day 6 and 7

I love long weekends :)  There is nothing better than having a weekend with family and friends, well except having an extra day.  For our extra day we went and enjoyed frosty fest at harmony square it was very fun and very very cold.

On Saturday night we were able to enjoy dinner and drinks with friends and what better than sharing my new found love of healthy food. 

Shrimp and Sausage Paella

6 ounces turkey kielbasa cut in slices and in half (I buy all of my turkey products from the guy at the market)

2 peppers (your choice of colour)

1 onion chopped

4 gloves garlic

1 cup reduces sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads crushed (I use tumeric becasuse it is almost the same thing at a fraction of the price)

3/4 cup long grain white rice

1 pound large shrimp peeled

1 15 oz can artichoke hearts drained and quartered  (yum yum)

1/ cup frozen peas

1. Spray pan over med-high heat, add kielbasa and ightly brown about 6 mi.  Add peppers, onion, and garlic, stir often until softened about 5 minutes.

2.  Stir in broth and tumeric bring to a boil and stir in rice.  Reduce heat and simmer covered 15 minutes.  Add shrimp, artichoke hearts and peas, cook covered until shrimp are just opaque about 10 minutes.

Serves 6, 243 cal per 1 1/2 cups, 3 grams fat

All I can say is wow so easy and so good, leftovers are great the next day.  We had dinner with 6 adults and 5 kids, everyone enjoyed it and said they would eat it again.  We also enjoyed desert as well the Cranberry stuffed apples from a few days ago but this time with Mac apples (way better choice than the pink ladies) However this time with the apples I served ice cream few extra calories but well worth it.  Try to serve the apples warm so that it is a contrast with the ice cream.

All in all great night with amazing food, but even better is that Chris, Ali and Quintin got up the next day and made me the weight watchers Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Casserole

6 slices bacon turkey cut into 1/4 inch wide strips  ( this recipe it tasted very much like pork bacon)

1 12 ounce bag frozen hash-browns

1 onion chopped

3 large eggs and 3 egg whites

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (good idea to make this in the same week you make the Raviolli)

2/3 cup shredded reduced fat swiss cheese

3 tablespoons grated parm cheese

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

pinch of cayenne

1.  preheat the oven to 375 use either 3-2 cup oval dishes or 7-11 casserole spray with nonstick spray

2.  in skillet over med heat add bacon and cook until crisp about 4 minutes, add potatoes and onion cook while stiring until potatoes are golden.  Remove skillet and let cool.

3.  Beat eggs add ricotta 1/3 cup of swiss, parm, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne, stir until blended.  stir together and pour into dishes, add cheese to top and bake 20-25 minutes.

serves 6 cal 220 and 9 grams fat

wow wow wow this meal was great |I am not sure if thats because I didnt have to make it or if it is just an amazing meal.  Chris said it was very easy and we enjoyed left overs as well.  This is a great sunday brecky and would be a huge hit if you had guests.

Well now is time to rest and get ready for a new week.