Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

7:05:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

My mom in front of her tree - 1956.  My niece in front of my mom's tree - 2012.

Put 2 cups of water in a soup pot and bring to a boil.  Add cooked onion, carrots, and sweet potatoes, and reduce heat to low.  Cover and let cook for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, add beans and let cook for an additional 15 minutes.  If you like more of a stew consistency, drain excess water from pot.  I did this twice while making this soup because I like a thicker consistency.

Start to make sauce while soup is cooking.  Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and cayenne.  Reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes.  When your 15 minutes on the soup is up, stir tomato mixture into it and let it cook for another 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream

3:45:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

The title of today's post sure doesn't sound like something healthy - but I decided that today could be about making something healthyer (and yes, I know that's not how you spell healthier).

Browsing through Hungry Girl's website, you can find many tips on how to lighten up desserts.  I decided to try the trick of using non fat greek yogurt in a cake mix in place of the oil and eggs.   I had been craving the lemon-blueberry combo for a while and decided to put the cake mix that was in my cupboard to good use.  This recipe makes 12 servings and is 10 points per piece of frosted cake.



What you will need:

1 moist-style Lemon Cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Lemon Supreme)
1 cup non fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani, but another brand is fine)
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine cake mix and 1 cup non fat greek yogurt in a large bowl.  Then, add 1 cup water.  Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

Put mix into a greased pan - I used two 9 inch round pans.  This mixture is almost brownie like in consistency, but don't worry, it will bake like a cake.  I was pretty skeptical as I scooped it into the pans.

At this point I remembered I wanted to add blueberries, so I took some out of the freezer and quickly rinsed them in a strainer.  Then, I just placed them throughout the batter that was already in the pans and then smoothed the batter over them with a spoon.

Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  For me, this was sooner than the bake time listed on the box when using oil and eggs - so just be sure you keep and eye on it/check it after about 15 minutes.

Now - on to the frosting (which is REALLY good, by the way).  I followed the recipe from The eMeals Blog but halved it - which was still enough to cover the cake.

What you will need:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, beat butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and milk with a mixer until creamy.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over top and sides of cooled cake.

The verdict?  The cake was SO moist and the frosting was really refreshing.  I don't think I'd ever make a cake using oil and eggs again.  Not only is this version less fattening, but it tastes so much better!  No one will know it's from a mix.  I would make it again, but only if I was expecting company.  This time around we had to ration it - one piece a day for my husband and me.

Kale Salad with Avocado and Lemon

11:45:00 AM Anna 0 Comments

Have you been looking for a way to add more nutrients into your diet, but find yourself unwilling to buy that big bag of dark green kale from the grocery store?  This is a very quick and easy way to disguise the bitterness of kale but still get the benefits from eating it, including high amounts of fiber, iron, vitamins K, A, and C, calcium, and antioxidants.  Plus you get the added health benefits of avocado (heart healthy, helps lower cholesterol, shown to reduce the appearance of certain types of cancer) and fresh lemon juice (aids digestion, lowers blood pressure).



ALL you need is:

2 large handfuls of kale, rinsed and de-stemmed (enough kale to fill a medium/large salad bowl)
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 lemon, juice of

After you have rinsed the kale, remove the leaves from the ribs and put leaves into your salad bowl, discarding ribs (stems).  I used a bag of pre shredded kale from Trader Joe's, but if you are using whole leaves, make sure you tear them into bite sized pieces.

Add avocado and lemon juice to bowl and mix ingredients with hands, much like you are kneading dough.  This allows every bite of kale to be covered in the avocado and lemon, unlike many salads where you only get the dressing in certain bites.  The avocado does a great job balancing out the bitterness of the kale.  Enjoy!

Pear with Gruyere Pie

9:07:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Ever since I saw "Pushing Daisies" I have wanted to try a pear pie with gruyere baked into the crust (it's one of the pies they make in the show).  So, for Thanksgiving, I finally made one.  It was actually very easy - but that may be because I used a pre made frozen pie crust from Trader Joe's.  It was a big hit, fun to make, and not too sweet.  After searching Pinterest for a recipe, I ended up following this one.

Double Cranberry Apple Sauce

8:01:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Now that things have finally settled down a bit, I thought I'd start to share some of my favorite recipes from this year's Thanksgiving.  Instead of a cranberry sauce, which I often find too tart, I made double cranberry apple sauce.  It was nice and sweet, but not too sweet.  It's also a great Thanksgiving side dish because you can make it days in advance and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it.


What you will need:

5-6 large apples, peeled and diced (I used 1 fuji and 4 granny smith)
1 (12-ounce) package of fresh cranberries
1 small lemon (or 1/2 large lemon), sliced and seeded
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

In a large pot/saucepan, stir together apples, cranberries, lemon, sugar, and water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often.

Reduce heat, continue to stir, and let simmer 15-25 minutes or until cranberries pop.  Remove from heat and stir in sweetened cranberries (optional).  Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

November

8:49:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

It's hard to believe it's almost December.  November was a really fun month and fortunately included some "mountain time".  I went to school in the mountains and definitely miss them in the fall.  This month I got to visit Charlottesville, Lexington, and Blacksburg for football, wine, apples, and visiting with friends and family.

My friend is currently living in Charlottesville, VA and I visited her for the day before we headed to the football game in Blacksburg.  It was a perfect fall day.  We started it with bagels at a local shop called Bodo's and then we did a bit of shopping.


After that, we drove to her aunt and uncle's orchard at the top of Carter Mountain.  It's a bit of a steep drive (for those of us from Virginia Beach, anyway), but not long at all.  At the top you have a beautiful view of Charlottesville, as well as a winery where you can taste their wines and an orchard where you can buy apples, cider, and more.


I definitely recommend visiting if you are ever in the area.  We took advantage of a wine tasting, some apple cider donuts, and the perfect backdrop for some Anthropologie catalogue - esque pictures.

Greek Quinoa Salad

10:22:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Enjoy!

Green Smoothies

9:45:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

There are tons of green smoothies out there that mix spinach with lots of other fruits and veggies, and after a long weekend out of town and not eating the best foods, I decided to try one variation.  I made this recipe for a Healthy Limeade Smoothie.  I must admit - it was not my absolute dream smoothie, but I'm sharing it because I think with a few changes I could really like it - and you might like it as is!

 What you will need:

1/2 english cucumber, sliced
1/2 avocado
2 handfuls spinach
3 limes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I think I would leave this out if I made it again)
3 teaspoons agave nectar (or sweetened of choice to taste)
8 ice cubes
1/2 cup water

Put ice in blender first, then add all other ingredients and blend.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

1:23:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

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!

Chicken Fajitas

1:12:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

I've made these fajitas a few times and a few different ways based on what I had at home. They are a take on Skinnytaste's Chicken Fajitas and very simple and quick to put together. They are great topped with Pico De Gallo, stuffed into a tortilla, or eaten plain.

Here's what you will need:

16 oz boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts)
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 limes, juice of
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder

(you may want to add other types of peppers or spices to fit your taste)

In a medium non stick pan, cook chicken over medium heat in the juice of two limes.  I started doing this recently to avoid using oil and it gives the chicken a great flavor.



Shortly after putting chicken in the pan, add cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  In a medium sized bowl, toss chopped peppers and onions with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper.



When the chicken is done cooking, remove from pan and put the pepper and onion mixture in. Saute until tender. 


 Meanwhile, you can shred your chicken.

Mushroom Stroganoff

8:19:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Tonight I made Mushroom Stroganoff from Skinnytaste.  While it looks amazing as is - I made a few alterations based on what I had at home.



Servings: 4

Per Serving:
7 WW Points Plus                53 g carbs
285 calories                          3 g fat
13 g protein                           7 g fiber

What you will need:

1 tablespoon butter (I used Balade light butter with sea salt)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups fat free broth (she recommends vegetable or beef, but I used chicken and it was fine)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup fat free plain greek yogurt (or reduced fat sour cream)
8 ounces uncooked noodles (I used whole wheat angel hair)

For you other novice cookers out there - I would recommend having the ingredients ready and measured out when you start this recipe.  Everything moves pretty quickly and there's lots of necessary stirring - so it helps to have everything ready and in front of you.  I followed the cooking directions from Skinnytaste...so here you go:

Cook noodles according to package directions.  When the water starts to boil for the noodles, heat a large nonstick skillet and melt butter over medium heat.  When butter is heated, add onions to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium low heat.

Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds.  Gradually add broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste - stirring constantly.  Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.  Stir constantly.

Add wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes.  Remove from heat; let stand 30 seconds.  Stir in greek yogurt (or sour cream), add noodles, and mix well.  Enjoy!

Baked Acorn Squash with Agave, Light Butter, and Brown Sugar

3:55:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

This is a lightened up version of Simply Recipes Classic Baked Acorn Squash.  I've included all of the same flavors, but I used light butter as opposed to regular and agave instead of maple syrup.  I also used less of both of these ingredients than the original recipe calls for to lighten up the calories - but it is still plenty sweet. Of course, you are welcome to adjust them to taste!

Servings: 4 (1/4 squash in each serving)

Per serving:
2 WW Points Plus          14 carbs
65 calories                      1 gram of protein
2 grams fat                      2 grams fiber




What you will need:

1 acorn squash, cut in halves and scored
1 tablespoon butter (I used Balade light butter with sea salt)
1 teaspoon agave nectar (or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400

With a large, sharp knife, cut acorn squash in half from stem to bottom.  With a spoon, scoop out seeds and strings.  Score inside of the squash with a sharp knife, making what looks like a grid.

Spread half of a tablespoon of butter onto each half. Then, put 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar on each half.  Lastly, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar over each half.

Place squash in baking pan with water covering the bottom of pan to avoid burning or drying out the squash.  Bake for an hour, until tops are browned and squash is very soft.



Adjust toppings to taste. Mix, mash, and enjoy!

Curried Coconut Lentil Soup

8:39:00 PM Anna 1 Comments

Color Run

7:21:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Oooh, Monday. I am so bad about veering off of my diet on the weekends. This weekend was especially "bad" because it was my husband's birthday.  My body was not happy I fit pizza, ice cream, mexican food, and more into the celebration.  But, as Monday morning rolls around, I am guilted back to my high fiber cereal, non fat greek yogurt, lean meats, and fruits and veggies (which I really do feel much better eating).

I did have one fun, active event this weekend.  I took part in my first 5k - "The happiest 5k on the planet" - the Color Run!  It was so much fun.  It's not timed and all kinds participate (young, old, canine).  For those of you not familiar with the Color Run, it is a 5k where a different color of powder gets thrown on you when you complete each kilometer, leaving you nice and rainbowy at the end.  I walked/ran it with my husband, cousin, and a few friends.  We all had a blast - I would recommend taking part when they come somewhere near you. You can check their schedule here.





So much fun! And it made me feel a little better about all of that horrible food I ate this weekend.  I did have a successful trip to Trader Joe's today.  I saw my first acorn and butternut squashes of the season.  I also got the rest of the ingredients I needed for my next two upcoming recipes - Curried Coconut Lentil Soup and Mushroom Stroganoff.  Check back sometime tomorrow to see how they turned out!