Friday Weigh in and Portion Sizes

Today is Friday and that means weigh in! I didn't do as well as I thought, but I still lost half a pound. As long as you move in the right direction and never give up, then I think that's what really counts though.

My mom has recently found a pair of jeans that she loves and so she ended up buying a pair for me too. We happen to be the same size right now so she also bought an extra pair, one size too small, and said that the deal is, whoever fits into them first will get them! Sounds like a fun deal to me! So I've got to get on that!

As I was scanning around the wonderful world of iPhone apps yesterday, I discovered Flipboard. It is amazing. So I got it all set up to read different articles on food and health and fitness and other similar topics. I found this article in Women's Health Magazine on portion sizes that I thought was pretty interesting.

For example:

This example only works for a woman's hand because obviously a man's hand would be much larger, but it gives you a quick reference for when you don't have your measuring cups handy.


This one comes in very handy because I never know how much cheese is 1 ounce. Everybody knows how big a pair of dice are though. So this comes in very useful.

The article does recommend serving sizes for some foods that I wouldn't recommend like the fruit juice and the cereals, which are basically all sugar, but you can still get an idea of approximate sizes and how to figure it out when you're dining at a friend's house or somewhere without proper measuring tools.

To read the full article from Women's Health Magazine, click: HERE!

Recipe: Turkey Taco Chili (from SkinnyTaste.com)

I'd like to share one of my all time favorite chili recipes with you. It's a go-to recipe when you want that warm, comfort food without the guilt. Chili, in general, is a great comfort food, but this recipe is so yummy that everyone in the family will love it! I found it on the Skinny Taste website and now have it bookmarked so I never lose it. It's that good!





Turkey Chili Taco Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 198.8 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 29.7 g • Fiber: 7.0 g  • Protein: 19.5 g
 

• 1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 15 oz canned or frozen corn, drained
• 15 oz kidney beans, drained
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 16 oz fat free refried beans (I use regular refried beans)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own with this recipe)
• 2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth (again, I don't use the fat-free version)

In a large pot, brown turkey on medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, add onions and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, taco seasoning and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with a few baked tortilla chips and your favorite toppings such as low fat sour cream, jalapeños, reduced fat cheese, chopped scallions,  onions, or chopped fresh cilantro. Freeze leftovers in individual portions for future meals.

This is another recipe that I would highly recommend doubling and freezing some for later because it's so good that I am sure it won't last long. I also think it's great to use for breakfast with an egg or two fried up on top. I hope you enjoy!

Potato and Veggie Stir Fry Recipe

I'm going to try to post a recipe or two each week as I get into writing more. Some of them will be recipes that I've come up with and some will be recipes that I've gotten from some of the great blogs and webpages that I like to follow. I have to admit that I don't typically follow a recipe when I cook, but instead end up "guestimating" the amounts and maybe increasing or decreasing them. For example, I LOVE onions so any recipe that calls for 1/2 of an onion will end up getting an entire onion in it. I just figure you can't go wrong with more onion! For the sake of the blog, I'll try to keep track of the amounts I use in case any of you would like to try them out yourself.

For today, I'd like to share one of my main go-to side dishes for a lot of meals. As I've gotten a better grasp on eating clean, I've resorted to a few staple meals and side dishes and have been branching out and getting more creative as I go. So when I don't have a lot of time and don't feel like being too terribly creative, I make my potato/veggie stir fry side dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium potatoes (diced, can peel first or leave skin on)

• 1 medium onion (diced)

• 1 (16 oz) bag of frozen vegetable stir fry (I use Great Value brand, but any will do)

• 1/4 cup chopped cheese of your choice (go for the good cheese, with just a few ingredients)
•  Coconut or Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Italian Seasoning to taste
• Onion Powder to taste

Directions:

• Heat up a pan with a little bit of olive oil or coconut oil
• Add the onions and potatoes
• Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until mostly cooked, stirring occasionally
• Add frozen vegetables
• Cook another 10 minutes or until everything has cooked through and is soft, stirring occasionally
• Add cheese and cook 2 minutes or until it has melted

* May need to add more oil as you cook
* Again, I haven't measured the spices I use while I'm cooking, so you can feel free to play around there
* Serves 2 - 3 (we like big servings)

Typically, I pair this stir fry with a piece of chicken or pork chops and then make a salad on the side. The meat serving is usually 3 - 4 oz (or about the size and thickness of your palm) and the potato/veggie stir fry will take up most of the plate. It is delicious, full of different vegetables, will leave you full, and you can save the leftovers for breakfast the next morning!

I'm always open to suggestions or comments if anyone finds a yummy substitute or can recommend another recipe, so feel free to share!