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Monday, October 29, 2012

Sun. Oct 28th



10 Healthy Reasons to Eat Eggs!

Daily Tidbit:  I love EggsThey are great for Breakfast, for Lunch, for a Snack or even Dinner.  They are yummy, filling and super versatile, from poached, scrambled, hard boiled, sunny-side, over easy, to omelets and quiche's to name a few.  

Despite the recent back-lash against Eggs, it turns out they provide loads of health benefits:  they are Low Calorie, a great source of Protein, help with Weight Loss and Weight Management, are good for the Eyes, Hair, Brain, Heart and provide a natural source of Vitamin D to name just a few.  Additionally, one study found that women who ate 6 Eggs a week lowered their risk for Breast Cancer by 44%.  


Check it all out here:

http://shine.yahoo.com/slim-fit-fall/10-healthy-reasons-eat-eggs-165000526.html

       

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Eggs Over Easy with Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread

Breakfast:  Eggs & Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread
2 Eggs, Over Easy, cooked in Cast Iron Pan sprayed with Canola Oil

1 slice Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread (recipe below), with 1 tsp Brummel n Brown spread
5 oz OJ
Regular Coffee, black    
 


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Baked Veggie Pasta
Baked Veggie Pasta - my plate

Lunch: Baked Veggie Pasta
1 serving Baked Veggie Pasta  (consisting of loads of Veggies tossed with 1/2 cup Beans and 1/4 cup Orzo Pasta; Veggie list below)
10 Red Grapes
Water with Lemon


I made 2 servings worth of this dish in my Cast Iron Pan with 1 tbsp EVOO, chopped Red Onions, Capers, 1 clove Garlic, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms, Sweet Peas, Roasted Red Peppers, 1 cup White Cannellini Beans (canned, drained/ rinsed), 1/2 cup cooked Orzo Pasta; topped with Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese and broiled until golden and bubbly!  I ate half -as pictured above - YUM!

  
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Snack: 1/2 Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate Bar (.825 oz), Plain Red Chai Tea
 

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Snack: 4 cups Plain Popcorn (popped in brown paper bag in microwave)


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White Bean, Jalapeno Tomato Salsa, Avocado Dip
Cheddar Mozz Nachos

Dinner: Nachos

1 Small Toaster Oven Pan (measuring 6.5 inches by 10.5 inches) layered with White Organic Corn Lower Salt Tortilla Chips topped with Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese & Cheddar Cheese
Bean Salsa Avocado Dip: 1/4 cup White Cannellini Beans, 1/2 cup Tomato Jalapeno Salsa (recipe below), and 1/2 Avocado, chopped
Amber O'Doul's

  

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Dessert: Gala Apple, Water


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RECIPES: 


Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread Recipe:

receipted adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-cranberry-oat-bread/


I liked the above recipe, but made it Whole Grain by using Whole Wheat Flour and made a few other tweaks to make a healthier version.


Preheat oven to 350 and grease loaf pan with Canola Oil Spray.


Meanwhile in a large bowl mix:

-1 cup Quick Cooking Oats

-1. 5 cups Whole Wheat Flour

-1 cup White Flour

-1/2 cup Sugar

-1 tsp Baking Soda

-1 tsp Baking Powder

-1/2 tsp Salt

-1/2 tsp Cinnamon

-Dash Nutmeg


In another large bowl mix:

-2 Eggs

-4 oz Apple Sauce

-2 tbsp Orange Juice

-1/2 cup Fat Free Milk 

-2 cups Dried Fresh Cranberries 

 
Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients mixture and mix until everything is moist.  Pour into greased Loaf Pan and Bake for 40 Minutes and serve!




Tomato Jalapeno Salsa Recipe:
Into Food Processor put:

1 Clove Garlic
1 Pint of Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 small White Onion
1 Green Onion/ Scallion
Juice of 1/2 Lime
4 oz can of Jalapeno Peppers 
Salt, to taste   

While processing stream in 1 tbsp EVOO.  Let this sit a few hours before serving for optimal flavor!
 


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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Sat. Oct 27th

Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread

Daily Tidbit:  Another experiment:  Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread!  I had these fresh Cranberries just waiting to be made into something delicious and thought a quick bread with Oats sounded yummy and healthy, so I searched online and found a good basic recipe that just needed a few tweaks to make a healthier versionThe kids were not sure about the taste of the Cranberries, but I loved it.  (I would suggest just using a little more Sugar for harder to please palates!) Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and newly emerging studies are showing the may also prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous tumors.  Check it out:

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15814415/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/research-shows-health-benefits-cranberries/#.UI0T2obJY_w 


         

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Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts

Breakfast:  Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts
1/2 cup Oatmeal (uncooked) mixed with 1 cup Fat Free Milk & microwaved

3-4 good shakes of Plain Cinnamon 

2 tbsp plain chopped Walnuts 
5 oz. Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, black
 



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Curry Butternut Squash Soup with Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Cauliflower Gratin

Lunch: Warm Autumn Veggie Slam!
Bowl of Curry Butternut Squash Soup (recipe below)
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with 1 tbsp chopped Pecans(recipe below)
Cauliflower Gratin (recipe below)
These were all leftovers in the fridge - there is no simpler Lunch preparation than this!  And, it was jam-packed with Veggies and surprisingly filling, so much so that I actually had to stop eating halfway through and save the rest for later!  It made for a yummy, healthy and easy Snack a couple hours later!
  
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Snack: 2nd half of my lunch!  Plain Red Chai Tea.


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Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread

Snack: 

1 slice of Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread (recipe below) with 1 tsp of Brummel n Brown on top
20 Plain Almonds, Fat Free Milk


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1 slice of Whole Wheat Ricotta & Black Olive Onion Pizza

Dinner: Whole Wheat Ricotta & Black Olive Pizza
2 large slices of Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza, topped with Organic No Salt Added Marinara Sauce, Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, Part Skim Ricotta Cheese, diced Red Onion & Black Kalamata Olives (equivalent to half the pizza!)
O'Doul's

  

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Dessert: 1/4 Local Red Delicious Apple, Water


I really wanted a whole Apple, but that was all that was left in the fridge! 


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RECIPES: 


Curry Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:
1/2 medium White Onion
1 tbsp EVOO
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tbsp Curry
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Salt/ Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1-2 cup of Baby Carrots
1 medium Butternut Squash, skinned & chopped
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3 cup of Water (using more or less for desired consistency)

Microwave Butternut Squash (piercing it in various places first) for several minutes, turn and microwave again for a few more minutes – until is it soft enough to easily cut into pieces and remove the skin and seeds.  Meanwhile heat soup pot, add the EVOO and Onion and sauté 5 minutes or so.  Throw in the sliced Garlic and sauté a couple minutes (not letting the Garlic burn or brown at all).  Then add the Ginger, Curry and Salt/ fresh ground Pepper and cook for a couple more minutes.  Then add Carrots and Butternut squash; stirring and covering in spices for a minute or two.  Then add the broth and water if more liquid is needed and heat to boil.  Put to simmer for 30 minutes, and cover.  Cook longer if needed, until all the veggies are super soft. Then using an immersion blender, blend the whole thing into a velvety creamy puree.* Serve plain or with Scallions or Cilantro.


*The immersion blender is a magical tool which gives this soup with no butter, bread or milk or cream that ‘creamy’ texture that is so well, creamy!  If you don’t have one, you can ladle the soup into a food processor to puree it, but again there is something magical about the immersion blender which transforms the texture of the soup into fooling your mouth into thinking that you are enjoying a decadent creamy soup, even though you are basically just eating a bowl of veggies!


Tip:  This soup, like many dishes, is always better a day later, which makes it a great ‘make ahead’ meal for a speedy meal the next day!  The soup is also very filling, so it makes a great snack as well.  



Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe:
Clean, dry and poke holes all over a large Sweet Potato for 4 minutes, turn and do another 4 minutes.  When cool enough to touch, remove skins and cube and throw into a bowl and mash (I used a Masher) with a little Butter, Fat Free Milk and a dash of Maple Syrup.  Top with chopped Pecans and serve!



Cauliflower Gratin Recipe:
Take 1 large head of Cauliflower, cut and wash florets.  Steam on stove until desired done-ness (I cooked mine until soft enough to mash!)  


Meanwhile in another sauce pan heat 1 tbsp EVOO with 1 tbsp Butter.  Once melted add 1/2 White Onion, finely chopped and cook until soft.  Add salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste and 2 tbsp Flour.  Stir while cooking the flour another 2 minutes.  Lower heat and add 2 cups Fat Free Milk and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.  Once thickened add 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese.  Tip: the cheese will melt more easily if you buy a block of Cheese and grate it yourself.  Add 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese and blend in and stir until all cheese has melted.


Grease broiler safe Casserole dish with Canola Oil Spray and pour Cauliflower into the dish.  Using a fork mash the Cauliflower inside the Casserole dish.  Once it is at desired consistency, pour the Cheese sauce ontop of the whole dish.


So to brown the sauce & cheese on top I broiled mine on high, but that resulted in near burning and would recommend broiling for a longer period of time on Low, keeping a close eye on the dish.  The flavor however was wonderful and no bread crumbs or additional Butter was needed!

 


Whole Wheat Cranberry Oat Bread Recipe:
receipted adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/honey-cranberry-oat-bread/

I liked the above recipe, but made it Whole Grain by using Whole Wheat Flour and made a few other tweaks to make a healthier version.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease loaf pan with Canola Oil Spray.

Meanwhile in a large bowl mix:
-1 cup Quick Cooking Oats
-1. 5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
-1 cup White Flour
-1/2 cup Sugar
-1 tsp Baking Soda
-1 tsp Baking Powder
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
-Dash Nutmeg

In another large bowl mix:
-2 Eggs
-4 oz Apple Sauce
-2 tbsp Orange Juice
-1/2 cup Fat Free Milk 
-2 cups Dried Fresh Cranberries 
 
Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients mixture and mix until everything is moist.  Pour into greased Loaf Pan and Bake for 40 Minutes and serve!
  


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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Fri. Oct 26th

Arugula Puree Salmon with Cauliflower Gratin & Mango Carrots for Dinner!

Daily Tidbit:  So tonight I experimented by attempting to make a healthier, yet still delicious, Cauliflower Gratin.  Most Gratin dishes call for a lot of Butter and Bread Crumbs, but I was able to concoct a delicious version using just 1 tbsp of Butter and no Bread Crumbs all at and we were really happy with the result.  It was still Creamy though made with only Fat Free Milk, and still Cheesy, though made with less than 1.5 cups of Cheese for 6 servings, not bad!  There are lots of yummy dishes that only need a few tweaks to make them more healthy, here are some popular Comfort Food makeovers from Health Magazine:

www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20627058,00.html


         

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Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts

Breakfast:  Plain Oatmeal with Cinnamon & Walnuts
1/2 cup Oatmeal (uncooked) mixed with 1 cup Fat Free Milk & microwaved

3-4 good shakes of Plain Cinnamon 
2 tbsp plain chopped Walnuts 
5 oz. Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, black
 



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Vegetable Curry Pastry

Lunch: South African Miniature Pastry Assortment (visiting friends for lunch)

5 Miniature pastries, comprised of Miniature Vegetable Curry Pies with Potato, Onion and Peas & Miniature Ground Beef Pies
1 Chocolate cookie with Chocolate Icing
Water 


Sadly, no pix, except for the one above from the Web which strongly resembles one of the pastries I tried.  All delicious as only pastries can be!


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



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Arugula Puree Salmon with Cauliflower Gratin & Mango Carrots
Cantaloupe

Dinner: Salmon with Veggies

1 Fillet of Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon - sprayed with Canola Oil, seasoned with salt & baked at 350 for 12 minutes, then topped with 1 tbsp of Arugula Puree (recipe below)
Mango Carrots (recipe below)
Cauliflower Gratin (recipe below)
1 cup Cantaloupe
Water with Lemon 

  
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Dessert:  1 Local Red Delicious Apple, Water



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RECIPES: 


Arugula Puree Recipe:
Simply put a couple large handfuls of Arugula into a Food Processor and process while streaming in EVOO until you get desired consistency.  This works great a healthy, flavorful spread for a sandwich, or in this case as a topping for baked fish or chicken!





Mango Carrots Recipe:
Boil Baby Carrots in Water on stove, just barely covering the top of the Carrots with Water.  Cook until desired done-ness, allowing much of the water to evaporate and reduce.  I think I cooked ours for 20 minutes, check on the Carrots every 5-10 minutes.  Add 1 tbsp Mango Butter to the pot and stir and serve!

Mango Butter is like a jelly, but contains more fruit than sugar and actually no butter at all!  It has fewer Calories than using just plain sugar or honey to sweeten the Carrots, meanwhile it adds Vitamin A & C to the dish to boot!



Cauliflower Gratin Recipe:
Take 1 large head of Cauliflower, cut and wash florets.  Steam on stove until desired done-ness (I cooked mine until soft enough to mash!)  

Meanwhile in another sauce pan heat 1 tbsp EVOO with 1 tbsp Butter.  Once melted add 1/2 White Onion, finely chopped and cook until soft.  Add salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste and 2 tbsp Flour.  Stir while cooking the flour another 2 minutes.  Lower heat and add 2 cups Fat Free Milk and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.  Once thickened add 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese.  Tip: the cheese will melt more easily if you buy a block of Cheese and grate it yourself.  Add 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese and blend in and stir until all cheese has melted.

Grease broiler safe Casserole dish with Canola Oil Spray and pour Cauliflower into the dish.  Using a fork mash the Cauliflower inside the Casserole dish.  Once it is at desired consistency, pour the Cheese sauce ontop of the whole dish.

So to brown the sauce & cheese on top I broiled mine on high, but that resulted in near burning and would recommend broiling for a longer period of time on Low, keeping a close eye on the dish.  The flavor however was wonderful and no bread crumbs or additional Butter was needed!
 


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Friday, October 26, 2012

Thurs. Oct 25th

Ellie Krieger's Healthy Refried Beans

Daily Tidbit:  I love Refried Beans!  But you have to be careful because there is a broad spectrum of health levels in Refried Beans, from high in saturated fats (think Lard) to low-fat Vegetarian varieties.  I go for the more healthy Vegetarian option at home, canned for convenience, and load up on all the Fiber and Protein somewhat guiltlessly.  However, if you are concerned about Sodium levels, and it seems like we all should be to some extent, homemade is the way to go.  As usual Ellie Krieger of the Food Network does not disappoint in providing an easy and healthy looking version here:


www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/refried-beans-recipe/index.html 
         
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Puffins Cereal with Walnuts & Milk

Breakfast:  Puffins Cereal with Walnuts & Milk
1 cup Puffins Cereal

1 cup Fat Free Milk
2 tbsp plain chopped Walnuts 
5 oz. Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, black
 



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Refried Bean Avocado Dip
Corn Tortilla Chips with Cheddar Cheese

Lunch: Nachos with Refried Bean Dip & Avocado
1 Pan measuring 6.5 by 10 inches, of Organic White Corn Lower Sodium Tortilla Chips, topped with
1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, toasted & served with:
Refried Bean Avocado Dip: 1/2 cup Vegetarian Refried Pinto Beans made with Jalapeno Peppers, 1 Vine Ripened Tomato, chopped, 1/8 cup chopped Red Onions & 1/2 Avocado, chopped
Green Tea, plain/ hot 


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Snack:  None today, lunch filled me up!



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Dinner: Girls Night Out!  

Yes, I'm being spoiled this week with 2 nights out with friends!


Appetizer:  Lime Corn Tortilla Chips with Guacamole & a Margarita

Chicken Fajita with all the fixings!
Chicken Fajita, wrapped up

Dinner:  2 Chicken Fajitas served on Flour Tortillas and topped with Fresh Salsa, Cheddar Cheese, Onions & Peppers, Refried Beans and Guacamole
White Wine

  
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Chocolate Brownie with All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream

Dessert:   Brownie & Vanilla Ice cream (well it was a friend's birthday after all!)
     

I was in charge of bringing the dessert, so this was my contribution.  Though, yes, you are looking at a high fat and high calorie yummy dessert, I made a couple conscious health choices while making it, such as using apple sauce (instead of more oil or more eggs) to add some much needed moisture to the batter (it was a box mix) and I went for the All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream in an effort to avoid all the Artificial Colors, Flavors and ingredients which are standard in most Ice Creams - yuck!  Everyone loved it, as did I - a delicious way to enjoy a friend's birthday!


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