BEEF CHOP SUEY

This was really good!!  Rave reviews from all the family!  It reminded me of the canned Beef Chow Mein we used to eat when I was growing up and when I was first married. Although, this version is healthier since it doesn't contain all the preservatives and it was real meat and not cubes that you are eating.  

I didn't eat the rice, but I did like eating the broth with my reduced fat Wheat Thins, so I may break them up and eat them like Chow Mein Noodles next time.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  

Sorry for the poor picture.  

Beef Chop Suey

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed chicken broth, undiluted, divided

1 cup chopped celery

1 can (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 can (14 ounces) bean sprouts, drained

2 tablespoons tapioca powder

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Hot cooked rice

In a nonstick skillet or wok, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain.  Add 1 cup broth and next three ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until celery is tender.

Add bean sprouts.  Combine the tapioca powder, soy sauce and remaining broth; stir into beef mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve over rice if desired.

I counted this as:  3 pro; 1 veg; 20 opt. calories

Nutritional Information:  (Obtained through Mastercook v. 14)  304 calories; 20g fat; 10g carb; 3g fiber

WEIGH IN SUCCESS!!

Last night's weigh in at TOPS was a success!!  I lost 6.6 pounds!  Yay!  This is the Biggest Loser trophy I got to bring home with me for the week, proudly displayed on my piano!

I would like to share one of the recipes that helped me this week.  Everyone liked these kabobs!  I wasn't sure what my husband was going to think of it since he's not big on fruit in meat dishes.  But he said he really liked the sauce.  It seemed a little more orangey and not as much Teriyaki flavored. We did deviate a little on the vegetables. As you can see in the picture, we added green pepper, red onion and zucchini, and Tim didn't put the green onions on the skewers.  We also used the grill instead of the broiler since it's pretty hot outside and we didn't want to heat up the house.

I counted it as follows:  1 fruit; 1 veg; 4 protein (This is not counting the rice because I am not eating the rice.)  

Orange Teriyaki Beef Kabobs

2 small navel oranges

1 1/2 cups orange juice

4 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 packets Splenda

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak (1 inch thick)

16 large fresh mushrooms

16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 teaspoons tapioca powder

4 teaspoons cold water

Hot cooked rice

Remove peel and pith from oranges.  Separate oranges into sections.  In a bowl, combine orange juice, teriyaki sauce, mustard, Splenda, garlic and pepper.  Cut beef into 1-inch cubes; place in a resealable plastic bag.  Add oranges, mushrooms, onions and half of marinade.  Seal bag; refrigerate overnight.  Refrigerate remaining marinade for sauce.

Drain and discard marinade.  On four metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread beef, oranges and vegetables.  Broil 3 inches from heat for 15-20 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness and vegetables are tender, turning often.

In a saucepan, combine tapioca powder and water until smooth.  Stir in reserved marinade.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Serve over kabobs and rice.

MENU PLAN FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 16

Sunday--Orange Teriyaki Beef Kabobs; Rice (for family)

Monday--On Your Own

Tuesday--Beef Chop Suey with Rice (for family) and Sauteed Squash

Wednesday--On Your Own

Thursday--Salmon with Citrus Salsa and Green Beans

Friday--Lean Hamburger Patty, Cheeseburgers (for family),   Marinated Roma Tomatoes and Cantaloupe Ice Pops

Saturday--Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry with Rice (for family)

DINNER PREP NOTES:

Sunday--While the grill is hot, grill up about 3 pounds of chicken breasts and various other vegetables for the week.
Place 2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken breast into freezer bag, label and freeze for Saturday's dinner.

Monday--Move 1 pound of lean ground beef from freezer to refrigerator for tomorrow's dinner.
Chop onion and celery and combine into a bag, label, and place into refrigerator for tomorrow's dinner.
Slice squash for sauteeing and place in refrigerator for tomorrow's dinner.

Wednesday--Prepare Citrus Salsa for tomorrow night and place in refrigerator.

Thursday--3 hours before dinner, prepare marinade for tonight's dinner and add salmon.  Refrigerate.
Prepare Marinated Roma Tomatoes for tomorrow's dinner.
Prepare Cantaloupe Ice Pops for tomorrow's dinner.
Move bag of frozen cooked chicken that you prepared on Sunday to the refrigerator to thaw for Saturday's dinner.

Friday--Break off bottom ends of asparagus and trim into 2-inch pieces; Cut green pepper into julienned strips; Slice green onions and place and all into a bag, label, and refrigerate for tomorrow's dinner.

x

It's Been A While

Well, I haven't been very good at keeping up my posts.  I've struggled with a little weight gain since I started.  And, being that I haven't yet received my TOPS diet book in the mail yet, I decided to crack open my old Diet Center Program Book from the 80s.  I started with the Conditioning Phase on Monday and Tuesday and transitioned to the Reducing Phase Wednesday.  I did well staying on program until it came to Friday.  Fridays are hard for me.  I usually go out to eat with my daughter and my mom at lunch and did pretty well.  However, we went to Senior Tequilas and I ate a few chips and salsa.  (Per the old Diet Center Program, you aren't supposed to eat corn or tomatoes on reducing program).  Then, in the evening, I went to look at a property with my husband and then went out to eat.  I meant to make good choices, but ended up at a buffet.  I mainly ate shrimp and fish, but they were fried and I succombed to having a piece of pie.  Needless to say, the 10 pound loss I had joyfully experienced since Sunday, turned into a 5 pound loss when I weighed on Saturday morning.  Oh, well.  I was back at the diet grind and doing well until my husband and I went out for dinner.  Thankfully it was not a buffet.  I really did know better than that!  But, we went to El Chico (which was wonderful, by the way), and again had a few chips and salsa, and a few items not on program like a flour tortilla, cheese, guacamole and refried beans.  So, we'll see how I do when I weigh in at TOPS tomorrow evening.  

Day 4

It's so very HOT!!!  My plan of walking every night with my husband has been difficult to keep up this week.  The temperatures here have been in the mid to high 90s all week with heat indexes up to 115 degrees.  So, I haven't been really eager to walk in the evening.  However, I did manage to get in 15 minutes of walking both last night and tonight.  I realize 15 minutes isn't a lot, but my legs are severely out of shape since my heel surgeries of several years ago and I get heat exhaustion easily.  The air is so hot and heavy!  

Anyway, I was wanting to share a good chicken recipe I made last night.  I got it out of The Comfort Food Diet Cookbook c 2009.  I followed the recipe as is, except I didn't add the chopped pecans because I have some family members that wouldn't like that.  

The recipe can be found here Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken.  

Welcome!

I was already using the Weight Watcher's online program when my sister-in-law asked me if I'd go with her to join TOPS (a non-profit weight-loss group, Taking Off Pounds Sensibly).  I've been a member of TOPS before so I agreed.  I knew we could both use the support.  At first I thought I'd just continue using the Points Plus program, but seeing the TOPS diet is built on the Food Exchange Plan made me interested in re-visiting this method of dieting.  I had really good success with that plan in the past.  
The Points Plus system is easy to figure out, apparently too easy for me since I tend to include many foods that are in the gray area of healthy.  This has probably led to my sad looking weight loss so far.  
So, I've decided to jump on the Food Exchanges diet bandwagon to see if I can mirror my success of past years and I am going to journal my progress here. I also hope I can help you, my readers, with inspiration, tips, recipes, and more along the way!  So let's get started Winning the Weighting Game!