Migas - Fit Foodie Style

One of my favorite restaurants in my hometown of Louisville, KY is the North End Cafe. They make the BEST pancakes ever! But if I'm in the mood for eggs I almost always go for the Migas.
Apparently Migas means crumbs in English and there are several different versions. The one at North End is 3 scrambled eggs, blue corn tortilla chips, jalapenos & cheddar cheese served with salsa and home fries. Here is my Fit Foodie version:

MIGAS

3 egg whites - scrambled

2 pieces center cut bacon (Vegetarians - omit or use veggie bacon)

2 tbsp. diced onion

2 tbsp. diced red pepper

2 tbsp. diced green pepper

2 tbsp. diced yellow pepper

1 broken up hard taco shell corn tortilla (or crushed tortilla chips totaling 55 calories)

1/2 oz. shredded Cabot Light Pepper Jack cheese (or any cheese totaling 35 calories)

4-5 pickled jalapeno rings

Cook your bacon and drain well. If you are using pork bacon leave a little bacon grease (just enough to coat the pan) and add peppers and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Tear the bacon into chunks and add back into pan. Scramble 3 egg whites and season with salt and pepper. Add crushed tortilla and jalapeno to pan with bacon, peppers and onions. Cook for one minute. Add in eggs and scramble into mixture. When eggs are almost done add in shredded cheese, remove from heat and place a lid on to melt the cheese.

One hefty serving - 200 calories!

You may serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream!

Sweet Potato Carrot Ginger Soup...

One of my very first entries when I started this blog (almost 2 years ago!) was this soup. Today I made it a little differently and I think it's my best batch yet. So I decided to re-share one of my most favorite recipes with you. I hope it warms your bellies!

SWEET POTATO CARROT GINGER SOUP

11 oz. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 - 5" long)

10 oz. baby carrots (or whatever kind you have on hand, just make sure they are cut)

3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks

1/2 yellow or sweet onion, sliced

4-5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

5 discs of fresh ginger, peeled about 1/16" thick (grated works too - about 1 tbsp.)

4 1/2 cups of water 

2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or 4 1/2 cups of veggie stock and omit the water & bouillon)

2 tbsp. peanut butter (chunky or crunchy is fine)

2 tsp. cumin

1-2 tsp. parsley flakes

1-2 tsp. red pepper flake (depending how spicy you like it)

salt to taste

Now, here's the easy part. Take all the ingredients EXCEPT the peanut butter and throw it in a large pot:

Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit 20 minutes or so to cool down. You will need either a) blender or b) an immersion blender. If you have an immersion blender you can skip the cooling step. If you're tossing it in the blender you use to make Margaritas you might want to wait until it cools some. Blend the pieces in batches until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot. At this point if the soup is too cold reheat it before adding the final ingredient. 

Once it's warm enough add in your peanut butter, using a whisk to mix it in. This soup is hearty, spicy and a little Thai inspired. I find it best served with extra red pepper flakes and a little chopped peanut for texture. 

This batch makes 7 - 1 cup servings at 112 calories each!

Holiday Survival 101

There's something about big family/friend gatherings and lots of extremely yummy (but terribly fattening) food that brings us comfort. It's tradition to see how many plates we can eat. It's often the time of year when not only the turkey is stuffed. But how do we enjoy it without feeling deprived or like we immediately wish instead of dressing up we wore our fat pants? It can be tricky... but it can also be accomplished.

Holiday Survival 101:

1. You're not a kid anymore, you don't HAVE to finish every morsel of food on your plate. I'm not promoting wastefulness here, just saying, try to put small portions on your plate.

2. Yes! You can have some pumpkin pie! Just try not to eat the whole thing. If it's already sliced, cut one of those slices in half (that half slice is probably the actual serving of pie the recipe was talking about - we're constantly doubling and tripling portion sizes!)

3. Fill up two thirds of your plate with vegetables and lean proteins. Now, depending on your traditional Thanksgiving dinner this may be difficult. I grew up in a Southern household where the veggies were glossy with bacon grease or smothered in gravy.

4. If you're having the traditional turkey, don't eat the skin. It's just a lot of excess fat and calories. It's 60 calories for 1 ounce of meat with skin, 50 calories for 1 ounce of dark meat without skin and 30 calories for 1 ounce of breast meat without skin.

5. Usually holiday dinners come with lots of appetizers and everyone stands around the kitchen or dining room for a few hours before dinner while chatting with friends and family. This is the time where we mindlessly munch on chips, dips, cookies, etc. Try to socialize away from this area, it will keep you from grazing.

6. Chew gum or eat a mint. If you are trying not to indulge in the appetizers or desserts at all you can chew a piece of gum or eat a mint and then you will not want to eat anything.

7. Buddy up. If you are going to a holiday dinner with a friend or partner and you know your self control could be in question have them keep an eye on you and vice versa. Sometimes we don't feel strong enough to say no to the second round of stuffing and mashed potatoes and we need someone to keep us in check!

8. Don't get too overwhelmed and beat yourself up about it. Make sure you enjoy yourself! After all, the holidays aren't about the food (well, not entirely!) ... they're about spending quality time with people you may not get to see all the time. The food is just a bonus!

Armed with those survival tips you should be able to get through those food temptations without throwing healthy eating out the window.

Happy Holidays dear readers!

Pumpkin Bran Muffins!

I've been craving everything pumpkin flavored. Blame it on the time of year. But instead of buying cookies or muffins or cakes I decided to make my own. I figured I could probably make them lighter and healthier than buying them. So as usual I took a recipe I found on the net and "fit foodi-fied" it! Here it is!

PUMPKIN BRAN MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups King Arthur 100% whole wheat, unbleached, flour1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup Splenda granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups Bran Flakes

1 cup solid pack pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/3 cup Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Blend

2 egg whites

1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1/3 cup raisins, packed

1 1/2 tbsp. semi sweet chocolate chips

vegetable cooking spray

Makes 12 Muffins - 100 calories, 1g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein per muffin

1) Stir together flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

2) Put Bran Flakes in a Ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin or pulse in a food processor, mix into dry ingredients bowl.

3) In large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, egg whites and applesauce. Beat well with hand mixer. Add raisins and semi sweet chocolate chips. Stir well. Mix in flour mixture, stirring only until combined (batter will be stiff). Portion batter evenly into 12 2/1/2 inch muffin pan coated with cooking or baking spray.

4) Bake at 400F about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Roasted Veggies...

It's that time of year again. Where we all want to hibernate in our caves and eat warm comfort food. This is your gentle reminder of the pure yumminess of roasted vegetables.

Here is a recipe from last January. 

Some good vegetables to roast are:

Root vegetables - sweet and white potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabaga.

Winter squashes - acorn, spaghetti, butternut

Summer squashes - yellow and green (zucchini)

Brussels sprouts

Mushrooms of all kinds are also great to toss in for the last 20 minutes or so.

Most vegetables roast well at 375 or 400 degrees and for 40-45 minutes, flipping half way through.

Here is what I had for dinner tonight...

Olive oil and herb couscous topped with zima tomatoes.

Brussels sprouts, petite green beans and baby carrots.

Pumpkin and Broccoli - the tastes of Fall.

As you know, I enjoy buying new products and giving them a shot. My two recent purchases were no disappointment!

They have pumpkin flavored everything from yogurt, to cream cheese, to bagels, to granola, to English muffins, to beer, to donuts, etc. You either love pumpkin or you hate it. I am one of those that love it! Therefore I had to test these out. And they are super yummy!

110 calories

1g fat

5g fiber

3g sugar

5g protein

AMAZING!

topping suggestion: 2 tbsp. whipped cream cheese! (only 60 calories!)

Next up! Veggies!

Green Giant has come out with seasoned steamers. I looked at some of the stats on all of them and these seemed to be the most reasonable. 

Of course you can season broccoli yourself and come up with even better calorie stats but most of us are busy and need something quick. This broccoli has a delicious Tuscan inspired flavor with Parmesan cheese, garlic, peppers and onion. 

60 calories, 2g protein, 2g fiber, 2g sugar and 4g fat per serving

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

I've been hearing for months about this spaghetti squash and how amazing it works as a swap for spaghetti. After being ultra intrigued by all the hype I finally gave in and bought one. For a week it's been sitting on my counter, staring longingly in my direction and tonight I put it to good use.

First, you have to cut it in half lengthwise but it's a bit more tricky than you might expect. The only issue I have with hard winter squash is just that... they are hard! So, what you can do is poke a few holes in it with a fork or a knife and put the whole squash in the microwave for 2-4 minutes. This will cause it to soften up enough to cut it in half. Before baking scoop out all the extra seeds and strings. Place both halves with the skin side up on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until done (depending on size). Let cool then easily shred with a fork. Take shredded squash and place in a colander while cooking the rest of the dish. The squash will have quite a bit of water in it so you might also pat it with a clean tea towel or paper towels.

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Arrabiata Sauce

4 cups cooked, shredded spaghetti squash

2 - 6 oz. chicken breasts*

1/2 pkg. sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1/2 red pepper, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 c. Arrabiata sauce (or sauce of your choice 70 cal or less per serving)

Serves 2 - 345 calories each

In a large nonstick skillet cook chicken breast, mushrooms, garlic, onions and peppers until done. You can either add your sauce to the chicken and veggies in the skillet or heat it up and add it on your plate. Top with shredded Parmesan or pecorino romano. *If you're a vegetarian you can easily omit the chicken and add garbanzo beans or a  faux meat product. Enjoy!