Successful Weekends

Game night was a success! Even with my cupcake indulgence I stayed within my weekly/daily points I had budgeted. Did not have time to do the stuffed jalapenos (thinking those for dinner tonight with a lean protein). Plus I budgeted 2 fried oreos into my daily points on Sunday for pub quiz at Quarry House in Silver Spring.

First weigh in is tomorrow morning followed by meeting after work. Very excited and nervous!

Recipe Review

Bread Bowl Dip was good, just a slight after taste of the fat free mayo. I liked it with veggies, but I think chips or toasted bread would add something as an accompaniment. I have read some reviews saying that letting it sit overnight lets the flavors blend a little more effectively.

Ingredients

	1 packet(s) vegetable soup mix, (1 2/3 oz)
	16 oz fat-free sour cream
	1/2 cup(s) fat-free mayonnaise
	1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
	10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
	1/4 cup(s) uncooked carrot(s), finely grated
	8 oz canned water chestnut(s), drained and chopped
	1 loaf/loaves pumpernickel bread, round

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice.
• Stir in spinach, carrots and water chestnuts; chill.
• To serve, hallow out a the loaf of bread, by cutting a circle in the center of it. Cut up remaining bread into 1-inch cubes. Fill with dip. Yields about 1/4 cup of dip and 2 bread cubes per serving.

For dinner on Saturday I tried WW Orange Beef Stir Fry. Did this without the Orange extract, which I would not do again. The amount of orange peel made it a tad too bitter for my taste. Would likely grate both ginger and peel next time to infuse the flavor without getting a big bite of bitter or spice. My boyfriend and I also prefer a few more veggies than just sugar snap peas (water chestnuts and bokchoy are our favs).

*Tip* Whole Foods actually had pre cut Sirloin Stir Fry Beef in 1 lb packages.

Ingredients

	1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, reduced-sodium
	3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
	1 tsp SPLENDA® SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
	1/2 tsp orange extract, optional
	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	2 Tbsp orange zest, freshly grated, or 1/4 cup fresh julienned orange peel*
	1/4 cup(s) ginger root, fresh, peeled, julienned*
	2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), slivered
	1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
	1 pound(s) uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, boneless, sliced against grain into 1/8-inch-thick strips
	4 cup(s) uncooked sugar snap peas
	1 Tbsp arrowroot powder, dissolved in 1 Tbsp of water

Instructions

• Whisk broth, soy sauce, Splenda and orange extract together in a small bowl; set aside.
• Coat a large nonstick wok (or skillet) with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Add orange peel or zest, ginger and garlic; stir-fry until softened and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and stir-fry 20 seconds.
• Add beef; stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and continue stir-frying until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
• Pour in broth mixture and bring to a simmer; cover wok (or skillet) and cook 1 minute more.
• Stir in arrowroot mixture. Cook just until sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 seconds; immediately remove from heat and serve. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Notes: To 'julienne' means to cut into thin matchsticks. To julienne orange peel, press the peeled rind sections as flat as you can on a cutting board and slice them into long matchsticks. To julienne fresh ginger, cut the peeled stalk into thin, even slices and then cut each of these into matchsticks.

If you like your food spicy, add 1 teaspoon of Chinese red chili paste to the recipe before serving.