Wednesday, 9 March 2011
9th March 2011
The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then marry him. Cher
DAY 1
Did you have pancakes? If so I hope you enjoyed them and tracked them, no excuse of I didn’t know how many ProPoints they were – work it out ;-)
So apparently Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday which is today, I’m not religious in the slightest by the way but I probably spend more time in churches than most people because of my job and therefore it interests me to a certain degree. Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. So there’s your religious education for today. And I thought it was all about pancakes and chocolate eggs! These day’s a lot of people aren’t quite as rigid and just choose one thing to give up for lent and for some crazy reason yesterday I decided to make that WINE or more precise alcohol of any kind! OMG what have I agreed to, I’ve just looked and Lent lasts for 46 days until Saturday, the 23rd of April.
Can I do it? Of course I can, why am I so positive that I can succeed – because if you start off not believing you can – YOU WON’T, so I always start with a belief I’ll succeed and then usually I do. Think of the weight loss and the money I’ll save whilst also proving that I can survive without a glass of the red stuff ;-D
So for the next 46 days I will track on my blog to show you I’m not cheating, I’m always honest when I blog my meals, I will weigh in this morning at the meeting and then again on Good Friday and let you know how much difference cutting out alcohol can make. So fancy joining me? It doesn’t have to be alcohol, it could be chocolate or whatever your ‘thing’ is, prove to yourself that you can choose not to eat or drink something because in the words of Christopher Robin whilst talking to my favourite bear Pooh, “You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than u think!”
Or as Weight Watchers isn’t about deprivation if you don’t fancy giving something up, why not take something up, tracking maybe, or walking every day, or eating 5 portions of fruit and veg, or drinking 2 litres of water. So whether your giving up or taking up choose something that will help you feel better, write it on our facebook wall for everyone to read, maybe you’ll motivate them to join in.
I’m actually looking forward to having all those extra ProPoints to spend on delicious food! I will actually be able to make that Nigella spaghetti recipe that’s 29 ProPoints per portion! WOW, can’t wait. I’ll also save at least £50! I have an idea what I might spend that on but we’ll see. I’m looking forward to getting back on track, the weekend I obviously went a little off the rails and if I’m honest Monday wasn’t great I had a tray of chips and a roe, then yesterday because I’d decided I was gonna do the Lent thing – well you can imagine ;D
So 29 ProPoints is a lot when spent wisely, plus I’ll have my activity ProPoints and my weekly allowance to play with, so today I’m thinking
Breakfast
3 egg omelette with spring onions & mushrooms = 5pp
Or
Fruit depending on how much time I have
Lunch
Smoked salmon & lemon risotto served with steamed fresh spinach
Serves 4– 14pp per serving (13pp with Philadelphia light), Prep 5 mins, Cook 20 mins
Ingredients
1 onion , finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil (8pp)
350g risotto rice, such as Arborio (32pp)
1 garlic clove , finely chopped
1½ l boiling vegetable stock
170g pack smoked salmon, three-quarters chopped (6pp)
85g mascarpone (10pp) (I’m going to use Philadelphia Light for 4pp)
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
grated lemon zest , plus squeeze of juice
handful rocket
Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the rice and garlic, then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. Pour in a third of the stock and set the timer to 20 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and carry on cooking, stirring a bit more frequently, until that has been absorbed.
Pour in the last of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked and creamy. Take from the heat and add the chopped salmon, mascarpone, parsley and lemon zest. Grind in some black pepper, but don't add salt as the salmon will be salty enough. Leave for 5 mins to settle, then taste and add a little lemon juice if you like. Serve topped with reserved salmon (roughly torn) and some rocket.
Per serving 500 kcalories, protein 21g, carbohydrate 75g, fat 15 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 4g, sugar 5g, salt 2.58 g
Dinner
Sainsbury’s taste difference, Spinach and ricotta cannelloni with sunbaked cherry tomatoes, 14pp for 1/3 packet, vegetables 0pp
Total for day = 31pp with omelette for breakfast, 27pp with fruit – WOW can’t wait.
What you eating today?
DAY 1
Did you have pancakes? If so I hope you enjoyed them and tracked them, no excuse of I didn’t know how many ProPoints they were – work it out ;-)
So apparently Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday which is today, I’m not religious in the slightest by the way but I probably spend more time in churches than most people because of my job and therefore it interests me to a certain degree. Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. So there’s your religious education for today. And I thought it was all about pancakes and chocolate eggs! These day’s a lot of people aren’t quite as rigid and just choose one thing to give up for lent and for some crazy reason yesterday I decided to make that WINE or more precise alcohol of any kind! OMG what have I agreed to, I’ve just looked and Lent lasts for 46 days until Saturday, the 23rd of April.
Can I do it? Of course I can, why am I so positive that I can succeed – because if you start off not believing you can – YOU WON’T, so I always start with a belief I’ll succeed and then usually I do. Think of the weight loss and the money I’ll save whilst also proving that I can survive without a glass of the red stuff ;-D
So for the next 46 days I will track on my blog to show you I’m not cheating, I’m always honest when I blog my meals, I will weigh in this morning at the meeting and then again on Good Friday and let you know how much difference cutting out alcohol can make. So fancy joining me? It doesn’t have to be alcohol, it could be chocolate or whatever your ‘thing’ is, prove to yourself that you can choose not to eat or drink something because in the words of Christopher Robin whilst talking to my favourite bear Pooh, “You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than u think!”
Or as Weight Watchers isn’t about deprivation if you don’t fancy giving something up, why not take something up, tracking maybe, or walking every day, or eating 5 portions of fruit and veg, or drinking 2 litres of water. So whether your giving up or taking up choose something that will help you feel better, write it on our facebook wall for everyone to read, maybe you’ll motivate them to join in.
I’m actually looking forward to having all those extra ProPoints to spend on delicious food! I will actually be able to make that Nigella spaghetti recipe that’s 29 ProPoints per portion! WOW, can’t wait. I’ll also save at least £50! I have an idea what I might spend that on but we’ll see. I’m looking forward to getting back on track, the weekend I obviously went a little off the rails and if I’m honest Monday wasn’t great I had a tray of chips and a roe, then yesterday because I’d decided I was gonna do the Lent thing – well you can imagine ;D
So 29 ProPoints is a lot when spent wisely, plus I’ll have my activity ProPoints and my weekly allowance to play with, so today I’m thinking
Breakfast
3 egg omelette with spring onions & mushrooms = 5pp
Or
Fruit depending on how much time I have
Lunch
Smoked salmon & lemon risotto served with steamed fresh spinach
Serves 4– 14pp per serving (13pp with Philadelphia light), Prep 5 mins, Cook 20 mins
Ingredients
1 onion , finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil (8pp)
350g risotto rice, such as Arborio (32pp)
1 garlic clove , finely chopped
1½ l boiling vegetable stock
170g pack smoked salmon, three-quarters chopped (6pp)
85g mascarpone (10pp) (I’m going to use Philadelphia Light for 4pp)
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
grated lemon zest , plus squeeze of juice
handful rocket
Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the rice and garlic, then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. Pour in a third of the stock and set the timer to 20 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and carry on cooking, stirring a bit more frequently, until that has been absorbed.
Pour in the last of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked and creamy. Take from the heat and add the chopped salmon, mascarpone, parsley and lemon zest. Grind in some black pepper, but don't add salt as the salmon will be salty enough. Leave for 5 mins to settle, then taste and add a little lemon juice if you like. Serve topped with reserved salmon (roughly torn) and some rocket.
Per serving 500 kcalories, protein 21g, carbohydrate 75g, fat 15 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 4g, sugar 5g, salt 2.58 g
Dinner
Sainsbury’s taste difference, Spinach and ricotta cannelloni with sunbaked cherry tomatoes, 14pp for 1/3 packet, vegetables 0pp
Total for day = 31pp with omelette for breakfast, 27pp with fruit – WOW can’t wait.
What you eating today?
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
8th March 2011
Nature or Nurture – whichever way, the parents are to blame
Happy Pancake Day, so are you a fan, I’m not, I’ll be having a curry for my tea ;-) although when we were talking about then last night I did like the idea of a blue cheese and spinach stuffed one, maybe add a few mushrooms or a slice of honey roast ham, as you’ve guessed I’m not such a huge fan of typical lemon and sugar pancakes, probably because mom wasn’t brilliant at making them! How many ProPoints are they going to cost you, last weeks YOUR WEEK has a few recipes in and I still have a few left if you’re getting weighed today so pick on up. Here’s a recipe for a Basic Pancake Batter
2 ProPoints values per pancake, including the oil for cooking
5 minutes to prepare
30 minutes to cook
Makes 12 pancakes
Sift 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 egg and 300ml skimmed milk until smooth. Heat an 18cm (7in) frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil and swirl to coat. Tip the oil into a heatproof container. Ladle 3 tbsp of the batter into the pan, swirling it round to coat the base. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and flip over. Cook the second side until golden.
Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, separating each cooked pancake with baking paper.
Weight Watchers monthly pass holders can get lots more ideas on esource too.
Well it looks like I’m a Weight Watcher yo-yo at the moment, I put back on the 3lb I lost last week! I’m not surprised I didn’t track all weekend and ate things I wouldn’t normally have, I believe that 3lb will be gone by next weigh-in day as it’s not real ‘fat’ it’s just the bloatyness of all the different food I’ve been eating – I hope so anyway!
I’m going back to that happiness book by Francois Lelord that I mentioned, which I recommend you read, in it the professor has three things to think about to determine happiness, why am I talking about happiness when you’re interested in weight loss? Because the two go hand in hand, if you’re happy you eat better, if you’re unhappy everything is difficult. So here are those three thoughts;
Thought 1
Think about the life you have and the life you wish you had.
Thought 2
Think about your life as it is now and the best period of your life in the past.
Thought 3
Think about the difference between what you have and what others have.
Are you feeling good about your thoughts or would you like your present life to be different? If you feel good – great, if you don’t what could you do to make some changes? Change can seem impossible or even terrifying or at least very difficult, but from personal experience once you get over the fear – change can be fabulous. When I changed my life by walking away from my last job which paid really, really fabulous money and included a car allowance I hadn’t even got a full time job to go to, just 3 Weight Watcher meetings a week to live off, but I did have my sanity, and guess what, that’s worth so much more and not being able to afford to eat much more than beans on toast did my weight the world of good.
So here’s to a day of deciding you are going to be happy from now on, no matter how difficult that may be at times xx
Happy Pancake Day, so are you a fan, I’m not, I’ll be having a curry for my tea ;-) although when we were talking about then last night I did like the idea of a blue cheese and spinach stuffed one, maybe add a few mushrooms or a slice of honey roast ham, as you’ve guessed I’m not such a huge fan of typical lemon and sugar pancakes, probably because mom wasn’t brilliant at making them! How many ProPoints are they going to cost you, last weeks YOUR WEEK has a few recipes in and I still have a few left if you’re getting weighed today so pick on up. Here’s a recipe for a Basic Pancake Batter
5 minutes to prepare
30 minutes to cook
Makes 12 pancakes
Sift 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 egg and 300ml skimmed milk until smooth. Heat an 18cm (7in) frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil and swirl to coat. Tip the oil into a heatproof container. Ladle 3 tbsp of the batter into the pan, swirling it round to coat the base. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and flip over. Cook the second side until golden.
Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, separating each cooked pancake with baking paper.
Weight Watchers monthly pass holders can get lots more ideas on esource too.
Well it looks like I’m a Weight Watcher yo-yo at the moment, I put back on the 3lb I lost last week! I’m not surprised I didn’t track all weekend and ate things I wouldn’t normally have, I believe that 3lb will be gone by next weigh-in day as it’s not real ‘fat’ it’s just the bloatyness of all the different food I’ve been eating – I hope so anyway!
I’m going back to that happiness book by Francois Lelord that I mentioned, which I recommend you read, in it the professor has three things to think about to determine happiness, why am I talking about happiness when you’re interested in weight loss? Because the two go hand in hand, if you’re happy you eat better, if you’re unhappy everything is difficult. So here are those three thoughts;
Thought 1
Think about the life you have and the life you wish you had.
Thought 2
Think about your life as it is now and the best period of your life in the past.
Thought 3
Think about the difference between what you have and what others have.
Are you feeling good about your thoughts or would you like your present life to be different? If you feel good – great, if you don’t what could you do to make some changes? Change can seem impossible or even terrifying or at least very difficult, but from personal experience once you get over the fear – change can be fabulous. When I changed my life by walking away from my last job which paid really, really fabulous money and included a car allowance I hadn’t even got a full time job to go to, just 3 Weight Watcher meetings a week to live off, but I did have my sanity, and guess what, that’s worth so much more and not being able to afford to eat much more than beans on toast did my weight the world of good.
So here’s to a day of deciding you are going to be happy from now on, no matter how difficult that may be at times xx
Monday, 7 March 2011
5-7th March 2011
If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company. Jean-Paul Sartre
As I type I’m on my own in a cottage just outside Evesham, no phone signal, no internet connection, no conversation and its bliss for me, so apologies for no emails this weekend. I’m watching a black bird and a chaffinch eating a slice of bread I put out earlier, I’ve just had a bath that lasted 75 minutes and have finished a book which I started reading yesterday. I can’t think of a better way I could have spent this weekend after the busy year I’ve had so far. Initially I was spending the weekend with a very dear friend, I was going to cook for her and we were going to drink wine and watch dvd’s – unfortunately she’s very poorly and couldn’t make it, so I came alone to recharge my batteries.
I love my own company and haven’t done a weekend away on my own for at least a year maybe two, I’d forgotten how much I need it and I’m going to make sure I do it regularly and have to say may choose this cottage again, the bath is huge, it’s warm, quiet and the beds comfy – what more can you ask for!
I would definitely recommend the book I’ve just read, it’s called “Hector and the search for happiness” by Francois Lelord, a very easy read but really insightful, a modern day fable. I’m going to share with you his list of lessons because by doing so I don’t think it spoils the book at all, or should I share one of them a day so you can concentrate on each one for a day, mmm I like that idea, if I give you a list of 21 things you’ll read them and forget, maybe by giving them to you one at a time you may actually think about them!
So lesson number one: Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.
Is this relevant to losing weight, absolutely because very often we lose a pound but we’re not happy with it because our friend or the women in front of us has lost 2lb!
Anywho this book made me feel really good because I realised I am happy and one paragraph that I nodded a lot at was;
“He also said to himself that even if he died now, he’d already lived a good life: he’d had a nice mother and father, many very good friends, he’d fallen deeply in love more than once, had chosen a profession he loved, had been on some wonderful trips, had often felt he was helping people, and had never suffered any terrible misfortune. His life was a lot better than the lives of most people on the planet.”
I’m smiling now because I can agree with all of that. The next thing this book reminded me was we do learn a lot through imitation, so if we watch our family and friends overeating, we’re more likely to do it ourselves, this is the paragraph that made me realise that; “And Agnes went on talking, because it was a subject that was very important to her. She was even doing a study on it. she would show small children a film of a man hitting a dog then leave them to play together and compare the number of times they hit each other (not very hard thankfully because they were only little). And, well, they hit each other noticeably more after they’d seen the film than before. Because, Agnes explained children learn a lot through imitation, they’re made that way, and that’s why if your mummy and daddy are kind you’ll be kind.”
Mmm interesting, not only should we be setting a better example, but I believe we’re never too old to learn! We just need to start doing things differently.
There’s much more to this book than those few paragraphs and if you’re not sure if you’re happy or what happiness really is then maybe you should go buy it, its £4 on Amazon.
The last bit I’ll share with you for now are the words of an old Chinese monk in the book, he said, “True wisdom would be the ability to live without the scenery, to be the same person even at the bottom of a well. But that, it has to be said, is not so easy.”
I’m happy with my life, I’m happy in my job and I happy in my own company – are you? These day’s I’m also happy with my weight – whatever it may be, because I’ve realised it doesn’t make me who I am, at the same time, I’m happier when I’m feeding myself good food and taking care of myself! What makes you happy?
That’s all a bit deep for you to read on a Monday, but, start as you mean to go on I say, focused, thoughtful and happy xx
As I type I’m on my own in a cottage just outside Evesham, no phone signal, no internet connection, no conversation and its bliss for me, so apologies for no emails this weekend. I’m watching a black bird and a chaffinch eating a slice of bread I put out earlier, I’ve just had a bath that lasted 75 minutes and have finished a book which I started reading yesterday. I can’t think of a better way I could have spent this weekend after the busy year I’ve had so far. Initially I was spending the weekend with a very dear friend, I was going to cook for her and we were going to drink wine and watch dvd’s – unfortunately she’s very poorly and couldn’t make it, so I came alone to recharge my batteries.
I love my own company and haven’t done a weekend away on my own for at least a year maybe two, I’d forgotten how much I need it and I’m going to make sure I do it regularly and have to say may choose this cottage again, the bath is huge, it’s warm, quiet and the beds comfy – what more can you ask for!
I would definitely recommend the book I’ve just read, it’s called “Hector and the search for happiness” by Francois Lelord, a very easy read but really insightful, a modern day fable. I’m going to share with you his list of lessons because by doing so I don’t think it spoils the book at all, or should I share one of them a day so you can concentrate on each one for a day, mmm I like that idea, if I give you a list of 21 things you’ll read them and forget, maybe by giving them to you one at a time you may actually think about them!
So lesson number one: Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.
Is this relevant to losing weight, absolutely because very often we lose a pound but we’re not happy with it because our friend or the women in front of us has lost 2lb!
Anywho this book made me feel really good because I realised I am happy and one paragraph that I nodded a lot at was;
“He also said to himself that even if he died now, he’d already lived a good life: he’d had a nice mother and father, many very good friends, he’d fallen deeply in love more than once, had chosen a profession he loved, had been on some wonderful trips, had often felt he was helping people, and had never suffered any terrible misfortune. His life was a lot better than the lives of most people on the planet.”
I’m smiling now because I can agree with all of that. The next thing this book reminded me was we do learn a lot through imitation, so if we watch our family and friends overeating, we’re more likely to do it ourselves, this is the paragraph that made me realise that; “And Agnes went on talking, because it was a subject that was very important to her. She was even doing a study on it. she would show small children a film of a man hitting a dog then leave them to play together and compare the number of times they hit each other (not very hard thankfully because they were only little). And, well, they hit each other noticeably more after they’d seen the film than before. Because, Agnes explained children learn a lot through imitation, they’re made that way, and that’s why if your mummy and daddy are kind you’ll be kind.”
Mmm interesting, not only should we be setting a better example, but I believe we’re never too old to learn! We just need to start doing things differently.
There’s much more to this book than those few paragraphs and if you’re not sure if you’re happy or what happiness really is then maybe you should go buy it, its £4 on Amazon.
The last bit I’ll share with you for now are the words of an old Chinese monk in the book, he said, “True wisdom would be the ability to live without the scenery, to be the same person even at the bottom of a well. But that, it has to be said, is not so easy.”
I’m happy with my life, I’m happy in my job and I happy in my own company – are you? These day’s I’m also happy with my weight – whatever it may be, because I’ve realised it doesn’t make me who I am, at the same time, I’m happier when I’m feeding myself good food and taking care of myself! What makes you happy?
That’s all a bit deep for you to read on a Monday, but, start as you mean to go on I say, focused, thoughtful and happy xx
Friday, 4 March 2011
March 4, 2011
Change your thoughts and habits and you change your world.
What a week, so many things went wrong but I’ve managed to smile through them all and believe ‘everything happens for a reason’, I’ve had tears of sadness in my meetings and cries of joy, I’m still smiling over my lady who lost 5lb and you’d have thought she’d won an Oscar, I almost heard a speech of who she needed to thank and tell, how lovely.
I was talking to a friend yesterday who was telling me how much better she’s feeling and then commented that yesterday she was back in a ‘hole’ but today much better and made a suggestion that reminded me of the following story.
Once upon a time a Weight Watcher was walking down the road not really looking where she was going, caught up in her thoughts, when all of a sudden - aaaahhhhhhh! She fell straight into a hole.
Some time later as she walked down the very same road she spotted the hole... but oh... Too late! In she fell in again!
Once again, walking down the same old road, the Weight Watcher kept her eye out for the hole and saw it from afar. 'I'm not falling into it this time!' she thought, and purposefully walked around it. Yay!
Just the other day, our Weight Watcher stepped out of her front door and decided she'd take a different road.
Here's how change comes about:
At first we're not aware of habits that keep us stuck in the same old rut, doing the same stuff over and over again. We know it's not quite right and it feels inevitable... we keep falling into the hole. Welcome to yo-yo dieting and the diet mentality!
The first step towards change is awareness... we spot the hole! And for a while, even though we know it's there, we repeat old patterns and habits and keep falling in. The difference is that we know we're doing it, we wish we didn't and we experiment with different ways of getting out!
The more we repeat old habits with awareness, the easier it gets to eventually side-step the hole! We decide to create new habits and for a while it feels a bit contrived and it can feel like hard work and we have to actively remind ourselves to look out for the hole and deliberately step around it to do things differently...
Eventually we just do things differently without thinking about it. We might still slip into the hole occasionally but we fall in with a "here I go again!" and getting out gets quicker and easier and we move on.
Weight Watchers new slogan is “This time lose weight for the last time”, and I want all my members to believe that’s possible, because it is.
A member said to me yesterday, “Life’s hard”, yes it is but life’s hard for all of us so doesn’t that make life fair?!
Just had this recipe through by email, mmm looks good.
Chicken lickin'
Serves 2, 12pp each,
or if you just want to cook the chicken it’s 4pp each chicken piece
Ingredients:
1 egg white
10g / ½ oz parmesan, finely grated
280g / 10 oz chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
200g / 7 oz new potatoes, cut into small cubes
50g / 1 ¾ oz frozen peas
100g / 3 ½ oz frozen broad beans
100g / 3 ½ oz frozen soya beans
50g / 1 ¾ oz spinach
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
(1) Preheat the grill to medium. Beat the egg white in a bowl and tip the parmesan onto a plate.
(2) Dip the chicken first in the egg white, then in the cheese. Then grill for 10 mins, or until browned and crisp, turning halfway.
(3) Meanwhile, boil the potato for 10 mins, or until softened. Add the peas, broad beans and soya beans for the final 3 mins, then drain. Toss the vegetables with the spinach, white wine vinegar and oil.
(4) Serve the parmesan chicken on top of the potato, peas, beans and spinach.
Here’s to the start of a wonderful weekend. Bev xx
What a week, so many things went wrong but I’ve managed to smile through them all and believe ‘everything happens for a reason’, I’ve had tears of sadness in my meetings and cries of joy, I’m still smiling over my lady who lost 5lb and you’d have thought she’d won an Oscar, I almost heard a speech of who she needed to thank and tell, how lovely.
I was talking to a friend yesterday who was telling me how much better she’s feeling and then commented that yesterday she was back in a ‘hole’ but today much better and made a suggestion that reminded me of the following story.
Once upon a time a Weight Watcher was walking down the road not really looking where she was going, caught up in her thoughts, when all of a sudden - aaaahhhhhhh! She fell straight into a hole.
Some time later as she walked down the very same road she spotted the hole... but oh... Too late! In she fell in again!
Once again, walking down the same old road, the Weight Watcher kept her eye out for the hole and saw it from afar. 'I'm not falling into it this time!' she thought, and purposefully walked around it. Yay!
Just the other day, our Weight Watcher stepped out of her front door and decided she'd take a different road.
Here's how change comes about:
At first we're not aware of habits that keep us stuck in the same old rut, doing the same stuff over and over again. We know it's not quite right and it feels inevitable... we keep falling into the hole. Welcome to yo-yo dieting and the diet mentality!
The first step towards change is awareness... we spot the hole! And for a while, even though we know it's there, we repeat old patterns and habits and keep falling in. The difference is that we know we're doing it, we wish we didn't and we experiment with different ways of getting out!
The more we repeat old habits with awareness, the easier it gets to eventually side-step the hole! We decide to create new habits and for a while it feels a bit contrived and it can feel like hard work and we have to actively remind ourselves to look out for the hole and deliberately step around it to do things differently...
Eventually we just do things differently without thinking about it. We might still slip into the hole occasionally but we fall in with a "here I go again!" and getting out gets quicker and easier and we move on.
Weight Watchers new slogan is “This time lose weight for the last time”, and I want all my members to believe that’s possible, because it is.
A member said to me yesterday, “Life’s hard”, yes it is but life’s hard for all of us so doesn’t that make life fair?!
Just had this recipe through by email, mmm looks good.
Chicken lickin'
or if you just want to cook the chicken it’s 4pp each chicken piece
Ingredients:
1 egg white
10g / ½ oz parmesan, finely grated
280g / 10 oz chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
200g / 7 oz new potatoes, cut into small cubes
50g / 1 ¾ oz frozen peas
100g / 3 ½ oz frozen broad beans
100g / 3 ½ oz frozen soya beans
50g / 1 ¾ oz spinach
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
(1) Preheat the grill to medium. Beat the egg white in a bowl and tip the parmesan onto a plate.
(2) Dip the chicken first in the egg white, then in the cheese. Then grill for 10 mins, or until browned and crisp, turning halfway.
(3) Meanwhile, boil the potato for 10 mins, or until softened. Add the peas, broad beans and soya beans for the final 3 mins, then drain. Toss the vegetables with the spinach, white wine vinegar and oil.
(4) Serve the parmesan chicken on top of the potato, peas, beans and spinach.
Here’s to the start of a wonderful weekend. Bev xx
Thursday, 3 March 2011
3rd March 2011
You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin to Pooh
Yay, I’ve gone all technological with my daily emailing, I’ve found a package that helps me do it. So if you’re reading this via your email rather than directly on the blog, to get the best view for you whether your reading on phone or pc, scroll to the bottom of the email, there's an update profile link which you can go into and choose whether you receive the email in HTML, TEXT or Mobile, select which one you prefer and then future emails will come through in that format. If you’re reading it via the blog, and you wish to subscribe to my daily blog email, send me a message by email and write “Daily email”. Should you not want to receive my daily emails, I apologise for disturbing your day, and just click “unsubscribe” at the bottom, of this email and that will stop them.
If you’ve not received or read my daily emails before, I often send recipes, ideas, thoughts and suggestions to not only encourage you to lose weight, but also to realise you’re amazing and gorgeous whatever you weigh and can have the fabulous life that you deserve. Xx
Setting all this up has obviously kept me busy this week and my meetings are also buzzing, so far this year you’ve all lost 505 stone! That’s just amazing in under 9 weeks, the new ProPoints plan is proving to be really successful. I never get tired of seeing the happy faces at the scale, on lady on Tuesday night was so thrilled to lose 5lb in her first week she couldn’t wait to tell her daughter and granddaughter, she was jumping round the room like she’d won an Oscar.
It’s so important to realise it’s not a race, and everyone’s different, I have a close circle of six friends and we are all different ages, heights, shapes and ages and we all eat different types of food and all lose weight at different paces, sometimes that’s just down to luck! A healthy weight loss is anything up to 2lb a week, and if you’re losing a pound a week, smile because that means in a year you’ll have lost at least 52lb, a sack of potatoes isn’t about the same, go try pick one up. It’s not just the weight loss that’s important, it’s the changing of habits forever so that you don’t put it back on, so it stays off and you can enjoy your life without having to worry about eating.
I’m still managing to cook and yesterday I tried diet coke chicken sounds odd, tastes pretty good though, recipe below. Have a Tremendous Thursday and hopefully you won’t be ‘unsubscribing’ so you’ll get to read me tomorrow too.
Bev xx
Diet Coke Chicken, serves 4, 6pp each serving
Things you’ll need to cook it;
4 medium, uncooked, skinless chicken breast (16pp)
1 can of Diet Coke (or any other diet cola product)
1 cup of ketchup (8pp)
Your appetite
Any side dish;
e.g. rice, potato, couscous, veggies (remember to add the extra ProPoints)
(If you only want to cook 2 chicken breasts, just use a half can of Diet Coke and a half cup of ketchup)
Directions:
Pour the can of Diet Coke into a medium skillet. Mix in 1 cup of ketchup until ketchup is somewhat separated. Place the 4 chicken breasts in the skillet. Preferably they will be mostly covered by the Diet Coke and ketchup mixture. Cover and simmer on medium heat. Once the sauce starts to thicken, you may want to stir occasionally. Cook for approximately 45 minutes. You will know when it is done, as ketchup and Diet Coke will turn into a thick marinara-like sauce.
This recipe creates extremely tender and juicy chicken breasts along with a sweet marinara-like sauce. You definitely do not taste the Diet Coke nor the ketchup, they come together to form a delicious sauce that nobody will ever guess the ingredients you started out with.
This dish is very tasty and healthy! One chicken breast has about 142 calories and 3 grams of fat. Diet Coke has no calories or fat. The following is a list of some healthy side dishes you can make to accompany the Diet Coke Chicken.
Yay, I’ve gone all technological with my daily emailing, I’ve found a package that helps me do it. So if you’re reading this via your email rather than directly on the blog, to get the best view for you whether your reading on phone or pc, scroll to the bottom of the email, there's an update profile link which you can go into and choose whether you receive the email in HTML, TEXT or Mobile, select which one you prefer and then future emails will come through in that format. If you’re reading it via the blog, and you wish to subscribe to my daily blog email, send me a message by email and write “Daily email”. Should you not want to receive my daily emails, I apologise for disturbing your day, and just click “unsubscribe” at the bottom, of this email and that will stop them.
If you’ve not received or read my daily emails before, I often send recipes, ideas, thoughts and suggestions to not only encourage you to lose weight, but also to realise you’re amazing and gorgeous whatever you weigh and can have the fabulous life that you deserve. Xx
Setting all this up has obviously kept me busy this week and my meetings are also buzzing, so far this year you’ve all lost 505 stone! That’s just amazing in under 9 weeks, the new ProPoints plan is proving to be really successful. I never get tired of seeing the happy faces at the scale, on lady on Tuesday night was so thrilled to lose 5lb in her first week she couldn’t wait to tell her daughter and granddaughter, she was jumping round the room like she’d won an Oscar.
It’s so important to realise it’s not a race, and everyone’s different, I have a close circle of six friends and we are all different ages, heights, shapes and ages and we all eat different types of food and all lose weight at different paces, sometimes that’s just down to luck! A healthy weight loss is anything up to 2lb a week, and if you’re losing a pound a week, smile because that means in a year you’ll have lost at least 52lb, a sack of potatoes isn’t about the same, go try pick one up. It’s not just the weight loss that’s important, it’s the changing of habits forever so that you don’t put it back on, so it stays off and you can enjoy your life without having to worry about eating.
I’m still managing to cook and yesterday I tried diet coke chicken sounds odd, tastes pretty good though, recipe below. Have a Tremendous Thursday and hopefully you won’t be ‘unsubscribing’ so you’ll get to read me tomorrow too.
Bev xx
Diet Coke Chicken, serves 4, 6pp each serving
Things you’ll need to cook it;
4 medium, uncooked, skinless chicken breast (16pp)
1 can of Diet Coke (or any other diet cola product)
1 cup of ketchup (8pp)
Your appetite
Any side dish;
e.g. rice, potato, couscous, veggies (remember to add the extra ProPoints)
(If you only want to cook 2 chicken breasts, just use a half can of Diet Coke and a half cup of ketchup)
Directions:
Pour the can of Diet Coke into a medium skillet. Mix in 1 cup of ketchup until ketchup is somewhat separated. Place the 4 chicken breasts in the skillet. Preferably they will be mostly covered by the Diet Coke and ketchup mixture. Cover and simmer on medium heat. Once the sauce starts to thicken, you may want to stir occasionally. Cook for approximately 45 minutes. You will know when it is done, as ketchup and Diet Coke will turn into a thick marinara-like sauce.
This recipe creates extremely tender and juicy chicken breasts along with a sweet marinara-like sauce. You definitely do not taste the Diet Coke nor the ketchup, they come together to form a delicious sauce that nobody will ever guess the ingredients you started out with.
This dish is very tasty and healthy! One chicken breast has about 142 calories and 3 grams of fat. Diet Coke has no calories or fat. The following is a list of some healthy side dishes you can make to accompany the Diet Coke Chicken.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
2nd March 2011
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Well it appears technology isn’t on my side at the moment, all my mobile numbers were deleted off the online package I use and now facebook aren’t delivering my daily emails to my members. So if you are reading this YAY, can you and let any of your mates who are members know that to get a copy of my daily email direct to your email inbox, you need to send me an email to bev_ww@yahoo.co.uk and write 'daily email' in subject heading, then I’ll add you to the list. One good thing about spending my afternoon, re-typing mobile phone contacts into a database and creating a new email on is I forget about eating and my day goes super fast ;0)
I’m still making midday hour my hour to cook me at least one delicious meal a day, no matter what’s on my to do list, it goes on hold until I’ve cooked and eaten. Yesterday I made the nicest corned beef and sweetcorn hash even though I was super busy, I’m finding it a great stress reliever too. Photo and recipe available here; http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/corned-beef-and-sweetcorn-hash.html
Michael, one of my members from Tuesday night bought in a before photo last night and wow’d us all, he’s almost at high ten stone marker and it’s just amazing the difference in him, he’s really turned his life around. I’m so proud and all the other members were blown away. To see a photo click on the link below;
http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/michael-one-of-my-members-so-proud.html
It just goes to show that no matter how hard your journey ahead seems or how much you have to lose, it can be done, and as long as you enjoy the ride, it’s so much easier to do. It’s important not to beat yourself up, or give yourself a hard time, but embrace this new way of life, don’t see it as a challenge, see it as an opportunity.
Well it appears technology isn’t on my side at the moment, all my mobile numbers were deleted off the online package I use and now facebook aren’t delivering my daily emails to my members. So if you are reading this YAY, can you and let any of your mates who are members know that to get a copy of my daily email direct to your email inbox, you need to send me an email to bev_ww@yahoo.co.uk and write 'daily email' in subject heading, then I’ll add you to the list. One good thing about spending my afternoon, re-typing mobile phone contacts into a database and creating a new email on is I forget about eating and my day goes super fast ;0)
I’m still making midday hour my hour to cook me at least one delicious meal a day, no matter what’s on my to do list, it goes on hold until I’ve cooked and eaten. Yesterday I made the nicest corned beef and sweetcorn hash even though I was super busy, I’m finding it a great stress reliever too. Photo and recipe available here; http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/corned-beef-and-sweetcorn-hash.html
Michael, one of my members from Tuesday night bought in a before photo last night and wow’d us all, he’s almost at high ten stone marker and it’s just amazing the difference in him, he’s really turned his life around. I’m so proud and all the other members were blown away. To see a photo click on the link below;
http://wwbevsworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/michael-one-of-my-members-so-proud.html
It just goes to show that no matter how hard your journey ahead seems or how much you have to lose, it can be done, and as long as you enjoy the ride, it’s so much easier to do. It’s important not to beat yourself up, or give yourself a hard time, but embrace this new way of life, don’t see it as a challenge, see it as an opportunity.
"This time, lose weight for the last time."
It takes more than a week and a Weight Watchers handbook to get you losing weight.
Weight Watchers works because of the group support, research shows that people who attend the greatest number of Weight Watchers meetings have the greatest weight loss.
The total weight lost in my meetings in Jan/Feb was 477 stone!
Make sure you’re part of our success
xx
Have a Wonderful Wednesday
Bev xx
Michael - one of my members - so proud
Aiming towards his ten stone weight loss.
WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW,
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Corned beef and sweetcorn hash.
Takes 10 Minutes to make, 25 Minutes to cook
Replace the tinned sweetcorn with frozen peas, if you like.
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced into thin wedges
Knob of butter
400g waxy potatoes (such as charlotte), cut into 2cm chunks (i used the small ones, left skin on and cut in half)
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp dried thyme or 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh
300g tin corned beef, cut into chunks
120g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
4 large free-range eggs
Parboil potatoes for about 6-8 minutes. At the same time, add 1 tbsp of the oil to a large frying pan and gently fry the onion over a low heat for 6 minutes to soften. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
Add another splash of oil and the butter to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and fry the potatoes for 10 minutes until beginning to crisp and turn golden. Stir in the chilli flakes and dried thyme, fry for another minute or so, then add the corned beef. Season
Continue frying the corned beef, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until starting to crisp. Stir in the sweetcorn and return the cooked onion to the pan. Cook for a couple more minutes to warm through.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in another large frying pan, crack the eggs into the pan and fry until the white has just set. Serve the corned beef and sweetcorn hash on warmed plates and top each serving with a fried egg.
1st March 2011
Let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy day. Lawrence Welk
What a day, what a day, yesterday I lost 700 contacts from my mobile text package, not impressed but I decided to look at the positive, as it showed me the majority of people do want to receive them. I have had a few reply ‘STOP’ and it makes me a little sad, but when I sent a text to all the numbers saying I’d lost everyone’s info and could the reply back their name and meeting, I had 200 replies in under a minute which made me feel good enough to be happy to retype in all those names and details!
It appears my emails aren’t getting to you either, so hopefully you’re managing to read this via the blog or facebook group discussion wall!
I went to Sainsbury’s yesterday and whilst buying potatos noticed some little signs suggesting meal ideas, so I took a photo of the one and it said, “why not try olive oil over cooked potatoes, topped with blue cheese and pear on a bed of watercress”, so I did, although instead of the olive oil I tossed the potatoes in 1pp worth of I can’t believe it’s not butter. It was all very tasty for 10pp.
Then for tea, I had the leftover cooked potatoes and stir fried them with some chorizo, peppers, spring onions, courgette, aubergine, capers, on a bed of watercress, and again very tasty for 10pp.
And I’d just like to remind you that sometimes it’s good to have what you fancy, someone had mentioned cream horns when we were all walking round the park yesterday morning and I thought ooo I could just eat that, haven’t had one for ages, so when I went to Sainsbury’s they had fresh cream raspberry turnovers (similar enough) on offer for 69p for two and 9pp each, so I had one of those out of my weekly allowance and it was scrumptious. If I hadn’t had it I would have thought about it for days. On the night talking to Marita who helps me weigh, she told me how she stares longingly in Sainsbury’s at the fresh cream meringues so I looked them up on esource and guess what, they’re only 4pp, she couldn’t believe she’s been going so long without them!
Life’s to short not to have a bit of what you fancy, the secret to successful long term weight loss is everything in moderation, it’s all about the portion sizes, the best investment you can make are the Weight Watcher kitchen scales so that you can weigh your food to make sure you’re eating the correct portions.
1st March, can’t believe we’re already this far into the year! Have a fabulous day/week/year/life, you need to enjoy it as we only get one shot ;) xx
What a day, what a day, yesterday I lost 700 contacts from my mobile text package, not impressed but I decided to look at the positive, as it showed me the majority of people do want to receive them. I have had a few reply ‘STOP’ and it makes me a little sad, but when I sent a text to all the numbers saying I’d lost everyone’s info and could the reply back their name and meeting, I had 200 replies in under a minute which made me feel good enough to be happy to retype in all those names and details!
I went to Sainsbury’s yesterday and whilst buying potatos noticed some little signs suggesting meal ideas, so I took a photo of the one and it said, “why not try olive oil over cooked potatoes, topped with blue cheese and pear on a bed of watercress”, so I did, although instead of the olive oil I tossed the potatoes in 1pp worth of I can’t believe it’s not butter. It was all very tasty for 10pp.
Then for tea, I had the leftover cooked potatoes and stir fried them with some chorizo, peppers, spring onions, courgette, aubergine, capers, on a bed of watercress, and again very tasty for 10pp.
And I’d just like to remind you that sometimes it’s good to have what you fancy, someone had mentioned cream horns when we were all walking round the park yesterday morning and I thought ooo I could just eat that, haven’t had one for ages, so when I went to Sainsbury’s they had fresh cream raspberry turnovers (similar enough) on offer for 69p for two and 9pp each, so I had one of those out of my weekly allowance and it was scrumptious. If I hadn’t had it I would have thought about it for days. On the night talking to Marita who helps me weigh, she told me how she stares longingly in Sainsbury’s at the fresh cream meringues so I looked them up on esource and guess what, they’re only 4pp, she couldn’t believe she’s been going so long without them!
Life’s to short not to have a bit of what you fancy, the secret to successful long term weight loss is everything in moderation, it’s all about the portion sizes, the best investment you can make are the Weight Watcher kitchen scales so that you can weigh your food to make sure you’re eating the correct portions.
1st March, can’t believe we’re already this far into the year! Have a fabulous day/week/year/life, you need to enjoy it as we only get one shot ;) xx
Monday, 28 February 2011
28th February 2011
Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
Tuesday 8th March is Pancake Day and this week’s copy of ‘YOUR WEEK’ tells you how to enjoy them and stay on track, there’s a basic pancake batter recipe and also some suggestions on how to make them even tastier, mmm four cheese pancakes for 8pp, or chocolate and cherry pancakes for 10pp. There’s also a scrumptious recipe for hot chocolate and banana brownies for 1pp each which I made yesterday and they went down very well! I made them because I thought they’d be tiny, but was pleasantly surprised they were a fair size for 1pp, about 2” square, or two would be the size of my iphone ;)
Also this week is the last week the selection boxes are on offer at £3, and the humbugs for £1 - stock up whilst you can. The new Weight Watcher magazines arrived too and it’s full of some great reading.
I made stuffed mushrooms and onion gratin too yesterday and served it with spinach, my brother turned up just at the right time which meant we didn’t have too big portions because he stayed for lunch. I love this recipe and could eat it every week, yesterday I used blue cheese instead of the gruyere mmm. I also used soured cream because I hadn’t got any crème fraîche and it tasted fine and save ProPoints, crème fraîche is 3pp per tbsp, soured cream is 1pp per tbsp, or you could try low fat crème fraîche which is 1pp per tbsp also. Here’s the recipe
Onion Gratin
Serves 4, 6pp each, or 2, 13pp each
4 medium red onions, peeled, quartered, and separated
Tbsp olive oil (4pp) or 2 pumps from WW oil spray (2pp)
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
A small wineglass of white wine (175ml) (3pp)
4 tablespoons crème fraîche (7pp)
50g gruyere cheese, grated (5pp)
50g parmesan, grated (6pp)
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little ‘petals’. Place these in a A4 sized dish or earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine, cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop the dish back in the oven for 15 mins to start caramelizing. Once the onion is looking lightly golden, stir in your crème fraiche and sprinkle over your gruyere and parmesan. Turn the oven down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and let the gratin tick away for about 15 minutes or until golden and gorgeous. You can eat this straight away, or cool it down and flash it under the grill later.
However your weekend went decide to have a fabulous week, I’m hoping I’ve lost some of that weight I gained last weekend in London, I’ve probably been 90% good, although I have used all my allowances – daily, weekly and activity so wish me luck.
xx
Tuesday 8th March is Pancake Day and this week’s copy of ‘YOUR WEEK’ tells you how to enjoy them and stay on track, there’s a basic pancake batter recipe and also some suggestions on how to make them even tastier, mmm four cheese pancakes for 8pp, or chocolate and cherry pancakes for 10pp. There’s also a scrumptious recipe for hot chocolate and banana brownies for 1pp each which I made yesterday and they went down very well! I made them because I thought they’d be tiny, but was pleasantly surprised they were a fair size for 1pp, about 2” square, or two would be the size of my iphone ;)
Also this week is the last week the selection boxes are on offer at £3, and the humbugs for £1 - stock up whilst you can. The new Weight Watcher magazines arrived too and it’s full of some great reading.
I made stuffed mushrooms and onion gratin too yesterday and served it with spinach, my brother turned up just at the right time which meant we didn’t have too big portions because he stayed for lunch. I love this recipe and could eat it every week, yesterday I used blue cheese instead of the gruyere mmm. I also used soured cream because I hadn’t got any crème fraîche and it tasted fine and save ProPoints, crème fraîche is 3pp per tbsp, soured cream is 1pp per tbsp, or you could try low fat crème fraîche which is 1pp per tbsp also. Here’s the recipe
Onion Gratin
Serves 4, 6pp each, or 2, 13pp each
4 medium red onions, peeled, quartered, and separated
Tbsp olive oil (4pp) or 2 pumps from WW oil spray (2pp)
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
A small wineglass of white wine (175ml) (3pp)
4 tablespoons crème fraîche (7pp)
50g gruyere cheese, grated (5pp)
50g parmesan, grated (6pp)
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little ‘petals’. Place these in a A4 sized dish or earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine, cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop the dish back in the oven for 15 mins to start caramelizing. Once the onion is looking lightly golden, stir in your crème fraiche and sprinkle over your gruyere and parmesan. Turn the oven down to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and let the gratin tick away for about 15 minutes or until golden and gorgeous. You can eat this straight away, or cool it down and flash it under the grill later.
However your weekend went decide to have a fabulous week, I’m hoping I’ve lost some of that weight I gained last weekend in London, I’ve probably been 90% good, although I have used all my allowances – daily, weekly and activity so wish me luck.
xx
Sunday, 27 February 2011
27th February 2011
No one will manufacture a lock without a key. Similarly, you won’t receive problems without solutions. So defeat your problems with great confidence.
Had a brilliant day yesterday and wanted to cook more than I could eat so went for a second walk with Alfie instead ;) which earned me a total of 6pp for the day. I’m going to do a meal planner for the week so I can include all the recipes I keep finding that I want to try but still stick within my ProPoints allowance. I’m away next weekend and normally a weekend with Chantel would end with a weight gain but I’m going to cook so hopefully will save a few ProPoints, unfortunately we haven’t found a way of saving ProPoints on the red wine yet! I made a beef and ale casserole yesterday and have to say and it was amazing! I could’ve happily eaten it all, I served mine with a huge portion of purple sprouting for zero ProPoints but you could serve it with mash or chips or bread for extra ProPoints.
My beef and ale casserole
preparation time 30 mins, cooking time over 2 hours
Serves 6, 8pp each
2 tbsp vegetable oil (8pp)
1kg/2lb 3oz braising steak, cut large pieces (35pp)
2 sticks celery
12 Chantenay carrots, or 2 carrots
6-8 shallots or 2 large onions
3 cloves garlic (plus
1 heaped tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp plain flour (2pp)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ litre/17fl oz real ale or bitter (6pp) (I used Old Embers from Waitrose, a dark ale made in Walsall!)
200ml/7fl oz dark beef stock
1 BULB of garlic, broken into cloves but NOT peeled just remove papery outer
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2. Heat a large casserole on the hob. Add some of the vegetable oil and, when hot, add some of the beef in a single layer and cook over a high heat until browned. When browned, remove the beef to a bowl, before adding the next batch and browning. Don't crowd the pan. Remove the last batch of meat and place in a bowl.
2. Roughly chop the celery. Add the last bit of oil to the casserole and add the celery.
3. Roughly chop the carrots and onions and add to the casserole.
4. Slice the garlic and add to the casserole. Stir all the vegetables thoroughly and allow them to brown gently, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
5. Once the vegetables are coloured, add the tomato purée and stir. Add the flour and stir together well until the flour is incorporated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Throw in the whole UNPEELED garlic cloves, when cooked these aren’t strong like peeled garlic they are just soft tasty deliciousness ;)
6. Add the ale to the casserole, followed by the beef stock.
7. Bring up to the simmer and return the browned beef to the casserole.
8. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the preheated oven to cook for 2½-3 hours, or until cooked, when the beef is done, it should fall apart to the touch.
If that doesn’t warm you up and make you feel full of comfort – nothing will ;-D
Enjoy your Sunday xx
Had a brilliant day yesterday and wanted to cook more than I could eat so went for a second walk with Alfie instead ;) which earned me a total of 6pp for the day. I’m going to do a meal planner for the week so I can include all the recipes I keep finding that I want to try but still stick within my ProPoints allowance. I’m away next weekend and normally a weekend with Chantel would end with a weight gain but I’m going to cook so hopefully will save a few ProPoints, unfortunately we haven’t found a way of saving ProPoints on the red wine yet! I made a beef and ale casserole yesterday and have to say and it was amazing! I could’ve happily eaten it all, I served mine with a huge portion of purple sprouting for zero ProPoints but you could serve it with mash or chips or bread for extra ProPoints.
My beef and ale casserole
Serves 6, 8pp each
2 tbsp vegetable oil (8pp)
1kg/2lb 3oz braising steak, cut large pieces (35pp)
2 sticks celery
12 Chantenay carrots, or 2 carrots
6-8 shallots or 2 large onions
3 cloves garlic (plus
1 heaped tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp plain flour (2pp)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ litre/17fl oz real ale or bitter (6pp) (I used Old Embers from Waitrose, a dark ale made in Walsall!)
200ml/7fl oz dark beef stock
1 BULB of garlic, broken into cloves but NOT peeled just remove papery outer
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2. Heat a large casserole on the hob. Add some of the vegetable oil and, when hot, add some of the beef in a single layer and cook over a high heat until browned. When browned, remove the beef to a bowl, before adding the next batch and browning. Don't crowd the pan. Remove the last batch of meat and place in a bowl.
2. Roughly chop the celery. Add the last bit of oil to the casserole and add the celery.
3. Roughly chop the carrots and onions and add to the casserole.
4. Slice the garlic and add to the casserole. Stir all the vegetables thoroughly and allow them to brown gently, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
5. Once the vegetables are coloured, add the tomato purée and stir. Add the flour and stir together well until the flour is incorporated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Throw in the whole UNPEELED garlic cloves, when cooked these aren’t strong like peeled garlic they are just soft tasty deliciousness ;)
6. Add the ale to the casserole, followed by the beef stock.
7. Bring up to the simmer and return the browned beef to the casserole.
8. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the preheated oven to cook for 2½-3 hours, or until cooked, when the beef is done, it should fall apart to the touch.
If that doesn’t warm you up and make you feel full of comfort – nothing will ;-D
Enjoy your Sunday xx
Saturday, 26 February 2011
26th February 2011
Tomorrow never comes and when it does it’s today! (Dreadzone)
Yay I had a lie in, 6am, now I’m refreshed and ready for my day, I’ve got lots of ‘me’ things I want to do, I’m planning a bit beef & ale stew, I may even attempt dumplings on the top too. I’m also going to cook Trout with Watercress Sauce it’s all done in the microwave in a few minutes – cool! Shall have it with some nice fresh veggies and maybe rice, here’s the recipe;
Serves 2, 9pp each
1 small bunch watercress, washed and trimmed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 X 90 g (3 1/2 oz) fillets rainbow trout
50 ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon made mustard
150 ml (5 fl oz) soured cream
1. Reserve a few sprigs of watercress for decoration. Place remainder in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Place the fish in a dish in a single layer, pour over the wine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 minutes. Leave to stand while making the sauce.
3. Puree the watercress together with the mustard and cream. Add the cooking liquid from the fish, pour into a jug and cook on HIGH for 1 minute. Serve with trout, new potatoes and broccoli. Garnish with reserved watercress.
Timings are for a 600 watt microwave oven.
Hope whatever you’ve got planned for today you enjoy it, I know I’m going to, after cooking I’m going to read my book and watch some tv, today is all about enjoying and relaxing no stressing or rushing.
Let it rain, I don’t mind I can enjoy today indoors.
Have a great day xx
Yay I had a lie in, 6am, now I’m refreshed and ready for my day, I’ve got lots of ‘me’ things I want to do, I’m planning a bit beef & ale stew, I may even attempt dumplings on the top too. I’m also going to cook Trout with Watercress Sauce it’s all done in the microwave in a few minutes – cool! Shall have it with some nice fresh veggies and maybe rice, here’s the recipe;
Serves 2, 9pp each
1 small bunch watercress, washed and trimmed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 X 90 g (3 1/2 oz) fillets rainbow trout
50 ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon made mustard
150 ml (5 fl oz) soured cream
1. Reserve a few sprigs of watercress for decoration. Place remainder in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Place the fish in a dish in a single layer, pour over the wine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 minutes. Leave to stand while making the sauce.
3. Puree the watercress together with the mustard and cream. Add the cooking liquid from the fish, pour into a jug and cook on HIGH for 1 minute. Serve with trout, new potatoes and broccoli. Garnish with reserved watercress.
Timings are for a 600 watt microwave oven.
Hope whatever you’ve got planned for today you enjoy it, I know I’m going to, after cooking I’m going to read my book and watch some tv, today is all about enjoying and relaxing no stressing or rushing.
Let it rain, I don’t mind I can enjoy today indoors.
Have a great day xx
Friday, 25 February 2011
25th February 2011
Are you humbly grateful? Or grumbly hateful? Pastor Roland Smith
Thought we’d take about self love today, get you all to give yourself a hug! (although it’s a long read!)
I honestly believe that people really do want to love themselves, however they may not be sure how to go about doing it. Most people are very aware of the fact that self-love can be a challenge. Faced with all sorts of external influences and internal pressures, it’s way easy not to love ourselves. But, deep down, most of us really want to. We want to believe that we’re worthwhile, that our lives have value, and that we are deserving of our own love. But that's much easier said than done.
So here’s the ABCs of loving yourself with the hope that you will read these words and realise that you truly are deserving of your own love. I hope that when you read it, you will recognise that the path to self-love isn’t an easy one - but there are so many ways to get started down that road right now. Here are 26 ideas to help you get started:
Accept your body. Sure, there are things you can change about your body, you can lose weight and make it smaller, but, for the most part, you've got to work with what you've got. Remember: you are who you are. You should love yourself no matter what shape or size you are. You are awesome. You are beautiful. You are YOU. Don't ever forget that!
Be who you are. You are not your body. The essence of you comes from within - from your mind, your personality, your heart. We often find it hard to remember that we are not what we look like, but, if you remind yourself of this, you can realise there is so much more to you than appearance.
Cultivate a healthy environment. Put yourself in a healthier place. Keeping fresh fruits and veggies around, eating healthy and exercising are great ways to love your body (and yourself!). And don't forget to take care of your mental health. Consider meditation to get your mind in a calmer, happier place.
Dive into self love. Okay, so you're having trouble loving yourself. You look in the mirror and think, "YUCK!" Try looking into self-help books or blogs that encourage positive thinking about life and, more specifically, about body image. Sometimes reading up on loving yourself can really help you put it into action.
Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities. Think about what you do well. Your body is only a part of who you are. You might be a great writer, a great athlete, an amazing parent. No matter what you are, there is more to you than your appearance. Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities.
Forget about comparisons. Stop comparing yourself to others. No matter what you do, you probably will not ever look like Heidi Klum or Brad Pitt. But that's okay! You are beautiful in your own way and you will always and forever be you. Accept yourself, love yourself, and stop looking to others to see what you "should" look like.
Get moving! I don't know about you, but when I get in a not-loving-myself funk, I don't want to do anything. I just want to lay around and think about how pathetic it is that I'm not doing anything by laying around. Break the cycle. Get off the couch and use that awesome bod!
Have hope. Even if you're struggling with self-love, don't give up hope. It might be hard right now, but the more effort and time you put into it, the more you will learn to love yourself. Hope is crucial when it comes to learning to love yourself. Believe in your own ability to achieve self-love.
Indulge in what you love. Every so often let yourself eat or do whatever you wouldn't normally. I'm sure you've read this a million times, but if you completely cut yourself off from something, you're more likely to go nuts the next time it comes along so let yourself indulge every once and awhile.
Join something fun. Joining a group (or even starting a blog, which feels like joining something) can really help you with your image of yourself. Meet new people. Try new things. Being happy in general can make you happier with how you look so check out some groups you can join.
Keep thinking positively. Ah, my favourite! Keep thinking positively - no matter what. So you gained 5 pounds. So you got a terrible haircut. So what. Keep thinking positively! No matter how bad you feel about yourself, there is always something good. Focus on the good, the positive, and push the negative from your mind.
Let go of your past. You were a size ten in school. Sure, that's great, but you're not in school anymore. Remind yourself that this is where you are now. You may have been something else in the past - thinner, prettier, more muscular - but here you are now. In the present. Love who you are right now.
Motivate yourself. You are the best motivational tool you have. Other people might encourage you, but only YOU can really motivate yourself. Do whatever you have to to remind yourself how great you are. Read books. Get off the couch. Talk to friends. Do whatever you have to, to motivate your inner desire for self love.
Never say never. You're looking in the mirror moaning, "I will never lose this weight." You know what? You're right. With that attitude, you won't make any changes at all. You'll settle, thinking there's no hope, and you'll be unhappy. If you believe you can change something, you can. Never say never.
Open up to new ideas. Try something different. If you're not in love with your look, try something new. New clothes. New makeup. New workout routine. Experimenting with new things isn't going to solve your body image issues (that comes from within), but you can give yourself a little boost by trying out something new.
Put on your best outfit. Sometimes just a change of clothes can change your perspective. Don't stay in sweatpants all day. Don't settle for average or blah or you will feel average and blah. Dress up. Put in the effort and you'll feel a lot better about yourself.
Question your perception. You look in the mirror. You see ugly, fat, tired. But is that what's really there? As I talked about in my last post, your mind can really distort your thoughts. Sometimes what we see isn't what's really there. Keep the positive thoughts in the forefront. Avoid looking for the bad and try to keep a positive outlook.
Remember what you love. You hate your stomach, but your love your eyes. You hate your arms, but you love your thighs. Focus on the good parts of you. We often spend so much time obsessing about what we don't like about ourselves that we forget to spend time thinking about what we do love. Make a list of your favorite parts of you (including those that aren't physical!).
Stop judging. You are your worst critic. You are judging yourself much, much more harshly than anyone around you is. Stop it. Stop it right now. There is absolutely no good reason to critique yourself in a harsh or demeaning manner. Love yourself first and the world will love you too.
Take time for you. Your body is the only one you have. Take time to pamper yourself. Do whatever you have to do to get some quality alone time. Take a bath. Take a walk. Take a vacation. Whatever you do, take some time to be alone with yourself, to rejuvenate your body and your mind.
Understand your needs. What do you really need? What makes your body happy? When you exercise and eat healthy foods, does your body feel better? When you get plenty of rest, do you wake up refreshed? Think about what your body asks for and give it what it needs. The better your body feels, the better you will feel about it.
Vacate your mind. Sometimes we become prisoners in our own minds. Sometimes we obsess about our looks and our appearance to the point that it's unhealthy. If you're doing this, stop. Get out of your mind and free yourself.
Watch what you say. Are you always saying to your friends, "Ugh, I look terrible." or "This make me look fat?"? If so, think about what you're saying. The more negative things you say about yourself, the more you will start to really believe what you're saying (and others might too). Try, just once, saying, "Wow, I look great!”
X-ray your desires. Think about - I mean, really think about - why you want that piece of chocolate cake or that new handbag. Will external things make you feel better? You bet! But the feel-good feelings are only temporary. Lasting happiness comes from within so give some thought to what you really want.
Yank yourself out of a routine. Routines can be deadly. They set us in patterns that feel old and tired, that make us feel as if we are old and tired. Some routines are good and necessary, but what routines do you have in your life that aren't good? What can you do to change them, to make them more positive experiences?
Zap any negative thoughts. Last but certainly not least! Getting rid of negative thoughts about yourself and your body is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Whatever you need to do to do this, do it. Read books. Go on a retreat. Get rid of negative people in your life. Whatever you do, be positive about you!
As so many of us know, self-love is a hard thing to master. Too often, we have issues about our appearance and body that hinder us from thinking positively about ourselves. It is essential that we rid our lives of negative self-talk and, instead, focus on what is wonderful about the people we are. If you aren't doing so right now, start loving yourself. It is the first and most important step to living a positive, present life.
xx
Thought we’d take about self love today, get you all to give yourself a hug! (although it’s a long read!)
I honestly believe that people really do want to love themselves, however they may not be sure how to go about doing it. Most people are very aware of the fact that self-love can be a challenge. Faced with all sorts of external influences and internal pressures, it’s way easy not to love ourselves. But, deep down, most of us really want to. We want to believe that we’re worthwhile, that our lives have value, and that we are deserving of our own love. But that's much easier said than done.
So here’s the ABCs of loving yourself with the hope that you will read these words and realise that you truly are deserving of your own love. I hope that when you read it, you will recognise that the path to self-love isn’t an easy one - but there are so many ways to get started down that road right now. Here are 26 ideas to help you get started:
Accept your body. Sure, there are things you can change about your body, you can lose weight and make it smaller, but, for the most part, you've got to work with what you've got. Remember: you are who you are. You should love yourself no matter what shape or size you are. You are awesome. You are beautiful. You are YOU. Don't ever forget that!
Be who you are. You are not your body. The essence of you comes from within - from your mind, your personality, your heart. We often find it hard to remember that we are not what we look like, but, if you remind yourself of this, you can realise there is so much more to you than appearance.
Cultivate a healthy environment. Put yourself in a healthier place. Keeping fresh fruits and veggies around, eating healthy and exercising are great ways to love your body (and yourself!). And don't forget to take care of your mental health. Consider meditation to get your mind in a calmer, happier place.
Dive into self love. Okay, so you're having trouble loving yourself. You look in the mirror and think, "YUCK!" Try looking into self-help books or blogs that encourage positive thinking about life and, more specifically, about body image. Sometimes reading up on loving yourself can really help you put it into action.
Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities. Think about what you do well. Your body is only a part of who you are. You might be a great writer, a great athlete, an amazing parent. No matter what you are, there is more to you than your appearance. Embrace what you're good at and spend more time indulging in these activities.
Forget about comparisons. Stop comparing yourself to others. No matter what you do, you probably will not ever look like Heidi Klum or Brad Pitt. But that's okay! You are beautiful in your own way and you will always and forever be you. Accept yourself, love yourself, and stop looking to others to see what you "should" look like.
Get moving! I don't know about you, but when I get in a not-loving-myself funk, I don't want to do anything. I just want to lay around and think about how pathetic it is that I'm not doing anything by laying around. Break the cycle. Get off the couch and use that awesome bod!
Have hope. Even if you're struggling with self-love, don't give up hope. It might be hard right now, but the more effort and time you put into it, the more you will learn to love yourself. Hope is crucial when it comes to learning to love yourself. Believe in your own ability to achieve self-love.
Indulge in what you love. Every so often let yourself eat or do whatever you wouldn't normally. I'm sure you've read this a million times, but if you completely cut yourself off from something, you're more likely to go nuts the next time it comes along so let yourself indulge every once and awhile.
Join something fun. Joining a group (or even starting a blog, which feels like joining something) can really help you with your image of yourself. Meet new people. Try new things. Being happy in general can make you happier with how you look so check out some groups you can join.
Keep thinking positively. Ah, my favourite! Keep thinking positively - no matter what. So you gained 5 pounds. So you got a terrible haircut. So what. Keep thinking positively! No matter how bad you feel about yourself, there is always something good. Focus on the good, the positive, and push the negative from your mind.
Let go of your past. You were a size ten in school. Sure, that's great, but you're not in school anymore. Remind yourself that this is where you are now. You may have been something else in the past - thinner, prettier, more muscular - but here you are now. In the present. Love who you are right now.
Motivate yourself. You are the best motivational tool you have. Other people might encourage you, but only YOU can really motivate yourself. Do whatever you have to to remind yourself how great you are. Read books. Get off the couch. Talk to friends. Do whatever you have to, to motivate your inner desire for self love.
Never say never. You're looking in the mirror moaning, "I will never lose this weight." You know what? You're right. With that attitude, you won't make any changes at all. You'll settle, thinking there's no hope, and you'll be unhappy. If you believe you can change something, you can. Never say never.
Open up to new ideas. Try something different. If you're not in love with your look, try something new. New clothes. New makeup. New workout routine. Experimenting with new things isn't going to solve your body image issues (that comes from within), but you can give yourself a little boost by trying out something new.
Put on your best outfit. Sometimes just a change of clothes can change your perspective. Don't stay in sweatpants all day. Don't settle for average or blah or you will feel average and blah. Dress up. Put in the effort and you'll feel a lot better about yourself.
Question your perception. You look in the mirror. You see ugly, fat, tired. But is that what's really there? As I talked about in my last post, your mind can really distort your thoughts. Sometimes what we see isn't what's really there. Keep the positive thoughts in the forefront. Avoid looking for the bad and try to keep a positive outlook.
Remember what you love. You hate your stomach, but your love your eyes. You hate your arms, but you love your thighs. Focus on the good parts of you. We often spend so much time obsessing about what we don't like about ourselves that we forget to spend time thinking about what we do love. Make a list of your favorite parts of you (including those that aren't physical!).
Stop judging. You are your worst critic. You are judging yourself much, much more harshly than anyone around you is. Stop it. Stop it right now. There is absolutely no good reason to critique yourself in a harsh or demeaning manner. Love yourself first and the world will love you too.
Take time for you. Your body is the only one you have. Take time to pamper yourself. Do whatever you have to do to get some quality alone time. Take a bath. Take a walk. Take a vacation. Whatever you do, take some time to be alone with yourself, to rejuvenate your body and your mind.
Understand your needs. What do you really need? What makes your body happy? When you exercise and eat healthy foods, does your body feel better? When you get plenty of rest, do you wake up refreshed? Think about what your body asks for and give it what it needs. The better your body feels, the better you will feel about it.
Vacate your mind. Sometimes we become prisoners in our own minds. Sometimes we obsess about our looks and our appearance to the point that it's unhealthy. If you're doing this, stop. Get out of your mind and free yourself.
Watch what you say. Are you always saying to your friends, "Ugh, I look terrible." or "This make me look fat?"? If so, think about what you're saying. The more negative things you say about yourself, the more you will start to really believe what you're saying (and others might too). Try, just once, saying, "Wow, I look great!”
X-ray your desires. Think about - I mean, really think about - why you want that piece of chocolate cake or that new handbag. Will external things make you feel better? You bet! But the feel-good feelings are only temporary. Lasting happiness comes from within so give some thought to what you really want.
Yank yourself out of a routine. Routines can be deadly. They set us in patterns that feel old and tired, that make us feel as if we are old and tired. Some routines are good and necessary, but what routines do you have in your life that aren't good? What can you do to change them, to make them more positive experiences?
Zap any negative thoughts. Last but certainly not least! Getting rid of negative thoughts about yourself and your body is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Whatever you need to do to do this, do it. Read books. Go on a retreat. Get rid of negative people in your life. Whatever you do, be positive about you!
As so many of us know, self-love is a hard thing to master. Too often, we have issues about our appearance and body that hinder us from thinking positively about ourselves. It is essential that we rid our lives of negative self-talk and, instead, focus on what is wonderful about the people we are. If you aren't doing so right now, start loving yourself. It is the first and most important step to living a positive, present life.
xx
Thursday, 24 February 2011
24th February 2011
Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write one!
Well I made the balsamic strawberries again yesterday but this time I used artificial sweetener, the powder variety instead of sugar and I couldn’t tell the difference so they were zero ProPoints and I served them with warm cooked chicken and I really enjoyed it, and mom did, so I’m not the only freaky eater in my house!
I also made a lamb tagine yesterday which was ok, nothing special the lamb would’ve been delicious but Alfie kept begging so I got the olives and he got the lamb!
Lots of people including myself write “TO DO” lists, but I’ve discovered since I’ve started cooking more and paying attention to the importance of enjoying what I eat, that I’m now writing “TO EAT” lists, and I love them, on the top of my list at the moment is Crunchy Nut Cornflakes! Not exactly exquisite food I know, but I had them last weekend in London and really enjoyed them, then thought to myself I must get me some of those. I’ve bought a box and usually I would’ve had a bowl by now but I’d already planned the last few day’s meals and not had the ProPoints left to include them, and there’s no rush is there. I’ll probably have them tonight for my tea, after 5 meetings I’m usually shattered so a huge bowl of Crunchy Nut will no doubt make me smile, plus I’ll have lots of ProPoints which means a very big bowl! One thing I’ve realised over the last few years is as much as I’d like to, and as hard as I’ve tried to in the past, I can’t eat everything, it’s impossible and not very good for me either ;) So now I’m happy to wait until I have space in my meal plan and I know when I do eat them, they will be amazing.
I’ve started sending texts out to my members and it’s lovely to get the responses and find out how you’re doing during the week, so if you’re not already receiving them, text me on 07739 968678 with your name and the meeting your attend, i.e. “Beverley Longsden Monday am” and I will add you, you can also remove yourself at anytime by replying stop to any of them.
Over the last few days, two of my closest friends have had it rough with one thing or another, the one, bless her feels like the whole worlds against her and the people she loves at the moment, and I think we’ve all been there at one time, you’re staring at the mountain in your life, and you're not only wondering how you can get over it, but why you even have to face it in the first place.
It made me think, "I don't know why if there is a god he allows war or let's good people get cancer. I do know that if I focus on all the bad things, I'll just be unhappy all the time, and I'm very protective of my happiness."
A great comediennes quip is that, from the moment we're born, people are trying to steal our joy. It's true, and that's why I absolutely refuse to let some things get me down. I can't, because I know that if I give worry a minute, she'll take my whole day. So I insist on enjoying myself even when things aren't going right. I listen to music, go for a walk or find that one sliver of humour in a bad situation. I don't even hang out with constantly negative people. It's become an act of will - a militant resistance against the forces that seek to steal my joy. Operation Happiness... by any means necessary.
So if you've been struggling to hold on to happiness, I've got good news for you. Are you ready?
You can be happy. Yes, you. Happy. Right now. And better yet, you can stay happy if you'd like to. You may have to dig deep to find it, and when you have it, you'll need to protect it. It sounds like work, and it is, but remember that your joy is precious. It's a gift, and it's worth the fight.
So think about it, what makes you happy? In a gloomy day, where you do you find your sunshine? Why not post it on our wall and let’s make everyone else smile today. You may not be the weight you want to be right now, but being positive and happy will help you get there quicker!
Well I made the balsamic strawberries again yesterday but this time I used artificial sweetener, the powder variety instead of sugar and I couldn’t tell the difference so they were zero ProPoints and I served them with warm cooked chicken and I really enjoyed it, and mom did, so I’m not the only freaky eater in my house!
I also made a lamb tagine yesterday which was ok, nothing special the lamb would’ve been delicious but Alfie kept begging so I got the olives and he got the lamb!
Lots of people including myself write “TO DO” lists, but I’ve discovered since I’ve started cooking more and paying attention to the importance of enjoying what I eat, that I’m now writing “TO EAT” lists, and I love them, on the top of my list at the moment is Crunchy Nut Cornflakes! Not exactly exquisite food I know, but I had them last weekend in London and really enjoyed them, then thought to myself I must get me some of those. I’ve bought a box and usually I would’ve had a bowl by now but I’d already planned the last few day’s meals and not had the ProPoints left to include them, and there’s no rush is there. I’ll probably have them tonight for my tea, after 5 meetings I’m usually shattered so a huge bowl of Crunchy Nut will no doubt make me smile, plus I’ll have lots of ProPoints which means a very big bowl! One thing I’ve realised over the last few years is as much as I’d like to, and as hard as I’ve tried to in the past, I can’t eat everything, it’s impossible and not very good for me either ;) So now I’m happy to wait until I have space in my meal plan and I know when I do eat them, they will be amazing.
I’ve started sending texts out to my members and it’s lovely to get the responses and find out how you’re doing during the week, so if you’re not already receiving them, text me on 07739 968678 with your name and the meeting your attend, i.e. “Beverley Longsden Monday am” and I will add you, you can also remove yourself at anytime by replying stop to any of them.
Over the last few days, two of my closest friends have had it rough with one thing or another, the one, bless her feels like the whole worlds against her and the people she loves at the moment, and I think we’ve all been there at one time, you’re staring at the mountain in your life, and you're not only wondering how you can get over it, but why you even have to face it in the first place.
It made me think, "I don't know why if there is a god he allows war or let's good people get cancer. I do know that if I focus on all the bad things, I'll just be unhappy all the time, and I'm very protective of my happiness."
A great comediennes quip is that, from the moment we're born, people are trying to steal our joy. It's true, and that's why I absolutely refuse to let some things get me down. I can't, because I know that if I give worry a minute, she'll take my whole day. So I insist on enjoying myself even when things aren't going right. I listen to music, go for a walk or find that one sliver of humour in a bad situation. I don't even hang out with constantly negative people. It's become an act of will - a militant resistance against the forces that seek to steal my joy. Operation Happiness... by any means necessary.
So if you've been struggling to hold on to happiness, I've got good news for you. Are you ready?
You can be happy. Yes, you. Happy. Right now. And better yet, you can stay happy if you'd like to. You may have to dig deep to find it, and when you have it, you'll need to protect it. It sounds like work, and it is, but remember that your joy is precious. It's a gift, and it's worth the fight.
So think about it, what makes you happy? In a gloomy day, where you do you find your sunshine? Why not post it on our wall and let’s make everyone else smile today. You may not be the weight you want to be right now, but being positive and happy will help you get there quicker!
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
23 February 2011
Do you know why a cars' windshield is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. Look ahead and move on!
The rain woke me up at 4am this morning and when I looked out of the window one of the poor stray cats is on the fence across the road, he’s just so timid and its so sad, he won’t go in the cat kennel I had made, the other one loves it but he likes to be high up. So I couldn’t go back to sleep because I feel bad for the cat, so here I am typing.
I had a fab day on track yesterday, made Strawberries in balsamic vinegar they were delicious and I would recommend them, I’m going to make them again and have them with a cooked chicken, which might sound wierd to a few of you but I quite like mixing flavours ;D
I smiled to myself last night as I listened to two gorgeous members talking to each other, it’s not very often I get a lull when I’m weighing so I don’t really get to hear what’s happening before I start my talk. So it was lovely to overhear these two talking about their success at the scales that week and how neither of them had expected it because they’d been out on the razzle that weekend. They both had agreed before getting weighed that they hadn’t regretted going out and having a great time and would take any gain on the chin, because they realised that this was a lifestyle change not a short term solution. Hearing that really made my day, especially as they were both young so they’ve obviously learnt it much quicker than I did!
I really do feel that I have the best job in the world, it’s wonderful when I see the light come on in people, it’s fabulous when I see members get to their goal weight, we had two yesterday become gold members and that’s always wonderful. There’s also their stories outside Weight Watchers, one member was telling me last night that she’s been promoted thanks to her weight loss, her boss told her that she’s come on in leaps and bounds because with her weight loss she’s gained confidence. All these things are so wonderful to witness.
Writing that has just made me this of a story, in his book, The Star Thrower, Loren E. Eiseley talks of the day when he was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Eiseley observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea otherwise they would die.
Eiseley then asked how saving a few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy picked up a starfish and as he threw it back said "It's going to make a lot of difference to this one!"
Eiseley left the boy and went home to continue writing, only to find he could not type a single word. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish into the sea.
How you live your life and what you do with it shapes not only your own future but that of the world.
That’s what makes my job fabulous, I get to make a difference, and I truly believe that’s made a difference to my life, I’m much happier now. It’s good to be a contributor, try it, I don’t mean become a Weight Watcher leader, but why not, I mean be involved and in love with life and all the possibilities of what it means to be human.
Each of us will define and measure success differently. Some will place more emphasis on the economic scorecard than others. No matter what your choice, if you are to succeed, you must understand that your rewards in life will be in direct proportion to the contribution you make, that includes to yourself and others!
So each night, before you go to sleep, ask yourself two simple questions:
Did I today, in some way, grow as a human being?
Did I today, in anyway, make the world a better place in which to live?
Simple questions sure enough. When you can answer yes to these questions more often than not, you are winning - you are successful. Life’s not all about your weight, you’re so much more than what you read on the scales.
xx
The rain woke me up at 4am this morning and when I looked out of the window one of the poor stray cats is on the fence across the road, he’s just so timid and its so sad, he won’t go in the cat kennel I had made, the other one loves it but he likes to be high up. So I couldn’t go back to sleep because I feel bad for the cat, so here I am typing.
I had a fab day on track yesterday, made Strawberries in balsamic vinegar they were delicious and I would recommend them, I’m going to make them again and have them with a cooked chicken, which might sound wierd to a few of you but I quite like mixing flavours ;D
I smiled to myself last night as I listened to two gorgeous members talking to each other, it’s not very often I get a lull when I’m weighing so I don’t really get to hear what’s happening before I start my talk. So it was lovely to overhear these two talking about their success at the scales that week and how neither of them had expected it because they’d been out on the razzle that weekend. They both had agreed before getting weighed that they hadn’t regretted going out and having a great time and would take any gain on the chin, because they realised that this was a lifestyle change not a short term solution. Hearing that really made my day, especially as they were both young so they’ve obviously learnt it much quicker than I did!
I really do feel that I have the best job in the world, it’s wonderful when I see the light come on in people, it’s fabulous when I see members get to their goal weight, we had two yesterday become gold members and that’s always wonderful. There’s also their stories outside Weight Watchers, one member was telling me last night that she’s been promoted thanks to her weight loss, her boss told her that she’s come on in leaps and bounds because with her weight loss she’s gained confidence. All these things are so wonderful to witness.
Writing that has just made me this of a story, in his book, The Star Thrower, Loren E. Eiseley talks of the day when he was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. Eiseley observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea otherwise they would die.
Eiseley then asked how saving a few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy picked up a starfish and as he threw it back said "It's going to make a lot of difference to this one!"
Eiseley left the boy and went home to continue writing, only to find he could not type a single word. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish into the sea.
How you live your life and what you do with it shapes not only your own future but that of the world.
That’s what makes my job fabulous, I get to make a difference, and I truly believe that’s made a difference to my life, I’m much happier now. It’s good to be a contributor, try it, I don’t mean become a Weight Watcher leader, but why not, I mean be involved and in love with life and all the possibilities of what it means to be human.
Each of us will define and measure success differently. Some will place more emphasis on the economic scorecard than others. No matter what your choice, if you are to succeed, you must understand that your rewards in life will be in direct proportion to the contribution you make, that includes to yourself and others!
So each night, before you go to sleep, ask yourself two simple questions:
Did I today, in some way, grow as a human being?
Did I today, in anyway, make the world a better place in which to live?
Simple questions sure enough. When you can answer yes to these questions more often than not, you are winning - you are successful. Life’s not all about your weight, you’re so much more than what you read on the scales.
xx
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
22nd February 2011
WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away todays' PEACE!
As expected I gained yesterday after my lovely weekend away, I was a little surprised to see it was 2.5lb though! Hey ho, it’ll be gone this week, it’s what I like to call jelly fat and I’ll get it off before it sets. Luckily my members were having more success than me yesterday losing well over 125lb.
I was pleased to say I managed to get right back on track after my weekend and had a really good day yesterday, I can honestly say I think I’ve gone off MacDonalds, I remember thinking when I was eating it on the train, this is nothing special, I realised I only enjoy the fries if I dunk them in sweet and sour sauce which actually means I like the sauce not the fries and the burger seemed a bit boring after some of the meals I’ve been cooking lately – I can’t believe I’ve just said that! I used to worship the big mac.
Yesterday I sliced some courgette thinly using a potato peeler, popped a bit of boursin light (or philidelphia light) on one slice, then added another couple of slices and a bit of cut up sun dried tomato, then rolled them and roasted for 20 minutes, they were delicious. I also had sweet potato mash with spring onions, for speed I microwaved the potato and because the skins thicker than an ordinary potato the middle scooped out really easily.
Today I’m going to do something with Salmon but not sure yet, need to get on the Weight Watchers esource and see what suggestions they have. I’m also going to be making Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, we’re talking about fruit this week and this was a suggestion on the train Sunday from a friend of mine, below is a recipe I found online. I know it sounds odd but apparently its divine.
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, Serves 6, 1pp each serving
This is a unique, gourmet way to serve this fantastic summer fruit! The balsamic vinegar brings out the berries' beautiful colour and truly enhances their flavour. Great served by themselves, or over vanilla ice cream for extra ProPoints.
450 g fresh strawberries, hulled and large berries cut in half
30ml balsamic vinegar
50g white sugar (6pp)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar over strawberries, and sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently to combine. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries.
Well that’s my morning started perfectly, ‘talking about food’, have a great day everyone and remember, weight loss isn’t a fad thing, it’s a forever thing. xx
As expected I gained yesterday after my lovely weekend away, I was a little surprised to see it was 2.5lb though! Hey ho, it’ll be gone this week, it’s what I like to call jelly fat and I’ll get it off before it sets. Luckily my members were having more success than me yesterday losing well over 125lb.
I was pleased to say I managed to get right back on track after my weekend and had a really good day yesterday, I can honestly say I think I’ve gone off MacDonalds, I remember thinking when I was eating it on the train, this is nothing special, I realised I only enjoy the fries if I dunk them in sweet and sour sauce which actually means I like the sauce not the fries and the burger seemed a bit boring after some of the meals I’ve been cooking lately – I can’t believe I’ve just said that! I used to worship the big mac.
Yesterday I sliced some courgette thinly using a potato peeler, popped a bit of boursin light (or philidelphia light) on one slice, then added another couple of slices and a bit of cut up sun dried tomato, then rolled them and roasted for 20 minutes, they were delicious. I also had sweet potato mash with spring onions, for speed I microwaved the potato and because the skins thicker than an ordinary potato the middle scooped out really easily.
Today I’m going to do something with Salmon but not sure yet, need to get on the Weight Watchers esource and see what suggestions they have. I’m also going to be making Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, we’re talking about fruit this week and this was a suggestion on the train Sunday from a friend of mine, below is a recipe I found online. I know it sounds odd but apparently its divine.
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar, Serves 6, 1pp each serving
This is a unique, gourmet way to serve this fantastic summer fruit! The balsamic vinegar brings out the berries' beautiful colour and truly enhances their flavour. Great served by themselves, or over vanilla ice cream for extra ProPoints.
450 g fresh strawberries, hulled and large berries cut in half
30ml balsamic vinegar
50g white sugar (6pp)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar over strawberries, and sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently to combine. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries.
Well that’s my morning started perfectly, ‘talking about food’, have a great day everyone and remember, weight loss isn’t a fad thing, it’s a forever thing. xx
Monday, 21 February 2011
21st February 2011
Laughter is inner jogging. Norman Cousins
Well I had the best weekend in London, we went to see Russell Howard at the 02 and he’s a very, very funny man who kept us laughing for a good two hours. I did manage to send an email to you all on the train on the way back, but I’ve noticed that the emails I send don’t always arrive in your inbox! I copy all the emails I send to my blog www.wwbevsworld.blogspot.com and to the discussion board on my facebook group wall so if yours doesn’t arrive that’s where you can go to look.
I won’t be losing weight this morning mainly due to MacDonalds, Pizza Express and a Travelodge Buffet breakfast, but it was Vicky’s birthday weekend and that’s where she wanted to eat, although I think Maccy’s might have been my idea and I enjoyed it, although Pizza Express I wasn’t impressed and left some on my plate – I’m actually getting better at that and also with the buffet not stuffing myself silly. It’s impossible to ignore eating out when you’re away and to be honest would you want to as it’s part of the fun. It doesn’t have to be evil to your ProPoints allowance though, having looked the pizza in Pizza Express the highest one is 29 and we shared a starter of dough ball between 3 or us, I skipped dessert although I did have a liqueur coffee instead!
So whatever happens at the scales today, I’m back on track already and I had the best weekend so it’s all good. Hopefully everyone’s on track with me too.
I need to buy some frozen berries this week so I can start making smoothies again, I miss them and they’re so filling and quick. Smoothies are not only deliciously tasty but they’re also perfect to have for breakfast, as they’re full of goodness. Adding oats and nuts to them is great, because it helps slow down the absorption of the sugar from the fruit into your bloodstream, which gives you more energy for longer. The great thing about frozen fruit is that it’s been picked at it’s best, at the right time, and hasn’t been forced to grow out of season, like so much of the ‘fresh’ fruit on offer these days. It’s also cheaper and far more convenient – it will happily keep in your freezer for months on end, so any time you fancy a smoothie, you can have one!
Here’s a Jamie Oliver recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie
Makes 2 glasses – 4pp each without honey, 6pp each with honey
1 ripe banana
1 glass of frozen fruit of your choice: mango, blackcurrants or strawberries
2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 small handful of oats
1 small handful of mixed nuts
1 glass of skimmed milk
Optional: runny honey to taste
Peel and slice your banana and put it into liquidizer with your frozen fruit and the yogurt. Whizz it up and ad the oats and nuts. Add the milk and whizz again, until nice and smooth. If it’s a bit too thick for you, just add more milk and whizz again. Give it a good stir, then have a taste, if it needs extra sweetness you could add a little honey to taste.
If you’ve made a smoothie and it was superdooper, let me know what ingredients you used so we can share the ideas.
Have a marvellous Monday and a wonderful week xx
Well I had the best weekend in London, we went to see Russell Howard at the 02 and he’s a very, very funny man who kept us laughing for a good two hours. I did manage to send an email to you all on the train on the way back, but I’ve noticed that the emails I send don’t always arrive in your inbox! I copy all the emails I send to my blog www.wwbevsworld.blogspot.com and to the discussion board on my facebook group wall so if yours doesn’t arrive that’s where you can go to look.
I won’t be losing weight this morning mainly due to MacDonalds, Pizza Express and a Travelodge Buffet breakfast, but it was Vicky’s birthday weekend and that’s where she wanted to eat, although I think Maccy’s might have been my idea and I enjoyed it, although Pizza Express I wasn’t impressed and left some on my plate – I’m actually getting better at that and also with the buffet not stuffing myself silly. It’s impossible to ignore eating out when you’re away and to be honest would you want to as it’s part of the fun. It doesn’t have to be evil to your ProPoints allowance though, having looked the pizza in Pizza Express the highest one is 29 and we shared a starter of dough ball between 3 or us, I skipped dessert although I did have a liqueur coffee instead!
So whatever happens at the scales today, I’m back on track already and I had the best weekend so it’s all good. Hopefully everyone’s on track with me too.
I need to buy some frozen berries this week so I can start making smoothies again, I miss them and they’re so filling and quick. Smoothies are not only deliciously tasty but they’re also perfect to have for breakfast, as they’re full of goodness. Adding oats and nuts to them is great, because it helps slow down the absorption of the sugar from the fruit into your bloodstream, which gives you more energy for longer. The great thing about frozen fruit is that it’s been picked at it’s best, at the right time, and hasn’t been forced to grow out of season, like so much of the ‘fresh’ fruit on offer these days. It’s also cheaper and far more convenient – it will happily keep in your freezer for months on end, so any time you fancy a smoothie, you can have one!
Here’s a Jamie Oliver recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie
Makes 2 glasses – 4pp each without honey, 6pp each with honey
1 ripe banana
1 glass of frozen fruit of your choice: mango, blackcurrants or strawberries
2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 small handful of oats
1 small handful of mixed nuts
1 glass of skimmed milk
Optional: runny honey to taste
Peel and slice your banana and put it into liquidizer with your frozen fruit and the yogurt. Whizz it up and ad the oats and nuts. Add the milk and whizz again, until nice and smooth. If it’s a bit too thick for you, just add more milk and whizz again. Give it a good stir, then have a taste, if it needs extra sweetness you could add a little honey to taste.
If you’ve made a smoothie and it was superdooper, let me know what ingredients you used so we can share the ideas.
Have a marvellous Monday and a wonderful week xx
20th February 2011
Food is such an important part of our lives isn't it! This weekend whilst in London some of the most important decisions we made were where shall we eat and what shall we have. It's part of the weekend. Hell no sooner had we left Wolverhampton than we agrees we were on our holiday so should start in MacDonalds! On the train on the way home I listened to a lady on the phone telling the person on the other end her plans and they mainly involved eating out and a nice long, big breakfast at the hotel. Before we even got on the train I watched as people bought food and drink for the journey even my mate bought something ignoring the fact it'd been less than 2hrs since breakfast and the journey was only gonna last 2hrs but we've got that "I might get hungry" mentality, it's a inbuilt survival thing, especially for those of us with a weight problem :D
We opted for a buffet breakfast at the travelodge for £7.95 cos compared to most of London that was cheap and in the past I would have ensured I "got my monies worth" but this time I didn't I had what I fancied which was still more than i needed, so I skipped lunch to rectify the ProPoints balance.
We most definitely went over our weekly allowance this weekend but at the same time we had the best time ever so the weightless can wait another week, afterall it was V's birthday.
Hope yr weekend went well xx
We opted for a buffet breakfast at the travelodge for £7.95 cos compared to most of London that was cheap and in the past I would have ensured I "got my monies worth" but this time I didn't I had what I fancied which was still more than i needed, so I skipped lunch to rectify the ProPoints balance.
We most definitely went over our weekly allowance this weekend but at the same time we had the best time ever so the weightless can wait another week, afterall it was V's birthday.
Hope yr weekend went well xx
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