Quick and Dirty “Quesadillas”

I’m not sure if this is technically a quesadilla, but it is great whatever it is. This is a great dinner idea for when you’re in a rush and don’t have a lot of time to put dinner together. That is, this is quick if you have two large pans so that you can cook both of these “quesadillas” at the same time.

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 2 Ezekiel tortillas (typically found in the frozen section of your grocery store)
• 1 cup black beans
• 1/4 avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella
• 2 to 4 oz. turkey breast lunch meat (I’m not a big meat eater, so I just use one slice in each quesadilla… give the lunch meat a try! It’s good).
• ½ bell pepper (chopped)
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (for a dipping sauce)
• Red chili pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Set both skillets onto large burners and turn the heat to low.
• Spray each skillet with nonstick spray.
• Place a frozen tortilla in each pan.
• Tear the lunch meat up a little so that it can be evenly distributed over the surface of each tortilla.
• Spread ½ cup of black beans into an even layer on each tortilla.
• Chop a green bell pepper and then place ¼ cup of bell pepper in an even layer on each tortilla.
• Chop the avocado and then place half in an even layer on each tortilla.
• Chop the cherry tomatoes and then place half in an even layer on each tortilla.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese onto each tortilla.
• Add seasons as desired
• Use a spatula to help you flip half of the tortilla over.
• Serve with Greek yogurt as an optional dipping sauce.

Nutrition:

This graphic is a screen capture of this meal in my My Fitness Pal food log. All of the nutrients are based on one serving, which is half of this recipe.

Curry

This was my first attempt at making one of my most beloved meals, curry. I love any kind of curry! This recipe uses chicken, but you could leave that out and it would still taste great.

Ingredients (for two people):

• 6 oz. /or/ 1-1/3 cup cubed potato (about one medium potato)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast strips (I find that each strip tends to be about 2 oz.)
• 1 bag (16oz) California style frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red chili pepper flakes
• ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat the chicken in a thin layer of filtered water in a large skillet. I used setting 3 on my stovetop, which is a low medium heat. Leave the heat setting at the same temperature throughout the preparation and cooking time.
• While the meat is heating up, chop the potato into small cubes.
• Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Check on them and if they are not yet soft, cook them some more.
• The meat should be thawed out by now, so either take it out of the pan to cut it into small pieces or cut it in the pan. I don’t use a nonstick or cast-iron pan, so I just cut it in the pan.
• Add the coconut milk, yogurt, curry, potatoes, and crushed red chili pepper flakes to the pan.
• Stir everything together until it is well blended.
• If the chicken pieces are white, go ahead and add the frozen veggie mix to the pan.
• Everything should be in the pan now. Stir it around from time to time till the veggies are hot and the sauce thickens a little. This shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Nutrition Information (based on the brands that I bought):

This graphic is a screen capture of this meal in my My Fitness Pal food log. All of the nutrients are based on one serving, which is half of this recipe.

My Plateau Scare

A very scary thing happened last week. My weight loss stalled. I lost and gained back the same .2 pounds daily. This went on for about five days before I told my husband what was going on. We talked about lots of different aspects of what I had been doing over the last week to see if anything was different. The only thing that had changed was that I was working out a little harder during my exercises. I had previously been keeping my heart rate in or below zone three while doing cardio. In the week that my weight loss stalled, I had been staying in zone 4 more and even spending a small amount of time in zone 5.

I had done some research when I started exercising on heart rate zones and what’s best for weight loss, but I guess I went away from that over time. From what I read online, the top of zone three is a great place to be at for both weight loss and health. I think the main reason that I started to push myself more during cardio was because I wanted to eat more. I knew that if I pushed myself harder I would burn more calories and thus have more calories that I could consume that day. However, through the complicated way that bodies burn calories through exercise, that didn’t work out so great for me.

I’m so glad that my husband suggested that I actually reduce the heart rate zone that I stay in while exercising. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical that his advice would work, but it did! Two days ago I started keeping my heart rate at the top of zone three again, and presto! I’m losing weight again! Now, if I want to eat more I work out for longer, not harder.

* Check with your doctor before changing your diet. What works for me may not work for you.