GRANOLA!!!

So we have totally slacked off with this blog! Sorry! But this is a granola recipe that Isabelle emailed me to add to our blog! Try it out--it looks yummy!:)


Kathy's Granola" 12 C. quick oats2 C. raw sunflower seeds (no shells)2 C. raw sliced almonds2 C. chopped pecans2 C. raw pumpkin seeds1 C. coconut2 C. brown sugar2 T. cinnamon2 T. vanilla1 C. oil1 C. honey1 C. water MIX: dry ingredients. Warm the wet ingredients in a saucepan until honey is melted. Add to the dry and mix it up! Pour a layer of granola mix on a cookie sheet. Cook in the oven at 275* for about 30-45 minutes. (This makes about 3 full cookie sheets)You want it to be fairly dry and crunchy, but not too browned! Mix and match other ingredients as desired. (Sometimes we throw in oat bran)

I loved this!! Maybe we should attach it to the side bar!!

GREEN PLANTAIN CHIPS RECIPE

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 10 min Serves: 4

4 tsp. canola oil

2 green plantains, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1.) Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the plantains and cook until tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and spread out between several layers of paper towels. With the bottom of a heavy plate or skillet, gently press down on the slices, one at a time, to flatten them to half their thickness. Rub them gently with the garlic.

2.) Spray the skillet with olive oil nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the pressed slices and cook until heated through, 1-1 1/2 minutes per side. Sprinkle with the salt.

Per serving: (about 5 chips) 185 calories, 3 grams fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 153 mg sodium, 44 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 1 gram protein, 4 mg calcium.

TIPS AND TRICKS!!!

Last night we had our second meeting and we talked about tips and tricks that help us achieve our weight loss and other goals. We had a great discussion and I think we all learned a lot from each other! Here's the list we came up with:

*Savor your food--put utensils down between bites and when eating, bring utensil to your mouth, not your head to the food
*Always have healthy snacks with you to avoid getting to the starving point
*Stand in mirror and praise yourself--brag about all you achieved that day
*Use a food journal and keep track of your eating
*Do exercises during tv shows and while in line at the grocery store--anytime you could be sitting still--every little bit helps!
*Portion out snacks immediately after buying--cut up fruits and veggies to snack on as well
*Set out almonds in a dish to grab from when passing by
*Before taking another bite, decide if it's because you like the taste or if you're really still hungry.
*Keep water bottle full of ice with you at all times
*Dance and play with your kids whenever possible--they'll love the attention and you'll burn more calories!
*Buy new workout clothes--everyone loves new clothes!
*Reward yourself for short term and long term goals achieved
*Stick to your goal for 21 days--then it will have become a habit!
*Put your exercise clothes on as soon as you roll out of bed--you'll be more inclined to actually exercise then!
*Use salad plates instead of big dinner plates to help with portion control
*View gym time as alone time! Especially if you have little ones! Shower at the gym without little ones interrupting! Sit in the jacuzzi at the gym after a workout
*Plan ahead when going out--decide what you'll eat and bring snacks with you if possible.
*Serve salad before EVERY meal--you'll fill up faster on the healthy stuff!
*Learn serving sizes for foods--check the nutrition label for accurate serving size
*Hunger pangs=your body burning fat!
*Get sleep! You can't do anything if you're too tired!

Here are some websites to help you with calorie counting as well as exercise goals!
*mapyourrun.com
*sparkpeople.com

Come next week for our topic,"Commitment, Desire and the Little Things" by Kelly Sherman!

This Week's Recipe: Wheatberry Salad

(Please scroll down to read about our first group meeting!)

Ingredients

1 cup hard winter wheatberries
Kosher salt
1 cup finely diced red onion (1 onion)
6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 scallions, minced, white and green parts
1/2 red bell pepper, small diced
1 carrot, small diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the wheatberries and 3 cups of boiling salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain.
Saute the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the warm wheatberries, sauteed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the wheatberries to absorb the sauce. Season, to taste, and serve at room temperature.

OFF TO A GREAT START!!!

Last night was our first meeting and it went GREAT! We had so much to talk about and everyone shared what they wanted to gain from the group. As we've mentioned, we will update this blog weekly with the details of the meeting we've just had so that everyone can follow up in case they weren't able to come. Here are some of the topics/ideas that were shared last night:

Recipes
"The Weigh Down Diet" a book by Gwen Shamblin
Tips and Tricks to weight loss and achieving goals
Positive Action/No negative self-talk/ Spiritual Action
Lifestyle Changes
Emotional Eating
Reward System
Scriptures/Journal (check out the sites to the right!)
Text/Phone weight loss buddies
Finding Time to Do It All
Inspiring Books
Food Symbolism in Scriptures (thank you, Stephanie!)
Word of Wisdom
Recognizing Our Weaknesses

As you can see, we talked about A LOT of different things! Each week we'd like to have a different little theme involving one of these (or a different) topic so we can all learn something new! We also discussed reward ideas such as pedicures, massages, new shoes, a bubble bath, goal chart, trading babysitting with a fellow groupie, etc. I am so excited about this group! For those of you who were there, we discussed text/phone buddies, but I think a lot of us forgot to put our numbers! If you would like to be a phone buddy, I want to make a list to pass out next week of names and numbers, so please email me at bethanycomerford@yahoo.com with your number! The numbers I already have are Tamara, Brittney, Whitney, Kelly, and Kristen. Thank you to all who came and made our first meeting so wonderful!

NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC: Tips/Tricks To Weight Loss and Achieving Goals
Come share whatever tricks that you've heard of or tips that have helped you in losing weight or achieving another goal! We are trying to see if we can start holding meetings at the church--we will keep you posted!

First Meeting!

Tuesday, May 13th

7:00pm

Erica Hank's Home

5064 E Catalina Ave.

Please call Bethany Comerford or Erica Hanks with any questions!

If you would like to participate in our weekly weigh-in (optional!), please arrive 15 minutes early!