Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Banana Oat Cookies

Here it is! My first recipe of the week post. I am planning on making this a weekly thing, or at least a bi-weekly thing. I have been craving cookies lately. Like my Mom's cowboy cookies, or my grandmothers sugar cookies to be exact. Even just thinking about those cookies is making my mouth water as we speak.

I have been looking for something easier and with just as much yumminess (is that even a word?). While looking I came across the recipe for these 2-Ingredient Banana Bread Cookies. I just wanted something a little more substantial and chocolaty. I played around with the recipe and I came up with something I liked. My 8 year old even liked them and hes pretty picky. The best part is that they only came out to 1 Smart Point™ for 2 cookies!!!!!! Yes, that was not a typo on my part and you did read it correctly. 

ONE SMART POINTS™ FOR TWO COOKIES!!!!

I hope you like these cookies as much as I did! Next time I may add some vanilla, because I think that will be good and add some depth of flavor. Let me know what you think. I enjoyed these very much. Also you might want to eat them quickly, well within a week or store them in the refrigerator. I was trying to be good and eat them slowly, but I left them in my kitchen cupboard for 2 weeks and forgot about them. When I remembered them and went to have some after 2 weeks they were moldy. I guess I will have to make more. Dang.

Chocolate Banana Oat Cookies

1 Smart Point™ per 2 cookie serving. Makes 11 servings.

Ingredients

3small

bananas (on the ripe side)

1cup(s)

uncooked quick oats

2Tbsp Mighty Nut Original powdered peanut butter

1tbsp

Hershey's Cocoa, 100% Cacao, Special Dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Mash bananas well in a bowl. I prefer to mash all the chunks, but you don't have to.

3. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Stir dry ingredients into mashed bananas until incorporated.

5. Use tablespoon to drop dough onto greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Flatten slightly with a fork. Should make 22 cookies.

6. Bake for 9-12 minutes until slightly crisp.

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 42

Wow this week flew by! I guess that is what happens since last week I weighed in on Saturday and this week I resumed my normal meeting schedule. 

It has only been 5 days since my last weigh in and I was not expecting a loss at all. I ate like all of the chocolate in my house. I don't know why, I mean I was able to abstain from the kids' chocolate stash this whole time, but since I came back from my moms I have been a chocolate hound.

At least I have been tracking everything that I have been eating. Even when I go over my points. It doesn't matter, I still track it. I have no idea why I lost. I really expected to have a gain because of all of the chocolate that I have been eating. And when I say all of the chocolate I mean ALL OF IT! It has become a willpower kryptonite for me. Oh well, all I can do is just keep trucking. I got this! Here is to a better week on plan and my last semester of college starting on Monday. 

This weeks meeting was all about Smart Points. Since the new year is beginning it is also the 'official' launch of Smart Points. You know, because of New Year's Resolutions and everything I am sure. I really hope that those who do join weight watchers for new years stick with it. It really works! I was also told by some of the members at the meetings that I go to that I should put my recipes online and share them. This is because I have a major sweet tooth and always find ways to add desserts to my plan. I hope to be able to add a recipe of the week, featuring one of my favorite Smart Points plan friendly foods.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Lose Weight With Me! This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by March 14, 2016. They are also running a promotion to lose 10 pounds on them. If you join and sign up for selected plans, lose 10 pounds in the first 2 months (which is very do-able) they will either refund you for the 2 months you paid for or apply a credit to the following two months. That is like getting 4 months for the price of two!!!

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 252.8
Current Week: -2.2
Total Loss: 53.6

Weigh-In Saturday: Week 41

What a way to bring in the new year! With a gain! Previously I would have beaten myself up about a gain, but it is a new year and I am not the woman I used to be. I enjoyed some good food, good company and even slept from 2015 to 2016! It was the first time in a long time that I actually went to bed before midnight and woke up bright and early to start the new year. I was on vacation and enjoying myself. I decided that I was not going to let the scale dictate my mood. My goal was to not gain so much that it dipped into my 50 pounds lost. I did just that! I may have gained 1.4 pounds but overall I have lost 51.4 pounds! That is the real victory. Here is to getting back on track for the new year and enjoying a healthier and more active 2016!

I know why I had a gain this week and I am not proud of it. I really want to blame it on my mom and the fact that she has candies and goodies literally everywhere. I love M&M's, I mean I LOVE them! I could pop them until they were gone and not even bat an eye. I also enjoyed my vacation and the food that I ate. While I tracked everything, I also did not let myself miss out on any food that sounded good. I enjoyed it and I know that this doesn't happen often. I did try to make better choices, but I also enjoyed a burger and fries at Jack in the Box. There are no Jack in the Boxes where I live and I was feeling nostalgic because I used to eat there as a kid. I enjoyed the food, but it was to much and it ended with me having a stomach ache. I guess I really don't eat that much greasy food in that large of proportions anymore. Oh well. Time to move on and get back on plan.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by March 14, 2016. They are also running a promotion to lose 10 pounds on them. If you join sign up for selected plans, lose 10 pounds in the first 2 months (which is very do-able) they will either refund you for the 2 months you paid for or apply a credit to the following two months. That is like getting 4 months for the price of two!!!

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 255
Current Week: + 1.4
Total Loss: 51.4

Bring it On 2016!

 Another year has gone by and I am so happy for the progress that I have made this year. I feel better, I have more energy and I am excited to see that this year has in store. I say bring it on 2016! I will also not be making any New Year's Resolutions this year because I have a hard time sticking to them. I also am already doing what I would have resolved to do in the first place. Eat healthy, lose weight, get in shape. Check, check, and check. This is an ongoing journey and I will see it through.

I was looking through pictures from last year and found this one from my little sister's 21st birthday in Las Vegas. I know I did not take any real starting pictures but it was after this trip that I re-joined Weight Watchers. One year can make a difference if you want it to. Look how far I have come!

December 2015 Progress Post

260.4 Pounds                                                                                             253.6 Pounds

Well there was a bigger difference in the way of my weight between November and December. The total change was 6.8 pounds lost. I also reached my 50 pound weight loss milestone this month and I can attribute that to Weight Watchers New Plan, Beyond the Scale. The new plan has helped me chose to eat healthier than I already was. Especially when it comes to snacking that I have been prone to do. I now chose to eat more fruits and veggies instead of small pieces of chocolate.

When I look at these monthly progress pictures I always tent to gravitate to the side view or the back view as the ones that show the most progress. I am glad to be done with the cast though because it was a pain. My ankle is feeling stronger and I am looking forward to putting it to the test next semester. I signed up for a strength training class as well as a walking for fitness class, it will be good to do something at school that is beneficial to my physical and mental health.

I don't see much progress in this arm picture. I am hoping that changes in maybe January or February. This was part of the reason that I chose to take the strength training class Spring Semester. Really due to my arms, I am not happy with them at all and I plan on focusing on my upper arms because they bother me the most of anything else. Although I know I am a working in progress I am excited to take this leap and continue pushing for better health.

 Since, I took these pictures over Christmas vacation I forgot to take my measurements. I will update them next month. Although I know I am getting smaller because my mom gave me some of her pants to borrow so I don't have to buy new pants for awhile longer. So I will literally be wearing mom jeans for awhile.

Weigh-In Saturday: Week 40

Merry Christmas! I have officially been with Weight Watchers for 10 months. I am super excited to reach this milestone because this is the longest that I have been able to stay on track and keep moving forward in this weight loss journey. It is also the most amount of time that I have kept up my blog. Sure I may be a week behind in posting, but at least I have not given up. I do know that this blog really keeps me sane and I find that the more I do it, the more it is easier to keep motivated and focused on my goal.                                                                                         
That being said, I am currently on vacation. My boyfriend and I are spending the holiday at my Moms' house in the city of sin. Well, actually we are in Henderson, Nevada, but you could practically throw a rock and hit the Las Vegas Strip from here. I also attended a Weight Watchers meeting here this morning and am pleased to announce that I lost 1.2 pounds over Christmas!!! I could not believe it! I even had a donut and a few beers on Christmas Eve! Yes, I did say donuts and beer. Ha! I mean it was the holidays and all.                                                                  
Tomorrow we are driving out to Los Angeles for a few days. I am looking forward to some sightseeing and putting my feet in the ocean. Also, my boyfriend and I have the golf clubs in the trunk so that we can go golfing in the nice 65 degree California weather. There will be plenty of walking and loads of fresh seafood. I plan on tracking everything that I eat even if I go over my points, I am just going to enjoy my vacation and make sure that I am making healthier choices.

This weeks meeting we talked about planning for the holidays. My plan is just to try to enjoy the holidays, making healthy choices and I will be fine with whatever the scale says next week. Even if it is a gain because I have a week before spring semester starts that I can get back on track.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 253.6
Current Week: -1.2
Total Loss: 52.8

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 39

I know last week I mentioned that Weight Watchers was making HUGE changes to their system. They launched Beyond the Scale and I have just finished my first week on the new plan. I was apprehensive about the changes because Weight Watchers revamped their system and I was doing well with Points Plus. However, changes happen for a reason. I used this week to restart and treated it like my first week on the plan. This was I could throw out any preconceived notions I had.

Here are my takeaways from my first week of Beyond the Scale:

1. Lean protein has a lower Smart Points value. This week I was able to eat more meat with my meals and this caused me to snack less.

2. Sugar causes the Smart Points value to increase. This means that my 'go to' snacks, including mini candy bars, have an exponentially larger Smart Points value and while this saddened me it also forced me to make better choices when it came to raiding the candy bowl.

3. I miss swapping my activity points for a good lager. You can still activate a swap with fit points but it is not recommended. It has allowed me to challenge myself to get more fit points especially since they rack up faster than activity points did.

4. The decrease in weekly points allowance. It was only a 5 point difference for me, but that is the points of a good beer. On the plus side the Smart Points value of light beer decreased from 4 Points Plus to 3 Smart Points values. Also liquor decreased by a point as well. Yes! 

5. The new emphasis on taking time out for yourself has proven invaluable. It really does a world of difference.

After my weigh in today I can say that I LOVE BEYOND THE SCALE! I dropped 4 pounds this week and have officially passed the 50 pounds lost mark!!! My next mini goal is to reach 249 pounds. I would love to reach this by the end of January. I also am 25 pounds away in order to meet my goal of losing 75 pounds in a year on Weight Watchers.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 254.8
Current Week: -4
Total Loss: 51.6

Weigh-In Thursday: Week 38

My last final is due tomorrow. I am so excited to be one step closer to getting my bachelor's degree! I have been running on no sleep and a coffee I.V. (those exist right?) That's what I get for being a procrastinator. Oh well, I only have one semester left and it is too late to change my ways now.

Since I have been staying up late writing papers and working on finals my eating schedule has bee all bonkers. I have also been eating crap like sugary cereal and chips at 2 am in order to keep myself awake. I really expected to gain at least 2 pounds this week. I am determined to get back on track and also this week I have been tracking everything that I have been eating even if that means going into the negative for my points. It is only one week and I have been through this before. It will pass and I will get back on track.

Our meeting this week was about the changes to Weight Watchers. They are changing from Points Plus to Beyond the Scale. I am kind of excited about the changes. The biggest differences are that the point values for lean protein has dropped, sugar is now part of the equation (sad face), and you no longer swap out your activity for food. I am glad this happened the week after finals so that I have time to really get into the changes to the plan. I am determined to get back on track and reach my 50 pound weight loss goal by Christmas. That is a doable goal and only 2.4 pounds away from my current weight.

Have you been thinking of joining Weight Watchers and losing with me? Now is the perfect time to Join Weight Watchers with Me. This link will give you a free gift of the Weight Watchers Magazine if you subscribe by 12/31/2015.

Lets not forget:
Starting Weight: 306.4
Current Weight: 258.8
Current Week: +1.6
Total Loss: 47.6