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August 9, 2009
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Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions Weight Watchers Newsletter #45 |
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 Hi Everyone!
I am so involved in the final details of the festival I produce (see below) that my time is very limited these next few weeks. So this newsletter will be short and sweet...but with lots of good stuff in it, I promise!!
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MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
August 9 & August 16
The week of August 9th the topic is
Controlling Cravings!
I know this is a topic that none of you need help with, so I suspect the meeting rooms will be empty...(ha!)...See you all there!!
And the week of the August 16th we will be be exploring the world of plateaus. Are you stuck or have been stuck at a certain weight for awhile. What can we do to jump out of this place?
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RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
Frieda from my Monday Sonoma meeting has been raving about this recipe for awhile so I asked her to send it. She said it is from the Press Democrat. I changed it a bit to bring the points down. It sounds delicious!!
Lemony Quinoa Salad with Mint & Parlsey
1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 1/4 cups fat free chicken stock
1 1/2 cups tomato, seeds removed, diced finely
1 1/2 cups English cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced finely
1 cup parsley , roughly chopped
1 cup mint, chopped fine
1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/8 cup extra virgin olice oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Rinse quinoa, drain and add to boiling chicken stock. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until al dente. Shut off heat, let set for several minutes, then fluff with a fork and allow to cool on a sheet tray. Gently fold remaining ingredients into cooled quinoa and season to taste.
Makes 6 servings 3 pts per serving
Karen sent this recipe in and it sounded so incredibly easy and yummy I had to include it!
Easy Frozen Green Pea Soup
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
spray oil
1 box of fat free chicken broth
1 box frozen peas
2 tsp chopped mint
salt & pepper to taste
Saute onion and garlic in spray oil.
Add chicken broth
Bring broth to a boil
Add package frozen peas
Cook SLIGHTLY
Blend or puree
Optional: add mint or salt. Top with a dollop of fat free sour cream.
1 CUP= 2 points
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FOOD SUGGESTION
QUINOA
The recipe above might have confused some of you because you may not know the grain called "quinoa" (pronounced keen-wa). It originated in the Andes and is related to beets and spinach, as opposed to being an actual "grain" or grass plant. It is cooked the same way as you would rice or other grains, and is very high in protein, unlike rice or wheat, so for vegetarians it is ideal. It is found at most markets either pre packaged or in the bulk bins. Give it a try!
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HOW DO WE KEEP THIS FROM BEING A DIET?
In the meetings two weeks ago this was the topic, and you all had some solid ideas on how this can be the lifestyle change we all want it to be Here are some of the things you said....
STOP SAYING YOU'RE ON A DIET
Several members realized that when they stopped telling themselves and their friends or family that they were on a diet, and simply ate sensibly something shifted for them in the way they looked at this journey.
If you adore celery and carrots day in and day out, diet candy bars and frozen diet meals, then great. If, however, you are eating them because you are trying to lose weight, what happens when you have lost the weight? Eat like a normal person and this will be come a normal transition for you.
If you have given up all your favorite foods to lose some weight how will you last a lifetime eating this way? How can you have your cake and lose weight too? Eat less. Save points for it.
DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP
If sainthood were a requirement for us to lose weight and maintain it, not a single person on earth could pull it off. Find compassion and kindness for yourself as you do for others. You will have weeks which do not go as planned. Get up, brush yourself off, and keep moving.
So many of you are coming into the realm of losing weight with limited information on the foods that are out there. You know your certain, safe favorites. There's an amazing world of healthy, wonderful food that you have yet to discover. Try new fruits and vegetables, grains and lower point versions of foods you love. Why not develop new food fetishes...but healthy ones!
EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE
If there was one constant suggestion which came out of every meeting it was how important exercise is in making this a lifetime journey. Every one of you can be doing something physical. Please consider it a very valuable and necessary part of not only losing weight but maintaining the loss.
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FESTIVAL TIME!!
Many of you know I am the creater and organizer of the Bodega Seafood Art & Wine Festival and it is coming right up, August 29th & 30th. I hope you will take time to check out the website and plan a trip out to the event. It is a wonderful festival which benefits both Stewards of the Coast & Redwoods (the non-profit which works with California State Parks in this region) and the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department. Those of you following the nightmare of our budget crisis know the State Parks are undergoing either closures or radical ($14+ million) cutbacks! By coming to this festival you are helping the parks in western Sonoma County stay open!!!
Despite there being typical festival food, you will find many more healthy choices than at a standard show such as this. Here are some wonderful options...
Bodega Bounty Seafood Chowder
Tuna Skewers Cedar Plank Salmon
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Life Coaching/
Weight Counseling!
Besides being a Weight Watcher leader I am a certified Lifecoach, specializing in weight management issues. If you are coming to meetings yet not really following the program and don't know why, or if you cannot seem to even get yourself back to the meeting room, maybe something deeper is going on which needs exploring. Conquer this demon for good! Contact me and let me give you a free sample session so you can understand how coaching works.
For more information about coaching or counseling check my website:
www.healthythoughtshealthyactions.com | |
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