Ranch Dressing

I tried a modified version of this Ranch dressing tonight. (Modified because I didn't have any sour cream and used low fat mayo). Pretty darn good on Cobb salad made with iceberg lettuce, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, hard boiled egg and chicken (for me) or bacon (for the kids).

Note that everything on the Veggie Venture website has both nutrition info and WW points.

Email Ping

Looser Pants-ers,

Let me know (in comments or shoot me an email) if you want to be pinged when someone comments on this blog. I can enter up to 10 emails.

Jillian's 30 Day Shred

Okay, I've been recommending this workout DVD all around town. It is so great. It will kick your butt and you'll come back for more. This is coming from JillyG here, one who usually says "no thanks" to exercise. I haven't done this DVD in the past week, and I actually miss it a little bit. I find that a workout dvd works best for me in getting the exercise in. I think most of you guys do the gym/running thing, but if you want to try it out I'll lend it to you.

Achy and Feeling Crumb-y

(I am temporary exiled from my office here at GSPP while they install new furniture).

There are days when healthy and low calorie eating feels downright easy. You're in a good groove, you have your staples and the occasional treat, it's all good. Then there are times like this weekend.

I had planned well for the party on Friday night, but when I woke up on Saturday morning with a sore throat, it was over before it started. Good intentions decreased as body aches increased. I was sick, not so sick that I was completely out of commission, but sick enough that I wanted to do something to make myself feel better.

Add to this the beautiful persimmon muffins I made for Anna's soccer team that were returned mostly uneaten (woe to the 8 year old's palate!) and you have a weekend of hot tea and muffins, and more hot tea and muffins. Which might have been okay, except that since I thought I was baking for kids, I used a recipe consisting of 1 cup butter, 1.5 cups sugar.

To get myself back on track, I cooked up a pot of lentils last night. Today's lunch is a cup of lentils with 1/4 cup feta and lots of heirloom tomatoes. 6 points.

The only downside is that the kids think cooking lentils smell bad...and Anna, aka Miss Smell Sensitive, says that, after standing over a pot of boiling lentils, my clothes "smell like farts" and that I should take a shower. Kids can be so darling, can't they?

Roasted Veggies

I couldn't help but notice the delicious bowl of veggies that Dana L. was eating last Sunday night (while the rest of us was eating pizza at the prayer vigil meeting). I asked her about the method behind her veggie bonanza. Her answer:

I spray the tray with olive oil, very lightly. Load up my veggies (eggplant, yams, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. I stay away from things like peppers and really really wet vegetables, because I like them to roast a little dry.)

spray again, lightly

grind fresh pepper on top and put a little bit of garlic salt on it (like a lawry's)

Bake at 425ish for about 20 minutes. Less is fine too. But I do like it to be dry...

Then, though I didn't do it this time, because I was out... I mix it in a bowl with an 1/8 cup (or less) of a cup of feta. Heaven!

I use feta packed in brine which is something I discovered recently. Well let's be honest, they did a taste test on supermarket feta on America's Test Kitchen, and they determined it didn't matter what you bought as long as it was in brine. I'd never had feta packed in brine, but I love it!! I also don't need to use very much because it has so much more flavor!

Where do you buy it? I don't know if they have it at regular grocery stores, but I buy it at Indus groceries on San Pablo. Big ole block for about 5 bucks.

Breakfast

I've been on my healthy eating regimen for six weeks now, with a one-week break to account for my parents' visit, the church anniversary and the Full Belly Farm Hoes Down. I only recently acquired an accurate scale, so I can't really say how much weight I've lost. I'll approximate and say 5 lbs.

The best healthy habit that I've adopted so far is eating a good breakfast, even if that means I roll into the office a little late (and therefore have to stay late--boo!).

My breakfast of choice:
2/3 cup Trader Joe's Fruit and Fiber cereal with nonfat milk (2 points)
3 egg white scramble with salsa (1 point)
coffee with half and half (1 point)

The caffeine curbs hunger, the half and half is my morning indulgence. The protein gives me energy and the fiber keeps things moving right along. It's a good kick start to my 20 point day.

What are the best practices that you've adopted?