The Daffodil Principle

                                                       Happy Spring!!!

It was just moments after cleaning the windows on my front porch, the spring pollen arrived! With blooms trying to open and signs of spring all around, I reflected on the story known as The Daffodil Principle.  If you have never read it, please open the link and take a moment to read this inspirational story.  The story of one woman who moved toward a goal one step at a time. Perhaps you can use her story to do one thing today to reach your goal!Daffodil Principle

Easy Meal Ideas

Are you almost out of PP for the day and need some ideas?  Check out this link from Weight Watchers.Meal Ideas for 3 PointsPlus values or less

What is that in my rearview mirror?

The year was 1980 and the interstate speed limit was 55mph! A friend and I were traveling from Auburn to Montgomery and there in my rear view mirror was a sight I had never encountered.  Surely those flashing lights were not meant for me but oh yes they were!  Thinking no one would ever know, I followed the directions on the back of my new ticket and mailed my cashier’s check.  A few weeks passed and my parents came to visit me.  As my dad handed me the mail, I had to face the music on why I had mail from the Macon County Courthouse.  I missed the info that one’s penitence was increased if the driver was going more than 20 miles above the speed limit so my check was returned to the address on my license, my parents!  The look on their face was much worse than telling the officer that I did not see him!

If I had only known he was hiding at the top of the ramp I would have decreased my speed! But I learned and that was the most important task of the day.

How many times do we eat and think that it really will not matter? Whether it is just a bite or two, not tracking for several days, or skipping activity we think it won’t matter.  And then we learn!

Just like I now check the ramps, the median, and my speed limit because I do not want to work hard just to give up the cash, what have you learned that helps you to stay focused and within your speed limit (ppdt) on a daily basis.

Eat Right with Color

Did you know that March is the National Nutrition Month with the slogan “Eat Right with Color”!  I love this theme for several reasons.  As a Family and Consumer Science teacher, I teach meal planning requires a variety of color, taste, texture and temperature to ensure a wide variety and interesting meal. As a Weight Watchers leader, I stress the value of our Power Foods and the value they play in your success.  So let me be the first to salute my Registered Dietician friends for all of their hard work and to the WW Science Center for their fabulous work.  Let your challenge be to paint your plate with a variety of food colors as you continue to eat right, be active and repeat!

Learn more about National Nutrition Month at http://www.eatright.org/nnm

Spring Forward

The meeting room sounded like a bag of 94% fat free power food popcorn as I asked members to identify their greatest strength as a ww member.  Tenacity, determination, willingness to learn, want to, fortitude, longevity, perseverance, and desire popped across the room.  But like every bag has those kernels that are just not ready to pop, we have members just not 100% into their program or perhaps they feel like the only way they can lose is to deprive themselves of their favorite foods.  Living the program so the healthy choice becomes the easy choice is an individual journey.

In 1990, Stephen Covey published his groundbreaking The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change which continues to be a bestseller with more than 10 million copies sold.  Covey introduced strategies for a person to become the best person they could be.  So using Covey’s process, another ww leader developed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective WW Members.

• Focus on eating Power Foods to stay physically satisfied longer for fewer PointsPlus values

• Using the weekly PointsPlus Allowance to fit in treats regularly

• Make your meals look bigger and more appealing by using smaller plates and bowls and adding 0 PointsPlus value fruits and veggies

• Try new recipes and new foods to give your taste buds a treat

• Enjoy and savor every bite instead of eating mindlessly while watching TV or driving

• Appreciating your companions and your environment to increase overall eating satisfaction

• Taking time while eating, since it can take approximately 20 minutes for the brain to register that the stomach is full

Would any of these habits help make your change in becoming an effective ww member?  Would/could you incorporate them into your day? My favorite part of ww is that I get to decide on my food that works within my lifestyle so I never feel deprived which basically means I am writing my own guidebook to a healthier happier me!

If you are feeling deprived or still stuck on the old plan, this is the week to SPRING forward to the new time and the new plan.  Remember, if you really do it, it really works!!!

Please Bring a Dessert

Can you imagine a ww training session with food?  We were asked to bring a dessert to share with the group.  As you can imagine we had ww chocolate chip cookies, fruit, the Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Softies on page 287 from the new PP cookbook, No Bake Thin Mints, and Pecan Muffins.  I have shared the recipes for the Thin Mints and Pecan Muffins.  Enjoy!

No Bake Thin Mints

•Ritz Crackers (Use the reduced fat crackers for a lower pp value.)
•2 pkgs of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips

Yields aprox 64 cookies (about 1/2 box of Ritz Crackers) 1 PP value each

On med-low heat, place your baking baking chips in a double boiler for melting.

Slowly your chocolate will melt and stir until completely smooth.

Dip crackers into chocolate. A candy dipping fork will make this easier. Found in the candy section of your local hobby/craft store.

                                                  

Place cookies on foil, parchment paper, or even freezer paper and let it cool for about 5-10 minutes.

Pecan Mini Muffins

Yield: 36 mini muffins

2PP each

                          1 cup Splenda Brown Sugar   

½ cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup margarine

2 large eggs

Preheat oven 350.

Combine brown sugar, flour, and pecans. Set aside.

Combine butter and eggs.  Stir into dry mixture.

Spray mini muffin tins with Bakers’ Joy.  Fill tins two thirds full with batter.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes.