Getting Re-Started

Summer has its own rhythm. Kids are off school, vacations interrupt our routine, and summer just has this feeling of "I want to take it easy a little bit". This doesn't mean that we are not trying anymore, but rather that our efforts are maybe a little less focused, and maybe not as constant as they should have been.

Now that the kids are back to school and that, hopefully, we have recovered from the scramble of getting them ready for it, it might be a good time to hit the reset button and refocus our efforts for greater success.

To do that the overall theme for the September meetings is "Refresh and Renew". What best way to refocus our efforts than starting right at the beginning with the basics of the PointsPlus program.

Together we will review and reaffirm our knowledge of the plan and see where we might need to focus our efforts.

Promotions

There's a lot going on at Weight Watchers in the San Francisco/Upper Peninsula and in the rest of North America! Here's what's going on in September (check the Event Blog for further events in our territory). Very exciting! It's a great time to be a Weight Watchers member!

Lose for Good

Lose for Good has started and started in a good way! We have a ton of ways to get involved and help others by helping ourselves. How cool is that?

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: http://loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: http://weightwatchers.com/loseforgood


There will also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves!

Sale - Sale - Sale

From September 4th through the 24th, all Mini Bars, Oatmeal, and Smoothies will be on sale for $4.95
It's time to stock up!

Bike-O-Rama

You might have noticed the bikes in the centers lately. I see you downtown members laughing as saying "Of course we did, you tripped over it enough!" True!! Well, here's what it's all about:

Follow YOUR Path Contest
When: Sept 4th - Oct 30th

What: 3 Ways” to be entered into the contest

1. When you Bring a Friend who enrolls and they buy a Monthly Pass,you will get a ticket to enter.
2. Stay and Succeed - When you attend 6 out of the 8 meetings,you will get a ticket to enter (your location will bravo or punch your special card).
3. When you attend ALL 8 out of 8 meetings, you will get another ticket to enter (even when you travel, go to a meeting then let us know).

* drawing to be held on Oct. 30th - each winner will then be notified One winner per center!

Lots of exciting stuff going on and more coming but I can't tell yet (it's KILLING ME!!! I want to tell SO BAD!!). Keep coming, bring your friends and stay tuned!

Tool of the Week

If you want to refocus your efforts, and get your plan back on its tracks, it's important to have the right tools. The Member kit has everything you need to follow the plan successfully without breaking your head in the process.

It contains the Complete Food Companion, the Dinning Out Companion, the 3 Month Journal, a Fabulous cookbook, a coupon for a free calculator and a little booklet of coupons to save money on all sorts of Weight Watchers products (including a discount on a food scale!).

All of this is packaged in a convenient little binder that is perfect to keep all your Weight Watchers stuff together and out of the way.

In the Kitchen

If we think basic recipe when following the Weight Watchers program, what do we think of?

Yup! The 0 PointsPlus soup! Here's a few variations found on the website. The possibilities are endless. Feel free to modify!

Fresh vegetable soup
12 servings, 0P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrot, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced (medium)
2 small zucchini, diced
2 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, small florets
2 cups broccoli, small florets
2 tsp thyme, fresh, fresh, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Instructions
Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


Asian-Inspired Vegetable soup
12 servings, 0 P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cups bok choy, chopped
2 cups chinese cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1/4 cup ginger root, thinly sliced and julienned
4 small raw oyster mushrooms, chopped
2 cups scallion, chopped
1 cup canned water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups snow peas, stringed
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
Put bok choy, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger root, mushrooms, scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, red pepper flakes and broth into a large soup pot; stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Toss in snow peas during the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering.

Stir in soy sauce and cilantro. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Mexican-Style Vegetable Soup
12 servings, 0P+ serving

Ingredients
2 cups green snap beans, fresh, cut into bit-size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
2 small zucchini, cubed
14 oz canned diced tomatoes, Mexican-style preferred
1 medium spanish onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatillos
1 medium jalapeٌno pepper, finely chopped (don't touch seeds with bare hands)
1/2 medium poblano chile, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin,
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, water-packed (about 2 peppers)
1 Tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3/4 tsp table salt

Instructions
Place green beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, tomatillos, jalapeno, poblano, oregano, cumin and broth into a large soup pot. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor; stir into soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro, lime juice and salt. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Italian-Style Vegetable Soup
12 servings, 0P+/serving

Ingredients
2 cups escarole, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (medium)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups spinach, baby leaves
2 small zucchini, cubed
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup basil, fresh, leaves

Instructions
Put escarole, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, fennel, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.


See how easy that is? Fat free broth, 0 P+ vegetables, and fat free seasonings. One basic recipe, endless possibilities!

Activity

Ah September in San Francisco! The worst of the tourists go home, the sun comes out (well, hopefully), the kids are back in school, and the vacations are done for the most part.

With most of the distractions out of the way, it's the perfect time to set a new routine. The Good Health Guidelines tells us that we should move at moderate intensity most days of the week and that is for health, not necessarily to lose weight. It might be a good idea to aim toward a little more than that.

In theory that sounds beautiful, but in practice sometimes it's not that easy to achieve. Playing taxi driver for the kids, work meetings, house work, emails, homework, everything seems to get in the way. That's where setting a routine becomes extremely helpful. If you do the same thing, at the same time everyday, it becomes almost automatic. We don't forget to brush our teeth before bed because we do it every night, so if we don't something is missing. Getting your work out in can become as natural to you as brushing your teeth before bed is, if you stick to your routine long enough.

There's a few things to consider when setting up your routine:

What do I want to do? 

It's a good idea to have a basic work out (or a basic activity) that you will do regularly. You can add to it on the days that you have more time, or when you are feeling bored, but the basic routine makes it easier to build a work out in which you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. It is also a time saver on those week when you don't have time to be overly creative. You just go and do it, without having to think about it too much.

When do I want to move?

That's the big question! Are you a morning person? Can you work out after work? What about a Lunch time work out? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. The best answer is the answer that works the best for you. If the thought of getting up early in the morning gives you nightmares, then maybe you want to think about stopping by the gym on your way home after work. If you hit a wall every day at 4:30 and body and mind just stops functioning, an after work work out might not be ideal.

What can I realistically commit to do?

You are far better to start small and build up your routine than to commit to a huge work out 7 days/week and feel like a failure 4 days into it because you couldn't keep up. Depending on the kind of activity you decide to practice, and the intensity of each work out, you might want to start with 2 or 3 work out per week, and then add to that when you are ready.


The bottom line is that you want to be very honest with yourself and realistic about your expectations. Nobody goes from couch potato to  athlete overnight. None of us, I think, is getting ready for the next Olympics, the old adage of "No pain, no gain" does not apply to us (or to anybody else anymore for that matter). So set up a challenging but realistic routine and see where you can go from there. Take your time, and of course enjoy yourself!

Have a good week

There is so much going on right now and all of it is good and exciting! As I said earlier it is a good time to be a Weight Watchers member! Make sure to come to your meeting so that you can be part of the Lose for Good campaign and take advantage of all the promotions we have going on.

As always I'm just an email away if you need me. Not that I have added an "Email me" link just under my picture (top right of this page) to make it easier to contact me.

It's September, time to take ourselves in hand. So let's hit the reset button and start this fall with great gusto!

I will see you in the meeting room,

Melanie
Leader

Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb but how well you bounce. 
~Vivian Komori

Shop Smart

Ever went to the grocery store to get carrots and a pack of skinless/boneless chicken breast and came back with 5 bags full of baked chips, ice cream treats, crackers, 4 different kinds of bread...

You know what I mean? Or at Trader Joes! Love that store, but I always go in for 1 thing, and come back with full hands. Last time one can of blackbeans turned into $120 of all sorts of stuff. The worst part is that the very next day, I realized I had 30 different kinds of snacks, but nothing to cook with!

I really do love to shop for food, but it takes time, and there are some pitfalls to be aware of. So this week we will explore ways to save time at the grocery store, and strategies to avoid the challenges that we come across when we go food shopping.

Don't miss it!

Lose for Good

Lose for Good is finally here! Starting this week, we have a ton of ways to get involved and help others by helping ourselves. How cool is that?

Weekly challenge: This last week we committed to tracking at a minimum 4 days of the week to help add up to our weight loss. How are you doing with that? Can you do 5 days? 6? What else can you do help others by helping yourself?

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: loseapalooza.com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

There will also be food drives at the centers! It's time to help others by helping ourselves! If you have ideas for weekly challenges please share!

Tool of the week

I like to call my calculator "The little blue dude". It follows me everywhere, and helps me in all sorts of ways, even more at the grocery store.

The little dude calculates the PointsPlus value of any packaged food, tracks your day, give you your daily target, everything!! Over all that, it's a regular calculator too, so at the grocery store, you can calculate PointsPlus values and money.

In the Kitchen

This recipe is simple, quick and gives a lot of taste to simple pork chops. I have used the same recipe on chicken with great results.

The recipe calls for oven baking, but I've done it on the grill too. It's just one of those easy, good for everything recipe!

Cotelettes de porc a la jamaicaine (Jamaican style pork chops)

4 servings, 5P+/serving

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb total)

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP orange juice

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, minced

1 tsp Jamaican pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt,

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1- Make little cut on the side of each chop of about 1 inch. In a bowl mix all remaining ingredients. Rub the mixture on each pork chops and put in an oven safe dish in one layer.

2- Cook pork chops for 18 minutes or so at 375 F, or until they are golden but still pink inside, turning once.

Source: Coup de Pouce, Au menu ce soir, p. 36

September Events!

It might be the teacher (and daughter of two teachers) in me, but September is filled with positive happy energy!

Recipe club meeting TBD
I'm in the process of putting together the bases to start a recipe club. Keep your eyes peeled for further information. I'm hoping to have it all figured out on time to start in September!

Lose for Good August 28th-October 15th
Help yourself by helping others. Make sure to come to your meeting, we can't let the team down!

Bike A RAMA September 3rd-October 30th
Did you see the bikes in the meeting room? Come to the meetings to learn what this great promotion is all about!

Lifetime member meeting September 4 th - 11:00 Stonestown Center
Lifetime members get together to discuss the challenges of long term motivation and maintenance. How do you keep this lifestyle interesting and fulfilling for a lifetime? We figure it out together :o)

Second Sunday Stair climb September 11th
Fun time with Michael and his fearless walkers! Once a month, a little bit of a challenging walk, but a wonderful discovery of beautiful San Francisco.

Success Stories Live September 18th Stonestown Center
The perfect event to recharge your motivation for the fall. Listen to local success stories and learn how people have overcome hurdles, pushed through plateaus and succeeded!

Facebook

We now have our very own Facebook page for the Weight Watchers members of San Francisco and the Upper peninsula (San Bruno, Pacifica, and surroundings that's you!).

Look it up! Little contests, idea exchanges, all yours! Also a good place to know what's going on in our local Weight Watchers community!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Weight-Watchers-Peninsula/181660318539142?sk=wall

Activity

Some of us are just getting started with our activity routine, but some of us have been at it for a while, and are eager to renew, rev up, and re-energize our work out routine. We talked a little bit about that with the "Get Unstuck" meeting this last week, but maybe it's worth looking at a little more closely.

How do you know if it's time to renew, rev up and re-energize your routine? Hopefully this might help you give it another look:

Renew: Is your activity routine very, well, routine? Do you ever feel like you are in an endless cycle of "Get up, get dressed, hit the machine (pavement, bike, whatever) take a shower, get on with your day"? Has the fun leaked out of your routine?

Rev up: Are your work outs easy? Have you stopped coming home, or going back to work, feeling like "Woah, I really worked it"? Did you have a fitness goal set and now see that you have stopped seeing significant results? When you first started, you improved almost with every workout, now months later you've been at the same distance/intensity/duration/weights for weeks.

Re-energize: Have you sort of forgotten why you are doing this? You are working out because you are working out, but the driving force behind somehow has lessened. You know what to do, how to do it, but you've sort of forgotten why?

OK, now what? If any of these sounds about right to you, that's ok, we've all been there! The solutions really are simple:

Diversify your routine: You don't have to reinvent the wheel every week. Make a list of a few activities that you would like to try and see how you can incorporate them to your routine. If you are a member in a gym, add a class to your week. If your week is very booked up, add a weekend activity; a hike, a bike ride, go kayaking on the bay, go climb the stairs with Michael on the 11th! Bring some friends, you can have fun and burn calories at the same time!

Increase Duration/Intensity: For your work out to be effective, it has to be challenging. That doesn't mean that you have to work until you fall apart, but that you have to come out of it feeling like your muscles are tired.

There's only 2 ways to make your work out challenging: Add time, or boost up the intensity. If the time constrain is a big issue, you want to add weights, add inclination, increase the resistance on the machine so that your body has to work harder to do the same work. If you have a little more time, or if you can't add intensity because of physical issues, then you want to make your work out a little longer. Either ways will add the number of calories burned, and force your body to improve with each workout.

Be wary of over-training! You want to rev up your work outs progressively and listen to your body. If you added weights and your forms are suffering, back up and lower your weights a little, you're lifting too heavy. If you added 2 miles to your run, and your ankle (or knee, or back) are suddenly hurting, take a break and start with a smaller distance, you might have overdone it.

Here's information about over-training: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/overtrn.htm

Find a motivator: This might be the simplest and yet most difficult part of this, figuring out what it is that makes it worth the effort for you. You need to sit down and really think hard about why it is worth it to you to get up in the morning and work out. What are you working for? Are you training for a race? Running away from a medical condition? Looking forward to wearing a sexy pair of jeans or a swimsuit and feeling great in it? Or are you trying to build up the stamina to keep up with the kids?

Whatever the motivator is for you (and it is as personal as it can get) it has to be powerful enough for you to be willing to work for it. Yes working out can be fun, but nobody I have ever met is enthusiastic about working out every time they hit the gym, or go out for a run. Your motivator is what is going to make you go ahead and do it on the mornings (or whenever in he day you work out) when you really don't wanna.

Have a great week

September is a few days away, and we are going to have a great one! Lose for Good is there, we have all sorts of good events coming, and it's time to get on with losing! I don't know about you, but I'm just in a "I'm ready, bring it on!" kind of mood these days. What about you?

If you need me don't be afraid of emailing me. I'm there for you and will do my best to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

It's time to come back home, and to recommit to our goals and ourselves. I will be looking for you in the meeting room!

Melanie

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.”
~ Yogi Berra (sorry, I couldn't resist this one! hehehe)

Get Unstuck

Ever get stuck in traffic? You know that helpless feeling of "no matter what I do, I'll be sitting here not going anywhere for a while". I hate that feeling!

You see, patience is not one of my strong point*s*, and that's an understatement. Whatever I am doing, I want to be done now. Wherever I'm going, I want to be there now. You can imagine how well (not!) I dealt with plateaus on my weight loss journey. Not pretty!

Still, like a majority of people, I did have to deal with the scale ignoring my impatience, and refusing to budge even a smidgen for weeks. Plateaus are a normal part of the weight loss process, and as exasperating (and lets be honest, scary) as they are, you can work your way through them and even learn great lessons in the process.

This week we will discuss how we can get past a weight loss plateau to get ourselves back to losing weight.

Tool of the week

My first go to helper when I'm struggling is my food scale. I know I talk about it all the time, but really, I don't understand how one can do this program without this easy and useful tool.

The Weight Watchers Electronic food scale is not only easy and quick to measure foods, but it also has a lot of healpful features:

• Food bank: Give you the PointsPlus value of the food you have on there quickly and easily.
• Integrated calculator: Permits you to calculate the PointsPlus of any food that might not be in the original food bank by entering the nutritional info and serving size.
• Add: Permits you to calculate the PointsPlus value of additional foods in the same dish and keep a running count of the total PointsPlus Value of all ingredients added

You can also add new foods to the original food bank, zero out the scale after you put your dish on it... It's just a great tool! What can I say?

In the Kitchen

This recipe is a creation of mine. I was looking for a good fennel salad, and was tired of my usuals, so I experimented. I'm not beyond bragging, this was really good!

I've shared it on Facebook already, but thought I'd share it here for posterity (HA!)

Apple -Fennel slaw
6 servings, (recipe builder says 1p+/serving, but that counts the apple and fennel. I protest!)


2 granny smith apple, thinly julienned
1 fennel bulb, cored, thinly julienned
2 TBSP lemon juice (or so)
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar, divided
1 (generous) TBSP dijon mustard (I use whole grain, it's prettier)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 packet stevia (or 1 tsp sugar)
1/2 TBSP (or more) poppy seeds
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix 1 TBSP of the vinegar with the lemon juice and pour over the apple juliennes as soon as they are cut (to keep from browning). Put in a big bowl

Mix the mustard, the remaining vinegar, the oil and the stevia in a little bowl, pour over the slaw. Add poppy seeds, salt and pepper and toss well.

Source: My own brain, please credit said brain if you're going to reuse ;op

Loose for Good

The Lose for Good campaign is starting next week. We have done wonderfully well the previous year, but we can do better! Get involved, get inspired, lose for the good cause! Get involved by:

Losing weight

How cool is that? Weight Watchers will donate 1 dollar for each pound lost up to a million. We want to pass last year's total of 4 million pounds lost. We can so do it!!

Plug in for Lose-A-Palooza

It's happening September 19th. Find information here: loseapalooza,com

Connect with the Lose for Good Community

Look them up for support, inspiration and motivation: weightwatchers.com/loseforgood

More to come as the campaign takes off. Keep your eyes peeled cause we're on starting August 28th!

Activity

While I was on vacation, I found myself on the grounds surrounding the port at "L'Etang du Nord". I was waiting for my Mom to be done with a meeting, and had nothing with me but my camera, my MP3 player and my walking shoes.

Instead of just sitting around, I decided to go wander around to take pictures. I started the music, and just took off, stopping to take pictures when something caught my attention.

Now, I'm certainly no photograph, don't even know enough about it to be a wannabe, and my camera was an ok one... 8 years ago! I had the best time!

"What on earth does that have to do with activity?" you ask... Well, I walked (with frequent stops that's true) for well over 2 1/2 hours.

Moving is moving right? Who knew that you could burn calories taking pictures? HA!

See the Move it! blog to see some example of my attempt at photography! He he he!

Have a good week

Don't let slow downs and plateaus turn you away from your goals. Those are normal, and happen to everybody. The first step to getting ourselves back on the losing track again is to keep coming to the meetings so that we can find solution and remain connected to what we are trying to do.

As always I'm there for you, never be afraid to ask! See you in the meeting room.

Be good n stuff!!!

Melanie

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.”
~Frank A. Clark

Is a Meatless Day for Me?

As I unpack my luggage from my vacation, and realize upon stepping on the scale that I shouldn't wait before I step into my routine again, I realize that my routine needs a little kick.

The last few months my meals have been "on program" but nothing to write home about. So, cookbooks in hand, I'm planning my week. The funny thing is that 3 of my 5 weeknight dinners are vegan. What a shift!

When I started Weight Watchers, the idea of a meal without meat was ridiculous to me. Of course then I thought vegan meant some nasty looking fake meat, with some half cooked unknown grain and 3 over steamed broccoli floret. Boy was I wrong!

Vegetarian/vegan cooking can very easily be weigh-loss friendly and healthy, but also cost effective! Add to that that it can be absolutely delicious and filling, what's not to love? The possibilities are endless. This week we will talk about how to incorporate vegetarian/ vegan cooking to our routine, for our health and our wallet's!

Tool of the Week

Did you know that the PointPlus Cookbook not only has a great side dish chapter (page 204 to 233) which has a lot of vegetarian and/or vegan sides, but also a vegetarian main meal section?

Look in the "The main lean event" chapter, page 190 to 203! 11 main meals, some of them vegan, some of them vegetarian, but all of them delicious! The perfect tool to dip your toes in the art of vegetarian cooking.

In the Kitchen

I have entirely too many cookbooks, and I am purging them every once in a while. I do however have a very extensive and, if I say so myself, well researched vegan cookbooks collection.

This recipe is from a favorite of mine: Appetite for reduction from Isa Chandra Moskiwitz. Isa's recipes are sometimes a little complicated and out there, but her cooking is very creative, and inspiring.

This recipe is one of the simplest most satisfying "whole meal" that I've gotten out of that book.
Don't let the cooking time and long instruction get to you, it is very easy to make and a good way to deal with eggplant when one feels a little intimidated. :o)

Eggplant-Chickpea Curry
6 serving, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients
1 tsp oil
1 small white onion, chopped finely
3 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, spicy!)
1 pound tomatoes, chopped roughly (about 2 cups)
2 pound eggplant, cubed (3/4 inch)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cup)
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)


Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes (if using), and saute for another minute. Mix in the tomato, eggplant, and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. The tomato should deglaze the pan (if not I cheat and throw in a TBSP or a little more vegetable broth).

Mix in the curry powder, garam masala, and ground cumin. Add the vegetable broth, stir and cover the pot. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and cook with the pot covered for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The eggplant should be mostly broken down by this point. Add the chickpeas and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes,stirring for about a m inute at first (to further break down the eggplant) and then occasionally.

Taste for salt and serve garnished with cilantro.

Source: Appetite for Reduction, Isa Chandra Moskowitz p. 230.

Activity

Today (Sunday) we went for a stair walk with my fellow leader Michael Hamlin.

Michael gets together with his members (and anyone who wants to join) and pick a walk in the book Stairway Walks in San Francisco, by Adah Bakalinsky off he goes!

We started at the Stairs that can be found at the corner of Moraga and 16th Avenue, and then walked around the neighborhood climbing several stairs and hill until we made our way to Golden Gate height park and then came down.

It was such a fun and beautiful walk, and challenging too!

There are tons of such books about walks in San Francisco, some more challenging than others. What a fun way to move, discover new places and just enjoy this beautiful city!

Thanks to Michael for clue me in on that one, I'm getting the kindle edition of the book tonight! ;o)

Have a great week!!

It's the last few instants of smmer, soon school will start again, and we will step back into our routine. It's also a great time of the year to roam the Famer's Market! Get out there and enjoy yourselves!!

As always, I'm only and email away, never be afraid to contact me. I haven't seen most of you in over 3 weeks, I can't wait to see you in the meeting room and hear all about how those weeks went! Be there!!

Melanie

My meetings

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes”

~Richard Buckminster

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

Get Fresh!

Have you been in the Farmer's market lately? Can it get better than this?

I get so excited when I walk amongst the stalls and find new fruits, new veggies to try. I cannot wait to go home and Google this weird looking plant hoping that I noted the name right and that I can figure out something edible to make with it. How exciting!

I have not always felt that way though. Honestly, when I first joined Weight Watchers, my vegetables were carrots, potatoes, corn, forcing it maybe green beans. I wouldn't even try broccoli! Then I learned that vegetables not only were very healthy, but they are also very low in fat, carbs and calories. Because of that, they are the perfect weapon against the munchies! That's when baby carrots and I became very intimate! My tan was fabulous that year, if a little orangy...

Very quickly I got sick and tired of eating baby carrots and I decided to explore the realm of vegetables and fruits. You know what I found? If you prepare them right, they are delicious! This week we will discuss how we can make fruits and vegetables a big and delicious part of our daily meals and snacks. Don't miss it!

Event

This Friday (the 15th), at the Century Club meeting we are having ourselves a little mini potluck.

Where:

Century Club of California
1355 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA

When:

The meeting is at 9:15am, the door open at 8:45.

What:

We are bringing fruit and vegetable dishes which are healthy and low PointsPlus. Please make sure to have the P+ value and the recipe (if applicable!).

Lets take this topic to another level! How fun is that? I can't wait!

Tool of the week

Not only I didn't know much about vegetables when I started this, but I didn't even know how to cook eggs, much less a meal! I learned to cook with the Weight Watchers cookbooks. To this day they are a huge part of my collection of cookbooks.

The recipes you will find in there are easy enough so that anyone can make them successfully, and yet tasty enough that years later I never get tired of making them! This is not "diet food" but healthy delicious recipes that will satisfy everybody.


In the Kitchen

This is a simple little side dish that I used to make all the time. A few months ago, I dug out my Simply Bueno cookbook, and rediscovered this along with a few other favorites that I had forgotten about. It is delicious, and perfect for summer time because it's as good hot as it is cold.

It's one of those recipe that you can easily spice up, or spice down depending on taste! :o)

Sauteed Summer Squash with Tomatoes and Corn
4 servings, 3 P+/serving

1 TBSP canola oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb zucchini, diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3/4 cup fresh or thawed corn kernels
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the jalapeño and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, corn, salt and ground pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Source: Simply Bueno (Weight Watchers) p. 197

Activity

Last spring with the Walk It Challenge, we talked about walking a lot, and with good reasons. It's an easy activity that is not only very effective, but low cost.

Still many people confided in me that they thought walking was not enough of a challenge for them. They couldn't figure out how to add intensity to their daily walks. Really? In San Francisco?

Incline:

The first obvious suggestion is find a few good hills and go to town. Walking uphill will add intensity. We are lucky you can find all grades, all heights, we have it all in SF!

Surface:

There isn't much difference in intensity between walking on pavement or on gravel really, but soft sand? Try walking on the beach away from the water. After a while you really start feeling it!

Weight:

You can buy vest that are made to add weight. Those are a good way to add weight to your walk without compromising your posture and/or your joints. There are also ankle and wrist weights that you can get. Honestly, with a bad knee, I would not use those, but it's between you and your doctor to know if it's ok for you to use them. Remember that any weight you chose to carry on your walks, you have to walk back with. :o)

Speed:

Sounds obvious, but if you don't have any hill nearby (hum..) or beaches, and weights are not happening, go for speed! You usually do your loop in 45 minutes? Shoot for 40 next time. Or keep the same time, but add a few blocks to your walk.

Walking can be a challenging activity if you want it to be, you can take it outside the city too! Go hiking! Just remember that it's generally much hotter outside of San Francisco, so plan adequately for clothing, sunscreen and water!

Have a good week!

This is my favorite part of the summer. The major parties are all done, all there is left to do is enjoy the season for a few weeks before it's time to start running again. Even if I now work through the summer, it still seems like the "relax season" for some reason.

While you are relaxing, don't forget to take time to stop by your meeting so that we can share our tips, ideas, and suggestions as well as encourage each others to stay on track through the summer fun.

Also if your schedule permits, stop by the Century Club Friday and join our little potluck/meeting! It'll be fun!

I'm always an email away!! See you in the meeting room!

Melanie


It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

~Lewis Grizzard

If Only...

I could lose weight, really I could! If only I had...

* A personal trainer,
* A personal chef,
* A maid to do all the house chores for me,
* ?

We look at all those celebrities losing weight and what is our first thought? Oh sure, give me all she/he has and I'll lose weight in a heartbeat too! Really? How many celebrities have lost and gained the same weight over and over again? Why is that? They have everything right? How can they possibly struggle?

If you really think about it, what are the essentials that we need for successful weight loss and maintenance? If you cut out the super flu, you will realize that what is really important, you have already.

You have everything you need to be successful! All you need is a plan and the drive to follow the plan. This week, we'll see to it that we leave the meeting ready for action!


Tool of the week

Gym not your thing? You've been buried in summer activities and feel like your workout routine is suffering? Try our Fitness kits!

These are fun ways to get moving in the comfort of your own home. Whether you are using the exercise ball, or the weighed gloves (each kit have their own exercise DVD included) you can keep your routine on track without missing any of the summer fun!


In the Kitchen

We recently moved our dinning table closer to the window, and on beautiful mornings, the sun hits right on our table as we sit there having breakfast. It's sort of a magical thing when we have time to just sit and enjoy the morning together. On the weekend we like to indulge a little bit and sometimes we go hunting for different breakfast that does not include eggs or oatmeal. :o)

This recipe is one of those "special breakfast" recipe that we don't do too often, but that is so delicious, that we keep it in reserve "just in case". Thing is, it's easy and quick enough to be an every day recipe and it's not THAT high in P+ really, I did add some FF cool whip to it, because I was feeling fuffy!

Peach and Ginger Crepes
4 servings, 4P+/serving

Ingredients
4 ripe peaches, about 1 1/2 pound, halved, pitted, chopped
2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 TBSP chopped candied ginger
2 tsp lemon juice
4, 7inches, ready-to-use crepes
2 tsp confectioners' sugar

Combine the peaches, granulated sugar, ginger, and lemon juice in a medium bol; let stand 10 minutes.

Place 1/4 of the mixture in the center of each crepe; roll up to enclose the filling. Place each filled crepe, seam side down, in the middle of a breakfast plate. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Source: Mix it Match It cookbook, Weight Watchers 2007, Breakfast section.

Activity

Be your own personal trainer!

What does a personal trainer do? They assess your present abilities, figure out what your goals are, and then break them down so that they can put together a plan for you to achieve your goals.

Sound familiar?

What if you were to take notes on your work outs, how much you are doing, how you feel afterward, and then used that to assess your abilities?

Cardio is really good, but you could use some strengthening? You're fairly strong, but looking at a hill makes you winded?

Once you've done that, you can make a plan!

To boost my cardio abilities, I can...

To tone up my arms, I can...

To _____ I can ____

As with everything we do, it's only a matter of taking this one challenge at a time, setting realistic goals, and having a plan! You can do this!

Have a great week!

I know I know, it's summer time, we are busy, things are happening, people are visiting, the kids are off school... SO? Your meeting is 45 minutes/week. 45 minutes that you take for yourself, to take care of yourself. Only 45 minutes a week so that in September, you will feel all happy and successful for having kept an eye on your goals throughout the summer.

That is so worth 45 minutes/week, right? I will see you in the meeting room!

Melanie

You have what you need to be successful!