A Dish Popeye Would Love

Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach Sauce

8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
2 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic gloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 1/4 cups fat-free ricotta cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting the salt if desired; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the spaghetti to a large bowl and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 6-8 minutes. Add the spinach, in batches, if necessary and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach mixture and the ricotta to the spaghetti, toss to coat, adding the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to make a creamy sauce.

Per Serving Nutritional Info: (1 3/4 cups) 321 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 13 mg chol, 468 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 16 g protein, 200 mg calcium.

*instead of the baby spinach, you can use an equal amount of regular spinach. Remove the tough stems and coarsely chop before adding it to the skillet. You can also add mushrooms, or other vegetables according to taste.

The Food Critic*

This post is all about the food, glorious food! If there is one thing that I have learned in the past year, is that food is more important than anything when it comes to loosing weight. And I am not talking about dieting and missing meals. I am talking about choices. The difference between eating one dish and another will be the difference between fulfilling, satisfying meals AND weight loss or deprivation and eventual binging. Here are two examples:

Meal #1:

• 2 slices of white toast w/no butter or

• 1 egg +1 egg white omelet with 1/2 cup mushrooms, a slice of fat-free cheese and a 1 1/2 cups of strawberries

Which sounds better to you? And which do you think will keep you full longer and provide better nutrients? In fact, these two meal choices are similar when it comes to calories and fat. Shocked? Add the protein and fiber that is packed into the second choice and it is obvious which one is the winner.

Meal #2:

• PB&J sandwich on reduced-calorie white bread w/1 tbsp peanut butter & 1 tbsp jelly and 14 potato chips or
• 1 cup black bean soup, 1/2 cup whole wheat spiral pasta with grape tomatoes and 10 small black olives. 1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, basil leaves, and olive oil to top the pasta AND 1 cup grapes on the side.
  

Once again each choice option provides the similar amounts of fat and calories, but the second option is packed with protein and fiber leaving you feeling fuller longer and healthier. And not to mention making you feel a little more grown up than the PB&J.

So if you are completely intrigued, let me leave you with "10 Super Foods" that are considered nutritional all-stars that you should include in your diet to help you shed those pounds and bridge you from one meal to the next.

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Whole-grain breads
3. Broccoli
4. Strawberries
5. Beans
6. Cantaloupe
7. Spinach & Kale
8. Oranges
9. Oatmeal
10. 1% or Skim Milk

Adjusting to a new diet is hard work, keep trying and you will find some new favorites will emerge in your "must-haves". And BTW, the recipes features in earlier posts are fantastic! Thanks for sharing them Dallin!

Happy Eating!

*Food information provided by Weight Watcher's Momentum Plan

Praline Chicken
*Preparation Time: 15 minutes, serves 6, Serving size: 1/2 breast*

-6 chicken breasts, skinned and boneless
-2 tsp salt and pepper combined
-1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-1/3 cup water
-1/3 cup chopped pecans

*Season the chicken with the salt and pepper combination. Heat the oil in a hot skillet. Brown the chicken on both sides until done. Remove from heat and place on platter. Pour the syrup and brown sugar into the skillet with drippings. Mix well. Add water and pecans, and stir until heated. Let sauce reduce untl thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve hot

I liked this recipe, it is sweet but goes well with rice or whatever else you might like to serve it with. Hopefully this will give you a different idea but I imagine that most of you have so many recipes that this would just be another one you won't have time to try.

Nutrition:
Calories 254
Total Fat 11 g
Cholesterol 66 mg
Sodium 254 mg
Carbohydrates 14 g
Protein 25 g