Ratatouille and Our Amazingness

 

Last night for dinner I made another recipe from Better Homes and Garden’s Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy. It was super easy, and pretty tasty.

I didn’t use the bread they suggested, instead I used just light wheat bread and it it into triangles. It’s 5 ww points per serving. For me, it was a perfect lunch portion today, but last night for dinner I was left a little hungry. I wish I would have beefed it up with a little pasta or rice.

So far this week, I feel great. I’ve been eating well. I’ve exercised. Work has been exhausting, but I am officially over the summer hump (as we call it) and have less than 50 days until Labor Day and my life turns back into something, somewhat, resembling normal.

I’ve had a few questions in comments lately about how my knees are holding up during training. They are doing pretty well. I just have to be sure to stretch them out and ice them at the beginning of any soreness. They are holding up better than I thought they would! Especially the one that was hurt awhile back.

There is so much stuff going on in the blog world these days:

Ryan of No More Bacon is celebrating his 1 year “healthiversary”!

Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point and Operation Beautiful got some very exciting news!

Seth of Fit with a Purpose is hosting another challenge!

Lindsay at Healthy Stride completed her first cycling event!

I know I’ve said it before, but I am so happy to be a part of the blogging community. I get really excited for all of you when you achieve something amazing. It motivates me to get out there and do more!

We are all amazing.

For the first time in my life, I feel comfortable saying “We” instead of “You”. We are all amazing. We are proof that healthy living is achievable and fun. We didn’t go to a fancy ranch, we aren’t popping pills or crash dieting. We are just doing it.

Good for us! Let’s give us all a round of applause! Own your amazingness. I am finally owning mine and it feels pretty good.

Leave me a comment and tell me something AMAZING that you have done. It could be something as simple as cooking a healthy dinner to running a marathon. I know you have all done something…let’s hear about it. Let’s celebrate our amazingness together! :)

I’ll start: I ran a 10k when even at the starting line I was doubting my ability to finish. I ran it, had a great time running it and was very proud of myself at the end.

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil

 

I have a summer cold. They are the worst. I am exhausted. I am constantly switching between insanely cold and insanely hot. I have had to work too. So I’m miserable. I did make an awesome dinner that I wanted to share. I got it out of an old Real Simple Magazine. It’s a recipe I’ve had forever, but hadn’t tried yet.

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil (4 servings, 6pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup fat free sour cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, eggplant, curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the eggplant is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cook just until heated through, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Serve over the rice with sour cream, if using.

Recipe mostly courtesy of Real Simple Magazine

Recipe was cooked almost exactly as published with just a few changes based upon what I had on hand. I made it based on a wing and a prayer. I couldn’t remember if I even liked curry! I knew I’ve had it before, but I couldn’t remember what it tasted like. I’m glad I tried it, because I DO like curry. :)

I hope to be back up to my old tricks soon! But for now, cooking dinner and writing this post took all I had left for the day. Time for my couch and a movie.

I miss you guys! I hope you all had great holiday weekends!

Polenta Triangles with Black Bean Salad

 

I have to tell you, I never imagined I would have so much fun cooking vegetarian food, but I’m not missing anything. You won’t either if you cook this recipe. I put this as 2 large servings, but this could easily be 3 regular size servings. I was just STARVING. :)

Polenta Triangles (2 servings, 2pts per serving)

Ingredients

2 cups water  
1/2 cup yellow corn meal stone ground

Instructions

1. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil.

2. Gradually add corn meal to water, whisking constantly until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add whatever seasonings you would like to add at this point. Parmesan cheese and butter is a personal favorite. Takes about 4-5 minutes.

3. Pour polenta into small casserole dish and allow to chill in fridge overnight, or until firm. (I completed up to point last night while my peppers were baking. I feel an overnight chill works best)

4. Place a cutting board on top of casserole dish and turn upside down allowing polenta to fall out of dish. You may need to run an knife around the edges of the dish before flipping so it will fall out. Cut into desired shapes. I chose triangles.

5. Sauté over medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray until golden. 

Creole Seasoned Black Bean Salad (2 servings, 5pts per serving)

Ingredients

1 tsp Creole seasoning  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1 cup frozen corn kernels  
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained  
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar  
1/3 cup tomato, chopped  
3/4 cups green beans, fresh, cut into thirds and steamed in microwave  

Instructions

1. Sauté onions in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray until tender.

2. Add beans, steamed green beans, corn and Creole seasoning and vinegar. Stir in tomatoes when corn thaws completely. Cook until warmed. Serve over polenta squares

I topped mine with a little fat free sour cream and dove right in. It is amazing! This is definitely one I will make again and again. I think, if I could, I would marry polenta. I love it. A lot.

So far, I’m having a good week. I feel so much better. My husband’s schedule changed again, so now we will have even less time together. This summer is going to be a tough one. On a good note, I think we are going to the driving range on Thursday and I am so excited! I haven’t been in a few weeks! That is, of course, if we can stand the heat. It’s been unbearable here! Highs in the upper 90s and Heat Indexes in the 110’ish area. HOT. Needless to say, my butt has been running in the gym on the treadmill.

How do you beat the heat? What’s your favorite summer activity?

Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers with Mango Slaw. Amazing.

 

So, the weekend, yadda, yadda…bad food choices, laziness. However, on Friday I made this lovely dinner and it’s the star of today’s show.

Mango Slaw (4 servings, 0 points per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 a bag Broccoli Cloeslaw Mix  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
1/2 medium mango, peeled and chopped  
2 Tbsp SPLENDA® SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener  
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar  

Instructions

In a bowl combine broccoli coleslaw mix, onion and mangos.

In a cup dissolve Splenda in vinegar, add to cabbage and toss. Serve cold.

Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers (4 servings, 4 points per serving)

Ingredients

15 oz canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup parsley, fresh
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped  
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped  
2/3 cup Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain  
1 egg, lightly beaten     
1/4 cup Lawry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade  

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas and parsley until finely chopped.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, onion and cucumber. Stir the egg and Jerk marinade into the mixture and form into 4 patties.

Cook the patties in a large skillet or grill pan for 4 minutes per side until done. Serve with 1/3 of a cup Mango Slaw on top.

You know I love the Lawry’s Marinades. They are affordable and great in moderation. This is the one to look for.

The burgers fall apart a little, so try not to move them much when cooking. I used my Foreman grill.

I enjoyed eating vegetarian dinners so much, that I’m going to go for week 2…well, I will probably opt for pepperoni on Tuesday, but mostly vegetarian! ;)

Meatless Monday – Black Bean Cakes with Avocado Salsa

Tuesday – Pepperoni Polenta Pizza

Wednesday – Grilled Vegetable Panini 

Thursday – Greek Chickpea Burgers

Friday – Leftovers

I overslept this morning so I’m not kicking the week off with a work out and that bums me out. However, I am going to making the choice right now to make this a good week.

I hope you all had great weekends and are ready to have a great week!

Eggplant Parmesan and Usual Friday Hubbub

 

I love eggplant parmesan. It’s one of my favorite dishes. Some people like to layer it and bake it, some fry it, there are a million ways to make it, here’s how I make mine!

Eggplant Parmesan (6 points per serving, 2 servings)

Ingredients

1 medium raw eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces lengthwise  
2 egg whites  
1 Tbsp water  
1/2 cup Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain (seasoned with your favorite spices
8 oz canned tomato sauce
1 cup chopped frozen spinach  
1/2 cup Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together egg whites and 1 tbsp of water. Dip eggplant slices into egg mixtures and then bread crumbs coating lightly and place on baking sheet. Cook for 22 minutes flipping once, until golden brown.

While eggplant cooks, heat tomato sauce with frozen spinach on the stove top over medium- high heat. Add any spices you desire (I like S&P, Italian Seasoning and Crushed Red Pepper flakes) and allow to heat on low until eggplant finishes.

When eggplant is removed from oven, top each slice with cheese and place under broiler until melted. Serve with sauce poured on top.

I like my eggplant to be crispy when I eat it, that’s why I don’t layer and bake, although it is good that way too!

If you’re not very familiar with cooking (or eating for that matter) eggplant, it may be beneficial to salt the eggplant first. Eggplant can sometimes taste a little bitter. So if you cut the eggplant into slices, lay it in a colander in your sink, sprinkle some salt on it and allow it to sit for 30 minutes, turning once. Then, rinse the excess salt off and pat the eggplant dry, then start making the recipe. This will remove some of the bitterness from the eggplant and also remove excess moisture.

Weigh In

Weight Last Week: 157

Weight This Week: 155.9

Difference of: –1.1

This makes my total loss since January 2009 right at 54lbs.

High/Lows

Highs

• I have LOVED eating vegetarian meals this week. I have had some great food and haven’t felt deprived of anything.
• I ran! For the first time in 4 weeks and it was awesome!
• I was more active this week.
• I was able to help some friends this week. I think it’s always a high point to help others!
• Losing a pound is an awesome loss, that is a high for sure!

Lows

• Work continues to be a point of constant stress and exhaustion. That’s led me to a lot of late night comfort eating. I know shouldn’t be doing it as I’m reaching for the 3rd or 4th snack of the night, but I continue to get it anyway.
• I didn’t track much this week. I have to get better about that.
• I’ve had a lot of “I don’t know how I’m going to keep this up over the summer” thoughts and thoughts about just going “off plan” for the summer. I have been having lots of “talks” with myself.
• Like last summer (due to work, etc.) I’m starting to become introverted and hermit like.

I think for the next week, I have a lot of work to do on myself in the mental department. I also need to stop being hard on myself. I know this is a crazy-busy time of year for me and I know it lasts at least 3 months. It happens every year. Things won’t always be smooth and obstacles will constantly be thrown in my way. I need to roll with the punches.

Tonight I am making Caribbean Jerk Chickpea Burgers with a Mango ‘Slaw and I will be sure to post the recipe! I am excited to fool around in the kitchen after work. It’s such a huge stress reliever for me.

Ok, this has been a LONG post! Sorry ‘bout that! :)

What was your High and Low this week? Got any fun weekend plans?

I just ran…

 

No meat since a little on a sandwich for lunch on Monday, still doing fine! I would love to make meat a specialty item in my diet. Something I only have once or twice a week instead of so regularly. I think I might be able to get there! However…

I was leery of last night’s vegetarian meal. I had selected two new recipes to try, Caitlin’s Perfect Baked Tofu and Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese from The Biggest Diabetic Loser’s site. Luckily, it turned out pretty well!

I was most concerned about the Tofu. I didn’t think it was going to have any flavor based on the short time in was in the marinade, but it turned out great! Even if a bit over done. The only change I made was to use vegetable broth instead of olive oil to cut back on the calories.

The SS Mac and Cheese was YUMMY! I did use reduced or no fat milk, cheese and butter, I didn’t use jalapenos (I used crushed red pepper flakes) and I added garlic and onion powder to the milk. I also added a little more squash, I probably used close to 10 oz of cooked squash.

The squash, I may make again with some adjustments, but the tofu will for sure be a keeper! I may make it again for lunch today actually. I think the fact I over-cooked it a little made it even better. It was crunchy! :)

The big news of the day is…I RAN! I did a short run for my first one, I don’t want to reinjure and right now I’m icing my knee, just to be on the safe side. I’m not diving back head first into running, but I was elated to be doing it again! I ran this on the treadmill.

Well, it’s Thursday…my very wonderful day off. I’m going to go enjoy it! The husband is off today too!

What do you like to do on your day off?

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! :)

Tuesday – Real creative title, I know.

 

First and foremost, last night’s Meatless Monday, Sweet Potato with  Warm Black Bean Salad was phenomenal. I’m not going to repost the recipe, because I pretty much followed it, but I did add some onions, cooked the black bean mixture on the stove top and omitted the cilantro. I served it with some brussels sprouts on the side. Yummy! The sweetness from the sweet potato mixes with the smokiness of the beans and the coolness of the sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt) is just very wonderful. I’ll be making it again and again.

I have been resting my knee since Thursday. It still hurts. It’s getting better, it’s not swollen anymore. I would rather rest for a week than not be able to run again. I was going to gingerly try the elliptical today, but I woke up with quite a bit of pain again. However, instead of the pain being all over the top of my left knee, it’s localized to one spot. It’s becoming manageable, but I’m afraid to push it.

I am trying hard to keep my spirits up. Activity has been such a huge part of my journey for me this time that occasionally I begin to panic that because I’m not being very active, I’m going to gain all the weight back overnight! I know that isn’t the case. I know I still have to be mindful of what I eat. I know there are still exercises I can do, I just have to do them.

I went from the girl that never left to the couch to the girl that can’t just sit on the couch. I never imagined that would happen!

I don’t really have much to update about…since I’ve been kind of resting. I promise that as soon as I have something exciting to share, you’ll be one of the first to know! :)

Some things you might have missed:

I posted a Simple Sunday French Toast recipe on Sunday.

Don’t forget to enter my CSNStores.com $60 gift card giveaway!

Have you had an exercise or activity related injury? How did you keep from going stir crazy? Help a sister out. I’m freaking out here!

Tomorrow is the big day

 

Weigh-in

This week’s weight – 159.9lbs, –.9lbs. The 150s! I know it’s barely the 150s, but it’s the 150s! This puts me .3 from my first big goal of 50lbs lost. So close! This week’s weight loss puts me at my 5% loss goal since officially starting Weight Watchers Online in January.

Running

Yesterday morning, I had a good run. I was fast…well, for me.

 

Tomorrow is the Lighthouse 10k. My first 10k race. I’m excited and nervous. I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I’m just going to go out there, run and have fun. I have no PR to break, no goal for finish time. My only goal is to finish. My Mom is coming to visit for the weekend and to be my cheerleader! It will be so awesome to have her there at the end waiting for me. We are very close.

Cooking

TJ over at TJ’s Test Kitchen, who I adore, made this fantastic looking Butternut Squash Flatbread. So guess what I did? I changed it a little and made Butternut Squash Pita Pizzas!

Ingredients

1 cup cooked cubed butternut squash, in small cubes  
2  Whole Wheat Pitas
2 Tbsp red onion, sliced  
1 garlic clove, finely diced   
3 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
2 Tbsp Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend  
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese  

Instructions

Toast pita loaves in a 400 degree oven until just crispy.

Mix ricotta and garlic, smear onto pita loaves. Top with cooked squash and onion, pressing lightly down into the ricotta. Top with 1 tbsp each of italian cheese blend and bake until cheese melts. Top with 1 tbsp each of Parmesan cheese and serve.

The changes I made: I skipped the olive oil, used fat free ricotta in it’s place and I used pita bread instead of traditional pizza crust. I got the points value down to 4 points per pita! I’m sure TJ’s pizza is AMAZING though. I just don’t need that many leftovers of it, so I chose the pita bread. I had a side of steamed “Baby boom-boom cabbage” on the side. If you don’t know why I’m calling brussels sprouts “baby boom-boom cabbage”, which I intend to do from now on, please go visit Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit, which you should be doing daily anyway.

Wrap it up Tonyne….

I hope to post a race recap on Saturday at some point. Wish me luck! I’m still looking for a few more songs to round out my playlist…anyone got any suggestions to keep me moving? So far I have gotten such suggestions as Rod Stewart “Do ya think I’m sexy”, Salt –n- Peppa “Push It” and Michael Jackason “Beat It”. They are all going on the playlist. Give me what ya got! :)

Happy Friday!

Tonyne’s Fancy Eggplant Cutlets

 

Just a recipe and a video for today folks, hope that’s ok!

Tonyne’s Fancy Eggplant Cutlets (5 points per 2 slices)

1 medium raw eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cutlets  
1/2 cup Progresso Panko crispy bread crumbs - plain, with Italian seasoning sprinkled in 
1/4 cup fat-free egg white substitute  
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped  
1/4 cup red onion
1 marinated artichoke heart, chopped
6 large olives, finely chopped, green & kalamata mixture
4 Tbsp fat-free ricotta cheese  
1/4 cup Kraft Reduced fat Italian style shredded cheese blend 

 

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Instructions

Bread eggplant slices using egg substitute and panko, cook in a 400* degree oven for 11 minutes per side.
Remove from oven when golden brown. Top each cutlet with 1tbsp of ricotta cheese and 1/4 of tomato & olive mixture. Top with 1 tbsp of Italian cheese blend and place under broiler until cheese melts.

Easy as pie and looks like a fancy dish! If you are going to have leftovers, dress the eggplant right before eating after reheating the cutlets in a toaster oven. I paired it with a serving of Roni’s Chilled Orzo and Pea Salad. It would make an excellent Meatless Monday dinner as well!

I leave you with a funny video of Chaser the Wonder Schnauzer. I gave him a squeak toy for his 3rd Birthday (which was Monday, but I forgot until yesterday! Oops!), watch his tongue every time it squeaks. :)

 

Heading out the door for a quick 2 mile run, the last run before my 10k on Saturday! 2 more days!

Happy Thursday y’all! :)

Meatless Monday – Sloppy Fauxs

 

Scheduled for Meatless Monday this week was a very yummy sounding Vegetarian Burrito Casserole that I was looking forward to making. I found the original recipe, had it “healthified” and everything. Monday rolled around, I have been really bothered by the pollen this year and when I got home I just felt terrible and the last thing I felt like making was that burrito casserole. Sometimes with meal planning, this happens.

I looked in my cupboards to see what I had on hand. I found some Sloppy Joe seasoning mix and I thought about being a kid and having a big old messy sloppy joe dripping down to my elbows. I thought “What the heck!” So I decided to make a vegetarian sloppy joe, except I’ll call it, Sloppy Faux. Here it is:

Sloppy Faux (4 points per serving)

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) meatless soy crumbles   
  1 cup(s) zucchini, chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) red onion(s), finely chopped    
  3/4 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup(s) tomato(es), chopped   
• 2 tsp French's Sloppy Joe Seasoning   
• 2 slice(s) Nature's Own Light Honeywheat Bread, toasted   
• 1/4 cup(s) Kraft Cracker Barrel Shredded 2% milk reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese   

Instructions

Sauté zucchini and onion in pan and sauté until soft. Add soy crumbles, tomato sauce, chopped tomato and sloppy joe seasoning. Cook until done.
Place 1/2 of the mixture of on each piece of toast. Sprinkle each with 1/2 of the cheese and place under broiler under cheese is melty.

I served mine with some Butternut Squash Fries. I no longer enjoy food getting all over me when I eat it, so I’ve long since ate my Sloppy Joes (and now Fauxs) open faced with a knife and fork. Comfort food at it’s best which I took right to the front of the TV and settled in for the night.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get my Yoga done. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body. I was sound asleep by 10:30pm.

I’m off to run! Only 4 more days until my 10k, Yikes! :)

Are you bothered by pollen? This is my first year with any allergy problems…any advice? It’s awful!

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 - Meat & Potato-less Shepherd's Pie

Last night's dinner was AMAZING. I knew I wanted to make a shepherd's pie using Soy Crumbles, but I wasn't sure what I had in my pantry to pull it all together. What turned out was a Meat and Potato-less Meal that tasted so amazing I couldn't wait to share it with you. It may not be the prettiest meal, but it's one of my new favorites.

I know what you're thinking..."there is no way that can taste good". But you're wrong. Soooo wrong.



Meat & Potato-less Shepherd's Pie

POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 3

Ingredients

2 cup(s) steamed and mashed* butternut squash,
1 can cream of broccoli soup
2 cup(s) frozen mixed vegetables (I used a green bean, corn, pea and carrot mix)
1 cup(s) meatless soy crumbles
1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
1/4 cup(s) cooked onions
1/4 cup(s) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
Salt, Pepper, Onion & Garlic Powder to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onions and garlic in non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray until soft. Add frozen vegetables and Soy Crumbles cook until just done. Add spices to taste.

Add cream of broccoli soup and 1/4 can of water, bring to a simmer.

Remove from heat and then place vegetable mixture in a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with mashed butternut squash and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbly, place under broiler for approximately 5 minutes until cheese is lightly browned.

*I placed 1/2 of a butternut squash cut into cubes in a glass bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and microwaved for approximately 8 minutes and then mashed with a fork.

Here are a few of my meal ideas for the rest of the week:

Tuesday - Beef, Broccoli and Pepper Stir Fry
Wednesday - Crock-pot BBQ Shredded Chicken
Thursday - Lentil & Turkey Sausage Soup with Pasta
Friday - Leftovers

I'm trying to make it through this week without a trip to the grocery store, so I based my meals on pantry items or things I had available. I may or my not conduct my own iron chef battles alone in my kitchen.

I was supposed to run this morning but when I woke up the temperature was 40 degrees. I knew that this afternoon would be 65'ish degrees so I packed up my running gear and brought it to work. My plan is to go right out the door of my office and take off after work. If yesterday's stress level is any indication of today's, I will NEED to run.

How do you deal with work stress?

I know most of us have it. I used to eat and drink it away. Now I tend to do some sort of physical activity to release the tension.

Meatless Monday - Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

 

Tonight I knew I would love the Meatless Monday night dinner I prepared. I love Eggplant Parmesan, how could I not love it on a sandwich?! I was so excited, I danced around my kitchen the whole time I was cooking! It was a great work out! :)

I used TJ’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for Eggplant rounds as my guide. Here is what I did.

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

1 Eggplant sliced into 3/4 inch rounds

1/2 cup egg substitute (I didn’t use this much, just easier for dipping)

1/2 cup plain panko bread crumbs (into which I mixed, Italian seasoning, garlic & onion powders and 2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese)

1/4 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup reduced Fat Italian Blend cheese

Arnolds Sandwich Thins (light toasted if desired)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Dip eggplant slices into egg substitute and then into the Panko mixture and then placing them on the baking sheet. When finished, I topped with a light mist of cooking spray and placed in the oven. I baked for 22 minutes or so, flipping half way through.

When golden brown remove from the oven. Sprinkle lightly with cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is all melty. Place round on your sandwich thin, top with 1tbsp of marinara sauce and BOOM! There you go, a yummy, vegetarian sandwich that is crunchy, saucy and cheesy! How can that be wrong?

One of the best things about these beauties? They are so low cal, you could easily go back for seconds! I had some Butternut Squash Fries on the side.

Meatless Monday – Tortilla Pie

 

I renamed “Vegetarian Monday” to “Meatless Monday”, has a better ring to it I think. I hope no one minds. :)

Today, I got a recommendation for Meatless Monday from a friend and co-worker Shelly. She recently became a vegetarian and had made this dish. She found the recipe on AllRecipes.com, a fantastic website that everyone should use.

Click here for the original recipe for Tortilla Pie as seen on AllRecipes.com.

Here is how I made it:

Tortilla Pie Redux

1 can refried beans

1 cup salsa, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes

7 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat shredded Cheese mix (I used what I had on hand)

I followed the directions as she wrote them in the original recipe for mixing and baking. Except for the fact I didn’t have a pie plate (which I was shocked to realize) and used a baking sheet.

Of course I had to include Chase who I had plenty of time to play with while this lovely dish baked for 40 minutes. 

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The result is a really hearty meatless meal. The beans pack a punch of protein and you don’t realize it’s missing meat at all. You could easily add MorningStar “Meat Crumbles” to this if you wanted the meaty texture, but I promise you won’t miss it!

It’s a messy meal, but it tastes great! I think a pie plate would have made for a pretty presentation, but the baking sheet worked fine. I am enjoying it with some fat free sour cream on the side. Next time, since I cook mostly for myself, I will probably half the recipe and make the whole thing smaller. I will be eating tortilla pie for days!

There it is, another Meatless Monday…and I haven’t missed the meat yet! :)

Vegetarian Monday – Baked Tofu

 

For the first official Meatless Monday dinner I chose the Baked Tofu recipe that TJ posted on her blog, TJ’s Test Kitchen.

I was leery at first, I’ve had tofu before but I don’t remember liking it.

I followed her directions to press the tofu between layers of paper towels and marinate it in a soy and ginger mix before baking it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (Excuse the post-yoga hair and clothes)

I paired it with some lightly baked kale that I baked alongside the tofu for about 6 minutes.

My friend Kelly joined me for dinner and we were both really surprised by how tasty this dish was! I totally forgot I was eating tofu. The marinade made the tofu so flavorful I didn’t miss the meat. The Baked Tofu was a little time consuming, but if I would have thought to press the tofu before I started yoga I could have multi-tasked and saved some time.

So the verdict is: Baked Tofu=delicious! Go try it! :)

Super Quick Sweet & Spicy Squash

 

I found myself in a common predicament tonight. My plans changed and I had nothing planned or thawed out for dinner. I had 1/4 of a butternut squash in the fridge leftover from another recipe and I remembered that last week I made some butternut squash in the microwave and it was really good. So I figured this time I would pay attention to what I did and share it with you, so here it is!

Super Quick Sweet & Spicy Butternut Squash

1/4 Butternut Squash cut into small cubes

1/2 tbsp Agave Nectar (you can use a combination of 1 tsp oil and 1/2 tbsp brown sugar as well)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp red pep  per flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl.

Place in microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds, covered.

 

Stir and then microwave for an additional 1 minute. Makes 1 serving.

I served mine on the side of a Boca Burger and it made for a quick, easy dinner! No defrosting required!

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!