Beef with Broccoli-A Yummy, Easy Dinner w/out the take out calories!

Here is a great Beef with Broccoli recipe we found and tweeked a bit.  We had it last week and LOVED it!  Wanted to pass it on to you all.  Hope you enjoy it!  If you try it, let us know what you think.

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour for marinade Cook Time: 8 minutesFirst, marinate the meat:

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs extra lean sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below.

• 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp sherry (I didn't want to buy sherry for just 1tbsp, so I found out you can use regular wine, and, of course, I ALWAYS have wine on hand!)
• cooking spray
• 6 heads broccoli, crowns only (The original recipe called for only 2 heads, but it wasn't near enough broccoli, so we added a lot more!  We like a lot of veggies with our meat!)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large wok or saute pan, spray cooking spray heated over medium heat. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.
3. Spray the hot pan with more cooking spray. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve over brown rice or quinoa. 

Divide into 8 portions: Per serving: 250 calories, 2g fat, 8g  fiber, 6WW Points
(Rice or quinoa are not included in the nutritional facts.)

White Rock Lake

This morning, as I made my way around White Rock Lake, I wondered how many of our friends know about what an awesome place this is to experience a wonderful walk/run on a beautiful weekend day. 

We would consider it one of the best places in the Dallas area to run/walk.  It is so pedestrian friendly, unlike many spots in the metroplex, and it is such a great place to do any number of miles you want for your workout.  (Seeing all the different people and listening to other conversations is quite entertaining, too!)  There are tons of places to park, and you can go out and back as far as you want, and since you are sticking with the trail, there is no fear of getting lost and not finding your car, you just turn around and head back the way you came! :0)

The website for White Rock Lake is http://www.whiterockdallas.org/.  There you can click on a tab at the top that will give you a map of the area, as well as see a listing of upcoming runs, volunteer information, and things to do around the lake. 

If you want to explore the lake and don't know where to start, let us know.  We can give you some direction on where you may want to start your walk/run, based on how you want your workout to go. 

If you are looking for just a relaxing, easy walk, enjoying a gorgeous day, or if you are looking for a rigorous, long distance run, this is the place to be on the weekend.

Eristeo and Ronna

Eating like a teenager? E's Story...

On December 12th, 2006, my best friend, Sam Cole, invited me to lunch, and again I had to hear the story of Weight Watcher's and what it did for him. With every sentence he spewed, I just nodded as I ate my heavily laden ranch dressing salad.

Suddenly he hit a nerve - I quote "why are you still eating like your a teenager, don't you want to see your grand kids one of these days?" Wow, I did still eat like teenager, but I no longer had the metabolism of one to help me melt away my bad decisions. So, now I'm paying attention! He had lost over 90 pounds and even ran a marathon.  I asked, "What did you do again?" He told me he just paid attention to what he was eating and "logged his points".  But Sam - I can't eat pre-package food (see I'm already looking for excuses), and he said - this isn't one of those programs - this let's you eat normal portion of normal foods.  As he spoke, I felt a condeming spotlight on my heavily laden Ranch dressing salad and my other bad food decision.

Ok, enough of the commercial, but to the point - I ate horrible and I felt horrible.  It was time for me to take control of food and not let food control me. I grew up (a little) and joined Weight Watchers. I was so happy and full of pride on the choice I had made to better myself and my future.  I couldn't wait to tell Ronna about my discovery and revelation.

*POP* - that was my balloon being popped by the very sharp needle of a wife that would not have anything to do with my endeavor.  If I wanted to pursue this, she told me, I would have to do it on my own.  My heart was broken, I told her by no means was I going to continue to eat myself into a grave, and my eating habits had to change because I was wanting a future with her.  I wanted to see our grandchildren grow up, and I didn't want to be burden to her and my family in the future - I was serious and she knew I was. She said I could do it by myself and she would help by selecting better foods for us, but she would have nothing to do with the program.

Of course, all I did was talk about the program and how many points/calories were in our favorite foods. After about a month of this, she proceeded to tell me she'd had enough of me always talking about Weight Watchers. I re-stated my plight - do you think I was joking about my health? She got my point from the sharp needle of a husband, and of course she joined the program the next day.

From that day forward, we teamed together and helped, loved, prayed, argued, encouraged, argued (yes - I said it twice on purpose), and inspired each other every step of the way. I can't speak for Ronna, but it was very easy to do once we got started, but the hardest part was taking that first step, the first step that eventually lead us to our Path of Purpose.

Unconditional Love

One of my dear friends, and a follower of our blog :-), asked us to tell our stories of how we got started on our weight loss journey.  This is Ronna's story....

My whole life has been a battle of weight; losing it, gaining it, worrying about it, crying about it, hiding it. I was always the girl with the "pretty face", the girl that didn't quite fit in, literally, the girl that tugged at her clothes, had to shop in the big girls' area (which was few and far between back then!), the girl that was constantly looking for approval from others, the girl who couldn't understand why the boys didn't like me because I was big. 

The need for approval, despite my weight problem, was deep and desparate.  It seemed that no one, whether it be family members, friends at school, myself, would accept me because of my weight.  That desparate need for acceptance and approval only increased my weight problem, because the sadder I became, the more I ate.  The more I ate, the sadder I got, and then of course, I ate to make myself not so sad. 

This sadness and yearning for acceptance continued into my adult life.  The "normalcy" of fighting for acceptance, despite my weight, was basically the theme of my first marriage.  I spent everyday of the marriage longing for acceptance.  I lost weight on Phen-Fen, for his acceptance, I lost weight on Jenny Craig, for his acceptance, I worked out for his acceptance, but everytime I gained the weight back, plus some, because it was for him, and a crying out for his acceptance.

Of course, surprise, surprise, that marriage failed.  In the time after my divorce, I did a lot of praying and working on alleviating the life long sadness and striving for acceptance from people who could only love me conditionally.  As I worked on these changes, with God's hand on me, I met a wonderful man.  It was instant (no joke) love and acceptance.  Although I was at my heaviest at the time, this man loved me, despite the muffin top, double chin, and jiggly legs.  This man loved me, despite myself. 

Five months, to the day, after we met, we traveled to Colorado Springs to be married.  The first few years of our marriage were so great!  We enjoyed life, loved each other in a way we had never experienced, and were incredibly happy.  Okay, so we were happy, but certainly not healthy! 

In December 2006, Eristeo had lunch with his best friend from high school who had been following the Weight Watchers online plan and had lost 100 pounds and ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon earlier that month.  Eristeo was so inspired by his accomplishment, that he came home that afternoon and told me that he would be joining Weight Watchers and beginning a healthier lifestyle.  I told him he was welcome to do so, but I would not be following along.

Why, you may ask would I not join him in this endeavor to live a healthy lifestyle, if I loved him so much and had struggled with my weight my whole life. Well...I had been diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis earlier that year, and it had thrown me into a deep depression.  I was on high doses of steroids, which made me aggresively hungry, which in turn made me gain weight.  I had given up on any chance of ever losing weight again, especially since I had no idea how long I would be on the steroids, possibly the remainder of my life.  Therefore, my response was, "Thanks, but no thanks."  I told him I would be supportive, but would not be coming along on this journey with him.

Well, after a month of having to "tweek" the recipes I made for his WW points, watching him weigh all his food, listening to him talk about the changes he was making, and seeing his wonderful results, I told him, "Look, I am sick about you talking about this all the time!"  (Really supportive and loving, huh?!)  He looked at me lovingly and deeply compassionate and said, "I am going to do this whether you join me or not.  Do you think I am joking when I say I'm not going to live to see us grow old together?  I have to do something about my weight so I can grow old with you. I love you, whatever choice you make."

Unconditional love...That's all it took.  The fact that, whether I lost weight or not, he would love me.  The very next day I signed up on Weight Watchers online to join my love in the journey to lose weight, get fit, and eat healthier.  I was still on heavy amounts of prednisone, but the motivation to be true to myself, record everything I ate, follow the plan, exercise, and live a better life was great! 

The bottom line is, I had to realize that weight loss is all about me.  Being fit and exercising regularly are up to me.  The choice to be healthy, make good choices, improve my health is up to me and about me. Others may benefit from my choices, but ultimately, it is about me, and how much I love me! 

I hope you will all find the deep love and appreciation for yourself, within yourself, and will make the choices and changes to make your life the best you, you can be. 

Ronna~

Fresh Vegetable Soup-Hearty meal for cold winter nights

A good friend of ours recommended this hearty, full of veggies soup recipe from the Weight Watchers recipes online.  We haven't tried it yet, but plan to very soon! It looks awesome! If you get a chance to try it, be sure to post your thoughts about it on the blog.  Happy cooking!

Fresh Vegetable Soup
PointsPlus® Value: 1
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 35 min
Cooking Time: 13 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
2 medium uncooked carrot(s), diced
2 small uncooked zucchini, diced
2 cup(s) uncooked savoy cabbage, or other variety, shredded
2 cup(s) uncooked Swiss chard, chopped
2 cup(s) uncooked cauliflower, small florets
2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
1 medium uncooked onion(s), diced
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced
1 rib(s) uncooked celery, diced
2 tsp thyme, fresh, chopped
6 cup(s) vegetable broth
2 Tbsp parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, optional

Instructions
1. Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Notes
If you like thick soups, consider pureeing this recipe in the pot with an immersion blender.

There are so many variations on this recipe. Add or leave out vegetables to suit your taste.

Save time by using frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones (though the texture of the soup might change a bit). You can also buy small amounts of pre-cut vegetables from your supermarket's salad bar.

Ronna and Eristeo

Resolutions...A Promise Kept or Broken???

Tonight as we worked out at the Wylie Rec Center, packed full of anxious people, ready to better their bodies, it excited me to think of all these people whose obvious New Year's resolution is to take better care of their bodies and become healthier.  But then, as I thought more about it, I realized, that as the year goes on, the number of people improving their health dwindles to smaller and smaller numbers the more the weeks and month pass.

That brought me to the thought of why? Why do people break their resolutions to become healthier, more vital beings?  Is it that they decide they just aren't worth the time and effort? Is it that they decide that sitting on the couch watching TV is such a better choice and decide to forego that evening workout for a lazy night of "couch potato-ing" it?  These, plus many other reasons, I am sure, are the culprit for the broken resolution to get yourself healthier and in better shape.  But, how sad these reasons are.

If you know you are worth making the resolution to improve yourself from the very beginning of the year, then why are you not worth it the remainder of the year?  If you know that the resolution you have made is what is best for you, then what makes it not the best thing for you later in the year?

Could the reason for giving up on your resolution to be a better you be because you don't see the results fast enough?  Well, in that case, examine the direction you are going in.  Are  you improving at all?  Do you have more energy?  Have you lost any weight? (Even a pound or two a month will be 12-24 pounds in a year!)  Do you feel stronger?  Are your clothes getting any looser?  Do you feel better about yourself?  Even the smallest change or improvement in any of these areas is going in the right direction, be it small or big, it's the right direction!

We pray that you will all continue to realize that you ARE worth keeping up the resolution to make  yourself feel and look good!  You ARE worth being healthier and improving your outlook on life!  You ARE worth making the effort and the little steps, whatever they may be, for you to be a better you, in whatever way you desire!

Be the Resolution Kept this year!
Eristeo and Ronna

Cool Weather Turkey Pot Pie

1 Corinthians 6:19-20      Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

A very dear friend of ours suggested we put more healthy recipes on our blog.  So, our goal will be to provide readers of our blog at least three healthy, hopefully easy, recipes for you to try out yourself.  If anyone ever has a great recipe that they would like for us to share, please feel free to let us know. The more great tips and recipes we can share, the better!

Cool Weather Turkey Potpie

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 55 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/8 teaspoon pepper Cooking spray or 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cups cubed cooked turkey tenderloin

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (sub. whole wheat flour if you would like) 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 1 cup frozen cut green beans, cooked and drained 1 "roll out" pie crust (9 inches) 1 tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet, saute carrots, onion, celery, thyme and pepper with either cooking spray or 1 tbsp olive oil until vegetables are crisp-tender. (You can substitute or change veggies to your choice of other veggies you like in turkey pot pie, if you choose.) In a large resealable plastic bag, combine turkey and flour; shake to coat. Add turkey, soup and green beans to the vegetable mixture; mix well. Spray the bottom of a 9 inch pie crust with non stick spray.  Add turkey mixture. Roll out pie crust to fit top of pie; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with milk. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 8 servings. Serve warm. Each serving: 270 calories, 12 gr fat, 5 WW points