Weigh In 4/29 – Oprah is an A-Hole

So I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here but I had a year long tantrum over the change in the way that Weight Watchers calculates points. Here comes Oprah Winfrey and suddenly coconut oil was 7 of these Smartpoints instead of 3. Oh I was so mad that a lot of my staples had now become high point items, and when people would ask me how Weight Watchers was going I would say, “Not good because Oprah is an A-Hole.”

I’m usually awesome with change – in fact unlike most people in the universe I LOVE it. It’s exciting to shake things up, learn something new – just don’t mess with my food and something that is working for me.

Now I realize that Oprah probably didn’t get involved with Weight Watchers just to change the entire plan. I love Oprah, always have, but she was the easiest fall guy for what in my mind was the absolute destruction of Weight Watchers. I think I tried it for like a week, got mad, and stopped logging in and going to meetings.

I’ve always had a problem with things like Atkins and low carb. Hey, if it works for you great, but that is not something I would be able to sustain. With the changes to the program that seemed to revolve around protein it seemed to me that was heading in that direction, and I did not like it. Not. One. Bit.

So I wasn’t logging my food, and I wasn’t going to meetings, but I was still paying Weight Watchers. Some may think that foolish, but I just knew I couldn’t close my account. This is not my first rodeo with WW. This isn’t even my third rodeo with WW. I know what happens when I totally quit.

My tantrum seemed to subside somewhere around this Christmas, when I knew I had to do something or I would gain back all the weight I had already lost. I’ve beat the odds and not been one of those people that gained back all their lbs + some friends when I stop doing a diet program. In fact, I’ve never gotten back to my original high starting weight from 2002. Weight Watchers definitely taught me a better way to eat, but getting to that goal has been like finding a unicorn for me.

I bit the bullet and went back to meetings in February like I was a brand new member. I was still 10 pounds down from before my tantrum, and I kept it. Telling myself I would give it two weeks of really, really trying I went in head on and totally on plan.

Really it wasn’t as bad as I had built it in my mind, and I begrudgingly had to admit that a lot of the changes were for the better. Once I got my groove I had no problem following the plan and have never been hungry. It seems really, really easy this time – something that has never happened to me before because chocolate.

So at weigh in this week I am down 37 pounds. I am 22 pounds from my goal weight. I’ve been closer before, but that is another blog post entirely.

22 more. I’m going to do it this time, and Oprah, if you can hear me, I’m sorry I called you an A-Hole. A lot.

Apr 29

Fettuccine with Meatballs and Red Sauce

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So I found this new food find, which I posted about here. Carba-Nada Fettuccine Noodles just may be my Weight Watchers saving grace.

I love pasta. LOVE IT. A cup of pasta is 6 Smartpoints, which who eats just a cup of pasta, and more than that takes up way to much of my 30 Smartpoints. Yeah, I have my extras, but those are for things like popcorn at the movies and let’s be honest here, alcohol.

When I first got them I tried a simple cheese sauce with these 3 points for a cup and a half wonders, and it was fab. I wanted to try something different with it when I had more time, and I made this dish that had my stomach full of comfort food goodness with less Smartpoints that just what regular pasta would have been….Plain!

Apr 27

Steak and Cabbage

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Alright, I’ll admit it. I have a long way to go with my food photography, and I probably should do better than a paper plate. This was a quickie though, and one of my absolute favorite recipes that is super good in Smartpoints and also follows the Simply Filling technique!

This recipe always brings awesome memories of my Mom. She loved this meal, so we had it a lot. Granted it isn’t the sexiest looking dish, but it is deep with flavor and gives that comfort food good vibes for sure.

I snapped these pics awhile ago, and I was doing the Simply Filling technique. When using Smartpoints, I separate the Bulgar, steak, and cabbage on my plate to better count points. Bulgar is 4 points a cup, the steak is 3 Smartpoints for 3 oz, and the cabbage is free.

I used my most favorite appliance in the entire world to make this, my Instant Pot. If you have memories of your Grandma’s pressure cooker blowing up and hitting the ceiling don’t fret! The new versions have tons of safety features, and can replace several appliances like your crock pot or rice cooker. It makes PERFECT eggs.

Watch Amazon because they have it as the deal of the day all the time!

I’ve also included stove top instructions for those of you who do not have a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds tenderized round steak

1 small head of cabbage, core removed, quartered

3 teaspoons Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub (Or Montreal Steak Rub found in grocery store or just liberal salt and pepper and garlic powder)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup Bulgar Wheat (found in the International aisle at the grocery store)

2 1/2 cup beef broth

Method of Preparation:

Season steak liberally with seasonings. The Wildtree is my favorite, and is sold online at here.

Cut into 1 inch strips, being sure to keep them all the same size:

Set your Instant Pot to Saute Mode, drizzle oil and wait for it to read hot. Working in batches so not to crowd the pan give each piece a steak a good browning.

Once all the steak is done remove from pan and add the broth Scrape the bottom of the pan and get all those delicious bits off and melted into your broth. Add Bulgar.

Stir to incorporate

Next layer cabbage on top of bulgar/broth.

Give it a pinch of salt and then layer steak on top.

Close lid and cook on manual mode for 8 minutes. Let naturally release for 10 minutes, and release any remaining pressure. Stir all ingredients together, and if it still is a little juicy return to saute mode for a few minutes. Enjoy!

If you are following Weight Watchers or count calories you can easily remove the steak and cabbage so that you can measure your bulgar.

Now if you want to cook this on the stove top:

You will not use the bulgar. I use this to sop up the extra juice in the pan for this, and I love bulgar. You will be stirring to much to do it this way.

So instead of putting your ingredients in your Instant Pot, you will put them in your pan on the stove. You need a very deep pan, and to be honest I usually use my stock pot. I brown the steak just like above, add only 1 cup of broth, then return all – steak and cabbage to the pan. cook on low for at least 50 minutes, stirring about every 5.

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Apr 20

Food Find – Crunchmaster Rice Crackers

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So I like to eat clean most of the time. I don’t do a lot of processed foods but I’m, you know, human so sometimes I just want some junk.

Crunchy, salty, bad for you goodness.

I found the Crunchmaster Rice Crackers at Costco, and they are delicious. It’ll only cost you 3 Weight Watcher Smartpoints for 18 of these bad boys.

Now these crunchy bits of heaven have got quite the kick, so if spicy isn’t your thing you probably won’t enjoy these. They are incredibly flavorful, and I use a wedge of Laughing Cow to cut the heat and it’s a snack that seems totally naughty but is so nice!

Apr 19

Southwest Burgers – Freezer Meal

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I really love having food prepared ahead of time and tucked away in my freezer. Being prepared is half the battle when you are working on a healthier lifestyle.

This has always been my problem when I fall off the wagon and get drug behind if for a few miles. I actually prefer healthy food over things like fast food. My problem is I am always so so busy!

What’s really nice about this recipe is when I make the burgers I individually wrap them in parchment so I can just take a couple out. The recipe makes four burgers, but when ground turkey or chicken go on sale I’ll make 3 or 4 pounds worth and have them at my ready in the freezer. With the cost of food skyrocketing, this has most definitely saved me some big time money.

These burgers pack a punch in the flavor department, and you’d never know you are eating something healthy! I put them on a sandwich thin and the grand total is 6 SmartPoints when cooked on the grill!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey (or ground chicken)
1 Tablespoon Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil (or your favorite oil)
2 Tablespoons Wildtree Fiesta Salsa Blend (or your favorite dry salsa blend)
1 Tablespoon Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub (Montreal Steak Seasoning is a good replacement)

Combine all ingredients in a freezer Ziploc and smush to blend. *Before freezing, you can shape meat into 4 patties, wrap in parchment and then freeze. Otherwise, the chicken is a little difficult to form into patties once thawed. I definitely recommend forming into patties before freezing.

Freeze.

When ready to serve, thaw bag in fridge. Heat 1 Tablespoon of Wildtree Garlic Grapeseed Oil (you will add a point a burger if you do this instead of the grill) in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. If using chicken where you didn’t pre-form the patties, spoon into the hot pan as the meat will be difficult to form into patties and pan fry or grill for about 5 min per side. If using turkey, form into patties and cook 5-6 min per side. Serve on buns with mayo or sour cream, I like to add onions and tomatoes too 🙂

If you would like to try Wildtree products, you can order from my website. I always try to put substitutions up for you all, but I’m kind of biased to the Wildtree way 🙂

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