Eat this...

Interesting article found on Yahoo! which gives some helpful tidbits on food substitutions:

Substitute Yogurt for Mayo

“When making tuna salad, use 2-percent Greek yogurt, about 75 calories for half a cup, instead of mayonnaise, about 450 calories for half a cup. Greek yogurt has the same texture and creaminess as mayonnaise but far less fat and calories. I use the tangy Greek yogurt as a lower-cal replacement anywhere I’d regularly use sour cream or mayo.”
— Leah Sipher-Mann,

Skip the Cheese

“Build a healthier sandwich: Hold the cheese because two slices can add up to well over 200 calories. Load your sammie with low-calorie veggies or go gourmet with slices of apple and pear.”
—Susi May, FitSugar

Make Over Your Milkshake

“I love milk shakes, but at 420 calories for a small strawberry fast-food shake, they can be a real diet breaker. So when I’m in the mood for one, I blend a cup of 1-percent milk with a cup of unthawed, unsweetened frozen strawberries and a teaspoon of agave nectar for a delicious and satisfying cold treat. It’s only about 170 calories, which is a savings of 240 calories.”
—Diana Swallow, Scale Junkie

Save Your Salad with Salsa

“When ordering salad out, ask for salsa or pico de gallo instead of dressing. Many restaurant-size servings of dressing have around 300 to 500 calories. Using salsa, even half a cup of it, will likely save you hundreds of calories and dozens of fat grams—half a cup has 35 calories and almost no fat. And salsa rocks on salads.”
—Lisa Lillien, HungryGirl

Beware the evil salad! Don't make these salad mistake!

Beat the Office Munchies

“Every afternoon at work, I tend to want a snack. With small chocolates in my coworker’s nearby office—five mini chocolate bars are 210 calories!—and a vending machine down the hall that’s calling my name, I avoid the temptation by chewing a piece of fruit-flavored sugar-free gum. Sugar-free gum comes in all kinds of fun, tropical flavors these days like sangria and pina colada, so I feel like I’m indulging even though I’m not.”
—Jenn, Fit Bottomed Girls

Embrace Water

“Many people forget that calories you drink count too, so I try to be aware of what I consume in liquid form and drink as much zero-calorie water as possible. Simply cutting out a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda saves more than 200 calories. Plus, when I’m hydrated, I can more accurately tell whether I’m actually hungry.”
—Erin, Fit Bottomed Girls

Pop Your Own Corn

“Next time you go to the movies, bring your own popcorn. Microwave kernels in a brown paper bag and use a little nonstick spray. Season them to suit your mood: savory with garlic powder and sea salt, sweet with cinnamon and a few dark chocolate chips, or ‘cheesy’ with sea salt, chili powder and nutritional yeast. It’s delicious and tastes just like cheese with fewer calories!”
—Gina Harney, Fitnessista

Here's exactly what to eat at the movies!

A Breakfast of Champions

“Instead of the average 450-calorie cream-cheese bagel, I have a Thomas’ English muffin with two tablespoons of fat-free cream cheese for a similar taste that saves about 300 calories.”
—Karolina Starczak, NeverSayDiet

Invest in a Steamer

“Food steamers save calories and your time. Before I got my steamer, which has multiple layers, so you can cook your entire meal at once, I would usually pan-fry salmon in oil or butter or cover it in sugary teriyaki sauce and bake it. Both of those methods add so many unnecessary calories. Now when I get home from work, I throw veggies, brown rice and salmon with a lemon slice and some fresh parsley in the steamer. It absorbs all the flavor, and it tastes so fresh that way. It takes 15 minutes, so I avoid fatty takeout.”
—Lara Baldwin, Thinspired

Slim Down Your Strawberry Shortcake

“In the summer, I particularly love strawberry shortcake at a barbecue. I bake my own angel-food cake, slice it thin and throw it on the grill for a few minutes instead of using a biscuit—that cuts about 100 calories right there. Then I use a balsamic reduction—cook the vinegar down slowly until it’s about half the volume it was originally—and drizzle it over the strawberries and cake. The flavors are so elegant, and no one misses the whipped cream, which would usually tack another 100 calories onto the dessert.”
—Katherine Tweed, That’s Fit

Check out these summer dessert dos and don’ts!

Give Mashed Potatoes a Healthy Twist

“For me, mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. To make your potatoes healthier, try using equal amounts of potato and another mashable vegetable, like cauliflower or turnips. Not only is this reducing the calorie content, but you’re also adding extra nutrients to your plate. To add even more flavor, replace butter and whole milk with a small amount of tahini and some fat-free yogurt.”
—Melanie Thomassian, Dietriffic

Create Your Own Chips

“Instead of snacking on tortilla chips and salsa, I make my own pita chips in the toaster oven. I cut a whole-wheat pita into small triangles, spray them with no-calorie cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and toast for about two minutes. They taste just as good as regular tortilla chips but without the added calories and fat. You can even add garlic salt, cinnamon or paprika to jazz them up.”
—Tina Haupert, Carrots ‘N’ Cake

Coffee, Hold the Milk

“Instead of a latte, order your coffee drink Americano style, which is espresso with water instead of milk. A 12-ouce Americano is 10 calories versus the same-size latte made with whole milk, which comes in at 180 calories. Nix the sugar—two packets are 30 calories—and you’ve saved yourself 200 calories.”
—Stephanie Quilao, Noshtopia

More Ice Cream!?!

Interesting tibit I found on TV

E-Creamery

Basically you can make ANY flavor you want of ice cream. The show I saw mentioned Avacado ice cream, green tea ice cream, and many more. Just thought it's be worth sharing =)

Interesting Article: Easy Dinners

t’s 6 p.m. and the family wants to know “What’s for dinner?”

Why not look in your pantry, root through your freezer and search the refrigerator to come up with some short-cut meals? People ask me if I cook and I say yes, but I also do a lot of meal assembly when time is tight. Here are some meals in minutes that will please the family and the cook.

Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns With right ingredients on hand, dinner is fast Keep diet, budget under control Don't just count carbs, look for quality in them More Fit to Eat • Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University Related: • Carolyn O'Neil: Eat healthy snacks to stay alert in seminars Good links: • Evening Edge • AJC Food & Drink • AJC Health Channel • Diet and Nutrition headlines, resources • Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search • Low fat/ heart healthy recipes • Search recipes

• Brown, black and red burritos. Use a bag of ready rice (brown rice is best) and cook in microwave according to package directions. Pour the rice in a bowl and mix in a can of drained black beans and some jarred salsa to taste. Wrap in tortillas or stuff in pita bread and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Serve with a side of baked tortilla chips and salsa.

• Chicken soup meal. Take a couple of cans of chicken soup (or any broth-based soup) and add a can of mixed, drained vegetables and a can of drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with whole-grain bread.

• Pasta in a hurry. Cook any type of pasta in your pantry according to package directions (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc.). Heat olive oil in frying pan and toss in bite-size pieces of vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, onions, carrots, etc.). Serve over pasta with drizzle of olive oil. Serve with side salad and bread sticks.

• Tuna toast. Drain a can or two of tuna and add finely chopped celery, onions, olives and raisins and mix with reduced-fat mayonnaise. Spread over thick slices of whole-wheat bread or any bread in your freezer. Place under broiler to heat through. Serve with baby carrots and apple wedges.

• Tortellini soup. Cook a package of refrigerated or dried tortellini (any kind will do). Drain. Mix one can of chicken broth with one can diced tomatoes. Add chopped garlic and dried basil. Mix in tortellini. Serve with green salad or steamed vegetables.

• Chicken nuggets. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thaw in microwave if frozen), slice into strips. Dredge in an egg white (give the yolk to your dog) and dredge in panko (bread crumbs). Bake on cookie sheet (covered in foil for easy clean up); add slices of potato drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of dried rosemary on the same baking sheet and cook until the chicken and potatoes are done, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with cooked frozen or canned green vegetable.

TOP 10 PANTRY ITEMS FOR SHORT-CUT MEALS

• Cans of beans (keep a variety on hand: black, kidney, garbanzo, cannellini and pinto)

• Bags of ready rice (brown is preferred)

• High-protein whole-grain pastas

• Cans of broth-based soup

• Oatmeal

• Olive oil

• Couscous, bulgur or millet

• Light chunk tuna canned in water

• Low-fat microwave popcorn

• Nuts

TOP 10 FREEZER ITEMS FOR SHORT-CUT MEALS

• Whole-grain breads

• Chicken breast or chicken thighs

• Whole-wheat tortillas

• Vegetables (buy bags of veggies for easy storage)

• Turkey or black bean burgers

• Frozen fruit (for out-of-season use)

• Whole-wheat pitas

• Whole-grain waffles

• Ground turkey breast

• Frozen boneless fish fillets

Internet Recipes

So I'm back in school, living in an apartment with basically NO cooking pans, spices, bakeware, utensils, and all that important stuff. I just purchased a 7 piece cooking set, along with a basic set of knives and other kitchen necessities. I still don't have my camera with me. On this lovely labor day, I've decided to clean out some of the internet recipes that I've been saving to make by posting them on here:

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P.F. Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Now, I've never made these, so I don't know if the recipe is good, there's a lot of items that I would have to go buy because a college kitchen normally doesn't have sesame oil... but if these are anything like what P.F. Changs serves, they are insanely good....

Chicken Florentine. Oh Paula Deen. Your fattening chicken florentine cassarole looks too good to pass up. I've been looking for some chicken cassarole dishes, because they are easy... and easy is important when I'm craming for exams.

Soups Galore!. Here is a site that contains about 100 soup recipes. Some favorites for me are Pumpkin, Thai Wonton Soup with Shitake Mushrooms, and Strawberry Soup In Melon Bowls.

Lime Marinated Chicken Wings with Avacado dip. Now I would just use this as a marinade for regular chicken breast, or chicken cutlets. I'm really not a fan of chicken wings.

Chicken and Mango Skewers. haha I can use my Cuisinart Grill. Pwned.

Pumpkin Cup Pies. Yeah I am a Pumpkin Fiend. I can't tell you how much I love November because Pumpkin comes back in Fashion!


Thats all for now. Now let's see if I can actually make these things :)

To-Make list

Applesauce Bread This recipe was made by Paula Deen, so I know it's good & fattening.

Mint Chocolate Cheesecake. This has been on my list for a while, but haven't really had an occassion to make.

Ricotta Cheesecake. My favorite type of cheesecake.

Recently I've been recovering from my chicago trip, and now I'm under the weather.