Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

I was in the mood for a meatless meal so I came up with this recipe for stuffed red peppers.  This recipe has a bit of a kick.  My husband likes a lot of flavor so he thought it could be even spicier, but I thought it was about right.  This recipe yields 6 servings at approximately 255 calories/serving.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 10 oz. cans Rotel, Diced tomatoes with Lime Juice & Cilantro
1 16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup corn, thawed
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat monterey jack cheese (Or try Sargento Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican)
6 red peppers, sliced in half lengthwise
1 1/2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Chop the jalapeno pepper into small pieces. Careful when handling the pepper. Remember to wear gloves. Even hand washing will not remove the potentially irritating juices from your skin. Remove the seeds and veins from the pepper before chopping.





Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic, chopped onions, green peppers, jalepeno pepper and carrots.  Saute several minutes over medium heat until the vegetables have softened. 

Rinse and drain can of black beans.

 

Combine the brown rice, fresh cilantro, spices, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn.

Add 1 1/2 cups water to the bottom of each baking dish used.  Place the lengthwise sliced peppers in the baking dish.  Spoon the rice and bean mixture into each pepper half.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the peppers reach the desired level of tenderness.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Cheddar Skillet Cornbread

I experimented and came up with a recipe for skillet cornbread.  I prefer to use whole wheat flour in recipes whenever possible.  However, I discovered that in this recipe, adding some white flour helped to achieve a lighter texture for the cornbread so that it was not too dense.  On my first attempt I used only whole wheat flour and the result was that the cornbread was a little heavier than I would have liked.  To keep the recipe lowfat, I used fat free cheddar cheese and lowfat buttermilk.  This recipe yields 9 servings of cornbread at approximately 252 calories/serving.

Jalapeno Cheddar Skillet Cornbread

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1 cup corn kernels
1 small red pepper, diced
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Chop the jalapeno pepper into small pieces. Careful when handling the pepper. Remember to wear gloves. Even hand washing will not remove the potentially irritating juices from your skin. Remove the seeds and veins from the pepper before chopping.

Spray a 10" cast iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet and saute the jalapeno peppers over medium heat until softened.  Leave peppers in skillet.

In a seperate bowl whisk together 1/4 cup vegetable oil, the buttermilk, the beaten eggs, honey, cheddar cheese, corn, and diced red pepper. In another bowl combine the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and paprika.  Stir to combine.



Add flour mixture to buttermilk and oil mixture.  Stir to combine.



Pour prepared mixture into skillet with sauteed jalepeno peppers.  Mix together to distribute jalapeno peppers into cornbread.

  

Place in preheated 425 degree oven.  Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cut into wedges.

Enjoy!

Capellini Pomodoro

I was in the mood for a light and healthy pasta dish for dinner.  The sauce for this recipe is made with fresh plum tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil.  I used whole wheat angel hair pasta which contained 24% of the daily value of dietary fiber.  This recipe yields approximately 7 servings at 313 calories/serving.

Capellini Pomodoro

12 oz. package of whole wheat capellini or angel hair pasta
1/4 cup light olive oil
2 cloves garlic
10 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon fresh italian parsley
Pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Boil pasta as the package directs.  Dice fresh plum tomatoes, set aside.

In saucepan saute clove garlic in the olive oil and cook until garlic is tender.  Add plum tomatoes, fresh parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through for about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

When pasta is done cooking, drain.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add tomato mixture.  Add fresh basil and toss with the hot cooked pasta.  Stir gently to combine.

Serve pasta with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.  Recipe yields 7 servings at approximately 313 calories/serving.  Enjoy!

30th Year High School Reunion

I could not find a decent picture from my senior year in high school.  This is the best I could find, although here I was a few years younger (16). This is what I looked like the last time many of my high school friends had seen me.  In this pic I was sporting my classic 1980's Farrah Fawcett inspired feathered hairstyle.  I graduated from Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington, NY in 1983.

This is the first of the reunions I will be attending.  I missed my 10th year reunion because I had been vacationing with my husband in Cancun.  When my 20th year reunion rolled around, I was very busy with my young family and did not want to make the trip from Buffalo, NY to my hometown in Long Island.

I am anxious about attending, after all it has been many years since I have seen many of my friends from high school.  I am relieved that one of my closest friends in my graduating class will be joining me. In recent years I have frequently visited my hometown as my parents are still living in Port.  Although most of my friends have moved on and are no longer living in the area, a few still remain.

30th Year High School Reunion, May, 2013, H on the Harbor, Port Washington, NY.  From left to right, me (on the left) and my friend, Sharyn (on the right).

While it is true that with the advent of social networks such as Facebook, there is not as much mystery and anticipation in advance of the big event.  While this may be true, I am still anxious to reconnect with old friends whom I have not seen in many years.  Although I have made frequent trips to my hometown during the last few years, I have only visited with one of my closest friends who still lives in Port.  Some of my other former classmates are scattered in the Long Island/New York area, while many have relocated to other cities and states.  So this is very exciting, and now just a short 4 weeks away.

So until then I will watch what I eat, exercise like a crazy woman, all in antipication of this once in a lifetime event....

Our family vacation to Orlando, Florida

Our family was long overdue for a vacation.  The last time we visited Orlando was 4 years ago when my husband traveled to the area for business.  Our stay was brief and  that being said, we did not visit many of the sights we would have liked.  The picture below was taken at the Typhoon Lagoon water park.

The beautiful sunny weather was therapeutic.  The most enjoyable part of going to the Disney parks was enjoying long walks outside in the mild and sunny weather.  It is what I look forward to most as winter comes to an end in Buffalo.

The world showcase in Epcot was a highlight of the vacation.  Eleven countries are represented in the showcase. There is a transition from one country to the next one as you make the walk around the lagoon.

The picture below was taken in the United Kingdom English tea garden section.

The fireworks show held nightly in Epcot called IllumiNations is truly spectacular.  If you are planning a visit to Epcot, I would highly recommend it.

I do not tolerate thrill rides because I get motion sickness.  I loved the Animal Kingdom park because there were many activities that I could do with my family. 

I especially enjoyed the Kiliminjaro Safaris attraction which was a ride in an open-air vehicle providing an up close view of exotic animals.

The tour guide pointed out the various animals we encountered and shared interesting information about the wildlife during the ride.

The Festival of the Lion King show was a special treat.  My family and I enjoyed the music and stunts in this live action performance.

I enjoyed walking around the Downtown Disney area and checking out the shops.  My son, a music lover, coaxed us into eating at the House of Blues for dinner during one of the nights of our stay.

We enjoyed watching the musicians perform outdoors during the evenings in the Downtown Disney area.  One night we watched Gerardo Manrique, a talented guitarist perform.  He has recorded for several popular artists including the Miami Sound Machine and John Secada.  My son, a guitarist, was very impressed by his talent.

Packing to return home from our vacation was bittersweet.  We had a wonderful time and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Maybe it's time to start planning our next Florida vacation! I could really see myself feeling right at home if I ever moved here...

Sharing my weight loss and fitness story

The gym at which I have a membership recently asked for volunteers to share their fitness stories. I wanted to share my own personal experience of how becoming more physically active changed my life.  It was cathartic to talk about what led me on this journey and to share my story.  I was a little worried about coming clean, but I think it was the right thing to do.

When I first moved to the Buffalo area I gained a lot of weight after my 3rd child was born.  People often ask how much weight I lost.  To be honest, it is a painful subject for me to talk about.    I did not struggle as much with my weight when I was younger and I think that seasonal depression led to most, if not all, of my weight gain.  I can only hope that something positive might come from sharing my story.  I lost the weight 5 years ago and I will not look back.  It was a tremendous growth experience and continues to shape me as a person.

Here is a sample of several of the questions I was asked as well as my responses.

What inspires you to exercise and why is it so important to you?

Staying active and making exercise a part of my daily routine helps me to deal better with stress and anxiety.  I have much more energy.  Exercising helps me cope with the winter blues.  If I didn’t stay physically active, I would have a more difficult time maintaining a healthy weight. 

Was there a time when you didn’t exercise?

I have always enjoyed exercising.  However, when my children were younger it was more difficult to find the time to take care of myself.  I enjoyed taking long walks outside when I lived in Virginia.  This changed after I moved to Buffalo because I do not enjoy spending time outdoors during the winter months.

What changed that?

I had gained a lot of weight after my youngest child was born.  I didn’t struggle as much with my weight when I was younger so this was a difficult period for me.  I was very depressed and knew that I had to make some drastic lifestyle changes.  I have lost a lot of weight (in the double digits) and I have maintained the weight loss for 5 years.  Exercise helps me to cope emotionally with the long winters.  It was a difficult adjustment for me after moving from a warmer climate.  I am eating a much healthier diet now.   I credit much of my weight loss to giving up eating junk food and replacing white flour with whole wheat in recipes whenever possible.

What benefits do you get from exercise?

There are so many benefits that I get from exercise.  I feel so much stronger than I did when I was out of shape.  Zumba is my favorite workout, after an hour class I walk out transformed. It helps to put a smile on my face.  I am a shy person and what I love about zumba is that it helps me to express myself. I have more confidence and energy, I feel better about myself and how I look. I am a different person than I was just 5 short years ago, happier, healthier, and more content. 

What helps keep you motivated?

I try to focus on a short term goal which helps me to stay motivated.  I have my 30^th year high school reunion in Long Island coming up in May.  I have not seen many friends from my graduating class in years and would like to look my best.  I also write a health and fitness blog on blogger (Loriloves2bfit, Fit and Lovin’ it) where I share healthy recipes, the challenges I have faced with weight loss, healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  It helps to know that there are other people facing the same challenges and it keeps me true to my goal of staying healthy.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

Today is unseasonably cold and windy in Buffalo NY and I am in the mood for some soup. To keep this recipe lowfat, I used 4 ounces of Jarlsberg light swiss cheese. This cheese is very flavorful and each serving (1 ounce) has 70 calories and 4 grams of fat.  Regular swiss cheese has 100 calories per ounce and 8 grams of fat.  More cheese could be used as a garnish if preferred, keeping in mind that this would increase the calories per serving. As prepared, this recipe yields 5 servings of soup at approximately 260 calories each.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

5 onions sliced thin
2 Tablespoons olivio light buttery spread (or similar butter substitute)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (or sugar)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 thin slices whole grain french bread or sliced baguette
5 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg light swiss cheese (more or less to taste)

Combine thinly sliced onions, Olivio buttery spread, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the garlic cloves. Cook onions over medium heat until they are carmelized, this takes about 25-30 minutes. This process takes time, remember to keep stirring the onions to keep them from burning.

When the onions are carmelized, combine the flour with the onions and give them a quick stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and let stand for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, red wine, worcestershire sauce, sugar and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice the french bread (or baguette) in 5 thin slices. Add 1 teaspoon of freshly shredded parmesan cheese on each slice of bread and toast in the oven. Ladle soup into 5 individual serving oven safe bowls or mug. Add a thin slice of bread and top with the freshly grated swiss cheese.

Place the soup bowls under the broiler until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and enjoy!