Another weekend in the books

Another weekend is in the books. It was pretty uneventful, but I enjoyed the time with my family.

Friday started with another incident that reminds us that life is too short. Rob called me from work on Friday afternoon to tell me some bad news. One of his co-workers (whom he has worked with for the past 12+ years, who has sat in the office directly next to him and even came to our wedding) passed away on Friday. She was at work putting in a normal day at the office. Rob had talked to her that morning and was showing her pictures of Leah. In the early afternoon, she went downstairs to smoke. She never came back up. Apparently, she passed out when she was outside. Someone called medical attention and they were performing CPR on her. Rob got wind of this and ran downstairs. (He works in the loop and it was a 22 floor elevator ride down). When he got outside he saw her and she was blue. They took her away to the hospital. Rob and a few co-workers immediately followed. After they arrived, they learned that she had passed away. Apparently, she had a heart attack. Rob was pretty upset considering he has worked with her for so long and was just talking to her that morning. It is another reminder that you never know when your time is up. Life is too short so enjoy every moment you have with your family and friends. Tell them how much you love them!

Saturday was a typical Saturday. We made it the gym and ran a few errands. Leah is teething REALLY bad and she has been hot and cold with her mood. I feel so bad for the poor girl. I know she is in so much pain. In the late afternoon, we were going to my Mom’s Aunt and Uncle’s house. I only see them a few times a year. They were having a get together at their house in Oak Lawn. I was able to see some of my second cousin’s and family members that I haven’t seen in quite awhile (and some of my family that I see more often). It was a good time. The weather could have been slightly warmer, but at least it wasn’t raining. By the time we got home, Leah was at her wits end with her teeth and made sure we knew it! She was in pain and nothing would calm her down, not even a popsicle. We gave her some Tylenol and luckily in about 30 minutes she was back to herself running around. I finally was able to get that clip of her dancing and singing to Justin Bieber!

Leah enjoying her first popsicle!

My sweet niece Annabelle

Today was another typical day. Gym and grocery shopping. It was nicer outside than yesterday, but I would have liked it 10-15 degrees warmer. After our errands, we just hung out at home. We took a few walks. I recently ordered the Hungry Girl “300 Under 300” Cookbook. It is 300 breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes under 300 calories. So far, I love it. There are so many good recipes that are a bit different from the norm. Hungry Girl (aka Lisa Lillien) also has a show on the Food Network too. Tonight I made the Buffalo Chicken Wing Macaroni & Cheese. It was very tasty and only 267 calories and 6 Weight Watchers Points. It's cool because you can go to her website and it will tell you how many Weight Watcher points are in every dish. If you are interested, I included the recipe below. On Friday night, I made the Outside-In Turkey Tamale Pie and it was yummy! Other recipes I can’t wait to try include Lasagna Cupcakes, Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken, and Cheeseburger Mac Attack!

Buffalo Chicken Wing Macaroni & Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Wing Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients

·        4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) of uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni

·        2 stalks of celery, chopped (I omitted since I didn’t have any on hand)

·        2 medium carrots, chopped

·        1 small onion chopped

·        8 ounces cooked and shredded skinless lean chicken breast

·        1 teaspoon chopped garlic

·        ¼ cup of Franks RedHot Original sauce, divided

·        ½ cup fat-free sour cream

·        2 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese

·        2 teaspoons yellow mustard

·        1 ½ tablespoons reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated cheese

·        1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I didn’t use fresh)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

Bring a skillet to medium-high heat on the stove. Add celery, carrots and onion. (I had some mushrooms that I had on hand so I added them too). Cook until veggies are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken, garlic and 3 tablespoons hot sauce to the skillet. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

In microwavable bowl, combine sour cream, cheese wedges, mustard and remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce. Mix well and heat in microwave for 30 seconds.

Spray an 8X8 baking pan with nonstick spray. Evenly place half of the pasta into the pan. Evenly top with the chicken-veggie mixture followed by the remaining pasta.

Add the sour cream mixture to the pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with Parm-style topping and parsley.

Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4

267 calories per serving, 3.5 grams of fat, 924mg sodium, 35 grams of carbs, 4.5 grams of fiber, 5.5 sugars, 23 grams of protein.

Resource: 300 Under 300

I hope everyone had a great weekend! It's time to start a new week!