This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Staying slim on Cinco de Mayo

I've done a healthy Cinco de Mayo recipe roundup at the FoodieView blog. So stop on by for some great tips on eating healthy during this food holiday.

Since I wrote the post, I've come across some other terrific, healthy Mexican dishes. The first recipe comes from the April 2008 issue of Sunset magazine.

Crab Tacos
Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, and sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 large jalapeño chiles, halved, seeded, and sliced, divided (or use canned instead)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces shelled cooked crab (used canned to save time)
• 8 taco shells or tortillas (corn tortillas are the healthiest choice)
• 1 cup Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (cabbage is a good alternative)
• 1 cup shredded jack or cheddar cheese (leave out the cheese to cut back on POINTS, fats and calories)
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced (yes, they're high in calories, but oh so good for you)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put tomatoes, garlic, half of the jalapeño, 1/4 cup cilantro, and the lime juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set salsa aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and remaining jalapeño until soft, 4 minutes. Add crab and cook just until crab is warm, about 2 minutes.
3. Put tortillas on a baking pan and warm in oven, about 3 minutes. (I like to use my double burner skillet to do this. My husband puts the tortilla right on a low burner - we have an electric stove - a trick he learned from his hunting buddy, Jose. When I do this, I burn them, so be careful.)
4. Arrange on a platter and fill with crab mixture, dividing evenly. Top crab with lettuce, cheese, and avocado. Sprinkle tacos with green onion and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve immediately, with salsa on the side or on top.

Nutritional information for one taco:
Calories: 200
Fat:  12g
Protein: 11g
Fiber 1.7g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

Healthy freezer meals for busy dieters and their families

I recently attended a meal making cooking class with a group of friends. Basically, it was a Once a Month-Freezer Cooking session combined with a Prepare Your Own Meals store. Our hostess (this was in a private home with a very large kitchen) shopped for the food, chopped the veggies, browned the ground meat, and prepared the prep stations.

Our group made eight meals. There was one dish per station with two to four people working on putting together the meals. Using printed instructions, we measured out the ingredients, and put them into labeled freezer bags or aluminum casserole dishes. When then loaded our pre-made meals into coolers and placed them in the freezer when we got home.

For $95, I walked away with eight dishes. This may seem like a lot of money, but I only spent a couple of hours making them, and I didn't have to drive all over town to buy the ingredients. I didn't have to do the prep work or clean up. And I have healthy meals in the freezer for those nights when I'm too busy to cook or out of town. The time savings alone made it a bargain.

So now I'm trying to figure out how to do a similar party with friends and not do all the work as the hostess. I'm thinking that each person could shop and prepare the ingredients for one dish for X amount of people. Then we could get together, assemble the meals, and help each other with the clean up and cost.

5 reasons why soup is healthy for dieters and everyone else

I'm having a get together next week and have decided to turn it into a "soup and salad" party. While doing my online research, I found out that soup is an excellent food for anyone trying to lose weight or eat more healthfully. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Eating soup helps cut your intake of food. By having a bowl of low-calorie soup prior to a meal, you can cut your total mealtime intake of amount of food and calories. According to Penn State researchers, diners consumed 20 percent fewer calories when they had both the soup and entree compared to when they did not have soup. The authors cautioned people to pick low-calorie, broth-based soups that are about 100 to 150 calories per serving.

2. Soup is convenient. Thank goodness for Amy's Soups. Not only are they organic, but many of them are low calorie, low fat, high fiber, vegetarian, and delicious! According to The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97% of people who ate soup as part of a low-calorie diet thought soup was a valuable part of their weight loss plan.

Whether you buy Campbell's, Amy's, Progresso, or a store brand, there are many terrific healthy choices for soup. Read the labels, pick the healthiest ones, and stock your pantry! Canned soup takes a few minutes to heat up. So if you always have it around, you won't be as tempted to cheat. Plus, it's easy to take to work, and you can often find healthy soup on the menu at most restaurants.

The "Smart People Drink Milk" contest

Recently I posted a product review of Horizon Organic's new DHA Omega-3 milk. Docosahexaenoic Acid, or DHA, is a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that has been studied for its role in heart, brain and eye health.

As part of Brain Awareness Week/Month I'm giving away 3 Horizon Organic coupons good for any ONE FREE Horizon's product up to $4.99 (excluding gallon milk and 16 oz. butter) in value.

To Enter:

1. Leave your name, email address, and blog address (if you have one) in the comments below.
2. You must be willing to send me your full name and address so I can mail you the coupon. I will not share your personal info with the public. However, if you do have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.
3. You have until midnight MT on March 27, 2008 to enter.
4. This contest is limited to the continental U.S.
5. I'm also offering having this contest at My Readable Feast. Feel free to enter there as well. One entry on each of my blogs is allowed.
6. The coupon cannot be used in CO, MA, MO or ND, so don't enter if you live in those states.
7. I will announce the winners on March 28, 2008 and mail out the coupons via USPS by the following week.

5 ways to stay lean and green this St. Patrick's Day

As I travel through the grocery store I realize that another eating holiday - St. Patrick's Day - is upon us. Here are five ways to cope when Irish tummies are growling.

1. Beer - If you must have a beer this St. Patrick's Day, choose wisely. Instead of that nasty green Bud Light, treat yourself to a Guinness, Harp, Beemish or Murphy's. The dark, rich stouts have only 3 Weight Watchers POINTS per 12 oz. bottle. Drink slowly and savor the flavor!

2. Drink your greens. There are so many ways to "tipple the green" besides having an Irish beer. One way to drink your greens is to try Naked Juice's Green Machine juice. (Don't have Naked Juice in your area? Try Ocala Superfood Micronutrient Fruit Juice Drink instead.)

Green Machine has several "superfood" ingredients including spirulina, chlorella, blue green algae, spinach, broccoli, and others. Sounds gross but its apple juice and pineapple juice base gives it a sweet flavor. One cup is 3 POINTS.

I love it and have a glass of it in the morning with my vitamins. Also, I think the superfood goodies have helped keep me healthy this winter, unlike the rest of my family who keep getting sick.

Green tea is another example. According to an article at MSNBC.com,

Green tea contains relatively high amounts of a type of phytochemical called EGCG, proven in laboratory studies to be a powerful antioxidant...studies show EGCG can increase production of enzymes that protect us from cancer-causing substances, decrease levels of a substance key to promoting cancer development, and increase cancer cell self-destruction.

Have trouble getting the kids to fall asleep? Try these sleepy time snacks for the whole family!

Win $50 of Johnson's baby products by entering at my Get your toddler to sleep with a little help from Johnson's contest over at my blog, A Mama's Rant. The contest also contains tips on getting your toddler ready for a good night's sleep, including a warm bath, a massage, and a night time story.  Check it out!

You may want eat some sleep-inducing snacks before starting your night time routine. Here are some ideas.

Sleepy Time Foods

Foods containing tryptophan get the body to make serotonin, which slows nerve activity and encourages drowsiness. Milk, yogurt, soy, figs, almonds, bananas, and turkey are all good sources. Carbohydrates can increase the effect by stimulating insulin production to remove other amino acids, leaving tryptophan to do its work.

Wondertime's Sleeping Potions 

Wondertime magazine recommended these recipes as sleep inducing snacks for kids. I don't see why adults cannot try them out as well. If you're trying to lose weight, I recommend using non or low fat yogurt or cottage cheese and a multi-grain toast. And watch your intake of cookies! Just because you can't sleep doesn't mean you can overindulge in sweets.

Sleepy Sunflowers: Put a spoonful of cottage cheese on a round whole wheat cracker. Sprinkle with sunflower or sesame seeds.

Yogurt Drifts: Spoon a little vanilla or blueberry yogurt into a small paper cup, then sprinkle with wheat germ. Eat, or freeze for 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a frozen-pudding consistency.

Full Moon Cookies: Smoosh a slice or two of banana between 2 small oatmeal raisin cookies, and freeze for at least 1 hour. (Think ice cream sandwich.)

Midnight Figs: Purée 1 cup dried figs with 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a food processor. Spread on vanilla wafer cookies.

Twilight Toast Points: Spread blueberry preserves on whole wheat toast, then cut into bite-size pieces.

A healthy, low point Valentine's Day dessert

I was so excited to see this healthy Valentine's Day recipe in the February issue of Woman's Day. Not only does it have only 4 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving, but it doesn't contain eggs - a big consideration since my daughter is allergic to eggs.

I also love the recipe because it uses ricotta cheese, one of my favorites. If you're trying to lose weight or just eat healthier, ricotta is a great source of calcium and it's high in protein - a nice change from milk or yogurt. Just this morning I used it in my egg white omelet - yum!

To lower the POINTS and calories, use Splenda or Stevia. Stay away from using using no-fat ricotta, because the hearts could fall apart without the extra little bit of fat.

Coeur à la Crème
6 servings

Heart Ingredients:

• 12 heart-shaped foil baking cups (Reynolds Fun Shapes are perfect for this, but may not be on the market anymore. Try finding similar sized round aluminum baking cups.)
• 6 (6-in.) squares triple-thickness cheesecloth
• 1 (15-oz) container part-skim ricotta
• 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise, seeds scraped

Raspberry Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 package (10 oz) frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 6 oz fresh raspberries (optional)
• garnish with mint sprigs

Directions:

1. Reinforce 6 foil baking cups by inserting a second foil cup into each; place on a cutting board. Using a small knife, poke multiple slits in bottoms of each set of double liners to allow for drainage of the cheese mixture. Arrange cups on a baking sheet with sides.
2. Rinse cheesecloth under water; squeeze until just damp. Line each foil heart with a 3-layer square of cheesecloth, letting excess cheesecloth hang over edges of cups.
3. Purée ricotta in food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; fold in sour cream, confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until blended. Stir in vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds until evenly distributed. Spoon mixture into prepared baking cups and spread until level; bring up sides of cheesecloth to cover tops. Cover with plastic wrap. Let drain overnight in refrigerator, or up to 2 days.
4. Raspberry Sauce: In a blender or food processor, purée the raspberries with syrup and lemon juice. Scrape mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds; refrigerate sauce.
5. To assemble and serve: Unfold cheesecloth and drape it over the sides of the molds. Invert each baking cup onto a serving plate. While pressing down on the corners of cheesecloth, carefully lift off cup. Remove the cheesecloth slowly. Spoon drops of raspberry sauce onto plates around hearts. Drag a toothpick through drops to make hearts. Serve with fresh raspberries, if desired, and extra sauce. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Note: You can make raspberry sauce up to 3 days ahead. Make hearts at least 1 or up to 2 days ahead so that they have time to drain. Store unmolded in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving - 1 heart

Calories 218
Total Fat 6 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Protein 10 g

Weight Watchers POINTS - 4

Picture courtesy of Richard Schiller/Woman's Day magazine

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5 weight loss snippets - freebies, a contest, and a healthier grapefruit and shrimp recipe

I wanted to share with you five cool things I recently found for people trying to lose weight and get healthy:

1. Click here to download the "Healthy Weight Loss Success" report. This FREE report comes to you courtesy of This Mama Cooks! On a Diet and Menu Planning Central, a wonderful online service that offers a complete menu planning solution including healthy menus, family friendly menus, and vegetarian menus.

2. Discovery Health is looking for contestants for their 2009 National Body Challenge TV show. They need people who are motivated to lose weight and want to do it together like mother/daughter, father/son, co-workers, and people who need to lose at least 100 pounds.

Each person or team will be provided with a professional weight loss program, gym membership and personalized one-on-one instruction with physicians, nutritionists and fitness expert. The journey will be documented on camera for “National Body Challenge” on Discovery Health Channel. Click here to apply.

3. Sign up for a chance to receive a Senseo® Coffee Pod System. Just click here to fill out the quick survey and if selected all you pay a $15 shipping and handling fee. (You'll receive a confirmation e-mail within two to six weeks to let you know if you're selected.) The machine retails for over $70, so you're getting a great deal. If you already have a coffee maker at home, you can use the Senseo at the office or your RV. They make great wedding and graduation gifts, too.

For those on Weight Watchers, coffee is a great way to get your serving of milk for the day. Just use a sugar substitute, a sugar free coffee syrup, and low or no fat milk.

Working out and a revised Grapefruit Salad with Seared Shrimp recipe

For Christmas my husband gave me a gift certificate for five sessions with a personal trainer at our local rec center along with a 20 visit pass. I was excited to work with a personal trainer figuring that she could come up with an exercise plan that would compliment what I was doing with my physical therapist to rehab my knee.

When I met with Stephanie during our fist session a month ago, she gave me a set of leg exercises (leg press, leg extension, etc.) similar to what I was doing in PT. She then added core and arm exercises using an exercise ball, dumb bells and a lat pull down machine.

My New Routine and Some Challenges

I now go to the gym three times a week. I use a stationary bike for 30 minutes then I go into the weight room and work out for another 30 minutes. In the month I've done this, I've already been able to ratchet up the weight and reps.

The only thing I don't like about working out at the rec center is that I keep running into people I know. Talk about seeing me at my worse - sweaty, in workout clothes, and with no makeup. Oh well.

I wish I had more time to work out, especially now that I don't need to go to PT any more! (Yes, I'm doing very well according to my surgeon and can rehab on my own now.) However, my schedule and my family's is too busy right now to do more than three session a week.

That's fine because my routine is getting a little boring and I'm finding excuses not to go. To combat this I plan to download Ken Follet's World Without End on my iPod just to listen to while I exercise. I've been dying to read the book, so it should motivate me to exercise just so I can listen to the story.

It's also been a challenge to get together with Stephanie since we both have such busy schedules. We've only met once, but I don't mind because I'm comfortable working out on my own. Plus it'll make my five sessions with her last longer.

I look forward to our next meeting in a couple of weeks. Besides adding some new exercises, she always gives me interesting handouts about health, exercise and eating right. I really liked the recipe she gave me from Bob Greene that combined three things that I love - grapefruit, salad and SHRIMP! Then I looked at the nutritional info and did the Weight Watchers POINTS. Uh oh.

At 11 POINTS per serving, this was a really bad recipe for those trying to lose weight. To lower the POINTS total I give some tips below the original recipe. You can make the original recipe for all those skinny people in your life then make a version for yourself and any others at your table who are trying to lose weight or stay trim.

5 Ways to Get More Protein in Your Diet - Try Protein Powder

(For more Five Things/Ways advice articles, click here.)

According to Psychology Today, if you have some protein in your meal, you'll go longer without feeling hungry. A great way to sneak more protein into your diet is to use protein drink powders. There are many varieties out there like soy or whey. I use whey protein powder because that's what Dr. Ian Smith recommended on the Extreme Fat Smash diet.

If you're like me, you have container of protein powder sitting in your cupboard only half used because you got tired of drinking protein shakes. Here are some unique ways to use up that supply of drink powder that you may not have thought of before:

1. Oatmeal. Have you ever had the creamy strawberry flavored instant oatmeal? Well if you have some strawberry-flavored protein powder, here's how you can make your own:

Berry Good Protein Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of instant oatmeal
• 1 cup (maybe a little more) of water
• 1/2 scoop of berry flavored protein powder (adjust to taste - you may want less)

Instructions:

1. Put the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and stir until protein powder is dissolved.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
3. Stir and eat! (If it's too thick, add some hot water to the bowl and stir.)

Weight Watchers POINTS - The oatmeal has 2 points and depending on how much protein powder you use, add .5 or 1 more point. If you're trying to get your milk serving in, you can use milk instead of water - just remember to add another 2 points for 1 cup of skim milk.