Hey stranger!

 

Honey, I’m home! I have missed blogging and I have missed being a more active part of the blogging community. Due to my summer work schedule, I’m not sure that I’ll be as active as I was in Fall, Winter and Spring, but I am going to try be around more. I enjoyed the break, but it’s time to refocus.

The past two weeks I have been living in the danger zone. I’ve been indulging a bit too much, drinking a bit too heavily and not being active enough. I feel terrible. Not mentally, I think a break was what I needed, so I do not feel guilty, but I feel ill. I’ve been getting headaches, indigestion and I’ve been exhausted all the time. The past couple weeks ware a big wake up call for me. It helped me to remember that I continue to live this healthy lifestyle not only for weight loss but because I feel better when I do. I’m not in my twenties anymore and late night pizza causes me more pain that happiness.

I feel as if I need to do a bit of a detox, so I am making some plans for success.

1. No drinking until July 3rd. Not a drop of alcohol.

2. Track all food Monday-Friday (and make a solid effort Sat-Sun), staying within my WW Points.

3. Do something active at least 4 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. Even if I just walk the dog or do Yoga.

4. Eat only food that I prepare. No eating out or overly processed foods until July 3rd.

Now, why July 3rd? I’m realistic. I know I will have a few drinks and eat at a cookout for the 4th of July. I will work that weekend so I will enjoy food that I don’t have to prepare.

I went to the library for motivation.

The Best Light Recipe is definitely a book I will be buying. I love the original The Best Recipe cookbook, so I was elated to find a light version. It tells you the best recipe for all sorts of stuff. The best lower calorie/fat cheesecake recipe, the best veggie burger recipe, etc. They did all the work, you just have to cook!

Vegetarian Suppers From Deborah Madison's Kitchen has lots of great recipes in it and 2 of the meals from my meal plan this week will be adaptations of ones found there. I’m not going vegetarian, as I’ve said before. However, I do feel better when I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I like to stick to vegetarian meals Monday-Friday and meats on the weekends. If I crave chicken, fish or beef during the week, I alter my meal plan.

I never thought much about getting cookbooks from the library before, but will be doing it again for sure! They are holding the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan for me to pick up this week. Not a cookbook, but I am excited to read it!

I’ll wrap this up with my meal plan for the week:

Monday – Quinoa, Corn and Feta stuffed Peppers

Tuesday – Polenta Squares with Black Bean Salad

Wednesday – Zucchini Parmesan

Thursday – Lentil Burgers

Friday – Leftovers (I’m on-call for work, it’s hard to cook with the risk of being pulled away at a moment’s notice)

I will share the really good recipes with you, I promise! It’s good to be back. :)

A meatless week? You don’t say.

 

I hope you guys had great weekends! I did. I had a lot of laid back time, I spent some time with friends. I made it to the gym. I did a lot of reading. I’m reading the Sookie Stackhouse Novels…yeah, I’ve been living in a vacuum for about 4 days. I had to force myself to put it down to cook dinner last night!

I have decided to challenge myself to have a week full of meatless dinners! I’m a little nervous, but excited. I’ll share the good recipes with you! Speaking of which…

Last night I made Polenta Muffins! I love polenta but I have never made it myself so I was a bit nervous. There weren’t any fancy ingredients, it seemed simple enough.

Polenta Muffins (6 servings, 4pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hot water
16 oz. (1 bag) broccoli florets, thawed, drained and chopped
1/4 of an onion minced
1 cup chopped asparagus
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups 1% milk
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder (to taste)
1 cup uncooked stone-ground yellow corn meal
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp butter

Instructions

Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, combine water, milk and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce health to medium-low and slowly add a little bit of cornmeal at a time whisking constantly. Continue to cook, stiring frequently until the polenta has the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Stir in vegetables, butter and 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Spread polenta mixture evenly into the 12 prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle the reamining Tbsp of Parmesan cheese on the top and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Cool for 25 minutes, serve at room temperature.

Packed full of vegetables, 2 of these muffins=1 serving. I made 6 servings, I figured I could have them for lunches or have 1 as a side dish to a meal later on in the week. Adapted from the WW Deep-Dish Polenta Pie recipe.

Now, these sound time intensive, but they are SOOOO worth it. Absolutely tasty and very filling! I can think of a ton of different vegetables to try mixing in. Which is a good thing, since I now have a bag of corn meal to use. :)

Here are the meals for the rest of the week! So, stay tuned! ;)

Tuesday – Baked Tofu with Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese

Wednesday – Eggplant Parmesan (I have to document how I make it)

Thursday – Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers (This I will be doing on the fly)

Friday – Leftovers, I’m sure there will be some!

I needed to mix things up a little bit! I think this will be fun.

I just got back from the gym, I did 45 minutes on the stationary bike, with a book in hand! I find that reading on the stationary bike makes the time fly by. A terrific start to Tuesday!

What’s your favorite meatless meal? I’m always looking for new ones to try! :)

Too Coolash for Goulash!

 

I wanted some serious comfort food this week, little did I know this recipe would make 4 servings, but as I was building it, it kept growing before my very eyes! When I was little, I didn’t care much for Goulash. As an adult, I love it. So, here is my healthified version.

Goulash Coolash (4 servings, 6pts per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)  
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian Style
8 oz canned tomato sauce   
1/2 cup onion, chopped  
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables      
1 tsp red pepper flakes 
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 clove(, minced  
3 cup(s) cooked whole wheat pasta, Your favorite small style  

Instructions

Brown and break apart ground beef in a large skillet, drain off oil, add onions and allow to cook until softened. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, mixed vegetables and chili powder. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Mix in cooked pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan or reduced fat cheddar cheese.

This made me feel like a kid again! So simple and hearty. If you used ground turkey it would bring down the points and/or calories more. However lean ground beef was on sale last week and it’s NEVER on sale, so I indulged. :)

Today is my day off, so I’m going to go enjoy it! And probably eat 1 of the 3 servings of goulash I have left in the fridge. :/

What was a family style (or even lunch room style) dish you hated as a kid but love as an adult? Is there one?

Happy Thursday everyone!

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad

 

This time of year brings around Cookout or Backyard BBQ (depending on where you’re from) season and I have a twist on potato salad that is as kind to your taste buds as it is to your health!

Sunday Sweet Potato Salad (3pts per serving, 2 servings)

1 large cooked sweet potato, cut into cubes, boiled until just tender and drained
1/2 Tbsp honey   
1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped  
2 Tbsp raisins  
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled  
2 tsp sugar substitute  
1 Tbsp Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing  
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except potato, mix well. Add sweet potato and stir to coat.

Serve room temperature or cold. 

This whips up fairly quickly and has a nice sweet and savory flavor! This will probably be my “go to” dish for cook outs this Spring and Summer. So, all my friends and family have been warned!

I hope you all had fantastic weekends! I will check in tomorrow with a proper update. I just couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!

Food for Comfort

 

Meatloaf. You love it or you hate it. I happen to LOVE it. Tonight I tried my hand at a Turkey Meatloaf with a Honey mustard glaze. Here’s what I got!

Tonyne’s Terrific Turkey Meatloaf with Honey Mustard Glaze

(5 pts per serving, 2 servings)

Meatloaf

7 oz uncooked ground turkey breast  
2 slices light whole wheat bread, ground in processor
1/3 cup egg whites
1/4 cup cooked carrots, shredded and sautéed  
1/3 cup cooked onions, finely chopped and sautéed  
1 tsp garlic powder  
1 tsp onion powder  

Glaze

1 Tbsp mustard  
1 Tbsp honey  
1 tsp SPLENDA® Splenda Brown Sugar Blend   

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all ingredients for meatloaf in a bowl. Add mixture to a 5" mini loaf pan. Place in oven and cook for 25 minutes.

While loaf cooks, combine mustard, honey and brown sugar blend, whisk well.

Remove loaf from oven, top with glaze and place back in oven for 5-10 minutes.

Very YUM indeed. I served mine with a side of parsnip fries, which I’m not ashamed to say I’ve made 3 times this week. After hearing Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point rave about them for months, I finally caved. I don’t know why I waited so long!

I hope you are all having terrific weekends thus far! I am stuck at work…tell me what you’re doing! Let me life vicariously…please! :)

Meatless Monday – BBQ Quron Pita Pizza

 

Are you wondering what Quron is? I was too when I first saw it. The grocery store where I shop put their entire stock on sale really cheap. This only really worried me more, but at 1 WW Point per cup, I wanted to give it a try. In case I really liked it, I bought 3 bags. It has been sitting in my freezer ever since. I know it was a huge leap of faith! I didn’t know what to do with it and I still didn’t know what it was, so I went to their website for information. It was there that I found out the following information about Quron:

Quorn is comprised of Mycoprotein. A fungus. Great.

Mycoprotein is a fungus which contains high-quality protein, enabling us to offer an alternative, purely vegetarian source of protein to meat. It is high quality because it has all 9 essential amino acids.

Now, that sounds like a lot of pros for a fungus. So I decided to give it a try. I love BBQ Chicken Pizza and I figured that enough BBQ Sauce can drown the taste of anything. So here’s my recipe for Meatless Monday…I give you:

BBQ Quron Pita Pizza

POINTS® Value:    6
Servings:  1

Ingredients

1 loaf/loaves Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1 cup(s) Quorn Tenders

4 slice(s) onion(s), cut in half

4 Tbsp barbecue sauce   

1 Tbsp vinegar   

1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced   

2 Tbsp Sargento Reduced-fat shredded Italian Blend cheese   

Instructions

Toast Pita loaf in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

While pita bakes, sauté Quorn Tenders and onion in a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray until cooked through.

Combine BBQ Sauce, vinegar and garlic, set aside.

When the Quron mixture is done, add half of the BBQ sauce mixture and stir to coat.

Remove pita loaf from oven, top with remaining BBQ Sauce, then Quron mixture. Top with cheese and bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

I paired it with a side salad and this made for a…FANTASTIC meal. The Quorn, to me, is textured and tastes VERY similar to chicken. I much prefer this to Tofu. My stocking up at the grocery store will be well worth it! I can’t wait to play some more with this stuff.

Since I started Meatless Mondays, I eat more meatless meals during the whole week. I generally eat between 3-4 vegetarian dinners (which turn into lunch leftovers the next day) a week! Am I giving up meat completely? No. I have no intention to do so at this time, but I did want to cut some of it out and I’m not having any trouble. I really enjoy trying new recipes and foods. There are so many fantastic meatless options! I really urge all of you to do at least 1 meatless night a week, just try it for 1 month. I promise, you won’t miss the meat! :)

Ok, now that I shared a recipe, it’s time to go run! I can’t believe my 10k is in less than 2 weeks! 2 days up at 5am…I think I’m getting my mojo back!

Did anyone see the Butler/Duke game last night? I’m a UNC fan through and through, always have been, so I was sad to see Duke win, but WOW that was some game! Butler played so well! 

Meatless Monday – Vegetable Fajitas

 

Yesterday was one of those days. It seemed like no one had anything positive to say and everyone was full of negativity. By the end of the day, it had completely rubbed off on me. I thought the evening was ruined.

I got home, checked my mail and found a package from Zazzle. A gift from my amazing friend Heather.

Front	Back

How funny is that? If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know that I recently went 2 whole weeks without going to the grocery store. I used pantry items and frozen stuff to make my meals for a week. I told Heather I felt like I was on the TV Show Survivor at times! However, with way less bugs.

After I got my shirt my mood lifted, I cranked up some Bob Marley and started making the most incredible vegetable fajitas and spanish rice!

Not the best picture, but trust me it tastes amazing!

POINTS® Value:    5
Servings:  2

Ingredients

4 item(s) Mission White corn tortillas, warmed   

1 cup(s) onion(s), finely sliced   

1 item(s) bell pepper(s), Red - cut into strips

1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into small wedges

1 cup fresh spinach

1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced   

1 Tbsp vegetable oil   

1/4 cup(s) salsa   

2 tsp McCormick Ground cumin  

Instructions

1. Coat skillet with oil and heat on med-high. Add onions, peppers and garlic. Stir to coat and cover for 5 minutes.
2. Add squash, spinach, salsa, cumin (salt and pepper to taste), stir and then cover for another 5 minutes.
3. Serve on tortillas.

So amazingly delicious! Adding the squash only during the last 5 minutes helps the squash keep a hearty meat like consistency. I know yellow squash isn’t in season yet, but it looked so good at the store, I couldn’t help myself! It’s one of my favorite vegetables! Make this dish, you won’t be disappointed!

The spanish rice was super easy too! 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup water, 3/4 cup diced tomatoes, dash of cumin, dash of red pepper flakes, cook rice like normal, add 1/4 cup of frozen corn during the last 15 minutes. All done!

When I was done eating, the sun was still up! That is going to take some getting used to!

In other news, this getting up at 5am is working great. It’s 5:47am right now! It’s easier for me to get out of bed by telling myself “You don’t have to hit the ground running, just get up, relax and have some coffee.”

That being said, it’s time to get ready to run!

How do you deal with negative people? Do you ignore them or give them attitude? I tend to always reply back with attitude (shocking, I know!) and it kills my good mood.

I tried to stay away!

I didn't want to write today. I didn't have much to say. But then I thought about it and I wanted to write. It helps keep my head in the game. So here I am!

Last night I went for a run directly after work.



BAD RUN. I couldn't find my stride, I recently started running with a fanny pack type thing for phone and ID (I had been running without both...oops) and it wasn't staying put like it's supposed to so I was fighting with that, I didn't wear any compression clothing so my clothes felt soaked, my breathing was spotty and my knees hurt. I was a hot mess. I am just glad I made it through. I think I will stick to my morning runs going forward.

When I got home I turned up John Mayer's Battles Studies album and let the music wash over me. That's my favorite way to cook. I may or may not turn spatulas into microphones.



Last night's dinner turned out to be a great quick & easy meal! I marinated some lean beef, 1 yellow bell pepper and 1/2 of a small onion with 2 Tbsp of Lawry's Ginger Sesame marinade while some brown rice cooked. Then I cooked the beef, peppers and onions in my wok, added a little Sriracha for good measure (I LIKE IT HOT!) and served with rice and broccoli.



Yum. I like food. I have the leftovers for lunch today.

It's humpday. My last official one until, well, I'm not sure. My schedule changes to Thursdays and Sundays off for the summer because my work is largely seasonal. This coming weekend is my last one off. Of course, I'm taking 2 more off that I know of, one for Girls Weekend (in 16 days!) and one for my 10k, so I guess it's more of a "see ya later" to weekends. Ok, that was confusing to everyone but me. :)

I am going to need lots of ideas for quick and easy meals in the Spring and Summer.

What's your favorite quick, easy and healthy meal?

Meatless Monday – Broccoli & Ginger Tofu Stir-Fry

 

I had such a good experience the first time I used Tofu for Meatless Monday, I decided to try it again! I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers Fall 2009 20 minute Recipes magazine. I have modified it slightly so only be 2 servings (instead of 4), I served with rice instead of pasta and I only used broccoli instead of a stir-fry vegetable mix.

Broccoli & Ginger Tofu Stir-Fry

1 cup cooked brown rice

Cooking Spray

1/2 of a 20 oz. package of extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2” cubes

1/3 of a bag of frozen broccoli florets

1/4 cup diced onions

1/2 cup vegetarian vegetable broth (just shy of 1/2 probably)

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1.5 Tbsp of dry white white

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 teaspoon fresh peeled and minced ginger

1.5 garlic cloves minced

1. Heat large non-stick wok over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray, add onion and tofu and sauté 7 minutes or until browned.

  

2. Microwave broccoli according to package directions. Whisk together the next 6. Add broth mixture to wok and cook 2 minutes of until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat and stir in vegetables. Serve over rice. (Serving size 1 1/2 cups tofu mixture and 1/2 cup rice)

WW Point Value – 5 per serving

Note: While my rice cooked, I pressed the tofu cubes to release excess moisture.

This is an ok stir-fry. I will eat it, but prefer the Baked Tofu recipe much better. The sauce has a good flavor, but the tofu in this recipe is bland. I think marinating the tofu in the vegetable broth mixture before cooking would be a good solution. Or using a Lawry’s type marinade. I love their Sesame Ginger one!

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Butter

 

I’m really getting fond of Meatless Mondays! I love looking for new recipes during the week and coming up with ideas. I even have a file on my Blackberry for ideas if I have them at random moments of recipes I want to try to make.

This recipe is really impressive, but it’s so simple to make! This would be a great recipe to have for a dinner party. Or, even make the black bean cake patties smaller and do an appetizer! I hope you’ll try this one because it’s really great! I found the recipe in Weight Watchers 20 Minute Recipes, Fall 2009. I couldn’t find a link to buy it. You usually find these near the cash registers at grocery stores. My Mom buys them for me because she’s the greatest. :)

Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Butter

1 15oz. can of black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed

1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup finely shredded carrots

1/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1 teaspoon cumin

1/ 2 rip peeled avocado, coarsely mashed

2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 1/2 inch thick patty.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Cook bean cakes 3 minutes on each side until browned.

3. While bean cakes cook, combine avocado and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Serve bean cakes with avocado butter on top.

Yield: 2 servings, 7 WW Points per serving (serving size is 2 cakes per serving with 1/4 cup avocado butter)

A quick and easy dinner!

 

I decided to give taking pictures of the stuff I’m cooking a try, so here we go…I’m also writing this on Windows Live Writer, so that’s 2 new things!

I made Spaghetti Squash Cake Parmesan.

It started with the recipe from Roni at GreenLiteBites.com for Spaghetti Squash Cakes

I made the recipe as she described, not going to repeat it for you, but here are some pictures:

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I did deviate from her recipe a little, I didn’t have any eggs so I used Egg Substitute and I like crushed red pepper flakes in mine, so I added them. My squash was a little over done, but it still worked out!

Then, I assembled everything in a lasagna type fashion. I used about 3/4 cup sauce, 1/3 cup shredded cheese and about 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese. I did a layer of sauce, then squash cake, sauce, then cheese. I repeated.

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I baked it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly, about 15 minutes while Chase and I waited impatiently.

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I served it with some broccoli and pasta, which I made because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it turned out fantastic. Tons of flavor and a quick, easy vegetarian dish!