Summer Vegetable Stew Gratin

So now that I have new appliances, I have started cooking again. I was definitely getting sick of eating out during the transition of the move and am excited to be able to post some recipes again. This one comes from Weight Watchers and is another one of those "you won't believe the portion size" recipes. I put it in a 8x8 baking dish and you get 1/4 of it for your serving. The bread crumbs make you feel like you are chowing down on carbs without having to pay for it on the scale. Give it a try!

Ingredients

1 med onion - thinly sliced

2 med zucchini - thinly sliced

2 med garlic cloves - minced

14oz canned stewed tomatoes with Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried and crumbled rosemary

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 c. dried bread crumbs

3 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over med heat. Add onion, zucchini, and garlic. Saute until softened, about 6 min. If pan becomes too dry, add 1-2 TBSP of water.

3. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, rosemary and cayenne. Increase heat to high and boil until almost all liquid has evaporated.

4. Put veggies into a shallow, 1 qt. baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese.

5. Bake until bubbling and nicely browned on top, about 10 min.

Serving size: 1/4 of dish - 2 points

Meet Ziggy...Newest Member

So we got a new puppy today! I friggin love him!!!! We decided we want to add a dog to the pride of cats we already have just to shake things up a bit. I started looking online last week and found him and fell in love. We went and got him this morning from PetSmart and now he's home! His adopted name was Ziggy and we are thinking about keeping it unless someone else has a better suggestion. Feel free to leave ideas in the comments section. He is 8 weeks old and a husky mix.

Bandit decided to check him out while he was napping. She runs away when he's awake but thinks he's the greatest thing ever when he's sleeping.

Welcome Inside....

I forgot to include this picture in my previous post. Nick and I had the most amazing sellers ever! They left us a gift basket at the house full of goodies. They also left this picture frame and inside it is a picture that says...

"Bread so you're never hungry, wine so you won't be thirsty and salt so your life always has flavor." With it was a jar of salt, a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread from Whole Foods. THEN to top it all off, they left us a giant binder full of how to's for the house. This binder includes information on local parks, names of numbers of the neighbors, manuals of all the appliances, and the best part...where to stand in the house to see the most rainbows (I am not kidding here).

Anyway, onto the house. The kitchen was a little 1992 with the laminate cabinets so we knew that would be the first to go. Thus far, Nick has replaced the floor and built us a wall. We have all new appliances installed as well. By the way, appliances are a pain! There are about a majillion different choices and price points and unless you know exactly what you want it can be a bit overwhelming. We got the fridge from the Sears Outlet in Livonia which is now my new favorite appliance store because the prices were awesome!

BEFORE

On the right side you can see part of a chili poster. That is a cabinet that opens into the foyer. Nick and I decided it was a waste of space and tore it out. Nick and Caleb built a wall there and the stove will be over there instead.

The island you are looking at goes into the middle of the dining space so that got torn out as well. We will be replacing it with a smaller version.

This wall cabinet thing is actually pretty cool but it gives you an idea of how long ago these cabinets were built. It is going to look the same but with updated cabinets and appliances.

DURING

First thing to go was that island. Under it we found dog food and crazy amounts of dust. This picture also gives you a better view of the cabinet which was the second thing to go.

The island picture from another angle which shows you the dining room side of the kitchen. On the right hand side is where Caleb ripped out the baseboards. There was baseboard heating in the house long ago. When the previous owners upgraded the heating system, they left the baseboards in. We ripped them out of every room and created a Craigslist ad for "free scrap metal". Within 10 hours of the listing, I had 22 emails and the metal was gone within 12 hours. Craigslist is a beautiful thing....that and people will take anything!

Nick started on the floor next. It was just a plain white linoleum floor. We decided we wanted to work with the brick wall and went with a reddish brown floor. These were peel and stick tiles. He did a fantastic job!!

Here is a view of the room with the cabinet torn out. It really opened up the kitchen.

Behind Ben is the new wall Nick built. At the bottom of the wall you can see the gas line he and his dad installed. Thank you so much!!! I am so tired of cooking on electric stoves!

APPLIANCES

The brand new oven and microwave!! That is actually our second microwave. Nick blew up the first one by plugging it into a 220 circuit breaker....oops!

New fridge! We searched high and low for a french door fridge with a freezer on the bottom that wasn't a zillion dollars.....good ol' Sears Outlet!

New dishwasher. We couldn't understand why it was so quiet since we didn't splurge for the fancy dishwasher. Then we realized after a load of still dirty dishes that we forgot to reattach the water to the dishwasher. It's a little louder now but still pretty quiet! Pictured above the dishwasher is a Pear Vodka and Apple Juice Martini. Thanks Jo and F for the "recipe"! Nick and I might be stealing that for a signature drink!

We are waiting on the new cabinets and then we will be replacing the counter top. Stay tuned!

New House

So I've been a bad blogger but here's why....Nick and I bought a new house! Picture above is our first picture in the backyard.

We looked at this house when we first started our search and liked it but wanted to see what else was available. Well after 3 months of searching and having a bank that wasn't cooperative with a foreclosure, another home rented out before we could see it and a third home bought out from under us buy some fancy investor guy we decided to look at it again. As luck would have it, there was another offer on the table. We decided to go for it and put our best offer in....AND WON!








It is a 1400 square foot ranch with a partially finished basement. There is a 2 car garage that is not attached. Stay tuned because inside pictures are coming next!!

Brown Rice Casserole - Mexican Style

This is a vegetarian Weight Watchers recipe that went over very well. I ate the leftovers for days and would just keep adding salsa if it dried out in the fridge at all. Nick added more cilantro to his and Ben added more cheese. Another one of the mammoth portions that you can't believe is actually decently low in points. Overall, very good.

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray
4 cup(s) cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cup(s) salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
15 oz canned refried beans
10 oz frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and set to drain in a strainer over a bowl

3/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (optional; for garnish)

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray

2. In a large bowl, combine rice, salsa and cumin. Spoon 2 cups of rice mixture into prepared baking dish and spread out to evenly cover bottom of dish.

3. In another large bowl, combine refried beans, corn, chili peppers and chili power. Using a rubber spatula, scrape bean mixture on top of rice layer and smooth out top.

4. Squeeze out any excess water from spinach and then spread on top of bean layer; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of cheese. Top with remaining rice mixture and smooth out top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5. Place casserole on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillage. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with cilantro (if desired), cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Serving size: 1 slice - 6 points

Baked Spaghetti Carbonara

Weight Watchers version of Carbonara. It wasn't too bad but I would definitely add more spices. Also, I don't have a pie pan so I put it in a square baking dish. I don't think it makes a difference. I served it with a side of roasted peppers. Those were friggin' delicious but I accidently spilled too much rosemary on them so that flavor was a little intense.

Ingredients

8 oz uncooked whole-wheat spaghetti
4 slice(s) uncooked turkey bacon, diced
2 medium leek(s), chopped (white parts only)
3 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly chopped
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
1 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2.Cook spaghetti according to package directions (without added oil); drain and transfer to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.

3. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add leeks and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in oregano, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Spoon bacon mixture evenly over spaghetti in pie plate.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg substitute, garlic powder and onion powder; pour over spaghetti mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

5. Place pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing into 6 pieces.

Serving size: 1 slice - 5 points. Veggies - 1 point - just because of the cooking spray

Baked Turkey Chimichangas

This is part of the Weight Watchers Smart Comfort Food Series. I served it with baked cheese and refried bean nachos. Both Ben and Nick loved them. They had a great taste. I couldn't find the Monterey Jack cheese so I ended up using chedder.

Ingredients

2 spray(s) cooking spray
1/2 pound(s) lean ground turkey
16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) salsa
4 1/2 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp scallion(s), thinly sliced
1 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
8 large burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) salsa
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Add turkey to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa, chili peppers, chili powder and scallions. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; stir in cheese.

3. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; warm in oven for 10 minutes.

4. Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; fold in sides and roll up.

5. Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.

Serving size: 1 chimi - 5 points