Chicken 'n' Hash Brown Bake

Ingredients:
1 package (32 ounces) frozen cubed hash browns potatoes, thawed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups (20 ounces) of shredded cooked chicken
1 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can (13.25 oz) pieces and stems mushrooms
Paprika

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Spread Potatoes in an ungreased 9X13 baking pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Then add chicken and mushrooms over the top of the potatoes.   In a separate dish mix the yogurt, water, bouillon cubes, red pepper, onions, and garlic power together, then pour mixture over the top of the chicken and mushrooms. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered for 50 - 60 minutes!

1 cup is 197 calories!

Beef and Bean Taco Casserole

Ingredients: 
1 pound Hamburger

3 oz(2 1/2 cups) of Tortilla chips broken up
1/3 cup Green Onion chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper chopped
16 olives sliced or 1/4 cup chopped
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 can refried beans
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup Lettuce
2 cups Salsa 
1 1/2 cups diced Tomatoes

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Cook beef until cooked thoroughly; drain. Then add in refried beans , salsa, and taco seasoning. The in an ungreased 9X13 pan place 2 cups (2 0z) of broken tortilla chips then spread beef mixture over the top. Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions, 1 cup of tomatoes, the cheese and olives. Bake uncovered for 20 - 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Then take casserole out of the oven and top with lettuce, remaining Tomatoes and remaining tortilla chips!

1 cup is Only 247 calories!




 

Moist Banana Bread

Ingredients: 
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups Sugar
2 Packages (3.4 oz each) Instant vanilla pudding mix
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
5 Eggs
2 Cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup Apple Sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. In a large bowl, combined the first six ingredients. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, bananas, Apple Sauce and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2. Transfer to two greased bread pans. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Makes two loafs of bread cut into 13 slices in each loaf.
1 slice is 139 calories!

Sweet Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients:
2 pounds Hamburger
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons Mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup katchup

Preparation
Cook Hamburger until almost done and add chopped onion, continue to cook until hamburger is cooked thoroughly and then add remaining ingredients.

1/4 cup is 86 calories!!
If you use a Western Family Bun the total is 196!

Meal in a Box....

 I was at the store the other day and needed something Super Fast to make! I saw the complete chicken and Fried Rice Complete Meal and thought ..."ok we will see if this is good or not!" I grab it and hurried home. Well it take less then a minute to open the can, dump in the seasoning and add rice, water and Vegetable oil. Put it in the oven for 35-40 minutes! It is pretty good! I was really surprised! I did add a little sauce to mine but both my girls downed this! I will have to get more of them because it was so fast!!! Best part is that it is only 220 calories for 1 cup!!!! And rice is soooo filling!! This is the only one I have tried so far so I am excited to see if the others are good also!

Salad dressings

 

Some ways to save on calories is getting your salad dressings in light or free! It will save you a lot on calories but still have a delicious taste!

Here are a few examples
Ranch dressing     2 tbs   140 calories
Ranch Light          2 tbs     80 calories

Catalina           2 tbs   130 calories
Free Catalina   2 tbs   50 calories


                                 

Sweet tooth!

I have been having a sweet tooth lately! Can you tell from some of the posts? Well I found another 100 calorie snack that I LOVE and so does my hubby!! They are the nabisco 100 calorie snacks! My favorite so far is the Oreo Cakesters! They are so good that you almost don't want to stop at one serving!

To see more of the products they have click here!

Questions!! love them!!

Q: I see that you've made exercise a regular part of your life, but what changes have you made to your eating habits?

A: Just being more aware of what I was snacking on and what fast foods I was eating. I noticed that towards the evening when I was getting dinner ready I would snack on whatever was handy like cookies and crackers. I also started looking into how many calories were in some of the fast food and even the calories at restaurants and was shocked at how many calories I was really eating.  I have found that I would rather cook at home because I can eat so much more for the amount of calories! I also started to make fruit part of my daily intake instead of just giving it to my kids I started to make sure I ate some of it also!

I LOVE when people ask questions so feel free to ask away!!

Chicken Cordon Blue!

I am in love with this recipe for chicken cordon blue. My Mom gave it to me a while ago but I never got around to making it until now!

Ingredients
1 pound of chicken breasts
4  wedges of Laughing cow Swiss cheese
4 slices of black forest ham (lunch meat)
4 tablespoons Italian Bread crumbs

Preparation
cut chicken into 4 oz pieces and then pound out the chicken breast until about 1/4 inch thick and lay out flat. Take 1 slice of ham and wrap it around one wedge of cheese. Then wrap the chicken around the ham and cheese and put a tooth pick in it to hold it together then roll it in one tablespoon of bread crumbs. This will make 4 of them. Then back at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes. Depending on how flat you got the chicken will depend on how long you need to cook it. Make sure the chicken is done well.  And Enjoy!!

Total calories for one chicken cordon blue is 195 calories!!

This is a spin off of one of the hungry girl recipes but it is less calories! Click here to try her spin on it!

Laughing Cow Cheese!

This is so good! I love the laughing cow cheese wedges! I have tried a few of the different flavors and have really like them. The best part is the whole wedge (for most flavors) is only 35 calories!!

Click here to visit there website and view all the products they have!

Special K bars

I keep hearing that this are soooo good! Its like eating a candy bar! And they are only 90 calories!!

Click Here to check out their website and to get coupons!

Burrito Casserole

Ingredient
1 pound Hamburger
2 cans re-fried beans
1 cup Salsa
6 tablespoons sour cream
2/3 cup cheese
7 Tortillas

Preparation
Cook hamburger add in re-fried beans, salsa, and sour cream. Then spoon in 1/2 cup of the refried bean mixer into 7 tortillas and use extra to spread on the top of the tortillas and top with the cheese. Cook in the over at 375 for 10 minutes or until the cheese in melted!

One full tortilla if made with:

Light Sour cream & Whole wheat tortillas  329 calories
Regular Sour cream & whole wheat tortillas  337 calories
Light Sour cream & flour tortillas  399 calories
Regular sour cream & flour tortillas  407 calories

Healthier choices

 Regular Sour cream 60 calories for 2 tablespoons

Light Sour Cream 40 calories for 2 tablespoons

I know it isn't a huge difference but ever calorie counts right?

Why not have the same amount of something and save the extra calories for something else!

I love the Smart Delicious Tortillas! They are Large Whole Wheat tortillas and they don't taste like diet or even wheat they are almost the exact same texture and taste as the regular flour ones!

Whole Wheat Tortillas  80 calories

Flour tortilla 150 calories

Bonus is the whole wheat are the BIG tortillas so you get a lot more and save yourself  70 calories !!

Q & A

Q: I just happened upon your blog and am amazed at these pictures! How far apart are they?
A: The "fat" picture was 2 summers ago, but only because I never let anyone take pictures of me and Then I was pregnant with my second child. The "thin" picture was taken around Thanksgiving 2010.  I only started doing this in February 2010 and by August 2010 I had lost about 70 pounds!
Q: Do you eat the same thing as your family?
A: Yes I eat the same thing as my kids and husband. I don't have time to make two different meals everyday and honestly I don't think I would stick to my calories if I was making two meals a night.
Q: Can you give me an example of one of your dinners?
A: Lets see......One of my favorite dinners is the Chicken Milano (4 0z) of chicken and 1/4 cup of the green beans and Tomatoes that you cook with it. 1 cup side salad with 1 tablespoon Low Fat Catalina dressing and 1/2 cup cheesy Cauliflower. Total for the whole meal is only 202 calories!!
Q: What are some of the things you eat when you need a sugar fix?
A: It really depends on what it is I want. Sometimes I really want Ice Cream and the Courtesy Cone at Arctic Circle is only 32 calories! Also the 100 calorie snacks are really yummy! Snack size candy bars range from 70-90 calories and are also a good way to get a sugar fix!

If you have anymore questions let me know!!

I won I won I won!!!

I am so excited I won Bootcamp 2!! Thanks to www.findyourbestself.blogspot.com!!! I am excited to try the DVD I will let you know how good it is!!!