Points Plus Recipe Caculator

Though my favorite points phone app has a lot of great tools it doesn't have a recipe calculator that I can find.  So after some looking around online I found this free excel spreadsheet that has one.  After you download it you will find it under the tab PPlus Calc.  You can use it to find out how many points for servings for recipes and things you make at home and then load in the recipe name and points value in your favorites on the phone app.  Great tool!

Free Organization Downloads

Found some great free downloadable sheets to put in a notebook to keep you organized.  I may put a notebook together with some of them and make some of my own.  I always have trouble getting organized.

http://lifeasmom.com/2010/03/my-household-planner-revealed-a-few-free-downloads.html

Set Back

Well, a bit of a setback, my phone crapped out on me so I haven't logged points for the past few days.  I'll have a new one and be back on track starting next week though!!!!!

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken

Crockpot recipes are my favorite and I love this one.  We usually eat it over rice.  The kids always love it too.  I usually just use frozen chicken breasts too and cook it on high with a crockpot liner.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot.
2. Mix the soups together with the garlic powder and pour over chicken no water needed.
3. Cook on low 6-8 hours , until chicken is tender.
4. Serve over rice or noodles.

Food List From 09/05/12

My snacking at work and late night kills my points - I will work it out though!

Daily Used : 39.0
Daily Left : 0.0
Weekly Left : 32.0

 
 
 
 


  
Time Of Day
  
Description
  
Total Value
 

  
Breakfast
  
Burger king sausage burrito no tortilla
  
9
 

  
Breakfast
  
Grapes - Black
  
0
 

  
Breakfast
  
Strawberries - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Lunch
  
Kraft light three cheese ranch 2tbsp
  
2
 

  
Lunch
  
Lettuce - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Dinner
  
Budding - Lunch Meat - 2 oz
  
2
 

  
Dinner
  
Kraft - Miracle Whip The Tangy Original 1 tbsp
  
1
 

  
Dinner
  
Stroehmann/Dutch Country - Whole Grain White Bread 2 Slices
  
4
 

  
Dinner
  
Air popped popcorn 3 cups
  
1
 

  
Dinner
  
Butter salted
  
3
 

  
Any Time
  
Cucumber - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Any Time
  
Cucumber - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Any Time
  
Sugar for coffee
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Sugar for coffee
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Apple (Medium) (5.29 Ozs)
  
0
 

  
Any Time
  
Sun Chips - Garden Salsa Multi Grain Snacks 1 oz 28gabout 15 chips
  
4
 

  
Any Time
  
Air popped popcorn 3 cups
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Butter salted
  
3
 

  
Any Time
  
Slim Jim Original 1pc - 8
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Pop tarts mini crips
  
2
 

  
Any Time
  
Cheez-it - 25 crackers
  
4
 

Food List from 09/04/12

Today I dipped into my weekly points.  It was a long day returning back to work after the holiday weekend, but I still feel that I am doing ok and still have plenty of extra points left for the week.  It will take me awhile to figure out what I can eat for quality points to fill me up.  I just took some cucumbers to snack on and when I ran out I was still hungry, which made me go to the vending machine and the mini chocolates on various peoples desk.  Hopefully I will plan better tomorrow and avoid those.

Daily Used : 36.0
Daily Left : 0.0
Weekly Left : 42.0

 
 
 
 


  
Time Of Day
  
Description
  
Total Value
 

  
Breakfast
  
Cinnamon toast crunch 1 bar
  
3
 

  
Breakfast
  
Dunkin Donuts - Hazelnut Coffee
  with Skim Milk - 10
  
3
 

  
Breakfast
  
Clementines (2.47 Ozs)
  
0
 

  
Breakfast
  
Grapes - Black
  
0
 

  
Breakfast
  
Strawberries - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Lunch
  
Lettuce - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Lunch
  
Mc Cormick - Bacn Pieces 1tbsp
  7g
  
1
 

  
Lunch
  
Newmans own olive oil &
  vinegar 2tbs
  
4
 

  
Dinner
  
Budding - Lunch Meat - 2 oz
  
2
 

  
Dinner
  
Kraft - Miracle Whip The Tangy
  Original 1 tbsp
  
1
 

  
Dinner
  
Stroehmann/Dutch Country - Whole
  Grain White Bread 2 Slices
  
4
 

  
Any Time
  
Cheez-it - 25 crackers
  
4
 

  
Any Time
  
Cucumber - All Servings
  
0
 

  
Any Time
  
Smartfood - White Cheddar Cheese
  Popcorn - 1 3/4 cups 1 oz
  
4
 

  
Any Time
  
Kit Kat - Mini Kit Kat - 2 mini
  bars
  
2
 

  
Any Time
  
Nestle - Butterfinger Mini 1
  piece - 1 piece 10g
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Nestle mini bar - 1 barg
  
3
 

  
Any Time
  
Air popped popcorn 3 cups
  
1
 

  
Any Time
  
Butter salted 1 tbsp
  
3
 

Food List from 09/03/12

Another cool thing about the app I use - you can export your foods lists!

So, here is mine from yesterday.

Daily Used : 22.0
Daily Left : 7.0
Weekly Left : 49.0

Time Of Day	Description	Total Value
Breakfast	Grapes - Black	0
Breakfast	Strawberries - All Servings	0
Breakfast	Clementines (2.47 Ozs)	0
Lunch	Stroehmann/Dutch Country - Whole Grain White Bread 2 Slices	4
Lunch	Buddig  Buddig Beef 1 Package 56g	2
Lunch	Kraft - Miracle Whip The Tangy Original 1 tbsp	2
Dinner	Tilapia - Raw - 4.23 Ozs	5
Dinner	Lettuce - All Servings	0
Dinner	Cucumber - All Servings	0
Dinner	Newmans own olive oil & vinegar 2tbs	4
Dinner	Mc Cormick - Bacn Pieces 1tbsp 7g	1
Any Time	Cheezit - Four Cheese 25 crackers	4

I know I'm posting a lot

I know that I'm posting a lot, but you know how it is first day, ready to go, and gun-ho.  I'm sure it will slow down as time goes on, but I want to get everything thrown up as I think about it.

So, I was eating my dinner and my excellent steamed fish and thought I would talk really quick about this awesome microwave steamer I got last week.

I had been thinking about getting an electric steamer for fish and veggies, but I am low on counter space and when I was out shopping I happened upon this Progressive International Microwavable Fish & Veggie Steamer  it's been an awesome buy for me.  I just grab the fish out of the freezer, put some lemon juice and I usually use Mrs. Dash on it tonight it was Caribbean Citrus put the water in the steamer and microwave and in less than 5 minutes I have some awesome steamed fish.

Also another great buy that I made recently was a microwave popcorn popper.  I had recently read an article that they have found a link to the stuff used in microwave popcorn bags to alzheimers!  I love popcorn and was eating like a bag a night so I started looking for alternatives.  This microwave popper uses regular popcorn, you don't have to use oil (I don't) and you can add your own butter or whatever after.  Let me tell you this thing pops almost every kernel and I am so glad I got it.  

The one I got was the Presto 04830 PowerPop Microwave Multi-Popper

I'll add these to my tools page too.

New Page of Tools I'm using

I made a new page of tools that I am using while I do this it can be found here

Trying the new points plan

So I have decided to try the new points plan. Wow, things sure have changed since I did it years ago.  They are good changes and I like them a lot.  

I downloaded a tracker for my droid and all I can say is it is awesome!  Bar code scanners that figure points for you is ingenious!  Zero points for most fruits and veggies is great too.
  
I have a good 50lbs or so to lose, so here is hoping that it works!  It should if I stick with it, it worked for me before.  And it will be so much easier with the new tools available.  And I think it will help if I keep up this online journal to track my progress. Guess I better buy a scale too sometime.
  
I get 29 daily points and 49 weekly.