Healthful Bites

When the weather heats up, many people naturally lighten up their menus, opting for seasonal fruits and vegetables over stick-to-your-ribs foods like, well, ribs, buttery mashed potatoes or cheesy casseroles. This dish, while easy to serve year-round, would be ideal for any upcoming outdoor events you have coming up. Attending a summer barbecue, potluck or picnic? You’ll be a hit if you come bearing bean dip from one of my favorite food bloggers, Iowa Girl Eats!

What makes this recipe stand out over other appetizers? The fresh, spicy mix of Tex-Mex flavors (cilantro, jalapeno, red onion) and the ease of preparation. No need to heat up your kitchen by turning on your oven. No-cook, no-grease…no reason not to try!

Bonus: Look at the colors!

Confetti Bean Dip, very slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can corn, drained
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 15 grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1. Chop or dice first six ingredients (bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro) and put into a large bowl.
2. Add beans, corn and cumin, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour on dressing and stir to combine all ingredients.

This makes a large batch, so bring it to a get-together (I toted it to a fun group game night that my friend Sam hosted recently) rather than making it for one or small crew. And don’t forget to wash your hands after handling that jalapeno! :)

I served this with Garden of Eatin’ Baked Yellow Tortilla Chips, but it would also be awesome in fajitas or tacos, as a topper on grilled chicken or even mixed with romaine and a bit of extra salsa for a tasty summer salad. Just consider it a jazzed-up pico de gallo and use your imagination!

Click here for another one of my favorite bean dip recipes, and here for more vegetarian dishes fit for a crowd.

Do you have a go-to dish to bring that you bring to summer parties? Tell me about!

As alluded to in my Music May post on Tuesday, my birthday celebrations didn’t end with just a playlist. (Thank goodness! That would be a sad day.) Among other fun activities during my birthday week like shopping, a super-awesome SoulCycle class and some out-of-the-ordinary meals, I baked up a sweet treat. This is a rarity for me—since I live alone and don’t often indulge in cakes, cookies, brownies, etc., I don’t have many occasions to whip out the flour and whisk. Thankfully, Chocolate-Covered Katie has a slew of single-serve cupcakes ideal for someone in just this situation!

As a kid, I always thought that the Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix was the most festive, so of course that’s the option I chose. (Next time, I might opt for carrot or coffee cake. Yum!) More reasons to try this recipe? The whole cake, from digging out ingredients to digging in, took less that 20 minutes and the simple ingredient list didn’t require a trip to the grocery store.

The texture was perfect and the sweetness provided by the sprinkles and stevia made it easier to forget that I didn’t top it with frosting! That was one thing that would have required a supermarket stop. :)

Funfetti Cupcake, from Chocolate Covered Katie

Serves 1

• 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 packet stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sprinkles
• Pinch salt

Mix well, pour in a lined or a nonstick sprayed muffin tin. Cook at 330° for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.

Nutrition information: About 125 calories, 1.5 g fat

You could easily multiply this recipe and fool your friends with this lighter dessert swap…or do so if you want stretch out your celebrations over several days! (Store in the freezer if you plan to save them for longer than a day or two, since baked goods made with applesauce tend to spoil quickly.)

For example, for six cupcakes, mix:

• 1 1/8 cup whole-wheat flour
• 6 packets stevia
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tablespoons sprinkles

What was your favorite birthday treat when you were growing up?

For me, number one will always be a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, but funfetti isn’t too far behind. :) But the real (non-vegan, full-fat) mini red velvet cupcake I had on my actual birthday this week was pretty tasty!

For some time, it seemed like restaurants were trying to one-up each other to create the least nutritious dish available. (Remember this and this?) Thankfully that trend seems to have cooled off, as chains like The Cheesecake Factory, IHOP and Olive Garden now not only offer nutritional information for their menu items, but also have a section dedicated to lighter options. While hitting up local joints is always fun, I do occasionally visit chains too, so I thought it would be fun to start a “healthy chain reaction” series, in which I report back on items I’ve ordered off of these lighter menus. Since these will mostly be nationwide places, hopefully you can try them for yourself and share your input too!

First up: Ruby Tuesday. The casual family restaurant has had a salad bar for some time, but as you know, the moniker “salad” doesn’t give you a free nutritional pass. (Although since it is a bar, you have the power and can skip the creamy potato and pasta salads!) More recently, Ruby Tuesday added a “Fit & Trim” mark on their menus so diners can easily spot options that are less than 700 calories. There is a wide variation between, say, 200 and 699 calories, so it’s helpful that they also list the estimated calorie count for each FT pick.

For my first visit, I opted for something I wouldn’t generally have the patience to make on my own at home: spaghetti squash marinara.

You may not be able to tell by the photo above, but there is a generous mound of yellow spaghetti squash under the marinara and zucchini! That was one of the things I liked best about this dish—the ample amount of sauce and toppings. I’m a big fan of marinara in general, and this version is chunky and pleasantly spicy. The zucchini was grilled to a nice al dente consistency and added some color (and more vitamins) to the dish.

Some with more adventurous palates than I might find this boring, but overall, I was really happy with my order! The spaghetti squash dish was nicely prepared and is a smart pick for pasta lovers who are also volume eaters. You’ll find a large portion—I’d guess the above bowl included about three cups of veggies—for a bit more than 250 calories, 12 grams of fat and 9 grams of fiber.

What else sounds tasty on the FT menu? On future visits, I might opt for:

• Chicken Bella (454 calories, 22 g fat) Sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and artichokes in a Parmesan cream sauce over a fresh, grilled chicken breast.
• Petite Sirloin (476 calories, 27 g fat) Steak served with fresh, grilled zucchini and roasted spaghetti squash.
• Grilled Chicken Salad (372 calories, 10 g fat) Sliced, grilled chicken tops a fresh salad mix, peas, grated Parmesan, bacon, fresh vegetables and croutons.

It’s also worth noting that Ruby Tuesday offers FT sides that are less than 150 calories each (for example, sugar snap peas and mashed cauliflower) and allows diners to order downsized meals off of their lunch menu. It would be cool if they also offered lighter burgers or sandwiches. All over 800 calories Ruby Tuesday—really?

Related recommended reading: True, restaurants are offering some lower calorie options, but a new study says that a whopping 96% of chain menu items don’t meet full nutritional guidelines for a healthy meal (they’re often too high in sodium, saturated fat or fat). Yikes!

What is the most delicious dish you’ve had dining out recently? And do you have any suggestions for other places I (or we) should try?

Red carpet season has officially wrapped—congrats to the big winners The Artist, The Descendants, The Help and Adele! I love the awards show circuit so much that I thought that I’d extend it a bit on my own by celebrating a few of my recent favorite New York City casual food favorites. Whether you’re looking for an side order, entree or dessert, I nominate these items for your consideration!

Best Baked Fries: Energy Kitchen

A typical medium order of fast food French fries packs in about 375 calories and 20 g fat. Luckily for those who are jonesing for some crispy potatoes, Energy Kitchen (motto: “fast food doesn’t have to be fat food”) recently began offering a baked version. The crinkle cut fries are offered in sea salt or cajun (my pick!) and are about 150 calories and 2 g fat per order. I like to pair the cajun fries with the California wrap, but you can’t really go wrong no matter what you pick at this quickly-growing chain. Plus, everything on the menu is less than 500 calories.

Best Soup and Pita Combo: Chickpea

This falafel restaurant also sidesteps the fryers and bakes everything on the menu, which includes Mediterranean favorites like chicken cutlets, kebabs, shawarma and hummus. It’s a goofy reason, but the item that has caused a few return visits to Chickpea is the whole-wheat pita! It’s served warm and is oh-so-fluffy. I could definitely just enjoy a pita on it’s own since it tastes so great, or perhaps spread with hummus, but my favorite way to eat one is as a dunker with a bowl of lentil soup. True, it’s not the most photogenic of meals, but it’s delicious and a very satisfying steal at less than $6 total when paired with a side salad!

Best Healthy Frozen Dessert: The Soft Serve Fruit Co.

Spring is here (knock on wood) and that means we’ll soon be hearing the familiar chorus of ice cream trucks around the city. Of course it’s OK and fun to indulge in a drumstick or cone with sprinkles as a treat! It is nice that the option exists, however, to sneak a bit of nutrition into your dessert. You may have seen the Yonanas machine or spied bloggers making “ice cream” with frozen bananas and The Soft Serve Fruit Co. does something similar and expands your options! Choose your base: mango, apple, strawberry, cranberry, pear or banana and order a plain cup of soft serve, a sundae (pictured) or a smoothie mixed with the frozen dessert. It’s made from only fruit, water and a small amount of organic cane sugar. Sweet!

What is your favorite recent food find? Do you have any suggestions for other healthy NYC restaurants I should check out?

Mmm…pancakes. For me, nothing says weekend brunch quite like a warm short stack! But if you’re not careful about what you include in the recipe and/or what you top them with, you might be setting yourself up for a not-so-fun sugar crash in a few hours.

A few examples:

• New York Cheesecake Pancakes from IHOP: 1,100 calories, 44 g fat, 56 g sugar
• Carrot Cake Pancakes from First Watch: 740 calories, 30 g fat, 51 g sugar
• Strawberry Bliss Pancakes from Perkins: 940 calories, 29 g fat, 72 g sugar (almost 6 tablespoons of sugar!)

And that’s not even counting any butter or syrup for toppings. Luckily, there are also several more sensible options available at restaurants including:

• Hearty Wheat Pancakes from Denny’s: 310 calories, 1.5 g fat, 4 g sugar
• Multigrain Pancakes from First Watch: 430 calories, 21 g fat, 14 g sugar
• Buttermilk Pancakes Short Stack from Perkins: 410 calories, 15 g fat, 12 g sugar

You’ll have even more luck packing in nutrition if you whip up your pancakes at home. Here’s a recipe that I recently tried and loved (and kept me full for hours) from the kitchen whiz Kath Eats.

Satisfying Oatmeal Pancake, from Kath Eats (with very minor tweaks)

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon stevia, sugar (brown or white) or sweetener of choice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Heat the stove burner to medium and pour mixture into a round shape on a pan coated with non-stick spray. See the bubbles in the second picture above? That’s how you know it’s time to flip this (or any) pancake! Cook until the other side is lightly browned and the insides are baked through. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Unadorned, this recipe with stevia is about 140 calories, 2 g fat, 8 g protein, 1 g sugar and 3 g fiber. Multiply the recipe by two or three if you’re hungry or need to replenish the fuel you burned after a long run. Or adjust accordingly if you’re hosting a crowd. :)

Feel free to add any mix-ins or toppings that sound tasty to you. I opted for a nectarine (the first one I spotted this season—I know it’s a little early but I had to jump the gun and take advantage at least once). Here are some other tempting ideas:

• Berries
• Apples (would go especially well with the cinnamon!) or pears
• Banana, mashed or sliced and added to the batter
• Pumpkin stirred in, if you enjoy the taste of it more than I do :)
• Nut butter or PB2
• Low-sugar jelly/jam
• Yogurt

What is your favorite weekend breakfast or brunch dish? And what are your favorite waffle or pancake mix-ins or toppers?

Besides hosting March Madness and the start of Daylight Savings (don’t forget to spring forward on Sunday!) the third month of the year is known for two other celebrations—the combination of which inspired this recipe round-up. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next weekend and National Nutrition Month is going on now!

St. Paddy’s is generally celebrated with green beers and gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins. However, since it’s also National Nutrition Month, why not mark the holiday on the 17th—and all month long—with healthier dishes sporting the festive hue? Rather than searching for a four-leaf clover, I browsed some of my favorite recipe resources to find plenty of tasty options. All of the following sides and mains contain real greens of some kind, and the desserts are lighter takes on seasonal favorites. Bonus: They’re all Friday-friendly for Lent followers, so feel free to try one (or more) today. :)

• Green Bean Fries: Sure, potatoes are an Irish staple. But if you follow the lead of Peas and Thank You and swap in snappy, fresh green beans, you’ll end up with an appetizer or side dish with a fraction of the calories. (35 calories, 0 g fat)

• Baby Pasta Shells with Asparagus and Marinara: Asparagus is just coming into season, making now the perfect time to try Skinny Taste’s crowd-pleasing noodle dish! (283 calories, 4 g fat)

• Salsa Chickpea Lettuce Wraps: Meatless protein options are available, and this recipe is Exhibit A. These Mexican wraps from Happy Herbivore pack a satisfying 23 grams, plus the same amount of fiber for a meal that will keep you full for hours. (450 calories, 6 g fat)

• Polenta with Lemony Asparagus and Chickpeas: Fat Free Vegan’s hearty meal includes spiced up seasonal veggies and creamy polenta. I’ve been meaning to try my hand at making this creamy cornmeal dish at home for eons! (276 calories, 2 g fat)

• Homemade Shamrock Shake: A dairy-free (and guilt-free) swap for the McDonald’s seasonal dessert favorite designed by Iowa Girl Eats. (285 calories, 8 g fat)

• Simple Green Cupcakes: These baked treats from, appropriately enough, Green Lite Bites, are the ultimate in baking trickery. Want to know what makes them emerald-colored? Shh…don’t tell the kids. It’s spinach! (153 calories, 2 g fat)

• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: I’m this close to caving and buying a blender (yes, I admit, I don’t have a very well-stocked kitchen!) so I can try Chocolate-Covered Katie’s easy, low-calorie ice cream recipes in a variety of flavors, including mint chocolate chip. (120 calories, 7 g fat)

Hungry for more? Serve up these five fun facts about the greens found in
these recipes at your next dinner party:

1. The folate in asparagus works with other vitamins and minerals to keep your brain fresh into old age.
2. You’ve probably heard that spinach is good for your heart and has properties that can help reduce cancer risk. But did you know that the phytochemicals found in Popeye’s favorite have been found to help prevent macular degeneration? Hint: Grab the greenest-looking bunch at the supermarket—brighter leaves apparently pack more vitamin C!
3. Broccoli may be part of a hypoallergenic diet, thanks to a flavaonoid called kaempferol found in the little trees. Good to know as we head into allergy season!
4. The timing is perfect for a big salad: lettuce is a symbol for good luck in China.
5. I’d never considered this before, but it’s true! Green beans are one of the few varieties of beans that we regularly eat fresh.

I like green eggs and ham and taco salads (among many others). What are your favorite green recipes?

With all of the running I’ve been doing (OK, it hasn’t been that much yet, but go with me here!), it’s time for a treat. But as many experts tell you, exercising isn’t a free pass to go off the deep end. With that in mind, I tried out two different desserts that taste decadent but won’t blow your calorie budget. Bonus: They would both be a sweet way to please your Valentine!

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Skinny Taste

What makes these top the Tollhouse recipe standby? Three key swaps:

• Instead of half of the fat, use unsweetened applesauce (which makes for a super-moist cookie!).
• Use whole-wheat pastry flour in place of all purpose to boost the fiber and whole grain content without making the baked goods hard and heavy.
• Opt for mini-chocolate chips over regular-sized to spread the joy around the batter more.

Note: The mixture will be thinner than a typical batter before baking. But fear not! After exiting the oven (see picture below on right, yes, I’m classy and cool my cookies on a paper towel :) ) they will very much resemble the cookie you’re used to. And they taste fantastic!

One-Minute Chocolate Cake from Chocolate-Covered Katie

A single-serving baked dessert that you can make in a flash and without using your oven? Yes, please! I have no idea why, but something about watching this puff up and solidify in the microwave seems much more magical than an oven-baked cake. Cocoa powder adds amazing chocolate flavor without the fat that comes with chocolate pieces or bars—and makes this recipe vegan-friendly. Applesauce or mashed banana can sub for the oil in this recipe as well, and Katie’s smart recipe utilizes a half-and-half mix of sugar and stevia for great taste and nutrition facts.

I’m so happy that I stumbled upon these two recipes, and highly recommend that you give them a shot! What is your favorite dessert lately?

Some may consider prime popcorn season to be summer—what with the vendors at fairs, baseball games and the tall, green stalks of corn popping up in the fields. But I think that now is primetime for the tasty whole-grain treat, since the Superbowl is just days away (although I’d rather just skim over this topic after the tragic end to the Packers season). Plus, movie and awards show season is in full swing, and popcorn is the quintessential screening snack.

National Popcorn day was just January 19. I’m planning to throw a belated celebration by trying out some of these delicious jazzed-up options:

• Hungry Girl’s Ultimate Movie-Viewing Snack Mix: Chocolate, peanut butter, brown sugar…basically all of the ingredients you love in a decadent dessert in a crunchy snack. (187 calories, 3.5 g fat)
• Green Lite Bites Quick Chocolate Kettle Corn: Another great option for sweet-lovers. Only three ingredients required! (106 calories, 3 g fat)
• WebMD Mediterranean Magic Popcorn: A simple, heart-healthy swap for the cheese-flavored wedge in one of those big gourmet popcorn tins. (121 calories, 6.5 g fat)
• Popcorn Board’s Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Popcorn: The novelty of this recipe caught my eye! It’s like a citrus muffin morphed with the movie treat. (180 calories, 0 g fat)
• Belly Bytes Pizza-Flavored Popcorn: Spicy, cheesy and crispy—just like your favorite slice! (145 calories, 1 g fat)

Want to wow your pals with your popcorn IQ? Slip in one of these fun facts when you’re making small talk around the snack bowl:

• The average American eats 52 quarts of popcorn every year!
• Spend smart by making your own: Movie tubs are marked up about 900 percent (and most likely contain much more oil/butter than you’d add at home).
• One cup of air-popped corn has 31 calories.
• There are five different American cities that claim they are the “Popcorn Capital of the World.” (Marion, Ohio; North Loup, Nebraska; Ridgway, Illinois; Schaller, Iowa and Van Buren, Indiana.)
• Corn can pop as high as three feet in the air. Kernels have way better ups than I do!

What is your favorite way to enjoy popcorn?

In an effort to be more domestic for 2012, I added a mini-crockpot to my Amazon wishlist for Christmas. Since I left my parent’s home, I realized hadn’t used a slow cooker and that needed to change! What’s not to love about something that will prepare your dinner for you while you’re running errands, in class or at work? Plus your kitchen is filled with fantastic aromas all day.

Mom and Dad were kind enough to oblige, and ordered me this cute and affordable orange number. To break it in, I whipped out The SparkPeople Cookbook to try a recipe that I’d been saving until I had all of the necessary equipment. It’s actually the most popular dish on their whole SparkRecipes site: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken.

I organized my mise en place (thanks, Top Chef!), or ingredients and tools needed to complete the dish (see above left) and got to work on this very simple recipe.

Begin by topping the chicken with taco seasoning.

Add your veggies. I also finally got real cutting boards! Is it weird that I was just using plates before? Probably not the best for my knives, but it got the job done. :)

Invite the tomatoes to the party, crank up the heat and go about your day! Fun fact: Peeking under the crockpot topper releases so much heat that you’ll add about 15 to 20 minutes to your cooking time. Flip the meat halfway through if you’re nearby, but otherwise keep a lid on it!

Come dinnertime, the chicken will be tender, moist and flavorful.

South-of-the-Border Crockpot Chicken (adapted from The SparkPeople Cookbook)

Serves 4, about one cup each

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup petite diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup shredded or diced carrots

1. Place chicken in your crockpot dish and top with taco seasoning.
2. Pour on onion, carrots, salsa and tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup water.
3. Turn crockpot on low and cook for about six hours, or crank it up to high for about four hours. (Until chicken is cooked through and 165 degrees.)
4. Use two forks to “shred” the chicken. Stir to cover chicken with sauce mixture.

Nutrition information per serving: About 150 calories, 3 g fat and more than 20 g protein (To put this into context, adult women need about 46 grams and adult men require about 56 grams per day, according to WebMD.)

I think I’ll be using my crockpot a lot more and experimenting with more of these tasty recipes I’ve recently pinned!

What is your must-have piece of kitchen equipment or what tool is on your wishlist?