Etools for Success

When it comes to staying on plan, I tend to be a little old fashioned. I like to track on paper, I use my companions to look up PointsPlus values of the foods I eat, I love my "Little Blue Dude" (my calculator), I like to have things in my hands. Something tangible to work with.

The challenge with that is that it's a lot of tools to carry: 2 Companions, 1 tracker, 1 calculator, my Getting Started Booklet, my Pocket Guide. Add all that to my usual: Cellphone, wallet, laptop, sunglasses, gym bag... Ever feel like you're moving every time you go somewhere?

Enters Etools! In my little easy to carry Blackberry, I have all the tools I need to follow the PointsPlus program (It's even better if you have an Iphone!), and that's only 1 of the many advantages of using Etools. What if I said that you can just go online and calculate the PointsPlus value of Grandma's favorite and make it fit in your plan? What if I said you can find information, inspiration, motivation just by clicking in? How about this one: Members who use Etools lose 50% more weight than those who do not. Interested yet?

This week we are discussing how to get the most out of your Etools subscription. If you have questions, bring them in! If you are an expert, bring yourself in! We'll get this all figured out!


What's going on at Weight Watchers?

The Lose For Good Campaign is still going strong!! Don't forget that you can help others by helping yourselves. There are also food drives in the Centers. Bring your non-perishable foods and we will donate it to the San Francisco Food Bank.

It's not too late to enter the Dr. Oz Transformation Nation contest! If you missed last week, make sure to ask for it when you weigh-in!

Here are the October events:

• October 9th Second Sunday Stairs with Michael
• October 12th Recipe Club, 7pm Stonestown Center. Theme for October: Fall vegetables and fruits
• October 13th Recruitment meeting, 2pm Stonestown Center.
• October 15th Etools training, 11:15 San Bruno Center.

Sale - Sale - Sale - Sale

From October 2nd to the 22nd, Baked snacks, Snack Bars and Popped Snacks are on sale at $3.50!

That's a dollar off on every box you buy. Time to stock up!!


Tool of the week

The one thing that I do still carry around is my PointsPlus Calculator. It's just faster and easier to calculate P+ values with it. It's so small anyway, you hardly know it's there.

The "Little Blue Dude" can do many things for you:

• Calculate the P+ value of any food using the nutritional values
• Keep track of your P+ for the day
• Calculate your Daily PointsPlus Target
• Serve as a regular calculator

Don't leave home without the "Little Blue Dude"!


In the Kitchen

I had leftover Harissa that I didn't know what to do with, and I decided to get creative. This recipe is a mix of personal ideas, several recipes I've seen on the web. It's very simple, and gives you a lot of latitude. It's very spicy! So feel free to modify the Harissa recipe. Better yet, just buy pre-made Harissa and then it's a snap to prep!

This is delicious!

Butternut Squash Roasted with Harissa
4 servings, 2P+/serving

Harissa (store bought Harissa is perfectly fine, just forget this part):
10-12 dried red chili peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons olive oil (normally it's more than that, but I try to keep it to a minimum)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Remove stems and seeds from chilies, soak in warm water about 20 minutes to plump up. Meanwhile, sauteed the spices in a dry cast iron pan until just browned (fragrant).

Put everything in a mortar and grind everything together with a pestle until it makes a more or less even paste. If you want to it to be super smooth, you might want to grind the spices first in a grinder, but I like it more "natural looking".

Squash:
1 large butternut squash peeled and cubed
1 TBSP Harissa*
1TBSP olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a small bowl, mix Harissa, oil and lemon juice (if using). In a large bowl toss the squash cubes with the harissa mix well.

Spread the squash cubes on a baking pan (big enough to make 1 layer) and let sit a few minutes. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes (a bit browned is good, but don't let the Harissa burn).

*Note: Any leftover Harissa can be refrigerated, just put in a clean glass jar and cover with oil.


Body & Mind

You may have noted that the "Move it" Blog has become the "Body and Mind" Blog. The reason for the change is simple, I felt like I had limited myself by making the sub-blog sorely about exercise. I feel like there is so much more to talk about than food and exercise when trying to improve on our health.

I'm hoping that the new focus will be helpful to everybody and of course encourage you to make comments, suggestions whenever you feel like it. This Blog (and all of its sub-blog) are for you! Here's this week's post:

Getting a good night sleep

How much sleep do you get on average each night? Is it enough for you? I'm asking because it is different for all of us; some people need their 8 hours of shut eye, others can function with 4 hours (how I'll never know!). Having suffered from insomnia most of my life, I thought it would be an interesting subject to look into: What can we do to get a good night sleep?

For the complete post click here.

Have a great week

We are having rain this week. It's the perfect time to do a little planning, maybe a little cooking and getting ourselves ahead of the game for October!

As always if you need anything, I'm here for you! Never be afraid to drop me an email :o)

Melanie

“Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding.”
~ Louis Gerstner