WW

I'm really excited to try new traditions for Christmas since this is our first Christmas in our own home with a real live family. Of course we will still have some goodies that I have grown up to believe "go" with Christmas -- but I remember when we were really little -- and all the rage was the vegetable tree -- I think Avery will have fun building that and I'll come up with a low-fat spinach dip to satisfy the dippers (which let's face it -- include children AND adults).

I'm also really excited to have this new momentum program that Weight Watchers has just come out with last week. It hacks down on all my nasty habits -- when I would try to stay within my points but not in the right way. I knew it all along, but I still justified it. With the release of all this new info at WW I have also realized I've been eating the wrong amount of points -- no wonder I'm not seeming to loose any more weight! (Well, that and all those cookies and pies... weird how that works.)

A couple of the things I was really impressed with is that they have you track which foods you eat that are "filling foods" -- and to always choose those first. (Those are the "healthy foods" -- the ones that leave you feeling fuller, longer) Also making sure to get in your lean proteins and tracking your hunger/satisfaction level everyday. Let's face it -- I NEVER wanted to do that really, which is why I shyed away from the Core plan -- so I wouldn't have to moniter and eat slowly and all that jazz. So since they have done away with the Core plan and just made this one new plan all-encompassing -- well, I think it's great. And I'm really sticking to it this week to see if it really will make a difference.

Last night I had a yummy 2-point treat that really doesn't occur to me to have all that often. I know this doesn't go with coming up with healthy recipes -- but if you know me at all -- and I know you all do -- kallie has to have a treat everyday. Rarely has a day gone by without one -- so my goal here is to come up with treats that are not restricted to be a 1-inch square portion or completely off-limits.

This is just your average fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding made with skim milk with a dollop of frozen ff whipped topping. MMMMMM-Mmmmmmmmmmm.

This is another one of my 1-pt. stand-bys: 4 chocolate animal crackers and a peppermint patty -- rationed out to eat equal peices of cookie and mint in the same bites of course. The textures -- mmmm... you'll never go back to straight animal cookies.

If any of you have any ideas for new HEALTHY, FILLING FOODS recipes that would still be fun to set as a tradition -- pass them along. I'm thinking maybe a healthy version of a deviled egg, or maybe i'll have to make the very large cinnamon roll in a whole-wheat version. How many points is a cup of spelt, Jamie?