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!!

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

Counting Calories

I've been trying to count calories for a little while now.  So far, I've had mixed results, but at the end of the day, I've lost about 2 lbs over the last 6 weeks.  Not really the results I have been looking for.

I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager.  I've always been envious of my friends who can pound down an ice cream sundae while I sit there knowing that if I ate the sundae, I'd gain 2 lbs by the next morning (but I ate it anyway).  A big part of my problem, however, has always been portion control.  I'd like to say that this stems from childhood (you know, you go to Nonni's house for dinner, and when she asks if you want more, you say, "oh just a little" and she gives you more than the first portion....and you eat the whole thing).  My other problem is willpower.  I have none.  I remember being about 13 years old, and my mom taking us out for lunch - it was a treat day, and we went to Friendly's and got to have Cone Head Sundaes after lunch.  Then, later that night, my aunt took us to the movies and I bought candy.  I remember my mom saying that I needed to make choices - I couldn't eat multiple treats per day.  Since then, I've been obsessed with trying to make good choices, but haven't had the willpower to do it all the time.

I've been on and off every diet known to man, but the most success has been with eating normal portions of good healthy food.  Weight Watchers and counting calories has been my two main eating regimens, since both of them allow you to eat whatever you want.  At the end of the day, they are helping you learn that if you really want to eat that ice cream sundae, you need to make choices throughout the day to fit it in.  It also teaches you that normal portions are necessary, especially if you do insist on eating the sundae.  We forget that everything is super-sized, we we need to make better choices.  Weight Watchers has gone through a number of revisions over the last few years.  At the end of the day, it's basically the same thing as counting calories.  I stopped Weight Watchers for a few reasons:  1) I was sick of paying $13 per month to cheat and not stick to plan.  2) I wasn't following it correctly.  The points system works, as long as you are calculating points properly.  There were foods that I would make and I would estimate what I think the points were worth....And if I felt guilty that it was too many points, I would lower the number (but not the portion) to make it look better.

Since I went off Weight Watchers, I decided there had to be something in it's place.  My friend told me about my fitness pal so I decided to go with that.  It's free, and it allows you to determine how many calories you eat per day (based on how much weight you want to lose per day).  As I said earlier, I've been using my fitness pal for about 6 weeks now, and I've only lost about 2 lbs.  So what am I doing wrong?  Well, I think I've been trying too hard to limit what I eat.  When I first started, I decided to eat only 1200 calories per day.  But when I exercised, I often didn't eat the calories that I burned, and I honestly think that I was eating too few calories.  My body knew that, so I changed my calorie intake per day from 1200 to about 1450, but I still didn't eat what I earned through exercise.  So starting yesterday, I changed the process a bit.  I'm eating a NET 1200 calories.  That means that I'm eating whatever I earn.  So if I earn 400 calories exercising, I'm going to eat 1600 calories total.  I am putting a limit on total calories, though.  There are days (usually on the weekend) where I burn 1000 calories cleaning and washing walls, but I don't plan on every eating more than 2000 calories.  So far, so good.  I haven't been hungry at all, which is good...When I do think I feel hungry, I drink some water or some caffeine free diet coke, and wait a few minutes.  Most of the time, I'm just thirsty.

Now, I just need to go food shopping to stock up on some healthy fruits and veggies... :)  My refrigerator is BARE!

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!!!

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!!!)

Dinner Disaster

Last night I attempted a Weight Watchers recipe that a friend of mine suggested. Lemon chicken with broccoli. Sounds delicious.

The problem with my version: way too much lemon!! The recipe called for the zest and the juice, next time I'll skip the zest. I also need to cook the broccoli a little less.....I hate mushy broccoli...

So next time, we'll go with a little less lemon, and crispier broccoli. Here's a view of the finished product (served with brown rice)

Resolutions, revisited

Last week, I wrote out all of my resolutions, or rather GOALS, for 2012 and I've decided that even though it's only been a week, I'd report on my progress.


I started Weight Watchers Online again right after I finished the blog post last week.  I decided it was silly for me to wait until AFTER New Years to start.  So I counted my points (even through New Years Eve) and weighed in yesterday for a loss of 3 lbs!!  I was very happy, and that's motivated me to keep going!


One of the blogs I read posted about an 8-week get healthy challenge.  And I've decided I'm going to do it!  I'm so excited.  I'm rallying up a few of my friends and I'm going to start it as soon as possible.  Here's the breakdown (taken right from Six Sisters' Stuff):
----------

-This is an 8-Week Challenge that starts on a Monday (you pick what Monday to start on)

-Decide an amount that each person pays to enter the challenge (we did $25 a person)

-There is a weekly point calendar for each of the 8 weeks

-Beginning on Week #2 there is a double point challenge (highlighted in yellow)

-You can exercise each day, but you will only receive points for exercising 5 days a week.

-You can choose to not each sugar/treats each day, but you will only receive points for not eating sugar on 6 days (everyone needs a free day!).

-There is a sample food journal that you can use or you can use your own kind of food journal to keep track of what you eat.

-Weight yourself anytime each Sunday and tally up all points by 9 PM. Make sure that you weight yourself under the same circumstances each week (for example: Morning/Night, Empty/Full stomach)

-Choose someone in your challenge who will be the one you send a weekly email/text to with your totally weekly points and totally weight loss points for the week. They will have to keep track of everyone’s points and then have them send out an email or text with everyone’s standings on Mondays. We said that all points had to be emailed/texted by midnight on Sunday. If you didn’t send an email/text by that time, you received no points for that week. So each week you will send in 3 numbers: Your weekly points, you weight lost for the week, and your total points for that week.

-Daily contact with teammate: It’s amazing the strength that comes from encouragement from your teammates! We said that you could email, call, or text someone on your team to encourage them to have a healthy day. It helps knowing that you are all in this together and makes you accountable for what you do or don’t do.

-Example of weight loss points: You will get 5 points for maintaining your lowest previous weight AND 10 points for each whole pound. For instance, if you gained weight, you will report 0 points AND you don’t get any weight loss OR maintenance points in future weeks until you return to the lowest weight you had already achieved. If you maintained your previous lowest weight, you report 5 points. If you lost 1 pound, you would get 5 points for maintaining plus 10 points for that pound, so you would report 15 points.

-Cash prize money will be divided equally between the person who loses the largest percentage of weight and the person who has the most total weekly points.

Starting Weight from Sunday night: ___________

WEEK #1	MON	TUES	WED	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN
1 pt: Contact with Teammate
3 pts: 64 oz Water
3 pts: Stop eating before 9 pm
3 pts: 2 Fruit Servings (1/2 cup each)
5 pts: 3 Vegetable Servings
5 pts: No Sweets/Sugary Treats (Only 6 days a week)
5 pts: Keep a Food Journal
5 pts: 30 min. exercise OR 7 pts: 45 min. exercise (Only 5 days a week)
TOTAL POINTS: (205 possible for the week)

10 Points per Pound lost AND 5 points for Maintaining Lowest Weight.

Total Points from Week: _________ + Points from Weight Loss: _________ =

Grand Total of Points from Week 1: __________

Each week continues like this (except that starting in week 2, different categories get you double points)

----------

So while I'm going to continue with Weight Watchers, I'm adding this into my routine.  This will help to get to my fitness goals (biking and running), and I'm super excited about it!  I have a picture on my computer desktop, to remind me of my current goal (this is what I looked like when I met my husband).  Once I get there, I'll revisit my goals!  One step at a time!

Resolutions

So, Christmas is finally over.  The cookies were baked, the toffee (aka Christmas Crack) was made and all the delicious traditional Christmas food was consumed (in copious amounts).  Now, it's time to make those New Year's Resolutions!


My friend Hillary made a post about Goals instead of Resolutions.  It makes sense.  Every year, I make (and usually break) the same Resolution - to lose weight.  Last year, I didn't make a resolution at all, because I knew I would just end up giving up on it half way through the year.  But this year, I'm setting up some goals.

1. Get Healthy.  I think it's really important for me to set a goal to be healthy, rather than make the "Let's try to lose 100 lbs" resolution.  We all know that never works.  I want to feel good about myself and not always feel so large and uncomfortable.  I think that I need to do a few different things to encompass the entire Get Healthy Goal:
1. Exercise at least 4 times a week (upcoming goals 2 and 3 will help with this one).  This shouldn't be too difficult.  Not only do I have a free (yes, free) fitness center right in my building at work, I also pay for World Gym.  I currently hardly ever use either....I need to get in the habit of bringing clothes to work with me, and either using the gym at work, or stopping at the gym after work.  I want to find exercises that I like and that don't bother my back.
2. Continue to follow Weight Watchers.  The program works, I just need to follow it.
3. De-Stress.  This may come in the form of exercise, or even yoga or meditation.  I bring a lot of stress on myself by letting things bother me all the time.  It's time to work on that!
2. Prepare for the 60-mile Tour de Cure and ride in May.  We purchased road bikes back in April, and we've gotten a decent amount of use out of them.  We rode last year with the Johnson & Johnson Team, and while we signed up for the 15-mile ride (as new riders, we weren't too sure if we wanted to go for the big ride right away), but we ended up riding 30 miles, and really enjoyed it.  It's time to bump it up and go for the 60.  Time to Train
3. Run the CVS 5-K in September.  You may think this is a whimpy goal, when other people are out there training for half-marathons and marathons.  Well, my goal is to run a 5-K.  I haven't run much since I tore my PCL two years ago.  But I think that a workout strategy will help me achieve this goal.
4. Read more.  I read (really re-read) a lot of Harry Potter.  I would like to read more variety.
5. Continue cooking and baking (and blogging about my food).  I really want to make more dinners and work on my repertoire.

I think that's a pretty hefty list of Goals.... But I feel that they're practical and I'll be able to stick with everything.


Here's to a great new year!

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??

Pork Loin with Spring Vegetables

So, day three of me cooking like an adult.  Once again, a simple task.  This was Wednesday Night's meal and it proved to be quite good, although not quite what I had hoped it to be.  Once again, the recipe came from my Weight Watchers cook book, and I think it has helped me to get the general idea of cooking a pork loin, although I may change a few things when I make this again.

The Recipe:
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3/4 tsp salt
1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 pound baby potatoes, cut in half
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 cup baby carrots
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 tsp black olive

Sprinkle pork with chives and 1/4 tsp salt.  Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Transfer pork to roasting pan and combine with artichokes, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, oil, remaining salt and pepper (these were all mixed together prior to being transferred to roasting pan).  The vegetables should be arranged around the pork.

Roast, stirring vegetables once, until vegetables are tender and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 60*F, about 25 minutes.  Let pork stand 5 minutes before slicing in 12 slices.  Serve with vegetables.

The result:

What I actually did & my feelings on the dish:  I added onions, and since I couldn't find frozen artichoke hearts, I omitted them.  Also, I put too many carrots.  The pork wasn't browned enough.  I was afraid to let it brown too much, and I shouldn't have been.  It was good, but browning it a bit more would have made it better.  Also, there wasn't enough flavor.  The vegetables were good, but in reality, the only thing that actually flavored the meat (as far as seasonings/herbs) was salt, pepper and chives.  So the pork was delicious, it was moist, it wasn't dried out, but it needed more flavor.  Maybe some garlic, mushrooms, less carrots and the artichokes, and I think it will taste completely different.  Also, because I used frozen asparagus, it was almost over-cooked, whereas the carrots were almost under-cooked.  I didn't like the mixture.  Next time, it will need to be done with all fresh ingredients rather than a mix of fresh and frozen.

Oh, and by the way, I actually used a 1-pound pork loin (which is what the recipe called for).  There's NO WAY you could slice it into 12 pieces, serve 4 people and all be satisfied.  I sliced it into 8 pieces, and served two people, and thought that was a more realistic amount to fill me and Scott.

Overall, a good dish, but it definitely could use some tweaking.  I definitely have some ideas for the next time I make this, and I think it will be just as easy.  :o)

Escarole and Beans

Escarole and Beans is something that my mom used to make once in a while when we were kids.  It's one of those "comfort foods" that brings me back to my childhood.  I remember sitting in the kitchen, and digging in.  It's another very easy meals, and best of all - it's a "one pot wonder!"  There's nothing better than only needed to wash one pot.  

I found the recipe in my Weight Watchers cookbook (It was called White Bean and Escarole Soup) and as soon as I saw it, I decided.  This is it.  

Today's recipe:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (My garlic was massive, so I only used 3 cloves)

1 (1-lb) head of escarole, cleaned and chopped

4 (14.5 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth (I had a 48 oz box, with a cup removed.  I used what I had left and substituted water for the last cup)

1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes (I also added in red pepper flakes and sauteed those with the garlic).  Add escarole, in batches, if necessary, and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes (I cooked the ecarole for more than 2 minutes...I'd say closer to 5 minutes).

Add broth and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes (I would say that I simmered this for closer to 20 minutes.  I didn't think 10 minutes would be enough).  Add beans and pepper and cook until heated through, 2 minutes longer (Once again, I cooked longer than 2 minutes.  Probably 5-10 minutes).

Ladle soup in 4 large shallow soup bowls and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan (I never added cheese onto my Escarole and Beans as a kid....I decided to skip this step).

The step that the weight watchers book leaves out is this:  Take an English muffin, toast it, and ladle the soup over the English muffin.  It adds a little bit of something that is otherwise missing :o)

Overall, I'd say that this meal was a success.  It didn't taste exactly as I remembered it from when my mom and Nonni used to make it, but it was good.  I'll have to make sure I get their recipe and compare to see what I did different.

Day 2 of being an Adult:  Still pretty easy!