I decided to look into October 16th as my spa day. I am SO looking forward to this. My stressed out muscles and joints are literally screaming for me to make the darn appointment already. I actually took a few minutes out of my day to try and book. With any luck I will get a callback today!
I actually am sort of lacking in the “exciting things to share” category this week. How weird for me. I think the fact that I just survived quarter end close may have something to do with it, maybe???
I did do my normal Saturday walk with my Walk-It Challenge peeps, and I know that I finished in under 55 minutes this time around, but I forgot the dang pedometer, so I couldn’t even count the steps or savor the shorter walk time! The company was fabulous though. My workouts are getting more challenging, as my coach wants to keep my heart rate up with the hope that the calories will keep burning. I am hitting another one of my ‘maintain’ stretches with the weight, for a change! I am not in any way discouraged though. Last month was a light month in terms of pounds lost, but I did manage to lose another 5 inches. I have some muscle definition now. If the c-section flab on my tummy was gone, I’d have killer abs right now! It’s so funny. I can feel my hip bones for the first time in many many years!
My next 5K race is on October 17th and is being held in Southlake. It’s called Jogging for Johnson, and I am hoping to finish with an even better time than Heroes for Children.
This meeting’s topic deals with avoiding RUTs. Are you in a rut?
Repetitive?
Unexciting?
Tiresome?
If you are, just change things up a bit. Typically we either eat the same things or do the same workouts for comfort, or for familiarity. Think outside the box. We were all asked to bring in a favorite food find in an attempt to introduce other members to something else yummy to try that fits in with the plan! This week I discovered FiberOne Nonfat Yogurt. It’s zero POINTS® for a 4-oz cup. I bought the French Vanilla and it was delicious. Another good one that I found is Cabot’s 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar single serve slices. These are 1 POINT® for each ¾ oz piece. Since they are an actual cheese dairy, they have the benefit of actually KNOWING how to make cheese for one, and making that cheese taste good. These are both worth checking into. Flat-Out bread was also mentioned. This is one that I intend to check out soon, as well.
I do have a couple of delicious recipes that I am going to share with you this week. We have mini-chicken burgers, yummy sweet potato fries and a zesty puttanesca salad.
A closing quote--
“The great advantage of being in a rut is that when one is in a rut, one knows exactly where one is.”
-Arnold Bennett
If you are in a rut, change something! It’s okay!
RECIPES:
Baked Mini Chicken Burgers
Makes approximately 15 mini burgers and will serve 6 at a POINTS® Value of 1 per mini-burger
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 30m
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey) I actually ground my own using my Kitchenaid Food Grinder attachment. Made very quick work of this!
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (the juice from ½ lemon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground is best
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (any style)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the ground chicken, garlic, parsley, oregano, and lemon juice and bread crumbs. Season with the salt and pepper. Form the meat into 15 small patties.
Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or so, until just done through.
Nutrition information per patty: Calories: 164, Fat: 2g, Sat 1g, Mono 1g, Sodium: 92 mg, Potassium 73 mg, Carb 4g, Protein 7g; Vitamin A: 4%, Vitamin C: 5%, Calcium: 1%, Iron 3%
To freeze: Form the chicken mixture into patties but and place the patties on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to a large resealable bag and store for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave. Coat in the bread crumbs. Cook according to the recipe.
By Adapted from Aviva Goldfarb's The Six O'Clock Scramble, May 2006
Sweet Potato Fries
These sweet potato fries are a perfect complement to the chicken burgers. They are also really simple to do.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice 2 medium sweet potatoes, lengthwise, making thin strips (no need to peel them). In a medium bowl, toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp of chili powder OR cinnamon (optional). Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. For a crisper texture, broil for a few minutes before serving.
Yield: 6 servings at a POINTS® Value of 3 per serving.
Puttanesca Salad
I found this recipe when searching for a non-meat dish to bring to an event at my synagogue this week. I had initially wanted to prepare a penne puttanesca, but wasn’t sure I’d be home in time to heat the dish before the event. I ended up finding this wonderful substitute, and it got RAVE reviews. I loved this dish. For so few ingredients, you get a big bang for your buck, and at 91 calories for ¼ of this dish, it makes a wonderful low-cal side dish. I’d consider using this salad as a nice bruschetta topping. Food for thought!
Serves 4 at a POINTS® Value of 1 per serving.
Ingredients:
4 vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 anchovies (1 tin of flat filets), chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls, coarsely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
12 to 15 fresh basil leaves: pile leaves, roll into a log and shred or tear
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
Combine tomatoes, onions, capers, olives, anchovies, garlic and parsley in a medium bowl. Dress with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the salad, 1 to 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle in basil, salt and pepper, toss again and adjust seasonings, to your taste.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 91; Fat 4g; (Sat: 1g, Poly: 1g, Mono: 3g), Sodium: 574 mg; Carb: 11g; Fiber: 4g; Protein: 4g; Vitamin A: 46%, Vitamin C: 59%, Calcium: 7%, Iron: 11%
