Good-Bye Summer. . . Hello Fall

With September in full swing, we can finally enjoy Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the cool and crisp weather as the red, orange, and yellow leaves scatter on the ground. Oh I just love fall! By favorite part of Fall is Apple season. Nothing tastes better than a crispy apply, freshly picked from a tree. I love going up to Oak Glen around this time of the year in So Cal when the weather starts to cool off and sample all the different apples and drink hot apple cider while visiting all the random stores, picking apples, and feeding the animals at the animal park.

Picking apples straight from the tree leads to some great great low calorie, low fat recipes… grocery store apples just can’t compare to the taste of those from the tree. If you are obsessed with apples like me, than you will love this recipe!Picking apples straight from the tree leads to some great great low calorie, low fat recipes… grocery store apples just can’t compare to the taste of those from the tree. If you are obsessed with apples like me, than you will love this recipe!

* * Crustless Apple Pie Recipe * *

Ingredients

6 apples

1/2 cup splenda or 1 tsp Stevia

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. lemon juice

1/4 cup splenda or 1/2 tsp Stevia

2 tbs. white flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

3 tbs. butter

Directions:

1. Peel, core and cut up the apples. Mix in with the sugar and spices and lemon juice.

2. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar, flours, and butter, then sprinkle over top.

3. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes

Serving Size: 9

Less than 150 calories per serving!

Ah… I can smell the aroma of baked apples and cinnamon filtering through my house! Now to wait till this weather cools off so I can go pick me some apples to bake!Ah… I can smell the aroma of baked apples and cinnamon filtering through my house! Now to wait till this weather cools off so I can go pick me some apples to bake!

Question: What’s your favorite Apple brand and what do you like to eat them with?

I love Pink Lady apples. Use to love eating them with Peanut Butter until I became allergic to it

Did you know that as a bell pepper ages, it changes colors and tastes. For instance, A red bell pepper is a mature green bell pepper and the older it gets, the sweeter it becomes and it contains eleven times more beta carotene than a green one. Beta carotene from bell peppers reaps great health benefits such as eye problems, skin disorders, and enhance immunity.

I love bell peppers… chopped up in salads, sliced and dipped in ranch, or my all time favorite sauteed with onions. Not only do I enjoy bell peppers for their great taste, but also for the vast assortment of rainbow colors they come in. There are so many different colors to choose from: red, green, yellow, orange.

Here is a great low-fat, low-calorie, and low-carb bell pepper recipe to try when these colorful bell peppers are at their abundant best. Red, yellow, green, orange – no matter which you select, this recipe will bring out their true colors.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

* 4 large bell peppers

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* 1/2 cup mushrooms (chopped)

* 1/2 cup onions (chopped)

* 1/2 cup celery (chopped)

* 1 garlic clove (chopped)

* 1 1/4 lb lean ground turkey meat or boca crumbs

* 1/4 cup egg beaters

* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1 teaspoon italian seasoning

* 1 can italian style diced tomatoes

* Salt and pepper as desired

* Italian seasoning and parmesan for toppings

Directions

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

* On stovetop in a medium skillet or saucepan, sauté mushroom, onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until veggies are soft; remove from heat.

* Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl,combine ground turkey, egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

* Add sauté veggie mixture to turkey mixture; mix well.

* Stuff peppers with turkey/veggie mix and place in an ungreased shallow casserole dish.

* In a small bowl, combine undrained tomatoes and tomato sauce; pour over peppers to cover.

* Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings; cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.

* Uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned.

ENJOY!

Question: Do you like Bell Peppers and if so, what is your favorite way to eat them?

Chip-O-Top-Lay, Chipoodle… oh right, Chipotle!

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a great fresh fast-food mexican chain that allows you to build your own taco, burrito, salad, or burrito bowl. From the looks of the of it, one would think it would be healthy, but hidden underneath that burrito lays over 1,200 calories! Yep, you heard me right. . . maybe it has to do with the fact that their burritos are bigger than my face. You definitely can’t say that you don’t get your money’s worth here! ! !

Calories add up fast and you don’t even realize it when you add a little guacamole here, a scoop of sour cream there, a hand full of cheese, and oh wait… don’t forget the lime chips… they are by far God’s gift to mankind! Oh man, I’m hungry!

So how do you eat healthy at Chipotle?

For one, don’t eat the entire Chipotle meal. Portions these days have gotten ridiculous… especially at Chipotle! Check out this older post on Visualizing Portion Control and then go compare your burrito… you might understand me then.

For those of you who are like me and “accidently” end up eating the whole meal without realizing it, cut your meal in half and bag it up before you even begin to eat. This way you aren’t mindlessly eating till it’s gone… and having to roll yourself out of the store

For a burrito or taco, skip out on the guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. . . this saves you nearly 400 calories. If you want to save an extra 300 calories, opt out on the burrito and go for the burrito bowl.

Just because you are skipping out on the tortilla, doesn’t mean you should add on extra rice and beans. Fill up your bowl with veggies and ask for a little bit of rice and beans.

And for those of you that want to be extremely good, go all the way for a salad. These are my favorite because the sauteed bell peppers and onions is a perfect addition to a tasty meal. Add in tomatoes and corn and you are set!

Toss the 260 calorie, 25g of fat salad dressing and opt for salsa.

While Chipotle might have 1,200 burritos, there are ways around it. So make sure you have a plan before heading into the store.

This handy dandy Chipotle Calculator is great to building your own meal. Make sure to use this the next time you head out to Chipotle.

Question: What is your favorite combo meal at Chipotle?

Adios Amigos!

Flatout Flatbread Light. A great alternative to sandwiches and a low calorie option for wraps. They have the look of a tortilla, but thicker and doughy. They  are made in a rectangle shape, preventing everything from falling out of the flatbread. Nothing makes me more frustrated than working so hard to make a perfect wrap and then it all falling apart when I pick it up.

Ranging at 90 calories, these wraps are gold when being on a diet and losing weight in comparison to Subway’s wraps that are a whooping 310 calories for the bread alone. . . What a difference!  These fiber loaded, low carb, high protein wraps come in a variety of different flavors including sun dried tomatoes, italian herb, and multi-grain.

There are so many different ways to eat Flatout Bread. I love making breakfast burritos, sandwich wraps, pinwheel appetizers, fajita wraps, salads, quesadillas, french toast,and everyone’s all time favorite- – - PIZZA!

I love love love pizza, but hate how much butter, oil, and fat comes with it. Flatout bread pizza cuts this out and makes for a healthy alternative to ordering pizza. Try out this great low-fat, low-calorie flatout bread pizza recipe that is loaded with veggies!

Ingredients:

1 flatout flatbread Light Italian Herb

1/2 cup light Ragu Pizza Sauce

1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese

1/2 cup broccoli

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350

* Bake Flatout Bread 5-7 minutes

* Steam all veggies

* Place sauce, veggies, and cheese on flatout bread and bake for another 5-7 minutes

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What is your favorite way to eat Flatout Bread?

Calling all Carb Watchers!

You can have your pasta and eat it too! I have discovered a miracle noodle for carb haters called Tofu Shirataki Noodles that are a measly 20 calories and 3g of carbs. They come in three different kinds of pastas: spaghetti, fettuccine, and angel-hair.

Ok, I know what you are thinking… TOFU?

Call me crazy, but it is actually really good. I’m not a fan of tofu by the slightest amount until I tried this pasta. These noodles actually taste just like your everyday carb loaded noodles. It’s a little on the chewy side… but hey, if it’s only 20 calories and 3g of carbs than I will take the chewyness. The best part is that it is ZERO points for all you weight watcher peps out there!

I found them in the tofu aisle next to all the lunchmeats at Ralphs… click HERE for other locations. They come in a package full of water, so make sure to rinse them very well and pat dry them. When I first tried them I mixed in some boca ground crumbs with Fat Free tomato sauce. For those of you that enjoy Fettuccine Alfredo, Hungry-Girl has a great recipe. Check it out:

Ingredients:

1 Package Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Tofu Noodles

1/2 Wedge The Laughing Cow Light Cheese

1 teaspoon Fat Free Sour Cream

2 teaspoons Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper (if desired)

Directions:

Rinse fettuccine noodles VERY well.  Microwave them for one minute, then drain them and pat dry. Add cheeses and sour cream.  Mix thoroughly. Microwave to help melt cheese further, and mix some more.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

This remarkable meal is a whooping 80 calories and 1 weight watcher point.  What would we do without hungry-girl?

Serve this with a chicken salad and some fruit and you are set to go for a healthy, low calorie Italian dinner!

ENJOY!

Some people think Quaker Rice Cakes taste like cardboard, but I love them! These crunchy cakes range anywhere from 35-60 calories with flavors including plain, chocolate, peanut butter chocolate chip, caramel, cinnamon apple, popcorn and cheddar.

The mini snack cakes have even better flavors ranging from mint chocolate chip, cinnamon streusel, peanut butter, white chocolate drizzle, and sour cream and onion… just to name a few and have only 60 calories for approximately 8 rice cakes. Swoop those sour cream and onion lays for these rice cakes and you save 100’s of calories and fat!

What most people don’t know is that you can do so many different things with Quaker Rice Cakes. You can make anything from mini meals to delicious low calorie desserts. Create some excitement with your Quaker Rice Cakes with these simple, low calories, low fat recipes:

Guiltless Pizza

(80 calories, 2 weight watcher point)

*1 Quaker Salt Free Rice Cake

* Fat Free Pizza Sauce

* Chopped Veggies

* Fat Free Shredded Cheese

BBQ Chicken Salad

(100 calories, 2 weight watcher points)

* 1 Quaker Salt Free Rice Cake

* Cooked Shredded Chicken

* Barbecue Sauce

* Chopped Onions

* Fat Free Sharp Cheddar Cheese

* Chopped Cilantro

Mini Nacho Dippers

(200 calories, 3 weight watcher points)

* 9 Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks, Nacho Cheese

* Old El Paso Fat Free Refried Beans

* Fat Free Sour Cream

* Salsa (Mild, Medium or Hot)

* Optional: slices of jalapenos and/or black olives

Mexican Pizza

(100 calories, 2 weight watcher points)

* 1 Quaker Salt Free Rice Cake

* Fat Free Refried Beans

* Salsa

* Diced Tomatoes

* Chopped Green Chilies, Green Peppers, and Onions

* Chopped green peppers

* Fat Free Shredded Cheese

Tuna Delight

(100 calories, 3 weight watcher points)

* 1 Quaker Salt Free Rice Cake

* Tuna in Brine or Water

* Chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green apples, green chili

* Fat Free Mayo

Banana Nut Caramel Chocolate Crunch

(110 calories, 2 weight watcher points )

* 1 Quaker Caramel Rice Cakes

* Fat Free Chocolate Syrup

* Chopped Peanuts

* Fat Free Caramel Sauce

* Slices of Banana

* Fat Free Whipped Topping

Berries and Granola

(80 calories, 1 point weight watchers)

* 1 Quaker Cinnamon Toast Cakes

* Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt

* Blueberries and Raspberries

*100% Natural Low Fat Granola with Raisins

Key Lime Pie

* 1 Quaker Cinnamon Toast Cakes

* Soft Low Fat Cream Cheese

* Splenda

* Vanilla Extract

* Lemon Juice

Peanut Butter N’ Marshmallow Crunch Cake

(168 calories, 4 weight weight points)

* 1 Quaker Caramel Rice Cakes

* Marshmallow Creme (room temp.)

* Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter (room temp.)

* Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips

They also are great crumbled up in yogurt or in ice cream

for a low calorie / low fat version of granola!

So how do you like to eat your rice cakes?

Breakfast:

Breakfast Jack (Cheese, Ham, and Eggs): 287 calories, 12g fat

* Yes low in calories, but extremely high in fat

Any other breakfast sandwich has up to 500-600 calories in each one and the burritos add up to about 800 calories.

The Steak and Egg burrito has a whopping 806 calories with 49g of fat!

The Denver breakfast bowl that looks somewhat healthy with veggies has a grand total of 720 calories with 53g of fat… holy cow that is a lot of fat!

Hamburgers:

Kids Cheeseburger: 317 calories, 14g fat

The Hamburger Deluxe without the mayo: 280 calories, 11g fat

Avoid all other hamburgers! You won’t find anything under 600 calories. Just three of these small mini sirloin burgers has a whopping 748 calories with 29g of fat!

Chicken:

Grilled Chicken Strips (4pc): 177 calories, 2g fat

Chicken Fajita Pita without cheese: 236 calories, 3g fat

* Both of these are my all time favorites… not only because they are low in calorie and fat but because they taste so good. I love the sautéed bell peppers and onions on the Pita!

All other chicken sandwiches have up to 700-600 calories

Teriyaki Bowls

Chicken Bowl without the sauce: 584 calories, 6g of fat

* Not the lowest of calories but at least you aren’t getting all that fat!

Salads:

Asian Grilled Chicken Salad without dressing, wontons, or almonds: 177 calories, 1g of fat

… add those I didn’t and you pack on another 404 calories and 29 g of fat to total 581 calories and 30g of fat… a difference a small change can make in a salad!

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad without dressing, cheese, and corn strips: 209 calories, 2g fat

Side Salad without croutons: 52 calories 3g of fat

* It’s amazing what a few changes on your salad can make! Before ordering your salad go through the menu and mark down all the things you don’t want on your salad before you order!

Sides:

Beef Taco: 157 calories, 8g fat

Grilled Chicken Pita Snack without sauce or cheese: 187 calories, 2g fat

Fish Pita Snack without sauce or cheese: 256 calories, 8g fat

Steak Pita Snack without sauce or cheese: 224 calories, 5g fat

* The sauce and cheese on these snack pitas add another 123 calories and a 12g of fat!!

Small kids fries: 209 calories, 11g fat

Applesauce: 100 calories

Drinks:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie: 295 calories, 56g sugar

Mango Smoothie: 289 calories, 57g sugar

Pomegranate Blueberry Smoothie: 277 calories, 53g sugar

. . . is these smoothies don’t give you a sugar high than I don’t know what will!!! Avoid these due to all that sugar!

Flavored Teas: 83 calories, 19g sugar

16oz Iced Vanilla Coffee: 98 calories, 16g sugar

16oz Caramel Iced Coffee: 94 calories, 15g sugar

16oz Original Coffee: 96 calories, 16g sugar

Check out the nutritional content on your favorite Jack-In-The-Box food item HERE

Have a great weekend!

Not too sure what to eat tonight?

Hungry-girl has a great low fat, low calorie recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu!

Hungry-Girls Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe including 5oz of chicken is a  whopping 222 calories and 4.5g of fat compared to the traditional 426 calories and 23g fat.

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Check out this video on how to make it…It’s so incredibly easy it’s not even funny!

Hope you Enjoy!

Have your mexican food and eat it too!

Mexican food doesn’t have the greatest reputation in the health realm. With those deep fried tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and greasy cheese you are destined to a heart attack at an early age! But wait one second before you throw all mexican food out the window and avoid it all together.

I found these great low calorie tortillas called the Low Carb/Low Fat La Torilla Factory Tortillas for a whopping 50 calories. They are also loaded with fiber and protein to keep you full longer.
As for the taste, they are amazing!

I love them… and there are so many different ways to use with them.
Here is one of my favorite taco recipes that I make with them… more recipes are to come!

Click HERE to find Low Carb La Tortilla Factory Tortillas Nearest You!

The Skinny Taco

Ingredients:

* 1/2 original boca burger patty- 50 calories
* Low Carb La Tortilla Factory Tortilla- 50 calories
* Shredded Lettuce- 15 calories
* Taco Sauce- 10 calories

Directions:

* Heat tortilla in skillet for a few seconds
* Cook boca burger in skillet and ground up
* Spread laughing cow cheese over tortilla and add rest of ingrediants

This is a great home-made taco that is huge and filling for only 125 calories!

Add some fruit with light yogurt and you have one great healthy meal

…ENJOY!

Not too sure what to eat at Burger King while on a diet? Here is a list of foods to avoid and others to enjoy!

Worst Breakfast:

Omelet Sandwich: 730 calories, 45g fat

French Toast Kid’s Meal (with syrup): 680 calories, 24g fat

Hash Browns (Large): 620 calories, 40g fat

Healthiest Breakfast:

Ham Omelet Sandwich: 290 calories, 13g fat

French Toast Sticks (3 piece): 240 calories, 13g fat

* Syrup: add 80 calories

CROISSAN’WICH Egg & Cheese: 300 calories, 17g fat

CROISSAN’WICH Ham, Egg & Cheese: 340 calories, 18g fat

Salads:

Salads are a great option at BK. Avoid the TENDERCRISP and go for the TENDERGRILL Chicken Garden Salad for 240 calories and 9g fat.

* Avoid These dressings:

– KEN’S Creamy Caesar Dressing: 210 calories, 21g fat

– KEN’S Honey Mustard Dressing: 270 calories, 23g fat

* Healthier Options:

– KEN’S Fat Free Ranch Dressing: 60 calories, 0g fat

Worst Chicken Options:

TENDERCRISP Chicken Sandwich: 790 calories, 44g fat

BK BIG FISH Sandwich: 640 calories, 32g fat

Original Chicken Sandwich: 660 calories, 40g fat

Healthiest Chicken Options:

TENDERGRILL Chicken Sandwich without Mayo: 400 calories, 7g fat

CHICKEN TENDERS 6 pc: 250 calories, 15g fat

BK VEGGIE Burger: 340 calories, 8g fat

Spicy CHICK’N CRISP Sandwich: 320 calories, 13g fat

* * * Although this is low in calorie, there is 2.5g of transfat * * *

Worst Hamburger Options:

TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich With Cheese: 1230 calories, 82g fat

BK Quad Stacker: 1000 calories, 68g fat

WHOPPER Sandwich: 670 calories, 39g fat

Healthiest Hamburger Options:

FLAME-BROILED Hamburger: 290 calories, 12g fat

WHOPPER JR Sandwich: 370 calories, 21g fat

(Hold the Mayo and Cheese to save extra unnecessary calories)

Sides:

French Fries Small: 230 calories, 13g fat

(Swap those fries for apple fries or apple sauce!)

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Have it Your Way… Eat Healthy at Burger King!

For more Burger King nutrition facts visit there website here

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