20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1
by Brie Cadman www.divinecaroline.com

1. Oats
2. Eggs
3. Kale
4. Potatoes
5. Apples
6. Nuts
7. Bananas
8. Garbanzo Beans
9. Broccoli
10. Watermelon
11. Wild Rice
12. Beets
13. Butternut Squash
14. Whole Grain Pasta
15. Sardines
16. Spinach
17. Tofu
18. Lowfat Milk
19. Pumpkin Seeds
20. Coffee

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander

I’ve been doing the low-fat thing for almost a year now, so when I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening by Devin Alexander floated across my desk, it got my attention.
     Especially the desserts.
     I am right smack in the middle of a big-time, sweet-yearning jones, and the Skinny Cows just aren’t cutting it anymore. When I remembered swim suit season is right around the corner, I got a grip and realized I am facing a typical dieter’s pitfall (that nearly prompted a raid on the kids’ candy stash): boredom. What I need is something sweet, satisfying and new.
     I immediately flipped to the desserts section of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening. I found Strawberry Shortcake to Go and Icy Mocha Blended. Then I turned to Peppermint Brownie Pizza, a baked concoction, creamy with whipped topping and crunchy with peppermint candies. When I am making every calorie count, mouth feel plays a big role in satiating my cravings.
     In this dessert, Alexander uses No Pudge! Original Fudge Brownie Mix, but in the headnote she mentions an 88 calorie homemade brownie from a previous cookbook. This launched me on a frenzied Google search to find that recipe. You see, I love to bake and embrace whole foods, so anytime I can bake a low-fat confection, I’m into it.  
     But let’s face it, when you are eating healthy and longing for some lusciousness sometimes you gotta indulge in a little ”processed delight” (like a cookies and cream Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich) to satisfy without sabotaging the diet. For me this has made all the difference in sticking to my “lifestyle change.” Alexander addresses this dilemma in the section Natural Versus Artificial Ingredients: The Perpetual Conflict.
       The book is subtitled Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy, so the methods are quick and easy to boot. There are tips to make weeknight cooking more user-friendly. Alexander suggests cooking in bulk one night a week, relying on pre-cut, pre-chopped foods and decreasing cleanup by using parchment or foil.
     Devin Alexander’s resounding mantra is “Twenty minutes in the kitchen can save you three hours on a treadmill.” In essence she’s saying low-fat does not equal no flavor; that you can cook healthy, light and flavorful in your own kitchen. The big payoff here is once you’ve learned to cook lighter, you are no longer dieting. You’re on the road to a healthier lifestyle and keeping the weight off for good.
     Here’s a recipe that spoke to me. I make a lot of air-popped popcorn as a light snack and I am constantly searching for flavorful, low-fat toppings. In her Buff-Corn recipe, Alexander blends hot sauce (I used my favorite Chipotle Tabasco) with light butter to make a spicy and piquant snack. I’m looking forward to trying her Grilled Chicken and Caramelized Onion Flat Bread with Blue Cheese. I think the Quick Crunch Potato Chips, made in the microwave, are a novel and interesting idea. And her Buffalo Shrimp sounds spicy and satisfying. There are kid-friendly recipes too, like the Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Banana Split and Chocolate Peanut-Bears.
     Alexander knows how to make healthy recipes taste good. She’s a culinary-school trained chef and former caterer to the stars who has worked with The Biggest Loser TV show and hosts Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander on Fit TV. She’s author of the New York Times bestseller, The Biggest Loser Cookbook. But most importantly, she’s a former heavy kid and teen who’s kept over 55 pounds off for nearly 20 years.
     For sure Devin Alexander’s got the culinary cred. And clearly she knows how to keep the weight off, which is challenging when your work is food. Even accomplished cooks need guidance and education when cooking healthier. Devin Alexander is a great teacher. — alyce eyster

Peppermint Brownie “Pizza”

Butter-flavored cooking spray
2/3 cup Fiber One or naturally sweetened fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 box (13.7 ounces) No Pudge! Original Fudge Brownie Mix (look for it in the baking or natural foods aisle in your grocery store or at Trader Joe’s)
1 cup fat-free frozen whipped topping, defrosted
2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint disks or candy canes
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist a 10 1/2-inch tart pan with spray (as a backup, you can use a 10-inch nonstick deep-dish pizza pan, but the brownie won’t pop out as easily as from a tart pan).
In a medium bowl, stir the yogurt into the brownie mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it with a spatula so it evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is no longer wet (a few crumbs are okay). (continued)
Allow the brownie to cool completely. Spoon the whipped topping into the center and then, using a spatula, spread it to evenly cover all but the outer 1/2-inch of the brownie. Sprinkle the crushed candies evenly over the top. Drizzle the syrup in a fine stream from the edge of a spoon to create a criss-cross pattern. Cut into 8 equal wedges. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Makes 8 servings. Each serving made with Fiber One yogurt has: 142 calories, 3 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, trace fat, 0 g saturated fat, <1 mg cholester, 2 g fiber, 107 mg sodium
Recipe and photo used with permission from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening: Over 150 Ridiculously Easy Recipes for the Super Busy by Devin Alexander.

Zucchini linguine with creamy pesto sauce

Submitted by cupcakes revenge on March 22, 2010 - 4:15pm

Average:

0

Servings: 

4

Easy to make zucchini linguine in a deliciously creamy pesto sauce.
More recipes at http://kellysfacesmells.blogspot.com/

Ingredients: 

To make the pesto
1/4c pine nuts
2T flax or olive oil
1/2c basil
1 clove garlic
Add a bit of water as needed to achieve consistency you want.
To make the pasta
2 zucchini
1 avocado, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped

Preparation: 

Pesto:
blend all ingredients together, adding a bit of water or lemon juice as needed to achieve consistency desired. Normally I just wash the basil and don't dry it off before adding it in - the water from that is usually sufficient.
Pasta:
Using a knife, cut the zuccinni in thirds, but don't cut all the way through. With a vegetable peeler, peel thin slices of the zucchini - because it's cut in thirds, the pieces will be thinner and more like linguine. I didn't use the core of the zucchini (the part with seeds) - I save it for soups.
Assembly
In a bowl, toss the zucchini linguine with the pesto sauce until well coated. Then add the chopped avocado and tomato and toss until mixed well.

Making a healthier banana split
The way we're going to increase the fruit quota is by adding strawberries and pineapple to the banana split. And instead of the high calorie strawberry or chocolate syrup that usually tops a banana spilt, we're going to use a strawberry sauce made from fresh strawberries instead.
Reducing the amount of ice cream in a banana split is as simple as using two small scoops of ice cream instead of the typical two or three large scoops. And we're going to forgo the whipped cream all together. Although, if you have this banana split as only an occasional treat, feel free to add a little. But we find that a banana split is already creamy from the ice cream, and banana has a naturally creamy texture in its own right, so it's not really something that's essential anyway.
Let's have a look at how these changes have impacted the calorie and saturated fat content of a banana split:





In the end, we have a banana split that's not only far lower in calories and saturated fat than a regular banana split, but it's also rich in nutrients as well. The banana is a good source of dietary fiber and potassium; the strawberries contain fiber and also plenty of vitamin C (which acts as a powerful antioxidant mopping up free radicals); the nuts sprinkled on top also contain healthy unsaturated fat, and even the ice cream is a good source of calcium.
Here's the step-by-step instructions for making two banana splits:

Cut bananas in half lengthwise

Peel and cut two bananas in half lengthwise and place in bowls.

Hull and slice strawberries

Hull 4 fresh strawberries and slice. Hull and chop more fresh strawberries to make up 1 cup for the sauce.

Make the strawberry sauce

Place the cup of chopped strawberries in a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons superfine (caster) sugar and process until smooth.

Place strawberries and pineapple on split bananas

Arrange 2 sliced strawberries and ¼ cup fresh or canned pineapple pieces (drained) on top of each banana.

Add the ice cream

Place 1 small scoop each of chocolate and strawberry ice-cream on top of each.

Add strawberry sauce, crushed nuts and cherries

Drizzle each split with equal amounts of strawberry sauce, sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of crushed roasted peanuts, and top with a cherry on each scoop of ice-cream to serve.

A healthy Caesar salad
The way we've made the salad healthier is to use olive oil infused toasted whole wheat bread pieces instead of fried croutons. The dressing in this recipe is relatively high in calories (mainly from healthy unsaturated oils), but it's also high in flavor, so a little goes a long way. We're also not going to go overboard on the Parmesan cheese. Finally, this Caesar salad is a deluxe version with bacon bits-- but we're going to use lean Canadian bacon instead of typical fatty bacon. (You can, of course, use soy bacon if you don't eat meat.)

Let's have a look at how these few small changes have impacted the nutritional content of a Caesar salad:





Our Caesar salad contains substantially fewer calories than a regular version. It's also lower in fat and higher in dietary fiber. And best of all, it tastes just as good as the regular version. Here's the recipe so you can try this recipe out at home. This recipe makes two servings.

Mix together dressing

Place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove of minced (crushed) garlic, 2 finely chopped anchovy fillets, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a jar with a screw top lid and shake until well combined.

Cook and chop bacon

Broil (grill) 2 lean bacon rashers, such as Canadian bacon, (rind and fat removed) on both sides until cooked and chop into small pieces.

Brush bread with olive oil and toast

Brush 2 slices of whole wheat bread evenly on both sides with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and toast until golden brown.

Cut into croutons

Remove the crusts and cut into croutons.

Assemble and serve

Place 3 handfuls of washed and dried romaine (Cos) lettuce leaves in a salad bowl with half the bacon bits and croutons, drizzle with the dressing and toss gently to coat well. Scatter the remaining bacon bits and croutons on top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Sweet Pepper-Chicken Sandwich

Season 7's Estella Hays and I invented this recipe one day at the Ranch when we were bored with a plain chicken sandwich. The addition of bell peppers gives this sandwich added flavor, and the sprouted grain bread lends it a great texture.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon yellow or spicy mustard
2 slices Trader Joe's or other brand sprouted whole grain bread, toasted
1 large leaf romaine lettuce
3 ounces lean, low-sodium sliced chicken breast
1/2 roasted red bell pepper, cut in strips
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican four-cheese blend

Directions
Spread the mustard on 1 piece of toast. top with the lettuce, chicken and bell pepper, ending with the cheese.
Place the half sandwich under a broiler or in a toaster overn for 20 to 30 seconds, until the cheese melts. top with the second piece of toast. Cut in half. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 sandwich.
Per serving: 310 calories, 31 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates (3 g sugars), 7 g fat (3 g saturated), 65 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 1,380 mg sodium

Read more: http://www.ivillage.com/sweet-pepper-chicken-sandwich/139157#content#ixzz0n4ra4MtF
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Do a Quick Gym Workout 

Mini Workout or a great Workout for someone that has ADD or no patience

JoAnne Ragan, 32, of Akron, Ohio, used a heart rate monitor equipped with a calorie counter to figure out how she could burn 100 calories in 15 minutes. She started with five minutes of hill climbing on the treadmill, elliptical or bike, followed by two minutes of bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises and upright rows with 8- to 10-pound weights. Next comes five minutes of interval training--alternating walking and running on the treadmill--and finally, three minutes of squats, lunges and wall sitting. “I can’t stand cardio, so interval with strength training is my favorite,” says Ragan, who has lost 116 pounds and was a Grand Prize winner of the 2009 Weight Watchers Inspiring Stories of Change contest.

Read more: http://www.ivillage.com/do-quick-gym-workout/121821#content#ixzz0n4mttyuq
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Peanut Sauce, So yummy with Chicken as a salad

Annika and I made dinner tonight! It was so yummy I so wish I could have taken a picture of this yummy Dinner...

What we did to make the salad amazing!

• Spinach as Salad
• Tomato
• Coconut flakes
• Chicken grilled
• Sauce alllll over!!! and Enjoy the amazing!!!

Using only five ingredients, this quick and easy peanut sauce recipe is a great choice for nights when you don't have time to chop fresh herbs or crush peanuts.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons white granulated sugar

Preparation:

Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Note:For best results, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Before serving, thin the sauce with a bit more warm water if needed. Use the peanut sauce within 3 - 4 days.