Keeping Things Interesting

In Weight Watchers this morning (I'm still on point for my maintenance at goal weight!) we talked about some tricks and trades for staying on track and my big thing is to keep it interesting. This is even more important as a vegetarian because it is so easy to fall into a rut with eating the same things.  I add excitement by constantly trying new recipes (if you haven't noticed) mostly from Hungry Girl and Pinterest, but also from finds that my momma comes across. I also try to go back to the really good recipes and repeat them every so often so that they aren't forgotten. One of my favorites are these sweet potato burgers that are so tasty, but I also made this new cheesy, veggie bake for the first time to go alongside the burgers. Both are definitely keepers...and I only made minor adjustments from the original post :)

Sweet Potato Burgers

(8 WW points per burger using a sandwich thin as the bun and topping it with avocado)

1 can white beans
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup Panko crumbs

1. Peel the sweet potato and bake until soft (you can peel after, but it's so hot, that I do it before)

2. Drain beans, add to mixing bowl and mash using a potato masher

3. Once the potato is done, cut it up to make it easier to mash, add it to the beans and mash it all together

4. Separate into 6 patties and coat with a layer of panko crumbs

5. Heat up a pan with a spritz of cooking spray, add the patties to the pan and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they start to brown

6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.

7. Serve on a sandwich thin with as many toppings as you'd like. I went with lettuce, avocado and mustard

Cheesy Veggie Bake
(6 points for half the recipe, from the shredded cheese)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium tomato
1 cup shredded Italian cheese
Optional - a head of broccoli

1. Preheat the oven to 400

2. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with olive oil until softened

3. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables

4. Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Top with the onion/garlic mixture

5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown

Here's the whole meal together

Okay, time for my confessions. I did not run Friday. I know that I shouldn't try to justify it with excuses, but I really was tired! And I had eaten half a pineapple again and I didn't want a repeat performance from the citric acid. I'm trying really hard to not get burnt out on running this year, so I let myself have that break...and because of it, I added a couple extra miles to today's workout:

Life is all about balance!