The Blue-Eyed Momster

Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

2012-07-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

I am still plugging away at the weight-loss-healthier-living lifestyle...that's partially why I haven't been blogging much! I hadn't realized how much time it would take to make all the changes I needed to make. For the last 14 weeks I have been cooking most of my family's food at home and have eliminated fast food almost completely from our diet, except for the occasional pizza! I am down 45 pounds and feel great!

One of my favorite recipes that I've come up with is my Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. It's one I modified after craving my mom's traditional stuffed peppers made with ground beef and rice. Enjoy!

Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 – 8-oz. pkg. mushrooms, sliced very thin
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Salt Free Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 – 15 oz. can Amy’s Organic Low Sodium Chunky Tomato Bisque
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ cup grated Pepper Jack cheese (if desired)
4 large bell peppers (any color), tops removed and seeds cleaned out

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

· Cook ground turkey in sauté pan with onion until no longer pink.

· Add seasonings, garlic & mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes.

· Stir in quinoa and drained tomatoes. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

· Remove from heat and add grated cheese (if desired).

· Fill each bell pepper with ¼ of the mixture and place in a square baking dish.

· Pour the can of tomato bisque over the stuffed peppers.

· Salt and Pepper to taste.

· Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are lightly browned.

· Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Always remember...

2012-04-18T07:20:00.002-04:00

Good advice for the day :-)

2012-04-16T11:03:00.002-04:00

by Liz May

Amazing "Cream" of Mushroom Soup (with NO dairy!)

2012-04-14T10:59:00.003-04:00

I blessed to work for an organization that cares about it's employees and clients enough to have a cafeteria that promotes healthy living and serves great lunches. They make a gravy using a base derived from cauliflower instead of flour and cream that is delicious! I got the recipe from them and modified it to make my own creamy and hearty soup that I find a lifesaver while trying to lose weight. I feel full and it does not make me feel deprived at all because it is so yummy! You can modify the recipe in many ways to accommodate your personal tastes too.

Best of all, it is low calorie and low fat. Enjoy!

My version with mushrooms, mixed veggies, and low-fat spicy chicken sausage!

Amazing "Cream" of Mushroom Soup

1 large head of cauliflower

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tblsp. Olive oil

16 oz. sliced mushrooms (I use cremini but you can use whatever you prefer.)

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

½ tsp thyme

Salt/pepper to taste/Mrs. Dash (any seasonings you prefer)

Optional add-in ideas:

3 low fat chicken or turkey sausages, diced & cooked for a hearty stew

16 oz. bag of frozen mixed veggies

1. Steam cauliflower until very tender. Do NOT drain.

2. Caramelize onions and garlic in olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot.

3. In a blender puree the cauliflower, onions, and garlic using some of the water from cooking the cauliflower so it’s not too thick. Be careful not to use too much water or your soup will be thin. (If you have an immersion blender just make sure to take some of the water out and add it as you go to ensure your soup is not too thin.)

4. After all the cauliflower/onion/garlic are blended and back in the pot (if using a blender) add the qt. of stock. It should be slightly thick and the consistency of cream of mushroom soup. If you’ve added too much water during the blending part and your soup is already this consistency before adding the stock skip it and just add bouillon until you get the flavor you want. (You can also do this if you don't have stock on hand or just want to use boullion, I prefer the taste of stock.)

5. Bring the soup back to a very low boil and add the mushrooms, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper.

6. If you are adding the sausage/meat and/or vegetables add them at this time.

7. Cook covered until the mushrooms are tender. I like to cook it on very low for about an hour so the flavors can blend.

Nutrition Info Divided into approx. 6 servings

Without any add-ins (basic recipe):

Calories 84, Carbs 11, Sugar 4, Fiber 4, Protein 5, Fat 3

Made as shown in photo with added mixed veggies and 3 low fat chicken sausages:

Calories 189, Carbs 21, Sugar 8, Fiber 6, Protein 14, Fat 5

Another variation of this soup is to use broccoli instead of mushrooms and make it "Cream" of Broccoli Soup. You can also leave out the mushrooms and/or broccoli and use the base for your own creation!

Makes about 3 quarts of soup (depends on your ingredients). This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Great work-space lighting for cheap!

2012-04-07T08:49:00.001-04:00

I recently reorganized my art work space in my home, moving everything from my basement studio (too dark for my creative spirit!) to a window wall in my bedroom. The only thing missing was some lighting since I couldn't bring the hanging overhead lighting I was using downstairs to the new space. I searched online for just the right light; I had some pretty specific things I was looking for and was being picky! I wanted something that was adjustable so I could move it around depending on what I was working on and the situation; had to have a low profile and not take up valuable work space; and most importantly it had to provide plenty of nice, bright, clean light without too much heat and shining into my eyes while working.

Well, after a week or so of scouring websites I found what I thought was a nice lamp. I bought an Ott-Lite from my local office supply store and had it delivered. When it arrived I anxiously set it up and turned it on...eh, not so great. Firstly, the lamp was not as described. It was supposed to be adjustable to 28" in height. What they fail to tell you in the description is that full 28" of height means flipping the lamp assembly straight up into the air so the light shines either in your face or towards the wall, not on your work. That did NOT work for me. Secondly, the supposedly wonderful "Ott" bulb did not produce the quality of lighting I had expected for a $60 lamp. Such a disappointment.

So, I packed it all back up to return to the store. Back to the drawing board (literally!) to find the perfect lighting...sigh. It just so happened that I needed to order some art supplies from Blick, one of my favorite online suppliers, and saw a link on their home page for a clamp-on light for $13.75! I took a look at it... hmm, it fit all my requirements AND as a bonus it didn't take a proprietary bulb; I could use an energy saving one with nice, clean, white light and no heat! So, I added it to my order and it came a few days later. I was pleasantly surprised at the sturdiness and decent quality of such a low priced light. It set up quickly and easily, takes up virtually no space on my work space, is highly adjustable, and the lighting is GREAT! Best of all I saved over $45!

You can find it here: Dick Blick Swing Arm Lamp

My Yummy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2012-04-06T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was searching online today for something "Mexican" using corn tortillas since I bought a package and needed to use them a.s.a.p. I couldn't find anything that worked with the ingredients I had on hand, fit my diet, AND could be gluten free for my daughter so I made something up...turned out great! I served it with a small side salad and it came in under 500 calories!

Belinda’s Chicken Enchilada Casserole

As you can see it disappeared quickly!

Ingredients:

5 skinless boneless chicken breasts (frozen or fresh; approx. 5 oz. each)

2 – 15 oz. jars of salsa

1 package taco seasoning mix (or 1 tsp. of cumin and 1/2 tsp. chili powder)

1 cup 2% cottage cheese

2/3 cup light sour cream

2 cups – 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 – 15 oz. can of refried beans (I used organic black beans with roasted red jalapeño)

18 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Put chicken and both jars of salsa in a slow cooker and cover; cook on medium/high for 4 hours.

2. Remove chicken and shred with a fork.

3. Spoon ¼ of the salsa from the slow cooker into the bottom of a 10x13 pan.

4. Put down a layer of the corn tortillas (6 should cover the whole bottom of the pan.)

5. Spread ½ the can of refried beans onto the tortillas.

6. Mix together the cottage cheese and sour cream with the seasoning. Spread ½ the mixture onto the tortillas followed by ½ the shredded chicken, ¼ of the salsa, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

7. Repeat steps 4-6.

8. Place a final layer of tortillas on top and spoon on the rest of the salsa and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

9. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and let sit for approx. 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Nutrition Per Serving: 380 Calories; 33g Carbs; 7g Sugar; 32g Protein; 10g Fat; 4g Fiber

Barlean's Omega Swirl (for BFC)

2012-03-13T11:33:00.000-04:00

Barlean's Omega Swirl Products

In an effort to get more omega oils in my diet I ordered the Blackberry Omega Swirl to add to my cottage cheese in the morning. This stuff is DELICIOUS! Best of all it is approved for the Belly Fat diet I am trying to follow, yay. (I received no compensation for this product, it is my own opinion.)

Some facts from the Barlean's website:

An Excellent Source of Omega-3s – 2,620 Per Serving!
Made with 100% Organic, Cold-Pressed Flax Oil
100% Vegetarian
Delicious, All-Natural Fruit Flavors – Sweetened with Xylitol
Freshest, Best-Tasting and Most Nutritious Naturally!
Available in 8, 12 and 16 oz.

Dr. Oz, you make my head SPIN!

2012-02-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

So, my grandma is in love with Dr. Oz and every time I'd talk to her she'd tell me about things he recommends as if it were gospel, lol. I was interested in some of the things she mentioned so I started dvr'ing his show daily to watch before bed. After a few episodes I began taking notes because there were many suggestions that I thought sounded good.

Well, after 2 weeks of watching I have a notebook full of "suggestions" and my head is spinning from all the information.

And, I have noticed a few things:

I feel like Dr. Oz sometimes contradicts himself.
He has a lot of great suggestions and recommendations but there are SO many and it feels overwhelming! How do you choose which ones to follow?
If I were to follow all his recommendations I'd have no room for food in my diet...I'd be taking supplements all day long! Hmmm....maybe that's the key to weight loss, lol!
And, lastly he often has guests on the show that feature their latest "diet" that contradicts what he just said in an episode earlier that week! How the heck are we supposed to know what to follow?

I am not bashing Dr. Oz, I have gathered a lot of useful information from his show. But, that being said, after a few weeks of watching I feel like it all starts to run together and even becomes redundant. I mean seriously, how many pills can a person take to "speed up your metabolism" or "fight fatigue"?! Oh, and I find it irksome that when I try to find a particular product after it's been featured on his show it is impossible to find because everyone watching it "real-time" (since I dvr it) has bought it all up!

I'd love to hear from anyone who's followed some of his advice regarding the supplements he suggests to see if they really work long term. I'm tempted to try a few but with all the stuff I already take I don't know if I can fit anymore in! Well, maybe one more...

Water Soluble Crayons

2012-02-27T19:08:00.001-05:00

So, today I finally got a chance to try out my new water soluble crayons that I ordered a couple months ago. I did a quick study of my beloved Boo, my mini-schnauzer who passed away last week.


Boo

I think I am in LOVE with these! I was able to do this in under 30 minutes. The crayons give you excellent control over where you want color to go and are extremely easy to use compared to standard watercolors.

You just color on the paper as you would a crayon, using a light hand, and then add water with a paint brush to blend the color. These will be great to use with my students to ease them into using watercolors.

Lovely Thoughts!

2012-02-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

Thought for today...be lovely!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Book Review

2012-01-26T10:56:00.001-05:00

I have been seeing previews on television lately for the movie version of one of my favorite books, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I have mixed feelings about the books I love being made into movies. On one hand it can be interesting to have a visual version of the book and see what they come up with for their interpretation. On the other hand, I've had some of my favorite books "ruined" for me because the movie was so blah and missed the mark in capturing the true feeling of the book experience.

I read this book back in May of 2010 and immediately fell in love with it. Being a person who is "artsy" and having an artist's personality I tend to be attracted to dramatic books/movies and often get a feeling of melancholia from the ones I consider "great". I know, most people wouldn't call a movie or book that makes them sad a favorite, lol. But, I can't help but be moved and have the desire to create art so intensely when I am touched this way. I think it's because it wakes up something in the center of my being that goes to sleep sometimes and it jolts me into realizing how fleeting life really is. Hence, the desire to create I guess.

Sorry for the digression...this was supposed to be a book review! Here is the synopsis from Goodreads (my favorite way to track what I've read and want to read so I don't miss any good reads!)

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

This story had me laughing, crying, and feeling like I was on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Anything that has anything to do with 9/11 is heart-wrenching for most people. Seeing it from the perspective of a young boy and relating to it on a certain level because I am a mother and it invoked that instinct of wanting to protect children from all hurt and harm made this even more gut-wrenching for me. Not too many books cause me to have to take a break from reading because they affect me so intensely I need to savor and dwell on it; this one was one of them. I'd also recommend reading the novel before seeing the movie, just my two cents.

Bridesmaids, my movie review.

2012-01-26T08:35:00.001-05:00


IMDb link

I finally got a chance to watch 'Bridesmaids' over the weekend...HILARIOUS! I could have done without the opening sex scene but have to admit even that was pretty darn funny. I love watching movies but have been finding that many these days fall short of being really entertaining. I tend to favor romantic comedies, especially those that are quirky and this one hit the mark!

I am a fan of Kristin Wig and loved her "Gilly" & "Penelope" characters on SNL. She rocked this role. Here is a plot synopsis from the Bridesmaids website:

Thirty-something Annie (Kristen Wig) has hit a rough patch but finds her life turned completely upside down when she takes on the Maid of Honor role in her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) wedding. In way over her head but determined to succeed, Annie leads a hilarious hodgepodge of bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to the big event.

In my opinion, Melissa McCarthy was the funniest of all the other characters; she plays Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) fiance's sister, Megan. She was brutally honest and her character was totally outrageous! I found my self laughing the hardest at her parts and they are the most memorable for me.

I also really enjoyed the music! I am a fan of funky, non-mainstream, mostly-indie type music (Augustana, Foster the People, the Racontours) and the style they inspire. I found myself wanting to look up the songs from the soundtrack and buy it; only a few movies ever move me to do that ('Once' is my favorite example). Blondie's "Rip Her to Shreds" was PERFECT for this movie and is my current favorite song!

Overall on a scale of 1 - 5 I give Bridesmaids a 4! This one is going on my list of movies I could watch again (and in fact did before I returned the DVD!)

Hungry Girl!

2012-01-25T20:58:00.003-05:00

If you've never heard of the Hungry Girl tv show/website you don't know what you're missing! As someone who is ALWAYS looking for recipes/ideas/tips for eating low cal and yummy foods I immediately fell in love with Hungry Girl. There are always great new things being posted on their Facebook page and right to your inbox if you sign up for the newsletter.

Click the image to go to the HG website

This week's amazing offer is for Hungry Girl Box-O-Goodies BOGO VitaPacks! (I am NOT endorsing this product line, only passing on the deal because I like them too!)

Click on the image to view offer

Order TWO of these 20 treat packs, and one of them will be completely FREE!

EACH pack contains 20 Vita treats:

12 NEW 50-Calorie Fudgy Chocolate mini VitaCakes
6 NEW 100-Calorie Banana Choco Chip VitaTops
2 Special Edition 90-Calorie DeepChocolate VitaHearts
PLUS first 500 orders will get a FREE Vitalicious VitaBox-- The perfect travel companion!

So you'll get 40 Vitas in total when you order 2 packs (remember one will be FREE)! Use coupon code HGBOGO3 and 50% OFF will be applied at checkout*. Buy TWO and pay only $28 for 40 delicious VitaTreats!

*No limit on quantities. Offer expires 1/27/12 at midnight EST.

ModPodge Rocks!

2012-01-25T18:04:00.002-05:00

Absolutely adore this product! I use it in so many projects that I ought to buy stock in the stuff! I will be posting links to many of the art projects that I've found that use ModPodge in upcoming posts.

FREE graphics

2012-01-25T17:50:00.006-05:00

Free is good, right? I am not a scrap-booker but I love to do mixed-media work in my own art projects and with my classes so when I came across this site offering free vintage graphics I was thrilled! There are over 2,500 free images on this site.

Click on the button below:

Some of my favorite graphics from their site:

My first post!

2012-01-25T16:54:00.001-05:00

So, I've been messing around with my blog for a week or so now trying to get it "just right". I did NOT realize how much time and work it would take just to get it up and running! I am pretty new to the whole "blogging" thing and am excited about sharing all the cool things I come across.

Please be patient with me! Over the next few months I will be adding items to each page as I go through all my "stuff" so be sure to check back often or even better - sign up for updates. (I tend to want to put exclamation points at the end of my sentences to convey my excitement but I'll try to refrain from being too enthusiastic and keep them to a minimum :-D)

If you use Facebook, you can find me on there as well by going here

The Blue-Eyed Momster on Facebook

Now...on with the show!