My Thankful Duh Moment!

The hubs and I spend a LOT of money on broth - like way more than we should. When it comes down to it, we don't eat that much chicken that I have enough to use the carcasses (Hmmmm I love that word) to make broth out of. So we end up buying broth in boxes and cans anytime we find them on sale.

Then, about a year ago, I had an A-Ha moment! I had a weekend where I was making, God knows what, and had so much veggie waste it was ridiculous. And let's be honest, since our yard is not really conducive to easy composting, it all goes down the garbage disposal. I figured there had to be something I could do with all of this waste - which it's veggies, so it's not really waste!

So I got out a big storage bag and put in the ends of broccoli, carrots, some mushroom stems, celery heart and leaves and onion ends that were otherwise going to be trashed and tossed the bag of the veggie bits and pieces in my freezer. Slowly but surely, I filled the baggie up when I prepped veggies with the ends and stems and stalks and pieces of what I was using. And before you know it, I had two whole bags of veggie bits and pieces.

Frozen bag of veggies boiled - carrots, broccoli, asparagus, celery, onion, mushrooms

I then took all of those veggie pieces and placed them in a big stock pot, covered with copious amounts of water, added in some fresh onion, garlic cloves, peppercorns, a pinch of salt and some bay leaves and let it boil for a good hour or two. When it was done I was left with this - the most wonderful, glorious, flavorful, rich and cheap/free vegetable broth I've ever had!!

I tossed the soaked mushy veggies at this point and let the broth cool. I then froze the broth in to one cup measurements and froze them. Once they were frozen, I popped them out of the containers and wrapped in parchment paper and stored them stacked in a freezer bag. Now when I need broth, I go to the chest freezer, grab one or two cups out and defrost and voila! Free broth, on hand, all the time!

I highly recommend doing this, if you aren't a composting family. It gives those ends and odd pieces of veggies one last hope before just tossing and gives you a great result in the end. I think this past year alone we've probably saved about 50+ bucks on broth - and I"m not lying when I say that!

Look at that rich, hearty broth that would have otherwise gone down the drain - literally!

It's so easy - just keep a bag going in your freezer of veggie pieces - add anything - I've done tomatoes, onions that were about to go that I salvaged what I could, carrots, celery, spinach on its last leg, mushrooms, you name it. It's always turned out so hearty and rich!

If you try it, let me know how it works for you in your house!

It's Healthy Midwest Comfort Food!

Growing up, my mom used to make Salisbury Steak on occasion and it was always so good and hearty and made my belly happy. As I got older, the dinner became less frequent as it wasn't "healthy" any more to eat red meat and then it was just the two of us at home - so why go to all that trouble.

In college, I loved when the dorms had Salisbury Steak night, it reminded me of my time at home.

But after college, again, I never made it - back to the it just wasn't healthy fact of eating it.

Enter Skinny Taste and Gina's recipe for Skinny Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy. HOLY FANTASTIC!!! Who knew you could try to eat healthy and still eat Salisbury steak?!

We had this for dinner a while back and it was just such a comfortable meal to be eating and was so filling and hearty. I did stay from her recipe to lighten it up even more and I have to say, we both thought it was fantastic! I can not wait until our first cool night to make this again in the fall! Served it with some mashed potatoes and some red cabbage, such a yummy dinner!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp oil
one large onion, minced
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2 lbs. lean ground turkey * Note I strayed from Gina's recipe here using all ground turkey and not two types of meat. It was still fantastic! I did this so it was easier to portion out how many oz. we could have on our plate - 5 oz. of turkey - since a mixture of meats would have been too difficult to deal with.
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste - I didn't measure
16 oz sliced mushrooms * I doubled up here from the recipe because we adore mushrooms and the more the merrier.
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions, garlic, ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, egg white, 1/4 cup beef broth, salt and black pepper.

Shape into 8 oval patties * I pre-weighed our patties to 5.5 oz or there about raw so I knew we could eat a whole 5 oz. patty once it was cooked. Just easier for us and it did yield more than 8 - I believe 10 or so?

In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Set aside on a dish.

Add mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes.
Return patties to the skillet with the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, tomato paste, vinegar, water, worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.

Pour over meat and mushrooms in skillet.

Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

AND do you know what this makes as a wonderful leftover??
A short cut version of an open faced meat loaf sandwich! 1 5 oz. patty, some gravy, 1.5 oz. of potatoes and bread respectively and a nice side veggie and voila! Leftovers made anew!

Spaghetti, Healthified

We are still doing the low to no carb at our house and are finding we really don't miss the carbs. And when we are craving something, we do indulge a bit and enjoy - meaning we'll eat one more oz. of pasta then we're supposed to!

One of my favorite, and easiest, substitutes for pasta has been spaghetti squash. It's so much more filling and you get to eat so much more of it!!

We tried the pasta with bolognese sauce from Gina's Skinny Recipes and it was wonderful! It was even better over spaghetti squash and with some mushrooms added in!

Ingredients for how we made it at Realistic Eats: 

4 oz pancetta chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 8 oz. package of mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup carrots, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup white wine
2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh pepper
1/2 cup low fat milk

Directions: 

In a large pot, saute the pancetta until the fat is rendered. Then add in your onions and carrots and cook until soft. 
Add your meat and season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, then add in your wine and let reduce.
Add in your canned tomatoes and mushrooms here and your bay leaf and simmer for about 35-45 minutes, and stir as needed. After this time, heat your milk and then add the warmed milk in to the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash and enjoy!

Protein Bars, Take 2!

So now that my first batch of homemade protein bars are gone, I decided it was time to play around and make a 2nd batch. My primary reasoning behind making these though was to help keep me on track and honest during these next weeks of stressful holiday eating.

My goal with my nutritionist was to maintain these next 6 weeks, and as much as I'd like to actually drop sound pounds and not maintain, I know I need to be realistic. The holidays are always a challenge for me with my eating; primarily because I love to cook and bake and make wonderfully delicious foods this time of year.

So I'm hoping these will help keep me on track for a light and filling and healthy breakfast.

Here's the recipe I used this time, just mix everything in the bowl together and add in 1/4-1/2 cup water basked on the texture, it should be a bit gluey but thick:

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Coconut Power Bars

2 Egg whites – 34 calories

3 scoops protein powder (GNC Chocolate Whey Powder) – 390 calories

Peanut butter, creamy – ½ cup - 760 calories

1 medium banana – 105 calories

4 cups puffed wheat – 240 calories *note I put this in instead of all of the oats from last time*

1/2 cup oats – 74 calories * note this is down from 3.5 cups of oats in my first recipe *

1 packet dry milk – 320 calories - make sure you're using dry non fat milk

Vanilla 1 tsp– 12 calories

Peanuts – ¼ cup – 211 calories

Coconut powder 1 oz.- 180 calories * I got this at an ethnic market. It's not sweet, it's just fine granulated coconut.*

1966 / 8 = 291 calories each

Verdict:

AWESOME! better than the first batch! I love the puffed wheat in this recipe more than the oats. They break down a bit and just make a nice chewy brownie/cookie like texture for the bar. They have a very mild taste, not too sweet, not bitter, and even the hubs agreed you can't really taste much chocolate. Love these so much more than the first batch! I need to invest in some other whey powder so I can start making other flavored bars. Again, as the first batch, heat them up before you eat them, about 15-30 seconds in the microwave -it makes a huge difference!

Easy Vegetarian Eats

Back at the end of September this recipe went on to the menu one week. That week ended up being chaotic and we missed that meal. We tried again the following week - and yet again, we passed this meal up on the menu plan again. Finally, at the start of October we got to make this and boy are we upset we waited to long to make them! They were so good!

These are so quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious. Don't wait 3 weeks to make these like we did - you'll be missing out!

Sesame Scallion Tofu
From Serious Eats

• 2 tablespoons arame or other dark sea green, such as kombu or wakame
• 1/2 bunch scallions, trimmed
• 12 ounces firm tofu, patted dry
• 2 tablespoons panko or fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Salt and pepper

Pour boiling water over the arame and soak for a minute or two. Drain well.

Put the scallions in a food processor and pulse a few times, until minced. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Put about half the tofu and all the arame in the processor (no need to wash it out) and pulse a couple of times, until crumbled. Add to the mixing bowl.

Put the remaining tofu in the processor and let it run until the tofu is smooth. Add it to the mixing bowl, along with the panko, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and lots of pepper and stir well to combine. Form into 4 patties.

*Here's where I strayed from the recipe. Instead of frying in oil, I just placed them on the dry non-stick griddle pan and cooked them until they were done/heated through.

I served them with some sushi rice and some miso roasted vegetables. So incredibly good!

ENJOY!

Quick and Easy Shrimp Packets

Once again, another great low carb recipe from Cara's Cravings!

This meal came together so quickly, was completely delicious and really, truly was a no pot dinner.

Everything in this meals gets placed in the foil pouches, minus the avocado, and baked in the oven or placed on the grill. It was so nice to have a meal where I didn't even have to dirty a pot or pan! The only thing I really had to dirty was a cutting board and knife!

The recipe as is is up on the link. I made it below this way.

20 raw shrimp, peeled - 10 for each pouch

6 oz. black beans - 3 oz. in each pouch

1/2 cup finely diced pineapple - 1/4 cup in each pouch

sweet onion, diced and separated between the two pouches

2 tomatillos diced - 1 in each pouch

1 cubanelle pepper diced thin - divided between the two pouches

1 T of lime juice in each pouch

1/4 teaspoon coriander and cumin tossed in each pouch along with a sprinkle of chili powder and some salt and pepper.

When it comes out of the oven, top with diced tomato, fresh cilantro and avocado.

Lay two pieces of foil out in a cross on the counter and place the beans, shrimp, pineapple, tomatillo, onions and pepper together in the foil center and then toss with the seasonings and sprinkle with lime juice. Pinch up both sides to wrap it up with a little air space. Then place the pouches on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes - 20 minutes.

Enjoy! Because this had beans and pineapple, I didn't feel the need to add in any extra carb. at dinner - but it would have been good with some warmed corn tortillas.

Huh, so this is what a real portion is?

So for about 10 weeks now the hubs and I have been following the rules of my nutritionist strictly. But I've been craving pasta this whole time. Like MAD CRAVINGS FOR PASTA - that's really the only thing I've been craving. Not cookies, chocolate, ice cream, or anything - just pasta!

But eating pasta seemed like an impossibility since dinner time can only have 3 oz. of a carb. Yup, you read that right, 3 oz. of a carb. How could I integrate pasta in to dinner with only 3 oz. on my plate?

Well, I figured it out - only took me 31 years to realize pasta is not an entree but a side dish! When I talked about this with the nutritionist, she said I just learned the lesson of naturally slim and healthy people. Pasta, grains, you name it, are side dishes. They are not to make up the bulk of your entree at any meal of the day. This was my ah ha moment in life. Could 31 years of carb loading be the reason I've never been successful at keeping weight off? Must be because the weight is dropping off now!

So back to dinner.

I was dying to make this pasta and once I figured out how to do it without carb-loading, I was on track.

I coupled this meal with an awesome chicken Cesar salad and was completely satisfied.

And let me tell you, when you're only cooking 4 oz. of pasta at a time for 2 people for dinner, a box of pasta lasts you FOREVER!!!

Creamy Caprese Pasta for 2

4 oz. pasta

1 small can tomato sauce, reduced sodium

2-3 T fresh grated parmesan cheese

3-4 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese cut in to cubes.

12-16 grape tomatoes cut in half

Fresh basil chiffonade

Preheat your oven to 350. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box. Heat the tomato sauce and add in some garlic and crushed black pepper and a little crushed red pepper.

Once the pasta is done, add it to the sauce. Toss in the tomatoes, some basil and the mozzarella cheese cubes. Place in small dishes you can place in the oven and top with parmesan cheese. Bake until golden bubbly - mine only took about 10 minutes to bake in two small dishes.

DELISH.

Now my new addiction is this Caesar salad dressing. I have a Caesar I've been making for years - it's a recipe my father made and I just learned it at a young age and kept it with me. But now this one, it may be taking the place. It's so delicious, creamy and yummy!!

Thank you to Gimmie Some Oven for this killer recipe
I've posted it here as I've been making it.

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise made with olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1-2 Tbsp. fres

hly-squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)

1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

generous pinch of salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Shake in a jar and toss with your greens. DELICIOUS!!!

An Eggcelent Meal

First off, can I just say - WOW it's been a month since I've posted? So sorry blog world - been so swamped with work and other things it's been crazy. Additionally, I've made some changes to how I'm eating and am still trying to get the hang of things and haven't been making real recipes, doing my cookie challenge, baking, you name it. It's really just been a protein, lots of veggie and a bit of carb eating at our house.

I made this recipe back on May 16th and we still talk about making it again and again. Thanks again to Joelen for this awesome recipe.

I have to say I was petrified to make this meal because I didn't think I'd be able to get the egg to roll, thus ruining the whole meal. A

las, you can see, that didn't happen!

The flavors blended so well with this meal, the egg, the carrot, the seaweed, it's just decadent and satisfying and wonderful! I served this with some buckwheat noodles with Asian flavors and some pan sauteed baby bok choy from the farmer's market.

Gaeran Mari

Rolled Korean Omelette

via Joelen

3 eggs

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 small carrot, finely chopped

1 sheet Korean roasted seaweed (Gim)

1 tsp salt, dash of pepper

Mix eggs with whisk or fork and add onions and carrots until well combined.

In a lightly greased saute pan, pour egg mixture and heat slowly over low heat.

Heat slowly for a few minutes until almost cooked through, then place seaweed sheet on top of omelette.

Roll omelette into a tight roll by lifting side with spoon or baking spatula.

Let omelette rest for a few minutes to cool.

Oh yeah... I already made this!

I'm sitting here making my menu for next week and going through my reader. Again, another Joelen recipe piqued my interest and I opened it up and realized, I already made this! AND IT WAS GOOD!!!

I made this when we had our first little spurt of cool nights, you know before we hit 90 again! And now that we're in the 50s at night, I'm thinking this should be made again next week.

This is a great take on hearty and warm chicken noodle soup. And yes, of course, I made changes so that's what's here - Joelen's recipe as is is at the link above.

Really the only change I made is, well, I'm still not eating chicken unless it's ground, so I made mine with Tofu. I know you're all rolling your eyes or scratching your heads. "Chicken is healthy and easy and good." Maybe for you but not to me. I don't like chicken, I realize I never have! So why bother eating something I don't like? I keep trying again and again, but it's now been about 7 months since I've eaten chicken and I have to tell you, I don't miss it!

So when I get recipes that call for chicken, I break it up and make mine with Tofu or beans and the hubs with meat. It's working fine and great and no problems.

So I divided this recipe in two in two separate small pots and put tofu in mine and chicken in the hubs. We both loved ours, it made TONS of food and was a great, warm and satisfying meal.

Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchens
Via Joelen's Culinary Adventures

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces (if you're making 2 pots, do 1 chicken breast and a half of brick of lite firm tofu)
2 packages of dried ramen noodles
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Bring broth, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and chili sauce to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the cut up chicken breasts to the pot and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through.

Open the packages of ramen noodles and discard the seasoning packet included. Place the dried ramen noodles into the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're just about cooked. Stir in the scallions and cilantro and serve in bowls.

Garnish each bowl additional fresh cilantro leaves and a drizzle of 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. If you like things on the spicy side, sprinkle a few red pepper flakes for garnish too!

Well oh my gosh, look, another Thai dish!

Go figure, right?
Cause who loves Thai???? WE LOVE THAI!!!

Again, another fantastic recipe from my favorite little Chicago Cook - Joelen. And I'm glad she made this because it's been something I've been nervous to try on the menu at a few of our favorite Thai restaurants. I was never quite sure what it would be like. And while I think the restaurant uses whole chicken pieces and not ground, and I know they put peppers in, I know flavor wise this is something of what I should expect.

But after making this, really, why bother going out?!

Quick, Easy, delicious! Serve with some rice or rice noodles and voila! Dinner in minutes!

Thai Basil Chicken - this is how Joelen made it, my changes are below - adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

2 cups basil leaves, packed and chopped or run through the food processor - I had leftover minced basil ice cubes in my freezer from last summer's garden, so I used those cubes up.
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar - usually I try to omit sugar in recipes, but this one needed it and it helped bolster the flavors - so add it!
1 tsp white vinegar - I used rice wine vinegar
1 lbs ground chicken/turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped

In a small bowl mix the 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Stir and set aside.

In a skillet add the oil , the ground turkey and onion to start browning. Once it's close to done, add in the garlic and most of the basil. Then add in the sauce bowl. Cook about 1 min. Meanwhile, chiffonade the remaining basil leaves and add to the pan to cook 1 additional minute or so. Serve with rice or noodles!
YUMMY!

Another Home Run from Elly!

Another home run from Elly Says Opa! I just happened to open my pictures folder on the computer and saw this in there realizing I never blogged it - which is a damn' shame because I've been holding out on you guys!

This is seriously one of the best shrimp Asian dishes we've had and really has such intense flavor - you'll feel like you're eating take out!

At the time I didn't have any chili paste so I just used some red pepper flakes - and that worked quite well. Everything else stayed the same! DELICIOUS!

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

Adapted from Cooking Light - Serves 2

3/4 lb. peeled and devined shrimp
1/2 T cornstarch
2 T fresh orange juice
1 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T honey

1/2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T chili paste
1 T canola oil
1/2 T minced ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
3 T chopped green onion

Toss shrimp and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. Whisk together the juice, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and chili paste. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic in the pan about15-30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the sauce, onions, and cashews, and stir-fry until shrimp is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 2 more minutes.

Ahhhhh Miso Good!

So after a tedious battle, I finally have procured a bottle of Quick Miso at our market. Let me tell you, it was a great day when I found this.

Ok, I know what you're saying - who the HECK gets excited over miso?? Um, this Japanese food eating girl.

So I decided to do a whole Japanese inspired dinner on Sunday night. Again - I'm a lazy blogger and it was so good and we were so hungry, so you get NO photos.... but that just means you have to have someone else read you this and imagine it with your eyes closed and what it would look like and how it would taste!

I kid....

Or do I?

So my inspiration for dinner all started with this delicious recipe from Zakka Life for Cucumber Namasu. Now, I finally had this salad for the first time at the sushi place a few weeks back and fell in love and remembered "I think I have something like this in my reader!" I did make a few alterations to her recipe based on our taste - but either way - you must make this! So fresh and clean tasting.

Cucumber Namasu Salad

Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber - I removed the skin and tiny pieces of seed
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Rice vinegar
Sesame seeds for garnish

*** I used less sugar and salt and garnished with some fine chopped dried nori***

*** I also didn't read the recipe all the way and did not marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, and I didn't heat the sugar and vinegar together - but tossed and let sit on the counter for about 20 while the rest of dinner cooked***

For a side dish - I wanted to use some buckwheat soba noodles. So I cooked those up and let cool a bit and tossed with 2T miso, 2 T rice wine vinegar, fresh ginger and garlic and green onion and a t or 2 of plain sesame oil (not toasted). Great flavor and a tasty little side dish - I did make a whole package of soba - about 10 oz. and those were my measurements for it - but again, adjust as you need to.

Finally, I had some beautiful large scallops in the freezer and I defrosted those and tossed in some miso and seared on my non stick griddle and cooked to done. DELICIOUS.

Great Japanese meal! If you can find yourself some miso - I recommend ALL 3 of these dishes! Not that the cucumber salad is dependent upon your finding and using miso.

ENJOY!

And the lazy blogger award goes to....

Yours truly!

Between a visit home to see the family, craziness at work and really not being on the computer much at night, the blog has taken a back seat.

But I do have recipes to share - so lets' get to the updating...

Yet, alas, still a lazy blogger because I haven't taken photos of these two delicious meals I've made recently.

Tonight's delicious adventure in "What the heck should I make for dinner tonight, babe?" really turned out quite tasty and satisfying.

I'm not one for pasta with broccoli and cream sauce, but for some reason tonight, it just sounded good to me.

I opened Good Ol' Reliable (aka - The All New Goodhousekeeping Cookbook) and found a recipe for a Light Fettuccine Alfredo.

The sauce as the recipe instructs was a little bland but we doctored with more pepper and some dried basil and it really ended with a most delicious blend of seasoning and creaminess and not all of the fat of a full Alfredo recipe.

We both agree we'd make this again. Served this with broccoli in the alfredo.

2 teaspoons oil

1 small onion finely chopped

1 large garlic clove - I used 3

2 cups skim milk

1 cup chicken broth

3 T flour

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 cup parmesan

1 package fettucine

1 package broccoli florets

Boil your pasta water and when it's close to being done add your fresh broccoli to get tender - then drain.

In a large, deep skillet (or a large saucepan) sauté the onion and garlic. In a bowl mix the milk, broth, flour, salt and pepper. Then add to the onion mixture and heat slowly to thicken and add the Parmesan. Toss with the pasta and serve and enjoy.

NOTE - so aside from adding the basil and such I said above, I also cooked the onion, removed it from the pan, and then put the milk mixture in and slowly warmed that up and then put the onion back in - this was to avoid curdling. If you have been following my blog for a while you know milk curdling when I make sauces is sometimes something I struggle with. This worked really well for the method and I'd do this again.

NOTE 2 - I added 1 T butter with the pasta too to add some richness and we discovered if you let the sauce sit about 4-5 minutes before tossing, it gets even thicker and creamier!

Nacho Everyday Potato Skins!

So, this is the story of a dinner that took about 3 different turns before reaching the plate.

It started as loaded baked potatoes.

That turned in to twice baked potatoes

Which in turn became me getting frustrated in the kitchen and turning the idea of the meal over to the hubs for dinner.

And that soon became Nacho Potato Skins.

And that turned in to dinner being devoured - what a fun, tasty, easy meal in the end!

Great for dinner or even munchies to put out at party - total hit, all around - and I loved it even more because I relinquished control over to the hubs for a change in the kitchen.

Nacho Potato Skins

small white potatoes, scrubbed clean, poke holes, and microwave until tender 5-8 minutes.

Once cool, remove from microwave and cut in half. Scoop out the centers of the potatoes and place in a container for another meal (I used the leftover potato innards for our favorite Potato and Tuna Cakes - taken from this recipe here)

Coat the potatoes with oil and bake in the oven on 400 until crispy brown.

In the meantime, heat up a can of Trader Joe's Cuban Black Beans on the stove. When the potatoes are done, stuff with the black beans, avocado, cheese, salsa, sour cream - whatever you like.

ENJOY!

Clean The Pantry Pasta

Oh how I love pasta recipes that are so quick and easy. I especially kick myself when I read a food blog and someone came up with this delicious recipe using all pantry ingredients and I go "now how could I have not been inventive enough to come up with that one?!"

Either way - make this meal - it's so easy - so filling - so good.

I can't even do the recipe justice with my pictures because they were that bad (not the meal, the photos).

Thank you to Meet Me In the Kitchen for this wonderful dinner of Whole Wheat Linguine with Tuna and Spinach, lemon and breadcrumbs.

Salmon with a Kick

I adore salmon - the hubs, he'll eat it if I force him to.

I found this recipe at the blog Slimming Eats - great blog for those looking for light meals.

Since I had some delicious pieces of salmon in the freezer from Trader Joe's I wanted to give this recipe a shot with it. I figured since it wasn't just the basic baked salmon, but salmon with a bit of spice and kick, the hubs might enjoy it as well.

He did enjoy it, thought the meal had an incredible flavor. So this recipe may be the only way I get him to eat salmon in the future.

I should note - he will eat salmon sushi and smoked salmon - it's actual cooked salmon he doesn't love.

Honey, Lime and Chili Salmon

2 salmon fillets

1 garlic clove crushed

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

In a bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together and then sprinkle these on the salmon. (Note I sprayed my baking dish with Pam first to prevent sticking)

Add the lime and honey to a bowl and mix and pour on top of salmon.

Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through. (Note the recipe from Slimming Eats called for covering the fish, but I didn't do that)

I served with some mini roasted potatoes from Trader Joe's that just roasted up so crispy yet still tender - they were wonderful!

Galumpkis - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I've been wanting to make these for an age in a half. If they are on a menu, I order them. My mother made them growing up. I just love stuffed cabbage.

But a few things have always precluded me from making this yummy dish: 1. time 2. a descent recipe.

So finally I decided to combine many aspects of a few different recipes to come up with my own version that was light, healthy and tasty and cooked the way I wanted it - in the oven with sauce - not in a crock pot, not simmered on the stove or steamed.

I got 19 cabbage rolls out of my head of cabbage - yours may vary. I intended on making only 12, but I had a lot of meat mixture left, so I just went until I was out of the meat mixture. My last ones are really tiny and I baked them in a smaller pyrex dish because my large one was filled.

So here's my recipe for Galumpkis

1 good sized head of cabbage
2 jars of pasta sauce - 6 cups
2 cups cooked brown rice

1 pound ground turkey

2 medium carrots diced finely

2 onions diced finely

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 Egg beaten

PAM

dried oregano and parsley

pepper to taste

Buy a good sized head of cabbage. Cut the core out and pop in a big stock pot of boiling water. Let soak until the outer leaves start to get tender enough that they peel off. Remove with tongs and place in a colander to drain. Remove the remaining vein/core from each leaf.

Make your rice ahead of time and set 2 cups in a bowl. Add in 1/2 cup of the marina sauce.

In a skillet, lightly saute the onion, carrots and garlic with some Pam. Add this to the rice mixture. Toss in some pepper, dried parsley (1 T) and oregano (1 T). Also add a splash of red wine here if you'd like or wine vinegar.

When your cabbage leaves are dried off and ready to go. Add in the turkey to the rice mixture and mix well. Then add in the egg and blend well.

Place some of the sauce in the bottom of your pan. Lay a leaf out and place 1/4 cup of the meat/rice mixture - give or take - on one end of the leaf. Roll the sides in and then the top and roll it up to a tight little package and place in the baking dish. Repeat, and repeat and repeat!

Cover with sauce and bake in the oven at 350 for an hour to an hour and 10 minutes. They should be firm to the touch when done.

I did put this recipe, as it is, for 19 leaves in to the recipe builder on Spark People and these have 138 calories each. So a few for dinner is more than acceptable.

ENJOY! It's worth every bite - but make it on a weekend, it's a time consuming process - an hour to bake and about an hour to prep.

Curry Burger

So this recipe is an oldie but a goodie from a Weight Watchers cookbook I pulled out. I've made this before as the burger patties, but this time, I, quite frankly, was just too lazy to form burgers.

In the end, the hubs and I discovered we really like the meal this way - just a ground meat with the rice. Really, either way you make this it's good and tasty...

Curried Turkey Burger with Rice

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt

1/2 small onion, grated (grate for burgers, dice for the meat mixture)

1 T bread crumbs (omit if you're making it the way we did)

1 T curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 cups brown rice

1/2 cup bottled mango chutney (I don't like mango, so anytime I make this, I've never used it)

OK for the burgers: spray a broiler pan and preheat your broiler and use the turkey, 1/4 cup yogurt, onion, bread crumbs, curry, pepper in bowl and form in to 4 burgers and cook until done and serve with the rice, the chutney and the rest of the yogurt.

NOW for the burger crumble like we made it.

Spray a pan with Pam and saute the onion and the meat together. Add in the curry, salt and pepper. When done, remove to low heat and once it cools a bit, add in the yogurt and stir to make it creamy, then turn the heat back up to warm it up. Serve it over the rice.

Calories:

1 burger

2/3 cup rice

1 T yogurt and 2 T chutney

380 calories

3 g fat

7 g fiber

Please remove your shoes before eating...

Because we're eating Japanese tonight!!!

HA! Just kidding!

We made this incredible dinner the other night - I will certainly make this again and again.

The original recipe can be found here on Eatingwell.com but I did make some adjustments. My alterations are below - note the things I omitted are NOT in this recipe - so if you want to make it as is use the linky - if you want to try my version, use below.

Japanese Chicken-Scallion Rice Bowls

2 cups cooked rice divided between the 4 bowls (ok let's be honest, it's just the hubs and I and he ate 2 servings so that means there was one left for lunch)

1 Cup reduced sodium chicken broth (you could really use a whole can, I ended up adding some extra water)

2 t soy sauce

2 T mirin - rice wine vinegar

2 large egg whites

1 large whole egg

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in to 1/2 inch pieces

6 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1 sheet dried nori, cut up in to small pieces - if you don't do nori - just skip it!

1. cook your rice and set aside

2. pour broth, soy sauce and mirin in to a mid sized pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

3. Stir in the egg whites and whole egg in a small bowl. set aside. Add chicken to broth and let simmer a few minutes. Then gently pour in your egg mixture without stirring. Sprinkle in the scallions and nori when the eggs start to firm up.

4. serve the broth mixture over the rice. Note this is not a soup, but a brothy rice bowl. so you won't have tons of broth.

I think all together this meal took about 15 minutes from start to finish. This is added to our Fast Fridays rotation now.

Oh Thai - how we love thee...

So, frequent readers of this blog will know that the hubs and I have an affinity for Thai, Asian, Japanese foods... the flavors are just our favorites.

I recently pulled back out all of my Weight Watchers Cookbooks (they were all in storage since our house is on the market).

Anywho - I forgot how much I loved the Take out Tonight Cookbook.

We made these a few weeks ago and they were so tasty and good- we decided these are a make again.

Thai Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

1 cup serving

201 Calories, 3 fat, 2 fiber

1/4 pound rice stick noodles

1 tsp. canola oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1 tsp. hot chili paste (we used chili flakes instead)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 T light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. fish sauce

3 scallions sliced

1 cup fresh now peas trimmed

1 carrot cut in to matchstick thin strips

1/4 cup cilantro

1. place noodles in a large bowl of hot water and cover. Let the noodles stand until soft- about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl of cold water to rinse and set aside when drained.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in the oil. Add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice in to 1/4 inch thick slices. *NOTE* we sliced it while it was raw and cooked it sliced - cooked much faster and more evenly!

3. Heat the same skillet over low heat and add the garlic, ginger, and chili paste. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 min. Add the broth, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. About 30 seconds.

4. Add the snow peas, scallions and carrots - cook 1 minute. *NOTE* we cooked a bit longer for more tender veggies - but not soggy. Stir in the chicken and the noodles. Cook, tossing gently until mixed and heated. Stir in cilantro and serve.

So great! Do make it!