Here we are again, Monday morning and time to face that scale.  While I am usually pretty dilligent about my eating habits these days, and don’t lapse often… there are those far and few between times.

This weekends digression was the Cider Mill.  While I have the willpower of a saint and can resist chocolate, cakes and cookies… I am only human and the smell of hot out of the fryer donuts covered in sugar and cinnamon are more than my senses could take.  Now, I did not indulge myself in a dozen donuts nor guzzle  a gallon of cider, but I did partake in a piece of my daughter’s donut, several sips of a Cider Slushy (Heaven in a glass by any other name) and then to top it off…several forkfuls of the most deliciously flaky apple pie I have ever tasted (why don’t mine turn out this way?)

With that being said, I did manage to redeem myself for the rest of the day and eat my healthy food too. So how much did my littl foray into the wonders of the cider mill cost me?  Nothing really.  I went and weighed in this morning with a slight amount of dread in my heart, but was releived to find that I had lost 3.2 pounds for the week.  That makes 65.4 pounds in total so far.

I’m going to share a great recipe with you for Blackened Chicken that I love and it’s LOW FAT too (BONUS!).

What you need:
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
vegetable oil

How to do it:
Mix together the paprika, salt, cayenne, cumin, thyme, pepper and onion powder. Coat one side of the chicken breasts with mixture. Heat oil in skillet until very hot. Add chicken seasoned side down, and cook for 1 minute. Turn, and cook 1 minute on other side, this is the “blackening” step.  Place chicken on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside and juices are clear.  You can also use this mixture as a rub on pork, turkey, and other meats.
It’s especially great when grilling.

For those of you joining me on the journey, how are you doing?  Have you faced challenges or possibly found some great recipes to share with us that helped you become a healthier eater this week?

Share your story, or if you are a first time guest, join our challenge to be “Healthier Moms” and you might just be our biggest winner in the “Healthy Mom” challenge!

Until Next Time,

PS:  We have some great prizes up for grabs in “The Healthy Mom” challenge!  You could be our next winner!  We have had great prizes donated from the following companies:

• Tupperware with Dory
• Creative Memories
• Watkins
• BLJ Graves Studios
• Beauticontrol
• Wildtree