As I enter my second month of WW, I find looking for recipes and knowing my foods a tad better. DH wanted beef for dinner, and all I had on hand was ground beef. I checked the WW site and came up with this recipe. It called for ground turkey though, so that ended up changing it from a 5 point meal to a 6 point meal… Okay, adding cheese to it didn’t help either LOL! Enjoy!

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 TBSP reduced-calorie margarine
2 tsp olive oil
1 cups onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium stalks celery, diced
1 pound uncooked 93/7 ground beef
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 TSP dried rosemary
1 TSP dried thyme
1/2 TSP table salt
1/4 TSP black pepper
2 cups canned beef broth
1/4 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

Transfer beef mixture to an 8×8 casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese and potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.

As I said, this is my version of the WW Classic Shepherd’s Pie. Click here for their recipe.

Picture Source: The Brass Sisters

I forget how I originally found Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien, but I’m very glad I did! I’ve been following her off and on for almost a year, but only recently have I begun visiting her site daily no matter what. And not just because I joined Weight Watchers and she’s a contributor! Lisa’s website offers weekly updates on such things as what’s new in food & dieting, hidden horrors in foods, better alternatives to restaurant menu items, and weekend survival strategies.

Now, Lisa isn’t a nutritionist… She says she’s just an average female, but I can’t even give her that… She’s awesome! Anyone who can come up with delicious recipes under 200 calories isn’t average! And yes, I do mean she has a book called “Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories.” Can you imagine?! Well, I can since I just purchased the cookbook and I’m lovin’ what I see! I almost just ran back out to make her “It’s A Snap!” Ginger Cookie ‘n Peach Parfait,” which is only 158 calories and 3 WW points! Oh yeah!

Lisa also has a book called “Hungry Girl Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World,” and a new book which will be available in March 2010 (but you can pre-order it now) called “Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet.” She also has an audiobook and recipe card set.

Oh! And another reason I gotta love Hungry Girl… She introduced me to Vitalicious’ VitaTops! They’re only 100 calories each, and 1 WW point! Seriously?! What’s that? You’re asking if you get to have a delicious chocolate muffin top with REAL chocolate chips for breakfast or a snack, and not use a bazillion WW points?! Oh yes, you can!!! How insanely awesome is that?!

(Picture via Hungry Girl website)

I’m not sure if anyone even remembers when I had a separate page on weight loss, which I’ve deleted since.  Basically, it came down to the fact that being on Depo caused me to gain 20 lbs!  Yes, 20 lbs!  I jumped from 125 to 145!  I tried to lose the weight, but it didn’t seem to help.  I ended up switching to Mirena back in August, and I’m guessing the switch was good.

Somehow, I’ve lost 15 lbs., and I look so much better!  I’m not as self-conscious as I was, which is always a plus!  I’ve cut out sugar as much as I can… No more soda, no sugar in my coffee, and if I drink a juice or tea, I try to make sure it has natural sugars from fruits or “real” sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Though I haven’t made it up to six smaller meals a day, I am eating three smaller meals with at least wosnacks.  It’s a start for me.  Even if I’m still not where I should be eating-wise, I’m trying hard.  I’m watching the carb, sodium, fat & calorie intakes… A newbie on this can only go so far at first!  My portions are smaller than before, and it’s taking less to “fill” me up.

I’ve also started some sense of exercise.  I had purchased DDR a while ago, and I do that whenever I can – until it starts to hurt my ankles.  I’ve been using my stability ball more as well.  I hope to go walking nightly sometime soon, and I’ve gotten my Budokon DVD from a friend, so I’ll start that up again soon too.

While it might not seem like much to a fitness guru, or someone who knows anything about diet and nutrition, it’s all a start for me, and I’m happy with the results I’ve received so far.  I’m able to fit back into clothes I haven’t been able to wear in well over a year, and my boss even told me I’m looking good and my efforts are paying off.  

And as much as I’d LOVE to lose at least another 15 lbs., I’m not pushing for it.  I’m slowly getting comfortable with my body again, and even getting down to 125 again would be nice.  I know I’ll never look as I did in high school, and if that happens, I’ll be in complete awe LOL!  Seriously, I will!  Just wish me luck on losing at least 5 more lbs., and toning up.   I’ll re-evaluate myself then to see how happy I am