that's not my name!

i officially became a cat owner on january 30 when i drove to indy and picked up a cat who needed a new home due to medical issues of her current owner.  (big thanks to adam for making the drive with me!)  she got settled in almost immediately, exploring my apartment, finding her food and litter with no problem, and settling herself on the couch like a princess.  she was never shy or scared or skittish and is very playful and friendly.  she loves to come in my room in the morning (if she's not already asleep at the foot of my bed) and snuggle with me.  eventually she gets a little annoyed if i don't get up and pats me with her paw until i get up and give her some food.  it's really sweet. 

she's not an angel all the time, though.  we've battled over her jumping on the coffee table and scratching at the edges of my living room rug.  she also is very curious about anything in a plastic cup and has a tendency to stick her nose in them and eventually knock them over if i leave one out in her reach.  around 10pm she turns into a tasmanian devil, running around the place like she's possessed and i hear her periodically during the night batting toys (among other things, i'm sure!) around and darting through the apartment.  i'm sure as soon as i leave for work she wanders around and jumps on every surface that is supposed to be off limits to her. 

with that said, she's a great cat and it's so nice to come home to her.  even if i'm in a bad mood because of traffic or work or whatever, walking in and having her meet me at the door always makes me smile.  i scoop her up and walk her around the apartment and she just purrs and licks my nose.  it's probably one of my favorite times of the day. 

the one issue that we've had is figuring out a name for her.  two weeks in and i was still just calling her kitty or kiki (my version of kitty-kitty, i guess).  the name her previous owners gave her was lucy, but i wanted to change it - mostly because adam and gary have a new kitty called lucy but also because i feel like giving her a name will make her feel more like she's mine.  i've tested out lots of names on her, but nothing seemed to fit.  i debated just calling her kiki, but i like that as more of a nickname.  i know some people take time to name their children after giving birth, but this is getting ridiculous.  how hard can it be to name a cat?! 

and then, yesterday morning after feeding her, i called her a name that just seemed to click.  and i've been calling her that since and it really fits her.  so, without further ado, my kitty, Stella:

lunch is served

i had a couple of yummy and low-point lunches this week, so i thought i'd share....

southwestern chicken salad (4 points)
salad mix
3 oz. tyson prepared grilled chicken strips (2 pts)
1/3 c. black beans (1 pt)
diced tomato
1/3 c. salsa (0 pts, check label to make sure)
2 T light sour cream (1 pt)
fresh cilantro to taste
lime

the salsa and sour cream mixed together subs for regular dressing and you can make it a lower point value by using less or using fat free.  i used a pretty mild salsa and will definitely use a spicier one next time, just to give it a kick.  i mixed the tomato, black beans, cilantro and a squeeze of lime together and then topped the salad with the mixture, chicken and "dressing".  easy, filling and tasty. corn would be a good addition if you can afford the extra points.

black bean burger wrap (6 points)
1 flat out brand light whole grain wrap (2 pts)
1 wedge laughing cow swiss cheese (1pt)
1 pickle, diced
chopped tomato
1 spicy black bean burger (3 pts)
ketchup and mustard

cook and chop black bean patty into chunks.  spread cheese on wrap, mix ketchup and mustard together and spread over cheese, top with burger pieces.  add pickle and tomato chunks, wrap and enjoy.  this recipe originally came from hungry girl's "200 Under 200" recipe book and i just figured out the point value for WW.  you can use a tortilla instead of the flat out wraps, but i love these wraps when i'm missing my carbs and want an option that's going to taste good and not cost me a lot of points.