Good Week

The week has been very good to me. For the past 2 weeks I have not lost any weight nor have I gained any weight. Just at a stalemate with it...  Well this week I go to step on the scale and DOWN 4.4 pounds!!!!

Now just have to stay on track!!!





Cornmeal and Oat Breakfast Tops
PointsPlus® Value: 4
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Part-muffin, part-cookie. Enjoy one dunked in coffee or toasted and spread with preserves.

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
2/3 cup(s) uncooked old fashioned oats, do not use instant
2/3 cup(s) uncooked cornmeal
2/3 cup(s) whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar, dark-variety
1 large egg(s), beaten
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
7 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray.


In a large bowl, combine oats, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

In another bowl, beat sugar with egg until well-combined. Add melted butter and beat again.


Alternating in batches, add egg mixture and milk to dry ingredients, beating after each addition; fold in nuts.

Drop six mounds of batter (about 1/4 cup each) onto each prepared cookie sheet, about 3-inches apart; bake until top turns golden and a tester inserted in center of a breakfast top comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 to 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Yields 1 breakfast top per serving.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat sugar with egg until well-combined . Add melted butter and beat again.
4. Alternating in batches, add egg mixture and milk to dry ingredients, beating after each addition; fold in nuts.
5. Drop six mounds of batter (about 1/4 cup each) onto each prepared cookie sheet, about 3-inches apart; bake until top turns golden and a tester inserted in center of a breakfast top comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 to 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Yields 1 per serving.

Notes
For a nice presentation, leave 1 tablespoon of oats out of the batter and sprinkle on top of the cookies before you bake them, like we did here.

So yea

So it has been awhile! Well I have been stuck on the same weight the last 2 weeks. Which is not bad, I guess... I know my problem... I would do great during the week and then the weekend would happen. One weekend went to a beer festival in Nashville, TN... Then the next weekend went to an all day tailgate. I do not have any plans to over do the diet anymore. Guns a blazing here we go. Down 35lbs and needing to kick it in gear to get down to 200 by this time next year!!!!


So the last week or so I have been the chef in our kitchen. Have made a few differnt things. Starting with the sweet potato cakes, meat stuffed ravioli, perogies, and stuffed salmon.

Now tonight I am going to attempt baked spaghetti squash with garlic and butter...



I have seen these in the stores just never thought about trying it... But have been craving some pasta lately and well pasta is too many points for weight watchers so I thought I would give this yellow thing a try. It is 0 pts because its a vegetable...  Well add in some garlic, butter, pesto, and basil... We will see how this goes.

Looks simple enough cook for 1 hr at 375ºF then cool for 10 min, cut in half, scoop seeds and then fork out the spaghetti...  Verdict on this to come!

Why Join?

Some questions were brought up in Weight Watchers on Thursday

Why did you join weight watchers?  How do you get off track? What do you do to stay on track?

Well I guess I joined for a few reasons like I told everyone earlier. I wanted to get in better shape. Well the 75lbs in 365 days is hard. I have lost a good amount of weight but it is getting harder and harder. I need to get back on track. So back to the questions.....

Why did I join? 
Well for overall health. I stepped on a scale one day and was over the 300lb mark! eeeeek....  Here I was 300lbs with our first baby son on the way. I was in need of some help. It was to the point that I would associate boredom with food...  I would say I'm bored... So I MUST be hungry... I had to get out of that mentality! I thought lets try weight watchers. It helps to go and listen but I have to make it stick that this is what I want to do! Have to remember this is not a diet but a lifestyle change. I have simple goals really. Get in good enough shape to not have back pain due to overweight, get rid of achy knees, and be in better overall health. Compete in Tough Mudder and FINSH!!!

How do you get off track?
Pretty damn easily to do this! It can go from having a great morning, and lunch to all hell in the evening! While at work it is very easy to stay on track. It is when I go home for the night where its hard to stay on track. It can start with one bad decision and snowball from there.... oh well 1 oreo wont kill me then another and then another and then you know making a milk shake then bad dinner choice followed by being bored... or procrastinating on doing something else...

What do you do to stay on track?
What do I do? well one good thing is to actually write down and account for every piece of food that goes into my mouth!!! This I will start doing now. Also going to try 1 month with NO ALCOHOL... I do not really drink much only on weekends when with friends but people say cut that out and the lbs will drop faster.

Food of the day...
I really want to make these this week.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream and Chipotle Black Bean Salsa


1 Point Plus Per Cake w/salsa and sour cream!

For the sweet potato cakes:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 green onions, both white and green parts, finely chopped
4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4-6 tablespoons butter

Steam the sweet potato chunks for 15-20 minutes until completely tender, and then transfer to a colander and allow to drain until dry.

Once very dry, place sweet potato chunks in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher to break up chunks. Add flour and finely chopped green onions, and mix with your hands to form a smooth batter. Using your hands here is best so that it doesn’t become over-mixed. In a food processor, the sweet potato mixture could quickly become gummy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Once the mixture is smooth, and the flour and green onions are mixed in, you’re ready to fry. Note: the mixture should be sticky but not wet, so more flour may be needed.

In a non-stick skillet, heat two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Form round, flat cakes from about two tablespoons of batter per cake, and fry four or five at a time for three minutes per side until golden. Transfer finished cakes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Add more oil and butter to pan between batches as needed, and continue frying a few cakes at a time until all are ready for their toppings.

For the black bean salsa:
1 16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped
1 small, yellow bell pepper, small diced
¼ cup finely minced red onion
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt

Combine all salsa ingredients, starting with one chipotle, in a small bowl and stir to combine. Taste for chipotle heat and add more if desired, and taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Salsa can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

To assemble for serving:
½ cup sour cream

Place sweet potato cakes on a serving platter and add a small dollop of sour cream to each. Top sour cream with a small spoonful of black bean salsa, and enjoy.

Yield: 34 small cakes