Slimming Bites: Inspiration & Recipes for Weight Watchers & Giveaway

Happy Friday! To celebrate the beginning of another glorious summer weekend we are giving away a Cuisinart 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker! (You’ll find all the details at the end of the post.)

But first, here’s a collection of Weight Watchers friendly articles and recipes for you…

Slimming Bites: Inspiring Articles & Recipes for Weight Watchers

Encouragement and inspiration and are critical when you’re trying to adopt new habits. This is especially true when the habits involve eating better, losing weight and creating a healthy balanced lifestyle.

Sticking with the slow and steady sensible balanced approach to lasting change can seem dull and out of step when compared with our society’s obsession with the opposing messages of overindulgent excess on one hand, and extreme fad diets on the other. It can be so tempting to seek out the latest fad or silver bullet.

Fortunately, are many great people providing helpful information and delicious recipes for Weight Watchers and others pursuing sensible weight loss and healthy balanced living. I love the opportunity to highlight them. Here are this week’s hand-picked selections. I hope you find the time and space to sit down, perhaps with a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine or bubbly water, and savor them!

Healthy Weight Loss Inspiration

Longevity Pose: Teaching Yoga at 97 | New York Times by Corey Kilgannon
Meet my new hero,  a 97-year-old yoga teacher that is still going strong, even after three hip replacement surgeries. “I haven’t finished learning,” she said. “My students are my teachers.” If you think you are too old, think again.

The Key to Starting any Exercise or Diet Plan | Dr. Spencer
One of the strongest sources of self-efficacy is experience. Many of us think we have to make a large overhaul to our lifestyles in order to achieve a healthier body. This can be totally overwhelming. The simple truth is that we do not have to change everything to become healthier, we just need to get started. The best way to get started is with a step-by-step process we are confident we can accomplish.

Ten Fun Ways to Reduce Your Cortisol Levels | Lissa Rankin
The body knows how to heal itself.  However, these natural self-repair mechanisms get deactivated when your body is full of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine in “fight-or-flight” mode. The good news is that it’s easy to shift the body into the opposite of the stress response into the relaxation response, and when this happens, your cortisol levels drop and your body’s self-repair mechanisms get back to work doing what they do best – healing you. All of the following techniques have been scientifically proven to activate relaxation responses and return your self-repair mechanisms back to optimal operation.

Nine Helpful Tips to Avoid Weight Gain on a Cruise | SkinnyTaste
Got a cruise planned? You’ll want to after reading about Gina’s 10-day cruise aboard the new Carnival Vista which started in Barcelona and ended in Athens. She even managed to lose one pound while sailing and eating her way through the Mediterranean.

A Teacher Lost 56 Pounds Eating Nothing But McDonald’s and People Are Pissed | Nia Shanks Helping people with their health and fitness goals is about meeting people where they are. Someone’s starting part may be different than another’s. Someone’s first step toward making better health choices may mean swapping out a Big Mac for a regular cheeseburger, or getting a small fry instead of a large. That is likely, for many, easier and more practical than going from a Big Mac to cedar plank roasted salmon and vegetables. It’s about making better decisions, gradually, that lead to long-lasting change.

Favorite Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes for the Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers (6SP,7PP)| Organize Yourself Skinny 
Lean poultry Italian sausage gets covered in sauce, bell peppers, and onions and then simmers all day in the slow cooker. Enjoy as is or serve in a hoagie roll or over a bed of whole grain pasta or zucchini noodles. Delish!

Slow Cooker Apple Bacon BBQ Pulled Pork (5SP, 5PP) | Emily Bites
This Slow Cooker Apple Bacon BBQ Pulled Pork is based on Emily’s mom’s amazing pulled pork recipe, to which she added apples and bacon. This Slow Cooker Apple Bacon BBQ Pulled Pork makes an awesome sandwich, but it’s also great on its own, on a baked potato or sweet potato, in a wrap or quesadilla, on a pizza or flatbread, the possibilities are endless (and delicious).

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken (2SP, 4PP) | Slender Kitchen
Slow cooked chicken tossed with just the right amount of buffalo sauce. Use it in tacos, lettuce wraps, sandwiches, chicken salad, the list goes on and on. And if you really want it to taste like a buffalo wing, add in the butter at the end for a smoother, richer taste.

Crock Pot Lime Chicken Fajitas (6SP, 4PP) | Dashing Dish
I just love chicken fajitas. They are such a wonderful ‘family’ food in my opinion, because they suit just about everyone’s taste. The great thing about fajitas is that the basic ingredients are naturally healthy. However, many recipes call for a heavy amount of oil, making them surprisingly high in calories. This recipe is flavorful, light, and so easy to make. Just put everything in a crockpot in the morning (or the night before), and you will have a healthy and complete meal ready in just a few hours.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Molasses (5SP) | Snack Girl
These slow cooker baked beans with molasses are vegetarian and will outperform any can of baked beans. This recipe makes seven cups of beans and you can bring it in your slow cooker so the beans remain warm. I love these as a side for anything at a BBQ because they go so well with hot dogs, corn, coleslaw – you name it. (This should also work in a 4-quart slow cooker (affiliate link). Cut the recipe in half if 14 servings is too much.)

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6/20/16 GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

The winner of the slow cooker is: Jack C, who said, “Need to lose 25 lbs. to fit into Army uniform. Grandson wants me to wear it to his graduation from basic training. Mexican fajitas in the slow cooker.”

Congratulations Jack!  Contact support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your prize. And thanks to all of you who stopped by and participated. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you being part of this community.

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(Giveaway has ended, see winner above)

Now onto the Giveaway… Up for grabs is something that’s been on my wish list for a while… a Cuisinart 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker. (The slow cooker I use most often is a basic manual 4-Quart Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker, which works fine for our needs. When and if I ever upgrade, it will be to this handsome baby which is perfect for smaller families!)

TO ENTER

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

This is a two part question:

1. What are your goals for this summer?
2. What will you make in your new slow cooker if you win it?

Just let me know what your goals are for this summer and what you’ll make with your new slow cooker should you win it and you’ll be entered to win.

THE RULES

One entry per person, please.

Winners will be announced Tuesday morning. Be sure to check back to see if you won.

Have a Wonderful Weekend and Good Luck!

Giveaway sponsored by Simple Nourished Living

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