Zucchini Ribbons (Yet Another Pasta Substitute)

Zucchini Ribbons
(a pasta substitute?)

I love Farmers' Markets.  The vegetables and fruits are delicious.  I love the colors of food..  I love the people just coasting by.  As I was skipping down the street at the Farmer's Market this afternoon (okay, not skipping, probably just walking), a table full of zucchinis caught my eye.  I was reminded of the pasta substitute I've been reading on the boards lately.  So I decided to buy some.

When I got home, I was disappointed to find that two of the zucchinis I brought home were not good so it's probably best to talk first about how to pick the best zucchini.  First of all, bigger is not always better.  Pick a zucchini that is bright green in color, firm and wrinkle-free.  Once you have that down, you can't go wrong.  You can eat it raw and it will still be delicious.

Like I said before, I stole borrowed this recipe from a Medifast Official Site discussion board post.  So, if you want to see the original, just search for Zucchini Ribbons in the discussion boards.  I can't give you a link because you need to be logged in to see it.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe

4 medium sized zucchini or however many to peel 1 cup full (peeled)
1/4 cup chicken broth

1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese (or 2 tbsp Cream Cheese)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Create ribbons by running a peeler from end to end of zucchini.  Keep peeling until you see the seeds.  Do not include seeds.
2. In a medium-high skillet, pour the chicken broth and boil.
3. Once boiling (once hot), add the zucchini ribbons.  Allow to cook until soft.  About 3 minutes
4. Add cheese and mix until melted into the zucchini
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Serve.

Zucchini Ribbons topped with tomato and MorningStar Farms Sausage Patties

Nutrition Facts do not include MorningStar Farms
Sausage which is 160 calories

Baked Eggs with Spinach

Baked Eggs and Spinach

This weekend was my wonderful husband's birthday.  To celebrate, I ordered some picnic food and and rented a boat down at Newport Beach.  We invited his parents and siblings and their children.  I prepared quite a lot of food.  I brought some Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Egg rolls, Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches), Noodles with seafood, some snacks for the kids and fruits.  Yep!  Silly me.  I brought non-Medifast-Friendly foods.  To add insult to the injury, I was so busy that morning, I forgot to pack myself food.  Oh and did I mention, I brought chocolate cupcakes as well?

We got on the boat with only 100 calories of cappuccino in me that morning and it was already 12 noon.  I was hungry. You know where this is going, right?  My best efforts at trying to to pick the shrimps and pork off the spring rolls were in vain.  I finally succumbed to the temptation and ate two egg rolls.  Wait.  It didn't end there.  I also had myself some watermelon and noodles.  Oh, the shame!  It was my first non-OP day since I started this program so I figured it'll be okay.  I'm 2.5 lbs away from goal so I thought it would be okay.  I'll just skip some of the Medifast meals.  I thought it would be okay.

For dinner, we had so much left over that I decided to take all the meat out of the food and make myself another small Lean and Green.  I hate to see food go to waste.  I thought it would be okay.

The next day, I weighed myself and I gained 2.2 lbs! What?!?! Really?  Now, I'm racking my brain trying to figure this out.  I didn't eat much, I thought.  Is it the lack of water?  Is it the lack of vegetables?  Is it the two diet cokes?  Is the sugar in the watermelon?  What happened????  My first infraction and I paid dearly since it took me 10 days to lose those 2.2 lbs.

Long story aside, this morning, I wanted to eat my Lean and Green for breakfast so I would have the whole day to burn it.  I prepared myself a classic French breakfast of baked eggs with spinach.  I would recommend possibly adding some tomatoes for an extra serving of vegetable but that's your call.  I didn't add it because I always like eating my tomato serving with my soup which I planned to eat this afternoon.

When you make this, don't be fooled by the orange color of the egg, it's actually well cooked.  If you're in doubt, poke it with a fork to see if your eggs run.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
PAM Cooking Spray
2 cups Spinach1 tsp Unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper2 tsp half and half

Serves 2

1. Boil water  over high heat.  Drop in spinach until it's bright green.  About 2 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water to stop cooking. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (use toaster oven if available)
3. Spray ramekins with PAM Cooking Spray
4. Fix a bed of spinach on the ramekins.  Add 1 tsp of unsalted butter.
5. Add 2 eggs on top.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle Add 2 tsp of half and half
8. Bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes.

Morning Star Sausage Patties

I decided to try the MorningStar Sausage Patties that I hear so much about.  I decided 2 patties are enough for one meal tonight.  That would be 160 calories with 6g of carbohydrates.

What beautiful packaging!  I was immediately caught by the delicious looking patties with promises of tasting just like its meat counterpart without all the fat that sausage brings (although, I must admit that I used to think that the fat and sodium was what made sausages good)

Opening it, I was already disappointed.  They were packaged in twos and they looked like cardboard.  They looked nothing like the scrumptious sausage that tickled my fancy.

Regardless, I don't like wasting food and thus, a decision has been made that this will be consumed tonight!

I was in a hurry so I whipped myself a small plate of arugula, spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes to eat with my microwaved sausage patties. 

I have to say.  It wasn't half bad.  It didn't have the texture of sausage.  In fact, it didn't even have the taste you would expect.  But if you let go of your expectations, it's not bad.  It has a "goodness" all of its own and it does deserve to have a home in my freezer.