Egg Xactly

I am the master of the cheap-point breakfast. Unfortunately, skimping on points in the morning has a tendency to lead me to over-eat after 8pm while I try to get in the 3 or 5 (or sometimes 9) points that I have left over at the end of the day...

(My current favorite low-points breakfast is Fiber One cereal, 1/2 cup skim milk, and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries. 1 point.)

So, while I do eat the Twigs and Berries breakfast a few times a week, I also have made it an unofficial rule for myself that I have to eat 4 or 5 point breakfasts at least three times a week. Thought I'd share one of my typical breakfasts with you today.

I make a lot of omelets.

You've got egg, cheese, and vegetables all right there, and it's a good way to get in several of your 8 (9?) healthy guidelines in a single bound...

This particular omelet is a pizza omelet, because let's face it, everyone loves pizza, right?

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 slice low fat cheese
2 slices pepperoni, diced
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 tablespoons pizza sauce
garlic powder
oregano



Instructions:

1 - Mix egg, egg white, garlic powder and oregano together in a bowl. (I usually just sprinkle from the jar, if you need measurements, start with 1/2 tsp each and adjust to taste.)

2 - Coat frying pan with a little bit of cooking spray. Heat on medium high for about two minutes, then pour in the egg mixture. While eggs are cooking, prep your fillings.


3 - (Obviously, you can use any fillings you want, this is just an example.) I divide the cheese in half to better fit in the omelet and dice anything else that I'm going to use, then lay it out on a plate or my cutting board.


4 - when the egg mixture is mostly cooked through on top (not liquidy, and slightly bubbled up from the bottom, turn off the heat and add your stuffings to one side of the egg. Squeeze on the pizza sauce. Use a small spatula and fold over the second half. Cover for a minute to let cheese melt.


This omelet is 4 or 5 points, depending on how much pepperoni you used. For variety, try any of the below mixes:

Spices that work well in eggs:

Dill
Cilantro
Smoked Paprika
Oregano
Rosemary
Tarragon
Chili Powder
Cumin

Vegetable Options:
Tomato
Asparagus
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Diced Onions
Bell Peppers

Cheese and Meats:
Diced chicken
Diced Sausage
Turkey Bacon
Pepperoni
Ham
Low Fat Cheddar
Mozzarella
Cream Cheese
Pepper Jack
Provolone
Swiss

Mix and Match to your taste!

It's all Greek to Me

I'm going to try to post recipes a little more often. I love to cook, but recently I've been a bit BLAH about it. I've often found that, when I'm feeling snarky or unpleased with my own activities, showing them to someone else is a great way to rekindle my interest, so, at least for a while, I'm planning to post a few recipes once a week...

After I decided what I was going to make for yesterday's dinner, I posted about it on Twitter and a few people tweeted back at me, so I thought I'd make this the first set of recipes...
Spanikopita; a pastry stuffed with spinach, cheese, and spices. It's Greek, from the words spanaki (spinach) and pitta (pie).

Ingredients

- can of non-stick spray (will use quite a bit of this!)
- 1 tsp exvirgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) bag of chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 4 ounces reduced fat (or fat free) feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill (or if you're lazy like me 3 tablespoons dried dillweed)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (ditto on 3 tablespoons)
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions (you can get this in the freezer section of your grocery store near frozen pie crusts and whipped cream, usually)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Make filling: heat a nonstick skillet over medium high. Swirl oil, then add onion. Cook until soft 4-5 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes. Stir in feta, dill, parsley, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. mix well.


Place one sheet phyllo with the long side facing you on a work surface. Cover remaining dough with plastic wrap to retain moisture. (You MUST do this, otherwise the stuff cracks and breaks all over everything!) Lightly spray dough with nonstick spray. Top with a second sheet of dough and likewise spray it. With a sharp knife, cut the layered sheets into three equal strips down the long side. (You will end up with three, double stacked strips, about 4 inches wide and 17 inches long)

Place ~1/3 cup of the filling in the center of the bottom end of one strip of dough. Fold up one corner around the filling to form a triangle. (Flag-style)



Continue folding flag style to the top of the strip.



Place triangle seam side down on the baking sheet.

Repeat with other 2 strips, then with remaining phyllo sheets. This will make approximately 12 triangles (unless you drop one, which I have done.) Spray the entire batch with non-stick spray.


(Folding the triangles is the really tricksy bit, and I'm afraid it's a LOT easier to SHOW you how to fold than to explain it. Here's a site so you can watch. He's using a different mixture, but it's the same folding technique.)

Bake triangles until lightly golden ~20-25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(NI: 2 triangles: 160 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g Fiber. WW info 3 points per 2 triangles. Less if you use no fat cheese, but not much less...)

Make ahead tip! These triangles freeze. Prepare as directed until you get ready to bake, then freeze entire sheet. Transfer frozen triangles into zip-lock baggie, seal and freeze for up to 3 weeks (that's officially. unofficially, I've baked these things after being in the freezer for almost 6 months and didn't have a problem with them!) Do not thaw, just bake as directed, increasing cook time to 27-35 minutes.

Cool 'n Creamy Fruit Soup

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup red grapefruit segments (I used mandarin oranges which seemed fine)
- 5 strawberries
- 2/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 3 tbsp. Splenda
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a blender, combine all ingredients except for the yogurt. Puree until smooth.

Add yogurt and blend on low speed until just mixed.

Refrigerate until chilled, or until you are ready to serve. Pour into bowls and enjoy!

NI: 115 calories, 0.5 g fat, 1g fiber, Points ~2

Dinner; 6.5 points...

Recipes adapted from: Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! and Hungry Girl emails.

Recipe (Stacked Vegetables Tilapia)

I adore this recipe, and it works well with all kinds of fish. You have to be careful not to let the bottom layer of vegetables burn, and if you don't want to bother with fresh herbs, you can use dried, but decrease the amounts to about 2 teaspoons of each.

Stacked Vegetable Tilapia

Ingredients

4 Tilapia Fillets
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill weed
1 large onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, sliced
3 large bell peppers, sliced in strips
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (or 1/2 cup vegetable broth with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar added)
Salt and pepper

Method

Use a 12" fry pan with a cover. Add olive oil to pan and heat. Add onions; cook on low heat, covered, about 5 minutes. Add peppers, layering them on top of the onions. Cook 10 minutes. Layer the potatoes on top of the peppers; add half of the wine on top of the potatoes and some of the chopped herbs. Cook another 10 minutes. Then add the fish fillets on top. Pour on the remainder of the wine and chopped herbs, salt and pepper; cook for 20-30 minutes on low heat, until fish is done.

This recipe comes from Better Recipes, and has been adapted slightly to be a little more Weight Watcher's friendly. 4 points per serving, or, again, completely core!

Recipe (Chicken Terrine)

This recipe makes a great appetizer or side dish for something mostly vegetable, served with an herb and oil dressing (get your daily oils in!) or with mustard on thin crackers/light bread or whole wheat wraps. I've found a good wrap recently that WW counts as zero points as long as you only eat one per day; FlatOut children's wraps, 60 calories, no fat, and 6 grams of fiber!

Chicken Terrine

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 small red bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)

Method

Heat oven to 350ºF. Line loaf pan, 8 1/2x4 1/2 inches, with aluminum foil. Sprinkle parsley in bottom of pan.

Remove fat from chicken. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place chicken in food processor. Cover and process until coarsely ground. Add remaining ingredients except bell pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Mix chicken mixture and bell pepper. Spread in pan.

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 1 hour; remove foil. Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes longer or until meat thermometer inserted in center reads 180º F. Cover and let stand 1 hour.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours but no longer than 48 hours. Invert onto serving platter. Remove pan and foil. Slice thinly.

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker. Generally speaking, when I make this, I make it on the weekend to snack on throughout the week.

Recipe (Mediterranean Meatloaf)

Mediterranean Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1/4 cup diced canned tomato (fire roasted is particularly good)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach thawed and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup crumbled fat-free feta cheese
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup uncooked quick oatmeal or cooked brown rice or cooked cous cous
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sage
1 egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl - I find it generally helps to mix ground meats by hand, which is cold and somewhat uncomfortable, but very effective! (Just remember to wash your hands before and after!)

Shape into a loaf and drop in casserole dish. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until center is set (I usually have to cut my meatloaf open at least once, mutter, and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes... never can quite figure that part out.)

(I'd thank someone for this recipe, but honestly, I can't remember where I got it from... Anyway, again, it's all Core, and 4 points for two slices)

Recipe (Chicken with Caramelized Onions)

Here's one of my favorite recipes, easy to make, but slightly time consuming and involves a lot of standing over a skillet... Special thanks to my best friend, Carol, who introduced me to this recipe several years ago. (2003, as a matter of fact!)

Chicken and Caramelized Onion:

1 onion, cut into large pieces
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. butter or oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 - 1 tsp. basil
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over med-high heat, add the onions to heated butter/oil. When onions are beginning to become translucent (cooked through, about 5-10 min) add the chicken broth. Cook, stirring, until the broth has fully evaporated. (about 10 min) Add the vinegar, and continue to stir until vinegar has fully evaporated. (another 5-10 minutes) The onions should be dark brown and limp. Remove onions from a pan to the serving plate.

Add the chicken to the skillet (do not clean it - broth/vinegar residue flavors the chicken) and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil. Cook until chicken is cooked through. If onions have cooled, you can add them back to the skillet for a minute or two to re-heat them. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Note - the vinegar in the onions makes them VERY sharp. I highly recommend a fairly bland vegetable or something like cous cous/brown rice on the side to cut it.

Nutritional Information: If you are on Core, this is a Core recipe. If you are on Flex, this is 4 points. (Or, about 230 calories... ish.)