Good evening peeps!
I am happy to report that I am still alive after the month end close, and no, I still have no replacement for my old job. This meant that I happily (I use the word “happily” loosely here…) worked until around 11pm every night this week. I did maintain a nice attitude throughout the ordeal, and I did remember to eat from time to time. Even though I didn’t get a chance to work out this week (except for Saturday’s walk), I did lose 1.8 last week. Not too bad!
I am happy to report that I am still alive after the month end close, and no, I still have no replacement for my old job. This meant that I happily (I use the word “happily” loosely here…) worked until around 11pm every night this week. I did maintain a nice attitude throughout the ordeal, and I did remember to eat from time to time. Even though I didn’t get a chance to work out this week (except for Saturday’s walk), I did lose 1.8 last week. Not too bad!
The other thing that I am really excited about is that Weight Watchers updated its iPhone app, and will now provide you reminders to track. How many times have you tried to track during the day, only to get sidetracked by things like…oh…the phone ringing, the kids beating on each other or your JOB??? This enhancement allows you to set reminders so that your phone will alert you to remind you to track your food. I have been using it all weekend. It really helps! It’s also nice to have a reminder to keep your head in the game.
I had a nice Mothers Day today. Steve and the kids took me to brunch at the Coyote Ridge Golf Club. Below is a picture of the kiddos in their brunch duds. Morgan cleaned up rather nicely, and Adam? Well…he was a bit of a sourpuss for whatever reason. My personal opinion was that he was hungry. He’s not nice when he’s hungry (think: Incredible Hulk J ) After brunch, we went over to Barnes & Noble and I got to pick out a cover for my Nook Color. All in all? A very nice day. Notice how I didn’t include work in my day today? I thought that was pretty good!
We have one more race coming up for May. May 22nd is Walk-It! Day and we are doing the Irving Heels and Hills race that day. We also have identified a June race that we want to do. There is a Firefly 5K nighttime race in Plano. No, this isn’t on a single-track mountain biking course, nor are we attempting the 10K this time around. First six months of the resolution are spoken and accounted for.
This week is going to be busy, but for good reasons. I am also (provided her flight gets in on time to D/FW) will be meeting a friend for dinner during her layover here in Dallas. Just so happens that this week’s meeting topic dealt with eating out. Weight Watchers is such a great program because you can eat out. You just have to do a bit of planning, but you CAN enjoy yourself.
As I stated before, topic of our meeting dealt with going out to eat, and enjoying yourself while remaining on plan. Below is a great bit of information from the WW Website to help you out!
Eating out on the Plan is all about making choices and planning ahead. Be creative and play it smart, and you won't leave the dinner table unsatisfied. You can even print out this sheet and bring it with you.
Set Yourself Up for Success: Do advance work by checking out menus beforehand: Use our Restaurant POINTS Finder to check out the POINTS values of menu items from dozens of popular restaurants, or call ahead and see if restaurants can fax you their menus.
Mix and Match: Do some “menu reconstructing.” Order your main meal and match it with a low POINTS value side item from another entrée.
Use Your Weekly POINTS Allowance: Your weekly POINTS Allowance is there to help you in situations exactly like these. When you schedule a night out at a restaurant, save up your Allowance, so you have a little spending power for that special occasion.
Make Special Requests: Most Italian restaurants can use whole wheat pasta in their dishes. Some Chinese and Japanese restaurants will substitute brown rice for white rice. Chefs can broil instead of pan fry, and they have the ability to do so with less or no oil. Just ask!
Choose Your Restaurants Wisely: Any restaurant will have options you can enjoy, but let’s face it: Some restaurants are just going to be tougher than others. Going out with friends? Suggest a restaurant that features lots of options with low POINTS values. Voice your opinion before choosing a place and steer yourself in the right direction.
"No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.”
~Channing Pollock"
RECIPES
Mixed Berry Crumble
This dessert is somewhat of a regular in the rotation in our house in the spring and summer. This five-ingredient dessert highlights the sweetness of fresh summer fruit. Use any combination of berries you have on hand.*
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 7 MINUTES
Cook Time: 40 MINUTES
PointsPlus™ value: 5 per serving
Ingredients:
2 cup(s) fresh blueberries
2 cup(s) raspberries
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup(s) unpacked light brown sugar
6 Tbsp regular butter, melted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Place berries in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, combine flour and sugar. Remove 3 tablespoons of flour mixture and gently toss with berries. Place berries in an 8-inch square pan.
To make topping, add melted butter to remaining flour mixture; combine well. Crumble little bits of topping all over top of berries. Bake until berries just start to bubble, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; serve warm or at room temperature. Yields 1 piece per serving.
Notes:
*You can use any combination of fresh berries in season: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc. (Could affect PointsPlus values.)
Asparagus Risotto
Creamy and rich. Make this recipe as written or use white wine instead of lemon juice and swap spinach for the asparagus.*
Yield: 6 servings (scant 1 cup per serving)
Prep Time: 15 MINUTES
Cook Time: 34 MINUTES
PointsPlus™ value: 5 per serving
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp table salt, for cooking water
1 pound(s) asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 small shallot(s), minced
1 cup(s) uncooked arborio rice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, such as Parmigianno-Reggiano
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add asparagus to pot; blanch for 2 minutes. Immediately remove asparagus from pot and place them into ice water (to stop them from cooking and help retain their bright green color); set aside.
Coat a medium pot with cooking spray and set over medium heat; melt butter. Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat; cook for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice; cook, until all lemon juice has been absorbed, stirring continuously so rice does not stick to sides of pot, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer; keep warm.
Add 1/2 cup of hot broth to pot at a time; stir until absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 20 minutes.
When rice turns creamy and just done (should be slightly chewy and not mushy), remove pot from heat; add cheese and stir well. Stir in asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Yields 1 scant cup per serving.
Notes:
*Could affect PointsPlus values.
