So I started back veg this week. I've just been feeling so weighed down and sluggish lately and I'm trying to find something to lessen that. I know I have been eating too many fatty carbs, chips, cheddar popcorn etc. so I'm holding off on all carbs but whole grains and veggies like potatoes in moderation. My fridge is stocked with vegetables and fruits in all the colors of the rainbow so I have no excuses.

For my lunch today I decided to do a yogurt dip with fresh, raw vegetables. Kroger had some fresh dill on markdown for 50 cents so I used that. Here is the easy peasy dip:

1 cup of low fat yogurt
1 clove of garlic (or if you are like me, a big ol' spoonful of the pre-chopped stuff)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it up and dig in with whatever veggies strike your fancy. I'm having 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash and a giant orange sweet pepper. You can cut them in fingers or coins but I prefer fingers. You will be surprised how much this will fill you up!

Mockamole

This is a great recipe for people who love guacamole but are trying to trim back on fat. I kind of came up with the idea after looking at hummus recipes using different kind of beans instead of just chick peas and someone mentioned edamame. They were still calling it hummus but with a few things added it makes a much better Mockamole than the ones I have seen that are just green peas (yuck!). I was telling my mom about it the other day and said I would post the it here.

Cook a 16 oz package of frozen, shelled edamame according to package directions.
Place it in a food processor or blender and puree it. It wont be completely smooth but that's ok.
Add some lime juice, I use about 1/2 a lime, some low fat yogurt (about 1/3-1/2 cup depending on how creamy you want it) and process to mix. Put into a bowl. I usually just add some homemade salsa but you can add a little chopped onion, tomato and cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

You can use half an avocado if the idea of just edamame seems weird. It's great with tortilla chips, raw veggies, pita chips etc.

Carrot Banana Bread

I had some squishy bananas so I decided to make banana bread to have for breakfast on Sunday. I had some carrots that needed used up too so I looked around online for a recipe. I found several that looked good but ended up using my tried and true Fannie Farmer banana bread recipe because it has no oil in it and just added my own extras.
It turned out super good!

3 ripe bananas, well mashed
2 eggs
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups flour
3/4 sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon and nutmeg)

Mix bananas, eggs and carrots well. Mix dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Stir in vanilla, spices and walnuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about one hour or until it tests done.

I like the fact that it has no oil in it because then I can put butter on my slice!

White beans, Zuppa Toscana style

I cooked a two pound bag of white beans yesterday (I think they were navy beans) and was trying to figure out what to do with them for dinner. Then I remembered that when Mom and I went to Olive Garden and had the Zuppa Toscana I mentioned how I would like to try it with beans instead of potatoes. David was getting ready to go to the store so I gave him a list and this is what I came up with.

I set aside 4 cups of the beans for another meal and added about 4 cups of water and some chicken "Better than Bullion" to the beans in the pot.

In a little bacon grease in a skillet I sauteed a diced onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic and then added that to the beans. Salt, pepper and little garlic powder and I let that simmer for about 20 minutes.

I took three Italian sausage links and cut them up into chunks and browned them in the skillet. While they were cooking I added several handfuls of kale to the bean pot and then added the sausage when it was done. We just had bread and butter on the side.

The kids loved it which is usually how I gauge things since David and I like just about anything!

Today I am making polenta and chilling it then I will cut it into squares and heat them in a skillet to go with the leftover soup.

Veggie Pasta and salad

I made this for dinner last night and everyone really liked it. I just made the sauce as I went along and the salad dressing is from a Taste of Home magazine. Remember, I cook for 6 people and even we had a little left over. (just enough for my lunch!)

Sauce:

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced or 1 can of carrots diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 can of chick peas
1 14 oz. can of tomato sauce (I used some leftover spaghetti sauce I had in the freezer)
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion in a little oil until it become translucent. Add the garlic, carrot, tomato and chick peas and cook until the tomato starts to break down. Add the sauce and seasonings and cook for about 15 minutes. I just let it simmer while the noodles cooked.

Cook 1 box of whole wheat macaroni. If you don't like chick peas you could leave them out and use a pasta like Barilla Plus which is made with lentils and other protein rich ingredients.

Mix sauce with pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Salad dressing:

4 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
!/2 c. oil (it called for olive oil but I can't stand it on salad so I used canola)
1/4 c. water (I added this because I cut the oil)

Mix all ingredients well, toss with salad greens and serve immediately or refrigerate dressing until ready to serve. This makes enough for two dinners or one if you have 6 people who really like salad.

We had some hard rolls to round out the meal.

Resolutions, smesolutions

This has nothing to do with it being a new year. I have seriously got to clean out my pantry and get back on track. During the fall when I was (more) depressed I really let things slide. I lost weight when I started my antidepressant but we still need to get back to eating healthier.

Goals for this month:
Main course salads for dinner at least once a week
Protein from a non meat source for dinner at least twice a week
Less wine (boo-hoo)
Healthier daytime snacking for me and the kids

Granola Bars ll

I made them today without the bananas and added the butter and they were superb. Of course they cost more to make than el cheapo store brand ones are to buy but they taste better than even Kashi bars, plus I know exactly what went into them! I got fourteen nice sized bars and they are very filling. Make sure you toast the cereal mixture because it really ups the flavor.