Low Cal Chili Mac Recipe

One of my biggest weaknesses is pasta. I don't know. Maybe I was Italian in a past life or something. But the point is when I have pasta I tend to overdo it. I'm talking a mountain of pasta heaped up on my plate. Usually topped with about a quarter of a jar of Parmesan cheese. Yeah mega calories city. When it comes to healthy eating pasta has been and always will be my weakness. However, I found a group on my facebook page one day called Weight Watchers Recipes. and let me tell you these people have some recipes that make your mouth water! I was a happy girl when I found a recipe for chili mac. It has 325 calories a serving. That may seem a little high however not to bad if you have one serving and pair it with some steamed broccoli and a side salad. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! If you would like to add Weight Watchers Recipes to Your Facebook you can find them at

http://www.facebook.com/wwatchersrecipes?ref=sgm

Ingredients:

16 oz. extra lean ground turkey or beef
1 cup chopped onion
1- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1 cup reduced-sodium tomato juice
2 tsp. chili seasoning
1- 8 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
1 cup whole grain elbow macaroni
Cooking spray

Directions

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown meat
Meanwhile, in a Crock Pot container coated with cooking spray, combine
onion, undrained tomatoes, tomato soup, tomato juice and chili seasoning
Stir in kidney beans and uncooked macaroni
Add browned meat
Mix well to combine
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours
Mix well before serving

Serves 8

325 Calories

A Couple of Ways you Can Earn Money Online

I am not working right now because I am attending school full time. I wanted to do something to help. and I have found a couple of websites online that have.  I want to say ahead of time that I do not get anything in return for recommending these sites. They are just great sites that have helped us alot and I want to spread the word. The first site is called www.mturk.com
On this website people want you to complete various small tasks for them in exchange for
 compensation. They can take a couple of seconds up to a few hours. Usually the longer a task
takes the more it will pay. This is one that I especially like to do. In the search it will say

Quick Survey: evaluate a short phrase 


For these you look at the phrase, tell them if it is offensive, rate how likeable it is, 
choose one word to describe
the phrase, replace one word to improve the 
phrase, and then tell them how many syllables are in the phrase.


They pay you 0.02 for each one of these you do. Don't let that scare you. That does not seem like much however I can plow through 10.00 worth of these in an hour. This is a site that is owned by amazon and you will be paid via Amazon Payments. You can either transfer the money to your US bank account OR you can cash it in for Amazon Gift Cards. If you are a decent writer, there are also a few requesters that will pay you to write articles for their website. These usually pay $5 or more. All it takes is a computer and a little research along with writing ability. Keep in mind that this is only a couple of examples of what is available. There are thousands of jobs you can pick from with various amounts of pay. You can choose whatever works for you!

If you are a decent writer you can also write for www.associatedcontent.com

You can write about anything under the sun and they will pay you. My average payment is $3.00 per article but you can earn more or less.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about these and put them to use to fatten your own pocket book!

The Biggest Loser 10 Premiere!

Did everyone enjoy the premiere of The Biggest Loser? I know I did! I had a few minor gripes during the episode however it was still a good show. If you haven't seen this show yet then I recommend when you do you have a box of Kleenex nearby. Just about every one of these contestants have stories that will pull at your heart strings. Bob and Jillian are going to have alot of heartaches to help these people work through this season.

The few things I had a problem with.

1. Many of the heavier (which of course means more unhealthy) contestants did not have a CHANCE to make it to the ranch. I weigh a little over 200 lbs. I'm not much of an athlete for sure. However, put me up against my 400 lb brother and tell us to run a mile who do you think is going to win? Not at all very fair if you ask me but I guess this show has never been about complete fairness.

2. Twice during the show contestants fell out and the other contestant/contestants just kept going. Have you ever been to a football game? When another player gets hurt it is common courtesy to stop and make sure that person is ok! Call me old fashioned but I would have stopped. It is basic common courtesy. Your spot on the ranch is NOT more important than another person's life.

3. Not enough Bob and Jillian! haha. I'm sure this was a common complaint. Oh well I guess we will just have to stay tuned to next week!

See you next week!

Checking In

Hi everyone. Just wanted to take a minute to say hello to all of you who follow my boring life. lol. I have some great news. We have made the decision to get our own house sometime in November. I am so excited.  Once we get out on our own we are going to have a rule for our new home. NO JUNK FOOD ALLOWED. The way we look at it is if we do not have the unhealthy choices staring us right in the face it will make things a heck of a lot easier. My trainer is due to have her baby in early November. She says I can probably start training with her again sometime in Mid January early February. Here is to a happy healthy future for us.

PS- Don't forget the Biggest Loser Premiere Tuesday Night. Team Jillian all the way! :-D

September 11, 2001

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color. As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class. As we lit candles of waiting and hoping, We became one generation. As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender. As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith. As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language. As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body. As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family. As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul. As we retell with pride the sacrifice of heroes, We become one people.


September 11, 2001 May We Never Forget!

Ali Sweeney's Blog Post Parents Choice

I wanted to discuss Ali Sweeney's blog that she recently posted on her website. The one entitled Parents choice. Before I go any further here is a copy of what she wrote.

Parents’ Choice

Posted by Ali Sweeney on Sep 2, 2010

Hi Everyone,

Okay, I have to vent here. 

I promise I am just venting, not judging, because obviously I only know what I am looking at right now, and don’t necessarily know the whole story.

Anyway, I am sitting at my favorite coffee shop and there is a sweet, adorable girl at the next table with her dad. She can’t be more than eight years old, and she is at least 30 pounds overweight. At her height, that is a lot. Her dad is overweight, also. But what I want to vent about is that they both have huge, frothy, milky, chocolaty frozen drinks with extra whipped cream in their hands. Those things are loaded, loaded, loaded with calories, sugar, and fat—with no worthwhile nutritional qualities.

I get that we all need treats occasionally, but those are just the worst for you—and it concerns me that a parent would let a child (one for whom obesity is apparently a real risk) order something like that, and set the example of drinking one in front of her. All she knows is that she wants something sweet—she is not old enough to understand the consequences, and I’m worried that no one is teaching her about healthy eating.

Healthy eating during childhood is one of parents’ most important responsibilities. And yes, I believe it is completely the grown-up’s job to make the right choice in these situations! I know that denying your children things they want can be a challenge, but that’s our job! We have to set limits!

I saw this happening with a stranger, and I didn’t say anything because I don’t know the whole story. But have you seen this happening closer to home? Does your sister always feed her kids fast food (and yours, when she’s with them, even though you’ve asked her not to)? Does your best friend complain about her child being overweight, but not realize she’s part of the problem?

Tell me about things you’ve noticed, and whether or not you’ve stepped in.

xo

Ali

There was a few people in an uproar about this blog. One lady even started a facebook group demanding a public apology. I don't see what there is to apologize for. The simple fact is here in America this is part of our problem. Ali is simply pointing that fact out. One generation simply passes down obesity and all its acquired health risks right through the family line. Thats how it happened it my family. It makes me sad to when I am out in public and see an overweight child . I feel so bad for what they are going to go through and you know they will. However I must say that I wouldn't place blame totally on a parent. In some cases parents simply do not know any better. I know before I started watching The Biggest Loser I did not realize what a calorie is or how it affected my weight. There are thousands of people out there in the same boat that just don't know even where to begin to change their lifestyle.  By the time you realize what junk does to your body it has turned into an all out food addiction. That addiction is just as hard to beat as alcohol or drugs. Some have even said its harder. Maybe nutrition classes should start being a regular part of our US education system. Maybe we should come off the diet fads like "the cookie diet" and start teaching the facts! 

Directv Rant

So not long ago I switched bedrooms in my house. When the guy came to install the satellite he didn't do it right but was supposed to be coming back to fix it. That was a month ago. He never came back. Despite us calling and reminding them SEVERAL times. So this morning my satellite on my tv goes completely out. We try to call once more and this time they inform us that they can't/won't come fix it because our bill is overdue. Now I can understand that to a point however I wouldn't have HAD this problem if they had fixed it right the first time! Unfortunately I cannot pull the money out of my butt to pay the satellite bill so until we get the bill paid no tv for me. Directv has got the worst customer service in the world!