Low Calorie Lunch #3

Today's low calorie lunch is one of my absolute favorites --Homemade Hummus and Tabbouleh Salad! I love that they are both so fresh, flavorful, and filling! Raw veggies and olives with this meal make it so yummy and healthy! Hummus is made from chick peas, also called garbanzo beans, and they are low calorie and full of fiber and protein. Also, offering the benefit of high fiber, low calorie, and high protein is bulgar wheat, which is the main ingredient of tabbouleh salad. The other ingredients for this meal are all vegetables, spices, herbs, and lemon juice. 

Low Calorie Lunch #3

Homemade Hummus

2 15.5 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup tahini

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB fresh parsely

1 lemon, juiced

10 medium black olives

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander, optional

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1 cup water

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Chill for at least one hour, serve with your favorite pita bread and raw vegetables. 

Tabbouleh Salad

2 cups bulgar wheat, cooked and cooled to room temperature (follow package directions) 

1 t. salt

2 lemons, juiced

1 pt. cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 TB olive oil

Mix all ingredients well. Add more salt or lemon juice to reach desired flavor. 

This meal does take a lot more time to prepare than some of the other low calorie lunches I have posted, but it is the type of meal that tastes great a couple of days after it is made. I would recommend making several options for healthy lunches on a Sunday afternoon to be prepared for the week. After all, If you open the refrigerator in the middle of the day, you're busy and  already hungry, and find nothing =not good!  It is more likely you will go for something fast and maybe less healthy like chips, cookies, candy, cheese burger, or mac and cheese. But if you have fresh, whole-food, healthy options just waiting for you, then it is easier to make a good choice when you are busy and hunger strikes!

I'll be posting another Low Calorie Lunch next week, so check back in a few days! 

Low Calorie Lunch #2

I like finding ways to eat super delicious food for a filling, satisfying meal that also leads to weight loss and the goal of balanced wellness. I am sharing my "Low Calorie Lunches" with you, because there are so many yummy foods we can eat that taste good while promoting good health habits. Eating foods in their natural state is so much healthier than processed foods with added preservatives and added chemicals. I love this Black Bean Plate, because it is healthy, so simple, and so good!  

Low Calorie Lunch #2

Black Bean Plate

Brown rice

Black beans

Corn

Avocado

Tomatoes

Light sprinkle of salt

This is so delicious for lunch! There are very few calories in this meal, but it is so filling. You will get some great fiber from the brown rice, beans, and corn! The veggies are packed with nutrients, too. The avocado offers the body a healthy type of fat and is considered a super food because of its high-levels of folate, potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium. Enjoy this one!  I eat this for lunch as often as I can, because I love it so much!   

I'll be posting another Low Calorie Lunch next week, so check back in a few days! 

Low Calorie Lunch #1

I like finding ways to eat super delicious food for a filling, satisfying meal that also leads to weight loss and the goal of balanced wellness. I am sharing my "Low Calorie Lunches" with you, because there are so many yummy foods we can eat that taste good while promoting good health habits. We don't need to feel hungry all the time or eat things that don't taste good in order to experience weight loss or better health. God gave us taste buds so we can enjoy the wonderful flavors of the foods He created! The first Low Calorie Lunch I'm sharing is something I'm sure you have had before. It is so simple, but so delicious! Try it this week!

Low Calorie Lunch #1 

Simple Tostadas
Corn tostadas
Fat Free refried beans
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced black olives
Corn
Sliced avocado or simple guacamole (smashed avocado, salt, lemon juice)
Salsa
Cheese (lightly sprinkled), optional
Sour Cream (light), optional

So, eating 2-3 of these will fill you up! These crunchy discs of delicious flavor include healthy fiber from the corn tostadas and beans, as well as the benefits of a variety of vegetables.

I do not like the phrase "I'm on a diet." I think it is really cliche and seems like a self-deprecating statement that basically says "hey I'm fat and I'm trying to lose this flab so I can fit back into my favorite jeans." I don't want to say that even if it is true. I do think, however, that it is important to recognize when we need to lose some weight. Instead of putting myself on a diet, I think making small changes towards an improved lifestyle is a better. We need to be doing things like eating more foods in their original condition--more whole foods, less processed foods. Exercising, getting enough sleep. Drinking water. Praying for God's help to balance and excell in all areas of our lives including our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

I can admit that I do have some extra weight, and, yes, I aim to lose some of it. But, I am not on a diet and I am not doing any specific program or anything like that to restrain and restrict myself. I believe that the ultimate goal any of us should have is to be healthy, balanced, and growing stronger every day.

Age has a way of weakening a person, but with continued effort towards wellness, a person can do a lot to combat the natural progression of fat cells that are migrating and clumping up everywhere you don't want them to clump. And, there are definitely things we can do to help generate more energy and better circulation which leads to better metabolism and a better immune system. After all when more blood is pumping through the body, there is more life-giving power spreading to each area.

But, I digress. I am not a nutritionist nor a doctor. I do have an interest in health and have learned much through the years of my life as I have lived as a vegetarian and as a member of a protestant denomination known globally for their healthful lifestyle--Seventh-day Adventists.

A side note: Seventh-day Adventists are featured in a National Geographic study headed up by Dan Buettner and the world's best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people live measurably longer, which they termed Blue Zones. In Blue Zones the study found that people reach age 100 at a rate 10 times greater than anywhere else in the world. You can read more about it here: https://www.bluezones.com/2014/03/loma-linda-exploration-backgrounds/ and also at this link: https://www.bluezones.com/2014/03/loma-linda-exploration-lessons/.

I'll be posting another Low Calorie Lunch next week, so check back in a few days! 

I made homemade fig jam

We have a fig tree in our back yard, and it has been producing lots of figs this summer! They are huge, too, and really sweet!  We have eaten a lot of them, and given bags of them away to friends. The birds and squirrels and (??) have gotten to pick, peck, and eat their fair share of them, too!

 We just recently got a bunch of rain, so the figs that were green on the tree suddenly all got ripe at the same time. So, I decided to make a pile of them into Homemade Fig Jam!

 Aren't they pretty!?

 There are bunches of them, and more to come!  I need to look up some more fig recipes!

I have never made jam before, so I had to follow the directions on the Sure Jell Pectin package.  First I washed the jars, because they have to be sterilized. I found out after I washed these five, that I would need four more, so I boiled those additional four in a pot of water briefly. They were brand new, so I think that was enough to sterilize them.

 I measured 5 cups of Figs. I followed the directions on the Sure Jell package instructions for making Cooked Fruit Jam.

I put these in a pot and started to boil them.  I had a problem, yes, I am going to show you a picture. This was my first time to make jam of any kind, so I was kind of learning as I went. The pot started to boil over, and made a rather yucky, sticky mess. I had to pull it off the burner right away. This caused a little smoke too. Exciting !!  NOT!  I was so busy trying to deal with the boiled over pot situation, that I forgot to take a picture of the figs in the pot. So, the next step was to take the fig mixture and ladle it into into the jars. See the recipe on your Sure Jell package for specific measurements of water/sugar/lemon juice/figs.

 Next, I wiped the tops and sides of each jar off and put the lids on them and screwed them on tight. Then I put them in the big black canning pot. The jars were completely submerged in the water. Then I boiled them for 10 minutes in the canning pot.

 Here are the 9 jars of Homemade Fig Jam I made today!  I have not tasted it yet, but I can't wait to see how it turned out!

 This will taste great on a thick slice of Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread! I think I'll get started making some of that next!

How to Fry Plantain

Fried plantain is one of the absolute easiest side dishes to prepare! And these tropical banana cousins are so delicious! You can upgrade your beans and rice meal to gourmet with some beautiful, golden plantain on the side. There are many ways to make plantain, but this is our favorite! We just love it! So are you ready to try it? 

1) Pick plantain that are yellow on the outside, like a ripe banana. They will have the best flavor! For a family of 4, two plantains should be enough for one meal. You might have a few leftovers, but I doubt it . . .

2) Peel the plantains.

3) Slice them into 1/8 inch thick slices. The thinner you slice them the more crunchy they will turn out. If you want them to be tender, just make them thicker. I like them tender with crunchy edges.     

 4) Turn the heat on medium, pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan, and add the slices to form a single layer. Sprinkle salt on the slices as they are cooking.

5) Fry until golden in each side --about 1-2 minutes on each side --but watch them, sometimes they go faster as the frying pan gets hotter.

 6) Put a paper towel or two on a plate and put the fried plantains on it to drain. Sprinkle with a little more salt, if desired.

 7) Serve with black beans, cilantro lime rice, and guacamole with tortilla chips. It is one of our favorite meals! I hope you enjoy it too!

Perfect Pasta Every Time

Raise your hand if you have boiled a pot of pasta and had it run over and make a huge mess all of the stove? Me me me!  They say a watched pot never boils. Well, a non-watched pot of pasta . . . boils over. Ha ha ha! I don't like watching and stirring a pot for 8-10 minutes, which is what the pasta box directions suggests for cooking it. I prefer to use the method that my parents always used.

At this point I could go on and on about my childhood memories of eating spaghetti around the kitchen table with my family, and how crunchy and delicious the garlic bread was that we ate with it. I could reminisce about macaroni and cheese made with Velveeta, or garden fusilli that combined with Italian dressing and veggies to make some really yummy pasta salad. But, since one of my number one goals right now is to simplify, I will just tell you how to make Perfect Pasta . . . Every . . . Time . . .using one simple method. Every . . . Time!

Perfect Pasta
1) Fill  a large pot 2/3 full of water, or enough to cover pasta amount you are trying to cook
2) Add 1 tsp. of salt to water
3) Add 1 TB of olive oil to water
4) Bring the water to a boil.
5) Add pasta to the water and cook for 2 minutes uncovered
6) Remove the pot from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
7) Drain the water from the pot and enjoy your perfectly cooked pasta!

P.S. This same method (minus salt/olive oil) works to cook perfect boiled eggs, too . . . Every . . . Time!