Break the Cycle

Serves 4 at 3 pts each - double this one - leftovers are excellent!!! 3/4 lb medium shrimp (peeled and deveined, reserve the shells) 3 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetalbe broth or 3 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice 2 1/2 cups water 2 tsp unsalted butter 2 shallots, chopped 1/4 cup long grain white rice 1 TBS tomato paste 1/4 tsp salt pinch cayenne 3 TBS dry sherry (optional) 1. Combine the shrimp shells, broth and water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Strain the broth mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, discard the shells and set the broth aside. 2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth mixture, the rice and tomatoe paste, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer unil the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. 3. Stir in the shrimp, salt, and cayenne,

AS always, after checking out all my new recipes this week (it's so great to be able to type with 2 hands - oh, did I mention - I got my cast off on a Friday - the following Monday, dd #2 broke her wrist - I think I'm putting our Ortho Doctors 3 boys through college all by myself !) - anyway - click on the Menu Plan Monday icon above, and check out tons of other blogs who are also doing Menu Plans on Monday !! Sunday – bbq chicken thighs w baked taters and roasted asparagus with tahini dressing (Marinate Chicken Breast for Tomorrow !!) Monday - Skillet Lemon Chicken with Rosemary over rice Tuesday – Meatloaf and mashed taters with garlic Wednesday – Shrimp Bisque and Cheesy Tortilla Casserole Thursday - Large Salads with Baked Macaroni and Cheese Friday - leftovers !!!

½ lb of multigrain or whole-wheat elbow macaroni (about 2 cups) 3 TBS unsalted butter 1 small onion, chopped 2 TBS all purpose flour 2 cups fat free milk 2 cups shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground pepper 1 (14 ½ ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juice ¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs Preheat the oven to 350*. Spray 8 (1 cup) baking dishes with nonstick spray, place on a baking sheet. Cook the macaroni according to package directions, omitting the salt if desired. Meanwhile, melt 2 TBS butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Increase the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the cheeses melt, about 1 minuteRemove the sauce

4 (6 inch) corn tortillas 1 large sweet onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 ½ tsp ground cumin ¾ tsp dried oregano 1 (15 ounce) can cream style corn 2 large eggs 3 egg whites 2/3 cup shredded reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro or parsley 2 TBS mild cayenne pepper sauce ¾ cup prepared salsa Preheat oven to 375*. Spray a 1-½ quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Stack the tortillas and cut them crosswise into 1-inch strips. Place the strips on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until lightly golden, about 6 min, then cool. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the sweet onion and bell pepper, cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in the cumin and oregano, remove from heat and let the veggie mixture cool. Meanwhile, combine the creamed corn, eggs, egg whites, 1/3 cup of the cheese, the cilantro and the pepper sauce in a large bowl. Stir in the vegetable mix

1-teaspoon chili powder 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper 1 pound extra lean ground beef 4 ounces corn kernels 1 medium onion 1/2 cup bread crumbs 2 large egg 1/3 cup barbecue sauce ¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped salsa Preheat oven to 350* Sprinkle chili powder, salt and pepper over ground beef. Add corn, onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, bell pepper, and barbecue sauce, mixing thoroughly. Using your hands, shape beef mixture into loaf and place it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake for 1-½ hours or until cooked through.

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup dry white wine, optional 3 TBS Dijon mustard 3 cloves garlic ¼ tsp dried rosemary, pressed 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 cup chicken broth 1 TBS cornstarch 1 TBS olive oil In a blender or food processor, blend lemon juice, wine, mustard, garlic, and rosemary until well combined. In a large zipper-topped plastic bag, throw the chicken in and add the lemon juice mixture. Keep in fridge at least an hour (I prefer overnight). In a small bowl, stir together 2 TBS of the chicken broth and the cornstarch until dissolved; set aside. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken (reserve the marinade) on each side, about 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and cover to keep warm. Now add reserved marinade to the skillet and, using a wire whisk, stir in the cornstarch mixture and the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Return chicken to skillet, heat

2 lbs asparagus 1 tsp olive oil ¼ tsp salt 1/8 tsp ground pepper 2 tbs fresh lemon juice 2 TBS water 1 TBS Tahini 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 ½ tsp honey cayenne 1 TBS chopped fresh chives Preheat oven to 475*. Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil. Place the asparagus in the pan. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with 1/8 tsp of the salt and pepper; toss well. Spread the asparagus in a single layer in the pan and roast until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, water, tahini, mustard, honey, cayenne, and the remaining 1/8 tsp of salt in a small bowl; beat with a whisk until smooth. Stir in chives and serve with the asparagus Serves 6 at 1 point per serving

One of the boards I visit - the subject of where women can buy NICE plus size clothes (you know - not the shirts that ride at just about our belly buttons) that make us feel good about ourselves and make us WANT to work out - plus not put a HUGE dent in our clothing budget. I recommend Just My Size . Their prices are good, they have some great sales they have workout gear and fashion stuff ( I got a Hoodie - it's 30 inches long - love it). They also carry swimwear and other stuff. Check it out !!

– Crock-pot Cranberry Beef 7 points per serving Serves 6 1/4 cup chili sauce1/4 cup lime juice1 package taco seasoning mix1 1/2 pounds flank steak3/4 cup green onions, sliced1/2 cup cilantro, chopped1 12- to 16-oz. can whole cranberry sauce12 6- to 8-inch flour tortillasCombine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Place steak in a crock-pot, pour spice mixture over the top and turn steak in crock-pot several times to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Next, combine green onions, cilantro and cranberry sauce in a blender and process till smooth. Place mixture in bowl and refrigerate.When meat is finished, discard cooking liquid and shred meat. Warm tortillas; fill with shredded meat and cranberry sauce mixture; roll up and serve

Swedish Beef Crock Pot 3 pounds round roast, trimmed 1 each onion 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup cold water 1 Teaspoon DILL 1 cup sour cream, light In crock put beef (cut into 2 inch cubes) salt and pepper and onion, broth and dill – cook for 6 hours. Remove meat – pour juices into saucepan – add flour dissolved in cold water to thicken, then add sour cream. Serve over egg noodles maybe? 5 pts per serving – this serves 9

Had a great birthday yesterday - got the cast taken off in the early a.m. Doctor is leaving it up to me with the issue of surgery. We'll talk about it again in 2 weeks. WW Weigh In this a.m. - finally am back to my lowest weight ever - another 3 lb loss. I will NEVER loose track of my goal again. This has been a very long 6 months of yo-yo'ing back and forth. Total lost so far - 80 lbs !!! This weeks menu - again some repeats - didn't cook as much as I hoped last week - the kids were down sick at different times - so I was busy. Saturday – Birthday Dinner – grilled hamburgers made with 93% lean ground beef and ground lamb. 11 pts – but it’s a big burger !! Also doing some frozen Ore-Ida Country style fries for 3 points, and Dreamsicle Cake for dessert – 3 points Sunday – Swedish Beef Crock Pot - 5 pts per serving Monday – Still haven’t made the Chicken Legs yet – so tonight for sure ! 3 pts Tuesday – Crock-pot Cranberry Beef 7 points per serving Wednesday – Cornish He

This is SUCH a great deal - Office Depot has 5000 Xerox High-Speed Copy Paper (8.5" x 11", 20lb, 92 brightness) for only $15.19 (or so) shipped. 1. Click here to go to Office Depot. Use the search box that comes up at the top of the page - do not enter coupon codes yet - do that after you begin checkout ! 2. Search and Add 345603 ( Price : $5.59 ) - Buy 10 of these 3. Search and Add 429266 ( Price : $0.29 ) 4. Coupon Price : -$31.00 Code : 73649244 5. Coupon Price : -$10 off $25 Code : 44141777 If there is an Office Depot in your state - you may have to pay taxes - I did, so my order was $16.25 - but still a great price for 10 reams of paper. This deal is hot - so it may be backordered, and not go through.

First - I want to say ---- to my WW back row bud - Karen - she hit her 10% today !!! WTG Karen! Second - I know it's only Saturday - but I have a busy weekend ahead - so going to get this up ahead of time. This weeks menu will have some repeats – don’t know what happened last week – but I must have changed things up. Some reviews – the lamb stew was excellent, as was the chicken and wild rice. The beef and green beans will not be made again. Saturday – Lamb on the grill with crockpot mashed potatoes Sunday – Goose and rice Monday – Homemade pizzas !! with baked sweet potato fries Tuesday – Creamed Chipped Beef Casserole and salads Wednesday – Hunan Flavored Drumsticks with rice Thursday – Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus with Tahini Dressing Friday – leftovers or Chicken Pot Pie Recipes for the asparagus and crockpot potatoes will be linked soon!

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1 egg 1/2 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons dried chopped onions 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon sage 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup + 1 tbl Italian-seasoned bread crumbs 1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a broiler pan rack with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat egg. Add milk, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onions, and spices. Whisk to combine. Stir in bread crumbs, add ground beef and mix well. Shape into a loaf and place on top of broil rack. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until done (when beef is no longer pink and juices run clear). Serving Size : 6 5 POINTS per serving, per recipe

1/2 cup tomato juice (I'm using pizza sauce diluted with water - since thats what I have LOL)1/2 cup Lite Soy Sauce 1/3 Cup lite brown sugar 2 1/2 TBS Brown sugar twin 1/4 cup chicken broth 3 cloves garlic (I'll add much, much more to this one) 12 uncooked skinless chicken drumsticks (I'm use 8 drumsticks and 8 thighs - so I'll increase the chicken broth a bit) Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the sauce and place in the crockpot (yeah, right, I'll just dump it over the whole mess and stir it - doesn't it end up the same?) Pour remaining sauce over the top (don't have to do it this step now, do I ?) Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serves 12 at only 1 WW pt each (it's 60 calories, 2 gm fat and 0 fiber) so if you have 2 pieces (who would only have 1 chicken leg?) its still only 3 pts - and if you have 3 pieces - it would only be 4 pts - what a bargain.

Creamed Chipped Beef Casserole 2 2.5 ounce packages Hormel Dried Beef -- shredded 1/4 Cup finely chopped onion 2 cups skim milk 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 8 ounce package Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese 1/2 cup (one 2.5 oz jar) sliced mushrooms -- drained 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Kraft reduced fat cheddar cheese 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes 2 cups hot cooked noodles -- rinsed and drained1/2 cup frozen peas 1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray an 8-by-8 inch baking dish with butter-flavored spray. In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored spray, sauté dried beef and onion for 5 minutes. In a covered jar, combine skim milk and flour. Shake well to blend. Add milk mixture to beef mixture. Mix well to combine. Stir in cream cheese. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and parsley flakes. Add noodles and peas. Mix well to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Place bakin

Chicken Pot Pie 1 cup reduced fat Bisquick 1/2 cup skim milk 1/4 cup egg substitute 2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed 2 cups cooked, chopped white chicken meat 2 cans Campbells fat free (Healthy Request) Cream of Mushroom soup Preheat oven to 400 º. Spray a casserole dish (at least 2 inches deep. I use an 8x8 pan) with Pam. Mix together veggies, chicken and soup. Pour into casserole dish. In another bowl, mix bisquick, milk, and egg. Pour over the top of chicken mixture in the casserole. Bake for about 30 min or until crust is golden. Note: Try different types of mixed vegetables. I have tried Italian style, California style, oriental, etc. 6 servings = 4.5 pt per serving 4 servings = 6.5 pt per serving Not sure where I got this one from - another online site I think

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 12 ounces beef top round steak -- trimmed & cut into thin strips 1 large yellow onion; sliced -- about 1-1/2 cups 8 ounces low-sodium tomato sauce 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth 1 tablespoon chili sauce 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 8 ounces egg noodles 8 ounces fresh green beans, cooked OR (1 pkg, 10 oz, frozen cut green beans, thawed) 1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer steak to a plate. 2. Add onion to juices in skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, chili sauce, and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. 3. While onion is cooking, cook noodles according to package directions, but do not add salt. 4. Return beef to skillet. Add green beans; cook until hot and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Drain noodles in a colander; place on serving plates. Top with beef m

Chicken-Wild Rice Casserole 1 package onion soup mix -- (1 3/8 oz) 2 cups fat free sour cream 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts -- cut in pieces 2 cups dry sherry 1 cup water 1 tsp. salt 1 dash pepper 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1 pinch thyme 1 tsp. curry powder 6 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley 1 can cream of mushroom soup -- (10-1/2 oz) 1 1/2 cups wild rice -- uncooked Blend dry onion soup into sour cream in a bowl and allow to stand for 2 hours. Place chicken in roasting pan; pour sherry and water over it; sprinkle with all seasonings and parsley; cover roaster tightly. (If lid doesn't fit securely, place a sheet of aluminum foil over pan before covering.) Bake at 300º F for 1-1/2 hours, or until meat falls off bones. Remove chicken from roaster, cover loosely and set aside to cool. Strain pan juices from roaster into saucepan and simmer until reduced to 1-1/2 cups. Blend in mushroom soup until smooth and heat together a few minutes. (This is better if you blend by pouring liqu

Lamb Stew 1.5 lb boneless leg of lamb – cut into 1 inch pieces ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground pepper 3 onions chopped 3 garlic cloves 2 tsp curry powder 1 ½ tsp cinnamon 1 ½ tsp ground cumin 14 ½ ounces chicken broth 4 carrots – cut into 1 inch pieces 12 dried apricots 15 ounces chickpeas 2 TBS chopped fresh mint Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Spray a large nonstick Dutch oven with nonstick spray and set over med-high heat. Add half the lamb and brown – remove and repeat with remaining lamb. Spray dutch oven again – add onion and cook until softened – 3 min. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly – about 30 seconds. Add spices stir 20 seconds. Stir in lamb, broth, carrots, and dried apricots – bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until the lamb is tender – 40 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and cook – covered, until the lamb is fork tender – about 15 more minutes. Stir in mint and serve. Points - depends on how lean your lamb is -this recipe serves 6 people - between 6-8 points per

Getting used to typing with one arm way up in the air - my fingers will certainly be stronger. Even figured out a way to sew - and made a wonderful spring quilt this weekend. Will get it pin basted today hopefully. Oh, and if you've never checked out my recipes - most are very WW friendly and include point values (thanks MC!) This weeks menu - Monday – Chi cken-Wild Rice Casserole Tuesday – Kansas City Steak Strips Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie Thursday - Lamb Stew Friday - leftovers or back-up meatloaf Saturday - Creamed Chipped Beef Casserole Sunday - H unan Flavored Drumsticks

Great WI at WW today - down 3 lbs - 2 more and I'll be back down to my lowest weight in about 20 years. Still have another 40 lbs to go before I hit goal - but it's doable. No cheating this weekend - hard - especially with DH not home and the kids wanting to do Chuck E.Cheese, and KFC ... but since we are also concentrating on watching their weight - it isn't happening. Well - maybe Monday we'll do Chuck E. Cheese - but I can get a salad there and bring my own dressing - or else I'll make a sandwich and bring it along. Got some new recipes coming up - gotta run them through Master Cook to figure out the point values - I'll have them ready for Menu Plan Monday. Tomorrow I'm making meatballs over egg noodles (crockpot) - and tonight I may do fish sticks and mac and cheese for the kids, and a healthy pizza or something for myself.