Fiddle Version Linguini with Clam Sauce

I served this on a salad plate so it is nice and full.

I'm super happy this morning! I weigh myself first thing on Monday mornings and I'm down 13 pounds!!! The previous week I lost a little less than one pound and this week I lost 2.4 pounds. So slow, steady and consistent. It is so joyous to see the numbers keep going down on the scale!

The more I learn about food and nutrition the more I realize how many choices and options I have to eat real food instead of diet food. One of my favorite dinners is Flank Steak with half a large Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Greek Yogurt with a Tomato Arugula Salad. (I'll write about that next because the technique for the tomatoes is something I do professionally when catering that worked really well for good flavor while losing weight.)

My other joyous lunch is a quesadilla with a half cup of pinto beans on the side. The quesadilla is only 5 points! Again, I'm using real cheddar cheese (not low-fat) and it is so luxurious to eat it. I thought that somehow a quesadilla would be forbidden but it wasn't. Really, nothing is forbidden, it is all a matter of portion control. And when I'm not trying to lose weight I could easily eat 2 quesadillas with sour cream and salsa. But the truth is that one will fill me up and is very satisfying.

I've been trying to work on some quick meals that you can make from staples in the pantry. So while linguini with clam sauce with fresh clams is certainly superior, this quick version is made with canned clams and is great when you haven't had time to think about what to make for dinner. The whole sauce takes less time that it does to boil the water for the pasta.

And I did try whole wheat pasta and it was terrible!!! It was like cardboard. Wretched stuff. I do love whole wheat bread and I like the whole wheat English Muffins more than the regular white ones, so you'd think I would like whole wheat pasta. But it ruined the dish for me.

For my husband and kids, who are not trying to lose weight, I added some butter and a little more cheese to their portions. But here is the Fiddle Version for only 215 calories or 4 points*.

Fiddle Version Linguini with Clam Sauce

Makes 8 1-cup servings

1 pound linguini (can substitute spaghetti)

salted water to cook linguini

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 6.5 ounce cans of clams with juice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 leaves from one bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese (if you wish, each tablespoon is 1 point*)

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.

While pasta is cooking make the sauce. Saute minced garlic in olive oil for a minute or so (do not let garlic get dark brown or burn or the sauce will be bitter.)

Add white wine and cook for one minute. Add clams with their juice, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and chopped parsley. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and combine well. For those that like their food spicy you can add more red pepper flakes.

Measure out one cup servings. Add parmesan cheese for an extra point.

215 calories per 1 cup serving, 14% Vitamin C, 13% iron, 6.9 g protein, 9% Vitamin A

*The Points® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Maili and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the Points® registered trademark.