Fat Friday: Eggplant Caponata

Whoops, it appears i negelcted my blog. cest la vie I guess. Onward....

hooray for me! I got through the last few weeks,and I enjoy seeing that I am 1.8 lbs lighter this week. I am less than 2lbs away from my first goal of 5% weight loss. The best part about this weight loss is that it proves that it is possible to enjoy your week, not feel deprived and still lose. afew Fridays ago I had movie theatre popcorn (Probably the best in my entire life) and an entire 10" wood fire oven pizza. Not to mention butter soaked edamame beans and red wine. It was a wonderful night out with the hubby and friends, and I'm glad the scale didn't bring any guilt. The following week however was different as I went out and seriously miscounted a few things.

I ended up going 18 points over my bonus. Leaving me the deepest in the red I have been to date. I gained .2lbs which was really not enough to panick over, just be cautious of. I was however being really behaved all this week and trying to stay on my feet and moving. I only lost 0.3 lbs but I am working toward at least a 1lb lost come friday. I haven't been eating great, and I havent been eating badly. Nothing fried, but there has been probably too much butter, and too much chocolate, with not enough fruit. I'm not really sure why, I just am finding it hard this week to control some cravings. I havent run out of points, I still have half my bonus. But im making shit decisions. And im not really feeling lettuce. But every day is a learning curve.

Here is a new recipe for Eggplant Caponata. It's tasty, it`s sweet, it`s tart, its not very high in points and cooks in under ten minutes to boot. You're gonna love it.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA

1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup frozen grilled eggplant
1 cup diced tomatoes with juices
1/3 cup roasted red peppers
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp capers, drained
1 1/2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked rotini
shredded mozzarella

Cook pasta according to your basic pasta rule- salted water, until al dente- usually about 8 minutes. While pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large frypan. Sauté onions over medium heat, approx. 5 min. Add all remaining ingredients except the mozzarella. Cook until well heated through. Serve over pasta, topp with however much mozzarella you fancy. Finish it with a drizzle of fresh extra virgin olive oil and enjoy the delicousness.

Entertaining on a diet

Now it's important to remember that while I did title this post "Entertainment on a diet" I am in fact not on a diet. I am a weight watcher. But it was a better sounding title.

I am always happy to entertain friends for lunch, dinner, cocktail hour, any occasion. But being so tuned into trying to eat better it can get a little crazy trying to stay within points range.

The other day I entertained a girlfriend for lunch who is also trying to keep tabs on what she eats. I decided to make a spread based on the things I had in my fridge that I eat everyday, with one treat in the mix.


I served...

Rice crackers
Weight Watcher Pretzel Thins
Ryvita Multrigrain crackers
Salted Almonds
Goat Cheese
Hummus
Chili pepper jam
Veggies
Dip- low fat ranch with yogourt to stretch it out
Pita bread
Smart pop popcorn
Cheddar cheese
Strawberries and Grapes
Homemade Lemonade- The treat.

With all the little finger foods we ate slowly while we chatted and since I had weighed all the cheeses and dips before hand, I was able to track how many points I was consuming.

Lunch was delicious, snacky, and guilt free. Not to mention, half of the food was left over.

Feeling Pickled

It's a bloggin miracle- I can suddenly put pictures up no problem. Sweet.

Well I had my weigh in Friday morning, and I did not do well, but I did not do badly. I went to the weigh in knowing I had a week that was far from perfect, so to see that I had not lost was far from a suprise. It was something I was prepared for. The good news about it, is that I only gained 0.2lbs, therefore I technically gained barely anything. I learned my lesson and so I move forward.

Then I went to the movies...Got movie popcorn that was the greatest I've ever had. Still drooling. Then we had dinner with friends at a wood fire oven pizza restaurant where I ordered a 10" pizza with bocconcini, prosciutto, onions and spinach. They forgot the spinach and I ate the whole thing- But when I got home to track my points I just put in all my points and bonus points- So if i did over estimate then at least I wont use ALL my bonus points on top of the pizza. The wine was a delicious touch ;)

I really should have had the margherita pizza- next time.

This week I made my own pickles- yay! yum! These particular ones are not the kind you put on the shelf for months and years- You make them and put them in the fridge to munch for a couple weeks then make a new batch. I got the recipe from Rachael Ray, and i changed it a bit to fit what I had at home.

Quick Pickles

• 1/2 cup white vinegar, eyeball it
• 2 rounded teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove cracked garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 kirby cucumbers, cut into 1-inch slices on an angle

Preparation

Heat small saucepan over medium high heat. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves. Toss the dill, bay leaf, and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat. Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.

Fondant button brownies and fishy mcfish...though not at the same time

Well it has been 6 days and I was finally able to get pictures up. Fat friday is once again way late, but hey!

Before I get into the healthy, allow me to start with the not. For my aunt’s birthday I made her Chocolate Brownie cupcakes with handmade fondant decals. They were delicious, and dense in that rich creamy dreamy way. They were roughly 10 points each, well spent. Here are a few shots of them and the decals. My Aunt loves to sew so I made her some buttons.

They were so beautiful and I splurged on the fancy cups since it was her bday and I <3 Her. Sadly they tumbled 3x on the way to her house and were so squished and sad I was pretty sad. I won't be using the cupcake caddy again. The sides aren't high enough to support and kind of sideways tilt.

Onto the healthy!

My weigh in was A+. I lost 2.0 lbs. I was just shy of my 10 lb mark and I’m excited to MAYBE get the badge for it at the next weigh in. I’ve used all my bonus points and then some this week due to some poor choices and bad calculating. I will be happy with maintaining the same late but we will see.

Month 1: 6.2 lbs
Week 1: 1.4 lbs
Week 2: 2.0

Total: 9.6 lbs

Total baby weight lost- 17.6 lbs

This week I am talking about choosing fish for dinner. Growing up, I highly disliked fish. With the exception of tuna covered in mayonnaise and fish n chips smothered in vinegar and tartar I never used to touch it. Salmon was especially disgusting to me as I was insistent it tasted like metal. But just like alcohol, as I got older I learned to like it more. I still don’t like crustaceans with the exception of well cleaned non jumbo shrimp.

In my Weight Watcher meeting recently we were talking about Salmon and how it is higher in points then most fish and lean meat. But no one can argue the health benefits of eating salmon. There is a meeting leader who swears she loses the most weight on the weeks she eats Salmon at least once. So I tried it and looky looky, I lost 2 lbs.

I made a basil and garlic crusted salmon and it was yummy. I made a supperworks dish called Cornmeal Crusted basa, which had a pineapple salsa (sans Cilantro, yuck)

For the Basa, I can break it down for you without having to do the whole recipe layout. Take a white fish filet, dip it into cornmeal and sesame mixed in a bowl. If I had to give you a ratio of how much cornmeal to sesame, I would tell you 80% cornmeal, 20% sesame. Broil the fish until well done, 8 minutes-ish. For the pineapple salsa, just mix together green onion, red peppers and crushed pineapple. Fruity fruity yum yum.

Basil Garlic Crusted Salmon

2 Salmon filets

A bunch of fresh Basil (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1/8 cup Parmesan, grated

Blend all ingredients (But not the filet!) together in a mini chopper or pestle n mortar. Spread over the salmon filets and bake at 375 until done. Roughly 20 minutes. Check for doneness before you take it out.

I served mine with a salad made up of lettuce, cucumber, orange segments and a orange juice vinaigrette. I also served it with rice and steamed carrots tossed with cinnamon.

2 seriously fast, seriously easy and seriously delicious meals to make you feel fed. The smart way.

Fat Fridays- A pizza, a Salad, a happy tummy.

Fat friday, 4 days late. I have been trying to add photos to this silly blog for over a week. And I am not impressed. Today I finally got these two photos up on what feels like a fluke. When I went back to some old posts to add photos the same problem occured. I am seriously considering starting a new blog somewhere else and exporting this one. Ugh.

That off my chest, Friday was my weekly weigh in and I was quite happy with it. I finished the first week of the second month and I lost 1.4lbs, to a total of 7.6lbs since joining monthly pass. I am .3lbs away from breaking into the next set of tens. Hopefully I will also break into my 10lbs. It's something to look forward to. So

Month 1: 6.2 lbs
Week 1: 1.4 lbs
Total : 7.6lbs

Another happy thought is that I have already lost 16 of my 58lbs of baby weight without struggling and that makes me even more excited.

This week i'm focusing on 2 different ends of the lunch spectrum. Salad, and Pizza.

I have never been a huge salad fan but over the last year I have been learning to enjoy them. However there is alot of sticker shock when it comes to restaurant salads as they can sometimes have alot of hidden calories. When I make a salad I try to keep the dressing low in points but big in size. I also like alot of vinegar so I thin and stretch out the dressing by adding some. I can't eat just lettuce so I try to pile in as many crunchy and delicious things as possible.

This is my chicken pear salad. Its huge, it's tangy, sweet and filling, not to mention balanced. This is my go to salad on days where I know I need to get more greens in. Make sure you pick one of your bigger bowls when you make this!

CHICKEN PEAR SALAD

2 generous handfuls of leafy lettuce- Mine was romaine and spinach
1 pear, any type diced into cubes
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped
30g cheddar, diced small
Cucumber, cut into discs and halved
2oz chicken breast, cleaned and cubed
Hot sauce
salt and pepper
1 tbsp dijon
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp low fat sour cream
cider vinegar- your pick how much


cook the chicken in a fry pan on medium high until well browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. add a few shakes off hot sauce to the pan and saute for a minute before removing chicken from heat.

Whisk together dijon, olive oil, sour cream, vinegar and more salt n pepper in a small bowl. Layer rest of salad ingredients together in a bowl, topping with chicken and dressing. Total points value, 10 pts.

Now the day after my salad I find myself feeling like i need a carb. I'm starting to feel like I am craving something a little less resposnsible. What better way to flfill the need without ruining everything or using up all my bonus points for the week? PITA PIZZA.

This is a go to pizza I make for the hubsters and myself. And when my son is old enough to eat pizza, I am hoping this will be the only kind of pizza he knows. Or as he gets older, at least prefers.

PITA PIZZA

1 Weight Watchers pita (Or any pita of choice that is 4pts or under)
1/4 cup marinara sauce
15g part skim mozzarella
5-10g goat cheese or feta
5 turkey pepperoni
mushrooms
peppers

Turn oven on to 375F. Spread all ingredients on the pizza in your favourite way. Bake until melty and serve with salad or veggies and dip. Points total? 7! 7 points for a pizza. And 10 for a salad. Who'da'thunk.

Tips to filling your life with fun

Found this on the weight watchers site yesterday, and enjoyed the tips. I though sharing it would be fun for all 4 ppl who follow this ;)

Want to energise your mind, body and soul? These 24 innovative ideas are guaranteed to fill your life with challenges and fun.

1. Take an evening class.
Have you always wanted to write an award-winning screenplay, whip up Celtic bracelets or speak French like a native of Provence? The time is now! Call your local community centre and sign up for a noncredit course.

2. Get a makeover.
Fancy yourself a redhead? Ask your hairdresser for a dye, or try a semipermanent rinse at home. And what about your makeup? Book an appointment with a department store cosmetics specialist, and leave looking like a new person.

3. Spend quality time with your parents.
Banish pizza and videos and go out with Mom and Dad for dinner and a movie.

4. Find a blast from the past.
Stop wondering what happened to your best friend from primary school—track him or her down and find out. It could rekindle a great friendship!

5. Clean out your wardrobe.
Be brutal! If that dress clings in all the wrong places or that jacket looks like a tent since you lost weight, bag them for charity.

6. Put your hand up.
Give something back to the community by volunteering to help a charity. Deliver meals to the elderly with Meals on Wheels. Sign up as a Red Cross volunteer. Help your local Humane Society by cleaning, feeding and walking stray dogs.

7. Spice up your social life.
Spend a night at a karaoke bar or theme park or line-dancing with a group of friends, and tighten your stomach muscles with all the laughing you'll do.

8. Formalise your weight goal.
Set on reaching a certain weight by your niece's wedding or your partner's 40th? Then try strategies to motivate yourself. List 10 things you'll enjoy when you're slimmer. Take two more walks a week. Drink one more glass of water per day.

9. Trace your family history.
Who knows, you may discover some interesting skeletons in the closet or a famous long-lost ancestor. Local genealogical societies are a great resource, and a lot of information can be found online.

10. Create a fragrant garden indoors.
Go on a shopping spree for scented candles, soaps, essential oils and potpourri. Want to be more hands-on? Hit the crafts shop and snap up some "how to" books on candle-making and soap kits.

11. Overdose on fresh air.
Head to the park, but don't languish on a picnic blanket—get moving! Ride a bike, feed the ducks, throw a Frisbee, walk your dog, play a game of tag or rent some inline skates.

12. Absorb more culture.
Art and history can be good soul food—spend an afternoon at a gallery or museum catching the latest exhibition. Can't be bothered fighting the crowds? Then check your local paper for smaller exhibitions at libraries or community centres.

13. Decode your dreams.
Was that snake you dreamt of an omen of danger? Keep a dream diary by your bed to record your dreams right when you wake up. Then discover what your subconscious is telling you with a dream analysis book or by looking it up online.

14. Feel young again.
Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, Thumper in Bambi—recapture the wonder you felt watching them by spending an afternoon at the movies and seeing the world through a child's eyes. If you don't have kids, offer to take your sister's or friend's kids—they'll love you for it.

15. Sit around a campfire.
Tell ghost stories, roast marshmallows and bellow old campfire favourites. The warmth of friends and flame will relax and mesmerise you.

16. Go bazaar.
Bright scarves, the smell of fresh flowers—at open-air markets your senses will get a complete workout. Better still, you can save time with diverse one-stop shopping by picking up ingredients for tonight's dinner, buying a new outfit, choosing a rug for the kitchen and purchasing some new house plants.

17. Plan the ultimate party.
Make it an evening of wine-tasting, a literary occasion, a "fortune-telling" night (organise a psychic to come and give readings) or a beauty session where you and your friends give each other manicures and pedicures while sipping champagne.

18. Redecorate your bedroom.
Large, black, square candles atop a bed of cloves on square saucers provide a touch of the Orient. Or try mosquito netting hung from a ring above your bed. The only limit is your imagination—so decide what ambience you want to create, then go for it.

19. Get the team spirit.
Want to have fun, make friends and burn calories all at the same time? Then sign up for a team sport such as basketball, soccer or ice hockey.

20. Make your own greeting cards.
Enjoy the artistic challenge of design using coloured cardboard decorated with anything from rose petals or leaves to watercolours combined with ink.

21. Save at the sales.
Tired of the frantic, last-minute dash to find birthday presents? Banish the panic factor by buying gifts for friends and relatives well in advance at mid-season sales.

22. Breakfast in style.
Pack a scrumptious breakfast, then take it to a scenic spot such as the beach or a local park.

23. Be a dancer.
But don't play it safe. Instead of ballroom dancing, try Latino, Irish, belly or tap dancing. It will do wonders for your waistline and your coordination.

24. Consult on colour.
Should you buy that fabulous jacket in taupe or cream to best suit your complexion? Ask a colour consultant (go to the department store to find one).