Yummy Sweet Potatoes

I made this on Thanksgiving and it was super yummy!  I also made some tonight without nutmeg (because I don't have any here) and with regular sugar instead of brown sugar.  Still tasty, but I would have rather had the brown sugar. I also put a lot of more butter in than just a tablespoon, because it kept them nice and juicy while they baked.

Sweet Potatoes

• 3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size cubes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into bite size cubes and place in the baking dish. Melt butter in the microwave and pour over the potatoes along with the olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add more sugar or cinnamon if desired. Toss to coat evenly.

Bake in the oven for 60 minutes. Stir the sweet potatoes once or twice during roasting. Enjoy.

Chili Mac Recipe

My roommate and I made this tonight and it was deliciously awesome! We got it from Hungry Girl (filling recipes that are all under 300 calories).

Ingredients:
One 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped, juice reserved
1 cup canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the kind by Boca or Morningstar Farms)
1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
5 oz. (about 1 1/4 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni with at least 2g fiber per 2-oz. serving
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Optional: cayenne pepper

Directions:
To make the chili, bring a large pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add all ingredients -- including the reserved tomato juice -- except macaroni and cheese. Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes, occasionally removing the lid to stir.

Meanwhile, prepare macaroni according to package instructions, in boiling water for about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Once both are cooked, add drained pasta to the pot of chili. Mix thoroughly. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and additional spices, if you like. Evenly top each serving with cheese and enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
Calories: 297
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 637mg
Carbs: 55.5g
Fiber: 9.75g
Sugars: 11.5g
Protein: 19g

WW PointsPlus value = 8

I have to be honest, I was a little worried about using "beef-style soy crumbles" but it was actually really good! I couldn't really tell the difference with all of the other flavors in it! And before this recipe, I didn't realize that there is fat-free cheddar cheese available at all! Score!

*Have you voted or commented on my new blog name yet? Please help! I need opinions and feedback!

I caved...

I caved and signed up for Weight Watchers. After not having consistent weight loss with my own watch-what-I-eat-and-work-out-on-my-own plan, I figured why not just try something new. They were having a special this month anyways (who knows if it's actually a deal or not, but I bought into it) so I figured why not? Plus, I was also inspired by Angie's success with it and I've heard from other friends that it works really well.

WELL

it's awesome! In the past week or so that I have been using it, I've lost 3 pounds and 2 inches already! And I swear on my beloved calendars and fun pens (treasured items of mine, if you didn't know) that it's actually really easy to follow and use! :) I love that fruits and veggies (with the exception of a few) don't count as any points so I can have as many of those as I want in a day, which helps fill me up. I love eating fresh fruit all the time, it's like my dessert now and I actually crave it.

I even found some great recipes to try that I love!

I went to Docco's tonight and we made this one:

Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Weight Watchers Recipe

Course: main meal PointsPlus™ Value: 8 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 58 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

	8 oz uncooked pasta, penne variety
	2 tsp olive oil
	3 cup(s) cremini mushrooms, sliced
	1 medium onion(s), chopped
	2 medium tomato(es), chopped
	1 cup(s) Chicken breast without skin, roasted, cubed (chopped)
	1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	1/2 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
	1/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
	2 oz hard-type goat cheese, low-fat, crumbled
	2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
	1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
	1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
  
  
• Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Transfer to a large bowl.
  
  
• Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the pasta in the bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, beans, egg substitute, and broth. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the goat cheese.
  
  
• Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the topping is browned and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Yields 1 cup per serving.

It was yummy! :)

Anyways, losing a couple pounds and enjoying this new program gives me even more motivation to stick with it and lose some more!

Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

This is a really yummy and easy recipe that I've made several times. Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

2 tbs. Olive Oil
3 tbs. Fresh Grated Parm. Cheese
1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chx Breasts, cut up in slices
Salt and ground black pepper
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into strips
2/3 cup spoonable salad dressing (I like to use creamy Italian)
1/3 cup prepared basil pesto
¼ tsp. Pantry lemon pepper seasoning mix
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and stemmed
Kaiser Sandwich Rolls

1. Saute chicken strips in skillet on the stove with Olive Oil – Medium Heat. Add salt and pepper to chicken as it’s cooking. Stir and flip pieces often until tender and no longer pink.
2. Saute red bell pepper strips in separate skillet until tender.
3. Combine salad dressing, pesto, and seasoning mix in medium sized bowl.
4. Toast Rolls.
5. Spoon some dressing on one half of the roll and add a few spinach leaves on top of the dressing.
6. Place a few pieces of cooked chicken and sautéed peppers on the other side of the roll. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to the sandwich. Combine both halves to make the full sandwich.
7. Serve with a side dish such as fresh fruit or steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dip-Edited

I edited the measurements...I had a few mistakes the last time. Fixed!



Pumpkin Dip

1 can of pumpkin-about 15 oz
1 8 oz. box of cream cheese (I used 2 to make it super smooth)
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together cream cheese and sugar.
Add everything else and mix.
Refrigerate for a few hours.

Serve with soft gingerbread cookies, apples, or graham crackers.

It's DELICIOUS! So beware, you may never stop once you start eating it!

Recipe: Mediterranean Dip

I'm making this tomorrow for our school's "Munchie Lunchie." It's basically a pot-luck all day lunch made by and eaten by the staff and faculty.

I haven't tried it yet, but I have high hopes!! **Note to reader: I love ANYTHING that's greek/mediterranean styled/involves feta. So it's a no-brainer...it's going to be DELICIOUS!





Prep. Time: 10 min
Total Time: 10 min
Makes: 1-1/2 cups or 12 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped seedless cucumbers
1/2 cup Athenos Basil & Tomato Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. Kraft Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 cup chopped spinach

Make It
Spread Neufchatel onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.
Mix remaining ingredients except for feta cheese; spoon over Neufchatel.
Sprinkle feta on top.
Serve with Wheat Thins or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.