TGIF. Hope your week went well, and quickly! Mine is okay so far. I managed to get through month end close by day 2 this month, which is still amazing to me, but I’ll take it. As far as the family goes…we had no major meltdowns, no major sicknesses and Steve seems to be coming right along on the pneumonia recovery. We also have had no takers on the eBay or Craig’s List listings, so at this point, we still have the two kids. I also was able to do my Saturday 5K with Michelle, which was nice!!! With basketball season going on this winter, the games were typically Saturday mornings, and it was hard to meet the girls unless Morgan had a late game.) I also wanted to say thanks for the words of encouragement that I received from a few of you last week. It’s nice to know that these words are making a difference in your lives and that I can still motivate you, even when things are not perfect with me!
I am learning to seek out the good, and I will take what I can find. This is a good start. I also just read recently on my friend’s blog that she think her lymphoma may be going into remission and may not need chemo again for awhile. How wonderful. Love that there is actually GOOD news this week. Again, not sure I can handle any more bad news in the foreseeable future.
I think I have been really stressed out and stretched thin over the last few months (see last week’s issuance for details!), and I guess stress really does take its toll on weight loss efforts. Coach Dwayne is addressing this with me in the form of more cardio being worked into my training sessions. I like the lunge/kicks he had me do this week because I felt like it was a stress outlet for me. I actually like the increased cardio, except for the fact that I turn into a massive SWEATBALL by the time I’m done. Thank G-d for showers in the locker room. The bad thing is that I am still sweating AFTER the shower. Oh well…if that’s the only thing I have to complain about? Again, not so bad. I can do more regular push ups, in good form, than I used to be able to a few months ago, and he is having me do other ab exercises that are also a step up for me. I am definitely making progress, albeit not SCALE progress. I hate to keep harping on this, because my progress is good, but I can’t reach lifetime status with Weight Watchers until the weight comes off. I see progress in my workouts (stronger and leaner Elissa), in my clothes (smaller sized clothing in Elissa’s closet), and in my measurements (smaller Elissa). I know this is great work, but I wish I would be getting some scale love. Patience is a virtue. I will get there, and I will NOT be discouraged ::::grumble grumble grumble::::
With that being said, and with the stress and pressures of life in general, Dwayne did some research for me and found an article that I am attaching. This has to do with stress, hormones, and weight gain. The article talks about the effects of stress on the body, more specifically about a hormone called cortisol which is released when we are stressed out. It’s worth a read, and I think this article may have shed some needed light on my situation.
I maintained this week which I guess is okay. In my experience, any week where the scale doesn’t go up is a good week. The topic of the meeting this week dealt with ways to spice up your meal prep. We all came in with our food finds and ways that we keep things interesting. Some finds that were mentioned:
- Cabot reduced fat cheddar cheese
- Kraft fat free shredded mozzarella and 2% Pepper Jack singles
- Kim’s Magic Pop cakes (15 calories per cake, and they are carried at Central Market) Website is: http://www.kimsmagicpop.com/
- Lawry’s seasonings (this was my contribution) My favorites are the Lemon Pepper, Garlic Pepper and Seasoned Pepper. All good ways to kick up your food!
- Sandwich Thins (carried w/ the bread in your supermarket, and if you are thrifty like I am…you can find these at your local Mrs. Baird’s thrift store. These freeze well, and day old doesn’t really matter here). These are 1 point each.
- Western Bagel’s Alternative Bagel. These are 1 point, and are really good. My favorite is the sweet wheat.
- Fage Greek Yogurt. My new BFF, next to rotisserie chicken!
- Orville Redenbacher’s 94% Fat Free mini bags of popcorn. A nice 6 ½ cup serving for 1 point. Nice salty snack!
- Another spice resource for you: http://www.thespicestore.com
- A closing website for you to peruse: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com. Coach Dwayne told me about this site, and I really like it. Good healthy recipes and remakes of higher calorie/higher fat recipes!
One of the girls in the meeting that I attended on Tuesday shared this quote with the class. I really liked it, because it focused on the physical results rather than the scale related victories.
"Your body keeps an accurate journal
regardless of what you write down”
-Anonymous
GLUTEN FREE CORNER:
McAlister’s Deli has some gluten free choices on their menu. http://www.mcalistersdeli.com is the website.
RECIPES
Cranberry-Orange Apple Crisp
I bought some beautiful Rome
Servings: 9
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
7 cups diced peeled Rome
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly.
Combine apple and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon the apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with the crumb mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 183 (Calories from fat: 60); Total Fat: 6g (Sat: 4g; no Trans Fat)j; Chol: 15mg; Sodium: 45mg; Total Carb: 32g (Dietary fiber: 2.1g; Sugars: 21g) Vitamin A: 4%; Vitamin C: 4%; Calcium: 2%; Iron: 4%
Tomato Basil Chicken
Coach Dwayne actually gave me a copy of this one. It looked really good, and it’s healthy!
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4 ( 1 ½ cups each)
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked whole wheat fettuccine
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (2 1/2 cups)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey breast
3 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce
Instructions:
1. Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package. Cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except fettuccine; reduce heat to medium.
3. Cover; cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft. Serve over fettuccine.
Nutritional Information:
1 (1 ½ cup) Serving: Calories 360 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 1 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 55mg; Sodium 540mg; Total Carbohydrate 47g (Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 5g); Protein 30g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 6%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 3 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 3 Very Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
