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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

This is an amazing pizza dough crust for some FIVE STAR fun! Pizza is NO LONGER OFF LIMITS -- as long as you exercise some limits in portion control on the toppings.

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 tsp white sugar
* 1/2 cup + 1 Tbl & 2 tsp lukewarm water
* 1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
* 1-1/4 tsp olive oil
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 3/4 cup + 2 Tbl and 1 tsp whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the all-purpose flour and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled (or Pam-sprayed) bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
(I learned in my bread-making days that you can also turn the oven on to 150 for about 10 minutes and then turn it off and place your dough in there to rise -- cuts the rising time in half!)
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 4 pieces for 4 individual pizzas, or leave whole to make one crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well-oiled pizza pan (or lightly-sprayed pizza stone or cast-iron ware). Top pizza with your favorite toppings.
5. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Nutritional Information
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 167
Total Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 236mg
Total Carbs: 33g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Protein: 6g

Last night we did this for Family Night and it was a HUGE success. Our toppings were garlic spaghetti sauce, grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes, pineapple, olives, spices, and cheese. Each person got to make their own pizza, which added an individual touch to each and some real family fun and fun discussions as we created our dinners and then enjoyed eating them together. I measured out serving sizes of each food to not go overboard, and it was PERFECT!!! Just the right amount of food for a satisfying dinner with NO temptations to eat just ONE MORE PIECE of pizza!

ENJOY!!!!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

My Week

I need somewhere to post a food plan for the week -- cuz I'm starting over yet again. My friend Carrie challenged me to not eat ANY sugar or after 7:00 PM. So I'm going to meet her on her challenge -- even with the ward campout this weekend.

So - I have 24 Weight Watchers points, and here's how I'm going to use them this week:
Wednesday --
B-fast @ 7:00 a.m.
Oatmeal (2 pts)
Egg with Salsa (2 pts)
Banana (2 pts)

Snack @ 10:00 a.m.
Yogurt and Fiber ONE (1 pt)
Cottage Cheese/tomato (2 pts)

Lunch @ 1:00 p.m.
Tuna Fish Sandwich (5 pts)
1 cup grapes (1 pt)
1 cup carrots (0 pts)

Snack @ 4:00 p.m.
Apple (1 pt)
LF Cheesestick (1 pt)

Zumba @ 5:30

Dinner @ 6:30
Ham (3 pts)
Baked Potato w/Parm Cheese (4 pts)
Steamed Green Beans (0 pts)

Thursday
Snack @ 6:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2 pts)

Gravity Group at 6:30

Breakfast @ 9:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 12:00
Yogurt/Fiber One/Banana (3 pts)

Lunch @ 3:00
Eng. Muffin/Laughing Cow Cheese/Turkey (3 pts)
Salad w/Cottage Cheese and olives (3 pts)
1 cup grapes (1 pt)

Dinner @ 6:30
Hawaiian Haystacks
Pineapple - 2 pts
Chicken - 3 pts.
Rice - 2 pts
Peas - 0 pts.
Olives - 1 pt.
Tomato - 0 pts.

Friday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber ONE/Banana (2 pts)

Lunch @ 2:00
Soup (3 pts)
Salad w/Cottage Cheese (2 pts)
Eng. Muffin/Cheese (3 pts)

Snack @ 4:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Dinner @ 6:30
Chicken (3)
Potatoes (3)
Beans (0 pts)
Cheese (2)

Saturday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber One/Banana (3 pts)

Gravity Group @ 11:30

Lunch @ 1:00
Black Bean Quesadillas (6 pts)
Grapes (1 pt)

Snack @ 4:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Dinner @ 6:30
Spaghetti (6 pts)
Steamed Green Beans
Watermelon (2 pts)

Sunday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber ONE/Banana (3)

Church from 11:00-2:00

Snack @ 2:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Lunch @ 4:00
Sandwich (7)

Dinner @ 6:30
???? (8)

Monday Weigh-In Results:

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Three Cheers

Are you having fun yet? We sure are!
Three cheers for Daddy's BIRTHDAY

Hip, hip -- hooray!
Hip hip -- Hoo-Ray!
Hip hip -- HOORAY!!!
Keep going!


Click Here to Continue with Your Virtual Birthday Card
Non-Dave Readers, Click Here and then return to this page and Click Here to finish up (this is because some of the blogs are for invited readers only, but I want you to be able to make it to the end).
Everyone, Click Here to Start Over

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Calories Per Hour

I just found this great site called "Calories Per Hour." It has a weight loss tutorial that is VERY thorough. I encourage ANYONE trying to lose weight to go through it. I will cover and spotlight some of the main points here from time to time. One thing I read today that I think is very interesting is about the number of calories we use every day, doing every day things. They also have an activity calculator you can use to determine how many calories you burn doing activities you love or even just walking or biking with your family or working out at the gym. The daily activity breakdown looks like this:

Sleeping
588 calories in 8 hr
Office Work - general
980 calories in 8 hr
Driving - light vehicle (e.g., car, pick-up)
163 calories in 1 hr
Food - preparing, at home
204 calories in 1 hr
Eating - sitting
122 calories in 1 hr
Taking a Shower
82 calories in 30 min
Cleaning - house or cabin, general
122 calories in 30 min
Shopping - groceries, with cart
94 calories in 30 min
Walking - with dog
122 calories in 30 min
Running - 6 mph
408 calories in 30 min
Dressing and Undressing
82 calories in 30 min
Watching - TV or movie
163 calories in 2 hr
So even things like watching television or working at the computer burn calories -- just because you are awake and doing things. However, some simple exchanges for the amount of time you spend doing these things might help you see why the weight goes on to begin with and what minor changes, implemented consistently over time, will help you lose and, more importantly, NOT gain back the excess weight.

Ironically, the more overweight you are, the less likely you are to do some of the more active and interactive things. It's a catch-22, huh? But as you lose weight, you gain the physical ability and increased desire to be more active, thus improving your overall health, well-being, and ultimately your entire life! ;-D