October 1, 2010

It seems like I just blinked my eyes and September is gone. In my mind, it's still August, so I  can't believe that it's already October and time to start talking about the holidays.

(Is is just me or does time fly by faster the older you get?)

In September, I found myself in an extremely stressful situation and the stress and anxiety leading up to it and during it took a real toll on my body and my mind. By the time it was over, I was more mentally exhausted than ever before. This particular situation is mainly what led me to post this quote about anxiety and I've made the decision that I'm never going to let stress wreak havoc on my body like that again.

Since it's been a few weeks, I've managed to wrap my brain around the situation and I'm in the process of taking a serious look at priorities, opportunities, and the challenges that may lie ahead depending on which way I turn at that fork in the road.

Actually, for the past several months, I've been trying to deal with issues that aren't in my control and I'm learning to take one day at a time and live by the theory that everything happens for a reason.

I count my blessings every day and I'm trying harder to appreciate the little things in life and be grateful for what we have today. As we all know, everything can change in an instant. I'm making a conscious effort to live more in the present moment than to worry about what's going to happen next month.

There were a lot of great moments and lots of things that I LOVED during September. Here are just a few.

I don't have a photo of the big day, but our youngest grandson turned two last week and in a couple of months he will welcome home a baby brother!

Bry graduated with honors from his “A Training” class in Great Lakes last Friday. And the great news is that he got stationed in San Diego and will be here with us soon.

This was a great moment for me, even though a bit emotional. Last week, I had only been home from my trip for a few hours and Hay realized that it was a full moon so we hopped in the car and drove up the nearest hill so he could try to snap some shots of the moon.

When I saw him with his new camera and realized that he really is a natural and he has a great creative eye, I got out my phone and took this photo. (Apologies for the quality of the photo.) My dad was a photographer his entire life and I wish that he was here to see Hay follow in his footsteps. Hay's Pappy would be so proud.

Last weekend, I went on my first sailboat ride with some great friends and it was even more relaxing and peaceful than I ever could had imagined.

I loved that I had my camera ready when these four little dolphins popped up right next to the boat.

And this may seem really silly but I can't even explain how much I LOVE my new reusable Trader Joe's bag. It's perfect for toting around all my other reusable bags and for taking on an afternoon of errands to eliminate using a bunch of little plastic bags. I've even used it as an overnight bag already. I'm almost as happy with this new $1.99 bag as I would be if I just got a new Coach purse. 🙂

More things which made me smile:

• Going to dinner with BigSis while in Dallas
• Trader Joe's Lavender Tripled Milled Soap
• Spending half a day at the beach catching up on unread magazines
• Cheryl Tall's exhibition in Tucson, AZ
• Reaching into my nightstand one night and grabbing The Creativity Book by Eric Maisel
• Lisa Leonard's Creativity necklace
• My new Bath&Body Works Wallflower in Nutmeg & Kitchen Spice (now my house reminds me of BigSis' house)
• Ordering a pair of Sanuk Yoga Mat Sandals
• Going on a bike ride with my hubby
• Catching up with an old friend that I haven't talked to in months and felt like it was just days ago
• Discovering my new favorite vodka, Chopin
• These yoga pants covered in butterflies
• Celebrating a great friend's birthday over dinner and lots of laughs
• Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snacks
• Laurie Mika's mixed media mosaics
• Back to School night at the HS (makes me feel like a kid again.)

I'm confident that October will bring more special moments and things that make me smile. I'd love to hear what makes you smile. 🙂 🙂

~LilSis

September 7, 2010

When BigSis initially told me at the beginning of the year that she had made the decision to become vegan, the first thing out of my mouth was “I think that's great, but HOW can you live without cheese?”

We've always been big snackers/grazers in our family. Growing up, we would almost always snack on some cheese and crackers late in the afternoon before SisMama would start on dinner. I can still remember the white cheddar cheese that our parents would bring back from their trips to Nebraska or our aunts and uncles would bring down to us when they came for a visit.

And when we would visit our Grandmama in the summer, a late afternoon snack was always a freezing cold, slushy, orange Crush soda or Dr. Pepper with a big ole' chunk of cheese! I think that was when I fell in love with cheese.

I obviously have some very fond childhood memories that revolve around cheese. So, why the walk down memory lane? Isn't that what you usually do when you're in mourning? I think that's exactly what's going on with me right now.

Some people, like BigSis, make the conscious decision to become vegan, which I happen to totally admire, but then there are those like me, who after 40 something years of eating cheese, are told that they can't have dairy anymore! That's not news that's easy to swallow when it's something that you enjoy as much as I do! 🙁

I've lived with a sensitive stomach my entire life and there are lots of things I can't eat; fried stuff, greasy potato chips, fatty meat, etc., but I've learned to live with that. This is going to be a little tougher. It took every bit of will power I had to not get into the gorgeous cheese tray that we had at our Labor Day party on Sunday!

But, after a few bad episodes, followed by a couple of doctors visits, a ton of tests, some medication, and process of elimination, it's been determined that I've become lactose intolerant. Even though it's not the news that I was expecting to hear, it definitely could have been something worse so I promise that I won't whine about it too much.

I'm now asking myself the exact same question that I asked BigSis about nine months ago. “How am I going to live without cheese?” I don't know the answer to that right now, but I do know that it isn't going to easy.

I've already discovered that low-fat vanilla soy milk isn't bad and Earth Balance buttery spread is actually quite good. BigSis has also given me a few suggestions for “faux cheese” but that's going to be the real trick; finding a veggie/soy cheese that actually tastes good. My first experiment over the weekend with the Trader Joe's soy mozzarella didn't really impress me.

I know there's medication you can take to ease the symptoms IF you do decide to eat dairy, but for now, I'm going to try to do without it completely to see how things go.

If anyone reading happens to be vegan or lactose intolerant, we would LOVE to hear from you if you've found any great cheese substitutes! 🙂

Photo credit from ayngelina's photostream

~LilSis

August 19, 2010

This time of year is really hectic for most of us moms; on top of normal chores, we're clearing our kids' closets and drawers of clothes that no longer fit, shopping for new clothes, school supplies, backpacks, and trying to stock the pantry with all the goodies needed for breakfasts, school lunches and/or after school snacks.

I do LOVE shopping for school supplies; the whole excitement of it brings back fond memories for me and I sometimes wish that I was still buying pencil boxes and crayons, but I won't delve into my obsession with school supplies today. Instead, let's talk about making sure we have what to need to assure that our kids start out each morning with a healthy breakfast.

I don't have little ones in elementary school or middle school any more and I really miss those mornings when I used to pack the kids' lunches and put little surprises or notes in their lunch sacks. Since those days are long gone for me and my high-schooler won't take a sack lunch anymore, it's more important than ever for me to make sure he has a good breakfast before he leaves every morning.

I've always tried to make sure that my kids don't start the day on an empty stomach or with something sugary. Both can lead to problems with blood sugar levels and make it hard for the child to concentrate during school.

For adults, eating a healthy breakfast also has tremendous health benefits, but specifically here's what Mayo Clinic says about the benefits for children.

Benefits for children

Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

• Concentrate better
• Have better problem-solving skills
• Have better hand-eye coordination
• Be more alert
• Be more creative
• Miss fewer days of school
• Be more physically active

My family would probably tell you that I sound like a broken record when I say “You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  I wish I had a dollar for every time I've said that. 🙂

Obviously on those early morning school days, breakfast needs to be quick, and most importantly, a healthy combination of whole grains, low fat protein, low fat dairy, and fruits and/or veggies.

Here are a few of my favorites.

• Oatmeal with fruit and almonds. (To me, this is a perfect breakfast.) I like the McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal but Quaker Oats Quick One Minute Oats is also a great choice. The Quaker brand actually has one more gram of fiber and protein than McCann's. After cooking the oatmeal, I add some cinnamon and top with blueberries or sliced banana and sliced almonds.

• Scrambled eggs or egg beaters with 2% cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. It's so quick and easy to make a great breakfast burrito. If your child is open to it, add just a little fresh chopped spinach when you scramble the eggs. (This can even be done in the microwave.)  Then put a little grated cheese on top, scoop into a tortilla and roll it up. I buy a low sodium ham from Trader Joe's that I sometimes add to this.

• Fresh fruit salad. I make fruit salads all the time and both my guys love it for breakfast. Have your berries and grapes washed ahead and if adding pineapple, it's quicker if that's cut up the night before. We like blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, grapes, mandarin oranges, and pears, but you could use any of your child's favorite fruits.

• Whole wheat or multi-grain bagel. We are really liking the new Thomas' Bagel Thins. The Whole Wheat ones are great but the Everything Bagel Thins are our favorite. These toast great and aren't as heavy as a regular bagel. They're perfect with just cream cheese or even better as a breakfast sandwich with an egg and a piece of healthy ham and low fat cheese.
  

• Yogurt with berries and granola. We also love yogurt at my house for breakfast. I mostly buy the Trader Joe's brand and instead of granola, I sometimes toss in some Kashi Heart to Heart cereal.

• Eggo Nutri-Grain low fat waffles. It doesn't get much easier than this.  These frozen waffles are quite good; I have one most mornings after my yogurt and fruit.  I try to find something other than syrup to offer with a waffle and I've found that these are great with a little almond butter spread on top.

• Banana and granola bar. If your child is running late and insists that he/she doesn't have time to sit down for breakfast, then stick a banana and a granola bar in their hand on the way out the door. It's definitely better than a Pop Tart. There are many nutritious choices for granola bars these days. My favorites are the Peanut Butter Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars.
  

All of these choices take five minutes or less to prepare and when served with a small glass of low fat milk and/or orange juice, it'll jump start your child's day and allow them to get through the morning with enough energy to last them until lunchtime. 🙂

~LilSis

April 30, 2010

Aldi stores have finally come to Texas!  We've been looking forward to their arrival for a while, partly because we heard Trader Joe's stores are owned by one of the Aldi brothers.  We hoped that TJ's would follow Aldi here, but we're hearing now that is only wishful thinking.  Boo!!  For now, we'll have to settle with exploring Aldi stores.

Aldi stores are marketed as being basic, no-frills, and low-priced grocers.  I visited a new North Dallas store, and found those claims to be true.  The store was very small, with concrete floors, and products stacked in their shipping cartons instead of arranged prettily on shelves.  These are not warehouse club stores, but that is the feeling you get: bare and stark.  Prices are clearly marked on tags above the product.

No frills also means you bring your own bags and bag your own groceries.  You must deposit 25 cents to get a grocery cart, refundable when you return the cart to its home.  You should know too that Aldi brands eliminate the use of coupons, and Aldi only takes cash and debit cards – no credit cards or checks.

Another important note is that you'll see very few familiar brands at Aldi.  During my initial 15 minute breeze-through, I only saw 2 or 3 identifiable brands.  That means you're going to need to spend some time looking at products and reading labels to figure out what you're buying.  You can't just grab your favorite granola bar and know exactly what you're getting.  You'll have to do some research in the aisles when you first shop at Aldi.

On my first trip, I spent $14.59 on 7 items, an average of just over $2 per item.  That's already a good sign, right?  It seems like everything I buy at the Wallymart or SuperTarzhay is $3-something or $4-something.  When's the last time you bought something that was $2?

Here's what I got (I know it's an odd random list!) and how it worked out:

• Tuscan Garden Large Black Olives $1.19 – Perhaps on the medium-ish side, but good flavor as far as canned black olives go.

• Fit & Active Instant Brown Rice $1.35 – I've always made regular brown rice so this was  my first taste of an instant version.  It wasn't quite done after 5 minutes of simmering and 5 minutes of steaming, as the directions stated.  After another 3 minutes of simmering and steaming, it was fine. Not fabulous, but ok.

• Benita Guacamole $2.99 – Wow!  Great!  Just like the Wholly Guacamole two-packs; it tastes like it might have come out of the same kitchen.

• Fit & Active Dried Cherries $3.49 – The best dried fruit I've ever had.  Really!  These cherries were plump and full of tart sweet flavor; not dried to leathery death.  Next time I'm grabbing a bag of the dried blueberries too.

• Grandessa Garlic Vinaigrette $1.99 – Slightly sweet for me, but a high quality dressing.

• Millville Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars (10 pk) $1.69 – That's not a typo…you get 10 bars for $1.69.  Granted, they are small bars.  Very small.  But they're tasty little guys that my coworker says are a dead-ringer for Quaker's chewy granola bars.  They weigh in at 100 calories-3 grams fat-2 grams protein-7 grams sugar.  These are too candy bar-ish for me, so even though they were yummy, that's not what I want from a granola/energy/protein bar.

• Fit & Active Mixed Berry Fruit & Grain Cereal Bars (8 pk) $1.89 – These tasted exactly like Nutri-Grain bars to me, but may be a touch smaller. A great value for an 8-pack of bars.  They have 130 calories-3 grams fat-2 grams protein-13 grams sugar.  Delicious, but I don't want this much sugar in a bar so I wouldn't buy them again.

Overall, I thought these products were a fabulous value for the money.  The quality was consistently excellent, even though the prices were sometimes unbelievably low.  Will Aldi be a weekly stop for me?  Probably not.  I don't buy a lot of processed foods, and the majority of Aldi's offerings are not what I routinely buy.  I do see Aldi as an occasional stop for a few items from time to time, like that amazing guacamole and the scrumptious cherries!

~BigSis

March 18, 2010

Since we just celebrated St. Patrick's Day, I figured this would be a good time to talk about how much I love the color green. If you've ever been to my house, then you already know that. Between my family room, kitchen, master bedroom and master bath, I've got seven different shades of green on the walls. It sounds weird, but it works. It's not offensive baby poop green, just more outdoorsy “plant like shades” of green.

So what does that have to do with Egg White Salad? Not much, but in addition to loving the color green on my walls, I have a little obsession with green vegetables. I have to eat at least one green veggie for lunch and dinner every day or I feel like I haven't eaten a well balanced meal. My favorite green veggies would have to be asparagus, broccoli, spinach, edamame, brussells sprouts, green beans, and green peas; and we include one of these with dinner almost every night. Luckily, my guys love the green veggies too!

A couple of weeks ago I bought an Egg White Salad with Spinach, Feta Cheese, and Parmesan from Trader Joe's. The spinach in the salad is what initially got my attention. It was good but I was a little disappointed that it had green onion in it. Green onion happens to be one green veggie that I'm not in love with.

I didn't save the container to make note of all the exact ingredients so I just made this up as I went along in an attempt to duplicate the salad, minus the onion. Luckily, this is not the kind of recipe where you have to worry about the quantity of each ingredient. I probably could have used one less egg white or a little more spinach, but for my first try, I thought it turned out really good.

This would have been great on top of some romaine or butter lettuce and sandwiched in-between an Oroweat Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin, but I had it for lunch on a few Reduced Fat Triscuits.

Egg White Salad with Spinach, Feta Cheese, and Parmesan

4 boiled eggs, yolks removed and whites chopped
1/4 c. cooked and drained frozen spinach
2 T. Feta cheese
1 T. Parmesan
1 T. Light Sour Cream
Salt and pepper to taste

No need for any fancy directions. Just mix all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Serve on toasted bread or crackers.

~LilSis

March 6, 2010

We've had company since Monday so it's been a CRAZY week! My top priority this week was to spend some quality time with Meem, TallGuy, and LittleOne so I ended up cutting myself a little slack on the extra workouts so we had more time to visit. 🙂

We had a few splurges but overall we managed to eat mostly healthy meals and went for some nice, long walks. (Pushing a stroller uphill with a 25 lb. toddler in it is great exercise that I'm not used to anymore!)

When things are crazy busy, the one thing that saves me from grabbing the cheese and crackers or the chips and dip is making sure that I have healthy snacks on hand. I've talked about these before, but I thought this might be a good time to recap my list of Top Ten Favorite Snacks.

• Mott’s Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Applesauce (mid-morning snack) (1 cup; 50 calories, 0 fat)

• Boiled or scrambled egg with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce  (mid-morning snack) (1 large egg, 70 calories, 4.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe’s Multi-Grain Pretzel Nuggets with Sesame Seeds  (22 pretzel nuggets; 110 calories, 1 gram fat)

• The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Wedges or Cheese Bites  (1 wedge or 5 cheese bites; 35 calories, 2 grams fat)

• Weight Watchers Natural Light String Cheese (1 stick; 50 calories, 2.5 g. fat)

• Shelled Edamame (1/2 c. serving; 110 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe’s Everything Pretzel Slims (23 slims; 110 calories, 1/2 g. fat)

• The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light (1 piece; 50 calories, 3 g. fat)

• Trader Joe’s Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips (1 oz.; 130 calories, 4 g. fat)

• Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Hummus (2 T.; 50 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

Next week is officially the last week of the Ten in 10 Healthy Challenge but since I was out of town for a week last month and had house guests this week that got me off track a little bit, I'm going to continue this challenge until the end of March. I probably won't post another update until I reach my goal, which at that point, is going to be reason for a celebration.

Thanks again to Lori of The Recipe Girl for starting the Ten Weeks to Healthy in 2010 Challenge. It has really helped me stay motivated and focused on making 2010 a healthier year!

I hope everyone that started this Challenge on January 2, 2010 has managed to hang in there and stay motivated! Whether you're still going strong or have had some stumbling blocks along the way, I'd love to hear how you're doing!

~LilSis

November 2, 2009

Oroweat Turkey Club (photo credit: Oroweat)

For anyone who's trying to watch their calorie and carb intake, we finally have a great alternative for sandwiches! I'm so hooked on these Oroweat Sandwich Thins!

They come in three varieties, Multi-Grain, 100% Whole Wheat and Honey Wheat. The Multi-Grain variety is my favorite!

These are much thinner than an English Muffin yet aren't dry at all, even when toasted. Myself, I prefer a thinner bread. I don't want the bread to dominate my sandwich. I've been toasting the sandwich thins and they end up a little crunchy on the outside but still a little pillowy on the inside. For being as tasty as these are, the entire roll is only 100 calories, 5 grams of fiber and only one gram of fat!

Since I work from home, I eat lunch at home almost every day.  I'm a creature of habit, too, so I usually end up having the same thing for lunch every day and it's usually a turkey sandwich of some kind.

The sandwich pictured here is the Turkey Club recipe from Oroweat. It's a great sandwich choice at only 343 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Turkey Club

1 Oroweat Multi-Grains Sandwich Thins Roll
3 ozs. thinly sliced smoked turkey
1 slice cooked turkey bacon
1 slice reduced fat cheddar
1 slice reduced fat swiss
1 t. honey mustard
red onion, tomato, and leaf lettuce

In an effort to cut back on the calories just a little bit more, I eliminate the bacon and I substitute one wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss for the two slices of reduced fat cheese. I just spread half of the Laughing Cow wedge on each sandwich slice on top of the mustard. By making just a few changes, you can have a healthy, filling sandwich for less than 300 calories!

For those of you that are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, you'll have to try a Trader Joe's roasted chicken patty on a toasted Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin. I just recently discovered these chicken patties and they are only 140 calories and 4 grams of fat.  For a quick and easy lunch, I just spread a little mustard on each toasted sandwich thin, add the chicken patty, some lettuce and tomato and you end up with another fantastic sandwich for less than 300 calories.

And for a breakfast sandwich, I scramble up some Egg Beaters, spray a couple of squirts of “I Can't Believe It's Not Butter” on the toasted Sandwich Thins, add a slice of canadian bacon  and you've got a great breakfast sandwich for under 300 calories.

I sure hope these sell well because I would hate to see these disappear from the grocery store shelves as quickly as they appeared! If you give these a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

~LilSis

October 5, 2009

It's finally cooling off a little bit here in Southern California. For the past few weeks we've had record high temperatures, which I happen to love, but I guess I have to realize that Summer is officially over.  🙁

Some people say that they use the crock pot in the Summer to avoid turning on the oven but in the Summer, I'm not in the mood for most of the recipes that are usually made in the crock pot: stews, soups, chili, etc.  In the Summer, we grill something almost every night and just serve with a veggie or two and a salad.

But now that it's cooler at night and will be getting dark earlier, I won't be grilling as much. I'm already starting to get the urge to make some huge pots of chili and homemade soups. I don't make a lot of recipes in the crock pot but I really like the convenience of it so I'm on the lookout for some good, healthy, one-pot recipes that can be put on in the morning to be ready at the end of a busy day.

I have the Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook and I've found some recipes in there that are pretty healthy which don't contain all the cream soups, but I still usually end up modifying most of the recipes a little bit.

I threw this one together one day last week when I had a really busy day planned so dinner would be all ready when we got home. And when I say that I threw it together, I mean that literally. I was so busy that morning that I didn't even feel like chopping anything. My inspiration for this stew was a bag of Teeny Tiny Potatoes that I found at Trader Joe's. (Yes, it really said Teeny Tiny Potatoes on the label; I wished I had taken a picture of the label because I had never seen these before.)

The quantities and the ingredients in this recipe can be changed to suit your taste. Afterwards, I wished that I had added corn. Here's what I did.

Super Easy Chicken Stew

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 bag teeny tiny whole potatoes (maybe 1/2 lb.)
1/2 bag petite baby carrots
1 bag frozen lima beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar whole mushrooms
2-3 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
fresh ground pepper
garlic powder

Place chicken tenders in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with garlic powder and fresh ground pepper. On top of chicken, layer the potatoes, carrots, lima beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Pour in some chicken broth to almost cover vegetables. Mix together 1/2 cup or so of chicken broth with the one can of mushroom soup and the Lipton onion soup mix and pour over the top of the vegetables. Cook on low for six or seven hours or until the veggies are soft. Stir to combine the veggies. Serve alone or on top of your favorite noodles for a heartier meal. I served on top of Fusilli noodles.

That's it! It doesn't get any easier than that. I didn't even chop up the chicken tenders, they were so tender that they just fell into pieces. My guys loved this super duper Easy Chicken Stew so I'll definitely be making it again!

~LilSis

July 14, 2009

If you were reading a couple of days ago, I mentioned that I would share with you my some of my favorite healthy snacks. I've recently cut out a few that were too high in calories and/or fat and have narrowed down my favorites to these snacks that are all between 100 – 200 calories. Here's my Top Ten:

• Mott's Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Applesauce (mid-morning snack) (1 cup; 50 calories, 0 fat)

• Boiled or scrambled egg with Frank's Red Hot Sauce  (mid-morning snack) (1 large egg, 70 calories, 4.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Multi-Grain Pretzel Nuggets with Sesame Seeds  (22 pretzel nuggets; 110 calories, 1 gram fat)

• The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Wedges or Cheese Bites  (1 wedge or 5 cheese bites; 35 calories, 2 grams fat)

• Weight Watchers Natural Light String Cheese (1 stick; 50 calories, 2.5 g. fat)

• Shelled Edamame (1/2 c. serving; 110 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Everything Pretzel Slims (23 slims; 110 calories, 1/2 g. fat)

• The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Light (1 piece; 50 calories, 3 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips (1 oz.; 130 calories, 4 g. fat)

• Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Hummus (2 T.; 50 calories, 3.5 g. fat)

I love to combine the pretzel nuggets with the cheese bites and the pita chips with the hummus, so I reduce the quantity of the pretzels and the pita chips in an effort to keep each snack around 150 calories.

You'll notice that several of my favorites are from Trader Joe's and I do know that not everyone has a Trader Joe's nearby, but you can definitely find similar products made by different companies. Rold Gold has some Harvest Wheat Pretzel Twists that are low in calories and fat and there are plenty of brands of pita chips and hummus. Or, when you have time, why not make your own pita chips and hummus?

And, you can also tell by my list that I don't crave sweets at all. But if I did, I'd be snacking on sugar free Jello snack packs, which only have 10 calories and zero fat per serving. You can't go wrong with that!

I would love to hear from you if you have a favorite low calorie, low fat snack! Come on…it's nice to share.

~LilSis

June 17, 2009

This is one combination of ingredients that I can't seem to get enough of:  tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and garlic!  We're lucky here in Southern California to have great produce practically year round, but if you happen to live somewhere else, hopefully you're able to get them now that Summer is right around the corner. I found this great medley of small heirloom tomatoes at Trader Joe's.

Recently, I talked about my love for Insalata alla Caprese. The ingredients in this salad are very similar, but just served differently. So, if you love Caprese, I guarantee that you'll love this salad!

It's quick and easy, so it's perfect to take to a neighborhood cookout or to a friend's house for a cocktail party.

I found the original recipe for this dressing in the June 2009 issue of Food & Wine. It was featured in an article called “best 5-minute dressings”. The original recipe didn't include the mozzarella cheese, but I couldn't imagine this salad without it. I think I also doubled the garlic and the olive oil. This is my version.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
(adapted from June 2009 issue Food & Wine)

1 lb. small heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half
2 garlic cloves
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. Champagne vinegar
1/4 lb mozzarella, diced into cubes
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Coarse salt, to taste

Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, arrange on serving platter and sit aside.

I don't like the bite of raw garlic in a dressing, so I pressed the garlic cloves into a small pan and sauteed them in a tablespoon or so of the olive oil just until a little soft. I then added the crushed red pepper flakes to the oil and garlic and sauteed for just another minute or so.

Put the basil in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the oil, vinegar, the garlic and the crushed red pepper and process until smooth. Toss in a bowl and add cubed mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Pour on top of the tomatoes and serve!

I think this tomato salad would also be great served on top of a plate of baby lettuce.

I have to use this beautiful bunch of basil soon, so…

some time in the next few days, I'll be sharing with you yet another great recipe that includes these fantastic ingredients!

I hope you love them as much as I do!

~LilSis