Monday, March 15, 2010

Eating to lose

A few of you have asked me about what I’m eating. The great thing about Weight Watchers is I can essentially eat anything—in moderation, of course. I can’t say I’ll never again eat a piece of cake. But I can change the amount and frequency I do eat it. If I want to change my life, I have to be practical. I didn’t get this big overnight, and I’m not going to lose it overnight. I’ve drastically changed what I eat, but I know there will be times when I want to splurge (Read: NOT binge. There’s a difference). I just have to plan for that.

With that said, and in the effort to channel my beloved Julie Andrews, these are a few of my favorite things:

Gnu Bars



I’m obsessed with these bars. They have between 130 and 150 calories and 3 grams of fat. The best part is that they have a whopping 12 (!) grams of fiber, which is nearly 50 percent of the recommended daily value. Plus, they’re really natural—no icky aftertaste like so many bars have. My favorite is the Cinnamon Raisin. I have ordered the bars online, but recently found them at Whole Foods and was ridiculously excited. They’re a great pre-gym snack. For my Weight Watchers friends, they only have 2 points. Yay!

Butternut squash fries

I won’t lie. I love French fries. Like, seriously love them and would change my last name to French fry if I could. But I also know that I can’t eat fries right now. Not even one—or I would never stop. So I found a great alternative. Butternut squash. Who knew? They can be a little hard to cut (I found a couple of YouTube videos that helped me), but once I get them chopped into fry cuts, I put them in the oven with some kosher salt and some cooking spray and cook them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then I flip them over and cook them for 15 more minutes. Dunked in a little ketchup, they’re almost as good as the real thing. Almost.

Laughing Cow cheese

Dieting or not, I’ve always been in love with the light Laughing Cow cheese. Such creamy little goodies that go really far. I love to spread one on a whole wheat English muffin or mix one in with my egg whites. I’m sure most of you already know the loveliness of Laughing Cow, but if not, run to your store. Now!


Roasted vegetables

Roasting veggies has opened a whole new world for me. A little olive oil, some coarse salt and 15 minutes or so in a 400-degree oven and you have the most amazing vegetables. Roasting unlocks all kinds of new flavors in the most notoriously bland vegetables. My favorites are asparagus and cauliflower. Yum.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite healthy recipes or tips. Leave a comment or send me an e-mail and I’ll share them in a future blog.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Roasted veggies are the best.
Unlike missing enchilladas!

Unknown said...

Oh, and you can also make fries out of sweet potatoes. They're a great recovery snack after a hard workout--and low on the glycemic index. Just dice, douse in olive oil and cinnamon, and roast. They're almost dessert-like!

Megan said...

I like to take a yellow squash, a zucchini and an onion and cook them in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic salt. Then after about 4 mins when the squash is tender mix in a little parmesan cheese. DIVINE.

Anonymous said...

Creamed Spinach - I take a bag of fresh spinach - boil it in water for 2 minutes - pour water out and squeeze spinach dry. I saute finely diced onion in a little olive oil and then add squeezed spinach and mix together - Add salt and pepper - then I add a little skim milk and a TBS of light cream cheese - and poof! A healthy creamed spinach!

Maria F. said...

No lie, some EVOO, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and okra. Roast until they char a bit on the outside. Crispy outside, creamy deliciousness on the inside. Rivals roasted asparagus.

Anonymous said...

Full Bars are great! Eat one 30 minutes before you eat to feel more satisfied. They work and they are YUMMY. They come in PB and chocolate.

170 Calories
6 Grams of Fiber

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I get a huge desire for sweets. My solution is...minature marshmallows toasted! I put a minature marshmallow on a toothpick and toast it with a lighter or a match. NO KIDDING! I do about 10 of them and my "sweet-tooth" is satisfied. I know it sounds crazy but it works for me. ;) LOL

Anonymous said...

I am addicted to the Emerald brand "cocoa roast" dark chocolate almonds-- they come in little individually wrapped packs. They are filling, a little bit sweet and only 100 calories.