Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of November 9th - Getting in 10 minutes of additional activity each day!

Good afternoon!


This weekend, I did my fourth 5K race since August. This time it was the inaugural Arbor Day Run in Plano. From my last race to this race, I shaved another 3 minutes off of my time, managed to run over ½ of the race and felt GREAT. My first 5K was done in 56:54:79. This go around came in at 47:30:13, and that was WITH being stopped at the light at Parker and Spring Creek. Don’t ask me why they didn’t block off the course. In any case, it felt amazing. I have been saving my race bibs and printing off my race results as PDF files so that I can use this to help chronicle my journey as well. Anything to help keep the motivation up.

True to form, I showed a big loss last week, and it was all but obliterated this week. I think that in 15 months of being back On Program, one bad week won’t kill me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I am expecting to recoup my losses next week and then some. Again, I am still positive, but just a tiny bit disappointed. What did I do with the not-so-stellar results? I reflected on all he good stuff from the week, saw the positive, celebrated my victories from the weekend, and am moving forward. Not going to let this get me down and distract me from my goal. That’s why I call this a journey. We all can get off at the wrong exit from time to time, even if we are sure we followed the roadmap.

I want to share another funny anecdote. My 2 ½ year old, Adam was on a bender after not having a nap in almost 2 days. He was busy flitting from room to room and from thing to thing. When he finally was still for a minute or two, I told him that he had ADHD! He looked at me, matter-of-factly and told me, “NO mommy…I have fire trucks”. Why that was so funny to me, I have no idea, but it made me laugh, and I really needed a good laugh after dealing with the 9-year-old and the bedroom from hades.

My plans for this week? Try to change something up again..maybe a different breakfast. Like I said, although I author a newsletter, it doesn’t mean that I am invincible. I am trying to document my journey the best I can, and to take you all with me. We are all on a mission toward better health and I am convinced that what we are doing is the best way to accomplish this! Keep on keepin’ on!
This week, the meeting dealt with strategies for coping with the holidays, and more specifically making Thanksgiving more than a couch-fest. If you find yourself with a 10, 30 or 60 minute time pocket in between festivities or meal prep, make the best use of that time and get some activity in. Some suggestions? Go for a walk with the family, do some yoga with the Wii…go for a walk, do housework…it all counts!

Kathryn challenged us this week to get 10 minutes of DELIBERATE activity EVERY DAY this week added to what we already do. Write it down, and keep track! I intend to go for a walk each night this week. It can serve a two-fold purpose for me. (1) stress relief and (2) stress relief. Plus it will get me out of the house for a bit, which is always good!

I thought it appropriate to close with this quote:

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."

-Conrad Hilton

RECIPES:


Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pineapple

Yield: 6 (1/2 cup) servings at a POINTS® Value of 2 per serving

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1” chunks
8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice
1 Tbsp Splenda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Coat 2 quart casserole dish with Pam. Place potatoes in dish. In small bowl combine pineapple, Splenda & cinnamon, add to potatoes & toss well. Bake, stirring after 30 minutes, until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
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Hot and Sour Soup

This dish was published in a prior newsletter, but since the weather is beginning to change, I wanted to re-run this one. It is fabulous and rivals the best Hot and Sour that you can buy at a Chinese restaurant.

Serving size: Approx 1-1/3 cups.
Recipe serves 4 at a POINTS® Value of 2 per serving.


6 dried wood-ear mushrooms
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
½ lb reduced-fat soft tofu, drained and cut into ½-inch cubes
8 ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and thinly sliced
2½ Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

Directions:
1. Combine dried mushrooms with enough hot water to cover by 2 inches in a small bowl; let stand 15 minutes, then drain.

2. Bring the broth, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the drained mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl; stir in about ¼-cup of the hot liquid, then return to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup while stirring in a circular motion. Serve immediately.

Cooking Tips

*If you can’t find wood-ear mushrooms, just use any dried mushrooms that you can find.
**For ease in preparing mushrooms, place water in pyrex cup and heat in microwave. Then add mushrooms and soak.
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Pumpkin-Oat Bread

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings : 24
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

A fabulous fall snack. You get a generous piece of cake, topped with a crunchy walnut and an underlying hint of caramel flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 spray(s) cooking spray, flour-variety recommended
• 1/2 cup(s) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup(s) packed light brown sugar
• 3 large egg(s), beaten
• 2 cup(s) canned pumpkin
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked quick oats
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 24 pieces walnut halves

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 10- X 15-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

• Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin; beat well. Add salt, pumpkin pie spice, flour, oats and baking soda; mix thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and place walnut halves on top so there will be 1 walnut in the center of each piece of cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.

• Cool in pan and cut into 24 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes:

Spice up the batter with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, ginger or allspice.

Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of October 26th - Good Health Guidelines Part Deux

Hey everyone!

Last week and this week, the meeting topic covered the good health guidelines that we are supposed to adhere to for the long haul and to make this plan sustainable in the long run.  As you know, getting in your fruits and vegetables is an important one of these guidelines.  I attached the PDF again this week.   We attempted to plant a vegetable garden this summer, but most of the plants never produced due to the heat we had.  We did, however, have a zucchini plant that wouldn’t give up.  We got a few fruit off the plant over the summer, and we kind of forgot about it for awhile.  This past Saturday it finally dried up enough so that I could walk outside in the backyard without sloshing too much.  I wanted to see what (if anything) was left in the remains of the vegetable garden from this summer. I literally jumped back  when I saw this humongous zucchini staring back at me.

Mr. Boy (Adam, the 2 ½ year old) is shown below holding the 5 lb 5 oz zucchini that we grew.  What the HECK was I going to do with this monster?!?!?!  I started Googling.  I found a recipe for zucchini lasagna that I was willing to try.  The recipe is below in the recipe section.  It had 7 points per serving, and was absolutely fabulous.  Bad thing? I only used up ½ of the monster in the casserole! I still have half of the zucchini in my fridge. 

I found another recipe that will hopefully use up the remainder.  I found a good lightened zucchini bread recipe that I also am including in today’s issue.  I made the zucchini bread last night and it came out fantastic!  Even though the majority of the flour used was whole wheat flour, it was surprisingly light.  It made two nice loaves.  I think you all will enjoy it.

ll I have to show for it is a .4 pound loss.  It’s too bad that this particular challenge isn’t taking inches lost into consideration because during the time period of the challenge, I lost 5 inches.  This time, chest, hips and waist were the big losers here. 

My coach has been doing some things to help shake things up a bit for me to help get the scale moving again.  I am also taking a closer look at my journaling to ensure accuracy there.  I walked both Saturday and Sunday last week in Flower Mound and put in over 6 miles this weekend.  My times over the weekend were pretty consistent with the times from the Jogging for Johnson race that we did on October 17^th. 

In other news, I have submitted my blog to both dentonrc.com and to the Dallas Examiner.  What a great way to get the word out. No news back yet, but that’s okay!  I’ll keep you guys informed.  I have had some really good feedback from my readers, and I’d LOVE to be able to reach more people. 

The meeting this week dealt with the second group Weight Watchers’ Good Health Guidelines.  This was the second a two-part meeting, so we handled the second half of them this week, more specifically the ones dealing with liquids, healthy oils, multivitamins, activity and sugar & alcohol.  The first attachment this week goes into this at length.  The basic guidelines are as follows:

• Liquids – shoot for at least 6-8oz glasses daily.  All liquids (except for alcohol!) count toward this number.
• Healthy oils – 2 teaspoons daily of either olive, canola, sunflower, safflower or flax oil.  Note that a fish oil supplement does NOT COUNT toward this.  Use in it’s liquid form. Add to salads, sauté in it, add to a smoothie if you have to.  It’s really not a lot and these oils have significant health benefits, including keeping your hair, nails & skin healthy!
• Multivitamins – take one. That’s the general guideline!
• Sugars & Alcohols – limit these.  Alcohol guidelines are 1 drink for females and 2 for males, if you do enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage.

The attachments this week are as follows:

1. Guidelines to Good Health deals with the meeting topic for this week and next week.  There are recipes in there as well!
2. Busting the top 4 cardio machine myths.  This one is worth a read

A closing quote--

“Take care of your body.

It’s the only place

you have to live.”

-Johh Rohn

RECIPES:

Zucchini Lasagna using the killer zucchini from my garden!!!

Yield: 8 servings at a POINTS® Value of 7 per serving

Ok....this recipe came about when faced with the prospect of just having to pull a ripe five pound zucchini out of the garden. I found a recipe online when searching for ideas on how to use this monster. I modified this recipe to make it more point friendly, and for lasagna, it is pretty respectable with regard to Points!  Below is an actual photo of the finished product.  It was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

3 pounds large zucchini, scrubbed and sliced into planks, about 1/8" thick.

1 jar Barilla Marinara sauce, or tomato sauce of your liking. I happen to think this is a superb product!

1 cup bread crumbs

1- 15 oz container of lowfat ricotta cheese (HEB or Kroger is great!)

4 eggs, lightly beaten (or equivalent in Egg Beaters)

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

8 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Slice zucchini into long thin slices, approx 1/8". Cook in boiling water just until limp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Combine ricotta, eggs, parsley, seasoning and half of the parmesan cheese and half of the bread crumbs in a bowl. Set aside.

In a 9x13 pan, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with a quarter of the bread crumbs. Arrange layer of zucchini over this. Spoon half of the reserved ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese. Arrange the rest of the zucchini over this, layer more tomato sauce and the rest of the bread crumbs and top with remaining ricotta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until top is brown.  Let stand 20 minutes before cutting.

Zucchini Bread

Desserts

Yield: 2 loaves @ 10 slices with a POINTS® Value of 3 per slice

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

 Butter-flavor cooking spray 

 2 cup(s) whole wheat flour 

 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour 

 1 tsp table salt 

 1 tsp baking soda 

 1/2 tsp baking powder 

 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 

  3 large egg white(s) 

  1 large egg(s) 

 1 cup(s) sugar 

 2 tsp vanilla extract 

 1/3 cup(s) canola oil 

  2/3 cup(s) unsweetened applesauce 

  2 cup(s) zucchini, peeled, grated, and drained* 

 1/2 cup(s) chopped walnuts 

 1/2 cup(s) raisins, finely chopped 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat two 8- X 4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add egg, sugar, vanilla extract, oil and applesauce, and beat until thoroughly combined; beat in zucchini.

Add sifted ingredients to egg mixture and mix well; fold in nuts and raisins. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Slice each bread into 10 pieces and serve warm or at room temperature. Yields 1 slice per serving.

Notes:

* You’ll need about 1 1/2 medium zucchinis (about 3/4 lb) to yield 2 cups shredded zucchini.

This zucchini bread is delicious as is or toasted and spread with reduced-fat cream cheese (could affect POINTS values). For a different twist, swap the raisins for dried cranberries and the walnuts for pecans.

This bread freezes well. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and then place in a sealable freezer bag.

Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of October 19th - Good Health Guidelines Part Une

Hey everyone!

Did you ever have a really harebrained idea, but you decide to go with it anyway? This is what happened to me last week. For some unknown reason, I actually entertained the idea of running. Not sure why, exactly (never enjoyed it much)…but something inside me said that I could do this if I set my mind to it. I went out to the web and downloaded the “From Couch-to-5K” training plan, because this one came highly recommended to me from several friends of mine. Google and you shall receive! (Amazing search engine, RIGHT???) I haven’t officially started their plan, but I did dig out my running shoes, just in case. Although I haven’t officially started the plan yet, I am reading through it. Next step is to get fitted for good shoes. Anyhoooo……

Jogging for Johnson was the latest 5K race that our group signed up for. The race was held on Saturday afternoon in Southlake at 4:30 pm which is a weird time, if you ask me! But the weather was nice, so it was all good. We started the race, and the course was uphill both ways. I swear! Okay…well not totally uphill, but it may as well have been. In any case, after surviving the first (and in my opinion, the worst) of the hills something strange happened. We turned down one of the side streets of the course, and on the way out, I started jogging—albeit slowly… A friend of mine said to pick a spot, like a mailbox or tree, and don’t stop jogging until you get to it. Well, I made it to the end of the street. I didn’t keel over and I kind of liked it. I walked a bit more, but on the return leg of the race (which had more downhill than uphill!), I ran for a little less than ½ mile. I ran from the corner of the street all the way back to the finish line, and ran across the finish line.

At the Heroes for Children race back in September, we came in at 54 minutes. This time? I took 4 minutes off my time and came in at 50:18. I was amazed. I was breathless, in tears, and felt amazingly accomplished at that point. I was nowhere close to winning, but in my mind, I felt like I just took the gold at the Olympic games (think: Michael Phelps!). What a rush that was! I think that Saturday, October 17th was a turning point. I think that I can do this. I am going to talk to my trainer this week and see what he thinks of the training plan, and see if there is anything I would need to tweak so that I don’t get injured.

I am going to give this a serious try. Wish me luck. I can’t believe that I am actually going to do this. If any of you know me, you KNOW that I swear that I will never run. I guess what they say is true. Never say never! More on this as the story develops

So…..this week at our meeting? That lovely .8 I lost last week? It found its way back this week. BUT….there is an upside to this. I had Steve take my measurements again last night. Since last month, I lost another inch off my hips and another off the chest. Just like I keep saying, PLEASE don’t let the scale dictate your successes!!!! Below is another round of before/after pictures. Once again, the one on the left is that fateful picture in San Antonio from June, 2008, and the much nicer one on the right was taken on October 11. Measurements matter people! Take pictures! Document that journey!!!!

The meeting this week dealt with Weight Watchers’ Good Health Guidelines. This is a two-part meeting, so we handled half of them this week, more specifically the ones dealing with dairy, whole grains, protein and fruits & veggies. The first attachment this week goes into this at length. The basic guidelines are as follows:

* Dairy – 2 servings and they should be low fat or fat free. You should have three servings if you are a nursing mom, over 50 or over 250 pounds.

* Whole Grains – Choose them when possible! Get these through whole grain rice, breads, pastas, cereal and grains.

* Fruits and Veggies – At least 5 servings per day, if over 350 lbs, eat 9. A servings consists of ½ cup off fruits and vegetables with the exception of green leafy vegetables. This serving size is 1 cup

* Protein – a serving consists of 3 ounces. Shoot for 1 –2 servings per day of lean protein, like lean meats, skinless poultry, fish, beans, soy products and lentils.


The attachments this week are as follows:


1. Guidelines to Good Health deals with the meeting topic for this week and next week. There are recipes in there as well! Link:
2. Decode your Cravings – What are you REALLY hungry for???
Link:
3. 10 Worst Restaurant Salads - This one is really eye opening people. Definitely give this a read, then think twice about what you are ordering!
Link:
A closing quote--

“Success is nothing more

than a few simple disciplines

practiced every day.”

-Johh Rohn

RECIPES:

Seven-Layer Southwestern Salad

This was one of the dishes served at a Pampered Chef party that I held at the end of September. I am providing the recipe as prepared, as it is a relatively healthy dish, coming in at 4 POINTS® for a nice serving of the salad. If you swap out fat free Greek yogurt 1 for 1 with the sour cream, you will decrease the POINTS® by 1 per serving, bringing it to 3. I also omitted the corn chips, which in my humble opinion weren’t needed!

Yield: 8 servings at a POINTS® Value of 4 per serving.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sour cream (see note above about swapping for fat-free Greek yogurt!)
¾ cup thick and chunky salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz chicken tenders

In a small bowl, combine sour cream (or yogurt) and salsa; mix well and set aside. In a nonstick sauté pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, sauté chicken tenders until juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Turn about halfway through cook time. Slice into bite size pieces and set aside.

Drain and rinse beans. Dice bell pepper and tomatoes; thinly slice green onions. Layer beans, bell pepper, lettuce, tomatoes green onions and chicken in a large bowl.

Sprinkle cheese over top. Serve with the dressing on the side.


Oh-My-Gosh Egg-White Omelet
Adapted from the “Eat Clean Diet Cookbook”

Egg whites provide a nearly perfect protein source. They take on the flavors of your favorite ingredients. Here’s a great way to get creative with your morning meal.

Yields 1 serving at 4 POINTS®

Ingredients:

4 -5 egg whites (or 1/3 to 1/2 cup of egg substitute)
1 egg yolk (can omit if using egg substitute)
2 Tbsp skim milk
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 small clove garlic, passed through a press
1 handful shredded spinach
1 Tbsp minced purple onion
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites with the yolk and skim milk.

2. Quick sauté the veggies, until just soft

3. Pour eggs into small frying pan coated with cooking spray. Cook till firm. Add veggies to one half of omelet, then fold other half over top. Let sit for 30 seconds or so, then serve

Tip:  Serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is a simple superb meal not to be missed! Make one in advance to pack in your cooler. Sandwich it in a pita wrap (or gluten free wrap of choice) and have it for lunch. Reach for this as a late supper idea as well!

Nutrition as prepared above: Calories: 203; Protein 20g; Carbohydrate: 18g; Fiber: 2g; Sugars 8g; Fat: 5g; Sodium: 272 mg. Note that the point count will decrease with the use of Egg Beaters rather than the shell-eggs. This meal will be 1 point in total if using ½ cup egg beaters!

Hello there peeps! Hope all of you had a great weekend.

Ok…SO…the 16th was completely booked for my spa day, and so was October 23rd. The next date available was October 30th, but (say it with me) MONTH END CLOSE madness begins at that point, so we have a firm scheduled appointment in November. Just need to schedule the day off at work. One more tick mark on my seemingly-never-ending-list of to-do’s!

We had an awesome but CHILLY walk this Saturday. I felt great when I got home. I had an epiphany this weekend. Walking is great, but I think I am ready for more. I went online and downloaded the ‘from couch to 5K’ training plan. I just Googled it and printed it off. Several friends of mine told me about this, and I think I am read for that next step. I am going to give running a try. The way I see it, I don’t have the extra 50 pounds in my way anymore. If I try it and don’t like it, I can always go back to walking, but I will never know unless I try. So, wish me luck, and no shin splits!!!!

This Sunday, we had an actual night out with grown ups! It was so much fun. Our temple had a dinner to celebrate our Rabbi’s 10 year anniversary with the congregation and we thought it would be a nice way to spend a Sunday evening. I had my daughter snap a photo of hubby and me. The handsome guy on the right is Steve. He has been following the plan along with me and lost about 45 – 50 pounds as well, even though he doesn’t attend meetings. I really watched my points at the cocktail hour and during dinner. Meal and appetizers came in at around 13 points, and I even showed a loss this week. Finally getting past the maintain streak!!!

Dwayne, my drill sergeant (or giver-of-the-beatings) took my workouts to the next level this morning and increased my curl bar deadlifts to 65 pounds. Owie….but it’s all good. We are upping the intensity to try and keep a nice calorie burn going. He always seems to have a plan. I don’t question, I just follow!!!

It’s incredible how many hats we actually wear during any one week. I am a mom, the treasurer of my temple Sisterhood, secretary of my daughter’s elementary school PTA, Stephen’s wife, friend and confidant to many, and oh yes…a financial analyst. I am SURE that there are many more titles that I left off. It can get overwhelming if you let it. It seems like you almost don’t have time for yourself sometimes. This week’s meeting topic was so timely. It dealt with making time for YOU. What a concept. I spoke about priorities in a prior issuance of the newsletter. We ALL have the same 24 hours in the day. It’s how we choose to prioritize that time that makes all the difference. We always seem to make time for what matters. People? Guess what? YOU matter. Make it a priority. Please?

The way I see it, we need to be role models for our children. What kind of example are we setting if we don’t make time to take care of the CAREGIVER? I used to feel guilty about wanting to do things for myself, but I had a paradigm shift and decided that it is perfectly okay. When I joined Weight Watchers last August, I decided there and then that I would be taking care of myself FIRST, and then taking care of the family. I wanted to work on losing weight and starting a regular exercise regimen. I work out 4 -5 times per week, am much more active than I used to be and we are eating in a healthful manner. My family has embraced the lifestyle change, and we are all healthier for it. What a wonderful example to set.

It was pretty timely that the topic of this week’s meeting was “Me First”. I already spoke about how I make time for me. Think about ways to take care of yourself this week. It’s okay, I promise. The picture below was taken the evening of the dinner at the temple. We clean up fairly well!

Two timely closing quotes--

“If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.”

-Ann Richards, former TX Governor

"The name of the game is taking care of yourself,because you ARE going to live long enough to wish you had!"

- Grace Mirabella, former editor-in-chief, Vogue magazine

RECIPES:

Pasta Puttanesca

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

This sauce is named for ladies of the night. They would place pots of it in their windows to tempt men into the bordellos. I like it because it's spicy, fast and easy (...no disrespect to the ladies.) I love this sauce because it comes together in the time it takes to get the pasta ready. It’s a wonderfully easy dish, and is packed with a flavor punch!

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves: 4 at a POINTS® Value of 9 per serving

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained

1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

20 kalamata olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons capers

1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

A few grinds black pepper

1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped

12 oz whole wheat spaghetti (or your choice of shape!), cooked to al dente (with a bite)

Crusty bread, for mopping (optional—will add POINTS® to dish…)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cook's Note: Get your olives from the bulk bins in the market, rather than buying a jar. The unit price is always much less per pound and you can get just what you need for each recipe.

Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of October 5th - Are you in a rut????

Happy Thursday all!

I decided to look into October 16th as my spa day. I am SO looking forward to this. My stressed out muscles and joints are literally screaming for me to make the darn appointment already. I actually took a few minutes out of my day to try and book. With any luck I will get a callback today!

I actually am sort of lacking in the “exciting things to share” category this week. How weird for me. I think the fact that I just survived quarter end close may have something to do with it, maybe???

I did do my normal Saturday walk with my Walk-It Challenge peeps, and I know that I finished in under 55 minutes this time around, but I forgot the dang pedometer, so I couldn’t even count the steps or savor the shorter walk time! The company was fabulous though. My workouts are getting more challenging, as my coach wants to keep my heart rate up with the hope that the calories will keep burning. I am hitting another one of my ‘maintain’ stretches with the weight, for a change! I am not in any way discouraged though. Last month was a light month in terms of pounds lost, but I did manage to lose another 5 inches. I have some muscle definition now. If the c-section flab on my tummy was gone, I’d have killer abs right now! It’s so funny. I can feel my hip bones for the first time in many many years!

My next 5K race is on October 17th and is being held in Southlake. It’s called Jogging for Johnson, and I am hoping to finish with an even better time than Heroes for Children.

This meeting’s topic deals with avoiding RUTs. Are you in a rut?

Repetitive?
Unexciting?
Tiresome?

If you are, just change things up a bit. Typically we either eat the same things or do the same workouts for comfort, or for familiarity. Think outside the box. We were all asked to bring in a favorite food find in an attempt to introduce other members to something else yummy to try that fits in with the plan! This week I discovered FiberOne Nonfat Yogurt. It’s zero POINTS® for a 4-oz cup. I bought the French Vanilla and it was delicious. Another good one that I found is Cabot’s 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar single serve slices. These are 1 POINT® for each ¾ oz piece. Since they are an actual cheese dairy, they have the benefit of actually KNOWING how to make cheese for one, and making that cheese taste good. These are both worth checking into. Flat-Out bread was also mentioned. This is one that I intend to check out soon, as well.

I do have a couple of delicious recipes that I am going to share with you this week. We have mini-chicken burgers, yummy sweet potato fries and a zesty puttanesca salad.

A closing quote--

“The great advantage of being in a rut is that when one is in a rut, one knows exactly where one is.”

-Arnold Bennett

If you are in a rut, change something! It’s okay!


RECIPES:
Baked Mini Chicken Burgers
Makes approximately 15 mini burgers and will serve 6 at a POINTS® Value of 1 per mini-burger

Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey) I actually ground my own using my Kitchenaid Food Grinder attachment. Made very quick work of this!
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (the juice from ½ lemon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground is best
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (any style)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the ground chicken, garlic, parsley, oregano, and lemon juice and bread crumbs. Season with the salt and pepper. Form the meat into 15 small patties.

Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or so, until just done through.

Nutrition information per patty: Calories: 164, Fat: 2g, Sat 1g, Mono 1g, Sodium: 92 mg, Potassium 73 mg, Carb 4g, Protein 7g; Vitamin A: 4%, Vitamin C: 5%, Calcium: 1%, Iron 3%

To freeze: Form the chicken mixture into patties but and place the patties on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to a large resealable bag and store for up to 3 months.

To reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave. Coat in the bread crumbs. Cook according to the recipe.

By Adapted from Aviva Goldfarb's The Six O'Clock Scramble, May 2006


Sweet Potato Fries



These sweet potato fries are a perfect complement to the chicken burgers. They are also really simple to do.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice 2 medium sweet potatoes, lengthwise, making thin strips (no need to peel them). In a medium bowl, toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp of chili powder OR cinnamon (optional). Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. For a crisper texture, broil for a few minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings at a POINTS® Value of 3 per serving.

Puttanesca Salad



I found this recipe when searching for a non-meat dish to bring to an event at my synagogue this week. I had initially wanted to prepare a penne puttanesca, but wasn’t sure I’d be home in time to heat the dish before the event. I ended up finding this wonderful substitute, and it got RAVE reviews. I loved this dish. For so few ingredients, you get a big bang for your buck, and at 91 calories for ¼ of this dish, it makes a wonderful low-cal side dish. I’d consider using this salad as a nice bruschetta topping. Food for thought!

Serves 4 at a POINTS® Value of 1 per serving.

Ingredients:

4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 anchovies (1 tin of flat filets), chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls, coarsely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
12 to 15 fresh basil leaves: pile leaves, roll into a log and shred or tear
Salt and black pepper

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, onions, capers, olives, anchovies, garlic and parsley in a medium bowl. Dress with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the salad, 1 to 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle in basil, salt and pepper, toss again and adjust seasonings, to your taste.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 91; Fat 4g; (Sat: 1g, Poly: 1g, Mono: 3g), Sodium: 574 mg; Carb: 11g; Fiber: 4g; Protein: 4g; Vitamin A: 46%, Vitamin C: 59%, Calcium: 7%, Iron: 11%

Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of September 28th - I am officially a blogger AND....I'm now online!!!

Hello Everyboddeeee!

Hope that you are having a great week so far. I am feeling really empowered this week. I finally figured out Blogger.com and managed to get my little newsletter published as a blog online! I am posting the same things there that I email you guys each week, and even found another site to host my attachments so that you can still pull down my little findings from week to week! The URL for the site is: http://elissasweightlossjourney.blogspot.com if you wanted to check it out, or if you wanted to pass the link on to a friend or family member that needs some encouragement! I am still going to continue on with the email version. I have no intention of stopping my emails though! It’s a good outlet for me, and I enjoy corresponding with my people!

As a follow up to last week, I did have a wonderful birthday. I came home all prepared to make the Creamy Fettuccine dish that I posted in last week’s issuance, but to my surprise, I came home to flowers, a beautiful cake, and some Thai food. The best birthdays are ones that don’t involve cooking your own birthday dinner!!! I got a spa package consisting of a facial, massage, manicure, pedicure and scalp treatment PLUS lunch at one of Denton’s local day spas (that I intend to take advantage of soon after month end close!). It was a good day. I’ll keep 42. Wasn’t as unlucky as I first thought it to be.

With Yom Kippur falling on a Monday this year, I was in temple for most of the day and haven’t made it to my meeting this week—YET. Like I said many times, I don’t miss a meeting. Ever. I am simply rearranging my schedule this week and am going to probably attend the Friday Noon meeting at my usual location. For me…my meetings are a priority. I know that sometimes we all say that we don’t have time for this or that…but in the end? We all have the same twenty four hours in the day. What makes the difference? How we choose to prioritize our time during the day. I have certain things that I do each day…not all each day…but I do have a routine. On a regular basis, I do the following:


-Work Out
-Attend my Weight Watchers meetings
-Get my job at work done (I promise…I do work!!! LOL…)
-Get my mommy work done at home, and keep the peace (as best as I can, knowing I have a 9 year old button-pusher and a 2 ½ year old that instigates conflict!)
-Try not to lose my mind.

If you all noticed, my priorities include making time for me. I say this from time to time, (but I assure you it’s okay) PUT YOURSELF ON THE LIST. If you don’t take care of yourself, you will not be around to take care of those you love. If you want to be a role model for your kids and family…and others… take care of yourself first. They will notice, and will probably appreciate it….even though they may not say it! LOL….If you take care of YOU, you will be more able to take care of those you love.

As for the meeting topic of the week….

Since it’s Wednesday and I won’t get to a meeting until Friday, all I can do is comment on the theme of the meeting (saw it on the Weight Watchers site). The theme is “To Eat or Not to Eat”. The topic du jour deals with eating when you may not be hungry. I attached the article for your reading pleasure. Basically the article wants to get you in tune with you body’s hunger signals and to really assess whether you are really hungry for food. Sometimes hunger can be confuse with thirst! I picked up this acronym from another member in my meeting:

HALT! Am I…Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired? If you are hungry, eat! If hunger is not the problem, then food isn’t the answer. Try it!


The attachments this week are:


1.) To Eat or Not to Eat – this is an article that deals with the meeting topic this week

2.) 24 Great Light-Cooking Tips is a primer on how to lighten up and get more flavor from your dishes

3.) Microwave Cooking provides some tips and tricks on using our favorite appliance!






A closing quote:

“We realize our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time;
it is basically a problem of priorities.
We confess, We have left undone those things that ought to have done;
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”

-Charles E. Hummel

RECIPES:

French Toast with Blueberry Sauce - Sometimes it’s perfectly okay to eat breakfast for dinner! We do that at least once a week in my house. The kids love it! Make some turkey bacon to go with it….yummy!

Breakfast





POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 7 min
Cooking Time: 13 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Use frozen blueberries for a convenient, year-round treat. Or switch to fresh berries or sliced peaches during the summertime.

Ingredients:


1 cup(s) unsweetened frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp preserves, blueberry variety
1/3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
1 large egg(s)
2 large egg white(s)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp table salt
1 spray(s) cooking spray
4 slice(s) reduced-calorie bread - I like either Oroweat Double Fiber bread or the Nature’s Own Double Fiber bread. Both taste great, and have very low POINTS® Values!

Instructions:

In a small pot, combine frozen blueberries and preserves. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until berries thaw and become warm, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

In a wide, shallow bowl, beat together milk, egg, egg whites, vanilla and salt.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Dip bread, one piece at a time, into egg mixture; turn to coat both sides. Cook bread in a single layer, flipping once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. This recipe yields 2 pieces French toast and about 1/2 cup sauce per serving.

Notes:

You can swap almond extract for the vanilla extract and sprinkle the finished dish with sliced almonds (could affect POINTS values).


© 2009 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2009 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.




Sweet Kugel

A kugel is another word for a casserole type dish. Noodle pudding is another name for this comfort food favorite!



Yield: 12 servings at a POINTS® Value of 5 per Serving

Ingredients:


1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
4 (8-ounce) cartons egg substitute
1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup raisins (not a big raisin fan, so I left them out completely and probably saved a few points!!!)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted (I used smart balance for this…and it tasted great)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (16-ounce) can unsweetened sliced peaches, drained and coarsely chopped
8 cups cooked egg noodles (about 12 ounces uncooked)
Vegetable cooking spray
1/3 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes – I had Puffins in the house, so I used those!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add noodles; toss gently to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cornflakes over noodle mixture; cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

CALORIES 270 (13% from fat); FAT 4g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 64mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.9g; SODIUM 312mg; PROTEIN 13.3g; FIBER 2.1g

Cooking Light, MAY 1996

Weight Watchers Newsletter - Week of September 21st - Goal Setting

Happy Hump-Day all (and Happy Birthday to me!!!

Just because I issue a weekly motivational newsletter, doesn’t mean that I sometimes don’t need a little bit of motivation and positive reinforcement myself! This weekend, I actually had a mini-meltdown, and a really good cry. It was a long time since I had one, and it was quite cathartic. I was going through some more clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn in quite awhile, and although many things fit me now, there are still things that don’t quite look right. I got a bit down, and started questioning everything that I had done over the past year. For a brief moment, I asked myself what right I had to publish this weekly newsletter and felt overwhelmed. I felt that I had so far to go to reach my final goal!

My husband gave me a big hug and told me to look at what I had done over the past year. He told me he was very proud of me, and that he thinks that the weekly publication is really helping out others going through the same issues as me. The best part, he said, was that I am telling everyone what pitfalls I encountered along my journey and how I overcame them. I felt better after that….and he took me out to dinner. More on that later on!

Usually on my birthday, I get a little depressed and sulk around. This year almost started out that way, based on last weekend’s meltdown. I began contemplating the number 42…and considered the fact that this number was sort of an unlucky one. Especially if your name happened to be Elvis Presley. He died at 42, and my initials before I got married were EP!!! Ok….a bit far fetched, but it sounded good at the time.

When I finally calmed down, I sat down and really gave some thought to what I had accomplished over the last year (remembering my conversation with Hubby….) and I smiled. I can now do things that I never used to be able to do. I never in a million years once thought I’d be heading toward a Lifetime goal with Weight Watchers. I never in a million years thought that I could do a real push up. I never in a million years though that I could do a 5K race! The list of accomplishments goes on. Each day I do something to push myself a bit more than the day before. The more I think about where I started my journey and where I’d like to end up, the more I think that I can do this. It’s okay to have a meltdown, I just learned that it’s also okay to move past it!!!!

As I said before, Steve took me out to dinner Saturday night. Our intention was to go to the Palm, but when I thought about my POINTS® budget for the weekend, I began reconsidering. This is a big behavior change for me, because I would normally never think twice about a great dinner at my favorite restaurant! In any case, we ended up at The Greenhouse in Denton, and it was absolutely fantastic. They prepared my meal the way I had specified, and I ended up having a very filling meal for less than 12 points. I had a 6 oz piece of seared Ahi Tuna with steamed veggies, a salad, and a baked potato. I realized that I was still satisfied and I was able to stay within my POINTS® range for the day! Plus, bonus? We had an awesome meal and found a new dining establishment to frequent!

The meeting this week dealt with goal setting and how that works for each of us. For me, setting an ultimate weight goal at the onset of my journey seemed a bit overwhelming to me. As I said in my essay that I submitted in June, I broke my goal down into baby steps. It went something like this:

1. Keep a food journal
2. Begin a regimen of strength training and cardio
3. Lose 5% of my starting weight
4. Get into pants that button and zip (and throw away the elastic waisted pants and capris!)
5. Lose 10% of my starting weight
6. Get below 200 pounds!

Breaking things down really helps to direct your focus and helps things not seem so insurmountable! So far, not only have I achieved these first 6 things I set out to do, but I have managed to develop some healthy habits that I can use for my lifetime! I have several other goals for myself and I am treating them in the same manner. I will probably sit down with my leader and set my final goal when I get out of the 190 range! I think that’s doable!

There is a great attachment this week on ways to measure your success. If one of your goals is to start getting active by running, there is another attachment on ways to add variety to your runs!

A closing quote:

“If you don’t know

where you are going,

you will probably

end up somewhere else!”

-Lawrence J. Peter

RECIPES:

Strawberry Banana Dessert

From Taste of Home

This dessert reminds me of the old ‘poke cakes’ that used to be popular back in the 1980’s! I loved the way the Jell-O set up and really brought the dish together. You can really customize this dish by varying your fruit and gelatin flavors. I actually used a Kroger angel food cake and it came in at 10 ounces, so the POINT® count was slightly lower. This dessert would be great for pot-lucks, or just for a simple weeknight treat!

Servings: 16

Prep time: 15 min.

Total time: 15 min.

Ingredients:

3 medium firm bananas, sliced

1 prepared angel food cake (16 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pint fresh strawberries, halved

1 package (.6 ounce) sugar-free strawberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1-1/2 cups cold water

1 carton (8 ounces) reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed (it’s even great plain!)

Instructions:

Layer banana slices and cake cubes in a 13-in. x 9-in. dish coated with cooking spray. Place strawberries over cake and press down gently.

In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in cold water. Pour over strawberries. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Frost with whipped topping. Yield: 16 servings.

Nutrition Facts

One serving: Calories: 138 Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 168 mg Carbohydrate: 27 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 3 g Diabetic Exch: 1 starch, 1 fruit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkey Fettuccine Skillet

From Taste of Home’s Comfort Food Diet Cookbook

I am actually making this dish tonight, for a ‘something special’ birthday dinner. I am going to lighten this up a bit more by substituting whole wheat fettuccine for the pasta, fat free evaporated milk for the half and half and I am using a rotisserie chicken in place of the turkey. Again…make this yours! Use what you have! Behold the power of the pantry (and the refrigerator!!!)

SERVINGS 6 at one cup each

POINTS® Value per Serving: 7, if prepared as below.

METHOD Broiled

PREP 15 min.

COOK 30 min.

TOTAL 45 min.

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cups fat-free milk

1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning blend

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half (I used fat free evaporated milk as a substitution here)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast (I used a rotisserie chicken because I had it on hand!)

3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, celery and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in the milk, seasoning blend and salt. Bring to a boil.

Combine cornstarch and half-and-half until smooth; stir into skillet. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese just until melted. Stir in turkey. Drain fettuccine; add to turkey mixture. Heat through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts

One serving: 1 cup Calories: 361 Fat: 7 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 76 mg Sodium: 343 mg Carbohydrate: 38 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 34 g Diabetic Exch: 4 very lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Attachments:

http://www.4shared.com/file/135670059/7ffbeffb/10_Ways_to_Add_Variety_to_Your_Runs.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/135670058/8fcdf6d/Barley_and_Roasted_Vegetable_Pilaf.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/135670057/9843c2fc/Measure_Your_Success.html