A Dietitian’s Low-carb Journey: Ups and Downs

Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe it’s to put this diet to rest once and for all. Maybe I can prove myself wrong.

Bangers and Mash

That’s right, my British buds; last night’s Green Chef meal was bangers and mash!  My sweet husband cooked it.  As always, I was elated to have a night off from the kitchen! Our last Green Chef menu for the week is a Tuna Melt sandwich and I made Tuna Toasties for lunch today!  Really?  I’ve… Continue reading Bangers and Mash

How To Ramen

Want Chinese takeout without consuming an entire day’s worth of calories? Here’s your answer!

Think Outside the Pizza Box

I love using Naan bread to make homemade pizza.  If you have a picky crowd, you can personalize each round.

A Family Favorite

I love soup because you throw it all into one pot and serve up a complete meal that everyone loves.

W.W.I.D

When I began studying to become a dietitian, I knew I needed to discover a way to shift the savorless plants into something I could really enjoy eating.

A Pizza My Mind

Pizza can become your artist’s palette with an endless world of topping options. There’s no reason to eat a plain old cheese and pepperoni pizza!

Seaside

The word seaside alone, awakens a sense of relaxation and conjures up thoughts of excitement, pleasure and magnificent beauty.  This place on 30A, is no exception. With beaches all along the 18.5 miles of scenic 30A,  Seaside is one of my favorite spots.  The kids are thrilled to run free in the large open grassy… Continue reading Seaside

Wishing to be Clever Enough to Come Up with a Name Like Epicurious

this is a low-calorie, low-fat meal.  I even think we will have room to add a reasonably-portioned dessert!

Juicier Than Juicy Cheeseburger

When you have seemingly numberless kids under foot, threatening your sanity, you burn things…

Barefoot Contessa

I guess I should be glad he didn’t ask for a Giada De Laurentils cookbook.  My cleavage wouldn’t measure up.

Chicken & Arugula Cacio e Pepe

  Cacio e pepe in Italian means cheese and pepper.  This is a pasta dish with few ingredients and is simple to make.  I found this recipe on countryliving.com. Chicken and Arugula Cacio e Pepe 8 oz bucatini or spaghetti 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup grated Parmesan 4 cup baby arugula 2 cup diced warm… Continue reading Chicken & Arugula Cacio e Pepe

Soup for the Soul…

Ooooooo, this soup smells so good while it’s cooking! I wish you could smell it!  Why can’t they make an app for that?!

How To Make a Healthy Salad Taste Good

I have a pretty long list of dishes to take to social events.  I can pretty much pull a recipe from my butt (as my Mom might say growing up, but more eloquently written, repertoire) according to request.  We have a friend in town on a vacation from the Airforce.  She and her fiancé won a… Continue reading How To Make a Healthy Salad Taste Good

On the Go!

I admit, there have been times I have offered fruit and yogurt to replace the neglected meal provided.

Funny Story About Pho

Pronounced “fuh”.  Fuhnny, huh?  The first time I ever had it, I wanted to try the full deal.  No Americanizing for me, please.  I want to experience the taste of the Vietnamese!  So, when “Pho” opened on the beach (no need to question what’s being served here), I wanted to order the authentic pho with… Continue reading Funny Story About Pho

Farmer’s Market Finds

I love to support local farmers.  Often, you get organic produce picked only a few days ago and you don’t have to pay the price for the USDA organic certification.  We are very loyal to Elmer.  He sets up shop less than 1/2 a mile from our house.  He is a beekeeper as well as… Continue reading Farmer’s Market Finds

Pasta Disasta!

My spa blue KitchenAid mixer is my best friend in the kitchen.  I use to have a red one to go with my red kitchen accessories.  When I got married, I decided my new favorite color was spa blue, or light turquoise, if you will.  I decorated my new beach home almost exclusively in this… Continue reading Pasta Disasta!

Breakfast Parfaits

Breakfast is a hard meal for me.  Not everyone will eat cereal, you know, the easy breakfast.  One kid says the sweeter the better, hardly able to contain her excitement if anything I make contains chocolate, syrup, honey or any other form of sugar.  This kid will choke down canned asparagus (triple gross) if bribed… Continue reading Breakfast Parfaits

Steaks and Shambles

Here we were at dinner-making hour and all the kids claimed supreme boredom and couldn’t seem to entertain themselves.  I reluctantly suggested a fort. Out came all the blankets in the house, pillows and dining chairs.  Along with the craft project for Mimi’s birthday,  my house was left in shambles and the fun lasted a… Continue reading Steaks and Shambles

So, is it “mih-nuh-STRO-nee”or “mini-strohn”?

Debatable.  That’s what I’m making for dinner.  Another one-pot-wonder.  I’m aaaaall about a complete meal in one dish when I’m making dinner for the little monsters. I want protein, which means meat or meat substitute, such as tofu, eggs, or legumes, at least 2 carbs per serving and preferably one to two vegetable servings.  Usually… Continue reading So, is it “mih-nuh-STRO-nee”or “mini-strohn”?

Pick Your Battles…

One of the nicest things anyone did for me after I had Andrew was make my family a meal.  It is so overwhelming to bring a tiny, helpless baby home from the hospital.  I felt like I couldn’t get anything done!  It’s especially difficult when you have other little mouths to feed!! My friend, Heather,… Continue reading Pick Your Battles…

Moroccan Chicken, Roasted Curry Cauliflower & Indian Dahl

Beans, peas and lentils contain phytosterols, isoflaones and saponins that prevent colon, breast and ovarian cancers and prevent cancer cell multiplication.  

Tuna Melts and Tortillas

I feel like Green Chef meals are gourmet.  If I were to make this on my own, not only would I have to search all over town to find all of these ingredients

#1 Green Chef

Mike said this Green Chef meal was one of his favorites. The more I have thought about it, the more I’m certain it IS my favorite

Back to the Grind!

I made the “panini” from a Giada de Leurantiis recipe, much to my husband’s delight as is any mention of the name Giada. My Dad says, “Giada is getting too big for her…

Pretzels in Pennsylvania

Julius Sturgis founded the first commercial pretzel baking company in 1861.  The pretzels were hand twisted until the 50’s.  Most pretzel twisters were able to twist 50 pretzels a minute.  In about 2 minutes, I was able to roll out and twist one.  This was an entertaining tour! They still had most of the wooden… Continue reading Pretzels in Pennsylvania

Hershey Park

It’s looking like I picked the worst vacation to challenge myself to eat healthy.  Mike loves to travel and always does all the research before we reach our destination so, he usually has ideas about where he wants to eat according to a particular place with a signature dish or dining style, for example bistros… Continue reading Hershey Park

Going on Holiday

I’m not British but, sometimes I like to pretend like I am, so I call vacation “holiday”, my favorite adjective is “bloody” and instead of “dig in” I say, “tuck in”. The family and I are heading to Pennsylvania.  I told myself I was going to eat as healthy as possible on this trip, as… Continue reading Going on Holiday

Recent Fare…

We’ve eaten a few good meals since my last post.

2 Simple Ways to Start Losing Weight NOW!

Don’t be fooled by weight loss gimmicks! Stop over-eating one food group and eliminating another!  Don’t waste money on non-FDA approved supplements or silly powders!!

Do these 2 things for 2 months…

Whats for Dinner

Mike seasoned the Snapper with a little salt, and pepper and gave the fillets a light dusting of flour, then pan-seared them to perfection. The meat was tender and sweet!

World Famous!

My Mom often makes fun of me when she asks what I’m making for dinner and I reply, “My world famous (fill in run-of-the-mill recipe here)”.  I make fun of restaurants which list “World Famous” as a part of their menu items.  Preeeety sure, this Panama City Beach cheeseburger is NOT world famous.  Despite the contrary, if… Continue reading World Famous!

What’s for Dinner

I modified this recipe from a blog I like to follow kalynskitchen.com  I add sautéed garlic or garlic powder and instead of Spike seasoning, I use a variety of different seasonings, usually some blend that I have in my spice cabinet. I usually use two sliced avocados instead of one and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.… Continue reading What’s for Dinner

Another Green Chef Meal

We will have all four kids beginning Wednesday and I have already initiated the meal planning process.  My goals are simply to provide meals that are nutritious, easy, and edible (or that which will generate the least complaining).  I use a free app on my phone called “Any List” which I am able to share… Continue reading Another Green Chef Meal

GARLIC!

I have a bit of an obsession when it comes to cooking for family and friends.. Garlic!! There are very few recipes I make that don’t include a clove or two…or five! If I follow a recipe that calls for two cloves, I don’t hesitate to use four. These delightful little bulbs have insignificant calories,… Continue reading GARLIC!

Let’s Crunch Numbers!

Is protein supplementation needed to build muscle and replace loss? If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say, “I need more protein”, I would be one wealthy lady!  High-protein snacks, high-protein recipes, high-protein bars, high-protein supplements!!!  AGHHH!!  I honestly can’t even count the number of times friends and co-workers have shown… Continue reading Let’s Crunch Numbers!

Fact. Not Fad.

No fad diets. No bogus nutrition advice. Real information based on science. A reputable source of reliable nutrition tips from a university trained registered dietitian.