While we all love our comfort foods most are very high in carbohydrates. That’s what makes them so good! Here are a few ways to enjoy your favorite foods without sabotaging your dieting efforts.

PIZZA

Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust

Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly. Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni or other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.

Carbs Eliminated: About 20 g per slice

PANCAKES

Substitute: Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix

Pancakes are the ultimate morning comfort food. Unfortunately, they are packed full of carbohydrates. To cut the carbs and add protein try this can’t-fail recipe for protein pancakes.

Carbs Eliminated: 45 g per pancake

PASTA SALAD

Substitute: Mixed vegetables or black beans for half the pasta

Try black beans, diced tomatoes, and chunks of ham, tuna, chicken, or hard-boiled eggs. These kinds of salads are a blank slate, so you can top them with a homemade blue cheese vinaigrette, or even lime juice and slices of avocado.

Carbs Eliminated: 10 g per cup

SANDWICHES

Substitute: Napa or Chinese cabbage for bread

Slap your turkey and Swiss onto a leaf of cabbage and roll it up. You can make a great-tasting BLTs using cabbage instead of bread. Dip the roll in low-fat mayonnaise or mustard.

Carbs Eliminated: 29 g per sandwich

SPAGHETTI

Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti

A cooked spaghetti squash is like Mother Nature’s automatic spaghetti maker—the flesh becomes noodlelike strands. All you have to do is cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half—cut side down—on a plate with a quarter cup of water. Let it cool, then scrape out the “spaghetti” strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese. Here are a few of my favorite spaghetti squash recipes.

Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup

Written by Lea Barlow • 2 Comments

by Alexis Novak

My brother has been actively dating for years and I’m exhausted.  When is my wonderful new sister-in-law going to surface already?

I’ve taken steps to help the cause.  In a few entertaining and compelling essays I’ve tried to convince “The Bachelor” producers why my brother should star on their show.  Besides being hilarious, smart, driven and handsome, he is sweet-as-all-get-out and I’m not saying this because he’s my blood.  Ask all of my friends whose voices go up three octaves when he walks in the room; my brother is the real deal.  Unfortunately his dating record could best be described as more tragic than comic and I believe his female problems could relate to a “broken picker” as Patty Stanger would diagnose on “The Millionaire Matchmaker”.  I am not a therapist or a matchmaker, so that’s all my husband and I can figure out. And trust me, we’ve spent many late nights analyzing.

So I asked my beloved brother why he isn’t finding his wife/my new BFF.  After his thorough research, he says that the problem is that women have become the players in the game of Natural Selection and they’ve adapted some formerly-masculine strategies. The women he meets, his dating equals and “total package” types, are obsessed with keeping their options open and marketing themselves to the best catch. When an issue pops up, they quickly cut the line.  If better, bigger fish are biting soon, no one’s motivated to actually work at a relationship that has a glimmer of potential.

And he said that social media creates the sense that new sexy fish are just a friend away.

In being so picky, daters miss the big picture.  There is a whole generation of singles that would rather “die than settle” and that is hilarious to me.  Call me cynical, but one person isn’t supposed to fulfill all your everythings.  In fact, when you take responsibility for your own happiness it is much easier to be not so needy and psychotic in relationships.

Whatever the case may be, we are growing weary of his missed matches. I get excited when I meet a new lady friend, imagining our Starbucks dates and all my passed-down unsolicited mothering advice and then poof! She is gone by the following week. But we don’t pressure my brother because we know firsthand how hellish a poor match can be.  Hell was my former sister-in-law that refused to discuss anything but her three conversation topics- kittens, Jessica Simpson and sex toys. You can imagine Thanksgiving.

This time around I am much more verbal about my sis-in-law needs: My daughters need a fun Auntie that will babysit so mommy can go to Happy Hour with her girlfriends.  I need a friend to share the endless holiday cooking and hosting with.  Someone that will whisper and laugh with me in the kitchen when the guys are watching football.  And most importantly, she must have good birthing hips because we need some baby cousins STAT.  I’m sick of doing all the breeding around here.

Written by Alexis Novak • 1 Comment

The days are long. The weather is hot. The kids are screaming of boredom. What’s a mom to do? Instead of uncorking that wine try one of these more interesting summer cocktails. The Salty Chihuahua is my personal favorite.

Elderflower Sparkler

Ingredients

8 tablespoons elderflower concentrate, or syrup (see Shopping Tip)

2 cups brut or extra-dry Champagne

2 cups seltzer

Edible flowers, or mint sprigs for garnish

Preparation

Place 1 tablespoon elderflower concentrate (or syrup) in each of 8 Champagne glasses; add 1/4 cup Champagne to each glass, then top off with 1/4 cup seltzer. Garnish with flowers (or mint), if desired. Serve immediately.

*Elderflower concentrate or syrup, made from the blossom of the elder tree, has a delicate, lightly floral aroma and mild honey flavor. Popular as a drink ingredient throughout northern Europe, it’s thought to help fight fevers and colds. Look for it in specialty shops that feature northern European foods (such as Ikea). Apricot nectar can be used as a substitute.

54 calories per cocktail. Makes 8 servings

Salty Chihuahua

Ingredients

Coarse salt, (optional)

4 ounces tequila, divided

2 ounces orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau, divided

3 cups grapefruit juice, divided

4 grapefruit slices, for garnish

Preparation

Wet the rims of 4 glasses and coat with coarse salt (if desired); fill the glasses with ice. Pour 1 ounce tequila and 1/2 ounce liqueur into each. Top each with 3/4 cup grapefruit juice and stir. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

188 calories per cocktail. Makes 4 servings.

Summer Fruit Punch

Ingredients

2 cups diced stone fruit, (apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines)

2 cups apricot juice

2 cups sparkling wine

1 cup seltzer

Preparation

Combine diced fruit, apricot juice, sparkling wine and seltzer. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Non-alcoholic version: Substitute sparkling cider for the wine. Boring.

173 calories per cocktail. Makes 4 servings.

Tomato-Jalapeno Bloody Mary

Ingredients

3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded

2-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 ounces (3/4 cup) vodka

4 caperberries, or large green olives for garnish

4 pickled dilly beans, for garnish

Preparation

Puree tomatoes in a blender with lemon juice, jalapeños, horseradish to taste, Worcestershire, sugar, celery salt and pepper, scraping down the sides as necessary. Stir in vodka. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Spear caperberries (or olives) and dilly beans on toothpicks to garnish the drinks.

136 calories per cocktail. makes 4 servings

*Capers are dried and pickled small flower buds from a shrub native to the Mediterranean. Caperberries are the more mature fruit produced by the shrub. They are about the size of an olive, starchier than the smaller caper and usually sold with the stem still attached. They typically used as a drink garnish, but can also be served as an appetizer—like olives. Look for them in well-stocked grocery stores.

Monkeylada

A lower-calorie version of the classic Pina Colada

Ingredients

2 very ripe bananas

1 cup diced fresh pineapple, plus 4 wedges for garnish

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup “lite” coconut milk

3 cups ice cubes

6 ounces (3/4 cup) light rum

Preparation

Puree bananas, diced pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut milk and ice in a blender. Stir in rum. Divide among 4 glasses. Garnish with pineapple wedges.

228 calories per cocktail. Makes 4 servings.

*Cheers!*

Written by Lea Barlow • 2 Comments

Summertime is rough on me. My body does not respond well to day after day of 95 degree Florida weather. I feel sluggish, fatigued and for some reason, constantly hungry. I just want to lay on the couch and eat Cheez-its all day. Seriously. Because of this, I often put on a few pounds during the seemingly never ending summer. I vowed that this summer would be different. I still feel tired and hungry but am resisting my junk food binges by changing up my diet a little. I have added foods that have a very high water content. The strategy here is to eat less by feeling full quicker. It’s not rocket surgery. Here are 7 foods made of 90% water that will help fight those summertime pounds…

1. Grapefruit

A powerhouse for heart health, grapefruit contains vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium, along with pectin, a soluble fiber that may be a strong ally against atherosclerosis. Pink and red varieties also have vitamin A and lycopene, a phytochemical that protects arterial walls from oxidative damage. To get the juiciest specimens, select fruits heavy for their size and make sure to try them in this refreshing.
2. Lettuce
With a mere 60–70 calories per pound, lettuce is high on the list of diet-friendly foods. Romaine lettuce alone is a great source of B vitamins, folic acid, and manganese, which helps regulate blood sugar and is essential for proper immune system function. Choose other dark green or purple varieties such as green or red leaf for the most nutrients, and toss with a zesty homemade vinaigrette.

3. Cauliflower

Like other cruciferous veggies, cauliflower is full of cancer-fighting phytonutrients and is a great source of vitamin C and folate. Nibble on raw or lightly steamed florets to maximize cauliflower’s antioxidant power, or try this potassium-rich recipe for Cauliflower and Yukon Gold Soup.

4. Cabbage

Rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, cabbage is a great immune-booster. Enjoy it lightlysautéed in a stir-fry or paired with sweet-tart apples. Or, try this recipe for red cabbage and apple salad with ginger vinaigrette.

5. Broccoli

Did you know broccoli is a great source of fiber and calcium? Try this delicious recipe for Broccoli Salad With Sesame Dressing and Cashews

6. Radishes

These brightly colored vegetables are packed with potassium, folic acid, antioxidants, and sulfur compounds that aid in digestion. Don’t forget the leafy green tops, which contain six times the vitamin C and more calcium than the roots. Thinly slice and toss in a fresh green salad or julienne for coleslaw. Try this recipe for grilled chicken with sweet-and-sour cucumber-radish salad.

7. Spinach

Tender and flavorful, this leafy green is rich in iron, folic acid, and vitamin K. It also contains disease-fighting antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, as well as the phytochemical lutein, which protects eyes against age-related macular degeneration. Use as a substitute for lettuce in salad, lightly sauté with shredded carrot, sliced mushrooms, and garlic for a savory omelet filling, or try this simple Seasoned Spinach recipe for a quick and nutritious side dish.

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment