Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Fried Apples

In my recent post, 30+ Whole Food Breakfasts for Weight Watchers I linked to this Baked Pumpkin Banana oatmeal. One morning recently, I really wanted baked oatmeal but didn't have time so I came up with this quick breakfast which is only 4 Points Plus for Weight Watchers.

Note: In the recipe builder this comes up as 4 points without the apple and pumpkin and 6 with them.  I count this as 4.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Fried Apples

1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
dash of salt
2 T. pumpkin
1/4 tsp. molasses

Topping:
1 apple (I like Granny Smith)
1 tsp. grassfed butter or coconut oil
1 T. xylitol (or your favorite sweetener)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

optional: homemade cranberry sauce

Cook your oatmeal with your favorite method. (I used my microwave.)  Add the spices, pumpkin and molasses. Stir to combine.  In the meantime, peel apple if desired, then cut into chunks.  Fry in skillet in butter (or oil) until almost done (I did mine for 2-3 minutes but cook them until they are as soft as desired) add xylitol and pumpkin pie spice, stirring constantly.   Serve apples over the oatmeal.  This is fantastic with a scoop of homemade cranberry sauce in the middle.

Whole Food Breakfasts for Weight Watchers

I am not even sure that I can express how happy I am about being back to counting Weight Watchers Points.  When I left Weight Watchers early this year, one of the things I was looking to do was eat a more whole foods diet.  When I recently wrote a post about why I left Trim Healthy Mama to go back to Weight Watchers, I received a comment on it that stated, "I can understand leaving THM - nothing works for everyone, but Weight Watchers? That is a horrible eating program. I'd encourage you to reconsider." I just disagree with this statement so strongly that I wanted to say so here and not just respond in the comments.

First of all, there are so many versions of what a healthy diet is.  I have spent so much time recently trying to figure out what the best way to eat is.  I have come to the conclusion that there isn't just one way.  Weight Watchers encourages healthy eating.  Is it going to fit everyone's idea of healthy?  Nope....NOTHING will.  However, each individual can CHOOSE how they want to eat on the Weight Watchers program so I feel that someone that would say Weight Watchers is a horrible eating program just doesn't understand it.

Some of these recipes will undoubtedly not meet YOUR personal health standards and that is OK.  You can easily substitute what you feel is good or skip that particular recipe. There are recipes included with all kinds of sweeteners.  Use what you are comfortable with and adjust points accordingly.  Also, use the dairy products you are comfortable with, if you prefer higher fat cheese or a non-dairy milk or whatever...use it!

When I was originally on Weight Watchers I always tried to keep my Points at 4 or less for breakfast.  I usually had a 3 Point breakfast.  I think this was a mistake.  Most of the breakfasts I am sharing with you today are higher than that.  I find if I eat a large healthy breakfast, I have a better eating day.  If you haven't tried that, consider giving it a try.

Enough talk!  Here are the recipes:

OATMEAL and HOT CEREAL

I never ate oatmeal growing up.  My mother didn't like it, so she never had us eat it.  I was an adult when I forced myself to eat it.  I ate it regularly until I could bear it.  Now I LOVE it...especially steel cut oats.  They are fabulous!

Peanut Butter Banana Steel Cut Oats 6 PTS+ (This post has a great recipe builder and more ideas, definitely check it out!)

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas  6 PTS+

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal 3 or 5 PTS +

Baked Blueberry-Peach Oatmeal 7 PTS +

Baked Cranberry-Apple Oatmeal  6 PTS + (This is absolutely fabulous.  I mixed this up the night before using almond milk and baked it the next morning.  It is great re-heated too.)

Baked Oatmeal with Pumpkin and Bananas 6 PTS +

Cream of Millet add 1 tsp. butter and fruit 5 PTS+

Cream of Brown Rice (follow directions for Millet) add 1 tsp. butter 4 PTS+

Apples and Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa 8 PTS +

Quinoa Cereal for Breakfast

Crunchy Coconut Granola 4 PTS + (without the dried fruit)  add 1/2 cup Greek 0% yogurt (add 2 PTs+) and berries or fresh fruit

Pumpkin Pie Granola (4 PTS +)


Here are a few others that look good but don't have points plus values figured out.  If you have a chance to figure them out, I will add that information if you post it in the comments. Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal, Winter Blueberry Almond Baked Oatmeal, Stacy's Baked Oatmeal, Toasted Sesame Rice Hot Cereal

Eggs

The incredible edible egg.  Eggs are 2 Points + each and egg whites are 1 Point + for 3.  I think a nice compromise for getting some whole egg but not using too many points is to have a couple of whites with a whole egg.  But again, you could have 2 whole eggs for only 4 PTS + or even 3 for 6 PTS+, add some fruit and you have a nice filling breakfast.

Here are a few recipes to try:

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Hashbrown Cups* 3 PTS +

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole*  6 PTS+

Quick Breakfast Burritos 5 PTS +

Western Omelet (about 5 PTS + without cheese, will depend on the ham used)

Fluffy Cheese and Greens Frittata 4 PTs+ (per serving when cut in 4) 

Quiche Lorraine Light 6 PTS+

Giant Frittata 3 PTS +

Baked Eggs 2 PTS+ (for each egg plus whatever you add)

*If you are opposed to using pre-packaged hash browns it is easy enough to grate your own potatoes.  You could even try substituting grated turnip or zucchini!

If you are not opposed to Egg Beaters this is another great option.  You could try a Pizza Egg Mug (3 PTS +) or this Quick Egg and Toast (Egg is 2 PTS+, toast will vary). There are tons of recipes online for recipes using egg substitute ( you could easily substitute egg whites if you don't like eggs in a carton).


Pancakes, Waffles and French Toast

I love to top my pancakes, waffles and french toast with fruit.  One of my favorite things to do is take some frozen mixed berries and heat them up with some liquid stevia.  I don't even try to thicken them...I just pour them over and enjoy. You can use sugar-free syrup if you are so inclined or real maple syrup at 1 PT+ per Tablespoon.

Cottage Pancakes 4 PTS + for 1/3 recipe (these are sooo good-made with coconut flour!)

Protein Pancakes 1 PT+ per pancake

Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes 4 PTS+

Gingerbread Pancakes 6 PTS+

Baked Pumpkin French Toast 8 PTS +

Ezekiel Bread French Toast 5 PTS+

Stuffed Ezekiel French Toast 8 PTS +

Banana Bread French Toast 3 PTS +

Smoothies

This is probably my least favorite breakfast.  I enjoy one once in a while though.  I prefer to eat my points rather than drink them. When I make a smoothie I usually make it thick enough to eat with a spoon!

Protein Shakes (from Dashing Dish) I have tried many of these.  SO yummy!  (PTS + values vary)
(Some good ones to start with: Blueberry Cheesecake, Gingerbread Cookie, and French Toast)


Muffins and Baked Goods

Oh, how I love baked goods.  I have to be careful with these. :)

Sue Gregg's Blender Banana Muffins 4 PTS+ (using 1 T. each butter and oil, 1/2 cup nuts-16 muffins)

Sue Gregg's Carrot Bran Muffins 5 PTS+

Moist Pumpkin Protein Muffins 1 PT +

Baked Maple Donuts (grain free)  3 PTS +

Banana Bread Protein Muffins 1 PT+

Mini-Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins 1 PT +

Lemon-Blueberry Coconut Flour Muffins 3 PTS +

The following recipes will require some substitutions to make them healthier but I thought they were worth sharing:

Cranberry Banana Bread 5 PTS+ , Three Berry Scones 3 PTS+, Low-fat Blueberry Scones 6 PTS+ 


I hope these breakfasts will keep you fueled and help you to stay on track.  It has been great fun pulling all of these recipes together and I can't wait to try them all myself!


Linked with Totally Tasty Tuesdays @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Fat Tuesday @Real Food Forager, Serenity Saturday @Serenity You, In and Out of the Kitchen @Feeding Big, Teach Me Tuesday @Growing Home, Titus2sdays @The Time Warp Wife, Wonderful Wednesday @Ducks in a Row, Wonderful Food Wednesday @All She Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday @Lady Behind the Curtain, Read Food Wednesday @Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Show and Share Wednesday @Mostly Homemade Mom

*Photos from rgbstock.com. Photography credit to: tomatogo (eggs),  MeiTeng (pancakes) and Lajla (oatmeal)

Menu Plan Monday

It's always good to have a menu plan especially for busy weeks like this one.

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Sue Gregg's Turkey Meatloaf and Apple Slaw

Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo over spaghetti

Wednesday: Pizza

Thursday: Thanksgiving

Friday: Turkey Tetrazzini and leftover sides from Thanksgiving

Saturday: Potato Lover's Soup with Crispy Bacon

Link up your own menu plan at orgjunkie.com. 

(Or just find great ideas from other bloggers that share their menus.) This week is found here. 

Coming Full Circle: Why I Left Trim Healthy Mama to go back to Weight Watchers

Earlier this year I wrote this post about why I was leaving Weight Watchers. I still agree with most of what I wrote in that post HOWEVER, here I am again.  I know that counting points works and nothing else I have tried this year worked.  The only weight I lost this year was when I combined counting points with Trim Healthy Mama.  When I tried to just follow the plan, I didn't lose. As a matter of fact, I even gained when I first started.

I faithfully tried Trim Healthy Mama for over 30 weeks.  I was a moderator for the Facebook page and worked with the other moderators to help others in their weight loss journey as well.  I posted my meal plans and recipes here. I really convinced myself that this was THE way to eat. I thought it was the healthiest way, but I ended up food obsessed and afraid to eat certain foods or eat foods in certain combinations.   Even though I lost had over 85 lbs eating crossovers (prior to coming to THM), crossover meals are not considered weight loss friendly.  (Crossover meals are those that include fats and carbohydrates.) I did have that in the back of my mind, but I still thought this was the healthy way to eat and having reached a plateau earlier this year I was desperate to continue losing weight.

After gaining a few pounds and trying the plan for about 8 weeks, I decided to combine Trim Healthy Mama with counting points and I was able to lose some weight.  I reached my mini-goal of losing 100 lbs and went on to lose a bit more.  After a couple of months, I decided to try a fuel cycle and drop point counting.  I pretty much stopped losing after that.

After not losing, it was suggested that I might lose weight if I started eating 3 full days of FPs a week (FPs are meals that are low in both carbs and fats). Unfortunately, this didn't work for me either.  At that point I started looking into other things from Paleo/Primal eating to really low-carb.  This led me to try an Atkins induction (SO HARD) and got back down to my lowest weight, but as soon as I stopped the induction (and I don't mean pigging out...just normal eating) the weight came right back with a little extra and that is where I am now...ready to leave THM and low-carb diets behind. (I stepped down from being a THM moderator in late September, so really I moved on from it several weeks ago and now I'm leaving the low-carb lifestyle behind as well.)

The bottom line is that Trim Healthy Mama just did not work for me and turned me into a crazed, panicked dieter. I want a more balanced diet...no extremes, no food fear, no obsessing.

I also want to include a bit of a confession and the reason why I think Weight Watchers stopped working for me and why THM appealed to me so much.  The reason?  Gluttony.  One reason I originally switched from calorie counting to Weight Watchers was that fruits and vegetables are 0 Points Plus.  In my mind, this meant "free".  Weight Watchers does not really teach this, but it worked for me in the beginning so I just ate as much fruit as I wanted to.  Eventually however, I was eating too much fruit.  I knew it, but I wasn't willing to change it and keep doing the program.  THM made it seem as though you could eat as much as you want as long as you don't mix fuels.  This really is NOT true.

I still remember how upset I felt when I was told that I needed to cut back from eating so much heavy S.  (Heavy S meals are those that are high in fat.)  I was told to eat less nuts and cheese and that the cheeseburger pie was something to be eaten infrequently.  Some of the recipes were created by Serene for when she was nursing but the book never tells you this.  Many of the recipes have no serving sizes and none have nutritional information.  On page 434, in reference to a fuel cycle it says, "You can enjoy our homemade Skinny Chocolate in liberal quantities since it is made from coconut oil." My definition of liberal is a large amount...much larger than what the authors would consider liberal.    I didn't get to be morbidly obese by eating small portions. I need portion control. Weight Watchers gives this to me, THM did not.  I am now at a point (having done lots of low-carbing) that  I am willing to limit fruit and not overeat it just because I don't have to count it.

I could list other examples but I think you get the idea and I didn't set out to bash THM.  It works for some people and I truly believe that Pearl and Serene want to help women lose weight. Please note, this is the reason why I, Karen @ The Fruit of Her Hands is no longer following the THM lifestyle.  If it works for you, then please, by all means continue.  My advice about weight loss has always been to find something that works for you and then DO it! (see my tips for losing weight {scroll down}...I should have followed my own advice.)

This struggle I have with my weight has been and will continue to be a life long journey.  I have no idea where it will take me but I look forward to seeing how things will go following the Weight Watchers plan again.  At this point, I am not going back to meetings (though I do miss my friends there).  I may or may not go back at some point.  I plan to keep sharing my journey here so stay tuned.

Menu Plan Monday

After several weeks of trying to figure out how I want to eat that included an extremely low carb diet I have finally decided to count Weight Watchers Points again.  I started today.  It feels like freedom.

I also started using Plan to Eat for meal planning.  I think I am in love. :) See this review for more info.

Sunday: Baked Potato Soup with a Low Carb Wrap

Monday:Apple Marinated Pork Chops with Cabbage and Cauli-Rice

Tuesday: Amy's Minestrone

Wednesday: Roasted Spaghetti Squash with roasted vegetables

Thursday: Dinner Out

Friday: Spicy Sweet Potato Corn Chowder with Ham

Saturday: Spice Rubbed Vinegar Glazed Chicken and vegetables

Link up your own menu plan at orgjunkie.com. (Or just find great ideas from other bloggers that share their menus.) This week is found here. (will update tomorrow when link goes live)

Menu Plan Monday

Here's my Trim Healthy Mama menu plan for this week. I have decided to go back to combining THM and Weight Watchers.  I was losing when I was counting points, but I haven't been since I stopped...so I am excited to get back to it! 

Sunday

(6 )Breakfast:(S)Trim Healthy Breakfast Sandwich
(1)Snack:(E) Apple and Baby-Bel Light Cheese
(6) Lunch:(S) Avocado BLT Salad
(4) Snack:(S) Skinny Chocolate
(6) Supper:(S) Spaghetti Squash with roasted veggies, chicken and parmesan cheese
(2) Dessert: (FP) Cottage Berry Whip
(1) Snack:(FP) Oat Fiber Strawberry Shortcake

Total:26

Monday

(5) Breakfast:(E) Quick Egg and Ezekiel Toast with 1/2 cup Greek 0% yogurt and berries
(3) Lunch:(FP) Creamy Veggie Soup with 3 oz Chicken
(4) Snack:(FP) Cake Batter Protein Shake
(9) Supper:(S) Zucchini Lasagna (w/ sourdough bread for the family)
(5) Snacks:(E) Popcorn and Fat Stripping Frappa

Total:26

Tuesday

(5) Breakfast:(S) Cottage Pancakes with Fried "apples" (made from zucchini)
(7) Lunch:(S) Salad with Salmon packet, EVOO, balsamic; Choco-pudding
(1) Snack: (E) Apple and Baby-bel Light cheese
(5) Supper: (E) Spicy Sweet Potato-Corn Chowder with Ham (from I Heart Leftovers w/tweaks)
(1) Snack:(FP) Chocolate Cake

Total:26

Wednesday

(5) Breakfast:(FP) Peanut Butter/Chocolate Pancakes/Greek 0% Yogurt/berries (test recipe, sorry I can't share)
(6) Lunch:(CO) Brown Rice Salad** (use quinoa)
(4) Snack:(E) Cinnamon Strudel and fruit
(5) Supper:(FP) Creamy Veggie Soup with 3 oz Chicken, Choco-Pudding
(6) Snack: (SH) Whip of Wonders (p.403)

Total:26

Thursday

(6)Breakfast:(E) Baked Oatmeal with Swiss Light Laughing Cow cheese and fruit
(5) Lunch:(FP) BLT soup and 3 oz of Chicken on an Oat Fiber waffle
(4) Snack:(FP) Red Velvet Protein Shake
(12) Supper: Date Night-Dinner Out
(1) Snack:(FP) Nighty Night Custard

Total:28

Friday

(6) Breakfast:(S) 2 Fried Eggs with Zoodles and 1 tsp each of VCO and grassfed butter
(7) Lunch:(E) Nicey Ricey Salad and (FP) Chocolate Cake 
(4) Snack:(FP) Gingerbread Cookie Protein Shake
(7) Supper:(S) Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Mashed Cauliflower
(2) Snack:(FP) Tummy Tucking Ice Cream (p.368)

Total:28

Saturday

(8) Breakfast:(S) Pumpkin Mixer (from The Art of Healthy Eating Sweets)
(10) Lunch:(S) Salad with salmon packet, EVOO, balsamic; Skinny Chocolate
(6) Supper:(FP) Lavash Pizza and Salad
(2) Snack:TBD

Total:26

**tweaks for this recipe so I remember...lol...1/2 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup black beans, 1 tsp. EVOO, 1/4 avocado

P
ast meal plans combining THM and WW points
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19

Link up your own menu plan at orgjunkie.com. (Or just find great ideas from other bloggers that share their menus.) This week is found here.

Linking up with Trim Healthy Tuesdays at Stacy Makes Cents where she is sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Pie!

Trim Healthy Mama-Week 10

This is my 10th week of Trim Healthy Mama.  I am starting this week with high hopes of losing enough to cross a huge milestone. For those who haven't read my blog before.  I combine the THM eating plan with Weight Watchers points.  This helps me with portion control and now the scale is moving again.  It is very exciting after having plateaued for about 4 months.

Friday
Workout-Jeff Galloway 5K app-Week One Day 3

I started this morning .4 lbs above a "big" goal which I am hoping to announce soon.  I decided to eat a  pretty heavy point day. My husband and I usually go out to eat once a week.  He was on vacation this week so we went out twice.  Tonight was one of those times and I had a planned crossover that is not "on plan". I have eaten this meal almost every week for the past 2.5 years while losing weight.  I enjoy it so I'm not stopping now.  (I did go without it for the first 8 weeks of THM.)


Breakfast-(FP) Greek 0% Yogurt with Protein Powder and strawberries (5 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Skinny Chocolate (8 Points Plus), Homemade Vegetable Soup (0 Points Plus)
Supper-(S)Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus)
(Crossover) Slice of Pizza and Caeasar Salad (dressing on the side)(12 Points Plus)
Snack-(E) Peaches and Blackberries over Sweetened Oat Fiber Shortcake (1 Point Plus)

Total Points: 30 Points (4 from Weekly Points)

Saturday
Workout: Totally Transverse

The scale was up this morning which was what I fully expected.  I am OK with fluctuation.

Breakfast-(FP) Muffin in a Bowl with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and Gwen's berry syrup.  (3 Points Plus)
Lunch-(FP) Zoodles and 3 oz grilled chicken (3 Points Plus)
Snack-(FP) Cottage Berry Whip (2 Points Plus)
Supper-(FP) Veggie Soup with 3 oz Chicken (3 Points Plus), Yogurt with Protein Powder and Berries (5 Points Plus)
Snack- (FP) Tummy Tucking Ice Cream (Not exactly sure how many points...I'm going with 2 or 3 for how I made it and how much I ate) 2 pieces Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus) and Strawberries over Oat Fiber Shortcake (1 Point Plus)

I am under on points today but that was because I didn't eat enough during the day.  I was busy and ate sort of filling low points meals all day.  I don't want to eat any more tonight as it is late and what I ate was a fair amount of food for an evening snack.I was going to make this a complete FP day but at the end of the day I had so many points left I figured I should eat some Skinny Chocolate. :)

Total Points: 22 Points (This is 4 less than I should have had at a minimum....and a total coincidence that I ate 4 extra yesterday.)

Sunday-
Workout: Week 2 Day 1 of 5K app

Breakfast-(FP) 1 cup Greek 0% yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, strawberries and blackberries (5 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus), Vegetable Soup with Laughing Cow Cheese (1 Point Plus), 3 oz Chicken (3 Point Plus)
Snack-(FP) Fat Stripping Frappa (3 Points Plus)
Supper-(E) Broiled Salmon, Sweet Potato, 1 tsp. coconut oil, cut up cukes, pepper and tomato (7 Points Plus)
Snack-(FP) Strawberry Shortcake (1 Point Plus)

Total Points: 21 Points

(I really didn't under eat today....I think it's harder to eat all of my WW Points when I am not eating a lot of fat.)  Tomorrow will have to be an S day.  This is the end of my WW week.  I start with a fresh week on Monday morning (as far as using my weekly points).

Monday-

After 2 days of eating very little fat I was so cold last night I could hardly sleep.  Today I am upping my fats!

Breakfast-(S)1 egg, 2 whites, 1 tsp. VCO, 1 tsp EVOO, summer squash/zucchini (6 Points Plus)
Snack-(S) Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Broiled Salmon, Large Tossed Salad, 1 T EVOO, red wine vinegar (5 Points Plus)
Snack-(S) Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus)
Supper- (S) Grilled Chicken, Broccoli and Cauli-Rice with 2 tsp grass fed butter (6 Points Plus)
Strawberry Shortcake (1 Point Plus)
Snack-(E) Cottage Berry Whip made with frozen peaches (2 Points Plus)  YUM!

Total Points: 28   Weekly Points Remaining: 47

Tuesday-
Workout- Week 2 Day 1 of my 5K app (did this again accidentally).  I will probably skip day 2 and go on to Day 3

Also Totally Transverse and the exercise/stretches in Aligned and Well (app)


Breakfast- (FP) Greek Pudding with blueberries (5 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Skinny Chocolate (8 Points Plus), Veggie Soup, Laughing Cow Cheese and Chicken (3 Points Plus), Oat Fiber Bread with Laughing Cow Cheese (2 Points)
Supper-(Crossover) Pizza and Salad (unexpected dinner out )(12 Points)

Total Points: 30  Weekly Points Remaining: 43

I really wanted a bigger lunch than normal today and planned to have a lighter supper.  My husband and I went to visit a friend in the hospital and ended up being out.  I probably could have just had the salad but I do eat at this restaurant once a week it's just earlier in the week than usual.  If I had known earlier in the day that I was going out I would have made different choices.  But, it's all good since I have weekly points to use anyway.

Wednesday-
Totally Transverse and the exercise/stretches in Aligned and Well (app)


Breakfast-(FP) Greek Pudding with berries (5 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus), Tuna wrap with Laughing Cow cheese, lettuce and arugula, 1 cut up cucumber (4 Points Plus)
Snack-(S) Skinny Chocolate (4 Points Plus)
Supper- (FP) Veggie Soup with Salmon and Laughing Cow Cheese (3 Points Plus), and Cottage Berry Whip (blueberry) 2 Points Plus
Snack-(FP) Tummy Tucking Ice Cream (2 Points Plus), Joseph's crackers and Laughing Cow Cheese (2 Points Plus)

Total Points: 26  Weekly Points Remaining: 43

Thursday-
Jeff Galloway 5K app-Week 2 Day 3 and the exercise/stretches in Aligned and Well (app)

Breakfast-(FP) Cookie Bowl Oatmeal (4 Points Plus)
Lunch-(S) Skinny Chocolate (8 Points Plus), Veggie Soup with 3 oz chicken (3 Points Plus)
Supper-(S) Zoodles, 1 T. Parmesan Cheese, 3 oz Chicken, Oat Fiber Bread, 1 T. grass fed butter (8 Points Plus)
Snack-(FP) Coffee Flavored Tummy Tucking Ice Cream (2 Points Plus), Strawberry Shortcake (1 Point Plus)

Total Points: 26  Weekly Points Remaining: 43

Overall, this was a good week.  No new weight loss but I am used to losing and then leveling off before a new loss.  I hope next week I will have some new loss. (My WW week doesn't end until Sunday.  I should figure out a way to make it so this post and my WW week coincide.)

Leaving Weight Watchers

Last week I hit the cancel button on my Weight Watchers account. I  made the decision to "move on" from Weight Watchers.  Recently, I was discussing this with a friend and said that it felt like quitting and she said, moving on isn't quitting.  So, I am not quitting, but moving on to the next phase of my weight loss and  healthy living journey.  In the beginning, I was only on the weight loss journey.  As I get closer to a "normal" weight, I realize that I do not want to just be thin.  I also want to be healthy and FIT.  I thought I'd share a few of the reasons I've decided to make this change.

The first reason I have decided to move on is just the sheer cost of the program.  The monthly pass is  $42.95 a month.  While I have enjoyed the program, I can't justify spending that kind of money every month until I get to my "goal" weight.  It causes me to focus ONLY on the scale.  It doesn't matter that I workout and my body changes...all that matters is a number on the scale.  Since the first of the year I have been at a plateau.  While I realize this can happen.  I don't feel like paying $43 a month while I see no results.

In recent meetings, my leader has spoken about how exercise can "hurt" you on the scale.  She said she doesn't recommend anyone hire a personal trainer while they are trying to lose weight because it can work against you on the scale.  In the beginning, (I've heard her say this before) this did not bother me.   I lost a lot of my weight without exercising.  At this point though, I do not want to be discouraged from doing what I know is good for my body.

I have only recently begun to feel this way and it's probably because of some things I read online, but I feel like Weight Watchers is always trying to sell me something.  For instance, my last meeting was about weighing and measuring things and they had us trying out the digital scale.  It seems like a great scale, but I felt it was more a sales pitch than something designed to help me.  (I already have a digital scale anyway.)  Not only that, but most of the food that is sold in the meeting rooms is junk.  Popped snacks, "granola bars" which are nothing more than glorified candy bars, instant oatmeal and shake mixes etc.  It is all very overpriced and just not healthy or needed.  I have purchased some and even enjoyed them but it's not the kind of thing I want to be eating on a regular basis.

Before going to Weight Watchers I lost 65 lbs on my own.  Clearly I did not NEED Weight Watchers to lose weight.  However, I'd recently been feeling that I wouldn't be able to succeed without them.  This just plain is not true (I hope!)  :)

Another reason I want to stop Weight Watchers is actually one of the reasons I was attracted to it in the first place: Zero Points fruits and vegetables.  This is a big part of the program and I love both.  I was finding that I wanted to eat more fruits but really it was more than the recommended daily amount.  I asked at a meeting if I should count them at some point.  The answer was no.  So, I either needed to eat less of them or eat as many as I wanted and not count them?  It didn't make sense to me.  You are encouraged to eat all of your points.  If I had a choice between a piece of fruit or a 3 point Fiber bar (glorified candy bar). I didn't have to choose. I could eat both.  Wouldn't it be better to just eat a piece of fruit and go to bed with less points than the recommended amount than to eat both? That part of it just wasn't making sense to me.

I am not without a new plan however.  I started Trim Healthy Mama last week.  If this doesn't work I "could" always go back to Weight Watchers, but at this point I don't see that happening.

I don't want to post this without saying that Weight Watchers was a great help to me over the last 10 months and I'm not sorry I joined...it's just time to move on.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

When I joined Weight Watchers, I received a booklet with a 0 points plus vegetable soup.  Recently I started making it "my own". I call it Creamy Vegetable soup.  You can make this "your own" by using veggies you like.

Chop a small onion and 2 carrots, saute in a non-stick pan.  Add 1/2 a head of chopped cabbage and a clove or two of garlic.   After the carrots and onions start to soften, add a carton of chicken broth, a large can of crushed tomatoes, a small can of diced tomatoes, about a cup of frozen spinach (or fresh if you have it).  I sometimes add some kale too.  Then add a diced zucchini.  Season with 1 tsp. basil, 1/2 tsp. each oregano and salt...(or whatever you like)
Simmer for about 20 minutes covered.

Now my favorite part. I put some soup in a Magic Bullet with 1 wedge of Light Laughing Cow cheese.  I like to use Queso Fresco and Chipotle. YUM! (You could just use regular cream cheese or nothing at all if you prefer.)

 I usually add more soup to the puree so I have chunks of veggies in my creamy soup.  I count this as 1 point plus.

The puree is kind of green but it IS yummy.

Of course you can just eat the soup as is, no need to puree.  This soup carried me through the entire summer and now through the winter because it's low (or 0) points and filling.

Link up to this week's Try a New Recipe at Home to 4 Kiddos

Spice Rubbed-Vinegar Glazed Chicken

Last night I tried a new recipe from my new Weight Watchers cookbook, Turn up the Flavor.  (Do not pay for this on Amazon.  Go to a Weight Watchers location. I think it is $15 new.)

Don't let the fact that it is from a Weight Watchers cookbook scare you away.  It is delicious, real food.  This recipe is supposed to be cooked on the grill, but we had lousy weather so I just cooked it on the stove top in a non-stick pan (it was pretty messy in the pan so the grill would be better if you can manage it.)

Ingredients:
6 (5-oz)boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

The rub: (combine in small bowl)
2 tsp. smoked Paprika (I use Penzey's.  I LOVE this spice.)
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 T. brown sugar

The glaze:  (mix together in small bowl)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 T. brown sugar
2 T. cider vinegar

I can't tell you how good this smells cooking.
Try it for yourself.

Rub spice mixture all over the chicken.  Grill or cook chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side then brush with half of the glaze.  Cook 2 min. Turn and brush with remaining glaze.  Cook until done. (I use a thermometer for chicken.)

I served this with baked potato, brussel sprouts and roasted beets.

This is 5 Points Plus per serving if you are on Weight Watchers and has 203 calories.

The whole family enjoyed this one...at least the ones that like chicken. :)

Also linking up with The Gathering Spot,

Creamy Mushrooms and Arugula with Tomatoes

Last week I had some mushrooms, arugula and grape tomatoes in the fridge.  I decided to make a side dish using them and it was so delicious I wanted to share it.

Ingredients:
sliced mushrooms
arugula (or spinach)
fajita seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge
grape tomatoes

First, sauté some mushrooms in a non-stick pan and season with  Penzey's Fajita seasoning.   Once the mushrooms are cooked, add a few handfuls of arugula (you could easily use fresh spinach instead of arugula which is expensive and not as easy to find).  Once that wilts down, add a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco and Chipotle and mix it together.  Top it off with some halved Zima tomatoes (any grape tomato would be fine but these are so sweet and delicious).

I had this with a Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Burger.  The Creamy Mushroom dish has just 1 Points Plus since all you need to count is the Laughing Cow Light Cheese wedge.  So yummy! (The entire meal is only 3 Points Plus.)

Linked up with Try a New Recipe Tuesday @ Home to 4 Kiddos. Head over and share your own recipe or check out the recipes others have posted.

Stick with it Saturday

Not too much has changed since last week.  I weighed the same at my Wednesday Weight Watchers meeting. I'm just sticking to the program and trying to meet all of the healthy guidelines each day.  I also make sure to track what I eat.

Today I will be sharing my weight loss journey at a Weight Watchers event.  My leader approached me this week to ask me if I would.  I hope I won't be too nervous.

I have been able to start exercising again.  I've been using the Wii.  I haven't done it every day but the days I have I've worked out pretty thoroughly (or as thoroughly as I can as I continue to recover from pneumonia).  My calves are so tight. :)

As soon as my chest feels better I plan to start running again.  I hope that happens SOON!  I got this run/walk/run timer for Christmas and I haven't been able to use it yet.

My goal for this week is to exercise some depending on how I'm feeling and to stick to my WW program.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Menu Plan Monday

I am trying 3 new recipes this week.  I can't wait to see how they turn out!

* All recipes with an asterisk are from the new Weight Watchers cookbook  I ♥ Leftovers. You can purchase this at a Weight Watchers store near you for much less than it is listed on Amazon.  I only paid $10 for mine. (You do not have to be a member to purchase items in a Weight Watchers store.)

Monday: Apple Marinated Pork Chops with Cabbage* and rice

Tuesday: Maple Mustard Glazed Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables* (crock pot recipe)

Wednesday: Spicy Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder with Ham* and rolls
 (Made this for the first time last week.  It was delicious so we're having it again.)

Thursday: Three Cheese Zucchini and Spinach Lasagna *

Friday: Spaghetti and bread

Saturday: Pan-seared chicken, roasted butternut squash and stuffing

Sunday: leftovers or something easy like sandwiches or pancakes

Link up your own menu plan at orgjunkie.com.  (Or just find great ideas from other bloggers that share their menus.) This week is found here.

Stick with it Saturday

Today is Stick with it Saturday  I had a good week. I finally saw the scale move again. I am up to 83 lbs lost.  It is amazing to me how motivating it is to keep seeing that scale move.  I get so easily discouraged when I hit a short plateau (even though I know better).  I earned my 10% keychain at Weight Watchers this week.  I joined in late April I believe, so I lost 10% of what I weighed when I started.  Now I have to set some new goals.  I have some milestones coming up that I'll share about when I reach them.

Last week I said I thought I might sign up for my first 5K which I did right after I posted.  I will run in my first 5K race next Saturday.  This morning I was supposed to go on a long run but I woke up with a sore throat and didn't think I was up to it.  I decided I would just run 3.1 to see what my time would be.  I hadn't done that in a long time.  I ran the first two miles in 26:00 which is the fastest I ever ran the 2 miles on that route...but I got a stitch in my side and had to slow it down for the remainder of the run.  I ran the whole course in 40:18.  My goal is to finish in under 40 minutes next week.  I've had some leg pain this week so I'm nervous that between leg pain and getting a stitch I won't  have a good run, but I really want to try.

Goal for the week: stick to the plan!

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Stick with it Saturday

 It's Stick with it Saturday again.  I finally saw a good loss on the scale at Weight Watchers this week and I'm down a total of 78.8 lbs.  I am so close to 80 now I can taste it.  I just keep continuing on the program and slowly, but surely the weight keeps coming off.  I'm still considering dropping out and just doing it on my own, but I'm not sure.

Last week, I couldn't decide if I should continue running with my Jeff Galloway 5K app set to "improve your time" since I finished the entire training program OR switch to the Jeff Galloway 10Kor Half Marathon app.  At first, I thought I'd just try to improve my 5K time but it involves using a track for speed drills etc. and with school starting up and lots of fall sports it will not be easy to find a time that the track will even be available.  So, I ended up purchasing Jeff Galloway's 10K app.  I've done the first two training runs with it.  I am happy that I found these apps because I really love running with them.

The plan for this week is just to stay on track with my program.  I do have to go to a dinner at a Chinese restaurant this week.  I haven't figured out what I'll order to stay on track. I also plan to run every other day (weather permitting) and get a minimum of 10,000 steps on my pedometer every day...except Sunday.  I don't worry if I don't get all of my steps in on Sunday though I do try.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Stick with it Saturday

 It's Stick with it Saturday again.  I've still been going to Weight Watchers and I've been wearing my pedometer and I've been running with my Jeff Galloway 5K app. I actually only have 1 run left on the app.  I should be finishing it today, but it's pouring rain so I'll just wait until the weather improves. It's an 8 week app. At 7 weeks you finish the the 5K training.  The 8th week is a maintenance week.  I am not sure where to go from here.  I can either buy the Jeff Galloway 10K app or the Half Marathon app or I can just start over with the 5K app using the "improve your time" feature which really makes the app almost brand new again.

I've lost 77.2 lbs which is down .6 from last week.  I'm still feeling frustrated at losing so slowly.  I know that it is the "right" way etc. I just feel frustrated.  At WW they say you can expect to lose .5 to 2 lbs a week.  Why do I have to be the one to lose less than a lb a week??  I have been contemplating not going to WW anymore.  While I do love it, it is very expensive and with school starting again I'm not sure how I'm going to fit the meetings in.  It's something I am trying to figure out.  I don't really feel that I need the weekly accountability honestly. Not sure what I'm going to do. I think I'm already paid up until the beginning of October so I guess I can see how it works the next few weeks and then make my decision.

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Stick with it Saturday

It's Saturday and time for a Stick with it Saturday post. This week we didn't have a regular Weight Watchers meeting because the meeting place was closed for the holiday. I did end up going yesterday to a different meeting.  I maintained this week..no loss or gain.  I am OK with that and hope I'll be down a little when I go to my next meeting on Wednesday.

I've been continuing on using my pedometer and running 3 times a week using Jeff Galloway's Easy 5 K app.

Sunday- 2.42 miles on my pedometer

Monday-7.54 miles on my pedometer including a run.

Tuesday-6 miles on my pedometer.

Wednesday- 2.83 miles on my pedometer (we spent 6.5+ hours in the car that day)

Thursday-4.4 miles on my pedometer. I ran/walked 2 miles and then walked home.

Friday- I had a busy day and just didn't fit in as much walking as I'd like...having some shin pain also.

Saturday- This morning my shin hurt less than last night so I decided I'd go for a run.  It's really humid (dew point is 71).  I know it's a lot hotter in other places but the feel like temperature this morning was 88.  I ran 2.5 miles (with walking intervals) in 38:34 then I walked home.  My shin was killing me the whole way home.  I would have had my husband come pick me up but he was at Urgent Care with ear pain.  We got home at the same time.  So, I put in 5 miles this morning.  I've iced my leg and plan on taking it easy for at least 2 days and we'll see after that.

This morning after my run I weighed myself and saw a number I haven't seen in at least 14 years.  So happy about that!! (I wrote the beginning part of this post yesterday before I had this weight loss which is down about 2 lbs. I'm not sure how much of that I will hold on to because it was a post workout weight loss and not what I weighed when I got up.)

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Stick With It Saturday

It's Saturday and time for a Stick with it Saturday post. I lost another 1.2 this week!  I have almost reached 2 WW milestones and will likely get 2 stickers at my next meeting (2 weeks from now since I go on Wednesdays and this week is the 4th of July.)  I am all about the little rewards.

Oh and I went down another pants size too!

Sunday- 6 miles on my pedometer including a C25K run

Monday- 4.57 miles on my pedometer. I was having some sciataca pain and needed to take it easy for a few days.

Tuesday-3.75 miles on my pedometer. Still having some sciataca pain and needed to take it easy for a few days.  I was worried about losing all I had built up to in running and wondered if I would  be able to run again.

Wednesday-4.11 miles including the first day of the Jeff Galloway 5K program.  (more on that in a minute)

Thursday-4.4 miles on my pedometer

Friday-  Did a Jeff Galloway 5K training program.  I ran/walked 2.5 miles then I walked home 2.5 miles.  I also swam for 20 minutes and ended the day with over 15,000 steps (over 6 miles) on my pedometer.

Saturday- I have no formal plans for exercise today.

So, I have been spending some time reading about running.  I came across the Jeff Galloway method for running and was very intrigued.  I ordered one of his books from the library and after reading half of the book I got the 5K app for my iPod Touch.  I have had a bit of trouble familiarizing myself with it and yesterday when I ran I ended up doing something to it and had to do part of one day and then start another day.  I also downloaded the music that comes with the app but I hate it.  I think I figured out how to get it to just play my music now.

One of the really cool features of this app is that it takes your music and syncs it to the beat you should be running to.  I love that!  I also like how it tells you how many minutes have passed at each minute.  I ran less total time today but I'm sure I covered more ground because I took walking breaks.  It was wonderful.  I am very excited about the possibilities with this method of running.  My last C25K run had me running 10 minutes with a 5 minute walking break and then another 10 minute run.  It was ROUGH.  But today I went further and didn't feel half as exhausted. I honestly cannot wait until my next run.  Who'da thought??

Link up your own diet/exercise post over at Sam's Noggin.

Avocado BLT Salad (vegetarian)

The other night I was watching Forks Over Knives Presents: The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue on Netflix.  Rip Esselstyn prepared a kale salad that I thought was interesting so I had to try it.  From that salad and a recipe for a Vegetarian BLT salad on the Weight Watchers website I created this cross between the two. (I did try the kale salad last night and thought that was good too.)

I started with a base of Romaine and mixed spring greens.  Then I cut up 1/4 of an avocado and used my hands to squish it all into the lettuce so that the leaves are all covered (no need for dressing now!).  I added tomatoes, sliced scallions a squeeze of fresh lemon, salt and pepper and 2 strips of Morningstar Farms veggie bacon.  This is 3 PointsPlus on Weight Watchers.  It was DELICIOUS!