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