Steak & Quinoa with Black Beans

I discovered a new, delicious meal by accident earlier this week as I tried to use up some leftovers from last weekend. We had some friends over for dinner Saturday night and Ben had grilled a couple pounds of skirt steak that he had bought on sale (side note: Ben grilled it perfectly medium, and it was tender and delicious).

This dish is loosely based on this recipe for quinoa and black beans at Allrecipes.com, but with several modifications--for my taste, and also to utilize the leftover steak. It makes a lot of food--Ben and I ate it for dinner, then I brought some over to mom and the rest to work with me the next day, so about 4-5 servings (depending on the serving size).

I have mentioned quinoa on this blog before, but I don't think I've really ever explained what it is (for those who don't already know). Quinoa is a grain (well, not technically, but it looks/acts like a grain, I guess) native to South America and known for having great nutritional value (high protein, fiber, and vitamins/minerals). Depending on the type of quinoa you get and how you prepare it, it can have a slightly nutty flavor and a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. Here are a couple of articles that review some of the nutritional information on quinoa, as well as some of the health benefits: World's Healthiest Foods article and Body Ecology article.

Quinoa can also often take the place of rice in many recipes; here is an article from Cookingquinoa.net that compares nutritional values of quinoa and rice (spoiler: quinoa wins). It used to be that you could only get quinoa at expensive health-food stores, but it's becoming more and more popular/mainstream, so you can find it at most grocery store chains now.

Anyway, I wasn't sure how this recipe adventure going to turn out, so I didn't think to take any pictures until I reheated it the next day (equally good as leftovers!) for lunch at work. I'll have to come back and update this post someday when I make this again (and oh, I will make this again!) to include more pictures.

Steak & Quinoa with Black Beans

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

¾ cup uncooked quinoa

1 ½ cups + ¼ cup unsalted beef broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

½ to 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 lb grilled skirt (or flank) steak, thinly sliced

(optional: fresh cilantro--I didn't use any, because I'm not a much of a fan.)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with 1 ½ c. of broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. 

Stir sliced steak, tomatoes, and remaining broth into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans (and fresh cilantro, if desired). 

For my serving, I tried to measure out about 4 oz of the steak, then scooped out some of the quinoa/black bean/tomato mixture and eyeballed about 1/2 cup in my dish. Add about 4 oz of steamed zucchini (thank you Ziploc ZipnSteam!) and it's a complete meal!

Forgive the dishes/crappy picture--this was at my desk at work.

Nutritional Information:

Makes 4 servings. 1 serving =

490 Calories

Fat: 16.55g     Sodium: 529mg    Carb: 42g    Fiber: 11.84g    Protein: 42.85

Buffaloaf: Better than mom's meatloaf!

Apparently, I suck at blogging. While on my run today, it occurred to me that I haven't posted anything in a few weeks. Oops.

Not that I haven't wanted to post. I simply haven't been cooking much lately because we've been so busy--and when I did cook, I was either making something fast and terribly boring (plain chicken breast and broccoli) or something I'd already posted here before (What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.).

We went to Des Moines last weekend for my cousin Katie's wedding, so we had to eat out a lot that weekend. Even though the hotel's breakfast tried to sabotage me by being 100% carbohydrates (toast, muffins, pastries, cereal, juice), I had packed some protein bars, drank extra water, and tried to get all my veggies and protein in during our lunches and dinner. According to the scale on Monday morning, I hadn't gained a pound--even with the hors d'oeuvres, glass of chardonnay, and the red velvet cupcake I had (in addition to the meal) at the reception or the extra sodium from restaurant food. Victory!

Also, I wore my new, blue dress (that I got from H&M during my trip to Chicago), and I looked smoking hot. I know, because all my Facebook friends told me so when I posted the picture there. :) Ben didn't look to shabby, either.

Anyway, after a week of not having time to make much for dinner (I survived on subway salads or chicken breasts with broccoli or green beans most nights), I decided I wanted something a little more hearty tonight. Enter the buffaloaf.

This meatloaf, made with ground bison, is a leaner, lower-sodium, and lower-carb version of what I grew up with, but is still flavorful and comforting (lower-carb because of the elimination of ketchup and most bread or oatmeal that is traditionally added). I made a slightly different version--with way more veggies in it, because I was sick of veggies and wanted to "hide" them--when I was on the MRC diet. In case you are also sick of eating vegetables, here's a hint: if you use 16 oz of veggies instead of the 5 oz I use here, then each serving of your buffaloaf will also include a full serving of vegetables.

Buffaloaf

Ingredients
1 lb ground bison
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp worcestershire sauce (to taste)
1 pouch Tomato-Basil Soup supplement (you could probably substitute tomato paste instead, but that would also change nutritional information)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (I used red, because it was on sale), finely chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 tsp diced garlic
1 slice Sara Lee Delightful bread, torn into small pieces
Approx 2-3 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Note: if you are going to have baked potatoes, you should clean and prep your potatoes and put them in the oven before starting the buffaloaf--that way they'll all get done at the same time.

Break eggs into a large bowl. Add tomato-basil supplement and whisk. Add water, 1 tbsp at a time until it is a smooth but slightly thick consistency. Add worcestershire sauce, diced garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk until blended.

Add chopped vegetables and stir. Mix raw bison in with bare hands, making sure to incorporate the mixture fully into the meat. Add the torn pieces of bread and continue to mix with hands until incorporated.

Put the meat mixture into a foil-lined, glass baking dish (thank you, mom, for teaching me this trick to easy clean-up so many years ago!) and bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 degrees and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until done.  Let rest on stovetop a couple of minutes before slicing.  Makes 4 servings.


I ate mine with 3 oz of sauteed zucchini and a very small baked potato (usually I just do 1/2 of a large potato, but we happened to have a small one) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and about 1.5 tbsp of light sour cream on it. Warm, comforting, and delicious, but also low in fat, sodium, and carbs!

Nutritional Information
Buffaloaf--1 serving

Calories: 278
Fat: 13.61g      Sodium: 350mg     Carb: 6.82g       Fiber: 1.45g        Protein: 32.3

Tuscan Chicken Cannellini & Tomato-Basil Salad

Well. I have done it again—I have over-extended myself. I've barely had time to get enough exercise in, and I definitely haven’t had time to cook at home much lately. As a matter of fact, I have been eating out a lot in the last few days for social and work events—and even though I’m trying to drink more water to combat it, I feel kind of bloated from the added sodium in restaurant food. 

Also, as many of you may be aware, February through April (and May, actually) is a crazy-busy time for teachers. We had the Nebraska State Writing Assessment that we administered this month, then I had to figure out my departments’ textbook orders and help the district English supervisor plan for Curriculum Day (a full-day inservice for subject-area teachers). Now, I’m working on preparing for the district testing to check to make sure our students are ready for the state testing in reading, math, and science--a test to make sure we’re ready for The Test. I only wish I were kidding.

I don’t want this to turn into a political debate blog, though, so suffice it to say I’ve been extremely busy, but I will try harder to post more in the next few weeks.

On that note, here is how I plan to accomplish that: I need to figure out more meals that I can put together at home and conveniently prep at work, so that will be a lot of what I share over the next few posts.

You may remember my discovery of Ziploc Zip’n Steam bags, and the Greek Chicken with Zucchini & Feta recipe I tried from their website. It has worked out well for my work lunches—I put it all together the night before , bring it to work and put it in the fridge in the breakroom, then cook it in the microwave at lunch. Voila! A hot, healthy, convenient, and delicious lunch. However, I can’t eat that EVERY day (I know, I’ve tried).

So, to continue with my new obsession with the Zip’n Steam bags, I decided to try the Tuscan Chicken Cannellini recipe from the Ziplocwebsite.  I didn’t alter anything in the recipe other than to reduce the amount of the beans to ½ cup—beans are wonderfully healthy and chock full of fiber and some protein, but they’re still a starch and I don’t want to overdo it on starches/carbs—and change up the suggested “garnish” to actually be a tomato-basil salad of sorts to make sure I get my full veggie serving in.

Tuscan Chicken Cannellini & Tomato-Basil Salad

Tuscan Chicken Cannellini Ingredients

Medium Ziploc® Zip'n Steam® Bag

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cut into bite-size pieces

½ cup cannellini beans OR other white beans, drained

1 cup loosely packed fresh spinach leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pinch of kosher salt

Tomato-Basil Salad Ingredients

4 oz cherry tomatoes (I used red and sweet yellow tomatoes)

1 tsp olive oil

3 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Pinch of kosher salt

½ tbsp parmesan cheese

Combine all Tuscan Chicken dish ingredients in a Medium Ziploc® Zip'n Steam® Bag (leave out the spinach if preparing the night before. Add spinach just before cooking). Seal bag and shake gently to combine ingredients. Pat ingredients into single layer. Place bag in microwave, cook on full power for 6 ½ to 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, with no trace of pink. If needed, continue microwaving at 30-second intervals until done (mine was cooked through at 6 ½ minutes). Allow bag to stand for 1 minute before handling. Shake bag to distribute seasonings. Carefully open bag and pour onto a plate or bowl. (Optional: sprinkle with 1 tsp parmesan cheese)

For the tomato salad, slice tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Sprinkle chopped basil on top. Drizzle with olive oil and toss (I put mine in a container with a lid and just shook it gently). Right before eating, sprinkle tomatoes with salt and parmesan.

Please forgive the not-great pictures and ugly Gladware dishes--I actually took this to work with me today and took my photos there.

 

Lunch is served!

 

Nutritional Information

Tuscan Chicken Cannellini

256 Calories

5.82g Fat         894mg Sodium            21.6g Carbs     7.5g Fiber        34g Protein

Tomato-Basil Salad

83 Calories 

(it may actually be a little less because unless you’re licking the bowl, you’re not eating all of the olive oil)

6g fat               305mg Sodium            5g Carbs          1.5g Fiber        3.38g Protein

Italian Chicken Sausage & Peppers Skillet

So, I've been a little MIA lately. Sorry about that.

I spent last weekend in Chicago, visiting a childhood friend--catching up, having some girl time, and shopping. Lots of shopping. Michele knows where all the good thrift stores and consignment shops are on the north side of Chicago, and we hit pretty much all of them, I think. I scored some great deals: a jacket, 2 pairs of jeans, a couple of skirts, and some tops--all for $30. That sounds impressive already, but even more so when I say that one of the jeans was a designer pair that usually retails for $200+ (of course, I didn't realize it was a designer brand until Michele told me, because I'm lame when it comes to fashion)!

Haha. Yes, I have the sense of humor of a 13-yr-old boy.

Another highlight of my trip: Dyson!

Luckily, Michele eats pretty healthfully anyway, and she went with me to a yoga class on Saturday. I also got a run in at a lake near their house on Sunday afternoon, and it actually felt really good to get outside and stretch and run, even if it was a little windy/chilly.

Anyway, between my trip and work (woowee, I've been busy! The textbook order for the English department is due tomorrow morning, and I only just got it finished.), I simply haven't had time to blog. Or cook. Really, I feel like it's been ages since I've made a meal.

So, when Ben came home last night with some Italian chicken sausage that he picked up at Just Good Meat (an Omaha butcher shop), I immediately thought of Italian sausage with peppers. Yum! I found this Italian Chicken Sausage and Peppers Skillet recipe, which is pretty healthy already, and lightened it up just a little more (reduced olive oil, reduced white wine, reduced pasta...).

Italian Chicken Sausage & Peppers Skillet

Ingredients  
1.5 lbs Italian chicken sausage
1 green pepper , sliced into strips  

1 red pepper , sliced into strips

1 yellow pepper , sliced into strips

1 onion , chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon italian seasoning  

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes seasoned with basil garlic & oregano (I used Hunt's No Salt Added)

1/4 cup white wine

salt , to taste  

pepper , to taste 

Heat large skillet and add olive oil. Add sausage and brown on all sides. Remove sausage to cutting board.

Add onion to pan and cook about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Then add peppers, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender.

While pepper mixture is cooking, cut sausage into bite sized pieces (center will still be raw). Then add back to skillet when peppers are just about done. Add tomatoes and wine and let come to boil. Turn down to simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered (or until sausage is cooked through). 

While the peppers were cooking, I also boiled some whole wheat rotini. I put about 1/2 cup of cooked rotini on my plate, and then topped it with 4 oz of the sausage and about 5 oz of the pepper/onion/tomato mix, along with a spoonful of liquid. Sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp of parmesan cheese, and you have an amazingly flavorful yet healthy dinner!

Nutrition Information for 1 Serving (recipe makes 6 servings)

Skillet without pasta:

Calories: 230
9.37g Fat, 85mg Cholesterol, 896mg Sodium, 12g Carb, 3g Fiber, 22.42g Protein

Greek Chicken with Zucchini & Feta

So, I wasn't planning on posting anything today, but I just have to share this delicious and sinfully easy meal that I made tonight with one of those Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Microwave Cooking Bags that I had told you about last weekend.

I was running late to get home and eat this evening before I had to leave for yoga class, and I usually like to eat pretty lightly before I go to a yoga class. However, I'd already had a subway salad for lunch (also usually a staple meal on my yoga evenings because it's easy, fast, and light) and wanted something slightly more substantial for dinner.

I had found some meal recipes on the Ziploc website, so I decided to throw one together and try it out. The Greek Chicken with Potatoes & Feta looked healthy and easy, and I already had the ingredients on hand (we had some Feta left over from when Ben cooked last weekend), so I just went with that.

Um...delicious!

I did make an adjustment to the recipe to make it just for one person (Ben usually does his own thing for dinner on my yoga nights, so I just did one chicken breast). I also wanted to add an actual veggie to the recipe--because I consider potatoes a starch more than a veggie--so I added some zucchini to it, too.  Also, because I consider potatoes to be a starch, I eliminated the pita for this meal for myself--but if you're not watching carbs in your diet, then feel free to include a pita with this.

This was so incredibly easy to make--and so delicious--that I think I will make it for lunch at work on Friday. I figure I can toss it all in the steamer bag the night before, and just pop it in the microwave at work to cook and eat. Easy peasy!

Greek Chicken with Zucchini & Feta

Ingredients
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (approx 6 ounces, raw), cut into bite-size pieces
2 small red (or fingerling) potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 very small zucchini, halved and sliced (approx 1/2 inch slices)
1/3 cup (approx 2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Medium Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Microwave Cooking Bag

Combine the chicken, potatoes, feta cheese, olives, lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano, salt and black pepper in a Medium Ziploc® Zip'n Steam® Bag. Seal bag and shake gently to combine ingredients. Pat ingredients into single layer. 

Place bag in microwave. Cook on full power 7 - 7 1/2 minutes (Medium bag) or 6 - 6 1/2 minutes (Large bag), until chicken is cooked through, with no trace of pink. If needed, continue microwaving at 30-second intervals until chicken is done. Allow bag to stand 1 minute before handling. Gently shake bag to distribute seasonings. Carefully open bag, and pour contents into a bowl or onto a plate.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

So, I've been wanting another soup and decided to try the Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe over at Gina's Skinnytaste.

Somehow, I managed to select a 60-degree day in January (!!?!) to make it--but even though it's not a cold day, the soup was still wonderful and hit the spot.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I used a full cup of chopped red pepper--instead of just a half-cup--because I really like red pepper and I was hoping to also add to the total veggie count in the recipe. Also, i added some worcestershire sauce, which really added to the rich flavor of the soup, in my opinion. FYI, my calorie count (see bottom of post for nutrition info) will be a little different from the Skinnytaste version because I used slightly leaner beef and unsalted tomatoes, sauce, and broth. :)

Here it is!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients
3 cups cooked brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's boil-in-bag)
1 lb 96% lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) petite diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's No Salt Added)
1 3/4 cups tomato sauce (I used Contadina's)
2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth (I used Kitchen Basics Unsalted)
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt. Drain fat, if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram, worcestershire, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.

Nutritional Info:
(Soup Without Rice)
Calories: 178        Fat: 3g     Sodium: 489mg       Carb: 16.27g     Fiber: 5g        Protein: 20.68g

1/2 cup Uncle Ben's brown boil-in-bag rice:
Calories: 85       Fat: <1g     Sodium: 0mg         Carb: 18g         Fiber: 1g        Protein: 2g

A Lazy Week

Well, I haven't been totally lazy this last week, I just haven't put much effort into cooking or exercising because I've been so busy with work and family lately.

Between the start of state testing season (Nebraska state writing assessment was last week...reading, math, and science coming soon) and accepting a different position in the district, I've been crazy-busy with work. I am now a curriculum specialist at one of the high schools, and I am going to be overseeing the English, art, world languages, and PE departments. Until they hire someone to replace me in my old position, though, I've been slowly "transitioning" to the high school ("transitioning" = doing both jobs while learning the new job).

So, I didn't get around to making the buffaloaf again this week. In fact, we weren't feeling too hot Thursday night, so we just heated up some venison meatloaf that my in-laws had given us. It was very tasty, but not terribly healthy, I'm afraid (I'm not insulting their cooking--they got it pre-made from a local butcher!). Aaaand now we're kind of meatloafed out right now. Patience, my friends--the buffaloaf is worth waiting for. ;)

In the meantime, let me share a couple of pretty-awesome product discoveries I've made:

First, Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Microwave Cooking Bags. I like steamed veggies, and they're super-easy and quick when I buy the Green Giant Steamers from the frozen section. However, I really dislike frozen green beans, even when steamed (they just seem awfully chewy to me). Also, I don't have an electric steamer/rice cooker thingy, and my bamboo steamer baskets are kind of a pain to use (have to keep an eye on it/guess at cooking times, plus it makes the kitchen all humid and hot). That's where the beauty of the Ziploc steam bags comes in. They aren't terribly cheap (are any Ziploc or Glad bags cheap?), but it's still worth it to me. You just put your veggies in the bag, seal it, toss in the microwave, and cook based on the suggested times written right on the bag! You can even add seasonings for your veggies to soak up while being steamed, if you so desire (I put a squirt of lemon juice in the bag before sealing it to add some zest to my beans).

I also noticed that the bags came with an insert with various recipes (and a coupon for more bags! Weee!), and they looked fairly tasty, easy, and healthy. Like this steamed shrimp and peppers recipe. I think I'm going to have to try this. Soon.

The other product I just discovered is actually pretty new. They had a special display case at HyVee last week for Crystal Light Mocktails. They come in 3 flavors: margarita, mojito, and appletini. I LOVE margaritas, but haven't had one in soooo long because of the gazillion calories (yes, that's the exact calorie count) for most margarita mixes. I did try the Skinnygirl Cocktails margarita last summer, but it tasted like water wrung out from dirty athletic socks. Or at least, what I imagine that to taste like. And considering it still had a pretty hefty calorie-count (100 calories/4oz), I was truly unimpressed.

Anyway, Ben made a pitcher of the mix, and it's pretty good. A little sweeter than I usually like, but I'm sure it would be totally fine blended with ice and put in a glass with salt on the rim. Plus, it's only 5 calories per serving, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to add a small shot of tequila to it (to give it that alcoholic bite...and to give the drinker that alcoholic buzz). Patron Silver only has 69 calories per 1oz--just sayin'.
I'm looking forward to trying the mojito and appletini mocktails...and will make sure to update you if/when we make them. It makes me look forward to summer, drinking my mocktails on the back patio on a warm evening...

Bean & Sausage Soup

Blog FAIL this past week. :(

Not only did I not post more than once (my goal was twice a week), but I made a blog-worthy dinner and completely, utterly forgot to take pictures. Well, it's not so much that I forgot. More that I was a bit busy, late, and overwhelmed on Thursday and almost didn't even get the buffaloaf (buffalo meatloaf) made by a reasonable time, so taking pictures just...fell by the wayside. Until dinner was made and already eaten, and then I suddenly remembered. Oops.

I'll make my buffaloaf again this week and remember to take pictures and post about it, I promise. It will be worth the wait--it's a healthy version of a yummy comfort food (with lots of veggies hidden in it).

In the meantime, here is a delicious soup recipe I tried out last night: Bean and Sausage Soup. The original recipe is from Recipe Girl, and I pretty much followed the recipe completely. Well, mostly. I screwed up and forgot to put the baby spinach in the soup. Until after it was done and already eaten. Oops. I kinda suck at remembering things these days, I guess.

Not all is lost, though. The soup was a big hit with Ben and my mom, even sans spinach (I sent the leftovers home with mom because she liked it so much--and she doesn't like "healthy" food!), so they weren't sad when I told them I will be making the soup again this week so I can use up the spinach I bought. I suppose I could just make a spinach salad instead, but...meh. I'd rather have the soup again. ;)

Anyway, this soup is excellent--and very filling--while it really doesn't taste "healthy." Enjoy!

Bean & Sausage Soup


Ingredients
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces*
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (I use Kitchen Basics Unsalted)
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Two 15.8-ounce cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
One 6-ounce bag fresh baby spinach leaves

*I used Hillshire Farm Lite Polska Kielbasa. It is made primarily with turkey, but with some pork/beef added in. It didn't even taste like turkey sausage! Yum. Also, the other option was a different Hillshire Farm turkey kielbasa that listed "mechanically separated turkey" as an ingredient (ick!) and lots of additives and preservatives (including corn syrup), and the calorie count was almost the same.

Heat a large pot to medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the kielbasa and sauté for 3 additional minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium; cook 5 minutes.
 
Add the broth, seasonings and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place 1-2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender--be careful, as it will be hot! Process until smooth, then return the pureed mixture to the pan. Simmer the soup an additional 5 minutes.








Remove the soup from heat and mix in the fresh spinach (this is where I screwed up and forgot the spinach. Don't make my mistake!)

Serve hot, preferably with a slice of crusty bread!

For the calorie counters: one serving is about 1 and 1/4 cups of soup. According to my calculations on livestrong.com, each serving is about 236 calories. This soup is light on calories, but very filling and full of flavor!

A Speedy Breakfast!

So. I actually planned to have a new dessert post for today. I tried to make a low-carb "Creamy Egg Custard" last night, and while not quite disgusting, it definitely wasn't...enticing. I couldn't find the Carb Countdown milk that it called for, but I didn't want to make the 500-calorie version with heavy cream, so I tried it with unsweetened almond milk. Perhaps it was my substitution that ruined it, or perhaps it was that the recipe is just bad... but it turned out kinda gross. A little slimy, and it totally smelled and tasted like cooked eggs--which isn't bad if you're expecting a breakfast casserole, but isn't good when you're expecting a smooth, rich, sweet custard dessert.

Anyway, as I was making my usual breakfast this morning, it occurred to me that many people (including me at one time) struggle to put together a quick, simple, healthy and/or low-carb breakfast in the mornings. So I thought I'd share what I usually do: an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Many studies have shown that eating breakfast--and especially including protein in your breakfasts--has numerous benefits, including help with controlling hunger and metabolism. Check out these articles and sites for more information here, here, and here. I know--you could probably get a breakfast sandwich quicker at McD's, BUT at least you know everything that's in it and how many calories it is when you make it at home...not to mention how much cheaper it is if you're eating this as frequently as I am.

FYI, to speed up food preparation in the mornings, it would be easy to cook the egg the night before (or a few days before). You can just fry them up and store them in ziploc bags, or--my favorite trick--cook several eggs up at once by plopping them into a muffin tin and baking them, then popping them out and storing them in baggies or containers. Easy and quick to reheat!

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients
Olive oil (I use my oil mister)
1 egg
1 slice reduced-fat cheese (I use pre-sliced Sargento RF Colby Jack, but really, any reduced-fat cheese would work)
1 Orowheat Mini Sandwich Thin

Heat olive oil in small frying pan on medium heat. Fry egg as desired. I like mine "over hard" so I don't have a runny mess in the morning if I have to eat this in the car. It's up to you, though. You could also scramble the egg and pour it into a cookie cutter or pancake shaper placed in the pan so that it isn't too big for the sandwich, I guess....  Or, if you made your egg in a muffin tin ahead of time, just reheat the egg in the microwave and plop it on the sandwich!

While the egg is cooking (or reheating), place cheese on the bottom half of the Orowheat mini. I am a little OCD about not having a bunch of cheese hanging over the edges of my bread, so I usually tear my cheese to fit mostly within the edges. :) Again, to each their own....

Place the cooked egg on top of the cheese, and cover with the other half of the Orowheat mini. Ta da! A quick, simple, delicious, and portable egg sandwich.

I always eat mine with a Dannon Light & Fit fruit yogurt (to get some fruit and dairy in with my breakfast), and sometimes with a cup of coffee with stevia and half-and-half in it. This is really filling, and always tides me over until lunchtime.

Egg Sandwich Nutrition Facts: 
Large egg....................70 cals, 4.5g fat, 240 chol, 70 sodium, 0.5 carb, 0 fiber, 7g prot, 0 sug
Sargento Cheese.........50 cals, 4g fat, 10 chol, 125 sodium, 0 carb, 0 fiber, 6g prot, 0 sug
Orowheat Mini............50 cals, 0.5g fat, 0 chol, 115 sodium, 10.5 carb, 2.5 fiber, 2.5g prot, 1 sug
Totals:........................170 cals, 9g fat, 250 cholesterol, 310 sodium, 11g carb, 2.5 fiber, 15.5g protein, 1 sug

Lasagna Soup

Well. Pretty much nothing went according to plan today--including dinner. But that's okay, because this recipe is easy to make, and perfect for a super-cold, blustery day like today.

This soup is from the Deen brothers (Paula Deen's sons). Their food blog has a whole section of their mother's recipes that they have re-written to be a just-as-yummy lighter version.  This one is called "Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup."

One problem that I ran into was that my grocery stores only carry Italian turkey sausage once in a great while, and this week turned out to not be one of those times. :( You can use regular ground Italian pork sausage, but I really wanted to keep this lean. After pouting for a few minutes in the store, I looked up a recipe for homemade Italian turkey sausage on my smartphone (so smart!) and decided to make my own sausage (well, Italian-seasoned ground turkey, anyway--not really sausage).

Ideally, you would want to make the turkey sausage ahead of time and let it sit overnight so that the meat can absorb the flavors of the seasoning a little more fully, but this ended up working out just fine for tonight. Ben recently received a meat-grinding attachment for our KitchenAid mixer for his birthday, though, so I may buy some turkey breast and try to make my own real Italian turkey sausage to freeze and keep on hand.

One final note on the ingredients-- pay attention to the nutrition labels for different brands of the same item, as they can definitely vary! I looked at Hunt's tomato sauce, and it had over 400mg of sodium in it...Contadina's tomato sauce only had about 280mg of sodium!

Also, I must apologize for a lack of pictures tonight--I was so rushed and overwhelmed by the time I got home (late), I forgot to stop and take pictures until I was about halfway done with the meal.

Is it Friday yet?


Easy Italian Turkey Sausage (adapted from Cooking with Michele recipe)
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 tbspn fennel seeds
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix spices and meat well with a fork. Set aside to rest for a few minutes before cooking.


Lasagna Soup

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth (I used Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken stock)
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used Contadina's brand)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's No Salt Added)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (I used Kroger brand whole wheat rotini because I didn't have lasagna noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese and/or part-skim ricotta cheese (for serving)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella and basil.

Serve in a bowl with sprinkled parmesan or a dollop of ricotta cheese.

The noodles were actually enough to be my carb serving for the evening, but how can you eat soup on a cold day without at least a small slice of crusty bread? ;) 

Also, FYI, I did saute some zucchini to eat while the soup was simmering--partly because I was starving, but also to make sure I still got my full vegetable serving in for the day.

Enjoy!