I have an aversion to Weight Watchers. My mom took me to a meeting when I was 12 or 13 years old which led to two decades of battles with my body and food. In the end, Weight Watchers never worked for me. Attending all those meetings and counting "points" never helped, not then and not years later as an adult. However, I must admit that they do have some tasty recipes. In an effort to focus some of my cooking energy on lower-calorie and lower-fat dishes, I picked out one or two for this week from an old Weight Watchers cookbook. Tonight I made a nice chicken dish with vegetables. Yesterday was emotional, attending the memorial service and spending time with the boyfriend. So I allowed myself some crappy food for dinner last night, which I have no issue with, but it was nice to eat something healthy and on the lighter side tonight.
My issues with Weight Watchers probably go back to that first meeting, where I felt too young to be sitting there with all the extremely overweight older woman. I was cheerleader, softball player, swimmer and, did I mention THIRTEEN years old. I'm still not sure what my mom was thinking when she decided to take me to Weight Watchers. She didn't need to lose weight. She has always been petite. She went for me. Yet, upon reflection I wasn't fat either. I just looked like I was 18 instead of 13. After that first stint at Weight Watchers, I only gained weight and became increasingly self-conscious about my body. A few years later, I was bulimic, throwing up all the junk food that I could consume and hiding food from my parents. Eventually my mom realized what I was doing and sent me to a therapist. I thought that I was going to talk to someone to learn another way to lose weight. It wasn't until college that I realized that I had something called an eating disorder. My stint with bulimia was brief, but the hatred of my body and a confused relationship with food lasted for decades. I blame that first trip to Weight Watchers.
Many years later as an adult, I went back to Weight Watchers. I went back a few different times, in my twenties and thirties. I always lost weight, but it never felt right and eventually the weight came back. I think there's too much focus on weighing-in. There's the weighing and measuring of food and later 'points' as well as weighing yourself. It's not useful to weigh yourself every week. I finally lost weight and kept it off, when I stopped caring about the scale. I also started doing acupuncture, which seemed to shift some underlying issues. Then I dropped the gluten and 15 pounds melted off with barely any effort. It took a few years, but it hasn't come back.
One of reasons I'm making the effort to cook more is because I would like to shed another 10 or 15 pounds. I could say that there's still work to do, but I won't. Taking care of myself and eating right doesn't have to be work. I'm enjoying the cooking, even the planning. I'm increasing my exercise, but just doing more things that I enjoy. It's barely been a month, but I expect that the weight will just come off like the last time. While it takes effort, it doesn't have to feel like hard work. Living a healthy life and losing some weight shouldn't feel like a battle. It also can't be rushed.
All of the recent health goals that I set for myself had to do with more of something. I didn't say no to anything or try to stop eating anything. I continue to eat very little gluten, but these days there are so many gluten-free products and alternatives that it doesn't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. These days I'm focused on cooking more, eating more vegetables, doing more activities that I enjoy. It's much easier to add things to your life then to try to deprive yourself of things you like. I also need to just let myself go sometimes and not think about whether I should eat the french fries with the turkey burger. Some days you just need to let yourself enjoy the fries. Then the next day just try to eat more vegetables. It's the simple yin and yang of healthy eating.
Chicken and Vegetables en Papillot from Weight Watchers Turn Around Program Cookbook (page 97)
Serves 2-4
Total time about 30 minutes
1 tsp canola oil or spray
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 shallots minced
1/4 cupy reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ( I used only 2 chicken breasts so I would have more veggies with each and it was the perfect amount. You can never have too many vegetables.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, add one to each package
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Spray a large nonstick skillet with canola oil nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.
Add the snow peas, bell pepper, shallots, and broth; cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables just begin to soften, 2–3 minute
Place 4 (12-inch) squares of heavy-duty foil or parchment paper on a work surface
Place a chicken breast in the center of each square and sprinkle with the salt and pepper
Top with the snow-pea mixture, drizzling any pan juices over the vegetables, and sprinkle with the parsley and add a sprig of thyme
Make a packet by bringing the sides of the foil up to meet in the center and folding over the edges, then folding the edges of the ends together. Allowing room for the packets to expand, crimp the edges
Bake the packets until the chicken is cooked through, about 18 minutes
Open the packets carefully when testing for doneness, as steam will escape
Serve, drizzled with any juices
The term en papillote is French for 'in parchment' and refers to cooking food in a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The French Fish in a Packet that I made a few weeks ago follows this same concept. The food steams in the pouch and tends to be juicier than most cooking methods. It's also really easy and you get everything cooked all at once. It's MUCH better than any kind of 'hot pocket' you could pop in the microwave. I made two so I'll have an extra one later this week that I can quickly heat up in the oven.
In keeping with this French theme, I listened to some Madeleine Peyroux this evening. She has that deep husky voice that makes you think of a smokey jazz club with red velvet chairs. It's wonderful dinner music. My favorite album is Careless Love which has her version of"J'ai Deux Amours," a song originally sung by Josephine Baker. Both women are Americans who spent most of their lives in France.
J'ai Deux Amours
On dit qu'au-delà des mers,
Là-bas sous le ciel clair,
Il existe une cité, au séjour enchanté.
Et sous les grands arbres noirs,
Chaque soir,
Vers elle s'en va tout mon espoir.
J'ai deux amours
Mon pays et Paris.
Par eux toujours,
Mon coeur est ravi.
Manhattan est belle,
Mais à quoi bon le nier :
Ce qui m'ensorcelle, c'est Paris,
c'est Paris tout entier.
Le voir un jour,
c'est mon rêve joli.
J'ai deux amours,
Mon pays et Paris.
My Two Loves
It is said that above the seas,
Over there under the clear sky,
Exists a city, where the stay is enchanted,
And under the big black trees,
Every evening,
Towards it leaves all my hope.
I have two loves
My country and Paris.
By them always
Is my heart ravished.
Manhattan is beautiful,
But why deny it,
what puts a spell on me is Paris,
Paris in its whole.
Seeing it one day
Is my pretty dream.
I have two loves,
My country and Paris.
My issues with Weight Watchers probably go back to that first meeting, where I felt too young to be sitting there with all the extremely overweight older woman. I was cheerleader, softball player, swimmer and, did I mention THIRTEEN years old. I'm still not sure what my mom was thinking when she decided to take me to Weight Watchers. She didn't need to lose weight. She has always been petite. She went for me. Yet, upon reflection I wasn't fat either. I just looked like I was 18 instead of 13. After that first stint at Weight Watchers, I only gained weight and became increasingly self-conscious about my body. A few years later, I was bulimic, throwing up all the junk food that I could consume and hiding food from my parents. Eventually my mom realized what I was doing and sent me to a therapist. I thought that I was going to talk to someone to learn another way to lose weight. It wasn't until college that I realized that I had something called an eating disorder. My stint with bulimia was brief, but the hatred of my body and a confused relationship with food lasted for decades. I blame that first trip to Weight Watchers.
Many years later as an adult, I went back to Weight Watchers. I went back a few different times, in my twenties and thirties. I always lost weight, but it never felt right and eventually the weight came back. I think there's too much focus on weighing-in. There's the weighing and measuring of food and later 'points' as well as weighing yourself. It's not useful to weigh yourself every week. I finally lost weight and kept it off, when I stopped caring about the scale. I also started doing acupuncture, which seemed to shift some underlying issues. Then I dropped the gluten and 15 pounds melted off with barely any effort. It took a few years, but it hasn't come back.
One of reasons I'm making the effort to cook more is because I would like to shed another 10 or 15 pounds. I could say that there's still work to do, but I won't. Taking care of myself and eating right doesn't have to be work. I'm enjoying the cooking, even the planning. I'm increasing my exercise, but just doing more things that I enjoy. It's barely been a month, but I expect that the weight will just come off like the last time. While it takes effort, it doesn't have to feel like hard work. Living a healthy life and losing some weight shouldn't feel like a battle. It also can't be rushed.
All of the recent health goals that I set for myself had to do with more of something. I didn't say no to anything or try to stop eating anything. I continue to eat very little gluten, but these days there are so many gluten-free products and alternatives that it doesn't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. These days I'm focused on cooking more, eating more vegetables, doing more activities that I enjoy. It's much easier to add things to your life then to try to deprive yourself of things you like. I also need to just let myself go sometimes and not think about whether I should eat the french fries with the turkey burger. Some days you just need to let yourself enjoy the fries. Then the next day just try to eat more vegetables. It's the simple yin and yang of healthy eating.
Chicken and Vegetables en Papillot from Weight Watchers Turn Around Program Cookbook (page 97)
Serves 2-4
Total time about 30 minutes
1 tsp canola oil or spray
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 shallots minced
1/4 cupy reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ( I used only 2 chicken breasts so I would have more veggies with each and it was the perfect amount. You can never have too many vegetables.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, add one to each package
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Spray a large nonstick skillet with canola oil nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.
Add the snow peas, bell pepper, shallots, and broth; cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables just begin to soften, 2–3 minute
Place 4 (12-inch) squares of heavy-duty foil or parchment paper on a work surface
Place a chicken breast in the center of each square and sprinkle with the salt and pepper
Top with the snow-pea mixture, drizzling any pan juices over the vegetables, and sprinkle with the parsley and add a sprig of thyme
Make a packet by bringing the sides of the foil up to meet in the center and folding over the edges, then folding the edges of the ends together. Allowing room for the packets to expand, crimp the edges
Bake the packets until the chicken is cooked through, about 18 minutes
Open the packets carefully when testing for doneness, as steam will escape
Serve, drizzled with any juices
The term en papillote is French for 'in parchment' and refers to cooking food in a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The French Fish in a Packet that I made a few weeks ago follows this same concept. The food steams in the pouch and tends to be juicier than most cooking methods. It's also really easy and you get everything cooked all at once. It's MUCH better than any kind of 'hot pocket' you could pop in the microwave. I made two so I'll have an extra one later this week that I can quickly heat up in the oven.
In keeping with this French theme, I listened to some Madeleine Peyroux this evening. She has that deep husky voice that makes you think of a smokey jazz club with red velvet chairs. It's wonderful dinner music. My favorite album is Careless Love which has her version of"J'ai Deux Amours," a song originally sung by Josephine Baker. Both women are Americans who spent most of their lives in France.
J'ai Deux Amours
On dit qu'au-delà des mers,
Là-bas sous le ciel clair,
Il existe une cité, au séjour enchanté.
Et sous les grands arbres noirs,
Chaque soir,
Vers elle s'en va tout mon espoir.
J'ai deux amours
Mon pays et Paris.
Par eux toujours,
Mon coeur est ravi.
Manhattan est belle,
Mais à quoi bon le nier :
Ce qui m'ensorcelle, c'est Paris,
c'est Paris tout entier.
Le voir un jour,
c'est mon rêve joli.
J'ai deux amours,
Mon pays et Paris.
My Two Loves
It is said that above the seas,
Over there under the clear sky,
Exists a city, where the stay is enchanted,
And under the big black trees,
Every evening,
Towards it leaves all my hope.
I have two loves
My country and Paris.
By them always
Is my heart ravished.
Manhattan is beautiful,
But why deny it,
what puts a spell on me is Paris,
Paris in its whole.
Seeing it one day
Is my pretty dream.
I have two loves,
My country and Paris.
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