How I Got the Sugar Monster Out of My Life

You're a salt person or a sugar person.  It appears to be a universal truth.  For me, it's sugar.  I couldn't get enough of it, that is, until recently.

It didn't happen for me because I carefully constructed a master plan to free myself of this devil. It kind of happened by accident.  Here is my best attempt at summarizing the events:
1. Ate sugar every day for years and years.  Mostly after dinner when I was tired, but also at work when it would show up on the community dining table, which turned out to be almost every day. Always felt guilty about it because I knew it wasn't doing me any favors. Tried to resist, mostly unsuccessfully.
2. Joined Weight Watchers, again, in May 2009 and needed to stay within my daily and weekly points allowance.
3. Started purchasing (sadly, in volume) ice cream substitute "foods." (I use the term "foods" loosely here.)  Kept to products that were 2 points or less per serving.  Good ones are anything made by Skinny Cow http://skinnycow.com/ and many of the Official Weight Watchers ice cream products.
4. Ate 2 servings of these per day. Started losing weight. Let's call this my SUBSTITUTION PHASE.
5. As I lost more and more weight, I had less and less WW Points to use every day.  I cut out one serving of substitute ice cream per day.
6. Now for the REPLACEMENT PHASE. Read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and started to question the ingredients in the "foods" I was consuming.  Decided to give dates a try.  Found them to be an extraordinary, natural way to satisfy my sweet tooth.  Started to eat some dates every night after dinner. Also began eating high volumes of nutritious food. Stopped craving the substitute ice creams.
7. Began to crave sugar less and less.  Didn't feel like I wanted to eat the dates every night, so I didn't eat them.
8. Lost more and more weight. Stopped craving sugar.  So I entered an ELIMINATION PHASE. Prefer the taste of real food desserts, like the "freezes" you can make in a VitaMix blender.
9. Now, when presented with something like candy, cake or cookies, I can ususally pass it up or take a taste and be done with it.  Sugary food just doesn't taste as good as it used to!


I made this up last night! It's so easy when you have a Vita Mix.

Pina Colada Freeze
makes a lot!

2 large frozen bananas
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
6 medium dates
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup (or more, as needed for blending) skim, almond, or soy milk
5 ice cubes
if you need to as you wean yourself off of the taste of sugary foods, you can add some stevia, agave syrup, honey or maple syrup

Place all ingredients in high speed blender and blend, using tamper tool, until the mixture is the consistency of ice cream.

Carrot Parsnip Pancakes

Hannukah or no Hannukah, these latkes are worth making! Totally delish and totally low calorie. I doubled the recipe and we devoured them all in 2 days. They reheat nicely in the oven.  Would be great for lunch or dinner served with soup or a salad.

recipe tweaked from a Weight Watchers recipe

Carrot-parsnip latkes

2 latkes = 1 WW point

3/4 lb. carrots, peeled and finely grated
3/4 lb. parsnips, peeled and finely grated
1 medium onion, peeled and finely grated

2 large egg whites and 1 large egg --lightly beaten

1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs or 1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I left this out and they were fine.)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Stir the grated carrots, parsnip and onion in a large bowl. Add the egg whites and egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the hot skillet and press each mound into a 3-inch pancake. Cook the latkes until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to a baking tray and put in the oven to keep warm.
4. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 16 latkes in all.

If You Are Wondering What Got Me So Riled Up . . .

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I was a Weight Watchers drop out, more times than I can even count.  I would get near or to my goal weight and lose my s#*%.  By the time I was "thin" I was so hungry all the time and malnourished that my body overtook my mind and I would binge eat.  I felt horrible.  Finally, I just stopped trying.  That was nine years ago.

Then last summer a friend of mine asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.  I was so excited for her but not at all happy about the idea of standing up in a line of gorgeous, thin women wearing a dress that I didn't hand pick.  I think I had to order the largest size dress that Ann Taylor carries (they are not exactly catering to the voluptuous woman).  I got the dress.  I wasn't happy.  I hung the dress up in my dining room.  I knew I had to go back to Weight Watchers.

A few weeks into my newest stint with Weight Watchers another member mentioned a website with some resources about Weight Watcher's Points values.  And so I went to that site,  http://peertrainer.com/, and I did some exploring, and I saw that something intriguing was going on there.  I signed up for their e-mail "Tip of the Day" program.  I read those tips every day and followed the trail of links they carefully laid out for me.  And something magical happened.

The owners and users of the site were talking about a book, Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  Over on PeerTrainer, they have coined an expression, "diet fusion."  It's the idea that for most people, one diet plan (whether it be South Beach, Nutrasystem, Weight Watchers, Eat to Live, Volumetrics, etc., etc.) doesn't work in the the long run.  That it is really the combination of a few good eating plans, different combinations for different people, that can sustain weight loss in the long  run.  After reading Eat to Live, I knew that Dr. Fuhrman's plan, in combination with the Weight Watchers Points System, could be just the combination that would work for me.

Now I am going to digress a little, in the hopes that I can impress upon you just how important the book Eat to Live and the website http://www.peertrainer.com/ are for me.  I consider myself to be very blessed.  I have a wonderful family (both mine and my husbands), loving husband, three beautiful children, fabulous friends, a gracious home, a supportive community and a career most people would kill for.  But with all of that, I was miserable most of the time.  If you have excess weight on your body, you know exactly what I am talking about.  Everything is clouded by this "thing" that you want to fix and you don't know how to fix it.  You have tried and tried, every day to fix it.  But you haven't been able to fix it.

http://peertrainer.com/ and Dr. Fuhrman showed me the way to fix it.  What works for me probably won't work for everybody, but it might work for you.  I eat a lot of really healthy, low calorie, high nutrient food.  I stay within my Weight Watchers Points allotment easily.  I never feel "starved." I have a tremendous amount of energy.  Oh, and I have lost almost 50 pounds in 9 months.  I am forever in their debt.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Eat to Live.  Check it out for yourself.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3518204.htm

The 3S (Smoothies, Soups and Salads) Eating Plan

Meat eating. I'm not at all against it, but I am very sensitive to the treatment of animals. For 12 years I was a vegetarian, but I didn't do it right and it was not healthy. Being older and wiser, these are my meat rules (includes beef, chicken, turkey (love turkey!) and fish):

1. Eat it, but only at 3-4 meals per week (I'm guessing the standard American eats meat between 14 and 21 meals per week).

2. Keep the serving size to a healthy one, which is 3 oz. of animal protein.

3. Try my hardest to find locally raised, pastured, grass fed, hormone free, etc., etc. for use in my own cooking. Once you know the facts, you won't want to eat anything else. Michael Pollan writes all about this if you want to look him up on Amazon.

The fact is, most of my eating these days comes from 3 categories: Smoothies, Soups and Salads. When you focus on those three things, other less healthy, more caloric foods work their way out of your life. You really can't help but get to your healthy weight over time.

Mango--Good and Good For You

Think you can't satisfy your sweet tooth and still lose weight?  Think again.  This sounded so rediculously delicious that I had to blog about it immediately.  As soon as I get the ingredients I am going to whip it up.

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/recipes-mango-a-sweet-treat-with-anticancer-potential.html

Dr Fuhrman’s Fantastic Mango Ice Cream

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/2 cup hemp, almond or soy milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 10-ounce bag frozen mango
4 slices dried mango, unsweetened and unsulfured

Instructions:
Soak dried mango in the plant-milk until soft (overnight or one hour in advance). Then blend all ingredients, including the soaking milk, in a Vita-Mix or other high-powered blender until smooth and creamy. Garnish with reserved coconut.

Creamy Celery Soup

Celery is a magical weight loss food because of its diuretic effects.

Creamy Celery Soup

adapted from a recipe given to me by Caroline Schkolnick
makes 6 servings of 2 cups each = 2 WW Points

1 large bunch of celery with leaves (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (about 12 oz.)-chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves ( Here- I used dry herbs; about 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground blk pepper
1/2 cup white wine (or broth)
3 cans (14 to 14 1/4 chicken broth or 5 1/4 cups)
2 medium all-purpose potatoes(about 6 oz. each), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunk

1. Trim ends from celery stalks. Slice celery stalks and remaining leaves croswise into 1-inch pieces. Rinse and drain well.
2. In 5 1/2 to 6 quart saucepot, heat oil over med. heat. Add celery and leaves, onion, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook at least 20 to 25 minutes or until celery is soft but not browned, stirring occasionally. Add wine (or broth) and cook 2 minutes or until wine is mostly evaporated.
3. Add broth and potatoes to saucepot; cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are very tender (it took me at least 30 minutes!).
4. Take soup off heat.  With a hand/immersion blender, blend very well until pureed. Taste it--season with salt and pepper.
 
 

Organic Energy

For you Clevelanders (which is most of you reading this at this point), we've got a relatively new and ultra healthy restaurant called Organic Energy. Check out their menu on their website:

http://www.organicenergycafe.com/

The food is amazing. The soups are to die for. At the Miles Road and Brainard location, the quiet dude who makes all of the food from scratch, slowly and right in front of you is a culinary genius. It's my favorite restaurant in Cleveland! I'm curious how many of you guys know about this place. Leave a comment here if you have been there and tell me what you think.

Restaurant Wars, and Not the Top Chef Variety

We don't eat dinner out very much and it's not because of the economic pinch. In fact, I could use a few nights off every week from the cooking and the cleaning up after the whole business.

We don't do it because I am "calorie conscious." I just don't want to stress out about what hidden ingredients are lurking in the food I am ordering and how many calories that adds up to. So I'm really glad to hear that there is federal legislation pending to require restaurants to publish nutritional information on their menus (at least for restaurants with more than 20 locations). I know that the vast number of Americans would fall off their seats if they saw it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704381604575005530811257728.html

So that I can partake in restaurant food occasionally, I have developed a number of strategies that work for me in restaurant situations. I'm going to share them here with you in the hopes that these ideas might help you too.

1. Look at the restaurant’s online nutritional information BEFORE going to the restaurant.
2. Choose what you will eat and write it down before entering the restaurant.
3. If nutritional information is not available online, just say “oh, well” and make the best out of the situation. If the restaurant serves non-cream-based soup, order the biggest bowl of it they offer. This will fill you up and make it a heck of a lot easier to control yourself.
4. Do not hesitate to ask for food to be prepared the way you need it to be prepared. We all know to ask for a salad with the dressing on the side, but lately I have started to ask for double lettuce. (I happen to really like lettuce.)
5. Immediately remove food from my plate that is not on my plan.
6. Eat slowly and notice every bite (this is the hardest thing of all for me, practically impossible with kids in a restaurant).
7. When finished, make it final by putting a napkin over the food.
8. If it seems unfair to me that I can’t eat something, acknowledge that I’m right. Then ask myself, which unfairness would I rather have: not being able to eat this or not losing/maintaining my weight? Then say, “oh, well” and get on with it.
9. If having a craving, distance myself from the food by taking a short walk, going outside, going to the bathroom.
10. While others at your table are eating dessert, keep your mouth and hands distracted by ordering yourself a hot tea, hot coffee or hot water with lemon and sipping it slowly.

Got any restaurant strategies of your own you would like to share?  Leave a comment below.

Do You Love Mashed Potatoes? Try This Cauliflower and Millet Mash!

My new favorite TV show is on BBC America.  It's called "You Are What You Eat." Hosted by Dr. Jillian McKeith, a holistic nutritionist, it is a pretty eye-opening insight into the realities of obesity.  Watching it actually brainwashes me to want to eat more healthfully.  Genius!

Recipe adapted from a recipe by Dr. Jillian McKeith.  This is a great substitute for mashed potatoes. It's a very nice side dish for any protein or can be topped with a vegetable "stew" for a completely vegan meal.

Cauliflower and Millet Mash
makes 10 servings, each serving = 1 cup = 1.5 WW Points

1/2 cup millet (can get in the bulk food aisle at any healthy grocery store)
1 pinch salt
2 small onions or 1 large, peeled and finely chopped
1 big head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1.Wash the millet and drain well. Place in a medium-sized pan of water, add the salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Place the onion and cauliflower in a pan and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until cauliflower is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain. Return to the pan and mash with a potato masher.

3. Drain the millet.  Place drained millet into the pot with the mashed cauliflower and onions and mix through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

I Got Hooked, and You Can Too--The Green Smoothie

So it turns out that I am a "zealot."  You don't hear that term very often these days.  And all any true zealot needs is a teensy bit of encouragement to keep spreading their gospel.  Well, I got me a healthy dose of encouragement yesterday from my friend Rachel from high school.  "I made your Energy Soup, Barley with Mushrooms and Onions, and the Brussel Sprouts tonight. I tasted them all and they are delicious...and in the fridge for the week! When I get home from the gym tomorrow it will be Pumpkin Banana Smoothie time. Keep the recipes coming! I am hooked."

So here is one of my all time favorite green smoothie recipes.  I try to drink a green smoothie every day for breakfast.  It is fast, filling and really tasty.

Pear Banana Spinach Smoothie
makes 1 serving = 3 WW points

1 frozen or fresh ripe banana, broken into chunks
1 ripe pear, cut off of the stem
1/2 cup frozen spinach (I get the bags of frozen spinach at Trader Joes, not the box/block type)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or any other non-fat milk of your choice
4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

TIPS: You can substitute 1 cup of any other frozen fruit for the pear component of this smoothie.  I purchase all of my frozen fruit at Trader Joes, they have quite a variety available.  Try it with papaya, mango, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, or pineapple.

You can substitute water for the milk and make a 2 point smoothie.  Give it a try! Just as tasty and filling!

Depending on your choice of fruit, you may feel like you need a little sweetener in the smoothie.  I recommend agave syrup (but this adds more WW points) or stevia (try Truvia) for no added calories.

Kale Crispies

My awesome business partner, Chris-Anna (a real live naturally thin girl!),  got me this t-shirt as a gift and  I couldn't be more proud to sport it!  Chris has been wondering lately why it took her so long to discover this magical vegetable.  Well, there's a dude in Vermont who wants to make sure everyone knows how tasty and healthy it is.  http://www.eatmorekale.com/ You too can join the movement!

Kale Crispies

Our friend Jill reports, "I am all about 'kale crispies'. Take the leaves off the hard stem. Drizzle olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Bake in a single layer at 350 for about 13 minutes. My kids beg for them--and i don't even have to dip them in chocolate."

Organic Vegetable Share or, rather, What Do I Do With Brussels Sprouts?

Sometimes you've just got to take what the universe drops in your lap.  About a month ago I received a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in participating in an organic vegetable share.  Toby, a woman whom I have never met before, would, for $25 per week, drop off, at my doorstep, a bunch of organic veggies.  Having participated in a CSA through a local farm this summer, I was used to the idea of not having control over the vegetables that I was cooking with in my kitchen.  Actually, I found it to be a really fun challenge and decided that I was up for it again.  So, excitedly, I committed.

And I am so glad that I did. 

It is astonishing what Toby drops off every week.  Apples, pears, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, brussels sprouts, lettuce, and kale were all in this week's share.    I don't know how I got so lucky.  Thanks Toby!

One of the women who participates said that she didn't very much care for brussels sprouts.  I think a lot of people share that opinion because they have never had them roasted to a crisp.  Prepared this way, there really just isn't anything more delicious.  The adults in our extended family simply cannot get enough of them!

Braised Brussels Sprouts
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put brussels sprouts into a pot of boiling water. After 10 minutes, drain them and throw them into a roasting pan or onto a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Next, sprinkle salt, pepper and little chunks of butter (not too much) onto the steaming brussels sprouts. Butter will melt. Toss to coat. As an alternative, you could spray the sprouts with olive oil spray or drizzle olive oil on.

Roast the sprouts in the oven for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so. They are done when they are caremelized and brown and crispy on the outside. YUM-OH!

Hot Tip! Frozen Apple Juice Concentrate

Keep a container of frozen apple juice concentrate in your freezer for use in your recipes.  Pull it out when you need it.  It defrosts quickly and you can pour out exactly what you need for any recipe.  Then pop the top back on and refreeze the rest.  One brand that has a container with a reusable lid is Old Orchard.

recipe courtesy Weight Watchers

Braised Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts
This recipe works equally well with other tender spring greens such as beet greens.  It is also delicious served cold.
4 servings, 1 cup each = 2 WW Points

2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 cup(s) Swiss chard, leaves separated from stems* (about 11 1/2 oz)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion(s), diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/3 cup(s) dried currants (Raisins or cranberries would make a fine substitute for the currants.)
1/3 cup(s) apple juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Trim away any brown ends from chard; separate leaves from stems by tearing away leaves into bite-sized pieces. Thoroughly wash leaves by repeatedly submerging them in a large bowl of cold water; repeat process until no grit or tiny critters remains in bottom of bowl. Set washed leaves in a colander to drain. The leaves do not need to be spun dry — any water clinging to the leaves will help in the braising process. Next, wash chard stems.  Coarsely chop chard stems and leaves – making sure to keep the leaves and stems separate from one another; set aside.

Preheat oven or toaster to 350ºF. Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes; set aside.
Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chard stems and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add currants and apple juice; stir well to combine. Cover skillet; cook for 5 minutes more.

Add chard leaves to skillet in 3 batches, mixing well between each batch; cover and cook until leaves are tender, stirring halfway through, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle with salt and vinegar; stir to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts. Yields about 3/4 cup chard and 1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts per serving.

Maintenance

I am well aware from personal experience that maintenance is much harder than losing. Getting close to it has me thinking a lot about it even before I am there. My thoughts this weekend were focused around the idea that when people are losing and attending WW meetings, it's all very, very exciting stuff. And that can keep someone "out of the cookie jar" for a long time--the competition with oneself and the praise from others, it all has a person feeling really good. But then one day it just ends. You're there. But the fun and excitement is gone. What are you left with that will keep you on this plan that takes a lot of effort to stay on? Yeah, I know, we all want to stay looking good and feeling good. But somehow it's not enough. The fun and excitement is over.

So, I had an idea for myself. What if I turned my passion for using healthy cooking into a blog about weight loss, healthy cooking, kitchen tips and product tips? That could keep me excited about staying at my goal weight. Because I can't very well write a blog about it if I gain in all back! So, let me know what you think. How do you keep this going day after day?

Barley with Mushrooms and Onions

Based on a recipe from http://www.weightwatchers.com/ but tweaked to be even healthier!  When served with a big salad for dinner, this vegan dish really satisfies.

Barley with Mushrooms and Onions
1 cup=3 WW Points

cooking spray
2 cups yellow or white onion, finely chopped
about 20 ounces cremini (a.k.a. baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups hulled barley (that means the whole grain, not the stripped down one)
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce or other seasoning of your choice

Coat a heavy saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms; cook, stirring a few times, until mushrooms release their moisture, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, barley, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  Partly cover pot and reduce heat to low; simmer until barley is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally, at least 75 minutes.  When done cooking, taste it and add whatever you like to spice it up!

To Date, My Favorite Low Calorie Salad Dressing

Dr. Fuhrman recommends that adults eat one pound of cooked vegetables and one pound of raw vegetables every day.  It's not as hard as it sounds, especially with Galeos Miso Caesar dressing.  My friend Robin turned me on to this dressing a few months ago, but she made me promise not to tell anyone else for fear that when she went to Whole Foods they would be out of stock.  Well, I just can't hold back anymore.  At 14 calories per tablespoon, you can afford a few on that huge green salad.  I happen to love all of Galeos flavors of salad dressing. For more information visit http://www.galeoscafe.com/

The Best Stuffed Pepper Appetizer Recipe Ever

This stuff is um, um good! Recipe courtesy http://www.peertrainer.com/

"I have never liked 'stuffed peppers' because the mere title suggests bread crumbs, fried, cheese, cream, anything to make it taste good. But then, I had this version of stuffed peppers last summer. They are so fresh, so light so incredibly good (and did I mention filling??) that you will make them for every dinner party, every potluck, and everyone will be raving about your stuffed peppers. Who knew that a recipe could be so healthy and taste so good? They only take minutes of prep time and place them in the oven for 35 minutes and you're done. The best part is after they are cooked, they taste even better at room temperature so they can keep for any party that you're preparing for ahead of time. "

1/2 pepper = 1/2 a WW Point

4 large sweet orange peppers
4 large sweet yellow peppers
2 pkgs of mushrooms or one very large package
bushel of cilantro
4 Table spoons of olive oil
squeeze of fresh lemon
salt/pepper to taste
6 shakes of red pepper chili flakes, more or less depending on your taste for "hot" things
1 large pkg of small cherry tomatoes,(if only large is available, this is ok, you'll just quarter them instead of 1/2 them)
6 cloves of garlic (again, depending on your taste)

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice the large peppers in 1/2 and clean out the seeds and pull off the stem. Place on a large oven grill tray.

Slice the mushrooms into small peices, about 4 or 5 per mushroom. Slice the cherry tomatoes in 1/2, if they are large, slice them in quarters. Grind the garlic cloves and cut up the "leaves" of the cilantro. Throw the stems away.

In a large mixing bowl, throw in the mushrooms, tomatoes, olive oil, cilantro, garlic and squeeze of leomon Mix together. Shake on the red pepper flakes, little salt and pepper. Mix all together. Taste it. It is soooooo good even by itself!

Then, take a spoon and place the mushroom/tomato mixture in the peppers. You should see the browns, greens and reds mixed together in the large orange or yellow pepper.

Place the tray in the oven for 35 minutes. The peppers should be somewhat soft and brownish on the outside edges.

Makes 16 halves.

"excuse me, but when do you find the time for the blog, let alone the cooking??"

So my friend Winky just asked me how I have the time to cook, and it just so happens that I wanted to blog about this very topic.  So I'm taking this as a sign that I should do it now.

I do most of my cooking on the weekends.  It's a pleasure for me, not a chore, so when the weekend comes I'm happiest in my kitchen.  I am a creative person at heart, and right now it is where I can focus that creativity.  I make really big batches of things.  I never make a recipe without doubling it or trippling it.  I know my weeks are hectic and I know how happy I'll be when I get in the door at 5:30 and dinner just needs to be reheated.

I have also started cooking in the morning, believe it or not, before my kids wake up.  Since I have started eating copius amounts of nutritious food, I need a lot less sleep.  When I was overweight, I needed 9-10 hours of sleep at night.  Today, I can only sleep 7 hours.  I wake up refreshed and raring to go at 5 a.m.!  I know it's crazy, but it's what is happening in my body right now.  So I have started to use my extra a.m. hours to cook.  Even I think I've lost it . . .

Soup--A magical weight loss tool

Well, now it's offical.  Yahoo thinks so, too!

"Amazing powers of soup . . . Weight Loss"
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/23125/soup-therapy-detoxify-lose-weight-and-boost-immunity/

And in honor of this honor, here is another fantastic magical weight loss soup recipe:


Curried Cauliflower Soup (not pictured above)
Printable Recipe

(2 cups = 1 WW point)

vegetable broth for sauteing
1.5 cups halved and sliced onions
1 tsp curry powder
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups chopped cauliflower
.5 tsp salt
2 cups shredded zucchini, about 2 small or 1 med-large

Place a stock pot over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with vegetable stock.  When the stock starts to bubble and add the onions and curry powder. Cover and cook for 4 or more minutes, stirring occasionally. If onions start to stick to bottom of pot, add a few tbsp of broth and lower heat a touch.

When onions are translucent, add the broth, cauliflower, salt and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Puree the soup in the pot with a hand/immersion blender (or in a blender or food processor and return to the pot). Stir in the zucchini. Taste the soup and add more salt or curry powder to your taste. Ladle the soup into bowls--you can reserve a bit of the shredded zucchini to use as a garnish.

Baked Spinach Kofta with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

I had been wanting to make this recipe for a few weeks now, and starting this new blog-venture was just the kick in the butt I needed.  It's a pretty time consuming adventure, but I thought the results were yummy and really filling.  (I ate 2 servings (10 balls) for lunch with a big mound of the Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce for a total of 5 WW Points.)  As well as being a volume eater, I am also a volume chef.  When I know a recipe is going to take a bit of doing, I double or triple it.  So if you think this might be a winner in your house, I suggest you do the same!

Recipe tweaked from a recipe on http://www.fatfreevegan.com/

Baked Spinach Kofta
makes 4 servings (5 balls each) for 2 WW Points

2 medium red potatoes, about 12 ounces
6 ounces fresh spinach (I only had frozen on hand so I defrosted it in the microwave and squeezed out the water)
2 ounces firm tofu
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (reduce for low-sodium diets)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)

Peel the potatoes, dice them into 1/2-inch pieces, place them in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Boil until the potatoes are tender and then drain them well and mash. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for one minute, or just until wilted. Drain well in a colander. (Again, I used frozen spinach, defrosted it in the microwave and rang it out.) Put the spinach along with the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt into a food processor (or high powered blender) and process until crumbly. Set aside.

Spray a large skillet with canola oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and toast for one minute. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garam masala, stir, and immediately add the potatoes and the spinach mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into a large bowl.

Add the chickpea flour and stir well. Allow to cool until easy to handle. Shape into about 20 balls, approximately 1.5-inches in diameter. (Don't worry about getting them perfect; they will naturally flatten out some during baking.) Place on an oiled cookie sheet or a silicone baking mat.

Preheat oven to 450F. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the kofta. Bake for 10 more minutes and turn again. Bake for 10 more minutes or until all sides are lightly browned.
Serve with Cucumber-Soy Yogurt sauce (below), garnished with tomatoes, red onion, and hot chile peppers. This makes a delicious stuffing for whole wheat pita bread or chapatis.

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber
1 cup plain fat free greek yogurt
1/4 cup diced red onion
1-2 tablespoons minced mint leaves (optional)
1-3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peel and finely dice the cucumber. Place the pieces in a colander and allow the liquid to drain while you mix the other ingredients in a bowl.

Before adding the cucumber, blot it lightly with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Add it to the yogurt mixture and stir to combine. You can refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to allow the flavors to blend, but I was so hungry after making this recipe that I ate it right away!

What the heck am I doing in the blogosphere?

I'm not a Skinny Bitch.  I'm certainly not Naturally Thin.  And thankfully, I'm also not a Hungry Girl.  But, I used to be overweight and I'm not anymore.  I'm here to share my story with anyone who feels the pain of being overweight and just doesn't know how to break the cycle.  I'm also here to share with all of the folks out there who are cooking up amazing healthy food for themselves and their families on a daily basis.

The answer is not to eat less food.  Freedom comes from eating until you feel satisified and not gaining weight.  There is incredible power in food, you just need to plug into it.

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

Thick and creamy, this smoothie recipe really fills you up and satisfies your sweet tooth.  Great for breakfast or a special treat.

Makes 1 serving, 3 points
1 medium frozen banana, broken into chunks
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup pure pureed canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
5 ice cubes
natural sweetener of your choice-I use Stevia because it doesn't add calories
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in blender (I use a Vita Mix blender) and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

Wendy's Energy Soup

This soup was inspired by recipes from Bethanny Frankel, author of Naturally Thin, and Jackie Wicks, owner of the website http://www.peertrainer.com/.  I made it in large batches and ate it for lunch or dinner as I lost weight.  The more I ate, the more weight I lost!  I'm sure it is due to the extrememly high nutrient content, but low calorie content.  Everyone in my family loves it! Be warned, once you have a bowl of this, you may not have room in your tummy for much else . . .

(2 1/2 cups = 1 Weight Watchers point)

1 very large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves if garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 cups vegetable broth (2 boxes)
6 medium sized zucchini, cut into cubes
1 package mushrooms, cut into chunks if mushrooms are large
1 bag fresh spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Other seasoning to taste
12 ounces frozen butternut squash, defrosted

Saute the onion in a large soup pot in the olive oil, until translucent and slightly soft. Add garlic and sautee for a few more minutes. Add the broth, zucchini, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes or zucchini are soft. Stir in fresh spinach, it will wilt immediately.


Using a hand (immersion) blender, puree the onion-garlic-zucchini-mushroom-spinach mixture until smooth. Add the defrosted butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper and ANY other seasonings you like, to taste. (I like something with a little heat like cayenne pepper.)