Losing Weight and Turkey Jambalaya

After the eldest angel was born, it took me about 2 years to lose all of the baby weight I had put on (albeit only 28 lbs!). After our youngest was born, the weight came off so fast I actually asked Andrew if our scale was working. I couldn't believe it! Unfortunately the nursing came to an end too soon (way to stressful and hard with teaching 6 and 7 year olds, unfortunately there were not enough breaks in the day to pump successfully) but yet I was still eating "for two". I apparently have a bad habit of eating when I'm feeling not full anymore. I also had a goal to lose a few more pounds that I had originally wanted to lose before getting pregnant.

Enter motivation. One of my husband's best friends from high school is having a destination wedding in
Mexico right after Christmas break. I may be able to tell myself I'm doing pretty well for only having a 5 month old but I still want to look even better than that in a swimsuit. So, my realistic goal is2 pounds a week until Mexico = 8 pounds lost; a good place to be for me although a few more afterwards would be good too! After about a week and half of cutting calories I'm down about 3 pounds...right on track! This has been slightly difficult, this is my favorite time of year partially because of the food, but I've decided to control the areas that are easy to do (breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week) and let myself to splurge in moderation on the weekend. So far, so good!

Here is an absolutely delicious recipe for dinner that is not bad for you either! It's one of my new favorites...Enjoy!

Turkey Jambalaya
8 servings (1 cup each) 249 Calories; 7.6 g of fat

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (if you don't like spicy try 1/4 teaspoon - it has a kick to it!)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups shredded cooked turkey
6 ounces andouille sausage (I couldn't find this so I used turkey kielbasa instead)
2 tablespoons sliced green onion (optional)

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic; saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in bell peppers and next 5 ingredients; saute 1 minute. Add rice; Saute 1 minute. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add turkey and sausage; cover and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions.