Prize Pineapple & Parsley Green Thickie

The first winner of the Team ASPCA raffle is Brandy B!  Brandy, I’ve e-mailed you for prize selection.

There are still plenty of prizes available, and you are still welcome to donate to The ASPCA to earn raffle entries!  If you’ve already donated, remember you can share the raffle link for an extra entry.  The next drawing will be Tuesday, September 18th!

I stumbled across the website Green Thickies the other day, and was particularly intrigued by the Prize Pineapple & Parsley Smoothie.  I’ve used parsley in fresh juices before, but never a smoothie!  Katherine pretty much guarantees that her thickies will last you through lunch, so this morning I gave it a shot.

I already have a green smoothie-for-breakfast habit, so making this wasn’t much of a change.  I made half of the recipe as written.  The only differences from my normal smoothies was that I used less almond milk and added 1/2 cup of rolled oats instead of protein powder.  It ended up being the same number of PointsPlus as normal, 4, so that was convenient.  I loved the flavor!  You couldn’t tell that there was parsley involved, it was more like a vibrant, fresh flavor.  The recipe is called a smoothie, which I guess isn’t as thick as a thickie, but it was much more thick than my normal smoothies.  Sadly, it didn’t hold me over until lunch, but I did wait to have my morning snack until about a half hour later than normal, and had less food than normal, so that was good.  I think I might try making smoothies with a combination of protein powder and oats to see if I can come up with a combo that lasts for hours.

I’ve got more parsley in the fridge, and am looking forward to another pineapple-parsley smoothie on Monday!

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Weigh Ins and Workout Plans

On February 1st I weighed in at 159.1 pounds, which was 2.3 pounds higher than the week before.  Considering that I had stayed exactly within my points limit the week before, it was an unpleasant surprise!  I was feeling a little bloated, and the number came back down by the next day, so I think it was a little bump up just on that day.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay within my points the next week, because we went to Disneyland!  I didn’t eat as well as I would’ve at home, and I drank quite a bit of beer on Superbowl Sunday, but walking around the parks for two days was decent exercise.  Even though I went 41 points over my limit, I weighed in on February 8th at 156.9, 2.2 pounds down and back to an accurate weight for how I was feeling.

My weight has been waffling since Christmas, going up a little then down a little, and I’ve been thinking about ways to get myself on the right path again.

1.  I lowered my daily points from 29 to 28.  I never really talked about the changes which were implemented with PointsPlus 2012; the only change that really affected my personal plan is that the new lower limit of daily points is 26, instead of 29.  Members who were at the old minimum of 29 were automatically dropped to 26, and given the option to choose any daily points limit between 26 and 29.  I immediately switched back to 29 because it had been working for me previously, but now I’ve decided to test out lowering my limit by one point a day.  Seven points less a week shouldn’t be that hard to do.

2.  I’m going to post a weekly workout plan and then do my best to stick to it.  I’ve kind of been planning workouts in my head, but by writing the plan down I’ll hopefully be more accountable.

Here’s my workout plan for this week:

Wednesday – no planned exercise, I catered an event which was exercise in an of itself
Thursday – Bridge 2 10K w6d1 (60 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)
Friday – 30 minute walk during lunch
Saturday – Bridge 2 10K w6d2 (60 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)
Sunday – rest
Monday – Bridge 2 10K w6d3 (60 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)
Tuesday – 45 minutes elliptical

Wednesday, 2/1/12

breakfast – oat bran with pumpkin and 2 tsp maple syrup
AM snack – apple, coffee with vanilla soy creamer
lunch – white beans with kale and savoy cabbage over whole wheat rotini
PM snack – banana, 1/4 oz smoked almonds
pre-run snack – 2 dates
post-run snack – one slice Ezekiel sesame sprouted wheat toast
dinner – Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli, Caulipots with lemon, dill and spinach

exercise – Bridge 2 10K w5d2 (50 minutes running, 11 minutes walking)

daily points used:  25
activity points earned:  10

Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli and Caulipots from Appetite for Reduction.  This was a super-delicious meal!

Thursday, 2/2/12

breakfast – oat bran with apple juice, applesauce, flax & cinnamon
AM snack – apple, coffee with vanilla soy creamer
lunch – Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli, Caulipots with lemon, dill and spinach
PM snack – trail mix (almonds, walnuts, raisins)
dinner – white beans with kale and savoy cabbage over whole wheat rotini, 8 oz red wine

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  5

Friday, 2/3/12

breakfast – one slice sesame sprouted wheat Ezekiel toast with 1 Tbs almond butter and sliced banana
AM snack – apple, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli, Caulipots with lemon, dill and spinach
PM snack – veggie tempura brown rice sushi roll
dinner – Forty-Clove Chickpeas & Broccoli, Caulipots with lemon, dill and spinach
after dinner (we were up really late driving to LA) – three servings pumpernickel pretzel sticks, chocolate agave trailmixer cookie, 12 oz light beer

exercise – 30 minutes walking

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  16
activity points earned:  2

Saturday, 2/4/12

breakfast at the hotel – corn flakes w/ almond milk, half a cinnamon raisin bagel with 1 Tbs almond butter and 1 tsp apple jelly, apple, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – Tofurky, baby greens, mustard and sundried tomato hummus on whole wheat pita, cauliflower florets, celery and carrot sticks, chocolate agave trailmixer cookie, 16 oz light beer
dinner and after – portobello mushroom philly sandwich w/ mustard and relish, apple slices, 3 1/2 cups movie theater-style popcorn, 37 oz light beer, 10 oz red wine

exercise – 90 minutes walking around the park (low estimate)

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  28
activity points earned:  5
activity points used:  2

hotel breakfast

I snuck my lunch into Disneyland.  Shhhh…

Portobello Philly (no cheese) from Award Weiners in California Adventure.

Sunday, 2/5/12

breakfast – oatmeal w/ 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 Tbs raisins and 1 Tbs almond butter, apple, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 cup almond milk, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
AM snack – strawberry frozen fruit bar
lunch & afternoon – grilled portobello sandwich on kaiser roll w/ sauteed onions & peppers, french fries w/ ketchup,raspberry mojito, 25 oz beer
dinner & after – nachos w/ sauteed squash & zucchini & salsa, martini, 54 oz light beer, whole wheat pita with sundried tomato hummus

exercise – 60 minutes walking around the park (low estimate)

daily points used:  28
activity points earned:  3
activity points used:  30
non-existent points used:  30

another hotel breakfast

Monday, 2/6/12

breakfast – 1 1/4 cups raisin bran w/ almond milk, 2 small apples, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – hickory smoked Tofurky on whole wheat pita w/ mustard and baby greens, 6 peanut butter toast crackers, chocolate agave trailmixers cookie
dinner – Szechuan eggplant w/ snow peas over 1 cup white rice

daily points used:  28
non-existent points used:  5

third hotel breakfast

Tuesday, 2/7/12

breakfast – one slice sesame sprouted wheat toast with 1 Tbs each almond butter and strawberry jam
AM snack – banana, coffee with hazelnut coconut creamer
lunch – Greek salad (romaine, chickpeas, cucumber, olives, capers, tomatoes, herb vinaigrette), small piece of focaccia
PM snack – sundried tomato hummus w/ celery, carrot & cauliflower
pre-run snack – 2 dates
dinner – hickory smoked Tofurky on whole wheat pita w/ mustard & baby greens, salad (lettuce, 2 tsp bacon flavored chips, 2 Tbs goddess dressing)
after-dinner snack – 2 servings everything crackers

exercise – Bridge 2 10K w5d3 (60 minutes running, 11 minutes walking)

daily points used:  28
activity points earned:  12
non-existent points used:  6

Totals for 2/1/12 – 2/7/12

Daily points used:  193/196
Weekly points used:  90/49
Activity points earned:  32
Activity points used:  32
Points left on the table:  -38

Wednesday, 2/8/12

breakfast – whole wheat pita bread w/ sundried tomato hummus
AM snack – banana, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – falafel hummus wrap w/ lettuce, tomato & tahini sauce
dinner – 1 cup cilantro lime rice, 1 cup pinto beans, roasted tomato salsa, shredded carrot jicama salad w/ cilantro vinaigrette, 10 oz red wine

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  14

Thursday, 2/9/12

breakfast – Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bar
AM snack – apple, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – 1 cup cilantro lime rice, 1 cup pinto beans, roasted tomato salsa, shredded carrot jicama salad w/ cilantro vinaigrette
PM snack – cauliflower, carrot & celery w/ sundried tomato hummus
post-run snack – banana
dinner – small burrito (pinto beans, corn, roasted tomato salsa, lettuce, jalapeno slices), shredded carrot jicama salad w/ cilantro vinaigrette, 7 oz red wine

exercise – Bridge 2 10K w6d1 (60 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  8
activity points earned:  12

Friday, 2/10/12

breakfast – one slice sprouted wheat sesame toast w/ sundried tomato hummus
AM snack – 2 apples, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – veggie sandwich on wheat (cucumber, tomato, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, mustard), baby greens w/ vinaigrette
PM snack – banana, 1/2 oz almonds
dinner – 1 cup cilantro lime rice, 1 cup pinto beans, salsa, shredded carrot jicama salad w/ cilantro vinaigrette
after dinner – 2 oz gin w/ 1/2 oz triple sec & lime fizzy water, 2 oz rum w/ 1/2 oz triple sec & lime fizzy water, 2 1/2 servings pumpernickel pretzels

exercise – 50 minutes elliptical

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  20
activity points earned:  6

Saturday, 2/11/12

breakfast – peanut butter jelly larabar
second breakfast – smoothie (banana, strawberries, almond butter w/ roasted flaxseeds, chia powder, amazing grasss chocolate superfood, cocoa powder, maca powder, wheatgrass powder, almond milk), coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – 2 veggie dogs w/ ketchup & mustard, 10 roasted garlic & black bean tortilla chips, salad w/ vinaigrette, 12 z Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 12 oz light beer
dinner – 16 tortilla chips w/ salsa, burrito (rice, beans, lettuce, avocado, cauliflower, broccoli, squash), 12 oz light beer, 15 oz red wine

exercise – Bridge 2 10K w6d2 (60 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)

daily points used:  28
weekly points used:  7
activity points earned:  12
activity points used:  33

Sunday, 2/12/12

breakfast – grits w/ 2 tsp Earth Balance, nutritional yeast & black pepper
AM snack – apple, coffee w/ vanilla soy creamer
lunch – 2 slices sprouted wheat sesame toast w/ sundried tomato hummus, cauliflower, carrots & celery
PM snack – banana, 1 servings multigrain pretzel nuggets
dinner – Oyster Mushrooms Rockefeller, Spicy Roasted Cauliflower, 10 oz red wine

daily points used:  28
activity points used:  5

Oyster Mushrooms Rockefeller & Spicy Roasted Cauliflower from The Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Kitchen.

Weigh In Wednesday

I weighed in this morning at 164.8.  That’s up 1.2 from last week, but down two pounds from two weeks ago.  Considering how I ate and how little I exercised, a one pound gain aint bad.

In case it wasn’t clear from the hint in Monday’s post, I’m going to Vegas this weekend!  My mom said not to fall too far off the wagon.  I replied that I would just be hanging off the side a little.  Strategies for dealing with Vegas:

1.  Make sensible food choices.  Say I end up at Ronald’s Donuts.  I can purchase one apple fritter instead of a dozen donuts and eat half of it at a time instead of shoving the whole thing in my face.  Say I end up at The Wynn Buffet.  As a vegan, options are already limited to relatively healthy items, but that doesn’t mean I need to take three plates full.

(Speaking of The Wynn, in case you didn’t know, every single one of their restaurants has a separate vegan menu.  I plan on checking out as many as I can.)

2.  Track.  I will track everything I eat and drink, as best I can.  Internet at the hotel is included in the price, which will make tracking and possibly blogging easier.  I’m sure I will go over my points limit, so my goal is to maintain my weight this week.

3.  Find activities to do that don’t involve just eating and drinking.  I will certainly drink some, as I will certainly gamble a bit and drinks come with the territory, but I don’t need to drink all day every day just because I’m in Vegas.  I’m thinking a little window shopping may be fun, and possibly checking out the downtown area, which I’ve never seen.

4.  Exercise.  The hotel has a fitness center which apparently has a pretty nice view, so I’ll check it out.  I may consider running on the strip, depending on how early I can get out of bed.  I’d want to go before a lot of people are out.

Speaking of running, I didn’t go today.  My calf feels 100% from moving around; I can walk and take stairs normally.  Rubbing my leg though, it still feels tender.  Plus, we got home later from work than usual.  I’m really really hoping to run tomorrow.  As long as my calf doesn’t feel tender, I’ll do it.  That way, I can run again Saturday in Vegas.

Wednesday, 9/28/11

breakfast – overnight oats (rolled oats, banana, chia seeds, almond milk & vanilla extract) with 1 tsp cacao nibs
AM snack – pear, plum, 6 almonds, coffee with coconut creamer
lunch – Mater Tofu Paneer Dahl, wilted arugula
PM snack – 1/4 cup wasabi wow snack mix
dinner – half a Juicy Lucy patty (cheese-stuffed tofu burger) on a wheat hamburger bun with baked sweet potato fries, avocado, ketchup & spicy mustard, roasted green beans
snack – unsweetened applesauce with stevia, almond extract & cinnamon

daily points used:  29
weekly points used:  3

Getting Through the Weekend

When I left off Wednesday (didn’t mean to go that long between posts), I said that I wanted to try to leave more points unused this week, hopefully coming in below my points allotment.  That hasn’t exactly happened; we had two social engagements this weekend, which I’ll talk more about below, and weekends in general continue to be the hardest part of this whole thing for me.  I find it easy to eat healthfully and exercise during the week, but the weekends are usually when we hang out with friends and let loose a little.  I’m still trying to figure out the best strategies to deal with weekends.  I was so busy Saturday and Sunday that I had to catch up with tracking this afternoon, and I’ve tried to be as accurate as possible from memory.

Also, I haven’t talked about cooking too much on this blog yet, so I’ll give you a few methods/pseudo-recipes that I’ve used in the past few days.

Thursday, 9/8/11

breakfast – peanut butter cookie Larabar, nectarine
AM snack – 1/2 a cantaloupe, coffee with vanilla soy creamer, orange Emergen-C
lunch – stirfry (peanut & sesame oils, onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, cabbage, edamame, tamari, ume plum vinegar and white pepper) over brown rice
PM snack – peach soy yogurt
dinner – salad (field greens mix, 5 Gardein Crispy Tenders, 1 tsp bacon flavored chips, agave-mustard dressing), 24 oz MGD 64

Exercise – Couch to 5K Week 7 Day 2 (25 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)

daily points used:  29
weekly points used:  3
exercise points earned:  6

For a quick and easy honey mustard-like dressing, mix together equal parts reduced-fat vegan mayo, yellow mustard and agave nectar.  I used a bit less agave nectar than the other ingredients since it was plenty sweet.  Adding a pinch of bacon flavored chips brings that extra crunch and flavor.  Also, I’m in love with Gardein Crispy Tenders.  They’re the closest thing to chicken strips that I’ve found, and they’re so good hot from the oven.

Friday, 9/9/11

breakfast – 3/4 cup multigrain cereal squares, 1/3 cup vanilla sunrise cereal, raspberries, almond milk
AM snack – 4 figs
lunch – stirfry (peanut & sesame oils, onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, cabbage, edamame, tamari, ume plum vinegar and white pepper) over brown rice, 3 figs
PM snack – 1/4 cup wasabi wow snack mix
PM snack 2 – banana with 1 tsp peanut butter
dinner – burrito, 6 oz red wine

Exercise – 30 minutes walking

daily points used:  29
weekly points used:  10
activity points earned:  2

Saturday, 9/10/11

We went to a wedding Saturday evening and I kept my drinkage to a minimum since I was driving.  (There’s a tip – if you’re trying to curb your drinking, volunteer to be designated driver.  Then you won’t have any choice!)  Some friends who were there from out of town crashed at our place afterwards, and we ended up staying up waaaaaay too late.  It was such a beautiful wedding, and we got to spend time with people we don’t see very often, so I think it was all worth it.

breakfast – smoothie (banana, strawberries, 2 scoops Amazing Grass chocolate superfood, hemp protein powder, almond milk, 1/2 tsp molasses, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger), coffee with almond milk
lunch – salad (leaf lettuce, 5 Gardein Crispy Tenders, 2 tsp bacon flavored chips, agave-mustard dressing)
PM snack – double fiber English muffin with a Tofutti American slice
dinner (at the wedding) – 1 cup salad greens with salsa, 10 tortilla chips, mushroom taco with 2 Tbs guacamole, 1 cup black beans, 20 oz light beer, 5 oz wine, 4 oz champagne
after the wedding – 5 oz wine, 2 1/2 cups plain popcorn

Exercise – Couch to 5K Week 7 Day 3 (25 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)

daily points used:  29
activity points earned:  6
weekly points used:  18
activity points used:  4

Dave & I at the wedding reception, which was held on a tennis court surrounded by these tall walls of ivy.

Yesterday, we hosted a group of friends for the first NFL Sunday of the season.  We served up a nacho bar, although I didn’t actually eat any nachos.  I chose to make tostadas instead because I felt I could load up on more healthy toppings that way, without eating a million chips.

Sunday, 9/11/11

breakfast – a banana, coffee with almond milk
the rest of the day – three tostadas with refried beans, vegan queso, roasted onions & peppers, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce and cilantro, 10 tortilla chips, a taco salad with the same ingredients as the toastadas, 84 oz light beer (a lot of beer, yes, but it was spread out over a long day and night)

daily points used:  29
activity points used:  14

The secret to most excellent vegan nachos or tostadas, Food for Lovers Vegan Queso. It's surprisingly low-cal/low-fat, and delicious.

I made the refried beans from scratch, because it’s so easy to make them that you might as well not waste money on the canned kind.  I minced a medium white onion and a few garlic cloves, and cooked them in two Tablespoons of oil over low heat with a pinch of salt, until very soft and fragrant.  The trick here is to cook them slowly, without browning, which will really bring out the flavor.  If you want, add a few dashes of ground cumin and coriander when the onions are done, stir, and cook for about a minute.  Add some of your pinto beans, about a quarter to a third of them, and mash with a potato masher until there are few whole beans left.  (I used four cans of pinto beans for a large batch.)    Add the rest of the beans and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, mix well, and bring to a simmer.  Let simmer for a while then mash some more of the beans.  Add water if the mixture becomes too dry.  Keep simmering, mashing, and adding water until there are very few whole beans and the mixture is the thickness and texture that you want.  The beans will thicken as they sit and cool; you can always add more water to thin.

Monday, 9/12/11

breakfast – banana, coffee with almond milk
lunch – salad (iceberg lettuce, beets, broccoli, 2 Tbs each chickpeas, kidney beans and green peas, 1 tsp sunflower seeds, 1 1/2 Tbs italian dressing), personal-sized pizza with mushrooms, green peppers and extra sauce
PM snack – 4 figs
dinner – smoky maple-glazed tempeh, roasted brussels sprouts

daily points used:  27

This tempeh was really good, for an off-the-cuff dinner.  To make it, I cut a block of tempeh into six pieces and marinated it in a nonstick saute pan with 2 Tbs maple syrup, 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs tamari, 1/4 tsp liquid smoke, a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar and water to bring it halfway up the tempeh.  Marinated for about an hour, flipping the tempeh halfway through.  Put the pan with the tempeh and marinade over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to a simmer and let simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half.  Flip the tempeh pieces over and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced to a glaze.  Flip again to glaze the other side.  Watch the marinade carefully, as the glaze can reduce quickly toward the end of cooking.

This method would probably work with any marinade mixture, but I think having the sweet element (like maple syrup or agave nectar) helps to form the glaze.

I roasted the brussels sprouts very simply with a quick spray of oil, salt and pepper.  Roasting veggies is my favorite way to cook them when I’m looking for an easy side dish.  To roast any vegetable, turn the oven on to somewhere between 400 and 450 degrees F.  Cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces; the more surface area there is, the more brown you can get.  Spread the veggies into a single layer in a roasting pan, lined with parchment or foil if you want.  Spray or drizzle with a little bit of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you want, and toss to coat.  Roast until tender and browned.  You’ll get a feel for how long it takes certain vegetables to cook;  These brussels sprouts were done after 30 minutes.  Just check and stir every 15 minutes or so and take them out when they look and feel ready!

Tuesday Totals, and Are Veggies Really Free?

A big bonus for me when choosing to sign up for Weight Watchers was that fruits and vegetables are “free”.  They count for zero points plus and you can eat them to your heart’s content.  Essentially, this helps you to make good food decisions by filling up on healthy foods while staying within your points allowance.  The way I’ve seen it said around the website is “Nobody ever got fat on fruits and vegetables”.

However, it seems that there is one instance in which these zero points foods are more than zero points – in recipes.  When you add a vegetable in the recipe builder tool it lists as zero points, but when the builder calculates the total points per serving, it suddenly includes points for the vegetables.  So, a meal that you thought would be about eight points is suddenly more like eleven.  What gives?  There is a link at the bottom of the recipe builder that says “Why is this total higher than what my ingredients add up to?”, and the link takes you to this statement:  “PointsPlus values for ingredients may add up differently in the Recipe Builder than the PointsPlus Tracker.  This is because the nutrition information per serving for the entire recipe – including fruits and vegetables – is calculated before the Points Plus value is applied.”

To me, it doesn’t add up, literally.  It doesn’t make sense that vegetables eaten alone or in combination, such as in a salad, count for zero while those in a recipe count for more.  For instance, say you make a salad with one cup each lettuce, carrots and tomatoes.  Aside from any dressing or other toppings you add, that’s a zero point salad.  Now, say you make a big salad with four cups each lettuce, carrots and tomatoes and eat one fourth of it.  How is that any different?  Or, say you eat a serving of macaroni and cheese with steamed broccoli on the side.  You would enter the macaroni and cheese recipe and incur the points for that, and the broccoli would count for zero.  If you decided to add the broccoli into the macaroni and cheese as part of the recipe, why would it then count for points just because it’s mixed in?

A little more digging on the Weight Watchers website reveals their reasoning.

“It has always been our policy at Weight Watchers to incorporate the nutrients of vegetables (and now fruit) into recipes. Why? A few reasons.

1) Vegetables and fruit add fiber and other nutrients, and without including them it can impact the Points value.

2) Our recipes are often featured in articles and magazines nationally and as a result we need to disclose this info to ensure the appropriate calories and nutrient content are displayed if evaluated by organizations outside of Weight Watchers.

3) Since many non-Weight Watchers recipes include nutritional information these days, we want our calculations to match those you may do for recipes you find in other places. We don’t want to unfairly advantage our own recipes.

4) Once you start combining vegetables and fruits with other foods, you change the experience of eating them. Few people “pig out” on carrots but might on carrot cake. To ignore them in recipes would place our member at risk for abuse potential.”

So, the reason is essentially that their recipes need to be consistent in national magazines, and so I don’t binge on carrot cake?  It still doesn’t entirely make sense to me.  I choose recipes with lots of vegetables specifically to bulk my meals up without adding lots of calories, and I don’t feel that they should count for more than their assigned zero points just because they’re combined with other ingredients and cooked a bit.  This is my singular points of contention with the Weight Watchers plan so far, as I just don’t agree with their logic.

There are a few suggested solutions.  First, you can choose carefully whether to enter individual ingredients, save a group of ingredients as a meal, or use the recipe builder.  Fruits and vegetables are still zero when entered individually or saved as a meal.  If you want to use the recipe builder but not have vegetables count, you can just skip them while entering the recipe.  I use either of these strategies depending on the meal.  For example, for tonight’s dinner I made a big stirfry to be divided into four portions.  I make stirfry differently every time and I didn’t want to save it as a meal or recipe, so I just entered each ingredient in the portion that I ate.  For now, I will continue to count all vegetables as zero even when used in a recipe.  If at some point I start to fail to see weight loss results I might revisit this decision.  I wanted to give the information above in case anyone else is baffled.

Tuesday, 9/6/11

breakfast – 1 cup vanilla sunrise cereal with almond milk and raspberries
AM snack – banana, coffee with french vanilla soy creamer
lunch – whole wheat spaghetti with mushroom marinara, sauteed zucchini with tofu ricotta
PM snack – strawberry soy yogurt
dinner – stirfry (peanut & sesame oils, onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, cabbage, edamame, tamari, ume plum vinegar and white pepper) over brown rice

Exercise – 28 minutes yoga

Daily points used:  27
Activity points earned:  2

Totals for 8/31-9/6

Daily points used:  201/203
Weekly points used:  49/49
Activity points earned:  20
Activity points used:  18
Points left on the table:  4

I had intended to leave more points unused this week, but that didn’t work out.  We’ll see how I weigh in in the morning!

A Weekend of Choices

Dave and I are hosting a group of friends for the first NFL football Sunday next weekend, and while discussing what food to make I blurted out “nacho bar!”.  I don’t know where that idea came from, but it’s a good one, no?  A few guests are also following Weight Watchers, and Dave was concerned that a nacho bar might not be the best idea for those of us watching what we eat.  I told him that Weight Watchers isn’t about eating differently than everyone else, or eating “healthy” all the time, but rather it’s about making good choices.  Instead of piling up a giant plate of nachos, you could have a smaller portion or make a taco salad instead, using chips as a garnish instead of a base.  Dave has already purchased a giant can of nacho cheese, so it looks like the nacho bar is on!

Weekends are usually full of food choices for me.  We tend to tailgate, hang out with friends or do other activities on weekends, and I also keep most of my alcoholic beverage consumption to the weekend.  (If you’ve been looking at my food logs, you may have noticed that I am fond of beer and wine…)  On Friday we went straight from work to the A’s game and I didn’t have enough food at home to pack dinner, so we had to buy something on the way.  We chose burritos from La Burrita, which is actually one of the better choices around where we work, considering the options.  I try to buy burritos from places that don’t serve free chips so that they’re not a temptation.  Since I was sharing with Dave I went ahead and took the chips but limited myself to ten.  Ten chips are three points while twelve chips are four, so I stopped at ten.  See?  It’s all about the choices.

Saturday we went to an event with lots of food trucks, which is kind of the epitome of choices.  Somewhat fortunately in this situation, my options as a vegan were limited to about four dishes.  I knew I wanted to try Liba falafel truck, which offers a large falafel sandwich, small falafel sandwich, or falafel salad.  My first instinct was to go for the salad.  The salad, however, came with three falafels while the small sandwich came with two on a half pita.  I chose the small sandwich because I thought a bit of bread would be better than the extra falafel and fill me up more, and it was five dollars cheaper.

I promise there are falafels under there.

The falafels come with tahini sauce and a cilantro sauce.  It also includes toppings from their topping bar, with roasted eggplant and tomato, red cabbage with black sesame seeds, pickled onions and peanuts.  I got everything except the peanuts.

I was still a little hungry after the falafel sandwich, so I chose a summer squash taco from The Taco Guys.

The taco included zucchini, roasted red pepper, leeks, fennel and arugula, and I topped it with salsa verde.  I drained off as much oil as possible before eating, and this was one tasty taco.

So, I feel like I made some good choices this weekend, but let’s be realistic – it’s hard to always make the best choices!  I did eat french fries twice this weekend, but I also made sure they fit within my points allowance.

Friday, 9/2

breakfast – smoothie (banana, strawberries, 2 Tbs rolled oats, 1 Tbs chia seed powder and almond milk
snack – half a cantaloupe
lunch – 8 oz shirataki fettuccine with blushing alfredo sauce, wilted spinach, roasted cauliflower and baked tempeh
snack – 1 cup edamame in pods, 4 cherry tomatoes
dinner – burrito (rice, beans, lettuce, salsa, guacamole), 10 tortilla chips with salsa
after dinner – 52 oz light beer, french fries

daily points used:  29
weekly points used:  35

Saturday, 9/3

breakfast – 2/3 cup multibran cereal with almond milk and sliced banana, medium soy latte
lunch – falafel in pita with roasted eggplant and tomato, red cabbage with black sesame seeds and pickled onion; summer squash taco with roasted red pepper, leeks, arugula, fennel and salsa verde; diet pepsi with 2 oz rum
snack – ratatouille with chickpeas
dinner – 1 cup linguine with mushroom marinara, 16 oz red wine

daily points used:  29
weekly points used:  7
activity points used:  11

Sunday, 9/4

slept through breakfast and skipped to lunch at a diner.
lunch – triple decker ALT (avocado, lettuce, tomato) with sprouts and mustard on white toast, french fries with ketchup, coffee with unsweetened coconut milk
snack – two plums
dinner – ratatouille with chickpeas, mini neapolitan soy ice cream sandwich, 24 oz MGD 64

daily points used:  29
activity points used:  3

Monday, 9/5

breakfast – smoothie (banana, strawberries, hemp protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon)
lunch – Togo’s hummus sandwich on white bread with veggies and mustard, coffee with unsweetened coconut milk
dinner – whole wheat spaghetti with mushroom marinara, sauteed zucchini with tofu ricotta, nectarine, 12 oz MGD 64, 7 oz wine

Exercise – Couch to 5K Week 7 Day 1 (25 minutes running, 10 minutes walking)

daily points used:  29
activity points earned:  6
activity points used:  4

Onto the work week, when good food choices tend to be a little more routine for me.  Although, we have lots of different things going on this week (including the aforementioned nacho bar), so we’ll see how it goes!

Vida Vegan Con Wrap Up

I’m back from Vida Vegan Con and working to catch up on life.  I still need to put away all the awesome free stuff I received!  For more information on what I actually did at the convention, check out my live blog posts at Vegan Homemade – day one, two and three.  I’ll also post a wrap up there with more pictures and my notes and thoughts soon.

I mostly stuck to the strategies I laid out to handle being in Portland without blowing up like a balloon.  When I wanted to try everything, I took reasonable portion sizes (except for the doughnut and the giant burrito…ahem).  In the lunch line on Sunday I even received a comment on my “restraint” – in a good way, not a snarky way.  I didn’t have time to track during the weekend like I had wanted to, but I did track everything once I got back home.  Tracking tip:  If you don’t have time to track and are afraid you’ll forget everything you eat and drink, take a quick cell phone picture to reference later when you do have time.  It will not only remind you what you had, but provide an idea of the portion sizes as well.  I had to guess a lot since I didn’t know how dishes were prepared, but guessing is better than not tracking.

I ran my scheduled Couch to 5K session on Friday along the waterfront in downtown Portland.  I didn’t know it was going to be so hot!  I struggled to finish all 20 minutes of jogging and got a little lost trying to get back to the hotel.  I thought I might have a mini heat stroke by the time I finally got back, but I was really glad I went because I didn’t find a single minute to exercise for the rest of the weekend.

I went over my points allowance for the week by quite a bit, but I knew that would happen and was okay with it.  All the deliciousness in Portland was worth it.  I’ll come up with some exact numbers in my next post.

Warning:  The pictures below are not all Weight Watchers friendly!  They are what I ate though, so I’m putting ’em.

Friday 8/26/11

breakfast – Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens, creamed corn, red onion and patty pan squash sauteed in 3/4 tsp Earth Balance (dinner for breakfast to finish up leftovers), iced coffee with soy milk
lunch – Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips, roasted red pepper hummus, dried apricots, 1/2 oz dark chocolate, 8 oz beer (snacks and free beer sample on the flight)
PM snack – half a Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabar
dinner – macnocheeto (burrito with macnocheese, peppers, onions, smoked soy curls and barbecue sauce), mint tea
reception/late night – 8 oz champagne, hazelnut cheese samples, lemon cupcake, 42 oz light beer, 16 oz regular beer, chick-o-stick doughnut (it was a long night)

Exercise – Couch to 5K Week 6 Day 2 (20 minutes running, 13 minutes walking)

Daily points used:  29
Weekly points used:  34
Activity points earned:  5
Activity points used:  14
Extra (non-existent) points used:  2

Mediterranean Tapas picnic pack available on Alaska Airlines

looks innocent enough on the outside...

Macnocheeto!

Heido Ho hazelnut cheese samples

Chick-o-Stick doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut

Saturday 8/27/11

breakfast:  fruit salad with chia pudding, tofu scramble with mushrooms, roasted potatoes, one pancake, small biscuit with white bean gravy, apple cobbler, Greek coconut yogurt, coffee with coconut creamer
AM snack:  kid-size oatmeal raisin granola bar
lunch:  barbecue tempeh, orzo salad, pesto potato salad, raw cauliflower hummus with crudite, kale salad, beet salad, dark chocolate coconut ice cream bar
PM snack:  half a Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabar
dinner:  Gardein crispy tenders with sweet mustard sauce, mini burger, half a fresh roll, crostini with spinach dip, pizza with jalapeno, pineapple and almond, coconut ice cream sundae, 10 oz red wine, , 12 oz beer
late night snack:  pastrami-style seitan on rye with sauerkraut and spicy mustard, root beer

Daily points used:  29
Extra (non-existent) points used:  55

buffet breakfast

...and buffet lunch

dark chocolate coconut ice cream bar

Galarama snacks = dinner. Gardein crispy tenders own me.

gluten-free pizza from Sizzle Pie

Coconut Bliss ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce, peanut butter, ricemellow creme and sprinkles

Upton's pastrami-style seitan sandwich

Sunday 8/28/11

breakfast – fruit salad, roasted potatoes, tofu scramble, two small biscuits with white bean gravy, coffee with mimicreme
lunch – large soft taco with lettuce, soyrizo, soy curls, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo and pepperjack Daiya, spanish rice, raw walnut taco meat, Food for Lovers queso, iced tea
dinner – airport salad (lettuce, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, tomatoes and fat free raspberry dressing), “N’Oatmeal” raisin cookie, airplane snack mix
PM snack – 2 cups popcorn

Daily points used:  29
Extra (non-existent) points used:  19

another buffet breakfast

Mexican lunch. This was pretty darned good.

airport salad, not so good

Packing for Portland

I’m almost finished packing to go to Portland tomorrow for Vida Vegan Con!  There will be panels and workshops and socializing, but there will also be lots of food.  Buffet breakfasts, food carts, receptions, brewpubs, oy!  I have a few strategies to keep in mind throughout the weekend.

1.  Try a bit of whatever I want, but only a small or reasonable amount.  There will be cupcakes at the welcome reception, and I’m sure I won’t need more than one, or maybe half of one.

2.  Track.  I am fairly certain that I will go over my points for this week, but that’s okay because it’s a special occasion!  I will do my best to track everything I eat, even when I don’t feel like it.

3.  Exercise!  I have plans for a waterfront run as soon as I check into the hotel tomorrow afternoon.  The hotel has a gym and a pool, so I’m taking my workout gear and hope to get some activity in.

I won’t be writing here for a few days.  Rather, I’ll be live blogging the conference on my other blog Vegan Homemade.  Check in there to see what’s happening!

Thursday 8/25/11

breakfast – 1 cup Nature’s Path Vanilla Sunrise cereal, 1 cup almond milk, blackberries
AM snack – peach, coffee with soy creamer
lunch – Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens, creamed corn, red onion and patty pan squash sauteed in 3/4 tsp Earth Balance
PM snack – three dried figs
dinner – burrito (rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce, hot salsa), 10 oz red wine

Daily points used:  29
Weekly points used:  14