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?
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