Oh, my barley

Are you ready to shake up your routine?  When was the last time you had barley?  I'll bet it was in a bowl of soup, right?  I'm not talking about an incidental occurrence in your diet.  Have you ever considered creating a dish that celebrates this chewy good-for-you grain as the main ingredient?  Give my Mexican Barley Salad a try and you'll look at barley in a whole new light.

Start off by cooking your barley in beef or chicken broth much like you would prepare rice.  I place 2 cups of barley in a pot with 4 1/2 cups broth.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

Mexican Barley Salad
4 cups cooked barley
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 colored bell pepper, chopped (I used an orange one this time)
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 t ground cumin
1 T chili powder
1 T olive oil
juice of 1 or 2 limes

Preparation couldn't be easier.  Simply throw everything together and stir well!
Muy bien!

Yields 12 servings
3/4 cup = 2 POINTS on the Weight Watchers plan

See you to the left of heft, everyone!
Deborah

5 POINT Brunch

"Wow!  That looks like something from a gourmet restaurant!"

That's what my 11-year-old daughter said. And you know what?  It was heavenly.

What you're looking at is a vegetable hash that I topped with a slice of fat free cheese and two over-easy eggs.  I like my eggs a little crispy around the edges but gooey on the inside so that when you take a fork and knife to them you end up with luxuriously creamy-but-crispy goodness!

No oil was used in preparation, either.  Here's how you can replicate this dish yourself:

Roughly chop half a small onion, half a yellow bell pepper and half a zucchini.  Begin sauteeing the veggies with a bit of cooking spray.  When they still need more cooking time but seem to be getting too dry that's when you hit 'em with a splash of chicken stock.  That's my secret ingredient for sauteed veggies without butter or oil.  Give 'em little splashes as needed until your veggies are to your liking.

Once the veggies are nearing their desired level of "done-ness" throw in some minced garlic, a handful of chopped kale and some fresh thyme.  Normally I'd salt and pepper at this point but I'm realizing as I write this that I didn't add seasonings this time and didn't miss a thing!  Hmmm.  Who knew?

Okay, scrape your lovely veggies onto a plate and place a slice of fat free cheese on top.  It'll start melting while you cook the eggs.  Mmmmmmm.

I'm assuming you know how to fry eggs . . . I use cooking spray for mine and season them with a blend of garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Lay them gently on top of that melty cheese and, voila!  You have a scrumptious, satisfying brunch!

Of course, you can substitute the vegetables with whatever you have on hand.  Mushrooms are wonderful, any color peppers are divine and spinach can stand in for the kale with no problem.  I like to make a large batch of veggie hash on the weekend and keep it in the fridge for use like this or as a quick omelette filling throughout the week.  It's a wonderful way to get two servings of vegetables in at the very beginning of your day.

Bon Appetit!

--Deborah

Sweet Slaw!

Hey Folks,
I hope you've been having success in your efforts to get healthier.  Since our last visit I've shed 4.4 pounds! 

We have a lot of catching up to do and I'm hoping to carve out some time this weekend to post some things that have been rolling around in my head to share.  But, until then I wanted to direct you to this terrific recipe I discovered on the Weight Watchers website.  If you need to bring a dish to a Labor Day party it's a crowd pleaser!  A half cup of this sweet slaw is zero POINTS!

Have a great weekend and remember:  
"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

--Deborah

Better Mood and More Energy!

I really don't know where the week has gone.  I do know that I've been treating my food choices and exercise as high priority items, right up there with caring for the kiddos.  Since our last visit I've worked out at the gym 3 times and my knees are thanking me for making the extra effort!  It's amazing what happens when you strengthen the quads and hamstrings.  It takes so much stress off the knees.  I also feel like I have more energy, enabling me to keep up with my busy household and my outlook is currently very positive. Must be those workout endorphins.

On another note, I've been wanting to share a fantastic recipe with you that I found in my latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  This Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew is packed with flavor and consists of really healthy ingredients!  It was developed by Irene Goodall of Loxahatchee, FL and her submission won a $400 prize!  Here you go:

Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew
2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 T lime juice
1 9-oz pkg fresh spinach (optional)
Hot cooked rice (optional)

1. Lightly coat a 6-qt slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or oil.  Add chicken, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker.  Add curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.  Toss to coat.  Stir in drained beans, undrained tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf.  Cover and cook on high-heat setting 4 to 5 hours or low-heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
2. Stir lime juice into cooked stew.  Stir spinach leaves into stew and let stand 2 to 3 minutes to wilt.  Serve with rice.

Makes 8 (about 1 1/2 cup) servings (5 POINTS on the Weight Watchers plan)

My notes:  

First of all, my slow cooker is currently in storage so I sauteed the onion in a large soup pot then added the rest of ingredients from step1.  I brought it to a boil then left it to simmer, covered, for a couple of hours on the stove.

Instead of ground ginger I used the fresh stuff.

Instead of spinach I used fresh, chopped kale.  

This dish is divine!  It's definitely one I will be making again very soon.  I think sometime I'll also try increasing the broth (and adjust seasonings accordingly) to make a soup rather than the thicker stew.

Well, I'll post results of my upcoming weigh-in in the next day or two.  Until then I'd love to hear what others are doing to meet their weight loss and fitness goals.  Keep up the good work, everyone!

Jumble!

I'll share with you a favorite recipe I developed by accident.  My hubby and I call it "jumble".  I came up with this dish one night after I'd prepared tacos or burritos for the rest of the family and I was trying to throw together something for myself that wouldn't use up too many Weight Watcher POINTS.  Basically, I took the leftover chopped veggies, added some of the spicy ground beef and stirred in some leftover brown rice I had in the fridge.  The juice of half a lime and a bit of olive oil along with some extra spices completed the concoction.  Don't worry about precise measurements -- just use the following as a guide and tweak it to your taste.

Chopped vegetables:  cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce, fresh jalapeno and cilantro are all wonderful.

Protein:  I don't typically use a prepared taco mix when I make tacos or burritos.  I simply brown the ground beef, drain the fat and add the following seasonings to taste:  salt, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin and cayenne pepper.  A little water or broth is helpful to get everything melded together.  Just let that simmer on low (covered) while you're chopping your veggies.  On occasion I've made a vegetarian version with black beans and corn.

Starch:  Brown rice is nice but I encourage you to give barley a try!  I pre-cook a couple of cups of barley almost weekly just to keep on hand for this type of dish.  Instead of water I use broth (chicken or beef) and use the same ratio of liquid to grain as you would when cooking brown rice.

Seasonings:  Fresh lime juice and a bit of olive oil are wonderful in jumble.  Sometimes I go with Ken's Creamy Lite Caesar Dressing instead of the oil for a slightly different flavor.  I also like to add more chili powder, cumin and either fresh garlic or garlic powder.

So, that should get you started.  I gravitate to the Mexican seasonings but have often thought about trying to come up with a Greek inspired jumble or maybe one with an Asian twist.  I'd love to hear how you like "jumble" and look forward to reading about your own variations.

Enjoy!

Let's get healthy together.

I don't know about you but I've been dieting since I was 11 and have had a few successes over 30+ years but haven't ever maintained weight loss.  Add to that the fact that I've always gained back more than I lost in the first place.

That's about to change.  It has to.  I refuse to be obese for the rest of my life!  Earlier this year I began to have pain in my knees and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and torn menisci in both joints!  Did you know that every unwanted pound you carry around is like 3 pounds to your knees?  I found myself yearning for a handicapped parking permit and shopping for a "cute cane".  Luckily, I've come to my senses and have decided to make my health a priority.  I won't resort to those aids without a fight!

I hope you'll check back often to join me on my trek.  I'll be sharing my experiences and since I'm a pretty awesome cook you can count on some tasty healthy recipes.  So, what are you waiting for?  Let's get healthy together!