Pierogies and Peppers

This is a vegetarian, meatless meal for less than 400 calories!  It also happens to be Noom friendly in that the pierogies are a yellow food and the tomato sauce and veggie blend are green foods!

So I have thrown in the towel and have accepted that there is zero way for me to get an appetizing food photo when cooked bell peppers are involved.  I just don't know about photoshopping yet.  I will share the finished photo below but don't let it scare you!  It is good!

I was unable to get the tri-colored stir-fry pepper blend at my local store still during this pandemic shortage situation, but I went with the fajita blend that has just the red and green peppers and onions. 

I will say this is super, duper easy; Filling; and Flavorful!

One note,  the fennel seeds in this recipe need to be toasted and ground, so having a pestle and mortar handy, a spice grinder, or being prepared to use a little ingenuity is needed for that portion.   I used a wooden spoon to crush mine in the pan in which I toasted the seeds because my pan has a little texture to it, so this worked well for me.  You can grind them up using the bottom of a coffee mug where the cup edges are raw as well.  You can also crush with a hammer or mallet between two paper towels but you'll want to make sure you are on a safe surface for doing it this way.  Just crush up well after toasting in a pan.

To toast the fennel seeds, place them in a dry pan over medium-low heat and toast while either shaking the pan or using a wooden spoon keeping the seeds moving.  They will toast quickly once starting to change color so watch closely.  They will change color and become very fragrant.  This only takes about 2 to 3 minutes.

Because this recipe is an old WW recipe for an old points system, I will share the Winning Points I have noted.  For the Winning Points plan this dish is 6 points for 4 pierogies and about 3/4 cup of the pepper mixture. You should be able to figure out your points easily utilizing the new scan-in feature for the bag of pepper blend and the box of pierogies.

(See?! Colors look horrible when cooking peppers!)

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 (1-lb) bag frozen pepper stir fry (green, red, yellow and onions)
1 (16.9-oz) package frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper


Instructions:

First, toast your fennel seeds and crush as mentioned above in your dry frying pan while starting your water for boiling the pierogies to heating up to a boil.

Then spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over high heat.  Add the frozen pepper mix and saute until lightly browned slightly, about 10-12 minutes when all of the liquid is evaporated off.

You can add the pierogies to the boiling water as soon as it starts to boil.  Then you boil the pierogies until the water returns to a boil and continue boiling for another 3 minutes.

MAKE SURE TO RESERVE 1/4 CUP OF THE PIEROGIE WATER WHEN DONE TO ADD TO YOUR "SAUCE"

Add the reserved cooking liquid, tomato sauce, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper to the cooked pepper mix in the pan and simmer one minute.

Serve 4 pierogies with about 3/4 cup of the pepper sauce mix and voila!  Enjoy!

YIELDS: 4 Servings
SERVING SIZE: 4 Pierogies with 3/4 c peppers/sauce mixture

Nutritional Information:  332 Calories, Total Fat 7 g (3 g sat fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 1139 mg sodium, 55 g total carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 14 g protein, 179 mg calcium

Acini di Pepe Pasta Salad

This is one of my husband's favorite cold pasta salads and when dieting, you can fit it in for 371 calories per 1-1/2-cup sized serving!  You can go for half a serving at 3/4 cup for 186 calories as a side as well!

You can sub in any small pasta shapes if you can't find acini di pepe, such as tiny ditalini!

I am not sure why I couldn't get a more appetizing photo with my cell phone as it was nighttime when I needed to take the photo in some fluorescent lighting and the roma tomatoes weren't quite as picture-worthy red.

This requires a little more prep work than I would normally like, but again, if you do it all up front while your pasta is boiling, it will all be ready to assemble by the time the pasta is ready to drain!

This makes a good passing dish if you need to know your calories in advance too!  It has salami, cheese, and beans bringing in some protein so you aren't left feeling a little empty!

Ingredients:

6 oz uncooked acini di pepe pasta (about 1 cup)
2-1/4 c diced plum tomato
1/3 c capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
1/4 c sliced pickled banana peppers (few in calories so feel free to add a few more!), chop coarsely
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
2 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 (16-oz) can of navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 oz salami, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions:

Get your pasta cooking according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking prep the remaining ingredients throwing all except the oil and vinegar into a bowl.  Once all ingredients are in the bowl mix up the oil and vinegar well and pour into bowl tossing to coat.  Add in the pasta and toss to coat again. That's it!  All done!  Garnish with some whole pepper rings for presentation!

Nutritional Information:  Calories 371, Fat 11.6 g (sat 4.7, poly 1.4 g, mono 5.3 g), protein 16.6 g, Carb 51.7 g, Fiber 6.3 g, Chol 21 mg, Iron 3.5 mg, Sodium 919 mg, Calcium 164 mg

Pork and Veggie Stir Fry with Cashew Rice for 460 calories

Stir-frying is said to be one of the fastest and healthiest cooking methods.  Stir-frying uses high heat so the food is seared quickly, which preserves the natural juices in mere minutes, using very little oil.  The veggies also therefore retain their crispness, bright color, and nutritional value! 

This recipe can seem labor intensive and too involved, but not if you get your ingredients prepped beforehand and prior to diving into actually making it!  I promise, it is worth it!  It is a huge serving for 460 calories so halving it and subbing in some healthier, yet filling, low-cal options can work here too!

I would totally eat this dish weekly if only I could get my kids to try it.  They won’t even give it a go.  They can be such jerks sometimes.  I am not kidding when I tell you that things my oldest two refused to try here at home they now love, but it isn’t because they finally tried those same things that I made here; rather, it is because they ate it somewhere else or at someone else’s house and came home announcing now they love it!!!  See? Jerks. lol

Master Ingredients List:

¾ c. uncooked long-grain rice

1/3 c chopped green onions

¼ cup dry-roasted cashews, salted; coarsely chopped

½ tsp salt

2/3 c fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbs cornstarch (total will be divided)

3 Tbs lower-sodium soy sauce (total will be divided)

2 Tbs honey

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into ½” cubes

1 Tbs canola oil (total will be divided)

2 c sliced mushrooms

1 c chopped onion

1 Tbs grated, peeled, fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c sugar snap peas (about 6 oz trimmed)

1 c red pepper, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

You will first want to prep all of your ingredients. Chop your pork, onion, cashews, green onions, and red bell pepper. Mince your garlic cloves. Slice your mushrooms if not buying presliced.  Grate your ginger!

Instructions with ingredients for Cashew Rice:

¾ cup uncooked long-grain rice

1/3 cup chopped green onions

¼ cup dry-roasted cashews, salted, coarsely chopped

½ tsp salt

Cook the rice according to package directions BUT leave out salt and fat (butter, oils).  Stir in green onions, cashews and salt.  Set aside.

Instructions with ingredients for “sauce”:

2/3 c fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs lower-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbs honey

Combine the broth, 1 Tbs cornstarch, 2 Tbs soy sauce, and the honey in a small bowl.  Whisk mixture if necessary.  Set aside.

Instructions with Ingredients for pork:

1 (1-lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into ½” cubes

2 tsp canola oil

2 c sliced mushrooms

Heat 2 tsp canola oil in a pan and get hot enough for stir-frying.  Combine pork remaining 1 Tbs cornstarch and remaining 1 Tbs soy sauce in a bowl.  Toss well to coat.   Add pork to hot oil in pan and sauté about 4 minutes or until browned.  If pan is not hot enough, the cornstarch mixture will stick to the pan.   Remove pork from pan and set aside.

Instructions for vegetable stir fry:

1 c chopped onion

1 Tbs grated pelled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 c chopped red bell pepper

This stage moves quickly due to the “stir-fry” process.  Add remaining 1 tsp oil to pan and add mushrooms and onions sautéing about 2 minutes.  Now stir in the ginger and garlic and sauté another 30 seconds or so.  Now add peas and bell pepper to the pan and sauté for another minute.  Stir in the coated pork sautéing another minute.  Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil.  Cook about another minute or until the sauce thickens slightly while stirring constantly (if you get it too thick, there won’t be enough sauce to blend in with your rice). 

YIELDS: 4 servings

SERVING SIZE:  1-1/2 c pork-veggie mixture and ½ c cashew rice

Nutritional Information:  Calories 460; Fat 11.8 g (sat 2.5 g, mono 6.2 g, poly, 2.3 g); Protein 31.8 g, Carb 55.9 g, Fiber 3.6 g, Cholesterol 74 mg, Iron 4.6 mg, Sodium 787 mg, Calcium 73 mg

Chicken Carne Asada Tacos

In the past I've always made these tacos by sets of 2 for 413 calories, but this time because I found these super cute teeny street taco shells, I went with 3 teeny tacos for 300 calories!  This saves you 113 calories!!  Two of the regular size corn tortilla shells is 100 calories and you add more of everything into each compared for even more calories, but there are only 90 calories for three corn tortilla shells into which you fill less as well!

Instead of assembling in the below-listed quantities/measurements, I put 1 oz of chicken in each tiny shell, divided up a Tbsp of the Cotija cheese between all 3, and put in one thin slice of avocado in each as well, which didn't even amount to a whole ounce of avocado overall.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 tsp sugar 1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium red onion thinly vertically sliced

Meat:

1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Fixings:

8 (6") corn tortillas (or do the 3 small street taco size as mentioned above)
1 cup diced peeled avocado
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled Cotija cheese

Instructions: 

Marinade: Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl stirring until sugar dissolves. Place onion in a small saucepan; cover with water. Shock the onions by bringing to a boil, then drain and plunge into ice water to quickly cool and stop the "cooking" process. Drain onion and add to juice mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

Meat: Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned and done, stirring occasionally.

Tortillas: Heat tortillas according to package directions. I heat using nonstick spray in a skillet and browning both sides.

Assembly for 2 tacos: Divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Drain onion and divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons avocado and 1 tablespoon cheese and fold.

 ***Assembly for 3 street tacos: 1 oz of chicken per taco, 1 oz avocado thinly sliced and divided between all 3 tacos, 2 tsp of Cotija cheese divided between all 3 tacos and a couple of pickled onions per each taco. 294 calories here!

Yields: 4 servings
Serving Size: 2 Tacos

Nutrition Info (2-Taco version): 413 Calories; 17.1 g  Fat (sat 5.2 g, mono 7.1 g, poly 2.7 g); 33.4 g Protein; 33.6 g Carb; 4.9 g Fiber; 123 mg Cholesterol; 3.2 mg Iron; 825 mg Sodium; 237 mg Calcium

Freaking Update for 2020

I apologize I have been absent for so long!

Things have been a mess here since about last November, an absolute Fiasco! 

I lost my grandfather in November and then my father in December and then I spent most of January sulking and then most of February planning and preparing for the pandemic.  I think this 2020 mess is my Fault.  I kept saying all last year "2020 is going to be my year!  The best one yet!" I jinxed it didn't I?

Then my kids were sent home from school and my husband started working from home.  I tried to continue working in a face mask for as long as I could stand it, but it meant way longer days with larger breaks in between each job.  I finally threw in the towel.  The mask makes me extremely panicky, especially now in warmer weather. 

Dieting went way off track.  I too have had some good laughs at all the weight-gaining memes and gifs.  It turns out they all were true for me.  I went completely backwards having gained almost all of the weight I have lost back due to the stress I have encountered over the last 8 months or so.

We are blessed that so far we have all been healthy, as I hope you all have been as well!  I am ready to stop focusing on all of the "stuff" going on around me and to Focus on me and ditch my Feelings of hopelessness.

I have some new goals in mind and a new announcement!

1.  I no longer support Weight Watchers/WW nor encourage people to utilize the Shipt shopping services, as both companies have thrown their hats into a political arena by supporting groups, the funding of which, in one way or another, furthers certain political agendas with which I do not agree.  If you want my business, you need to stay neutral politically, especially when the cause involves a mob mentality against police officers since I am married to one and have the knowledge regarding his job that too many don't seem to want to learn the truth of.

As an aside, it really chaps my ass when a company asks their customers/members to donate to a cause of their choosing while saying they will *match* the donations by these folks *UP TO* $X amount.  In Shipt's case, it is $50,000.  If you want and are able to donate $50,000 then just Friggin do it!  Oh, and I hope those police officers you have smacked in the face come running to your aid when needed!

2.  Mostly as a result of number one above, I have decided to utilize good old fashioned calorie counting and healthier choices, including more exercise, moving forward as my weight loss method.  If I can add up points, I'm pretty sure adding up calories with no extra steps to reach a "magic number" will work just fine for me.  I believe this is also called Freestyling!

I am sure you can still figure out the points for the future recipes I will share since they will still be diet friendly, but I won't be figuring out points moving forward.

3.  I gave Noom a try!  I will share my experience with that soon!

4.  I plan to revamp my blog and bring it into this century for easier recipe browsing since I will no longer be listing WW points.  Instead it will be broken down into categories. 

5.  I am toying with the idea of vlogging as well!  What do you think about vlogging?