Saturday, January 31, 2009

THE LOWDOWN ON LIQUIDS

Hi Everyone,

Did you notice that the guideline for water has changed. The new guideline is that we need 6 (8 oz) glasses of liquid each day. All liquid counts: water, milk, juice, diet soda, coffee or tea. The best choice is water.

Some of us have heard that drinking water fills you up and flushes you out. But science doesn't back that up.

However, water is an important nutrient and does many things in your body. It aids in digesting food, absorbing nutrients, regulating your body temperature and preventing constipation.

So drink up!!!!

How about some Orange Beef with Broccoli?

ORANGE BEEF with BROCCOLI
Makes 4 servings - 4 points per serving

1 large navel orange
3/4 pound thin-sliced top round steak, trimmed and cut into strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 (12 ounce) bag broccoli slaw
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Grate 2 teaspoons of the zest from the orange ; squeeze 3/4 cup of juice. Combine the steak with 1 teaspoon of the orange zest and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Set aside the remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest and the orange juice.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Add 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the steak mixture and stir fry until the steak is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil in the skillet. Add the broccoli slaw and stir fry until it begins to wilt, 3-3 1/2 minutes. Stir in the reserved 3/4 cup orange juice and cook 30 seconds. Add the steak mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat; stir in the reserved 1 teaspoon orange zest, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Serve at once.

See you at the meeting!!!

Lorraine

Saturday, January 24, 2009

SET A GOAL AND WATCH YOURSELF CHANGE

Every journey begins with one small step. At Weight Watchers that first step is walking through the door and joining. When we do this we are asking for help. Sometimes that is the hardest thing to do. When we come to Weight Watchers we come to lose weight, but we may not be sure how much or, that goal weight may seem like it is very far away.

At Weight Watchers we ask members to start the process of achieving their goal weight by setting a small goal, and then another small goal. Each small goal as achieved brings us closer to the final goal and lifetime membership. We start with 5 pounds, or a dress size, or 5% of our body weight. These small goals can help us stay motivated on the journey to our ultimate goal. Each small goal achieved gives us a reason to celebrate. Each victory helps us build confidence in our own ability to succeed.

When we set goals for ourselves their are four criteria we should use: (1) stated in the positive, (2) specific, (3) within our control, and (4) a good fit with our life. Each time we achieve our small goal we should reset another. One by one the goals will be achieved, and day by day we will be closer to our goal of long term weight loss.

This is a great week to start goal setting. "People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. - Earl nightingale

Here is an excellent soup recipe:

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
3 small or 2 medium sweet potatoes, pared and cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (29 ounces) salsa-style diced tomatoes with chilis (undrained)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) fat free chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (do not thaw)

1. In 4 quart slow cooker combine chicken, sweet potatoes, onion, tomatoes, broth, oregano, and cumin; cover and cook on low for at least 6 hours.

2. Stir in corn; cook on high until chicken and vegetables are very tender and 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings - 5 points per serving

See you at the meeting!!

Lorraine

Sunday, January 18, 2009

HALT

Hi Everyone,

When was the last time you were tempted to eat for reasons other than hunger?

What would life be like if you only ate when you were hungry?

Sometimes it is hard to determine why we are eating - is it tempting food lying around, or am I hungry, or is it something else. Learning how to keep that just right feeling of fullness will help us make better food choices throughout the day. Keeping track of the comfort zone on our daily trackers each day can help us do just that.

The week 4 book of habits of successful members talks about managing your feelings, making sure that we are not emotional eating. If it is emotional eating we need to stop and reassess. Think of what we are looking for and how else we can get that feeling. Maybe we need to take a walk, or call a friend, or have a cup of tea or coffee and sit and relax. So next time you go for the frig - HALT - and ask yourself am I :

HUNGRY
ANGRY
LONELY
TIRED

Try this breakfast casserole.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE STRATA
Makes 8 servings
Points value per serving: 4

2 cups fat free milk
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 (8 oz) loaf whole wheat french bread, cubed (about 4 cups)
1 (7 oz) package frozen fully cooked turkey sausage links, thawed and sliced
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together the milk, eggs, egg whites, parsley, mustard, salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Stir in the bread and sausage. Let stand stirring occasionally, until the bread is moistened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the baking dish and spread evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Remove the strata from the refrigerator; uncover and let stand 10 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the strata with the cheese and bake until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Each serving 3/4 cup.

See you at the meeting.

Lorraine

Saturday, January 10, 2009

BALANCING YOUR POINTS VALUES

Hi Everyone

Eating within your points budget can be a real balancing act. We need to eat foods that satisfy us, but we also need to be full. Feelings of hunger and deprivation are two big reasons we sometimes don't stick with our program. Our weight loss is an ongoing process and is not going to happen overnight, so we need to make sure we learn to incorporate our favorite foods into our program.

Studies show that a successful weight-loss plan incorporates the concept of flexible restraint. Flexible restraint includes enough structure to limit our food intake and enough flexibility to keep the foods we love in our program.

The Momentum Plan helps us do this by giving us the filing foods list to keep us full - and the Weekly Points allowance to fit in those favorite foods. The balance is important and planning can make it all happen.

Remember -

Success is a journey, not a destination - Ben Sweetland

Here is a list of the Traditional meetings I do in case you need to go to a different meeting:

Monday - Hyannis Center 5:30 and 7:00 pm
Tuesday - Plymouth VFW - 8:30, 10:00 and 12:00 noon
Halifax - St. David's Church - 4:30 and 6:00pm
Wednesday - Buzzards Bay K of C 9:30am
Hanover Center 5:30pm
Thursday - Hyannis Center - 8:30am
Sandwich American Legion 5:30pm
Saturday - Falmouth Beach House - 8:00 and 9:30 am

Try this new recipe to add some variety to your menu

PORK CHOPS WITH ROSEMARY WINE SAUCE
4 SERVINGS - POINTS VALUE PER SERVING 5

4 (1/4 pound)boneless center cut pork loin chops, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry red wine

1. Season the pork with the salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a sheet of wax paper. Coat the pork with the flour, shaking off the excess; discard any leftover flour.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium high heat. Add the pork and rosemary; cook until the pork is golden brown and until an instant read thermometer inserted in the side of a chop registers 160 F, 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer the pork to a platter; keep warm.

3. Add the wine to the skillet; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; pour over the pork.

Have a great week and I will see you at the meeting.

Lorraine