WW Fresh Cranberry-Apple Relish

I made this delicious Fresh Cranberry-Apple Relish WW Recipe I found on the WW app/email.  The actual recipe called for 2/3 cup sugar, which I subbed in Monkfront Sweetner and reduced the amount to 1/4 cup.  It isn’t really sweet and has a nice bit of tart to it.  

The relish was really good with my Thanksgiving meal and I’ve been eating the leftovers with fat free cottage cheese, which is zero points on the Purple Plan.

It was super easy to throw together since it all goes into the food processor.  I didn’t have any lemon zest so I subbed in some lemon juice.  The longer it sits, the more it juices up.  

I would make this again for sure.

Downtown Boise Staycation, Festival Of Trees, Steelheads Hockey Game, & Thanksgiving Festivities

It’s been a busy few days and now I’m preparing for my work week.  Several areas around Idaho received snow the last few days and more snow is expected.  This is going to make for some long work nights.

Let’s Rewind.

Wednesday night Kenyon and I had a staycation and Date Nite in downtown Boise.  I won a nights stay at The Grove Hotel and four tickets to a Steelheads Hockey Game back when Phoenix and I went to the Kif Brown Foundation Wine Gala & Auction.  We checked in late in the day and really enjoyed the view of Downtown Boise.

Overall, The Grove Hotel was just okay.  I loved the location and the staff was great.  Plus, they had a cut through to Centrylink Arena so we didn’t have to stand out in the cold to get into the game.  But, the bed was hard and the pillows were overfilled.  Neither of us slept great.

We had extra time before the game started so we took in the St. Alphonsus Festival of Trees, which is an annual event I really enjoy.  We picked out a new wreath for our door that I will pick up on Monday.  I’ll share a photo when I have it on my door.

Despite Kenyon not feeling 100%, I am really glad we went to the game and I am really glad we stayed for the third period.  The game really got hopping in the third quarter and it ended with a tie forcing a 3 on 3 sudden death period.

Steelheads WON!  It was great.  We had really awesome seats and had a really good time. 

Afterwards we went to Old Chicago for a late night bite to eat off their happy hour.

I went to my Aunt Teresa and Uncle Eric’s house for Thanksgiving.  We had the whole family minus my sister Jenny and Will who live out of town and were unable to be here.  They were missed.  I enjoyed lots of yummy food, especially the 0 SPV turkey and mashed potatoes.  Yum!  My brother made these cute appetizers of crackers, cheese, and cream cheese.  They were delicious.

I hope your Thanksgiving was really enjoyable.

New Recipes & A Re-Vamped Recipe On The Purple Plan

I tried out a new WW recipe that hit the spot.

When the Purple Plan rolled out as part of the new myWW program, I found this really great macaroni recipe for a One Pot Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.  It sounded yummy and I was excited to try it out.  I modified the recipe a bit and halved the portions.  I got six servings and each serving is 2 SPV.  It isn’t super cheesy but as far as mac and cheese goes, it fit the bill and hits the spot.

I had a bit of trouble finding pureed frozen butternut squash so I used some frozen riced butternut squash.  I cooked it in the microwave and then pureed it in the Ninja.  It worked pretty well.

I had my mac and cheese alongside a Trader Joes chicken sausage for an easy meal at work.

The next recipe I made, which is a tried and true one, is fried rice.  ACTUAL fried rice, not cauliflower fried rice that I typically make. Yes folks…the Purple Plan includes brown rice for 0 SPV now.  Yippie!  I cooked up a batch of brown Basmati rice and then made it into fried rice a few days later. 

It is not only delicious but super filling.  I’m finding that a lot with the new Purple Plan.  The extra whole grains in my diet hold me over a lot longer than protein and veggies ever did. 

Maybe there is something to changing it up.  I am liking it!

WW WINS Rewards

I redeemed some WW WINS for more rewards. WhoooHoooo…free stuff!

 

WW finally had them back in stock and I snagged some up fast.  I love that these wine tumblers have portion lines inside which make tracking my Cense wine really easy.  I know what I’m using for Thanksgiving!

 

I’ll always save point for wine (and beer).

 

It has a 5 oz, 6 oz, and 8 oz line for easy measuring

 

 

The new myWW success story weigh-in booklets are very large.  My Mom was kind enough to snag me a WW Pouch since I recently redeemed WINS for the wine glasses and didn’t have enough.  She said it was perfect timing too because they are all out.

 

I really enjoy having the Wellness That Wins program as part of my WW membership.  It has been really fun to earn free stuff just by tracking and staying on track.  It is a nice extra incentive.

 

 

Weekly WI: Four Months Of Losses

Oh man…November has been a GREAT month for weight loss and I have actually had four months of continuous losses.  I’m stoked!

I was down 0.4 pounds post-Vegas vacation.  I am so glad that my mindfulness and goal-smashing efforts paid off.  I am ending the month with a nice size loss and since I had that gain the first weigh-in of November, I am actually down five pounds over the last four weeks. 

 

 

It feels great!  And, it will surely keep me on track through the upcoming holidays.

 

This week should go smoothly.  Kenyon and I have a stay-cation in town on Wednesday night and then we will partake in Thursday Thanksgiving festivities at my aunt and uncle’s house.  I do need to meal plan for the week so I am get my Purple Plan in place for another successful week.  I like seeing my weekly downward trend.  I also plan to get back into exercise as well as weight training.  I needed a few days off after all that Vegas walking.  We logged a lot of steps/miles and my back and hips needed some rest.

 

Have a great week.

How I Set Myself Up For A Successful Post-Vacation Weigh-In

Post-Vegas Vacation Weigh-In is tomorrow.  I am nervous but also feeling good about it.  Typical vacations for me always ends in a gain.  Our 15-day European Vacation was one of the first times I came home with a gain of only one pound.  That is unheard of when I vacation.  The only time I came home from vacation with a loss was when I had the stomach flu/food poisoning on a trip to Colorado to visit Aunt Barb.  I am not joking when I say that I am the Queen Of Gaining On Vacation. 

What went differently this time?

I set a goal to not indulge in sweets/desserts and stuck to it

This was a goal I knew I could accomplish.  I don’t need sugar/desserts and I have learned several times along this journey that my body doesn’t react well to sugar/desserts.  I was willing to forgo with the exception of if we visited The Cheesecake Factory, which we often do.  We ended up not going and although Kenyon suggested getting dessert one night, which I was willing to do, we also didn’t end up doing that.  I packed some WW bars and Built bars so I didn’t feel deprived and had something to turn to if I was dying for sweets.  One night at the buffet, Kenyon went to check out the dessert table but not me.  I didn’t even go look at the dessert table.  And, I made sure I kept my back to the dessert table when we were seated.  He brought back a few sugar free desserts, which we both tried but didn’t love.  I finished off my meal with some coffee as my “dessert”.

I set a goal to track my alcohol consumption and stuck to it

Since the weather didn’t quite cooperate, we weren’t in the casino and out and about as much as we usually are.  This impacted my alcohol consumption in a major way.  The first night, I only had one beer.  The second day, I only had one beer.  Then, I went in search of coffee late in the evening having to cross through two casinos to the 24-hour Starbucks.  Along the route, I passed the Guinness Store and popped in to see how much a beer-to-go would cost.  I had taken just $10 with me so I wouldn’t be tempted to gamble and thankfully, that is exactly what I needed for a draft beer and a tip.  That meant I only had two beers on day two.  Day Three was Thursday.  Since this is typically the day I use most of my WSPA, I indulged a bit more in alcohol.  Throughout the day, I had three bottles of beer, one small draft beer, and an old fashioned cocktail before we took in a show.  It was all tracked.

I was more mindful of my splurges

Since I had two back-to-back nice size losses, I wasn’t about to screw it all up with vacation weight.  I went into this vacation determined to be more mindful.  Don’t think that we didn’t splurge because we did.  The first night we were way too hungry and had limited food options so we ended up sharing a pizza.  But, the day we went to the buffet there was roasted turkey breast.  So, it all evened out.  Plus, there were some days that we only had two meals since our sleep schedule was a bit wonky.

The weather didn’t quite cooperate

Since we had some unexpected rain, we didn’t venture out as late and as far as we typically would.  This accounted for less splurging, alcohol consumption, and dessert/sweets temptations.

I got pre-planned before we left

I planned ahead before we left town when I did some grocery shopping with the rollout of the new Purple Plan.  This included planning some recipes for when we returned and having those items on hand.  This meant I didn’t have to rush to several grocery stores after we landed later in the day.

I meal prepped upon our return

As much as I didn’t want to go to the store, and since Walmart closed at midnight, I knew I needed to and that I also needed prep meals so I was prepared for the work week.  Doing this allowed me to get back on track ASAP.

I am hopeful all this will pay off and I won’t see a huge gain.  I didn’t track 100% and I obviously went over my points.  Regardless, being back on track after vacation feels really great.  I’m hoping for at least a maintain.

A Quick Vegas Trip

Our Vegas Vacation was enjoyable.  We had rain…the first time ever for me while visiting Vegas, which put a damper (pun intended) on getting out and about.  This was both a bummer and blessing.  Because we didn’t venture out later in the evening once the rain started, I drank less, we ate less, and we gambled less which allowed us to stretch our gambling money and bring home some winnings.

We stayed at Mandalay Bay this trip, which was the first for us.  It was a bit creepy to stay at the same location at the Las Vegas Shooter, especially when we had the same view of the strip.  But, with the exception of a few more visible security guards, Mandalay Bay and Vegas in general is perfectly safe.

Our first night, I won BIG at the slots at Mandalay Bay.  I was shocked.  I first had this win of $348.00 at the penny machine and then I won a bonus spin of 500 quarters at another machine, $125.  I tucked aside my winnings and since we were responsible with our gambling money, I came with all the money I took plus another $100.  That means the money I lost was all “the houses’ money” and that is how you should gamble!  Of course I am sad I didn’t come home a millionaire and am am able to quit my job.

I packed my beer pocket hoodie and my Vegas Golden Knights jersey so I could have some fun while we were there.  We didn’t end up at a game but I enjoy interacting with other fans while you are walking around the strip.

We made sure to pop into Bellagio to see their beautiful Conservatory display.  It never disappoints.

I’ll be back in March with Phoenix for a Girls Weekend.  I will hope for warmer weather and no rain!