Vegetable & Shrimp Fried Rice

Trader Joe's helped me out with this dish. It is great if you are in a rush and don't have a lot of time to cook dinner. Warning: the rice is addictive, so just make what you can eat! Left overs can be tempting!

Ingredients:

- Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice (1 cup per serving - pictured below)
- 4 oz shrimp (I used shrimp cocktail since it cooks faster)
- .5 tablespoon of EVOO

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, add the EVOO and 1 cup of rice and place on medium heat. Cook until the rice is fully cooked (about 5 minutes). Push the rice to the side of the frying pan. Chop up the shrimp into bite sized pieces. Add the shrimp the the frying pan and cook for about 1 minute. Since I used shrimp cocktail, it is already pre-cooked and doesn't take long to warm up. Mix the shrimp and rice together and serve!

Nutrition Facts (for 1 cup of rice and 4 oz of shrimp)

Calories - 255
Carbs - 35
Fat - 9
Protein - 6
Sodium - 688
Fiber - 1

Caprese Salad

As simple as it is, there are probably over 100 different ways to make and present a caprese salad. I figured I'd make a blog post for one of my never forgotten favorite Low Calorie Italian foods. Made as a lower calorie version with all natural ingredients, you can't go wrong!


Ingredients

- 8 Cherry tomatoes
- 1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 basil leaf
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic dressing (I used Newman's Own Light Roasted Garlic Balsamic)

Directions

Slice up the tomatoes into quarters. Dice up the mozzarella into even small cubes. Shred the basil leaf into small pieces. Add the 1 tablespoon of dressing. Mix all of the ingredients together and serve! What an easy lunch!

Nutrition Facts (For 1 serving - This recipe makes 1 serving)

Calories - 160
Carbs - 8
Fat - 7
Protein - 6
Sodium - 255
Fiber - 2

Lean Cuisine - Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls

Holy yum. These things are addictive so be careful! I eat 1 serving, (3 rolls - each box comes with 2 servings) along with a salad and some fruit - it makes for a great lunch! They even smell good when they're cooking! I would suggest these for when you're craving some good Chinese food, but don't want to spend the calories on them.

Nutrition Facts (for 1 serving - 3 rolls)

Calories - 200
Carbs - 24
Fat - 8
Protein - 10
Sodium - 420
Fiber - 2

Easy Pumpkin Muffins - 74 Calories Each!

This recipe is a great treat for a snack, dessert, or even breakfast! They come out really moist and stay fresh for at least 5 days. I made a huge batch, so i froze some (I wasn't able to eat 24 muffins in 5 days!) They taste just as good reheated from the freezer.

Ingredients

1 can of canned pumpkin (15 oz)
3/4 cup of water
1 box of moist carrot cake mix
24 cupcake tins
PAM spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix well for about 2 minutes. Place the cupcake tins into a muffin baking dish. Spray the insides of them lightly with PAM or any other baking spray. Once they are all sprayed, fill each cupcake liner about half way with the mix. Once the oven is preheated, place inside. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. Serve! :)

Nutrition Facts - (For 1 muffin - this recipe makes 24 servings)

Calories - 74
Carbs - 16
Fat - 1
Protein - 1
Sodium - 131
Fiber - 1

Parmesan Dill French Fries

I've got to admit - they're as good as they sound! Easy too! I was in the mood for something different as a side to my grilled chicken sandwich for tonight, and let's be honest...what is better than french fries? They're a little heavy in the carb range, so I decided to have my chicken sandwich without the bread tonight. 

Ingredients

Red Potatoes (1 serving = 1 potato)

Pinch of sea salt

Dill weed

1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan Herb seasoning by McCormick (pictured below)

Directions

Heat a medium sized frying pan to medium on the stove top and add half of a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Wash the potato(es) and slice width wise. The thinner you slice, the crispier the fries will get. Make sure you slice them all the same with. Slice them again length wise to get a "french fry shape." Place the potato slices in the hot frying pan. Sprinkle dill weed and sea salt and mix well. With the dill weed, use to your discretion. I love the taste of dill, so I used a lot. Flip the french fries so that they brown on both sides. Cook until the french fries are brown on both sides. Once they are finished, (go ahead, try one first :0P ) sprinkle on a few pinches of the parmesan and herb spice. Serve with which ever dipping sauce your prefer... or just plain!

Nutrition Facts (for 1 serving = 1 potato)

Calories - 120

Carbs - 14

Fat - 7

Protein - 2

Sodium - 466

Fiber - 2

Annie's Chocolate Chipper Granola Bars

As a kid, my mom always had granola bars in the house. At the age of 22 I am absolutely sick and tired of granola bars. I feel like they all taste the same. Well that all changed the other day when I tried Annie's brand Chocolate Chipper granola bars. They were absolutely unlike anything I've ever tried before. A little on the pricey side, but that is to be expected with any USDA certified organic product. They're a little hard to find in some grocery stores - I was able to find this product in the grocery section of my local Target. You get what you pay for. Definitely two thumbs up!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's that time of year again, the leaves are falling off the trees and it's getting cold out. On a more un-traditional note, we have already gotten about 10 inches of snow... and it's November 1st! Nonetheless, I'm not trying to rush fall along, as it is one of my favorite seasons! There's absolutely nothing better on a cold night than a warm cup of butternut squash soup... especially when its homemade AND healthy! This is my version of butternut squash soup.

Ingredients:


- 1 Macintosh apple
- 1 White onion
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 Clove of garlic
-3 Bullion cubes (I used chicken flavor, but if you're a vegetarian, use the vegetable kind)
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
-***Optional (this is not calculated into the nutrition facts): 1/2 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Fill a large cooking pan with the 3 bullion cubes and suggested water amount. Place on high. Chop up the garlic clove into small bits and place into the pot. Take the butternut squash and peel the skin off with a potato peeler. Cut the squash in half and take the seeds out with a spoon. Chop the squash up into small cubes and place into the pot. Peel the apple and chop into small cubes and place into the pot. Chop up the onion (be sure to take off the skin) and place into the pot. Let this come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let these ingredients cook until the squash is mushy and the onions are transparent (about 15-20 minutes.) Sprinkle the top with only a teeny bit of nutmeg- too much nutmeg would taste gross! Then sprinkle on top the ground cinnamon (use your discretion with how much to add.) Let the mixture cool for about an hour. Once it is room temperature, place in a blender and puree. When it has reached your preferred consistency, it is ready to serve! If you are choosing to add the sour cream, this is when you do it. Be sure to mix it in well.

Nutrition Facts for 1 Serving (This recipe should make 6 servings at 1 cup each)

Calories - 81
Carbs - 20
Fat - 0
Protein - 1
Sodium - 387
Fiber - 3