Oscars

I was so excited for last night! I love the Oscars so much. We were able to watch all movies nominated, but Winter's Bone and The Kids are Alright. I still want to see these two, but we can only fit so many movies into a weekend! I love the dresses, the jewelry, the hosts of the Oscars, the speeches, etc. I'm bummed it's over, but now I can look forward to The Fashion Police on E and US Weekly with all of the best and worst dressed.

I hope you all had a nice weekend! Mine was extremely relaxing and lazy. It was kinda perfect. On Friday, we made some dinner and watched The Fighter. What a badass movie! I had to cover my eyes a few times during the bloody scenes, but the acting was ridiculously amazing! For dinner, Monster and I prepped the following from my fave blog, Iowa Girl Eats.

Whole-Wheat Gnocchi with Sausage & Spinach
Ingredients:
1 package pre-made whole-wheat gnocchi (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup gnocchi cooking water
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, chopped - I used half a white onion instead
3 links sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage, casings removed - I used 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey instead
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water before draining.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until begins to soften, ~3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey and garlic. Break up turkey and sauté until cooked through. Add in baby spinach, toss and continue to cook until spinach is wilted.
3. Add cooked gnocchi into the skillet with the turkey and spinach, top with parmesan cheese, the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and the reserved cooking water. Mix together.

On Saturday, we started the day with Toy Story 3 and then hit the gym. Now this was a cute movie. I got teary at the end (of course.) Those toys seriously went through hell and back to avoid getting eaten alive by the fire!!

After the gym (an hour of cardio and abs) I made a batch of Paula Deen's Monster Cookies. Gosh these were tasty!!! Not very healthy, but mighty yum. Here is the recipe in case you are interested.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, baking soda and oatmeal.
3. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
5. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

On Saturday night, Monster and I had a date in Andersonville. We gave dinner at Kingfisher a 3 out of 10. The service was awful, food was eh and it was just a bad experience. It's nice that it is BYOB, but don't waste your time. After dinner, we walked to a bar down the road for some beer and dessert which was tasty.

Now yesterday I was a complete bum. At about noon I decided it was time to get outside and run some errands. But before we ran errands, Potbelly was calling our names! Gosh I love this place. Unfortunately I asked for extra hot peppers and my mouth was on fire for an hour after eating my skinny turkey on wheat sammy.

I wanted to make a soup that I could put in the fridge and bring to work with me for the week. I decided to try a low fat Baked Potato Soup recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes blog (http://www.skinnytaste.com/). The soup wasn't bad, but I think I may add some turkey bacon to it the next time I make it. Also, I love that it isn't 100%potato based, it's more of a cauliflower puree which is a yumo alternative. Here is the recipe:

Baked Potato Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 207.6 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Protein: 11.9 g
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup light sour cream
10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 tbsp chopped chives, divided
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Directions:
1. Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.
2. Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot.
3. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
4.Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon

So much cooking!!!

After a two hour nap, I started dinner which was Chicken Enchiladas. I served these with Mexican Rice for him and spinach with grilled onions for me :). I loved this dish!!!

Ingredients:
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Picante Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Directions
1.Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder.
2.Mix 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese.
3.Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until hot. Top with tomato and onion.

These weren't your typical enchiladas. They were more creamy, but I loved them!!! I may need to make this a staple dish at home.

So I skipped the work out this am, but I plan on heading home to do the Jillian Michaels 30 min Shread. Monday mornings are rough to get up even when you have a lazy weekend. Atleast I made it to the gym on Saturday. I will also be heading to the gym the next few mornings.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and a few of the recipes!!

Have a great week!
Peri