Oven Fried Fisn 'n Chips

That's right...oven fried! Or baked. But oven fried sounds so much more delicious.

Oven Fried Fish 'n Chips - delicious homemade french fries and fish sticks!

Being that its Lent, we always have some kind of seafood on Fridays, but lately, they've been lacking.  This past Friday, I really felt like I needed to spice up our Lenten feast. I feel like I don't realize how much meat (chicken, turkey, beef) I eat until Friday comes along and I 'can't' eat meat. One week we had shrimp, another we went out to eat. But this week, I wanted to make something at home. So I figured fish and chips - but my way.

When I was young, my grandfather was a fisherman, and he stocked our freezer with all kinds of fish, so we ate it at least once a week. After he passed away, I feel like fish got reduced down to just during Lent.

My experience with cooking fish is very limited, so I decided to make something I know, but also something new that I couldn't mess up too bad.  Hence:  Oven Friend Fish 'n Chips!

For the Fish:

1 lb cod
1 1/2 cup Panko
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika

Slice the fish into 1/2" thick slices. Coat the fish in the egg, salt, and pepper, and then coat in the Panko, mixed with the spices.

Let the fish sit for about 20 minutes on a drying rack (like when breading chicken, the actual breading stays on the fish better if you let it rest before immediately transferring it to the baking sheet). Then transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the fish with the cooking spray and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400* until browned and firm.

For the Chips:

Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Slice the peppers and transfer to a large zip-lock bag. Add a little bit of oil (about 1 tsp), and the seasonings and mix well to coat the potatoes. Then transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 400* (I put the potatoes in the oven for about 20 minutes, then put them on the bottom rack while the fish baked).

I then made a quick tartar sauce (mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, salt, and pepper) and we had a feast!!

The result: delicious. Scott said there was too much seasoning on the fish (he says he likes to taste the fish, but then covers it in tartar sauce / ketchup), but I enjoyed the flavor. Maybe I'll go a little lighter on the garlic powder and paprika. But for a first attempt, I'd say it was a success!! :o)

The fish is resting, the potatoes are ready for the oven!

This makes about 3 servings: 510 calories, 74 carbs, 5 fat, 40 protein, 6 fiber. 12 Points Plus.

Home-made Hummus

Hello beautiful!!

Hummus is such a delicious snack. But I hate buying it in the stores. I guess it's because I'm cheap. Oh well.

So I made my own.

I got a recipe from a friend, and then tweaked it a bit.

1 can chick peas, drained
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Salt
Lemon juice

• Put the drained chick peas in a pot, and add about a 1/2 cup water. Heat them through (as soon as they come to a boil, shut the heat off).
• Put the chicken peas, and some of the water (as much as you want) into the blender/food processor.  I put just a bit of water, and then saved some to add in later, if needed.
• Add the garlic, salt, and lemon juice (about a teaspoon of salt, and half a squeezed lemon) into the food processor and mix everything together.
• Add the tahini and yogurt, and mix again.
• Taste the mixture, and add salt or more lemon juice, to your liking.

That's it!

I cut out any extra Olive Oil, and by adding the Greek yogurt in place of half of the tahini, I was able to cut a little bit of fat, and add a little protein.  Not too shabby!!  The recipe makes about a cup and a half of hummus, so for 2 Tbsp per serving, you have the following:

Calories: 69, Fat: 3g, Carbohydrates: 7g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 3g.  2 Points Plus!

Enjoy!

Homemade Egg Sandwiches

I love eggs.  Growing up, my mom used to make me poached eggs, and I loved dipping the toast in the yolk.  I love eggs over easy, fried eggs, and also love eggs fried into a hole cut in bread.  I love hard boiled eggs.  And while I can't put scrambled eggs into the "love" category, I can put them into the "like quite a bit" category.

I guess my love of fried eggs and poached eggs naturally led into my love of egg sandwiches.  There is a problem with egg sandwiches, though.  A)  I never have the time during the week to make them before work.  B)  You can buy them at Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds, but they're loaded with extra fat and calories (And Points Plus), and just aren't worth it in the end, and C)  They get expensive!!

A delicious egg sandwich, made at home!

I saw something on Pinterest about baking eggs in Muffin Tins.  GENIUS!  I mean, seriously, genius!!!  Why didn't I think of that??

So that's what I did.  I baked my eggs in jumbo muffin tins, and I made homemade egg sandwiches!!

I used extra large muffin tins (the bottoms are a little bit wider and therefore you get an egg that is a little bit closer to the diameter of the english muffin.  The regular sized muffin tins would make the eggs thicker, but they would also be smaller).  I toasted my "light" english muffins, and I used Ultra Thin slices of Cheddar cheese (which I folded up to not overhang the egg too much).

This is a delicious breakfast, but it's also perfect during the week.  I wrapped all of the sandwiches in foil, and was able to pop one in the toaster this morning to heat up while my coffee was brewing.  So EASY and Delicious!

So what to do?

Ingredients
6 eggs
6 Light English Muffins (I used Stop & Shop Brand)
6 slices of cheese (I used Ultra Thin Sargento Mild Cheddar Slices)

The Method Crack eggs into Pam-sprayed muffin tins (or jumbo muffin tins, like I did, or even whoopie pie tins!) and bake them at 350* for 8-10 minutes.  I baked mine for 8 minutes, checked, and decided that they were still too soft, and baked for another 2 minutes.  Don't over-bake, or they'll get rubbery!!

Eggs, all baked in jumbo muffin tins

While the eggs are baking, toast up your english muffins!

Then, assemble!!!  Use whatever cheese you want!!

 

My eggs on the toasted english muffins, then with a slice of cheese on top!!

Make your sandwiches, wrap them up, and enjoy!!

Note:  I left mine in the refrigerator and stuck one in the toaster this morning.  I just put it on the toast setting like I would for regular bread and it was perfectly heated through this morning!  If you freeze your sandwiches, make sure you heat them up long enough!! :o)

These come in at 6 Points Plus (if you add everything separately, you get 5 points, but putting everything into the Recipe Builder makes it 6 points.  Dunkin Egg & Cheese on English Muffin:  9 Points Plus.  McDonalds Egg McMuffin:  8 Points Plus)  And a whole lot cheaper!!!

Enjoy!!

Snacks Say What?

I had a hankering for a snack today at work and I made two choices. I thought they would be decent choices, without knowing the nutrition facts.

So lets see...

Quaker Popped Caramel Corn
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 0.5g
Total Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 1g
WW Points Plus: 3
Overall assessment: Airy and un-fulfilling....But low points!

Lightly Salted Peanuts
Calories: 340
Total Fat: 29g
Total Carbs: 9g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 15g
WW Points Plus: 9!!!
Overall assessment: Good source of protein, but high points!!

I actually ate both snacks because a) I worked out today so I earned some activity points and b) I ate my lunch at 10:30 this morning and didn't bring in an afternoon snack and was STARVED!!

I think my choices were decent, considering I could have bought Oreo Cookies, or Cheetos, or something else deliciously sinful.

Once I calculated the points, I did ask myself, "Is this worth the points?"  And my answer is no and yes.  No on the Popped Caramel Corn, Yes on the Peanuts.  There were literally like 13 little rice cakes, which is like a big tease.  I mean, why bother?  The peanuts, however, were jam packed into the package, and afterwards, I actually felt full!

So lesson learned!

What's in the vending machines where you are?  And what do their nutrition facts say?? 

Burritos!!!

Every time I've made "burritos," I ended up making the meat, and served the burritos "Help-y Self-y" style....That meaning that everything is out in buffet style and you just fix it the way you want it.  I think my mom coined that term.  Either way, this time I decided to try something different!  I(Note:  Whenever I've told Scott, "I tried something new," he has always cringed.  This time, not so much!)


The Recipe
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
1 pkg (20-oz) lean ground turkey
1/2 packet taco seasoning (the kind you can buy in the spice aisle, not the kind you get in the taco packs)
1 15-oz can refried beans
Shredded cheddar cheese
10 burrito tortillas


The Method to my Maddness
Saute the peppers and onion in a little bit of oil until softened (add in some jalapeno peppers if you like the spice!).  Add in the ground turkey, breaking it up and cooking it well.


Add in the taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup of water, and cook until a sauce is created.


Once the meat is cooked and ready, start layering your burritos:  On each tortilla, put about 1-2 Tbsp of refried beans, some of the meat (enough to make a full burrito, but not some much that you can't roll it) and some shredded cheddar cheese.  Roll the burritos (folding in the sides first) and place them seam-side down in a baking dish.  Bake at 325-350 for 15-20 minutes.


I made half of my burritos with cheese and the other half without.  Whichever I put cheese IN, I put cheese ON in the pan, just for purposes of knowing which was which.  Also, I bought "medium" sized tortillas, so I had trouble folding in the sides...


Variation
My dad makes this recipe but instead of putting the refried beans directly onto the tortilla, he mixes it into the beef.

Only half of the burritos were left when I took this picture....But there they are!

With 1 Tablespoon of Sour Cream, each burrito has the following in terms of nutrition facts:  Calories: 291, Carbs: 32, Fat: 10, Protein: 18, Fiber: 6, Sodium: 656.  For you Points Plus people: 7 Points Plus

An easy and delicious (and filling!) snack

I've recently switched over from Weight Watchers to Calorie Counting.  In essence, it's the same thing....I mean, the last version of Weight Watchers was based on calories.  I've just found myself "cheating" a lot with Weight Watchers - They make it so easy to follow, you get your daily points, and your weekly points, but I always found myself underestimating on how many points I was actually eating.  I also was always dipping into my weekly quota, and then going way over how many points I should be having in one week.


My friend Kate and I decided that we both needed a break from WW, but we needed to try something else - Kate found out about www.myfitnesspal.com, and I decided to jump on the bandwagon.  You put in your current weight, what you would like your eventual weight to be, and how much you would like to lose (realistically) per week.  It then calculates how many calories you should be eating per day.  



I've been trying to search around for low-calorie snacks that are filling.  The stores are full of 100-calorie snack packs that are not filling (although they may be delicious little knock-offs of the delicious original versions).  And honestly, if I want Chips Ahoy Cookies, I'd rather have the real thing then the "healthy version" - but one cookie is probably 100 calories.  But I digress. 


My friend at work suggested a snack that I have been eating since Saturday - and it really is great!  It's a combination of Greek yogurt, honey, and granola.


3/4 cup (6 oz) Fage 2% Plain Greek Yogurt (My friend actually said she likes the 0% better, but when I tried a few different kinds at the market to see which I liked best, they didn't have the 0% available, and I liked the 2% when I tried it, so I stuck with that)
1 1/2 teaspoons of Honey (I estimate it as 1 1/2 teaspoons - I used the small spoon that I use to scoop out the yogurt)
1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal (My friend suggested granola, but I didn't have any at home.  I supplemented with Kashi, and it's delicious!!!)


And that's it.  Mix it all together and enjoy!!!  I honestly and NOT a fan of Greek Yogurt.  It's very tart, and the kind with the fruit at the bottom has TONS of sugar.  So with this, you get to control how much sugar you put into it!  The total snack is 256 calories.  4 Chips Ahoy Cookies are 220 calories, 1 mini bag of Lays Potato Chips is 240 calories - but the yogurt snack goes MUCH further.  It's something you can have for a snack, or even lunch!  The Greek yogurt has a lot of protein in it, so it's definitely filling!!  And moderately low calorie!!

 

Enjoy!!

Crock Pot Chili

A number of years ago, my sister came across a recipe for chili in the newspaper.  We have made it more times than I can count - it's so delicious.  The other day, I took out a package of ground beef (it was 2 lbs that I didn't split right after I bought it) and I needed a good recipe to use all of the beef.

While I love my sister's recipe, as I was looking over the card today, I realized I was lacking a few ingredients (like diced tomatoes).  So I decided to improvise.  Normally, my improvisations do not work out well.  Tonight, it was great!  Here's what I did:

The Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef (I used 90% lean)
• Chopped onion (I used 1/2 of a gi-normous onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 15oz cans beans (I used 1 can small red kidney beans, 1 can large red kidney beans, 1 can white beans (Cannelini) - I used this mixture because it's what I had....The original recipe actually called for 4 cans of beans - which you can do by all means, but I find it to be too many beans)
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 bottle of beer (I used a Pale Ale because it was in the fridge)
• 4 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Salt (I used kosher salt, use more or less depending on your taste)
• Hot sauce (as much or as little as you want)

The Method

• Brown the beef and the onion in a large skillet.  Once browned, put all of the mixture into the crock pot liner
• Add in all of the seasonings, tomato paste, beans, and beer and mix well

Everything's in the pot - getting ready to cook!

• Set the crock pot for 4 hours on low.  You really just need everything to mix together, and for the seasonings to flavor the meat.  
• Enjoy with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream!

This really is some great chili!!!  You can taste the beer, but it's a great flavor.  The chili serves 8 and is 8 points plus per serving (cheese and sour cream is extra).

I made this in bulk - but it is great for lunches!!! :o)

ENJOY!!!

Leftovers!!!

I am not a fan of leftovers.  I find that on most occasions, re-heated food is awful (with a few exceptions).  However, I do like taking my leftovers and making something new with it....QUICHE!

I find that I really only make quiche at Easter time.  There's something about ham and cheese quiche that just makes me happy.  I make it different almost every year and it's one of the very few things that I can cook and improvise and not have it come out awful.  

This year's quiche is Ham and Broccoli....Here's what I did:

The Ingredients

-Leftover ham (I used about 5-6 slices and cubed it up)

-Cheese (whatever kind you have/like.  I had some basket cheese, so I cubed up some of that)

-1 box frozen chopped broccoli, defrosted

-Onion (as much as you want, I used 1/4 of a massive onion)

-Garlic (once again, as much as you want)

-4 eggs, beaten, with a splash of milk (more, depending on the size you're making)

-Pie Crust

The Method to my Madness

-Chop the onion and saute it in a little bit of olive oil

-Add in the garlic and the defrosted broccoli

-Add in some salt and pepper (not too much salt - the ham is salty enough)

-Add in the chopped ham

Onion, Garlic, Broccoli, and Ham

-Line a pie plate with the pie crust (if you're feeling ambition, go ahead and make your own.  I bought the rolls of pie crust - thank you Pillsbury!!)

-Put all of the broccoli and ham mixture into the crust

-Put the cheese in on top and mix in it with a fork (I think that chunks of cheese works better than shredded cheese)

 

On the Left:  Basket Cheese!  On the Right:  Everything in the pie crust

-Pour the Beaten eggs/milk over the mixture and mix it in, making sure to mix everything in well

-Fold the crust over for a "rustic" look - or make a real crust if you're up to it...

-Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes

The Finished Product

 The key to a good quiche is using whatever you want - Potatoes are great in quiche (make sure you pre-cook them so they're not hard when you try to eat it).  I would have used potatoes today, but I didn't have any....


Have fun and ENJOY!!


Points:  7 points per slice - 8 slices per pie

Rigatoni with Sausage and Kale

As we all know, I have tried my fair share of Weight Watcher recipes. My last dish didn't go so well....however, my friend Michelle (and faithful Quahog Tales follower) gave me a recipe today and per her suggestion I made it for dinner.

The Recipe:
2 cups uncooked rigatoni
8 oz uncooked turkey sausage, sweet italian variety
4 cups uncooked kale, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chicken broth
Black pepper
Salt
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (I didn't have this, so I just used grated cheese)

The Method:
Cook rigatoni in salted water according to package directions.

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and cook in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.  Add the kale, stirring frequently, until the kale is limp and wilted (about 3-5 minutes)

Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper (I went easy on the salt since I knew I was putting the cheese on top).  Reduce heat, cover and cooke for about 5-10 minutes, until kale is tender.  Stir in cooked and drained rigatoni.

Divide into four servings and sprinkle each serving with about 2 tbsp of cheese.

The Verdict:
My husband had two full servings. Enough said!!!

Points Plus per serving: 8

Rigitoni with Sausage and Kale (don't forget to add some cheese on top!!!)

Spicy Turkey Burgers

More and more I find myself looking for ways of using ground turkey instead of ground beef.  I remember someone at work saying that if you don't use 99% fat free turkey, what's the point?  Well, there are definite benefits to not eating red meat multiple times a week.  And even if I'm eating the same amount of "fat" I can at least enjoy the similar taste and not worry about the cons of eating red meat.

A while ago, my husband found a recipe online after one of my usual "lets try something new" flops.  Naturally, the recipe he found was fantastic....We've made it a few times, and it's now time for me to share it with you!!!

Spicy Turkey Burgers


The Recipe
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp nonfat plain yogurt (I often do not have yogurt in the house, but do have sour cream.  Either one is fine)
1 Tbsp fresh dill (I never have fresh dill...I use dry dill, and still use the same amount)
1 1/2 tsp hot sauce (or more if you choose)
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove minced garlic (I use a garlic press rather than trying to mince it myself)
1 lb lean ground turkey (I use a 20 ounce package)

The Method

• Combine everything together and mix well
• Shape into 4 patties, about 3/4" thick
• Grill on medium hot heat for 6-8 minutes per side until no longer pink
• If you're like me and share a grill with a bunch of other people who refuse to clean it after they use it, then you can cook your burgers either on the stove top, or in the oven.  I prefer the oven and bake them at 400*F for 10 minutes per side
• Serve on whole wheat Kaiser rolls with lettuce and tomato

These burgers are quick and easy, and quite delicious!!!  Tonight I made them with a side of fresh baked fries.  (6 points plus each!)

Enjoy!!

Spicy Turkey Burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce.  Deliciousness!!

Baked Fish and Chips

So Fridays during Lent are always interesting.  This year, I've made a lot of pizza and spinach pie, as well as Baked Scallops and some baked Scrod.  Both times I made the seafood, I was disappointed.  I bought the seafood at East Side Market both times, and while their seafood is usually really good, both meals just didn't taste right.  My husband requested fish during the week, and I promised him fish on Friday.  I really want to make sure I had time to prepare this meal.

Well, I found a recipe online today (On the Food Network website) for Baked Fish and Chips and I have to admit, it was delicious!  I bought the seafood at Horton's in East Providence.  I drive by the sign all the time on my way to work and today decided I would stop there.  I thought it was a fish shop, but it was actually a dine-in or take-out shop (you could smell the fry-o-later from the street...).  They were nice enough to give me a piece of Scrod (for $6.49 a pound!!  Super cheap!!).   I made sure to rise the fish really well before preparing it.  Here we go!!

The Ingredients

The Chips

•  3 Medium Russet Potatoes
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I don't think I used a full 1/4 cup....I just eyeballed it)
• Kosher Salt
• Cayenne Pepper (I didn't have any in the pantry, so I just used Paprika instead)

The Fish

•  Olive Oil Cooking Spray (I just used whatever cooking spray I had in the pantry)
• 2 3/4 cups Crispy Rice Cereal (I didn't have Rice Krispies - I had Rice Chex...But since you have to crush them up, I figured this would be fine...Also, I didn't measure out an amount.  I just poured it in a bowl)
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
• 3 Large Egg Whites
• 1 1/2 lbs skinless boneless Pollock (I obviously did not use Pollock...I went with Scrod - any firm white fish will do the job) cut into 2x4" pieces (I didn't cut into 2x4 pieces - see picture below)

The Method

Put the racks in the oven on the upper and lower third places and preheat the oven to 450*F.  Place a baking sheet on one of the racks to preheat (this is for the chips - heating the baking sheet initially will help with the crispiness of the chips, and it will also avoid the potatoes sticking to the pan).

The Chips

• Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4" thick sticks
• Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper (or paprika in my case)
• Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven, add the potatoes, and spread in an even layer.  
• Bake on the top rack, turning once, until browned and crisp (about 30 minutes)

 

The Fish

• Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
• Lightly crush the cereal in a bowl with your fingers.  Add 2 tsp salt and pepper to taste.
• In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until frothy.
• Dip the fish in the egg whites and then roll in the cereal
• Place the fish on the racks and mist with cooking spray
• Bake the fish on the bottom rack until crisp and cooked through (I cooked for about 20 minutes - less if the pieces are small)

Serve with tartar sauce, malt vinegar or ketchup :)
Four Servings:  9 Points Plus per serving!

Baked Fish and Chips!  Delicious!!

ENJOY!!

Baked Scallops

For the past two Fridays, I have made Pizza and Spinach Pie for dinner.  My husband has willingly eaten it without complaint.  However, I know that while it fills you up, within a couple hours, you're hungry again.  Mostly because it's just bread.  Where's the protein??


Being that it's Lent, I figured I would try something else this week for dinner.  Plus, I feel bad - my husband bought himself a turkey sandwich for lunch, and then threw it out after I made a comment about the meat.  He deserves a good meal tonight.


A lady at work once gave me this MASSIVE bag of scallops, and through a web search, I found a recipe that I deemed "a keeper."  Only problem - I don't think I kept the recipe!  Typical Camille.


So I did some searching today and found a recipe that's relatively similar!


Here goes!!


The Recipe

• 2 lbs sea scallops (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, separated
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

The Method

• Preheat the oven to 400*F
• Put the scallops, wine and pinch of salt into a medium saute pan and bring up to a boil.  
• Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes.  
• Remove the scallops to a 1.5(ish) quart casserole pan.  Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Heat 3 Tbsp butter in the saute pan on medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until translucent
• Add the flour and the reserved cooking liquid and mix vigorously.
• When the sauce is thickened, add it to the casserole baking dish.  Stir to incorporate
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the scallops and dot with the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter.
• Bake at 400*F for about 15 minutes, until bubbly and brown

I didn't take a picture (SORRY!!!) But I can assure you it's good.  My only suggestion:  I bought scallops from East Side Market and they were NOT fresh.  Make sure you buy FRESH SCALLOPS!!!

Potato Leek Soup

Last week, I spent about $120 on food at Stop and Shop.  It sounds like a massive shopping, but I really didn't buy a lot of things.  Most of the money was spent on produce and meats.  I have some great ideas for dinner this week, and while I was walking through the produce section, I found some gorgeous looking leeks, in bunches of three.  I had been given a recipe for potato leek soup by my neighbor, and decided right there in the market that we would have soup this week.

I spent the day with two great friends making "Trial run" cookies for a baby shower.  It's a terribly un-seasonably cold day, and just on waking up this morning, I knew it was a potato-leek soup kind of a day.

The recipe:

• 3 large leeks, (whites and pale green only) cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Marjoram - dash
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce (optional)
• Salt & Pepper

The Method:

• Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, checking often. Do not brown leeks - this will result in a burnt taste. 
• Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan (I used an immersion blender, and just blended half of the soup in the pot). Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste, if desired. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

The results:  4-6 servings of pure deliciousness.

 

The entire pot of soup is 30 points plus....

@ 6 servings:  5 points plus

@ 4 servings:  7 points plus

Enjoy!

Plateau

I looked up the definition of Plateau on dictionary.com and got the following result:

I looked up the definition because I feel like it is defining my life at this moment.  I'm a big believer in the Weight Watchers philosophy, as I've stated before, but lately, I've been having a hard time. I started the program on May 31, 2011.  Today is October 25, 2011.  That's 21 weeks.  And in 21 weeks, I've only lost 13 pounds.  Now.  I'm not saying that I've had 21 perfect weeks.  That's far from the truth.  BUT, I have had many very good weeks.  I actively lost for about 10 weeks.  And then, I started with this up and down see-saw roller coaster.  

So, my solution is to try something different.  Like I've said a number of times, I know that Weight Watchers works.   I emailed with my leader today (who is so awesome) and I have 3 different options.  Here is what she wrote in the email she sent me:

1. Do Kick Start in the PP Getting Started Book--page 87.  It is a guaranteed weight loss as the PP are counted for you, the portions sizes are controlled, and the Good Health Guidelines are included. 
2. Track EVERYTHING and let me see it by email (from eTools) or bring a tracker to the Mtg.  That way we can customize the plan for you.  (Weigh & Measure everything too)  
3. Simply Filling is fantastic but you have to eat mostly Power Foods so as not to go over the 49 WPA with non-Power Foods.  I am not wild about fat free cheese but can do SF now easily because light bread is on the list. ALSO, to do SF we MUST eat to satisfaction and not more.  The Power Foods will help you learn to slow down and eat to satisfaction not stuffed.

Here are my thoughts on these three options.  

1. Kick Start:  I need to look this over and make a decision.
2. I already track everything.  It's probably all about better choices.
3. Simply filling.  I tried this when it was "Core."  I have a difficult time knowing when I'm full.

At first, before I heard from the WW Leader, I was thinking of trying the Simply Filling.  My reservations are that I'm nervous about "eating until I feel full."  I don't judge that well at all.  SO.  I think I'm going to do the kick start.  This is basically an insert in the WW book, that gives you options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It helps you pair up a grain, dairy, protein, fruit/vegetable, and healthy fat for meals.  It also gives you snack ideas.  I'm going to try this first, as I think it will help me stay better on track.


Opinions?  Thoughts?

TACOS!!!

Tonight was a good dinner night. On Tuesday night I took a package of ground turkey out of the freezer, but was too tired last night to cook it (After eating a turkey sandwich and some popcorn, I fell asleep at 7:30, but only because I didn't fall asleep until 3:30am and got up at 6:30 am). In any case, after asking the opinions of my friends in the "Crossroads Command Center" (the room to which I am exiled every day at work), I decided on Tacos.  Turkey Tacos.

So, on the way home from the gym tonight (45 minutes on the Summit Trainer and some free weights), I stopped at Stop and Shop for a few extra ingredients.

Tonight's shopping list:

• 1 package "Carb Balance" tortillas (these taste just as goods as your regular tortillas but are only 2 points plus each, versus 4-6 points, depending on the brand)
• 1 bag of Tostito chips (which I didn't even end up opening...I compared the regular and the multigrain, they're the same point plus value, but the multigrain are more expensive...)
• 1 small tub of Light sour cream
• 1 head of Boston Lettuce (I usually don't buy Boston Lettuce, but it was delicious)
• 1 pkg of Skinny Cow garlic and herb cheese (for me - so good, not for tacos)
• 1 loaf of potato bread (for lunches, not for tacos)
• 1 bag of Cape Cod 40% reduced fat Salt and Vinegar chips (Scott's request, once again not for the tacos)

Total Price tag:  $20.56.  Not too bad....

At home, I already had the ground turkey (93% lean), taco seasoning, black beans, brown rice, tomatoes, scallions, and olives.

The method (super easy, by the way)

Get the rice on the stove first, as it takes the longest (2 servings - 1/2 cup rice and 1 1/3 cup water, boil and then reduce for 30 minutes).

Open the can of black beans, heat on the stove.  I didn't drain and rinse...I just put the entire can in.

Brown up the ground Turkey, once it's browned, drain it (there was hardly any fat to drain), put back on the stove, add 3/4 cup of water and some taco seasoning (didn't put the whole package, because I find it to be too strong).  Once it gets thick, lower the heat to keep it warm.

Clean and chop the lettuce, tomato, olives, and scallions

Seriously, that's it. I set everything up on the counter in a "helpy selfy" (As my mother would say) manner, and there you have it!  

Total time to cook dinner:  30 minutes...(Literally a 30 minutes meal.  The rice took the longest to cook).  Total Points Plus for the taco pictured above:  6.  And, I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!!!!  How awesome is that??

Running through New Jersey

I'm traveling for work AGAIN this week.  I did take a new job a few weeks ago, but being that I'm working on the system that is being deployed into the company based in MA, I guess I sort of figured that I'd be staying there most of the time.  But, I did have to do two back-to-back weeks of travel.  Last week, I was in Rochester, NY.  I decided that I don't like Rochester that much, and my family should not worry about me ever wanting to move there.  In all honesty, there's nothing there.  Even the Panera was empty at 7:45 in the morning....I mean, come on!  You go to the Panera on Reservoir Ave in Cranston, and it's PACKED!

The other reason I could never make Rochester my home?  Well, all the people who think there are "amazing Italian restaurants" there.  Seriously.  There's this guy there (who shall remain nameless) who happen to be in Raynham the week before I was in Rochester.  And he asked for a place for he and his wife to go to dinner.  I suggested either the North End or Federal Hill.  I mean, you're in the Providence/Boston Area?  You go get Italian food.  He poo-pooed the suggestion, saying that he could get Italian food any time he wanted at home.  All he talked about was "chicken french" ...It's so good, it's amazing, you can't get it any where else, BLAH BLAH BLAH.  What's chicken french, you ask?  It's chicken francaise, over a bed of escarole.  When I found out that it was over escarole, I told him about how I love escarole, and when I was young, my mom used to make escarole and beans....He followed with a story about how an old Italian lady used to make him greens and beans often when he was a kid, too.  I just shook my head.  In any case, Rochester didn't hold much for me (I just read that Ragu came originally from Rochester...I guess that should say something about the Italian-ness of the town, huh?)

Now, I'm in New Jersey.  In Piscataway, NJ, to be exact.  So far, I haven't found too much here, although I also haven't made much of an effort.  So far, my schedule has been about 8am-5:30pm, with a short break for lunch.  Then, back to the hotel, work out, shower, eat, watch tv, go to bed.  I'm currently in the watch tv moment right now.  The hotel is connected to a Ruby Tuesday, so in my laziness tonight, I decided to just get room service.  While it was easy, it wasn't necessarily delicious, either...But maybe I'm just a food snob.  However, I was able to make smart (or not so smart) choices, based on my Points Plus.

Tonight, after I got back from work, I went down to the "fitness center" here at the Hotel.  BTW - The Fitness Center consists of 2 treadmills, 1 elliptical machine, 1 recumbent book, and some hand weights.  No, I'm not kidding.  In any case, I did a half hour on the treadmill.  That's 10 minutes more than I did yesterday.  I was able to do a run-walk combination.  Last night, I ran 2 intervals at .25 miles and then about .10 miles with walking in between.  Tonight, I ran 2 intervals at .25 and then 3 intervals at .10 miles with walking in between.  While I wasn't able to do more of the .25 intervals, I did do extra of the .10 intervals.  My leg just still can't handle that much running.  Even now, I've been back in the room for almost 3 hours and my leg is still sore.  Damn that torn PCL!  But in any case, there are improvement, and I need to just take it slow!  If I try to do too much too fast, I'll hurt myself even further.

Here's to hoping that I find a few things to do here in Jersey during the rest of the week that I'm here.  So far, it is better than Rochester, and I'll be going out for "Team Dinner" tomorrow....I'm hoping it's better than the team dinner at the "Italian" restaurant in Rochester, HAHA!

At the end of the day, I've basically come to the conclusion that I'm too much of a homebody to enjoy traveling.