Okay, here comes another blog, yet again, on a Saturday. I think this is going to remain my distribution date for awhile, or at least until I am able to handle my workload during the week. I don’t see that happening any time soon though. Okay, so besides the 60+ hour work week that I put in, I did manage to get the major reporting done. I also put in for a position within my group that would be a promotion for me. Wish me luck. I hope that things go well there.
On the Weight Watchers front, I still have not missed a meeting. I did go to this week’s meeting on Friday of this week. I had planned to attend the Friday meeting due to my crazy work schedule. The meeting was at noon, and my boss called a meeting at 11am that was looking like it was going to go long. We wrapped up and I headed off to the meeting. It was all that I could do to get up out of my chair and leave. I do have a reminder on my calendar, and I keep this weekly appointment. No exceptions. I am so glad that I did. I will get to that in a minute!
We had our Boopa’s Bagel Deli 10K walk today…or at least that was the plan. Adi came to my house and I drove to Brenda’s. She drove down to Ft. Worth for the race. We got to the location, checked in, picked up our packet and timing chip…then the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. A bit of sleet was falling as well. On our way back to the trunk to drop off the swag bags, we decided to play hookey from the race and have breakfast instead. Don’t worry, true believers. There is still a March race for me to do. It’s the March Madness 5K in Fort Worth. So, resolution still intact. Glad that we decided to not do this one though. Not nice out. At all. I couldn’t even get warm once I got home. Brrrr….Dang cold fronts! The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but this time, the decision was justified. To make me feel bad, though, my dad HAD to tell me that back in the day, when he ran (B.K.R.—before knee replacement), he ran a 10K in downtown Orlando, in sleet. Thanks Dad. I stand by my choice though. I think Brenda and Adi would back me up there.
Now, I am glad that I went to my meeting this week for a couple of reasons; the first of which was the fact that I don’t want to ruin my streak of perfect attendance! That aside, I lost 2 ½ pounds this week. Not sure if this is a fluke or just from the fact that I was totally swamped at work and didn’t really eat that much. I also think that the meeting mentally helped me this week. I desperately needed a distraction from work, even if only for 45 minutes.
I actually think that this week’s loss was a good loss, despite the fact that I really didn’t track much this week. I WAS aware of what I was eating. My meals went basically like this:
Breakfast: Bagel-Thins with 2 oz Boar’s Head Lower Sodium ham, one slice of 2% cheddar singles and a glass of ½ % milk
Lunch: Lean protein, veggies and brown rice
Dinner: The other half of what I didn’t eat for lunch
Even though I didn’t track, I knew my breakfast was 7 PointsPlus™, lunch was 8 PointsPlus and dinner was around the same. By remaining consistent, I didn’t sabotage anything, and was still able to lose weight this week. At least that’s what I’d like to think. It’s pretty funny how the meeting topic this week was in complete contradiction to what I had done this week. This week’s topic dealt with keeping the plan fresh. I know it seems like this is some sort of a rut, but for me it was that familiarity that kept my meal planning sane in a time of chaos. Sometimes the routine isn’t the enemy…it can be your safety net.
I am, however, all for keeping things new and fresh. I think it’s great to change things up on occasion. I do try to have a variety of foods around and do different things with them. This week, while my parents were in town, I tried to work in veggies where I could. I made the most wonderful spinach salad. I had a bag of sweet peppers from Costco in the crisper, along with a bag of baby spinach leaves, crimini mushrooms, Campari tomatoes, and shallots (my red onion sort of bit the dust and turned into a science project, so the shallots performed the role of understudy). I made up a big bowl of these wonderful greens and veggies. No croutons necessary here. I tossed this salad together and put out an assortment of dressings so each could have their favorite. I had mine with a Wishbone Bountifuls Tuscan Romano Basil (at a PointsPlus™ Value of 1 per 2 tbsp). I also put out some blue cheese crumbles (which go a long way when you only use a tablespoon).
The grocery store actually makes it easy for you to vary your meals. If you follow the sales circulars, you will see what items are seasonal. I like to keep fruit in season in the house…I have been on a pineapple kick, of late. I also have become quite the apple snob. I love Jazz, Honeycrisp, Fujis & Pink Lady. I was also told about two other varieties that I have to try: Junami and Kiku (thanks to Charla for these suggestions). I will get back to you guys on how those last two are. Right now we are working through a clam-pack of Costco’s Pink Lady apples. I really think there may be something to the old adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” What do you think?
“Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.”
~William Cowper, English Poet
RECIPES
Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken
This recipe is courtesy of Hungry-Girl. I caught her show on the Cooking Channel this afternoon, and wanted to forward a few of these made-over favorites to you guys. The ones she made today looked wonderful, and I will be making them this week!
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Preparation Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Yields: 4 servings – 1 stuffed chicken cutlet
Nutrition Information: 270 calories, 4.25g fat, 780mg sodium, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 40g protein
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free refried beans
4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
16 low-fat baked tortilla chips (like the kind by Guiltless Gourmet)
1 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Four 5-oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/3-inch thickness
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup taco sauce, divided
Optional toppings: fat-free sour cream, salsa
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.
To make the filling, combine beans, cheese wedges, and shredded cheese in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Put chips in a sealable plastic bag and crush with your hands or a rolling pin. Add taco seasoning and give it a good shake to mix. Set aside.
Place cutlets flat on a clean, dry surface, and season with salt and black pepper. Spoon filling onto the centers of the cutlets, evenly dividing it among them (about 2 tbsp. each). Carefully roll each cutlet up over the filling (which may ooze a little, but don't worry!) and secure with toothpicks, if needed. Transfer to the baking sheet.
Cover each stuffed cutlet with 1 tbsp. taco sauce, using the back of the spoon or your fingers to coat. Coat cutlets with crumb mixture. Cover the baking sheet with foil, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil. Bake until chicken is cooked through and outsides are crispy, about 15 additional minutes.
Let cool slightly and remove toothpicks (if using). If you like, top with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
Guac ‘n Roll
This is another recipe courtesy of Hungry-Girl. Another one that shows that a couple of simple substitutions can make a great low cal/guilt free version of a favorite!
PointsPlus™ Value: 2
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: none
Yields: 6 servings at 1/3 cup each (1/6 of recipe)
Nutrition Information: 78 calories, 3g fat, 320mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 3.5g protein
Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)
1/3 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
4 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. chili powder
Optional: chopped cilantro, chopped jarred jalapenos, additional salt and pepper
Instructions:
Place drained peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. Add all other ingredients except for the tomatoes, onions and optional items. Continue to mash until blended. Stir in the tomatoes, onions and, if you like, some chopped cilantro and/or jalapenos. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Hungry Girl’s Magical Low-Calorie Margarita
No Mexican feast is complete without the Margarita. There are zillions of recipes for margaritas. And though they all vary as far as taste and ingredients are concerned, most have one thing in common -- they're incredibly caloric! In fact, most contain between 250 - 500 calories. But margaritas are fun, and they taste great. They're also fantastic "virgin" style (without alcohol), in case you're not old enough to drink or just prefer not to. In any case, you'll LOVE HG's Magical Low-Calorie Margarita. It's yummy, refreshing and it'll fool everyone you know into thinking they're sipping a real, high-calorie version of the popular cocktail.
PointsPlus™ Value: 4
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: none
Yields: 1 serving
Nutrition Information for entire recipe (1 Margarita): 115 calories, 0g fat, 55mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, <0.5g sugars, 0g protein
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Sierra Mist Free (or Diet Sprite Zero, or your other fave no-cal lemon-lime soda)
*1.5 oz. tequila
1 packet (two 5-calorie servings) sugar-free powdered drink mix, lemonade (like the one by Crystal Light) 2 tbsp. lime juice
Optional: lime slice for garnish and salt or no-calorie sweetener for rim of glass
Instructions:
If desired, run some lime juice along the rim of the glass and dip into a dish of salt or sweetener. Mix all ingredients together. Pour over 1 cup of crushed ice. Optional: Garnish with lime slice. Enjoy. Serves 1!
*You can also make your Margaritas alcohol-free. Each recipe, without tequila, contains around 20 calories.
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