Flat Out Thin Crust Pizza

4:03:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Today's post is brought to you, in part, by my recent cravings for pizza and green olives.  That, plus I'm trying to go vegetarian for a week.  No big change of heart - I just want to see if I can do it/lose weight/feel any different.

I've been looking for these Flat Out wraps for a while now, but my closest grocery store always seems to be sold out of them.  I stopped by a different store today and they had them in so I picked up a few packets.  They have different kinds, but I got the new soft 100% whole wheat wrap.  Only 100 calories, 8 grams of fiber, and 1.5 grams of fat.

To use a wrap as a pizza crust (only 3 WWP+!) I sprayed it with olive oil spray and baked it for 7 minutes at 350 degrees - directly on the rack.  It gets nice and crispy, too - so it feels like you're eating real pizza as opposed to a depressing substitute.  After that, you just take it out, top it with whatever you want, and pop it back in for a few minutes/until the cheese is melted.


I topped (loaded) mine with garlic marinara, reduced fat cheddar, tomato, sun dried tomato, onion, and green olives. SO. GOOD.  The entire thing was only 8WWP+ and incredibly filling.  I definitely recommend getting these wraps and topping with your favorite pizza toppings!

Black Bean Burgers

7:26:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

So I know I change up the look of my blog a whole lot - but I'm still trying to get the right feel for it.  Very plain right now, but I'm sure I'll change that soon.  I'm definitely still getting the hang of blogger.

I made these black bean burgers a week ago but forgot to post - mostly because I didn't get very pretty pictures of them.  But now, with hurricane Sandy keeping me inside a bit more than usual, I thought I'd take the time to post.  The recipe I followed is from Skinnytaste's Spicy Black Bean Burgers (surprise!).

What you will need:

16 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow) cut into small cubes
1/2 cup green onions
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce (you can omit if you dont wan't them to be spicy)
1/2 cup quick oats (I didn't have quite enough so I also added some breadcrumbs)



Get your beans as dry as possible and mash with a fork in a medium sized bowl until they turn into a thick paste.

In a food processor, chop bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, and garlic.  Then, add oats (and/or breadcrumbs), then egg and spices.  When these are all finely chopped, stir mixture into mashed beans.

Divide into 4 patties.  Put on a flat surface and cover with wax paper - freeze for at least two hours before cooking.



When patties are ready to be cooked, heat a lightly sprayed skillet on medium heat.  Cook on each side for about 7 minutes.  I also had to put mine into the microwave for a minute or two to get the middle as cooked as the outsides.

I ate mine open faced with a bit of hummus on top - yum!

I hope this rain clears up soon and we can all go back to enjoying that beautiful fall weather.

Crockpot Mongolian Beef

6:39:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

In an effort to make up for my slacking - you get two blog posts today!  For dinner tonight I made a very easy meal in the crockpot - Mongolian Beef. Yuuum.  I tweaked the recipe from Once a Month Mom who makes lots of crockpot recipes and gives you the instructions to freeze them.  I only made a few changes and they were to take down the fat/calories a bit.



What you will need:

1.5 lb flank steak (I used Trader Joe's Premium Angus Beef)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
corn starch
green onions, to taste (I used 3 onions in the crockpot and extra for topping)

Put all ingredients but steak into crock pot and stir to mix well.  Cut steak into stir fry sized strips and coat in large bowl with corn starch.  Add steak to crock pot and stir to mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Cook for 2-3 hours on high heat or 4-5 hours on low heat.  Stir occasionally.

This serves 4 and is 10 WWPP per serving.  Serve on top of rice if desired.

Healthy Shopping List

5:41:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

When trying to eat healthier, it is very important to go to the store with a list.  It helps me not only remember what I need, but it also keeps me from straying and picking up a bag of something because "ooh, that looks good".  I've searched for grocery shopping lists online and I like this one from Hungry Girl - it's very detailed.  Here's a list that's a bit less involved but includes all of the staples for me when doing WW.

Fresh Fruits (0 WWPP)
bananas
grapes
blueberries
pears
apples
clementines

Fresh Veggies (0 WWPP)
broccoli
carrots
greens (romaine, etc)
bell peppers
cucumbers
onion
squash
sprouts

Meat and Seafood
lean ground beef
lean ground turkey
boneless skinless chicken breasts
tuna
shrimp
turkey pepperoni
sliced turkey (sandwich meat)
turkey bacon

Bread
sandwich thins
flatout wraps/thins
bagel thins
Tortilla Factory high fiber low carb wraps

Beverages
skim milk
unsweetened coconut milk
tea (Lipton tea bags)
coffee
low fat creamer
diet sodas
small amounts of juices like V8

Other things usually on my list include non fat plain greek yogurt, high fiber cereal, beans, canned pumpkin and other canned vegetables, low fat cheese,  and low fat desserts such as Skinny Cow ice cream and sugar free jello pudding snack packs.  I also recently really expanded my spice collection.  Trader Joe's doesn't have a great selection, but most of their spices are only $2.  Having lots of spices on hand lets me cook much better healthy meals without adding oil and butter for flavor.  Hope this list can help you pick some new/healthy options the next time you are at the store!

Slacking

10:31:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Well, I've definitely been slacking on the cooking front.  I did make some good butternut squash soup a while back, but it wasn't the best subject for the camera.  So far, fall has brought lots of social events - which while fun, are not good for my diet.  We've gone to multiple football games which means tailgating which means lots of good (bad) food. Have I mentioned I have no self control?  Instead of a recipe today I'll share my past week or two - via instagram photos - enjoying the fall weather by traveling, eating, cuddling, being outside, baking, decorating, and tailgating.

Turkey Picadillo

8:32:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Today's recipe is another one from Skinnytaste - Turkey Picadillo.  I only edited a few things to be able to use what I already had at home.  I've made it twice now.  It's the perfect way to use up the odds and ends I seem to always have that need to be used up (onion, cilantro, etc) before they go bad.  Try it out!



What you will need:

1.25-1.5 pounds lean ground turkey (Skinnytaste used 93%, I used 99% fat free and it was still good)
4 oz tomato sauce
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves (I shook some dried bay leaves into mine)
2 tablespoons green olives
2 tablespoons green olive brine

Sofrito:
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tomato
1/2 to 1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro

Cook turkey in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  As the turkey cooks, break it into small pieces.

While the turkey is cooking, put together sofrito by chopping and mixing onion, tomato, bell pepper, cilantro, and garlic.  Add sofrito to meat and continue cooking on a low heat.  Add green olives, brine, bay leaves, and cumin.  Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup water and mix.  Simmer on low for about 15 minutes.  Enjoy!