10 Minute Lentil Taco Bowl

After weighing in at my Weight Watchers meeting, I made the decision to reset the scale. Resetting the scale means a fresh start. All of my previous weight records - the gaining, the losing, the gaining, the losing - is erased.

I had made the same decision in February of last year, hoping it would kick start something in me.

It didn't.

To be honest, as much as I was frustrated and wanted to change, I just wasn't willing to put in the effort to make the change. I'd put in the effort a few days out of the week and then not the rest. I wanted to lose weight doing what I was doing - not being 100% committed. I ended up gaining an additional six pounds on top of ten that made me reset the scale the first time around. Sixteen pounds. Yikes. It just felt like that number kept hanging over my head. Even though I was losing weight, I never saw the negative number because the booklet kept showing me that I was still up pounds. That number was slowly being chipped away, but I didn't really see the progress. So I decided to erase the whole thing and start fresh again. I can now see the progress - down .4lbs this week. I need to keep chipping away at my ultimate goal, but it feels good to see that minus sign and not that plus sign.

In the spirit of new and fresh starts, I decided to try Simple Start for a week. Actually, I've decided to combine tracking with Simple Start. The point of Simple Start is to eat Power Foods since they are the most filling - and eat until you are satisfied. Not full, but satisfied. No measuring, no tracking, just keep it simple by focusing on the Power Foods. To help me keep a handle on what I'm eating, I'm going to track/measure as I go along. It's been a really great challenge to see what meals I can create based on Power Foods.

Here's something I came up with using lentils. It really took me all of ten minutes to make - thanks to a package of Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils. The longest part is just waiting for the lentils to simmer with the taco spice. Build the bowl however you want. I used brown rice, but feel free to use quinoa or even polenta. Whatever floats your boat!

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10 Minute Lentil Taco Bowl

1 package of Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils  - or - 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils
2 Tbls homemade taco seasoning or 1 taco seasoning packet
1 cup of water
1/2 cup brown rice per person/serving
Lettuce
Pico de gallo
cilantro
green onions
2 Tbls fat free Greek yogurt per serving

Place the lentils in a medium sized saucepan with taco seasoning and water over medium high heat. Bring the mixture up to a hard simmer and then turn down to simmer. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes until the lentils are heated through and spices are absorbed. Serve 1/2 cup of lentil mixture over 1/2 cup brown rice. Top with veggies and fat free greek yogurt. Enjoy!

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5 servings | 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus 

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm starting to get into a food rut, so I started looking through some of my old recipes for inspiration.

How could I forget about this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette?

It's simple to make and delicious drizzled on a salad, over some sliced pears, or anything really. It lands more on the sweet side, so feel free to cut back on the maple if you like your dressing more acidic. I'm sure agave or honey would be fine swaps if you can't do maple. If you do the maple, make sure you are using the real stuff and not the chemical laden pancake "maple" syrups.


Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tlbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbls maple syrup (the real stuff)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
pinch black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Will keep for five days in the fridge.

Chocolate Berry Zucchini Smoothie

Anyone else feel like they have zucchini coming out of their ears? Last year I was begging, dreaming, wishing, and hoping some kind soul would leave a few zucchini on my front porch for Sneak Some Zucchini On Your Neighbor's Porch night. Not a one showed up on my porch, by the way.

But this year?

Ohhhhh...this yearrrrr.

This year, we will be the ones to sneak zucchini on to my neighbors' porches.

My brother planted a garden at his house, so in addition to our garden, we overfloweth with zucchini and cucumbers.

No joke, my parents came home from my brother's house with this 5 gallon bucket filled with zucchini and cucumbers. A few of the zucchini could double as a baseball bat.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I asked for zucchini, and I got it.

We've already shared the wealth with friends and family, but we still have quite an abundance. We've made a zucchini cobbler, zucchini fudge cake, zucchini bread, and zucchini cake, but none of those options are super friendly to the waistline.

At this stage of the zucchini game, I want to eat it and not know that I'm eating it. Know what I mean?

Hence, zucchini in a smoothie.

I'm dead serious about putting zucchini in a smoothie. It's desperate times and I think this has become my favorite way to eat it. For reals, y'all. I mean, last year I made zucchini pancakes and zucchini brownies that were good, but this is just too easy. Zucchini has virtually no flavor, which is why it's so great in sweet things. Plus, by eating the zucchini in its raw form, you're getting the max amount of benefits from the zucchini. They are low in calories, high in Vitamin C, and a good source of folates, Vitamin A, manganese, and potassium,.

I used a normal sized zucchini here, but if you're trying to use up a zucchini the size of a baseball bat, you'll need to scrape the seeds out, for sure.

Chocolate Berry Zucchini Smoothie

1 cup roughly chopped zucchini
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 Tbls cocoa powder
2 tsps agave
1 Tbls almond butter
3/4 cup almond milk

Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Drink it up!

10 Beet Recipes For Inspiration

I don't know the first thing about beets.

I'll straight up admit it.

We never had them growing up, and the only time I've encountered them has been at good old Baltimore restaurants where they use the spiced kind used as a garnish on the side of the plate, tucked next to the fresh orange slice. Even then, I smelled them, but I didn't eat it.

I've been eyeing them at the farmer's market, so I decided to be adventurous and slip a bunch into my recycled bag. I was pleasantly surprised when I took a bite of my first raw beet. It was sweet with a starchy taste...almost like a sugary potato. And the color...the color is so fantastic! So rich, so red, so vibrant.

This morning I tricked my father into letting me make him breakfast. I fixed him two eggs over easy; three slices of uncured nitrate-free hickory smoked bacon; a slice of whole wheat bread; and side of beet greens (yes - you can eat the green tops!) sauteed in bacon drippings, onions, and garlic. I used this recipe as inspiration. You can't go wrong by cooking something in bacon drippings. Great googly moogly. They were GOOD.

So now I'm on the hunt for beet recipes. I've found some really delicious looking and creative ones, and I thought I'd share them with you. A few of the recipes break my rules right now (no red meat, gluten, grains, dairy, caffeine, sugar), but they may work for you or serve as a springboard for your own creative ideas.

If you are a beet eater, what's your favorite way to prepare/eat beets?

Red Velvet Beet Smoothie
(Gabby's Gluten Free)

Beet Hummus

(Simply Recipes)

French "Peasant" Beets
(Food52)

Chocolate Mousse Pie with a Secret Ingredient!
(Love Food Eat)

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleons
(Fifteen Spatulas)

Beetroot Pesto

(The Whinery 2.0)

Heart Beet Rawvioli with Pesto Oil
(My New Roots)

10-Minute Beets with Chives, Shallots, and Garlic
(A Doctor's Kitchen)

Raw Beetroosh
(Green Kitchen Stories)

Grated Raw Beet Salad
(NY Times)