SPOOKTACULAR GUEST RECIPE POST! BOO!

I hope everyone is having a SPOOKY Halloween weekend! I know fall means a lot of comfort food recipes and for me and my family it means Mom's chili. Every Halloween my Mom made a big pot of it. I loved as I got older that all my friends knew to come by for a bowl too! It was and always will be a great meal that I love.

Since Halloween was going to be on a Sunday this year, and I usually go out to my parents house on Saturday's, my Mom was nice enough to switch chili making days for me! I enjoyed it tonight, and I got to take a container home! Whoohoo for leftovers!

I begged asked my Mom to do a guest blog post for me with her recipe. I make chili myself, but it never comes out as good as hers. :) Thanks for sharing the recipe Mom! Oh and to my brother who lives in NY- You missed out tonight Steve! Haha! It was delicious! YUM! :P
_______

Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer, TJ's Mom.

Chili has always been our Halloween tradition.  It was an easy dinner to have before or after trick or treating.  I just can't imagine not making it, I know my family misses it when they are not here. Chili Con Carne 2lbs. lean ground beef 2lg. onions sliced 3 green peppers- cut into bite size chunks 4 cans kidney beans- drained 4 cans pinto beans- drained 2 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes- do not drain 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce 1 T chili powder 1/2 tsp. paprika  A dash or two of  ground bay leaves ...... If you use whole bay leaves use two-but then discard before serving. 2 cloves garlic minced.....or a few dashes of garlic powder. 1 T olive oil Brown ground meat, drain and set aside.  I add  a little salt to meat as it's cooking. In a large pot put oil, peppers, onions and garlic. Simmer till onions are translucent. Add all other ingredients to pot & stir well. Cook 1 hr on low. I put the cayenne pepper on the table, so everyone can have it as hot as they like. I serve warm crusty bread with chili. Other options....cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips or crackers. Enjoy!  Jennifer Jones

I LOVE COOKING!

I am at my happiest when I am in the kitchen whipping up meals. Lately I am not so comfortable standing up in there so I have been making quick & easy dishes. Not so terrible, but not exactly masterpieces! lol But hey, it's better than take-out!

Breakfast was 1/2 of a whole wheat lavash bread, 1 C cooked egg beaters, 1 light Babybel cheese shredded, 1 Morning star soy sausage patty crumbled, & a little S&P. This was delicious! After the pic I added a little Franks hot sauce. YUM!

Ever buy these packages of lentils from Trader Joe's? They are in the refrigerator section by the lettuce & veggies. 

Well I love them- I've added them to soup for a quick meal and today I decided to make a little salad with them.

Lemony Lentil Salad

1 box (1lb) TJ's Steamed Lentils

1 1/2 C shredded carrots

1 1/2 C diced celery

1 C fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons diced fresh Italian parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

Open lentil package and add to a colander. Rinse well under warm water. They are lightly seasoned and this helps break them up too. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Chill & serve. :) 

*You can add this over chopped lettuce or spinach. I added in some sliced tomatoes too. It's a great base of a salad or eat it as is!

Ok...so here is my big no no- takes too long to make- stand in the kitchen in pain meal:

Weight Watcher's Eggplant Rollatini with Tomato-Basil Sauce 

Course: main meals POINTS® Value:    4 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  25 min Cooking Time:  42 min Level of Difficulty:  Moderate

Ingredients 3 spray(s) cooking spray    2 medium raw eggplant, tops and bottoms removed, sliced lengthwise into four 1/4-inch-thick long slices each    1 tsp olive oil    2 large garlic clove(s), sliced (about 2 Tbsp)    2 cup(s) canned crushed tomatoes    2 Tbsp basil, fresh, torn    1 spray(s) cooking spray    1/4 cup(s) minced onion    1 small zucchini, diced    1 large garlic clove(s), chopped (about 1 Tbsp)    1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese    1/2 cup(s) parsley, fresh, chopped    2 Tbsp basil, fresh, chopped    3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, divided    1 large egg(s)    1/4 tsp table salt    1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground    Instructions Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and lightly coat tops with cooking spray. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown, about 10 minutes per side. Remove from oven and set aside. To make sauce, place oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic; sauté until it begins to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes; stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Add torn basil, stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and set aside. To make filling, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and zucchini; sauté until onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic and cook 1 minute more; spoon onion mixture into a small bowl to cool. In another small bowl, combine ricotta, parsley, chopped basil, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan; stir to combine. Add cooled onion mixture; stir to combine. Add egg, salt and pepper; stir to combine. To make rollatini, reduce oven to 400ºF. Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce in bottom of an 8- X 8-inch glass or nonstick metal baking dish and swirl to coat bottom with sauce. On a clean cutting board, place 1 slice of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of filling at the narrow end of eggplant and roll up; place in prepared baking dish, seam side-down. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices; arrange in a single layer in dish. Spoon remaining 1/2 cup of sauce and remaining tablespoon of Parmesan over eggplant. Bake until sauce bubbles, about 10 to 15 minutes. Yields 2 pieces of rollatini per serving.

I swear I am taking breaks...I am having FUN but I am tired. lol Ever make this before? I have but it's been so long! I know Sean will be a happy guy when he comes home. It is one of his favorites. :)

I hope everyone is having a great day! I guess the pool is suppose to open back up tomorrow, but I have 2 appointments I need to go to and wont be home for the session at the pool. So I will be ready to jump in on Friday! :) Whoohoo!

Do you like to cook? Ever make that eggplant recipe before? 

BYE! :) 

YUM! & Weigh In

Hello! First off I had Weigh In today...down .8 yipeee for the scale going in the right direction! :) I am feeling pretty craptastic the past couple of days. Not able to stand, sit, or lay down comfortably so I kinda don;t know what to do with myself. :-/ Hate to be a complainer, but that is my life & a lot of the reason I have been making some EASY eats over here! lol I say BRAVO to not calling for take-out right? :)

Yesterday for lunch-

Tasted JUST like a Whopper Jr. No kidding! 

Dinner was a new recipe that I HAD TO TRY! My Mom use to make us corn fritters and these are not as good as Mom's, but totally satisfied that home cooked comfort taste I was looking for. :) 

LIGHT-AS-A-FEATHER CORN FRITTERS

1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin 1/2 Tsp. Salt 1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder 1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper 1/2 Cup Low-fat Buttermilk 1 Large Egg 1 (14 oz.) Package of Frozen Baby White and Yellow Corn Kernels (thawed) 3 Large Egg Whites 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil Pure Maple Syrup (optional) Whisk together flour, cumin, salt, baking powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl until blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined; stir in corn. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed or with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites just until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the batter just until blended. Heat 1.5 teaspoons of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop 12 heaping teaspoonfuls of batter into the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter to make a total of 24 fritters, spraying the skillet with non-stick spray between batches if needed. (Serve with maple syrup if desired - count the extra points). (Serving size = 6 fritters) (Makes 4 servings at 4 Points per serving) (From WeightWatchers Hit The Spot Cookbook – page 67)

In this cookbook-

YUM!

I had them with a salad-

Went to weigh in and came home craving ANOTHER SALAD! This time with a piece of lavash bread made into garlic bread with the help of some spray- I CANT BELIVE ITS NOT BUTTER. 

Tonight it is leftover Cajun Crock Pot Red Beans which I am NOT complaining about at all! Man I love that meal- and did I tell ya how EASY it is? I added the link so you can go see for yourself! :) If you make that please stop by to tell me if ya liked it! I have a friend who I met at the pool and she is from Louisiana. She told me that I did good!! :) I am very proud of my Cajun beans! lol

I also just steamed up a big pot of broccoli- YUM! Beans & Broccoli...humm good combo? lol

I hope everyone is having a good day.  Bye guys! :) 

Comfort Food Weekend

Well, I had 4 days without pain. I am a little bummed out but I also know that at least the SPOT can be found. I need to decided if I want to burn the nerves next. Sounds like a lot of FUN right? lol :) WIth my age (under 70-lol)  I was already told that the nerves would regenerate themselves quite quickly, but the doctor seems to think it is worth a try. After not having any hope, I might give it a go. Anyway....sorry that I went MIA but I do have some recipes! Even though they are repeats! lol


First up- My Mom & Dad love this soup! I was watching Food Network years ago and copied this one down. Give it a try, it's great for a cold evening with a crusty bread. :)

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup- Dave Lieberman 

1/4 cup olive oil (I only use 1 tablespoon)
1 large onion- diced
6-8 cloves of garlic- pressed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
1 (14.5-ounce)can chopped tomatoes 
3 (15 -ounce) cans chickpeas-rinsed and drained
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
salt/pepper to taste
1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Heat olive oil in a large pot- Med- High heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent; lower heat if browning occurs. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth. Season with a couple of pinches of salt and 10 grinds of fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should just be covered with liquid. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat- cook for 45 minutes. 

Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. Stir in the spinach and let it heat through until wilted, just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper& a drizzle of olive oil.


-----------------------------------------------
Went to get some groceries. Check out my LOOT! :) 

Shopping made me HUNGRY- Roast beef wrap anyone? :)

Dinner was already in the works- but I wasn't doing much but sniffing it! lol The smell from the crock pot was driving me crazy all day! I guess thats a good thing! :) 

Cajun Crock Pot Red Beans

1 pound red kidney beans (dry- soaked overnight)

2 links smoked andouille sausage ( I used pre-cooked chicken sausage from TJ's)

1 medium onion-diced

1 medium bell pepper-chopped

1 large celery stalk-chopped

1 clove of garlic-crushed

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

fresh chopped parsley

THE DAY BEFORE- Wash Beans, pick out any bad beans and or rocks. Soak beans over night.

In the morning- Add everything to the crock pot, stir well. Add enough water to cover bean mixture. Cover crock pot and set on LOW for 8-9 hours.

**Serve over hot rice (I used brown rice) 

**Add more cayenne if you want it HOTTER! :)

**I sliced the sausages in half lengthwise to get the flavor of them but did not eat them. You can slice them up if you want to add meat to the dish. 

___________________

Once again I left out the points for this dish. I added the ingredients to the WW recipe builder and got 8 servings at 3 points each (without the rice) BUT I did not add the sausage to it. If you add in and eat the sausage the points need to be adjusted.

__________________

Gotta get ready for the pool! So excited to get in there after a weekend! :) I hope everyone has a great day! Weigh in tomorrow!!! I am excited to see TOM's artificial gain go away! lol :)  Have a great day guys! 

BYE! :) 

Come here...I gotta secret!

Hi!! I'm gonna whisper this....guess who still feels good? :) 

Shhhh keep it a secret will ya? lol

I have to keep track of how I feel for the next 14 days...I did not get this much relief last time I had these injections done so I am beyond happy. I can not tell you how nice it is to BREATHE and not have pain. I almost wanna cry!

Lets get back to EATS! I must apologize how SAD my food has been lately! :( BOO! From boxed, to simple stuff I actually feel badly for how BLAH my EATS have been for you guys!  Will you ever forgive me? :) hehe

Lunch yesterday- BIG-ASS-SALAD- Spinach, garbanzos, shredded carrots, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, 1/2 an apple- then after I took this picture I decided to add some of that Bolthouse yogurt blue cheese dressing. It needed a lil something- and that was it! YUM! 

Snack time- 1/2 of a papaya w/ lemon juice. :) 

*special thanks to Tonyne over at Unlikely Success Story  for making the papaya picture more (or less) appropriate for my readers who might be at work, or have children at home while viewing. lol Never thought fruit could be so nasty looking! HAHA! 

Dinner was taco night! I used my Mission extra-thin corn tortillas (2 for 1 WW point! WHOOOHOOO) 

This totally cured my Mexican food cravings! 

I joked around on twitter that I had broccoli for dessert....but I kinda did! lol

Anyone try this NEW gum? Guess they have some dessert flavors- I liked the mint flavor of this! :)

I also had some popcorn last night...maybe that was dessert? lol

Woke up today and made my breakfast sandwich- Double Fiber muffin, 1 slice 2%cheese, Morning Star soy sausage patty YUM! Along with a cup of fresh pineapple.

Nothing exciting going on over here- I am going to get some laundry done today and do some PT exercises that I have printed out so I can get my back strengthened up. Weird how weak it feels now that I can actually feel something other than pain. I will take it easy for the most part- I do not want to over do it. 

Have a great day guys! :) BYE! 

Taking it easy. :)

Hey Guys! Thanks for all the well wishes over the past few days! :) The injections in my back went well! I have to fill out this sheet after the procedure and keep track over the next 14 days and I must say this time I feel better than the 1st time I had it done. :)

Not sure how long it will last- but the doctor said he would be willing to burn the nerves to maybe get a few months of relief. :)

SUPER easy meals yesterday so I could rest. I went to breakfast with my parents- forgot a pic. Egg beaters/bacon/wheat toast. Then I had an early dinner since breakfast was later. WW Smart Ones frozen tv din din with extra broccoli added. This is one of my favorite EASY meals ever! Love it!

For dessert I had some non fat Trader Joe's frozen yogurt in the freezer...and I also had some frozen peaches. So I heated up a scoop of peaches and topped the yogurt- so yummy without being so bad! :)

I did ask to be dropped off at my Weight Watcher meeting yesterday for a weigh in after my injections. We were driving right by so why not! lol I was all confused and disappointed with a 2.8lb GAIN but then when I got home I realized that I had started my period. Man does my body puff up bad or what? Sucks being a girl and needing to get a weekly weigh in! lol Damn you TOM and that weigh-in you gave me this week! HAHA!  

Gotta get ready for the pool!!! So excited to get in there today! Hope everyone has a GREAT day! 

BYE! :)

Down, but not out. :)

So I sorta disappeared a few days. I guess some of you know when I do that I'm not feeling really well. My back has been telling me that I can not stand or sit upright most days for a very long time. Which in turn makes my life, blogging, cooking, cleaning, or being cheerful for that matter- less than an easy task. I promise I am still ON PLAN, still tracking and I do still manage to drive myself over to the therapy pool to "get my Nemo on" lol :) That pool makes me happy so it helps brighten my mood for sure! :)

I did enjoy having lunch out with my Mom over the weekend. We went to Panera Bakery and with their fantastic online nutritional calculator I was able to make my pick two lunch fit into my daily points budget! Love it! Here is the chicken tortilla soup w/ 1/2 of a asiago roast beef sandwich (no cheese) for 9 points.

Then for dinner my Mom and I made Baked Corn Flake Chicken. This is an easy recipe- we used chicken tenders. Dip them into light ranch dressing & then bread them with the crushed corn flakes. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the tops of the tenders with PAM & bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Comes out crispy!  We used Franks Hot Sauce as DIP Had a baked sweet potato & steamed broccoli as sides. :) YUM! 

Tomorrow I have to get an injection in my spine. FUN! lol I had this same procedure done a year ago. It made me numb for about an hour and I was pain free- so I guess with that result they can tell if they can do other procedures that may or may not help me. Who knows! I am getting impatient and also worried because I am getting worse. I don't even want to think of what could be wrong or what might happen as this goes on. I just hope that with the amount of doctors I see and the specialist I BEG to be referred to can help me sooner or later. RANT OVER! Sorry :-/

I really hope everyone is doing well- I need to catch up on my blog reading and I really just wanted to say HI to everyone to let you know I am still here! :) I'm going to try to sneak over to my WW meeting to get my weigh in tomorrow- hopefully it will work out. 

:) Bye guys! Have a great evening! 

Ooppps!

Hi guys! I printed out a recipe and forgot what blog I found it on! I need to write notes on the page when I print it out! Ooppps! So I forgot the recipe while I went shopping and tried to remember as many ingredients as I could while running through the store- yet I screwed up THE MAIN INGREDIENT! lol It called for Summer Squash and I bought Butternut Squash. :) Ooppps again! Then I started thinking I really messed this up because summer squash cooks much faster than butternut, right? Well this meal came out DELICIOUS! Really loved it and I look forward to having the leftovers tonight for dinner! :) YUM!

Here is MY version of this recipe-with changes I made because I wanted it to be more Weight Watcher friendly. If it looks familiar to ya, please let me know who's blog I stole borrowed it from! lol

Quinoa and Squash Gratin


2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion- diced
3 garlic cloves- minced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 pounds diced butternut squash
1 Cup Egg Beaters
1 Cup cooked quinoa
Salt/Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
4 mini Babybel Light cheeses- grated

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8x8 pyrex w/ PAM- set aside. Heat oil in large skillet- add onions, cook over medium heat until translucent. Add a pinch of salt, & garlic- stir; cooking for about a minute. Add squash, parsley, pepper. Cook, stirring often-until squash is slightly fork tender (about 15 min.) Remove from heat.

In a large bowl add in already cooked quinoa, egg beaters, & cheeses. Mix well, then add in squash mixture- mix all ingredients together then add to sprayed pyrex dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

*Added to the WW recipe builder- 4 servings 6 points each or 6 servings 4 points each.

I'm loving my lunches this week- still not sick of this combo- Cottage cheese, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, & sunflower seeds.

 A little veggie bowl for snack-

Easy dinner last night- Love the flavor of these chicken sausages from Trader Joe's (3pts each) Just threw them on the BBQ and made some baked fries and roasted brussels. :) We used a mustard sauce as a dip for the sausages that Sean found when we were in Vermont. It was really good! 

That is about all of my EATS around here! :) I am about to go heat up some baked oatmeal and then I have laundry to do- NO FUN!  lol 

Hope everyone has a great day! We are one step closer to Friday & the weekend! :) Anyone doing anything FUN? 

BYE! :) 

Guest Post from Vittoria

Hey guys- I wander around the blogs occasionally  ok ok, a lot! lol & when I see a blog that I like I always want to share it with you all- so here is a guest post from Vittoria over at Pie Hole. I asked begged her to make us drool, and she succeeded! I think you might want to grab a bib! WOW! This looks delicious& easy too! Thanks so much Vittoria! 

:) tj

_______

The first thing I have to say is how incredibly honored I am to have been invited to guest post here on one of my favorite blogs today! A huge thank you to TJ for letting me come share a recipe with all of you! Just so you know a little about me, my name is Vittoria and I currently reside in Richmond, Virginia. I've had a passion for food and cooking for as long as I can remember, and I'd probably spend all my time cooking if I didn't have to bring home the bacon...that pesky full-time job gets in the way of all my fun! I also carry several part-time jobs as chauffeur, nurse, maid, and entertainment director to my three little ones and my fiance. I think there's been a mix up with the HR department or something though because its been ten years now I've yet to see a paycheck! In other news, I just recently kicked off my own food blog, which was long overdue since I've basically been hosting my own Food Network show in my head since I was a little kid. Come on over and check me out sometime, and thanks for reading! www.thepieholeblog.blogspot.com 

____________________________

If I had to list my top five favorite meals, a good ol' cheeseburger with fries would definitely make the cut. Unfortunately, this is a meal I don't indulge in very often because of the calories it carries. With Fall upon us, our grills will soon be retired until warmer weather returns, but you're in luck because today's recipe deconstructs the traditional cheeseburger and fries so that you can enjoy it anytime you want, and without the guilt! 

One of the qualities that draws me to a recipe is its reinvention factor. I love to take something traditional and use the same elements to make a whole new dish, which is what today's recipe accomplishes. I acquired this recipe years ago when I began the Weight Watchers program and with a few tweaks, its been a favorite ever since. While this meal sounds indulgent its really very figure friendly. For six (huge!) servings, you'll only spend a little over 300 calories and only around 7-8 points!

I take a shortcut in this recipe by using canned soup, which I know some people are not fond of. However, my cooking motto is "simple and easy," and sometimes that makes canned soup my best friend in the kitchen! While I realize that canned soups are hardly organic, I don't mind using them once in a while because I'm a firm believer that almost anything can be consumed in moderation...except wine. Wine should be consumed with little or no regard for moderation. ;-)

 

I digress. Getting back to your regularly scheduled blogram. Feel free to put your own spin on this dish! You can throw in whatever you usually like on your burgers...pickles, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bacon, you could even sprinkle some shredded lettuce on top before serving. Almost any burger "toppings" can be added right into the meat mixture as it cooks or on top afterward. Alright, enough talk. Get in the kitchen and whip this up, you're family will thank you! And I'm so nice, I'll even let you take all the credit. ;-)

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

6 servings

1lb Lean Ground Beef (93/7 if you can find it)

1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup

1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup

20oz Crinkle Cut Fries (this is about a third of a normal sized bag)

1t Montreal Steak Seasoning (if you don't have this on hand, you can simply season the meat with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic powder)

Any other "toppings" you like on your burger!

Ketchup/Mustard for serving

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 425

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat until cooked through.

Reduce heat to medium and add seasoning, soups and toppings.

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.

Arrange fries on the top of the meat mixture.

Pop it in the oven for 45 mins, until fries are golden brown.

If you like your fries extra crispy (like me!) you can crank the heat up to 450 or even broil until they are extra crispy. But don't walk away, not even to go to the bathroom...I mean it.

http://www.thepieholeblog.blogspot.com/