Maifun (rice sticks) Stir-Fry

Maifun rices sticks are delicious.  You can order maifun on any Chinese menu.  When soften they are similar to noodles.  They are made of rice and water.  To soften maifun, cover with hot water and let stand for 10 minutes.  After softened you can add them to soups or stir-fry.  I often add them to my fresh rice paper spring rolls.  Today I stir fried some of our favorite veggies in some olive oil, a few drops of sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce.  Toss the stir fry veggies with maifun and you will have a tasty and filling vegetarian dish.

Our way to eat a Banana!

Bananas are delicious and nutritious!

Bananas are about 110 calories and are nutrient dense.  They are fat, cholesterol and sodium free.  They are high in vitamin B6

Make them extra special by chopping one up in a bowl top with fat free whipped cream, one crumbled low fat graham cracker, and a squeeze of chocolate syrup.  And some fresh sliced strawberries, pineapple and some delicious nuts.  Walnuts, peanuts, almonds!

What a way to be healthy!

My Secret Taco Meat

My Secret Taco Meat!   Guess it isn’t a secret any more!

 

I use ground venison but you can use ground beef.  Brown 2 pounds of meat and then drain off the fat.  If it is venison there will be no fat.  Then add a packet of HOT chili spice mix, a can of tomato soup and 1/2 cup of water.  Constantly chop the meat into teeny tiny pieces.  Let this simmer on low for about a half an hour while stirring frequently.

You can make soft or crunchy tacos.  Taco sized flour tortillas are 80 calories with 2.5 grams of fat and ZERO fiber.  I choose to buy a large pack of flat corn tortillas like la banderita brand.  If you take your corn tortilla and put it in a hot skillet (with no oil) for about a minute or 2 on each side they are delicious and have 65 calories 2 grams of fiber and ZERO fat.

Top your tacos with crunch romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, fresh chopped tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, olives, , black beans, sour cream or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Fabulous!

Our Coconut in the Snow

This is our Coconut in this morning’s snow.

Delicious Side Dish

My girls love broccoli and it is so easy to make.  I should re-phrase we love fresh broccoli!  Frozen is OKAY in a pinch but fresh is best ……and believe it or not FRESH is more convenient!

Buy a beautiful fresh stalk of vibrant green broccoli  and cut it into bite size florets!

Put these florets in a microwave safe bowl, add about a half cup of water, and cover with plastic wrap.

Microwave this for 3 minutes on full power and WA LA  fresh steamed delicious broccoli in no time at all.  We love it with a little dab of butter (we do not use margarine).

Today after I steamed some florets I sautéed them in a little olive oil, fresh chopped garlic and one roma tomato chopped.  A little salt and pepper and you have a delicious and beautiful side dish.  You could serve this on top of some pasta or on a salad.

It is soooooooooooooo good!

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

If you love mexican … try making meat free homemade enchiladas!

You can use corn or flour tortillas (corn have more fiber and less calories)

Fill them with your favorite rice, black beans and low fat shredded cheese.

Roll them up and put them in a baking dish.

Cover them with some store bought enchilada sauce … red or green

Bake them at 350 for about 25 minutes so the cheese gets nice and melty.

When they are done … top them with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, olives and sour cream!

Almond Milk

WE LOVE ALMOND MILK!

Of course we do not have any nut allergies!

Almond milk is a great milk alternative.  It is less calories than cow’s milk and contains 276mg of calcium per cup!  That is 50% more calcium than milk.

It tastes delicious and comes flavored or unflavored.  It is free of dairy and soy.  It is an excellent source of vitamins D and E and it doesn’t have any saturated fat or cholesterol!

We use it in our cereal and in our smoothies, in our coffee and it can be used in all of your favorite recipes.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Fruit and yogurt salad is a delicious way to add a healthy snack or light breakfast or lunch to your diet.

Chop some crisp sweet apples (Gala is our fav!)

Green or red grapes… or both

Walnuts

Natural yogurt with active cultures of your choice… flavored or unflavored!

This salad is as healthy as it is delicious.  Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats and may improve cardiac and bone health.  Apples are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C.  Grapes have a very high nutrient content.  And yogurt has friendly bacteria for a healthy colon.

You can add other fruits or nuts to your liking.  Fresh chopped pineapple and shredded coconut are a yummy addition!  Be creative!

Mix them all together and enjoy a healthy treat!

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
My daughter is a strict vegetarian.  While I am not a vegetarian cooking for her has helped me to get more veggies into my whole family’s diet.  It won’t hurt any of us to eat more veggies.  Being that my other daughter stays clear of processed foods makes it a big no no for me to grab a can of veggie soup to serve for dinner.
Canned soup is full of sodium and never really tastes as good as it looks on the front of the can.
You can make this delicious soup in minutes and it is so easy!

Get out a nice heavy stock pot with a lid.

Gather your ingredients!  You can be creative and use all of the veggies you like or just what you have around the house especially if you need to use them up.

In mine I use a good veggie stock, homemade is best but I will show you that another day.  If you are pressed for time then just buy a good veggie stock to use.  I find that store bought veggie stocks are a little too sweet for me but when you use them in combination with a spicy  jar of natural marinara it works out perfect.

First prep your veggies… cut up some carrots, onion, celery and cabbage

Sauté them in a little extra virgin olive oil until they start to soften

Then add a clove of garlic.  I use my garlic press to squeeze out the flesh.

Stir for a few minutes and add the carton of veggie stock and the jar of spicy marinara sauce.

Bring to a boil and simmer until the carrots and cabbage are tender. At this point add about a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning, a can of rinsed beans of your choice, and one zucchini chopped up nice. 

Simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes and taste to see if you need any salt or pepper. 

This is so delicious and filling.

I also added some cooked cheese filled tortellini to a bowl of mine and some grated parmesan cheese.  You could add any cooked pasta you like or just leave it all veggie goodness!

Enjoy!

Healthy Snacking 101

We love to snack.  Popcorn is a family favorite for me and the girls.  That microwave stuff we loved had too many calories so I went to WalMart and bought an air popper for about 19 bucks.  Air popped pop corn has about 15 calories per cup and about 6 grams of fiber.  When trying to stay healthy and thin… fiber is KING!  We have been spraying it with spray butter and sprinkling on some butter flavored salt and herbs for a very tasty snack!