Your obstacles....

Hey Guys, What are the biggest obstacles you guys are facing at the moment? I know I was going through a rut of having a hard time of continuing to eat healthy and go to the gym, with my new work schedule. I made a game plan to tackle this issue, and I'm hoping to keep up with it. I do want to know if you guys are facing any challenges though!

Who's Side Are You On...

If you are like me you have no problems creating your meals. However, it's the side options that give me issues! Sure, I can make my turkey ham and cheese sammie for lunch, but is that it? Is that the only thing that I am going to have to fill me up? My biggest dilemma is coming up with healthy, low point snacks. However, through time, I've been able to come up with some pretty low point, healthy sides, and I decided to share them with you: Side Option # 1: My 'Fries' - my favorite, zucchini fries: 2 Zucchinis, sliced 1/2 inch thick(leave the peel on for more fiber) Salt and any other type of seasoning you would like your fries to have Coat the fries in the seasoning and BAKE at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until 'fries' have turned crispy. Points value: 1 Side Option # 2: Cauliflower Mashed Potatos: 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets 1/4 c. skim milk Salt & pepper to taste 2 gloves of garlic, grated Steam the cauliflower until tender Mash or blend the cauliflower with the milk, garlic, salt/pepper Makes 4 servings. Points Value: 1 Side Option # 3: Baked Tortilla Chips Take any one point tortilla, and cut into bite sized triangles. Coat in 1 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Bake in the oven for 400 degrees, for 15 minutes, or until 'chip' are browned and crispy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. This is a great crunchy side! Points Value: 2 Do you guys have any healthy side options?

***Recipe Alert: My Power Omelet***

This is a great omelet to have on a Saturday or Sunday morning and it's also great for a brunch. Also, who needs the added sugars from ketchup when you have freshly seared tomatos on top! Here are the deets:

2 eggs

4 thinly sliced tomatoes

1/8th c. of diced red onions

1/8th c. of sliced mushrooms

2 TB. of finely chopped jalapeno

1 TB. of cumin

1 TB. of fresh cilantro, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

Crack the two eggs in a bowl.

Add the onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, cumin and salt/pepper, whisk lightly until all is combined.

Heat up your pan and spray with non stick spray.

Add the egg mixture, and let this cook, on medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Add the cilantro, then flip the omelet.

Let the omelet cook for another couple of minutes, then take off of heat.

In the same pan, add the tomatos, in as single layer.

Sear the tomatos on one side only.

Once seared, add on top of omelet, and enjoy!!!

This totally filling, whole omelet is only 4 WW points. Not bad for a breakfast!!!

What did you guys have for breakfast?

***My Game Plan***

Since I wasn't too happy with my weekly weigh in, and since the gain in pounds was mostly adjusting to my new job, I've developed a game plan to work this out. Of course, I'm sharing this all with you :-) First off, the meals. I was unsure of my hours and ate very poorly, grabbing a bite here and there. Sometimes coming home too late to prepare a healthy dinner. So what am I going to do? Saturday I will plan all of my meals, I mean EVERYTHING I eat, I will plan fo ahead of time, from my breakfast to my snacks to my dinner, to eating out...etc. I will also MAKE all of meals on Saturday and Sunday and store them in single serving portions. This way, when I get home late, I can just pop a healthy dinner in the microwave. Also, I'll make extra portions to freeze in case one weekend is too hectic for me to cook a lot. I will also stock up on healthy snacks, non fat yogurt, high fiber granola bars and mixed nuts. I can keep these in my bag or at my desk at work for when I need a quick snack. Secondly, now that I've picked my gym, I will get back to working out normally. Here's the plan for that: Monday - workout in the evening Tuesday - workout in the morning Wednesday - workout in the evening Thursday - break Friday - workout in the evening Saturday OR Sunday - go for a jog outside I'm doing the whole evening morning rotation just in case one day I don't feel like waking up as early ;-p Although it probably is best to get it all out of the way in the morning! Do you guys develop plans like this as well?

Weekly Weigh In...

I am going to be brutally honest here. I've gained 4 pounds. Yes, probably mainly due to the lack of exercising I did and not watching my diet as carefully as I should have since I was adjusting with work. 4 pounds...seriously...in a week and a half! The only thing that I can do now is stay on track. How did you guys do?

***Snack Attack: Jolly Time Healthy Pop Popcorn***

This is an awesomely filling two point snack and I have been having it very often for a snack lately! Seriously, it's popcorn...buttered popcorn for 100 calories, so not bad!!!

What have you guys been snacking on?

What's your eating schedule like?

Now that I'm working and out most of the time, I find it harder to make time to eat a proper breakfast or lunch. The way I have learned to deal with this is: Before I leave the apt. I'll have a glass of skim milk -only because I can't workout with solid food in my stomach, especially first thing in the morning. After my workout, when I get to work, I'll have a non fat yogurt. A couple of hours after that, I'll have 1/2 of my PB&J done my way sandwhich. A couple of hours after that, I'll have the other half, plus some fruit. Dinner usually depends on how many points I have left for the day. I'll also keep other snacks at my desk, in case I'm still hungry. I keep, Healthy Pop popcorn and raw almonds and pistachios. What's your eating schedule like?

French Fries Just Got Better!!

Raise your hand if you like fries...ok, you don't have to raise your hand! Seriously though, I don't know of a single person out there who can't resist Mickey D's or BK's fries. Even if you go home, slice up a potato, fry it and salt it, your seriously not going to have just one. Not to mention, frying your fries in oil really isn't that great for you or your waist. Therefore, I have decided to give you guys some of my ideas for 'fries'. I do not have pics of these, but I can tell you I have made every version of these 'fries' and they are delicious and definitely nip that craving in the spud (haha)! I may one of these versions this weekend and I'll post up pics for you then. In the meantime...drum roll please.... Turnip 'Fries' (I know, but trust me) 2 Turnips, peeled and julienned Salt and any other type of seasoning you would like your fries to have Coat the julienned fries in the seasoning and BAKE at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until 'fries' have turned brown and crispy. Makes 2 servings...0 WW pts.!!!! Sweet Potato 'Fries' ( a great way to get fiber and beta carotene in) 2 Sweet potatos, julienned (leave the peel on for more fiber) Salt and any other type of seasoning you would like your fries to have Coat the julienned fries in the seasoning and BAKE at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or until 'fries' have turned crispy. Makes 2 servings...2 WW pts.!!!! Zucchini Fries (these taste awesome, but will not be as crunchy, but are still great with ketchup) 2 Zucchinis, sliced 1/2 inch thick(leave the peel on for more fiber) Salt and any other type of seasoning you would like your fries to have Coat the fries in the seasoning and BAKE at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until 'fries' have turned crispy. Makes 1 serving...0 WW pts.!!!! Butternut Squash Fries (these taste awesome, but will not be as crunchy, but are still great with ketchup) 1 Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2 inch thick(leave the peel on for more fiber) Salt and any other type of seasoning you would like your fries to have Coat the fries in the seasoning and BAKE at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until 'fries' have turned crispy. Makes 3 serving...1 WW pt.!!!!

What are you guys eating today?
So far I've had skim milk, non fat yogurt and half of a PB sandwhich!

***Recipe Alert: Channa Masala Pasta***

Italy...meet India...India...meet Italy. Wow. This has got to be the best fusion recipe I've come up with! This is a flavor, fiber filled meal which will keep you wanting more (that's probably not a good idea though :-p) This entire recipe has over 10 grams of fiber and only 5 WW points!!! Now that is awesome for a lunch or dinner!! This is also incredibly easy.

Here are the deets: One serving of whole wheat pasta 1/2 serving of Channa Masala (http://ask-kanwal.blogspot.com/2009/04/hey-guys-i-love-cooking-indian-food.html) Cilantro for garnishing

Cook the pasta according the directions on the box. Once fully cooked, take about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and add this to the Channa Masala. Toss the pasta with the Channa Masala, and garnish with chopped Cilantro! Delicious!!!

Question of the day...How do you control water weight?

The answer to this question is simple, control your water weight by drinking more water! Yes, your water weight can be due to eating too many salty foods or by even being dehydrated. If you are eating too much salt, your body will retain water, and the only way to get rid of this is to 'flush' it out by drinking more water. Similarly, if you are dehydrated, your body will store whatever water it can find, causing you to actually be bloated. So to answer your question, DRINK UP!! Fun Fact: Drinking cold water helps your body burn calories. Your body needs to heat up the ingested cold water, which in turns is helping you burn more calories!!

Oh How I've Missed This...

HELLO EVERYONE!!!!! I don't know where to begin!!! First off, I've missed sharing my thoughts with everyone for so long! I've also missed reading your comments and suggestions! Well, last week was my first full work week, and I'm telling you, I was sooo not used to be working again. Yes, gone are the days where I was waking up at 10:30am. Last week was a big adjustment week for me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my new job and could not have asked for a better place to work with such great people!!! OK- so let's get to the nitty gritty, as I said, I really missed posting on a regular basis. I also felt really guilty because I feel like I have developed relationships with my readers, and I do not want to let you guys down either! I have successfully been able to keep my weight in track in the past while working. However last week in particular was a bit difficult because I was getting used to my new job. Now that I'm working in midtown, my commute is also a bit more longer than it use to be, and my hours are also a bit more. All in all, I know I can accomplish this successfully. So, what was the biggest challenge that I faced? Working out! Yes, I've told you all in the past that I am the type of person where I cannot just eat right to feel right, I also need to workout. Last week after work I checked out a Bally's, Midtown City Gym, Curves and the NYSC. I am specifically looking for something close to work, so I can go before, after or during lunch. Bally's was the closest, literally right across the street. However, they seemed really really dirty inside, and they charge a $2 towel fee -seriously!!. Midtown city was next, they were OK, but the machines are too outdated. Curves...umm.really not my style right now. Finally, the NYSC. Now, I use to be a member of the NYSC, and I think they are great. Clean environment, televisions at every station ( I really need this), and they have a thousand locations! Finally my gym of choice...the NYSC!!! Now, my next biggest challenge was WHEN was I going to workout. During lunch I cannot get my full workout in, and in the evening I am way too tired to get on a treadmill. So, I've now solved this issue by working out before work. Sure, I need to wake up earlier, but it is soooo worth it!!! This is why I say, you always need to make the time to work out guys! Trust me, you'll feel great! So, now that I have gotten use to my work routine, figured out my workout schedule, I'd say I'm pretty much good to go!! I really have missed posting and I want to know what you guys have been up to! PS: I have free passes to NYSC if anyone works in midtown and wants to get a workout in with me!!

Food...eating...food...eating...food...eating

Hey Guys, I want to know what you are eating during the day! Staying within your points? Craving anything special? Tell me, what's on your plate?

***New Find: Smart Balance PB***

So, you all know I love peanut butter. Well, I discovered a better butter today. Yes, a PB by Smart Balance, and once again this is delicious. This is an all natural PB made with heart healthy oils, such as omega 3's from flaxseed! So, the stats for PB can be pretty high. This is 5 WW pts. for TWO tablespoons. Usually, when I eat my PB sandwhiches, I only use one tablespoon, so, your looking at 2.5 WW points. Lately for breakfast I've been having one tablespoon of Smart Balance PB, with sliced strawberries or mashed blackberries, on two slices of light beefsteak rye. This really does keep me full till my snack!

***Recipe Alert: Mediterrranean Salad -My Way***

For dinner I made a great mediterranean salad with some simple things that I had in my pantry and refrigerator. Here are the deets: 1/2 bag of fresh spinach 1/2 bosc pear, thinly sliced 1/2c. of chickpeas 1 oz. of soft goat cheese, broken into pieces 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced 1/8th c. of walnuts Dressing: 1 garlic clove 1/2 t. of EVOO 2 tb. of Balsamic vinegar. salt pepper This salad is super easy. Add all of the salad ingredients in a bowl. Wisk up dressing ingredients, and drizzle over salad. This salad is VERY filling and you get the whole serving for only 5 WW points, dressing including! Enjoy!

What I'm eating...

Hey Guys, In case you guys were wondering how my meals are going for the day, here's a bit of insight. I start my day with a glass of Smart Balance Skim Milk, which is only 2 WW pts. About an hour or so later, I'll have a yogurt for another 2 WW pts. Lunch is a delicious turkey ham sammie, here are the deets: 2 oz. of Jennie O Turkey Ham -2 WWpts. Lettuce, tomato -0 WW pts. 1/4 Avocado, sliced - 2 WW pts. 1 slice of light swiss cheese -1 WW pt. 2 slices of Beefsteak Light Rye - 1 WW pt. I then cut the sandwhich in half. I'll have one half with an apple or pear and I'll save the other half for later on in the day (A couple of hours later when I get hungry, I eat this). The whole sandwhich is 6 WW pts. Dinner is pretty different every night, depending on what I cook. I'll also wind up having a snack before dinner, like string cheese for 2 WW pts.

Questions...

Hey Guys,

Remeber, if you have any questions about anything, whether it's about Weight Watchers or eating right or getting excerise, you can email me at kanwal.ullah@gmail.com . I'll post up your question (don't worry, your name will not be posted :-P), along with the answer during the week!

***New Find: Beefsteak Light Rye***

So, I'm getting into a good habit of bringing my own lunch for work. And to be honest, the Arnold's Thins are getting a bit boring...I do eat a lot of it. So, as I went on my qwest for a sturdy, healthy, low point bread, I found BeefSteak Light Rye. Although this bread is touted as Rye, it really does not taste like Rye bread to me. In fact, it tastes like regular wheat bread. The best part about this bread is it is very sturdy and can hold up to a good sandwhich. Also, even better, two slices of this bread has 80 calories and are only 1 WW points. This is a great alternative if you are getting a bit tired of the Arnold's. Don't get me wrong, come this weekend, I will still be having my Arnold's Thins with my burger, but for now, I'm really liking the Beefsteak light for my pB&J's and my turkey ham sammies!

It was a long day...

Hello Everyone,

By the time you guys read this, today will be tomorrow, so lemme tell you, yesterday was a really long day! I was working much later than I expected, and by the time I got home I did not want to cook. So what did I do, I went for the most convienient option...fast food. When chosen wisely, fast food is not that bad of an option. Practically every burger and taco joint out there now has healthy menu options. My fast food restaurant of choice was Taco Bell. The great thing about Taco Bell is they have a Fresco menu, which features their tacos in a lighter version ie: no sour cream, but the are still delicious!! I wound up have a Fresco Chicken Ranchero Soft taco and a Fresco Grilled Steak taco! Together, both of these were 6 points!!! Seriously not bad for two tacos that taste great!

How's it going...

How is your Monday treating you so far? What have you guys been snacking on?

***Question of the day: What do you do when you go to the Chinese BUFFET???

Going to a Chinese buffet, or a buffet of any sorts for that matter can be pretty daunting. After all, you are faced with an endless array of all you can eat foods, which could also include desserts! Here are some tips in conquering buffets:

1. Start your meal off with a broth based soup and a salad. This will help fill you up and ensure you do not consume too many calories
2. When at a Chinese Buffet, pick food from the top. The sauce and oils tend to fall down on the bottom of the pile of food. If you pick food from the top of the pile, you will atleast get the least amount of oil and sauce
3. WATCH FOR PORTION DISTORTION. People, I cannot say this enough, if you are going to eat all that food, atleast watch for your portion sizes. Remember, you just want to taste the food, not overload and gorge on it!
4. Mix your food with steamed veggies or chicken. This way you will get all the flavor for half the calories
5. Go for the steamed dumplings vs. the fried dumplings. You'll be saving yourself a whole lot of saturated fat
6. Try to stay away from anything deep fried, such as egg rolls or fried dumplings
7. If there is brown rice, go for this over white rice, again watch for portion distortion
8. Go ahead and have your fortune cookie. These satisfying, sweet treats are about 25 calories

I hope this has been helpful, but please remember, these rules can apply for any buffet. Enjoy!

***New Find: Dr. Praegers Veggie Burgers***

Hey Guys,

With Memorial Day right around the corner I thought I would display some great burgers this week! Today, I'd like to present you with Dr. Praegers Bombay Curry Veggie Burgers.I don't know if anyone has tried these, but these veggie burgers are awesome! I seriously have not tasted a veggie burger with such robust flavor. One thing though, I do suggest you guys bake these in the oven because they can be pretty fragile. If you bake them, rather than microwave them, they will hold their shape in the bun. They are still great microwaved, but they just may fall apart.

So seriously, if you love veggie burgers, you need to try these out!

Deets:

Cal: 110

Fat: 4.5

Fiber: 4

Points: 2

PS: Pair these burgers up with Coriander Chutney and an Arnold's Thins for a great burger!

***Recipe Alert: Mushroom Pizza***

Hey Guys, Here is what I made for dinner last night, and this was delicious! Here are the deets: 2 portobello mushrooms, stems removed 3 fresh mini mozzarella balls, sliced 1 veggie turkey sausage (I use Morning Star), sliced 1/4c. spaghetti sauce 1 tb. of italian seasoning

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
2. Evenly distribute the spagetti sauce on both mushrooms (the gill side)
3. Evenly distribute the sliced mozzarella and sausage to both mushrooms
4. Add the italian seasoning to both mushrooms
5. Place the mushroom pizza in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted

Enjoy! This wonderfully filling dinner is only 4 WW pts., for BOTH pizzas :-)

***Weekly Weigh In***

This morning I went to weigh myself and see that I am still 132....not bad, didn't gain or lose!

***Yogurt Alert***....***Snack Attack***

As if I didn't have enough yogurt :-p I just happen to have slurped down another great flavor by Dannon...hold your horses ppls, this is ORANGE MANGO :-) Yes, Orange Mango has joined the high ranks as Dannon yogurts for Key Lime Pie, Pineapple Coconut and Lemon Chiffon have! Another delicious flavor ppls -seriously, it tastes like an orange and mango got smushed while trying to fit into an already packed subway train...and at the end you get a wonderful taste of orange mango!!

Go buy some ppls....only 2 WW pts! What did you snack on today?

Questions Ppls...

Hey Guys, Remeber, if you have any questions about anything, whether it's about Weight Watchers or eating right or getting excerise, you can email me at kanwal.ullah@gmail.com . I'll post up your question (don't worry, your name will not be posted :-P), along with the answer during the week! Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!!!

***Recipe Alert: PB&J- Done My Way***

Good Morning Guys, So you'll notice I have this PB&J -Done My Way often. First of all it's pretty quick to put together, second of all because of the berries, it is very antioxidant packed, and last but not least, you are getting the heart healthy fats from the PB. What more can you ask for?!? Here are the deets: Arnold's Sandwhich Thins 2 TEASPOONS of all natural Peanut Butter (I like Skippys Extra Chunky All Natural) 3-4 Blackberries Put the PB and Berries in a bowl, and smash the berries with the back of a spoon, and mix with the PB Spread on Arnold's Sandwhich Thins (this is even better when the bread is toasted :-) ) Total WW pts: 3 I hope you guys try this recipe out because it really is good! You can also use sliced strawberries or freshly mashed blueberries!

***Recipe Alert: PB&J- Done My Way***

Arnold's Sandwhich Thins2 TEASPOONS of all natural Peanut Butter (I like Skippys Extra Chunky All Natural)3-4 Blackberries Put the PB and Berries in a bowl, and smash the berries with the back of a spoon, and mix with the PB Spread on Arnold's Sandwhich Thins

How's it going...

Hey Guys, How is your day going so far? Snacking on anything exciting?

***New Find: Popchips***

Ok, so I got out of the gym and I was looking for snack, and guess what, I didn't want yogurt this time :-p I went to the Duane Reade across the street to see if I could find anything interesting. This is when I spotted Popchips. So, these chips are not fried, nor are they baked, instead they are 'popped' like popcorn. That's right, no oil what so ever is used! These chips are good, and will definitely satisfy that crunchy, salty craving you get when you want chips. Per serving, you get a decent amount of chips to fill you up, all for about 3 WW pts., really not bad to satisfy your cravings. Here are the deets for the original potato chip flavor -about 22 chips:

Cal: 120

Fat: 4 grams

Fiber: 0

Have you guys tried these? What do you think? I've only had the original flavor, anyone try the barbecue?

Questions, Questions, Questions...

There are many days where I do go over my points, usually within a 5-10 range. However, I also know that for 5 days a week I am working out very hard and am burning around 600 calories, so I know I can go a bit over with activity points. How are you guys doing with your daily points? Do you go over? Do you feel they are sufficient? Do you guys have a system? For example I try to keep my snacks to 2 points, and my meals 5 points each.

***Recipe Alert: Turkey Ham and Swiss Quesadilla***

The other night I made turkey ham and swiss cheese quesadilla's and they were fantastic and super easy to make! Here's are the deets on the recipe (for one serving): One Whole Wheat soft taco shell (I like LaBanderita) Two ounces of Jennie O Turkey Ham One slice of 2% Swiss Cheese Pepper to taste Mustard to you liking One teaspoon of EVOO

1. Coat ONE side of the soft taco shell with EVOO
2. On the side NOT coated with EVOO, spread the turkey ham on half of the soft taco
3. Cut the cheese in fourths, lengthwise, and top the turkey ham with this
4. Season with pepper and mustard
5. Fold the other half the soft taco over the the ham and cheese
6. Heat your skillet on your stove, once hot, place the ham and cheese quesadilla in the skillet
7. Take a heavier skillet and place this on top of the quesadilla, to weight the quesadilla down and brown the other side -about a minute
8. Remove the heavier skillet, flip the quesadilla and place the heavier skillet on top again, to weigh down and brown the other side -about a minute
9. Remove from heat and allow the quesadilla to cool for a couple of minutes
10. Cut into 6 triangles and enjoy!!

This recipe has 5 WW points add some veggies or a salad to this and you've got yourself a great meal :-)

It's Not You....It's Me...

Hello Everyone, As some of you may have noticed, my posts have been pretty sporatic the past few days. This is mainly due to my job hunt. However, I am happy to report I am now working for a wonderful company :-) Although I am working, I absolutely LOVE talking to you all and still want to continue to be a part of your lives and help you through your journey of a healthy lifestyle by providing you with great recipes and tips. I want to continue sending you guys great posts on the newest finds, the question of the day and great recipes. The only difference would be, instead of posting 5-7 random sporatic posts, each morning Ill send out my posts on the following topics:

• Recipe of the day
• New healthy food find -be it snack, meal or whatever
• Question of the day -I do get emails from people regarding questions on a healthy lifestyle
• A post on how your day is going, and if you guys have any questions on anything
• My daily round up -this will just be one post at the end of the day, where I'll let you guys know what I've eaten and how many points Ive consumed
• Also, every Friday I will update you with my weight loss, and would love if you guys would want to join in on the weekly weigh ins

You guys know I LOVE your feedback! If there is ANYTHNG else you guys would like me to post about, please do let me know and I'd be happy to do whatever I can. Also, I will still be responding to your comments, but it may be later on during the day, so please do not think I am ignoring anyone.

Thanks Everyone!!! I just wanted you all to know that I will still be blogging and I love your feedback :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, This morning for breakfast I just had a glass of milk. Today seems like it will be a rushed day, so Ill probably reach for a snack in a bit. How was your breakfast?

***Daily Round Up***

Hey Guys, Here's my round up after lunch. I had Key Lime yogurt for a snack (I'm telling you, I have a ton of yogurt to finish :-p). That was 2 points. For dinner I made a turkey ham and cheese quesadilla for 4 WW points. For dessert I had a 100 calorie cookie pack, 2 points right there. I also had trail mix...oops..4 WW pts. So, I went a bit over my points today, but not too bad. How was your day today?

***Lunch Time***

Hey Guys,

So, I was too busy to have my snack, I also didn't feel too hungry. So, I just waited out till lunch time. For lunch today I made a chopped salad from all of my left over veggies from my Greek Pizza night :-) Here are the deets for my lunch:

1/4 avocado: 2 points

1/2 turkey meatloaf: 3 points

onions, red peppers, tomatos: 0 points

1 tsp. of EVOO: 1 point

balsamic vinegar: 0 points

Total points: 6!

How was your lunch?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, Today for breakfast I had my Smart Balance Milk and half of a PB&J-done my way sammie. Total points 4. What did you guys have for breakfast?

I Have a Question For You...

Do you guys eat any frozen meals for convenience? If so, which ones do you like? Weight Watchers? Lean Cuisine? Healthy Choice? Any others? Thanks!

***Dinner Tonight***

Hey Guys, I decided to have breakfast for dinner tonight. I had a breakfast platter of one egg, three turkey sausage links, and arnold's thins toast. All this was a total of 8 WW points. What did you guys have for dinner?

Question of the day...How is it possible not to overestimate?

If I have a dish in front of me, I try to pick everything in the dish apart to figure out the points. For example if I am eating out and will have steamed vegetables and tofu in garlic sauce, the first thing I'll do is look at my portion size. Don't forget, when eating out, portion distortion is a huge issue. You can immediately slash away a ton of points by first having the correct portion. So, I know I am having steamed veggies, and steamed veggies are 0 WW pts. Next, I'll look at the tofu, at most, a 1/3c of regular, firm tofu has 2 WW pts. I'll add another 2 if this has been fried. Next, the garlic sauce, some restaurants completely drench their foods in sauce. One trick that I have for this is, order your food, but also order a small portion of steamed chicken and veggies, or just steamed chicken. Then take you portion of food, cut it in half, and add half of the steamed chicken or veggies, and mix to get the sauce coated on the steamed veggies. This way you get all the flavor and half the calories. So, a chinese take out with garlic sauce is 11 points. I would say give the garlic sauce a 5.5 WW pts value because, number one, you've taken your portion into consideration and two, you will not be overstimating by much, but rather be in a good ball park. All in all, I would say this meal would be around 7.5 WW pts. 9.5 if the tofu has been fried, but remember this is not including rice! So remember, just dissect your meal to figure out points, sometimes it can be tricky, but usually be in the ball park area.

***Lunch Time***

Hey Guys,

Surprisingly I stayed full until Lunch Time :-) For lunch I had a home made spinach salad with sliced apples and walnuts. The dressing was garlic chips, lightly toasted in a teaspoon of EVOO, and balsamic vinegar added. This was delicious. Lightly toasting the garlic adds tremendous flavor to such a simple dressing! Total WW pts: 4. What did you guys have for lunch?

***New Find: Smart Balance Fat-Free Milk***

You guys have probably noticed that I use a lot of skim milk. I primarily drink it for the calcium and vitamin D, but for a 2 pointer its really great to add into smoothies! So, I was in the grocery store this weekend and noticed a new brand of milk by Smart Balance. The milk is Fat-Free milk is fortified with omega 3 and vitamin E. The milk also has 30% more calcium and 30% more protein. Now, in my b-time post, I stated this was 'skim' milk because this 'skim' milk does have 1.5 grams of fat and this fat is added from the omega 3's. The points value for this milk is 3 WW pts. Now, regular skim milk is 2 WW pts. So, for an extra point, you get heart healthy omega 3 fats, 170% of Vitamin E, 25% of Vitamin D and 40% of Calcium. For just an extra point, I really think this is worth it for the nutritional values. Another plus about this milk, it really does taste rich and creamy and I think this can definitely be substituted for whole milk in recipes!!!

So, that's the 411 on this new 'skim' milk :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend, and a wonderful breakfast by now :-) I had a glass of 'skim' milk...more on the 'skim' later, and turkey sausage links. A quick and hopefully filling breakfast! Hopefully this will keep me full for atleast a couple of hours until my snack! This breakfast was 6 WW points!

How was your breakfast?

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, Breakfast again was my PB&J -done my way sammie, with a glass of skim milk :-) Total WW pts. 5!! How was your breakfast?

***Dinner LAST NIGHT***

Hello Everyone,

I didn't get my dinner last night posted because I threw a 'Make Your Own Pizza' party (and this ended quite late :-p)!!! So, I invited my friends over to make their own pizzas, however I had a Greek theme going. This was such a fun idea and you guys should try this out. I bought two packages of my tortillas. I also bought a jar of store bought pasta sauce. I then finely cut up red peppers, red onions, tomatos and olives. I also added dried ingredients out on the table, such as dried basil, oregano and parsely. I also had reduced fat feta for everyone to use. Everyone had a great time making their own pizzas.

So, dinner last night was a 4 point Greek Pizza, along with a 3 point whole grain pasta salad, and a one point salad.

This whole entire filling dinner party was 8 WW points!!!

How was your dinner last night?

Weekly Weign In...

Good Morning Everyone, So, I was a bit nervous to get on the scale this morning, given all the Indian food I ate on Wednesday! However, like I said, I know I did not over eat on my portions. Needless, to say, I got on the scale this morning and I was 132 :-) YAY!!! Only 12 more pounds to go!!! I'm pretty sure my regular workouts are really helping me out. How was your weekly weigh in?

***Snack Attack***

Hey Guys, I have way too many yogurts to finish :-P Today's snack attack is an Archer Farm's, non fat, Key Lime Pie (YUM), yogurt. All for 2 WW pts. What did you guys snack on today?

Ingredients...

I thought I'd take a picture of the ingredients I used for the Thin Crust Pizza :-)

Also, the tortilla that I used for the crust is by La Banderita, low carb whole wheat!

***Recipe Alert: Thin Crust Pizza- My Way***

Hey Guys,

I abosolutely love pizza! In fact, it's my Friday night staple, I just need to have my pizza. One slice of plain pizza can be 4 or more points, depending on where you are getting it from. Also, I don't know about you, but one slice never fills me up, and I always crave more! So, what did I do about this? I created my own version of Thin Crust Pizza. What's even better, not just one slice, but the entire portion is only 4 WW points!! Now this pizza is made with mozzarella cheese, I'll have a mediterranean pizza, made with feta cheese coming up for you later on tonight, and that is less than 4 points!!!

Here are the deets for the mozzarella version:

Ingredients:

One Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap ( I used the one from my New Find post)

1 oz. of Mozzarella cheese, sliced (I used mini mozzarella balls, one ounce is 3 balls)

1/8th c. of Pasta sauce

1/8th c. of Red Onions, sliced

1/8th c. of Red Peppers, sliced

1/8th c. of sliced Mushrooms

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Lay your tortilla on a flat surface, and even distribute the pasta sauce on the tortilla

Evenly distribute the mozzarella on top of the sauce

Evenly distribute the onions, red peppers and mushrooms

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is oh so nice and bubbly :-)

Allow the pizza to slightly cool, about 5 minutes, before slicing.

Guys, this whole pizza is 4 WW pts. and probably the equivalent of 3 slices of thin crust, which can be over 12 WW pts!!!

Tell me this does not look delicious :-p

I hope you guys make this recipe and enjoy as much as I do!

PS: Add as many veggies as you want, they are 0 points :-)

PSS: Stay tuned for a Greek version tonight!!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, So this morning I had another PB&J done my way sammie, except this time I used fresh strawberries. I also had a glass of skim milk. Total WW pts. 5!! How was your breakfast?

Hey There...

Hey Guys, I apologize for not posting much up yesterday! Due to some unforseen cirucumstances I was out all day! Anywho, yesterday was an OK day for me. You all know I had my PB&J done my way sammie. For lunch I had Indian food, but the choices were not all that great. I had a SMALL portion of chicken tikka masala, rice and kadhi pakora (a yogurt based indian dish). Although I know I kept my portions in tact I must have had about 12 WW pts. for lunch. For dinner, there was more Indian food, and again, I did keep my portions in tact. I had channa masala, rice and two samosas. Again, this was about 11 WW pts. So, let's just say I went over my points by around 10 :-\. This is when I utilize the 35 extra points and my activity points from WW. Anywhooo, I hope your day was well yesterday!

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, This morning for breakfast I had a PB&J-done my way, sammie and a glass of skim milk. Total WW pts.: 5. How was your breakfast today?

***Dinner Tonite***

Hello Everyone, Dinner tonight was a pizza quesadilla. Recipe will be posted up tomorrow :-). This was also a 7 pt. dinner...a bit much, but I had the extra points to spare. What did you guys have for dinner?

***Recipe Alert: Turkey Meatloaf- My Way***

Hello Everyone, So I promised you all my recipe for the turkey meatloaf I made yesterday. Here it is: Ingredients:

• One pound of lean, ground Turkey
• 1/2 large Onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of Garlic, grated
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. of Salt
• 1 tsp. of Brown Mustard
• 1 tsp. of EVOO
• 1 tb. each of Pepper, dried Basil, dried Oregano, dried Parsley, Hot Sauce
• 1/2c. of frozen Spinach
• 1 small Zucchini very finely shredded
• 1/2 Beefsteak Tomato, thinly sliced

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and gently fold the mixture until all is evenly incorporated.
3. Spray your baking pan, or dish with a non stick spray and gently mold the mixture to form a loaf on the pan or baking dish.
4. Place your sliced tomatos on top of the meatloaf
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the meat loaf has fully cooked.
6. Leave the meatloaf alone for about 10 minutes, to let the juices settle in, then slice away :-)

Enjoy!!!

Guys, this is a serving for four people! Each serving is 5 WW points!!!

I would love your input...

Hey Guys, So I have about 100 revamped recipes on various meals and was thinking about coming out with a cookbook. I'd love your input on a recipe you would like to see revamped! If you have any suggestions, you can email me at kanwal.ullah@gmail.com or post it on the blog! Thanks Everyone!!

***Lunch Time***

Hello Everyone, Lunch today was whole wheat pasta, with fresh chopped tomatos. I also added one teaspoon of EVOO and grated two garlic cloves and added basil and oregano! All for a points value of 4. What did you guys have for lunch?

Question of the day...How do you measure your fruit? Like how would you measure apple, pear, etc.

This is a good question, considering many apples, oranges, banana's are of different sizes. Fruits like apples and oranges, I usually measure as the size of a baseball. A grapefruit I measure as a size of a softball. The trickiest fruit I think is the banana. I see huge banana's in the grocery store! I will take the smallest banana bunch I can find, and make each banana one serving size. Anything larger, I add about 1 WW pt. I find pears are usually around the same size, and still count each pear as 1 WW pt. Grapes, I'll usually measure them out in an eight ounce cup to get an exact portion.

***Yogurt Alert***....***Snack Attack***

Hey Guys, OK - so you are all probably sick of all the yogurt finds...but I can't help myself! This flavor find was brought to me by my good friend Anthony. This is another Dannon Light & Fit in a limited edition flavor of Pineapple Coconut!!!! This yogurt was DELICIOUS!!!! There are chunks of real pineapple, and there is such a deep coconut flavor! I highly suggest you guys try this out!! Just think of the Pina Colada smoothies you can make with this!!! Here are the deets: Cal: 80 Fat: 0 Fiber: 0 WW pts: 2 What did you guys snack on?

Question of the day...What do you suggest for snacks in the evening?

Question: Hi Kanwal, What do you suggest for snacks in the evening? Answer: I suggest you try to keep all your snacks within 2-3 points. A few snack ideas and their points values are:

1. Light Yogurt: 2 pts.
2. Granola bars: 2-3 pts.
3. Trail Mix: 3 pts.
4. Carrots/Celery and hummus: 2 pts.
5. Jello Sugar Free pudding: 1 pt.
6. Celery and salsa: 1 pt.
7. 1/2 c. of skim ricotta mixed with 1/2c mixed berries: 1 pt.
8. 1 serving of soup, like a Progresso Light: 1 pt.
9. Serving of Air Popped popcorn: 1 pt.
10. Fruit Salad: 1 pt.
11. Sargento Reduced Fat Cheese Sticks: 2 pts.

Guys, if you have any questions that you would like answered, you can email me at kanwal.ullah@gmail.com :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, This morning for breakfast I had a PB&J-done my way, sammie and a glass of skim milk. Total WW pts.: 5. What did you guys have for breakfast?

***Sweet Treat...***

Hey Guys,

After dinner I treated myself to some mango ice cream. I had the spare points, so hey, why not :-P. Also, the ice cream was not as bad as I thought it would be, the total points value was 3 per serving. Not bad for ice cream!

Here are the deets on the ice cream:

The brand name is Reena's, you'll probably find this in an Indian grocery store.

Cal: 130

Fat: 7 grams

Fiber: 0 grams

***Dinner Tonite***

Hey Ppls,

So dinner tonight was turkey meatloaf -done my way (recipe will be up tomorrow). I also had a side of my cauliflower hash. A delicious meal and very filling!

Total WW pts: 5!!!

What did you guys have for dinner?

***Recipe Alert: Cauliflower Hash- My Way***

Hello Everyone, This recipe for Cauliflower Hash is so unbelievably easy to make! Also the ENTIRE RECIPE is only 1 WW pt.!!! Seriously, you can't get better than that. This makes a great side dish and can easily be packed up for an on the go lunch! Here are the deets: 1 10oz. package of frozen cauliflower 1/2c of low sodium vegetable broth 1c of frozen mixed vegetables 1 clove of garlic, grated 1 TB of hot sauce salt/pepper to taste Place the frozen cauliflower in a pan, and add the vegetable broth. Cover the lid and allow this to cook until the cauliflower is fully cooked. Once the cauliflower is cooked, mash the cauliflower with a fork or potato masher. Add the mixed vegetables, garlic, hotsauce and salt/pepper. Enjoy!!

***New Find -Soft Taco Shells***

Hey Guys,

I found this while on my weekend grocery shopping trip. These are awesome!! I had them for lunch today with my Tuna Patty and I even experimented using these in other recipes, which you'll find later on in the week.

Here are the deets:

Cal: 81

Fat: 2 grams

Fiber: 6 grams

WW pts.: 1

***Lunch Time***

Hello Everyone, Today, for lunch I had my Tuna Patty in a wrap, with arugula and 2% cheddar cheese. Total WW pts.: 4. What did you guys have for lunch?

***Yogurt Alert***....***Snack Attack***

Today's snack was another new yogurt find! Many of you have already had this yogurt before, but this was the first time I've tried this flavor. I'm talking about Dannon Light & Fit in Lemon Chiffon...this along with Dannon's Key Lime Pie is delish!! Also, only 2 WW pts.!!

What did you guys snack on today?

Nuts About Nuts....

Hey Guys, One snack I always keep in my bag, purse and at my desk are nuts!! I love creating different types of trail mixes, some sweet, some spicy and some salty. Nuts and trail mixes are a great, easy portable snack. They are filling, filled with omega 3 fatty acids and are easy to make! However, nuts and trail mixes can be very easy to go overboard with the points. Remember, they can be high in calories and fat, BUT this can definitely be controlled by filling up portion controlled snack bags for you take along! Here are a few trail mix recipes I've created: Sinfully Sweet Trail Mix 1/4c. Almonds 14 Cashews 1/4c Dried Currants 1/4c Dried Apples 1/4c Dried Bananas Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and divide this up into four equal portions. Each portion has 3 WWpts. Spice Mix 1/4c. Almonds 49 Shelled Pistachios 1/4c Dried Apricots 1/4c Raisins 1 tsp. of Chili Powder 1/4 tsp. of Salt Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and divide this up into four equal portions. Each portion has 3 WWpts. Chili Lime Mix 1/4c Almonds 14 Cashews 1/4c Pumpkin seeds 1/4c Sunflower seeds 49 Pistachios 1 tb of Lime Juice 1 tsp. of Chili Powder Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and divide this up into seven equal portions. Each portion has 3 WWpts.

I hope you guys will try some of these trail mixes :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Ppls, I hope you all had a great weekend! I came up with a few revamped recipes for Pizza, Quesadillas and Tacos. I'll be featuring these recipes throughout the week. OK -let's get down to business. This morning I had a smoothe which consisted of: 1 c. skim milk: 2 WW pts. 1/4 ff ricotta: 1 WW pts. 1 tsp. of peanut butter: 1 WW pts. 1 tsp. of dark cocoa powder: 0 WW pts. 1 tsp. of instant coffee: 0 ww pts. All for a total of 4 WW pts!!! How was your breakfast?

Revamping Recipes...

Hey Ppls, So, you all have seen me revamp the traditional samosa to make it more figure friendly. I'm currently working on revamping Pad Thai, however if you would like to see any other recipes revamped, please do let me know! I'd love to help you all out :-)

***B-Time***

Good Morning Everyone, So for breakfast I made another smooothie...I guess I've moved into the smoothie rut :-p. Here was today's smoothie: 1c. skim milk 1/4c. ff ricotta 1/2c. strawberries 1/2tsp. of rose water 1/2 tsp. of cardomom powder I know this may sound unusual by adding the rose water and cardomom powder, but this was delicious!!! Also, its's amazing how the ricotta adds such rich and thickness to the shake!! This smoothie was only 4 WW pts!!!! How was your breakfast?

Weekly Weigh In...

Good Morning Everyone, So, I had my weekly weigh in this morning. This morning I weighed in at 135! No change from last week, but no change is always good :-) Atleast I didn't gain weight! I noticed as I get closer to my goal weight, the weight comes off much slower, but it does come off.