Meatless Monday: Farfalle with Sundried tomatoes and Baby Bella Mushrooms

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It's Meatless Monday again! This week I am featuring my Farfalle Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Baby Bella Mushrooms. I got the idea for this pasta back in college. I was a sophomore and my nutty Philosophy 101 teacher mentioned this was one of his favorite pasta dishes to make. I thought it sounded good and of course went home that night to give it a try. It was absolutely delicious! I brought this as a side dish to a barbecue recently and it was definitely a hit.

With Meatless Monday's you want to make sure you are still getting enough protein in your meal, especially for a main course. Barilla brand makes really good multigrain pasta with Protein and Omega 3's. If you just have regular Farfalle, consider adding 1/2 cup of white beans per serving to ensure you get the protein you need. You can always top with a little feta or parmesan cheese too.

3/4 cup sundried tomatoes (I like the dehydrated kind, the ones packed in oil have more calories)
1 cup water
12 ounces muligrain or wheat farfalle pasta (protein added is a plus)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
10 kalamata olives chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

If you buy the dehydrated sundried tomatoes you will need to reconstitute them. Grab a large coffee mug and place your sundried tomatoes in it along with 1 cup water. Microwave for 2 minutes and let sit for another 10 minutes. Remove your sundried tomatoes and reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop the sundried tomatoes.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook farfalle according to the directions on the box. Once cooked, strain (never rinse your pasta!!) and put back in to the large pot to sit. (No heat)

In a large saute pan add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute your mushroom, grape tomatoes and sundried tomatoes for 6 minutes. Add your garlic and saute for an additional 4 minutes. Add chopped kalamata olives, 1/4 cup olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes on low and add the contents of the saute pan to the pot of farfalle noodles. Next add the reserved water from your sundried tomatoes. Stir together and serve!

Approx 525 calories and 20 grams of fat

Ideas for additional items to add or sub in (spinach, asparagus, artichoke hearts)

Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Bake

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I am a complete carbaholic. I could seriously eat pasta every single night for dinner and be the happiest girl in the world. Unfortunately, my waistline would hate me for it. I'm not a low carb dieter, but every now and again I like to make a low carb meal. It's a good way for me to get protein and veggies in, instead of a buttload of carbs. This is a beautiful and tasty dish that I think low carber's and non low carber's alike
will enjoy.

***If you have children who are eating this... give them carbs!!!  Try adding some whole wheat or multigrain angel hair noodles to the bake. You can just mix right in with the spaghetti squash, they probably won't even realize they are eating a vegetable. :)
2 spaghetti squash 1 1/2 to 2 lbs each
1 small onion (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 lb extra lean ground beef (96/4)
2 can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
pinch of cinnamon
5 cups fresh spinach
1 1/3 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 425. Slice your spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Place seed side down on a baking tray and add two cups of water to the baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool before scooping contents out. Use a fork to scoop out the squash, it should look similar to spaghetti.

In a large saute pan cook onions for 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Saute for 1 minute. Next add the ground beef. Break up meat and brown for about 4 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. St
ir and let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally add two cups of fresh spinach and cook for another 10 minutes on very low heat.

Your spaghetti squash rinds will serve as your serving vessel. Scoop about a cup of spaghetti squash, pour on some of your meat sauce and top with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 for about 8 minutes.

***You will likely have some leftover spaghetti squash. Store it in some tubberware and serve it as a side tomorrow.

Serves 4. Calories 365 , Fat 10.5, Carbs 20

Green Goodness Chilled Summer Soup

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Yesterday my husband went to Costco to pick up some dog food. While he was out he asked me if I needed anything. I told him I needed romaine lettuce for the burrito bowls I was making. I knew that the quantity of romaine would be large, since it was coming from Costco. I was thinking three heads of romaine... well the package came with six! I hate wasting food and thought, oh my, what am I going to do with all this lettuce. It's just the two of us, so six heads of romaine lettuce is a lot! Well, I ended up using one head last night, so that left me with five. I know I could make salad, but five heads of lettuce basically means we'd be eating salad for five days. Not my idea of fun! I was poking around the kitchen for some lunch today and noticed I had a parsnip, a jalepeno pepper, 1/2 avocado and some cauliflower that also needed to be used. That's where I got the idea for a chilled soup. It's perfect on a hot summer day and makes a great addition to any meal, not to mention it is loaded with healthy veggies. It is also super quick and easy to make.

Green Goodness Chilled Summer Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
1 white onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
3/4 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 of a peeled and chopped parsnip
2 heads chopped romaine lettuce
1 cored and chopped green apple
1/2 of an avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp sat
1/2 tsp pepper

Coat a saute pan with a small amount of non stick cooking spray. Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper for 3 minutes. Add cauliflower, parsnip and one cup of vegatable stock. Cook until the parsnip and cauliflower are tender (about 8 minutes).

In a blender add the two chopped romaine heads and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Blend until the lettuce is liquified. Next add the cooked veggie mix (onions, garlic, jalapeno, cauliflower, parsnip). Blend until smooth. Lastly add your chopped apple, 1/2 and avocado, 1/4 cup of cilantro, salt, pepper juice of 1/2 lemon
and 1 cup vegetable stock. Blend until smooth. Chill for 1 hour and serve.

Yields 4 sevings 145 calories, 4 grams of fat

Meatless Monday: Baked Tofu Burrito Bowls

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It's Meatless Monday again! Tonight I made baked tofu burrito bowls. For those of you who are not cooks, this is such a quick and simple meal. It is mostly assembly and works out perfectly for me tonight, as I do not have much time to cook or blog. Sophie is having a very needy/fussy evening. Enjoy! :)

Baked Tofu Burrito Bowls
8 ounces firm tofu diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup cooked black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/4 diced fresh tomato
1/2 sliced avocado
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine tofu, salt, oregano, cumin, coriander, black pepper, smoked paprika and olive oil. Gently mix until the spices cover the tofu. Lay out on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, flip tofu and bake another 10 minutes.

To assemble the burrito bowls (use the following for each bowl) . Start with 1 cup romaine lettuce. Add 1/2 cup black beans, 4 ounces of baked tofu, 2 tbsp reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1/4 of the sliced avocado, 2 tbsp diced tomato, 1 tbsp fat free sour cream, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro.

Yields 2 Servings. Approx 386.5 calories and 20 grams of fat (a good portion of the fat is from the avocado... this is a healthy fat)

If you have higher caloric needs add 1/2 cup of brown rice. This adds 170 calories and 1.5 grams of fat

Other topping suggestions: Green onion, salsa, hot sauce, mango

Picnic: Pesto Chicken Salad, Potato Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette and Chilled Asparagus, Artichoke and Hearts of Palm Salad

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Tomorrow is Father's Day and also happens to be my husbands first Father's Day. Earlier this week I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he didn't mind, he just wanted to do something where we could include the dogs, since Father's Day is about spending time with family and well, Frank and Molly are family too. I decided we could have a nice picnic and find a quaint secluded spot along the river. It's a win-win for all. Sophie will enjoy the sound of the water running down the river, Mike and I will enjoy the beautiful, peacefull setting and Frank and Molly will probably swim the entire afternoon.

For those of you who know me, you know that I could never just pack turkey sandwiches and potato chips. It just isn't my style. I enjoy planning a meal to fit each occasion. My husband loves pesto sauce. It is one of his favorite foods. While Sophie napped and Mike dug a trench in our backyard to construct a direct water line to the garden he built me, I sat inside planning and creating the lovely meal you see below, featuring Pesto Chicken Salad as the main course. While this meal is a little higher in fat than I normally cook, it's a special day, so why no spluge a bit.

I will post pictures of the dish tomorrow after it is all prepped and ready!

Father's Day Picnic: Pesto Chicken Salad, Potato Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette and Chilled Asparagus, Artichoke and Hearts of Palm Salad

Pesto Chicken Salad
2 chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbsp. minced shallot
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise


Pesto Sauce

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp. chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush chicken breast with olive oil. Salt and Pepper each side. Bake for about 8-9 minutes on each side, or until done. (160-165 degrees). For the Pesto, blend all ingredients in food processor.


Once chicken is fully cooked cut in to 1 inch cubes. In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, shallot, mayonnaise and pesto. Mix with spoon until fully incorporated. Cover and chill.

Potato Salad

1/2 lb. baby red potatoes (skins scrubbed cut in half)

1/4 fat free plain yogurt

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. capers


Lemon Vinaigrette

1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
Juice of one lemon

1 clove minced garlic

1 tbsp. minced shallot 

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Fresh black pepper to taste

2 tbsp. fresh dill


Combine all ingredients for vinaigrette. Whisk together, cover and refrigerate. Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Cook potatoes until fork tender (8-10 minutes). Strain potatoes. While the potatoes are still warm place them in a mixing bowl with the yogurt, salt, capers and lemon vinaigrette. Mix together to incorporate all ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.



Chilled Vegetable Salad

1/2 lb. asparagus cut in to one inch pieces, stems discarded

1 cup quartered artichoke hearts

1/2 cup sliced hearts of palm

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. minced shallot

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (lemon thyme would be an added bonus)

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste


Bring 2 cups of water to boil and prepare and ice bath. Boil asparagus for 1 minute, strain and transfer to ice bath, let cool and strain. In a mixing bowl combine asparagus, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, olive oil, thyme, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper. Mix, cover and chill for an hour.

This meal yields 2 servings totaling 498 calories and 23 grams of fat per serving.

The Skinny on Calories: How many do you need?

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Most of us wonder how many calories we need to take in on a daily basis. You see guidelines for 2000 calories a day and most nutrition labels are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Throw that out the window. There are a lot of factors that play in to how many calories you need. Gender, age, weight, height, activity level, breastfeeding (lots of mommies out there including myself), muscle mass ect. A good starting point to figuring out your caloric needs starts with your BMR. BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of energy expended by your body on a daily basis while your body performs its vital functions. Once you know how many calories you burn on a daily basis you alter your caloric needs based on the factors mentioned above.
Today I am going to share with you some formulas that were shared with me by Camie Cragg at CCF- Camie Cragg Fitness.

BMR formula

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

The BMR formula uses the variables of height, weight, age and gender to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on body weight alone. The only factor it leaves out is lean body mass and the ratio of muscle-to-fat a person has. Keep in mind leaner bodies need more calories than those with more fat. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate, but those with more muscle mass (will underestimate calorie needs) and those with a higher amount of fat(will over-estimate calorie needs).

Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

My BMR is 1440. I am moderately active (3-5 days a week). I need 2232 calories to maintain my current weight. However, I am breastfeeding right now, so I need to factor that in. You burn about 500 calories per day if you are exclusively breastfeeding. It is estimated you burn about 20 calories per ounce of milk produced. So to maintain my weight I actually need 2732 calories per day.

Losing Weight (creating a deficit)

There are about 3500 calories in a pound of body fat. To lose weight you need to create a deficit. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound per week. If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds per week and so on. When you lose 1 lb about 75% of it is stored fat and 25% is lean tissue. Since you are losing lean tissue, building muscle is pretty imporant when losing weight. Muscle also burns fat, so, the combination of diet and exercise is best for lasting weight loss.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, stick with a 500 calorie deficit, 1000 will be way to much.

***Women should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories per day
***Men shoud NEVER eat less than 1800 calories per day

***A note to my breastfeeding and soon to be mamma's! (Since there seem to be a lot of us right now. Big summer and fall of 2011 I guess!)
As breastfeeding mom, I am trying to take in roughly 2200 - 2700 calories per day and creating a deficit by excercising 3-5 times a week. On the days I excersise I need more calories, so I take in about 2700. When I don't excersise I don't need as many calories so I take in about 2200. Mamma's remember it took 9 months to put that baby weight on and it won't fall off overnight. Do not try to restrict calories too much, losing weight too quickly causes your body to release toxins. You do not want those toxins in your breastmilk!

Low Carb Pizza

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 Yesterday a friend of mine asked me to create a no carb pizza. To be honest I was a little bit stumped. The only no carb "pizza" I had made before was with portabella mushrooms, and although tasty, it is really just a stuffed portabella. This morning another friend of mine told me about a cauliflower crust. How awesome I thought! So I started researching recipes and found a cauliflower crust. When I was researching no carb pizza crusts I also came across a "meatza" crust, which is made with cooked food processed chicken breasts. I absolutely love pizza loaded with veggies, so I thought making a hybrid between the cauliflower crust and "meatza" crust would be a great way to get some added protein. For the sauce on this pizza I made a low cal pesto, since most marina sauces contain carbs.

So, here it is Kate! While it isn't no carb, it only has 4 carbs per slice. I don't know much about low carb diets, but I imagine this falls within the allotted amount of daily carbs.

**A thanks to Aspen for giving me the idea for a cauliflower crust!

Crust

1 1/2 cups cauliflower (food processed or grated with a cheese grater until very fine)

8 ounces cooked chicken breast (food processed)

5 egg whites

1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

In a microwave safe bowl heat cauliflower for 8 minutes. Combine all ingredients and mix using your hand or a wooden spoon. Use cooking spray to coat bottom of pizza pan. Press contents out to form pizza crust. Bakeat 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Low Fat Pesto

1 cup packed basil leaves

1/4 raw almonds

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp chicken stock

Blend all ingredients in food processor.

Topping

1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1/4 reduced fat feta cheese

1/2 cup artichoke hearts

1/2 cup raw spinach

1/2 sliced baby bella mushrooms

5 dices kalamata olives

Top your pizza crust with pesto and all topping ingredients. A good trick is to put half the cheese down first, then your veggies and then finish off with the remainder of the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 14 minutes.

Cut in to 8 slices.

175 calories, 6.5 grams of fat and 4 carbs per slice

Simply Amazing Tikka Masala

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I absolutely love Tikka Masala. It is such an amazing dish, however it is often loaded with cream...most recipes call for a cup or more! That is crazy. When I break that down into a serving it is 1/4 cup per person... 208 calories and a whopping 22 grams of fat. No thank you. Some of you might be thinking, well can't you just substitute milk in place of the cream? Yes, you can but your dish will likely be runny as cream tends to thicken dishes. I spent the better part of my morning racking my brain as to what would be a good whipping cream substitute in this dish. I researched online and most people suggested yogurt, sour cream, all things I had already thought of, but just wouldn't be a perfect fit. Both would be a bit too tangy. Then I saw someone suggest fat free evaporated milk. That could work I thought, however I was still running in to issues with a thickening agent. That is when it dawned on me. Parsnips! They are sweet, fragrant and make excellent purees. The real fat buster in my Tikka Masala is to use what I have decided to call faux cream! It is 2/3 cup of diced, boiled parsnips pureed in the blender with 6 ounces of fat free evaporated milk. It is such a fabulous substitute. Now, can you use it in ganache? Probably not, but for cooking it is a great substitute for whipping cream and actually sneaks in a veggie in the process.

Faux Cream

3/4 cup diced parsnips
6 ounces fat free evaporated milk.

Boil parsnips until fork tender. Add to blender or food processor with 6 ounces of fat free evaporated milk and blend until smooth.

Tikka Masala

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cubed (sub tofu or tempeh for my vegetarian friends)

Marinade

1 cup fat free plain yogurt

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 garlic clove minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper (this makes the dish spicy-- if you don't like spicy or your kids are going to eat this try just a dash or leaving it out all together)

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp lemon juice

Sauce

1 tbsp butter

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 8 ounce can tomato puree

Faux cream (recipe above)

1 tbsp fat free evaporated milk

1/4 chopped cilantro


Marinade your chicken for 2-4 hours. The longer the better.

For your sauce saute garlic and butter for 1 minute. Add coriander, garam masala, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir with garlic and butter for one minute. Next add tomato puree and simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, stir in the faux cream and tbsp of evaporated milk.

Cooked chicken in skillet discarding the remainder of the marinade (whatever is not stuck to the chicken). Chicken will need to cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken to tikka masala sauce and simmer on low  for 5 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro.

Yields 4 servings. Approx 330 calories and 5 grams of fat

You can serve over basmati rice (add 160 calories per serving)

For lower carb and calories try serving with two sides of veggies

Meatless Monday: Thai Style Tempeh Stir Fry

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A while back my husband and I started doing Meatless Monday's. Sometimes we go the day without meat and sometimes just for dinner. It was a way for us to get a ton of veggies, cut back on meat and incorporate other sources of proteins. This is about the time I started cooking with Tempeh. Tempeh, for those of you who have not tried it, is a soy product made from cooked and fermented soybeans often mixed with grains. It is quite different from tofu. It has a lot more density and texture and has a unique but delicious nutty flavor. Tempeh is relatively low in fat (about 8 grams per serving) has a good amount of protein (about 20 grams per serving). The Meatless Monday recipe I will share with you tonight is Thai Style Tempeh Stir Fry.


1 8 ounce package of Tempeh (sliced- see picture above)
1 tsp wok oil
1/2  sliced red onion
3/4 cup julienned bell pepper (red, orange or yellow.. I had all three so I mixed them for color)
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 baby bok choy stalk sliced lengthwise (see image below)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 tsp thai chili powder
2 tbsp ponzu sauce
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Preheat Wok. Add wok oil and tempeh. Brown each side of tempeh for about 3 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove tempeh from wok and set aside. Add onions and bell peppers. Saute for 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, bok choy, garlic, and ginger. . Saute together 3-4 minutes until veggies have soften, but still have crunch and texture. Next add the browned tempeh, peanut butter, chili powder, ponzu, soy, mint and cilantro. Saute one minute.

Yields 2 servings. Approx 390 calories and 12 grams of fat per serving

If you have higher caloric needs, or in my case a hubby who does serve over brown rice.

Quinoa Turkey Burgers with Feta and Spinach

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These turkey burgers are delicious. They are served on a 100 calorie multi grain sandwich thin topped with fat free tzatziki sauce in true Greek style. I added some quinoa to the ground turkey for some additional protein.

Turkey Burgers

1/4 cup quinoa
1 minced clove of garlic
2 cups of fresh spinach (cooked and drained)
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup fat free feta
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dill
salt and pepper taste
4 Multi Grain or Wheat 100 Calorie Sandwich thins

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup peeled and grated english cucumber
1/2 garlic clove grated on a micro plane
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
(more or less salt and pepper depending on your preference)

Preheat your grill, Next cook 1/4 cup quinoa over medium heat in 1/2 cup of water (covered). Cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking start on the tzatziki, as it will need a few minutes to sit together. Mix all ingredients together (garlic, yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, oregano, salt and pepper) and set in the refrigerator. In a large bowl combine ground turkey, garlic, cooked spinach, feta, dill, oregano, salt and pepper. Form 4 patties and grill over medium heat for 8 minutes each side. Serve on 100 calorie sandwich thins topped with tzatziki and your favorite burger toppings. ( I would suggest tomato and lettuce)

Yields 4 servings. Calories 330 Fat 10 grams

For a complete meal serve with two sides of veggies since your carbs are in your bun. Tonight I made mushrooms sauted in garlic and grilled asparagus tossed in soy sauce and lemon zest.

A Sunday morning suggestion: Skinny girl pancakes

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I love pancakes, but the water bed tummy my baby left me with does not! Besides, a heaping portion of pancakes leaves me feeling like I ate a ton of bricks and doesn't really fullfil very many health requirements for the day, other than a buttload of carbs and usually fat! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, make it a healthy one. Give my skinny girl pancakes a try for a great way to start the day.

2 packets of lower sugar instant oatmeal (I like the cinnamon apple for this)
6 egg whites
1 tbsp water
a dash of cinnamon
a drop or two of vanilla


Preheat a skillet. In a blender combine all ingredients and blend on high for about 10 seconds. Spray your skillet with a little non stick spray and pour batter to form 4 inch pancakes. Cook until lightly golden on each side.

Top with all natural or sugar free syrup to keep it really low cal. For some freshness top with your favorite fruit.

For all you protein junkies out there, add a tbsp of protein powder and an additional tbsp of water to the blender before mixing.

Yields two servings. Approx 161 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving.

The Challenge: "Grown Up" Mac and Cheese

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Mac and Cheese is such a favorite for so many; however, it can come with the hefty price of tons of fat and calories. This is something my after baby body cannot handle if there is any hope of returning to my pre pregnancy size. Most "Grown Up" Mac and Cheese recipes that I've found contain anywhere from 700-1000 calories and around 30-40 grams of fat per serving. That would all be fine if I were back high school enjoying the days where I could eat endless amounts of food and never gain weight; however, as most of us find out... things change, and change they have! But that doesn't mean we have to give up our favorite foods, we just have to outsmart some of our favorite recipes. As a lover of all things food I have made it my life mission to make it possible to still enjoy all of my faves, while providing my family with healthy food choices. My husband and I enjoy bold flavors and since our little one is still on a strict diet of breast milk, we can still enjoy some of those more refined flavors like brie and blue cheese. The recipe I am going to share today is a slimmed down version of Adult Mac and Cheese.

1 cup uncooked whole grain pasta (shells, wheels, penne, whatever you like)

1 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon chicken stock

2 tablespoons four

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups fat free milk

1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar (shredded)

2 ounces light brie

2 tablespoons reduced fat blue cheese

2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese 

1 small white onion (chopped)

1 lb 96% lean ground beef (or ground turkey if you prefer)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 cup fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons panko

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot bring 2-4 quarts of water to a boil (be sure to slightly salt your water). Add one cup uncooked pasta to water and cook for about 7 minutes. This will be slightly undercooked, but you will be baking it later. While the pasta is cooking, start on your cheese sauce. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt 1 tbsp butter, add tbsp stock and 2 tbsp flour. Whisk together to form a roux. Wait until the roux turns slightly golden and add 1 1/2 cups of fat free milk. Add the salt and pepper and continue whisking until thickened. Next add all of the cheese (cheddar, blue, brie and parmesan) and turn heat to low. Continue whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat. Saute chopped onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add one lb ground beef (or ground turkey) and minced garlic, Brown for 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted for about 3 minutes. Next stir in the cheese sauce, cooked pasta and rosemary in the dutch oven. Taste for seasoning and add salt or pepper to your taste if needed. Top the mac and cheese with 2 tablespoons of panko and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until top is slightly golden.

Yields 4 servings. Calories per serving approx 543. Fat per serving approx 14.5g grams

Now, while I wouldn't recommend indulging on Mac n' Cheese every night, this is a great alternative to the full fat/ calorie versions for those times you feel like indulging on some good ol' comfort food.

If you are a vegetarian or would like to try a meatless version of this you can save approx 150 calories and 5 grams of fat by going meatless.