Are you letting the summer run you?....I know I do.......Here are a few tips

With the high temperatures, your body tends to lose water and sodium in form of sweat. Hence, it is important for you to drink plenty of water. Make sure that you keep a bottle of water with you always, be it your work-station, kitchen or car.

During summers make sure that you eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Besides providing you essential nutrients, they will aid in weight loss.

Include fruits and vegetables rich in water content like melons, oranges, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in your summer diet. These veggies and fruits will hydrate your body as well as drop your body temperature.

Avoid fast and junk foods as they are fat laden. The greasy and fried foods have heated thermal effect on your body and make you feel sluggish.

It is advisable to avoid carbonated, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks and beverages. These beverages contain preservatives which add on to your water loss through urine.

During summer people prefer to drink chilled liquids; it should be avoided as chilled liquids slightly constrict blood vessels. Constricted blood vessels reduces body heat loss via skin hence has negative impact on your health.

Say good-bye to your winter vegetables and fruits like spinach, garlic, beetroot, radish, hot peppers, grapefruit, pineapple etc. These vegetables and fruits tend to produce heat.

In order to restore all the lost nutrients, besides water, you may drink fruit juices.

Cut down your intake of spicy, hot and salty food. During summers try to stick to natural and light food.

Make sure to have a glass of water before and after any glass of alcohol. Water will fill you up in a healthier way.
  For those summer parties, have a party plan. Offer to bring a veggie, fruit, or shrimp tray as a guarantee you will have something healthy to munch on.
  Go easy on alcohol and specialty coffees. Wine has 85 calories. Ultra light beer has 150. Mixed drinks have 300 or more calories. Some lattes have as much as 600 calories! Keep track of what you are drinking!
Make weekly resolutions to stay away from the quantities of things you shouldn't eat. It's often easier to deal with things on a week to week basis.
  Get enough sleep. Not allowing your body enough rest and recovery can make you hold weight. 

Ingredients

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 multi-branch sprigs fresh thyme (about 1/3 ounce)
2 pounds purple or all-purpose white potatoes,
cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

yumm recipes Purple Mashed Potatoes

Directions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Rub off excess papery skin from garlic head without separating the cloves. Slice the tip off the
head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic in a small baking dish, such as a bread pan.
Drizzle with oil and lay thyme sprigs around it. Cover with foil. Roast until very soft, 30 to 45
minutes. Uncover and let cool.

About 15 minutes before the garlic is done, cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender,
8 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

Return the potatoes to the pot. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the potatoes.
Strain the oil through a fine sieve over the potatoes, pressing on the solids (discard the thyme).
Add sour cream, milk, salt and pepper; mash to desired consistency.

Makes 10 (1/2 CupServings)
Nutrition Information:
Calories 139, Fat 7 g, Carbs 16 g, Fiber 7 g, Protein 2 g

Weight-loss help: Gain control of emotional eating

Find out how emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts and get tips to regain control of your eating habits.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Sometimes the strongest cravings for food happen when you're at your weakest point emotionally. You may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously — when you're facing a difficult problem, stress or just looking to keep yourself occupied.

But emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Emotional eating often leads to eating too much, especially too much of high-calorie, sweet, fatty foods. But the good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.
The connection between mood, food and weight loss

Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Both major life events and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers may include:

• Unemployment
• Financial pressure
• Health problems
• Relationship conflicts
• Work stress
• Bad weather
• Fatigue
  

Although some people actually eat less in the face of strong emotions, if you're in emotional distress you may turn to impulsive or binge eating — you may rapidly eat whatever's convenient, without even enjoying it. In fact, your emotions may become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a sweet treat whenever you're angry or stressed without stopping to think about what you're doing.

Food also serves as a distraction. If you're worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.

Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you may also now bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel badly, and you overeat again.
Although negative emotions can trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings and renew your effort at weight loss. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:

• Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.
• Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
• Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between mood and food.
• Get support. You're more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
• Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you're not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
• Take away temptation. Don't keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they're hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you're sure that you have your emotions in check.
• Don't deprive yourself. When you're trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
• Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
• Get enough sleep. If you're constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.
• Seek therapy. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.

If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that will lead to better health.

Look no further…What makes this chicken de-licious is the incredible sauce! It’s a little sweet and a little spicy. You’ll notice one unusual ingredient on the list… Root beer! This ingredient really packs a punch with flavors of sassafras, sarsaparilla, cherry and ginger. I make this chicken skinny by removing the skin, using very little oil and adding diet root beer instead of regular, to the sauce. Each piece has about 141 calories, 3 grams of fat and 3 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. A regular piece has 294 calories and 20 grams of fat. I can’t wait for you to try it!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients for Chicken
1 package legs (about 6 pieces)
1 package thighs (about 6 thighs)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for Barbecue Sauce
1 cup onions, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
½ tablespoon olive oil
2 cups diet root beer
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sprinkle chicken with a little salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil. Cover chicken with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
3. In the meantime, make the barbecue sauce. In a nonstick pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes until onions are soft. Stir in root beer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to ½ cup, about 15 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it as it can burn easily.
2. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, Worcestershire and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
3. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice.
4. Remove cooked chicken from oven. Cool slightly. Remove and discard all the skin.
5. Dip chicken pieces into barbecue sauce to coat. Note: Since the chicken is already cooked there’s no need to worry about cross contamination. Grill covered for 5 minutes. Turn over and spread with more sauce. Continue to grill until charred, about 5 more minutes.
6. ***To broil instead of grill: Preheat broiler. Dip chicken pieces into barbecue sauce to coat. Place pieces on a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil for 5 minutes, turn over, coat with more sauce and broil for another 4-5 minutes until browned.
Makes 12 pieces

Weight Watchers (old points) 3
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 3
skinnykitchen

Busy, busy ,busy. I can not believe how this spring/summer is flying by. Don't forget to do something for you! I am still working out! I have missed some W.W. classes...:( I miss the ladies. But duty...my other jobs call..... I will be "home" soon! Everyone have a great holiday!

Big, Soft, Almost Fat Free Chocolate Cookies

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 24

Ingredients

• 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate square
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup white all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp table salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place the chocolate square in a small bowl and microwave on High 15 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving in 10 second increments until mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and continue stirring until completely melted. Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer on high, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy, about 30 seconds. Beat in both sugars and vanilla until creamy (about 1 minute). Beat in the melted chocolate. Remove the beaters and stir in the flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt all at once with a wooden spoon, just until moistened.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake until puffed, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches.

Notes

Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

1. Replace half the fat of any cookie recipe with an equivalent amount of unsweetened applesauce or mashed-up, ripe banana. If you do so, always double the amount of vanilla or other spices in the recipe.

2. Always cream the butter or shortening for at least 2 minutes in the mixer at medium speed. More tender cookies have more air beaten into the batter. But once you add the flour, never beat the batter, only stir with a wooden spoon, just until moistened and incorporated. You don’t want the glutens to get stiff.

3. If a recipe calls for two whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites; if it calls for 3 whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites.

4. Replace walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts with almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or unsalted sunflower seeds.

5. If you replace buttermilk or sour cream with low-fat buttermilk or fat-free sour cream, use cake flour rather than all-purpose flour for more tender cookies.

Tidymom

25 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself

Feeling less than motivated all too often? I do. Well, perhaps not too often. But sometimes I just feel really lazy and unmotivated.

Want some practical solutions to that universal motivation-problem? Here are 25 of them. Try a handful.

Let me know which ones work well for you.

I’m sure you’ll find at least one or two that do just that among these suggestions.

1. Make a deal with yourself. Good for overcoming procrastination and getting things done. You can make the deal small or large. You simple tell yourself something like: When I’m done with this chapter/these reports I can take a walk in the park and enjoy an ice-cream.

2. Act like it. If you don’t feel motivated or enthusiastic then act like it. The strange thing is that within a few minutes you actually start to feel motivated or enthusiastic for real.

3. Ask uplifting questions in the morning. Here’s what you do; every morning ask yourself five empowering three-part questions this way:

What am I ______ about in my life right now?
What about it makes me _______?
How does it make me feel?

Put in your own value in the blank space. For instance, a couple of my questions are:

What am I happy about in my life right now?
What am I excited about in my life right now?

It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel. When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now I really feel it. These morning questions are great because the way they are set up makes you recognize things you take for granted and then they really get you to feel those positive feelings.

4. Move the goalposts. Set a large and specific goal. This will motivate you much more than small goals. A big goal has a big effect and can create a lot of motivation.

5. Do something small and create a flow. Just clean your desk. Or pay your bills. Or wash the dishes. You just need to get started. When you have finished that small task you’ll feel more alert and ready to go do the next thing. You just to get started to get motivated. So if you really don’t feel like doing anything, start with something small and work your way out up.

6. Do the toughest task first. This will ease a lot of your day-to-day worries and boost your self-confidence for the rest of the day. Read more about doing the hardest task bright and early right here.

7. Start slow. Instead of jumping into something at full speed start slow. When you do that your mind will not visualize the task as something hard that you have to do fast, fast, fast. If your mind sees such things guess what often happens? Yep, you don’t get started. Actually getting started, even if it’s at a slow pace, is a whole lot better than not getting started at all.

8. Compare yourself with yourself. Not with others. Comparing what you have and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can really kill your motivation. There are always people ahead of you. Most likely quite a bit of people. And a few of them are miles ahead. So focus on you. On your results. And how you can and have improved them.

Reviewing your results is important so you see where you have gone wrong in the past to avoid similar missteps further on. But it’s also important because it’s a great motivator to see how much you have improved and how far you have come. Often you can be pleasantly surprised when you do such a review.

9. Remember your successes. And let them flow through your mind instead of your failures. Write down your successes. Consider using a journal of some kind since it’s easy to forget your successes.

10. Act like your heroes. Read about them, watch them, listen to them. Discover what they did that was special and what made them tick. But remember that they are people just like us. So let them inspire you instead of looking up at them admiringly.

11. Remember to have fun. Or create fun in a task. Then you’ll stay motivated to do and finish it.

12. Get out of your comfort zone. Face your challenges to get a real boost of motivation. If you are holding yourself back have a look at 5 Life-Changing Keys to Overcoming Your Fear and the methods in this article. They can help you get started and take that first scary step outside your comfort zone.

13. Don’t fear failure. Instead redefine it as feedback and as a natural part of a successful life. As Michael Jordan said:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Also, try to find the valuable lesson(s) in each of your failures. Ask yourself: What can I learn from this?

14. Do some research on what you are about to do. Then your expectations will be more grounded in reality and you can also get good hints on what difficulties that you might run into along the way. Managing your expectations can lower the often almost explosive initial enthusiasm. But it can also lessen the lack of motivation that usually follows when most of that enthusiasm has dissipated.

When you know what has happened to others in similar situations – what path they have walked – you can adapt and try their solutions (and personal variations of those) and your own. This makes the worries and challenges easier to handle. Both emotionally – since you know at least some of the things that will happen and that others have lived through it before – and practically.

15. Figure out why you´re doing something. If you don’t know or don’t have good enough reason to do something then it will be hard to get it done. Do things that you have really strong reasons to do. If you want to do something then figure out a good reason to do it. If you can’t find one consider dropping it and doing something that you have a good reason to do instead.

16. Write down your goals and reasons for working towards them. Tape them on your wall, computer or bathroom mirror. Then you’ll be reminded throughout the day and it becomes easier to stay on track and stay focused.

17. Take The Positivity Challenge! Learn to think more positively most of the time. Learn to let to go of negative threads of thought before they have a chance to take hold of you. You might not be able to be positive all the time no matter what happens. But I think most of us can improve on our positive thinking and the results it can lead us to. Perhaps more than you realize right now.

18. Cut down on TV. Do you watch it too much? Watch less of what they are doing in TV-land and do more of what you want to do in life.

19. Break it down. Break down your task or project into small steps. And just start with focusing on that first small step. When you are done move on to the next and just focus on that one. The small successes will keep your motivation up and keeping your focus away from the big picture stops you from becoming overwhelmed and discouraged. It’s amazing how much you can get done if you follow this simple method.

20. Reprogram your information intake. Program out negative and cynical thoughts from the media and society. Reduce your information intake. Then program in positive news and entertainment, more of your own thoughts and useful information such as personal growth tapes and books. Be selective and keep it positive.

21. Make use of your creativity. Take out a piece of paper. Write at the top of the page what area in your life you would like to have more ideas about. Perhaps you want ideas to earn more money or become a healthier person. Then brainstorm until you have written down 20 ideas on that topic. Then try for 10 more. Not all ideas will be good. But some will. And as you make use of your creativity you not only discover useful ideas. You also discover just how creative you can be if you try and how motivating and great that feels. Have a look at 8 Ways to Spark Your Creativity for more ideas on this topic.

22. Find out what makes you happy. Then do that. As much as you want or can.

23. Listen while you’re on the move. Build your own small library of motivational/personal development tapes. Listen to them while you are driving, riding the bus or your bike, while you are out running or walking. Take a peek at my recommended personal development products if you are looking for a good place to start.

24. Think outside your box. Don’t imagine the future from the box of what you have now. Just because your mind is in box of previous experiences doesn’t mean that´s the limits of the world. Your possibilities are much larger. Create the future from the now and from nothing rather than your past to experience bigger changes with fewer limitations than you would if you created it from what you can see from your box.

25. Make each day count. We don’t have all the time in the world. So focus on today and do the things you really want to do.

Chipotle Stewed Chicken and Potatoes Recipe

Summary: Hearty and delicious, it’s hard to believe that this is a healthy chicken recipe. The flavors work very well together, and the chicken breasts are moist and delicious. The perfect, quick weeknight dinner recipe.

Ingredients

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 4 fillets
• 4 medium sized potatoes, sliced into sixths (I used Russett)
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups fat free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp chipotle seasoning blend
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Spray a large Dutch oven with nonfat cooking spray and set over medium high heat.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and then rub chipotle seasoning all over both sides of chicken.
3. Place chicken in Dutch oven and cook until each side is browned (about 3-4 minutes each side).
4. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add in the onions and sauté until onions become tender, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add in broth and then return chicken to pan. Add in tomatoes and garlic powder.
6. Let simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
7. Turn heat to low and add in potatoes. Cook on low, gently stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft and tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Diet tags: Reduced fat, High protein

Number of servings (yield): 4

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Entire recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1 breast and about 1 cup of potatoes and sauce
Each serving = 7 Points +
PER SERVING: 273 calories; 3g fat; 35g carbohydrates; 29g protein; 4g fiber

Read more: http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/04/12/chipotle-stewed-chicken-potatoes-recipe/#ixzz1uwyciAhF

Have you ever..........just really took a deep breath? Smelled the outdoors? Felt ALIVE~!!!  I had a moment this morning, feeling frustrated~needing  a good feeling...sometimes , I sigh....well, that is all it took. I had a moment. I actually was sent somewhere. I am not sure where. But I felt fresh, healthy, and alive.  I encourage you to just really relieve your mind of all worries, and see if it will work for you.  Literally I was walking down the highway. So, it wasn't like I was in yoga or anything. I do believe this  can happen anywhere. I am not sure if it will happen again, but I am grateful.  

This is a crazy week. Catering at a turbo speed. We have graduations this week. So, I am making cake, mints, cupcakes, at all hours. So, I am not taking care of myself very well. But, I bring this on myself, I know. So, I missed class last week and will also miss it this week. I am in the need of inspiration. So, I blogged...you  all do inspire me. Thank you!!!

 

No Bake Strawberry Pie

This pie just says, "Summer"!

serves 8 ( 8 points +)

         25 Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers

• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
• ⅓ c. powdered sugar
• ¾ tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. Cool Whip Free
• 2 T. seedless strawberry or raspberry preserves
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb. small strawberries, hulled and cut in half
  

Place chocolate wafers in a food processor and process until finely ground. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe dish and microwave 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring every 15 seconds. Add melted chocolate and canola oil to the food processor; process until well combined.
Press chocolate mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in Cool Whip. Carefully spread over crust.


Place preserves in a large bowl. Microwave 10-15 seconds or until softened. Add lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Add berries and toss to coat. Arrange berries over pie.


Chill 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Had a couple of people ask about....I hope this recipe!  Here are a couple of versions. Let me know ladies!!! Hope everyone is doing welllllllll!!! Track and read my blog and exercise.....what else can we do??  :) xxoo el

Yogurt Fluff - Only 1 Weight Watchers Point! Recipe - Food.com - 406964

Yogurt Fluff - Only 1 Weight Watchers Point! Recipe - Food.com - 406964

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

12 oz. Fat Free Yogurt (Key Lime, Lemon, Strawberry, any flavor to match the Jello)

1 box. Sugar Free Jello mix (same flavor as yogurt).

8 oz. Fat Free Cool Whip

1/4 c. water

1 Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Crust

Directions

Boil water, add Jello mix and stir until dissolved.

Whisk yogurt into jello.

Fold in Cool Whip.

Pour into pie shell and refrigerate.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SEASPARROW.

Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie Recipe - Food.com - 158671

Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie Recipe - Food.com - 158671