Saturday, July 31, 2010

Stop the Eat-a-Thon

No matter how committed we are to our new lifestyle, we all splurge from time to time. Perfection is not of this world, and those little slips are easy to make up for.

For some of us though, those times can really get out of control. Out of control eating (OCE) is when we just eat and eat and eat without being able to stop ourselves leading to feeling of guilt, and usually to weight gain.

There are strategies that can help us regain control over those munchies attack. This week we will discuss those strategies and see if we can come up with an action plan to stop those OCE attack, and prevent their return. Don’t miss it!

Tool of the week

Consistent tracking is the best way I know of to regain control of our eating. It teaches us what works, what doesn’t, and where we need to put an extra effort to make sure we are reaching our goals.


The 3 Month Journal is a great tool because not only you can track what you eat along with your activity, but you can also add little notes, put down an action plan for a coming challenge, and keep track of your weight and measurement (at the beginning!).

It really is a good mirror in which you can look at your plan and see what needs to be done to achieve your Winning Outcome.

What’s going on?

SF:
We still have the Catch the Wave promotion going on until the end of August, make sure to come in and get your star for the week so that you can get in the drawing on August 31st!

There are talks of a team being put together for the Step Out Walk for diabetes. The walk is on October 1st, a Friday, at noon. More to come on the subject. I am not putting the walk together this year, I simply don’t have time, but I am sure going to walk it! Stay tuned!

Petaluma:

If you are in the City on October 1st, come and walk with us!!!

I was thinking of putting together a smoothie tasting on the first week of September to celebrate the return of our routine. It’d be fun to get together and try a few different recipes done with our fabulous Weight Watchers smoothies. If you have recipes, suggestions, a blender that could be used, drop me an email.

We have time to put it together I just wanted to put the idea out there ahead of time to see what we can come up with.


In the Kitchen

I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I like to eat vegetarian meals rather regularly for variety if nothing else.

I’ve discovered Vegetarian Magazine a few years ago and find it to be very “real” contrary to many high and mighty vegetarian cookbooks and magazine I’ve looked at in the past. I don’t want to be preached at, I want food ideas!

This salad is a good sample of what I like about that magazine; it’s simple, healthy, delicious and looks fabulous. I like to use it at get-togethers and serve it in my pretty salad bowl (well, I did before it broke, ahem… life with a kitten!!).

Height-of-Summer Tomato Salad
6 servings, 2 pts/serving

Note: You want to make the dressing ahead and have it sit overnight in the fridge for better flavor.

Ingredients
Dressing
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
3 cloves garlic minced (1 TBSP)
2 ½ TBSP olive oil (I cut it down to 1 ½ TBSP, but I wouldn’t put less than that)

Salad
12 oz. Heirloom or other peak-season tomatoes, cut in different shapes (I get creative here, takes me forever!)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
¼ small onion, thinly sliced (I like to use shallot myself)
1 ½ oz. ricotta salata, crumbled (don’t use it myself since I don’t eat cheese)

Directions
1- Puree basil and garlic with ½ tsp oil in the food processor. Stir in remaining oil.
2- To make the salad: toss together tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and ricotta salata in a large bowl. Pour dressing over mixture, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with basil leaves.


See? Simple and easy. You can fuffy it up with a pretty bowl and creativity while cutting the vegetables or you can keep it simple and just enjoy the fabulous taste of peak-season tomatoes.


At Work Corner

Some of my groups are getting close to renewal time. Please bring your friends and have them check us out at your meeting! Also keep in mind that anybody can join our series at any time. I just need to know a little in advance so that I can bring the necessary paperwork and material.

I still have a large number of food scales, Easy Measure (the spoons!) and cookbooks. If you need any of these, let me know! I also found 2 cases of the Roasted Almond bars. If you want some extra of these let me know. I need to sell them before my husband eats them all. HA!

If there is anything that you need, please let me know and I will gladly bring it for you. If I know ahead, I can grab whatever I don’t have from a center (shhhhhh!) and bring it to you.

If for any reason you can't make your meeting at work, you are more than welcome to attend a meeting at any center - traveler. You have paid for it already!

You can find meetings close to home or to your vacation site at:
www.weightwatchers.com

Here are my meetings:
http://seamountains.net/mtg.html
Have an awesome week!

Never be afraid to email me at any time. I’m there for you!!

Have a wonderful week! I’ve heard rumors that the sun might make it to San Francisco this week. There is hope for us!!

Melanie


“Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.”
Steve Droke

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Snack Savvy

It’s 10:30 in the morning, breakfast is long gone, lunch is another 2 hours away and you have a big meeting in 15 minutes. Your stomach is growling, you’re out of energy (and out of patience!), you’ve drank 4 coffees to no avail. Now what?

Have you ever been in a similar situation? What happened?

This week we are going to talk about how being snack savvy can really make a difference. If you have any great snack finds, tell us about them! This is team work!

Tool of the week

Speaking of snacking! If like me you are a “salt bug” you will totally love the Baked Snacks!


They are crunchy, salty and delicious! They also come in pre-portioned little packs. No big bag to lure you into eating more than you should!

I always have one of those little bags in my car or in my bag right along with my Mini Bar and my Fruities!

What’s going on?

Would you believe it’s the end of July already? Seriously?

The Catch the Wave Promotion is still going on full force in the San Francisco territory! Come and get your star to be part of the raffle at the end of August!

Registration to a center or traveler meeting is $1 (instead of $20 joining fee). Summer is the slow season at WW, perfect time to join when the lines are shorter, and the rooms are less crowded. Get the deal and beat the September crowd!

In the Kitchen

Last week I sent you the Quick Jalapeno Corn Soup, so I figured that I might as well give you the Salad that comes with it in the Meals in Minute cookbook (2003).

This salad, along with the soup, makes a very filling meal. For some reason it’s the perfect “after beach” meal. It calls for poached chicken, I’ve been known to use any leftover chicken I can put my hands on. You just don’t want it to be so spicy that it overpowers everything else.

Mexican Chicken Salad
4 servings, 5 pts/serving

Ingredients
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
4 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¾ tsp chili powder
¾ lbs poached chicken, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 tomato, seeded and cut into ½ inch cubes*
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 scallions, minced (white and light green only)
2 TBSP minced cilantro
2 cup shredded romaine lettuce

*I cut the tomato in ¼ s and lightly squeeze the juice out of them so it’s not soggy before I chop them. Learned that from Sam the cooking guy on Discovery Health!

Directions
1-To make the dressing**, put the lime juice in a small bowl. Drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly. Press in the garlic with a garlic press and add the chili powder; whisk thoroughly.

2- In a large bowl combine the chicken, tomato, avocado, scallions and cilantro. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 2 hours.

3- Divide the lettuce among 4 plates and mound the chicken salad on top.

I usually will make this salad (and the soup) in the morning and warm it up for dinner. It tastes better when it has rested for a while.

** I would make the dressing first, then make the salad, cutting the avocado last, and add the dressing right away. That way the avocado doesn’t have time to brown. ;o)

At Work Corner

My Summer of Organization is still full on and I am happy to report that I’m making great progress!

I have a large number of food scales, Easy Measure (the spoons!) and cookbooks. If you need any of these, let me know!

I also found a few member kits (Yay for organization!) both the basic kits, and the Deluxe Kits. I will drop those at a center unless some of you need it.

If there is anything that you need, please let me know and I will gladly bring it for you. If I know ahead, I can grab whatever I don’t have from a center (shhhhhh!) and bring it to you.

I try to keep weekly material at every location, but if there’s a weekly book (1 to 10, Maintenance, Lifetime) that you need, again let me know.

If for any reason you can't make your meeting at work, you are more than welcome to attend a meeting at any center - traveler. You have paid for it already!

You can find meetings close to home or to your vacation site at:
www.weightwatchers.com

Here are my meetings:
http://seamountains.net/mtg.html


Have an awesome week!

If you need anything just email me, I’m there for you!

Have a grand week!! Be good, but not too much! HA!

Melanie
Leader


“Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.”
Steve Droke

Monday, July 19, 2010

Hit the Restart Button!

Last week we figured out what a Plateau actually is, and how a positive mindset is essential if you want to break out of your rut.

This week we're taking action! What are the steps one should take to get the weight loss machine started again? You don't have to sit and wait for things to change themselves. As always, it's up to you!


Tool of the week:

The featured product this week is the Point Pedometer!



This little tool is awesome! It counts your steps (of course) but also your mileage and you point earned. It's small, easy to use, has a safety clip and a "pause" button.

Let me know if you want one and I'll make sure to have them on hand. It is a very motivating little tool!


What’s going on?

Between the 4th of July break, my husband's birthday and my week long stomach flu, I haven't seen some of you in forever it seems! I'm back with a vengeance!

The big celebrations are done, now it's just time to enjoy summer. If you want the sun and the heat, head to Sonoma County. If you want to cool off, come down to the City!

Don't you love the Bay Area?

In the Kitchen

I have many many (MANY) cookbooks of all sorts, and all ethnicity. Still, the ones I use the most are my Weight Watchers cookbooks. The recipes are simple, healthy and delicious. I was planning my week, and took out my Meals in Minute cookbook (2003).

There's a soup in there that I love. For some reason, it's the perfect soup for an evening after being outside all day. It's easy and quick, but mainly it's delicious! you can puree the whole thing, but sometimes, when I want to be fuffy about it, I'll chop carefully and at the end puree only half of it. Makes it more chunky. ;o)

Quick Jalapeño Corn Soup
6 servings, 2 pts/serving

Ingredients
2 tsp Olive oil
1 Onion; chopped
2 Garlic cloves; minced
2 1/2 c Corn kernels
2 Red potatoes; peeled and
1/2 Jalapeño pepper; seeded
De veined and chopped
(wear gloves to prevent
3 cups Low-sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp Salt or to taste
¼ tsp Freshly ground pepper or to taste
1/2 Red bell pepper; seeded and diced
1 TBSP Chopped cilantro

Direction
1- Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir 15 seconds. Stir in the corn, potatoes, and jalapeño; cook stirring, until the corn begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables can easily be mashed, about 15 minutes.

2- Transfer to a food processor or blender (I use an immersion blender!), add the salt and pepper, and puree. Serve sprinkled with the bell pepper and cilantro.

Serving size: 3/4 cup
Meals in Minutes (2003), Weight Watcher, P. 89

At Work Corner

In an effort to cut on parking cost, and to be a little more environment friendly, I'm trying to organize things so that I can Muni around a little more.

That means that I need to travel light! If there is anything that you need, please email me and I will bring it for you. That way I don't have to carry "everything" all the time.

I have a boat load of food scales and Easy Measure sets! Those can be very useful to help you kick start your weight loss.

If for any reason you can't make your meeting at work, you are more than welcome to attend a meeting at any center - traveler. You have paid for it already!

You can find meetings close to home or to your vacation site at:
www.weightwatchers.com

Here's my meetings:

http://seamountains.net/mtg.html

Have a successful, enjoyable week!

Keep in mind that I'm always an email away! If you have questions, concerns, if you are looking for a particular tool and can't find it let me know!

Have a great week!! See you at your meeting!


Melanie

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” - Robert Brault