A great weekend comes to a close...

... and I am exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Much loved an appreciated family came into town this weekend, and in typical "me" style I planned menus and cooked up a storm. They left satisfied, so I guess I did my "job." I really didn't push myself too hard - the menu left itself open to socializing as well as working. And, lets be real here, I love making a fuss for people in the kitchen. I made tomato soup and panini on Friday night, pizza on the grill Saturday (Love that FL winter weather), and for breakfast this morning I made waffles and scrambled eggs.

Although we didn't have this today, it would have been a perfect addition to a guest brunch. Especially this time of year, people like to eat healthy. This is easily accomplished by eating fresh (versus processed). Today, we piled fresh, halved strawberries on top of our waffles - but a side of fruit salad would have been just as apropos.

I'm sorry that this one is short. We have had one HECK of a week over here, and the old blogging energy is a little low today. Next week is finals, but hopefully I'll be able to sneak in another post before the week's out. That is, unless, we have another unexpected drama pop up early.

Berry-Pom fruit salad

Blackberries (or any sort of berry, really)
"clementine" orange segments (readily available during winter)
banana
Pomegranates

Dressing: lemonade (enough to coat fruit), touch of honey (sweeten to desired taste and calorie level), and a couple of pinches of garam masala. Mix well, then pour over fruit. The Pomegranate idea came from a middle-eastern family that I used to tutor for, as did the garam masala. It adds an interesting complexity and depth to an otherwise predictable fruit salad!

It doesn't hurt that it's pretty too.

An easy spin on Miso...

So, to counter my devilish New Years recipe, I thought I would offer something lighter and healthier.

Ozoni is a traditional breakfast/brunch food fed to Japanese families on New Years Day. It has a history of being served to the elite in historic Japan - offered to Samurais and royalty alike. Today, commoners and elite share in the tradition as it is served in the hopes of bringing prosperity all year long. As a point of interest, many New Year's Day foods are served in Japan for reasons other than taste.

However, my reasons are found in the flavor. It's similar to miso, but has more vegetables. Moreover, it is often served with an un-sweet mochi that I just LOVE. I also have a bit of a confession - while I love the stuff on New Years, I usually get on a kick and make this throughout the colder months of January and February. It's simple, and fast. Now, I will admit that this is not traditional - but it is adopted from a family friend of Japanese ancestry. I say adopted because some of the "traditional" vegetables are hard for me to come by, and I don't add the chicken. Here's the "available in Florida" recipe (and I'll point out where the chicken comes in):

Ozoni Soup:

Per 3 cups of water in a pot (double and triple as necessary), add 1 teaspoon dashi, and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil in a pot big enough to add the following vegetables (pick and choose with your tastes) -

mushrooms (shittake - but I cheated and added baby portobellos)
scallions
julienned carrots
Daikon (Japanese radish)
Napa Cabbage
And really just about any other kind of vegetable that suits your fancy.

Now, if you want to add chicken, you should add and boil for about an hour BEFORE the vegetables - until the chicken is completely falling apart and easily broken up into pieces. If you're making this for a crowd,I see nothing wrong with making a whole chicken. But, if you're making it for a few, feel free to add a breast or a couple of thighs.

Let cook to desired tenderness (I let mine just barely Blanche, as I like crunchy veggies).

Serve as it is, or with savory mochi. To cook mochi, you can boil (my usual choice) or grill. I have to warn you, this is a very difficult ingredient to find online. You want to find a Japanese food store. The mochi pieces are shelf-stable, individually wrapped, and very hard. It has no bean paste inside, just plain mochi. If you're really stuck, and you want the full experience, ask the store owner for mochi used for ozoni. Otherwise, you can easily (and authentically) substitute tofu or serve with nothing at all!

I also should add that traditional ozoni is served with kamaboko, which is a difficult ingredient for me to find. If you can manage it - it should be included for authenticity!

And, just because I hate to leave you here without at least the knowledge of TRUE Ozoni (as in, made from someone who has had the recipe handed down to them), here are some links:

http://www.champuru.net/blog/2008/12/31/easy-ozoni-recipe/

http://1tess.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/ozoni-new-years-day-soup/

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/12/29/ozoni.soup/

Happy and healthy 2009!

Fresh Pico de Gallo and Black Bean Salad

You know the other day, when I had to apologize for being absent? Well, my promise has come to fruition. Here are the recipes. I made a wonderful, healthy, fresh dinner that night that completely knocked my socks off. AND, the salad tasted better the next day. And it was full of protein and good for me brain food.

And, it was Mexican food...so...how could you top that?


Black Bean Salad

1 cup chopped tomato (seeded)
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 a medium red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
2 ears of corn, cobs thrown away after removing the corn.
1 Tablespoon fresh, chopped, cilantro

Dressing:

3 cloves of garlic
juice of one lime
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon honey
Smoked Chipotle Tabasco, to taste ( I liked 3 dashes).

Toss salad ingredients together.

To make dressing, pound garlic in a mortar and pestle, add salt and make into paste. Continue to pound in oil, lime, and honey until well incorporated. Add to salad and stir.

Season with Tabasco.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

1 cup finely diced tomato
1/4 cup sweet orange peppers, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly diced and separated out
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chipotle Tabasco, to taste (again, I liked a few dashes).

Add the vegetables

Smash the garlic and salt into a paste, add to Pico.

Season with Tabasco.

Serve with tortilla chips. Or, in absence of that - we ate it bruschetta style on bread.

Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta and Rustic Pan Fried Potatoes

Tomato Bruschetta and Caprese are two of my most favorite things in the world. There's just something about that balsamic and tomato combo that sets my taste buds on fire. The juiciness of the fruit, sweet undertones in the flesh, and then tartness of the balsamic blends indescribably well. Really, it's such a simple pleasure that packs an unbelievable punch. Bruschetta is one of those things that varies greatly between recipes. Meat or vegetarian, cheese or dairy free, crusty or soft bread, Balsamic Vinegar or reduction...the neat thing about bruschetta is that the sky is the limit in creativity.

I started experimenting with my own by creating a finely chopped caprese. Which was okay - but I felt it was lacking. I mean, if I wanted a caprese, I was going to make a caprese. To balance the bread I wanted a depth of flavor that I wasn't quite getting with the relatively bland mozzarella. I thought I had it licked when I discovered balsamic reduction in a restaurant - but that was a very difficult thing to replicate. I was about ready to give up on making the perfect bruschetta, aside from my Mexican Variety.

During our Portland trip, I managed to pick up a mortar and pestle at a cooking store. I'd wanted one for so long, and I was just dying to try it out. One Sunday after we came back home, I was faced with fresh tomatoes, basil, and an idea. What if I were to crush some spices in the mortar and pestle, make a sort of paste, and then form that into a dressing? My Bruschetta was born.
The neat thing about this recipe and method is that you get an even dispersement of garlic/onion/balsamic/salt in every bite. You pound the flavors into submission so every taste is balanced. The vinegar soaks into the garlic, and the olive oil coats throughout - so you don't get that oil/vinegar division you sometimes see in a caprese. The mushrooms add a heaviness to the dish that leaves you feeling completely satisfied - this is a suitable meal and a wonderful appetizer.

Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta for 2-3 (or a really hungry tomato loving one):
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped yellow onion.
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (or I cheated and used this, and it was surprisingly WONDERFUL! In the ingredients, it lists basil, marjoram, parsley, oregano, and thyme as the herbs included)
1 teaspoon of salt (you can add more at the end if you need more).
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
5 small (vine ripened) tomatoes
3 portobello mushroom caps.

In the oven, bake the mushroom caps at 350 until soft. If desired, sprinkle olive oil and a pinch of salt over the top before baking. Be careful to use a baking dish with sides, as the mushrooms will release water and that will make a smoky mess! My alarm company was not impressed.

Take mushrooms out and set aside.

In mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and onion together. Add salt and blend/smoosh. Add basil. Continue blending and smooshing. That's a technical term. It's also an indie band (the things you learn about on wiki - I was just trying to be a smartie pants.)

When everything is nicely combined, add olive oil, and blend, then add balsamic, and stir/smoosh until everything is well combined. Let sit.

Chop mushrooms into small pieces and place into a separate bowl.

Seed tomatoes and chop, then add to the mushrooms.

Pour mixture out of the mortar and pestle into the mushrooms and tomatoes. TASTE! Add balsamic, salt, and course ground pepper to taste.

Now, the bruschetta was wonderful, but (as a typical woman) - I wanted more.

Rustic Pan Fried Potatoes for 2-3

4-5 Red potatoes
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
course salt and pepper to taste (this puppy takes a lot of salt).
Water as needed.

Dice onions, mince garlic, and chop potatoes.

Place the Olive Oil in a pan set at medium. Toss in onions and garlic and let sizzle for a minute or so.
Add potatoes. Let the potatoes get a nice, pretty, brown color to them.

Add in spices, a dash of water for steam, and cover. Turn down to low.

Let potatoes cook until desired softness. Add more water if vegetables begin to burn and stick undesirably to the bottom.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Optional: a little lemon juice would probably add a nice complexity.

I served this with the 15 Minute French bread, this time made with bread flour instead of all purpose. I liked this better. It was heartier and the loaf held up better. I think I will try this in a loaf pan to see if I can get a good sandwich bread.

One last thing -all of these dishes can be made with significantly less oil for the fat conscious. The bruschetta flavors are most intensely balsamic vinegar and salt - the olive oil just acts to balance it. You could skip part or all, but be aware that there will be very little counteracting the bitterness of the balsamic. Keep this in mind as you add it to the tomatoes. In the potatoes, since you use the water to steam, you could use a little organic spray oil to coat the pan and keep it from sticking. You could also use a non-stick pan and eliminate the need for the oil all together. However, without oil, you won't get the pretty and tasty brown crust on the potatoes. It's a tradeoff, and it depends on how strict your diet is.

The easiest party dish ever.

Now grab a tortilla chip and dig in. Yum.

I had to bring in a "covered dish" for a summer staff development. Because of my own dietary needs, it also had to be low fat, vegetarian, and hearty enough to hold me if everyone else brought a meat dish.

I immediately thought of the layered bean dip I adopted from my mother. Now, she got this from a friend in Hawaii, and you have to be aware that this is a dish you can make as fatty or as healthy as you want. In my opinion (and the discerning taste of my husband) - the lighter version is just as delicious. Considering that it was completely eaten up before I left - I'd say that my fellow teachers didn't mind it either.

Layered Bean Dip

1 can re fried beans or bean dip (I use Old El Paso Fat Free).
2-3 avocados smashed with lime juice
1 Package Taco Seasoning (make your own?)
1 16 oz-ish tub of sour cream (I use fat free - you can use Greek yogurt, but it's not as good)
Diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese (I use 2% Mexican generally, never go fat free - it's terrible)
1 small can of sliced olives
3 scallions, thinly sliced in rings
jalepeno if you like them.

(1) Mix the tub of sour cream and taco seasoning together. Let sit for a while. It's fine to whip it up the night before - the longer it sits the better. In fact, if you get going and realize that the tub is just "too much" for the plate that you are making - keep the rest and use it as a vegetable dip. It's wonderful!

(1) Grab a large plate. Any shape, varied sizes, you will make the dip to it! I get the smaller of the two pizza pans I have (maybe 20 inches in diameter?), put down some aluminum foil to cover the holes (and make for easy clean up), and use that. I always have a little rim of plate around. To make it pretty, you can push chips in the sides at serving time to give the dip a fun "border." Even prettier with colored chips.

(3) Spread the beans down first, then the avocado mixture, followed by the sour cream. I like to leave the avocados more chunky (I like big hunks of avocado on my chips), but this is to your taste. I suggest trying the three bottom layers to decide what flavor suits you, and decide on proportions for that. The sour cream mixture is salty, so I wouldn't make that layer TOO thick.

(4) Now comes the tomatoes. Again, to your taste. I love how the tomatoes balance the salty flavor of the sour cream, so I use a fair amount here.

(5) The cheese, more means more calories, so you adjust to what you need.

(6) The final ingredients on top, to taste. (7) Enjoy with a good corn chip. I love Kettle's or Garden of Eatin's

For us, this is a completely reasonable dinner - especially during football season!

Seitan Ribs, from the Fat Free Vegan

Yesterday, I wrote about a few new blogs. One of them was the fat free vegan, and that is the same blog that I got this recipe from.

As I said before, my husband is a meat substitute phobe. He raises an eyebrow at anything that is supposed to mimic meat. We've found a few good substitutes, but the default is always that he won't like it.

I had read bits and pieces about Seitan, and I was starting to feel pretty positive about it. Seitan is made from vital wheat gluten, which is the "binder" in breads. In fact, vital wheat gluten is something many bakers keep on hand for their baked goods. On one of the Weight Watcher boards, I followed a link for "ribz" and ended up at the Fat Free Vegan. She was writing about her Fourth of July feast, which included Seitan Riblets.

Let me start by saying that they really are quite tasty - and the husband did enjoy them! Let me give you a few tips that weren't clearly spelled out at the Fat Free Vegan's site:

(1) DO NO clean up vital wheat gluten with water. You know that rubber-cement like stuff on the back of tags taken off of magazines? That's sort of what VWG is like when wet. Dust it off, and just wipe off the residue. Oh...and be careful with your sink - I'm still trying to clean the sludge out.

(2) The instructions say "knead," but this doesn't mean "knead" like you would a loaf of bread. You can't stretch it out and pull it apart like you can bread dough. Instead, you want to keep the ball of Seitan together, just pressing down, then cupping the very spongy dough back together. Don't flatten and lop over like bread - Seitan doesn't worth that way.

(3) When you spread the Seitan into the pan, it takes some serious effort. I had to work the dough vigorously for quite some time to get it spread out in the pan. Don't give up - it will come together eventually.

Other than that, Seitan is amazingly simple and something we will be trying again! The whole pan is 20 points, so if you divide it into 4, that's 5 points a serving. It's a nice "go to" meal, as Vital Wheat Gluten is a shelf-stable ingredient that can be kept on hand for a substantive meal.

A few new links in my blog roll.

I find myself delving more and more into the world of foodiedom, and all the while finding foodie blogs to read for inspiration.

I'm also finding myself drawn more and more to vegan sites. While I'm not a vegan, I do like cooking like one.

The Fat Free Vegan is cool because it mixes weight watching with no meat. I find vegans to be disgustingly skinny (disgusting, like, I want to be just like them!) So, it's actually hard to find ones that focus on watching caloric and fat intake. Don't get me wrong - almost every vegan I've ever met is heath conscious. They're just not always calorie counting.

Post Punk Kitchen is done by a couple of well known vegans that have written the books Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Veganomicon. I actually just picked Veganomicon up from the new bookstore in town, and I am way excited to try it out. What I love about these books is the wholesomeness often overlooked in veganism in favor of meat substitutes. I love how most everything is natural. Already the spicy tempeh sushi has completely caught my eye.

The Vegan Dad: who DOESN'T love a Dad who can cook?

I have a few more blogs that I've added that are neither vegan nor vegetarian:

A Veggie Venture is just an all around great site totally focused on vegetables with lots of references to Weight Watchers.

The Gourmet Momma is another Mom that loves to cook. I completely identify with these sorts of blogs and felt at home when I opened it. There are lots more Foodie Mommy Blogs there too.

I think that I just have Oregon on the brain right now, but I'm loving Northwest Noshing. I especially love that he reviewed Mother's, as I recently did the same after my trip up north.

Anyhow, a few more good reads for you while I gear up for the new school year. Then it won't be so noticeable when I don't post everyday! (I hope, I hope..)

Two vegetarian finds.

My husband is a fake-meat phobe. Seriously. When we became vegetarians, his one stipulation was that I don't try to force "matrix meat" into him. Consequently, I mostly try to cook without it.

A good friend (vegetarian) had a super bowl party. She had this chili dip that I tasted (thinking that it had no meat), and found myself a little upset that I tasted hamburger. Later, I heard her say it had no meat, and that she used a Boca crumble. The husband and I enthusiastically agreed that we couldn't tell the difference.

A bit later, I read about how wonderful these frozen vegan riblets were. I got a little curious and bought them one day - and low and behold - they WERE good. They taste remarkably like meat, the sauce is wonderful, and they're way low in points weight watcher points (I want to say 3 or so, but double check if you're on weight watchers).

Well, the vegan riblets went over so well, I decided to try the meatballs. And you know what? They were really good too! And only two points per serving (6 whole meatballs)!

This has given me the gumption to try seitan, which is on the menu for this week (oh...I really should get back into doing that on here...mental note). My husband is definitely feeling more open to them, so I better capitalize.

As an aside, the Tofurky franks are pretty much awful. Don't even bother.

In a hurry...

The summer is coming to a close. Which means the kids are headed back to preschool, I am trying to wrap up loose ends around the house, and I'm pulling out all my materials for the school year.

I have some new tools that I desperately want to share with you, but for today I will simply share a find.

Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning made with a variety of ingredients. I choose the one with no meat products in it - so nori (seaweed), flavoring, and sesame seeds. If you're like me, and never quite developed a taste for soy sauce over rice, or you just want something different, this is a great fine. It's sort of like sushi in a jar.

For the last couple of days, I've been taking a cup of rice (4 points) and chopping up things to go on top, then flavoring with furikake. Think of it like a sushi bowl instead of rolled. Tasty, healthy, and easy on the diet.

You can find it in many Asian food stores or online. Just Google "furikake" and you will see what I mean.

I have a work thing tomorrow, but maybe I will be able to scoot in and talk about this chunky, rustic homemade tomato sauce I created with two of my new favorite tools.

Something new to do with mint.

Zucchini Mint Salad

(totally can't remember where I pulled this from).

1 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
2 Ounces crumbly feta cheese
2 medium zucchini, sliced as thin as you can make it.
3 Tablespoons chopped mint leaves
Zest + juice from one lemon.

Mix together in a bowl.

Let sit for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 side dishes or 2 light meals. 6 points in the whole thing. Divide accordingly.

WONDERFUL!

Now I'm full :)

Hey...it makes up 70% of the Earth.

And it makes your body work, so why not drink more of it?

Because it's BORING, that's why.

I like FLAVOR. TASTE. ZING. PASSION ON MY TASTEBUDS.

While nothing beats water when "glistening" and working hard, to drink it otherwise just doesn't pass the muster. The problem is that everything else (a) has calories and (b) isn't as good for you. I won't do the diet soda business. There's only so much caffeine a sane person can handle. So, what to do?

Flavor your water!

I had some mint left over, so I tore up a couple of leaves and tossed them into my Klean Kanteen. Then I added ice and water, as usual, and let it sit.

FLAVOR. TASTE. ZING. PASSION ON MY TASTEBUDS.

Not a mint fan, or don't have the herb? Cucumbers, lemon, lime, berries, and rosemary are all good options. Think a very light tea, and that's the intensity of the flavor. Not overpowering, but still tasty.

I'd been putting cucumbers and lemons in my water for a while. I'd never thought of mint. For the life of me, I cannot remember where I got that idea - but it WORKS.

In other kitchen news, I finally got my LARGE LOAF PANS. YAY! I'm going to try that 15 minute bread recipe in those to see if I can get some sandwich bread. That is a completely sustainable bread recipe that I can use even when I am working. I'm sort of focused on the bread as a new blog I've picked up recently wrote an article about it. I have a renewed interest in my bread quest of old.

I also have some low fat tortillas on the horizon. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. It'll be a surprise. Heh.

A little vacation...

June 30th. Have I really been away so long? I apologize!

In celebration of the holiday, I took a little break. I was feeling sort of "blah" - uninspired if you will. The joy of cooking is so much less when mixed with the joy of weight loss. I have to re-focus my efforts into low calorie, low fat, high flavor, foods. It's taking me a moment to re-center myself, but I do think I'm onto something.

I am enjoying the process of creating homemade salad dressings. My most recent attempt was a ginger-citrus that was "eh." However, I like the intensity of flavor in homemade dressings. I think I will start experimenting with ingredients in this arena.

The most recent healthy endeavor was re-creating my pizza recipe. I made a pizza that was roughly 7 points, or around 350 calories. It was filling, tasty, and wonderful! Made with wholesome bread flour, vegetables, and fresh mozzarella. When I say roughly - that means it ACTUALLY adds up to 6 (4 for the crust, 2 for the cheese, 0 for the veggies and sauce). However, for the small variances I added a point - just to be safe!

All I did was omit the oil (completely) in the crust. After I kneaded as directed, I placed the dough in the bowl and sprayed oil over the top . I let it rest, and then divided the pizzas into 8 servings (instead of 4). I carefully spread out each ball into a disk, and then I let it rise for around another 30 minutes before I put them on the grill. Confident of my pizza skills, I cooked four at a time. For my pizza, I sprinkled some diced tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and exactly one ounce of FRESH mozzarella cheese. I sliced this very thin so I could disperse it around the pizza quite carefully and evenly.

If you are wondering about how it turned out - my husband reported that it was the best pizza ever. Better than any I had ever made before. Apparently the oil and extra fats were not as necessary as I had thought.

SO, if you're watching your caloric intake - and want to try some excellent pizza, this is a good option.

Almost down a week!

On Thursday morning I will weigh in. I have been PERFECT this week - it hasn't even been hard to stay within the allotted points. It helps that I'm not keeping around all the processed foods that I have used in the past - like, those 2 point cupcakes. Since they were "just" two points - I would eat them and think nothing of it. Then I wouldn't have enough points left over for a nutritious dinner. The no meat thing definitely helps too. I'm not trying to measure out ounces of chicken and beef.

Whatever, I am looking forward to seeing what the nutritious eating and consistent daily exercise will bring. If nothing else, I'm proud of myself. So, that's cool.

Dinner tonight is a wonderful salad with a touch of vinegar, and topped with a generous amount of mango salsa. A TERRIBLY EASY, healthy, bonus:

Mango Salsa:

1 mango
1/2 of a small red pepper
1/4 of a large red onion,
1 Tablespoon of cilantro
1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon honey (omit-able, I did).

Mix together and enjoy! Bet if it sits for 10 minutes or so.

Wonderful over a salad or eaten with chips, but in my meat-eating days I would put it over the top of tilapia. I've also been known to eat it with a spoon!

Grillin' veggies.

With mushrooms on sale this week, I wanted an easy way to incorporate them that was low in calories, fun, and different. I realized that I hadn't ever shish kabobed veggies - and that's SUCH an easy way to cook them. Tell me that THIS doesn't look good.

Oh. It gets even better. That's pineapple, baby. Grilled pineapple. Which is, like, pineapple from heaven.

It made an afternoon like this...

...feel almost fiesta like.

The best part? The whole meal (two shish kabobs, dip, corn, and two pineapple slices) was only 2.5 Weight Watcher points. That comes out to less than 150 calories. AND I'm full.

So, how to make it?

Kabobs: I made mine veggie style, but you could toss a chicken breast, steak, or shrimp on too. Just make sure that you keep the meat marinated, even in cube sizes, and make DOUBLE sure that you keep the veggies on their own kabob (they cook at a different rate). Shrimp cook best if you double skewer them, so they form a little "c."

Dip: I took about a half cup of PLAIN fat free yogurt and tossed in a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and half of a lime. Then I added garlic powder (it was what I had on hand, fresh would be better) and cumin to taste. The husband and I each got a 1/4 cup of it. Corn: I tossed it right on the grill and turned it. I can deal with corn with no butter - in my mind it slides right off anyway. I just salt mine, and that seems to do what the butter does.

Pineapple: To grill pineapple, first you must cut. Slice the top and the bottom off. Then work your way around the edge slicing the pineapple skin off, top to bottom. When the skin is cut off, cut down the middle, from top to bottom. Take each half, cut wedges, again top to bottom. In the middle of each pineapple is the hard core, cut that off like you would an apple. Then just toss the pineapple right on the grill long enough to get the pretty grill marks.

Really, it was so healthy, and SO good. One of my new go-to meals when I've overdone earlier in the day.

Heaven Healthy.

Imagine the most luscious dessert you have ever had. Chocolate fudge cake, or something drenched in caramel. My husband's favorite is key lime pie or carrot cake. Me? I can't say I have a favorite. However, I never met a cookie I didn't like.

When I find something I love, that is also healthy, I do a little mental jig. I mean, lets face it, eating healthy isn't always FUN. At least not when you have to limit fat and calories. I love a good piece of bread. I could make a meal out of bread - but even those simple delicacies are limited when trying to lose a few pounds.

So when I found THIS absolute luscious combination - heavenly AND weight loss friendly - I was thrilled. I mean, at that moment where I was enjoying my parfait, you could have put even the most wonderful of cookies in front of me. All I would have said was "no thanks," between my mouthfuls.

This is so simple - but I think what makes it delicious is the freshness and quality of the ingredients.

1 cup of yogurt (I used Stoneyfield Farm's Organic Fat Free Vanilla.)

1 cup of fruit (fresh, right now the raspberries are out and flavorful, and I have been taking advantage of them.)

1/4 - 1/2 cup granola. (I like Bear Naked fit Vanilla Almond Crunch, 1/4 cup).

Nutritional info
Calories: 364
Fat: 3.3
Fiber: 11
Sugar: 41.4
Weight Watcher Points: 7

Now, you can reduce the calorie and point load by using plan yogurt instead of the vanilla. The parfait is perfect for breakfast or lunch. It usually leaves me feeling very satisfied for hours in the day.

Tomorrow I might make one pretty and post a picture. They're simple and fun to dress up.

6/20 Menu and Grocery List

I'd like to start this with with warning you all that the menus are going to get a bit lower calorie. Being the foodie that I am, still with high flavor. Just a tad lower in fat.

Why, you ask?

Well, I'd noticed that my hip has really been bothering me lately. So, I stepped on the scale, told my hubby that I was rejoining, and that was it. Weight Watchers is an old friend of mine. The only one that allows me to eat what I want, so long as I plan accordingly. I had taken a "break" as I was feeling worn down from my work schedule and the restraints from the plan. Being summer, and the fact that the coming school year will not be bringing me the same constraints, it was time to go back. My hope is that I will be down 20 pounds by the school year, giving me plenty of motivation to cut back on the plethora of goodies that IS my workplace.

I've also recently purchased a Wii fit. HELLO!?! Where the heck has THAT been for the last three years? When my daughter was born, I was able to get into a fairly regular stroller walking routine. It all worked out fantastically. For about 6,000 different reasons that I will not bother you with - it stopped. And stayed stopped. We got an elliptical trainer, which was PERFECT for two weeks until it broke. That's when we decided to invest in the fit. I was skeptical of how well a video game system would work me. It may not be for the athlete, but a Mom who can't escape her two kids for a moment will be well served by the fit. Heck, my daughter takes the second controller and goes on runs WITH me.

So, here goes the Weight Watcher Friendly Menu:

Sale items: limes, avocados, mangoes, baby carrots, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, baby portobello mushrooms, organic salad bags.

Friday: Burritos (tortillas - no, I haven't learned to make them homemade yet - with black beans, rice, cilantro, and low fat cheese. Topped with tomatoes & avocados)

Saturday: Breakfast will be Huevos Rancheros. Dinner will be mushroom, pineapple, pepper, and onion kabobs with corn and baked potatoes. I will likely make some french bread too. And some sort of dip, although I'm not sure what yet. Dessert I plan on making a Blueberry Creme Brulee that I got from the Weight Watcher's site.

Sunday: Breakfast will be polenta topped with poached eggs along side of a tomato avocado salsa. Dinner will be leftovers, as I'm certain we will have plenty.

Monday: Salads and french bread. I think I will try to mix this up with some herbs or fresh garlic.

Tuesday: Tomato soup and bread

Wednesday: Mushrooms and gravy over cous cous or rice.

Thursday: Mexican casserole, another Weight Watchers recipe.

As we work through the week I will be sure to post wonderment! For "extra" food (and lunches) I have a simple avocado toss and mango salad.

Good Day, Sunshine.

I've had the most fantastic weekend. It was perfect,wonderful, happy, and joyous.

What did I do?

Well, I stayed home, of course!

My life is really hectic. I work early (7 AM), and leave work at any point between 3-4:30. Then I pick up the kids and do the Mommy thing until about 10 PM. I'm not saying this to gain sympathy - I know I'm right in the thick of it with all the other Moms out there. I'm more trying to get the proverbial "amen, sista!" My day is almost more hectic when I get home. As soon as we walk in the door we wash our hands (who knows what kid came to school with which virus that day), get milk, then dinner, then I start dinner for the ball and chain. Oops, someone spilled their applesauce. Oh wait, no you cant have any fruit snacks until you finish those chicken nuggets. Then Daddy walks in the door and it's like I don't exist, until they realize they're hungry again. Then it's playtime, an apple, playtime, an orange, more playtime, clean time, more apples? Nope. Too late. Then baths, books, bedtime, lunches, laundry, cleanup, and a "do I know you?" to my husband.

So, a weekend like this, where I went no where (except for Lowe's), got some sun (tan lines to prove it, my dermatologist would NOT approve), and watched the kids play in their new kiddie pool, seems like a trip to the Bahamas. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's close.

Now, we did do some productive things. I finally got around to planting my herb garden (two kinds of basil, dill, chives, and mint). I got caught up on laundry (we took a weekend away recently and I haven't been caught up since!) And, I did some cooking.

On Friday I made these, which is yet another wonderful thing to do with rice. Excellent, excellent, and totally modifiable. I ended up adding some lime juice and cayenne pepper. Made some fresh guacamole to go on top, along with some Newman's Own salsa, the husband was a happy camper. I also ended up making this rice dish, which is now 48 hours old (in the fridge) and tastes better each day.

Saturday I made these cookies, which will forever be called the cookies that I will never make again. Oh, don't get me wrong, they were excellent. I just can't have them in the house ever again. The frosting was screaming to be used on scones. I will have to remember it for that. I'm thinking a nice cranberry walnut scone (or muffin) with the orange frosting/glaze.

Today, I made pizza on the grill and pasta salad. Usually, I like to make a good leftover dinner on Sunday. However, the nice weather just screamed for our grill, so I gave in. We still have some rice pilaf but we needed something else for lunches. So, I made my pasta salad.

Practically Fat free Pasta Salad:

(1) Boil 1 lb of pasta (as instructions dictate). I like tri-colored rotini, but monotone and bow ties will do fine. I don't care for macaroni or ziti-like pasta for this, it doesn't grab the dressing as well. Drain in colander, rinse with cold water, and place in large bowl. Add 1/8 cup olive oil.

(2) Chop and add your vegetables. Now, this is where YOU can get creative. In today's bowl, I added:

• 2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped.
• 1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large green pepper, seeded, and finely diced
• 1 1/2 dill pickles chopped
• 1 can large black olives, cut in half

YOU can add whatever you like and have on hand. Some ideas include carrots, celery, baby corn, corn kernels, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, ham, turkey, shrimp, the sky is the limit! I just wouldn't add chickpeas as they tend to get dried out and not good. I also would caution the tomatoes and cucumbers - do NOT add without seeding first. Those "innards" of the cucumbers and tomatoes just bleed water into the salad. This will make it uneatable in the coming days.

(3) when all has been incorporated, add 1/4 cup water and two packets of zesty Italian dressing mix. Toss together, and add red wine vinegar to taste. If you want to add to the flavors, consider Brags Amino Acids, Chipotle Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, and cilantro.

This makes a LARGE bowl of pasta salad that you can eat off for days. It is low in fat, diet friendly, and a great way to use up unused vegetables.

Now I must go back out and enjoy the last few minutes of my weekend. If your weekend was even half as wonderful as mine, you are lucky indeed. Hug your family, they're what you do this for.