Recipe - Lite Meatballs

Here is an awesome take on my homemade meatballs. This is made with very lean ground beef which takes a lot of the fat away. This recipe makes your meatballs 5 pts for 5 meatballs. Enjoy!

Italian Meatballs Lightened Up

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (at least 90/10)

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (1/4 cup before the chopping)

4 basil leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp rosemary, ground

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less dependent on taste)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

5 cups of prepared sauce

Salt/pepper to taste

Sweat onion/garlic in a saute pan, till translucent.

Add parsley and basil till soft, less than a minute.

Add oregano, rosemary and red pepper for one minute more. Let mixture cool.

Combine meat, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, egg and onion mixture together in medium bowl. Mix together well. Shape meatballs by taking 1/4 cup of mixture and dividing in half (making meatballs 1/8 cup each).

Drop meatballs into sauce in a high sided pan, on medium low heat. Cook for 10 minutes on one side, covered. Then flip and cook for 10 more minutes on the other side.

Serve over pasta, or with toothpicks for a great appetizer. 

Recipe - Italian Sauce of Awesomeness

This is a recipe Kenny (my roommate) and I wrote. You can take this basic concept and try different types of canned tomatoes or even adding different herbs and spices. This recipe is meant to set the stage for a few light Italian recipes that are soon to come. Word of advice, start this recipe on a day off. Give it as much time as you can to cook and marry the flavors. The more time the better! This sauce is about a point a serving (about a cup).

Italian Sauce of Awesomeness

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced (more if you prefer)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
3- 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp oregano, dried
1 tsp rosemary, crushed or whole/chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste

In a large sauce pot, on medium high heat, add in the oil. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and sweat them till translucent. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Don't go overboard, you can add season later. Add the oregano and rosemary. (If you are using dried parsley and basil, add them now as well)

At this point you want to pour in your crushed tomatoes.

Drop your heat to simmer and add in your parsley and basil. (If you are using fresh)

Simmer your pot of sauce for two to three house, stirring every half hour or so. It's very important, when you are stirring, not to scrape the bottom of the pot. Something will burn at the bottom and you do not want to incorporate that taste into your sauce.

Airline Experience - The Final Chapter

So recently I had a really bad airline experience having to do with weight. I really wanted to share that with you here. I recently flew home to New York, and on my way back I was pulled as side during a lay over in Tampa. A Southwest rep was called on board to talk to me about my future flights and how I would need to buy two seats. She then reserved the seat next to me for free and left. I spent the rest of that board telling people that they could not sit next to me. When I got home my step mom told me I should write a letter and I decided that was a fabulous idea. The following is a copy of what I wrote:


My flight experience yesterday was bad from the beginning. I got to the airport, found my gate and immediately realized there was a problem. My gate and flight number were listed to be going to Tampa. So I checked with customer service that we had a stop in Tampa. That's weird, I thought, that was not listed anywhere on my itinerary or on any correspondence I received from South West at all. But okay, I was willing to go to Tampa if that's what needed to happen. But when we got to Tampa, things got worse. While waiting for head count and for new passengers to board, I was approached by a South West Rep. She informed me that even though I was not informed by anyone on my flight into New York (days before), or on my flight to Tampa, that going forward I was going to need to buy an addition seat. I have flown with South West a few times recently, and a flight a few day earlier, and no one had informed me of this. In addition, I have lost a bit of weight recently and was quite excited that these last few flights were my first in a long time where I did not need a seat belt extender. Back to my conversation. I was dumbstruck. I didn't know how to respond except nod. The rep gave me a "informational pamphlet" (which only told me how to get a refund if I did pay for an additional seat), and she then reserved the seat next to me for free (which was nice, I guess). She then explained to me that this was for the safety of other passengers if there was a need to escape the plane. I found that interesting, as I was in the last row, in a window seat (since I always check in early). When the rep departed, all I could do was cry. And I spent the remaining time of the new boarding, explaining to people through my tears that they could not sit there. It was obvious to me that there was plenty of room next to me and that people did not mind sharing space with me. I have never been so embarrassed in my whole life. I, and many people in my family and group of friends, use south west. Many are of size and no one has ever been treated so badly up until this point. I was spoken to, in public, where people could hear, after flying with South West often as of recently, and after I have lost a great deal of weight. I do want someone to contact me, and I will continue to escalate this till someone does something about this situation that is suitable.

Now I became concerned over this weekend because I had written this email on the night of the 17th. Now the 27th had come and past and still no answer. So I wrote another email to the tune of "I haven't heard back in the 5 days quoted, and I want an answer immediately". Well a couple days later I did hear back, but they did not email. They called. I was honestly impressed with that to begin with. I didn't answer the call as it was a 214 number I didn't recognize. The gentleman left him name, the corporate number and the direct extension. I was now even more so impressed. 

When I called back I got through to the rep right away. He explained how very sorry he was and relayed the information in my email, as if he had it memorized. He told me how sorry he was to hear this happened around people, how embarrassing this must have been and how he couldn't fathom how this came to happen. He even went as far as to say he was so excited how well my weight loss journey has been going. He stated he wanted to give me "a love comp" of $200 dollars for my experience. I explained that I never wrote to get money from them. I was more so concerned about my future travel, and what the exact line was for needing another seat. He explained that you need to be able to put the arm wrest down (which I was) and not need a seat belt extender (which I was). He could tell my unease with that answer and said that if anyone were to come to me again, baring my weight isn't an issue going further, to let them know that customer relations said I did not need an extra seat.  


I was truly wowed today. I can't express my gratitude to this Southwest rep. He seemed so genuine and caring. I will gladly continue my business with Southwest.

Ideas - Breakfast

So almost every morning I have same same breakfast. Eggs, scrambled with spinach, turkey sausage, and a bagel thin. I try adding different spices and what not to make it different, but that only goes so far. So this weekend I tried something a little different. Same egg premise, but with enchilada sauce cooked in. This came out AMAZING. And just thought I would share.

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In this case I used whole eggs, as I still have enough points to afford such a luxury. But this can so easily be done with egg whites or egg beaters. Also, I happened to have enchilada sauce homemade in my house, thanks to the boys. I'm not sure how many points a canned enchilada sauce would be, never mind the amount of sodium. But play around in your pantry. You can easily make a dull breakfast fiesta time!

Recipe - Quick Tips - Fresca Cupcakes

So one of the most amazing things about being in weight watchers with friends is that you get to share some really awesome ideas. This first one is something Roni shared with us. It's such a quick easy idea and helps curb that sweet tooth.

Diet Soda Cupcakes - Fresca Edition

Ingredients:

1 Box of cake mix (in this case Classic White by Duncan Hines

20oz of diet soda (in this case Fresca, which is 0 everything)

This is the most simple recipe in existence. 

Grease or line your muffin pans.

Preheat your oven to 350.

First dump your cake mix in a mixing bow, or you bowl for your stand mixer.  Add in your 20 oz of soda.

Mix really well, making sure no dry ingredients get stuck to the bottom (I forget this part everytime). Once everything is incorporated well, grab a spoon and fill the cups about half way. This should fill about 24 cupcake tins. 

Now bake. This part is a little difficult. The box says 18-20 minutes. I find it, in my oven to be closer to 35 minutes. However my oven is standard apartment edition, and thus a piece of junk. But, start checking around 25. The best way to do this is by sticking a toothpick in the middle of your thickest cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcakes are done. 

Viola. You now have delicious cupcakes for the most minimal of points. Without any kind of topping you are looking at about 1 point a piece. With a light cool whip, more like 2 points. You can easily do this recipe as a full cake as well. With topping 1/10th of the cake is 2 points. I just personally prefer the cupcakes for portion control. Also there are so many possibilities of flavor combos out there. These are my favorite but I also did a chocolate mix with diet cherry Pepsi that was amazing as well. Play with your flavors, and I'll be sure to report what works on my end. 

Enjoy!

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary....

Today started like any other. Working, giving feedback to my team, etc. But it turned really amazing about half way through. A girl who had read my first post on this blog stopped to talk to me about it. To make a long story short she told me that this blog was what she needed. This was a girl who had very similar experience to mine, and was coming to a point in a life when she needed a change.

This reminded me how important it is to have someone to share these thoughts/experiences with. There are so many people in our lives, no matter how hard they try, will never fully grasp what it's like to live life more than two or three hundred lbs. Not to say we are innocent victims in this. But it's a struggle only some people will ever understand.

I was truly touched that my blog, one single post, had hit home for someone. And I wanted to take the time to thank my friend for her candidness. I'm so lucky to have people like her in my life. Because I know one day I will need that friend and she will be there for me. If you are out there, share your stories. Your stories may resonate with someone and help them in their struggles. I have so many beautiful people in my life who have done that for me. I'm glad I can give back in any way.


Side note, I had dinner at Hooters tonight. I had a salad and a couple of wings. It worked out really well, but eating out still strikes some fear into me. So if you have any eating out recommendations, please share them in the comments section. 

My suggestion for tonight is Hooter's Cobb Salad, without cheese and fat free raspberry vinaigrette. I can't find the points total online, but without cheese it was lettuce, tomato, a few small pieces of chicken (you can ask for them grilled. I had some extra points so I left them breaded), a few slices of egg, and some small pieces of bacon (most of which I left on the plate). I would be surprised if it was more than 10 points total.

Where to begin? I guess at the beginning?

So I've finally got my act together and got this blog going. It took a really long time to get a name that was perfectly perfect (thank you Kenny). When I was trying to decide how to kick this thing off, I figured it would be best to start on why I'm here and how I got here.

I grew up in New York, in a primarily Italian household. My mom and dad split when I was little, and my dad remarried a number of years later (my mother is another story all together). I was always a chunky kid. Never crazy big. Just a bit on the chunky side.

I was fancy. Don't be too jealous. But those teeth, oh boy. 

My family in general has always struggled with weight issues, and thus was something that we always were mindful of. My dad and step mom have been on weight watchers as long as I can remember. There was always some exercise routines and weight ins and what not. I didn't care too much until I got a bit older. I can remember at some point or another trying weight watchers with my step and hating it really bad. It was a room full of strangers and they all clapped when I lost like .4 lbs or some such. I hated it.

Being in a house with healthy food should have helped. However, back in the day healthy food was mostly chicken breast, balsamic vinegar and green beans. Yuck. It was around this point that I became a closet eater and kept my binging to myself.

When I was 14 I made the leap and moved in with my mother. My mother has been thin the majority of her life and has a metabolism to die for.  At this time she was in her 40s and had recently had two kids, but looked like she was in her early 30s and not an ounce of fat on her. Through my teens I began to gain weight it wasn't something my mother truly understood. She would often speak about my body negatively and even would make me stand in front of a full length mirror to inspect my body in full. It was not a pleasant experience and in the end had the opposite effect in which she intended.

I gained more and more weight through the years and ended up at a full 220. It was pretty devastating but I had that feeling of being completely out of control. I didn't know what to do or how to fix my problem. I began acting out in life. Fulfilling my self confidence needs with horrible relationships and casual meetings. It only served to make me feel worse.

In my early 20s, I decided to move back in with dad and step mom, try to get back into school and in general turn my life around. Around that time I started losing some weight, using diet, exercise and really terrible diet pills. I would come home every night from work and take the family dog for a few mile walk. It worked really effectively at first, but shortly there after I started putting weight back on.

Shortly after I met a guy. He was a tremendous jerk but I had such a low self image I thought this was the best I could do. He hated my weight and was always talking about it. He did computer repairs and had a client that was a very popular exercise guru on Long Island. He got me some of the guy's videos and would ask me to follow the videos multiple times a day. Also my diet was severely restricted and my water intake closely monitored. I lost a lot of weight in the year that I was with him. More than 80 lbs all together. After our split, I finally felt really great, but the reasons for my weight loss still haunted me.

I began doing a lot of modeling and photography work. I really loved being in front of and behind the camera. I was still on the chunky side but there is a niche for that kind of work. But I was not maintaining healthy eating and lifestyle. I moved back to New Jersey and helped take care of my mom while she was sick. I spiraled down hill so fast I barely saw it coming.

After I started gaining weight again. 

Weight kept adding back on. A lot of really random and weird things happened in my life around this time. I was on and off people's couches, moving around a lot. All in all had no real stability in my life. I met a man and he and I had this whirl wind romance. We decided to move to Las Vegas, but prior to that get married. Looking at things to wear for my wedding I realized I was back up over 220 again. I couldn't even believe it.

After moving to Vegas I continued to put on weight. I started at my amazing job, separated from my husband and jumped head first into a new relationship. I never stopped to take care of myself or even look into why I wasn't taking care of myself. Before I new it, I was up and over 300 lbs. My boyfriend and I tried many diets, and even weight watchers again. We always ultimately got frustrated and gave up. During these years my asthma got worse, I started having terrible joint pain and I was/am always sick. I knew something had to change.

Now my job has always offered weight watchers meetings at work. But I always scoffed at it. I had tried weight watchers, twice even. I hated it and there was not way I was going to meetings. What I didn't realize was how many of the people I knew and loved were doing weight watchers at work, and were so successful. My friends Kelsey and Roni were doing so incredible and wanted so bad for me to try and join them on their journey. Kelsey was even willing to put up the initial money so I would have no excuses.

So here is where we are now. I tried. I loved it. I began experimenting with healthy food blogs and cooking ever evening. I never felt cheated, deprived or stuck. I have fallen in love with my journey and realized that I have the skills to show people how I do what I do.

I am on my journey, 21lbs lighter, and it's still only the beginning. I wanted to share my experience with people who need that push, inspiration, help that I got from the people around me. I have utilized many blogs and most of the ones I love are written by people who are healthy food nuts. Those who are not in the middle of a journey that many people like me share. I wanted to share the trials, tribulations, successes you have along the way. 

This blog is dedicated to my parents, my weight watchers group, my friends, my family. I couldn't have gotten this far without you all.

This is me now, 280 lbs and losing.