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15 recipes that helped me lose 15 pounds

I’m really excited about today’s post, but also a little nervous. I love sharing funny little anecdotes with all of you, but I am usually uncomfortable sharing more personal information here. But today I am crossing that barrier to post about something I am very proud of. 

It started a while ago when I promised myself that I would buy myself the new (and insanely gorgeous) MacBook that I had my eye on for ages when I lost 15 pounds. And since then, I have been dieting hard, more motivated than ever to shed a couple of pounds. 

It hasn’t been easy. In the last couple of months I have made a huge number of delicious desserts, including a huge number of of cheesecakes. And I forced myself to taste a bite and stop. Partly because I wanted to lose the weight, but mostly because I wanted to buy my new macbook already. But whatever the reason, I persevered. I resisted the cheesecake. I ate a ton of salad. And here I am. Typing my first ever post on my gorgeous new macbook. But I realize, as I sit here, that the sense of accomplishment is the best prize of all. 

Sadly, I am not done dieting (is a woman ever done dieting?) but I have learned a couple of things that helped me lose these 15 pounds. I will keep making some of the delicious food recipes I have developed recently, and hope I can inspire any of you who are trying to lose weight to cook delicious food while still losing weight and getting healthy! 

Here are 15 of my favorite recipes that helped me lose the weight. If you have some delicious recipes that you cook while dieting, I would love to hear about them in the comments!

1) Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks: this is one of the favorite recipes all time on my blog, and possibly the favorite in terms of feedback from my readers. And it might just be my favorite recipe. It is super easy to make (cutting the stick shape takes about a minute or less per zucchini) and the abundance of flavor and spice means you barely notice how healthy it is! With the abundance of zucchini this summer, I find myself turning to this recipe really frequently.

2) Two Colored Squash with Shallots and Herbs: So I’ll admit I have changed this recipe a bunch since I posted it (almost two years ago!), but the basic flavors and methods are the same. I love this recipe because it’s easy and versatile, and I basically toss in whatever veggies I have on hand. My current favorite is zucchini, mushrooms and portabella mushrooms. So delicious, and again, you won’t miss the extra calories!

3) Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing: One of my big diet things is eating a huge salad with some lean protein in it for lunch. Every. Single. Day. And my favorite dressing for said salad is this amazing citrus and shallot dressing. It has just enough sweetness, and a little sharpness from the shallots. I have made this so many times lately, and somehow I am not bored yet!

4) Roasted Butternut Squash Salad: I’ll admit that I don’t necessarily follow the entire recipe, but roasted butternut squash (cut in small pieces) is my new favorite salad add-in. It’s super filling, yet still healthy!

5) Raspberry Zinger Vinaigrette:  This is an old favorite salad dressing, and I make it all the time. It is super easy to make, but totally different, so it’s great when you need a change of pace. I mix this dressing with lettuce (usually romaine, sometimes spinach though) and some mange, some red cabbage, some nuts…it’s totally versatile!

6) Marinated Tri Color Pepper Salad: This is basically what I make every time I see peppers on sale at the grocery store. It’s super simple, but totally delicious. (And bonus – it’s easy to make!) I have made some changes to the salad lately – most importantly, I use shallots in place of scallions. I love the extra bit of flavor it provides!

7) Healthy Mock Breaded Cauliflower: I can’t even tell you how much I love this recipe. It makes me feel like I am eating really fattening, delicious fast-food or restaurant food, but it’s so much healthier than it tastes! It’s another one of those recipes that takes less than five minutes to pull together, so you can just imagine why it’s a favorite of mine, and also hundreds of readers. 

8) Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Salad: This might just be my favorite lunch recipe. Ever. It’s quick and easy to make, but so filling! Serve it over some brown rice for a full meal. I’ve made this with some added veggies and it was delicious!

9) Frozen Drinks: Iced Mochacino and Strawberry Limeade Slushies: Everyone needs a treat every now and then, and these are two of my favorites. They’re frozen, refreshing, and seem to be more caloric than they actually are. 

10) Grilled Chicken: I make a number of different grilled chicken varieties, but two of my favorites are my asian inspired mustard marinated chicken and this simple yet delicious herb marinated grilled chicken. Both are simple and delicious, and of course, are delicious on the grill this summer! 

11) Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Tomatoes: Are you noticing a pattern here with the roasted vegetable recipes? Well I may be the queen of quick and simple roasted vegetable recipes, and this is one of my latest favorites. Green beans are filling and in season, and the shallots and cherry tomatoes compliment them perfectly. Bonus: these are yummy cold, so they wind up as a lunch at work pretty often!

12) Chicken in Mushroom Sauce: I’ve made variations of this chicken, and I love it every time. It works nicely in the crockpot, in a pot, or in the oven. Add some other veggies like zucchini, or some other mushroom varieties like portabella or cremini. It’s versatile and delicious, and you don’t have to be dieting to enjoy it! 

13) Healthy Muffins: While I know that dieters shouldn’t be eating a ton of baked goods, everyone needs a treat every now and then, and these muffins are just the thing! I have a number of varieties, some here, and another here. Find the flavor that speaks to you, then treat yourself in a low-guilt way!

14) Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are better for you than their white cousin, and these delicious herb roasted sweet potatoes are a delicious and healthy way to prepare them!

15) Healthy Pancakes: My favorite way to start a sunday is to wake up (late) to some delicious – and healthy – pancakes! I am constantly coming up with fun, new varieties, and have shared a bunch of them here! Healthy Chocolate Cheesecake Pancakes, Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes, and Healthy Cottage Cheese Blueberry Pancakes are all great and healthy options!

Thanks for stopping by friends! Make sure to come back soon for some brand new recipes! -Miriam

secret ingredient chocolate cupcakes on overtime cook

A hundred years is a long time. I mean, I wouldn’t really know. I haven’t been alive long enough. Neither has my father. Or my grandfather.

But Hellmann’s is about to celebrate 100 years of business, and when they asked me to help them celebrate, I couldn’t say no. Firstly, like I said, 100 years is super cool. Also, I use one brand of mayonnaise and one brand only. Obviously, that’s Hellmann’s. And lastly, they are partnering up with Mario Batali, who I am a teensy bit obsessed with, (like, if one chef would cook me a kosher meal, I would probably pick him) to celebrate this milestone.

In honor of their big 100, Mario Batali recreated a number of Hellmann’s classic recipes. They asked me to put my own spin on one of Mario’s recipes. Well, there were a number of yummy looking options, but when I saw the chocolate cake, I immediately knew I had to create it. Firstly, I have long been intrigued by the concept of putting mayonnaise in sweet dishes. Also, chocolate.

Anyway, you know how I love mini’s, so I had to miniaturize this recipe! Instead of a layer cake, I made cupcakes. And while Mario Batali says he likes this topped with whipped cream, I couldn’t help myself. I had to dollop on some of this magical Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting. The only other change I made was swapping out the water for coffee. Because, uh, coffee.

Anyway, the result? Moist, chocolaty, deliciousness. The mayonnaise gives these cupcakes a fabulous and rich texture!

Before we get to the recipe, I want to let you know that Hellmann’s is offering all of you a chance to put your own spin on one of Mario Batali’s recipes…and win! Click here for all the details!

chocolate cupcakes 3

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Cupcakes:

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com; Adapted from Hellmann’s and Mario Batali

Ingredients:

4 cup cake flour *or* 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1/2 cup corn starch

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups coffee (unsweetened)

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

If using all purpose flour: whisk together the flour and corn starch, then sift into a bowl.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir to combine.

Add the Hellmann’s mayo, eggs, coffee and vanilla extract. Beat until combined and not lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling them 2/3rds full.

Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

Yields about 3 dozen.

Magical Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting:

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com; Adapted from BHG.Com

Ingredients:

12 ounces good quality dark chocolate

1/2 cup (one stick) butter or margarine

1 cup sour cream (non-dairy okay)

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until smooth. Add the butter/margarine and melt. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in the sour cream until smooth.

Add the chocolate mixer into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat in the powdered sugar.

Spoon or pipe the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!
chocolate cupcakes 1_

Looking for more recipes that use mayo? Try these:

Roasted Jalepeno Dip

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Creamy Basil Dip

Broccoli Kugel Muffins

Thanks for stopping by friends! Try these cupcakes….you’ll be in chocolate heaven! And come back soon – I am super excited for my next post! (Yeah, that’s a teaser!) -Miriam

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Hellmann’s for this post. However, all opinions and pictures are my own.

Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing on OvertimeCook

When it comes to eating food repetitively, I think there are two types of people. Those who are totally fine with it, and those who can’t face the same food too often.

My parents fall into the first category. They both have a habit of finding a food, cuisine, style of cooking, spice, or some other food they enjoy. Then they cook it. And cook it. And cook it again. And so many more times that people like me want to scream at the sight of the repetition.

Personally, I need to vary my food. (I can’t imagine you’re shocked right now.) And while I definitely have old standby foods that I’ll fall back on, I’ll almost never eat the same food day after day after day. And when I do, you know that food is something special.

Which brings us straight to this delicious salad dressing. Special is definitely one of the words I’d use to describe it. Delicious is another. Simple and easy is another. Fresh, bright and healthy are also adjectives that will describe this beautifully.

I made this delicious salad dressing one Sunday, and I had it for lunch every day that week. And then, when I ran out, I made some more. It really is that good.

Make it. You’ll see. Just make sure you have enough, you’ll want to keep eating it.

Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing 2

Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com

Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 2 oranges

1/3 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons mustard

1-2 Tablespoons agave syrup or honey (depending on how sweet you like it)

2 shallots, finely minced

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, oil, mustard and agave syrup in a bowl. Whisk until combined and slightly thickened.

Add the shallots and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to your taste.

Enjoy!

Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing 3

Thanks for stopping by friends! Stay healthy! -Miriam (By the way – I have been sharing some funny pictures on my Facebook page recently. Join me there for some laughs?)

strawberry lemonade sandwich cookies on Overtime Cook

Ok, I am going to just come out and admit it. Half the reason I love these cookies is that they are so darned cute looking. Seriously, pastel shades of yellow and pink scream “spring is here!” to me. Even when the weather is screaming “sorry, spring has been cancelled this year! We’re alternating between winter days and summer days until further notice.”

Oops. This totally wasn’t meant to be a rant about the weather. But once we’re on the topic, how crazy is it that in a span of a couple of days, I went from sweatshirts and shivering to how-high-does-the-AC-in-this-car-go. It’s a pain trying to get dressed for the day when you have to remember that there’s a 25 degree fluctuation possible.

But anyway. Back to cookies. Pretty cookies, to be specific. So as we said, these are pretty colors. Did I mention how sparkly these are? Ok, I am definitely not the sparkly-unicorn-girly type, but sparkly cookies kinda make anyone smile, am I right or am I right? Anyway, once you get past the whole exclaiming over how pretty these cookies are, you bite into them and the soft, cake-y deliciousness will totally amaze you. And you’ll totally reach for another one, but don’t feel bad. Nobody can resist these.

strawberry lemonade sandwich cookies 2

Strawberry Lemonade Sandwich Cookies:

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com

Ingredients:

2 sticks (one cup) butter or margarine

1 1/4 cups sugar

zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 drops of yellow food coloring (optional, but highly recommended)

2 eggs

2 1/3 cups flour

yellow sugar, for rolling*

for the filling

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine

8 ounces cream cheese (tofutti works well)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 drops red food coloring, option but highly recommended

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter/margarine and sugar until creamy. Add the lemon zest, lemon extract, vanilla extract, baking powder, lemon juice and food coloring. Beat until combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine after each addition. Beat until creamy. Add the flour and beat until just combined.

Place the yellow sugar in a small bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough into the sugar, then roll it between your palms to smooth it out. Place on the prepared tray. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving plenty of room for spreading.

Bake the cookies at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.

To make the filling: beat together the butter/margarine and cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy. Sandwich the filling between two cooled cookies.

Enjoy!

*Note: if you don’t have yellow sugar, don’t skip it. You need it for the texture of the cookies. You can roll them in plain sugar though – it will only affect the looks (a bit!).

strawberry lemonade sandwich cookies 3

Thanks friends for stopping by! Hope you love these cookies as much as my tasters and I did. -Miriam

pastrami shells 1

I feel like this dish should have been created ages before it was. Stuffed shells are a total staple of my cooking repertoire. I’ve done dairy stuffed shells, made with a cheesy filling. I’ve done meat stuffed shells with a ground meat filling. I’ve added vegetables to give it a healthy twist, and played around with spices.

And suddenly when my sister and I were planning our recent holiday meals, another type of stuffed shells hit me. Why not stuff the shells with a delicious pastrami filling? And instead of the classic tomato sauce to bake it in, I knew I’d pare this with pastrami’s friend honey mustard.

And it worked so well! Not only did it serve up beautifully, but everyone licked their plates clean. So whether you’re serving this as an appetizer or a side dish, this fun and innovative take will be sure to please!

pastrami shells 2

Pastrami Stuffed Shells with Honey Mustard Onion Sauce

by Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.com

Note: there are duplicates of the ingredients below, but they are for separate parts of the dish, so follow the directions carefully.

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo shells pasta

2 Tablespoons canola oil

3 large onions

1 Tablespoon canola oil

6 ounces sliced pastrami, diced

1/2 Tablespoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 Tablespoons white wine

Instructions:

Boil pasta according to package directions and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium pot, sautee the onions in oil over a medium-low flame until translucent.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. Add the pastrami and stir occasionally, for about 5-8 minutes, until the pastrami is cooked through but not crispy yet.

Add the mustard, garlic powder and 1/3 of the sauteed onions. Sautee for an additional 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

In the pot with 2/3 of the sauteed onions, add the mustard, honey, salt, pepper and white wine. Heat until simmering and cook for a couple of minutes. Set sauce aside to cool.

Stuff the pastrami mixture inside the cooked shell pasta and place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour the sauce over the shells.

Cover the pan tightly and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

(This dish freezes nicely, but may need additional onion sauce for reheating.)

Enjoy!

pastrami shells 3

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Come back soon for more delicious treats! -Miriam PS: do you follow me on Instagram yet? Because if not, you totally should. Unless you don’t like to see pictures of yummy food. Then don’t follow me at all!

neapolitan zebra cheesecake on Overtime Cook

Every now and then, a person is lucky enough to come up with an idea that’s pure genius. I consider myself endlessly lucky to have a platform, both here on the blog and in my magazine column, where I can share my occasional stroke of brilliance with a couple of folks.

Well this one was one of my most incredible strokes of genius. Ages ago, I posted this Zebra Cake. Then I took it a step further with this ever popular Zebra Bundt Cake. And ever since then, the concept of zebra cakes and such have been in my head constantly.

I wanted to create a zebra cheesecake, but plain chocolate and vanilla has been done so many times, and I wanted to do something a little more extraordinary. That’s when I came up with the idea of this Neapolitan Zebra Cheesecake. It’s gorgeous, it’s impressive, and the flavors are simply awesome together. After all, who doesn’t love this amazing flavor combination?

The recipe was published recently in my magazine column, and it might have been my most popular recipe ever. Facebook blew up with my amazing readers posting pictures of this gorgeous cake, so I knew I had to share it with my lovely blog readers.

Next time you want to impress, make this cheesecake. It’s not as complicated as it looks. It’s a matter of making three quick batters, then spooning them in carefully. Go ahead. You know it’s worth it!

neapolitan zebra cheesecake 2

Zebra Neapolitan Cheesecake

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com

Originally published in my column in Ami/Whisk Magazine

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the Strawberry Layer:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup strawberry purée*

1 teaspoon strawberry extract (optional, but strongly recommended)

A few drops food coloring (optional but recommended)

*(blend frozen strawberries that have been defrosted in your food processor to make the purée.)

For the chocolate layer:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup flour

For the vanilla layer:
8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour

Instructions:

To prepare the crust:

Mix together the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter until combined. (It will have the texture of wet sand.) Press along the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Press a round measuring cup along the edge to smooth it out. Place the crust in the freezer while you prepare the batter.

To prepare batter: combine all ingredients for strawberry mixture in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. (You can do this with an electric mixer or a whisk.) Set aside. Repeat to make chocolate and then vanilla batter.

To assemble the cheesecake: 

Remove the crust from the freezer. Place a small scoop (*see note) (about 2-4 Tablespoons) of the vanilla batter in the center of the crust.
Next, place a scoop of the chocolate mixture in the center of the vanilla. This will cause the vanilla mixture to spread out. Then, place a scoop of the strawberry mixture in the center of the chocolate, again, this will push the chocolate mixture out towards the edge.

Repeat with the remaining batter, alternating between the colors. (Note about the size of the scoop- the smaller the scoop, the more impressive your cheesecake will look, but the longer it will take. Just make sure the scoops are the same size for each flavor.)

Bake the cheesecake at 350 for 65 minutes. To prevent cracks, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool slowly for at least an hour.

If you don’t want to make your own crust, divide the batter between two pre-made graham cracker crusts and bake for 40-45 minutes.

*Note: I heard from many readers who used squeeze bottles and piping bags to place the batter in neat, even circles. This might also make the process easier.

neapolitan zebra cheesecake alt

Thanks everyone for stopping by! And come back soon for some more delicious recipes! -Miriam

grean beans 1

Hey folks! My friend Samantha from Little Ferraro Kitchen is graduating, and studying for finals, and all kinds of stuff that keep her too busy for blogging. I’m so excited to step in with a guest post for her.

So head over there to see my recipe for Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Cherry Tomatoes, and to wish Samantha a big mazel tov on her graduation.

grean beans 2

And of course, come back soon for more yummy treats! -Miriam

lemon cheesecake mousse on OvertimeCook

People often ask me where my recipe ideas come from. And I never know what to answer- no, I really can’t answer. Because I simply don’t know.

Okay, sometimes I know. I mean, the Butterscotch Bundt Cake that I published in my column in Ami magazine was a dream I had during my commute home from work one day. Okay, so I can’t exactly tell you where the dream came from, but it’s something. And some recipes are carefully researched and created to fit a theme, holiday or inspiration.

But this recipe came to my head, completely formed, in a split second. I was talking to my sister-in-law about dessert I would bring for a party she was making. She mentioned a yellow color scheme, so naturally my mind went to lemon. And then, because there’s a cheesecake holiday coming up, my mind went to cheesecake. And in a tenth of a second, this entire recipe appeared, fully formed, in my head.

Good news is, it was as delicious in real life as it seemed in my head. And better news, it’s super easy, no bake, and looks really pretty. Can you possibly ask for anything else?

lemon cheesecake mousse 3

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Mousse

By Miriam Pascal, overtimecook.com 

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream or non-dairy whip topping

1 cup lemon pie filling

12 ounces unwhipped cream cheese (or tofutti cream cheese)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

a few drops yellow food coloring, optional

1 cup powdered sugar

for graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Instructions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff.

Remove from the mixer and set aside. (No need to wash the bowl before continuing.) Add the lemon pie filling and cream cheese to the mixer and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, food coloring (if using) and powdered sugar and beat until combined.

Using a rubber spatula, add the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, slowly (do it in batches), until its fully incorporated. Set aside.

To make the crumbs, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter or margarine.

To assemble the cups:

Place a small amount of the crumbs on the bottom of a cup. Pipe the mousse over the crumbs to fill the cup, then add more crumbs on top.

Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

lemon cheesecake mousse 1

Thanks for stopping by friends! Hope you love these gorgeous little treats. Have a great Shavuot and come back after for some yummy healthy recipes. -Miriam

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