Celebrate...(good times...COME ON!)

Can I get a round of applause please? I am actually issuing prior to the weekend! I am actually in a much better place than I was last week, unless you count the whole missing shorts incident. I actually used a no-weigh pass this week because my shorts somehow managed to jump out of my Weight Watchers bag between the time I left the house and the time I got to the meeting at noon.  No biggie though.  I still attended the meeting, and am a much better person for it.  I actually take pride in the fact that I have not missed a meeting since I joined Weight Watchers this last time around.

I am making progress on my takeover of the Telecom side of the cash flow reporting and have managed to get my stuff done, and loaded into my database.  Makes things MUCH easier when you have tools to utilize.  I have learned that pain put in up front usually results in a MUCH easier time of it on the back end.  I am hoping to see the fruits of my labor for quarter end close.

Along the lines of the ‘good things come to those who wait’ adage from last week, I am hoping that my number finally came up at work.  A position that I wanted for the past few years has been posted on the job boards again, so I officially threw my name in the hat.  I am hoping that I won’t be passed over again this time.  I have been thinking positive thoughts, and with a little luck, I may get the position! I think I have proven my self in my current slot, and I think I may be a good fit for the new one.  All positive thoughts are encouraged! More on this story as things develop. 

I am looking forward to Saturday’s walk, and may even try to run some.  As the weather improves, so does my outlook on exercise.  Amazing how that works, and the correlation there!

This week’s meeting topic concerns celebrating success.  One thing that I like to do is reflect on what actually brought me back into the door of my Weight Watchers meeting this last time.  Surprisingly, the story of the horrible picture came up among several of us in class on Wednesday.  Apparently I am not the only one who gagged at a photo that snapped us back into reality!  Sometimes that’s all it takes.  I know in my heart (and in my mirror) that I am not the person in this picture.  Success for me is KNOWING that I will never go back there again.  I have learned the tools necessary for me to live the rest of my life in a healthful manner. I have also learned that I can sustain this for my life. Go me! LOL…

JUNE 9, 2008. NEVER AGAIN.

This is what the Weight Watchers Weekly had to say on the subject of celebrating successes:

Maggie, a Weight Watchers Leader was asked what helps her.  This is a q & a that I found helpful!

Why should you occasionally take stock in how far you’ve come?  Remembering the positive changes that were made reminds you of what you’re good at and opens your world to other possibilities and new capabilities.  It’s a feeling of “I can do this—and maybe I can do the other stuff, too!”

How can reviewing your strengths and accomplishments help if you have a setback?  It can encourage you to jump right back on Plan as you recall the wonderful things that you did do.  For instance, you may have eaten too much over the weekend, but because you planned PointsPlus ™ friendly meals, you made healthier food choices than you may have in the past.

What strengths do you rely on? Planning is something that she is good at. She schedules her daily activities; organizes shopping lists, meals and snacks; makes time to track BEFORE she eats. Planning her foundation of her weight management!

Food for thought, in a manner of speaking!

“Take pride in how far you have come, and

have faith in how far you can go!”

~Christian Larson

RECIPES

Crab Dip

This recipe is always a favorite!   Change the flavor each time you make it; add fresh garlic, horseradish, extra hot sauce, chopped jalapeno, fresh herbs, mustard or capers for variety!

PointsPlus™ Value:  1

Preparation Time:  10 min

Cooking Time:  25 min

Yields: 12 servings – 1 stuffed chicken cutlet

Ingredients:

2 spray(s) cooking spray  

6 oz light cream cheese, softened to room temperature  

1/2 cup(s) Low Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt  

3 Tbsp onion(s), finely minced  

1/2 pound(s) lump crabmeat, fresh or canned, drained  

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste  

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste  

2 Tbsp dry sherry, or sweet sherry (or to taste)   

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Coat a 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake until dip is heated through and center is no longer runny, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Yields about 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons per serving.

Notes:

This recipe can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Good things come to those who wait...

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.