Y'all should check out Gina's Skinny Recipes for a simply scrumptious breakfast idea!

How's everyone doing with their weight loss goals?  So far I've taken off 11.8 lbs.  My goal for next week is to get back to tracking each and every portion of food AND to get myself over to the gym at least twice!

I'd love to hear about your triumphs.  Go ahead and toot your horn by leaving a comment!

Catch you later, a little more to the left of heft!
Deborah

Staying the Course

What a busy week I had last week!  And tomorrow is the start of our first FULL WEEK of school for my 3 active kids so I know that means I need to be prepared for the crazy afternoons and evenings.  I've said before that preparation is one of the keys to success and that's why I re-stocked my kitchen with fruits and veggies.  I also boiled several eggs for use throughout the week and prepared another batch of that health salad I posted awhile back.

Last Thursday's weigh-in was terrific.  I'd taken off 1.4 lbs for a total so far of 8.8 lbs lost!  I don't miss 'em at all.  They can find someone else's jeans to fill, right?!

So, what will you do to be prepared this week?

See you soon, a little farther left of heft,
Deborah

Oh, my barley

Are you ready to shake up your routine?  When was the last time you had barley?  I'll bet it was in a bowl of soup, right?  I'm not talking about an incidental occurrence in your diet.  Have you ever considered creating a dish that celebrates this chewy good-for-you grain as the main ingredient?  Give my Mexican Barley Salad a try and you'll look at barley in a whole new light.

Start off by cooking your barley in beef or chicken broth much like you would prepare rice.  I place 2 cups of barley in a pot with 4 1/2 cups broth.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

Mexican Barley Salad
4 cups cooked barley
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 colored bell pepper, chopped (I used an orange one this time)
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 t ground cumin
1 T chili powder
1 T olive oil
juice of 1 or 2 limes

Preparation couldn't be easier.  Simply throw everything together and stir well!
Muy bien!

Yields 12 servings
3/4 cup = 2 POINTS on the Weight Watchers plan

See you to the left of heft, everyone!
Deborah

A Better Burger Bet

Did you have a nice Labor Day weekend?  I have no complaints.  The weather's been a delight and it's been nice to have no commitments, no taxiing kids to their activities, and the luxury of free time to do as I please.

I was planning to have a burger tonight until I calculated the POINTS it would cost me.  9 POINTS for the patty alone!  Mind you, I could have done it and still been within my daily and weekly allowance but something in me just insisted that I find an alternative.  I came up with this:

I remembered that I had individually frozen salmon fillets in the freezer so I thought I'd grill one alongside the burgers and shave off 7 POINTS in the process!  Then I checked the nutritional information for the frozen fries I was preparing and was pleasantly surprised to find that a 3 oz portion of these babies baked in the oven came to only 2 POINTS!!!  I was psyched!  So, I ended up with an enormously satisfying 8 POINT meal when all was said and done.

So, I ask you, when faced with this choice,

it's a no-brainer, isn't it?!

I'd love to hear what you're doing this week to achieve your goals.  What choices are you particularly proud of?

Until next time,

Deborah

Reducing Body Fat

I stumbled upon this video, part of a series, that seems realistic to me.  I like the trainer's calm, matter-of-fact demeanor.

Which reminds me . . . this week my Weight Watchers Leader challenged us to MOVE MORE.  Her plan for the week was to dance in the kitchen while the music is on.  Cute, huh?

Honestly, when someone asks me what I plan to do to move more I tend to think of a structured workout activity.  However, this idea has been percolating for a few days in my head and I've come to realize that I can increase my activity very simply by choosing to do tasks on my own instead of telling my kids to run upstairs and fetch my phone or check under all the sinks and find the Windex, etc.

So, what will you do this week to move more?

Until next time,
Deborah

5 POINT Brunch

"Wow!  That looks like something from a gourmet restaurant!"

That's what my 11-year-old daughter said. And you know what?  It was heavenly.

What you're looking at is a vegetable hash that I topped with a slice of fat free cheese and two over-easy eggs.  I like my eggs a little crispy around the edges but gooey on the inside so that when you take a fork and knife to them you end up with luxuriously creamy-but-crispy goodness!

No oil was used in preparation, either.  Here's how you can replicate this dish yourself:

Roughly chop half a small onion, half a yellow bell pepper and half a zucchini.  Begin sauteeing the veggies with a bit of cooking spray.  When they still need more cooking time but seem to be getting too dry that's when you hit 'em with a splash of chicken stock.  That's my secret ingredient for sauteed veggies without butter or oil.  Give 'em little splashes as needed until your veggies are to your liking.

Once the veggies are nearing their desired level of "done-ness" throw in some minced garlic, a handful of chopped kale and some fresh thyme.  Normally I'd salt and pepper at this point but I'm realizing as I write this that I didn't add seasonings this time and didn't miss a thing!  Hmmm.  Who knew?

Okay, scrape your lovely veggies onto a plate and place a slice of fat free cheese on top.  It'll start melting while you cook the eggs.  Mmmmmmm.

I'm assuming you know how to fry eggs . . . I use cooking spray for mine and season them with a blend of garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Lay them gently on top of that melty cheese and, voila!  You have a scrumptious, satisfying brunch!

Of course, you can substitute the vegetables with whatever you have on hand.  Mushrooms are wonderful, any color peppers are divine and spinach can stand in for the kale with no problem.  I like to make a large batch of veggie hash on the weekend and keep it in the fridge for use like this or as a quick omelette filling throughout the week.  It's a wonderful way to get two servings of vegetables in at the very beginning of your day.

Bon Appetit!

--Deborah

Sweet Slaw!

Hey Folks,
I hope you've been having success in your efforts to get healthier.  Since our last visit I've shed 4.4 pounds! 

We have a lot of catching up to do and I'm hoping to carve out some time this weekend to post some things that have been rolling around in my head to share.  But, until then I wanted to direct you to this terrific recipe I discovered on the Weight Watchers website.  If you need to bring a dish to a Labor Day party it's a crowd pleaser!  A half cup of this sweet slaw is zero POINTS!

Have a great weekend and remember:  
"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

--Deborah