WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM 7

Remember the 3 large chicken breast I cooked in item #6, well, my wife cut up the last two and made this quick and easy dish. In no time she had a delicious meal for between 7 and 8 points!

All she did was add Uncle Ben’s long grain brown rice, some yellow peppers, and some onions! That’s it!

Season to taste and serve.

BACKSLIDING…

Yeah, only 5 pounds to date, but going out with friends makes staying on Weight Watchers difficult. I would rather be fat, happy, and with family than skinny, unhappy, and lonely!

I will remain true to the WW way of eating, but occasionally I will slip up. Mostly it was the 3 beers I had!

This is Aubrey’s Restaurant in Lenoir City, Tennessee. Aubrey’s is a local chain and there are 3 or 4 restaurants in the Knoxville area.

Today I chose the Asian Chicken Salad – Grilled chicken, wontons, mandarin oranges, peanuts, and sesame seeds, served over spring greens with a sweet Thai Vinaigrette! So yummy!

Sitting across from me was my nephew Chandler, a handsome devil, who tempted me through the whole meal with his pizza selection – a thin crust with cheese over creamed spinach, and sprinkled with tomatoes and chicken!

When I’m with the other Knights, we usually sit in the cozy bar area. Plenty of drafts to chose from here!

WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM 6

I cooked 3 large chicken breasts on the grill yesterday, all of which had been marinated in Italian Salad Dressing over night.

Today, we found that one breast weighed 6 ounces. So, we cubed up the meat, halved it, and added it to the following canned vegetables that had been mixed and heated:

1 – Can of Mexicorn
1 – Can of Lima Beans
1 – Can of cubed tomatoes with spices and garlic

All this makes a wonderful taste combination and only scores 6 points on the Weight Watcher’s scale!

WEIGHT WATCHERS – NEW PROGRAM 5

Eating well on Weight Watchers is really quite easy, such as this quick and easy salad.

Experiment with different greens besides the same old iceberg lettuce you are used to. We have begun buying Fresh Express salad mixings like Sweet Butter (Contains - Green Butter Lettuce and Red Butter Lettuce) and Riviera (Contains - Butter Lettuce and Raddichio).

Wonderful new taste was opened up to us!

We add some onion, carrots, cucumber, squash, tomato, and 2 to 3 ounces of thin sliced deli turkey, beef, or ham.

Lightly add either a low calorie blackberry vinaigrette, or fat free ranch! You will be surprised how filling and satisfying these salads are.

WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM 4

Hungry? How about a great sandwich and a cup of soup?

Whole wheat bread with only 50 calories, a little swipe of light salad dressing and spicy mustard, covered in 4 ounces of thin sliced deli beef, turkey, or ham (or a combination of each), and topped with a slice cheese (only for the man of the house for extra points), a slice of onion, and halved grape tomatoes!

A wonderful sandwich goes great with a full cup of Healthy Request Chunky Soup from Campbell’s! Wash it down with a Diet Lipton Green Tea!

It’s all within my daily point count of 34…or, at least my wife says so. So, I’ll take it!

WEIGHT WATCHERS - THE NEW PROGRAM 3

Man, last night’s meal was a whopper and totally within the points limits of the Weight Watcher’s program.

Four chicken strips cooked in light olive oil and chopped garlic, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper until golden brown.

All this meat plus two full cups of whole grain rice and peas on the side! I was completely full when I finished this meal. If I could have had dessert, I would not have had room!

Of course, when I say points, I am referring to the male portions, which is typically 34, while my wife is limited to 19 per day, at least at this time.

If you are interested in the program, check out Weight Watchers today.

WEIGHT WATCHERS - THE NEW PROGRAM 2

Fixing a quick meal that’s tasty, within points, and is good for you does not have to take long or be elaborate.

Plop a few chicken strips, some sliced turnips and squash, and a few tiny asparagus sprouts onto a baking sheet, spray everything with olive oil, and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper, and maybe a little garlic powder on the chicken and your almost done.

Pop it all into the oven for about 30 minutes on 450, turn everything once, and BAM…it’s done!

This loosing weight and watching points is a breeze.

During the final episode of The Soprano’s this evening, we split a bag of “light” popcorn. I hated the ending, but alas, they are just everyday folks trying to get along in this world the best they know how!

WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM

Well, some of you have been poking fun at me about the “Caveman” falling off the wagon, and it’s true. I have wondered to the wrong side of the forest for a time. No one noticed it more than Ms. Mushy did, so she has me on a new program – Weight Watchers!

I love the idea of the Caveman Diet, because I love nuts and fruits, but alas I’m too weak to last on anything. The only thing I ever did right was quit smoking. However, I do puff a stogie on occasion, but like Bill Clinton I do not inhale. Tried it once and got deathly sick!

Anyway, thought you might like to see last night’s meal and get build on the idea that you can eat pretty well on Weight Watchers.

Being a man, a manly man, I get about 10 more points per day than does she, and that seems to make me happy. I really haven’t been hungry, and if I do I still have fruit or popcorn (which is free if in the light version).

Last night my wife baked a beautiful pork chop, sweet potato, and side salad for me. Look at it! It was so good.

Sitting to my right was my granddaughter who insisted on macaroni and cheese with her chop…and yes, I stole 2 bites!

Here’s hoping I do better on this and have to buy all new clothes! Nah, I don’t want to go that far.

KINGSTON ALLEY GRILL & ALE HOUSE

Ron and I stopped in for lunch at the Kingston Alley Grill & Ale House today, our first trip. Bailey’s has been disappointing us of late, so we’ve decided to do a little scouting for us and the other Knights!

Since Ms. Mushy has me on the Weight Watchers diet, I held myself to one tall Killian (3 or 4 points), and ordered The Roosevelt – a 10 oz. marinated sirloin topped with Worcestershire butter. It comes with a house salad and I added steamed broccoli. Everything was delicious and I think I stayed under points, especially since I brought home at least half the steak.

Ron took on the 22 oz. Sierra Nevada and the Grilled Chicken Sandwich – an 8 oz. chicken breast grilled and topped with honey mustard! The sandwich comes with a huge pile of thick sliced fries. There was none left, so I think they must have been good!

There were 3 TVs visible, not quite “sports bar” coverage, but adequate. There are plenty of games along one wall with lots of tables, plus outdoor seating. There are also quieter area seating along the opposite wall from the game machines.

Of course, there is live music on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday evenings, beginning at 6 PM on Wed., while the other evening’s entertainment begins at 10 PM.

BIG ED'S PIZZA - THE LEGEND LIVES

Ms. Mushy and I saw “Spidyman” Friday, and we were the only 2 people in the theater! This is another perk of being retired…the 12:05 during the week is usually sparsely attended. We then topped off a lovely day together by visiting Bid Ed’s Pizza.

Since 1970 Big Ed Neusel’s Pizza, at Number 1 Broadway in Jackson Square, has been an institution, a one of a kind place to go and have old Italian style pizza and a beer. That’s all they have, so it has been perfected over the years to a succinct taste. Thin chewy crust with a fat fluffy rim that comes from dough made on site daily and a hot juicy middle available with 10 all natural ingredients!

Besides the sauce, you begin with cheese and then add up to 5 additional items, or get the “Special” and get 6! That’s my favorite…the works!

There are four draft beers, no bottles, to choose from by the glass or pitcher.

Big Ed’s has been mentioned on many national sports shows and many sports stars, and other celebrities have visited there and left banners and photos that adorn the 18-foot walls. There is an eclectic mix of autographed footballs, baseballs, and military memorabilia hanging there or in locked showcases. You could spend an hour just reading the graffiti on the stairs down to the restrooms, or looking at the signatures and dedications local schools and universities have made to Big Ed.

Some of the most important items hanging around are the paraphernalia from military units -- Blue Angels, Marines, Navy -- decorate the walls. Big Ed served in Vietnam as a Marine himself!

Big Ed’s is actually internationally famous (Google and see) and is one the “must visits” when coming to the Knoxville/Oak Ridge, Tennessee area.

High school kids have always worked “behind the glass” making the fresh pizzas for Big Ed. Many have earned their way on to college with a job tossing pizzas in the air at Big Ed’s.

Big Ed died in 1998, but the traditions continue with son David.

Big Ed crafted the cost of operating his business by providing only the barest of amenities – pizza comes hot on an aluminum tray, but you have to pulled the molten pieces off onto 6” paper (thin) plates and saw off bites (until it cools) with a plastic fork! Nothing fancy here except the taste of the pizza!

Going into Big Ed’s is like going back in time for me. I used to go to this same place (called something else then) with my parents when they went out dancing around 1949-51. I was 3 or 4 years old and I remember them holding me up between them as they danced. Gees, I wish I could remember the music – one was probably "Good Night Irene" – and get more of a visual recollection, but I only see the three-headed dancers!