DeEtta’s Taco Soup

I recently saw that someone posted a Weight Watchers taco recipe. I didn’t love everything in it, so when I went to the store tonight I just grabbed a whole bunch of stuff for my own version of the recipe. It was AMAZING.

My husband recommended I use beef next time, but I used ground turkey breast to keep it a 0 point soup. AND he ate two bowls, so I don’t think he really minded.

And because it was 0 SmartPoints, I added some tortilla chips on top and a tablespoon of sour cream. Delish!

This is going to make a great lunch to take to work this week!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

DeEtta’s Taco Soup Recipe: 
1 can Rotel
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar salsa
1 package of dry ranch seasoning
1 package taco seasoning
1 lb 99% fat free ground turkey (cooked)
1 medium onion (sauteed)
1 green pepper (sauteed)
Pepper and cayenne to taste
Optional: 2 cups spicy V8 juice (included in SmartPoints)

Don’t drain the cans, just dump. Mix together in pot and simmer 20 minutes. You can also prepare this in a crockpot!

Serving: 1 cup, 0 SmartPoints
Serves: 16

Optional toppings: tortilla chips, non-fat Greek yogurt/ sour cream, avocado 

Roasted Greek-Style Chicken & Vegetables

Spring is all about rebirth. On Easter Sunday, I couldn’t help but think about fresh starts and changing some of my behaviors. Lately, I’ve been barely running and my diet has been off. With my own wedding quickly approaching this fall (!!!), I’ve got some weight to lose.

I decided that I need to get back into a grocery shopping and meal prep routine and that I’m going to make a new recipe (or one I haven’t made in a long time) each week. Let’s be honest- I’ve hit the Hy-Vee salad bar a bit too frequently and haven’t been cooking.

So what HAVE I been doing? Wedding planning and working. Between the two, there hasn’t been any much time for other things.

Yesterday,I decided to make a recipe that I saved from Weight Watchers a while back. I had ripped it out of one of the Weekly collateral pieces and saved it in my “recipe folder.”

While I had every intention to follow the recipe, I got home to realize I had purchased a cucumber instead of zucchini. Just my luck! So, I tossed in some green and red bell peppers and called it a day. It was delicious and so easy to make (small steps).

Greek-Style Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
4 servings, 4 SmartPoints/serving
Chicken breasts, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and zucchini are seasoned with fresh lemon, oregano, garlic and olive oil and then roasted all at once.

Ingredients
2 spray(s)cooking spray
5 tsp olive oil, extra virgin, divided
3 clove(s)garlic clove(s), chopped
1 1⁄2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest, divided
1⁄2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1⁄4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
2 small uncooked zucchini, or 1 large, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cup(s)grape tomatoes, halved
14 oz canned artichoke hearts without oil, drained well and halved
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s)

Step 1
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a large nonstick baking pan with cooking spray.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine 4 teaspoons oil, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon zest, salt and pepper; add vegetables and toss to coat. Lift vegetables out of bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving some oil mixture in bowl. Place vegetables in an even layer on one side of prepared pan, leaving room for chicken. Add chicken to bowl and turn to coat; place on empty side of pan.
Step 3
Roast until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through, stirring vegetables once, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle vegetables with remaining 1 teaspoon each oil and zest; toss to coat. Drizzle chicken with any pan juices. Yields about 3 ounces chicken and 1 cup vegetables per serving.

Additionally, I’m trying to refresh my half-marathon training plan. I have three half-marathons coming up and with only a few longer run under my belt, I’ve got some work to do. I’ve been dreading just about every run lately and hating it more with every stride.

Remember when I use to crave a long run? Remember when those runs were my alone time and time to reflect? While I’m not feeling that way right now, I’m determined to force myself back into the swing of things.

I’ve got a great running community near where I live and those group runs are the only thing getting me through. Yesterday was a start. 5 miles in the morning along with lifting and another 6 miles in the evening. I’ll do another 4-5 miles tonight and lift again and hopefully get a long run in tomorrow.

I’m determined to fuel my body correctly and get my mind and spirit back to a healthy place. Easter was just the fresh start I needed.

 

 

The long run that wasn’t meant to be

My alarm sounded at 4:30 this morning. I turned it off. Again, it went off at 4:45 AM… which meant it was time to get ready for my 23-miler in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. I crawled out of bed and went thorough my Saturday morning routine. Bathroom, wash face, brush teeth, change into the clothes I laid out the night before, deodorant, Body Glide, fix the rats nest (my hair) and grab a yogurt with fruit. It’s nearly the same routine every Saturday during training season.

This morning did feel a little different though. Besides starting in the dark, I was sore all over from my Thursday night at the gym. RIPPED and yoga gave me more of a workout than I realized at the time. Arms, chest, quads, and glutes were all on fire!

Mentally, I had prepared and was ready to rock. At 7 miles I began to feel pain in my foot. Plantar WON’T GO AWAY. At 10 miles it was very painful and at 11 miles, it was apparent that 23 miles wasn’t in my future. I began overcompensating and started to feel the pain in my hip from the awkward run/limp thing I was doing just to get by.

At 12 miles I was back home and got a pep talk from my running partner. It sucks! Logically, I knew it was time to quit instead of force injury upon myself but I wanted that last long run more than you know. For some reason, training this go around has seemed difficult and I just wanted to kill this 23-miler. Ugh.

The good news is that really, the rest of my training has been on track and I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow. I have complete confidence that with Carrie’s help and  a little rest, I’ll be ready for race day. I am, however, second guessing my sub 4-hour marathon goal. I want it- BAD. I may have to incorporate some additional speed work after Chicago and shoot for sub-4 in Memphis this December, instead.

Why does it feel like I HAVE to PR? Why can’t I just go to Chicago, have a heck of a time with my bestie, and be PROUD for finishing another marathon?! Anymore, it doesn’t seem like finishing is enough. I need to work on my mindset. That’s the real goal for the next three weeks leading up to Chicago.

It’s been a while since I shared a recipe with you… (ok, honestly, it’s been a while since I cooked something other than popcorn for dinner). So I thought I’d do just that. I knew I’d be at the gym late on Thursday and it’s never fun to have to find something at 8:30 PM so I decided to break out my CrockPot. I threw these items (below) in along with some seasonings and BINGO- dinner.

 

A close up of some of the items I used.

I put this “salsa chicken” as I like to call it over rice on Thursday, ate it plain on Friday and will have it on a salad probably tomorrow. For those of you that follow Weight Watchers- all of these items are Simply Filling!

Yummy in my tummy: salsa chicken on brown rice

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I haven’t had acorn squash since I was a kid (and HATED it) so I decided to give it another try after finding this recipe from EmilyBites. She describes it as tasting like fall and it totally does. It’s a great mix of autumn flavors and I’ll totally be making it again in the near future! Apples, squash, celery, and turkey sausage–does it get any better?! I think not!

Check out Emily’s photos here. Her photos look so much better!

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Source: EmilyBites

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon light butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon rubbed (or ground) sage, divided
4 oz turkey or chicken sausage, removed from casing
¼ cup chopped onion
½ a celery rib, finely chopped
2 oz mushrooms, chopped
½ cup peeled and chopped apple
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large egg white, beaten

Directions:
1.    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the squash halves cut side up on the baking sheet. In a small dish, combine the melted butter, minced garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of the rubbed sage. Using a silicone pastry brush, brush the butter mixture onto the inside and outside of each squash half. Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes until tender.
2.    Bring a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until meat is cooked through. Remove meat to a mixing bowl and place the pan back on the burner. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the apples and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Turn off the burner and add the onion mixture to the sausage in the mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of sage, the panko crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add the egg white and stir until well combined.
3.    When the squash halves are finished roasting, evenly pile the sausage stuffing into the two halves. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 18-20 minutes.

Yields 2 servings. WW P+:  9 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per ½ cup serving from myfitnesspal.com: 292 calories, 39 g carbs, 9 g fat, 16 g protein, 6 g fiber

Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

Fall is here! Saturday after my long run, it was rainy and dreary so I decided to try a new soup recipe and it was FABULOUS!

It was hearty, delicious and nutritious!

Sausage, Kale & Tortellini Soup
Leave the vegetables a little chunkier than I usually would for this stew since it cooks for a while. Otherwise, you are left with mushy vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 onions
3-4 (or more) cloves garlic minced
1 lb Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey
Crushed red pepper flakes
4-5 large carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 (or more) large zucchini, cut into slices or bite-sized pieces
1 can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 can tomato sauce
Fresh basil
Fresh oregano (this is a MUST)
1 box chicken stock
1 box beef stock
3 cups water
1 package dried cheese tortellini
1 bag kale or 1-2 bunches

Instructions: In a dutch oven, cook the sausage until browned. Drain/rinse and take the sausage out of the pan. Add in the onions and red pepper flakes. Cook until they are pretty soft (several minutes) and add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the carrots and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked sausage and broth – season with a healthy amount of salt and black pepper. Add in the fresh basil and oregano. Simmer for a bit (maybe 10-15 minutes) and then add in the zucchini and the package of tortellini and enough chicken stock, beef stock and water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tortellini is about done. Add kale and simmer a few more minutes.

Makes around 12– 1.5 cup servings. 4 PP+/serving

I separated out half of the batch before adding the tortellini. I froze half with out the tortellini so I can add it in later on. (Though it was delicious, I didn’t feel like eating soup for weeks.) I even took a large container to my boyfriend (the non-soup eater) to try and he loved it!

Finding I like fish

I’ve hated fish since I was kid. Tuna and shrimp were on the OK list. Let me tell you, growing up Catholic, Lent was rough! I’ve always liked my mom’s tuna and noodles so that’s what I lived off of during Lent (along with mac and cheese and occasional accidental meat). This year, I made it through Lent with the discovery of sushi. Recently, I tried fish tacos for the first time and fell in love. Since then I’ve been ordering other types of fish: tilapia, seared ahi, and salmon.

This week I decided to cook some tilapia. I don’t like fishy tasting fish so I decided to marinate it with a Weber’s seasoning. I tried the Citrus Herb first, which was my favorite. You just mix in a 1/2 cup of orange juice with the seasoning and let the fish marinate in it for a few hours or over night. This one would be awesome on shrimp!

I liked it so much, I decided to try another one. I also tried the Lemon Pepper one this week but didn’t like it as well.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia & Brussels Sprouts

If you haven’t tried the Weber’s Seasonings, I’d recommend them! I’ll keep you updated as I explore more fish options. If you have a favorite way to prepare fish or a recipe you’d like to share, please do!!

Tequila-Lime Shrimp

I’ve been on shrimp kick for a few weeks now so I made this recipe last night adapted from Hungry Girl. It was great but I think I’ll add quite a bit more chili powder so it has more of a “bite” next time.

Ingredients:
8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, sliced
1 shot tequila
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. chili powder (may want more)
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Carefully add tequila to the pan and stir. (It’s unlikely it will flare up, but be cautious, just in case.) Cover the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes, until shrimp are nearly opaque. Add tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder, and salt, and mix well. Stirring occasionally, cook until tomatoes have softened and shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings, 6 PPV/serving

Spaghetti Squash

Last week I cooked my first spaghetti squash. I had seen that you could eat it like spaghetti so I decided to give it a try. When I got home from the grocery store I realized I didn’t have any tomato pasta sauce so I decided to try the jar of light alfredo sauce I had instead. While making my own sauce was an option, I decided that was really more work than I wanted. I added in some onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic salt. It was good but really I think I liked the squash with spray butter, salt and pepper even more. I’ll cook this just as a side next time!

Cooking a spaghetti squash: Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Microwave squash for 3 minutes to make it easier to cut. Spray pan with canola oil or other non-stick spray. Cut squash long ways and take out the large seeds. Put squash on pan (cut side down) and bake for 40 minutes. Use fork to scrap out spaghetti squash.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

Another great Emily Bites recipe coming your way! The original recipe called for light blue cheese dressing but since I’m not a blue cheese fan, I substituted the sour cream and ranch dry seasoning mixture.

Ingredients:
4 oz Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
12 oz canned tomato sauce*
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
¼ t Equal or other sugar substitute
2 t extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 oz Weight Watchers Mexican cheese
¼ cup diced celery
6 Tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 t ranch dry seasoning mix
10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 scallions, sliced (green parts only)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425. Lightly mist a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the wing sauce, tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar until thoroughly combined and set aside.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, bring the oil to medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for a couple minutes. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip them over, and then continue to cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

In a small bowl, mix the ranch seasoning and sour cream together.

Remove the lid from the pan and transfer each breast to a cutting board, shredding it using two forks. Transfer the shredded chicken to a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of the sauce from the pan to the chicken along with the shredded cheese, diced celery and a tablespoon of the sour cream/ranch seasoning mix. Mix everything in the bowl together until well combined.

Microwave the tortillas for 30-60 seconds on high until warm and soft. Spread 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla and tightly roll it up. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down in the prepared baking dish and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes until tortillas are slightly crispy.

Reduce the heat to 400 and pour the remainder of the sauce evenly over the tops of the enchiladas. Place back in the oven for an additional 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle a half a tablespoon of sour cream mix over the top of each enchilada. Sprinkle the sliced scallions over the top of the entire dish and serve.

Yields 5 (2 enchilada) servings.

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken

I tried another recipe from Emily Bites this weekend. Seriously, this is my go-to place for new recipes to try. I have yet to make something from her site that I don’t like.

I loooooove Chinese food. Well, not the “real” Chinese I experienced while visiting China.

Yes, that’s a chicken head

Duck heads and feet

So, I was pleased I found this healthy recipe versus hitting the local Panda Express to fulfill my Chinese craving.

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken
Source: adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients:
8 oz dry wheat spaghetti, broken in half
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups fresh snow peas
1 T grated fresh ginger (I grated mine on the smallest holed side of a box grater)
3 T rice wine vinegar
3 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T canola oil
1 T water
1 T sesame oil
1 t hot sauce
2 t honey
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 cup green onions
½ cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the spaghetti according to package directions.

When the spaghetti goes in, mist a skillet with cooking spray and add the garlic and snow peas. Bring over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until garlic is fragrant and snow peas are softer, yet still firm enough to crunch.

Combine the ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, canola oil, water, sesame oil, hot sauce and honey in a small bowl and stir to combine.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and then pour the spaghetti back into the pot. Add the chopped chicken pieces and snow peas/garlic. Pour the prepared sauce over the spaghetti and stir until coated. Add the green onions and cilantro and stir in.

Creates four 1.5 cup servings.