Pineapple Enchiladas

Everyone loves these vegetarian Pineapple Enchiladas. The recipe was developed by a nutritionist for the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest.

Update: The link is no longer working. After much googling, I found the recipe:

Pineapple-Black Bean Enchiladas (8 servings, 6-points each)

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained, 1/3 cup juice reserved
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (12 oz)
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (8 or 9 inch)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
8 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pineapple, beans, green chiles and salt. Cook and stir until thoroughly heated. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro and 2 cups of the cheese.
2. Spoon and spread 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce onto each tortilla. Spoon about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture over sauce on each. Roll up tortillas; place seam side down in baking dish.
3. In small bowl, mix reserved 1/3 cup pineapple juice and remaining enchilada sauce; pour over entire surface of enchiladas in dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Spray sheet of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray; place sprayed side down over baking dish and seal tightly.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, removing foil during last 5 to 10 minutes of baking, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Top each baked enchilada with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon cilantro.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 40 to 45 minutes, removing foil during last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

1 Serving: Calories 330 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 1110mg; Total Carbohydrate 48g (Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugars 17g); Protein 19g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 40%; Calcium 40%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 3 
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Stuffed 8-Balls

These look cuter than they taste! The filling was delicious, but the zucchini was a little tough. Maybe I didn't bake them long enough? This recipe was based from one on Recipezaar. I didn't measure the veggies, and used a mixture of miniature cherry tomatoes (left whole), chopped red, yellow, & orange tomatoes, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions.
I scooped out the round zucchini as though they were pumpkins turning into Jack-O-Lanterns. Next time, I will poke a few holes in the bottom of the zucchinis and bake them on a 2-pan broiler pan; allowing them to drain some of the water that the vegetable mixture creates.
Lastly, I sprinkled with cheese and baked some more. I really want to make a typical stuffed bell pepper recipe (I found one that uses ground lamb and rice) and replace the bell pepper with the 8-ball zucchini.

Figs & Gargonzola , Wine Optional

Simple and Delicious Appetizer

1. Cut slits in fresh figs.
2. Mix together gargonzola cheese with a bit of balsamic vinegar.
3. Stuff chesse mixture into figs.
4. Broil until melted.
5. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

On Friday, I was able to go to the local farmer's market and purchase some locally grown produce. One of the meals that I made with the produce was Sparkpeople's Vegetarian Chili. It was healthy, satisifying, and delicious.

Vegetarian Chili

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
1 pinch cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili seasoning mix
1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped

1. Sauté the onions and garlic in oil in a large sauce pan.
2. Add carrots, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and beans.
3. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Serves 6
Calories: 141
Fat: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Protein:7 g

Quick Sesame Chicken

I made the Sesame Chicken from Cooking Light's 1990 Annual Recipes Cookbook. The chicken was nice and moist, but I honestly would have preferred chicken with barbeque sauce. The chicken tasted like honey more than sesame. I would make this again, but would have to add sesame oil to the basting mixture. Of course, that would up the fat content.

Quick Sesame Chicken

1 (8 oz.) can pineapple slices

1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

3 TBSP Honey

1/4 tsp sage

4 (6 oz.) skinned chicken breast halves

Drain pineapple, reserving 3 TBSP juice. Set aside. Combine the 3 TBSP juice, sesame seeds, honey, and sage in a small bowl; stir well. Place chicken, skinned side down, on rack of a broiler pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Brush chicken with honey mixture. Broil 8 inches from heat for 25 minutes, basting often. Turn chicken; broil an additonal 5 munutes or until tender.

Baste reserved pineapple slices with honey mixtue and broil for 5 minutes, turning once.

4 Servings: 240 calories, 4.8 Fat, Fiber unknown

Shown is 4 oz of sesame chicken and two slices of pineapple. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Broccoli Bread

I made Cooking Light's Broccoli Bread expecting to create a corn bread with chunks of broccoli in it. This dish turned out to be more of a quiche than a typical bread. I thought I did not mix the ingredients together well or that I added way too many eggs. I read the reviews and other people commented the same. However, most people, including myself and my boyfriend, liked the dish anyhow. In my opinion, it was good both warm and cold. This "bread" needs to be kept refridgerated and it will only stay fresh for a few days. I accidently left out all of the melted butter and I think it still turned out good, without the extra fat.

Broccoli Bread

Packaged corn muffin mix gives this bread a touch of sweetness. If you make this corn bread-type dish in a glass baking dish instead of a metal pan, decrease the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
1 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, broccoli, and muffin mix; stir until well blended. Pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 27 minutes or until set. Yield: 12 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 146(28% from fat); FAT 4.5g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 6.7g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 62mg; SODIUM 497mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 0.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.8g

Ann Taylor Pittman
Cooking Light, MARCH 2002

Inside-Out Golumpkis

Gołąbki's are a regular dish in my Polish home. When I found this Weight-Watchers recipe (included below), I had to make this casserole. I doubled and modified this recipe, by sauteing the onions first (with a clove of garlic). I choose lean ground turkey and brown rice for the casserole layers. For convenience, I bought packaged shredded cabbage. Additionally, I used regular brown sugar (to taste) instead of equal or splenda and mixed into the tomatoes with a spicy Grey Poupon mustard.

This dish is a defininte keeper and will be added to my monthly repertoire. Although this meal isn't photogenic, it is delicious. Every bite has a nice balance of cabbage, tomatoes, brown rice and meat. The seasonings are adjusted to taste and the sweetness of the brown sugar mixed with the spicy mustard is perfect. The cabbage is not overpowering like I feel it can be in a cabbage roll.


Cabbage and Rice Casserole
4 Points Per Serving

8 oz. 95% lean ground beef or turkey
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup uncooked rice
3 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 tsp. Prepared mustard
2 tbs. brown sugar twin (if not available I use 2 packets of Sweet & Low or Equal)

Brown meat, discard fat. Spray 8" x 8" baking dish with Pam. Layer cabbage, onion, browned meat, rice. Mix tomatoes with mustard and brown sugar twin, pour over casserole layers. Bake at 350º F, covered, for 1-1/2 hours, then uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings - 4 points each.

Ruby Red Mango Smoothie

I found this recipe while flipping through Family Circle. The idea of a smoothie made from ruby red grapefruits sounded refreshing and different. The amount of greek yogurt was a little too much yogurt-ey goodness for my taste buds. (I do not like yogurt at all, but can usually sneak it into smoothies.) Don't get me wrong, the smoothie isn't bad and I will be enjoying it for breakfast tomorrow. I do like the tart taste of the grapefruit combined with the sweet fresh mango. I will be trying more smoothie recipes before recreating this drink. He says: "It tastes pretty good. I like it."

Ruby Red Mango Smoothie, from "Family Circle", July 2006

2 Large Ruby Red Grapefruits
2 Large Ripe Mangoes
1 Cup Mango-Orange Juice
1 Small Container of Low-Fat Greek Yogurt (5.3 ounces)
2 TBSP honey

1. Cut the top and bottop peel off of the grapefruit. With a knife, cut down between white pith and fruit, removing all of the peel. Following section dividers, cut out sections of fruit. Transfer grapefruit sections and juice to a plastic bag. Freeze at least two hours.
2. Blend grapefruit, mangoes, and fruit juice until almost smooth. Add yogurt and honey and blend until smooth.

Serves Four
Per Serving: 127 calories, 1 g fat, 2 g protein, 2 g fiber, 30 carbs

*I cut this recipe in half. Additionally, I used plain orange juice instead of the mango-orange juice. Lastly, if you do not want to purchase greek yogurt, I feel that plain yogurt will suffice.

Strawberry and Mint Angel Food Cake

In order to use some of my extra mojito mint, I made a Strawberry & Mint Angel Food Cake from a slight variation from a recipe on Semi-homemade.

First, remove the top of an Angel Food Cake with a serated knife. Then hollow out the inside of the cake as shown:



Keep the hollowed out portion of the cake, cut into cubes, in a medium bowl. Add to the bowl: 16 ounces fresh strawberry slices, 15 finely torn mint leaves, and 1/2 cup fat free cool whip. Stir mixture togther and use to fill the cake.



Reattach the cake top to the cake.



Top cake with the remainder of the thawed cool whip (I bought the largest size.) Allow the cool whip frosting to set in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve!

My Heavenly Cheese Platter

Recently, I visited Point Reyes, California. On the way home from the National Seashore, we stopped at the Cowgirl Creamery to buy some cheese. We were able to sample around 10 different kinds of cow, goat and sheep cheeses. We ended up buying the San Andreas Bellwether sheep cheese and a St. Pat Nettle Cheese. Delicious! At home, I put together this cheese platter with locally grown organic strawberries, grapes, a sliced baguette, and a dried apricot and almond bread. We drank a Pinot Noir with this. I was in heaven!

This platter was way too much food for the two of us. A little bit of good quality cheese went along way.

A close-up of the Cheese (The St. Pat's is on the right. The green is Nettles.):



Cowgirl's description of their St. Pat Cheese: ST PAT is our seasonal springtime cheese. These rounds are made with whole organic milk and are wrapped with stinging nettle leaves. Do not fear the nettles, since they are washed and then frozen to remove the sting before they are wrapped around the cheese. ST PAT, with its distinctive, green wrapping, commemorates the arrival of spring in Marin County. After three weeks of aging, ST PAT is mellow, soft, and full of flavor. The nettle leaves impart a smoky, artichoke flavor.

Mmm Mmm Good

Easy Lemon Chicken
From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1 can Campbell's® Healthy Request® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
lemon slices

Directions:
SPRAY skillet with vegetable cooking spray and heat 1 min. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often.
ADD soup, milk, and lemon juice. Top chicken breasts with lemon slices. Heat to a boil. Heat through.

Serve over rice, pasta, or couscous, with a side of steamed broccoli.

Ok, so it isn't perfect nutrition

I made my first ever mojito.

Meld together 15 mint leaves with 2-4 tsps of sugar and the juice of 1/2 lime. Fill a tall, skinny glass with ice. Stir in 1.5 ounces rum and 7 ounces of club soda.

Enjoy!

The mojito was good, but next time I will try to make a simple sugar mixture instead of using straight sugar. Hmmm....I wonder how well splenda would work?

I'm Back.....And Have a New Lunch Box!

I'm Back!

My lunch is something that I have done before, but I would like to show off my new lunchbox that I purchased in San Francisco's Japantown for only $7.00.

This lunch features my tuna pasta salad. I also packed halved pickles (5 calories per pickle, but lots of sodium), grapes, and apple slices. If you look closely, under the apple slices there is a baggie of 2 fat-free fig newtons, tucked below.

Tomorrow, is my first day at my new job! I am used to packing meals to last me 12 hours. This lunch box would have been perfect for those long days with the two levels. I would have (and still may) packed the second level with a breakfast. Or a snack of air-popped popcorn.

Mini-Bagels

I am still on a bagels kick. Last week, I found the bagels to be really filling. This week I have switched to mini-bagels. I couldn't find any bagels at the store with less than 290 calories a bagel. (Last week the bagels were 180 calories each) Two mini-bagels have 200 calories. I am hoping that these will be equally filling. Additionally, I am using only one wedge of laughing cow cheese on both bagels. Last week, I was using reduced fat cream cheese. My veggie is a sweet bell pepper and my fruit is ultra expensive cherries. I could not resist the cherries. For dessert, there is Snackwell's Chocolate-Mint Cake Cookies. Although these cookies are low in fat, they contain an average amount of calories. One cookie has 50 calories. I think that is the same, if not more than the other cookies that I looked at of the same size. I also packed a Crystal Light On The Go Fruit Punch mix.

*Clicking on the picture, will enlarge it and therefore the descriptions will be more readable.

Curried Lentils Over Rice

My friend shared her recipe for Curried Lentils and I finally made it for dinner. It was super easy, filling, and delicious. Best of all it is healthy - not to mention - cheap! I was able to find all the ingredients (besides the onion and garlic) in the bulk aisle of our natural foods market.

Mix together in a small bowl:

• 2 TBSP Curry Powder
• 1 TPSP Ground Cumin
• 1/4-1/2 TBSP of Red Pepper
• 1/4-1/2 TBSP Ground coriander
• 1 Cinnamon Stick

Set aside.

Chop one onion and press a few cloves of garlic. Saute onion and garlic in a saucepan with olive oil until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the spices and stir together until everything is coated and hot (less than a minute). Add two cups of water and one cup of red lentils. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer covered until the lentils are soft and ready. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. If necessary, add more water to the lentils. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

New Food Find

Only three Weight Watchers points (150 calories) and very delicious. I like these better than their Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwiches. Unfortunatly, they are about the same price and these come with only four to a box.

New Food Find

Crystal Light Fruit Punch On The Go's are my new favorite food find!

French Bread Pizza

With the ingredients I had on hand, I created these French Bread Pizzas. I spread the bread with pizza sauce, however, when using tomatoes, I do not think the sauce is necessary. On top of the sauce, are layers of tomato and torn basil leaves. The finale is a sprinkling of a good quality feta cheese. Bake the pizzas at 450 degrees for approximately ten minutes. The cheese should be melted and the bread crispy. Enjoy!

Bagel Topped With Tomato Slices

This simple lunch is comprised of a bagel lightly smeared with reduced-fat cream cheese. To enjoy this lunch to the fullest, pull apart the bagel slices and top with the slices of tomato. Cinnamon Almonds are back for a sweet and filling finish.

Pineapple Love

I spent part of my day sitting in the sun, drinking lemonade and flipping through my cookbooks. In my Hawai'i's Favorite Pineapple Recipes cookbook, which I purchased in Hawaii, I found a recipe for Pineapple Slaw with Feta Cheese. Unfortunately, I forgot to purchase a bell pepper at the market, but the salad is good none-the-less. (The smallest container is holding the Feta Cheese.) Additionally, I mixed low-fat cream cheese with fresh pineapple and spread it on my toasted bagel. My lunch also features Trader Joe's Cinnamon Almonds.

Pineapple Slaw With Feta Cheese

1. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup minced fresh or canned pineapple, 2 cups shredded carrot, and 1 julienned green pepper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon canola oil to make a dressing.
3. Pour dressing over the carrots/pineapple/bell pepper and toss. Chill covered for 1 hour. Top with either feta cheese or a mix of half feta and blue cheese.

VitaTops

When I heard that Vitalicious, was offering free shipping with the Hungry Girl Explosion, I quickly entered my credit card information and purchased this deal. I have been reading numerous good things about Vitatops on the Weight Watchers message boards and was anxiously awaiting their arrival. When they came, I quickly tried one and was dissappointed. I thought that the Vitatops were dry. Although, my boyfriend who can afford to eat actual fat laced desserts thought that they were "not bad".

I will continue to eat them for breakfast and snacks, but I don't think that I will be reordering them. If they were cheaper then maybe I would continue to satisfy my chocolate cravings with Vitalicious products. I am hoping that this purchase will encourage and motivate me to bake my own reduced fat muffins and freeze them. I also have to note that my Double Chocolate DreamVitaTops do not have that many white chocolate chips.

If you are looking for something chocolatey for only 100 calories, 5-6 grams of fiber and under 2 grams of fat, but not moist, please try the VitaTops!

Salad Caprese Lunch

I am looking forward to my Salad Caprese Lunch with tiny mozzarella pearls. I love this salad so much that I am using two compartments for it. I am also having 1 cup of grapes and 1.5 servings of trail mix (from Trader Joe's). The trail mix is made of peanuts, dehydrated pineapple and cranberries, and white chocolate chips. The mix satisfies my sweet tooth and is quite filling.

(This lunch looks better in person. See the Salad Caprese Post for a better picture of the salad.)

Salad Caprese

Salad Caprese is my favorite salad. Fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinegar is the perfect combination of flavor. Today, at Trader Joe's I discovered Perlini, which are tiny balls of fresh mozzarella. One serving is 28 "cheese pearls" and has only 60 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. Not bad for cheese. I made my Caprese Salad with two tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and pepper, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. I never use olive oil in salad dressing anymore.

Tuna Fish

For lunch, I packed a tuna fish salad, cut into fourths. Mango slices, Yum! The GoLean bar was also delish. The bar tasted like a candy bar. However, it was the same about of calories and almost the same amount of fat as a candy bar too. It was 6 points. Next time, I will not be buying that.

Snacks vs. Treats

Recently, I read a small article on the difference between snacks and treats. The author stated that snacks are mini-meals and will provide nourishment. Treats will not meet those conditions and will therefore be less healthy, i.e. contain more sugar, etc.

I realized that I am definately giving myself more treats than snacks. Eventhough I pick my treats to be low-calorie and high in fiber, I still can do much better.

Take this lunch for instance:

Breakfast/Early Snack: 1/2 low-fat apple/cherry bran muffin (with coffee with sugar and creamer)
Lunch: Small turkey wrap sandwich with baked chips and kiwi
Late Afternoon Snack: Luna Bar

My goal is to replace my current treats with healthier snacks and move towards more nourishing foods.

Crystal Light + Fruit = Genius

Blending one half cup of frozen fruit with one serving of Crystal Light Lemonade is just short of divine. I experimented with cherries this weekend. Overall, lemonade blended with cherries is good, but needed a little sweetener (splenda or sugar). I prefer strawberries, but will keep branching out with other fruits. I can't wait to try mango!

Mexican Lasagna

I lightened up this vegetarian Mexican Lasagna for dinner. This casserole is full of fresh spinach, pinto beans, and salsa. I used low-fat corn tortillas and part-skim cheese. I reduced the amount cheese from two cups to one and half cups. This lightened "Lasagna" serves four at 350 calories each and 11 grams of fat. (I also omitted the cilantro, because I am not a fan of cilantro.)

If you are a fan of fat-free tortillas I would use those. Next time I make this, I am going to omit the cheese in the bottom layer.

This dish was satisfying and tasty. However, it was no substitute for my favorite spinach and cheese enchiladas.

Fruit Kabob's Steal the Show

I am ga-ga over Kettle's new baked chips, "Bakes". These are their aged white cheddar, which have 120 calories per serving and only 3 grams of fat. They are 100 times better than Baked Lays. These chips accompany a Plain Jane turkey sandwich. The pineapple and strawberry fruit kabob's steal the show.

*The Luna bar is for my afternoon snack.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Tuna Pasta Salad is not an exact science. This recipe was borrowed from a poster on a forum that I frequent. My lunch is made from one and half stalks of medium celery, frozen peas, cooked medium pasta shells, one 3 oz pouch of tuna, 2 TBSP of light mayonnaise, teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix together and enjoy.

The creator of this recipe also adds cider vinegar to her salad. I would have added halved seedless grapes if I had a larger container. I packed the grapes on the side to enjoy.

I apologize for the dark photo.

Vegetarian Pita Sandwich

The previous lunch of pita slices with hummus evolved into this vegetarian pita sandwich. The pita sandwich is filled with hummus, sprouts, shredded carrots, sweet bell peppers, and persian cucumbers. These veggies were previously my side items and now became the main course. I packed seedless grapes and strawberries to complement the sandwich. This lunch was more satisfying than the previous pita slices and toppings.

Pita Slices with Hummus

This lunch was supposed to be pita slices with hummus and then topped with shredded carrots, red peppers, and Persian cucumbers (miniature cucumbers from Trader Joes). I had a hard time keeping the layers on the pitas without them toppling off into my lunch box with every bite. This lunch was not as filling as I had anticipated. This could be because I started working out and my body may need more nourishment.

Crockpot Chicken with Corn & Black Beans

I found this recipe on the WeightWatchers Message Boards and decided to give it a try. I used fat-free cream cheese and it was quite noticeable. If you do not mind the obvious taste of the fat-free cream cheese then go right ahead and use it. If you are more concerned with the overall taste than the fat content then use regular cream cheese or compromise with the reduced fat spread. Regardless of my cream cheese decision, this recipe was quite easy and enjoyable. I will be adding it to my meal-planning options.

Crockpot Chicken with Corn & Black Beans

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 can black bean
1 can corn
1 jar salsa
1 package cream cheese

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot. Add 1 can of black beans (drained), 1 jar of salsa, and 1 can of corn (drained). Keep in crockpot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

4-5 servings

Unfortunately, I do not have the points on this. I plan on calculating the NI one of these days and will update this posting when I do.

Bento Box

My new Bento Box turns a simple lunch of cottage cheese (sprinkled with chives) and apple slices into something hip. The bottom container is smaller and therefore when the food is gone these tiers can be packed inside one another. I also have an adorable little bag that matches this box.

Spring Rolls Lunch

As promised, here is the picture of my fabulous spring rolls lunch. This lunch included sides of sliced pear and one serving of Trader Joe's Cat Cookies. I was freezing cold the day I packed this for lunch. I ended up buying a small broth soup and eating only two of the spring rolls. Everything else was brought back home.

Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

My good friend referred me to these Vietnamese Spring Rolls. They make an excellent light meal. I made my spring rolls with the mini-shrimps.

*My own picture of my fabulous Spring Roll lunch is coming soon. Right now, the computer that I upload pics with is having DSL Router issues. :( The recipe suggests four rolls to a serving. I am have packed four rolls, with pear slices (3/4 of pear, drizzled in lemon juice) and one serving of Trader Joe's cat cookies (15 pieces).

Taco Dip

I transformed last night's tacos into today's taco dip. The bottom layer is ground turkey with taco seasonings. I topped the turkey with a very thin layer of fat-free sour cream. Next comes the shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. All sprinkled with reduced-fat fancy shredded cheese and green onions.

To my dismay, I could not find baked tortilla chips anywhere this weekend. Instead of the baked chips that I desperately sought, I am having one serving of Trader Joe's bite-sized tortilla rounds. At least there will be no trans-fat, aka hydrogenated oils.

Also, there is red pepper and nectarine slices (drizzled with lemon juice to prevent browning).

Craving Cottage Cheese

Tomorrow's Lunch will be fat-free cottage cheese with Life Cereal. I have sides of sliced kiwi and apple slices with peanut butter. This maybe breakfast and lunch or lunch and snack. Technically, there are 2 servings of cottage cheese in the compartment.

*I did not realize that this picture turned out really dark. I already packed up my lunch box and refuse to take it out for another pic. I am not that obsessive......Maybe if it were earlier.

Spaghetti Squash

Why have I never had spaghetti squash before? It was fast and easy. Ok, it is easy, but not so fast - you have to bake the squash for an hour. After the effortless baketime, it is fast and simple.....And so delicious.

I decided to make Spaghetti Squash with Garlic for dinner after watching Everyday Food. I used minimal oil, but added back the fat with fresh shavings of parmesan cheese. I am most impressed with nature. With the flick of my wrist, the flesh of the squash easily formed the spaghetti like strands.

*Per serving: 166 calories; 7.8 grams fat; 2.6 grams protein; 25.4 grams carbohydrates; 5.4 grams fiber

* Adding cheese changes the posted nutritional information.

Radish Tea Sandwiches

We received our first Community Sustained Agriculture organic food box today from EatWell Farm. I love it and should have taken a picture of all the awesome produce. Currently, we will receive our locally grown produce every other week. I think we may have to switch it to a weekly box. Unfortunately, I typically let produce go to waste before I use it. My plan is to incorporate more produce into my diet on a daily basis and with CSA I will always have a variety of produce available to me.

For lunch, I will be having Radish Tea Sandwiches. Yes, I know they have butter in them...I used a very small amount. Additionally, I am having a CSA madarin orange and some dry cereal that I mixed in Craisins and almond slivers. We received adorable baby heads of lettuce in this box. Although, this salad is made from our former lettuce.

Red Pepper Risotto

Lunch will be a homemade Red Pepper Risotto (recipe below) with a salad, baby carrots, and 1/3 cup of craisins. The dressing is Annie's Naturals Low Fat Gingery Vinergrette.

I would definately categorize this lunch as part of the Slow Food Movement.

Red Pepper Risotto

1. Chop 3 Large Red Bell Peppers *, set aside
2. Heat Olive Oil (I used less than 1 TBSP). Add 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic and 1-14 oz can diced tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the Chopped Bell Peppers and 2 Bay Leaves and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add 2 1/2 cups Arborio Rice to the vegetable mixture and cook over gentle heat for 2 minutes.
5. In a seperate pan, bring 5-6 cups of vegetable stock to a simmer.
6. Add 2 ladles of the stock to the vegetable mixture and cook until all the stock has been absorbed into the rice. Continue adding the stock in this manner, until the rice is tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Remove pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
9. Stir in 6 fresh basil leaves, snipped.

*It is best to use or roast your own Red Peppers, however, I omitted this step and the Risotto is still very good.

It's kinda healthy.....

I had to post my lunch. I am addicted to posting these. First, the healthy stuff. I have a salad and newly in-season and locally grown strawberries. The mini-bagels aren't awful: 140 calories per bagel. In fact, I am only bringing one and half mini-bagels to work tomorrow. When I attempted to close the lunch box with 2 they would not fit. I still think the pair makes a better picture. Now for the really bad item-Oreo Jello Pudding. I thought it was a good idea at the time. The pudding looks unnaturally glossy in the photo and has hydrogenated oils in the ingredients. Hey, at least it is made with skim milk. Kidding. (It is made with skim milk, but that doesn't make up for trans fat. I think it is about 120-140 calories per serving as well.)

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I will admit it. Tomorrow's lunch did take some work. However, I do have leftovers to share with my boyfriend for dinner. I tried a new recipe for Skewered Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce. The chicken is excellent, however, the peanut sauce is a little too spicy for my taste. Next time I will be reducing the Thai red curry paste. My lunch also includes organic soba noodles, mango drizzled with lime juice, and red bell pepper slices.

Midweek Meatloaf

I made Home-Style Meatloaf to bring to lunch. I made this meat loaf with extra-lean ground turkey instead of the suggested ground sirloin. I have not yet calculated the actual calories or fat grams, but I am hoping it will be slightly lighter than this recipe. I have also packed slices of bread, cucumber and an orange to enjoy.