MIDWEEK MINUTES October 10, 2015
October 3, 2015
Hello, Winners!
Welcome to October! It certainly feels like summer flew the coop this morning! It's been GREAT weather too!!! This has been my kind of autumn so far...great walking weather!
Happy Birthday to all those October babies. As a rule, I love autumn. At our house, it's the beginning of the "holiday" season.
Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday. That usually started the beginning of the holiday season in our family, except my new daughter-in-law’s birthday is October 1 !!! There are also those ballgames, marching band competitions, harvest, hayrack rides...all which spell F-O-O-D to us. Don't deny it! (For me there's also the stress of the end of the first quarter at school coming up FAST!)
There was a time for me when October meant the start of "cook and eat it until January because, after all, it IS the holiday season"! Well, NOW we find better ways to celebrate than just with comfort foods. What are some ways YOU can celebrate the season besides FOOD? Well, we DO live in the HEARTLAND where food IS a part of celebrations and get-togethers...so being smart in the supermarket is very important as well as planning!. Below are some articles to help you keep a healthy pantry and fridge. This is not only a great time of the year for walking, but also it's a great time for choosing healthy foods and heading off that "Bermuda Triangle."
Come to your meetings and bring a friend, and let's get gorgeous for the winter season! See you lighter at the next meeting! -Zig
PS: I am NOT happy about the Husker loss today. I am NOT going to eat about it, though!!!
Member Milestones
Superior: –15.2 lbs
Hastings: –4.6 lbs
5 lb. star
Lorraine S. ( S )
10 lb. star
Gloria G. ( S )
30 lb. star
Julie D. ( S )
35 lb. star
Wanda H. ( S )
"Me Time"
Is your life balanced between what you have to do and what you want to do? If it tilts toward the "have to do" side too much, it's time to get centered.
Article By: Melissa Sperl
When it seems like you have more to-dos than hours in the day to, you know, do them, it's hard to justify taking a break just for you. But "time out" is crucial to your well-being—especially when you’re trying to lose weight.
As you learned in your meeting this week, taking time out for yourself can help you thrive and succeed. When you take mini-escapes, you feel more in balance in all parts of your life. That in turn diminishes the feeling of being deprived—and the likelihood of overeating.
But what does balance mean? Think of it this way: When your "shoulds," or the things you have to do, are about equal to your pleasures, or your "want-to-dos," your life is balanced. Some indications of a balanced life are:
If your life is unbalanced, your "shoulds" outweigh your pleasures. You may feel deprived, unsatisfied, and uncared-for. You might feel depleted—and, in fact, you are—and as though you have no energy. All of these things are bad news for weight-loss efforts, because you might turn to food to deliver the pleasure that’s missing elsewhere.
Get centered
It's in your best interest, then, to regularly take a moment (or three) just for you. Learning how to do this can be challenging, but worth it. Try these steps:
As you learned in your meeting this week, taking time out for yourself can help you thrive and succeed. When you take mini-escapes, you feel more in balance in all parts of your life. That in turn diminishes the feeling of being deprived—and the likelihood of overeating.
But what does balance mean? Think of it this way: When your "shoulds," or the things you have to do, are about equal to your pleasures, or your "want-to-dos," your life is balanced. Some indications of a balanced life are:
- You feel enriched, energized, satisfied, and nurtured.
- You might work hard, but you play hard, too.
- Your life may not be balanced on a daily basis, but it all averages out.
If your life is unbalanced, your "shoulds" outweigh your pleasures. You may feel deprived, unsatisfied, and uncared-for. You might feel depleted—and, in fact, you are—and as though you have no energy. All of these things are bad news for weight-loss efforts, because you might turn to food to deliver the pleasure that’s missing elsewhere.
Get centered
It's in your best interest, then, to regularly take a moment (or three) just for you. Learning how to do this can be challenging, but worth it. Try these steps:
- TAKE time to notice if your life is out of balance. Get a piece of paper. On the left side, list your "shoulds"; on the other side, list your pleasures. Are they about equal?
- THINK about what brings you pleasure. Tap sources of enjoyment other than food. What do you love to do? In the past, what activities brought pleasure into your life?
- TRADE one "should" for one "want to." It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Consider some of the ideas in yourWeekly—many of which are simple, free, and fast.
SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS !!!
Are You Taking Care of You?
Learn how to put yourself first.
Article By: WeightWatchers.com
You deserve your own attention. It's easy to get wrapped up in everyone else's needs, but it helps your progress when you have the confidence to put yourself first. And when you respect your own needs, you show others how to respect them too. Claiming "me time" may feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s a critical habit for long-term weight-loss success.
Taking care of yourself means...
Don't forget to Take Care of Yourself, too!
We're all busy with the responsibilities of work, study, community, family and friends. But some of us are better than others at prioritizing our own needs.
When we feel that our needs aren't as important as the needs of others, our goals can quickly go by the wayside. The plans we had to walk on Monday mornings or attend a dance class on Wednesday evening can be interrupted because we have to work late, make dinner or baby-sit the neighbor's kids.
When we put the needs of others above our own, it can sometimes be hard to remember what it is that we even want. There's just not enough time in the day to please everyone.
But when we start to take care of ourselves, we feel empowered. Our goals become more important to us, and the things that need to happen in order for us to achieve them are suddenly within reach.
Taking Care of Yourself is a helpful habit because:
If you realize you need to Take Care of Yourself...
You're ready to stop using the needs of others as excuses for not taking steps toward your ultimate goal weight. And even more exciting, you're ready to start rewarding yourself when you are successful, too. Speak to others on the Message Boards to discover some small changes that can help you make yourself a priority.
*Alemi F, Neuhauser D, Ardito S, Headrick L, Moore S, Hekelman F, Norman L. Continuous self-improvement: systems thinking in a personal context. Jt Comm J QUal Improv. 2000 Feb;26(2):74-86.
Taking care of yourself means...
- Valuing your own needs as much as you value the needs of your family, work and friends.
- Making time to do some of the things you love to do.
- Finding the motivation within yourself to work toward your goals.
- Learning to say "no" when people's requests will get in the way of the commitments you've made for yourself.
- Saying goodbye to guilt.
Don't forget to Take Care of Yourself, too!
We're all busy with the responsibilities of work, study, community, family and friends. But some of us are better than others at prioritizing our own needs.
When we feel that our needs aren't as important as the needs of others, our goals can quickly go by the wayside. The plans we had to walk on Monday mornings or attend a dance class on Wednesday evening can be interrupted because we have to work late, make dinner or baby-sit the neighbor's kids.
When we put the needs of others above our own, it can sometimes be hard to remember what it is that we even want. There's just not enough time in the day to please everyone.
But when we start to take care of ourselves, we feel empowered. Our goals become more important to us, and the things that need to happen in order for us to achieve them are suddenly within reach.
Taking Care of Yourself is a helpful habit because:
- The steps that go along with weight loss success—eating wisely and moving more—sometimes involve setting aside time, or saying "no thanks" to other requests and invitations. You deserve that time, and don't have to feel guilty for allowing yourself the things you need.
- The kind of you/life balance that comes from valuing your own needs and wants can be a great help as you work to maintain your weight loss.
- Research has shown that an ongoing focus on self-improvement can affect your weight loss.*
If you realize you need to Take Care of Yourself...
You're ready to stop using the needs of others as excuses for not taking steps toward your ultimate goal weight. And even more exciting, you're ready to start rewarding yourself when you are successful, too. Speak to others on the Message Boards to discover some small changes that can help you make yourself a priority.
*Alemi F, Neuhauser D, Ardito S, Headrick L, Moore S, Hekelman F, Norman L. Continuous self-improvement: systems thinking in a personal context. Jt Comm J QUal Improv. 2000 Feb;26(2):74-86.
Permanently discounted while supplies last:
Dulce de Leche Mini Bar, Aloha! Almond, Berry-licious Cashew Chew Snack Bars and Chili Lime Multigrain Crisps – ALL for $3.95
8/16 until further notice: Electronic Food Scale: $29.95 (regularly $39.95), PointsPlus Calculator: $4.95 (regularly $9.95), PointsPlus Pedometer: $14.95 (regularly $23.95)
*Please remember that additional discounts or coupons cannot be combined with already discounted pricing.
50% off Cookbook Sale until further notice: Small cookbooks $4.95, large cookbooks $7.45
9/6 – until further notice: Starter Kits will be discounted to $24.95;
Shop, Eat Out, Power Foods Guide, Success Handbook, Find Your Fingerprint and Plan & Track will be discounted to $5
9/27 until further notice: Smoothies (ALL SKUs), Oatmeal (ALL SKUs), discounted to $4.95
9/27 until further notice: Granola Bites (ALL SKUs) discounted to $3.95
10/4 until further notice: Mini Bars (ALL SKUs) discounted to $4.95
10/4 until further notice: Crunchy Snacks (ALL SKUs) & Snack Bars (ALL SKUs) discounted to $3.95
10/4 until further notice: Cookies (ALL SKUs) discounted to $1.95
10/4 until further notice: Oil Sprayer, Salad Dressing Cruet, Salad Solutions To-Go and Fruit Solutions To-Go discounted to $9.95
THIS WEEK IN THE MEETING ROOM
“Be Your Best Self”
Member Recipes
Ya Baby, Skinny Baked Pizza Dip to Enjoy All Football Season Long
Warm pizza in a dip? It doesn’t get better than this! Super easy to make and will definitely be the hit of the
party. A true crowd-pleaser for kids and grown-ups alike. It’s much skinnier than a regular recipe because I’m
using reduced-fat cheeses, very lean turkey pepperoni and a delicious skinny ranch. You might just want to
make two of them because it’ll quickly disappear…It’s awesome!
1 (8 oz) package reduced-fat cream cheese
½ cup pizza sauce, see shopping tip
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon Italian seasonings
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat turkey pepperoni, chopped and divided, see shopping tip
½ cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Toasted Boboli slices, baguette slices, bread sticks, and/or Milton’s whole wheat snack crackers.
1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 9” pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In a processor or using a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the ranch dressing, pizza
sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, and onion powder.
3. Add ¾ cup turkey pepperoni and ½ of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
4. Pour into pie plate and spread evenly. Top with remaining pepperoni and cheeses.
5. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
6. Serve at once with toasted Boboli triangles, toasted baguette slices, bread sticks and/or Milton’s whole
wheat snack crackers.
2 Tbsp = 2 Points Plus
Double Dark Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
1 (18.25 ounces) Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, see shopping tip
1 (3.4 oz) package of instant chocolate fudge or chocolate dry pudding mix
1 cup buttermilk or fat-free sour cream
½ cup warm water
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, we like Eggland’s Best eggs
2 whites
1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
Topping
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour in it, see shopping tip below.
2. In an electric mixer or using a hand mixer, combine all the cake ingredients except the eggs and egg
whites. Beat well.
3. Add the eggs and egg whites and mix well.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips
4. Pour the cake batter evenly into the coated Bundt pan.
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes and then
carefully remove from pan.
6. Let cake cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.
Makes 16 slices @ 6 PP
Cinnamon Crusted Baked Apples Thanks, Trish!
8 Servings
3 PointsPlus Value
| 1/3 cup(s) water | |
| 5 medium apple(s), Cooking Apples | |
| 1/3 cup(s) packed brown sugar | |
| 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour | |
| 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon | |
| 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg | |
2 Tbsp. reduced-calorie margarine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 11 x 7 inch baking dish with butter flavor cooking spray.
Pour water into baking dish. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/2 inch wedges.
Arrange apples in prepared dish and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cut in margarine with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over the apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)
3 tbsp canned pure pumpkin
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze Almond Milk
4 tbsp fat free liquid Coffee-mate creamer, Original flavor
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Fat Free Reddi-wip
Brew coffee.
In a blender puree the canned pumpkin, Coffee-mate, Almond Breeze, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.
Pour into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the milk is warm and begins to froth slightly. (About 4-5 minutes.)
Remove from heat.
For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin milk mixture into your coffee mug and 1 cup of brewed coffee.
Top each cup with ¼ cup Reddi-wip.
Entire recipe makes 2 servings
Serving size is about 1 ½ cups Each serving = 1 Points + |
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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