Saying Goodbye

I have been writing my blog for over a year now and at this point I am considering ending things here.

If there is an outcry for me to continue this I would consider doing so, however I think many of my friends are now on Weight Watcher's CONNECT where I am posting on nearly a daily basis there under the username clg12225.

I have truly enjoyed doing this blog and connecting with like minded friends.  It's certainly been a way to get to know myself better.

I really appreciate all of those who've stayed with me through thick and thin(pun intended ;) ) and all the kind or constructive comments I've received but at this point it's become somewhat tedious to keep up with the blog as well as CONNECT.

I hope that in some way I've been able to help you through my own misadventures.

The truth is that weight loss is hard and maintaining weight is hard but it's so much easier with support.

And, it's so much easier when we can be real and honest with each other.

That's a big part of what you've given me and I will be forever grateful for it.

I wish all of you brilliant, vibrant health and well being in mind, body and Spirit.

~Carrie

May the road rise to meet you, 
may the wind be ever at your back. 
May the sun shine warm upon your face, 
and the rains fall soft upon your fields. 
And until we meet again, 
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

The Real Story of St. Nicholas

Well, the day finally came.  As I was sitting at the computer today my son came up to me and said “Mommy, does Santa use your Amazon account to order toys?”.

“Why do you ask?” I said.  “Because I saw Dot on your account”.  This was a toy that Santa brought him a couple years ago.  He had seen my order history on Amazon somehow and now had unanswered questions.  

I gathered myself and turned away from the computer and this is what I told him…

"Once upon a time, a long, long time ago there really was a man named Nicholas.  He was good and kind and he loved God with all his heart.  Nicholas had a heart for service and a love for children.  

As such he began giving to those less fortunate and those who simply needed more love and more magic in their lives.

And so he began bringing gifts to children in secret.  Although it was done in secret, word spread and soon everyone knew of this kind man, Nicholas.  

The joy he brought was so great that soon everyone wanted to share in it and spread it in their own way.  

Given that he could not be everywhere at once, all sorts of people began carrying on his work.  Parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors of all sorts began giving gifts in secret and what they found was an even deeper secret. 

When you give, you receive.  

You see God’s Love is so big you can’t really fit it all into just one person and so it must be given away.  But in the very instant you give it, quick-as-a-wink, it’s given back to you multiplied.  And when that Love is freely and truly given and received it helps everyone to allow more of God's love into their hearts and to see the Christ everywhere.  This causes us to remember who and what we really are and what we came from~Love. 

That is the real magic. 

And so over the years this great tradition has been handed down, generation after generation.

The torch was passed to me when I had you and it has been our great joy in giving this special gift to you.

One day, when you have children of your own, you too will carry on this Good work and you will know this joy of giving.

And so it is that every time any person gives in this way, the Spirit of St. Nicholas is there within them just as God’s Love is always there within us." 

I'm happy to report this message was well received.  

I had actually been praying about this conversation and had thought to plan a time to talk with my son about it but he surprised me with his question before I could formally discuss this.

As with weight loss and everything in life, we are met with more success when we plan ahead.

I was surprised when my son posed this unexpected question but I was not unprepared.

I had prayed and thought on it long and hard and spent much time formulating just what my heart wanted to say, what it knew to be true.  

Magic still exists.  No dreams are crushed and nothing is made less than because God's Love only expands and grows.

And today, I am so thankful for this answered prayer.

In Joy,

~Carrie

A WONDERful movie!!!

This is not food related at all but I couldn't keep this to myself.

Tonight my family watched a movie based on a book my son read last year.

It's called WONDER. 

Let me just say this movie is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! 

This ends well and it has an incredibly relevant and beautiful message.

You can find the movie trailer here.

I hope you enjoy this as much as our family did. :)

~Carrie

Trader Joe's Crab Cakes!

The last time I went to Kansas City I stopped at Trader Joe's.  

This is one of my favorite stops as a Weight Watcher because they have so many good deals!

It's usually pretty economical but very point friendly!

I usually bring a cooler and spend close to an hour in there, taking my time and scanning everything, looking for deals.

This was one of my favorites.

It's their crab cakes.

These are 1 pt a piece!  

However, WW screwy math comes into play here because 2 crab cakes is 3 pts, so watch out for that.

You can heat these in the oven and they taste great!

I love seafood so this was a no-brainer for me.  

If you have a Trader Joe's where you live, or if you stop by one when you're out of town, I'd definitely recommend trying these scrumptious little morsels.  

These saved me from going over on points at night!

Amy's Organics Chunky Vegetable Soup

I picked this up at the healthfood store however you can buy many Amy's products at even Target or Wal-Mart now.

This is Amy's Organics chunky vegetable soup.  

It's 0 pts per serving!

Each can contains 2 servings.

And, it's delicious!

Unfortunately, too delicious!

I ate the whole can before I thought to take pictures for you but trust me, it's good. ;)

Just another 0 pt option for our friends who don't like to cook or for those who don't have the time.

Oh Snap! Hottie Bites

This is another product find from a friend on CONNECT.  These are Oh Snap! brand flavored pickles.

This is the hot and spice variety called Hottie Bites.  

When I say they're hot and spicy, I mean these are HOT & SPICY!  

If you do not like hot & spicy or are sensitive to it, please do not buy this!

There are other flavors but this is the only one I've tried thus far.

They are 0 pts!

I found these at a local health food store.  

So, if you do like it hot then I highly recommend this spicy, 0 pt treat ;)

Happy Snacking!

Dashing Dish's Mocha Java Protein Shake

This is another quick and easy recipe from Dashing Dish by Katie Farrell.  

Ingredients

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1/4 cup vanilla or plain protein powder

1 packet instant coffee (or 1 tsp instant coffee powder)

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp fat free half-and-half (or coffee creamer of choice)

2 Tbsp sweetener that measures like sugar, or to taste (I highly recommend using a LOT LESS if you're using a pre-sweetened protein powder!!!)

1/2-1 cup water(depending on your preferred consistency)

5-10 ice cubes(fewer for thinner consistency)

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

NOTE:  DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE LID ON TOP OF YOUR VITA MIX OR BLENDER!!!

I did this first thing in the morning and I forgot to put the lid on and it made a ginormous mess.

My cabinets, the book, myself and even my kitchen ceiling were covered in protein shake bits!

Ugg!!!

What was salvageable was pretty good but it was way, way too sweet and I only added 1 Tbsp of sweetener instead of two.  

Next time I'm trying this without any added sweetener as my Jay Robb protein powder is already stevia sweetened.  

After cutting down on the sweetener I think this will be a winner!

This makes one serving and comes out to 5 pts.  

I've had several of her protein shakes that use cottage cheese before and they're very filling.

I can't wait to try this again when I'm more awake.  

Well, one thing's for sure, cooking is always an adventure!

Happy Cooking!

I have been seeing recipes for avocado toast everywhere lately.  

To be honest I've never really liked avocado and I still don't like guacamole but I believe in trying new things and this one intrigued me.

I was also admittedly motivated by the fact that avocado is a healthy fat that is good for you.

So I heard about this product at my WW meeting, of course ;)

As you can see there are a few different Wholly Guacamole types so be sure to scan them and read the ingredient list.  The one I picked below has only one ingredient, avocados.  

Each little tub is only 3 pts.  The first time I tried it I used a little less than half because I was afraid I wouldn't like it.  I spread it on my Sara Lee 1 pt per slice toast and then sprinkled on the famous Everything But The Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's.

And it was really good!  It was very creamy and filling.  It also just felt really good to eat something I know is good for me.  In this way I'm Honoring my body temple and that always feels good.  

So, if you haven't tried avocado toast yet, I highly recommend you do!

Happy Cooking!

My Wish

Today I'm passing along a song that someone sent to me.

I don't usually listen to Country Music but I think anyone can appreciate the beauty in these lyrics.

Today, this is my wish for you.

I hope you have a marvelous day!

~Carrie

Twice Baked Potatoes Made With Greek Yogurt!

Since WW switched to Freestyle I'm always looking for opportunities to use Greek yogurt.

I found a recipe for full fatty twice baked potatoes today and thought I'd try making it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Here's the scoop!

Ingredients

4 (8 oz) Russet potatoes

1/2 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 salt

Pepper to taste

3 scallions, thinly sliced

3 oz reduced fat, shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp Hormel real bacon bits


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Wash the potatoes well, scrubbing them clean.  Place them in the oven on a baking sheet for one hour or until a knife easily pierces the skin and meat of the potato.

After they're done and cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides, placing the "meat" of the potato into a large bowl.

Place the potato skins back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes to crisp them up.

After the skins are out set them aside.

Mash the potato stuffing with a fork.  Then add in all of the remaining ingredients.

My leader, Nancy, got me onto buying the powdered buttermilk, which I love.  I don't drink a lot of buttermilk and every time I buy it for a recipe most of it goes to waste.

Using this powder is great.  I can reconstitute just what I need and it all keeps a very long time.

I also got lazy and bought the dried diced chives so I can just use them when needed as well.

They still taste quite good to me.

After everything is mixed together, re-stuff the potato skins with your mix.

Set the oven to broil and cook for 5 minutes or until the tips are lightly browned.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR OVEN WHILE IT'S ON BROIL!!!!!

It is really easy to burn anything and everything with the oven on broil so watch it closely while it cooks.

So, points here is going to vary depending on the size of your potatoes.  It's rather difficult to find potatoes that small so I got something a little larger and simply used 3 instead of 4 potatoes.  Okay, truly I baked a 4th potato but kept it plain in case my son didn't like the twice baked ones. That's called Mommy Logic friends ;)

The original recipe I found called for 2 Tbsp of butter and 4 oz of cheese but I cut out the butter and decreased the cheese to 3 oz and it was still great.  

Mine came out to 8 points for about 1.5 potatoes.  

My picky son had never had a twice baked potato but he even tried them and loved it!

These were delicious and, given that my son will actually eat them, I will most definitely make them again.  

The really fun thing about these is that you could get really creative!

I saw some with chipotle chili and others with pepper jack cheese.  

You can serve it with chicken breast or whatever you like.  I even thought about doing shrimp at some point like a seafood potato.  

Lots of option.  Lots of fun.  

Eat up!

Happy Cooking!

More Answers To Sabotaging Thoughts

Well, last night I binged. 

I tracked it all and I'm still tracking today but by the time I was going to bed and feeling yuck I realized there's a lot of mental clutter to clear out.

One of the easiest ways for me to clear the clutter is to write out my sabotaging thoughts and then write new, more empowering responses to those thoughts.

I learned this technique from The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck PhD.  This is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for weight loss and it's unbelievably helpful, at least for me.

At this point I'm still trying to sort out exactly what my sabotaging thoughts are so there may be a bit of rambling...

This coming Wednesday is my 44 th birthday.  My husband has planned a special get away to celebrate and I'm looking forward to that but also somewhat anxious about my weight, the temptations I'll face and the desire to splurge on my birthday.

Finding balance with all of these things is sometimes tricky. 


Sabotaging thought:  I've really blown it.  I used all of my weeklies in my first roll over day!  I still have to get through my birthday and I don't want to knuckle down for that.  It would ruin everything.  What's the point of going out if I can't indulge?  How crummy would it be to try to be "good" on my own birthday?  That stinks!  I'm so frustrated!  I'll probably just blow it and be like -300 by the time my points roll over again.  Uggg!!! I feel so defeated.  :(

Response:  I've clearly moved into fear at this point because these thoughts are black and white and leave no room for alternate possibilities or plans.
History has shown me that when I personally look too far in advance I get overwhelmed and move into self sabotage.  I need to focus on the present moment and take it one meal at a time. 
It's always going to be my choice what to eat or not to eat.  The truth is that in my everyday life I do a pretty good job of finding balance- indulge here and cut back there.  What's to say I can't do that again?  Indulging on my birthday is okay as long as I'm okay with it.  I can decide ahead of time what I'm okay with.  Am I okay with a gain for the week?  For staying the same?  Is it really realistic that I lose while I'm doing all these things?  Probably not if what I want is to be able to indulge some. 
I need to make conscious choices and be okay with the consequences of those knowing that after my birthday I can get more focused again. 
What I don't want is to lose the fun of what is supposed to be a special day by spending it worrying about everything and feeling shameful.  I want to be in the present moment and appreciate my life and all the people in it. 
I give thanks in advance and know that no matter what happens, life goes on and it will all be okay. 

Sabotaging thought:  There is a "safe" weight.  There is a weight that I can achieve that will make me okay and make everything in my life okay.  I won't have to worry about things anymore.  I won't have to feel self conscious about how I look.  I'll be safe.

Response:  The truth is that there is no weight that will ever make me safe.  Feeling safe is an inside out job and doing the inner work is the only way to get there.  Moving into gratitude, self love and building my sense of self through other ways will be the building blocks of knowing and living my worth.  It may not happen overnight, in fact it may take quite a while to really build up my self esteem, but it's worth it.  It requires the same dedication that weight loss does.  It also requires the desire and a purposeful intention.  I want to be the person that God made me to be and I want to behold God's unique beauty in others without any sense of competition but rather cooperative companionship and deep appreciation.  There is no limit on Love in this life.  God's Love is infinite.  I just have to keep working on opening my heart to it.  I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to learn more!


If any of you have any sabotaging thoughts that you would like to share I would love to hear them.  I would be happy to write responses or hear the responses you've written for yourself. 

Remember you have to have a Google + account to comment here. 

You can find information about setting one up here. 

Have a great day!

Food Swaps That Save Serious Calories

Just a short post today with another Myfitnesspal article.

I think most of us know a lot of good food swaps but this short article lists some you might not know. 

I like having proportions to use as well. 

These small changes save big calories.

You can find that article here. 

Happy Cooking!

Skinnytaste Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

This is a recipe I tried off of skinnytaste.  Let's face it, skinnytaste, in my opinion, has the best health-conscious recipes around.

Her recipes are often a little more work but they're totally worth it.  

I'm not rewriting the recipe because you can find it here.  

Just know that it turned out very well and I would highly recommend it.  

Below is a picture of a T-shirt I found at Target in the boy's clothing section.  

You can probably see why I couldn't resist snapping a pic.  ;)

On The Border Salsa Con Queso

Just a quick post today to mention my new favorite product!

One of my meeting friends has a daughter that loves this On The Border Salsa Con Queso.

It's only 2 pts for 2 Tbsp and it is DELICIOUS!!!!!!

I absolutely loved this and felt that 2 Tbsp was enough to get a wonderful taste and feel satisfied. 

I baked a corn tortilla and then added turkey taco meat I mixed up, added lettuce, salsa and the salsa con queso sauce.

It was wonderful!  It felt like I was getting the full fatty deal without all the points.

I highly recommend this product!

What's In Your Cup?

Today I'm posting something I read on CONNECT that I loved.

I don't know who actually authored it but I thought it was a nice way to be mindful about what we're putting out into the world and what we're filling our own hearts with.

"You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere.

Why did you spill the coffee?

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.

Had there been tea in the cup, you would've spilled tea.

The point is that whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out.

Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you(which will happen), whatever is inside you will come out.

It's easy to fake it,... until you get rattled.

So, we have to ask ourselves, "What's in my cup?"

When life gets tough, what spills out?

Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?

Or does anger, bitterness, peace, harsh words and reactions come out?

You choose!

Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness, gentleness and love for others."


Now that's my kinda cup ;)

Blessings,

~Carrie

Weight Watcher Friendly Websites

I recently had a meeting member friend, Joyce, ask me about which websites I use.

I did a post about this a while back which you can find here.

In addition I'm going to add one I hadn't before.

That website is dailydoseofpepper.

I have the most familiarity with the recipes on skinnytaste and, in truth, I think they taste the best.

I'm also a sucker for packaging and her pictures are mouth-wateringly perfect.

Also keep in mind that many of the authors of these websites have cookbooks that you can buy or check out at your local library.

If they offer ebooks those would be even cheaper.

Sometimes we just get in a rut and need new inspiration to keep things fresh.

Check out these websites and I think it'll help you answer that age old question, "What's for dinner?".

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

This is another recipe I've been seeing all over CONNECT.  This is yet another reason to start using CONNECT if you haven't already.

This recipe is easy peasy and only 1 pt for the whole batch!

So here it is...

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Kodiack Power Cakes

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

Instructions

Mix all of your ingredients together.  Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and turn the burner onto medium to medium high heat.  

Like you do with regular pancakes, watch them closely and turn them when bubbles start to rise to the top the the edges are firm enough to flip.

And, below is what happens when you're tired and you try to make the pancake too big, you attempt to flip it and it flops.... all over the pan.  Ugg...

This is just when you roll your eyes and laugh at yourself.  ;)

You could make 3 smaller sized pancakes.  I made one smaller and one too big sized pancake that, as previously stated, just made a big mess.  So my recommendation is to go for 3 small pancakes.

These turned out fantastic!  I thought this had a much more authentic pancake texture and flavor in comparison to the banana and egg pancakes that I previously posted.  

I will definitely make these again and highly suggest you try them for yourself!

Happy Cooking!

Chicken & Spinach Alfredo Bubble Up Casserole

Look!  Drippy Cheese! :)

I joined a CONNECT group that does different challenges each week.  This past week was a recipe swap.  We posted our favorite go-to recipes each day.  One of my friends posted a Ranch Bubble Up Casserole that looked good but since I don't like ranch flavor I changed things.

I have made a enchilada bubble up recipe from emilybites that was very good.  I also posted that one on my blog.  You can find it here.  

Today I was craving something creamy.  I looked through my fridge and freezer to see what I had and this is what I came up with.  

Ingredients

16 oz of frozen spinach

1 (15 oz) jar of Classico Light Asiago Romano Alfredo sauce(or other preferred light brand Alfredo)

1 (7.5 oz) can of buttermilk biscuits(I used Wal-Mart's Great Value brand)

1 (12.5 oz) can of chicken chunks

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup part skim mozzarella

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Thaw your spinach and then, using your hands, wring out the excess water.

Mix together the spinach, Alfredo, broth, chicken, garlic powder, salt & pepper in a large bowl.

Cut each biscuit into four pieces and then gently toss with the mix to coat.

Place mix into your casserole dish and spread it out evenly.  

Bake for 25 minutes.  

Take it out of the oven and top it with the mozzarella cheese.  

Place back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted to your liking.

This serves 6 and comes out to 8 pts per serving.

This was delicious!  

The only downside for me is that it wasn't all that filling.  

So, word to the wise, eat a salad, a fruit and/or another vegetable with this.  

It just takes a lot to make this hungry girl feel full.  I could've easily eaten 3 servings.

It's definitely worth making again but next time I'll be more prepared with other sides.  

Happy Cooking!!!

Wendy's Large Cup of Chili. It's What's For Lunch!

Just a quick post today.

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE our WW weekly meetings?

I do!

The topic this past week was dining out.  One of the members shared that one of her go-to meals when she was out and needed something was Wendy's large cup of chili.

It's only 4 pts!!!

So today, for just over $2, I made this my lunch.

And it was delicious!!!

It's cold outside and there's nothing like a warm bowl of chili to warm you up from the inside out.

So if you're on the go with no time to meal prep or cook you might consider this option.

Happy Munching!

The Heavy Burden of Shame

Recently I was talking with a friend about why I choose to do Weight Watchers and why I will always choose it.  

I remember the very first meeting I went to.  I felt so incredibly vulnerable, so afraid this was just going to be another thing I failed at.  

But what I found is that the leader and the members were incredibly kind and real.  They didn't judge me because they understood, they'd been there.  

And what I found is that one of the most powerful tools was speaking my truth.  

I carried so much shame about what I ate and how I looked.  It was awful.

But when I could sit in a meeting and admit that I'd eaten a whole pizza or a whole bag of chips, instead of hiding and feeling bad about myself, it was liberating.

What I found were nodding heads and gentle and encouraging smiles.  

And that was one of the best feelings in the whole world!

I felt so free when I left the meeting.  I cried in my car on the way home because I knew I'd found my home and my people.  

And that's why I keep going.  

It doesn't mean that I'm over making those kinds of mistakes anymore but it does mean I won't hold on to the shame.  

I'll tell my friends and release it.  

Do you remember my mentioning that I was saving my points up to have our annual Valentine's Day heart cake?

Well, I did save them.  The roads were icy so I couldn't rush the leftover cake to someone else and it sat here at my house.

And,... I ate HALF of the whole cake.  

And, I tracked it.  

And, the best part of all is that what I found is that the more I do this the less time I spend sitting in the shame.  

I move forward more quickly because this is the muscle I've been building.  

Through consistent practice over a long period of time I keep trying and practicing and little by little it's getting easier.  

Things like this may always happen for me but the game changer is how I will choose to respond to these events.  

And I choose to get back up.  

I choose not to sit in shame and let it swallow me up.

I choose me.

And I most sincerely hope that today and everyday ...

You choose you.

Because you're worth it, always have been and always will be.

~Carrie

Dining Out At Qdoba

Today I unfortunately woke up at 4:30 am, not even one hour before I normally get up.

While I should've just gotten out of bed I ended up falling back asleep, which only made me sleepier.  Ugg!  

Anyway, I have felt exhausted today.  I certainly didn't have the energy to cook or meal plan.

Even though I really, really didn't want to work out today, I did it anyway and even though I wanted to order whatever I felt like I didn't want to sabotage my hard work.

So I pulled out my handy dandy WW's app and looked up a few restaurants.  I have a few I've gone to over and over and have enjoyed success with that but I wanted to go somewhere that was new to me.

I had only been to Qdoba once years ago when it opened.  I wasn't on WW then but I had seen several people on CONNECT post about enjoying Qdoba for very few points.

My fellow meeting member and friend, Teresa, also mentioned that it was one of her favorites so I knew I had to try it.  

I met my mom for lunch and it was lovely.  I asked for a bowl of lettuce(0 pts) with black beans(0 pts), fajita vegetables(1 pt), part pico de gallo and part corn salsa(both 0 pts) and the grilled chicken(4 pts).   

I skipped the cheese and chips because I'd already read that those are point bombs.  Fortunately I don't really like sour cream or guacamole so I didn't have to worry about missing out there either.

This was delicious and fresh and I love that you get to have some control over what goes on your plate or in your bowl.  It's made to order.

Of course afterwards I was further reading through the app and realized that the shrimp is 0 pts.  Just be careful not to order the shrimp salad which is 23 pts!!!

I'm excited that I ventured out to try something new today.  I really loved that I didn't have to feel guilty about what I ate and that it didn't eat into my daily or weekly points as some restaurants might.

You see, I'm saving my points up for tomorrow when my son and I make our annual heart shaped cake to celebrate Valentine's Day.  

There's no way I'm going to miss that!  And, my son is even more excited this year than ever.  

So, consider Qdoba's as a possible stop if you don't feel like cooking tonight.  

I think you'll be glad  you did.