March 31, 2011

Kristen’s Snack Ideas

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out a healthy snack and you end up settling for a bag of chips or M&M’s.  I encourage you to think ahead and plan out some healthy snacks.

Here’s a simple, healthy snack that I think you might enjoy!

Ants on a log

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/3 cup peanut butter

12 2-inch pieces celery

2 tbsp. dark raisins

Fill center of each celery piece with peanut butter. Top with raisins and serve.

March 21, 2011

Another one of “Kristen’s Kreations!”

Vegetarian Lasagna

A lot of people feel that lasagna is complicated to make. But I think it’s actually pretty easy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

-4 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves, shred the leaves

-1 squash and/or 1 zucchini, cut into thin, 1-inch square pieces

-1 package of sliced mushrooms

-8 oz. of ricotta cheese (fat-free or low-fat)

-1 bag of mozzarella cheese (low-fat)

-1 jar of tomato sauce (pick the one with the lowest calories per cup)

-1 box of whole wheat lasagna noodles

Directions:

In a casserole dish the length of your lasagna noodles, layer the bottom with the dry lasagna noodles. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese on the noodles. Place half of the spinach, squash and/or zucchini, and mushrooms on top of the ricotta cheese, and cover the vegetables with 1/3 of the jar of tomato sauce and 1/3 of the bag of mozzarella cheese. Place dried noodles on top to create your second layer and repeat. Place more dried noodles on top of the second layer to create your third layer. Cover the noodles with ricotta cheese and the remainder of the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and place in the oven on 350 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes.

Savory Spinach Dip
Whip up a batch of everyone’s favorite party dip-spinach and water chestnuts in a savory blend made using Yoplait® yogurt.Serve with crispy crackers. From eatbetteramerica.
Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 15 min
makes:36 servings
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Yoplait® Fat Free plain yogurt (from 2-lb container)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup finely chopped green onion (9 medium)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
Rye crackers, rice crackers or raw vegetables for dipping

1. Squeeze excess moisture from spinach until dry. In glass or plastic bowl, mix spinach with all remaining ingredients except crackers.
2. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve with crackers.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (2 Tablespoons Dip, 3 Rye Crackers and 3 Carrot Sticks): Calories 50 (Calories from Fat 5); Total Fat 1/2g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 100mg; Total Carbohydrate 10g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 130%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 6%; Iron 2% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable Carbohydrate Choices: 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

————————————————————————–
“Kristen’s Kreations”

March 1, 2011

Apple Harvest Salad

I love eating out at restaurants with my friends, but paying 8 dollars for a salad is ridiculous! Try inviting your friends over for lunch instead to save some money. One of my favorite salads to order out at lunch is what I like to call the “Apple Harvest Salad.” It’s super easy! Just toss all of these ingredients together (listed below) and Viola!

-2 cups of baby spinach leaves

-1 apple cut in small slices or chunks (I like Gala the best in the salad)

-1 to 2 tbs. of Bleu Cheese crumbles

-1 to 2 tbs. of Craisins

-1 tbs. of walnuts

-2 tbs. of Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette (I really like Ken’s Fat Free Dressing the best!)

-Optional: Add a Morningstar Chicken Griller patty to the salad. Cut up the patty into bite size pieces.

__________________________________________________________________________

Healthy Homemade Pizza

One of my favorite things to make is homemade pizza! Trader Joe’s sells whole wheat pizza dough for a little over $1. Stop by the store and pick up some dough and your favorite toppings. Also, use a “heart healthy” pizza sauce to save some calories. Some of my favorite toppings include: green peppers, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, olives, turkey pepperoni, and onions.

Check out the pizza I made the other day! Invite all of your friends over to have a pizza party.

_________________________________________________

Tuna Steaks with Grilled Veggies and Pineapple

One of my favorite things to do is use the grill! Pick up two tuna steaks, 1 squash, 1 zucchini,  1 box of cherry tomatoes, 1 pack of kabob skewers and 1 pineapple (either whole or already pre-cut) from the grocery store.

Tuna Steaks: Brush each side with a 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on each side of the tuna steak. Grill for 4 minutes or less per side for 1 inch tuna steaks.

Veggies: Cut up the squash and zucchini into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lightly brush the squash and zucchini slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take a kabob skewer and slide one slice of squash, one slice of zucchini, and one cherry tomato down the skewer. Repeat until the skewer is full (see the picture below). Place the skewer directly on the grill, rotating every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Veggies should only take about 4-5 minutes to cook.

Pineapple: This part is easy! Either buy pre-cut pineapple or cut up a fresh pineapple into small chunks. Slide the pineapple down the kabob skewer until the skewer is full. Place the skewer directly on the grill, rotating every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Depending on the size of your chunks, the pineapple should only take about 6-10 minutes to cook.