Kalefredo (my twist on alfredo made with kale)

As you all know, I like to try to make healthier versions of old favorites. Because I love creamy sauces, even though they are bad for you, I tried a new twist on an alfredo sauce. It’s definitely not the same as alfredo, not as rich. However, it worked for me to curb the craving for that comfort food.

Here’s my recipe.

2 chicken bouillon cubes

about 5-6 cups of water

3 laughing cow cheese wedges (light, swiss)

1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped up sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

2 cups cauliflower florets

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

About 2 to 2 1/2 cups of kale (stems removed)

I brought the bouillon and water to boil and tossed in the cauliflower and kale. Once they were soft, I blended it all with a stick blender. Then I added in the cheese, allowed them a minute to melt, then used the immersion blender again. I seasoned it all to taste – a little salt, garlic powder and a lot of plack pepper (a TINY pinch of nutmeg and TINY pinch of citrus zest). Then I added in the tomatoes and mushrooms. In hindsight, I’d reconstitute the mushrooms in chicken or beef stock first, but I allowed the tomatoes and mushrooms to hang out long enough to reduce the mixture a bit and get soft.

Mine made about 10 cups. 1 cup serving = about 61-62 calories. I combined with a combination of roasted kale, brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, and peppers, and a little whole grain pasta. It was delicious.

 

 

Limoncello / Orangecello – New low calorie cocktail?

I recently made a batch of orangecello, which was absolutely delicious. However, I made it with the old fashioned sugar simple syrup. So, there were more calories than necessary.

So, after making my carrot lemonade, I decided to take those peels, and make limoncello. This time with Truvia. I basically took the peels from 6 lemons and 2 oranges (just the peel, no pith, use a vegetable peeler before cutting). I put those in a container and covered with a 750 ml bottle of 100 proof vodka. I covered with plastic and let sit on the counter for five days.

I then brought 3 cups of water to a boil and added 1 cup of Truvia. I allowed it to boil and simmer and reduced it some. I did not really become a syrup. But I added that to the vodka and peels and it has been sitting now for two days.

I will put it in the fridge or freezer after straining it into smaller containers.

I’ll let you know how it tastes soon!

Juicing – Carrot Lemonade

I realize some people think that juicing is silly, because you lose all the fiber of the juice. There are some though, that think a fresh fruit and vegetable juice is a good way to get very easily digestible nutrients very quickly.

I personally enjoy making juice. I haven’t really done a cleanse or anything, but I sometimes have juice in place of a meal, or in a smoothie.

I’ve mostly experimented, but recently made carrot lemonade which I LOVE. I combined 9 oz of orange juice, 15 oz of carrot juice, 1 1/4 cups of lemon juice, 8 oz of apple juice, and 2 cups of water. An 8 oz serving turns out to be about 65 calories.

I almost always use carrots and citrus, sometimes adding ginger or greens.

I then use my citrus peels to make limoncello, orangecello, or to homemade house cleaners.

If you juice, I’d love to hear your recipes!

 

Green Smoothie Recipes

I add baby spinach to a lot of things, so when I came across the green smoothie, I thought – WHY NOT!

Smoothies aren’t for everyone, and depending on your current diet, may or may not aid in digestion or weight loss. I however like them for a quick, on-the-go, meal replacement.

If you’re looking for a pretty green color you should stick to light colored fruits: mango, peach, pineapple, etc. And clear or light liquids: fresh apple juice, water, seltzer.

If you don’t care as much about the color but are looking for variety add in darker ingredients: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, acai juice, etc.

No matter what combination you choose, you should basically add about 1 – 1.5 cups of fruit, a handful (or about 1 cup) of baby spinach, and however much liquid of your choice to a blender. You can use frozen fruit or fresh fruit or both. When I want something thicker and creamier, I use a frozen banana (no yogurt or other dairy). Blend to your desired smoothness.

I have yet to try this but I am looking forward to trying the juice of one lime, a handful of baby spinach, a cup of frozen watermelon, and some fresh sprigs of mint.

 

More weight loss progress

So, I weighed in today. I’ve lost 27 lbs since January. Not quite at the 41 I was at 2 years ago. but I think I’m being more realistic this time, so I’m ok with my progress.

Tonight I made spinach artichoke pasta – It wasn’t as good as it could have been, I need to add more liquid next time for it to get creamier. However, the recipe is:

1. 4 cloves of garlic

2. 1 large shallott

3. 8 oz fat free cream cheese

4. 6 oz nonfat plain chobani greek yogurt

5. 2 lbs frozen spinach, thawed, and squeezed

6. two 14 oz cans of artichokes in water, drained

7. 12 oz box of farfalle

8. 1 cup 6 cheese blend, shredded

9. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

I started the water boiling for the pasta, and then tossed the shallott and garlic cloves in the food processor, and pulsed until they were chopped. I added about 3/4 cup of the pasta water to the food processor with the yogurt and cream cheese, and blended with the onion and garlic. Then I sprayed a baking dish, put the spinach and artichokes down, added the oniony-cheesey-yogurty mix, and then the pasta and then the other cheeses. I mixed it together and baked it at 400 for about 15-20. It was OK, a little white wine  / lemon juice milk/butter roux would certainly help.

 

Lower Calorie Cocktails

Mojitos

You can add 1 oz of rum to 8 oz of seltzer or club soda – then muddle in either lime and basil, lime and mint, strawberry with lime and mint, watermelon with lime and mint, blackberries and mint, – skip the simple syrup, you get the idea. About 80 calories.

Mimosa

1/4 up champagne, 2 oz light orange juice, 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. About 120 calores.

Vodka and Tonic / Gin and Tonic

1 oz of vodka or gin with a calorie free mixer – like tonic or soda is about 100 calories. If you’re at home, you can add crystal light for flavor (I only use a 1/3 or 1/2 of the packet so less than an addtional 5 calories).

White wine spritzer

About 4 oz of wine and 2 oz of seltzer = about 100 calories. (depending on the type of wine).

Hint: try making simple syrup from truvia or stevia instead of sugar to add into your favorite old cocktail recipes. I am in the process of toying with an orangecello recipe with calorie free sweetener instead of oldfashioned simple syrup. We’ll see!

Follow up to Mini Goals

I thought of another one that makes a HUGE difference every time I set out to lose weight – LOG EVERYTHING. My first attempt at serious weightloss was in the middle of college. I kept a handwritten food journal (it was a little harder back then, not as many sites – or at least I didn’t know about them). Not only did I write down fat and calories, but I also wrote down how I felt after I ate certain foods. This resulted in me getting to know my body better, and making smarter food choices. I found that soda, potato chips, fast food of all sorts, and frankly large amounts of creamy pasta – made me feel icky, sluggish, gross, heavy. So, I ate them less, or not at all. Also, it’s an EASY way to hold yourself accountable – and now, with websites like www.fitday.com; www.loseit.com; www.sparkpeople.com; www.livestrong.com; and www.caloriecount.com – it couldn’t be easier. I used to be completely fitday loyal – but then I started using the recipe creater in caloriecount… and now I use loseit a lot, because I have a few friends on there, and it’s just like facebook (basically) but just for weight loss support. Which I love! It also has a recipe creater, tons of great already-in-there-for-you foods, and exercises (and you can create your own).

Note to self – I was late for court today so I did not take the stairs. I can and will do better!

14 Mini-goals to consider for weight loss.

I think it is important to set mini-goals to succeed on a long journey. This helps give us more to celebrate and reward ourselves for along the way. (Remember, reward yourself with a mini vacation, new outfit, mani pedi - not high calorie foods).  Here is a list of several worthy mini goals to help us along:

1. Drink 8 oz of water before every meal.

2. Workout at least 10 minutes every day.

3. At least 30 minutes of cardio 5 x a week.

4. At least 3 days a week of strength training.

5. Take a fitness class.

6. Join a group, or train for something.

7. Eat protein at every meal.

8. Eat greens with every meal (this includes fresh mint with dessert).

9. Increase weight, distance, intensity.

10. Fit into a smaller size.

11. Half your daily foods are fruits and vegetables.

12. Park as far away as possible.

13. Take the stairs.

14. Try something new (food, exercise – both).

Bonus motivator: Keep a workout jar. I saw this on Pinterest, put a dollar in for every workout, save up for something special. I actually put a quarter in for every 15 mintues I work out – b/c not every workout is worth the same!

 

Honesty

I worked so hard two years ago to lose weight. I lost 46 lbs. I stopped tracking, and stopped working out, and guess what – I gained it back! So, since about January of this year, I’ve been at it again. But trying to be more careful not to overdo it, so that it’s easier to stick to. I’ve now lost 22.5 lbs again. It’s frustrating to be doing it all over. But at least I’m doing it! Live and learn.

Root Vegetable Mash/Soup

2 cups potatoes3 rutabaga3 cup,+cubes sweet potatoes1 sweet onion10 cloves garlic1/4 cup olive oil2 Buttercup Squash 4 cup,+cubes butternut squash6 carrots1 tbs honey1/4 cup orange juice64 oz low sodium chicken broth64 oz low sodium vegetable broth3 tsp salt3 tsp pepper2 tsp gingerDirections1. cut one butternut and two buttercup squash in half. I blended a tbs of olive oil, the OJ and honey and panted the flesh side of the squash – then put in a 400 degree oven to roast. also roast two heads of garlic (approx 10 cloves) 2. chop onion put in a large pot with drizzle of olive oil – cook over medium heat. 3. clean, peel (I roughly peeled the potatoes b/c I don’t mind the skin, the carrots I peeled b/c I think the peel is bitter and I don’t like it, the rutabagas need to be peeled) 4. chop / cube (can be rough b/c you ultimately blend til smooth, just approx same size so it cooks evenly) the remaining vegetables. 5. place in pot with onions and oil, pour in stock. salt pepper and ginger. bring to boil reduce to simmer. 6. once the squash and garlic are roasted (about 40 minutes) – remove them and let them to cool so you can work with them, remove flesh, squeeze garlic – add to pot, stir. 7. when everything is soft and mashable, blend with an immersion blender. Nutrition FactsServing Size 11 serving (495.6 g)Amount Per ServingCalories 181181Calories from Fat 3939% Daily Value*Total Fat 4.3g4.37%7Saturated Fat 0.6g0.63%3Trans Fat 0.0g0.0Cholesterol 0mg00%0Sodium 790mg79033%33Total Carbohydrates 33.5g33.511%11Dietary Fiber 5.9g5.924%24Sugars 10.1g10.1Protein 4.0g4.0Vitamin A 184%184•Vitamin C 75%75Calcium 9%9•Iron 9%9* Based on a 2000 calorie dietBreakdownDaily Values (495.6g)Legend: Fat Protein Carbs Alcohol OtherGood pointsBad points
■Low in saturated fat
■No cholesterol
■High in dietary fiber
■High in manganese
■High in potassium
■Very high in vitamin A
■High in vitamin B6
■Very high in vitamin C
■High in sodium
■High in sugar

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Mandy Spaulding the recipe that inspired this had sausage and cream – but i cut out a fair amount of calories but leaving those out – although i might add sausage to some of it later (esp for matt) – ps Matt – i know you want lasagna – maybe that’ll be next weekends project.
38 minutes ago · Like.

Ingredients (Makes 22 servings)

2

cups potatoes

3

rutabaga

3

cup,+cubes sweet potatoes

1

sweet onion

10

cloves garlic

1/4

cup olive oil

2

Buttercup Squash

4

cup,+cubes butternut squash

6

carrots

1

tbs honey

1/4

cup orange juice

64

oz low sodium chicken broth

64

oz low sodium vegetable broth

3

tsp salt

3

tsp pepper

2

tsp ginger

6

cups water

1

tsp granulated garlic

1

tsp onion powder

Directions

1.

cut one butternut and two buttercup squash in half. I blended a tbs of olive oil, the OJ and honey and panted the flesh side of the squash – then put in a 400 degree oven to roast. also roast two heads of garlic (approx 10 cloves)

2.

chop onion put in a large pot
with drizzle of olive oil – cook over medium heat.

3.

clean, peel (I roughly peeled the potatoes b/c I don’t mind the skin, the carrots I peeled b/c I think the peel is bitter and I don’t like it, the rutabagas need to be peeled)

4.

chop / cube (can be rough b/c you ultimately blend til smooth, just approx same size so it cooks evenly) the remaining vegetables.

5.

place in pot with onions and oil, pour in stock. salt pepper and ginger. bring to boil reduce to simmer.

6.

once the squash and garlic are roasted (about 40 minutes) – remove them and let them to cool so you can work with them, remove flesh, squeeze garlic – add to pot, stir.

7.

when everything is soft and mashable, blend with an immersion blender.

8.

i added more water at the end (the six cups approx – to smooth it out – b/c it was more like baby food or mashed squash, you can add water/stock or even light or fat free cream)

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/root-vegetable-soup-recipe-r780149#ixzz1ZgLDFCsw

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