Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

I made a trip to St. Cloud yesterday all by myself. Twas' bliss! I really enjoy my alone time very much. I need quite of bit of it in order to be a nice person. I went there on a hunt for some things for the house and for shoes and boots for the kids and a few more things I needed for my scrapbooking weekend coming up. I also went however to stop at The Great Harvest Bread Company. I have been wanting to make a stop there for quite some time. It smelled so awesome in there! Fresh baked bread has to be one of the best smells on earth!

I had them make me their veggie sandwich to take with me for later, which was divine by the way, and then I picked up a couple other things. So I thought it would be fun for you to see everything I ate today.

I was so excited to try this for breakfast this morning. It cooks up just like oatmeal would but it has a different texture. It took only 10 minutes. It seemed a little heartier to me than regular oatmel. It contains hard red wheat, white wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, millet, hulled buckwheat, and flax seed.

 

Of course I didn't just leave it like this though.

I topped it with some almonds, Sunbutter, and just a little agave and mixed in one packet of Stevia. It was very delicious and truly warmed me up this morning. I wish I had had a little bit more of it this morning though as I was very hungry when I got home from working! I usually bring some nuts with me but I forgot them today. I shoved a couple handfuls in my mouth while I made my lunch.

One of the other things I picked up there was a loaf of their Pumpkin Swirl bread! Oh my portion of goodness! I am in love!

They hooked me when they let me sample it at the bakery. I ate a piece last night after Miles left for his meetings because I couldn't resist. I was eagerly looking forward to lunch today because it was my excuse to eat some more of it.

I quickly made this salad with mixed greens, sliced grape tomatos, cucumbers, soy nuts, and a little bit of sliced up aged cheddar. I was very thankful to have my lettuce ready to go so I didn't have to wash it today given my hunger!

I topped the salad with this dressing. I really like several of the Maple Grove Farms products. They make several dressings I like and I buy their sugar-free maple syrup for the kids. There products have way less sugar than others and no high fructose corn syrup which I appreciate very much!

But what you really care about is a picture of that bread sliced open isn't it?????

That is a swirl of pumpkin goodness inside that bread. I ended up not even eating my apple because I was too full after eating the bread. I did spread a little Earth Balance on there after I took the picture but it is good without anything too. Just in case you are wondering, or you think I am sending mixed messages, the pumpkin bread is a treat for me! I wouldn't normally eat it with my lunch. It does contain brown sugar and the apple would have been sweet enough but I can't let the bread go to waste now can I? Besides this will probably be the only loaf I get for a year. I am sure it is seasonal.

Now onto to dinner. Wednesdays are a little quirky for us. Miles is always at church and he eats the meal there. Sometimes Evan stays after school at the church too and sometimes he comes home, but Faith and I are always here. I usually scrounge up some leftovers and the kids eat something simple like a bowl of cereal, or  Amy's Organic Shells and Cheese, or a wrap or sandwich.

But tonight I made a little something quick and yummy. It started with these peppers that need to be used up. I got them at Sams.

I've actually had these for almost 2 weeks. They are still looking great but they won't for long. They sounded good tonight anyway.

I chopped them up with a little red onion, green pepper, yellow squash, and some chicken sausage. I cooked them in a little olive oil until the sausage was done.

I also added this seasoning......

You remember I have a thing for spices and seasonings right? Well Pepper Creek Farms has a TON of good ones. This says it is for bread dipping, which I do often, but it is also great in lots of other things. I have several different flavors of these and I love them all. I have found them at TJ Maxx and Home Goods ironically enough but you can order them online too. I also added a little salt and pepper.

Served it up with some delicious grapes and enjoyed every last bite! I also drank it with a V8 just to squeeze in a few more veggies.

There you go! That is what I ate for the day. Pretty typical except for the pumpkin swirl bread that I would truly love to eat another piece of. I also snacked a little on some nuts and a few Apple Straws. Now if I don't go change out of these cleaning clothes and get ready I will be late for church! Enjoy your evening!







Chicken Pistachio Salad -AKA The Wife's Favorite

Tonight I made my favorite meal. It just so happens to be right up there for Miles too.  I will admit that this recipe is a little involved. It is not quick like I usually like but COMPLETELY worth it! It is a South Beach Diet recipe that became a favorite early on in our weight loss journey.

I really hate telling people that we did the South Beach Diet. I feel like people get the impression that we are just dieting, when we have completely changed our lifestyle. We are not going back. All we have to do is look at pictures from our former fat days to know we will continue to eat healthy for that and many other reasons. However, we did begin with the South Beach Diet and I believe it is an excellent, quick, and healthy way to begin if you need to lose weight. Just had to say it. Sorry. On to the food.

Oh. My. Goodness. Good.

Begin with about 1 cup of shelled pistachios. Buy them already shelled to save some time. You can get them at Walmart that way for not a whole lot extra. It is worth it.

Grind them up finely in the food processor and put them on a plate. You can mix in a little salt and pepper if you like. I skip the salt because I feel like pistachios are already salty enough but if you must then go ahead.

Coat both sides of your chicken breast in the pistachios. I just get my chicken wet with water. No egg. Press the nuts into the chicken fairly firmly.

Place them in a pan of heated olive oil and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side. Use a fork to turn them gently so you don't lose all the nuts in the pan. Do not be tempted to cook them longer. The nuts will burn as you can see mine started to do because I was washing my hands and I had the heat up a little too high. Then you put them in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. Flip them over and cook another 10-15 minutes on the other side. The time depends on how thick your chicken breasts are. I just use a 9x13 baking dish. There is no need to grease it.

Now you can get started on the best avocado dressing! The recipe calls for one avocado but I ALWAYS use two. I always want more of it for other things too and I like to make extra of this meal so we have leftovers the next day.

To the avocado you will add a couple tablespoons of grated sweet onion. Don't put the onion away though. You need to chop about 1/2 cup onion to saute later.

You will also add 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. A few tablespoons of olive oil, water, and salt to taste. Blend this all in the food processor until very smooth.

Saute that 1/2 cup sweet onion in a little olive oil. You might be tempted to skip this to save time but DON'T DO IT! These little sweet onions are what really make this dish so delicious. Do you really want to eat a piece of cake without the frosting? Me neither! So make the sauteed sweet onions.

When the chicken is done I take it out of the oven and let it rest for a couple minutes. Then I slice it up, put it over a bed of lettuce, and top with several dollops of dressing and the cooked onions. Tonight I served it with some sauteed yellow squash with green onion, tomato, and basil and some fruit - tangerines and pears.

I kid you not I looked at Miles' plate when I heard a noise come from him and it was clean. I still had half my dinner on my plate. I said, "You should really slow down and enjoy your dinner!" His reply, "I did! I enjoyed every little bite!" Thankfully he left the extra alone so we still have lunch tomorrow!

A couple things to know: If you can, make the dressing in the morning or a day ahead and chop the onion too. You can also grind up your pistachios ahead. It will save you lots of time. I can coat 4 fairly large chicken breasts with the pistachios but I usually like to error on grinding up more than a cup in case I run out. Then I don't have to go back and do more grinding.

That was a lot of food on my plate tonight for only about 550 calories. I am stuffed! Did you know you could eat all that food or just 1 and 1/3 bagels for about 550 calories! Eat more not less!

Here is the recipe! I promise you will love it!

Salad                                                                                     Dressing

1 cup  shelled pistachios (Walmart)                          2 tsp. grated sweet white onion

½ tsp salt                                                                           2 large ripe avocado

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper                                         3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts                        3-4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (2 limes)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil                                         1 Tbsp. water

½ cup diced sweet white onion

1 head romaine lettuce

To make salad: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grind the nuts in a food processor. Mix the nuts in a pie plate with salt and pepper.  Press the chicken into the nuts. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non stick skillet and cook the coated breasts, 1-2 minutes per side. Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 10-15 minutes per side. 

Heat the remaining  oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the diced onion, pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook until the onion is browned.

 Slice the chicken breasts and arrange 1 breast on top of the lettuce on each plate. Serve with several dollops of the dressing  and the onions on top.

To make the dressing: Puree the onion, avocado, oil, lime juice, and water in a blender or small food processor.

P.S. I can't believe it was dark out when we sat down to eat at 5:15 tonight. The price you pay for that extra hour of sleep Satuday I suppose. I did like that it wasn't dark when my kids went to school this morning however!

Wrap It Up

When all else fails throw something in a tortilla, wrap it up, and call it good! That has been my philosophy this week I suppose. In between working, the house projects,  blogging, church, getting ready for scrapbook weekend, running and oh yeah being a wife and mom there really hasn't been much time for cooking or experimenting in the kitchen! So what's a girl to do? Scrounge the fridge for some leftovers and wrap them up in a tortilla that's what!

I had some leftover quinoa salad for this one. It consisted of quinoa, grape tomatoes, basil, green onion, and fresh mozzarella mixed with some Greek dressing. I spread the dressing on the tortilla first, then topped it with some lettuce, added the salad and some more fresh mozzarella. Very delicious!

I rolled it up and sliced up some cucumber quick and threw some leftover pineapple on the plate. Lunch it was in about 5 minutes flat too!

I really prefer to make my own Greek dressing but for the sake of convenience I also love this one. This is the one I used for both mixing in the salad and spreading on the tortilla. I find these locally at CashWise in the health food section.

Yesterday I made this wrap. It has a Mediterranean spread, some deli turkey slices, lettuce, and my favorite feta of course!

Yummo! I am going to slice these up into pinwheels and bring them with me to Sunday Night Feasting at small group tonight. I just might have to bring my camera along so you can understand how much goodness happens there!

I had a failure in the kitchen yesterday with some pumpkin cookies. They turned out more like a pumpkin biscuit. A little too dry and not sweet enough. I don't do well with failure in the kitchen. Of course it is deflating to one's ego but it is also a WASTE of money! So we will still eat those pumpkin "things" even if they aren't great. But I did redeem myself with the Mediterranean spread!

It is very simple to make and VERY delicious! Grab these three ingredients and the food processor. You can use fresh basil if you prefer. If you are not an artichoke fan no worries. It gets chopped up so fine you won't even know they are in there.

My food processor is as old as my marriage so I have to give it a head start by chopping the peppers up a little. Toss the ingredients in and give a whirl! You want it to be very finely chopped.

Then you will add a little seasoning. You know my love affair with spices don't you?? I know it is hard to read but that is oregano and of course a little garlic powder. 

I didn't take a picture of it but you will then add one package of reduced or no fat cream cheese that has been softened. Give it a taste. I needed to add a little more garlic powder to mine but I love garlic an awful lot. (Cream cheese is an occasional treat for us just in case you thought I was out of my mind! I usually use Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges on my wraps.)

We don't use a lot of lunch meat around here, mainly because we don't eat a lot of sandwiches, but when I do buy it this is the brand I choose. And this is why....

The nitrates, processing, and MSG that usually goes into lunch meat is what makes it bad for you. Nitrates are a known migraine trigger. Trust me. I know. But occasionally we enjoy this lunch meat. I even like to put it in a lettuce wrap and skip the tortilla.

Before I give you the recipe for the Mediterranean spread here are some other suggestions for what to put in a wrap. Keep in mind that it needs to be a whole wheat tortilla or made from spinach would be great also! My favorite come from Trader Joe's but we also like this Santa Fe brand that we buy at Sams.

Check the refridgerated section at CashWise next to the rest of the tortillas locally.

My kids love them  spread with all natural dark chocolate peanut butter and a sliced banana. So does Faith's best friend whose mom had to rush out and buy the peanut butter after she had some at my house. Sorry!

You can even find this at Walmart!

I also love to use my sun-dried tomato and roasted red pepper sauce spread on with some veggies filling it up!

You can click HERE for the recipe from a previous post.

I will also throw just about any salad into a tortilla with a little dressing spread on first.

Like this chick pea salad! This would be amazing as a wrap. Click HERE if you would like that recipe. Any salad would be fine though.

One final thought. All of these things are great without a wrap as well! Less calories for sure. But sometimes you just want the carbs, you know what I mean! Also, in the case of the quinoa salad, there wasn't enough left for us to just have that for lunch between the two of us but it was enough for filling a tortilla for each of us and I was being economical by not throwing it out!

Now try this Mediterranean spread! You will not be disappointed!

Mediterranean Vegetable Spread

6 oz jarred roasted red peppers (water-packed), drained
6 oz marinated artichokes, drained
1/4 cup basil, fresh, packed or 1 tsp dried (I used about a tablespoon of the chopped)1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz fat-free cream cheese, softened

Directions
In a food processor, combine peppers, artichokes, basil, oregano and garlic powder; process until blended but still slightly chunky.

Cut cream cheese into small chunks and combine with vegetable mixture until blended. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Serve with crudités or as a spread for Turkey Roll-Ups.



Grilled Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Fries

Well the house projects continue. In fact I can barely type these words because my front windows are open making it very cold in here right now. My windows are open because of this...

I'm painting the trim around them and they are still sticky so I am sitting here with my coat on blowing on my fingers to keep warm!

Since this was what consumed my afternoon yesterday I fixed something quick for dinner so we could then sit down and catch up on three episodes of Survivor. Thank heavens for the DVR. I am still three episodes behind on the Biggest Loser too.

Grilled cheese sandwiches used to be a go to food for us. By that I mean when there was nothing else to eat I could always make a grilled cheese sandwich. We almost always had bread and cheese in the house. Or when I didn't want to think about what to fix I made them with a bowl of canned tomoato soup. Or when you need something quick you can always resort to grilled cheese.

I've already posted before about how we have cleaned up a grilled cheese sandwich so I will make this brief and show you the pictures. You can click here for the previous post if you want the details on why this is better for you.

Sprouted grain bread with cracked pepper olive oil mayo, aged cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, a little pear, some dijon mustard and oregano on one slice of the bread and some earth balance spread on the outsides for grilling.

A delicious grilled portion of goodness! I have to say the pear was better the last time with spinach and swiss. I like to change it up though and try different things so that is why I put the pear on there. It never hurts to try.

We ate our sandwiches with fresh veggies and sweet potato fries! I LOVE SWEET POTATO FRIES SO MUCH! When I gave up fries I never thought I would find something that I loved even more that was actually healthy for you. I have tried many different brands but my favorite are delivered right to the front door by the Schwan's Man. Of course you could make your own as well but this is just easier.

When we make sweet potato fries we also make this sauce to dip them in. It is my attempt at recreating the sauce you get at Granite City when you order their waffle fries. Even if it isn't the same we really love it so I will keep making it.

Here is the recipe:

Granite City Dip

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonaisse (olive oil kind)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp curry
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp worcestishire sauce

Combine all ingredients with a whisk....top with parsley flakes if desired.

Play around with the ingredients and add more of what you like. I like curry so I usually add more like a teaspoon of that and probably more worcestishire as well.

In case you are wondering sweet potato fries are low in sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are also a good source of fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. And of course I am baking them not frying them so tat certainly gives them a leg up!

I also made more sweet potato muffins today. I made them mini.

Everything really does taste better mini. Even Miles mentioned that he liked them better this way also. The only problem is that I have lost track of how many have gone into my mouth. It is easy to do that!

We are now off to Applebees for dinner with Evan. He got to choose tonight. Faith is at a birthday party and we are delighted to get Evan by himself tonight. It hasn't happened in nearly 6 years I think! We are looking forward to spending some time with our middle schooler!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Some of My Favorites

I only have a few minutes to post today so I thought I would share just a couple quick favorites of mine. I really have been holding out on you not posting about these crackers sooner. Perhaps I have mentioned that there is really only one kind of cracker that I eat. I missed crackers in my life when I gave up all the unhealthy stuff. Most crackers are made with white flour and contain too many preservatives or ingredients I can't pronounce making them an automatic NO. But these crackers are a 100% YES!

Here they are! Ironically my friend Julie's husband introduced me to these crackers. I say ironic because he is always accusing me of eating "shaky" foods as he likes to call them. That is just code for really healthy food that he is too afraid to try and I actually take it as a compliment. These crackers would qualify as "shaky" I suppose!

And here is the list of ingredients for them. I don't need them to be gluten free but I know some people who do and they LOVE these crackers. I think it doesn't hurt to eat gluten free occasionally even if you don't need to. Most products containing gluten are carbs of course and they often have too much sugar in them. These crackers however are more of a complex carb and contain NO sugar! That's right! Zero grams! We all know that is hard to come by.

I buy these at Sams whenever we get to St. Cloud. I currently have 3 boxes stocked up and my jar on the shelf is full and looking pretty.

I have seen these crackers in smaller bags in the health food section at CashWise locally. I will say the one bag I bought there tasted different then these and even looked a little different. I will have to give the smaller bags another try soon.

Now onto another one of my favorite things, chicken sausage!

Bistro Sensations makes several different flavors of chicken sausage and I have loved every kind. You can buy these at Wal-Mart over by all the hot dogs. We also buy the Sams Club brand of chicken sausage and love all of those flavors too. They only have 100-120 calories each and are a much healthier alternative to hot dogs that have who knows what in them! Here is what I like to do with them.......

I slice them up and cook them with peppers and onions. Sometimes I eat it just like this and other times I mix it in with some quinoa or serve it over some brown rice.

We also both LOVE them cooked up and served over our salads.

Of course you can just leave them whole and put them in a whole wheat bun if it makes you feel good! Sometimes a nod to the way we used to eat makes it feel like we are getting away with something naughty but without the guilt.

Finally, my other favorite snack lately has been Sunbutter with whatever I can justify eating it with.

I am sure I have mentioned this before but I know repetition helps all of us so GO GET SOME OF THIS STUFF! I also like to put a dollop of it on my yogurt and quinoa at breakfast time or dip my crackers in it for an afternoon pick me up or slice up an apple and dip it in a spoonful on my plate. I might have even just licked a spoonful right up with nothing else but there is no evidence to prove it so I don't have to completely admit that do I?

I now must fix dinner and get myself, Faith and her friend off to church.

I am guessing my dinner is going to look something like this tonight................

Miles and Evan will eat at the church tonight so I don't really have to cook. I have been scaling back on the carbs, sugar, and fruit for the last few days to gain back some control after eating too much junk last week. I realized yesterday morning when I experienced a little detox nausea and headache that I really needed it!

There is also a little leftover spaghetti squash I will devour and call it a very veggie dinner. It might not look like much food but veggies really fill you up and I have eaten too many nuts this afternoon and I am not extremely hungry!

P.S. I really wish Blogger would learn the word quinoa!

Spaghetti Squash and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I am glad Halloween is over! It was night number 4 in our 6 night stretch of having something going on. I just want to sit at home and watch the Biggest Loser and Survivor that are waiting on the DVR but I am afraid it won't happen until Thursday night which makes us another episode behind. Ugh! I didn't even have time to make Halloween very special for the kids with some fun pumpkin shaped dessert or dinner or even black and orange anything. I haven't even put up fall decorations because the house has been torn all apart with the new flooring and paint projects. So last night I was trying to redeem myself slightly at the dinner table before we rushed out the door for trick-or-treating.

I made spaghetti squash for dinner. Spaghetti squash is very cool. It is almost like magic! It is one of my favorite meals because not only does it taste delicious it equals a VERY veggie dinner and it is simple to make.

Start by cutting your squash in half carefully. This is the hardest part of this recipe. Getting into these gourds is tricky business. Once cut in half you must clean out the guts and seeds just like you would a pumpkin but of course it is much faster. Brush the inside with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Next you want to put the squash in a 375 degree oven on a baking sheet with the cut side up. I also pour a little water into the baking sheet like a water bath. I think I saw this on a website before and I am not sure why you do this but my guess is it helps it cook faster and remain moist. I have no picture of this. I am blaming it on Halloween.

 

After 40-45 minutes remove the squash from the oven and test it for tenderness. Put a fork to the side and if it easily starts to scrape then you know it is done. If you have a bigger squash it will take a little longer but this was a fairly small one.

If it is tender then grab a pot holder and pick up the squash. Hold it over a plate or platter and scrape with the fork. If you go the opposite direction then is in this picture you will get some longer strands. I would have had Miles take a picture of the scraping process but he was busy grouting the tile so this is what you get!

I had my favorite quick tomato sauce heating in a pan on the stove; a couple cloves of garlic, half an onion diced up and cooked in some olive oil and then one can of fire roasted tomatoes. You can use whatever sauce you like.

Top your "spaghetti" with your sauce and you are ready to enjoy

This was my last ditch effort and something creative for Halloween!

It is quite amazing how much this looks and feels like real pasta. I think the flavor is better than pasta and it is certainly more nutritious. Yes my kids and husband eat this and yours will too! Just tell them it is an new brand of pasta you are fixing tonight and conveniently leave out the word squash!



I served it with green beans and black eyeballs. I mean black grapes. Black grapes are very yummy. I found them at Sams but you can find them at the grocery stores.

Like I said before this is a very veggie dinner. I walked away very full! Lots of healthy fiber really fills your stomach up. I needed that so I wouldn't be tempted to eat the kids' candy. I was having a no carb, no sugar, no fruit until dinner day yesterday. I had been eating too much over the week and weekend that wasn't really that good for me so I am scaling back for a few more days.

Give the squash a try. It really takes only 5 minutes to prepare. Stick it in the oven for 45 minutes and forget about it. Then take another 5 minutes to scrape it and heat up some sauce and dinner is ready!

Now for those pumpkin seeds! These are another very easy, fun, and tasty snack.

If you didn't save your seeds no worries. Pumpkins will be cheap today so go grab a few! After you clean them up spread them out on a tray to dry. You can use a hair dryer to speed the process up or put them in a very low temperature oven for a few minutes until they are dry. I divided my seeds into two medium bowls and tossed them with a little olive oil. You can use melted butter for a little different flavor.

I wanted one bowl for savory and one bowl for sweet. For the savory seeds I added a little bit of salt, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Toss to coat and place in a 275 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take them out and turn them around/stir them up and put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. When they start to turn golden brown they are ready. Mine took all of 25 minutes and I think I tossed them a couple times.

Both kinds turned out delicious. I love pumpkin seeds!!!!!!

For the sweet version I tossed them with some cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. In other words just use pumpkin pie spice. I also tossed in a little Stevia. I have to say however, and I can't believe I am going to do this, but I think you should use a couple teaspoons of sugar. Even though I only used a very small amount of Stevia I can taste an aftertaste on the seeds. Not enough for me to not eat them but still. You could also try sucanat. They make a great healthy snack!

Now on with my day! I ran too far yesterday and my foot is bothering me again so I must now go do some kind of yoga or pilates video I will have to scrounge around for so I can stay off my foot!

Happy November!