amyann2 Member

Organic anything is better than the non-organic equivalent -- it's not necessarily better *nutritionally* but better for the body due to the care taken to avoid pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, and so on. We are exposed to so much pollution and toxic substances as it is, so any opportunity to limit exposure is a big…

There probably is sauce. Maybe if you can ask them the name of the sauce, you'll find a generic version of that sauce in the database and can estimate the amount. If you explain to the restaurant what you are doing, hopefully they will be helpful and can maybe even guesstimate the sauce for you. This is the kind of thing…

I adore my stainless steel PlanetBox. Quite expensive but goes in the dishwasher and will last forever, or at least a really really really long time. The original PlanetBox may not be big enough for everyone, so they've added a slightly larger one to their selection. You choose the magnets that decorate the box, and they…

Yes! I ordered angel hair pasta with tomatoes at Olive Garden once when I was doing WW. It ended up being something like 22 WW points -- and I was only allowed 29 per day! I think they drowned the tomatoes in oil or something. Ah well, live and learn. At least it was delicious, and I didn't make the same mistake again.

This is complicated, but what I would do is order it as takeout at least once, then take it home and deconstruct it and weigh everything using a kitchen scale. (I love the one I got from Amazon but you can get them lots of places -- really taught me portion control.) Seriously, I would weigh the rice and each individual…

But WW isn't counting calories -- it's counting WW points based on a WW formula. The 0 points assigned to fruits and veggies is rather counter-balanced by the disproportionately high number of points assigned to other things. I believe alcohol, for instance, has a higher number of WW points than would be warranted by a…

I'm not a strict vegetarian, but I truly believe that maxim: "Eat good food. Mostly plants. Not too much." And you will be surprised by the side benefits of eating a lot of veggies. I sleep better, get fewer migraines, and when I get them they're much less severe. All that processed food was not helping!

My favorite is cauliflower roasted in my toaster oven with olive oil and a little bit of garlic powder and salt. Roast until it starts to brown. Truly delicious!

Ditto all the people who've said tastebuds change, so keep trying, and who've said that the problem is in the preparation. If you live in a decent-sized city, you might find out if there's a tapas restaurant or even a vegetarian restaurant with a great reputation. Maybe eating some truly amazing veggies prepared by a…

Can I ask -- do you grind your flax seeds? I've heard that because they're so small, the body will pass them without breaking them down if they aren't ground first. But then so many flax crackers and flax products don't grind them so I'm not sure if those are doing the body any good. Hoping someone has info on chia…

P.S. I should have noted -- dice the carrots really small, so they cook through in that short a time.

I make a ground turkey skillet lasagna (no baking the noodles!) that divdes into 4 perfect portions that I freeze in individual Pyrex bowls so can be reheated in microwave at work. I adapted this from a magazine recipe that used ground beef, and manage to cut the Weight Watchers points in half! Here is the recipe if you…

I buy the Whole Foods brand "365" mini quiche appetizers. Each is about as big around as a silver dollar, and I eat three in a serving. They are vegetarian and the box has three kinds: cheese, mushroom, and spinach. I make them ahead in my toaster oven then eat them cold for lunch at work. For the rest of my lunch I have 1…

I think eating less meat is not difficult at all, it's just a matter of thinking about your choices and prepping a little (by having non-meat foods on hand at home). I think I would fall in your definition of "semi-vegetarian" -- although I understand why folks here say that term can be confusing or misleading. But it…

Oh wow, I love the idea of salmon tacos! I grew up as a very picky eater, so I have to work at it to really incorporate new, healthier foods into my lifestyle. This sounds like a great way to go!

For those of you who like salmon, do any of the chain restaurants make a particularly good salmon dish? I would like to try it prepared by someone who knows what they're doing before attempting on my own! :-)

Good timing! I have a blood donation appointment tomorrow (not platelets, though) and was wondering the same thing. I do think I'm going to add extra calories for the day, maybe aim for 200 more, but I'll try to make sure they're not "empty" or just pure carbs.

I'd recommend lots and lots and lots or fresh raw veggies. I'm eating lunch right now: celery sticks, carrot sticks, red pepper sticks with 28g of Marie's Light Creamy Ranch, plus half a whole grain English muffin with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge and one light mozzarella string cheese. This is a common lunch for me and…

Yes, and that she wanted to share that moment here. Which now I'm sure she'll be completely discouraged from doing in the future. I've only been on MFP for a few days, and I find there to be a heck of a lot more unnecessary snark on here than on Weight Watchers. 99% of the posters here are lovely, of course, but a small…

I don't think the original poster is being judgmental, just observing that the co-worker had said she was watching weight but that she noticed how calorie-heavy that co-worker's meal seemed. She ended the post by simply saying she was glad she's not doing that herself anymore. No harm no foul. In fact, it's probably a good…

I don't drink beer but like to snack with wine. I've been meaning to try crunchy roasted chickpeas (garbanza beans). Here's one recipe: http://steamykitchen.com/10725-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-garbanzo-beans.html You could adapt for any number of flavor combinations by using paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.

I had my most common lunch today, which I started eating while on Weight Watchers to get in more veggies: 3 mini quiches (365 Whole Foods brand; these are appetizer sized and vegetarian - one mushroom, one spinach, one cheese) 1 Lucerne light mozzarella string cheese half a cucumber sliced 4 carrot sticks 4 celery sticks 6…

Check the blog Weelicious. There's a recipe for kiwi/green pea popsicle (called "Pea Wee Kiwi Popsicles"), and lots of other recipes of veggies. She also has a cookbook that I bought, and I don't even have kids! I do like veggies but I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate them everywhere. I want to try that…

Weight Watchers identifies what they call power foods, i.e. foods with more air, water, fiber, protein in them. They keep you feeling full much longer. This tends to be fruits, veggies, non-fat dairy (i.e. cup of skim milk), etc. Honestly, if you eat well (and frequently, spread through the day, but staying on track with…

When I'm eating fairly healthy, it's not unusual for me to drink 2 cups of skim milk for dinner. It's not unusual for my husband and I (no kids) to go through 3 gallons of milk a week. He drinks 1% and I drink the skim. I'm 44, if that makes a difference. I'm trying to get a jump start on staving off future calcium loss!…

My understanding is that zero point veggies are still zero points on the Points Plus Plan if they are simply steamed or boiled but nothing else is done or added. I think the only time that may change is if they are incorporated into a recipe with other ingredients, then the recipe builder may just add up all the…

Re: the beans, are you sure the can didn't say there were 3.5 servings as opposed to 3.5 cups? If a serving is a half cup, and there are 3.5 servings, the total in the can should have been under 2 cups. The reason I ask is that 3.5 cups wouldn't fit in a standard can, and I think cans usually always have a volume for the…

I do this in the evenings. It's not always boredom (though sometimes it is), but also that I've "trained" myself to expect an evening snack, and usually not the healthy kind. I really plan to work on this now.

I should also mention that while losing on WW, when I paid close attention to my food choices, I tended to lose more. The exact number of points didn't seem to matter as much, within a reasonable range, of course. I do believe that the only way to lose weight is make sure calories in < calories out, but I also believe that…

At the moment I would like to lose about 11 pounds, but was at my "goal weight" (I go to Weight Watchers) within the last few years and I plan to use MFP to look at my overall calories, fat, fiber, etc., while making the kind of food choices I learned at WW. to further complicate things, Santa brought me a Nike Fuelband,…