Craaaazzy about Tortellini

And, that's not all that's crazy 'round here. More on that later.

So, being the semi-trained culinary professional that I am (please, no comparisions to other "semi" types...you know who you are, Sandra Lee, you Semi-Ho, you!), I sometimes just want to throw something together that's quicky, easy, and of course, cheesy!

Enter the humble refrigerated cheese tortellini...because who the hell has time to make tortellini these days? Certainly not me! (Whine, whine, whine)

There's an amazing amount of stuff you can do to that little package of pasta that makes a great meal. Although, I must confess that my favorite way to eat the little hummers is with a lot of butter and shredded Parmesan cheese. That's all. Yeah, not too healthy, but really comforting.

We first hit the tortellini jackpot when I discovered a Weight Watchers Shortcut cookbook with this recipe:

Cheese Ravioli in Pesto-Tomato Broth

28 oz fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

1 9-oz package refrigerated reduced fat cheese tortellini

1 14.5-oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1/4 cup commercial pesto

2 cups yellow squash, cubed (or a mix of yellow and zucchini)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Procedure:

1. Bring broth to a boil in a large sauce pan.

2. Add ravioli and remaining ingredients; reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.

Yields 4 servings, 1.5 cups each.

Points = 6 (Which ain't bad for a pasta dish)

Good luck on finding those low-fat cheese ravioli. I could never find them, so I'm sure the point count goes up by 2-3. And, then I would substitute Italian-style diced tomatoes instead of the plain no-salt ones, because that was what was in the cupboard. (And, then I jacked it all to Point hell and back by dumping a handful of shredded Parmesan into my bowl. I just can't quit the cheese!)

So, this version is in fairly standard rotation in the Poodlevania household for the winter months, because we're all about soup, and we're all about the quick soup!

Then, I was perusing a notebook of WW recipes that Linna put together for me when I announced a couple of years ago that I was doing WW (for the first time--I know, I know). Linna was very successful with her weight loss and is my hero!, and I really appreciated this little notebook, which I have used many times.

The Man announced a few weeks ago that he wanted to try eating better again and requested that I throw some WW recipes back in the dinner rotation. So, I got out the trusty notebook and started poring over my options.

Hey--look! A different tortellini soup! More stuff in it! Let's try it!

Tortellini Soup Florentine ('cause it's got spinach in it!)

3 cups fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

1 quart chicken broth (I recommend the Pacific Rim Organic at Costco--6 for $10)

1 cup water

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried sage or rosemary leaves, crumbled

2 cups coarsely chopped cleaned spinach or other greens (kale, chard)

16-oz can small white or navy beans, rinsed and drained

4-6 sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

1. Cook tortellini according to package instructions, until just tender.

2. In a large sauce pan, bring chicken broth, garlic, herbs, and 1 cup water to boil.

3. Stir in spinach, beans, and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until spinach and tomatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in tortellini and simmer 1 minute longer. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings/6 points each

Hey--more stuff, same Points. Not a bad deal. I also just put the tortellini in the broth without cooking it separately. I let it boil for about 5-6 minutes, then throw in the beans, spinach, and tomatoes and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until beans are heated through and spinach is wilted. Notice this recipe has no salt...I have to add some salt...usually in the form of a small can of sliced black olives. And, for tonight's version, I threw in a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes. I was out of fresh spinach, so I used some frozen, which I defrosted in the nukerator and drained. See, the possibilities are endless!

Besides, I'm going to need all the easy stuff I can get for awhile. I'm have a wee bit o' surgery on Thursday, and will be down for the count for at least 3 weeks...and doomed to The Man's cooking for the most part. (Not that I won't be grateful, honey, but...)

I've laid in some supplies and plan to make some Moldy Jell-o, because I know I won't want a lot to eat when I get home from the surgery. I did find something that looks rather yummy in the dairy case though. Remember this little gem: Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake Filling? Now it comes in CHOCOLATE!! I swear, Kraft/Philadelphia Brand are in league with some sort of demons, and I don't care! I plopped the tub of that into the cart, and later, when The Man was staring into the fridge and asking about it, I very succinctly told him to back the hell away from my cheesecake filling. It's Mine! Mine! Mine! I neeeeeeeed it for my recovery period. I will be sans a womanly part or two, and I am going to need much comforting during this time.

So, not that I've been good about keeping up the blog lately, I'm probably going to either be better about it (boring details of my recovery) or really, really bad about keeping up with it. Bear with me, and I promise I'll be more proactive about posting!

p.s. I soaked Harvey this weekend, because it was time for a soak...sort of past time for a soak, and whaddya know?! He's sprouted at least 6-7 little nubs, which is exciting, since I didn't even shock him to put him in this state. Pretty cool, huh?

We(igh)nesday

First official weigh-in day

The Man laughed at me this morning for announcing that I was selecting my lightest weight clothes to wear today. And, at the fact that I weighed before and after I got dressed, so that I knew my clothes weighed 2 pounds. (Like he has room to talk—he’s the person who taught me the “weigh, pee, weigh” trick to see if you can lose that extra couple of ounces to put you down another pound on the digital scale. It’s kind of interesting...mentally...maybe.)

(That was probably too much information for y’all, but he’s been complaining that I’ve not mentioned him in the blog lately, so there you go, baby!)

4.8lbs is the official loss for the week, which is good, considering the OG debacle from Sunday. 9 out of the 10 people in our meeting lost, so everyone got a silver bravo star (the 10th person just started). We had our little motivational discussion, and the WW group leader said something that sort of stunned me. He was discussing hitting a plateau of sorts, when folks are following the plan and exercising, etc., and get frustrated because they aren’t actually losing weight. Usually, they are losing inches and don't realize it, and he mentioned that folks sometimes rationalize their lack of actual poundage lost by saying, “well, muscle weighs more than fat.” We’re all nodding our heads to this, because I believe I’m pretty “muscular.” (Ha!)

And then he says, “ That’s just not true. A pound of muscle weighs as much as a pound of fat.”

It was like hearing a pin drop in the empty spot that used to be my brain. Well, duh! It was like a light bulb had clicked on...more like a giant q-beam spotlight. (You know my math skills are non-existent, so stop sniggering at my blonde moment. Stop it, right now!)

Well, hell yeah, of course it weighs the same! It’s like that whole “pound of bricks vs. pound of feathers” adage—pound is a pound is a pound…whether it’s on my hips or thighs. (If it would migrate ‘round onto my ass, of which I have none, I’d feel a whole lot better about that pound-for-pound thing.)

Go ahead and ‘fess up to yourself, even if you won’t tell me…we’ve all bought into that “muscle weighs more” nonsense, and I personally know that I have been hiding behind that old wives’ tale for a number of years. Somewhere along the way, someone told me that it was true, and just like a deep-fried Kentucky rat urban legend, it grew in importance in my pea brain until I unconsciously/subconsciously believed it as fact. (I think this is a prime example of “lying to oneself,” don’t you?) He did point out that muscle is more compact/dense than fat, so that might be why I've been able to glom onto that for all these years.

But enough of that. Earlier, my SS boss and I went to a competition's franchise to do a little "competitive intelligence" or "industry espionage." This place is very trendy and cute, and the SS boss has a feeling that they might be moving over into our area soon. They have fun names for their food (like Ode on a Grecian Three-Breasted Chicken™ and She's Not Heavy, She's My Meatball), a bright color scheme, and a great desire to be hip. It's the same basic concept as SS--sign up, assemble meals, freeze, thaw later, and cook at your convenience. I baked up one for The Man, and it wasn't too bad. We're going to try the rest of them through the rest of the week.

With almost a year of meal assembly experience under our aprons, SS Boss and I were trying hard to look like newbies but not be overly dramatic. Of course, we both think that our model is better, and that our staff is definitely friendlier and more helpful. The staff at the competition sort of stood around and looked pretty--there were 3 of them out on the floor and 2 in the back who seemed to be prep and clean up the dishes. The 3 floor models basically stood in one place and chatted with each other and didn't pay much attention to us. There were 4 of us customer types to begin with, and 4-5 more came in a little later, and they still didn't seem to be very animated or motorvated.

The place was brightly lit and looked clean and tidy, so it gets points for that...the ingredients were some of the same we used from the same supplier, but it appeared that they chose to chop most of their own veggies, like celery and onions. Let's just say they wouldn't have made it out of Head Chef's class based on their knife cuts. Granted, I'm supposed to have some experience at this and should be able to chop fairly uniform pieces, but this stuff looked like it might have been gnawed up by a lawnmower. I was picking all sort of stringy pieces of celery out and onion skin--not attractive at all. At our store, we get pre-chopped onions, green peppers, etc., and it doesn't cost that much more than buying bulk/whole and chopping it ourselves. Remember that dreadfulPurchasing class? Well, it might have come in handy...if you do the math on the labor it would take for us to clean and chop, along with the trim loss, etc., it actually comes out about even or maybe even a little cheaper. We're fiends about inspecting that produce when it comes, too. We open all the boxes and inspect the bags to make sure it looks good and isn't slimy and spoiled.

Our cover held and we weren't spotted as the competition, and it was kinda cool to be in the customer's slingbacks for once...we didn't have to do the clean up or worry about making a mess. Granted, we tried to be neat, having already walked a mile in their aprons with messy customers before, and not take too long to do the recipes. Of course, we think our version is better, but don't all moms think their child is the cutest?

(Trying not to be) Fat Tuesday

Why is it that I can never make it through the first weekend on a diet? I was doing okay until Sunday, when we went with my mother to Olive Garden for lunch. Now, Olive Garden is not necessarily the best place for people who aren’t dieting, but it can spell doom for those of us who are…or are supposed to be watching what we eat. (Oh, I was watching it all right, from the fork to my mouth.)

I probably shouldn’t be calling it “dieting,” either. It’s supposed to be a “life style change,” which is supposed to reflect blah, blah, blah, blah…it’s a diet, and we all know it. Diet really shouldn’t be such a dirty word, either, because when you use it as a noun, it does describe what you and rabbits eat or watch, according to dictionary.com:)

1. Food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet. (As is chocolate, ergo chocolate milk is good for you.)

2. A particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease: a diet low in sugar. (Or, high in chocolate.)

3. Such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I'm on a diet. (Only 1 piece of chocolate for me…are you sensing a trend here?)

4. The foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit. (And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.)

5. Food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce. (Would feeding a chocolate bunny to a rabbit constitute a form of cannibalism? I’ll just eat the bunny for them.)

6. Anything that is habitually provided or partaken of: Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas. (And, what to eat while watching soap operas? Why chocolate bon-bons, of course!)

What it really boils down to is choices. And, (you knew this was coming) I didn’t make any good ones at the OG, with the exception of only eating 1 bread stick and unsweetened tea. But, I’ve decided that I’m not going to castigate myself for this, and that I’m just going to pretend that Sunday did not exist. (A 6-day week might be a nice change, especially if we still get 2 days off! I’ll write my congressperson about that.) I’m going to skip that page in my food diary and pick up like it never happened. (Of course, I’ll be obsessively weighing myself to see what impact my transgression had, and trying to figure out if I can actually weigh naked at work during the weekly meeting…maybe I should wait until I’m past my 90-day probationary period before I try that.)

So, for lunch yesterday, I had the leftover chicken and caramelized onions with some rice. Last night, I made a tasty little dish that we’ve eaten many times, even when I wasn’t doing WW. It’s got pasta, and it’s only 5.5 WW points per serving!

Shrimp with Orzo (makes 4 servings)

1 can (28-ounce) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, divided
1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Dash crushed red pepper (optional)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups hot, cooked orzo (about 1 cup uncooked rice-shaped pasta)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (~2 ounces) crumbled Feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450º F.

2. Drain tomatoes through a sieve into a bowl, reserving tomatoes and 1/2 cup tomato liquid.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add wine; cook 1 minute.

4. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato liquid, 1-1/2 tablespoons parsley, capers, and next 4 ingredients (capers through red pepper) to pan; cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in pasta.

5. Spoon shrimp mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with Feta cheese and 1-1/2 tablespoons parsley. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1-1/2 cups).

5.5 WW points per serving.

It’s pretty tasty and you get a lot of it, and you get to use a pasta shape that is fairly unfamiliar to most people. Orzo is rice-shaped pasta that is pretty versatile. I’ve used it several times in the place of rice in rice pilaf.

Breakfast has been the easiest part of my days on WW, bar none. I can actually eat the same thing for breakfast every day and not really get tired of it. I discovered Kashi Go Lean Crunch, and cccrrruuunch is definitely what it does. I’ve never had a cereal that refused to get soggy in milk. I feel like I’m burning extra calories just by chewing. The stuff has 8 grams of fiber, which I think is about what a hunk of wood has, so you know I’m doing my body good with that.

Anyway, Happy Fat Tuesday and all that good stuff. Tomorrow starts Lent, and I was thinking I might give up WW for Lent…wouldn’t that be a switch?

Kick-off!

Yesterday brought us the much anticipated kick-off of our Weight Watchers at Work program. I was just about to give up and sink into a vat of cheese dip, because we couldn't seem to get enough people coordinated on selecting a day and finding a group leader.

But we did it, and I'm all set up with my little points counter and chock full of good resolutions that I promptly blew at lunch today. And, I had started out making such good choices. We went out for lunch (first bad idea), and we went to a Mexican restaurant (second bad idea). I ordered the chicken soup (good idea), but then I ate chips and salsa (bad idea). However, I did manage to resist the cheese dip, which took an enormous amount of willpower, because I am highly addicted to that white gooey stuff with peppers. I'd be perfectly happy with a big bowl of that, 3-4 baskets of chips, and a frosted mug of Dos Equis Dark--who needs fajitas?!

WW has changed a bit since I last looked at (and failed at) the program. They've got the Points version and something called Core, which is no counting of points...personally, I think I need the accountability of the Points plan for this to work. It's not like I (and probably everyone else on the planet) don't know what to do to lose weight, but personally, unless I'm paying money and having to account for myself each week, I'm not going to even get started. I know, I know, a flaw in my otherwise stellar personality.

I even pre-planned for lunch today by making something Points-friendly for dinner last night. (So what that I ate old-fashioned birthday cake with white icing for dessert...I was planning for a healthy lunch!)

I first discovered this recipe when I started cooking for Rita and trying to make her some healthy meals. This recipe is very, very tasty and really good for you, too. It comes from the Diabetes Cookbook in the American Medical Association's Cookbooks for Healthy Living series. I always add an extra onion, because I like to make sure I have enough (read: extra!) of the sauce.


Chicken with Carmelized Onions (4 servings)

4 tsps olive or canola oil

1 large yellow or white onion; about 8 oz.; halved vertically and cut into thin slivers

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup chicken stock or fat-free, no-salt-added chicken broth

1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp whole-grain mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, ideally 4 oz each

1 1/2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme, plus some sprigs for garnish if you like

In large non-stick saute pan, heat 3 tsps of oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is golden brown; about 20 minutes. (Don't burn the onions!) Add 1/4 tsp of the salt.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine stock, vinegar, and mustard, and whisk to blend. Add the carmelized onions and half the pepper and cook until liquid is reduced by half; 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap, and pound with a mallet or rolling pin (my favorite part!) to an even 1/4-inch thickness or so. Sprinkle pounded chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chopped thyme in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the thyme, pressing to make the leaves stick. (You don't have to thoroughly coat the chicken with thyme; just make sure you get some on all sides of the chicken.)

In the same pan you cooked the onions in, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until opaque through; about 3-4 minutes per side.

To serve, place chicken on plate and top with onion sauce; garnish with sprig of thyme.

Nutritional Info for 1 serving: 191 calories; 6g fat; 27g protein; 6g carbohydrates; 1g fiber; 4g sugars; 390mg sodium; 66mg cholesterol

Weight Watchers Points: 4 pts

Pretty damn yummy if I do say so myself, and it's quick and easy, too. Trifecta!