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July 17, 2011
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 Healthy Thoughts/Healthy Actions Weight Watchers Newsletter #95
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Hi Everyone!
Its getting warmer and summer is finally making itself known! Yippee!
The topic of the meeting this last week was fruits and vegetables and there were so many great ideas of things people were doing with them, or finding in the markets, I thought I'd use this forum to share a few:
There are some new fruits on the market. We learned about strawberry-cherries and angelcots this week. I am not sure if either of them taste better than their origins, but always worth a try!
Jicama, sugar snap peas and miniature peppers are being used a lot this summer on vegetable platters for dipping in place of chips.
Fruits and vegetables are being combined frequently in cooking. Salads oftentimes will include apple, grapes, strawberries, blueberries. Mango is being used quite a bit to make some yummy sounding salsas, which are a great substitute for loading up on sauces for meat or fish. Apricots, peaches and pineapple are getting grilled with chicken or fish on the barbecue.
A great secret was revealed in a meeting for making crunchier roasted vegetables: use parchment paper! Lay a sheet flat on a baking sheet and spray lightly, put a single layer of veges and spray lightly again. Season and roast in a very hot oven (450) for about 20 minutes. This even works for zuchinni or other softer squashes, and the paper can be re-used!
Cauliflower makes great "mashed potatoes". Steam it until soft and put in a bowl with a tsp of butter, salt and pepper, garlic and 1/4 cup of almond milk, or milk of your choice. Blend with an immersion blender...delish!!
I know some of you are not keen on fruits and vegetables, and struggle to get your minimum 5 servings a day. But I challenge you to step out of your box this week and try a fruit or vegetable you have never had in a way you have never tried it. One of the hugest secrets to losing weight and maintaining it for life is learning to love healthy food! Here's your chance!
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MEETING TOPICS:
WEEKS OF
July 17, 2011 & July 24, 2011
JULY 17 - JULY 23 2011 BBQs, Parties and Alcohol!
This week we will share ideas of how to make these summer gatherings be not only fun, but how to be a Weight Watcher while you are there!
JULY 18- JULY 24, 2011
FUN WITHOUT FOOD!
Fun without food? Huh? How can we have fun without food? Well come find out!
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RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
There seemed to be a buzz in the meeting room this week, as we discussed fruits and vegetables, about 2 things. One is a wonderful and refreshing watermelon salad, conveniently sent to me by Nancy in Sonoma, and many others this week talked about Kale Chips...so here you go!
Click for more recipes on my website recipe page.
CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE RECIPE PAGE
(including favorites like: Oatmeal Pancakes, Crab and Shrimp Cioppino, Italian Stuffed Zucchini, Chocolate Pudding Cake, Butternut Squash Risotto and Black Bean Brownies...)
 WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD
Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. watermelon chunks
1/2 sliced red onion (optional)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 oz. President (or Trader Joes) fat free crumbled feta
fresh mint, chopped
Directions:
Mix together and enjoy!
1 points plus per serving
KALE CHIPS
- 1 bunch kale
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Directions:
- Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil.
- Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 20-25 minutes, approximately. Put seasoning or salt on after you bake them.
2 points for the whole batch.
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Product Recommendation
TOFU SHIRITAKI NOODLES
These unusual noodles have been mentioned in the newsletter before, but for some reason got brought to the forefront this week in the meeting room.
They are made from tofu and are almost nothing in points. Their flavor is really bland unless you throw some yummy sauce on them. A great idea if you are looking to shave the points off a meal in a healthy unique way.
For lots of other product ideas go to the Product Page of my website:
http://www.healthythoughtshealthyactions.com/productpage.html
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A BRILLIANT VIEW OF LIFE AND AGING... Thank you to Margaret for sending this! George Carlin is not someone who immediately comes to mind when you think of motivation and inspiration...when you think of MOJO, however George Carlin is someone who figured out how to be incredibly successful at doing something he loved...making people laugh. My guess is George Carlin had a pretty awesome life...He died recently at the age of 71. Here are his words of wisdom...  George Carlin's Views on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back.. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away |
THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT MARKET The market has been going swimmingly! Every week I think, oh it will be quieter this week, and every week I am surprised and overjoyed and the size and variety of the crowd. I love seeing all the families, the teenagers, the shoppers, the wine drinkers and cheese buyers. I love seeing the chaotic, delicious farmer's market in full bustle. The diversity and harmony seems just what it should be. The next two weeks will be BIG ones: Tommy Castro will be performing Wed the 20th and the County Fair will have a section of the market on the 27th to entice and excite you to come on down. I have been trying out a few things to eat each week and can report some new favorites: Street Eatz is at the end of the produce market, and is a big truck. The sell such a variety of things and many seem quite healthy. I got the mahi mahi taco and chose not to have the aoili, which made it too dry but still delish. But it was probably 6 points, so maybe 9 with the sauce. Vero's Kitchen has wonderful asada (beef) tacos for $2.50 each, so a serious money bargain! Nothing but cilantro and onion in a soft corn tortilla, plus delectable freshly carved and grilled beef. But the wait was about 15 minutes, as they were swamped. They are very popular. Also really popular, but much faster is Willy Bird's who has a turkey skewer. Just the right amount of tender turkey. Here's the entertainment lineup for the Market these next two weeks! July 20 Main Stage: Tommy Castro (blues!) 2nd Stage Smilin' Iguanas (bluegrass, folk rock) 3rd Stage Brian Prystowsky (folk) July 27 Main Stage: Harvest Band (classic rock n roll) 2nd Stage Okili Nguebari ( African drummer) 3rd Stage Jon Gonzales (solo ukelele) Special event: The Sonoma County Fair exhibits!! www.srdowntownmarket.com |
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17th annual
Bodega Seafood Art & Wine Festival
My other wonderful event,
the Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival,
will be held on August 27 & 28 on the gorgeous Watts Ranch, in the quaint village of Bodega.
Everything is coming together for this festival as well. The food is amazing, and we have 30 wineries and a dozen microbreweries participating in the tasting. The craft is gorgeous! And of course the entertainment is not to be missed!
A new feature just being worked on and built up is a
FOOD PRODUCT/SPONSOR TENT. This is a tent next to the Wine & Microbrew Tasting, which is specifically featuring local food producers: cheese, bread, jerky, scones, vinegars, etc. There will be sampling, of course, and our sponsors will be featured in there as well. Yum!
Check the website for more information and hope to see you there!
www.winecountryfestivals.com
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This
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."
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