Weight Watchers Goes to Orlando.....

Happy Friday everyone.  This issue comes courtesy of my home email rather than the work address.  Wednesday morning, bright and early, we left the Great State of Texas in favor of the sunny skies of Florida.  Well...at least that was the plan. We had nice weather on Wednesday, then the skies opened up Thursday and today.  I do like the rain much better than the snow, however.  The best part of this short trip is the fact that for the first time, I didn't have to take my work computer with me!  I almost don't know what to do, except to NOT check email...which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

I have been doing a great job sticking to Plan while here with the parental units.  I took charge of dinner for a couple of nights, and we found a great breakfast place here in town that will do egg white omelets the way you want them!  Some of my readers are here in the Orlando area, and I got great feedback on the newsletter and was told to keep on doing it.  Positive reinforcement. Gotta love it!!!

For fun this trip, I plan on getting together with a bunch of friends, and doing a bunch of relaxing.

The photo below is one of the Paget side of my family.  From left to right, we have my mom Marilyn, my sister Mindy, yours truly, my brother Kevin and my dad Roy.  This is the first picture we have had of us together in quite awhile.  My mom just can’t seem to keep her eyes open long enough to have a photo taken.  It never fails!

The photo below is the follow up to my July 2009 visit.  These are my girlfriends, and we had another nice girlz night at Gators here in Casselberry, FL.  This time, I was kidded, I brought my own paparazzi with me.  My gracious husband played photographer for the night.

I plan on attending my meeting here in Florida prior to coming home on Wednesday.  Hoping to at least maintain.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

A closing quote for you:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it…”

Ferris Bueller

RECIPES

Elissa’s Soon-to-be-Famous Meatless Pasta Sauce

Ok..as many of you may know, I am in Orlando for the next week spending time with the family. My youngest sibling asked if I would cook dinner tonight, and who am I to turn down that kind of invitation. I asked Kevin what he wanted and he said that he wanted me to make one of my famous spaghetti sauces. Here is the latest version of that sauce... 

San Marzano Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 sweet onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 (28 oz) cans San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (the kind not packed in puree)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, no salt added
1/2 cup wine (can be either red or white. Use what you would normally drink --what's in your cooler right now!)
fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
fresh oregano, a few sprigs, chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

In a 6 to 8 quart stockpot, add the olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the onions to the pan. Sauté until translucent and soft. Add garlic to the pot and sauté for another minute or so. We are building flavors here... Next, add the bell pepper, mushrooms and carrots. Let these vegetables sweat in the pot with the onions and garlic. Give this some time...maybe 15 minutes or so to let them come together. Next, add the tomato paste to the vegetables and let the tomato paste meld with the cooked vegetables. Add the wine to the mix. Let the alcohol cook out, about 5 minutes or so. We are now adding the next layer of flavors. Add the canned tomatoes and liquid, the crushed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. At this point, bring the sauce to a simmer and let cook for about 45 minutes or so. Check for seasoning. If needed, add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add the chopped herbs to the pot, partially cover and let simmer over low heat for about an hour or so.

Serve over your favorite pasta (I prefer De Cecco whole wheat linguine or De Cecco Spinach Spaghetti). Be sure to have plenty of good cheese to pass. My recommendations are Locatelli Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano. Both cheeses allow you BIG flavors for a smaller serving size. I also recommend a nice crusty bread for mopping. This sauce is good for that!

Mangia!

Note: for those of you who follow my Weight Watchers Blog, I haven't posted POINTS values for this sauce, although it is almost free. Figure on one-two points per 1 cup serving and you should be okay. Be sure to count the POINTS for the pasta as well. Again, this is a wonderful HEALTHY dinner option for you, and it's sure to satisfy. As for the picky kids? Both Morgan and Adam licked their lips.

Straw & Hay Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus

How can this dish be light??? That's what I asked, but it is!!! Cooking light is SO wonderful. I made this tonight, because I had some asparagus in the refrigerator and wanted to make it a starring role in the dish. The taste of the sauce was very close to a traditional Alfredo sauce, but with only a FRACTION of the fat and calories! The serving size was perfect, and was filling. It got 2 thumbs up from the hubbie! Definitely keeping this one around.

This dish derives its name from the color contrast of the two types of pasta. Because it mixes the earthiness of whole wheat with the familiarity of regular pasta, it's a delicious introduction to whole-grain pastas. Truffle oil adds a pleasant, earthy undertone; you can substitute extra virgin olive oil. As with all Alfred dishes, serve immediately.

 







Yield: 8 servings at a POINTS Value of 6 per serving

Ingredients:

2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
Cooking spray
8 ounces uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 tablespoons truffle oil (or EVOO); OPTIONAL. I left out and it didn't miss a beat!
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first four ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add milk mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until mixture simmers, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Cover.

Place asparagus on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° 10 minutes or until browned, stirring once.

Cook both pastas according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

Place pastas and asparagus in a large bowl. Add cheese mixture, tossing well. Add truffle oil and pepper; toss gently. Serve immediately.


Yield: 8 servings (serving size: generous 1 cup) at a POINTS® Value of 6 per serving

CALORIES 296 (35% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 5.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 2.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 21mg; CALCIUM 276mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.9g; SODIUM 602mg; PROTEIN 14.5g; FIBER 3.7g