Tasty Tuesdays: Strawberry Shortcake

This tasty fruit dessert is a great light end to any meal.

Ingredients:

- package of prepared mini angel food cakes
- 1 package of frozen strawberries
- honey
- fresh fruit: pears, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Cool Whip

Directions:

place entire package of frozen strawberries in a large saucepan. Cook on low heat, covered until strawberries are thawed
Add honey to taste to the mixture and stir continuously until thickened
Top Angel Food cakes with portion of sauce
Top with sliced fresh fruit and then Cool Whip

Serve and Enjoy!

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Tasty Tuesday: Asparagus

Okay, so asparagus makes your pee smell funny, but whatever, deal with that and make this delicious vegetable dish.

This meal is really, really simple to make. First snap off the hard ends of your washed asparagus and place it in a baking dish. Lightly coat it with olive oil and garlic powder and give it all a good toss. Cook until tender (approximately 5-10 minutes depending on how crunchy you like them) in a 350 degree oven. As soon as the spears are cooked, pour a little bit of balsamic vinegar over them and then crumble feta cheese on top. Serve and enjoy.

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Balsamic Vinaigrette and Cucumbers

This is a new snack I discovered (for myself, obviously it has been out there for quite some time) during a trip to The Works (shhh...don't tell my diet I went to The Works it doesn't know yet). A little balsamic vinaigrette dressing and several slices of cucumbers (sliced on an angle to make it fancy-like) make for a delicious morning or afternoon snack. Most 'counting' diets consider cucumbers to be free food (for example, Weight Watchers and the Curves diet) so all you need to account for is about 1 tablespoon of dressing. The Kraft Calorie-Wise version has 25 calories and 2 grams of fat in 1 tablespoon and I even had some leftover when I was done. Delicious.

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Tasty Tuesday: Mr. Bow Jangles

Mr. Bow Jangles has been posted on this blog before, but it is so good that I have decided to repost it - this time with photos.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp each honey and lime juice
1 Tbsp each olive oil, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
8 oz bow tie pasta uncooked
3 cups broccoli
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Whisk together soy sauce, honey, lime juice, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and garlic. Pour marinade over chicken cubes and let marinate for 30 minutes.Pour 1 cup boiling water over tomatoes and let soak for 5 minutes - drain, chop and set aside.
Chop broccoli into bite size pieces and cook in boiling water until tender. Prepare pasta according to package. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender.Transfer Chicken and marinade (and onions) to large non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through. Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl and serve.Notes: I tend to leave the tomatoes out since I don't really like them and it is still very yummy. I also only use 2 chicken breasts and add more broccoli. Make sure the marinade comes to a boil when you are cooking it and the chicken to ensure any bacteria are killed.

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Tasty Tuesday: White Cheddar Macaroni

I apologize for this one readers, but I have been slacking in the dinner preparations lately and have been saving this as a backup hoping I wouldn't have to use it; White Cheddar Macaroni.First things first, the ingredients: essentially you just need the box of white cheddar macaroni, milk and butter or margarine.Boil a pot full of water and then add the macaroni. Drain the macaroni once fully cooked and then place it back into the pot. Add the milk, margarine (1 cup and 1/4 cup according to the package, though I would suggest using less margarine) and sauce (from the package) and stir until the sauce thickens.Once the sauce has thickened, serve and enjoy.

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Tasty Tuesday: Stir Fry #1

There are many different ways to make a stir fry. There are also many different ways I make stir fries, this is the first version I am going to post as it is the most recent one I have made - though I am sure there will be lots of stir fries in Tasty Tuesdays if only because they are relatively quick and easy to make as well as tasty and nutritious.

Ingredients:
- soy sauce (1/8 cup)
- honey (1 Tbsp)
- garlic (1 clove)
- balsamic vinegar (1 Tbsp)
- olive oil (2 teaspoons)
- vegetables (I used carrots, onions and broccoli in this one)
- rice

First start cooking the rice, preferably in a steamer or rice cooker, though boiling it would also work.Chop up all the vegetables and place them in a wok, frying pan or skillet with about a 2 teaspoons of olive oil.Add the soy sauce, honey, garlic (chopped) and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients until mixed well.Once the vegetables are pretty much cooked, add the sauce and let it simmer until the rice is done cooking.
Place rice on a plate and put vegetables on top of that and enjoy.

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Tasty Tuesday: Apple/Pear Cream Cheese Pie

Though by the sounds of this recipe, you would think it was a special treat, unhealthy kind of recipe - but in reality it isn't nearly as bad as the alternatives. This recipe has been adapted to use light foods and as little margarine/butter as possible.

First things first, the ingredients.- pre-made, frozen pie crusts. The Deep Dish kind work the best as the pie is a crumble top sort and therefore you can make two of them with one box of shells.
- light cream cheese (1 package)
- white sugar (1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, 1/4 cup)
- apples (at least 6)
- pears (about 3)
- brown sugar (1/4 cup, 1/4 cup)
- cinnamon (to taste)
- quick cooking oats (1 1/3 cup)
- flour (3-4 Tbsp)
- margarine (1/4 cup)

Take the pie crusts out of the package so that they can defrost.
Put the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and mix them together until creamy and smooth (best done with an electric hand mixer).
Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly in the two pie shells and using a spatula, spread it along the bottom of the crust.Peel and core the pears and apples and chop into small pieces. Place them in a large mixing bowl and add the 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste). Mix this until the fruit is evenly covered.
Place half of the mixture over each of the pies, ensuring not to 'stir up' the cream cheese layer too much.
Place the oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar and 3-4 Tbsp flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Melt the margarine/butter in the microwave then add to the oat mixture and mix until a crumb is formed.
Divide evenly over the pies and press into place.Cook in an oven preheated to 300 Celsius for 30-45 minutes or until pie crust and crumble top are browned. Allow pie to cool and then serve. Note: This pie is best served cold. A few hours in the fridge will take it from great to amazing!

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Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday will be a new bi-weekly feature here on Road to a Better Me. I am hoping, as previously mentioned, that regular features will increase my activity here as it has on my other blogs.
Every other Tuesday I will post a Recipe with photos of my latest attempt to make the food. Most of the time the recipes will be healthy in nature, but every once in a while I will post a special treat.

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Mr. Bow Jangles

Yet another favourite from the Podleski Sisters. I believe it is also from Crazy Plates. The name of this recipe is from a popular song written and originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968, Mr. Bojangles.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp each honey and lime juice
1 Tbsp each olive oil, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
8 oz bow tie pasta uncooked
3 cups broccoli
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Whisk together soy sauce, honey, lime juice, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and garlic. Pour marinade over chicken cubes and let marinate for 30 minutes.
Pour 1 cup boiling water over tomatoes and let soak for 5 minutes - drain, chop and set aside.
prepare pasta according to package. Add broccoli to pasta for last 3 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
Transfer Chicken and marinade (and onions) to large non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through.
Mix everything together and serve.

Notes: I tend to leave the tomatoes out since I don't really like them and it is still very yummy. I also only use 2 chicken breasts and add more broccoli. Make sure the marinade comes to a boil when you are cooking it and the chicken to ensure any bacteria are killed.

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Pod's Pad Thai

As previously mentioned, I love the Podleski sister cookbooks. The following recipe is one of my favourites from their Crazy Plates book, it is found on page 67. And yes, I do have the page number memorized. I have made it for Dave and I on multiple occasions and also served it for Chris one night when she came over for dinner. I also made it for everyone at the cottage one night and everyone loved it. I strongly suggest trying it out.

Pod's Pad Thai
8 ounces Rice Noodles, uncooked
1/4 cup Ketchup
2 tablespoons each reduced sodium Soy Sauce, Lime juice and Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon each seasoned Rice Vinegar, Sesame Oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup diced Red Onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Bean Sprouts
1/2 cup grated Carrots
1/4 cup chopped Green Onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 cup chopped Peanuts

Cook noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
To make sauce, combine ketchup, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large, non-stick wok or skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook and stir until onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a boil. Add cooked noodles, bean sprouts, carrot, green onions and cilantro. Mix well.
Cook until noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped peanuts.


A few notes: I don't put in the cilantro as Dave and I aren't really fans and it is still absolutely delicious. You can also use the vermicelli type rice noodles but it makes it harder to stir in the end and I don't think it has the same feeling when you eat it. Also, you can add either chicken, shrimp or pork to this dish, but I would suggest it be precooked. If you do marinate the meat in the sauce before-hand, make sure you bring that sauce to a boil before you mix it in with the other ingredients.

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Podleski Sisters

I came across these sisters when I saw their most recent cookbook, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry, in the Koning's kitchen. It is not only full of really great recipes that are just as good for your hips as they are for your lips, but also funny anecdotes and comics. I have since obtained their second book, Crazy Plates, as a gift from Chris. I have yet to get their first book, LooneySpoons, as it is quite difficult to find in stores or online, but I am determined to find it one day.
The recipes have quirky names and are basically the really great recipes you always want to eat but can't because they are so fatty or calorie-filled, but the sisters have toned done all of the badness and replaced it with healthier alternatives. My favourite right now is Pod's Pad Thai from the Crazy Plates cookbook. I have made approximately 8 to 10 of the recipes from the second and third books and have been pleased with all of them. I prefer some over others, but that is to be expected.
When I was in Petawawa for business a few months ago, I learned that they have a television show on the Food Network, named after their third book. They go to people's homes or places of business and compete against them. The original cooks (the ordinary people) make their favourite meal, filled with unnecessary calories and delicious fat while the sisters make a healthier version of the same dish. They often also make sides to go with it, but they too are healthy alternatives. They then have family, friends and/or co-workers of the original cooks test each meal and state which is their favourite. The episode I saw was of a fire house where two of the men made a chili that was so full of meat and practically nothing else. The sisters made a proper chili with beans and tomatoes (and meat of course) and also put in some veggies and made some corn bread to go with it. They won of course, and that was that. It is an original take on a cook show. Like their cookbooks, they do thing a little differently than all the other chefs out there today.
Today, I am searching their website for helpful hints and/or recipes and also to see if there are any episodes available online since we still don't have cable at the house here. If you are a fan of the cookbooks, you should try watching to show and see if it is likable as well. If you have never used their cookbooks, you should definitely give one a try. You can see a few select pages and recipes on their website. Once you read a page or two and try out a recipe, you will be a fan.

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Cookbooks and Recipes

I have several really great cookbooks. The Podleski sisters books are absolutely amazing. The book shave really great tasting food that is supremely healthy for you and tips and witty comics to boot. I have gotten one on my own and another as a Christmas present (thanks Chris). There is a third (their first one) that I have yet to find anywhere, including most online shopping sites. It is on eBay, but at high prices that I don't want to pay. Anyway, the books are great.
I also have some other healthy-eating books like the vegetarian Company's Coming and a Weight Watchers one that I bought myself and one that Chris got me for my birthday.
All of these books are great and when combined with my personal cookbook and my knowledge of cutting out fat and calories in recipes (which is growing with every healthy meal I make), I am capable of making some really healthy, nutrititous and still very yummy meals.
The problem arises when I go out and buy the ingredients. More often than not, I forget about the ingredients and they end up going to waste. Dave and I finally figured out a way that we can get great ingredients for my recipes and not really have to worry about them going bad.
Monday evening when getting our grocery list ready, we went through the recipes books and picked out a handful of ones that we wanted to try. We wrote down the names and general decriptions of them and will be placing them on our bulletin board. When the meals have been made, we will remove the name and place it somewhere to be used again if the meal was deemed worthy of repeating. This way, I know what recipes we have the ingredients for and will actually remember to make them before the food goes bad.
We are going to test it out this week and next, basically until all the food is gone again and hopefully it will result in us trying out some different meals and branching out from our normal food routine while not wasting money buying food that will not get eaten.

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Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen strawberries
1 container of fresh strawberries
1 container of fat-free cool whip
1 package of individual angel or pounds cakes
water
sugar

Directions:
place frozen strawberries in microwave safe bowl and add a little bit of water. Microwave until the strawberries are soft.
Mush the strawberries up with a potato masher or egg salad slicer/masher.
Add more water and sugar and microwave for a few more minutes to allow the liquid to thicken a little.
Pour over cake and top with fresh strawberries cut in halves or quarters and cool whip.

Notes:
I used about 2 cups of water plus whatever came out of the strawberries upon melting.
Try to chose cakes that are lower in fat and calories. I was able to find ones that were only 100 calories and 2.25 grams of fat each. The entire dessert worked out to be approximately 200 calories but that would change depending on how sweet you like your strawberry mixture and how much cool whip you add on top.

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Greek Rice

Yesterday I was able to stay on track with my food and not overeat. I made a delicious new meal that Kraft Kitchens sent to my inbox for me: Greek Rice. It was made with the salad dressing that I love so much so I didn’t even have to buy anything out of the ordinary.
It turned out really well and actually tastes like Greek pilaf rice that one would order from a Greek takeout restaurant except this version is much better for you. Kraft stated the calories at approximately 350 calories for ¼ of the meal. I had about a 1/3 last night so it was more like 460 calories, but still pretty good for a meal that fills you up and consists of 3 food groups.

Here’s the recipe for anyone who would like to try it out:
Ingredients: 1lb chicken (cubed), 1/3 cup Kraft Greek Dressing with Feta and Oregano, 2 tsp oregano (I left this out), 2 cups vegetables, 1 ½ cup minute rice, 1 can (10 fl. oz) chicken broth.
Directions: Cooked cubed chicken in skillet until cooked but not browned. Add salad dressing and vegetables and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add chicken broth and bring near boil. Add Minute Rice and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and let sit until rice is cooked. Enjoy.

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