Eating Light: Feta Artichoke Portobello Strips

For a healthy lunch, I recently sautéed some veggies in EVOO and topped them with feta, dill and lemon juice. This makes a really big portion, with two servings being only 5 Weight Watchers Plus points each!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stems & gills removed, cut into strips

1/2 white onion, chopped

3/4 c. canned artichoke hearts (packed in water), chopped

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

2 Campari tomatoes, sliced

1 Tbs. lemon juice

2 tsp. dried dillweed

1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese

WHAT YOU DO:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, onions, and artichoke hearts. Sauté for 5-10 minutes, until cooked through. At the very end, add tomatoes, lemon juice, and dill. Dish onto a plate. Before serving, top with feta and garnish with more dill.

Estimated Nutrition Info – Amount Per Serving:
Calories 165.5
Total Fat 11.1 g
Carbohydrate 13.5 g
Dietary Fiber 4.6 g
Protein 6.6 g

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 lbs. potatoes, washed and cut into chunks
1/2 c. bottled Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
6 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped
3 Tbs. chopped onion
1 Tbs. dried dillweed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Non-stick cooking spray

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a mixing bowl, stir together dressing, garlic salt, dill, bacon, onions, and cheese. Add potatoes then mix together.

Pour into a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, then cover with foil.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour, stirring half-way through.

After 1 hour remove foil and increase oven temperature to 400F.

Bake for 15 more minutes, then sprinkle on more cheese (however much you want for the topping) and return to oven for approximately 5 more minutes until brown and bubbly.

adapted from www.joyouslydomestic.com

* TIP: Use an apple slicer to cut potato halves into small chunks perfect for recipes, or even oven fries. *

Weight Loss Motivation: Loosing Your Marbles

I started tracking my weight loss using a fun visual approach: moving marbles from a “goal” jar to an “accomplished” jar.

Using glass marbles, jars from Hobby Lobby, and a dry erase marker I set this up…

For every pound I lose, I move a marble to my LOST jar. It’s an easy motivator and a fun way to keep track. I figured someday when I reach my goal, I can just erase the marker and use the jars for, well, whatever!

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 craft jars
• marbles
• dry erase marker

WHAT YOU DO:

Using the dry erase marker, label the jars. Then place a marble for each pound you want to lose in one jar, and move them to the other as you lose them.

http://www.amazon.com/Panacea-Products-APN70008-Marbles-Aquarium/dp/B00176AP7E/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=fofacranfu-20&linkCode=w01&creativeASIN=B00176AP7E

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00865PEUW/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00865PEUW&linkCode=as2&tag=fofacranfu-20

Hello Summer Veggies! Delicious Lemon Feta ‘Shroom-Fest

Here’s a recipe I came up with to use some of the fresh veggies we’re accumulating around here.

And of course I added one of my favorite “splurge” items: feta!

Also this is only 4 Weight Watchers Plus Points per serving. A great side dish, or you could even eat the whole thing as a filling entrée for only 8 points.

Lemon Feta Mushroom-Fest

 

Makes 2 Servings

What You Need:

• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, washed & sliced
• 1 Tbs. onion, diced
• 1 yellow squash, peeled & sliced
• ¼ c. Athenos crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tomato, sliced
• ¼ tsp. dried dillweed
• juice from ½ of a lemon

What You Do:

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.

Add garlic and veggies. Sauté until tender.

Serve on a plate and top with feta, tomato, dill, and lemon juice.

Estimated Nutrition Facts – 2 Servings

Amount Per Serving:

• Calories 141
• Total Fat 11g
• Cholesterol 16.7 mg
• Sodium 214 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 7g
• Dietary Fiber 2 g
• Protein 5g

Feta, Avocado & Tomato-Topped Pita Chips

I wanted to make a healthy snack with feta & avocado – two of my favorite ingredients.  Here’s what I came up with: Avocado, Feta & Tomato-Topped Pita Crackers

Here’s what you need:

• 9 Pita Bites baked pita crackers

• 1/4 c. Athenos crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 of a haas avocado, cut into chunks

• 1 sliced Campari tomato

• lemon juice, to taste

• dillweed, to taste

What you do:

Lay the pita chip crackers on a plate, then top with feta, avocado, then tomato. Add a sprinkle of lemon juice, and then top with dill.