Hi My Blog Friends!  I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Mine was fun filled eating all weekend with the kiddos and hubby and my Mom and Dad!! So back to using special tricks to maintain my weight. As you all know, my New Year’s resolution this year was to lose weight. Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement – it’s been a huge game-changer to have encouragement from all of you!

Here I was before at a company Christmas party with my head cabinet guy Jerry and his sweet family!

And here I was just a few weeks ago and 45 lbs thinner with my daughter Sammy. I’m  only ten pounds away from finally reaching my weight loss goals, but am also fine if I can just stay and maintain where I am!!! Although the Ideal Protein Diet plan has been the secret to the diet’s success (read more about that here!), eating meals at night that are both satisfying and tasty has also been crucial.  I’ve tried so many diets in the past where I lose weight only to gain it all back (and then some) within a few months. But, this year, I think I’ve discovered a new trick to help me keep the pounds off for good, and I love it so much I want you to know about it!!

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As they say, losing weight and keeping it off is all about changing your lifestyle, which is easier said than done if you’re a carb-loving, bread-addicted, pasta fanatic like me! After all, I did marry an Italian. But substituting the things I love for healthier alternatives (that still satisfy any cravings) has been the key for me…..

Enter: the Skinny Noodle!!! Skinny Shirataki Noodles are gluten free, fat free, soy free, preservative free and made in the USA! Plus, they’re an excellent source of fiber, which is so important for digestive health and disease prevention. Each serving contains at least 3 grams. But what I love the most is that there are only 10 calories max in each 4-oz. serving; some noodle shapes have zero calories.

The noodles are made from a fibrous root native to Asia called konnyaku. It was first discovered in China about 2000 years ago and has been consumed in Japan for over 1200 years. Konnyaku was originally consumed in the form of a block and has more recently been transformed into the thin gelatinous noodles I’m obsessed with. My entire family likes these noodles as much as traditional pasta, rice and other starches, and this has so helped me maintain my weight loss!!!

Miracle Noodles and Skinny Shirataki Noodles seem to be the same to me. I ordered mine on Amazon by the case. I’m not a recipe follower, so each time I make it (and we eat it at least three times a week!), different dishes are created. They’re just like pasta in terms of versatility. You can pair them with tomato sauce, roasted veggies, Chinese-style stir fry, alfredo sauce and add in whatever protein you like, chicken, shrimp, etc.

Here’s the start of one of my latest creations!

I put organic low-sodium chicken broth in a pan and added some chopped cauliflower rice, available from the produce section of HEB or Trader Joes. Then, I add sliced mushrooms….

And cut up 3 or 4  heirloom tomatoes. I have fresh rosemary in my garden, so I always add a few sprigs. Let it simmer.

I always change it up, but this time, I added these spices to taste: garlic salt, crushed chili pepper flakes, grey truffle salt, dried basil, and a bay leaf.

The noodles are pre-cooked and stored in a bag with liquid around them. You drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them with water. Warning: they do have a funny smell when you open the bag and rinse. But don’t worry, once dinner’s complete, the noodles don’t smell or taste funny. I add them to the pan and stir and cut the noodles so they aren’t so long. Then I simmer for about 10 minutes so the noodles absorb the sauce and all the flavors meld.

It was so yummy! My family eats a bag a piece!!! So I mix 4 bags into whatever sauce I make each time. This is made with the Miracle fettuccine noodles, but I like the angel hair  noodle size the best.

I love trying it with different proteins! I made this dish of the Skinny noodles with kale and salmon.

We had a challenge in our office to see who could come up with the best recipe, and here are two of the dishes we tasted.

Enter the Miracle & Skinny Noodle Challenge and Win Segreto Style!!!!!

I want to hear about the dishes you make with Skinny noodles, so I’m challenging you to take the Skinny Noodle Cooking Challenge!

The challenge is simple: send me your recipes (and any photos you have of the finished dish). Then either 1) subscribe to this blog if you are not yet on our list, 2) follow us on Instagram and leave a comment below, or 3) if you’re already following us on Instagram, you can also enter by sharing this post on Facebook and then leaving a comment below!

The contest is only open until Friday, June 10th at noon, and we’ll reveal the winner in the following week’s post! Good luck!!!

We’ll post our favorites to the blog and pick a winner based on creativity and taste. The winner of the challenge will receive a signed copy of Segreto Style, so tell all of your friends!!!

Click here to submit your recipe! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Till next week!