When Co-Workers Start to Read your Blog

…they get hungry…
and demanding. In a nice way though. For about three weeks my co-worker Karen has been dying to come over for some girl time in the kitchen. I FINALLY came through and invited her over after work.
Karen is one of my closest friends at the office. A real confidant. A real buddy. She is a wife and mommy and when the hubby says “I’ll take the baby tonight” she calls Mo. She has lost a tremendous amount of weight after giving birth to her baby girl and shes done a great job at keeping the weight off. When she asked if I cooked healthy I was honest. Sometimes. And when she asked if I could teach her how to cook I said Definitely.
I might not be the fittest chick in the bunch but I know how to lighten up stuff. So I prepared a dinner for her and showed her how to make it.
First.
Does anyone like the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster?
OMG who doesn’t?
Most people I know go to Red Lobster just for the biscuits because the food isn’t as good as the garlicky cheesey biscuits. Did you know you can make these at home and save yourself a trip to the overrated chain?
yes you can!

I cheat. I use bisquick. But find an easy to follow recipe for drop biscuits and add extra sharp cheddar cheese to your dough. Bake according to directions and when it comes out, brush the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic and parsley.
To lighten this up, I used Reduced Fat Bisquick, Fat free Sharp Cheddar Cheese, spray butter, powdered garlic and parsley. Same taste… but the texture is a bit more dry in the light versions.

Karens one request was shrimp. Its low fat and high in protein. I can oblige with shrimp. And since I was showing her how to cook simple things i figured i would give her a crash course in pesto. Pesto, which was very intimidating a long time ago is probably the most versatile sauce that any beginner in italian cuisine can master. Pesto and Shrimp- HOLY COW!
I purchased ingredients for Spinach Pesto. Let’s be honest, sometimes a bunch of basil and pine nuts can be expensive but spinach and walnuts are always reasonably priced. We took 2 cups of fresh spinach, 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup parm cheese, salt and pepper, and pulsed it in the food processor until…

pasty. A lil secret that might appall some people is that I hate the though of 1 whole cup of oil in a sauce- so i thin mine out using… water. GULP. I know! Its terrible. But the flavor is still there… and it still sticks to the pasta- its just lower in fat. (Karen, was impressed- not appalled)

While she seasoned HER pesto, I started the shrimp. I got the pan really hot so the shrimp would cook quickly. I cooked them maybe 1 minute per side. Overcooked shrimp sucks!!

Oh… while Karen was makin her pesto i whipped up some whole wheat angel hair.

Close up shot.

Beauty shot.

Oh, and a gift for the hostess. Why thank you Karen! This went divinely with dinner!

Karen really enjoyed dinner, as did I. It was very simple to make yet tasted fancy…karens words- not mine! LOL.

When clean up was done I told Karen I had a dessert to show her too. PUMPKIN Bread.

Mickey decided that Karen did enough cooking and needed some cuddle time. I let Mickey keep Karen company while I made dessert.

Yellow cake mix. 14 oz of puree pumpkin. 1/4 cup of maple syrup. 1 egg white. 1 heaping tbsp of pumpkin pie spice. Mix it all with a blender. Pour into a greased cake pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Fluffy. Moist. Fragrant and delicious.

If I could have you over for dinner…What would you like?

When I say Black Bean you say Brownie

After dinner last night I was craving a dessert of any kind. I tend not to keep sweets in the house because I have no willpower. And if I do have sweets, they are not prepared; by the time I’m done baking the craving will have subsided…which brings me to this post. While perusing my friend Carol’s website I came across a recipe for brownies using nothing but cake mix, black beans, and water (which I beleive is a Weight Watchers Recipe). Three things that I have in my cupboard.

I figured I had nothing to lose. If I liked this recipe, i will have found a healthy Brownie Option. If not, I will have taught you all that black beans are not mean for sweets… We’ll see.

Rinse and drain your black beans and set in a bowl. Mash the beans. I used my fist. It was a great vent to all my chocolate craving frustrations.

Next, i poured the contents of my cake mix into the mashed beans and added 1 and 1/4 cup of water. I used my Pro Hand Mixer and pulverized this thing till you couldn’t see the beans anymore.

I added a handful of walnuts and folded them into the mixture.

I poured the batter into a brownie pan and sprinkled some walnuts on top. I baked at 350 for 35 minutes.

And it was done.

You know, for being baked with black beans and water, the texture of this brownie is on point. However, in my opinion… it tastes like black beans in my brownies. Its not as sweet as a brownie- next time i might add some splenda. Or a spoon of PB. In fact, i might put a smear of PB on a piece and report back on it.

Thanks Carol. I think this is good for people who cant have a lot of sugar. But I believe in sweets to taste like sweets. So i will probably wait for my No Pudge Brownies to go on sale! MMM No Pudge! DROOOL!

Happy Tuesday!

Henry woke me up 30 mins earlier than usual so I did my Wii Fit for 30 mins.
I’m still Obese.
Its okay though, I manage to unlock some new activities. I really hate the Yoga and Strength training crap. I like the games!!! maybe when I’m bored with the games I will try the serious workout stuff.

Since my oatmeal yesterday was so delightful, I decided to make it again. This time I added a half a palmful of walnuts.

Banana Nut Oatmeal!

Ingredients: rolled oats, instant oats, 1/2 ripe banana, water, 2T skim milk, 1 t. splenda brown sugar, cinnamon, and a half palmful of chopped walnuts.

It was perfect! i nuked it when i got to work and it was creamy and delicious. A lot of coworkers were jealous. na na na boo boo!

In an effort to stay fuller longer and consume fewer calories, I have added more veggies to my meals and deducted the carbs. Here on my favorite grill pan ( and my only one I might add) I have a 3 oz Chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, grilling in the center and surrounded by mushrooms and zucchini sprinkled with salt and pepper.

The chicken found a home on a bed of meslcin and romaine lettuce. I have a Tbsp of Nonfat dressing to play with this dish.

The veggies found a lovely home to serve as a side dish. I nibbled on one or two pieces as I was taking this pic… Okay I had about 6 pieces. Its still good.

Before I left for work I sauteed some onions and garlic in my non stick skillet and plopped it into my CrockPot with a 14 oz can of tomato sauce and 28 oz can of Diced Tomatoes.

Yes, I’m making marinara sauce.

Once everyone was in the hot tub, I loved it up with some Italian seasoning, onion powder, Garlic powder, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, Parmesan cheese and 1 bay leaf. I covered it and turned it on low. When I get home tonight, all the spices will have mingled and will have created a delicious, healthy, hearty homemade marinara sauce that I plan on enjoying with Whole Wheat Pasta, a turkey sausage and a side of steam broccoli and garlic.

Later ‘taters