Friday, October 31, 2008

VOTE "YES" FOR YOURSELF

Hi Everyone,

How often do you "vote for yourself," i.e., decide to make your needs a priority?

How often do you put yourself second, or third to others needs??

Remember that taking care of yourself means among other things, eating wisely, moving more, thinking first and taking time to attend your weekly meetings.

Getting the most out of life and the Weight Watchers program doesn't mean doing it at the expense of everyone else. The energy and inspiration you will get out of putting yourself first on the "ballot" will help you take better care of others. When you remember to take care of yourself you will be better able to find a sense of balance in your life and make compromises that work for everyone.

"We can't reach our goals if we are standing in our own way."
author unknown

Here is a dessert recipe to try:

Rice Krispie Pie

1 1/2 ounces of Rice krispies
6 TBL peanut butter
1 TBL honey
1 Pkg sugar free chocolate pudding made with 2 cups of skim milk

Combine rice krispies, peanut butter and honey and press into a 9" pie plate. This is your crust. Pour prepared chilled pudding over crust. Serve.

Makes 6 servings -4 points per serving

See you at the meeting!!!

Lorraine

Saturday, October 25, 2008

MEXICAN LASAGNA

Hi Everyone,

I forgot to give you the servings :12 and the points 6 per serving.

Sorry, Lorraine

AM I HUNGRY OR JUST EATING

hi Everyone!

This week we are talking about making our meals more satisfying.

The first thing that came to my mind (you won't be surprised) was going out to eat.

Why do we like to do this - Well, first of all we sit and relax while we are eating. No getting up to get something we forgot or something someone else wants. We sit, we relax and we enjoy our food - after all we are paying for it! When we get up from the table we usually say - that was really good!!!

Let's think about when we eat at home. We don't always set the table nicely because after all we don't have company - it's only us. Sometimes we eat on the run - no time to sit down because I need to be somewhere. Maybe I just microwave whatever and eat it standing up. No wonder a couple of hours later I forgot I ate at all!!!!

This week I would like you to try eating like you are company. Use the good dishes, sit and relax at dinner. Think about the food and how good it is. Plan to eat some of your favorite meals. Aren't we more satisfied when we are eating foods we really like. Try a new recipe. Take the time to plan!!! You can do it!!!!

Here's a recipe to try:

MEXICAN LASAGNA

This lasagna will last up to five days in the refrigerator. It's a terrific make ahead meal from our cook once, eat all week series.

Olive oil cooking spray
2 pounds uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups fat free sour cream
2 cups shredded reduced-fat mexican style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4 oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas, cut into 2 inch strips
1 cup salsa, mild, medium or hot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle cut into 1 inch pieces.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin and pepper; mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover the surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer remaining tortilla and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

See you at the meeting!!

Lorraine

Sunday, October 19, 2008

It's Not What You are Eating, It's What's Eating You

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever heard this old saying? It's funny isn't it that so many of these old sayings are so true!!! Managing our feelings is one of the eight helpful habits in losing weight and keeping it off. Check out the week three book.

Sometimes we have to look at our reaction to our situation. We might find patterns of behavior that are not getting us where we want to go. Think about the last time you found yourself eating out of control. What were you reacting to? What were you looking for?

Are we eating when we feel sad of depressed? Are we eating when we are worried or anxious? Or frustrated? Or Hurt? Or lonely?

Sometimes we need to Reframe that emotion!! What are we looking for? If we are lonely maybe we need contact with friends. If we are sad or depressed maybe we need some happiness or control.

What we have to ask ourselves is - what non-food behavior will get us that benefit.

This week in our meetings we will be talking strategy !!!!!!

Remember - "If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution."
- author unknown

This is one of my favorite appetizer recipes - try it!!

Stuffed Mushrooms - eat them all for 4 points

18-20 mushrooms
1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
2 teaspoons margarine
3 Tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

Saute in margarine, onions, green pepper and chopped mushroom stems, two to three minutes.

Add cottage cheese. When melted add breadcrumbs.

Stuff mushrooms with mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Don't be afraid of the cottage cheese you will not be able to tell it is not cheese.

See you at the meeting,

Lorraine

Makes one serving - 4 points total.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

DISCOVER YOUR DREAM

Hi Everyone!!

This weeks at Weight Watchers in my thirteen meetings we lost 462 pounds!!! WOW!!!!

Remember that soup is the salad of winter.
I think eating some soup this week can help make that weight loss happen!!

Remember the article about the food diary - see if writing everything you eat down can help to keep that weight loss going.

This week we will be talking about the steps of Discovery - how to get to your goal!!

The first thing we have to do is have a goal in mind - we have to dream our winning outcome - we have to visualize ourselves at that goal - we have to seek out resources that will help us get there. Of course, you have started the process by coming to a weight watcher meeting and committing to come on a weekly basis. Our research shows that if you consistently come to a weekly meeting you will lose 3X more weight than going it alone. That is fabulous, but even better is that we have fun at our meetings and we get to connect with others who are have the same goal of losing weight.

One of the things that we all need to do is resolve to keep going in the face of obstacles and disappointments. We all have them and positive self talk can get us through them. One positive step at a time we come closer and closer to our goals!!!

I had a request this week to put the 5 can soup on my blog - so here it is:

5 CAN SOUP

1 14.5 oz can Delmonte fresh cut diced potatoes, drained
1 14.5 oz can Delmonte fresh cut carrots, drained
1 14.5 oz can Delmonte fresh cut zucchini w/Italian Style tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can Delmonte diced tomatoes with bail, garlic & oregano
1 14.5 oz can chicken or beef broth

Eat the whole pot for 3 points. It is core.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

See you at the meeting,

Lorraine

Sunday, October 5, 2008

TWELVE WEEKS OF THE SEASON

Hi Everyone,

This week we started our twelve weeks of the season challenge. It seems incredible that in twelve weeks we will be at the holidays!!! But we have twelve weeks to make sure that we are happy with what we have done until then. Let's take it one week at a time. For the first week of the season we are concentrating on what has helped us lose weight and stay on track in the past. Feedback not failure. Remember one day at a time, one week at a time.

Our Lose for Good campaign in well on its way and we have been extremely successful in my thirteen meeting. The total weight loss so far is 2,017. WOW!!! Keep going you can lose weight for yourself and others.

This week we are going to talk about the changing foods of the season. As fall and winter come around we look for different kinds of foods. This is an excellent thing for our weight loss, since the more variety we eat the more we lose. Think about the foods you like this time of year - soups, stews, crock pot meals, etc. Check the Weight Watchers website for meal ideas. Take the recipes that your family loves and see if there are ways to lighten them up.

Here is a great tip I heard from one of my members:

Use the dinner plate for your salad and the salad plate for your dinner.

Since we know it takes 20 minutes for our head to tell our stomach it's full - how can a cup of soup or a salad help us to feel full at the end of the meal. Try this soup recipe - It's core or 3 points per cup.

HOME-STYLE CHICKEN SOUP - serves 4 - 3 points for 1 cup or core

2 tsp olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed to white and light green parts, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 onion finely chopped
2 (1/4 lb each) chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed of all visible fat
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 TBL chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium high heat. Add the leeks, carrot and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

2. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Remove the chicken from the bones and chop; return the chicken to the soup. Add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the chicken is heated through 2-3 minutes.

Simmering chicken thighs in chicken broth accomplishes two things: It enriches the flavor of the broth and it provides juicy chicken meat to add to the soup. We use chopped fresh parsley in this recipe, but you can also try chopped fresh thyme, dill, or a combination of the three.

Have a great week!!

Lorraine