Healthful Bites

    23 May 2010

    A Pie by Pictures

    Along with hosting a fun giveaway for my birthday yesterday (what are you waiting for…go enter!), I enjoyed a slice of delicious apple pie courtesy of Rocco DiSpirito himself! Well, I actually cooked it myself, but I got the recipe from Rocco’s fantastic new cookbook: “Now Eat This! 150 of America’s Great Comfort Foods All Under 350 Calories.” Despite my desire to edit the subtitle to “Less Than 350 Calories”—you can take the girl out of the journalism school, but can’t take the journalism school out of the girl—my family and I have been having a great time trying out several recipes from this bestseller.

     

    Yummy food and a cute chef? Don’t mind if I do!

    So in lieu of a birthday cake, I set my sights on tackling the apple pie a la Rocco. You’ll have to grab a copy of the cookbook for the exact recipe, but I’ll give you a photo tour of my experience!

    I peeled, cored and cut the apples…

    and added my own flair of lemon juice (a trick I learned on the Food Network) to keep the apples from browning while I was a bit slow with preparation.

    Then I coated the apples in a special spice mixture. 

    Next I poured all the ingredients for the crumb topping in the food processor. This formula reminds me more of my Mom’s apple crisp recipe than apple pie, but either way, it tastes great! 

    And the topless shot ;)

    All in a pie pan and ready to bake!

    The heat is on!

    And fresh out of the oven.

    This was one of my favorite of Rocco’s recipes so far! What a great (and healthful) way to celebrate my birthday. Thank you to all who sent well wishes and shared in the fun with me! 

    What are some of your favorite birthday treats?

    23 Jan 2010

    Pump Recipe Showdown!

    If any of you checked out my previous blog, the summer journal “Health and the City,” you may have witnessed my love for The Pump. This restaurant is right up my alley—their mission: “To make it easy for people to eat well.”

    So when I stumbled upon the fact that the store had a cookbook, I immediately thought, “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?” Quickly followed by, “I need to get that!”

    When I ordered the recipe-packed tome, I was hoping the most for the instructions for Blueberry Protein Muffins (made without butter, with whole wheat and extra protein), but it was sadly omitted. Nonetheless, there are numerous nutritious and creative formulas in the cookbook—you can even see all of the ones I’ve tabbed in the book near the top of the picture! The magnitude of delicious-looking meals are so overwhelming that I would love your help!

    I’ve narrowed down a list of recipes that I would most like to try. Here’s the list:

    • Chunky Oil-Free Avocado Salsa
    • Cucumber Salad
    • Chopped Sirloin with Basil and String Beans
    • Eggplant Carpaccio
    • Cucumber Yogurt Dressing
    • Pump Apple Pie
    • Pizzaiola Egg White Omelet
    • The Pump’s Protein Pancakes
    • Hot Zucchini Strips with Shallots
    • Gigante Plate

    Which dish would you most like to try? The top vote-getter will be my first kitchen experiment and I will highlight the experience in a “Good for you eats” post in the near future!

    PS: Be sure to enter my Progresso contest for your chance to win some healthful bites and accessories. You’ve got rockin’ chances to win if you enter now!