Super Bowl Fun….
What did you all think of the Super Bowl and more importantly “the commercials”? I have to admit I am a bit PUMPED that The Husband won one of his prize pools and scored $125. It definitely made the game more exciting to watch when you were hoping for different scores 
As for the commercials, I was sorta bummed that there were not that many that were great….they were just like normal commercials…if I had to pick, I LOVED the CareerBuilder.com, VW and E*Trade Milk-Holic commercials. I had fun trying out a few new recipes too, but, more on that in a bit. For now, let’s recap the weekend.
SATURDAY
After LOVING The Justin’s Maple Almond Butter on Friday, I decided to give the Justin’s Organic CINNAMON Peanut Butter a try.
I only used 1/2 for 2 points.
It’s really smooth, creamy and loaded with cinnamon flavor. It’s good, but, I cannot say I LOVE it like I LOVE the Peanut Butter &CO Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter…..that stuff is just AMAZING!
I topped two slices of Trader Joe’s FF Multi-Grain Bread.
Then, added slices of pear for a PB-Pearwich.
5 points all together and it was delicious.
After breakfast, I helped The Husband unload the rocks out of his truck for my Raised Garden! It wasn’t too bad, great exercise and I got to put on my poncho since it was pouring rain– fun!
Lunch was at one of my FAVORITE places in Suisun ~ The Joy of Eating. They have such a homemade mom & pop flare and the food is tasty. I subbed out my fries for a side salad with house Italian on the side.
Then, had the BEST Sunrise Sandwich ever!
Homemade thick sweet bread, AVOCADO, bacon, lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese. I ate it ALL plus a few of The Husband’s fries….so good!
After lunch we went and saw From Paris With Love….WOW! It is so intense, but, really good. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about John Travolta playing a bad guy (he just doesn’t seem the part to me), but, I have to admit, he pulled it off pretty good.
We had a BBQ in the rain with our friends. I brought my Healthy Asian Slaw and added Toasted Almond slices. I probably could’ve eaten the entire container. The nuts make it totally like a Chinese chicken salad which is just AWESOME in my book.
I had a little bit of everything…GARLIC BREAD, chicken, 2 ribs, healthy asian slaw, salad, and a baby potato. Um, ya, ALOT of food
We also brought a healthy, fun Valentine’s themed dessert to share with everyone.
I LOVE that this dessert is only 3 points!
1 slice Angel Food Cake
1/2 c sliced strawberries
Whipped Cream
Valentine’s Day Sprinkles
I was thinking I should’ve used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut heart squares – that would’ve made it over the top Valentine’s 
SUNDAY
I was totally sleepy when I woke up so I decided to save my run for later. I had a BIG cup of Starbuck’s African Blend coffee while reading the paper with The Husband.
Breakfast was a fast 5 point EggWich.
2 slices TJ’s FF Multi-Grain Bread
1 Egg, “fried” in nonstick spray
1 1/2 tsp whipped butter
One of the traditions The Husband has with his friends is to play football the day of the Super Bowl. It totally cracks me up, but, he LOVES it and I go to be his cheerleader. I decided to take advantage of the fact that they have a track there and watched the game as I ran 5.25 miles.
I have to say I LOVE my new New Balance 1064 Shoes. They are awesome and totally comfortable. I really think they make a difference with my back. I am trying out Super Feet to see if they help as well, but, I am not sure I LOVE them yet. They said it takes 8 hours to break them in and 2 weeks to get used to them so we will see.
After my run, I snacked on this pear (1 pt) while I watched The Husband play. He did really good even though I forgot to take pictures
When we walked in the door, I was famished. So, I quickly grabbed a 1 point cheese.
Then, pulled out an Amy’s Tamale Verde Cheese Dinner. I LOVE this dish because of the green verde sauce and REAL, not low-fat cheese.
The nutritionals are decent and the ingredients are AWESOME!
The picture doesn’t do it justice, but, it’s worth all 8 points.
I quickly rushed around all afternoon doing laundry, planning meals, shopping, etc and made it home just in time for the Super Bowl to start. My Super Bowl eating was based on random bites of the things I made.
I had two of these Creamy Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms. I used Panko Bread crumbs for the croutons. I LOVED how creamy and crunchy they were…Since mine were small, I counted them both as 1 serving for 3 pts.
I kept my mouth happy/busy to stay away from The Mushrooms and thoroughly enjoyed all of these Butternut Squash Fries (2 pts).
I was super proud of the next appetizer I whipped up ~ Healthier Buffalo wins. I have NEVER made actual Buffalo Wings before, but, when I saw Maria’s Farm Kitchen Buffalo Chicken Wings I had to try them. Buffalo Wings are by far The Husband’s favorite thing aside from steak.
I LOVE that you bake the chicken to get it crunchy (it actually gets crunchy in the oven!). I bought Party Wings (drummettes) and baked them for 1 hour, turning them 1/2 way through. Then, I melted 1 Tbsp butter with 1/3 c Frank’s Original Hot Sauce. I placed the wings in glass bowl after they were done cooking and tossed them with the hot sauce mix.
AMAZING!!!! Maria, you seriously know your wings….they taste better than the ones at the restaurant. I had 2 wings (2 pts) and The Husband ate the rest.
Told ya, pretty random Sometimes it’s fun to have appetizers for dinner….other than I was STILL hungry. So, I had two pieces TJ’s FF Multi-Grain bread with 1 Tbsp whipped butter (4 pts).
I will catch up with you all tomorrow…For now, I am off to relax and catch up on some zzzzz’s!
Be sure to check out my Guest Post over at Meals & Moves tomorrow for my healthy spin on a Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Cross Training workout. I will update the link in the AM when it posts.
Have a great night all!
Nacho-Riffic Nachos Recipe!
Do you ever just have a crazy craving for something spicy, crunchy and salty that gets your hands all messy while you eat it? Sometimes you just have to have FULLY LOADED Nachos that come with ALL the fixin’s (said with an accent for my southern friends . These nachos come with just about every topping you can imagine and without all the fat you’d get if you had them at the ball park. Whip up a batch of these for the Super Bowl and I bet nobody will know they are healthy!
As requested…here is the recipe that I raved about this weekend! Enjoy!
Nacho-Riffic Nachos!
TACO BEAN FILLING (you only use 1/3 of it for this recipe)
1 lb 95% Lean Ground Beef, turkey, chicken or Veggie Crumbles
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz can Organic Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can Organic Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 packet Taco or Chili Seasoning (you can always make your own)
¼ c water
TOPPINGS:
½ bag Tostitos Baked Scoops
½ c finely shredded low-fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ c chopped tomatoes
2 green onions, sliced
Jalapeño slices
Your FAVORITE salsa or make your own
~ 2 Tbsp Guacamole (store bought or make your own)
BIG DALLOP of 0% Greek Yogurt~ 2 Tbsp (creamier & tastier than sour cream)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.Spray a large cooking pan with nonstick cooking spray and add ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until browned, approximately 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
**If you are making your own taco seasoning, guacamole and/or salsa, then, work on that while the meat cooks.
3. Add diced tomatoes, beans, taco seasoning and water to meat mixture. Stir to combine and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until liquid evaporates.
4. LAYER IT UP!! Start with your tortilla chips, then add your meat mixture and cheese. Place back in oven for 3-4 minutes to melt cheese. Remove and add all the desired toppings. Get creative and add whatever sounds fun. I have included all the things I used above.
Makes 4 servings, 7 pts using ground beef including ALL toppings listed above
Nutritional information for ¼ of the BOWL:
Calories 331.0 , Total Fat 9.9 g, Saturated Fat 3.2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g, Cholesterol 36.9 mg, Sodium 931.3 mg, Potassium 231.9 mg, Total Carbohydrate 36.1 g, Dietary Fiber 6.3 g, Sugars 2.5 g, Protein 23.2 g
**I think this would be AWESOME served over toasted crispy potatoes wedges or polenta or with your own homemade tortilla chips!
STEP-BY-STEPS:
1. Brown your meat with garlic, onions and bell pepper.
I usually make my own taco seasoning, but, I was intrigued when I saw that Trader Joe’s now sells it.
TJ’s rarely disappoints – great stats and REAL ingredients you can recognize! I think their mix is pretty tasty – I LIKED the Smokey flavors and the HEAT it brings to your food.
2. Add the diced tomatoes with green chilis, beans, water and taco seasoning to your meat mixture.
3. Stir to combine and simmer down for 3-4 minutes.
* While the meat cooks, whip up your guacamole. I cheated and massed an avocado, plus tomato and salsa for a fast guacamole.
* Brown your chips in the oven for a few minutes at 400. NOTE – I toasted the entire bag and used half. Toasting your chips in the oven brings out their corny flavor and makes them taste restaurant style.
4. Layer it up! Start with your chips, then, 1/3 of your meat mixture. Add your cheese and bake for 3 minutes until it melts. (This is my HUGE PASTA bowl I am serving them on)
Plus all the toppings that sound good to you.
Since my mixture was already pretty spicy, I served my salsa on the side.
Scoop your portion onto a plate and ENJOY every crunchy spicy bite!
now to add to your collection of healthy recipes to indulge in or for something crunchtastically fun to make for your Super Bowl Party!
Bruschetta!
I LOVE summertime because of all the Farmer’s Markets that you can get amazing fresh and flavorful produce. Tomatoes of all types are one of my favorite things to snack on all summer long. When I stopped at Whole Foods yesterday they were serving up a Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes Bruschetta that I knew I had to recreate using the organic Heirloom Tomatoes I had in my fridge.
TIP FOR ORGANICS:
I honestly believe in using organic foods whenever possible as they have so much FLAVOR and are 100% better for you. However, I know this isn’t realistic for everyone so the main thing to remember when picking organic is this:
If the fruit or vegetable has a skin you EAT, then, pick organic! Isn’t that easier than trying to remember the Dirty Dozen and which to pick/not pick.
ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
Recipe courtesy Whole Foods Napa, Ca
BALSAMIC SYRUP
1 c Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
1 Bay Leaf
3 Whole Peppercorns
1 Fresh Thyme Sprig or a few dashes of dried thyme
Combine all the above ingredients in a small stainless steel sauce pan over low heat. Simmer reducing the mixture until it is about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat, strain and place in the fridge to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
TOASTED BAGUETTE BITES
1 Baguette, slice into 1/4 inch slices (I used a Lemon Basil Baguette)
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place your baguette slices on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake until slightly golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool
TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
2 lbs Heirloom tomatoes, diced into ~ 1/4 inch cubes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, zested
Handful basil, minced ~ 6-7 leaves
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Combine the above ingredients and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
TO ASSEMBLE
Place your crunchy bruschetta slices and place them on a plate. Top them with a heaping tablespoon of your Tomato Bruschetta. Drizzle a small amount of your balsamic syrup Sprinkle with a good quality rock sea salt. Enjoy!
**MIX IT UP: You can add a layer of fresh mozzarella in between the Bread and the Bruschetta or sprinkle some freshly shaved parmesan on top.
Here is how I put everything together from start to finish.
Start out by slowly simmering your Balsamic Syrup.
Wash your organic heirlooms and dice them into 1/4 cubes.
This is one reason I LOVE Heirlooms – Check out all their fun colors – the inside is the BEST part!
Add your lemon zest, basil, garlic, balsamic and olive.
Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate. 
MMMM ~ deliciousness!
Remove and strain your balsamic syrup. Cover and refrigerate to chill. I could’ve thinned mine out a bit more because it was not as thick as I would’ve liked. You want pancake syrup consistency – the more you reduce it, the thicker it gets. Make sure to keep the heat LOW or it will burn and taste funky.
Take a good quality Baguette. I used a Lemon Basil Baguette from Whole Foods.
Slice into 1/4 inch slices, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. 
Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly golden and crispy. 
I actually bought a special Sea Salt when I was at Whole Foods to use just for these. I LOVE having a reason to buy something like this This is Murray River Pink Flake Salt from Salt Works. It’s so soft and it really enhances the flavor because it melts right in.
Only make up as many as you plan to eat because the bread will get soggy if you let it sit for too long. 
If you drizzle some balsamic on your serving plate, just create fun designs with it and pretend like it was part of the design!
Simple, easy, FULL OF FLAVOR and absolutely amazing! Enjoy
Out of Gas Dinner…..with Healthy Onion Rings
This afternoon I made a super creamy, chocolately Amazing Grass Smoothie. I have to say this is the first flavor combination that I could not taste the “grassiness” and it rocked! After reading all your comments on my giveaway the Chocolate Flavor seems to be everyone’s fav ~ so I had to try it out.
It’s not GREEN like the others, but, BROWN.
1 c ice
1 small banana
1 Tbsp PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams
Splash of FF milk and water – enough to blend
All whipped up it makes a Brown Monster!
I actually LOVED this one~ it honestly tasted just like a chocolate peanut butter Milk Shake. This is by far my FAVORITE Amazing Grass Product so far.
My NY&Co shopping trip was a complete success! All their summer stuff was on clearance and I was able to use my 20% off coupon plus my $25 rewards. I paid less than my total savings and scored a TON of stuff ~ two cute work tops, a dress, 7 reversible tanks, 1 work tank, a necklace and matching earrings ~ Fun!
Now dinner on the other hand was a TOTAL flop. I knew I should have mentioned to The Husband that we get take out after shopping!
I started out prepping the Healthy Onion Rings that I promised you all earlier.
Tip: I honestly think these taste fantastic when “fried” in oil and eh, ok when baked. They get crispy and crunchy when baked, but, they tasted healthy to me.
1/3 c whole wheat flour
1 c lowfat buttermilk
1/2 c bread crumbs (panko cxrumbs would be awesome!)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning & paprika or 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1-2 Large Sweet Onion, cut into 1/2 inch rings
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
Place your flour in a large ziploc bag. Place your bread crumbs in a bowl.
Combine your buttermilk with the salt, pepper and seasoning.
Toss your onions in the flour in the bag. Dip in the buttermilk shaking excess off before dunking them in the breadcrumb mixture tossing to coat.
Place your onions on your cookie sheet as you prepare each one. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 4 servings, 8 slices each for only TWO Weight Watcher Points!
Here is a photo recap of all the steps.
I cooked them a little bit too long so they got a little burnt.
The Husband wanted to take the extras and “fry” them up in some Canola Oil.
I have to admit the fried version is ALOT better. I think I’d like to experiment next time and use my TWO TEASPOONS of healthy oil to “fry” up 8 onion rings. I bet it works fantastic because a little oil goes a LONG way.
Right about this time our GRILL ran out of gas. No worries, we have a second can. Guess what?! That one was OUT of gas too *sigh* The rest was prepped in the oven from this point forward. The veggies were tossed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Garlic Salt and Pepper. They jumped out of the grill basket……
And into the oven to broil along with the now sliced up Tri Tip.
Despite being out of gas, everything still turned out pretty good. I think the VEGGIES were the best – the green beans were amazing…I am definitely buying purple ones again – so fun!
The Tri Tip in my opinion was eh, ok – too salty. I cooked up the Morton’s Steakhouse one that The Husband picked out at Costco. I really think meat tastes so much better in your own marinade versus pre-marinated ones. Morton’s is a popular steakhouse so I thought it would be amazing…..not so much.
I had about 4 of my onion rings and 3 of The Husbands (while everything was attempting to cook)
All together with a Perrier fizzy water.
Dessert was a couple of pieces of Salt Water Taffy.
Alright all ~ You have less than 3 hours to enter my Amazing Grass Giveaway – Click HERE before Midnight for your chance to win.
I am off to read, relax and get ready for the week to be HALF OVER tomorrow – yeah!
Nite!
A Mushroomy Night ~ Steak & Shrooms!
Tonight’s dinner might just top the charts as one of the best steaks I have ever made. I took my 30 day Jump start menu and got a little creative. Not to toot my own horn, but, I feel like my steaks turned out better than anything you can buy in a restaraunt LOL. I definitely scored good wife points with the feast I prepared for The Husband – he is suddenly liking the Jump Start Menu LOL.
Filet Mignon with a Marsala Wine Sauce
1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tbsp butter
Cooking spray
2 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sweet Marsala
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl.
Coat pan with cooking spray and add butter until melted. Add steaks to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks from pan. If your steaks are not done enough, you can move them to the grill to continue the slow and low process of cooking them to medium well. You could do this in the oven.
Add mushrooms to pan, and cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove mushrooms from pan. Remove pan from heat; add Marsala, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium. Return pan to heat. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in mushrooms.
Yields 2 servings
I made “Stuffed Mushrooms” on the side to go with the steak. I didn’t see the recipe online so here are step by step pictures.
Start off by blanching 2 handfuls of Arugula in hot water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, add cold water, drain and add to your food processor.
To show you all that you do not NEED a food processor, I used my Black & Decker Mini Chopper.
Chop up the cremini mushroom stems, plus 1 clove of garlic and 2 Tbsp roasted walnuts.
Pulse until slightly chopped.
Add 2 Tbsp of freshly shredded parmesan with 1 Tbsp Olive Oil.
Pulse just until blended. Remove and put in a small bowl seasoning with salt and pepper.
Place the filling in your prepared cremini mushrooms (stems removed) ~ 1 heaping tablespoon each. Top with additional shredded Parmesan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until browned.
I had 1 of these fabulous 45 calorie (1 WWP) mushrooms because The Husband stole my other one
Along with a side of steamed spinach.
And 1/2 an orange I planned on eating. I only managed 1 piece because I was full.
This was a dinner that was totally worth the effort. All together with 8 oz of Fat Free Milk.
You have 1 more day to check out my HG Snack Pack Giveaway! The contest closes tomorrow night at Midnight (PST). Click HERE to enter if you have not already. You get a bonus entry if you have a blog and link back.
Night all!
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