Father's Day Flashback--Balsamic green beans with baby mozzarella and tomatoes

2 years ago on Father's Day, I found out I was pregnant with our little man! Being excited, we went out for dinner to celebrate at a local Italian place (this was pre-morning sickness!). I ordered this salad and fell in love. I have modified it to be lower in fat and calories. It is the perfect dish to serve prior to a meal, or just as a plain old side. It also works great for a picnic take-along! It has become a summer time favorite of mine.

Balsamic green beans with baby mozzarella and tomatoes
Serves 8
141 calories/8 grams fat/3 grams fiber
4 Weight Watchers points per serving

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ a red onion, quartered and sliced thin
½ cup fresh mini-mozzarella balls, packed in water (not oil marinade)
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
-Drop in green beans and cook for 2 minutes until color turns bright green.
-Quickly strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
-Pour cooled green beans into a large mixing bowl.
-Mix green beans with tomato halves, sliced onion and mozzarella balls.
-In a separate bowl, mix balsamic vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. For best results, use an immersion blender for a rich and creamy dressing. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a whisk and beat ingredients until dressing begins to thicken.
-Pour dressing over green bean salad, and combine well.
-Refrigerate overnight.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A taste of the islands--coconut and red bean rice

Summertime always makes me want to experiment with new dishes, and recently, the Caribbean seems to be my inspiration. Something about the smell of jerk seasoning makes we want to sit back with a margarita and indulge in foods from the islands. This side-dish incorporates some traditional flavors with a twist to make it a healthy alternative. Serve with jerk chicken for a complete meal.


Coconut rice
Makes 2 cups of rice
4 servings (1/2 cup of rice)
Per serving
Calories 185
Fat 2
Fiber 3
POINTS 3

Ingredients
2/3 cup low-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup canned kidney beans or red beans
1/2 cup white rice
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/8 tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp thyme
salt/pepper

Directions
-Saute onion and pepper in PAM
-Add coconut milk and chicken stock, bring to a boil.
-Add beans, spices, salt and pepper.
-Add rice. Return to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.
-Simmer cook 15 minutes.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Eating ourselves out of house and home: 20 days, 1 full freezer, 2 hungry adults

The count-down has begun. We have decided to take the plunge and move South. While many challenges lie ahead, the biggest one right now is eating all of the food we have in the house! My goal over the next few weeks is to eat my way through all of the frozen ingredients I have stocked up on. From a meat/poultry perspective the freezer isn't too full: 1 flank steak, 2 packs of ground turkey, and 12 chicken breasts. There are also the random veggies: corn, broccoli, artichoke hearts, brussel sprouts and spinach. The goal is to use up as much as I can in the next 19 days so I have as little left as possible by the end of the month.

Turkey-Spinach Meatloaf will knock one pack of turkey and 1 box of spinach off the list, while supplying us with 2 dinners (one loaf to eat this week, one to freeze for next week). 1 loaf easily serves two adults, with enough left over for a small sandwich the next day. Serve with mashed potatoes for a real comfort-food dinner.

Turkey-Spinach Meatloaf
Makes 2 loaves
16 points per loaf (800 calories)
Each loaf makes 8 pieces, 2 points per piece (100 calories)

Ingredients
-PAM
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
-1 egg, beaten
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1.25 pounds ground turkey breast
-1 (10-ounce) packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
-1 cup chili sauce, divided

Directions
-Pre-heat oven 350 degrees.
-In a large saucepan, saute onion until soft and translucent.
-Add spinach and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
-In a medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs, egg, ½ cup chili sauce, salt and pepper.
-Combine breadcrumb mixture with spinach and onion mixture.
-Add ground turkey to mixture and work until well blended but do not over mix.
-Line a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM.
-Form turkey mixture into 2 loaves. Top each loaf with 1/4 cup chili sauce.
-Bake 30-45 minutes, until juice from loaves run clear.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.