Wednesday, March 4, 2009

It's a Lifestyle Change...yeah, yeah, yeah

I'm fat. There is no way around it, it's just a fact of life. I've been overweight my entire life and have pretty much accepted it. Unfortunately, it's started to have a greater impact on my overall happiness and so I've resolved to do something about it. I joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago (for the umpteenth time) and have lost 12.5lbs so far. So I completed another goal (lose 10 pounds). It hasn't been easy. I have an unhealthy (obviously) addiction to food. I have a lot of cravings that don't go away until I curb them. I have a seriously love for cheeseburgers. Regardless, I'm doing the best I can and I'm trucking along. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change.

I've also been trying new recipes, which fulfills another goal. Here is one I made recently that I really enjoyed.

Pasta Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Arugula

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 12 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Tangy blue cheese and salty walnuts add a wonderful flavor accent to this pasta salad. But feel free to substitute feta cheese for the blue cheese and pine nuts for the walnuts if you prefer.

2 tbsp chopped walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp table salt
6 oz uncooked bow ties, also called farfalle
2 cup(s) arugula, baby leaves, stems removed
2 tbsp chives, fresh, minced
1 cup(s) grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Place walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet. Toast nuts over medium-high heat until lightly browned, shaking skillet frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes; remove from skillet and set aside.

Bring 3 quarts of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a large pot. Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 11 to 13 minutes; remove 1 tablespoon of pasta cooking water and save for dressing below. Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl; immediately add arugula and toss well. Cover bowl with a lid or tight fitting plastic wrap; set aside until arugula is limp, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and tomatoes.

In a cup, stir together vinegar, oil, reserved tablespoon of pasta cooking water, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper in a cup. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss well; sprinkle with blue cheese. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes

If you're using mature arugula leaves, chop and add them to the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time to blanch them. Drain the pasta and arugula, and immediately move to the next step of mixing the salad ingredients together.


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Review: I made this with feta cheese and pine nuts instead of blue cheese & walnuts (though I'm sure that will be delicious as well). This was really good! The dressing is so simple and yet really tasty. I will definitely make this again.

2 comments:

Christy said...

Your version sounds tasty - I'm not a big fan of blue cheese but feta rocks my world.

WTG on the 12.5 pounds! That's really super, Karen.

Lis @ ATruckerWife said...

I'm going to have to try that recipe! It sounds great both the original way and your version.

You are doing great on WW so far! It's the only diet that works for me.