***Daily Round Up***

Hey Guys, Here's my daily round up after breakfast. For lunch I had a Greek Salad from Cosis, with no dressing. Only veggies, feta, and olives... a total of 4 WW pts. I then had a snack later on, my fiber granoloa bar -2 WW pts. How has you day been?

***Recipe of the Day: Samosas Done My Way***

Ingredients:

1/4lb. of extra lean ground turkey (I like Jennie O)

1/2 medium Onion, chopped

2 tb. of grated Garlic

1/2 c. of chopped, frozen Spinach

1 c. of frozen Mixed Vegetables

1/2 bunch of Cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. of Canoloa Oil

1 tsp. of Salt

1 tbs. of flour and water, mixed to form a paste

Fajita style Flour Tortilla's cut in half

Seasonings:

1/2 Tb. of Salt

1 tb. of Pepper

2 tb. of Cumin Seeds

2 tb. of Garam Masala

2 tsp. of Turmeric

1 tsp. of Chili powder

1 tb. of Coriander powder

1. In a sautee pan, cook the ground Turkey in salted water. About one cup of water, just to cover the ground Turkey should do the trick.

2. Once the Turkey is cooked, remove from sautee pan, and into a bowl.

3. Add the Canola Oil to the sautee pan.

4. Add the Onions, Garlic and Salt to the pan, cook until the onions have become translucent.

5. Add the Spinach, Mixed Vegetables, Cilantro, and ground Turkey.

6. Add the seasoning and sautee for 5 minutes on medium heat, if you find the mixture becoming too dry, add some water for the spices to incorporate more easily, however, make sure this has fully evaporated when done.

7. Let the mixture completely cool before moving on.

8. Once the mixture has cooled, take half of your flour Tortilla, and fold this in half to form a cone.

9. Seal the edge with the flour paste.

10. Spoon a generous amount of your ground Turkey mixture into the now formed cone.

11. Fold over the remaining edges of the Tortilla to close the cone and seal with the flour paste, set aside and repeat with another half of Tortilla.

12. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

13. Bake the samosa's for 30 minutes, or until browned.

Guys, I was able to make 12 samosa's out this batch.

Now for the important part...each samosa has only 2 WW pts!!! Also, if you'd like to make these totally vegetarian, omit the ground Turkey and Tofu or more veggies...the points would also reduce to 1 WW pt.!!!! How hot is that? :-P

Enjoy!

Weekly Weign In...

Hey Guys, Stay tuned tomorrow for the weekly weigh in!!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, I hope you all had a good evening! So for breakfast today I had another smoothie which consisted of the following: 2 tsp. of PB: 1.5 WW pts. 1/4c of FF Ricotta: 1 WW pts. 1 cup of Skim milk: 2 WW pts. 1 tbs. of cocoa powder: 1 WW pts. All for a total of 5.5 WW pts.! How was your breakfast?

Guess Who I Found...

***Daily Round Up***

Hey Guys, So after lunch I had a granola bar for 2 WW pts. Dinner was with a friend and I had a Lentil Spinach soup, for 4 WW pts. and a spinach goat cheese salad for 6 WW pts. What did you guys have for dinner?

***Lunch Time***

Hey Guys,

For lunch I had my tuna patty on an Arnold's Thin bread. I also drizzled some EVOO and hotsauce on this. All this for a points value of 3!!! What did you guys have for lunch?

***Recipe Alert: Italian Tuna Patties***

Hello Everyone, Here is my recipe for Italian Tuna Patties. I hope you enjoy this! Ingredients: 1/2 c. of Chunk Light Tuna, drained beyond belief 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced 1/2 Red Onion, diced Salt/Pepper for seasoning Teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Teaspoon of Dried Basil Teaspoon of Italian Seasoning Teaspoon of Garlic Powder One Egg, wisked One Teaspoon of Canola Oil

1. Wisk all of the ingredients, except the Canola Oil in a bowl.
2. Once the mixture is combined well, divide in half.
3. Carefully form one patty out of each half.
4. Add the oil in a hot non stick skillet.
5. On medium heat, fry the patties for five minutes on each side, until browned.
6. Serve on an Arnold's Sandwhich Thins, or on top of a salad!!

Each patty has 2.5 WW pts!!

***Recipe Alert: Egg McMuffin- My Way***

Hello Everyone, So, we all know that convenience is key. Anything we can grab and go is a must for our daily lives. Breakfast on the go is especially helpful. I've made my own version of "Egg McMuffins", this can be made in batches and even frozen for a later time! Make a batch of these for the whole week and you're good to go. These also make a great snack! This is a recipe for ONE muffin, if you are making a whole batch, adjust accordingly. Also, I used one whole egg per muffin cup, but you can also add one whole egg + one egg white, and still have the same amount of points, since the egg white has 0 WW pts. One Egg: 2 WW pts. Salt/Pepper to taste: 0 WW pts. 3 tsp. of Fat Free Ricotta: 0 WW pts. 1/2 Scallion, diced: 0 WW pts. 1/4 Red Pepper, diced: 0 WW pts. 1 tsp. of Whole Wheat flour: 0 WW pts. Muffin tin Guys, you can use any vegetables you'd like. I used Red Peppers and Scallions because that's what I had on hand. Sliced Mushrooms, Spinach or Onions are a great addition to this and also adds volume. Wisk all of this in a bowl. Spray your muffin pan with a cooking spray, such as Pam, and pour the mixture in a muffin tin. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until firm. Enjoy!! 2 WW pts. per muffin!!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, I hope you all had a great evening last night! This morning for breakfast, I had the same smoothie as yesterday :-) I'm surprised at how filling this was! What did you guys have for breakfast?

Indulgence...

Today I also had an indulgent snack, which was a small frozen yogurt, with berries from Pinkberry! This was delicious, and if you are ever craving a cold, sweet treat, I suggest you get yourself a SMALL serving with FRUIT...for a total of 3 WW pts.! There aren't enough 'yums' for this one :-)

Do you guys know of any other low point treats?

***Daily Round Up***

Hi Guys, Sorry for the late post, today was unbelievably hectic!! Surprisingly my breakfast smoothie kept me full until lunch time so I didn't even get hungry for a snack in between. Lunch was a slice of vegetable pizza. Yes, one slice with onions, broccoli, peppers and mushrooms. This was 4 WW pts. Later on I had Fiber granola bar for 2 WW pts. Dinner was Whole Wheat Pasta with Tuna and Lemon Olive Oil. This was 5 WW pts. How was your day?

****New Tool: Pasta Measurer****

Hi Guys,

I know I always make pasta dishes made with Whole Wheat Rigatoni or Penne, however I do like to use good old fashioned spaghetti, angel hair or linguinie -only if it's whole grain or multigrain though :-P How do I measure out perfect pasta portions? I use the thingamabobber on the left! Google pasta measurer and you'll see Amazon and Crate and Barrel selling them! This tool comes in handy so you do not OD on the pasta portion sizes!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls,

This morning for breakfast I had another smoothie, but this was a little different. Here are the deets:

1c. Skim Milk: 2 WW pts.

1/2 scoop of Chocolate Whey Powder: 1 WW pt.

2 teaspoons of PB: 1.5 WW pt.

1 tablespoon of ff Ricotta: 0 WW pts.

1 tablespoon of instant coffee: 0 WW pts.

I found I was able to add some extra thickness, creaminess and protein by using one tablespoon of ff Ricotta, for 0 WW pts. Also, the instant coffee I added help bring out the chocolate flavor in the shake, and of course wake me up :-)

This shake had a total of 4.5 WW pts.!

What did you guys have for breakfast?

What works for me...

Hi Ppls, I thought I'd post a few points on what helps me lose weight, this may help some of you:

1. I try to eat every 3 hours. This way I'm not famished when I get to finally eating, and I will not over eat. This also helps keep my metabolism up.
2. You need fat to fight fat: Ppls, if you notice, there are some pretty fatty ingredients in my meals, like EVOO, PB, Avocado, Cheese. Also, if you notice these are all heart healthy, Omega 3 fatty acids. Fat is also very filling. I ONLY SUGGEST YOU EAT OMEGA 3 AND OMEGA 6 FATTY ACIDS, stay away from saturated and trans fatty acids!! Also, please note, I stay within my points range when choosing the fats for my meals.
3. Stay away from the 'white stuff', yes, the white bread, white flour and white pasta. Stick to complex carbs such as 100% Whole Wheat or Whole Grain bread, flour and pasta. The 'white stuff' will just spike your blood sugar and you will crash and feel hungry probably within an hour, while the 100% Whole Wheat and Whole Grains, enter your blood stream more slowly, keep you energized and fuller longer!
4. Get my activity on. I need to workout. I'm sure I would lose weight, just by my diet alone, but working out makes me lose weight faster and at a steady pace. Also, I have so much energy, seriously, I have lots of energy!
5. I do not deprive myself. A craving does not go away unless you satisfy it. I really try hard to only have a piece of chocolate, rather than the whole thing!
6. I stay hydrated. Often, thirst will be mistaken for hunger. I carry my stainless steal water bottle with me everywhere I go, and refill as needed!

I hope some of these tips help you out, however I know everyone is different. What works for you?

***Daily Round Up***

Hey Guys, I thought I would do one posting on my food for the rest of the day, only because I've had these things many times before and did not want to bore you with the same pics :-) My lunch was a Basil, Mozzarella, Tomato on an Arnold's Thins: 5 WW pts. For my snack I had a Kellogg's Fiber Bar: 2 WW pts. For dinner I had my Channa Masala w/ a Roll-Up: 5 WW pts. How was your day?

***New Find: Wraps***

Hey Guys,

I found a great find in the supermarket over the weekend. They are called Roll-Up, and you can use them for wraps or paninis or if you make my Channa Masala, I like to toast these over an open flame and eat my Channa Masala with this.

Here are the deets:

Cal: 110

Fat: 3 grams

Fiber: 9 grams

WW pts.: 2

Not bad for wrap, or panini!!

***Snack Attack***

Guess what I did this weekend? I moseyed on down to my nearby Target and bought 3 Honey Almond and 3 Key Lime Pie thick and creamy yogurts!!! Yes, it's amazing how much better the thick and creamy yogurts tastes. Also, only 2 WW pts. An awesome snack :-) What did you guys snack on?

***Recipe of the Day: Channa Masala***

Hey Guys, I love cooking Indian food. Generally, I feel Indian food is pretty healthy, if the amount of oil can be controlled! I've been craving one of my favorite Indian dishes, which is called Channa Masala. This is basically Chickpeas simmered in a spicy and tangy sauce, and is generally eaten with naan (flatbread made out of white flour) or roti (unleavened flatbread, usually made out of wheat flour). This is also a dish that tastes better as you let it the flavors marinate with each other. So, if you make it for dinner tonight, the leftovers are even more awesome!!! Now, I think Channa Masala is one of the healthiest Indian dishes you can have, and probably one of the most easiest dishes to make! One serving of Chickpeas has only 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber people!!! What's even better is, most of the spices and vegetables used to make this dish are 0 WW pts. and if you make it on your own, you can definitely control the oil! Here is my wonderful recipe for Channa Masala. If you notice, I also add frozen Spinach, which is not typical with Channa Masala, but this adds volume and tastes great! I hope you guys try this recipe! Note: This recipe serves 4 people, so the WW pts. are per serving Ingredients: One 1LB. 13oz. can of Chickpeas, drained: 2 WW pts. One medium Tomato, diced: 0 WW pts. One medium Onion thinly sliced: 0 WW pts. Two tablespoons of Cumin seeds: 0 WW pts. Three tablespoons of Lemon Juice: 0 WW pts. Salt to taste: 0 WW pts. One tablespoon of Canola Oil: 1 WW pt. One tablespoon of Garam Masala (you can find this in the International aisle of your supermarket): 0 WW pts. Two tablespoons of Tomato Puree: 1 WW pt. Two dried Chillies: 0 WW pts. Chili powder, as needed: 0 WW pts. 1/2 tablespoon of Turmeric: 0 WW pts. Two teaspoons of Coriander Powder: 0 WW pts. Two cloves of Garlic, chopped: 0 WW pts. 1/2 inch of Ginger, chopped: 0 WW pts. 1/2 cup of fresh chopped Cilantro: 0 WW pts. One cup of frozen Spinach: 0 WW pts. 1. Add the Oil to a hot saucepan 2. Saute the Onions on medium heat, until translucent 3. Add the Cumin seeds and saute for another five minutes 4. Add the Garlic and Ginger and saute for another minute 5. Add the Salt, dry Chillies, Turmeric, Coriander powder and saute for 3-5 minutes 6. Add the diced Tomatoes and saute for another minute 7. Add the Tomato Puree and Lemon Juice 8. Stir in the Chickpeas 9. Add the Spinach 10. Add enough water to just cover the Chickpeas 11. Allow this to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow sauce to thicken 12. Once sauce has thickened to desired consistency, stir in the cilantro, then take off of heat. Allow this to slightly cool. Serve with freshly sliced onions on top. Eat with warm/toasted whole wheat pita. Guys, you get a huge portion for 4 WW pts. This is awesome for dinner or lunch!!

Enjoy!!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! The weather was gorgeous in NY!! This morning for breakfast I had my Berry Olive Oil Smoothie...as usual, this was delicious!! What did you guys have for breakfast?

You're Gonna Love This...

OK Guys, I got another great recipe for you- Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Sammie for only 5 WW pts.!!! Yes, this rich, filling lunch is only 5 WW pts. and seems like such a guilty pleasure.

Deets:

One Arnolds Sandwhich Thins bun: 1 WW pts.

Couple of slices of Beefsteak or Vine Ripened Tomatos: 0 WW pts.

Couple of leaves of Basil 0 WW pts.

2 slices of Mozzarella cheese 4 WW pts.

STOP DROOLING AND PAY ATTENTION HERE:

I bought a 160z. log of Bel Gioioso Fresh Mozzarella. There are 16 servings in this log, so 1 ounce a serving. I opened the package, and cut the log in half, then I cut the halfs in half. So the log was in quarters, I then cut each quarter in half. The log is now in eights, lastly, I cut each eigth in half, and had 16 equal portions/slices at the end...got it?

Here are the nutritionals on the Mozzarella/ serving:

Cal: 80

Fat: 6grams

Fiber: 0

One serving has 2 WW pts.

Ok, now back to the recipe! I toasted my sandwhich thins, then assembled my sammie! This was soooooo delicious, and soooo filling. For a total of 5 WW pts...this was awesome!!!

Also, for an extra point, yes ppl, just one extra point add a teaspoon of EVOO, or even a spoonful of the 'Holy Guacamole'!!!

Seriously, try to even tell me this isn't good :-P

Berry Tastic Smoothie

Hey Ppls,

So, I have alot of people emailing me about my EVOO Berry Smoothie. I really suggest you try this smoothie because not only is it delicious, but it is so antioxidant packed and is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids! Also, believe me on this, the EVOO adds such a thich richness to this smoothie!

Here are the deets:

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup Blackberries

1/2 cup strawberries

1 tsp. of EVOO

Blend all of ths in a blender. I do not even add ice because the smoothie gets so thick!

This smoothie ranks in at 4 points...awesome for an on the go breakfast!!

PS: You can really use any type of berries

PSS: Guys, I really think it's a good idea to invest in a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil..it seriously makes a difference! A little of the good stuff goes a long way. I use Carapelli, it's so deep, rich and fruity in flavor!

****Holy Guacamole****

Hi Guys,

I love Guacamole, but the high points from the avocado can make you go on a points overload. To solve this dilemma I've created a low point, huge portion of guacamole for you to all enjoy with your baked chips :-). This is also a great recipe to make and bring to a party, atleast you'll have something to dip your chip in.

Here are the deets for the recipe:

1/2 Avocado

Juice of half a lime

Salt/Pepper to taste

1/2 small Red Onion, finely diced

1/2 Beefsteak Tomato, deseeded, finely diced

1/2 Jalapeno FINELY diced

1/2 c. blanched Peas (as I like to say, trust me on this), pureed

1. Put your Avocado in a bowl, and with a fork, mash it up
2. Add the juice of the lime (this will add a nice tang and prevent the guac from browning)
3. Add the salt/pepper, Red Onion, Tomato, Jalapeno and pureed Peas
4. Stir with your fork

You'll notice when you blanch the peas, they will be a bright green color, and after they have been pureed, you'll have a smooth green paste. The peas add volume to the guac, and trust me, you won't even taste them!!

This huge recipe serves atleast two people -seriously this is a huge portion and can probably be split even more! If divided by two, this recipes is only 2.5 points!!! This is sooo not bad compared to other 8 point servings!!!

I hope you guys try this recipe out!!

***Snack Attack***

Hi Ppls,

I'm so excited to bring you my new find! It's still yogurt, but this delicious...dare I say, better than my Key Lime Pie...

I found this yogurt in Target, by Archer Farms. We are talking about a rich, thick and creamy Honey Almond yogurt. OMG..this was delicious...and it was only .52 cents!!! If you are looking for a different yogurt flavor, other than your strawberries and vanilla, well then I hope there is a Target near you :-)

Here are the deets:

Calories: 90

Fat: 0

Fiber: 0

WW pts.: 2!!

What did you guys snack on today?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, This morning for breakfast I had my PB&J done my way sammie! This was a total of 2 WW pts. I had my breakfast about two hours ago, and in a lil bit I'll have my snack. I knew I would be going out for lunch today, so I wanted to keep my breakfast a lil low in points just in case I decided to indulge for lunch...I'll keep you posted! What did you guys have for breakfast?

Weekly Weign In...

Good Morning Ppls, As promised, today is the weekly weigh in. Last week I weigned in at 135, 15 pounds away from my goal weight. This morning I woke up a lil nervous to weight myself. As you all have probably read, I had a really bad day this week! However, thank goodness I've been going to the gym because this must have helped me out a lot! Today, I got on the scale and it read 134!!! Go me...I know it's only one pound, but trust me, as you get closer to your goal weight, some weeks you won't even lose weight! So this is a big accomplishment. Now, only 14 more to go :-)

Healthy Tips for Eating Thai Food....

Hey Guys, I just wanted to post up some healthy tips/reminders for the next time you get Thai food:

1. Stay away from Coconut Milk laden dishes. One cup of Coconut Milk alone has over 400 calories and 50 grams of fat, 45 of them are saturated!!!
2. Stay away from fried rice -try to get brown if you can
3. Pad Thai -I'm sure you love it, but one dish can have over 1100 calories and over 40 grams of fat, you need alot of activity points to get over that one!
4. Watch out for portion distortion, after ordering your food, immediately ask the waiter to put half of it in a doggie bag for you.
5. Whatever you order, ask if you can have the sauce on the side, this way you can control how much of the sauce you want.
6. Fill up on the CLEAR BROTH soups before your meal
7. Go for anything that is roasted, steamed or grilled
8. Thai salads are usually a great choice, filling and loaded with flavor -seriously when they ask you how spicy you would like your salad, it's gotta be loaded with flavor!
9. If you are going to get an appetizer, aim for the spring rolls, these are loaded with fresh ingredients and not high in calories.

I hope some of these tips have been helpful!

***Dinner Tonite***

Hey Ppls, Tonight for dinner I had a PB&J done my way, along with a glass of skim milk. Total WW pts.: 5 What did you have for dinner?

***Snack Attack***

Hey Guys, Today has been a hectic day! I knew I would be out so I brought my snack with me. I had a non fat Key Lime Pie yogurt...and it was delish :-) What did you guys snack on today?

Pesto Sauce from WW

2 tbsp pine nuts 2 cup(s) basil, leaves, fresh 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp olive oil 2 medium garlic clove(s), peeled 1/2 tsp table salt Instructions Place pine nuts in a small skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook until nuts are golden, shaking pan frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to a plate to cool. In a blender or food processor, combine nuts, basil, broth, cheese, oil, garlic and salt; process until smooth and thick. Yields about 1/4 cup per serving. Points value of 2 per serving!

Low Point Pesto...

I'll be posting a few versions of low point pesto sauces tonight...stay tuned!

Tomorrow is Weigh In Day

Hi Ppls, I just wanted to remind you, tomorrow is weigh in day! I haven't measured my waist yet, but I will do so tomorrow and post it up as well!

***Early Lunch***

Hey Guys, So I made myself an early lunch because I knew Iwould be out later on today, and could have my snack later on. Lunch today was a Berry Smoothie -yes another smoothie, but they are so quick, easy, healthy, and filling!! Here are the deets: 1 c. skim milk: 2 WW pts. 1 c. of berries (I used strawberries and blackberries): 1 WW pt. 1 tsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (trust me on this): 1 WW pts. Blend all of this in a blender! This filling smoothy is only 4 WW pts.!!! Guys, I add the EVOO because first of all, one teaspoon is only 1 WW pt. Second of all it is loaded with heart healthy Omega 3 fats. Third of all, the fat from the EVOO paired up with the fiber from the berries is a great way to fill you up! So if you think about it, this one smoothie gives you heart healthy fats from the EVOO, cancer fighting antioxidants from the Berries, and Vit D and Calcium from the milk. Now, how awesome is that!!! What did you have for lunch?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, This morning I woke up ravenous :-) I was sooo craving an Egg and Cheese sammie! So, what did I do? I whipped up a guilt free version, low in points. Here are the deets: One Egg, cracked in a bowl: 2 WWpts. 1/2 Red Onion, finely diced: 0 WW pts. 1/2 Tomato, finely diced: 0 WW pts. Salt/Pepper to taste: 0 WW pts. 1/2 tsp. of Canola Oil: .5 WW pts. One slice of 2% Cheese: 1 WW pts. One Whole Wheat Arnold's Sandwhich Thins: 1 WW pt. 1. Lightly beat the Egg, Onion, Tomato, Salt/Pepper 2. Add the Canola Oil to a hot non stick pan -swirl the pan to get the oil everywhere 3. Add the Egg mixture and cook until done - you may need to flip the egg 4. Assemble you sammie on the sandwhich thins -your egg and cheese This delicious, filling breakfast sammie was only 4.5 WW pts.! Also, you can put any other veggies that you'd like in the omelet. What did you have for breakfast?

And Another Question...

Hey Guys, So in case you haven't figured it out, I love to experiment with food. Make new dishes, revamp old favorites to make them more healthier or even try out something completely different ie: my Avocado Smoothie :-) Lately, I've been experimenting a lot with pasta and making sauces. I wanted to know if there were any recipes you guys were looking for anything else, such as Chicken, Tofu, Veal....anything at all. If so, let me know. I may already have recipes that I can post up for you, if not...I'll get experimenting!

Healthy Tips for Eating Chinese Take Out...

1. When you order your food, order a pint of steamed chicken and vegetables. When you get home, mix half of your order with half of the steamed chicken and vegetables. There is usually enough sauce and you will get double the portions with less calories! ( Do not eat both portions though :-P)
2. Order a soup. Egg Drop or Hot and Sour soup only has about 2 WW pts, and is very filling! This will also ensure you will not overeat.
3. Use your chopsticks!! This will force you to eat slower and enjoy your food more and feel full without over eating.
4. If you can, order Brown Rice instead of White Rice...you'll get more nutrition bang (more fiber), for your buck.
5. Enjoy your Fortune Cookie...they only have about 25 calories each :-)

***Dinner Tonite***

Hello Everyone,

Tonight's dinner was Whole Wheat Pasta with Tuna in a lemon pepper dressing! This was delish...also, another great dish to make atleast two servings of to have later on during the week. Here are the deets for one serving:

One serving of Whole Wheat Pasta: 3 WW pts.

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced: 0 WW pts.

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced: 0 WW pts.

1 Garlic Clove, grated: 0 WW pts.

One serving of light Tuna (packed in water): 1 WW pt.

For the dressing:

Pepper to taste: o WW pt.

Juice of half of Lemon: 0 WW pt.

2 tsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 WW pts.

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box
2. In a bowl add the grated Garlic, Bell Pepper, Onion and Tuna.
3. Once the pasta has fully cooked, add immediately to your bowl with the Garlic, Bell Pepper, Onion and Tuna
4. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat
5. Enjoy!!

Guys serve this with a soup or salad....or both because this Pasta dish is only 6 WW pts!!!

What did you guys have for dinner?

...Tough Times...

Hey Ppls, So, I think everyone is feeling the pinch in their wallets these days. I just wanted to give you guys a few tips on saving some mula when planning out your meals:

1. Plan out your meals for the whole week, then make a list of only the ingredients you need from the grocery store and only buy those ingredients
2. Do not spend a ton of money on portion controlled snacks such as 100 calorie snacks. Guys, you can save a ton of money by buying a box of crackers, looking at the serving size and making your own pre portioned snacks
3. If you are going to spend money, spend money on a stainless steel reusable water bottle. Do the earth and your wallet a favor by refilling this when you need water
4. Forget about single serving low cal powder mixes. If you do drink the light powder stuff, buy the 2 quart size and make a batch and refill your stainless steel water bottle with this. There's no sense in paying extra money just for the pre portioned stuff again
5. Buy frozen berries -they are picked at their peak, are sweet and you do not have to worry about them spoiling in the fridge. They come in handy to top on cereal, make smoothies, and jams. Also, so much cheaper yet the same if not more nutritional value!
6. Ditto goes for frozen veggies - toss them in stir frys, salads, or whatever veggierific dish you're making
7. Stock up on cans of tomatos, chickpeas and beans when they are on sale. These are loaded with fiber and you can make many healthy dishes with them
8. Lastly, make your own yogurt...yes, you read right. Buy a container of FF plain or vanilla flavored yogurt, portion it out to 6 or 8 oz. cups, toss in some fruit (again, the frozen kind helps). If you are using plain yogurt and this is too tart for you, add a teaspoon of brown sugar. This is also a healthier option because you are controlling the sugar and you are not adding any artificial colors!

I hope these tips have been helpful to you!

Do you guys have any tips?

***Lunch Time***

Hey Ppls, Lunch today was a PB&J done my way, with a fruit salad. Total WW pts: 5 What did you guys have for lunch?

***Snack Attack***

Hi Ppls, Hunger struck again and I had my non fat Key Lime Pie yogurt....this stuff is good, I suggest you all try this :-) WW pts.: 2 What did you snack on today?

Question...

Hey Guys, So, I want to know, what cuisine do you guys find having a hard time to eat healthy in? Is it Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian...there's gotta be something ppl!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls,

So, this morning I woke up wanting a smoothie. Not my usual Avocado smoothie...I wanted a sweeter smoothie!

Here is what I concoted: Choco PB Smoothie!!!

1/2 c skim milk: 1 WW pt.

2 tsp. of Extra Chunky PB: 1 WW pt.

One scoop of Chocolate Whey powder (I like the one by EAS): 2 WW pts.

Ice to your liking

***Blend all in a blender

Total: 4 WW pts.

Guys, I use Whey powder every now and then, mainly in smoothies. Also, because of the Whey powder and PB, this smoothie is very filling!!

What did you guys have for breakfast?

What your waist says...

Hey Ppls, Here's a fun fact I picked up by reading the book, the Abs Diet for Women: According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 35 inches for women signals significant risk of heart disease and diabetes. One study in the International Journal of Obesity found that women should strive for waist sizes less than 31.5-- as your wasit grows larger, so does your risk of heart disease. Now the real scary part: A study showed that the average woman's waist size is more than 36 inches--meaning she is at an increased risk for the same health problems. Sounds scary, but another great reason to measure your waist size!

...Tomorrow is another day

Hi Guys, Remember, tomorrow is another day to better yourself and your lifestyle! If you've had a set back, do not think about it as moving two steps back, but look at it in a way to better yourself for the next day. Also, always remember days like this will happen and it's OK... :-)

Oh Boy....

Hey Guys, So, I'm going to be really honest with my posting here. After lunch time, it all went down hill for me Now, I'm usually not perfect, I mean some days I do go over about 3 points here and there, but because I workout atleast 4 days a week, this usually doesn't have an impact on my weight. Also, don't forget, we do get an extra 35 WW pts. per day. Now, for today, I did not do too great. For starters, today was free cone day at Ben and Jerry's. I thought I would be healthy and get the frozen yogurt....after I checked online I found out this was 4 points alone. On top of that, later on after that, I had a few BIG tablespoons of dark chocolate PB, this was really bad...in total, I know I must have had over 10 WW pts right there. Then there was dinner...dinner was Thai...lets just not go there... So, yes, I did very bad today....BUT tomorrow is another day. One failure will not ruin all my hardwork, and you guys should remember this when you think you have 'messed up'. Everyone had their bad days...be it from stress from work, emotional eating bc something happened, or things just out of your control. The important thing to remember is, you cannot let a set back throw you off for the rest of the week. Try not to dwell on what went wrong and start working on making things right. We are all human...and this happens. Like I said, tomorrow is another day, another opportunity to better ourselves! As they say...you live and learn :-) How did your day go?

***Lunch Time***

Hi Ppls, Today's lunch was Indian food. I had one Shammi Kabab(minced Chicken, mixed with spices and formed into a patty) and 1/4 cup of Channa Masala (chickpeas). Here's the breakdown: Shammi Kabab: 5 WW pts. Channa Masala (1/4c): 2 WW pts. Total: 7 WW pts. What did you guys have for lunch today?

***Snack Attack***

Hey Ppls, Sorry for the delay in posts! So, for today's snack I had a Fiber Plus granola bar. I know I've said this before, but these bars can seriously conquer a chocolate craving. Here are the stats: Calories: 120 Fat: 4 grams Fiber: 26 grams Carbs: 9 grams WW pts: 2!! What did you guys snack on today? PS: Guys, this is 35% of your daily recommended fiber intake. Women are suppose to get in 25-30 grams/day! This is really important for regularity, getting rid of bloat...and just keeping things running smoothly :-p

Healthy Tips...

Hi Guys, So, Jillian Michaels, the trainer from The Biggest Loser was on the Rachel Ray Show this morning and she had a few good tips for eating out that I'd like to share with you.

Avoid artificial sweeteners in your tea. "Honey is a better option," Jillian says. "It has anti-bacterial properties; when used in moderation it can be good for you."

Order salad dressing on the side. "You will easily save well over half the calories, and it's not worth it to spend 200 calories on dressing," she says. "You know what else you can do? Get balsamic vinegar on the side. There's no calories in that and it's great for you."

Avoid foods that are fried or sauteed. Don't be afraid to ask the wait staff questions about healthy alternatives, such as requesting that a dish is steamed or grilled instead of fried.

Order veggies. "I always tell the contestants on The Biggest Loser that green vegetables are free," Jillian says. "Go bananas!"

Choose your calories carefully. Before heading to a restaurant, arm yourself with a pocket-sized calorie book or use your cell phone to track the calories in your meals. When you get the menu, Jillian suggests asking yourself a series of questions about the choices. "Stop and think it through," Jillian says. "Do I really want this? How will I feel after I eat it? Is it going to put me in a tailspin, am I going to regret my decision? Is it getting me closer to my ultimate goal?"

Reminder: WW Dinner

Hey Guys, Here is another reminder. If you are in the Jersey City, NJ area, and would like to attend a pot luck WW dinner in the park, please let me know. Im trying to shoot for a June or July dinner :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls,

Today for breakfast I had a bowl of cereal with 1/2 cup of skim milk. I kept it light today because I know I will be out and may have a big lunch.

Breakfast breakdown:

Cereal: 1 WW pt.

Milk: 1 WW pt.

Total: 2 WW pts.!!

What did you have for breakfast today?

Question...

Hi Ppls, Do you guys think it would be helpful if I posted videos of my recipes online? Let me know, if so, this is something that I would try doing for you! Thanks, and I hope you guys had a great day!

***Dinner Tonite***

Hey Ppls,

Tonight for dinner I had a wonderful salad, comprised of Turkey Sausage, Apples, Goat Cheese and Arugula with an Apricot Dressing. Here's the breakdown:

Jennie O Turkey Sausage -grilled: 4 WW pts.

1/4 of an Apple, thinly sliced: 0 WW pts.

1 1/2 oz. of Goat cheese: 3 WW pts.

Arugula: 0 WW pts.

Dressing:

1 tsp. of Extra Virgin OO: 1 WW pt.

1 tsp. of Sugar Free Apricot Jam: 0 WW pts.

1 tsp. of fresh Lemon Juice

**Wisk all of these ingredients together and drizzle on top of salad

Entire dinner: 8 WW pts...and it was delish!!!

What did you have for dinner?

Sooo...Here's What I'm Thinking

I'm thinking about posting my weekly weigh ins, which I usually do on Friday's. Would anyone be brave enough to do this with me? If not, I understand, but I'm not ashamed to say that as of right now, I weigh 135, and my goal is to get to 120. Hopefully doing weekly weigh ins will help ME stay on track!

PB&J Done My Way!

Hungry again...? Try this for an antioxidant packed SNACK: Arnold's Sandwhich Thins 2 TEASPOONS of all natural Peanut Butter (I like Skippys Extra Chunky All Natural) 3-4 Blackberries

1. Put the PB and Berries in a bowl, and smash the berries with the back of a spoon, and mix with the PB
2. Spread on Arnold's Sandwhich Thins

This snack is only 2.5 WW pts. and is all natural and delicious! Try it!!!

....And It's Lunch Time

Hey Ppl,

So, it's lunch time and I made Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomatos, Onions and Arugala/Cilantro/Jalapeno sauce. I really like making my own sauces/pestos because they are so easy to make, store well, and I can control the points value by the ingredients and how much of them I use.

Here are the ingredients I used for todays sauce:

1/4 bunch of Cilantro

1 cup of Arugala

3 teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 teaspoons of red or white vinegar

Salt for seasoning

1 Whole Jalapeno (you can adjust this depending on your heat level)

1/4 of a large Tomato

I then broke all of this down in the blender, and this came out to be about of cup of sauce, which you can portion out to three servings, for a points value of ONE :-)

So, my sauce was 1 point, and my pasta was 3. I also sliced some tomatos and red onions, to bump up the volume of this dish. Sliced mushroom are also great, and all have a 0 points value.

Total: 4 WW pts.!!!

What did you guys have for lunch?

Tip: If you are not going to use all of the sauce by the end of the week, you can freeze indivdual portions in an ice cube tray, and when you need it next, just take out the appropriate portion you need :-)

***Snack Attack***

Hey Ppl,

Hunger kicked in and I reached for my snack! Today's snack is a non fat Key Lime Pie yogurt. Here are the stats:

Calories: 90

Fat: 0

Fiber: 0

WW pts: 2 :-)

I should also say that I was skeptical of yogurt flavors such as Lemon or Key Lime Pie, however I decided to give it a shot and this was delicious!!!

What did you guys snack on today?

***Activity Check***

Ppls, just wondering...are you getting your daily activity in? I don't mean to be a nag but you should really work on getting atleast 30 minutes of activity in a day! Whether it's a brisk walk, cleaning the house, going to the gym or getting a jog in...try to do something. Also, remember, you can swap activity points for food points!!! JUST DO IT!!! Have you or willl you be getting your activity on today?

Tips of CoW and Plain Oatmeal

Hi Ppls, So, on cold or rainy mornings, I like comfort. So, for breafast I ususally opt for Instant Oatmeal or Instant Cream of Wheat (CoW). The packets are so convienient and you just need hot water to make this. Also, they are packed with fiber, low in sugar, and have about 1-2 WW pts. Now, I know plain Oatmeal of CoW can be pretty boring, so I wanted to give you a few low point tips on jazzing this up:

1. Stir in a few berries for only 0 points!
2. One teaspoon of brown sugar has 1 WW pt., trust me one teaspoon is enough to sweeten the deal
3. One tablespoon of flavored Coffee Mate creamer for 1 WW pt. (I love the Vanilla Caramel)
4. One tablespoon of Maple Syrup for 1 WW pt.
5. One tablespoon of slivered almonds and 1/4 banana 2 WW pts....YUM!

Do you guys have any suggestions to add to instant Oatmeal or CoW?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls...I know, its Monday....

Anywho, I hope you all had a great weekend! I was able to do all of my grocery shopping yesterday...thank goodness because I was going crazy without my berries or peanut butter! So, for breakfast this morning I had:

One serving of Cream of Wheat(made with water): 1 WW pt.

2 medium Strawberries sliced into the CoW: 0 WW pt.

1 tsp. of dark brown sugar: 1 WW pt.

1 cup of steamed milk with instant Espresso: 2 WW pt.

Total Breakfast points: 4 WW pts.!!!!

What did you guys have for breakfast?

***Lunch Time***

Hi Ppls,

I hope you are all enjoying your Friday. Today for lunch I made myself an Egg Salad Sammie. Now Egg Salad is another great example of something you can prepare for in advance and make two or three servings off for later on during the week. I like to keep my Egg Salads simple. Here's the recipe- this recipe makes one sammie:

• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs (we will only use one yolk, but the whites from both): 2 WW pts.
• 1 Teaspoon of Wasabi Mustard (fyi..this stuff is awesome, packs a great punch): 0 WW
• 1/4 of a Scallion, finely chopped: 0 WW pts.
• 1/4 of a Celery stick, finely chopped: 0 WW pts.
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Miracle Whip Lite: 1 WW pt.
• Salt/Pepper to taste: 0 WW pts.
• Arnolds Lite Sandwhich Thins (1): 1 WW pt.

So, this is super simple:

1. Chop up the eggs, remember use only one yolk, but whites from both eggs
2. Add everything but the Arnold's bread in a bowl and whisk
3. Make your sammie

Total WW pts: 4!!!! Go me.

What did you guys have for lunch?

***B-Time***

Happy Friday Ppls!!!! My breakfast for this morning was another Avocado Smoothie...I couldn't resist! I was thinking about it all last night and was looking forward to it as soon as I woke up :-P So, since I'm on this smoothie kick, I thought I'd share a couple of easy on the go smoothie recipes for you guys. Now that warmer weather is right around the corner, these cool, refreshing, filling smoothies are a great way to start of your day or during any other part of the day! Berry Blast Smoothie: 1/4 c. frozen or fresh Blueberries 1/4 c. frozen or fresh Strawberries 1/2 c. Fat Free Milk 1/2 c. Fat Free Plain Yogurt Blend all of this in a blender with ice (if needed)! WW Pts. 3...YUM! Strawberry Banana Smoothie: 1/2 c. frozen or fresh Strawberries 1 small banana 1 c skim milk Blend all of this in a blender with ice (if needed)! WW Pts. 4...YUM! Morning Wake-Up Smoothie: 1 small banana 1 Tablespoon of instant coffee or espresso 1 c. Silk Soymilk Plus (the one with added Fiber and Vanilla flavor) ice to thicken Blend all of this together WW Pts. 2 Do you guys have any particular smoothie recipes you like?

***Dinner Tonite***

Hi Ppls,

So, I did wind up having my chicken left overs. Not bad...atleast I didn't waste the food! This was the last of the Morroccan chicken which was a points value of 4!

Now, let's get to dessert...the good stuff :-) Ppls, I always say, you eat with your eyes first. For dessert tonight I had sugar free chocolate pudding with a dollap of Whipped Cream...all for a points value of 2! Now, treat yourself right with dessert. Don't just eat your pudding right out of the lil carton in comes in. Please, treat yourself well :-) Put it in a nice dish, and dollap your whipped cream on there!!! Trust me, once it looks nice, you will appreciate it more and feel more satisfied!

What did you guys have for dinner or dessert?

***Dinner Tonite***....???

Hi Guys, What's for dinner tonight? I'll be honest...Im eyeing some left overs that I'd like to finish. I'll keep you posted on that though. Also, stay tuned for a sinfully delicious dessert :-)...that's low in points!

Activity Check

So, I plan on going to the gym in about an hour. Now, I've stated this before, you do not need to be a member of a gym to get your activity in. Out of curiosity, how are you guys getting your activity in?

***Lunch Time***

Whad up Ppls,

I had a late lunch today, but the weather was so beautiful that I decided to eat outside. I decided to have a salad today. My salad consisted of Chicken breast, hot peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, more hot peppers, broccoli and onions with a fat free french dressing. Surprisingly this was very filling :-P

Lets tally points now:

Chicken: 3 WW pts.

Veggies: 0 WW pts.

FF French Dressing: 1 WW pt.

Total: 4 WW pts.

How was your lunch?

***Snack Attack***

Hi Ppls, So, today for a snack I had one small grapefruit and Sargento reduced fat cheddar cheese stick! I'll have a late lunch so I know this will hold me down till then :-P Have you guys been snacking? Total WW pts: 3

Question....

What is the one food you cannot live without? For me...well, I have two...ice cream and chocolate.....mmmm

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls!!!

How are you doing? Since I am utterly devoted and completely honest to my readers...I will tell you what I had for breakfast. Before I do that, let me tell you how much I love Avocado. I love the butteriness, the earthy flavor, the way it enhances fruit as a salad. I love that it's loaded with heart healthy facts!

With this said...for breakfast I made myself an AVOCADO SMOOTHIE...and loved every sip of it!! Oh yes, this was so rich, thick, and filling. I know this may be awkward to some people, but as I like to say, to each his own :-)

Here are the deets on my delicious smoothie:

1 c. skim milk: 2 WW pts.

1/4 avocado: 2 WW pts.

Blend this in a blender.

Tip: The longer it blends the thicker it gets

That's it! I didn't even need ice since the milk was cold and my shake was getting thick.

Total points: 4!!!!

What did you guys have for breakfast?

Revamp a Recipe

Hi Guys, Is there a recipe that you guys would like to see revamped? Any particular recipe you like which has tons of points and you'd like to see if there is a lower point version of the recipe? Let me know what meals you can't live without and I'll see if we can make a revamped version of the meal. Let me know!

And Dinner is Served....

Hi Guys, as promised here is the pic from tonight's dinner. I served this over a bed of spicy Arugula!!! You can also steam veggies and add a side of brown rice for a more filling meal, or if you feel like pasta serve this with Whole Wheat Angel Hair pasta!

***Dinner Tonite***

Hey Ppls, So, dinner tonight is chicken breast stuffed with ricotta cheese, herbs and onion...umm..yes you read right, and it was delicious and low in points! Check out my recipe:

• One serving of Chicken Breast -butterflied and pounded thin (3 WW pts.)
• 1/4 c of fat free Ricotta cheese (1 WW pt.)
• Dried Italian herbs of your choice (0 WW pts.)
• 1/4 Onion, finely diced (0 WW pts.)
• Salt and Pepper to tasteTtoothpicks (I'll explain later) (0 WW pts.)
• 1 teaspoon of Oil (1 WW pts.)
• 1/4 c of store bought Marinara Sauce (1 WW pts.)

1. Salt and Pepper the Chicken
2. Combine the Ricotta, dried herbs, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl
3. Spoon half of this mixture onto the middle of the Chicken Breast
4. Fold the Chicken over the Ricotta mixture
5. Secure with toothpicks
6. Add the oil to a hot sautee pan
7. Sear the Chicken on all sides, carefully, making sure the mixture stays inside
8. Add the Marinara Sauce to a small pyrex dish
9. Once the Chicken is seared on all sides, add to the pyrex dish
10. Loosely cover the dish with foil
11. Place the pyrex dish in the oven at 400 degrees, for 25 minutes or until done

Now, drum roll please.......this delicious dinner....was only.....6 WW pts.!!!!! PS: Serve w/ salad or veggies of your choice. Pic will be posted in a bit. What are you guys having for dinner?

***Lunch Time***

Hi Ppls,

For lunch today I had Japanese :-) I had six small California rolls and six small Cucumber Avocado rolls. Points value of 4 each. So my whole lunch was 8 WW pts.

So, here's my tip on eating sushi. First off, I always ask if they have brown rice, just to get more bang for your nutritional buck. If not, I always ask them to make the sushi with as little rice as possible. Also, try to opt for low sodium soy sauce..a lot of that stuff and you'll just be retaining water :-p Another great tip when eating Japanese, start off with Miso soup. This is very filling and only has 2 WW pts. Also, try to stay away from fatty, mayo based rolls such as Spicy Tuna. Lastly, avoid the fried stuff such as Tempura rolls.

I hope these tips were helpful.

How was your lunch?

Challenges

Hi Guys, For those of you on WW, how do you like it so far? Are you facing any challenges? Anybody new to WW? Any likes/dislikes?

Crave Control

Hi Guys, I want to know what cravings you guys have. Is it sweet, salty or savory? Can't live without chocolate or ice cream (my own personal downfall)? Here's my take on it -a craving is a craving. It's probably not going to go away anytime soon. Do not ignore the craving...it is very powerful :-P What should you do, have a little of what you want. If you crave chocolate, have a quarter of a piece rather than the whole piece. If you want ice cream -go for it, try and see if you can only have 1/4 cup of ice cream. Also, eat slowly, seriously, enjoy and be aware when you eat what you crave. Just try to have control. If you can't have just a quarter piece of chocolate, then portion it out when you first get it. That way you are only grabbing what you need. I hope this helps. How do you guys conquer these cravings?

***B-Time***

Happy Morning Ppls, So, this morning for B-Time I had my cereal w/skim milk and a glass of skim milk. Quick, easy and simple.

• Cereal: 1 WW pt.
• 1/2 c. Skim Milk: 1 WW pt
• 1c Skim Milk: 2 WW pt.

Total points: 4 WW!!! What did you have for breakfast? PS: I'm buying berries today!!!

Reminder: WW Dinner

Hi Guys, Here is another reminder. If you in the Jersey City area in May or June, let me know if you'd like to get together for a Potluck picnic in the park :-)

Helpful Hint for Pasta Portion Sizes

Hi Guys, I thought I'd share a helpful hint on how I portion out my pasta. This tip can be used for any type of pasta, except for long pastas such as Spaghetti and Angel Hair. This tip is great for pastas like Penne, Spirals, Shells..etc. So, on the side of the box, under Nutrition Facts, you should see 'Servings Per Container'. In my case, my Penne has 7 servings, which are 2 oz. Since I have a hard time of knowing what 2 oz. of pasta looks like -seriously, can you really tell? Here's my tip: I take my muffin tin, which makes 12 muffins. I then start to fill up 7 of the muffin tins with pasta. Once they are EVENLY filled, I know I have my portion sizes. I then individually wrap these servings in a small ziploc bag, and put the bags back in the pasta box. And there you have it, when you want pasta, you have a perfect portion to take out of your box. This way it's quick and you know you're not over eating!! Hope this helps!!

***Dinner Tonite*** Part 2

Hi Guys, So, here is my pasta dish. I created this dish with a friend the other night, but it was so good and easy that it went perfectly with my soup tonight :-) Like I said before, what I love about WW is you do not have to shun away from carbs!! Here are the deets on the recipe:

• One serving of Whole Wheat Penne Rigate (I like Ronzoni Healthy Harvest) = 3 WW pts.
• Salt, to salt the pasta water
• 1/2 container of Grape or Cherry Tomatos = 0 WW pts.
• Frozen Spinach (use as much as you like, I used about a handful) = 0 WW pts.
• 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Garlic = O WW pts.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (as much as you want) = O WW pts.
• 1 Teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil = 1 WW pt.

Steps:

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot
2. Add salt to the boiled water, then add the pasta
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a sautee pan, add a ladleful of the boiling pasta water
4. Add the Grape/Cherry tomatos and sautee till they burst
5. Add the Spinach, Red Pepper Flakes, and grated Garlic, sautee for another minute (add more pasta water if needed)
6. Add the EVOO
7. Once the pasta has fully cooked, add this to the sautee pan and toss
8. Enjoy your 4 point pasta dinner :-)

What did you guys have for dinner?

***Dinner Tonite*** Part 1

Hi Guys,

I apologize for the late post tonight, but it's been a long day! So, for dinner tonight I had home made vegetable soup with Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Tomatos, Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This was DELICIOUS!!!

So, the vegetable soup consisted of all the vegetables that I had (carrots, onions, turnip, celery, kale), sauteed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, pepper, a bay leaf. I also added 3 tablespoons of Italian seasoned tomato sauce, and one tablespoon of hot sauce -for a kick. Once all this was sauteed, I added about 5 cups of water and let this simmer for about half an hour. This made about 4 servings of soup.

Total WW pts. per serving: 2

***Lunch Time***

Hi Ppls, For lunch I had my leftovers from yesterday...the Morroccan Chicken along with my Cilantro dressing coleslaw. What did you guys have? Points value of 5!!!

***Snack Attack***

Hey Ppls,

It's that time of day again :-) Today's snack attack is a Kellogs Fiber Plus granola bar. These bars are so filling and the chocolate chip flavor will seriously take care of your chocolate cravings!!

The stats on this awesome snack:

Cal: 120

Fat: 4 grams

Fiber: 9 grams (yes, 9 GRAMS!!!!)

WW pts: 2 :-)

What did you have for a snack today?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, I hope you all had a great evening and are now ready to start your day off! This morning for breakfast I had one egg and a glass of skim milk.

• One Egg: 2 WW pts.
• One 8oz. glass of Skim Milk: 2 WW pts.

Total: 4 WW pts.!!

Guys, I eat the whole egg because all the nutrients are in the yolk. Now, I know what you're thinking...my cholesterol must be really high, or this certainly cannot be good to have an egg a day!

First off, the yolk contains over 20 vitamins and minerals. the yolk contains 100% of the carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K (6 items). The white does not contain 100% of any nutrient. The yolk contains more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and 89% of the panthothenic acid (9 items). **This info taken from nutritiondata.com.

As far as the cholesterol issue:

One large egg has about 213 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol — all of which is found in the yolk. If you are healthy, it's recommended that you limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg a day. If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high LDL (or "bad") cholesterol, you should limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg a day. ***This info taken from mayoclinic.com.

With this said, I buy medim eggs, which has 190mg of cholesterol. Thankfully, I do not have any cholesterol issues. If you do have cholesterol issues, I would advise on not having eggs more than three times a week. Also, remember, these are stats for ONE egg ppl!

Let me know if you guys have any questions.

What did you have for breakfast?

Winding down the day...

Guys, I have two points for the day left, and this is usually how I like to spend them. I like to unwind with a glass of STEAMED SKIM milk (just nuke it the microwave for a minute and half or so), and a couple of drops of vanilla or hazlenut extract. This will sooo help you unwind your day... Enjoy! PS: 2 WW pts. :-)

***Dinner Tonite***

Good Evening Ppls,

Dinner tonight was very good. I knew I only had 5 WW pts. for the day left. I did not want to use any oil in tonight's dinner. So, what did I do? I made my own version of Morroccan chicken and it was soooooooooooo good :-) I diced up a chicken breast and put it in a pyrex dish. I then added, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, lemon juice and garam masala -all of which are worth 0 WW pts. I marinated the chicken in this for about an hour. I then put foil on the chicken and stuck this in the over at 400 degress for 30 minutes. Not only did I not use any oil, but by covering the dish with foil, I allowed the chicken to steam in it's own juices which made the chicken sooo moist!

Also, served with a side of cucumber!

My dinner, only 4 WW pts. from the chicken!

How was your dinner tonight?

Lunch Time...Eating Out

Hey Ppls,

So, I did tell you that I would be eating out for lunch, as I went on my 3 Buck Bite adventure. Well, I certainly found something tasty, and I'm glad I saved my points for it. I found Shammi Kabab for under $3!!! What are Shammi Kabab's you ask? Let me explain: Minced meat or chicken mixed together with various spices (cloves, cardamom, cumin, garam masala, etc.), and then shaped into patties and fried.

Let me tell you, these were delish!! I had two. I couldnt find these on the WW site, but just to be safe, I am giving them 10 WW pts., so 5 WW pts. for each. I'm giving them such high points, because, come on ppls..they are fried :-p

What did you have for lunch?

PS: for more info on the Shammi kababs, and where they are from you'll have to wait for the 3 Buck Bite article this week!

Question-or Reminder

Hey Ppl, It's question time or maybe reminder time for some :-P Are you getting all your hydration on today? If so, how are you staying hydrated?

***Snack Attack***

Hey Guys,

So, I'm keeping my snack lighter than usual because I know I am going on a 3 Buck Bite adventure today. I have opted for a packet of Cup of Noodle Soup. I jazzed it up and made it more filling by adding an Egg White, and some pepper.

This one point snack will hold me over til lunch :-)

Total WW pts.: ONE!!!

What are you guys snacking on?

***B-Time***

So, for today's B-Time I had omelet with veggies and my turkey bacon...YUM!!! Here is what I used: One Egg: 2 WW pts. One Egg White: 0 WW pt. Veggies (cilantro, onions, tomatos): 0 WW pt. Seasoning (salt/pepper/cumin): 0 WW pt. Chili Sauce: 0 WW pt. Turkey Bacon: 1 WW pt. Canola Oil: 1 WW pt. (one teaspoon) Total B-Time points: 4!!!!! Not bad, and I increased the volume of my food by adding veggies to my omelet! Go me :-) What did you guys have for breakfast?

Good Morning

Good Morning Ppls!!! I hope everyone had a great weekend and tried to stay on their healthy eating trek as well as possible. So, I was thinking...I'm going to start blogging about EVERY meal I eat, that's right, I said EVERY. This way you guys can get a better depiction on how I eat throughout the day, and how I conquer going out. Hopefully this will help you out! So, stay tuned, as my B-Time post is coming up :-)

A WW Dinner Gathering....

Hi Ppls, So, I was thinking for all the localites, it would be nice to get together and have a WW pot luck dinner gathering. Let me know if you guys are interested in this and maybe we can set something up for May or June -when the weather is warmer outside. I was actually thinking about having it at a park. Please let me know if you are interested in this, and I can start making plans!

***Updated: Supermarket Grocery List***

Hello Everyone, So, with Friday comes the weekend. Ppl ususally like to do their grocery shopping on the weekends, so I wanted to post an updated grocery list. I hope this helps!! Arnold's Sandwhich Thins, Whole Wheat - 1 WW pt. LaYogurt Light - 2 WW pts. Kraft 2% cheese - 1 WW pt. Jennie O Turkey Ham - 2 WW pts. Jennie O Turkey Pastrami - 2 WW pts. Eggs - 2 WW pts. (for ONE egg) Sargento Cheese Sticks (Reduced Fat) - 2 WW pts. Kool Aid Sugar Free drink mixes - 0 WW pt. Raw Almonds(great snack, but can be high in pts.) = 4 WW pts. for 23 nuts Skim milk = 2 WW pts. Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal - 2 WW pts. Quaker Whole Grain Cream of Wheat Jello Sugar Free Pudding - 1 WW pt. Curve Granola bars (available in supermarkets and Target) - 1 WW pt. Butterball Thin in Crispy Turkey Bacon - 1 WW pt. Boca Burgers (the original) - 1 WW pt. Veggies: Peppers Onions Celery sticksCarrot sticks Cilantro Tomatos Chillies Mushrooms ***Most veggies are 0 point, so get whatever you like/use Fruits: Apples Oranges Grapes Strawberries Pineapple Papaya ***Most fruits are 1 point, so get whatever you like/use

Happy Friday!!!

Good Morning Ppls, I hope you all started your day off with a great breakfast. I'm still in my egg and bacon rut :-) What did you guys have? Here is a tip: You eat with your eyes, bump of the volume of your food by tossing in veggies. Add sauteed mushrooms, spinach, tomatos, asparagus...ANYTHING to your whole wheat pasta or eggs. You are not only bumping up the vitamin factor in your meal, but also the fiber factor. And ppls, we need 20-25 grams of fiber in our diet. Start looking at labels and make sure you are getting the adequate fiber!

Dinner Tonight

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a great day. Tonight for dinner I had Whole Wheat pasta with spinach and tomatos :-) A 4 point value for a huge portion! Stay tuned tomorrow for the pic and recipe! What did you have for dinner tonight?

Recipe of The Day - Avocado Citrus Salad

Who said you can't have a fruit salad for lunch? I've got a wonderful, fresh, fruit salad recipe that is hefty enough for lunch and packs a fruit load of flavor. Here goes it:

1 small Grapefruit - 1 WW pt.

1/4 ripe Avocad, diced - 2 WW pts.

1/2 small Guavas, diced - 0 WW pts.

1/2 tsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 WW pt.

Salt to taste

Steps:

Remove the peel and pith of the Grapefruit

Remove sections of the Grapefruit with a knife, over the bowl you will be having your salad in (the juice that falls in is great for the dressing)

Add the diced Avocado

Add the Guava

Drizzle the Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top

Sprinkle Salt to taste

This is seriously the most quickest on the go lunch you can make! This is so light and refreshing, and you get an extra boost from the heart healthy fats in the avocado and EVOO!!

The best part, it's only 4 WW pts....YUM!!!!

Try this recipe guys, you can't go wrong with it. Also, mix it up by adding different fruits!

What did you have for lunch today?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls!! How was your B-Time? What did you guys have? This morning I woke up wanting cereal, so I had just that. See pic :-) The only thing I was missing from this cereal were my berries :-(. Ppls, this is why it is really important to go to the grocery store with a proper shopping list!! Anywho, here are the stats on my B-Time: Name of cereal: Heritage Heirloom Whole Grains Calories: 110 Fat: 1 gram Carbs: 23grams Fiber: 6grams WW pts.: 1 WWpts. for 1/2 c of skim milk: 1 Total WW points for B-Time: 2!!!!!! Go Me!! What did you guys have for breakfast?

What challenges do you face?

Hello Everyone, So, I want to know what challenges you guys face when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Is it eating out? Working out? Watching out for portion sizes? I think everyone has atleast one thing which can be a challenge to them. By sharing your challenges, you can take advice from others and how they conquer what could be a challenge to you. So tell me, what are you biggest challenges when maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

I Have a Question For You!

Hi Ppls, I'm trying to figure out the points value for a PLAIN dosa, the type you get when eating out. WW, does have points values for masala dosa, but I need the points for just a plain dosa. Anyone know the ingredients for a plain dosa? Thanks!

***Recipe of the Day: Cilantro Dressing Cole Slaw***

Hello Everyone, I came up with such an easy, low point Cilantro Dressing, which is so versatile!!!! I was soooo excited when I came up with this recipe, cuz it's so darn good :-) I mixed this with a package of Dole's Classic Cole Slaw (shredded cabbage and carrots). Here's what you need: One package of Dole's Classic Cole Slaw One tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use good quality EVOO, I love Carapelli) One tablespoon of Vinegar (I used white, but use whatever you want) 1/2 bunch of Cilantro Salt and Pepper to taste This is super simple guys...blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Then toss with the Cole Slaw. See pic :-)

One third of this huge salad has only 1 WWpts. YES ppl, 1 WW pts!! The Cole Slaw mix has 0 points. The entire Dressing has 3 WW pts. So, you can portion out this dressing and use it on Chicken, Fish, even on Steak (lean cut of course)!!! Tip: Take a third of the Cole Slaw Mix, add some diced chicken breast, and you got yourself a great 4 point lunch!! Another tip: Use half Cilantro half Basil for another great flavor!!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone! I hope everyone has started their morning off right! Today for breakfast, I actually had a Turkey Pastrami Sammie. Yes, have no fear though, it's time for me to go grocery shopping to buy my eggs. However, I did not want to miss breakfast, since it's the most important meal of the day. My B-Time breakdown: Arnold's Sandwhich Thins: 1 WW pt. Turkey Pastrami: 2 WWpt. 2% cheese: 1 WW pt. Total: 4 WW pts.!!! What did you guys have for breakfast?

What's for Dinner?

Hi Guys, What's everyone thinking for dinner? I'm thinking about chicken, but I'm open to options tonight!

Out and About

Ppls, one of the great things about WW is you can still eat out!! Now I write for the wonderful site, 3 Buck Bites Cheap Eats for Food Lovers!, http://3buckbites.com/. How do I plan on days where I eat out? Well, if I know I where I will be eating, I try to find nutritional stats on the restaurants website. If I am eating early during the day, say for lunch time, I try to allocate the rest of my points for the day. For example, a few days ago, I was roaming the streets of Union Square, and found a wonderful Falafel place called Pita Joes. What caught my eye about Pita Joes was their falafel's can be ordered with whole wheat, organic pita. Also, it was $3.95 :-) YAY! So, I knew I would have fresh veggies on an organic pita for only $3.95...and it was falafel!! So, that day for breafast, I had my usual, turkey bacon and egg, a 3 point total. According to WW, a falafel is between 7-10 points, I figured this to be 10, just to be safe. So, I knew that it was 2pm, and by this time I would have had 13 WW, out of my 20. I still ate my falafel, but I knew I only had 7 points for the rest of the day. What did I do? For a snack later on, I had celery sticks and a reduced fat cheddar stick - 2 WW pts. and for dinner, I made myself a 5 pt. filling chicken stir fry!

So, I was able to eat out, and still stay within my points range.

Seriously, I knew I couldn't give this up :-P

PS: Check out http://3buckbites.com/, cheap, great food...you can't get any better than that!!

Cravings - What I want now.

Something sweet... :-\ Im going to go have a light yogurt instead. How do you guys control cravings?

***Supermarket List***

Hey Everyone, So, you all hear me talk about specific products. I thought I would comprise a list of all the foods/snacks I eat regularly along with their points value:

• Arnold's Sandwhich Thins, Whole Wheat - 1 WW pt.
• LaYogurt Light - 2 WW pts.
• Kraft 2% cheese - 1 WW pt.
• Jennie O Turkey Ham - 2 WW pts.
• Jennie O Turkey Pastrami - 2 WW pts.
• Eggs - 2 WW pts. (for ONE egg)
• Sargento Cheese Sticks (Reduced Fat) - 2 WW pts.
• Kool Aid Sugar Free drink mixex - 0 WW pt.
• Raw Almonds(great snack, but can be high in pts.) = 4 WW pts. for 23 nuts
• Skim milk = 2 WW pts.
• Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal - 2 WW pts.
• Jello Sugar Free Pudding - 1 WW pt.
• Curve Granola bars (available in supermarkets and Target) - 1 WW pt.
• Butterball Thin in Crispy Turkey Bacon - 1 WW pt.

Veggies:

• Peppers
• Onions
• Celery sticks
• Carrot sticks
• Cilantro
• Tomatos
• Chillies

Fruits:

• Apples
• Oranges
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Papaya

I hope this list has been helpful. I will continue to update this list with specific foods I eat. Are there any specific foods you guys love?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, How was breakfast? Today I had an omelet with two eggs, and sauteed veggies (tomatos, cilantro, yellow papers). Points value of 4. What did you have for breakfast? Stay tuned for my supermarket shopping list for you!

Dinner Tonight

Tonight for dinner I came up with my own recipe for stuffed whiting fish. I bought 2 4oz. fillets of whiting. I salted and peppered both sides of each fillet. I placed the fillets, skin side down, on my cutting board and placed whole, fresh cilantro, freshly grated ginger, and freshly grated garlic, lengthwise, on the fish. See picture :-)

I then added the first fillet on top of the second fillet. See picture :-)

I rubbed one teaspoon of canola oil on the skin of fillets, and then I pan seared this, on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. Once fish was fully cooked, I cut this in half and saved half a portion for tomorrow.

I then plated my fish with a side of steamed string beans with lemon zest...YUM!! (see picture :-) )

4 oz. of cooked whiting fish is 3 WW points. We also used a teaspoon of oil, which is 1 WW pts. Steamed string beans w/ lemon zest have 0 WW pts.

My total points for dinner: 4 WW pts. NOT BAD!! Now, there is room for dessert, and lunch for tomorrow is made!

What did you guys have for dinner?

Question of the day...

Hey Kanwal- How’s it going? I hope you’re doing well. Lately, I’ve been thinking about re-joining WW again and I just wanted to know your thoughts about doing it online. What are the advantages/disadvantages of online vs. in-person? Are there any differences? Does it cost the same? I did do WW a couple of years ago in-person but didn’t stick to it. I really need to do something bc my weight is going out of control. But I’m afraid I won’t stay focused. Do you usually bring lunch from home? Any other tips you can share? Anyway I would appreciate any help. Thanks so much. Kind Regards, Anonymous ANSWER: So here is my take on WW. I do the online version. I just needed something to help me keep track of what I was eating and how much of it. I didn't want to go to any meetings, but you still can even if you join the online version. The online version has a point tracking system where you can log in all of your points ( foods are listed in a database). They also have restaurants listed there, so if you are going out, you can see if the restaurant is listed and see the dishes and their points value. WW has helped me eat much healthier as fruits and veggies are lower in points. Its also helped me realize portion sizes of what I eat. I wasn't over eating anymore. Also, because you have to track your points, your more honest to yourself and more conscience to what you put in your mouth. You will seriously ask yourself, is this worth the X amount of points. Another good thing about WW is you get an extra 35points a week to 'indulge' so you really aren't depriving yourself too much, but again watch the portion size. When I joined WW it was $15/month. It may be a little more now, but I think it's worth it. I do bring lunch on some days for work, but I also eat out. I try to find nutritionals on the restaurant site or I go to calorieking.com. I hope this has been helpful. Let me know if you have any morequestions. I'm here to help.