I loved reading everyone’s comments left on yesterday’s post about processed foods. And I agree with Marcia, there is a season to rely on processed foods, and I for one am not going to eliminate them completely. However, the Weight Watcher Media team sent this to the WW Ambassadors:
Introducing: #FreshFoodsFeb! You all know that healthier foods can still be fun & delicious! So, we’re challenging everyone to cook up (or order) foods that you wouldn’t or may have not tried in the past (Zoodles and Cauliflower Crust Pizza for the win!) all month long and share them with the hashtag #FreshFoodsFeb. If you’re in – share this photo with hashtag #FreshFoodsFeb & invite your friend to join!
For more info about the challenge + to get your creative juices flowing, we’ll also be updating a Pinterest board with awesome recipe ideas here: http://weightwtch.rs/freshfoodsfebpin Can’t wait to see all of what you’re eating this Feb!
While I don’t mind that people rely on processed foods to stay within their point range while living really busy lives, my hope is to get those of you who typically eat Trader Joe’s frozen meals, Lean Cuisines, etc., to just try one Fresh Food recipe just one night a week. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be a simple steak seared with some green beans and mushrooms. My hope is to share one or two (maybe three?!) easy simple recipes this month to refer back to. I hope I inspire you to get Bizzy in your Own Kitchen. 
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While you all know that I love my breakfast parfaits, they really don’t keep me full for very long. Even with some granola they are usually only about 5 points, so I decided to add 3/4 cup of cooked oatmeal to my parfait, and guess what? I loved it. I thought it would be weird to have the warm oatmeal with the cold fruit and yogurt, but it actually worked really well. This giant parfait was 7 points and it kept me full for a long time.
And since I’ve kicked my wine to the curb for the near future (I only had wine three times the whole month of January!) I decided to bring my giant wine glass to work for parfaits. That was a typical “one glass” of wine – it probably holds 20 ounces?!
I ate lunch in the tenant lounge again. While I missed walking with my sister because of my cough, I like that I actually take my time eating lunch vs. grabbing bites in between doing stuff when I eat at my desk. I had a ground beef and red cabbage taco on an Ole wrap, cucumbers with Goddess dressing, and kiwi for dessert. This plate of food came in at 6 points.
I almost always add all my points to my WW app at the beginning of the day, that way I can adjust as I go along, instead of eating something and looking it up after the fact (did that 1,000 times!) only to discover something I thought was 4 points was actually 10. At first I thought I was going to have way more meatballs than I actually did eat, so what was going to be a 14 point meal, came in at only 10 smart points. So AFTER dinner I had only eaten 23 points.
I think I told you that my sister got my Mom a “Veggetti” for Christmas (which Hannah and I can’t help but ask each other “Hey, do you know where you put the vagina?!”) and as soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to trade my Mom for it, which she gladly accepted $18 worth of steak the last time she was at my house. Deal! What I like about it, is that there is not a lot of waste – just that tiny part in the middle, and it takes just seconds to get the noodles, and the machine cleans up really well.
I was a bit nervous though having just zoodles without the noodles, and in the end I decided to add a cup of cooked pasta to my dinner since I had the points for it. I didn’t cook the zoodles at all. Once I drained the pasta, I put the zoodles in the bottom of the hot pot, and poured the hot noodles over the zoodles and let them sit for just a minute or two. The residual heat and steam kind of wilted the zoodles so that they were tender, but still a bit crisp, which I loved. I weighed out 3 ounces of sweet Italian sausage (3) and made 8 tiny meatballs out of that. Just Pam seared on all sides over medium heat, turned the heat down, added a cup of my one point marinara and let that warm up while it finished cooking off the meatballs.
This was absolutely delicious. It was super filling and was pure comfort food in a bowl. Yum!
Can you believe 1/12 of the year is over already?! January usually feels like the longest month of the year to me, and it flew by. February 1! I hope to continue my blue dot streak like I did in January:
And hopefully once this cough goes away, get back to the gym this month and start sweating away the pounds as well as staying within my healthy eating zone each day.
Here’s some Wednesday Wisdom for you – make it a great day!
I love zoodles, need to make them soon again.
I forgot to mention that I saw your before and now pic and want to give you a compliment, you are doing great and look great.
I didn’t know you traded my Christmas gift I gave to Mom – LOL
Glad you like it 🙂
Ha, I did! She said she probably wouldn’t use it – so I win! ????? thanks!
I am so glad I got a spiralizer a few months ago. I love zucchini noodles. (Dennis, not so much….)
Our schedules have been INSANE for a couple of months, life has been insane on so many levels, so we’ve definitely relied on “grab and go” meals FAR more lately than we have in the past.
I resolved last week to look up some super quick, super healthy whole food meals, and am committed to getting back to our normal eating routine.
I actually loved the combination of the regular pasta with the zoodles – it made it seem like so much food! It’s easy to fall back to grab and go. Hope things settle down for you soon!
I went back to WW on Monday after being sidelined by my foot surgery for 2 months. Lol I’m still in a walking boot for another week but hopefully after that I can get back to my normal routine. But I am loving all these wonderful food ideas with the points listed! Course your food always looks wonderful. 🙂 A few things I’ve noticed was the blue dots you have been mentioning & now the WW connect – but I didn’t have a clue what that was all about since I’ve been away for a bit. WW is really coming up with a lot of new motivation ideas & I’m loving it! And looking at your zoodles makes me want to run (hobble) out & get a Veggetti! 😀
I am glad you are on the road to recovery – I am sure it’s felt like forever! Sorry, I should have explained the blue dots – it’s kind of like my fit bit if I am not to 10k steps yet – it spurs me to do better 😀 Hugs!
I do eat some minimally processed frozen meals once in a while. Mostly because Its enough food for me. I still get full after I eat one. ( thankfully). I bought an America’s test kitchen cooking for two cookbook before we moved. I have to locate it. I would like to cook some of those recipes
I haven’t seen that cookbook before?! I think I’d love it, since I am mostly cooking for me now. Hannah switched to Vegan for all of four days, and is back on the Keto diet – I do have to give her and Jacob props – they have cooked more in the last month then they have all year!
I keep talking myself out of the veggie spiral thing. I’ll pick one up look at it, read the box, decide it is a good purchase and ultimately decide it will most likely just sit in the box under the counter with my mandoline, food processor, blender, heart shaped tart pans, etc. You get the picture 🙂 I do love my veggies and just take the extra time to slice and dice them and sometimes use the veggie peeler if I get super energetic and want spirals.
If my Mom didn’t think she’d use it, it was all I could do as her favorite child is to take it from her 😀 I do like that it stores all in one spot though, so it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate with all the other crap I have 😀
Zoodles are my favorite vegetable “pasta” and I often add them to my lonely cup of spaghetti as well. Maybe it’s an optical illusion but it makes me feel like I’m getting so much more to eat.
I love that butterfly graphic – and needed it today, thanks!
Morning Helen! Yep, it seemed like so much food! ??????