April 27, 2022
Dear WW Philadelphia Member,
I hope you’re having a great week. Most of the time we are the ones who choose the kind of week we’re going to have, good or not. We can set ourselves up for success with decisions and a little pre-planning.
Everywhere you look we see people who pre-plan their meals for the week. Good for them!
I know it’s a good habit but it’s also not in my makeup.
I’m a pretty standard breakfast eater on weekdays. Eggs or Kashi Original work for me. Weekends are different, maybe oatmeal (in the winter) or banana pancakes anytime. That’s my extent of pre-planning breakfast.
Lunch weekdays, easy too. I’ll make a sandwich on one point bread, though it’s 3 Points for 2 slices and several pieces of fruit. If I need to build my POINT budget for dinner, I’ll make a ginormous salad and gain 3-7 POINTS depending upon the ingredients. One of my favorites ‘no lettuce’ salads, is a can of drained garbanzo beans, minced red onion, diced cucumber (remove the seeds if using regular cucumbers), halved grape tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and red wine vinegar to taste.
A favorite thing I like to do for dinner is to make a large amount of something on Sunday afternoon and then freeze individual servings for this week or next. I’m not stuck eating the same thing because I can still make a grilled tuna sandwich (yes, still lining the pockets with Charley Tuna) or make a quick stir-fry of whatever is in the fridge. My favorite make-ahead item is FLAT meatloaf. YES, make your favorite meatloaf recipe and press it into a sheet pan, lined with parchment and sprayed with oil spray. Cooks in 20-30 minutes instead of an hour. I like to press mine about ¾ inch thick. My recipe does not fill the pan completely and I even up the edges shaping a rectangle. After it's done and be sure to check it at 20 minutes, let it set and resoak up the juices from the pan. When cool, cut into sandwich-sized pieces. I get 8 pieces from my recipe.
Here's a great tip for those of you who use ground chicken or turkey; add a heaping tablespoon of Better than Bouillon Beef Flavor soup base to the liquid you’re using. It’s a GAME CHANGER, it makes the ground poultry product much more savory. I like a good amount of finely diced red onion and red or yellow bell pepper in mine too.
When you reheat a slice of this meatloaf, forgo the microwave and instead use a hot non-stick pan with a little spray on it, add a couple of tablespoons of water and let the steam and the heat from the bottom do its work. Getting a little char on the warm meatloaf is delicious!
So, check your pantry, go to the store, or order a few items to be delivered and be ready for a week of success.
Now let’s get outside when we can and enjoy a little spring.
Stay kind and be well,
