Thursday, February 25, 2010

Black 'n Blue Bacon Cheeseburger (7)




Black 'n Blue Bacon Cheeseburger (7)
1 Arnold's Sandwich Thin®(1) - toasted if desired
4 oz. 95% Fat Free Black Angus Hamburger patty (4)
2 Tbls. fat free Feta cheese (0)
2 pieces center cut or turkey bacon (cooked crisp) (2)
A squirt of fat free Blue Cheese Dressing

Simply cook the beef patty to desired doneness. Slide burger onto the Arnold's Sandwich Thin®, add 2 slices of cooked center cut bacon, 2 Tbls. Fat Free Feta & a drizzle of fat free Bleu Cheese Dressing. You've re-created the Wendy's Bacon 'n Blue Burger ® without all the fat & calories!

My inspiration for this burger was the Wendy's Bacon 'n Blue Burger®. On their website this burger comes in with 680 Calories, 40g fat & 3g fiber! (16 points® *gasp*) Can you say a day's worth of fat plus some?!!! YIKES! My version is a MUCH more fat friendly, calorie friendly treat for 7 points®! Heck you could eat TWO and have 2 points® left at that rate!



Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!

Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!



WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!


TwitThis
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.
Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Bacon Onion and Smoked Gouda Cheeseburgers


Bacon, Onion & Smoked Gouda Cheeseburgers (9)
1 FlatOut "Fold It" Sandwich Wrap (1)
4 oz. 95% Fat Free Hamburger patty (4)
2 oz. reduced fat smoked gouda (2)
2 pieces center cut, canadian or turkey bacon (cooked crisp) (2)
1/2 sweet onion (caramelized)
lettuce (use a bib lettuce or a lettuce mix to get some other veggies in there)
Any other veggies you desire (tomatoes, etc.)

Simply cook the beef patty to desired doneness. Slide burger onto the FlatOut Wheat Sandwich Wrap, place smoked gouda slice on top, slather on tons of grilled, sweet onions and some lettuce. You've re-created the BackYard Burger® version of this delicious burger without all the fat & calories! *(Note the picture of the burger is one from the Flatout bread site and not one of my burger... I didn't take the time to click a pic of the burger I created... wish I had and promise to do so next time!)


My inspiration for this burger was the Backyard Burger® Smoked Gouda burger... they won't even POST the nutritional values for this puppy but suffice it to say that a similar burger of theirs (with cheddar instead of gouda) comes in at a whopping 1170 calories, 79g fat and 3g of fiber according to their website! Does the points® calculator even WORK with those numbers or does it just explode (like your waistline)!?!?!?! By the way.. those numbers come in at about 29 points® for ONE burger! Um, hello that's a DAYS worth of points® for most people, if not more!!!!!! Putting mine on a wheat FlatOut sandwich wrap, omitting the mayo alone and using a low fat beef blows this burger out of the "healthy" waters and into the sinking depths of the obese.. I mean, abyss, it belongs in!!!!! I'm not hatin' on the BackYard® Burger version, just saying... maybe it's a great way to be inspired to create something healthier for yourself!? They've inspired quite a few versions of burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches for me to be honest and I will sometimes grab one of their Hawaiin Grilled Chicken sandwiches (no mayo, only 1/2 a bun) for a fairly nice main dish... I just have to remember to stay away from those chili cheese fries!





Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!
Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!


TwitThis
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Even when I'm "OFF", I'm still pretty "ON"!


I impressed even my self over this weekend. With Valentine's Day being a day that, normally, I don't put too much thought into.... I really had decided that, even though I have the love of my life to celebrate it with... EVERY day should be one we celebrate. This being said, we decided to not "go out" or make a big deal about the day itself and actually ended up not even realizing that Sunday was Valentine's day other than a small gift we exchanged & a card. My sweetie had wanted to go "out" to eat but I asked if, instead, he wouldn't go for a nice steak dinner at home. Home cookin' is so much better tasting, so much cheaper, and allows us to eat in our big oversized jersey's and blankies! LOL


What I discovered about this "Valentines Day Weekend" was that I had decided to sort of "lay back a bit" on counting but not go crazy all weekend. Oddly enough, this train of thought didn't throw me into an eating frenzy of "bad for me" things & create a monster! Instead it opened my eyes to what my idea is "NOW" of, "being OFF" was... compared to my old self.... very different than what I used to think!

So how "Off" was I? Not as "Off" as you'd think! My splurge for the entire weekend was one of my biggest bad guys around... and I will confess up front that I cannot control myself with "REAL" ice cream! I did end up eating a TON of full fat, creamy, delicious, "Birthday Bash" Perry's Ice cream. This was the one item that I purchased that wouldn't fall in the "still healthy" category. Other than this item (of which I made sure I worked off those calories believe me!) everything else I "indulged" myself in was actually quite healthy! End result was that I used all of my "Points®" and some extras but I didn't have a gain (actually lost for the week). I also knew that over-indulging was going to require a decent "work-out" and better planning the rest of the week, so I compensated.

But the truth of the matter is this... you can be "OFF" program... or misbehave a bit... and still not really be off. For example; our Valentine's dinner was a thin cut T-Bone steak (as opposed to a 2" thick version & I ate only 1/2 or a "true portion" size of about 3 oz.), some mashed potatoes (made with skim milk & ate a single portion size, not a huge plate full), some veggies (always "ON" program) with a dessert of the 150 Calorie (3 pts) Betty Crocker single serve cakes you microwave. My dessert of choice was a chocolate raspberry cake. End result for dinner was an amazing dinner, flavored with tons of spices, and coming in at well in-program! Even my "extras" throughout the weekend were well within "healthy". I splurged with chocolates (the difference being that THIS time a "splurge" was 2 Ghirardelli squares which came in at 2 points® & not an entire BOX of chocolates). The bag quietly sat on the counter the rest of the weekend and I didn't even flinch. But WHY? WHY the change now?

I have begun to think thin. I know, I wrote an entire blog on "thinking thin"... and this is yet another example of how I've begun to do this. YOU can do it too! You have to realize one thing.. you are NOT perfect. Thin people do not think they can NEVER eat anything yummy, decadent or categorized as "bad" again in their life. What they do realize is that it can NOT be a way of life! This weekend my choices, even the items I made as special dinners, were all created with lower fat, lower point, lower calorie items. Example, I made amazing smoked gouda and bacon burgers with caramelized onions. "What?!", you say, "That CAN'T be "ON" program!?" .. .but truth be told it is totally okay to eat! How did I do it? Simple... instead of big, full buns that cost a good 3 or 4 points, I used the FlatOut® sandwich wraps (1 pt)... instead of 25% full of fat burgers I used 5% fat (95/5), bringing the points® down a good 3 points®.... instead of a full fat gouda, I used a lower fat gouda.. knocking off 1 point® & instead of loading on tons of mayo I opted for a ton of caramelized onions, taking off another 3-4 points® and adding a TON more flavor..... toss aside that fatty bacon and use center cut pieces or turkey (both the same point® wise), size it down to 2 strips instead of 4 and you've lost another 2 points®! My total for MY Grilled Smoked Gouda & Bacon with onions Burger was 9 points® as opposed to the same version with full fat, calorie and high point ingredients that I WOULD have used long ago that would bring the same burger to about 21 points® or more! And what did it take? Not much... better choices of ingredients, omitting some extra things (do you REALLY need 4 slices of bacon or can 2 pieces of center cut or turkey bacon work just as well.... is MAYO really a necessary ingredient to give the burger flavor or can you grill up some onions to add moisture and flavor... do you want a mouth full of bread or can the 1 point® FlatOut® wrap allow the rest of the burger flavor to come through.... and why get 2 ounces of meat for the same point® value you can get 4 ounces?!) and creating a more flavorful and friendly main dish!

My inspiration for this burger was the Backyard Burger® Smoked Gouda burger... they won't even POST the nutritional values for this puppy but suffice it to say that a similar burger of theirs (with cheddar instead of gouda) comes in at a whopping 1170 calories, 79g fat and 3g of fiber according to their website! Does the points® calculator even WORK with those numbers or does it just explode (like your waistline)!?!?!?! By the way.. those numbers come in at about 29 points® for ONE burger! Um, hello that's a DAYS worth of points® for most people, if not more!!!!!! Putting mine on a wheat FlatOut sandwich wrap, omitting the mayo alone and using a low fat beef blows this burger out of the "healthy" waters and into the sinking depths of the obese.. I mean, abyss, it belongs in!!!!! I'm not hatin' on the BackYard® Burger version, just saying... maybe it's a great way to be inspired to create something healthier for yourself!? They've inspired quite a few versions of burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches for me to be honest and I will sometimes grab one of their Hawaiin Grilled Chicken sandwiches (no mayo, only 1/2 a bun) for a fairly nice main dish... I just have to remember to stay away from those chili cheese fries!





*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.
Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal with a twist


I am not a breakfast lover. Don't get me wrong, I "do" breakfast but generally I "do" it hours after I've been awake or very lightly. Oddly enough I've never been a morning eater and most of my family seems that way. It's not a matter of time or even desire to eat or not eat but more so a matter of "my belly just isn't ready for food for at least an hour or more after I've been up".

Today I was hungry and wanted something kind of solid when my "ok I'm ready to eat now" gene kicked in! I decided I had been dying to try my Quaker® Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal (3 pts) but wanted just a little something to go with it. I glanced over and there was the answer... a single, lonely pack of Nabisco® 100 Calorie Pack Lorna Doone's. Then end result was an amazingly filling and ooooooh so delicious pair that will take me well into the lunch hour easily!

My "tip" of the day is: learn how to pair certain items up so you get the most bang for your "points®". Today's breakfast was a perfect example. For 3 points® I could have had a decent breakfast that would have been "good", and probably stuck with me for a couple of hours; however, for 5 points® I ended up having an amazing breakfast that hit every aspect of my taste buds needed.... crunchy, smooth, warm, sweet and most of all it was extra filling! Take the time to give YOURSELF that little extra boost. You deserve to go the extra mile and get an "amazing" meal, as opposed to an "okay" one! Not only will it keep you from straying into the abyss of "I am so deprived" but it will make you feel like you're really doing this right!

So next time you're whipping up a quick dinner, lunch or breakfast... take that 2 seconds more to add an item that brings it "up a notch" to the next level and enjoy!!!!!

Some different items I love to pair together to bring my meal to the next level:
  • Something crunchy to something creamy - a perfect example of this is a 1/2 pack of 100 calorie treats to a container of yogurt (go that double extra mile and put it in another bowl instead of eating it out of the container if you can)

  • Extra flavorful spices - sometimes something as simple as sprinkling on an additional spice or flavoring will bring your dish completely to the other side! One of my favorite "spices" or additions is a "sprinkle" I purchased from GFS (Gordon Food Service) made by Trade East® Spices called "Cinnamon Maple Sprinkles". Zero Points® at 5 calories for 1/4 teaspoon, you can add this on top of waffles, into mashed sweet potatoes or on top of a baked sweet potato. I add to sweet potato fries (my favorite being the Alexia® Sweet Potato fries.. the most bang for your points®), along with some sea salt to give my "side dish" a sweet 'n salty flavor. Top off your "diet bread" toast and suddenly something you simply tossed in the toaster now tastes like you cooked it up in the fry pan and created "french toast" instead! And this is just ONE spice I'm working with, can you imagine the possibilities when you look in your cupboard at all those spices?!

  • Learn the art of "drizzle" - I tend to keep a bottle of "light" chocolate syrup, a bottle of sugar free maple syrup, fat free caramel topping and sometimes even strawberry syrup to drizzle on treats. With literally minimal calories for a DRIZZLE (key word) you can change up the flavor quickly & easily! A perfect example... I will take a packaged 2 point® Weight Watchers® Chocolate Chip Brownie, place it on a plate (paper plates are a staple for easy clean up but nicer presentation), and drizzle some syrup across it. Eat it with a fork and you feel like you went crazy with dessert but didn't add any extra points! I'll do the same with an Arnolds® Sandwich Thin, toasted and drizzled with some caramel and an apple. Yummy caramel apple "tart" in seconds!

T
hese are just a few ideas! Feel free to add some of your ideas in the comments! A few extra seconds of prep can end up creating an amazing treat without an amazing addition of calories or points
®!




AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers
® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!

Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!


Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!


WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!



TwitThis
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

Foodbuzz




1. Weight Loss With The Fabulous Fatties
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3. HK Weighs In

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?
BKJen


5.Get Fit After 40

5.Green Lite Bites

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!
Sean Anderson

*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Weight Watcher White Chocolate Peppermint Smoothies


Sometimes there are just some products out there that help you maintain the Weight Watcher® program that are simply created by Weight Watcher's® and only available through them but so worth the trip to the meeting places in order to pick them up. I personally think that Weight Watcher's® Smoothie Mixes are one of these items. Of course, everyone has their favorites or their ones they absolutely cannot stand. There are very few I honestly dislike, but definitely some that I absolutely LOVE.

One of my absolute faves is the plain ol' chocolate smoothie mix. I mix mine with water for a 1 point treat and probably a good 75% of the time I'll add some "goodies" to the smoothie to create an almost "Blizzard® Like" dessert!
Some different items I love to add to a chocolate WW smoothie:
  • Peanut Butter for a chocolate peanut butter drink (you can use PB2 in place of actual lower fat peanut butter for less points® )
  • 100 calorie packs (generally you can add 1/2 pack adding only 1 extra point®) - some of my faves of these include the Oreo® packs & the Chips Ahoy® packs but the choices are almost endless!
  • 1 pt or 2 pt bars - in particular I love to add the Weight Watchers® chocolate chip brownies, all chopped up and just dropped into the mixture....makes for an amazing chocolately treat!
  • 1/2 Skinny Cow® ice cream sandwich - actually I will often use the Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches to "dip" my smoothie

O
ne of the newer flavors of the Weight Watchers
® Smoothies I've found is the White Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie. This is often a wonderful, creamy treat that I whip up with a Skinny Cow® to dip into it. I use the "water" method, preferring the texture of using water and ice (use ice & water to equal 1 cup in the blender) as opposed to using skim milk but many prefer a thicker milk version. I personally think using the milk tends to make it come out almost "slimey" but it's all a matter of preference.

So if you get a chance, I highly recommend picking up some Weight Watcher
® Smoothie mixes. Starting with 1 point® per serving, you can get a great big glass of delicious treat... add some of your own favorite "toppings" to make a decadent dessert!





AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers
® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!

Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!


Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!


WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!



TwitThis
Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

Foodbuzz




1. Weight Loss With The Fabulous Fatties
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3. HK Weighs In

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?
BKJen


5.Get Fit After 40

5.Green Lite Bites

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!
Sean Anderson

*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc.