Weight Watchers Update

So I lost .4 lb. last week. I was actually kind of expecting a gain because we spent the weekend doing everything that Sam likes to do (Gabby went to Florida with a friend, so Sam got the joy of an all weekend party) and evidently that includes a LOT of pizza. In fact, if I ever see pizza again, I'll probably puke. Unless that pizza is topped with pears and gorgonzola and arugula. In that case, bring it on. At any rate, I was relatively happy with the loss because it proves that even in the face of less than ideal food options, I can still lose.

But I'm back on it this week, trying to do my best and tracking everything. Since I an enjoying following Danica's Daily so much, I decided to try some of the recipes that she writes about. I made this shredded chicken, and finished it off today for lunch in some mad delicious tacos (what pizza is to Sam, tacos are to me). I also made this slow cooker chicken dish for my husband while he was sick because it seemed like good comfort food (and yes, don't cook it too long--I caught mine before it got mushy, and it was pretty good). The family has all been pretty good about trying all this with me, and in fact, I don't think they've noticed at all that things have been getting healthier around the house. However, last night, Matt was working late, and I was at home with the kids. Gabby asked me what was for dinner as I was setting the table. "Um, well, it's macaroni and cheese," I said. "But with cauliflower. A lot of cauliflower." Because I was making this super cheesy low fat cauliflower mac and cheese. She gave me The Look, which means that I had overstepped my bounds in trying to make the family healthy. Screw with the mac and cheese? After it is a well known fact that I adore the stuff and could heal any number of broken hearts/bad days/nuclear wars with it?

But yes, yes I did mess with it. So we sat down and tried it with some steamed broccoli on the side. And it was pretty damn good. The girls adored it--Gabby had two big plates and Alice had two toddler sized servings. Sam, who will not eat macaroni that doesn't come out of a box, had a small portion and a bowl full of plain whole wheat penne and steamed broccoli. We were all pleasantly surprised by how happily we noshed.

(I will say that I made a couple of changes: I used twice as much pasta since I was using penne and it is bigger and less able to mix than elbow macaroni (I fixed that by using the recipe builder in Weight Watchers to figure out points), and I used Cabot 75% Reduced Fat 1% cheese instead of 2%. I added maybe 1-2 tbsp more cheese to make up for the fat discrepancy--he he. I also used panko bread crumbs.)

After dinner, I decided we needed a snack to eat today (Matt and I were both planning long work days), so I made these Low-Fat Banana Bread Cookies. We all are huge banana bread fans--the kids have been known to polish off a loaf on a rainy Sunday afternoon. So I was excited to find something that promised that flavor profile but in something small and portion controlled as well as low-fat. They were super easy to make and put together while supervising baths, homework, and Alice. I pulled them out of the oven, and the kids ran to try them (Alice yelling "COO-KIE! COO-KIE!" the whole time). Sam ate one and declared them delicious and said they were the best cookies I've ever made. Which makes me wonder about all those super fattening cookies I've been making.... At any rate, they are very good. Chewy and fruity, with just enough banana flavor. I used dried cherries, and really, I could eat dried cherries in anything, but I liked the touch they add here. I had a good deal of extra points last night after dinner and ate two of these with a cup of 1% milk and felt like a queen for 7 total points. So, so good. Matt is also a big fan and ate them greedily last night, but only after making me promise that I would never, ever stop making them.

I hope your week is going healthfully if you are on WW or not. Here's to success on the scale this week!