Lettuce cups with Shiitake and Peanuts

Oh you tasty little bites I love you! There is so much flavor in this dish without having to use many ingredients.  I just love when you can make something taste spectacular with less ingredients. The key to simple cooking is to celebrate each individual ingredient and coach their wonderful, natural flavor out of them and marry them with the other simple ingredients.

The song “Like I’m Going To Lose You” by Meghan Trainor is playing and it’s the sweetest song. If you’re ever out to dinner and this song plays, take notice. Couples will sit closer to one another, or give a sweet kiss to their partners forehead. If they are lucky enough to be eating these lettuce cups at the same time, I can guarantee a beautiful evening 🙂

What You Will Need:

1 Pkg Ground White Turkey Breast (99% fat-free) (If you are vegetarian, use tofu.)

1 Pound Shiitake Mushrooms, chopped

1 Large Carrot, shredded

1 Bunch Green Onions, sliced

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Jar Bamboo Shoots, drained, rinsed, and chopped

1/3 C Peanuts, crushed

1/4 C Chili Garlic Sauce (If you want it spicier, add more but add it slowly. Remember you can always add but you can’t take away.)

2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce

I head of Lettuce, cored and peeled (You can also use cabbage if you prefer.)

*Directions:

Prep your Mis en Place. Don’t forget to turn on some good music! 🙂

On your stove, heat up a large pan to medium high heat and cook the ground turkey with the minced garlic.

Crumble the turkey as it cooks.

After the turkey has finished cooking, add the chili paste, chopped mushrooms, and bamboo shoots.

Mix well and lower the heat.

In a snack Bag crush your peanuts then add to the turkey along with the soy sauce. 

Add in the green onions and mix well. I like to cover the pan with a lid for about 2 minutes to allow the ingredients to marry well together.

Place the open lettuce cups on your plate, add the mixture and top with shredded carrots YUM!

Makes 4 Servings:

133.8 cals, 1 G fat, 3.1 G carb, 28 G pro, .5 G fiber, .1 G sugar

Look at the protein and fiber content! Amazing!

*Extras: If you are vegetarian and do not like to use tofu, use more mushrooms. I like the shiitake ones because of their meaty texture. If your lucky and you can get ahold of fresh Morels USE THOSE! Oh goodness Morels are my favorite!

CHEERS! To Another Waistline Friendly Meal.

KISSES!

Chilean Sea Bass with Brown Butter Sage

 

Wooohoo! Wooohoo! Wooohoo! Is the sound blaring from my speakers. The song is Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay. It’s one of those songs that just make you feel so good! Especially the part he sings “You Make Me Feel Like I’m Alive Again!” I love this song I’m reminded of that beautiful spring day we drove down the freeway with the top down on my car and we were both just smiling having no idea where we were going only that we knew we felt good.

So as I listen to this song sipping on my coffee, I was thinking of a dish I could make that would remind me of that special day….. Hmmm Chilean Sea Bass in brown butter sounds Fantastic! Now the dish sounds luscious, Sinful and unfriendly to the waistline and usually it is but,… We are going to make it waistline friendly 🙂 So here is your list to recreate the dish that reminds me of that day.

What You Will Need:

4 Filets Chilean Sea Bass (Please by the fish fresh from your local market)

2 Large Yellow Squash, peeled

2 Large Zucchini, peeled

6 Cloves Garlic, sliced thin

2 Lemons, juiced

4 Tbsp Butter

1 Small bunch of Sage

Salt, and Pepper

Prep Your Mis en Place 🙂

Pre heat your oven to 450.

Thinly peel your zucchini, and squash.

Like this. Add to a pan on the stove set to medium high heat.

Cook for 5 minutes then set aside.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add the filets and sprinkle with salt, and pepper.

Once the oven is preheated, place the fish in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TIME YOUR FISH! You don’t want to over cook the poor thing.

While the fish is baking, in a pan on the stove set to medium high heat, add the garlic and butter.

Once the butter melts and starts to brown, add in the sage and the juice of two lemons.

The butter will start to brown along with the garlic just in time.

Ding! Your fish is now done and so is your sauce.

Place the squash and zucchini on your plate, lay the fish down and top with your pretty little sauce.

I can’t tell you how easy this dish is to make! Most of the time people are afraid to cook fish on their own because they are easy to over cook. Trust me, don’t be!

Makes 4 Servings:

313 cals, 25.9 G fat, 6.6 G carb,3.6 G fiber, 15.5 G pro, 3.4 G sugar

Only 313 Calories for a dish that will fill your belly!?? I’ll take it.

CHEERS! To Another Waistline Friendly Meal!

KISSES!

Beet and Kale Salad with Lemon Apple Vinaigrette

 

Today my house is silent of all unnecessary noise. I usually have music playing constantly in the background but today the sound of the wind blowing through the newly sprouted leaves is all I hear. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths and suddenly I’m transported to a sandy beach somewhere and I’m close to smelling the distinctive scent of the ocean….. “Bark” “Bark” Darn it October! (My little teacup poodle) I was almost there!! Well so much for that! Lets go put on Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. “Give me something to believe in” Is blaring out of the speakers and I’m having a hard time doing my food prep because I just want to dance to it. Good thing this tasty salad is so easy to whip up along with the homemade vinaigrette. This salad is packed full of yummy super foods that will make even a picky eater say “not bad.” The homemade vinaigrette adds a tangy zip to the salad without taking away the natural flavor of the beautiful ingredients. I love this salad and so you can make it for who you love I will tell you..

What You Will Need:

4 Golden Beets, peeled and diced

4 Cups Kale, leaves torn to bite sized pieces

6 Brussel Sprouts, grated

1/2 Red Cabbage, shredded

4 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds (Buy unsalted, raw ones)

4 Tbsp Almonds, sliced (Buy unsalted, raw ones)

4 Tbsp Dried Cranberries (Buy no sugar added ones)

1 Cup Fat Free  Feta Cheese, crumbled

Pinch of Salt, and Black Pepper

For the vinaigrette:

1 Large Lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1/2 Cup Apple Juice (freshly pressed if you can)

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Prep your Mis en Place 🙂

Pre heat your oven to 400.

Place the diced beets on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and black pepper.

Place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.

While the beets are roasting, whip up your vinaigrette.

In a glass bowl, juice the lemon.

Next, add in the apple juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic.

Drizzle in the olive oil.

Oh I love you olive oil! Set aside a little to rub on your face and hands when you’re done cooking 🙂

Whisk well.

There is something very satisfying about making your own dressings. They are the best, and I promise once you’ve had the best there is no going back!

After the beets are done roasting, place them in a large bowl with the kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried cranberries, feta and your tasty vinaigrette. Toss or shake it.

Pair with a beautiful Red Zinfandel like this…

You now how a very satisfying meal that will make you smile.

Makes 4 servings:

296.5 Calories,13.5 G fat, 38 G carb, 5.3 G fiber, 10.1 G pro, 17.1 G sugar

Cheers to Another Waistline Friendly Meal!!

KISSES!

Banana Nut Smoothie

This girl has a birthday coming up really soon and before I turn another year older I have a running goal that I want to complete. So far it’s going really well and I’m ahead of schedule. Speaking of running, Please Don’t Leave Me by Pink is playing in the background and I need to remember to add it to my running play list.

I’m so excited to share this post running treat with you, I had it the other day and I fell In Love with it. The only problem for me was that it was higher in fat and calories than I would like for just a post run treat. Sooooo I spent some time trying to recreate this delicious smoothie and I got IT!

Instead of using 4 Tbsp of almond butter I replaced it with a powdered peanut butter that has only 45 Calories for 2 Tbsp and no FAT! The only ingredients in it are Peanuts I die! There is nothing wrong with using the almond butter, like I said for a post run recovery drink I’d rather save those extra calories and put whole almonds on my salad. The original drink also had 6 dates in it and I found that using 2 worked just as well. Maybe I’ll add those extra ones to my salad along with the almonds.;-)

Now so you can make this yummy smoothie, I will tell you…

What You Will Need:

1 Banana, peeled and sliced

2 Dates pitted

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter Powder

1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk

Now that you got everything Prep Your Mis en Place 🙂

TIP: First slice up the bananas and place them in individual baggies. This is a gret pre week prep job.

Freeze the bananas untill you are ready to make your smoothie. This will help your drink to become silky.

Like this. Then add the pre packed banana to your blender and add two dates.

Add 1 Tbsp of powdered peanut butter.

Next, add in the almond milk.

Blend until smooth.

There you go that’s it! You now have a post run smoothie to reenergize those tired achy muscles.

Oh you tasty drink I LOVE YOU!

Makes 1 Serving:

188 Cals, 38.2 G carb, 3.64 G fat, 5.04 G pro

Cheers to another waistline friendly meal!!

KISSES! 🙂

Juicing EDEN 2 Beetroot with Honeycrisp Apples and Ginger

 

“You’re The Only Women” by Ambrosia is playing in my ears as my feet hitting the pavement start to slow down into cool down mode. After upping my running mileage into the double digits, there is nothing I look more forward to than my 1/2 mile cool down walk to carry me home. Along with the cool music and sun kissing my face are the thoughts about a tasty drink I have waiting for me upon arrival…. My Beet Juice.

Beet juice really?? That’s what EDEN is looking forward too? YES I AM. There is no better drink to rid my body of post run inflammation than beet juice. Addition to the beets I also add ginger, carrots, Honeycrisp apples, and cucumber. Adding ginger root to the beets not only help a tummy that can get upset from a lot of running, but it is also a fantastic natural remedy for my arthritis. The carrots in the juice help protect my skin from the long exposure to running in the sun and the Honeycrisp apple???? I just love the apple 🙂

What You Will Need:

3 Beet roots, washed clean and stems removed *****DO NOT get rid of the beet tops! They are wonderful sautéed together with a little bit of olive oil and garlic!!

4 Carrots, scrubbed clean

2 Honeycrisp Apples, scrubbed clean

1 Inch Ginger root, Peeled

1 English Cucumber, scrubbed clean

Now that you have what you need,

Prep Your Mis en Place 🙂

My juicer has a small opening  so I have to cut my apples and beets in half. ***Remember to keep those beautiful beet tops!!

In your juicer, juice all the ingredients together.

That is it! It really takes no time at all to serve yourself up a  batch of this lovely post run drink.

LOL keep it CLASSY!!!! Wine isn’t the only thing that can be served in wine glasses. I LOVE this juice.

Save the remaining pulp from your juicer and add it to your compost heap 🙂

Make 4 Servings:

75 cals, 0 G fat, 2.25 G pro, 1.12 G fiber

Cheers! To Another Waistline Friendly Meal!!

KISSES

Jicama Salad with Radish and Avocado

 

It’s finally raining here in OZ and I can’t tell you how much we need it! I have all the windows open in my home and the smell of the first rain of the season is intoxicating! Lightly in the back ground Come Undone by Duran Duran is playing and as the breeze blows my curtains I can hear the distant laughter of my Baby Eden who has gone home echoing in my mind… I miss the way he smells, the way he looks at me, and the way his sweet hand felt on my cheek. I wonder if he thinks of me as much as I think of him??

Oh No EDEN don’t cry!!

Oh but I can’t help it! I miss him so much. He was my little companion during my morning coffee, afternoon walks, and evening wine. Goodness EDEN! Maybe I need to add a little jalapeno to my freshly juiced kale?? That ought to snap me out of it.

Sigh…. I want to be around for my family for a long time so I have been looking at my diet to see what kind of nutritional tweaks I could do to it. I noticed I do not have a lot of fat in my diet good or bad so I need a recipe that will add that healthy fat into my diet without hurting my waistline and folks I got it! So you can get to making this yummy salad to be around your family members longer, I will tell you….

What You Will Need:

2 Avocados, cubed

2 C Jicama, shredded

1 1/2 C Radishes, sliced thinly

4 Tbsp Raw Pumpkin Seeds (No oil or salt added)

1/4 C Dried Cherries or Currants (No sugar added)

** If possible, buy your pumpkin seeds and dried cherries in bulk. It is truly much cheaper.

For The Dressing:

1 C Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Orange, juiced (I like the sumo kinds this time of year if you are really lucky Navel oranges are in season.)

1 Lime, juiced

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

pinch of Salt and Pepper

Now that you have all that you need,

Prep your Mis en Place 🙂    Remember doing this makes cooking more enjoyable and easier.

In a large glass bowl, add in the sliced radishes, diced avocado, cherries, and raw pumpkin seeds.

Next, peel the jicama, then using a cheese grader shred the jicama.

Like this! Then add to the glass bowl with the rest of your dry ingredients.

In a separate small glass bowl, add in the plain greek yogurt, and the juice from the orange.

Then add in the juice from the lime.

Next, add in the olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Whisk well.

Pour the dressing over the salad then cover with a lid and shake it, shake it, shake it! Oh shake your hips too while you are at it 🙂

There you go! Wasn’t that easy? You now have a salad that is bursting with heart healthy fat and overflowing with fantastic flavor!!! Look at that fiber!

Makes 4 Servings: 290 cals, 16 G fat, 30 G carbs, 9 G pro, 6 G fiber, 4 G sugar

Cheers To Another Waistline Friendly Meal!

Kisses 🙂

Juicing Eden

So simple….. And yet so powerful. Juicing is the best way to deliver those vitamins only Eden can provide and deliver them straight into your cells. Why take handfuls of vitamins when you can make a delicious juice that you can totally enjoy? Please don’t get me wrong, if taking vitamines is your only way to fill in the gaps in your diet go for it!

I enjoy making juices for the people I love. What better way to say I LOVE YOU than to hand them a glass of health? The look in their eyes as they say “mmmm taste healthy” I die!

As I sit here sipping my poblano juice writing to you, I’m listening to the song Baby Come Back by Player. Very easy listening for this unusually warm weather we are blessed with in OZ. This warmer weather reminds me that summer is around the corner and this juice will be good for the waistline so you can show it off.

So you can get to serving up a glass of I LOVE YOU to your loved one I will tell you..

What You Will Need:

2 Poblano  peppers, stems removed

4 Cups Cilantro

4 English Cucumbers

2 Honey Crisp Apples, quartered

2 Limes, skin removed

This drink is absolutely refreshing!!

Prep Your Mis en Place 🙂

You will need a juicer to make this but please don’t go out and spend a lot of money on an expensive one. I bought mine years ago for under $100 and it works like a charm and does a beautiful job.

First wash and scrub your vegetables.

Then remove the stems from the poblano peppers, and quarter your apples.

Like this.

Cut the skin off the limes. (This is optional, I just find it way too zippy when I leave the skin on.)

Add the cucumber, cilantro, apple, lime, and poblano peppers.

You did it!! You now have a vitamin packed glass of nutrition to give to those you love!

Extra: With the leftover pulp you get from juicing, place it in your compost heap or toss it in your garden to add extra minerals to your soil.

Makes 4 Servings:

100 cals, 8 g pro, 2 g fiber

Cheers!! To another waistline friendly meal!

KISSES 

I miss our baby… he would have loved this drink.

Sweet and Sour Skewers

 

I really had fun making this dish. What made it so fun was to have my daughter in law help me come up with the idea, and make it with me 🙂 Watching her slowly cut the veggies up to a chefs precision was delightful! Not to mention being able to glance to the side to see Baby Eden watching me cook with absolute delight in his eyes when he sees me. I die!  Cooking with her while listening to Stevie Nicks Stand Back sipping on sparkling cucumber water made for a delightful evening, especially when everyone who got to eat it says “That’s a Favorite, that’s a favorite!!” I look forward to coming up with new ideas on how to make some of our favorite foods waistline friendly with her.

So that you can get to making this dish for someone you love, I will tell you….

What You Will Need:

I Pkg Lean Ground White Turkey Breast

2 Lg Red Bell Peppers, chopped in to 1 inch pieces

1 Bunch Green Onions, minced with the white and green parts separated

1 Lg can of Pineapple chunks (NO SUGAR ADDED!) separate the pineapple from the juice, but save it for your sauce. Set aside 1/2 Cup of the pineapple and mince.

1 Lg Carrot, shredded

2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated and minced

2 Tbsp Chinese Five Spice

For the Sauce:

Juice from the pineapple

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Crushed Red Peppers

2 Tbsp Ketchup

4 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar (Or rice wine vinegar)

Now that you have what you need,

Prep your Mis en Place 🙂

I need to stress a little how easy it is to make this dish. Most meals are very easy to make if you do your Mis en Place first.

Pre heat your oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine the turkey, shredded carrot, minced green onion (White and light green parts only), minced ginger, chinese five spice, and minced pineapple.

Roll into bite sized balls and place on parchment paper then bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, in a glass bowl combine the pineapple juice, crushed red peppers, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, ketchup, and brown sugar.

Whisk well.

In a pan on the stove set to medium high heat, add in the green parts of the green onion with the red bell pepper.

Cook untill small black marks appear on the bell pepper then add in the remaining pineapple.

By now the meat should be cooked, so add the meat into the pan with the bell peppers in it.

Add the sauce you made to the pan.

Simmer for three minutes and remove from heat.

Assemble your skewers meat, bell pepper, pineapple continue.

Drizzle with the sauce from the pan, then pour yourself a glass of wine and watch your loved ones face light up when they take their first bite!

Makes 4 Servings:

243.5 Cals, 1.2 G fat, 29.6 G carb, 2.3 G fiber, 28.6 G pro, 17.5 G sugar

Extra: You can always make a double batch of these to freeze for a later date.

Cheers!! To Another Waistline Friendly Meal!

Kisses

***In Loving Memory of Peaches….. He was OUR baby.

Pork Bites with Fennel, and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Oh my goodness UFP Alert! (Ugly Food Photo) No matter how tasty a dish can turn out sometimes the dish just does not want to cooperate during a photo shoot and it turns out UGLY! But pairing it with this….

HELPS a lot! It’s a lovely Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. If any of you have any ideas on how to get your food to cooperate during a shoot, let me know LOL.

“I was made to LOVE you” by Toby Mac is playing from my computer as I sit here holding Baby Eden. I’m mesmerised by his wonderful loving personality and the smile he constantly displays on his face. This Song is perfect for us. My baby is getting hungry so I will tell you…

What You Will Need:

1 Lb. Lean ground pork (Lamb would go so well with this if you can find some at your local butcher. I would add some feta cheese to it as well.)

1 Fennel bulb, minced

1 C. Sun dried tomatoes. chopped

2 Tbsp. Rosemary, minced

2 Tbsp. Dried oregano

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 Red onion, sliced

2 Red bell peppers, sliced

1/2 Tsp. Olive oil

Bib lettuce leaves for serving

Did you get everything??

Prep your Mis en Place 😉

Pre heat your oven to 385.

In a mixing bowl, add in the pork, fennel, tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, and salt.

Gently mix the ingredients, and roll into bite sized balls and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (Oh cookies sound good!)

Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. That’s enough time for the pork to cook but still allow some “bite” left in the fennel. Speaking of fennel, I just love how this dish allows for those “hidden” veggies, plus it allows for more flavor to explode!

While the pork bites are cooking, in a pan set to medium high heat cook the bell pepper with the onion, and olive oil until soft.

Serve the bites on the leaf of the bib lettuce and top with the sautéed bell pepper and onion.This dish is packed with so much belly filling protein and healthy fiber! I’m so pleased!!! Yum!!

Serves 4 people:

191.5 Cals, 7.5 G fat, 10.9 G carb, 3.1 G fiber, 22.6 G pro, 5.4 G sugar

CHEERS! To another waistline friendly meal!

KISSES!

Buffalo Chicken Wings EDEN Style

OHHH yummy yummy!! During football season I crave Buffalo chicken wings. My mouth waters for that tangy zest! But A girls gotta watch her figure so my wing eating extravaganzas are far and few between until…….Today! I’m telling you, you will think you are eating the real deal once you sink your mouth into one of these babies! I Die! But before I go on, Its happy hour so lets turn up the music (I’m listening to Empire State of Mind by Jay Z to get in the mood.) Now pour yourself a glass of Cakebread Chardonnay and shake it…

Sitting in my kitchen enjoying myself, I’m thinking of how I just love recipes that you can sneak extra vegetables in without noticing, and this dish does not disappoint! Don’t get me wrong, I love my veggies but I do know how helpful it is to sneak them into meals for people who don’t like them. I better let you get to recreating these yummy bites,  so I will tell you…..

What You Will Need:

1 Pk. Ground Chicken Breast

1 Cup Carrots. finely diced (set a few TBSP aside for garnish)

1 Cup Celery, finely diced (set a few TBSP aside for garnish)

1 Small Shallot, finely diced

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/2 Cup Reduced Fat Blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 Cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

Bib Lettuce, leaves peeled to act like a dish

Now that you are back from the store relaxed and have your music going Prep Your Mis en Place ! Still my favorite part 🙂

Pre heat your oven to 385

In a mixing bowl, add in the chicken, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, blue cheese, and the hot sauce.

Mix well.

Now start forming the mixture into bite sized balls. like this!

Look at those hidden veggies!

Place them on an oven safe baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. While they are cooking, take this opportunity to enjoy the evening a bit 😉

I love fall evenings. Just the smell in the air is intoxicating. Oh wait, that’s my dinner cooking that smells sooo good. lol

How did a picture of Baby Eden slip in? OH I die!! I just love that face!

Anyways,

After 15 minutes, let the chicken rest for a few minutes then place them in a bib lettuce cup and top off with some extra carrots and celery. If you like, you can add a few more blue cheese crumbles and hot sauce to the top.

Makes 4 servings:

279 Cals, 15.3 G fat, 9.8 G carb, 3.7 G fiber, 25.1 G pro, 5.8 G sugar

EXTRA: You can also use ground white turkey breast for 219 Cals, 4.3 G fat and 34.1 G pro

Cheers! To another Waistline Friendly Meal!

KISSES!!