During a recent interview with Heather Robertson from Half Size Me, I was asked how I’ve maintained my 40 pound weight loss over the years.
Authoring this blog is a big part of the accountability piece – and my long time friend, the bathroom scale. When the dial on the scale reaches that magic number in the wrong direction, I’m stopped in my tracks.
When I stepped on the scale this morning and watched as the dial registered that dreadful number – I knew it was time to make some changes.
Looking back at recent months, I can see where those extra pounds have found their way in, so I’m going to shut them down starting with this tasty stir fry recipe.
Cod and Pepper Stir Fry
Tender chunks of cod studded with colorful peppers and broccoli make this a satisfying low calorie meal.
But for me, it’s all about the sauce.
An exceptional stir fry has to have a memorable sauce. My bottle of garlic chili sauce is the key to happy memories. All I have to do is add a mere teaspoon to a little fresh squeezed orange juice and I have the stir fry of my dreams – sweet with heat.
Cod and Pepper Stir Fry
If you get a chance, introduce yourself to Heather’s website. Heather is a busy mother of three boys who was determined to lose a total of 170 pounds – 108 with the help of Weight Watchers. She has a wealth of weight loss inspiration and information well worth taking the time to read.
I’m off to plan tomorrow night’s skinny meal. Happy, healthy cooking!
Ingredients
- 1 large orange , zested
- 1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ - 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups bell pepper, sliced
- 2 cups broccoli, florets
- 1 pound cod, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium high heat. Add vegetables and cook for 5 - 8 minutes until crisp-tender, stirring often. Remove to a plate and cover.
- Combine orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, chili garlic sauce and cornstarch in small bowl.
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add cod. Cod will cook quickly and break apart easily so be careful when turning.
- Add sauce and vegetables and cook stirring gently until sauce thickens - about 3 - 4 minutes.
Notes
Calories do not include rice Calories: 299 Weight Watchers PointsPlus 8 Total Fat: 7.29g Cholesterol: 48mg Sodium: 130mg Total Carbs: 35.58g Dietary Fiber: 5.11g Sugars: 19.74g Protein: 24.29g
If you’re looking for healthy and low calorie Weight Watchers recipes, check out my Recipe page. You’ll find hundreds of recipes that include nutrition information and Weight Watchers points.
Please see disclaimer for further details. Nutrition information is compiled with MacGourmet. If you find discrepancies, please let me know. It’s important to me that I provide you with accurate information.
Loving the idea of an orange sauce. I think I’ll try this tonight.
I’ve recently started using more orange in my dishes. It’s a bit sweeter than lemons and limes and a very nice change.
Great tip about the sauce. Your photos are terrific! Thanks for sahring
Dave at eRecipeCards.com
“An exceptional stir fry has to have a memorable sauce . . . “ So true! I love chili garlic sauce – I use it all the time. Although I love most things about getting older, one of the real bummers is one’s energy needs decline (and I don’t care how much you exercise, you just won’t burn as many calories as when you were in your 20s). So of course you need less food – but we have this lifelong habit of eating more. One of the things I really like about your blog is you figure out ways to make less seem like more – this recipe is a perfect example. Good post – thanks.
What you say is so true. I do some form of exercise every day for a minimum of 30 minutes, but often times it’s not enough, and I can tell when those portion sizes are creeping up because the scale does too. Have a wonderful weekend.
this sounds like a delicious stir fry! yum!
Stir-frys are one of my favorite ways to add fiber-rich veggies to my day. This one looks awesome! Such a unique combination of flavors – I love it!
I’m working on cutting out a few calories without skimping on flavor, so I have to be creative.
This may sound wild but, I have no fish, and this looks too good, not to make, right now. I am going to try this with Polenta.
Polenta? I would love to know how you’ll do that with polenta – I often buy it by the tube (sorry to say as you probably make it from scratch).
This looks delicious!
I know what you mean about stepping on the scale. Although it’s not always fun to see the number creep up, but it helps you realize if you’ve been on track or not for sure.
Very true. I’m one of those people who gets on the scale daily. I know it goes against conventional wisdom, but for me, it stops me before I gain back those 40 pounds.
Sounds good, but there are so many different things in here I can’t eat (like onion and honey). Bummer! I miss honey sometimes. Is that black rice or wild rice? I have been hearing about black rice from a lot of shoppers where I work…apparently Dr. Oz talks about it a lot, but I’ve never even seen it or tried it.
We live where I can buy local honey, so I would miss it too. My coworker bought black rice and was very please with it, so when I attended a cooking class at PCC Natural Market I found some there. I didn’t find the taste and texture much different from brown rice, but the dramatic effect on a plate is sure a lot of fun. Your question sent me on a little quest to see if it was any healthier than brown rice, and according to Health.com black rice contains more anthocyanins. I wouldn’t say it was cost effective for a family though. Hve a terrific weekend!
great post, I may just have to make a few paleo tweaks and try out this recipe!
If you do, I’d love to know what you changed. I’m always looking for new ideas!
What kind of garlic chili sauce do you use?
Hi Leslie, I use a chili garlic sauce I bought in the Asian section of our local market produced by Huy Fong Foods Inc., but I would just buy any reliable brand. I love that it contains 0 calories in a teaspoon and the flavor is fantastic. Have a good weekend.