Monday, October 17, 2011

eating this week

bean bowl
I'm in my seventh week on Weight Watchers now and still enjoying it and being successful. I've lost 6.4 pound so far--which feels like a big accomplishment. I've been carrying this extra weight around for so long and it just was not budging on its own (if anything, it was going up). So, I'm feeling very good about dropping it and moving closer to my goal (I have four more pounds to go).

Here is what I've been eating. This bean bowl (above) was a good solution to a quick Wednesday night meal. Normally Wednesday is our soup night, but I hadn't gone shopping. I soaked beans all day while I was at work and cooked them when I got home. I cooked rice too, and after that, it all comes together pretty quickly. Original idea for bean bowls found here. This time I did 3/4 c. rice, half a cup of beans, a tablespoon of Lemon Goddess, a big handful of lettuce, fresh tomatoes, salsa, a quarter of an avocado, and a dollop of light sour cream. A nice big bowl of deliciousness for only 10 points. (It's even better with brown rice, but I was out).

frozen banana
A little trick I discovered this week: frozen bananas. I had some bananas that were about to get over-ripe, and I didn't want to make banana bread, so I peeled them, broke them in half, and froze them to use later. I discovered that they taste great (kind of like ice cream) straight out of the freezer. The only caveat is that they are quite cold, so you need to hold onto them with a cloth napkin. The advantage to eating them frozen is that it is more treat-like and it takes longer to eat.

frozen bananas
I freeze them individually on a little tray, then transfer them to a bag. These are also nice to have on hand for smoothies. As you can see, they don't turn brown in the freezer.

baked apple - yum
Baked apples. This is not a diet dessert in the least, but it is important to me to be able to cook and bake special treats as part of our family life. It's something that I like to do and I feel it's necessary to figure out a way to fit it into my diet or else my diet won't last. These baked apples are 10 points (not counting the little dollop of ice cream), so I used some of my extra "weekly" points. One of the things I really like about Weight Watchers is that it allows me to have a treat if I want to. And a nice thing about baked apples is that they are gone in one sitting (I halved the recipe) so I don't have to deal with leftovers hanging around. Scroll down for the recipe.

stuffed peppers
I also made stuffed peppers. I love these. They are so cozy and comforting. They are 9 points per pepper (actually a bit less because all the meat in the recipe doesn't fit into the peppers--I need to buy more peppers next time). I think the 9 points is a fairly good deal because all you need on the side is a salad. Original recipe found here.

chicken from dals
I made these chicken legs via DALS. I thought they were tasty and so did Ken, but unfortunately the boys wouldn't touch them, so they are not a repeater. They did make a good diet dinner, though. Chicken legs are only 3 points each--a great deal. And I love that organic ones are readily available at Trader Joe's.

What are you eating this week? I'd love to hear any tips and tricks you have for dieting or healthy eating.

Sugar-Crusted Apples

This is an old recipe from one of my mom's old clippings. I love that it's old fashioned like that and passed from her to me.

I halved this.

6 large cooking apples, preferably Rome Beauties
1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c. orange juice
Whipped cream (optional)

Core and peel apples. Mix next 3 ingredients and cut in butter. Brush apples with egg and roll in mixture (I ended up pressing it on with my hands). Arrange in shallow baking dish and fill cavities with any remaining mixture. Pour orange juice in bottom of dish. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven (350), 1 hour or until apples are just tender. Serve warm with the sauce in baking dish, and with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6.

7 comments:

Meredith said...

Gosh you are eating so well on your WW journey! I love the peppers! Must try that recipe out!

Madame Melville said...

Wow! You have been busy in the kitchen. Everything looks soooooo good! I love the peppers too. I need to give those a try (:

Karen said...

Have you tried using frozen bananas to make soft serve? Just whirl them in the food processor until they're creamy. Tastes surprisingly like ice cream.

tracey (aka rainbowmummy) said...

greek yogurt is great alternative to sour cream. x

Unknown said...

Just wondering what you feed the kids when they don't eat dinner. My kids are so picky they won't eat anything. Always looking for idea's and tips
Sarah

Unknown said...

Well done you! I love frozen banana - I slice mine up and pop into containers and then if I want a low fat desert I pop some in a blender and whiz up - makes a great fruit "icecream/frozen yoghurt" type thing! Can add a little milk, yoghurt or water to change consistency :-)

Mary Beth said...

Sarah--usually there is something on the table that the kids like. Usually I have cut up fruit and sometimes you'll see a little plate of bell pepper strips or other cut up veggies as well. Sometimes there is bread or muffins. If they are hungry after dinner, and they did not eat their meal, they can only have fruit, cheese or yogurt in the evening. It's been working pretty well so far. (Oh, and they do have to take at least a bit of the main dish). They are really picky, but I keep on working to find family friendly recipes we all like.