I actually cooked!

Well...I helped cook. Last night I went to my friend's house to have dinner and help her pack. I'm horribly sad that Joey is moving...oh, I'm sad Jess is leaving too! ;-) I'll really miss his smiles.

That said, we cooked. I didn't take any photos because we were hungry and had a one year old attempting to walk around us...but it turned out really good! AND to top it all off...I ate fish. This is a BIG deal considering it's my least favorite thing, but I will eat salmon and I really liked it. Plus, it was a Weight Watchers recipe!

Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon from Weight Watchers

• (4) 6oz pieces of pink salmon fillet
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 T honey
• 1 T water
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 t dry mustard
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 2 t fresh dill, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper, place in the baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except the dill. Brush 2 T of the mustard sauce onto the salmon, set the rest aside. Roast until salmon is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Mix the dill into the remaining sauce and serve over the salmon.

WW Points - 5 per serving, 4 servings total

We also made corn on the cob, fresh green beans and zucchini sticks. I found the zucchini stick recipe on another blog...but I didn't right down who! So...if it is you, let me know and I'll link it.

Zucchini Sticks

• 3-4 zucchini, cut into 1/4" sticks
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg white

Toss the zucchini in the egg white, and then into the dry ingredients. Place a cooling rack on top of a cooking sheet, spray with cooking spray. Lay the zucchini out onto the cooling rack and spray again with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

WW Points: 4 per serving, 4 servings

It can't always be gourmet.

Well, in my house it rarely is. Gourmet would be more of the exception, not the norm! The following meal is about as far from gourmet as you can get, but it still tasted pretty good. I actually found this recipe years ago and use to make it quite often. Last week, I wanted something different but really easy. Tada! Plus, now that asparagus is one of the less expensive vegetables, I wanted to use some in a pasta dish.

Chicken & Asparagus Alfredo adapted from Campbell's Kitchen

• 8 oz whole wheat fettucine pasta
• olive oil
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
• garlic, minced
• onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• fresh asparagus, cut in 1/3's
• 1 10 3/4 oz can of cream of mushroom soup (I used the 98% fat free kind)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package, drain. In a large skillet, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil. Add the chicken, season to taste, and cook until it is almost done. Add the asparagus toward the end, cook until tender. Pour in the soup and milk, stir until the sauce thickens. Add the Parmesan cheese, stir, and add the pasta.

Weight Watchers Points: 7 pts per serving, 4 servings

Pasta...baked!

I've been really bad about taking photos. Mostly because I just have too much going on. Last week we invited the guy over that Jason does his bike rides with, and his wife and two kids. Their kids are so cute! The oldest is just a mess...and my kind of girl. That skinny three year old can put away the bread. Their second baby is only 7 months old, but cute as a bug and SO chubby.

Since the boys needed to consume quite a few carbs and calories, I went with Baked Ziti. The recipe came from Katie, a friend of mine, who has recommended it before. I really like the way it turned out and it's actually pretty easy. Unless you double the batch like I did. I think I used almost every bowl, pot and dish in my house! What a mess.

Baked Ziti

• olive oil
• 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/2 pound lean Italian sausage
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 14.5 oz cans crushed tomatoes (the Italian seasoned type)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano...basically whatever you want!
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese with 2% milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 box ziti pasta (I actually used Whole Wheat Penne)

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Brown the meats with those, drain if needed. Add in the canned tomatoes and any seasonings you wish. Simmer until you have a pasta sauce consistency. Boil the pasta in another pot, according to the package. I recommend cooking it to al dente, since it will cook longer in the oven. Toss the pasta with the sauce and pour half into a lightly greased 9*13 baking dish. Combine 1 cup mozzarella, the egg, Parmesan cheese and spinach in another bowl. Spread this onto the pasta in the baking dish. Top with the remaining pasta and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 375 until the cheese begins to brown.

Since I doubled my batch, we're still eating this tonight. Maybe I'll take a picture then...

By the way - this is very NOT healthy. 11 WW points...if you use the light Italian sausage and whole wheat pasta.

Spring is on the way!

Well, at least in Houston it is. Yesterday was a beautiful 83 degrees at my house. Perfect for yard work and cleaning house with the windows open. This is when I pity the people in the north who are still shoveling snow.

In honor of the warmer weather, I decided to bake something light and springy. A fellow What's Cooking Nestie suggested Paula Deen's Lemon Blossoms. They are delish! Plus, it gave me the perfect chance to use my mini-muffin pan that I got for Christmas. I think it should be a crime to get a kitchen item and wait more than 2 months to use it, so I just slid in the deadline.

Lemon Blossoms from Paula Deen

Cake Batter

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 3.5oz package instant lemon pudding
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 3 T water

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the ingredients above for the batter and mix well. Lightly spray the mini-muffin pan and spoon 1 teaspoon full for each muffin. (My first batch was 1 Tablespoon, and those did not bake pretty.) Bake for about 12 minutes, until they are golden brown around the edges.

Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir gently. Remove the muffins from the oven and cool slightly before flipping them onto a tea towel. While they are still warm, completely coat the muffins in the glaze. Let them dry completely on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.

Lucky for Jason I had a few that fell apart when I flipped them. Since I'm taking them to a friends house for dinner, he usually only gets to keep a couple for himself. He was very happy that some were broken!

Weight Watchers Points: 3 points for 1 muffin, if you make 48 servings. I actually think that I could have gotten 72 had I used 1 teaspoon for the batter in each. The point value would drop to 2 if that was the case.

Sometimes you "bake" mistakes...

My mother in law gave me a great cookbook for Christmas - a Weeknight Dinners by Southern Living. I love Southern Living and usually find too many things that I want to cook. Well, the front of the cookbook has this great looking meatless entree - Tortilla Pie.

I will probably never make it again. Don't get me wrong, it was good. But...not really worth it. Since I'm watching things on WW, this was NOT worth 6 points!! It makes 6 servings, but they were SO small! I wasn't very impressed. It may have been a little larger if I had used the flour tortillas instead of corn, but that's all I had on hand and it reduced the points value from 7 to 6. It just was not worth it! By the time you add chips (baked) or a salad, you've probably eaten more than your allotted dinner points. It did taste good, though, just not very filling.

Tortilla Pie from Southern Living

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 t chili powder
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 8 whole wheat tortillas (7 point value) or 8 corn tortillas (6 point value)
• 6-8 oz guacamole
• 1 cup salsa
• 8 oz shredded fat free cheddar cheese

Spray an 8" round baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in the dish, top with 1/2 of bean mixture. Top with another tortilla, then 1/2 of the salsa. Top again with a tortilla and 1/2 of the guacamole. Top with one more tortilla and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat all layers except the cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Add the remaining cheese and bake 5-10 minutes more until the cheese melts.

WW Points: 7 with whole wheat tortillas, 6 with corn tortillas

"Baked" Potato Soup

I will fully admit that I did not like this soup. OK, the flavor was good...but I had to give Jason my bowl about halfway through. I have a good reason, though. I hate onions. Unless they are chopped really fine or they are sauteed and a little "mushy" I will not eat them. The thought just makes me ill.

When I prepared this recipe, I just chopped the onion thinking it would probably cook through. Wrong. Lesson learned, if I ever get past the bad taste it left and try to make this again, I will either A) run the onions through the food processor, B) saute them first or C) blend it all with the immersion blender after it cooks. I could still do (C), but I don't think I could get past the taste from last night.

Good thing Jason liked it because we have quite a bit!

"Baked" Potato Soup from Southern Living

• 3 pounds potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 onion, chopped (fine or sauteed)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14-oz cans chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup cream or half & half (I used half & half)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used fat free)
• 3 T chopped green onions
• bacon (I used turkey bacon)
• sour cream (optional)

Combine first six ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Mash the potatoes and add in the cream, cheese and green onions. Serve topped with more cheese, sour cream, bacon and green onions.

It makes about 12 cups and each cup is 4 WW points.

Healthy Eating...

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I love! It's in an older cookbook and I made a few changes to it, but Jason and I are both fans. I did not take photos because...well, it is not a pretty dish. But the taste makes up for it. :-)

Cabbage Casserole from Weight Watchers

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 20-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 head green cabbage, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Saute the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Add the ground turkey and cook through. Add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and rice. Bring to a boil. Spoon half of this mixture into a lightly greased 9*13 baking dish. Top with all of the cabbage and the rest of the mixture. Cover with foil and bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the cabbage is tender.
This measures out to 6 servings at 5 points each.

Happy Birthday Jason!

Jason turns 30 on Wednesday. I think I'm more excited than he is...but for me - it's a chance to give a gift and to go out for a nice dinner. Score! We're hitting up this place called The Oceanaire Seafood Room - we haven't been, but I read some pretty good reviews.

Birthdays also mean the chance to bake a cake. So, a few weeks ago I asked Jason what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday - plain vanilla with "birthday cake icing" (his favorite), red velvet or a pound cake. I honestly thought I would be making a plain vanilla cake. Instead his response was "Can you make my mom's pound cake?" Gasp! Horror! No!

Now, don't get me wrong, her pound cake is, well, awesome. It's an Almond Pound Cake and I could probably eat the whole thing. I had two problems with this. First - she makes it all the time and I try to only eat one piece, but I had this fear of actually reading the recipe. I don't want to know how bad it is for me. Second - I know that what my mom bakes is pretty good. I also think I can make it as good or better. Right? But men...well, what their moms make is as close to perfection as it could be. I dreaded the words "well, it's good but mom's..." Nightmare. However, it's his birthday so I caved.

Then last week he upped the challenge. "Can you make it with Splenda?" I am dieting and he is training for a bike ride, so that makes sense, but I have a general rule. You don't mess with the precision of baking. Jason thinks you can sub anything - 2 eggs instead of 3, water for oil, light or dark brown sugar doesn't even make sense. Me - it's written that way for a reason. But, after asking the What's Cooking Nesties I decided to take a chance.

Almond Pound Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 cups Splenda (or sugar, if you go for the full-fat version)
• 5 eggs
• 2 t almond extract
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 cup milk (I used fat-free)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Cream butter and shortening. Add Splenda (or sugar) 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with the eggs until all of the Splenda and eggs are added. Mix in almond and vanilla extracts. Sift dry ingredients and add 3/4 cup at a time alternating with the milk, a little at a time. Continue to mix until both the milk and dry ingredients are added. Pour into the pan and bake for 1 hour. Reduce the heat and bake for 15 additional minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Honestly, the only difference I noticed was that the cake was not as fluffy as it normally is. It tasted about the same (Jason said a little less sweet, but he liked that) but the consistency was a little off. However, I am completely sure he will eat every piece he can.
WW Points - 5 per piece, based on 24 small servings

Jerk Chicken

In keeping with my WW goals, I found this recipe on their website. I calls for thighs only, but I'm not a fan of dark meat and I had both chicken breasts and thighs left from the Jambalaya over the weekend.

The chicken turned out really good - not as spicy as I had hoped, but good flavor. As an afterthought, I picked up a bag of Yellow Saffron rice to try with this. It's the first time we've had the Saffron rice package - but I'm hooked! Jason loved it and it was so easy. Though not as diet friendly as brown rice.

Jerk Chicken Thighs with Mango Salsa from Weight Watchers

• 3/4 t ground cinnamon
• 3/4 t ground allspice
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• 1/4 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t table salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 T fresh lime juice, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I did 1/2 breast and 1/2 thighs)
• 1 large mango, diced
• 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 1 large jalapeno, minced
• 1 T cilantro, minced
• salt, to taste

Combine first 8 ingredients (using 1/2 of lime juice) in a bowl, mix to a paste. Brush both sides of the chicken with the past and set aside for at least 10 minutes (I actually left it overnight). Grill on medium heat.

In another bowl, combine mango, shallot, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Serve with the chicken.

4 WW points per servings, 4 servings total

Cajun Cooking

Wow...it's been a long time since my last post. Hmm...my kitchen and my waistline show it as well. Between the holiday season, travelling, and being sick I think I've cooked maybe 3 times since before Christmas. Once was Chicken Fried Steak - which turned out really good...I just forgot to take photos. The other two were something like hot dogs. I don't think that qualifies as cooking.

So...this weekend I jumped back on the Weight Watchers wagon - yay!! I did this for several reasons, most of them in the form of pounds. But...I found a really good reason Saturday morning. My mom stopped by with the guy she's been dating for about 4 months to drop off her puppy for the weekend. Right smack out of left field (before my first cup of coffee) comes the question "how would you feel if your mom and I got married."

Me: Today?

Mom: No...

Me: Good, because I'm not really dressed. ((as I stand in my gym clothes burning my mouth trying to drink my coffee and not flip out))

Mom: Well, we're thinking June.

Me: Ok, I should be dressed by then.

So...I'm really happy for her. She is really happy. She's been widowed for over seven years and this is the first time in a long time I think she is "for real" happy. As things slowly sunk in...I realized great, another reason I need to jump back on WW.

As part of this whole package I'm going to try to eat out less, drink less (hmm...we'll see how that goes), work out more, and cook more healthy foods. So...most of my recipes from now on will have WW points calculated and will hopefully be good for me...and you.

Jambalaya from Cooking Light

• 2 t vegetable oil
• 1/4 lb each boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs (cut into bite-size pieces)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 cup chopped smoked turkey sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (I eliminated this because Jason hates it)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice (I subbed brown rice)
• 2 3/4 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
• 2 t paprika
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t ground red pepper
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove chicken from the pan, cover and keep warm. Add sausage to the pan, cook for about 5 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; cover and reduce heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in rice; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth, paprika, thyme, and red pepper, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. I actually had to cook this for a while longer, because I find brown rice cooks slower than long-grain. Add chicken and tomatoes, cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed. If you are adding shrimp (1/4 lb peeled, deveined, and chopped) do so at this time. Cover and cook until the shrimp are done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions.

WW Points: 6 per 1 1/3 cup serving