Trials of a Long Haired Girl

  Happy Wednesday friends!  We tried a new recipe a few weeks ago and liked it enough to add it to our meal planning rotation.  I wanted to share it with you.  Sometimes we have to tweak things to make it a little more WW friendly. 2 oz/2 Tbsp of KerryGold Butter 4 Pepperoncinis peppers with about a Tbsp of the juice 1 oz of McCormick's ranch dressing seasoning  1 packet Chicken gravy mix packet 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast 1/2 cup water 1. Place all the ingredient in your slow cooker 2. Cook on low for 8 hours. 3. Remove and shred chicken. We had it with some steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes made with Fat Free Greek Yogurt.  We all enjoyed this greatly and ate leftovers until they were gone!  I hope you enjoy as much as we did!  I used this recipe as my guide .  This can be done in the InstantPot as well, but we've done it in the Crock-Pot.  Although she says it isn't necessary to add the water, because I didn't add all...

  Monday already?  Well, yes, it is!  I am feeling more prepared for this week than last week!  I am on MyWW Purple. Breakfasts this week: Mom-lets with Canadian Bacon, bacon bits and a little cheese with cheesy hash browns for 2 days.  I will have 2 Mom-lets and then a serving of the hashbrowns. I will likely have oatmeal 2 days and then will probably "wing it" with an egg in a basket for a day. Lunches will likely be leftovers from dinner. Dinner plan this week is as follows, but as always is subject to change without notice. Monday: Pumpkin Soup, possibly some crescents on the side. Tuesday: Chicken Fajita Pasta (Instant Pot) Wednesday: Cheeseburger and Tot Casserole (Casserole Crock) Thursday: Chili Mac (Instant Pot) Friday: Chicken Ranch Bake with veggies I really don't have a plan for Saturday and Sunday yet.   Having a plan is going to be a big help for this week and keeping me on my plan.  How are you setting yourself up for success? Hav...

  A big THANK YOU to Kim over at  A Girl and Her Phone  for putting together this collaboration!  This time we are doing our favorite Instant Pot recipe.  I will be honest and say that I have not made Fried Rice in the Instant Pot before but it is a family favorite!  I used this  Easy Instant Pot Hibachi Fried Rice  as my guide.  We had brown basmati rice that had already been cooked that I needed to use, as well as some shredded chicken that I had on hand.  Also, I used the veggies from a Stir Fry Teriyaki Kit but not the sauce.  This was definitely a good choice for my crew!  Looking forward to making this again!   Here's how I modified the recipe to make it work for me: Sesame oil - 1Tbsp Bragg Organic coconut liquid aminos - 3 Tbsp Unsalted butter - 1Tbsp Egg(s) - 4item(s) Stir fry vegetables without sauce - 9 cup(s) Cooked brown rice - 4 cup(s) Cooked skinless boneless chicken breast(s) - 8oz I added the sesame o...

  Happy hump day friends!  Now that I have finally gotten an Instant Pot, I'm determined to use it more often.  I was craving Philly Cheese Steak so I hit up Pinterest and found this Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta .  It was pretty tasty!   Ingredients:  1 lb ground beef 1 cup of onion - diced 1/2 tablespoon garlic - minced 1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup of bell pepper - chopped 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 cups beef broth 8 oz pasta - ziti, penne, shell. It is not recommended to use egg noodles. 6 oz provolone cheese - sliced I had already browned my ground beef during meal prep so I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  The original recipe calls for Olive Oil, but I didn't use it and just sprayed my IP with Avocado Oil.   Put your already browned ground beef into the IP.  Add the onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and green...

 Day 1, how did I do?   Blue Dot? Yes! Water (112 oz)? Yes! Workout (90 min total)? Yes!  1 45 minute workout and 3 10 minute workouts and 1 15 minute workout. Read? I will be doing that in a few minutes  so I'm going to check that off! Photo? Yes! 

  When you get frustrated with how you are doing on your weight loss journey, you have big choices to make!  You have to make the decision to continue doing what you have been doing or make changes.  For me, I'm frustrated with my progress, or lack thereof, lately, so I decided I'm going to do a version of the 75 Day Challenge for myself.  I will not be following the Challenge as it's written, but I have some goals I will be striving for during the next 75 days.   For the next 75 days, I will be focusing on: 1. Blue Dots each day following MyWW. 2. Drinking 4-28 oz. cups of water. 3. Workouts for 90 minutes each day.  It may be broken up during the course of the day. 4. Reading - 15 minutes per day. 5. Progress Photos Daily. I've created a checklist based on my specifics.  I am excited because I tend to start strong and then it fizzles.  I think this will definitely help.  I'll be trying to blog to keep me accountable.  Care to join...

  Mom's Meatloaf, Crockpot Edition 1 medium onion(s), Diced 2 Egg(s) 1 cup Panko 15 oz Can Tomato Sauce 1 cup Bell pepper(s) ( I think I did closer to 2 cups) 20 oz. pkg of Kirkland Signature Organic ground beef Mix all the ingredients together, except the tomato sauce. Place in the crockpot (I use a liner for easy removal). Cook on low for 8 hours. Green: 5 Points Blue: 4 Pounts Purple: 4 Points

Mexican Chicken Spaghetti 2 chicken breasts approx 1 lbs., boneless, skinless, cut into cubes 1 medium onion diced 2 cans rotel 2 cans cream of chicken soup 8 oz spaghetti noodles uncooked, broken into thirds (basically half a box you'd find in the store) 8 oz Cheddar Cheese, cubed 1 c chicken broth Add onions and cubed chicken into your pot, spread out across the bottom.  Use the Saute feature to cook the chicken a little (so that the outsides turn white). Pour 1 can of Rotel over this mixture Break your noodles into 3 equal parts (so they’re shorter) and sprinkle them on top don’t throw in in big chunks because they’ll come out clumped too, sprinkle Then pour your 2nd can of Rotel over the noodles In a bowl whisk together cans of cream of chicken, mushroom, and broth until smooth Carefully pour into your pot Close lid and steam valve and set to pressure cook, high for 8 minutes Quick releasing the pressure when done cooking the chicken and noodles is best Remove the lid after coo...

Happy Memorial Day friends!  Dinner plan for this week: Monday: Burgers Tuesday: Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Wednesday: Lazy Man Lasagna and garlic bread Thursday: Hamburger Stroganoff Friday: Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole Probably over the weekend, we'll have pizza or fish sticks, but we'll see. Breakfasts are yet undecided.  I am toying with an idea for a new to me overnight oats recipe, so I may try that and maybe some more of the strawberry shortcake overnight oats.  Nice to have a variety. Lunches, salads and sandwiches for me, most likely. Hope everyone had a great week! 

Our dinner plan for this week, although, as I always say, these are subject to change without notice. Monday: Twice Baked Potatoes and salad Tuesday: Taco Casserole Wednesday: Lazy Man Lasagna and garlic bread Thursday: Chicken and Broccolli Rice Casserole Friday: Fish Sticks and Mac and Cheese and a yet unnamed veggie. For breakfast, at least 2 days this week, I made a variation of the Birthday Cake Overnight Oats using what I had on hand.  I think I may have to adjust the recipe a little bit as it may be a little too sweet.  Most likely eggs for the rest of the week. Lunches for me, probably salads or sandwiches. Snacks, garlic hummus, veggies and fruit and yogurt/vanilla yogurt mix. If you want to see me talk about it on video, you can find that  here .

Hi y'all!  Welcome to my part of the collab!  I made a sheetpan chicken and veggies topped with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. This is what I did: 1 pound Chicken Breast 16 oz. of Simple Truth Broccoli and Cauliflower blend (I think it's a steamable bag) 3/4 pound of potatoes.  I think it was originally a pound worth but several were bad. 1 pound of asparagus Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I chopped my veggies and diced my chicken into small chunks.  I sprayed my veggies with Chosen Foods Avocado Oil spray.  Then added my chicken and topped liberally with the Everything But the Bagel seasoning.  Cooked for 30 minutes. MyWWGreen - 3 Points MyWWBlue - 1 Point MyWWPurple - 0 Points

Happy Monday friends!  I'm back to share my meal plan for this week. Monday - Cheeseburger & Tot Casserole Tuesday - Taco Salad Wednesday - Lentil Chili Frito Pie Thursday - Cod and roasted veggies Friday - 2 Ingredient Dough Pizza After the rough week this past week, being hit with a migraine and knocking me off my streak, it was frustrating.  Thankfully, I didn't gain a ton, slightly less than 0.5 lbs.   So goes the plan for this week.  I'm determined to focus on the eating the zero point foods this week.  The Cheeseburger & Tot Casserole isn't super low in points, but that's part of why I'm having it earlier in the week.  However, I will have the points for that.  I feel more in control of things this week. What is on your meal plan for this week? I'm excited to hear!  Have a great week!

Meatless Lazy Man Lasagna 8 oz. of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta 15 oz. of Ricotta Cheese 4 oz. Mozzarella and 4 oz. of Parm Italian Seasoning approximately 3 cups of Homemade Marinara Sauce that I cooked up in my slow cooker. I mixed the Mozzarella and Parm together. After the pasta was cooked, while it was draining, I mixed the Ricotta Cheese with some Italian Seasoning.  Then mixed the cooked noodles in with it.  Added some sauce, some of the noodle/cheese mixture, topped with the mozzarella/parm mixture then repeated.  After two layers, I put what was left of the cheese on top and cooked on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.   I actually put mine in the freezer, but it'll be so tasty when the time comes to have it.   💚 -7 💙 -7 💜 -5

Hi Friends!  Hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day!  Our actual Valentine's Day was pretty ordinary.  Saturday evening, we went to dinner with some other couples from our church and Sunday we headed to Painting with a Twist for a fun couple's painting.   For now, our meal plan is as follows: Monday: Burgers, fixings and tater tots or fries. Tuesday: Homemade Burrito Supreme, Spanish Rice and refried beans Wednesday: Beans and special Cornbread Thursday: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Friday: 2 Ingredient Dough Pizzas No plans for Saturday or Sunday, but that seems to be fairly normal for me.  We have a wedding to attend on Saturday for some church friends.

Happy Hump day friends!  It's time again for a What's Cookin' Wednesday!  I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  My recipe sharing this week is for a Denver Omelette Inspired Breakfast Casserole with potatoes. 1 dozen eggs approximate 1/4 cup of Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk, no sugar added approximately 1/2 cup of bell peppers, Diced.  I used a a little bit of a green, red and yellow approximately 1/2 cup of uncooked onion, Diced. 2 oz. of Trader Joe's Lite shredded 3 cheese blend with mozzarella, Monterey Jack, & cheddar 4 oz. Simple Truth Cooked uncured diced ham 10 oz. of Simply Potatoes Diced potatoes  - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.    - While your oven is preheating, crack your eggs in a bowl and scramble using a whisk or a fork. Add the half and half and make sure it is well mixed.  - Then add in your diced bell pepper, your diced onion and your diced ham. Mix to combine.  - Top with cheese and put...

Hi friends!  Welcome back to Meal Planning Monday!  What's on the menu this week?  The dinner plan for this week is as follows: Monday: Homemade Burrito Supreme and Spanish Rice Tuesday: Lazy Man Lasagna, Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread or Garlic Rolls Wednesday: Lentil Tortilla Soup Thursday: Copycat Zuppa Toscana Crockpot Soup Friday: Homemade Pizza Night with Caesar Salad Saturday: Cod, roasted veggie and either roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes. Breakfast for me will be a Denver Omelette Inspired Breakfast Casserole.  Lunches will be a chicken burrito bowl or sheetpan chicken or leftovers. I have Honeycrisp Apples, Halos and Strawberries and Blueberries for snacks this week.  Hoping the fruit will help my sweets craving.  What's on your meal plan for the week?  I'd love to hear!

Happy Monday friends!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I thought I'd take a moment to share my meal plan for this week. Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread Veggie Pizza Lentil Tortilla Soup Veggie Plate Fried Rice Cod, Broccoli and roasted potatoes As always, this plan is subject to change without notice.  I made a pancake bake and will likely make another or a breakfast casserole to get me through the rest of the week.  I am determined to make it a good week!  What's on the menu for you this week?

Happy Hump day friends!  It's time again for a What's Cooking Wednesday!  Today I am sharing with you how I changed up this  S low Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole .  Between trying to use up stuff in my freezers, pantry and fridge and allergies for those in my house, I modified the recipe to make it fit better for us.   I modified it as follows: 1 Can (10.5 oz) of Campbell's Condensed cream of chicken soup 1 13 oz. pkg of Eckrich Skinless smoked turkey sausage , chopped 1/2 cup(s), Diced  uncooked onion(s) 1 cup  Silk Cashewmilk, Unsweetened, No Sugar Added 1 Can (10.5 oz) of   Campbell's Cheddar cheese condensed soup 2 cup(s)  Our Family French cut green beans, fresh frozen 32 oz  Ore Ida Diced potatoes Combine hash browns, smoked sausage, onion, and 2 cups of the cheese in a greased slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine cream of chicken, cheddar cheese soup milk, salt and pepper. Pour over hash brown mix....

Happy Hump day friends!  It's time again for a What's Cooking Wednesday!  Today I am sharing with you how I changed up this  Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta  for the crockpot.  Between trying to use up stuff in my freezers, pantry and fridge and allergies for those in my house, I modified the recipe to make it fit better for us.   I modified it as follows: 1 cup uncooked bell pepper(s), d iced 3 Tbsp  reduced sodium taco seasoning 12 oz.  uncooked whole wheat pasta 1 cup,   uncooked onion(s), c hopped 20 oz  uncooked ground bison 3 cups h omemade chicken stock (skimmed of fat) 15 oz can of  Simple Truth Organic black beans 1 cup of  Trader Joe's Mexican style shredded cheese Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, stirring often, until browned. Drain and then transfer beef to slow cooker. Add the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, salsa, taco seasoning...

Happy Monday friends!  I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend!  I was determined to have 5 Blue Dot days this past week.  I had a loss of 2.8 pounds this week. Unfortunately, while I did make some progress with using some things up, I didn't stop to think about how many servings those recipes would make.  We wound up having leftovers because there was just too much food. I planned the following: Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe - Crockpot Copycat Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta Crispy Baked Cod with Cheesy Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli Stromboli We had: Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe - Crockpot Copycat Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta Stromboli Here's what I can tell you about the new recipes I tried last week.   The Zuppa Toscana soup was a winner!   👍👍 Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta was also a winner!  ?...

Happy Saturday friends!  Hope y'all have had a good week!  This week I managed to get 5 Blue Dots this week, which is a good thing.  In focusing on the Blue Dots this week, I managed to see a loss on the scale!  I was a little shocked but I managed to get down 2.8 this week.  Did I hit 16 points everyday this week?  No, I did not.  I was over several days this week, but I did manage to get a Blue Dot Monday through Friday.  Gearing up and trying to focus on staying on plan this week so I will maybe see a loss next week.  If I lose 0.5 this coming week, I will be in a whole new weight decade!  This is an all new low for me since we have been married. I am super excited! 

Happy Hump day friends!  It's time again for a What's Cooking Wednesday!  Today I am sharing with you how I changed up this Olive Garden Copycat Recipe for the Zuppa Toscana for the crockpot.  However, I am trying to use up stuff in my freezers, pantry and fridge so I modified the recipe using what I have on hand and trying to purchase as little as possible. I modified it as follows: Simple Truth Traditional turkey sausage, 16 oz. browned uncooked onion(s),  3/4 cup Kirkland Signature Sliced bacon,  6 slices, diced minced garlic,  1 tsp chicken stock, 4 cups Simply Potatoes Diced potatoes,  1 cup Kale/Spinach Mix - 2 cups Kroger Half and Half - 3/4 cup Cook your sausage in a large skillet and brown over medium heat. Drain and set aside Place your onion and bacon to the skillet and saute over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Place sausage, onions, bacon and garlic in your crock pot along with broth and potatoes. Cook on...

Happy Monday friends!  I hope that you have had a wonderful weekend!  After my gain this week, I'm determined to have a good on plan week!  I have reviewed some recipes and I'm also trying to use up some of the food that we have in the fridge and freezer and pantry before I try to get some meal prepping done later this month.  While I am sharing the recipe links to the ones I'm using, I am modifying some in order to use up some of the foods I currently have in my fridge and freezer.  Admittedly, I will have to buy some things at the store, I don't think it will be a really expensive trip. Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe - Crockpot Copycat Slow Cooker Sausage and Potato Casserole Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken Easy Slow Cooker Taco Pasta Crispy Baked Cod with Cheesy Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli Stromboli My plan is to make some of the 2 Ingredient Dough bread sticks as shown by Kathy over at  Kathy's WW Journey   I have been hes...

Happy Saturday Friends!  I hope everyone had a great week.  I have been sick this week.  I finally called my allergy doctor when her office reopened after the holiday since she takes care of me from the waist up (to include the lungs) as I have gotten upper respiratory infections and such pretty much every year around this time and I take allergy shots these days to help with this problem.  Thankfully my sweet husband took care of our New Year's Day dinner.   Honestly, most days I was within my points.  However, the night before weigh in, my sweet husband said I still want pizza, can this be a thing?  Yes, we got pizza.  It was very tasty but I ate too much.  I am proud of the fact that I tracked though.   Overall, I'm not sure that this weigh in is a great representation of what I have done this week, but it's okay because it will catch up.   I am also pondering doing 5 nights of dinners or some "fr...