Lunch Time!

Sometimes with WW, I get really bored at lunch time.  There are only so many soups and salads before I start wandering, looking for something a little different and a little more traditional.  One of my favorite sandwiches is a good, creamy egg salad.  Without all that mayo though (and I mean the good full fat kind) it's just not the same!  

This "egg salad" sandwich is so different from what I grew up with that it takes on a whole new taste and texture and yet satisfies my craving for the real thing. 

Try it and see what you think!

Egg Salad Sandwich

1 English Muffin

1 Egg (hard boiled)

2 slices of tomato (or one big one)

Handful of alfalfa sprouts

2 tbsp mayonnaise or ranch dressing (fat free) 

Salt/pepper to taste

Slice the hard boiled egg into nice thick slices. Spread 1 tbsp of mayo on each half of the English muffin.  Place sliced egg on bottom half of muffin and sprinkle lightly with salt/pepper.  Add tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts and place muffin on top.

The crunch of the alfalfa sprouts and the creaminess of the egg yolk really compliment each other making this a very satisfying lunch for only 5 pts.

Birthday Cake

Does everybody celebrate their birthday with cake? Is it okay to say you don't want cake?

I'm sure glad my friend told me no to the cake! Her birthday wish was that I cook dinner for her and make her a dessert "something like flan", she hinted. Well, it just so happened that my mom had told me the last time she had my flan that she would never order it in a restaurant again! So with my friend's wish and mom's praise dessert was going to be a breeze!

Yep, you guessed it, too easy! My challenge was going to be making it a little less calorie laden (I won't say healthy here). I always have fat free half and half on hand so I decided to use that and hope for the best! It worked beautifully!! Mom never guessed and after her third serving my friend hadn't a clue either - I was happy! Then, I got up this morning and while drinking my coffee decided to try again... even lower!

Upside Down Creme Brulee (Flan)
1/4 cup sugar (plus 2 tsp for caramelizing)
1 cup half and half, fat free
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
3/4 tsp vanillaPinch of salt

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sugar in the bottom of 4 ramekins. With a torch, moving the flame in slow spirals, caramelize the sugar in each ramekin until amber or dark amber beads form over the entire bottom surface. Set them aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 300F. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of sugar and the half and half. Stir while heating over medium-high heat until almost to the boiling point. Set aside to cool. In another bowl, briskly stir the egg beaters, vanilla and salt. Continue stirring while adding the cream mixture in a slow thin stream. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and fill the ramekins, pouring gently. Place ramekins in a baking dish and then fill the baking dish with hot water until 1/2 way up the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes (more or less depending on the depth of the ramekins) until the centers are softly set. They should jiggle slightly. Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the water for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the baking dish and cover with plastic wrap before placing in the refrigerator. (They are also great room temperature!) To unmold them, hold the bottom half of the ramekin in a bowl of hot tap water for a count of 20. Then, with a small paring knife, go around the edge of each custard. Turn the ramekin over in the center of a dessert plate. If the custard does not fall out, gently lift one edge of the custard with the paring knife to release the vacuum.

Wow, that's a lot of directions! Hopefully I got everything and they turn out perfectly like mine did!

This amazing tasting dessert is only 3 points plus per serving! Only 3!
Would that be considered healthy?

Happy Birthday!

Exterior Makeover

Everybody knows that when you don't like the outside of something you generally don't like the "something" and most of the time won't try it. That's true for food, clothing, people, restaurants, hotels... you name it. We all know the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" but are we really good at following that advice? The media would definitely say no - beauty sells! An ugly meal on the cover of a cookbook is not going to sell the cookbook no matter how healthy, nutritious or tasty it is. And who knows this better than our kids?!

For this reason I decided to create one of my favorite comfort meals with a whole new "cover". By changing the outside I figured I may be able to get my daughters to at least take a bite! And not knowing what it was... they did!! They loved it!

Try it for yourself and get those picky eaters to eat an old favorite!

In-Side Out Cabbage Rolls

1 lb lean ground beef (96%)
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup beef broth
8 oz pizza sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, reduced fat, shredded

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and green pepper until meat is no longer pink; drain as needed. Stir in the cabbage, tomatoes, broth, pizza sauce, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender. Stir in the rice and heat through. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover and let it stand until the cheese is melted.

I served it in bowls to allow all the juices to stay with it and a slice of garlic toast made with Sarah Lee Delightful 45 calorie bread. For 1 1/2 cups and the slice of bread it was only 6 WW PointsPlus value!! That serving size is rather large too so the points can be adjusted with the serving size.

The family has gotten used to not asking what's in something so I lucked out! Had the kids known it was cabbage I may not have succeeded at giving this not-so-pretty meal a much needed makeover! Will they ever learn not to judge by the outside? I'm not so sure about that but I'm doing my part to teach them well!

This makes me want a haircut and some new foundation...