MIDWEEK MINUTES July 1, 2017
Midweek Minutes
July 1, 2017
Hello, Winners!
The 4th of July is almost here! Hear the fireworks? See the corn growing? Rural Nebraska is in summer mode! The temperatures are great for jumping in the local pool, grilling outside, or just relaxing under a tree. What are you doing to get out and enjoy the summer? Are you making the most of your summer? That is one of my goals. It's such a short season (we, of course, get to go back to school during the ''dog days" of August).
How are you doing on your weight-related goals? Do you have one for the 4th? Whether or not you have exactly achieved what you intended on by this time of the summer, just working hard by doing the program is so great!
You could say that my summer is "half over" by the 4th of July, but I say I still have HALF left! If you don't have all your summer "to do" list accomplished, that's okay if each day we are doing the best we can and working on those priorities we set for ourselves. Make each day count!
Our forefathers wanted to make this country the best that it could be. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working toward. Sure, life gets complicated, but I like the basic message. !It's up to us, and it's about our goals and dreams. Even though we shouldn't get caught up in a long "to do" list, the time is now to take charge of our own destiny. What better time than Independence Day? So take a cue from our forefathers. Place your hand over your heart and repeat after me…
I pledge allegiance to myself
In quest of my weight loss goal;
And to the healthiness for which it stands,
One body...
Under control...
Indisputably...
With confidence in new clothes for fall.
I missed the meeting Monday due to plumbing issues. After 3 days of workmen doing all kinds of things ($$$), I finally have everything fixed, so I plan to be at the meeting on Monday. If you aren’t out of town, I hope you will join us! --Zig
Member Milestones
Total Loss: -24 lbs.
"Eating doesn’t solve anything except hunger." You’ve probably heard a variation on that truth along the way on your weight-loss journey. Of course, the natural response might be: "Then why do people do it?" Because food, especially food that’s high in fat and/or sugar, can deliver an instant counterpunch to the emotions that have you by the throat. It triggers the reward centers in our brains, flooding it with the feeling of pleasure.
It’s called external hunger, and unlike internal, physical, hunger, it’s not satisfied when we take in a sufficient number of calories or amount of food. No surprise that emotional eating can wreak havoc on your weight-loss efforts.
(Dis)comfort food
Between 35 and 60 percent of people who struggle with their weight say that they frequently turn to food when emotions run high. And the choices we make when our feelings drive us to the fridge or pantry tend to rack up SmartPoints® values and not so hot nutritionally. (Too bad we don’t seem to crave apples or broccoli in those situations!) And that just makes things worse, because after the short-lived relief of eating “comfort food,” we feel bad. It becomes a vicious circle. How can you break free and find true comfort without food?
Illustration by Deborah DeLue
“Feel, don’t feed.”
There are a few strategies to address emotions more productively, so you’re not squashing the feeling only to have it resurface in the urge to eat. One is the “clouds passing” technique in your Weekly, where you acknowledge what you’re feeling, then visualize it passing by. Another tactic is called “reframing,” and it, too, is a way to recognize your emotion instead of trying to ignore it. With reframing, you then address the emotion in a positive, non-food way.
What do you really want?
Reframing helps you figure out just what you’re looking for when food isn’t the answer. Let’s say you find yourself mindlessly munching your way through prime-time television. You had dinner an hour ago, so you’re probably not hungry. Maybe what you're really feeling is loneliness. What can you do to address those feelings without food? You could call a friend or relative, invite your neighbor over for tea, or hop onto Connect and get encouragement and solutions from other members.
Try a non-food fix.
Then, along with the ideas in your Weekly, choose a healthy way to redirect the urge to eat when you’re not hungry.
Best-Bet Appetizers
Appetizer calories (think creamy side dishes and sour-cream dips) can really pile up, so make sure you have a lot of fiber-rich and calorie-poor veggies with healthy dips, like black bean dip, hummus and Greek-yogurt based dips.
I’ll prepare grilled vegetables including corn on the cob, summer squash, bell peppers and eggplant are perfect appetizers. All you need to do is put in a plastic bag with a little olive oil and salt and pepper or your favorite seasonings.
I’ll also serve a mixed fruit salad, and this year, I’m doing grilled Romaine lettuce with a Caesar-style dressing and toasted pepitas. www.skinnykitchen.com
In the July/August Issue of WWM:- Special Issue: Choose Your Adventure.
- Oh Yeah! Savor Your Summer.
- The Secret Ingredient That Makes This Burger Healthy.
Plus.....
- 29 Fresh & Easy Recipes.
- 22 Surprising Vacation Ideas.
- Sneaky Ways To Fit In Fitness.
Asian Cucumber Salad
Prep 20 min // Serves 8
If you can’t find English cukes, you can use regular or Kirby cucumbers in this recipe but you’ll have to peel and seed them.
1 Tbsp white sesame seeds
¼ c seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium
soy sauce
½ tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp minced jalapeño with seeds, or red pepper flakes
2 English (seedless) cucumbers, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 c matchstick-sliced carrots
1 c thinly sliced scallions
4 tsp lemon zest
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1 In a stainless steel or cast-iron skillet, heat sesame seeds over medium, stirring constantly, until light golden, 2–3 minutes; set aside.
2 In a small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, soy sauce, salt, garlic, and jalapeño (or red pepper flakes).
3 In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, carrots, scallions, and lemon zest. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to combine; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
PER SERVING (1 cup): 90 cal, 4 g total fat, 1 g sat fat, 492 mg sod, 10 g total carb, 6 g sugar, 2 g fiber, 2 g prot. SmartPoints value: 2
To build a healthier burger, use the leanest ground beef possible (I often buy ground sirloin for my burgers as it’s leader) or use skinless turkey breast or Portabella mushrooms. If you use breast meat, be sure not to overcook and I find that they’re best when you add an egg and chopped onion and other veggies to them to lock in more moisture.
For dogs, refer to our guide for the hottest diggity dogs. In addition to myriad chicken or turkey based dogs, you can also find vegetarian dogs on the market that are extremely low in calories and saturated fat.
I’m having beef, turkey and salmon steaks with a soy-ginger glaze at my party because of all the special requests that my health-conscious friends will enjoy and feel good about.
Member Recipes
Crunchy Low Fat Sausages with Homemade Coleslaw
6 cups shredded white cabbage, 1 (10 oz) bag
¼ cup light mayonnaise, I like Best Foods (Hellman’s) Light
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
½ tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon prepared white horseradish
6 fully cooked reduced-fat chicken or turkey sausages, I used 1½ packages of Trader Joe’s Garlic Herb Chicken Sausages, see shopping tip
6 whole wheat buns, see shopping tips
Instructions
1. To make coleslaw dressing-In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, honey and horseradish. Refrigerate until ready to serve. See prep tip below.
2. To cook sausages-Cut each sausage in half and grill on the barbecue until hot on both sides or cook on a George Foreman grill for 4-5 minutes. If you boil them, don’t cut in half until after boiling in water for about 5 minutes, until hot.
3. Place each cooked sausage in a bun and top with coleslaw. You can also serve coleslaw on the side, if desired.
4. This recipe can be doubled, tripled and so on.
Serves 6 @ 9 SP
Molasses Baked Beans
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 can (15 1/2 oz) great northern beans, drained
- 1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, drained
- 1⁄2 cup ketchup
- 1⁄2 cup water
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1⁄2 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno pepper and saute for 2 minutes or until tender. Combine onion mixture, great northern beans, pinto beans, ketchup, water, molasses, mustard, chili powder, and liquid smoke in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Spoon bean mixture into a 2 quart casserole coated with cooking spray.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.
- Per serving: 5 SmartPoints;
Skinny Frozen Smores
Ingredients
1 full Honey Maid low fat honey graham cracker, see shopping tips
1 tablespoon Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallow cream, see shopping tips
½ tablespoon Nestle mini semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt (frozen solid), see prep tip and shopping tips
Instructions
1. Break one graham cracker in half. Spread one half with 1 tablespoon marshmallow cream and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips on top of cream.
2. Top other half with 2 tablespoons frozen yogurt and place marshmallow side in, on top of yogurt, to create a sandwich. Using a dull knife, wipe the sides clean. By hand, place a few chips on each side.
3. Place on a plate and freezer. Freeze until firm, before serving.
4. If making several at once, keep frozen yogurt or ice cream in freezer and follow step 1 with as many as you desire to make. Next, follow steps 2 and 3.
5. Place each, unwrapped, on a plate in freezer. Once frozen, wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and store in freezer. They’ll keep in freezer for several weeks, if they last that long!
Makes 1 frozen sandwich @ 6 SP
Fruity Chicken Salad
Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1½ cups apples, chopped, such as Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp, unpeeled
½ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup scallions, diced
¼ cup Best Foods Light mayonnaise (Hellman’s Light)
3 tablespoons dried cranberries or blueberries
1½ tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Romaine lettuce leaves, optional
Instructions
1. Add all the ingredients to a bowl, except lettuce. Mix well to combine.
2. Scoop 1 cup of chicken salad into a small dish or bowl. Or, line each plate with a romaine lettuce leaf. Scoop 1 cup chicken salad onto each lettuce leaf.
Makes 4 servings (each serving, 1 cup @ 3 SP)
Grilled or Broiled Garlic Parmesan Corn
Ingredients
4 ears of corn on the cob
Olive oil cooking spray
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Husk the corn. Coat each piece all over with olive oil spray.
2. To Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high. Add corn to grill. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, 8 to 12 minutes total. If it starts to stick, coat with more olive oil spray.
3. To Broil: Preheat broiler. Line a baking pan with foil. Place corn on pan. Broil for about 6-7 minutes until charred (browned). Turn over and broil about 6 minutes more.
4. Remove corn from heat and sprinkle with a little salt and garlic powder all over each piece. Sprinkle the top of each ear of corn with ¾ tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings @ 3 SP
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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