Power Up with Power Foods!

How was the first week of 2011? What part of PointsPlus is working best for you so far? As you get to know the program better, I’m sure you will find little tricks and tips to make the plan work better for you. Please bring those in. We are learning together!

Speaking of which, how satisfying are the foods that you eat every day? Are they working for you? Do you get hungry 20 minutes after lunch? Or are you good to go until mid-afternoon?

Being satisfied with the food we eat is key to a successful weight management but sometimes it’s hard to know what foods are the best choices. We’ve solved that puzzle for you by putting together a list of Power Foods! Power Foods are the best choices in most categories of food.

This week we’re going to discuss how we can use the Power Foods to make every meal and snack much more satisfying. Bring your food ideas and discoveries!

Tool of the week

Satisfaction starts with breakfast! Only sometimes it’s a challenge to get breakfast prepared, and eaten, in the little time we have before having to run out. Here’s two quick fixes for a healthy filling breakfast on the go: The Weight Watchers instant oatmeal and the Weight Watchers Smoothies.

Both of them are easy, tasty, and greatly versatile. You can have them as is, or mix them with fruits, dairy, whatever else you can think up.

Hint: I have a chocolate smoothie mixed with 1/5 cup of coffee every morning!!

In the kitchen

As I said last week we decided to theme each week in January. Last week was Vegetarian week (mostly!), this week is casserole week. So everything we make is 1 pot casserole type dishes.

Here’s a dish that I like to do every once in a while, it sounds more complicated than it is really, and it’s delicious!

Poulet au citron et aux olives (Lemon chicken with olives)
6 servings 6 P+/serving

2 TBSP olive oil

3 lbs chicken pieces, bone in skin removed

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

¾ cup chicken broth

2 TBSP lemon juice

½ tsp sugar

½ lemon thinly sliced

3 tomatoes cut in wedges

½ cup green or black olives, pitted

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

In a nonstick pan at medium high heat, heat up half the oil and brown the chicken on all sides (about 10 minutes, might need to work in batches) remove the chicken from the pan, set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan and put in the onion, garlic, bay leaves, pepper, oregano, coriander, cumin and salt. Cook at medium heat, stirring every now and then, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Put the chicken back in the pan with whatever juice gathered in the plate. Add the chicken broth, the lemon juice and the sugar. Add the lemon slices on top of the chicken, lower the fire and let simmer for 15 minutes (pour a little of the broth on the chicken from time to time).

Add tomato wedges and olives and cook, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove bay leaves and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

From: Coup de Pouce a Table, 150 recettes simple comme bonjour Les Editions Transcontinentales, 2005 (translated by Melanie Bourgeois)

Activity

When talking activity, we always seem to want to think big and complicated. It doesn’t have to be. Walking is one of the simplest, easiest activities we can come up with, and it’s incredibly healthy!

Here’s what the expert at the Mayo Clinic had to say about walking:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612

Weight Watchers Etools has information and a walking plan for you:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=52191&sc=3039

You don’t need much to walk: layered clothes (it’s San Francisco!), a good pair of comfortable shoes and that’s about it.

Another nifty tool for the walkers is a pedometer. Here’s a few words from selfgrowth.com about using a pedometer:

One simple device that has been developed to keep track of the steps we take everyday is the pedometer. Compared to other fitness equipment that require vast amounts of space, the pedometer is a cheap, clip-on electronic device that you attach to your belt on your waist/hip area so you can measure your daily steps.

This might be a lowly device that do nothing else but record the steps you take, but research has proven that it actually has immense benefits. For starters, studies have shown that those who wear pedometers were actually more motivated to keep moving. Previously sedentary individuals who where given a pedometer to measure their daily steps, were encouraged to become more active and as a result reported more energy and vigor in their daily activities.

Another huge benefit derived from the pedometer is that it motivates individuals to achieve their goals because it makes them measurable. If a person knew that his usual number of steps in a day is only a thousand and if he sets to achieve two thousand steps in two weeks, he can measure his success consistently on a daily basis because of the pedometer.

Finally, because you can take a pedometer with you, it also plays a vital role in revealing your current fitness level. As a result, you become motivated to walk if only to increase your stamina, get rid of stress and be able to keep up with your energetic toddler.

How about that? Of course, the Weight Watchers Pedometer does more than merely count your steps, it counts distance, Activity PointsPlus, and can be set for an aerobic walk, or all day mode.

Any activity that gets you moving is good activity. Walking is easy, low tech, low gear, and incredibly healthy. Get walking!!

Have a good week!

If you can’t make your regular meeting, you can find my meeting schedule along with my before and after picture at:
http://seamountains.net/mtg.html


As always I’m only an email away!!

Your leader,

Melanie

“The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings.”
~David Weinbaum