Now Being Served...

So this morning I'm pondering what to have for breakfast and I remember a recipe for crustless quiche that I have. I wasn't looking to make something big, so I decided to pull out the muffin pan again and make little mini crustless quiches. They're great for breakfast, snack, lunch, whatever. They're really low in points, so you don't have to feel guilty for eating more than two. (If you're too manly to eat something called quiche, feel free to call them egg cups. Not that that's a very manly name either, but, whatever. Just eat them.)

Note: I use a six cup muffin tin

Sausage Mushroom Crustless Quiche - serves 3

2 turkey sausage patties (I use Jimmy Dean fully cooked patties), finely diced

1 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 Egg Beaters

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup Weight Watchers reduced fat shredded cheese

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t herb mix (I use Spike salt free blend or Mrs. Dash)

1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

cooking spray (I use PAM olive oil)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat saute pan over medium high heat. Give the pan a quick spritz of cooking spray. Saute onions and mushrooms until the veggies are softened and the mixture is not wet. This will take about 5 minutes. Add in the diced turkey sausage, garlic powder and seasoning mix and mix well. Turn off heat.

In medium bowl mix the Egg Beaters and milk. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.

Divide sausage mixture evenly between the six muffin cups. Top each mixture with the shredded cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

When you take them out of the oven, run a knife around the edge of each cup. This will make them easier to remove from the pan. (But hey, even if they fall apart, they still taste good!)

Today...

On a personal level, blogging is new to me. I’ve read many of your blogs, left comments, marveled at how honest you are with yourselves and with your readers. I admire your honesty. Today I had an “ah ha” moment about my own honesty. Today I read the following in a post written this past spring by @fabfatties Angie.

“Today I am focusing on being responsible for what I have created and accepting responsibility for the change I want to see."

A big light bulb went off in my head when I read this. I haven’t been acting responsible for what I’ve created. I’ve been making excuses for what I’ve created. I’m getting older, my metabolism has slowed down, that’s why I’ve gained weight... I don’t work in the city and I’m not walking all the time anymore, that’s why I’ve gained weight... I work from home, so I’m not moving around as much… It tastes good, I want to eat more of it… I like having wine with my dinner… I’m tired, I don’t really feel like exercising...I’m sore, so I’m going to take it easy today…

What I’ve created is an excuse monster. I’ve created a fat person who was too content to lounge on the sofa with a glass of wine and a good book. That’s not a creation to be particularly proud of. Even this morning while I was walking the dogs I decided that I’d have a leisurely walk because my thighs still hurt from jogging and the many squats I did the other day. And this comes after the small tantrum I threw last night because it hurt to keep standing up and sitting down. “Why the *** I doing this? Why can’t I just be happy to be a Beluga whale. They’re cute. I just want to eat some junk food and not care about it.” I didn’t end up eating any junk food (I try not to keep any in the house), but I did pour myself another glass of wine and sulk.

So today is now TODAY. The day where I focus on being responsible for what I have created and accepting responsibility for the change I want to see. Today is the day I will get myself back on the elliptical after work even though my leg muscles are sore from being used. Today is the day I will work on the 200 squats challenge (thanks @bwJen for writing about this). Today is the day I take responsibility for myself. That’s not to say there won’t be other days. Days where I hit a speed bump and throw a tantrum because I want some Doritos or I don’t want to exercise. I want to see a change. I really do. I have to act responsibly so I can create the change. No one can do it for me. But please, keep bringing the challenges my Twitter family. You’re helping more than you could imagine, and I thank you for that.

Just for today, do not worry.

Just for today, do not anger.

Honor your parents, teachers and elders.

Earn your living honestly.

Show gratitude to every living thing.

- Mikao Usui

Good morning!

These past couple of weeks I've been working on the whole "healthy breakfast" thing because of the Fabulous Fatties Challenge. I didn't used to be much of a breakfast eater, but I've gotten much better. The Aussie can switch between oatmeal and Kashi waffles every other day and be happy. Not me. I want variety for breakfast. And thank you, but no. The idea of scrambled egg whites doesn't do a thing for me.

I recently picked up a cookbook that had a recipe for breakfast cups that sounded interesting. I made it, I liked it, The Aussie liked it (once I assured him it didn't contain tofu), the dogs liked it. Hmmm. Now that I know everyone likes it, let's see how I can completely change it!

One veggie I love is spinach. There are actually very few veggies I don't like. Eggplant and the awful little turnips I made for Easter lunch are pretty much it. (Our guests for that lunch very graciously ate them, even though I said they really didn't have to. I knew they were icky.) But I digress. Spinach. It's good in quiche. It will be good in little eggy cup thingys with cheese.

Florentine Quiche Cups (serves 3)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Egg Beaters

2+ cups baby spinach (will yield 1 cup cooked spinach)

2 Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patties

1 Laughing Cow garlic and herb wedge

2 T fat free cream cheese

6 wonton wrappers - the small squares

olive oil cooking spray

Heat the oven to 350.

Give each of the wontons a quick spray of cooking spray. With your finger, spread the spray to coat one side of the wonton wrapper. Turn over and put one wrapper in each muffin cup. Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven.

While wontons are baking, wash spinach and sautee in non-stick pan until cooked down. Remove from pan and chop.

Heat turkey sausage (pan or microwave is fine). Chop into small 1/4" dice.

In a small bowl, combine the fat free cream cheese and the wedge of Laughing Cow. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together.

In non-stick skillet, scramble the egg beaters until soft. Add in the spinach, sausage and cheese mixture. Stir well to combine the ingredients. Cook for a couple of minutes more, or until done to how you like your eggs. Spoon into wonton cups and serve. These are good hot or cold. (As you can see from the first picture, I didn't wait to eat one before snapping the picture!)

What's for dinner?

If you're like me, you have a picky eater at home. For many of you, it's your children. For me, it's the spouse. The Aussie is notoriously fussy, but there are some things he really likes. Chinese food is one.

Since moving to Texas I've had to learn how to cook some of our old favorites, as there's no good (and I'll emphasize that word), cheap Chinese restaurants nearby who'll kindly deliver dinner to our door. (Yes. That's not necessarily a bad thing.) One of our favorites is cashew chicken. I know, I know. You're saying "but that's really fattening, I can't believe you're eating that when you're trying to lose weight." Thanks to the magic of technology and WW's recipe builder, I've come up with a really tasty version that doesn't have loads of fat and won't rack up your points. (I don't want to upset any corporation by telling you what that magic number is here, but it did come up in conversation yesterday on Twitter if you want to take a look.) If you serve with rice, that number will change accordingly, so please consume responsibly.

Now serving dinner for four, here we go!

Prep time: 30 minutes (the chicken has to marinate)

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (this is how many come in the packs I get from Costco)

(if you want to use white meat chicken, go for it!)

2 T soy sauce, low sodium or regular

1-2 T grated fresh ginger (amount depends on how much you like ginger)

1 T cornstarch

1 ounce rice wine (not Mirin - look for it at an Asian supermarket)

------

2 T hoisin sauce (available in most supermarkets)

1 T water

2 T soy sauce

1 t Splenda

-----

2 garlic cloves, grated/crushed

1 cup carrots, large dice

1 cup celery, large dice

1-8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts

1 1/2 ouces cashews

1 large scallion, thinly sliced

cooking spray

Chicken: Trim the chicken of visible fat and cut into 1 inch pieces. In large bowl, combine chicken pieces, 2 T soy sauce, grated ginger, rice wine and cornstarch. Stir well and marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Veggies: While chicken is marinating, chop the your veggies into a large dice, about 1/2" or so in size. I usually use carrots, celery and sliced water chestnuts, but you can also add any other crispy vegetable that strikes your fancy. I was out of water chestnuts last night, so just imagine them in the finished picture. Since the veggies have different cooking times, keep them separate. Now for the garlic. I usually use a garlic press, but I had out my Microplane from grating the ginger, so I grated it instead. Worked like a charm. Last, but not least, thinly slice the scallion on a diagonal.

Sauce: Combine the hoisin sauce, water, 2 T soy sauce and Splenda in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir well and set aside.

Crunchies: To get the lovely toasty cashews for the topping, heat up a heavy pan, such as a cast iron pan, to medium high heat and toast the cashew nuts until they're golden brown. Remove from the heat. (The Aussie loves cashews. If you use 1 ounce instead of 1.5 ounces it will bring you down 1 point per serving)

Heat up non-stick wok or large frying pan to a medium high heat. Give the pan a couple of sprays of cooking spray. Add the garlic and sautee for 30 seconds. Add the chicken. Stir fry until 80% done. Depending on what cut of chicken you use it can be 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Give pan another spray if you need, and add the carrots to the pan. Stir fry carrots for a couple of minutes until slightly tender. Add in the celery and water chestnuts, stir frying for a few more minutes. When the veggies are tender, but still a little crisp, add the chicken back to the pan, along with the sauce. Stir well and cook for another couple of minutes, until heated through. Mix in the toasted cashews, top with the scallions, and serve.

In the words of the immortal bard of cooking, bon appetit!

Hello and welcome

I am a foodie. A not very fit foodie. But I'm going to change that. Please join me, won't you, on my journey from being a non-exercising, overeating, cooking show-watching couch potato to a fit person who respects and enjoys food.

Since I love to cook as much as I love to eat, I'll be sharing some recipes. (The healthy kind, don't worry! )

An especially big welcome to my friends who follow the awesome Fab Fatties and are challenging themselves to become healthier people. They are an awesome, inspiring group of women and men.

Come along. This should be an interesting ride.