Chili Baked Potatoes + Asparagus
The husband always sings “Batata Patata” when he thinks about them. What a dork!
This dinner was dreamed up on our way to the grocery store this morning. I asked the husband what he was craving (we bumped tonight’s dinner to tomorrow) and he said potatoes. Then baked russet potatoes. Then I suggested beans for topping, along with Rotel, cheese and “sour cream,” all-American style. Dinner was born!
Actually, this potato was so big I couldn’t finish it! It was a 13.5 oz potato – I probably ate 75% (plus all the toppings). It didn’t look that big before we cooked it – comparable to its siblings in the store – but I guess it was considered a “large” one by serving size. Too much for me!
After an hour in the oven, my potato was topped with 1/2 a can of rotel plus 1/2 a cup of kidney beans heated on the stove along with some chili powder and other seasonings. On top of that was 1 oz of reduced-fat Mexican cheese and about 3 tbsp of Fage on the side (so I don’t cool down the potato – I get a little on my fork before each bite!)
Leftovers, sans toppings and happily consumed by the hub. I could have eaten this, but I was getting pretty full and I’m trying to stop eating before I’m full!
I swear Fresh Market’s asparagus is better than any other we’ve had. It must be local, because it has so much more flavor than Harris Teeter’s. I got it there once because I was there and we needed it for dinner, but this time I made a special trip. It was so worth it!
I also sipped on 4 oz of red wine – we had to finish the bottle from Friday night!
The husband made a “Bloody Mary” with the Rotel juice and vodka. He always takes sips of the gross juice of things like pickles and jalapeños. Sounds disgusting, but he made me taste it and it really was just like an extra spicy bloody mary. But I don’t think I’m going to join him on this one 😉
The revised potato amount dinner was about 500 kcal, 19 grams fiber and 30 grams protein, not including wine.
Shopping
JUST to make Frannie’s day, here’s a recap of my Old Navy trip! What’s odd is that the bathing suits fit me better than the 20 different shorts/skirt/sweater/shirt items I tried on! I think Old Navy’s clothing designers are having some trouble. None of the ‘normal’ clothes fit me right. They are too big in some parts and too tight in others. But I’m happy with what I got!
Staples: 4 of my very favorite pajama tank tops – so soft and just tight enough – along with a pair of PJ bottoms on sale! I LOVE seersucker!
A simple black dress, a pair of shorts and a tin candle. They have a new line on scents – candles, lotions, etc. – and they are SO COOL!! The designs are the best part. All of the bottles are funky. I had such a hard time choosing my favorite scent!
Two bathing suits! I love Old Navy’s bathing suits. I need something I can tie in the back and top to make it secure, and theirs are great – and inexpensive too! I’m headed to the beach twice in May, so I’m ready to go!
And lastly, this crazy beach cover up (or at least that’s how I interpreted it). It’s so flowing and romantic! Definitely looks better on than on the hanger! It’ll be perfect for late night walks on the beach 🙂
THANK YOU 20% off!!!
Snacks
Lunch held me over really well! I didn’t need a formal snack, but for the record, I had a cookie sample at World Market and had a small piece of the husband’s spelt bread hot out of the oven. And gnawed on a mango pit after dinner!
Sigh…the weekend comes to a close. Back to the grind tomorrow, but a fun thing is I don’t have class on Friday AND the weather forecast, with the exception of a horrendous cold, rainy Monday, is going to be Sunny and Warm all week!
Night guys!
RhodeyGirl says
it looks like you had a fabulous weekend- i love all of your Old Navy purchases! super cute!
I have never had a baked potato with toppings, always just plain… I am going to have to try this one next week! thanks for the inspiration!
Ashley H says
oh YUM The minute I see a chili baked potato it reminds me of living at home! I think I am going to make that as some comfort food tonight!
PS Good deals and cute stuff isnt life grand! 😉
melissa-little runner says
Hi Kath!
I have a couple questions about your danish pancakes–which look AMAZING! 1.) Do you think I could substitute plain yogurt for cottage cheese? 2.) Is it essential to use a blender? Does that break down the oats?
Thanks a lot.
Oh, I wanted to tell you that you have influenced yet another area of my life! Organization. I struggled to utilize Todist for a few months, after reading about it on your blog. It wasn’t intitutive for me, but it led me to discover Remember the Milk, which helps keep me on top of everything and feeling very productive. So thanks again, you rock 🙂
Lindsay says
Ahhh I love all your finds from Old Navy! I have the same problem w/ their clothes fitting me well… It’s always too big or too tight in certain areas, but I do love them for their yoga pants & pj’s & cute dresses 😉 I love that beach cover-up!!! I need to stock up on some of them for my honeymoon…
Kath says
Melissa,
In the comments from Sat. morning’s breakfast someone asked the same question about yogurt. Another reader tried it and said it worked fine. I don’t think you have to blend the mixture – you could just mix well by hand. It just makes for a more “floury” texture. Leaving the oats whole will be coarser like the oatmeal pancakes that I normally make with just egg whites.
Kath
Maria says
*Love* the white patterned bikini – reminds me of a tiled tabletop somewhere in Marrakesh!
My family calls them ‘super-stuffed potatoes’ and mmm… do they ever hit the spot! We also include some finely sliced chives or scallion and I go crazy with the broccoli!
Em says
aww yummy dinner! I had some delish asparagus today as well! and im jealous you have an old navy close by! I like the black dress a lot, and any kind of flowy summer dress sounds fab to me! It looks so comfy!
VeggieGirl says
Between your successful shopping trip to Old Navy, and your comforting dinner (I especially love the fresh asparagus!! I’ve been eating it every night for the past few weeks, since it’s FINALLY in season!! hooray!!), I’d say your Sunday was a splendid one!!
Good night!! And have a lovely Monday morning :0)
Betsy says
i LOVE your new bathing suits. the one on the left is too cute. i might have to go buy it!!
bloody mary’s are one of my favorites but I so rarely have one. I like them extra spicey during a fun Sunday brunch. Yum!
Ally says
I love your purchases, especially the black dress!
Dinner looked really hearty and delicious!
I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’ve been looking forward to running outside… I’ll cross my fingers before I go to bed and hope for the best!
hk says
what cute bikinis…good to know you like these ones, I don’t have any from old navy, but the patterns are too cute! have a good night and good start to the week tomorrow 🙂
Hannah says
Melissa,
I made some whole wheat pancakes this morning with plain yogurt and they were great. Not sure if they tasted anything like Kath’s though! I posted the recipe if you wanna check it out. www.realfood4us.com under recipes
mel says
Random- but i think everytime you have good weather we (in Kentucky) have AWFUL weather and vice versa!! haha! I froze my butt off at Keenland yesterday and today the high was 40 and raining…boo! where’s spring? Yummy dinner kath!! 3 questions for Kath or anyone! 1. Do you cook yams the same way as sweet potatoes? I just got 2 at the farmers market! yum! 2. I also got corn on the cob, what is everyones fav way to make it ? boil it? grill? 3. I had thai chicken pizza (thin crust) tonight at dinner out..does anyone have a tasty healthy recipie for it? thanks y’all!! xoxo
Romina says
Beans & potatoes… such a great combo! I love your
Ooh, I love Old Navy, and how you can go crazy and buy a whole wardrobe for a decent price. Love the bathing suits.. how I wish I could even dream of beach weather.
rachel k says
i love your bedspread! where did you get it?
Becca says
Hi Kath,
your dinner looks great! I get so many ideas from your meals! Anyway, for my writing class we have to do a research paper, but to go along with that we have an “alternative genre” requirement. I started a food blog and added you to my list of links, just wanted to make sure that was ok! Have a great week!
Christianne says
Yes, please tell us where you got your bedspread!
Cara says
Sounds like you definitely had a good weekend!
bikergurl says
I love your new clothes! Unfortunately Old Navy bathing suits just don’t fit me. They’re so cute though!
Jill says
Those shorts are great… and I think I have the same pj bottoms!
MLT says
Hey Kath,
thanks for sharing your new clothes- I love looking at clothes and unfortunately don’t have the time to go shopping myself. This is the next best thing! I love those shorts and the beach cover up is adorable! I would totally wear that as a dress- I think its really cute!
Nick says
Excellent baked potato. I’d like to see some real homemade chili on that! I woulda used a sweet potato, I’m addicted to those things. They go surprisingly well with chili and cheese. They also go great with nonfat cream cheese and marshmallow fluff.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
LolaFunk says
I just bought that same dress, but the white/beige color, haha!
JennK. says
Your dinner plates are so lovely – it really makes eating so much for fun!
kay says
Your dinner looks yummy!!
I agree that Old Navy has weird sizes… and they don’t fit quite right for me either (especially the pants)! I love the swimsuit on the left so much!!
A few days ago (danish pancake day), you wrote that you used to have 6 meals a day and that now you have bigger meals instead of smaller ones.
Q.: Did you find the transition difficult? How did you do it?
I want to eat just three meals a day and be done with it but I find myself hungry in between meals even when I eat bigger meals with more protein etc. Maybe my body needs some time to adjust?? I will be trying those pancakes to see how they last me!!
Monday is here…. almost.
Missy says
The swimsuits are so cute! 🙂
Quick question: I want to lose a significant amount of weight. Lately, I haven’t been exercising much at all, and I want to get started on a good plan. When I’m in better shape, I like to run, but at this point, I feel so out of shape that running is pretty difficult. I guess my question is, is walking an okay form of exercise until I feel like I can run again, or do you have any other suggestions? How did you build up your fitness level?
Thanks!
linds says
I love that asparagus is coming into season now!!! It’s so good in spring 🙂
sarah says
i am also going to use your potato dinner sometime this week — super easy, healthy, and good (and like peanut butter boy, i will use sweet potatoes, b/c i LOVE them.)
nice shopping trip! i agree that old navy cuts are a bit off sometimes. we are built quite similarly i think and i wonder if you’d have better luck at the gap (weird b/c it’s the same company as old navy, but the cuts are completely different!). i also swear by express for really great-fitting pants.
Kath says
Mel,
Since I can’t tell the diff. between yam and sweet potato, I cook them the same way 🙂 And we always grill our corn OTC, but boiling works well too! Hope you have good weather today!
Rachel and Christianne ,
It’s from Pottery Barn, a year ago. I doubt if they still make that one, but I’m sure you can hunt for something similar!
kay ,
Eating bigger meals isn’t a hard transition at all – you just do it. Really all I did was cut out my 10 a.m. snack and put those calories towards breakfast (I still need a 4pm snack on most days). I was tired of thinking about my snack, planning it, letting it rule my morning. Plus, hunger is unpleasant and I’d rather experience it less frequently! And I noticed that if I ate a big breakfast on the weekends I never needed one, so I just ate a big breakfast one day – it worked. The fear of snackers is that they will eat a big breakfast and then still need a snack and will end up eating too much. I also used to “save” calories for a dessert/snack in the evenings, but as I started getting more creative in the kitchen I wanted to eat a bigger dinner. Again, the fear was that if I ate a bigger dinner and still wanted dessert that I would end up eating too much, but that’s when you just have to say no to dessert. And I found that when dinner was more filling and satisfying, I didn’t need dessert.
You just have to try it. You might THINK you’re hungry 2-3 hours after the meal, but you’re probably just thirsty. That’s my experience.
Missy ,
Walking is absolutely a great way to start. Start with a brisk walk and try adding in some intervals of jogging. Build on that so you’re jogging more than walking. Good luck!
Nick ,
Marshmallow fluff, you say. Sounds interesting! Perhaps not the healthiest though. What’s that stuff made of?
sarah ,
I do like the GAP, but it’s usually hit or miss for me. I got 2 pairs of their jeans a month ago and really like them a lot, but lots of their cute pants don’t come in petite length!! Grrr. Their shirts don’t fit me as well, and it’s also more expensive, but it’s on my “favorite stores” list 🙂
Kath
Katie says
YUM! I haven’t had a baked potato in too long! And yay for shopping trips! I told myself no clothes shopping until I’m back under my high-end weight as motivation. Um…it’s not really working. lol.
Ally says
weird…I went to old navy this weekend too and all I ended up getting was a bathing suit (and flip-flops!) because it was the only thing I was happy with the fit of too. I tried on a coverup, pants and shorts – and while the shorts were okay the cut of the pants were horrendous. It definitely pays to spend the money on well cut clothing. So much more flattering.
Now, not to be too personal or anything but I always have trouble with bathing suit tops. I wish they were all fitted to bra sizes. I ended up getting a medium and I’m a 36B. I never feel like I have the right amount of coverage, I always feel like they are too small but if I try on a large, it’ll be loose on the sides. Anyone else have this problem? It could just be the style I tend to buy halter bikinis vs. strings because of this but I really wanted this cute one they had there and since I’ve been working out a lot this year I wanted to vamp it up a little, haha!
Julia says
Yeah, I’m spoiled with asparagus. I hate it.
The reason is, we used to grow it ourselves in our little crappy garden in our backyard, and it was
SO SO delious fresh-picked, and every time I try asparagus now, it’s inevitably not fresh picked and it tastes icky to me.
One time I tried canned. *shudder* That was, I think, the singular worst food experience of my life. Well, maybe not, but it was pretty bad. lol!
As always, your meals look delicious! 🙂
Kris10 says
I just went to Old Navy yesterday (sans the 20% off bag–sadness), and scored big time with new tank tops, shorts, and a couple of cute dresses for my upcoming honeymoon to Hawaii. So excited! But now you have me thinking that I missed out not hitting up the pajama section. Those pj bottoms are super cute! Ooh, and a bathing suit cover-up and those cute plaid shorts would be nice, too. Perhaps a return trip is in the cards… Thanks for sharing your shopping pics!
Frannie says
Thanks for posting your new clothes! Sooo cute 🙂
I also have been having trouble with the fit at Old Navy. I also think they have been doing some weird things with vanity sizing…and somehow the cuts for the sizes are weird now. Oh well.
Have a great day!
Sonia says
You should try Express for petite pants..they are my best pants ever and all bought during the sale season so great bargains there.