Friday 2-25

snow, Snow, SNOW! So it is dumping here, a true winter wonderland. Last night’s Quinoa Primavera was unbelievable. Even “J” loved it, and he is not so hot about meatless dishes. So here it is:

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Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1 tsp vegetable bouillon (optional)
2 oz 1/2 less-fat cream cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups thinly sliced or bite-size pieces assorted vegetables (I used zucchini, red bell peppers and onions)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. In 2-quart saucepan, heat quinoa and water/bouillon to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until all broth is absorbed. Stir in cream cheese and basil; cover and remove from heat.
2. In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Toss vegetables and quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Info:
Cal 261, Fat 7g, Chol 13mg, Sod 302mg, Carbs 40g, Fiber 5g, Protein 10g

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             I actually substituted some leftover Gourmet Garden Italian Herb Paste in lieu of dried basil, it was like pesto, yum! Also, I entered my ingredients to MFP, and found each serving to be only 249 calories per serving, even better! I served it with sliced heirloom tomatoes, and the hubby and kids had garlic cheese bread. It was filling and delicious. The kids were not huge fans, but they are both kind of anti-food. “P” swore she loved it, but took forever to eat it! Whatever.
            Buzz Lightyear's birthday cake turned out ok. The pineapple settled in the bottom so it is really more of the consistency of a brownie or lemon bar. I used a deluxe cake mix, so that may have been the problem. I haven't been eating much sweets, so I thought it was great, everyone else was a little ho-hum. I'll try again.

Then we headed to Winco to stock up on the basics. It turns out quinoa is way cheaper there in bulk. Also bought some more angel food cake for round two on low-cal cake. We also stocked up on my skinny buns and some fish for tonight.

“J” headed out after we were home and the kids were in bed to meet a friend for a drink so I had a quiet evening by myself. Problem was, because dinner was so low-cal, I was only at 1,000 calories for the day, so I treated myself to some yummy cheese and Girl Scout cookies to bring me up to at least 1200.  It totally felt like cheating, but I know better than to go below 1200 calories!

Today we are laying low as preschool is cancelled. I was excited to burn some calories shoveling snow and boy did I. Took me 45 minutes to do the driveway and the sidewalk, 364 calories! Decided to try out some chocolate milk afterwards after reading this study: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/

What a tasty treat! Looking up some recipes for Red Snapper tonight, thinking parmesan. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Here's my diary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/otm25?date=2011-02-25.