Some things I've eaten! And a recipe!

More things I ate... it's like a visual food diary... Just some images to give you an idea that you don't have to eat boring or bland... your world doesn't have to be full of rice cakes and salad. Just make smart choices!

Breakfast - 240 calories! 

2 egg whites, scrambled

2 slices SmartKids Wonder bread (who says it's just for kids!)

1 tbsp. Welch's Naturals grape jelly (less sugar and calories than traditional)

1/2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

2 slices center cut low sodium bacon

Buffalo Veggies!

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for buffalo cauliflower. They used buttermilk, butter, flour, etc. I used olive oil spray and Frank's Red Hot. I was trying to make mine a side, not a whole meal. They don't post calories on their site (which always makes me nervous!) so I just made up my own. Sure, you could probably add a little whipped light butter to the sauce and mix it together and toss the veggies in it, but I was in a hurry! Simply put, lay your veggies on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray. Toss on your fresh cut veggies (Frozen might be too watery), spray with more cooking spray, and drip Frank's over your veggies! Toss around the sheet for even coating. Frank's has 0 calories! Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (depending how done you like your vegetables). Take them out about half way through and flip them over for even cooking. All your calories will come from the veggies and not the coating! But you will still get the buffalo flavor you want!

Tuna Salad 

160 calories for salad

50 calories for half serving of pretzel sticks

Lunch - 210 calories!

Sure, tuna salad is a no brainer. Everyone knows you can toss mayo, relish, onion and tuna and voila! Tuna salad! But, did you know you can easily use Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard INSTEAD of mayo? Here's the deal... even if you buy low calorie or fat free mayo it still packs 35 calories per tablespoon. Greek yogurt has the consistency of mayo with added probiotics and protein. It's a win win. Not to mention an entire 6oz. container is only 90 calories. Therefore making it about 10 calories per tablespoon. Pair that with a little Dijon or spicy mustard and you've given your boring Tuna salad a face-lift!

three in season fruit obsessions...

Plums, Pluots and Keitt mangoes!

One of the great benefits of working in a food market is getting to know and taste all those foods you are afraid to try or are curious about.

Plums remind me of my childhood. I can remember eating black plums with my Grandmother when I was little. I still love them today. If you haven't given them a try, you should. They have amazing stats, only 30 calories and 1g of fiber per plum!

BLACK PLUM

The Dapple Dandy Pluot is a hybrid between a plum and an apricot, more plum than apricot. They are kind of strange looking, speckled, and often look frost kissed. They are sweet and fun to eat. Only 75 calories each and 1g of fiber. 

DAPPLE DANDY PLUMCOT (PLUOT)

I've been able to try a few different types of mangoes over the past year and my favorite is the Keitt mango. It's softer and less stringy than the Alphonso and there is more fruit on them than the Champagne mango (which is my second favorite). The calories range a bit due to size from 100-150 calories each. So good!

KEITT MANGO

Corn Chowdah

Chowder (Chowdah) is big in New England... I'm guessing because of all the cold nights. Since moving here over a year ago I've eaten a lot of clam and corn chowder and cringed at the thought of all the heavy cream and calories involved. However, we must all indulge a little... sometimes. But when we're not having "free days" and we still want to eat something warm and hearty you can make a Fit Foodie style Corn Chowder. Here's how I did it!

CORN CHOWDER

3 ears of fresh corn, husked and cut from cob (yields 2 1/3 cups of kernels)

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 c. chick peas (garbanzo beans)

1 lb. red potatoes, cubed

2 c. skim milk

7 c. water (separated*)

2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or 2 cups of veggie broth substituted for 2 cups water)

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 tbsp. parsley (fresh if available)

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. garlic powder (I like a lot!)

black pepper and salt to taste

Saute the onion and minced garlic in a large pot with cooking spray until onion becomes transparent, 2-3 minutes. Add in potatoes and 1/2 cup of water, cover and cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally (add another 1/2 cup if necessary to prevent burning). In a food processor or blender puree chick peas and 1 cup of water. Add in milk and 1/2 cup of cooked potato and corn from pot to the blender or processor and blend until slightly smooth. This is partly what you will use as a thickening agent. Use another 1 cup of cold water to mix corn starch into. Use 2 cups of water to dissolve veggie bouillon into. If you prefer to use veggie broth (or chicken) instead that will work too, just subtract 2 cups of water from recipe. Add pureed mix, the remaining water (or broth) and all spices to the pot and bring to a boil. While stirring, slowly add in the corn starch/water mixture. If you would like thicker chowder you can either add another 1/2 cup of pureed chick peas or more corn starch/water until desired consistency. 

Optional: Top with either shredded 2% pepper jack or cheddar cheese.

This batch will make about 12 cups.

Only 83 calories per cup!!

Traditional Corn Chowder ranges from 200-300 calories per one cup serving. 

Breakfast!

MY BREAKFAST!

People often wonder what I eat on a daily basis. I will start posting some things I have eaten to give you an idea. Today, this was my breakfast:

1 egg white, scrambled

1/2 ounce feta cheese

sliced onion

1 light multi-grain English muffin

1 plum

Total calories: 190

Biggest Loser Pancakes

I've been a fan of Pinterest for a little while now and I love that I can find amazing recipes in just one click. Now I'm a sucker for a great pancake. The best ones I've ever had were the cornmeal buttermilk pancakes from the North End Cafe in Louisville, KY and nothing quite holds a candle to them. However, these are pretty dang good!

BIGGEST LOSER PANCAKES

1/3 c. 1% fat cottage cheese

1/3 c. old fashioned oats

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. Splenda (they use sugar in the original recipe)

Yields 2 pancakes: 180 calories

In a blender or food processor mix all ingredients into a smooth batter. Spray a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat with cooking spray. Pour half the mixture into the skillet and when the edges start to bubble flip pancake over. Enjoy with sugar free syrup! 

*taken from this website.

Fiber Oat Carrot Cookies

Fiber is important. It helps you feel fuller for a longer period of time and aids in digestion. The problem is that sometimes fiber doesn't taste all that great. Luckily there is a tasty fiber campaign running through our food manufacturers these days. Fiber One makes bars, cereal and even "brownies". There are lots of other whole foods high in fiber as well; blueberries, raspberries, pears, apples, oats, whole wheat spaghetti, bran flakes, split peas, lentils, black beans, artichokes, peas, broccoli, etc.

Last night I was craving baked goods. This is normal for me but I've been trying to cut down on my snacking. Something I still struggle with even after maintaining my weight loss for over a year. Old habits die hard and just because I know this is a weakness of mine I try to keep it in check by offering other solutions. Therefore, healthy cookies!

FIBER OAT CARROT COOKIES

1 1/2 c. Fiber One Original (or the generic) Cereal

1 c. old fashioned Oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 medium banana, smashed

3 egg whites, beaten

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1/4 c. raisins

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. baking Splenda

Blend all dry ingredients in a food processor until close to a corn meal texture. Mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and pulse. Batter will be extremely thick. Stir in raisins. Use a small ice cream scoop/cookie scoop to measure out each cookie (approx: 1 inch ball if forming by hand). Spray cookie sheet with baking spray. Then flatten each cookie with the back of a spatula sprayed with baking spray to prevent sticking. These cookies will not spread on their own, they are too thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Store in the refrigerator and warm in microwave or toaster oven before eating. Or just eat them straight out of the fridge! Yields about 22 cookies.

Impressive Stats per cookie:

Calories: 34 (!)

Fat: .5g

Potassium: 84g

Carbs: 10g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 1.5g

Chicken Vegetable Marinara

Pasta is one of those difficult foods. You can pay a high caloric price for not a lot of product but the trick is to add more "toppings" and less pasta.

CHICKEN VEGETABLE MARINARA

8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 oz. thin spaghetti

1 medium zucchini, sliced and halved

1 large carrot, sliced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1/3 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen pepper mix (can certainly use fresh!)

1-2 tbsp. minced garlic

1- 8oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 tbsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary and dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan saute with olive oil spray all the raw vegetables: carrots, zucchini, and onion until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Add to pan chicken, garlic, olive oil spray and seasonings. Cook until done. Add back into pan cooked veggies and frozen veggies plus your can of tomato sauce. Stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Cook pasta until al dente (according to packaging). 

Makes 2 servings - 370 calories each