Fri. June 29th

Buffalo Salmon Salad for Dinner!

Daily Tidbit:  Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) makes for a great "Good Fat" alternative to using butter when you are enjoying some bread.  Just a little goes a long way when you pour it onto a flat plate and top with a spice blend for an extra zing of flavor!  My pic from dinner is below.

MUFAs (monounsaturated fats - the good fats found in olive oil!) are loaded with health benefits and it turns out they play a key role in keeping a flat belly!  http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/flat-belly-diet/meet-mufas-flat-belly-diet

Going back through to review my eating today, I realize that I unknowingly incorporated 8 MUFA foods into my day:  EVOO, Avocado, Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame, Salmon and Dark Chocolate!  Common link:  all yummy and all satisfying!  MUFAs are good for the eyes, brain, skin & hair too - look below for ways to incorporate them into your day!

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Oatmeal with Walnuts & Cinnamon for Breakfast!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with Walnuts

1/2 cup plain Oatmeal (this is a pre-cook measurement)

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

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Snack: 1/4 cup dry roasted, unsalted Almonds & 2 Cherries 
Regular Coffee, black

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Sesame Soy Ginger Veggie Blast with Eggs for Lunch!

Lunch:  Sesame Soy Ginger Veggie Blast with Eggs!

12 oz. frozen bag of mixed Veggies:  Asparagus, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Carrots, Onions & Mushrooms

Cooked in covered pan with 1 tbsp EVOO until heated through and browned

2 eggs cracked on top and scrambled, until cooked through

1 tbsp of Sesame Soy Ginger Dressing mixed in

Took off heat, plated & topped with 1/2 Avocado & 1 tbsp of Sunflower Seeds

Tip:  You can make the above dish with just about any salad dressing or sauce that you like!

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Dinner:  Dinner Party with Friends

Cornichons

Appetizers:  
-Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Baby Carrots
-Cornichons (small pickled Cucumbers)

Dinner: Buffalo Salmon Salad (Recipe Below)
2 slices of Baguette dipped in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with spices

EVOO & Spices makes a great dip for bread!

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Decadent Dessert Sampler!

Dessert:  Decadent Mini Desserts Sampler

-Tiramisu

-Chocolate Mouse Cake

-Tuxedo Cake

-Fruit Tart

This was shared between 4 people, so I had 1/4 of each dessert - they were amazing and absolutely worth every single calorie!!

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Amy's Buffalo Salmon Salad Recipe:

Wild Alaskan Salmon Fillet - brushed with a mixture of jarred Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce & Honey - and baked at 350 for 15 minutes - and then cooled in fridge.  Once cool, add the juice of 1/2 Lime to the Salmon.

Turkey Bacon cooked in microwave between paper towels, and then cooled in fridge. 

Fresh Corn on the Cob, boiled, and then cooled in the fridge.

The following items are chopped and tossed in a large bowl:

-Scallions

-Carrots

-Cucumbers

-Red Onion

-Cilantro

-White Beans

-Radishes

-Avocado

-Juice from 1/2 Lemon

-Red Leaf Lettuce 

-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Once the Corn is cool, it can be cut off the cob and added to the salad bowl.  Toss everything together.  Top with cooled Salmon & Bacon.

This is a cool summer salad, best on hot nights!  The trick is to cook the Salmon, Bacon & Corn ahead (the night before is the best time so you aren't heating up your kitchen on a hot day), so they have plenty of time to cool down in the fridge to make for a light crisp and cool salad!

Thurs. June 28th

Cherries make a great Snack!

Daily Tidbit:  Cherries are in season!  There is a very short window for cherries, so you have to enjoy them while you can.  I snuck some for a late night snack; delicious!   

As for the health benefits of cherries:  Attention Insomniacs!  The Melatonin in Cherries has proven to help you sleep better:


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201008/attention-insomniacs-good-night-s-sleep-could-be-cherry-drink-away

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with Fresh Blueberries

1/2 cup plain Oatmeal (this is a pre-cook measurement)

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

1/2 cup of fresh Blueberries

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

Tom-Mozz Corn Salad with Spinach-Basil Dressing

Lunch:  Pot Luck Lunch at a friend's house

Tomato Mozzarella Corn Salad topped with a Spinach-Basil Dressing (Recipe below!)

Cucumbers slices tossed in a Sesame Oil & Rice Vinegar dressing

Homemade Guacamole (my friend's delicious dip!) with Corn Tortilla Chips

Regular Coffee, black

PBB: Peanut Butter Banana Wrap, Pre-Wrap

PBB:  Peanut Butter Banana Wrap, wrapped!

Snack:  Very hungry from day outside.  Eureka moment!  PBB Wrap!
1 tbsp Peanut Butter & 1 whole Banana in a Whole Wheat Wrap.  
1/2 cup fresh Blueberries
Chocolate Milk (made with Fat Free Milk and Trader Joe's Organic Chocolate syrup)


Delicious, filling, and what is easier to roll up than a Banana?!  This would make a great breakfast, especially for those on the go!

I can't get this pic to turn, but I HAD to share how good this looked - YUM!

Dinner:  Girls Night Out: Pizza & Salad!

Brooklyn Pizza (2 slices - twice the amount in this pic)
Arugula Salad (2 servings)
White Wine

Snack
12 fresh Cherries
1/2 Amber Ale 


Dessert:  2 scoops of Ice Cream:  flavors: Dark Chocolate & Cookies & Cream, Water

Amy's Tomato Mozzarella Corn Salad Recipe:

2 Large Tomatoes

1 cup of fresh Mozzarella balls, halved

1 cup of Corn

1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 can of White Cannelini Beans (rinsed & drained)

1 small head of Red Leaf Lettuce
Spinach/ Bail Puree Dressing (Recipe below)

Amy's Spinach-Basil Puree Dressing Recipe:

In food processor add:  5 oz of fresh Spinach, 3 large Basil leaves, 1-2 tbsp of  EVOO, juice of 1/2 Lemon and salt to taste.  Puree into dressing consistency and drizzle on salad.  

(You could also use as a spread on a wrap or sandwich, or toss with pasta or rice or couscous.  Or drizzle on fish or chicken!  Or toss with steamed veggies.  Options are pretty endless with this dressing.  If you want more zing, add a clove or two of Garlic!)

Wed. June 27th

Tex-Mex Salad for Lunch!

Daily Tidbit:  Last night I was reading in Women's Health Mag about the benefits of eating Peaches.  A study at Texas A&M showed that compounds in the fruit may stop the growth of breast cancer cells!  I felt inspired and changed up my Oatmeal a little this morning!


To read more about the study and these amazing findings, check this out:
http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1942

Oatmeal with Fresh Peaches for Breakfast!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with Fresh Peaches

1/2 cup plain Oatmeal (this is a pre-cook measurement)

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

1/2 fresh Peach, cubed

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

Lunch:  Tex-Mex Salad

1/2 cup of Black Bean Dip, Recipe:  

http://whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/06/tues-june-26th.html

1/2 cup of Homemade Salsa, Recipe:  

http://whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/06/thurs-june-7th.html

1/2 cup of raw Zucchini, diced

1/2 cup Carrots, shredded

1/2 cup of Corn

Scallions, a handful

8 small fresh Mozzarella balls, halved  (this was more than I needed!)

Water with Lime


Tip: At the beginning of every week I throw a bunch of baby Carrots into the food processor until its in tiny bits, that way it becomes ready to eat and  easy to throw into almost any dish (Tomato Sauce, Salads, Wraps/ Sandwiches, Dips, a Stir-Fry etc) without having to do any additional chopping or prep!

This is the Black Bean Dip Base for the Salad!

Mixed other ingredients in a bowl and placed on Beans!

Snack:  Plain Hard Boiled-Egg, Water

Snack:  1/4 cup dry roasted, lightly salted Peanuts, Fat Free Milk

Using a Toaster Oven Pan keeps portions in check!

The Beans, Avocado & Tomato Salsa adds Fiber & Nutrients!

Dinner: Scallion Mozz Nachos
Hubs was out, so I ate late - could not resist having my fav fast & yummy meal!
Lower Sodium Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips
1/4 cup of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese & Scallions
2 tbsp Jarred Medium Salsa mixed with: 
1/2 Avocado & 
1/2 cup Red Kidney Beans
White Wine

Dessert:  It was too late.  Just Water.

Tues. June 26th

Black Bean Dip Wrap with Veggies with Cantaloupe for Lunch!

Daily Tidbit:  I love Pyrex!  For so many reasons!  They provides safe storage to foods in your fridge and in your freezer and also happen to be safe in microwaves and in ovens!  Also,  they list their capacity on the bottom.  So today I knew I was eating 1 cup of Cantaloupe, simply because I used a 1 cup Pyrex bowl from my cabinet.  I have 2 whole sets of Pyrex along with some other odds and ends for baking.  They are clear, so you always know what is inside of them, and they easily stack up in the fridge for optimum storage and use of space :)  Also their lids make a great seal as long as you don't throw them into the dishwasher which warps them over time.   Also they are totally affordable.   

But most importantly, why use all those plastic containers with questionable ingredients and worry about leaching chemicals into your food and into your family's bodies, when there is Pyrex?  Proving to last a long time with heavy use in my kitchen so far!  Yes - I have had friends make jokes at my Pyrex filled fridge; to me it is a beautiful thing which has reduced my worries about my family's health and has increased my organization, resulting in a more relaxed happier life.  Yes, I love Pyrex!

According to Scientific American, studies have shown that these chemicals can promote human breast cancer cell growth and lower sperm counts. Pregnant women, infants and children are especially at risk.  
http://www.moneycrashers.com/dangers-plastic-food-containers-bottles-bisphenol-a/


For more on the food/ plastic/ leaching chemicals, check out this article from Scientific American "Plastic (Not) Fantastic":
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-fantastic-with-bisphenol-a

Blueberries are a delicious and healthy addition to any meal!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with Walnuts

1/2 cup plain Oatmeal (this is a pre-cook measurement)

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

1/2 cup fresh Blueberries

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

Lunch:  Vegan Black Bean Veggie Wrap with Veggies

1 Medium Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap

Black Bean Dip (Recipe below)

Red Onions, Carrots & 1/2 Avocado

1 cup of fresh Cantaloupe 
Water with Lime
 

Black Bean Dip on Whole Wheat Wrap

Black Bean Dip with Carrots & Red Onion

Avocado on top!

Final Product!

Snack:  1/4 cup dry roasted, lightly salted Peanuts, Fat Free Milk

Sesame Shrimp Veggie Blast for Dinner!

Dinner:  Sesame Shrimp Veggie Blast!
I used the same recipe I concocted a few weeks ago to serve with Salmon.  We loved this dish and it was just as awesome with Shrimp!

Sautéed Red Pepper flake, Ginger & Garlic paste (made in my food processor)  in Canola oil for a couple minutes.  Then I added: Yellow & Red Bell Peppers, Zucchini and Carrots and cooked until browned.  In a bowl I mixed 1 tbsp of each: sesame oil, brown sugar, corn starch and then ½ cup soy sauce and a 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Once the sauce thickened I threw in the Shrimp and covered the pan until they were cooked through.  Then topped it with scallions & toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe with Salmon from June 11th: http://whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/06/mon-june-11th.html

Picture to show bowl depth/ portion size - it is a lot of Veggies!!

Sesame Shrimp Close-up!

Dessert:  Gala Apple, Water

Amy's Black Bean Dip Recipe:

In food processor, add the following ingredients:

1 large clove of Garlic

1 can of Black Beans (preferably no-salt added, rinsed and drained)

Juice from 1/2 Lime

Handful of Cilantro

Salt, a couple shakes

1-2 tbsp of EVOO

Process until nice and smooth.  Use as a dip, or as I did today as the spread for a wrap!  YUM.  And good for you!

Mon. June 25th

WELCOME to the new address of What Amy Ate Today!!

www.WhatAmyAteToday.blogspot.com

Garden Ranch Salad for Lunch!

Daily Tidbit:  Welcome to What Amy Ate Today's new address!  It's all the same food, recipe & health based info as before, just at a new, easier to find location :)

Meanwhile, if you are interested in "following" this blog, simply enter your email address in the white field on the upper right side of the screen above my picture where it says "Follow by Email" and then you will receive an email notifying you anytime there is a new post!


And if you are looking for something specific, use the search field in the upper left hand corner of the screen with the magnifying glass icon which reads "Search this Blog" when you roll your mouse over it.

And as always, enjoy!

Oatmeal with Walnuts & Blueberries, OJ & Coffee for Breakfast!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with Walnuts

1/2 cup plain Oatmeal (this is a pre-cooked measurement)

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black




 

Lunch:  Large Garden Salad

1 cup Baby Spinach Greens

1 cup Carrots, 1 cup Broccoli, 7 Cherry Tomatoes, 2 tbsp Red Onion,
1 Radish, 1/2 cup Cucumbers, bunch of Cilantro

2 tbsp Sunflower Seeds

2 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped

2 tbsp Ranch Dressing


Note:  This was a big salad!  I was super hungry, but it came out bigger than I intended.  I ate 75% at lunch.  About an hour later I went into the fridge and ate the rest!   If you want to make only one serving I'd recommend reducing the Broccoli & Carrots to 1/2 cup.

Snack: 1/4 cup of Pistachios (1/2 cup of Pistachios in their shell seems to roughly equal 1/4 cup of actual nuts), Fat Free Milk

Homemade Salsa with Beans & Avocado!

Cheddar Mozzarella Nachos!

Dinner:  Nachos with Homemade Salsa, Beans & Avocado

Lower Sodium (80 mg of sodium per ounce!) Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips 

Topped with Part Skim Mozzarella & Cheddar cheese

Served with Homemade Salsa mixed with Red Kidney Beans & 1/2 Avocado 

White Wine

Homemade Salsa Recipe link:   
http://whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/06/thurs-june-7th.html

Dessert:  1 Crisp Delicious Gala Apple, Water

Welcome to the new address of "What Amy Ate Today!"

www.WhatAmyAteToday.blogspot.com 

Please bookmark this page so you can find me again :)  and Enjoy!

Sun. June 24th

Vidalia Onion, Mushroom, Garlic Omelet with Tomato Mozz Salad for Dinner!

YAY!  2 Things to cheer about today:  I finally figured out how to create top tabs to list and provide links to my recipes!  Yes, I'm not very tech savvy, but I'm learning!  Look above - the tabs provide links to my recipes: Breakfasts, Salads, Sides, Main Dishes & Desserts!  Enjoy :)

And, after being away from home for 8 days I was a little worried about getting on the scale this morning.  Huge surprise to see that I didn't gain a single pound on vacation (I once gained 8 pounds during a two week vacation!)  Though I had more treats than usual, I probably got more exercise, as I was either walking on the beach or swimming in the water nearly every single day.  I'm happy.  But it is still time for me to get back on track - today I'm going for lots of veggies to make up for yesterday!

Daily Tidbit:  Alton Brown, of the Food Network, is  pretty meticulous when it comes to making eggs.  He has an exact recipe for every type of egg preparation that exists.  I do it all wrong according to his method, but it still comes out yummy.  He uses butter, I use EVOO.  He whisks the eggs in a bowl, I crack mine directly into the pan.  He folds, I flip.  The list of where we differ on Omelets goes on and on.  But I'm sure his Omelets are delicious, just a little different from mine.  Check out my Vidalia, Mushroom & Garlic Omelet Recipe below.  It looks pretty messy in the pic above, but it was delicious!  And here is the link to see how the Pro's, like Alton, do it!

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/how-to-make-an-omelet-like-alton-brown/pictures/index.html

Oatmeal with Walnuts & Blueberries for Breakfast!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal!

1/2 cup (pre-cooked measurement) plain Oatmeal

microwaved in Fat Free Milk

2 tbsp Walnuts

2 shakes of Plain Cinnamon

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

Red Thai Curry Veggie Blast for Lunch!

Lunch:  Red Thai Curry Veggie Blast!

Mixed frozen veggies:  Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Snow Peas, Sweet Petite Peas, Water Chestnuts, Red Peppers, & Broccoli

Steamed in pan with Chicken Broth (covered)

Browned with 1 tbsp EVOO (uncovered)

More Chicken Broth, enough to deglaze the pan

Tossed with 1/4 cup Red Thai Curry Sauce (Trader Joe's) 

Black Beans & Red Kidney Beans

topped with toasted Pine nuts
Iced Regular Coffee, Black

Snack: 1/4 cup dry roasted no salt Almonds, Water with Lemon

Dinner:  Omelet & Salad
Vidalia Onion, Mushroom & Garlic Omelet with Parmesan Cheese
Tomato Basil & Fresh Mozzarella Salad
White Wine


Omelet Recipe:  (Makes 2 servings)  I heated up my cast iron pan, added 1 tbsp of EVOO until hot and then tossed in 1/2 Vidalia Onion, chopped and sauteed until soft.  Then I added 1 container of pre-sliced mushrooms and cooked until browned.  2 cloves of fresh chopped garlic went into the pan for two minutes to quickly brown.  Then I cracked 5 large eggs into the pan, sprinkled kosher coarse salt on top and then broke the yolks and cooked the eggs until done.  After plating I topped with a couple shakes of Parmesan cheese.

Tomato Mozzarella Basil Salad Recipe:  (Makes 2 servings)  In a bowl I added 1 large fresh Tomato, chopped, 2 tbsp of EVOO and a handful of little fresh Mozzarella balls, sliced in half.  3 large Basil leaves, chiffonade went into the bowl and a couple shakes of Kosher Coarse Salt.

Dessert:  Nothing.  Still making up for those pastries last night!  Water.

Sat. June 23rd

1 cup Black Beans + 2 tbsp of jarred Salsa + 1 tsp water = Super Easy, Fast, Fiber Packed, Low Fat Dip!

Daily Tidbit:  My ongoing mantra over the last few years which has helped me drop pounds (losing almost 40 pounds of extra weight) has been to try to make good and healthy food decisions most of the time on most days.  That way I can relax and enjoy myself and indulge sometimes without it being such a big deal.  Today is one of those days.  We spent most of the day in the car driving home from vacation.  It was tiring and a little stressful so I'll admit it, I succumbed to old habits and old comfort foods for lunch.  And by the time we got home and unpacked I was just too tired to do much cooking.  So this is real life; it happens.  Today is a perfect example that you can lose weight and be healthy, but still have a meal or a day that isn't a picture of health!  Tomorrow is a new day!

PBJ for Breakfast on the Go!

Breakfast:  Breakfast Sandwich To Go!

Peanut Butter & Jelly on Whole Wheat Bread

5 oz. OJ

Regular Coffee, black

Cheeseburger & Fries for Lunch!

Lunch:  Fast Food Lunch

Cheeseburger & French Fries & Diet Coke = almost 900 calories!!  I am already regretting this.  Of course, I should have just ordered a Kid's Hamburger and Small fries and a Bottle of Water.  It would have had nearly the same result and I would have saved myself a lot of calories and fat and a few dollars too. 

Note:  Though Diet Soda has no calories it is full of artificial sweeteners (in this case Aspartame) and artificial colors which I try to avoid for various reasons.  Drinking Diet drinks that use artificial sweeteners have been linked to weight gain in several studies.  As first the results were believed to be the human response to indulging elsewhere when people knew they were 'saving' calories by drinking the diet soda.  However, now experts believe that actually these artificial sweeteners affect our neurobiology and actually lead to increased appetite.  I get hungry enough without their help!  For a more in-depth explanation and info on this topic, check out this article from the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

Snack:  1/4 cup of Toasted Oat Cereal & .5oz of 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Snack:  1/4 cup of dry roasted, unsalted Almonds, Water with Lemon

Nachos for Dinner!

Dinner:  Nachos!

Lower Sodium Corn Tortilla Chips, toasted with Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese

Served with Black Bean and Salsa dip 

White Wine

Surprise Pastries for Dessert!

Dessert:  Pastries!?

Yes, a thoughtful and kind friend stopped by with fresh pastries to welcome us home.  I had a couple bites of each and called it a day!  Chocolate Eclair, Mille-Feuille, Chocolate Mouse Cake.