Skinny Rules: Rule # 1

I am not a dedicated follower of the Biggest Loser, but what I have seen I have liked. As I was looking for motivation I came across this book by Bob Harper, one of coaches from the biggest loser.



He focuses his book on "permanent, non-negotiable, and simple" rules for losing weight. I listened to the audiobook (about an hour in length) and would recommend it to anyone who is trying focus and find motivation and lose weight.

In order to lose weight, you have to change your habits and lifestyle otherwise you will always get what you have always gotten. I won't go into the details he does on the importance of each rule and the rationale behind it - you'll have to read the book for that!


Rule # 1: Drink a large glass of water before every meal.

Water fills up, keeps you hydrated and increases metabolism.

I am going to try to work on one of these at a time!

Lil' Smokies - Barbecue Sauce

I made a second batch of Lil' Smokies with the base as barbecue sauce (instead of the sweet and spicy from my previous post) in order to compare and decide was MY recipe.
Which recipe won? Definitely this one - the barbecue.
The sauce came out thicker, which I think was an important factor. Either way if I make these again, barbecue is the way to go.

The original recipe can be found on crockpot365.blogspot.com. I shortened the cook time, but otherwise didn't change the recipe. I have only been to this site for this, but I think I need to dig further into it (especially when I consider how much I love my crock pot).

Ingredients:

1 pound Little Smokies sausage (I used turkey)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook for 1 hour on low. If you cook for longer, the sauce thickens more.

Lil' Smokies - Sweet and Spicy

Lil' Smokies are one of those appetizers/finger foods that everyone loves! I have tried two different recipes (one sweet and one barbecue) to determine which one I liked better.

This post covers the sweet lil' smoke recipe. What is the secret ingredient? Grape Jelly! This recipe turned out well, but I think I liked the other recipe better. I would love to try this with mini meatballs.

The original recipe can be found on food.com.

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce (Heinz)
1 cup grape jelly
1-3 lb Little Smokies sausage (I used turkey)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook for 1 hour on low. If you cook for longer, the sauce thickens more.

Crock Pot.. Pot Roast (Take 2) with Gravy

In my effort to continue to perfect my recipes and determine what is "my" recipe for certain things, I have tried another pot roast recipe. The first recipe I tried (see previous post was basically the meat itself with seasonings. In this recipe, condensed soup is used for flavoring and it makes more of a gravy. Both recipes turned out fantastically delicious and I would recommend both. If I had to make it again, I am not sure which I would choose. Neither is far superior to the other. I think the first pot roast would be less calories since it only has seasonings and not the gravy along with it. This would be good for just a meat and vegetable dinner, however if I was making a pot roast with mash potatoes I probably would choose this recipe. The orginal recipe can be found here on Allrecipes.com.
I have learned that the different cuts of meat come out differently (more tender and less dry) than others, so the cut of meat is important!

Ingredients:
2 cans condensed mushroom soup (I used one can cream of mushroom and one can golden mushroom)
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups beef broth
5 1/2 pounds pot roast

Directions:

1. In slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and broth.

2. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Cook on low setting for 8-9 hours.

Enjoy!