2.0 down

whew headed in the right direction. still not pretending i know what my body is up to; i'm just going to go with it. 15.4 pounds until goal (i'm giving in to the weight watchers hive mind). i won't be ranting today; don't be scared of the change :p not much to say. this week has been fairly easy. training walks and careful planning/tracking have kept me on ball i guess. although, it is a pre-period week, which means bloating, water retention and constant hunger. i don't know why, but i'm ALWAYS hungry during the week before my period. right now, i'm already thinking about scarfing down a few peanut butter sandwiches two hours before lunch even though i ate my usual breakfast. how will i combat this ravenousness? by posting recipes of course :)


stuffed peppers*
5 bell peppers, red and/or yellow
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
14 oz canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pound extra lean ground beef (at least 93% fat free)
preferred seasoning

preheat oven to 400°F. cut off tops from 4 peppers. remove seeds and set hollow peppers and tops aside. dice remaining bell pepper. combine remaining ingredients, including diced pepper, in a medium bowl. cook beef mixture until almost finished. fill peppers with beef mixture and cover with pepper tops. place in a shallow baking dish and bake until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes.

yields four servings (one pepper for five points). if you have leftover beef, it makes a delicious taco filling

my notes: original recipe called for italian seasoning, which didn't have the right taste to me. i made the beef again using a cayenne pepper mixture i've had for ages. the spice balances nicely with some guacamole and mozzarella cheese. by itself, the beef is one to two points (depending on how big you want your servings), and i use two point (low carb) tortillas


chopped greek salad*

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 black pepper
3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
3 tbsp scallions, sliced
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups cucumbers, diced
6 cups lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

whisk together oil, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in medium bowl. stir in dill and scallions. add tomatoes, cucumber and olives; toss to mix and coat. place 1 1/2 cups of lettuce on each plate. top each with about 3/4 cup of tomato mixture and one tablespoon of feta. spoon any dressing left in bottom of bowl over salads

yields four servings (one salad for three points)

my notes: while it looks yummy, i did not enjoy this salad. the tastes and textures were super unappetizing after the first few bites. i may have used a bit too much dill (it's hard to chop and measure), throwing the balance off. i also prefer creamy vinaigrettes to straight vinaigrette dressing. i have a plan for the remaining dill though :)

*slightly modified weight watchers recipes. i couldn't tell you the calorie, fat, etc breakdown

let me know what you think if you try these. i love getting feedback :)