Howdy, y'all! I just thought you might like to know that I've started my own blog over at starcityrunner.blogspot.com. I'm not 100% sure what I'll be posting over there (right now there's one "real" post and one post that's just a bunch of whining), but stay tuned for me to become Internet famous! (A GOAL is a DREAM with a DEADLINE, remember!)
Love,
Tory
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
What to do with spices...curries!
I thought of this after the meeting tonight, so I wanted to share. One of the greatest ways I know to use a lot of spices is to make Indian curries. One of my favorite sources for all kinds of recipes is Post Punk Kitchen. Michael and I have been vegan since last summer, but I have been cooking off this website since late 2010. The site owner/chef (Isa) makes some wonderful food, and for those curious about vegan cooking, her recipes are always great.
This is a link to a Chana Masala recipe she posted last year. She uses some great spices in her curries, and I actually have adopted a spice mix from one of her cookbooks as my standard curry spices when I make a thrown-together improvised curry.
- Cindy
This is a link to a Chana Masala recipe she posted last year. She uses some great spices in her curries, and I actually have adopted a spice mix from one of her cookbooks as my standard curry spices when I make a thrown-together improvised curry.
- Cindy
Friday, May 11, 2012
Run, Tory, Run!
As running has become a pretty big part of my life recently, and I'm trying to keep my motivation up, I thought I'd post a little something here about it!
I was never, ever, ever ever EVER a runner. There was a period of brief physical fitness in high school where I could walk fairly quickly, but never run. My dad has been a die-hard runner since before I was born, logging at least 20 miles every single week for over twenty years. He always tells the story: "When your mom & I were dual-income, no kids, living in California, we had a lot of good friends, a lot of good food, and a lot of good beer. One day, I looked down at the scale and realized 'I'm going to have to either give up beer or start running,' and I've been running ever since." My younger brother (about to graduate high school) is one of those kids who never sits still and has run cross-country throughout his whole high school career, actually making it onto the varsity team as a sophomore. My mom has never been a dedicated runner, but when she was losing her weight (she's also a Lifetime member, as I'm sure I've mentioned before), she begrudgingly picked it up and ran a half-marathon in Tulsa when I was in high school. (Numerous broken toes and other foot injuries later, she has since retired from the sport.)
In the fall/winter of 2010 (my junior year of college), I got an email from UNL announcing that registration for the marathon training class had opened. I remember thinking to myself, "Hey, I could...BAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE." I gave it maybe a half-millisecond chance before completely rebuffing it.
Wellllll, in the fall of 2011 (just a few short--but very long--months ago!) I was already spending a good bit of time at the Rec and saw a sign advertising the marathon training class. This time around, I signed up for it even before the email went out announcing the class to the student population.
I cannot say enough good things about that class. It was fun, motivating, informative, inspiring...I would NOT have been able to run the half without the guidance I received in the class.
Anyway, to wrap it up, I went from being ecstatic that I could run one mile straight (without stopping to walk) in November or so, to running the first five miles of the half-marathon, the last two miles, and a whole lot more in between, finally finishing at 2:27.
What's next? I'm looking at another half in South Dakota, on June 3rd. Anyone wanna join me? It's almost all downhill! =D
-Tory
I was never, ever, ever ever EVER a runner. There was a period of brief physical fitness in high school where I could walk fairly quickly, but never run. My dad has been a die-hard runner since before I was born, logging at least 20 miles every single week for over twenty years. He always tells the story: "When your mom & I were dual-income, no kids, living in California, we had a lot of good friends, a lot of good food, and a lot of good beer. One day, I looked down at the scale and realized 'I'm going to have to either give up beer or start running,' and I've been running ever since." My younger brother (about to graduate high school) is one of those kids who never sits still and has run cross-country throughout his whole high school career, actually making it onto the varsity team as a sophomore. My mom has never been a dedicated runner, but when she was losing her weight (she's also a Lifetime member, as I'm sure I've mentioned before), she begrudgingly picked it up and ran a half-marathon in Tulsa when I was in high school. (Numerous broken toes and other foot injuries later, she has since retired from the sport.)
In the fall/winter of 2010 (my junior year of college), I got an email from UNL announcing that registration for the marathon training class had opened. I remember thinking to myself, "Hey, I could...BAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE." I gave it maybe a half-millisecond chance before completely rebuffing it.
Wellllll, in the fall of 2011 (just a few short--but very long--months ago!) I was already spending a good bit of time at the Rec and saw a sign advertising the marathon training class. This time around, I signed up for it even before the email went out announcing the class to the student population.
I cannot say enough good things about that class. It was fun, motivating, informative, inspiring...I would NOT have been able to run the half without the guidance I received in the class.
Anyway, to wrap it up, I went from being ecstatic that I could run one mile straight (without stopping to walk) in November or so, to running the first five miles of the half-marathon, the last two miles, and a whole lot more in between, finally finishing at 2:27.
What's next? I'm looking at another half in South Dakota, on June 3rd. Anyone wanna join me? It's almost all downhill! =D
-Tory
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Thanks Tory!
So.. tonight for dinner I said to myself "Hmm... what should I have? I really miss pasta, I wish I could have that.. OH WAIT Tory posted something on the blog about an awesome alfredo!" So I bought the Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo sauce, whipped up some whole wheat rotini pasta and made myself a bowl for 7 points +! It is seriously awesome! You all should have it on hand when you don't feel like cooking much!
Oh, and I updated how the blog looks :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Color Run!
As Kinsley mentioned, there's this amazingly fun 5K run coming up in July: The Color Run! I've set up a team registration, which will save you $5 if you choose to join us.
Instructions:
When you go to the registration page (click here), choose "Team Registration $35.00" and go through the process. When you get to the point where it asks "Do you want to join or create a team?" go ahead and click "Join a team" and then either search or scroll until you find a team named "Easy/Lucky/Free"--our team! (The name comes from a Bright Eyes song.)
It will ask you for a password, which just so happens to be "password" (without the quotation marks, of course). That should do it!
If you have any questions, feel free to post them here!
See you tonight!
Tory
Instructions:
When you go to the registration page (click here), choose "Team Registration $35.00" and go through the process. When you get to the point where it asks "Do you want to join or create a team?" go ahead and click "Join a team" and then either search or scroll until you find a team named "Easy/Lucky/Free"--our team! (The name comes from a Bright Eyes song.)
It will ask you for a password, which just so happens to be "password" (without the quotation marks, of course). That should do it!
If you have any questions, feel free to post them here!
See you tonight!
Tory
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Mesquite Pork Sirloin Roast
Mesquite Pork Sirloin Roast- 3 Points+ per 2 oz serving
It's grilling season! Here's an easy-peasy recipe my mom gave me.
Ingredients:
1 Pork Sirloin Roast (doesn't matter what size)
Mesquite Seasoning (I use the Weber brand)
Coat the roast in your mesquite seasoning. Grill over a medium flame for 5-8 minutes per side to seal in juices and get the yummy grill flavor. Once you've grilled all sides, transfer your roast to a baking dish and cover. Bake at 200 for 4-6 hours, or finish cooking it on low in a crock pot. Cooking time will vary depending on how big your roast is (duh). The key is to let it cook low and slow so it will be tender.
This can be served alone or made into BBQ sandwiches. I put mine on a salad on Sunday for something different. It was fabulous!
Hope you like it!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Burger King Salads!
I know I mentioned this at the meeting (or did I? a mind is a terrible thing to lose...) but I am LOVING BK's new salads! Their Chicken, Apple, and Cranberry salad with grilled chicken and no dressing is only--wait for it--SEVEN PPV!!! (Be careful with the apple cider "vinaigrette," though--it has as much fat as their Ranch dressing!)
This is, hands-down, the freshest fast-food salad I've ever had and the chicken is INCREDIBLE. I've had it twice now and not once have I had a single bite of chicken that made me go "eewwwwww." All hail the King!
(Side note: the picture and the description on the website say that it comes with Bleu Cheese; however, both of mine have been BC-free. Maybe it's a "select markets" kind of thing? In that case, maybe the PPV is even lower here in the Midwest!)
Happy eating!
Tory
This is, hands-down, the freshest fast-food salad I've ever had and the chicken is INCREDIBLE. I've had it twice now and not once have I had a single bite of chicken that made me go "eewwwwww." All hail the King!
(Side note: the picture and the description on the website say that it comes with Bleu Cheese; however, both of mine have been BC-free. Maybe it's a "select markets" kind of thing? In that case, maybe the PPV is even lower here in the Midwest!)
Happy eating!
Tory
Monday, April 23, 2012
THE COLOR RUN
So, this isn't food related, and not the BIGGEST deal ever.. but I just registered for my first 5K.. or basically run.. EVER. And I would say it's all thanks to Weight Watchers and learning that being active and healthy can be fun :) Also, seeing all the women in our group participating in the half or any other sort of run is motivating (GO TORY!)
Anyway, so I registered for The Color Run, which I am SUPER excited for and it's happening in Omaha. I have always heard about it but it was always hours away and well.. if I'm ever going to get the slightest motivation to actually participate in a run I'm sure as heck not driving 5 hours to do so, but one hour is okay with me :) Check out their site and maybe sign up! It looks like a ton of fun and it doesn't even seem like a challenge!
www.thecolorrun.com
Anyway, so I registered for The Color Run, which I am SUPER excited for and it's happening in Omaha. I have always heard about it but it was always hours away and well.. if I'm ever going to get the slightest motivation to actually participate in a run I'm sure as heck not driving 5 hours to do so, but one hour is okay with me :) Check out their site and maybe sign up! It looks like a ton of fun and it doesn't even seem like a challenge!
www.thecolorrun.com
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Pasta Alfredo!
Hello all!
Something I've been eating almost daily is Ragu's Light Parmesan Alfredo Sauce. DELISH!
It's only 2 PPV for a 1/4-cup serving, which is the perfect amount for a serving of whole-wheat pasta (which is usually 5 PPV for 3/4 to 1 cup). Seven PPV for a big bowlful of cheesy goodness? Yes please!
See y'all tomorrow!
Tory
Something I've been eating almost daily is Ragu's Light Parmesan Alfredo Sauce. DELISH!
See y'all tomorrow!
Tory
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
We All Scream For Ice Cream!!
I don't know about you but I love me some ice cream. I still have it, but I choose to find ways to make it way less points!
Root Beer Float: 3PP
1/2 cup Kemps Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
Fill the rest of the glass with Diet Root Beer
Single or a Double? How many points to you have left?!
If you're feeling lazy, grab a skinny cow! :)
Crockpot Chicken Fajita's
Hi everyone. I tweaked the Chicken taco recipe that Patti told us when she subbed for Tory over spring break.... Looks and smells delish!
Into Crockpot:
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 fajita seasoning packet
* I put mine on 'warm' to cook chicken overnight.
* In the morning I took 2 forks and tore the chicken apart.
Then I sliced and put in the crockpot:
1 Onion
2 Red peppers (I only had 1 here)
2 Green peppers (I didn't have any :(
Lot's of Mushrooms (cut thick b/c they cook away)
* I"m leaving it on 'warm' all day so the juices soak into everything.
1 PP per ounce of Chicken
0 PP Onions/ Peppers/ Mushrooms
Then just count your tortilla's and cheese and sour cream.
Top with freebe's like lettuce, tomato's, salsa, olives....
Add lots of colorful peppers and it will look much better then mine!
<3 Sommer
Into Crockpot:
3 frozen chicken breasts
1 can chicken broth
1 fajita seasoning packet
* I put mine on 'warm' to cook chicken overnight.
* In the morning I took 2 forks and tore the chicken apart.
Then I sliced and put in the crockpot:
1 Onion
2 Red peppers (I only had 1 here)
2 Green peppers (I didn't have any :(
Lot's of Mushrooms (cut thick b/c they cook away)
* I"m leaving it on 'warm' all day so the juices soak into everything.
1 PP per ounce of Chicken
0 PP Onions/ Peppers/ Mushrooms
Then just count your tortilla's and cheese and sour cream.
Top with freebe's like lettuce, tomato's, salsa, olives....
Add lots of colorful peppers and it will look much better then mine!
<3 Sommer
Rhubarb Info!
We were just talking about rhubarb in our Monday, April 16 meeting! This article in the LJS has loads of info. Hope this works to post the link. It includes recipes in the Related Stories section.
Enjoy!
http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/recipes/rhubarb-offers-endless-possibilities/article_4dbb608c-f2da-5862-805f-ea2a74f7c4dc.html
Enjoy!
http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/recipes/rhubarb-offers-endless-possibilities/article_4dbb608c-f2da-5862-805f-ea2a74f7c4dc.html
Monday, April 16, 2012
Taco Soup!!!
Here's a great recipe for taco soup! It's SUPER easy to make and I usually double it!
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (or lean ground beef )
1 large onion, chopped
1 pkg. Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning mix
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Chile Hot Beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican flavor)
1 can stewed tomatoes (any flavor)
Brown meat and onions, drain.
1 large onion, chopped
1 pkg. Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning mix
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Chile Hot Beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican flavor)
1 can stewed tomatoes (any flavor)
Brown meat and onions, drain.
Mix Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning mix into meat.
Then, without draining, add all of the other ingredients.
Simmer 1 hour (generally it's about 20-30 min for me.. I just can't wait an hour!).
If you can find the reduced sodium taco seasoning and the reduced sodium Hidden Valley it is very helpful because of the high sodium count in both the seasonings and the chili hot beans.
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup soup
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup soup
POINTS+ PER SERVING: 3
Monday, April 9, 2012
Super Simple, Super Yummy Recipe
This is one of the easiest recipes around, and a yummy one at that!
You'll need Tyson's Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets, Provolone Cheese, Hormel Canadian Bacon Sanwich Style Slices, and McCormick's Perfect Pinch Parmesan Herb Seasoning.
Heat one chicken breast using instructions on back of package (approx. 2 minutes in the microwave) then top with two Canadian bacon slices, one slice provolone cheese, and sprinkle with parmesan herb seasoning and heat for an additional 20-30 seconds.
Only 7 points plus value. Add a side of veggies and you've got yourself a perfect (and FAST) meal.
I've been trying to remember to bring a hard copy of this recipe to the meeting to share. I'll print some out and bring them with me on Monday.
Enjoy!
Bettina
You'll need Tyson's Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Fillets, Provolone Cheese, Hormel Canadian Bacon Sanwich Style Slices, and McCormick's Perfect Pinch Parmesan Herb Seasoning.
Heat one chicken breast using instructions on back of package (approx. 2 minutes in the microwave) then top with two Canadian bacon slices, one slice provolone cheese, and sprinkle with parmesan herb seasoning and heat for an additional 20-30 seconds.
Only 7 points plus value. Add a side of veggies and you've got yourself a perfect (and FAST) meal.
I've been trying to remember to bring a hard copy of this recipe to the meeting to share. I'll print some out and bring them with me on Monday.
Enjoy!
Bettina
Saturday, April 7, 2012
BLT for 3pts+!
What would you say if you could have an amazing BLT for 3 points +? Well, miss Patti figured it out (my mom) and I'm sharing it because I'm in love with them.
Ingredients
- 2 slices of Sara Lee 45 calorie bread (2 pts)
- 3 slices of Jenny-O turkey bacon (1 pt)
- 1 tablespoon fat free Miracle Whip (0 pts)
- Tomato
- Lettuce
Directions (... pretty self explanatory)
- Toast bread to liking
- Microwave turkey bacon (as directed on package) for around 2-3 minutes until crisp (less if you prefer it more chewy)
- Spread Miracle Whip
- Placed sliced tomato and lettuce and close the sandwich!
Walah! Super easy and SUPER good! I hope you like it! Now I'm going to go make one for myself :)
Good luck to everyone for Easter! I know it's always rough to stay on track around the holidays but you can do it!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Recipe: *FREE* Jell-O Fruit Salad
Hey y'all! I forgot to share a delicious recipe last night--my mom made this while we were on Spring Break and I LOVED it!
Zero PPV Jell-O Fruit Salad
All you need is a can of mandarin oranges and a can of crushed pineapple (both canned in their own juice and no sugar added, please), a box of sugar-free Jell-O mix (strawberry-banana is the best) and as much fruit as you desire! Drain the mandarin oranges and pineapple, dump 'em into a bowl, mix in the Jell-O powder, and add your fruit (we were using bananas, strawberries, honeydew, grapes, and apples, but anything would work)...then NOM NOM NOM!
I'm planning on mixing up a bowl and then divvying it into individual Tupperware to bring with me to work, to class...everywhere!
Have a fabulous week...and I'll see less of you next time!
-Tory
Zero PPV Jell-O Fruit Salad
All you need is a can of mandarin oranges and a can of crushed pineapple (both canned in their own juice and no sugar added, please), a box of sugar-free Jell-O mix (strawberry-banana is the best) and as much fruit as you desire! Drain the mandarin oranges and pineapple, dump 'em into a bowl, mix in the Jell-O powder, and add your fruit (we were using bananas, strawberries, honeydew, grapes, and apples, but anything would work)...then NOM NOM NOM!
I'm planning on mixing up a bowl and then divvying it into individual Tupperware to bring with me to work, to class...everywhere!
Have a fabulous week...and I'll see less of you next time!
-Tory
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thanks, Kinsley!
Howdy, everyone! I finally managed to get around to figuring out what's going on here (who's procrastinating on writing her thesis? Definitely not me...) and I am so impressed! Thank you so much, Kinsley! This is a fabulous idea and I'm so excited to see how it all ends up working. I know I'm already planning to try your pizza recipe sometime soon.
Shirlene (another leader, who was actually *my* leader when I was losing my weight) mentioned something today that I thought was really inspiring. We were talking about the meeting topic this week ("Nixing Negative Talk," for those of you who weren't around...Kinsley, I'm looking at you!) and she asked the group, "imagine the person sitting next to you tells you that they're thinking of giving up, and that they're really discouraged. What would you say to them?" There was a big murmur of "You can do it!"s and "Don't give up!"s and "You're doing really well!"s.
"So you wouldn't tell them that they're hopeless, and that they'll never get the hang of this, and that they should just throw in the towel right now because what's the point?"
:HUGE murmur of dissent:
"Okay, so if you wouldn't tell the person sitting next to you to give up, why would you tell yourself those same discouraging things?"
:stunned silence:
I'm keeping that in mind this week. I hope you guys do as well.
I won't be around on Monday (gonna be soaking up the sun in Texas!) but I'll see you on April 2nd...and I might have a treat--you'd better come and see!
--Tory
Shirlene (another leader, who was actually *my* leader when I was losing my weight) mentioned something today that I thought was really inspiring. We were talking about the meeting topic this week ("Nixing Negative Talk," for those of you who weren't around...Kinsley, I'm looking at you!) and she asked the group, "imagine the person sitting next to you tells you that they're thinking of giving up, and that they're really discouraged. What would you say to them?" There was a big murmur of "You can do it!"s and "Don't give up!"s and "You're doing really well!"s.
"So you wouldn't tell them that they're hopeless, and that they'll never get the hang of this, and that they should just throw in the towel right now because what's the point?"
:HUGE murmur of dissent:
"Okay, so if you wouldn't tell the person sitting next to you to give up, why would you tell yourself those same discouraging things?"
:stunned silence:
I'm keeping that in mind this week. I hope you guys do as well.
I won't be around on Monday (gonna be soaking up the sun in Texas!) but I'll see you on April 2nd...and I might have a treat--you'd better come and see!
--Tory
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Welcome!!!
Hey everyone! So.. turns out that group on weightwatchers.com wasn't really working out because we were only allowed to type 500 characters (so not enough.)! So I created this blog that I will give you all the log-in information to and you can post whenever you want! There shouldn't be a limit to how long your posts should be so FEEL FREE to share recipes up the ying-yang :) Make sure you always sign your blog post with your name so we know who is saying what!
Here is my handy-dandy quick pizza recipe!
What you need...
Whole-wheat tortillas (I get La Tortilla Factory ones that are 3 points)
Shredded mozzarella with skim milk (don't get fat free.. it's gross)
Pizza sauce (any kind should work)
Fresh basil
Baby Spinach
Green pepper
Tomatoe
Sliced mushrooms
Directions! (or at least how I do it...)
1. Take one tortilla (3pts+) and cut it in half. (this is so your pizza doesn't get watery) Place on cooking sheet.
2. Spread sauce on each half (I usually do less than a 1/4 a cup, which I count as 0pts+)
3. Measure out 1/4 (2pts+) cup cheese, spread on one side, measure out another 1/4 cheese and spread on other side, and one more time... measure 1/4 cheese and divide evenly on each half!
3 1/2. Start your oven! Set it to 390 degrees
4. Slice tomatoes THINLY, I repeat... THINLY, add however many you want!
5. Add sliced mushrooms (I usually cut them to be pretty small) and then sliced green peppers!
6. Top with fresh basil (however much you want, it's my favorite part so I probably use too much)
7. Top again with spinach (I basically cover the whole thing.. again, love it.)
8. Your oven should be ready now so go ahead and stick that pizza in! Set your timer for 8-10 min (check around 8.. you be the judge if you want it crispier or not :) )
9. Enjoy!!!!!!!!
Your grand total of points+.... 9 POINTS+
You can reduce the points+ value by either not adding that third helping of cheese, or find a tortilla with lower points+ value! I once found one by La Tortilla Factory that was 2 points.. but it must have been a dream because I've yet to find it again. Another idea is buying the smaller tortillas, which are 1 pt+ each and just making two of them! This recipe is really whatever you want it to be! Go ahead! Add onions too! Maybe some turkey pepperoni (17 slices=2pts+) Whatever you want!!
I hope you all have a wonderful week :)
Here is my handy-dandy quick pizza recipe!
What you need...
Whole-wheat tortillas (I get La Tortilla Factory ones that are 3 points)
Shredded mozzarella with skim milk (don't get fat free.. it's gross)
Pizza sauce (any kind should work)
Fresh basil
Baby Spinach
Green pepper
Tomatoe
Sliced mushrooms
Directions! (or at least how I do it...)
1. Take one tortilla (3pts+) and cut it in half. (this is so your pizza doesn't get watery) Place on cooking sheet.
2. Spread sauce on each half (I usually do less than a 1/4 a cup, which I count as 0pts+)
3. Measure out 1/4 (2pts+) cup cheese, spread on one side, measure out another 1/4 cheese and spread on other side, and one more time... measure 1/4 cheese and divide evenly on each half!
3 1/2. Start your oven! Set it to 390 degrees
4. Slice tomatoes THINLY, I repeat... THINLY, add however many you want!
5. Add sliced mushrooms (I usually cut them to be pretty small) and then sliced green peppers!
6. Top with fresh basil (however much you want, it's my favorite part so I probably use too much)
7. Top again with spinach (I basically cover the whole thing.. again, love it.)
8. Your oven should be ready now so go ahead and stick that pizza in! Set your timer for 8-10 min (check around 8.. you be the judge if you want it crispier or not :) )
9. Enjoy!!!!!!!!
Your grand total of points+.... 9 POINTS+
You can reduce the points+ value by either not adding that third helping of cheese, or find a tortilla with lower points+ value! I once found one by La Tortilla Factory that was 2 points.. but it must have been a dream because I've yet to find it again. Another idea is buying the smaller tortillas, which are 1 pt+ each and just making two of them! This recipe is really whatever you want it to be! Go ahead! Add onions too! Maybe some turkey pepperoni (17 slices=2pts+) Whatever you want!!
I hope you all have a wonderful week :)
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