| BROCCOLI CASSEROLE | |
3 c. chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. light butter, divided 1/4 c. finely chopped onion 3 tbsp. plain flour 1 1/4 c. skim milk 1 3/4 c. cooked rice, lightly salted 4 oz. shredded fat free cheddar cheese 1/4 c. non fat mayonnaise Pam 1/3 c. crushed unsalted Melba toast (about 5), or dry bread crumbs Cook broccoli until crisp tender. Drain. Melt 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon butter; add onion and saute. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Combine broccoli, milk mixture, rice, cheese and mayonnaise and mix well. Spoon into a shallow 2 quart casserole sprayed with Pam. Combine remaining butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. 170 calories per serving. | |
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Broccoli Casserole
Vidalia Onion Season Here I Come!
I am a confessed "non" fruits and veggies eater. Long story short it stems from growing up with a father who had an illness that didn't truly allow the fresh fruits and veggies to be eaten. For that reason we rarely had them around and I, obviously, didn't develop a taste for them. I don't blame anyone for this faux pas, I see it as a reason for my dislike and often confusion when it comes to Striving for Five but I also see it as a clean slate to learn HOW to eat fruits and veggies.
Something I find quite useful in my quest to learn how to eat my 5 a day is a printout offered by Wegman's. It's called Fruit Veggie Cup Calories. A wonderful little quick fix when shopping or looking for the best options and comes in pdf format.
Wegman's stores are my favorite place to get my fresh fruits and veggies. I've rarely, if ever, been disappointed in anything I've purchased there. Many other grocery stores here locally haven't been so wonderful, often offering produce that has little to no flavor, too ripe or over ripened and even "rotted" on the inside produce that left me feeling ripped off. I've never had that happen at Wegmans, so I stay there! Sure, I'll pop into some of the local produce stands but face it, here in Erie, PA the growing season is truly remarkably short and a good 1/2 of the produce some of these little stands have are actually shipped in bulk to them for resale. Our strawberries, corn on the cob, squashes, potatoes, etc. are generally grown locally and I don't mind buying them from the local farmers at all but things like melons and various fruits in particular are often not a locally grown item! Knowing that Wegman's has a large system in place to provide the most produce possible at greatest quality & as often as possible from local farmers is enough for me!
May and June bring the OH SO LOVED Vidalia® Onion! These are, by far, the best onion you
will EVER eat in my book! And yes... "Vidalia" is a registered trademark! And we all thought it was just where they were grown!?
My favorite way to use vidalias® are simple.... saute' them up in a little olive oil, some sea salt & cracked pepper. Cook up a huge batch, place in the fridge for instant gratification to any dish! Place these babies on a slice of toasted bread of any type and you have an instant sweet, mouth watering delight. Add them to a burger, a grilled chicken breast or a toasted cheese sandwich and you are in heaven!
Toasted Cheesy Vidalia Sandwich (4)
Yes, a toasted cheese sandwich and YES it's points friendly with reduced fat sharp cheddar (2), diet bread (1) and all the sauteed vidalias® you can pile in between, grilled on your indoor style grill with a spray of ICBNB or my fave 1 tsp. olive oil for a pannini style (1) to keep it from sticking! Add that to a cup of creamy tomato soup made with skim milk (1) and you can die a happy eater all for under 6 points!
Va-Va-Va-Voom Vidalia Chicken (4)
3-4 large vidalia onions, halved and sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sea salt
cracked fresh pepper
1/2 Cup fat free chicken broth
1 tsp. flour
Spread olive oil in fry pan and add Balsamic vinegar,& vidalia onions. Cook on med/high heat until clear & slightly browned, stirring often. Add flour, stirring to make a "roux", slightly thicker & golden brown.
Add fresh ground sea salt & cracked fresh pepper to taste.
Add chicken broth, stirring. Heat until bubbling. Add chicken breasts on top of onions, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Push onion mixture around to come on top of chicken; leaving chicken on bottom of pan, covered in onions. Increase heat to medium/high. Cover and keep a close eye on it so as not to burn onions. Cook until juices run clear from chicken (generally 20 min). Serve with 1/4 of the onions on top of each breast.
Great side dish, baked potato. I serve my chicken and onions right on top of the potato!
The Vidalia Onion Site - Recipes
(not always WW friendly but many can be easily tweaked to come out quite point friendly in the end!)
Onion Tart
Cooks.Com has Tons of Vidalia Recipes
(again, not always WW friendly, but tweak them to work!)
Something I find quite useful in my quest to learn how to eat my 5 a day is a printout offered by Wegman's. It's called Fruit Veggie Cup Calories. A wonderful little quick fix when shopping or looking for the best options and comes in pdf format.
Wegman's stores are my favorite place to get my fresh fruits and veggies. I've rarely, if ever, been disappointed in anything I've purchased there. Many other grocery stores here locally haven't been so wonderful, often offering produce that has little to no flavor, too ripe or over ripened and even "rotted" on the inside produce that left me feeling ripped off. I've never had that happen at Wegmans, so I stay there! Sure, I'll pop into some of the local produce stands but face it, here in Erie, PA the growing season is truly remarkably short and a good 1/2 of the produce some of these little stands have are actually shipped in bulk to them for resale. Our strawberries, corn on the cob, squashes, potatoes, etc. are generally grown locally and I don't mind buying them from the local farmers at all but things like melons and various fruits in particular are often not a locally grown item! Knowing that Wegman's has a large system in place to provide the most produce possible at greatest quality & as often as possible from local farmers is enough for me!
May and June bring the OH SO LOVED Vidalia® Onion! These are, by far, the best onion you
will EVER eat in my book! And yes... "Vidalia" is a registered trademark! And we all thought it was just where they were grown!?My favorite way to use vidalias® are simple.... saute' them up in a little olive oil, some sea salt & cracked pepper. Cook up a huge batch, place in the fridge for instant gratification to any dish! Place these babies on a slice of toasted bread of any type and you have an instant sweet, mouth watering delight. Add them to a burger, a grilled chicken breast or a toasted cheese sandwich and you are in heaven!
Toasted Cheesy Vidalia Sandwich (4)
Yes, a toasted cheese sandwich and YES it's points friendly with reduced fat sharp cheddar (2), diet bread (1) and all the sauteed vidalias® you can pile in between, grilled on your indoor style grill with a spray of ICBNB or my fave 1 tsp. olive oil for a pannini style (1) to keep it from sticking! Add that to a cup of creamy tomato soup made with skim milk (1) and you can die a happy eater all for under 6 points!
Va-Va-Va-Voom Vidalia Chicken (4)
3-4 large vidalia onions, halved and sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sea salt
cracked fresh pepper
1/2 Cup fat free chicken broth
1 tsp. flour
Spread olive oil in fry pan and add Balsamic vinegar,& vidalia onions. Cook on med/high heat until clear & slightly browned, stirring often. Add flour, stirring to make a "roux", slightly thicker & golden brown.
Add fresh ground sea salt & cracked fresh pepper to taste.
Add chicken broth, stirring. Heat until bubbling. Add chicken breasts on top of onions, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Push onion mixture around to come on top of chicken; leaving chicken on bottom of pan, covered in onions. Increase heat to medium/high. Cover and keep a close eye on it so as not to burn onions. Cook until juices run clear from chicken (generally 20 min). Serve with 1/4 of the onions on top of each breast.
Great side dish, baked potato. I serve my chicken and onions right on top of the potato!
Some other Great Vidalia Onion Recipes From Other Sites
The Vidalia Onion Site - Recipes
(not always WW friendly but many can be easily tweaked to come out quite point friendly in the end!)
Onion Tart
Cooks.Com has Tons of Vidalia Recipes
(again, not always WW friendly, but tweak them to work!)
Life Line to Water!
A huge part of creating a healthy body is learning to keep your body nourished and replenished. Water is a big part of that replenishing.
But I finally found something that helps me get my water in and doesn't load up on empty calories and flavorings. What I like most about it is that there is a hint of flavor, but not overwhelming like drinking a Kool-Aid® type drink.
Sobe® Life Water (0 cal) has truly become one of my best friends! There's Fuji Apple Pear, Black and Blue Berry and a Yumberry Pomegranate currently available in my area.
I used to be known for always carrying around a huge diet Pepsi® with me no matter where I went. I was never without it. Now, I'm the "Life Water Queen" and I have to admit, losing 6 lbs. in one week just by giving up that bloating diet soda was well worth it! Not to mention I now have something that truly quenches my thirst available at my side 99% of the time!
And, locally at least, the stores have been running wild sales on the stuff! What used to cost $1.79 a bottle in most places has been on sale for $1 a bottle at Target, Tops, Circle K Stores (local chain I think), Kwik Fill & Country Fair Stores, and more! So stock up (not that I can do this because I can buy 20 at a time and they're gone in a day with 3 teens and me!) and become addicted to something that really helps you lose the weight! You might find that getting in 8+ glasses of water a day isn't so tough any more!
Did You Know?
I will be the first to tell you, I am not a fan of drinking water. Plain ol' tasteless water over and over, quart by quart, all day long?! Paaahlease!!!!"Because most food contains a large amount of water, you obtain approximately 3 1/2 cups from what is eaten over the course of a day. Interestingly, the body's metabolism itself is another source, since -- as it makes and uses energy -- one of its daily byproducts is about 1/2 cup of water. So, if you add up your losses (two cups for the lungs, two for sweating, and six for the intestines and kidneys), you come up with a total loss of ten cups ... not counting any excess lost through perspiration during exercise. Therefore, taking into account the approximately four cups provided by food and metabolism, the average person needs to drink six to eight cups of water daily just to keep functioning well."
-- Mother Earth News
But I finally found something that helps me get my water in and doesn't load up on empty calories and flavorings. What I like most about it is that there is a hint of flavor, but not overwhelming like drinking a Kool-Aid® type drink.
Sobe® Life Water (0 cal) has truly become one of my best friends! There's Fuji Apple Pear, Black and Blue Berry and a Yumberry Pomegranate currently available in my area.I used to be known for always carrying around a huge diet Pepsi® with me no matter where I went. I was never without it. Now, I'm the "Life Water Queen" and I have to admit, losing 6 lbs. in one week just by giving up that bloating diet soda was well worth it! Not to mention I now have something that truly quenches my thirst available at my side 99% of the time!
And, locally at least, the stores have been running wild sales on the stuff! What used to cost $1.79 a bottle in most places has been on sale for $1 a bottle at Target, Tops, Circle K Stores (local chain I think), Kwik Fill & Country Fair Stores, and more! So stock up (not that I can do this because I can buy 20 at a time and they're gone in a day with 3 teens and me!) and become addicted to something that really helps you lose the weight! You might find that getting in 8+ glasses of water a day isn't so tough any more!
Here's some good reading and fact finding info on water and your body... via the net!
http://odyb.net/food-cooking/18-benefits-of-water-does-to-our-body/
http://www.shapefit.com/water-benefits.html
http://odyb.net/food-cooking/18-benefits-of-water-does-to-our-body/
http://www.shapefit.com/water-benefits.html
Lemon Lavender Pound Cake
Ahh, pound cake... the name itself says "weight added" but what if we could create a lighter, yet still delicious version? Look no more! I found a Lemon Lavender Pound Cake recipe that was "re-worked" to be "slightly" lighter in Woman's World magazine but that's never enough for me... so I re-worked it again and came up with an even friendlier point version! Original recipe (8), their re-make of the original version (5), my version (4).
This is one of those "special" cakes that you create when you have a lazy summer day with friends in the yard and need just a little something extra. Nobody will even guess it's a low cal, low fat version and the "lavender" makes it just a touch eclectic, or gourmet! It honestly isn't that hard either. The hardest part is "straining" the lavender out of the milk before using! (I use cheesecloth)
Lemon Lavender Half-Pound Cake (4)
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Cup Splenda® Sugar Blend (NOT REGULAR SPLENDA®)
1/2 Cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter 70% Vegetable Oil Spread
1/2 Cup reduced fat Sour cream (fat free makes this too chewy)
1/4 Cup Egg Substitute (Works better than just egg whites equivalent)
1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs. Skim (fat free) milk
2 Tbs grated lemon zest
1 tsp. dried edible lavender (McCormick's has a great product line if you don't have your own)
2/3 Cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
Preheat Oven to 350F
Spray 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" LOAF pan with cooking spray and dusting flour.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda; set aside.
On medium-high speed, beat Splenda Blend & ICBINB (margarine) until blended. Add sour cream, egg substitute and 1/4 cup milk. Beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture & beat until fluffy.
Stir in lemon zest.
Transfer mix to baking pan & bake 35 minutes or until center comes out clean when toothpick is inserted.
Cool IN pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once cake is completely cool it can be frosted:
Heat 1 Tbs. milk and lavender in small saucepan, careful not to scorch! Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain & discard lavender.
In small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar & lavender milk until smooth.
Place cake on plate & pour "glaze" over cooled cake.
Serves 12
Each Serving approx. nutritional value:
Cal 186, Fat 7g, Fiber 1g
(4)
This is one of those "special" cakes that you create when you have a lazy summer day with friends in the yard and need just a little something extra. Nobody will even guess it's a low cal, low fat version and the "lavender" makes it just a touch eclectic, or gourmet! It honestly isn't that hard either. The hardest part is "straining" the lavender out of the milk before using! (I use cheesecloth)
Lemon Lavender Half-Pound Cake (4)
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Cup Splenda® Sugar Blend (NOT REGULAR SPLENDA®)
1/2 Cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter 70% Vegetable Oil Spread
1/2 Cup reduced fat Sour cream (fat free makes this too chewy)
1/4 Cup Egg Substitute (Works better than just egg whites equivalent)
1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs. Skim (fat free) milk
2 Tbs grated lemon zest
1 tsp. dried edible lavender (McCormick's has a great product line if you don't have your own)
2/3 Cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
Preheat Oven to 350F
Spray 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" LOAF pan with cooking spray and dusting flour.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda; set aside.
On medium-high speed, beat Splenda Blend & ICBINB (margarine) until blended. Add sour cream, egg substitute and 1/4 cup milk. Beat until combined. Add reserved flour mixture & beat until fluffy.
Stir in lemon zest.
Transfer mix to baking pan & bake 35 minutes or until center comes out clean when toothpick is inserted.
Cool IN pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Once cake is completely cool it can be frosted:
Heat 1 Tbs. milk and lavender in small saucepan, careful not to scorch! Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain & discard lavender.
In small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar & lavender milk until smooth.
Place cake on plate & pour "glaze" over cooled cake.
Serves 12
Each Serving approx. nutritional value:
Cal 186, Fat 7g, Fiber 1g
(4)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Chocolate Oreo Milkshake
One of my life lines on Weight Watchers® is their own WW Smoothie. I love the chocolate most, as I am a confirmed chocoholic! They offer the smoothie mix in a new berry flavor also, which is quite yummy! They have Vanilla Chai, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Berry at the moment, at least at my meetings. So, today I decided to do something a little different with my smoothie mix.
I prefer to make the WW Smoothies with water, not milk. It uses less points, provides a milk serving anyways and is not as "odd" in texture. The only word I can come up with to explain the texture when made with milk is "slimy" and that's not a word we should use when it comes to food!
So today I
decided to use both a vanilla and a chocolate smoothie packet to 16 oz. of ice and water. Tossed in the blender it gave me the world's largest "milk shake" I've ever seen! I decided to go for the decadent side and add a 1/2 pack of Oreo 100 Calorie Packs. At this point I'm at 4 Pts for a 24oz. or larger glass! The more crushed ice you use, the thicker the milkshake is, so don't worry about putting in too much!
Blended all together the Oreo pack gave it just a hint of Oreo flavor. The combination of the vanilla and chocolate seemed to make it a creamier, smoother almost "white" chocolate flavor.
I've been "bad" lately, although I did lose 2 lbs. this week, and I just feel like I need to make some changes in my choices. This was a slightly different option that I knew would fill me so full for breakfast and yet be very point friendly. I've been having horrible sweets cravings, could be for a variety of reasons, and I know the more I put them off the more I crave so it was time to tackle that desire the proper way!
So next time you're "hungry" and craving something sweet and chocolaty... go for one o
f these Oreo Milkshakes! Not only is it filling but very point friendly! Remember presentation accounts for a lot also. Placing the milkshake in a HUGE glass and topping it with 2 mini Oreo pieces just made me feel like it was a "special" treat... almost forbidden! But reality was, it was not only VERY good, tasty and special... it was so point friendly and filling that I felt a secret success in just making the choice!
I prefer to make the WW Smoothies with water, not milk. It uses less points, provides a milk serving anyways and is not as "odd" in texture. The only word I can come up with to explain the texture when made with milk is "slimy" and that's not a word we should use when it comes to food!
So today I
decided to use both a vanilla and a chocolate smoothie packet to 16 oz. of ice and water. Tossed in the blender it gave me the world's largest "milk shake" I've ever seen! I decided to go for the decadent side and add a 1/2 pack of Oreo 100 Calorie Packs. At this point I'm at 4 Pts for a 24oz. or larger glass! The more crushed ice you use, the thicker the milkshake is, so don't worry about putting in too much!Blended all together the Oreo pack gave it just a hint of Oreo flavor. The combination of the vanilla and chocolate seemed to make it a creamier, smoother almost "white" chocolate flavor.
I've been "bad" lately, although I did lose 2 lbs. this week, and I just feel like I need to make some changes in my choices. This was a slightly different option that I knew would fill me so full for breakfast and yet be very point friendly. I've been having horrible sweets cravings, could be for a variety of reasons, and I know the more I put them off the more I crave so it was time to tackle that desire the proper way!
So next time you're "hungry" and craving something sweet and chocolaty... go for one o
f these Oreo Milkshakes! Not only is it filling but very point friendly! Remember presentation accounts for a lot also. Placing the milkshake in a HUGE glass and topping it with 2 mini Oreo pieces just made me feel like it was a "special" treat... almost forbidden! But reality was, it was not only VERY good, tasty and special... it was so point friendly and filling that I felt a secret success in just making the choice!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Making Muffins for Desserts & Breakfast
Time for Muffins!
Fiber One is a "Weight Watcher's" friend! They offer some wonderful high fiber options of foods that can often be a little less than we realize, health wise! These awesome Apple Cinnamon Fiber One Muffins at a cost of under $4 a box, which makes 12, are a very reasonable financial AND nutritional choice!
Homemade anything just seems to scream out comfort food. Yes, I know our grannies and great-grannies were in the kitchen all day making true from scratch food. A boxed cake or dessert item was used in dire emergencies when company dropped in. Gone are those days, THANK GOODNESS! Now, you get great homemade taste with simple basic boxed mixes and there's something about "comfort food" that makes your eating experience so wonderful. These little muffins are no stranger to the "Comfort Food" style of eating but do so while remaining healthy! What more could you ask for?
A box of Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Muffin mix makes 12 average sized muffins. They also offer an even lower fat version, substituting apple sauce for the oil and egg whites or egg substitute for the eggs, taking off one entire point per muffin! Created the "lower fat" way these lovely creatures come out sweet, tender and delightful and extremely point friendly! (2)
My own special touch to make them even better was to add a sprinkle of the GFS (Gordon Food Service) spice "Maple Cinnamon Sprinkles". As a spice and used in small quantities they add no extra points while adding tons of extra flavor. Sprinkle the Maple Cinnamon on top of the muffins while still warm to get a slight melting reaction, creating a sticky sweet, delicious treat.
I love using the muffins for breakfast. They're a great quick "Grab 'n Go" option as you're running out the door. The kids love them, enjoy the sweet treat to get them going in the morning. As a "snack" they rock too! Add a glass of milk or a container of yogurt to get a wonderful, filling sweet treat.
I found my box of Fiber One muffin mix at Big Lots locally, making them a good $1 or more less than the grocery stores but most all stores carry them in my area.
So if you get a chance and have 20 minutes before bed, you might want to whip up a batch for a homemade treat that will leave you feeling so very delighted! It's just like "homemade" comfort, only made simple! My kids love them too!
Some other options to try while eating them....
- A teaspoon of reduced fat peanut butter spread on top. Rocks!
- Crumbled over top a low fat, point friendly ice cream & topped with some fat free whipped cream. Add a Tablespoon of sugar free, fat free caramel (don't forget to add the points up) and you've created an "a la mode" style dessert to die for!
- Drizzle a thin line of sugar free, fat free caramel along the tops of these muffins for a decadent treat!
- Add 3 or 4 cinnamon hearts on top of the muffins just as you take them out of the oven. Cute decorations and a touch of cinnamon sweetness makes each bite taste a bit like a candied apple.
Hope you find a box of Fiber One Muffin Mix and make the time to create these easy special treats for you and your family! You'll wow them, I'm sure! And feel free to share the different ways you too create a sweet treat for yourself and your family!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Dining Out
One of the hardest parts of eating healthy is learning how to "Dine Out" with friends and family and still remain "on plan". Life as an American happens to focus around getting together with friends and eating. It is just second nature for us. Social functions all too often gather around food and most often food that others prepare, often leaving us wondering how it was prepared and what all of the ingredients are.
As a Weight Watcher® I do benefit from the fact that I can eat anything, as long as it's counted in my points. I don't have to eat prepackaged food. But dining out can often pose some issues, especially if you end up going to some place very UN-healthy (buffets kill me), it gets even worse.
So what's a healthy eater to do?
Re-learn "Dining Out" techniques. Re-learn how to find the lower point, fresher, healthier foods, even if they're hidden amongst the high fat, high calorie, low taste options!
This past week seemed to be one of those weeks that I was just running non-stop. End result, nearly every meal was done in a restaurant. Sometimes it was easy, other times it was very difficult.
One of my absolute most despised places to dine is an "All You Can Eat" buffet. I'm sorry, I'm not up for mediocre, at best, food in huge quantities. Points wasted, taste buds abused and in my opinion money wasted. Unfortunately, friends all too often want to do the buffet and you end up having to go for it.
The other day, we ate at Golden Coral. To me, this place is a joke in the food industry. I know many just love this place but I'm pretty certain it is because they prefer quantity over quality. That's definitely not how I eat any more, although I must confess I've rarely preferred quantity over quality when it comes to eating. GC offers beef that I'm pretty sure was found laying on the side of the road instead of in a field. Fat content so intense that while they grill the "all you can eat steak" flames are so bad they have water containers to keep them down. End result, a completely charred, over cooked, hunk of fat with an ounce of edible meat at best. Half the time it's even half raw on the inside while the outside is so charred you can't begin to eat it! Worth the points? Hardly! Add to that the buffet itself, which is loaded with fat laden, high carb, starchy, tasteless side dishes. If I'm going to waste points it's going to be on something so decadent I'm going to say "it was worth it". Starchy, tasteless glue like substances, created to look like dishes they claim to be. That's not going on my plate!
So what do you end up doing?
For me, I lo
aded up at salad bar first. My "appetizers" consisted of simply veggies, a few of them even looked like they were supposed to and not all brown or withered! A small, slightly plain, salad helped fill the empty spot keeping me from grabbing unhealthy items to fill the void.
Fill up with the obvious healthy choices. To some it may sound like torment, but to me.. when I saw the options on the buffet itself I knew it would provide the most flavor for the least points. Some of the items on the salad bar weren't too bad. While the choice of fat free dressings was limited to one, I suffered it out. A nice sized salad, good start at keeping on track.
Time for a "main dish". What are some of the best choices? It's an obvious fact that most of the choices are not going to be real "point friendly". I found some chicken that wasn't loaded with butter or breading and happens to be the only one thing I enjoy at this particular buffet.. Bourbon Chicken. I took about 1/4 cup for a serving (one large serving spoonful), & while I didn't know the exact points I was pretty sure I stuck to about 3pts total or less.
Generally you can find some type of boneless, skinless chicken to load onto your plate while avoiding the very low end beef options they have that are, at best, 30% fat. Avoid the beef dishes if you can. Meatloaf was offered on the buffet but I could see by it laying in it's own puddle of grease that it had to be very high in fat content, not a good ground beef that was low fat. The steak they offered was not trimmed at all. I trimmed the fat off the one piece I was given and end result was literally 2 bites of true steak without all the fat. Definitely not worth wasting my points on. The roast they had was just as fatty, not an option for me either. Ribs were being grilled too but to be honest they didn't even look good. I passed.
"Side dishes" were not as easy. The general consensus at a buffet seems to be if it looks like paste
and resembles the color of what we are calling it, it can be a side dish. I found some "roasted" veggies that actually were in a pot roast dish. The pot roast was seriously about 60% fat with a little meat and gravy; however, the veggies were awesome and while I'm sure they had a few extra calories and fat, getting them roasted gave them a little flavor and the veggies themselves made it a lower in points than most other sides they offered. I was happy with that choice rather than trying to eat one of those paste like side dishes they had!
"Dessert" is my weakness. What I tried to do here at the buffet was remind myself that what THEY call dessert and what I would call dessert, flavor wise, would not even be REMO
TELY close to the same. I scanned their dessert bar for options. They had tons of stuff, none of it was truly too awesome looking to me, so I decided to ask about their "ice cream". I was glad I did. The "ice cream" is actually an "ice milk", lower in fat. I had a nice size dish (about the equivalent of a McDonald's ice cream cone) with a teaspoon of chocolate coating (the one that gets hard and makes it's own shell). To be honest, this was the best option I saw all night and probably the most point friendly! Odd, but true!
End result:
So it wasn't a total loss. I was reminded of why I am now eating the way I am. I was given a challenge that I conquered.
I'm hoping that my techniques and ability to make better choices will help someone else out there in the same spot. Hey, if I can do it, you can do it! AND we can do it TOGETHER!
As a Weight Watcher® I do benefit from the fact that I can eat anything, as long as it's counted in my points. I don't have to eat prepackaged food. But dining out can often pose some issues, especially if you end up going to some place very UN-healthy (buffets kill me), it gets even worse.
So what's a healthy eater to do?
Re-learn "Dining Out" techniques. Re-learn how to find the lower point, fresher, healthier foods, even if they're hidden amongst the high fat, high calorie, low taste options!
This past week seemed to be one of those weeks that I was just running non-stop. End result, nearly every meal was done in a restaurant. Sometimes it was easy, other times it was very difficult.
One of my absolute most despised places to dine is an "All You Can Eat" buffet. I'm sorry, I'm not up for mediocre, at best, food in huge quantities. Points wasted, taste buds abused and in my opinion money wasted. Unfortunately, friends all too often want to do the buffet and you end up having to go for it.
The other day, we ate at Golden Coral. To me, this place is a joke in the food industry. I know many just love this place but I'm pretty certain it is because they prefer quantity over quality. That's definitely not how I eat any more, although I must confess I've rarely preferred quantity over quality when it comes to eating. GC offers beef that I'm pretty sure was found laying on the side of the road instead of in a field. Fat content so intense that while they grill the "all you can eat steak" flames are so bad they have water containers to keep them down. End result, a completely charred, over cooked, hunk of fat with an ounce of edible meat at best. Half the time it's even half raw on the inside while the outside is so charred you can't begin to eat it! Worth the points? Hardly! Add to that the buffet itself, which is loaded with fat laden, high carb, starchy, tasteless side dishes. If I'm going to waste points it's going to be on something so decadent I'm going to say "it was worth it". Starchy, tasteless glue like substances, created to look like dishes they claim to be. That's not going on my plate!
So what do you end up doing?
For me, I lo
aded up at salad bar first. My "appetizers" consisted of simply veggies, a few of them even looked like they were supposed to and not all brown or withered! A small, slightly plain, salad helped fill the empty spot keeping me from grabbing unhealthy items to fill the void.Fill up with the obvious healthy choices. To some it may sound like torment, but to me.. when I saw the options on the buffet itself I knew it would provide the most flavor for the least points. Some of the items on the salad bar weren't too bad. While the choice of fat free dressings was limited to one, I suffered it out. A nice sized salad, good start at keeping on track.
Time for a "main dish". What are some of the best choices? It's an obvious fact that most of the choices are not going to be real "point friendly". I found some chicken that wasn't loaded with butter or breading and happens to be the only one thing I enjoy at this particular buffet.. Bourbon Chicken. I took about 1/4 cup for a serving (one large serving spoonful), & while I didn't know the exact points I was pretty sure I stuck to about 3pts total or less.
Generally you can find some type of boneless, skinless chicken to load onto your plate while avoiding the very low end beef options they have that are, at best, 30% fat. Avoid the beef dishes if you can. Meatloaf was offered on the buffet but I could see by it laying in it's own puddle of grease that it had to be very high in fat content, not a good ground beef that was low fat. The steak they offered was not trimmed at all. I trimmed the fat off the one piece I was given and end result was literally 2 bites of true steak without all the fat. Definitely not worth wasting my points on. The roast they had was just as fatty, not an option for me either. Ribs were being grilled too but to be honest they didn't even look good. I passed.
"Side dishes" were not as easy. The general consensus at a buffet seems to be if it looks like paste
and resembles the color of what we are calling it, it can be a side dish. I found some "roasted" veggies that actually were in a pot roast dish. The pot roast was seriously about 60% fat with a little meat and gravy; however, the veggies were awesome and while I'm sure they had a few extra calories and fat, getting them roasted gave them a little flavor and the veggies themselves made it a lower in points than most other sides they offered. I was happy with that choice rather than trying to eat one of those paste like side dishes they had!"Dessert" is my weakness. What I tried to do here at the buffet was remind myself that what THEY call dessert and what I would call dessert, flavor wise, would not even be REMO
TELY close to the same. I scanned their dessert bar for options. They had tons of stuff, none of it was truly too awesome looking to me, so I decided to ask about their "ice cream". I was glad I did. The "ice cream" is actually an "ice milk", lower in fat. I had a nice size dish (about the equivalent of a McDonald's ice cream cone) with a teaspoon of chocolate coating (the one that gets hard and makes it's own shell). To be honest, this was the best option I saw all night and probably the most point friendly! Odd, but true!End result:
- Definitely a "less than desirable" eating adventure
- Stayed well within points
- Was "full" enough to be "satisfied"
- Remembered why I hate buffets & their less than edible foods with more than desired calories & fat!
So it wasn't a total loss. I was reminded of why I am now eating the way I am. I was given a challenge that I conquered.
I'm hoping that my techniques and ability to make better choices will help someone else out there in the same spot. Hey, if I can do it, you can do it! AND we can do it TOGETHER!
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