3 Point Pasta Dish

I didn't post a recipe yesterday, but noted that I may do one soon. Well, today is the day! I made up a dish for dinner, and it was so fabulous that I wanted to share it! It doesn't have a name...leave a comment with what you think we could call it! Here it is:

Unnamed Pasta Dish

4 flavored Chicken Sausages, Cooked and Sliced (I used spinach/asiago from Sam's)
1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers, Drained and Sliced
1/2 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 tsp. dried minced garlic (or 2-3 fresh cloves minced)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. Fat Free Balsamic Vinegar salad dressing
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 box Penne Pasta (Ronzoni Smart Taste)

Cook pasta until al dente. In the meantime, saute sausage, red peppers, spinach leaves, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper, and basil together until spinach is wilted. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it, put back in pan, and then toss it with the balsamic dressing. Add the sauteed mixture and stir. Top with Parmesan cheese. This made 10 cups @ 3 points per cup.

My husband and I both ate 3 cups. If you like artichokes they would be really good in this, but my husband doesn't, so I didn't. Adjust points accordingly if you add them, of course. We grilled out on Sunday, so I had Bill grill the sausages then and just reheated them in the saute tonight. They don't have to be grilled. That's the reason that I said use 4, when they come in 5 packs--we split one the night we grilled. :)

Let me know if you try it out or find a great tweak for it!

Lacey Update

Well hello! I was planning for a much different post today...but my weigh in this morning was minus three pounds! I was so surprised, since it was my birthday this week, and I did indulge a little. I believe Brooke was down three pounds this week too! We both rock...and all of you out there on the journey with us do too!

Since I last wrote I went on vacation. My goal for the vacation was just to not gain weight. A day or two into that, I realized that may not happen. It was harder than I thought, for many reasons like the fact that I have to have caffeine in the morning, which I currently fulfill with iced tea. But, I didn't have that on vacation, so soda it was. In addition, I didn't have spray butter, or ff sour cream and mayo, etc. So much eating out was bound to be trouble...and it was! I weighed before leaving for vacation and when I returned...4 pounds gained! But, thankfully it must have been a lot of water weight, because by my real weigh in, I was down a pound from the previous weigh in two weeks prior.

So, now I am at 20.8 lb. lost since I started 2/11. I'm headed to the doctor this morning, and am anxious to see the difference on their scale, since my last visit was prior to WW, but I gave up soda before joining WW. I just wonder what I'll see!

I would like to share some tips or a recipe, but have to go get in the shower! Perhaps a little later! :)

Happy Birthday Lacey!

Happy Birthday Lacey! Enjoy your special day and may God continue to bless your life and the years to come!

Biggest Loser and my thoughts.

I have been a fan of the Biggest Loser NBC show since season 2, I started to watch this show and I was HOOKED! The second year I sent off to Iowa to apply for season three, and no luck but I did meet Matt Hoover (Season 2 winner). I also sent off an amazing video that a friend put together for me, it was AWESOME! Someday if I ever figure out where it is I will upload it because it was pretty good...and well, we are getting honest here since this is Lacey and I journey. Last year work had a Biggest Loser contest that I have talked a little about in the about me. I placed fifth out of all my co-workers at my job and we had maybe over 100 people? I am competitive, it's in my blood! If you know me I like to win and my brother is way more competitive then me. So, every once in a while I have these moments where I know that I should have been on the show, but that is not the journey God took me on. I was watching tonight and my girl Kristen was sent home. My heart was very sad for her journey to end on the show, but she still has a chance to return at the finally. If you don't watch the show or didn't see tonight she was at the end making a talk to an audience...and I had this moment.....THAT IS WHAT I WANT. I want to be able to touch and encourage people with my weight loss. Years and years of yo-yo and off and on...but now things have changed for me. I mean deep down they have for the first time I can feel myself changing and I honestly know that I deserve it, I really do. I had so many complements in the last few days about my weight and one of my bosses said "Brooke, you are looking skinny." Man, I was glowing from ear to ear...it has been a very long time that I have been this weight. I would imagine that it has been maybe nine years or more. I am not sure if I will ever had a large audience to share my journey but I know that I am excited and know just like Kristen, I AM WORTH IT TOO!

Brooke
PS WHERE IS LACEY?

Brooke Weigh-in and "in the dark week"

As Lacey said "Long time no blog"...so, I am here now! I had a horrible weigh-in the day after my b-day and I was upset! I did "everything right" well, except that trip to Cold-Stone on my b-day but I worked hard on my points and exercise and planned for the trip.

I was so stressed out from wanting a good weigh in that I gained! I went up +2.6.

I was frustrated and planed out my week planning for my b-day. My leader told me to keep thinking of the scale and the weigh-in, so every meal I DID! I was even in the Culvers parking lot calling one of my friends asking what on earth can I eat that is "fast food" ready to have a melt down from Salads. I ended up at Wendy's with a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger w/mayo and all the fixings-baked potato and small chili to put on my tater Total Points 16.5 not shabby for fast food and not to shabby for a cheap fast food meal.

I gave it my all and still a gain. My cloths were fitting better and I got a shirt months ago that I couldn't wear it fit, so what was the deal? I blame STRESS! I did not have a weigh-in this week because we are "in the dark" i am not sure what that means? I have been doing well and loosing according to the sale at work. I am looking forward to the final weigh-in and my be looking at either doing this on my own (with the support of Lacey and friends) or doing it online. It is a very costly (but worth it) experience that I do not really have. So...I need to figure that out. I am de-stressing and now once again getting a cold. I need a break!!!

Brooke

Happy Birthday Brooke!

It's someone's birthday today!!

Happy Birthday Brooke!

Lacey Here!

On Tuesday's weigh in I lost 1 pound even, so I'm now at 16.8! My hubby is at 20.2! Woo Hoo! We're headed to visit my mom in Tennessee Friday-Thursday, so my goal for that time period is TO NOT GAIN! I'm going to weigh in on Friday and Friday (but not count that in my stats) just to see what the week does to me. I may enjoy a treat or two, but overall am going to try to be sensible and use my tools that I've learned. Oh, and did I mention it will be my first "girly" time on WW? We'll see how that goes too! Sorry if that was TMI!

I've been thinking more about blogging daily a list of what I've eaten. Does that interest you? Let us know if it does, and maybe we can get Brooke to do it too!

See you when I get back from Tennessee! Oh, here's a pic from today...do I look 16.8 lb. lighter (ignore my windswept hairdo)? :)