November 24, 2008
The Year Without Thanksgiving
This year, my boyfriend and I will not be traveling anywhere for Thanksgiving festivities, nor will we be hosting any festivities of our own. Nope - it's just him and me this year. We joked about having burgers for Thanksgiving, but I know we're both a little bummed about not being able to partake in traditional Thanksgiving Day fare.
So my question is: What meal-items do you suggest for TWO people on Thanksgiving? Other than mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, we've never prepared any of the traditional items: turkey, stuffing, gravy, etc. We really don't want to have a bunch of leftovers, and we certainly don't want to roast an entire turkey... but we do LIKE turkey breast... a lot.
Any suggestions? Also, if there are Points-conscious choices out there, I'd love to hear them!
November 17, 2008
Sunday's Kitchen Adventures
Sunday kicked my ass - in a good way! I can't remember the last time I was on my feet for so long. By the evening, my feet were SO SORE, and I could barely stand up. But this morning I'm feeling fine, so all is well.
In any case, WHY was I standing up so much yesterday? Well, I spent almost all day in the kitchen - cooking, cleaning - you know, those "fun" things. But before that, I decided to spend some more time playing Wii Sports. As much as this made me sore the other day, I keep telling myself that the more I play it, the stronger I will become. And after playing for longer than a half hour, I work up a bit of a sweat. This counts as Activity points, right??
Anyways, onto the REAL fun. I started by doing the dishes. That's one tick on the fun meter. Next up, I had to go to the grocery store to supply our weekly bounty of edible things. I spent about an hour there, looking up up recipe ingredients that I had forgotten to place on my list on the web via my iPhone. That thing is amazing. I don't think I forgot a single thing, with its aid.
Then, back at home, came the "fun" task of unloading everything. So much joy this brings me, really. But finally, when all that was done, I was free to... no, not relax - make some pumpkin muffins! The season always gives me a hankering for pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Specifically, pumpkin pie (with heaps and heaps of whipped cream), pumpkin bread, and pumpkin-spice lattes from Starbucks. But those are, shall we say, NOT conducive to weight loss.
So I found a recipe on the Weight Watchers website for "Grandma's Pumpkin Muffins". They sounded scrum-didelee-umptious. I went to the task, mixing everything up as directed. I filled a muffin tin with wrappers, filled the wrappers with the goo, and put them in the oven.
They LOOKED okay, but there was a bizarre burning smell emanating from the oven. Not. Good. So when the toothpick came out "clean", I took them out of the oven and let them sit for awhile. They did not appear burned, and even kinda smelled okay.
It wasn't until I took them out of the tin that I found that the bottoms of each were burned. Burned! And the muffins would not easily come out of the paper wrappers. So basically, only the tops of the muffins were edible. They tasted alright, they certainly weren't as yummy as a slice of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks, but it was a learning experience, right? Of course, I don't know what I really learned, as I have no idea why they failed the way they did. Any ideas?
Not content to end the day in failure, I started making our planned dinner: Tri-Color Pesto Rotini - also a Weight Watchers recipe. This went much, much better. I spent, oh, about an hour dicing up carrots and green and red bell peppers. Then cooked the pasta, then stirred up the pesto with chicken broth. Then stirred everything together, and, what do you know! The meal actually turned out not only edible, but delicious!
The boyfriend was truly pleased with the meal. So much so that he got seconds. And almost thirds. If I make it again, I think I'll put a little more of the pesto mixture in (it's a low-fat pesto anyways, so can't hurt a lot) - and maybe even a little boiled, diced chicken breast as well. That would give it some real heft. And I can reduce the portion size of the pasta in that event. In any case, we have enough left to last us about three more days. Maybe more!
November 16, 2008
Me and Mexican Food: Striving Towards Healthy
So I had a totally yummy, entirely filling dinner last night. And it was 10 Points total. Kinda big, but I'm working 32-Points per day, so it works for me. Basically it was half-burrito, half-soft taco.
I heated up some fat free refried beans, then heated up two Mission "Heart Healthy" tortillas and put about a 1/4 cup (or so) of refried beans on each. I didn't include any meat or chicken in this recipe, and I wanted it to be hearty, so I figured: "More beans!!" After putting the beans on, I used 1/4 cup of lowfat Mexican-style shredded cheese to spread over the two "burritacos" (yes, I just made that up), then spooned on some fat-free Pace Picante salsa, some fat free sour cream, and a leaf of green leaf lettuce on each. I took a few more spoonfuls of refried beans and put them on the side of the dish, and sprinkled what was left of the 1/4 cup of cheese on top.
I heated that up in the microwave for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese a bit, and then ate it all up. I'm a Mexican-food fiend - it's my downfall, really - but using lower-fat versions of my favorite ingredients (beans, cheese, sour cream, tortillas) helps make it healthier, and I can work it into my meal plan quite easily.
Next time, I think I might add some chicken or something, but the problem is I don't really know how to prepare chicken. I boiled some chicken breasts last week for the WW Layered Mexican Chicken recipe, and that was super easy, and made the chicken really easy to cut/shred. But as for grilling and marinating, I'm at a bit of a loss. Grilling seems like such work, especially when it's cold outside. I kinda just want to boil the chicken. That seems the healthiest, too, right? I've heard that boiled chicken isn't too flavorful, but it might be fine covered in salsa and cheese and sour cream - right?
February 20, 2008
Back, sorta
Breakfast:
1 cup Orange Juice (7:30am)
1 packet of Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal (8:00am(
1 glass of water
Lunch (12:00pm):
Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Pizza
Yoplait Light Fat Free Apple Turnover flavored yogurt
1 glass of water
January 26, 2006
01/26/05 intake
SlimFast (Milk Chocolate) on the way in to work, while driving (7:30am)
Quaker Oats Smores Lowfat Granola Bar (9:50am) - 110cal, 2g Fat, 1g Fiber
January 25, 2006
so i guess i'm starting this again
(1) SlimFast (Milk Chocolate) on the way in to work, while driving (7:30am)
(1) Packet of Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce (9:56am)
WW Pepperoni Pizza (12:15pm)
(1) Quaker Smores Lowfat Granola Bar (12:26pm)
12 oz. IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit drink (2:56pm) - 150 cals
LC Jumbo Rigatoni w/Meatballs (9:30pm)
February 15, 2005
June 10, 2004
road trippin'
As I mentioned on another site of mine, I'm sort of planning to go on a solitary road trip this weekend. I still don't know where I'm going, but I have to get out of L.A., cuz I'm hella bored.
One thing that's been on my mind is eating whilst on the road. Historically, my road trips have not been the most-nutritious of times for me: I either hit the fast-food joints, snack on crap like Cheez-Its (...mmmm, cheez-its...), Red Bull, candybars and peanut butter sandwiches - or I just don't eat enough and end up shaky and light-headed and driving dangerously on a dark curvy road, ostensibly on the coast, but who knows, as it's dark, and I can't see shit because I'm suffering from malnutrition... I digress...
Does anybody have any road-trip snack/food secrets they're willing to share? I plan on taking a bucketload of water, and throw in two Red Bulls in case of emergency, but my reliance on frozen meals for Points-compliance has sort of left me in a lurch.
But I'm not going to worry about it too much. The road I'm thinking about taking (Hwy 50, "the loneliest road in America") probably doesn't have the benefit of a Subway every 50 miles - so I have to warm to the idea of just taking the plunge and eating at one of those roadside diners where the serve breakfast all day, and everything is cooked with heaploads of butter on a grill that probably hasn't been washed since the diner opened. But I'd rather go there on not an entirely empty, gurgling stomach. Tips?
June 04, 2004
minute maid light o.j.
Last night I picked up a carton of Minute Maid's new Premium Light Orange Juice, which boasts half the calories and sugar of the original stuff. A cup of OJ will now hold 50 calories and 10g of sugar, vs. 110 calories and 24g sugar of the original... and it will only cost me 1 Point per cup!
I think this is a great product, because I not only get to drink a cup of orange juice for 1 Point, but it counts as both a fruit serving and as a milk serving - as it is fortified with calcium!
Admittedly, the taste is not the same as your typical orange juice, but I'm fine with that. I was never a fan of the heavy, acidic taste of orange juice anyways. The Light O.J. taste is just that - a little lighter. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste - it reminded me a bit of Tang! You all remember Tang, right? It's very reminiscent, which is A-OK by me because I used to suck down gallons of that crap as a little kid.
Isn't it very exciting that we're seeing such a surge in lower-calorie foods and beverages available to us in the market? I'm not a fan of the Atkins diet, but I think the hype surrounding it has led to foodmakers finally paying attention to the wants and needs of the consumers.
May 26, 2004
May 25, 2004
go active happy meals
Last night I traveled to Simi Valley after work to do my laundry at my Dad's house (as I despise the laundromat), and decided to drop by McDonald's to pick up one of their new Go Active! Adult Happy Meals... the Fiesta Salad meal, to be precise.
From the information gathered from the McDonald's website, it appeared that the meal would cost me a total of 10 points (including the salsa and optional sour cream - which looks nothing like the sour cream in their advertisements, btw). Not too shabby for a meal from MickeyDee's... plus, they give you a nifty little questionably-accurate (aren't they all?) pedometer Stepometer.
The verdict? The "toy" far exceeded the meal. I found the salad to be palatable, but I probably won't shell out the $5.35 for the meal again soon. But I'm wearing the ped-, um, Stepometer, and it looks like I've only gathered 893 steps and it's a quarter til noon? Yikes, I better get on the move!
March 25, 2004
question of the day
Does a Baked Apple Granola Bar count as a serving of fruit, or am I just kidding myself?
March 01, 2004
mmm mmm good
I just finished my dinner, and the microwave-safe plastic bowl it came in is still on my table in front of me. I cannot stop smelling it. It's so goooood. Ladies and gents (well, ladies, I imagine), may I introduce you to my new favorite Lean Cuisine meal, Creamy Chicken & Vegetables Cafe Classics Bowl.
"Herb roasted chicken tenderloins in a savory sauce accented with parmesan cheese and sherry, served over a bed of long grain white rice topped with bias cut carrots and broccoli florets."
Oh. My. GOD! So good, so so good. I wanted to heat the second one up straight away after finishing off this bowl, but I'm using the last bit of restraint I have left. This is so not a diet that I'm on. I can't remember the last time I tasted something so sumptuous. Why do those damn nutrition-scientist-wackos designing the dishes for Lean Cuisine have to come up with such damn good eats? What's the point if I want to eat five of them in a row?!?
Folks, I highly suggest that the next time you're in your local supermarket, pick up one or two or twenty of these rice bowls, because they fuckin' rock.
February 19, 2004
danger! danger!
The other night at the grocery store, I found this new Weight Watchers SmartOnes dessert: Giant Fudge Bars!! Oh. My. GOD! And guess how many points each they are... ONE point... each... only one point! This can be very dangerous, because when I find a treat I especially enjoy, I tend to overdo it. Like last night, I had my first Giant Fudge Bar... Then I couldn't resist... I had another one. Only 2 points! What's to stop me from eating the entire box (I think they're a 6-pack) and logging in only 6 points?!? Yikes. Kinda like the WW SmartOnes Ice Cream Sandwiches and the Sundaes... mmm mmm.
Anyhow, I'm not especially looking forward to the restraint I'm going to need to employ tonight when I get home - but I am looking forward to a quiet night. Today has been even more hectic and problematic at work than yesterday! I even had my first tear-laden breakdown in front of the Quality Control manager... ugh. Can't wait to drive home.