Fun With Weight Watchers Points

There is a site I use for reference when I need help with knowing how many points certain foods have. It was been a very valuable tool in helping me make healthy choices. I have tested some of the values and most of them are almost dead on within a half a point.

Here are some of the more eclectic values for those whose tastes run towards the adventurous:

Emu,cooked

1 oz.

1

Butter,regular

1 cup

51

Now *there's* a tasty treat eaten only while calling the cardiologist

Frog's legs,fried

2 (3 oz. with bone)

4

because really, fried WITHOUT the bone?... how gauche

Armadillo,cooked

1 oz.

1

Beaver,cooked

1 oz.

1

(insert joke here....)

Brewer's yeast

1 tsp.

0

Now, who is eating this as a snack?

Buffalo, water cooked

1 oz.

1

God knows, you wouldn't want to fry this to make it even tastier.....

Caribou,cooked

1 oz.

1

the point value that every overweight lion needs to have as a reference

Cholent

1 1/2 cups

5

I just felt every Jew reading this... shiver with disgust

Raccoon,cooked

1 oz.

2

apparently a beaver is leaner

Squirrel,cooked

1 oz.

1

hhhummmm - there is plenty of free food in my parking lot

As much fun as the listing of food can be - it really is a valuable tool in making decisions.

Damn My Boobs Are Great

It took me three days to make, but it was worth it. The friend I made it for, and the peeps at the party seemed to get a kick out of it :-)

Do The FunkyChunky

Oh for Pete's sake - why did someone have to invent this scrumptious melange of popcorn, pecans, almonds, caramel, cashews and two different types of chocolate drizzled over it? Harry and David should watch and learn from Erica & Ronni.

I got this as a Hanukah gift.... my expanding ass thanks them.

There's Always Room For Jello

There better be, because of test prep - that's all I'm allowed to eat until 1:00pm tomorrow. Since 10:00 this morning, all I have had is wonton soup (without the wontons) and Jello. One "bright" spot, I can have black coffee.....

Fan-freaking-tastic.

Weekends Like They Should Be

What a spectacular weekend. This is what life should be about. Perfect weather, perfect company and best of all.... perfect food! By perfect food, I mean of course.... fried Oreos.... coming in a close second to Sunday's delicious dinner of my friend's meatballs and sauce!

Saturday was spent in the company of two friends who came down for the day from Upstate. I hadn't been to the Renaissance in a while, so it was fun to have dinner there. Then off for drinks at the Mariott. I love their frozen pink lemonade with a shot or two of Malibu. YUM. I had to take off earlier than I wanted to because I had to get up really early to meet some friends for a journey to the Shore.

The biggest bonus of Sunday was spending some quality time with an exceptional young man from the UK, that I had not had the pleasure of meeting until yesterday. We had a tremendous amount in common and it was a fantastic discovery of shared experiences. Very eye-opening considering our different backgrounds - however, we have a few people in common so it was really, really fun.

It was such a beautiful day to be at the Shore. Lovely breeze, great people watching and again... the food. Did I mention Rita's Ices earlier? No? Well I should have :-) I will not mention the music video we made... that will be locked up in a vault tighter than where they keep Dick Cheney's heart. So you know it's safe.

Perfect end to this week's vacation.

What A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

In two of them as a matter of fact. Yesterday was the type of day that you just stop and say... life is good.

The weather was spectacular. A perfect spring day in NYC. I met a friend for a late(ish) lunch and then went to the 3rd Avenue street fair (in the 20's) for a bit. I found a very cool necklace that I liked, but when I asked about how the matching earrings would look, the answer I got..... like a drag queen. I just got the necklace.

We got into the car and my parking mojo was in full force - a HUGE spot on 55th and 8th. No easy feat. It was just... there. Stopped into the Whole Foods at the Time Warner Center for coffee and found the most gorgeous apricots. I don't know what variety they are - they are not your normal pale yellow golf ball size ones. They are tiny, not really fuzzy, and have the most beautiful blush to them. They look more like teeny tiny plums and taste like a cross between a nectarine and an apricot.

A stroll around Lincoln Center on a sunny spring day is always fantastic for people watching. We saw the NY Philharmonic getting ready to go on a bus. That was fun to see... so many world class musicans... what was a little disconcerting was seeing the police with the canine unit and vans there to protect them and their instruments. The dog was an almost all black/chocolate brown German Shepard. It was beautiful.

Realizing I had never been in the Gracious Home store, it warranted a trip across the street. Loved it. So much stuff. The cooking section had me insane. We wanted everything. Including the miniscule melon baller. Seriously, the bowl was half the size of a pea. I don't know what I would do with it, but it would be great to have in my utensil collection.

After leaving the store - looking up we saw ... another street fair! Fantastic! More stuff I wanted, but couldn't buy this week. No problem - these vendors are always at other fairs... so I will see them again... and again.... and again.

Days like these are perfect - especially when they end with a brand new episode of the Sopranos.

Saturday Spotlight

In late July 2005, I came across an old work folder that contained a copy of the original Weight Watchers points sytem. I really needed to drop about 30 lbs and I guess that was the perfect sign that it was the right time to get started. At just about 5' 9", I'm tall, so I carried the extra weight fairly well, but definitely did not feel good about myself. By late October I had reached my goal weight and was very proud of keeping my promise to myself. I felt and looked great.

I kept all of it off for well over a year and a half - but a couple of weeks ago, I realized that slowly some of the weight crept back. Not a lot, but enough for me to start the plan again. I did just that about a week and a half ago and I have dropped 3 lbs. One of the keys is that you must write everything down. The visual is what keeps you on track.

After some great alternate food suggestions from a friend, I have incorporated some different things into my diet and expanded my circle of choices. I am now eating even healthier than I did during the initial effort.

Part of what this program instilled in me is the capability to realize when my eating habits change and why. Invaluable - and not just physically. It makes it easy to go back to it and maintain when I need to.

I have several friends that are on (and off) the program with different amounts to lose and maintain, and they have all been successful.

New York, New York... WAS a Helluva Town

Enough already... STOP chipping away at my beloved City and what little is left that makes it so special. I'm not going to go into why this Festival means so much.... anyone who lives in the City can tell you. No smoking in bars... Shut up... I smoke - and now this.

I hope you choke on your fucking zeppole

To sum it up:

Little Italy residents upset by the raucous annual street fair voted this month to pull the plug on the historic feast, recommending that Community Board 2 move to nix the 11-day gala.

"No one likes San Gennaro who lives here," said Sean Sweeney, a member of the community board's street events committee, which voted against issuing permits for the feast.


So.... after 80 years of the Festival.. all of a sudden it's a nuisance....

and huuumm - I wonder what part of Italy Mr. SWEENEY's family is from.... maybe a visit from Tony Soprano is in order :-)

It's Alimentary My Dear - aka - You Can't Use the "N" Word

Living in an area with a sizable Asian population affords me the opportunity to try a variety new foods that I am enjoying quite a bit.

The newest is "alimentary noodles" from Japan. I was one of my favorite stores after work and in the refrigerator section I saw these fresh, creamy, milky white noodles the thickness of a pencil. I had to try them especially because of their name and their size. It was a 3 pack of noodles that included a packet of dry soup mix for each. It was so yummy and didn't taste "pre-packaged" at all.. The texture of the noodles was perfect.

Sidenote: I love this store.... I also got a chocolate babka and Italian Muscat grapes.... those of you who know about my "grape-scapades" last April in Seattle .... these are THOSE grapes :-)

Now you may be asking - what the hell are "alimentary noodles"? Here is the description according to The Cook's Thesarus:

Until recently, the U.S. government required a noodle to contain flour, water, and eggs to be rightly called a noodle. Since most Asian noodles aren't made with eggs, this left them without much of an identity. The FDA permitted names like "alimentary paste" and "imitation noodles," but Asian noodle producers--from the birthplace of the noodle no less--could not use the n-word. The government finally relented, and we can now use the name "Asian noodles."

I've Got Mine - Now You Get Yours!

You! - I see you eyeing the lunch or snack that is on my desk.... and apparently your need to comment on it is positively overwhelming. Have you never seen a tuna sandwich before? Or a pile of pretzels? Or some fruit?

Enough already - get your own fucking food and stop commenting on mine - every. single. day.

And if you even THINK you are going to get close to my coffee maker, you better hope and pray you have life insurance.

(I need a vacation)

Tainted Love

Every few months I get a craving for a special guy. He’s sweet, satisfying and most recently…. the subject of many news stories. That’s right – I’m talking about the creamy and chunky goodness that is Peter Pan Peanut Butter. As one of the lucky lottery winners of the Salmonella Special Edition of this tasty treat, I was fortunate enough not be sickened by the product itself, but nauseated by the fact that this happened at all.

Why is it that lately when something goes wrong with a food product it invariably comes back to Con Agra? I’ll tell you why… they own an astounding array of brands and packaging plants.

2002 was a banner year for them:

• E-Coli in their beef
• Turkeys produced at a ConAgra turkey packing house in Colorado are the most contaminated in the country, according to government test results obtained by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) under the Freedom of Information Act. Nearly half of the turkeys processed at ConAgra’s Longmont, Colorado, facility are contaminated with harmful Salmonella bacteria, as are almost one-third of the turkeys produced at four other plants. The nickname for this episode – “The Filthy Five”

Not only are there a plethora of health violations, but apparently the health and well being of their employees is not all that spotless either.

2004 – from the CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0112-2949.pdf

From their website: “As a leader in multiple segments of the food business, ConAgra Foods understands what consumers want: familiar brands, favorite foods and innovative products that make meals and snacks great-tasting, convenient and affordable” .ConAgra Foods Centers of Excellence: innovating to create new food products, and renovating to make your favorites better.

(Not to mention a public health hazard.)

Here is a sample list of some consumer favorites….

Banquet
Chef Boyardee
Egg Beaters
Guldens
Snack Pak
Libbys
Slim Jim
Van Camp
Healthy Choice (ironic)
Orville Reddenbachers
Jiffy Pop
Reddi Whip
Wesson
Blue Bonnet
La Choy
Hebrew National (they will have to answer to a different “higher” authority if something goes wrong with this line of products)
Pam
Swiss Miss
Brown and Serve
Fleishmans (see comment for Hebrew National)
Parkay
Hunts
Marie Callenders
And the providers of the special ingredient in Peter Pan.

ConAgra Foods Inc. said its nationwide recall of peanut butter will cost between $50 million and $60 million