Stick with It!

Ever broke down and ate an entire sleeve of Oreo Cookies?

- Sat down with a bag of chips meaning to eat a careful 10 of them to realize the whole thing is gone 10 minutes later?

- Promised to go to the gym tomorrow until you realize it's been 3 weeks?

- Went to weigh in convinced that you did very well to discover that you gained 1.2 lbs?

What happened? How did your day go? Your week? Set backs are normal when we are trying to lose weight, not only they happen, but they can prove to be a blessing in disguise because of the lessons they bring us.

This week we will discuss how to overcome setbacks to keep them from bringing down our weight loss Mojo!

Tool of the week

Do you have your calculator yet? This little tool calculates the PointsPlus value of any packaged food, tracks your day, give you your daily target, everything!!

Not only that, but the first one you buy is at a greatly reduced price!

Note: You get a FREE calculator when you buy a Deluxe Member kit. Something to think about.

In the Kitchen

This is a favorite of mine that I've been making for years. I've also made it for my extended family and had to translate the recipe for them to use!

It's a great side dish, I have reheated it numerous times (adding a little broth), frozen it, ate it as a side dish, added proteins to make it a one pot dish. Anything, it's versatile, it's delicious, and it's easy despite the fact that it seems complicated.

Spiced Barley Pilaf

6 servings, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley

2 tsp canola oil

2 small carrots, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 (14 1/2 oz can) chicken broth

3/4 cup water

1- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the barley and toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes (it should brown slightly, do not over toast!). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, red onion, and celery; cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, cumin, salt paprika, turmeric, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the barley, stir to coat with the spices, add the broth and water; bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the barley is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Stir It Up cookbook p. 211, Weight Watchers 2006

Activity

Step challenge

Ok, this time we are ON!

The Rules:

Every day you want to track the total number of steps you have taken that day.

You want to add up every day and divided by 7 to know the average number of steps you've taken each day.

When you come to your meeting, we want to hear all about it!!

You can also follow the Step Challenge 2011 on Facebook!

Bay to Breakers

I'm also planning on walking Bay to Breakers. If you want to come and join the fun, we'll be meeting somewhere downtown (TBD), walking (and people watching!) together.

Costumes? That could be fun!

Have a good week!

Do not let the January fever fade and disappear! We are doing great things together and need to keep going! The weight losses have been impressive, and we are on a good stretch, let's keep it going all year long!

You know I'm only an email away, I am here for you! See you in the meeting room,

Melanie

“To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence.”
Arthur Schopenhauer