Mexican Sweet Potatoes

I have to throw it out there that I don't LOVE sweet potatoes.  When I have the option of sweet potato fries verse regular, I always want regular.  Alex loves sweet potatoes and has been eating them a lot lately.  Given they have a great deal of health benefits and are much better for you than regular white potatoes- I have been looking for ways to help myself enjoy them a bit more.  I think I found it! I originally found the recipe on this blog.  My version is below with a few notes. I was really happy with the final product and at about 196 calories a half you can enjoy and enjoy!

Healthy Mexican Sweet Potatoes

Serving Size: 6 servings if using as a side 
3 servings if using as a main dish
 

What you need:

- 3 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 can of corn

- 1 can of black beans

- 1/2 medium onion (yellow is probably best, I used red as I had half of one in the fridge) 

- 2-4 canned Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (the more you use the more heat it will add).

- 1 Tablespoon of butter

- 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese or plain Greek yogurt

- 1/4 cup light sour cream

- 1 teaspoon of salt + whatever you like to add for taste

- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped

Optional Ingredients:

- 6 Tablespoons of shredded cheese of your choosing (I used a shredded Mexican blend). I tried one with cheese and one without and was very happy with both.

- Cayenne Pepper - I like to add this to my roasted corn with a little salt and pepper. 

What to do:

- Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Wash sweet potatoes and poke holes all around potato.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place whole potatoes on sheet.  Bake in over for 35-55 min. until cooked through.  ** I cooked mine for 45 and probably should have let them go another 10 minutes or so

- While potatoes are cooking, drain corn and cook over medium heat (no oil or butter) in a medium sized pan.  Cast iron is best, but I just used a regular non-stick pan.  Sprinkle corn with a dash of salt, pepper and cayenne (if you choose).  Do not stir for a few minutes to allow corn to roast, mix well and then let it continue to roast (about 10 minutes total). Pull off of the heat and place in a small bowl with the black beans (drain black beans).

- Saute onion with butter over medium heat until soft.  Pull off of the heat and set aside.

- Remove sweet potatoes from oven when they are tender to the touch of a fork.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.  Cut potatoes in half and remove flesh and place in a mixing bowl.  I left a think layer of the potato in the skin in order to help it hold its form. 

- Mix the sweet potato flesh with the cream cheese, sour cream, hot peppers, salt and pepper. You can use a mixer or just the spoon depending on how soft the potatoes are, I had to use a mixer.  When well mixed fold the corn, beans, onions and cilantro into mixture with a spoon. 

- Scoop mixture back into potato shells.  Put about 2 Tablespoons or a few pinches of the cheese on top of potatoes and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

** I stuffed my potatoes with heaping spoonfuls but I still had a lot of the mixture left over.  I stored it in the fridge and plan on putting it in a bowl with a little cheese, broiling until cheese melts and then serving it at our BBQ as a dip for tortilla chips. The stuffing itself tastes awesome! 

  

Nutrition:         

Calories 196 per half 

Total Fat: 6.5 g

Cholesterol: 18.5 mg

Sodium: 188 mg

Carbs: 28.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g

Protein 7.8     

Weight Watchers Points Plus Points:

5 per half.  

 

Meal Planning

I feel as though I haven't posted in a while but I wanted to assure everyone that I am still trying to plan my meals! I am really working on creating a balance between wanting to cook yummy foods and not going overboard with the calories.  

I am posting a sample of my meal plan for this week.  I will post the recipes as I make them throughout the week with notes on how things turned out. 

My plan is to try and stay around a 1300 calories for my main courses. I am working out pretty consistently so will probably end up eating around 1500 calories a day. In addition to my weekly 3 course meal plan  I have created a list of snacks and their calorie count so that I can grab something before/after the gym or if I get hungry mid-day.  Using the list I can still stay around the desired amount of calories. 

Also, you will notice I have factored in nights to eat out as I want to be as realistic as possible. These nights will probably go a little over my goal but I figure that as long as I can stick to the plan then I will be cutting back more than usual and that will help my overall fitness goal. 

If you want any of the recipes prior to my posting them, just shoot me a message!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Dr. Oz Breakfast Smoothie 300 Calories	Peanut Butter Toast w/ Apple 265 Calories	Dr. Oz Breakfast Smoothie 300 Calories	Peanut Butter English Muffin w/ Apple 253 Calories	1 egg, wheat toast, apple with Peanut Butter 337 Calories
Lunch	Kale Salad 211 Calories Turkey Burger w/o Bun 300 Calories	Dr. Oz Lunch Smoothie 600 Calories	Mexican Sweet Potato 196 Calories Cottage Cheese 100 Calories	BBQ Chicken Salad 389 Calories	Lunch Smoothie 608 Calories
Dinner	*Date Night*	Mexican Sweet Potato 196 Calories Kale Salad 211 Calories	Grilled Chicken and veggies w/ Caprese Salad 545 Calories	Dr. Oz Dinner Smoothie 350 Calories Buffalo Bites 320 Calories	*Dinner out*
Total Calories	811	1272	1141	1312	945
Calories Left for Snacks and other meals if I do NOT work out.	489	28	159	None	355

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Don't worry I am still on my quest to drop some lb's and get into shape.  While looking for more low carb dinners I thought about trying some stuffed peppers.  These were easy, turned out great and also make awesome leftovers! This recipe makes a large amount so it is great if you have a family.  If you don't have a house full then it works great to take for lunch the next day.  We finished the last 2 stuffed peppers this morning, by throwing a fried egg on top it was a great option for a lazy weekend breakfast.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

 

*This recipe will make 8 stuffed pepper halves

*Each pepper half is 4 weight watcher points

 

Peppers before covering and placing in the oven
Picture only shows 6 as I ran out of room, I cooked
the other 2 in a smaller dish.

What you need:

- 1 package of lean ground Turkey (The package I bought was a little less that 1 lb).

- 10-14 oz of canned tomatoes, drained

- 1 medium sized jalapeno (slice thinly with seeds removed), or 1/8 cup of jarred jalapenos ** omit if you do not like spicy foods

- 1/2 a medium white onion, diced

- 2 garlic cloves,  minced

- 4 large bell peppers (any color, I used 2 red and 2 green)

- 1 1/2 cup of Mexican blend shredded cheese

- 1/4 cup of sour cream **optional

- 1 small can of enchilada sauce (I like the mild green sauce)

- Salt/Pepper/Paprika to taste

 

What to do:

-Preheat over to 375 degrees.

-In a medium sized pan saute ground turkey over medium heat.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Once the turkey starts to break

up, add the diced onions and jalapenos. 

Once onions start to soften and meat starts to get brown add the tomatoes.  Cook in pan until meat is done. About 2-3 minutes before the meat is done, add minced garlic to the mixture.

-While turkey is cooking slice each pepper in half (up and down), remove seeds and you will have two small pepper cups. 

- Line peppers face up in a casserole dish. Scoop the meat mixture into each pepper until full.  Use all of the meat mixture spreading evenly on each pepper. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over peppers letting some fall into bottom of dish so that the peppers can cook in the sauce.

-Once peppers are full sprinkle cheese evenly on top of each pepper.

-Cover casserole dish in aluminum full and bake for about 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is bubbly (about 10-15 more minutes).

- When done serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired!  We enjoyed our peppers with some re-fried beans.

 

 



Pear, Arugula and Gorgonzola Pizza

If you are looking for a great stay in Friday night meal this was a hit.  Last Friday, a few friends and I decided to lay low and have some wine on the couch after work. We ended up trying a few new recipes and were really happy with how they turned out.  One of the things we tried was this pizza which turned out great.  It was also super easy and quick which is also nice when you would rather be catching up with friends rather than stuck in the kitchen all night.

Pear, Arugula and Gorgonzola Pizza

 

What you need:

- 1 pizza crust (I like to use Pillsbury Whole Wheat Artisan, but you can use whatever you prefer).

- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

- About 2 cups of Arugula (We just bought a bag and sprinkled desired amount on top).

- Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled (About 2-3 oz.).

- 2 fresh pears, sliced thin

 

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or whatever temperature indicated on package for dough).

- Spread dough out on a greased cookie sheet or a non-greased pizza stone.  Bake dough for about 8-10 minutes.

- Remove dough from oven, drizzle olive oil over dough.  If you have a brush then you can brush it evenly across dough.

- Spread sliced pears evenly on top of dough.  Sprinkle Gorgonzola on top of this.  Place cookie sheet or pizza stone back in over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crust is done.

- Remove from over, layer arugula on top and serve!

 



Lemon and Almond Kale Salad

As I continue my struggle to get back into shape I am trying to increase my roughage intake.  I have decided that I like spinach, but I love kale! I had this simple salad at a restaurant over the weekend and this is my attempt to create my own lighter version.  Enjoy!

Lemon and Almond Kale Salad

*Yields about 2 cups

 *5 Weight Watcher points per serving

What you need:

- 2 cups of Kale, raw (remove stem)

- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

- Juice from half a lemon (about 1-1.5 Tablespoons)

- 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

- 2 Tablespoons of sliced almonds (any kind will do - I have also used walnuts)

What to do:

1) Place kale in food processor and chop up until fine.  I have a small food processor so had to do this in batches.  You could also chop up with a knife. I just happen to like the texture after it has been through the food processor better. Remove kale and place in a medium sized bowl. 

2) Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor.  I did not wash it out first.  Chop until mixed together well.  Remove mixture from food processor and place on top of greens.  The mixture is thick (see picture below) but once you start to toss the salad it will easily coat your kale.  

3)  Toss well and serve! 

Kale with topping after being taken out of food processor
but before being tossed. 

Notes:

- I am trying to use a lot less oil in my cooking so I have cut the dressing down.  I think that this recipe could seem dry to some so please taste and add oil or more lemon to meet your desired consistency.  Just be careful if you choose to add more lemon as it is already a pretty strong flavor.  Additionally, the Parmesan cuts the lemon flavor nicely so if you are using a different amount or type of cheese that is something to keep in mind! 

- If you are doing weight watchers then I created the recipe with 1 full cup being a serving size! I told you I love my Kale!

Wasabi + Horseradish Salmon

Another easy seafood recipe! I haven't decided if I love salmon the way that most people do, but I can say ever since I had this recipe I have been wanting to have it again. I got the idea from this recipe, I made several changes which are outlined in my recipe below.

Wasabi + Horseradish Salmon

 

 

What you need:

1/4 c. Dijon Mustard

3 Tablespoons Prepared Horseradish

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Thyme

1 teaspoon Wasabi paste

4 skin on Salmon fillets

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

1 cup Panko

Cooking Spray

 

 

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400

-Mix first (4) ingredients together in a small bowl

-Sprinkle Salmon with Salt/Pepper on side without skin

-Brush salmon (skin off side) with a heavy layer of the Horseradish mixture

-Pour panko out in a shallow dish

-Dredge Salmon (side with mixture brushed on) in the Panko to coat

-Heat a large skillet over medium heat, cook with cooking spray.  Add salmon to pan, cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

-Wrap handle of skillet with foil and then bake at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes (until fish flakes easily).

-Serve and enjoy!

 

 



Catfish Po'Boy

Trying to eat more seafood at home is going well so far.  I have a few easy recipes to post and when I say easy I mean it.  I know very little about seafood so I am starting with the basics.  I'd like to eventually be able to make my own sushi but for now that will have to wait.  I get Real Simple magazine and have to say they do a great job providing recipes for during the week as they are pretty easy and not a lot of prep time.  I saw this Tilapia Po'Boy served with a Radish and Cucumber salad in last month's issue.  You can find the online recipe right here. I put my own twist on it and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  I used catfish, but I read that cod would also be a good alternative.  I served mine with a Radish and Cucumber Dill Salad 

 

Catfish Po'Boy w/ Spicy Mayo

 

Seasoned catfish

What you need:

 

- 1 cup Panko

- 1/2 lb. fresh catfish

- 2 hoagie rolls

- 2 Tablespoons of Mayo (reduced fat)

- 1 Teaspoon of green chili hot sauce

- 1/4 Tsp. of dill

- Dash of salt/pepper

- 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

- 1/2 Tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning

- 1/2 Tablespoon of Paprika

- 1/2 Tablespoon of Oregano

- 1/4 cup of egg beaters (or 1 egg, whisked)

- 1/2 ripe tomato, sliced

Directions:

 

1) Heat oven to low broil.

2) Mix Panko with Old Bay, Paprika and Oregano and then pour along the bottom of a flat dish.

3) Whisk egg with a dash of salt/pepper or add a dash of salt/pepper to egg beater liquid. Pour liquid in a small flat/shallow dish.

4) Dredge catfish through the egg liquid and then move to dish containing seasoned Panko.  Cover both sides well with Panko mixture.  Shake so excess falls off and then place "breaded" fish in alternate pan. Do this with all of your catfish.

5) Heat Olive oil over medium heat in a skillet or grill pan.  Once warm, place fish in pan and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side.  When done it will flake easily.

6) While fish is cooking place bun under broiler for a few minutes to toast till golden brown.

7) Mix together mayo, hot sauce and dill.

8) When fish is done, break into large chunks to use to fill your hoagie.

9) Spread mayo on one side of hoagie and layer with slices of tomato, fill with fish and enjoy!

 

Enjoy this dish with a Radish and Cucumber Dill Salad, pictured below.