The "Couples' Retreat"

Hey there everyone, and to quote a classic by Bell & James to put us in the proper mood:

…Same situation every day
Some kind of voodoo
Same complications
Stand in the way
Nowhere to run to

My mind is dreaming
I'm somewhere else
Can't seem to shake it
I miss the feeling
Having fun
No way to fake it

Jump in my ride
It's Friday night
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…

Hope the week has gone well for you.  Me? Mine has been fantastic so far.  Nothing weird happened, and I survived the month-end close.  Last week I mentioned that a high school friend of mine had passed.  They had her funeral last Sunday in Gainesville, FL and I wasn’t able to attend.  There was a nice turnout from what I heard, and the most wonderful thing is that another friend of ours established a memorial fund at Bank of America so that friends and family can make donations to go toward unpaid medical bills and to help support the boys.  A cause was set up on Facebook, and there are over 100 supporters so far.  It’s nice to know that so many cared about her and her family.  Makes me smile…and it took some time for me to find the smile again.  Good to know that it wasn’t gone permanently!

This week, Dwayne has been stepping up my workouts by incorporating a cardio component in before we even get to the strength training.  I am doing about a mile on the treadmill before the beatings even begin! (Dwayne knows I kid when I say that…)  Tuesday and Wednesday, I alternated a walking lap with a jogging lap.  I just have to watch what I am doing because my left hip or somewhere in that vicinity feels a bit tweaky when I run.  I am keeping an eye on this so I can have it checked in case it doesn’t go away.  Caveat of getting old I guess!  I am also getting stronger.  One of the mat exercises he as me do each week is doing a pushup, holding my plank down as close to the mat as I can for a count of five, then coming back up.  This is much harder than it sounds, but I am NOT doing them on my knees, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Remarkably, last week I showed a slight loss. Was only .2, but I’ll take it.  To be honest, last week was so bad, I didn’t have high hopes for Monday’s weigh in. In fact, I didn’t even look at my pocket guide until about halfway through the meeting. 

The topic of this week’s meeting was ‘Recharging your Motivation’.  Our leader called it “The Couples’ Retreat”, which I thought was rather cute.  She said that your relationship to Weight Watchers is similar to a marriage.  There are four stages:

·         Oooohhhh, you’re so fascinating (this is when the program is all new to you and you are all gung-ho on adherence to the food plan….kind of like the honeymoon phase….

·         Who left the seat up?  - this is the phase when old habits are being changed and new habits are starting to develop. Can be a bit hard, but you get through it.

·         You don’t bring me flowers anymore – this is the phase when those losses are not quite as big from week to week, or when you hit a weight loss stall. Those ‘flowers’ are fewer and more far between. 

·         Renewing your vows – this is the phase where you rediscover what motivated you to come back into the meeting room this last time around (or for the first time as the case may be…)

I really loved this comparison…although this makes me in sort of a ménage-a-trois considering I am already married, and now I am having this relationship with Weight Watchers.  My hubbie is totally on board, although he’s a closet-follower. 

The challenge for week 5 is to keep a victory log (sort of like the positivity journal) of 10 things you did well this week (and they don’t all have to be weight or diet related!). Your second option is to read a success story every day from the website or magazine.  Think positive!

My victories this week:

1. Got in my physical activity
2. Kept any emotional eating in check
3. Tracked everything
4. Got this newsletter issued
5. Finished up month end close timely (which is always a good thing!)
6. Found my smile
7. Didn’t kill the kids….
8. Embraced this week’s challenge
9. Found new recipes to keep next week’s menu interesting
10. Got the vehicles registered!

"Whether you think you can

or think you cant….

You’re right!."

-Henry Ford

GLUTEN FREE CORNER:

I found an article for using alternative flours. This was on http://www.allrecipes.com.

Using Alternative Flours

By:   Allrecipes Staff

Don't let allergies to wheat or gluten keep you from enjoying baked products.

Take some of the guesswork out of the shopping search--use this list to find flour alternatives.

Potato Starch Flour

This is a gluten-free thickening agent that is perfect for cream-based soups and sauces. Mix a little with water first, then substitute potato starch flour for flour in your recipe, but cut the amount in half. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Tapioca Flour

This is a light, white, very smooth flour that comes from the cassava root. It makes baked goods impart a nice chewy taste. Use it in recipes where a chewy texture would be desirable. It would work nicely in bread recipes such as white bread or French bread. It is also easily combined with cornstarch and soy flour. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Soy Flour

This nutty tasting flour has a high protein and fat content. It is best when used in combination with other flours and for baking brownies, or any baked goods with nuts or fruit. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Cornstarch

This is a refined starch that comes from corn. It is mostly used as a clear thickening agent for puddings, fruit sauces and Asian cooking. It is also used in combination with other flours for baking. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Corn Flour

This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal to make cornbread or muffins. It is excellent for waffles or pancakes. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Cornmeal

This is ground corn that comes from either yellow or white meal. This is often combined with flours for baking. It imparts a strong corn flavor that is delicious in pancakes, waffles, or simple white cakes. It can be purchased in a health food store.

White Rice Flour

This is an excellent basic flour for gluten-free baking. It is milled from polished white rice. Because it has such a bland flavor, it is perfect for baking, as it doesn't impart any flavors. It works well with other flours. White rice flour is available in most health food stores, but also in Asian markets. At the Asian markets it is sold in different textures. The one that works the best is called fine textured white rice flour.

Brown Rice Flour

This flour comes from unpolished brown rice. It has more food value because it contains bran. Use it in breads, muffins, and cookies. It can be purchased in a health food store.

Kamut and Spelt Flours

These are ancient forms of wheat. While they aren't appropriate for gluten-free diets, they are excellent substitutes for plain wheat flour as they add wonderful flavor and consistency.

Substituting Gluten

Wheat flour contains gluten, which keeps cookies, cakes and pies from getting crumbly and falling apart. It is what makes baked goods have a good texture because it traps pockets of air. This creates a lovely airy quality that most baked goods possess when baked with traditional wheat flour. In order to help retain this structure when using non-wheat flours, gluten substitutes must be added to a gluten-free flour mixture. For each cup of gluten-free flour mix, add at least 1 teaspoon of gluten substitute. Here are three very good substitutes for gluten.

    * Xanthum Gum

      This comes from the dried cell coat of a microorganism called Zanthomonas campestris. It is formulated in a laboratory setting. This works well as a gluten substitution in yeast breads along with other baked goods. You can purchase it in health food stores.

    * Guar Gum

      This is a powder that comes from the seed of the plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. It is an excellent gluten substitute and it is available in health food stores.

    * Pre-gel Starch

      This is an acceptable gluten substitute. It helps keep baked goods from being too crumbly. This, too can be purchased at most health food stores.

Substitution is the solution

If you are ready to try some recipes, start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of wheat flour like brownies or pancakes. These turn out lovely and the difference in taste is minimal. Here are two gluten-free flour mixtures that are suitable for substituting wheat flour cup for cup.

    * Gluten-Free Flour Mixture I

      1/4 cup soy flour

      1/4 cup tapioca flour

      1/2 cup brown rice flour

    * Gluten-Free Flour Mixture II

      6 cups white rice flour

      2 cups potato starch

      1 cup tapioca flour

The above mixtures can be doubled or tripled. Another option is to purchase a gluten-free flour mixture at a health food store to avoid the guesswork involved in substitutions. This flour mixture can usually substitute wheat flour cup for cup, but read the package directions to be sure. Keep these flour mixtures stored in containers at room temperature and keep them on hand to simplify your baking routine.

RECIPES

Quick Chicken Spaghetti

This recipe was posted in the meeting room on Monday.  I actually made it last night, and it was fabulous.  I always end up adding more veggies than called for in the recipe. In this one, I used a sweet onion diced, sautéed in Pam and caramelized the onions first.  I also didn’t have a pepper in the house, so I swapped out mushrooms instead.  This dish can easily be modified to make it more kid-friendly if they don’t like the spiciness of the Ro-Tel.  I swapped out a can of diced tomatoes and added mild green chilies instead of the Ro-Tel.  It was fantastic.

POINTS® Value: 5

Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked spaghetti

4 ounces 2% Velveeta, cubed

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced green peppers

10 oz can chicken, drained (OR…do what I do...use rotisserie chicken…)

15 oz can Ro-Tel

½ tsp garlic powder

10 oz can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients EXCEPT for spaghetti. Cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring often. Toss in spaghetti. Pour into casserole and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350° until bubbly (and that awesome crust starts to form on the top!)

Oatmeal-Raisin Bites

This recipe was actually printed in the 1/24 Weight Watchers Weekly magazine that we got in the meeting room.  Celeste was nice enough to bring me a baggie of these on Monday and they were absolutely heavenly.  She just swapped out Craisins for the raisins, which is actually what I would do.  Raisins are not my favorite! They also freeze well.

POINTS® Value: 1 per cookie

Servings: 40

Preparation Time: 10 min 

Cooking Time: 30 min

 Level of Difficulty: Easy

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup(s) rolled oats  

3/4 cup(s) whole-grain wheat flour  

1/2 tsp baking powder  

1/4 tsp table salt  

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon  

1/2 cup(s) butter, softened  

1/4 cup(s) sugar  

1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar  

1 large egg(s)  

1 tsp vanilla extract  

1 cup(s) raisins, chopped   

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until incorporated. Add egg and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Add oat mixture and mix until just combined; fold in raisins.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets, about 1-inch apart each. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11 to 12 minutes for crispy cookies. Remove from oven and let cookies rest on cookie sheets for about 2 minutes; remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields 1 cookie per serving. Recipe makes approximately 40 cookies

Note:

Change the flavor by adding walnuts instead of raisins, but be sure to adjust POINTS® for that if you do!

Creamy Mexican Dip

This recipe was posted on the WW site, and it looked so good, and light, and flavorful that I wanted to share.  This dip is perfect for a party. Serve with fresh vegetables as well as chips for a total crowd pleaser!

POINTS® Value: 1 per ¼ cup dip

Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 0 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-variety recommended  

1/2 cup(s) salsa, hot chipotle variety suggested  

3/4 cup(s) avocado, diced  

1/3 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped  

1/4 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped  

1/2 tsp ground cumin  

1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste

Garnish:  

1/4 cup(s) avocado, diced  

1 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped  

1 Tbsp red onion(s), chopped   

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt and salsa until blended; stir in remaining ingredients except garnishes. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.  When ready to serve, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with garnishes.

Yields about 1/4 cup per serving.

Notes:

This dip combines all those favorite Mexican flavors like salsa, avocado and cilantro using fat-free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

It also makes a wonderful topping for tacos or other Mexican foods — and then you don't have to set out separate bowls of salsa, sour cream, avocado, cilantro and onion.

Are you eating what's bugging you? If so...HALT!

This has been a very strange week for me.  I just now found out that a friend of mine going back to our High School days passed away this morning.  She was a year ahead of me in school, which would make her 44 years old this year.  I feel like the wind was just knocked out of me.  This is NOT supposed to happen to our people. I know that I mentioned this in a prior issuance, but it applies here.  For the first time in my life, I think I am completely speechless.  I need a moment…..talk amongst yourselves….

…..okay…I’m back.  I had to step away and actually breathe for a minute or two.  Today is Wednesday, which means that I will be at temple tonight waiting for my daughter to finish Hebrew school.  I will talk to my Rabbi while I am there.  Maybe that will help me.  I am afraid that sleep won’t come easy for me tonight…maybe the talk can put my mind at rest.

You know, based on our meeting topic this week, emotional eating, today’s news in my old days would have sent me right to the fridge.  I actually showed restraint today though.   I didn’t once reach out for food after hearing the news.  Instead, I got up and took a walk, or even better, went to the kitchen for a cup of tea. 

At the meeting, I was actually up a couple of pounds this week, but I also forgot my typical weigh-in gear on Monday.  As soon as I stepped up to the scale, I knew exactly where I left my stuff---on the bed…waiting for me to stuff it into my tote bag. Arrrghhhh!!!!! 

This week, our challenge was to track our hunger signals each day in our food journals and/or on e-Tools OR to make a list of ten things that you can do instead of eating.  I have been frustrated as of late because the scale hasn’t been moving, although my body has been shedding inches.  The working out part is going very well for me. I am active for at least 4 of the seven days, and I get in some good activity, both cardio-wise and strength training.  I think my leader may have hit my problem on the head with this week’s topic.  We hit this one in the meeting a couple of times during the year.  Like the picture below, we tend to feed what bugs us.  Frogs are really the only animal that truly CAN eat what bugs them (once again, note the cute graphics). 

In addition to tracking, I also journal…not just food journaling, but journaling in general.  I am really going to look at what I am writing and see if that helps me out a bit.  The emotional eating, quite frankly, is probably what got me into the obesity mess to begin with, truth be known.  The only good thing is that if I reach for something now, it’s not chips or a bag of M&Ms.  Lately, I have been grabbing lean protein, light cheese or popcorn.  Going forward, my efforts are going to be focused on NOT doing this, and redirecting the attention toward something else.  Maybe now I will actually finish Adam’s afghan????

Remember this one? Before going to the refrigerator or pantry…HALT. Ask yourself if you are:

Hungry

Angry

Lonely

Tired

If the answer is anything EXCEPT for the first one? Don’t eat.  I plan to create something with HALT on it that I can post on the fridge, right next to my now-contraband HUNGRY magnet (yes…they were recalled, but he was so cute that I kept him!!!) to assess my situation.  Maybe now that I am aware of this, I can nip this one in the bud too.

"If hunger isn’t the problem, then eating isn’t the solution."

-Anonymous

RECIPES

Italian Pepper & Egg Sandwiches

Here’s a recipe recommendation from one of my friends in my Monday Weight Watchers meeting (thanks Celeste!!!!).  She says “The night before, I make chicken sausages from Sprouts, with peppers and onions, and save the leftover peppers and onions to make these….I call this Italian Soul Food”

POINTS® Value: 4

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 12 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil   

1 small onion(s), thinly sliced   

1 large green pepper(s), such as a cubanelle, thinly sliced   

1 tsp minced garlic   

4 large egg(s)   

3 large egg white(s)   

   1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste   

   1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste   

   4  reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s), toasted if desired   

Instructions:

•           Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper; saute        until tender and light golden, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set vegetables aside.

•           In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper. Scramble in same skillet over medium heat until almost cooked, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Add vegetables back to skillet and gently mix; continue scrambling until eggs are set but not dry, about 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

•           Top each roll bottom with about 3/4 cup egg mixture; cover with roll tops and serve. 

Yields 1 sandwich per serving.

A Banana a Day.....

Well, I am a bit sad this week because I had to put my mom back on a plane to Orlando on Saturday.  Lately, it seems like the time flies at TURBO speed, rather than crawling along like it used to when we were young.  I think that I am the most upset that I still have the 2 ½ year old in my possession.  I really tried.  I was going to pack his things, throw them into a trash bag, and stuff him into my mom’s suitcase.  Didn’t work. Harumph.  This too shall pass!!!!

I had a maintain week this week, even though the inches are still coming off.  I was working out of my house on Monday due to the MLK holiday, so I actually haven’t attended this week’s meeting yet.  I think I am going to hit a Friday meeting.  No workout that day, so it should fit into the schedule. 

OMG----I have to relay this story.  You know it. The dream where you are walking naked through your high school hallways?  I had the equivalent happen to me here at work today.  Wednesday is my day for the 10am workout.  We were in the middle of a Smith machine set when the fire alarms went off in the building.  We had to evacuate and go to the parking lot until the ‘all clear’ was given.  I haven’t really faced my coworkers in my workout garb, but guess what? I did today.  Mortified. The only word that could describe it. I was sort of sweaty, had on my yoga pants, a baggy tank top and my hair was being held off of my face by a lame barrette.  Geeezzzz….. Nice way to start the day, RIGHT?????

Eventually the all clear was given, and we went back into the building, and finished the workout. I later found out that the cause of the ruckus was a burnt bag of popcorn.  I can see the corporate email now, mandating a ban on all microwave popcorn.  Oh well…at least we got the opportunity to stand outside in weather that wasn’t freezing.  See? Always looking toward the positive.

In other news this week, I hit another personal milestone.  I think I mentioned in another newsletter that there are a few of us that are sharing clothes as we are losing weight.  My friend, and partner in the kitchen on occasion, Sonya, lent me literally a trunkful of clothes that she undergrew on her weight loss journey.  In that pile of beautiful clothes was a pair of black lined trousers in a size 12.  I was unable to get these closed at the time she gave the clothes.  This past week? I was able to button AND zip them.  I wouldn’t say that I could last a full day in them yet, but very soon.  This means that I have essentially gone from a women’s size 22 down to just about a 12.  Ten sizes? Can it be????? I had to literally pick myself up off the floor after that one.  All this progress just serves to keep the motivation high.

Dwayne changed my workouts yet again.  This Monday was a killer.  He had me on the treadmill and had me walk for 0.05 mile and then jog the rest of the lap.  I walked for another lap until the heart rate came back down.  He alternated this with bicep curls and shoulder presses for the first set. The second set we alternated the jog/walk with hammer curls and front and side raises.  This went on for 30 minutes.  I hurt after this one.  The next day my legs were a bit sore as well.  It’s all okay though.   We are trying to incorporate more cardio into the weekly sessions in hopes that we can get the scale moving again.

I wanted to provide this really interesting commentary on bananas this week.  Coach Dwayne sent this to me earlier this week.  I found it very interesting and wanted to share with my favorite peeps!

A closing quote before the article:

"In order to get from what was to what will be, you must go through what is."

-Anonymous

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas.  He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain.  Read on:
Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover fr om the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, the reby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New En gland Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'

RECIPES

Cheesy Chili-Mac

A hearty meal in a bowl. It's full of great stuff like lean beef, pinto beans and chili peppers. Turn leftovers into burritos!

POINTS® Value: 5

Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 16 min

Cooking Time: 28 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 spray(s) cooking spray

2/3 pound(s) raw extra lean ground beef

2 medium onion(s), chopped

29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style (undrained)

2 1/2 cup(s) canned tomato juice

4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced, drained

2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked macaroni, elbow-size

31 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Cook beef and

onion until meat is browned, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks,

about 10 minutes; drain off fat.

Stir in undrained tomatoes and their juice, tomato juice, chili peppers and chili

powder; bring mixture to a boil.

Stir in macaroni and beans; return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until

macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Spoon chili into bowls and sprinkle with

cheese. Yields about 1 cup chili and 1 tablespoon cheese per serving.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Toss this delicious pesto with your favorite pasta. Or spread it on sandwiches, thin it out with broth for

salad dressing or spoon it over chicken or shrimp.

POINTS® Value: 6

Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 40 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup(s) sun-dried tomatoes, without oil

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, or Pecorino Romano

2 medium garlic clove(s)

1 1/2 cup(s) basil, fresh, tightly packed

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, such a linguini

1 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, or Pecorino Romano (for sprinkling on

pasta)

Instructions:

Place tomatoes in a heat-proof bowl; cover with boiling water. Let sit until softened,

about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain tomatoes but reserve tomato liquid.

Place tomatoes, 1 cup of tomato liquid, oil, cheese, garlic, basil, salt and red pepper

flakes in a food processor; process until smooth. Add more tomato liquid, if desired,

and adjust seasonings.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta

cooking water; drain pasta. In a serving bowl, toss pasta with pesto and about 3/4 to

1 cup reserved cooking water, depending on desired consistency. Yields about 1

cup pasta, 1/3 cup sauce and 3/4 teaspoon cheese per serving.

Notes:

If using Parmesan cheese, we suggest Parmigiano-Reggiano for the best flavor.

The pesto sauce on its own is 2 POINTS values per 1/3 cup.