Weight Watchers Smart Ones – Shrimp Marinara

The Specs – 180 Calories 1.5 grams fat 4 grams fiber

Points 3

Smart Ones describes this selection as linguini in a zesty marinara sauce with tender bay shrimp and mushrooms. I enjoyed this meal. The linguini noodles were a nice change to just using spaghetti. The sauce has a good tangy flavor. It would have been nice to have a few more shrimp. My suggestion for cooking is to be careful removing the plastic cover (condensation) as you don’t want to add any more water to the entree.

I give this one an A+ and will definitely add it to the lunch box.

Healthy Choice Chicken Margherita

Points 7

The Specs – 340 Calories 8 Grams Fat 4 Grams Fiber

Healthy Choice describes this entrée as a white meat chicken with angel hair pasta & roasted garlic in balsamic vinaigrette sauce. This one had a nice aroma as it heated in the microwave. I like angel hair pasta but the texture of the pasta in this offering was dissatisfying. The balsamic vinaigrette sauce was really good. Of course the chicken was good because of the sauce. This meal did satisfy my appetite today. I followed the microwave heating instructions exactly and it turned out just right. I’ll add this one to my lunchbox.

Week 9 Status Update

Now this is more like it. Unlike last weeks disappointment this week brought fantastic news. I lost 4 lbs. this week. Woo Hoo !! That brings my 9 week total pounds lost to 25 lbs.

I still have yet to get going in the exercise department. I do walk a good bit at work but I have always read that it’s not really exercise if its part of your day to day activities. This weekend we will be moving our sales operations into their new facilities so I will be working all weekend. I will have to be careful to not get caught up in the hustle and bustle and just eat whatever is offered.

For the week I stuck to the program pretty well. I even maintained good selections while dining out. Monday night we ate at Cheddars which is one of my favorite places to eat. I always order the fried chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli cheese casserole, but I ordered grilled chicken with green beans and left the gravy off the mashed potatoes.

For those of you working hard to lose weight keep up the fight. Every day is a new day. You can be successful.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones – Chicken Parmesan

The Specs 290 Calories 5 Grams Fat 4 Grams Fiber

Points 5

Described as seasoned chicken breast and spaghetti with marinara sauce topped with cheese it falls short of the grade. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself that it is diet food so what do you expect? The chicken was like a pressed patty made to taste like chicken. The pasta and sauce were fine but some of the other meals I have tried before are better.

I’ll leave this one in my grocer’s freezer case.

Low Fat Pepperoni Pizza

Points 4.3 per slice

One of the things I have missed the most while dieting is Pizza. I have been watching what I eat for the last eight weeks plus. In that time I have not had two of my favorite kinds of food, Pizza and Chinese food. I have had the occasional frozen Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers offerings, but I haven’t had the real thing. Now I say I haven’t had Pizza because I am talking about regular high fat and cheesy Pizza.

To help me stay on my program I have looked around for recipes to reduce the calories and fat in my favorite foods. I have made this low fat Pizza about three times now and it has been satisfying every time. When you are shopping for the ingredients pay close attention to the nutritional information. For example some of the sauces you can select are very low in calories and fat. The dough is where most of the points come from so compare your dough choices to reduce the points from the crust. You can also experiment with the meats, I have used Turkey Pepperoni to prepare mine I am going to try a grilled chicken some time soon. If you are selecting one of the prepared chicken products be sure to read the label. Some of the prepared chicken products are higher in fat and calories.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust – you will find it in the refrigerated case
34 Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Slices
½ Cup of Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese
¼ Cup of Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup of Pizza, Spaghetti or Pasta Sauce – I use Hunts Garlic and Herb Spaghetti Sauce it is lower in calories and fat than the other options at my grocer.
Italian Seasoning to Taste

Prepare the crust per the package instructions. The Pillsbury Pizza Crust I used has to be cooked for six minutes before you add the toppings. Spread the sauce, cheese and seasonings evenly before adding your meat. You can also add your favorite vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, onions ect. Finish baking the pizza per the instructions from the crust. I use a Pampered Chef stone to cook my pizza so the crust comes out just right. You may want to adjust the cooking time depending on how you like your crust.

Using the brands and portions I have listed above when you cut the pizza in six slices it comes to 4.3 points per slice with three of the points coming just from the crust. If you find a crust that is lower in points please let me know, I would love to get the points down a little more.

Enjoy.

Plan Ahead for Success

The last couple of days have been a little tougher than usual. I guess the disappointment of not losing at least one pound has contributed to the harder time I have had. But, I have to keep my eye on the big picture. The good news about the fact that I did not lose any weight last week is that I did not gain any either.

Yesterday at work things were a little wild and crazy. The day started with a two hour meeting followed by an unexpected event. We are building a new facility for one of our stores and we are getting close to move in day. On my way back from the meeting I received a call from our T-1 vendor that they were on site and ready to install. As I hung up the phone it dawned on me that the electricians still haven't brought the power up in the mechanical room. I didn't want to delay the circuit install so we have the UPS running on an extension cord till Monday when the power will be up.

By this time it is after my normal lunch hour and I am hungry and having that nagging feeling that I have an excuse to just eat what ever since I am behind schedule now. Here is where it is important to have an idea of the restaurants close to the office where you can eat quick and stay on your program. I would be passing a Wendys on my way to the other store. I know that the chili there fits into my program for lunch. When I get there they are backed up out to the street. Great, I can't even turn in off the highway to get in line. There is a Subway five minutes away so I make my way there.

Because, I knew where I could eat and what to eat I was able to stay on the plan yesterday. I recommend if you don't already know what options you have close to your work that you find out. It is very easy to make the wrong food choice in a rush. By knowing what and where your best options are you can choose wisely.

A little planning can help you stay on your diet even when your schedule falls apart.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones – Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata

The Specs 230 Calories 1.5 Fat Grams 2 Grams Fiber

Points 4

This offering described on the box as, grilled white meat chicken in a tangy lemon sauce with rice & spring vegetables are my latest selection for lunch. The rice and vegetable mix was enjoyable while the chicken was a little dry. Even though the chicken was lavishly spread with the lemon sauce I still found it a bit dry. I was pleased that the lemon sauce was not too ‘lemony’. If you really like lemon then you may want to pass on this one.

Although, it will not become a regular I will try it again.