400-calorie dinners (v)

I had the opportunity to travel to Seattle last week for training for work -- so much fun!  I had a chance to eat at Veggie Grill three times, (it was a block away from my hotel, and well, there were so many things on the menu I wanted to try!) at Chaco Canyon with Victoria and Brent, (isn't meeting fellow bloggers you've "known" for years so much fun!), and at Chutney's Bistro with my friend Christine!  Add on the hotel breakfast daily, and a "Snowball" from Trophy Cupcakes and well, it was a tasty trip.  :)

(Victoria, what was the name of the ice cream place we went to after dinner?)

Needless to say, I wasn't counting calories while I was away.  I rarely travel, so I figured I'd give myself a vacation from that, too!  I could see how hard it would be to eat healthfully for frequent travelers, though!

Now that I'm home, I'm back at it!  Three more 400-calorie dinners for you today . . .

MORE pizza:

Half whole-wheat Artisan Bread in 5 crust, topped with olive oil, minced garlic, an entire 10-oz package of frozen spinach, dried tomatoes from last summer's garden, part-skim mozzarella, and feta.   Popeye would be jealous, vampires would run screaming.  :)  216 calories per slice!

The classic soup-n-sandwich:

Creamy Tomato-Basil Bisque, with a half grilled-cheese on the side.  332 calories as-is, (sandwich made using one slice of whole-wheat bread and an ounce of sharp cheddar, cooked in cooking spray,) or you could increase your sandwich portion to a full-size if you were looking for a larger meal.

And, my new favorite meal:

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Leeks and Sausage.  I used two links of leftover homemade kielbasa instead of the suggested Italian pork sausage; super-delicious!  I had a feeling these stuffed sweets were going to be delicious, but I had no idea they would be quite so . . . incredible.  Creamy, sweet, savory, cheesy, hearty, and filling, but still a calorie bargain at 265 calories per potato half.  Add a huge side salad for a light supper, or enjoy two potato halves for a heartier supper.

~~~~~~~~~~

Do you try to eat healthfully when you travel, or do you indulge more?

a produce experiment

My friend Dora gifted me a celery root last weekend. (It's becoming less and less unusual these days for me to receive gifts of produce. Does this happen to anyone else?) To quote Dora, "I just want to see what you're going to do with it!"

After a little thought and a little research, I decided on soup. (Of course. 'Cause I love soup, you know?)

Other than picking up a leek from the co-op, I had pretty much everything on hand that I wanted to include in my soup:

In addition to the leek, garlic, celery root, and potato, I also used olive oil, vegetable broth, salt and pepper, and a healthy splash of unsweetened almond milk at the end, for extra creaminess.

Even though the soup looks humble, it was fantastic!

I drizzled a little harissa-infused olive oil over my bowl before slurping, and that just took it over the top. :)

While I can't say that the flavor of the celery root was all that strong, (truthfully, the finished product just tastes like a good, creamy, potato-leek soup,) it was fun to try out a new to me vegetable. Thanks for the inspiration, Dora!

HOW TO: amp up the nutritional value of instant mac & cheese

I finally indulged that lingering craving this weekend!

Organic or not, instant mac is still instant mac -- junk food, in a BAD way! (Yum!) I can't leave well enough alone, though, and I felt compelled to slightly improve upon the nutritional value of our lunch today. Dan and I split the box of Rising Moon Organic "Original" mac and cheese I bought yesterday, and I made the following additions:
1. Added about 2 cups of small broccoli florets to the macaroni during the last 2 minutes of boiling
2. Added an extra 1/4 cup of milk to the "cheese sauce" (to "stretch" it a bit)
3. Placed 2/3 cup white beans in the bottom of the colander, before draining the mac and broccoli. The beans warmed nicely this way, before being combined with the cheese sauce.

This lunch made me very, very happy. :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Other happenings in my kitchen this weekend . . .

Saturday Night Pizza Feast:

I made two pizzas this week, since Dan's friend Mike joined us for dinner. Both pies started with my ususal half-whole wheat Artisan Bread crusts, and were smeared with homemade tomato sauce (using fire-roasted tomatoes this time!) The front pizza was topped with roasted red peppers, (frozen, home-roasted peppers from the FM,) broccoli, mushrooms, diced red onion, and sliced garlic. The back pizza was topped with canned artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and feta. Mozzarella and parmesan on both, as usual.

I finally got around to continuing the bake-a-long today! I had made up a batch of the "Oatmeal Bread" dough last weekend, but never baked any off. Tragedy! Rectified this afternoon:

Gorgeous, non? Tasty, too! I enjoyed a slice this afternoon, still slightly warm,with a little butter, cinnamon, and sugar, when I got home from my walk to the library. Divine! I can't wait to see how this will perform in our grilled-cheese sandwiches planned for dinner tonight. I'm starting to think this loaf might make it into "everyday bread" rotation!

While I was busy in the kitchen, I worked on a few other cooking projects as well:

Inside that blob of foil is a whole head of roasted garlic, to be pureed into a bean soup later this week. I also cooked up nine cups of (very plump!) chickpeas, and eight cups of kidney beans. My freezer has been looking a little empty as of late, so I felt the need to fill it up with something. :)

PUDDING:

Chocolate? Vanilla? Yin? Yang? Well, when I asked Dan if he wanted chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch pudding this week, he replied, "um, chocolate or vanilla." Why not both? Some in glass cups for enjoying at home, some in to-go containers for packing in lunches! I love pudding, and it's so freakin' easy, why not make a double-batch, right?

~~~~~~~~~~

So, what would your vote be: chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch?

meals and Merry!

Here's what we've been noshing these past few days . . .

"Jerk Tofu" and "Coconut Rice," with a side of kale, from Vegan with a Vengeance:


"White Bean and Garlic Soup with Greens," from Love Soup:


And "Smoky Grilled Tempeh," from Veganomicon, with roasted sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and leftover Coconut Rice:


And last but not least, just in case you haven't enjoyed enough treats yet, here are all of the cookies, arranged together to take to work:

I still haven't found out whether I won the second baking contest!!! We shall see. :)

Dan and I are headed out of town tonight, in an attempt to beat the winter storm headed our way. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! (And enjoy your time away from work, to those who don't!)

Friday night pizza feast!

When I make homemade pizza, I tend to make one large pizza, overload it with toppings, and it barely fits on my largest cutting board for scooting in and out of the oven, so last night I decided, instead, to make two smaller pizzas. I still overloaded both of them with toppings, but they each fit better on the cutting board, at least! :)

Pizza #1:

Red onion, mushroom, and garlic

Pizza #2:

Artichoke, kalamata olive, and sun-dried tomato

Both pizzas were made on a half-wholegrain crust (based on an Artisan Bread recipe,) topped with an artichoke marinara, fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and a chiffonade of fresh basil on top.

Dan is convinced I make the best pizza he's ever had -- that's pretty high praise, if you ask me!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve last night! I had a pretty great day, actually -- we only had four kids at work during the day, our mini dinner party was a huge success, and Dan and I had a blast at the theatre production we went to see later on! (We saw the Christmas show at a local comedy and improv theatre.) Food from yesterday:

BREAKFAST:

Apple-cinnamon oatmeal, made with almond milk. Not pictured: black coffee, multivitamin.

LUNCH:
Sorry there's no photo, but I ordered Jimmy John's with a few of my coworkers. I had their veggie sub (provolone, avocado, light mayo, lettuce, sprouts, tomato, and cucumber) on wholegrain bread. I also snuck two chocolate-covered caramel leaves out of our "teacher treats" drawer. :)

SNACK:
Again, no photo. (Dinner will make up for it, I promise!) Another pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, and a Cara Cara orange. I shared a few slices with the kids -- they loved it! (And, bizzarely, the orange distracted them from the Oreo cookies being served for snack! Strange, but cool.)

DINNER:
I had a small platefull, and a few scoops of seconds, from the following dishes:

Salatat Taheena (Tahini Mix), Labana ma' Za'tar (Drained Yogurt with Za'tar,) and Bathinjan Makboos (Eggplant Pickles,)

Mutabbal Koosa (Garlic Zucchini Appetizer,)

Maazat Hummus wa Zaytoon (Chickpea and Olive Appetizer,) Zaytoon bi Za'tar (Olives with Za'tar,) and Maazat Khurshoof (Artichoke Hearts in Vinegar,)
AND,

Pita and Za'tar flatbread.

All of the vegetable/entree dishes are from this cookbook:

(This book is absolutely at the top of my "to buy" list now. Everything was FANTASTIC!!!!!!! A very fun, tasty, casual meal.)

The breads were both from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (Buy this book, if you haven't already!)

We also had leftover Christmas cookies, (I had a few,) and herbal tea for dessert.

ANOTHER SNACK:
Dan and I split a medium popcorn at the theatre.

EXERCISE:
Nothing noteworthy yesterday, other than chasing after preschoolers for eight hours. I'll try and make up for that today!

~~~~~~~~~~

Off to the grocery store in a little bit -- even though there are a few leftovers from last night, my kitchen desperately needs a restock! Later, skaters.