Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup (slow cooker)

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup (slow cooker)

This cheesy chicken goodness is only 5 WW pts per serving for the soup itself and 3 additional points for the toppers.  The total bowl for two servings of soup is 13 WW pts with toppers and very filling!

1 cup per serving!! 

 

Soup:

5 oz. chicken breast

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp pepper

2 1/2 tbls of taco seasoning

1 can of chicken broth

1 can of 98% cream of chicken soup

6 oz. of 1/3 fat velveeta cheese

1 not drained can of diced tomatoes

1 drained can of low sodium black beans

1 drained can of whole kernel yellow corn

1 drained can of chilies

1/4 a small yellow onion (diced)

1/4 a green pepper (diced)

1 tsp minced garlic

Toppers:

7 baked tortilla chips crumbled

1/4 cup of kraft 2% milk Mexican cheese

Directions:

-Put all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.

-Stir every couple hours to stir the melted cheese around.

-Once the 6 hours are up, take two forks and shred the chicken. 

-Serve with toppers.

1 cup per serving, 140 Calories, 5g fat, 19g carbs, 18g protein, 3.75g fiber.

Beef and Broccoli-5 WW pts

This is by far my favorite Weight Watcher's meal-Beef and Broccoli with rice.  It's really full of flavor and you can pair it with white or brown rice.  One serving is a 1 1/4 cup of beef and broccoli, which is 5 WW pts and I usually do a cup of cooked white rice which is another 5 WW pts.  Usually the entire meal is 10 pts and it's extremely filling.  This is straight from the WW website. 

Beef and Broccoli

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, divided     

1/4 tsp table salt   

3/4 pound(s) uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain

2 tsp canola oil   

1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided   

5 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, florets (about a 12 oz bag)   

1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced   

2 tsp minced garlic   

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste   

1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce   

1/2 cup(s) water   

On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add 1/2 cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits on food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In a cup, stir together soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth, remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and water until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat. Serve. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Italian Grilled Cheese

Today I have to share a tasty lunch I made.  It's 8 WW plus points (8g-fat, 43g-carbs, 20g-protein, 6g-fiber). 

Italian Grilled Cheese
-2 slices of low fat provolone cheese
-1 1/2-2 tablespoons of fat free Italian dressing
-Baby Spinach
-Tomatoes sliced thin
-2 slices of wheat bread

I didn't take a picture of mine, but below is the fatter version of the sandwich made with Italian bread and full fat cheese.  You can find this version at http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/search/label/soups





Directions:

1. Throw a dab of Olive oil in your non-stick skillet and thin it out with a paper towel around the pan.  This will keep the sandwich from sticking. 
2. Spread Italian dressing on one side of the bread for each slice.
3. Place slices of provolone over top of the Italian dressing.
4. Place baby spinach (as much as you desire) and 2 thin slices of tomato on top of the provolone cheese and put the sandwich together so when the cheese melts it will encase the veggies.
5. Heat sandwich on medium heat until lightly brown.

GOALS!

Speaking of goals, here are mine:

·         Lose my first 10 lbs.  – COMPLETED!

·         Get under pre-baby weight

·         Weigh in under 200 lbs

·         Lose 50 lbs

·         Weigh in at 150lbs

·         Reach the BMI for my height and weight

·         Run a 5K

·         Run a half marathon

                  Why are goals important?  Without goals, you have nothing to strive for or anything to hold yourself accountable.  It makes reaching these monumental points even harder to accomplish. If it’s important to you, you will write it down and hold yourself accountable! 

          Saying you wish to lose XXX amount of weight can seem daunting if you don’t break it up into goals.  If it’s a large amount of weight to lose, then you can become frustrated with the amount of time it takes.  Just remember that the weight isn’t going to fall off over night.  Setting smaller goals can help you feel a sense of pride once you accomplish them. 

“Goals help you channel your energy into action”- Les Brown

Skinny Gal Somewhere

Skinny Gal Somewhere is my focus to losing weight.  I feel like if I document my progress then I am held accountable, kind of like joining Weight Watcher’s weekly meetings.  The phrase Skinny Gal Somewhere came to me, because I really don’t feel like I’m that heavy.  I have no problems with my back, my blood pressure and cholesterol are perfect, my feet and legs never bother me, but I am classified as having obesity level 3.  I’m short and heavy, though I don’t feel like I am.  For some reason I look in the mirror and see myself one way, but when I see photos or videos of myself then I feel like I look hideous.  It’s always a reawakening for me to see myself in a different light than how I feel.  I usually get to that point where I avoid cameras at all cost, but then I realize how silly I am being instead of dealing with the situation at hand.        

Have you ever heard the phrase “Fat guy in a little coat”?  I feel like I am that inner skinny gal that’s wearing a fat suit.  Which is the complete opposite, but hopefully you get my point.  So, I’m on a search to find my inner skinny gal, I’ve met her before and we were friends for quite some time until I had a thyroid disorder that caused me to gain 110lbs.  I’m also what I call a constant fluctuatore.  I’m one of those girls that can lose and gain weight so easily.  When I want to lose weight, I have no problem doing so as long as I am in the right mind set. 

My senior year of High School I was able to lose 60 lbs after being dumped by my first boyfriend and first love.  I came into my freshman year of college being the skinniest I had ever been and was able to maintain that weight for about 2 years, but over time I got comfortable and when I hit my middle 20’s I discovered the fabulous taste of beer.  I escalated from 123lbs to 265lbs after going through my thyroid ordeal and being stuck in a horrible marriage in which I was depressed.

Once I decided enough was enough and exited my horrible relationship with my first husband, I was able to lose 51 lbs before getting pregnant with my daughter Brynn.   I did gain about 50lbs while being pregnant and was able to lose 34lbs within the first 3 weeks.  I was concerned about my breast milk, so I decided that I wouldn’t try losing weight until I was done with nursing my daughter. 

Well, after about 4 1/2 months I got tired of looking at the heavier me, so now I’ve started trying again.  I usually do diabetic diets, but since I am still breastfeeding I decided to do Weight Watchers for the time to get me started.  So far after 17 days, I have lost 10 lbs.  I started at 234 and I am down to 224 as of today.  I met my first short goal, but many more to go!!    

A Little About Myself

                I’ve started entertaining myself at work by reading blogs.  It’s something that can keep the time moving and I don’t have to look at the clock every 5 mins.  With my job, I literally spend about 10 hours a week doing actual work while the other 30 hours a week are spent finding unproductive things to do on the internet.  What do I do you ask?  I work as a sale’s recruiter for a proprietary college, in which we have too many representatives and very little inquiries.  I’ve been very lucky to keep my job through the recession.  With my previous “career paths”, I’ve been in positions where I’ve been so busy that I can’t hardly keep up through the days.  I decided to take my current “career path” because it is 4 miles from my house and my previous position was about 40 miles from my house. 

I’m seriously at a loss for words with how boring it gets around here at times.  I facebook, check my email, get some laughs from failblog, pin on pinterest, check my bank account, etc.  It’s so bad that I run out of “fun” things to do on the internet.  My husband tells me that I have the “dream job”, because he spends all his time at home playing internet games which I have no interest in playing.   He tells me that he would love to spend all day “playing”, but this isn’t my character.  I’m a worker; I like to stay busy so that I don’t have to spend time watching the clock until the end of my shift.  I’m so unproductive at work that I want to be lazy when I get home.  Why do I stay since I am so unhappy?  It’s mostly due to the fact that I get a decent size paycheck.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not rich by any means, but with this economy, no one will pay me what I am making currently (trust me, I’ve been looking).  It’s the only reason why all of my co-workers stay here too.   We usually have nothing to do on a daily basis, get bullied by our company, and sit in a chair for 8 hours a day.  Who would want this???   

So, in the end I’ve decided to start a blog to keep me a little bit busier throughout the day than I usually am.  Hi, my name is Stephanie.  I just became a mother this past year to my beautiful daughter Brynn.  She is currently 4 ½ months old now.  I also have a step daughter from my husband’s previous marriage, her name is Samantha.  We’re that typical family of four with an inside pet-dog.  So, the details of my blog will mainly focus on finding my “skinny gal”, but occasionally I will throw in fun stuff about my family and friends. Here are a few pictures of my family:

                                          My daughter, Brynnie-Boo

                                           My husband and I before I had Brynn.
 

                                                 My daughter and I, she was 1 mth old here.    

                                                   Family photo 

                                                  My stepdaughter, Samantha and Brynn.