Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 8

How do you fit a "normal" life into your life when you are really watching calories and trying to lose weight? 


It never fails, as soon as I start trying to lose weight, "events" come up that involve food. And quite frankly, I'm no good at "just saying no" or at eating salads every time I go out to a restaurant. And if you've noticed, I'm not breaking any records losing the pounds. So, for what it's worth, here are my ideas and how I'm dealing with it:


I eat out every Sunday after church. My husband especially enjoys it and we go out with friends. So I'm not going to go home and eat there just for this time while I'm losing weight. Here are some things I do: 
~My husband is so sweet and splits the meal with me.
~If he's not along, I split it before I eat it and put it in a to-go box.
~I choose a grilled entree.
~I choose mixed veggies over anything fried, with a sauce, or with butter.
~I choose an interesting salad but ask them to omit things like croutons and cheese. I ask for a lighter dressing or vinaigrette and try to use very little.
~I choose a smaller portion appetizer. (Or a smaller portion dessert like the kiddie size frosty at Wendy's)
~I choose something that isn't that great calorie-wise (like the spinach and feta quiche on a recent girls outing) and compensate at breakfast and dinner.
~I avoid the bread...(Such a hard thing for me to do)...or have just one piece.
~I exercise a little more (not so easy with my boot on, but when this boot comes off...)
~I realize that this is a lifestyle and every day is not an occasion to eat. In fact, most days aren't. So I really try to watch portion size, which has been my biggest downfall in the past. Well, that and sweets. 


Speaking of sweets. You have probably noticed that I don't usually show you on the blog any desserts I've tried. That's because I'm doing my best to avoid them. Sweets are my addiction. Not drugs or alcohol. Sweets! I can handle things that are sweet like my morning coffee with Splenda or a smoothie with fruit or Splenda in it, or a Fiber One Bar. I just can't have a whole cake or pie or cookies in my house. I have no willpower and will just keep on eating. I've also noticed that when I pig out on sweets, my joints hurt and I feel terrible. I also will wake up with a headache. I have felt so much better in the last 8 weeks! And I have to remember it's partly due to the fact that I have cut sweets out of my diet.


When the grands come over, they expect some kind of "treat" after dinner at Granna's house. So far, I have gotten by with frozen yogurt popsicles (see last week's blog), regular popsicles (1 PP), and marshmallows. Yes, these kids love marshmallows, and I can definitely say no to marshmallows!


Now, what do I do when I go to a birthday party with cake and ice cream or a church event with food and desserts galore? I eat. I just try to choose wisely and watch portion control. I admit, these times are the hardest for me. But I have to remember, I have 49 extra points a week on Weight Watchers, so I can use them for my special occasions.


Wouldn't life be boring if all I got to eat was celery and broccoli? One of the reasons I love Allrecipes is because of the variety I can get here! This watching my weight is going to be for a lifetime...a long one, I hope, with good health (something I think about more and more the older I get). So I may as well enjoy the journey. And if I lose slowly, so be it. These last two weeks have been extremely hard due to extra occasions that involved food. It seems this week I was gone from home and ate out quite a bit. I know I haven't lost any weight and just hate to pay out the money for someone to tell me that, so I didn't go for my weigh-in today. 


On a brighter note, I got my boot off!!!!!! The doctor told me to start back walking 1/2 mile a day for a week and then to increase by 1/2 mile each week. Not to rush it. I am so glad to be able to start back walking now and can't wait to get back to my 4-mile routine! Maybe the weight will come off more easily now.


Be sure to let me know in the comments section how you deal with special occasions.


Since I've already written a lot, I'll just post the pictures of what I tried this week. You can read my reviews to see what I thought of them. 

Cool Summer Cucumber and Tomato Toss  7 PP for entire recipe

Frosted Grapes (The Grands call them Glitter Grapes) - 0 PP

Spinach Ziti (5 PP)

Bisquick Blueberry Muffins (4 PP)

Groovy Green Smoothie (2 PP for entire recipe)

Healthier Golden Pork Chops (5 PP)




So...how do you deal with special occasions or constant busyness and being unable to cook right?

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 7

The first new thing I fixed this week was Callie's Mock Frozen Yogurt. What a great treat! I could have eaten it straight from the blender but chose instead to put it in popsicle molds to share with my granddaughter who was coming over to spend the night. She loved it, and I felt really good about giving her a healthy treat. Blueberries and strawberries are 0 points, so only my yogurt counted. 2 PP for the entire thing, and it made 8 popsicles.

One of my favorite recipes is Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style. Whole chickens were on sale recently, and I bought 4 of them just so I could make this recipe! I use almost all the seasoning on one chicken. It is fabulous! When I have the time to bake it (or don't forget about it), I bake it according to the recipe. But if I've let the time slip away from me, I use the baking instructions for Spicy Rapid Roast Chicken. It only takes an hour to roast and is delicious!

A great side with roasted chicken is Corn on the Cob (Easy Cleaning and Shucking). I've made corn like this for years. Love it, and it's so easy. I can really taste the difference if corn is boiled in water. This just tastes so fresh and crisp...not cooked to death. I spread a little Brummel and Brown on it and a little salt and eat it up!

I told you last week that I love salads in the summertime. So this week I tried Pea Salad. I used 2% cheddar cheese and Hellman's light mayo. When I began adding the dressing mixture, I ended up using only half of it. That made it 4 PP per serving. I liked it for something different but will decrease the mustard a little bit next time.

A new beverage recipe I fixed was Iced Mocha Fusion Shake. I was starving one night right before supper and was going to do serious damage if I didn't get something immediately...something that wasn't fruit or broccoli! So I made this using Maxwell House International Cafe Cafe Vienna. I figured it to be about 5 PP. 

Another new recipe I made this week was Healthier Chicken Enchiladas I.  It calls for lighter ingredients and lots of veggies as well as some black beans. I took the lazy way out and layered it casserole style instead of rolling my tortillas. Very tasty! It was a whopping 10 points but worth every one!

I'm not weighing in today. I've got two grandboys, 3 and 7, coming to spend the night. The 3-year-old has already told me he wants to have a tea party at Granna's. A boy after my own heart! 


While I may not know exactly how much I lost this week, I am encouraged that I am losing. Yesterday, I wore a size smaller pair of slacks that I absolutely could not zip up 7 weeks ago! How can just 5 pounds make that much difference? Evidently, doing my pilates at home and going to the gym twice a week to exercise and lift weights are taking off inches! 


Please feel free to leave healthy recipes you have found. There are certain people I look for on the photo pages and in the reviews who quite often have healthy recipes: Lela, Baker Bee, kellieann, and lutzflcat - just to name a few. If you leave me some here, I'll know to look for you too :) 

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 6

(I am journaling my weight loss efforts in hopes that you and I both might benefit - me from being accountable and you from recipes and tips I write about. I am using the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and usually calculate points using the nutrition guide underneath the recipe. I invite anyone who wants to eat healthier to come along on this journey using whatever plan you prefer.)


My week at the beach was a blast! My favorite thing? Sitting on the balcony in the morning drinking my coffee and marveling at the work of the Creator! I don't think I could ever get tired of watching the ocean in the early morning.

I went out to eat only once a day for the lunch meal, and I split the meal with my friend. That's probably where the restraint ended. I will admit, I did not always choose dry grilled fish.  I did get a favorite seafood bisque at a certain restaurant and a grouper covered with the white sauce with shrimp and crab in it at another. But once I got home, I got right back on track (after that Mexican meal my friends insisted on), counting points and making healthy choices. I only lost .4 of a pound this week, but I'm ok with that because I enjoyed myself at the beach, I didn't feel deprived, and the scale is going in the right direction.


A new recipe I tried this week really surprised me. It's Sweet Cottage Cheese and Bananas. I highly recommend this for those of you who don't really care for cottage cheese. The honey does something delightful to it and makes it really good. I used Kraft's Simply Fat Free Cottage Cheese (2 PP), only 1 1/2 tsp. of honey (1 PP), and the banana (0 PP) for  a delicious 3 point breakfast.  

Lela, I finally found some Orange Cream yogurt to make your Orange Creme Pie Smoothie the way you intended. I really like it. I hope you have submitted it to AR. It's definitely going to be a smoothie I fix over and over.


I love it when I fix an entire dinner that is really good. I fixed Thirty Minute Baked Tuna Burgers (4 PP), Healthier Old Fashioned Potato Salad (4 PP), and cantaloupe (0 PP). I made Randy's Easy Remoulade Sauce for my husband, but I found that I had a hard time staying out of it! 

I love adding fish to my menu. This week I made Lemon Garlic Tilapia (3 PP). One of the things I especially like about it is that it uses ingredients I always have, so it's easy to make and it's delicious. With my fish I had Roasted Vegetables (1-2 PP?). This is a very painless way of getting all those veggies in.

I especially love salads in the summertime. One of my favorite congealed salads that just screams summer is Gelatin Fruit Salad. My grandmother first made this recipe for me, so it conjures up fond memories, but it also tastes great! I use all sugar-free ingredients: SF Jello, SF applesauce, crushed pineapple in its own juice, and Diet Sierra Mist. You can also easily switch up the Jello flavors. Now, according to WW, all the ingredients are 0 points, so I make it into 4 servings and count it as 0!

Another salad I especially enjoy in the summertime is carrot salad. I decided to try a new one, Mom's Carrot and Raisin Salad. It certainly works well with my WW way of eating since the only dressing is 3 T. of orange juice. Carrots are 0 points, and the rest of the ingredients total maybe 4 PointsPlus for the entire dish. So I didn't feel guilty eating one serving. I could even add 1 T. of my low-fat Hellman's and only add another point to the entire recipe. 

So tell me...do you have any favorite healthy salads you especially like in the summertime? I'd love to hear about them...and any other healthy dishes you've made this week!

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 5

(I am journaling my weight loss efforts in hopes that you and I both might benefit. Me from being accountable and you from recipes and tips I write about. I am using the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and usually calculate points using the nutrition guide underneath the recipe. I invite anyone who wants to eat healthier to come along on this journey.)

This week's dinners began with Maple Cajun Mahi Mahi, Carrot Salad, and a baked potato. When I went to get the Mahi Mahi out of the freezer, I discovered there was none. So I went with salmon instead. Still a very good way to use 6-9 points! The Carrot Salad said it made enough for 8, but mine didn't. In fact, it made enough for 2! I'm sure carrot size matters. I omitted the almonds and figured since apples and carrots are 0 pointsplus, this came in at 2 points per serving.

This week's new smoothie recipe is Banana Blast I. I saw that lutzflcat had reviewed it and I know that she's on WW too. I used skim milk, only 1 cup of ice, and added Vanilla Bean Torte protein powder. Since the milk and the protein powder are the only thing with points, it comes in at 3 PP for the entire thing!

For lunch one day I fixed Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling. I had made this once before and thought it would be good with grated carrots in it, so I added them. This makes a really good lunch on multigrain crackers or on a deli flat/sandwich round. I figured up the points for the entire recipe of the light mayo and beans (omitting the veggies because they are 0 points), and it came out to be 10 PP for the entire thing. That way, I get to divide it into however many servings I want.

Another day I made Low-Fat Broccoli Soup for lunch. Counting the broccoli as 0, I figured that this soup is 2 PP per serving. Guess what? I had 2 servings for lunch that day :)

My final two recipes I'd like to share with you are Tropical Pineapple Chicken (3 PP) and Cajun Style Baked Sweet Potato (6 PP). Both were good. They weren't pretty or anything special, but they made a  good evening meal.

I have a good friend who invited me to go to the beach with her this week, Tuesday - Friday. She is getting to use a family member's condo free of charge. So I jumped at the chance! I love seafood, so I have tried to be sensible, yet still enjoy myself. I'm missing my weigh in day and am not finding a place to weigh in while out of town since I am with someone else. So I'll just weigh in next week and hope for the best :)


Have you discovered any new healthy recipes this week? Please share!

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 4

(I am journaling my weight loss efforts in hopes that you and I both might benefit. Me from being accountable and you from recipes and tips I write about. I am using the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and usually calculate points using the nutrition guide underneath the recipe. I invite anyone who wants to eat healthier along on this journey.)


One particular night's meal this last week was an easy one. I cooked a Hormel Bourbon Maple flavored Pork Center Cut Loin Filet (4 oz. = 3 PointsPlus), frozen Kroger brand Key Largo Blend Vegetables (1 c. = 1 PointPlus) seasoned with Vegetable Seasoning Mix, and Acorn Squash (1.5 PointsPlus). I filled each cavity of the split acorn squash with 1.5 tsp. each of Brummel and Brown and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. A delicious meal!

Obviously, I had left-overs of the pork loin, so another night I decided to have sliced pork loin sandwiches with a little BBQ sauce on them. I also had bought a huge sweet potato and found a recipe for Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips (4 PP). Be sure to read my review for the complete story, but let it be known I messed up 7 pans fixing ONE potato for two people. Ha! No way I could fix this for a group even though the slicing was easy because I used my mandoline. My husband and I both enjoyed these and I would definitely fix them again.

I love trying out new smoothie recipes. Lela sent me a suggestion of one of her personal recipes, Orange Creme Pie Smoothie. I looked and looked for the WalMart brand Orange Creme Pie Yogurt, but couldn't find it. So I settled on Peach flavor. It was so good! I can't imagine the orange creme being better, but I do hope to find it so I can try it and see. It was 4.5 PP and made a filling breakfast, but it would especially make a great dessert some night when my sweet tooth won't quit nagging me!

I bought a watermelon, but when I cut it, it really wasn't sweet enough for eating, so I looked up some beverage recipes, hoping to find some way I could salvage it. I ended up making Cool Watermelon Slushes.  I used Splenda instead of honey, making it 0 PP for a cool, refreshing drink out of something that otherwise was destined for the garbage. You have to admit, it does look pretty.

Another meal I fixed this week was Root Beer Pork Chops (7 PP), Sarah's Applesauce (0 PP), and Corn on the Cob (2 PP). I pulled both the corn and the applesauce from my freezer, having put it up last year. I had made the applesauce with Splenda. I love homemade applesauce!

I did not follow the recipe exactly for the pork chops, so I am quite certain they would have been much better had I done that. I used diet root beer, Splenda brown sugar, and thin pork chops...plus I broiled the chops instead of grilling them.  The chops weren't that flavorful, but my oh my, the reduction sauce was wonderful. I used it like a French dip. I could have drunk the stuff but refrained.

My husband and I took advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend to go on a short trip. We went to The Creation Museum and Shaker Village, both in Kentucky. I made sure to take along apples, Fiber One Bars, and packages of peanut butter and crackers. For breakfast, we ate at the hotel. I had oatmeal or Raisin Bran and skim milk along with my coffee and a piece of fruit. For lunch one day, we stopped at Subway where I got the Turkey Breast and Black Forest Ham Sub (7.5 PP). I added an apple I had brought. Another day at the Creation Museum, I ordered a salad with FF French Dressing and a small bowl of Southwest Chicken Soup. It had black beans, tomatoes, corn, and very little chicken in a broth base, so I think it was perfectly fine. It tasted good too. Those PB crackers and fruit came in handy for lunch another day! For dinner the first night, we stopped at Cracker Barrel and I got a vegetable plate. Another night we ate at Appleby's and I got the WW endorsed Lime Shrimp dish. It came with steamed white rice and mixed veggies. It was a delicious 8 PointsPlus! And then another evening we ate at Panera Bread. I never eat there, so I wasn't sure what to get. I ended up getting a new salad that had strawberries and blueberries in it topped with a FF poppy seed dressing (5PP). I also got some low fat chicken tortilla soup (4 PP). One afternoon, we both were craving something sweet, so we stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got a Diet Lemonade (1.5 PP) and a small Icedream Cone (5 PP). The last day coming home was my splurge day. Anyway, I had to have a burger on Memorial Day! We stopped at Sonic, and I got a burger with mayo on it. I should have omitted that mayo, but I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a whopping 17.5 PP, but I took it easy for dinner.


Two of our vacation days were spent walking, walking, and walking some more! (Of course, the other two were spent sitting in a car ) The Creation Museum was quite large and it also had beautiful gardens that we walked all over as well. Then the next day, we explored Shaker Village from one end to the other! Both nights, I was a worn out little puppy. As I told you last week, I'm in a boot now for a few weeks because of a stress fracture in my foot. I really had no problem doing all that walking, but when night time came, I was so ready for bed! I was in high hopes that all that walking would count for something...and it did! I lost 1.8 pounds this week. That makes a total of 4.6 lbs. lost this month. My goal is 5 lbs. a month because I generally lose rather slowly. Hopefully, I'll hit that goal next month, but any way you look at it, the scale is going in the right direction. So I'm happy.


So tell me, what healthy, portable foods do you take with you when you go on vacation and don't take an ice chest? What healthy foods do you order at restaurants?

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 3

This has been an eventful week. I told you last week that I wasn't riding my bike and would tell you why in a later post. I also didn't walk my daily 4 miles this week. I suspected I had a stress fracture in my foot. I had one several years ago in the same foot, so I knew what it felt like. It took me a week to get an appointment, but I wore my boot from before because my foot hurt...badly. My appointment was this morning, and sure enough, it's another stress fracture. I'll be wearing my boot for 4 more weeks. 


While I didn't walk or ride my bike, I did go to my 2 days of personal training and did pilates at home the other days. The pilates doesn't raise my heart rate like walking did.  I was very bummed for about 3 days about all this. Normally, when I host a pity party, I have plenty of unhealthy food available, but not this time. When I went to weigh in today, I had lost only .2 of a pound. At least the scale is going in the right direction. Plus I have found other things to be grateful for:  1) For Pete's sake, it's a stress fracture, not cancer or a brain tumor!  2) I have to wear a boot, not a cast.  3) It's my left foot, not my right driving foot. 

Now, on to recipes I found this week that fit in with eating healthier. My meatless entree this week was Easy Fettucine Alfredo. I decreased the lemon juice to 1 T. Both my husband and I enjoyed it.  It is 9 PointsPlus according to the nutrition stats. I didn't put extra parm on top of my dish, but my husband did :)

A wonderful slaw that I thoroughly enjoyed was Sweet 'n' Sour Slaw. It uses Splenda and apple cider vinegar. The best part? According to the nutrition info, it is 1 PointPlus, but I really think it could be 0 points. It's a great way to get some veggies in.

I had another delicious meal this week: Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs (5 PointsPlus), Orzo and Rice (5 PointsPlus), and Green Beans (0 PointsPlus). I added red peppers and onions to the kabobs. I will definitely make them again this summer. (I know-What was I thinking taking a picture on a polka dotted plate? But my husband grilled and plated them. He wasn't about to wait for me to change plates so I could get a better picture. He was starving!)

The Orzo and Rice was really good. It was much better than just regular rice and didn't compete with the main entree. I liked it!

I tried a new smoothie this week, Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie. I used 1 room temp banana (instead of 2 frozen ones), 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp. cocoa (instead of 2 T. chocolate syrup), and a packet of Splenda. Fruits are 0 points, so this entire smoothie comes in at 3 PointsPlus.

Do you need an incentive to drink more water? This Springtime Citrus Cooler might work. Actually, it grew on me. I don't care for it as a tea because it's not strong enough. But it works great as a flavored water. I subbed Splenda for the sugar so 0 points.

Here's my favorite new recipe find, Beefy Cabbage Stew. I honestly thought it would be similar to taco soup, even though the seasoning was different. But OH MY, it was much better! The Rotel tomatoes made it spicy and the cabbage made it sweet. Delicious! I subbed Quorn for the ground beef. As is, it was 7 PointsPlus, but with the Quorn it was only 4 PP!

How are you doing on your personal weight loss journey...or on eating healthier? I'd love to hear, and as always, be sure to leave me some healthy recipes you've found lately.

Celebrating Eating Healthy - Week 2

Today marks 2 weeks on Weight Watchers, and I lost 1 pound this week. That makes me happy! I'm still walking 4 miles most every day but not biking. I'll tell you that story next week. This week has been very hard, and I don't know why. Honestly, I've been hungry every day, all week long. I used all my extra points and extra activity points (which I don't usually do).  I'm going to try to eat fewer smoothies and more protein and veggies this next week and see if that helps.


Last week, someone responded that she just couldn't think of doing WW again because she would have to journal and count every single point. She's right to a certain extent. Before I went on WW the last time, I said I didn't want to have to think about food all day long. But the truth was, I was thinking about food all the time anyway...I was on Allrecipes all day long, off and on, looking for new recipes, looking at people's pictures, checking out what they said about food on The Buzz. Finally, I realized I could still think about food all day, just in a different way. I'm not saying it will work for you, but it works for me.


Another thing I want to make clear is that I don't get nitpicky about points. I know that most fruits and veggies are 0 PointsPlus. But I'm not going to figure out every single recipe's nutrition stats on this site. For the most part, I go by the guide that is written beneath each recipe. If I err, it's on the side of the recipe being too many points. This works for me. So don't take my word for how many PointsPlus a certain recipe is.


Now, on to this week's recipes I tried. The first three are a complete meal. I had Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia (5 PointsPlus), Balsamic Roasted Carrots (2 PointsPlus), and Baked Onion Rings (4 PointsPlus). All three recipes were 5 stars in my mind. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that meal! Check out my reviews to see what I would do differently next time.

On last week's comments, Baker Bee suggested I try Red, White, and Blue Fruit Smoothie. I am so glad I did. Not only is it a beautiful lavender color and tastes delicious, but it's also only 2 pointsplus. This will definitely be in my arsenal of things to make for when I don't have a lot of points to spare but need something sweet and filling. I added some protein powder to give it more protein and to make it more filling.

Another drink I made was 3-Minute Mochaccino. I tried making it twice, but both times came short of perfection. It's coffee AND chocolate, so I will definitely keep trying. You can read my review to see what all I did.

Mongolian Strawberry Orange Juice Smoothie is a really good drink to fix on hot, sweaty days. It's more like a slushie, but who wants to quibble over semantics? It's 1.5 PointsPlus for 2 servings!

Do you remember the Microwave Popcorn I told you about last week? You just put however many popcorn kernels you want in a paper lunch sack and pop away? Well, this week I put 1/4 cup kernels in a bag and popped them. Then I halved this spicy mixture...minus the butter. I sprayed the popcorn with butter flavored Pam and sprinkled the spice mixture over it. It was delicious!

Another entire meal was a success: Roast Sticky Chicken Rotisserie-Style, Sarah's Spinach Side Dish, and Kim's Summer Corn Salad.

This is my favorite way to fix a whole chicken. I use all the spice rub on one chicken and cook it breast side down so the breast meat will be moist and juicy. 3 oz. = 3 PointsPlus

Sarah's spinach was good.  I usually eat spinach balls, but this is really easy, good, and good for you! Half the entire recipe = 1 PointPlus

This corn salad was delicious and a perfect substitute for a lettuce salad. Check out my review to see the type corn I used. My biggest change was that I used only 1/4 cup light mayo instead of 1 cup, which would have been way too much for my taste.  1/2 cup = 2 PointsPlus


How did you do this week? Are you eating healthier? Be sure to leave links of recipes you're using. We all want to try them too!