Here we go again

Have you ever had one of those days where no amount of marked down baked goods and frozen pizza rolls purchased after midnight while wearing pajamas can fill you enough to drift into a fitful slumber? I've had approximately 40 of those days in a row. Even now as Taco Bell quesadilla sauce drips down my chin, I'm mentally taking stock of what sweets I have in my kitchen cabinets. Those Girl Scout cookie flavored candy bars I purchased yesterday (buy two, get one free) will soon find themselves devoured. I am in a rut. I can't seem to get myself back on track with eating healthy. It may have to do with the fact that most of my money lately has been consumed by either bills, new yoga pants (I have to have something to exercise in, right?!), and these addictive chocolate cake-like cookies with chocolate chips and some form of crack baked right in. Is it too late to go out to get some more? Hmm... I guess it's time to jump back on the wagon and ride off into the skinnier, chocolate-deprived distance. Sigh. I will miss those cookies. I will not, however, miss the cashier who now recognizes me and asks if I am "loading up on junk food." Why yes, I am. In fact, I will probably be back again tomorrow because I am now so ashamed of my eating habits that I will emotional eat everything you are now poorly bagging for me. I guess the first step to cooking healthy food again would be to find the bottom of the sink. Comparable to Atlantis, it is buried, unseen by generations, only under crusty pots and fuzzy growths. I think the worst part of any life change is the initial leap. Once I forget how delicious gummies are and how easy it is to pick up a taco salad on the way home, I'll go back to making dinner and doing dishes like a real live adult who cares about what she puts in her body.

Noodles and grapes

Stop the bus.... Grapes are ZERO weight watchers points. My diet will now consist of lots of oranges, carrots, and grapes... and probably some immodium from all the grapes. HA!

In other news, I reached my first weight loss goal! Woo hoo! I think I am finally ready to start amping up the exercise now that I see I can actually get results. PLUS, my grandma decided to give me an incentive. Five big ones for each pound I lose. That means if I had this incentive from day one, I would have already made $80!!! Sooo, I'm thinking I need to get my workout on! Gotta love grandmas :)

Last night I made a delicious noodle bake after a few days of cooking hiatus following an incident involving an eggplant, a thumb, and a new mandolin vegetable slicer. It was not pretty.

Noodle Bake

Noodle bake

(Please note that some measurements are estimated. When I cook, I use a dash of this and a little bit of that!)

1 box whole wheat pasta of your choice, cooked

1 Tbs olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

spices

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup red pepper chopped

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I added more when reheating the next day because it dries out a little in the fridge)

1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400° F. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and peppers.

Add ground turkey and whatever spices you like (I just used Italian seasoning). Cook until done. Drain if necessary. 

Add tomato sauce, ricotta, and noodles. Mix until the noodles are coated well.

Pour into a shallow dish. Cover with foil. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove foil. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is all melty.

For those of us on Weight Watchers Plus, each serving (this makes 12) is only 5 points! I doubled up and had two servings with no sides 'cause sometimes you just need a lot of pasta in your life.

the secret life of oranges.

Lincoln is suspicious. Can it be true?

Did you know oranges are ZERO weight watchers points?! Since I came across that factoid, I have consumed massive amounts of little citrus fruits, including (but not limited to) two bags of mandarin oranges and probably at least 6 regular oranges. No scurvy for this girl! No sir! Apples are also zero points, but I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely despise getting apple skin in my teeth. So, unless I am at home were I can butcher the apple, I don't enjoy them. Bananas are another zero point fruit, but alas, I am allergic to their deliciousness. So oranges it is! And that is perfectly ok with me.

Hemp bracelets!

A lot of my time lately has been spent loving on my puppies, fighting allergies, and making hemp bracelets. These hand-braided bracelets are $3. All proceeds are going to Relay for Life. I will happily mail them to anyone outside of the Northern Kentucky area.

Fat Girl Loves Food

I'm fat. There, I put it out there. But guess what? I'm trying to change that! But just because I'm attempting to start a healthier lifestyle does not mean I have to live on rice cakes and water! I recently joined Weight Watchers after encouragement from two separate doctors. I'll admit I was skeptical. I thought for sure I was going to be stuck eating rabbit food for the rest of eternity. After I signed up, I started looking at the whole point system and was extremely relieved to find that many of my favorite foods were easily adapted to fit right in. Hooray! The only thing I've really had to work at cutting out was sweets. Because, let's face it, I'd rather eat real food all day long than one sweet treat that wastes my points! Don't get me wrong, I am definitely taking advantage of the fact that 9 Hershey's kisses are only 5 points+.

The WW website suggests stocking a "solo kitchen" and looking to frozen meals as an easy way to control how many points you consume. But I'm not really feeling the frozen food route. And although I find that I am becoming obsessed with calculating points and think about food all day long, the program is giving me the opportunity to try making new foods. A couple of nights ago I made a delicious chicken, spinach, pineapple pizza. Each (huge) slice was only 10 points+. Mmm mmm!

©Sarah Hodges 2013