Bruschetta chicken, rice and veggie 12 points
ground turkey meatloaf, roasted cauliflower and mashed potatoes 10 points
chicken enchiladas, lemon cilantro rice, green beans 11 points
pork tenderloin, mashed cauliflower, dinner rolls, glazed carrots 10 points
Monterrey chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, baked potato 11 points

If you want more info on MPM go to orgjunkie.com

Wishing everyone a very blessed and healthy week!!!
Fran

Menu planning monday Feb 16-22

Well this has been another great week. I have continued on Weight Watchers and its working good. A little slower than I would like, but I can't expect to lose too fast. I am down another 2.6 pounds totalling 7 over the past two weeks.

Here is my menu for the week.
Breakfasts
Multi-grain Cheerios and fruit 4 points
English muffin, eggwhite omlet with veggies and fruit 4 points
WW tomato toast w/cheese and berry smoothie 4 points

Lunches
lean cuisine and salad 7 points
skinny chimichanga, salad
BLT wrap, tortilla soup chip and salsa 7 points

Dinners
homemade pizza, salad 8 points
southwest porkchops (I know again. But they are so delish) baked potato and green beans 11 points
asian pork tenderloin, rice, broccoli
chicken enchiladas (I ended up not making them last week) spanish rice, corn on the cob 12 points
meatload, mashed potatos, glazed carrots 11 points

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!
Fran

Menu Planning Monday - Feb 9-15

Last week was a great week for me to start eating healthy and working out daily. I lost 4.6 pounds since Monday! I worked out about 30 minutes on the elliptical machine every day. It sure helped that my hubby got me a new Ipod Touch. It makes my workout just fly by. I added some really upbeat Contemporary Christian music to my Ipod and it makes me want to complete my workout. I think I am going to step it up to 40 minutes per workout this week. I am trying to ease myself into it. When I got on my elliptical the first time, I could only do it for 6 minutes, so I have been working my way up over the past couple weeks. I feel fantabulous!!!! Well, here is my menu for the week. Some new stuff, again.

Monday
Bfast: 1c. Multigrain Cheerios (2 points), ½ c. 1% milk (1 ), orange (.5 )
Lunch: lean cuisine (6 points), salad with dressing (1)
Snack: apple (1 point) and 1 tsp peanut butter (1 point)
Dinner: Lasagna (6pnt) , salad & dressing (1pnt) , crispy twists (1 pnt),zucchini fries (2 pts for 8 fries)
Snack: popcorn - 3 cups 94% fat free (2 points)
Total points: 24.5

Tuesday
Bfast: Eng. muffin (2 points) Egg white omelet with veggie filling (1) fruit (1)
Lunch: BLT wraps (3 pnts) and tortilla soup (0pnts), chips and salsa (4)
Snack: apple (1) and peanut butter (1)
Dinner: WW chicken pot pie (6.5), corn on the cob (1), miracle mashies (2) snack: 1/2 c pretzels (1.5), FF chocolate pudding (.5)
Total points: 24.5

Wednesday
Bfast: WW tomato toast (2), smoothie (2)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine (6), salad with dressing (1)
snack: apple (1) and peanut butter (1)
Dinner: Mexican stuffed shells (3 pnts per shell) (6) , cilantro and lemon rice (4), roasted Brussels sprouts (2)
snack: piece of fruit (.5)
Total points: 25.5

Thursday
Bfast: 2 mini Ham, cheese, veggie frittata (4), 1/2 banana (1)
Lunch: skinny chimichanga (4), 18 baked tortilla chips (3) and 1/2 c salsa (1)snack: 1/2 banana (1)
Dinner: 4 oz Steak with roasted garlic and chili rub (3pnts), baked potato (3), seasoned green beans (1)
snack: 1/2 c pretzels (1.5) , fat free choc pudding (.5)
Total points: 23

Friday
Bfast: 1c. Multigrain Cheerios (2 points), ½ c. 1% milk (1 ), orange (.5 )
Lunch: BLT wraps (3 pnts) and tortilla soup (0pnts), chips and salsa (4)
snack: apple (1) and peanut butter (1)
Dinner: 1.5 Southwest Pork chops (6), miracle mashies (3) , broccoli
snack: popcorn- 3 cups (2 points)
Total points - 23.5

Saturday
Bfast: WW tomato toast (2), smoothie (2)
Lunch:
Dinner: Eggplant parm (3), baked beef ziti (5), crispy cheesy bread twist (1)Total points:

Sunday
Bfast: 2 pieces of French toast w/ butter (3), syrup (1), fruit (1)
Lunch:
Dinner: WW Chicken enchiladas x 2 (8 points), rice (4), veggie
Total points:

For more info on MPM check out orgjunkie.com for more info.
Have a healthy week!!

Weight Watchers recipes from this weeks menu. Enjoy!

Here are some of the recipe from this weeks menu. Enjoy!
This is the first time I am making these recipes, so I am unable to review them yet.


Loaded Bacon and Cheddar Fries #207299
originally found on WW site. This recipe make ones serving

and is 6 points
by Parrot Head Mama
35 min 5 min prep
SERVES 1
1 medium baking potato
cooking spray
1/4 cup low-fat cheddar cheese or colby cheese
2 tablespoons bacon bits
2-3 tablespoons fat free sour cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Scrub potato and rinse.
Cut potato into 1/2" strips, leaving skin on.
Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Place potato strips on baking sheet, skin side down.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn potatoes and bake additonal 15 minutes.
Top fries with cheese and sprinkle with bacon bits.
Return baking sheet to oven for a minute to melt the cheese.
Add optional dollop of sour cream to top or on the side.
Nutri info per serving: Calories: 196 Fat: 2.5 Dietary Fiber: 2.5



WW Crisp and Spicy Cheese Twists #272806

This is from a Weight Watchers cookbook called Simple Goodness. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips more easily. I freeze them in zip lock bags and heat in the microwave about 20 to 30 second. 1 Point per twist
by TeresaS
23 min 15 min prep
SERVES 16
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (10 ounce) can pizza dough, refrigerated (Pillsbury)
butter-flavored cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a samll bowl; stir well, and set aside.
Unroll pizza dough, and roll into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.
Lightly coat suface of dough with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture.
Fold dough in half to form an 8 x 6 inch rectangle.
Lightly coat surface of dough with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.
Using fingertips, press cheese mixture into dough.
Cut dough into 16 (8-inch-long strips.
Gently pick up both ends of each strip, and twist dough.
Place twisted strips of dough 1/2 inch apart on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bate at 425 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove twists from pan, and let cool on wire racks.
Nutri info per serving: Calories: 73 Fat: 1.4 Dietary Fiber: 1



Au Gratin potatoes

If you are not on the WW program you might want to adjust amounts to taste, for Weight Watchers this dish is 8 servings/3 points each serving :)
by KITTENCAL
1¾ hours 20 min prep
SERVES 8
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoon flour
2 cups nonfat milk
2 lbs potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded low-fat cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Melt butter in a large frypan over medium heat; add in onion and cook stirring occasionally until onion begins to brown (about 5 minutes).
Stir in flour, then slowly add in milk.
Add in potatoes; stir to mix; bring to a boil.
Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, salt and black pepper.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish then spread out.
Bake for 1 hour uncovered.
After 1 hour cooking time cover with foil and continue to bake another 20 minutes more.
Change oven to broil heat.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over potatoes and broil 6-inches from heat until the cheese is golden (about 1-2 minutes).
Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Nutri info per serving: Cal 159 Fat: 2.8 Dietary fiber: 2.7



Chili Beef Enchiladas

From WW Cook It Quick . If you don't use fat free tortillas, then you need to add an additional 2 points per serving. if you use Fat free tortillas
by mariposa13
18 min 10 min prep
SERVES 4
1/2 lb 90% lean ground beef (10% or less fat)
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 (8 inch) fat free tortillas
3/4 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
1 large tomato, diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 400*F.
In large nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic, breaking apart beef with wooden spoon.
Stir in chiles, chili powder, salt, and 1/4 cup water, cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates.
Place 2 of the tortillas on baking sheet, top with beef mixture, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Top with remaining 2 tortillas, pressing lightly.
Bake until cheese melts, about 8 minute.
Let stand 5 minute.
Cut each quesadilla in half, then cut each half into 3 wedges.
Top with sour cream, tomato, and cilantro and serve.

Southwestern Pork Chops #295945

Out of an old 1998 WW cookbook called "15 Minute Cookbook" I have this marked as "great". If you don't care for the strong lemon like flavor of cilantro you can substitute parsley if you prefer. This is great served with black beans, pineapple wedges and fresh strawberries. Hope you enjoy! 4 points per chop
by TeresaS
15 min 2 min prep
SERVES 4
vegetable oil cooking spray
4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops, lean and trimmed
1/3 cup salsa (I like hot)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (or parsley)
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over high heat until hot.
Press chops with palm of hand to flatten slightly; add to skillet and cook 1 minute on each side or until browned.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Combine salsa and lime juice; pour over chops.
Simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until chops are done.
If desired, sprinkle chops with cilantro.
Nutri info per serving: Cal: 171 Fat: 6.7 Fiber: .4

Monterey Chicken
This is a delicious very healthy chicken recipe. It is a favorite in our household. I usually serve it with a baked potato or rice. 6 POINTS Servings 4 recipe is from cookingcache.com
by couponmommy123
45 min 15 min prep
SERVES 4 , 4 chicken breasts
4 (5 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup hormel real bacon bits
1 cup 2% colby-monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 (14 ounce) can rotel, drained (Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies)
sliced green onion
pampered chef southwest seasoning
Preheat oven to 400°F Pound out the chicken breasts to flatten. Season each with a little southwest seasoning . Cook the chicken in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium-low heat until no longer pink. Place each breast onto a baking sheet and top each breast with 1 tablespoon of barbeque sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup Rotel tomatoes, green onions and 1 tablespoon of bacon bits. Place into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted (about 5 minutes).

Menu Planning Monday Feb 2- Feb 8

Well times sure does fly by when you're havin' fun!!! And that is what we have been having lately. I have been keeping busy planning our family vacation to St. Augustine Florida and Disney World (my favorite place on earth).


I have been slacking on eating healthy lately, so I have decided to go back to Weight Watchers. My menu plan is going to look a little differant this time, cuz I am going to add the points value for each meal. It will help me keep on track with WW. I am excited to get back to eating healthy and working out.

I am trying a lot of new reicipes for dinner this week that I found on recipezaar.com. I will post the recipes soon.

Monday
Bfast: 1c. Multigrain Cheerios (2 points), ½ c. 1% milk (1 ), orange (.5 )
Lunch: lean cuisine (6 points), salad with dressing (1),
Snack: apple (1 point) and 1 tsp peanut butter (1 point)
Dinner: Montery chicken (6), augratin potatoes (3), roasted brussel sprouts (2)

Snack: popcorn - 3 cups 94% fat free (2 points)
Total points: 24.5

Tuesday
Bfast: Eng. muffin (2 points) Egg white omelet with veggie filling (1) fruit (1)
Lunch: Monte Cristo sammie (6 points), salad with dressing (1)
snack: apple (1) and peanut butter (1)
Dinner: Eggplant parm (3), baked beef ziti (5), crispy cheesy bread twist (1)
snack: 1/2 c pretzels (1.5), FF chocolate pudding (.5)
Total points: 25

Wednesday
Bfast: 1c. Multigrain Cheerios (2 points), ½ c. 1% milk (1 ), orange (.5 )
Lunch: Lean Cuisine (6), salad with dressing (1)
snack: apple (1) and peanut buter (1)
Dinner: Deep dish pizza casserole (6), salad with dressing (1), unfried Fries (3)
snack: Special K cereal bar (2), fruit (.5)
Total points: 25


Thursday
Bfast: 2 mini Ham, cheese, veggie frittata (4), 1/2 banana (1)
Lunch: skinny chimichanga (4), 18 baked tortilla chips (3) and 1/2 c salsa (1)
snack: 1/2 banana (1)
Dinner: 1.5 Southwest Pork chops (6), miracle mashies (3) , broccoli
snack: 1/2 c pretzels (1.5) , fat free choc pudding (.5)
Total points: 25


Friday
Bfast: 1c. Multigrain Cheerios (2 points), ½ c. 1% milk (1 ), orange (.5 )
Lunch: lean cuisine (6), salad and dressing (1)
snack: apple (1) and peanut butter (1)
Dinner: Sausage and peppers hero (6), loaded bacon cheddar fries (6), green beans
snack: popcorn- 3 cups (2 points)
Total points - 26.5


Saturday
Bfast: 2 mini Ham, cheese and veggie frittata (4), fruit (1)
Lunch:
Dinner: chicken pot pie (6.5), baked potato (3), veggie
Total points:

Sunday
Bfast: 2 pieces of French toast w/ butter (3), syrup (1), fruit (1)
Lunch:
Dinner: Beef chili enchiladas (8), seasoned green beans (1), 1/2 c rice (2)
Total points:

Everyday: coffee with 4 tsp. fat free french vanilla creamer - 1 point
fresh brewed iced tea - 0 points
salad dressing options: light italian - 1 point,
1 tsp. olive oil & 2 tsp balsamic vineger - 1 point

If you want to check out more about MPM go to orgjunkie.com.

Have a great week
Fran