Tag Archives: cooking

A simple, but delicious date night dinner

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My husband and I discovered that we really love tuna steaks – ahi tuna, albacore tuna, yellowfin tuna – you name it, we love it. However, unlike much of the world, we don’t like tuna tar-tar, which is pretty much raw tuna. We love it grilled – all the way through. When cooked all the way, tuna really can be compared to eating a pork chop – or at least that’s what we think!

Last night (Saturday, April 21), we dined on a wonderfully simple recipe my husband found on the Internet called Grilled Mediterranean Ahi Tuna. Although it didn’t have very many ingredients, it had a lot of flavor. We paired it with a Weight Watchers recipe, roasted asparagus and red peppers. Again, simple, but oh-so-flavorful!

Below are pictures of our meal and the recipes. Enjoy!

The meal!

Close up of the tuna

Close up of the veggies

The tuna recipe

The veggie recipe

Like P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps? Try these!

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Last week, one of my Weight Watchers members gave me a recipe for lettuce wraps. The recipe was supposed to be similar to P.F. Chang’s signature lettuce wraps. Well, I am here to tell you…they were DELICIOUS! And yes, very close to the ones at the wonderful Chinese restaurant.

My guess, however, is that these are just a wee-bit healthier!

My awesomely, wonderful chef-of-a-husband made them for us today. Because I enjoyed them so much, I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. So, here you go…ENJOY!

Turkey mixture

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

8 scallions, white & green part chopped

1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained, rinsed & chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tbsp water

2 tsp sesame oil

1 large head butter lettuce, washed, dried & leaves separated

Sauce

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp garlic

1. In a large pan, brown the turkey, breaking up the pieces. Pour into a colander in the sink and drain the fat. Return chicken to pan. When cool enough to handle, break the turkey into pieces until minced.

2. Add the scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, water and sesame oil. Cook for a few minutes until the scallions and red pepper are soft. Keep warm.

3. In a small bowl, add all the dipping sauce ingredients together and mix well.

4. To assemble each wrap, spoon about 2/3 cup mixture onto one lettuce leaf, top with about one teaspoon of sauce and then roll it up and enjoy!

Makes: 8 lettuce wraps – Use about 2/3 cup mixture, one lettuce leaf & 1 tsp of dipping sauce per wrap

PointsPlus Value per serving: 2

Lettuce wraps

Here’s this week’s recipe!

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Yes, I know it is after Thanksgiving, but I am going to share with you the recipe I used for a crustless pumpkin pie that my family enjoyed on Thanksgiving. It was quite tasty; even my mom and dad liked it.

I know I will definitely make it again.

Oh, and on a little side note, if you by chance don’t have any vanilla extract in your cupboards, feel free to use vanilla-flavored vodka. It works.

See, the thing is, I don’t bake. Ever. So that means, I don’t have the necessary baking ingredients on hand. Ever. I even had to borrow a pie plate from my mom because I don’t own one. This was my first time EVER making a pie in my whole life. Anyway, back to the vodka.

When we realized we didn’t have any vanilla extract, my husband suggested I Google substitutes for the flavoring, so I did. People had suggestions for rum, brandy and other alcohol, so I thought what the heck. I remembered that we had a little sample bottle of UV Cake vodka and cake basically tastes like vanilla, so I used it. And….it worked just fine. OK, granted it was just a teaspoon of it!

So, here is the recipe (made with vanilla extract) and a picture for you to enjoy:

15 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)

12 oz can fat-free evaporated milk

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup Splenda

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until smooth.

3. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate.

4. Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes and then bake for another 45 minutes at 325ºF.

5. Pie is done when knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes: One 9-inch pie

Serving size: 1/8 of the pie

PointsPlus values per serving: 2

Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin Pie

A couple of recipes for you to enjoy!

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Hello everyone. I guess last week kind of got away from me. I had promised to post the recipe for Kale Chips and never did. Sorry about that. Well, I am posting it now, along with a  recipe for Cranberry-Orange Relish that is excellent and would make a great side dish to Thursday’s Thanksgiving meal.

Enjoy the recipes!

KALE CHIPS

2 cups fresh kale leaves

Non-stick cooking spray, preferably butter flavor

Salt, to taste

1. Preheat over to 425º.

2. Place kale leaves on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Spritz leaves with the cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

3. Bake in the oven until crispy, about 5-8 minutes.

Makes: 1 serving.

PointsPlus values per serving: 0

This is what the kale looks like before you bake it.

This is what the kale looks like after you bake it. So delicious!

CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 medium orange, cut into chunks (save half of the peeling)

1 cup Splenda

1 piece fresh ginger root (about 1 inch)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Put cranberries, orange, orange peel, Splenda, ginger and cinnamon in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

2. Scrape into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. You can make this relish up to 5 days ahead of time.

Makes: About 3-4 cups

Serving size: 1/4 cup

PointsPlus values per serving: 1

Cranberry-Orange Relish (photo courtesy of realmomkitchen.com)

 

Weekly recipe and MORE!

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Before I get to the recipe this week, I thought I would share how things have been going.

Well, good and not so good. As most of you know, I have lost 50 pounds. When I was in the losing mode, everything seemed easier. Weird, isn’t it. This whole “maintaining” thing is harder than I thought. Yes, I have been maintaining my weight now for nearly two years, but I liked when I was in the losing mode a lot better.

So why is that, you ask? Not entirely sure, but my guess is because I actually had a goal, something to strive for. I know what you’re thinking, I do have a goal now…to maintain and keep it up, but it’s just not the same. It’s hard to explain. For the most part, I am maintaining…I am keeping my weight between 140 and 142 pounds, although sometimes, it creeps up to that 144-145 mark. I have tried to keep it between 136-138 pounds, but for some reason, that is just too difficult. So, I have relaxed a little and am okay with keeping it between 140-142.

I know I should be happy with that considering my actual goal weight is 155! And I am happy, don’t get me wrong. It’s just sometimes, I really wish it was easier. For the most part, I have wonderful, GREAT days, but there are times, like in the past couple of days, where things have gotten a little out of control; a little ugly, if you will.

Here’s a little example of some items I have consumed in the last couple of days…a medium-sized peanut cup blizzard from the Dairy Queen, a rather large rice crispy bar, several piece of candy, a small-ish bag of cheddar cheese puffcorn, a small-ish bag of Fliptz pretzels (white chocolate covered pretzels!) AND…a four-piece chicken strip basket from Dairy Queen. Yes, there was more, but I didn’t track (yes, shame on me) so I really don’t even know what else there was.

See, that’s the thing, this happens every so often. I have this kind of “binge” eating and then I stop and everything goes back to normal and I am “good” again. That’s the part that frustrates me and I wish I could explain WHY it happens. I guess I should just be happy that it doesn’t spiral downward into something more and that it DOES only last a couple of days.

Well, anyway, those were my thoughts this morning so I thought I would share. I am back on track again starting today and so far it feels pretty darn good – oh wait, I guess it is only 5:30 in the morning!!!!

Here is my recipe this week…homemade hummus. Yes, I made this myself, without a recipe. Yep, I just threw this stuff together and I have to say it turned out pretty darn good. You can eat the hummus with pita chips or some other cracker-type item, but I find it is best with crudités – or even simpler terms, cut up raw veggies! My favorites are fresh zucchini and celery, although bell peppers are also very good with the hummus dip.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)

1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp water

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency.

2. Use spatula to scrap down sides to make sure all ingredients are well-blended.

3. Serve with crudités (raw veggies), such as zucchini, summer squash, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc.

Total servings: about 8

Serving size: about 1/4 cup

PointsPlus value per serving: 2

Homemade hummus

Check out this week’s recipe!

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Hello all! I am actually remembering to post my recipe this week.

My husband and I are in love with couscous. It is such a versatile grain and can have just about anything added to it. We think it is more versatile than brown rice or even quinoa. At any rate, we found a new couscous – Israeli couscous, which is bigger than normal couscous and has a slightly different taste.

We found ours at Trader Joe’s in Maple Grove, but I am pretty sure you can find it in other stores as well. Although, it maybe harder to find in smaller towns. The first time we made it, we followed the recipe that was on the back of the box. The next time, we changed it up a bit and added our own twist on it. The recipe I am including is the one from the box with bell peppers added to it. I am including two pictures – one from the first time we made it and one from the second time.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Here’s the recipe:

3 tbs margarine

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup shallots, diced

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 3/4 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Zest from half a lemon

1 bay leaf

1. Melt 1 tbs of margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl.

2. Melt remaining 2 tbs of margarine in the same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and bell peppers and sauté until softened or shallots are golden in color. Add dry couscous, cinnamon stick and bay leaf; stirring often until couscous slightly browns.

3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and pine nuts. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving.

Serves: 6

PointsPlus value per serving: 6

Here are the pictures:

The first couscous

The second couscous

 

 

 

This week’s recipe: Al’s chicken tortellini soup

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I almost forgot to post my recipe this week. Shame on me!

As many of you know, my husband, Al, loves to cook. This soup is one of his favorites to make this time of year. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! And for me to say this, it means it was pretty darn good. I am not the biggest soup lover, but this one ranked pretty high in my list of Top Ten favorite soups.

Yep, it was that good. Here is the recipe for you to try and hopefully enjoy as much as I did:

Al's chicken tortellini soup

tortellini soup

Click on the above link to see the recipe. If it doesn’t work, send me an email and I can send you the recipe. My email is celbeam@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

And always, remember you can find my blog on Facebook, too. Click here to become a fan of my Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl Facebook page!

Weekly recipe – BBQ chicken tenders!

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Last Saturday night, we had our good friends, Brad and Linda, over for a meal. We try to get together with them at least once a month. We always have so much fun! Well, this time, it was going to be “Wing Night,” as in chicken wings and drummies. I am so not a fan of either. I don’t like any meat with skin or bones. YUK!

Because of this, my dear husband, who you all know LOVES to cook, wanted to find a recipe for boneless, skinless chicken “wings” so I could have something to eat. He found a recipe on the Eating Well website called BBQ chicken tenders.

Here is the recipe, as well as a photo! They were SO delicious.

BBQ chicken tenders

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup K.C. Masterpiece classic blend BBQ sauce

2 tbsp honey Dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 large eggs

1 ½ cup Dynasty panko breadcrumbs

Cooking spray

1. Combine BBQ sauce, mustard and honey in a large bowl. Set aside ½ cup of the sauce in a small bowl. Cut chicken into strips, about 24 total, and then add all the strips to the large bowl with the remaining sauce; stir to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

3. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Place panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish. Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then roll in breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess. Place strips on the baking sheet. Generously coat both sides of each strip with cooking spray.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each tender over and continue baking until the outside is crisp and the strips are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Serve with the reserved BBQ sauce.

Makes: 24 strips

Serves: 6

Serving size: 4 strips

Weight Watcher PointsPlus value per serving: 7

And just for fun, here are a couple of photos from the “real” wings my husband made.

These were some kind of orange wings or something like that.

This was the bowl of bones from all the wings and drummies my husband, along with Brad and Linda ate!

Weekly recipe

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I have decided to start posting my weekly recipe that I use in my Weight Watchers meetings. For any WW member out there who is reading this, I also make sure to include the PointsPlus values. Most of the recipes are ones that I have tried and most often, the photo will be one that I have taken.

Enjoy, everyone!

Strawberry meringue delights

4 large egg whites

1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Cool Whip, fat-free

Strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 200ºF. Line two baking sheets with foil.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add vinegar; beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add sugar; beat until glossy stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla.

3. Remove half of meringue to another bowl; stir in cocoa until blended.

4. Spoon tablespoons of both meringues onto prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart each, making about 20 cookies – half vanilla, half cocoa.

5. Bake until meringues feel dry and crisp all the way through, about 3 hours. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.

6. Top each meringue cookie with about 1 tbsp of Cool Whip and 1 strawberry. Enjoy immediately. Store unused cookies in airtight container until ready to eat.

Makes: 20 cookies

PointsPlus value per cookie: 1

2 cookies = 3 PPVs

3 cookies = 4 PPVs

4 cookies = 6 PPVs

A recipe worth trying

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Hello everyone. I know there are many people out there who enjoy a good chicken alfredo. Well, I have made up my own recipe and I thought I would share it with all of you.

Of course, it is healthier than most other alfredos, although it may not be as creamy. Nonetheless, my family loves it, including my somewhat picky teenage son. (Well, he loves it when I don’t put the broccoli in it!)

So, here is the recipe, along with a photo for your viewing pleasure. Hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family! It is one of our favorite suppers!

Celeste’s Chicken Alfredo

  • 1 pound chicken breast, boneless, skinless
  • 8 oz whole-wheat penne pasta
  • 1 cup broccoli, cooked
  • 12 oz can of Miller Lite
  • 4 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese, garlic & herb (cut into small chunks)
  • 2 tbsp reduced-fat parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp basil, jarred
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano, jarred
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic (or 1 clove)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, cut chicken into bite-sized cubes. Spray deep-dish skillet with non-stick cooking spray and sauté chicken, over medium heat, until thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. When chicken is almost done, add basil, oregano and garlic and mix well.

3. Then, slowly add the can of beer, turning heat to medium-high. Cook until liquid is reduced by almost half, about 5-6 minutes. Add parmesan and Laughing Cow cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Then add broccoli and cooked pasta.

4. Stir together, then serve.

Serves: 6

Weight Watchers PointsPlus values per serving: 7

Celeste's chicken alfredo