Chili, Sunshine Pie Recipes

Sunshine Pie
Ingredients
1 can (15oz) Dole Mandarin Oranges
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust
1 banana, sliced
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip Lite, thawed
2/3 cup flake coconut, toasted, divided
Preparation
Drain oranges; reserve 3 tbsp syrup. Place half of oranges in bottom of crust. Top with banana slices; set aside. Beat cream cheese, reserved syrup, and vanilla until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Stir in 1/3 cup coconut. Spread mixture over fruit in crust. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Arrange remaining mandarin oranges over filling. Sprinkle remaining coconut over pie.

Chili: My Version!
Ingredients
1/2 lb lean (90/10) ground beef
1 can Campbell's Tomato Juice (low sodium if available)
1 can low sodium V-8 Vegetable Juice
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg McCormick reduced-sodium chili seasoning
1 onion, diced
Preparation
Brown and drain ground beef; set aside. Saute onion in dutch oven until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. (fast and easy!) You can add more veggies if you have some on hand that you like.

Baked Ziti Recipe

Baked Ziti
Ingredients
8oz Barilla Plus penne pasta, cooked (I know, but I didn't see ziti)
1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled
8 oz low fat ricotta cheese
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning
Preparation
Mix first 5 ingredients together. Top with 2oz shredded mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread!

Day 1: Preparing!

Welcome! Let's get started losing that weight!

Day 1: Sign up or get information together on the program you want to follow! I chose Weight Watchers because I know it worked for me before! I signed up for the online program today! You can do something simple; writing down what you eat in a journal and making a note of your daily activity is a great free way to start!

Start clearing out the pantry/fridge/freezer! If it is not in the house, you can't eat it!! :o) I'm sure the food banks can use any food donations you want to send their way, so it will not be wasted if you donate it!

Work on setting up healthy snacking and dinners. I started this by making fruit and carrots easily accessible in our fridge (see photo!) Jason packs his lunch in a hurry, so I went ahead and bagged up the good stuff so he doesn't have to skip it because it is too much work.
Finally, and yes, you must.... Go weigh yourself so you know where you are starting out! I know, I know. I heard my scale groan too, but maybe it will cheer for me when I lose that first pound!