Break the Cycle

Link Deleted - see August 12th Plus starting tomorrow - lots of the best styles are going to be marked down to $9.99 !! Plus combine with the 15% off coupon (click through link above) - great deals. I already placed an order yesterday - but you KNOW'll I'll be ordering more tomorrow.

Looking for some used college texts - figured I'd post a link in case anyone else was as well.

Scale this a.m. was being good to me - so instead of going back to bed, I figured I'd get up early and get some paperwork done. First off - buy some new bedding, pillows, ect - and the place to go ? Overstock Save up to 80% at Overstock.com! love, love, love their prices - especially on down blankets - do a search - wonderful for winter - lightweight but toasty warm. Also found a really neat site for shoes - especially if you have big feet. I wear a size 13, and my dd is already up to a women's size 10 - need to check on prices and coupons - but will post later in the day !

Just received my most recent edition of Cooking Light - only found a few recipes this time around that I'll try - I posted them along with their WW points. Will post reviews once I try them. Please feel free to leave a comment - either negative or positive - if you try one of my posted recipes. The more feedbacks we have, the easier it is to see what to try when you know you must have a great recipe!!

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups cake flour (about 6 ounces) 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces) 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces 3 teaspoons ice water 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup dried tart cherries 1/4 cup finely chopped salted dry-roasted pistachios Cooking spray Preparation1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. With food processor on, add butter through food chute a few pieces at a time; process 1 minute or until mixture is the texture of sand. 3. Combine 3 teaspoons ice water and vanilla in a small bowl. With food processor on, slowly add ice water mixture through food chute; process 1 minute or until very well combined. (Mixture will remain crumbly.) Add cherries and pistachios; pulse 10 times or just until combined. Transfer mi...

Ingredients 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 cups thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion 2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1 pound ground beef, extra lean Cooking spray 4 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns Preparation1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, sugar, salt, and pepper to pan. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar to the pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 2. Combine cheese and next 5 ingredients (through beef) in a medium bowl; shape meat mixture into 4 (3-inch) patties. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each patty with 1/4 cup onion mixt...

Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 2/3 cup chopped jicama 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears) 1 3/4 cups thinly sliced green onions (about 8 onions) 2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon salt Preparation1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add jicama and jalapeño to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add corn and remaining ingredients; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Yield 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup) Nutritional Information CALORIES 151(36% from fat); FAT 6.1g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 38mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.9g; SODIUM 157mg; PROTEIN 5.3g; FIBER 4.9g Abby Mandel , Cooking Light, AUGUST 2008

Ingredients Batter: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg 1 cup egg substitute 1 cup fat-free milk 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Apple mixture: Cooking spray 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg 1 cup thinly sliced Granny Smith apple Remaining ingredient: 1 tablespoon powdered sugar Preparation1. To prepare batter, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine egg substitute, milk, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg substitute mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes. 2. Preheat oven to 425°. 3. To prepare apple mixture, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skil...

Wow - time sure flies. Girls are gone for the weekend. Adam and dh spent a wonderful day together yesterday, while mommy did yardwork. Don't get me wrong, I love working on my yard, especially with no interruptions, but since it was dh's first weekend home, I was thinking we'd go out to dinner together or something - big sigh. Have been doing lots of thinking. Caught myself yesterday getting ready to eat - just because the house was empty and I could sit and enjoy my meal - not because I was hungry. So I waited. I swam. I cleaned the pool - and then I was truely hungry - so I ate. Not too much, but enough to feel satisified. It was a good feeling - but it is going to be hard to break that habit - I need to be aware of when I eat and why. Our back row had a wonderful WI last week - altogether we lost 7.2 lbs. We were one person short (R was on vacation) - so hoping next week we can have even bigger numbers - although 2 of the losers were lifetimers - so that won...

Just checked and I'm out of buttermilk, so will try a new recipe tomorrow Blueberry Muffins - 2 points each 1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 egg or ¼ c. egg substitute 1/3 c. skim milk 1/3 c. plain yogurt 2 Tbs. canola oil 1/3 + 2 Tbs. Splenda 1 cup fresh blueberries or any other berries Pinch of ground cinnamon ½ c. ricotta cheese Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat 12 muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In medium bowl, combine egg, milk, yogurt, and oil. Add 1/3 cup Splenda and mix well. Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients, and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Add fruit and stir until just mixed. Place ¼ cup batter in each muffin cup, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Topping Mix together cinnamon, 2 Tbs. Splenda and ricotta cheese. Spread mixture over warm muffins. Cool and remove from pan. Makes 12 muffins Per muf...

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Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving | 2 Servings | 24 Ingredients 3 cup all-purpose flour 2 cup SPLENDA (R) 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 cup buttermilk 3 large egg(s) 1/2 cup Musselman's No Sugar Added Applesauce 1 Tbsp lemon zest 1 tsp imitation vanilla extract, no alcohol 2 cup unsweetened frozen blueberries Instructions Prepare bundt pan with Baker's Joy Non-stick spray with flour. Mix together all dry ingredients. In sep. bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Slowly add to dry, mixing only enough to moisten the mix. Fold in blueberries. Put into prepared pan. Cook 350 for about 1 hour--check for doneness. Got this from the WW website - will try it later this week - will post a review.

Planning menu's - baking healthy. Journaling. All the things I need to get back on track. The exercise is there - always has been. The knowledge is also there. Just need to apply it. Will be posting new recipes and menu's shortly - enjoy !

The original recipe called for 15 two point muffins. I changed the flour to 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white, and now you can get slightly larger 2 point muffins (make only 12 instead of 15) Blueberry cinnamon muffins From the kitchen of Jerzy Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving | 2 Servings | 12 Ingredients 1/4 cup rolled oats 2 Tbsp unpacked brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 cup fat-free margarine 1 cup Splenda 1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup wheat, 1 cup white, if you use the 2 cups white - it's 3 pts for 12 muffins, or 2 points if you make 15) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/4 cups reduced-fat buttermilk 1 cup fresh blueberries Pam baking spray Instructions Stir together oats, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon; set aside. Beat butter and Splenda at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg substitute, beating until well-blended. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and remaining 1/2 ts...

Berry-and-Spice Whole-Wheat Muffins Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving | 3 Servings | 12 Ingredients 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons chopped pecans 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 egg 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries Instructions Combine brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and pecans in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter; set aside. Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together egg, buttermilk, and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each of 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Sprinkle batter evenly with reserved pecan mixture. Bake at 375° for 1...

I'll be making these over and over. If you're going to freeze them, I'd cut down on the amount of blueberries used, but I used a complete pint of blueberries (after I picked out the bad ones) and they were excellent ! 1 1/2 C Flour 3/4 C Splenda 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 C fat-free yogurt 2/3 C water 3/4 C blueberries, frozen or fresh Directions Combine and mix dry ingredients. Then add water and yogurt, mix then add berries and stir carefully. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 F. for 18 minutes. These make a really nice size muffin for 1 pt (12 muffins) Calories per muffin - 69, trace fat, 1 fiber

This was just OK. You could change around the orange peel for lemon zest and use a lemon yogurt - that would be good too. It's a good way to get your blueberries in. I'm going to try and freeze a loaf for a week or so - I'll let you know how that worked. 1 3/4 cups flour 1/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup splenda 2 teaspoons orange peel 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 pint blueberries 8 ounces yogurt with fruit, nonfat, artificial sweetener 1 each egg 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce Mix everything, adding blueberries last. I baked mine at *375 for about 50 minutes in a loaf pan. Per serving is 143 calories, 1 fat, 2 fibers - 3 WW points (10 slices) If you substitute wheat flour for 3/4 cup of the flour, and use egg beaters instead of the egg - it's down to 2 points per slice, but the texture is a bit different.

It's blueberry season here in Jerzyland. I'm working on pints # 13-18. I frozen #1-6, and am slowly turning the other 6 into baked goods that I'll freeze. I'll post the recipes along with my reviews once I make them. WW - I was up a bit - but I knew I would be. That's OK. For those of you that also do WW - check out this deal I'll be extending my subscription - that's for sure ! OK - still have a houseful of girls. They made chocolate chip pancakes this a.m. - tons of them. I limited myself to 4 small ones without the chocolate chips, and with sugar free syrup - no butter. Not bad. Made 1 pt blueberry muffins last night - and I did have 3 of those - so now I'm full. 11 a.m. - so no lunch - good day today !!

Just posting this weeks menu's - as always - if something turns out well - I will definately post the recipes. Sunday - Steaks and garlic mashed with peanut butter parfaits (from Healthy Cooking page 30) Monday - Teriyaki Burgers with fries (HC page 36) Tuesday - Slow Cooked Chicken with pasta Wednesday - Honey Grilled Chicken Thighs with Rice (HC 51) Thursday - BBQ'd Beef Roast (HC 63) Friday - Pizza Day I've decided to try a few new WW meetings to see if I can find another that fits me. While I enjoy my Saturday morning meetings - I think since I've been going so long, there are no fresh ideas for me. I end up chatting most of the time - and perhaps that's why I'm not loosing anymore. Going to quilt and swim all day today. Adam goes back to school tomorrow - will definately post pictures of that !!

It's been a whirlwind week - back and forth to swimming, getting dh packed and out, taking care of the kids, and getting Adam ready to return to school. We all need a break - so we're hitting the beach today. Don't know how long we'll stay - the beaches will be crowded - I like to be able to keep track of my kids - so it may end up being an early day today. Scale still up - but with the junk food we ate this week (no time to cook until dh finally left) I'm not surprised. Whatever it is up - will come right off next week - so I'm not stressing about it too much. My old WW leader will be back again next week - it'll be great to see her again. Found some good bluetooths online while searching (I have one, but some friends needed theirs). Now, I've been pleased with everything I've bought from Buy.com - It's the Law - Go Handsfree! Bluetooth Speicals and Free Shipping Offers! There are always coupon codes you can use at Buy.com as well - let me ...