Tomorrow is a New Day

Soooo, I spent the last couple days Forcing myself to accept the Fact that I won't be losing 6 pounds a week doing my Weight Watchers plan in my 40s like I did in my 20s when Mr. F walks in the door with a movie and candy treats for all last night.  He is a huge movie buff and supposedly Forgot that I'm not eating junk.

Well, since I had reached my Weight Watchers points for the day at that point, I took a bite of one of the Heath bars that came in this king size package and told him to hide the rest for another bite another day or some when points allowed.  See, in my mind, I know I have a WW recipe for toffee that I've made in the past and I Figured one bite wouldn't hurt.  Only that weakened me instead.  I held out for most of the time it took everyone else to eat their sweet treats, and then I caved. Ate the whole package of two bars.

I had been losing anywhere from 0 to 0.25 pounds a day....then this morning I get on the scale expecting to see either no change or a fraction of a gain, having weighed myself yesterday, and low and behold, a whole 0.75 pounds are gone.  How that happened, I have no idea, but if I try that again and the results are the same again, I may not ignore that and do it more often. lol

Today, the kids had no school and an orthodontics appointment 1.5 hours away, so I drank a green smoothie for breakfast and grabbed a packet of instant oatmeal to eat at my mom's house after the appointment for lunch. I planned a trip to the meat market out by her house where I can stock my Freezer with meats for 6 months on the cheap, so cooler in the back of the car Filled, I headed to her house. .

When I got to my mom's, only my dad was there.  We visited for a Few and then drove to see my mom at work where she always has leftover donuts waiting for the kids.  I didn't eat that oatmeal, as I wasn't hungry and therefore didn't even think about it until I saw it slide across the dashboard on a turn during the trip home.  My mom tried to send that massive box of donuts home with my kids and called me a meanie for not allowing it.  I am not their Favorite person right now.

I ate a couple of beef jerky sticks on the way home, had a bite of a FlatOut Pepperoni Pizza the hubs made for everyone, 3 ounces of leftover pork tenderloin, and drank some pop and then separated and packaged up 40 pounds of chicken breasts, ground sirloin, and bacon with my FoodSaver.  There is more, but nothing else required separating before Freezing. Not sure where that leaves me today. Doesn't sound so bad when I type it, but I literally have no idea what calories or points was in what I did eat today. It happens, but I won't let it derail me.  A bad day is just a bad day and tomorrow is always a new day.

My Favorite Crunch-Fix Snack for Only 2 Weight Watchers points!

I have tried three of the Snapea Crisps Flavors offered.  My Favorite would have to be the Wasabi-Ranch, but all three are delish.  You better make sure you are capable of putting the serving size into a snack bowl and avoid walking around with the bag because you'll eat the whole bag.  The good news is that even if you do eat the whole bag, at 3-1/2 servings total, approximately, per bag, you won't go over 6-7 points. lol

These really satisfy the Fiending for a crunch/snack moments! It's definitely a Fab Grab!

You'll have to excuse the photo.  I can't seem to keep them in the house long enough to get a photo of the package unopened. Somebody keeps beating me to it, right honey? (Mr. F I'm sure)

The other good news is that this brand/line of snacks touts the following Facts:

* baked     * less Fat & sodium     * more Fiber     * higher levels of protein & vitamin B

* gluten-Free     *lower glycemic index     AND

**** 100% LESS SNACKER'S REMORSE ****

How great is that? ;) Check out their website for yourself for other Flavors I have yet to try!

Chicken Salad-Arugula Pita Sandwich for only 4 Weight Watchers points

When I'm in a pinch, I think back to what was easy about the NutriSystem plan when I tried that, and the chicken salad pouches that I would add a little more chicken to was one of them. I just counted the extra chicken I added to it as a PowerFuel because it was otherwise a little runny for my taste. 

When I was doing NutriSystem, I would often look at the Food provided and ponder how I never ate the things that they themselves were providing me when I dieted, especially a sweet every single day. But chicken salad sandwiches? I could do that, so I am. I have never eaten sweets every single day, so I'm not doing that, and I'm Fine with that.

Yes, you can use chicken from rotisserie chickens, chicken breasts, roasted chickens, etc., for chicken salad sandwiches but when in a bind and needing to move quickly/short on time, canned chicken works well. I consider a bind the moments when my kids want something other than what I could or should consume myself, so they get their lunch, and I get a low-points-value lunch in a snap.

The canned chicken will tell you there are approximately 2-1/2 servings per can, but when weighing the drained meat alone, I come up with an average of around 2.75 ounces and therefore use the whole can in one single sandwich.

I use about an ounce of diced onion and 0.5 ounces of arugula.  Normally, I wouldn't weigh the arugula and just eyeball the amount I want to put in, but since I'm counting calories via MyFitnessPal, I Figured that all out for 0.5 ounces.  Arugula is 0 points on my Weight Watchers plans though, so eyeballing would be fine too. I just put it all into a container and mix it up like so.

Then I just fill up half of a wheat pita, and voila! Nice, big, Flavorful, and Filling lunch for only 4 Weight Watchers points. Heck, for 4 points, this can serve as a Filling snack as well!

Ingredients:

Half of a 7" wheat pita
5 oz. can of no-salt-added canned chicken breast
2 Tbsp. low-fat mayo
0.5 oz. baby arugula
1 oz. diced onion
salt and pepper to taste

Servings: 1
Points: 4

Nutritional Information (Approximate): 178 calories, 3 g total fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 484 mg sodium, 24.5 g total carb, 1.2 dietary fiber, <3 .3="" 12="" g="" i="" protein="" sugars="">

Vanilla-?-Berry Chia Seed Pudding for Either 4 or 5 Weight Watcher Points

This dessert and snack recipe can be either 4 or 5 Weight Watcher points depending on how many servings you divide it into....4 servings or 5 servings. I'll include the nutritional information and points for both options.

While you begin with a vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt, you can switch up the extrat Flavoring for a little hint of something else.  In the mood for more maple flavoring? How about coconut, almond, or extra vanilla?

You need a minimum of 8 hours to allow the chia seeds to set up in the yogurt-almond milk mixture, at which point it become a tapioca-like consistency.

Pudding Ingredients:

1 cup Vanilla-Flavored 100% NonFat Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 cup Vanilla-Flavored Blue Diamond Almond Milk
1 tsp. flavored extract (vanilla, maple, coconut, almond, etc.)
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. 100% Pure Maple Syrup

*1/4 cup chia seeds* 

*Mix above ingredients in bowl with wire whisk. Now whisk in 1/4 cup chia seeds. Allow to sit on counter until seeds begin to set up rather than sink. Once thickened to where seeds stay put, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
4 tsp. or 1-1/3 Tbsp. 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Mix topping ingredients into a bowl and allow to the syrup to break down the fruit somewhat creating juices for a couple of hours. Don't be afraid to try adding other berries into the mix, such as raspberries, as well. Just make sure to refigure your points! After dividing your pudding mixture up into either 4 or 5 equal servings, divide the nutty-fruit topping up accordingly and place on top. You can mix it all up together too!

Servings: 4
Points: 5 points each
Nutritional Information:  286.5 calories, 7 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 2.5 mg cholesterol, 68.25 mg sodium, 49.75 g carbohydrates, 5 g Fiber, 8.75 g protein

Servings: 5
Points: 4 points each
Nutritional Information: 229.2 calories, 5.5 total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 54.6 mg sodium, 39.8 g carbohydrates, 4 g Fiber, 7 g protein

BBQ Chicken Pizza for Only 7 Weight Watchers Points

This pizza can be made for Fewer than 7 points as well, but I went with the maximum I could Fit onto one FlatOut Pizza Thin Crust Flatbread. I also had Rustic White, so I will be checking for a whole wheat or whole grain variety next shopping trip. It also only has approximately 44 mg of cholesterol.

It can be heated any number of ways.  You can follow the package directions on the back of the FlatOut package, or bake for a spell until the cheese slices melt and then broil, or exclusively broil.  I broiled my FlatOut pizza crust until lightly brown on both sides.  You have to watch it very closely. Once turned over, the middle will brown through quite quickly. I burned my first one.

A quick tip for the chicken breast is snagging some when you have a roasted chicken handy from the breast portion without skin.  I buy a roasted chicken each week from my local grocery store to have on hand for myself in a pinch. The kids like the meat in a chicken quesadilla too.

I then put on the BBQ sauce, followed by the chicken, red onion, sliced mushrooms, arugula and cheese slices and broil again, and again watch it very closely. I use a pizza cutter to cut it into 4 pieces, as it's much too large to eat as is.

Here are the ingredients with weights applied to reach 7 points:

1 FlatOut Thin Crust Pizza Flatbread Rustic White
2 Tbsp. Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
3 oz. cooked chicken breast
1 to 1.5 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 oz. diced red onion
0.5 oz. arugula
3 slices Kraft Slim Cut Mozzarella cheese slices

That's it! It's quite satisfyingly Filling as well!

Servings: 1

Estimated Nutritional Information: Calories 350.5; Fat 9.5 g; Saturated Fat 4 g; Cholesterol 44 mg; Carbs 43.38 g; Fiber 3.63 g

TBT...My Momma Was Right

When I look back at old photos, I can't help but wonder what the hell I was thinking.  I used to think I was Fat before I was actually Fat.

In this photo, I'm turning my head quickly because I was camping and felt Far from Fabulous, to say the least.  I felt like the part of the shirt you can read...UGH! I have naturally curly hair, and pre-Flat-iron invention, humidity was my worst enemy.  It still is a nemesis of mine, but now that I can hit my bangs with a Flat iron, it helps to maintain a "Hey, it's humid!" kinda day rather than wandering around looking like I got a bad hair cut because back then it Forced my hair to curl up severely. In this photo, I weighed about 127 to 129 pounds and was 19 years old. I thought I was Fat then.

I remember looking at other people's legs sitting next to me and thinking mine looked so huge compared to theirs. Now I see skinny arms and legs that I didn't feel were skinny back then. Was I just hanging out with little thin people? Perhaps, my body image was just simply warped.

I weighed 170 pounds when I graduated high school one year earlier and felt the exact same way.  I lost all that weight in one year because I ventured out on my own at 18 and was working two jobs...executive assistant by day and sports bar waitress by night. I ate Fast Food once a day and lost 40 pounds that quickly without even trying. Wish that worked now. lol

Here I am on the beach at the same weight Frantically scrambling to cover up to avoid being photographed. Boy how I wish I had let that photograph happen today.

 See what I mean about the bangs/hair?

I wonder today....at 100 pounds heavier, will I recognize that I'm thin when I reach my goals?  Has being Fat Fixed what I now recognize was a warped body image of yesteryear?

I hear one thing tonight as I type this post....the words of my mother.  She used to say to me, "One day, you're going to wish you were THAT Fat." She was right.

Yummy Balsamic Arugula Side Salad Recipe for 2 Weight Watcher Points Or A Meal Salad for 6

I tried a couple of new recipes a Few weeks back.  I found the main turkey portion a little bland so I combined it with my salad, and the next thing I knew I had a delicious meal salad, so I thought I'd share three new recipes with you. 

Because I do  not like walnuts, I use toasted, sliced almonds, but see below for some delicious embellishments for just a couple points more too!

Basic Balsamic Arugula Salad for 2 Weight Watcher Points

Combine the following dressing ingredients as early as possible or the night before to allow flavors to blend nicely together in a small jar or container that you can shake easily before application to salad.  If you want to divide this salad up for multiple meals, do not apply dressing to entire salad, as it causes wilting, but if you think the whole salad will be eaten up right away, go ahead and toss into salad mixture and serve immediately.

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar for 0 points
1 Tbsp. honey for 1 point
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley for 0 points
1 tsp. Dijon mustard for 0 points


Salad:

6 c. baby arugula for 0 points
1/4 c. sliced red onion for 1 point
1/4 c. shaved Parmesan cheese for 1.5 points
2 Tbs. chopped almonds for 2 points

Yields: 4 Servings
Points: 2 points per serving

A delicious variation for this salad for only 2 more Weight Watchers points per serving is adding pomegranate arils (seeds) at 1 point per ounce and toasted pine nuts at 1 point per Tablespoon as shown in this photo for a Grand Total of 4 Weight Watchers points!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Turkey Tenderloin-Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:

2 turkey breast tenderloins (about 1 lb. total)
16 thin, fresh asparagus spears
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Split each turkey breast tenderloin in half horizontally. Now you have 4 turkey steaks. Pound each piece of turkey in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or baggies (to avoid splatter) and pound until about 1/4" thick.

Arrange 4 of the trimmed asparagus spears on the short end of each turkey steak and roll up. Secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary, but placing seem side down holds well.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and add turkey rolls. Cook until browned on all sides, turning to brown evenly.  Add broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper and bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink.

Transfer turkey-asparagus rolls to a plate, removing toothpicks. Cover and keep warm.

Boil liquid in skillet, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup and then spoon juices over turkey rolls.

Yields: 4 Servings
Points: 4 Points Per Serving

Nutrition Information: 176 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat fat); 68 mg cholesterol; 329 mg sodium; 3 g carbs; 1 g fiber; 28 g protein.


Now, for the meal salad, you combine the base salad recipe above (minus the pomegranate and pine nuts, although that may be good too) with the turkey-tenderloin recipe above as shown in the below photo for a total of 6 Weight Watcher Points!