What 200 Calories Looks Like

A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook page and you know I had to click on over because I'm all about finding interesting ways to talk about food! All 200 calories are not alike! Bathing suit season isn't too far away and don't you want to look your best?

I know I do! In fact- I challenged myself for the next 6 weeks to eat a strict healthy diet. I had been "cheating".... a lot. That's about when Girl Scout Cookies come in right? LOL- no, that's not why- but pretty funny that I thought of that. Sigh.

Anyways- focusing on really healthy eating for a period of time is another reason why I found this article so interesting.

Here are a couple examples that really stood out to me! Click the above link to see more. Fascinating. Choose wisely.

Foodie Friday: Beef and Broccli

In the grand scheme of all the wonderfully dishes we have planned to tell you about- we decided to go with this one today just in case you were inspired to get fit as a result of yesterday's awesome video interview with the Biggest Loser Goddesses!

This classic Asian dish is delicious and can be relatively healthy if you make it at home and control the ingredients. So- here we go! Donavan... take the reins!

2 lbs thin Sliced Beef (if your knife skills are not sharp, have your butcher slice it for you)
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
3 cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 lg Onion  (chopped or sliced)
2 lg Carrots (chopped or sliced and blanched)
3 heads of Broccoli (cut from stalk and in bit size pieces and blanched)
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce (use Low Sodium because the Hoisin will add salt as well)
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Cold Water

I suggest using a Wok to make this dish, if you do not have one use a saute pan.

 A Wok is a must if you plan on cooking a lot of Asian style dishes.

Place canola oil in Wok and get it hot (when you look at the oil you should see ripples in the oil)
Add beef and cook until browned on all sides but still undercooked. Remove beef from pan and add onion, carrots, garlic, sautee until onions are translucent.

Add soy sauce and hoisin sauce to vegetable mixture, bring to a boil and then add par cooked beef back to pan.

Add beef stock (low sodium if you're watching that) and bring to a boil.

Mix corn starch and cold water and add to boiling mixture about 1 Tbsp at a time to reach the desired thickness.

Add broccoli and toss until coated and warmed through, about 3-4 minutes. If sauce is too thick add a little cold water to thin out sauce.

Serve over Rice or Lo Mien Noodles
Enjoy!

Snack Time

I went to the grocery store hungry yesterday. Never a good idea. I bought Lunchables for the kids for a snack, sushi for the kids AND myself... for a snack and all of this for the kids and myself... FOR A SNACK! Apparently my snack attack meant munching my way through all the departments in the store for goodness sake!

Perhaps it was because I was dreaming of my Twilight party this weekend that I just HAD to have a pretty little platter with fruit, cheese, olives and meats... and a separate bowl full with little baguettes- but who's counting calories here!

I ate a couple pieces of sushi and saved the rest for the kiddos and then made this wonderful platter. My kids felt so special when I took the cover off of it and told them to enjoy. There's something really satisfying seeing my children enjoy a variety of foods that some kids may find yucky. Not too many kids enjoy spreadable sharp cheddar cheese or hard salami or a variety of olives.

What's your favorite snack? I have to admit- lately mine are olives, hard salami, cheese and crackers. It means a couple extra squat sets in the gym but it's worth it to me,

Girl Scout Cookie Madness

It's that time of year again where the Girl Scout cookie order forms have to be turned in. Then the long wait until the orders come in and you can deliver them to the salivating masses. I love Girl Scout cookies. Don't you? They just remind you of being a kid. I have to admit though- I feel like they're much smaller now that I'm grown. Seriously- an adult can polish off a box in one sitting- let's be real.

I have to admit- it's much more fun eating them than delivering them. My kitchen looks like a cookie bomb exploded when we get our boxes in. The aroma is torture. Yes- I can smell them through the box! My daughter likes to sell those darn things too! She remembers the high roller customers and makes sure to hit them up first! Smart girl. So as a result- we get a lot of boxes to deliver.

I just turned in her order forms yesterday- so for the next month or so we will be dreaming about our sweet treats. Then we will get them out to customers. I ordered a good 8 boxes for our house to keep... and I will surly try to hide them from the kids so I can ration them out- or else they will disappear.  They may just disappear when the kids are sleeping too--- I have no one to hide them from me! He he

My Favorite Way To Cook Turkey

I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving. I was watching the turkey cook and just couldn't help but want to share with you my favorite way to cook a turkey. The counter-top rotisserie is THE best way to cook a turkey in my book. We use our rotisserie at least once a week- and in fact used one into the ground and had to get a new one last year!

So, if you're one of those Black Friday- or now Black Thursday fans who love to duke it out for a good deal- keep your eyes out for one of these! If you can find a Ronco one for under $100- it's a GREAT deal!

In the mean time- click the video above- and drool away!
How do you cook your turkey?