Honey Glazed Carrots

Last week Aldi had a mega-sale on baby carrots (a pound for $.49) and I may have bought 6 pounds. Carrots are my go-to for when I want something crunchy but after the first 3 pounds I was looking for new ways to consume them. I made a small ham for Easter and thought a side of glazed carrots would be great so I scoured the interwebs and I found this amazing little recipe on Cooks.com - not only is it easy but by far the best cooked carrot dish I've eaten!

Calories: 139  |  Protein: 2  |  Carbs: 21   |  Fat: 6

  Serves 4

 

 

You'll need:

 

Salt

1 pound baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons honey (I used SF imitation honey)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Then you'll:

 

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Cake Batter Protein Shake

I found this recipe on Pinterest (original recipe here) and wasn't expecting much when I first saw it but my curiosity was peaked at the use of cottage cheese and sugar-free jello so I gave it a shot.

 

Oh.Em.Gee.

   

 



Calories: 187  |  Protein: 35  |  Carbs: 5   |  Fat: 2

  Serving size: 1 shake

 

 

You'll need:

 

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

3-5 drops butter or almond extract

1 tbsp. vanilla sugar free instant Jell-O pudding mix

3-5 packets sweetener (I used Splenda)

1/2 cup - 1 cup water (alter for desired consistency)

5-10 ice cubes (also alter for consistency - use less for thinner shake)

 

Optional:

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (I used guar gum and works just as well)

Sprinkles for topping

 

 

 

Then you'll:

 

Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into glass, add sprinkles and serve.

 

 

 

Happy Blending!

 

Southwest Breakfast Burritos

I'm lazy in the mornings. I'll wake up at 9am, walk the dogs and go back to sleep until the very last minute - living less than 10 minutes from work is a plus I tell you. I have time to shower, beautify and go - making breakfast is not happening. It doesn't help that I'm not a fan of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast; too many carbs and no nutritional value. I am however, a big fan of these breakfast burritos. I make them on Sunday and have enough to last me the entire week - simply grab and go - right up my alley!!!

 

 

 



Calories: 181  |  Protein: 10  |  Carbs: 7    |  Fat: 7

Serves: 7  |  Serving size: 1 burrito

 

 

 

You'll need:

 

4 eggs, large (scrambled)

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup frozen southern style diced potatoes

1 ounce Trader Joe's fat free feta cheese crumbles

1/4 package Trader Joe's Soyrizo

1/4 cup Trader Joe's Cowboy Caviar**

7 Mission Carb-Balance Whole Wheat tortillas, small 

 

** any black bean/corn salsa will work

 

 

Then you'll:

 

In a large skillet, heat oil and add onions and frozen potatoes - cook until halfway done. Add Soyrizo, cook until heated and crumbled (potatoes will be orange). Push potato mixture to one side of skillet and add eggs in the other half, cooking thoroughly. Stir together and add salsa, mixing well. Scoop into tortillas, add crumbled feta, roll, and wrap in foil.

 

Happy Cooking!

 

 

Bleu Cheese Chipotle Bacon Burger

One of my favorite places to eat pre-op was Chili's and several years ago they made a Bleu Cheese Chipotle Burger that was to die for. Unfortunately, they stopped making it and I ultimately stopped eating there - even if they brought it back the fat and calories alone would keep me from indulging (1090 calories/71g of fat). I decided to come up with my own version, it doesn't do Chili's justice but it was enough to satisfy my craving, a fraction of the calories and its mighty tasty if I say so myself!

 

Calories: 286  |  Protein: 28  |  Carbs: 3   |  Fat: 18

Serves: 6  |  Serving size: 1 burger patty

 

 

You'll need:

 

1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin (I used 90/10)

1 cup bleu cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup bacon pieces (I used Hormel red label)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 chipotle chile pepper

2 tbsp. coarsely ground peppercorns

 

 

 

 

Then you'll:

 

Combine everything (except peppercorns) in a medium bowl, mix well and form into 6 patties. Spread peppercorns on a plate and press one side of each patty into pepper (I like spice so I did both sides). You can choose your own method of cooking, I used my Calphalon griddle pan on the stove top and cooked until medium-well (160 degrees internally).

 

 

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Faux Cookie Dough

A few weeks ago I posted the recipe for Weight Watchers Faux Cheesecake - Im so seriously in love with this stuff that not only do I eat several times a week but Ive also gone wild making different versions of it in my kitchen. I figure since 25,000 (CRAZY!) of you like the original recipe then you'll like my newest creation as well! I've seen a few versions of it on the net but I tweaked it to make it VSG & WW friendly. It had been taste-tested and co-worker approved!

 

Calories: 198  |  Protein: 18  |  Carbs: 21   |  Fat: 1

Makes 1 serving

 

 

You'll need -

 

1-5.3oz container plain, nonfat Greek Yogurt (I used Oikos)

1 tbsp.  Bell Plantation powdered peanut butter (PB2)

1 tbsp. Sugar Free Jell-O dry mix, vanilla

1 tbsp.  No Calorie Sweeter (I used Nevella & can be adjusted to taste)*

1 tbsp. mini chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

*If you don't like artificial sweeteners you can replace with brown sugar just make sure to recalculate the calories/points

 

 

Then you'll -

 

I find it easiest to mix one dry ingredient into the yogurt at a time, this prevents clumping. Start with the PB2, follow with the Jell-O dry mix, and add the sweetener (again, adjust to taste). Once you have the base completed add and mix the vanilla and lastly repeat with the chocolate chips.

 

 

 

(The picture isn't pretty but you get the idea - I may have gotten carried away and ate my sample and don't have a close-up pretty blog picture for you guys)

 

Happy Cooking!

Weight Watcher's Faux Cheesecake

I got this amazing recipe from my good friend Melissa over at The Daily Mel, her Weight Watcher leader shared it at one of her most recent meetings. I was slightly skeptical at first but willing to try anything to knock out this sweet tooth that has been creeping up on me at night. This stuff not only tastes great, it's filling, its packed with protein, it's easy and its inexpensive to make!

 

Calories: 113  |  Protein: 12  |  Carbs:  15  |  Fat: 1

Makes 4 - 1/2 servings

 

 

You'll need -

 

1 16oz tub of Fage 0% Plain Greek yogurt

1 small (1oz) box of Sugar-Free Jell-O pudding*

Graham Cracker crumbs (1 tbsp per serving)

 

*You can use any flavor Jell-O; the only flavors I can attest to are Cheesecake, Vanilla, Banana, Lemon, White Chocolate (add mini chips!) and those are excellent. I also saved a few bucks by buying a graham cracker pie crust and crumbling it myself - more than enough for this dessert.

 

 

Then you'll -

 

Keeping the yogurt in its original container you will slowly add the dry Jell-O pudding mix a little at a time making sure its well blended before adding more. If you dump all at once you will end up with a gritty texture - plus it's a great arm workout because this stuff gets thick.

 

That's it. Yep, seriously. I portion mine into 1/2 cup serving containers and let sit overnight for the flavors to blend. Add the graham cracker crumbs when you are ready to eat. Easy peasy!

**If you like this version, try the Faux Cookie Dough!

 

 

 

 

Happy cooking!



Frozen Hot Cocoa

Image property of SleevedInTheCity

Since I was just talking about Starbucks and healthy alternatives to their drinks, I thought I'd go in my archives and share one of my favorites, courtesy of Hungry Girl! Its not only simple to make but its so low in calories that I don't mind indulging in a second on a super hot day!

 

Prep time: 10 mins  |  Level: Beginner  |  Servings: 1

Calories per serving: 58

 

One 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix (like Swiss Miss Diet or Nestlé Fat Free)

2 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda or Truvia)

1/4 cup light vanilla soymilk (Almond milk works too!)

1 tbsp. sugar-free calorie-free vanilla-flavored syrup (like the kind by Torani)

1 tsp. sugar-free chocolate syrup (like the kind by Hershey's)**

1 cup crushed ice or 5 to 8 ice cubes

2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

 

 

Place hot cocoa mix and sweetener in a tall mug or glass. Add 1/4 cup hot water and stir to dissolve.

Add soymilk, vanilla-flavored syrup, and chocolate syrup. Mix well. Place in the fridge or freezer for several minutes, until completely chilled. Pour mixture into a blender and add ice. Blend at high speed until uniform. Pour into the tall mug or glass. Finish off with whipped topping.

 

**I personally don't like the sugar free chocolate syrup, it tastes like how I imagine dirty feet would taste so I substituted a few chocolate chips and melted with the water and cocoa mix, it increased the calories some I'm sure but its better than drinking foot water. Just my opinion. Also VSG'ers can add a packet of unflavored protein powder and get a full meal from this, just add the extra calories!**

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Chili's Copycat Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is my favorite soup EVER. If you like Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup then you will LOVE this. You won't find anything closer to it. The original recipe is here but I've obviously modified it to reduce calories and make it more VSG friendly. The calories are based on "regular" people servings and I don't have a picture of it because I ate it all before I remembered to. It's seriously that good.

Image courtesy of Google

Prep time: 15 mins  |  Level: Intermediate  |  Servings: 8

Calories per serving: 155

 

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken tenders

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 quart chicken broth, fat free reduced sodium 

1 cup masa harina

3 cups water, divided

1 cup enchilada sauce (I use hot & entire 10 oz can)

1 teaspoon salt (I double this)

1 teaspoon chili powder (I double this)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I double this)

1 4oz can green chilies (optional)

 

Boil chicken in large pot, drain, set aside. Cook onion and garlic in oil and pour in chicken broth. In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups of water until well blended. Pour into pot with remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, salt, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Shred chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.

 

If you add cheese or tortilla chips make sure to add in the additional calories. I never add cheese, its awesome with just tortilla chips!

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Nescafe Memento Review

I love my coffee. I mean I really, really, really love my coffee. If I could drink coffee all day and throughout the night and I'd be a happy little camper. Luckily my employer provides free coffee throughout the day so it saves on my pocketbook but I'm still a Starbucks girl at heart and it kills me to pay $5 for a SF VSG friendly foo-foo drink. Even their coffee pricing is getting outrageous. So when I heard a bunch of hub-bub about this new Starbucks - replacing product on the market from Nestle called Memento, I decided to request a free sample from Nestle and see for myself.


Nestle says:

 “Try an expertly crafted café beverage from NESCAFÉ® MEMENTO™ and enjoy coffee house quality flavor and foam that lasts until the final sip. Made with real coffee, milk and sugar, three enticing flavors await! Caramel Latte is a perfect blend of buttery caramel flavor, smooth coffee and pillowy froth – heaven for your taste buds! Cappucino – a top layer of frothy foam leads to a smooth creamy coffee – you’ll be licking your lips down to the last sip. Mocha – rich chocolate flavor and smooth coffee combine to create a delightfully indulgent chocolate lover’s dream.”

 

 

Let me start out by saying I'm not a fan of this product. Take that for what its worth but here are the reasons why -  

 

 

When I first got my sample pack in the first thing I noticed was the size. These things are HUGE in comparison to other prepackaged coffee-hot chocolate-thingys Ive seen before. It's as big as my measuring cup! It immediately reminded me of the Maxwell House International House Café tins where you have to scoop half the tin in one cup to get any decent flavor.

 

So I decided to measure.

 

 

There's almost 1/4 cup of powder in one packet! And lets face it, almost 2 ounces of powdered coffee, sugar, cream, and whatever hydrodextromextro stuff they put in there cant be good on the stats right? 

 

But they're only 100 calories you say?

 

Yes they only have 100 calories.

 

Yep.

 

100 calories.

 

Pretty good, right?

 

Until you see that the 1/4 cup of hydrodextromextro powder comes with a whopping  18-19 carbs and 12-14 grams of sugar. Per cup. Not so great now, huh? Especially for our sleeved and bariatric friends where carbs and sugars are the mortal enemy.

 

But how does it taste you ask?

 

Like weak coffee watered down with skim milk. Blech. My sample pack came with 2 flavors, Cappuccino and Caramel Latté. I had to sweeten them both and the Caramel Latte still tasted so bad that I didn't even finish the cup. I even went from 10oz of water to 8oz on the second cup to see if that helped. Sad to say it made no difference. I know people are raving about this stuff but it was a total miss with me. I will give it this, they got the frothy part right.

 

 

 

 

Now you're saying its not supposed to be healthy, its supposed to be a cheaper alternative to Starbucks. Cheaper, yes...about $.54 a serving - even less if you have a coupon - a box retails for $4.29 and each box comes with 8 gigantic packets. And if you are getting the full-flavored lattes from Starbucks then yes these stats are much better. But if you're like me and get the SF/FF versions then its about the same and price would be the only real difference.

 

 

Now for those of you who like the Peppermint Mocha drinks, I've created a most awesome recipe for even a fraction of the SF version. How? Its easy, you just need the following:

 

Coffee

Swiss Miss DIET Hot Cocoa packet (NOT the Sugar Free kind)

Individual serving of half and half cream

Equal or sweetener of choice (optional)

SF Peppermint coffee syrup (I use Target's brand/$3.99 bottle)

 

Mix and drink. You can adjust the amount of hot cocoa/syrup depending on your personal taste but if you're like me and have a big super gallon coffee tumbler and use the whole pack you're under 60 calories, 5 carbs and 2 sugars. And the cost is around $.60 a serving (including the cost of the syrup).

 

So while this was a bust for me, it was a valiant effort from Nestle. But I'll stick with my homemade version and pop for the good stuff on occasion. After all, there's nothing better than a great cup of professionally crafted coffee.

 

 

Don't take my word for it, this is my opinion and yours could be different. Click here for a free sample and tell me what you think!

 

 

Spinach Salad with Ham and Egg

I cannot tell you how much I love this salad. The flavors blend perfectly and I'm always sad when my bowl is empty. It's great year round, summer or winter.

 

 

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Prep time: 25 mins  |  Level: Beginner  |  Servings: 1

Calories per serving: 307

 

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart

 

 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 onion, thinly sliced (more or less depending on preference)

1 tbsp white-wine vinegar

1 tsp stone ground mustard

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 cups fresh spinach, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 oz ham, 1/4 in thick and cut into small strips

1 hard boiled egg, quartered

 

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion. Remove from heat and add vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.In a bowl, combine spinach and ham. Drizzle onion mixture over salad and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with quartered egg (I removed the yolk and crumbled it on top)

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Mexican Chili

I love chili, its seriously one of my favorite go-to winter foods. Unfortunately ever since the surgery I haven't been able to tolerate anything tomato based or with chili powder. Boo, right? Ive been living chililess until I came across this recipe on Crockpot365 and after playing around and tweaking it some, I have come up with my version of Mexican chili! This stuff is seriously good people. Seriously. Good.

 

 

 

                            Makes 10 - 1/2 cup servings

Calories: 111  |  Carbs: 20  |  Protein: 8  | Fat: 1

 

My ingredients vary from the original recipe and this is exactly how I made it =)

 

1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 can diced green chilies
1 can Swanson vegetable broth
1 can Rosarita no-fat refried beans
1 can Bush's reduced sodium black beans, drained

4oz extra lean ground turkey meat
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used regular, not smoked)
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
salt and pepper, to taste (I used seasoned salt with the turkey meat)

 

 

Spray a large, non-stick pot with cooking spray, and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the turkey meat, garlic, and green chilies and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook until flavors blend, 20-30 minutes.

 

Top with cheese if preferred or serve with chips.

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

 

Oregano Chicken

Image owned by SleevedintheCity

This is the first recipe Ive tried from my new cookbook Betty Crocker: The 300 Calorie Cookbook. Not only was it easy to make, it tastes great and held well for leftovers the next day (Id go as far to say it tasted better too).

 

Prep time: 20 mins  |  Level: Intermediate  |  Servings: 4

Calories per serving: 180

 

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb)

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (low-fat/part skim)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

 

Heat oven to 400ºF. Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. Remove fat from chicken. In shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, garlic salt and pepper. Spread mustard on all sides of chicken. Coat chicken with bread crumb mixture*. Place in pan. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

 

*I didn't dip the chicken into the bread crumb mixture due to the mustard, instead I coated both sides by sprinkling the mixture onto the chicken itself. Less mess and works just as good.

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

Chili Chipotle Shrimp Tacos w/Lime Crema

 

 

 

Recipe from: Leaving Fatville (love her!)

Prep time: 1 hr 15 mins  |  Level: Beginner  |  Yield: 6 servings (approx)

Calories per serving: 99 (tortillas extra)

 

 

(shrimp tacos)

1 lb shrimp

1 tsp of chili powder

1 tsp of chipotle chili powder

1 tbs of canola oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

 

 

(lime crema)

1/2 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbs of lime juice

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp of chili powder

1/4 tsp of ground coriander

1/4 tsp of ground cumin

 

 

Peel shrimp and add canola oil, chili powders, salt and pepper to a bag. Toss in bag repeatedly until spices are evenly covered on shrimp. Marinate in fridge for 1 hour.

 While the shrimp are marinating, chop cilantro finely and set aside. Scoop 1/2 cup sour cream of plain greek yogurt into a bowl. Add cilantro and rest of ingredients and mix well. (I like heavier coriander in mine because it tastes nice with the lime, but you can taste and flavor accordingly.)

Saute shrimp on medium heat with a lightly greased pan. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp are completely pink all the way through - you can also grill shrimp on skewers for 3 mins on each side.

Put them on the taco shell of your choice, garnish with lime crema and whatever else you'd like and dinner is served!

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

 

Spicy Asian Chicken Wraps

 

SPICY ASIAN CHICKEN WRAPS

 

 

Image by Sleeved in the City

I got this recipe from my good friend TJ, her blog is here so make sure to check it out, she's always cooking up something yummy! Here is her original recipe and below is my version and the calories I came up with. Her servings are for 4 but since I'm a single person I scaled mine back slightly, mine serves 2 and is only 210 calories for the 2 large wraps you see pictured!

 

This meal is very VSG friendly!

 

You'll need:

 

2 Tyson Fully-Cooked Grilled Chicken Breasts

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp. House of Tsang General Tsao sauce

4 large leafs of lettuce

Splash of Soy Sauce

Splash of Rice Vinegar

Flaked Red Pepper (to taste)

 

 

Cut up chicken and place in bowl with a few splashes of soy sauce. Heat up oil in large pan or wok. Add chicken and let cook on med-high heat for 5-6 min or until almost cooked. Add in water chestnuts and finish cooking chicken, just a few more minutes. Because it is cut so small it will not take long. Add in sauce and a few splashes of rice vinegar; stir to coat chicken. Add in green onions and serve.

 

 Happy cooking!

 

Turkey Salad (VSG Friendly!)

TURKEY SALAD- VSG FRIENDLY

 

 

Image courtesy of SleevedInTheCity

 

 

YOU'LL NEED:

 

3/4 lb cooked turkey meat

2 stalks celery

2 green onions

1/2 red bell pepper

3tbsp FF mayo

2 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/2 tsp Splenda or 1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

 

 

Place turkey, celery, green onion, and red bell pepper in a food processor or blender. Finely chop using 'pulse' setting. Transfer turkey mixture to medium bowl, mix in mayo, mustard, cider vinegar, Splenda and salt. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight before serving. Yields 6-1/2 servings.