Recipe of the Week

These cookies are soooooooo delish! They are just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth without making me go overboard!

xo,



Oatmeal Raisin Bites

POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 40
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 12 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Small oatmeal raisin cookies with a big granola taste. They’re loaded with fiber and rank high on the hunger-busting scale.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) rolled oats
3/4 cup(s) whole-grain wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup(s) butter, softened
1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup(s) sugar
1 large egg(s)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup(s) raisins, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until incorporated. Add egg and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Add oat mixture and mix until just combined; fold in raisins.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets, about 1-inch apart each. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11 to 12 minutes for crispy cookies. Remove from oven and let cookies rest on cookie sheets for about 2 minutes; remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields 1 cookie per serving.

Notes
Change the flavor of this recipe by adding walnuts instead of raisins (could affect POINTS values).

Losing It with Jillian Michaels

Well, all good things must come to end (at least for this season!). Help summarize the season finale last night with two deleted scenes, which are below, and the full episode, online here.

What did you think of this season? Which family did you identify with most? What would you like to see different next season?

xo,


Jump In, Jump Out
Jillian gets the Alvarez family moving and working out on day one.



Moment of Truth
Jillian works with the Alvarez family on their individual goals.

Post-Op Update

Hey everyone!

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers during my surgery! I'm now officially 11 days post-surgery, and am doing well! Surgery went well overall, although I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia which caused me to stay overnight in the hospital. My four incision sites are healing well, and my pain level is almost non-existant. After my reaction to the anesthesia, I was very leery of taking my prescription pain medication, so I stuck to 400mg of ibuprofen, and did just fine. My only gripe is that my energy level is still lower than normal, which is a real drag! I've become one of those old grannies that naps in the afternoons, or I'll just fall asleep while watching TV lol The important thing is that I can tell I'm getting a little better, day by day!

My goal is to follow my doctor's orders to the tee to ensure a proper recovery, then get back on track with my workouts. My ultimate goal is to start training for the 2011 Chicago Rock n Roll Half-Marathon as soon as I can - I'm going to PR that bugger if it's the last thing I do! :)

Hope everyone is doing well - let me know what you've been up to!

xo,

Losing It with Jillian Michaels

Good morning!

Recap all of Jillian’s trials and tribulations from last night’s episode with the highlight clip below, or watch the full episode here.

Emotional Outpouring & Wake Up Call
Todd's family and friends share their fears for his future if he doesn't make a change and promise to get healthy.




xo,

Losing It with Jillian Michaels

You can see Jillian’s success with the The Plunkett-Marquez Family in last night’s episode online now, plus see two deleted scenes from the episode! And, look ahead to next week in the promo that’s included below.

Needs And Wants
Jillian sits down with the family to set personal goals.



A New Path
Cora-lei has a surprise for Jillian: healthy food, inspired by the past.



Tough Subjects
Jillian's got her work cut out for her with the Franklin family.
Link: http://www.nbc.com/losing-it-with-jillian/video/tough-subjects/1237423/




xo,

Small Sabbatical ...

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you all know things will be a little hit or miss for the month of July. I'm having surgery on Friday July 9th at 10am (prayers are very much welcomed and appreciated!), and I'll be using my recovery time to plan out how I'm going to once-and-for-all get to goal. I'm super pumped about my surgery, and am looking at it as a second chance to finally get this right :)

I'll be on restrictions for 6 weeks after surgery, so my triathlon, 150 mile bike ride, and half-marathon are out the window. I'm not particularly happy about that, but this surgery is like a reminder from God himself, telling me I need to take care of myself FIRST and get this taken care of so I can go out and do all the things I want to do :)

While on restrictions, I plan to refocus on my nutrition and come up with a FAMILY nutrition plan. I'm very blessed to have my children on track with me, and we're ready to make this a family commitment to eating clean. I'll also focus on core workouts, such as yoga, pilates, and resistance band workouts, to strengthen my core, and stay on track.

Thanks for all that you guys do to motivate and inspire me on a daily - and sometimes hour-by-hour - basis!

xo,

"The only journey is the journey within." Rainer Maria Rilke

Recipe of the Week

What's summer without your classic potato salad? Believe it or not, potato salad is my ultimate comfort food. My dad was born and raised in Germany, and was "famous" for his German-style potato salad while I was growing up. It was one of his labors of love, and he'd spend a minimum of 4 - 6 hrs in the kitchen making his potato salad. It was always a huge hit at parties, picnics and bbqs among our family and friends. As Daddy's Little Girl, it's no wonder that his potato salad is my ultimate comfort food as it releases a flood of memories with each bite - he had a technique for everything - from pricking the potatoes and boiling them in a precise manner so they turn out firm but not too hard, his secret ingredient (which I will never share outside of my immediate family), and turning the potato salad in such a way as to keep the potato cubes intact and not crush or smoosh the remaining ingredients.

In gearing up for our July 4th weekend, I discovered the following recipe on WholeFoods.com, and wanted to share it with all of you ...

The Best Basic Potato Salad

Serves 8
Potato salad is one of those dishes that can help limit the cost of a summer get-together. Learn to make this one, then try a few of your own special touches--maybe curry powder, chopped hard-cooked eggs, black olives or roasted red peppers? For a mayonnaise-free version, try our Dijon Vinaigrette Potato Salad recipe . For a mayo-and-mustard version, omit the lemon juice and add 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/3 cup chopped pickles.

Ingredients
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup light or regular sour cream
1/3 cup gluten-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup mixed chopped herbs such as parsley, basil and thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped

Method
Put potatoes into a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Test for doneness by inserting a fork into a potato chunk. It should slide in easily without breaking apart the potato. Immediately drain well and let cool 10 minutes.

Gently toss potatoes with sour cream, mayonnaise, herbs, lemon juice, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and chill before serving.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 8oz/225g-wt.): 270 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 300mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 4g protein


While this recipe isn't my dad's German-Style potato salad, it's the best basic potato salad, ever! A few final observations ...

  • Sour cream and mayonnaise combine to make a tangy, creamy base that goes well with potatoes.

  • Fresh herbs are a welcome addition to any salad. Try a mix of basil, parsley, thyme and/or dill.

  • Celery and onion add crunch and flavor, and lemon juice contributes brightness.

  • This recipe is ready for your own special twist. Once you’ve learned to make this one, try a few inspired touches–maybe curry powder, chopped hard-cooked eggs, black olives or roasted red peppers? For a mayo-and-mustard version, omit the lemon juice and add 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/3 cup chopped pickles.


I can personally vouch for adding curry powder to potato salads and coleslaws ... absolutely yummers!

xo,


"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." Thomas Edison

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