Homemade Ginger Salad Dressing

When you eat a salad for lunch almost everyday you have to find new ways to dress it up. I was thumbing through an old issue of Redbook and came across several recipes for dressings and I thought I'd test them out.

This week I made a jar of Ginger dressing. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of oil to be added at the end but I opted to use pineapple juice instead. I like the way it turned out. It reminds me of the dressing you get at the Japanese steak house. Easy to make and even though I didn't calculate the points or calories I think it should be pretty low.

Store the dressing in a jar in the fridge and use in 2 or 3 days.

Ginger Dressing
(This can be made in a food processor but I used a blender)

5 or 6 grated carrots (you'll need about 1 1/2 cups)
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (use less if you don't like the tart flavor)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
2 teaspoon soy sauce
Pineapple juice, unsweetened (just enough to make dressing the consistency you want) I used about 1/2 cup

I grated the carrots and ginger on a hand grater and then placed them in a blender with the rest of the ingredients (except the juice) and ran it on grind setting for a minute. The mixture may be too thick to run the blender but you can add the juice to help it along. Continue to add juice and blend until smooth and you have the consistency that's pleasing to you.

Patti

Filling the Freezer - Soup For Fast and Easy Lunches

NOTE About freezing soup: I got a comment that expressed concern about the bags leaking. This is what I do and I've never had a problem:

I buy really good bags. I usually use ZipLock brand freezer bags but this time I used Hefty One Zip Click. They seem to be study so I don't think there will be a problem. 

Always cool whatever you're going to freeze before you place it in the bag. 

Leave 1 to 2 inches of head space in the bag. 

Remove as much air as possible. 

Freeze the bag flat.

When defrosting place the bag in a large bowl or a pot just in case it does leak.

I usually eat a salad for lunch but some days, especially when the weather begins to cool off, I get a hankering for soup. So today in anticipation of cooler weather I've been in the kitchen cooking up a few pots of soup. I divided the soup into serving size portions and put them in freezer bags. Now when I want something besides salad I can pull a bag from the freezer and I'll have lunch in no time!

I started with this

Ingredients to make 
Vegetable Soup
Sprouted Split Pea Soup
Roasted Tomato Soup

And now I have all of this!

Six bags of vegetable soup, 3 bags of roasted tomato
and 7 bags of Split Pea 

Tips for batch cooking and freezing:

• Start with a clean kitchen.
• Look for common ingredients in recipes. In this case all three soups used onions and celery sauteed in oil. I cooked enough at one time for all the recipes.  
• Make sure you have freezer bags on hand. Use good ones! 
• Prepare your freezer bags before you fill them. 
• Write the date, contents and any additional directions needed on the bag. Don't rely on your memory!
• Freeze bags flat so they can be stacked in the freezer. 
• Freezing the bag flat will also speed the defrost time.

To defrost soup:

To use the frozen soup remove a bag from the freezer and allow it to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. You can also put the frozen bag in a large bowl and fill it with cold tap water. Allow the bowl to sit out on the counter. The bag should defrost enough that you can empty the contents in a pot and heat on the stove. As a last resort if you're really in a hurry you can pop the bag in the microwave and use the defrost setting. 

Recipes

Vegetable Soup

Makes about 12 cups of soup.

(If you're doing Weight Watchers this is a zero point soup if you don't use the oil. The oil is minimal so I don't think it counts much)

1 onion chopped

1 celery rib chopped

1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 head cabbage, shredded (or 2-3 cups leftover cooked cabbage with the juice)

2 zucchini, chopped in bite size pieces

2 yellow squash, chopped in bite size pieces

2 carrots, chopped in bite size pieces

16 ounce bag of frozen green beans or the equivalent of fresh

16 ounce container of vegetable broth

Saute the onion and celery in the oil for a few minutes until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on medium until the veggies are tender. You may need to add additional broth or water to make it as soupy as you like. 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Makes about 6 cups of soup

Except for the oil this is a zero point dish. Even with the oil points should be minimal. If you choose to add milk or cream when reheating that will add points. 

Roasting the tomatoes brings out the sweetness and intensifies the flavor. It's worth the extra step and time. 

See the little bits of black? That's from roasting. It makes the
tomatoes sweet. You won't need any sugar to cut the tartness.

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)

2 cans of whole tomatoes (I threw the cans away but I think they were about 28 ounces)

Vegetable broth to thin the soup with

Drain the tomatoes and reserve the juice. Put the tomatoes on a baking pan and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and add the chopped garlic. Roast in a 475 degree oven for about 40 minutes. The tomatoes will burst open and the juice will get thick and blackened but not burned. 

While the tomatoes roast saute the onions and celery in 1 Tablespoon olive oil until they are tender. Add the reserved tomato juice and allow to simmer. 

Once the tomatoes have roasted dump them in the simmering juice. Scrap the bottom of the baking dish to get all the goodies into the soup pot. Add vegetable broth to thin the soup and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Run the tomato mixture through a food mill to remove the seeds. 

Prepare the freezer bags by writing the contents and date and the directions to add (if desired) 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk when reheating. 

Divide the tomato soup into quart size freezer bags and freeze flat. 

Sprouted Split Pea Soup

Makes about 14 cups of soup

(1/2 cup cooked split peas is 2 points)

Can yo see the tiny white sprouts coming from the peas? That's what your
looking for.

It isn't necessary to soak split peas but it will allow them to sprout a little. This increases the nutrients in the peas and some say it makes them more digestible. 

2 pounds of dried green split peas (about 4 cups)

8 cups of liquid (I use water but you can use veggie broth or a combination of broth and water)

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

2 carrots, grated

Prepare the peas by rinsing and sorting. Place the peas in a large bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak 10 to 12  hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the peas 2 or 3 times during the soaking period. (More if you allow them to soak longer than 12 hours but don't allow to soak for more than 24 hours or they could mold.)

In a large soup pot saute the onions and celery in oil until tender. 

After sprouting rinse the peas well and add to the soup pot along with the liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook on low for 30 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Continue cooking until the peas are tender and the liquid is thick. (Total cooking time will depend on the dried peas. The older they are the longer it takes to cook.) Add the grated carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking. 

Cool the soup and divide into freezer bags. 

So there you go. A little work in the kitchen will save me time and keep me away from the fast food restaurant at lunch time!

Happy Eating!

Patti

BTW I've lost 1.8 pounds since I started my 6 pounds down by Thanksgiving Challenge. I hope to be at 154 by Thanksgiving day:-)

I'm joining the party at


Holiday Battle of the Bulge Blog Hop

Spicy Black Bean and Peach Soup - And a Challenge by Patti

First the challenge. For the last two days I've been sorting and cleaning out stuff. I was working in the kitchen today going through my cook books and my desk area and I thought since I'd been working so hard I might treat myself with a trip to Burger King. (I love a Whopper Jr., fries and a coke:-) Then I came across a pamphlet I got last year in a Weight Watchers meeting. 

"The 8-Week Countdown Challenge! What can you achieve by Thanksgiving?"

This made me think about the holidays that are fast approaching and I decided to challenge myself to a 

6-Week Countdown Challenge. 

My goal is to lose 6 pounds by Thanksgiving. 

I put aside my idea of treating myself to Burger King and decided I'd rather treat myself to shedding 6 (or more) pounds. I had a nice salad for lunch and put on a pot of black bean soup for dinner. 

For this recipe you can use canned black beans or soak and cook dry black beans. I had a some quart size bags of black beans in the freezer that I had cooked up a few weeks ago so I pulled out 2 bags and let them defrost. I then rinsed and drained the beans. I had about 4 cups of beans. 

Ingredients:
Black beans, cooked, rinsed and drained. (about 4 cups or 3- 15 ounce cans)
1 can Original Rotel (the spiciness compliments the sweetness in the peaches)
1- 15 ounce can of peaches in extra light syrup (or use 2 or 3 fresh, ripe peaches) drain the peaches well and rough chop
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons coconut oil (or whatever oil you like)
32 ounce container of vegetable stock or chicken broth

Note about salt: If you use canned beans with added salt or cook dry beans and add salt while cooking the beans you shouldn't need to salt the finished soup. Taste it and see before adding additional salt.

In a large pot heat the oil and cook the onions until they are tender (about 5 minutes) add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the Rotel, beans, peaches and enough broth to cover.
Simmer on low for at least an hour. Add additional broth to make it as soupy as you like.
Before serving use a hand blender and puree the soup mixture. Leave it chunky or make it smooth. It's up to you.

This soup is a meal in itself or you can serve over rice. 

Either way it's pretty tasty. 

I ate this as a soup with a small salad. My husband and son ate it over
rice with cornbread and fried ham steak.  

Happy Cooking!

Patti

A New Salad - Vanilla Pear Watercress Salad

This time at our weekly Healthy Habits meeting we got in the kitchen and mixed up a new salad. It was a hit!

Trina tasted this salad at Publix and she brought the ingredients to our meeting. 

It was quick and easy to mix up.

Vanilla Pear Watercress Salad

In the kitchen- Renee, Trina and Patti

Many hands make light work.

Ready to eat!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 pear, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons Bakery pear spread (similar to pear butter)
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (we added 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons canola oil (we only used 2 Tablespoons)
2 1/3 cups watercress (or arugula leaves)
1/2 cup sliced almonds.

Prep:
Halve grapes, peel and chop pear, pick the watercress leaves from the stems and rinse and spin dry.

Whisk in salad bowl: pear spread, vanilla, vinegar, salt, and oil until blended
Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat and serve.

Calories (per 1/4 recipe) 210 original recipe

Beans and Greens Soup Recipe by Patti

I usually eat a big salad for lunch. Romaine topped with cucumbers, peppers and onions. For protein I like to add 1/2 cup of beans. Yesterday I wanted to try something different so I made a big pot of beans and greens soup. 

Beans and Greens Soup

This recipe makes a lot of soup and it's even better the next day. 

Freeze the soup in 1 cup portions and you'll have a quick lunch ready in minutes. 

1 pound of dried beans (I used Great Northern beans but you could use whatever you like)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
2 carrots shredded
1 pound package of frozen collard greens or turnip greens
2 TBS olive oil
3 quarts water
Optional: 2 slices of bacon or 1/2 cup ham or a ham bone

Soak the beans overnight in water. Drain and rinse the beans.
Saute the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in oil until tender.
Add the beans and water. (add the bacon or ham if using) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Continue cooking until the beans are tender. (Usually about 3 hours).
Add the carrots and the greens. Simmer for 1 more hour. Add additional salt to your taste.
Add more water or vegetable broth to make the mixture soupy.

Eat Well!

Patti

My Typical Breakfast - by Patti

I find it's easier for me to stick to a basic eating plan for breakfast and lunch. I don't want to have to think about it too much so I have a few go to meals that I turn to.

This is what I usually eat for breakfast.

If I'm in a big hurry to get out of the house or I'm eating breakfast late I have:
Almond milk and fruit smoothie
Blend until smooth-
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup fruit (frozen cherries are my favorite but I also like banana and pineapple)
This is 1 WW plus point.
This meal in a glass gives me a good dose of calcium (450 mg) and one fruit. If I don't have this for breakfast I usually have one in the afternoon.

If I'm in a hurry or don't feel like cooking I have:
Cereal and Fruit
1 Shredded Wheat biscuit (the big biscuits, no sugar added)
Banana (the only fruit I like on cereal)
1/4 cup of milk (I don't care for too much milk on my cereal)
This meal gives me a dose of fiber (one biscuit 3 grams), one fruit and a little bit of calcium.
This is about 3 WW plus points

Most mornings I make the time to have:
Egg, Veggies and Toast
1 cup veggies such as broccoli, spinach or zucchini
a little bit of onion and peppers
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg
1 TBS grated cheese
1 slice Ezekiel bread toasted with 1 tsp butter
Saute the veggies in oil until tender, add the beaten egg and stir till cooked through, top with a little cheese.
Including the toast this is about 6 WW plus points

This breakfast gives me a good protein, healthy oil,
whole sprouted grain and one serving of veggies. It also
keeps me satisfied until lunch time. 

What do you like to eat for breakfast. Care to share?

Today is the day the Lord has made!

Enjoy it!

Patti

A Recipe for Nancy and Mary - Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Just for you guys...

One of the things I'm trying to do on this healthy habits journey is to add new things to my diet. This recipes includes both a new grain and a new oil that I've never used before.

It's actually pretty tasty so I hope you'll give it a try!

A few facts about quinoa:

• pronounced - Keen-Wa
• a complete protein - contains all 9 essential amino acids 
• contains iron, lysine and magnesium 
• high in fiber

What you need:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or veggie stock or water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper,chopped
1-2 chopped garlic cloves
1 - 15 ounce can of black beans rinsed and drained
Juice from one lime (about 2 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
hot pepper flakes - depending on how hot you like it


Place the quinoa in a colander or sieve and rinse under running water. The water will look almost soapy be sure to rinse until the water runs clean.
Place the quinoa, salt and the liquid in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to cook about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Put the veggies, garlic and black beans in a bowl and add the sesame oil and the lime juice. Toss and allow to marinate while the quinoa is cooking.

Sesame seeds and oil are high in many vitamins and minerals such as calcium.
Good for your heart and bones. 

For more intense lime flavor you can grate some of the rind as well.



Once the quinoa is finished allow to cool slightly then add to the veggies and black beans. Toss together.

Add a few flakes of hot peppers. Taste and adjust to your liking. Some like it hot so you may want to add more or just serve extra hot pepper flakes at the table.

Let the mixture marinate for at least 2 hours to blend the flavors.

Serve on a bed of lettuce like a salad or you can serve this with nacho chips as a dip.
This is even good when used as a filling in a wrap.


Nancy and Mary...I hope you'll give quinoa one more try!

Eat Well and Try Something New Today!

Patti

A Big Salad and a Green Drink by Patti

First let me say that it has taken me quite a while to actually drink a green drink. Something about ground up greens and that bright green color left me a feeling a little queasy...

But after much research and a desire to add more veggies to my diet I decided to just go for it. Kind of treat it like a medicine. Just get it down.

I experimented with a few recipes and finally hit on one that I actually like. As long as I follow a few basic rules.

1. It has to be super cold.
2. I have to drink it with a straw. (Can't really stand that fresh mowed grass smell. Actually I like the fresh mowed grass smell just not in something I'm going to ingest.)
3. It has to be made with pineapple and definitely not cherries. (Cherries change the bright green color to something far worse.)

Place 4 cups of washed kale greens in a blender, add 1 cup of juice or water and 1 cup fresh or
canned (in juice) pineapple. Hit the grate button and finish by blending till you have the
desired consistency. Store in the fridge. 

I enjoy this green drink with breakfast and lunch. It helps to curb my appetite and it provides one serving of fruit and two servings of veggies.

My typical lunch...a big salad and a green drink...

4 cups of romaine, 1 cup of cucumbers, some grated carrot and chopped onions
and pepper. For protein I added 1 cup of kidney beans.
The dressing just a little honey and mustard mixed with a spoonful of the green drink. 

I'm pleasantly surprised that something I once thought of as pretty gross has grown into a drink that I find very refreshing and filling. Will wonders never cease?:-)

Eat well and enjoy a little green today!

Patti

Patti's Plan to Get and Stay Healthy - What I Eat

Since embarking on this get healthy and stay healthy journey I've read dozens of diet and exercise books, countless blogs and viewed more Youtube videos than I can count. 

The one thing I've learned is that everyone has their own idea of what works in the weight loss arena. 

After muddling through all the information and misinformation available this is what I've come up with as a good eating plan for me. (It's working so far. I've been following this basic plan for about 3 weeks and I've lost about 3 pounds.)

Disclaimer- I came up with the eating plan for me and my personal use. I'm not a doctor or nutritionist. I think it's a good plan but I'm not sure that it meets all the requirements. Don't blindly follow any plan. Do research and decide what works best for you.

While firming up my plan there were a few things I incorporated:

• Uncomplicated. I don't mind counting points (Weight Watcher's Points Plus) because I'm used to that but I don't want to spend a great deal of time looking up food for calories and nutrients. 
• Use readily available foods. I'd like to use local grown, organic foods but it isn't always available or cost effective. 
• Provide the vitamins and nutrients I need to maintain strong healthy bones.
• Include all food groups and not exclude any one completely. 
• Include foods I like to eat. This includes an occasional ice cream sundae or chicken pot pie. 
• Allow me to eat the same foods I feed my family. 

My way of eating is a combination of information from several sources including: 

• Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman
• The 7 Principles of Fat Burning by Eric Berg
• The Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones by Annemarie Colbin
• Weight Watchers (although I'm no longer a member of WW I do think it's a pretty good program and I still count points most days and follow some but not all of the WW guidelines)

My Plan- include each day:

Cranberry water - 3 times per day 

• I've found several variations of this recipe but I like the one from "The 7 Principles of Fat Burning" by Eric Berg. Go HERE to see a video about this drink. 

Protein - 2 servings-examples of a serving:

• 1 egg
• 3-4 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish
• 1-2 cups legumes

Whole Grains and Starches - 2 servings - for example

• 1 cup cooked oatmeal
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 1 cup cooked quinoa 
• 1 slice of Ezekiel bread
• 1 Shredded Wheat Biscuit (the big kind)
• 1 Medium baked potato or sweet potato 
• or a combination to equal 2 servings - 1/2 oatmeal for breakfast + 1/2 brown rice for dinner = 1 serving

Fruit - at least 3 - 4 servings a day 

• Limit banana to one per day
• Small amounts of dried fruit such as dates or raisins may be used as a sweetener in oatmeal or in salad dressing. 
• Kale and Pineapple drink (recipe below) counts as 1 fruit and 2 veggie servings
• Can use a small amount (no more than 1 cup per day) of unsweetened fruit juice in salad dressing or smoothies

Vegetables - unlimited (I avoid corn) but at least two veggies for every fruit I eat

• Eat at least two veggies for every one fruit consumed. 
• Eat at least 4 cups of raw greens per day (counts as 2 servings)
• Drink Kale and Pineapple drink(recipe below) 3 times per day (counts as 2 veggie and 1 fruit)

Legumes 

• Use 1/2 - 1 cup of beans on my salad (in addition to the beans consumed as a protein serving)

Nuts and Seeds -about 1 ounce

• Should be raw
• Sunflower seeds and almonds are my favorite

Healthy Oil - 1 - 2 Tablespoons per day used in cooking or salad dressing

• Coconut oil (yummy on sweet potatoes)
• Olive Oil 
• Sesame Oil 

Dairy - limited to very small amounts - for example

• 1or 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1/4 cup milk on cereal (not everyday)
• A little bit of butter (1- 2 teaspoon)
• 1 Tablespoon sour cream 
• Plain yogurt
• Low fat cottage cheese 

Calcium source will be mainly from food other than dairy.** For example:

• Unsweetened Almond milk 
• Green veggies such as broccoli, kale and spinach
• Whole grains 

**The book listed above by AnneMarie Colbin is an excellent source.

So that's my plan. 

I may not follow it to the letter everyday but I'm trying and something is better than nothing!  

Eat well and enjoy your day!

Patti

*Kale and Pineapple Drink 

(adapted from various sources)

Makes about 3 one cup servings
4 cups kale
1 cup pineapple - if canned use the no sugar added type
1 cup 100% pineapple juice-no sugar (can use water instead of juice)

Place all ingredients in a blender and liquefy or grind.
Drink will be very thick. Can be thinned with additional liquid if desired. 
Store in the fridge in a glass jar. 
Divide and drink with breakfast and lunch and before dinner.
Consuming the whole recipe is equal to 1 serving of fruit and two servings of veggies. 

The Conscious Cleanse - "What I'm eating." by Trina

Tonight will end day five of "The Conscious Cleanse" and below is a list of the foods I've been eating over the past five days.
Fruits:  blueberries, watermelon, peaches, bananas, mini plums, pineapple, unsweetened dried coconut and lemon juice
Vegetables:  Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, onions, celery, kale, green beans, jicama and cabbage
Fresh herbs:  Ginger, cilantro, Italian parsley, and garlic
Protein:  Black beans, organic chicken breast and wild caught fish

So far the cleanse is going well, but it would be better if I were a little more organized.
One thing I'm really pleased about is how my cravings for certain foods have almost completely disappeared. Sometimes I think about a specific food, but my desire to have it is minimal. For example my daughter makes a very good semi-homemade chicken potpie and I usually just have to eat some. In fact she made it for dinner tonight, but I had brown rice cooked in mushroom and onion broth with kale instead. I've also been able to cut back on the amount of meat I eat which is a big deal for me because I am definitely a meat lover.

Kale, purple cabbage, broccoli and organic chicken breast

Romaine Salad with jicama and lemon, ginger, cilantro dressing. Looks a little messy as I had already began eating then remembered that I wanted to take a picture.

Romaine, carrots, pineapple and blueberries with a pineapple dressing. To make the dressing I put 1/2 cup of pineapple with juice, a small chunk of avocado, sea salt, black pepper and a little water in a blender.

Chicken Vegetable Soup - Organic chicken breast, onions, green beans, carrots and parsley. I marinated the chicken breast overnight with minced ginger, garlic and 1 tsp EVOO. I also added a little sea salt and black pepper.

New find:  I've been wanting to try coconut milk. I found this at Winn Dixie. It was $2.99 and has only 1g of sugar compare to 5g in Silk Original Coconut milk. Once I try it I'll post what I think.

Dinner tonight - Brown rice cooked in mushroom and onion broth with some kale on the side. I made the mushroom and onion broth to eat as a soup, but decided it would really be good as a base for brown rice. It was really good!

Damage Control and A Recipe For Grilled Salmon

Have you ever had one of those days when you're trying to do everything right but you mess up royally?

That was my day today. 

While out running errands my husband suggested that we stop and get a chicken pot pie from KFC. 

OK I thought a chicken pot pie full of veggies couldn't be all that bad.

I wasn't prepared and I didn't have my Dining Out guide so I guesstimated the points at around 12-15.

Ha! Was I wrong. After we got home I checked the points. 

21 Points!

I was so mad at myself. I only get 26 points for the whole day!!!

But I couldn't go back and change what had already been done so I did a little damage control. 

First, I looked at what I'd done right that day.

1. I had eaten a low 3 point breakfast. Good

1/2 cup cooked oatmeal

1 apple

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2. With my pot pie I drank water. Good

3. I had 2 points left from my daily allowance after I ate the pot pie. Not great but at least I had something to work with:-)

4. I haven't used any of my extra points for the week. Good

How I salvaged the rest of the day:

I'd already planned to grill salmon steaks for dinner so I decided to go ahead and cook it. 

Dinner

6 ounces grilled Wild Salmon = 8 points (with 1 tsp oil)

Salad with 2 TBS of Sesame Ginger dressing = 1 point

Broccoli and red peppers lightly steamed = 0 points

Yummy!
All this plus a salad for only 9 points!

I also wanted to get in at least one serving of dairy so for an evening snack I made a smoothie. Coconut milk, banana, cherries and a hand full of spinach. All for only 2 points.

I had to dip in to my bonus points to make up the extra 9 points that I went over today. 

But that's OK. I try not to use them but that's what the bonus points are for. 

There was a time that I would have just thrown in the towel and said the heck with it. I screwed up by eating the wrong thing so I might as well forget it and eat whatever I want. 

Just a little damage control and I'm back on track. 

What do you do when you mess up? Give up or do a little damage control?

Recipe
Grilled Salmon Steaks

1 - six - eight ounce salmon steak per person
(Be sure to purchase wild salmon not farm raised.)

For each salmon steak:
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
1 teaspoon olive oil 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Rinse the salmon steaks and pat dry with paper towel.
Brush each steak with oil.
Salt and pepper each steak
Oil the grill grate so the fish doesn't stick. 
Place each steak on the grill and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.
Grill over hot coals for 6 minutes. 
Flip the salmon, sprinkle the rest of the lemon juice on the fish and cook another 6 minutes. 
Test for doneness. 
Fish should flake easily. 

Don't overcook!


Enjoy!

Patti

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

I'm sharing a quick and easy meal that you can use on those nights when you're tempted to run out for fast food.  If you cook rice to go with this dish you can have dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. Plus you'll be getting your veggies!

This will serve four adults. 6 points per serving. (not including rice)

If you have big eaters at the table you may want to use more chicken. Just remember if you're counting points I've based my calculations on a serving being 4 ounce of chicken.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of oil for cooking.
3 or 4 lean skinless chicken breast (about 1 pound)

Marinade:
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
2 teaspoons minced or chopped garlic

Cut the chicken in to chunks and place in a large zip lock bag.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade pour over the chicken. Seal the bag and let meat marinate for at least 15 minutes.

2-3 zucchini squash
1 red pepper
1 ye llow pepper
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
2 teaspoons minced or chopped garlic
1 cup of fresh spinach thinly sliced

1 cup of water, chicken broth or vegetable broth

Cut the veggies up in bite size pieces.

In a large cast iron skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic and the onion and stir quickly in the hot oil for about 1 minute.
Add the zucchini and stir quickly for 2 minutes.
Add the peppers and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes until the veggies are slightly brown and soft.

Remove the veggies from the pan and keep warm.

Add another 1 Tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and allow excess liquid to drip off. Add in one layer to the hot oil and cook until browned. You may have to  do the chicken in batches if your pan isn't big enough.

Add the additional 1 tablespoon of oil if needed to cook all the chicken.

Once the chicken is browned add the marinade to the pan add one cup of water or chicken broth. Cover the pan and allow the chicken to cook until done. Cut a piece open and check for doneness. It shouldn't be pink inside.
Once the chicken is done dump the veggies back in a give it a stir. Add the sliced spinach at the last minute and allow it to just wilt.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.

To serve:
Divide the veggies in to four serving and serve each person 4 ounce of the chicken.
If you are careful and don't use any additional oil this should be 6 points per serving. (If you serve this over rice you'll need to figure in the additional points)

Variations:

You can use any combination of vegetables. Broccoli, carrots, snow peas...
Use beef in place of the chicken (you may need to recalculate the points)
Leave out the meat and enjoy a vegetarian meal.



Remember that Habit 2  is to eat at least five servings of fruit and veggies each day.

What's your favorite way to eat your veggies?

Good For You Fruit Smoothie

This is a favorite of mine. A great way to get one serving of dairy and two servings of fruit. 

I don't drink milk so as an alternative I use coconut milk or almond milk. Both contain 50% more calcium per serving than dairy milk. 

For this recipe you'll need a blender with the ability to crush ice. 

Ingredients:

6 ice cubes 

1 cup of original coconut milk

1 very ripe banana 

1 cup frozen no sugar added cherries 

hand full of greens such as spinach 

Directions:

Crush the ice cubes

Add the coconut milk and blend on high

Add the banana and the cherries and grind until the cherries are chopped fine

Add the greens and chop fine.

Once everything is chopped turn the blender to high and blend until smooth. 

Enjoy!

Servings

Recipe will make one very large smoothie. I drink this in place of breakfast if I'm in a hurry or as a late afternoon snack to hold me over till dinner.

I count this as:
One serving of dairy
2 servings of fruit
Even though I use greens it doesn't add up enough to be counted as a whole serving of veggies.

Points:

If you use 1 cup of original coconut milk the smoothie will be 2 points. 

Use 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and it will only be 1 point.

Tips and Variations:

If the smoothie is too thick you may need to add a little more milk.

The riper the banana the sweeter it will taste

Use any fruit such as blueberries, strawberries or peaches as long as  they have no sugar added. 

Remember to eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day!