Sunday, June 12, 2011

Sunday funday = cooking and packing for me! :)

I am moving one week from day....technically at this time next Sunday (fingers crossed) I will be completely moved.  I sure hope so!

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and awake after a night out to dinner and the movies with girlfriends.  We went to Kona Grill and saw bridesmaids.  If you have not seen this movie you have GOT to see it.  It is hilarious!!!  I met my friend Katie and her daughter Ella for breakfast at Scottys Lakehouse and had a yummy skillet for breakfast.  My next stops were Whole Foods and Kroger.  Once I got home my cook-a-thon began.  This week is going to be pure madness and my apartment is going to be in shambles.  I am a planner.  The thought of all my stuff being all over the place and between two places makes me feel anxious and annoyed at the same time.  The one thing I can control this whole week are my meals!  I have been on a weight watchers kick recently and found all of these recipes on their websites.  So not only are these recipes yummy but they are healthy too :) 

Once I got home and unpacked all my groceries I dug right in and started to make a slow cooker barbecue glazed turkey meatloaf.  Yes you are reading correctly....slow cooker meatloaf.  I thought the same thing, that can't be good.  But WRONG.  It turned out great and was SO EASY.  The slow cooker is seriously my best friend.  You throw everything in and in a couple hours you have a meal.  Its unbelievable!

Barbecue-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf
6 servings, 4 WW points
·         1 ¼ pounds(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
·         1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, seasoned ß I used panko as I had that on had
·         ¼ cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
·         ¼ cup onion, minced
·         1 large egg, lightly beaten
·         1 tsp dried oregano
·         ¼ tsp table salt
·         ¼ tsp black pepper
·         2 Tbsp ketchup
·         2 tsp packed light brown sugar
·         2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
·         1 tsp spicy brown mustard
Directions
·         Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lengthwise. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of a 5–6-quart slow cooker insert.
·         Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker.
·         Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165°F, 3–4 hours on high or 6–8 hours on low.
·         Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer. With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices. Yields 1 slice meatloaf per serving.  









I separated my meatloaf into 6 portions and put them in Tupperware to eat throughout the week.  To the left is my lunch for tomorrow :)  A simple salad of spinach, pea sprouts and arugula.  My salad dressing is spicy mustard (from the farmers market a couple weekends ago), olive oil, S&P and a tad of honey.  Topping for my salad as I love a little crunch is croutons and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and of course my favorite dried cherries.  I also threw an apple in my lunch bag too.  I am so excited to eat this for lunch tomorrow.

While my meatloaf was cooking away, I made some quinoa and apple breakfast cereal.  I don't know about you but I get so sick of my breakfast choices.  I have to come of up with new items to keep me on track and wanting to actually eat breakfast.  I am typically not that hungry when I wake up and could just drink coffee if I didn't know that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.  I have so much more energy throughout the day when I eat breakfast and often times snack a lot less too.

I read a lot of articles about nutrition and cooking in general.  I have read a lot of articles about quinoa and have yet to try it.  Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked.  Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids.  I saw this recipe on the WW website and I just had to try it.  The reviews were great and it sounded like something I would really enjoy in the morning. 

Quinoa and Apple Breakfast Cereal
6 servings, 5 WW points
·         1 cup uncooked quinoa
·         2 sprays cooking spray
·         1 Tbsp butter, divided
·         2 medium apples, chopped or dices
·         2 cups water, cold
·         ½ tsp ground cinnamon
·         3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
·         ¼ cup fat-free skim milk
Directions
1.     Soak quinoa in a bowl of water for 5 minutes.
2.     Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When skillet is hot, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter until it just starts to sizzle. Add apples and cook, turning occasionally, until apples are soft and begin to caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on personal taste; set aside
3.     Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and 2 cups of cold water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, cover pan tightly and allow quinoa to simmer for 10 minutes. When quinoa is cooked (a little tail will appear on each grain), remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, cinnamon, sugar and milk; stir to combine and fold in apples. Yields about 2/3 cup per serving.

And once again my phone did not save all the pictures I took.  Sadface.  Its time that I get my real camera fixed and stop all this phone non-sense.  There were some great shots of step by step directions of this recipe.  The image to the left is what the quinoa should look like once it is cooked.  Do you see the little tail?  So strange but a good indication that this grain is cooked.  Below is the picture of this recipe all portioned out ready for breakfast this week.  I tried a little nibble before separating these and I think I am going to enjoy this very much :)
The last item I cooked today was what WW calls butterscotch cake but I call a white chocolate blondie.  I have a HUGE sweet tooth and feel the need to have a little something after dinner each night.  Even when I am watching every calorie that I put in my mouth it is nice to end my day on a sweet note.  I figured with all the packing that I will be doing this week and next weekend that I would enjoy this even more. 

Butterscotch Cake
24 servings, 4 WW points
·         1 spray cooking spray
·         1 ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
·         1/3 cup regular butter, softened
·         2 tsp vanilla extract
·         2 large eggs
·         2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
·         1 cup whole wheat flour
·         1 cup A/P flour
·         2 tsp baking soda
·         ¾ tsp table salt
·         ½ cup white chocolate chips, finely chopped
·         24 halves pecan halves ßI had chopped walnuts on hand so I used them instead
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9- X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Add applesauce and blend. Add both flours, baking soda and salt; blend until just incorporated. Mix in chips with a wooden spoon.
  3. Spoon batter into prepared pan and decorate with walnut halves, one for each serving of cake. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes in pan and then remove to a wire rack to continuing cooling. Cut into 24 squares. Yields 1 square per serving.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Race day fun and good eats!


Good Afternoon all!

This is my post from Sunday however I am just now getting around to posting it.  Sorry...it was a long, wonderful day!

It's race day which means its gonna be hot, humid, crazy crowded and lots of booze consumed.  My morning started by packing up my backpack cooler.  This sucker fit 12 beers and 4 frozen water bottles.  I was very pleased with how much it could carry and didn't kill my back.



We started our day around 9 am.  We figured since we had a ride to the track we didn't need to leave as early.  WRONG.  Record crowds this year meant traffic was horrendous.  Last year I got there at 9 and parked in a lot right across from the track.  This year....no where close.  Abby's dad drove us so we didn't have to deal with having a car and worrying about driving.  The closest he could get us was about 2.5/3 miles away from the track.  OYE.  It was a long walk.  TG the sun was behind clouds most of our walk and it wasn't that humid yet.  I was in good company so didn't mind the walk that much but my feet did.  I swear my feet hate me.  I wore some ballet flat gym shoes.  Wrong choice.  I figured we would be doing a lot of walking and these would be comfy.  Um NO!  I had blisters so bad I was limping.  Last minute packing my bag I threw some flip flops in.  TG!  I put those on and had immediate relief.  We made it to the track took our seats and the fly over happened.  I love when this happens at any event I am at.  How can you not get emotional when this happens?? 



 
Needless to say we had a blast at the track.  We were cabbing it back up to the northside so we left with about 20 laps to go.  We figured we would be waiting for a cab for forever if we waited till the end of the race.  We walked out of the nearest gate and had a cab within 30 seconds.  Hooray!! I was beat by the time I got home.  Took a nap and had a slight hangover by the time I woke up.  So not cool.  I was so hot still and just wanted to go to bed.  I knew I needed to eat something before calling it a night.  I whipped up this quick salad and it hit the spot. 




Chickpea and Feta Salad

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp onion, finely minced
1/2 large red pepper, diced <-----i used roasted red pepper cuz I had it on hand
2 Tbsp parsley, finely minced
9 black olives, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
S & P to taste
1 tsp lemon zest

  1. In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, red pepper, parsley, olives, and feta; toss to combine.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together oil and lemon juice.  Pour over chickpea mixture and season to taste.  Garnish with lemon zest
It was refreshing, light and yummy.  It was just what I needed before going to bed at 9pm.  YEP....you read that right.  I was asleep by 9 :)  All day in the sun drinking and walking miles will do that to ya!  Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!! 


Cheers