Control

"Everything's fine. Look, I made a lot of martinis. That's all anybody every drinks at these things. You know, martinis?" Spencer Tracy, "Father of the Bride", MGM, 1950

In the movie, "Father of the Bride", Spencer Tracy (the father) is continually trying to regain control of an uncontrollable situation... A wedding. In one scene in particular, Tracy is put in charge of serving drinks at the reception, a responsibility he's been given simply because (unbeknownst to him) those truly in charge want him safely out of the way. He uses the opportunity to try to take control yet again, though, mixing up pitcher after pitcher of the only drink he thinks anyone will want... A martini. And, when the guests proceed to order anything but martinis, he is 'forced' to drink them himself.

The reception scene from MGM's classic film is both humorous and cautionary. As someone who's spent quite a bit of time "Searching for the Perfect Martini" (both metaphorically and literally), I can certainly empathize with the movie father's approach to controlling the uncontrollable... while appreciating the humor of his failure. Many a heroic tale has taught us that Tracy's character should have been able to rise to the occasion and find the ideal solution, becoming the savior of the moment... versus the comic relief.   

As a Weight Watchers member, though, I've learned to appreciate that 'uncontrollable situations' and 'ideal solutions' are simply examples of all-or-none thinking. By focusing on incremental goals and smaller (and therefore more achievable) solutions, we can overcome obstacles over time that, previously, might have seemed insurmountable.

Case in point? Old favorite recipes......

Many of us have special recipes we once enjoyed but have since given up on, perhaps because we're embracing healthier lifestyles or avoiding particular foods (e.g. foods high in sugar, saturated fats, etc.). Changing such recipes would be impossible, after all, as the changed recipe wouldn't taste as good as the original, or would fail to live up to our memories. We simply need to find entirely new recipes that are healthier... albeit less delicious... right?

Perhaps... Or perhaps not... As the original recipe above and the 'tweaked' recipe below recently proved.

A WEIGHT WATCHER'S FRIENDLY PEACH COBBLER

Ingredients:

• 6 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup Splenda
• 1/2 cup Brummel & Brown spread (w/yogurt)
• 1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the prepared pan with sliced peaches, spray with butter-flavored cooking spray, sprinkle with cinnamon and set aside.

Pulse rolled oats in a blender or food processor until the consistency of flour. Combine the oat 'flour' with the Splenda. Place the Brummel & Brown spread in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and melt in the microwave for 15-30 seconds (in 10-15 second increments). Add the melted spread and egg to the oat 'flour' and Splenda mixture, combine to make a batter, and spoon the batter evenly over the peaches.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm. Top with 1/4 cup Halo Top Vanilla Bean Light Ice Cream or fat-free whipped topping.

Serves 8, 4 WeightWatchers Smartpoints per serving (5 Smartpoints with light ice cream or fat-free whipped topping).

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• A few thoughts on #control, accompanied by a @WeightWatchers-friendly #peachcobbler #recipe: http://bit.ly/2xDEDND #foodblog @Splenda

Taco Wednesday

In a recent post, I shared a few thoughts about change. With the vernal equinox mere days past, signs of spring -- including new families of whitetail deer -- serve as reminders of the natural constancy of change.

The seasons and Mother Nature aside though, change is something I think many of us struggle with on a number of levels. For example, as a [relatively]new Weight Watchers leader, I'm often challenged to find fresh ways to present core concepts like mindfulness, activity/fitness, asking for help, etc. By thinking that I need to come up with an entirely new and unique approach to a topic, I allow myself to get overwhelmed by the challenge, forgetting something I sometimes share with fellow Weight Watchers members...... How to eat an elephant.

It's easy to get overwhelmed when you dwell on the end goal versus the journey. Focusing on each step (or 'bite') not only breaks down the [seemingly]insurmountable into the achievable, it forces us to live in the moment, allowing us to savor -- and learn from -- our experiences. Letting go of all-or-nothing thoughts like "How am I going to put a fresh spin on activity/fitness" and, instead, remembering the whitetail deer encountered on a recent Spring walk, can bring to bear new perspectives that enable surprising results.

Recipes can also benefit from small changes or tweaks. For example, I recently made my first taco salad (believe it or not), a dish I've always avoided because "it's unhealthy". Breaking a recipe down to its foundations though, allows you to apply what you've learned from past cooking experiences... Like using ground turkey instead of ground beef, baking your own tortilla chips, or leveraging reduced-fat (or calorie-free) ingredients.

I hope you enjoy the results of such little changes as much as I did!

GUILTLESS TACO SALAD

Ingredients:

Baked Chips & Salsa

• 4 small corn tortillas
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt
• Salsa, fat-free

Taco Salad

• 1 lb. ground turkey (93% lean)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 8 oz. bag of shredded lettuce
• 1 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 c. Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 c. Reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, shredded
• 1/4 c. Calorie-free chipotle ranch dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. Cut tortillas into sixths using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Arrange cut tortilla pieces on the prepared cookie sheet, spray with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on both sides, and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp.

Cook taco filling per seasoning packet, setting aside/freezing half (i.e. (2) 3 oz., cooked portions) for future salads. Separate shredded lettuce onto two plates. Distribute the rest of the ingredients onto each plate, crumbling six of the baked tortilla chips on top of each salad and serving the additional chips on the side, with salsa.

Serves 2, 12 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving.

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• Avoiding Taco Tuesday? Enjoy a @WeightWatchers-friendly Taco Wednesday instead: http://bit.ly/2mUNdOU #tacosalad #RecipeOfTheDay #recipe #foodblog

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from Slender Kitchen's Baked Tortilla Chips recipe

Seasons

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, RSV

I walked by a budding pussy willow tree the other day. The snow and ice have melted, song birds are singing in the [still baren]trees, and the boisterous calls of Sandhill Cranes are wafting on the blustery winds. Hints of Spring... harbingers of change.

Change can be thought of in many ways... As disruptive and dangerous, healing and hopeful, frightening and fractious. The results of change are seldom predictable, inspiring uncertainty in some, trepidation in others. Change is seldom entirely new or alien, though. An evolution of what was, a rebirth into what is, a rebalancing of life... Not necessarily for good or bad, but because life is dynamic and ever changing. To quote from the Tao by Lao Tzu:

“As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much and gives to what isn't enough.”

While I embrace such ideas, I find myself constantly challenged to bend without breaking... to find and recognize the good and the positive in life... to save and cherish such finds so that they can be used as needed to balance out the bad and the negative. Sometimes, when the winds of change are blowing especially hard and life seems particularly overwhelming, the thought of breaking can seem almost comforting.

And then the boisterous calls of the Sandhill Cranes return to the blustery winds, reminding me that, for everything, there is a season... A thought that partially inspired the following recipe; a balancing of my favorite season, Autumn, with my current season, that of a Weight Watchers member (and Leader) continually in search of yummy food. Enjoy!

TIM'S BREAKFAST ALA MODE

Ingredients:

• 3 honeycrisp apples, medium, diced
• Butter-flavored spray
• 2 tbsp. uncooked oatmeal
• 2 tsp. unpacked brown sugar
• 4 tsp. Splenda
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 individual containers of Fit & Active non-fat vanilla yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine all ingredients except the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Separate the combined ingredients into two oven-safe ramekins. Cover ramekins in foil and bake ~30 to 40 minutes, until the apples are nicely baked and a little caramelized. Serve with chilled non-fat vanilla yogurt.

Serves 2, 5 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving (Note: Substituting a 2 SmartPoint vanilla yogurt will reduce the SmartPoints to 3 per serving).

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• Missing #Autumn? Try this @WeightWatchers-friendly #breakfast: http://bit.ly/2nahxGB #RecipeOfTheDay #recipe #foodblog #apples @AldiUSA

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from ”Mom's Apple Crisp” recipe on Food.com

"Die"... With a "T"

Because you have to learn to live with the body you have, not the body you wish you had

Yes , it's true. Like most Americans, I struggle with my weight and have done so for most of my life. Yet, unlike some, I've also lost it all, shedding more that one hundred and fifty pounds some years ago. At one point in time I was actually down to my ideal weight and managed to keep off the extra pounds for more than two years. And how, you may ask, did I do that? Well, it wasn't easy.

Past experience has convinced me that the formula for weight loss is simply Reduced Calories + Increased Activity. I also realize there are other variables, of course, such as the type of calories and 'making your calories count' by increasing your intake percentage of whole grains, low fat/lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruits, etc... But the basic formula remains largely unchanged. And it's such a simple formula, isn't it? NOT!

Because the reality is that, while the formula itself may be simple, executing it is not. Exercise regimens, for example, require that you establish a consistent routine, something my former '9-to-5' government job (where I worked during the two years I managed to keep the weight off) allowed me to do. Sadly, the unpredictable schedules and workloads common in 'Corporate America' today are significantly less 'routine friendly'.

Beyond the exercise element though, I also believe that the significant challenges related to maintaining a 'daily diet' are commonly underestimated. For example, we're led to believe that, in a world where instant gratification of a dietary nature is available on every street corner, we can somehow achieve a sort of 'dietary balance' simply by avoiding the 'prepared foods' we choose to buy in the course of our plus-twelve hour days... When we'd otherwise be cooking 'healthy meals'.

Which leaves the most important factor in any weight loss regimen... Motivation. Without proper motivation, you'll fail before you even start. In my case, I'd just become a new father, taken on a new and highly stressful job I was untrained and unqualified for, and ended up working eighty hours a week at said new job with little time to even think about food... Which helped me lose thirty pounds in only a few weeks!

Motivated by my initial weight loss and a new daughter (and, truth be told, with the help of an over-the-counter weight loss medication that's since been removed from the market), I continued to lose weight. And when the eighty-hour a week IT conversion I'd been working on ended, I was further blessed with '9-to-5' work hours that enabled me to start and maintain a regular exercise routine. So, in reality, I didn't lose the weight due to superhuman will power, but rather due to a 'perfect storm' of events. That said though, I did prove (to myself, at least) that it was possible.

All of which brings me back to the fundamental challenges of managing one's own diet... A task that, in the long run, I failed at miserably (having regained all I'd lost and more). Establishing a new life style is hard, and anyone who tells you differently is either lying to your face or is a 'celebrity endorser'. Still, that doesn't prevent us from continuing to try and 'find the balance'. And, in support of that goal, I've created another recipe to share...

Tim's Quick & Easy Low-Fat Stir Fry

Inspired by my cousin, Marc Frigard, a professional chef who taught me the proper use of sesame oil

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. of Japanese-style buckwheat/whole wheat noodles
PAM-branded cooking spray
8 oz of frozen, stir-fry veggies
3.5 oz. (i.e. 1/2 can, net) of Kirkland-branded canned white meat chicken (NOTE: Vegitarian substitution: Your favorite flavored tofu, cut into small, bite-sized cubes)
2 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. teriyaki sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:

Bring 4c. of water to a boil, add noodles, cook for 5 min, then drain and rinse with warm water to remove any excess sodium. Spray a large pan/wok with PAM cooking spray, bring to a high heat, and wait until the PAM has either begun to discolor slightly or you can smell oil. Then add veggies and stir-fry, stirring continuously, for approximately 3 minutes. Add chicken, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil, stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes approximately 2 - 8 oz/1 c. servings.

Nutritional comparison: For those curious as to whether or not this recipe is healthier than processed alternatives...
Tim's stir fry (1c. serving) (1)	La Choy-branded Chicken Chow Mein w/Chow Mein Noodles (1c. serving) (2)(3)
Calories: 203.5, Fat: 5.125g, Sodium: 865mg	Calories: 230, Fat: 16g, Sodium: 1470

Enjoy!

(1) Note: The amount of sodium is likely lower than shown due to the rinsing of noodles, but I have no way to measure the reduction.
(2) http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/la-choy/chicken-chow-mein
(3) http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/la-choy/chow-mein-noodles