Curves ahead...

Saturday I joined Curves and did my first workout (with 2 skinny minnies!). (This also means I have to start shaving my legs more often!!) I was really dreading the weigh-in, but it confirmed what I already knew...I'm just at a plateau...haven't lost any and haven't gained any, which means, if nothing else, I'm doing a good job of maintaining! :) They've added 4 new workout machines and a stretching machine since I went 4 years ago. Looking forward to the impact that this kind of workout will make physically and mentally. I plan on doing this after school every day and on Saturday mornings.

Now, I need to cook for the next week---Hell Week starts next week (I have early morning gym duty, the bookfair, and late afternoon bus duty where the kids have to wait for 45 min. in the cafeteria! I hate duty...how did I get so lucky to have both in the same week? Someone at school hates me.)--so I don't want any stress from any unnecessary areas--such as needing to cook to eat! I'm going to make the Mediterranean tuna salad again. It was absolutely delicious! I've really liked all of the soup recipes so far (I haven't made Kari's yet, but she did and said it was good.) I didn't care for the roasted tilapia much--too bland--but the green chili sauce was very good. I think it would be better with a different fish or even chicken.

I'm making these recipes this weekend:

Chicken Verde (141 calories--serves 4)

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces or 8 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, also cut into pieces
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
All-purpose or Wondra flour for dusting (I don't see why self-rising wouldn't work, too)
1 T. olive oil (actually, it takes a little more and I had to add to it as they cooked)
1 lg. sweet onion, diced
2 Anaheim green chiles, poblano chilies, or New Mexico green chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced (I used a can of green chiles--fresh chilies are too darn high falutin' for Bonham! later, however: ok...I have to take back what I said...I did find Anaheim chiles at Brookshires.)
1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 lg. jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced (I just cut up some from the jar instead of using fresh)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 c. prepared tomatillo salsa or salsa verde (look for the canned variety on the Mexican aisle--that's what I used--but if you don't find it, you can follow the recipe below--unless Wal-mart is sold out like in Bonham!! I'm thinking this isn't a staple in most white people's kitchen!)
juice of 1 lime, 1 1/2 - 2 t.
1 c. water
1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream
grated zest of 1 lime

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat and brown the chicken pieces; transfer to a bowl. Pour off all but 2 T. of oil. In the remaining oil, saute the onion, chilies, bell pepper, jalapenos, and garlic until tender, about 5 min. Add the oregano and cumin, and saute for 1 min. Stir in the salsa, lime juice, water, and the chicken pieces along with any accumulated juices. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat, and simmer for 35-40 min., until the chicken is tender. Smells divine!

Blend the sour cream with the lime zest and juice and drizzle a bit over each serving. This would be really good served over rice. And with all that cilantro you have in the fridge, you may as well add some to the dish when serving.

Tomatilla (pronounced "toe-mah-TEE-yo" for those of you not immersed in the Hispanic population) Salsa Verde (Makes 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 lb. tomatillos
1/4 c. chopped white or red onion
1/4 c. cilantro leaves
1 t. fresh lime juice
1/8 t. sugar
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
salt to taste

Remove the papery husks from tomatillos (the tomatillos will feel sticky like glue!) and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 min. to lightly blacken the skin.

Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, peppers, and sugar in food processor or blender and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in fridge. You will have about 1/2 c. more than you need for the Pollo Verde recipe.

Note: You can easily double this recipe. Serve the extra with chips.

Epicurious Tortilla Soup (About 160 calories--serves 4) [Later note: This turned out delicious!]

Nonstick vegetable oil spray or 1 t. olive oil
1 md. sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. ground cumin
3/4 t. chili powder (I left this out...chili powder just isn't my thing)
4 c. vegetable broth
4 t. chopped fresh cilantro

4 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips, optional (I added them, tho)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained
2/3 c. chopped zucchini (you could substitute yellow squash if you want)
1 can chicken
1 1/2 t. minced seeded jalapeno chili
salt and pepper to taste

Spray large nonstick saucepan with vegetable oil spray. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add broth and cilantro; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeno to soup. Cover; simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Vegetable Broth (makes 4 c.)

2 lg. onions
2 md. carrots
3 stalks celery
1 whole bulb of garlic
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Chop everything up coarsely, put in large stockpot, add water to cover veggies, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Remove and strain through a colander. If you have more than 4 c., you can freeze the extra

....OR...you can take the easy route like me and get some "Better Than Bouillon" base and use it instead. :) I ordered it from: http://superiortouch.com/btb.htm I got the veggie, beef, mushroom, and chicken.