TRY THIS OUTSTANDING WEIGHT WATCHERS FRIENDLY BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE!!!

cakes

POINTS® Value:    3Servings:  8Preparation Time:  12 minCooking Time:  240 minLevel of Difficulty:  Easy

Pick up some sugar-sweet blueberries at a farmers’ market and then whip up this scrumptious coffee cake in no time. It bakes while you’re out enjoying the summer sun.

Ingredients

	3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
	1/4 cup(s) whole wheat flour
	1/3 cup(s) sugar
	1/2 tsp baking soda
	1 1/2 tsp baking powder
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
	1 large egg(s), beaten
	1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt
	2 Tbsp canola oil
	1/2 tsp vanilla extract
	1 cup(s) blueberries
	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

• Combine both flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Combine egg, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl; stir well. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth; stir in blueberries.
  
• Coat a 2-quart round soufflé dish with cooking spray; spoon batter into dish. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray; cover dish tightly with foil, coated side-down, so no water seeps in.
  
• Pour 2 cups of hot water into a 5-quart or larger slow cooker; place covered baking dish in slow cooker. Cover slow cooker; cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Remove baking dish and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn cake upside down onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 slice per serving.

Notes

• You can substitute fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries or chopped strawberries for the blueberries, if desired. You can also switch to a berry-flavored fat-free yogurt.

WHY I GOT RID OF MY OLD CLOTHES THAT WERE TOO BIG ALONG MY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

When I started on my weight loss journey as I have stated in past blogs I wore an 6 XL shirt and had a 64 inch waist.  When I began to drop weight and smaller clothes began to fit me comfortably I  got rid of my bigger clothes and donated them to charity or to relatives that could have use for them for several reasons.  The first reason is so I would have room in my closet which isn't much because my wife takes up 3/4 of the closet space (lol) to buy new smaller size clothes that fit properly.  This was a great feeling to be able to go out and buy smaller clothes knowing that I had been successful on my weight loss journey.  The other reason which is very important is because I knew that I had to atleast stay the same weight and size or my clothes would be very tight and uncomfortable.  The last thing that I wanted to do is go shopping for bigger clothes because my new clothes no longer fit me.  So in doing this I kept on dropping weight slowly and remained on my new lifestyle change of eating healthy and exercising on a daily basis.  I kept on doing this until I reached my goal weight which I have now been at for over a year.  In my closet now are XL size shirts and 36 inch pants/shorts which I plan to keep on wearing until they wear out or I buy new clothes at the same size or smaller.  So a big piece of advice that I would like to give out is not to keep your clothes that no longer fit because you have dropped weight and inches for the above reasons.  Have a great and very healthy week everyone :)  

ONLY TRACK WHAT YOU EAT ON DAYS THAT YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT!!

Tracking what I eat in a food journal that can be bought at any grocery or stationary store has been the number 1 reason for my weight loss and maintaining my weight loss over the past 4 years. It may take some time to get used to doing but it's so very important.  It's more than just writing down what you eat on a daily basis.  A lot of time before I eat anything I know that I'm going to have to write it down and then I think twice if I really want to eat that certain food or meal and track it.  This is a very useful tool to use when I may be struggling because I can look back on what I have been eating and compare it to what I have ate in the past when I was doing good and dropping weight.  When I don't track what I eat I tend to just eat whatever I want at the moment because I don't have to write anything down.  What tracking does for me is to keep my self accountable for everything that I put in my mouth.  So if your struggling or need to get over a plateau that your experiencing then try this out which I'm sure will help greatly.  I also write down how much exercise I do daily in the tracker which is also a great incentive for me to get out and exercise.  So as the title of this blog states I only track on days that I want to lose weight or maintain my weight loss which is everyday!!  I hope that everyone is having a very healthy week so far...   

MAKE DAILY EXERCISING FUN THIS SUMMER!!

This summer I have been having a lot of fun doing different activities outside which is a great source of exercise.  What has helped me out a lot is that I'm doing things that I really enjoy and it doesn't feel like I'm exercising at all.  I have really been mixing up what I do each day instead of doing the same thing day after day which has really helped.  Here is an example of what I did last week for exercise which was fun for me.  Of course when I do these activities I have my mp3 walkman on with my favorite music that gets me pumped up!  On monday I went to the beach and walked down the main street and looked through the shops which was a lot of fun and had a healthy lunch while I was down there.  On tuesday I went back to the beach because I just love going there to see the ocean and all of the people down there enjoying the sun like myself. I walked down the pier and back which is about a 1 mile walk, then went down the stairs to the boardwalk and walked for about 60 minutes before heading back to my car.  On wednesday I went to the gym and did a great full body workout which I try to do atleast 3 times a week which helps me to get stronger and afterwards I get the endorphins pumping in my body which feels awesome.  On Thursday I turned on exercise t.v. and did my favorite 10 minute back and abs workout.  Later that night I had to work on the graveyard shift and instead of dreading it I made it go by quickly by walking through all the buildings which took about 3 hours, plus it makes me look like I love my job to my employer which I do!  Friday was a day that I went for a long 90 minute walk around my neighborhood and at my local park which was great for a change in scenery.  On saturday I went golfing for the first time in a long time and instead of taking a cart for 18 holes I walked the course with the bag on my back which was a lot of fun and excellent exercise.  On Sunday I went bowling with my wife and some others which was fun and a total different kind of exercise plus I got to spend some quality time with my wife.  Bowling isn't a ton of exercise but it's a lot of fun and I like to take it easy on Sundays and not worry too much about eating perfect and doing tons of exercise.  So this is a good example of how we can mix up our exercise routines and make it fun especially in the summer months when the weather is so great for most of us.