Staples, Cinq

Pardon my French, folks. :)

Another of my favorites: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray.

Here are the nutritional values http://www.tasteyoulove.com/product_detail.asp?pid=5 .

I really can't imagine life without butter. Seriously. But this stuff comes really close. You can put it on toast, use it in recipes, spray it on a potato -- anything you want! In fact, I just used it last night to make a grilled cheese sandwich (OK, so the cheese isn't good for me, nor is the white bread, but I saved myself some fat, cholesterol and calories by using the spray, didn't I?).

I sure hope other stuff starts coming out in a spray. I'm sensing a trend here!

Bon appetit.

Staples, Quatre

If you're anything like me, you love a good salad. Especially when it's dripping with creamy ranch dressing, or any kind of dressing for that matter. If you haven't tried Salad Spritzers I urge you to try them right away. They're amazing! At last, a wonderful alternative for dressing junkies. Here's the main spritzer page on Wishbone's site: http://www.wish-bone.com/Dressings/1807/Balsamic-Breeze-Vinaigrette.aspx .

Also, for added flavor in a salad keep a jar of mild pepperoncini in your fridge. When you make your salad, cut open the pepperoncini and drain it over the lettuce and veggies!

Staples, Trois

I found this recipe online and it is unbelievably tasty. Also, because I work and don't necessarily have time to create a lunch in the morning, this can be cut up into a ton of portions and frozen for the grab-and-go experience.

Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 pkg.(6oz) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
1C water
3/4C barbeque sauce, divided (make sure it's a tasty sauce, not the crappy stuff)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
In a small bowl,beat eggs lightly with a fork.
Place turkey, stuffing mix, water, beaten eggs, and half of the barbeque sauce in a large bowl.
Mix all ingredients by hand.
Shape meat mixture into an oval loaf in a 13x9" baking dish.
Top meatloaf with remaining half of barbeque sauce.
Bake 1 hour or until cooked thru or meat thermometer reaches 160.


I know that bread and BBQ sauce can be deadly to a diet in large portions, however, you can control your calories and fat intake by cutting it up into portions (you can probably get up to 14 portions out of this). Plus, ground turkey is a whole bunch better than ground beef.

Staples, Deux

Wow! It's been a while since I've written! Anyway...

Around the holidays a co-worker (a skinny, superhealthy co-worker) brought in a salad that her husband had made for her. I tried it, loved it and thought I'd share the recipe. It contains kidney beans, which are super good for you (here's a spot to read up on their nutritional goodies: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=87 ).


Recipe for Corn-Bean Salad

• 2 cans (11 oz. each) corn niblets, drained (use "no salt added")
• 1 can (15 oz.) kidney beands, rinsed and drained (rinse them A LOT, until the red sludge disappears)
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion (I used shallots, and put them through the food processor)
• 2 cloves garlic (because I used shallots I cut this down to 1 clove and put it in the food processor with the shallots)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I find cilantro a rather strong herb, so I put it in the food processor and probably only used a little over a teaspoon)
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste (I used sea salt)

Mix everything together and chill for an hour -- delicious and nutritious!