Author: julesfarm@yahoo.com

After breakfast, we were on our butts in the living room drinking coffee. It was cloudy and misty and cool. I had a feeling that neither of us would be moving much for the day. I was right. We remained there until it was time to eat again. Mike was watching Football and Golf, simultaneously. He was bouncing back and forth from channel to channel in between plays and putts and it was driving me completely bonkers! I entertained myself by working on the blog. Along with yesterdays post, I did a few recipe updates and posted a couple of new recipes. I have now updated everything on the Side Dish tab under Recipes, and everything on the Snacks & Treats tab under Recipes. I had forgotten about several of those recipes myself, so it was nice to go back and get a few ideas. I’ll start working on Main Dishes today […]

Thursday was the first day of Fall, and I celebrated by prancing around all day in this shirt, drinking out of this cup. No joke. I think the temperatures were in the 90’s??? Ugh. I am so ready for cooler weather, crockpot meals, fire pits and Pumpkin Spice Everything. Before prancing around in that shirt, I worked (officially, not as a trainee) as a receptionist at a WW meeting. I already feel like I have a connection with a few of the members there since I’ve had the opportunity to train at that location over the last few weeks. I am loving this job! I am enrolled in Leader Training in Dalls the first weekend in December, so hopefully by the end of the calendar year I will get to lead a meeting. I am loving the roll as a receptionist, so I’m good where I’m at for the time […]

Looking for a crowd pleaser to take to a party? These Medjool Dates are stuffed with 2 Raw Almonds, wrapped with 1/2 slice of Bacon and drizzled with honey. What is not to love? They are 3 SmartPoints per piece, so decide if they are worth it or not when making these up! SmartPoints or not, your guest will love these! Please do not skimp on the dates. Buy the Medjool Dates. They are a tad more expensive, but they are delicious. Slice date open and remove the pit. Fill date with 2 almonds and close. Wrap each almond filled date with 1/2 slice of bacon and place seam down on cooling rack. Drizzle with honey. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes, turing over at 8 minutes. Broil for 1 minute at the end. Remove and cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.   “love the life […]

Is it Chicken Salad with Grapes, or Grape Salad with Chicken? Either way, it’s delicious. I’ve bulked it up with Grapes to help keep the points low. The juice from the grapes also means you can use less Mayo and still have a great tasting Chicken Salad without it tasting dry. Bonus? It is really pretty with all of those big beautiful juicy grapes! My favorite ways to eat this yummy Chicken Salad. Wrapped in lettuce leaves with a side of carrots sticks for crunch. Enjoy a Scoop of Chicken Salad with a side of Roasted Plantains or Baked Chips for a satisfying low point lunch. Need a healthy appetizer? Slice up some thick Cucumber Slices and top with 1 T. of Chicken Salad. Looking to make a pretty plate for yourself or impress the family? Cut the top off of a Bell Pepper and fill it with Chicken Salad. […]

I was so eager to chat about Tracking yesterday, I forgot to tell you that I am really enjoying Yoga with Adriene. I told you about my first class with her, but I failed to mention my second class with her on Tuesday night. Adriene has a mantra for each day.  Day One was I Accept, which I blogged about. I Accept…then you, the Yogi, fill in the blank. I chose the word “Me”. I Accept Me. Day Two was I Create. Again, you the Yogi, fill in the blank. I chose the word Peace because the dogs were in the room with me and if one wasn’t licking, the other was whining. It was quite annoying, and I was trying really hard to block them out, so I chose Peace. I Create Peace. Day Three was I Embrace. Again, with the licking and whining. I would put them out […]

  Do you track your food intake? Do you track the beverages that you drink throughout the day that have a SmartPoints Value? Do you track how much water you are drinking each day? Do you track your activity? Do you track your mood before you eat, or after you eat? Studies show that tracking can be a great tool when it comes to weight loss. Plain and simple, tracking brings awareness.  Tracking what you eat can bring awareness to how much you are eating, and likely prevent overeating. Tracking your mood before and after you eat can help to determine how often you are eating emotionally rather than eating because you are hungry. Tracking your activity frequency and activity intensity can be a great tool when deciding if you need to change up your activity. I know that tracking can be a pain in the butt. It takes time. You don’t […]

A New Doctor I’ve been on the hunt for a new Family Physician. I think I found her yesterday! Yay! I went in for my annual physical. I know there are a few additional Dr visits to schedule when turning 50, and I want to get them out of the way as soon as possible. I had a fairly lengthy discussion with my (new and wonderful) doctor yesterday about my weight. I told her my story. She got the long story. The short story is….My goal weight with Weight Watchers is 160. I reached that goal in 2013. I have weighed 172 for the last two years or so and I feel great. Should I change my goal weight with Weight Watchers to 172, or should I try to get back to 160? She asked me a lot of questions to help determine what a healthy weight for me would be. […]

First things first. I went to Yoga yesterday morning. I took things slow, and my back was kind to me. However, off and on throughout the day, I felt weird twinges that left me wondering if my back is going to give me any problems this week. I really hope not. I have a Yoga challenge that I gotta complete!! Family Day I’ve been trying to have all of our kids and grandkids over at least once a month this year. It just doesn’t work out every month. Yesterday, we were all able to get together and as always, it was a fun filled afternoon of chats, playtime and food. Our parents were even able to make it, so we had a houseful! Fifteen people to be exact! You guys…..our family is growing! Grand Baby number Five is in this little tummy!! I am so happy for Jake and Jordan and so […]

Keeping it short today. The kids and grandkids are coming over this afternoon, and I’ve got some food to cook! I’m out the door here in a minute to try Yoga again today. My back did NOT spasm ever yesterday, just a bit of twinge all day. I’m crossing my fingers and thinking Zen. The scale said 171 this morning, and that makes me happy. Here are yesterday’s eats… Breakfast – 10 SP Chicken Sausage, Zucchini, Red Onion, White Sweet Potatoes all topped with an Egg   Lunch – 12 SP Leftover Shepherds(ish) Pie without the Whipped Cauliflower topping.  Un-Pictured Banana, Strawberries, Raw Cashews and a few bites of Chicken Salad with a few roasted Plantains.   Dinner – 12 SP Un-Pictured Red Wine Mom’s V-8 Soup, but I used Ground Turkey instead of Beef, and Butternut Squash instead of Potatoes. These are my 2016 Goals Make time each week […]

I hope everyone had a Happy and Healthy week?? I’ve been trying to establish some sort of a routine over here. It took me three days to get to the grocery store, so we ate out a lot more than I would have liked, but I kept my food choices in check and drank lots of water. Parade Wednesday after working the food truck, I went to my girlfriends house in my hubs new toy. We had a parade to drive in! Her daughter was nominated for Homecoming Queen and they were in need of a convertible. I can see how Mike’s new toy will come in super handy on occasion. I love a parade, so I had a blast! Concert Thursday morning I worked at two WW meetings, and I am even more certain now of how much I am going to love this job and connecting with WW […]