This seems like a good time to share one of my favorite healthy living tips: there is room in a healthy diet for splurges- but make sure your splurges are foods that you really love. If I don't love heavy meat-based comfort foods like meatloaf or roast beef, it doesn't make any sense for me to order them- my splurge can be crispy home fries instead. If I take a bite of a cookie & it isn't that good, it's okay to put it down and not finish it. This isn't always the easiest tip to follow- it takes lots of willpower- but remembering this tip has kept me from eating many empty calories of mediocre junk food.
Over the weekend we went to Hershey Road Family Restaurant for lunch. Matt heard the food there was good, and it didn't disappoint- everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. The menu reminded me of diner food, so I figured I would order my typical diner meal: veggie omelet, potatoes, & toast. I tend to do the breakfast-for-lunch thing when eating at a "home cooking" themed restaurant because most of the other menu choices are items like meatloaf, roast beef, etc.; which I don't love.
This seems like a good time to share one of my favorite healthy living tips: there is room in a healthy diet for splurges- but make sure your splurges are foods that you really love. If I don't love heavy meat-based comfort foods like meatloaf or roast beef, it doesn't make any sense for me to order them- my splurge can be crispy home fries instead. If I take a bite of a cookie & it isn't that good, it's okay to put it down and not finish it. This isn't always the easiest tip to follow- it takes lots of willpower- but remembering this tip has kept me from eating many empty calories of mediocre junk food.
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Another great use for your food processor- making homemade veggie burgers. For convenience I often buy the frozen soy burgers from the grocery store, but if I have time on the weekend I like to make a batch of these. The good news is that these veggie burgers taste good with almost any combination of vegetables, so use whatever you have on hand. This recipe makes 6 burgers, so you have plenty to freeze for later. I served these on a bun with mustard, mayo & pickles, and oven fries on the side.
Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained 1 heaping cup veggies (zucchini & peppers in this batch) 1 small onion, chopped big handful parsley or cilantro 1 T soy sauce dash of hot sauce 1/4 to 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a baking sheet with nonstick foil & spray with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except flour in your food processor, pulse a few seconds to blend. Add flour a little at a time, until mixture comes together. It will be sticky, but should hold together- keep adding flour until it's good to go. Get a spatula-full of mix & form it into a burger shape, placing on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you've formed 6 burgers. Bake about 15 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Matt & I each have a burger once they're done, then I have four left to freeze. Once the burgers have cooled on the baking sheet, I stick the entire sheet in the freezer so the burgers freeze individually. Once they're frozen they can then be put into plastic bags or wrapped in foil. This one is for all you working girls and guys. I pack my lunch almost every day, so I'm always looking for something easy to make that also tastes good- the hummus pita! You can buy store bought hummus, but why not take 5 minutes on the weekend and try making homemade hummus?
Ingredients: 1 whole wheat pita 2 big spoonfuls hummus 6 black olives 2 T feta cheese 2 handfuls spinach Microwave pita for 15 seconds to soften, then cut in half. Spread a spoonful of hummus into each pita half, then stuff with olives, feta, and spinach. I have also used lettuce instead of spinach if that's what I have on hand. I was in one of those moods where I really wanted cookies, but I didn't want TOO junky of cookies. So I searched a few healthy living blogs to find an easy cookie recipe, and I found this one on Carrots N Cake. I love pumpkin desserts.
I made 2 modifications- I used my usual King Arthur's white whole wheat flour; and I substituted mini chocolate chips for the raisins. These turned out soft & almost cake-like; delicious! This is actually an easy meal to make thanks to some help from the grocery store. I use jarred sauce and lasagna noodles you don't need to boil first. And by layering them in a small (8x8) baking dish, you end up with just four servings of lasagna instead of a monsterous tray that can serve a family of twelve. Using veggies instead of fatty sausage and limiting the amount of cheese makes this a much better choice than your typical restaurant version.
Ingredients: 8 no-bake lasagna noodles (I used Barilla) 1 jar spaghetti sauce 1 carton reduced fat ricotta cheese (15 oz) 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1 cup spinach 1 8 oz package mushrooms 1 onion, chopped 1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese 1/4 cup parmesean cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sautee mushrooms, spinach, & onion in a skillet until tender. Mix ricotta, milk, garlic powder, & red pepper flakes in a bowl. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray, then put 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with 2 lasagna noodles, then 1/4 the ricotta mix, and 1/3 the veggie mix. Add another 1/2 cup sauce. Repeat these same layers until ingredients are all used- the top layer will only have ricotta & sauce- no veggies. Pour any remaining sauce on top, then add mozzerella & parmesean. Wrap in foil & bake for 20 minutes, then uncover & bake another 15-20 minutes, until done. A few months ago, I froze a roasted butternut squash knowing that I would appreciate having farm fresh squash to use in the cold gloomy days of winter. Those nasty days of winter are definitely upon us, so I used the squash to add some veggie action to a classic comfort food- Mac & Cheese. Ingredients (for 6 servings):
1 box Smart Taste elbow macaroni Topping: 2 cups cooked butternut squash (1 medium) 2 T panko breadcrumbs 1 cup 2% milk 2 T parmesean cheese 1 cup organic chicken broth 2 t olive oil 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 T butter 2 T flour hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste In a large pot, cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions, then drain & set aside. In a blender combine squash, milk & broth. In the same pot you cooked the macaroni, melt the butter over medium low heat, then whisk in the flour & cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the squash mixture from your blender and cook on low until thick & bubbly. This usually takes 20 minutes or so, you don't want to turn up the heat too high & burn the sauce. Add in cheeses, salt & pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Put the macaroni back in the pot with the sauce. Pour mixture in a sprayed baking dish. Mix together the topping ingredients, then sprinkle on top of macaroni. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until topping is golden. Almost everyone loves hummus- it's flavorful & good for you. If you have a food processor, it's also incredibly easy to make. A carton of hummus costs, what, $3 or more? This you can make for a fraction of that. The most expensive element to the hummus is the tahini, but you only use a little bit of it at a time, so the jar lasts awhile.
This is a basic recipe, so feel free to add whatever flavor enhancers you want. For the batch pictured here, I made the hummus immediately after I made charmoula sauce, so I just left a little charmoula in the food processor to flavor the hummus. I have also made hummus after making pesto & it turned out great too. Another favorite flavor enhancer of mine is roasted garlic. Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed 1 hearty tablespoon tahini 2 or 3 T olive oil 1 or 2 T water salt & pepper to taste Add chickpeas, tahini, salt & pepper to food processor. Start by adding 2 T olive oil and 1 T water, then pulse. Add more oil or water if needed & continue to pulse until hummus is the consistency you like, scraping down the sides occasionally. If you're using a flavor enhancer that's already oily, like charmoula, you may not need as much oil. We have sandwiches for dinner a lot in our house, especially during the workweek. I love tuna because it's low in calories, high in protein, and tastes great. Like a lot of canned foods, tuna is typically high in sodium, so I pay the extra 20 cents to buy the low sodium kind.
I served my tuna melt with a combination of roasted asparagus, zucchini, & onions. Ingredients for 2 sandwiches: 4 slices Martin's Whole Wheat Potato Bread 1/2 c part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese 1 6 oz can low sodium tuna, drained 1 T capers 1 T lemon juice 1 T canola or olive oil mayo 1/2 small red onion, very finely chopped black pepper to taste Make the tuna salad by combining all ingredients except for bread & cheese. Assemble the sandwiches by putting half the tuna salad & half the cheese in between 2 slices of bread. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, places sandwiches in skillet. Spray the top of each sandwich with cooking spray as well. Cook over medium-low heat on each side until bread is golden & cheese is melted. When I'm ordering takeout from a pizza shop, I try to get something that incorporates vegetables. The idea is that on the rare occasion I'm eating white bread or dough, adding veggies provides the nutrients & fiber my body needs that the dough is lacking. Pictured here is the Veggie Stromboli from Christopher's Pizza & Subs, it had tomatoes, broccoli, onion, green pepper, & mushrooms.
I ate about half of this, then ate the leftovers the next day for lunch. I'll repeat my favorite takeout tip that I originally wrote about when eating Pad Thai: don't eat your takeout directly out of the container, put a portion on your typical dinner plate so you can see how much you're eating. Most takeout is at least two servings, not one. Discovering charmoula sauce was a game changer for me. It is SO good, and can add flavor to many dishes- I used it in my Tofu with Quinoa & Avocado Salad, as a salad dressing substitute in Kale & Beet Salad, or just as a topping on salmon.
I first saw charmoula in my Grill This, Not That! cookbook, and after doing some internet searching, learned that people use the same basic charmoula ingredients in different ratios. Here is what I do to make this sauce- turns out great every time. Ingredients: 1 packed cup cilantro leaves 1 packed cup parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1 T lemon juice 1/2 cup olive oil salt & pepper to taste Put all ingredients in food processor, blend until herbs are incorporated & sauce-like. Enjoy! |