This is a family favorite of ours. I was able to get this recipe from Biggest Loser from a couple of seasons ago. I really haven't had to tweak it because it is yummy as it. But everyone has their own tastes, so feel free to tweak if you need to, to suit your tastes.
Hannah's Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Olive Oil Spray
1/2 cup minced onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds extra lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste (I don't use salt)
1/4 cup low sodium tomato sauce
1 cup fat-free low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 sweet red peppers (any bell pepper will work)
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil, heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan. Saute about 2 minutes, or until softened. Add ground turkey to pan. Season to taste with salt, and then add garlic powder and ground cumin. Break meat apart and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken broth to pan. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro to the turkey mixture. There will be about 2 cups of turkey mixture. Cut tops of peppers off and remove seeds. Fill each pepper with turkey mixture. Place all peppers in a baking dish and pour the rest of the chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. When done, Sprinkle with cheese before serving.
Nutritional Information:
Calories 140
Fat Calories: 20
Total Fat: 2.5 grams
Saturated Fat: .5 grams
Cholesterol: 35 milligrams
Sodium: 150 milligrams (would be less if you don't use salt)
Total carbohydrates: 10 grams
Fiber 2 grams
Sugar: 5 grams
Protein: 8+ grams
Weight Watchers Points Plus: 4
Feel free to tweak anyway you would like...but know that the Nutritional Info will change.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Taking Pictures Along the Journey!
How many of you take pictures along the journey? I am one that likes to take pictures, but not be in pictures!!!! But will take them and not show them to anyone!
The one picture is of me 5 years ago on a trip to New York City. We were on a tour of Radio City Music Hall--Home of the beloved Rocketts! I have always loved the Rocketts and seeing them perform! Well here was my chance to meet one in person and have my picture taken with them! Little did I realize, not to many people have seen this picture! I was in the high 290's in my weight in this picture! I had done more activity on this trip than I had ever been! You don't drive in NYC...you walk!!! EVERYWHERE!!!! Well I easily dropped almost 10 pounds in a week because I was moving my body!!! When I got back from this trip is when I walked through the doors of Weight Watchers!!!
The 2nd picture is of me and my sweet cousin Susan at Christmas 2012! I am almost 85 pounds lighter in this picture! I never fully realized until today that I am a totally different person!!
I had to speak this morning at a Weight Watchers open house about activity and what a difference it has made in my life! One of my friends recently made a comment about it seems that now my face is just beaming!!! It has just hit me that I SOOOO love living life now more than I did 5 years ago! I love being active with my family and friends! I look for new ways to push myself to doing different activities!!! And yes...last year was a first for me: 1/2 Marathon with my crazy friend Angela!!
Life is out there to be lived!!! Not to waste it away sitting on the couch wishing for something to be different! You have to be the difference you want to see!!
I will challenge you like I did today for a Weight Watchers meeting: Do something and no matter where you finish, you will beat the people still sitting on the couch!!!
Keep on keeping on!!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
How's The Trip Going So Far?
I don't know how your family is when you are on a trip, but generally we will hear....Are we there yet? or How much farther until....? The same thing goes for your healthy journey! We are all the time getting frustrated with ourselves because we haven't lost x amount of pounds by now.
I want to gently remind you that you didn't get unhealthy or overweight over night and you will not lose all of the weight overnight or in a week!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching the Biggest Loser and have friends that have been participants on the Biggest Loser and they are very quick to tell people that the results are NOT typical! You have to remember that their weigh in weeks are not a 7 day week. You also need to remember that their time on the ranch is consumed with exercising, learning to eat correctly and sleep. They have many hours a day to focus on their fitness and getting healthy.
If you are in the "real world" you don't have 8-10 hours a day to workout!!! I do good to get 15 minutes some days! Sunday night was the premier for the new season for Biggest Loser. They also showed an episode on Monday night. One thing that I decided to do last night instead of just watching was to get on the treadmill and get in some workout time. So instead of only having 15 minutes, I was able to finish the day with 55 minutes of exercise time.
I hear people say quite a bit that they don't have time to exercise. I challenge you to start taking a look at what you do during the day!
1. Does the building that you work in have stairs? Start climbing the stairs during your breaks.
2. Do you drive around at the mall or the grocery store trying to get that PRIME up close parking space? Park at the end of the parking lot and walk! You generally can ALWAYS find a parking space at the end of the parking lot!
3. How much time do you spend watching TV during the day? During the commercials, do jumping jacks, crunches, walk in place. If you have a treadmill or a stationary bike in the room, get on that treadmill or bike during the show.
4. It's to late when I get home from work to walk. Get up 30 minutes early and get a quick walk in around the block. I have noticed that when I exercise first thing in the morning, I usually have more energy for the day.
5. It's too cold in the winter to walk. I know our mall has the door open and the mall marked for the distance for the Mall Walkers!! You can walk a lap around the mall then go shop!
I have also learned that saying I can't means...I won't. I used to be very good at talking myself out of a lot of things!!! I am trying to do better about seeing what I can accomplish now!!!
Make 2013 the trip on the journey of life a most wonderful one!!
Keep on Keeping on!!
I want to gently remind you that you didn't get unhealthy or overweight over night and you will not lose all of the weight overnight or in a week!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching the Biggest Loser and have friends that have been participants on the Biggest Loser and they are very quick to tell people that the results are NOT typical! You have to remember that their weigh in weeks are not a 7 day week. You also need to remember that their time on the ranch is consumed with exercising, learning to eat correctly and sleep. They have many hours a day to focus on their fitness and getting healthy.
If you are in the "real world" you don't have 8-10 hours a day to workout!!! I do good to get 15 minutes some days! Sunday night was the premier for the new season for Biggest Loser. They also showed an episode on Monday night. One thing that I decided to do last night instead of just watching was to get on the treadmill and get in some workout time. So instead of only having 15 minutes, I was able to finish the day with 55 minutes of exercise time.
I hear people say quite a bit that they don't have time to exercise. I challenge you to start taking a look at what you do during the day!
1. Does the building that you work in have stairs? Start climbing the stairs during your breaks.
2. Do you drive around at the mall or the grocery store trying to get that PRIME up close parking space? Park at the end of the parking lot and walk! You generally can ALWAYS find a parking space at the end of the parking lot!
3. How much time do you spend watching TV during the day? During the commercials, do jumping jacks, crunches, walk in place. If you have a treadmill or a stationary bike in the room, get on that treadmill or bike during the show.
4. It's to late when I get home from work to walk. Get up 30 minutes early and get a quick walk in around the block. I have noticed that when I exercise first thing in the morning, I usually have more energy for the day.
5. It's too cold in the winter to walk. I know our mall has the door open and the mall marked for the distance for the Mall Walkers!! You can walk a lap around the mall then go shop!
I have also learned that saying I can't means...I won't. I used to be very good at talking myself out of a lot of things!!! I am trying to do better about seeing what I can accomplish now!!!
Make 2013 the trip on the journey of life a most wonderful one!!
Keep on Keeping on!!
Friday, January 4, 2013
New Year...New Part of the Journey
After having been with my family for the Christmas holiday and being on the road traveling to and from..today was reality day for me. Today was my official weigh in day with my Weight Watcher group.
I knew when we got back from our trip that I had gained a few pounds while I was gone. I kind of expected that result and also I had already been on my Wii Fit and it said so as well. But thankfully, after having gotten back on track after the Christmas journey, I was glad to say that I had only gained 2 pounds over Christmas!
Statistics say that the average person will gain 12 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day!!! I am happy to say that I was below average! I know that as I continue focusing on making the right food choices and getting back on track with my exercise routine, that I will begin making headway into my weight loss goals that I have!
So, if you happened to have fallen off the wagon over the holiday season, it's time to get yourself up, shake yourself off and get back on. Life happens and you have bumps in the road. The question that you have to ask yourself when those times comes is this: Am I just going to forget about it...or do I pick myself up and keep going? I hope you answered that you will pick yourself up and keep going! You are worth the fight to become healthy!!!
What are your goals for the year? Lose weight, stop smoking, become more organized,exercise more? No matter what your goal is, don't stop if you make a mistake or two or twenty..celebrate what you did right..don't dwell on what went wrong!
Don't beat yourself up when you make bad choices...Celebrate the good decisions that you make!
Keep on keeping on!!!
This picture is of me and my cousin Susan. We are two weeks apart!
I knew when we got back from our trip that I had gained a few pounds while I was gone. I kind of expected that result and also I had already been on my Wii Fit and it said so as well. But thankfully, after having gotten back on track after the Christmas journey, I was glad to say that I had only gained 2 pounds over Christmas!
Statistics say that the average person will gain 12 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day!!! I am happy to say that I was below average! I know that as I continue focusing on making the right food choices and getting back on track with my exercise routine, that I will begin making headway into my weight loss goals that I have!
So, if you happened to have fallen off the wagon over the holiday season, it's time to get yourself up, shake yourself off and get back on. Life happens and you have bumps in the road. The question that you have to ask yourself when those times comes is this: Am I just going to forget about it...or do I pick myself up and keep going? I hope you answered that you will pick yourself up and keep going! You are worth the fight to become healthy!!!
What are your goals for the year? Lose weight, stop smoking, become more organized,exercise more? No matter what your goal is, don't stop if you make a mistake or two or twenty..celebrate what you did right..don't dwell on what went wrong!
Don't beat yourself up when you make bad choices...Celebrate the good decisions that you make!
Keep on keeping on!!!
This picture is of me and my cousin Susan. We are two weeks apart!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Quick Gumbo
It's winter time so it's time to bring out the soups, chili's and stew's! We tried this one for dinner tonight at our house and it was a HIT!!! Glad I planned ahead and doubled the recipe!!!! There was not much left!!
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 scallions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1-14 1/2 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh or thawed frozen okra
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 c. long grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 5 oz skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (1/4 pound) piece of reduced-fat kielbasa, cut into 8 slices (I used turkey kielbasa)
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, celery, scallions and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
Stir rice into soup; simmer, covered 15 minutes. Add shrimp, chicken, and kielbasa. Simmer, covered, until shrimp are just opaque in the center, chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
Serving size is 1 1/2 cups
If you are doing Weight Watchers the points for each serving is 7 points plus
Enjoy!!!
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 scallions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1-14 1/2 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh or thawed frozen okra
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 c. long grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 5 oz skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (1/4 pound) piece of reduced-fat kielbasa, cut into 8 slices (I used turkey kielbasa)
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, celery, scallions and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
Stir rice into soup; simmer, covered 15 minutes. Add shrimp, chicken, and kielbasa. Simmer, covered, until shrimp are just opaque in the center, chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
Serving size is 1 1/2 cups
If you are doing Weight Watchers the points for each serving is 7 points plus
Enjoy!!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
What Lies Ahead for the Journey of 2013?
Well here we are on start of a brand new year! Each year everyone starts off making resolutions. They make a list, either short or long, of things that they want to change about their lives. For most, that list usually doesn't last too long!
How many of us resolve to lose weight? I think most everyone I talk to says that they want to lose weight. That usually involves joining a gym. What does that mean? There are no parking spaces at the gym, the treadmills are all full and all of the machines are tough to get on. That generally lasts until the end of February. Then amazingly you walk into the gym and you have your pick of any machine you would like. Why is that? Well frankly I think it is because we don't see the results that we want as fast as we want. We are so used to a "Have it your way" drive through quick fix mentality! Might I suggest...you didn't gain the weight over night...you won't lose it over night.
I want to offer some things that are working for me over this journey that I call life.
I am a Weight Watchers Member. This has been the greatest tool that I have! You can do it online only, or you can attend weekly meetings. I LOVE going to the meetings because you get the support from the other members that are also on this journey. To me it is totally worth the money that I spend each month for my membership.
If you can't afford the monthly membership for Weight Watchers, you can also do My Fitness Pal. I might suggest to you that if you cut back on your eating out, you would be amazed that you could afford a monthly membership to Weight Watchers. My Fitness Pal is free. You can keep track of all of the calories that you consume and the exercise that you do. You can also get a group of your friends together and do that together. If you have a group of friends, you are accountable to each other. That is also a big thing. Having accountability is a HUGE motivator!
I bought my own treadmill last year when they were on sale at the first of the year. We love having it here for those winter months when it is too cold to be outside, or it is raining. We don't use it as much in the late spring, summer early fall. Then we are OUTSIDE!
Run Keeper is another free app for your smart phone. It will keep track of your walks, runs, bike rides etc. You can set goals with this and keep track of your activity.
Check around at your grocery stores. One of our local grocery stores(Hy-Vee) has 2 registered dietitians on staff. They offer helpful tips, recipes and classes. They will go with you around the store and make suggestions for healthy shopping suggestions.
Start with small goals! Don't set such a large goal that will overwhelm you and frustrate you when you possibly fall short of it. Set a weight loss goal of 5 pounds at a time. Reward yourself with a non food reward when you reach those goals. It could be a piece of jewelry, a book by your favorite author, a new outfit, etc.
Do something great for yourselves this year!!! Make small changes along the way!
Remember: You ARE WORTH IT!!!!
Keep on Keeping on!!!
How many of us resolve to lose weight? I think most everyone I talk to says that they want to lose weight. That usually involves joining a gym. What does that mean? There are no parking spaces at the gym, the treadmills are all full and all of the machines are tough to get on. That generally lasts until the end of February. Then amazingly you walk into the gym and you have your pick of any machine you would like. Why is that? Well frankly I think it is because we don't see the results that we want as fast as we want. We are so used to a "Have it your way" drive through quick fix mentality! Might I suggest...you didn't gain the weight over night...you won't lose it over night.
I want to offer some things that are working for me over this journey that I call life.
I am a Weight Watchers Member. This has been the greatest tool that I have! You can do it online only, or you can attend weekly meetings. I LOVE going to the meetings because you get the support from the other members that are also on this journey. To me it is totally worth the money that I spend each month for my membership.
If you can't afford the monthly membership for Weight Watchers, you can also do My Fitness Pal. I might suggest to you that if you cut back on your eating out, you would be amazed that you could afford a monthly membership to Weight Watchers. My Fitness Pal is free. You can keep track of all of the calories that you consume and the exercise that you do. You can also get a group of your friends together and do that together. If you have a group of friends, you are accountable to each other. That is also a big thing. Having accountability is a HUGE motivator!
I bought my own treadmill last year when they were on sale at the first of the year. We love having it here for those winter months when it is too cold to be outside, or it is raining. We don't use it as much in the late spring, summer early fall. Then we are OUTSIDE!
Run Keeper is another free app for your smart phone. It will keep track of your walks, runs, bike rides etc. You can set goals with this and keep track of your activity.
Check around at your grocery stores. One of our local grocery stores(Hy-Vee) has 2 registered dietitians on staff. They offer helpful tips, recipes and classes. They will go with you around the store and make suggestions for healthy shopping suggestions.
Start with small goals! Don't set such a large goal that will overwhelm you and frustrate you when you possibly fall short of it. Set a weight loss goal of 5 pounds at a time. Reward yourself with a non food reward when you reach those goals. It could be a piece of jewelry, a book by your favorite author, a new outfit, etc.
Do something great for yourselves this year!!! Make small changes along the way!
Remember: You ARE WORTH IT!!!!
Keep on Keeping on!!!
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