TASTY TUESDAY :

Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs

A fresh, yummy dinner on the grill!  

Complete the experience by enjoying your meal outdoors!

Servings: 4

Points Plus Values:  8

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 Spray of Cooking Spray

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 medium pineapple

1 medium green pepper

1 medium sweet red pepper

1 large onion

¼ Cup pineapple juice or orange juice

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 teaspoon of olive oil

2 Cups cooked white or brown rice

Instructions:

1. Cut each chicken breast, pineapple, pepper and onion into 1 inch thick pieces.  About 24 total pieces
2. Combine chicken, juice, garlic, soy sauce and oil in a large bowl: marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat grill.  Lightly coat vegetables with cooking spray. Thread 2 pieces of pepper, pineapple, chicken and onion onto each of 8 skewers. Then brush with marinade. (Note: if using wood skewers, soak in water to prevent charring)
4. Grill until Chicken is completely cooked, about 8-10 minutes, turning the kebabs every 2 minutes so they’re cooked evenly on all sides. 

 Serving Size:  2 Kebabs and ½ Cup rice  

MY STORY… BEYOND THE SCALE & REAL LIFE TOO

*BEAUTY

[byoo-tee]

Noun: a combination of qualities, such as shape, color or form that pleases the intellect, moral and aesthetic senses.

Let me tell you about my daughter Mia.  She is spunk, attitude, sass & style all wrapped up with dimples.  The things that come out of her mouth on a daily basis makes me laugh!

To call her a fashion Diva doesn’t fully describe her.  She changes multiple times a day and carries at least 2 lip glosses where ever she goes.  (Yesterday I found 5 in her purse!) She will compliment strangers on their outfits as we grocery shop and critique her big sisters if she doesn’t agree with what they are wearing.  Did I mention she’s 4?  Yesterday as we were getting ready for church she asks my husband, “Isn’t Bella pretty?”  He says yes, all my girls are beautiful.  “Dad how do you know if she is pretty?  You didn’t even look to see her outfit?”  As I listened to him explain to her that being beautiful doesn’t matter what clothes you wear, and it definitely doesn’t matter if you have on sparkly eye shadow!  I sat listening to his responses on the subject of beauty and thought about how I have been asked a similar question privately by members over the past month.  Members from all walks of the W.W. journey.  Some at goal, some on the way to goal and some just starting out.
“How can I learn to see myself as beautiful?  Or become comfortable in my own skin?” 

Is the old adage “Beauty is skin deep” true?  Or does it come from a place of confidence, honesty, intelligence or generosity? What make us beautiful comes from within doesn’t it?  It’s the parts of us that are different and make us stand out!  Right?

 I even asked Siri on my phone once but she only pulled up pics of celebrities like Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Channing Tatum & Kerry Washington.  Not that I didn’t agree, but, really that’s not even a fair!  Google it and you will get more frustrating responses. The longer I searched the more frustrated I became.  How do we as adult women (& men) find ourselves competing with photo shopped super freak models and actors?  How do I raise 3 girls to know they are beautiful when they see images all around them that say they aren’t? 

Did you know that in the mid centuries it was a sign of wealth and beauty if you were considered plump?  Then in the late 1800’s the word diet started to creep into our vernacular.  Today, economists post that a “well-groomed male and an attractive female will earn 4 times their “average” counterparts in the workplace”.  UGHH!  REALLY?! 

So... How do I believe I am beautiful?  How do I learn to be confident in this body?  How do I get Mia to believe all the great things her dad told her?  Or help you in the meeting rooms to believe it for yourself?  I’m not sure if there is a concrete answer that translates to the masses.  (I hope you will add your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below!)   But, after scouring through a lot of crap on the internet on the subject of being beautiful I did find some great tips toward gaining a better personal perspective. Steps like; self-talk, smiling, being kind to others and exercise.  My hope is that as we head into some great meetings this month & learn the importance of being Happy, maybe, just maybe, we will start heading in the right direction too!  Knowing the answers to these tough questions AND believing them ourselves!

JUNE Theme:  GET HAPPY!

Get Happy Award

All of our meetings this month will be  hands-on with reflections and activities  that  will help us Get Happy!  Losing  weight isn’t just about what foods enter  our mouths.  Our day to day lives,  complete with stress levels, all have an  effect on our weight loss.  We’re training  our skills associated with happiness so that  we can make better choices & have better health!  Be in our meeting rooms & join us as we get HAPPY!  Remember if you attend 10 of 12 weeks this summer you will earn your Get Happy Charm!

 

Last Week:     ”GET HAPPY”

We might think happiness will be our reward for all the hard work we’ve poured into making lifestyle changes & losing weight.  But, if we focus on nourishing our Happiness - we’re more likely to reach our personal goals!  In our meeting we reflected on what makes us truly happy.  What does being happy feel like for you?  How can you hold onto that feeling?  Learning what makes us truly happy can help us create more happiness in our lives.

 

This Week:  “THE POWER OF MINDFULNESS”

This week we will focus on one of the skills that can help us cultivate happiness in our lives.  Mindfulness is used by people from all walks of life (athletes, performers, the next door neighbor) to “stay in the moment” and focus on what they want to achieve.  Instead of dwelling in the past or staring into the future – let’s stay in the Now!  With a little practice, we can all be more mindful!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK!
ONLINE TOOL:

Can Meditation Help You Lose Weight? Meditation can be relaxing but can sitting and breathing help you lose weight?  Check out this article and decide for yourself!

https://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=6011&sc=3047

ON SALE THIS WEEK: 

Candies:       $1.50

Smoothies:   $4.95

Original Active Link:  $5.00

You saw right!  The completely waterproof original Active Link is $5 through June 20.

$5 monthly subscription fee & $5 product purchase needed

 

STRUGGLING MEMBER WORKSHOPS:

Do you feel unmotivated?  Struggling with staying on plan? You're not alone!  Find a workshop that fits your schedule!

·         June 20, 10:30-11:30am ~ North Aurora

·         June 25,  6:30-7:30pm ~ Geneva

APP WORKSHOP:

Need help using your WW app or digital tools on your tablets?  Bring your smart phones or tablets with the app downloaded and be ready to learn some great tricks and tips!

·         June 27, 10:30am North Aurora

Let’s Clap the Big Hands!

Celebrate the Scale & those Non Scale Victories too!

"Before"

Barbara In the Dress!

This week I want to give a big shout out to Barbara from our Geneva Friday morning meeting.  A year ago Barbara was invited to a wedding where she planned on wearing a red dress that she loved!  She knew that the dress was a little small but thought she could lose the weight in time.  Sadly, she had to buy a new dress for the wedding.  BUT, now after joining WW and losing 30# she came smiling into the meeting room this week WEARING the RED DRESS!  Talk about what make us Happy!  Barbara was beaming and the group rallied around her in celebration too!  We are all so proud of you Barbara,  and are excited to be a part of your journey as you make it closer to your goal!  Bravo!!! Here is a picture of her in the 2^nd dress at the wedding and 30 pounds lighter strutting her stuff!

(if you’d like to share your success, post under comments or let me know you’d like to be added in the blog)

Quote of the Week:

by Martha Washington

This newsletter is and the views shared are not affiliated with weight watchers international, inc.  It is meant to be a motivational tool.

-TASTY TUESDAY-

Sautéed Peach Crisp

Servings: 1

Points Plus Values: 3

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 4 Minutes!

Ingredients:

1 Spray of Cooking Spray

1 large peach thinly sliced

2 tsp dark brown sugar, unpacked

1 Tbsp low fat ready to eat granola cereal

Instructions:

1. Spray a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat.
2.  Add peach slices; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes.
3.  Add brown sugar; stir until sugar melts and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes.
4.  Scrape peach mixture into a small bowl; top with granola.

Serving Size: ¾ Cup

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS = 3
Unless you top with your favorite ice cream!  Then add points according to the nutrition label!  

MY STORY… BEYOND THE SCALE & REAL LIFE TOO

A Good Plan gets rained on

If you have been in a meeting lately you know that I began training do run a 5k race with my 11 year old daughter about 10 weeks ago.  I downloaded the Couch to 5k app (C25K) in plenty of time to go from being fairly inactive to being able to run the entire race with her as she was training at school in a girls running program.  I admit, that race in June, seemed terribly far away when it was April and we were still wearing winter coats! I did my app- sometimes.  I even got up to week 5 of the 8 week training program but trying to cram 8 weeks into a few attempts wasn’t realistic or attainable.  So I made a Race Day Plan.  I knew that I had run for 5 minutes straight on a few different occasions and on one occasion I had even gone a full 17!   So come “Race Day” I would start out slow but run for a minimum of 5 minutes.  Then I could see if I could push myself a little farther depending on the crowd’s energy and Talia.  My hope was that she would be key in pushing me past my “I can’t” mentality.  When I couldn’t go any farther, I would walk but not for more than 2 minutes then run another 5 and on and on.  I also told myself numerous times on the 1 ½ hour bus ride that “I AM A RUNNER”  “I CAN DO THIS” by the time we got to Joliet Speedway I was excited and feeling good.  I know some of you were also there but I only saw Kelly S. since our daughters attend the same school! :)

My Running Buddy Talia

Then if you have been on Facebook you would know that after we waited for our heat to be called and all began lining up at the start line it began to rain.  Still most in the crowd were excited!  Then, it REALLY started raining and people just started running!  I had no idea if we were supposed to, if we were on the track or if we were heading towards the parking lot but when a herd of people are moving you just better move too!  Sadly, as the crowd started to thin I realized we were heading toward the buses & I heard the loud speaker announce that lightening had been spotted in the area.  This would post-pone the race.  We sat soaked and quiet on the school bus for a while before our school coaches were told that it was indeed canceled. 

Was my “training” for nothing?  Did I wake up at 5 am for nothing?  Was a small part of me happy… J  I won’t confirm nor deny!  But on the long, wet, cold ride home (only the experienced runners knew to bring a change of dry clothes) I knew I wanted to finish.  I WANT to finish.  And now I was given a chance to complete my training and actually RUN a 5K!  After a nap my daughter and I went on-line and looked up races without age restrictions.  Now that we have our list, I just have to compare the dates with the rest of our family calendar but by the end of the week we will be signed up for a 5K!  Ask me which one we are doing.  Hold me accountable! 

What about you?  Whether your goals include moving like we discussed last week in the meeting or if your goals are weight related, or involve tracking, what happens when YOU’RE well thought out plan gets rained on?  How do you respond?  Do you throw in the towel and just give up?  Who or What do you need to stay motivated? Can you do it?  Will you do it?  Only you can decide that.  But I believe that the summer of 2015 is OUR SUMMER!  The summer of change, accomplished goals and just being Happy with where I’m heading! 

JUNE Theme:  GET HAPPY!

minions Make me Happy

Do you ever say to yourself, “I’ll be happy when…”or “Once I lose weight, then I’ll enjoy…?”  Happiness can be cultivated and when we do it’s easier to the choices that improve our lives and make us , well, Happy!  So this month that is what we are focusing on in our meetings – Getting Happy!

 

Last Week:     ”GO OUT & PLAY”

Exercise can be such a a challenge!  In our meeting we “packed a bag” with the tools needed to be more active.  Looking at what you’re trying to achieve & what actions you need to take to make that happen can help us decide what tools you need to start reaching your goals!  Sometimes we need physical items for the activity and sometimes we need intangibles like motivation, stamina, etc.  What did you end up packing?  Will it fit in your with your lifestyle? Be sure to share in the meeting what you will need and maybe inspire a fellow member, too!

This Week:  “GET HAPPY”

Who doesn’t want to be happy?  It seems that most of us have pursued happiness at one time or another.  After all, it’s why we joined Weight Watchers.  Once we have lost our weight and gotten to our weight loss goal, we’ll be happy, right?!  How would it feel though if you could be happy starting right now?  What is it that makes you happy?  What do you associate with that feeling of happiness?  “If you’re happy and you know it..” make your way to the meeting & support others in finding their HAPPY!  If you aren’t there yet, don’t worry there will be lots of brain power in the room generating ideas that could help you find your Happy, Happy, Happy place!

 What’s Happening This Week!

ON SALE THIS WEEK: 

Candies:       $1.50

Smoothies:   $4.95

Original Active Link:  $5.00 ~ WHAT? 

You saw right!  The completely waterproof original Active Link is $5 through June 20.

$5 monthly subscription fee

 

STRUGGLING MEMBER WORKSHOPS:

Do you feel unmotivated?  Struggling with staying on plan? You're not alone!  Find a workshop that fits your schedule!

·         June 11,  6-7pm ~  South Elgin

·         June 20, 10:30-11:30am ~ North Aurora

·         June 25,  6:30-7:30pm ~ Geneva

APP WORKSHOP:

Need help using your WW app or digital tools on your tablets?  Bring your smart phones or tablets with the app downloaded and be ready to learn some great tricks and tips!

·         June 27, 10:30am North Aurora

Let’s Clap the Big Hands!

Yay Deb!  GOAL!

Celebrate the Scale & those Non Scale Victories too!

This week I want to recognize Deb from the South Elgin Thursday night meeting!  She reached her weight goal!  Woo-Hooo!!!  Deb mentioned that tracking is a big part of her success and it was great hearing from our life time members that encouraged her to KEEP coming even after Lifetime to help keep her at her goal!  Bravo Deb!  We are so proud to be a part of your journey!

(if you’d like to share your success, post under comments or let me know you’d like to be added in the blog)

Quote of the Week:

This newsletter is and the views shared are not affiliated with weight watchers international, inc.  It is meant to be a motivational tool.

TASTY TUESDAY:

Skinny - Oven Baked Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

6 Points Plus Values

Here’s a quick little sandwich just in time for summer picnics!  I found this recipe on Skinny Kitchen  www.skinnykitchen.com.  They only take a little over an hour!  This yummy pulled chicken sandwich is so tender and extremely flavorful.  She’s trimmed the fat and calories by making the coleslaw with a skinny dressing and using a 100 calorie, fiber rich, sandwich thin for the bun. The skinny for 1 sandwich, only 238 calories, 4 grams of fat and 6 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. If you’re not looking to feed a crowd just cut this recipe in half. One thing I know for sure, it’s really, really delicious!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients for Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 (18 oz) bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue sauce or your favorite

Ingredients for Coleslaw:

6 cups shredded white cabbage, 1 (10 oz) bag

1 cup shredded carrots

¾ cup scallions, chopped

4 tablespoons light mayonnaise,  I like Best Foods (Hellman’s) Light

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2½ tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon honey

¼ teaspoon prepared white horseradish

2 packages Oroweat’s Honey Wheat Sandwich Thins, see shopping tip

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place chicken breasts in a roasting pan or rectangular Pyrex baking dish. Arrange sliced onions over the chicken, then pour the barbecue sauce over top, reserving 1 cup for later. Cover the baking dish/pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook chicken for 1 hour, remove foil and cook for about 10 minutes longer until chicken is fork tender.

2. In the meantime, prepare the coleslaw-In a large bowl add the cabbage, carrots and scallions. In a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients. Refrigerate the coleslaw and dressing separately until ready to serve. Don’t toss until serving to keep coleslaw crisp and crunchy, not soggy.

3. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board. Using two forks, pull the chicken breasts apart to shred the meat. Place the shredded chicken back in the pan, add the reserved 1 cup barbecue sauce and toss the chicken well to thoroughly coat in the sauce that’s remaining in the pan.

4. Serve the pulled chicken warm. Place on the bottom of each sandwich thin ½ cup barbecue shredded chicken. Add onion, ¾ cup slaw and top with sandwich thin.

5. If you have any leftovers, the shredded chicken freezes great. You can use leftover chicken to stuff a baked potato or add to a salad. Plus, this recipe can easily be cut in half!

Makes 12 servings (each serving ½ cup shredded chicken and ¾ cup coleslaw)

Shopping Tip:

Oroweat Honey Wheat Sandwich Thins can be found in most large supermarkets.  One sandwich thin has 100 calories, 1g fat and 5g fiber.  They come in several flavors with the same nutrition facts.  Several brands are available so if you can’t find Oroweat, use one of the others brands.

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS VALUES = 6

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 sandwich (each serving ½ cup shredded chicken and ¾ cup coleslaw) 238 calories, 4g fat, 22g protein, 34g carbs, 7g fiber, 745mg sodium, 8g sugar

Who Moved My Cheese?

 MY STORY… BEYOND THE SCALE & REAL LIFE TOO

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?

A friend of mine just lent me the book “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson M.D. as we were discussing the many graduation parties we both had been invited to this summer.  This book is her go~to Grad Gift. and yet I had never even heard of it before.  So sure enough she sent me home with her copy!  The premise of this little parable is that Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective.  It’s the story of 2 little mice & 2 little men that go every day into a maze to get cheese until one day they arrive & discover that the cheese is gone!  The mice are shocked but put on their shoes and race off in search of adventure & new cheese.  The men stay, every day, hoping it will come back until one man finally decides he will die if he doesn’t go out and look for new cheese.  So off he goes.  The last man stays.  Waiting.  Sad.  Angry.  Frustrated.  Who would DARE move his cheese?  He deserved that cheese.  What would he do if there was no cheese?  So think about it.  Are YOU adaptable and alert to change, embracing the newness with excitement?  Or do you often find yourself resisting and fearing it, hoping that if you ignore it long enough it will just change back to how things once were?

After finishing the book I had a little “Ah Ha” moment myself.  Whether I like it or not Change Is Coming!  Or in some parts of my life it already has!  At work I have a new Territory Manager that runs things in a new way then my previous supervisor.  Today is the kids last day of school.  Change is coming as we will be in a new routine for the next few months.  I used to be able to keep my weight maintained as long as I tracked my points but now sadly, I have to MOVE too!  Ugh!  I’m getting older….June is my birthday month and I will officially be as OLD as my Mom was the day I overheard her crying to a friend that she was 42 and middle aged.  Isn’t that funny?  I remember her being pregnant at 30 with my youngest sister thinking that the PTO would be gossiping that a 30 old was having a baby!  Times do change! 

What about you?  How has your life changed?  Are you still mad that we don’t have a slide rule for WW and that you can’t look at a nutrition label and guess the points? (C’mon that was 4 years ago- time to move on)  Have you lost a loved one this year that threw your life into a tailspin?  Retire?  Move?  Become a Grandpa?  How are you handling your life right now?  Take a moment today to think about the changes that have happened and how you responded?  Do you need to reconsider?  Are you like the sad, angry man complaining about your change or have you moved on and embraced the newness that came - in spite of that change?  So I guess I end with one last question….Are you a man or a mouse? 

May begins YOUR SUMMER TOOLKIT:

May is the gateway to summer!  School will soon be out, the weather is getting warmer, burgers are on the grill - this is the best time to start prepping for the challenges & fun of this next season!  Our May meetings are designed to help you stock your WW “tool box” so you can enjoy all that summer has to offer AND stay on Plan!  Coming next week= June is GET HAPPY month at W.W!

Last Week's Meeting:      ”THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE”

We worked together in the meeting room to brainstorm ideas to up the Flavor, bring back Blasts from the Past,  (Oberweiss Shakes made every list) tried to be more Adventurous & we Set the Mood.  I had so much fun hearing all your ideas!  I hope you did too!  Come to the meeting this week and let us know which of these great ideas you tried!  Did you like cold soup? Anyone have a Slab of Cake (Heather wink wink) I hope you got out of your ruts and away from “meh” meals!   

---

This Week's Meeting:   ”GO OUT & PLAY”

Any activity goals for the summer?  Even if you are allergic to exercise let’s try to come up with ways to get moving that actually fit your lifestyle!  How can we play if …..   Been injured? Work full time?  Stay at home with little kids?  Do we need to “pack a bag” to actually meet our goals?  How can moving fit into your life right now?

Remember the Moving Man Challenge I gave you a few months back?  This is still in play!  Take your age and translate it into some type of action plan – last week Heidi got her charm by going to the gym 48 times and stayed for 48 minutes!  Yay Heidi!  You’ve seen members get them for planking, hula hooping, swimming and even going to the mailbox!  This is your challenge!  What goal will you set to move a little more then you are  now?  Don’t forget there is no end date to this challenge.  Whenever you complete it I will give you your bling!

What’s Happening!

ON SALE THIS WEEK: 

Smoothies:   $4.95

Fit Bits:   $10 off this week

Original Active Link:  $5.00  WHAT!? 

-  You saw right!  The completely waterproof original Active Link is $5 through June 20.

-  $5 monthly subscription fee

 

STRUGGLING MEMBER WORKSHOPS:

Do you feel unmotivated?  Struggling with staying on plan?  Or just need to refocus and recommit?  You're not alone!  Find a workshop that fits your schedule!

·         June 3,   9-10am ~ Geneva

·         June 11,  6-7pm ~  South Elgin

·         June 25,  6:30-7:30pm ~ Geneva

(North Aurora coming soon)

Let’s Clap the Big Hands!

Kay & Celeste

Celebrate the Scale & those Non Scale Victories too!

This week I want to recognize Kay & Celeste.  These sisters & roommates from Geneva cleaned out their cabinets last week.  Even those items that had low points values but were triggers or had high sodium were tossed out!  Then they went shopping so their environment was safe. Not only did these 2 characters cut & prep their produce they both LOST weight this week!  Bravo Kay & Celeste!

(if you’d like to share your success, post under comments or let me know you’d like to be added in the blog)

Quote of the Week:

This newsletter is and the views shared are not affiliated with weight watchers international, inc.  It is meant to be a motivational tool.