Snack Attack - Chex Mix Bars

I was having a mid afternoon snack attack so I walked over to 7 Eleven and I was being called to the bad snack aisle. I was scanning the freezer for ice scream, then over to the snack cakes and finally I picked up a bag of Chex Mix Snack Mix - Turtle. Of course I knew I eat the whole thing but I need my chocolate fix. Just before checking out I swung by the health bar aisle to see if they had any fiber one bars(2pts) when I spotted Chex Mix Bars. So basically the big bag in my hand compacted into a bar....LOVE IT! I rushed back to my office jumped on line to check the nutritional value and points and it's only 2pts!!!!!! Thank you General Mills for making something ooey gooey delicious and healthy! Enjoy and tell me what you think.

Beer 101 from WW

29 facts and tips to savor with your favorite malt beverage. Your typical 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) contains 3 POINTS® values. The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains 4 POINTS values. Most 12-ounce light beers are about 2POINTS values. A 1-pint draft of light beer is 3 POINTSvalues. Beer bellies, the traditional male malady, are enough to put either sex off downing a cold one. But they're a myth, says Charlie Bamforth, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis and author of Beer: Health and Nutrition. "This is a silly myth. If folks get fat from drinking beer it's because their total calorie intake is too high and they are not working it off."

What’ll ya have?

There are thousands of different beers. Here’s a selection of a dozen popular brews. Some are smarter grabs that save POINTS® values. All are 12 ounces.

Beers with 1 POINTS Values

Miller Genuine Draft Light 64 (MGD 64) 
Becks Premier Light

Beers with 2 POINTS Values

Amstel Light 
Guinness Draft (bottle) 
Aspen Edge 
Samuel Adams Light 
Bud Select

Beers with More POINTS Values

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 
Coors Blue Moon 
Red Hook IPA 
Kirin 
Molson Golden

The good news
Beer includes some minerals as well as:

• NO cholesterol
• NO fat
• Very little sugar

The bad news
While experts may pooh-pooh beer bellies, the fact remains that alcohol is one calorie-dense nectar, packing seven calories per gram. That's almost as much as fat, which has nine calories per gram. Don't blame the malt. "The most significant source of calories in beer is the alcohol itself," says Bamforth, "The stronger the beer, the more calories."

• Most 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume contains 3 POINTS values.
  
  
• The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains 4 POINTS values.
  
  
• Most 12-ounce "light" beers are2 POINTS values.
  
  
• A 1-pint draft of light beer is 3POINTS values.
  
  
• A 12-ounce non-alcoholic beer is1 POINTS value.
  
  
• You can now buy beer with 1POINTS values; they are the lowest in alcohol, at about 3 percent by volume.

Can it improve your health?
Some studies show that moderate drinking may help lower risk of heart disease, particularly in women over 55 and men over 45. But what is moderate? For women, it's no more than one drink per day. For men, it's no more than two. Exceed your quota, and the risk of heart and liver disease, stroke and accidents negate any perks. 

Don't follow the lite
The terms "light" and "lite" (or any other cutesy variation) have no legal definition. They could mean the beer is light in color or lighter than lead — or anything else the staff at the brewery decided. 

Watch your low-carb language
If the labels reads "low carbohydrate," the beer must have no more than 7 grams of carbohydrates per serving. But any beer can tout "reduced carbohydrates" or "lower carbohydrates" on its label, just so long as the brewery makes a more carb-heavy beer. Shifty, eh? 

Do suds wine-style
A tip that adds civility and can shave POINTS values: "There's nothing wrong with pouring a beer into two glasses at dinner like you would with wine," says George F. Reisch, brewmaster for Anheiser Busch, Inc. Yes, you read correctly. One of the guys who makes Budweiser takes his Bud in a white-wine glass. "I actually think people should share beers more," Reisch adds. "It's smart and your last sip will still be cold." 

Nix the nuts
Those robotic grabs of peanuts or cheddar fish can add up to triple the calories and POINTS values of the beer you drink. Be prepared: Drinking can lead to snacking, so keep the right stuff on hand — or see if you can charm the bartender into stocking better choices. Instead of party mix, try: 

Eat This, Not That - The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution From Women's Health

Eat This, Not That - The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution From Women's Health

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Eat This, Not That - The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution From Women's Health

Eat This, Not That - The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution From Women's Health

Shared via AddThis

Snack Attack only 1pt

Over the weekend I found a new snack you have to try, it's Barbra's Bakery Puffins cereal(original). It's 1pt for 3/4 cup.

20 - Minute, Glute Sculpting Treadmill Workout

If there is one thing I could change on my body it would be to have a JLO or Beyonce booty! I found a workout that kicks your butt in 20 minutes so if you don't have much time try this treadmill workout.

Recommended speed is 4 rpm, however you can adjust for your fitness level

Minutes /Incline

0:00-5:00 / 3-3.5

5:00-7:00 / 8-10

7:00-8:00 / 4-6

8:00-10:00 / 10

10:00-11:00 / 5-7

11:00-13:00 / 12

13:00-14:00 / 10

14:00-15:00 / 12

15:00-20:00 2-4

Boot Camp

I'm getting excited for the next round of boot camp. I found Windy City Adventure Boot Camp last fall and fell in love. I was surprised to find myself getting excited to get up at 5:00am to ride my bike to the park four days a week to workout. Whenever I tell people about boot camp I can tell they start to get visions of a big, mean, military guy barking orders. It's actually nothing like that it's more like a fitness camp. We do an hours of cardio drills and usually end with an ab workout. For those of us with workout ADD it's perfect. I describe it to people who played sports in high school it's like going to volleyball or basketball practice. The only difference is your paying this coach to tell you to move your ass! I like it because we always do something different and we're using our body throughout the workout no machines and it's all outdoors. The only bad part it's at 5:30am in the morning, but at least I get it out of the way. If interested in boot camp in Chicago check out http://www.windycitybootcamp.com or one near you go to www.adventurebootcamp.com

The only reason I'm endorsing so strongly is because I think it's been one of the instrumental things that's helped get my body in shape.

Good luck!

The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors
I had a great 4th of July holiday in Montana. I went to visit my best friends who are stationed at the Air Force base in Great Falls. Over the holiday we went camping in Glacier National Park. Ever since they've moved to Montana I've wanted to go and my whole goal was to find bear. Unfotunately the bears kept their distance so the hunt is still on.

Ok, so I was on vacation which meant I slacked on my workouts and watching what I eat but were entitled every once in a while. During my trip we hiked over 20 miles so I thought for sure when I got home I would have dropped a pound or two, but nothing! I was so frustrated but then again I'm sure the beers and smores didn't help the cause. I've had trouble getting back on the workout plan but I'm headed back to boot camp in a week which I can't wait for plus working out with Paul the trainer twice a week.

Healthy Snack Mix

I LOVE this snack mix recipe I found in the Hungry Girl cookbook. I modified some of the ingredients

2 cups Cheerios(or puffed corn cereal)
1/4 cup Fiber One Carmel Delight(this is so yummy!)
1 cup pretzel thins(The Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps are the best and lower in calorie)
1/2 cup almonds
3 tblsp Splenda No Calorie Sweetner(granulated)
1 1/2 tblsp light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1 tblsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Since this is a quickie recipe, it's best to have all ingredients measured out and ready t go before starting, in order to avoid burning. Begin by setting out a large piece of foil for the recipe to cool on after it's prepared.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, Splenda, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Stir while cooking over low heat. Once mixture is thoroughly blended and bubbling, stir in both cereals and coat them with the mixture. Continuously stir for about 2/12 minutes, until cereal mix looks well coated and toasty. Spread mixture out on foil until cool.

WW 2pts. per cup

Cereal Obsession

As a kid I grew up with a mom who did not allow us to have sugar cereals. Occasionally our whining paid off at the grocery store and we broke her down to buy us Lucky Charms, Trix, or Coco Puffs. I found a cereal that rivals all the others and is healthy for you....Fiber One Carmel Delight. I love, love, love, this cereal so much that I eat it without milk. I definitely suggest trying it!

Chocolate Fix

If you're like me there are those certain foods that if put in front of you or are even in close range you will devour. Well, mine is Oreos and I can't just have one so they are completely banned from my house. I recently had friends in town and they had brought a package with them but left in the van. I tried so hard to not look at them but they just kept calling my name so I indulged thank goodness there wasn't many left.

Anyway one of the best recipes I found to satisfy my Chocolate fix is from the Hungry Girl cookbook(the original book) and it's the easiest recipe.

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins - Hungry Girl recipe
1 box devil's food cake mix(18 oz)
One 15 oz. can pure pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix the two ingredients together. Don't add anything else that may be mentioned on the box, like eggs, oil, or water. The mixture will be very thick, so you might be tempted to add in other things to make the batter smoother. Do not do this! One thing I do add is some chocolate chips or buy the brownie mix with chocolate chunks.

Place batter into a 12 cup muffin pan lined with baking cups or sprayed with nonstick spray. Place pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If you use the large muffin pans each muffin is 4 WW pts.. I use a mini muffin pan which makes them only 2 WW pts..

You'll LOVE these!!

300 Calorie Pancakes

I love pancakes and I found this recipe in Fitness Magazine.

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes
1/2 small banana, chopped(I use the whole banana)
2 tsp peanut butter
1/3 cup prepared whole-grain pancake batter(I use Heart Smart Bisquick)

Add banana and peanut butter to batter. Cook pancakes and serve. You can use honey to drizzle on top. I prefer Smuckers Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup(0 points and so yummy can tell the difference from the real stuff).

Just Say "Thank You"

I know many of us hesitate to accept compliments about ourselves. We do everything we can to outright deflect or reject them. Yet taking the compliment or acknowledging our successes can feel so good. It can help us feel better about ourselves, improve our self-image and self-confidence, and help us feel happiness or joy.

This is definitely true during weight loss as I continue to drop the weight people are very complimentary and gracious about telling me how great I look and what an inspiration I am to them to make a change. It’s taken a while but I’m learning to accept the compliments and turn them into motivation to keep achieving my goals.

The best compliment came the other day from a store clerk downtown and she didn’t even realize she’d just given me the biggest compliment of my life. I had seen a cute summer dress in a fashion magazine and as I walked by the store I thought I’d stop in to see if they had it available. The woman greeted me at the front of the store and asked if she could assist and I told about the dress….now here’s the good part. She said “you need the regular sizes and that store is down the street” the store I was in was for plus size. I could have hugged her right there. I walked out of the store with the biggest smile on my face.

The morale of the story is to learn to accept the compliments no matter why it’s given you deserve it!

Meta Meat Loaf

I'm not a big meatloaf fan but I found this recipe in a book called "The Metabolism Advantage". It's packed with flavor, high in protein, and low in WW points. You'll have to calculate yourself depending on what you use meat wise and the type of pan.

1 lb extra lean(96%) ground beef or ground turkey
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 omega-3 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup oat bran (could probably substitute with Fiber one cereal crushed)
1/4 cup chopped seeded green bell pepper
2 tablespoons whole flaxseed or 4 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

preheat the oven to 350'F. Coat a 9"x5" loaf pan with olive oil cooking spray.(I used a loaf pan). In a large bowl, combine the beef, celery, egg, onion, garlic, cottage cheese, bran, bell pepper, flaxseed, salt, and pepper. Spread the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. It was more like an hour.

The recipe says it makes 2 servings but I got at least 6 servings out of it.
Per Serving: 548 calories, 69g protein, 32g carbs, 9g fiber, 8g sugar, 19g fat.

Biggest Looser Mini Blueberry Bran Muffins

I was thumbing through the Biggest Looser 30 - Day Jumpstart book at Target and found this recipe and came home and googled and found it on-line. Just made them last night and already a fan. The best part is they are only 1 point.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups unprocessed wheat bran or oat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup honey
1 ripe medium banana, mashed with a fork
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries or other berries

Instructions: Makes 24 (1 Muffin) Servings

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat 2 nonstick miniature muffin pans (12 mini-muffin tins per pan) with olive oil cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the bran, flour, flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another medium bowl or a blender, combine the milk, honey, banana, egg, olive oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in one third of the liquid mixture. Using a spoon, stir until smooth. Add the remaining liquid mixture and stir until well combined. Add the blueberries and stir again, but don't overmix.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the tops spring back when pressed gently in the centers. Do not overBake. Cool the muffins int he pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from the cups. Serve warm, or allow them to cool completely on the rack.

Per Serving(makes 24):
70 calories; 2 g protein; 13 g carbohydrates (6 g sugars); 2 g fat (0 g saturated fat); 10 mg cholesterol; 3 g fiber; 85 mg sodium.
WW = 1pt

Cauliflower

Who new cauliflower was such a versatile vegetable. I'm working on getting more veggies into my daily menu and I picked up a couple heads of cauliflower. I made macaroni & cheese out of one today and the other I was going to make mashed potatoes. I just found a video on line showing how you can also turn it into rice. Check it out!http://video.about.com/lowcarbdiets/Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Rice.htm

Get n Gear 10K

On Saturday April 25 I completed my first 10K race in 1:02:01. The group met at Kaleigh and Tom's in the morning. The day started out windy and chilly but by the time we took to the start the wind died down the sun came out and it was a good day for a run. I wasn't nervous about finishing my goal was to try and come in under and hour. I was close!

around mile 5......I can see the finish line

I

April 2007

A year later......

May 2007























A year later.....

September 2007

A year later.......