"It was THIS BIG!" And other small tales

Halloween is now upon us.

Fortunately I can say I've been diligently tracking and making better choices.

Our family is a big one and between my family and my husband's there are usually several celebrations for a single holiday.

It makes it easier on my son and all of us when we spread it out.

And so we started trick-or-treating at my Grandmother and parent's house Saturday.

When we got to my Grandmother's house she had all the good stuff I keep out of my house.

You know what I mean- Twix, Milky Way, Snicker's, Krackel, Hershey's dark chocolate and on and on.

The only saving Grace was that she didn't have any Reese's.

So, I went there with my weekly's saved up.

We sat on the couch and then whole bags of this stuff started getting passed around.

I would love to say I didn't eat any of it but that wouldn't be true.

I had about six of the little Twix pieces and 3 or 4 of these crazy amazing German chocolate malt balls they had.

BUT I tracked all of it.

Here's the thing...

Last night when I went to track it all I was trying to figure out whether I had had the fun size or the snack size of these little candy bars.

As I looked it up and thought about it all a funny thing happened.

In the re-telling of this story somehow the candy bars kept getting smaller and smaller.

"I mean, gosh, they were only like 1/2 inch!"

"So small you'd practically need a microscope to see them let alone track them!"

I mean how could that really count for any points at all?

Um, not so much...

Obviously they were relatively small but they do indeed count.

Funny how all the mind games come right back into play.

It's like a fisherman's story of the "one that got away".

The fish is always bigger in his mind and in the re-telling of the story than it was in real life just like the food we track seems to shrink after the fact.

And that's why we weigh and measure folks.

In the end my more objective self stepped in and I made my best estimation and it wiped out my weekly's.

I still have two more days to get through with festivals and trunk-or-treating so I'm at least trying to make sure I get in more consistent exercise.

Last night when I got home I got on the treadmill.

That's a really big deal for me because I hate exercising in the evening.

I'm a morning person and I get sleepy as soon as the sun goes down.

Even so, last night at 6:00 pm I got on the treadmill and did a 3 mile run/walk.

And I felt better about myself for having done it.

Fish stories are fun but they have their place and on the tracker is not it.

Tracking is like truth telling.

It's funny how we run from it, how it seems almost physically painful to admit things to ourselves and confess to what we've done.

We tend to forget it's not about being wrong or bad and that no one else is judging us.

We're almost always harder on ourselves without the need of any additional help.

It's just about clarity with the choices we're making, stepping back and seeing if they're in alignment with our desires and then making some course corrections.

And that's how we navigate the dynamic waters of life.

Have a Happy & Safe Halloween!

Slap It Together Goulash

As you know I've been dilagently trying to stay on track and get rid of the 6 lbs I picked up.  

Tonight when I got home from work I looked in the fridge and started just pulling stuff out.

What I ended up with was a sort of goulash- meat and veggie type stew.

I cooked up 1 lb of lean ground turkey and then added taco spice liberally.  

Then I added 15 oz of canned diced tomatoes, 1 whole chopped zucchini, 6 oz of sliced mushrooms, one can of drained green beans and one bell pepper diced.  

I simmered this for 15-20 minutes.  

This comes out to 3 pts per serving.  There are 4 servings total.  

This is a LOT of food for very few points.  

For an on-a-whim type meal because I was too tired to plan something more elaborate it was pretty darn good.  

Happy Cooking!

Noise

I was at Barnes & Noble again today.

Do you see a theme here? ;)

I can't stay away from all things that involve books, coffee and tea.

Anyway, I was browsing around the cookbooks as well as the health and nutrition section.

There were low carb diet and cookbooks, paleo books, celebrity cookbooks and diets and diets endorsed by physicians.

My head was just spinning.

Some of them tell you that everything you now eat is toxic and you need to go back to a life in the forest and munch only on berries and seeds.

Some of the books give you a different version of what "natural" means and that whole milk is okay but not butter or any other myriad versions of "eat this, not that".

Not only that but there were cookbooks that promised diets to make you look younger.

Standing there amidst the stacks I started to feel my heart flutter and anxiety creep in.

It was like I was being yelled at from every angle.

"YOU are doing it all wrong!  Here's what you should be doing!  Here is the magic fix you've been looking for.  Just follow my advice and you'll be thin and beautiful and worthy and your life will just be rosebuds and rainbows!"

Or not.

Is it just me or are you so darn sick of all the yelling and all the claims?

Don't you get sick of people constantly trying to sell you something?

I do.

Does it irritate you as much as it irritates me that a witless celebrity can be hailed as a genius without any credentials to back it up?

It's like somehow we're led to believe that the visibility of celebrity works somehow like osmosis and intelligence and knowledge just ooze in and out of them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have all the answers or that I'm the intellectual authority.

But see, that's the difference between us- I don't pretend to be.

I've lived long enough to know that the more I know, the more I know that I don't know.

But whatever happened to listening to your own inner wisdom?

Whatever happened to the hard science of calories and have they really defied them?

It makes me angry to see so many desperate people being sold stories when they're just wanting relief.

I choose to follow Weight Watchers just because that's what works for me personally but ultimately I know that it's about calories in versus calories out.

It's getting support and eating in moderation.

It's trying to eat the foods we know support our health.

I mean we know that an apple has more health benefits than a caramel apple.

We don't need anyone to tell us that.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's just that easy and that it's just that hard.

We want to really believe that this time is going to be different and he or she will give us the EASY button we've been looking for.

The truth is that some things in life are just hard and we just have to do the work.

The gift is in the process itself, even when it's hard.

I was playing Boggle with my son today and one of our shake ups didn't look so good.

That is to say it wasn't going to be easy.

I told my son that the hard ones were really good for us because it would push us to see things differently and that we would be better players for having gone through those more challenging sessions.

Life's like that.

At least that's what I believe.

I believe there's a reason behind our trials and tribulations and, while I don't pretend to know all the answers, I do believe that those trials do make us stronger.

They build our character and shape who we are.

So often we run from pain in life but what if that same pain is what God will use to shape us and make us stronger- to grow and learn and expand?

I'm thankful for the successes and the trials I've had.

To this day I still struggle to do the work that is mine to do but I'll always come back to it.

Amidst all the dissonance I will still choose to go within and listen to my body and do what's right for me.

I would encourage you to do the same.

You have wisdom within you.

We are all unique individuals and what works for one person may not work for another.

So you listen to your own body and your own doctor and you do what is yours to do.

As you do all the noise will fade away and you'll be left with something so much better, something real, and lasting, beautiful and strong.

A Mark-Made Meal

Tonight I worked.  I went by the grocery store on the way home to make sure I had some low point foods around to keep me on plan. 

However, when I got home I realized my sweet husband, Mark, had already started making salmon.  

He then proceeded to make himself a salad.  

Cue the whine...

"Geez I want salad too"  I said.

We both laughed because for some unknown reason I really hate making salads and my husband knows this.

He eats salad nearly nightly whereas I don't eat them as I often as I probably should.

And so he doesn't just assume I'll want one.  

Don't ask me why I hate making salads.  

It makes no sense really.  

I'll spend hours sometimes building creative cuisine but to make a salad?  

No thanks.  I just don't enjoy making them.  

Everybody has their thing they don't like doing right?  

I also loathe ironing but that's another story for another day.  

So I pulled out the leftover finely shredded carrots I'd used when I made those mini carrot quiches.  

Mark started putting the salad together- romaine, purple cabbage, red and yellow bell pepper and a little bit of broccoli.  

I mentioned that I might post this meal and he says "So are you gonna tell them I made it?(wink wink)".

"Yes"  I said.  "I'll tell them you helped me with this".  

"You mean I made the whole thing!  All you did was pull out the plate" he laughs.  

"Okay, yes" I giggled.  

"I'll tell them you made it and that I'm really thankful too" I said.  

So tonight I had salmon steak purchased at SAM's for 6 pts.  

Mark sprinkles on KC Masterpiece BBQ seasoning and bakes this on a foil lined baking sheet at 425 degrees for 17 minutes.  

To my salad I added Bolthouse Farms Creamy Caesar salad dressing.

2 Tbsp is 2 pts.  Not bad and it tastes really good!

Here's the end result.  Rather stunning I'd say, kind of like the man making it all. ;)

The lovely flat leaf parsley and basil are home grown too! They're the first thing I've ever really planted and they actually grew!  Thank you God!

That's an 8 pt meal and a whole lot of food!  And I still have 10 pts left for the evening!!!

This way if I want to snack I won't have to feel guilty.  

So here's to being thankful for all the very special people in our lives and to my wonderful husband for this very special, plan friendly meal.  

Everything tastes better when it's prepared with love.  

Happy Cooking!

Naked Eggplant Parmesan

My friend, Jodie recommended this recipe.

This one comes out of the new Hungry Girl Clean and Hungry Cookbook.

This is probably one of the very easiest eggplant parm recipes I've ever made and yet I managed to screw it up.  More on that later.

There aren't a lot of exotic ingredients or a list of ingredients that say "see recipe".

It was relatively inexpensive too.

If you're unfamiliar with Hungry Girl this is a name to know.

Lisa Lillien created the Hungry Girl name.

This is one of my favorite websites.

I also subscribe to her daily e-mails which are packed full of good info on product finds and recipes.

She also has several cookbooks.

While the above mentioned book does not list Smart Points(probably for copyright reasons) she does have each of the recipes on her website with the Smart Points listed there.

My tenacious friend Jodie actually bought the cookbook and went through and wrote the pts in by hand.

Now that's dedication!  What a woman!

Now on to the recipe...

This comes out to 4 Smart Points per serving.  One serving is 1/4 of the pan.  Woo hoo!  

If you can't find the Smart Points on her website for the book recipes go here.  Then click on the blue box at the bottom that says "CLICK FOR SMART POINTS & PHOTOS!"

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) eggplant sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices lengthwise(I also peeled mine)

1 cup of store bought or homemade marinara of choice

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan

1 cup part skim mozzarella

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray both a 8x8 square casserole dish and a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Mix together the spices and set aside.

Place the eggplant slices on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes then flip and bake 10 more minutes.

Put 1/4 of the marinara in the bottom of the 8x8 pan and then layer on half of the eggplant slices.
Place another 1/4 cup of marinara over the eggplant plus 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 Tbsp of the grated Parmesan.
Repeat layering ending with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 min or until hot and bubbly.
Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

So truth time~

Here's what I screwed up....

I have had eggplant Parm where it tasted really bitter because the eggplant slices were so thick and not breaded as in this recipe.
So, I took it upon myself to make the slices 1/4 inch thick instead of the 1/2 thick she calls for.
In doing so not all of the slices fit on one baking sheet so I was dirtying an extra pan.
Some of the slices also ended up burned and desiccated.  They were kind of like eggplant chips.
Believe it or not some of them tasted good so I may have to experiment with that someday later.

Anyway, the eggplant really shrinks down as it cooks and loses lots of moisture.  When they're as thin as I made them they can also break apart and stick easier.

The volume of eggplant in the pan was so low it looked like half-ply eggplant Parm.

But I own this mistake.  This one's all on me.

Sometimes I screw it up.

And as I've said before- sometimes you burn it and you eat it anyway!  :)

Even after my mistakes this was REALLY DELICIOUS!!!!

I have to admit that before I made this I was skeptical.

The little fat lover in me was saying "Yeah right.  Sure it tastes good without the yummy fatty breading.  Whatever!".

I really have to eat my words here.  This was so crazy good!

Don't you love it when you can find something healthy that tastes so good?!!!!

Now I can't stop thinking of just how good it'll be when I don't screw it up!

Who says healthy food can't be decadent?!

Happy Cooking!

Freekah & Kale Salad

The other day when I was shopping at Hy-Vee I found these little bag artisan salads.

If you're like me you're asking "what is freekah?".  

In short it's a young wheat grain.  You can read about it here.  

This particular salad comes out to 3 pts for a 1/2 cup serving.  

This is relatively inexpensive, easy to make without hard-to-find ingredients.

The only things I had to add were water, olive oil, fresh kale and cherry tomatoes.  

You mix up the dressing.

Add all the goodies after you've cooked the freekah and voila!

This is fresh, light and packed with nutrients.

I'll definitely buy and make this again.  

Happy Cooking!

When Super Woman Strikes

Okay, listen up- yesterday's post was written by the good girl in me, that obedient part of me.

Today you're meeting someone new.

Here it is plain and simple~

Apparently I have an alter ego.

And I call her Super Woman.

Why?  You ask.

Because the obedient one in me goes along and tracks, and eats healthy foods and exercises and loses weight.

Then, dum, dum, dum!!!!!!

Super Woman appears!

She steps in and says "Yes!  You have achieved goal, you are a lifetime member and now you can eat anything and everything you want without gaining weight!  Hooray!"

"Fear not sweet one!  The laws of physics and physiology don't apply to you and calories won't stick because I've waived my magic fat-won't-stick wand at you enabling you to consume mass quantities without gaining weight!"

"Yes, my dear this is the day you've been dreaming of and waiting for!  It's like heaven opened up and you have been welcomed into a place of rainbows and sparkles where brownies, cakes and casseroles are zero calories and actually make you lose weight and look great!!!!"

OR NOT.

Super Woman has taken over recently and as my more obedient self stepped in I found that I've gained 6 FREAKING POUNDS!!!!!!

What the heck?!!!

You should've seen me last night as I weighed at home silently cussing at the scale, slack jawed with disbelief.

That darn Super Woman!

I'm so sick of her rhetoric.

My whole life she is the one who has made me fat!!!

Then my obedient self steps in and has to clean up the mess she's made and shed all the extra fat.

Oh how I wish I could just banish her forever but it's clear by now that she's a permanent fixture in my life.

But at least I'm aware of her.

So what do you do after she's dive bombed you and you've gained 6 freaking pounds?

You start back over.

You start doing all the things you know you should be doing.

Do you know how humiliating it is to admit this to you?

I mean I dole out weight loss advice and here I've gained 6 lbs.

The truth is that I'm human and every struggle you face, I face too.

Even though it does get easier than when you first start it's still an ongoing battle.

There's always that part of us that wants to know that someday it will be over and we can just relax and not think about it anymore.

Maybe that day will come but I don't see it in my near future.

Until then it's one day at a time.

And, tonight I'm not watching TV, I'm tracking all the food that passes my lips, I'm secluding myself to my bedroom after dinner to read(probably the Beck Diet Solution again!)and sip my licorice tea, and I'm doing a lot of praying!!!

The reality is that I've had single weeks where I've LOST 6 lbs and I know I'm capable of that.

Because even when I screw up, and I do screw up, I love myself enough to pick myself back up and dust myself off and start over again.

Mind, Body Tune Up

You know, it's a funny thing.

Although I try to be mindful when I eat I'm not always in that place.

But, I had a really great experience the other day.

I had had a few days where I was eating junk and overeating on the healthy stuff.

I felt absolutely awful!

I know what you're thinking...

"How is that good?"

Stay with me here.

After those days of making choices that don't support my highest good here's what happened.

I started getting accustomed to eating more and eating junk and so...

I ate more junk.

Then I started feeling my clothes get tighter.

I started feeling more sluggish.

The worst part is that I started sinking back into self-loathing.

I felt fat and ugly.

I pretty much looked the same but my perception of how I looked was different because I was feeling ashamed.

What an awful feeling.

So the good part is that this was really just my mind and body's affirmation that eating healthfully and eating in normal quantities really is good for me.

I really do feel better when I'm on plan.

I play all the mental games everyone else plays.

I sometimes slip into martyr mode and think of all the junk food I'm just dying to eat but then when I actually do eat that stuff it's such a let down.

I don't get the satisfaction from it that I used to and thank God for that!

So even when I may not be consciously listening to my body those messages are getting through.

If I'm given a choice I would choose this- healthy eating and living.  I would choose to exercise and take care of this body because it's also a gift to my Spirit.

I treasure feeling good in mind, body and Spirit.

Everything just looks brighter, feels more fresh and light, sounds more glorious.  The healthy foods start to smell and taste more and more appealing.

It resets the filter that is my brain to look for reasons to prove I'm right, that this is a great life and I'm healthy and strong and beautiful.

I make the conscious choice to take personal responsibility in this.

And when I do the reward is just outstanding.

Mini Carrot Quiches

When I was at Barnes & Noble the other day I found a book called The Spiralizer Recipe Book by Carina Wolff.  

In it was this recipe for these cute little mini carrot quiches.  

I doubled the recipe when I made it as below:

1 cup of shredded carrots

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp fat free evaporated milk

16 wanton wrappers

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  place the wanton wrappers into a mini muffin cups and then spray the wrappers with olive oil spray.  

Bake the wrappers on the lowest oven rack for 5 minutes.  Pull out of the oven and let cool.

Mix the egg with the salt and ginger in a bowl whisking until foamy.  

Add this to the shredded carrots and then evenly distribute to the wanton wrappers.  

Bake for 10 minutes and then cool for at least three minutes.  

The good:   These come out to 1 pt a piece in the recipe builder!  Woo hoo!

                   They are so bright, colorful and cute!

                   They're easy to make and use more common ingredients.

The bad:  These were really bland.  I'm obviously a bit picky but it's like you don't know if the author intended this to be sweet or savory because it's neither.  That seems kind of harsh but I will say this, these have a lot of potential.  

I think next time I would try adding caramelized onion, broccoli, zucchini and/or red bell peppers along with garlic powder and maybe cheese(enough for 1 extra pt).  

So to sum it up I would make this again but I will make a lot of necessary changes.  

Happy Cooking!

When Taco Bell Comes Calling

Before I stared WW one of my favorite fast food indulgences was the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.

After I started actually looking up points, fat, calories etc I realized what a real calorie bomb that item truly is.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe for a more plan friendly Mexican Pizza.

I got this from dashofherbs.com.

This site lists all the Smart Points for recipes which is very helpful.

This particular dish comes out to 8 pts per serving.

Compare that to 17 pts for the full fatty Taco Bell version.

Here's a peek~

The verdict...

It's a win!  It's relatively easy to make with common ingredients.  

It's not too time consuming and it tastes great!

I will definitely make this again!

Happy Cooking!

Are YOU Ready for the Holiday Roller Coaster?

Ah, it's that time of year again...

the holiday roller coaster is about to begin.

Are you ready?

As I began mentally preparing I sat back and thought about last year, the good, the bad and the ugly.

What so distinctly sticks in my mind is this- last year I planned really well for all the holidays but

what I didn't think about planning for was the aftermath.

I did well on the day-of the holidays but it was in the days after that I struggled.

There's something about having all that food around, all that variety, that's hard to resist.

I also think when I allow myself to increase my portion sizes for a day my stomach and mind immediately jump to one simple conclusion- "Oh great!  We get to eat like a horse again!  Anything I want, as much as I want at any time!  Yay!!!"

With that in mind I'm going to lay out my game plan for this Halloween.

If you're a WW member you've probably already talked about some of this.

1. Buy the necessary candy either the night before or the day of.  More time in the house means more room for excuses and disasters.  "Oh well, I'll just have one...." that becomes, like, the whole bag!

2. Buy my least tempting treats.  This means instead of buying Reese's(my kryptonite) I'll buy hard candies or tootsie rolls(this is my "only eat if it's the last known food on the planet" food.  I mean tootsie rolls! Gag!!!)

3. Exercise in the morning before the mayhem begins!  If you do go overboard are you really going to feel like exercising?  I've always preferred working out in the morning.  It's also such a good feeling to know you're starting the day out right.

4. Drink plenty of water.

5. Balance your plate with plenty of fiber and lean protein on the day of.  Don't go the treat table hungry!

6. Take time for yourself.  For me that includes prayer, meditation, running/walking, listening to great music, maybe dancing, singing, a hot bath or shower with fragrant lotion afterward etc.
I tend to make better choices when my proverbial cup is half full.

7. Remember forgiveness is Divine!  One of the main things that separates people who've never had weight struggles from those who do is their attitude.  Thin people make mistakes and think more along the lines of "Oh well.  I didn't plan that.  I think I'll just cut back a little on my next meal, maybe add more veggies".  In general more studies show overweight people tend to think "Well, I've blown it again.  I can never lose weight!  I don't even know why I try!  It's hopeless.  I might as well just eat whatever.  Maybe I'll try again tomorrow".  Forgive yourself and MOVE ON.  Every moment is new and ripe with opportunity.

8.  Buddy up.  If you have someone who is on plan with you don't be afraid to check in with each other to stay accountable.  Having support is HUGE for me.  I couldn't do this alone and I wouldn't want to!!!!

9. Make some healthier options.  There are so many options nowadays for healthier holiday snacks.  Maybe you can add something new to the menu that everyone will be surprised and delighted by.

10. Just say "No!" to spandex.  Wearing permissive clothing allows you to be, well, permissive.  I try to wear something that is more fitted that I can't just easily expand into.  It helps me be more aware of my body and how much I've consumed.

11. Enjoy.  If you do decide to indulge enjoy every bite.  Don't rush it.  Be fully present and aware of every delicious bite.

12. Save weekly's for the holiday and/or cut back on other points in the same day.  I don't believe in skipping meals however if I'm banking points sometimes I'll have fruit and bacon(1-2 pts) for breakfast or a 2 pt homemade protein drink.

13. Again, don't skip meals.   A huge part of my success is in not allowing myself to get too hungry.  I eat three meals a day plus 2-3 snacks and I plan for those.  That also speeds up your metabolism.

14. Track, even if you don't want to.  You get to a point in life where you start to realize that no one else is keeping score, only you are.  This isn't about using numbers to put you down.  This is just information.  As you look back on this you'll see what worked and what didn't.

15. Pump up the positive self talk.  As I go through my day, either in my head or aloud, I usually try to make comments about any good choices I make.  I do this for both myself and to imprint upon my son.  I say things like "Wow!  I just worked out.  I feel really good about myself.  I'm doing something to really love and support this body God gave me!  Woo hoo!" or "I just ate a meal packed with nutrient dense fruits and veggies!  I made a really great choice and I know my body is already thanking me for it!" or "It feels so good to honor myself by taking loving care of myself".

16. Pull out the Beck Diet Solution for some awesome answers to any sabotaging thoughts you may be having.  This is the book that really started me down the path to success.  Anytime I'm really struggling I know this is what I need to go back to.
Here's an example~
Sabotaging thought:  I really don't want to track on a holiday and I shouldn't have to.  That's no fun!  No one else is and it's not fair.  It's just one day and it'll be fine".

Answer:  Over the years these are exactly the kind of thoughts that have kept me overweight.  Life's not fair but I have a choice in every moment.  I can either keep doing things the way I've been doing them and stay overweight or I can make a new choice.  Yes, it's hard but I can do it."

17. Share, share, share.  Talking at my WW meetings always feels so cathartic for me.  Talking out my own successes and struggles really helps and so does listening to others.  Knowing you're not alone in any of it is such a blessing.  I also love all the recipes we share, product finds and ideas too.  There are so many good things that come out of a support group like that.  I feel especially blessed to have the most amazing leader and group of members to share with.  If you're reading this...
Thank you!

18. Throw away, box up or give away leftovers that tempt you!  I don't keep tempting food in my house because I'll just eat it all and so will my husband.

19.  Make some healthy meals ahead of time that you can warm up after the holiday.  This makes it easier to get back on track.  If you've given away all the junk food then you'll have to have something to eat when you get hungry.  If you don't have something readily available you might be tempted to go on the prowl for junk food or go out to eat.  Set yourself up for success by stocking up.

20. Be prepared for the food pushers.  You know who they are.  They're family and friends, well meaning and sometimes not so well meaning.  They come up with all sorts of reasons to tempt you.  Do a mental play by play and come up with what you're going to say when you're confronted.  "No thank you" is an answer.  Sometimes it's easier to avoid them altogether if possible.  If it gets heated just walk away.  They're not worth the time and energy.  Don't resist them just leave if you can.

I hope this helps give you some ideas as you plan ahead.

I know we can all be successful!

And, after you've made good choices for yourself and the holiday is over?

Well, let's just say knowing you've successfully navigated the holidays feels better than any treat could ever taste.  ;)

Broccoli & Sausage Sausage Parsnip Spiralized Pasta

Remember the recipe from yesterday for turkey Italian sausage?

This is what I used it for.  

I love parsnips and when I saw this recipe on skinnytaste I knew I had to try it.  

This did not disappoint and it wasn't too difficult.

What I changed ~

Obviously I didn't use the chicken Italian sausage as I mentioned before.  I used seasoned ground turkey.  See yesterday's post for that recipe.  

I also didn't have broccoli rabe so I used regular broccoli.  

Spiralizing parsnips

This is what's left over after spiralizing

  Spiralizing parsnips is a little bit tricky.  Unless they're very large it seems you're left half spiralized bits and half cores.

Also be aware that you probably won't be able to spiralize these with the small handheld models.

I bought an OXO tabletop spiralizer and thus far am very happy with the purchase.

I'm not going to waste any of it so I diced it up.  I used way more chicken broth than the recipe called for because I cooked these bits for 10 minutes or so before I ever added the spiralized parsnips and broccoli.

The broccoli was a little more well done than I usually like and that's all on me for getting a bit distracted while cooking but it was still very good.

For me if it's anything darker than bright Kelly green then it's overdone.

If it's olive green the nutrients have basically been cooked out and the flavor is really sub-par.


This is 7 Smart Points for a pretty generous serving.

The recipe is quick and easy to make.

It's unique and visually appealing.

My mom's comment was "Oooo, it's so light and delicious!"

My husband liked it too.

So all in all this is definitely something I'll make again.

To recap:  Quick, easy, pretty, yummy and not too point heavy.

That's a win!

Make Your Own Turkey Italian Sausage!

I started to make a recipe I've been thinking of making for a long time today however I didn't have one of the main ingredients, chicken Italian sausage.

I know what you're thinking- "if you've been thinking about it so long why didn't you have the ingredients you need on hand?"

Sometimes I'm just not that organized, sometimes I forget things(gasp!) and sometimes I'm just too tired to mess with it.

Also, in this area it's really not so easy to find ground chicken let alone chicken Italian sausage.

Then I found this recipe on making your own Italian sausage and it uses ground turkey which I do have on hand.

 

The only hitch was that I didn't have fennel seed on hand either.

For a moment I thought about running up to the store but I've already been to the store once today and, well, there's the lazy factor again.

So I skipped the fennel in this and it still tasted great!

I'm not a huge fennel seed fan anyway.

I love the fennel bulb roasted but I don't like an overpowering fennel seed flavor in my food.

So there- no fennel, no ground chicken or chicken Italian sausage but I found a new recipe and work around that I'll use again and again.

Tomorrow you'll see what I'm doing with this meat.

Until then, here's to thinking outside the recipe!  :)

Spaghetti Squash Frittata

After having made the spaghetti squash lasagna I had some leftover spaghetti squash.

I sat wondering what to do with it and this is what I came up with- a spaghetti squash frittata.

I preheated the oven to broil.

Then I put a cast iron skillet on medium high heat and sprayed it with olive oil spray.

I added the 1 cup of precooked spaghetti squash and spread it out evenly on the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes or so.  Then I added 1 tsp of dried parsley and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

Next I added about 1/2-2/3 cup of sliced cherry tomatoes, 1 cup of liquid egg whites and 2 scrambled eggs and  let this cook on medium to medium-low for 15 minutes or so until it appeared set.  Then toss in 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese and 1/4 cup fresh basil cut into ribbons(chiffonade).   

        

I put this on broil for 2 minutes initially and then checked it at 1 minute intervals for another 2 minutes until it was lightly browned.

AND I DIDN'T BURN IT ON BROIL!!!  Woo hoo!  There's a first time for everything right?  ;)

Here's how it looked~

I cut this into 6 servings which came out to 2 pts a piece.  

Overall this was not bad for only 2 pts but I'm not sure I'll make it again.  

The slices are very, very thin, it kind of stuck to the pan more than I'd like and overall it's not all that filling.  

Still it was a way to use up leftovers and it's always fun experimenting.  

Happy Cooking!