TGIT??? That sounds weird. In any case, happy happy Thursday!
This past week was, well….interesting, in a word. I enjoyed my walk with Brenda, Michelle, and Candice this weekend. I am making an early resolution to do at least 1 5K or 10K race per month in 2011. I signed up for 2 10K races for next year—the Heels and Hills races in May and September. I also signed up for the Jingle Bell Run at the Hilton Anatole coming up on 12/22. The course is supposed to take you through Downtown so we can see the holiday lights. The more I do these races, the more I LIKE what I do. I also have found a friend who is going to support me in my efforts to run. I had Coach Dwayne, but I am not sure how often I will be able to see him now that our offices moved to Irving.
I am happy to report that the new WW program is working for me. I did lose this week, not much, but it was a loss. I am also happy to report that Hanukkah was very nice and quiet this year…once we got Morgan home from the ER!!! Let me rewind quickly. This weekend, on Sunday, Steve took off for Blue Ash, Ohio (I know…where the HECK is Blue Ash…) for some training for work. He was gracious enough to get me out of the house and on my way to temple on Sunday morning before he left for the airport. We got through the first night just fine.
Monday night, the 5th night of Hanukkah, Morgan got the one gift that she had really wanted…it’s called Bop-It Bounce. I told her I’d help her with it after she had given Adam his bath. Well, I heard no water running for about 10 minutes, and then I heard “Mooooommmmm…..I think I cut myself….” I raced up there to see what happened, and she had tried to open the box herself (you had to see what the box looked like afterward…it was very sad!)…and the scissors slipped and she had the point go right into the top fleshy part of her index finger. It looked pretty deep, and we decided to take her to the ER, in case stitches were needed. I was thankful that my neighbor was home to watch Adam for the little while we were at the hospital. Luckily for us, no stitches were required. The PA was nice enough to send me home with a stash of size small latex gloves. I have been cutting off the pinky finger and or the index finger of the glove to serve as a protector for her healing finger.
…and THAT is that. No more excitement this week!! I look forward to my Saturday walk with the girls and to Pampered Chef party this Sunday. I also look forward to raiding the produce section of my grocery store and the local Asian market for some menu planning. That’s the extent of what I want to do over the next 48 hours.
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The photo above is Morgan and Adam enjoying their “Pillow Pets” that they received for Chanukah this year. Sweet and innocent looking huh??? Don’t let their cute faces fool you!
This week, we were asked to give a critique on the new Weight Watchers Plan. What did we like? What went well? What did we learn? The big thing I learned is that I am able to lose on this version of the plan. I love the fact that you can eat fruits and vegetables without consequence. This makes it easier on those days where you may not have enough points left and needed some sort of snack to get through the rest of the day. A nice big salad with many colors, or a nice apple…either way, you’ll be satisfied.
Keep these things in mind when you consider menu planning for this week:
- Your daily PointsPlus™ Target
- Foods higher in protein and fiber will cost the body more energy to process (will have lower PointsPlus™ values)
- Foods higher in fat and carbs won’t cost the body much energy to process (will have higher PointsPlus™ values
- Weight Watchers Power Foods
- Good Health Guidelines
This past week, I did a lot of my cooking with brightly colored veggies (oranges, yellows, greens, reds…) and the dishes were incredible. The two that I am putting in this week’s newsletter involve different types of squash. One is a butternut squash recipe and the other is spaghetti squash. I hope you enjoy them.
“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
-Vince Lombardi
RECIPES
Spaghetti Squash with Chicken, Mushrooms and Spinach
I have apparently been on quite the squash kick this week, but will all the beautiful offerings in the produce section, how could I not? The butternut squash pasta dish made earlier this week was amazing, and this one was nothing short of spectacular. I found this on the old trusty Cooking Light site this afternoon. Please give this one a try--not only will you LOVE it, but it may make your regular rotation!
What I loved about the dish, besides the FABULOUS flavor, is how WELL this fits into the new Weight Watchers plan. The only points counted are for the olive oil, the cheese and the chicken. The serving size is MORE than generous, and the taste? there are no words. This is one of my new favorites.
This recipe is a variation of the author's go-to pasta recipe that she made often. She wondered how it would work using spaghetti squash for a pasta stand-in. This dish actually won the grand prize for Cooking Light's Market Basket Challenge!
This is my photo; not stock! LOL...
Yield: 6 servings (1 cup squash + 1 cup chicken mixture + 2 tsp remaining Parmesan cheese) at a PointsPlus™ Value of 7 per serving
Ingredients:
1 (3.5-pound) spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1.5 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1-1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 400 °.
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash halves cut side down in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Add water to measure 1/2-inch deep. Bake at 400 ° for 45 minutes. Turn squash over; bake an additional 15 minutes or until tender; cool. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove strands to measure 6 cups. Keep warm.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Cool and crumble. Increase heat to medium-high; sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to drippings in pan and cook 4 minutes; remove from pan.
4. Heat remaining 11/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and cook 3 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, reserved bacon, garlic and Italian seasoning to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and cook 4 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add wine to pan and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Add reserved chicken, chicken broth, tomatoes, and spinach to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly; stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Place about 1 cup squash on each of 6 plates; top each serving with about 1 cup chicken mixture and 2 teaspoons remaining cheese.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 296; Fat: 9.3g (sat 3.2g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g); Protein: 31.2g; Carbohydrate: 23.8g; Fiber: 2.4g;
Cholesterol: 67mg; Iron: 3mg; Sodium: 707mg; Calcium: 241mg;
Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta
Okay...this one is amazing. I found this when perusing the new Weight Watchers website (they changed the program effective the 28th...). I had purchased this gorgeous butternut squash, and had held onto it thinking I'd be making a soup out of it, but it still isn't quite cold enough outside. I was looking on Cooking Light's site and on the Weight Watchers site and stumbled across this keeper. Morgan loved it and Steve said this was definitely one to add to the repertoire. Enjoy!
This pasta casserole is a hearty yet elegant combination of whole wheat penne, rich butternut squash, toasted walnuts (I actually left these off by mistake, and it was great even without!), ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 8 (1 cup) servings at a PointsPlus™ Value of 7 per serving
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed*
1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat penne
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, divided
1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1/4 cup(s) chopped walnuts, toasted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a 2 1/2 - 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 teaspoons of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.
Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme (this really should NOT be left off. It really adds a nice flavor to the dish!). Yields about 1 cup per serving.
Notes:
Look for a 20 ounce bag of fresh, already peeled and cubed squash from your supermarket. If you can't find any, cut a medium squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Scoop squash out of skin into a large bowl, mash with a spoon and proceed as above.
Alternatively, you can microwave cubed squash, covered, in a shallow microwave-safe baking dish or container with 1/4 cup of water, until cooked through; mash squash in a bowl.
