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!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 servings | 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus 

Asian Peanut Penne

Branching out this morning and deciding to try something different for lunch!

I picked up a box of gluten free brown rice pasta. I haven't had too much success with gluten free pastas. It seems like the noodles turn to mush fast. I discovered cooking them one minute below the instructions on the box seems to be curing that issue.


Asian Peanut Penne

...Mix...
2 cups cooked, cooled penne (4oz dry)
2 cups broccoli slaw mix (with red cabbage and shredded carrots)
4 scallions sliced diagonal

...In a separate bowl whisk...
1 1/2 Tbls natural peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbls Tamari (soy sauce)
1 1/2 Tbls sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbls lime juice
2 Tbls water
1 tsp agave
1 small clove garlic, minced

Stir all together and enjoy! Makes four 1-cup servings - 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving.

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.

No Cook Tomato Soup

I'm one of those people whose work schedules mean that I eat lunch and dinner at work. Trying to think of meals that are easy and portable had been challenging up until recently. I used to live on Lean Cuisine or Weight Watcher's meals because they took the guesswork and messwork (I made that word up) out of one meal of the day. I could eat one meal with a piece of fruit and maybe a side salad if I was feeling up to it. Or hungry.

"Wow - those Lean Cuisines make me feel stuffed. Said no one. Ever."

Seriously. Am I the only one to eat one of those things who afterwards felt like driving to get a cheeseburger because they felt shorted in the lunch department?

One of things I love about the raw food lifestyle is there's no cooking, no reheating, the food is easy to pack, it's fresh and colorful, and my hunger is always satiated. There's minimal mess in making food too, which is exactly what I need right now. I need easy. I need uncomplicated. I need fast. I'm just in one of those moods where I don't feel like using my brain cells to make dinner.

Know what I mean?

This tomato soup has become one my new favorite meals because there's minimal prep work, everything goes into the blender, and it's done. I pack it up into a mason jar, and that's dinner. It's also very inexpensive to make right now since tomatoes are in season and gardens are overflowing with herbs - I know mine sure is! If you have an abundance of tomatoes from the garden, this is an easy way to use them up.

I've written out a basic recipe but consider it to be freeform. The only thing I measure when I make this is the olive oil, just to be sure that I'm not going too crazy with it since I'm still working on reducing my body weight. Not all fat is created equal, so keep in mind that olive oil is one of the "good guys" - a healthy, monounsaturated fat that has polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants. In addition to the antioxidants in the extra virgin olive oil, you'll be receiving lycopene from the tomatoes, which protects the cells from free radicals. Tomatoes are also very high in Vitamin C and potassium.

Make sure you are using the best ingredients you can get your hands on, preferably organic. The quality really comes through in this soup. You may even want to make a really big batch to freeze and reheat on a chilly winter day.

No Cook Tomato Soup
2 large tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped (around 4 cups chopped)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 of a medium red onion
1/2 - 1 garlic clove
5 large basil leaves
3 stems oregano, leaves removed and stems discarded
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional


Directions:
Put everything in a blender and blend for at least one minute or until smooth.

Serves: 2

6 Weight Watchers Points+ counting veggies

4 Weight Watchers Points+ not counting veggies

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)