Did you try a meatless meal option this week? Even if you are a confirmed carnivore or burgeoning herbivore the health and weight-loss benefits are many. Share your favorites at a meeting this week.

My favorite meatless meal this week was whole-wheat pasta spirals with tomato sauce and diced olive oil sauteed yellow squash with onion, garlic and white wine vinegar and fresh parmesan on top. Thanks for the gift of your home-grown produce Lorayne! Lorayne attends in Batesville, Indiana.

Here is the link for the Meatless Monday website I mentioned too! They have some tasty sounding recipes but you'll need to calculate the PointsPlus values yourself. You can also read about the eco-benefits too.

Next week we are all about Getting Unstuck!

So if you don't know it is snowing in Cincinnati!
The Lawrenceburg Community Center is closing at 4PM so no meeting at 6:30pm. You don't want to be driving if you don't have to. I saw 5 cars spin out in 30 minutes.
The Laurel Elementary At Work meeting is also closed, but you probably already now that since you didn't have school. See everyone next week.

Today is Saturday, 02/06/2010. The meeting at Park Ave UMC in Hamilton, OH is closed due to snow. I am sure the parking lot is a mess too. If you feel like driving a little, the West Chester Center meeting is still going to be open as Butler Cty is at level 1 (5:44 am). Haven't heard yet myself. You know I would get to the meeting if I could y'all. This just in....

Dearborn County Goes To Level 3 Emergency
Motorists Urged To Stay Off Roads
POSTED: 5:06 am EST February 6, 2010
DEARBORN COUNTY, Ind. -- Dearborn County has declared a level 3 snow emergency for Saturday.

Bill Black with Dearborn County Emergency Management said roads in Dearborn County are covered in snow. Black also said the snow is drifting forcing the closure of some roads.

A level 3 snow emergency means that all drivers should stay off the roads. Drivers who disobey may be ticketed.

Breaking news thanks to WLWT.com
Hey I have an idea. You lifetime members need to join staff and become leaders so you can take over for me at the last minute.

Since you asked. Weather closings are avoided if possible and I really do try to get there. When you call the toll free number on the back of any of your program material to check closing information ALWAYS speak to a person. We try to post closing information at least 2 to 2 1/2 hours before meeting time.

Miss you!

YES! I repeat: YES! Didn't hear me? YES YES YES YES YES YES!
Ok, so here is the deal. It's like a receipe. The points are cumulative and you get the nutrients from what you consume of the result.
Coffee 0 Points
Milk, skim 1 Cup, 2 Points
EQUALS 1 Dairy, 2 Points

Adding 1 oz of hazelnut syrup? Add 2 more Points. (Sugar-free adds zip!) Enjoy!

This week we have been talking about practicing the Manage Your Thoughts habit. Thoughts are some sneaker little buggers. So, for almost a week now I've been seeing a picture of a self-proclaimed "cake disaster" perpetrated by our friend Fatty McButterpants, AKA Amy. You can check it out yourself here. I've seen it on her site and several times on Facebook. No problem in the thoughts department--until this morning. After I had listened to "The Sign" by Ace of Base, I clicked over to see what was what in the McButterpants world and here's this cake again. "Hmmmm....you know that chunk that broke off on the right side, I could have ate that and fixed the cake up real good and no one would have been the wiser." What is that about? weird. Even weirder is that I "heard" the thought at all. Most thoughts of this kind flit by virtually unnoticed. How does this relate to the rest of my day and positive food encounters? Good question. It may not. I've already made headway in acknowledging the negative thought. The reality of today is that I am no longer that person. Thoughts like these seldom have calories unless we chew on them too long. I could continue to think about the icing and wonder about the design on the plate. Did Amy wrap the cake before putting it into the can? Is it still there? Has sanitation been by yet? ....but that would just be torture. (oh! did I go too far?)