Fresh Express Salad Swap

When asked to try the Fresh Express 30 day salad swap I started at 30daysaladswap.com to review recipes. I didn't find very many appetizing recipes to try, maybe because I like salad & didn't feel it needed too much dressing up. I decided to just say "let's eat more salad!" Instead of hitting a drive thru or making a sandwich we'd have fresh salad for lunch or skip that side of potatoes or rice and add a spring mix.

Our first salad swap was pizza night. Perfect substitute; salad with mini pepperoni, marinated tomatoes, and mozzarella balls. Sounds amazing, right? But this carb lovin' house hold wasn't so gung-ho as I was. So we compromised, instead of 3 pizzas we ordered 1, and mixed up 2 bags of Fresh Express CeasarLite Salad kits. It was a success, everyone agreed we were just as satisfied without feeling so heavy after the meal.

When it came to the salad lunches it became a bit mundane. We tried all that was available in our market; American, Italian, Veggie Lover, Spring Mix, & Baby Spinach. By the end of the second week it didn't matter what it was called, it was a bowl of lettuce! So we went in search of the elusive Pear Gorgonzola, Asian, Salsa Ensalada, or Santa Fe chop kits. Every time we passed a grocery store we stopped, and they were no where to be found. Can't really blame Fresh Express for that. I will say compared to other brands of bagged salad I've tried, the name Fresh Express is perfect. Their salads were always fresh and crisp with very little prep time to have a salad on your family's table.

Still Sweet Pumpkin Pie

Healthy Holidays Pumpkin Pie

185 Calories per serving, Total Fat 2g & HALF the sugar of normal pie filling!

What you'll need:

Topping

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C Quick oats

1 T soften margarine

Pumpkin Pie

1 Can (16 oz) pumpkin puree

1 Can (12 oz) fat free evaporated milk

3 egg whites

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C Flour

1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice

3/4 t Baking Powder

1/8 t salt

What to do:

Heat oven to 350. For topping, in a small bowl mix ingredients to create a crumble.

Blend or use mixed to combine all pie filling ingredients until smooth.Pour into oil sprayed deep dish pie plate or a 8x8 cake pan (as I did, since I don't have a deep dish pie plate. Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 

Healthy Holidays Test Kitchen 2

One recipe went through major changes in the Healthy Holiday Test kitchen*; Green Bean Casserole!

Lower fat Green Bean Casserole (serves 10-12)

ingredients:

3 cans no added salt green beans

1 1/2 cans fat free cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2T dried onions

1 small bag of fried onion toppings

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients but fried onions in casserole dish. Once incorporated, top with friend onions. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until thickened.

*original recipes found in archives September 2013

Only changes made to recipes was eggs whites were used for any egg ingredients and neufchatel cheese was substituted with new Greek yogurt cream cheese which was lower in calories in the cheese cake pumpkin pie, but please note that it added tartness.

Pacific Tortilla Soup

Remember a bit earlier I mentioned being chosen to complete a taste test for Pacific organic Tortilla soup starter. Well when my packaged arrived I quickly opened the box, thumbed through the recipes provided and ran to the store for fresh ingredients. I chose to make the classic tortilla soup because my group and I had not previously used any of Pacific's products. 

I also decided to keep the soup vegetarian, although the soup base is not only organic and vegetarian, it is also vegan. I went ahead and made my own chips, but you may want to use pre-packaged.

Recipe:
6-8 servings

ingredients:
2 cartons of Pacific Soup Starters Tortilla Soup Base
1 carton of Pacific Re fried Black Beans
1 cup corn
1-2 Table spoons of chopped fresh cilantro
6 corn tortillas cut into strips
juice from 1 lime
Optional toppings:
Sour cream, shredded Monterrey cheese, avocado

Start by placing base in large stock pot, add carton on beans. Stir well and then bring to a simmer, beans will thicken the soup, but Pacific has done a great job with the base consistency. Add corn and cilantro, allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. While soup simmers, fry up tortillas in about 1/4 cup of oil. Allow to crisp, then  drain off excess oil. Ladle up some soup and top with crispy tortillas and other toppings. I used optional toppings listed above. Buen Provecho! 

So, what did the group and myself think??
Well, as the chef I couldn't believe how amazingly quick and easy it was to make. Minimal ingredients needed to create an appetizing soup. How about the taste? We all had the same response; its like a taco in a soup. It had a little heat to it, but not overwhelming, and the corn tortillas gave a hint of sweetness. I made the soup for a lunch, but it would be great as a starter for dinner or as a dinner with cooked chicken added if you don't mind non-vegetarian. It makes a great soup for a cold day!

Pacific Natural Foods has a great variety of Soup starters from French Onion to Tom Yum, besides their broths, stocks, sauces, and purees. I also love that they are a family owned company who believe in respecting people, animals, and our planet. http://www.pacificfoods.com/our-story/roots.aspx

Disclosure: These are my own opinions of Pacific Natural Foods Tortilla Soup Starter and Re fried Black Beans. I was not asked to write this review nor was I compensated for it.

Test Kitchen on Thanksgiving??

Hello again! I know I have been missing for a few weeks, but I will be at it again. With Thanksgiving just days away, & my previous low fat test kitchen a success, am I crazy to say I will have another test kitchen on Thanksgiving???
Maybe so, but my plan is to tweak the recipes to be closer to the original recipes my family knows & loves. So here I am up at 1:43am with recipe maker from my fitness pal ready to go. Lets hope for the best!!
Check back on Black Friday for results & recipes, after all Christmas is less than a month away. See you soon :)

Simple Italian Yellow Squash (low Carb side)

The first time I ever had this dish was at Carraba's restaurant, I loved it so much and decided it was simple enough to make on my own. (originally made with zucchini, but yellow squash works well also)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2-3 yellow squash, zucchini or both
4-6 sliced mushrooms
1-2 t diced garlic (to your taste)
1-2 T chopped onion
1-2 T chopped tomato
2 T olive oil
Dash of Marsala cooking wine (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil, add garlic, onion, & tomato. Allow veggies to sweat then add mushrooms and squash. Season with salt & pepper. Allow veggie to soften then add dash of cooking wine.

 Cook until softened and golden brown. Goes well with chicken or steak. Buon appetito!

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

Surprisingly amazing!!

2-4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 c to 1.5 cups of Classico Tomato & Basil pasta sauce
.5 c browned ground beef, seasoned to taste (optional)
1 c to 1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
2 medium size zucchini


Mix ground beef & sauce together. Slice zucchini into lasagna noodle like strips, spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. I chopped end slices & added to sauce.

Place zucchini strips on cookie sheet in a single layer, bake for about 5-8 minutes or until soft & flexible at 350 to remove excessive water. ( I forgot this step)

Lightly coat bottom of casserole dish with meat sauce mixture. Place a layer of zucchini.

Cover layer with sauce.

Then add layer of cheese, another layer of zucchini & sauce then cheese. Should have 3 layers, final layer of cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Because I forgot to pre-bake zucchini, my lasagna had excess liquid. I had to carefully pour excess out, then put on low broil for 10 minutes.

Although the texture of the zucchini was not the same as pasta, it was delicious & full of flavor. The noodles were never missed! Allow to settle for about 8-10 minutes, it maintain shape fairly well. A drier lasagna will stay in sliced shape.
Hope you enjoy!