Smart Ones don't suck!

I was kind of dreading trying the Smart Ones frozen entrees that already have the Weight Watcher's points calculated for you. I have tried Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and other "healthy" frozen meals before and it has been a rare occurance when I haven't tossed it after having a bite or two and headed down to the nearest McDonalds to cheat on my diet. When at the grocery store last week I picked up 1 Smart Ones Enchiladas Suiza, which after thinking about it, I regretted seeing as Italian Food and Mexican Food seem to be the worst types when thinking about bad frozen meals. However I was thrilled when I ate my 6 point enchiladas and loved them. Now that I know that Smart Ones is capable of creating something palateable, I will be more adventurous and try some other Smart Ones. Being able to pop something in the microwave for 1 of your meals makes dieting so much easier, especially if you are working and don't have the ability to make yourself a healthy lunch. Oh, by the way - I also tried the Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae, which by the way won the Women's Health Magazine 2007 award for The Best Ice Cream Sundae; it is amazingly good. It totally helps me beat my sweet tooth cravings and for only 3 points is a winner in my book. I still have the Smart Ones Key Lime Pie and a Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae in my freezer - stay tuned for my review.

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops
5 Points per Serving
Serves: 4

Recipe Source: Weight Watchers

2 tsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 tsp Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
20oz Lean Pork Loin, Boneless Center-Cut Chops (4 5oz Pieces)
1 Spray PAM

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, salt and pepper

2. Butterfly and flatten pork chops. Rub spice mixture on both sides of the chops, place on a plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Coat grill rack or pan with cooking spray; heat grill or set pan over medium heat.

4. Grill chops for 3 minutes, then turn over and continue cooking until chops are firm; about 4 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Review: I give these chops 3 out of 4 stars; they were tasty! I served these with snap peas and was pretty satisfied after dinner. The whole family liked this recipe and for 5 points,I could still have dessert later.

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

Eating Out

Sometimes (especially on weekends) I don't feel like cooking and/or dieting, so I have been happily surprised this weekend to find some really good low point foods at restaurants this weekend. Friday night my husband and I went to The Islamorada Fish Company, which is a nice seafood place inside of Bass Pro Shops. I was skeptical that I would find a healthy and tasteful meal here - but I was thrilled that I was able to have a 6oz Yellow Fin Tuna Steak and Broccoli for a mere 7 points!! The apple cobbler that was had afterward (at least the small portion I ate) was only an additional 5 - and I was completely satisfied. This is why Weight Watchers works; because you can go out and have a delicious meal and still be sticking to your diet. Saturday I found myself at a farmers market with friends where I stocked up on some veggies and other healthy ingredients. But then I had to have a piece of pretzel bread...and while we were out we decided to have lunch at an Irish Pub. Don't worry, I skipped over the multitude of fried items on the menu and opted for a daily special which included eggs, blackened steak bites, fried onion straws and mashed potatoes. I ate all of the steak first - which I felt equaled about the portion size of a small steak (5 points). By the time I finished the steak, I was mostly full - so I took a bite (literally) of the mashed potatoes and 2 onion straws. The eggs and the rest of the onion straws were consumed by daughter. I brought the mashed potatoes home with me and will be encouraging my husband to eat those so I don't. But the BEST resturaunt find this weekend was at Subway. I went here for dinner because my husband was out for the night and I don't cook for just me. I was determined to have something healthy because of all my "little" indiscretions all day long at the farmer's market. So I had decided that I would get a 6 inch subway club and headed over to Subway. Only to see a poster for the new Tuscan Chicken Melt in the window - and the fact that it only had 9 grams of fat! I couldn't resist, so I got it and for only 7 points I had an amazing sandwich with melted cheese and so much flavor. I could eat this sandwich any day and still be in my allotted lunch points - unbelievable! I went over my points this weekend - but no worries since I have those "splurge points" that I have tapped into and that I still have 26 of for the week. Life is amazing!

Great 0 Point Snack Food

I found Cousin Willie's 94% Fat Free Microwave Popcorn at my grocery store, and 1 serving (1 Cup) of this popcorn is 0 points! If you are extra hungry, then 2 servings is only 1 point. I was surprised at how good this popcorn tasted for 0 points and have found that when I eat a meal and still feel hungry (which is often unfortunately) that a cup of this will do the trick to get my mind off of eating.

Chopped Greek Salad

Chopped Creek Salad
3 Points per Serving
Serves: 4

Recipe Source: Weight Watchers

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp water

1 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

3 tbsp dill

3 tbsp scallions, sliced

1 ½ C tomatoes, diced (about 7 small tomatoes)

1 ½ C cucumbers, diced

8 Medium Olives, Chopped

6 C lettuce, Shredded

¼ C Crumbled Feta Cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper until blended; stir in dill and scallions. Add tomatoes, cucumbers and olives; toss to mix and coat.

2. Place 1 1/2 C of lettuce on each plate; top each with about 3/4 C of tomato mixture and 1 tbsp of Feta

Recipe Review: I LOVED this recipe; I can tell that this is going to be one of my favorite Weight Watchers recipes - and it is very easy & fast to make. I was surprised by how much flavor this salad had - though I will say that the recipe calls for 3 tbsp of dill which I thought was WAY too much, so I only used 1 tbsp and was happy with that. If you wanted to make this a more filling meal, you could add 3oz of that Pre-Cooked Salad Chicken for 2 additional points.

Day 1: Total Success

Well today was my first official day on Weight Watchers and it was a success! I bought a new scale today at Target for $6.00. It is one of those old-school scales that doesn't use batteries. Up until today, I have been guessing what my "starting weight" was. Unfortunately, I was about 10 pounds off...and of course it was in the wrong direction. So, after adjusting my "starting weight" I actually got an additional daily alloted point (yay for me!), giving me 23 points to use each day, and 35 extra points to use each week on a splurge. My biggest struggle with the Weight Watchers plan so far has been the planning of meals. It is hard for me to try and decide how to use the points each day in a way that isn't going to make me hate the plan. I am trying to find a balance between taste and time spent cooking, which has been a challenge. I am not usually a breakfast person and I don't like to spend very much time cooking either breakfast or lunch. I am used to waiting around until noonish and then swinging through a McDonald's drive-thru for lunch. Fortunately though, I have found some easy recipes that don't take too much work on the Weight Watcher's website and some other great ideas from fellow Weight Watcher's bloggers. Here is the recap of my day's food:

Breakfast - 1/2 Whole Wheat Bagel topped with 2 tbs of Marshmallow Fluff, Dash of Ground Cinnamon and Sliced Banana - 2.5 Points

Lunch - Whole Wheat Bow Tie Pasta with Red & Yellow Peppers, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese- 11 Points (and I really think that this is lower than this but I had trouble figuring out the points on this recipe)

Snack - Jello Strawberry Gelatin with Cool Whip Free Topping - 0 Points

Dinner - Chopped Greek Salad - 3 Points

Snack - Red Mango Tangomonium Frozen Yogurt with Chopped Strawberries - 5 Points

Weight Watchers Here I Come!

So today I did it! Today I signed up for a free trial of Weight Watchers! I am excited to start a plan that so many people have tried and been successful at. I am thinking that I would like to try and go to a meeting to try and learn more about the program and maybe to meet a person or two who is in the same boat that I am in. For now, I am excited to learn some new recipes and start eating healthy. So my friends, the point-counting starts tomorrow - good thing I had that last Portillo's Italian Beef tonight....