Avocado "Hummus" (Recipe, Pics)

I am very well known the world over, ok, well maybe just in my family, but still...for my totally delicious guacamole.  I love avocados.  Tasty AND nutritious, chock full of good fats.  At the same time, I've tried several kinds of hummus and have never been able to find one that I like.  I take one taste and, like a kid, quickly take a drink to wash the taste out of my mouth.  Strange, too, because I like chickpeas.  Weird.  So when I saw a post for Avocado Hummus, I thought I'd give it a try since I like avocados so much.  I found it on Pinterest.  If you hover over the black bar on the right you can find my Pinterest link.  You can find the original Pin for this on my board called "Recipes That Look Really Good".  Although I did change the recipe just a tad from the original that's posted there.  I think technically it's not really a hummus because it's not made with chickpeas, nor does it have tahini. 

It must be really good because I told my daughter, Sami, to try it.  She sat down, and the next time I looked over she was gone and the bowl was nearly empty!  The kids think it tastes like my "famous" guacamole, with a little more kick.  I think it tastes similar, but different at the same time.  So much more economical, too, because the beans really stretch out one avocado.  So instead of spending $5 or $6 on avocados for our next Mexican dinner, I can buy 1 avocado and make mock hummus instead.  Yea!  Budget Saver that tastes good!  Score!

Here's how to make it:

1 can of white or Navy beans, drained and rinsed.
1 medium sized avocado, nice a ripe...not hard.
2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put everything in a blender and chop it all up.  Stop the blender and mix it up a few times.  You might leave in a few whole beans for good texture.

This will surely be a crowd pleaser!  I have it pictured here with Pretzel Crisps, but it would be so delectable with any chopped or sliced vegetable.  Great for a party, to top Mexican foods, pita chips, or if you just feel like snacking instead of making dinner, have this and still get the nutrition of a small meal with those fresh, crisp veggies.  My avocado was 4.8 oz.  With that size plus the can of beans, I was able to get about 5 servings of about 1/4C each.  The stats for that are:  144.3 calories, 6.7g fat, 1g saturated fat, .8g polyunsaturated fat, 4.6g monounsaturated fat, 74.5mg sodium, 110mg potassium, 16.3g carb, 6g fiber, 5.4g protein. (4 Points Plus) Just make sure to add the calories and stuff for whatever you dip it with. 

I really hope you try this, either as a dip or as a topping.  I bet you get rave reviews for it.  Leave a comment here, and you can also drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Party It Up!
Lisa
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Eggs on the Go (Recipe, Pics)

I was going to make a recipe one day last week that called for egg substitute.  When I went shopping I picked up a little container of Egg Beaters, but what I didn't realize is that I picked up the Southwestern Style Egg Beaters instead of plain.  oops.  I don't think the dessert I was going to make would taste good with peppers and spices.  So it sat in my refrigerator for a while.

In the meantime, I have received several emails from Hungry Girl with recipe ideas for Eggs in a Mug.  I didn't have the directions in front of me when I did it, but how hard could it be, right?  I sprayed a coffee mug with pan spray.  Then I shook up the Egg Beaters, measured out 3/4 C, which is equal to 3 eggs in baking, and poured it into the cup.  I got 2 slices of Jennie-O 98% Fat Free Turkey Ham and cut it up into pieces.  I added that to the eggs and gave a little stir.  I did not know how long to cook it for, so I just put it in for about 45 seconds.  It was not near done, so I just gave a quick stir and put it back in.  I put it in for another minute and checked again.  Still didn't seem to be done.  Stirred it again.  Put it back in for another 30 seconds.  I think I ended up cooking it for about 3 1/2 minutes.  At the last little bit I put a little sprinkle of grated cheese on top and nuked it for about 15 seconds with the cheese on it.

My eggs look a little small in this mug.  That's because it's a pretty big mug.  It was more than enough to fill me up.

Caution:  The mug was VERY hot.  After I let it cool a bit I was able to eat it, because right out of the microwave it is entirely toooooo hot.  Good thing there's a handle on the mug!  The Southwestern Style flavor of the Egg Beaters was really good.  Nice little kick to it, but not overly so.  The turkey ham was also a good idea.  I like meat in my eggs.  The one thing that is not so good about Egg Beaters?  The price!!!  I can't remember the exact price but for a small container it was something like $3.79, and it's only the equivalent of 7 eggs!  That's an expensive dozen eggs, for sure. 

The nutritional information, though, is very different on the Egg Beaters vs regular shelled eggs. 
1 Real Egg                               1/4 C Egg Beater (1 egg equivalent)
70 calories                               25 calories
fat 5g                                       fat 0g
saturated fat 1.5g                      saturated fat 0g
cholesterol 185mg                    cholesterol 0mg

Having 3/4C of the Egg Beaters saved me 135 calories over 3 regular eggs.  That's a pretty big difference.  For the price it's not something I would do all the time, but I'm sure there are those out there who can afford it.  Maybe what I might do is mix 1/4C egg beater, 1 whole egg and 1 egg white.   An egg white only has 17 calories in it, so that mixture would save (over 3 real eggs) about 98 calories, and 370mg cholesterol, which is still pretty significant.  That might be a good choice, and a little more economical.  If you get the plain flavor you can do all sorts of things with your Eggs in a Mug.  Add anything you would to an omelet.  I am going to try a wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese in one, cut up into pieces and melted as it cooks.

Oh, I was going to mention that I checked the directions Hungry Girl gives for the Eggs in a Mug, and she says to cook it for 1 minute, stir and cook for another 30-45 seconds.  Mine definitely weren't done in that amount of time.  Maybe it's because I used more Egg Beaters, or maybe my microwave is different....or a combination of both.  Point is, just try it and see what works with your oven.

If you're a little short on time but want still want to have a healthy, filling breakfast, try cooking up some Egg Beaters in a mug with your favorite fillings and take it with you.

Have a Good Morning and Don't Skip Breakfast!

Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com or leave a comment with your suggestions, thoughts and ideas.

Chicken A La King and Garlic Beans (Recipes, Pics, Review)

I came across this recipe on dLife and it brought back memories of one of my favorite childhood dinners.  Except when I was a kid it came out of a can, and I'm sure was out the roof with fat and sodium.  This recipe is not.  I was very excited to try this one, and I was even more excited that it looked so easy.  If you haven't noticed by now, I really like easy cooking.  I mean, really, who says it has to be complicated and take forever for it to taste good?  If the contestants on "Chopped" can make gourmet entrees with weird ingredients in 30 minutes, then I should be able to make something with ingredients as basic as chicken and a recipe in front of me in about the same, right?

The ingredients you will need are:

4 oz mushrooms
2 Tbsp canola oil
3 C fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 C powdered nonfat milk
1/8 tsp white pepper (I don't keep that in my cupboard so I just used black pepper)
1 lb diced up cooked chicken breast
1/4 C pimento peppers, diced or chopped

And it's super easy to make...

1.  Put oil in saucepan.
2.  Chop up mushrooms in small pieces and put in pan.   Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together broth, cornstarch, dry milk, and pepper until smooth.
4.  Add mixture to mushrooms and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally.
5.  Add cooked chicken and pimento to the sauce and heat to serving temperature.
6.  Serve over whole grain toasted bread.

I served this with a side of garlic beans.  They are super way easy to make, too.

4 oz chopped up mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I used 2 good sized cloves)
Black pepper to taste
1/2 C fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 lb fresh or frozen green beans

1.  Put chicken broth into the crock pot that was sprayed with pan spray.
2.  Put minced garlic in the pot.
3.  Put the green beans in the pot.
4.  Sprinkle with pepper.
5.  Put mushrooms in pot.
6.  Cook covered on high heat for about 3 hours.  Serve.

How easy is that???  I love crock pot dishes that you dump everything in and leave it to do its thing.  Here's what my dish looked like, with a few explanations.  First, I didn't have any really good, wholesome whole grain bread on hand, so I just used generic store brand wheat.  Second, the chicken looks a little skimpy because I unexpectedly had extra mouths to feed and had to stretch it a little.  To make additional sauce I whisked together 1C milk (1%) with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and threw it in with the chicken broth sauce.  I probably could have let it get a little thicker, too, but I was getting crunched for time.

This is super good on the nutritional stats!  For just the Chicken A La King, chicken and sauce, without the bread here are the facts for 1/6 of the mixture, about 3/4C or so, give or take:  193 calories, 7.4g fat, .6g saturated fat, 1.3g polyunsaturated fat, 2.7g monounsaturated fat, 64mg cholesterol, 369mg sodium, 77mg potassium, 2.3g carb, 27g protein.  (5 Points Plus)

The green beans are (for about 1/2C):  36.5 calories, 47.5mg sodium, 214mg potassium, 6g carb, 2g fiber, 1.8g protein.

Add in your favorite whole grain bread, toasted, and you've got yourself one healthy meal.  My family loves biscuits and gravy, which is off our list now because of the fat, calories, carbs, etc.  This, for them, was reminiscent of that.  I served theirs with a jumbo biscuit, but when I realized how that one biscuit totally decimated the health stats, I opted for a couple slices of wheat bread for a fraction of the calories, carbs and fat.  But some good, dense whole grain bread would have been even better.  For me, the taste was even better than what I remembered as a kid getting from the canned chicken a la king.  It sure does make a difference when you use real ingredients!  My whole family, plus our guest, really ate up this dish quickly.  I would have liked it even better if I had the time to let the sauce get a little thicker.  The garlic beans were a big hit with everyone, even the kids. 

I hope you try this recipe.  I think you will really enjoy it.  And, bonus, it was so easily converted to vegetarian for Sami.  Before I added the chicken to the sauce, I scooped out a cup of it and put it in another little pot with her cut up Quorn brand vegetarian chicken.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  Oh...I forgot!  When I cooked up the chicken I sprinkled it with pepper and just a little garlic powder to season it.

If you would like to leave a comment here, please do!  I can also be contacted at happyfairylove@live.com.

Eat Healthy!
Lisa
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My Strategies for Tackling Grocery Shopping Effectively

I used to have a very difficult time grocery shopping.  I would go to the grocery unprepared, and just go off memory the things I thought I wanted to buy for the week.  Needless to say I frequently forgot things I needed, requiring 2nd and 3rd trips to the store, but I also ended up buying a lot of junk food and impulse items that were a bust for my budget and waistline.  These days I am much more organized, and it is so much easier to get the weekly shopping done, even though I go to 3 stores to do it.  I rarely go over my budget, I only occasionally miss something, and I seldom buy impulse items.  What are my strategies?  Two things:  Plan ahead and make a list.

The first thing I do to tackle my weekly shopping is I sit down and plan a menu for the week.  I've made this easier for myself by making another list...one of my family's go-to dinners.  I have made a list in Word that is categorized by type of meat, or pasta or miscellaneous for things like breakfasts for dinner or soup and sandwiches.  I can only afford 2 or 3 "big" meals a week where I buy meat or ones that require a lot of ingredients.  The other days are more simplified with things like spaghetti or sandwiches.  So i start off with the "big" dinners that I try to base on what's on sale at the grocery that week.  I get my store's sale flier in my email every Tuesday, and I go through it and make a mini list on my shopping list of sale items that I like and use frequently with their prices.  (My store has a price guarantee policy, so if I write down the sale price I can make sure I get my guarantee.)  Then I fill in the other days with my "easy and cheap" dinners, and one day a week is reserved for Take Out...my reprieve from cooking duties for a day.  It's crazy, though, because I don't usually even eat the take out, so I have to make myself something else AND I'm the one who has to go get it.  Half the time I think it would be easier to make another dinner!  But also Jeff pays for the take out, which gives my grocery allowance a little break and saves me from having to skimp more on our dinners.

Sometimes I take the dinner list around to each family member and tell them to choose 1 dinner.  That way I'm sure to be making something each night that someone requested.  And sometimes they say, "You can thank me for this dinner tonight!"  lol.

After I plan a menu by choosing off my Dinner List I start my grocery list.  There are many ways to do a grocery list.  Some people categorize by food group, others by aisle.  I prefer to do mine by each meal of the day; dinners, breakfast foods and lunches, and miscellaneous.  Find a method that works for you, but I'll go ahead and show you what my list looks like each week to give you some ideas.  Here is a pic of how it is arranged, and you can click on it for a larger view.

I fold the paper in half, lengthwise.  On the top right half I start by writing down the sale items and prices, so I can try to plan some things around what's on sale.  Next, I move to the other side and plan my daily dinner menu.  Then I go to the top of the page and list the ingredients each day I will need to make those dinners.  On the right side I divide the space up between lunch and breakfast items.  There is a place under the daily ingredients where I put miscellaneous items that don't fit into a category.  Last, I have a small space on the bottom left to put in snack items.  It's a small space for a reason! :)

I mentioned earlier that I shop at three different stores each week.  I go even further by highlighting, using a different color for each store, the items I will buy at each place.  I know pretty well which items are least expensive at which store, so it's a quick scan process, but it makes shopping day sooo much easier.  All I have to do is look for yellow items when I'm at Wal-Mart, or orange items when I'm at Fry's and green when I'm at Sprouts.  I'm also a little obsessive about my shopping lists because I take it one step further and write the estimated prices of each item above the item, then I go through, add up the totals, and make sure I'm within my weekly budget.  If I'm too high I go back and make changes.  I pretty much have my list-making down to a science and it only takes about 30-45 minutes of my time.  But the difference having a list makes when doing the shopping is worth so much more than a few minutes of one of my days.

While I'm shopping I have in hand a calculator to add up my groceries as I'm going along to make sure I estimated accurately and that I'm staying within budget and a pen to mark off the items as they go in my cart.

After my shopping is done I cut out the weekly menu and put it on the front of my refrigerator.  Just because I wrote down "tuna casserole" or whatever on Monday doesn't mean I'm required to have it on Monday.  By putting the list on the refrigerator I can a) remember what I planned for the week and b) each morning choose one meal from the week that I will make that day.  I know that Tuesdays and Thursdays are football practice for Matthew and night class for Sami, so I don't choose involved dinners on those days.   I know that Saturdays and Sundays are usually better for the more involved dinners.  Fridays are usually Take Out.  But, our schedule and plans often change so I also need to be flexible.

My method does not have to be the one you adopt, but I highly recommend finding a way to make a list that works for you.  Using a list, in the long run, will save you time, money and calories...and for me it also saves a lot of stress!

Do you have suggestions that work well for you and might be helpful to others?  Leave your ideas in the comments and share them with everyone.  If you'd like you can drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Shop Happy and Smart!
Lisa
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Vegetables Are Best With Cheese (Recipe, Pics, Review)

Here is a quick and easy side dish to go with any meat and potato-less dinner.  I will say, as easy as it is to make, it's also a little easy to mess it up.  My tip to make this perfect...go easy on the liquid!  Do you like cauliflower?  Not a lot of people do because I think it's, well, bland and blah.  This is a way to make cauliflower yummy, and take the place of mashed potatoes.  It's mashed cauliflower.  Ok ok, so it doesn't taste like mashed potatoes, but if done right it will have the consistency of mashed potatoes and give you that feeling of eating those starches.  This serves about 6.  Here's what i did...

1 head of cauliflower...mine came to about 2 lbs.
1/2-3/4 C low fat, low sodium chicken broth
6 oz shredded cheese
Pepper to taste

All you have to do is steam up the cauliflower until it's good and tender.  I put about 1/2 C chicken stock in a bowl, rough chopped the cauliflower and put it in the bowl, covered it lightly and cooked it in the microwave for about 15 minutes.  You may want to check it after 10, and then go in 2 minute increments after that.  If you chop your cauliflower smaller than i did mine it will probably get done faster than 15 minutes.  On the other hand, if you cut it bigger, well then 15 minutes might not be quite enough.  The point is, steam it until it's fork tender.

Then transfer the cooked cauliflower and broth from the bowl to a blender.  Blend on a high speed until thick and relatively smooth...no big lumps.  You will more than likely have to stir it a few times to get all the cauliflower chopped up.  WARNING:  Turn off your blender BEFORE sticking a spoon down into the blender to avoid a BIG mess.  Like I did. lol  Mashed cauliflower went everywhere, and it got on me and didn't feel too good since it just came out of the microwave.  If it is difficult to blend, and it looks like it may need a little more liquid, add just a little at a time.  The last thing you want is watery mashed cauliflower.  I've done this before, too, and believe me, it's not good.

Here's the nutritional info for 1 serving (about 1/6 of total recipe):  139 calories, 8.2g fat, 5g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 347mg sodium, 458mg potassium, 9.1g carb, 3.8g fiber, 9.25g protein. (4 Points Plus)  Pretty good for a tasty side dish!  If you want to cut down a few calories and fat, just use a little less cheese than I did.  I'm having a hard time personally with cutting down on cheese...I love it!

It tastes very good, and it passes the kids' taste test.  They eat it all, and I think it may be because of the added cheesiness, because let's face it.  Cheese makes everything taste good! :)

If you'd like to leave a comment here, I like getting comments.  Or, if you want you can drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

UPDATE:  Jeff made a comment that although he really likes the flavor of this side dish, he's not crazy about the texture.  We pinned it down to that he thinks it's like eating baby food because it's so smooth.  So, here's my tip...to enjoy the flavor and NOT have a baby food texture, don't over blend it.  Maybe it would be ok to leave in a lump or two.

Eat Well!
Lisa
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Pork It's What's For Dinner (Recipe, Pics, Review)

I don't know about you, but I LOVE pork.  Any of it.  All of it.  I think it's my favorite kind of meat.  And I like it in very specific ways.  I'm picky, and so is my family.  So it was a little scary when I went outside our comfort zone and made pork in a whole new way (for us, at least).  Usually I use Shake N Bake pork chops, or if I feel like making a really big mess I use eggs, flour, fry on each side and then bake.  Haven't done that in a while, though.  It is VERY messy and takes a long time.  Tonight's dinner was easy, no fuss no muss.  That's the way I like it!  I made Apple Mustard Glazed Pork Chops.  How does that sound?  I've always heard that apples go well with pork, but I've never tried it.  So tonight was a first for us.  Here's what you need:

1 lb Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops 3/4" thick (trim fat if there's a lot)
Pepper
1 tsp Canola Oil
1/4 C Apple Juice
2 Tbsp Apple Jelly
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

My regular grocery store (Fry's) didn't carry any apple jelly.  I found a jar, though, at Super Wal-Mart for just $1.50.  I'm sure healthy food stores would carry it, too.

Here's what you do to make the chops:

1.  Season with a little pepper.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and brown chops on one side.
2.  Mix juice, jelly and mustard in a little dish.  I used a fork to mash up the jelly to get it mixed together well.
3.  Turn chops.  Add juice/jelly/mustard mixture to skillet.

4.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes.  To check doneness, cut into the middle of the thickest chop and make sure it's cooked through before removing from heat.

That's it!!!  One little dish and one pan!  wooo hooo!  I was very nervous to serve this to my family since they are not used to the flavors.  But my kids came through for me.  They loved it!  Matthew had a 2nd piece, and Sara went and got extra pan sauce for hers.  My husband, Jeff, ate his up pretty quickly.  It was a success!  Yea!  It was even easier and less messy than Shake N Bake.  I love easy and no mess.

Here are the nutritional values for 1/4th of recipe (4 oz piece of meat and 1/4 of pan sauce):  300 calories, 5.8g fat, 4.1g saturated fat, 2.2g polyunsaturated fat, 84mg cholesterol, 418mg sodium, 490mg potassium, 8.4g carb, 32g protein.  (5 Points Plus) It's a little high in calories, but definitely worth it.  The carb count and grams of protein are phenomenal, though.

So go ahead and try something new....Apple Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops is a good place to start!  If you'd like to leave a comment, please do.  You can always reach me, too, at happyfairylove@live.com.

UPDATE:  I made 8 pork chops, and after everyone ate, there was just one left.  Matthew, my 12 year old, came in about 2 hours after dinner and asked me if he could have another dinner.  So, he ate the last one.  Jeff had I think 3 chops himself.  I wanted more, but I stuck to 1 serving like a good girl.  Jeff said numerous times throughout the evening how good the chops were.  Point is, the family REALLY loved these chops.  I hope yours does too!

Eat Happy!
Lisa
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A Savory Side (Recipe Pics & Review)

I've been giving you recipes for main dishes, like the Honey Pecan Chicken, Tilapia, and Chicken Eggplant Casserole.  I've given you some good recipes for sweet treats like Strawberry Dream Mousse and Diet Soda Cake.  Now I thought I should give you a recipe for a side dish.  One of my family's favorite vegetables is broccoli.  We have it a lot, just steamed, no butter or salt or anything.  I got them used to eating it plain and they like it that way.  Sometimes, though, a little cheese and seasoning is a nice switch.

I got this recipe from one that I pinned on Pinterest.  I am not real good with Pinterest yet, and I don't know who the original recipe was from.  But the pin is on my Healthy Cooking board if you want to figure it out.  (To find me on Pinterest, hover over the black bar on the right and look for the Where to Find Me tab.  My links are on there.)

The ingredients are:

16 oz fresh or frozen broccoli, steamed and chopped
1 C Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 Eggs
1 C shredded colby/jack or cheddar cheese (the original recipe calls for 1/2 C, but I don't think that's enough cheese for that much broccoli)

Preheat oven to 375F

Put everything into a bowl and mix it up.  I tried mixing it with a whisk (definitely didn't work) and a spatula (not good either), and it came down to just getting my hands dirty and mixing it up the best I could.

Then the original recipe says to line a pan with parchment, but I didn't have any of that.  I used aluminum foil with pan spray on it.  Now, mine did stick to the foil a bit, so if you have it try the parchment, or maybe even waxed paper.

Anyhoo, make some patties...it was a little difficult because the mixture kept sticking to my hands when I tried to "pat the patty" (hehe)  So I ended up just putting a small mound on the pan and then shaping it from there.  There will be enough mixture to make 8 patties of a fair size...a little bigger than a golf ball maybe.

Bake for 15 minutes, turn patties over and then continue to bake for another 10 minutes.  I served 2 patties per person.

I made a pork chop dinner tonight.  Whenever I have pork chops it seems that all my target numbers for calories, saturated fats, proteins, etc. all fall in line.  I don't know what it is about pork.  I think maybe because it fills me up well enough that I don't feel like snacking at all.  I also made mashed potatoes and gravy.  One serving of pork chops is about 4 oz, mashed potatoes are 1/3 C and gravy is 1/4 C.  I used Walmart brand instant potatoes and Walmart brand Mushroom Gravy packet.

For just the broccoli patties, the nutritional information for 2 patties (of 8 total) is:  118 calories, 3.8g fat, .9g saturated fat, 73mg cholesterol, 248.8mg sodium, 228mg potassium, 2.48g fiber and 6.6g protein. (3 Points Plus)

If you'd like to have this entire dinner, the nutritional info (including pork flavored shake & bake) with the serving sizes I mentioned is:  577 calories, 8.6g fat, 4.9g saturated fat, 157mg cholesterol, 754mg sodium, 1005mg potassium, 42g carb, 4.5g fiber and 41.6g protein. (10 Points Plus for whole dinner)

Now, what did my family of taste testers think of the broccoli patties?  They were a success!  Everyone liked them and ate them up just fine.  To me, they seemed a little dry, but that could be from a couple different things.  1) I was in a super hurry and didn't have time to really mix the ingredients well, so the eggs and cheese weren't evenly spread throughout the broccoli.  and 2) the directions say to cook at 375F.  I cooked mine at 400F because that's what my pork chops were cooking at.  I could have turned down the heat on the chops and cooked those 5 minutes longer, but the way I did it the broccoli patties somehow got a little dry.  But that didn't take away from the flavor.  And, I don't know about you, but when I've got a plate of potatoes, meat, gravy and vegetables, everything goes in on a bite, so the gravy moistened up the broccoli perfectly.

My family and I do recommend trying this recipe.  It was a nice switch up from the plain steamed broccoli we normally have.  I hope you enjoy it!  Leave a comment here or drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Merry Meals,
Lisa
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