Monday In Michigan - Positive Thinking!

Well, I must say I consider week one of "eating mindfully" a success. Lost one pound - not a great loss, but a respectable one. And for me, personally, a realistic one. Would I have liked to have the scale show me a bigger loss? Of course, but I am taking a different road this time to my goals - I'm taking "no gain" as a success and any loss as a big success. I'm preferring to see things in a positive light, rather than "gosh, I could have done better". I'm sure I could have, but beating myself up isn't going to fix things. I'm actively trying. Not just eating whatever and hoping and praying I lose a pound, lol. That right there I also consider a win! So, yes, I am taking this weigh-in as a win!

I especially learned that I eat a lot out of boredom. This past week I really took the time to figure out if I was bored, or truly hungry. That stopped a lot of unnecessary mindless snacking. I was actually surprised to discover how much of that I did. It's absolutely a truth that you eat more than you think you do, lol. Keeping track - actually logging it into a food diary, proved it to me! And by logging, it kept me accountable - really made me take a look at what I was eating, and whether I was hungry or not. Not only the "hungry/not hungry" thing was discovered but the poor food choices I'd been making was discovered as well! And all because they were the "easy" solutions.

That "easy" thing comes from my lack of pre-planning! I am hoping that, along this journey and within the next few months, to rectify that - find things I can easily plan ahead with for snacking, breakfasts and lunches. I can say for sure though that I am hot on the trail of discovering what I can do to facilitate eating smarter and putting in better fuel as often as I can! And it's actually a pretty fun challenge - one I'm enjoying!! I love tracking things down and trying new recipes, even if they flop it's fun! 

Food Friday - Almond Joy

from Tracey G

Kris had informed me that her new favorite snack was cocoa covered peanuts. This intrigued me, so on my next shopping trip, I just had to look for them - and came up lacking. But I did see cocoa covered almonds. I passed on them this trip, because darn it, I wanted cocoa covered peanuts! That then led me to a idea. I wonder if I could make them at home. And I discovered lots of recipes for cocoa covered ALMONDS. None for peanuts, which I took as a sign I was to try cocoa covered almonds this time around.

There is a funny story too about my acquisition of said almonds to cover in cocoa powder! Instead of heading out just to buy almonds, I sent a text to my husband, Jeremy, to see if he'd pick some up on his way home. Sure, no problem. In the exchange he asked how much I needed and I gave him an approximate amount and so forth. When he gets home with them and I see that he bought about 7-8 smaller snack sized bags because the market he stopped at didn't have the larger bulk sized bag. He thought I had to have them that day so did whatever he could to make sure I had the amount I needed, even if it cost probably twice the amount of a bulk sized bag - I felt bad informing him that I could've waited until the next day when a larger grocery store would have been accessible! You can be sure I said thank you for all his trouble!

Almonds have lots of great benefits besides being yummy. Here's a link to the Almond Board of California's information sheet Almonds.com Health and Nutritional Info which also has a link to a neat PDF with even more information.

And here's an overview of almonds benefits:

Heart Health

•High in monounsaturated fat (good fat)
•No cholesterol or sodium
•Top food source of vitamin E, an important antioxidant

Energy

•6 grams of protein per ounce
•12 vitamins and minerals
•Rich in magnesium

Weight management

•6 grams protein, helps keep you going with less snacking
•3.5 grams fiber, good for helping to keep you fuller feeling longer
•Only 160 calories per ounce

There's also a lot of good benefits to cocoa powder too, so this is a pretty good choice for snacking that feels like an indulgence!

There's really not a "recipe" for it, more of method. This is the method I used:

1 1/2 - 2 cups whole almonds

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 5 minutes, remove tray shake it back and forth to "stir" up the almonds and then continue to bake for about another 5-8 minutes or until they are lightly fragrant and toasty.

While the almonds are baking, mix about 1 1/2 tablespoons each cocoa powder and powdered sugar. I actually sifted the two together in a mesh strainer to get rid of lumps and help facilitate the combining of the two.

When you remove the almonds from the oven, let them cool a minute or two on the baking sheet, then carefully pour them into a medium sized bowl. Add the cocoa powder/powdered sugar mixture to the still-warm almonds and toss gently with a spoon to coat. Spread them back onto the baking sheet in a single layer to cool.

And that's it. It's super simple to create these yummy treats at home. I have to admit that I was skeptical of the coating sticking with nothing added to make it stick, but it did and it did so beautifully! And after trying them with the just the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, I decided to dust them with cinnamon and wow, it knocked an already great tasting treat out of the park!! 

From Kris B.

It has been a crazy week at our house!  My husband has been a sick boy.  When he went back to school, he actually took on additional responsibilities as the school librarian, and then we had a quick out of town trip this weekend.  Needless to say, all of these things contributed to our weekly routine being extremely disrupted.  It seems like such "blips" in our life have the greatest effect on our eating habits.  We found ourselves snacking through the week rather than making intentional and healthy meal choices.

These Brown Sugar and Almond English Muffins are one of my "go-to" snacks or, as was the case this week, go-to lunches lunches.  A little protein, a little sweetness, and a few carbs and I'm ready to go.   If you have a toaster oven, these are even easier to make when life is moving a quick pace.

INGREDIENTS
English muffin
Butter
Brown sugar
Sliced almonds

Split the English muffin and generously spread with butter.  Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and top with the sliced almonds.  If you are using a toaster oven, set the rack open its lowest setting.  In a standard oven, use the middle rack.  Place the muffins on a cookie sheet.  Using the broiler setting, cook until the brown sugar has melted, 5 minutes or so.  WATCH CAREFULLY!  These will go from perfect to burned very quickly!

Enjoy any time of day as a meal with a side of fruit, or as a snack.

Beans and Corn - Oh My! ;-)

by Tracey G

This Food Friday I'm on my own as my wonderful cohort is vacationing it up and loving every minute of it! ;-) Which is exactly what you're supposed to do on a vacation! I am happy she's having a great time, even if she did forget to stuff me in her suitcase, but that's ok - I'll forgive her ;-)

This week I stuck with something even more simple, I think, than usual, for a yummy salad. And it's totally customizable, I can think of lots of variations on it, adding cilantro, parsley, jalapeno etc and I know I've added some crushed garlic a time or two. It also goes with lots of things - I served this particular batch with a new grilled pork chop rub recipe I ran across - it involved brining, and that was something I'd never done. I gave it a whirl and was it easy and produced such a lovely chop! Only thing was it required a bit of pre-planning due to the brining time needed. But, I digress, lol - that's a recipe for another time! ;-)

Back to the Black Bean and Corn Salad - I love the fact it uses frozen corn - so you can make this any time of the year, not just in corn season! And it's easy because you don't cook the corn, just dump it into the bowl and add your stuff to it. It even chills the salad for you, lol. 

The ingredients are simple ones - (clockwise from bottom) a lime or two, can of black beans, frozen corn, cumin, red pepper sauce, olive oil  and red onion. Now, you can also add salt and pepper to taste, I usually don't until I dish up my own personal serving. That's because when I was cooking for my mom, I had to find ways to omit the salt in things I was making as she was on a salt restricted diet. Lemon or lime juice is a great substitute for the salt flavor, so it's not really missed in this salad!

Combine all your salad ingredients - the chopped red onion, corn and beans - in a bowl large enough to mix it up in without having beans and corn flying out everywhere, lol. 

In a small bowl, combine your dressing ingredients. Sometimes I have to use 2 limes depending on how "juicy" they are, sometimes I end up with the driest limes - getting at least 2 prevents that from messing me up ;-)

Then all you do is dump your dressing over the salad ingredients in the bowl and mix well. That's it. I let mine sit out for awhile to defrost the corn and chill the salad as I usually am serving it that day with dinner, but you can store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I also sub ingredients as needed, if no lime, I use lemon juice, no red onion – I use regular, etc. and I usually double the recipe!

  

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can, 14oz, Black Beans – rinsed and drained

2 c frozen Corn kernels

½ Red Onion, chopped

1 ½ tsp Cumin (I eyeball it, and go to taste)

2 tsp Hot Sauce

1 Lime, juiced

2 tbsp Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for at least 15 min for corn to defrost & flavors to combine, salt and pepper to taste, then toss and serve.

And don't forget you have until midnight tonight (07.17.15) to add your comment and receive a chance (entry) to win the $20 iTunes or Google Play gift card! Winner will be announced Saturday, July 18, 2015!! Good luck!! :-)

Food Friday - Have Your Veggies and Eat Your Cake Too!

from Tracey G. 

This time of year gets me thinking carrot cake, lol. It's not something I've always liked - as a kid it wasn't my cup of tea, I didn't like spiced cakes etc. It wasn't that I minded veggies in my treats, not at all, I love vegetables in any form, but it was the fact of the cake being too "busy" with spices and potentially nuts in it too. (It's also a recent thing that I like nuts in my baked goods, but still don't like them in my cookies, lol) But then one day, it was like a switch flipped and I decided I liked carrot cake, lol.

I'd never made it myself, always just had it out or whatever but a few years ago, when I was trying to lose the weight that came along with having Harry, I decided I wanted to make one. Well, I was appalled at the amount of fat that went into the average carrot cake recipe! Wow - I think one recipe I ran across had a full cup of oil in it, no thanks. Those recipes gave me sticker shock in the calorie information department, lol. And I didn't have any canned pineapple around  - every recipe I ran across had pineapple in it. Then, I found this one. Now, I've modified it, of course, because while I may like nuts these days in my baked goods - I still don't like raisins, lol. But I thought this sounded like just what I was looking for - a lighter version with no pineapple involved ;-)

So, I made my first carrot cake. A light one at that too - and it was super yummy!! I was so happy with it, I could have my cake and eat it too! LOL Since then, I've made it into cupcakes and followed the recipe and made it in a 9x13" pan. I like to do the cupcakes because then they are portion controlled that way, I am not temped to cut a bigger piece which would throw off my per serving numbers. I can make the perfect 18 servings by making 18 cupcakes :-) I didn't care for the cream cheese frosting recipe that came along with it, so I just used my favorite one, and lightened it up a little bit, best I could without losing its integrity.

First, you combine the first 5 ingredients - the sugar, eggs, egg whites, oil and applesauce, in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. 

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients - the flour,  spices, salt and baking soda (if using nuts, those will get stirred in later when carrots are added). 

I like to use a whisk whenever I need to combine dry ingredients when I am baking, it's easy and works well.

Next,  get your carrots ready - I use my mini food processor to shred up the 3 cups needed.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl, then stir in your carrots and nuts if using.

Pour into a 13x9" baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray or line cupcake pans with liners and divide batter amongst them to make 18 cupcakes. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Whether it be in a 13x9" pan or cupcakes, allow them to cool completely before frosting them.

Lighter Carrot Cake

preheat oven to 350°

1 1/3 c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1/3 c canola oil

2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 c shredded carrots

1 c chopped walnuts, optional

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices; add to the egg mixture and mix well.

Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into a 13x9" baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Frost as desired.  Makes 18 servings.

The Cream Cheese Frosting recipe I used for this batch is as follows:

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened (I usually use Neufchatel, but of course the store didn't have any today, so it was the full calorie/fat deal today)

2-3 tbsp butter, softened

4 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tsp milk

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and butter, mix until well blended. Add the vanilla; then add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add 2-3 tsp milk to get it to the desired consistency for frosting the cake/cupcakes. Makes enough to frost about  24 cupcakes.

All that's left to do is enjoy! :-) 

from Kris B.

One of this things that happens when you are trying to be intentional about what you eat is that you scrutinize everything that goes in your mouth; I don't mean in an obsessive or unhealthy way, but in a thoughtful and positive way.  For me this means making choices not only in the moment, but also giving consideration to my whole day or even week.  For example, I have plans to go out for dinner with friends on Friday night.  I am not going as far as to say that all bets are off as far as being faithful to my WW point counting, but I don't want to be so consumed with what I can and can't or should and shouldn't eat that it keeps me from being truly present and enjoying the evening out.  Rather, I'll have a lighter breakfast and lunch, an extra piece of fruit with these meals rather than something more calorie laden.   The same balancing act comes into play for me when I am making snack choices.

I am a snacker, always have been and always will be.  I'm not going to change that fact so I just need to learn to live with it.  What that means is that I need to eat snacks that are both satisfying and, if not 100% healthy,  they should at least have some redeeming nutritional value.  As is the case with most things, I want the most bang for my buck, the most tasty goodness for my caloric intake.  

I have mentioned before that I am a bread lover.  That love extends beyond yeast breads to quick breads as well.  Though pumpkin bread is probably my all-time favorite quick bread, zucchini bread is the one I make most often because, as those of you with gardens know, zucchini is quite the prolific crop in any summer garden!  And what better way to eat it than in bread!

The recipe that I am sharing here has evolved over time.  I have tried various versions that cut some fat, and some sugar, and some cholesterol; this is its current incarnation.  

It contains many of those things that often scare people away (sugar, oil, and eggs), but unless you eat a whole loaf, which admittedly I probably could but won't, the amounts of these things that you get in a realistic single serving are well within reason.

Back to that idea of the most bang for your buck... This recipe contains several of my favorite things...zucchini, apple, and chocolate.  

It's missing coffee as an ingredient, but who's to say you can't enjoy it with a mug of fresh joe!  Since this has all this ingredients that make my tastebuds happy, I am willing to splurge a little and truly enjoy my slice of zucchini bread as a snack or for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup white sugar

1 Cup Brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 TBS vanilla

2 Cups peeled and grated zucchini (1 1/2 -2 zucchini depending on size)

1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  

In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.  Once combined, add the shredded zucchini to the wet ingredients.   

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones mixing until they are all well incorporated.

Pour into to two loaf pans that have been coated with non-stick spray. 

 Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

These can also be made as 20-24 regular sized muffins.  Adjust cooking time accordingly.  Mine take about 25 minutes, but my oven generally takes the long extreme on the cook time continuum.

Though the zucchini bread is perfectly good as is, topping it with cream cheese or peanut butter adds a special touch to this treat.  Speaking of peanut butter, well actually nuts...you can add chopped nuts to the bread itself if you'd like.  I am one of those that is picky about where I like to find nuts and where I don't.  In my zucchini bread is one of the places where I'd rather not encounter them.  That is why, if I want a little protein, I'll spread some peanut butter on top...another of my favorite ingredients!

I hope that you are all thinking about planting your gardens so that you have lots of zucchini with which to make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread this summer. 

Food Friday - It's Italian

by Tracey G

I guess it's kind of fitting, a Primavera-style dish on the first day of Spring! And as if to celebrate, I heard my first chipmunk talking outside today ;-) Yay! Warmer weather is coming...just a little more patience is needed and the spring peepers will be next - best sound ever!

Still on my quest to keep on eating more healthfully, this one is pretty good in keeping with that theme, especially when you use a chicken broth that is virtually fat free - the brand I used had a mere 5 calories per cup! That's a pretty good base for some lighter fare I think. ;-) I once again found this recipe in my Taste Of Home magazine, and the sheer simplicity of it first caught my attention, then the potential for it being a recipe that would fit into what I'm trying to accomplish in the healthy department. I did however  make a couple changes, (of course, lol, because I can't leave anything alone ;-) ) - I didn't add as much of the julienned carrots as it called for - and even what I did add, I still feel was too much. I added about 3/4 of what it called for, next time will just do half or less. I feel that it came out too "carroty" tasting, but that's an easy thing to fix by using less, lol. But hey, if you like a more carroty tasting broth, by all means stick with the original amounts! :-D The other thing I did was add a couple teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder to bolster the flavor up a bit and add a bit of salt without adding just salt - I remembered that's what Ina Garten does in her chicken pot pie recipe that I use, so I used that technique for this.

This recipe is so simple. It's going to be one of those I can see I'd turn to when I need something fast for dinner, as I usually have everything on hand between the cupboard and freezer - the only thing not usually on hand are the tortellini, but that can be something easy to keep around as well, they can be frozen for up to a month or so. And it's done in one pot - can't go wrong with that! I told Harry this is even something he could make since it's just open some packages and combine, lol.

Start with 8 cups of your brand of choice chicken broth (or homemade if you have it!), which for me was 2, 32oz. each, containers of broth.

Place in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. 

I kind of deviated here from the directions and instead of adding the peas, carrots and tortellini all at once, I added the carrots first and let them cook for a bit because I knew if they were crisp-tender, Harry would turn up his nose at the "crisp" part. I let them cook for a bit, then tested them, checking for the point when they were just at the crisp-tender stage, THEN I added the peas.....

...and the tortellini and pepper. 

Once I got the tortellini and pepper in, I then let it cook until the tortellini were done. All that's left to do is serve! LOL I served it with a nice crusty Italian bread. 

I can see there's lots of possibilities for this as far as adding different vegetables or even some cooked chicken. The recipe also calls for some thinly sliced fresh basil leaves to garnish with, I didn't have any to use, but once there's decent basil available (mostly out of my garden!) I will be adding it ;-)

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Taste Of Home :

Tortellini Primavera Soup

2 cartons, 32 oz. each, chicken broth

1 package, 10 oz., julienned carrots

1 package, 9 oz., cheese tortellini

1 cup frozen peas, about 4 oz.

1/4 tsp pepper

Thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add carrots, peas, tortellini and pepper; return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 7-9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Top servings with basil.

You can also freeze the leftovers. To use partially thaw overnight in refrigerator. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally.

Happy eating all ;-)

Tracey 

xoxo 


by Kris B.

While many around the world are eating corned beef and cabbage or a little coddle and champ perhaps with a little Irish soda bread on the side in honor of St. Paddy’s Day, Tracey and I seemed to be in an Italian mood.  This week we were both trying to get back into the regular weekly routine , Tracey after being sick much of last week and me after spending my spring break in Delaware working on estate stuff.  In emails that crossed one another, we independently came up with this week’s Italian-themed recipes.  This was another of those odd little synchronicities that often occurs with us.

As I write, a gentle spring rain is falling here in Texas.  It is definitely gray outside, but it is not the dark gray of winter.  It is starting to feel like spring, perhaps the gray feels less dreary because I noticed last evening that my first iris of the year has bloomed!

I just had to share this photo as a beacon of hope for all those who are still experiencing cold and snow.

Back to food…

I have been remarkably good with my quest to eat more intentionally, even in Delaware last week when we were forced to eat most of our meals out.  We had some nice meals, but we also ate a few in airports and on airplanes.  (I am a sucker for the soft pretzels in Terminal F at the Philadelphia airport…but, I planned for them into my WW daily points!)  My contribution to this week’s post, though it sounds somewhat healthy, is a killer to the point count!  That realization truly hurts my heart because pesto meatballs with couscous is one of my all-time favorite meals.  The pesto is what ups the fat, calories, and WW point value.  It is also the pesto that gives the meatballs the delicious flavor.  Dilemmas, dilemmas.

I consulted with my daughter who is a trained pastry chef and a fabulous cook.  Such a consultation turned out to be a big mistake on my part.  Pastry chefs love fat, there is no such thing as too much butter in their world.  My daughter is also a vegetarian so asking her anything about how to cook meat was me stupidly barking up the wrong tree; however, we did finally meet in the middle and seriously discuss the matter of my pesto problem.  

Brooke and I agreed that the pesto definitely added fat to the meatballs.  She asked me if I added fat when I made other kinds of meatballs or meatloaf.  I don’t.  We decided that I could just season the ground beef with basil, garlic, and a little parmesan cheese and cut the olive oil that is an integral ingredient of the pesto.  Next came a discussion about proportions.  After we’d figured out how much basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese I should use with my pound and a half of lean ground beef, I asked the all important question, “So, do you think I should try the meatballs this way?”  her response without any hesitation, “No.  If you like them the way you’ve always made them then make them that way and enjoy the meal.”  Out of the mouth of babes…

So, you are getting the full calorie, and more importantly, full goodness of this recipe.  I plan to enjoy every bite of my meal without worrying or feeling guilty about the indulgence.  My rule of life, and I think that Tracey has said this as well, is “everything in moderation.”  The key to a healthy life, both physically and emotionally, is balance.  One somewhat indulgent meal a week is not going to upset that balance.

One of the reasons that I have always loved this recipe is that it is super simple to prepare, yet doesn't taste that way.  The ingredients are either pantry staples or packaged and easy to find at the grocery store.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef   (I use the leanest that I can get.)

1/2 cup of crushed saltine crackers

1/2 cup of commercial pesto    (I make my own pesto over the summer and freeze it, but by         this time of year, that supply is depleted.  Either works just fine.)

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

1 box commercially packaged couscous     (I usually use the Parmesan flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush baking sheets with olive oil.  I go fairly light on the olive oil and have had no problems with the meatballs sticking.

Combine the ground beef, pesto, cracker crumbs, egg, salt and pepper.  I have to say that this works best when you do it with your hands.

Form 12 meatballs and place on the cookie sheet.  Using a cookie scoop yields nicely shaped and uniformly sized meatballs.

Bake the meatballs for 25 minutes, turning once after about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, prepare the couscous according to the package directions.

To serve, spoon the couscous on the plate.  Top with three meatballs.  If you are feeling decadent, you can drizzle a little pesto over the meatballs and then top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Served with a side of freshly steamed broccoli or a green salad, this makes an easy weekday dinner or a great meal to serve guests.

One of my many weird quirks is that I love paper and pens and I thoroughly enjoy hand writing.  I would much rather sit with a pen and a yellow legal pad than in front of the computer.  I mention this because I copied this recipe by hand into my notebook of collected recipes.  I made the notation that the original recipe is from a Real Simple magazine, but I failed to indicate the issue or date of the exact publication.  

Happy Spring!!!