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Mediterranean Vegetarian Quinoa & Hummus Buddha Bowl

July 16, 2019 By Linda Leave a Comment

Mediterranean Vegetarian Quinoa & Hummus Buddha Bowl – Weight Watchers 6 Point Buddha Bowl Recipe

I’m done with dieting.

Done. Done. And Done.

I’m done with counting calories. Counting points.

I’m done with measuring. Done with weighing. Done.

I’m done with restricting. I’m done with grazing.

Now, this doesn’t mean I’m going to eat a Big Mac everyday. In fact, quite the opposite.

I’m going vegan. Ish.

My daughter calls me a fake vegan. Which, I suppose, is true.

Because I’m not exactly adopting the whole vegan mindset. I’m just co-opting the food.

It comes down to me liking to eat. A lot. And, with a vegan lifestyle you can eat. A lot. Of food.

I guess technically you could call my new “diet” (which isn’t a diet in the sense of the whole counting/measuring/restricting version) is plant-based.
99% of the time. With the Buddha bowl making up a large portion of my daily food intake.

And now, I digress ….

After my whole no more measuring, counting, weighing rant, I’m going to give you a recipe that not only includes measurements … but also includes Weight Watchers points.

I know, I know.

If we were on Twitter I’d say don’t @ me.

But, technically, Weight Watchers isn’t really a diet. Right? They call it a lifestyle plan.

But mostly I’m giving the Weight Watchers points for this Mediterranean Vegetarian Quinoa & Hummus Buddha Bowl because I’ve already built up … over the years … a pretty extensive library of assorted Weight Watchers recipes. They’re some of my most visited posts, so I don’t want to disappoint.

And let’s face it: just because I’m no loner counting and measuring and weighing and restricting, it doesn’t mean everyone else is. So for those counting and measuring etc. etc., I’ll offer some counting and measuring … and Weight Watchers points … for this Buddha bowl recipe.

Print Recipe

Mediterranean Quinoa & Hummus Buddha Bowl

Weight Watchers 6 Point Salad Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

2 cups shredded lettuce
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halves
1 small carrot
1/2 medium cucumber
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp hummus (link for homemade hummus recipe below)
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
paprika

Instructions

Add shredded lettuce to bottom of large bowl. Mix with 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice.
Add cooked quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot. Sprinkle with second tbsp of fresh lemon juice.
Top with homemade hummus (recipe link below) or store bought.

Here’s the link to the homemade hummus recipe (click here). And, if I must say so myself, it’s the most delicious and creamy hummus. Ever.

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weight watchers stuffed shells

May 9, 2013 By Linda 20 Comments

I had hoped to report that my “wear pants with a zipper” diet has been huge success …

That the pounds are just melting away …

that I’ve rediscovered my waist …

that I’ve dropped a pants size …

And that I’ve shedded {autocorrect wants me to say shredded, which works too} my shields of oversized hoodies and sweaters …

emerging slim and trim and ready for swimsuit season.

* Sigh *

But I cannot deceive you, my blog readers and blog friends. I had a strong two-week run, following by ~ well ~ a week of weakness. As in a weakness for cookie dough ice cream. And chips. And white chunk macadamia nut cookies …

So I’m back in my paint-splattered yoga pants trying to get my “wear pants with a zipper” diet plan back on track. Starting with the creation of a Weight Watchers 7-point stuffed shell recipe:

Weight Watchers Stuffed Shells

{7 points per serving/6 SmartPoints per serving; Serving size is 4 stuffed shells}

Print Recipe

Weight Watchers Stuffed Shells

7 Points/Serving - 6 SmarPoints Per Serving - Serving Size 4 Stuffed Shells

Course: Main Course

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded fat-free Mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute
1 tbsp fresh oregano (dried works too!)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
24 uncooked jumbo shells
3 cups canned tomato sauce

Instructions

1. Cook shells according to package instructions. Drain & rinse with cold water. Let drain/dry.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. In medium bowl, mix cheeses (Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan) with Egg Beaters. Add in garlic, black pepper, oregano, salt.
4. Ladle sauce in bottom of a pan.
5. Using teaspoon, spoon cheese into dry, cooled shell. I used a heaping teaspoon full for each.
6. Ladle remaining sauce on top of shells.
7. Cover pan with tin foil. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Remember, for these to be “wear pants with zipper” friendly, you can only eat four shells at a time. It’s all about portion control …

Here’s hoping my next diet update ~ and recipe ~ comes with some good news …

and that I write it while wearing pants with a zipper.

🙂

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Weight Watchers Vegetable Soup (click here)

Weight Watchers Gumbo Recipe (click here)

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ice box cake … and a mason jar fail

April 29, 2013 By Linda 9 Comments

It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? What with all those mason jar projects I’ve been tackling as my surgered finger heals.

It’s been a good run.

Well, some of my loyal readers may think otherwise. You don’t fool me. I can hear your sarcasm dripping thick in the comment threads …

I thought I had another brilliant mason jar idea up my sleeve: recreating one of my favorite childhood desserts in a mason jar. An ice box cake. And this recipe couldn’t be any easier to make. I mean, it only has four ingredients:

1. Chocolate Wafers

2. Heavy Whipping Cream

3. Sugar

4. Vanilla Extract

The super simple recipe can be found on the side of the box. It amounts to combining the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and whipping it up with a mixer until it forms peaks. Then you simply spread some whipped cream on a wafer. Put a wafer on top. Spread more whipped cream on that wafer and so on and so on …

My idea was to layer the whipped cream and wafers in the mason jar. You know, a dollop of whipped cream, followed by a wafer, followed by a dollop of whipped cream, followed by a wafer …. layered all the way until I hit the top.

But the whipped cream wouldn’t dollop neatly in the jar. And it smudged all over the sides. And you couldn’t see the wafers. They got lost in a sea of whipped cream dollops ….

In the end, it was just a big messy jar of wafers and whipped cream. Granted, a deliciously-scrumptious-melt-in-your-mouth messy jar of whipped cream and chocolate wafers.

So I was forced to go with plan B. Just stacking them up on a platter …

… to make little single serve ice box cakes. Single serve little ice box cakes that my teen son devoured in two bites.
And I’m thinking this fail may be a sign. You know, a sign that screams STOP IT WITH ALL THE MASON JAR PROJECTS ALREADY!
Yeah, they’re wearing thin on me too. Maybe I should start a burlap projects series …
Or book pages …

or …

If you’re NOT sick of mason jar projects, you can find even more at my Mason Jar Project Gallery here …

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salad in a jar

April 22, 2013 By Linda 19 Comments

To wear pants with a zipper.

A noble goal. A shrewd dieting strategy …

and a goal and a strategy I wish I’d formulated myself …

But, alas, it was the brilliant idea of this brilliant blogger.

Now, she has yet to share this goal – or strategy? or combination of both? – on her blog. So, being the good and gracious friend that I am, I opted to beat her to the proverbial blog-world punch …

and claim it as my own (cue evil laugh).

I think there could even be a movement behind the “To Wear Pants with a Zipper” dieting strategy. Kind of like the old bra burning movement of the 60’s, we can rally women to burn their yoga pants …

* I see a giant yoga pant burning bonfire in the Target parking lot *

Because, let’s face it, at the end of the day yoga pants aren’t anything different – or better — than the elastic waist pants our mothers (and grandmothers) wear. They may cost more. They may look more stylish. But unless you’re at the gym … on your way to the gym … or on your way home from the gym … the truth is, you’re wearing elastic waist pants. Period. End of discussion.

And how deceptively comfortable they are, right? All winter long lulling us into a false sense of security. When, in fact, a single Medium size yoga pant has the ability to stretch to accommodate not just one … not just two … but upwards of three pants size changes. Stretching to accommodate a 10 … a 20 … even a 30 pound weight gain!

And when the snow clears. And the sun comes out. And the temperatures begin to finally ~ finally ~ feel like Spring, us yoga wearing pants women will be in for a rude awakening …

* Shudder *

But fear not. I’m here to help. I’ve finally embraced Weight Watchers online in earnest. My membership may date back 45+ days, but my full-on, hard-core participation kicked-in last week …

And I’ll bring you along for the ride. Starting with a Weight Watchers 7-point BLT Salad recipe …

A recipe which, to the consternation of my teen son, I opted to put in a mason jar …

But this recipe works equally as well as a non-jar salad. You know, the traditional ~ yawn ~ make it in a bowl salad.

The recipe can also be adapted to make a BLT sandwich. Just replace the bread crumbs with two 35-calorie slices of reduced-fat bread. And use just two tablespoons of the dressing on the bread.

BLT Salad in A Jar

(Yield: 2 Servings)

4 slices reduced-fat bacon

14 grams fat-free croutons (approx. 14 croutons)

2 medium fresh tomatoes

2 cups romaine lettuce

2 cups iceberg lettuce

2 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 TBS 2% milk

2 TBS low-fat sour cream

1/8 tsp salt

Crisp bacon and crumble. For the dressing, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, chopped scallions, and salt. Put the dressing in the bottom of the jar; layer lettuce on top …

… and then keep on layering in the ingredients …

Topping it all off with the crumbled bacon. Yum …

When you’re ready to eat it, just put on the lid and shake it all up!

And as I type these words, I am wearing pants with a zipper. Not my goal pants with a zipper. But pants with a zipper nonetheless …

🙂

easy shrimp fried rice recipe

January 7, 2013 By Linda 14 Comments

Sometimes I wish my kids were still little shrimps. Back when I controlled their every move. I determined who they played with and when and where and how long. I determined extracurricular activities like sports and music and art classes. I knew every detail of their lives because I was the puppet master. Pulling the strings of their lives.

Not so much anymore. And while my kids do share a great deal of their days with me (and Mike) – both the highs and lows – I can’t fool myself to know how deeply those highs and lows reach their inner selves. Alas, as a retired puppet master, I can only take comfort in those things I know to be real and true about my teen and my tween …

I know, like clock work, my daughter will have some form of recess drama to share on our walks home from school …

I know, like clock work, my son will unwind from his day positioned in front of the Xbox with a laptop open on his left and a cell phone on his right. It’s like command central …

I know, like clock work, my daughter will put on my Old Navy half boots and practice her catwalk once a day – at a minimum. Starting in the family room, walking a straight line through the dining room. Stopping at the entrance of the living room. A subtle shift to one hip. A subtle shift to the other. A turn with the flip of her hair and a kick of the leg. And the return. All with a very serious, fierce look on her face …

And I know, like clock work, any Chinese food order we place will include shrimp fried rice. Lots and lots of shrimp fried rice. The monster-sized carton of shrimp fried rice, as requested by my son and my daughter …

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at creating homemade shrimp fried rice, but I’ve been intimidated. And I don’t own a wok. But all that changed when I discovered fried rice seasoning mix. That’s right. A seasoning packet filled with all those mysterious spices that give fried rice it’s impossible-to-recreate-at-home-on-your-own taste. That is, until now.

Am I the last to know if this magical substance?

And, no, this is not a post paid for by the fried rice seasoning maker folks. I was just excited to find this mix that I felt the need to share it with you all …

So I followed this recipe from the magical fried rice seasoning mix creators …

Shrimp Friend Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 green onions, sliced

3 Cups cooked rice, any style

1 Package Sun-Bird Fried Rice

2 Teaspoons soy sauce

2 eggs, beaten

1 Cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed

1/3 Cup chopped, cooked chicken, pork or shrimp, optional

Preparation Instructions:

Heat oil in large skillet; add rice and green onions. Stir-fry until heated through. Add Sun-Bird Fried Rice Seasoning Mix and soy sauce; stir-fry 1 min. Push rice mixture to side of skillet; add eggs to the center of the skillet and scramble. Stir egg into rice mixture. Stir in peas and carrots; stir-fry until heated through. Makes 5 servings.

Source: Sun-Bird Seasonings

I may no longer be the puppet master, but I’m hoping this easy-to-prepare Chinese fried rice dish will entice those former shrimps to keep coming home …

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cooler corn

July 19, 2012 By Linda 21 Comments

There’s a phenomenon that happens every summer along the Lakefront in Chicago …

… and I’m not talking about the hordes of people who flock to the beaches in their swimsuits and flip flops and matching towels.

I’m talking about the hordes of people who flock to the green spaces surrounding the beaches. Along the Lakefront. And it’s not just random groups of people flocking there. It’s full-on families. Extended families. Moms and dads and toddlers and teens and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles …

… arriving at dawn and staying till dusk …

… arriving with hibachis and grills and coolers and tarps and tents and blankets and chairs and boom boxes.

Moving in for the long haul …

And as I walk past them on my way to the sandy shoreline, I can’t help but to be fascinated about what their stories may be …

Like how far did they travel? How early did they need to arrive to get that prime shady spot and that prime parking spot? Do they come every day? Is there some kind of hierarchy among the various families? Fights about who gets what tree? Feuding among these Lakefront neighbors … complete with star-crossed teen lovers?

And I imagine they live in apartment buildings with no or limited air conditioning …

… with no or limited outdoor space …

… so the Lakefront becomes their back yard. A reprieve on sweltering summer days …

… a giant summer-long picnic.

And as I sat on the beach lastweekend chatting with a friend while watching a woman swaying gently on a giant hammock tied between two trees, I first learned about cooler corn.

And I don’t mean “my corn is cooler than your corn” cooler corn.

You see, when some of these families first arrive at the Lakefront – and before the sun has fully risen in the sky — they put a giant pot of water on the grill. And while it works up to a rolling boil they husk a bunch of ears of corn. And they place those shucked ears of corn in a clean cooler. And when that water boils, they fill the cooler with it …

… right on top of that shucked corn.

And then they firmly shut the lid.

And that’s where those ears of corn cook.

And stay. Hot.

All. Day. Long.

I mean, how cool is that?

Let’s keep in touch …

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mom McGahan’s cranberry jelly

November 21, 2011 By Linda 4 Comments

This recipe dates back in my family to the McGahan’s and the Mahoney’s … and I’m not really sure how far back it goes …

…all I know is it’s not Thanksgiving without mom’s cranberry jelly. And since I haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving at my mother’s home in more than a decade, I was force to learn how to make this on my own.

Before proceeding, in the interest of full disclosure …

1. This is a two day commitment;

2. The cranberries may or may not jell. There is no 100% guarantee . (You can always try to boil again and add a second box of Sure Jell) and;

3. Speaking of Sure Jell — finding it at this time of year can be tricky. One year I had to search three different grocery stores. If you can, pick some up earlier in the season.

Aside from tasting great, the main reason I’m sharing is because I was determined to put real times and measurements to this recipe … versus ‘put cranberries in pot and fill with enough water so that when you push down on the cranberries the water just covers the top of your hand.’ Or, ‘boil until you stop hearing them “pop.”’ It’s a miracle I ever made this recipe work!

Now — if I haven’t scared you away — let’s get started by gathering the ingredients and supplies ….

I used two 12-ounce bags of cranberries with a yield of five 12-ounce jelly jars.

The water-to-cranberry ratio comes out to 2 1/2 cups of water per one 12-ounce bag of cranberries.

But if you’d rather go old school you can follow the “push down on the cranberries and water should cover the top of you hand” crazy instructions …

Turn the heat on high and cook for a total of 15-minutes. Don’t panic if you hear the cranberries “popping” – they’re supposed to.

While the cranberries are cooking, you can prep your colander and cheesecloth …

You need to put the colander inside of a large saucepan because we want to capture the liquid (the cranberries themselves will be discarded at a later point) …

… and then put the cheesecloth inside the colander like so …

After 15-minutes of cooking, your cranberries should look something like this …

Now it’s time to drain the cranberries and capture the liquid …

… and tie them up overnight.

On day two, discard the cranberries and put the liquid captured back on the stove …

Have your 4 cups of sugar and Sure Jell ready. Now turn the heat on high. Watch closely and when you see steam coming off, add the Sure Jell a little bit at a time and stir, stir, stir …

When your liquid comes to a full, rolling boil that you can’t stir down …

Dump in the 4 cups of sugar all at once. And now you need to stir, stir and stir like a crazy person until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Let it come back to a full rolling boil and boil for 2 more minutes.

Turn off the heat and transfer your cranberries to jelly glasses. Tip: I first pour the cranberries into my Pyrex measuring cup to minimize the potential mess.

As they cool down, they should start to jell. If not, you may need to boil again and add another box of Sure Jell.

Once cool, cover with lids and refrigerate. Or, if you’re a nutcase like me, dress them up with buttons and bows …

I even designated jars for the three people who love this cranberry jelly the most …

Enjoy!

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Thistlewood Farms
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