Weigh in Monday!

Yahoooooo! I went to weight watchers today. I lost 4lbs! I'll say it again! Yahooo! My total is 37.8lbs gone. I am pretty sure this is the most I have ever lost in my life. Certainly not the lowest weight I have ever been in my adult life (that would be 208....there will be more than yahoo screamed when I pass that.) I suppose I should not celebrate that I started the fattest I have ever been.

I have had several people this week tell me they are "inspired" by me and my weight loss. Every time someone says that to me it makes me chuckle. You are inspired by my 200+ pound self!???? Be inspired by someone that never got fat! Be inspired by someone control in their weight before they ate themself to 271lbs! I am happy to share what is working for me though. I feel like weight watchers needs to start giving me a kickback. It is a program that I do believe in.

Last night I got home from work at 1am. I wanted to crawl into bed. I had been scavenging in my house for food for days....and this is when I get into trouble! I made myself go to the grocery store. I made a recipe my sister made up and I tweeked it a bit. It is pretty good. I cooked the full pan then froze individual servings to pull out on lazy cook days! At 4am I was all done and in bed. Today when I pulled it out of my lunch bag I was a happy girl that I had stayed up to cook it. (I am not sure I like the name as that is the U of A colors but since I didnt write the recipe I dont think I can change it!) Here is is:

Red and White Pasta

1 large egg

1.5 cups cottage cheese (I used fiber one's cottage cheese)

1lb turkey kielbalsa, sliced in half then sliced and browned

1 lb pasta, whole wheat

1.5 c cooked carrots (about 6 large carrots)

1 large cooked zuchinni

2 red bell peppers, cut up and cooked

32 oz spaghetti sauce (whole jar)

1 1/2 cup shredded 2% mozzarella cheese

Peel carrots, and cut in slices, Cut the zuchinni and red bell peppers into slices. Add carrots, zuchinni and peppers into a med sauce pan with about 3/4 cup of water (you want there to be enough water to steam veggies.) Cook until fork tender. Add enough water to Puree veggies and water with immersion blender (or regular blender). (I did this in the pan with my immersion blender.) Add more water if puree is too thick-- should be thick, but you need enough liquid for the blender to work. (Exact quantities don't really matter on this item since it is a "free vegetable" anyway) The idea is to "stretch" the quantity of sauce and add more veg in a way that is undetectable to both children and adults....

Beat egg with fork. Mix with cottage cheese. Add a dash of nutmeg. You could also add parsley if you like green flecks. Mix together sauce, veggie puree, meat (already cooked). Heat in saucepan. Cook pasta al dente. Penne work well. Drain. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam spray. Put pasta in pan. Stir in sauce to coat pasta. With large spoon, add blobs of cottage cheese mixture, making depressions for the cottage cheese in between the pasta. This gives this casserole a "red and white" appearance. Top with mozz cheese. Cook covered with aluminum foil in 350 degree oven until hot, cheese melted, and cottage cheese mixture has set (about 30-45 minutes or so). (make sure to cover dish or you will have yucky crunchy pasta) 10 servings, 6 points each.

Tomorrow morning at 7am the emergency department I work in is going from paper charting to digital. I am not worried. Well not too much. I am a bit worried about how the staff that never came in for practice are going to do. I have a few people in mind. I am working 11am-11pm tomorrow. Its going to be hard for me to not put my efforts in with the people that put forth effort to be prepared. Its a catch 22 though....cause the people that came in for help....will need a lot less help tomorrow. Sigh. I guess I am not too worried. There will be some painful parts I am sure but I think it will be fine. I am getting up in the morning to work out before work. I know this will help with the stressful day! Also I make much better food choices on the days I exercise. I dont have any good pictures (I forgot to take pics of the pasta last night and the pics I just took of the cold dish of it in the fridge will not tempt you to make it so I am not posting it.) Here is a picture of my puppy after our walk yesterday! She has been so neglected with me working so much this week so she giddy out on our walk!

On one quick note. I have someone working on a new design for my blog! I am super excited about this. Yesterday I picked out the background and she is now working on the design. I have asked her to make a section for food and recipes so hoping it will be easier for all of you to find older recipes!

Please keep the all of us working tomorrow in your thoughts! Going to be a hard day!

Murn