Faux Barbecue....Farbecue

I have'nt eaten red meat in about 10 years... I miss it

The smell of steak grilling, a burger with cheese , my Grandmas roast beef and above all barbeque. People ( my husband and brother) pressure me often to eat it but at this point my cow days are over. I do stare longingly at my husband when he does dive into a bbq feast so imagine my glee when I discovered Morningstar farms BBQ riblets at the store last week. I have tried several of their other products- breakfast sausage because I don't eat pork, but that's another post - but just for some reason passed the riblets on by.

They caught my attention so in my cart they went and I prepared some mashed potatoes and corn to go with. I was skeptical of how good they would be but after the first bite I was hooked. My husband ate some too and was turning to me to ask what I thought when he saw me licking my plate. Gone.. just like that. For me, a person who has not eaten bbq "ribs" in years they were probably one of the best things I have ever had. Same texture, taste and smell as the real deal. The only problem...I wanted more.

Check them out even if you do eat meat. They are better for you and packed with loads of protein and soy goodness. A cow will thank you.

~ Karen

One point tip of the day- I should take my own advice

As I get ready to depart on my free trip that I won- yes I am a winner- to Disney World, I leave you with a one point tip of the week. I am positive that I will not be following my own advice as those delicious mickey ice cream bars are at least the points for 2 days. I will try to convince myself that all the walking I will be doing cancels it out, but seriously...who am I kidding.

My one point tip is a super yummy cocolate pretzel blast mini treat bar made by WW. I bought them at a meeting site for $5.00. That was the sale price. There was a good amount in the box and it did hit the chocolate spot nicely. They were like a mini watchamacalit - old school candy reference.

Enjoy!

~ Karen

One point tip of the week

Here's another one point tip of the week for everyone. If you are a breakfast lover then this one is for you.

Try Thomas' light , multi grain english muffins. Only 1 point which is less than a weight watchers bagel. Add some peanut butter or an egg white and there's your protein and your ready to roll.

Mama always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

One point tip of the week

Let me begin by saying I hate that I feel inclined to give out one "point" tips . Weight Watchers is my nemesis and we have a love/ hate relationship. I've been doing it for years off and on with success. Some years are better than others.

Love your body the way it is ladies, so take this tip to either help you lose weight or get healthy. I will say for only one point it is fabulous and delicious! Vitatops rock. They have a variety of flavors -chocolate being the only one I have tried so far- and are found in the freezer section. Chocolatey goodness can't go wrong.

~ Karen

One Point Tip of the Week

I have lived my life on weight watchers since 2006. Aside of some massive weight gains when pregnant, I have done pretty well with the program.

Since I now consider myself a weight watchers pro - I thought I would share a tip each week for those also at the mercy of the slide rule points counter.

One point snack tip.

For you Dunkin' fans - did you know you could have a tasty treat every now and again? One munchkin-- yes one-- is 1 point. I know what you are thinking, "what am I going to do with one munchkin?". Trust me, if you have been sweet deprived one munchkin can hit the spot.

The challenge: you have to buy 6 at a time. Let me know how that goes.

~Davina

Crabby Pattys that won't bust your gut

I am the first to admit that I am afraid to cook seafood. I actually think I am afraid to even purchase it. The grocery store selection frightens me, what if it's bad, what type of fish, how is it supposed to smell...blah blah blah.

I do however love to eat seafood and was craving crab cakes not too long ago. Most crab cakes can be pretty high in fat and calories or can sometimes taste greasy or heavy. I happened to be looking through the pages of Cooking Light when I stumbled upon a recipe makeover for lighter crab cakes. My craving intensified so I sucked up my seafood fear, went to the local fish market ( not grocery store ) and bought the supplies. My husband looked shocked when he saw me at work in the kitchen, but he quietly walked away and kept his thoughts to himself.

To both of our surprise they came out delicious and were indeed lighter, tasty, and fresh. Paired with a crisp salad it was the perfect Summer meal. According to Cooking Light the calories are more than cut in half- 292 versus 734, fat reduced from 8.6 grams of fat to 1.6 grams and the sodium went from 1,285 milligrams to 571 milligrams. Great for my husband who watches his sodium intake. Try the yourself and see.

Ingredients

Crab cakes:
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons canola-based mayonnaise (such as Spectrum brand)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large egg
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Rémoulade:
1/4 cup canola-based mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped * I did not have capers so made without*
2 teaspoons Creole mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation
1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Fill a 1/3-cup dry measuring cup with crab mixture. Invert onto work surface; gently pat into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Repeat procedure with remaining crab mixture, forming 8 cakes.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Carefully turn cakes; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden and crab cakes are thoroughly heated. Remove cakes from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 crab cakes.
4. To prepare rémoulade, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Serve with crab cakes.

~ Karen

Adventures in Shedding the Pregnancy Weight

It's been a long time since I've been to the gym, and boy did I feel it. Yesterday was my first day back to the gym after giving birth 7 weeks ago. Getting back into the groove is no easy task and I can see why women keep about 10 pounds of pregnancy weight after each child.

Forty-four pounds (yes... 44) of pregnancy weight and one baby later it's time. I can't help but think, "why did I have an entire bag of M&Ms each week" and "maybe if I just had a salad instead of pizza I wouldn't have gained that much weight." But I know that's not true.  I get pregnant, I gain weight. It's how my body manages the change.

The question is, where do I start. How do I get rid of the pounds that so easily settled on to the fatty parts of my body? Hello new hips.


If you type in "pregnancy weight loss" into Amazon book search you get over 70 results. No disrespect to these books, but I believe the process to be a simple one. Eat less, workout more. Don't get me wrong, simple does not mean easy-- I just think there are plenty of people looking for an easy fix. It does not exist. It's calories in... calories out. And hopefully the rest falls into place.

I swear by Weight Watchers, but I am sure there are plenty of other diets that can do the trick. I have been attending a Weight Watchers meeting for the past 4 weeks. Since starting the program I am down 8 pounds. I would like it to be more... but it's a start.

In the interest of total transparency I am currently 192. Even typing that number makes me want to give up and eat an entire pizza, but I have been looking longingly at my old clothes and my yoga pants have threatened to move out if I don't give them a day off. I stupidly tried to put on a larger pair of pre-preggers jeans today only to feel like a stuffed sausage.

I did not try to zip them.

So this needs to happen. The question is, will it?

Do our bodies just decide one day to hold onto the weight until we resolve to accept the new us? Pass me another cheese slice please.

The number on the scale certainly does not define me, but it definitely has a choke hold on me. However, it's easy to beat myself up. Everytime I look at a gossip rag I see another celeb who dropped the pounds in a few days. Damn you Heidi Klum and your super human fat cells.

But I'm me and not Heidi Klum, so I keep on my slow and steady path. *sigh* All I know is a cheese pizza would taste mighty good right now.


~Davina