Hiatus Day

I am now taking a hiatus from my blog for the summer. I have been blogging daily for about 5 months and have hopefully given you some good ideas, advice and inspiration. I plan to keep doing the Weight Watchers lifestyle with of course room for summer treats here and there. I will be back in September when school starts again, hopefully thinner, leaner and meaner!!!

If you are reading this for the first time, don't fret, you have 5 months worth of blog entries to get through, if you have been following me along, I hope to see you when I return and wish you a happy summer!

Chocolate Pudding Day

Tomorrow, June 26, is National Chocolate Pudding Day. I like the Jello Sugar Free Pudding and also the Hunts Fat Free singles.

Apples for breakfast

I have been eating an apple for breakfast recently and guess what? It fills me up until lunch. I find breakfast hard to keep fresh and creative. I love eating breakfast but don't eat breakfast cereal. I do try to vary my breakfasts, but on the mornings I eat an apple, I feel really satisfied. (I also east something else with it like a yogurt or a Vita muffin...)

Blueberry Addiction

I am totally loving blueberries now. I know they are packed with antioxidents. 1 cup are 1 point. Pick some up, you'll be glad you did! We have a pick-our-own farm really close to here, and starting July 4th or thereabout, they are READY!!

WW Magazine

I was able to score a free years subscription to WW magazine from the back of a Jiffy Pop popcorn box - and it actually came. I really like the variety of articles and recipes. Especially with all of the points already calculated. Some great summer reading!

100 MILES

I have walked over 100 miles on my treadmill. I like keeping track...it's a motivator for me! This doesn't include the outside walking I occasionally do.

How many points in a S'more?

I calculated how many points in a traditional s'more, so I'll pass it along.

A traditional Hersheys bar is 5 points for the whole bar, so depending on how much chocolate you like on the s'more, you can calculate. I like less chocolate, so probably 1/4 to 1/8 of a bar is good for me.

A marshmallow has 1/2 a point per marshmallow

A traditional graham cracker has 1.5 points per full cracker. I also calculated with the low fat grahams which there is no difference in points.

So if S'mores are in your picnic menu, now you are equipped with the information!

Corn on the Cob

Don't forget about the lucious corn this time of year. It's great on the grill. You can also add some great flavors to it by adding dry rubs which you would use on meat, or some dry spices like dill or thyme. Corn on the cob is 1 point per ear!

Twinkies?

Did you know a Twinkie has only 3 points per cake (double that for the 2 pack). I don't support eating Twinkies, but it does fit in if you really have a hankering for a childhood treat.

Throw another on the grill

No matter what we are grilling, I put chicken on the grill. I just grill it plain to have later in the week. I have found I really like having grilled chicken sandwiches, or grilled chicken added to my Smart Ones meals especially the fettucine alfredo - yum!

Another Frozen Option-Blue Bunny

I was happy to calculate out that the Blue Bunny Grasshopper ice cream sandwich was 3 points. What a fabulous taste! I got a box of 10 sandwiches for .99 on sale and with a coupon. The Smart Ones desserts are 3 points too and are about $1.50 to $2.00 each. This is .10 each!!!

Wendy's Salad

The other day I was out and needed to pick up a quick lunch to go. I got the Wendy's side salad (yes, I was able to bypass the fries and frosty!!). I got two side salads @ $1.29 each. Not only was it a huge amount of food, but the price was right. I added 4 tablespoons of the Emerils balsamic dressing I love for 2 points. I added a little cut tomato and onion I had left over. I was so impressed with the amount of salad it was. I had to share.

TGI Fridays

I had a FABULOUS lunch the other day at TGI Fridays with a girlfriend. It's the Dragonfire Salmon!!!I have to tell you this dish was so good, I am going to write to them to tell them, and I never do that. I couldn't find the nutritional information, but found it for the Dragonfire Chicken, a similar dish only sub chicken for salmon. The Dragonfire chicken calculates to 9 points, so I'm sure the salmon is very close. I have to say this is the best 9 points I have had in a long time.

Great website

Here is an interesting website to browse if you are looking for food news and reviews!

http://www.iateapie.net/

Great Frozen Treat

Here is a great frozen treat for only 1 point. The GoGurt tubes are only 1 point. Keep them in the freezer and they make a great frozen treat too! (A lot of stores now have their own store brand of tube yogurt - they should be similar in points)

Get a coupon here:
http://www.yoplait.com/simplygogurt/

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

June 7th
Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Ok, go ahead, just have a bit, did you need an excuse? But read this first...

I found a great article on light ice creams available on the market.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-best-of-the-light-ice-creams

Crystal Light - new product

This is a new product from Crystal Light. I like sports drinks, so I wanted to try this. I have not tried this grape flavor, I tried the lemon lime. It's a cool refreshing taste and very light.

It's sweetened with evaporated cane juice, which is a fancy way to say sugar, and with rebiana, which is extracted from the stevia plant. So it's not calorie-free -- a packet has 30 calories instead of 0. Still, it's much better than juice drinks or regular soda. Color in the grape flavor comes from dried purple carrot extract (cool!) and dried hibiscus flower extract. (from www.examiner.com)

Breyers bars

I have found another 3 point ice cream treat. Breyers Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bars. Mmmm. Another summertime favorite!

Trader Joes Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Now that's it's grilling season I love these on the grill. They are 3 points per burger. I load them up with toppings like onion, tomato, lettuce and pickles.

Refried Beans

Another side dish to expand your menu is refried beans. The Old El Paso Fat Free are 1 point for a 1/2 cup serving - 6 gms of fiber per serving!