The Truth About Tofu

What is Tofu? Simply, it is cheese made from soy milk.

• You like cheese, right? This "soy cheese" is safe for those with cow's milk or dairy allergies, known as lactose intolerance.

Why should I eat tofu and other soy foods?

• Heart disease- Soy plus a low fat diet may decrease your LDL (bad) cholesterol.
• Weight loss- The protein in soy helps curb appetite.
• Cancer- Soy contains cancer fighting agents (called phytochemicals and isoflavons).
• Diabetes- Soy has a little effect on blood sugar.

What does tofu taste like? Tofu tastes however you want it to taste!

• Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with, such as sauces, spices, and vegetables. Tofu is most well known for being used in stir-fry dishes.

How much soy or tofu should I eat?

• 1 serving, or 3 ounces, of tofu per day is recommended for healthy adults.
• The FDA recommends 25 grams per day of soy protein and a low fat diet to help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and the risk for heart disease.

Where can I find tofu?

• Tofu is found in the refrigerated health- food section of the grocery store
• Morning star products in the freezer section (soy burgers, etc.)

How do I warm- up my family to tofu? My tofu-ranch dressing/ dip recipe has been loved by even the pickiest of eaters (Just let them think its regular ranch dressing first).

Tofu- ranch dressing/ dip:

• 1 packet of powdered ranch dressing mix
• 1 package/ box of tofu
• Optional- add 1 package of light cream cheese to thicken up the dip. You may need to do this by hand.

Use a blender to combine the above ingredients.

Enjoy your soy!

Fall recipe substitutions for flavorful and healthful fall foods

Recipes for Fall: Flavorful and Healthful

In the fall, nothing seems more comforting than sitting down to a nice, warm meal with your loved ones. But wait, you are trying to eat healthfully! Not to worry—you still can enjoy the enticing richness of autumn’s harvest, while meeting your health goals. These recipe tips will help.

Sweet potato casserole

• Use egg whites or Egg Beaters® in place of the whole eggs
• Reduce the amount of margarine or use lite margarine
• Add some applesauce to the sweet potato mixture
• Replace canned sweet potatoes with fresh sweet potatoes
• Choose pineapple packed in its own juice, instead of the kind in heavy syrup
• Add a cut up apple to the streusel topping and cut down on the amount of pecans
• Substitute orange juice for some of the melted margarine in the streusel topping

Stuffing

• Make with low-fat margarine
• Replace whole eggs with egg whites or Egg Beaters
• Substitute chicken or turkey sausage for pork sausage
• Use fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• Choose whole-grain bread

Mashed potatoes

• Make with low-fat cream cheese or lite butter
• Replace some of the potato with steamed cauliflower (it sounds odd, but it works)
• Use 2% milk or low-fat buttermilk in place of the heavy cream

Chili

• Make with extra-lean ground beef, ground turkey, turkey sausage, or trimmed pork tenderloin
• Select low-sodium, well-drained beans
• Replace salt with a salt substitute
• Use lite beer, if beer is called for in your favorite recipe

Corn bread

• Use low-fat buttermilk
• Substitute egg whites or Egg Beaters for whole eggs
• Cut down on the oil, and add an extra splash of milk or some applesauce

Creamed spinach

• Make with lite margarine
• Replace sour cream with low-fat sour cream
• Substitute Neufchâtel cheese for cream cheese
• Add half the amount of Parmesan cheese called for in the recipe
• Use no-salt seasoning

Squash or pumpkin soup

• Make with lite margarine
• Use low-sodium, low-salt chicken broth or stock
• Choose lite whipping cream or low-fat half-and-half
• Substitute Neufchâtel for cream cheese, if your recipe calls for it

Macaroni and cheese

• Make with lite margarine
• Use low-fat cheese
• Choose low-fat half-and-half, evaporated milk, or skim milk
• Substitute Egg Beaters for whole eggs
• Replace sour cream with low-fat sour cream, if your recipe calls for it
• Select whole-grain, lite bread for the topping

Resource: RD411.com 

Healthified Pumpkin Pie Filling

You can use a regular pie crust or make a pie crust out of Fiber One Original bread crumbs. The nutrition facts for these crusts are not factored into the below recipe. I made this last night and it turned out beautifully, ENJOY!

Makes 8 servings...

1 can (2 cups) pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond milk
1/2 Cup egg beaters (or 4 egg whites)
3 TBSP Truvia natural sweetener (not splenda) 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Optional: You can also add a small 6 ounce container of 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt for extra protein, flavor, and texture. If doing this, add during step 3. Bake the same way. It adds 100 calories to the entire recipe (or about 12 calories per serving).

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.) In a small bowl mix Stevia and spices (last 4 ingredients)
3.) In a large bowl beat eggs (hand whisk) then mix in pumpkin and milk until combined. (and Greek yogurt if using it)
4.) Add Stevia and spice mixture to pumkin mixture, just stir until combined.
5.) Pour in pie crust or cooking sprayed pie pan (if making crust-less version, like I did)
6.) Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of pie comes out clean.
7.) MUST DO THIS STEP before cutting and serving: Let pie sit and cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you skip this you will have pumpkin mush!

Let me know how it goes!!!

Easy Creamy Chicken Masala

I made this up last night and it was REALLY GOOD! 

Serves 2 people and only 225 calories per serving.

Loaded with flavor and not with fat. This is a healthy dish that is simple enough to make any day. I was surprised how low calorie this dish was since it seamed to make a lot of food!
Suggest serving with a side of creamed spinach (to save time I buy the green giant steamers) and basmati rice. You can also choose to mix in peas. Calories from sides not included.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients

•     1 (8 ounce can) 2 cups diced tomatoes in juice, No Salt Added (do not drain juice)
•     1/2 cup Tomatoes Sauce No Salt Added
•     1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Spice (find in bulk food dispenser or ethnic foods isle)
•     1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning
•     1/2 lb (8 oz) Chicken Breast Tenders, cubed
•     1/2 cup Fat-Free Plain Yogurt (optional)
•     1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or So Deliscuous unsweetened coconut milk

Directions

1.) Cube and cook the chicken in a large skillet/pan that can hold a lot of liquid and has a lid (you will need to cover)

2.) Add all ingredients except milk and yogurt

3.) Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not skimp on this step! Check halfway though to make sure nothing is burning, stir if necessary.

4.) Add milk and yogurt, continue to cook uncovered until sauce is thick. Stir so that sauce doesn't burn. You can be creative and add extra almond milk if you like. Also, SoDelicsious makes a low calorie (50 calories per cup) version of coconut milk that would work in this dish.
- serve with creamed spinach, rice, and/ or peas

 http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/leah-newmark-rds-creamy-tomato-chicken-masala/

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal- only 100 calories!

Makes 1 serving
Nutrition Facts: (Using water, no raisins)
Serving Size: 1 bowl, Calories 97, Calories from Fat 11, Total Fat 1.23g, Saturated Fat 0.13g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 124.83mg, Total Carbohydrate 17.79g, Dietary Fiber 5.1g, Sugars 2.8g, Protein 3.44g

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT Pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 packet) plain oatmeal (old fashioned oats can also be used)
• 1/2 cup water or unsweetened almond milk (1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk is about 20 calories)
• 2 tsp Splenda or other no calorie sweetener
• 2 TBSP Sugar free pancake syrup (about 20 calories per serving like Mrs. Butterworths) 
• 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice (or to taste)
• I also like to add 1 TBSP raisins, yummmmm.

Directions: 

1. Cook oatmeal. 
• If using instant oatmeal and microwave, cook in intervals no longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds as the oatmeal might boil over. I suggest even putting a plate under your bowl just in case. Typically shouldn't take longer than 3 minutes depending on amount of liquid used. 
• Old fashioned oats take longer, about 15 minutes, since you need to use your cook top)
2. Once water or almond milk is fully absorbed add pumpkin and syrup. Mix and continue to cook until warm. (prob 20-30 seconds in microwave; 1 minute on stove top)
3. Remove from heat and pour into bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir. 
4. Enjoy! You can even make this ahead of time to eat cold.

 You can also see this recipe on livestrong.com

Turnip fries, my new obsession!

Its super easy and super tasty...

Although I have only attempted this once, i was so excited about the yummy-ness I had to post about it!

Ingredients:

• 1 turnip (100g raw= ~28 calories, SUPER LOW compared to potatoes) 
• Cajun seasoning or another seasoning of your choosing
• Cooking spray (olive oil or butter flavor)
• Paper towels

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.
2. Cut up your turnip into shoe string sized fries (thin)
3. Season them and let them sit (about 15 minutes) on a paper towel to help remove the excess moisture (this is helpful to create crispyness, the salt in the seasoning helps to draw out the moisture so you may need to use 1/8th teaspoon of salt if using Mrs.Dash or other salt free herbs). Dab the fries with a dry paper towel if needed prior to placing them on a cookie sheet.  
4. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray then spread out the fries. 
5. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, flip the fries half way through. 
6. Enjoy! I didn't even need ketchup

Nutrition facts: 100g raw= ~28 calories, SUPER LOW compared to potatoes which are 75 calories per 100g

2 New Low-Cal Ways to Make Snow Cones!

The following simple and tasty recipes will give you a reason to buy a snow cone maker (ice shaver).

1.) Crystal Light snow cones: Pour some Crystal Light or other Low-Cal beverage over your shaved ice for a guilt free fruity and cool treat

2.) Frozen Hot Chocolate: Use fat free hot chocolate mix (about 1 packet). Let sit for about 1-2 minutes after mixing to let the ice melt a little and dissolve the rest of the mix. THIS IS SOOOO GOOOD! Most hot chocolate mixes will dissolve in cold water as well as hot water. My favorite fat free mixes include Nestle Fat Free Hot Cocoa (about 10 calories per TBSP or 20 calories per serving) and the Kroger Brand fat free mix.

Spicy black bean and portobello mushroom toastadas

Ingredients:

• Two 50 calorie La Tortilla factory tortillas
• Two slices of 2% milk cheddar cheese slices
• 2 TBSP 2% milk cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 Morning Star Spicy Black Bean veggie burger
• optional: Salsa, fat free plain yogurt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Cook 1 portabello mushroom in microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave.
2. Add veggie burger patty to plate with mushroom and continue to cook mushroom and veggie burger for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Toast tortillas in oven for 5-7 minutes or until lightly brown on top
4. Cut up mushroom and veggie patty, mix together.
5. Divide the mushroom mixture and place half on each tortilla. Tear cheese slices and spread around top of the mushroom mixture. Add 1 TBSP shredded cheese to each tortilla.
6 Put back in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Let cook and enjoy. Try serving with fat free yogurt (replaces sour cream) and salsa




Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/leah-newmark-rds-spicy-black-bean-mushroom-toastadas/#ixzz1KUKaB7sJ

Zesty Cheddar Asparagus Quiche- readers digest heart smart for a healthy heart cook book

Prep time 30 minutes, cook time 45 minutes, serves 6

Ingredients:

1 TBSP plain dry  bread crumbs (fiber one)

8 oz small all purpose potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

3/4 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

3 scallions, sliced

1 can (12 oz) fat free evaporated milk

1/2 cup fat free egg sub

1 large egg

2 teaspoons margarine, melted

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 9 inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Beginning in center, arrange potato slices in slightly overlapping circles up to rim. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray and press down gently. Bake 10 minutes. 

2. Set 8 to 12 asparagus spears aside. Cut remaining spears into 1-inch pieces. 

3. Sprinkle crust with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup cheddar. Cover with asparagus pieces, then sprinkle with scallions and another 1/4 cup cheese. Arrange whole asparagus spears on top. 

4. Beat evaporated milk, egg sub, egg, margarine, mustard, pepper, and remaining salt in medium bowl. Pour into pie plate and sprinkle with remaining Cheddar. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. 

Serves 6. Nutrition facts: 165 calories, 4g total fat, 1g sat fat, 41mg chol, 415mg sodium, 18g total carb, 2g dietary fiber, 14g protein. 

Steamed chicken and vegetable sandwich with hummus on whole wheat bun

The easy way....
Last night I ordered Chinese food (Steamed chicken and vegetables with sauce on the side) and I wasn't in the mood for more Chinese food today. So I used the left over steamed chicken and veggies for my hummus sandwich today by simply using hummus and a 80 calorie Sara Lee hamburger bun.

Other tips:
- Make sure you measure your hummus, calories from condiments add up.
- Feel free to add different types of vegetables like tomatoes or cucumbers.

My favorite hummus is Wild Garden. Its less calories than many other types of hummus. It can be found at HyVee in the health food section

Cooking your own steamed chicken and vegetables:
You can easily make your own steamed chicken and vegetables in about 20 minutes by cutting up chicken breast and vegetables and using your cook top, a large pot filled with a shallow amount of steaming water, and a steamer basket (inside the pot, water should be below the tray). Cook time is usually only 10-15 minutes. Make sure there is no pink remaining in the chicken before you eat it.

Steamer Basket

Tips to cut calories in half

Found this article on the Hungry Girl Website and thought it had some good tips. Enjoy!

Wanna cut calories in HALF? YOU are in luck...  Filling your diet with foods that have low energy density (high water and fiber contents) can help you eat fewer calories without even realizing it. These foods give you larger portion sizes for fewer calories. Our good pal (and master bar-maker!) Dr. Melina Jampolis is here with FIVE fantastic tips for cutting calories in HALF (which means you can eat twice as much food for the same number of calories!). Good times! 1. You Say Tomato... Chili is AWESOME but it can be a bit dense, and so the calories add up quickly. If you want to add volume to chili and get more bang for your calorie buck, mix a large can of cooked tomatoes (stewed, diced, or chopped) with a standard-sized can of chili. And if you start out with a low-fat veggie or turkey chili, your new chili blend will be super-low-cal! Regular Canned Chili = 300 calories and 7g fat per cup Chili/Tomato Blend = 150 calories and 3g fat per cup  Chili Savings - 150 calories and 4g fat per cup! 2. Sassy Salsa... Everyone knows guacamole is delicious. But avocados (the main ingredient in guac -- doy!) are super-high in fat and aren't exactly low in calories either. Yes, we know it's good fat, but cutting some of the calories from guacamole is still a good thing. Add 1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa (either jarred or fresh, but we prefer fresh!) to 1 cup of guacamole, and your new concoction will have half the calories in each serving. Weeeeee! Regular Guacamole = 450 calories and 39g fat per cup Salsa/Guac Blend = 225 calories and 16.5g fat per cup Guac Savings - 225 calories and 22.5g fat per cup! 3. Mushroom Mania... Mushrooms taste good and are good for you, but did you know that they can do wonders for lean ground meat? Simply add 1 1/2 cups of chopped mushrooms (feel free to put whole ones in the food processor!) to 4 oz. raw lean ground beef (or turkey) to cut calories in HALF. Use this trick to make burgers, sloppy joes, meatloaf and MORE. Cooked Lean Ground Beef = 200 calories and 11.5g fat per cup Cooked Mushroom/Lean Ground Beef Blend = 100 calories and 5g fat per cup  Beef Savings - 100 calories and 6.5g fat per cup! 4. Veg Out... Mom always said to eat your veggies, but she should have insisted you toss 'em into your pasta salad! Why? Because adding 1 1/4 cups of broccoli (or another favorite vegetable) to a cup of pasta salad is yet another fantastic way of cutting calories in half. YEE-HAA! Pasta Salad = 380 calories and 20g fat per cup Broccoli/Pasta Salad Blend = 190 calories and 9g fat per cup Pasta Salad Savings - 190 calories and 11g fat per cup! 5. Super-Duper Celery... You can definitely save loads of calories and fat grams by making your tuna (or chicken) salad with reduced-fat or fat-free mayo as opposed to the full-fat kind. But you can slash oodles MORE calories from your creations by adding one heaping cup of chopped celery to each cup of tuna or chicken salad. Don't like celery? You can achieve the same results with chopped cucumbers. YES!!! Reduced-Fat Tuna Salad = 320 calories and 12g fat per cup Reduced-Fat Tuna Salad/Celery Blend = 160 calories and 6g fat per cup Tuna Salad Savings - 160 calories and 6g fat per cup! HG Note - The nutritional values listed here are based on averages. For exact nutritionals and POINTS® values, simply add the stats from the labels of the specific products you use, and then divide by the number of servings.

Source: http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1068

Spice It Up with Salt Free Seasoning

15 Seasoning Blends So Good You Won’t Miss The Salt

Spices are usually defined as the roots, bark or seeds of various plants. Herbs are usually defined as the leaves. Salt is neither an herb nor a spice!

Most herbs and spices lose flavor and color with age. Each year, test your herbs and spices by sprinkling a small amount into your hand and crushing them; if a distinct aroma is not immediately obvious, your herbs are past their prime. Sealed glass jars are best to lock in flavor and color.

Another way to preserve freshness is to buy whole spices (such as cumin seeds and black peppercorns) and grind them as needed in a coffee grinder (about $20 retail). This grinder should then be used for spices only and not for other uses.

All these recipes contain negligible amounts of sodium and fat, while many spice blends available in grocery stores are very high in sodium.

RECIPES

For each seasoning blend, mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Ingredients are dried herbs and ground spices, unless otherwise noted.

Each blend contains 5 mg sodium or less per teaspoon, except as noted.

Source: RD411.com

Boxed cake mix + alternate ingredients

Why make cake with eggs and oil when there are TONS of better options? Cake mix with diet soda? Just egg substitute? Only applesauce? We tried each of these methods and more (and had fun doing it)! Here's what we learned...    Cake Mix + No-Sugar-Added Applesauce PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 179 calories, 3.25g fat, 299mg sodium, 36g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 1.5g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 5* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup no-sugar-added applesauce Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Yellow cake mix. It goes perfectly with the fruity taste of the sauce. The Texture: VERY moist and fluffy. A+! The Taste: AMAZING!!!! Sweet and slightly apple-y. Two YUMS up... Cake Mix + Diet Soda PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 171 calories, 3.25g fat, 301mg sodium, 34g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19g sugars, 1.5g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 5* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 12-oz. can diet soda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor Combo: Yellow cake mix + diet cream soda. Runners-up include lemon cake mix + diet lemon-lime soda and devil's food cake mix + diet cherry cola. The Texture: Moist and light. The Taste: Pretty darn impressive! However, if you're sensitive to the sweetener in diet soda, you may notice a slight aftertaste... especially if you use cola of any kind. Cake Mix + Canned Pure Pumpkin PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 183 calories, 3.5g fat, 301mg sodium, 37g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 20.5g sugars, 2g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 5* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly -- batter will be VERY thick -- and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix is CLEARLY a classic choice. (Hello?!Yum Yum Brownie Muffins!) But spice cake mix... WOW. Yellow and white cake mixes, sadly, do not work as well. The Texture: Thick and dense in the BEST possible way. Brownie-like, in the case of the devil's food; the spice cake reminded us of pumpkin bread! The Taste: No one would ever guess this is guilt-free in any way. It's delicious! Cake Mix + Fat-Free Liquid Egg Substitute PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 181 calories, 3.25g fat, 337mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19.5g sugars, 3.5g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 5* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Egg sub is like the little black dress of cake companions; it goes well with everything. The Texture: The first time we made this, we used only 1/4 cup of water; it was a little dry and dense, but it reminded us of pound cake, which isn't a bad thing. With a full cup of water, it came out light and fluffy. It had a more substantial, cake-like consistency than the applesauce and soda versions, but it wasn't quite as moist. The Taste: Good! But it's not our favorite. That one's up next... Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein -- PointsPlus™ value 5* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix. Hands down. The Texture: The word "velvety" comes to mind... Super moist and decadent! Kind of like a brownie-cake hybrid. The Taste: YUMMY! Everyone who tried this loved it. There wasn't any yogurt taste at all... just pure cake-tastic deliciousness!

Resource: HungryGirl.com

Crab stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 2 Crab sticks
• 1/4 cup Red onion (or less, to taste) 
• Fresh sage or basil to taste
• 2 wedges laughing cow cheese (swiss or garlic herb) 
• 2 Portabello mushrooms (or white mushrooms with stems removed) 
• Optional- add 1/8 to 1/4 cup fiber one cereal to enhance the fiber

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut crab sticks, red onion, and sage (or basil) into large chunks and place in blender. Pulse blender about 5-10 times or until shredded and blended. 
3. Place mixture in a bowl and stir in cheese wedges until combined. 
4. Place the 2 Portabello mushrooms, tops down, on cookie sheet. Fill each with half of the mixture. Cook for 30 minutes. 
5. Enjoy!!!

'Un' Candied Fiber One Clusters

These are great in yogurt instead of granola or for a quick sweet snack on the go.


Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Cinnamon to taste 
• 3/4 cup Splenda (try the kind with Fiber)
• 3/4 cup Fiber One Original Cereal
• Pam

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.
• In a large bowl whisk together the egg whites, water, and vanilla 
• In a separate bowl mix cinnamon and Splenda together
• Add Fiber One to egg mixture and coat
• Add Splenda mixture to Fiber One and coat completely
• Spread Fiber One on the cookie sheet. Cook for 1 hour. Flip and stir cereal every 15 minutes. 

Healthy chocolate chips... you read correctly!

What you need

• Chocolate PB2
• Wax papper
• Plastic bags
• Cocoa powder (not hot chocolate)
• Water

Directions:

Roll out a sheet of wax paper onto a plate. 

Make PB2 according to instructions. If you want a more chocolaty taste add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is only 30 calories per tablespoon! Make sure the PB2 is not runny.

Drop small amounts of PB2 onto wax paper using a spoon. Dont try to hard to get the shape of chocolate chips because thats probably pretty hard. 

Put plate with wax paper and PB2 in the freezer for about 4 hours or until PB2 hardens. 

Enjoy!

What did I just have for lunch?

Today I had a bean and cheese burrito with peppers and salsa

Even though I only eat chicken and fish, Im trying to cut back on meat consumption because its expensive and there are many benefits to a diet rich in plants.

A diet rich in plant foods may help prevent cancer and is proven to lower the risk of heart disease.

If you have diabetes, a plant rich diet is often high in fiber which helps control blood glucose levels.

Nutrition facts and benefits of this meal: Calories are around 250 per serving, dish is a really great source of fiber, good source of protein, contains calcium and a serving of vegetables.


Ingredients: 

• 1 large La Tortilla Factory Wrap
• 1 Wedge queso flavored Laughing Cow Cheese
• 1/2 cup fat free refried beans
• 1 cup peppers (frozen mixed pepper blend)
• 1/4 cup salsa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on wrap followed by beans and salsa. Close the wrap and put in a shallow oven safe cooking dish. Pour 1 cup peppers (frozen or fresh) next to the wrap in the oven safe dish.  Cook for 20 minutes. Flip the wrap half way through cooking to help crisp all sides of the tortilla. 

Variations to this recipe include:

• Substituting the Laughing Cow Cheese wedge with 1/4 cup blenderized (pureed) fat free cottage cheese
• Adding salsa to the top of the tortilla to make it more like a bean and cheese enchilada
• Cook the peppers first then add them to the inside of the tortilla.

Artichoke-Turkey Casserole

This low fat recipe was modified from the Better Homes and Gardens cook book.

Prep: 20 min
Bake: 40 min
Oven: 350 F
Stand: 10 min
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C chopped carrot (1)
• 1/2 C chopped red sweet pepper
• 1/4 C sliced green onions (2)
• 1 TBSP heart healthy light butter spread (Smart Balance light or Promise Light)
• 1 10 and 3/4 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup, fat free and reduced sodium
• 1 8- or 9- oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and cut up. If you cant find frozen use canned.
• 1 and 1/2 C chopped cooked turkey or chicken
• 1 C wild rice or brown rice, with out seasoning packet
• 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 C skim milk
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
• 2 slices turkey bacon (optional), cooked and fat drained
• 3 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook carrot, sweet pepper, and green onion in butter until the carrot is crisp and tender. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken soup, artichoke hearts, turkey, rice, mozzarella cheese, milk, thyme, and bacon. Transfer turkey mixture to a 2 qt rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2. Bake, covered, in a 350 oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 min more or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Make ahead directions: Prepare as above through step 1. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more or until bubbly. 

Nutrition Facts (before substituting regular margarine or butter with light butter, before substituting cream soup with fat free cream soup, and before substituting regular bacon with turkey bacon) 

248 cal, 11g total fat (5g sat fat), 47mg cholesterol, 611mg sodium, 18g carb, 3g fiber, 18g protein.

Daily values: 75% vit A, 41% vit C, 19% calcium, 9% Iron

Exchanges: 1/2 Vegetable, 1 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat

Save the Snow Day Meals: Quick and easy meals for a snowy day

If its snowy outside you probably don't want to run to the store for ingredients. You also may have the kids home from school and that means more mouths to feed.  

What ingredients should you always have in your arsenal for such an occasion?

The following ingredients can be mixed and matched to make tons of different recipes that will keep you warm on a snowy day.

Freezer: 

• Frozen bag of chicken breasts or tenderloins
• Bake a few of these up to 1 week ahead of time to be used as needed or you could freeze the cooked chicken breasts. 
• Frozen ground beef, turkey, or chicken (90% lean or more)
• Frozen veggies like broccoli, peas, carrots, and diced onions
• Frozen veggie blends: If you like Asian or Mexican food consider stocking up on bags of stir fry style veggies or a bag of mixed peppers. 

Pantry/Canned:

• Chicken broth, fat free, low sodium
• Tomato soup, low sodium
• Pineapple in it's juice
• Black beans (no salt added if available)
• Pinto beans (no salt added if available)
• Canned mushrooms
• Tomato sauce (no salt added) 
• Diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• Pasta sauce
• Salsa 
• If you like Asian foods: water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and baby carrots are good to have around

Grains:

• Heart healthy Bisquick or whole wheat mix
• Whole wheat pasta
• Instant brown rice or tofu shiritake noodles
• Low calorie bread (can be stored for a long time in the fridge or freezer)
• You can buy low calorie wraps and store them in the fridge for a very long time. 

Fridge:

• Cheese: Parmesan cheese, cheese slices or shredded cheese
• Salad dressings: at least keep around fat free Italian which is great for marinading chicken. Consider fat free Asian dressings for stir fry meals.

Extras:

• PB2 and Reduced sugar Jelly
• A variety of dried seasonings like chili powder, Cajun, Italian, garlic powder, basil, ginger, and cilantro 
• If you like Mexican food: 1 packet of taco seasoning

What meals are quick and simple so that you can spend your snow day warming up by the fire instead of by the stove?

Just click the links to get my full recipes. Substitute any of the fresh vegetables for frozen ones.  

Comfort Foods: Grilled cheese and tomato soup is a quick and simple lunch idea. Chili is the most obvious recipe to make when its cold out but to make it healthy requires a little extra thought. Watch your sodium! Get as many "no salt added" canned foods as you can find, they last just as long. If you cant find beans without added salt you can rinse them off to get rid of extra sodium. Beans in chili sauce are usually high in sodium, its better to add your own spices and make your own sauce. 

Mexican: Chicken fajitas, Taco salad, or Turkey Tacos

Asian: Pad Thai, Chicken stir fry. Just throw a bunch of ingredients in a pan together with your favorite sauce and serve over brown rice. 

Italian: Chicken Parmesan or Home made pizza (lower calorie alternative to delivery because you control the toppings). Just use Bisquick to make pizza crusts and use pasta sauce instead of pizza sauce to cut calories. If you have more time you could bake a chicken breast and cut it up for on top of the pizza. Thaw out some veggies in the microwave and add them to the top of the pizza. 

Healthy Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Creating this recipe took some trial and error. You may want to do a test run before you really need them.

This recipe adds heart healthy fiber and removes tons of calories and fat!


Ingredients:

• 4 mozzarella cheese sticks (as in string cheese) or cut sticks out of a block of mozzarella cheese. 
• You may be able to make more than just 4 sticks with the same amount of ingredients. 
• about 1/4 cup Fiber One Original cereal crumbs, a mix of fine and chunky crumbs will give a texture more similar to traditional cheese sticks (use 1/2 cup cereal and a blender to make crumbs)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Cooking spray
• Italian seasoning and garlic powder to taste
• Marinara sauce for dipping
• 2 chilled plates and 1-2 chilled cookie sheets

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use cooking spray to oil cookie sheet. Put 2 medium to large plates in the freezer. Put cookie sheets in the freezer or fridge. 
2. Mix seasoning and garlic powder with bread crumbs
3. Spread crumbs out on cookie sheet, lightly spray crumbs with cooking spray, and bake for 10-15 minutes. Stir crumbs halfway through. Meanwhile mix milk and egg white together. Unwrap string cheese from packages and set aside.
4. Once crumbs look toasted, remove from oven and let cool on a cooled plate for about 10 minutes.
5. Once crumbs are cool to touch, dunk cheese stick in egg mixture then coat cheese stick with crumbs and repeat for all cheese sticks. Place sticks on chilled cookie sheet. Bake cheese sticks for 3-5 minutes. (keep an eye on them to make sure they don't melt). 
6. Remove from cookie sheet and let them cool for about 5 minutes on chilled plate.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 (with second chilled cookie sheet) at least 1 more time. 

Serve with warm marinara sauce. Let me know how it goes!