And so begins my first installment of a new series (that will not be regular or trackable): Leftover Revamp. In this post, (and others), I’ll fill you in on how I use our leftovers to their full potential, making equally delicious stuff with them the second time around. With Sticky Chicken, I always make a ton of extra white rice so I can have it on hand for a quick Leftover Revamp later in the week.

This is not so much a recipe as it is a conglomeration of stuff in my fridge. Feel free to substitute wherever you feel necessary.

Fried Rice

Prep time: 0 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ready in: 10 min

Makes: 2 servings

Serving Size: approximately 1 cup

Weight Watchers Points+ per Serving: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups cooked white rice
• ½ cup frozen mixed veggies
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Over medium-high heat, combine soy sauce, oil, and rice in a medium sized frying pan.
2. While rice warms, heat veggies in a small bowl in the microwave for one minute. (I like to cover the veggies with water, but it’s not necessary.) Drain water, if used.
3. Add mushrooms and veggies to rice mixture.
4. Fry until mushrooms are tender and veggies are cooked through.
5. Season with salt/pepper.

Download the .pdf of this recipe here: Fried Rice

This recipe, for example, is from the September 2011 issue. It tastes, no lie, like summertime. If you could take a bite of hot steamy days and that first sunburn, you would be biting this meal. Okay, that’s a little over the top, but it really is flavorful in a way that winter food shouldn’t be. Jalapenos, avocados and tomatoes combine to make a spicy, creamy and summery bite that warms you up from the inside out. It’s perfect for those “boy am I tired of soup” days.

A couple of things I might try differently next time:

• I’d slow-cook the chicken. Sure, using pre-cooked chicken and re-heating it on the stove is good, but omg, can you imagine a nice, spicy slow-cooked chicken that is moist and melts in your mouth? (I love alliterations!) It would be divine.
• I’d sautee some red onions to go on top. They’re zero points, but they boost flavor in a way that is incomparable.
• I’d change the name from tostadas to fajitas and skip pan-frying the tortillas. Why? It used oil, which added points, and they were a bit tricky to eat.
• Shave off Weight Watchers points by: making it a salad and skipping the tortilla, using fat free or reduced fat sour cream.

That being said, we will definitely be making this again!

Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Sauce

Prep time: prepare cooked chicken and mince/cut veggies; 20 min

Cook time: 15 min

Ready in: 35 min (approx)

Makes: 4 tostadas

Serving Size: 1 tostada

Weight Watchers Points+ per Serving: 9

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp chicken broth
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp canola oil
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ½ tbsp canola oil, divided
• 4 (6 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• ½ cup chopped tomato

Directions:

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in the blender (or food processor) and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and put in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ¾ tsp of oil to pan. Cook 1 tortilla for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat procedure with 2 ¼ tsp oil and remaining tortillas. Set aside, layering each tortilla with paper towels to soak up remaining oil. (for example: paper towel, tortilla, paper towel, tortilla… etc.)
3. Add remaining oil to pan. Add garlic and jalapeno; saute 1 ½ minutes. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes.
4. Place 1 tortilla on each of 4 plates; top each tortilla with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and ¼ of the dressing. Serve.

Download the .pdf of this recipe here:  Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Sauce

Why am I complaining about this today? Well, you may have noticed that this is the second breakfasty recipe in a row. That’s because I can’t bring myself to make dinner at 11am when the light is good, so I make breakfast food instead. Make sense?

And plus, they’re good recipes. This one, for example, comes straight off my Bob’s Red Mill bag of wheat bran- original, I know. When I’m dieting, like I am now, I crave carbs. I think it’s because I know I can’t have them. Whatever the reason, I’m currently on the lookout for diet-friendly breads, muffins, cakes, etc. to quell my craving. These muffins, at 4 Weight Watchers Points+ a piece, fit the bill. They give me that sweet, (but not too sweet), bread I am so craving in a properly portioned little package. Aw, thank you, bran muffins! (Also, they’re packed with fiber!)

I changed the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand- so keep in mind the recipe on the Bob’s Red Mill bag might be a little different in points+ values. Mine are 4 a piece.

Bran Muffins

From the Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran bag, with a few changes.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 12 minutes

Ready in: 22 minutes (approx)

Makes: 12 muffins

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Weight Watchers Points+ per Serving: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat bran
• 1 ½ cups white flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ cup 2% milk
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 heaping tbsp applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (f).
2. Stir together the bran, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Blend the milk, honey, oil and applesauce.
4. Combine bran mixture and milk mixture and stir until just moistened.
5. Spoon into a greased muffin pan and bake for 12 minutes or until muffins begin to pull away from the sides of the tin. (Edges should be golden brown.)
6. Allow muffins to cool for 1 minute in pan, then transfer to cooling rack.

Okay, rant over. On to the freaking food, already. Gosh.

I want to tell you something: I have been losing weight. Like, a lot of weight. (35 pounds in 15 weeks, to be exact.) Weight Watchers is saving my life, right now, this second. Pretty cool, right? I think so. Part of the whole losing weight thing is I have to eat healthier, duh. At first, I was worried I’d have to sacrifice all the delicious stuff I’ve got going on her on the blog- the stroganoff, the pancakes, the amazing burgers (like this one and this one and this one!) The cool thing about this particular diet, though? I can eat literally whatever I want, but I have to stay within a certain number of “points”, essentially the same idea as budgeting calories. So from now on, because I’m doing the whole “I want to be skinny forever and this is a life change not a diet” thing, I’ll be posting the WW Points+ values per serving of each recipe I share. Pretty sweet, right? (All points will be calculated using the official Weight Watchers recipe builder, so it should be accurate. Feel free to recalculate if you need to be absolutely sure, of course.)

Onward.

I. Love. Pinterest. (Follow me there: @TheFrugalFlambe) Like, I really love it. Really really. And one of the biggest reasons I love it is for all of the unique and amazingly delicious recipes I’ve found. This recipe is one of those gems. Via Pinterest, I found Alexandra’s Kitchen, another awesome cooking blog. (And it is so cute and chic, you guys. Go there now. Or, you know, after you’re done reading here.) Firstoff, you know I’m a sucker for food photography, (excuse the photo in this post- I’ve yet to figure out how to get a photo to look decent in the evening), and sweet Alexandra does not disappoint. They’re gorgeous. Second, she’s super real and down-to-earth about her recipes. For example, she writes, “The dough is very thick. It shouldn’t be bread dough-like but it’s much thicker than normal cake batter. It’s probably not quite as thick as cookie dough either, but it’s closer to cookie dough in texture than cake batter. Hope that helps!” to one of her commenters. Now that, my friends, is an answer that is anything but snotty and nothing but crystal clear. And yes, she answers comments regularly. She’s just awesome.

So, long story longer, I fell in love with Alexandra and then got hungry- or maybe it was the other way around. At any rate, both were inevitable, and I knew I just had to cook something from her. So I did. And then I ate. Oh boy, did I eat.

And it was glorious.

Head on over to Alexandra’s Kitchen for the recipe- you won’t be disappointed. (And tell her The Frugal Flambe sent you!)

Alexandra’s recipe says it serves 6, so our Weight Watchers Points+ value per serving is 12 points. WORTH IT.

There are aspects of the passage of time, though, that I’ve learned to love. Abigail turned one month, then slept through the night, then smiled her first glorious smile- all in a matter of three short days. I could not be more smitten with her!

As happy as I am with my little bundle of joy, I must admit I’m feeling a little bit crabby about how quickly winter is arriving. The leaves are already gone (mostly) from the trees, and the weather has taken a drastic turn for the chilly. (Alright, so it’s still 65 degrees- but summer is GONE, people.) I remember, when I grew up in California, that winter wasn’t really worthy of dread. Here in Minnesota, winter is practically worthy of sackcloth and ashes; it gets so cold here for so long… sucks the joy right out of me.

When the progressing weather gets me down, it never fails that I want to keep the warmth of summer alive with fresh and summery flavors. Anything spicy, fruity, and grilled can put a smile on my face even when the rain, wind, and yes, even snow threaten to make me cry. (I’ve literally cried about the weather, you guys- it’s THAT cold.)

This recipe reminds me of palm trees. Beaches. Little drinks with umbrellas in them. Summer. And I LOVE summer.

Southwest Chicken

Recipe from http://www.southernliving.com/.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinned and boned chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Garnish: lime slices

Directions

1. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Rub evenly with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with chili powder, garlic salt, and paprika.
2. Grill chicken, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 4 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with Pineapple Salsa. Garnish, if desired.

Pineapple Salsa

Recipe from http://www.southernliving.com/.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 (15-ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained

Directions:

• Stir together first 6 ingredients.
• Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pineapple slices, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Coarsely chop pineapple, and combine with red bell pepper mixture.

Download the pdf of the chicken recipe: Southwest Chicken

Download the pdf of the pineapple salsa recipe: Pineapple Salsa

It’s true.

The two 80 foot trees in my front yard confirm it. They’re about 60% bare now, and let me just say what you all are thinking: yeah, that’s a heck of a lot of leaves. (Maybe you weren’t thinking exactly that, but it’s a fact.)

Believe it or not, this is my very first experience with raking leaves. Despite my 26 years of life, 7 of which have been spent in Minnesota, I have never before raked a lawn. This year, though, I truly and deeply understand the futility of trying to rake on a windy day. Holy smokes! It’s pointless. (And don’t even get me started on how wimpy I am with my blisters from a mere hour of work. Pitiful.)

With all this raking, one would think the temperatures would feel fallish. One would be wrong! Nay, it has been 80 degrees around here- an “Indian Summer” indeed. What’s worse than raking leaves on a windy day? Raking leaves on a HOT windy day.

The fact that I not only have to endure raking, but have to do so while also enduring un-fallish weather is pretty obnoxious. These are the days when I want to have a big pot of soup simmering on the stove, apple cider in my mug and fuzzy socks on my feet. But you know what? I’m too busy sweating to have any of those. Or so I thought…

It turns out there are recipes for quick soups that can be thrown together quick enough to spare your home from hours of simmering (and thus heating). This one in particular is still hearty, warm and filling without the sweat. Enjoy!

Minestrone

Recipe adapted from 320 Italian Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb Italian sausage (choose your spiciness)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ lb (2-4) zucchini, roughly chopped
• ½ lb (2-4) summer squash, roughly chopped
• ½ lb (3-6) new potatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 4 tbsp shredded fresh basil
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (use more or less depending on your heat threshold)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent and sausage is crumbled.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, zucchini, squash, potatoes and garlic.
3. Mix well and cook gently for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring softly to ensure veggies don’t stick to the pan.
4. Pour in the stock, add spices and bring to a boil.
5. Lower the heat, then half cover the pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.
6. Add more stock (or water) if desired.
7. Remove pan from the heat, serve.

Download the .pdf of this recipe: Minestrone

Here I am, friends! The baby has been fed, changed and put down for a nap. The kiddo has been fed, switched back to diapers from big boy pants (more on that later) and is on quiet time. Husband is busy with a project (more on that later, too). And here I am, in the quiet, finally sitting down to write my first recipe blog post since Abby was born. Can I get an “Amen!”? I mean really. It’s been long enough.

Before we get into the delicious recipe for the day, though- there is news to share! First, as mentioned above, the kiddo is currently being potty trained. This is the single most intimidating part of parenthood for me, bar-none. Getting my kids to sleep through the night? Easy. Abby did so last night for the first time (she’s just over 3 weeks old). Getting them to eat veggies? Simple. Aaron loves them. (I know, I’m lucky.) Balancing life and motherhood while maintaining my sanity? I’m figuring it out. But POTTY TRAINING. Ugh. I’m not gonna lie, it’s really, really scary. Feels impossible. Tips welcome. Anyway, today was Aaron’s first day in “big boy pants”. We discussed the importance of not peeing in our big boy pants, what to say when we have to pee, and where to go when we’re ready. And yet, all day, he notified me not when he HAD to pee, but when he had ALREADY peed. I’ve got a laundry basket of underwear and pants to prove it. (No worries, I played it cool- stayed calm, encouraged him to tell me when he felt the pee coming, etc.) Let’s hope tomorrow goes a little better.

In other news, (I promise I’m getting closer to the subject of un-digested food), the hubbster is working hard on my kitchen here in the new house. The jobs today? Install garbage disposal in the sink and the under cabinet lights. Here I was thinking this would be one of those “quick” jobs. Um, I was wrong. 5 hours in and there’s no light and no disposal… and the worst part? It’s the hubbster’s birthday! Am I a mean wife, or what? In my defense, when I asked him what he wanted to do with his birthday, he said, “I want a project.” Well, he got himself a project. (And my kitchen is being beautified! Woohoo!)

Speaking of cooking- have you thought about what you’ll be making for supper this week? Now that I’m not carrying a 9 lb child within me, I’ve been itching to get back in the kitchen. And what better to make in the new place than an inaugural Italian meal? I realized recently that although I’ve made any number of layered, sauced and sauteed Italian recipes, I’d never personally stuffed pasta before. All that changed with this delicious recipe. Enjoy! (This recipe is covered with my homemade spaghetti sauce- find the recipe HERE.)

Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

Ingredients:

• 1 package manicotti (8 oz)
• 1 batch spaghetti sauce
• 3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 bag fresh spinach
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f).
2. Cook manicotti in salted water until al dente, drain.
3. Prepare spaghetti sauce. (see recipe here) Set aside.
4. In a pan over medium heat, cook spinach until wilted.
5. In a bowl, combine 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, spinach, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and ¼ tsp salt. Mix well.
6. Stuff spinach mixture into the manicotti, and arrange in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
7. Spoon spaghetti sauce evenly over manicotti. Cover.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
9. Top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake 15 minutes more.
11. Let stand on stove top for 5 minutes. Serve.

Download the .pdf of this recipe:

Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

And make sure to download the .pdf of the Spaghetti Sauce recipe to pour over the top, too!

Spaghetti Sauce

Speaking of me being away, for those who don’t know: I had a baby! On August 18, Abigail Marie was born- and I fell in love with all 9 lbs 7 oz of her at first sight.

She was born via induction, and was out in three pushes after 11 hours of labor. I tweeted the whole thing, actually, which was amusing to say the least. (It helped me keep my mind off of the pain of back labor until my epidural.)

While laboring, the hubbster and I took full advantage of the cable TV in the room. No, we didn’t watch anything racy, sickos. Of course, we watched The Food Network. Oh my word, we really need to get this channel at home- or, on second thought, maybe we shouldn’t. We watched 11 straight hours of it, had a baby, and then watched some more before bedtime. Are you surprised?

So all went incredibly well with the birth of our daughter, our son took to her nicely, (although he had a really crappy attitude toward the hubbster and I for a couple of weeks), and we were blessed indeed. And then, just to keep things exciting, we closed on our new house when Abby was 11 days old. And less than a week later, we moved, unpacked and got settled in our new digs. And THEN, officially 19 days after popping out a little bundle of joy, I baked the first dessert of the new house: apple pie. Excitement never stops around here, people.

And that brings us to today: Abby is 20 days old, (and grunting in her crib as I type- I should go get her in a sec), Aaron is doing very well in the new house with his new sister, (just wait til I make him start peeing on the big boy potty- oh mercy!), and the hubbster and I are slowly acclimating to life as parents of two and homeowners.

Now what you’ve no doubt been waiting for: what about the food?! Never fear, hungry ones, the recipes resume tomorrow.

IMPORTANT: While I was gone, I posted an awesome potsticker recipe from a blogger friend of mine and neglected to cite her as the author! Shame on me! Make sure to stop by Veronika’s blog and show her some love- help me make it up to her. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried black beans (Sometimes you can find fresh, raw beans in Costa Rica!)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped small (This is optional, My son Ben likes it a bit spicy!)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 8 cups or more chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• salt and pepper

Wash the beans and place in a large stockpot. cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes and then turn off the heat and allow to sit for one hour. While waiting for the beans, saute in canola oil, the onion, celery, carrot and peppers. Once they soften add the garlic.

Drain and rinse the beans and then return to the pot. Add the broth and the sautéed vegetables, ginger, salt and pepper and the cilantro. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down, partially cover and simmer until the beans are tender. This should take about 2 to 3 hours. Add more broth if it becomes too thick.

Garnish with a slice of avocado, cilantro, sour cream, sliced radishes and sliced green onions.  Warm up some white corn tortillas and I guarantee your family will love you for this!

I’m a San Diego girl who loves cooking for my family and friends. I love to throw big dinner parties and cook for the holidays, and I raised four kids on home cooked meals while working full-time- and I also have a blog: Kalena’s Kitchen. So, you’ll find that this blog is a combination of simple, easy to make wholesome meals, traditional recipes with my personal twists, and great menus for events ranging from bridal showers to Christmas parties. (Coming soon, menu for a 100 person wedding reception!  Just did this a couple of weeks ago for my daughter and I am still in recovery mode!)  Whether a recipe is new or something I’ve been perfecting for years, every dish I post is guaranteed to be good!

The whole idea to want to try the Kind diet (Vegan and then some) came because I have been having a hard time losing the last few inches of belly fat around my waist since the birth of my daughter. Having a dairy allergy also helped motivate me. I love ice-cream and cheese, but my stomach sure doesn’t and I was wondering if my allergy was contributing to the extra few inches. So I thought, “hey, why not? It’s only one month. I can do one month.” And during that month I lost 2 ½ inches. As soon as I went back to eating the way I was before, I gained 2 of those inches back. So that is a testament to me of how effective this diet is.

So without further ado here was one of my favorite recipes from the Kind Diet book with a tiny bit of tweaking on my end.

Radicchio Pizza

Serves 2-4

• 1 large head of radicchio
• Large head of broccoli chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 2 t Minced garlic
• Olive Oil
• 2 t parsley flakes
• Fine Sea Salt and freshly black ground pepper to taste
• Pizza crust (see my blog for a great recipe)

Cute the radicchio in half and slice each half crosswire into very thin ribbons. Dice tomatoes, and chop broccoli. Dress radicchio, tomatoes and broccoli with olive oil, minced garlic, parsley flakes, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 415. Toast the pizza crust for approximately 7 minutes or until slightly golden but not crunchy. Scatter the dressed radicchio over the pizza crust and return to the oven for approximately 5 minutes until the radicchio starts to wilt. Serve.

Even though the book says to serve immediately we found that the left overs were even more tasty. So maybe even letting the dressed radicchio sit a little longer might give it more flavor? Either way, enjoy eating a healthy pizza!

Jessica is a dear friend of mine- she’s a brilliant mother, student, dancer, and all around amazing woman. Check out her blog here.