Tag Archives: nuts

Candied Walnuts

October 8, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Think Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal – that is the flavor you get from this deliciously sweet treat. You can add or remove flavorings as you see fit – I added bunch more cardamom than the recipe calls for because I am addicted to it’s flavor 🙂 This is a perfect healthy treat with tons of MUFA for you ! The won’t last long – you might want to make 2 batches !

Makes 5 cups
2 T nuts = 129 calories

1 egg white
1 t water
5 c walnut pieces
1 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
¼ t cardamom
1/8 t ground cloves
½ t salt
Pam

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with pam. Mix egg white with water and add nuts and mix well. Combine spices and toss with nuts. Spread on pan and cook 30 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Chewy Coconut Bars

October 3, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This has just a small bit of cake to hold together the yummy coconut, nuts and raisins. It’s a perfect dessert with just a hint of sweetness.

16 servings
136 calories per serving

2 eggs
18 packets Equal
¼ t maple flavoring
½ c margarine, melted
1 t vanilla
½ c flour
1 t baking powder
¼ t salt
1 c coconut, finely chopped
½ c chopped walnuts
½ c raisins
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, equal and maple flavoring. Mix margarine and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and stir into egg mix. Add coconut, walnuts and raisins. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with Pam. Spread mix in pan and bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack and then cut into 16 bars.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Mushroom and Feta Salad

September 24, 2010 admin 1 Comment

This has sooooo much flavor in it that you just want to keep eating and eating ! It was just a perfect mix of ingredients and makes a great lunch serving.

2 servings
270 calories per serving

6 T Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing, divided
2 large Portobello mushroom caps
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
5 c mixed salad greens
½ c chopped roasted red peppers
½ c low fat crumbled feta cheese
2 T toasted pine nuts

Brush mushrooms and squash with oil and 2 T of the dressing, Grill or broil 3-4 minutes each side and then cut mushrooms into slices. Add mushrooms and squash to lettuce and peppers. Add the rest of the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts and serve immediately.

To toast nuts, heat a dry skillet and sauté nuts 5 minutes or so. You will know they are done because you will star to smell the nutty aroma 🙂

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Chocolate Banana Parfaits

September 21, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is like having a banana split, but without the ice cream ! The rich pudding mixed with the whipped cream is just fabulous. Add bananas and nuts, and you have a real winning dessert for just 76 calories per serving ! Go ahead, have 2 servings 🙂

6 servings
76 calories per serving

1 1.4 oz. package sugar free instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c Cool Whip, thawed
1 large banana, thinly sliced
1 T sliced almonds

Prepare pudding according to package instructions using skim milk and refrigerate until set. Divide half of the pudding between 6 parfait glasses or goblets. Use half the cool whip to make a thin layer atop the pudding in each glass. Top with a few banana slices and repeat the three layers. Sprinkle with almonds, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Chopped Salad

September 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The idea of a chopped salad is to get all the ingredients chopped uniformly and small – otherwise, it is just not a chopped salad ! And to me, prepping things in this fashion DOES make a difference in the flavor of the salad. There is something about getting a bunch of the ingredients in your mouth at the same time – it just makes for a flavor explosion !

6 servings
200 calories per serving

1/2 c white balsamic vinegar
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 large peach, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 c coarsely chopped arugula or spring mix or any other crisp greens
1 c thinly sliced napa cabbage
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oz. crumbed low fat goat cheese
½ c slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 large hard boiled egg, sliced
Smoked paprika

Mix together all the veggies with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and then add in cheese and almonds. Top with eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

To toast the almonds, simply place in a hot skillet and sauté until toasty and starting to brown.

Lunch, MUFAs, Salads, Tex Mex, Vegetables

Southwest Spinach Salad

July 19, 2010 admin Leave a comment

What a symphony of flavors ! Your mouth doesn’t know what to be the happiest about – is it the pine nut accent? Or the spicy pepperjack cheese? Or the creamy avocados? Or the smoky chipotle dressing? This is one of THE BEST salads I’ve ever made.

4 servings
300 calories per serving

8 c fresh baby spinach
1/2 c corn with sweet peppers
1/3 c halved black pitted olives
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 oz. diced pepper jack cheese
2 plum tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
1 ripe avocado cut into 16 slices
3 T lime juice
2 T oil
1 t chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/8 t salt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T toasted pine nuts
A few extra squirts of lime juice if you like your salad nice and ‘wet’

Combine spinach, corn, olives, cilantro and cheese. Place 2 c worth on each plate. Arrange tomato, egg and avocado slices atop the spinach. Combine lime juice, oil, chopped chipotle, salt and garlic. Whisk well and pour over salads. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Coconut Fudgies

June 15, 2010 admin 1 Comment

There is nothing quite as decadent as chocolate. Make it fudgy by adding in marshmellows and evaporated milk, and it is just sinful ! If you don’t like coconut, leave it off – if you want different nuts, go for it. But don’t skip this recipe – this is a real winner !

32 servings
240 calories per serving

1 c butter, divided
14 Honey Grahams, finely crushed
1 c sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
10.5 oz. package mini marshmellows
12 squares Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c coconut, toasted
Pam

Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil making sure it folds up over the ends so you can use it to lift out the dessert later. Spray the foil with Pam. Melt ¾ c butter and mix in the crumbs then press into the bottom of the pan to make a crust. Bring the rest of the butter, sugar, milk and marshmellows to boil, stirring constantly then add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over the crust and top with the nuts and coconut then refrigerate 2 hours.

(To toast the coconut, simply place it in a hot skillet and stir frequently until it gets brown and toasty)

Breakfast, Snacks

Bananas with Yogurt and Honey

May 22, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Cooking the bananas first brings out all the sweetness – so when you add in the tangy Greek yogurt, the 2 offset each other and you get a wonderful tasting breakfast or snack. The honey and nuts make a perfect topping.

4 servings
240 calories per serving

2 ripe bananas, peeled
2 ¼ c plain Greek yogurt
2 T honey
2 T chopped almonds or walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the bananas in foil and bake 20 minutes then cool completely. Place banana in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add yogurt and gently fold then spoon into cups and sprinkle with nuts and drizzle with honey.

Asian, Lunch, Salads, Sides

Asian Salad

May 11, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Though the dish packs some calories, it is all good MUFA calories – olive oil, seeds, nuts. So I go ahead and eat it as a lunch instead of a side. The dressing is just superb – the soy added to the Italian dressing gives it such an Asian flair. And the added crunch from the ramen noodles make this a great salad !

12 servings
260 calories per serving

1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad dressing mix
1/3 c sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 3 oz. Packages of ramen noodles
2 16 oz. bags of coleslaw blend
4 green onions, sliced
½ c roasted sunflowers
½ c sliced almonds

Prepare salad dressing mix according to package instructions. Stir in sugar and soy. Break noodles and discard seasoning packet. Add coleslaw, onions, seeds and nuts, Mix and add dressing and toss to coat well.

MUFAs

MUFAs in Your Diet

April 26, 2010 admin 6 Comments

MUFAS are monounsaturated fatty acids. They are the ‘healthy’ fats that we find in food such as avocados, olives, olive oil, dark chocolate, peanut butter, and nuts and seeds of all types. Many times people following low cal meal plans leave this out of their diets because the food items containing MUFAs are high in calories. DON’T DO IT !

For weeks I have been ‘stuck’. After dropping 30+ pounds consistently losing a pound a week, week after week, all of the sudden for a month or more I am stuck. Many dieters call this a plateau and they scream about it. I see why – here I am eating right, even lowering my daily caloric intake, my activity level is the same or higher – and I cannot continue dropping the pounds. What’s going on?

Well, I looked back and realized that I had been foregoing the MUFAs to increase other caloric intake. It was not even junk that I was adding – it was more veggies and fruits. Alas !

So last week I go back to peanut butter or yummy Barney Butter almond butter on my toast in the mornings. I add back semi-sweet chocolate chips as a nice little after lunch or dinner snack. I add back guacamole / avocado. And I add back a bit more olive oil and olives. Guess what? I’m down 2 pounds in a week !

It can only be the MUFAs ! Be sure to add them to your meal plans. As well as helping you feel satisfied (don’t all high fat items make you happy? hehehe) they supposedly also help your body flush out other not so healthy fats. Whatever the case, I am a believer – I have seen it for myself now and I’ll be making more room in my diet for the MUFAs I need to keep losing weight and reaching my goals 🙂