Some things o love...

We have been on Weight Watchers for nine weeks now and I've lost 28 pounds, although Ben has lost an astonishing 42 (men!!).  I had promised when we started that this was not going to become a "diet" blog, a promise I intend to keep, but I wanted to share some things that have become favorites and helped us on our journey.  If you are trying to lose a bit of weight, or just want some easy meal ideas, I hope this is helpful.

Corn tortillas and fat free canned refried beans

I have always preferred corn tortillas to flour, but Ben was slower to come around.  But three corn tortillas are only 2 PointsPlus, as is 1/3 can of the beans.  Bean tacos topped with chopped onion, cilantro, and hot sauce have become a common lunch for me, and only 4 points.  We have been eating a lot of burrito bowls, a la Chipotle, and the beans are always at the bottom of the bowl.

Pre-chpped veg and salad in the fridge

Bell peppers, red and green, onions, halved grape tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, romaine, cabbage, radishes, cucumber...these are some of the things that I've been keeping in the fridge already sliced up and ready to go.  Salads, breakfast omelets, pizzas, tacos, burrito bowls. sandwiches- all sorts of meals come together quickly without too much thought or fuss.

Liquid egg whites and fat free cottage cheese

Most of the foods on my favorites list are not new to me, the exception being the liquid egg whites.  A half cup of these and a big handful of chopped veg are the base of a delicious and easy omelet in a bowl, and come in at one teeny, tiny point.  The cottage cheese isn't new, what's new is how much of it we are eating.  A whole cup is only three points and delicious on a salad with some fresh ground black pepper or fresh fruit.  This is good for a gal now in her forties (yikes) who needs to increase her calcium intake, but doesn't like milk.

Single serve tuna pouches

These easy pouches are only 2 PointsPlus and are available with a variety of seasonings, my favorite being the sweet and spicy.  A small can of drained tuna in water is also only two points, but I really like the ease and variety of these packs, and they are sooo much easier for lunch packing.  The last time these went on sale I bought a dozen; now I'm about out and waiting for the next sale.  I really love the tuna and cottage cheese together on a salad dressed only with balsamic vinegar

 Salsas, hot sauces, and pepper flakes

Again, nothing new here, but the amount of salsa we are eating has skyrocketed with the introduction of omelet and burrito bowls. Salsa and hot sauce are "free" additions to your meal, and in addition to adding delicious flavor, capsaicin has been shown to speed up the metabolism and bring on endorphins, which act to improve mood.  So hurray for the heat, bring it on.

Fat free sour cream (and Greek yogurt), prepared hummus and grainy mustard

We were already eating these things, but have practically done away with out use of reduced fat mayo, which is still pretty hefty in the point department, considering what you get for it.  We haven't missed the mayo at all.  An easy snack that I have been having of late is two slices of toasted whole grain bread, each spread with a tablespoon of hummus for a total of 4 or 5 PointsPlus, depending on the bread I use.  Hummus can be a bit pricey if not on sale, but Aldi offers several delicious varieties for only $1.49 (in SW Ohio).

Red grapefruits and clementines/mandarians

I have become seriously addicted to both, sometimes eating two grapefruits in a single day.  And I don't do any of that silly nonsense of cutting them in half and sprinkling with sugar; I peel and eat them like an orange.  It's a bit time consuming to remove all the pith, but well worth it.  The green apples?  Wish I was enjoying them more, but just not feeling it right now.  Maybe once the citrus is out of season and not so flavorful.

Some other favorites not pictured:  2% milk cheeses and part skim mozzarella  are lower in fat but still provide the melty nature of cheese- the fat free cheeses just don't cut it.  Flat breads for pizzas and wraps- the Flatout brand lights are 3 points each, and the Aldi brand Fit and Active are 2 points each.

A favorite restaurant dish redo...

 Kool Nachos Salad

While we are still eating out on occasion, it has slacked off considerably since we have been on Weight Watchers.  Last Wednesday I had our dinner planned, prepped, and even had the table set, but then found a Facebook posting from a favorite local restaurant.  Ten percent of their sales that day were going to The Caring Closet, so everything was put away and we headed over come dinner time.  Besides having great food (the bleu cheese dressing is a must have), and  reasonable prices, the restaurant has been an ardent supporter of TCC, so will always get our business.

The boy always likes to get boneless wings with sweet BBQ (the wimp) with chips or curly fries (with cheese, please), Ben likes a burger or boneless wings with extra hot sauce (although we have both gone for the triple on occasion), while I have started ordering the Kool Nachos almost every time we go.  Although on the starter menu, these nachos are enough for dinner.  On this visit I asked for the chicken to be grilled instead of breaded and fried, and half the amount of chips.  The chicken did not suffer in the least for the skinny treatment, and I still didn't finish all the chips, so a win win.

All through dinner, Ben was checking out my plate, and said he was going to order it next time.  But in the meanwhile we could make it at home, so that is what we did.  Making this skinny wasn't too tough, but their bleu cheese dressing is the best, so I wasn't even going to attempt to "skinnyfy" it.  I used fat free sour cream for the creaminess and cooling and will save the bleu cheese as an occasional indulgence.  Those with more tender palates may wish to sub BBQ sauce for the hot sauce.

I had already started eating when I realized I left off the jalapeños and olives!

Kool Nachos Salad

For each serving:
2 oz. Baked Tostitos
1 oz. 2% milk Velveeta (we used the Aldi store brand)
1 oz. skim milk
4 oz. plain baked chicken breast
hot sauce of choice, to taste (we used Frank's Extra Hot)
2 handfuls shredded romaine
diced red onion and tomato, to taste
sprinkling of of sliced green (or black) olives
pickled jalapeños (we used mine, because the are the best :)
1/4 cup fat free sour cream

To prepare the chicken:
Take the desired number of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and trim them of all visible fat.  Place the chicken on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove and let cool to the touch before cutting into bite sized chunks; set aside.  I made more chicken than we needed for dinner, so the leftovers are waiting in the fridge for another easy meal.

To prepare the salad:
 Melt the Velveeta with the milk for about a minute in the microwave at 50% power; stir until smooth.  I was making several salads so I did this in a large glass measuring cup, allowing me to easily measure out the correct amount for each.  If you prepare this larger amount, you will need to adjust your cooking time.
Place the baked Tostitos in the bottom of your bowl(s) and drizzle with the cheese sauce; toss to coat the chips with the cheese.
Top the chips with the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, and jaaapeño slices.
Toss the desired amount of chicken in a small bowl with the chosen sauce before piling on top of the salad.
Top with the sour cream.  Eat.  Enjoy.

WW PointsPlus Values:
Baked Tostitos, 3pt  per ounce
Cheese sauce as prepared, 2pt per serving
Chicken with hot sauce, 1pt per ounce, add apt per T for BBQ
Romaine, tomato, onion, jalapeños, and olives (in small amount) are free
FF sour cream is 1pt for a quarter cup

Note:  This post has been edited to remove links and references to the name of the restaurant as it would appear that the ownership was displeased with this post for some reason.  I would hate to continue providing them with free advertising.

Build your own pizza bar...

Just a few of the possibilities.

I was on Facebook last Friday when I came across a photo of flatbread pizza shared by a friend.  The pizza looked delish, and it included a caption declaring it was only 8 points under Weight Watchers PointsPlus.  Ben and I had been on the program for almost a month and pizza was one of those things that we figured we would have later, after we dropped "enough" weight (whatever that meant).  The photo also included the link to the blog post it came from. The recipe called for Flatout brand flatbreads and purchased pesto.  It so happened that I had a package of sundried tomato Flatout bread in the fridge and a container of Buitoni pesto in the freezer.  I was set.

I didn't stop there, however.  I also had a tasty prepared pasta sauce, Hormel turkey pepperoni, and assorted veggie choices.  We would have a make your own pizza bar, being as good, or indulgent, as we desired.  These were so GOOD, and so easy; I will be keeping Flatout bread around for weeknight dinner (or pizza craving) emergencies from now on.

Make Your Own Flatbread Pizza

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Lay the flatbread(s) on a baking sheet, topping as desired.  Bake for 10 minutes, slice into pieces, and eat.  The family only made two at a time so I can't say if having multiple baking sheets in the oven would work.  I would rotate the sheets halfway through baking if trying this.

WW PointsPlus Values:
Flatout Bread- 3 points each
Purchased Pesto- 1T =  2 1/4 C = 7 points*
Purchased Sauce-  1/4 C = 1 point
Part-Skim Mozzarella shreds- 1/4 C = 2, 1/3 C = 3, and 1/2 C = 4 points
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni- 8 slices = 1 and 17 slices = 2 points
Bacon Bits (50% less fat)- up to 2 T = 1 point, 3 T = 2 points
Assorted Veggie Toppings are FREE, even the olives so long as you use them lightly
*A homemade pesto using much less oil could be used, allowing for a more abundant use

Just sauce, pepperoni, and cheese.

On the left is pesto (2 T!!), tomatoes, mushrooms, red onion, and cheese.  The pizza on the right used sauce and went "halfsies," with one half a "veggie deluxe" and the other with pepperoni and fresh jalapeño.

On the left is pesto (a moderate 1 T), tomatoes, red onion, and cheese.  Think a baked caprese salad.  The pizza on the right has sauce and has also gone halfsies.  One half is mixed veg while the other is a "salty" pizza (as we call it) of green olives and pickled jalapeños.

Another semi-bust...

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

 A busy weeknight and feeling completely uninspired for dinner, I browsed the Weight Watchers recipes online and hound one for Lemon Broccoli Chicken.  It was easy, I had everything on hand, and it was similar to dishes we eat and enjoy, so I went with it.  It was indeed easy, and it was  similar to other dishes we have enjoyed, but similarity did not equal enjoyment and satisfaction.  The lemon flavor was surprisingly underwhelming, and being made with no butter or parmesan, actually suffered from being TOO low fat.  Stirring a tablespoon of butter into the pan just before serving would have tightened up the sauce and given it the proper "mouth feel," and for only an additional one point per serving.  This dish is so low point that it had room to spare for the indulgence.  Thank goodness for the 4 point glass of wine!

I will probably make this again, but I will add the butter and increase the amount of lemon juice.

Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

	2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
	1/2 tsp table salt, divided
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
	12 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), thinly sliced
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 1/2 cup(s) fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
	2 tsp minced garlic
	2 1/2 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, small florets
	2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste
	2 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, chopped
	1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

On a plate, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate.  Put 1 cup of broth and garlic in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat, scrapping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Add broccoli; cover and cook 1 minute.   In a small cup, stir together remaining 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 tablespoon of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; add to skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat.   Cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in chicken and lemon zest; heat through.   Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley and lemon juice; toss to coat. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

WW PointsPlus Vale:  Lemon Chicken with Broccoli, 4 points, 1 scant cup whole grain spaghetti, 4 points, one glass of white win, 4 points

I tried to trick the boy...

Deconstructed Brussels Sprouts

Of the five members of this family, all of us like Brussels sprouts, except for the Christopher, that is.  I had just purchased a bag and thought if I "deconstructed" them, as in taking them sown to their leaves, and if I cooked them with bacon, I could convince the boy of their deliciousness.  I spent an hour taking these dang things apart and entertained myself for the duration by watching the Food Network (go figure).  Ben found a Weight Watchers recipe that sounded great so I used that.  These were so tasty that I could easily eat them once a week, an assessment with which Ben agreed.  The boy's verdict?  Still not convinced.  What's a mom to do?

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

	4 slices uncooked bacon, cut in thin strips
	2 medium shallot, chopped
	1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced (about 8 cups)
	1/4 cup water
	1/2 tsp salt
	1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
	1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 5 minutes; remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon to drain.  Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet; place skillet back over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring often, until almost tender, about 3 minutes.  Add Brussels sprouts, water, salt and pepper to skillet; increase heat to medium-high and cook, tossing frequently, until sprouts are crisp-tender and golden in spots, about 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar and bacon; remove from heat. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

WW PointsPlus Value: 6 servings at 4 points each

Well, that was a (semi) bust...

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes, low-fat and sugar-free

Yesterday was a friend's birthday and I had told her last week that I would bring her a sweet treat  to celebrate.  She is diabetic, so limits her sugar, but I thought "no big deal, I'll just substitute Splenda."  That was before Ben and I decided to join Weight Watcher's (WW).  So now I wanted to make something not only sugar-free, but also low-fat.

A search of the recipes that WW has online provided what appeared to be a gem, a dark chocolate cupcake, sans the icing that I don't really like anyway.  You can get the original recipe here.  The only changes I made were to replace the sugar with Splenda, bump up the chocolate to a full 3 ounces, and replace the water with strong coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor.  Since these were traveling to a scout meeting, I made a double batch, topping one with sea salt and the other with powdered sugar.

The verdict?  The response to theses "ultra" diet treats (I mean, really, low-fat AND sugar-free?) SEEMED positive, and the boys certainly seemed to enjoy them, but it is a safe assumption that 11 to 13 year old boys will like it if it is sweet.  Personally,  I view these as a learning lesson in that while they weren't bad, they weren't all that great either.  I should probably add that eating too many sweets has not been an issues for me, so when I do get the urge to indulge, I'll be spending my "points" on the real thing, but for those who like to eat sweets regularly, these may be a great option.

WW PointsPlus value: 4 per cupcake

Another New Year...

Image courtesy of  
http://www.theprintblog.com/how-to-make-those-new-years-resolutions-stick/

Well, hello there.  It has been awhile and we have a lot of catching up to do.  First thing is a big thank you to to my longtime readers for sticking with me, and if you're a new reader, a big thank you for sharing your time with me.

 I have finished my master's degree, graduating December 14 and now face the questions about what I am going to do now.  The quick answer is that I'm not exactly sure.  For now I will be focusing on my home life, my blog (and the sister Facebook page), and The Caring Closet because we have grown so quickly and not yet three years old.

Those of you on Facebook have seen all the albums I have uploaded of my food photos and the updates I have posted there.  I have been mulling a name and layout change for the blog, but have decided to keep it as is for now, just changing some photos and doing away with some sidebar clutter.  I have also redone the recipe index, combining the former two into one that is hopefully easier to use.  Hopefully by tomorrow the switchover will be complete and the blog will have its own domain of casaenlacocina.com.

With a new year comes new resolutions.  Although I am already pretty organized, I will be striving for yet more order, and even after obtaining the graduate degree, still need to learn  to manage my time better.  Ben and I have also made the commitment to each other (the only ones who really matter) that we will be changing our eating habits.  Although we have a healthy diet overall, we share a love of food, and even a good thing can be overdone, leaving us both with some weight we'd like to lose.  We have joined Weight Watchers because it restricts nothing, designed for mindful eating.  I won't be boring you here with progress reports or any other such nonsense and this will not become a "diet blog, but I will start including the Points+ value for recipes as I go forward for those interested.

One last update from my absence is that we have realized a long held dream and purchased a second home on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.  In honor of our new "home," I will be focusing more on Southern regional dishes, especially those of the lowcountry.  But not to worry, I haven't lost my love of Latin American flavors to which this blog owes its name.

Until tomorrow, all my best,
Mary