In which I enjoy sexy fruit salad

Who has two thumbs and eats fruit salad out of a mixing bowl?

This gal.

Is it wrong that this fruit salad turned me on a tad? It was very good.

Under the old Points program, I hated "wasting" Points on fruits & veg because WW wanted you to have five servings a day, which usually meant 5 Points spent on F&V. Five! Points! I can tell you, I rarely got to five.

Fast forward to November 2010, when Points Plus rolled out. I distinctly remember heading out for errands one day. I would not be back at the house for a few hours. Normally, I'd grab a Fiber One bar or something to tide me over. But then I remember: "Wait, fruit is free! 0 Points!"

I grabbed an apple as a snack and remember thinking: "I am 40 and have never grabbed an apple as a snack before in my life."

That was a big turning point.

Thanks to Points Plus I've been exposed to - and enjoyed - far more fruits and vegetables than I ever had in my previous 40 years. This means I have a ridiculous amount of fruits and veg on hand, which in turn leads my kids to naturally snacking on fruit more than ever.

Sure, they still eat a lot of crap, but they're kids. Veg? That's a bigger hill to climb, we'll get there. Because if I can turn into a major fruit-and-veg lover - a vegetarian, no less - there's hope for anyone.

In which I may be addicted to kale

I was sitting on the couch this afternoon, reading my iPad and snacking out of a bag of raw kale.

Eyes on the screen, my kids yammering and wandering about, my right hand hopping in and out of the bag, snatching up bits of leafy greens and mindlessly popping them into my mouth.

My husband walked in and asked, calmly, "Are you addicted to kale?"

After chewing and swallowing, my mouth opened to dismiss his joke: "Of course not. You're cra-"

And then I thought, Damn, I do like it a lot.

My new favorite salad is above, a large bowl of raw spinach and kale, mixed with 30g feta (2 Points+) and 2 Eggsland's Best medium hardboiled eggs (1 Points+ each). No dressing. I tried it with dressing and it overpowered the taste of the egg and cheese. And, you know, the greens.

The good news: The salad is tasty and super healthy. The bad news: No one is lining up to kiss me after lunch.

It's funny, I've never been a huge salad junkie because I was never really a big lettuce person. But this spinach-and-kale thing? I can get into that.

I will say one thing: Kale is not everyone's bag. I've had some friends try it. Some think it's great, others think I'm high ("It's like I tore a hunk off my lawn and put it in my mouth!"). I believe it's either a "You love it or you hate it" thing.

I know my family is less-than-thrilled with my kale love. My daughter reported that yesterday she informed her kindergarten teacher: 'MY MOM EATS A LOT OF KALE AND IT SMELLS!" Thankfully, I don't have any more parent-teacher conferences scheduled.

In other news, I totally want this shirt.

Food Of The Day: Banana Choco Chip VitaTops

Gahd, these are good.

How good?

Well, I wouldn't touch a banana on a dare and I love these, so there you go.

On a side note, bananas are one of two foods I file under Wish I Liked But I Don't. Every 6 months or so I will try a banana (and salmon but not, you know, together) just to make sure I still feel the same way, and I have yet to want another bite of either.

I feel like I should love both, but I just don't.

Anyway, I am a major VitaTop fan and have been eating one daily for over a year. Banana Choco Chip came out later last year and, unlike most other VitaTops, that flavor is only 2 Points Plus per top. Most other flavors are 3 Points+, so win-win.

If I don't like banana, what made me want to try these? Well, the chocolate, of course, and the combination actually sounded worth a try. Plus, only 2 Points+, why not give it a whirl? Glad I did.

You can order these online via Vitalicious, but Target also carries them in the freezer section. They are so freaking good - just enough banana, just enough chocolate. Warm them up in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then enjoy.

Food Of The Day: Kale chips

For the past year or so, everyone has been social media-ing about kale chips.

I never understood the fascination.

Then I made some today for the first time and, now, I get it.

I think what didn't excite me is that I am not a huge greens person. Also, I am lazy and the thought of washing, drying and then separating a gigantic bale 'o kale was not something in which I would invest time.

But, today, I was perusing the produce section at Wegman's and I happened to spy a huge bag of pre-washed, pre-cut kale. This is the kale equivalent of Yuppie Eggs. So, I was in. Seriously, this esta un krapload de kale.

Anyway, when I got home I got on Twitter and hit up some WW-ing friends for advice. Dacia was quick to give me the 411. She's lost 90 lbs in one year and has undergone an amazing transformation in so many ways. Seriously, check out her blog.

Dacia pointed me here and making these chips really is easy. I did the easy oil & salt route. I put 6 cups of kale in a bowl, 1T of olive oil and sprinkled it with kosher salt. Baked it for 14 minutes at 350 and below is the result.

I like the picture at the top of this post a little better as it gives you an idea of what the individual chips look like. The "group pic" just looks like a big salad.



However, it was a pretty delicious gang of greens. Until today, I had only had kale in smoothies. I didn't love it, but I also didn't dislike it. Kale is so ridiculously good for you, I had no problem including it in smoothies because of its nutritional awesomeness.

But, lathered in oil and salt? Kale is delicious. Funny how that works. Salt and oil is always a winner, as you know, and the greens were crunchy, mild and not bitter. It didn't taste like I was eating a handful of grass off the front lawn.

Next time, I would drop the amount of oil down to 1/2T. I think I could use less oil, still get a good result and save 2 Points Plus.

I counted today's snack as 4 Points Plus for the 1T oil because I ate the whole damn thing (seriously, it was like a bag of chips to me). Dacia noted that when she ran 2T of olive oil and the 6C kale through WW's recipe builder on eTools, it's 9 Points Plus for the whole thing.

She is a better WWer than I because I will not count that as 9 Points Plus. Truth be told, I hate the Recipe Builder because it calculates Points for Points-free food when they are included in a recipe. I understand why Weight Watchers does this, but I don't agree. I'm not taking a 5-Point hit for 6C of kale, which if I ate all by their lonesome would be 0 Points Plus.

I'm not urging anyone to overthrow the Recipe Builder, your mileage may vary, but I'm being honest about how I count it in this case. Hell, I didn't get to 282 lbs by eating too much kale.

Anyway, this was a great snack. While I was waiting for the chips to cook, I was eating raw kale bits out of the bag because, hey, they were there. And, even raw, they were great. Next time I put out raw veg and dip for an appetizer, I am including kale. It was very good and would be more fun to eat than, say, gigantic broccoli crowns.

I can also envision having these salty devils instead of popcorn next time we're watching a movie at the house. No, I can't imagine sneaking a bag into a real theater. Although...

Food Of The Day: The 'Are You Pregnant?' Wrap

Were I to spy you eating this wrap I would say, "When are you due?"

This concoction totally looks like a pregnancy craving come to life. And, before you can ask, let me reply: "No. Absolutely not. That ship has sailed."

That cleared up, this wrap was inspired by two friends. Flo posted a link (which I can't find) to some grilled-hummus/egg sandwich thing that looked delicious, yet I stupidly did not bookmark. I figure she'll eventually bail me out in the comments below, because she is awesome.

The other half of the germ of this idea came from my friend, Lynne, who keeps telling me to put olives in my sandwiches. Not sure why, but she's adamant. If they were 0 Points, believe me I would have jumped on this earlier.

Anyway, both ideas sat in the back of my head, resulting into this mash-up, "Are You Pregnant?" wrap:

28g roasted red peper hummus spread (1 Points+) over a whole Lavash (2 Points+). You had me at "whole Lavash."

2 Eggland's Best hardboiled Yuppie eggs, which are only 1 Points+ each because they're medium eggs. Yeah.

14g green olives (happy now, Lynne?) works out to about 5 olives for 1 Points+. Yes, I weigh them every time hoping I will be able to jam in a sixth for 14g. Has not happened yet, maybe someday.

It may sound like an odd combo - and look like a hot mess - but it's quite delicious.

Recipe Of The Day: Butternut Squash Mash

Funny thing: I never liked squash until I was 7 months pregnant with my first child.

Then I got a hankering for it - out of nowhere - and I couldn't get enough. I ate so much, it is a small wonder she didn't pop out looking like she had a bad spray tan.

Every since, I've made up for my misspent, squash-less youth and have enjoyed it immensely. Buttercup, butternut, delicata (oh, delicata), acorn, you name it.

I recently found this recipe via Grace Got Healthy: Butternut Squash Mash. Of course, it seems so simple. Why didn't I think of that?

I'd do the old standy, boil butternut, mash and douse with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or as I think of it: Yes, I Can Believe It's Chemicals), kosher salt and pepper. Yum.

However this, this looked even better because it's roasted, a favorite way to cook veg for me, and has, wait for it, real butter.

I know! I hardly ever use real butter, but then I remembered that the butter my husband uses is only 1 Points+ per tablespoon (Land O Lakes Light Butter With Canola Oil), which is more than you think (that's 1T in the bowl above).

Ignore that noise, it's my father, somewhere in Eastern Massachusetts bellowing: "THAT'S NOT BUTTER!" He is a purist.

Anyway, I gave the recipe a go and it was really good. Since you only count the butter, it's 1 Points+ for the whole thing. I bought the already peeled and cut-up squash because I am lazy. I am also concerned that left up to me to peel a butternut squash, I would take off a thumb. But, primarily, I am lazy.

A note: If you buy precut, cut it up more, into tinier pieces. It makes it faster to cook and easier to mash, see below:

Food Of The Day: VitaSandwich Egg'N'Cheese Sandwich

Flo tipped me off to these during our trip to Wegmans, which surprisingly doesn't carry them. I know, I'm surprised, too.

Anyway, Stop & Shop and Target do (click here to see where they are in your area), so I grabbed a box of the Egg & Cheese and the Egg & Cheese with Veggies. I'm more partial to the former than the latter but, man, they are good.

For just 3 Points Plus, it's a satisfying snack that really stays with you. If you're a fan of the Egg McMuffin, it's very similar and 5 fewer Points. I'm a big fan of Vitalicious and they sure don't disappoint with this offering.

Here's what it looks like when you tuck into one and then remember, Oh, yeah, I wanted to get a picture of that. Enjoy my dental impression.

Cooking is super easy: Microwave. There's even directions on how to easily do a microwave-toaster combo so it's crunchy. Yum.

The only drawback is the price. A box runs $5 and you get two sandwiches. So it's a little pricey, but pretty great if you want to try something new and healthy.

Food Of The Day: Low-Point Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Holy crow.

I was perusing my Twitter feed before bootcamp this morning and I saw a Cool Running tweet containing the words "pumpkin", "pie" and "smoothie."

I could not click fast-enough.

Active.com had concocted a healthier version of Jamba Juice's Pumpkin Smash Smoothie. The Active.com mod makes 2 16-oz servings, 4 Points+ a piece.

I have yet to make a smoothie and save half for later, so I was looking at 8 Points+ as written.

I figured I could goose that down.

I used:

1/2c canned pumpkin (0 Points)
1 cup So Delicious coconut milk, unsweetened (1 Point)
4 oz Plain Chobani (1.5 Points)
1/2t pumpkin pie spice
1.2t cinnamon
Truvia (more than I want to admit to. Let's pretend it was one packet. Yeah, 1.)
Ice

I tossed everything in the amazingly-ridiculous-seriously-ask-Santa-or-Hannukah-Harry-for-one Vitamix and vroooom, a ton of deliciousness.

So crazy good. If you like pumpkin, that is. If you don't, then I guess it's gross, but all the more for me and other pumpkin-lovers out there.

The only reason I used coconut milk is because A) It's low-Point and B) I had it in the fridge because I use it for my smoothies. If you used 1% milk, it's triple the Points per cup (3).

Give it a whirl while there's plenty of canned pumpkin on the shelves.

In which I put myself in time-out

Dear Fiber One Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies,

It's not you, it's me.

Seriously, you're too delicious and too low-Point, which make me want to break my self-imposed rule in which I will not have more than one serving of something (except for fruit & veg) in a day. If I have you in the morning (ahem), I can't have you again for the rest of the day. But I find myself wanting you more than once a day.

OK, I'm abandoning this fake-letter bit as it's getting too porn-y and weird.

Here's my problem, those brownies are too good. I've been having one a day for months, but lately I find myself wanting them more.

I've been able to control the temptation so far, but I know if I keep them in the house, I will give in eventually. It's like gambling at a casino, gamble long enough and the house always wins.

Curiously, I'm having the same issue with the equally-delicious Weight Watchers Whitman's candies. Again, been enjoying them daily for months, but lately they're too tempting to stop at one - or two. They are small.

I think the problem is that they're both low Point (the brownies are 2, candies 1), so it's easier to justify having more than one a day. If they were higher-Point, I doubt I would have the same problem.

Yesterday I ran out of both and did not restock. And I will not. I need a break from these foods and I'm happy I'm strong enough to recognize a potential problem and correct it before it becomes a big one.

Food Of The Day: Delicata Squash

First things first, I have to get this out of the way and I apologize in advance:

Every time I say or hear "delicata" in my head, all I can think of is Ann Wilson of Heart singing, "Ooooooohh, dell-i-CAH-ta!"

Sorry to put that earworm in your head.

Now, onto tasty food.

If squash had their own language - and I'm not convinced they don't - "delicata" no doubt is squash for "delicious."

As you know, I love squash, and this fall I've had fun trying new-to-me varieties.

I remember last fall several weight-loss bloggers I read mentioned delicata squash, but I could never find it. I made a point of looking for it on my recent adventure to Wegmans, and of course, they had it.

I Googled delicata online and discovered how to roast it:

Slice off the ends.

Slice it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

Slice the halves into half-inch sections.

Roast at 375 for 30 or so minutes.

Eat - with skin on.

The whole skin-on thing threw me a bit, but wow, those suckers are yummy. I sprayed them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, kosher salt and pepper, and they are to die for.

In my local stores, delicata tends to be a little tough to find, so keep an eye out. It's worth it.

Food Of The Day: Buttercup Squash

Even for a squash, the buttercup variety is unattractive. However it is delicious.

Flo recently noted she made some buttercup squash. I had never tried it before and because I love all things squash, the next time I saw it at the store, I picked one up.

And, yes, I do follow Flo's lead on a lot of foods. If she ever posted, "Hey, cyanide is 0 Points!" I would go for it.

Anyway, I love buttercup squash. It seems a little nuttier and heartier than regular butternut or acorn. I cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and place it cut-side down in a pan filled with 1/2 cup of water (if it's a huge squash, I up it to 1 cup). Pop it into a 350-degree oven for 40 or so minutes (depending on its size) or until you can drive a fork through it.

Let it cool, scoop out the yummy guts and douse in I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (though I can believe that), kosher salt and pepper.

0 Points, full-on delicious.

Give it a whirl.

Food Of The Day: Baked Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp and since it's apple season I've been trying to remember an old low-Point apple crisp recipe that was a favorite long ago.

I pinged Flo to see if she remembered it, and she found this, which is very similar.

I made it yesterday and today, and it is fantastic. If you follow the Nutritional Information from the recipe strictly, it's 5 Points per serving, two servings to the recipe.

However, I refuse to count the apple. According to WW, if I ate the apple by itself it's 0 Points, but if I use it in a recipe, I have to include its fat, fiber, carbs and protein in my Points calculations for the whole thing, thereby upping the Points value of the recipe. I get why they do it, but I respectfully disagree when it comes to this recipe.

I used 1C of Kashi Go Lean Crunch (5 Points), 1T light butter (1 Point) for a total of 6 Points and I don't count the apple. I am a rebel. And, if I'm feeling especially revolutionary, I will use two apples.

I'm not encouraging all-out mutiny, just telling you honestly what I count and don't. I didn't get obese my eating too many apples, so I think it's OK to not count it here.

Food Of The Day: BBQ Pulled Chicken Breast

Another favorite food from Trader Joe's.

One serving is only 3 Points+ and it's hefty (151g). The chicken is BBQ-flavored, so I usually pair it with a slice of Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese (which I know isn't real cheese, but it's only 1P+, so go with me here).

If I have some Points to spend, I'll throw it on top of a cup of rice.

But this dish is so versatile, it's great by itself, on a baked potato, you name it.

If you want spicy and sweet and want to keep it low Point, check out this product, found in the TJ's refrigerated section, by the premade sandwiches, sushi, etc.

Cooking couldn't be easier: Microwave for 2 minutes, stir and microwave for 30 seconds. Voila.

One measuring note: The NI says there are three 151g servings in the packet. I have yet to make it to three, it's maybe 2.5 at best.

Food Of The Day: Roasted Chicken Patties

I could live Weight Watchers without Trader Joe's, but it would be harder, that's for sure.

Flo says she wouldn't want to live anywhere without one and I agree. In my opinion, there should be a Trader Joe's next to every Weight Watchers center because TJs offers affordable, delicious, low-Point, high-value food.

I have several favorites from the chain (like this, this, this and this) but if I could only buy one product it would be the Roasted Chicken Patties. I can't believe I haven't posted about these before as I eat them three to four times a week.

They're 3 Points+ each and a great value. I love them on the grill and I love to pair them with grilled vegetables. But to be honest, you could pair them with just about anything.

I tend to front-load my Points each day, so I usually leave less than 5 Points for dinner. Eating at night has never been a challenge, so leaving so few for nighttime doesn't bother me like it may others. Getting through the afternoon, say lunch to dinner is more difficult for me, so I leave Points there for a snack or something to get me through.

If I'm having a patty for dinner I usually only leave 3 Points: enough for one patty and a mound of grilled or roasted veg. If I'm still hungry, which I usually am not, I'll have some fruit for dessert.

If you haven't checked these out, pick up a pack - they're in the TJs fresh meat section with the hamburger, turkey, chicken, sausage, etc. They're great to have on hand if you need a quick, easy dinner that's low-Point and satisfying.

Food Of The Day: Yuppie Eggs

I suspect eggs are a rather polarizing food.

Either you love them or you hate them.

I'm in the former category, although it's more of an egg salad, hardboiled-eggs-on-a-salad-type love. I'm not a big fried/scrambled egg fan. I originally wrote, "I'm not an over-easy kinda gal," but that just came out wrong. Yet, still funny.

So I love hardboiled eggs, but I hate peeling them. Frankly, I suck at it. I've tried all the tricks and tips, but they always look like a wolverine half-ate them by the time I'm done. And if I'm spending 2 Points+ on an egg, I want the entire thing.

I was happy to discover Trader Joe's (and other manufacturers) sell already-peeled eggs for peeling-deficient folks like myself. Yes, it seems extraordinarily lazy, but convenient.

It's the type of purchase for which my father, if he ever found out, would call me a "Yuppie." What's nice about Dad is the majority of his insults are pre-1986, making them slightly less effective and more amusing. And for that he would call me a "whippersnapper."

Anyway, I love egg salad. It's one of those foods I can go months without, but if I want it, I want it now.

Today was a want day, so I whipped up 3 eggs (6 P+), 1T of fat-free mayo (1P+) and a Pepperidge Farm Sandwich Thin (2 P+). Yum. Three eggs make a decent amount of egg salad, so what you see in the picture is only about half of the result. The rest I ate out of the bowl.

So, if you're a Yuppie, peeling-challenged egg fan like me, check out TJ's offering, which is in the dairy/yogurt/egg section.

Food Of The Day: Chocolate Raspberry LUNA Bar

Every day I wake up, come downstairs and grab a cold Diet Coke and a Luna bar.

I've been enjoying a Luna bar for breakfast (or pre-breakfast, I eat before and after I work out) pretty much since I rejoined WW a year ago.

If I have to get up early, the fact I basically get to eat a candy bar first thing in the morning is enough carrot-on-a-stick to get me up and out of bed.

I like a lot of the Luna varieties, but my favorite by far is Chocolate Raspberry. Then, tragically, this summer every store stopped carrying it at once. All the other flavors were there, but no Chocolate Raspberry. I pinged Luna to see what was going on, but I never got an answer. Wow, I hope the main ingredient wasn't lead or anything...

I reluctantly fell back to Chocolate Dipped Coconut and Caramel Nut Brownie. Yet every time I went into a department or grocery store, I would take a swing through the appropriate aisle and see if they had any in stock.

I'm not kidding, I did this every time in every store, and I hit a lot of stores in my travels. I came up empty every single time, except for a magical day in August. But I quickly ate through that stash within a couple of weeks and it was never restocked.

Today, I was in one of my regular grocery stops (like most WWers, I can't find everything I need in one place) and out of habit I hit the "nutritional bar" aisle, looking up expecting to see everything but my favorite. And there it was. The box. Full of Chocolate Raspberry. And they were on sale.

I grabbed the box, dumped the contents in my cart and went to put it back on the shelf so they'd know to restock it (Please, God). Then I saw another full box in the back. Grab. Dump. Replace.

Ha ha! Faith rewarded.

I did feel a little bad for the cashier who had to individually ring up each and every bar as they're a pain to scan. But, you know, not too bad.

Food Of The Day: Concord Grapes

I rarely buy produce at Wal Mart because while the price is right, the quality is usually poor.

However, if I'm there I'll always swing through just in case something good is on sale (eg, fresh raspberries).

Today while on the berry hunt I found these babies: concord grapes, I've also seen them called champagne grapes.

They're super small and super sweet. The pic to your left is to give you a size of their scale, not to suggest you eat them with PB, but if that floats your boat, go ahead.

I love grapes and these are my favorites, by far. And I rarely can find them, I would suspect they're highly seasonal and they come in a 1-lb plastic box to protect them because they're so delicate.

I chanced the purchase due to WM's produce rep, but they were very good. I'm heading back tomorrow to get more as I'm not sure how long they'll be in stock.

If you like grapes, try to find these. I know Trader Joes would carry them from time to time, too.

Food Of The Day: Shrimp Scampi

Flo sounded the bell on Gorton's new frozen shrimp, so I immediately headed out to find them.

As a big fan of shrimp and low-Point, easy meals, this was a slam dunk.

Luckily, I found both varieties (Classic Grilled and Scampi) at Super Wal-Mart and baked the latter tonight.

So delicious and only 6 Points+ for the whole bag (seen on the plate above). My house smelled awesome.

This would be wonderful in a variety of ways: with pasta, over rice, or as I oddly paired it, with sweet potato fries (4 Points+). Hey, I wanted a sweet potato.

I'll definitely be heading back to get another bag. This will be a regular staple.

This isn't a "diet" offering from Gorton's - and it certainly didn't taste like one - so you can serve this to any civilians and they'd love it, too.

Low-Point snacks to curb chocolate cravings

I'm not actually hungry mid-afternoon, but that doesn't stop me from wanting a little chocolate something to get me through until dinner.

Here are a couple low-Point favorites:



Fiber One just came out with these brownies in Chocolate Fudge (good) and Chocolate Peanut Butter (very good). 2 Points+ each, they're a good snack. In my local grocery stores, they're stocked in the cereal aisle.


Weight Watchers has been pairing with Whitman's for years to make low-Point candy. They offer peanut butter cups, chocolate covered peppermint patties, English toffee and my favorite, the Turtle-like pecan crowns. The crowns are only 1 Point, a good deal.

I limit myself to a max of 1 a day. If I let myself eat more, the whole bag would be gone. For me they're not trigger-food dangerous, so I can handle them in moderation without too much temptation.

In which I love avocados...too much

I adore avocados and, in turn, guacamole.

I love them too much. It's one of those foods I can't make fresh (although I love to) because I'd eat the whole thing.

So I was pretty happy to hear that Wholly Guacamole makes a 100-calorie snack pack for the willpower-challenged like me. The package contains three, single-serve packets, each 3 Points+.

It's delicious and portion-controlled, two things I appreciate in a food.

It's so good in that I gladly (and embarrassingly) admit to licking the package to ensure I get everything.

If you love guac and can't stop, it's worth your time.