Having gotten a tip from a WW forum member that Carba Nada pasta was lower in PP points and a reduced carb product, I decided to try it. I bought it at a local store and it was $6.99 for 12 ounces! That’s a lot but I love pasta. We cooked it up and it turned out to be really good. It is a wheat product product so not gluten free but look at these numbers, for a 2 oz. pre-cooked serving size 17g net carbs, 170 calories and a whopping 15g protein, 8g. fiber.
Well, of course I was not going to eat just 2 ounces. My serving size was 3 ounces and as a WW member it only cost me 4 PP. Put that together with a lot of kale and mushrooms and it works out to almost nothing!
I found the product in a 6-pack on Amazon for $23.99, so about $4 per 12 ounces. That’s still expensive but much more doable. They also have a fettuccine product. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I will be adding fusilli to my soups and salads after my order arrives on Saturday!
Originally sesame salmon bowls were on the menu for Monday but the avocado is not ripe yet so we will make that dinner later on in the week.
Breaded mahi mahi with crispy new potatoes and salsa slaw
We splurged on a little olive oil tonight to get the crispy texture on the potatoes and fish. John’s method for the mahi mahi is to slather the fish with a combo of light mayo and yellow mustard and then roll the pieces in seasoned breadcrumbs. The fish was fried in a tablespoon of olive oil and some olive oil spray. The exterior came out a little dark but the fish was moist and not overcooked.
While John was working on the fish I steamed some new potatoes. When they were cooked through I cut them in half, seasoned them, and then toasted the cut side in a little olive oil and spray. The family gave them high marks.
I also made some tartar sauce. It is a mixture of half light mayo and half nonfat plain Greek yogurt. I also added a bit if yellow mustard, grated onion, garlic powder, lemon juice, sweet relish, and capers.
Finally I made my invention, salsa slaw. Using salsa cuts down on the amount of mayonnaise you have to use. First I made a mixture once again of half yogurt and half light mayo and then added fresh salsa. I mixed that with a bag of shredded cabbage. It needed a little salt and some more zing so a squirt of sriracha took care of that.
Our daughter liked the meal but commented that mahi mahi is not as delicious as Chilean sea bass. I pointed out that it is at least half as expensive and is a good substitute in dishes where the fish is breaded like fish tacos or the faux fish stick dinner tonight.
Sunday night was the last night of Hanukkah so we fired up our electric wok with plenty of oil and made potato latkes. Actually John did all this and I just devoured the crispy potato pancakes. We and our daughter each had four and it was plenty for dinner. There are only two things that we deep fry, potato latkes and scallops. Having something fried is such a guilty pleasure. I am thinking about getting an air fryer so we can enjoy more crispy food.
Potato latkes with sour cream
Potato latkes
5 medium russet potatoes (about 2.5–3 lbs total)
1/2 medium onion
1 egg
1 Tbsp table salt (technically 1/2 tsp salt per potato, but we rounded up)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp flour or matzoh meal
1 tsp baking soda
Lots of vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup olive oil for frying
kosher salt
sour cream or applesauce to serve
Important tools are an electric fryer and a food processor with coarse shredding disc.
Wash and dry potatoes; leave skin on. Shred potatoes in food processor. Shred onion in food processor.
Mix potato, egg, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil and flour (or matzoh meal) in large bowl. Add baking soda and stir to combine.
Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil and however much vegetable oil you need in your frying vessel. Heat oil mixture to 375 degrees F. While the oil is heating, occasionally press down on the potato mixture and drain the resulting liquid into another bowl (to discard later).
Take a blob of potato mixture and press out liquid to make a 3-inch disk. Slide carefully into hot oil. Make a batch of 6. Fry until golden brown and delicious (this is an eyeball estimation), turning them occasionally in the oil to cook both sides. Remove to a rack on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt, then move the sheet to a 275 degree oven while you fry the rest of them.
Let oil temperature recover between batches.
This should make 3 batches of 6 latkes each. Serve with sour cream or applesauce. (But really sour cream is the way to go!)
My birthday is on Wednesday of this week. Like all birthdays in our household my birthday has a food component. Usually our daughter makes me some sort of wonderful baked good like Swedish tea ring or pretzel rolls. This year since I am still struggling with post-cruise weight I have asked her not to make me anything. I am happy with a card and a hug. John and I, however, will be going up to Wine Country to have dinner in a favorite restaurant.
Back in the day when the only things that were free on Weight Watchers were non-starchy vegetables, I used to make this soup with only chicken broth and vegetables. We affectionately called it null soup. Although not very exciting, it was a good way to take up space when I was hungry.
Today’s WW allows many more free foods and my soup now contains chicken broth, non-starchy vegetables, chickpeas, and shredded chicken breast. The addition of chicken and chickpeas makes my soup so much tastier and heartier. Vegetables soup is now a destination meal rather than just “I have to eat something” kind of dish.
So good and so easy! John defrosted some shrimp and seasoned them with salt, chili powder, Old Bay, garlic powder, and cumin. They were sautéed in olive oil spray. In the meantime I got the toppings together- shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime, diced onions, salsa, and a crema made from Greek 0% yogurt, salt, and cumin. I also whipped up spicy black beans which consisted of two cans of black beans, a can of Rotel original, onions, cumin, cilantro stems, red pepper flakes, and salt. I added a squirt of sriracha to give them a sweet spice. John heated the corn tortillas over an open flame.
Any kind of tacos are always a hit at our house. These days of healthy eating I usually have fish or shrimp as the protein but chicken as well as a lean beef like flank steak would also be great. No leftovers tonight!
For about 12 years of my adult life I lived in New England. Chowder is a big thing there. We used to occasionally go to Durgin Park in Boston where a bowl of clam chowder and a dessert of Indian Pudding with vanilla ice cream were transcendent.
Lightened New England clan chowder
With the exception of cleaning and cutting up the leeks, the rest of making this soup is pretty simple. No doubt I have posted this recipe on my blog several times. Onions, celery, potatoes, leeks, chop, chop, chop. Sauté until limp. Add clam juice and liquid from canned clams and simmer until potatoes are tender. Deglaze with white wine. Add minimal cream and chopped canned clams. Stir and serve with toasted crouton.
I have to admit I went a little overboard tonight. A cup of wine in the soup meant the bottle still contained a couple of glasses up for grabs,. Also I ate way too many slices of baguette. Mea culpa, I am only human.
Rotisserie chicken breast meat with McCormack packet gravy, Instant Pot rutabagas, and sautéed Brussels sprouts
This is what I call my classic chicken dinner. It consists of chicken breast meat, gravy, rutabagas or squash, and a green vegetable. It fits in well to my countdown to Getting Back To Goal (GBTG). Only about 4 PP if you are doing WW.
Although the vegetables take some time what with the peeling and cutting up the rutabaga and slicing the Brussels sprouts, the chicken which is in a pulled chicken breast meat package from Costco only needs to be heated up in the gravy.
I once posted the following picture in jest from The Rutabagan to illustrate how hard a large rutabaga is. I do not recommend using an axe but it is very handy to have someone strong to at least cut it in half.
Rutabagas are hard! But this method is a little over the top!!
I cook the rutabaga under high pressure for 15 minutes in my Instant Pot. After a 10 minute cool down, I release the steam and the rutabaga practically mashes itself. I add a little faux butter and plenty of salt.
I used the same method today as I did yesterday for the Brussels sprouts. I bought two stalks for Thanksgiving and that was a lot of sprouts! Having eaten them three times in the last week they are finally gone. I think we will have a little vacation from sprouts although everyone in the family loves them.
Today is the third day being on my Getting Back to Goal plan. I always say the third day is the hardest. You are all gung-ho for the first two days but by the third one you’d really like a piece of candy, a glass of wine, some chips, or whatever is your happy food. Chilean sea bass is a great choice for the third day because it is unctiously delicious that you feel you are cheating without doing so.
The first thing to work on are the new potatoes since they will take the longest to cook. I put them in a steamer basket with an inch or so of water.
Potatoes waiting to be cooked. Three larger ones for John and three smaller ones for me.
After the potatoes have been on for about 15 minutes I start the Brussels sprouts and John puts the fish in the oven.
Brussels sprouts have been cut in half and will cook in a half cup of water, some faux butter, salt, a sprinkle of sugar, and dry sherry. John prepares the fish for a 400F oven. They are sprayed with olive oil spray and dusted with salt, garlic powder, paprika, and a dash of cayenne pepper. The herb is tarragon. They cook for about 15 minutes until the internal temperature is 120F.
The dinner is fabulous. Everything is cooked well and the delicious fish makes it seem like a festive occasion. Chilean sea bass is expensive but there is no waste and, if you buy the frozen product from Costco, it is much less pricy but still wonderful.
A plate full of yumminess – roasted Chilean sea bass, steamed new potatoes, and sauteed Brussels sprouts
I am about to give up on these whole grain orecchiette imported from Italy that I bought through Amazon. There are no directions on how long to cook them and even at 16 minutes they still seemed doughy! Anyway, here is my process for making pasta with mushrooms and vegetables
First slice and sauté mushrooms. I use 1 teaspoon of oil per person. This pan holds mushrooms for the two of us. When the mushrooms are browned, add the chopped up onions (1/2 large) and when those become translucent, add the garlic and broccolini stems. Spray with some olive oil spray if pan is too dry.This is what broccolini looks like. Cook the chopped up stems first and add the tops shortly before you add the pasta.Here’s my pan with the stems, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Be sure to add salt along the way and I also have added some dried oregano and a dash of pepper flakes. The pasta is still cooking and at this point I add a quarter cup of pasta water to make sure the stems get cooked through.When the pasta is al dente, reserve a cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and add it to the vegetable pan. Over heat stir everything together and add 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water to create a little sauce. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil. Parmesan cheese, optional.
Normally cooking our 6 oz. of pasta takes only about 8 minutes since you want it quite al dente when it goes into the vegetables because it will cook a bit more in the vegetable pan. So from the time you turn your salted water on to boil and start chopping vegetables, the whole process takes 15 or so minutes.
Today is Day 59 in my countdown to Getting Back to Goal. My WW points are 9 for this dinner. A vegetarian or vegan pasta dish is always on my menu once a week!
Omnivore 