Quick and Easy Fish Tacos

I'm the kind of person that's always on the hunt for new recipes. Specifically, recipes that are delicious, easy and Weight Watcher friendly. Well, last night on a whim I decided to do something different with the Tilapia fillets I defrosted. After some debate, I decided to try my hand at making fish tacos. Here's the result...

Best fish tacos ever. Weight Watchers Points Plus value: 6 points for 2 tacos

Here's the ultra simple recipe. Enjoy!

• 1/4 of a ripe Avocado (2 pts)
• Salsa to taste (I used medium for a little spice, but this is totally up to you) (0 pts)
• Diced onion (0 pts)
• 4 Tilapia Fillets (I like Tilapia because it's super light and fresh. It's also very points plus friendly 2 pts for 4 oz.). I suggest using 2 oz. per taco.
• 2 Corn tortillas (small, soft taco size) (1 point each)
• Blackening seasoning (store bought) (0 pts)
• Fresh cilantro (0 pts)
• 5 sprays of olive oil cooking spray (Pam makes a nice one) (0 pts)
• 1 lime (0 pts)

Directions:

Wash and dry Tilapia. Sprinkle blackening seasoning on both sides of each filet. Add 5 sprays of the Olive oil cooking spray to a pan and heat on medium temperature.

Place Tilapia in pan and cook for about 3-4 min per side (or to desired degree of doneness). Remove from pan and let cool. When cool, cut fish into smaller pieces. It will flake and break apart as you work with it. 

Dice onion in small pieces. Wash and chop cilantro. Slice avocado into quarters. Cut lime into 4 wedges.

Heat corn tortillas in microwave (approx. 5-15 sec). 

Take each tortilla and top with 2 oz. of Tilapia. Add generous amounts of onion, salsa, and cilantro. Top tacos with avocado and the juice from the lime wedge. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Easy, light and delicious. I gave this 6 points plus for 2 tacos. Not bad.

Try this and let me know what you think!

A Year Older. A Year Wiser. Still a Fighter.

Hi Everyone!
Oooh, I'm embarrassed that I've been away for so long. I've missed blogging and interacting with all of you awesome folks out there in blogland =)

Well, to bring you up to speed on my life, here's a few highlights since my last post:

• I'm a year older!
• I've gained 6 lbs over the holiday season (including my birthday) (yikes)
• My achilles Tendon is still healing (been wearing a walking boot for a little over 2 months. I should be starting physical therapy soon)
• I'm in my second to last quarter of school! Yay!!!

In short, the end of last year was a pretty tough time for me...praise God nothing serious happened.  However, I did experience a number of things that took me out of my comfort zone and left me asking the question, "ok, so now what?" Unpleasant as it all was, I can say that each situation forced me to do some soul searching and figure out what it is that I truly want out of life. A house? To travel around the globe? To climb Mt. Everest? LOL, well I'm not 100% sure about everything, but I've created a list that's a great starting point for me. I'm excited about the possibilities =)

That said, I've been super focused this year. I'm pouring all my energy into pursuing the things that will get me where I want to go. Sadly, my weight loss efforts have suffered along the way. But in the words of my grandmother, "it ain't over 'til your feet no longer touch the ground". And on that note, I won't give up the fight. 

How is your year going so far?

Jennifer 

The end of NaBloPoMo

Wow, here we are. The end of the 30 day blogging challenge. Never thought I'd last a day...let alone 30! I'm feeling mighty proud and accomplished I must say :)

You probably don't know this, but this blog was created as a requirement for a social media marketing class. The assignment required us to start a blog and make at least 1 post/week. I had only been blogging for a few weeks when I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo. I wasn't sure if I'd last, but I thought it would be a good way to break myself into the world of blogging. One day turned into two, two days turned into ten, and next thing you know here we are at day 30, and I proudly have 30 consecutive days of blogging under my belt. Huzzah!

The greatest thing about this experience had to have been the people I've been able to connect with. I've met so many wonderful people, from all walks of life. People from all around the world. I've been so blessed by everyone's encouragement as well as the personal stories that other bloggers so bravely share with the world. You all have been such a blessing to my life and I want to thank you for hanging out in my little corner of the blogosphere :)

So what's next? Well, I found out that I really love blogging, so I plan to stick with it. But, I will say this: as much as I enjoyed blogging every day, I think I'm going to take a break for the holiday. I'm in the middle of finals and in a few weeks it'll be Christmas, so I think this is a nice time to relax and get ready for the new year.

I'll still be blogging in December, it just won't be every day. Oh yeah during my time "off", I'm planning on learning some HTML so I can spruce up my blog a little bit. If you guys have any thing you'd like to see me add, please let me know.

You guys rock :) Talk to you soon!

Jennifer

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Right now, I'm in class and thought I'd be able to hang without eating. Even though I get out late, I thought I'd be able to hold off on eating until after class.

Well ladies and gentlemen....IM OFFICIALLY STARVING. I've got no change to go to the vending machine, no snacks (I ate my trail mix already) and I have an hour and a half left in class. While digging around in my bag I found a cookie that someone gave me about 2 weeks ago ( I was happy I didn't give into temptation) and I'm totally going to eat it. God bless the dear soul that gave it to me, LOL. I know its gross, but it'll be our little secret....right :)

Well back to class I go....have a good night everyone.

Reaching my 5% weight loss goal

At last night's Weight Watchers meeting, I found out that I reached my 5% goal. Basically, this means that I've lost 5% of my starting weight. While I know this is a great accomplishment, I can't help but have mixed emotions about it.

On one hand, I'm loving the fact that I'm making great progress, especially since I haven't followed the program as well as I should. With the stress of school and work, along with my foot injury, I see this 5% goal as an absolute blessing from above.

BUT then...negativity starts to creep in and I tell myself ,"5% means nothing when I have over 100 pounds to lose." I feel like I'm one of those cartoon characters with God on one shoulder and the devil on the other, struggling to determine which voice I'm going to listen to.

So what's the solution? It's easy to say I should ignore the negative thoughts, right? BUT, I think that's being unrealistic. The fact of the matter is that I do have over 100 pounds to lose, and that's something that I never want to lose sight of. I think the key is to not allow myself to focus solely on the amount of weight I have to lose. I have to learn to celebrate the small victories both on and off the scale, so that I don't become discouraged and quit like I've done so many times before.

Anyone out there share a similar struggle? What are some things you did to work through the negative thinking?

Did I really lose weight during Thanksgiving?

Today I had my Weight Watchers weigh in and I lost .8 lbs. Hallelujah!

Generally, I wouldn't be excited about losing anything under a pound, but my goodness, this was a loss during Thanksgiving. Out of all my years of dieting, I don't think I've ever managed to lose anything around the holidays. I'm speechless.

What makes this loss so exciting is the fact that I made a plan, stuck to it and saw the fruits of my labor. I made "loose" goals for myself that allowed me to enjoy my favorite foods, but NOT stuff myself on anything. I made certain tradeoffs last week that were key to my success. If I decided to have cake one day, then I wouldn't have mac and cheese. If I decided to eat rolls, then I'd pass on the mashed potatoes. At the time it felt difficult, but in retrospect I was satisfied at every meal, and never felt deprived.

Last week, I began to understand the importance of making smart choices. I allowed myself to feel satisfied, but not stuffed. I allowed myself to eat and enjoy what I wanted without beating myself up for it. These things seem small, but together they had a tremendous pay off...and for that, I'm truly Thankful =)

This boot was not made for walkin'

Today I got the results from my MRI and it turns out that I have a tear in my Achilles tendon. This explains a lot. I've still been in a ton of pain, so my doctor has me wearing a walking boot. While wearing a boot is not the highlight of my day, I am excited because I think the boot will get me on the road to recovery. I'll have to wear the boot for 3 weeks, then after that hopefully I'll be in better shape. I'll keep you posted.

One thing I will say is this: wearing the boot is not comfortable, and I notice that I have to put a lot more thought into doing the normal, everyday things in my life (walking, thinking about where I park, etc). I do think that things will get much easier once I get the hang of "boot walking"though. We'll see.

You ate it. Get over it. Move on.

A good rule of thumb for holiday eating

I worked so hard to get the weight off, and this weekend I ruined everything.

I shouldn't have sat around watching football for that long without working out.

Did I really drink the entire bottle?

I can't believe I ate that much!

If any of these phrases sound familiar, you're not alone. For those of us who are actively working on staying healthy and losing weight, Thanksgiving can be a deathtrap. Many of us feel that we've worked hard all year, counting calories, portioning out foods, killing ourselves at the gym, only to have our efforts squashed by one day (or, perhaps one weekend) of eating. For some, this weekend is enough to completely give up on losing weight until the new year rolls around. For those of you who are struggling to rebound from what you did (or didn't do) this weekend...here are a few tips to keep you moving forward.

• Get over it: Sounds harsh I know, but at the end of the day we can't change our past behavior. I love the phrase on the coffee cup above because it sums up what we should do to keep ourselves on the right track. Whatever we ate has been eaten, and there's not anything we can do about it. At this point, all we can do is face it, own it and move on. Remember, Thanksgiving was just one day, and I don't care how horribly you ate, one holiday will not be the death of you. Be encouraged =)
• Toss the leftovers: As hard as it might be to get rid of Aunt Sally's pumpkin pie, can you really withstand that temptation? If you're serious about getting back on track, then getting rid of everything that tempts you might be the way to go. If trashing food is too painful, then consider freezing or storing it in someone else's fridge. This might sound a bit extreme, but for those of us who can't say no to a caramel glazed poundcake (oops, did I just say that) this tip can be a lifesaver.
• Don't beat yourself up: Whatever you did, please don't beat yourself up for anything you ate. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is all about enjoying good food, with good friends and family. Hopefully you enjoyed yourself and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Tomorrow is a new day, so don't ruin it by letting any Thanksgiving guilt hold you hostage. Have a great Monday!

Vacations are the best stress relievers...ever!

Sigh, well it looks like my Thanksgiving vacation is drawing to a close. I had such a nice and relaxing time with my family that...I really don't want to go back to my normal life, lol. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Looking back on this week, I learned the importance of taking time out to rest. These days, we all have so much going on that I think we have a tendency to overlook taking care of ourselves. Well, at least I know I'm guilty of this. Lately it seems like I've been there for everyone except myself. Work is important. School is important. Listening to others is important. But at the end of the day, I don't leave enough gas in the tank to take care of my own needs...and quite frankly, I think it began to show.

Before my vacation, I felt overwhelmed (and frankly, a bit unmotivated) by things at work, school and in my life. I definitely felt burned-out emotionally, which had an effect on my attitude and my ability to stay positive. Today, post vacation, I feel refreshed and revitalized. Even though things are the same at work, school and in my life, I now have more energy to face things head on (and with a good attitude).

To all my blogging buddies, if you've been a little overwhelmed lately, I encourage you to take some time off (if possible). Do what you want to do, spend time with people you enjoy, and take time to make yourself happy. I guarantee that it'll pay off in the end. =)

NaBloPoMo is almost over

This month I signed up to participate in National Blog Posting Month (aka NaBloPoMo) http://www.blogher.com/blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo.

Basically, NaBloPoMo required that all participants commit themselves to blog everyday for the month of November...yes everyday...rain or shine. When I initially signed up, I doubted that I'd even last a week. But, I'm happy to say that I've lasted the entire month. Looking back, there were a lot of things I learned about blogging, but perhaps the most important lesson I learned was not to doubt myself. I think I mentioned in an earlier post how I have a tendency to count myself out of things before I even begin. I   mean, if I don't believe in myself, why should anyone else, right?

Anyway, I don't have a clear plan to "fix" the negative self talk that I so frequently do, but I am so ready to throw it out for good! One thing that I think will help is to continue to set goals for myself so that I can work on retraining my mind. I plan to focus on this area quite a bit in 2013.

Hang in there NaBloPoMo bloggers...one more week to go!!!

I can't believe I didn't eat like a pig today!

Earlier this week, I set a few eating goals for Thanksgiving:

1) include a green salad with my meal (to help cut my appetite)

2) to eat the foods I really love (Mac & cheese, yams, carrot cake) until I'm full (being STUFFED is not allowed)

3) measure out small portions of those foods I can have anytime of the year (mashed potatoes, bread, ice cream, etc)

I'm happy to report that I'm really proud of my eating today. The only goal I didn't meet was to eat a green salad with my meal (I made it, but decided to eat greens instead). But, I ate what I wanted until I was satisfied, and not FULL. I also ate really small portions of the things that I didn't really want as bad as the turkey, mac and cheese, etc. I think this is the first time I didn't get overstuffed. It's also the first time I didn't have a second and third plate. I'm really happy with myself.

Now, I did overdo it on cake today, but even with that I stopped eating when I was satisfied. Not sure how this will show up on the scale next week, but it felt good to prove to myself that it's possible to eat reasonably during the holidays. Hurrah!

Wishing everyone out there a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! I hope your day was filled with food, fun, friends, and family.

Just checking in

Hey Everyone!

Today was a low key day. Last minute prep for Thanksgiving. Found out today that I didn't have a cake pan for my mom's famous carrot cake. For shame! Luckily we were able to pick up a pan at the grocery store, so all wasn't lost. Thanksgiving was saved after all!

This morning I had an MRI on my foot. Glad that my Dr. recommended that I have it done. I've been in so much pain over the last two weeks, that I'm concerned that there might be something pretty nasty going on in there. I'm grateful for my friend who called me tonight just to pray for me and my foot. That really made my day. Thank God for good friends =)

Setting eating goals for Thanksgiving

Today's Weight Watchers meeting left me with a lot to think about. With Thanksgiving just a day away, it's definitely time for me to reevaluate my plans for holiday eating.

One thing that my leader mentioned was making trade-offs between what you have to have, and what you can do without. Basically she stressed the importance of focusing the balance of our points on those foods that we love and can only have once or twice a year versus eating everything in sight, just because it's there. Great idea right?

So my new plan is to 1) include a green salad with my meal (to help cut my appetite), 2) to eat the foods I really love (Mac & cheese, yams, carrot cake) until I'm full (being STUFFED is not allowed) and 3) measure out small portions of those foods I can have anytime of the year (mashed potatoes, bread, ice cream, etc).

My goal for Thanksgiving is to enjoy the special foods that I really like, but not overstuff myself just because food is all around me. Anyone else out there have food related goals for the holiday?
Wish me luck :)

Is Jessica Simpson a good spokesperson for Weight Watchers?

Jessica Simpson in her Weight Watchers commercial

Every time I go to my Weight Watchers meeting and see Jessica Simpson’s face, I’m annoyed. Not because I have anything against her as an entertainer, but my annoyance is rooted in how she as a spokesperson perpetuates negativity toward overweight women.

If you didn’t catch her commercial, here’s a quick recap. Basically, the commercial is 30 seconds of a close-up of Jess’ fluffy face as she talks about “eating real food in the real world”. Yes, that’s right, all we ever see is a close up of her face. We never see her entire body, just her pretty face. This, to me, is problematic.

In my opinion, this commercial isn’t about selling a weight loss solution, nor is it about motivating women to lose weight. Unfortunately, the commercial is more about hiding a body that does not meet the world’s pre-defined standard of beauty. Not showing Jessica’s body implies that there is something that needs to be covered up…something that she’s not proud of…something that she is not comfortable with the world seeing. Many of us on Weight Watchers already have our own body image issues, so seeing this commercial certainly doesn’t help us change our negative thinking.

What makes Weight Watchers so special is that while it teaches you to make lifestyle adjustments for weight loss, they also do a great job encouraging members to embrace the “skin that they’re in”. Any member that is ashamed or discouraged by their body always receives loving encouragement that helps them accept who they are, and where they are at the moment. Hiding a “less than perfect” body is not part of the Weight Watchers philosophy, so unfortunately the Jessica Simpson campaign does much more harm than good.

I realize that the commercial was done to preserve the Jessica Simpson brand, and I’m sure if I break this down from a marketing standpoint, it makes perfect sense. I still wish that Weight Watchers would have selected a celebrity that was willing to be open and transparent about their weight loss journey from beginning to end. In my opinion, this would have made a huge impact on women nationwide, regardless of whether or not they are on the program.

Oh, this just in. Jessica has lost 60lbs, and has just finished shooting a new Weight Watchers commercial...AND, I’m assuming that you’ll be able to see her entire body in this one.

Coincidence…I think not.

Check out this image from the set. Jessica is the blonde on the far right.

On the set at Jessica's new WW commercial

Weekend Check-in

This photo pretty much sums up the way I felt all weekend. I've been up and down, popping my meds and icing my foot all weekend. I'm considering going to get my MRI earlier than scheduled, just because I'm getting a little frustrated with the pain. I'll chat with you all tomorrow. Goodnight!

Family visits and painful feet

It's a cold, rainy day in Southern California, but the weather isn't keeping my spirits down. Tonight my mom gets into town, and I'm really excited to see her. It's funny because I'm looking forward to doing things with her that in the past I never really cared about (grocery shopping, cooking, etc). I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

On a slightly "bummier" note, my foot (actually, my Achilles tendon) has been really flaring up lately. Went to the doctor yesterday and he basically gave me the same treatment as before (anti-inflammatory meds as needed, icing twice a day, and no flat shoes (not even around the house)). He also told me that if the pain continues, I will have to have an MRI, and may have to wear a walking cast until we can get the pain and inflammation down. The cast isn't the most exciting news, but at this point I'm willing to wear it if it will get my foot on the road to recovery. I'll keep you guys posted. Enjoy your Saturday!

I still have a lot of work to do

My favorite T-Shirt is still too snug!

This weekend is the big USC vs UCLA game! Every year on the Friday before the big game, I wear my "Beat UCLA" T-Shirt (see above). Now, when I bought the shirt (about 2 years ago), it was a bit snug in the stomach area, but since I only get to wear it once a year I bought it and told myself "this time next year, this shirt will fit much better.

Well, I put the shirt on this morning and was bummed out to see that it was still snug. Just a reminder that I still have LOTS of work to do.

Go Trojans!

Focusing on family (not food) this Thanksgiving

I'm so excited about Thanksgiving that I can hardly contain myself! This is the first holiday that my family will spend together since my mother retired and moved to Georgia. Even though she and I talk (and text) daily, there's nothing like being able to spend some good 'ole quality time together and I'm really looking forward to it!

This will also be the first Thanksgiving where she and I are both on Weight Watchers together. As a matter of fact, she has lost 31 lbs thanks to eating right and counting points at every meal. I'm so proud and excited for her. At 63, she continues to prove that age is no match for hard work, will and determination...she's truly an inspiration.

I also think that because we're both on the plan, we will be much more mindful of how much we eat. Food has always played a major role in how we spend time together. Whether we were enjoying an afternoon out shopping, or at home watching football, food was ALWAYS in the mix. This holiday, I hope that the combination of us both being on Weight Watchers, along with not seeing each other (for a while), will shift our focus away from the lure of overeating, and on to enjoying the holiday together as a family. I'll keep you guys posted =)

Weddings are the best motivaton for weight loss

On Monday, I received a "save the date" for a wedding taking place in March, 2013. I'm really excited for the couple, and I must admit that I've been looking forward to this event for quite a long time =)

Soooo, even though I'm a chicken when it comes to goal setting, I'm considering setting a weight loss goal between now and the joyous occasion. The goal will be to lose 40 lbs by the wedding (end of March). Even though I'm not in the wedding, I think the event will be a good way for me to get re-motivated, and give myself something to look forward to.

After doing the math, I will have to lose roughly 10 lbs a month. Definitely a challenge, but I think I can get pretty close if I put forth my best effort.

Has anyone ever set a weight loss goal that was centered around an event? Was it a good form of motivation? Did you keep the weight off?

Tough gain

Short post tonight guys, but I wanted to stop by and give a Weight Watchers update. I weighed in tonight and found out I had gained a whopping 1.4 lbs. Yikes! I'm definitely not happy about it, but I can't say that it comes as a total surprise either. Lately I've had a terrible sweet tooth and have eaten way too much candy, sweets and ice cream. Even though the sweets I've indulged in have been low cal/low fat, those things still add up over time.

Luckily, I'm out of all of the tempting foods, so I should be in a much better position come next week. Thanks for listening guys. Talk to you tomorrow!