Happy Tuesday all! You all seriously are awesome ~ not quite sure that statement is true, then, check out all the successes you all celebrated yesterday! Tuesday is one day I look forward to every single week because it’s the Napa Farmer’s Market. It is also a day that I have the chance to meet up with one of my friends to explore the market and have a delicious lunch at one of my favorite places in Oxbow Public Market.
This morning started in the same fashion as yesterday with Kodiak Cake Goodness topped with 1 Tbsp. melted whipped butter and TJ’s pure maple syrup.
Plus maple syrup topped TJ’s Peppered Turkey Bacon.
All together with Gevalia Coffee deliciousness…..9 points+
My morning literally flew by as in I had zero time to even think if I wanted an AM snack which is good because lunch was amazing!
First ~ a few snap shots from all the amazing produce that I cannot get enough of at the market.
Lemon Cucumbers are my addiction the summer ~ I have to buy them at every market.
Seeing all the squash at the market totally reminds me that fall is just about here ~ I love pumpkin season!!
Figs ~ which I actually do not like, but, always think I want to buy for a fig & bacon pizza.
One of my favorite vendors at the Napa Farmer’s Market are the Farmstead farmer’s. Everything they serve at their restaurant is grown by them and sold at the market.
They also have funny signs on their produce that make me laugh every week.
The egg lady actually sells green eggs ~ can you see them?
After working up an appetite walking the market, we headed over to The Kitchen Door for lunch.
Before I dive into lunch, I wanted to share with you all a few things that I think really make Weight Watchers work for me. I really think this is an important thing to focus on as several of you have told me one meal off track throws off your entire day/week/month. I can totally relate to that and I’ve had my moments doing just the same.
The one thing that has stuck with me though is mastering this ~ On days when I want to live life and enjoy it, I am not afraid to order what I want on the menu, savor every bite, count it and then I balance it out the rest of the day by making healthier choices and lightening on my next meal.
For places that do not provide nutritional information, I do my best to estimate based on how I feel it was made based on ingredients or finding a comparable item at a restaurant. I also have a friend who says whenever she cannot figure out the points+ for any meal she has, she automatically counts 14 points+ in her tracker and moves on….it’s worked for her every time.
We started with the fresh baked flat herbed bread ~ we were so excited to dive in that the picture happened after we snagged two slices ~ oops 
It’s super thin, crispy, yet doughy and melts in your mouth with herby goodness. 3 points+ a slice.
This dish always gets me with one statement ~ Bacon Fried Rice (seriously, I could just stop there and you’d probably order it, right?)
Korean Soy Glazed Short Ribs with Vegetable & Bacon Fried Rice
Grilled Flat Iron Steak with slow cooked Béarnaise Onions & Arugula Salad
We split everything ~ My salad plate piled high with a little bit of everything topped with 2 frites (French Fries!) Honestly as amazing as it sounds…the meat is so tender you can use your fork and I totally want that soy glaze. 17 points+
I am super proud of the fact that I opted for an Americano for dessert and passed on Kara’s Cupcakes and Anne the Baker Cookies.
The Husband was on board with having leftovers for dinner and sharing this tasty cucumber caprese salad with made with my farmer’s market “treats”.
Big Heirloom tomatoes with sliced cucumber topped with fresh mozzarella, basil, coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze, lemon juice and olive oil.
I had half the plate and was satisfied stopping there. 3 points+
Tomorrow I cannot wait to dive into the Homemade Super Cheesy Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese I made for lunches this week. I am also totally telling myself I can’t wait to get back on that treadmill in the dark AM hours again too lol.
STATS:
- 35 Daily Points+, 40 WPA remaining
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
How do you balance it out after an indulgent meal or snack?
Night all!
After a not so plan friendly meal or snack I do a lot like you, I make sure the rest of the day is filled with low to zero point foods. It’s a good thing I’m a fruit & veggie fanatic so you could present me with just about anything from the garden or orchard and I can fix up a meal right quick.
But that’s the thing about WW, it was never about depriving yourself of the foods you love and crave. It has always been about find that balance, that sweet spot, where you can indulge without starving yourself later to compensate. This is why this plan works for us. We’re foodies, we can’t be without good food, but at the same time we don’t have to sacrifice the lovely-ness of bread or the sheer umami of bacon just to lose weight.
We can have the cake and eat it too. We just have to plan on that big salad to fill us up for the rest of the meal / day ^_^
Question when making the Squash Mac and Cheese, can we use the pre cut and bagged squash, I am only making it for my self and I don’t need a whole squash!
OH HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!!! 🙂 I got the TJ’s balsamic glaze recently and was looking for something new to do with it! And here you go with your post! Woo hoo! I will be trying that yummy salad this weekend! I can’t wait!
Thanks Danica! 🙂
Re squash mac and cheese – how does it count if doing simply filling? It sounds yummy.
Great post! Love hearing how everyone makes WW work for them. We have great farmers markets here in GA too. Great way to spend a Sat morning.