The year 2008 marked some major physical changes in the Tate family. So many people have noticed and asked about what we’ve been doing! Well trust us, we’re no health experts or weight loss gurus by ANY stretch! There’s no quick, easy answers.

Instead, we’re using this blog to help tell the story of where we started and how far we’ve come. We’ll walk you back through all the steps we took in 2008, as well as allow you to follow along with us on this ongoing journey towards a healthier life! We’d also love to use this site to identify (and add to) a list of great resources that we’ve discovered that have helped us.

God has certainly done a crazy transformation with us, and we’re hoping that maybe we can encourage you, inspire you, or even motivate you to take those first steps towards a healthier lifestyle. It’s an incredible journey, and you can definitely get there if you want to!

Thanks for joining us!

Prep Time:25 min

Start to Finish:45 min

makes:12 servings

24	wonton wrappers
2	tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/3	cup strawberry all-fruit spread
1	cup (8 ounces) low-fat lemon yogurt
1-1/4	cups fresh blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
1.	Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.	Using a 12-cup muffin pan or two 6-cup muffin pans, line each cup with a wonton wrapper. Brush wonton wrappers with a little butter. Place a second wrapper diagonally on top of each of the first ones, making sure that the points of the wrappers make sides to the cup. Brush second wrapper with a little butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool. Remove from pan.
3.	Spoon about 1 teaspoon of all-fruit spread into each wonton shell.
4.	Place yogurt in a medium bowl. Fold in 1 cup berries. Spoon yogurt mixture evenly into wonton shells. Top with remaining 1/4 cup berries.

 

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 120 (Calories from Fat 20); Total Fat 2 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 85mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 9g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2 
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

I started getting e-mails a while back from a website called Eat Better America . They take popular recipes and “healthify” them. I love some of the recipes that I have found for foods that I have loved in the past, but now felt they were off limits to me. This is just even more proof that you can be healthy and lose weight AND eat the foods you love! Here is a recipe that I found recently for Monkey Bread. My mom used to make this for Christmas morning and other special occasions. Not only is this recipe much better for you, it’s also so much easier to make.

Healthified Monkey Bread Prep Time:15 min

Start to Finish:1 hr 10 min

makes:16 servings

 

1/4	cup sugar
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon
2	cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
1/2	cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4	cup fat-free caramel topping
2	teaspoons vanilla
1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
2.	In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate both cans of dough into 16 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add biscuit pieces to sugar mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Layer biscuit pieces and pecans in pan.
3.	In small bowl, mix caramel topping and vanilla. Pour over biscuit pieces.
4.	Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.

 

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 250 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 640mg; Total Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 15g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 8% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 1/2 
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Recently I was watching some old reruns of Project Runway on My Lifetime. During one of the commercial breaks I happened to see a preview for what has now become my favorite cooking show, I think. The show is called Cook Yourself Thin. It’s a new series that offers viewers the skills and the confidence to give their favorite indulgent meals a healthy makeover by cutting the calories and doubling the flavor! In each episode, three culinary experts show guests how to lose their unwanted inches by replacing extreme dieting with clever cooking. They take three meals or recipes that the guest loves and revamp them so that they are healthier.

The thing I like the most about the show is that they prove that you can still eat the things you love, but with small changes. They always show a comparison in calories from the original dish to the “Cook Yourself Thin” version, and it’s absolutely amazing. You can’t undo what you’ve done overnight, but small steps can get you there. If you’re like I was in the beginning, sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to change things to make them better for you.  The three gals on this show give excellent advice and tips that you might have never imagined. I hope you’ll check it out.

Ingredients

• 1 can (30 ounces) pumpkin pie filling
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup reduced-fat butter, melted
• 1-1/4 cups fat-free whipped topping

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the pie filling, milk and eggs; beat on medium speed until smooth. Pour into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with cake mix and pecans; drizzle with butter.
• Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 20 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 246 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 335 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

• 3 Tbsp hot sauce
• 3 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 12 boneless skinless chicken tenders, about 12 oz. total
• 2 Tbsp low-fat blue cheese of Ranch dressing

Preheat a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine the hot sauce, honey, worcesteshire, paprika, and garlic. (If the honey clumps, nuke the mixture for 10 to 15 seconds and then stir.) Place the chicken and half the sauce into a large zip-top bag. Close it and shake to coat each piece. Add the soaked tenders to the skillet, and cook them 1 to 2 minutes a side. When they’re done, toss them with the remaining sauce mixture. Serve with the dressing. Makes 2 servings

Per serving

• 250 calories
• 35 g protein
• 14 g carbohydrates
• 5 grams total fat (1 g. saturated)
• 1 g fiber
• 800 mg sodium