Roasted Turkey & Bacon Salad

My son Matt's favorite salad and a great pick me up from a long day of working.

1 cup Roasted Deli Turkey cubed

¹/₄ cup Pkg. Hormel Premium Real Crumbled Bacon 

 ¹/_{4 cup brown sugar pumpkin seeds (Recipe Below)} 

2 cups Premium Romaine mix (Something with Romaine, Iceberg and Shredded Carrots in it.

 ¹/₂ cup Creamy Bleu Cheese Dressing (Recipe Below) 

Toss lettuce mix, turkey and bacon together, add in Bleu Cheese Dressing and mix till dressing covers everything.  Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Creamy Bleu Cheese Dressing

¹/₃ cup(s) low-fat buttermilk

¹/₃ cup(s) fat free sour cream

¹/₄ cup(s) blue cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp lemon juice 

¹/₄ tsp black pepper

1.  In a blender  add buttermilk and sour cream.
2. pour in the blue cheese, lemon juice and pepper.
3. Blend till smooth and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Seeds

 1 cup organic pumpkin seeds 

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. brown sugar

Pinch of sea salt

(Optional) 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the seeds and boil for 10 minutes. Drain. Pat the pumpkin seeds dry on paper towels.
3. In a bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Season with a touch of salt. Spread the coated seeds evenly on the lined baking pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the seeds every 10 minutes. Remove the seeds from the oven when they are crispy. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

 

I had a rough few years dealing with damage to my home from weather related disasters, family with addictions, a bully, finances and other things.

 I am learning to manage my stress and have not been on here for a while.  I did not want this to be about my low's without having some highs.  I worry so much about my sons that sometimes I forget to take care of myself.

Now that my son is finally home and getting his life back we started working out and eating better.  We started two days ago doing a dance, abs, and cool down work out on DVD set (3).  I'm starting fresh with new recipes and goals.

 I'm 50 and want to lose 50 pounds by June 1st, 2017.  8 months means 6.5 pounds a month.  Sounds easy enough except it's during the major holidays.  If my mom can stop smoking then I can find a way to channel my stress into something positive. I need to get in shape so I can be there for my sons, grand kids, and those who still believe in me.  I want to be the bad ass Nana who lives to be 80+ and living life to the fullest- not the overweight woman who wades in her misery.