light ruffles

Okay, my friend just called me to tell me about her latest food find:light cheddar and sour cream potato chips. Only 1 pt. for ten!

How screwed up am I that my first thought was: I could eat 100 chips for 10 points.

Um. Yeah. That's why I needed this program in the first place!

the lie

Last night, I listened to the lie in my head as I scooped a big bowl of ice cream. We've all heard it. The "I don't care if I never lose weight," lie. "It doesn't matter if I'm fifteen pounds over weight. I don't care."

Ah, but I do care! This morning I care. When I have a special event and nothing to wear, I care. When I go to the pool with my kids, I care. Oh, do I care!

Now, I just need to remember that before I eat the ice cream.

multi-grain waffles

This was a hit with my entire family! Next weekend, I'll make a double batch so I can freeze some.

Multi-Grain Waffles

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 C buttermilk
½ C old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 C whole-wheat flour
2/3 C all-purpose flour
¼ C toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ C packed brown sugar
1 T canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 188 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate; 8 g protein; 3 g fiber; 328 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: 144 mg calcium (14% dv).

more from my blender...

Today's lunch-time creation was even better than yesterdays, and my entire family loves it. Twin B. thinks I should be "famous" now.

I blended together plain nonfat yogurt, frozen mixed berries, milk, and the same SF vanilla creme powder I used yesterday. We call it a berry creme smoothie and it is a huge hit!

I worry about all of the chemicals in the SF stuff, but, hey. It tastes great. I may be glowing in my grave, but I'll be thin! :-)

YUM!

I love those overpriced, too-many calories frozen drinks from Caribou and Starbucks. Today is so stinkin' hot, I decided to try making my own.

I used 1 Cup of skim milk, 1 Cup plus a few more cubes of ice, 4 teaspoons of sugar free general foods international coffee 'vanilla creme' flavor, and a slug of leftover coffee from my coffee pot. DELICIOUS! I am serious. This is so good and only 2 points...plus a full milk serving!

Mmmmm.

lunch

I have a hard time staying on-track at lunchtime. First of all, I'm usually starving. Second of all, my children are also starving. It's usually easier to just scarf down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich than to make myself a healthy lunch.

Today, however, I had a quick, healthy, and easy lunch. It took 2 minutes to prepare, was 3 points, and only cost 50 cents. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? It is. Sort of.

Yesterday while I was in the kitchen making other stuff, I roasted a bunch of veggies that were "on the edge," and made up a roasted veggie sauce by pureeing them in the blender with vegetable broth and a small amount of cream cheese. Delicious. Then I cooked a big pot of whole wheat pasta al dente, tossed the stuff together, and portioned out 1-Cup servings into individual freezer bags. Into the freezer went eight little bags. Eight lunches that I don't have to think about.

Time well spent.

planning

Eating well takes work. It's a lot easier to just eat crap, really, but we all know where that leads. For me staying on-track means planning and prepping ahead. If I leave the whole thing to luck and will power, I will fail because I am forever running low on both luck and will power! I have to plan for success.

Today I spent about an hour planning my weekly menus, an hour grocery shopping, and another hour prepping food for the week. I already know I'll have a good week because I'm prepared.

Green seedless grapes were on sale at Jewel, so I bought a bunch and froze them in 1 cup portions for a quick 1-point snack. As a bonus, the kids love these!

great find...

Turkey Pepperoni. 70% less fat, only 80 calories in 17 slices, and it's really yummy! Tonight is homemade pizza night...we'll see how it goes over!

8 point lunch

Okay, this is really good and very satisfying! (Plus you get in a serving of dairy!)

2 homemade chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven
1 glass of cold milk.
Large green salad w/ FF salad dressing (eaten an hour later, when you're starving and have no more lunch points left!!)

Some splurges are not worth it. This one is!