Cynthia, the man who gave me the recipe increased the amounts to fit this size pan. He's a mathematician from the university, hence the specific measurements! It is slightly larger than out normal cream cheese measurement, but I'm sure you could fudge things. ;)

HI Lydia, Thanks for the great tip. I have ordered the book and am very excited about your results. I have always found diets that severely limited bread intake never worked well for me. I am inspired by your weight loss considering you also have thyroid problems. (I am recovering from a total hysterectomy and have gained 24lbs in 3months I am also in surgical menopause, and was very despondent because I thought I just couldnt lose weight). I will keep you all posted on my progress because trust me, if I can lose weight, anyone can.

Hi all!! I just rejoined after years of being away - life got too hectic and I just wasn't able to spend much time on-line. Not that I have more time now, but I've missed cooking and talking about cooking, so decided to return! Anyway - hubby has high blood pressure, I have cholesteral issues, and we both needed to lose some weight, so I changed a lot about how I used to cook and have really improved on our health. Everyone has their own taste, however, and what works for one might not work for another. Case in point - I switched to Smart Balance and absolutely love it! I initially switched from using butter to Promise spread. It was the only "margerine" I ever used that I could tolerate. However, I find I like the Smart Balance even better. I use the light. I never use butter anymore except at Christmas, when I go all out. We only have those things once a year, so I figure it won't kill us. I have basically switched to using EVOO exclusively unless I stirfry, and then I use canola. I never fry anything, other than stirfrying, and even then, I try to use much less oil than most recipes call for. I substitute chicken stock for a lot of the oil in recipes as well - I use a combination of EVOO and chicken stock when I make my shrimp scampi now where I used to use mostly butter. I find my tastes have changed and I really like the "lighter" flavor. When I eat anything really oily now I actually get queasy from it. I just can't tolerate that amount of fat. It's unfortunate as well because I could make a meal out of a good loaf of bread, dipping it in EVOO with fresh ground pepper and sea salt, maybe a little parmesan grated in, however, I simply can't tolerate eating that much oil anymore. I've started using a new, Greek yogurt called Fageh - I might have the spelling wrong on that! Anyway, the 0% fat free is thick and rich and you would not believe it's fat free. I mainly eat it as a "dessert" now, drizzled with a little honey, but I've used it in place of sour cream and I recently used a third light mayo - again, I just started using Smart Balance, omega 3 or something like that, or I use Cain's light - and the rest this yogurt, to make chicken salad and it was fine. I'm not sure how the yogurt would be in tuna salad, however - haven't tried it yet. I've also tried to get away from using prepackaged food, altho I admit I still use some things, like rice pilaf mix, my son loves those noode-roni side dishes - things like that. My problem is finding the time with working full time to make everything from scratch. I've greatly reduced the amount of beef we eat, upped the fish (we always used chicken as our main meat source) and I've increased the amount of salad we eat, as well as vegetables. As I said, I'm trying to incorporate more whole grains, and I want to start making my own starch side dishes instead of relying on packaged ones. I don't really keep any sweets in the house and other than bread now and then, don't really bake much so making those things lighter hasn't been a focus for me. We switched to turkey bacon simply because I stopped eating pork. It doesn't taste as greasy to me, but I really don't know the actually fat content comparisons between the turkey and regular. I stick to turkey or roast beef for cold cuts, so those haven't been an issue. Like many others here, my one weakness is cheese. I LOVE cheese!!! I gave up eating meat altogether for close to 3 years and I lived on cheese during that time. I've tried some lowfats that are good and others that were horrid. I've basically just cut way, way back on the amount I eat and use it more as a treat now and then. It's the one part of eating light and reducing fat that I really miss. Really, the only way to control fat/salt, etc., is to cook from scratch. And I'm no doctor and am not advising people to not bother, but my husband's doctor told him that salt and high blood pressure is greatly overblown. Of course, he takes medication, other people might not, but the doctor told hubby that as long as he takes his meds, not to worry about salt. I don't use much salt in cooking to begin with, and since I don't use all that much prepackaged food, salt hasn't been a big issue. I realize it is touchy for some people tho, but if you're on medication for high blood pressure anyway, I don't think it's as big an issue as making other changes, such as lowering fat and hence, losing weight. Anyway - glad to be back, am enjoying reading everyone's posts already, and hope I can contribute some cooking tips of my own! Lisa

Lynn, your list of breakfasts is amazing, but what's even more incredible these days is that you make it a priority to sit down as a family for breakfast. It's such a rarity in our fast-paced world. Growing up we always sat down as a family for breakfast and I have fond memories of that. Our children ate on the run, for the most part, but did have something before leaving the house, even if I handed it to them on their way out the door! Here's a recipe for steel-cut oatmeal done in the crockpot overnight: Slow Cooker, Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal By Monica Servings: 5 1-cup servings Ingredients 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped) 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk 1-1/2 cups water 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground flax seed 1/4 teaspoon salt Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter Directions Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well. To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot. Recipe can be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour.