After years (literally, 3.5 years) of counting Weight Watchers Points®, this past week, I decided I’d had it. I spent one last week counting to the best of my ability while I researched other possible eating plans. While I know that I *should* attempt the whole intuitive eating thing, my intuition would lead me to chicken fingers, burgers, and french fries at this point.
After asking some advice from trusted sources, I picked up One Week in the Zone by Dr. Barry Sears since it seemed like a logical and non-counting-based eating plan. The thing in reading a good portion of the book that really stuck with me was that simple carbs were to be used like a condiment; “just a sprinkling” on each meal. My simple carb consumption had gotten out of control, and I KNOW that’s not good for me. So today, my brunch salad had a few croutons and I avoided the sugary dressing and bread. Late lunch was literally a salad on high-fiber bread with some turkey, and then dinner is something I’m quite proud of!
Rather than having a bowl full of gnocchi (which is what I wanted) with a bit of veggies, I made a bowl of veggies with a few gnocchi and some shrimp… oh, and Chavrie goat cheese, which I’ll get to in a minute.
Creamy Shrimp and Vegetables with Gnocchi
serves 6
Ingredients
1/2 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed
1 lb broccoli, cut into florets
2 red peppers, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. gnocchi
Directions
Heat oil and garlic in a large pan. Add red peppers, broccoli, and basil and stir to combine. Cook until broccoli is done and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add pint of tomatoes and stir well. In the same frying pan, add the shrimp and cook until thawed. Add to the bowl. Cook the gnocchi according to package directions, drain, and add to bowl. Then, add the Chavrie and stir until it’s melted and all ingredients are lightly coated. Enjoy!
I had literally, 6 gnocchi in my first serving. It didn’t even matter because the rest of it was so good, and the goat cheese added a little bit of a “gourmet” taste to something truly simple.
I’ve been a fan of goat cheese ever since I was 18 and went to Spain. They have a dish there, a hot tapas dish actually, called “queso de cabra al horno” which is baked goat cheese in tomato sauce served with chewy Spanish bread. I fell in love with it then, and eat it whenever we go out for tapas. I got adventurous with goat cheese since I started blogging, and enjoyed it here in my basil-chavrie stuffed burgers and here in my gnocchi with pesto chavrie. After these recipes, the lovely people at Chavrie contacted me and sent me coupons for FREE CHAVRIE (hey that rhymes!) There were two sets of coupons: one for me to use and try the product (which I love) and one for me to give away to ONE LUCKY READER!!
There’s not one coupon, but TWO! One is for a FREE Chavrie goat cheese product (up to $5), and a FREE baby brie wedge (up to $8, I think). But wait! This gets better! Since I’ll be sending the coupons myself, the winner will also get their choice of a foodie charm! You have three chances to enter:
- Leave a comment on this post
- Link back to this post on your blog OR if you don’t have a blog, email me at mara@imadedinner.net for your second entry.
- Tweet this on twitter: I want to win @chavrie from @imadedinner!
You can do all of the above, or any combination of the above to win! Winners will be chosen at random using random.org on Thursday’s dinner post.
Good luck!
I’m off to enjoy this no-sugar-added lovely root beer float that Adam just presented to me!
Have a great Tuesday all!
Tagged as:
giveaway,
pasta,
seafood,
twitter,
weight loss
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darn it! my comment didn’t publish!!!
i talked about how much I loved root beer floats and would love some freeeeeeeee cheeseeeeeeeee !
=-.
.-= glidingcalm´s last blog ..Frustrating Result
omg free cheese? Sign me up!!
.-= Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats´s last blog ..Attack of the 10 Foot Corn! =-.
I am already fantasizing about all of the yumminess I can make with some goat cheese and brie!! I LOVE making baked brie….I wanna win!
I love chavrie’s products! i just polished off a container of goat cheese so i could really use the coupons to restock my cheese stash
Mmm I love me some cheese! I’ll also blog about it in my next post and link back to you for entry #2!
.-= Christina´s last blog ..Dairy-free Eggless "Depression" Cake =-.
I am doing something similiar. No more processed foods (which pretty much eliminates the majority of simple carbohydrates). I’m still going to try to count calories because I need a way to limit myself.
Good luck with your new plan
.-= Jaimie´s last blog ..Why am I always back at square one? =-.
SOUNDS sooo yummy!
.-= junghwa´s last blog ..Kathy’s Krakers – RAW (Review & Giveaway) =-.
SERIOUSLY? Free cheese? I am all over that!
Those food charms are so adorable.
Have tweeted about it. Now I’m going to be dreaming about delicious cheese for the next week…
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..9k Race Results =-.
I believe that you can live without counting every point. While chicken fingers are quite tasty I think after 3+ years on weight watchers you have learned how to chose the right foods. Give yourself a week, and go for what you know is healthy, what will make your body feel good, and overall what will help you to be balanced…if no good then maybe turn to a plan.
And yay for cheese give away!
.-= soundZtastee´s last blog ..APW Day 3 =-.
I haven’t had Chavrie in ages…
Your dinner sounds sooo good. I have found too that cutting out carbs is not that hard if you are just conscious of it. I, too, can easily eat tons of gnocchi (my favorite food in the world; I order it whenever it is on the menu!!! And I make it frequently at home…) But if you make the shrimp and the veggies the focus as you did, it’s easy to eat just a few gnocchi. I also love the name of the dish: Putting the shrimp & the veggies first versus the gnocchi as I normally would…
.-= Andrea@WellnessNotes´s last blog ..Have You Taken the Stairs Lately? =-.
I love cheese and have been trying not to buy it because it’s expensive. Help a poor girl out!
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Daily Run: Long. Hot. Done. =-.
I totally NEED to win this one! I have been hearing all about goat cheese but I have been too chicken to try it! This could be the nudge I need!
.-= Jen (@bwJen)´s last blog ..i am leaving town =-.
I love free stuff!
.-= laura´s last blog ..Roasted Chewbacca Soup =-.
twittered I can Haz Cheeeeez?
.-= laura´s last blog ..Roasted Chewbacca Soup =-.
Dinner looks great! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Zone.
Mmm, I haven’t had a root beer float in ages! Would you believe my hubby has never even TRIED root beer?! Crazy!
.-= Lara (Thinspired)´s last blog ..ABC’s of Saturday =-.
P.S. I was just commenting to say hi, don’t worry about entering me in the contest…don’t think the cheese would last very long flying overseas
.-= Lara (Thinspired)´s last blog ..ABC’s of Saturday =-.
Goat cheese is a staple in my life. This giveaway is calling my name!
.-= Lauren´s last blog ..All or Nothing Mondays =-.
free goat cheese? oh please!!!
.-= coco´s last blog ..Argentinian tango night~~ =-.
I’m finally catching up on my google reader and I literally just chuckled because my best friend and I have been on weight watchers for quite some time. We had a long conversation about how we are done with counting points. We both decided to pick up Jillian Michael’s Winning by Losing book. We both found that weight watchers science can be a bit misleading and also found that weight watchers is a great starting point but when you become vigorously more active its hard for weight watchers to fit in with your lifestyle when they praise low fat, so on and so forth. Anyways..good luck with whatever plan you decide on!!!!
.-= Courtney´s last blog ..don’t even think about it… =-.
Mmmmm….free cheese + a food charm! What more could one ask for?
I had never tasted goat cheese until I tried it at a tapas place in Atlanta, Ga. I instantly fell in love with it. I would love to win the giveaway.
.-= Kimberly Lee´s last blog ..Menu Planning Monday =-.
I LOVE goat cheese!
Cheeesssseeeeee! Yum.
I was nervous when I stopped counting points. It became such a part of my daily routine that I kinda felt lost without it! But…..I knew I had the proper skills to trust myself to make good food choices without keeping track. So far, so good.
.-= Krista´s last blog ..Catch Up Day =-.
that shrimp dish looks awesome! can you believe I’ve never tried chavrie? I would love to win some coupons + one of your supercute charms
.-= brandi´s last blog ..Beautiful Mess =-.
Ooooh, I love, love, love goat cheese! I buy Chevrie anytime I can find it. I hope I win!
Wow, I love cheese especially brie!! I’d love to win! What a great giveaway!!
Hi Mara! I just found your site, and I’m kind of obsessed. Wonderful dinner recipes!!!
.-= Lainie´s last blog ..On Top of Old Smokey =-.
Ooh I starting loving goat cheese in Spain too! But the kinds in the USA just can’t compare.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..He May Be Small, But He’s a Fighter! =-.
Root beer floats?! Oh my gosh I’m in love I need one of those soon!
.-= Danielle´s last blog ..89 Degrees =-.
A world without cheese is a world without me! Free cheese is all the better. Free chevre cheese is the best!
Good luck with your new plan, Mara. I know that counting Points gets to be tedious when you have done it for years. I move to the Core program and found things improved greatly for me in terms of my desire to not get bored/frustrated/annoyed by Points.
I want to win @chavrie from @imadedinner! (Thanks for this opportunity!)
Hey Mara, I’d love to try the cheese. Looks so yummy!
OOh, I heart brie! Great with pears on crackers and a nice wine.
.-= Sassy´s last blog ..Searching for Motivation in the Kitchen =-.
Oh wow, isn’t goat cheese the best! Adds so much flavor in such small quantities. I will be tweeting this shortly!
.-= Diana (Soap & Chocolate)´s last blog ..Radventure of the Week: Raw Breakfast =-.
Yay for creamy cheeses and double yay for cheesey giveaways!
.-= katherine´s last blog ..Weekly Workout Recap =-.
Please count me in! I LOVE GOAT CHEESE!
.-= Marlene´s last blog ..Recovery =-.
Cheese is probably my second favorite thing in the world. Free cheese being the first.
And good luck with the zone. I’m trying to do zone ratios of 40/30/30 but I have issues with the simple carb thing. That food looks amazing though, I’ll have to make something like that soon /crave
.-= Quix´s last blog ..New Orleans Vacation Part 1: Good Intentions and Good Times =-.
O0o0oo root beer float! i can’t remember the last time I had that. Excellent giveaway!
.-= Olga´s last blog ..A lesson from Julia, hold the butter. =-.
I wantz a root beerz float !
I wantz cheezzzzzzzzzzze too!!
Great give-away thank-you!!!
I agree with you that after counting points for a long time, it does get kind of tiresome.
I like the idea of switching things up for you. I’ve found that I have started eating 1/2 of what I make and see how I feel. If I ‘m still hungry I’ll eat the whole thing, otherwise, I just count have the points and bank the rest.
Your dinner looks so good, I love that combo of ingredients
.-= Jenn@slim-shoppin´s last blog ..Open face sloppy Joes =-.
zone is good…like south beach
Cheese! Love it! I want to win! And good luck with the zone!
.-= Victoria´s last blog ..Colorado Recap Day 1 =-.
Free cheese! Yay. Just tweeted @theskinnyplate too! Will link tomorrow.
I so want to win! Mara, I love your recipes. I’m about to rejoin WW so it is good to hear some other options out there. The point counting gets crazy after a while.
I love chevrie!!! I use it in all kinds of recipes. My go to salad is greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and dried fruit. Or I put herbed flavored in pastas. Looks yummy!
-kristen
.-= EatingRD´s last blog ..all fired up =-.
enjoy your daily message. Keep up the messages/info., it gives me different meal ideas. Am looking forward to trying the Chavrie Goat Cheese. Have meant to try goat cheese but thus far have not bought any. We raise goats and we have joked about milking/making cheese. Sounds better to buy good goat cheese.
thanks,
Georgia
You know I love all things cheese!
Pick me!
.-= Biz´s last blog ..Perfect Night =-.
Oooh I love cheese! Awesome giveaway, Mara! If I win, I would gladly offer up the foodie charm to another awesome possum
Mm…I haven’t had a root bear float in ages!
.-= Jenn (eating bender)´s last blog ..Bring It On In To Omeletteville =-.
Ha, I mean root BEER. Never had a root BEAR float before!
.-= Jenn (eating bender)´s last blog ..Bring It On In To Omeletteville =-.
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