Getting over my fear

Getting over my fear

I would say about 99% of the time, I DO NOT buy meat with the bones in it. I just don’t like cooking with them, or picking the meat off, etc…. BUT, my sister kept on telling me how much cheaper it is to buy 

Bolognese Sauce

I somehow got on the mailing list for Williams-Sonoma and if I ever win the lottery, I would like to have every pot, pan, knife and kitchen gadget they sell! Their catalog is gorgeous, AND they throw in a few recipes too! Bolognese Sauce is 

Fritatta!

Since my twin sister is diabetic, she mostly makes savory breakfasts vs. sweet ones. Sometimes I get a little jealous that her breakfasts are so deluxe, so I decided to make a great breakfast for myself. Today, like many people, reality hit, weight was gained 

George Forman Salami Supreme Calzone!

George Forman Salami Supreme Calzone!

A few years ago, my youngest son Mark (who is 11 now) went with me on a re-sale shop excursion. All three of my kids LOVE to go to resale shops with me and find good deals. As we were browsing through The Brown Elephant 

Shelley!  Weight Loss Success Story! 1/01/10!!!

Shelley! Weight Loss Success Story! 1/01/10!!!

I want to thank Shelley for participating in my New Years Weight Loss Success Story!! I have been following Shelley’s blog for a while now, and I love reading her accomplishments, and what she is doing to lose the weight! So here are the questions 

Healthy in a Hurry – Turkey & White Bean Chili

I’ve been going through binders of recipes I’ve copied from magazines, or gotten from friends during my time off from work over the Holidays. I wish I could get paid for reading cookbooks/recipes I would be a millionaire!! During the fast paced Holidays and people 

I’m back on!

I’m back on!

What a wonderful Holiday time….I haven’t ventured to step on the scale yet, I’m going to kind of detox my body by eating healthy foods for the next week or so and then see what the scale says. Thanks to my Aunt and Brother, I 

Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays!!

I’m taking the week off of blogging! With family in town, shopping, baking, decorating, it’s going to be an awesome week! I will be catching up with all your blogs and re-capping my Holidays next week! I hope you and your families have a Very 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

There is a restaurant around the corner from my office that sells Roasted Red Pepper Soup every Wednesday. You know its good when many people in my office come back with the great aroma of that wonderful soup. I’ve had it many times, and every 

Egg Nog Pancakes

Egg Nog Pancakes

I got this super old Weight Watchers Cookbook for a quarter at a garage sale. I’ve actually used it several times and this morning I used it to make pancakes. There was a recipe for buttermilk pancakes, but instead of adding the buttermilk, I added 

Losing Pounds for hunger!  Pound for Pound Challenge

Losing Pounds for hunger! Pound for Pound Challenge

A representative from General Mills has asked me to highlight an initiative with General Mills and Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser! The Biggest Loser shared new stats from the U.S government citing more than 49 million Americans struggled to get enough to eat in 

Pasta Bake

Pasta Bake

I had no idea what to make for dinner last night. I started to look in my freezer, in the pantry, on the shelf, in the fridge. I was stumped! But then I saw that I had ricotta cheese I hadn’t used yet, and not 

The best smoothie ever!

The best smoothie ever!

Even though in Chicago the actual temperature is 0, with a windchill of -23, I still enjoy making smoothies for breakfast and today’s was the tastiest EVER! Ingredients in my Magic Bullet: 3 handfuls of fresh spinach 1 tsp. sugar 1 TB. ground flax seed 

The Biggest Loser Finale!  Re-cap!

The Biggest Loser Finale! Re-cap!

H-O-L-Y C-O-W that was a great finale! It’s always my favorite part of the season. I totally called it yesterday, I thought for sure Danny would win since he lost so much weight on his own for that 60 days. But, did I think he 

Product Review – Muir Glen canned tomatoes

Product Review – Muir Glen canned tomatoes

I was asked by Muir Glen if I would be interested in tasting their new line of canned tomatoes. Ummm…yeah! Since I make home made pasta sauce virtually every week, or add diced tomatoes to soups and stews, I knew I would use them. Little 

Ham Mac-n-Cheese

Ham Mac-n-Cheese

I make macaroni and cheese at least 2 or 3 times a month. I usually switch up the cheese, add ham, change the pasta type just to keep it interesting. This version is by far the best one I’ve had in a long time. It 

Jenn’s Everything but the kitchen sink cookies

Jenn’s Everything but the kitchen sink cookies

As Christmas is coming super fast I am starting to make a list of gifts for teachers/the crossing guard/and after school staff. I usually just make something. Last year I made home made chocolate covered pretzels (with sprinkles by my daughter!) This year I am 

Great lunch idea + Biggest Loser re-cap!

Great lunch idea + Biggest Loser re-cap!

For lunch yesterday, I brought a baked potato and on top I put leftover sloppy Jo’s and a slice of Alpine Lace Reduced Fat swiss cheese. It was so good and totally filling. For the sloppy Jo’s I actually used ground chicken with Manwhich sauce. 

Pumpkin Pear Banana Muffins

I know this combo sound pretty weird, but in fact it tasted great. I wanted to make pumpkin muffins but then I had an over ripe pear and over ripe banana, so I decided to throw those in too! This recipe is based off a 

I passed!

I passed!

It took me 6 months to complete this course, but I got my certification in the mail on Saturday!! I am officially a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant! I was super nervous because in order to get certified I had to get a score of 

Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey Noodle Soup

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! My family did. I successfully cooked a turkey for only the 2nd time in my life and it turned out great! Although it was a good thing I checked because it was done an hour earlier than I 

Restaurant Review/Sushi House – Oak Park, IL

Restaurant Review/Sushi House – Oak Park, IL

I know a lot of you don’t live in the Chicago-land area, but my sister, Mom and I went to a great place for lunch yesterday! Okay, I may be biased, since the architecture firm I work for designed the restaurant and friends of mine 

Eat what you like!

I think so many times in the past when I have tried to lose weight, I would follow some strict program, or couldn’t eat certain foods, or eating foods in combinations. Why do that to yourself? So many times you read that losing weight is 

How was your weekend?

How was your weekend?

My husband went out with friends, and after the kids were in bed, it was an evening of Jenn-TV! My husband puts up with my obsession with watching FOOD TV all the time. I think if that’s the only channel we got, I would be 

I survived my 2nd test!

I survived my 2nd test!

For those of you who have been following my blog closely, I really wanted to do great this Holiday starting with Halloween and going through the new year. Not only did I not want to eat like a huge pig, but I wanted to actually