Mini Club Sandwiches

Here's a pic of the sandwiches from yesterday.

Tonight is up in the air... either spaghetti or take out. We were out a bit too late at Corb's holiday party last night (post-holiday) and I have no ambition to get creative :)
~M

Grandparents are visiting

My parents are coming for a visit today. The come to see their Grandson about once a month, and he really looks forward to it. They get here pretty early (around 8:30 am) and they stay until about mid-afternoon and then head home. So, I usually try to make something good to munch on. I admit, it's usually not WW friendly (and this one is no exception). But it is good finger food. Once I did make Cooking Light tamales, which were amazing, but a lot of work... but that's on the plan for the next visit.

For today I am making what I made for Corbin's birthday party. These were a HUGE hit and tasted amazing.

I also threw together a cheese ball that my sister-in-law Vanessa served at her house when we were there. It's simply cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat kind), chopped green onion, chopped buddig beef, and some garlic powder. What a great go-to recipe for a quick cheese ball for guests.


While making the bacon for the sandwiches, I learned a new trick (after burning about half a package of bacon in my first attempt on the stove since I was multi-tasking), I bake it. 400 degrees, single layer of bacon slices on a foil-covered baking sheet for about 10 or 12 minutes. Easy easy, and perfect bacon every time.

For the bread, I found these ciabatta (rectangular) loaves at Jewel that you take 'n bake. I baked mine for a little less time since I didn't want the bread too crispy/crusty.

Mini Italian Club Sandwiches
by Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian show on the Food Network

3 eggs
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter
10 slices bacon
2, 8 ounce round loaves focaccia bread
1 cup purchased pesto
8 ounces thinly sliced turkey
4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese

Whisk the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until well blended. Heat a 6-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the skillet with some butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Cover and cook until the egg crepe is just set, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Invert the skillet over a plate, and allow the egg crepe to drop onto the plate. Repeat to make 4 crepes total, brushing the skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crepes on the plate.

Cook the bacon in a heavy large frying pan until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Preheat a griddle or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut the focaccia horizontally in half. Place the focaccia cut side down on the griddle and cook until the focaccia is heated through and golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Spread the pesto over the toasted sides of each halved focaccia. Cover the bottom halves of the focaccia with the egg crepes, turkey, provolone and bacon, dividing equally. Cover with the top halves of focaccia, pesto side down. Cut the sandwich into bite-size wedges. Arrange the sandwiches on a platter and serve.

Verdict...

Oh I completely forgot to give a review of the sweet potatoes. I was going to bake them, but because I was trying to feed my boy too, I tried the mashed. I didn't add the sugar either. I must say that my son and I liked it about the same... not.. one.. bit. I felt it tasted like much like baby food, and it deserved to sit on the table next to the marshmallow sugary goop from Thanksgiving, as far as I was concerned.

So my husband comes home and he says that he'd love it... if I added some marshmallows on top. And no, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. So I topped his with the sugary grossness and nuked it a bit and ta-da .... dinner is served.

My husband devoured his dessert-ish-sidedish, Caelan stared at his with a "I'm not eating that" look on his face, and I tried to mask mine with garlic salt and that spray non-fat butter... with much dismay.

I haven't yet given up on the sweet potato though... next time we bake them as Eve instructed me to do (did I listen? Nope! That'll learn me..)

~M

TGIF!

Ah Friday, I am up early for a 7am conference call, followed by one at 8, during which I need to somehow get my boy to daycare. I feel like Fridays breeze by, though. I need to work, hit the grocery store (you'll notice I do this more than the average "normal" person - unfortunately they don't make a 12 step class for grocery store addicts), run & lift at the gym, more work, and then tonight it's cleaning up for my parents' visit tomorrow.

In addition I need to find something to wear to my husband's work party tomorrow. I've got no direction so far (dress? skirt? R&R jeans and a snazzy top?) ... so this also might require a stop at American Apparel, which is dangerous on payday.

On Fridays I like to make something "fun" for dinner. I also never know if my husband will work late or have an outing so I try to make it flexible (which would mean I can scrap it until another day and call out for sushi).

Tonight I'm going to make patty melts. I found a recipe from Cooking Light that is amazing (found at myrecipes.com) and I usually serve it with some reduced fat chips.

Patty Melts with Grilled Onions

8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Cooking spray
1 pound extralean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons creamy mustard blend (such as Dijonnaise)
8 (1-ounce) slices rye bread
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Jarlsberg cheese

1. Arrange onion slices on a plate. Drizzle vinegar over onion slices. Heat a large grill pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.

2. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle patties evenly with salt and pepper. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

3. Spread about 1 teaspoon mustard blend over 4 bread slices; layer each slice with 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 patty, 2 onion slices, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Spread about 1 teaspoon mustard blend over remaining bread slices; place, mustard side down, on top of sandwiches.

4. Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sandwiches to pan. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted (leave cast-iron skillet on sandwiches while they cook).

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

WW Points: 7 per sandwich

CALORIES 341 (25% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.2g,poly 1g); IRON 3mg; CHOLESTEROL 60mg; CALCIUM 350mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.1g; SODIUM 754mg; PROTEIN 31.5g; FIBER 3.6g

Cooking Light, MAY 2008

I'll try to take a picture of it tonight and upload. It's one of those meals where you feel like you're cheating, but you're not.

Ok, I've got 10 minutes to make myself look presentable, then off to a conference call and to start the rest of my day!

Early morning

This morning started off way too early, especially since my toddler woke up with a bad dream around 2 am, and then I couldn't fall back to sleep for ages. I wanted to get some testing done for work early since my boy is home with me on Thursdays. Juggling work and a toddler who wants to swordfight and gallop through the house is a challenge that I've happily taken on.

The legs are hurting from a run yesterday and it's got me motivated for the spring running season. I can't wait until it's not frightful outside so I can get out there instead of on the "dreadmill" at the gym.

So for dinner tonight I'm making my mom's famous BBQ sauce. I've decided to post the recipe here and try to upload the picture that I took when I used it in the family cookbook I created in 2008. I'm also going to try my hand at sweet potatoes... something I must admit I've never cooked. The marshmallow ooey gooey thing at some Thanksgiving tables turned me off (or are those yams? and is there a difference? see... this is why I might be a foodie, but I'm no chef...). I did find a recipe from weight watchers that sounded good, and if not I might just bake them up as some mock sweet potato fries.

Now this recipe has 2 versions, the one with lemon & worcestershire, and the one with lime & teriyake. Apparently the great people that spawned me are leaning towards the lime one lately, so that's what I've been making as well.


















Mom's BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (or Teriyaki sauce)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or lime juice)
2 tablespoons red wine
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
10 - 12 dashes liquid smoke (or to taste)

Place all in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add liquid smoke if desired.

I plan on smothering some pork chops in that sauce and broiling them.

Now for those sweet potatoes... it will have to be this one, or simply cut like fries, drizzle with some EVOO and bake. Anyone have an opinion? :)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Serves: 8
WW points: 1

3 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 pounds)
2 medium garlic clove(s), peeled
1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-variety recommended
4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender, about 8 minutes.

Drain potatoes and garlic; transfer potatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Add yogurt and sugar to bowl; mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

Ok, I'm off to call Mom, check in on work, and start my day. Hoping I can squeeze in my shower before the boy wakes up! Oh, and I never did get lunches prepped last night, so this morning I'm going to throw together that broccoli cole slaw!

Toodles!

~M

For tomorrow's lunch...

Yes, I think about such things... lunches.. since I work from home. So I think I'll prepare one of the following tonight to have for tomorrow. While at the store I did buy the ingredients today to make broccoli cole slaw ...

Broccoli Cole Slaw

Servings: 4
WW points: 6

3 cups broccoli cole slaw mix
1/4 c onions, chopped
1 package ramen noodle soup mix
3 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Mix all! :)


Then I also picked up the ingredients to make something I LOVE to have on hand...


Crab Spring Rolls

Serves: 5
WW points: 5


12 oz package coleslaw mix (the cabbage & carrot one, no dressing)
2 cups imiation crab meat, roughly chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp oyster sauce (or more to taste)
18 spring roll wrappers (the really big ones)
cooking spray
salt & pepper to taste

In a big stir fry pan coated with cooking spray, cook onion, salt & pepper, and cabbage until it starts to wilt. Add garlic and crab meat. Cook until the cabbage is soft and wilted and everything is heated through. Add oyster sauce. Let this cool.

Once cooled, wrap a few tablespoons of mixture (maybe 1/4 c??) in spring roll wrapper and fold up egg-roll-style. Moisten the tip to seal.

Place 4 rolls in quart-size freezer bags and freeze to use later. When you want to cook, place on cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray, and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, flipping half way through cooking time, until golden.

Serve with dipping sauce: Mix maggi seasoning, vinegar, finely chopped red onion, and a dash of crushed red pepper in a small dish to taste.


Unfortunately, I just realized I forgot cat food...

Ole!

I've got avocados... lots of them. I bought them to make a salad for a party we threw this weekend and never got around to making it. So tonight it's going to have to be some mexican food.

After the amount of those little Nestle Crunch chocolate valentines' hearts that I've stuffed in my mouth lately, you wouldn't think I'd do mexican food... but I've made up my own recipe for a great meal. So that's the plan for tonight. Back to the chocolate thing though.... I wouldn't sit and munch Nestle chocolate bars.... so why do I find it so easy to shovel those little hearts into my mouth? Ah, but I do!

My day ahead is a busy one. I need to stop at the store for a few ingredients for dinner, and cat food. Then I have to test 2 items for work, and I plan on running at the gym on my lunch break (the Shamrock Shuffle 8K is only 2 months away!). AND I have a followup doctor's visit for my carpal tunnel (or whatever it is). It all sounds a bit daunting right now.

So now on to the recipe...

My husband loves tostadas. So I've made my Weight Watchers' friendly version... I've documented what I eat as one serving, so I usually triple it since my husband eats about 2 servings of mine.

Margo's Tostadas
1 serving

2 small corn tortillas
Pam cooking spray
1/2 cup fat free refried beans, canned
1/2 boneless skinless chicken breast
fat free, low sodium chicken broth
taco seasoning
1/4 reduced fat shredded mexican blend cheese
3 T light sour cream
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
chopped onion
1/4 c chopped avocado (optional)

Take your chicken breasts and boil them in the chicken broth until cooked through. Drain, reserving liquid, and shred. Return to pan and add taco seasoning to taste and 1/2 c of the broth. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Heat a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Spray with Pam cooking spray and then add corn tortilla. Cook and flip until nice and crisp. Remove and set aside, continue with remaining tortillas.

Heat refried beans (I usually just do this in the microwave, stirring often). Place sour cream in a small baggie and cut a small hole in one corner.

To assemble: Lay out 2 corn tortillas, side by side. Top each with refried beans, shredded chicken, half of the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and the rest of the cheese. Squeeze/squirt the sour cream over the top.

Note: for 2 tostadas, 6.5 WW pts without avocado, 8.5 WW pts with avocado.

Ole! Now for the margarita.... I know, I know.... no WW points for that for sure!!

Off to start my day!
~M

Finally a post

I've finally decided what this blog is going to be about. It's nothing unique, but it's something people seem to ask me about daily. I try to plan out healthy meals for my family... something that with fulfill my craving for great food, somehow feed a picky toddler, and keep me on track to try to lose that last 10 pounds (I'd say it's baby-weight... but he's almost 3... so I'm not sure that's legal).

So I'll try to post both recipes & pictures of meals that I make, along with my endless ranting about how I'm trying to get it all done every day. Being a mom that works from home is both rewarding, lucky, and challenging too. So here's my new sounding board for it all!

Ok, so dinner tonight...

I've combined 2 recipes. One is from Ask Aida on Food Network, and the other is from my friend Pam, a fellow foodie, who apparently has mastered the rub for a rotisserie style chicken.

I'm going to combine it with a recipe I recieved from a fellow blogger who I'm a big fan of... http://weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com/ Gina posted a recipe for a lime cilantro rice that sounds much like the one done at Chipolte that I happen to have the ingredients for. So there it is. I might throw in some steamed broccoli too.

The chicken is as follows... and it's much easier than you'd expect.

Roast Chicken - Rotisserie Style

4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 med onions, quartered
1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
4 heads garlic, top 1-inch cut off
1 medium lemon, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
1 can low-sodium chicken broth or white wine

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.

Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture (this makes enough spice mix for almost 2 chickens so no need to use it all).

Place chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours, (much better if overnight although I’ve done it where I didn’t let sit at all and it’s still great).

Place 1 garlic head and 1 lemon half in the chicken cavity. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange remaining garlic, lemon, and onion on the bottom of a 3 to 4-quart baking dish to create a bed/rack for the chicken. Place chicken on top, add broth to baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.

Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roast, basting occasionally, until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees F, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, pour pan juices into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes (I add a little flour). Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce.


Somehow I plan on throwing this in the oven once work finishes, and then we are headed upstairs for a playdate. I think I'll have to make the rice ahead of time. The spices I mixed this morning and the chicken is defrosting.

So there you have it! My first post, first meal. I will try to post pics whenever possible as well!

Signing off for now!
~M