Weight Watchers Saturday

So, I started out this week with great intentions.  Little did I know that the recipes that I posted Last Week would turn out to be . . .AWFUL!  Seriously.  I was kinda excited to put together the salad with butternut squash in it.  I roasted the squash and taste tested it - it was yummy!  We all sat down at lunch and I started eating the salad . . .the combination of everything or maybe it was just the dressing . . .just tasted terrible.  The rest of the week I either ate what the kids ate or ate left overs.  I also made the pumpkin "muffins" but as I was making them I realized they were really little cheesecakes, which was fine, until I tasted one.  Icky.  I did not like the taste at all - it probably didn't help that I used plain yogurt instead of vanilla and plain pumpkin instead of pumpkin butter of pie filling so it was tangy and not sweet!  I resorted to Chocolate Milk and/or cereal all week.  Oh well!  I never did make my spinach dip - which I actually really like, but it just didn't happen this week.

So, lets try this again. I plan on making  Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins to have for breakfast.  I'm hoping for much more success with these little sweeties!  They are 5 points each and I'm planning to make them up on Sunday evening so they are ready to go on Monday morning.

For lunch, I'm going to make up a batch of Baked Potato Soup on Monday and have it for lunch Monday-Thursday.  It is 5 points for 1 cups and makes 5 servings - but I think I'll probably have  1 1/4 cups for lunch.  On Friday, we are having Grilled Cheese and Soup - and that sounds really good!  Along with the soup, I plan on making up some Bruscheeta-with-tomato-and-basil to have on some bread rounds with the soup.  They are 1 point each so I'll plan on having 4-5 with my soup which will give me about 10 or 11 points for lunch. 

I'm hoping for much more success this week than I had last week!

Weight Watchers Saturday

I'll be honest and say I did not have a great week!  We had lots of leftovers this week from various things so instead of making my planned lunches/breakfast, I chose to eat leftovers instead of throwing out so much food.  The good news is that I have the grocery items that will all carry over to next week!

For lunch next week, I will be having: Baby Spinach Salad with Honey Roasted Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Dried Cherries and Hot Spinach Dip with dippers.  I'm not sure what I'm going to dip yet.  The two items listed are 7 and 3 points a serving respectively so I don't want to add many points.  I am leaving the pumpkin seeds out of the salad though so I probably have a point or two to play with but I'm not changing the point value.  I have heard that jicama is good for dipping so I may try that for something different. 


For breakfast, I will be making: Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Muffins.  The recipe actually calls them cupcakes but, they look a lot like muffins!  They are 3 points each so I can have 2 plus 1 cup of skim milk for 8 points. 

I would like to share a recipe from a few weeks ago that I tried that we loved.  I say "we" because my husband ate it when came home from work and loved it!

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stirfry
adapted from: Ginny's Skinny Recipes

This was a fantastic recipe.  I chose to leave the fish sauce out because it was too expensive to purchase and then not end up using.  Also, I could not find the Thai Kitchen Pineapple and Chili Dipping Sauce so I used a Thai Noodle Sauce instead.  Also, I only had 1 piece of chicken; next time I'll make sure there is the right amount of chicken too!

Servings: 4 • Size: 1.25 cups • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 186.6 • Fat: 4.6 g • Carbs: 15.5 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 20.8 g • Sugar: 8.3
Sodium: 557.2

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp oil, divided
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 cups cubed assorted colors bell peppers (1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped (optional or to taste)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Pineapple & Chili dipping sauce
• cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

Mix chicken and fish sauce in medium bowl. Add cornstarch; toss to evenly coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic and
ginger; stir fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, chili pepper if using and pineapple; stir fry 3 to 5 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp. Add sauce; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from skillet.

Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add chicken; stir fry 5 minutes or until cooked through. Return bell pepper mixture to skillet; stir fry until well blended. Garnish with cilantro

Weight Watchers Saturday

I would like to say that I had huge success this past week but, well, I had kinda success :-)  I did not follow my lunch plan on Monday or Tuesday - on Monday, I ate a big breakfast and then did not eat lunch because I was full.  Tuesday, my kids came home so I just threw a couple of pizzas in the oven and we ate those instead.  BUT, I did actually make recipes I had planned.

On Wednesday, I made the BLT Lettuce Cups and Fruit Salad and posted the recipes HERE.  They were both fantastic and I'm finding that I'm craving that fruit salad/drink.  We ended up using the rest of the bacon for dinner on Wednesday with pancakes.

So, on Thursday I made the Thai Chicken with Pineapple and it was fantastic!  I will be posting that recipe soon - probably next Friday so be watching for that one!  My husband ended up eating the rest of that on Thursday afternoon so . . I settled for left overs on Friday :-)

This next week, I said I was going to focus on breakfast.  I didn't end up making the Pumpkin Muffins this past week so I am going to make those this weekend and use them for breakfast. 

My lunch plan this week is:
M, W, Th- Salad with spinach dip and crackers
Tuesday:  I'm going scrapbooking all day - diet is forgotten. HA
F - I usually make the kids pizza so I'm going to try a recipe for a Wabash Pizza and see if I like it.  I figure I can freeze the extra breads and it will carry me through for weeks. 

Neither of these recipes were on my original list but are recent posts on Gina's Skinny Recipes and they looked so good so I figured I would try them this coming week.

Sorry for this kinda chaotic post - running out of time today to get it posted :-)

Weight Watchers Saturday

Before I begin, I received a great comment this week on a post I did on Weight Watchers.  It was such an encouragement.  I always appreciate comments - they make blogging fun!

For now, I am not going to Weight Watchers meetings.  In looking at some financial things, I decided that spending that money each week, month, and so on, wasn't where I needed to be spending money.  I'd rather reserve that little bit to be able to have a dinner with my husband or even be able to pick up something special for the family on a given week.  Now, just because I'm not attending meetings right now doesn't mean I'm giving up nor does it mean I won't ever go back.  Quite the opposite, I know the in's and out's of the program so I can do what I need to do and I want to go back to the meetings eventually.  I enjoy the accountability, the mini-lessons, and meeting other people. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . it was a lot easier to be on Weight Watchers before kids (who am I kidding, before a husband!) than it is with both of those to also feed!  The kids have really added a new dimension that I've had a hard time working around.  Trying to find time to cook what I need to eat has not been easy.  The one week I did fantastically on WW was the week that I specifically planned my lunches.  With that in mind, my first goal for this leg of my journey is to plan lunches.  I went through a few sites and have pulled out 14 lunch recipes.  I know that of those, I will probably widdle it down to 10 that I really love.  From those I plan on creating 5 weeks worth of meals that equal 7-10 points.  In case you are wondering about my math - most recipes make 2-3 servings so I can use 2 recipes a week.  I promise to share both the recipes and the meals themselves.  Maybe it will help you plan better too! 

What comes next?  Planning Breakfast and planning the infamous exercise ideas.  But those are something to talk about later!

The first menu plan is shown below:

Lunch 1
Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stirfry (1.25 cups) 5 points with Salpicone (1 cup) 2 points, Crystal Light - O points = 7 points Total

Lunch 2
Lettuce BLT's (2 wraps) 4 points with Salpicone (1 cup) 2 points, 1 Diet Soda Cupcake w/fat free cool whip 2 points, Crystal Light = 8 points.


I had some very specific guidelines when I looked at recipes.  1) It had to be something that I could prepare/pre-cook on Sunday.  2) It had to be very simple to reheat/put together during the week.  In fixing three plates for the little boys, I don't have the time to prepare a meal for myself too. 

Next week:  Tackling Breakfast!

Weight Watchers Saturday

This post will be short and sweet :-)  My husband worked today so . . I didn't go to Weight Watchers again.  So, that's two weeks in a row that I haven't gone and I haven't been very good either.  Hoping to get back on the wagon after Kickoff Sunday tomorrow. 

That's all :-)

Weight Watchers Saturday

I really don't have an update this week :-)  I am missing the weekly meeting due to the Holiday weekend and lots of family plans

Just a few things though - I've learned something this time around.  If I don't plan my breakfast and lunch meals for the entire week, I struggle with my eating.  By plan, I mean plan completely, right down to the points when I pick out the recipes/ideas.  Even snacks I want during the day and in the evening.  Dinner isn't as hard especially when I keep it simple and don't make big pasta or casserole dishes.  For example, last week, I REALLY enjoyed eating Fruit Loops for breakfast (yep, nice healthy Fruit Loops BUT they have more Fiber in them now :-) ).  Than, about mid-morning, I had a tassimo coffee which held me over until lunch.  This week I grabbed a box of cheap frozen waffles - they were really high in points.  I didn't even plan my lunches so I did not eat well at all.  I'm going to work on being more specific with our menu.  I like to give the kids fruit every day with lunch (because they eat it and love it) so instead of justwriting down "fruit" on the grocery list I'm going to be very specific such as 3 cans of peaches (a favorite!), 6 bananas, 3 apples, etc.  I also want to have my own fruit so I'm going to list my own numbers.  I'd like to have 1 piece of different fruit each day. 

Also, remember my challenge last week to drink more water/crystal light.  After tracking it for 3 days, I discovered I drink more than the required amount every day so I'm doing better than I thought :-)

I don't have a recipe to share this week because . .. I didn't plan anything! 

Hopefully next week shows good results - we'll see!

Weight Watchers Saturday

Well, Hello there :-)  I didn't post last week because I didn't have time and I'm almost out of time today too :-)  I really worked this past week at Tracking.  Everything.  And I mean every single bite.  I did it 100% until Wednesday.  Wednesdays are really long days here - my husband has to go to Chicago every Wednesday so he leaves home at 2:00 AM and gets home around 6:00 PM.  There is always a chance he won't make it home and will have to stay the night so we are kinda always unsure of the day so that it sets it off kilter.  It is amazing how much that little schedule possibility messes with my day and impacts what I do.  I worked to track on Thursday and Friday but didn't get into it 100%.  I'm still struggling to get exercise in daily but at this point, I decided to focus on one main thing and that is tracking. 

So this weeks stats are: (Drum roll please . .. )
I lost . . .5.4 pounds last week :-)  Yep.  That is not a typo.  I know I should just take it and run but there is a disclaimer.  I gained a few pounds when I weighed in last week but considering the fact that the night before I had gone scrapbooking . .. and ate tons of wonderful tasting food (like fried Cauliflower, Frozen Cokes and Peanut M and M's) I wasn't surprised.  So in reality, I was just catching up from last week LOL  It does motivate me, though, to keep tracking!

I'm adding one goal this week - to drink all of the required "water" each day.  As you know if you have read my past posts, I'm not a huge fan of just plain water but I love Crystal Light.  I'd like to drink 16 ounces (that is 2 cups) of water and have the rest be Crystal light.  I feel like if I do that, it will help with some of my little bite snacking during the day.  I even have something to work for . .. my husband misplaced my Flylady Water Bottle several months ago (in his work truck which is now traded in for something new so the bottle is gone . .) so if I can drink the required liqued amount for the next two weeks, every day, I will order a new water bottle.  The water bottles are fabulous because they not only keep your drink ice cold for hours even without ice, they do not sweat.  Not one little bit.  I found I drank a lot more water when I could drink it out of there and it was always cold. 

I will continue to work on Tracking Sun-Fri.  I keep Saturday as my no tracking/free day in order to have a break.  Eventually, when I reach a plateau, I know I'll have to change that but, for now, I'm going to enjoy that freedom!

I found this new snack idea that I tried last week and I loved it - Check This Out:

Find the Jiffy Popcorn at your store that shows the WW points.  I will say that the one I have says 3 points per serving (a serving is 5 cups - at least on the box I have).  Pop your popcorn like normal.  I than emptied out about half of the bag because I was the only one eating it and pour in one package of the SnackWells Chocolate Drizzled Caramel Popcorn. Hold the bag closed and shake.  Alot.  The heat from the popcorn will melt a lot of the chocolate off of the Caramel Popcorn and add more flavor to the other popcorn so you get that sweet/salty combo.  You get just over 5 cups of popcorn (in this case) for 4 points.  Not bad at all!  If you could find the individual serving size popcorn, than you wouldn't have to throw any away :-)

Enjoy!

Weight Watchers Saturday

I had really high aspirations as this week started and somewhere, those disappeared about Wednesday.

I think I only tracked one day - I kept saying I needed to write things down, than the day would be done and I hadn't.  Amazingly, I did get some exercise in - I mowed the entire lawn (we have just a regular mower - not self propelled so it is a lot of work!), we took the kids for a walk, and I pulled them around and around the yard in the wagon.  I completely forgot about reading Reshaping it All!!

This Weeks Goal:

Tracking: Once again, I want to track Sunday-Friday.  My goal is to stay within my points for each day.  We were also challenged in meeting today to try and eat the "healthy plate" guidelines for all three meals one day.  I'm not sure what day I'll try that - maybe Monday while the fridge is still full!

Exercise: This week I'm going to look for ways to move - Wagon rides, taking things up and down the stairs (we are in the middle of cleaning out the basement so there are TONS of trips up the stairs), Vacuuming every single day for 15 minutes - my floors will be CLEAN.  I guess I'm trying to be creative with exercise so I actually get something in right now.

Mental: Read one chapter in Reshaping it All

Weekly Weigh-In

Weekly Weight Loss: +.8  I'm actually ok with that because we ate out ALOT last weekend.  I am hoping to see numbers go the other direction soon.  One thing I've learned is that it is a whole lot harder to stick to this when I have three kids to take care of all day than it was when it was just me I had to worry about! 

I mentioned earlier that we talked about eating the "Healthy Plate" guidelines put forth recently by the government - this concept replaced the Food Pyramid.  As my leader was talking about it, I started thinking - for my basic family of 4, to do one serving of fruit and one servicing of veggies at every meal, I would  have to buy enough fruits and veggies for 24 servings a day.  I don't think I can afford that!  Even buying frozen/canned to use along side fresh stuff - my budget isn't that big; that is just crazy!  So, I'm working on trying to get more creative with these things and put in as much as possible.  The protein and grains seem to be a little easier to get in :-)

Finally, I tried another great recipe form Gina's Skinny Recipes for Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Gina's Weight Watcher RecipesServings: 26 • Size: 1 slice bread with tomatoes • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 1 pt
Calories: 49.6 • Fat: 0.6 g • Carb: 9.1 g • Fiber: 0.5 g • Protein: 1.1 g • Sugar: 0.2
Sodium: 2 mg (without salt)


Ingredients:

• 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 small red onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• olive oil spray
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 16 oz baguette or French bread
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:


Combine tomatoes, chopped garlic, red onion, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Set aside.

Slice bread into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on a tray and spray lightly with olive oil. Toast bread under broiler, until golden, watching closely not to let it burn. When bread is toasted, rub each piece with whole garlic clove.

Place bread on a platter and top with tomato mixture. Serve immediately or the bread will become soggy. Makes approximately 26 small slices

Notes:  As you can see from the photo, I also added some fresh sliced mozzarella - just adjust the points accordingly.  I ate this for lunch several days, just toasting up some sliced french bread each morning just before lunch.  This is so fresh and yummy!!! 

"Remember, no matter how slow you go, you are still moving faster than the person sitting on the couch" 

Weight Watchers Saturday

Welcome back to Weight Watchers Saturday :-) (Ok, so I wrote this Friday night thinking I could just throw in my loss/gain and publish but I didn't have time before my husband and I took off for the day oops!)   This is where the rubber meets the road - I share with you my success and failure on this lovely game of weight loss and getting healthy. 

You might wonder (or maybe not) why I chose Weight Watchers as my weight loss tool.  Very simply, I think it works.  So many other diet programs limit what you can eat or provide pre-packaged foods.  Weight Watchers teaches that you really can eat anything as long as you plan for it but, you also need to eat those good foods - fruits, veggies, drink water, etc - in order to be full and not eat all day long.  It really is a lifestyle change - which is always a good thing!  I love food.  Good Food.  So learning how to be able to enjoy that food is a must for me!

Looking back at last weeks goals - I did ok on tracking.  I tracked everything on Sun, Mon and Tues but kinda fell apart on Wed, Thurs and Fri.  I planned my lunches for next week based on some Weight Watchers recipes from a blog I follow.  Sadly, I did not walk on the treadmill - but I did mow the lawn and I sweated alot from the heat, does that count? LOL

Weekly Goals:
Tracking: My goal this week is to track Sun-Friday (I leave Saturday as my free day)  I want to stay within my points for each day. 

Excercise: I'm going to downgrade my expectations this week ;-)  My goal is to walk on the tread mill one day and to do a DVD that I have one day a week.  I have had the video for several years so I guess it is time to see if I like it :-)

Mental: Read one chapter in Reshaping it All

Weekly Weigh-In
Weekly weight loss: +1.2 - seriously  I was a little discouraged because I felt that I did better than that but thinking back through the week, the heat really did me in a few days and, on those days I didn't track, I probably went over points.  I've also learned that trying to track how many points a taco is, is really hard LOL
Total weight loss:  about a pound right now.  Looking for a better movement in this number next week.


Finally, I wanted to share a recipe!  If you love spinach dip, this recipe is for you!  It comes from Gina's Skinny Recipes. Here is one little thing about this recipe - I highly suggest that you measure out the serving and NOT eat it out of the dish . . .just saying :-)  Also, find chips or crackers that you love and have the point value you need or have the dip as a snack with veggies! 

Hot Spinach DipGina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 10 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 92.2 • Fat: 6.8 g • Carb: 3.0 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Protein: 5.3 g

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 cup scallion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Weight Watchers Saturday

So, yes, I've been debating on posting about this for a few weeks.  I had two opposing thoughts,you see, one tells me not to say anything because than you get the "police" who question everything you do/eat and the other one tells me that this is one of my 40x40 goals so I might as well share.  I've seen a lot of blogs lately where people are sharing their success and failure as they do Weight Watchers, workout, and change their lifestyle so . . .. I guess I'm jumping on board.  For all of my perfectly in shape followers, just cheer us on - for all of my followers who struggle with even one area of your appearance, maybe I can encourage you slightly (or make you laugh by my escapades!)

I am not going to post my weight - sorry, no going there!  (Who asks a girl her weight anyway?)  I find it is to easy to look at a number and judge - either way.  Some of the blogs I've seen I've even said to myself - "Seriously, they need to lose weight?".  It is kinda discouraging to see someone who is all over losing the 5 pounds they need to lose HA!  I will tell you each week my losses or gains as well as how I did tracking my points (i.e. points plus as it is called now), and how I did with exercise . . .which I hate!  I'm choosing to do this post on Saturdays because I weigh in on Saturday Mornings AND not many people read blogs on Saturday :-) hehehehe

First up with be my weekly goals that I want to work on the following week.  I'll also share my results from the week before. 

Tracking:  A huge part of being successful in Weight Watchers is tracking what you eat - both the item and the Points Plus value.  It really makes you realize what you are eating in a day.  My goal this week is to track everything.  No excuses. 

Exercise: I really, truly hate exercise - I hate sweating, breathing hard, and being tired . . . all things, that ironically, I am anyway because I'm out of shape.  I have several ideas and/or books I want to look into but for this week, my first goal is to just walk on the treadmill 4 days this week.  I have a friend that is helping me with my "program" so I am doing 30 minutes - starting at 2.5 going up towards 3.5 and back down, all in 5 minute sections. 

Mental: Isn't part of losing weight, mental?  My goal this week is to get a book on Strength training that another blog I read recommended.  From everything I've read, I have to add strength training at some point in order to actually tone. 

Food: If I don't plan, I don't eat well.  My goal this week is to plan my/our meals to be healthy, full of fruit and veggies, and to limit my snacking.  I will say that eating very healthy is expensive so I have to be creative with the fruit and veggie concept in order to be able to stay inside our grocery budget.

I will be honest, my goal topics and goals may change on different weeks - because each week I may have a different goal I want to achieve. 

The second thing I'll share - more because I have enjoyed it on another blog I read - is what I eat.  Now, I already post our dinner menu each week on Mondays (or at least I've just started this last week is a more accurate statement) so I will probably just share breakfast and lunch.  Sometimes even just a new recipe or idea I tried for one of those meals that helped me stay on track. 

No time like the present to begin, right???

Weekly Weigh In:  -1
Total Lost: 2 pounds
Total To Lose: 6 trillion :-) hehehehe Just trying to lighten the mood! 

I just have one quick recipe idea to share and the points value totally depends on how you make it!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
(doesn't that just sound like it would ruin your diet - it won't!)

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Bacon
Oil (Opt)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Very simply, break the hard ends off of the Asparagus (right where they SNAP). If desired, drizzle a teeny tiny amount of olive oil on the asparagus and toss to coat.  Then, take one slice of bacon and cut into 4 even pieces by cutting it once in half long ways (giving you two long skinny pieces) and next cut each of those pieces in half right in the middle, (cutting across the short middle) which gives you 4 pieces about 1/2 inch wide and maybe 3-4 inches long.  Wrap one small piece around each asparagus.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425 for about 15 minutes than, turn on the broiler and let them sit under the broiler for 3-5 minutes (this helped crisp the bacon up).  If you are worried about the time - just read the back of your bacon package and see what it recommends for baking time.

As you can see - if you leave the olive oil off, you will use less points.  The way I make it - 4 pieces of asparagus takes 1 piece of bacon and most bacon is 1 point a slice.  Not too shabby!  You could even stretch it further and cut your bacon into 6 slices especially when the veggie is really skinny. 

I had this for lunch twice this week but it would also make a quick and easy snack! 

"To See a Change; Make a Change"