Crazy good...

Sriracha BBQ Sauce sitting on my rainy day window sill...

I've spent the last few days working on my sunburn, which means I've been outside working in the (too many) planting beds.  Today brought dreary rain and miserable (at least to me) cold, so a day in the kitchen was in order. 

One of the things I made today was a Sriracha BBQ sauce that I discovered last week on Slender Kitchen.  The BBQ was featured as the dipping sauce for grilled chicken and I made both earlier this week.  The chicken was very good, but not unlike other grilled chicken I have made many times.  What was CRAZY GOOD was the BBQ sauce.  Ben was wiping his little serving bowl clean with his finger to make sure he got every drop!  We had the leftovers last night as a dip for fries and Ben offered a repeat performance of how to clean a bowl  :) 

To fill a pint jar, I quintupled (Is that even a word?) the recipe.  I'm not sure how long it will keep in the fridge since it has the fresh ginger, but I suspect it won't be a problem for us.  I did increase the amount of Sriracha from the original, so just decrease it to one tablespoon (or less) if you like things less spicy, but try this sauce you must.

Sriracha Barbecue Sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha (or less)
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon peeled fresh ginger, finely minced
4 teaspoons rice vinegar

Combine the ingredients at least an hour before serving to let the flavors marry. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

WW PointsPlus Value
1 point per 2 tablespoons

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.

Something delicious came of the wine after all...

Beef Stew with FRe Merlot and Rosemary

We have given up alcohol for Lent and, overall, it hasn't felt like much of a sacrifice (note to self, give up dark chocolate next year).   That said, there are some meals that are perfected with the inclusion of a nice glass of wine, so I thought we'd give "FRe" by Sutter Home a try, picking up the Red Blend and the Merlot. The Red Blend wasn't horrible, but sweeter than we like, and seemed rather thick on the tongue. Fair enough, I bought it without knowing whether it would be dry or sweet.

So we opened the Merlot.  Merlot is supposed to be a medium bodied DRY red, so this should have been the one. WRONG. It tasted similar, but yet worse, than the blend. Ben called it bad Welsh's.   Now what to do with these $8 bottles of bad Welsh's?

The Red Blend was doled out in small amounts to flavor clear soda.  Not a bad use, although an expensive way to flavor soda.  The Merlot went into a rich and delicious beef stew.  I have made beef dishes before with pomegranate juice, so I figured  this would not be too  far a stretch.  The ample use of garlic, rosemary, and black pepper counterbalanced the sweetness perfectly.  I will certainly make this again, although I'll probably forgo the $8 FRe and "settle" for a $3 bottle of POM.  Be sure to serve this with a crusty loaf to sop up all the goodness; I served a rosemary focaccia.  Perfect!

Beef Stew with FRe Merlot and Rosemary

1 1/4  lb. lean beef stew meat

2 T olive oil

coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 medium onion, large dice

8 oz baby carrots

12 oz mushrooms, wiped and sliced thick (I used small portobellos)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t dried rosemary, crushed

1 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups FRe Merlot (or Red Blend, or POM)

1 cup beef stock

1 T cornstarch

Heat the olive oil a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium high heat; generously season the beef with salt and pepper, removing any particularly fatty looking pieces.  When the pan is hot, sear the beef in batches, removing to a small bowl as each batch becomes nice and caramelized.  You should be developing a nice and caramelized pan bottom, too.  Flavor. flavor, flavor.

 When the beef is done, add the onions to the pan and cook just until they begin to color.  Add the carrots, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves; cook another minute or two, until fragrant.  Add about half the wine and deglaze the pan, scrapping up all the brown bits.  Add the reserved beef with any accumulated juices, the remaining wine, and the beef stock.  The amounts of wine (or juice) and beef stock can vary a bit depending on what you have, and how much you need to come almost to the surface of, but not covering the veg and beef.  Bring to a bowl, cover with a well-fitting lib, and place in a 350 degree oven for one hour (or simmer on the stove top if you prefer). 

After an hour, check that the beef is tender, if not, continue cooking a while longer.  Once tender, taste the cooking liquid for seasoning and adjust as needed; I added more salt and MUCH more pepper at this point.  Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of water to make a slurry and stir into the pan.  Cover and return to the heat for 15 minutes to thicken.  Serve.  Eat.  Smile.

WW PointsPlus Values:  11 points if serving 4 for dinner, or 7 points if serving 6 for lunch.

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.

Easy, pleasy breakfast...

Veggie Omelet Bowl with Salsa

I hate making breakfast on weekday morns, so tend to eat the same (easy) thing over and over.  It used to be a toasted bagel with pepper jack or cream cheese (too many points the way I was doing it), them it was cream of whet with a touch of Splenda (low in points but BORING).  But now I think I have found the answer, a breakfast that is easy, tasty, and low in points.  AND I've been eating these for a few weeks now and haven't grown bored, plus plus.  Keep chopped veggies in the fridge and this come together in a snap.

Omelet Bowl with Salsa

1 large handful of chopped mixed veg (this one has onion, green bell pepper, and halved grape tomatoes)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup egg whites, from a carton
1/4 cup 2% milk cheese shreds (I use Sargento Mexi-blend or Aldi sharp cheddar)
1 heaping tablespoon (or two) of your favorite salsa

Place you veggies in in a microwave safe bowl, season with salt and pepper, and nukerate on high for one minute.  Add the egg whites and cook an additional minute and a half.  Sprinkle on the cheese and cook for 10 or 15 seconds to melt the cheese.  Top with salsa and enjoy.

WW PointsPlus value:  3 points as made. 
While I prefer mine veggie, a small amount of lean diced ham or bacon adds only one point.  You can add two slices of whole wheat/grain bread if desired for an additional 3 or 4 points, depending on the brand.

Just can't keep my food regions straight...

German Turkey Burger and Texas Cheese Fries

One of the best burgers we have ever created is our German Pretzel Burger, and after picking up some pretzel buns at Meijer, I was in the mood to have it again, but in a lighter, Weight Watcher's friendly way.  I had turkey burgers in the freezer and decided to season them for a brat-like flavor.  I swapped the cheddar for a low fat Swiss, and the regular bacon for turkey.  Some sauerkraut and a healthy smear of grainy mustard and we were set.  I must add that the smell of the burgers cooking in my George Foreman grill was so tantalizing with the coriander and all.  A note on the brat seasoning-  I'm claiming no authenticity for this blend, it is what I had in the spice drawer that sounded good for this.

But what to have with the burgers.  I didn't see a WW friendly way to make my German Potato Salad WW friendly because it is so dependent upon bacon fat for flavor, so I turned to one of my regular reads, Skinnytaste, for inspiration.  Well, to cut to the chase, Ben saw the picture for Gina's Skinny Texas Cheese Fries and decided on our side.  So much for pairing foods from the same or similar region.  These were easy to make and delicious, we will certainly be having these again.

German Pretzel Turkey Burger

Seasoning for four burgers:
4 4oz. prepared, plain turkey burgers (I used Jennie O)
1 tbsp caraway seeds, coarsely ground (I used a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp each coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp each ground allspice, coriander, and marjoram

For each burger:
1 pretzel bun (or another type if preferred)
1 slice (1oz) low fat Swiss cheese
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked crisp
1/3 (or more) sauerkraut, squeezed dry
coarse grain mustard, to taste

Mix together the seasoning ingredients; season both sides of the four burgers, using all the seasoning and pressing it in with your fingers.  Cook however you prefer- I find the prepared patties to be fragile, so I use my George Foreman grill.  Construct your burger using the remaining ingredients and enjoy.

WW PointsPlus Value:  The burger as constructed is 14 points.  Half of these points come from the pretzel bun, so a smaller/lower carb bun would reduce the point value.

Skinny Texas Cheese Fries

2 medium potatoes (2/3 lb total), Yukon gold or russet, unpeeled
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp each chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin
coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and chopped
1/3 cup reduced fat Mexi blend cheese (I used Sargento)
2 tbsp sliced scallions
sliced pickled jalapeños

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up; lightly coat with cooking spray.  Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch thin slices; then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.
In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add seasonings and toss again to coat. 
Place potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through (depending on thickness this may require more or less time). 
Remove from oven, place fries into two small oven safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with cheese, sliced jalapenos, scallions and bacon bits; return to oven until the cheese melts.

WW PointsPlus Value:  7 points per serving

Dinner in a jiffy...

Penne with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Tomatoes

We've all been there- hungry, tired, and not feeling inspired for dinner.  With just a few ingredients and about a half hour of time you can have a tasty dinner on the table.  Now isn't that inspiring.  his could not have been easier, but tasted like I put some real effort into it.  I made this for three, so if you are feeding more, just up the ingredients a bit.  Serve with a green salad and call your dinner complete.  While we didn't use it here, a grating of parmesan would be very nice with this.

Penne with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Tomatoes

12oz pkg. fully cooked chicken sausage (I used Meijer Sundried Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella)
6oz whole grain penne (I used Barilla)
10oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic, sliced very thin (or more, if you dare)
1 T extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

 Halve the tomatoes and toss them with the olive oil, garlic, and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a small baking dish.  Roast in the oven at 45o degrees F while you prepare the rest of the meal.  Prepare the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water before you drain it.  While the pasta is cooking, brown the sausages in a large non-stick skillet.  When browned to your liking, remove to a cutting board and slice thinly.  Add the reserved water to the skillet and use a wooded spoon to loosen any brown bits.  Return the sausage slices to the pan along with the drained pasta.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven and give a good stir, pressing with a spoon to relwase more juices.  Add to the pan with the sausage and pasta, tossing to coat the pasta with the "sauce."

WW PointsPlus Value:  Serves 3 at 9 points per serving.

A "healthy" cocktail...

Green and Red Cocktail

We've all heard of the health benefits of antioxidant rich green tea, the potential to burn fat, lower cholesterol, fight heart disease, and prevent diabetes.And red wine?  A growing body of scientific research that indicates red wine may offer significant antioxidant protection, having the potential to overcome free radicals that cause cellular damage, a root cause of of cancer and heart disease.  Just last week I read of new research  that has found that the natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step in the development ofAlzheimers.  Yet more good news for this wonder pair.

I love both tea and red wine, and I only half joked on Facebook that I was on a mission to make a "healthy" cocktail using the two.  And this weekend I did just that.  I used an Ocean Spray diet juice drink, and while that didn't add any additional antioxidant effects, despite being cranberry and pomegranate, it did add a small shot of vitamin C.  I found this lower alcohol cocktail to be very refreshing with the added tannins of the tea, and not overly sweet.  This will be perfect for summer, in  moderation, of course.

Green and Red Cocktail
8 servings

1 bottle of dry red wine
4 green tea bags
1 cup water
2 cups Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Pomegranate Juice Drink
1 fat, juicy lime, cut into 8 wedges

Place the tea bags and water in a microwavable cup and microwave on high for 2 minutes and let steep for 5 minutes.  Remove the tea bags, squeezing lightly against a spoon to extract the liquid.  Mix the tea, juice drink, and wine in a pitcher and refrigerate until serving.  Serve over ice with a lime wedge.  Squeeze the wedge right into the glass and add the wedge to the glass for good measure.  Enjoy.

WW PointsPlus value: 3 points a serving, shaving one point from the value for one glass of wine.

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.

I love it spicy...

Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork

Whole boneless pork loins were on sale last week for $1.57 a pound, so of course I bought two.  A little home butchery and I have a freezer full of chops, cubes, and a couple of small "roasts,"  minus some that went right into my crockpot.  This dish is hard to beat for those hectic weekdays when there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

There is no doubting that Ben and I like our food spicy, a love not shared by the children (at least not yet).  If you too are feeding tender palates, make the recipe as given and let those who like it hot drizzle additional siracha over their bowls like we did.

 Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork

2lbs. boneless pork loin, all visible fat removed, cubed

1/2 cup dark (or light) brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 heaping T siracha

thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and chopped 

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large bok choy, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, diced

8oz. mung bean sprouts

In the bottom of a large crockpot, stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, siracha, ginger, and garlic until the sugar dissolves.  Add the pork cubes and stir until all the cubes are coated with the sauce.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6 or 7 hours. 

About 1/2 hour before serving remove the lid and break up the pork cubes a bit with a wooden spoon before stirring in the chopped bok choy and bell pepper and recover.  Just before serving stir in the bean sprouts.  Serve over brown or white rice.












WW PointsPlus Values:  This makes 8 servings with each heaping cup worth 7 points.  A cup of brown rice adds an additional 5 points.