Back on Track
I was a Bad Girl last week when it came to Weight-Watchers. I'd like to blame it on the wedding--you don't get out of a Jewish wedding without downing half your weight in food--but truth to tell, it had just as much to do with the Chinese buffet, the airport food, the Philly cheesesteak, the waffles for breakfast, and the dim sum brunch. I was just not paying attention to portion sizes, and paid the price. :P
I've been better this week, though! And to prove it, here's what I've been cooking:
Apple-Crusted Pork with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
1 pound lean pork loin
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
3 small sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium apple(s), McIntosh, cored and diced
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
Season pork all over with salt and black pepper. Place pork in prepared pan and arrange sweet potatoes and apples alongside. Spray apples and sweet potatoes with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine applesauce, vinegar, mustard and cumin; pour over pork.
Roast pork until cooked through (or a thermometer inserted in center reads 160ºF) and sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Let pork stand 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin slices. Serve pork with apples and sweet potatoes on the side. Yields about 3 ounces of pork and 1 cup of vegetable-fruit mixture.
Makes four servings, 5 pts per serving.
The meat came out delicious, but it took forever to get the sweet potatoes cooked to an edible texture. I baked the whole thing for an hour, then took the meat out so it wouldn't end up cured, and baked the potatoes another 20 minutes, and even then, some of them were still a bit firm. Next time, pre-bake the potatoes!
Cajun Chicken Strips
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 tsp canola oil
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1 tsp minced garlic
Mix Cajun seasoning and canola oil; set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into strips. Sprinkle with salt and paprika.
Spray skillet with cooking spray. Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until cooked through (about 5 min). Add garlic and continue cooking another minute.
Turn off heat and add margarine and oil/seasoning mixture. Stir til margarine melts and meat is coated.
Makes four servings, 4 pts per serving.
This was fantastic, and not too spicy, as I'd feared. I just ate it as is, but you could put it on tortillas with some veggies and make fajitas.
I've been better this week, though! And to prove it, here's what I've been cooking:
Apple-Crusted Pork with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
1 pound lean pork loin
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
3 small sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium apple(s), McIntosh, cored and diced
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.
Season pork all over with salt and black pepper. Place pork in prepared pan and arrange sweet potatoes and apples alongside. Spray apples and sweet potatoes with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine applesauce, vinegar, mustard and cumin; pour over pork.
Roast pork until cooked through (or a thermometer inserted in center reads 160ºF) and sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Let pork stand 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin slices. Serve pork with apples and sweet potatoes on the side. Yields about 3 ounces of pork and 1 cup of vegetable-fruit mixture.
Makes four servings, 5 pts per serving.
The meat came out delicious, but it took forever to get the sweet potatoes cooked to an edible texture. I baked the whole thing for an hour, then took the meat out so it wouldn't end up cured, and baked the potatoes another 20 minutes, and even then, some of them were still a bit firm. Next time, pre-bake the potatoes!
Cajun Chicken Strips
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 tsp canola oil
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1 tsp minced garlic
Mix Cajun seasoning and canola oil; set aside.
Cut chicken breasts into strips. Sprinkle with salt and paprika.
Spray skillet with cooking spray. Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until cooked through (about 5 min). Add garlic and continue cooking another minute.
Turn off heat and add margarine and oil/seasoning mixture. Stir til margarine melts and meat is coated.
Makes four servings, 4 pts per serving.
This was fantastic, and not too spicy, as I'd feared. I just ate it as is, but you could put it on tortillas with some veggies and make fajitas.