OPA!

Last night was Greek night at our dinner table. We enjoyed some leg of lamb along with a great side dish I wanted to share. I just kind of made this up and I never measure anything so just give this a go and season it to your liking. My kids loved this!! Just a side note, I bought the Israeli couscous in the bulk section of the Good Food Store in Missoula, MT...I sure miss that place!

Mediterranean Couscous

1 C Israeli Couscous
English cucumber -- small dice
grape tomatoes -- cut in half
1 can of olives -- black or kalamata
3 TBSP crumbled feta
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt & pepper
1 small lemon --juiced
Pampered Chef Greek Seasoning mix or
fresh or dried oregano or other herbs

Bring 2 C water to a boil. Add couscous, turn down to med and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse. Let cool. Add cukes, tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a little red wine vinegar and squeeze of lemon. Add seasonings to taste. Mix and top with feta. Enjoy!

Baby Its Cold Outside

So we have gone from close to 100 degrees to 60!! Thought is would be a good day for soup! Here are couple of favorites.

Tortilla Soup

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
2 cans stewed tomatoes -- chopped & with liquid
1 C medium salsa
2 TBSP chopped cilantro

Cook in crockpot for 4 hours on low

Before serving shred chicken and return to soup. Garnish with corn tortillas cut into strips, cilantro, cheese, avocado, or sour cream.

Thanks to Natalie Anderson for the recipe!


Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli


Ingredients
1lb ground beef
1 small onion -- diced
1 C matchstick carrots
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2--14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1--15oz can kidney beans (with liquid)
1--15 oz can great northern beans (with liquid)
1--15 oz can tomato sauce
12-24 oz V-8 juice
2 TBSP white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
1 TBSP dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 lb ditali pasta ( I actually use about 1/2 of that, because the pasta seems to suck up all of the liquid in the soup! )

Method:
1. Brown ground beef in large saucepan over med heat. Drain off most of the fat. 2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. 3. Add remaining ingredients except for pasta, and simmer for 1 hour. 4. Cook past in boiling, salted water. Drain. 5. Add the pasta to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan.

Satisfying Salads

Watermelon & Peach Salsa

2 C diced watermelon
2 small peaches -- peeled & diced
1 Lime -- juiced
1 jalepeno -- minced
dash of salt
1 TBSP -- minced red or sweet onion (opt)

Combine ingredients. Serve with lime tortilla chips.

Lime Chips

Flour Tortillas
lime
cayenne pepper
salt
cooking spray

Spray a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up tortillas into triangles. Brush with lime juice and sprinkle with cayenne and salt to your taste. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp.

This recipe is also great with just watermelon, you could also do mango or pineapple salsa using the same basic technique.

Light Done Right

Challenge

I am starting this program in my ward for enrichment tonight, just thought I would throw it out there for anyone who is interested.

Feeling Great in Eight

A simple plan of healthy eating and lifestyle resulting in possible weight loss and probable gain of healthy habits.

Amount of loss and gain depends on how competitive you are. This is a team effort.

Rules:

• Program runs for eight weeks. Beginning Monday May 5th, and ending Monday June 30^th.
  
• Weigh in – weigh yourself at home every Monday. Honor System of course. Record this weight loss in your point tracker.
  
• Track points daily on point tracking sheets. We will go from Monday to Sunday each week. Total your points and turn them into your team leader every Monday morning. (we will use email to do our reporting and pass along info. If you do not have email we will work something out.)
  
• Good Food Points – See included sheet. Add one point for each good food eaten, up to 10 points a day. Hint: Tally on chart for each good food but use F and V to help track your fruits and vegetables.
  
• Bad food Points – See included sheet. Subtract 2 points for every bad food eaten. NO MAX!
  
• Exercise Points – 20-30 minutes = 10 points, 30-45 minutes = 15 points, 46-60min = 20 points, 20 points MAX per day.
  
• Daily Calendar – Earn 5 points/ day by following the daily calendar. This will be emailed to you each Sunday for the upcoming week. It will also be available in Relief Society on Sundays.
  
• After 8 p.m. points – Earn 5 points/day if you eat NOTHING after 8 pm.
  

  Eat after 8…put on weight.
  

• Water Points – Earn 5 points for drinking water everyday, 32oz/day for week one, 40 oz week 2, 48 oz for weeks 3-8.
  
• 5+ Fruits and Veggies – Earn 10 points if you eat a combined total of 5 fruits and veggies daily.
  
• Lost Pound Points – Weeks 2-8 weigh in every Monday a.m. and give yourself 10 points for every pound lost. Give 5 points for ½ pound.
  
• Personal Prayer Points – There is a special relationship between your body and your spirit. Strengthen your spirit as you strengthen you body. 5 points max for daily personal prayer (family, dinner, or sacrament prayers are not included…it has to be personal!)
  
• Total your points – Inform your team captain of your score. Team captains will turn in their combined team score to Summer on Mondays. Weekly winning team will be announced by email and at church the following Sunday on a poster in the R.S. room. Hand in your tracking sheets on Sundays to Summer to help determine our Grand Prize winners.
  

  GOOD LUCK!
  

  
   

  Bad Food List
  

  
   

  Subtract 2 Points for EACH food you eat a day on this list.
  

  
   

  Sugar cereal or low fiber cereal
  

  White bread
  

  White pasta
  

  White rice
  

  Fried food
  

  Bakery items, muffins, cake, pie, doughnuts
  

  Soda or other drinks with sugar
  

  Regular mayo or sour cream
  

  Ice cream or yogurt with more than 19 grams of carbs/serving
  

  Potato chips, cheetos, fritos, crackers, etc
  

  Any cookie with sugar
  

  Chocolate
  

  candy
  

  High sugar or high carb bars such as granola bars, cliff bars, pop tarts
  

  Hot dogs
  

  
   

  You know your body…put anything on this list that you think isn't good for you.
  

Good Food List

Try to choose the majority of your foods from this list. You get one point for every good food choice you eat each day –

up to 10 points/day

 

Oatmeal, without a lot of added sugar

Eggs, egg whites, or egg beaters

100% Whole wheat bread

Whole grain foods

Low sugar, high fiber cereal

Skim or 1% milk

All fruit

All veggies, except corn and peas

Baked Potato or Sweet potato

Tuna (packed in water)

Chicken

Fish

Pork

Lean Beef

Lean Ham

Non fat or 1% cottage cheese

String Cheese

Yogurt with less than 20 grams of carbs

Olive oil

Air popped popcorn or low fat microwave popcorn

Protein bar with less than 15 grams of carbs

Go Lean Kashi

Low sodium soups

Daily Vitamin

RDA Calcium

Remember to read the labels on your food, you might find some of them surprising. Really pay attention to the sugar, sodium, and fat content. Don't go overboard on the artificial sweeteners. Try to eliminate some of the processed foods in you diet. We will send out some good eating tips in the upcoming weeks.

 

 

Daily Calendar

Week 1

May 5-11

 

Monday – Meet with your team and come up with a team name, elect your team leader. You may also want to discuss any strategies.

 

Tuesday – Call, email, or send a note to a friend you haven't been in contact with for a while.

 

Wednesday – Read a newspaper/book/ or magazine for at least 20 minutes

 

Thursday – Get 8 hours of sleep tonight.

 

Friday – Write in your journal

 

Saturday – Go for a walk and enjoy the great outdoors

 

Sunday – Plan your menu for the week ahead

 

If you need to switch days for these activities that would be just fine!

 

"Obviously there is a great difference between feeling

happy for at a given moment and

being happy for a lifetime,

between having a good time and leading a good life."

Pres. James E. Faust