I am sticking to my weight goal ....

What do you think? Can I do it? :)

I've lost 5 lbs, typical! That is my yo-yo number. But, I am going to stay positive, I walk 1.75 miles in 30 min. on the treadmill. I usually stare at the clock on the treadmill, but I saw someone covering theirs up with a towel, so I tried it and watched the TV. It worked!! I went past the 1 mile mark! My goal is to do 5 miles!! I had really bad shin splints this last summer from running and walking at a boot camp, I did pretty good. But ouch!! So since that time this is the first I've been able to walk a distance with out my shins hurting. And I went back to the Gym at night and did the glider/elliptical (whatever it's called) for 20 min and some sit-ups and free weights. I am feeling a lot better getting back into the active body again.
I have an elliptical at home, but the gym's is a better quality. At home I feel like I'm walking down a steep hill. I guess something is better than nothing.

Shredded Beef Burritos, Enchilada Style~ From Scratch!

I am having fun with the pre-cooked meat!! I used 1/3 of the shredded beef I cooked tues. night and put that on flour tortillas with cream cheese (reduce fat) & enchilada sauce, and rolled them. placed in a baking dish with my homemade enchilada sauce (below) drizzled over the top and topped with shredded cheese (used 1 cup instead of 2 cups). Baked until cheese melted and warmed through.

De-lish!!!!! Served with a basic salad, of course.

O'kay, I didn't cheat my 12 day cleanse, I did taste the enchilada sauce. My family loved dinner! And we didn't even have sour cream~less fat! I just can't believe where you can eliminate the extra calories and still enjoy a favorite meal!

I Love Cooking!!~ Homemade Enchilada Sauce!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water

1 T. Cocoa powder~ makes a good rich flavor!
2 teaspoon taco seasoning or 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 C. dried onions
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Daily Cooking for Seven.....

One of my goals this year is to bake and cook more, rather than eating out as much as we did last year. Yesterday I baked 3 loaves of homemade Whole Wheat Bread and they turned out great!!
I use to cook in advance for meals through out the week, well I am at it again. Last night I threw a roast on in my crock pot and now I have shredded beef for: salads, chimichangas, tacos, BBQ, sandwiches, enchiladas, etc... I cooked 5lbs of ground hamburger and now I have enough for: spaghetti, Stroganoff, Shepards Pie, etc..... I just store the meats divided in small freezer bags and freeze until ready to cook. It saves a lot of time in the moments. With five kids and three that do homework daily plus extra activities, this is a big deal in my house to be able to make a meal quickly. I love buying fish too. It cooks fast and we love rice (or pasta) and veggies with our fish. Eating healthy and getting the right nutrition is important. So, Choosing lean meats and adding extra veggies are definately in mind during these meals. And you don't have to fry your chimichangas, bake them with butter drizzled over them~Oh~ a friend of mine uses spray butter, that would work too. It's less fat that way and you can also just bake them without any butter, Just turn them mid way through and you will have a dry crisp. I'm serving up more salads too. I think we lacked on fiber as well, so I'm adding more this year too.
You might be thinking about the baking part...it's O'kay to eat treats too! Notice my cupcakes link? We love cinnamon rolls, I learned how to make healthier ones just by using less filling and I make an orange glaze with splenda. Every little bit helps. Applesauce cookies are great too!! Use Carob Chips instead of Chacolate chips, or buy pure chocolate chips instead of the ones w/ wax. Chocolate is Not bad for you!! The darker the better! I love a handful of dark Chocolate with Almonds. (not chocolate covered ones.)
Well, I think that just by writing this is making me want to stay on track. And the more I cook the less I eat! It might be because I'm tired by the time I'm done....LOL :)
I am always looking for ideas so share your ideas with me!!