Counting on Success.

Those who know me know that my whole life I've been a yo-yo when it comes to weight. Up, down, waaayy up, down, up again, and so on. This past winter, fed up with feeling tired all the time, and the fact that I could no longer deny the extra pounds that I was carrying around (once again), I decided that I'd had enough of my battle with the scale. 

I had lost weight in the past with a simple online tracker that calculated calories and fat, but it caused me to become a little OCD - skipping meals at times in order to allow for binging, not eating the correct kinds of foods and learning little from the process. Obviously, This and a lack of regular excersize are why I gained the weight back. 

Of course, I had known that Weight Watchers was out there the whole time, but didn't really think it would be something I'd do (call it being stubborn). Finally realizing that HELP is what I needed, and determined to lose weight before my milestone birthday on July 1, I signed up for their online tracking program on January 24, and officially started my journey on January 30. 

I won't bore you with details, but I am happy to report that I am close to reaching my first goal (ahead of schedule) and will be need of many new clothes very soon (shopping spree, yay!). The WW program is actually really easy, I'm learning while eating and am enjoying the process as a whole. In fact, I am really excited about some of the foods I'm eating, so I wanted to share one of my latest creations with you. And it's only 5 points per serving!

Ratatouille with Polenta and Goat Cheese

RatatouilleAdapted from Eating Well

Bursting with fresh vegetables, this classic Provencal stew is wonderful with eggs, pasta or grilled fish.
10 servings, generous 3/4 cup each | Active Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ratatouille Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 red and/or yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 medium eggplant, diced
• 2 large zucchini, diced
• 28oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Ratatouille Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and bell peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl.
3. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until browned in places, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables.
4. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until browned in places, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, thyme and the reserved vegetables and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
5. Bake the ratatouille, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Nutrition facts per 3/4 Cup serving : 88 Calories; 3 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 13 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 29 mg Sodium; 472 mg Potassium (Points Plus Value of 2)

Creamy PolentaAdapted from Eating Well

This easy polenta takes only a few minutes of stirring before it's left to cook on its own to creamy perfection. 

8 servings, about 1/2 cup each | Active Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Polenta Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups cornmeal
• 6 cups cold water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Polenta Preparation

1. Combine cornmeal, water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and very creamy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition facts per 1/2 Cup serving : 74 Calories; 1 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 303 mg Sodium; 60 mg Potassium (Points Plus Value of 2)

Final Touches

To finish off the dish, place the polenta in a shallow dish and spoon over the ratatouille. Top with a tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy! 

Excuse some of the formatting by the way. I am still working with this wacky editor :o) 

Finding Direction.

It's been QUITE some time since I've updated this space. I think it needs an overhaul but the new name and slightly altered look will do for now. :) 

In light of some recent events,  I've realized that while having a plethora of ideas and interests are great, I might just need to take a step back to make sense of it all. I've found myself a few short months away from turning 30, asking the questions:

What do I need to change?
What's next?

And while I feel like I may have found the direction, my question has now become -
How do I get there? In the past, this would have stopped me dead in my tracks. But something feels different. Like something might really work this time around.

So, going forward, I plan to use this blog to share my love for the F's (Fetes, Food and Fashion, of course)- and hope that it will allow me to funnel my creativity into something more (a live version of working out the kinks, I guess). That said, I think this puts it perfectly -

I certainly plan on it!

Source: eisymorgan.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

Loving Fall.

It's finally fall here in Chicago and I am just eating up this weather. The crisp air, the dozens of festivals featuring apples, pumpkins and all sorts of squash - it really is my favorite time of year!

I have a big weekend of 'festing' in front of me and in anticipation, was inspired to break out some fall ingredients ;o)

• Pumpkin puree (a well-stocked and cherished item in my house - you should have seen me hoarding it when they announced that there was a pumpkin shortage last year!)


• A recently purchased butternut squash

A couple of Google searches and mouse clicks later, I had two recipes to work with and was ready to get cooking.

The first recipe I hunted down was for Butternut Squash Soup. I love a good squash soup, it's hearty without being too heavy and is sweet without being too sweet. This recipe I found (courtesy of Elli Krieger and Food Network) adds an Indian twist with curry powder. I also added some extra heat since I like things spicy. But, as with most recipes, you can adjust it to your liking as long as you pay attention to the basics.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Click to see the original recipe)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
4-5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
4 dashes smoked chipotle hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons plain low-fat yogurt, for garnish

Directions
Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder, hot sauce and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat stir in honey and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle into serving bowls and add a dollop of yogurt.

I brought some of the leftover soup for lunch today and let me tell you, it only gets better with time!

For the next recipe, I have to admit that I'm not much of a baker, nor do I ever have all of the items needed for baked goods (outside of dry ingredients) in my house. But Mrs. Ina Garten inspired me with her maple scones, so I took stock of what I had, and with a few tweaks, ended up with a yummy pumpkin vegan version! Well, almost vegan - I didn't have enough 'faux' margarine so I used half Earth Balance and half I Can't Believe it's Not Butter.

Vegan Pumpkin Scones (recipe adapted from About.com)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (I used 3 cups AP and 1/2 cup Brown Rice flour, but you can stick with AP for all of it or sub in Wheat if you prefer)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan margarine
2 cups (roughly one 15 oz. can) pureed pumpkin

Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger) and give them a whisk to incorporate. Cut in vegan margarine, adding a bit at a time until the margarine and dry items form pea-sized kernels within the mixture. Add pumpkin and combine well.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times and roll, pushing it into a large circle that's about 1.5 to 2 inches thick.

Then, cut the dough into even, triangular slices (should yield about 15 or so) and place scones on a non-stick or non-stick sprayed baking sheet.

For an extra garnish and sweetness, mix another TBSP of sugar and a tsp of cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle on to scones before placing in the oven.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Be warned that these do turn out softer than the usual scone, but they are delicious treat and will fill your house with the aroma of pumpkin and spice - one of my favorite fragrances of all time!

Cheers to Fall!

Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing.

I recently made this recipe during a Bachelorette Party weekend BBQ and everyone has been asking me for the recipe! So, here it is - Quinoa Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil dressing. So easy, so yummy and good for you!

(Serves 4) – This is the typical recipe I adapted for the salad, but the great thing is that you can add in or take away ingredients depending on your preferences. For example, a friend of mine used feta and added grilled chicken for her and her fiance, and I’ve used green beans in place of chickpeas since I had them on hand.

Salad
1 cup Quinoa (prepared to package directions and cooled)
½ 8oz. container of Grape Tomatoes
¼ C Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
½ a small log of Goat Cheese, crumbled
¼ C Cucumber, seeded and diced
½ C Pitted Kalamata Olives
½ 15 oz. Can of Chickpeas (AKA Garbanzo Beans)
Salt and Pepper

Dressing
Juice of a fresh lemon – should yield about ¼ a Cup
1 Tsp Lemon Zest
¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Prepare Quinoa according to package directions. To cool, place pot uncovered in fridge for a couple of hours. For a quick cool, place pot uncovered in freezer for 15-20 minutes. Transfer cooled quinoa to a large bowl and add in tomatoes, parsley, chickpeas, goat cheese, cucumber and olives. Toss to combine all ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until dressing emulsifies. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Lastly, this salad only gets better as time goes on, so be sure to make more in order to enjoy the leftovers for lunch or dinner!