Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Healthy Summer Recipes

WFMW today is about the best summer recipes. I already have lots of great healthy recipes that work well in the summer since they don't require any oven use. I hope you find something you like!

Main Dish Salads:

Bow Ties, Tuna, And Vegetables In A Balsamic Vinaigrette

Asian Chicken Slaw

Main Dishes - Stovetop:


Buttery Tarragon Chicken

Skillet Sausages & Peppers

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Poached Chicken Breasts With Apples

Pan-Glazed Chicken With Basil

Salisbury Steak With Mushrooms

Side Dishes:

Fabulous Fruit Salad

Summer Corn Salad

Vegetable Couscous Salad

Oriental Green Beans

Desserts:

Watermelon & Lime Granita

Cocoa Crispy Bars

Beverage:

Fruity Lemonade Slush

Head over to Works-For-Me-Wednesday at We Are THAT Family for a lot more summer recipes!

Have a great day!

Lisa :)

No WW On Saturday

Oops - I didn't make it to WW this Saturday for my weigh-in! I had every intention of going, but was co-hosting a ladies tea and still had a lot of prep work that morning. By the time I got to Friday night, I realized that I just would not have time to go. And I wasn't too sad because I had a bad week and my weight was up! Ugh!

My scale is usually not too far off from the WW scales, so my best estimate is that I ended up gaining 1 lb for the week. Terrible! But I ate scones and brownies all week and didn't track food or points all week. No surprise! I wasn't the best this weekend either, but I am back on track today. So I need to lose the 1 lb I gained, but I also need to lose beyond that so I can log in a loss at WW for this week! Of course, I have less days to make it happen because Saturday is the 4th and they will be closed. I will have to go do my weigh-in this Friday, so I really only have 4 days from right now to make this happen.

I will be tracking, trying to eat as healthy as possible, and doing some Wii Fit. I'll let you know what happens!

How was your week? Any struggles? Remember - if you fall off track, just get back up, dust yourself off and start again! You can do it! Have a fantastic week and plan ahead to make healthy choices for those 4th of July celebrations!

And that reminds me, I found a new site with great healthy choices, ideas, and information - it's www.skinnyscoopers.com - go check it out!

Lisa :)

Food Finds

When you find good stuff that makes eating healthy a little more fun, you just HAVE to share it! I have a couple of things to share with you today.

One is Reddi Wip Chocolate whipped cream (you know, the aerosol can). For 2 tablespoons, it's 15 calories and 1 gram of fat. On WW, that's 0 points! It's enough to give a nice little shot of whipped cream on top of a cup of coffee or fruit or pudding and it won't throw you off track! It's made with real whipped cream and chocolate and just makes everything a little more fancy. I don't see it in every store, but I always find it in Walmart. Have you tried it?

Another yummy find is Trader Joe's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette with Gorgonzola. For 2 tablespoons, it's 45 calories and 2.5 grams of fat - just 1 WW pt! And that is enough dressing for me on a small salad. It's delicious and has chunks of gorgonzola cheese in it. A friend at church told me about it and I'm so glad! I had some over some baby greens and cut up leftover chicken breast - it was fantastic! You can find it in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's. It's my new favorite dressing!

Do you have any good food finds?

Have a wonderful day!

Lisa :)

Saturday Weigh In - Whew!

Went to my WW meeting this morning. I really wasn't sure if I would have a loss today! But I did - I lost .8 lbs. Yay!! That puts me at a total of 5.4 lbs lost, so now I will allow myself to go buy a few summer clothes (mainly tops). I really need to have a few cute things that fit while I work on the weight loss.

This week was tough - I didn't remember to track my points every day and I definitely was bad all last weekend. Also, we had an unexpected dinner out to a yummy restaurant to take a couple of BIL's out for dinner. But I was as good as I could be - I chose salmon with rice pilaf and steamed veggies. I only ate half the salmon and a third of the rice and a few veggies. Took the rest home and gave it to hubby to take for lunch the next day. But then Thursday night I made a chocolate cake to post on my other blog and homemade focaccia bread for a guest post and of course I had to sample! Then I was really really good yesterday to make up for it!

I plan to have a better week this week and continue the weight loss. I need to plan out meals for the week and do more Wii Fit this week.

How was your week? What was one thing that went well for you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa :)

Easy Dessert Tip

You may have already tried this dessert, but part of it was new to me!

I had leftover strawberries and decided to slice them up. I lightly sugared them (you could use Splenda, etc.). I realized that we had Nilla Wafers on hand and that they are .5 WW pts each. Also had the canned aerosol whipped real cream - 2 tablespoons is 0 pts actually, but you could also use some fat-free Cool Whip.

I just made a parfait - limiting the number of Nilla Wafers. I used a couple of Nilla Wafers in the bottom (I used them whole but realized after that it would have been better to crumble them), then strawberries, then a little whipped cream. Repeated the layers one more time and YUM!! It turned out so pretty and yummy and was only about 3 WW pts!

What do you like to do with strawberries?

Lisa :)

Another Week, Another Pound

Good news again today at my WW meeting! I lost another pound - yay! I had hoped to lose at least 1.4 so I could hit my first 5 and then go shopping (my incentive to myself). I'll have to wait another week for the summer clothes shopping I guess!

But that means I'm down 4.6 lbs total. I have now lost the weight that I just gained in April during my trip, so now I feel like this is the real starting point. I really hope I can lose at least a pound this next week. I do feel like I have my motivation back right now though so I look forward to the week!

Except for the weekend, I kept really good track of what I ate and stayed mostly within my points. I also did Wii Fit a few times during the week. I will just do more of the same this week, but will try to add in a much-needed glass of water each day and more fruits and veggies.

How was your week? Any struggles or successes to share? Find your motivation and you can do it!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa :)

Works-For-Me Wednesday: Healthy Starbucks Tips

Going to Starbucks to treat myself works for me! But when I am trying to be healthy, I have to plan ahead a little so that I don't blow it while there. It is very possible to have Starbucks - whether on the go or hanging out there with friends - and be healthy at the same time.

Some of my favorite healthy drinks:

Grande Skinny Hazelnut Latte - This is a hot drink with nonfat milk and sugar-free syrup. I get extra pumps of syrup for a little more flavor - a grande usually has 4 pumps of syrup, so I order 6 pumps. On WW, this is 3 pts. Also, I'm getting a serving of milk for the day.

Venti Iced Skinny Hazelnut or Caramel Latte - When I get iced, I order bigger for approximately the same amount of liquid. And a good tip I learned - there is an extra shot in the venti iced compared to the grande hot even though they are similar amounts of liquid - so it packs more of a punch! Also a serving of milk and 3 WW pts.

Grande Caramel Frappuccino Light - Yummy blended drink, no whipped cream. The key is to order it double-blended so it's creamier and doesn't have ice chunks. I JUST found something out this weekend from a barista - you have to request it to be sugar-free, otherwise it's made with regular syrup. I never knew!! So, if you order it as normal it's 3 WW pts, but if you request sugar-free caramel syrup, I think it brings it down to 2 WW pts.

Some of my favorite healthy eats:

Oatmeal - I get the oatmeal with brown sugar and nuts. It's a nice satisfying breakfast. The oatmeal itself is 2 WW pts, the brown sugar adds 1 pt and I use half the nut packet for about 1 more pt.

Petite Vanilla Scone - You get to enjoy a pastry and not feel left out. These are delicious and cute! Order a 3-pack (better deal) and share. Each one is 2 WW pts.

Biscotti - This is the individually wrapped biscotti you can buy. I found different mutritional info for this - looks like it's 2 WW pts for a piece though.

Yogurt Parfaits - These are healthy, but just very high in points for me: 6-7 WW pts. If you have the points or it is your meal, then go for it.

You can look up a lot of nutritional info on the Starbucks site. There are more healthy options at Starbucks - these are just my favorites. What's your favorite?

To see what's working for everybody, stop by Works-For-Me-Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family!

Lisa :)

Motivate Me Monday ~ Find Your Motivation

It's Motivate Me Monday with Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee, though this will be the last time it will be hosted at her place - it's moving. When I do MMM posts, I usually do them on my other blog, but I thought it more appropriate to talk about motivation over here today and then you don't have so much chocolate around to distract you - LOL!

I recently found my motivation to go back to Weight Watchers (WW) and try the process again. Motivation is different from knowing in your head that you need to do something. I already knew that I needed to lose weight to avoid health problems like Type 2 diabetes and other issues. I already knew that losing weight would be a matter of eating healthier, eating smaller amounts, and increasing activity. Knowing those things didn't get me to actually do them. I finally found some motivation in the more immediate want of clothes that fit right and look cute. I am motivated because I am uncomfortable and because my true size does not reflect the size I am in my head. And I am motivated by the knowledge that the Lord can help me do it even when I feel that it is too hard.

There are so many areas of life that we need to find motivation for. For example, I am motivated to get my house all cleaned up if company is coming to stay because I want them to think I keep a nice house. But to do the same tasks day in and day out? That takes finding the right motivation. I know that I need to do these things, but that isn't enough to get me to work on them. I need to find my motivation in the fact that even the littlest of household tasks glorify the Lord and provide a loving home for my husband and son.

Do you know what gives you motivation? Take some time to think about all of the things you want to do and write down what motivates you to do them. And remember that your motivation changes as you go along. Ask the Lord to help you discover what motivates you and to help you succeed.

Have a blessed Monday and whatever it is that you are trying to do - you CAN do it with the Lord's help!

Lisa :)

Another Good Weigh-In

I weighed in for the second week of WW and I lost another 1.8 lbs!! That makes a total loss of 3.6 so far, but who's counting - LOL? Sadly, that is just weight that I put on in April, but let's not focus on that. Let's focus on making healthy changes and keeping the scale moving downward so I can be the me that I am in my mind!

I am keeping to my promise to myself that I can't buy summer clothes until I lose at least 5 lbs. I need to lose 1.4 more lbs to go shopping. I'm hoping to do that this week. Now that school is out and I have very few plans this week, I think it will be a great week.

I did not do any Wii Fit last week because of being too busy, but I will do it this week. I'll also be taking some time to track down some new WW recipes to try out.

How did your week go? Find your motivation and keep up the good work, even if you've had a rough week! If I can do it, you can! What are your plans to make this week a successfully healthy week?

Lisa :)

Healthy Recipe: Watermelon and Lime Granita

I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine. I finally decided to give it a try and YUM - very glad I did! It's easy to make and has a nice refreshing flavor. Perfect for dessert after a summer meal. If you serve this to company, they won't even realize that they're eating something healthy. They'll just think it's delicious and *fancy*!

Watermelon and Lime Granita

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)

1. Place sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Place sugar mixture in a small bowl; cool 10 minutes. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

2. Place sugar mixture, watermelon, and lime juice in a blender; process until smooth. Pour watermelon mixture into an 11x7-in. baking dish; cover and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove mixture from freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Scrape the entire mixture with a fork until fluffy. Serve with lime wedges, if desired. Yield: 6 servings (1/2 cup each).

100 cal, .2 g fat, .5 g fiber, 2 WW pts

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I hope you do try this - I think you'll really like it! You're even getting a serving of fruit at the same time!

I'm linking this up at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for Tasty Tuesday - go check out all the delicious recipes there!

Have a blessed day!

Lisa :)