Riblets

In case you read this blog, here is why it is mostly about healthy eating...

I follow Weight Watchers. Religiously actually. I was hesitant at first because the name is a little weird. I mean I don’t want to “watch” my weight, I would prefer to lose it. However, after getting past the simple dislike of their syntax I jumped right in.

I was encouraged to start Weight Watcher last year when living in Philly. I lived in a house with six girls. Because we were a part of the mission year program, we had to remain single all year. I love fellowshipping with other females, but most often, when girls get together with no men and usually nowhere to go, (which was the case often last year) they eat. Or, at least we ate. There was often brownie batter that was eaten like pudding. I think that is what did it for me. I think I ate a spoonful of that and decided that I was going to change a couple, or more habits in my life.

I started officially in June 2009. I had lost weight prior to starting because my lifestyle naturally shifted when moving to Philly. On a day-to-day basis I would walk 2 miles and often more at least once a week. Not having a car comes with some advantages. From my highest weight that I remember ever seeing on a scale I have lost 80 pounds. Since started Weight Watchers officially I have lost around 50 pounds. It has been a crazy year and sometimes my mind has a hard time keeping up with the changes my body has made.

I just wanted to preface with this information in case anyone who reads my blog hasn’t seen me and a year or so and wonder why I talk about healthy eating so much. The above is why. I am now a little obsessed with healthy eating.

I try to plan my meals at the beginning of the week, so I will be more likely to eat healthy. This takes some thought, planning, and weekly trips to the grocery store. Last night I was wondering the aisles of Tom Thumb looking for unsulfured molasses (I don’t know why it was important that I had unsulfured Molasses, but the recipe called for it. I honestly don’t know the difference but I am pretty sure I don’t want to ingest sulfur if I don’t have to). Most of the time that I grocery shop I kind of faze in and out of consciousness and turn into a robot. I have my list, and I always intend to make a quick run in and out, but I have this weird compulsion about going up and down every aisle. While I go up and down every aisle and slowly get fixated on some new cool product like “Morningstar farms soy based bar-b-que riblets”. I have a weird fascination with soy based imitation meat products right now. Yes, I have tried fake ribs and they aren’t too bad. It does start to worry me though how much they look like meat. I am eating it and questioning how they make it so realistic. Thank goodness, there are not fake bones in the riblets, that would gross me out even more than real bones do. My menu for this week consists of:

Mango-Serrano Bar-B-Que chicken: I was supposed to grill the chicken after it marinated, but I own no grill. Instead, I thought it would be ok to put the chicken in the Crockpot overnight to slow cook. I did that right before I went to bed last night but was extremely paranoid that all the sauce would cook off and that it would burn. Therefore, at 2:45 I woke up in a panic and went and poured a cup of water in the Crockpot. This morning I woke up to find a weird bar-b-que chicken soup. No worries the chicken still tastes good. I just fished it out to be used later for salads and what not.

Lemon/Cilantro Baked Tofu: I am fascinated with tofu and have always been a flex-i-tarian. This meaning I almost never eat meat, not because I am morally opposed, just because I don’t really care for it. The flex part comes in when someone cooks meat on my behalf or when I feel like I should get some of the healthy lean protein into my diet. This Tofu turned out really good. I ate it today with my lunch of mixed vegetables and covered it with Siracha sauce.

Enough of that nonsense. Life is good. I just spent a weekend in Austin with some wonderful ladies. The highlight? Fist pumping while watching wheel of fortune.

I am gearing up for another semester of grad school and it looks like my classes are going to be enjoyable. I have joined a home group through the village church in Dallas, and I have started to get to know some pretty cool ladies there (it is a group for single women). Life is pretty good, no really good. God is good.

I will try and get a recipe together to post soon.

My top ten healthy affordable foods

My top ten healthy affordable foods

10. Simply More Peanut Butter-
This is my favorite new peanut butter that is sold only at wal-mart in my area unfortunately. I hate going there. It has added fiber and protein from flax seed and it has a great consistency.

9. La Tortilla Factory Tortillas
These are awesome tortillas that are high in fiber and taste really good. They are HUGE as well. I made amazing burritos last week with these.

8. Laughing Cow Cheese
This low-fat cheese is my crack. Not really but I put it on everything from baked potatoes to wheat thins. It is creamy and delicious. I recommend the garlic and herb flavor.


7. CLIF Kids Z Bars
These have the great taste and energy giving properties of a cliff bar for a fraction of the calories and about half the size. They are perfect when I wake up before working out or after work when I am hungry during my commute. P.S. They are cheaper in bulk at Sam’s Club.

6. Eggs
Yes as simple as it is eggs. I really love them and would eat one everyday if it was healthy. I often eat an egg and a half (1 full egg with an additional egg white). For breakfast I put it on an English muffin or alone. I have dabbled in egg substitute (mostly in baking) but still feel strongly about eating the real thing.

5. Silk Light Soy Milk
I have for years had an aversion to soy milk for no real reason. I decided to try it when I found out it has less calories than real milk and I was pleasantly surprised. I really like it. I sometimes buy the light vanilla and chocolate versions for an extra special treat.

4. Black Beans
I did not eat beans at all, period, until last year. Living in Philly I tried new things, beans being one of them. I LOVE black beans. Alone, in a burrito, in soup, mixed with rice, quinoa, and veggies, the possibilities are endless. Close runners up in the bean world are chick, kidney, and great northern.


3. Arnold Sandwich Thins
These one-hundred calorie wonders save my life. I use them for breakfast sandwiches, Boca burgers, and I even put cream cheese on them sometimes. They are a great sandwich making tool.

2. Greek Yogurt
I love the thick creamy ness of Greek yogurt. Some people equate the texture to sour cream, but I still like it. I get the fat-free version and mix it with fruit for a mid-morning snack. I also use it to bake with to reduce using oil. It is a great source of protein.
Quick tip regarding Greek yogurt: It is more expensive than regular yogurt, so I looked up online and found a way to make it myself, kind of. Get a big tub of regular, plain, fat-free yogurt, line a strainer or colander with paper towels and empty the entire tub into the strainer. Put the strainer in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge over night. All the extra liquid will drain off and voilia, Greek yogurt for half the price!

1. Apples.
I eat an apple every day. They are amazing, cheap, and versatile. In oatmeal, with peanut butter, baked, or all by themselves, apples really are a magical fruit.
So I am a fan of honeycrisp apples, but they are super expensive so I usually just buy a couple every few weeks. I consistently buy 7-8 gala apples a week, and at the store a few weeks ago they were selling them in cute little paper bags for 99 cents a pound. I grabbed a bag and weighed it to make sure I wasn’t buying too many. I went to check out and was surprised because my total was more than I thought it would be. I got to the car and looked at my receipt and realized that I bought $11.00 worth of honeycrisp apples! Opps. It was a happy mistake that I enjoyed, but will make sure I never do again.

can I go back to college?

Wait. I am still technically in college according to my brand new shiny Easter University college ID, (which I got to pick out the picture myself). I feel like the real world (aka a nine to five job) isn't all that it seemed to be. I am really enjoying my job (adult ESL) but it is really weird to have such a huge part of my week dedicated to one thing. It will take some adjustment.

College. Is currently eating my lunch. I went to Philly last week for ten days for my Urban Studies Graduate Program Residency (it looks more important capitalized). I spent my days in a class room for the entire day. It was good. I met lots of awesome people. Hung out with old awesome friends. I decided that I really love this program. What don't I love do you ask?

Oh maybe the 15 books I checked out at the library today to help me write my thesis proposal. I am excited about the paper and my topic (systemic racism in America). But really Dr. Corbitt do I have to have this many sources? So maybe grad school is a little harder than undergrad. OK it is. Feel sorry for me. Or hang out with me so I don't go crazy.

On a lighter note Catlin and I visited the North Texas Volunteer Center Warehouse last week. The place I work (http://www.arlingtonreads.org/) is a member of the organization which means we get shopping access to the giant warehouse with brand new donated goods. What did I buy? Oh approximately 8 decorative pillows for $2 each. Yes read it and weep. Working for practically no money rarely pays off, but in this circumstance it did.

Rebekah

Cooking in our new house!

Well I am officially a resident of the Oak Cliff area in Dallas. I worked all last week and loved it. I am working with an adult literacy program in Arlington as the Student Director. I think I am really going to learn a lot and love it. My family came to town this weekend bringing furniture and organizing our tiny apartment. I looks really great now, thanks to all the Welch's. Tonight I went grocery shopping and have planned out my meals for the week. Working for Americorps I will live on a really tight budget. Because of this I am going to be really mindful about the food I buy and eat.
Tonight Catlin and I made a big pot of soup to eat at different times this week. It is a recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook. This is a vegetarian cookbook that is my absolute favorite. All the recipes use tons of fresh vegtables and other interesting combinations. The author also hand wrote and illustrated the entire cookbook. Love it!

The recipe was really simple. I change a few things however to take the Weight Watcher point value down.

• Two medium tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil (I changed it from 2 table spoons)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cups diced sweet potato
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. tumeric (i didn't have any, and it still tasted fine)
• 1 tsp. basil
• dash of cinnamon and cayenne
• 3 cups water
• 1 medium bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas

Catlin chopped up all the veggies except the tomato, bell pepper, and chick peas and added them to a pot with the olive oil over medium high heat.

After letting the onion get soft (about ten minutes) The water and spices were added. This was left to simmer for 15 minutes. After that the remaining vegtables were added. It is done whenever they are soft enough for you! The spices can be tweaked and the vegtables can be substitued.
The weight watcher value for 1 serving (out of 6) was 7. I tweaked a few amounts and got it down to 3 points per serving. Pretty good. It was filling too.

Next time I will try to update with pictures of the apartment!

Rebekah

Fast Food Salad?

Weird post I know, but not so weird if you have been driving a lot lately trying to find some healthy fast food options. I have been doing Weight Watchers since June and have really liked it. I really enjoy cooking healthy food and finding healthy options everywhere I go. So today I thought I would share some of my fast food knowledge. I gained a lot of fast food information this year when I was really living on a budget and when fast food was often what was most accessible and affordable. So here is my review of four different fast food salads.

Rated from my least favorite to favorite.

#4 Sonic's Sante Fe Grilled Chicken Salad

I purchased this salad in Wichita Falls, TX when driving from Dallas to Amarillo. I ordered it and was pretty disappointed with it. The chicken itself was fine, but it had melted the cheese into the salad before I even got it. The cheese was gross, because it is the same kind they use on their coney dogs. Gross. The lettuce was also questionable. Overall not my favorite. It might be the location though.

Nutrition--Calories 310--Fat (g) 12--Fiber--6 WW points--6

Dressing--The only one at Sonic with any hope to spare you fat and calories is the fat free Italian.calories 40--Fat 0--Fiber 0 WW points--1

#3 Arby's Farmhouse Grilled Chicken Salad

Catlin and I went to Arby's this weekend after attending church in Brenham. I used to get the turkey sandwich here thinking it was a healthy option. After some research I discovered it is actually one of the most unhealthy things on the menu. So this time i opted for a grilled chicken salad. It came with bacon in it but I took it out. Overall the taste of this salad was pretty good.

Nutrition Calories 229--Fat 11--Fiber 3 WW points 5

My big problem with this salad is the dressing. I asked to look at the nutritional information for the dressings and I was disappointed. None of them were fat free and the Balsamic dressing, which is usually a healthy option was not healthy at all. I ended up getting the balsamic dressing and using a tiny amount.

Balsamic Dressing Calories 130--Fat12--Fiber 0 WW points--4 (perfect example on how dressing can ruin a healthy salad)

#2 Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Salad

I love Chick-Fil-a. They are a great place with quality ingredients. Even their food that is fried isn't terribly unhealthy. This salad is usually something I pick up at the airport. It has always been fresh and good. No complaints.

Nutrition Calories 180--Fat 6--Fiber 3 WW points--3

Dressing- My favorite is the fat-free honey mustard
Calories 60--Fat 0--Fiber 1 WW points 1
Overall the healthiest salad on the list.


#1 McDonalds Southwestern Grilled chicken salad

I came across this salad by accident. This year I walked by a McDonalds everyday on my way to work. I never stopped thinking that all they had a fried nastiness. One day however, my roommate Lu and I found a coupon for buy one premium salad get one free. We were feeling healthy that day so we tried it. I have always been skeptical of fast food chicken, thinking that it is more likely than not not real chicken, but I gave this a chance. The salad is very good. The chicken is warm and it has a great black bean and corn relish. It is so good that is really doesn't need too much dressing. I would eat this salad any day for lunch. It is not quiet as healthy as the chick-fil-a salad, but the taste i think is much better.

Nutrition Calories 320--Fat 9--Fiber 6 Weight Watcher Points--6

dressing Newmans Own Balsamic

calories 40--Fat 3--Fiber 0 WW points 1

Hope you enjoy my extended research on fast food salads. I will add more if I come across anything to go on the list.

Rebekah

Long time.

Since it has been since about May since I have posted on here there should be a lot for me to update you on.

In May my good friend Lauren "Hall" Gaines and her husband Chris came and visited. We did a whirlwind tour of Southwest Philly complete with cheesesteak and water ice
In July three of my Roommates and I rode what is called a casino bus all the way to Atlantic City. The way we heard this was supposed to work was that we payed $30 for the ride and when we got a casino we would be given $30 in casino money that we could cash out whenever we wanted. What really happened though was that we were mislead and that we had to gamble the entire $30, which none of us really wanted to do. We ended up playing the slots and miraculously made enough to pay back the $30 we spent to get there. Other than that Atlantic City was fun. We walked to boardwalk and sat on the beach.

My roommates and I had a lot of good times. One night for our weekly family night I suggested that we do 80's glamour shot night. As you can see it was a big hit. We always found weird ways to entertain ourselves over the course of the year.

For my roommates Lu's birthday we had a banana pudding party and invited all of our neighbors. We made a huge tub of pudding and sat outside all night visiting and eating. It was a lot of fun.

We finished our year well. We spent weeks packing and cleaning out our house. It was bittersweet to pack up our lives and say goodbye to the neighbors that meant so much to us. I really learned to live simply and well this year, and it was hard to close this chapter in my life. We ended the year with a week long retreat with all the other Mission Year teams from our area in the Pocono Mountains. It was relaxing and fun. After that my roommates and I played in Philly for a few days, and I might or might not have gotten a tattoo. Then I came home. I have been in TX for a little over a week. I spend last weekend with Brooke and Averie in the mountains and tomorrow I am heading down to College Station for Brooke and Kelley's graduation. I will start work in Arlington on August 29th. Life is back.

Something else that shaped my year happened in July. My grandma had a staff infection that she got in early June. She was put into long term care and was there about three weeks to control the infection. When she was about to be released in early July she started to get violently ill. Things moved really quickly and they found out that she had another internal infection that had gotten into her bloodstream. She got sick on a Sunday and we pretty much knew by Tuesday that she wasn't going to make it. They moved her into hospice on Wednesday, which is the same day I got in from Philly. She was in hospice a week and it was really hard to watch her die. The bright part of it was the amazing time I got to spend with my family. Literal hours upon hours of togetherness. My grandma was an amazing woman and it was wonderful and bittersweet to celebrate her life with others that loved her.

Rebekah