I got my DNA tested!

After years of wondering where  I came from, wondering if  I really belong, wondering who I actually am, I decided to take a DNA test from Ancestry.com. A friend of mine had come to visit me at my job and she's been pressuring me to take the test for some time. So during the holidays Ancestry.com had a sale on DNA kits and I ordered one. I can't remember how long it took for the test to make it to me, but I was super excited to take it.

The mailman left the test in my mailbox and I literally squealed when I found it. Now, when you take the test you have to wait at least 30 after eating or drinking anything. Luckily, I hadn't had anything for about an hour and was able to take the test right away. 

I opened the box and found this ancestryDNA packet inside with instructions to register the test before actually taking the test. This way Ancestry could send the correct results to me. The company even gives you the option to link it to a tree on the site. When you open the kit, there is a tube that you have to spit in. It's only about a tablespoon of spit, but it took me a couple of tries to fill the vile up to the line. After you fill it, you put a top on it and then you shake it a bit before packaging it up in the pre-addressed box to mail back to Ancestry. 

Waiting for my test results was the longest couple of weeks of my life. I mailed the kit in around the 14th of December and Ancestry started processing it on December 28. A little over a week after processing began, my DNA results were back. Now, I jokingly told my mom that if my results didn't have anything from Africa, she would have some explaining to do. She said, "I'm not explaining anything." Luckily, when my results came back, she didn't have to explain anything.

I knew there would be an overwhelming abundance of British Isles in my DNA. What I wasn't sure of was how much African ancestry I would have, or where that DNA would come from. Finding out that 19% of my DNA comes from Nigeria was kind of an anchoring moment for me. All my life I've been trying to figure out who I am, trying to see if my biology matched what I was raised believing. Seeing Nigeria, Ivory Coast/Ghana, Benin/Togo and other African nations in my DNA helped me no longer feel like I was a Rachel Dolezal-type person. I wasn't faking my heritage. I wasn't a "Mama's baby, Daddy's maybe" like I'd been jokingly told as a child. I wasn't just my siblings "White sister". 

Getting these DNA results did something that 35 years of life experience couldn't do-- helped me feel more centered and like I know who I am. The results gave me a sense of belonging that I've been searching for my entire life. I think I'm starting to find my own identity in a world that wants me to fit their mold.

*This post was NOT sponsored by Ancestry.com

Growing Up Biracial in a World that Wants Me to "Pick One"

Growing up, my parents and siblings had very different ways to describe me. If you had asked my Dad, he wouldn't hesitate to tell you I was his "cream colored" child. His very light-skinned daughter. My siblings would tell their friends that I was their "White Sister", and my mom would always tell people I was biracial. Growing up, I thought everyone had a family like mine-- a black father, a white mother and two black siblings with a different mom. I thought everyone had a "black side of the family" and had a Granny who was the neighborhood candy lady selling Lillie Dillies for 25 cents. (For those of you who don't know what a Lillie Dilly is, it's a wonderful dixie cup filled with frozen Kool-aid.)

As I got older, I realized that not every family was this way. My cousins didn't count in my mind because they all had at least one black/white relative through my parents. I honestly thought every family had at least one black or white relative. Once I realized not every family was like mine, I started paying close attention to every family around us. I started paying closer attention to reactions from kids on the playground, adults at the mall, and I didn't understand what I was seeing.

Other kids had families that, for lack of a better word, matched. Mine didn't. Other kids knew where they came from, who they were and seemed to have a better grip on their individuality. I didn't. I grew up confused and wondering where I actually fit in this world.

I went to a predominately white school for 13 years. (12 at one school, 1 at another). I was lucky to get the education I did because my family couldn't really afford the school I attended. I was able to go tuition free because my dad worked there. My graduating class had 73 students at the time we graduated and there were a total of 2 black kids, and that's only if you added me and another biracial girl together. So finding my own identity was not an easy task to attempt during high school. It wasn't an easy thing in college either.

One of the most difficult things I've had to do is fill out forms that demand I chose a race. From forms for school, employment, even the US Census, I've had to try to choose what race with which to align myself. Every time a form said to pick one, my insides were screaming at me to not deny the other part of me. I had a difficult time trying to rectify my desire to check all that applied and listening to the instructions given me. Worse were the times people tried to convince me to pick "Other". Oh, how I loathe that option. In my opinion, "other" meant not human. "Other" meant not worth having a true classification-- not worthy of being. I refused to be an "other", but what could I mark on those forms. I had taken to marking both Caucasian and African America, but  I wonder how often my choice was accepted by the form takers. Did the census list me correctly, did my refusal to bow to the pressure to choose one or other cause my results to not be tabulated? Did my desire to choose my own classifications keep me from positions?

The answer is. . . I don't know. I do know that even now, I'm still trying to fight for the ability to accurately depict my race/ethnicity. The county I work for will not allow biracial as an option. I have to pick between my white side and my black side or other. Since I refuse to be an other and they won't let me leave it blank, I've picked African American, for now. I'll keep fighting until I make them understand, make them actually hear me.

I'll leave you with this powerful set of lyrics from the musical Ragtime. Sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell, the song is called Make Them Hear You. 

"And say to those who blame us

For the way we chose to fight

That sometimes there are battles

That are more than black or white...

And I could not put down my sword

When justice was my right

Make them hear you

Go out and tell our story

To your daughters and your sons

Make them hear you

Make them hear you"

Finding Your Squad. . . Weight Watcher update (Plan week 9)

I started my Weight Watchers journey 9 weeks ago with a weigh in. Our first weigh in was on January 11, and I had a wake up call. I hadn't realized that I had allowed myself to balloon up to almost 260 pounds. (258.2 pounds to be exact) I knew I was out of shape and needed to do something. An early post talks about my "Why" for joining Weight Watchers, you can read about it here.

Over these last few weeks, I have learned so much. I have learned how to make better choices, that my favorite oranges are Navel oranges (I don't think there is an orange I won't eat), and that broccoli slaw is my favorite vegetable mix. . . EVER. I have gained more energy and I've begun to see physical changes in my body. I also joined a gym (and more importantly, actually went inside to work out.) Most excitingly, I have been able to shed and keep 14 pounds off for a month. (12 pounds have been kept off for 6 weeks and I'm so happy about that.)

Today, I walked into weigh-in not to optimistic. I know there was one day when all I wanted to do was stuff my face with junk food (I didn't), but I wanted to. I really thought I had gone so far off plan that there would be a gain for the second week in a row, but there wasn't! When I stepped off the scale at the weigh-in, I was surprised to learn I had LOST 2.6 pounds and earned my third 5 pound star!

Our topic of the magazine thing this week was finding your squad. Finding the people who would support and help me along this journey and I am so happy to know that I have a great squad of people on this journey. Not only is there a squad with the people in my WW at work meetings, but I feel that those of you who take the time to read these post each week are a part of my squad. Your support has been wonderful these past few weeks. From a friend asking me to walk on our lunch breaks, to cousins going to the gym with me and all the encouragement you've given me, I am so lucky to have my "squad". You guys are amazing and thanks for coming with me on this journey.

SW: 258.2 lbs
Today 241.6 lbs
TWL: 16.6 lbs
PTG: 86.6 lbs

I see changes! Weight Watchers Update #4

This week, the scale and I were not friends and you know what, THAT'S OKAY. The scale and I are not going to be friends every week. This week, I gained .4 pound. That's only 6.4 ounces. Yes, I gained more than I lost last week (.2 pound or 3.2 ounces), but I'm still 14 pounds lighter than I was in January and that is not bad at all.

This week though, I've noticed a difference in my energy level. I have a bit more of a pep in my step most of the time. I am also noticing a difference in my body. My favorite shorts started to fall off me, so I gave them to my cousin. My dresses are fitting a little looser. My legs are starting to thin out a bit and my most problematic area is getting a little smaller. I can see changes occurring, so I'm not too disappointed that the scale isn't reflecting what I'm seeing. It will.

Oh, and I actually joined a gym. Yesterday was the first workout and I had my "Fitness Assessment". I have a long way to go, but I had fun yesterday. My arm kind of hate me a bit, but I had fun. I'm making my cousin, M, go with me. She is my biggest supporter. She doesn't hesitate when I need my butt kicked into gear or I need extra motivation. She is my biggest cheerleader and this journey would be so much more difficult without her.

SW: 258.2
Today 244.2
TWL: 14

What is Your Why? Weight Watchers Update

I wasn’t sure the scale was going to be in my favor this today. I spent the majority of last week sick as a dog and not moving. However, when I stepped on the scale at my meeting this morning, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually lost 12.8 ounces (.8 of a pound). I know it’s not a huge victory, but it is still more weight loss than gained on this journey. I am 14.2 pounds lighter now then at the start of this journey with Weight Watchers and for me that is amazing. I am learning to make better choices and to stick with them. I’m making lists of my favorite restaurants and smart point values of my favorite items so when I do go out with my friends, I can make decisions ahead of time and know how many points to save. I’m still having trouble using ALL of my points each day, but I think I’m getting better at it.

Every meeting, Bev passes out a Weight Watchers Weekly booklet for us to read through out the week. These little booklets have and article, a place for free writing and a recipe in them (and a coupon for something healthy). This week’s Weekly has an article encouraging us to figure out our Why for joining WW and some space to write it down. When I first joined 6 weeks ago, I wrote in my meeting book that my why was so I wouldn’t get diabetes like Daddy. I wanted to share my REAL why at the meeting today, but we ran out of time. I am going to share it with you now.

My real WHY for joining WW this year is Daddy, not just his diabetes and kidney failure, but Daddy. The day I took Daddy to the hospital before he died, he shared a few wishes he had for me. (Looking back, I wonder if he somehow knew that day would be the last day he could tell me what he wanted me to know.) Some of what he told me that day, I’m going to keep to myself, its so precious to me; but I will share that he wanted me to get healthy. Daddy wanted me to lose weight and be healthy. He did not want me to become a diabetic like so many in our family. He didn’t want me to struggle with cholesterol or any health related issue because of my weight. He wanted me to be better than I was.It took me 18 months before I was ready to start this process for real. I did attempt the online WW a few months after he passed away, but it didn’t work well for me. The face to face meetings are working so much better for me and I’m glad I took the leap this time.So, that’s my why for joining Weight Watchers. I want to make my Daddy proud of me and do something he had begged me to do so many times. This journey is not only for me, but it’s for Daddy.

SW: 258.2Today: 244.0TWL: 14.2PTO: 89

Weight Watchers . . . One month in.

Hello! Today was another weigh-in. I walked into the meeting not really sure if I was going to like the scale. I ate too many carbs over the weekend and I was nervous. I admit I was a little apprehensive after gaining .2 pounds last week, I didn't want to disappoint Bev our meeting lady. I stepped on the scale and it was GOOD NEWS.  I lost 1.2 pounds, but more importantly, I earned my 5% charm!!!! I have officially lost 5% of my starting weight. I'm super excited about hitting that milestone and am amazed that I was able to do it in one month!

Last weeks meeting gave us a new booklet to read about moving more and to help me work on this new goal, I decided that on my lunch breaks and my 15 minute breaks I would go outside and walk. I didn't start until Friday, but I think that should be pretty simple to do and it may get my Fitbit to stop yelling at me.

I'm making better choices foodwise as well. My cousin M and I went over to her brother's house to hangout with his family and M brought pizza, chips, carrots and guacamole. When we sat down to eat, I only grabbed 1 slice of pizza and NO crazy bread (that was a first for me, I LOVE crazy bread) and waited a couple of hours before I decided to grab a second slice. I looked at the serving size for guacamole and chips and stuck to it and also knew I had carrots I could munch on. I did go over my daily points, but that is what weekly points are for anyway; and I only went over by less than 5 points. I guess it balances out a little because there are many days I have some of my daily points left over. (Bev doesn't like to hear that though, I need to work on using my dailys a little bit more.)

Overall, I am really encouraged by this week' progress and am hopeful I can make this work even if we no longer have the at work meetings in 8 weeks.

SW: 258.2
Last Week (LW): 246.0
CW: 244.8
TWL: 13.4
PTG: 89.8
(GOAL is 155)

Weight Watchers. . . again.

When I looked at a picture of me from a recent vacation, I didn't like what I saw. I realized I needed to do something to change. So when my job offered Weight Watchers at Work with a subsidized price,  I jumped at it. I nervously went into the info session (with my checkbook) and listened to what we were being told. I made the decision I was going to make this happen because I need to do something. I need to be healthy. I filled out my paperwork, wrote my check and waited for the official weigh in the following week.

When that weigh-in came, I was borderline devastated. I hadn't realized that I had reached 258.2 pounds. My 5 foot 5 inch frame was carring 258.2 pounds! I sat down in the chair and looked through the booklets Bev handed me and downloaded the Weight Watchers app to start tracking everything. I went out and bought a FitBit in lavender and started the program.

My first week, I had a preplanned 5k, cardio kickboxing and the Kiddie Kardio program I do at work and took the dogs for a mile long walk. I tracked everything that went into my mouth-- from food to the Belgium Rock Sugar in my Teavana tea. I tracked everything and it paid off-- I lost 6.4 pounds in one week.

Week 2 on the program was much of the same. I went on walks with the dogs, did Kiddie Kardio and missed out on the Cardio Kickboxing class (Grandma's birthday). I tracked everything I ate and it paid off again! I lost an additional 6 pounds that week.

Week 3, didn't go as well as the others.  I did Kiddie Kardio, missed Cardio Kickboxing (Ladies Prayer Night) and did not get to go for the walk with the dogs because of 2 TV interviews.(There was also a major sporting event this weekend) Also, my cousin made some amazing bread and bread is evidently, my biggest weakness. I knew going into the weigh-in wasn't going to be pretty. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't undo my progress and only gained .2 pounds (3.2 ounces).

I know that what I'm doing is not a sprint. I can't be an Olympic sprinter aiming for the finish line. This is a marathon. I am not on some fad diet. I am trying to make changes that will last for a lifetime. I am changing my thinking, my habits and my life. Gaining 3.2 ounces in 1 week isn't going to derail my progress. I am going to make this work. I am going to change my life and I am going to get healthy. I WILL FIND ONEDERLAND and once I do, I'm never leaving. I just have to stick to this and make it work.


Starting Weight (SW): 258.2 pounds.
Current Weight (CW): 246.0 pounds
Total Weigh Lost (TWL): 12.2 pounds
Pounds to Go (PTG): 89 pounds.

Trying.

Sometimes, it's hard to separate what I feel inside me. The anxiety that had taken a seat on the back burner for so long is staring me in the eyes. I thought I had a handle on this. I thought once we passed the 1 year mark, life would be a little easier. It's not. Turns out, I think I've been lying to myself for so long that I was okay, that I was healing. I don't think I was doing any of those things. I think I was trying so hard to get back to normal, to get back to the way things were BEFORE. I kept trying to get back to how things were before, but that can't happen. Life will never be the way it was before June 18, 2015.

I think sometimes, we get so caught up with how things used to be that we forget to live our day to day lives in the now. We live so much in our memories of how things were and forget to make new memories.

I need to work on this.

August 19, 2015

Memories flood you when least expected. Never when you want them. Memories that cause rivers of tears to flow when you are not prepared. Memories of moments you desperately wish were not just in your past. Memories you wish you could still create.

I discovered a new song Daddy would have loved called Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman; another father-daughter song. It's funny, songs that made me cry hysterically yesterday are making me smile today.

I miss the walks we would take on Tuesday mornings; I keep meaning to get back out there and walk, but knowing Daddy is not able to go with me breaks my heart.


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Healing takes time.

August 18, 2015

I wake up praying I've been dreaming. Then I realize it's been 2 months since I've had one of Daddy's bear hug; it's been 2 months since I've heard him say, "I love you." I wasn't ready to say goodbye. I'm still not ready.
I come home expecting to talk to him, expecting him to be there. Or I expect to see his number show up on the caller ID, asking me to pick something up. Walking into the church building is one of the hardest things  I do.
Being a Daddy's girl without your Daddy is heartbreaking and gut wrenching. There is a pain that no one can prepare you for when you loose your Daddy. People telling you it gets better makes you want to hit them.

People like to tell you how strong you are. They have no idea how that messes with your grieving process. Telling me I'm so strong because I'm not a blubbering mess on the floor doesn't make me feel better. What telling me I'm strong does is make me feel so extremely weak when  I do have a day when all I want to do is cry. A day where all I  can do is cry.
Just because you can't see the heartbreak, doesn't mean it is not there. Sometimes, those who seem so strong are crumbling to pieces. I've become good at hiding the pain from others. It's easy to hide when people only watch the surface. People really only see what they want to see. We don't take time to read between the lines to hear what is left unsaid. Often, we don't want to hear the truth. The biggest lie everyone tell is when we answer, "Fine." when someone asks how we are. Maybe the real lie is pretending we care in the first place. We ask, "How are you" as we walk past someone, often without pausing to hear them reply.


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Grieving is a long and difficult process. Part 1

Over the next few days and weeks,  I am going to start posting my journal entries starting a couple months after my father passed away. My journal (that I need to get back to writing) will contain song lyrics, special thoughts, Bible verses and other things that have helped me along this long path of grief and healing. These post are probably going to be some of the most precious things you will read on my blog. It took 2 months for me to pick up a pen and start writing my thoughts down. It's taken me even longer to share these words with anyone else.

Grief is a process and no two people grieve the same way. This is me allowing others on my journey.
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;

Everyday for almost 6 months, I have drawn this semicolon on my wrist or my forearm. Some of you have asked me about it, others I'm sure have wondered but didn't want to ask. I have always been an anxious person, sometime I'm able to hide it, sometimes, there is no hiding it for anything. Within these last few months, my anxiety attacks have become more frequent (for obvious reasons) and overwhelming. When I look at my wrist and see the semicolon, it reminds me to pause, to take another breath, that I'm still here, my story is still being written. Drawing the semicolon each day is a way for me to take control of my anxiety, a way to decide every day that I'm not going to let my anxiety win.

"A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life.” Project Semicolon

When I posted the picture and the worlds above to my personal Facebook page yesterday, I didn't realize just how raw letting others know my struggles would be for me. Posting about my semicolon left me feeling raw and a little anxious. I'm not sure what made me finally address my semicolon in such a public forum, but I'm glad I did. I am thinking about getting the semicolon as a tattoo, but I'm not sure. Right now, drawing the semicolon has become part of my daily routine; I'm not ready to give that up. By drawing the semicolon each day, I promise myself that I'm not going to give up.

A Little bit of Growth, a little bit of Healing, a whole lot of Faith.

Back in October (the 16th-18th), I had the opportunity to go away on a spiritual retreat with about 50 other members of my church family. Each October, we have what we call our Spiritual Enrichment Weekend (SEW) at Central Florida Bible Camp-- my favorite place on this planet. However, getting on the bus to go was really difficult. Daddy loved going away for SEW and this was the first year without him. I remember calling my mom from the church parking lot telling her I didn't want to go. I couldn't make myself get on that bus. Mom told me to get on the bus and enjoy myself and I'm really glad I did.
I can't count the times I started crying that weekend. There were moments when I would be okay and then moments where all I could do was cry. We sang some of Daddy's favorite songs and I was holding it together until someone looked at me and  I lost it.
All weekend, people would come up to me and tell me stories about Dad and favorite memories. I loved every moment. Hearing how much others loved Dad comforted me in a way I didn't think was possible. One of the gentlemen during his devotional talk read a passage, then he spoke for a moment, looked at me and re-read the passage substituting Daddy;s name for the one in the passage.

Colossians 4:7-8 "Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts." G.S. re-read the verse with "Gene Puckett is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent Gene Puckett to you for this very purpose. . . that Gene Puckett may encourage your hearts." 

He talked about how much Daddy was an encouragement to not only him, but everyone in our congregation. OF course,  I cried like a baby, but the sad tears were mingled in with the happy. On Sunday morning, I walked down to one of Daddy's favorite spots on campus, the dock, and sat down, turned on one of Daddy's lessons and listened to his voice. That moment on the dock looking over the water and listening to Daddy's voice was the closest I had been to one of his bear hugs since June 15th.  While listening to Daddy's lesson, I heard his voice say, 

"I am not living this Christian life so I can worry about dying. I'm living this Christian life looking forward to when I can leave this earth. . . If you are alive when I die, . . . Rejoice, be glad because I've finally done something I really wanted to do."

Years before he died, Daddy told me exactly what he wanted me to do. Rejoice and be glad. Daddy is where he has always wanted to be, His largest goal has been achieved. 
I am so glad I chose to get on that bus to SEW. 

Life will never be the same

Three months ago, my life changed completely. The most important person in my life passed away in the early hours of June 18th. My daddy was gone. Life has been chaotic since Daddy passed away. There are times when I feel my world is crumbling and I can't stop it. Then there are times when I am filled with peace knowing my Dad lived a Christian Life. My Dad was a Christian and he is where he has always wanted to be.

My Daddy was the most important person in my life. He was my rock and always had my back. Daddy was the one who always encouraged me to follow my dreams, but didn't hesitate to let me know if I was doing something wrong. Some of my most precious memories involve my dad in some way. 

His death was so unexpected. Sunday he was fine. Monday, he had to have an emergency procedure done to remove the clot his fistula (for dialysis). Tuesday he felt awful so  I took him to the closet ER around noon. He was quickly admitted to ICU. Wednesday, he spent most of the day unconscious and by Thursday morning at 2:48, Daddy was gone. Less than 48 hours after being checked into the hospital, he was killed by a heart attack. Mom and I are pretty sure one of the clots from the fistula made its way to his heart. 

In the days after Daddy passed away, so many of our friends and fellow Christians shared funny stories or special memories and thoughts about Dad and it was such a comfort to me. I still have every text message and email from that day. One day I will share them with you. One thing I will share is this beautiful bracelet a friend of mine had made.

A really good friend of mine asked me for something that Daddy wrote to me in his handwriting. I handed her a picture of  an appreciagram (a note of appreciation that our church had created) that Dad wrote me years ago. A week ago, she handed me this beautiful bracelet with Daddy's words reminding me that he loves me. This bracelet is the most precious thing anyone has ever given me.

That's what's been going on in my life lately. While things have been a bit chaotic and I've been on an emotional roller coaster, I'm going to leave you with a verse that means a lot to me.

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:10

No matter how weak I feel right now, I am strong in the LORD.

  

Bloggiesta! Spring 2015

I absolutely love when bloggiesta rolls around! During the last mini-bloggiesta I didn't really complete everything I was  thinking about doing. So of course, I added even more to do this time. I couldn't help it, everything looked so amazing!
The mini challenges I am going to attempt to complete are all ones I think will be a great fit to help me on my other blog Amber's Teen Reads:

• Create a blogging schedule
• create a treasure trove of blogging ideas
• Pin author interviews 
• Eight not to be missed Podcasts
• Diversity Reading GOals
• How to Make Memes
• Create a Blog Style Guide

I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself this time, but I'm really excited about everything!!!

See ya later,

AmberD.

Learning a new trick-- Piktochart! (Bloggiesta mini Challenge #1)

As I mentioned earlier, I am participating in Bloggiesta and one of the mini challenges is to  create a piktochart. The process was much easier than I thought it would be and a lot of fun. I had a blast picking the icons and personal pictures I wanted to use and love that I could add links to some of the icons.

Such fun!

Participating in Bloggiesta

I love Bloggiesta. I've participated once before and learned how to do some pretty cool things for blogging. A mini session of bloggiesta is starting today and I am finally able to participate again. The first task is to come up with a List of things I hope to accomplish during the weekends Bloggiesta.

My list is:

1. Do at least 2 mini challenges
2. Complete at least 1 blog post to each of my blogs
3. Clean up labels and tags for existing blog posts
4. Check links that have been posted to make sure they are still working
5. Change the design on one of my blogs.

My main posts about Bloggiesta will be on this blog, but if I complete a challenge or cross an item of my to-do-list using one of my other blogs, I will link to the post on this one as well. I hope that is as clear as mud for you too. LOL. See you at the end of this journey!

Foodie Friday #4: Meatballs!

Today's Recipe is another family favorite. Last night, I made Meatball hoggies! This one was amazingly delicious, but not so healthy. . .

You'll need:

2 pounds of ground meat. (If I was making this just for me, I would have used ground turkey meat, but since someone I know doesn't believe in ground anything by beef. . .)

1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce

 1 tablespoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

3 cups pasta sauce (I used Prego)

Mix the seasonings into the ground beef.

Heat a skillet with a couple table spoons of oil in the pan. Brown your meatballs on all sides before sticking them into the oven for 45-50 minutes.

After the meatballs have browned, put them in a oven safe glass dish to finish off in the oven. I put them in at 350* for about 45 minutes. Then I brought them out of the oven and sprinkled the Mozzarella cheese on top and put them back in the oven until the cheese was nice and melted.

 Remove the dish from the oven and enjoy on your favorite buns. I used hotdog buns that I bought from Publix's bakery. YUM!!

Now, I know this isn't a very healthy dish, but there are ways to make it better. Using a leaner meat-- like ground turkey or ground chicken will cut down on some of the fat in the meatballs. Also using a heart healthy pasta sauce will help cut down on some hidden sodium as well. Not eating bread on your hoggies will cut out some sugar producing carbs.

Eating these hoggies without the bread will end up being about 6 WW points. Not to bad for 3 decent size meatballs.

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday #3: Chili

Welcome to Foodie Friday. Each Friday I'm going to do my best to bring you fun, healthy meals for you to try. Sometimes they may be meals I've created or more than likely they will be meals I've found through Cookbooks or on Pinterest. (I am ADDICTED to Pinterest, anyone else?)

The reason I decided to add this feature is simple. I love food. It's sickening how much I've allowed food to rule my life so far and I want to be able to still enjoy food, but find much healthier alternatives from what I've been eating. Some of the recipes I feature, I may not have tried yet, but they look and/or sound AMAZING and I want to share a great find. Others I will have tried and I'll tell you how well they worked for me and if I will make them again.

You may be wondering why I would put recipes I might not like or haven't tried yet up here, I want you to make your own decisions. Just because I might not care for it doesn't mean you won't LOVE it. So, I'm going to post it if I think it might look cool. I'll make sure I tell you at the beginning of the post if I liked it or not. Also if possible, I will try to calculate WW points for my fellow point watchers.

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Today's recipe is a family favorite-- Chili.

Now I know everyone has a chili recipe that they love. This happens to be ours. If I was making it for just me, I would use Ground Turkey or Chicken instead of the ground beef for a slightly healthier option.

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef (the kind we use is 90/10-- so there is very little fat)

32 oz of tomato juice

2 cans of Chili beans (I usually drain one can and use the juice of the other)

1 medium to large onion

1 packet of McCormic Chili seasoning

some salt 

some pepper

Brown the ground beef in the pot you are going make you chili in.

Add half of the Chili seasoning as you brown the beef.

Add the beans and onion let it cook a little bit and then add the tomato juice.

Salt and pepper to your taste.

Allow the chili to come to a boil then lower the temperature to low for 4-6 hours.

This chili is one of my absolute favorite things from my childhood.

 Now according to my WW recipe builder this chili is about 3 points a serving (about 1 cup)  since the whole pot will serve at least 12 people. (Reminder: this is not a recipe created by Weight Watchers. I just used the tools that I have paid for to get the approximate point value.)

Foodie Friday #2: Fried Rice and Egg Rolls

One thing I absolutely love is cooking. I love being able to spend some time in my kitchen (even though it is SUPER tiny) and create dishes for my family to enjoy. My dad seems to really enjoy my fried rice lately. I knew he liked the egg rolls, but he actually asked for the fried rice twice in one week. To me, that screams WINNER!!!

This is a super easy dinner to make and really yummy.
What you will need is:

For the Egg Rolls:

• 3/4 to 1 pound ground beef
• 1 bag Broccoli Slaw (12 oz)
• Egg Roll Wrappers  (I prefer Nasoya)
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Fried Rice:

• 1 cup uncooked rice (I used white, but brown would work also)
• 2 cups liquid-- sometimes I will use chicken broth, other time water
• 1 chicken breast-- diced
• 2 eggs + a dash of milk
• soy sauce
• Sweet and Sour Sauce (I bought mine at Aldi)
• pepper to taste

The first thing  I do is start cooking the rice since it will take the most time.

Then I  cook the broccoli slaw. I wilt it down a little bit not to much because I want it to have a bit of a bite before I put the egg rolls in the deep fryer. (These can be baked, but  I LOVE crispy egg rolls.) Once the broccoli slaw is finished,  I scoop it into a bowl to wait for whatever protein I chose to use to cook. Most of the time I do chicken egg rolls, but the last time was ground beef-- My family LOVED them.

Next step was cooking the ground beef through. I wasn't too concerned if some of the meat wasn't completely cooked because I knew they would cook some more in the deep fryer. When the beef was ready I added it to the broccoli slaw and combined it. 

Fry the egg rolls in batches of three for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt. This recipe will make 9 nice sized egg rolls and you'll have some leftover mix for another meal.

 (Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of the egg rolls after I fried them.)

While waiting for the rice to finish cooking, go ahead and brown the diced chicken breast adding a little bit of sweet and sour sauce and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. (Don't use too much salt because the soy sauce in the rice is salty.) When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, set it aside to add to the fried rice a little later.

Once the rice is ready, I can go ahead and start  scrambling my egg in the frying pan.(I use the same pan that I used for the meat and slaw to save on clean up and add a little extra flavor to the rice.) I start my scrambled egg in a bowl mixed with a little bit of milk. I stir it with a fork to make sure the yolk is completely broken and incorporated with the white so the egg looks like a creamy yellow mix. I put the frying pan on medium high heat and continually stir it with a wooden spoon to get the eggs nice and fluffy. When the egg is fluffy, add the rice and soy sauce and mix everything together. Shortly before plating everything, add the chicken to the rice and combine.

This dish is super easy and really delicious. From start to finish it probably takes about 45 minutes to cook, and that may be an over estimation. The longest cooking item is the rice, but if you use rice from a previous meal that will cut your cooking time down even more. Enjoy!