Yesterday afternoon was parent teacher conference time for me. At the first school, I ran into an acquaintance who has lost a LOT of weight and mentioned that Mark and I were going to Weight Watchers. She was thrilled and said that the weight she lost was through Weight Watchers. Her whole face lit up and she started sharing her tips with me. And boy oh boy does she have a bunch of tips!
In just a few minutes, here’s what I learned from the fabulous Marilyn:
- Thomas’ Bagel Thins – It’s a full size (round) bagel, but it’s thinner. And it’s ONE POINT! Marilyn says “They give you the satisfaction of a whole bagel without all the extra bread.”
- Walden Farms – ZERO CALORIE condiment line – What do they have?
- Salad dressing (18 — EIGHTEEN flavors) Including:
- Thousand Island
- Ranch
- Blue Cheese
- Caesar
- Syrups
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Pancake
- Peanut butter spread
- Mayo
- Fruit Spread (SEVEN flavors)
- BBQ Sauce (FOUR flavors)
- Fruit Dip
- Chocolate
- Caramel
- Marshmallow
- Veggie Dip (FOUR flavors)
- Pasta Sauces (THREE flavors)
- Ketchup
- Seafood Sauce
- MEASURE EVERYTHING! ~ Quite often, we take the standard points calculation for a piece of fruit or a vegetable or a serving of something, when we should be measuring everything precisely. Marilyn’s Example:
- A small mango is 2 points. A cup of mango is 1.5 points. However, when cut and measured, a small mango is less food than 1 cup, so it’s likely that you’d be counting 2 points when it should only be 1.
I’m really looking forward to gathering more tips to add share with you all … and to institute in my own life. 
Thanks Marilyn and I hope we get to chat again soon!
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Sketchers Shape-Ups
I promised to review these shoes for everyone when I purchased them. So here you go:
For about 10 years now, I’ve had an excellent excuse for not getting up on my feet and getting more exercise. I crushed them in a car accident that I also broke both my legs in. Walking, running, and just long periods of standing on my feet sucks.
I’ve spent a ton of money on shoes over the years. Tennis shoes, dress shoes, casual flats. They all hurt. There’s really nothing to be done about it. From Wal-Mart to 9 West, I’ve bought and hated so many pairs of shoes that it’s kind of depressing.
About a month ago, I was looking for new sneakers on Amazon.com and ran across these Sketchers Shape-Ups (affiliate link) and read all 38 reviews. Review after review made mention of people with back, leg, and feet problems who LOVED being on their feet in these shoes. Even though I cringed when I saw the price, I ordered the shoes anyway.
It is hands-down the BEST money I have ever ever ever spent on shoes. I feel like I could run in these shoes… something I haven’t felt in 10 years. Walking in them is like walking in a cloud. I go up and down stairs with ease… walk far longer than I ever have without pain. I may never buy another brand of walking shoes again.
NOTE: The only bad reviews I’ve found of these shoes are by avid runners. They are not marathoning shoes. They are walking/workout shoes.
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I receive a great magazine titled Today’s Diet & Nutrition. They recently went “digital only”, but my most recent paper issue had this recipe for Moroccan Mushroom Caps. I’ve modified the original recipe from a 4 serving to a 1 serving recipe. I hope you love it!
Ingredients:
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1 portobello mushroom cap, stemmed |
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1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil |
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1/4 tsp ground cumin |
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1/8 tsp paprika |
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1/8 tsp ground turmeric |
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1/4 tsp ground cinnamon |
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4 medium grape tomatoes |
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1/8 cup(s) cooked garbanzo beans |
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1/8 cup(s) golden raisins |
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1/8 tsp table salt |
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1/2 cup(s) cooked brown rice |
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- With a spoon, remove the spores from the mushroom cap and wipe it clean with a damp paper towel or cloth
- In a medium skillet, heat 3/4 tsp of oil over medium heat and saute the mushroom cap for 2 minutes on each side.
- Remove mushroom from the skillet and set aside.
- In the skillet, add the remaining oil and heat on medium. Add the cumin, paprika, and turmeric and saute for one minute.
- Add the cinnamon, diced tomato, chickpeas, and raisins and saute for 2 minutes more.
- Add the salt and rice and stir to combine.
- Place the mushroom cap in a shallow baking dish.
- Fill the cavity with the mixture and bake for 10 minutes or until heated through.
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I found a fabulous recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup just sitting in my inbox this morning and had to share it with all of you. As always, I put all of the ingredients in my eTools Recipe Builder and was thrilled to find that it was only 5 points per serving. I left the green diamonds in to show how many of the ingredients are filling foods.
This recipe serves 8
Ingredients
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1 pound(s) cooked chicken breast, Shredded |
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15 oz peeled whole tomatoes, mashed |
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10 oz canned enchilada sauce |
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1 medium onion(s), chopped |
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4 oz diced green chiles |
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2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced |
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2 cup(s) water |
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14 1/2 oz fat-free chicken broth |
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1 tsp ground cumin |
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1 tsp chili powder |
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1 tsp table salt |
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1/4 tsp black pepper |
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1 bay leaf |
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10 oz frozen corn kernels |
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1 Tbsp cilantro |
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7 medium corn tortilla(s) |
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1 Tbsp olive oil |
Instructions
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.
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It’s been proven over and over again that people who jump into diet and exercise with both feet will almost always end up falling back off the wagon in a matter of months, often gaining even more weight than they lost. I know that it was definitely the case for me.
If you’ve been on the Weight YoYo before… or if you are just getting started and don’t want to get on the Weight YoYo, here are a few small changes that will help boost your weight loss efforts without going to extremes.
- Take a daily multivitamin. When you’re learning to eat right and you’re boosting your activities, it’s important to make sure your body is getting the right kind of nutrients. This isn’t always easy, so make sure that a quality multivitamin is part of your daily plan.
- Take a daily B-complex vitamin. I take Super B Complex by Nature Made and love it. B vitamins increase your energy and boost your metabolism. Be careful to always take it with food though, because it does upset your tummy if you take it on an empty stomach.
- Dance while you clean. Whether you’re cleaning the stove or vacuuming the floor, strut your stuff! Not only does it burn extra calories when you dance around your house, but it boosts your mood too. I mean, seriously, who can keep from smiling when they’re dancing? Watch out though, those husbands, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends may see you dancing and decide you need a partner… then you’re both dancing and laughing and the chores may end up being pushed aside.
- Drink lots of water. I know that most people just don’t get a kick out of drinking water. But spicing things up by
squeezing in the juice of a wedge of lime or lemon or some fresh berries can make water a refreshing drink. If that’s too much of a pain, get some RealLemon or use Crystal Light (a full packet was always too sweet for me, so I use 1/4 to 1/3 of a packet per bottle of water) to add some flavor without adding calories. Side note: Don’t spend a bunch of money on bottled water. Get reusable water bottle and refill it from the tap or from a filtration pitcher.
- Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep is cited time and time again for causing weight gain and for thwarting weight loss attempts. For some people 7 hours is plenty, for others it’s 9. Sleep when you’re tired and don’t linger in bed if you’re not!
As always, it’s important to remember that there is no magic bullet for losing weight or being healthy. No matter what eating plan you adopt for weight loss or what exercises you do, making gradual changes that are easy and enjoyable will help keep you motivated to continue on the successful path.
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I love to try new recipes. One of my favorite Healthy Recipe sources for the last year or so has been Eat Better America. Not only do they have lots of information regarding healthy cooking and exercise, but they always have a ton of great money saving coupons on nutritious foods our family loves.
This morning, I found a their fantastic recipe for Healthified Chicken & Broccoli Parmesan Pasta. I know we’ll be making this one soon, because we love all of the main ingredients. Check out their website soon and start Healthifying your meals too.
Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:30 min
makes:6 Servings
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces dried whole wheat or multigrain penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 3 cups Fresh Broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
- In a Dutch oven cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Drain well. Return to hot Dutch oven.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine chicken pieces and adobo seasoning; toss to coat.
- In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add chicken; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally
- Add chicken to drained pasta and broccoli in Dutch oven.
- Stir in mayonnaise and pepper.
- Cook over low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
- To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
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