Jennifer Barley

Fresh Pico de Gallo

I have been having a hard time finding a salsa that I just love.  So, I have been making my own Pico de Gallo to go with my amazing brown rice tortilla chips.

Here is a simple tried and true recipe:

1- 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored, halved and seeded
3/4 cup finely chopped white onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves, fresh
Juice from a fresh lime
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Mix all together -- and let sit for an hour.  Yummmm!!!!  Zero points for the pico de gallo.  And it honors my commitment to eat less processed foods.

Day 20 of the Cleanse - Red Quinoa

Today is almost the last day of the 21 day cleanse (www.cleanseorganic.com).

The reintroduction period is way more structure than I realized.  I pick one of the foods I have eliminated (wheat, soy, corn, meat, caffeine, alcohol, eggs, dairy, sugar) and eat that one group twice a day for three days to see if I have an reaction to that food group.  If not, I move back on to the next group.  That will start on Wednesday. I am trying to decide on soy or wheat first.  If there is no reaction to anything -- that process itself will take 27 days.

I have really loved the process of the cleanse.  Working on the intuitive eating thing -- not tracking points -- losing 7.6 pounds in the process.

More important, to me, than the reintroducing of food groups -- is deciding what of my former foods do I want to bring back in.  How much sugar-free or fat-free processed foods do I want in my life?  Will I ever buy anything with high-fructose corn syrup? I'm still figuring that all out.

One new food I tried this past week was Red Quinoa. I love the ingredient list: 100% Organic Red Quinoa.  Boom.  That is it!

For 1/4 cup dry -- there are 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Three weight watcher points.

I have made a salad with black beans, kale, red pepper and cumin that was great.   I have mixed it in with black bean soup and the texture was wonderful.

1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil -- No Way! 3/4 Cup of It -- ummm...OK

I am still mid-process in my 21 day cleanse.  I have learned a lot about myself and have been amazed at various things. 

As you may or may not know -- I have decided to NOT focus on calories, fat and fiber or tracking during this process.  The focus has been on eating whole-foods and eating intuitively.

Enter in to my life -- Olive Oil. 

Pre-cleanse and for most of my adult life -- I have avoided olive oil. 

In Weight Watcher's world -- 1 teaspoon equals 1 point.  The Good Health Guidelines that WW promotes states 2 teaspoons of healthy oil a day.

Whoa!  That would be 2 points.  I hated spending my points on oil.

2 Points equals a glass of wine, or a 100 calorie pack, or two string-cheeses, or a huge bag of popcorn, -- well you get the idea.

Well, for the past 12 days, olive oil has been a part of my life in major ways.  I have brushed in on my brown rice tortilla chips

I have used 3/4 of a cup of it in my balsamic vinaigrette home made salad dressing.  I have used it to roast vegetables. 

It is safe to say, I have embrace my inner olive oil.

And, I feel really satisfied.  Whole food eating is about delicious, healthy eating that really satisfies you and doesn't create cravings for other things.  Interesting.  I have tended to eat the right amount because my body is truly getting what it needs.

Curtis and I are working on what parts of our routine are staying and what is going.  Olive oil is staying. I won't go over-board but I won't be afraid of it.

Now it is time to start reflecting on my 20 year obsession with fat-free, sugar-free foods that were all in the vain on weight management -- but it turns out that those foods could have been adding fuel to that multi-decade focus in a not-so-positive way.

I will be excited to see what I learn.

Amazing Baked, Brown Rice Tortilla Chips with Salsa

Yum! Yum! Yum!  I have fallen in love with baked brown rice tortilla chips.  This is totally cleanse approved -- and Curtis and I have made more than one batch over the last 9 days.  This is a definite keeper even after the cleanse is over.

Here is the scoop -- another amazing recipe from Nutritionist and Natural Chef - Jenny Brewer.

Here is the package of brown rice tortillas:

Check out this ingredient list:    

Brown rice flour, filtered water, tapioca flour, Safflower Oil, Rice bran, vegetable gum, sea salt.

Nice and clean!  Although I do not know what vegetable gum is....

These tortillas are both wheat and gluten-free. 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber -- 2 WW points.

So -- you preheat the over to 400 degrees.  Take out one tortilla and brushed with olive oil -- not a ton -- just a bit and you sprinkle it with Sea Salt.

Then place right on rack in oven -- watch carefully -- take out when browned.

  Let cool for a second and then crack tortilla into chips.  Dip in Salsa.  Yum!

If you want more stylized chips -- you can cut the tortilla before baking for a more uniformed look.

They are so crisp and wonderful!  I use to bake tortilla (low-point ones) all the time and they just kind of came out bland, blah and not so great.

I totally forgot to take a picture of the chips all broken up -- and since I ate them -- you will just have to visualize.

Berry Good

I wanted to share with you photo of this beautiful batch of berries my good friend gave to me.

In the Weight Watchers world -- 1 - 1/2 cup of strawberries is only 1 point.  1 cup of either blackberries or raspberries are only 1 point.  In general -- 1/2 cup = 1 fruit serving.

The Perfect 2 Point Breakfast

This is the easiest breakfast ever!  And so good.

Spray pan with Pam.  Add in 1/2 cup of egg whites.  Let whites cook in the pan until almost cooked through.  (No need to do anything.)

Sprinkle on fat free feta cheese, green onions and fresh spinach.

Loosen the side of the omelet with tip of spatula -- flip over 1/2 -- into  the shape of an omelet. Cook.

Flip omelet over. Cook.

Serve with 1/2 cup of mix fruit!

Only 2 points.  Love it!

Jenn's Quinoa and Corn Stuffed Peppers

I am have been spending more time in the kitchen and I love a great crock-pot recipe.  I am looking for fresh, easy, and delish!  I haven't had a lot of exposure to stuffed peppers in my life -- so I thought I would give it a whirl and they came out really, really good.

This was adapted from the Weight Watcher's Slow Cook It cookbook available at WW centers in most areas.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Quinoa
1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups coarsely chopped kale
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1 - 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 (14- 1/2 ounces) can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1/2 cup + 4 tablespoons fat-free green salsa
4 large red, or yellow or orange bell peppers

Wrappin' Jenn's - Low Point Turkey Wraps

This week I got a beautiful head of butter lettuce and immediately thought about making some turkey wraps -- I searched for recipes but then decided to do my own thing.  It was amazing!

 Ingredients:

1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 red pepper
1 can of water chestnuts
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
some kale
4 ounces extra lean ground turkey
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Ginger
Butter Lettuce or any kind

Sauce:
soy sauce
tapatio
Chinese mustard

1.  Wash and rinse lettuce.  Pat dry and put plate and set aside.
2.  Put all veggies and water chestnuts in food processor -- or chopped up to desired size.

3.  Place pan on stove over medium high heat  --  heat up sesame oil.
4.  Place chopped veggies and turkey in pan and saute, breaking up turkey with a spoon.  Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and ginger.  Cook until done. (I actually saved 1/3 of veggie mixture for another day -- since it made so much.)
5.  Place 1/2 mixture on lettuce for one person -- 1/2 on lettuce for another person.

 Then make the sauce -- I love PF Changs -- so I tried to copy their sauce.

In a small bowl, blend soy sauce, chinese mustard and Tapatio. 

Make it as spicy as you want -- then drizzle on top of turkey mixture.

So, so, so good.

Here is the breakdown -- for the whole recipe (even the 1/3 that I saved for another use) there are 450 calories, 15.7 grams of fiber and 6.1 grams of fat.

So -- if you served two -- it would be 4 points per serving.  Not too shabby!  Love it!

(Bring extra napkins - can be messy!)