Thankful Thursday

I can't take my eyes off the television.  If you've been like the majority of us here at our office your thoughts, prayers, and mind has been on Joplin, Missouri and the countless stories on the television.  Just when I think I'm all cried out I get an email or see a photo of the devastation, the volunteers, or a plea for help in finding a loved one.  I am so thankful for the outpouring support of our Chanute Community and how everyone has pulled together to help in every way!  Our office has been flooded with calls from the Chanute community on where to go to donate items, give blood, and to volunteer.  Our community is so wonderful and I feel so greatful to live in Chanute, Kansas!

Our Meltdown is undergoing a few changes and I want each of you to know how committed I am to helping you reach your goals, achieve a healthier lifestyle, and to make sure we are giving you a great track to run on.  I will be emailing you several things (make sure I have your email ~ if I don't you can email me at breastfeeding@cableone.net).

Exercise classes are being restructured as we have new instructors and new classes!  Schedule will be sent in the email.  No cost to our Meltdown participants!! 

Nutritional education and cooking classes will be offered at no cost!  Mark June 9th down on your calendar as it will be our first Meeting!

Meltdown participants will have an extension on the Meltdown deadline!  We will be announcing that in our email.  We feel that the exercise class obligation was not met and therefore we are extending our entire Meltdown time to make sure you get everything you need out of this journey.

Now on to new recipes that you can try for the Holiday Weekend!!  If you are like our family it is a non-stop weekend of food, celebration, and FUN!  My husband always fires up the grill and we love to entertain so several nights will be spent with friends & family which means snacking.  I wanted to find healthier alternatives for you to prepare so we'll start the menu off with appetizers and end with dessert ~ our little guy would say we should start with dessert first!!

 Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado Salad.

2  Cucumbers, sliced

handful of cherry tomatoes halved

1/2 avocado, cubed

sprinkled with garlic salt & freshly ground pepper

Drizzled with ~ 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp White Balsamic, 1/4 tsp honey

Rotini Pasta Salad

Ingredients:6 oz. (about 2 cups) uncooked rotini pasta with at least 4g fiber per 2-oz. serving
1 zucchini, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 cup artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers packed in water, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup sliced black olives

Dressing
1/3 cup fat-free Italian dressing
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, patted dry, finely chopped

Optional: salt and black pepper

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix until blended. Set aside.

Add all remaining salad ingredients to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until completely chilled.

If you like, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Enjoy!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/8th of recipe (1 heaping cup)
Calories: 124
Fat: 1.5g
Sodium: 302mg
Carbs: 23.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 4.5g

What you’ll need:

2 pounds small all-purpose white or red potatoes

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2-3 medium stalks)

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped bread n butter pickles

1 large clove of garlic, minced

2/3 can large olives, halved

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

3 hard-cooked large eggs, chopped

3/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of hot sauce

Sprinkle or two of paprika

Instructions:

Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool and peel. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add celery, onion, pickles, garlic, pickle relish, olives, and eggs; toss gently.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt, hot sauce (if using) and pepper. Spoon mayonnaise mixture over potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with paprika.

Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup) – 6  points (If you're doing weight watchers like Stephanie is) per 1 cup, vs 8 for a 1/2 c of the real deal.  I usually only eat 1/2 cup.

Calories 210.8, Total Fat 10.3 g, Saturated Fat 1.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 4.2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 3.3 g, Cholesterol 85.5 mg Sodium 774.6 mg, Potassium 612.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 27.1 g, Dietary Fiber 3.0 g, Sugars 1.6 g, Protein 5.1 g

Grilled Corn on the Cob

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp Cilantro or Parsley
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp  lime zest
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 ears corn, in husk
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Carefully peel back husk from ear, without detaching from the bottom, remove silk from corn, fold the husk back around the ears, and soak in water for 30 to 45 minutes. Make sure to weigh down the ears so that they are fully submerged.
2.  In a small bowl, combine butter through chili powder, and set aside.
3.  Preheat a BBQ to medium, indirect heat. Remove ears from water, drain, open husk, dry ears with paper towels, and brush butter mixture evenly on corn. Fold husk back over corn and grill for 15 to 20 minutes.
4.  Grill for 15-20 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, then, carefully pull husks back and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Makes 4 servings, 1 cobb is 3 points+
Nutritional information per corn cobb using caloriecount.com

Bacon Cheeseburger Patty

PER SERVING (1 patty): 205 calories, 8.5g fat, 455mg sodium, 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugars, 27g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5*

You've been putting cheese and bacon on TOP of your burgers your whole life. Maybe it's time to get a little crazy... cheese-stuffed bacon burger, anyone?

Ingredients:
4 oz. raw extra-lean ground beef
1 tbsp. precooked real crumbled bacon (like the kind by Oscar Mayer)
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light cheese (any flavor)
Optional: salt and black pepper

Directions:
Season beef with salt and pepper, if you like. Combine beef with bacon and knead to evenly distribute bacon. Form into a ball and, using your thumb, make a large, hollow indentation in the ball (past the center but not all the way through). Fill the hole with cheese and squeeze the meat to seal, making sure no cheese is exposed. Flatten slightly into a thick patty.  Grill until done to your liking!!

 

PB Brownie

Since peanut butter plus chocolate is one of the best combinations of all time, it only made sense to add peanut butter to our awesome, cake-like brownies... Tada!

Special thanks to Hungry Girl for this recipe ~ yummy and our little guy didn't even know it had pumpkin in it!!

Ingredients:
One 18.25-oz. box moist-style devil's food cake mix
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (Libby's is best!)
1/4 cup creamy reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature
1 tbsp. light soymilk (plain or vanilla) or fat-free milk (whatever you have on hand)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking pan (about 9" X 13") with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix with pumpkin. Stir until completely blended. (Batter will be thick.) Spread batter into the baking pan, and smooth out the top.

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter with milk. Using a butter knife or a narrow spoon handle, stir until thoroughly mixed. Swirl the peanut butter mixture over the top of the batter with the knife or spoon handle.

Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 - 25 minutes.

Allow to cool, and then cut into 16 pieces. Enjoy!

MAKES 16 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 brownie (1/16th of recipe)
Calories: 160
Fat: 4g
Sodium: 293mg
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 15.5g
Protein: 2.5g

PointsPlus® value 4*