Spicy Joes

Here is a "sloppy Joe" recipe that I adapted from a Weight Watchers site.  It originally called for three cups of mushrooms which I eliminated because they gave the finished Joe a slightly slimy consistency.  I added an onion plus serrano peppers just because I happened to have them in my garden at the time.  Because of all the vegetables, this is a very healthy as well as tasty recipe.  The grandchildren gobbled them up and my son-in-law, Rick, said that I should open a food stand at the farmer's market.  Ha!  I served this on the Kaiser rolls.

The ingredients:

2 lbs lean 90% ground beef   (32 pts)
32 oz salsa  (I used Pace Chunky, medium heat)
1 large onion, minced
1.5 c shredded carrots
2 large bell peppers, minced
3 serrano peppers, minced
1/3 c. tomato paste  (2 pts)
4 cloves garlic. minced
1 t dried oregano
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper

 Brown the meat and drain off the fat.  Put all into crockpot and cook approximately 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.  Serve on bread or buns of some sort.  Serves 18 but freezes well.

Notes:  If you have a food processor, it makes it easy to prepare the vegetables.  This dish is a bit spicy, using mild salsa will take it down a notch. 

Total = 2 points for a generous 1/3 c. serving

Kaiser Rolls

Once you have made these, you will never want store bought again!!  The recipe is on my Pinterest Recipe Page.

Here they are rising.  While my Spicy Joes are cooking in the crockpot.

And here they are baked.  As you can see some got eaten before I could even get the picture.  Sheesh!
A 15 minute bake at 400 gives a softer top while a 20 minute bake produces a crunchier top which is what we all prefer.

Total = 4 points per roll  or to be precise  2 points per ounce.  They average about 2 ounces each.

Oatmeal Breakfast

Nothing complicated about making making oatmeal!  Follow the directions on the box. 

The Menu:       1 cup of oatmeal  (4 pts.)
                         1/2 c of 1% milk  (1 pt.)
                          V8 Spicy Vegetable Juice (1pt.)
                         1/2 t brown sugar (0)

Total = 6 points

The Green Smoothie

Now I wasn't sure that this was going to work for me.  Although green is my favorite color, I have never cared for green liquids which remind me too much of my summers on the Wilder Ranch where Led and I fed the cull Brussel sprouts to the cows.  This experience forever turned me against said sprouts leaving me with an unpleasant image that I will not describe here.  So here are the ingredients:
                                1/2 c. water
                                1 banana
                                2 clementines
                                2 T ground flaxseed
                                2 c. fresh spinach
                                 1/2 c frozen pineapple

Now put these ingredients in a blender and there you go.

Surprisingly, it tastes of banana and citrus plus the only points are in the flaxseed. 

2 Points 

Tortilla Hot Dog

Now for lunch, and it is setting the table again.  This is not going to be my usual graze through week. 

The Menu:

1 Hebrew National Fat Free Hot Dog  (1 pt.)
1 Whole Wheat tortilla (2)
1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese (1)
1 c. fresh pineapple
water

Total = 4 Points

First Breakfast - Poached Egg with Strawberries

Now that I am an official lifetime member of Weight Watchers and at my goal weight,  I have challenged myself to keep an informal record of meals and the ambiance surrounding them.  The challenge is to eat for a week without distractions.  Yikes.  This is difficult for someone who usually works a crossword puzzle or plays a game while eating at the kitchen counter.  Today I came home and set the table for my breakfast. 

It was difficult to sit and eat without doing anything else.  In fact, I found that I felt impatient to finish because there were so many things to do besides eat.  Ha!  Although it seemed like I was eating forever, I did feel full before I was finished.  It is important to drink water with your meal and good for your skin as well.

The Menu:  1 poached egg (2 pts.)
                    1 Natures Own Whole Wheat Sandwich Round (split)  (3pts.)
                    1 t Fat Free Cream Cheese (0 pts.)
                    1 cup sliced fresh strawberries  (0 pts)
                     glass of water
                     cup of green tea

Total  =  5 Points

This blog is to help me organize my cooking experiences being good or bad.  I realized how disorganized I was when I couldn't find a recipe for what I had frozen in serving size portions.  Since it was delicious after being defrosted and eaten, it was annoying not to be able to remember how I had made it.  I need to get my act together!!