Hey Diva!
It’s that time of year. Many of you are heading to homecoming this weekend, or maybe next weekend. If you’ve done your detox and slimmed down a bit, you don’t want to gain it all back. And you don’t want to just go back to eating any and everything, if that’s what you were doing. Coming off of a detox and eating Buffalo wings can really make you sick. Also, believe it or not, where there is food, there is always someone wishing there was something healthy to eat. So I thought I’d pass on a few ideas that you can use as your contribution to the festivities.
A really simple and always welcome idea is a bean dip. You can add guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde, all kinds of goodies on the side with the beans as the main attraction. It’s simple, and very healthy. Just limit the sour cream if you choose to add it as an option.
Chili is always welcome, and doesn’t have to be full of fatty beef. You can make a wonderful vegan/plant based chili with lentils. Just season as you normally would your usual chili recipe. You can even buy that little brown bag of chili seasoning and add to your lentils. Very easy, very delish.
One of my simple absolute favorites is slow roasted tomatoes. Slice roma tomatoes in half, toss in olive oil, sea salt, chopped garlic and fresh cracked black pepper. Place cut side down onto a cookie sheet but do now crowd the sheet. Roast in a 250 degree oven for about 2 to 3 hours. Check at 2 hours and continue to roast until they are shriveling up a bit and taste absolutely fabulous – meaning your mouth waters and your eyes roll and you’re like “wow, I didn’t expect that!!”
One more option is kale chips. Do NOT buy them already made. Not so good. But if you take some time to spread out some raw kale on a cookie sheet, spray with a bit of olive oil spray, then sprinkle with kosher salt, cayenne, and garlic powder, yes yes! Healthy low cal yummy goodness right there!
Finally, here are a couple of recipes that I came across from Cooking Light, and modified a bit to suit my taste and hopefully yours too.
- 8 hard-cooked large eggs, shelled
- 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
- 1/4 cup garlic flavored Just Mayo by Hampton Creek
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/2 cup cooked medium shrimp, peeled and chopped (about 4 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Cut eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks. Place 4 yolks in a medium bowl; reserve remaining yolks for another use. Add potato flakes and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) to yolks; stir well. Stir in shrimp and parsley. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon shrimp mixture into each egg white half.
- 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 small zucchinis, carrots, or sweet potato
- Cooking spray
- Dipping sauce marinara, low fat ranch
- 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
- 2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small shallow bowl. Place egg in a separate shallow bowl.
- 3. Trim ends from zucchini; cut each zucchini in half crosswise. Quarter each zucchini half lengthwise to make 24 veggie sticks. Dip zucchini in egg; dredge in bread crumb mixture; pressing to coat. Place zucchini on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of veggie sticks with cooking spray.
- 4. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce of your choice.
When you’re out at a function but you’re health conscious or trying to lose weight, don’t you just love it when you see a dish that fits right in with your agenda? Or do you leave your healthy mindset at home and eat mindlessly that day?
