summer Macaroni Salad

Here is a really good recipe for some pasta salad. Only 3 points for 1 cup! Click below for the recipe.


http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/summer-macaroni-salad-with-tomatoes-and.html#more

 

looking for a good points plus friendly dessert or summer treat... These are only 2 points plus each. They can be found at SAM's club and there was a coupon for them in this last weekends Sunday Paper

What motivation really is: having the will to do what's right even when you don't feel like it. You can't only work at weight loss when you want to and expect to succeed; you have to work at it every day. And not everyday will be easy!

new items that just came in yesterday

This weeks meeting topic = Your BBQ Survival Guide!

 

Peanut Butter Lovers: A 45 Calorie Solution That Will Save Your Waistline

Snack Girl features peanut butter A LOT. I happen to love the stuff and I use it almost every day.
It is super nutritious. The best peanut butter is just roasted and ground peanuts without any extra sugar or oil. The processing of peanuts is minimal and it makes a spread that goes with so many fruits and vegetables.
For the people out there that are trying to slim down, peanut butter is a bit of a problem. Here are the nutritional facts for 2 tablespoons of plain peanut butter:
190 calories, 16 g fat, 7 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 3 g fiber, 0 mg sodium, 5 PointsPlus
Ouch.
But, you get 4% of your daily value of iron, and 10% of your daily value of both vitamin E, and folate. This stuff is chocked full of nutrients so these are not EMPTY calories. (those are the worst :)
In my opinion, peanut butter should not be avoided because it IS nutritious.
What if you wanted to cut down on your peanut butter consumption? Like me, you might be using a bunch of it to make your apple, banana, or broccoli taste delicious.
Enter PB2, a powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter. Here are the nutritional facts for 2 tablespoons of PB2:
45 calories, 1.5 g fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 2 g fiber, 94 mg sodium, 1 PointsPlus
Yeahhhhh.
So, I was against trying this stuff because I thought it would taste yucky (to use a scientific term). I bought some of it on Amazon.com because so many people told me to give it a try. Here it is what it looks like:
You mix it with water to make this:
I got out some spoons and tasted it alongside my regular peanut butter. I am shocked and happy to say that PB2 tastes yummy. I would not have known that the fat was missing. It has a strong peanut flavor and in one swoop I save 145 calories!
There are some downsides to using PB2 instead of regular peanut butter:

• It is expensive at over $7 a jar unless you buy it in bulk. (see note)
• The nutrients are now missing from the peanut butter. I guess they left with the fat. 0% DV of Iron, etc.
• You may have to special order it from Amazon or Bell Plantation. (hard to find in stores)

I am planning to use some regular peanut butter some of the time, and PB2 some of the time. I might add a dash to my smoothie and try my no bake peanut butter ball recipe with it.
Bell Plantation also puts out a PB2 with chocolate (that I haven't tried) - but it gets good reviews on Amazon. It has 45 calories for two tablespoons.

Greek Chicken

Greek Chicken
6 servings 
6 servings @ 7 each

1 ½ lbs boneless chicken breasts cutlets
(1 T minced garlic, ½ t pepper)
14 oz can diced tomatoes, Italian style
4 oz sliced Kalamata olives
4 oz crumbled RF feta cheese
Brown chicken in a large sprayed skillet over med heat for 3 min on each side. Add garlic and sauté for 1 min. Reduce heat; add tomatoes, olives, and pepper. Cover & cook 10 – 15 min. Remove from heat; top with feta.


I served with raw spinach with lemon juice & sea salt.

ActiveLink is a state-of-the art activity monitor that links to the Web to help you seamlessly track your activity, set personalized goals, and help stay motivated to reach those goals.

This is a new product offering by Weight Watchers that will be available YOU very soon.

Some WW employees just got ours in the mail today... We can learn it so we can teach you!

Eat what YOU love

When it comes to losing weight, changing your life isn’t as difficult as you may think. New research has indicated that even a small weight loss can result in enormous gains and potentially life-saving changes. You can reduce your risk of heart attack, cancer, stroke, dementia, and more – by losing just 10 pounds.

Summer Sabotage Try these tactics and keep the "light" season from getting heavy. Article By: Mary Duffy Appetite tends to decrease as the temperature rises, so losing weight this summer should be no problem, right? Not necessarily. Unfortunately, barbecues, weddings, visits and vacations, this time of year can actually be a weight-loss minefield. Food is often the focus of our summer entertaining, and it's easy to lose sight of how much you're consuming. When you're at a party, before you pick up a plate, scan your options, suggests Susie Klein, MS, RD. "Think about what you really want, then get a plate and follow through on those choices." Size does matter, so keep portion control in mind, says Ellie Krieger, MS, RD. And while you may be tempted to take a vacation from sensible eating while you're enjoying time off, Krieger advises that you merely loosen up rather than abandon your diet plan altogether. "When you're on vacation, allow yourself a little treat." Here are five more strategies for staying on track all season. BYO When invited for to a barbecue or picnic, contribute a chopped vegetable salad or some other healthful dish. That way you'll know there's at least one item on the menu that's tasty, filling, and low in calories. Sit down Rather than grazing throughout the party, get a plate, take small amounts of the food you want, sit down and enjoy it. Calories mount up, one nibble at a time, when you're hanging out at the buffet table mindlessly eating as much finger food as you want. Get moving After eating, leave the table — and the temptation — and do something active. Take a walk on the beach, play catch with the kids, start a volleyball or softball game, toss a Frisbee or football. Take the focus off food while you burn away your meal. Quench with care On a hot day it's easy to down glass after glass of lemonade or punch, but unless you've made it yourself and know for sure, be aware that it's probably loaded with sugar. Summer favorites such as smoothies and frozen margaritas can also be highly caloric. The best way to quench your thirst is with water. Make it flavorful by adding slices of orange, lemon or lime. Treat yourself Delectable doesn't have to be decadent. Indulge with lobster (hold the butter) and other fresh seafood. Corn grilled in the husk is flavorful without added calories from butter. And it wouldn't be summer without watermelon. It's sweet, fun to eat, loaded with nutrients and low in calories.

this weeks meeting topic

This Weeks Meeting Topic = Eat What YOU love

Greek-Style Potato Salad Weight Watchers Recipe

Greek-Style Potato Salad

Weight Watchers Recipe

Ratings (0)
3PointsPlus Value
Prep time:  15 min
Cook time:  15 min
Serves: 6
A Greek-inspired version of a picnic favorite. It’s lemony and bright, garnished with chopped olives and crumbled feta.
Ingredients
      1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked baby potatoes, red, washed and quartered  
1/3 cup(s) plain low fat Greek yogurt  
1/4 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise  
2 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped  
2 tsp fresh lemon juice  
1 tsp Dijon Mustard  
1 tsp kosher salt  
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground  
      1/2 small uncooked red onion(s), minced  
6 medium olive(s), kalamata, chopped  
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese  
Instructions
Place potatoes in a medium sauce pan and add enough water to cover potatoes; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes; drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.

Place cooled potatoes into a serving bowl; gently fold in dressing and onions. Garnish with olives and feta; serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.
Notes
Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

It may sound weird, but it is wrong to use the exercise as a means of punishment for yourself because you eat a lot, or in order to win the right to eat more. That is why many people say they hate exercise.

Instead, focus on how beautiful you feel, how much better sleep you have at night, and how much more energy you have when you exercise. Physical exercise is good for you whether you are trying to lose weight or not. See, therefore, exercise positively and try to make it your second nature.

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

(adapted from Ellie Krieger's "Comfort Food Fix")
(makes 4 servings)
2 pounds chicken wings, split at the joint
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce (for example: Frank's Red Hot)
Place wings into a large pot and fill the pot with cold water to cover the wings by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes. While chicken is boiling heat your broiler to HIGH. When done, drain and place chicken wings on rimmed cookie sheet.
Broil 6 inches from element or flame for 5 to 6 minutes per side. The skin should blister and brown. You are just trying to get that CRUNCH texture added to the wings.
Drizzle with reserved sauce. At this point you can toss them to make a covered wing or leave a bit uncovered for less messy eating.
For 4-5 chicken wings = 240 calories, 12 g fat, 4 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein, 1 g fiber, 710 mg sodium, 6 PointsPlus

Spotted on Shelves... Apple Cinnamon Chex - There's a new cereal in town -- and we LOVE it! These crispy, gluten-free, whole-grain rice squares are coated with sweet cinnamon-apple deliciousness. A 3/4-cup serving has 130 calories, 2g fat, 190mg sodium, 26g carbs, <1g fiber, 8g sugars, and 1g protein (PointsPlus® value 3*). Look for it at your local market -- it's popping up in stores this month!

Set healthy goals for yourself for healthy life. Diet, exercise and healthy eating will not happen by itself or randomly, you have to workout seriously and actively towards it.

Permanent weight loss requires lifestyle change, not a quick fix

Healthy life starts with happy life. To attain healthy life, you have to make your surroundings enjoyable and pleasant to live in. If your surroundings are messy, it is hard to relax.

this weeks meeting topic

This weeks meeting topic = Dining out in OUR town.

 

PB&C Cake in a Mug Entire recipe: 231 calories, 8g fat, 424mg sodium, 36g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 6.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 6* The name says it all. It's peanut butter 'n chocolate cake -- in a MUG!!!

Ingredients:
1 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. reduced-fat peanut butter, room temperature
3 tbsp. moist-style devil's food cake mix
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/8 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe mug sprayed with nonstick spray. Add 2 tablespoons hot water. Microwave for 20 seconds, and stir to dissolve. If needed, microwave for an additional 10 - 20 seconds, and stir until fully dissolved.

Add 1 tsp. peanut butter and all remaining ingredients except Reddi-wip. Mix well. Microwave for 1 minute and 45 seconds, or until set.

Gently spread cake with remaining 1 tsp. peanut butter. Top with Reddi-wip and eat up!

MAKES 1 SERVING

FREE walkinc

Attention SCV Weight Wacthers / Walkers. 

One of our members, has caught the activity bug ever since doing a half-marathon with me this past January. She has become quite the avid walker and consequently has formed a relationship with Runner's Lane over on Bouquet and Soledad. They have started up a FREE walking group doing 5K walks around town every Saturday morning at 7 am. They are putting together a flyer that they hope to hang at/around the store.

have your logged on and activated your weight loss yet? Be sure to go to WeightWatchers.com/livelifeactive

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO TODAY

IN ORDER TO LOSE ONE POUND THIS WEEK?

(WHAT HAS WORKED BEFORE AND WOULD HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF WORKING AGAIN?)



Pick one from the following menu or commit to your own idea:

    Make a food plan for next three meals
    Throw away the ___________ that has been calling your name
    Ask your friend, spouse or family member for help
    Pull out your Weight Watchers recipe book and make something new for dinner
    Drink more water
    Take two walks a day
    Pencil in your _________ day / night Weight Watchers meeting EVERY week this month

This weeks Meeting topic

This weeks meeting topic = Set a Summer Goal! Care to share yours ???