Ultimate Weight Watchers 360 Kit

So starting this week there is a new Member's Kit available.  You might wonder if you need one?  I picked up mine earlier this week.  I think there are lot of great enhancements in this new kit.

Here is what is included:

- Points Plus Calculator

- Eat Out Guide - includes much more detailed guides for over 75 restaurants

- Shop Guide - shopping guid and includes 7500 general and branded items

- What to Eat Now - cook book featuring 150 recipes

- Tracker - its a bit bigger and has a lot of new features to help you track

- Tape Measure - track those measurements - remember there is more to success than the scale

- Measuring Cups - 4 handy measuring cups - that "pop up" and "flatten up" - these things are amazing

- Stickers to label foods in your pantry

All held together in a handy new case.

This week the package is on sale for $ 31.50

Those of you in the past might remember that these won't be around for long and not at this price.

I highly recommend this kit!

Jackson, Mississippi

We are in Jackson, Mississippi!

Jackson is the capital of the U.S. state of Mississippi. Located south of the Yazoo River, it is considered to be the southern border of the Mississippi Delta.^[3] Jackson is most populous city in the state, and is one of two county seats of Hinds County, with the town of Raymond being the other.

The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census. The 2010 census ascribed a population of 539,057 to the five-county Jackson metropolitan area.^[4]

The current slogan for the city is "Jackson, Mississippi: City with Soul."^[5] Jackson is ranked 3rd out of America's 100 largest metro areas for the best "Bang For Your Buck" city according to Forbes magazine.^[6] The study measured overall affordability, housing rates, and more. The city is named after Andrew Jackson, who was a general at the time of the naming but later became president of the United States. The city is the anchor of the Metro area.

USS Jackson (LCS-6) will be the first ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the city.^[7]

Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup

Makes 10 cups 3PP per cup

-1 pound lean beef, diced small

-1 ¼ cup chopped carrot

-1 ¼ cup onion

-¾ cup chopped celery

-1 teaspoon parsley flakes

-¼ teaspoon  pepper,  1 tsp. sugar

-2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder

-1/2 cup pearl barley

- 2 cups crushed tomatoes (or no salt tomato sauce)

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or

 on high 4-5.

Party Bake Pork Chops

Party Bake Pork Chops

Serves 4  6PP per serving

-4 lean pork chops

-1 onion sliced

-4 Tablespoons brown rice

-1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes

Brown pork chops using cooking spray. Place chops in baking dish, also sprayed.

Top each with 1 slice of onion, 1 tbsp. rice, and then pour can of tomatoes over all.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Cream of Wheat Pancakes

Cream of Wheat Pancake

1 serving   2PP each

-3 tablespoons cream of wheat

-3 tablespoons skim milk

-1 tablespoon liquid egg white

-1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Sweetner/cinnamon if desired

Combine all ingredients and put in a sprayed pan over medium heat. Add fresh or frozen blueberries on the top. When bubbly, flip over and cook a few more minutes until done.

Weight Watchers Team has got the moves!

Dance Dance Revolution

Odessa, Texas

We have arrived in Odessa, Texas.

We are about 577 kms away from Dallas - so you know where we are going when we get there?

We are headed to Southfork!

Here the scoop on Odessa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa,_Texas

Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas – three ways

Makes 2 cups (500 mL)

This snack is very easy to make and will add fibre, iron and folate to your diet. All you have to do is take the basic ingredients and then add the spice of your choice: will it be savoury pizza, sweet cinnamon or Southwestern spice?

Ingredients

• 1 can (19 oz / 560 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

Savoury pizza crunch chickpeas

• 2 tsp (10 mL) parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp (10 mL) dried oregano
• 1 tsp (5 mL) garlic powder

or

Sweet cinnamon chickpeas

• 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
• 2 tsp (10 mL) sugar

or

Southwestern spice chickpeas

• 2 tsp (10 mL) ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and dry them really well in a paper towel. Place them in a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Set aside.
3. Mix together one of the above spice mixtures. Toss with the chickpeas and place them on an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 50 minutes or until crunchy. Store in an air tight container for 3 days.

Nutritional information per serving (¼ cup / 50 mL)

• Calories: 79
• Protein: 3 g
• Total fat: 3 g
  • Saturated fat: 0 g
  • Dietary cholesterol: 0 mg
• Carbohydrate: 11 g
  • Dietary fibre: 2 g
• Sodium: 123 mg
• Potassium: 105 mg

Developed by Nadine Day, RD. ©The Heart and Stroke Foundation

Posted: May 2009

Wear Orange & Black on Friday !

Wear Orange and black this Friday - or Linda will be really mad!

Lose for good!

A new lifetime member.

Wow, congratulations Doris.

Is it a 10?

We have talked about this a lot during meetings.  It is really important that we enjoy our treats and use our points well.  Is what you are eating a "10" - is it worth it?  There are lots of temptations and lots of treats that are just empty calories and wasted points.   It is better to have a square of really good chocolate than just an average run of the mill chocolate bar. So before you have something - make sure it is really worth it - it is a "10"!  If not - skip it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a happy, safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!   Enjoy some time with your family and hopefully remember all the great tips we shared at our meetings.


Scott, Linda & Melissa

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

		PointsPlusTM value | 1 Servings |  12 Preparation Time |  10 min Cooking Time |  10 min Level of Difficulty |  Easy  soups |  Nice and simple: a puree of squash and apples with just a hint of fall spice. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 4 cup(s) vegetable broth
• 12 oz uncooked butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes*
• 1/2 large uncooked vidalia onion(s), cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/2 small fresh apple(s), peeled and cut into to 2-inch
• 1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste

Instructions

• In a large stock pot, combine broth, squash, onion and apple; cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover pot and reduce heat to low; gently simmer until squash is very tender, about 10 minutes.
  
• Puree soup in pot using an immersion blender (or puree in a regular blender in batches, careful not to splatter hot liquid). Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Notes

 *You can purchase already peeled and cubed squash in the produce section of some supermarkets. You can also swap frozen, cubed squash for the fresh.

Garnish with chopped mint.

Ontario, California

We have arrived in Ontario, California - just outside of Los Angeles.

Ontario is a city located in south west San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 163,924, down from 170,373 at the 2000 census, making it the county's fourth most populous city after San Bernardino, Fontana, and Rancho Cucamonga.

The city is home to the LA/Ontario International Airport which is the 15th busiest cargo airport in the United States. Ontario handles the mass of freight traffic between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the rest of the country.^[2] It is also the home of Ontario Mills and former home of the Ontario Motor Speedway.

It takes its name from the Ontario Model Colony development established in 1882 by the Canadian engineer George Chaffey and his brothers William Chaffey and Charles Chaffey.^[3] They named the settlement after their home province of Ontario, Canada.

Oktoberfest and beer

Well some of you may be oktoberfesting this weekend or next, and i just saw the beer cheat sheet online and thought i'd give you some information on the points!
This is off the Canadian Weight Watcher Website for points, I didn't figure out it myself, because I really don't drink too often at all.

Most 12-ounce beers with 5 percent alcohol by volume contains a PointsPlus value of 5.

The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains a PointsPlus value of 7.

Most 12-ounce "light" beers have a PointsPlus value of 4.

A 16 ounce draft pint of light beer has aPointsPlusvalue of 5.

A 12-ounce non-alcoholic beer has a PointsPlusvalue of 2.

There are thousands of different beers. Here’s a selection of popular brews. Some are smarter grabs that save PointsPlus™ values. All are 12 ounces.

Beers with 3 PointsPlus values
Molson Canadian 67
Beers with 4 PointsPlus values
Sleeman Clear
Bud Light Lime
Corona Light
Alexander Keith’s Light Ale
Cracked Canoe
Coors Light
Beers with More PointsPlus values
Budweiser
Molson Canadian
Coors
Moosehead
Labatt’s Blue
Miller Genuine Draft
Alexander Keith’s

Melissa

Who are you?

So I know people are looking at this blog, I imagine that the bulk of the readers are from our meeting on Fridays!  However, nobody is leaving any comments - do you like what we are posting?  So if you read this blog - let us know, leaves us comment on this entry about who you are!  

Here is what I know about you from the blog stats:

- Most of the readers are from Canada

- The US is the second most popular country

- 34 people looked it at today already as of  829am 

- We seem to have a growing number of readers from Russia who are finding the blog

- We also have had people look at the blog from Germany and South Korea

- More readers are using Safari as their browser - and are accessing the blog from an iPhone, iPad or Mac

So please if you are reading the blog- leave us a message about who you are!

Scott

Going meatless one day a week!

There are many health and environmental benefits from going meatless one day a week. There are lots of groups and organizations that have information and ideas on how to get started! Check these out:

http://meatlessmonday.ca/
http://www.vegmondays.org/

Although these both suggest Monday as a meatless day, any day could be chosen! I am going to try to have one vegetarian day without meat each week. I invite you to post vegetarian meal ideas and recipes! I have posted a favourite of mine! Happy Eating!
Linda

Quinoa and Black Beans
PointsPlus™ Value: 3
Servings: 8 (2/3 cup)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup(s) uncooked onion(s)
3 clove(s) garlic clove(s) (medium)
3/4 cup(s) uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cup(s) vegetable broth
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup(s) frozen corn kernels
2 cup(s) canned black beans

Instructions
1.Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans.

Welcome from Linda

My name is Linda and I have been a Lifetime member at Weight Watchers for over 26 years.
For many of those years, my weight would go up and down like a yo-yo! I would think I could do it "on my own" but inevitably I would return to Weight Watchers. Not until 9 years ago, did I fully make this plan my lifestyle choice! Sure, I have my moments just like you do ,when I "deviate", but I know I am able to get right back on track with healthy eating!
I have been a WW leader for over 5 years. We have alot of fun on Friday mornings and I always learn something new! We welcome new members so bring your friends!

Linda

Need A Thanksgiving Recipe, Here are lots of links!

100+ thanksgiving recipes
http://houseandhome.com/food/30-thanksgiving-recipes
Canadian living thanksgiving ideas
http://www.canadianliving.com/recipe-directory/holiday_and_special_events/thanksgiving.php
HOw to cook a turkey video
http://allrecipes.com/Video/137/How-to-Cook-Turkey/Detail.aspx?src=mer490
Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.ca/guides/thanksgiving/recipes.html
Chatelaine Magazine
http://www.chatelaine.com/en/thanksgiving
Mom's Who think
http://www.momswhothink.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-recipes.html

Melissa

Weight watcher diet pill comic/ nice quote

Melissa

Food that can help with stress and anxiety

Thanksgiving is a week away and face it, Christmas is not much farther away. Not only are holidays stressful but people face stress through work, family, finances, health, everything in life causes stress. So I thought I would pull together some information from a couple different websites about different foods and drinks that help with stress and decrease the bad side affects of stress. It's the cortisol that stress creates that causes us to hold the weight, or gain the weight so if we can get some foods in us that help us decrease the bad stuff of stress and anxiety and also know the foods to avoid, maybe it will help all of us in our weight loss journey! By any means this is not from a nutritionist, or doctor it's from 3 websites that were recognizable websites. HOwever, most of the food listed are healthy foods anyways, and they are telling you the benefits of these foods. I have also heard some of these foods from a natiopath (spelling not sure if that is correct) I just met with because I do deal with stress and anxiety regularly.


Stress-Reducing Foods:Foods rich in vitamin B: These include clams, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. Foods high in vitamin B have a calming effect on the body, helping to melt away feelings of stress and anxiety and enhance your mood.

Papayas: Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are generally going to contribute vitamins A and C, as well as folate, which helps enhance the mood.

Red bell peppers: These contain vitamins A and C and folate, which help give you more energy and repair cell damage caused by stress.

Basil and arugula: These stress-reducing herbs are a great source of folate and add great flavor to healthy dishes.

Sunflower seeds: These contain vitamin E and folate to enhance your mood.

Peaches The peach includes phytonutrients that can give you healthier skin and fight cancer. It also has a natural sedative that can help reduce stress and anxiety. Plus since peaches are sweet they make a great healthy alternative to sugary treats.
Acacia berries The acacia berry has phytonutrients that are able to lift your mood, allowing you to feel better. It also offers other health benefits, such as leveling out your blood sugar levels. This has caused some to advertise it as a magic weight loss berry as well. While leveling out your blood sugar can help reduce food cravings, it is also important to remember that real weight loss will occur only with a change in diet and exercise routine.
 Blueberries can help to not only improve your mood, but there are also some studies looking at how it can combat Alzheimer's disease. Blueberries can help restore brain function and shrink cancer cells. Plus the natural fruit sugars are a great source of energy. Blueberries make for a great snack and can be added to cereals, yogurts, or even eaten plain.
Almonds If you are looking for a super food that is not sweet, then almonds are a good choice. Almonds are rich in zinc and vitamin B12, making them real mood enhancers. They also contain monounsaturated fat, an essential ingredient for fighting heart disease. If you have trouble getting iron in your diet, almonds can help with this. And since low levels of iron often cause fatigue, a handful of almonds can give you that energy boost that you need to get through the day.
Beverages:

Replace your coffee with decaffeinated tea to promote relaxation. Caffeine acts as a stimulant (also found in colas and chocolate). Decaffeinated herbal tea may be the best choice since some herbs offer soothing properties. Try chamomile, passionflower, rosemary or valerian tea. Chamomile, in particular, is recognized as a natural relaxant and stomach soother. What about the famous soothing cup of warm milk? Well, milk is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid necessary to produce serotonin. It is also an excellent source of calcium, which is involved in muscle contraction and relaxation, as well as blood pressure regulation. Thus, milk may prove to be truly calming.

Chocolate is another super food, though we are not talking about your average candy bar. Raw chocolate is rich in magnesium, an essential element that over half of adults are deficient in. A lack of magnesium can explain sluggishness and mood swings. Sadly, when most people think of chocolate they reach for the sugar and fat-laden processed varieties. To get the true health benefits of chocolate, you want to look for options that are processed as little as possible and contain the highest cocoa percentages. (think of it this way, buy a choclate bar, and look for this, a good quality one, break it into 1 oz pieces, and use it as a reward! you can even eat it daily for the benefits! lol, Jennifer Hudson does! Read her book!)
Maca root is a powder made from a Peruvian root and can be found in certain supplements and drink mixes. Maca root contains a phytonutrient that can help ward off anxiety and depression, provided that you can find the unprocessed form. In its natural state, just one glass of tea containing maca root has more nutrients than a serving of most fruits and vegetables, including the nutrients calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Some studies have found that maca root is just as useful at fighting depression as prescription antidepressants since it contains so many nutrients that are useful for improving mood. Plus since maca root is natural it does not have as many of the risks and side effects that are associated with prescription anxiety medication. Maca root powder can be made into a tea of sprinkled over other foods to give you the maximum health benefits.


Foods to Avoid:

• Caffeinated beverages: Caffeine can cause anxiety and raise stress hormone levels.
• Trans fatty acids: Found in sweets like cakes, pies and cookies, trans fats compromise the immune system, which causes more stress on the body and also increases your risk for heart disease.
• Sugar: Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which robs your adrenal glands of their ability to control stress hormones and protect the body against stress.
• Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption adds more sugar to your diet and, again, is harmful to the adrenal glands, which protect you against stress.
• Fried foods

a bit about me

I joined weight watchers Jan 13, 2011 and originally joined the Wednesday morning group which i joined because i was on Maternity leave and brought my daughter. I sometimes went to Thursdays as well. I had made this choice to join because my daughter was born August 2012 and I had an open incision for 3 months with 4 infections all in the first month of her birth. I got tired of hearing my son say mommy come do this with me and telling him i can't in the first 3 months of her birth. Then when I got released from nursing care where I could start taking physical measures as well to get healthy I started thinking about what I could do. I signed up for classes at breithaupt centre and at the same time they started I joined weight watchers.
Instantly I wanted to quit the class I signed up for and knew i would regret wasting the money so I stuck it out, and saw progress in my weight, and health! Now It is September 2012 and I have lost 92 lbs with weight watchers and 107 lbs since my daughter was born August 15, 2010. I am now doing 2-3 zumba classes a week at studio fuzion. I also run 4-6 times a week. I also have a very physical job too where I receive heavy orders in. I used to drag through them, needing help and now the only time i ask for help is when i am under time constrants or too many demands being put on me at once. I have seen an increase in my strength and flexibility. I have made some friends with weight watchers who are a very postive encouragement in my life, who provide good support- the Friday group is like none other. Oh! I joined them because of my work schedule, I kind of fell into that group because of the way my boss scheduled me. So I could get out of most weekends, I only have to work Friday nights, unless I request vacation time! I think it's a pretty good deal considering it's retail. However, this week i have a 6 day week, because tomorrow, well i guess today, because it's 12:45 am we are holding an event at our store from 10-2:30 to benefit St. Mary's Cardiac Care Centre I planned!
Melissa

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Pie

PointsPlus™ Value:    2 Servings:  12 Preparation Time:  0 min Cooking Time:  0 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients

	2 cup(s) canned pumpkin
	1 1/2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
	3/4 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
	2/3 cup(s) sugar substitute 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Whisk all ingredients together. Pour into large, sprayed pie plate.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Lower oven to 325 and continue baking for 30 -45 minutes (until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean.

Linda

quinoa benefits

Lurking Linda is everywhere!

At the meeting live!

Friday's meeting.

Interesting things about food

Interesting things about food from Trainer thought of the day:
A lot are zero points, NOT all though

7 most akaline foods, which i believe are good foods to help prevent cancer: cucucmber, celery, spinach, red peppers, kale, avocodo, broccoli

14 fat burning foods: grapefruit, watermelon, berries, greek yogurt, cucumber, hot peppers, celery, eggs, green tea, coffee, fish, water, quiona, oatmeal

Melissa

Finding Success

Okay, so tonight i was out on my run, last run i believe before my race for the cure on Sunday. I am too swamped with everything for my event at work Saturday to run tomorrow. I have been told it's not good to run the day before a big event! Well tonight... best run ever, I leave that to the fact i had good music, and I kept remembering back to what someone has told me more than once, but I used while I was struggling tonight... and that was being told "you can do it." Even though this GREAT friend wasn't with me, I kept remembering their words to me, and kept repeating them over and over again. So here are some more different quotes, about success, going beyond limits, and making dreams come true! With all of us we are on our goal of trying to make our lives healthier for different reasons. We all have to have some support in some way!

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
Vincent van Gogh
Failure teaches success.
Japanese Saying
I failed my way to success.
Thomas Edison
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
Paul Valery

Melissa

Los Banos, California

As we continue our walk across America, we have arrived in Los Banos, California.  Los Banos is a city in Merced County, California, near the junction of State Route 152 and Interstate 5. Los Banos is located 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Merced,^[3] at an elevation of 118 feet (36 m).^[2] The population was 35,972 at the 2010 census, up from 25,869 at the 2000 census. The city is served by Los Banos Municipal Airport for air transport access.


The Los Banos area was initially settled, according to Mexican land grant records, back in the 1840s. The first white settler in the area was Uriah Wood, who built his two room cabin in 1859.^[9] The original site of Los Banos was located several miles from the current town center, about a mile and half west of the railroad near present day Volta. The town was essentially a trading post and received its name when the Post Office was established and the Post Office Department designated the office "Los Banos" after the nearby creek. When the railroad arrived, Los Banos relocated to its present day site.^[10]
The first post office opened in 1873.^[3]
Land and water rights were important to early Los Banos residents. But those rights were recognized only when the land and deed were registered. Sometimes those rights depended on fleet footedness, as it did in the "race" between Los Banos residents Uriah Wood and Henry Miller. Wood, whose homestead resided off of Badger Flat Road, raced Miller to the land office in Stockton to insure his claim to the land would be recognized. After crossing the San Joaquin River, Wood paid the ferryman $5 to hold the boat on the east side of the river to insure he would gain sufficient distance from Miller to insure he would reach the land office first. Wood did and the seven sections that he registered cost him only .45¢ an acre.^[10]
The centerpiece of downtown Los Banos is the newly created Miller Plaza which honors early California rancher, Henry Miller. The 10-acre (40,000 m²) half-oval public plaza features a monumental scale bronze arrangement of Miller with cattle. At one time in the late nineteenth century, Miller was the largest land owner in the United States. His company, the Miller & Lux Corporation, was headquartered in Los Banos on a site currently housing the Mexican restaurant España's and the Canal Farm Inn.
Los Banos has a long history of Portuguese and Spanish immigrants, as do many of the nearby towns on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. This is reflected both in local restaurants and in several festivals and parades that take place during the year. Los Banos is locally known for its annual May Day Fair during the first week of May.
Los Banos is home to The Randall Fawcett House which is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home.^[11]
A member of the Manson family, Susan Atkins attended Los Banos High School, before joining the family.

Believe

Okay, so I need this right now, more directed in a different direction then with weight watchers, but it has been talked about recently in weight watchers.Mine, I need help believing in myself this weekend, it's a big weekend for me I planned a big event for work that can either be a big success or flop. Then I am trying to run my first 5 km Sunday I haven't run a 5 km in 8-10 years, but I have also not been this skinny since before 2004. I still have a way  to go, but I have accomplished a lot.

So here are some believe inspirational quotes!

Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.

Henry David Thoreau

Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.

Mark Victor Hansen

It's not what you go through that defines you; you can't help that. It's what you do AFTER you've gone through it that really tests who you are.
Kwame Floyd

Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.Mary Kay AshTrust yourself. You know more than you think you do.
Benjamin Spock

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." -- Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.- Elanor Roosevelt

Melissa

Hungry Girl

You have heard Linda talk a lot about Hungry Girl, but have you checked it out?  I checked it out recently and wow!!

If you haven't here is where to go:  Hungry Girl

You can sign up for a daily email that will be waiting for you every morning!  Everything has Points and makes references to Weight Watchers.

She has a new cookbook hitting the shelves on October 16th.  It has 650 recipes and it can be found at Amazon.

Carrot Ginger Soup

This is a recipe i ended up cutting in half for me only and got a few meals out of it! The weight watcher points is serves 6, 3 points! It's a really good soup! This recipe came highly recomended by a naturopath!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter (I calculated with margarine low sodium)
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves minced
2 lbs carrots peeled (about 8 carrotts) roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 tsp curry powder
6 cups of chikcen or vegetable broth (for points i put in low-sodium because that is all i use)
salt and ground pepper to taste
fresh lemon or lime juice to taste (when i made this soup, i decided not to include this and it was still yummy!)

Recipe suggestion:
This simple pureed soup can be served hot or chilled. Garnish it with chopped coriander or parsley and a dollop of yogurt and a handful of garlic groutons. (I did have some bread to dip with it and it tastes better in my opion hot!)

Directions
1. Heat butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and lightly golden, about 8-10 min.
2. Add carrotts, grated ginger and curry powder. Toss over heat for a few minutes.
3. Add stock and seasoning and bring to a boil. lower heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 min.
4. Puree soup in batches in blender or food processor
5. add lemon or lime juice and adjust seasoning to taste.

Melissa

Welcome to our new blog!

Well I guess we have to figure out what we want our blog to be.  Besides myself our blogging team consists of Linda Nellis (our fearless leader in our journey through Weight Watchers) and Melissa Ellard (someone who like me is on a journey).

So let's start here, OMG I have been coming every Friday since I joined on the last day of January in 2010.  Well maybe not exactly, Linda probably can recall that I came in to weigh in every week, but I never stayed for a meeting until May or June, every week I'd promise to stay the next week until she finally called me on it.  I've lost 75 lbs so far, although I have been stuck for awhile (ugh a plateau).   There are only a few members who have become part of our long term Friday club!  I work at the University of Waterloo.  I have an obsession with all things Apple, love music and might be addicted to online shopping. (Has anybody seen the UPS truck?)

So we are going to have some recipes, some tips, some stories and finally update our walking trip.  However I hope this blog will be interactive and that you will participate and submit content (via email) for us to post!

Scott