Blar.

I've had a really difficult keeping up on my points the past three days. I have been dying, because of my period. Sometimes, it is incredibly difficult to maintain any sort of a resemblance of a "normal" life when you have debilitating pelvic pain-- made worse by PCOS, and Endo-bleeding. 


Part of the reason for this blog is to also have a safe place to vent frustrations. Having Polycystic ovary syndrome is taxing, it makes losing weight incredibly difficult. I've been doing a lot of research, and I have learned some tools I need to use to help me manage my eating habits a little better come my next period (I am going to devote a blog entry to research at a later date). 


Tomorrow marks the day I get back on track. I'll forgive myself a three day fall from grace (really I just had a difficult time keeping track of my points, but I still cooked every day, drank my water, hula hooped, ect). Anyways, the following recipes don't have pictures, because I sucked the past few days. I promise to get back into the picture taking habit in future entries. 



Potato Leek Soup  (I made this on Wednesday, February 2, 2011)
 
Yields: Approx. 8 (1-cup) servings | 3 healthy units per

Ingredients:

• 4 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 6 leeks - use white part only (Cut into 1/2" slices and wash thoroughly to remove any sand)
• 1-2 tsp Oregano and/or Bell's Seasoning
• 1 cup fat-free milk *
• 5 cups (40 oz) fat-free vegetable or chicken broth (low-sodium is best!) **
• Fresh parsley to garnish
  
  * Using whole milk will add 9 calories and 1 g fat per cup of soup. (Add .5 healthy units)
  
  ** If you want a really thick soup, just use 1/2 of the broth. Keep in mind though - this will yield less soup, and probably be 4 healthy units per cup. 

Directions:
Chop and wash the vegetables.

Put the broth in a large saucepan or kettle. Cover and bring to a boil. Carefully add vegetables to the pot. Add Oregano and/or Bell's Seasoning. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are soft, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off.

(I recommend simmering 1 cup of the potatoes separately, reserving them to add after the pureeing, so soup is a little bit chunkier.)

If you have a hand-blender you can puree the soup right in the pot until all vegetables are smoothly blended. If not, pour the soup into a regular blender and blend until smooth. (I use a potato masher first, and then a regular blender.) After soup is smooth, add back to the pot. If you reserved 1 cup of potatoes, add them now.

Add the milk and reheat soup to a simmer only so that the milk does not burn.

Garnish with fresh parley and serve.

*** I cooked an additional russet potato in a separate small sauce pan, then I mashed it, and added it to the soup to make it a little more creamy.
Yields: Approx. 8 (1-cup) servings

Nutritional Info: (per serving) 186 calories, .4 g. fat, 3 g. fiber (3 points per cup)

Black Bean and Tortilla Bake (Thursday, February 3, 2011)

Recipe Ingredients
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I use 1 cup fresh salsa)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. chili powder 
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
12 soft corn tortillas
8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded; reserve 2 tablespoons

Recipe Directions
Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add garlic, onions, tomato, green onion cumin, and chili powder. Cook on medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in beans, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Layer 4 tortillas, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 of the bean mixture; repeat 2 more times. Top with reserved 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake 20 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes uncovered or until bubbly.      (6 points)

Friday. 2/4/2011 we had Lime Chicken, Roasted Red Ranch Potatoes, and some veggies. :)

Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:
- 12 oz red potatoes, washed and quartered
- 1 packet Ranch Dressing Dry Mix
- non fat, olive oil cooking spray
- 1 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl add potatoes and spray lightly with the cooking spray. Then, add in the Ranch mix and salt, and toss well to coat each potato piece evenly. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and spread out potatoes evenly on sheet. Bake in oven until potatoes are cooked through, and edges start to turn very dark brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Entire recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1/4 of recipe, approx 1/2 cup
Each serving = 2 Points +

PER SERVING: 78 calories; 1g fat; 18g carbohydrates; 1.75g protein; 1.5g fiber

LIME CHICKEN

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Oven time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup honey mustard
• zest from 1 lime
• juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each about 4 ounces)

Stir together first five ingredients and spread atop chicken breasts, covering evenly. Broil chicken until cooked through, 3 – 4 minutes for each side.

  

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per serving: 191 Cal; 27g Protein; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 13g Carb; 0g Fiber; 662mg Sodium; 66mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 4 points