and then she added photos

Hello blog readers!

So this posting is really a way to kill two birds with one stone. I wanted to share my new favorite breakfast, and want to get better at using my new iphone as a camera. I'm still having trouble holding my hands still, but I'm getting there.

I've done weight watchers before on the old plan, and used to make a smoothie with frozen berries, bananas, yogurt, and milk. Now that fruit is zero points plus, I revamped the recipe a bit. When my bananas get over-ripe, I peel them, mush them up, and put them in plastic baggies to use at a later time in smoothies like this one or baking.

Banana-berry smoothie--about 2.5-2.75 points plus (I count as 3 to be conservative)

2/3 frozen banana (or 1 small frozen banana)

1 c frozen blueberries

1/2 c fat free greek yogurt

3/4 c skim milk

1 tsp honey (or agave)

Put all ingredients in a blender and let them sit 15-20 minutes (softens frozen fruit a bit and makes it easier to blend). Puree and enjoy!

making the best out of stale bread

Yesterday, I bought a lovely baguette at Southern Season...which we never ate. And I forgot to pack up to prevent it from getting stale. So I woke up this morning to find a loaf of bread beginning to go stale at the ends. I remembered making a tomato bread soup a few years back, and promptly scoured the internet for recipes and my pantry, fridge, and freezer for ingredients. I mixed and matched and came up with the following, recipe, which was rather tasty. The only negative is that there is very little protein in this soup. I'd recommend eating it with an open-faced sandwich. The ingredients might sound a little odd, but its what I had on hand, and came out delicious. I'll have some nice lunches this week, and I think it will freeze well too.

Tomato-Bread Soup- makes 8 lunch portions at 3 points plus each

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onions (I used a combination of yellow & red that I had leftover)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cups chicken stock or broth (I used frozen turkey stock)

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes in their own juices (I used 1 plus a large 28 oz can)

2 tbsp jarred pesto (could substitute chopped fresh basil; will also decrease points value, and might make you want to add more garlic or parmasean)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

4.5 oz stale bread, cubed (could also use fresh)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onions, and stir till coated. After about a minute, add chopped garlic and cook till softened. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil. Add the tomato paste, and stir till incorporated. Add tomatoes, pesto, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and some fresh black pepper (DON'T ADD SALT YET!). Stir and bring to a boil. Add bread, stir, and bring to a boil. Bring temperature down to a simmer, and cover for 20 minutes. Soup should look mushy and gluey at this point. Add cheese and parsley and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve and enjoy!

lemonade cupcakes!

Hello blog readers!

I'll report back on the moussaka- delicious! And it left me with 3 egg whites & a desire to make those lemon cupcakes I was talking about (I bake when I have to work things out in my head; it's excellent therapy. I had a lot of things to work out in my head the day I made these.). They were awesome, but I made enough modifications to warrant posting my own recipe, as follows:

Lemonade Cupcakes--makes 12 at 4 points plus each
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1 large lemon, zested & juiced
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (*hint #1- you may want to spray the liners with nonstick spray as this recipe has very little fat in it and may lead to some difficulty removing your cupcakes). Combine flour, baking powder, & salt (*hint #2- no need to sift! you can just put them in a bowl and whisk to remove lumps). In a separate bowl cream sugar & butter till light and fluffy. Add egg whites, lemon zest, and half the lemon juice; mix to combine. Turn beater off and add half the flour mixture and half the sour cream. Mix till combined and repeat with the remainder of the flour and sour cream. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. They will still be quite light in color when you remove them from the oven. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan and 30-60 minutes on a wire rack.

Combine the remaining juice and the powdered sugar till smooth (you may want to add the sugar to the juice in batches) to make a thick icing. Spoon about a tablespoon onto each cupcake and smooth. Allow cupcakes to harden and serve and enjoy!

checking in

So...its taken me a while to get back into posting here. I traveled again last week--twice to PA for job interviews. Yesterday, I made this chicken recipe, and it came out delish. Well worth the 5 points.

Today, I'm "spending" a little more on dinner, as I'm making this moussaka with a few modifications: I baked the eggplant rather than frying, I used 2 tbsp of olive oil instead of 1/4 cup, I used skim milk rather than whole, & used 3 tbsp of butter rather than 6. All in all, it comes to 15 pts a serving. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Finally, I can't wait to try these cupcakes. I hope to make them some time this week. Again, I'll report back on how they turn out.

easy & delicious salmon

Hi all. So sorry these posts have been fewer and further between. I have been traveling for job interviews and am just now getting a chance to catch my breath. For dinner tonight I'm making salmon. According to the little WW handbook, salmon is 5 pts for 4 oz. Well...make sure you check your labels. You might be pleasantly surprised. I bought the wild pink Alaskan salmon from Trader Joe's (in the freezer section) and for 4 oz frozen (~ 3 oz cooked)--3 pts! Woohoo! The recipe below is for 2 servings but can be easily adjusted up or down.

Maple Dijon Salmon--serves 2 at 7 points plus per serving

12 oz uncooked wild salmon (~10 oz cooked)

2 tbsp REAL maple syrup (none of that Aunt Jemima stuff)

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp olive oil

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray & add salmon (might want to cut into individual portion sized pieces). In a small bowl combine syrup, mustard, oil, salt & pepper. Mix to combine. Pour over salmon and refrigerate for at least an hour (I sometimes do this part in the morning & then cook after work). Preheat oven to 375 & cover pan with foil. Cook about 10 minutes.

I'm serving this alongside sweet potato oven fries and steamed broccoli.

Enjoy!

and so it goes on

Hi everyone.

So good news this week--I lost 1.6 lbs. Bad news, I've been behind on my postings.

To follow up on my last posting, the cupcakes were great. The frosting was nice and marshmallow-y but, to be honest, not as good as a buttercream. But, that said, 4 points plus for a cupcake is a great deal!

Some struggles--tonight I'm going to celebrate my PhD with some great jazzerfriends. I don't want to totally blow my points allowance in one night. So, I've been loading up on fruit & water all day (also want to stay hydrated...), and about an hour ago I had a scrambled egg. I'm hoping to not be full when I get there, but also not be ravenous. So, I won't eat or drink too much. I hope.

Last Sunday, I made a turkey, and obviously, that means we have lots of leftover meat. One thing I like to do with leftover turkey (or chicken) is make risotto. Here's my recipe:

Leftover Turkey Risotto--makes 4 servings at 9 points plus each

2 tsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups arborio rice, uncooked

2 fluid oz white wine

1 quart chicken stock

8 oz cooked leftover turkey (or chicken)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp butter

Heat chicken stock to "low" in a pot. In a separate large pan, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook till softened. Add rice, cook till transparent. Add wine to deglaze pan. Once wine is nearly all evaporated or absorbed by rice, start adding the the stock 2 ladles at a time, stirring until nearly absorbed. On the last ladleful, add remaining ingredients. Stir till well incorporated. If rice is still a bit hard, add some water.

Eat and enjoy!

decadence in moderation

OK gang--today I had a change of plans. I was supposed to be heading out to PA for a job interview today, but ended up having it rescheduled & working from home. So, I had a little bit of extra time, and decided to try a new recipe. I subscribe to a lot of fitness magazines and have been dying to try out this recipe for chocolate cupcakes since my copy of Shape arrived last week. When I first flipped through the magazine, I loved that they did comfort food healthy makeovers. I was even more excited to see a chocolate cupcake in there--made with butter sugar and flour. To top it all off, it included a marshmallow 7 minute frosting. Given that I consider peeps a major food group, this was a huge seller for me. Finally, the icing on the icing on the cake--they're only 4 points plus each! Seriously! How can I say no?

I made the following 2 modifications: first, I substituted nonfat greek yogurt for the low fat buttermilk (less calories & more protein...but negligible enough to not affect the points plus values); second, I used 2 egg whites, again, not enough of a difference to affect the points values. Also, the 2nd egg white was unnecessary. I had so much frosting, I could have frosted 2 batches of the cakes.

I haven't done the taste test yet, but I have had a lick of the frosting, and its great. And the cakes look fluffy and delicious. I will report back tomorrow.

In general, I love the idea of cupcakes. They're automatic portion control (if you eat just one), fun for sharing, and just plain cute. The fact that these are also REAL FOOD but low in points, makes this recipe is already a win win win for me!