Before there was Pinterest...

In the days before Pinterest, I would cover my coffee table with piles of cooking magazines and stacks of cookbooks when trying to decide what to make for dinner. Every now and then, in a fit of indecision, I would spend an entire day dogearing possibilities for that evening's meal... Eventually running out of time to make anything more complicated than scrambled eggs and toast. These days countless hours are spent pinning delicious possibilities onto my "nom nom nom" Pinterest board.

It's been months since I last added a new magazine to my collection, and even longer since I have treated myself to a gorgeous new cookbook (I covet them from afar on Amazon, though). There was a time when I couldn't make it through the checkout aisle at the grocery store without adding Cooking Lite or Food Network Magazine to my cart (sometimes both!). Last month's snow storm, left me trapped inside looking for ways to pass the time. All that time in the house gave me a great excuse to spend a few hours poring over the pages of some of my old magazines.

Since there was a driving ban in effect, I was somewhat constrained by the ingredients that I had in the fridge and in my cupboards. I had done a pretty good job of stocking up before the storm, but there were plenty of recipes that I was not equipped to handle (anything calling for pork or beef, for example). While I didn't have all of the ingredients, I decided to give Cooking Light's Dan Dan Noodles a try. I had to modify their recipe a fair amount, but the results were fabulous! So, without further ado...

Dan Dan Noodles

Servings: 4 Serving Size: about 1 cup Points Plus*: 8 pts
(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1/4 cup White wine
1/2 cup Fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
4 tbsp Reduced-fat peanut butter
3 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Brown sugar
3 tbsp Chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup Minced onion 
1/4 cup Minced red or green bell pepper
1/2 cup Minced carrots
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Powdered ginger (2 tbsp minced fresh ginger if you have it)
2 tsp Canola oil
1 pound 99% fat-free ground turkey breast

Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the wine, chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Stir-fry the onion, bell pepper, carrots, ginger and garlic until fragrant- about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the turkey and divide it into large chunks. Flip each chunk over after 3 minutes, and then break into smaller chunks as the turkey browns.

After about 5 minutes, the turkey will be nearly cooked. Stir in the peanut sauce that you prepared earlier. Simmer for about 5 minutes until turkey has completely cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Pictured in a nest of a combination of Smart Taste & Tofu Shirataki spaghetti

Serving Suggestion: Pair with spaghetti squash or Tofu Shirataki spaghetti, and your "noodles" won't cost any additional points plus values. If you have enough points to play with, use your favorite high fiber pasta or rice noodles. I like my food spicy, so I also added a little extra chili garlic sauce and sriracha. 

This was a super tasty Chinese-inspired dish, and I definitely recommend it if you're looking to try something a little different with ground turkey. The meal comes together pretty quickly, so it would make for a nice and easy weeknight dinner.




*PointsPlus values calculated using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website

Wordless Wednesday: Produce, Prep & Practical Use

Progress Report: Month 2

Considering it's the shortest month of the year, and that I spent the first weekend snowed in, February was jam packed with birthdays, luncheons and special occasions. During the weekend of the 15th I attended three birthday parties and ate in three different restaurants over the course of two days. It was a fun month, but it was plain exhausting!

The minute my social calendar filled up, I knew that one intoxicating little word would contribute to the defeat of my willpower: c-o-c-k-t-a-i-l-s. After all, you can't go to United Skates of America to celebrate a friend's 32nd birthday without meeting for a couple of glasses of wine first, can you? And is a girl really supposed to turn down mimosas at a BBQ birthday brunch? In my meager defense, I showed up at each of last month's events with the best intentions- whether that meant arriving at a restaurant with a well researched menu plan, or showing up at a friend's house armed with diet soda and my favorite Skinnygirl vodka. Whatever the situation, I was prepared... Until I ordered that second beverage, and then all bets were off! After a couple of drinks, I'd find myself powerless in the face of draught beer and party snacks.

Vodka-laced hard milkshake, the most decadent cocktail on the menu at Harry's Bar & Burger!

Social obligations are only going to kick into overdrive from now through Labor Day, and it's clear that I'm going to need a better game plan. It's Monday evening, and I only have nine of my weekly 49 points remaining. Alcohol is most definitely to blame. What started out as a points plus-friendly evening of sushi and a single martini with friends turned into a night of bar hopping and beer-swilling. By the time I got home, I was drunkenly ravenous and opted to eat again before bed. I wish I had prioritized drinking lots of water instead, because my Sunday morning hangover was no fun! Resolutions don't stand a chance in the face of a hangover, so I ordered a recovery pizza and parked myself on the couch for a day of Netflix and napping.

Cucumber sake martini

Between Saturday nights on the town, and Sundays spent on the couch, it's no wonder the scale didn't move much this month. I already know that March is going to be even more challenging than February because I'll be putting in a lot of late nights at work. I'm going to be busy. I'm going to feel stressed. In all likelihood, I'm going to be fairly miserable by mid month and will want to turn to lazy, fatty, comfort food and wine for solace. If I add in some evenings of drinking with friends and post-bar taco binges, I'll be setting myself up to fail again.

Saturday's Weight Watchers meeting was all about setting measurable goals. I've never thought about giving up my cocktail habit but, for the first time, I'm considering it. Each week that I get closer to turning the big 3-0, my hangovers get just a little more miserable. With only one day off a week this month, I can't afford to waste that day on the couch paying for the night before. If I'm going to stay on track, I've got to be prepared to spend that day grocery shopping and cooking/planning for the week. So, I'm going to give operation "1 Sober Month" a shot, starting today. Wish me luck!

I guess I'll have to wait until April to try out the Bacon Maple Ale.

And now, the numbers...

I only lost 1.7 pounds this month, bringing me to a total of 9.4 pounds lost so far this year. I've misplaced my measuring tape, but doubt that I've lost much in terms of inches from my waist, hips, arms, bust or thighs.