A Grateful Day

Just a short post today.

I wanted to share with you this short, five minute, video that truly moved me.

This reminds us just how much we have to be grateful for.

So sit back, relax and let it calm your mind and open your heart to love.

May you be Blessed today with a peace that passes all understanding.

In Joy,

~Carrie

Return to Sender!

Tonight I was visiting with a friend.

She said that at times when she’s stressed she says to herself “Return to CENTER”.

But... I misunderstood her.  

I thought she said Return to SENDER.

My inference was that when someone sent negativity her way she’d say “Return to sender” in her mind.

After I told her we both had a good laugh but then I decided it makes a lot of sense.

The next time someone spews hate in your direction try saying “Return to sender” in your own mind.  

What you’re really saying is “that toxic waste has nothing to do with me.  Its your creation.  It’s all yours.  

No thanks.  

I’m sending it back”.  

And go in peace ✌️ 

😂🤣💗

Rewriting My Life

This morning I sat under the weight of once again not living up to the expectations I have set for myself.

Yesterday I was going to workout, and after I got home to use the one hour I had set aside for myself, a friend called in distress.  

So I chose to be there for her rather than workout.

But I was left with guilt for once again not having worked out.

And what I realized is that I’ve been suffocating under the weight of everything I SHOULD do or be & everything I’ve been engrained to believe I should be or achieve in order to be good enough.  

So today I decided to reclaim my power by rewriting my life.

I will no longer be satisfied with a standard set outside myself.  

I have little time this morning between dropping my son off & going to work, not enough to shower.

But I worked out anyway.  I’ll blow dry the sweat and spray myself down with deodorant, dress and go.

And I’ve decided it’s good enough for me.  

My loose , white skin, my wrinkles, all the other things that make me everything other than what I’ve been told are acceptable I now endeavor to see as complete and beautiful in its own way.  

With every limiting thought I encounter I will work towards writing a new story as the author, NOT as a character in someone else’s play.  

With each challenge I will understand that I have the opportunity to assign meaning to each event.

And I will face them, not as a hapless victim, but a heroine in the story of my life 😊❤️

Something to be Thankful For!

My friend Mary shared this little poem with me and I just had to pass it on.

This really gives us perspective on just how many things we have to be grateful for today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~Carrie

My Thanksgiving Reflection Be Thankful. Author Unknown.

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something For it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations Because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge Because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you’re tired and weary Because it means you’ve made a difference. It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings. Author Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year was the first year that I can remember that I've finally spoken up for myself in regards to our holiday plans.

Last weekend I went on a girl's weekend away with family.

While it was loads of fun it was also an eight hour drive one way. 

As you can imagine I'm pooped out.

A few weeks ago as I was thinking about the holiday and the timing of my trip.  I knew I would be too exhausted to do too much so I spoke up for myself.

I finally had the realization that I'm an adult and it's okay.

I don't feel like driving four hours to visit family and I don't really feel like killing myself with cooking and cleaning to have loads of people here.

So I asked my husband if we could have his mother(who is very low maintenance) up and take her with us to my grandmother's where the cooking will be shared pot luck style.

Today I give thanks that after 18 years of marriage I'm finally able to stand up for myself.

How does this translate to weight loss?

Well, how many times in your own life have you been working hard to loose weight only to get to a holiday and allow yourself to be overwhelmed with work or cowed by food pushers?

If this isn't a diet and it's really for life then we need to learn how to speak up for ourselves in a loving way. 

If you stop to think about it some of the ideals we have set up for ourselves are nothing short of crazy.

We will suffer in the name of saving face and trying to live up to some illusion of the "Perfect Family" or "Perfect Holiday".

If it's not just like a Currier & Ives post card it's not good enough and we're not good enough.

And so we cook from sun up till nearly sun down. 

We clean and clean and clean and rarely ask for help with all of it. 

Now certainly there are people who love to entertain and do all these things and sometimes I do too but not at every occasion. 

How many times have you been doing well before a holiday only to be derailed because you can't say no to pushy relatives?

We don't have to be mean but we can be lovingly assertive. 

It's not about pushing against "them".  It's about standing up for who we are and what our own values and goals are. 

And it's not wrong.

We are Gifted with this beautiful body temple.

No matter how you think you look the fact is that

It is sacred.

And, we are trusted with it's care and maintenance. 

So this holiday lets remember to

Honor the Gift.

Today I give Thanks for God, my body temple, my family, & you friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

More From Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think

As I mentioned before I'm reading Brian Wansink's Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More Than We Think.

One thing I really loved that the author said is that, in general, when we eat 1000 fewer calories a day we feel deprived.

When we eat 1000 more calories daily on a routine basis we’ll be shopping for larger clothes. 

However if we eat 100 calories more or less we’re generally unaware of the difference.  

This is what the author calls the Mindless Margin.

Now think about this ~

Making small changes can have a really big impact on your waistline.

If you eat one less 270 calorie candy bar each day you’ll weigh 27 fewer pounds in a year.

One less 140 calorie soft drink each day = 14 fewer pounds a year.

One less 420 calorie bagel or donut each day = 42 fewer pounds a year.

The other thing I love is that he is absolutely against giving up favorite foods because anything that makes you feel deprived will never be a long term solution.

And the plus about the Mindless Margin is that, even if you don’t change anything else but that one small thing, you’ll still lose weight at the end of the year.  It’s slow but it’s still meaningful weight loss.  😀

That’s why the author says “the best diet is the one you don’t know you’re on”.  😉

Here’s to creating life long habits we can live with and live well!

Skinnytaste Brussels Sprouts Gratin

I've been thinking ahead to Thanksgiving and looking for new recipe ideas.

In my search I came across this recipe from skinnytaste.

Let me just say that pretty much every recipe I've ever tried from that website is good.

In fact, I own both of her cookbooks.  

That woman has quite a knack for making healthy foods taste great!

They are sometimes more time intensive than Hungry Girl recipes but they're always worth it.

Ingredients

16 oz of Brussels sprouts, trimmed of outer leaves and cut in half

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

Olive oil spray

1/2 tsp butter

1/3 cup chopped shallots(I used one whole diced yellow onion instead)

2 tsp all purpose flour

3/4 cup fat free milk

1 tsp fresh thyme(I omitted this because I don't like the taste of thyme)

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

2 oz grated Gruyere cheese, divided(I used Swiss cheese)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  I didn't have an 8x12 pan so I used a 9x13 casserole pan.

Spray your casserole pan with olive oil spray.  Add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper.

Spray more olive oil spray over the Brussels and bake in the lower third of the oven for 15 minutes.

Toss them and then bake another 10 minutes.  

While the Brussels are roasting place a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add the butter.

After melted add in the shallots or onions depending on what you're using.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until well done.

Next add in the flour to make a roux and cook another couple minutes stirring continuously.  

Add in the milk and cook, stirring frequently, for another 4 minutes or until it's well incorporated.

Now add in the grated Parmesan, thyme(if you're using it-I'm not) and half of the Swiss cheese.  Stir to blend and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  

Pour this mixture over your Brussels sprouts and add on the remaining 1 oz of Swiss cheese.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the cheese is well melted brown and bubbly.  

This recipe serves 6(1/2 cup per serving) and comes out to 3 pts per serving.

So, my only negative on this is that the Brussels really cooked down a lot and I ended up putting them into a square pan after roasting but you can see it looks much smaller. 

I think when I make this again(& I certainly will) I will nearly double the amount of Brussels I add in.

The taste?

FANTASTIC!!!

Hands down this is THE BEST Brussels sprouts recipe I have ever had ever!!!

My husband loved it too.  

Again, the only problem for me was the portion size.  A half cup is not a lot for this girl so next time I'm bulking it up with more Brussels.

This recipe is still a keeper and will be a great addition to our family's Thanksgiving Day Feast.

Happy Cooking!

Delighted By Brownie Batter

I heard about this product on CONNECT.

It's a dessert hummus.

I found this at Hy-Vee.  

It's 4 points per each 2 Tbsp serving.

That's a little high for me but I still wanted to try it because I was really curious.

It did taste quite good.

Not as good as real brownie batter but pretty darn good for it being a hummus!

The only other downside is that this was really expensive!  It was over $5 for this tiny tub.

So my bottom line is that I'm glad I tried it because it was really good but I probably won't buy it again.

It's too high in points and in dollars!

WW's Cafe Creations

This is another WW product I decided to try.

Let's just say that the coffee in my workplace leaves something to be desired.

And, coffee is mission critical in my life.

I usually use other sugar free flavored creamers but thought I'd give this one a try.

It's 0 pts!

And, it was really good.  

It at least made work coffee palatable and that's saying a lot.

I do have to admit though that I liked the WW's cocoa better.

This one I might buy again but the cocoa I'll definitely buy again.

WW's New Cocoa

I saw someone on CONNECT recently post about how much they loved Weight Watcher's new cocoa.

This friend had the chocolate mint flavor but I'm not real big on mint so I bought the Caramel Creme.

I have to be honest, after being a little disappointed with the WW chocolate mug cake I was a little trepidatious about trying this new product.

But,...

It was FANTASTIC!!!  

This was oh so delicious and it was only 1 pt per serving!!!

There are six packets(servings) in each box.

I usually get the Swiss Miss Diet for 1 pt but I gotta tell ya, this is way, way better.

So it's Weight Watcher's Caramel Creme for the win!

Don't you love the holiday mug?! :)

Happy Sipping! ;)

Mindless Eating

I love to read and recently I heard about a book called Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink.

This is a really interesting book.  I got it on audio from my local library and have been listening to it on my commutes to and from work.

There are a multitude of things I'd love to share with you but I'll give you just a few today.

I'll paraphrase and quote some of the book.  This is all the author's work and not my own.

He talks about the fact that we have Eating Scripts.  These are habits we have around eating that we've done over and over again such that we're on automatic pilot.  The author calls these "The icebergs of our diets".

For example, my typical morning eating script is wake up, dress, have coffee and oatmeal while I check email until my son is ready to snuggle. 

The thing is that some of our scripts we're well aware of and some we're not.

Some of our automatic scripts are to stop eating when:

You're full
When the food is all gone
When you're out of time
When your dining companions are done eating

Stopping when you're full is great but the others, well, not so much.

Another pitfall is that we're highly influenced by our environment.  Family and friends can influence what and how much we eat.  Other people you're dining with can also set the pace for what, how much and how quickly you eat. 

"In the excitement of conversation we forget how much we've eaten.  Eating is like shopping.  The longer you stay at the mall, the more you buy.  Just so, the longer you stay at the table the more you tend to eat".

So the author suggests we Re-engineer and Re-script our dinner.

"Try to be the last person to start eating at the table.  Pace yourself with the slowest eater at the table.

Avoid the “just one more helping” request and temptation by always leaving some food on your plate as if you’re still eating.

Pre-regulate consumption by deciding how much to eat prior to the meal instead of during the meal".

Here are some really interesting statistics about just how much dining with others influences our eating behavior.

"On average if you eat with one other person you’ll eat about 35% more than you otherwise would.  

If you eat with a group of seven or more you’ll eat nearly twice as much, 96% more than you would if you were eating alone at the Thanksgiving card table in the other room.

If you get a reservation for a table for four.. you’ll eat 75% more calories".

So why do we do it?  He says it's the power of norms.  "Large groups create their own norms for food consumption.  The average number others eat suggests the amount we eat".

Think about it this way, if you're a slow eater and you go out with others you're more likely to eat quickly.

However, if you eat rapidly then it would probably benefit you to eat with others because you're more likely to slow down.

It's definitely food for thought.  I went out with my son to Olive Garden today and he is about the slowest eater I've ever seen.  Admittedly I first thought "Oh gosh, we're going to be here forever!" but then I remembered what I'd read and I said to myself "I don't have to work today.  There's nowhere we have to be.  We have the time.  It's okay.  I'm slowing down".  

And you know what?  It was a really decadent experience.  I think that's how it feels in Europe too.

They're doing it right, taking time to enjoy their food and giving their bodies time to digest and their brains time to register it.  

Of course it's not always possible for me at work but I'm going to try and be more mindful of this when I'm not.  I certainly don't want to pass on unhealthy habits to my son and I want to promote my own health and good habits.

So today I hope you create time in your life for at least one slow, relaxing and truly enjoyable meal.

   

Food for Thought

Just a short post today.

If you're not already signed up for Myfitnesspal's newsletters I would highly recommend these. 

You can still be a Weight Watcher and find useful information in these articles, many of which are written by certified nutritionists.

Today's article was on working through plateaus and found their advice to be sound and helpful.

I could really relate to a lot of what they were saying here. 

They put out numerous articles on nutrition, exercise and motivation. 

Certainly there are times where we've already heard it or read it a thousand times but then someone says it just a bit differently and it really hits home.

I have actually printed and saved some of their articles, not because I needed the education per se, but because reading them is like an affirmation.

One of my favorite articles was on debunking the idea that we just have to accept metabolic decline as we age. 

It was very empowering and reading it helps the left side of my brain remember that I'm going to be as fit as I make up my mind to be.

I'm always looking for new inspiration and motivation for this journey.

For me this is 99% mindset and anything that can help me make that shift is welcome. 

So the next time you're looking for something to read, purposefully look for and choose something that empowers you!

Sometimes the right words can make all the difference. 

Frozen Yogurt Bark

I saw this recipe months and months ago and I kept saying telling myself I'd make it.

Finally, I thought about it when I had the time to try it.

Of course I changed this up just a bit to make it more point friendly.

Greek yogurt is a really plan friendly, low point, high protein food.

I have a whole cup of it mixed with Truvia and a cup of fruit in the late afternoon, early evening everyday I work.

It really helps me from feeling hangry when I get home at night.

Let's just say it's been a game changer.

So this recipe really isn't much different from what I eat at work but it's frozen.

I also decided I might like to try a little honey flavor in there so I added Truvia Nectar.

This is basically Truvia plus real honey.

It's twice as sweet so if a recipe calls for honey you cut it in half if you're using this product.

One other quick note... here's where I'm a WW rebel.

I refuse to count points for cooking extracts.

Technically 2 tsp of vanilla extract is 1 pt but I refuse to count that.

I think if you have too many things that you don't count it can deter your weight loss so I'm not advocating picking and choosing what you do and don't track.

I'm just saying for me, this is one thing I won't track.

I track everything else.

I also know that I made it all the way to goal without tracking.

If you're struggling to lose and you don't count everything I would encourage you to start tracking it.

Do what works for you.

As my awesome leader, Nancy, always says, "It's your plan.  Do what works for you".



Ingredients

2 cups plain, low-fat Greek yogurt(6 pts)  My favorite is FAGE.

2 tsp Truvia(1 pt)

1 tsp Truvia Nectar(1 pt)

2 tsp vanilla extract(you could add an additional extract or substitute another one)

Strawberries and blueberries or other preferred fruit


Instructions

First line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then, mix the yogurt, Truvia, Truvia Nectar and vanilla extract up in a bowl.

Now gently spread all the yogurt mix into the bottom of your prepared pan.  

Mine is a little bit thick but I'm just going to wing it and go with this.  

I mean let's face it, even if it doesn't turn out into pieces of bark I'm still gonna eat this ;)

Now add in some pretty fruits.

Doesn't that look pretty!  So bright and colorful!  

I love it when my food is pretty! :)

Put a piece of foil over the top of the pan and freeze for at least 2 hours.

I ended up letting mine sit in the freezer for a whole day, honestly because I forgot. 

Cut it into your desired number of pieces and enjoy!

How easy peasy right?!

If you divide this into 3 servings it's 3 points.  If you set it to serve 4 it comes out to 2 pts.

How did it taste?

Sadly disappointing. :(

I didn't really like it at all but my husband tasted it first and said nothing.

So I said "tastes pretty crummy huh?" to which he responded "Yeah.  Pretty much."

Later after it had sit out a while he said "It doesn't taste as bad after it thaws out a bit"...

which pretty much defeats the whole point.

For some reason unknown to me this tasted great before freezing but after freezing tasted more sour, like plain Greek yogurt can taste.

I'm not sure I understand the chemical reason behind that but I was thinking it and then my husband verbalized it.

Well, once again, you win some and you lose some but we're never behind if we try new things.

I've just discovered one way I don't like to have Greek yogurt. ;)

Happy Cooking!