Gina's Zucchini Pizza Bites

I know I wrote about Gina's Skinny Recipes a couple of weeks ago, but I just made her Zucchini Pizza Bites and oh my goodness....

My husband and I are having friends over for dinner tomorrow night, and I've planned a meal that won't ruin my WW week.  I'm cooking options for regular eaters as well as those of us who are dieting.  We're grilling, so the main course will be burgers and hot dogs.  However, in addition to hamburgers, there will be turkey burgers.  :-)  I'm making a yummy (light but doesn't taste light) potato salad and I'm trying Gina's baked onion rings.  I also wanted to try these zucchini pizza bites as appetizers.  I'm not a huge fan of zucchini unless it's in my great grandma's oh-so-tasty bread, so I thought I should try them before feeding them to everyone.  Well... I just made them, and they're fabulous.

I love them.  They taste good and are a great snack but more importantly, they're SO EASY.  I can totally see how it would be fun to make these with kids.  Plus, it would be a great, healthy snack for picky kiddos because of the pizza disguise.  :-)

If you have any zucchini sitting around, this is a great recipe.  I did everything she advised except for the pizza sauce.  I looked at the price of pre-made pizza sauce in comparison to the price of a tiny can of tomato sauce and decided to go with the tomato sauce.  I just added some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.  It tastes just fine.

Gina's Zucchini Pizza Bites

Soooo Stressed!

I haven't been blogging lately because of everything that is going on.  I am beyond stressed and overwhelmed with this move.

In June, our little family is packing up and moving across the country.  Yes, we'll be close to family and friends... FINALLY, but we're teachers.  Teachers do not get paid during the summer.  Plus, I haven't even been working this year (SAHM), so we're already suffocating financially.  I have a brilliant idea!  Let's add a cross-country move to the mix!

We have been incredibly blessed this week as I have accepted a job offer.  We have the security of knowing at least one of us will be bringing in an income and will have access to insurance in a few months.  This is a huge relief.  I just wish my husband would receive a call.  He's an amazing teacher and cares more about his students than anyone could possibly know.  He has accomplished incredible things here.  His resume is awesome.  The employment opportunities just aren't there.  His content area is not in high demand, and the market is flooded.  The one place where we felt slightly optimistic he would find a job has received over 80 applicants.  Who wants to risk hiring someone on the opposite side of the country when they have 80 people ready to walk in the door?

It's stressful to say the least.  My heart goes out to my husband.  He's one of these guys who has to work hard and provide for his family in order to feel any sort of self-worth.  I'm grateful for that; I just wish I could pull out a magic wand and create a teaching position for him.  :-)

We also still have no place to live.  Our family members are all willing to let us stay with them until we find a place.  Again... awesome.  I just hate all of this uncertainty.  I am one who must have a plan and schedule.  I have to know exactly what is happening each day, or I am an absolute mess.  I need to know we have a house waiting on us somewhere.

Bleh.  I'm so sick of looking for houses and job vacancies.  If you hear a loud crunching sound, that's just me throwing my computer into the street.

Healthy, AMAZING Recipes... In LOVE With This Site

My Weight Watchers journey is progressing well, and I think I've finally learned to cook.  That helps.  However, I've been repeating many of the same recipes, and they're starting to feel a bit monotonous.  In an effort to find new recipe ideas, I stumbled upon Gina's Skinny Recipes at SkinnyTaste.com.  I am so excited about this site and want to share.

Each recipe is presented with step-by-step instructions and pictures demonstrating what each step should look like.  This is AWESOME as I am not a natural in the kitchen.  Plus, all of the Points+ values are already calculated!  Even if you're not doing Weight Watchers, you can still plan these healthy meals into your daily routine.  All of the nutritional information is provided as well.  =)

I couldn't have found this website at a better time.  My husband's grandfather is visiting in a few days, and I've been racking my brain about dinner options.  I want to continue to cook healthy food, but I also need really good recipes that everyone will like.  I am definitely picking through these Skinny Recipes with a fine-tooth comb.

If you're looking to change up your recipe box and wanting to try some healthier options, check out this site.  :-)  You will not be disappointed.

Just a couple of examples:

Sweet Light Angel Food Cupcakes

Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto and Cheese

FATspiration Tip #5

I haven't written a FATspiration tip in a while, so here goes...

FATspiration Tip #5:  Eat every 3 hours and keep a daily food/drink journal.

I've seen this done on all of the FAT shows recently, but when it was recommended by my beautiful, skinny cousin, I knew it had to be true.  :-)  She's one of those people who makes a fat girl want to spit out the candy she just stuffed in her mouth.  This woman has an amazing body, gorgeous hair, and a very pretty face.  The worst part?  She's so ridiculously nice that you can't hate her.  :-)  Seriously though, she works really hard to keep her body looking as awesome as it does, AND she's really into the fitness world.  She knows her stuff.

According to this wonderful lady, eating every 3 hours keeps your metabolism going.  Obviously, sitting on your couch with a box of Twinkies ready to fill your "every 3 hour" requirement is not what we're shooting for.  Personally, I like to keep a bag of fresh almonds in my kitchen (no salt or sugar added).  If it's been a few hours and I'm not ready for a meal, I just grab a few almonds.  If I remember correctly, I can have about 23 for 4 Points.  I don't even come close to eating 23, so it is a healthy, filling, super low-Point food.

I can also speak from experience regarding the food journal.  Tracking your food is a component of WW, and it has really helped me.  Those of us who are addicted to food go through bouts of denial.  When I first started keeping a journal, I could not believe how much I had been eating before WW.  It was disgusting and kind of scary.  Even now, when I don't lose during a week, I know it's because I didn't keep detailed track of my food on a particular day.  I think I'll remember it later, but it's really easy to forget.

In addition to keeping a journal, even if you're not doing WW, you should set goals for how many glasses of water you want to drink each day.  I love having the little water tracker on my WW tool.  During the weeks I lose the most, I meet my daily water goals.  Tracking it keeps me aware and motivates me to make sure I'm drinking enough.  On Saturday, I looked back through my previous WW weeks.  The water is a huge factor.

If you're trying to shed some pounds, add the food journal to your plan and make sure you eat healthy snacks throughout the day.  :-)  Good luck!

Click here to visit my cousin's new blog!  She has a lot of great ideas about saving money.  :-)