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Friday, June 3, 2011

Ummm....where's Malaysia???

So it's Friday (ugh, it's really hard to even think those words without hearing that annoying Rebecca Black song in my head), that means it's weigh-in day and unfortunately after 2 awesome weeks of losing 3.5 and 4 lbs respectively this week I did not lose.  Boo.  Oh well I am still so happy to have lost 19 lbs.  There was that wonderful Memorial Day barbecue after all and I indulged in making a high point Italian meal this week which would've been fine once but then we had leftovers to contend with so there was that.  Back on the horse, making better decisions this week and planning on ramping up the exercise and using the Elliptical at work. 

Tonight's dinner was scrumptious and Malaysian, Oooooo, how fancy does that sound? Here's me to my husband, the geography teacher: "Where the heck is Malaysia?" "Why?" "Cause apparently we are eating Malaysian food right now but it had a lot of similar ingredients to Thai food so I was just wondering if it's close to Thailand." "Well it's about 850 miles from Thailand." "Ugh, why can't you just tell me, I don't want to hear about mileage, is there more then one country in between." "Well, there is a body of water in between them called the Gulf of Thailand." Sigh. "OK, well we are having Malaysian tonight." Really I was just looking for, "Yeah they are really close" I mean I am NOT a geography person so really being on the same continent is close in my definition but I should have known better than to expect that kind of answer from my hubby.  So anyways this is another recipe from Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism Cookbook.  Now dear Miss Jillian does many things right in my book but a couple of things, ummmm...not so right.  One thing I don't like is there are no pictures in her cookbook.  Which I am sure was an attempt to save money however the book was hardcover and $26 retail sooooo I want some pictures! Oh well, you'll have to settle for mine.  Also some of the ingredients in her book are outlandish. Maybe on a celebrity trainers budget in California where everything is ALWAYS in season but not for me.  There were multiple substitutions I made in tonight's recipe because I was like "I am not buying that" or just plain I couldn't find it at Meijers which means if I went somewhere where I could find it, it would probably be ridiculously priced. Tasted great and I don't know how far off the original it is but we are all happy here.    I really do love her food though and some of the ingredients that were "weird" to me just last year are becoming kitchen staples as I attempt to eat a more clean, non-processed lifestyle.  One of the other things I like about this book is she tells you based on the ingredients in your recipe what things they do for you metabolically, for instance tonight's dinner is Anti Cancer, Heart Healthy, Boosts Metabolism and is Anti Inflammatory.  Well that just makes you feel really good about your food doesn't it?  Plus it was delicious and my kids LOVED it! And it was super low in points. Really what more could I ask for?  

First I had a fruit salad idea from Jillian but it called for Pomegranates which are not in season here.  So I switched it all around, pulled in a little flavor ideas from the other meal and it was so yummy. Here goes...

Amanda's Coconut Pear Salad

2 medium pears diced
2 medium oranges diced
1/4 cup raspberries
4 Tbsp shredded coconut
4 Tbsp honey
1/8 cup shelled pistachios
4 Tbsp V8 Splash Diet Berry Blend (cause that's what we were drinking for dinner!)
1 Tbsp lime juice
Zest of one lime

Mix and Serve! Divide into 4 giant servings, 5 pts each (You could easily have less for less pts but wait till you see dinner...)

Laksa with Shrimp and Vegetables


Ingredients (including my substitutions)
2 Lemongrass stalks (I couldn't find this at Meijer so I skipped it!)
3 Brazil nuts (What? I used 2 Tbsp dry roasted peanuts)
1 fresh red chile (I used 1/4 of a large red pepper)
3 Tbsp minced ginger
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 medium shallot chopped (I used a 1/4 of a sweet onion)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 box rice noodles (14 oz)
1 Tbsp coconut oil (ummm...no Jillian, I just used olive oil again)
1 can (2 cups) coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (fat free, reduced sodium, organic)
1 pound baby carrots diced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 lb shrimp (precooked tails/shells removed)
2 Tbsp fish sauce (Taste of Thai brand)
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime

Directions:
In a food processor pulse nuts, pepper, lemongrass (if you found it), ginger, garlic, onion, olive oil, turmeric, coriander and pepper. Pulse until a thick paste forms.

Cook noodles according package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan heat coconut oil (or olive!) over low heat and add paste and cook for about 10 min.  Stir in broth and coconut milk and simmer for 5 min.  Add carrots and simmer for 15 min more.  Add shrimp and broccoli and cook for 5 min.   Stir in noodles and cook until warmed through, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in fish sauce and remove from heat. 

To serve, pour soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with bean sprouts, cilantro leaves and lime wedges. 

Now this LARGE recipe I would imagine will make about 12 bowls full.  It was a lot. So guess what, a big bowl full of this stuff.  5 pts! So good.   And it ended up being a little hot for soup today (but maybe that's just because we don't have a.c. like most people!) but my kids went crazy for it.  They ate every drop and were begging for more.  And the fruit salad was a hit with them too.  They love coconut and pistachios (My oldest for some reason doesn't like raspberries so I got hers!)  In the end, my kids are my biggest critics so if they love a meal and it is extremely healthy for them I am doing good.  See how happy they are...

So that's it people two enormous portions each 5 pts, dinner was good and healthy and I am moving toward another great weight loss next week.  (That's the power of positive thinking!) So dig in and try out a little Malaysian food (where ever THAT is), they know their food!

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