It's All Good Brand Stuffed Soy Chicken

I'm really liking this new brand It's All Good that I just discovered at Whole Foods.

Today's lunch was the Soy Chicken stuffed with corn and black bean in a tomato sauce. Yum!

Super fast and only three points for those of you on Weight Watchers.

Visit their website to see all the other vegetarian and vegan goodies they sell.

Image via ChowVegan.com.

Vegetarian Pulled Chicken Sandwich

Just had this It's All Good brand veggie barbecue pulled chicken on a grilled bun for dinner. Only two Weight Watchers points per serving. Two servings per box.

For all you vegetarians/vegans out there, I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for some variety. Or even if you aren't a vegetarian, but you want a low point meal, this is a good choice.

Yummy Tofu, Cashew and Boston Lettuce Salad

Another perk of yesterday's Tofu in Thai Peanut Sauce was having all that soft, leafy, nummy Boston lettuce left over. I mixed it with the leftover cashews and tofu from that same meal, plus a boiled egg, parm, and other veg, and voila! I had an awesome salad for lunch today!

Wow: Asparagus with lemon, almonds & parm

I was cooking dinner tonight and did a quick check to see how long I should steam the asparagus. In searching, I found this phenomenal recipe on how to get your asparagus just right. Instead of steaming or grilling, this recipe calls for parboiling.

Being somewhat of a novice, I didn't actually know what that was, but it turns out I do it all the time. It means boiling something in water that only covers the vegetable half way. That's how I do my corn too!

As a bonus, the recipe also recommends adding lemon rind and parmesan. The lemon rind was such a great addition. I've never cooked or baked with it before. I had already planned on adding almonds, so I included them as well!

See the complete recipe on Simply Recipes.

Wow Meal: Tofu in Thai Peanut Sauce with Cashews and Boston Lettuce

Another wow meal that will definitely make it into our regular rotation. I adapted these chicken and cashews in lettuce cups from the Real Simple website.

My version included baked tofu sauteed in a thai peanut sauce with some crushed cashews sprinkled on top. The tofu was laid out on a bed of Boston lettuce over Thai lime pilaf.

I wasn't sure of the combination of the peanut sauce and the lime rice at first, but it really popped. And the texture and lightness of the Boston lettuce was a great compliment to the texture of the rest of the meal.

The Thai lime pilaf is a rice mixture with lime, coconut, ginger and lemon grass. I actually purchased it pre-packaged at Whole Foods. It's pictured below. I'd love to try more stuff from that same Tasty Bite brand.

Definitely try your own version. Alex had his with chicken. Since the rice was pre-cooked, the whole thing was super quick and easy.

Breakfast Was a Wash

So I've been planning this breakfast the last few days but in the end, it was a bit of a wash. I sauteed the rest of my ramps with the purple Peruvian potatoes I bought. I also used some of them in an egg white omelette with a hint of parmesan. Then I decided to make an adaptation of the maple tempeh bacon recipe I posted previously.

The ramps were of course divine; however, not really loving the purple potatoes. It's hard to explain why but they're just too starchy and potato-y. And the egg white omelette just needed a little something extra. It ended up rather bland despite the ramps. I think I tried to stretch them too far. I needed more obviously for the three meals I've used them for. I will absolutely be buying more!

The maple bacon just didn't work. Less because of the recipe I linked to and more because I used the Smart Bacon pictured below instead of tempeh. I love the Morning Star Farms soy bacon but not this brand. Their other stuff can be good though.

We didn't end up eating the potatoes. I'm going to bake them to a crisp and try them again with dinner. Fingers crossed!

Looking for Vegetarian Mango Recipes

So in addition to the papaya, I also bought a mango and am now looking for a recipe to use it for.

So far, I'm considering a thai mango salad (since I friggin love Thai food) or this rice and mango salad.

Got any other ideas for me? Please post them in the comments. I'm looking for a meal, salad, or something substantial rather than a drink.

Also, the mango I bought is yellow on the outside rather than red and green. Can anyone tell me the difference?

Wow Meal: Peruvian Aji Verde Sauce

While it's not a meal, it will definitely make your meal! Alex made the most phenomenal aji verde sauce tonight to go with our dinner. Alex is half Peruvian, and I first had this sauce at a Peruvian restaurant in Brooklyn.

I found a Weight Watchers version of it yesterday, so we had to try it out.

The recipe shows it with roasted chicken, but we were looking for something simple tonight so we ate it with veggie quesadillas. It completely makes a dish!

Light and fresh and only 1.5 points per serving, it's a blend of jalapenos, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, half & half and a few other seasonings. I was a bit nervous about all the jalapenos, but Alex adjusted the combination a bit so it only had a little kick. Also, a little goes a long way!

See the complete lower calorie recipe here on Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipe Blog.

For the more traditional version, see the Wandering Chopsticks recipe. Photo via Wandering Chopsticks.

Diet Sloppy Joes and Cheese Fries?

I just saw a fabulous sloppy joe recipe over on the Biggest Diabetic Loser. Of course, I'll have to make a vegetarian version with some ground soy. However, Alex can do his with the sirloin.

The carrots and red peppers are drizzled in Green Goddess dressing. The fries are baked with a small amount of cheese.

Visit the Biggest Diabetic Loser for the complete recipe.

Italian Eggs Over Spinach and Polenta

I almost bought a package of polenta at the store today-- so mad I didn't because I just found this awesome-sounding recipe on Cooking Light.

I'm looking for variety and want to try new things, so this is perfect as it's unique, healthy, simple and fast enough, but still vegetarian. I'll let you know how it turns out when i do make it.

Only 264 calories and six points per serving.

See the complete recipe here.

Maple Smoked Tempeh Bacon

Maybe I'm just hungry, but WOW this sounds good! I've never been a fan of tempeh, but I'm finding that if it's prepared right, it can be great.

Check out the full recipe at The Vegan Ronin.

Lose weight for the environment?

Here's one more very interesting and unique reason to lose weight from the New York Times.

They argue that being overweight is bad for the environment. Not specifically meat eating, which does have ties to environmental destruction, but over-consumption in general.

According to the article, "The study concludes that being overweight or obese “should be recognized as an environmental problem” because of its contribution to climate change from additional food and transport emissions."

Agree, disagree, want to learn more? Read more here.

Spinach, Vegetable Quesadillas

I'm all for quick convenience foods. I'm often tired when I get home from work, so quicker is better. I also grew up in Texas where Mexican food reigns, so that's pretty much a staple in my diet as well.

One of my favorite foods are quesadillas. Which, if not done right, can do you in! However, follow my instructions below and you'll have a quick, healthy, vegetarian dinner option.

Vegetable Quesadillas

Ingredients
fresh spinach
diced onion
fresh minced garlic (or garlic salt (optional))
mushrooms
diced red pepper
low fat cheese
small low fat/whole wheat tortillas (corn are even better!)
hot sauce

Preparation
Using a no-fat cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil, saute the garlic and onion until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and let cook a few minutes. Finally, add the rep peppers and spinach for a final two or three minutes.

Add the sauteed vegetables and a small amount of cheese to a tortilla, fold in half and heat in the same frying pan, just until the tortillas are warm and soft.

Weight Watchers Points
Points will vary depending upon the amount of cheese, oil and the type of tortillas you use, so please measure accordingly. However, points range from 2 to 4 per half quesadilla.

If you're really strict, you could even do a half quesadilla (ie: one tortilla folded) for one point (corn tortilla, a dusting of light cheese, no-fat cooking spray).

Adapt the vegetables to suit your taste. To shave some time off the cooking, keep the mix of veg simple.

Enjoy!

Healthier "Cranky Food" Options

So far so good. I've only had one minor slip up in the last few days.

I was super cranky much of the weekend for whatever reason, and I did splurge on ice cream Saturday during the worst of it. It was actually frozen yogurt, but still... Definitely a pattern for me to turn to sweeties and comfort food when I'm in a mood.

However, I balanced that slip up with the fact that last night, I was cranky and super starving, but instead of ordering out as I usually would, I zapped some low sodium minestrone soup in the microwave, added a bit of parmesan and fresh spinach, and really enjoyed my very low point dinner.

I just needed something with zero effort and instant gratification. The soup surprisingly did the trick. I just need to remember that next time!

Then I worked on an art project to help focus my energy in a different way. Hopefully, if it turns out as I hope, it'll soon be featured on my blog Dabble.

Sugar Shock

If you're anything like me, you have a serious sweet tooth. But at the same time, I'm quite sensitive to sugar. It's not uncommon to end up with a bit o' sugar shock even from just my iced coffee. Or worse yet, that crash and cranky mood when it wears off.

So I'm actually considering going sugar free again. I did it once, after a friend's recommendation, and although it was difficult, it was also made me feel great. My mood was good, those spikes and crashes in my energy levels were gone, my energy was higher in general, and the best part was the weight loss.

Plus, diabetes runs in my family, so I'm always aware of that potential risk.

Beyond just wanting sugar, I was surprised how often it came up socially that I felt like I needed to explain to people why I wasn't eating sugar, for an office function or a friend's party. I was really surprised that people thought it was weird. It definitely would've been easier just to say I was on a diet.

For now, I'm reducing sugar. Will be thinking about cutting entirely. I'm already a vegetarian, but in a perfect world, I'd cut sugar and even dairy. But I love sugar and dairy...soooo...I try to stay healthy in other ways.