THE MOMENTUM WALK-IT CHALLENGE

Weight Watchers Springs into Action

It's no secret to any of us – activity helps weight loss and is an essential part of adopting a healthy lifestyle. In fact, we know that 90% of people who've kept weight off successfully include regular activity in their lives.*

We also know that when you, our members, get active you increase their potential for success. That’s why Weight Watchers is issuing a challenge to move more this spring! Starting on April 12, we're giving you, our members, tools for walking success with an exciting new program called The Momentum Walk-It Challenge.

From April 12 until June 6, when a you or a subscriber joins, you will receive a free 8-week online training program - a $19.95 value - to help you meet your goal of walking a 5K (3.1 miles). You can also join walking teams and embark on this journey with each other. After 8 weeks of training, teams can walk together in a local 5K event and celebrate their achievement as a group.

I am very excited about this challenge for many reasons, but in big part because this is the first time in recent years Weight Watchers is conducting a large-scale national promotion centered on activity. As you know, "Move More" is one of our four pillars of healthy weight loss. We’re definitely not alone in realizing the importance of moving more. The Physical Activity Guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, notes that adults gain substantial health benefits from two and one half hours a week of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity, or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity. This is just the start – I'm hoping that The Momentum Walk-It Challenge will encourage you to keep moving well beyond the end of our challenge.

Be on the lookout for more details on The Momentum Walk-It Challenge, including information on how you can sign up and participate in OUR Weight Watchers walking team this spring. Let’s make The Momentum Walk-It Challenge the most successful walking challenge EVER! See you at the 5k!

Hungry Girl's Easter Tip Sheet - from Etools

Bite It	Fight It
Easter egg whites You don't have to shun those pretty Easter eggs. Each protein-packed egg white has less than 20 calories and is completely fat free. Egg-cellent!	Easter egg yolks Avoid those yolks when you can. Each one has about 55 to 60 calories, 300mg of cholesterol (Eeeks!) and 5 grams of fat. No thanks!
Jelly Belly Spring Mix If you've got a sweet tooth, Easter is a potentially dangerous holiday for you—there's candy everywhere! This lovely, pastel-colored mix with 4-calories-per-bean includes flavors like cantaloupe, cotton candy, island punch, lemon, pink grapefruit and more. Yum!	Cadbury Creme Eggs These should not be your spherical candy of choice this Easter. The regular ones contain 150 calories and 5 grams of fat, but the caramel versions pack in 190 calories and 9 grams of fat. Totally unnecessary, people.
Marshmallow Peeps Cocoa Bunnies Want a chocolaty Easter bunny fix without a gazillion calories? Check out Peeps Cocoa Bunnies. You can have four of these cocoa-dusted marshmallow treats for just 120 calories (for a POINTS value 2).	Chocolate Easter Bunnies Skip the giant chocolate rabbits this year. Even hollow ones can clock in around 1,000 calories. That's crazy! And don't even think about telling yourself you'll just bite the ears off and stop there. Before you know it that entire head is gone, then your bunny's paws, etc., etc. Don't do it!
Lean Meats No need to avoid the ham and turkey at Easter dinner. Lean ham and turkey has about 45 to 50 calories per ounce and about a gram or two of fat. Dig in!	Gravies and Unknown Sauces Try not to slather your delicious meat slices in gravies and sauces—especially ones with mystery ingredients. They can add dozens of calories and fat grams to your meal.
Veggies and Greens Load up on fresh-steamed veggies and green salads this holiday. Go easy on creamy dressings and dips, but stack the fresh and steamed vegetables high.	Fatty Sides, Stuffing and Casseroles Stuffing, saucy side dishes, and creamed items should be eaten with caution. It's just too hard to figure out how many calories and/or POINTS values they contain.

Weight Watchers PRODUCT Recipes - 3/226/09

The following recipes are made using a few of the Meeting Room products available to you for purchase.

Blueberry Oatmeal Cups, Zesty Spanish Rice Sides (made with Brown Rice), Chicken Pasta Sides(made with whole grain pasta), and Tomato Parmesan Pasta Sides(made with whole grain pasta).

AND, the Sides will be on SALE starting next week for $2 (reg. $3)!!


Blueberry Cobbler
POINTS® values per serving | 4
Servings | 1

1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed,
1 carton Blue Berry Harvest oatmeal,
a few sprays of “butter spray”.
Bake 25-30 min. at 350


Zesty Garbanzo Beans
POINTS® values per serving | 4
Servings | 4

1 box Weight Watchers Zesty Spanish Brown Rice Side
1 cup water
1 14 – 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 – 15- oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Bring 1 cup water and canned tomatoes in juice to a boil. Stir in rice and seasoning. Bring back to boil, reduce heat, add garbanzo beans, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Stir and serve.
Delicious! Makes 4 (1 cup) servings that have 10 grams of protein each!


Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
POINTS® values per serving | 3
Servings | 6

2 cans FF Chicken Broth
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 - 13 oz. can chicken breast, drained
2 c. water
1 pkg. WW Chicken Pasta side dish

Boil vegetables in chicken broth until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer covered 10 min. or until noodles are tender.


Chicken Gumbo
POINTS® values per serving | 3
Servings | 10

1 chicken breast
1 top round steak (about 1/2 lb)
1/2 lb shrimp
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 cup corn
1 cup celery chopped
1 qt frozen/fresh tomato's from the garden
2 cups water
1 BOX WW Zesty Rice
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
I cooked the meat & chicken in a pan with water first then chopped it up in bit size pieces. Then just dump everything into the crockpot!! Cook about 3 hours or so.


Zesty Meatloaf
POINTS® values per serving | 3
Servings | 12
makes 2 loaves, if you want you can freeze one before you cook it
2# ground turkey
2 eggs
1 c. chopped onion
1 box zesty rice, cooked
bake 350 for 45 mins/loaf


Cheesy Pasta Parmesan Primavera
POINTS® values per serving | 6
Servings | 2
Prepare Weight Watchers Tomato Parmesan Whole Grain Pasta Sides as recommended on the box. Spray a separate skillet with cooking oil, and cook 1 cup chopped zucchini, ½ cup sliced mushrooms and ½ cup chopped bell peppers over medium heat until tender. Add vegetable mixture to prepared pasta along with 1 cup low fat (1%) cottage cheese.

Making Restaurant Food Fit - March 23rd

Okay, so I've been absent for a week - but, I'm back and here's what was discussed in our meetings this week!

REMEMBER - the typical adult now averages 5.8 restaurant occasions in a week! Even if you're not "typical", it's still a good bet that you've seen the inside of a restaurant or two last week. AND, that means that you may need some strategies for maneuvering around a menu, the bread basket, the dessert tray, etc.

We 1st discussed the reasons we eat out......celebrations, too busy, too tired, kids sporting events/practices, too late to cook, didn't want to dirty kitchen, spouses turn to cook always is a restaurant visit, etc. Then, we decided which of those reasons should be treated as an "everyday" eating experience or a "special" eating experience. Depending on the occasion, we'd need to have a different approach/plan to our menu choices, right???

You all had some great ideas on how to manage your eating out while at work, the drive-thru, business travel, ordering in AND Good Food Fast - AT HOME! Perhaps, the best way to handle the - too tired, too busy, didn't want to dirty the kitchen - reasons is to find some stand-bys that are FAST AND GOOD for home! Check out the Dinner Beans recipe - that's a "plan-b" recipe from a fellow WW member - looks YUM!;-)

So, here's your ACTION STEP for this week............choose ONE tip from those given in the meeting or come up with your own for managing your restaurant visits AND use it at least once this week!

NEXT WEEK - Spring Celebration Eating......we'll discover how to fit springtime/celebration foods into our Momentum Plan AND we'll figure out how the Mental Rehearsing TFL can help to prepare us for SUCCESS! See you next week!

Dinner Beans from PSU Member!

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes
>
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and finely chopped
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or chipotle puree)
1 25oz. can black beans, undrained (or 2 14oz cans)
1 cup prepared greens: kale, spinach, etc., already chopped and partially cooked (microwaving is a good option)
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
salt

Warm oil and garlic together in a medium pan over medium-low heat, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant but still nice and pale. Add the tomato paste and paprika and fry for a few seconds, then dump in the beans with their liquid and add the greens.

Cook the beans uncovered, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until everything looks united and the liquid has mostly cooked off. Now season them with the vinegar and taste for salt.

Serve over brown rice, tortillas, sour cream, extra hot sauce, you get the picture.

RECIPES---March 11th

Slow Cooker Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon instant chopped onion
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (18 oz) chicken gravy
2 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 1/4 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers frozen mixed vegetables

Place chicken in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Top with onion, bay leaf, pepper and gravy. Place celery on gravy. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8-10 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, make and bake 8 biscuits using Bisquick mix and milk as directed on package. Meanwhile, gently stir frozen vegetables into chicken mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. For each serving, split biscuit and place in soup bowl or tart pan. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture on top of biscuit. Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.
Serves 8 (3/4 cup). Each: 7 POINTS

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.
Serves 4 (2 chicken thighs). Each: 7 POINTS

Western Omelet

1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper
1/4 pound deli-sliced ham, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free egg substitute

Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, ham, thyme, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 4-5 minutes. Pour in the egg substitute and swirl to cover the pan; cook, stirring gently, until the underside begins to set, about 3 minutes. Fold one side of the omelet over the other and cook 2 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, about 1 minute longer.

Makes 2 servings. Each: 4 POINTS

Oven French Fries

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups water
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
2 teaspoons Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, water and soy sauce until smooth. Add potatoes; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain potatoes and pat dry on paper towels. Toss potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking sheet coated with Pam. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes on each side or until tender and golden brown.
Serves 2 (3/4 cup). Each: 3 POINTS

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

10 3/4 oz low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz frozen broccoli flowerets, thawed
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup bread crumbs, dry
1/4 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare 1 1/2-quart dish with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine mushroom soup, milk, mustard, salt, broccoli, and cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish; set aside. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and chicken broth. Sprinkle over broccoli mixture in dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through.
Serves 6. Each: 3 POINTS

Macho Cabbage Taco Casserole

1 3/4 cups (6 oz) shredded loose-packed frozen potatoes
3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 (10 3/4 oz) can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom soup
8 oz extra-lean ground sirloin beef or turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup no-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8” baking dish with butter-flavored Pam. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 6 tablespoons Cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup mushroom soup. Pat mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile in a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored Pam, brown meat and onion. Stir in cabbage, salsa, taco seasoning and remaining mushroom soup. Lower heat and simmer while crust is baking. Evenly spoon mixture into partially baked potato crust and bake an additional 20 minutes. Evenly sprinkle remaining 6 tablespoons Cheddar cheese over top. Continue baking about 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Divide into four servings. When serving, top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Serves 4. Each: 5 POINTS

Apple Cinnamon Crisp

2 cups (4 small) peeled and sliced cooking apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons granular Splenda
1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
3/4 cup purchased graham cracker crumbs or 12 (2 1/2") graham cracker squares made into crumbs
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon reduced calorie margarine, melted
3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350. Place apples in an 8x8” baking dish. Sprinkle lemon juice, Splenda, and Apple Pie Spice evenly over apples. Toss well to mix. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted margarine. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apple mixture. Pour hot water over top. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 5-10 minutes or until apples are tender. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let sit 5 minutes.
Serves 4. Each: 3 POINTS

Hot Turkey Stuffing Side Dish

1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 cups (one 16 oz can) Healthy Request Chicken Broth
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 full cups (12 oz) diced cooked turkey breast
3 cups 4 ½ oz) purchased herb seasoned stuffing mix
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen peas thawed

In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored Pam, saute celery and onions until tender. Stir in chicken broth, water, and poultry seasoning. Add turkey, stuffing mix, black pepper, and peas. Mix well to combine. Lower heat and continue cooking until most of moisture is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
Serves 6 (1 cup). Each: 4 POINTS

Pork Tenderloin with Stuffing

4 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups cubed day-old bread (1/2” cubes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)
2 tablespoons canola oil

In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender. In a bowl, combine the bread cubes, celery mixture, salt and pepper; set aside. Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of each tenderloin to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Open tenderloins so they lie flat; cover with plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil on both sides over medium-high heat. Spoon stuffing onto one tenderloin. Top with the second tenderloin; tie with kitchen string. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serves 6. Each: 6 POINTS

Baked Apple Butter
(makes 3 cups)

4 large Granny Smith apples
4 large Braeburn apples
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Core and cut the apples into chunks, but leave the skins on. Put apples and apple juice into a large saucepan and boil over medium heat for 30 minutes or until apples are soft. Preheat oven to 275. Using a stick blender or food processor, blend the cooked apples until smooth. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lemon juice and salt. Stir to mix well. Pour into a 13x9” baking pan and bake for 3 hours, stirring every half-hour or until the butter reaches the consistency you like. Cool and transfer to plastic or glass containers. This recipe is not meant to be processed and "put up," so be sure to keep it refrigerated. It will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Per tablespoon: 1 POINT

Yellow Squash Casserole

8 cups sliced yellow squash (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon water
6 oz hot turkey Italian sausage (about 2 links)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (1-oz) slices day-old white bread
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz) diced provolone cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 3/4-oz) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Combine squash and water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Remove casing from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Place the bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1 cup. Combine the squash, sausage mixture, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, sour cream, cheese, salt, pepper, and soup. Spoon squash mixture in a 2-quart casserole coated with Pam. Top with remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Serves 12 (2/3 cup). Each: 2 POINTS

Easy Beef Stroganoff

1 15 oz package uncooked wide egg noodles
1 lb beef round-tip steaks, cut 1/8” to 1/4" thick
4 tsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (1/2-inch thick)
1 (3/4 oz package) brown gravy mix
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp sour cream

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Keep warm. Meanwhile stack beef steaks; cut length-wise in half, then crosswise into 1”-wide strips. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef and 1/2 of garlic; stir-fry 1 minute or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Add gravy mix and water; stir to blend well. Return to heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Return beef to skillet; heat through. Serve over noodles. Dress with sour cream.
Serves 4. Each: 8 POINTS

Apple Pinwheels

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup butter
1-1/3 cups sugar, divided
2 tubes (8 oz each) Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
3 cups finely chopped peeled tart apples
1 teaspoon apple pie spice

In a saucepan, combine water, butter and 1 cup sugar; cook over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Unroll crescent dough into one long rectangle; seal seams and perforations. Combine the apples, apple pie spice and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side. Cut into 1-inch rolls; place in a greased 15x10x1” baking pan. Pour reserved syrup over rolls. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Serves 24. Each: 3 POINTS

Quick and Easy Beef Stew

2 lbs boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 package McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
3 cups water
1 bag (24 oz) frozen vegetables for stew OR 5 cups cut-up fresh vegetables

Coat beef with flour. Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch over medium-high heat. Add sirloin cubes and saute until browned. Drain. Add seasoning, water and vegetables and stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Serves 8. Each: 6 POINTS

Nilla Apple Crisp

4 large Granny Smith apples (2 lb.), peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/3 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold margarine
25 Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers, crushed (about 1 cup crumbs)
1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Lite Whipped Topping

Heat oven to 350. Toss apples with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Spoon into 8” or 9” square baking dish. Combine oats, remaining brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in wafer crumbs; sprinkle over apples. Bake 30-35minutes or until apples are tender. Serve topped with Cool Whip.
Serves 12 (1/2 cup). Each: 4 POINTS

Rocky Road Ice Cream

1 (3.9 oz) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup fat-free milk
1 (12 oz) can evaporated skimmed milk
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate mini-morsels
1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Combine pudding mix and sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add fat-free milk and evaporated milk, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate morsels, and peanuts. Pour chocolate mixture into freezer can of a 2-quart hand-turned or electric freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Pack freezer with additional ice and rock salt, and let stand at least 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8. Each: 5 POINTS

Meat Balls

1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

SAUCE:
1 cup water
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

Soak bread crumbs in milk. Combine meat, onions, bread, salt and pepper. Shape into medium-sized balls. Place meat in 12x8” casserole dish. For Sauce: Preheat oven to 375. Combine water, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and green pepper. Pour over meatballs. Bake until done, about 45 minutes.
Serves 6. Each: 5 POINTS

7-Up Baked Apples

4 baking apples
4 tablespoons golden raisins
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup diet 7-Up

Core apples without cutting through the bottom. Stand apples in baking dish just large enough to hold them. Place 1 tablespoon raisins and 1 teaspoon brown sugar in center of each apple. Pour in 7-Up. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, basting frequently, until apples are tender but not mushy. Serve warm or chilled.
Makes 4 Servings. Each: 2 POINTS

Garden Pasta Salad

1 lb penne or medium pasta shells, cooked and cooled
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas, cooked
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sugar snap peas, blanched
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp green peppercorns, drained and crushed (optional)
1/4 cup Equal Spoonful
Salt and pepper

Combine pasta, bell pepper, peas, green onions, snap peas and carrots in salad bowl. Blend milk and mayonnaise in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in vinegar, parsley, peppercorns, if desired and Equal.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 6. Each: 4 POINTS

Baked Whole Wheat Pita Chips

3 whole wheat pitas, cut into 6 wedges each
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Set oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of the pita wedges with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, or longer, until golden brown and crisp.
Makes 18 chips (about 3 servings). Each serving: 4 POINTS

Chinese Pork and Pasta

1/2-pound pork tenderloin
1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drained and juice reserved
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey or packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 oz uncooked vermicelli
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/4 cup Progresso chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
4 large stalks bok choy, chopped (or 1 cup sliced celery)
4 ounces snow (Chinese) pea pods, strings removed

Cut pork into 1/4-inch slices. In medium glass bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic and cornstarch. Stir in pork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Cook and drain vermicelli as directed on package. Spray wok or 10-inch nonstick skillet with Pam; heat over medium-high heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat side. Add pork; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove pork. Add broth, onion, bell pepper and bok choy to wok; cook and stir 6 minutes. Add pea pods, pineapple and vermicelli. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add pork. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and pork is no longer pink in center.
Serves 4. Each: 6 POINTS

Making Workouts Work for You - March 10th

This week, we touched on the importance of Moving More!! Did any of the BENEFITS encourage you to think about adding exercise to your week??? Remember, Move More is a necessary tool for weight-loss success and without it, it would be like building a house without a hammer!

The recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine & the American Heart Association are:

In order to maintain health & reduce your risk for chronic disease (such as heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes), you should get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on 5 days each week (150+minutes).

To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood: Engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate to high intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements.

Keep in mind, we're not interested in training as athletes, but in decreasing sedentary behavior!!

We discussed suggestions for working in an extra 10 minutes and the benefit of finding an activity you enjoy, pursuing 3 or more different activities per week, use of free weights, increasing the intensity for more calories burned in less time and ways to tweak your schedule to fit Moving More in to your day!

So after all of that, your Weekly Action Step is...........Think about what needs to happen in your life, regarding something you heard in the meeting. Write down a "move more" commitment AND storyboard it! In other words.....plan how you're are going to follow through on your commitment. Good Luck!

NEXT WEEK.......Feed your soul - not your taste buds! See you in the meeting!

The Stages of Change - Week of March 2nd

What a discussion we had concerning the Stages of Change! The main goal of this topic was to understand the Stages of Change, help to prepare for any shifts in your stages and inspire you to maintain an "Action-Oriented" stage of weight management.

So often, we are incredibly hard on ourselves when our motivation slips. Rather than to feel like noncompliance with the Program is a result of some character flaw on our part, we need to know that it's normal to move back and forth among the five very real stages of behavioral change. We also need to know how to keep our weight-loss efforts going strong.

Stages of Change
1. Pre-Contemplation: Unaware or denying there is a problem or not seeing it as serious. We called it "Blissful Ignorance" and "Denial".

2. Contemplation: Becoming aware of a need to change, deciding to change it, weighing the pros & cons.

3. Preparation: Gathering information, equipment, supplies, learning "how-to". This is the stage where you sat down and checked out all of your weight-loss options AND when you finally decided on Weight Watchers, you found a meeting and researched the cost.

4. Action: Starting to practice helpful behaviors, recording what you're doing, noticing what does/doesn't work, keep practicing until it becomes "normal".

5. Maintenance: Sustaining new behaviors (now habits) over time.

RELAPSE: It's normal to experience a relapse between the different stages. This is when you experience a full or partial return to previous behaviors, often accompanied by negative feelings & a return to a previous stage - most likely the contemplation stage.

KEY POINTS ABOUT CHANGE!
*People are likely to be at different stages of change for different behaviors.
*It's normal at times to relapse - to an earlier stage.
*Confidence and Importance Realizations help you to move to the next stage. These come from events, experiences, and others' sharing. They are "aha" moments that help grow confidence in your ability to take action or reinforce the importance of your goals.

ACTION STEPS FOR THIS WEEK! Stay in the "action stage" this week by choosing 1 thing that supports your weight-loss efforts. Example....tracking, exercise (how much?), liquids, positive attitude, etc. AND, choose/decide what YOUR Confidence or Importance Realizations you have that will motivate you to stay in the "action stage".

NEXT WEEK! Making Workouts Work for YOU! We'll be discussing the benefits of and tips for including exercise AND we'll work on choosing an activity you enjoy. And finally, we'll come up with some ideas on how to fit it into your lifestyle!