Hamburger Buddy & This Week’s Menu

Hi everyone! Thank you all for the nice comments, emails and Facebook messages on my last post. I am fully embracing my time off, dare I say – enjoying it so much so far, and I promise that I’m not going anywhere. While I am taking  a break from my “real” job, I’ll still be here blogging my Daily Adventures in healthy eating.

I kicked off my weekend with a .8 lb loss and I downloaded a new book to listen to during today’s fair walk with The Husband.

Have you all ever checked out the Hoopla App? It’s so cool! You can download books to read/listen to, TV, Movies, etc. for free using your library card. You can check out up to 6 things a month. The book I downloaded is Murder on the Orient to listen to. I totally plan on watching the movie once I finish the book.

The Husband requested Subway eggwiches for breakfast. I like them but not their points so I usually stick with just half a half for 6 Smartpoints.

Ham, Egg & Pepperjack with lettuce, spinach, tomato, bell pepper, onion, Pepperoncini, olives, salt & pepper. (I only eat half of this).My last Starbucks of the weekend – Grande Nonfat Cappuccino with caramel on top (3 sp). It was amazing and I’ll miss it until  next weekend.?After fair #1, I snacked on a banana and a handful of raw almonds (2 sp).

After fair #2, we had lunch at Ike’s Sandwiches in San Jose. Each Ike’s location has different sandwiches and we have heard from a few people their sandwiches are amazing.I had half a 49er on SF Sourdough with everything. Its chicken with Frank’s Red Hot, honey mustard, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers and jalapeno. (7 sp). I ate a few of his BBQ chips too (2 sp).

I love their bread, that they use real chicken breast and the sweet/spicy kick.Dinner was a spin on this Eating Well Hamburger Buddy Recipe. I used to make this back in the day for The Husband as a healthy version of the boxes Hamburger Helper he loves. He devours it and hasn’t eaten the box stuff since I started making it. Ok, well, I do all the shopping too so there is that 😉

I like leaving the mushrooms whole, using 93% lean ground beef or turkey, using fresh thyme and adding green bell pepper to the chopped veggie mix.I substitute 1/2 cup of the broth for marsala wine and add a little tomato paste for a little sweetness.I prefer 0% Greek Yogurt over sour cream but either work.You definitely need a bit of freshness to balance the rich creaminess. Add in a handful of green onions or parsley to finish the dish.How many of you are singing…”hamburger helper, helped her hamburger to make a great meal”? You can here the jingle here

6 Smartpoints for a 1 1/3 cup serving. Paired with a simple side salad tossed in evoo and balsamic. (1 sp)HERE IS WHAT’S ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

• A spin on this Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole, greens
• Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Mushrooms & Broccolini
• BLTAs, cucumber tomato salad
• Cheesy Tortellini Pizza Casserole (new recipe in my head), salad

What’s on your menu this week?

Night all!