MIDWEEK MINUTES April 19, 2014

April 21, 2014

MIDWEEK MINUTES April 19, 2014

Midweek Minutes

April 19, 2014

Happy Easter, Winners!

So...are you getting ready for some EGGS-tra special occasions? The SPRING food deluge is getting underway! PROMOTIONS, PARTYS, and POTLUCKS: Easter...Passover...Confirmations...Proms...Banquets...Graduations...Mother's Day...on and on!

Let's look at these events from a Weight Watcher's point of view. We do NOT want to do EGGS-actly same things we did BEFORE we were Weight Watchers, do we? We do NOT want to let our weight management plan be destroyed after all the hard work we have done to get to where we are now, do we? So...let's arm ourselves with a PLAN...and WORK the plan...the Weight Watchers plan!

It's MORE than just dropping by the meeting to weigh and EGGS-it-

ing, not staying for the meeting. Coming and staying for the meetings

is an

EGGS-cellent way for you to share what you are doing to be

successful

when YOU had a good week, and when you didn't,

THE MEETING is EGGS-actly what YOU need!

Now, no EGGS-cuses! If not now...when? When will you get serious

about your weight loss journey? Monitoring ourselves by TRACKING,

watching portion sizes, committing to regular EGGS-ercize, figuring

out when we eat and WHY we eat, eating according to the Good

HealthGuidelines, staying for meetings, and figuring out which of the

Helpful Habits cause us to stumble...these are important program

components...NOT

EGGS-tra curricular options, when you think about it!

There's so much Weight Watchers has to offer! Come to the meeting and bring a friend because we have FREE REGISTRATION again. We also have the SALE to end all sales!

I wish for you and yours to have a most EGGS-traordinary and BLESSED Easter!

Hope you make time to come to your meeting this week. Yes, Superior will meet on Monday. See you then! –Zig

We’re EGGS-CITED to congratulate these Member Milestones!

Superior: - 9 lbs.

Hastings Saturday: – 25.8 lbs.

5 lb. star

Shirley F. ( S )

10 lb. star

Dena A. ( S )

Jana C. ( S )

16-week award

Brandy C. ( H )

10%

Kathy T. ( H )

LIFETIME

Luann B. ( H )

Satisfaction Secret

In a word: Fiber. It's an essential element in a healthy diet, and for weight loss – yet most Americans only get half the daily recommendation. Here's how to bring more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables into your meal plan.

Article By: Melissa Sperl

Eat more fiber, and studies show, you tend to take in fewer calories (and even have a lower BMI). You'll have heard in your meeting how foods rich in fiber, especially fruits and vegetables, can help you feel more satisfied so you may eat less. There's a reason we made all fruits and most vegetables Power Foods and 0 PointsPlus® values: They're a fabulous tool for weight loss.
But if you're like many people, you may find it hard to fit five servings of fruits and vegetables into your menu each day. It might feel like a big adjustment at first, but it's worth it. In addition to all fresh fruits and most vegetables having zero PointsPlus values, produce offers the following perks:

They make you feel fuller
They're rich sources of disease-fighting antioxidants
They reduce the risk of heart disease
They provide folic acid, vitamins and minerals
They increase energy, fight infection, improve regularity, keep skin healthy, promote normal blood clotting and build bones

Fitting them in
There are many ways to include more fruits and vegetables into your meals. Think variety and flavor. When you go grocery shopping, pick up a fruit you've never tried before or spice up your green beans with a fiery peanut sauce instead of the usual butter spray. Here are some tricks to try:

Add vegetables to frozen entrees, pasta dishes, soups or wraps
Use frozen vegetables to save time. Add them to recipes or use them on their own
Snack on crudités with salsa, hummus, low-fat dip or dressing
Buy fresh seasonal, local or organic veggies, which are often more flavorful
Mix fruits into salads for a surprising new taste

STOCK UP with SAVINGS!

PLUS. . .

Discounted Products

Strawberry Delight Oatmeal (SKU 50033) – formerly $5.95, now $4.95.

Kettle Corn Popcorn Crisps (SKU 11466) – formerly $4.95, now $3.50.

Hazelnut Latte Smoothie (SKU 21035)– formerly $7.50, now $4.95

Lemon Chicken & Couscous (SKU 50034)– formerly $5.95, now $3.95

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs (SKU 50037)– formerly $5.95, now $3.95

AND . . . try one of those cookbooks you have been meaning

to try!!!

All Cookbooks 25% Off – normally $14.95, now $11.20; normally $9.95, now $7.45

Hungry Girl Goes...Hunting for Easter Eats and Treats

Article By: Lisa Lillien

Need help surviving this candy-and-food-packed holiday? HG offers her best "bite it" and "fight it" tips.

Hungry Girl's Easter Tip Sheet

Bite It	Fight It
Easter egg whites You don't have to shun those pretty Easter eggs. Each protein-packed egg white has less than 20 calories and is completely fat free. Egg-cellent!	Easter egg yolks Avoid those yolks when you can. Each one has about 55 to 60 calories, 300mg of cholesterol (Eeeks!) and 5 grams of fat. No thanks!
Jelly Belly Spring Mix If you've got a sweet tooth, Easter is a potentially dangerous holiday for you—there's candy everywhere! This lovely, pastel-colored mix with 4-calories-per-bean includes flavors like cantaloupe, cotton candy, island punch, lemon, pink grapefruit and more. Yum!	Cadbury Creme Eggs These should not be your spherical candy of choice this Easter. The regular ones contain 150 calories and 5 grams of fat, but the caramel versions pack in 190 calories and 9 grams of fat. Totally unnecessary, people.
Marshmallow Peeps Cocoa Bunnies Want a chocolaty Easter bunny fix without a gazillion calories? Check out Peeps Cocoa Bunnies. You can have four of these cocoa-dusted marshmallow treats for just 120 calories	Chocolate Easter Bunnies Skip the giant chocolate rabbits this year. Even hollow ones can clock in around 1,000 calories. That's crazy! And don't even think about telling yourself you'll just bite the ears off and stop there. Before you know it that entire head is gone, then your bunny's paws, etc., etc. Don't do it!
Lean Meats No need to avoid the ham and turkey at Easter dinner. Lean ham and turkey has about 45 to 50 calories per ounce and about a gram or two of fat. Dig in!	Gravies and Unknown Sauces Try not to slather your delicious meat slices in gravies and sauces—especially ones with mystery ingredients. They can add dozens of calories and fat grams to your meal.
Veggies and Greens Load up on fresh-steamed veggies and green salads this holiday. Go easy on creamy dressings and dips, but stack the fresh and steamed vegetables high.	Fatty Sides, Stuffing and Casseroles Stuffing, saucy side dishes, and creamed items should be eaten with caution. It's just too hard to figure out how many calories and/or *POINTS* values they contain.

Renovate Your Easter Menu

Article By: Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Get ready for a festive holiday when you can stay on plan!

Easter is the time of year for renewal — so we're here to renew your traditional heavy dinner. We've got some great tips to make this the best holiday ever.

Don't give up that Easter basket — just remember that dark chocolate bars are healthier than milk chocolate creams. And limit white chocolate, which doesn't actually contain any chocolate liquor and is mostly just cocoa butter.

Get going for that Easter sunrise service with a fresh salad of melon balls tossed with a little fat-free plain yogurt, a splash of honey, and chopped mint. Come home to a breakfast of poached eggs (rather than over-easy) or egg white omelettes or frittatas. And keep in mind that Canadian bacon is leaner than sausage or regular bacon.

For dinner, look for lean meats which really let the fresh tastes of spring shine through.

Try grilled or broiled pork tenderloin with a glaze of maple syrup or sugar-free pancake syrup, orange juice, and ground cinnamon.
Or what about a trimmed rack of lamb? It makes a beautiful presentation on your table with a salsa of chopped tomatoes, red onion, mint, thyme, and red pepper sauce.
Turkey's not just for Thanksgiving; try a whole roasted breast. Make a spice rub of chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, and minced garlic. Before roasting, take the skin off and rub the spice mixture generously over the meat.
And there's nothing more dramatic than a whole roasted fish. Prepare it in the morning, stuffing it with any fresh herbs you choose — then come home and slip it in the oven for a gorgeous, quick dinner.

For side dishes, think of things that highlight the abundance in your supermarket. Always emphasize the riot of green! We love:

steamed artichokes with fat-free bottled salad dressing for a dip

sugar snap peas sautéed with cooking spray and minced garlic
steamed asparagus with a dressing of fat-free mayonnaise, a little Dijon mustard, and lemon juice (think of it as an easy Hollandaise)
zucchini rounds sautéed with chopped onion and lemon zest
roasted Brussels sprouts with sea salt
roasted beets dressed with orange sections, fresh rosemary, and balsamic vinegar.

For those spunky green salads, think light, fresh-fruit vinaigrettes, rather than cream dressings. And don't forget the sprouts — they're delicious this time of year. Look for garlic, radish, or broccoli sprouts for a real treat.

For dessert, there's nothing better than strawberries. Serve them alongside a light mousse with fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding folded with a light nondairy frozen whipped topping. Or forgo the ice cream and go for sorbet: lemon, lime, raspberry, or peach.

Been awhile since you’ve been back to a meeting? Have you heard about Simple Start? Members are

really excited with our new, easy beginning in 2014. Want to be lighter by Memorial Day? Stop in

to our Meeting Room and shake things up!

Eat the foods

Yes, it’s really this simple:

Get to know the Simple Start food list.
Browse and choose one of our meals and snacks — and eat them.
The goal of Simple Start is to get you in the habit of eating good-for-you foods. So for now, don’t worry about portion size. But if you do want guidance around portions, we’ve provided recommended portion sizes as visual clues.
Try to get in at least 6 glasses of water (with or without bubbles, unsweetened), coffee or tea (no sugar; fat-free milk only) or diet soda.
Limit yourself to 2 tsp of healthy oils per day, total. Healthy oils include olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and flaxseed.

We’ve even created a shopping list to help you navigate the grocery store aisles. The meals have swap options and flavor boosts, and there are plenty of options for vegetarians.

Next Week’s Meeting

Want to know how to celebrate all those springtime occasions and stay on plan?

Please join us in the meeting room!

Member Recipes

Frog's Eye Salad
Servings: 12
Points per serving: 5

8 oz acini di pepe -- dry
20 oz pineapple chunks in light syrup -- drained (reserve 1/4 cup juice)
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup splenda -- granular
1 pkg sugar-free vanilla pudding and pie filling
8 oz crushed pineapple in light syrup -- drained
22 oz mandarin oranges in light syrup -- drained
2 cups Cool Whip Fat Free -- thawed
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup coconut flakes

Cook pasta 11 min. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

In large bowl, beat reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar and pudding 2 min.

Gently stir in pasta and remaining ingredients; cover.

Refrigerate at least 5 hours.

Easter Salad

4 cups lettuce, torn in small pieces

4 cups spinach, torn in small pieces

¼ cup sliced mushrooms

¼ cup red onion

2 cups orange slices

2 slices bacon, broiled and crumbled

Dressing:

⅓ cup vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt, optional

⅛ teaspoon dry mustard

In a large bowl combine lettuce, spinach, mushrooms, onion, oranges, and crumbled bacon.

In a shaker container, combine ingredients for dressing.

Pour over salad ingredients mixing well and serve.

2 P+ per approx. 1 cup serving

Healthy Beef Brisket and Potatoes
Servings: 6
Serving Size: 6 oz brisket and 1/2 cup of potatoesWeight Watchers® PointsPlus®: 7 *
2 lb beef brisket trimmed of all fat
1 lb potatoes cut into cubes
1 onion cut into quarters and separated
1 1/2 cup fat free beef broth

For Rub:

1-2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp seasoned salt (like Lawry’s)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a glass baking pan with cooking spray.
Mix together the dry rub ingredients and then generously coat the brisket in the dry rub.
Add the potatoes and onions to the bottom of the baking dish, and sprinkle with any remaining rub. Place the brisket on top of the potatoes.
Cook for one hour. Then after one hour, add the beef broth and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Cook for an additional 2.5-3 hours. If you notice it becomes dry, add more beef broth.
Let rest for 10-15 minutes and serve!

Easter Pork Tenderloin

1/2 cup(s) reduced-calorie pancake syrup

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 1/2 pound(s) uncooked lean pork tenderloin, use two 1 1/4-pound pieces

In a large zip-close plastic bag, combine syrup, dry mustard, cloves, ginger, salt, cinnamon and pepper. T

rim pork of all visible fat and cut each tenderloin in half width-wise.

Add tenderloins to plastic bag, squeeze out air and seal bag; turn to coat tenderloins.

Place bag on a plate and refrigerate on bottom shelf, turning bag occasionally, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat broiler. Place tenderloins in a roasting pan and pour marinade over them.

Broil 5 inches from heat until pork reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about 6 minutes per side.

Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before slicing. Yields about 4 ounces of meat per serving.

PointsPlus value per 4 ounce serving: 4

Cheesy Potluck Potatoes

2 lb (32 oz) bag of frozen hash brown potatoes (I used the cubed kind), defrosted (or just use refrigerated)
¼ cup chopped onion
1 cup fat free sour cream
10.75 oz can of 98% fat free cream of chicken OR cream of mushroom soup for a vegetarian option
1 cup 2% reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup of corn flakes, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the corn flakes and stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

Sprinkle the corn flakes over the top and bake for one hour until potatoes are cooked through.

Slice into eight pieces and serve.
Yields 8 servings. WW P+: 5 per serving* (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

Springtime Ham, Asparagus and Cheese Melt For Easter with Weight Watchers Points

4 slices sourdough wheat bread or cracked wheat sourdough bread

4 tablespoons reduced-fat butter

1 tablespoon garlic powder with parsley (we like Lawry’s)

¼ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (we like Best Foods Light)

2 tablespoons mustard

16 asparagus spears, steamed

6 slices reduced-fat Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese, cut in half

1. Toast each slice of bread. Spread each with ½ tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle each with garlic powder. Cut each piece in half and place on a baking sheet.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the ham, mayonnaise, and mustard. Place the ham salad on top of the garlic bread. Place 2 asparagus spears over the ham salad. Top each with evenly with cheese slices.

3. Broil 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated and lightly brown. Serve with a fork and knife.

Makes 8 halves, 1-2 per person

PointsPlus® Value: 5

Cherry Cheesecake Cups

yield: 12 CUPS

12 Nilla Wafers
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
6 oz fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ t vanilla extract
2 t lemon juice
1 large egg
¾ cup light cherry pie filling (I used Comstock)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a standard sized muffin tin with 12 foil cupcake liners. Place a Nilla Wafer, flat side down, in the bottom of each liner.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and egg and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the centers are almost set. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool completely.
The cakes will puff up while baking but will sink in the center while cooling, making a perfect pocket for cherry filling.
Once the cheesecake cups are cool, spoon one tablespoon of cherry pie filling onto the top of each cake.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. The cakes are best served cold, so refrigerating at least an hour is recommended.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PLUS:
3 per cup (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

This newsletter is in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, Inc. It is simply a motivational tool that I offer to members who attend my Weight Watchers meetings and wish to receive it.

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