Category Archives: weight watchers

PUMPKIN OVERDOSE!

     Ever since last year’s pumpkin shortage, I’ve become covetous over canned pumpkin. In the baking aisle at the grocery store, I fight the urge to snarl and hiss at people as they casually grab a can like it grows from an overactive pumpkin-tree. They obviously don’t recall the horrors of 2009.

   
     Even now, in the time of plenty, I get flashbacks. Each time I pass by a can of pumpkin and don’t pick it up, I get a tight, anxious feeling in my chest and fret about that can of pumpkin for the rest of the day, wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake by walking by… wondering if I’ll ever see another can of pumpkin again.
     This year, I’ve taken steps to prevent such a disaster. Canned pumpkin overflows from my cabinets, biding its time until I crack it open and let the pureed gold flow out.
 I give you: last night’s dessert.
Obviously we didn’t use the graham cracker crust. It turned out more like pumpkin souffle! YUM!
     Since we had to open a GIGANTIC can of pumpkin to make the pies last night and had a bunch left over, I decided to add some to the Monsta so it didn’t go to waste.
This is exactly like slurping down liquid pumpkin pie. So good!
Halloween Monsta (Makes 2 servings)
14 cups of spinach, washed
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
2 carrots
1 frozen banana
1 lemon
1 lime
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
     1. Cram all the ingredients into a magical Vitamix.
     2. Turn the Vitamix to high. (If you don’t have a magical blender, put all the ingredients except for the spinach into the blender, then slowly add the spinach as the blender whirls.)
     3. Pour the thickest Monsta you’ve ever seen into a large glass.
     4. Add a straw.
     5. Try not to sprain your jaw while sucking it down.
     I still have about two cups of opened canned pumpkin left and I want to use it up before it goes bad!
Do you have any good pumpkin recipes??

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Filed under canned pumpkin, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, green monster, pumpkin souffle, Vitamix, weight watchers

Weight Watchers?!

     Ahhh, I love my Friday! That’s right, I am DONE with work for two whole days! My dad’s birthday is tomorrow, so I’ll be spending the next two days with the parental unit, spoiling him like crazy. Wait, I also get to have indian food and beer when I take him out for his birthday lunch? I didn’t know that! What an unexpected surprise!

     As always, I started my day with a Monsta!

2 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/3 a banana, 1/4 a cup of frozen cherries, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
      I woke up ridiculously perky, and ready to get back on the trails! We did the same trail as yesterday, and I brought my camera to document.
  
The marine layer was thick, and the air was very chilly and lovely. We hiked 2.86 miles in about an hour, and took our time to enjoy the views.

     After the hike, I had a mini-lunch of protein pasta:
This was some Barilla Plus with marinara sauce and a little goat cheese.
     This mini-lunch was followed by… ANOTHER mini-lunch!
THIS was whole wheat pasta with bell pepper, spinach, zucchini, marinara sauce and more goat cheese. The first pasta was protein, this was whole wheat. Total balance :).
     A little fro-yo seemed necessary after the sweaty hike up the hill, and the double serving of hot pasta!
A small chocolate, peanut butter and cake batter yogurt, topped with strawberries, brownie bits and cookie dough.
     Today was…. wait for it…. FARMERS’ MARKET DAY!!! Prepare yourselves: picture overload ahead:
ORANGE and YELLOW raspberries?? Why were they not offering samples? I’m dying to try them!

Carrot overload and fresh corn. I love summer!
 So many flowers!
Local and organic: My favorite way to buy!
     We picked up a bunch of different veggies, fruits and fresh eggs for upcoming recipes:
Spinach, mixed baby greens, potatoes, parsley and oregano, broccoli, corn, a massive onion, strawberries, fresh eggs and honey.
I’m very confused… the last time I made my chimichurri sauce, I requested oregano, but I think they gave me marjoram, because today the vendor gave me something I didn’t recognize. Any input? Can you tell if this is oregano or marjoram (14th picture down – I couldn’t link the specific picture) ? HELP!
     For dinner I made Summer Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder with all the fresh farmers’ market ingredients. Yes, this is a Weight Watchers recipe that I stumbled across, but it’s a good one!
Some adjustments I made to the recipe: I used unsweetened soymilk instead of regular milk, used 6 small potatoes instead of 1 yukon, added a little more celery and red bell pepper than recommended, and DRENCHED it with TJ’s Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce. This recipe took a total of 20 minutes to make, including husking the corn! 
All of the ingredients were fresh from the market, and made the soup taste like it was JUST picked, which it probably was :).
     I had to scarf down a bowl of this soup in 5 minutes in order to get to work on time. I still wound up a few minutes late. Whoops. I figured a small gelato would help me get over my tardiness-guilt.
This had rocky road, mint chocolate chip, and amaretto chocolate chip. It filled all the air-holes in my stomach from eating the chowder so fast. Yes, I had two frozen desserts today! Yes, it was so worth it!
     Work consisted of packing boxes, unpacking even more boxes, and a friend stopped by to hang out and help me pass the time without going completely crazy. Before I knew it, I was headed home. At home, I was welcomed by something that I NEVER have… WINE!
This is Brochelle Rose. It’s a known fact that I do not like wine. That is, I didn’t like it until I met this wine!
Me gusta mucho! I find that red wines are too heavy, white wines are too vinegary, but this is a perfect blend of soft and sweet, and almost feels like it has a little carbonation!
     I had two glasses of the wine, watched two episodes of Glee, and am now ready to spend the next two days spending some quality time with the parental unit, enjoying their lovely company. Have I mentioned yet that I have the best parents? It’s just a fact. Yeah.
Any big plans for your weekends? If you need ideas, I recommend painful hikes and bike rides! 
🙂
     

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Filed under chowder, farmers' market, frozen yogurt, green monster, tutti frutti, weight watchers