BBQs, Picnic, Cocktails, Oh my!

It's BBQ season!! Every year I'm overwhelmed by the smelly deliciousness of the BBQ smoke overtaking the fog. It's summer in San Francisco and you can smell it!

Now that all the big celebrations are done, all we have to do is to kick back, relax and enjoy the easy going gatherings with friends around the BBQ, the bonfire, the cocktails or, dare I say, the potluck table. Those days are fun to be sure, but they can also bring along their share of challenges.

I don't want to miss anything, but how do I count this delicious Mojito that my friend graciously brought me from the bar? If I skip the ice cream, can I indulge in a Pina Colada or two? What about them ribs?

This is the first summer with the PointsPlus program, and it might not be a bad idea to put our heads together and see if we can figure out how to navigate those enjoyable (if not sunny, it's San Francisco after all) days of summer.

What do you think? Good idea right?

Note

Melanie Weekly now has a Twitter account! Not the most active in the world, but I'm learning.

Look me up "MelanieWeekly" on Twitter and see if I can learn to keep myself to 144 characters HA!

Tool of the week

Do you have the easy measure spoon set yet? You got to!

These spoons are the perfect sneaky portion control tools.

The set has 3 serving spoons:

• 1 big spoon (1 cup),
• 1 medium sized spoon (1/2 cup)
• 1 small ladle (1/4 cup).

They are stainless steel, so they look nice, are easy to wash (dishwasher safe even!) and light enough to carry anywhere. I love them!

In the Kitchen

This recipe is for pork chops, but I have used this marinade for chicken (for kebabs) with great results. It's simple and easy, and quick!

I find that it taste better if marinated overnight.

Indian-Spiced Pork Chops

4 servings, 5 P+/serving

Ingredients

2 TBSP plain Yogurt fat free

2 tsp honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

4 (5oz) lean pork loin chops

In a zip-close bag, combine the yogurt, the honey, the garlic, the vinegar and the spices; add the chops and seal. Turn around to coat the chops completely. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Prep the grill for a medium fire and spray the grill rack with cooking spray.

Remove the chops from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chops, turning once, until the temp of each is 164 F (about 4 minutes on each side).

From: Grill it! Weight Watchers 2005, p. 52

Events

We are already looking ahead, there will be more to come for sure, but here's what's already on the calendar for August and September:

Aug 6th Lifetime Members Mtg – Stonestown Center –New time!!! 11:00 am

Aug 11th Recruitment Mtg-Stonestown-2pm

Aug 14th Stair Climb with Michael-Russian Hill (more info to come)

September 18th Success Stories Live-Stonestown

As the calendar fills up, I will do my best to keep you informed.

These events are put together by the staff for you the members and for any of your friends who would like to learn more about us.

Come and enjoy them!

Activity

What's one activity that you have never tried, but always wanted to?

Have you ever kayaked out on the bay? Tried surfing? Kayak surfing? Even played a game of golf? Attended a Zumba class? How long has it been since you went bowling? Played a volleyball game? Played tag????

It doesn't matter what you do. What matters is to do something!

When asked "What is the best activity to practice for weight loss?" 12 trainers out of 12 answered the same thing "Whatever activity you enjoy enough to practice regularly."

This week find an activity that you have never tried or that you used to enjoy, but have stopped practicing. See if you can give it a try. Who knows, you might just find your activity Mojo all over again!

Have a good week!

Don't let the summer get together derail you from following your plan, and don't let the summer schedule take you away from your meeting!

We need to stick together to feel motivated by our success at the end of August. No need to struggle to get back on track in September if we never lost it during the summer. What a concept!

I'm an email away if you need me, see you in the meeting room!

Melanie

Leader

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.
-- John Lubbock