CEiMB: Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic & White Beans
I think LONG weekends make me happy, especially when you don’t have to be anywhere. You can wake up whenever you want and do whatever you want when you want 
That is exactly how today went down.
Breakfast started off with 2 slices TJ’s Fat Free Multi-Grain Bread topped with 1 Tbsp Kettle Cashew Butter (4 pts).
When The Husband woke up, he declared this weekend should be a Starbuck’s every day kind of weekend….um, ok ~ twist my arm on that one 
Venti Iced Nonfat Decarf Latte with Caramel Drizzle (3 pts)
I have to say today was one of my FAVORITE days at the Farmer’s Market because they had the fruit I wait ALL YEAR FOR…..
Pearines ~ Nectarine & Pear! I pretty much couldn’t wait and had one as soon as we got home. (1 pt) Crunchy, sweet & tart all in one – LOVE!
After “frying” in the sun watching our Nephews All Star Baseball game, we headed over to The Joy of Eating.
I subbed my fries for this salad topped with red wine vinegar (0 points)
Because all I really wanted was THIS BLTA! (10 point estimate)
Delicious ~ I think the secret to their AMAZING sandwiches is their homemade sweet bread.
Mid afternoon snackage ~ 1/2 of this Kashi Pumpkin Flax Bar & a Cabot cheese (2.5 pts)
Tonight I finally got back in the kitchen for some Craving Ellie in My Belly Cooking! This week’s recipe looked so amazing in Ellie’s The Food You Crave Cookbook. I LOVE cookbooks that have pictures….it really does make all the difference in the world.
Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic & White Beans
Especially when what you make comes pretty close to how it should look 
I LOVED the simple, yet, delicious sounding ingredient list.
The Star ingredient ~ beautiful Farmer’s Market Tomatoes that I picked up this morning.
I pretty much followed the RECIPE with the exception of adding a few cherry tomatoes.
Oh and I used Rotini instead of Penne weighing it out on MY FAVORITE SCALE because it’s what I had on hand.
It’s pretty simple to make. You cook your pasta according to the package and toss in deliciously sweet olive oil garlic roasted tomatoes.
I really think that LIZ is right in that the roasted garlic and lemon juice make the flavors in this dish stand out.
Toss your pasta, beans, tomato & basil together then drizzle with your garlic lemon olive oil sauce.
Top with parmesan cheese and it’s ready! You get 1 1/2 cups for 9 points.
I had really high hopes for this dish, but, thought it was just OK. I LOVED how the house smelled like roasted garlic and the flavor of the roasted tomatoes, but, really felt like the pasta needed more flavor ~ maybe garlic, maybe lemon, maybe sauce? We both gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, since I didn’t feel like it was really worth the points.
Simple side salad topped with Newman’s Own Light Lime Vinaigrette.
For those waiting for the recipe, I posted my Quick & Easy “Slow” Cooked Baked Beans Recipe.
Off to let The Husband give me a pedicure (he seriously LOVES doing it) and watch a movie!
Night all!
Lemon Garlic Fettucine with Broccoli Recipe
Happy Tuesday all! If you all LOVE lemons, garlic, butter, broccoli and pasta, then, I think you will LOVE the recipe I made tonight as much as we did. It’s light, simple, low in points and delicious.
Today started out at my FAVORITE place (3 pts) ‘;)
S’more Homemade Brown Sugar Banana Nut Bread Goodness (4 pts)
You all are probably going to laugh at my incentive for heading to the gym today….I REALLY, REALLY, wanted more BANANA FROYO but I told myself I had to earn it
It worked really good because I whipped up 30 minutes on the Elliptical putting the cross ramp at 19 (to hit every muscle), resistance at 10 and then alternated going forward & backwards. I think I might now be addicted to All My Children because they have been playing it every day at the gym LOL!
Lunch was a simple salad with broccoli slaw & 1 Tbsp drizzle TJ’s Spicy LF Peanut Vinaigrette….a little really does go a long way. (1 pt)
Leftover Chicken & Sausage Paella with Olives (8 pts). I have determined I like eating this because I LIKE saying it
Then, it was time to get a little Over The Top! Thanks to my FANTASTIC FRIEND Sandy, I learned that you get A LOT more caramel if you layer your toppings underneath & in the middle of your FROYO
Not only is BANANA FROZEN YOGURT the BEST flavor, but, they have REAL, caramel that is buttery, salty and just plain good with Heath Bar Crunch.
SO GOOD!!! Seriously….just seeing this picture makes me want to get in my car and drive down there again! It doesn’t help that I know they are open late too LOL (7 pts)
I am on a quest this week to use up all of the vegetables we have in our fridge before we head to VEGAS!!!
I had two big bags of 2 types of broccoli to use ~ 1 from my sisters garden (jealous!) and 1 from the farmer’s market.
I really LOVE any recipe that let’s me use my Zester! I feel like such a Food Network Star whenever I bet to bust it out. I highly recommend this Zester because your fruit just glides & peels without any effort at all.
I started off my lemon sauce by melting 2 Tbsp of butter with 4 cloves garlic and the zest plus juice of one lemon. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
The easiest way to steam your broccoli is to add it to your pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking. It will come out vibrate, green and perfectly crisp/crunchy/cooked.
Remove your pasta/broccoli and add them to the sauce pan. Top with sea Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, 1 Tbsp EVOO & Shaved Parmesan. If your pasta seems dry, add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water or chicken broth.
Toss & enjoy!
Lemon Garlic Fettuccine with Broccoli
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz Whole Wheat uncooked Fettuccine
3-4 cups broccoli florets
2 Tbsp Butter
3-4 cloves, garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c shaved parmesan
Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
**You could add chickpeas, grilled shrimp or chicken ~ just count the points!
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, including salting the water. Add broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
2. While the water boils, prepare your lemon sauce, by melting your butter. Add garlic, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
3. Remove pasta/broccoli from water and add to lemon sauce pan. Be sure to reserve 1/2 c pasta water.
4. Add crushed red pepper flakes, parmesan, sea salt & black pepper to taste. Drizzle with Olive Oil and Enjoy!
Makes 6 servings, 4 points each!
Nutritional Information per serving:
Fast, fresh, healthy!
I used to plan my meals around having this Texas Toast ~ It’s the BEST tasting prepared garlic bread (3 pts).
Side salad topped with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar (1 pt)
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I am off to read, relax and maybe watch Wipe Out!
Just TWO DAYS ~ I can’t wait since today feels like it should be Thursday
Night all!
Oh My Squash Potstickers ~ YUM!
Happy Monday all! I LOVE it when the weather person is WRONG and it’s SUNNY outside! Today, I bundled up for cold weather since it rained all day yesterday and they said it was going to continue today. I checked The Weather Channel and they had 70% chance with rain clouds ALL day. As I headed into work the sun rose and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky ~ all SUNSHINE! I’ll take it….Good Job Weather Peeps ~ it’s the “right” way to be “wrong”
I wasn’t feeling breakfast this morning, so I just made up a quick grab and go snack.
1 slice TJ’s Whole Wheat Sour Dough (2 pts)
1 Tbsp Nut Barn Almond Butter (2 pts)
2 Cuties (.5 pt)
Plus, my mid-morning snack early ~ A Grande Fat Free Chai Tea Latte (4 pts). Surprisingly this kept me full ALL MORNING ~ awesome!
I couldn’t wait to bust into my lunch today ~ I mean, doesn’t it look good??
1 HUGE J@$$ Pear (1 pt)
A big cup of Homemade FRESH Tomato Basil Soup topped with parmesan & crushed red pepper flakes (posting the recipe this week). I think it’s better the next day! (1 pt)
Plus the STAR of the show ~ HOMEMADE BUTTERNUT SQUASH POT STICKERS!!! You get FIVE, count it, FIVE for only 3 points!
Don’t worry, I won’t keep you all in suspense….Here is my take on Hungry-Girl’s recipe. I added fresh ginger because it really adds tons of flavor, plus crushed red pepper flakes. I also changed up the sauce because we all know the SAUCE is what it’s all about. I was thinking that Roasting the Squash and Garlic would take these stickers to a whole new level!
I am always seeing Biz make pot stickers and Won Tons. This was my first attempt and it was SOOOO EASY! I am definitely going to be brave and try chicken next
Oh My Squash! Pot Stickers
Adapted from Hungry-Girl
INGREDIENTS:
For Pot Stickers
50 round potsticker or 25 square wonton wrappers (found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket with the other Asian items)
3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about a pound)
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp. light or low-sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for decoration if desired
For Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp. light or low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. Agave Nectar
1/2 – 1 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place squash in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1/2 cup water. Cover and microwave for 12 – 14 minutes, until squash is soft.
2. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for dipping sauce in a small bowl, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the pot stickers.
3. Once the bowl containing the squash is cool enough to handle, drain excess water. Using a fork or potato masher, mash squash completely. Add carrots, scallions, soy sauce, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and ginger, and mix thoroughly. This is your filling. Set aside.
4. Lay two wonton wrappers flat on a clean, dry surface. Spoon approximately 1 tsp for round and 1 tbsp for square of the filling into the center of each wrapper. Moisten all four edges of each wrapper by dabbing your fingers in water and going over the edges smoothly. Fold the bottom left corner of each wrapper to meet the top right corner, forming a triangle and enclosing the filling. Then press firmly on the edges to seal. Set aside, and repeat with all remaining wrappers and filling.
I like to put them on a cookie cooling rack so they don’t stick or a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
5. Once all wontons are assembled, bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook wontons for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, beginning with the flat sides down, until crispy. Add 1/4 c of water and “steam” for 1-2 minute. Drain water.
(Between batches, remove pan from heat and re-spray with nonstick spray.)
Serve with sauce, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes if using and enjoy!
MAKES 5 SERVINGS (I ended up making 50 rounds – 10 servings so I froze half!)
PER SERVING (5 pot stickers w/ sauce): 161 calories, 0.5g fat, 786mg sodium, 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 5g sugars, 4.5g protein, 3 WWPs
NOTES:
* You can freeze your tray of Pot Stickers, then, once frozen, place in a large container of zip loc bag for another meal another day.
* These would totally be awesome in soup too!
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When I got home, I had an AWESOME CANADIAN package waiting for me from Kristin over at Cook, Bake, Nibble. She was missing Trader Joe’s since she went up to Canada to become a Chef so I agreed to do a TJ’s swap for Canada Goodies. SO COOL! I LOVE that I’ve never tried any of it before and I totally cannot wait to dig in. Thanks Kristin ~ You rock!!
Since tonight was all about preparing for the Air Conditioning man tomorrow, dinner was FAST.
4 oz Leftover Apple Wood Bacon Smoked Pork Loin (4 pts)
1 Tbsp Gayle’s Original BBQ Sauce (.5 pt)
2 Tbsp TJ’s Pepper Jack Blend (1 pt)
2 Tbsp TJ’s Avocado’s Number Guacmole (1 pt) – That name is still funky to me!
Mini Sweet Peppers
1 Organic Flour Tortilla (2 pts)
This was phenomenal! It was like having a BBQ Pork and Bacon Cheesy wrap – i could taste everything you see in there….SO AMAZING, must, repeat!
For some veggies, I ate an entire Crookneck Squash topped with sea salt, black pepper and 2 Tbsp TJ’s Pepperjack cheese (2 pts). I LOVE cheese on my veggies – it totally brings me back to my childhood – that is how my mom got us to eat veggies.
I am off to kick up my feet and read my book! Tomorrow is a BIG day because we FINALLY get Central Heat & Air….it’s a total necessity in California since our summers are in the 100’s and I am high maintenance like that
Night all!
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