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.)