So I haven't weighed in yet today, but this is the first time in a little over a month (so my 5th weigh in) that I have felt encouraged to go. I realize there were mitigating circumstances and I didn't give up or start eating poorly - it was simply the feeling of being "stuck" on this journey that I have really enjoyed so far that really impacted the way I viewed myself, food and being motivated to continue moving towards the life I really want.
All that to be said, I am crossing my fingers the weigh in today represents my hard work, dedication and commitment to myself first, and then my family. I'm excited to go and get on that scale! How many women do you hear saying that? :)
I want to encourage each of you that REGARDLESS OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES, do not give up, do not give in, and do not stop believing in yourself. The whole purpose of a journey is to go somewhere you never would have otherwise, but these things take time. If every journey was easy, everyone would do them - BUT we are different. We chose a hard, long, laborious journey of living a healthy lifestyle at a healthy weight. As the majority of Americans now are overweight or obese, we are truly taking the road less traveled, and it really is making all the difference.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
New Favorite Blog
You know how currently obsessed I am with cupcake tins, well here is the BEST resource for WW "cupcake" recipes!!!!!
I'm about to give away my secret. Contrary to popular belief, I very rarely make up any recipe. I usually get them from pinterest, blogs, etc - and simply lighten them up so they are WW friendly. I have decided to simply post the link to my new favorite blog and let you browse her options. They are all WW friendly, perfectly portioned by using MUFFIN TINS (WAHOO!!!), and freaking delicious. I started posting each recipe then thought - why reinvent the wheel? Here are a few of my favorites with some pics so you're enticed enough to check it out!!!
http://www.emilybites.com/
If anything is too many points for you, let me know and I'll try to reduce it even further. Hope you enjoy as much as I am!
Taco Cupcake with Guac
Lasagna Cupcakes
Cheeseburger Cupcakes
French Dip Cupcake
I'm about to give away my secret. Contrary to popular belief, I very rarely make up any recipe. I usually get them from pinterest, blogs, etc - and simply lighten them up so they are WW friendly. I have decided to simply post the link to my new favorite blog and let you browse her options. They are all WW friendly, perfectly portioned by using MUFFIN TINS (WAHOO!!!), and freaking delicious. I started posting each recipe then thought - why reinvent the wheel? Here are a few of my favorites with some pics so you're enticed enough to check it out!!!
http://www.emilybites.com/
If anything is too many points for you, let me know and I'll try to reduce it even further. Hope you enjoy as much as I am!
Taco Cupcake with Guac
Lasagna Cupcakes
Spaghetti Cups
Ingredients:1 lb or extra lean ground turkey or 95% lean ground beef
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 T skim milk
8 oz wheat spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti), broken into 2-3” pieces
3 egg whites
1 oz reduced fat Parmesan cheese
¼ cup 2% shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 ½ cups + 3 T marinara sauce, divided
Parsley or chopped fresh basil (optional garnish)
Directions:1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then lightly mist it with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, egg and skim milk and stir until mixed. Add the ground beef and stir in until thoroughly combined. Split the meat mixture into 12 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Set the balls on the prepared baking sheet and put them in the over to bake for 25 minutes at 350.
3. While the meatballs bake, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the broken spaghetti pieces according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti and set it aside to cool (I actually stuck mine in the fridge for a few minutes. It doesn’t need to be cold, but you don’t want it to be too hot to handle when you press it into the cups).
4. When the meatballs are done, remove them from the oven and place them in a saucepot with 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce. Bring the meatballs and sauce over low heat on the stovetop, just to keep it all warm. Stir occasionally. Turn the heat on the oven up to 400 degrees.
5. When the pasta is cooled enough to handle, whisk the egg whites together in a large bowl and then add the pasta. Stir to combine and then add the Parmesan, Mozzarella, and 3 tablespoons of the marinara sauce. Mix together until thoroughly combined.
6. Lightly mist a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place about 1/3 cup of the spaghetti mixture into each cup in the muffin tin. Using your fingers, press down on the center and up the sides of the spaghetti, forming cups. Slide the tin into the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400.
7. When the spaghetti cups are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a moment before removing them from the tin. When ready to serve, pour a tablespoon of marinara sauce from the pot into the center of a spaghetti cup, top it with a meatball, and follow it with another tablespoon of marinara.
*If you are planning to have leftovers, I suggest storing the sauce & meatballs in one container and the spaghetti cups in another and assembling them right before eating.
Yields 12 spaghetti & meatball cups. Weight Watchers P+: 2 cups are 9 points+
¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 T skim milk
8 oz wheat spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti), broken into 2-3” pieces
3 egg whites
1 oz reduced fat Parmesan cheese
¼ cup 2% shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 ½ cups + 3 T marinara sauce, divided
Parsley or chopped fresh basil (optional garnish)
Directions:1. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then lightly mist it with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, egg and skim milk and stir until mixed. Add the ground beef and stir in until thoroughly combined. Split the meat mixture into 12 equal pieces and roll them into balls. Set the balls on the prepared baking sheet and put them in the over to bake for 25 minutes at 350.
3. While the meatballs bake, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the broken spaghetti pieces according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti and set it aside to cool (I actually stuck mine in the fridge for a few minutes. It doesn’t need to be cold, but you don’t want it to be too hot to handle when you press it into the cups).
4. When the meatballs are done, remove them from the oven and place them in a saucepot with 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce. Bring the meatballs and sauce over low heat on the stovetop, just to keep it all warm. Stir occasionally. Turn the heat on the oven up to 400 degrees.
5. When the pasta is cooled enough to handle, whisk the egg whites together in a large bowl and then add the pasta. Stir to combine and then add the Parmesan, Mozzarella, and 3 tablespoons of the marinara sauce. Mix together until thoroughly combined.
6. Lightly mist a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place about 1/3 cup of the spaghetti mixture into each cup in the muffin tin. Using your fingers, press down on the center and up the sides of the spaghetti, forming cups. Slide the tin into the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes at 400.
7. When the spaghetti cups are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a moment before removing them from the tin. When ready to serve, pour a tablespoon of marinara sauce from the pot into the center of a spaghetti cup, top it with a meatball, and follow it with another tablespoon of marinara.
*If you are planning to have leftovers, I suggest storing the sauce & meatballs in one container and the spaghetti cups in another and assembling them right before eating.
Yields 12 spaghetti & meatball cups. Weight Watchers P+: 2 cups are 9 points+
YAY for muffin tins!!!!
- Spaghetti bites - recipe to follow
- Pizza bites - use the "thin crust" from Pillsburry (crescent roll section of store) - spread out, cut with the top of a cup. Spray tins, cook crust only for two to three minutes - take out of oven, build pizza and PRESTO! You'll have to figure out your own points as toppings, how much cheese you use, pepperoni vs. turkey pepp, etc. I can usually eat three "muffins" for 7 or 8pts.
- Pancake bites - YUM!!!!! 1 cup pancake mix (take your pick, I used Krusteaz), 2/3 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar (I use sugar free), and whatever toppings you want. I double this recipe to make all 12 tins. 2 muffins (good size) are 5pts - not including toppings. You can do chocolate chips, turkey sausage, bananas, strawberries, etc. These are extra good because the syrup is baked in, so nothing messy for little fingers! Or big fingers for that matter. :)
Portion Control
So one of the many things I've have learned along my fabulous, yet sometime tedious, WW journey is how important portion control is. It can go both ways. Healthy foods, eaten in extreme excess is no bueno; however, yummy non-healthy foods eaten in moderation are fine - so learning to balance those has been difficult. For example, if I eat bad for a snack or early meal - it's the like the rest of the day is no holds barred. Nearly every decision from that point forward is not the best. Sooooo, that being said - enjoy what you want - but figure out the best way for you to eat it. Here are some suggestions!
- Muffin Tins: I am OBSESSED with muffin tins currently. As you will soon see after I post some new recipes. :) I love them because I can control how much I eat without weighing things to death. I use them for everything now: meatloaf, spaghetti, quiche, pancakes, tacos, meatballs, pizzas, dessert, you name it. It's easy to fix, simple to serve, easy to pack for my lunches, delicious and PERFECT PORTION CONTROL!!
- Chocolate: Hands down I freeze it. If I want chocolate, and I actually eat some, all bets are off. It's like potato chips - I can't stop at one. However, frozen chocolate is just not the same. So I freeze a bag of the snack size candy bars (usually one to two points each) and only take one out to let it thaw if I'm craving chocolate. Not only are the points ok for a treat, but I won't eat 10 of them.
- Cake/Sweets: Same thing as above, I've started doing everything in muffin tins. It's the perfect portion and I know exactly what I can have. Cookies tend to be different sizes unless you weigh each one, cakes and pies are too easy to take a "sliver" off of.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Long time no see
I know, it's been over a month since I've posted. Shame on me. I could give you a list of reasons/excuses, but the bottom line is once you start to settle into the WW lifestyle - the initial enthusiasm wanes, and you it becomes second nature. However, second nature can often bite you in the booty - so I'm back, and with a vengeance. :)
Starting tomorrow I will rock it with some new recipes I've found in the last month, some weight loss totals, and just general renewed commitment to you and to myself.
So here's to starting a new day, a new life, and rocking a new body. Cheers friends - let's go!!!!!
Starting tomorrow I will rock it with some new recipes I've found in the last month, some weight loss totals, and just general renewed commitment to you and to myself.
So here's to starting a new day, a new life, and rocking a new body. Cheers friends - let's go!!!!!
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