And We're Back...

Good Morning All!

Happy Monday. Time to start the workday. I hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was full of fun and eventful things. 

We kicked things off Friday night at a Thai restaurant. I got the Garden Green dish which is suppose to be a bunch of vegetables. I was a bit disappointed because there were a bunch of limpy vegetables, such as cabbage and bok choy. I was hoping more for broccoli, carrots and string beans. 

The husband ordered a chicken dish which looked far more interesting than my dish:

Yeah... It's on fire. 

The rest of my weekend included a lot of healthy eats:

We also did a lot of cooking and prepped meals for the week. We are on an Indian food kick and made a pot of channa masala and daal. We also made a batch of falafel burgers. 

I also made a stack of oat waffles for myself for the week:

And that's a wrap with good eats :-)

Weekend Round Up...

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Whew... The weekend just flew by. I sure could have used a couple more hours of sleep this morning. Monday's are the worst!

My weekend was pretty easy going. Saturday morning I woke up and went to go see my little niece. As always, she was as adorable and fun as ever. Once I left my sisters place I headed to the happiest place on earth for me...Trader Joe's! OMG... I could spend HOURS at TJs. Stay tuned next week... I've got a whole post dedicated to this magnificent supermarket :-)

Anywho, we had a dinner party to go to that evening and I bought some bread and fruit for appetizers and dessert. My original use for the bread was to have with bruschetta. However, I forgot to bring the bruschetta so I made a quick pizza bites appetizer. I thought this was ok but must have been a hit since it was all gone!

For dessert, our wonderful hostess made delicious tiramisu (which I had boat loads of). Also, I brought a colorful fruit platter:

Yup, we got sliced mango, kiwi, strawberries and apple and non fat honey yogurt for dipping. Healthy and delicious!

The dinner party was great and I wish I had more pics of the food. All of it really was delicious. There was lasagna and Spanish omelets along with a variety of cheeses, crackers, olives, shrimp and mushrooms :-) All so delicious and so great!

The party was awesome and we had a great time talking and catching up with friends. 

The next day we woke up to such beautiful weather. Of course we made breakfast and ate on our little balcony. 

After that it was time to run errands! I went around town and to get things done which took me a few hours. 

I came home and this was waiting for me :-)

a delicious plate of channa masala and mustard greens with a roti on the side. Also, cut up veggies to have :-)

Dinner was probably the best butter chicken I've ever had. We used a masala packet which just had a bunch of spices, added the chicken, water and a little bit o butter. This meal tasted like it came from a restaurant. It was so good that we looked online to see how we could get more of these masala packets. Yum!

Also, on the side, a small salad straight from our patio garden :)

After dinner we plopped in front of the television and started a 24 marathon. OMG... This show is addictive and we've been watching it on Netflix. We are still in season 1. 

Well, that's a wrap for the weekend. I hope you guys had an enjoyable weekend. Now... off to start the work week...

Guesstimating Dinner Last Night...

Last night for dinner I had Channa Masala. Honestly, I'm guesstimating the points on this because I did not make this. I did have this with two tortilla's, which I know were 1 point each, so that's atleast 2 points there. Also, I did not have more than one serving of the Channa Masala, and I think I had about a cup and a half. Therefore, I'm guesstimating the Channa Masala to be about 6 points. This would bring my dinner to a guesstimate of 8 points. Not bad, I went over my daily points by .5 so I delved into my extra weekly point allowance. I also have activity points ranked up, but I try not to use them. After dinner I watched Losing It With Jillian...anyone else catch this show? What did you guys have for dinner?

***Recipe Alert: Channa Masala Pasta***

Italy...meet India...India...meet Italy. Wow. This has got to be the best fusion recipe I've come up with! This is a flavor, fiber filled meal which will keep you wanting more (that's probably not a good idea though :-p) This entire recipe has over 10 grams of fiber and only 5 WW points!!! Now that is awesome for a lunch or dinner!! This is also incredibly easy.

Here are the deets: One serving of whole wheat pasta 1/2 serving of Channa Masala (http://ask-kanwal.blogspot.com/2009/04/hey-guys-i-love-cooking-indian-food.html) Cilantro for garnishing

Cook the pasta according the directions on the box. Once fully cooked, take about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water and add this to the Channa Masala. Toss the pasta with the Channa Masala, and garnish with chopped Cilantro! Delicious!!!

***Daily Round Up***

Hey Guys, I thought I would do one posting on my food for the rest of the day, only because I've had these things many times before and did not want to bore you with the same pics :-) My lunch was a Basil, Mozzarella, Tomato on an Arnold's Thins: 5 WW pts. For my snack I had a Kellogg's Fiber Bar: 2 WW pts. For dinner I had my Channa Masala w/ a Roll-Up: 5 WW pts. How was your day?

***Recipe of the Day: Channa Masala***

Hey Guys, I love cooking Indian food. Generally, I feel Indian food is pretty healthy, if the amount of oil can be controlled! I've been craving one of my favorite Indian dishes, which is called Channa Masala. This is basically Chickpeas simmered in a spicy and tangy sauce, and is generally eaten with naan (flatbread made out of white flour) or roti (unleavened flatbread, usually made out of wheat flour). This is also a dish that tastes better as you let it the flavors marinate with each other. So, if you make it for dinner tonight, the leftovers are even more awesome!!! Now, I think Channa Masala is one of the healthiest Indian dishes you can have, and probably one of the most easiest dishes to make! One serving of Chickpeas has only 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber people!!! What's even better is, most of the spices and vegetables used to make this dish are 0 WW pts. and if you make it on your own, you can definitely control the oil! Here is my wonderful recipe for Channa Masala. If you notice, I also add frozen Spinach, which is not typical with Channa Masala, but this adds volume and tastes great! I hope you guys try this recipe! Note: This recipe serves 4 people, so the WW pts. are per serving Ingredients: One 1LB. 13oz. can of Chickpeas, drained: 2 WW pts. One medium Tomato, diced: 0 WW pts. One medium Onion thinly sliced: 0 WW pts. Two tablespoons of Cumin seeds: 0 WW pts. Three tablespoons of Lemon Juice: 0 WW pts. Salt to taste: 0 WW pts. One tablespoon of Canola Oil: 1 WW pt. One tablespoon of Garam Masala (you can find this in the International aisle of your supermarket): 0 WW pts. Two tablespoons of Tomato Puree: 1 WW pt. Two dried Chillies: 0 WW pts. Chili powder, as needed: 0 WW pts. 1/2 tablespoon of Turmeric: 0 WW pts. Two teaspoons of Coriander Powder: 0 WW pts. Two cloves of Garlic, chopped: 0 WW pts. 1/2 inch of Ginger, chopped: 0 WW pts. 1/2 cup of fresh chopped Cilantro: 0 WW pts. One cup of frozen Spinach: 0 WW pts. 1. Add the Oil to a hot saucepan 2. Saute the Onions on medium heat, until translucent 3. Add the Cumin seeds and saute for another five minutes 4. Add the Garlic and Ginger and saute for another minute 5. Add the Salt, dry Chillies, Turmeric, Coriander powder and saute for 3-5 minutes 6. Add the diced Tomatoes and saute for another minute 7. Add the Tomato Puree and Lemon Juice 8. Stir in the Chickpeas 9. Add the Spinach 10. Add enough water to just cover the Chickpeas 11. Allow this to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow sauce to thicken 12. Once sauce has thickened to desired consistency, stir in the cilantro, then take off of heat. Allow this to slightly cool. Serve with freshly sliced onions on top. Eat with warm/toasted whole wheat pita. Guys, you get a huge portion for 4 WW pts. This is awesome for dinner or lunch!!

Enjoy!!

***Lunch Time***

Hi Ppls, Today's lunch was Indian food. I had one Shammi Kabab(minced Chicken, mixed with spices and formed into a patty) and 1/4 cup of Channa Masala (chickpeas). Here's the breakdown: Shammi Kabab: 5 WW pts. Channa Masala (1/4c): 2 WW pts. Total: 7 WW pts. What did you guys have for lunch today?