Fish Burrito

I must confess something: I'm a bit of a burrito snob. I live in the Southwest, and you'd think that amazing burritos would be on every block. Sadly, they're not. I found the most amazing burrito place with to-die-for burritos. But it's in San Diego. And yes, I've considered driving six hours to San Diego for said burrito. (Lucha Libre - yeah, I'm talking about you. Thanks for addicting me to your amazing fish burritos.) 

This recipe is inspired by the amazing Fish burritos from Lucha Libre. It's a far cry from the real thing, which is loaded with rice, fish, cheese, guacamole, cilantro lime cream sauce, chipotle cream sauce, and cabbage, but it's the closest I can come to my true love without blowing my diet. And there is NO WAY IN HELL I'm going to blow this. (Check out my week 4 progress report.)

After successfully developing a cauliflower pizza crust recipe that is reminiscent of NY-style floppy pizza, I wondered if the recipe could be adapted into a tortilla/burrito. It's the same basic recipe, changed a little to accommodate the Mexican flavors, But it's essentially the same recipe. 

A tip: if you want more veggies IN the burrito, you could cut down the size of the tortilla. Next time I make this, I'm going to cut the tortilla recipe down by half so that I can add more cabbage and a bit of cheese inside the burrito as well. I just love the crunch fresh shredded cabbage gives a fish burrito! As you can see it overlaps quite a bit when you roll it, so I figure I have some room to work with.

Tip: place your "tortilla" on a sheet of aluminum foil before filling with toppings and trying to roll. This will result in an easier roll and nothing will leak out the bottom (think those big-burrito joints and how they roll the burritos in foil and you tear it away before gorging.) I did not try to fold the bottom over like a regular tortilla (while pliable, it's more likely to crack than to fold nicely), just relied on the foil to keep the contents inside the burrito until I got to them. It worked out fine. 

Talapia Burrito

 

Tortilla:
1 cup grated cauliflower (2 green)
1/4 cup egg beaters (1/8 lean)
3/8 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese (6g fat/oz) (3/8 lean category)
1/8 tsp Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash (1/2 condiment) (If using the tomato salsa topping, omit this seasoning to stay at 3 condiments)

Burrito filling:
3.5 oz Talapia, cooked as desired (1/2 lean)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage (1 green)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (1/2 condiment)

Cilantro Lime Ranch:
2 Tbsp Walden Farms Ranch (1 condiment)
2 tsp fresh lime juice (1/2 condiment)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 1/4 sheet cake pan with parchment paper. Wrap Talapia in foil and bake for 20 minutes or until flaky.

Grate 1 cup of cauliflower and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup  cheese. Add a 1/8 tsp of Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a spoon and place  on the parchment. Spread as thin as possible in a rectangle or circle avoiding holes in the mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. The crust will be browned and look a bit like a quiche looks on the top. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Just heat them in the microwave on a couple paper towels for 30 seconds.

In a small bowl, combine ranch dressing and lime juice, and stir until blended. Add a touch of salt if necessary.

Lay out a piece of foil larger than the tortilla. Chop the talapia small chunks, and place them in the center of the tortilla. Top with shredded cabbage and cilantro. Serve the ranch lime dressing on the side and drizzle it on as you eat. (If you add it to the burrito before rolling it up, the tortilla will get a bit soggy and you won't be able to taste the dressing.)

Recipe makes one very filling fish burrito.

L&G Calculations:
1 Lean
3 Green
Lime Ranch Drizzle: 2 Condiments

My Week in Review : Week 4

Total pounds lost: 20.8

Pounds lost this week: 1.7

Inches lost this week: 0 :(

I feel fantastic. It's crazy how in just four weeks, I've lost over 20 lbs. My energy is through the roof. My clothes are falling off. My husband can see a difference (even though I don't think I can). 

But the best part is my other numbers. The ones the scale doesn't see. My blood pressure and my glucose levels have been exceptional even after stopping my medications two weeks ago. This, alone, was my first goal when I started this weight loss journey. 

But I'm not done. I have a LONG way to go. I'll post a "before" picture soon, but it's a "before" picture from my heaviest weight, when I got married in 2003. Yeah, I was a fat bride. It didn't phase me then, but looking back (which was FIFTY pounds ago) I am horrified at what I did to my body, simply with poor food choices and being too busy to exercise. 

I started incorporating exercise back into my routine this week. Starting slow to make sure I don't burn myself out too fast or go into starvation mode. I'm guessing that's why I didn't see a big loss this week, because my body is freaking out going "NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" LOL.

Thank you all for following along with me as I continue this journey to being healthy. 

**(Teensy update 3/31/13: I'm two days into week five, and I've already lost 3 lbs. bringing my total to 23.8 down!! But you'll see that update on my week 5 post. ;) )**

Fish Tacos

So I must start this post out by stating that I LOVE a good fish burrito. Not a big fan of the corn tortilla wrapped fish tacos (I'm not really a fan of corn tortillas in most applications). But this fish taco recipe I developed left me craving more. The recipe makes four VERY filling fish tacos, with the entire plate being one gigantic Medifast Lean and Green serving.

This was also my first experience using any sort of Walden Farms product. I'd read mixed reviews about their products, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I wanted that creamy cilantro and lime sauce, but didn't have the healthy fat to spare (because of the cheese in the tortillas). I didn't do the math for the healthy fats, I just assumed that I didn't need the healthy fat serving. All of the Walden Farms products count as 2 Tbsp=1 condiment.

Anyway, the cilantro lime ranch sauce makes these tacos SO delicious. The combination of the three flavors, especially the lime, makes all of the flavors POP! Mmmm. I'm craving these just thinking about it! Also, the picture only shows a drizzle of the sauce on the tacos. The remaining sauce is in a bowl off to the side. It is all included in the L&G calculations, and believe me, the rest was devoured with the tacos. I just didn't want them dripping all over me as I ate!

The recipe for the "corn" tortillas below can also be used to make one large tortilla. I made mine rectangular, but you could also make it circular to resemble a large flour tortilla. I just figured the rectangular shape would aid in rolling the burrito. Anyway - it's the same ingredients and baking time, just make it one large circle instead of four small ones. I also didn't flip the large one halfway through. (The small ones are easy to flip, the big one? Yeah, not so much.) It didn't seem to impact the flavor or texture, it just was slightly less browned on the top side. :)

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch Drizzle (extra sauce on the side not shown) 

Tortillas:
1 cup grated cauliflower (2 green)
1/4 cup egg beaters (1/8 lean)
3/8 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese (6g fat/oz) (3/8 lean category)
1/8 tsp Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash (1/2 condiment) (If using the tomato salsa topping, omit this seasoning to stay at 3 condiments)

Taco filling:
3.5 oz Talapia, cooked as desired (1/2 lean)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage (1 green)

Toppings:

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (1/2 condiment)
1 Tbsp chopped onion (1 condiment)
1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice (1/2 condiment)
1 Tbsp tomato salsa (1 condiment)

OR

Cilantro Lime Ranch Drizzle:
2 Tbsp Walden Farms Ranch (1 condiment)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (1/4 condiment)
2 tsp fresh lime juice (1/2 condiment)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 1/4 sheet cake pan with parchment paper. Wrap Talapia in foil and bake for 20 minutes or until flaky.

Grate 1 cup of cauliflower and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup  cheese. Add a 1/8 tsp of Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a spoon and place in four 1/3 cup piles on the parchment. Spread each pile as thin as possible in a circle, avoiding holes in the mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping at 15 minutes. The crust will be browned and look a bit like a quiche looks on the top. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Just heat them in the microwave on a couple paper towels for 30 seconds.

For the cilantro/tomato salsa topping, chop a white onion and cilantro and toss together.

For the Cilantro Lime Ranch Drizzle, finely chop the cilantro. Place in bowl with the ranch and lime juice, stir until blended. Add a touch of salt if necessary.

Cut the talapia into four pieces, place a piece of talapia on each tortilla, top with shredded cabbage and the topping of your choice. For the cilantro/tomato salsa topping, squeeze the lime directly onto the fish.

Recipe makes four fish tacos, which equal 1 lean and green serving.


L&G Calculations:
1 Lean
3 Green
Cilantro, onion and tomato salsa topping: 3 Condiments
Cilantro Lime Ranch Drizzle: 1 3/4 Condiments

(Apologies for the less than stellar picture (again) turns out one of my kids had gotten ahold of my camera and changed the settings, thus making every picture look like I had my finger on the flash! Ugh!)

Crab, Spinach and Asparagus Quiche

Ahhh, quiche.

To be honest, I've never tasted one. Not because I didn't want to, eggs just don't agree with me. But for some reason, egg beaters don't bother me. So please forgive me if this recipe isn't like a real quiche. It was delicious and I devoured as much as I could (the entire recipe is ONE gigantic L&G serving!). I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Crab, Spinach and Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients:
1 cup Egg Beaters (1/2 lean)
3.5 oz lump crab meat (1/2 lean)
1/2 cup asparagus (1 green)
1/2 cup mushrooms (1 green)
1/2 cup sauteed spinach (1 green)
2 tsp olive oil (2 healthy fats)
1/4 tsp minced fresh garlic (1/2 condiment)
1 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan (1 condiment)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (1/2 condiment)
Sprinkle of fresh grated nutmeg (less than 1/8th of a tsp/condiment)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a nonstick skillet, saute the asparagus, mushrooms, spinach and garlic with 2 tsp oil until the spinach is wilted and the asparagus is almost done.

In a small bowl, combine the Egg Beaters, crab meat, rosemary, and the sauteed veggies. Stir gently (avoid mixing too roughly, otherwise the crab meat will break apart).

Spray a glass pie pan with a spritz of PAM. Pour mixture gently into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese and finish with a little shaving of fresh nutmeg. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until set in the center.

Makes one serving.

Medifast calcs: 1 Lean, 3 Green, 2 Healthy Fats, 2 and a smidge more condiments

PIZZA!!!! On the Medifast Plan!!!!

***Updated 5/2/13 - Recipe APPROVED by Nutrition Support (with a change of counting the egg beaters towards the lean)***

OMG. Excuse me if this post is dripping with pizza love.

Since I started Medifast back on March 3rd, I've only had one craving. And that's for pizza. I've been 100% on-plan since day one, and have been incredibly happy with my weight loss (20 lbs so far!) and how easy it is to stay on-plan.

But still, I couldn't quite shake that pizza craving.

Especially after attending a birthday pizza party with my son, where greasy, cheesy pies were slung around in front of me for two hours while my son played. I had eaten my Medifast lunch prior to going, in order to 1) not be tempted to cheat, and 2) not have to explain to the other party attendees why I was eating a granola bar instead of pizza.

But I came home with a resolve. I HAD to figure out a pizza that was on-plan. It was the only way I'd be able to make it on Medifast without cheating. Because I'm going to be on this plan for a while while I melt all this fat away!

What I came up with is cheesy, floppy, chewy, pizza-y goodness wrapped up in a Lean and Green wrapper that is 100% on-plan.

I had been researching recipes on-line for a while, all of which used grated cauliflower. I was intimidated by the thought, and convinced that there was no WAY it could taste like real pizza.

Yeah, no intimidation necessary. This recipe is SO easy - easier than the old pizza from scratch recipe that I make for my non-Medifasting family.

I think the reason this pizza crust works is the tools I used to make it. At least in-part. My cookie sheets came with a 1/4 size sheet pan (maybe 1/3rd? I'm not sure!). Anyway, it's a mini cookie sheet that works out perfectly for this recipe, resulting in a thin, chewy crust.

The most important part is to line the pan with parchment paper. Just cut a sheet and plop it on top. Clean-up is a breeze and it ensures that the only place the cheesy crust sticks to is your tummy. :)

Next grate a head of cauliflower. You won't need the whole thing for the recipe, but you will love this recipe so much you'll want to bake and freeze the rest so you can have instant pizza heaven next time you're craving pizza but want to stay on plan.

Add 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (the stuff I have has 6 grams of fat per ounce - which works out to the lean category). Add a 1/8 tsp of garlic powder, onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste (I don't count these as condiments - I use just the tiniest amount of each.

Mix with a spoon and spread on the parchment. I spread it as thin as I can get it, since the thinner the crust, the chewier (thicker will result in a soggier crust). Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice a roma tomato, mushrooms, fresh garlic and 3 large basil leaves. Once the crust comes out of the oven, top with a layer of 1/4 cup of the sliced tomato, 1/4 cup sliced mushroom, a sprinkle of basil and the sliced garlic. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella on top. Follow with 1 Tbsp of grated Parmesan.

Return the pizza to the oven under the broiler (500 degrees) until the cheese melts and is bubbly (this happens FAST so watch it carefully!!!)

Remove from the oven, cut into six slices and devour the entire thing!

This entire recipe works out to be one big Medifast Lean and Green meal! YUM!

For your reference, here's the recipe (without all my narration :) ).

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Recipe

Sorry for the crappy photo - only realized after the fact that my finger was on the flash. By then the entire pizza had mysteriously disappeared... ;)

Crust:
1 cup grated cauliflower (2 green)
1/4 cup egg beaters  (1/8 lean)
3/8 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (6g fat/oz) (3/8 lean category)
1/8 tsp garlic powder (1/4 condiment)
1/8 tsp onion powder (1/4 condiment)

Topping:
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (1/2 lean)
1/4 cup thinly sliced Roma tomatoes (1/2 green)
1/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms (1/2 green)
3 fresh basil leaves, thinly julienned (1/4 condiment)
1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan (1 condiment)
1 small clove of fresh garlic, thinly sliced (1 condiment)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 1/4 sheet cake pan with parchment paper.

Grate 1 cup of cauliflower and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add 1/4 cup egg beaters, 3/8 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese. Add a 1/8 tsp of garlic powder, onion powder and crushed basil leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a spoon and spread on the parchment. Spread it as thin as possible, avoiding holes in the mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. The crust will be browned and look a bit like a quiche looks on the top.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomato, mushrooms, garlic clove and basil leaves. Top the baked crust with a layer of 1/4 cup of the sliced tomato, 1/4 cup sliced mushroom, a sprinkle of basil and the sliced garlic. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella on top. Follow with 1 Tbsp of grated Parmesan.

Return the pizza to the oven under the broiler (500 degrees) until the cheese melts and is bubbly (this happens FAST so watch it carefully!!!)

Remove from the oven, cut into six slices and devour the entire thing!


Recipe makes 1 serving.


L&G Calculations:
1 Lean
3 Green
3 Condiments

Weight loss with Medifast - Weeks 1-3

I'm finishing up my third week of Medifast and I wanted to give you some updates!

Week 1: -10.9 lbs

Week 2: - 3.3 lbs

Week 3: -4.4 lbs so far (weigh in is on Sunday)

Total lost: 19.6 lbs 

Yeah, that's what I said too. Holy crap! I haven't felt deprived on Medifast at all. I had that initial "OMG I'm never, ever going to get to eat pizza again! *Cries* " moment, but I realized it was because I was hungry! Ha!

So far my favorites have been:

Dutch Chocolate shake
Mocha shake
Chicken Noodle Soup
Mac & Cheese (make it with 3 oz of water, not 4!)
Brownie
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Parmesan Puffs
BBQ Bites
Chicken and Rice soup

There's only one that I haven't liked, and that's the Maryland crab soup. But doctoring it up with a healthy dose of sea salt and using fat free, low sodium chicken broth to thin it out makes a HUGE difference.

I have a ton of recipes I've developed for my lean & green. Stay tuned!

My Journey to Happily Ever After - Day 1

Day one actually started on Sunday, March 3rd. That's the day I started Medifast. So I'm already behind! :) I considered starting a blog to document my weight loss journey (I have a long way to go), but I didn't think people would want to read about one fat girl's journey to getting thin. Correction: HEALTHY. I'm not doing this to be thin. While being thin for the first time since I was in elementary school (which was a LONG time ago) will be a nice bonus, that's not why I started this journey. I'm doing this to get healthy. I've been delusional for a long time that I'm "healthy as a horse, just big". But when a doctor says you have Diabetes, yet it's still not a wake-up call for you, there's something wrong.

My wake-up call was when my husband came home from work with a terrifying story of one of his co-workers, who is the same age as him. The normal, workaholic hadn't been in much that week. For good reason. His dad was put into a medically induced coma due to liver damage from taking the prescribed dose of a pill his doctors told him to take.

I've never blinked about having to give myself shots for my diabetes. It's just part of keeping myself healthy to be around for my kids. It's better than the alternative, where I was in denial that the diabetes could kill me and wasn't treating it with medications, diet or exercise. It wasn't fair. Why should everyone else be able to live their normal lives while I had to think about THIS? I was fine, right?

Wrong.

About a year ago, I realized that I might not be around to watch my kids grow up if I didn't start taking care of myself. That meant getting on the medications I had to to control the side-effects of being overweight. My plan was to get healthy with diet and exercise and get off the medications. We all have those goals: eat healthier and get more exercise. And we all do well for a week or two and then push it aside due to other priorities.

I've been religious in taking my medications when prescribed, and my doctor has been happy with how well I've stuck to his recommendations. Except for losing weight. That I just couldn't motivate myself to do. I'd done Weight Watchers and lost 30ish lbs. And gained it back. I did Atkins and lost the same 30lbs. And gained it back. Again. Nothing worked. I just didn't have the willpower to stick with anything that allowed me to eat *some* of what I loved. It was a slippery slope that I just couldn't climb.

Back to the story about my husband's co-worker's dad. He took ONE dose of the medication and was in the hospital less than 24 hours later with liver damage. ONE DOSE. That the doctor had prescribed. I eyed my medication and the side effects warnings. I was taking medication that, while it treats the things my obesity did to my body, could cause worse damage. I had been considering trying Medifast, which my doctor recommended on more than one occasion. That night, after my husband went to bed, I placed my order for two weeks. I HAD to make a change. I had to make myself the priority, for the first time in a very long time. I HAD to get off all those medications. NOW.

So here I am, a week into Medifast, and six pounds lighter. My blood pressure is so low I'm dizzy (check one pill off the list), my blood sugars have been perfect (check one injection off my list), but I won't know about the cholesterol medication until my appointment. I'll be pushing hard to get rid of that one as well.

I was thoroughly surprised with how easy it's been to stick on plan. I eat the 5 Medifast meals, and make one lean and green meal in the evening. Usually the lean and green, while sticking with the guidelines for the meal, is almost too much food! I've seldom been hungry, and I've stuck to the plan 100%, without even an urge to cheat.

Yes, I had the "I'll NEVER get to eat pizza again" pity party. I had the guilt of thinking that it's not fair to my family that I can't eat with them at restaurants. I had the "but it's SO hard to make TWO meals" thought. But really, it was just my fat screaming out in agony for me to give up and stay fat.

Well, screw you fat. You're not welcome here anymore.

Bruschetta Talapia

Bruchetta Talapia

• 1/2 cup Basil, julienned (1/2 condiment)
• 1/2 cup Roma Tomato, diced (1 serving green)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic (1 condiment)
• 1 tsp olive oil (1 healthy fat serving)
• 7 oz Talapia (1 lean)
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder ( 1/2 condiment)
• 1/8 tsp White Pepper (1/4 condiment)
• 1/2 tsp Dried basil (1/2 condiment) 
• 2 cups of lettuce (2 green)
• 2 Tbsp Light Done Right Italian Dressing (1 healthy fat)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Dice roma tomato, julienne the basil and chop the garlic. Put the tomato, basil, and garlic in a small bowl and toss with the olive oil. Refrigerate while the talapia cooks to let the flavors develop. Meanwhile, spritz a sheet of aluminum foil with a squirt of Pam. Spritz the top of the talapia with another squirt of Pam, sprinkle with garlic powder, white pepper and dried basil. Wrap tightly into a packet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the talapia flakes easily with a fork. Top the cooked talapia with the tomato, basil and garlic mixture. Serve with salad topped with your choice of dressing to equal 1 healthy fat choice.

Medifast calcs: 1 lean, 3 green, 3 condiments, 2 healthy fats