Week Rewind: Part 2

I’m back from lunch and ready to share the last part of my week.  Missed the first part? Click here.

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday: Work days.  Get up, go to work, go to bed.  You know the kind. 

Monday, I made spinach & cheese stuffed shells for friends who recently lost their baby.  I made a few extra for myself for dinner that night.  Well worth the 12 points for 3. 

Tuesday, I experimented with my new Hungry Girl Cookbook and made a modified version her Meat-lovers Spaghetti with Tofu noodles.  This is my second time trying the tofu noodles and I must say the first time was MUCH better.  Maybe I couldn’t taste them over the strong flavor of the soup, but this time I wasn’t impressed.  In fact I ate the turkey meatballs and threw the rest away.  I feel like barfing just thinking about it.  Ugh.

Wednesday, we had to eat dinner fast so we grabbed a $5.00 Little Cesar’s cheese pizza.  4 points per slice for cheese is not bad in my book.  Not bad at all.  Obviously, we won’t be making a habit of eating it for nutritional reasons but it’s good once in a while as a treat.

 

Thursday:  I have Thursday’s off now due to cut backs at work.  I was really sad at first, but I’m learning to love the extra day.  Don’t worry, I’m not sitting around watching Day’s of Our Lives or anything.  Yesterday, I actually babysat a friends daughter while she went to a doctors appointment.  You’ve met her before….remember?  We made cinnamon flax sconeslast time she came over and this time she was ready to bake again!  I convinced her to eat lunch first (I thought this was wise considering we were about to make brownies).  Her mother packed a blue box of spiderman shaped macaroni & cheese and she was more than happy to eat the entire thing.  This kid is an eater! 

 I bought that chef’s hat and apron at a garage sale a few weeks ago.  I though she would love to wear it when she comes to my house to cook.  Boy was I right!   We couldn’t pry it off of her when it was time to leave.

 Carefully mixing the batter.  We made a standard low-fat box brownie mix.  I usually make Black Bean Brownies (2pts), but since we were making these to give away we went with the classic box variety.

Things got a little messy toward the end…

 

Up next (read: tomorrow):  Chicken Marsala, more creations from the Hungry Girl Cookbook and 5 year Anniversary cuisine. 

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Chicken Satay Skirataki Noodle Soup and Homemade Chips and Salsa

Tuesday: Leftover Shepherd’s Pie

Wednesday: Mediterranean Meatloaf, Smashed Sweet Potatoes & Salad

Thursday: Brussel Sprouts with Red Potatoes and Pumpkin cupcakes

Friday: Dinner out with the In-Laws

Chicken Satay Skirataki Noodle Soup
adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Package Tofu Skirataki Spaghetti Noodles (House Foods)
• 1 tsp. EVOO
• 8oz Boneless Chicken Breast
• 2 Cloves
• 1 large Shallot
• 6oz Snap peas
• 1/3c. Peanut Butter
• 1/4c. Light Soy Sauce
• 1/4c. Thai Red Curry Paste
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 6c. Fat Free Chicken Broth
• 1″ piece Fresh Ginger, pressed through garlic press
• ½ Head Napa Cabbage, shredded
• ½ Light Apple Juice
• 1c. Bean Sprouts
• 1/4c. Peanuts, unsalted
• 1tbsp Cilantro (garnish)

Food Finds

Clockwise: Millet, Free sample of Fiber 1 (get your’s here!) and Tofu Noodles

I found myself at an organic food store yesterday. Honestly, not a place I frequent much. When we first were looking to move to Maine back in ’05 we were driving up scenic Route 1 when we noticed that parts of our car were starting to fall off from underneath. Spectacular! We had to make an emergency stop at Midas. It was a sweltering hot August day (75 degrees constitutes as “sweltering” in Maine) and sitting in the lobby of a car garage with no AC was anything but what I wanted to do. Unfortunately we had long past the “scenic” part of Route 1, and we were now stuck in a place where their were no stores except car dealerships, a lonely dry cleaning store, and one natural food store.

I walked over to Lois’ Natural Foods alone. Andy would have rather sit in a pool of sweat watching daytime TV on a black and white 10” screen than browse rows of gluten free wheat and granola. I however, jumped at the chance to putter around a store. Like most men, Andy’s idea of shopping is going to a store to get exactly what you’re looking for, paying, and then leaving immediately.

Lately I’ve been collecting recipes for figure friendly meals and some of the ingredients call for some unusual ingredients. Since Andy is out of town this week I used that opportunity to peruse the isles of Lois’s again in search of the following: House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles, Millet and Bear Naked Sierra Trail Mix Granola

House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles – $1.99 for an 8oz bag
These noodles are a hot topic on the Weight Watchers community boards due to the fact they are only 20 calories per serving. Yup, 20. Air is more that 20 calories isn’t it? Hungry Girl also raves about them. And, I found an enticing recipe using Laughing Cow Cheese: Chicken Alfredo. Diet friendly alfredo? I’m in! I am a little weary though. Tofu is on my “do-not-eat-unless-its-the-last-thing-on-earth” list. Not because I’ve ever tried it and didn’t like it, but because I’m scared of it. It looks weird and smells funny. And, where does it come from anyway? Stay tuned for my review later in the week!

Millet – $.49 for 1 pound!
Brietta tipped me off to this grain. I Goggled it, because frankly I’ve never heard of it. Low and behold it’s one of the world’s healthiest foods! It’s packed with fiber, good for your heart and relatively low in calories. It looks like couscous, but smells nuttier. I look forward to making this recipe sometime in the very near future.

Bear Naked Granola – $4.49
I can find this in regular stores, but not the fancy kinds like the sierra trail mix blend. It has pumpkin seeds, raw cashews, raw walnuts, raisins, crasins, chocolate chips!, and sunflower seeds in it. It’s a wonderful addition to low fat yogurt or oatmeal.