Saturday, August 28, 2010

Weight Watchers Baked Sweet Potato Chips Recipe

Weight Watchers Baked Sweet Potato Chips Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet potatoes, peeled
- Non-fat Olive Oil Cooking Spray
- 1/8 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
Thinly slice potatoes in a food processor or by hand; they should be no more than 1/8-inch thick. The thinner the better (it gives you more chips for the same amount of Weight Watchers Points!!!)
Arrange slices on baking sheets so they don’t overlap. Spray with a bit more oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake chips until they begin to lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve. Recipe makes 4 servings.

*TIP: If leftover chips become soggy, put them back in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp them up.
Serving size is 1/4th of recipe
Each serving = 1 Weight Watchers Point

Teriyaki Grilled Chicken

Teriyaki Grilled Chicken


Serves 6 ( 4 points)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( 4 oz. each)
3/4 c. pineapple juice ( I used the juice from a 20 oz. can of pineapples)
3/4 c. fat-free chicken broth
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce


Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Spray a grill or grill pan with cooking spray. Cook until chicken is no longer pink.

Don't miss a Thing!

Don't Miss a Thing!
Article By: Michelle Olson www.weightwatchers.com


It's good to think about your weight-loss destination — but don't forget to enjoy the ride too!

Imagine you're on a train trip through Europe, taking in all the beautiful, unfamiliar scenery. You're probably not too concerned with getting to your final destination, since the journey is what this trip is all about. Do you take the same attitude when it comes to the journey through weight loss?



Enjoy each moment

You've probably heard your Leader or other meetings members discussing how slow and steady weight loss is the best way to drop pounds for the long term. In other words, weight loss is more like a slow train ride than a quick airplane flight. It can be pretty tempting to constantly look ahead to your destination (weight loss), but with this approach you're missing out on all the beautiful scenery along the way.

You might ask: "What scenery could I possibly find enjoyable on my weight-loss journey?" Well, it's not rolling hills and shining streams per se, but there are some stops that you won't want to miss. Maybe each five-pound loss can be a mini-stop that you can enjoy and take in. Your 10% goal is a pretty exciting junction. The day that your friends, co-workers or family members notice your weight loss is certainly something to revel in. Or maybe what you want to really savor is the day that you passed up seconds of your favorite meal because you were satisfied with your first helping.

Part of the weight-loss journey is living in the moment. If you woke up tomorrow suddenly minus 20 pounds, you might be happy at first, but how much would you really appreciate the weight loss when you achieved it with no effort on your part? You might be glad that those 20 pounds were gone, but you could easily be tempted to overindulge and gain them all back since it was no sweat to lose them. On the flip side, if you lost those 20 pounds over four months, really pushing yourself to succeed, then those 20 pounds dropped seem more enjoyable. Since you were along to see the whole journey develop right before your eyes — the ups and downs — you're much more likely to keep the weight off for good.

So take a seat and enjoy each second of your weight-loss journey. Enjoy the success and the compliments. Know that someday you will reach your destination, but for the time being, just enjoy the ride!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

How to add Healthy Oils

HOW TO ADD HEALTHY OILS

As you all know there are 9 Good Healthy Guidelines that are a MUST for a successful journey and healthy lifestyle, I have found that many do well with most but struggle with getting in the OILS-If this is you here is some ways to make sure you are getting in 2 TEASPOON of oil a day.

Healthy oils are: olive oil, canola, sunflower, safflower, flaxseed.

FYI: Fish oils, Oil capsules, avocados, peanut butter, nuts, salad dressings, etc., do NOT count towards WW healthy oils requirements. Only the pourable kind.


1) Cook with it, a lot of recipes start off with oil in the skillet
2) Mix up a marinade for meats and/or veggies
3) Mix it with meat sauces, or most sauces
4) Sauté with it.
5) Drizzle over pasta
6) Drizzle over popcorn
7) Drizzle over veggies
8) Drizzle over pizza
9) Drizzle over corn on the cob
10) Drizzle some over fat free cheese(it helps melt better)
11) Mix up some salad dressing (like olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
12) Rub it on poultry or fish before baking it
13) Rub it on meats for the spices and/or rubs have something to stick to
14) Rub some on a baked potato
15) Grill sandwiches
16) Stir Fry veggies
17) Coat some homemade baked fries
18) Makes garlic toast, (oil and garlic on bread toast)
19) Add some to soups
20) Add some to smoothies
21) Mix 2 tsps olive oil to fat-free salad dressing
22) Add to anything that is fat-free. instead of the fat, you're replacing it with healthy oils
23) Roast veggies with oil
24) Mix canola oil to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, soups
25) put some in salsa
26) If you eat frozen dinners, drizzle some over it.
27) make some Herb or Spice Infused Oil, (for dipping or cooking)
28) Mix in some Butter Buds or Molly McButter, You'll have butter flavored oils.
29) mix some in the new PB2 (powdered peanut butter..available at bellplantation.com)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Crock Pot Sour Cream Salsa Chicken

CROCKPOT SOUR CREAM SALSA CHICKEN
POINTS® values per serving | 4
Servings | 4

4 skinless boneless chicken breast
1 package dry taco seasoning mix
1 jar salsa (I used Chi-Chi’s mild)
1/4 cup FF sour cream

Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with Taco Seasoning. Top with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. Stir in sour cream. Serve sauce over chicken.

Laughing Cow Alfredo Sauce

Laughing Cow Alfredo
POINTS® value | 2
Servings | 2

3 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Garlic & Herb
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 Tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbsp Molly McButter Natural Butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine all the ingredients over a low heat,
until everything is melted and the sauce is velvety smooth, about 20
minutes. Serve immediately over hot cooked pasta of your choice.(add points for pasta used)


Add it to wheat pasta...sautee some broccoli, sweet peppers, onion, fresh garlic and chicken...mixed it all together...VERY good

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Eating Satisfaction and Apetite Control

And hopefully this week we all learned a lot about how to stay more satisfied and below I copied a great article from the WW science center.

Food does a lot more than provide nutrients. The good feeling that comes from a satisfying meal, called satiety, is one of life's simple pleasures. But the body systems that regulate appetite, hunger and satiety are quite complex.

Factors Affecting Satiety
There are a number of hormones and metabolic systems involved in appetite regulation. The body's systems are primarily designed to guard against starvation, leaving weaker systems in place to resist overeating and weight gain.1

In addition to the internal systems that regulate hunger and satiety cues, environment and eating habits also play a role. For example, being surrounded by appealing food stimulates the appetite and the body becomes conditioned to eating meals and snacks at familiar times. The physical cues that produce satiety can be overridden by the taste and texture of desirable foods. In addition, how the body responds to a meal is influenced by things like palatability and energy density.2

The influence of palatability on appetite control has been investigated in several studies. Not surprisingly, there is a consistent finding that the more palatable the meal, the more food is eaten. Several studies have also looked at how the sensory aspects of food, such as taste, smell and texture, affect eating satisfaction. The results for these studies have been mixed, with some finding an influence on eating satisfaction and others not. Still other research has found that increasing the variety of foods eaten in a meal increases overall food (and calorie) intake and, at least in the short- to medium-term, leads to weight gain.3

It has been suggested that the satiating power of the macronutrients follows a hierarchy where protein > carbohydrate > fat. However, the scientific evidence for this is limited. There are studies that indicate that the macronutrient composition does not impact satiety4 and others that show the opposite. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when protein replaced fat in meals containing the same number of calories, satiety was significantly increased.5 Carbohydrates, as a macronutrient, encompass thousands of foods—from sugar to wheat germ. The effect of carbohydrates on eating satisfaction may vary. For example, it appears that whole grains provide greater eating satisfaction than refined grains.6

Satiety and Weight Loss
Strong feelings of satiety can extend the time between eating meals and the amount of food needed to ease hunger. This, in turn, can reduce the intake of calories—resulting in weight loss. In the June 2005 study that looked at increasing the percentage of calories from protein, the participants chose to eat less food and this resulted in a weight loss.