Meatless Monday: A Light yet Spicy Night

Meatless Monday has gone from trending hashtag on Twitter to common diet trend in people's kitchens worldwide. While Tiny Tummy loves her some chicken and meat, a vegetarian dinner isn't a bad idea every now and then either. For a light dinner tonight, I made a giant bowl of veggies slathered in hot sauce and spices, so I thought I'd share.

To make this Lean and Spicy Veggie Bowl, you will need:
2 cups cauliflower, broken into florets
4 large brussels sprouts, quartered
1 small carrot, chopped
a pinch of cayenne pepper
Frank's hot sauce or Sriracha

To prepare, simply put all of your ingredients to a pot and cover them with water. Boil the vegetables by bringing the pot to a medium-high heat for about seven minutes, or until they've softened to your liking. Drain the veggies and add the cayenne and as much hot sauce as you can handle. Then, give it all a good mix and dig on in! Pin It

Smoothies: Sip or Skip

As the weather is getting warmer, cold drinks are becoming more and more enticing, but with that desire to quench our thirst, we often forget about the loads of calories and sugar that can be hidden in those cold refreshing drinks. A Spring and Summer favorite of many seems to be the smoothie which is seemingly healthy since it's full of lots of fruit, right?

Wrong.

Smoothies, while delicious, are often packed with as much, if not more, sugar than soda. Yes, it is natural sugar from fruit, but excessive quantities, nonetheless. I met up with a friend for juice/smoothies the other day (juice for me, smoothie for him) and after looking at the nutritionals after, it turns out his smoothie had over 50 grams of sugar... that's more than an entire chocolate bar... maybe even more than two or three.

So when it comes to smoothies, I generally say skip it. You don't realize how much fruit goes into a single smoothie. One large peach smoothie may have as much as three peaches in it, in addition to whatever else goes into it, and I don't know about you, but I can't imagine eating three peaches at once! Pin It

Popping the Question

After my recent DIY Microwave Popcorn recipe post, I received a question about whether I use white or yellow kernels to make said popcorn, and if there is a nutritional difference between the two. First of all, from what I know, there isn't much of a difference, nutritionally, between the two. The yellow kernels might be slightly lower in calories than the white, but there's really not enough of a difference to make me jump for the yellow. Even taste-wise, I don't taste much of the difference; the only real difference seems to be the size of the kernels. The white kernels are smaller than the yellow ones, but they all pop to be the same white popcorn we know and love. Bottom line: in my eyes, there's not enough of a difference to make me run to one over another, so get what you like/ what is cheapest. Pin It

Mushroom Garlic Chicken Foil Pack with a kick

If you haven't noticed, Tiny Tummy has been on a foil pack kick lately. When Mommy Tiny Tummy came up with a pack of chicken breast tenderloins that needed to be cooked and Daddy Tiny Tummy had a pack of mushrooms that were about to go bad, Tiny Tummy went to work and came up with this recipe for a spicy, garlicy chicken and mushroom foil pack that Daddy Tiny Tummy happily ate for lunch the next few days.

To make this Spicy, Garlicy Chicken and Mushroom Foil Pack, you will need:
1 pack fat free chicken breast tenderloins
4 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 pack of mushrooms (about 4oz worth), chopped
Sriracha
Spices of your choice for the chicken breast (I used a mix of red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powder, and paprika)
1 large piece of aluminum foil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and rub whatever spices you please onto your chicken breasts. Then, arrange the chicken so that each tenderloin lays flat next to another. Then, spread your mushroom and garlic evenly on top of the chicken, and give it a healthy squirt of Sriracha on top. I don't give measurements for this one because it really depends on how spicy you like things. Then, close your foil pack, and cook for about 30 minutes or until the breasts are cooked all the way through. Be warned: this can be very spicy!

Disclaimer: the photograph was taken pre-squirt of Sriracha!

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Pickled First

I've always been a pickle fanatic. There's nothing more exciting to me than the pickle section at Fairway, and everyone always says making your own pickles is SO easy, yet I never got around to trying it- until now. Daddy Tiny Tummy and I had been talking about making our own pickles for MONTHS before we finally got around to doing it. After running out of pickles from Fairway, we found ourself in a pickle (sorry, I had to), so we bought some mason jars and mini cuc's, and the rest is history.

To make these simple Spicy and Sour Garlic Dill Pickles, you will need:
2 mason jars
3 cups of vinegar (i used regular distilled vinegar)
1/2 cup kosher or pickling salt
3 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 giant handful of dill
6 cloves of garlic
about 6 small cucumbers (kirbies)

To prepare, start by boiling the water vinegar, and salt until the salt has dissolved. While that's boiling, squeeze your cucumbers into the mason jar along with the rest of the ingredients. Then, add the liquid to each of the jars leaving about an inch at the top, seal the top, and refrigerate for at least a week to really let the cucumbers pickle. (The garlic even turns a purplish-blue!) Since the pickles are at Daddy Tiny Tummy's house, I am taking his word on it, but he says they are crunchy and delicious! Pin It

Just Great Stuff... Yes it is!

Ever since I discovered PB2 from Bell Plantation, the world of peanut butter has been changed for me. I have always been the type of person that could literally eat peanut butter by the spoonful, so when I made a batch of fresh peanut butter, it was always impossible to resist licking my Vitamix totally clean (like literally to the point that I barely had to wash it... but I still did, don't worry ;)) When I found PB2, it was seriously one of the best Flab Free Food Finds I have recommended to date. Anyway, in Fairway the other day, I came across a NEW brand of powdered peanut butter, and as it turns out, the chocolate version actually has a few fewer calories than the Bell Plantation one (though a 5 calorie difference is not enough of a reason to sway me either way). I decided to give it a try though, to see if the taste was any different, and I have to say it IS.

Just Great Stuff's chocolate powdered peanut butter actually has a much richer, chocolatey taste than Bell Plantation's chocolate peanut butter. I also find with this one it takes less water to reconstitute it to a thick, creamy consistency. I tried it on a banana and it was a whole new level of delicious. If you can find it in a store near you, I definitely recommend it. Pin It

Hidden Cancer Sweeteners

It's nothing new that Tiny Tummy tries to limit her sugar intake as much as possible, but at the same time, I try to steer clear of anything containing aspartame and acesulfame potassium, two artificial sweeteners that may be closely linked to causes of cancer. It goes without saying that anything labeled "sugar free" that uses alternate forms of sweetener to sweeten their product requires a close look at the label to make sure neither of these nasty ingredients rear their ugly head, but you'll be surprised to find that even some products that don't label themselves as sugar-free (or ones you just wouldn't think to check) actually contain these suckers. Moral of the story: it's important to read those labels, but since I realize we don't all have an unlimited amount of time on our hands, here are my top five shocking foods that contain these ingredients.

Fiber One Cereal: Who would think that those twig-like morning munchies have aspartame in them? Such a shocker.

Emerald Cocoa Roasted Almonds: Guess they add a little bit more than just cocoa to those almonds before they roast them... bummer!

Dannon Light and Fit Yogurt: Among other "diet" yogurts, Dannon uses BOTH acesulfame potassium and aspartame in their yogurt... no wonder it's so low-cal. It's a cup full of chemicals!

Chewing Gum: Serious bummer here, but a lot of sugar-free gum is made from both acesulfame potassium (AKA "acesulfame K") AND aspartame. Orbit, Trident, 5, and Stride are all offenders... just to name a few.

Diet Swiss Miss: Although it is not labeled as sugar-free, this diet hot chocolate is sweetened with acesulfame potassium. Good thing Tiny Tummy has your go-to guide to make your own, cancer-free hot chocolate! Pin It

Cauliti (Cauliflower "Ziti")

I love cauliflower. It is the most versatile vegetable, and works just about anywhere you would want to use a carb (pasta, pizza crust, potatoes... you name it!) In the heart of a serious ziti craving, I decided to break open a big head of cauliflower and swap out the pasta for some good ole cauli. The whole dish was sort of a throw together (I had no shredded cheese on hand either, so I made do with what I had, and it was quite delicious.

To make this faux ziti, you will need

2 cups of cauliflower, cooked

1/4 cup tomato sauce of choice (I used my homemade sauce)

1 mozzarella cheese stick, broken into pieces (I warned you this was make-shift ziti!)

To prepare, simply toss everything in a bowl and microwave until warm and the cheese has melted. For a ziti craving, it definitely did the trick!

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Pina Kalelada

I always see Brad's Raw Kale chips in the health food stores, but at like 8 bucks a box, I can never convince myself to make the leap and buy them; however, when I came across a box of the coconut pineapple ones in Marshall's on sale, I decided it was clearly an invitation to try them, so I did!

I have to be honest. On first thought, the idea of pineapple and coconut on kale chips sounds a little strange, but surprisingly, it worked! It was an interesting, sweet flavor with a crunch to it. I'm not exactly sure what I would equate it to, but maybe if you pictured a crunchy version of a pina colada? Okay... maybe a bad example there, but I guess you'll just have to try them for yourself (if you're willing to splurge or able to find them discounted like I did, that is.) Pin It

Charbrew Bliss

It's time for another tea post... shocker. Since I got so much tea for Valentine's Day, I've been slowly working my way through reviewing all of it. This one happens to be one of my favorites that I got as a gift, so worth the review... even if it is a few weeks late.

Charbrew's tea is an excellent blend of fruit with a hint of cinnamon/nutty flavor. The aroma might actually be the best part- just opening the bag leaves a wonderful smell. The flavor is a bit mild, an I let my teabag steep eternally (as in I always forget to remove the teabag before I drink it, so I always just leave it in.) For my next cup, I might consider using two teabags for a stronger flavor because I really enjoyed the taste. Perfect for a night that I can't decide between fruity and nutty tea. Pin It

Pizza Pick Me Up

Every day that I walk home from work, I arrive craving pizza. I must pass at least 10 pizza joints with their doors open and the aromas trickling out just teasing me as I walk by... okay, I know they aren't doing it to tease me, but regardless, I get home, and I'm thinking PIZZA. Today, the craving was so strong that I decided to indulge, but I found a healthy way to do it that still gave me some fiber and some protein and is far more nutritious than your average slice of pizza.

To make this mini pizza, you will need:

1 GG Scandinavian flatbread (or Wasa cracker or something of the like)
1-2 T tomato sauce
1 reduced fat mozzarella cheese stick

To prepare, simply spread the tomato sauce on the cracker, and break the cheese into pieces and layer them on top. Then, pop it in the toaster oven until the cheese melts, and enjoy! Pin It

Beat the Bagel Bulge

When I was younger, one of the biggest treats for me was a bagel for breakfast with my mom. Growing up on Long Island, the bagels were pretty much unbeatable, and the spreads were equally delish. While whitefish salad was my fav, I also used to love a bagel scooped out, toasted with a LITTLE cream cheese and a LOT of tomato (I was healthy-ish in some respects from the start... though it was still a bagel...) A few days ago, I had this exact craving, and so I decided to go for it, but the Tiny Tummy way of course. I've already shared my love for Thin Slim bagels, so their 60 calorie, fiber and protein packed bagel made it an easy, healthy swap.

To make this tomato-loaded cream cheese bagel, you will need:
1 Thin Slim bagel (you can use whatever bagel you have on hand, but it may knock out the health-factor)
1 tablespoon fat free cream cheese (I added a pinch of onion powder to kick things up a notch)
lots and lots of sliced tomato

Pretty self explanatory, but to prepare, slice (and optionally toast) your bagel, spread on your cream cheese, layer your tomatoes, and DIG IN! Pin It

Doing a Healthy Chocoholic Proud

While in Fairway the other day, I decided to tease myself in the chocolate aisle. I love to look through their crazy array of chocolate bars, candies, etc. and as a total chocoholic, I just want to eat all of it. I've had my eye on these stevia-sweetened bars for a while now, but they are always astronomical in price. By whatever miracle, the Fairway... I mean stairway to heaven was open and they were ON SALE! So of course, I bought two, and let's just say it's a good thing I didn't buy more because they are DELICIOUS.

Coco Polo's bars range from 150-190 calories per serving (1/2 the bar) which is not half bad, and the only sugar in them comes from the milk in the chocolate, and the fruit such as that in the mango bar. I LOVED the hazelnut one, as there were whole hazelnuts in it, and lots of them, but I was particularly intrigued by the mango one, which actually had pieces of freeze-dried mango in it. The chocolate was totally delicious, and you would never know it was sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar. Needless to say, if I ever see these on sale again, I will definitely be buying them, and maybe even trying some of the other flavors (elderberry anyone?)

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Diet FAKERS!

Alert the masses. This post may open some eyes for those of you who think you're being healthy by purchasing products labeled as "diet" food, when in reality, some of these foods actually have some really scary ingredients in them that do more harm than good. So, I've decided to dedicate this post to the top 5 most shocking diet fakers in my eyes. All of the following have a combination of some of the worst ingredients you could find in processed foods, so it definitely advised that you steer clear at all costs. I'll show you my top 5 picks along with a few of the bad ingredients each one has in it. Feel free to take a closer look for yourself- all of these products post their ingredients online!

#1 Kellogs Protein Bars and Cereals- contain:soy protein isolate, fructose, partially hydrogenated oil (aka trans fats!), LOTS of sugar, artificial flavors, and loads of empty carbs... this does NOT make losing weight easier... sorry Speak K that's a dirty lie!

#2 Quaker Chewy Bars: Contains corn syrup, artificial flavors, soy, caramel color... definite diet no-no.

#3 Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers: Did you know these are made from mostly regular old wheat flour? There is some whole grain wheat flour in there, but it's not the main ingredient. They also have high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats), soy, more sugar... yikes.

#4 Microwave Popcorn: Many of these suckers don't put their ingredients online, and that's probably because most are made with partially hydrogenated oils (but list their serving size in a way that allows them to label their product as 0 trans fats), artificial flavors, and some of the kettle varieties have artificial sweeteners in them also... yikes!

#5 Coffeemate Sugar-Free Creamer: This might be the worst one yet. These suckers contain acesulfame potassium (aka CANCER), artificial flavors, and the first ingredient/most abundant.... partially hydrogenated oils which means you're basically drinking trans fats by the spoonful... GROSS! Oh, and the liquid version has corn syrup too... this takes the cake for WORST "diet" product out there!

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Use your Noodle

When I was younger, I used to dread Chinese takeout night. For whatever reason, I just didn't love Chinese food. If there was one dish that I used to like, it was cold sesame noodles. I never understood why they were called that, though, because other than the random sesame seeds sprinkled on top, they tasted more like peanuts to me. It came as no surprise that when I looked into it, it turns out that these noodles are traditionally made with peanut butter. One night on a craving for an old fav, I decided to get to work on a swap, and actually had success with an unbelievably simple recipe.

To make these mock cold sesame noodles, you will need:

1 tablespoon peanut butter (I used PB2 for a reduced calorie version)
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 package miracle noodles
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
optional: a sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish

To prepare, simply combine the first three ingredients in a bowl until the peanut butter has thinned a bit. Take your noodles out of the package, pat them dry, and add the sauce to them. If you like your noodles super saucy, you might want to make a double batch, but I liked mine as is. Then, top with scallions and optional sesame seeds. Then, dig in, and enjoy your mock Chinese takeout! Pin It