Reconstructing Favorites

There are some recipes that I just can't seem to reconstruct enough to make them compatible with Weight Watchers, no matter how hard I try. And trust me, for some of my favorites I try really super hard! This time, I succeeded in a completely different direction and have found a new holiday meal must-have.

I think of sweet potatoes (yams), I think of marshmallows, brown sugar, butter and sweetness. After all, they are sweet potatoes right? Well, not anymore!! No, they're still sweet, it's just the other sweet stuff I'm not going to be thinking of anymore! Now I'll think of feta and fennel and coriander and savory sweetness!

Here's why...

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
6 small orange fleshed sweet potatoes
6 oz crumbled feta, fat free
1/8 tsp ground fennel seed
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut off the sharp pointed ends. Prick all over with a fork and put them in a small roasting pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Place the mixture in the refrigerator to marinate until the potatoes are done. When fully baked, remove the potatoes from the oven and cut a "lid" off the top side (not end) of each potato. You want to create the largest "boat" you can but have a wide enough opening to scoop the filling into. When cool enough to handle, carefully scoop the insides of the potatoes out into a small bowl. Mix in about half the feta mixture and let sit for a minute while you turn the skins upside down and spray with cooking spray. This will give them a nice shine when baked. Now fill each "boat" with the feta and potato mixture. Divide the remaining feta between each filled potato and pile high! Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, just until the cheese has started to melt.And now, we have a sweet potato dish that we can all enjoy!

Although mom didn't care for it , the girls, who don't normally eat the sweet potatoes, loved it! At only 4 points-plus per potato, you can't go wrong!

Don't worry mom, you'll still get your traditional sweet potatoes during the holidays, it will just be a much smaller dish since the rest of us will be eating these!!

Celebrations With Food

I cook all the time and definitely don't need a special occasion to make special food. I love the creative process and the billions of tastes and flavor combinations that happen in the kitchen no matter what the celebration, holiday or occasion.

It's Easter time and of course that means another holiday event that has it's traditional menu of family favorites and traditions. Why deviate? I've tried the deviation route and it failed miserably - why do it? To me and my family, the food served on Easter Sunday must resemble brunch served sometime around 11:00 and then a Ham dinner. Easy enough right? Nobody has any other expectations than that so as long as I stick to those simple rules everybody will be happy and I can create to my hearts content!

Brunch - big or small? This year - small and late! We had a wonderful evening with friends the night before which required a return trip to bed after sunrise service! Late or not, the family raved over our small brunch and we'll definitely be repeating it.

Healthified Monkey Bread

1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cans Pillsbury reduced-fat biscuits
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup fat-free caramel topping
2 tsp vanilla

Heat the oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray. In a 1-gallon resealable food storage plastic bag, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Separate both cans of dough into 16 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add biscuit pieces to sugar mixture. Seal the bag and shake to coat. Layer biscuit pieces and pecans in the prepared pan. In a small bowl, mix the caramel topping and vanilla. Pour over the biscuit pieces. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center. Invert onto a serving platter and serve warm. (Serves 16)

This yummy treat is 6 points-plus for four pieces (a full biscuit). Although that's quite a few points for only one part of brunch, it's substantially less than the "real stuff" and yet has all the flavor and warmth. Can't wait to make this one in the Dutch oven while camping!

And now for the main event!!

Maple Sausage & Waffle Casserole

6 homemade waffles, using fat free mix
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
8 links turkey breakfast sausage
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, 2%
6 eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup, sugar free
2 cups milk, 2%
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the sausage from casings and brown in a skillet until no longer pink, drain on paper towels. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the onions, peppers and celery until softened. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage. Coat an 11x8 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Cut the waffles in half and arrange 6 halves to cover the bottom. There will be some space between the halves. Sprinkle the waffles with half the sausage mixture and half the cheese. Repeat the layer with the remaining waffles, sausage and cheese. Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl with the syrup, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the waffle layers. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until the edges are puffy. Cool 5 minutes and serve. (Serves 10)

At only 5 points-plus per serving this sweet and savory breakfast casserole will please everybodys palate!

And that's it! Believe it or not, that's all we had for brunch this year and everybody was very satisfied! Nope - no eggs Benedict, no fruit with the chocolate fountain and no seafood selection. Plain and simple - perfectly delicious!

Hurry and clean up - almost time to start dinner!

Change - is it always a good thing?

Change... good thing?  Bad thing?  Necessary?  Inevitable?
~
Not applicable this time!

Usually, when I find a recipe, I adapt it, change it, add, subtract and rearrange it. I never seem to be able to stick with the recipe as published, posted or printed. Control issues? Naw, I don't think so!

This is one recipe I will follow to the dotted "i" and crossed "t" - I hope you all enjoy it!

Arroz Con Pollo
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 4 oz. can diced chilies
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth, fat free
1 cup dried white rice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup shredded cheddar/colby cheese, 2%

Put cumin, coriander and turmeric in a one gallon resealable bag.  Add cubed chicken and shake until well coated. (Mine ended up marinating for a couple hours while I ran and picked up the girls!) 

In a large skillet on medium heat, melt the butter.   Add the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.  Add 

seasoned chicken to the skillet with the garlic and saute until no longer pink. Add the onion and peppers to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.   Add chilies and tomatoes and mix well.   Add broth, rice and remaining spices.  

Bring to a boil.  Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.  Spread cheese over the top, cover for a minute or two and allow the cheese to melt completely.

That's it! Simple and simply amazing! And only 6 points plus for a full 1 cup serving!

We all agreed we could make ourselves sick on this by overeating! It's one of those dishes that you clear your plate from the table but keep your fork in your hand so you can stop by the pan of leftovers and snag a couple more bites!

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...

Starting Over

How many times have we said and heard that one? I know I've said it at least 100 times! Starting over so many things, so many times... dieting, exercising, budgeting, moving, jobs, relationships, you name it, I've started it over. This time, I've actually started over before starting over! My blog that is!

Shortly after starting this blog almost a year ago and being very focused on cooking healthy meals, I lost it! No, not the weight, the enthusiasm and motivation. The family vacation traveling down the west coast helped - I think I left it somewhere between San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf and Disneyland!

I've now started my journey over - more dedicated than ever! I've been on my newest weight loss journey for 2 months now and the healthy meals are piling up in my recipe book! I'm using Weight Watchers again and find myself addicted to their online features! The recipe builder keeps me logging in every day, all day! So ready or not, here they come!

A little different format this time - no nutritional values for each ingredient. Someday I may come back and edit the new recipes to include that but for now it's all about the PointsPlus values on the bottom line.

Here's the first recipe to begin the new journey:

Chicken Chimichangas

1 1/2 cups chicken breast, cooked
1 1/2 cups picante sauce, mild
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, low fat, shredded
2/3 cup scallion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp dried oregano
6 flour tortillas, carb balanced, low fat
1 tbsp butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine the chicken, 3/4 cup picante sauce, cheese, 1/4 cup onions, cumin and oregano. Spoon 1/2 cup of the mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold the sides and ends over the filling and roll up. Place the seam side down in a 15" x 10" baking pan coated with cooking spray. Brush each tortilla top with the melted butter. Bake uncovered at 375 for 20-25 minutes until heated through and tops begin to brown. Top with the remaining picante sauce and onions. Optional toppings include additional cheese and fat free sour cream.

Each Chimichanga is a mere 7 WW PointsPlus value and when served with a side of fat free refried beans it's a great meal for under 10 points.

My daughter, who thinks of herself as a Chimichanga expert (actually, she thinks she's an expert at everything since she's 16) was excited to learn we were having these for dinner. She even offered to retrieve the deep fryer from the shelf in the garage! When I informed her they were going to be baked she was skeptical (that's putting it mildly)! After one bite she was hooked! These chimichanga's will make you think differently about those fat laden deep fried ones you get in restaurants. There is no oily after taste and the flavors are all there for you to enjoy. I'll experiment with homemade picante sauce later - these were too easy and too tasty to mess with right now!

I think I'll go mess with something else....

It's about time!

Wow, it's been quite some time since I've been on here! Almost forgot my password... well, actually I did, I just had to remember how this blogspot works!

So we went on our vacation for two weeks down the coast of Oregon and California and we had an absolute blast! The girls enjoyed the dunes, Disneyland, San Francisco and Lake Shasta and are still talking about the Safari in Brandon, OR where we all got to hold, pet, play with and feed the lion and tiger cubs! Although the trip didn't lend itself to any culinary delights prepared in the miniscule trailer kitchen, we did eat pretty darn good!

Since our vacation, I've prepared so many new dishes it's hard to decide which one to do first. After looking at my list though, it was relatively easy to pick out my favorite. Surprisingly, my favorite includes meat, not chicken or seafood!

Baja Pork Tacos
18.4 oz Hormel Pork Tenderloin Teriyaka (585 cal; 18g fat; 0g fiber)
2 cans Ortega diced green chilis (40 cal; 0g fat; 0g fiber)
1 10 oz can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and chilis (100 cal; 0g fat; 2.5g fiber)
12 La Tortilla Factory white corn tortillas (1080 cal; 12g fat; 12g fiber)
1 cup iceburg lettuce, shredded (0 cal; 0g fat; 1g fiber)
1/3 cup Mozarella, part skim, shredded (70 cal; 3.5g fat; 0g fiber)

Cut pork tenderloin into large chunks. In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the green chilis, Ro*Tel and pork tenderloin. Lower heat, cover, and continue to simmer rapidly for two hours. When the pork is tender, shred with a fork without removing from the pan. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Place 1/4 cup of the pork mixture on each tortilla, top with lettuce and mozarella. Serves: 6 Nutritional information per serving: 314 cal; 5.6g fat; 2.6g fiber

This is an extremely versatile recipe. I made it simple and easy with what I had in the pantry. The Ro*Tel gave it a great 'kick' and the teriyaka flavor of the tenderloin added a soft sweetness.

Another great thing about this is that you can do it in the crockpot! Throw in the simple ingredients, set it on low for 6-8 hours and enjoy! Another perfect meal for those cheerleading, flute lesson, choir practice nights!

Enjoy!

Creamy Goodness

This Pacific Northwest weather has us all going a little stir crazy doesn't it? It feels like fall, it looks like fall, we act like it's fall, I'm dressed like it's fall... so I figured let's eat like it's fall!

Nothing like a nice warm bowl of chowder with a hot buttery biscuit to warm you up on a dreary July day! Yep - it was raining at the time we sat down to dinner. And then my husband informed me he turned the heater on when he got up in the morning! AND... I read on Facebook that a friend did the same thing! It was July 1st... what's going on? Enough about that, here's the food!

Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder
2 tbsp butter (220 cal; 22g fat; 0g fiber)
1/4 cup onion, diced (14 cal; 0g fat; .5g fiber)
1/4 cup celery, thinly sliced (4 cal; 0g fat; .5g fiber)
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced (4 cal; 0g fat; 0g fiber)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (50 cal; 0g fat; 0g fiber)
1 cup milk, fat free (90 cal; 0g fat; 0g fiber)
2 cups Half & Half, fat free (320 cal; 0g fat; 0g fiber)
1 lb chicken breast tenderloin, cooked and cubed
4 small corn-on-the-cob, kernals only (252 cal; 4g fat; 8g fiber)
1 can cream style corn (350 cal; 2g fat; 3.5g fiber)
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp salt
Dash red pepper flakes

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and jalapeno; cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add the flour; cook for 1 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in the milk and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 5 minutes).
Serves: 6 Nutritional data per serving: 230 cal; 5g fat; 2g fiber

I tell ya, this stuff is awesome! It's so creamy and sweet you'll want to have way more than just one serving. Which is perfectly fine!! Check out the nutritional data for each serving... you can truly enjoy a whole bunch of this stuff!

Don't substitute the fresh corn for frozen - it WILL NOT work! The sweet crispy flavor and texture that the fresh corn adds to this recipe should not be messed with! Also, make sure you get the sweet corn with the light yellow or white kernels, you won't be sorry.

You can also modify it a bit to bring down the fat and calories by using all fat free milk instead of the half & half. I'll never do that - I love the creaminess too much. Having been on Adkins before I really miss all the cheesey creamy goodness so I take it where I can get it!

Of course, what is chowder without biscuits? The reduced fat Pillsbury Grands biscuits are perfect - the kids love making them and I love the mess!! Next time I'll include a low fat/low calorie cheddar biscuit recipe - this time, we had the canned variety!

Enjoy!