Weight Watchers Snacks Haul

I picked up a few items at my Weight Watchers meeting a few weeks ago primarily because I really wanted to try one of them and the others sounded interesting.  In celebration of Weight Watchers being a withstanding business for 50 years, they came out with a new snack bar – Celebration Cake.  I’d heard so many people saying how delicious these bars were.  I had waited almost a month before I caved and picked up a box and I have to say they are absolutely delicious! They give you that definitive sweetness you’d get from a piece of birthday cake and I find the texture is a little spongey-ish.  Definitely really good and I find I’m able to have one without wanting another.  I also picked up a box of Fruities.  I’ve seen fruities for the longest time and finally decided to try them ... I got a box of cherry, which are REALLY chewy candy bits (think Swedish fish just harder and chewier) and a box of Citrus Drops which are soft chews.

Of course all these products are only available at a Weight Watchers meeting or store-front.  Prices vary based on weekly/monthly sales, etc.

QUESTION:

Have you ever tried a Weight Watchers product?

The Power of Positive Thinking

I’ll be truthfully honest – I used to be a VERY negative person.  The grass was never greener, everyone was an idiot and it just was not my day.  Because of this I was never really happy.  I wasn’t happy with myself, I wasn’t happy with my surroundings, I wasn’t happy with where my life was going – and I wasn’t doing anything to change it.

After starting my weight loss journey I found that my tolerance for negative thinking was lessening.  If I thought positively I started to see that more and more positive things would come to light.  I began to switch up my thinking and began tweaking and changing the things that I didn’t like.  With the help of my boyfriend I began looking at the things I could NOT change in a different light – a different angle even.

One thing to remember is that positivity goes a LONG way! You can and will be amazed with how much happier you can be when you wheedle out the negative (people/thinking, etc). I realize sometimes it's hard to see the greener pasture but it’s doable - that is in regard to anything: weight loss, health, personal life, work, family, stressors etc. Things only get better if you think them better first.

Make each event a lesson to learn from.  That person that is frustrating you -- What about them frustrates you – and is it really them or is it you?  Have you slipped up and had an “off day”? Don’t throw in the towel thinking you’re a failure.  Chalk it up to a bad day, take note of it, remember and start over from step 1 the next day or even the very next meal.

Since changing the way I think, I’ve truly changed my life.  I’m a happier person and I allow myself a moment or two to step back from a frustrating situation to evaluate and to look at a situation in a different light.  Sure I have my moments of sheer annoyance (we all do) but I don’t let that screw up my whole day, nor do I allow myself to fester over it (or turn to a whole pizza over).

Keep your chin up, take a deep breath and withdraw from the negativity.  It’s worth it.

Trader Joe’s – Pumpkin Butter

Ah, Pumpkin Butter – the greatest thing I’ve eaten in a while.

I will admit I’ve had this jar in my cabinet for a few weeks now.  I originally started hunting for this toward the end of fall but I was advised that it was seasonal and unfortunately they were out.  That is until someone was in the same aisle as me, looking for pumpkin butter, and she asked one of the people working.  They found one single jar in the store and part of me went “Nooo…..”.  Thankfully on one of my next trips to TJ’s I found the pumpkin butter had been restocked on the shelf, so I immediately grabbed a jar because I knew if I waited it wouldn’t be there when I wanted it.  So fast, forward ….

What is Pumpkin Butter?  It’s like a jelly/jam that’s pumpkin flavored.  It’s smooth like butter, but not even in the same category.  It’s also incredibly diverse meaning you can use it in a number of ways – on toast, on ice cream, on meats, in recipes, etc (all at your own mercy)..  Quite confusing, but trust me, it’s amazing.  It tastes JUST like pumpkin pie.  So I guess you could say if pumpkin pie and butter had a baby this would be the end result.  Another unique combination from Trader Joe’s!

I will say, calorie wise this isn’t bad at all.  For a tablespoon serving there are 40 calories.  There’s absolutely NO fat in it and it tastes fabulous.  Weight Watchers PointsPlus wise it’s 1 PPV.  Not bad at all.

I enjoyed this on an English muffin … I then experimented with it, by adding some Cookie Butter and a piece of banana.  Amazingness.

Healthy Breakfast Sandwich

As unhealthy as it is for you, there’s one thing that I used to really enjoy a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin (that is before I started on my healthy lifestyle change).  Eggs, sausage, cheese, English muffin and cheese – quite a great design for a yummy sandwich.  Sadly, the greasiness of a sausage mcmuffin at McDonald’s or even at a diner is too heavy and fatty on my stomach.  So I’ve learned to make things in a healthier manner.  I do switch this sandwich up depending on what’s available in the house.  I’ve been known to switch the meat choices up with turkey sausage, turkey bacon, Canadian bacon, deli ham or just eliminating the meat all together.  Whereas for the eggs I usually go with seasoning with salt and pepper – but I have been known to add sautéed peppers (and onions if available) into the eggs to make them southwestern-y.

To make this 6-Points Plus Value sandwich, I used 1 Light English muffin (2 points plus value), 1/3 cup Eggbeaters (1 pointsplus value), 1 frozen turkey sausage patty (1 pointsplus value) and 1 slice fat free American cheese (1 pointsplus value).

I toasted the English muffin in the toaster and spritzed a glass bowl with Pam and added in my eggbeaters, sprinkled with salt and pepper and microwaved for 1 minute.  I scooped the egg away from the bowl and microwaved for 45-60 seconds (until all egg was cooked and not liquidy).  I then wrapped my sausage in a napkin and microwaved fro 1 minute.  After that I just assembled my sandwich and enjoyed – so delicious!

Shannon's experience: Weight Watchers - One Amazing Day

 

I had the immense pleasure of sharing my weight loss journey with a group of individuals at a Weight Watchers One Amazing Day event yesterday.  When I was asked to participate I admit I was scared to death and part of me wanted to back out.  I’m not the most comfortable with public speaking and being heavier practically my entire life I’ve always slid into the room (as unnoticed as possible), mingled in the back and quickly exited.  So the thought of being the center of attention panicked me just a little bit.  But the new me stepped into place and said “You’re passionate about this and a lot of people tell you you’re an inspiration to them.  Do this.  Do it for them.  Do it for yourself.  YOU deserve this!”  So I did it – I signed up and took the 1 o’clock spot.

I know I am not at my goal weight, but I have lost a significant amount of weight over the time I have been a member.  I openly participate at my home meeting and am not afraid to share my advice, my thoughts and any tips/tricks that I have found that work for myself.  If they work for me, they may very well work for someone else.  So my philosophy is why not share?

I joined Weight Watchers in February 2010 because I wanted change and for the first time in my life and most importantly: I wanted it for myself.  I’ve always been the heavier kid as early as my days in kindergarten all the way through college.  I was unhappy with my size and because I was an emotional eater, I would eat to pacify my feelings about my looks (while I would also eat to pacify any emotion I was feeling – happy, sad, angry, elated) – which only aided in me gaining more and more weight.  Family and friends would tell me I should consider losing weight because I had my whole life ahead of me – but I wasn’t in a mind frame where I wanted to take advice from anyone.  I was comfortably wearing blinders and those blinders did not allow me to SEE myself.  I knew the outside world could see me but if I didn’t see me, they couldn’t – right?

Months later, I had my “ah-ha moment” when I finally saw myself for the size that I had become (in a photograph).  I also found myself going shopping to buy clothes in a larger size and thought to myself “This is crazy… what am I doing?”  At that point, I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired I had decided that enough was enough – I needed to get healthy for myself and for myself only.  I knew Weight Watchers worked, I had joined with a family member when I was about 18 years old and lost a good amount of weight.  So, keeping my intended journey to myself (because I didn’t want anyone to tell me to join Weight Watchers because if they told me, I wouldn’t have joined – self sabotage at it’s greatest) I joined Weight Watchers on a Thursday afternoon, on my way home from work, and have never looked back.

To date, I have lost 175 pounds on the program.  I’m about 30 pounds away from my goal weight (BMI) and I plan on obtaining that goal weight this year.  It’s been a long, amazing and incredibly rewarding three years.  Weight Watchers has helped me change my life for the better  I’ve embraced this lifestyle change (including my tracking, measuring and weighing) with open arms and have praised the program and how fabulously it works (if you’re willing to work with it).  I’m a healthier, happier and utterly positive person today.  Such a night and day switch from the person I used to be.

So my advice to anyone who is considering joining or even considering giving up – BELIEVE.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in the program.  It works, but you just have to be willing to do the work and work with it.  It’s not something that’s going to eat up all your free time.  Once you get the hang of it and figure out the points for your frequently eaten foods, it becomes second nature.  And as you see results, you’re going to feel more in-tune and you’re going to want to try a little harder to reach that next goal.  My advice to anyone who’s frustrated: BREATHE.  You did not put on your weight in a week.  Think of how long you’ve been the weight you were/are currently.  Realize it takes time – but once you’re on the journey it’s the most fulfilling thing you’ll ever do.  My advice to anyone who’s struggling: RE-EVALUATE.  Dig into the problem area – what are you struggling with?  What are your goals at this current phase of your journey (because they do differ from when you first start).  If you’re bored – switch it up!  Switch up what you’re eating, add an extra 10 minutes of a different activity and remember continue to keep that positive frame of mind.

You will get there; just believe in yourself that you can and that you will … the rest of just a proverbial cake walk.

Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Brownies

I picked up a box of this Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix at Trader Joe's on my last trip through the store.  I'm a complete brownie fanatic but I don't necessarily like the calorie content that comes with a brownie.  I know, you can make a brownie as healthy as possible by substituting ingredients (apple sauce, banana, water, etc.) but sometimes you just want a good ole brownie.

These Reduced Guilt brownies intrigued me because all you had to do was add in 2/3 cup of fat free vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain with a splash of vanilla).  Considering I am a Weight Watchers member, I quickly converted the nutrition label into points and it was 3-points for 1/12th of the box.  Not bad, considering most brownies would cost 5 points or more.  I then calculated it with the Geek yogurt and it was still at 3-points, so I had to get it!

I whipped these up as the box stated -- and I admit I added in 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (eggbeaters) because I could just not get my brownie mix to go smooth.  I baked them per the box directions and they turned out great!  Keep in mind since these are a fat free brownie, they do have a cake-like texture to them.  They are most certainly chocolatey and moist, but they're not ooey gooey fudge brownies. Overall two thumbs up -- definitely a rebuy!

Perdue Simply Smart Lightly Breaded Chicken Chunks

I had picked up these Perdue Simply Smart Lightly Breaded Chicken Chunks at my local grocery store a few weeks ago and had the bag stashed in the freezer waiting for an excuse to be cooked.  That excuse came today because I didn’t have dinner planned and didn’t want to go out to eat.  So I decided to bake these tenders up along with some frozen waffle fries and some fresh steamed veggies.  I have to say, my boyfriend and I were both in agreement, this chicken is AMAZING!  It’s SO good!  Its chicken breast meat with rib meat, but the chicken itself is white when you bite into it.  It’s got a good texture, similar to the texture you get with a real chicken nugget/tender.  It doesn’t have a whole lot of breading on it, since they are lightly breaded and a healthier alternative in comparison to the other frozen chicken choices out there.  They bake up in 10 minutes and are just overall quite yummy.

Point Plus Value wise – these are 3 oz for 4 points, of 6 ounces for 7 points.