400-calorie dinners (iv)

Life is uncertain . . . dessert first!

I know I've read a bunch in the blogosphere over the past few years about "sugar addiction" -- what are your thoughts?  I like to believe that I have a much healthier relationship with sugar these days than in years past, but honestly, I don't see myself ever giving up sugar in its entirety.  Treats are just too special a part of my life, and I love to bake!  For example . . . 

John's Valentine's Day present, which he actually finished off before Valentine's Day.  (Whoops.  Next time, I'll know better!  Bake closer to the actual holiday.)  Husband has a weakness for chocolate and peanut butter, and I thought these cookies would be the perfect way to use up some of the Hershey's Kisses that Santa left for me in my Christmas stocking.  (Confession: I really don't much care for chocolate, especially milk chocolate!  Weird, I know.)  Natural peanut butter gave these cookies a rich, crumbly, sandy texture that was . . . incredible.  At 117 calories each, these still fit nicely into my healthy eating plan!

Since the peanut butter-chocolate kiss cookies didn't last that long, I baked another batch of cookies this weekend . . .
















I'm typically not a huge fan of "light" desserts -- I feel like flavor and texture are often sacrificed, and I'd rather eat less of the "real" thing.  However, I tried swapping in a half-cup applesauce for half a cup of butter in my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe, (I did leave one stick of butter in tact,) because I believe oatmeal cookies are best when soft and slightly cakey.  HUGE success.  I also used all whole-wheat pastry flour instead of AP, which I believed also paired well with the applesauce -- whole-grain treats can get a little dry and "wheaty," in my opinion, but the extra moisture from the applesauce is a big help.  At only 86 calories apiece, they certainly don't taste "light" or lacking in anything!

And now, more 400-calorie meals we've enjoyed this past week:

Cream of Wild Rice Soup:

A Minnesota classic, which we served at our wedding just under a year ago, vegetized by doubling the mushrooms and adding a little cubed seitan instead of chicken.  (Does anyone besides me find too much seitan to be overpowering?)  The result is a nutritious, warm, comforting, and filling supper, perfect for a bitter cold evening.  (Of which we've had many this winter!  Sigh.)

Breakfast Burrito:

Fill a whole-wheat tortilla with 2 oz refried beans, 1/2 oz cheese, 4 oz shredded Yukon gold potato (hashbrowned-up using a little olive oil cooking spray in a cast-iron skillet,) one egg over-easy, home-canned salsa, and a little sour cream ... perfect for a weekend brunch or a speedy weeknight supper!

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas:

Ok, so, one "light" food I REALLY don't believe in is reduced-fat cheese.  I mean, c'mon . . . cheese is fat!  What the heck is reduced-fat cheese anyway?  I slightly adapted this recipe, choosing to use 6 oz full-fat Monterey Jack instead of the 8 oz reduced-fat cheese called for.  This meal is relatively quick to prepare, given you're making your own homemade enchilada sauce, and even more delicious leftover.  (Somebody at work is always curious about what I have for lunch!)

Polenta and Roasted Veggies:

I threw this together one evening last week when John was working late, and boy, did he miss out!  (He was able to enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day.)  I decided to roast the veggies instead of pan-sauteeing, which freed up my attention to whip up the polenta.  Although the blue cheese does lend the polenta an unusual, slightly grayish color, this was one heck of a flavorful, colorful, healthy meal!

Stir Fry:

I find that most of the calories in stir-fry actually come from the rice . . . bummer.  Keeping my rice portion down to a 1/2 cup left room on my plate for loads of broccoli and tofu!  I had been wanting to try this recipe for "Chipotle-Orange Broccoli & Tofu" for some time.  It was . . . just okay.  The tofu and broccoli were delicious, but the sauce was nothing special.  Bummer!  I think my biggest complaint was that the citrus flavor wasn't at all present!  You'd think that something with "orange" in the recipe title would be citrusy . . . notsomuch.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

Like artichoke dip?  You will LOVE these.  Seriously, make them tonight!

And, Quiche:

I typically cut my quiche into six slices; eight slices makes for more sensible portions for me these days.  (If you still want to enjoy a heartier portion while keeping an eye on your calorie intake, I'd recommend a crustless version -- pastry is kind of a calorie-bomb, unfortunately.)  This meal was a cinch to prepare, thanks to a homemade pie crust stashed away in the freezer and some pre-roasted sweet potatoes.  John loves quiche 'cause he loves eggs, and will take care of these leftovers before I can blink an eye most weeks.

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Off to make a pizza!  :)

Saturday night supper

Even though I haven't had much of an appetite lately, (stress, ya know,) I am going to start forcing myself back into my kitchen, preparing healthy meals for myself as much as I can. I managed a gorgeous, healthy, tasty dinner for myself tonight!

Red beans and rice, (using the "Messy Rice" recipe from Veganomicon, adding a chipotle Field Roast sausage and a can of small red beans,) a few leaves of leftover chard, sauteed in garlic and finished with a little lemon juice, and a fig-balsamic marinaded portobello mushroom. Yum! The chipotle sausage is pleasantly spicy, and adding it, with the beans, to the rice recipe made one delicious entree! (With plenty of leftovers. We'll see how well I do with those!!?!?!) The mushrooms are fantastic, of course, and I must confess . . . I think I prefer chard over kale, at least in cooked form. (Gasp! I know!)

Dessert was delightful, too:

Homemade butterscotch pudding! Mmmmmmmm. My coteacher mentioned something about butterscotch pudding the other day, and I've been craving some ever since. I used almond milk in place of regular/dairy milk, and the pudding is a little thinner than usual, but still delicious!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!

return to the kitchen

I haven't cooked since Monday night! (Really, unless you count serving soup out of the Crock Pot and making quesadillas cooking, I haven't cooked since Sunday.) Egad! I guess I did bake Monday night, (muffins and granola,) but still . . . the moral of the story is, it was good to get back into my kitchen tonight. Dinner:

Millet-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, from Vegetarian Times, with a side of garlicky, balsamic-vinegary kale. I really don't care for millet, but I enjoy it in this recipe for some odd reason. Good thing, because it's damn tasty! Dan almost considered a second mushroom half, but restrained himself.

I think he was saving room, because he convinced me to go for a walk with him, promising me an ice cream cone at the end of our travels! We started our walk at the co-op, since Dan wanted to pick up some tea and we needed groceries anyway:



BULK:
local, organic, whole-wheat pastry flour
local, organic rolled oats
locally-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee

CHEESE:
local part-skim mozzarella
sharp cheddar

HERBS & SPICES:
organic paprika from a local company

PACKAGED GROCERY:
baking soda
organic tomato sauce
whole-wheat panko
Seventh Generation dish soap

PRODUCE:
organic bananas
organic white button mushrooms
local hydroponic lettuce

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
local, organic plain yogurt
local, organic eggs

I have plans to hit the Farmer's Market and Asian grocery store tomorrow, to pick up a few additional things.

In the end, the ice cream cone was worth the effort put in to obtaining it! Pumpkin ice cream is a good, good thing.

bring on the produce!

I have a horrible confession to make . . . I somehow managed to make it through all of last week with NO fresh fruit in my house, and only some lonely carrots and celery for fresh veggie options. "Blech" seems to go without saying.

I went grocery shopping today after church, and decided to pick up a bunch of veggies, fruits, greens, simple proteins, and some pita and sandwich bread, and now have an easy week of salads, sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, and other simple foods ahead of me. The weather is warming up, my allergies are making me really tired and I don't feel much like cooking these days, and I don't want to continue to rely on purchasing my lunch in the cafeteria at work.

After about an hour of slicing and dicing, I had salad veggies and a couple of fruits prepped up and ready for eating:

LEFT (top to bottom): zucchini, fennel, cucumber, radishes
MIDDLE (top to bottom, despite the opague containers: mushrooms, shredded carrot, cherry tomatoes
RIGHT (top to bottom): strawberries, fresh pineapple

I also picked up a few portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and marinated them, and baked them off at 425 until juicy and delicious. Portobello mushroom and provolone sandwich on wholegrain bread:


Segue . . .

Oh, to be a cat:

Swedish Fish are evil.

Why? Because I love them so darn much, I can eat nearly an entire package in one sitting, and then feel considerably ill later. Alas.

Anyhow, two meals of note, of late:

Last night, I got home from work around 7, ate some leftover risotto, and got to work on the laundry. And then . . . I watched Oliver pee in Dan's duffel bag. ARGH! So, lots and lots more laundry later, 11:45 rolled around and I hadn't had dinner yet. Conveniently, neither had Dan when he arrived shortly after midnight, so a quick dinner of some whole wheat & potato gnocchi with porcini mushroom tomato sauce and shaved romano cheese, and a delicious side salad were quickly prepared by yours truly. Gnocchi are tasty . . . and an incredible timesaver. Whew!


I finally made myself a portobello mushroom "burger" for lunch today. I cleaned a cap, scooped out the stem and gills, marinaded it in a simple balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and dried fines herbes,) broiled it on both sides, topped it with a slice of muenster cheese, and added a toasted bun, some vegenaise, spinach, and sliced tomato to the sandwich party. (Side of Asian pear.) This will definitely be a repeat visitor at my house!


Off to nurse the Swedish Fish-full belly now . . . ugh. (You'd think I'd know better by now!)