Pumpkin Pie - Good for Your Diet

I got alot of comments about the Pumpkin Pie Milkshake. The one thing that everyone was saying was how great it looked but how bad it would be bad for the diet considering you have to use a whole slice of pie. Well, I found a solution. Hungry Girl to the rescue!

Here is a great Pumpkin Pie recipe:

	HG's Too-Good-To-Deny Pumpkin Pie
	Pump it Up!
	No one loves pumpkin as much as Hungry Girl does -- the fat orange fruit (yes, it's technically a fruit 'cuz it has seeds!) and HG have been BFFs forever. So it was inevitable that a fantastic pumpkin pie swap would come from the HG kitchen. Well, here it is. Grab a can of pumpkin and your trusty box of Fiber One, and get busy! We present to you HG's Too-Good-To-Deny Pumpkin Pie... Ingredients: For Crust 2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original) 1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown); melted & mixed with 1 oz. water 3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated 1 tsp. cinnamon For Filling One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with all other crust ingredients. Stir until mixed well. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, evenly distribute mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. (Filling may be taller than the crust -- trust us, this is okay!) Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). Cut into 8 slices, and if you like, top with Reddi-wip before serving! MAKES 8 SERVINGS
	Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 133 Fat: 3g Sodium: 236mg Carbs: 28g Fiber: 9g Sugars: 8g Protein: 6g POINTS® value 2* Now, I hope that helps, I know I will be making this!

Yesterday and Today.

I LOST, I LOST. I LOST! Finally, I Lost! I Lost A Pound, Yay for Me!

I Scheduled my laparoscopy yesterday. It is conveinently scheduled for our Anniversary, Nov. 11th., fun for me! But we are going to Chicago for Thanksgiving so we wanted to do it sooner rather than later so that I am not recovering in Chicago or in the car up to Chicago!

My doctor tells me that I won't be able to do some things for up to two weeks. One of those things being vacuuming. Probably anything that will use the adominal muscles. So, Sven will have to take care of the house while I recover, that should be fun :)

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

pumpkin pie milkshakes

2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 large slice pumpkin pie, chopped and frozen (freezing is optional for bigger chunks. also yum just mixed room temp.)

whipped cream and nutmeg, for serving

combine ice cream, milk and sugar in blender. mix. add in pumpkin pie, pulse to blend. put blender in the freezer for a half hour. when ready to serve, stir and scoop with a big spoon into mugs. serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Found this recipe on Fashionably Foodie. I am definately going to try this with leftover pie this Thanksgiving!

I want this!

I am currently lusting after this. I saw it in a magazine and it caught my eye, it has everything you need when putting on your makeup. It is from Sephora and this is what it is:

Ultimate Blockbuster - Collector's Edition
What it is:
The ultimate makeup palette for eyes, face, and lips, all you need for complete classic beauty.

What it does:
Create any look in the book, or your imagination, with the Sephora Brand Collector's Edition Palette. This sleek all-in-one compact opens to reveal eyeshadow, blush, lip gloss, and powder on stackable, sliding trays. A selection of applicators and a mirror embedded under the lid of the compact give you all the tools to create a polished, expert look anytime, anywhere. Now you can make your look a personal masterpiece, from trendy to timeless, the sky's the limit.

What else you need to know:
The Sephora Brand Collector's Edition Palette sets the gold standard and gets you set. This palette has it all: 71 eyeshadow shades (0.04 oz each), 13 cream eyeshadow shades (0.03 oz each), 5 blushes (0.19 oz each), 1 compact powder (0.19 oz), 60 lip glosses (0.03 oz each), one lip liner, one eyeliner, 4 brushes, 3 sponge-tipped applicators, and a smart black case that's as classy as you are.

For $48, I think I have to have it, and Sven is starting to agree :)

Frustration.

I am to the point of frustration.

Let me back up by saying that I was not able to go to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday cause I had a horrible migraine and I was having terrible adominal pains, so I went today. I was feeling somewhat good, my pants are fitting somewhat better so that was encouraging, but I have been in pain, pain, pain, so I admit my eating was just not great, but I kept it in line.

Well, I went to Weight Watchers and I gained. No surprise, I guess but not the point of me going.

And exercising, forget it! With my conditon it is just so hard, I mean my balance just seems to be deteriorating every day, my walking is horrible and I am falling. I just don't know what to do.

And her sister.

This is our other furbaby, Tess. We adopted her in 2005 when she was just six weeks old. I didn't know that having a kitten would be so much work and frustration. I was not prepared for her, Rean was three years old when we got her, so having a kitten drove me nuts! I will never do it again! Tess is our 'Devil Kitty'.

My (furry) Baby <3

My baby Rean LOVES forts and getting under the covers. I woke up the other morning and here is Rean under the covers sleeping with me.

Another shot, this is Rean realizing that I am not in bed anymore. She misses her mommy :)

Sven and I both adopted Rean in 2002 while I was still living in Chicago. Sven wanted to get me a cat so I would have companionship when he wasn't with me. She has become my baby in every sense of the word. She knows when I am happy and when I am sad, she is always by my side and I couldn't imagine that any other way!

Black Ice is here!

AC/D's first album, Black Ice, in eight years is out today!

I couldn't be more excited! I love me some AC/DC!

You need to make this!

I found this on My Wooden Spoon. I decided to make it last night. OMFG! It is so good, Sven loved it and ate two burritos, my friend loved it and also ate two!

Chicken Fajita Burrito Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

* 1pkg flour tortillas
* 1 8oz. Velveeta Mexican Mild Cheese
* 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1 green bell pepper
* 1 onion, well half really
* 1 can of cream of chicken
* 1/4 milk
* 1 can of black beans

You will also need the ingredients to make the Easy Spanish Rice! This consists of brown rice, salsa, and butter.

DIRECTIONS:

Start boiling your chicken. While chicken is boiling, chop up your onion and bell peppers; adding them to the chicken and boil until chicken is done. In a saucepan, melt your Velveeta cheese with the cream of chicken and about 1/4 of milk over low heat. (saving and shredding some to add to the fajita burritos.) This will be the cheese sauce. While that is melting, take your chicken and peppers out of the boiling stock and let cool. Add the brown rice & it’s ingredients to the stock that you boiled the chicken in. Once your rice is done, spread it in a 9×13 casserole dish. Pour the can of black beans on top. Or you can just mix the beans up with the rice!

Shred your chicken up and starting making your fajita burritos adding a little of the shredded velveeta or some of the cheese sauce inside. Fold up and lay on top of the rice and beans. Now pour the Velveeta Cheese sauce all on top of the burritos making sure to get it all covered. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350′.

This should serve 8 depending on your crew’s appetite!

Easy Spanish Rice

INGREDIENTS:

* Water
* 1 TBSP butter
* Mild Salsa (Kate calls for 1 20oz jar, but we didn’t do that ’cause my FIL doesn’t like spicy)
* Instant Brown Rice

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 1 c. water to boil (boiling is that 2 extra minutes!). Add butter and about 1 cup of salsa and return to boil. Stir in 1 cup of instant brown rice. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. It’s important to let is stand for that 10 minutes…that’s what makes the difference between fluffy and mushy rice!

The more you make, the more salsa you need to add.

Go make it!

Pictures that make me smile.

I LOVE cows and this just makes me laugh!


My grandparents house in Chicago, so many memories.


Yes, that is Sven sticking a bottle in his mouth, he constantly surprises me!


My friend Julie's daughter, Cassidy, isn't she cute?


Sven and I on our Wedding Day.


Sven waiting for me on our wedding day.

To Have Surgery, Or Not To Have Surgery.

I have been having unexplained adominal pain for 7 months now. Sometimes it is bearable, sometimes it is rip Sven arm off painful! I have spent many nights in the fetal position crying in pain.

I had a colonoscopy to see if they may find something, it didn't, it was normal. Then, I had an Upper Endoscopy cause my doctor thought that might also find something, but alas it didn't, it came back normal. I have had so many blood tests, that I am surprised I actually have blood left. Actually, when I was having my blood drawn, the blood started clotted and just stopped coming so they had to take it from the other arm.

I saw my doctor today and we talked about the results of my procedures. Since both of them came back normal she is stumped. But, she has a next move, but I am torn if I want to go ahead with it. She was to perform a laparoscopy. This is what it is:

Laparoscopy - Visualization of the ovaries and the exterior of the Fallopian tubes and uterus by means of the inserting a surgical instrument through a small incision below the naval; one or two other punctures may be made through which additional instruments can be inserted and manipulated.

So, like I said I am torn. On the one hand, I want to have the surgery for peace of mind, maybe they will find somthing, but on the other hand, what if they don't find anything, then it brings up more questions and I wonder why the hell I am having this pain, but what if they do find something like Endometriosis? What my doctor is looking for. But if I don't have the surgery will I regret it and always wonder what if? Sorry I am rambling, I am just so confused. What do you think?

Traffic

With the cooler weather, Sven and I like to open the windows, at night ecspecially. But let me preface this by saying the back of our Duplex butts up against Highway 40. So, it is noisy, but being from Chicago you would think I would be used to it. I would think so too! I mean in my old apartment you could hear the 'L', the Metra train and the Expressway, plus all the goings on in the courtyard where my bedroom window was.

So, we had the window open, cats love it but cars zooming past, making all kinds of noise. After about an hour of having the window open Sven closed it, but the damage was done, I could not get to sleep. I was tossing and turning all night, I don't think I feel asleep til 6 this morning, but then I had to be up at 7:45, so I am exhausted.

I keep trying to sleep with the window open, but it never works! Maybe I just need to be druged out of my mind so I sleep and nothing disturbs me.

Weigh-In

I went to my weigh-in this morning. I actually have two numbers because I did not go to the meeting last week. And it is really kinda confusing, I am actually trying to figure out how to do this without revealing my weight. But after thinking about it, it is really one number and all that really counts is what I get from the meetings, I am not totally trusting my scale at home.

So, I weighed in and I am up .2 pds. Not bad for Aunt Flo visiting last week and me dealing with migraines. I think that I can totally lose that weight and then some this week. I am going to do what my friend Becca does and let today be my "splurge" day and watch the rest of the days. I do have a wedding on Saturday so that will be hard to stay good, but I will try.

Oddest Jobs

On Savvy Sugar, they listed the 26 most oddest jobs.

And here they are:

• A: Autopsy assistant
• B: Bartender at the Liberace mansion
• C: Cat nanny
• D: Donkey trainer
• E: Elf at Santa’s workshop
• F: FBI Fingerprint examiner
• G: Grave digger
• H: Hurricane hunter
• I: Ice sculpture carver
• J: Junk mail machine operator
• K: Kitty litter box decorator
• L: Laser tag referee
• M: Magician’s assistant
• N: Nuclear electrician on a submarine
• O: Opera singer
• P: Parachute tester
• Q: Quality control/taster for chocolate factory
• R: Romance specialist
• S: Scratcher (scratched backs for patients)
• T: Turkey wrangler
• U: Undercover vice decoy
• V: Video game tester
• W: Wallpaper peeler
• X: X-ray technician for zoo animals
• Y: Yawn counter at a sleep clinic
• Z: Zamboni driver

Probably my oddest and first job was that of a ride operator for an indoor amusement park. What was your oddest job?

Dinner

Tonight, Sven and I went to dinner with his parents. We went to Balducci's in Maryland Heights. I love this place! We have gone there many times and every time the food is great!

The restaurant is downstairs in the basement and has a European flair, but with wood paneling, Christmas lights and the booths are Church pews.

I get the same thing every time, the Chicken con Broccoli. Yum! Sven gets the Cannaloni with the two sauces on it. And you can't not have desert, I have the Cheesecake and Sven has the Carrot Cake! Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Tomorrow is my weigh-in and Ithink I was good. I came home with two doggy bags and drank alot of water, so I am patting myself on the back! Wish me luck though!

I

I stole this from my friend Katie's blog.

i am: missing friends and family back home.
i think: get my game on for trivia tonight.
i know: how to be silly.
i want: the Cubs to win tomorrow.
i have: a great husband.
i wish: they would just cure me and be done with it.
i hate: being in pain.
i miss: my friends and family back home.
i fear: falling.
i feel: my cats tongue.
i hear: Private Eyes.
i smell: stinky.
i crave: hmmmmmm maybe something.
i search: for old belongings.
i wonder: about my health.
i regret: some things.
i ache: at my bruised knee and abdomen.
i care: about money.
i always: shower.
i am not: in kindergarton.
i believe: everything happens for a reason.
i dance: awkwardly.
i sing: anywhere.
i cry: at movies and tc shows.
i don't always: eat right.
i fight: my condition.
i write: nothing.
i never: wake up as early as I'd like to.
i stole: nothing.
i listen: alot of things.
i need: food and water and love.
i am happy about: pretty much everything.

Cheesecake Nuggets

I gave Sven the Hungry Girl Cookbook and told him pick anything and I will make it for you. He picked the chilly chocolate cheesecake nuggets. I just made them, and so you know, I am not the best baker there is, but this was so easy to make! And if licking the spoon is any indication of how good they are going to be, HOLY BAJEEZUS, THESE ARE AWESOME! Here is the recipe:

chilly chocolate cheesecake nuggets

Ingredients

3/4 cup Cool Whip Free
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese, softened
One 25 calori packet diet hot cocoa mix
1 tablespoon sugar free chocolat syrup
1 tablespoon Splena No Calorie Sweetner (granulated) (I used packets, cause that is what I have.)

Directions

Using a fork or an electric mixer, vigorously mix Cool Whip, cream cheese, cocoa mix, syrup and Splenda until smooth and well blended.

Evenly distribute mixture into 10 section of an ice cube tray. Place tray in the freezer until nuggets are solid (at least 2 hours)

Once frozen, nuggets should pop out easily. (If not, run the bottom of the tray under the faucet for a few seconds to loosen them.)

Makes 5 servings.

Per serving (2 nuggets) 42 calories, 0.5g fat, 130mg sodium, 7g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 3g protein = 1 point per serving

The two hours are up and I just tried them.

Result: SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

Weekly Weigh In

I did not go to my meeting today, I know bad me. But I have been so sick this week and I woke up with the worst migraine and was so incredibly nauseous, so I thought driving would not be a good idea. But, I did weigh myself at home and I lost:

.6 pounds

I am so happy to have lost, with me being sick and not eating great and not drinking my water.

Tonight is the VP Presidential debate, that will be interesting, we are going to Sven's sister house to watch it, but I would rather just stay home and switch between the debate and the Cubs game, the Sox also play today!