(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?
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.
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!
Today marks one week of being on Weight Watchers...again. I have discovered this is my favorite way to lose weight because it offers variety, it includes eating fruits and veggies and even fats, and it can be a way of eating for life. Yes, I know, I have fallen off the wagon many times, but technically, it CAN be done for life if I would only show some self-control! Well, it worked for me this week because I lost 1.6 pounds, well within the recommendation of losing 1/2-2 pounds a week. Yay for me!
This week I continued walking 4 miles a day AND I have now taken up another activity...biking. For some reason, my husband has this crazy idea that he wants us to go biking together. He has been researching and reading on the Internet and looking at a local bike shop. Finally, one morning he got up and said, "Let's go get bikes this afternoon." So we got bikes and helmets and padded shorts. Oh, those shorts are wonderful! I had not been on a bike in...30 years maybe? I wasn't even sure I could balance to get on one! The first few minutes were spent reminding myself that the brakes were at my fingertips, not my feet, and that gears make going uphill so much easier nowadays. But it all came back to me rather quickly. The first day we biked 3 miles. We took it easy thinking our backsides would be screaming at us; instead, it was our thighs. But, thankfully, the discomfort was gone the next day and off we went again. Now biking, as well as walking, is also a daily activity.
This week I tried out some wonderful recipes. A favorite was Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips. I can't believe I have waited so long to make this. I used the fruits stated in the recipe and used an all fruit no sugar raspberry jam. I added no extra sugar at all. I did make the chips with sugar but would like to try Splenda next time. This will definitely be something I make this summer when I invite company over. Great appetizer idea!
I had some left over and mixed it in with some non-fat, low carb vanilla yogurt for breakfast the next morning. Fruits are 0 PointsPlus, so I figured this was 2 points for breakfast.
A drink that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine is Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri. Let me first say, though, I don't drink alcohol and I've only had a "real" virgin strawberry daiquiri once. So, this drink, whatever it is, is great for me because it's ZERO points. I used Diet 7-Up, a handful of fresh strawberries, 1/2 of a real lemon, Splenda, and 5-8 ice cubes to make it slushy. It's cool and refreshing!
A GREAT snack is Microwave Popcorn. Not the kind you buy in the microwaveable bag, but just plain old-fashioned popcorn kernels put into a paper lunch sack! The recipe says to put oil in with the kernels, but I didn't. After it came out, I put it in a bowl and sprayed it with butter flavored Pam. Then I salted it. Another day I put one packet of Splenda on it for that kettle corn taste. Unbelievable how good this is! According to my calculations, 3 T. unpopped popcorn equals 3 PointsPlus, so that's how much I put in my paper sack.
One night this week, I kept 2 grandgirls. I wanted to make a kid friendly dinner, but one I could eat too. I fixed Slider Style Mini Burgers. I used Quorn (a substitute for ground beef), Hellman's Light Mayo, and 2% cheddar cheese. I figured that each little burger was 5 points. I gave the girls mac and cheese and fresh strawberries as their sides, but I ate just the salad with the strawberries in it.
My final recipe I'll share with you is a meatless entree, which I try to have at least once a week. This week I tried Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce. It was delicious, but I did have a problem with the way it looked. First of all, according to the stats, it is 13 PointsPlus. I wanted to try to lower the points, so I subbed fat-free plain yogurt for the sour cream. I also used Ronzoni noodles instead of the regular fettuccine, added diced onions, and cut the cayenne in half. I only had orange peppers, so I used them instead of red ones. The final number was 8 PointsPlus. I was happy with that. What I wasn't happy with was that the yogurt curdled when I added it, and the parmesan cheese melted into one big clump. No other reviewers mentioned this, so it must have been a problem on my end. I liked this dish so much, though, that I will try it again.
So...how did you do this week? What new recipes did you try that fit in with your healthy way of eating?
In April of 2010, I came to a point in my life where I knew I needed to lose weight and get moving in order to be healthier and feel better. By December of that same year, I had dropped 48 pounds, was seeing a personal trainer twice a week, and was walking 4 miles a day. I did indeed feel much better. I even began a Weight Watchers post each day on The Buzz and we all traded healthy recipes. In January of 2011, I decided to just maintain for a while, even though I had more weight to lose. Hindsight tells me that was a stupid plan! I did maintain, though, for over half the year. I even ran my first 5K! Then my mother had a very serious illness, and my sister or I stayed with her around the clock for six weeks. Then I went on vacation. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas came. And when all the stress and celebrating were done, I had gained some of those unwanted, hard-lost pounds back. I've learned something though. I've learned that sugar causes me joint pain. I don't understand it and have never heard of it, but I know my body, and I know when I eat a lot of sugar, I can hardly move. I also learned that I need to stay on a healthy food plan all the time; otherwise, I will spiral out of control, eating too much of the wrong things. After all, I am a food addict. Another thing I learned is that the body doesn't just naturally maintain fitness. I have to work at it daily.
So, I say all that to say I've been working out with my trainer, I'm back up to walking 4 miles a day, and I rejoined Weight Watchers today. I am back to eating healthy. I plan to blog weekly about my weight journey...whether I've lost, stayed the same, or gained...how the exercise is going...and what recipes from this site fit in with my eating plan. I got started with the recipes a few days before re-joining. Here are a couple of new ones I've tried.
Berry Delicious - This smoothie is thick and creamy. I used non-fat milk and yogurt and cut the recipe in half. It came in at 2 PointsPlus.
Simple Spinach Lasagna - I try to have at least one meatless meal a week. This spinach lasagna was delicious, but it looked terrible! I would make it again, though, because it tasted so good. According to the nutritional information, it was 9 PointsPlus per serving.
Gloomy Day Smoothie - Another delicious smoothie. I cut the recipe in half. I figured it to be about 2-3 points.
I decided to blog about my weight loss journey because I do so much better when I am accountable. So, wish me luck and follow my journey with me. Hey, you can even join in if you like. Let me know each week in the comments how you're doing too.
