Northwoods Scrapbook

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Some WW Snack Recipes

Hi Friends!

I have been sharing that I've been doing weight watchers recently for health and weight loss. A motivating factor for me is a trip to Europe later this year. I know it will involve a lot of walking and being on the go in general. Not to mention sleeping in less supportive beds (I love my tempurpedic) and just all the things that travel can bring...so I know being more fit and a bit smaller will help alleviate any issues. So far I'm almost 45 days into my plan and have lost about 10 lbs. Just going slow and steady to get to my ultimate goal.

And I am so grateful to have a supportive partner. Matt is a health conscious guy and lost a lot of weight doing keto. But he's also kind of a foodie like me. 😋 So we have fun cooking together and looking at different recipes that can work for both of us. Annie is fussier and likes her handful of meals over and over so that is what my menu each week reflects. I just tweak things to fit in my points - or sometimes eat something different all together. The weekends are when Matt and I do more cooking together. But I also do one cheat day each week. I still try to be pretty good - but it's a day when we may go out to eat and I just don't worry about counting (marking down) my points that day. And it helps me stay on my plan knowing I allow myself that indulgence too! Life is balance 😉

But I thought I would share a few recipes and favorite tips/snacks kinds of things that are working for me.

I recently made these mini pizza peppers. They were really yummy and depending how much cheese I put on them were only about 4-5 points for the whole pan of them.

To make them cut mini peppers in half. Place on cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and I sprinkled some italian seasoning over them. Fill with a small spoonful of marinara (for keto Matt does sugar free sauce), add in shredded mozzarella cheese and I did mini turkey pepperoni. Push down into peppers. Bake at 400* for about 10 -12 minutes. Simple and yummy. Add a salad for a little meal. Or just great as a snack too.

With the WW plan that I'm doing most fruits and veggies are free. Also on my plan potatoes and whole grain pasta are free. I just count what I put on them.

When I get home from the store I wash a lot of my produce so it's ready to go for munching. I like having something like ranch or taco dip on hand for dunking veggies. I swear I have eaten more veggies in the past month than I did all last year! Lol

Or I'll take a banana and drizzle on some chocolate sauce (if only a drizzle - it's free) and a 1 pt squirt worth of whipped cream on top. Satisfies treat craving really well.

Here are some of my snack ideas off of my instagram page under the tab WW.

Only had to count 1 pt worth of natural peanut butter and that sprinkle on the cukes is everything but the bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's. I love it on everything!

And one of my absolute favorite treats lately has been these:

This is a sumo orange (so good if you haven't tried) and some natural dark chocolate baking chips. I also have been using strawberries - but could do whatever fruit you want. Fruit is free pts! I melt the chocolate chips in a mug. I start at about 30 seconds on high. Then stir and add another 15 seconds and stir after each until it's all melted. I dunk half the orange or strawberries in the chocolate and put on a parchment sheet on a plate. And sprinkle with a little sea salt. I put in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set up.

Then when they come out I do a free drizzle of chocolate syrup. I can have about 4- 5 of these for only a few pts. And they are SO GOOD! A little bitter from dark chocolate, salty & then sweet. They are Annie's fave right now too. 😋

I have a WW board on pinterest too - with meal ideas I've pinned, besides just snacks. I will share more in the future and especially after I've made more of them. But even if you're not interested in WW - I thought some healthier snack ideas might just be fun! Enjoy. 💗

Monday, March 14, 2022

Happy Homemaker Monday

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY

Hello my Lovies! Happy Monday to you.

How is your week starting? Sunny and bright I hope. It's a very sunny and lovely one here. And looks like it will be nice and Spring like all week. Yay! I'm doing an absolute happy dance!

☀️💃

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was such a fun one here. I actually got extra time with Matt as I went to visit him last Wednesday (it was his day off). And then he came up here this weekend. He lives about 2 hrs from me.

We went out to dinner (Annie too) with my brother and SIL Saturday night. So they got to meet Matt. 😊 And then we drove Annie to her buddy's house after. And Sunday we went out for lunch. Ran some errands - including a Costco trip. We both have so much fun browsing around there. He had a big rewards coupon and talked to Annie about gaming systems and decided to get a nintendo switch so we could play some old school games. He kept making fun of himself but I though it was cute and love how he is bonding with Annie over that a bit too. 💕

When we came home we played some cards and chatted and had the windows open as it was so nice and sunny yesterday too. I think Spring may be at least making a preview! And hopefully melting all of our snow this week.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

coffee with creamer, catalina crunch cereal (like keto cinnamon toast crunch), half a grapefruit with stevia.

I fluctuate within about a pound or so depending on the day - but I'm about 10 pounds down now! I plan to do a post later in the week sharing more WW tips and some recipes.

ON MY TO DO LIST:
haircut appts, passport stuff, hospice work, lunch with an Aunt and my Mom, errands, projects around the house

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Sun streaming in. Listening to classical violin music and Ruby is playing with her squeaker toy and adding quite the tune to what's playing. Lol

CURRENTLY READING

Spring magazines, some cookbooks

ON THE TV TODAY:

The Good Doctor, The Resident, Spring Baking Championship, Greys Anatomy, New Amsterdam, This is Us, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Outlander, WCTH, Ghosts, Shark Tank

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - Costco grilled chicken street tacos

TUESDAY - Costco spinach and cheese stuffed cannelloni, veggies

WEDNESDAY - dill pickle chopped salad kit

THURSDAY - any leftovers from the week

FRIDAY - maybe order in?

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

work on Europe trip, scrapbook, read out in the sun if deck melts enough

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

When I went down to visit Matt last week he took me to the most fun place called Christmas point. 3 floors of such fun shopping and lunch at a cafe connected with it. I had a super yummy soup and an iced lavender honey latte that was AMAZING! And Matt bought me a candle that I loved the smell of so much.

I'll share more recipes later in the week - including yummy mini pepper pizzas. 😋

Thinking bright Spring thoughts and getting ready to change out winter bedding for lighter ones.

We went out for sushi when I took Matt to meet my bro and SIL. The top pic is of my bro's sashimi. Across from him is Matt's plate with a spicy roll that included tuna and jalapenos! My brother's was too pretty not to photograph. 😋 The other pic is my spicy tuna roll with bits of fried white fish on top and wasabi cream. Everything was excellent!

Got my next Taste of Home kitchen box and it had another wonderful cookbook, an appliance mat I put under my keurig, a slotted spoon, a bottle and straw cleaning brush, a veggie brush (which I needed!) and some very useful things for the slow cooker - which is wonderful because I use mine all the time.

PRAYER LIST:

Prayers for gratitude and thankfulness for so many blessings. For Matt's Mom having surgery soon. For Ukraine, Russia, and surrounding countries taking refugees and peace in our world. 🙏

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Have a blessed week Friends. I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.