Our taco bar included turkey breast, bison, spinach, tomatoes, salsa, cheese and refried beans. We wanted to purchase items that would be used again for other recipes or snacks so that we didn't have useless ingredients in our fridge that went bad. I hate wasting money on groceries that are not multi-purposeful. And tacos are a great way to use extra ingredients that would otherwise be going bad. We had left over bison meat from earlier in the week and before freezing it and forgetting about it, we cooked it up and crumbled it and added some taco seasoning and had a great addition to our taco bar! We used both hard and soft yellow corn tortillas but we both agreed the hard tacos are so much better - a lot messier but the crunch is so much better than the corn tortilla which is small and just as hard to eat.
My total WW Points for having 2 hard shells, 2 soft tortillas and 4 oz. bison, and 1/4 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup taco shredded cheese and all of the vegetables was 14 points.
We did a lot of other cooking this weekend as well. Friday night we used Cappello's gnocchi and made crispy pan seared gnocchi with chicken sausage and spinach! The serving size for the gnocchi is 2 oz. (5 WW Points) but it seemed like such a small amount so I had 2 servings of gnocchi and half a chicken sausage link. The total WW Points was 14. I love making the gnocchi crispy because otherwise the potato is too mushy. Gnocchi cooks fast and pan searing it also gives me more time to prep the sausage and vegetables and warm the gnocchi up in some olive oil. It was a great dinner, and one Ryan and I have made before - Cappello's gnicchi was really fresh and tasted great. This dish is so versatile - you can use any vegetables, different meats (or no meat) and add spices and herbs to keep it fresh. I want to make this next time with bacon! Bacon with any meal is always perfect! I added broccoli to our recipe Friday night to use up the florets that we had left. Feel free to use any vegetables or leafy greens that you like!
Crispy Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Spinach
Servings: 1
Weight Watchers Points: 14
2 Servings (4 oz.) of Cappello's Gnocchi
1/2 link, Applegate Farms Organic Chicken & Apple Sausage, Mild
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 cup spinach
1/3 cup broccoli
1. Boil water in a saucepan - once water is boiling, add Gnocchi and cook following instruction on the box (3-5 minutes). When gnocchi float to the top, they are cooked through! Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a saucepan over medium and add olive oil.
3. Add chicken sausage and cooked gnocchi to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, flipping both the gnocchi and chicken sausage to brown on both sides.
4. Add spinach (and other vegetables) and cook until wilted.
5. Serve and Enjoy!
We spent all weekend working on the apartment - Ryan installed track lighting in the living room with my dad and my mom and I went shopping at Home Goods - we went twice because they had so much great stuff. I hate having "stuff" but we bought some great pieces that make the living room feel warm and inviting and lived in. We need to hang some photos in the living room and bedroom. The place is really coming together nicely and I can't wait for our dining room table to arrive so we can be "done" for awhile with setting up. I just want to live there and enjoy it without thinking about the next project. Haley seems very comfortable in the new apartment. There is so much space for her to run around. She even wore herself out this weekend exploring the new place!
Saturday we were really busy with my parents and went out for a great Italian dinner. It's called Frank's Pizza and the front part is a regular NYC Pizzeria with no frills but if you walk through a back door, it leads to a beautifully small dining room that feels like you are stepping into Italy. It even felt like we were eating in Italy because the meal was long and you got to rest in between each course and the food was delicious. Ryan and I split the hot antipasto to start which had mussles, clams, eggplant and stuffed mushrooms. For dinner I ordered clams and mussels with a red sauce with a side salad instead of having it over pasta. Ryan had shrimp fra diavlo. My mom got eggplant and my dad got the same meal I did, just over pasta. We had tartufo's to finish the meal. Everything was perfect and it was a great way to end a long day.
Sunday we went to Home Depot early to get parts to finish the track lighting. We decided to take citibike there and the bus back! The bike ride was easy early in the morning ebcause there wasn't a lot of traffic. We got there in under 15 minutes! Before we left Ryan had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast and I had an egg white and oatmeal pancake. I love cooking in the new kitchen!
We got back from Home Depot and had a quick lunch before we got started working! We made tuna fish salad with spinach, carrots, celery, avocado and "The Real Deal Veggie Chips" for some added crunch. We used Dijon mustard instead of mayo and I weighed the avocados because even though they are healthy fats, they are also a lot of WW Points. I used 30gm of avocado for only 1 point.
This week is pretty busy and I don't think Ryan and I will have much time for meal prep but I did put a FreshDirect order in for tomorrow so we will have some easy dinners to prepare at home like Salmon, Stewed chicken, fresh produce for salads and juices and sweet potato side dishes. I also got everything to make Chicken Parm! Tomorrow is our anniversary, celebrating 7 years since we met at Clark University. Friday is also Valentine's Day so we decided to make dinner together Friday to celebrate everything. Ryan's favorite meal is chicken parm so we are going to make Baked Chicken Parmesan with gluten free breadcrumbs! I can't believe tomorrow is 7 years that we have been together. We have gone through so much and practically grown up together. I met Ryan when I was 19 - I am now 26! My life has become intertwined with Ryan and I could not be happier to have married my best friend. March 1 is our 1 year wedding anniversary and it seems to have gone by so fast! I can't wait to celebrate many more memories together as a couple and as a family!
This morning I took citibike to Bar Method. I went really slow because the roads were slushy from a brief snow last night. It took me 19:57 minutes! It was cold but I enjoyed the freedom of being on my own time and not relying on a bus or subway. I loved working out before my workout too - my calves and thighs are burning!! Bar Method was great too. Because of the move I have only been 3 times in the last week so I was shaking for the full hour. And my already burning thighs suffered more with waterski seat work! Hopefully now that we are more settled in our new location I will pickup my regular Bar Method schedule (M, W, F, Saturday/Sunday). I still have to think about how to commute there when it rains because I am sure I will not want to bike and get wet on my way there. There is a crosstown bus that I can take, I just have to figure out the schedule that early in the morning!
I had an "Amazing Green Acai Bowl" from Juice Generation for breakfast (I ate it too fast to photograph) and have Juice Generation Coconut Ceviche and Daily Detox juice for lunch. I want to limit my spending on food and meal prep more at home so I ordered some great stuff from Fresh Direct that will come tomorrow morning before work! I love the Acai Bowls and Juice and Raw Food though so maybe only on Bar Method days will I get it since that is 3 times during the work week. It's expensive but it is so delicious, filling and healthy.
I have a focus group tonight after work so I brought a cookies and cream quest bar to snack home before I go home. There is a citibike dock outside of the location I will be at tonight so I plan to bike home!
Have a great day everyone!
XO
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