This is so simple and so good. Makes a great main dish with some veggies or a salad. Also great for a "bbq" chicken sandwich on one of the new sandwich thins. Hope you enjoy!

Cola Chicken

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 cup catsup
1 (12 ounce) can diet cola

Put chicken in nonstick skillet
. Pour catsup and diet cola over the top. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.

Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken.

4 servings - 4 WW points per serving

Romans 1:16 (New International Version)

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

This morning I feel led to share this with you. It is important as we travel on this journey to let others know that we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is important that we acknowledge Jesus as the source of all we have and do. It is imperative that we share this gospel along the way.

The gospel that brings us hope is the same gospel that changes lives. We are to carry that gospel wherever we go, unashamedly. Our involvement in Biggest Loser offers a great opportunity to share that gospel. Think about it, we are trying to change our lives. Shouldn't we try to change lives around us? Of course we should.

So, let's not be ashamed to share the gospel at every opportunity. At the gym. At the grocery. On the pews at church. In our homes. Everywhere. Everyday. Let's really see lives changed!

If you don't know or understand this gospel, I would love to talk with you. Just send me a message and we will discuss the power that is the gospel!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

Alright, I am tired of snow and cold! It is time to fire up the grill and have a great burger! Add a homemade, low point cole slaw and iced tea and you've got a perfect cook out meal.

Ranch Turkey Burger Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 lb lean, ground turkey
- 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Dry Mix
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Form into 4 patties. Spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Cook the patties until done. Serve on hamburger buns or wrap in iceberg lettuce for a carbohydrate free hamburger recipe version.
NOTE: Serving with hamburger buns will add additional points to the recipe – make sure to factor that in!

Entire Recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1 patty
Each serving = 3 Point Total

James 4:7 (New International Version)

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.


Submit to God. Let Him be in charge. Give Him the lead in all you do. Give up. Give in. Submit.

This morning I just want you to meditate on this verse. Submit. Resist. Very simple, one word instructions. There is not much to say on these simple words other than they are the perfect way to travel on our journey.

Submit to God.
Resist the devil.
Simple. Powerful.

Meditate on this verse today and allow it to become a part of you. Hide this verse in your heart. Allow God to speak to you through this verse as your day progresses.

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

This is especially for my great friend and "Narrow Weigh" team member Teresa Baumgardner. Now you can make a peanut butter pie that you can keep in the house!!



Luscious Peanut Butter Pie - 5 Points

Recipe By :JoAnna M. Lund
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 package JELL-O sugar free instant vanilla pudding
mix -- (4 serving size)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder -- Carnation
1 1/3 cups water
6 tablespoons Peter Pan reduced fat chunky peanut butter
1 cup Cool Whip Lite -- divided, see directions
1 (6 oz) Keebler graham cracker piecrust
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons caramel syrup

1. In a medium bowl, combine dry pudding mix, dry milk powder, and water. Mix well using a wire whisk. Blend in peanut butter and 1/3 cup Cool Whip Lite. Spread mixture evenly into piecrust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Just before serving, spread remaining 2/3 cup Cool Whip Lite over top and drizzle with chocolate syrup and caramel syrup. Cut into 8 servings. Freezes well.

Mary's Notes: I did not use a pie crust and only used the chocolate syrup. Also used Fat Free Cool Whip. When I don't use the pie crust, I still make it in a pie plate because it makes it so easy to cut and then serve using a spoon to scoop it out. I put it into custards cups for eating. Hal said that this was "yummy". Definitely would make it again. Very easy recipe and very tasty too.

Serving size (1 slice)
According to the cookbooklet:
Per serving: 230 Cal, 10g Fat, 6g Pro, 29g Carb, 391mg Sod, 1g Fib
Healthy Exchanges: 1 Protein, 1 Fat, 1/4 Skim Milk, 1 Slider, 9 Opt. Cal.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 Fat, 1 Starch, 1 Carbohydrate, 1/2 Meat
Weight Watcher Points: 5

Psalm 62:1-2 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 62
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.

When I read this this morning I felt it was perfect for a Monday morning. Mondays can be rough. For many of us it is the start of a new work week. The day it all starts again. The end of the weekend. A day we dread.

Reading this verse, though, puts it in a different perspective for me. I am going to look at Monday as a chance to start over. Time for a new beginning. Another opportunity to face the challenges that life presents. Another chance to see God at work as my rock, my protector.

I am reminded by this passage that God brings victory and He provides protection. I do not have to fear this journey because He travels with me and protects me along the way. My hope is that you will accept the protection and provision of God. Allow Monday to be the day when you trust Him to make the journey a success.

He brings the victory! He provides the protection! He is awesome!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

This is a delicious way to get some dessert and stay low in points.


Crustless Punkin Pie

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C. Splenda (or sugar) or to taste


Instructions:

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth.
Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, and then at 325 for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 8
Whole Pie: 8 points (or ONE pt. for 1/8 pie)

Joshua 24:15 (New Living Translation)
15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Who or what are you serving?

Is it the television? The computer? A video game system? Books? Your family? Your physical appetites?

We have many things around us that we can serve. Many things we can place before God in our lives. Many ways we can serve something or even ourselves instead of God. We can be guilty of serving our desires. It's time for that to change.

We must put aside those things that take the place of God in our lives. Whether it be food or people or some thing, there is a decision we need to make. Are we going to serve that thing or those people or are we going to serve God? Are we going to put our trust in a diet? Are we going to depend upon a television program to take care of us?

The time has come to get serious about serving God. We must choose to serve Him. The results will be out of this world!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

Add some steamed veggies and a tossed salad and this would be a very satisfying meal.


Crockpot Chicken and Rice

Source of Recipe

Internet

List of Ingredients



1 (10 3/4 oz) can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1 (1oz) package dry onion soup mix
2 cups water
2 cups (6oz) uncooked instant rice
16 oz chicken breast, skinned and boned and cut into 36 pieces
1 cup sliced canned mushroom, drained
1/8 tsp black pepper

Recipe


Spray a slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine in the crockpot the chicken soup, dry onion soup mix, water and uncooked rice. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Gently stir just before serving.

6 servings (1 cup)
3 POINTS each .................................

1 Chronicles 11:9 (New International Version)
9 And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him

Do you feel the need for some power? Are you feeling a little drained? Maybe very drained? Are you beginning to believe it is time to just give up on this journey because you don't have the strength to go on?

No doubt David felt the same way at some point. There had to be times that he just wanted to give up. I would tend to believe that happened on the days he felt like he was in charge. Those times when he felt he was responsible for his own strength.

But his power did not come from himself. He did not have power because he declared it so. He had power because the Lord was with him. The presence of God in his life gave him strength and power. That same Lord is present in our lives.

We can tap into the power that David knew. We can turn to and depend upon God to give us power to make this journey. He will make it possible to continue when we feel we cannot take another step.

Remember, God is with us and He gives us power. He is such an awesome God!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

Have not tried this yet, but it sounds like it would be a great way to start a cool morning.


Baked French Toast With Apples


Yields 4 servings | Points per serving: 3

Ingredients:

Toast

1/2 cup eggbeaters (equivalent of 2 eggs)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices Light 100% whole wheat bread, cut into cubes or quarters
(I recommend Arnold Bakery Light - only 80 calories, .5 g. fat, and 5 g. fiber for 2 slices)
2 medium apples, pared, cored and diced

Topping

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons reduced-calorie tub margarine (I recommend "Country Crock plus Calcium and Vitamins")
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two 5x3" loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

To make toast, in medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir to blend. Add bread cubes and apples, stirring gently; let stand until bread has absorbed all liquid, 2-3 minutes.

To prepare topping, in small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, margarine and cinnamon with fork.

Divide the bread mixture evenly between the prepared loaf pans; sprinkle each evenly with topping. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.

Yields 2 loaves
Serving size = 1/2 loaf


Nutritional Info: (per serving) 182 Calories, 3 g. Total Fat, 4 g. fiber


Original Source: Dotti's Weight Loss Zone
(I made my version lower in points than hers though, by using Eggbeaters and a low-fat wheat bread.)

Dotti's Comments: If you're not a morning person, then prepare this healthy version of the classic the night before. Simply make the bread mixture and topping separately, cover and chill. All you'll have to do is combine and bake in the morning.

Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

The eating plan gets so confusing. Eat this. don't eat this. This is okay, in moderation. Don't eat this food with that food. You have to get the combination of foods correct.

The exercise plan is just as confusing. Cardio on odd days. Strength training on even days. Or is it the other way? 3 set of 15 reps. 3 super sets. Reach your fat burning zone with your heart rate.

It can all become a jumble in our heads. We get confused and confounded. Sometimes to the point of wanting to just give up. We'll never get this figured out.

However, God says that if we love Him we do not have to worry about these things. Now I am not pushing a secret formula here. Just the fact that God can make it all work for His people. We need to quit leaning on what we know and instead lean on Him. He can make all things work together for our good. Exercise. Eating. Determination. Desire. Results.

He can do it for us. He can lead us on a great and enjoyable journey.

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

One word---DELICIOUS!!!!!!


Low-Fat Strawberry Pretzel Salad

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yields: 9 servings | 2.5 points per serving

Ingredients:

30 fat-free pretzels (3 servings of any brand fat free pretzel)
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp reduced-fat Margarine
8 oz fat-free cream cheese
8 oz fat-free frozen whipped topping
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 small box sugar-free strawberry JELL-O (4 servings)
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coarsely break-up pretzels (using hands or rolling pin). In a medium bowl, mix together pretzels, margarine and brown sugar. Place in bottom of 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 400 for 15 mins.

Please note: In this low-fat version, the pretzel layer is not as "crust like" as in the real thing. But this is much lower in fat than the real thing, which calls for 2/3 cup butter and 1 cup sugar!!! :)

In a medium bowl, use hand-mixer to combine whipped topping, cream cheese and powdered sugar til smooth. After pretzel crust has cooled, spread cream cheese mixture over top.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup hot (not boiling) water and 1 box of strawberry jello. Stir til dissolved. Slice strawberries and add to jello. Let sit til cool, but not formed. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture. Set in fridge for several hrs til set.

Yields: 9 squares (2.5 points per square)

Nutritional Info: (per square): 125 calories, 1.2 g. fat, 0.7 g. fiber (2.5 points)


Source: Weight Watchers Recipe Review Board

Psalm 116:1-2 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
2 Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!

This morning I return with a renewed purpose. After much crying out on my part I feel the Lord has listened. I believe I have listened also. I also believe others have done much praying on my behalf. I am so very thankful for that.

For each of us the journey can become very difficult. For each of us it may seem impossible to take another step in our walking or running. It may seem like we can not do one more rep in our strength training. We cannot muster the energy for one more kick in our cardio. We just want to give up.

It is when we reach this point that we must remember that God will hear us when we call. When we beg Him for mercy He listens. I read this verse as saying He does what is necessary to hear us. It says He bends down to listen. Apparently He really wants to hear what we have to say. Then He not only hears but He listens. He has mercy on us.

Prayer has much power. Power that comes from the one who listens and hears. Power from God Himself, the source of our strength and power. Thank you God for hearing our prayers!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

I will not be posting for a couple of days. I need some time to get my head and heart together. In other words, I need to get myself back on track. I have been posting for you but not taking my own words to heart. Time for that to change.

I will return on Monday Feb. 22, 2010. In the meantime please keep me in your prayers.

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

1 & 2 Points Per 1/4 Pie



...Here's one that's good. The person that gave me the recipe said it's 1 pt per serving (which is 1/4 of the pie!)

4 cups sliced strawberries

1 box sugar free, fat free vanilla COOK and serve pudding (NOT instant)

1 box sugar free strawberry jello



Line pie plate with berries. Cook pudding, using WATER (NOT milk) per package directions. Add the box of jello. Cool, and pour over strawberries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with fat free cool whip

Serves 4. 1/4 of the pie is 1 pt



1 pkg white chocolate sugar free, fat free instant pudding

1 box sugar free strawberry jello

1 cup milk

4 cups sliced strawberries



Line pie plate with strawberries. Mix jello with 1 cup boiling water. In another bowl, mix pudding with 1 cup milk until almost set. Stir into jello and pour over the top of the strawberries. Refrigerate until set.

Serves 4. 1/4 of the pie is 2 pts

Philippians 3:7 (New Living Translation)

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

Chocolate. Gravy and biscuits. Cheesecake. Fried chicken. BBQ. Birthday cake with icing flowers. Chicken and dumplings. Bacon and eggs. Meat loaf. Mashed potatoes. Banana splits. Tiramisu. Lasagna.

This list of favorite foods could go on and on. This is just the beginning of the list of foods many of us would find valuable. Foods we would say we don't want to live without. But what are they really worth?

When we stop and think about Christ and his acts of love toward us how can these things have any value? How can anything?

Jesus paid a high price so that we would not have to be slaves to these foods or anything else for that matter. His sacrifice bought our freedom. He made these things worthless in comparison to Him and His love for us.

When you think about it, how could any of the foods I listed or anything else of this world ever satisfy us like Jesus?

If you don't know this Jesus I speak of I would love to tell you what I know of Him and His love for you! Just ask!

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

I don't know about you, but I love a good hot cobbler on a cold night. This one is very easy to make and even easier to enjoy. A little "legal" ice cream would be a great addition. Just remember to add those points.


Diet Watcher Cobbler

2 (16 ounce) bags any frozen fruit
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 (12 ounce) can diet Sprite or diet 7-Up

Place both bags of frozen fruit into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (do not thaw). Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of frozen fruit. Pour entire can of diet sprite or diet 7-Up over mixture. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 40 minutes.

12 servings

1 serving equals 3 WW points

Romans 7:18-19 (New Living Translation)

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

We know the right thing to do. We know the right way to eat. At least, we ought to by now. We have sat through several speakers providing us with information on exercise and diet. We are getting the idea when it comes to portion sizes. We are learning that just watching exercise videos is not enough.

But........

Knowing the right way is often not quite enough.

We have the desire to do the right thing. We want to get back to a healthy body living a healthy lifestyle. We do not lack the desire to make the necessary changes.

But........

Having the desire is often not quite enough.

We know the right things. We know what we need to do. We want to do just that. But we just don't do it. We fail to do what we need or know to do. We fall victim to our sinful nature.

On our own we cannot do the right thing. On our own we cannot make the right choices. We need guidance. We need direction. We need God. With Him we can succeed at those things we must do to make our journey. Alone we will fail.

Overcome the failures of the past by allowing God to lead you along on this journey. He will not let you down.

Peace and Grace,
Don
John 3:30

This is delicious! "Nuff said!

One Dish Chicken & Rice

Source of Recipe

WeightWatchers.com

List of Ingredients

1 can cream of mushroom soup -- Campbell's 98% FF
1 cup water
3/4 cup white rice, regular -- uncooked
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt -- my own addition
4 chicken breast halves -- skinned and boned

Recipe

In 2-qt. shallow baking dish, mix soup, water, rice, paprika and pepper. Place chicken on rice mixture. Sprinkle with additional paprika and pepper. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. For Creamier rice, increase water to 1 1/3 cups.

POINTS: 6 SERVINGS: 4 .................................