Chocolate that Rocks

Some of my favorite chocolates that are not your basic Hershey’s Bar:

• Sea Salt Caramels coated in dark chocolate from Recchuitti are one of life’s decadent pleasures.
• B.T. McElrath Salty Dog Chocolate Bar is 70% dark chocolate with toffee and sea salt; crunchy, salty, sweet and melty, all at once make a delight treat. I don’t dare buy a bar because I would probably eat the whole thing in one sitting. Luckily Whole Foods has a container of ballotins by the register, so I can buy a single one.
• Vosges is known for their unusual chocolates. My favorite among them is the Black Pearl Bar, made of dark chocolate, wasabi, ginger and black sesame. Unusual, but absolutely delicious.

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5/20/10

Breakfast:
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats – 1 C – 2 Pts
Honey – 1 tsp –.5 Pt
Coffee with Mini Moo – 1 1/2 Cup – 0 Pts
Apricot – 1 – 0 Pts
Vitamin

Lunch:
Amy’s Organics Black Bean Enchilada Whole Meal – 1 serving – 6 Pts
Broccoli – 1 C – 0 Pts
*B.T. McElrath Salty Dog Chocolate Ballotin – 1 piece – 1.5 Pts (I couldn’t find an exact count for a ballotin, only for the chocolate bar, so I counted it as 2 pieces of Dark Chocolate.

Afternoon Snack:
Organic Pink Lady Apple – 1 – 1 Pt

Dinner  (at Cafe Mazeh in Mountain View):
Tandoori Chicken with a yogurt-cilantro sauce – 1 serving – 3 Pts
Vegetables covered in herbs – 1 C – 2 Pts
Saffron Rice – 2 oz – 4 Pts
Lentils – 1/2 C – 2 Pts
Hummus – 3 Tbs – 2 Pts (garlicky hummus with sun-dried tomatoes mixed in, the best I’ve had since moving to Cali!!)
Flatbread – 1 serving (?) – 1 Pt (I counted this as 1 small pita bread, as it was similar, but a lot less bread, thin enough that as it cooled it became like a thin cracker)
Olive Oil with dried herbs – 1 tsp – 1 Pt (Probably less than 1 tsp, but wanted to count it fully, just in case)

I went a little over my Daily Points with dinner tonight, hope it doesn’t affect my WI too much tomorrow.

Steps for the Day: 4,570

*Things That Rock

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Re-posted from the WW Community Boards: Piggy Bank Rewards, where you “earn” money from yourself by how well you’re doing on the WW plan daily.

Good morning everyone!

5/19/10
Within Flex Points – .25
8 glasses of water – .25
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep – .
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.25
CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $8.50

Survived pizza at work (ate the food I brought) and “Taco Night” at a friend’s house yesterday! 2 tacos made of 2 med corn tortillas, ¼ C ground beef (assumed the fattiest, since that’s the kind of guy he is), 2 Tbs grated cheese, lots of cilantro and salsa. It was a very filling meal that came out to 5.5 pts. Wish there had been more fruit or veggies, but not around his place. I even had plenty of points left over for 2 of the cookies his girlfriend made from Betty Crocker’s mix, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. I’m usually not a fan of cookies from a mix, but these were yummy! Using the WW Calculator they came out to 3 points for 2 cookies, but the Tracker says 4 points for 2 cookies, I went with the Tracker when I logged them, just in case.

Gotta get out and stock up on F/Vs today, I’m definitely feeling the lack. Especially want to do well OP today, as WI is tomorrow.

AngelHop: We’ve all had days/weeks like that, it’s okay. Just try to get right back on track, don’t let yourself think it’s ruined your whole day or week. Good luck with WI!

Prssrp: Hope the ankle feels better! I’ve been there, it’s not fun.

MissPayne47: Welcome!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!!!

Thai Salmon Salad and Recipe Development

I’ve been craving Thai lately and luckily it’s not the coconut cream-laden curries and soup that I’m craving, but this wonderful Thai Salmon Salad that a local restaurant makes. I’m working on recreating the recipe and so far it is 7 points per serving.

Thai Salmon Salad – working recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 4 tsp fresh lime juice
• 2/3 tsp unpacked brown sugar
• 1 serving(s) Thai Chile Pepper, finely chopped
• 8 oz Atlantic salmon fillet(s)
• 1/3 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup onion(s), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint
• 14 item cashews
• 4 cups Mixed Greens

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Prepare the dressing by combining the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and chopped chiles in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Place the salmon filet on a baking tray, and rub olive oil over.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until easily flaked.
5. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
6. Place salmon filet into a big bowl; use fork to break salmon meat into big chunks.
7. Add onion, cilantro, mint and cashews ; pour dressing over, and toss lightly until well mixed.
8. Place mixture on greens and serve immediately.

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5/18/10
Breakfast:
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats – 1 C…. 2 Pts
Agave Nectar – 1 tsp… .5 Pt
Coffee with Mini Moo – 1 1/2 Cup… 0 Pts
Vitamin

Lunch:
Healthy Choice Meatloaf – 1 serving… 7 Pts

Afternoon Snack:
Coffee with Mini Moo – 1 1/2 Cup… 0 Pts
Chocolate Teddy Grahams 120 calorie pack – 1 serving… 2 Pts

Dinner
Thai Salmon Salad – 1… 7 Pts
Brown Rice – 1/2 cup… 2 Pts
Pad Se Ew – 1/4 serving… 3 Pts
Tart Frozen Yogurt with Strawberries and Mango – 1 C… 3.5

Steps for the Day: 6,041

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5/19/10
Breakfast:
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats – 1 C…. 2 Pts
Agave Nectar – 1 tsp… .5 Pt
Coffee with Mini Moo – 1 1/2 Cup… 0 Pts

Lunch:
Healthy Choice Meatloaf – 1 serving… 7 Pts
Thai Salmon Salad – 1… 7 Pts
Brown Rice – 1/2 cup… 2 Pts
Vitamin

Afternoon
Coffee with Mini Moo – 1 1/2 Cup… 0 Pts

Dinner (my friend Anthony wanted to do taco night, so I had to figure out a healthy way to do it)
Corn Tortillas – 2 med… 2pts (half the points of taco shells)
Ground Beef – 1/4 cup… 2pts (I’m assuming 80/20 ground beef since Ant typically chooses the fattiest of everything)
Shredded Cheese – 2 Tbs…1.5 Pts
Rounded off with lots of 0 Point Cilantro and Salsa
Betty Crocker Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – 2… 4 Pts (When typing in the info off the mix packaging into the calculator, I got 3 pts, but the WW site said 4 pts, so I’m going to stick with that. Also, I’ve never been a fan of cookies from mixes, of any kind, but these rocked!)

Steps for the Day: 4,090

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Re-posted from the WW Community Boards: Piggy Bank Rewards, where you “earn” money from yourself by how well you’re doing on the WW plan daily.
Good morning everyone,

Good afternoon everyone!

5/18/10

Within Flex Points –
8 glasses of water – .25
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep – .
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.00

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $7.25

Used a few of my flex points yesterday because my dinner was so long in coming after my friend’s was delivered, so I ate a bit of hers, and to have some tart froyo with fruit after shopping. I still have most of my flex points for the week and WI is two days away, so I’m trying not to stress it.

Dinner last night was delicious, a local Thai restaurant makes this wonderfully light salmon salad, although I had to send it back the first time because they grilled AND FRIED the salmon, so I always request it with the salmon grilled, only. I’m working on a recipe to duplicate this at home, so far it’s at 7 points per serving.

Catching up…

While I’m not going to go into all of my meals for the last few days, as that would take up too much space, I will give you the highlights

Friday, May 14^th:  I somehow came in significantly under my points, and no, it wasn’t due to a nap.  Perhaps it was the 2 cups of coffee I had during the day or the extra veggies I added to my frozen lunch, but I was never really got hungry after a light dinner, despite staying up until almost 4 in the morning baking for Saturday’s picnic

Saturday, May 15^th:  Wow, the picnic was about as far Off Plan as I could get!  I tracked everything as I ate it, but the one thing I hadn’t factored in was the dish I made!  Lemon-Almond Buttermilk Loaf with Balsamic Strawberries ( recipe from an old copy of Bon Appétit, available via Epicurious.com)  was double the points that I’d accounted for when I later entered it into Weight Watchers Recipe Builder, 9.5 points for a slice!  The hot dog and other desserts I tried that afternoon certainly didn’t help.  We cancelled our trip into San Francisco that night, so thankfully there was no heavy dinner or drinking to compound the excess of the day.

Sunday, May 16^th:   Very good OP (On Plan) day, even though I hit up a buffet for dinner.  Sweet Tomatoes, a salad bar buffet, can be a land mine.  Somehow, I still tracked everything I ate and when I wanted to try the baked goods, I tried 5 of them, but limited myself to a bite or two and gave the rest to a friend.  I even got in the loaded baked potato I’ve been craving, even though it was the smallest potato you’ve ever seen with no butter, just a touch of sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits.

Monday, May 17^th:  A good OP day, even with dinner at KFC.  The grilled chicken is pretty good, although I wonder if removing the skin adjusts the points.  I even ate the biscuit, but took it home to put really honey on it, instead of KFC’s “Honey Sauce” in which the first ingredient is HFCS.

Steps for the Day(s):

5/13: 7,003

5/14: 6,138

5/15: 6,571

5/16: 2,646 ( I know, I was feeling pretty lazy)

5/17: 3,807 (Really busy day at work means not getting up and moving around much)

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Reposted from WW Message Boards – Piggy Bank Rewards-May 18

Morning everyone!

I’m running a little behind in posting my updates, but here goes…

5/13/10

Within Flex Points – .25
8 glasses of water – .25
Veggies & Fruits – .25
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep –
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.50

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $3.25


5/14/10

Within Flex Points – came in too low
8 glasses of water –
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep –
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank –
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) –

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $.75

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $4.00


5/15/10

Within Flex Points –
8 glasses of water –
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain –
Multivitamin –
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep –
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) –

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $.25

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $4.25


5/16/10

Within Flex Points –
8 glasses of water –
Veggies & Fruits – .25
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin –
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep – .25
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.00

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $5.25


5/17/10

Within Flex Points – .25
8 glasses of water –
Veggies & Fruits – .25
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep – .25
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.00

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $6.25


Friday/Saturday weren’t my best days, Friday coming in way under on my points and Saturday using way too many of my weekly points, but I rebounded on Sunday and have been doing my best to stay OP.  WI on Friday wasn’t great, a loss of .4 lbs, but at least it wasn’t a gain!  I’m doing my best to focus on what I’m doing right rather than what I’ve done wrong.

Have a good day everyone!

Focus on the Good

Weigh-in was okay this week, but not great. Instead of dwelling on what I did wrong this week, I decided to focus on what I did right..

• I did lose .4 lbs, which is better than a gain
• I tracked everything 4 out of 7 days (better than none!)
• Even at a BBQ I did my best to eat healthy, turkey burger on lettuce instead of a beef burger on a bun with cheese and got some exercise in with volleyball
• I moved more, put new batteries in my Pedometer and tracked 4 out of 7 days on it, which led to at least 2 of those days with over 7,000 steps
• At least 7 hours of sleep 2 nights a week (added that priority mid-week)

So, that’s what I’ve taken into the next week on plan, do my best and the rest will come.

Cheesecake Challenge

Breakfast:
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats – 1 C…. 2 Pts
Apple – 1 sm… .1 Pt
Almond Butter – 1 Tbs… 2 Pts
Vitamin

Lunch:
Smart Ones Cranberry Turkey – 1 serving… 4 Pts (uh oh, the iPhone App said 7 pts, but luckily when fed the info off of the box it was only 4 pts)
Bird’s Eye Farm Fresh Italian Blend Vegetables – 1 C… .5 Pts
Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries – 1/3 slice… 5.5 Pts

Dinner
Subway Turkey on Wheat – 6″… 6 Pts
Subway Apple Slices – 1 serving… 0 Pts
Lowfat Milk – 12 oz… 3.5 Pts

Uh oh, it’s an office birthday for one of my bosses, the challenge to get through is Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I ordered a Plain with Strawberries for her, which comes in at about 17 points per slice, so the plan is to have 1/3 of a slice and a light, veggie filled lunch beforehand. I added the cheesecake to my tracker before lunch, so I can figure out the rest of the day.

Steps for the Day: 7,003

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Re-posted from the WW Community Boards: Piggy Bank Rewards, where you “earn” money from yourself by how well you’re doing on the WW plan daily.
Good morning everyone,

5/12/10

Within Flex Points –
8 glasses of water – .25
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin – .25
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep – .25
10,000 Steps –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank
For each “perfect” day (all of the above checked off) – $.25

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $1.25

CUMULATIVE TOTAL: $1.75

Today was better than yesterday! I tracked every bite and estimated on those things that I didn’t have an actual breakdown on, hopefully close to accurate. I also got out and moved more, almost 8,000 steps on my pedometer, which leads me to adding an extra section on my tally of 10,000 steps a day will get me that extra bit for my bank.

Today’s goal is more movement and more F/Vs

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Back on Weight Watchers

I started Weight Watchers again about 6 weeks ago and am having ups and downs, as usual. Still not hitting the gym as often as I should, but I’m working on it. So far I’m down almost 9 lbs, so woohoo! Now to maintain it.

Breakfast:
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats – 1 C…. 2 Pts
Raw Honey – 1 tsp… .5 Pts
Vitamin

Mid-Morning Snack
Fage 0% Greek Yogurt – 1 C… 2 Pts
Agave Syrups – 1 1/2 tsp… .5 Pts

Lunch
Banana Chicken Curry – 1 C… 5.5 Pts (A guess based on no coconut milk, it used banana to thicken the curry)
Cardamom-Cinnamon Rice – 1 C… 4 Pts
Spinach Salad with Apple – 1 C… 0 Pts
Mango Curry vinaigrette – 1 Tbs… 1 Pt (a guess based on talking to the caterer, very little oil in the dressing, mostly juice based)
Rice Pudding – 1/2 C… 4 Pts

Dinner
Sashimi Combo – 10 pcs… 3.5 Pts (Based on 3 pcs of salmon and 7 pieces of other kinds)
Miso soup – 1 C… 2 Pts
White rice – a few bites… .5 Pts
Lettuce & Carrot Salad – 1 1/2 C… 0 Pts
Ginger Salad Dressing – 1 1/2 tsp… .5 Pts
Burfi – 3 pcs… 4 Pts

So, overdid it a little, especially adding the Burfi on for dessert after dinner. I don’t know how many calories it burned, but I also went to play Laser Tag a little bit after dinner. An okay day, not great, but still okay.

Steps for the Day: 7,854

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Re-posted from the WW Community Boards: Piggy Bank Rewards, where you “earn” money from yourself by how well you’re doing on the WW plan daily.

Good morning everyone,

5/11/10

Within Flex Points –
8 glasses of water –
Veggies & Fruits –
Dairy –
Whole Grain – .25
Multivitamin –
Exercise at least 30min. –
Track every BLT – .25
Min. 7 hours of sleep –

BONUS…..
For each pound lost – $.50 into Piggy Bank

PENALTY…..
For each pound gained – $.50 comes out of Piggy Bank

TOTAL – $.50

Not my best day OP, I fell asleep when I got home from work and woke up for a few hours, but never ate dinner, so didn’t eat all of my points or get the last of my veggies, dairy or water in. I did get a brief walk in yesterday at lunch, so that is a positive.

I’m adding Tracking and Sleep to my totals, since those are two things I have trouble with.