Hey there and Happy Friday to you all!
This has been a pretty good week for me. I have my family back, My dad celebrated his 70th birthday with us while they were in town, and we had another opportunity to dine at one of my favorite Denton area restaurants, Hannah’s Off the Square! Can’t get much better than that, in my book. It was a bit sad to put them back on a plane on Wednesday. We always have a good time when they come to visit. Maybe that is in part due to the fact that they are the ones dealing with the kids? Hmmmm….
If you have been following my blog, which most of you have, you know that I have been walking with a group of fantastic ladies since June of 2008. In that time, I have been using my trusty Omron Go Smart pedometer…upon which I have logged over 1,475,000 steps. Well…I am sad to report that after a little over two years, my poor little pedometer had a slight coronary. I had to replace it, and am awaiting the new one. I think I just wore it into the ground! How funny is that? Must have gone one too many steps. This past Saturday, we changed our walk time to 8:00 AM so that we were able to beat a little bit of the heat and get done earlier. We started off as we usually did; only something in me wasn’t happy with my normal pace. A little voice inside told me to push myself, so I started to run a bit. I actually finished our walk several minutes ahead of the rest of the gang. I wasn’t out to race, I think I just needed more; however, I think I will be telling that voice to shut up until it gets a little cooler around here. I ended up doing our little walk in 45:09, and that was for 2.83 miles. According to iMapMyWalk, the route came in a tad under the 5k that we thought we were doing. Still, not bad!!!
I attended a meeting this afternoon, since we had a very busy week, between camp being over, and having my parents in town. I crashed my favorite Friday noon meeting with Beth, and now I know why it’s easy to stay motivated. The meetings that I attend have the most awesome leaders and members. As many of you know, I am not an introverted person. I basically say what’s on my mind, or contribute my thoughts or opinions whenever given that opportunity. Well, at today’s meeting I was helping to share my thoughts on filling foods and what to do to make them more interesting. I was stopped by two ladies on my way out of the meeting who thanked me for my input and then told me that I should be a leader when I reach my goal! They are now friends of mine on Facebook, and are probably raiding my recipe stash as I write this issue of my blog!!! I love that I can help others stay on the path or provide inspiration. It’s very satisfying to me, and I really enjoy doing this each week. This just cements the fact that I need to do the WW Leader thing once my goal weight is reached. I think I have so much to share with others on a person-to-person basis…much like my blog does in written form. Thirty pounds and that will do it!!! Onwards and downwards!
Our “Meet the Teacher” night was last night. It just dawned on me that this is the last year of elementary school for my oldest. Morgan is in the 5th grade. Adam is going into preschool (this year he was considered “early preschool”). He would MUCH RATHER be starting Kindergarten though. He fits right in! He is even as tall as some of them. Both kids grew like weeds over the summer. Morgan comes up to my chest and Adam comes up to my belly button. Crazy how fast they grow. Now, if the 10 year old would only get her head on straight, I’ll be set! The awesome thing about Morgan’s teacher this year is that she has the same one as she did back in 2nd grade. Her teacher took a couple of years off, and came back as a 5th grade teacher. She really knows my child, and won’t let her get away with much. SO GLAD for that. Crossing my fingers.
Today’s meeting focused on the power of filling foods.
Here’s a great visual example. One brownie has the same POINTS® Value as 5 apples. For your POINTS® buck, which would give YOU the better value???
This is the beauty of the filling foods. These foods (as we keep stressing…) are higher in water, air, fiber and will stay with you longer than that brownie will…even though the brownie will be just divine for that split second you are devouring it! This simple graphic, I believe, says it all. After all, how many of us in one sitting was able to eat five apples? J This week, try to make Filling Foods the star of each meal and snack you eat. Take note of how you feel by doing that. I bet you will find that there will be many more satisfied tummies! In fact, the three recipes included in the body of this issuance are comprised mainly of filling foods. The possibilities are really endless!
Please have a great weekend, and a good week next week. A great closing quote is below!
“Knowing is not enough;
we must apply!”
- Johann Wolfgang VonGoethe, German writer
RECIPES
Chicken and Cheese Rollup
This recipe was up on the meeting room board today. It’s a great jumping off point for several variations! Add a slice of low fat ham for a quick and easy chicken cordon-bleu (add .5 for the 1 oz slice of ham) or roll in a low POINT® crumb coating and have a nice Saltimbocca type entrée! Choices are really limitless here. Just be sure to adjust the POINTS® where needed.
POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 1
Preparation Time: 35 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
5 oz chicken breast
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Swiss (or any of their delicious flavors!!!)
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
Pound chicken until it’s uniformly about ¼ inch thick, spread the cheese wedge over the whole thing, roll the chicken up tightly and secure it with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper. Place in baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes or until done.
Eggs Florentine
Here’s a healthy spin on a breakfast favorite. This one features spinach and onions but broccoli, peppers and mushrooms are all delicious.
POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 2
Cooking Time: 15 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
4 large egg white(s)
1 tsp water
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 tsp red onion(s), finely minced
1 cup(s) spinach, baby leaves, packed
2 slice(s) Weight Watchers Singles
1 item(s) Light Wheat English Muffin, split and toasted (such as Thomas’ Better Start or Weight Watchers)
Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine egg whites, water, salt and pepper but do not whisk or beat; set aside.
Lightly coat a medium nonstick sauté pan with cooking spray; warm over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach wilts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg white mixture; scramble until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Move eggs together in middle of pan and turn off heat; top eggs with cheese and let sit until cheese starts to melt. Divide egg mixture among English muffin halves. Yields half a topped English muffin per serving.
Tomato-Basil Salad
This simple, delicious salad makes the most of summer’s best ingredients. Take a trip to the farmer’s market and buy the most colorful tomatoes possible. You can also turn this salad into a main meal: add some sliced fresh mozzarella and serve over a bed of arugula (will affect your POINTS® values)
POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, 1 red and 1 yellow, heirloom or beefsteak, thinly sliced
¼ cup very thinly sliced sweet onion
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp fresh oregano, chopped, or ¼ tsp dried oregano
20 leaves fresh basil, or less to taste
Instructions:
To make each salad, arrange ¼ of tomato slices on each salad plate and top with ¼ of the onions. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of oil and season to taste with salt and pepper; crumble a pinch of oregano over top.
Let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes for flavors to develop. Just before serving, arrange about 5 basil leaves on and under the tomatoes. Yields 1 salad per serving.
