Chicken Creole

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, cooked, and cut into 1” cubes
  
  


• 1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
  
  


• 1 cup chili sauce
  
  


• 1½ cups green pepper, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup celery, chopped
  
  


• ½ onion, chopped
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  


• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  
  


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  
  


• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  
  


• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
  

Preparation:

• Sauté onion and garlic in vegetable oil in a deep skillet for about 5 minutes.
  
  


• Add remaining ingredients to skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered about 10 minutes.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (311 g)): 217 Calories, 16 g Protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 34 mg cholesterol, 1037 mg sodium

Quick Cassoulet

(makes 5 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion cut into wedges
  
  


• 6 oz. lean, boneless pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
  
  


• 1 large onion cut into wedges
  
  


• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  
  


• ½ tsp dried basil, crushed
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  
  


• ¼ cup dry white wine or reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  
  


• 1 (15 oz.) can Great Northern or Navy beans, drained
  
  


• 3 tomatoes, diced
  
  


• 6 oz. fully cooked, low-fat smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
  
  


• 1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley
  
  


• Nonstick, low-fat cooking spray
  
  

Preparation:

• Lightly coat a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high.
  
  


• Add pork and cook until lightly browned (about 3 minutes).
  
  


• Add carrots, onion, garlic, ½ cup broth and basil. Bring to boiling then reduce heat and simmer until pork and vegetables are tender (about 7 to 8 minutes).
  
  


• Add beans, wine or broth and tomatoes.
  
  


• Mash beans slightly, add sausage. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes before serving.
  
  


• Sprinkle parsley over the top, and serve.
  
  

Make 5 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/5 of recipe (318 g)): 281 Calories, 2 g Protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 6 g Dietary Fiber, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 41 mg cholesterol, 746 mg sodium

Kindness Matters

Original photo by Kaye Bailey Copyright 2011

Lemon Chicken Soup: Comforting & Delicious

I found this recipe in Prevention magazine and was intrigued by the addition of two eggs at the end of cooking. This method is similar to egg drop soup but I had never considered adding an egg to a more hearty soup. The result was a fresh and light chicken soup with a creamy texture thanks to the addition of eggs. Each 2-cup standard serving has 49g protein so a WLS portion of 1-cup has about 25g

Black Beans and Rice

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
  
  


• ½ onion, chopped
  
  


• 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  
  


• 2 cups cooked rice, cooled to room temperature
  
  


• 1 (15oz.) can black beans, or about 2 cups of home-cooked black beans
  
  


• 1 cup broccoli florettes, chopped
  
  


• 1 cup tomato, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
  
  


• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  
  

Preparation:

• Sauté onions and garlic in oil for 3 minutes.
  
  


• Add rice, broccoli and beans. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli turns bright green.
  
  


• Stir in tomato and cilantro.
  
  


• Sprinkle cheese over mixture and let melt.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (273 g)): 341 Calories, 17 g Protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 10 g Dietary Fiber, 11 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium

Barbecued Salmon

(makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds salmon
  
  


• 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
  
  


• ½ tsp dried dill or basil (fresh herbs may be used)
  
  


• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
  


• 1 tbsp lemon juice
  
  


• pepper to taste
  
  


• Salt to taste (Nutrition Facts are calculated without added salt)
  
  

Preparation:

• Prepare grill.
  
  


• Combine oil, herbs, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small-sized bowl.
  
  


• Brush salmon with herbed mixture.
  
  


• Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until done. (the fish flakes easily with a fork.)
  
  

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(1/6 of recipe (121 g)): 232 Calories, 24 g Protein, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g Dietary Fiber, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 53 mg sodium

Into every life a little rain must fall

The Rainy Day

Written at the old home in Portland, Maine by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

I've written several posts this past week, each one sadder and more depressing than the previous one. I didn't publish any of them. I couldn't bring myself to share my sadness with the world.

This morning I had written an entire post about the misery of my life. I had started it with the poem above. My work, marriage, dieting...everything seem broken beyond repair.

Then the strangest thing happened. After working from home during the morning, on a project that I've been struggling with for the last week, I decided to drive into the office. Someone that I use to work with that's on another team emailed me, asking if I was still having a problem on my project. I told him yes, I was struggling. He said he'd be in the office today and if I wanted, he'd come by my desk and seek if he could help. I quickly showered, dressed, and headed off to the office.

When I left my house at noon, the sky was dark and dreary, it was raining and the wind was blowing. I felt like the weather perfectly matched my mood.

As I drove the twelve miles to my office, the skies opened open, and there, in all it's glory was the sun. I hadn't seen the sun for at least a week, maybe longer. I really can't remember the last time it wasn't raining. For the last ten minutes of my commute, the sun was shining, I felt my mood lift. Suddenly things didn't seem so hopeless and impossible.

I'd actually made a lot of headway on my project this morning, before I received the email from my friend. I still had a few things I was still having trouble figuring out, and I knew he'd know the answers, and fortunately for me, he did.

The thing I'm working on wasn't really my project until last Wednesday. Someone else was working on it for the last several months. Without going into much detail, I was asked to take it over and get it finished quickly. One of my coworkers often teases me that when I get in a situation like this one,  I always pull a rabbit out of my hat and get the job done. This time I was really feeling like I couldn't pull it off. I've always thought that one day there was going to be something I couldn't figure out. I'm happy to say this wasn't it. I'll be finished in a couple days.

As quickly as my work situation improved, everything else seemed to fall into place. My husband is being super sweet, feeling bad for me because I'd worked last weekend, and several evenings the past week.

Today, for the first time in several days I ate perfectly on plan. I haven't been eating terrible, no Easter candy, no Cadbury eggs, but as usual, my portions are too large, and I was eating to much fruit (can we say bananas). It all adds up, a calorie is a calorie, and I know I can't eat unlimited amounts of fruit.

It's funny how everything that seemed so bad now suddenly seems good. In every life a little rain must fall, but like Longfellow said, the sun is still there behind the clouds. And into ever life a little sun must shine.