Mmmmmmm... Goes Healthy!

I got this in my email today from Fitness Magazine! I can't believe this is allowed to be considered a "Healthy Breakfast"... but I will take it!!











Let's Do Brunch: Stuffed French Toast Recipe: "Stuffed French Toast"
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup strawberry jam
8 1-inch slices French bread
2 egg whites
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
Combine the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons jam. Make a slit in each slice of French bread to form a pocket; fill each with about 1 tablespoon of the cream-cheese mixture.
In a small bowl, combine egg whites, egg, milk, vanilla, and apple pie spice. Lightly coat a nonstick griddle with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.
Dip the bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place slices on the hot griddle. Cook about 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup of jam until melted, stirring frequently. Pour over French toast.
Nutrition facts per serving (2 slices): 300 calories, 14g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 2g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber"

A Whole Different 2WW

Anyone who is familiar with a 2WW (or Two Week Wait) may have gotten a few little butterflies seeing that in print... but let me tell you... although I am thinking of my midsection... and that feeling of overwhelming happiness... I am also thinking of this:

Did you know that the average person gains 7.5 lbs during the Holiday Season!??! I am still working hard to LOSE that... but I am wondering what little changes you are going to make to your Thanksgiving menu so that you can still enjoy, but not worry about your waistline... tell me your secrets and I'll share a few of mine later this week!

Counterproductivity... at it's best!

I made this for dinner... and I don't even care how many calories it has. This isn't my personal picture. I am borrowing it from P-Dub herself because mine was gone before I even thought about the camera! I know... I know... I just posted about wanting to be a sexy momma... but I am going to use my "I'm nursing" excuse as long as I can... so long as I am not GAINING weight!

... and let me tell you that it was TOTALLY worth it! I will be using this as a go-to side and potluck dish. If you want to try it, but don't want to cook... just invite me to your next potluck. You will be glad you did!

I am weighing in on Sunday... watch for more progress! Operation 20 lbs in 20 weeks is looking pretty good... I am already down 3.8lbs in the first week... I am adding a little ticker over to the right so you can keep track of my progress! Let me know if you are joining in.. I'd love to see your progress, too!

Baked Ziti... for the freezer!

This is one of the recipes that I put together for the freezer. Like most of my cooking, it started off as a recipe I found somewhere... but by the time I was finished with my adjustments, it was all my own... :oP

1 lb Ground Beef
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups spaghetti sauce (whatever you like)
2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsely (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzerella cheese, grated
8 oz ziti pasta (I used penne though)

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, to Al Dente... Do Not Overcook! The pasta will go into the oven after it's boiled, so you don't want it to turn to mush!

In a skillet, saute onion until translucent in a small amount of olive oil (about 3-4 minutes). Add garlic, and saute for a couple more minutes, being careful not to burn it! Add ground beef and italian seasoning and cook through. Once meat is no longer pink, add spaghetti sauce and spinach. Allow to heat up... about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, garlic powder, and parsely. Add cooked and drained pasta and mix.

In your prepared pan, put about 1/3 of your meat sauce mix down on the bottom. Next, layer in the pasta/cheese mixture. All of it. :oP Then the rest of the meat sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. I normally put my pan a cookie sheet so that it won't bubble over into my oven. After the 30 minutes is up, remove the foil, add the mozzerella, and bake uncovered for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is all melted!

If would rather freeze this meal for later, just assemble, but don't bake! You can add the mozzerella now, but when you defrost and reheat, bake covered and then uncover for the cheese to brown a bit. :o)

Bon Appetit!

Getting Ready for Baby!

Ok... I know it's Tuesday and I owe you a "Fantastic Parent" post... but I am not feeling it right now. :oP

So, we are officially at 33 weeks today. That means that in only 3 short weeks, if I go into labor, the doctors and hospital will wish me the best of luck, but won't do anything to stop it! And, since the doctors have also told us that they don't want us going past 40w3d, we officially have a little window of this baby arriving in the next 21 to 52 days! Dun dun dun! I have a load of stuff to do before we are ready for Baby's arrival though... hopefully I won't run out of time.

I have started freezing meals! This is huge for me... I love good food, and I love knowing that my husband is getting "manly" meals... you know the kind. Lots of meat. Lots of carbs. Not so many veggies (although I sneek them in). Huge portions. But I know that I am not going to be enjoying cooking with a newborn and a toddler at my heels. So... while I only have one little kiddo begging for attention, I am doubling up and stashing away! So far, here is what we will be eating (once defrosted and baked) once Baby makes their arrival!
*Baked Ziti- I made two variations of this one... one with ground beef and spinach, the other with italian sausage and spinach. So yummy after I made it for dinner, I just had to freeze some!
*Chicken Spaghetti- This one is from The Pioneer Woman, and Dustin actually calls it Chicken Tetrazinni, but I slightly modified it to use what I had on hand. It's cheesy melty goodness is just packed full of chicken and pasta... enough to make Dustin smile, Ryan say "mmmmm" and me just fall in love with comfort food all over again.
*Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas- These are a childhood favorite... I grew up on them... and I guarantee my children will, too! And of course I use only Hatch green chilies!
*Apple Crisp- I bought a huge box of apples and needed to use them up, so I made up a couple Apple Crisps that will be perfect for any summer potlucks we need to go to and bring a dessert with us. I can't wait to smell these baking!

I have a few other meals that I plan on making for the freezer, including a Chili Relleno Casserole and some breakfast items. Most of the items are in foil pans in either a "Party Size" or a "Family Size"... in case it's just me and Dustin, or if more people happen to show up.

I will post recipes later, if people are interested... and I'll keep up with my todo list here!

My Breakfast of Champions!

As part of my plan to have a Bradley Birth... I need to eat more protein, and a good portion of this is dairy servings. I have been trying everything to add more milk to my diet... but frankly, I am not a milk fan. Never really have been. But, like I said.. I am trying!

At the same time, my sister has been giving me flack for not using a stupid little appliance in my cabinet... my Magic Bullet. Dustin and I picked this thing up from Costco (surprised??) back when I wanted to make Ryan's baby food... and I *really* wanted a food processor... but Dustin had seen an infomercial for the Magic Bullet on tv where they made chocolate mousse. Yeah, that's how our household buying decisions are made. If something can make chocolate mousse in 20 seconds, then it gets on the express lane!

In any event, the last time we used the Magic Bullet, it was used to make chocolate mousse (again, did I surprise you??) and Ryan was still enjoying puree'd foods. My sister told me that she just bought a Magic Bullet, and that I needed one, to which I told her about how mine was collecting dust. She told me to give it away... or to just use it. And then I got an idea! I had frozen a bunch of bananas (literally... my kiddo is a monkey). So, I put a scoop of Carnation Instant Breakfast (chocolate flavor), 1 sliced up frozen banana, and 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter into the Magic Bullet. Then I poured milk over the top... popped on the blender top... and 1 minute later... I had the most delicious Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter shake!! Not only was it absolutely yummy... it had 20 grams of protein!!

I think I'm gonna keep up on these... and keep the Magic Bullet around a little longer.

Frozen Love

My hubby's mom used to make him lots of meals that he truly loved... and he is kind of sad that she doesn't cook for him anymore. Not that my cooking sucks... it's just that I don't lace everything with wine I guess. ;o)

One of his favorite desserts is a Key Lemon Pie... it's a frozen pie that is almost like a key lime pie... only it's lemon. I am guessing it's served frozen b/c there is no way for this pie to set... and IMO it's not even that safe to eat... but he loves it, nonetheless. The last time his mom made it, it was actually in my kitchen and I watched her... it wasn't anything super special... so I told him I could make him one. He said it was a top secret recipe and there is no way to make it exactly right... he was wrong.

Key Lemon Pie

6 Egg Yolks
1 can Sweetened Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
Graham cracker crust (I used the 6 mini's)

Whip up the yolks until they form ribbons... add in the milk and lemon juice and whisk away until well mixed. Don't sample it... it's raw egg, for heaven's sake! Pour into the crust and freeze. I like putting coolwhip on after it's frozen; Dustin likes it on before so that the coolwhip freezes too... either way... you have a nice little pie in a few hours. And they are pretty good.

The Best Idea Ever!!

So, I know we are only 1 week into October... and I know that this month is the standard precursor to November... which is the month that contains what might very well be the best holiday ever. Yeah, I know that you are probably saying, "But Tabitha, Christmas is really in December." It's ok... you aren't wrong... it's just that my favorite holiday, by far, is Thanksgiving... you just can't beat the food... the family... the food... the friends... and the food!

But, for as much as I love this holiday... here is another confession... We never have leftovers. I know that you all enjoy those 2nd day turkey sandwiches, layered with cranberry sauce with a side of candied sweet potatoes all tossed in the microwave... or maybe it's just pumpkin pie for breakfast.... Either way... I don't get any of it.

And I know that I am normally a leftover-aphobic. I won't come within 10 yards of the stuff... but Thanksgiving is different... I only get these foods once a year... which brought me to my Best Idea Ever!!!

The reason we never get any leftovers is simple... too.many.people!! My Thanksgiving consists of 47 people, plus friends... seriously... Don't believe me? Here are the name tags from last year:

Maria, Danny, Colleen, Daniel, Kim, Diona, Hanna, Christina, Trinity, Dave, Stephanie, DeeAnn, Cliff, Tabitha, Dustin, Ryan, Heather, Cathy, Mike, Thomas, Denise, Dominic, Sam, Richard, Timothy, Britany, Doreen, Scott, Christopher, Vanessa, Raquel, Justin, Caleb, Rebehka, Alec, Conor, Makenna, Brock, Monica, Breianna, Michael, Johnny, Jackie, Josh, Al, Cindy, Michael L.

And again... those are just the "family". It's not unfamiliar to have guests that have no other family here, are new in town, or were looking for a "you'll never believe it" story to tell their friends later.

We rent chairs from the church. We cook 3 turkeys and 2 hams! We all hold hands in 1 big circle to say Grace... and when my mom is feeling overly festive, we all say "3 Things We Are Most Thankful For" as we groan about how the food is getting cold! But it works...

...but there are no leftovers... ever!

So... back to this Best Idea Ever... This year, Dustin and I are starting a new Tradition... tentatively called "Tabitha Thanksgiving". Basically, we are doing Thanksgiving here at our house on Sunday before Thanksgiving. It gives me a chance to make whatever I want for "our" Thanksgiving. I can make as much or as little as I want. I can make a whole turkey or just a breast... and it's just for us!

And there are leftovers for the next day!!

2008... the year the Lehman's got a leftover turkey sammie!!

Wilton: Course 1 Final and some other Randomness

Yeah, so I just realized I never showed you my other 2 cakes for my Wilton course. I just get so busy and I forget what is important in this life!

So, cake #2 was nice... but it got to D's work way before I was able to take a picture... I was told it was tasty... but I never got to taste it myself. It was a strawberry cake and it was a pretty basic decorating job... some big polka dots on the sides and nothing on top... I got lazy.

Anyway, cake #3 was my final for the course. We had to work on those damned Wilton Roses. They weren't as hard to make as I thought they'd be.... but my frosting was always either too thick or too warm to work properly (thank you, Arizona)... so my roses look a bit like carnations... but I think they are beautiful. I've always had an eye for finding the beauty in a bit of sugary goodness.
















The best thing about this cake... it was a banana cake... tasted like banana bread with frosting... delish! It would have been perfect with a bit of vanilla ice cream, a few walnuts... maybe some caramel... yum....

Ok... I am getting lost in the world of desserts... a place I am trying to avoid! I've decided that the one thing I'd love more than another mouthwatering confection is to be able to fit in my old clothes again! D and I signed up at the local gym to get our fannies into tip top shape! I've only been in once... and it was to use the eliptical for 20 minutes, and then I did the stationary bike for 15 minutes. I learned that girls don't really shower at the gym... but I refused to head over to a birthday party smelling like gym funk... so I braved them... and it wasn't so bad... but I wish there was a shelf so I didn't have to put my pomegranite martini body wash on the ground... that really annoys me more than showering in public... those grounds are nasty! But I digress...

Hopefully those pounds will start dropping off soon... I don't have too much to lose to get back into my old clothes... but I have about 20 to drop to be comfortable... and 30 to my goal weight! Not to mention these nursing boobs are out of control... but that's something I refuse to make go away... so I'm gonna deal with my double's until they sag to the floor I guess... anyone know of an awesome bra?? I am going to be lucky if I can just keep a tiny smidge of their current perkiness.

I am hoping Wednesday will reveil a loss... that's my normal weigh in day, and the scale and I aren't usually friends. However, if it shows me that I have lost anything... maybe I'll make it a cake!