Recipe: Spinach Spanakopita

Hi guys! Well, I wanted to share this really great recipe that I read in the current issue of Weight Watchers magazine. I'm not a member anymore, nor do I subscribe to the magazine, but I've bought the magazine before once a while and I'm never disappointed. 

There are ALWAYS wonderful stories of success from real people, good ideas on how to eat better and then a whole bunch of interesting recipes. I always expect the recipes to be boring and blah, but this time around I earmarked several pages of recipes to try. And this one couldn't be easier! 

It's a pie shaped spinach spanakopita, Greek inspiration! You just use frozen phyllo dough and make a mixture of thawed spinach and some feta cheese. I don't like feta so just grated down some swiss that I already had. And you could throw in other veggies as well, I would just say to chop them finely. 

Just layer out a few sheets on the bottom of a baking pie pan, spray down with cooking spray, spread the spinach mixture, and then pile on more layers of the phyllo and spray with cooking spray between sheets. And bake! I took a photo of the recipe from the magazine so you have it, hope you can read it.

And voila, the finished product. Isn't it just SO pretty! I think mine looks so much like the photos in the magazine :)  The light crispy layers of crumpled dough on top are just so lovely. And the spinach was great too. What a nice easy way to get in a good veggie and only dirty 1 cooking pot too ;-)

Please do try this, it couldn't be simpler!

Remember, we will succeed together, one day, meal and bite at a time! 
xoxo,
missnutmeg

McBarf's

Hey folks! I'm sitting in an airport in Denver, connecting flights to get back to Seattle from visiting family in NJ this weekend. I wanted something got to eat and I caved in and got McDonalds.

Now, I'd been really sick for the past week and not eating much, so I guessed this wouldn't kill my calories for the week. Been eating super light and healthy...

What I'm about to tell you may shock you. Or maybe not! I got a regular chicken sandwich, fries and diet coke: and I literally CANT get all this food down.

My stomach ached toward the end of the sandwich, which was ok. But the fries are just horrible. I had some, yes, but after a couple of handfuls the starch just expands inside your tummy and it's not possible to get more in.

Have a sip of soda to calm me down? Did that and this diet coke tastes like chemicals and water. Sort of like a lot of artificial sweetener and water.

My stomach is now bloated and hurting a bit, clearly angry with me for feeding it garbage. Also, and this is the scary part, for a few seconds after stopping eating, I almost felt like I couldn't breathe. As though my mouth/throat was just stuffed up. Very much how it feels when you should vomit.

I'm amazed at this experience as also scared. The starch and salt alone are very hard to push down my throat! A I actually for a moment considered going to the bathroom and force myself to throw up. Im positive I could if I tried right then. It literally made me feel sick!

So, from my next meal onwards, definitely am going back to light healthy foods that feed my brain. This is just not worth it -- and it's not a treat!

How's that for motivation?

Remember, we will succeed together, one day, meal and bite at a time!
xoxo,
missnutmeg

New Year, New You! (Again)

Hey Folks! Well the last week has still been chock full of snacks and treats since it was Christmas time, my friend from LA was visiting and then even when I was at work on Tuesday + Wednesday, there are still leftover goodies everywhere at the office!

So, today, (thurs) I decided to do a work from home and kick start things! I'm going to be out of the office until Tuesday, so I have a full 5 days to myself. During which, I'd like to hunker down and just be good! This means, running all those silly little errands I never get to, being frugal, eating less, and my favorite thing to do, coming up with a game plan for the year!

We all have lots of things we want to do, and the journey is the best part. So for the next 5 days, I'm going to do a sort of fast/cleanse on my own. This means, lots of fresh juices, herbal teas and as little salt and sugar as possible. Plus lots of water and vitamins.

I'm also going to take soothing baths to de-stress and do a daily meditation. I'll start with at least 5 mins and see how long I can go. It's been a while since I've done that and I'm ready to get back in synch with myself.

Why wait until Jan 1 right? Today is just as good as any other! And frankly, who needs all the pressure of a new diet in January when EVERYONE else I know will also be doing the same thing! Now I do believe in support, but the idea is to succeed and not get overly competitive here. Which is why I think having a few days of quiet time with myself will be excellent for me.

I was actually just about to close down my Weight Watchers membership online because honestly, I joined back in March 2011 and barely ever used it! The weeks that I DID stick to my points, I did lose weight. But frankly, it takes a lot of time and effort to log everything in and see the points values. For now I'm thinking I'd rather just follow the plans from Drew Manning (fit2fatfit.com) and see how I fare b/c that'll be a good 6 months of guidance. And in the end, I can always rejoin WW can't it? Like switch my account back on? I think that's what works for me. I love his style and it's just what seems to be resonating with me for the moment.

So! I'm sure you all have lots of resolutions at your fingertips, but my advice to you is, don't bother waiting until 2012 to get going! Just start today. You'll feel good. As always, I want to kick these extra pounds to the curb and I'm hoping to really and truly stick to this new lifestyle this time. Wish me luck!

Remember, we will succeed together, one day, meal and bite at a time!
xoxo,
missnutmeg