Its Wednesday, I love Wednesdays because I go to the psychologist, then I go to yoga with Angela and then we drink wine. Its therapy cubed, I've got my mental therapy, my physical therapy and then of course, my liquid therapy. Angela and I call it Wine and Yoga Wednesday, our Italian yoga instructor calls it our Detox/Retox, he's a clever one that yogi master.
I'm a little late on my Cinco de Mayo recipes. Woops.
We had a great little dinner party last week to celebrate, I was in charge of the healthy recipes and Rick and Lisa were in charge of the Spanish wine.
The salsa and the rice came from Skinny Recipes and the Fish Tacos came from Cooking Light. Links provided above.
Everything was great - although I didn't get any salsa because it disappeared in about four seconds, someone may have actually liked the bowl, I can't confirm that, though it would not surprise me.
The fiesta lime rice, I thought it actually needed a little sushi vinegar in it, I think that would have perked it up a bit.
The tacos were awesome, use the rub recipe that it calls for (delicious) - I couldn't find red snapper so I used mahi mahi - it was a perfect substitution.
We paired the salsa with a nice bright white from Spain and tacos with a nice light Rioja - then we had a much richer meatier Rioja after dinner. Perfect.
AM - If you are reading this - have you ever been to the Pink Door in Seattle for dinner? We are going in a few weeks - just wanted to get your thoughts on it. Thanks
I don't cry much, at all in fact, most of my friends can probably count the number of times they have seen me cry on one finger, or less. I think Chris and I were together for four years before he saw me shed a tear. I don't know why I am so averse to crying, but it probably has something to do with growing up with a Nana who who belittled crying, stating every time that I cried "that only babies cried, and I was no longer a baby, therefore crying was not acceptable." There was a lot of "I'll give you something to cry about" statements when the threat of tears showed on my face. I guess it made an impression...
One of my main fears of therapy is that in one of the sessions I will cry. I am petrified of this. Crying when you are alone in your car is one thing, but crying in front of someone else, someone who themselves is not crying scares the shit out of me. Handicapping vulernablility is the only way that I can describe it. In today's New York times there was a great opinion blog post about crying in public, titled Look at Me, I'm Crying. I absolutely love this blog post, it makes me think that at some point, I'll be able to cry without personal stigma. Read it, its a great post, especially when she comparing crying in public to tripping and falling in public. Great.
I went back to therapy this week, it was an okay session, most of it was setting up my background information with questions like "have I ever been hospitalized for a mental illness, suicide attempt, etc, has anyone in my family had mental issues, what do I think my strengths and weaknesses are, etc." Apparently when insurance pays for your therapy they do a thorough background check on you first.
I was given two assignments this week. Each day I need to perform a Progressive Muscle Relaxation series, (there are literally tons of videos on this on YouTube if you are interested) at least once, preferably two times a day. And I also need to keep an anxiety/stress journal. Each morning, afternoon and night I need to write down what my anxiety/stress level is on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the best score (like the Olympics). I asked if I needed to write down what was altering my stress levels and was told that that would come later, we aren't at that point yet (well, phew, because I am not ready to face the things that alter my stress levels just yet, thank you very much).
I go back to the doctor next Friday, I'll be interested to see what my anxiety/stress journal shows, and also to see if I can get a handle on how to do this progressive muscle relaxation thing the right way.
Okay, now onto the recipe.
I love spinach dip. Creamy spinach dip, but let's be honest its strappy dress season and no one needs to be knocked in the face with my arm waddle, so here is a low fat version that I got from Gina's Skinny Recipes. The recipe as it is is 2 weight watchers points (the old points) for 1/4 of a cup. Here is a link to her blog, and also her recipe below.
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts Calories: 79.4 • Fat: 6.2 g • Carb: 3.3 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Protein: 3.2 g
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 2 cups.
Now, I have to be honest, I left out the raw garlic because it does a number on my stomach, and with the IBS I don't need to go pissing of my insides anymore than I already have. When I tried the recipe as is, I thought that it had way too much mayonnaise in it, so I added another 1/4 cup of sour cream, this helped, but I still thought it was a little bland so I added some seasoning that I had. That helped, but I still have to be honest, I still think that 5 tbsp of may is too much, I think you can get away with increasing the sour cream and reducing the mayo to 3 tbsp. I'm not sure what that will do to the points value, but it can't alter it too much. I'm bringing the dip to a friends house tonight with a fresh veggie platter, I'll see what the crowd thinks tonight, maybe they won't have any issues with it.
Rating = Good
Shit, I almost forgot the angry shavasna part. On Wednesday I went to my community yoga class that I just love love love, and I haven't been able to go in almost a month due to traveling. It was an awesome, ass kickingly hard class and at the end I was just spent, and was so glad that I could just lie back and enjoy my shavasna with my lavendar eye pillow and the soft music. Just as I was settling into it, the bitch in front of me...her f'ing cell phone starts ringing. Are you serious, you brought your cell phone into class with you. You are an asshole. I just spent an hour and a half trying to find inner peace and now all I can think of doing is donkey punching you because you are a terrible, horrible, person. Thanks.
This is what you get as an image for this meal for two reasons. 1. The dish looked like yellow hell in pictures 2. Chris ate it so damn fast I really didn't have time to take pictures. Damn man take time to chew the damn stuff. Needless to say. Awesome. That is if you like shrimp and squash and curry of you don't like that stuff than this would just suck for you, pretty much. Anyway, I love WW recipes that Chris really enjoys, it makes this whole trying to lose my fat ass thing a bit easier.
One thing I will say is that you don't need acorn squash for this - go ahead and use butternut if you want. I am actually also thinking about making a vegetarian version of this with cauliflower instead of shrimp, I think that would be very good as well. I served this over quinoa (is that spelled right), but I think cous cous would have been better, (adding this will add to the points value of this dish) I really didn't' think it needed anything, but Chris wanted to lay it on a nice bed of carbohydrates.
And another thing. I am officially sick and tired and then sick again of all this snow. We are getting another 6-10" tonight. Lovely. And it always comes during my morning or evening commute.
When its not snowing, its ass biting cold, like -2 degrees cold. I love that too. We have officially escalated the 15 year retirement plan to 12, I can't stand this weather. I want grape vines and farms that produce all year round, not this cold arctic tundra that is the I-95 corridor.
Shrimp and Squash Vindaloo | 5 WW points plus
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin Seed, or other brand
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1 medium acorn squash
1 spray(s) cooking spray
3 medium shallot(s), peeled and minced
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 cup(s) vegetable broth, fat-free, sodium-free
1 pound(s) shrimp, medium-size, peeled and deveined
In a small bowl, stir the vinegar, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, salt, and cayenne, if using, until the mixture forms a paste. Set aside.
Cut the squash in half along its "equator"; scoop out the seeds with a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon. Set the squash cut side down on a cutting board; use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin, shaving along the natural arc of the flesh. Cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes, repeat with the second squash half, and set aside.
Spray a large saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic; cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the prepared curry paste; cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds.
Add the squash; cook, stirring all the while, until coated in the spices, about 20 seconds.
Pour in the broth; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the shrimp. Cover again and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.
Just in time for the Pats game this weekend, an awesome, figure friendly dip. I made this the other night because I had a can of chipotle chilis in adobo opened from a recipe I had made the day before. This little number is so smoky and creamy, you'd never guess it was only 1 point. Serve with vegetable dippers and this is a seriously good thing to nosh on while the Patriots take on the Jets. Maybe I'll go all barefoot the day of the game in order to try and distract Rex Ryan. We all know about his foot fetish. I have to admit, I think Sanchez is hot though.
Creamy Corn Chipotle Dip
3 Tbsp = 1 points plus
4 oz fat-free cream cheese
2 item(s) canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded
3 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, or fresh corn kernels*
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin Seed
1/2 tsp table salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade;
pulse a few times, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process until
smooth. To store, spoon into a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for up
to 3 days; return to room temperature before serving. Yields about 3
tablespoons per serving.
I actually think this recipe is better the next day, so make ahead if you can.
I also stirred in a bit of chopped fresh cilantro to mine, I think it made it a bit better than the original recipe.
Today as I drove to work, sitting in traffic waiting for a green light, I spied on the side of the road what honestly looked like the lower leg, shin portion of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. I'm sure it was just a piece of laundry exhaust pipe or something with a similar use, but looking quickly, it was the dismembered leg of the Tin Man. I immediately created a scenario in which the Tin Man, dazed and confused from walking aimlessly in the dark after losing sight of the yellow brick road in his search of the fabled land of Oz, stumbles into the road, and WHACK! is immediately creamed by an oncoming FedEx truck speeding to make an early morning delivery. All that's remains of the horrid scene is his leg, left without its body on the side of the road. Poor Tin Man.
I've been wanting to make this recipe for some time now, and the plastic log of premade polenta had sat on the shelf in the basement long enough, it deserved its day in the sun. This is another great recipe from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. If you haven't checked out her blog, please follow the link HERE to the recipe and spend some time looking around, I've enjoyed everything I've made from her site. And, Chris thought this was fantastic, there was not one bite left - no left overs - nothing. I will say however that if I were going to make this again I would double or even triple the amount of bok choy, just a personal preference for me.
Cookie Swap - I'm taking part in a cookie swap in a couple of weeks, I'm thinking of making peppermint bark and chocolate dipped merangue cookies, got any other spectacular recipes that I can try my hand at?
AND - its that time of year again, the alcohol laden cake time. Do you have any recipes that are a must for the holiday season, all filled with boozy goodness? Send them along please.
Silly me to think that things would slow down in November. Silly silly me. I'm not sure where I got that cock-a-mame idea, but boy was I dead wrong. Bright side people, its winter squash and root vegetable time. I love this time of year, mostly due to the fact that not only is orange my favorite color, I'll eat just about anything that is orange, including bags of candy corn at a single sitting. I'll eat them until my teeth ache - that's usually the sign to stop. I've got a few more business trips this month, but nothing like last month thank Jebus, where I spent 14 of 31 nights in a hotel room - meaning 16 days on the road eating road food. I came away with only putting on 3 pounds which I am going to take as a minor victory, it could have been worse, much worse.
So, need an idea for healthy snacking, try this recipe from Cooking Light, its great with carrots, celery and pita crisps as dippers, and it's orange. Whip some up for your Thanksgiving appetizer hour, or as I like to call it, "someone better open up that friggin wine before I lose my shit" hour. Ah, the holidays, aren't they swell.
Place tahini and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add parsley; pulse until blended. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.
Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3 tablespoons hummus and about 3 pita wedges)
CALORIES 117(20% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 1g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 3.7g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 43mg; SODIUM 330mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20.4g
Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005
Remember when you were little and you used to get bored? Where have those days gone? What I wouldn't give to have a lazy Sunday afternoon where I was just bored, where my mind and hands were not busy doing half a dozen tasks at once, where I just thought to myself, "shit, I'm bored, I wish I had something to do. Remember when you were little and Christmas seemed like it was a lifetime away? Christmas is 87 days away and all I can think is "shit, it will be here before we know it". Why, why is time moving so damn fast right now? Is it because every year that we get older, a year is indeed a smaller piece of your life span on this earth, therefore it actually is a smaller unit of time as it relates to the time you've been alive? Want to hear something that will make you feel like time is on an unfair trajectory? I was running the other morning and happened on the Oldies 103.3 radio station, and, they led of the next block of "oldies" with Prince's iconic hit Party Like It's 1999. I nearly crapped my pants. When did Prince become an Oldie? Oh, and then the next artist...wait for it...Madonna. Madonna.
I'm speechless, we've become our parents generation and it happened without us even noticing.
Well, if age is inevitable at least this dip will help me get there without orthopedic shoes and elastic waistbands on all my pants.
White Bean Garlic Dip
6 servings | 1 pt
1/2 garlic bulb
1 cup canned cannellini beans rinsed and drained
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 scallions, minced
1/4 orange or red bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
1. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Cut off a thin slice from the pointed end of the garlic bulb. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Unwrap the foil and let the garlic cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup of the beans, the lime juice and oil; puree.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of beans, the scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and cayenne. Refrigerate covered until the flavors have blended, at least one hour.
Every once in a while a recipe surprises you. This was one of those recipes, it was a cold night, I wanted soup, we always have carrots, celery and onion in the house (what's the fancy name for that? Mira-poi? said with a French accent and a twirl of the right hand as you play with your imaginary mustache) whatever, I had all the ingredients, I made it, and we at the whole freaking pot that night. Do yourself a favor, double the recipe. Make extra, freeze it. Whatever, we thought it was that good.
Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 1/2 tbs canola oil
1 inion, chopped
1 small carrot chopped
1/2 celery stack chopped
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 pound broccoli florets
3 cups fat free chicken stock (of course I used veggie stock)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup fat free milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1. in a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add onion, carrot, celery and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer covered until broccoli is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat add lemon juice and let cool for a few minutes.
At this point you can use an immersion blender to blend together or blend in batches in a blender and return to pot. Add milk, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes to reheat.
And as you can see from the picture I topped it with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.
Rating = So Damn Good (especially for Weight Watchers)
Looks God Awful Right! It was so good, a snap to pull together and it made a shit-ton of food. Another winner from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. She served hers over quinoa, but I didn't have any, so I just ate it with whole wheat couscous on the side. With the quinoa it's 5 points without it's 3. We paired this with a creamy chardonnay, which went well with the cumin, turmeric and allspice in the dish. Like I said, it made a lot and we ate it for what seemed like days, but I never got tired of it.
She's all rights reserved on this recipe, so here's a link that will bring you to the goodness. LINK
My husband CB is a beer drinker in addition to loving wine. He likes to buy the Sam Adams variety pack, unfortunately for him, said variety pack also includes two bottles of Cranberry Lambic which he says..."tastes like ass." So, we end up with bottles of Cranberry Lambic sitting in the basement. The other day I grabbed one of the bottles and challenged it to a duel, I would make use of it and Chris would love what I could turn the ass beer into. I scoured the internet and found multiple beer bread recipes, narrowed down a few and decided on Cranberry Lambic Banana Bread, and I even made it vegan. I don't have a picture of it, cuz we ate it, fast, but I do have a picture of my new handy dandy chalkboard backsplash that I now use to write recipes on when I'm cooking and baking, thanks to my uber talented architect husband.
So, I haven't been to the "exotic" area of my local market. Anyone want to take a stab at a few exotic fruits and vegetables that I might want to try and cook or bake with?
This picture sucks - sorry, I was rushing because we had dinner guests and the looked at me weird when I started taking pictures of their plates - I explained the whole blog thing to them, they seemed intrigued.
I AM LOVING THIS CHALLENGE. I'll post the recipes in the order that I get the combination requests. So, first, Brenna's combination of apples and asparagus. I absolutely love this salad; the blue cheese, asparagus and apples all work so well together. I wouldn't change anything about this recipe except that next time I would cut the asparagus onto smaller pieces, and dice the apple instead of slicing it, just to make it easier to eat - essentially so you just need a fork, not a knife and a fork.
This recipe is from Cooking Light, and was featured as a "Derby Day Menu" so I assume it would pair nicely with a Mint Julep, which I am sorry to say I have never tried. Every year when the Kentucky Derby hype starts, I tell myself to order one of this drinks while I watch the race and for some reason - I never seem to fulfill my own request. Has anyone had this drink? Does it taste like shit or is it really a nice drink, I mean it's not like anyone talks about this drink at any other time of year besides this horse race. Anyway. If you are planning a Derby Day party, add this lovely salad to your spread.
Brenna, thank you for this combination, I never would have looked for nor made this recipe without the suggestion, and I would definitely make it again.
Asparagus Apple Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette | Cooking Light
1 WW point
Ingredients
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
(I used a lovely blue cheese from France that I got at a specialty food store, I think having the more pungent blue cheese really added to the salad don't get the pre crumbled crap in the cheese case at the local grocery store, get a good cheese)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups diagonally cut (2 inch) asparagus (next time I would cut it into smaller pieces)
4 cups torn butter lettuce
2 cups thinly sliced gala apples (next time I would dice them)
Combine first 9 ingredients stirring with a whisk.
Cook asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water; drain. Combine the asparagus, lettuce and apple in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, toss lightly to coat.
So, after I made the sweet potato and cabbage curry I was still left with a half a head of cabbage staring at me every time I opened the refrigerator. And really, it's not like we had had enough gas inducing meals for one week, why not just keep em' coming right? I turned to a vegan website that I frequent whenever I need to find delicious recipes that also happen to be weight watchers friendly, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen - I have loved everything that I have made from her collection. I think she may be putting together a cookbook soon, and if she is I'll be one of the first in line, as her recipes are always great. And if you just can't get enough technology, you can also become a fan of her on Facebook and get her recipe updates on your facebook news feed.
I haven't yet asked her if I can repost her recipe, so for now, if you want to make this recipe just follow this link for Vegan White Bean and Cabbage Stew. I did not modify this recipe one bit. I was a bit nervous to feed it to Chris for dinner, thinking it wouldn't be tasty or satisfying enough for him; man was I wrong, he went back for seconds and thirds. The next day he actually texted me with the following; "I can't wait to go home and eat that stew". There's a ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one. Funny he didn't text me to say, oh, I don't know, "I can't wait to go home and sex you up." Married five years and all we think about is our stomachs.
So, that's it for the cabbage recipes, but I must say, this little exercise has made me curious - if I went to the market tomorrow and bought two completely unrelated vegetables, how many google recipe possibilities would there be? I smell a challenge. What do you think, give me some combinations - don't cheat and do a Google search first - just think about the produce aisle and two things you might find that are completely unrelated and leave them to me in the comments and I'll see what fun I can have with them. Don't wait for someone else to comment either, just give em to me.
So, the travel and conferences for March are over. The past three weeks have been a blur, I don't remember a lot of it, I just know I've been rushed, stressed and exhausted everyday. My face has started to twitch, you know, the annoying twitches around your eyes that make you feel like you've got a family of maggots living on your cheekbone just below the skin surface?
When I pulled into the driveway late Friday afternoon, with all my trips and meetings behind me, I shut off the car and before getting out I cried, real quick - just to let some of the stress out. I really have no idea why, I'm not an emotional person, and I certainly am not the kind of woman who sits in her car alone and cries, but you know what, I did it, and it felt good.
I managed to get to the market to buy some fruit and vegetables to have in the house, when I got home and emptied the bags I could not understand why I had decided to add a ginormous head of cabbage along with one sweet potato to my cart. So sitting in the kitchen, the abnormally large cabbage and sweet potato staring back at me from the counter, I started Googling. All the directive I gave the search engine was, "sweet potato "cabbage" "recipe" and up popped a number of options for me and my two rogue vegetables. I settled on on a recipe featured on a blog titled Insomniac Chef for two reasons, I had all the ingredients on hand, and it seems easy enough to plug into the Weight Watchers recipe builder and determine the points value for it. Here is a link to the original recipe on the Insomniac Chef blog, and below is my Weigh Watchers version of the recipe.
Spicy Sweet Potato and Cabbage Curry | WW 3 pts Makes 6 Servings
1 tsp canola oil 4 garlic cloves minced 1 tbsp ginger root minced 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup onion chopped 2 tsp curry powder 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 - 1.5 lbs sweet potatoe cubed 4 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced 1/4 cup raisin 13 oz chick peas (canned) 1 cup vegetable broth 2 tbsp peanuts 1/4 cup cilantro
Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, curry powder, salt, and cayenne until the onion starts to brown -- about 5 minutes. Stir in cabbage, sweet potato, chickpeas, raisins, ginger and garlic. Saute 2 minutes more.
Stir in the broth and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes (stirring occasionally). When the veggies are soft spoon the curry into bowls and garnish with the cashews and cilantro.
I was nervous about giving this to Chris for dinner, but he loved it. It is spicy, and we paired it with a Chris South African Chenin Blanc - delicious. So, if you find yourself with a cabbage and a sweet potato, you know what to do.
Side note for anyone here in the northeast, have you ever planted sweet potatoes? I'm thinking of trying my hand at it this summer and could use some tips.
Yesterday I was driving down a rather busy side street that I travel everyday on my way to work. I saw a woman running in the street, not on the sidewalk, which is not a big deal, as a long distance runner I much prefer running on asphalt versus running on concrete, this is not the problem, the problem is that as I got closer to her she stopped running forward and started doing grapevines. Seriously, do you know how much more room you take up when you switch from running forward, arms by your side, to grapevining, legs going at all crazy angles, arms helicoptering creating a circle around your body? I'll tell you, too much fucking room. What the F? If you're going to do a full workout like that, find a nice parking lot without cars in it, go to your back yard, find somewhere else besides the damn street, seriously, because you know what, if one of her flailing arms had hit my car you can bet your ass they would have found some way of making it my fault. Don't be a dumb ass. And don't give me any crap about not understanding runners, I run every God Damn day, I've been hit by a car twice while running, here's the difference, when I was hit I was in the crosswalk, with the right of way, I wasn't grapevining in the middle of the damn street with a perfectly good sidewalk right beside me.
I'm finished with that.
Onto the recipe. I'll be honest, it was good, but only on the first night, it didn't heat up well, make if as a side dish if you know you are going to eat it all that night, otherwise use it as a filling for something else, a vegetable burrito or something to that effect.
Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Bulgar Pilaf Weight Watchers | 2 points
2 cup(s) vegetable broth, use mushroom broth if available 1 cup(s) uncooked bulgur 1 cup(s) water 2 tsp olive oil 1 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), chopped 8 oz mushroom(s), thinly sliced (baby Bella suggested) 4 cup(s) spinach, baby leaves 1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth, bulgur and water to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until bulgur is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until spinach wilts, about 1 minute more.
Spoon bulgur into skillet; stir over low heat until well-combined. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.
So, I put on the obligatory five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year, so I'm back on Weight Watchers until my pants don't cut off my circulation, and I've decreased my muffin top to manageable proportions. I've been making a slew of WW recipes and this was one that I really enjoyed and that Chris thought was great as well, always good when the husband will eat your diet food with you so you don't have to make two different dinners at night.
Question. I love going to get pedicures, and because I run 6 days a week my feet tend to get nasty pretty quick, and by nasty I mean, callused, blistered, skin build-up (hungry yet) you know, just in general not attractive. I love my nail salon, I'm there every three weeks, so they are familiar with me and remember what nail color I use, they actually gave me a bottle of my favorite color once so that I could do touch ups at home when the color stared chipping. I think my ladies are great, but I can't help but think that when I'm sitting in the pedicure chair and they are working away at my calluses and they start talking to each other in their native language...I always think they are commenting about how nasty my feet are, and if one starts laughing, forget it, I'm convinced that they are talking about my nasty snaggle toe, the one I damaged while running my second marathon, the one that will never look normal again. Am I paranoid, does anyone else feel this way when they are at the pedicure place?
Okay, back to the soup. Delicious, but only if you like rosemary because this recipe is literally rife with it. But, it's hearty and warm and perfect for a winter evening, and at 3.5 pounds, pair it with a nice piece of crusty bread and you've got yourself an awesome meal at just 5 points.
I got the recipe from a Weight Watchers Blog website called Skinny Weight Watchers Recipes. Here's the LINK
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
extra parmesan cheese to top
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.
In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.
I take the commuter rail to work, via north station. There is a bar in the commuter area so that should your train be late or for whatever reason you need a drink before you go home you can grab one there. When CB and I take the same train home together we meet at the entrance to the bar, same spot every time. Yesterday as I was waiting at the entrance I noticed that there was a woman on a bar stool who was either severely inebriated or doing a really good job of acting like she was. She was slurring her words a little...using her outside voice instead of her indoor voice...you know the tell tale signs. But, she pulled out a new one. A new sign to tell whether or not someone has had a bit too much to drink. She put her coat on, and as she was leaving...she stopped to say bye to a few friends she had made during the time her arse was warming the bar stool. It was at this point that one of the men she was talking to asked her what was wrong with her coat...I turned to look. The woman had put her coat on upside down. The coat had a hood, the hood draping across her bottom - possibly to serve as a toilet should she not make it to the potty as she stumbled home. She began to laugh, took off her coat and said to the men at the bar..."I'll see you again, I'm here all the time."
I bet you are crazy drunk upside down coat lady. I bet you are.
As my husband says...Good Times
Ok. Now, for zero points and no fat this soup is fanfuckingtastic. Yeah - I used the F word if you don't like it go tell it to the lady with her ass in her hood.
Slow Cooker Soup Weight Watchers |0 pts
10 oz spinach 2 medium carrots chopped 2 medium celery ribbed chopped 1 large onion chopped 1 medium garlic clove minced 4 C vegetable broth 28 oz canned diced tomatoes 2 bay leaves 1 tbs dried basil 1tbs dried oregano 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Place all ingredients in slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
Well, here's three words I never thought I'd utter. I Love Cabbage.
Along with my goal of making something out of a cookbook every week, I also had it in the back of my mind that I should be more experimental with my food, you know, make things that seem difficult or try an ingredient I've never tried before. Last week I made brussel sprouts...I ate the whole batch before I could photograph them. I'd never made them before - and when I tell you that eating a pound and a half of brussel sprouts will give you gas cramps like someone has just ham fisted you in the gut, I'm not exaggerating. It was awful; more so for CB who had to live with my rump trumpet for days than me, but still - I think moderation would be the word the next time I make brussel sprouts; and then maybe I won't eat them so fast that I don't have time to take a lovely photograph of them to share with you.
So, while in the grocery store the other day I spotted this lovely red cabbage - not knowing what the hell I was going to do with it. All the recipes I looked up seemed to use it in conjunction with meat...so then I thought - oh cook it with other things that you love. Onions, check; red wine, check; balsamic vinegar, check - and away we go.
I first sliced the onions thin and put them in a saute pan coated with nonstick spray (I'm still weight watchering it here so no butter or olive oil in the pan for me, but feel free to start with whatever lubricant you like). I added the onions to the pan and sauteed them with a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper until they were soft and translucent.
I then added the shredded cabbage to the pan, threw in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar (I'm currently using a truffled balsamic which just rocks, but use whatever you have) a little more salt and pepper - then just let it do it's thing in the pan (over med high heat) until the cabbage was nice and soft and all the liquid had been absorbed.
I served it hot (and today I ate it cold on the top of my salad at lunch) and it was fantastic both ways. CB even commented more than once that it was "really good".
And - it's lovely color would be a great addition to your Valentine's Day spread if you you're into that crappy hallmark holiday.
Rating = So Damn Good (and I assume it's 0 WW pts)
I got in an argument with a woman on the train this morning. I got on the commuter rail at 7:15. It was packed. Really packed. There was a group of four women sitting in two facing seats, the women were knitting. I couldn't move past the door of the train, it was just too busy, as it was, I had to lean on the door. I had my work bag with me; it's not an obscene size, but it fits my wallet, a couple magazines, my t-pass - it wouldn't fit a pair of shoes. Apparently while she was knitting - overly flailing her arms as she knit and purled her meaty elbow would hit my bag. The train was so busy I didn't notice, until she told me that my bag was hitting her arm.
Her: "You're bag is hitting my arm." Me: "Are you upset about this ma'am" Her: "Yes" Me: "Well, I think you need to realize that this is a commuter rail, not a knitting club, and if you're girth weren't so zaftig you wouldn't be taking up room in the aisle with your fat elbow."
That shut her up, and made her put away her knitting too. The lady beside me: "She is such a bitch!" Me: "Yes, yes she is."
Ahh... the joys of public transportation. Always something.
Did you come here for recipes: Silly rabbit. You know in order to get to the recipe, you have to first read the rant.
Ok. These little pieces of heaven are amazing. Tiny, but packing a huge sweet chocolate satisfying treat. One serving is two cookies, and two is enough.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies | WW 1 pt Makes 24 Servings (2 cookies per serving)
Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp canola oil 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/8 tsp salt 1 large egg white 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup)
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white; mix thoroughly to combine.
In a small bowl, mix together flour and baking soda; stir into batter. Add chocolate chips to batter; stir to distribute evenly throughout.
Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto one or two large nonstick baking sheets, leaving a small amount of space between each cookie. Bake cookies until golden around edges, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.
So, the goal moves forward, this recipe is out of my new Weight Watchers recipe book. A simple tasty side dish for any night. I made these last week, I haven't made anything this week because our boiler shit the sheets this weekend and we've been without heat since Monday. The house has not gotten above 52 degrees and I'm going to work early and staying late just to be in a place that has heat. It is teeth chattering...holy fuck cold in the house and because of this I haven't cooked...my fingers simply don't wield a knife very well when I can't feel them, especially the tips...they might as well have fallen off. The plumber said he would be finished by Friday, great 5 days and $6K later.
Ugh...
Question? What's the cheapest food you can buy? Pasta? I think I remember seeing an article on Boston.com about the sales of pasta on the rise because it's so cheap. Well, look forward to pasta recipes, I'm sure weight watchers won't approve that at all - but, you know what they say about desperate times.
Any-whoo. I really liked this recipe. If you eat meat it would go great with a steak with holandaise sauce, or as a side to pork chops. We had it as a side to monk fish and it was very good.
Lemon Sauteed Green Beans with Parsley | Weight Watchers Makes 4 (1) cup servings | 0 points
1 tsp olive oil 1 lb green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 2 tbs water
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the beans until bright green, approx 3 minutes, add the parsley. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and water. Reduce heat, cook, covered 2-3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently until the beans are crisp, 2-3 minutes.
(JB Note: I added the zest of the lemon to the recipe during the last 2 minutes of cooking)
I don't really have a new years resolution this year, but I do have a goal. My goal is to make at least one recipe per week out of of one of the cajillion cook books that I own. Every time I go to a book store I am drawn to the cookbook aisle and no doubt find a new book that I somehow justify buying, even though I have stacks of cookbooks at home that haven't been cracked open in years. So, my goal, is to put those cookbooks to better use this year, to use them at least once a week. I may still ask for cookbooks for my birthday, but I will not buy another cookbook this year until I do justice to the plethora of books I already have. In order to make this goal achievable I did buy a weight watchers cookbook before the new year - it's justified because only one of my cookbooks is termed "light recipes" and I definitely needed recipes to help me stay on track with my points. Also included in this new goal is the bazillion cooking magazines that I own, those count, I'm allowed to source those for recipes too - but I will not buy another cooking magazine this year. Let's see how it goes.
This is a Weight Watchers recipe and I love it. The cauliflower had a good crunch and the spices made it really tasty. What I didn't eat straight I added to my salad and it was awesome.
Cauliflower Poppers 1/2 cup serving = 0 WW points Ingredients 1 spray cooking spray 1 small head cauliflower 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
NOTE: I added the zest and juice of one lemon - next time, I'd just add the zest.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces (there should be about 4 cups). Place cauliflower in a medium bowl and add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper; toss well to coat.
Spread cauliflower on prepared baking sheet and bake until cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, stirring halfway through, about 10 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving. Rating = Good
Making your goal weight sucks a little because you feel in limbo, you get a few more points per day, and then you find yourself getting a little heavy handed with the Old Fashion Kentucky Egg Nog at Thanksgiving...and...wham...those extra points are gone because now...we'll you've put a few back on. Thank goodness I had a buffer and even though I put a few back on I was still under goal. How will I ever get through the holidays...me loves me some egg nog, and Bailey's, and Holiday inspired lattes. Oh crap. December is going to be done in fits and starts I can tell, especially because I've got a hankering for bourbon cake and I'll probably end up making that this weekend. And yes, I have a whole weekend at home...to cook and bake and do whatever the-f I want. Sweet. I've got best laid plans to try and make a few casseroles....we'll see how that goes, but I'm going to make that Bourbon cake...hopefully, we'll see.
Does anyone have any liquor laden holiday recipes that I can try...bourbon cake, rum cake, whatever... I just enjoy drinking and eating my alcohol at this time of year, and if you had my in-laws you wouldn't judge you would just give me the damn recipes.
For a nice chocolatey low fat treat, try some of these little babies. So Good.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies | WW 1 pt 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp table salt 1/4 cup(s) butter, softened 1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup(s) sugar, granulated 1/3 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa 2 large egg white(s) (I used EnerG Egg Replacer) 1 spray(s) cooking spray 6 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips, miniature
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating well. Add cocoa and egg whites, beating well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate minichips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 11⁄2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Yield: 40 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie).
Note: This does make exactly 40 cookies so try to make them all the same size to ensure you have the right amount and can account for all the points.
