Here are a few ideas for your holiday parties!

photo credit: ctw fitness

Coleslaw is pretty much always a staple at any summer picnic or BBQ. And if you are a Weight Watcher, most of those coleslaw recipes can have some pretty scary stats which can use up a lot of your allotted Daily Points Plus Allowance. But try making this slimmed down version instead, and you’ll satisfy your craving for crisp and creamy coleslaw, but you’ll only be sacrificing 2 Points + for each 1 cup serving. Combining some traditional coleslaw ingredients with some not so traditional ones gives this tasty, low calorie side dish recipe a wonderful flavor, while still fulfilling the sweet and creamy texture you’d expect. So the next time you want a great idea for a Weight Watchers Side Dish Recipe, give this Creamy Coleslaw with Red Onion and Apple a try.

Creamy Coleslaw Recipe

Don’t feel guilty about serving coleslaw at your next Weight Watchers friendly summer meal…instead try this healthier version that has just 2 Points + per serving. It makes a wonderful and light no cook summer recipe that’s easy and satisfying!

Ingredients

• 1 small head green cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 2 small red apples, peeled, cored, shredded
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fat free mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, celery salt, pepper and sugar.
2. Add in the cabbage, onion, carrot and apple, and toss well to coat.
3. Cover and place in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend and marinate. Toss again before serving.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 0 minutes (s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Diet tags: Low calorie, Reduced fat, Reduced carbohydrate

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 2 Points +
PER SERVING: 76 calories; 0 g fat; 15 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber


Read more: http://www.laaloosh.com/2011/08/15/creamy-coleslaw-recipe/#ixzz1zCH4bDVp

Try this classic American Macaroni Salad Recipe at your next picnic or barbeque this summer, and enjoy a low calorie side dish that tastes so good, it’s hard to believe it’s Weight Watchers friendly. Each 1 cup serving has just 4 Points +, and trust me when I tell you that it is not lacking in fabulous flavor or creamy texture at all. By using less mayo, a healthier pasta, and adding in some plain non fat Greek yogurt, I was able to put a much healthier spin on a traditionally fattening recipe. Now you can enjoy this popular BBQ recipe and not feel an ounce of guilt. Seriously folks, if you love yourself some creamy macaroni salad recipes, this low calorie version is a must try!

Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe

This classic, creamy macaroni salad recipe is a real hit and is sure not to disappoint. Loaded with all the amazing flavor and texture you’d expect, but with a lot less fat and calories, making it just 4 Points + per 1 cup serving. Make this as your next summer BBQ recipe and everyone will be happy.

Ingredients

• 6 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste Macaroni Pasta
• 6 sweet gherkin pickles
• 1 red bell bepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain, fat free Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Prepare macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add in peppers, onion, pickles, celery, and parsley.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika.
4. Pour over macaroni and toss well to combine. Serve chilled.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Diet tags: Low calorie, Reduced fat

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1 full cup
Each serving = 4 Points +
PER SERVING: 187 calories; 5 g fat; 27 carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber


Read more: http://www.laaloosh.com/2011/08/02/classic-macaroni-salad-recipe/#ixzz1zCHl0gS6

photo credit: clean eating

Can you really ever get tired of trying out new versions of Weight Watchers Potato Salad Recipes? I know I certainly can’t! There’s something about potato salads that I just cannot resist, and I love experimenting with different ways to prepare them. One of my favorite versions, is this Minted Potato salad Recipe with Peas and Cauliflower. The cauliflower and peas help give the dish some extra bulk, while the tangy, creamy minted dressing adds a deliciously unexpected flavor. The colors and textures are beautiful, making this low calorie Potato Salad Recipe a great way to add some pizazz to your summer picnic or barbeque. Enjoy!

Minted Potato Salad Recipe with Peas and Cauliflower

Another delicious twist on a traditional potato salad that is so yummy, it’s hard to believe each serving has just 2 Points +. It makes a perfect, low calorie summer recipe to dress up your summer BBQ or picnic.

Ingredients

• 1 lb baby red potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 tbsp fat free mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan, bring potatoes and cauliflower to a boil and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes, adding in the peas during the last 2 minutes. Drain and let cool a bit. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, wine, mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes and cauliflower.
3. Add in the chopped mint and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 12 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Diet tags: Low calorie, Reduced fat, Reduced carbohydrate

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 2 Points +
PER SERVING: 112 calories; 0 g fat; 20 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber


Read more: http://www.laaloosh.com/2011/07/14/minted-potato-salad-recipe-with-peas-and-cauliflower/#ixzz1zCHvwf1H

If you want a delicious low calorie salad recipe that’s easy to make and would make a great addition to your Weight Watchers 4th of July Recipes, then you came to the right place today! This Broccoli Bacon Salad Side Dish Recipe is a wonderful and healthy addition to just about any meal. Instead of the same old boring salads you see at every Fourth of July BBQ, why not live things up with this tasty salad instead? With each 1 cup serving having just 2 Points +, you can serve a delicious dish that everyone will love while still staying on track with your Weight Watchers goals. And did I mention it has bacon and mayo?!?!!? Yeah….this one is a must try!

Broccoli and Bacon Salad Recipe

For just 2 Points Plus per serving, why not serve this healthy side dish recipe at your summer barbeque this year? Or take it along as Weight Watchers friendly dish to a potluck! Either way, it’s a tasty low calorie salad recipe that everyone will love and will still help keep you from going overboard with your daily Points Plus Allowance.

Ingredients

• 4 cups broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups jicama, chopped into small, bite sized pieces
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 6 slices cooked extra lean turkey bacon, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt plain
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add broccoli, jicama, onions, bacon, cranberries and pepper; stir to coat with the dressing.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time:

Diet tags: Low calorie, Reduced fat, Reduced carbohydrate, Raw

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1 cup
Each serving = 2 Points +
PER SERVING: 92 calories; 3 g fat; 13 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber


Read more: http://www.laaloosh.com/2011/06/28/broccoli-and-bacon-salad-recipe/#ixzz1zCIEazUy

Weight Loss Motivation Tips for Women: No More Excuses!
Weight Loss Motivation Tip #1 – Get Some Gear!
Your gym gear really forms the basis of your workouts. If you aren’t serious about your equipment, you probably won’t be serious about hitting the gym on a regular basis. Something as simple as uncomfortable gym pants can wreak havoc on your workout motivation.
For starters, invest in some gym clothes that are comfortable and make you feel good (you don’t have to go with the most expensive options here). I also highly recommend a good pair of gym shoes , and a decent gym bag to keep all of your equipment organized
Weight Loss Motivation Tip #2 – Get Organized!
Go to the gym prepared (with everything you might need), and you’ll be more likely to see your workouts through! So many workouts never even make it off the ground because of a dead iPod or lost earphones. Pack your gym bag with the right equipment, and keep some backups of your essential items.
Showing up prepared is one of the best predictors of success. When motivation is challenging, it’s easy to find the simplest excuse to skip your workout. Get organized and plan ahead! Another great tool for staying organized is a fitness journal.
Weight Loss Motivation Tip #3 – Stay Satisfied!
I’ve seen it time and again. Feelings of hunger strike just before a workout, and motivation dwindles. But there are a number of things you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen.  I take an energy protein bar. Any variety work. I just go to walmart....nothing fancy
Of course other raw and natural foods should also be a key component of your diet if you are really focused on the results coming in, supplements are just that, meant to supplement your healthy diet so don’t lose that vision.
Some of these great new super foods on the market include  Chia seeds  which are a nutritional, high-protein addition to a salad or bowl of yogurt.
Lastly, if you’re looking for something to energize you during your workout, try drinking energy water – it’s packed full of key vitamins and nutrients to keep you on top of your game and is definitely the buzz of the town lately.
Weight Loss Motivation for Women – Conclusion
Remember, having a plan in place can go a long way to keeping you motivated. These tips will help you stay on track with your weight loss efforts and keep you energized at the gym. Starting today, there are no more excuses!

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Muffins
Source: Emily Bites Original

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 c skim milk
¼ t garlic powder
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup light blue cheese dressing (I used Marie’s – it’s the best!)
3-4 T Buffalo Wing sauce (I used Anchor Bar brand)
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 cup cooked shredded boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium celery stalk, chopped small
4 cups cooked whole wheat or high fiber macaroni (about 8 oz uncooked)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Lightly mist a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mixing it into the butter until thick. Stir in the milk and garlic powder and raise the temp to bring the mixture to just under a boil. Add the cheddar cheese and whisk mixture together until thoroughly combined into a cheese sauce.
3. Remove the cheese sauce from heat and then mix in the blue cheese dressing and Buffalo wing sauce. Beat together the eggs and egg white and then stir into the cheese sauce until combined.
4. Add the chicken and celery to the cheese sauce and stir together. Add the macaroni and continue to stir until coated. Spoon the macaroni mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops slightly brown. Let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Letting the “muffins” cool before removing them from the pan is crucial if you want them to stay together.

Yields 12 “muffins.” WW P+: 4 per muffin (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 163 calories, 15 g carbs, 7 g fat, 11 g protein, 1 g fiber

Emotional Eating~

Ever been angry or upset one minute and then on your couch eating the next, unable to remember why you started eating or how long you had spent munching? If so, then you have entered the world of emotional eating. It’s something than can happen to anyone, and one of the most common dieting obstacles out there.

Emotional eating at its best passes after a few minutes. At its worst, it can take over your life and cause you to eat uncontrollably for extended periods of time. And according to nutritional experts, 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. So don’t worry, if you suffer from emotional eating, you are not alone.

People often eat to relieve stress or to get something off their minds. The kicker is that stress, and the insulin jump that goes with it, may actually cause you to crave high sugar, high carbohydrate foods – foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

Rather than munching, it's better to develop new skills for dealing with boredom, self-esteem issues and stress. Try to pinpoint the major reasons for your stress or unpleasant emotions, and see how you can turn the tide. Here are a few suggestions to combat your emotions:

• Get your trigger foods out of the house, get your crutch foods out of arms' reach
  
• Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.
  
• Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises
  
• Keep a reminder of your goal handy
  
• Talk to a friend
  
• Visit and post on the support message boards
  
• Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, like pictures and people
  
• Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments
  
• Track your eating patterns including when and why you pick up food.

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Source: Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook

Emilybites.com

Ingredients:
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups light whipped topping (I used Cool Whip Light)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until combined. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract and beat again until thoroughly mixed. Add the Cool Whip and continue to beat until well combined.

Serving Suggestion:
I ate this with strawberries because it’s what I had on hand, but you could certainly serve it with an assortment of fruits (pineapple, melon, bananas, etc). Almost every fruit goes well with chocolate!

Yields 16 (2 tablespoon) servings. WW P+: 2 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 75 calories, 9 g carbs, 4 g fat, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber

Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal with Individual Toppings: Gluten Free & Diabetic Friendly

Personal Sized Baked Oatmeal with Individual Toppings: Gluten Free & Diabetic Friendly

Poison foods....fast food
Acid forming
More than 90% of all items in fast food is actually acid forming, which includes hamburgers, french fries, coke, etc. Alkaline foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc help to regenerate the cells while providing anti-oxidants and vital nutrients.
Acid forming foods promote cortisol and a catabolic state. Your only chance of getting alkaline foods is to order a salad or fruit cup.
All the other acid forming foods will increase inflammation in the GI tract. Once the balance of healthy microflora and probiotics is disrupted in the gut, nutrient assimilation plummets.
That means regardless of how many calories you’re eating, you’re starving yourself at the cellular level because your body can’t get nutrients from the fast-food.
Deep fried- free fatty acids
Most of the fast-food restaurants have stopped using trans-fats oil in their deep fryers but when you boil ANY vegetable oil at high temperatures the sugar and starch from the oil will form cancer causing compounds.
The oil also tends to act like a sponge gathering heavy metals during cooking. But most important is the fact that fried foods are highest in free fatty acids which researchers have shown BLOCKS the actions of many hormones.
You want to mess up your hormone levels, simply eat a bunch of fried foods. It’ll work like a champ every time.
You may like the taste of fried food but I doubt you’ll like losing your sex drive, being overweight, fatigued, and generally “sick and tired” all the time.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
This nasty substance which is in just about any fast food you can imagine will wreck havoc on your hormonal system. They add it to the food because it will not only make it taste better but it also makes the food become addictive. Think I’m joking? I wish I was.
MSG destroys the hypothalamus which controls the entire body’s homeostasis. It has the very distinct property of working to increase appetite. This is why you can eat a fast food meal and still be hungry for more!
I’m telling you there’s some scary stuff going on here designed to keep you coming back for more.
If you think that an occasional Big Mac is no big deal and you can eat fast-food in moderation, think again. Sure you may get away with it if you have a fast metabolism but I can assure you damage is still being done.
I’m generally a spokesperson for “all things in moderation” and for the most part I live by this credo. But when it comes to fast-food I’ll take a pass. You’re better off to indulge in a few cocktails or some dark chocolate.
I’ve seen fast-food do some pretty serious damage to a person’s health and witnessed several people struggling to break an addiction to it. If you eat it regularly or occasionally for that matter, do whatever it takes to scare yourself straight.

Easy Fruit & Herb Flavored Water

Ingredients
fruit — 2 cups berries, citrus, melons, pineapple…most fruits will work (see recommended amounts in directions)

• herbs — a sprig of mint, basil, sage, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or lavender

• water (tap or filtered)

• ice

Directions
Supplies needed: 2 quart pitcher or jar with lid; muddler or wooden spoon
General formula for whatever fruit/herb combo you desire.
1. If using herbs, add a sprig of fresh herbs to jar/pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon to bruise leaves and release flavor; don’t pulverize the herbs into bits.
2. Add approx. 2 cups of fruit to jar/pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon, just enough to release some of the juices
3. Fill jar/pitcher with ice cubes.
4. Add water to top of jar/pitcher.
5. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Suggested flavor combinations:
ALL CITRUS (no herbs) — Slice 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds in half. Add to jar and proceed with muddling, add ice & water.
RASPBERRY LIME (no herbs) — Quarter 2 limes; with your hands, squeeze the juice into the jar, then throw in the squeezed lime quarters. Add 2 cups raspberries. Muddle, add ice & water.
PINEAPPLE MINT — Add a sprig of mint to the jar (you can throw in the whole sprig; or, remove the leaves from the sprig, if you prefer to have the mint swimming around and distributing in the jar). Muddle the mint. Add 2 cups pineapple pieces, muddle, add ice & water.
BLACKBERRY SAGE — Add sage sprig to jar and muddle. Add 2 cups blackberries; muddle, add ice & water.
WATERMELON ROSEMARY — Add rosemary sprig to jar & muddle. Add 2 cups watermelon cubes; muddle, add ice and water.