Rise and Shine!

They say that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and I believe them. I never, ever skip breakfast and always make sure it's a substantial one. I've found that I need protein in the morning otherwise I have a terrible 10 o'clock slump that has me eying the donut tray at the office! Now, if you're assuming that I mean the traditional high-calorie bacon & egg meal, think again! There are many other protein-rich food sources that'll provide the nutrition and energy you need to start your day. One of my personal favorites is a Breakfast Wrap.

I start off with 1/2 a cup of Egg Beaters, scrambled with a slice of veggie cheese and a veggie sausage patty which I've broken into pieces, add some mushrooms, onion and a bit of fresh diced tomato.



I then roll all of that into a FlatOut Light flatbread and dig in! So filling and delicious and all of it for only 7 Weight Watchers Points+!



Around ten thirty I'll often have some fruit and bit more protein, an apple or banana dipped into PB2 works perfectly and only costs me 1 Points+!



Hope your day is off to a Beauty-Full Start,

Country Goodness

Beren and I took a little drive to the "country" this morning, visited a Farm Swap about 30 miles away. I was really excited about the prospect of fresh produce and eggs and wasn't disappointed!







We came home with some lovely food and a renewed determination to return to my mostly-vegetarian lifestyle. After seeing the adorable chickens & pigs, how could I come home and eat them? *shudder*









I can't wait to dig in!






Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Hot Dish: Meatless Monday

Looking for a way to honor Meatless Monday and use up some of the pasta I bought on sale last week, a quick search of Ronzoni's website led me to this tasty-looking dish. I plugged the ingredients into the Recipe Builder, allowing for 8 (3/4-cup) portions per recipe.




photo courtesy of Ronzoni

Rotini with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Ricotta

Ingredients:

1 pkg. RONZONI GARDEN DELIGHT Rotini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 baby eggplant, diced
1/3 cup prepared vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled ricotta or feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant and sauté 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in stock and cook until eggplant is tender. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta with eggplant mixture and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and served topped with cheese.

Serves 8, approximately 6 Points+ Per Serving

Now, That's Italian!

Vogue Italia Puts Three Plus-Size Models On June Cover





We Americans could learn a thing or two from the Italians!

xoxooxox

Hot Dish: Last Minute Chicken Fajitas

This is an older Weight Watchers recipe using the former POINTS system so if you follow that program, you may want to plug this into your Recipe Builder to determine Points Plus. I had fresh peppers on hand so I used them instead of frozen, also topped the finished fajitas with a little bit of fat-free sour cream...sloppy & spicy and oh-so-delicious!!

Last Minute Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1 pound skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon Fajita seasoning
1 (16-ounce) package frozen bell pepper stir-fry (such as Birds Eye)
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
Salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken and seasoning; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add bell-pepper stir fry; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is done.

2. Warm tortilla according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Roll up. Top with salsa, if desired.


Yields 4 servings (serving size: 2 fajitas)

Hot Dish: Sausage & Peppers Pizza

This is an older recipe with the former POINTS but if you're on Weight Watchers you could easily convert it using the Recipe Builder. I used vegetarian sausage patties, a little less cheese and a few more peppers & onions atop a thin crust to cut down on the calories. It was delicious and very filling!


Photo courtesy of Weight Watchers

Sausage and Peppers Pizza

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
6 ounces 97% fat-free breakfast sausage
1 (8-oz) jar pizza sauce
2 (10-oz) packages Italian-cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
2 cups yellow, red, and green bell pepper strips (about 1-1/2 medium)
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well. Stir in pizza sauce.

Spread ¼ cup meat mixture over each crust; top each with ½ cup bell pepper strips sprinkle each with ¼ cup cheese. Bake immediately or allow to cool, then wrap tightly in foil and freeze.

To bake immediately, preheat oven to 425.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Yields: 8 servings (serving size, ½ pizza)

POINTS 5. Per serving: 228 calories, 27.6 Carbohydrates, 5.9g Fat, 0.5g Fiber, 13.3g Protein, 19mg Cholesterol, 643mg Sodium, 251mg Calcium. 1.9mg Iron.

Enjoy!

Hot Dish: "Meat"-Lovers Pasta!

There was a slight change of menu for last night since I didn't have all of the ingredients for the Thai-Style Shrimp (how did I run out of Better'n Peanut Butter?). That recipe will wait for another day but in the meantime I decided to use what I have on hand. I tweaked this Hungry Girl recipe, substituting some veggie Italian Sausage links that have been languishing in the back of my freezer. They are a bit higher in fat/calories than I like but they taste soooo good, totally worth it! Besides, do you know how much a traditional plate of spaghetti & meat sauce will "cost" you, nutrition wise? Yikes! I'll stick to my version, thank you very much.

"Meat"-Lovers Pasta



PointsPlus™ Value: 8
Servings: 1

Ingredients
1 serving(s) House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodle substitute (any shape)
1/2 cup(s) meatless soy crumbles
1/3 cup(s) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup(s) Prego Heart smart traditional Italian sauce
1 link(s) Morningstar Farms® Veggie Italian style sausage

Instructions
Drain and rinse noodles; pat dry. Microwave for 1 minute, then pat dry again (the more water you soak up, the better the end result). Set noodles aside. Prepare sausage link on stovetop with nonstick spray and set aside. In skillet, heat Boca Ground Burger for approximately 3 minutes. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces. Combine sausage, Boca meat, noodles, sauce and cheese, and mix well. Microwave entire dish for one additional minute.

Wordless Wednesday: Alberto Vargas

Hot Dish: Cheesy Taco Supreme

Cheesy Taco Supreme

PointsPlus™ Value: 7
Servings: 6

Capture the flavors of a taco or enchilada with crunchy nacho chips, seasoned beef, and rich enchilada sauce. Serve with spicy salsa for an extra kick.

Ingredients
1 pound(s) raw extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup frozen chopped onions
1 1/4 oz reduced-sodium taco seasoning
8 oz Del Monte Tomato Sauce, No Salt Added
10 oz canned enchilada sauce
1 1/4 cup(s) Reduced Fat hredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided
3 oz baked low-fat tortilla chips, crushed, (about 1 1/2 cups crushed)
Cooking spray

Instructions:

Cook beef and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and onion is tender; drain well.

Return meat mixture to pan; stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and enchilada sauce. Layer half of meat mixture, half of cheese, and half of tortilla chips in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat layers with remaining meat mixture and cheese. Cover and chill up to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining chips, and bake an additional 9 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


Note: to make this vegetarian, I substituted Boca Crumbles for the beef, bringing the PointsPlus™ Value down to 6. I also added a tiny bit of fat-free sour cream and salsa to the top.

Per Serving (original recipe): Calories: 309; Carbohydrate: 20.3g; Fat 14.3g (saturated 6.3g); Fiber 1.7g; Protein 25.1g; Cholesterol 44mg; Sodium 815mg: Calcium 240mg; Iron 2.3mg.

Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers Shortcut Cookbook

Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

Is there anything better than waking up on a Monday morning and realizing that you don't have to go to work?! Ahh...so wonderful to sit here sipping coffee with nowhere to be, just catching up on my favorite blogs and planning the week ahead.

Meatless (Memorial Day) Monday: Boca Burgers on light hamburger bun, Vegetarian Baked Beans, Steamed Veggies
Taco Tuesday: Cheesy Taco Supreme (recipe to come!)
Wok-y Wednesday: Thai-Style Shrimp (recipe to come!)
Thrifty Thursday: Sausage & Peppers Pizza (recipe to come!)
TGI Friday: Last Minute Chicken Fajitas (recipe to come!)
Social Saturday: Leftovers or out to eat
Slow Mo Sunday: Chili sin Carne with Cheesy Chili Breadsticks (recipes to come!)


Beren and I are still in Ormond, plan to spend the day doing laundry, packing, and dog-sitting Lucy while Kali and J are in Disney World. I'm hoping to get in some exercise this evening, would love to take both doggies to the park if Beren will tag along 'cause I can't handle both of these monsters on my own!

Hope you're all having a lovely long weekend so far, Happy Memorial Day.

xoxoxoox

Soup's On!

No change on the scale this week, my friends, still 154.2. I'm sure part of that is the minimal exercise I've done, just haven't found the motivation to hop on the treadmill! No excuses, I know it's something I've got to do and feel so much better when I'm moving my body!

We are at the Ormond Beach house this weekend, actually drove up after work yesterday 'cause Beren has meetings up here today. He's already out the door..yawn...and here I sit, planning my day. Since he has the car, I'm pretty much housebound unless I want to put on my sneakers and use my own little feet to get somewhere. Hey, what a great idea! Once the sun comes up I'm gonna grab Loki's leash and take us both on a walk to the park!

In the meantime, I'm planning today's menu. A good friend of mine is feeling a bit under the weather and I told him I'd love to make him a pot of chicken soup..if only he didn't live hundreds of miles away! That got me craving chicken soup...hmm...I just happen to have all the ingredients to make this yummy-sounding recipe from Hungry Girl! Even though it's hot as heck here in the Sunshine State, you can never go wrong with a nice bowl of warm, comforting soup. Here's to you, my friend Franco; hope you're feeling better soon!

Hungry Chick Chunky Soup

PER SERVING (1/10th of recipe, about 1 cup): 150 calories, 1g fat, 570mg sodium, 15g carbs, 4.25g fiber, 5g sugars, 20.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 3 - 4 hours (high) or 7 - 8 hours (low)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups dry coleslaw mix
Two 14.5-oz. cans (about 3 1/2 cups) fat-free chicken broth
One 15-oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
One 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes (not drained)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Evenly season chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt and the pepper. Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the chicken and place in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot and stir into the soup.

Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Serve up and enjoy!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

You Tube Tuesday Eye Candy

For your viewing pleasure..



Have a Beauty-Full Day!

Sun-Day

Hello, there! How's everyone's weekend so far? Beren and I have had a wonderful couple of days, good balance of work and play.

As I mentioned, Friday night we went to a local biker bar to celebrate their 36th Anniversary. We had a few drinks, did some people-watching, and enjoyed listening to the band.



Yesterday we met some friends at a restaurant/bar so that Beren could get his weekly dose of pool-playing; the man isn't happy if he's away from the table for too long! Last night we hung out at home, relaxing in the hot tub...ahhh....

Today we worked off some calories in the garden, I made sure to be right there supervising My Man while he was trimming the trees as he can get quite carried away with those power tools!



I've been doing quite a bit of cooking this weekend, both for myself and others. A workmate is going through a tough time, her 5 month old baby had open-heart surgery this week, so the women in the office did what women do when there's trouble. We cooked for her!

I made her some lasagna...



and cupcakes...



added a bagged salad kit and a loaf of bread, and delivered it to her door last evening. She was so appreciative, sent me a message on Facebook saying it was so good, they had it again for lunch today. For a girl who hates leftovers, this is high praise indeed!

Because there was no way I was gonna dip my fork into that delicious-but-fat-filled dish, I put together a lighter version for myself and my family today.

This is an old Weight Watcher recipe that I made years ago but hadn't saved, so happy that Gina posted it on her awesome website!

I had some baby portobella mushrooms on hand so I tossed them into the food processor and added them to the cheese/spinach mixture for more "meaty" taste and substance. I can't wait to dig into this tonight!



Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Well, now that dinner's prepared and ready to pop into the oven later, I'm going to don my bathing suit and head out to the pool. It's a hot, sunny day here in the Sunshine State!

Have a Beauty-Full Day,