Spinach Calamari Salad

On Thursday nights, we play in an adult rec kickball league.  I love, love, love our team.  I am not the most coordinated person in the world, and playing with my team has made me more confident in my very limited athletic abilities.  I even caught the game-ending kick at one game.  Granted, the ball hit my leg, and I just held the ball between my leg and my arm, it counts!  My awesome teams jumped up and down, ran to me, and gave me hugs and high-fives.

Our team name is Kick Balls in Your Mouth...yes, we're a classy group :)

After kickball, all the teams meet at a local bar for food and drinks (winners get free nachos and beer…woohoo!).  One of my favorite salads is their spinach calamari salad.  Right now, we’re between the summer and fall seasons, and I’ve been missing my team AND this salad.

I bought some oven-ready calamari at Costco several weeks ago, the CSA delivered us some fresh spinach.  Are you thinking what I’m thinking??  I hope so—time to recreate this awesome salad!

Calamari and Spinach Salad

Ingredients
¼ to ½ cup breaded calamari, cooked according to package instructions (yes, I cheated and bought this store bought)
1 cup spinach, washed and torn, if desired
1 carrot, julienned (Austin thought I was super fancy!)
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
Sprinkling of low-fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Low-fat balsamic salad dressing

Directions
Layer spinach, carrot, cucumber, and cheese.  Top with calamari.  Serve with balsamic dressing

Pecan-Crusted Mahi Mahi

I love seafood, and we like trying all different kinds of fish.  Trader Joe's didn't have any trout (that's what the original Weight Watchers recipe called for), so we thought mahi mahi would be a great substitution.  It was :)  This recipe was such a quick and easy dinner; perfect for our busy schedule!


And in some weight loss news, there is nothing exciting going on at the scale (I gained 2.4 pounds after a week of eating really poorly and then lost the same amount this week- so even on the scale), but someone at WW did point out that she could not see my collar bone.  Wait-- I had a collar bone?!?  Yay!!  I may not be losing pounds as quickly as I want to but at least I'm looking a little skinny and people can see the collar bone where it was once hidden :)  It's the small things, but I'll take it!!!!

Pecan-Crusted Mahi Mahi

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup uncooked old fashioned oats    
1/4 cup chopped pecans     
2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (we used Rendevous special spices)
1/4 cup skim milk     
1 large egg white, beaten     
1 pound mahi mahi (this ended up being two large filets that we cut in half)   
1 bag fresh spinach, steamed and mixed with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.


Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine oats, pecans and seasoning in a resealable plastic bag; seal and shake well.


Mix milk and egg white in a shallow bowl. Dip fillets into egg white mixture. Place mahi mahi in bag and shake until well coated with oat mixture.

Place fish in pan and bake for 10 minutes. Serve each fillet with 1/4 of spinach. 

Serves 4, 7 points a serving.

Seafood Pesto Pasta Salad

I love checking out other blogs on the internet and seeing what recipes that look yummy to me.  This is one of those recipes.  Pasta-check!  Pesto-check! Well, you get the idea...I loved almost the ingredients!  The original recipe from Damn Delicious had tuna instead of the seafood mix.  I like tuna, but I found a great seafood mix at Trader Joe's and knew that would be a good substitution.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)

Seafood Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients

·         1 cup elbow pasta

·         1/2 bag frozen seafood mix (bought mine at Trader Joe’s with calamari, scallops, and shrimp- yum!)

·         1/4 cup basil pesto (can make fresh, I used a jarred pesto)

·         1 avocado, diced

·         1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained

·         2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Directions

Boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.  Meanwhile, cook seafood in pan.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, seafood, pesto, avocado, sun dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds.

4 servings, 9 points a serving

Grilled Flounder with Pineapple

As you can imagine, when I buy food, I generally buy in bulk :) or at least large frozen packages.  Our most recent fish purchase was flounder (remember Flounder Wraps?), so when we decided to use this amazing summer recipe from Weight Watchers, we substituted flounder for halibut.  I think any white fish would be really tasty with the marinade.  The meal was light; you can pair it with veggies, but I thought that the fish and pineapple was satisfying on its own, and it left extra points for dessert :)

Grilled Flounder with Pineapple

Ingredients

1 Tbsp lime zest   

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice   

2 Tbsp unpacked light brown sugar, divided   

1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp table salt   

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper   

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I like a little spice, so I added some extra pepper)

4 Flounder (or other white fish) filets

1 can pineapple rings

Directions 

Preheat grill. (We used a grill basket, but if not, spray grill with cooking spray but BEFORE turning grill on).

Place zest, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of ginger, salt,cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper in a medium-size rectangular glass dish; tightly cover dish and swirl to combine marinade. Add fish to container; cover, swirl again to coat fish and marinate in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes, turning once.

While the fish is marinating, put pineapple in a second glass dish and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of brown sugar and remaining 1/2 tablespoon of ginger; cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Remove pineapple from dish and set aside; add resulting juices to dish with fish.

Put fish and pineapple in grill basket.  Grill for 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes.

Grill pineapple until heated through, turning once, about 8 minutes. 

Serving is 1 piece of fish and 4-5 pineapple rings.  5 points a serving.

Flounder Wraps

When I told my friend that I made flounder wraps, she responded with a yuck face.  Okay, it doesn't sound that great, but I swear that it was tasty.  I knew I wanted to make flounder when I went to make this meal, but I didn't know what else I would make with it.  I looked through the fridge and pantry, and this is what I cam up with.

I know that Weight Watchers talks about plans, but half a plan works too!  And this was a great hearty, easy dinner :)  It was a hot meal too (made Austin love it even more)!

Fish Wraps

Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
Sliced mushrooms
Package frozen spinach
Sliced grape tomatoes
Large onion, sliced
Flat Out wraps (2)
2 flounder filets
1 Tbs Italian Dressing
1 wedge, light creamy swiss Laughing Cow Cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray glass pan with cooking spray.  Place flounder in glass pan and cover with Italian dressing.  Cook for 20-25 minutes until you can pierce fish with fork easily.

Meanwhile, coat pan with olive oil.  Saute vegetables.

Spread 1/2 wedge of cheese on flat out wrap.  Add flounder and veggies.

Try to wrap...mine ended up like an open face sandwich...whoops :)

Total WW Points- 7 for a huge wrap!!

Flat Out wrap (thicker than a wrap but not as thick as bread)- 3 points

Laughing Cow Cheese- 1 point

Flounder- 3 points

Veggies- 0

Green Curry Shrimp

In my binder of collected recipes, I found an advertisement from Taste of Thai.  I figured it was worth a try, so I went to the store and bought the ingredients.  The add didn't have proportions and measurements of said ingredients, but I conferred with other Asian recipes I had on had and gave this meal a shot.  It was well worth it-- Austin said it was his favorite recent meal!!  This is so easy to make-give it a try too :)

Green Curry Shrimp

Ingredients

1 can light coconut milk

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs green curry paste

1 bag frozen pepper and onion mix

1 bag frozen shrimp

1/4 cup fish sauce

Directions

In wok style pan, pour coconut milk and simmer.  Add brown sugar, green curry paste, and continue to simmer.  Toss in pepper mix and shrimp and cook/heat up.  Stir in fish sauce.  

Serve over brown rice.

Couscous Salad with Shrimp

This recipe is from the May 2009 Cosmopolitan magazine.  It was before I was cooking couscous on a regular basis, and I was excited about making this, since it was dubbed a "sexy picnic for two."  Unfortunately, Austin doesn't really cold meals and didn't find it as exciting as I did.  I thought it was absolutely delicious!

A perfect fresh and light meal on a hot day.

Couscous Salad with Shrimp

Ingredients
- 1 box couscous (I used toasted pine nut couscous)
- 1 frozen package shrimp (I used already cooked, tail off, but you could use uncooked to make the meal a little warmer)
- 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 Tbs dried parsley
- 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 bag fresh spinach


Directions
Prepare couscous according to box and let cool.  In a large bowl, mix shrimp, veggies, couscous and parsley.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and combine.  Serve over bed of spinach.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

HAPPY EASTER!  Nothing says Easter in the south like shrimp and grits, right?

Living it the south, it should come as a surprise that before last night, I have never had grits.  I figured it was about time to change that.  I found the following recipe while surfing the intrawebs- thanks Food Network!  Another plate-licking clean dinner.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients
3/4 cup grits (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs butter
1 1/4 lbs uncooked shrimp, deveined and no tails
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs parsley

Directions
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Slowly whisk in grits, 1 tsp salt, and  tsp pepper. Reduce the heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 1 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce.

Serves 4, 9 points per serving.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Shrimp, tomatoes, and couscous....what can be better than that?  A friend of mine has a great blog, A Gilt Nutmeg, and I printed her recipe for Cilantro Lime Shrimp weeks ago.  I was so excited to use it, with adapting it to utilize the food already in my house.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Ingredients

1 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

3 cloves garlic,  put through a garlic press

1 large onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (I bought jalapeno rings in a jar a while ago, so I used 5-6 rings)

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp oregano

1 can diced tomatoes (the original recipe calls for 2 diced Roma tomatoes, but I only had a can of crushed tomatoes.  Next time, I would used diced tomatoes)

2 tbs lime juice

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 pound uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined

½ tbs cilantro cooking base (or a few pinches of fresh cilantro leaves)  

Directions

Cook oil and butter in pot/large pan over med-high heat.  When oil and butter are melted, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add jalapeno and garlic.  Once the onions look cooked, add crushed red pepper and oregano, and diced tomatoes.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Add lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Add shrimp and cook.  It's done when it's opaque.  

I paired the recipe with couscous, and it was a great combo! 

Jambalaya

I went home this past weekend, and while I didn't eat the healthiest, I definitely ate healthier than I normally do when I go home.  My mom and sister are both doing Weight Watchers, so the house was loaded with such delicious and fresh food.  Oh, to live in a house where fresh produce is eaten and doesn't go bad...

Being at home for the weekend was so amazing.  I normally only go home for the holidays, and even then, it's only for a few days and is so rushed.  Especially with wedding planning, going home consists of going from one appointment to the next and doing as much as we can in one visit.

This trip was different.  I booked a flight on a whim because the deal on southwest.com was so great and didn't have any plans.  The weekend was lovely, especially because I was home for almost 4 full days, and relaxation was the ticket.

Day 1:  Spending time with the mommy, running errands and a pedicure.

Day 2:  Ordering my sisters' bridesmaid dresses (my mom also bought her mother of the bride dress and my sister her graduation dress) and massage, shopping, and dinner with my sister Sarah.

Day 3:  Brunch with my wonderful cousin Katherine and watching the Super Bowl.  At my family's Super Bowl party, I got to help celebrate my brother's recent engagement, see my grandpa and all my siblings, and  enjoy delicious food...see pictures and recipe below!

Day 4:  See the bookstore that my mom did a wonderful job revamping, meet with and secure a priest for our wedding, and have lunch with the parents.

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

For the Super Bowl, my mom and sister were great with menu planning-- there was pizza and wings but also fruit, veggies, fresh guacamole, and jambalaya.  The jambalaya was adapted from Weight Watchers, but my mom (best cook I know) doctored it up to make it that much better!!

Shrimp and Chicken Jambalya

Mom showing off her delicious dish in the world's largest crock pot.

Ingredients

	2 tsp olive oil
	1 uncooked onion, sweet, chopped (about 1 cup)
	1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
	8 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
	29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, undrained
	12 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (my mom peeled and deveined the shrimp; I think I would buy it already done)
	1 tsp Italian seasoning, dried
	1 tsp Creole seasoning
	2 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in chicken; cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in remaining ingredients, except rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in rice; continue cooking until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes.

Tilapia Masala with Rice

For about the last two years (maybe longer), I have been exchanging e-mails with two of my great friends-- Amanda and Trish.

(L to R) Elizabeth, Amanda, and Trish at Amanda's Wedding :)

It's been so great to keep in touch and use each other to share successes, vent about life, and everything else in between.  Both are also wonderful cooks and have been such a good support system with my Weight Watchers.  They are often sending me recipes to try out, and tonight was one of those recipes.

I thought it was great-- I loved the flavors, but Austin was less than impressed (didn't care for the yogurt flavor).  He said he would eat it if I make it again, and I think I will; it was that good in my opinion.

Tilapia Masala with Rice

Ingredients

	1 cup Basmati rice (I used brown Basmati rice)
	2 tsp table salt
	1/2 cup cooked green peas
	3/4 cup ow-fat plain yogurt
	1 garlic clove(s), Chopped
	1 tsp ground ginger
	1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
	1/4 tsp ground cumin
	1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
	4- 4 oz uncooked tilapia fillet(s)
	1 Tbsp unsalted butter
	1 Tbsp cilantro

Instructions

• Cook rice to directions. When cooked, add peas. Set aside. 
• 
  
• Puree 1/2 cup yogurt, the garlic, ginger, lime juice, cumin, cayenne and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Transfer all but 3 tablespoons of the mixture to a large bowl. 
• 
  
• Pierce the fish a few times with a fork and season with salt; add to the bowl and toss. Marinate 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Place the fish on a broiler pan; top with the marinade and butter. Broil until opaque, 6 to 8 minutes. 
• 
  
• Mix the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, the cilantro, and salt to taste with the yogurt mixture. Serve the fish and rice with the yogurt sauce.  8 points a serving.

Shrimp and Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods!  It was introduced to me when I was visiting my friend, Amanda, in Seattle, and I was hooked.  I used to have Austin bring me up quinoa from the Trader Joe's in Williamsburg until I moved here and could stock up on my own :)

As a result, I try to find any recipe that will let me use quinoa.  There is a problem, unfortunately, with my favorite food.  It's very high in points :( so I love even more when I find quinoa in my Weight Watchers recipes!

This is adapted from Weight Watchers online.  Instead of the veggies they suggested, I used a package of frozen veggies I got at Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart has a fantastic selection of mixed vegetables, and I like trying all the different kinds.  The asparagus mix was a rousing success.

Shrimp and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

	1 cup(s) uncooked quinoa
	2 cup(s) water
	1/4 tsp table salt
	1 package frozen vegetables (I used asparagus stir-fly)
	12 oz uncooked shrimp, medium-size, cooked, peeled
	3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
	2 Tbsp fat-free chicken broth
	1 Tbsp olive oil
	3/4 tsp dill, minced (the original recipe called for 2 tsp, and I knew that would be way too much.  3/4 was good, since the dill wasn't too overpowering)
	1/4 tsp table salt, or more to taste
	1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste

Instructions

• Cook quinoa according to package instructions, with adding the vegetable mix in the water and quinoa.  Let cool after cooking.
• 
  
• Combine lemon juice, broth, oil, dill, salt and black pepper in a cup; stir well. Pour oil mixture over salad and toss gently but well. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving. 7 points a serving.

Dinner without a Plan

A big focus of our Weight Watchers meeting this past week was planning.   I had the best intentions, but when Thursday night came along, I had no idea what I was making for dinner.  On top of that, we had friends coming over for dinner in an hour.

Looked in the fridge and found frozen tilapia...perfect!  Defrosted it in a bowl of hot water and pre-heated the oven to 325 degrees.  Salad dressings and marinades are one in the same for me, so I used sun-dried tomato flavor dressing-- spread a couple tablespoons on the fish and popped it in the oven for 20 minutes.

As sides, we had frozen green beans and cheddar-broccoli rice (Knorr rice sides, made according to package directions, with the exception of the butter).  While the meal itself wasn't necessarily planned until the last minute, every item in the pantry and fridge are already labeled with their PointsPlus values.  Assembling the meal was easy enough since I know what the points were as I was deciding to add to the meal.

Fish was 3 points, marinade 1 (probably lower since the total points- 4- were split between 5 pieces of fish), rice 6, and green beans 0.  Then our friends brought cake (delicious-- 4 points per small piece) paired with pumpkin ice cream (3).  17 points-- not the best but we were entertaining and the dessert was worth the points.  I went 2 into my weekly points, so nothing to feel too bad about.

Today, however, I have planned and am sitting writing as my Manhattan Clam Chowder simmers.  Pictures and the recipe to come!

Weigh-in Week One and a Favorite/Easy Dinner

Today was my first official Weight Watchers weigh-in (at least time around), and I was down 2.6 pounds...yay!  It's probably only water weight, but I'm happy nonetheless.

When I got home, all I wanted to do was a make a trusty old favorite for dinner, and it's also very health conscious :)  I originally found a version of the recipe on a calendar for my oil hear company and adapted it to things I had in the pantry.  It's one of my favorites.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Polenta with Shrimp and Tomatoes 


Ingredients
1 Bag Frozen Shrimp- uncooked, detailed, and deveined
1 Large Can Diced Tomatoes with Basil and Oregano
1 Tube Polenta (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1/2 tbs Basil
2 tsp Sugar
Garlic Salt
Olive Oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese

In frypan, cook shrimp in pan until shrimp is bright pink.  While cooking, sprinkle with healthy dose of garlic salt.

In saucepan, coat pan with oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cooked until browned.  Add can of diced tomatoes, sugar, and garlic.  Boil and then simmer on low.

Cut tube of polenta into 1/2 inch circle.  Pan fry with olive oil.

Serve layered (from bottom to top) with polenta, tomato sauce, and shrimp.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

I forgot to take a picture of this awesome meal because I was so hungry!  It's easy to make, and I will serve left-over tomato sauce over whole wheat for an additional meal.