Mind Over Mayo

At the request of one of my readers, here is my favorite WW recipe!

Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 tblsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 – 14oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 – 15oz. can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 small white onion chopped
1/4 cup diced green chilies
2 tblsp. tomato paste

Preparation
1) Cook beef and garlic in skillet until browned. Drain.
2) Stir in chili powder and cumin.
3) Combine tomatoes, beans, onion, chilies and tomato paste in slow cooker.
4) Stir in beef mixture.
5) Cook on high 4-5 hours.

Makes 6 servings – Per serving
142 calories
5g fat
4g fiber
2 POINTs

I also add fat free sour cream or fat free shredded cheese – delicious! And, great for leftovers!

I am in the abyss. Or, at least that’s what I call the time period from which football ends, yet I still have weeks to wait until I can enjoy the outdoors once again. This time also means that I struggle with comfort food cravings and cannot find a decent fresh fruit or vegetable. I went to the grocery store yesterday and the apples were bruised, the green peppers were shriveled and I was at a loss in produce. I KNOW I need to have healthy foods at hand to snack on, but there were no appetizing items in site.

I decided that I needed to stay away from the 100 calorie pack aisle and get creative. So, I bought some dried figs. I could eat a sleeve of Fig Newtons in one sitting, so I thought I might like the fruit. Here’s the quick and dirty:

–They are delicious!
–Figs are rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium.
–1 fig is about 20 calories with 1 gram of fiber
–A 1/4 cup serving provides 244 mg of potassium (7% of the DV), 53 mg of calcium (6% of the DV) and 1.2 mg of iron (6% of the DV).
–Figs are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free. (WOOT!)

Now I’m on a mission to find more get-me-through-the-abyss fruits and veggies. Ideas?