Speaking of Women's Health

Last year one of the ABWA chapters that I belong to had a speaker, who shared with us a book, Love Notes to our Moms and other Women of Influence. Well I just got around to really looking through the book then reading it.

It's got some great information and some great "Healthy Receipes".

This week I finally got around to checking out their website , it great, a wealth of information about all issues of women's health. Check it out! http://www.speakingofwomenshealth.com

I tried the following receipe that was in their book, and also on their website.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Thanks to Mary WilsonSpeaking of Women's Health Celebrity Spokeswoman
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INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper,

chopped1 Tbsp. fresh garlic,

minced1 lb. lean ground turkey breast

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. red chili flakes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

15 oz. canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. can Muir Glen organic tomato sauce

15 oz. low-sodium chicken stock

1 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano
PREPARATION

• Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent.
• Add the ground turkey breast, salt, chili flakes and black pepper. Brown over medium heat until the turkey is cooked through.
• Pour the mixture into a crock pot.
• Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook for 8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high, stirring occasionally.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSISMakes 10 (1 cup) servings. Each serving contains approximately: 200 calories 21 g. protein 24 g. carbohydrates 2 g. fat 39 mg. cholesterol 472 mg. sodium 8 g. fiber

Well it's Thusday . . .

I'm doing the Happy Dance! Yep weighed this morning and I broke a NEW barrier. The scale read 259 ! That's a total of 29 pounds.

Over and over I keep reading that you need a "good breakfast". Breakfast has always been one of my difficult times to eat. I've found that if I wait about an hour, I can eat breakfast.

During the start of my "Life Style" change in patterns I was excited about eating fruit for breakfast. It ws a major break through for me. Add that to the fact that I do need to get more "good fibre" in my diet, I started eating Oatmeal with Fruit for breakfast this past week.

I'm definately eating more, but was still able to drop 4 pounds from last week Thursday.

Maybe, just maybe all these people telling us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, just maybe right.

weight: 259 4/30/09

I'm the second one from the left

Noticable Difference:

I feel the difference in my clothes, (thank goodness for stretch waist bands) however when others notice the difference it really helps you keep moving forward.

Thursday last week I attended a quarterly meeting, where most of the women have not seen me since the week before I committed to my "Life Style Change". So many of the women came up and commented. "Looks Like you're loosing weight", "You're looking so good", "Oh my Gosh, did you have that Lap Band Surgery". It's a good feeling, especially when I know that I've been able to do this without surgery and diet aids.

I'm only at 27 pounds, still a long way to go to reach my goal, but I'm getting there, one pound at a time. I know that the above was not the best picture to show my weight loss, but when you look at some of the earlier postings you can definately see the difference.

Extra Bonus . . .

When I went to weigh myself the other day, I noticed that my Hubby had been on the scale, as our scale has 2 settings, and when he's on the setting changes. So I gently asked him what his weight looked like.

He's lost 13 POUNDS! Then went on to tell me that he really has not done all the much, so he's at a loss as to why he was loosing, I mentioned to him, that he's cut back on the amount of milk that he drinks. Now, I know it's healthy for him, but when he drinks his milk it's usually with 6 cookies, 1/4 of a cake (those have been cut back).

He's not eating chips and chip dip every night, I just don't make the dip any more, so he's purchases some in a jar, but it's to spicy to each with 1/2 a bag of potato chips .

Then there is the fact that he's not eating the potatoes, pasta and fried foods that I used to cook.

Plus he's increased his exercise as he goes to exercise with me.

It's a wonderful bonus!

High Marks . . .

Well I had my Doctor's visit yesterday. Went in and my bloor pressure was a little high, but of course it would be. It was Monday Morning, and everyone was running late getting to work, which meant I was late in getting out of the office.

I expressed my opinion that I didn't need to go onto a stronger blood pressure medicine. I was promptly asked "who is the doctor here"? But I had taken the time to print out my "Blood Pressure Log" and he reviewed it. Ask who I hired to put it together and I explained that I was monitoring my own blood pressure and the form he was looking at was from "google docs" and he admitted he was impressed.

Agreed that we did not need to look at something stronger right now, as look as I let him know immediately if I see higher numbers and more in the "red".

He was even pleased with the weight loss progress, but stressed more exercise.

Now I just have to wait out the blood work on the cholesterol and such and will have that back in a few days, hopefully we've seen an improvement in those numbers also.

Another Great Receipe

Indulge With a Low-Fat Scone!

another great Receipe from www.densieaustin.com

The recipe for these Sausage and Cheese Scones makes 10, but they're so rich-tasting that just one will fill you up. When possible, I use low-fat ingredients to keep this recipe as sensible a choice as possible. What about leftovers? Happily, they freeze really well. You can take one out, reheat it, and have a perfectly delicious (and portable!) breakfast.

Sausage and Cheese Scones

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole-grain pastry flour 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 4 turkey breakfast sausage links, crumbled and browned 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese 3/4 cup reduced-fat buttermilk 1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, mustard, and pepper. Add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter or two knives until the dough is crumbly. Add the sausage and cheese; toss to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead for about 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a circle, approximately 8 inches across and 1 inch thick.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg white mixture. Cut into 10 equal wedges. Pull the wedges apart to separate slightly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned. Cool slightly and serve, or cool completely, wrap individually in air-tight covering, and freeze for future use.

Makes 10 scones

Per scone: 156 calories, 16 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 7 g total fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber, 388 mg sodium