Vegetarian Chili

Healthy and affordable can coexist. Here's proof! Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

1 can stewed tomatoes (with onion, celery, and green pepper), do NOT drain

1 can diced tomatoes, do NOT drain

1 can rotel, do NOT drain

1 can chili beans, do NOT drain

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound dry lentils

2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

1/4 tsp. cumin

Chili powder to taste (add 1/4 tsp. at a time if you're not too familiar with spices…. you can always add more, but you can't take it out)

4 cups water

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Soup Base & Seasoning

Directions:

1. Get out your trusty Crockpot and turn it on HIGH.

**This recipe completely fills my 6-quart Crockpot**

2. Rinse lentils thoroughly and sort.

3. Add all canned ingredients to the Crockpot, lentils, spices, water, and vegetable soup base.

4. Stir well.

Let it do its thing for about 4 hours (or turn it on low for about 6-8 hours).

The lentils will soak up most of the liquid and the final product will be thick and hearty.

* You may pre-cook lentils in the water and vegetable broth in another pot and then add to chili. If you do this, you can omit adding water and broth to the crockpot.

Serve with 2% shredded cheddar. If you're not watching your figure you can also serve it with corn chips, saltines, sour cream, ranch, salsa, etc. I'm sure leftovers would be delicious on a baked potato, hot dog, a bed of Frito's, etc.

It tastes great the first day, but even better the next! As it sits in the fridge overnight it thickens even more.

I purchased most of the canned goods used in this chili at Aldi. I'm betting it cost under 6 bucks to make this giant batch of chili. It freezes well too.

Feta & Spinach Omelette

I made an omelette with feta and spinach for lunch today. Talk about crazy good!

Feel free to give it a whirl!

Marinated Vegetable Salad

This recipe is an old family favorite and I've always enjoyed it on the Holiday's. It was passed down to me from my wonderful Grandmother.

MARINATED VEGETABLE SALAD

1 can white shoepeg corn (I leave this out because corn is too starchy... feel free to replace with something healthier)

1 can LeSueur small peas

1 can French style green beans

1 cup celery, chopped fine

1 cup onion, chopped fine

1 jar pimento, diced

1 green pepper, chopped fine

Dressing:

3/4 cup vinegar

1 cup sugar (Splenda for baking works wonderfully!)

1/2 cup oil (I usually use canola)

Heat the dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Cool…Then add to vegetables.

Stir well and chill. It's better to prepare this the day before serving.

**Spoon onto plate with a slotted spoon.

Wanna Be Greek Salad?

Shelly (Eggface) posted a recipe recently that included tuna, garbanzo beans, celery, and feta. I had already eaten tuna twice this week so I made this recipe with chicken instead. It was amazing! Bones even enjoyed the sample taste I shared with him.

I added just a drop of Greek salad dressing instead of lemon zest. I also cut the recipe in half because I'm still eating super small portions. I'm looking forward to eating the leftovers this week.

Here's what my tiny portion included....

Chicken, diced very small (I only used about 1/4 of a small chicken breast)

Garbanzo beans (I used about 20-25 garbanzo beans/chick peas)

Celery, diced fine (I used maybe 1/4 of 1 piece)

Feta, just a small sprinkling (I used about 1/2 Tbsp.)

Greek Dressing, just a splash (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Mix well and enjoy!

For dessert I enjoyed about 1/4 of a small banana. Mmm...

Italian Baked Ricotta

Tonight I made my hubby, Bones, a couple of mini pizza's out of some leftover Arnold Multigrain Sandwich Thins. I separated the top and bottom of the sandwich thins and spread marina sauce over them. I then added some shredded mozzarella, garlic, Italian seasoning, and turkey pepperoni. I baked them at 350 for 10 minutes. They were a hit!

I also felt like having some Italian so I made Shelly's Baked Ricotta. I made a couple of changes by leaving out the parmesan (I didn't have any) and by throwing in a few small pieces of freshly baked shredded chicken. It was absolutely amazing! Where she gets her recipe ideas is beyond me, but I hope she keeps 'em coming. I appreciate them so much. Thanks, Shelly!!!

**Shelly's blog can be found at http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blotspot.com

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Crustless Spinach Quiche

INGREDIENTS:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 5 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese (optional) salt to taste pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a mini muffin pan (makes 24 mini's) with non-stick cooking spray

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, stirring occasionally, and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared mini muffin pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 26-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

These freeze well. Just pop in the microwave to reheat.

Lentil Chili

Lentil Chili

Combine 1/2 vegetable juice and 1/2 water in a large pot.

Add 1/2 bag (probably about a cup) of dry Lentils.

Cook lentils according to directions on bag.

Then:

Brown up some onion (optional).

Then add....

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can rotel

1 can ranch style beans

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can red beans, drained & rinsed

season to taste with chili powder, cumin, and a dash of garlic

Combine everything. You'll have to bring everything to a boil and then let it simmer for 1 hour. This would be excellent in a crockpot. Oh, if you're not familiar with lentils, they do expand a bit.

It tastes great the first day, but even better the next day! Enjoy!!! = )

Today's Menu

7am Breakfast: 1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

12pm Lunch: 1 single serving (pre-packaged) of Reduced Fat Cabot Cheddar Cheese

7pm Dinner: Deli Roll-ups (deli sliced chicken rolled up with....... 1. 2% american cheese; 2. low-fat cream cheese), Celery with peanut butter

I went to the store today and really stocked up. We're just about ready for Thanksgiving. That's wonderful! With the Holiday's creeping up I want to make sure I'm prepared for everything. I've never been much of a sweet eater, but that didn't matter around the holiday's. I purchased some ricotta cheese in case I feel like indulging a bit. According to Shelly (my hero) at theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com, you can add 1 tsp. of sugar-free Torani syrup to ricotta cheese to sweeten it up and make it a scrumptious dessert. We'll see how that goes. I don't have any experience with ricotta so we'll see how that goes.

I also bought a can of fat free whipped cream. It's only 5 calories per serving. I figure I can top a few banana slices with it or something if I feel the need. That'll be a nice treat.

I broke down and purchased another pair of jeans tonight. They're Nine West size 14. Not too shabby! I also got a new coat.. size medium!

No-Pasta Lasagna

Renee's No-Pasta Lasagna

- It's high protein, low fat, and low carb. Yum!

2 lbs. 93/7 lean ground turkey

12 oz. tomato paste

16 oz. low-fat cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 zucchini (use a veggie peeler and make strips)

1 c. water

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Italian cheeses blend (optional)

Italian seasoning to taste

Fresh Basil (I use basil paste found in the refrigerated section of the produce department)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Fresh sliced tomatoes (optional)

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Brown turkey and drain
• Add tomato paste and water to turkey
• Add spices to meat mixture and simmer
• Slice zucchini into super thin slices (I use a veggie peeler) (I bet it would be great if it were pre-sauteed in a skillet, too)
• In a bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; mix well
• In a 9x13 baking dish, spread out a very thin layer of meat mixture
• Add a sprinkling of mozzarella
• Add 1/3 of zucchini slices
• Add 1/2 cottage cheese mixture
• Add a thin layer of meat mixture
• Add another sprinkling of mozzarella
• Add 1/3 of zucchini slices
• Add 1/2 cottage cheese mixture
• Add 1/3 of zucchini slices
• Add remaining meat mixture
• Add remaining mozzarella

I like to add a blend of Italian cheeses to top it off. Then I add sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning.

You don't have to follow the layering order exactly, just have FUN!

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Mozzarella Caprese Scramble

Mozzarella Caprese Scramble

1 egg

1 small piece of fresh mozzarella, diced (about the size of a small cherry tomato)

1 thin tomato slice, diced

basil to taste (I used a basil paste that comes in a tube from my grocer's produce dept.)

Spray a dash of non-stick spray in small skillet. Heat skillet to medium heat setting. Add all ingredients. Stir occasionally making the eggs scrambled. This doesn't take very long too cook so keep a watchful eye. You don't want an overcooked egg.

I add salt and pepper at the end to taste. This tasty meal is high protein and good for my post-op diet. I also had a very small serving of turkey bacon on the side.

I'm about 2 1/2 months post-op and I was able to eat the entire serving.

Protein Packed Turkey Chili

This one is YUMMO! The following recipe is for a very thick chili. It's thick because my dietitian doesn't want me eating soup or anything that's liquified because it will go right through me and I'll be hungry again. Every WLS program is different, but this meets my dietary expectations.

Protein Packed Turkey Chili

2 lbs. Lean Ground Turkey (93/7)

1 can Chili Beans/Ranch Style Beans (don't drain)

1 can Black Beans, drained

1 can Stewed Tomatoes (don't drain)

Chili Powder to taste

Cumin to taste

Garlic Powder to taste

Salt to taste

Brown turkey meat in large pot (drain if needed). Add all beans and stewed tomatoes. Season to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.

It's always better the second day. For those who are not dieting or WLS patients, they can add cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and enjoy with corn chips or corn bread.

Enjoy!

4 Week Surgiversary!

I officially made it through the first 4 weeks of post-op. It feels really good! I've been doing better with my fluids. I'm drinking mostly water now, but it has to be ice cold or it tastes bad to me. I've been walking, running, and working out at the gym. It's pretty exhausting, but I just keep truckin' along.

Today I was finally able to start eating veggies again. Here's what I ate today: Turkey Kielbasa with red beans and tomatoes and some green beans on the side. I couldn't eat much, but it was so good.

Here's the recipe for my protein packed version of "jambalaya"....

1 Turkey Kielbasa, sliced very thin (says it's good for the South Beach Diet)

1 can of Red Beans

1 can of Stewed Tomatoes (with onion, celery, and green pepper)

1//4 teaspoon Thyme

1/4 teaspoon Sage

I just threw everything in the pot and let it come to a simmer. The stewed tomatoes were pretty big, so I ended up jabbing them with my utensil while cooking. It was super easy to do.

My husband, Bones, loved this! He's not even on a diet. I gave him extra sauce, ya know the tomato juices, when I served him. I tried to make my little portion not have any liquid. It was delish!

For the green beans.... I just sprayed a little bit of canola oil in the cast iron skillet, threw in some frozen green beans (I don't like canned), and added some real bacon pieces. Yum!

I have a love for veggies, so it's tough eating 2/3 protein and 1/3 veggies. I'm the kinda girl that would totally go for the veggies first. Talk about life changes!