Today I win in the kitchen.

I'm proud of myself for coming up with some very low point, yet filling food. Normally when I decide to throw ingredients together, I'm rarely happy with the result. But now I've done it twice, creating fairly quick, low point yet somewhat yummy food.

Yesterday's Skillet:

(that is.. things I threw into a pan and then happily ate)

1 small onion, chopped

2T Natures Soy butter

5 small canned potatoes, sliced thin

SM bunch of spinach

4 sliced mushrooms

2T FF cottage cheese

Salt n' Pepper

Water as needed.

Total points: 5. Ohhhh yeah!

And it made a nice heap of food on a small plate.

Today in the soup pot:

2c roughly water. (I never measure water if I 'm hacking it)

1 bouillon cube, I think low sodium/vegetable

4T mixed lentils, 1 scoop each

2 sm onions, chopped

Pinch of Cayene pepper, and chives

.5T pre-diced garlic

1 pkg spinach shirataki (soy) fettuccine noodles RINSED!!!!

1c mushrooms, sliced

5 cherry tomatoes, squished!

1T Hosin sauce (or something else for flavour)

1 bunch fresh spinach, torn up (throw in at end, it'll cook FAST)

1 egg, stirred in pot (throw in at end, it'll cook FAST)

*note: noddles are ridonculously long, be sure to cut them before serving, or cut against side of bowl with spoon.

It makes enough for 2 servings IMHO, and the total for both servings is 5P+.

Bonne Appetite!

I'd love to hear about others low point mish-mash meals!

* The picture used is one from the net until I eat the rest of mine, when I'll try to take an image. I didn't have a roll or oil with it.

Kale chips: Definilty don't knock it until you've tried em!

Trying something new: Kale chips. I can definitely get behind these! I saw someone mention them somewhere online, and took note. They are supposed to be chip replacers.. something that would be most welcomed in my home! I soon saw them at The Nut House, my local bulk food store, for $7.99 a bag. Ouch!! That's a little steep since you can buch a HUGE bunch of Kale for anywhere form $1 - $2.50. So.. To the grocery store I went!

To make the Kale Chips, I fisrt cut the leaves off the stems of half a bunch of Kale, rubbed the leaves in sesame oil, both sides, (1.5T) then sprinkled with salt and sesamee seeds, both sides. Both recipes I read said to put in the oven at 350 for 11-15 minutes, but I think 8 is more accurate for my stove, as a good portion was burnt! One source recommend using wax paper, but I use as few one-time-use products as I can, so I decided to nix it. So.. in the oven they went, with the timer set for 11 minutes. They are done when the tips just start to turn brown. Mine were in too long, and were sporting black and brown tips when they came out. Still, those portions very easily crumbled off, and the rest was quite edible.

Results: I wouldn't coat them with oil as I did last time, I think next time I'll use a spray, as they were way too oily for my stomach. I'm looking forwards to playing with different flavourings, especially Dill Pickle, which I can't seem to get enough of lately. This I think is a GREAT alternative, or.. additive... to your snack table for the health conscious at your next get together. I very large bowl's worth can be made at once, though it'll dissapear quite quickly I bet. They are very light, and cripsy. I think "Crispy Air" would not be too far off the mark as a description, and yet they still are very satisfying, and somehow akin to Pringles.. you can't eat just one... or one bowl full...

I am looking forward to playing with different small light seeds, ground nuts, and other flavourings. Oh, and with the baking, Kale looses all of it's bitterness. There's little taste aside from what you sprinkle them with, and the salt comes through very strongly, a little goes a very long way.

I honestly wasn't sure I'd like em.. but I was curious enough to go for it. I'm SO glad I did.. I'm sure the popcorn will be happy for a break, or companion.

A can by any other name... is sweeter!!!

So in other news, canned fruit is sneaky!!

I bought two small cans of crushed pineapple yesterday from two brands, Delmont and one from Dole. I wonder what's up with them both starting with "D"..

I wanted to compare them for taste. I noticed they had different nutritional values (points), which I though odd.. one was worth 1 extra point for a cup of fruit. Looking closer, I noticed that the Pineapples grown in the Philippines have more sugar than those grown in Thailand, so they count higher. Of course, before even looking at this, my tongue chose the sweeter pineapple in my taste test... no surprise there! But a word to the wise... which I guess most of you already knew... the same product from different companies will have different points values. So I guess it's worth it to figure them out while in the grocery stores. Have fun!

Old Threads

So when's the last time you cleaned out your closet? Was it scary at all? How many T-shirts, jeans and other special items have you held onto over the months or years because they were favourites, despite not having fit in eons? I'm currently taking a break from sorting through clothes to write this, and it made me think of another motivation tip. That being, go through your old clothes, and find a few favourite pieces that you'd be thrilled to wear again! Rather than hide it from view, hang it up on hangers, and then on your wall, or somewhere where it'll be in constant view. Put a sticker in plain view on the T-shirt, and write down a reasonable date that you expect to be able to fit back into this outfit. Don't forget to be kind to youreself.. make it an "easy goal", as in 1 or 2 sizes smaller, not 5+. Reach your first goal, and then set the next. Put up an easy goal, and perhaps a longer term goal, such as a bikini, at the same time. Make it extra fun by including some fun underwear.