Happy Saturday all…
Yes, I am a bit late in getting this out, but even though year end for work is over, I still am playing catch up with my dad’s books and my sister-in-law’s books. The curse of being an accountant! UGH! Anyhoooo…..
Hope your respective weeks have gone well! Mine was busy, and am still trying to figure out exactly where it went! Let’s see, last week I got in some good walks, and even tried yoga for the first time. Even though it was deemed a yoga glass, it was a restorative yoga class, which I am SURE is much easier than the garden variety yoga. Very relaxing, and you know…now that I think about it, I slept VERY well that night!
I did my usual Saturday walk with Brenda. Today, it was just the two of us. The other ladies had plans or otherwise were not able to make it. We did some intervals, alternating jogging and walking. We spent almost an hour and a half, and did 4 2/3 miles…and put in over 10,000 steps. We did all of this before 10 AM today. Tomorrow morning is the Einstein 10K race in Fort Worth. Brenda and I intend to use this race as another training session. I felt good during the jogs today, and I hope that tomorrow brings more of the same for me. I really felt good after this morning, and am now beginning to think seriously that there IS something to this whole running adventure that I am embarking on.
This week was a maintain week for me, which is more than fine!
In other non-scale related victories, I wanted to share a picture of me that definitely shows that all is not only lost in the body…it’s also lost in the FACE. See below for the proof. Left was taken in November 2007 while in Florida visiting family. The one on the right? Taken this month, right after the new color and cut! I cannot stress enough how important those photos and benchmarks are. They are crucial for motivation!
This week’s meeting focused on ways to stay on plan while dining out. There are some strategies that you can use to help when you are going out on the town.
- Crunch away temptation. Some members bring along a bag of cut veggies to munch on so that you can avoid the bread basket.
- Steer clear of fried items, and opt for grilled choices. Instead of white rice, ask for brown. If pasta is your thing, avoid cream sauces and ask for whole wheat pasta options!
- Keep your hunger at bay. Never skip a meal to ‘save up’ for a dinner out. The trick is not to be hungry beforehand. Be prepared!
- Bring tools if necessary. Weight Watchers serving spoons or measuring spoons can help. If this isn’t feasible, use your visuals (deck of cards for protein, tennis ball for a cup-size serving of rice, etc…)
- Have your pie and eat it too! If you want to splurge, it’s okay to use your Weekly Points Allowance. The key is to not feel deprived.
The weekly challenge for this week is to find 10 menu items, at restaurants you frequent, that you feel would be easy to incorporate into your plan, but which still sound delicious. Eat out—at least once this week—on plan!
For the closing quote du jour, I found this one online today. I loved it and wanted to share it with you!
"Vegetables are a must on a diet.
I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”
~Jim Davis
RECIPES
Coconut Shrimp
No need to deprive yourself of this crunchy, coconut dish any more. Instead of ordering it at a restaurant, prepare this lightened-up version at home!
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 12 min
Ingredients:
2 sprays cooking spray
2 large egg whites
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 oz beer, about 2/3 cup
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp table salt
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave tails on)
Instructions:· Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray
· In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, ½ cup of flour, beer, baking powder, and salt. Place remaining ¼ cup of flour and coconut into two separate shallow bowls.
· Holding shrimp by their tails, dredge each shrimp in flour and shake off any excess. Dip flour-coated shrimp into egg batter and allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut and turn to coat both sides (press coconut onto shrimp to make it stick).
· Transfer shrimp to prepared baking sheet and spray surface of shrimp with cooking spray.
· Bake until coconut is golden brown and shrimp are bright pink and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes
Notes: To put crunch in this dish, reduce to coconut flakes to 1 cup and add 1 cup panko (light Japanese bread crumbs), available in some supermarket fish departments or down the aisle with the flour and sugar
