Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

My new favorite find from the farmer’s market this weekend are Armenian Cucumbers.

Never bitter, you don’t have to peel these cucumbers. All you have to do is wash them thoroughly and slice them for beautiful cucumber chips with naturally scalloped edges.

I’ve been eating them in wraps with Flat Out flatbread and Laughing Cow cheese (both in the Light versions).

First, I lightly toast the Flat Out in my toaster oven. While it’s still warm, I spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. I really like the garlic flavor.

Then, I put about a half a cup of cucumber slices on the flatbread. I want at least one serving of vegetables. You don’t have to use cucumbers, either. You can used any vegetables, either grilled or fresh.

After I put in the veggies, I wrap it up. The flatbread is usually a little stiff from being toasted. If you prefer your flatbread softer, then skip toasting it.

I count this whole wrap as only two points (0 points for the veggies, 1.2 points for the flatbread and .8 points for the cheese), so you can have a REALLY filling meal for only a couple of points.

ENJOY!

Sometimes, getting five servings of fruits and vegetables is difficult. Sometimes it feels like a chore to eat that many. When I start feeling like that, I break out the Bloody Mary glasses and make myself a Virgin Bloody Mary.

Ingredients:

• Margarita Salt
• Ice
• 1 small can of V-8 juice
• 2-10 drops of Tabasco Sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• Ground pepper to taste

Directions:

• Wet the lip of the glass and dip it into the margarita salt.
• Add ice, V-8, Tabasco sauce and lime juice to the glass and mix well.
• Grind some pepper on the top of the liquid.

You can also add olives and celery, but I usually don’t have those sitting around my house when I’m in this situation, so I just drink it with a straw. For some reason, dressing tomato juice up like this makes drinking my serving of vegetables a little easier. It makes me feel like I am having a treat.

I had never heard of freezing grapes until about five years ago. We had just moved into our present house and the back yard had grape vines. We had so many grapes that there was no possible way for us to eat them all. A friend of mine recommended that we freeze them.

You don’t have to do anything special, you just wash them, pull them off the vine and freeze them in a ziploc bag. You can take them out later, defrost them to eat. You can eat them frozen (my favorite after a hot workout). You can put them in smoothies to make delicious grape shakes. Here is my recipe for that:

Grape Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen grapes
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tsps of healthy oil (I like to sneak it into treats so I don’t notice it)
• 1 packet of Stevia (or Splenda) – optional (most of the time the grapes are sweet enough)

Put all the ingredients into the blender and mix on high until smooth.

1 serving – Approximately 250 calories – 5 WW Points – 2 fruit, 2 oil and 1 milk serving.

Without frozen grapes, eating healthy would be much more difficult for me. If you are having a hard time getting all your fruit servings in, get a bunch of grapes today and freeze them in one cup bags today. Then all you need to do each day is take out one bag and you knock out two servings in one punch.

I have been racking my brain trying to think of easy things to cook just like the Mexi-Beans and the Italian Beans. This week, I came up with this one.

Refried Beans – 5 Points – Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 can of fat-free refried beans
• 1 small can of corn
• 1 bottle of salsa
• 3/4 cup of shredded cheese
• 3 tsp of Mexican seasoning
• 3 Glad or Ziploc bowls

Directions

• Open the can of refried beans and divide among the three bowls.
• Drain the can of corn and divide among the three bowls.
• Open the bottle of salsa and divide between the three bowls. This is ALOT of salsa, so if you’re sensitive to spiciness, make sure you choose the mild.
• Add 1 tsp of Mexican seasoning to each bowl. You can also spice it up with Tabasco sauce, taco sauce packets from Taco Bell, etc.
• Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese to each bowl.
• Cover the bowls and put them in the fridge.

When it’s time to eat, pull out a bowl from the fridge, crack the lid and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. This recipe makes three meals and it’s EASY!

I usually heat one up immediately (only takes one minute when everything is at room temperature) and then store the other two for later. I count this as one protein, one dairy and two veggies. It’s a little more points than Mexi-Beans, but it’s a nice change of pace so I don’t get bored eating the same thing all the time.

I love Mexi-Beans and they are a great way to get me back on track eating healthy, but the problem is, I get sick of them REALLY easily. Earlier this week, I couldn’t bear the thought of eating another bowl of them, so I desperately ravaged my cupboard in an attempt to find anything that would give me two servings of vegetables and one serving of protein. I created Italian Beans and here is the recipe.

Italian Beans – 2 Points – Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 1 can of artichoke hearts (packed in brine NOT oil)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 3 tsp of garlic salt
• 1 1/2 tsp of oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp of basil
• 3 Glad or Ziploc bowls

Directions

• Open and drain the can of garbanzo beans
• Pour the can of garbanzo beans into one of the Glad bowls. Fill the bowl with water and gently rinse the beans. Drain the water and divide the beans between the three bowls.
• Drain the can of artichoke hearts. Divide the beans evenly between the three bowls.
• Open the can of tomatoes and divide between the three bowls.
• Add 1 tsp of garlic salt, 1/2 tsp of oregano and 1/2 tsp of basil to each bowl. If you want to finish off your oil requirement for the day, add 2 tsp of olive oil to each bowl (it will add 2 points to this recipe).
• Cover the bowls and put them in the fridge.

When it’s time to eat, pull out a bowl from the fridge, crack the lid and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. This recipe makes three meals and it’s EASY!

If you notice, the recipe is just as easy as Mexi-Beans, but it tastes completely different so I’m not sick of it. Additionally, I can stock up on the ingredients for this recipe and store them in the cupboard (or downstairs in food storage) for a long time. I love knowing that I have something tasty in the cupboard that just needs me to open three cans and we can eat.

I like to keeps some canned veggies in the cupboard just in case I run out of healthy food to eat. Here is a quick meal that I make up when I need something REALLY low in points and need to knock off a couple of vegetables off my list.

Mexi-Beans – 4 Points – Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 can of red kidney beans
• 1 can of green beans
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 6 tsp of olive oil (if desired)
• 3 tsp of Mexican seasoning
• 6 granules of dried chipotle (more if you like it spicy)
• 3 Glad or Ziploc bowls

Directions

• Drain the can of kidney beans
• Pour the can of kidney beans into one of the Glad bowls. Fill the bowl with water and gently rinse the beans. Drain the water and divide the beans between the three bowls.
• Drain the can of green beans. Divide the beans evenly between the three bowls.
• Open the can of tomatoes and divide between the three bowls.
• Add 1 tsp of Mexican seasoning and 2 granules of dried chipotle to each bowl. If you want to finish off your oil requirement for the day, add 2 tsp of olive oil to each bowl. You can also spice it up with Tabasco sauce, taco sauce packets from Taco Bell, etc.
• Cover the bowls and put them in the fridge.

When it’s time to eat, pull out a bowl from the fridge, crack the lid and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. This recipe makes three meals and it’s EASY!

A special thank you to Braidwood for emailing me a recipe-sharing email. It got me off my butt to write down this incredibly simple meal idea.

When Swiss Miss came out with their Swiss Miss Diet Cocoa, everyone at Weight Watchers were excited about it. Whenever someone mentioned an indulgence, the Swiss Miss Diet Cocoa jumped into the conversation. I tried it. It was good, but I still have almost a full box of it sitting in the cupboard.

Why?

Because I like REAL cocoa. Plus, I have a hard time eating my two servings of dairy every day, so if I’m going to have cocoa, I’m going to make it WORTH it.

My REAL Cocoa Recipe

• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tsp of Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
• 1 packet of Stevia (or Equal or Sweet N Low, whatever you like)

Directions:

1. Set your microwave to 50% power. Microwave your milk in a heat-safe mug for three minutes. If you don’t reduce your microwave cooking power level, the milk will bubble up and make quite a mess in your microwave, so make sure you reduce your cooking level to 50%.
2. Once the milk is heated correctly, stir in the teaspoon of cocoa and the packet of Stevia. You have to stir in a little more with real cocoa than you would if you were using a packet of Swiss Miss. Make sure all the lumps of cocoa are mixed in.

Servings: 1
WW Points: 2

The reason why Swiss Miss is so popular is because you don’t need to have milk with you to make it, so if you’re in an office, all you have to do is get some hot water from the water cooler. With a little planning, however, you can have cocoa that tastes like REAL chocolate and do your body some good.

When I read the recipe for this chocolate cake, I was inspired:

• Chocolate Cake In 5 Minutes! | Dizzy Dee

After checking the WW Points for this recipe, however, I was a little less than happy. It clocked in at 19 Points! Since my biggest problem with a piece of chocolate cake isn’t the piece of cake, but the rest of it in my house, the idea of making one serving of chocolate cake sounded perfect. I wouldn’t have to worry about bingeing if I only made one piece of cake.

So I altered the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons self-rising flour
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Coffee Mug

Directions:

• Mix the dry ingredients together in the coffee mug
• Add the egg and stir.
• Add the milk and applesauce and stir until mixed well.
• Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes on high (1000 watt).
• Allow to cool before popping the cake out of the mug.

Servings: 2
WW Points: 4

Despite the appearance of the mug, it didn’t make a mess in my microwave. The bubbling cake mixture never made it all the way down the mug before firming up. The cake will be spongy, but moist. It’s not sickly sweet like some cakes are. If you want a little more sweetness, add a tablespoon of frosting for an additional Point.

The cake is so large, I cut it into two servings. Allow it to cool before eating and it will be less spongy.

When I was a kid, microwaves were the cool new thing and they made cake mixes for the microwave. I could make a personal cake whenever I wanted. Honestly, I’ve missed that a little bit and it’s nice to know that I can make myself ONE piece of cake and not have to worry about throwing the rest away.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: 5 Minute Microwave Chocolate Cake

Sometimes the most simple and traditional recipes turn out to be healthy. Take Toad in the Hole, for example:

This simple dish is delicious and healthy. Here is the recipe:

Toad in the Hole

Ingredients:

• One slice of whole wheat bread
• One egg
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Using a glass, cut a hole in the whole wheat bread.
• Place the bread in the pan and crack the egg into the hole.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Put a lid on the pan and cook for four minutes.
• Toast the round piece.

Calories: Approx. 150 WWPoints: 3

I like to have this for breakfast because it’s very filling and will last me even if my lunch hour comes late in the day.

Enjoy!

Of all the things that my dad taught me about eating, the most healthy is Egg Thing. He never called it that. He used to have a name for it, but I can’t remember what it was called. I’ve called it Egg Thing for years, but I rarely made it for myself. It’s very filling and fairly low in calories, but the way my dad taught me to make it, well… it looks kind of gross.

So, after years of making it for myself, I’ve finally found a way to make Egg Thing appealing. It looks good, doesn’t it?

Here’s the recipe:

Egg Thing

Ingredients:

• One Egg
• 1 Tbsp. of mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. of mustard
• 1 Tbsp. of ketchup
• Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions:

• Using an egg separator, separate the yolk from the egg white. Set aside the yolk.
• Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup in with the egg whites.
• Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour the mixture into pan and add the egg yolk on top of it.
• Cook for four minutes on medium heat.

Servings: 1 Calories: approximately 150 WW Points: 3

When my dad made Egg Thing, he would just crack the egg in the pan and squirt the condiments onto the egg, which was less than appealing. By mixing in the condiments with the egg white, it tastes the same and looks better.

By the way, don’t just mix them all together with the yolk. I tried the scrambled egg version of Egg Thing and it changed the egg texture so that it stuck to the pan, was too thin and difficult to eat. If you want easy, just squirt the stuff on the top of a normal egg.

My dad is one of the people in my life who actually TAUGHT me how to binge, but Egg Thing is one of those dishes that is relatively healthy and very filling. Try it and see if you like it!

Egg Thing is featured in the online fictional serial, Merriton, in the following episodes:

• Merriton » Elvis said you folks pulled in late last night.

• Merriton » God, tourists everywhere.

• Merriton » Celebratory Egg Thing