Have you ever gone out to dinner with a skinny friend and thought “What the heck, she eats as much as me”? I use to, and finally got the secrets out of one of them, after using these tips I dropped 130 lbs in 8 months… do I have your attention now? Drink Lots of … Continue reading »
I had some left over Taco fixings and a craving for nachos so I made these today and they were delicious! If you need some left over taco fixings look up my Spicy Taco recipe (there is a “Search” bar to the right). This would be great for the Superbowl or just for a weeknight dinner. … Continue reading »
You can have the things you love, you just need to slightly modify them. With tacos I like to add veggies and beans to get “more bang for your buck”. By adding veggies you add vitamins and fiber, as for beans they add protein and fiber and fill you up. Not only will you drop … Continue reading »
I love cookies and I love to bake, so naturally I had to lighten up one of my favorite cookies. By using peach baby food you can cut down the sugar and butter which reduces the calories. These are so rich you will only want one, but so low in calories that you will not … Continue reading »
At under 350 calories this is a perfect lunch, plus it has tons of protein to keep you going all day and fiber to fill you up. I used left over steak from yesterday’s post Cayenne Steak but any left over steak will work here. Try switching your bread from the processed stuff to something … Continue reading »
When my readers request I do my best to deliver and this one is for you Laurie. I highly recommend making this for a date night at home, perhaps for Valentines Day. I have to give props to the cookbook Pretty Delicious from which I fell in love with this steak rub, it is spicy and … Continue reading »
I made this last night and my Husband is still talking about it. It seems like a lot of work all at once, but who doesn’t love standing over the stove top stirring something delicious while listening to their favorite Pandora station? I would say this took me about 30-45 minutes total, however you can … Continue reading »
Everyone loves to eat out, and having a salad every time is NO FUN! Don’t get me wrong, I love salads but I’m human and I also like some of the naughty stuff like burgers, fajitas and oh the best ever… chips and salsa. You CAN have all this, you just need to be smart … Continue reading »
Who doesn’t love Mac and Cheese? Most “diets” have this on the no-no list but that’s cruel, so I worked on a low cal version inspired by Candice Kumai’s Platinum Mac and Cheese and came up with a tasty, low cal, high protein version that is great as a main dish or a side dish. My … Continue reading »
Hello readers, I am taking a well deserved day off from cooking and blogging. Does anyone have a favorite dish they would like to see “lightened up”? Any dishes you always wanted to make but did not know where to start? I am taking requests for upcoming blog postings. Hope you all have a wonderful … Continue reading »
I don’t know about you, but the smell of cinnamon and maple syrup always make me happy in the morning. This is a quick easy breakfast and so much better for you than the sugar and chemical laced little oatmeal packets. The Greek yogurt gives this dish a creamy consistency without all the calories of … Continue reading »
I love baking chickens, I bake one up about twice a week just a few changes to the marinade, some new sides and it is a completely different meal. Tonight I happened to be craving El Pollo Loco and so I did my best to replicate the meal. When you see whole chickens on sale … Continue reading »
This is an easy meal, just some quick chopping and mixing and your done. Great for a dinner party or to impress your in-laws. It pairs well with a bold red wine, Cabernet and Merlot are fantastic. Love Meatloaf sandwiches? Make it for dinner and fill the lunch boxes with the sandwiches and save yourself … Continue reading »
My husband and I often ask the question: “If you could only drink one libation for the rest of your life what would it be, beer or wine?” Well, we have recently had to add one more category, Champagne. This is not just a dessert, it is a cocktail and conversation piece, perfect for a … Continue reading »
I tuned into Biggest Loser last night and was VERY disappointed in what their message has become. I remember back when Jillian was on the show she took one of the girls (whom I believe won it that season) out for a glass of wine. So why last night were they telling their contestants that … Continue reading »
Here are the items you usually see on the naughty list, if you are anything like me you have failed every fad diet you have ever tried. The reason my plan works is because it is NOT A DIET! You can have anything you want in moderation, anything! Now if you want to have a … Continue reading »
I am feeling under the weather today so I thought a slow cooked warm winter meal was just what the doctor ordered. Because I am not feeling 100% I wanted to make something with LOADS of basil, did you know basil is a natural antibiotic? Ideally you want some lean protein here, so maybe make … Continue reading »
I live on the Central Coast of California, where all the wineries are, it’s awesome! Some of my readers are from this area and have requested an article on how to lighten up wine tasting. When you taste at a winery, vineyard or shop you get several little sips of different wine and typically there … Continue reading »
You say Champagne and I’m in, so let’s just get down to it we will chat about it later while enjoying our snack. What you will need to serve 2- 8 oz of Champagne or Prosecco 1 slice of artisan bread lightly toasted and sliced in two 1 ½ tsp very good Extra Virgin Olive … Continue reading »
Aloha! Everyone needs to take a break from time to time, and I find that a fruity drink makes everything better. At only 150 calories you can enjoy this fun cocktail and not feel guilty. If you choose a Tiki Mug over a Martini Glass then fill with ice before you pour. Keep an eye … Continue reading »
This recipe makes 3 pizzas, I thought with the Super Bowl coming up in just a few weeks it was a great time for my favorite game day meal. Are you thinking now, I can just order pizza on the big day… well I like to call this my $3 pizza, because I stock my … Continue reading »
Have a craving for ice cream? One of my readers did and asked for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. Did you know that when you freeze bananas they have a consistency close to ice cream? There is even a special ice cream machine that turns bananas to ice cream. Well that was my motivation … Continue reading »
This is one of my go to lunches, and the best part is you can use almost any combination of cheeses you have in the house. This dish makes me nostalgic, and the lightly salted exterior makes me lick my fingers and brings me back to childhood. Truffle salt is cheaper than truffle oil and … Continue reading »
I will give you all another recipe for what we Italians like to call a Sunday Sauce, I usually use canned tomatoes but I found Roma tomatoes on sale and had to try a fresh take on my sauce. I am proud to say that everything I used in this sauce was organic or from … Continue reading »
I live on the Central Coast of California, where all the wineries are. It is just as wonderful as you can imagine, we get to go wine tasting anytime and the best thing to do is get In-N-Out and take it for a picnic at a winery. We went wine tasting one day and a … Continue reading »
I made these this morning and my entire house smells like almonds, so yummy! I love making these and storing them in the fridge for quick on the run breakfasts, they also freeze well. Some of my blog readers can not have nuts in their diets, I recommend using low-fat Buttermilk in place of the … Continue reading »
An old High School friend started reading my blog and asked me to take a day out for healthy swaps, what a great idea! Everyone say thank you Carrie. I want to make a quick case for sugar, people are so quick to remove sugar from their diets. Sugar is 15 calories per teaspoon, you … Continue reading »
You can take the girl outa Orange County, but don’t dare take away her favorite salad! We moved out of OC a couple years back and I missed my favorite takeout so much I re-created it, but in a much healthier way! Chicken Dijon delivered to my office and home so often the delivery guy … Continue reading »
Are you scared of the Gym? I use to be, I would go with my over-sized clothes trying to hide everything that jiggles. I would look around thinking “I don’t belong here” looking at all the hard bodied people made me feel embarrassed and seeing them look at me, well that was too much! Well … Continue reading »
A friend once said “Everyone loves a cute girl who can cook” and this is the easiest meal I can think of to impress your friends and family. Talk about puttin’ on the Ritz, this chicken is super fancy and oh so yummy! Make it for a quiet night w/ your honey and have the … Continue reading »
This is my go to lunch when I am in a rush or low on groceries. This is also an insanely cheep meal and it tastes so elegant with the truffle oil. If you do not have truffle oil you can use garlic oil or good extra virgin olive oil (you will know it is … Continue reading »
I adapted this recipe from my favorite cookbook Pretty Delicious, it is great with tofu, ground turkey or even left over chicken in it, but I like it with no meat, I find it doesn’t need it. This is an amazing chilli, I have molded it to be my own spicier Italian version and make … Continue reading »
Today I wanted to share my current favorite breakfast, it is quick and easy and ohhh so yummy! What you will need: Slice of whole wheat bread 1 TBSP almond butter 1/2 banana sliced Pop the bread in the toaster, spread w/ almond butter, top w/ bananas. This filling meal is packed full of potassium, … Continue reading »
Welcome to my blog! If you read my profile you will learn that I dropped a ton of weight, well I did it by eating!! Here are my recipes, this is how I eat daily. This is how I ate to lose the weight, and how I keep it off. I can not take all … Continue reading »
