{Make} Taco Salad

I downloaded a new app on my phone.  Which is good and bad, really.  Here's why: I record everything that I eat, and this little app tracks my caloric intake.  Which, by the way, needs to decrease... by a lot.  And since this app has made its debut into my life, I'm shocked to discover that I am totally unaware of what a 110 calorie 1 oz portion of cheddar cheese looks like.  It's not much. The funny thing is, knowing that I'm going to have to track what I eat (proof, if you will) keeps me (sorta) from overindulging.  Heck, I even kept cheese off of my black bean soup the other night.  It didn't need the extra 110 calories to be delicious.

Anyway, this is a long winded way for me to say, "Holy (four letter word)!  I just ate 700 calories at lunch????"

So my wheels are turning...  how can I cut calories here and there?  Compromising without compromising.   And that's just what I did when I was hardcore craving Tex-Mex.  I wanted a taco salad, but realized layers of creamy guac, sour cream, and beans weren't going to win me anything but love handles.  So I made a salad with beans, onions, avocado, tomatoes and olives.  I squeezed some fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of salt on the salad, and very sparingly added grated cheese, a touch of low-fat sour cream, and picante sauce.

I did put this mix in the obligatory taco shell.  And I ate it (the shell). Oops.  But I recorded it!

A work in progress...

Have a great weekend you all.  Go and enjoy 700 calorie margaritas for me! (I'm such a buzzkill!)

{Make} Blackened Salmon, Garlic-y Okra, & Dirty Rice

Fresh fish and vegetables, with simple ingredients and minimal fuss. Except for when I burned myself in three places while cooking the salmon. With hot oil. Yikes.

I should have infused the iced tea I was drinking with a touch of vodka. To sooth my burns, of course.

Blog, meet blackened Salmon, garlic-y sautéed okra, and dirty rice. "", meet blog.

{Make} Vegetable Pasta Salad

Pasta salad.  The perfect summer side dish; or fall entree when you have not much going on in the fridge.

I literally put every vegetable I had in this dish.  Carrots, onions, green beans, broccoli, roasted red bell peppers (I roasted them myself!), olives, pickles... and that's it (for vegetables).  I also threw in cheese and a boiled egg.

And it was yummy.  And not at all low in calories despite it being loaded with vegetables.   Do you like my Paula Deen inspired disclaimers?  I don't want anyone to tell me that I'm giving America diabetes and high cholesterol.  

Well, they can tell me that, but at least I warned you in advance.

{Make} Spaghetti (Squash) & Meatballs

Homemade sauce. Homemade meatballs. The ultimate comfort food. I bought an enormous spaghetti squash at the market, knowing that I wanted to make the perfect "anti-past(i)a." Spaghetti squash is the perfect welcome to fall. I can't wait for sweater weather, hot caramel apple spice, and of course, my biggest groan on this blog, cooler temperatures. While making this dish, I spent the majority of my time speaking in a ridiculous Italian grandmother-meets-russian-spy accent. I enjoyed my husbands fits of laughter (over my silly antics) almost more than the successful meatballs I made! It's the little things.

{Make} Pancakes!

Oh how I love you, with your soft, oozy butter, and sinfully sweet maple syrup. The breakfast, lunch, or dinner of champs. Or, just me.

{Make} Smoked Salmon & Cucumber

Have I ever mentioned my love of dips?  For me, dips are in a food group all on their own.  Dips = The food group of excellence.

The thing is, I love crackers with dips.  Or tortilla chips.  But cucumbers are an amazing replacement; crispy, refreshing, and low in calories.

I made smoked salmon canapés, replacing the toast with a cucumber instead.  So delicious and light!

Basically, you slice English cucumbers, spread with a low/high calorie dip (I used Alouette instead of Boursin), top with diced onion, capers, and smoked salmon.

And Presto!  Appetizer or light lunch in minutes.