RMTC Week 2

Number of lbs lost this week: FOUR!!!!

I did excellent last week. I saved all my weekly points for last night (had a b day party and concert) and stayed under my 25 per day points every day. I also earned 15 activity points.

Excellent week!

And a huge THANK YOU to all the folks from Los’ page who have stopped by to encourage me.  I appreciate it so much!!

So the secret to my success last week is this:

Zero Point Soups!

Why are these so successful? Well let me tell you. They taste GOOD, there are so many variations, and you can eat as much as you want and go into dinner with a TON of extra points! I highly recommend these soups as a great kick start to the weight loss thing. It is paying off for me!

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Italian-Inspired Zero-POINTS-Value Soup
Makes 12 servings
POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients

* 2 cups escarole, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup onions, chopped
* 2 cups baby spinach
* 2 small zucchini, cubed
* 1 medium red pepper, chopped
* 2 cups fennel bulb, thinly sliced (one bulb)
* 6 cups vegetable broth
* 28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
* ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
* 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
* ¾ tsp salt
* ¼ tsp black pepper
* ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
* ¼ cup fresh basil

Instructions

* Put escarole, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, fennel bulb, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

* Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve.

* Serving Size: about 1 cup

Variations

* We used POINTS Tracker to calculate the following additions to an individual 1-cup serving:
* 1 ½ Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, POINTS value: 1
* 2 oz cooked chicken sausage, POINTS value: 3
* 2 Tbsp cooked chickpeas, POINTS value: ½
* 2 Tbsp cooked orzo, POINTS value: ½
* 2 small, store-bought turkey meatballs, POINTS value: 2

Mexican-Inspired Zero-POINTS-Value Soup
Makes 12 servings
POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients

* 2 cups fresh green snap beans, cut into bite-size pieces
* 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
* 2 small zucchini, cubed
* 1 cup tomatillos, chopped
* 1 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
* 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, Mexican-style preferred
* ½ medium poblano chili pepper
* 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
* 1 medium green pepper, chopped
* ½ tsp cumin
* 1 tsp fresh oregano
* 6 cups vegetable broth
* 2 roasted red peppers packed in water
* 1 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
* ¾ tsp salt
* 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
* ½ cup fresh, chopped cilantro

Instructions

* Put snap beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatillos, jalapeno, diced tomatoes, green chili pepper, onion, green pepper, cumin, oregano and vegetable broth into a large soup pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor, and add to soup; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

* Stir in salt, lime juice and cilantro. Serve.

* Serving Size: about 1 cup

Variations

* We used POINTS Tracker to calculate the following additions to an individual 1-cup serving:
* ¼ cup corn kernels, POINTS value: ½
* ¼ cup black beans, drained and rinsed, POINTS value: ½
* 2 oz cooked shrimp, POINTS value: 1
* 2 oz shredded or diced white meat chicken, POINTS value: 2
* 2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream, POINTS value: 1

Asian-Inspired Zero-POINTS-Value Soup
Makes 12 servings
POINTS® value | 0 per serving
Ingredients

* 2 cups bok choy, chopped
* 2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* ¼ cup fresh ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
* 4 small oyster mushrooms, chopped
* 2 cups scallions, chopped
* 1 cup canned water chestnuts, sliced (8 oz can)
* ½ cup red pepper, thinly sliced
* ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
* 6 cups vegetable broth
* 1 cup bean sprouts, optional
* 2 cups snow peas, stringed
* 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
* ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

* Put bok choy, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, oyster mushrooms, scallions, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes and vegetable broth into a large soup pot; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in bean sprouts, if using, and snow peas during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering.

* Add soy sauce and cilantro. Serve.

* Serving Size: about 1 cup

Variations

* We used POINTS Tracker to calculate the following additions to an individual 1-cup serving:
* 2 oz cooked shrimp, POINTS value: 1
* 2 oz scallops, POINTS value: 1
* ¼ cup firm tofu, POINTS value: 1
* 2 oz shredded or cubed white meat chicken, POINTS value: 1
* 2 oz Chinese roast pork, POINTS value: 2
* ½ tsp hot/spicy oil, POINTS value: ½