She's back. Again. And armed with zucchini.

Hello blog readers. I guess I'm not as good at keeping up with this blog as I planned initially. But, I'm doing my best. I'll leave it as I'll check in when I can and post recipes.

On the weightloss front- I'm sticking strong with WW. I'm down 13ish pounds since May. I'm feeling good, exercising a lot (teaching a lot of jazzercise), and keeping my eye on the prize. Right now the biggest challenge is sticking with it and writing down all these points. I have been losing each week, but I've been lax in writing everything down. I've been diligent these last 2 days and am hoping this return to the blogging is the kick in the pants I need to keep with it!

Anyway, tis the season for the zucchini. Or, as the Brits like to say courgettes (Isn't that a pretty word?). Thus, what follows is 2 zucchini recipes--one for dinner and the other for dessert. You'll see that the dinner recipe (summer vegetable & chicken couscous) will look eerily similar to my last post. Sue me.

summer vegetable & chicken couscous (5 servings at 11 pp each)

1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (this is the size package my store had, you could be flexible)
2 medium zucchini
3 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 box trader joe's Israeli couscous (12 oz or 1.25 cups)
2 cups chicken stock
2 small (or 1 large) lemons, juiced and zested
2 handfuls fresh basil and parsley, chiffonaded (is that a word?)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

First, prep your chicken and zucchini. I like to marinate them both with lemon juice, a little olive oil (drips off during the grilling process) salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can cook them as is too. Either way is fine.

Then, heat 2 tsp olive oil and saute onion & garlic. Once softened add pine nuts and couscous. After 5ish minutes, add the chicken stock. Raise to a boil, then lower the temperature to a summer and stir frequently till the stock is absorbed.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and grill on flesh side till you have grill marks. Grill chicken. Slice zucchini into half moons, chicken into strips and add to the couscous.

Add tomatoes, herbs, and lemon zest to couscous.

Make a dressing with the lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Add salt & pepper to taste. Mix well and pour over the warm couscous mixture.

Mix well and refrigerate till cool and eat!

As you can see from my photo, my tomatoes are orange and gorgeous. They are sungolds and I love them.

So, onto dessert. I got some ideas from some other food blogs I read. I tried this recipe and modified it a bit. It was delicious as a "loaf" so I next tried it as mini muffins. Still, delicious, but more dessert-y than breakfast-y. So, I figured it might be best to put in regular cupcake tins and frost. I started with the skinnytaste cream cheese frosting, but then modified for my own preferences (I like my frosting with a little butter in it and more sugary. I think it pipes better that way).

A word to the wise- zucchini contains a lot of water. The cake just won't rise much because of this. I let my grated zucchini drain on a strainer for a while and got about 4 tbsp of liquid out. You might want to squeeze excess liquid out. If you're ok with sunken-in cakes, then don't worry about it.

I should also note- my official taste tester/husband thinks the mini muffin version is best. I like the cupcakes best

Also- it might look like this recipe is more pointy than I claim. That's because a lot of the frosting is lost to the bowl, piping bag, my husband walking by and swiping some, etc.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting (makes 12, 5 pp each, 2 without frosting)

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Ghiradelli)
pinch salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup fat free vanilla greek yogurt (don't use any crap with splenda or nutrisweet in it)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 medium zucchini, grated (1.5-2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Spray liners with nonstick spray (there is very little fat in this recipe; they'll stick).

Mix dry ingredients (except sugar) in one bowl.

Beat together wet ingredients (except zucchini). Add sugar. Slowly add dry ingredients. When well mixed, add zucchini. Spoon evenly across the 12 cupcake holders. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting

4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1.5 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Spread or pipe over cool cupcakes.

Well, this time it might take a little longer to get my posts going

All that said, I'm sticking with all this healthy cooking, eating, and living. So far, down 8.2 lbs! I'm learning how to adjust to the jogging stroller and a couple jazzercise classes a week, but I'm making it.

For a recipe:  couscous.

Mike suggested we have some couscous and I couldn't agree more. I used Israeli couscous for this particular recipe because I prefer it, but you could use any kind you like. I served it alongside some grilled shrimp and have enough left over for tomorrow night's dinner (grilled chicken)

Delicious summer couscous (serves 6 at about 6 pp each)

2 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 box trader joe's Israeli couscous (about 1.25 cups I think)
2 cups chicken stock
2 grilled eggplants (see more in the instructions below) cut into cubes
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
rind of one lemon
juice of one lemon
salt & pepper to taste

First cut the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices. I like to coat them in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and let them sit for half an hour or so. Next, grill on medium until cooked through, flipping halfway. Most of the oil drops out on the grill, but you might want to consider these 2 points or so for the whole batch. Let them cool, dice them, and put it aside.

Saute the garlic, onion, and pine nuts in 1 tsp olive oil until softened. Add the couscous and cook until lightly brown. Add chicken stock, lower the heat, and cover. Note:  this takes longer with Israeli couscous than with regular couscous.

Mix together the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper until you like the taste of the dressing (might need to add a little more oil). Put aside. Add the eggplant, tomato, lemon rind, and dressing to the couscous. Serve hot or cold.

One reason why I like this recipe is that you could really switch in any fruit, veggie, or nut, and it would still be tasty. Also, it goes with just about any kind of grilled meat, and can count as both a starch and vegetable with dinner. Win win win!

Tomorrow night I'll take a photo of my leftovers and post.

Brunch outcome & photo

Well, as usual it was great to see Michelle. And, I forgot to photograph the quiche in all its quich-y glory. Instead, I included this little photo of the last sliver remaining.

As it turns out, it was good! A few tips- do all the prep work for the quiche (saute leeks, cook bacon, shred cheese), but do not assemble or cook in advance. I cooked the quiche Saturday then reheated it today. So, we didn't get that fluffy goodness. But, it was pretty good! Mike liked it, though not as much as the heavy cream full fat cheese version. Another tip- my friend Heather mentioned that leeks are a bear to clean- they are. So might as well clean a bunch at once, allow to dry, then freeze! Genius! If you choose to go that way, assume 2 loosely packed uncooked cups, making 1-1.5 cooked cups. Finally, I cut the quiche into sixths before anyone served themselves. That way, I knew I got one serving before others sliced pieces in half, etc.

I ended up eating lots of fruit salad, 2 muffins, and a slice of quiche. 12 points well spent for a brunch!

What are your tips for enjoying brunches with friends?

Brunch without guilt!

I'll admit it.  I'm a sucker for brunch. I love everything about it- lazy Sunday mornings, combination meals...mimosas! And its a great way to entertain when you have kids- no worries about bed time interruption. But, brunch can often be pointy when you're on WW. It can also lead to guilt later in the day for "spending" all of your points early in the day.

So today, I offer a solution. My good friend and her boyfriend are coming to visit today to spend time with the twins and brunch with Mike & I. She's bringing the fruit salad and I'm making 2 dishes:  these delicious muffins and a quiche.

I used my regular pie crust recipe:  1 cup flour, 6 tbsp cold butter, 1 tsp sugar, pinch salt- blitz in the food processor till crumbs form then add ice water until it forms a ball of dough. Divide into 2 discs, cover each in plastic wrap. Each crust is 14 points.

Bacon, Leek, and Cheddar Quiche- serves 6 at 6 pp each
1 pie crust
1 cup whole milk
3 eggs
3 oz shredded reduced fat cheddar
5 slices center cut bacon
2 leeks- sliced & cleaned
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Roll out pie crust into a pie plate. Prick all over with a fork and bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Add leeks and cook until softened. Cook bacon in the microwave, discard drippings, and crumble. In a bowl beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Remove crust from oven. Add leaks, crumbled bacon, cheese, and finally egg mixture. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until the center of the quiche puffs up.

I haven't tasted or photographed this quiche yet, but once I do, I'll let you know how it goes!

Look who's back!

Well, I'm back!
For those of you who never read my blog before, welcome!
I haven't updated in 2 years but here's a brief overview of me and the blog.

I started this blog the last time I joined weight watchers, in January 2011. I used it as a place to talk about recipes I've tried, tips I've found useful, and good finds at grocery stores and farmers markets. At that time I was teaching jazzercise 5 x/week, doing yoga 1-2x/week and was a full time grad student finishing my phd.

Fast forward a few years.

I took a job as an assistant professor at a small state college in New Jersey. I love my job. I also had two beautiful twin baby boys almost 6 months ago. I love Connor and Luke more than anything I could possibly imagine. I'm still teaching jazzercise, but now its only 1-2x/week. Yoga? I wish! I'm incredibly lucky to have a supportive husband, flexible and kind department chair, and amazing babysitters. But I'm still a mom of infant twins working full time, so things aren't so easy this time around. I don't have oodles of activity points to spend on wine any longer, so weight watchers will be a bit harder. I also have a lot more to lose.

This wasn't the original plan by the way- life never is. I thought I'd have my babies one at a time (well, I always wished for twins, but wishes so rarely come true). I also thought I'd have them while I was in grad school, so I could be home with them, and then start the job search. Instead, it took years of trying, doctors, treatments, etc., before I got pregnant with my twins. So, I'm a working new mom. But life is still pretty wonderful.

Anyway, this time, I have a lot more weight to lose. I am 20 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight, 30 pounds above my pre-IVF weight, and 50 pounds above where I'd like to be. So I'm taking baby steps, but I'm hoping keeping this blog along with counting my points can keep me accountable.

As far as my cooking/eating philosophy:  I eat real food. No splenda, no smart balance, no ricedream ice cream. I cook with oil and butter in moderation. I use reduced fat dairy products and nonstick cooking spray. I eat real pasta. See this post if you want to know why.  Don't try and convince me to eat pretend food. I won't do it.

So, here's a quick and easy 1 point side dish

Fennel, Red Onion, and Carrots (serves 2, 1 pp each)
1 bulb fennel sliced thin
1 medium red onion sliced thin
2 large carrots peeled and sliced thin
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add remainder of ingredients to pan and saute till soft. End of recipe.

I use this as a side dish with fish often. Today I'm having it with salmon and sweet potato oven fries.

sausage & pepper quiche

A while back, I posted a recipe for chicken&brocolli&mac&cheese...I kinda like combo meals.

When I was a kid, sausage and peppers was a staple meal for us all summer long. And moving to NJ, I will certainly be able to get good italian sausage again in a giant ring like I'm used to! Anyway, my favorite part of sausage and peppers was always having peppers and eggs the next day for lunch. So I thought to myself, why not combine the two and make a sausage and peppers quiche? I should also note--I had half and half and whole milk left after another recipe last week, and wanted to use it up. Normally quiches (the good ones at least) are made with heavy cream, so though these aren't the healthiest ingredients, they do lighten up a normally very heavy meal.

Well, luck had it that my local harris teeter had organic italian chicken sausage on sale, so I figured it was a sign. Wait a minute, sausage that isn't pork? Yeah, I know. Weird. Anyway, I'm sticking closely to my points plus, so I decided to keep it low cal for this recipe. If you changed it up to include pork, you'd need to add points. As an aside, my brother thinks its crazy to eat poultry with eggs together. I try not to think about it.

So here goes:

First, for the pie crust--this recipe makes 2 thin pie crusts each at 14 pts plus

6 tbsp butter

1 c all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

pinch salt

2-3 tbsp ice water

Cut up butter into cubes and place in the freezer till you're ready for it (at least 5 mins). Put dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse. Add butter to dry ingredients, pulse till it looks like bread crumbs. SLOWLY add water till it all forms a ball. Form ball into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Sausage & Pepper Quiche- 4 servings at ~10 pointsplus each

1 pie crust

2 tsp olive oil, divided

2 links italian sausage (I used organic chicken sausage)

1 red bell pepper sliced thin

1/2 small onion sliced thin

2 cloves garlic sliced

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (in the future, I'd add an extra 1/4 cup for no difference in points per serving)

3 eggs

6 oz half and half

2 oz whole milk

salt & pepper to taste

Roll out dough into the shape of a pie plate, add to pie plate, and prick all over with a fork. Cover in foil and fill with pie weights or beans (I use lentils). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and saute in 1 tsp olive oil. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic till softened in 1 tsp olive oil. Once these three steps are done, put sausage, veggies, and cheese in the pie shell, scattering evenly. Beat the three eggs and add the liquid, salt and pepper. Mix till evenly combined and pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

oh how I've missed you!

Hello blog readers! Its been WAY too long. Since my last post I've:

1- gotten a job

2- gone on 3 trips in as many weeks

3- done more yard work than I thought humanly possible

4- celebrated Easter (with more candy than I thought humanly possible)

5- graduated with my PhD

6- finally, gotten back on the WW bandwagon!

Yeah...I fell off for a while. Things got too crazy. But now, I have eleven weeks before I move to NJ. Yes, you heard me correctly, New Jersey. The garden state. And I can't wait. Say what you will about Snookie and Chris Christie, but I'll be in an awesome job, and only about 2.5 hours away from my family. Just 45 minustes from Philly & an hour from NYC. Can't really get much better than that. Anyway, in these 11 weeks, I plan to get back on the WW wagon! I started journaling again on Monday, and through all this craziness gained just 0.6 lbs. Not so bad at all! And this is the perfect time of year to get back started with points plus- its strawberry season! My wonderful husband picks strawberries for me on the way home from work a few times a week. I try my very hardest not to consume them all in a day or two. Normally, I do pretty well :)

So, here's a recipe. Its a simple one, but a good breakfast and starts my day with a serving of whole grains, healthy fats, and fruit.

Breakfast Elvis Wrap 5 points plus

1 whole grain tortilla (I use Harris Teeter 8 grain--only 2 pp each!)

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

1 banana

light drizzle of honey

Put the tortilla on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Spread most of the PB down the middle, but put a tiny dot to "glue" the edges in place. Slice the banana on top of the PB in the middle (you might have extra banana. in that case, just eat it alone. call it a breakfast appetizer) and drizzle with honey. Wrap, eat, and enjoy!

PS- somehow iphoto lost my uploaded picture.