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February 21, 2010
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Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions
Weight Watchers Newsletter #59
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Hi Everyone!
 It's time to go into full-blown gush mode over the beauty that surrounds us right now. I adore spring!! I simply love the golden mustard, pale pink fruit tree blossoms... daffodils and narcissus: so perfect and so ephemeral.
It makes me realize how wrapped up I can get around what I should do tomorrow or did yesterday, or all sorts of other distractions that take me away from this very moment of gloriousity (is that a word? If not I am officially making it one!).
So where is your mind right now? Are you planning for a big event, mourning the loss of a loved one, getting your kids ready to go back to school? When was the last time you looked out the window or took a drive through the orchards and vineyards, and saw the spectacular work of Mother Nature? For that matter, when was the last time you just stopped and took a deep breath, and felt your hands and feet, legs and arms, and thanked whomever you thank for having all that you have...RIGHT NOW! This very moment. And this one. And this one.... |
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MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
February 21 & February 28
 The week of February 21st the topic is
A Weight-Loss Friendly Kitchen
Do you have cookie jar on your counter, or tempting bags of chips laying around "for the kids"? The first step in making this a full-blown life change is to change your environment...Let's brainstorm on how to do that.
The title of the February 28th meeting is Spice it Up!
At first I took this to mean a meeting about spices, which I liked a lot. Turns out they mean a meeting about getting wild and fun with your food. Let's use the idea of spices to make our meals different and special... |
RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
Its recipe central here this issue. First we have yet another amazing cookie recipe...thank you Sharon in Santa Rosa. In fact the 10am Thursday SR meeting is becoming a dangerous cookie zone...so look out WW members!
Then Dave in Sonoma sent a super-easy Zuchinni soup recipe which sounds delish.
And I went into experiment mode last week and made these to-die-for Italian eggplant rounds, which are like an eggplant parmesan without the layering...and with a very unusal combination of ingredients.
For more great recipes (I will be updating this page in the next few weeks...I promise!) check out my website: HEALTHY THOUGHTS/HEALTHY ACTIONS RECIPES
CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP "CAKIES"
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 stick margarine or butter, unsalted
1/3 cup egg beaters or other egg substitute
3/4 cup lowfat plain yogurt
1 tps vanilla extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
1) Arrange oven racks so oven is divided into thirds.
Heat over to 375.
2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and egg substitute until light and fluffy. With mixer at low speed gradually add the flour mixture, yogurt, vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.. Do not overmix.
4) Drop rounded teaspoons of batter about 1 inch apart onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets ( makes 24 cookies).
Bake until firm, about 10 minutes
Yields: 24 cookies, 1 cookie = 1 point
Store in airtight container, freeze well.
DAVE'S ZUCHINNI SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs zuchinni (approx 8-9 cups), chopped
1 1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
spray oil
46 oz fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Spray a large pot with spray oil and saute onion and garlic. When browned add broth and chopped zuchinni and boil until zuchinni is soft. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and basil. Put in blender and puree, leaving some chunks of green.
12 6oz servings. 0 points per serving
JANET'S ITALIAN EGGPLANT ROUNDS
INGREDIENTS:
spray olive oil
1 large eggplant sliced thin: larger slices can be halved, if desired
1 cup egg substitute
3 squares Dorot frozen garlic (see the product page of my website) or 3 cloves garlic pressed
2 squares Dorot frozen basil or fresh basil chopped very finely
1 cup oat bran
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper or to taste
1/2 jar marinara sauce (I like Newmans Own Sweet Onion)
1 cup grated reduced fat mozzerella cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1)Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 large baking pans with olive oil.
2)Pop the squares of frozen garlic and basil into a small dish and melt in the microwave. Pour egg substitute in medium bowl and mix in melted combo.
3) In a medium bowl mix the oat bran, salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 of the oatbran mixture into a medium sized zip-lock baggie.
4) Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture and then put into baggie, in multiples of 4, or so. Shake to cover and lay on baking pan. Repeat, adding more oatbran as necessary. In some cases the eggplant slices may not get covered entirely, but this does not matter.
5) Spray the coated eggplant with spray oil and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, flipping once to brown on each side. Watch them as they can burn easily.
6) When done remove pan from oven and put one dollop of marinara sauce on each slice and a sprinkling of cheese. Put pan back in oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until melted.
Makes 4 servings at 4pts each. |
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Great News!
Valerie sent me this article...Sonoma County...one happy place!
Happiest place in California
Study: Sonoma County ranks first in state, fifth in nation for well-being
By NATHAN HALVERSONTHE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 4:03 a.m.
Do you have a smile on your face and a little extra pep in your step? Well, so does your neighbor.
A massive study released Monday determined that people in Sonoma County are happier and healthier than anywhere else in California -- and ranked fifth overall in the nation.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asked people to assess their jobs, finances, health habits, mental attitudes and communities.
People in Sonoma County assessed themselves as having especially healthy behavior: meaning they ate healthy, consumed fruits and vegetables every week, exercised weekly and didn't smoke.
The Boulder, Colo., area ranked first in the nation overall. Also ranking higher than Santa Rosa overall were Grand Haven, Mich., Honolulu, and Provo, Utah.
Three other California areas ranked in the top 10: Santa Barbara, San Jose and Thousand Oaks.
At the bottom of the list was the area of Huntington, W. Va. Overall, the Southern states ranked worse than other regions.
The USA Today has a complete list of the rankings
Gallup surveyed 753 people in Sonoma County. The survey consisted of 42 questions that indexed results into five categories: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behavior, and basic access to things such as clean water, safe neighborhoods, fruits and vegetables, and health care.
Sonoma County ranked fifth overall in healthy behavior and 16th in work experience, which measures job satisfaction. It ranked 32nd in physical health and 33rd in emotional health.
You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 703-1577 or nathan.halverson@pressdemocrat.com. |
Come Find Me...
At the Santa Rosa Center's Open House Saturday, February 27th from 1-4. I will bring some yummy treats, including some foods I list on my website product page. We will have music, raffles, and getting started sessions every hour for new people who want to check out WW without having to join. Bring your friends who keep saying they should become a Weight Watcher!
And...It looks like I will be doing a cooking demo, next Monday, March 1st, at G&G Market, after the meeting, so about 6:30. I will be cooking some delicious recipes from one of our great cookbooks. Come cheer me on and enjoy a tasty treat when it is finished! YUM!! |
MY WEBSITE IS COOKIN'!!
I finally got the My Favorites Page up on the site, which has a list of books and movies I enjoy. More to come...
I also started a blog!! What the heck...thought I'd join the 21st century. So check out the Blogwagon...
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