I am not sure about couscous. For one thing, my leader says only whole wheat is core. Ok, no problem w/that. In the book, it says that brown rice and w w pasta are limited to one meal a day. The box of couscous says it is a pasta...so does this mean just use it for one meal a day? I thought couscous was a grain....

Thanks.

Ellen

It is kind of confusing, isn't it? As far as I know, couscous IS pasta, but it's in a category all its own. It's not limited to once a day like ww pasta. Truth be told, I don't think I COULD eat couscous more than once a week, much less once a day! But I know it's a trigger food for some of us, so make sure you watch it.

Angela

Couscous does NOT have to be whole wheat. It just hast to be plain, no flavored. I hate to say your Leader is wrong....but she's wrong!

Right!

Not flavored kind.PLAIN

Hi Everybody

I haven't rejoined Weight Watcher's since moving to Wisconsin, but I've been pretty much following the Core program (influenced a little by Neanderthin and the Paleolithic Diet). I do eat whole grains, but try to remember that in nature whole grains are a little like nuts. In their natural state, they're a lot of work for the calorie, which tends to limit how much you eat (nuts in the shell vs those without, for example).

I was really surprised that couscous was unlimited, but it's probably because it's mostly used as a rather plain side dish. But you can use it like rice or pasta, so I tend to keep that in mind when I eat it.

I love adding just a tablespoon or two (dry) in a cup of hot bouillon or canned low fat chicken broth to make a super quick chicken noodle soup. Since I'm using such a little bit, I don't worry if I eat it a couple times in the same day. But knowing it is pasta, it would be easy to misuse (couscous alfredo?)

I have fibromyalgia and arthritis, and since I've eliminated sugar and white flour, I have been shocked at the difference in how I feel. I have tons more energy and a lot less pain. And I've lost 8 lbs this week, and haven't been hungry (that's the most amazing part because I'm an impulsive and compulsive eater).

I heard someone saying recently ... okay it was Sylvia Brown on the Montel show ... that for fibromyalgia you should eat a high protein diet. That would go right along with your elimination of sugar and white flour -- so there must be something to it! I'm glad you feel so much better!

Thanks Kathy,

I love Sylvia Brown. I don't know what to think of her abilities, but she is so confident, you want to believe you know?

She is right about the fibro diet though. I'd read about it in several fibro books that The Zone diet seems to work, whick is 40% carb, 30 protein, and 30 fat. I read the books and picked up alot of good tips, but I'm too impulsive to follow any diet that relies on much "counting," and the principles are much the same. Complex carbs are more satisfying and more healthy than simple carbs.

I've tried the Atkins type diets before, but without some grains I get terrible headaches, intense carb cravings, and a weird light headed "high" sensation (not totally unpleasant, but potentially dangerous if I need to be driving or something).

Exactly! What an excellent point! I just made my lunch for tomorrow -- whole wheat spaghetti, diced tomatoes, fresh minced garlic, olive oil and (previously frozen) cooked shrimp. This is one of my favorite meals.

I don't know about Sylvia either but I sure do like her attitude! She is soooo laid back -- and sometimes it's scary how she says things that appear to be right. I'd like to ask her some questions myself!

Ooh, that sounds so good. If you like shrimp and if you like lobster, I found these "lobster nuggets" at Walmart in their frozen seafood section for about $8.00 for a one lb bag (24 nuggets). The lobster is from squat lobsters which are a really small lobster (more like a salt water crayfish). They freeze them into ice cube shaped nuggets. If you cook them from frozen they stay in the nugget shape, or you can defrost them or break them up while cooking into the salad shrimp size. They are so good, and taste mostly like normal lobster, but a little like shrimp and sweet crab meat. I love lobster, but it's otherwise way too expensive.

That sounds great! I do like lobster, but I'm the only one in my house who does so there's no way I would buy a whole one or even a tail and eat it.

So what do you do with them? Eat by themselves or put in a salad?

My husband loves fish, but doesn't like shellfish, so I just make them for myself. Each "cube" has about 25 calories, so 2 - 3 are one point. My favorite way to make them is to spray a nonstick pan with a little cooking spray, olive oil, or even a couple teaspoons of real butter and saute the frozen nuggets with a little garlic. I use a pan lid to help the lobster cook. As soon as they start to thaw a bit, I break up the nuggets into their little pieces. They only take a few minutes to saute this way. I add a little salt and pepper.

I can stop there or add a little milk to make it more "saucy."

I've eaten this both on baked potato and on brown rice. When I had it on the rice, it reminded me so much of etoufe I had at a cajun restaurant, that next time, I'm going to add even more garlic and some diced onion, celery, and green pepper, and maybe a tiny bit of cajun seasoning.

For a really good lobster bisque, I just saute the lobster and garlic just like above and add plain ol' Campbell's tomato soup (I also add a splash of Thai fish sauce, but it's not necessary).

The bag recommended using anywhere you would use shrimp, crab, or lobster,
so I want to try it in other recipes too.

As for the thai (or viatnamese) fish sauce. If you have an oriental market nearby, I do recommend getting a bottle. (It smells awful, but don't let that worry you). It also lasts forever in the fridge, and a splash or two in fish dishes really brings out the flavor. It can go anywhere worcesteshire goes. It smells worse than worcesteshire sauce, but the flavor is actually much more subtle. I use it in a lot of non fish and non oriental dishes like sloppy joes and meatloaf. If my husband knew he would never eat it, but almost anything I put it in, he comments on how great it tastes.