Pumpkin Pie… Brioche

For those of you who know me, this isn't going to come as a suprise; baking with pumpkin is like breathing to me -- something I can not live without. I bake with pumpkin all year round and I fancy myself a pumpkin afficiando. Most of my pumpkin baked goods are in the form of cakes, pastries and pies.  I've only recently started to branch out into breads, because when I think of bread making, it scares me. And if it scares you too, I highly recommend you get Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I know, 5 minutes?

Soup Season is Upon Us, Y’all. Rejoice! (Wendy’s Super Fast 2 Point Chili)

It's nearly Fall, and Fall is always soup and chili season for me.  And, seriously, y'all--I love me some soup. (granted, I live in Alabama and it's frickin' 90 degrees outside right now, but I've decided to just IGNORE SUMMER.  Maybe it'll go away quietly then.)  Soup is filling, it warms my belly when it's chilly outside and it's really, really low in points.

One of my favorite things to do is to take use Weight Watcher's Zero Point Soup recipe as a base for all my other soup recipes.  I mean, hello?  ZERO POINTS.  That's fairly awesome for a bowl of soup in itself, and if you toss in a few extras--like Morningstar Farm recipe crumbles and a bit of chili powder--or curry power (YUM), you've got something totally different and delicious for just a few extra points or calories.

The Big Salad: Apple, Feta, Almond & Spinach

I've been absolutely terrible at this weight loss thing lately.  I've not been gaining, but I feel like hell.  I've eaten with total abandon, not caring that much if it was or wasn't a healthy choice.  I haven't necessarily eaten in volume per se -- relatively normal portions -- just normal portions of crap.  I've dined out a lot, I've indulged a sweet tooth until it kindly asked me to stop, it's... well, it been an epic diet fail, pretty much.

But, like Weight Watchers meetings and every weight loss/fitness magazine around says, "don't focus on your failures", so I'm trying to not beat myself up about it, just change tack. In fact, it's been kind of a blessing -- if I look at one more sweet thing, I may actually be ill. So like I said, I'm trying to not beat myself up about it -- I just look at it as immersion therapy. And I feel an intense need to detox. 

Now, I don't mean one of those trendy Hollywood juice fasts or a weekend at Promises. I'm talking about a good, old fashioned, everyday normal-people detox -- eating healthy food, drinking water and -- gasp! -- exercise.  I know, it's shocking. The very notion!

Have you ever indulged, be it in one sitting or over a few days, to the point that you body is actually begging you for something green and leafy?  Yeah, I'm there.  Mama wants a salad.  Only bigger, with lots of stuff in it. (Thank you, Elaine Benes.)

Pretty much all my salads that I make are The Big Salad -- as long as it's in a big bowl (like big, like popcorn bowl sized), it counts. Any variety I choose to make -- savory, sweet, southwest, caesar -- it's always in a huge bowl and called The Big Salad.  You can go pretty much crazy with the amount of veggies you want (and most fruits), but make sure to measure out your proteins (if you use beans or chicken or tuna or whatever) and your fats (like cheese and most importantly -- the evil dressing!).

This is my favorite Big Salad, and while I do try to change it up since eating salad can get boring -- this is my go-to when I want a Big Salad.

• 1/2 bag of prewashed, pre-cut romaine hearts (I always rinse it again, just in case) (0 Points)
• 1/2 bag baby spinach (rinsed and dried) (0 Points)
• 1/2 Gala apple (or your favorite kind), cubed (0.5 Point)
• 3 oz of grilled chicken, cubed or strips (2.5 Points)
• 1 tbsp of reduced fat feta (I like Athenos), crumbled (0.5)
• 1 slice of red/purple onion, cut about 1/4 inch thick, ringed and then cut in half (0 Points)
• 1 tbsp raw slivered almonds (1 Point)
• 1 tbsp craisins (0.5 Point)
• 2 tbsp Newman's Own Lighten Up Raspberry & Walnut Dressing (2 Points)
• Cracked black pepper

Throw it all in a big bowl, drizzle with dressing (you may need less), then toss thoroughly.  Add cracked pepper (liberally, if you like it -- I do!) and then toss again.  Insert fork.

7 Points for a big salad. Big. Huge. And you could modify it by cutting back on the dressing (I often only need 1 tbsp) or removing a sugary item like Craisins (I often omit them if I don't have them in the pantry).  I'd keep the almonds and the chicken, as the protein in both helps keep me satisfied.

What are your favorite Big Salad combinations?  Any recommendations?