A First….Cheesy Polenta

Today was a productive/lazy Sunday. We did some chores, went for a run (3 miles) watched the Columbus Crew (Pro Soccer) win the MLS Championship. Good weekend for Columbus sports! Brady’s parents and brother came over to watch the game, and we had dinner before they left.

For dinner, I gave them the option of risotto or polenta, two unfamiliar things. They chose polenta and I was excited to make it for the first time. I used the Cooking Light recipe of Two Cheese Polenta, but made some modifications.

Two Cheese Polenta

modified from Cooking Light.

• 4 c. skim milk (it called for 1% but we only had skim)
• 1 c. water
• 1 1/4 c. corn grits (polenta, I used Bob’s)
• salt and pepper
• 3 pieces of light Cabot cheddar cheese- cut up (I didn’t have mascarpone)
• M1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Boil milk and water together and then slowly add polenta. Cook, while stirring, for 2 min. and then add cheeses and serve!

Plus… we had BBQ chicken pizza that was going to be an appetizer, but never made it.

And a salad with pepitas, apples and feta.Also, some acorn squash baked with a little maple syrup.

We had pork tenderloin too, but no pic. Sorry. I actually did not try it, but the marinate we used (lemon pepper) smelled really strong!

I am up for an early morning workout then a two day week ahead! Yay for Thanksgiving week!!

🙂

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Potato-Vegetable-Lentil Soup

Tonight’s dinner came together fast because after a day of celebrating Ohio State’s win over their forever rival.. Michigan and then a nap, we were hungry and craving something warm! I wanted something filling and low-cal that would satisfy my need for comfort food. Brady was just hungry (so hungry in fact, that he began cooking some Gimme Lean Soy Sausage – fake meat is not his thing, but he did say it was “not so bad” 🙂 )

Anyways, I went to the cupboard and grabbed the following:

Potato-Vegetable-Lentil Soup

• leftover kale and broccoli (about a cup total)
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 cup steamed lentils (from TJ’s in the fridge pack…so good!)
• 1 can mixed vegetables
• 1 can Italian diced tomatoes
• 3ish cups of water
• 1 can Progresso chicken broth
• 1 box of Trader Joe’s instant mashed potatoes WITHOUT the butter/garlic seasoning

Mix the water and broth together and add beans, kale, broccoli, lentils, mixed vegetables, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. At the last minute, add the potatoes and stir well. The soup will immediately thicken and become creamy! Soo good!

I added parmesan to my bowl!

Nutrition Data:

8-10 servings. Data is based on 8 servings in whole pot.

Fat: 2.5

Calories: 180

Fiber: 12

Protein: 7

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