Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A guilt-free dessert and two lovely awards...

A few weeks ago I joined Joanne's "A Better Me" program (see the link on my sidebar). If you'd like to join, please do - the more the merrier!! In a nutshell, Joanne is an incredible cheerleader for all of us who are on a journey to become a healthier version of ourselves. Now for me, that means losing weight and exercising regularly (rather than sporadically). Joanne is so warm and supportive! But even if you don't join "A Better Me," by all means visit Joanne's wonderful blog, My Little Cottage in the Making! She blogs about her beautiful home, her family, her crafts, and she shares information about shops, eateries, and all sorts of interesting places in southern California, where she lives.

I've actually had great success with Weight Watchers in the past, so I've started back on that program. (Several years ago I stopped tracking, stopped going to meetings, and pretty much stopped being accountable for what went into my mouth. Needless to say, I gained back the weight I had lost. But I now have a new mindset, I'm back on track, and it's already starting to pay off!)


I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I thought I'd share this simple 3-point dessert with you... (It looks extra special in this beautiful "D" mug, a Christmas present from my good friend, Jill... Thank you, Jill!!!).


I really love Weight Watchers yogurt. They have such a wide variety of flavors (I used White Chocolate Raspberry, but you can use any flavor you like!) In a mug or bowl, mix together one WW yogurt (1 point) and one cup of seedless grapes (1 point).


Add a dollop of Cool Whip Free (0 points) and sprinkle .2 oz of crushed walnuts (1 point) over the Cool Whip. This is really filling and really good!!!

Awards

I also received awards from two lovely blogging friends....



I received this beautiful Butterfly Award from Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage (don't you love her blog name?) Claudia's blog is so much fun to visit... She and I are both animal lovers (we even have the exact same robin's egg blue/cottage flowered dog bed for our pets!)... She normally blogs about her home, her wonderful husband, and her fur babies in New York, but right now you can read about her west coast adventures (you won't believe how she turned a temporary furnished apartment into a cozy cottage retreat!) Thank you so much for this award, Claudia!


I also received this beautiful Special Friends award from Michelle at I'm A Little Teapot (another blog name that I love - that phrase brings back childhood memories for me!) Michelle is also a pet lover and she shares her love of family (and Rob's good taste in gifts!), and some incredible cross-stitch creations on her blog (she even cross-stitched ornaments for everyone this past Christmas - how special is that!)... She also shares amazing photos from various outings and trips (I want to move into one of the German villages she recently posted pictures of).
This award is given to... "Blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon's of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines."
As I have done with awards in the past, I would like to pass these two on to all the incredible blogger friends listed in my sidebar, whose blogs I love to visit and who share so much with all of us. Thank you all! And thank you, again, Claudia and Michelle!!!
Donna

9 comments:

Joanne Kennedy said...

Oh Donna, that dessert looks yummy! Plus by adding the nuts you get some extra protein and the yogart gives you calcium and the grapes give you a fruit serving. So not only is it yummy but it's good for you!

Congrats on your awards! You deserve them.

You are doing so good on WW I'm so proud of you! Keep up the good work!

Hugs,
Joanne

Tracey said...

The dessert looks very yummy!! I bet you could change up the yogurt flavor, fruit and nuts to match you taste.. just keeping track of the points. Great suggestion!!

Michelle said...

Hi Donna,

I'm a WW member too ~ thanks for the yummy dessert. I really enjoy the WW yogurt.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your award .. you said such nice things..

If I come up with any good sweet treats (because I have a BIG sweet tooth), I'll share them with you.

Have a wonderful day,

Michelle

Nola said...

I'm a backsliding lifetime WW member. I go on, I lose weight; I stop the program, I gain; it's a battle! I vowed to start back after the first of the year, but haven't yet. The dessert looks great~ my sweettooth gets me into so much trouble!

Rechelle ~Walnuthaven Cottage~ said...

Now that is a dessert i wouldn't feel guilty eating. I tend to keep yogurt in my fridge at all times (yoplait light) and I know I've some crushed walnuts in my pantry...mmm mmm! Thanks for the recipe.
I'm glad to hear you are doing so well on your WW. My mom was on that years ago and she lost over 130lbs! She kept it off for years. In her last years, due to meds, she had weight gain, but she always swore by WW.
Oh! Love your new Mary. The one you have in the garden is spectacular. Now you have one, that just has beautiful for your wall. Her face is so peaceful.

Kris said...

Congrats on your awards.

Like you I have a sweet tooth. Thanks for sharing this simple treat. I'll add the yogurt to my shopping list.

Good luck on your journey to a better you and healthy living.

Have a happy day,

Kris

Lisa said...

THAT LOOKS SOOOO GOOD, LOVE THE MUG!

HUGS FROM MAINE

http://sophie4me.blogspot.com/

Cottage Rose said...

Hello Donna; Your dessert sounds pretty good. I have not tried WW yogurt. I am going to have to try it out, I have a mouth full of sweet teeth. lol And congratulations on the award. how wonderful for you.

Hugs
Alaura

Anonymous said...

Looks yummy, Donna! My favorite treat, back in my WW days, was sugar-free instant chocolate pudding (made with non-fat milk of course), mixed with half a sliced banana and topped with Cool Whip. Sometimes I'd add a few nuts or a sprinkling of granola for some crunch, and I often ate it for breakfast or lunch.

Keep of the great work!

Victoria :o)