Happy Tuesday all! It is days like today where I decide to get a little adventurous in the kitchen that make me appreciate the Mega Veggie Challenge I have going on for September. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE vegetables, but, when you are eating close to 5+ cups a day, it can get a little tough to figure out different ways to have them and to not feel like you are going to to into a cucumber or tomato or piece of broccoli.
Today I managed to enjoy all my veggies and actually wanted to go back for more!
Breakfast was “ham & eggs” whipped up quickly in the microwave with some zucchini and tomato (2 pts)
Plus a grande iced decaf nonfat latte (2 pts)
Mid morning Cheese (1 pt)
I actually made myself get up a little earlier so I could have time to whip up my Chef Salad and take a proper photo.
*Romaine
* Cherry Tomatoes
* Bell Pepper
* Cucumber
* 1/8 AVOCADO
* A few chickpeas that I put on after 😀
* 1 slice Low-Fat Swiss
* 2 oz Smoked Turkey
Topped with Newman’s Light Lime Vinaigrette (7 pts)
Dessert ~ Jello and homemade whipped cream (2 pts)
I was hungry an hour after I ate lunch, but, I held out for 3 hours before crunching on 30 pistachios. Pistachio’s are one of my favorite nuts to eat because you get to “crack” them open making them seem like more, but, also because they are just plain good (3 pts).
But, I was STILL hungry after 20 minutes so I had part 2 of my snack ~ Celery sticks with a Sun Dried Tomato Basil Laughing Cow Wedge (1 pt). This is by far my favorite new flavor – it makes me think of pizza.
As I was crunching away, I got to thinking about my Sobe Lifewater.
Notice how they claim that there are ZERO Calories…..
Yet, 6 grams of Carbohydrates per serving.
4 calories x 6 grams x 2.5 servings = this bottle could potentially hold 60 CALORIES!
Is this really 0 calories?
Erythritol is their natural sweetener and the Black Carrot Juice I would imagine are what is adding the carbs….everything else is a vitamin for the most part.
JUST CURIOUS…DO ANY OF YOU KNOW? Inquiring minds like me wanna know 🙂
Thought provoking, huh? LOL….Yup, these are the things that fill my brain up throughout the day 😉
Moving on…..Dinner was easy to make and pretty darn awesome!
Creamy Cremini Mushroom Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
4 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 green onions, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Wedges
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat 2 teaspoon EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with sea salt and black pepper. “Fry” in the oil until lightly browned on each side, about 5 minutes each. Remove to a plate, keep warm.
2. Add remaining teaspoon EVOO to pan along with the mushrooms, green onions and garlic. Cook until mushrooms soften, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth, Laughing Cow and Italian seasoning, cooking until the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
5. Return chicken to pan, cover and cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes longer. Enjoy!
Makes 4 servings, 5 points each
I really wanted to have some “potatoes” with my chicken, but, I wanted to stay true to my 2 cups of vegetables with dinner goal.
Enter…….Jicama “Hash Browns”! TJ, I am pretty sure you are going to make these soon 😀
Can I just say that the result was just short of AMAZING! The Husband even liked them and asked for mine over the potato hash browns I made him 😀
Jicama “Hash Browns”!!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 small sweet onion, red, Walla Walla, or Vidalia, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 medium sized jicama, peeled & shredded on the Large side of the grater (about 12 oz)
1/4 cup water
Garlic Salt & Black Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat EVOO in a large NONSTICK skillet over medium high heat. Add bell pepper and onion, cooking until softened, about 6-7 minutes.
2. Add jicama and water, cooking down until all the water is evaporated and the “hash browns” begin to brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Makes 4 servings. 1/2 cup each, 1 point each
I balanced out my mushroom chicken & hashbrowns with a little green goodness ~ Steamed Broccollini with a little ICBINB Spray (0 pts)
MMMM, I so WISH we had leftovers!
While dinner was cooking, I also whipped up this fun Yogurt Topper ~ Recipe coming soon!
The end 🙂
Danica, I’m in love with that chicken!!! I have all the ingredients on hand; I think I will try to make it tonight!!!
I wonder about things like that, too, sometimes. My guess is that it’s not really calorie-free. I believe companies are allowed to post “0 calories” if a serving is less than 5 calories.
ok ok…first- I love using Laughing COw wedges as a “cream sauce” No one knows how it’s made! 🙂
Now….I LOVE THAT JICAMA “HASH BORWN” IDEA!!! I am most certainly going to be making that REAL soon! 🙂 YUM!
Thank you thank you thank you! 🙂
Oh MY! That jicama hash brown recipe looks like a must-try. : ) Conveniently, I have oodles of sweet onions in this week’s CSA box. Now I just have to add *jicama* to the grocery list.
What a great idea with the jicama! Would have never thought to make them into hash brown.
I’m so happy you noticed that about the carbs vs calories on the Sobe water. I’ve wondered that myself! Vitamin water 10 is the same way. As is the new regular Sobes. I THINK they’re claiming that the sweetener Erythritol has carbs that don’t have calories. Which is weird to me. As a nutrition major, i”m led to believe carbs = 4 calories per gram. I’m not quite sure about it all though!
i LOVE jicama and actually forgot about it! i have only eaten it in sticks and cubes, never as “hash browns”~ looks like a great use of the jicama. that calorie thing does NOT add up.. what gives?
Pizza-inspired LC? I must find this flavor!!
Looks wonderful. My new favorite LC is the Chipotle.
Have made the jicama hashbrowns before-quite satisfying; I like them with “fried” eggs and sugar free ketchup.
Have to admit-first time I went to buy jicama I had to ask the grocer as I didn’t even know what it looked like!
OMG, your dinner looks AMAZING!!! Must make this next week!
PS, why is “ham & eggs” in quotes? Is there something secret about the ham & eggs?
Dinner looks delicious. Love the looks of your creamy mushroom chicken and broccolini. Any thoughts about why you were hungry just an hour after lunch? I love exploring how I feel immediately after eating various foods and then 2-3-4 hours later. Yesterday I had a delicious veggie quiche and mixed green salad for lunch that left me satisfied for hours and hours. I love when that happens 🙂
Two recipes tried in one day – made the jicama hash browns today and earlier tried the mock french toast. I would have tried that granola too if my oven wasn’t broken. Those hash browns were absolutely delicious! I could have eaten the whole pan. 🙂
Hi Christine!
OMG, I LOVE it! So glad you tried not one, but, two of my recipes and they turned out delicious 😀 Thanks for letting me know what you think. I am with you on those Jicama Hash Browns – I could easily eat the entire pan and be happy – who knew eating vegetables could be so good!
Have a great day,
Danica
Hi Martha,
You know, I am the SAME way always trying to figure out what foods really “stick” with me and what ones do not. I think on this day I was honestly just having a hungry day so it may not have been my lunch. I think on days like that it is one of two things.
1. How I ate the day before or if I went to bed hungry, can make me hungrier the next day.
2. I am the MOST hungry all day in the morning so if my breakfast didn’t satisfy me or if I skipped my mid-morning snack, it can tend to make me hungrier in the day.
I usually try to spare everyone my ramblings on hunger, but, I am always thinking “behind the scenes” 😀
Thanks for asking – have a great day!
Danica
Hi Charity,
Dinner was AMAZING! I can totally see this going into the weekly rotation.
Oh, no reason for the “ham & eggs”, just more that I made them into a scrambled veggie mess versus the pretty slab of ham and 2 eggs 🙂
Danica
I have never had jicama before – what does it taste like?? I have tried parsnip and turnip “fries” instead of potatoes but just haven’t really been impressed so far.
you are the diet recipe goddess!!
HI Liz,
I think that Jicama is alot better than parsnips and turnips. It is crunchy like water chestnuts, but, super juicy and sweet. Before making hashbrowns I had only had it in salads like you would carrots. It looks really funky (like a root), but, one you peel it, it looks like a potato 🙂 Jay says it has no flavor and he didn’t like it raw, but, he liked the “hashbrowns”.
You should try it – you may find you like it. You can do it!
Danica
Danica thank you SO MUCH for the hashbrown recipe. It stole my heart haha. But really, it was sooo awesome!! I’ve been telling everyone I know about it and am just posting about it now!! xx
i clicked on vegan recipes and found this one . : ( .. will try the jicama fries tho
Love love love this “marsala” recipe. I did cheat and add 1/4 cup of white wine with the chicken stock just to give it a little extra…oomph, and it was really great. This one is going in our family recipe rotation for sure! Thanks for the clever idea with the cheese wedge. Gonna have to try that again with something else.