Crispy Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (or PAM Spray)

Salt (as desired, I like Kosher Salt)

Time :)

 

Slice your Zucchini on the mandolin.  That way they are all roughly the same size.  Cover your pan with parchment paper.  You can either spray the parchment with PAM, or you can toss them in a bowl with Olive Oil before putting them on the pan. Put your Zucchini on your pan in a single layer.  I sprayed a little PAM on top too.  Sprinkle a little bit of salt.  Go lightly here.  I thought I salting lightly, but ended up pretty salty.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Bake for 3.5 to 4 hours until desired crispness, turning them occassionally.

Source: Sandy's Kitchen Adventures

She's not lying when she says these are so addictive.  They do take a long time to make, but they are gone SO fast and worth the effort.  Everyone has way more zucchini than they need in the summer...am I right?!  It worked really well on a zucchini that stayed in the garden till it was HUGE.  :D

I started these in the morning and let's just say, I was lucky to have any left for the lunch next day.

Spicy Garlic Jalapeño Hummus

1 Jalapeño seeded, chopped
5 Cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 Cans garbanzo beans (do NOT drain juice)
1 Bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
Avocado (recommended), if desired, to taste
Cayenne pepper, if desired to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Sauté jalapeño and garlic till soft.  Do not burn the garlic or you will get a bitter taste in your hummus.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Best if eaten the next day.  The flavors meld together after a few hours, but it's definitely better the next day.


Source:
A friend I worked with Justin G. brought this to work one day.  He let me have a taste, and I was hooked.  If I remember right, he went on a business trip and left a container of it in the fridge at work and asked if I'd do him the favor of eating it, so it wouldn't go bad.  WOULD I?!?  :)  I ate it AND asked him for the recipe. 

Turns out that his wife Shannon had made this to copy something they had purchased at Trader Joe's.  Now, I've never been to Trader Joe's, but this stuff has got to TOP whatever it was they bought.  It's delicious!  THANK YOU SHANNON!  :)

1/4/23 - Original recipe called for 1 can.  I used 2 cans and really liked it.  I also never worry about the tahini.  It's pricey and I never use it to make anything else...so I leave it out.  It's still good.  Just make sure to blend till creamy.

1 serving (made as recipe shows, without tahini) = 1/3 cup

Calories              119 Calories

Total Fat             5.6 g

    Saturated Fat  0.7 g

Cholesterol         0 g

Sodium               78.9 mg

Total Carbs         14.7 g

    Fiber                5.7 g

    Sugars              2 g

Protein                 4.3 g

Flourless Cheesy Bread Recipe

 

1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, packed
1 cup cheese, packed (recipe calls for cheddar)
2 Tablespoons plain, whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup coconut flour
Pinch of cayenne, optional (this gives it a sharp flavor that I liked a lot)
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. You can mix with a hand mixer or a spoon. A spoon worked just fine for me. :)

3. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Spread the mixture out as thin as you can get it without seeing any holes.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 22 minutes. This might take a little longer if you didn't spread it as thin as recommended.

6. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Then use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the bread into wedges or pieces.

7. Serve! Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container.

Note: To reheat, just place pieces in a toaster oven set at 200 - 250 degrees for a few minutes (IF you have leftovers...this is yummy stuff).


Source: The Nourished Life - Flourless Cheesy Bread

I saw this recipe on Facebook and it immediately peaked my interest. I made it immediately...and it was DELICIOUS!! I highly recommend it. My version differs just a little bit from the source. The original recipe calls for arrowroot...I doubt I will ever own arrowroot, nor would I expect anyone to know where to go to buy that ingredient. So, I substituted coconut flour and it worked GREAT!

Give this one a try!!!

Chocolate Protein Bars

1 Cup Oat Flour
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Baking Cocoa

4 Egg Whites
1/2 cup Splenda, or sugar Substitute
8 oz Berry flavored baby food (or applesauce)
4 oz Water Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients (oat flour, whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl
3. Mix sugar and wet ingredients, (egg whites, Splenda, Berry flavored baby food, water) together in a medium sized bowl
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together
5. Spray 9x13 with a non stick spray and add batter to dish
6. Bake 20-30 minutes in oven

Enjoy!!! I am loving these!

Makes 16 squares, serving size = 1 bar

Nutrition Information:

Calories 70
Total Fat 0.9g
Sat. Fat 0.3g
Cholest. 2mg
Sodium 93.2mg
Carb. 9.5g
Fiber 1.7g
Sugars 1.8g
Protein 7.3g

Tip:
What if I don't have baby food? My friend suggests sugar free blackberry jam that she had on hand but she used a little less of it. I tried applesauce too...it works great!

My Whey Protien was not sugar free. Initially the recipe said it was only ~90 calories for 2 bars...when I calculated it with the ingredients I used, it came out to ~140 calories for the 2 bars. SO, I took the serving size down to 1 bar. It's still a decent size...so no complaints. And it's worth every bit of the 140 if you want to eat the 2 bars. :)

Where did I get it?
I got this recipe from a good friend, and workout pal, Brenda T. Maybe she can tell me where she got it from. :) I'm SO glad she shared. These are delicious!

The 'New' Cottage Cheese

This is so simple...

Sugar Free Jell-O Powder (I prefer Orange)
1/2 cup of 2% Cottage Cheese

Mix well and enjoy...

...It's a low-fat spin on that Jell-O salad that we all love that is normally loaded with calories. The Jell-O powder doesn't add any calories to this. It's a great snack, because you get your sweet tooth satisfied...but it's got loads of good protein that fills you up and very little of those sugars that will make you crash later.

Nutrition Information:
Calories 97
Total Fat 2.8g
Sat. Fat 1.1g
Cholest. 11.3mg
Sodium 372.9mg
Carb. 4.1g
Fiber 0g
Sugars 4.1g
Protein 13.4g

Where did I get it?  I got this idea from Brenda Theuson...my workout pal. She has loads of great healthy eating ideas that I have loved!

Spiced Crackers

Very YUMMY...and easy...just in time for Super Bowl Sunday!!

3 Boxes of Bite-Sized Saltine Crackers or 3 sleeves of the regular sized Saltine Crackers
1/2 to 3/4 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbs Crushed Red Pepper
1 Pkg Ranch Dressing Powder or Feista Ranch Dressing Powder

Put crackers in a large bowl. Mix oil, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and ranch dressing powder together.

Pour over crackers and mix crackers gently until all are covered with sauce.

Turkey or Ham Roll-Ups

4 slices turkey breast (or boiled ham)
4 medium Boston lettuce leaves
Cilantro mayonnaise (see below)
4 scallions
4 red bell pepper strips

Place 1 slice of turkey (or ham) on a lettuce leaf and spread with Cilantro mayonnaise. Add 1 scallion and 1 pepper strip. Fold into a tight, cigar like roll. The Cilantro mayonnaise can be used as a dip instead of a spread if desired.

CILANTRO MAYONNAISE RECIPE

Serves 2

Nutrition at a glance
Per serving (2 rolls): 54 calories, 10g protein, 2g carbohydrates, 1g fat, 0g saturated fats, 604mg sodium, 17mg cholesterol, 1g fiber


From: "The South Beach Diet - The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" by Arthur Agatston, M.D. ISBN:1-57954-646-3, page 179

Original Chex Party Mix