Can You Be an Ethical Consumer and a Weight Watcher?

Over time I have gradually cut most meat out of my diet.  I’ve eaten mostly chicken or fish for years whether I’m actively tracking or not, But I’ve also become more aware of the ugly underbelly of our food industry, especially when it comes to the treatment of living creatures and slaughtering them so we can eat their bodies.  I’m not here to convert you, but if you watch enough documentaries on the subject, you might feel the same. 

Having said that, it’s not always easy to eat a sustainable diet while you’re counting WW points. In some ways, it helps because you are cutting out (or at least reducing) things like cheese and other dairy foods. In fact I love Almond milk (1 point per cup) and it’s lower in purple points than nonfat dairy milk (3 points). But if I want to make tapioca pudding, almond milk doesn’t cut it. It gets all weird as you are bringing the pudding to a boil. 

Also, eggs are zero points on purple and so are potatoes, so often, a low point breakfast for me is homemade hash browns and scrambled eggs. If I want toast I also eat two slices of Sara 45 Calories & Delightful whole grain bread (2 points, purple)  I’ve eaten plant based burgers for a while. Two good brands with low WW Points are Gardein and Morningstar (3 purple points)  but there are lots of  others I haven’t tried, and it’s easy to make your own.  I plan to post reviews of some WW recipes in the future. 

I tried “Impossible Burger” recently and it is honestly delicious!  I like it better than real ground beef!  It is lower in points than real beef, but not as much as I expected (6 points for a 3 ounce burger) and higher than the other veggie burgers, so be sure to check the points before consuming! As far as looking and tasting like a real meat burger, however, Impossible Burgers beat the others hands down!

Impossible Burger with shredded zucchini and sliced green onions added

So in some ways, being an ethical consumer, and losing weight on WW may seem like a conflict, but with proper planning, you can do it. For me right now, I’ve decided not to eat anything with eyes....no animals, fish, chicken etc. But I feel like eating eggs and milk products is a sustainable way to eat. However, I can’t stand the idea of a bunch of chickens locked in cages laying eggs for me, so I buy organic, cage free, pasture raised chicken eggs. Similarly, I want to picture cows happy on a farm, grazing in a pasture, and then milked for the products I end up eating. There are health reasons NOT to drink cows milk, but that’s a topic for another post! 

If you’re interested in watching a few eye opening documentaries, here are a few to check out:

Netflix: 

What the Health

Cowspiracy 

SeasPiracy 

Watch for:

Food, Inc 

Covid Vaccination

 Have you gotten your vaccination yet? I am now a month past my second dose, and I feel so good and safe now. It really was a breeze. Set up online, drove up to the vaccination site in the Cardinals Stadium parking lot, got my poke, and drove home! Easy peasy! No negative reaction after the initial dose, and only a slight reaction after the second. I describe it similar to the way I feel when I think, hmmmm, I might be coming down with something. But then the next day all better! I hope you all get yours!

Get vaccinated, Stay safe and track your points! 

Weight Watchers Purple Plan for Me

Hi fellow Weight Watchers!  Yes that is a picture of  a small spot in my patio garden. It makes me smile...no logic to it being here  🙂

I’m so sorry I haven’t been very active on this blog.  Life got in the way. I lost weight and WW wasn’t on my mind. I started making jewelry. You know how it goes!  I am actively using Weight Watchers again, tracking and eating right. The new WW is pretty cool with the different plans. When I entered my eating habits in their questionnaire, they recommended Purple. I really like it!

Due to the fact that the different plans have different point values, it would be almost impossible for me to give accurate point values on this blog now, so when I post I’ll focus on tips, ideas or purple dishes. I still think this will help you and if you are on a different plan and want to add the point value for something please do so in a comment!  If I can provide pts for each, I will, but no promises. 

Honestly I didn’t think the purple plan would work. I told my daughter, this is crazy!  Potatoes, Popcorn, Greek Yogurt and chicken are zero foods!  How can I lose weight eating like this? But I have. I’ll be posting about some of my favorite dishes eating on the purple plan. But for now, all I want to say is just START!  Day one (again) on WW can begin any day you want it to! 

Altered recipe - Chicken Tamale Pie

Hi everyone!
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while but I had problems  adding to my blog for a while so I kind of gave up. But now it’s working for me. 🙂

I’ve been back on Weight Watchers (purple plan this time) for a few months and lost 14 pounds so far. Yes, I’ve lost these pounds before, but that’s okay. I really like the Purple Plan as it works well for my eating preferences. Potatoes, Air popped popcorn and whole wheat pasta - ZERO POINTS!

Today, I wanted to share a quick menu idea.

A few days ago I made the recipe in my recipe list “Taco Chicken Chili”, which is sooooo good and zero points on this plan. Yes, zero! I usually put it in a low carb flour tortilla, or a couple corn tortillas which does add points, but it’s still low in total points for the amount of delicious you get to gobble down.

This dish makes a large quantity, and I can’t give any away to my daughters due to Covid separation right now. Even in normal times it’s  hard for me to eat it up, so often  I freeze half. This time I ate on it for two days, and then used it as filling for Tamale Pie. You may have your own tamale pie recipe, but if not, here’s what I did.

I made the masa crust by adding 1 1/2 inch cups corn meal, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbls chili powder to 3 cups cold water, and bringing to a boil. Cook a bit longer until thick, just a little thicker than cream of wheat.  Spread on the sides and bottom of a 8 1/2 x 13 inch cake pan.

I added a can of creamed corn (Zero points) to the chili because that’s an ingredient in my tamale pie. Then I added the chili mixture into the masa lined pan between two sparse layers of broken tortilla chips. Not a lot of chips...I used two servings. I’ve always done this and it adds flavor and helps hold the pie together. Top with 3/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese. Cook one hour at 350 degrees. This made 8 generous servings, and is even better on day two because the masa is firmer after it’s cooled and re-heated.

I called this leftover makeover Chicken Tamale Pie Add-On,  since I couldn’t use the recipe as an ingredient (wouldn’t that be a good idea?), and it was 5 points. So you can enter the Taco Chicken Chili serving and the Add-on for a total of Five points. To be honest, I just entered the add-on points since the filling was zero.

That’s it! Easy-peazy leftover makeover that is delicious!

Keep at it. We’re in this for life right?

I’m back!

Well, I guess one thing most of us have in common is gaining back lost weight, which I’ve done over the past few years. I dabbled in vegan and then went to vegetarian, hoping to improve my health stats, but unexpectedly, my numbers went the wrong way, and I realized that as hard as I was trying (beans, beans, beans), I was protein deficit. I did find great recipes and actually learned to enjoy Almond and Soy milk (they last in the fridge for a LONG time) So, I plan to continue those things, but decided to add animal protein back into my diet.

My doctor said what I needed most is to lose weight, but once I decided she was right, I felt confused how to eat after totally buying into the vegetarian way.  But then I realized that I already knew what to do:  eat a balanced diet and apply The Weight Watchers principles and count points.

So, since then, I’ve already lost ten pounds and fit back into a pair of pants I didn’t last month. Also, my blood pressure has gone back to normal and my doctor is pleased with me! That’s the motivation I needed!

Expect some new thoughts and recipes this year!

Cauliflower Bacon Salad

This recipe is quickly becoming my favorite side dish. My daughter loves it and she isn't even on a diet!  I plan on bringing it to barbecues and family events instead of potato salad.

Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)
WW+ points:  3

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 8 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
• 1 cup green pepper, sliced or chopped coarsely
• 1 cup red pepper, sliced or chopped coarsely
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, uncooked
• Onion, either green onions or red onion, in an amount to your preference, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise light (35 calories per T)
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar substitute

Directions:
1. In 8 cup container, combine cauliflower, peppers, onion, cheese and bacon
2. In bowl stir sugar substitute into mayonnaise and then add to container over vegetables
3. Stir together and refrigerate several hours or overnight, stirring a few times
4. Stir before serving
Notes:
Salt and pepper can be added (I prefer mine a bit sweet so I don't add salt)
You can use either one whole green or red pepper if preferred, I just like using half of both for the color.
No need to cook the peas, they defrost in the salad in a short period of time

Nutritional Info:

Calories	131
Fat	6.5	g
Saturated	1.1	g
Carbs	10.9	g
Fiber	3.9	g
Sugars	5	g
Protein	9.2	g
Sodium	188	mg

Enjoy!

Seven Layer Salad

I recently decided to make one of my favorite overnight salads, a recipe that I originally got from my sister-in-law: the Seven Layer Salad.  As I made it I added up the points and was happy to learn that it was Weight Watchers friendly! One serving is very generous and filling! Here it is:

Makes 4 generous servings

Weight Watchers Points:
Total Salad - 20 Points
Per Serving - 5 Points

Ingredients:
1 head Iceberg Lettuce
1/2 cup purple onion
I head cauliflower
Peas, canned or frozen, approximately 1 cup (add 3 pts for each additional cup)
1 jar Bacon Bits or equivalent crispy fried bacon
8 Tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 to 1cup grated Parmesan cheese, enough to cover

Directions:

In a large cylindrical container with airtight lid, layer ingredients in the following order:

Bite sized pieces of Lettuce
Thinly sliced or diced purple onion
Bite sized pieces of cauliflower
Peas (if using frozen no need to cook)
Bacon bits or crumbled bacon

Spread mayonnaise over salad like you are frosting it.  Be sure to cover salad entirely right to the edges. (Leaving holes or not frosting to the edge will allow flavors to escape and lettuce to wilt.)

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of mayo.

Cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Overnight is best.











Scoop out a serving, mix it up and enjoy!!


Note: Points may vary based on the mayonnaise you use and if you add more bacon, etc.  Also I didn't put this in the WW recipe builder, but instead just added points for the items that weren't vegetables. I rounded up for my total point count. Double check for your own purposes.