Happy Sunday all! This morning I was really excited to go to my Weight Watcher’s Meeting since it was The Husband’s first meeting. I have a feeling I am a bit more excited about it then he is, but, it is super cute to see him thinking about what he is eating before he eats it and how he can make a better choice ~ Baby steps, right?!
I have a confession to make to you all and it honestly has not happened in a long time. I actually started off last week completely prepared and motivated to make my birthday week a loss week. I did great at eating all the meals/healthy snacks I planned, but, somewhere after Wednesday, I just sort of gave in….I stopped tracking and thought eh, I can just eat anything I want since it’s my birthday week LOL…..
Definitely NOT the right thing to do, but, add to that a bit of stress and PMS and somehow I just couldn’t resist all those darn mini twixes in the candy jar. That being said, I was really glad the scale was nice to me today and let me MAINTAIN!
For me, that is a WIN and I am ready to make this week a 100% tracking week to make sure the scale goes down next week.
Breakfast ~ a Whole Grain Aussie Cake my leader brought in from Costco (3 points+). I like they used whole flax seeds and it surprisingly filled me up.
Plus a cutie, apple and coffee!
She tried to convince all of us that this Asparagus Guacamole tastes just like the real deal. I am a bit of a skeptic, but, I am totally up for giving it a try since it’s 0 points+!
Before heading out to stock up for the week, we stopped at Starbuck’s for lattes (3 points+)
I was pretty much starving by the time we walked in the door at 1 pm. I let The Husband pick out lunch and he picked my favorite bread ~ Trader Joe’s Fat Free Multi-Grain Bread.
2 slices for 3 points+ and packed with sweet grain deliciousness!
Turkey, Ham & Pepper Jack Sandwiches
- 1 oz Honey Ham (1 points+)
- 2 oz Honey Turkey (1 points+ ~ yup, it’s less!)
- 1 slice Hot Pepper Jack (2 points+)
- Organic Greens, Tomatoes and Hot & Sweet Mustard
- 2 slices Trader Joe’s FF Multi-Grain Bread
Topped off with 17 Sour Cream & Onion Pop Chips (2 points+)
I will almost always pick the real deal bread because it just tastes better.
After lunch, I decided to whip up some Apple Cinnamon Chip Muffins for The Husband and I this week to satisfy his sweet tooth. You all might remember my leader making these Cinnamon Chip Muffins before….this is my take on them.
APPLE CINNAMON CHIP MINI MUFFINS (print it!)
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz Trader Joe’s Apple Bread Mix (or your favorite cake or quick bread mix)
- 15 oz can Pumpkin
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 5 oz Mini Cinnamon Chips
- 1/2 cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 24 cup nonstick mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine all the above ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended.
3. Scoop into the muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and the muffins spring back to touch. Enjoy warm or cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Makes 48 mini muffins, 1 points+ each
Nutritional information per mini muffins calculated at caloriecount.com
STEP – BY – STEP
Here is everything you need to make this recipe. You can actually use any spice cake or bread mix for this recipe.
I tend to gravitate towards Trader Joe’s Apple Spice Bread Mix because I can recognize every ingredient and there are NO transfats in the mix.
The mix is 3 points+ for 1/12 of it ~ not too shabby!
This recipe is so simple to make ~ you pretty much just combine everything in the bowl…
Until well blended….
Then bake according to the package, about 18-20 minutes or until the muffins look golden and spring back when touched.
I had 3 muffins for snack with coffee and it was awesome! The little cinnamon chips make these muffins seem so decadent.
Dinner was one of my favorite dishes of all time ~ Every single time we have Kicked Up Sweet Potato BLTA Nachos, I wonder why we do not have them more often! (11 points+)
You can print the recipe over on my Recipe Page.
I totally made up a dish to have this for lunch tomorrow too ~ I cannot wait!!!
HERE IS WHAT IS ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
- Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese & Salad
- Individual 7 Layer Dip & Chips with Veggies Stix
- Lemon Chicken & Leek Pasta with Mushrooms and Salad
- Kale, Kielbasa and Bean Soup
- Pizza, Salad or Breakfast!
Q’s
What are you all fixin’ this week? Are you trying any new foods or recipes?
Night all!
Finally made it to Costco and my store (Texas) didn’t have the pop chips but they did have a case (24) of the veggie straws – each bag is one point! Winning! And the case was like $9.69 so cheap too! Your muffins look yummy. I don’t think I would be able to limit myself to just one or two of those.
I am all over having finding those veggie straws now! 🙂 Thanks Phyllis!
For the muffins are these regular size for 1 pt+ or mini?? I will make these when my box of cinnamon chips gets here this week!! LMAO ( I hoping amazon drops them tomorrow or tuesday since it will be cool, as the rest of the week is suppose to be back in the 80’s!!)…The last 2 Sunday’s I have worked at WW and brought the gals I work with breakfast treats…chocolate singles…chocolate chip scone…So they ask since your working next sunday what are you bringing us?? Now I know ! Thanks 🙂
Josie ~ you are so cute – that is why I LOVE YOU! They are mini muffins. If you made full sized muffins, I would imagine the points+ would be 3-4 each depending on the size of your muffin and how many you made.
Danica
LMAO!! I went back and re read the post and I am such a ding dong you even say MINI!! I must have been praying it was a large muffin for 1 pt!! LOL…I have a mini pan that makes 24 at once!! Waiting on my chips…hurry mail man or lady!!
I am bookmarking this to make the muffins in the near future- this coming [long] weekend sounds perfect 😀 I love TJ’s boxed muffin mixes! Cranberry orange is a personal fave… P.S. What are “Whole Grain Aussie Cakes”? I’ve never seen them at Costco…
I have never heard of them either until yesterday. She said you can buy an entire container of the Aussie Bites at Costco in the cookie/cracker/baked good section.
Thanks for including a picture of the TJs bread… I am having trouble finding it at my store. Those muffins look amazing! Go you!
I enjoy reading your updates and recipes. Just wanted to let you know that I made your Butternut Squash polenta yesterday – and LOVED it!!! It was all I could do not to have another slice. Sooooooooo good. Thank-you for sharing! Question though – why do you refrigerate it for 3 hours before cooking? (I had missed that when reading it originally, so only had enough time to refrigerate for 45 minutes and it was still fabulous).
Tracy ~ I am soooo glad that you loved the squash. I actually agree with you. My polenta package said to refrigerate for 3 hours when making polenta. I think you maybe only need an hour or less if that because my batch was really thick. I will update the recipe for that.
Thanks,
Danica
I also made the yummy butternut squash polenta recipe. It was a definite hit! My husband loved it and helped himself to a second wedge. He didn’t guess that it was a healthy recipe, and I didn’t tell him!
Oh, and I didn’t refrigerate it at all before baking it. Cooking it for the full time you directed made a VERY stiff “dough” and I didn’t see a point in cooling it off only to reheat it. I just plopped it in the springform pan and baked it right away. It came out great!
These lil muffins look AHHHHmazing! I can’t wait to make them! Thanks for the post! I started Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago and found your blog looking for out of the ordinary healthy yummies. So glad I found you!
Maintaining on your birthday week is a TOTAL WIN! Congrats!
The muffins sound so good. Going to have to make them. Don’t have a Trader Joe’s in my area. Will have to find something comparable. Love your blog. Thanks so much for sharing.
Patsy,
You could easily use this recipe with any mix and chip ~ think chocolate and chocolate chips or cranberry orange with white chocolate chips! Just a few ideas that come to mind…oh and you do not taste the pumpkin so it doesn’t matter 🙂
Danica
Your recipes sound wonderful. I’d just like to know (a ballpark figure) how much you spend on the groceries to make these recipes. The ingredients are for the most part, very pricey and on a fixed income would be impossible.
Hi Laura,
It really varies how much I spend each week on groceries on whether I am visiting a local farmer’s market or not. I tend to buy a lot of stuff local when possible since the produce is cheaper and I spend 80% of my weekly grocery bill at Trader Joe’s where the prices are cheaper (like a co-op). Roughly, if I averaged my bill, I spend about $50 a week give/take because some weeks I shop from my fridge/pantry and only buy fresh fruits/veggies.
To make the above ~ you could easily buy comparable items for the muffins at Target for $6. To make the Sweet Potato Nachos ~ I tend to have almost all things on hand.
I bought an entire 5 lb bag of organic sweet potatoes for $3. I will usually buy a package of the turkey bacon at Trader Joe’s $2.00 and you can freeze the pieces you don’t use for another time. The cheese and veggies would add up to less than $5, but, once again, these are all items you can use on other foods.
I try to plan my menus around the ingredients I am buying so I can use them in other things. My sweet potato toppings will be used to make 7 layer dip and chips, the veggies on salads, etc.
Hope that helps a bit…..
Danica
Thanks for being so real and sharing your birthday week tracking . That def is a win to maintain !! The Sweet Potato BLTA Nachos look amazing!
OMG! I LOVE that you took a picture of the Asparagus dip! I was thinking through the entire meeting that I have to take a picture of that before I leave and FORGOT!! Thank you so very much! Happy birthday on the scale maintain! Such a nice gift:). I gained 🙁 1.4lbs. Now I know I can’t eat all 49 pts and my exercise pts! I was just plain hungry last week. This week, I’m with ya Danica! Tracking and staying motivated. I’m aiming for 2+ since I gained. Good luck and thanks again for posting all that you do. I am sooooooo gonna have a sandwhich for lunch too!
Thanks, Danica, for a possible location for the Paul Newman Lime Dressing. I’ll try Nob Hill today. Your photos are so very enticing! Muffins, yummmm.
You always keep it real Danica as I try to do too. We are human beings first and perfection is not in our DNA. Your birthday week is over now and you can get back to your personal weight loss goals!! Love the twist on the muffins and a trip to Trader Joes is on my to do list.
Those Aussie Bites from Costco are awesome!! Love them =)
My WW leader gave me this quick 3 pt desert .
Mix 1 box angel food cake mix and one box of any other cake mix into a ziploc bag,
Mix 3 TBLS mix with 2 TBLS water and microwave in small glass dish for 1 minute, She said do not use pam, it will ruin it.
It does not matter what other flavor you use, but you have to use the angel food mix because that is what makes it rise.
The mix makes 37 servings at 3 pts each.
I used Angel food and spice and then topped with fat free cook whip, and a squirt of fat free Hersey syrup. .
Yummy
Hello Danica! I am new to your site and I have really learned a lot in two days. After reading your views on the new points program, I called WW to ask if I could get the program materials if I joined online. They said I would have to go and pay for the three meetings so I went on Ebay and was able to find a set of all the materials for 19.95. I am happy to at least be able to read over the new program. Thanks for all the information. It is very helpful!
One more thing, do you have the recipe to the orginal choc chip mini muffins? Would you please share? Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
Here is the recipe that can be used for the original chocolate chip muffins,. You can use any flavored cake mix and add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips to it along with pumpkin and water. I need to post a version for chocolate since mine uses carrot cake.
http://danicasdaily.com/recipage?recipe_id=6001411
Danica
Hi Danica
Where do you get the cinnamon mini chips, never heard of them.
Those muffins sound delicious
Hi Danielle,
I have heard you can only find them during the holiday season and you find them at Raley’s, Nob Hill or Bel Air. Not sure who else carries them, but, I did find out from Josie above that you can order them on amazon.com.
Danica
Where oh where I have I been that I haven’t tried your Kicked Up Sweet Potato BLTA Nachos yet?! (faint)
Btw thanks for sharing how you had set a goal to lose this week and got a little derailed because of the birthday. What’s awesome is that you maintained instead of gaining. Awesome job!
Hi Danica
I will check out Amazon for those cinnamon chips. Thanks
I know you only maintained last week instead of loosing, which you were happy about considering this was your birthday week but how do you handle tough weeks.?
I’ve been going through some hard times where I cannot seem to stay on plan.
Do you have a suggestion to snap out of it
Danica, where do you get the cinnamon chips? I tried finding them today but no luck. Thanks!
Sorry I should have read the comments above! Duh!