365 Days of Gratitude

G    R    A    T    I    T    U    D    E

Just a short post today.

I wanted to share a website to inspire you and help you move more fully into gratitude.

I heard about this at church.

The story goes that there was a woman named Hailey Bartholomew who was a little down on life.

She went to talk to a nun and the nun told her that happiness could be found through reflection and gratitude.

And so, being a photographer, she started taking daily photos of things she was grateful for.

Thus she created her web page 365grateful.

Check out the short video on her page.  It's really lovely and inspiring to watch.

I hope you take the time today to find something that you're grateful for.

Nancy's Caesar Salad

This recipe comes from my supremely awesome leader, Nancy.

You know what?  

I was really excited about making this recipe because, believe it or not, I've never made a homemade Caesar salad.  

Oh, but I do love them!

The first step was going in search of anchovy paste.  That's something I've never even looked for.

I found it at Wal-Mart near the tomato pastes and canned fish(I know, it's obvious).

Here's what it looked like~

One of the great things about this recipe is that it's so easy and there are so few ingredients.

I did cut out just one ingredient and that's the fat free croutons.

They got cut because croutons can't live in my home.  They are a total trigger food for me.

I LOVE croutons!  

Talk to my mom and she'll tell you that I drove her crazy when I was a child, spending almost a whole year refusing to eat anything but croutons.  

I used to embarrass my brother growing up because when we'd go out to eat I'd order the salad bar and just come back with a plate full of croutons.  

Ah, the memories....

Without further ado, here is Nancy's Caesar Salad.  

Ingredients

3/4 tsp anchovy paste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp light mayonnaise(I used reduced fat Vegenaise)

Dash Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

8 cups torn Romaine lettuce

2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fat free croutons

Instructions

Combine anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, light mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic in a large bowl.

Add lettuce and toss.  

Sprinkle with cheese and croutons.  

This serves 4 at 2 pts per serving.

This was easy, delicious and making something new was really fun for me!

Thanks for another great recipe Nancy!

Happy Cooking!

An Unusual Omelette

If you've read my blog even a little you know I'm a major snacker, primarily after dinner.

I bank points for my nightly after dinner grazing fest and it keeps me on track and happy.

Someone once asked me what I snack on to which I replied "How long's your show?".  

I mean really, I eat all different kinds of foods depending on what my craving and mood is like that night.  

I do often eat egg white omelettes and the other night I did something kind of strange.

I put a small pinch of the Better Than Bouillon brand chicken flavored bouillon into the liquid egg whites and mixed it up before cooking and it was great!

I know it sounds weird but it was really good.  So here's what I did...

Whisked a small pinch of the chicken bouillon into 1/2 cup liquid egg whites.  

I put it into a small skillet sprayed with cooking spray and then added a dash of garlic salt, 1 Tbsp of shredded Parmesan and two pieces of torn up Hormel Black Label Bacon.  

This is only 3 points!  And it's really yummy.  I know it sounds kind of strange but I'd suggest you give it a try.  

Happy Cooking!

Weight Maintenance & Body Acceptance

Recently I saw a post on Connect about a motivational podcast called Half Size Me.

It's about a woman named Heather Robertson who has lost 170 lbs.

Can you even imagine that?!!!

Wow!  That's a whole person!  Completely amazing.

This woman does free podcasts on her site, has a blog that is worthy of a read, an e-book and offers coaching.

What really pulled me though is that she talks a lot about weight maintenance.

This is a HUGE subject for me.

I feel as though I am still learning about this and trying to get my head around it and it's been hard.

It feels like a place that I have no road map for.  It's very nebulous.

What I've come to realize is that the whole of our society, at least in the States, is focused solely on weight loss but not maintenance.

I mentioned this to my own therapist and she wholeheartedly agreed.  She said "You're right.  Our society is all about achievement".

So once you reach maintenance you're left standing there thinking "Now what?  What do I do with the rest of my life?".

I've found that my old habits want to creep back in.  You get this feeling like "Okay.  I'm at goal.  Now I can eat whatever I want again".

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  You start eating with the old bad habits and the weight creeps back on too.

The thing I love that Heather talks about in her book is that there is a difference between body acceptance and weight loss.

She relates that she got to a place of great weight loss with only 20 lbs left to lose and finally realized that she wasn't going to look like she thought she would without plastic surgery.

I really related with this.  I think we naturally subconsciously think "Once I've hit goal I'll look like the models on the magazines".  But we don't.  We look like us, only smaller.

What's more is there is often also loose skin to deal with.

Heather says we have to learn body acceptance, to find ways to love and accept ourselves as we are.

That's a tall order.  Certainly it's something I'm still working on.  I have a feeling it will be a life long process as I age.

And so that's what I'm moving into, a place of greater body acceptance and coming to terms with what I can achieve at this age with where I'm at now.

And that's still very significant.  I am stronger than I've ever been.  I'm doing assisted pull ups which I never thought would be possible.

When I was 105 lbs I didn't eat much at all and what I did eat was just junk food.

Now I actually eat really healthful foods and I feel good.

That counts for a lot.

I mention this to you because it's something I'm currently struggling with and its's something that I'm actively working on.

If you're struggling with this know that you are not alone.

I haven't quite finished Heather's book but what I've read so far has been very good.

If you don't have the resources to buy the book you might listen the podcasts or read her blog.

She has an important message that I think a lot of us need to hear.

:)

Post Vacation Update

Vacation Food-Paella

I got to go to my regular WW meeting Tuesday and weighed in.

I'm most happy to tell you my weight went down from a 6.2 lb gain from Spring Break/birthday celebrations to only a 2.2 lb gain.

Obviously some of this was bodily fluids if you know what I mean.

I only mention this to remind you that if you take a trip when your diet changes you sometimes also experience changes in digestion and often can retain water due to excess salt in more indulgent foods.
So, what have I been doing to get it off?

Simply getting back to what I normally do- eating several smaller meals a day, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and lean protein and allowing myself some sweet treats too.

We have- scratch that- I have historically had such a tendency to feel such shame after a gain like that that I move into dictator mode.

I would internally scream at myself for bad behavior and then work to whip myself back into a thinner shape by deciding to starve myself or do some serious restrictive eating.

What I know now is that that doesn't serve me.  I won't say it doesn't work but I will say it's not healthy and it does not ultimately serve your you or your metabolism.

Skipping meals or any type of starvation is metabolic suicide.

It slows your metabolism and, thus weight loss, down.

So keep balance in mind when you're working to get back on track.

Don't beat yourself up, love yourself down!

Yes, I'm totally laughing now.

One more quick food idea.

When I was in Dallas my mother-in-law fixed a WW recipe for Shrimp and Chicken Chorizo Paella.

Paella is something I love but have never made.

I thought it was really thoughtful of my mother-in-law to make something plan friendly for me.

Here's a peak at our meal~

She had even figured the points for me which was so sweet.

Until next time...

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

I have been craving a seafood pizza.

I know, I know, I have weird cravings or at least that's what my husband tells me.

This really hit the spot and it wasn't too hard, especially given that I keep portioned bags of caramelized onions in the freezer.

Ingredients

1 Flat Out Artisan Thin Pizza Crust

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup caramelized onions

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup of medium sized shrimp, pre-cooked, tail off

parsley for garnish


Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray of choice.  Place the crust on top.

In a large skillet saute the onions and garlic in a pan with cooking spray, cooking until the garlic just starts to turn light brown.  This takes 2-3 minutes. Add in the wine and cook another 1-2 minutes.

Add in the shrimp and cook for only 1-2 minutes.

Take the skillet off the heat and distribute the mix over the pizza crust.

Add the cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

The whole pizza comes out to 12 points which is higher in points than I usually make my meals but today it was worth it.

Today I was satisfying a craving and it was so good.

I mean, I guess you can tell since I took a lot of pictures of it.  :)

It is soooo good!

Happy Cooking!!!

Spicy Broccoli Spread

I saw this in a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook at Barnes and Noble in the bargain section.

You can find the recipe here.

It's so easy and straightforward.

I have to admit at first I thought it didn't look too appealing, partly because it was so different, then I remembered I'm open to trying new things.

Now it's a moral imperative.

I knew I just had to try it.

Ingredients

2 cups steamed broccoli florets

1/2 cup chopped onion, cooked well

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt

Assorted veggies to use for dipping


Instructions

Blend all of the ingredients in the food processor using 1 Tbsp of water at a time to achieve a smooth consistency.  Add salt as desired.

Place in a bowl and cover.  Let chill in the fridge for 3 hours.

Enjoy dipping with veggie spears such as bell peppers or carrots.

I thought this was really good.  Of course you have to like broccoli but I do now and so this was a win for me.

For the vegans out there- you could omit the cheese and try adding Nutritional Yeast instead.

And if you do I'd be interested in hearing how you liked it.

I used the recipe builder for this and for half it comes to 3 pts.

Happy Snacking!

Buffalo Flavored Cauliflower

I have another product review today.

I found this product at our local Wal-Mart.

It's Birds Eye's Buffalo flavored cauliflower.  

This also comes in ranch but I'll have to rely on my husband to review that because I loathe ranch flavor anything.

So, this was good, not great, but good.

This is 2 pts per serving but I thought the serving sizes were really small, especially considering that I can make my own flavored cauliflower for 0 pts.

There are three servings per bag and the bags are small.  

However, there are many people I know who hate to cook so, for them, this might be a really good option.

To each her, or his, own.  

Happy Snacking!

Spinach Feta Chicken & Turkey Sausage

New product find today!

A new grocery store opened in our area recently and I found these sausages.

They're 3 pts for one and they are big and delicious!

That's one of the most fun parts of this plan- finding new products that are low on points and big on taste. 

If any of you have products you love that are plan friendly I'd love to hear about it!

I learn so much from other WW members or really from anyone who just makes it a priority to eat more healthfully.  

Happy Snacking!

Classic Weight Watchers Banana Ice Cream

If my mom is reading this right now she's probably in shock that I'm even trying this.

My entire life I've had a rule about banana:  If it's a plain under ripe banana I'll eat it.  If not, I don't.

I've always hated banana breads and puddings, basically anything banana flavored I can't stand.

But, I have learned to be open minded and to try things that I didn't like previously.

Case in point- broccoli, cauliflower and many other veggies.

If a girl who absolutely HATED broccoli can learn to like it then there's hope for anyone and everyone.

Certainly there's hope I can learn to like banana ice cream.

Why bother?  You might ask.

Because it's ZERO POINTS!  Okay, well, it's classicly listed as such but technically blended fruits do count.

My leader, Nancy, usually says if you don't count it and you're losing weight and happy with where you're at keep doing what you're doing.  However, if you're stuck you might consider going ahead and counting it.  So I leave it up to you.

Me?  I'm not counting it.  I'm kind of stubborn that way.

So, why try to like this dish?  Because I want to learn to like zero or low point foods.  I know it's good for me and I like getting something for nothing. ;)

When I looked on the internet for recipes I found TONS of them but the one I went with was from a website that was new to me called Slice of Slim.

I went with this one because she gave more detailed and real instructions than any of the others I read.

Get ready for this long shopping list...

Ingredients

1 Banana

THAT'S IT.  No other ingredients.

I decided I needed to go old school and be a purist about this.  So, I'm trying just the plain banana first and next time I might change it up a bit.

Instructions

I decided to peel and pre-cut the banana into small chunks before freezing.

After freezing I processed it in the food processor until smooth and creamy.

It really didn't take me ten minutes like the so many others have said it would.  

I did have to repeatedly scrape the sides and break up the ball it formed into before I hit that creamy consistency.

I also want to mention I have an extra, smaller bowl my Kitchenaid processor came with that is inserted in the large bowl to use with smaller tasks such as this one.

I used that.  It think it would be challenging to do this in a large bowl processor.  

So here's the thing- my son and husband said "it still just tastes like a banana".

However, I really liked it.  

It had the smooth and creamy consistency of ice cream and I didn't mind the banana flavor at all.

In fact, I will definitely make this again though next time I will be more adventurous and try new flavor additions, fruits and so forth.

It's definitely something to look forward to.

And really, doesn't zero points just taste better?  

Happy Cooking!

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

This is from skinny taste.  You can find the recipe here.

I had also seen a somewhat similar recipe on Martha McKinnon's Simple Nourished Living.

In the end I started out with the intention to cook it per the skinnytaste directions because I am partial to her recipes.

However, I didn't have a fresh jalapeno or fresh tomatoes on hand and didn't feel like going to the store.

I also felt like having the meat in there to make it more substantially filling and add taste.

What I found is that after adding the skinnytaste spices it wasn't enough for me so I added taco spice to taste.

I also rarely find that one teaspoon of olive oil is enough to saute onion without it burning to the pan so I use oil to prevent scorching and sticking.

Overall this was relatively simple and tasty.



Ingredients

4 cups cauliflower crumbles

1 lb 93% fat free ground turkey

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

Taco spice

1/4 smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch of dried cilantro

2 Tbsp tomato paste

Salt

Black pepper

Broth of choice



Instructions

Place rinsed cauliflower florets into the food processor and pulse until you have a consistent texture.

Place a skillet on medium high heat and add the oil.  When it's hot add the onion and cook, using the broth to prevent scorching, until it is cooked well, around 10 minutes or more.  

Then add in the tomatoes and spices.  Mix well and then add the cauliflower "rice".

In a separate skillet brown the turkey.  Once browned add it to the rice mix.  Let it cook for another five minutes to blend flavors.  

The verdict?

This was really good.  It doesn't look so pretty but it tasted great.

My husband often complains that the recipes that use cauliflower as a substitute often "still just taste like cauliflower".

He liked this better than other cauliflower substitute recipes I've tried and I think that is due in part to the extra spices.

This serves 4 and comes to 5 pts per serving.  

Happy Cooking!

Tex Mex Baked Spaghetti Squash

I got this recipe from Myfitnesspal.  You can find it here.

This is another recipe where I'm not gonna make you wait for the verdict, mostly because I can't wait to tell you.

This is FANTASTIC!!!!

I absolutely loved this recipe and it was relatively easy to make.

I did omit the olive oil and used reduced fat cheddar instead of regular cheese to bring down the points.

I also reduced the amount of red pepper flakes as this was very spicy hot.

In addition, since I didn't have fresh coriander I used 1 tsp of ground coriander and 1 Tbsp ground cumin.

If you don't have coriander don't sweat it.  You can just use the cumin and it will be great.


Ingredients

3 oz shredded cooked chicken breast

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh salsa, sugar free

1 medium to large spaghetti squash

1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

3/4 tsp red pepper flakes

olive oil spray



Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Spray a foil lined baking sheet with olive oil spray.  Cut and seed the squash then lay it face down on the baking sheet.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until done.  Set aside to cool.  Set your oven to broil.

In a small bowl mix the cheese and red pepper flakes and set aside.

Once the squash is cool enough to handle fork out the flesh into a large bowl, keeping the shells to stuff later.  Add the chicken, salsa, cumin, coriander, and beans to the bowl of squash.  Mix well.
I even used my hands here.

Stuff the squash shells and then top with the cheese and pepper mix.

Broil for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Again, don't forget what I now call the Golden Rule of broiling~

NEVER WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN WHILE BROILING!

Watch it closely because it cooks fast and it's really easy to burn.  I know this from first hand experience.  ;)

This makes two very generous servings at 9 pts a piece.

I will absolutely make this again.  It was utterly delicious and so filling.

Happy Cooking!