Products To Try: Michael Angelo frozen entrees

I made a leisurely sweep through Whole Foods on Sunday looking for new, POINTS+ friendly foods to spice up my menu. I found two new frozen entrees that fit the bill perfectly. Both are from the brand Michael Angelo’s and are vegetarian (not a requirement, but it sure helps get my veggie servings in!).

The first one I tried was Eggplant Parm for 7 PTS+. I wasn’t sure I’d like it b/c I don’t love eggplant but it was great. Not mushy at all and the sauce was very flavorful.

Then for lunch the next day  I tried the Vegetable Lasagna for 8 PTS+. Also very yummy, and chock full of super-fresh veggies that were still crisp and tender even after a spin in the microwave.

I’m going to head back to Whole Foods later this week to pick up more of these entrees to keep in the freezer for days when I don’t have the time (or energy) to cook. Definitely check them out. Just don’t buy them all – leave me a few!

(Note – I bought the individual sizes shown on the Web site, not the family size. And mine came in white boxes. Not sure why the boxes are shown in black here.)

Product To Try: Popchips

The theme of this week’s WW meeting was variety – how changing up what you eat can help keep you on program. It was perfect timing because I was just thinking that I needed to add some new things to my own menu. One thing I was particularly struggling with, though, on the new PTS+ plan was what to pair with a sandwich and veggies/fruit for lunch. Don’t ask me why, but for me that kind of meal has to have 3 parts and I was having a hard time finding a side that was low in PTS+. I asked at my meeting, and members suggested I try Popchips.

Now, this is the kind of junk food that I try to stay away from on general principle, but lately I’ve been having trouble finding anything that appeals to me so if these help me feel better about eating a regular lunch I’ll go with it for now.

I bought two varieties at Stop & Shop last night (they’re in the natural foods section) – cheddar and sour cream & onion. One ounce is a serving, and will cost you 3 PTS+. It’s actually a rather large serving and when I tried some as a snack last night they were quite good. Reminiscent of Glenny’s soy crisps but without the strange texture those have.

There are 3 servings per bag, and to save myself from the temptation of having them in the house throughout the week I have already pre-packaged them into single serving ziploc baggies.

So if you’re looking for something salty and crunchy without very many PTS+, I say give these a try. Not something you want to make a staple but good for an occasional snack.

Homemade crab cakes (2 PTS+ per crabcake)

I’ve recently begun eating some seafood, and crabcakes have become a new favorite. I especially like them on a big salad. Well, tonight I decided to make my own crab cakes at home from this recipe on weightwatchers.com:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=183391

I made one substitution, using 1 1/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs instead of the 6 oz of french bread made into crumbs. I did this because (a) I had them in the house, and (b) I’d rather use whole wheat breadcrumbs thanwhite bread. And if I had it to do over again I would omit or halve the red pepper flakes because they were a little spicy for my taste. But beyond that, they were great! I just had two for dinner and yum, yum, yum.

Now, here’s the funny thing…the WW site says this recipe is 7 PTS+, but when I put the recipe into their own Recipe Builder it came out to be only 2 PTS+ values per crab cake (assuming it makes 10 crab cakes…I didn’t think I’d get 12 out of it the size I was making them). I suppose that’s close. They said the recipe serves 4 and makes 12 crab cakes, so that would make a serving three cakes = 7 PTS+ = just over 2 PTS+ per crab cake. I only needed two, though (late dinner) so I’m only going to count 4 PTS+ for today and save the rest for another day.

If you like crabcakes I definitely recommend trying this recipe. It was much easier than I thought, and so tasty. I’m thrilled to have something new to add to the regular rotation of my meal plans. Variety is the spice of life, after all!

Product To Try: Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake

Frozen dinners aren’t a regular part of my diet, but I use them occasionally when I don’t have time to cook or make lunch. I only buy those that use real food and few or no preservatives because I don’t want to put all sorts of chemicals, salt, and other unnecessary garbage in my body. The brand I’ve been using most recently is Kashi, which has a limited but decent line of frozen entrees.

Tonight I tried their Tuscan Veggie Bake for the first time. It’s like a veggie lasagna but with a slightly spicy sauce that feels more Mexican than Italian to me. It was good, though, and only 7 PTS+. It’s not a ton of food, and very low in protein (only 4 g). But I wanted to eat before heading out to run a bunch of errands and it was quicker than making a full dinner.

In the past I would have gone out, run around until I was ready to drop, then come home and eaten a PB&J at 9 or 10 before going to bed.  I’m trying to change that behavior and eat more real meals, at the appropriate times. This is a baby step in that direction. I’ll probably buy this meal again and keep it in the freezer as a risk mitigation strategy for those days when I don’t have time to pack lunch.

Past Fall Favorites

I’ve been at this since October 2008 (my 2nd blog-day is almost here!) and I’ve posted some great fall comfort food recipes in the past years. Here’s a look back at some of my favorites, as a reminder:

Sweet Potato Soup (4 PTS)

Tuscan Turkey Sausage and Barley Stew (6 PTS)

Philly Cheesesteak (6 PTS, great for watching a football game)

Homemade Chili with Cornbread (6 PTS total)

Au Bon Pain Veggie Chili (4 PTS)

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Chili Cheese Baked Potato (7 PTS)
(If I were to do this now I would use the homemade chili from above. The original canned chili has way too many preservatives for me these days!)

2 PT Hot Cocoa (1 milk serving)

Crab Cake Salad

My family and I are enjoying a mini-vacation right now (more like an extended day trip) so I’ve been eating out for every meal. Today’s lunch was a great find, though – tasty and PTS friendly. I got a large garden salad with balsamic and olive oil then ordered a 5.5 oz crab cake appetizer separately that I estimate was about 5 PTS (the highest PTS total of any crab cake listed in the WW POINTS-finder). I put the crab cake on the salad instead of grilled chicken and it was very tasty. I also liked that it was light as we were going to be walking and I didn’t want heavy food to make me groggy.

Turkey-Avacado Wrap

For the last 2 weeks I’ve been enjoying a delicious wrap for lunch that I thought I’d share with you. Here’s the recipe:

1 La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat wrap (1 PT)
1/4 fresh avocado, mashed onto the tortilla like mayo (2 PTS)
2 oz Nature’s Promise turkey breast (2 PTS)
1 slice Sargento reduced fat Colby jack cheese (1 PT)
Handful each of lettuce and shredded carrots

Total PTS = 6
GHGs = 1 each lean protein, whole grain, and veggie; part of a dairy serving

Roll it up into a wrap and enjoy. It’s filling, and the avocado adds moisture and taste with a healthy dose of good fats. It’s higher PTS than a Tbsp of Miracle Whip light or light mayo, but it’s also totally natural. These days that’s the most important thing to me as I try to focus on health and nutrition, not just weight loss.

What’s been on your summertime lunch menu lately?

Out of this world Black Bean burgers!

My coworker K is a great cook, and makes almost her own natural dishes. She even bakes her own bread!  She was eating this yummy-looking black bean burgers for lunch the other day so I asked her for the recipe. I made it for myself this weekend, and all I can say is Oh.My.Goodness! They are amazing! It is a variation on this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine, 2008.

K made a bunch of variations, some I kept  some I didn’t. And I made a few of my own. I’m going to write this up the way I actually made it, which was based entirely on what I had on hand. Feel free to try your own combinations!

1/3 cup raw pearl barley
1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
3 teaspoons olive oil (used separately at different times)
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried cilantro
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook the barley as directed on the package. Set aside.
2. Puree all but 1/2 cup of the black beans in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Put 1 tsp olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the onion and cook until tender.
4. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and garlic to the onions. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the onion mixture to the bean puree along with the remaining beans, eggs, barley, bread crumbs, basil, cilantro, and pepper. Mix together until combined.
6. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to solidify. (I forgot this and it was VERY sticky!!)
7. Remove the mixture from the fridge and form into 8 equal patties.
8. Brush a grill pan with 1 tsp olive oil and heat just a bit.
9. Cook the first 4 patties until crisp on both sides and heated through, 5 – 10 min.
10. Remove the first batch, spread another 1 tsp of oil into the pan, and cook the second batch.

Serve warm on a toasted whole wheat bun, sandwich thin, or eat all by itself the way I did. These are so hearty and flavorful it’s hard to believe they are only 3 PTS! But that’s what the Recipe Builder said. I was thrilled!

You should definitely try these. They’re a wonderful alternative to the store-bought veggie burgers – much more filling. And they don’t contain anything I can’t pronounce or recognize, which is sadly not the case even with the supposedly “natural” packaged foods these days.

(I froze all but 2 of the patties in a storage container separated by wax paper so I can just take one out when needed.)

Fruity chicken salad (5 PTS)

I just had chicken salad for lunch and it was very tasty. It came from asking “what do I have in the fridge and how can I put it together into something new and delicious?”. Here’s what I used:

2.5 oz organic cooked chicken breast (leftover from last night’s dinner)
10 organic red grapes, chopped
1/4 of a medium granny smith apple, diced
7 g glazed pecans, crushed
1 Tbsp Miracle Whip Light (or light mayo)

I just tossed it all together and the result was a sweet, crunchy delight. I served it with 1/2 cup Friendship 1% cottage cheese (2) and the rest of the apple, sliced up (1).  I calculated the PTS for the chicken salad this way:

Chicken (2.5) + grapes and apple dice (0.5) + pecans (1) + mayo (1) = 5

So the total was a clean, filling lunch for 8 PTS. Not bad. And I have lots of energy for this afternoon’s plan – clearing out some paper and closet clutter from my apartment.  Looking forward to feeling lighter all around by the day’s end.

Thin crust pizza heaven!

I just finished a new creation that is to die for, at least if you like thin crust pizza. Here’s what I did.

1) Lightly spray a Flat Out Multigrain Wrap with cooking spray on both sides. Crisp it on the oven rack at 350 for 5 – 6 minutes.

2) While the “crust” is crisping, remove one link of Shadybrook Farms sweet turkey sausage from the casing and cook it into sausage crumbles.

3) Put the crisped wrap on a baking sheet lined with foil. Top with 1/4 cup Muir Glen Pizza sauce , 1 oz (1/4 cup) fat free shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 oz 2% shredded mozzarella, a handful of diced green peppers and onions, and 1/3 of the cooked turkey sausage crumbles (about 17 g).

4) Put it back in the oven for about 7 more minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut into 4 pieces with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

The entire thing was just 5 PTS, and it was delicious! If you like pizza, definitely try this. You can add your own toppings, too – just be sure to account for any change in PTS. Here’s my breakdown:

• Wrap (1 PT)
• Sauce (1 PT)
• Fat free cheese (1 PT)
• 2% cheese (1 PT)
• Veggies (0 PTS)
• Sausage (1 PT)

What I like about this is that it’s a quick, easy meal for one that anyone can do even if you don’t like to cook.

(Note – why the two types of cheese? The fat free doesn’t melt as well, but the 2% is higher PTS. So I mix the two together to get enough cheese to fill the pizza and keep the PTS down. If you wanted to use 1.5 oz of the 2% cheese it would be a total of 3 PTS for the cheese instead of 2.)