Monday

Instead of doing the laundry, I have been lured into my office. I am getting used to my laptop, and am so very grateful to have access to the rest of the world while my desktop is awaiting a diagnosis from my dear son. From the symptoms, he has feeling that my BIOS is gone with the wind! Speaking of wind, did I mention we went for Chinese food last night?lol

I have wanted an ipad for awhile now, but my hope was to replace my netbook an laptop with it, not the desktop! I miss the big screen and the keyboard, so I think I will try to find a new one asap!

So far today, I have managed to get the bedding changed, and the garbage gathered. The laundry awaits attention, but I will be picking away at the pile throughout the day.Since there were plenty of veggies in the frig that needed to be used up, I made a spinach vegetable casserole for lunch/supper. The original recipe came from a vegetarian cookbook from the seventies...Recipes for a Small Planet. Basically, you chop up veggies into small bites, anything works, really. Today, I used carrots, mushrooms, onion, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, celery and of course the spinach. The best dish to use, is a caste iron skillet, but mine is too small. Anyway, you just dump the chopped veggies in with fresh spinach into a bowl, then mix a couple of eggs with some cottage cheese and shredded cheese ( I used Tex Mex Kraft today) and mix it all together. The final step is trying to fit it all into an oven proof casserole dish or the caste iron pan! It can be piled as high as you can pile it, as it shrinks in the oven. It takes about an hour at 350º Since I can't thicken it with flour, I used some instant mashed potatoes. Hope that works! I also put a bit of Greek seasoning into the mix, with the salt and pepper. If it turns out, it will be delish, and I will post a picture!

Car shopping activity points?

There should be some...in, out, in, out, in, out....not to mention the white knuckle endurance test hubby puts the poor things through! Came home empty handed but it was nice to open the door to the welcoming scent of an oven stew that was bubbling away all afternoon in a 300º oven.

If the cool weather inspires you to make "comfort food" here is the easiest stew on the planet to make, and it is guaranteed to turn out every time. I cooked mine from two till five this afternoon, and the doubled recipe turned out perfectly.

1 lb of lean beef, cut in good sized pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 little can of pizza sauce
1 cup of carrots, sliced
1 cup of rutabaga, cubed
1 cup of onion in large pieces
1 cup of celery
1 1/2 cups of beef broth

Layer ingredients in exact order, in oiled, lidded pot, or casserole. (I used an oval Le Crueset roaster), tossing the meat in the flour to nicely coat. Pour the pizza sauce over the meat. Layer the carrots, rutabaga, onion, celery and potatoes if you wish. Pour broth over all. Place covered dish in oven for approximately two to three hours, depending on the size of the beef piece. Try to leave the stew alone to "do its thing". There is no need to worry about burning, or over cooking with this method! It is amazing. Add salt and pepper at the table if you wish, but I really find that the stew is seasoned just right using the pizza sauce. I double this recipe to have leftovers. The doubled recipe yeilded 6 huge servings of 6 points each. (a shallow Corelle soup bowl full) I use the leanest beef imaginable, and leave it in large chunks. It is best to calculate the points based on exactly the meat you are using, and your choice of vegetables because it makes a big difference in the point values!

Easy!

We are having friends come for breakfast this morning. The plan is to make mushroom omelets, to keep things as simple as possible. I have found that using one whole egg, and one white per person gives good results - you really don't need that extra egg yolk to get a nice fluffy omelet.

A nice little treat at the end of the meal will be fluffy hot biscuits, served with butter, jam or honey. A breakfast dessert will add a special touch, and not kill my points balance!

When I ran my biscuit recipe through the Recipe Builder on the WW site, this recipe when doubled, made fifteen biscuits at two points each. Just mix all the ingredients lightly, and drop by spoon fulls onto a cookie sheet. The time they take to bake, depends on the size you decide to make them, but for fifteen it took 10 minutes in a 400ºF oven...keep an eye on them, as the "peaks" should be lightly browned. You can also add 1 1/2 T of sugar, to make shortcakes for seasonal berries.



1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (I use Kosher)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp shortening
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk

Blend all dry ingredients and shortening with a pastry blender, your hand until texture is like coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir gently with a fork, just until moistened. Drop onto cookie sheet, bake and serve piping hot out of the oven!

Chicken Meatballs

This was supper tonight. I was surprised at how much flavour these had, since the only addition to the ground meat was an egg white, and 2 T of Italian Breadcrumbs! The entire recipe worked out to be be 15 points, for 15 meatballs gravy and all. We had five meatballs each (why resist?) and there is a meal waiting for "leftover Monday" in the frig! Of course, we added a spoonful of lingonberries at the table! Potatoes were extra of course.

1. 400 gms ground chicken
2. 2 T Italian Bread Crumbs
3. 1 egg white
4. 2 T finely diced onion
5. 2 T flour
6. 2 cups FF chicken broth
7. 1T olive oil

Form first four ingredients into 1 inch balls. Lightly roll in flour. Brown in Teflon pan with olive oil. Mix 1/2 cup of chicken broth with flour, and add to pan, add remaining broth. Simmer till gravy thickens to desired consistency.

Supper Time, Supper Time, Supper, Supper, Supper Time!

It has been a long time since we had a traditional Sunday dinner of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots at our house, but here is a compromise! Those roasted Deli chickens sure can go a long way, and proof of that is the leftover breast languishing in the frig - not quite enough for three on its own though!


This is about 12 points for the whole recipe, divide it how you will! It is good over baked potatoes, noodles or even oven fries, if you have the points to burn! MMMM comfort food. So here it comes...

Chicken a la Green!

1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 T finely diced onion(s), give or take
2 chicken bouillon cubes
8 oz chicken breast, cooked, skinless
3 cups of fat-free chicken broth (or as much as it takes to get the right consistency for the sauce)
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
trimmed raw spinach

Stir finely chopped onion into butter...add flour, then milk, broth and flavour cube (if needed) to make a light cream sauce, add chicken and vegetables - simmer until warmed through. Add a couple of handfuls of trimmed raw spinach just before serving to wilt down into the sauce. Gotta love that spinach! Today, I am going to serve it with potatoes baked on the barbecue and a pan of roasted mushrooms, onions, red and green peppers.

For dessert? We are having Mini angel cakes from Sobey's with a mixture of fresh fruit and a bit of Light Cool Whip on top! Sweetened with Splenda, the points came in at less than 2 for the whole dessert!

Slight Change of Plan

Well, yesterday's lunch of tortilla "pizzas" was so good, I just had to make them for supper, too! My intention was to take a picture but before I knew it, they just vanished! Not only did this happen at lunch time, but at dinner time too, so you will have imagine what these tortillas looked like in all their crispy goodness! For 6 1/2 points for two, from start to finish, they can't be beat!

I am not a great fan of tomato sauce, so I used a teaspoon of pesto as a base on each tortilla. Before serving, I added a very light dusting of Parmesan and some red pepper flakes while they were hot out of the oven. "Real" pizza is just not worth all the points for one piece when these are so much easier on the digestive tract! Next time I am going to try this with spinach and feta. Can't wait!

We had strawberries dipped in Splenda for dessert - I needed a "sweet fix". I was amazed that the Splenda tasted sooooooooooo good! I am now officially a convert. If you can eat the stuff on a strawberry, and it tastes great? What else can you do with this miracle of modern science? Dare we bake????

The menu for today is very simple:

Morning

All Bran and milk with my new friend, Splenda.

Midday

Top Dogs and Wonder Bun for lunch. I never ate hot dogs before WW but now? This treat is my new summertime favourite! I use two hot dogs in one bun, just to make sure I am not stuck with an empty bun for my last bite! Slathered with mustard, relish and onions? Mystery meat at its finest! Sauerkraut salad on the side. I have been making this for years, and it is always a big hit. If you like marinated salads, I think you just may like this! Turns out that it is a freebie, too! No points! If you were running short of points, I think you could lose the bun, and make a good lunch of just the hot dogs and sauerkraut salad. It would be pretty tasty for four points, wouldn't you say?


Sauerkraut Salad
2 cups sauerkraut, well-drained
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar Twin (Splenda!)
2 tbs. chili sauce
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes


In a large bowl combine sauerkraut, green pepper, onion and celery. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, Sugar Twin, chili sauce, and parsley flakes. Add vinegar mixture to sauerkraut mixture. Mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Gently stir again, just before serving.

Evening

Stuffed zucchini with tomato sauce, with a tossed Greek salad. Since I used the sausage on the tortillas yesterday, I will just use the leftover pork tenderloin in the stuffing. Maybe add some mushrooms, celery and onions into to the mix, too. There are so many "freebies" that you can use to really plump out a menu! And, since I am making a mess chopping for the salad, I may as well prep the veggies for the zucchini at the same time.

Snacks

V8, fresh apricots, nectarines, grapes, Susie's Flat Bread with Laughing Cow Cheese.

Thursday's Plan

So, here is my plan for today - the main objective is to use up the leftovers in the frig! All of this comes to 24.5 points. I know that you are supposed to be eating all of your points, plus flex points, but really, it is hard on the jaws to munch through all of this! If it weren't for this heat, I would make a big pot of vegetable soup, and just eat that for a day, to give my face a rest!

Morning

All Bran cereal & milk

Midday
Ham, mushroom, mozzarella & pineapple 'pizza' (made on WW a Tortilla - 4.5 points!)

Evening
Stuffed Zucchini
1 T olive oil

1/2 cup cooked Basmati rice
1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup onion, 1 cup celery, coarsely chopped

tomato sauce (I used leftovers from another dinner)

2 oz German Swiss Cheese

Parmesan Cheese to finish
3 oz Pork finely sliced, then cut in slivers

Stir fry vegetables in olive oil, then add to food processor to chop finely. Add rice and pork to fry pan, and add a little tomato sauce to bind, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix in the finely chopped vegetables, and 1 oz of the Swiss cheese, then stuff "nuked" zucchini that has been scooped out to allow for filling. Drizzle with tomato sauce, and sprinkle with 1 oz of Swiss cheese, and 2 T of Parmesan. Finish in the oven or on the barbecue, until warmed through. 6 servings.

(I finally got around to making this on Saturday nightbut I thought it best to put the picture here with the recipe!)

Serve with a chopped Greek salad (fresh cucumbers, vine tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil & balsamic vinegar) and a French Baguette.

Snacks

Nectarine
Susie's Flat Bread and & Laughing Cow Cheese
1 cup of grapes

They say....

that building a new habit takes three weeks. I am inclined to believe it. But another fact is that it only takes stepping out of the traces a couple of times to completely erase one! The habit I will be working on for the next three weeks, is making specific daily menu plans. Here is what I have planned for today.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Morning
cheese toast made with 2 serving FF Swiss Cheese
1 serving Stone Ground Thin Bread 2 slices
1/2 cup All Bran w 1 1/2 glass skim milk



Midday

1 medium nectarine(s)
Smoked Turkey Sandwich

Evening
2 Chicken Feta Sausages from Costco (only 3 points each or special deal, 2 for 5!)
1 8 oz barbecued potato & sliced onion, brushed with 2 tsp butter

green beans

Snacks
1 cup of grapes @ 11

Sliced Tomatoes @ 3
4 fresh sliced tomato(es)
sprinkled with

1 tsp homemade basil pesto
30 g Feta Cheese
2 tsp olive oil & S&P, balsamic vinegar to taste

(this platter is for two, so that makes a pretty hefty snack for 2 1/2 points per person)

1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese with 1 serving (3 pieces) Susie's Multi Seed Flatbread @ bedtime

Friday

The trouble with doing the weekly food shopping, is that it isn't about food anymore. When you look down the aisles, there is a sea of products that are non-foods. My system has a low tolerance for things of this nature, it is always a disappointment when I try a convenience food or the newest "no-sugar, no-fat, no-flavour" item. Case in point? No Fat Mayo. Now, the last time I made Mayo, it was oil and egg. Pretty fat based! But they are now marketing what I presume to be an old fashioned boiled dressing. Which by the way, is very good. It is one of those "Depression" recipes that inventive women used when supplies were low, and appetites high. The following recipe has many faces, and all come in with more flavour and fewer calories than the stuff in the store, not to mention a huge savings dollar wise!

The basic recipe is as follow:

• 1 T flour
• 2 T sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• speck of red pepper
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 T salad oil (corn oil for best flavour)
• 1 Cup of water
• 2 medium eggs
• 4 T vinegar

Blend flour, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, oil, and water in top of a double boiler. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Beat eggs slightly in a small bowl, then add vinegar gradually, so as to not to curdle. Slowly add half of the hot sauce to egg mixture, stirring constantly. Return to double boiler, stirring over hot water (not boiling) until mixture coats a spoon. Overcooking will cause eggs to curdle. Remove, and pour into a jar. When cool, cover and refrigerate.

For a Sandwich Spread, increase the flour to 2Tablespoons, and increase entire recipe by 25 calories.

Russian Dressing: to 1/4 cup of cooked dressing add 1 T ketchup 1 T 14 calories

Gourmet Dressing: add 1/2 tsp horseradish, dash of Worcestershire sauce added to Russian

Thousand Island Dressing: to 1/4 c cup of cooked dressing, add 2 T chili sauce, 2 T chopped green pepper and 1/2 cooked egg, finely chopped. 1 1/2 T = 20 calories.

Making the dressing is my task for today!

The weekend passed

in a hot blur. We have been sweltering here on the prairies. It would be nice to remember in the dead of winter when we are all complaining about the cold, but that never happens. We are a society of weather whiners.

We have been spoiling ourselves with all the fresh produce that is so readily available. After succumbing to the lure of a flat of tomatoes, and a super pack of zucchini, I have a couple of new signature dishes, perfected by repetition! My favourite is ripe tomatoes sliced on a pretty platter, then sprinkled with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, a few drops of extra virgin olive oil , balsamic vinegar, then finished with crumbled Feta cheese and a chiffonade of basil. This makes a simple addition to a barbecued salmon fillet, chicken breast or chop. Friday night's lamb chops were brushed with pesto a few hours before grilling and wowed our dinner guests. I made stuffed zucchini boats, but far too fussy to do again. But they were tasty little devils, filled with Basmati rice , finely diced mushrooms, onion and topped with more Feta. So much easier to slice zucchini diagonally, then grill them with a bit of olive oil, and a sprinkle of cheese.

It never ceases to amaze me how well and how much you can eat when dieting. However, the amount of time spent in the kitchen increases, and I am left to wonder if the change in weight is due to dietary habits, or the fact that you are on your feet twenty-four seven shopping, cooking and cleaning up after cooking!