Thursday, April 26, 2012

Fruit salsa & Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chips

Last weekend's Bountiful Basket seemed to be lingering a little longer than normal. Typically we devour the fruit within a few days, but I had a few strawberries and kiwis left and a lot of apples. (I volunteered so I was able to get an extra large item which meant 2 bags of amazing apples. Insert your jealousy here: _________)
Anyway, I whipped this up Fruit Salsa as a way to enjoy the remains before they spoiled. I originally intended to eat it all with some freshly baked cinnamon chips, and to share it with the office. Instead I've hoarded it and taken to eating it by the spoonful.
It was good with the chips, amazing on its own and it will also be used on my Toasted Coconut Waffles which I'll be making this weekend.




By the way, this is so easy it really shouldn't be called a recipe.
Fresh Fruit Salsa
2 apples
10 strawberries
2 kiwis
1 small can crushed pineapple
Peel and chop apple and kiwi. Chop strawberries. Open can of pineapple. (I added that part to make the "recipe" longer.) Combine all fruit in a bowl and serve.
For the chips I took a whole grain tortilla, misted it with my olive oil spritzer and dusted it with cinnamon. They baked at 350 until they were crispy. Honestly I lost track of time because I was fighting Monkey away from the salsa. I'm pretty sure it was about 8 minutes, but be sure to watch them.

On an interesting note, I think I might be allergic to pineapple and Kiwi. It's kinda sad because I love them both so much. Have any of you developed food allergies like this?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Naked Shrimp & Mushroom Enchiladas

Sometimes I like to eat the same thing as everyone else.
Sometimes I don't want to embrace my special diet.
Sometimes I act like a stubborn toddler when it comes to food.
I know it, and I'm working on it. 

This recipe started out as a restaurant copycat meal based on rebellion, and ended with a fabulous party idea. My friend from Three and a Half Stones to Go took me out for Mexican after a long day of chasing children and outlet shopping. I was so hungry I couldn't decide what to eat, so in a random act of indecision she chose the Shrimp and Mushroom Enchiladas for me.
BEST IDEA EVER!!
I don't know about you, but I get stuck in the restaurant rut. It's the same thing every time, and I probably wouldn't have tried this if it wasn't for that random act of indecision. So after devouring half of it there, and half of it the next day for lunch, I made my own version for dinner that night. (Yes it was obsessive... I know.)
I knew I wasn't allowed to have the rice and the tortilla, but my inner toddler was in a full blown temper tantrum and I wasn't in the mood to argue with her. She's a cranky little thing.

While cooking the rice it hit me.... why don't I make this naked!!
(Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant naked in that "without a tortilla" sorta way.)
So I quickly made an enchilada for Monkey thanks to the handy dandy microwave and an uber cute ramekin.

 Then a naked Enchilada for myself.




Both options were incredibly easy to customize and this is quickly becoming a favorite party idea. Everyone gets what they want and what they can eat without having to make a fuss. Gone are the days of the taco bar, it's time for an enchilada bar!

Naked (or Not) Shrimp & Mushroom Enchiladas

1 can enchilada sauce
1 package mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 pound cooked salad shrimp, rinsed
1/2 tbs garlic
1 tbs olive oil
Saute mushrooms and garlic until they are soft and delicious. Add  shrimp and enchilada sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Mexican Brown Rice
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup mild salsa
1 cup Minute Brand instant brown rice, uncooked
Saute onion and pepper in olive oil until softened. Add salsa and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in rice. Bring it to a boil again before lowering the heat. Simmer 5 minutes then remove from heat. Let this sit for 5 minutes with NO PEEKING before you fluff it, this will allow it to finish cooking and absorb the remaining liquid.

So if you decide to dress your enchilada, find a nice long ramekin and drape your 6" whole grain tortilla over it. Microwave for 20-30 seconds (just enough to soften it). Remove from microwave and adjust the tortilla so that only 1/3 of it is inside the ramekin. Fill with enchilada mixture. Wrap the remaining tortilla around the mixture and tuck into the ramekin. Top with a little of the enchilada mix and fat free shredded cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds and serve along side rice, with sour cream or tomatoes, or olives or onion or whatever else your pretty little heart desires.

Naked enchiladas are 5 times faster to prepare. It's basically a three step process. Add rice to bowl, top with enchilada mixture, then add toppings. So I guess sometimes having the dietary restrictions is good... it certainly made food preparation faster. While this endeavor started with a temper tantrum, I was more than happy with my special meal.
It's important for those of us with hypoglycemia that we stick to rice or tortilla. Here are the nutritional facts for the enchilada mixture as well as the rice. One naked serving counts for 2 veggie, 2 protein, 1 carb and just under 3 fat. It is higher in fat than I would like and you can lower this by decreasing the amount of olive oil used to saute the onions and peppers and also by watching what type of enchilada sauce you pick up. The calculations I did here are based a standard brand. Also, opt for low sodium if available.


All in all it turned out to be a great discovery.
Have you ever been more happy with your restricted meal than you would have been with the original meal?

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Walk MS 2012

This weekend I had the honor of leading a team for Walk MS South Sound. This came on the anniversary of my one year mark with MS. Around the middle of April last year was when my first episode began. It was a scary few months that followed and I wanted to start the anniversary of that event off on a positive note. Thanks to the work of my teammates we won a tent on team row and several people were able to learn more about the Swank Diet.
Here are a few photos from the event.

Posing with The Monkey. How cool are those orange frames?!
Sharing information about the Swank Diet.


This one tugs at the heart strings for me.

I just had to have my picture taken with our virtual walkers.
We drew them on balloons so they could join us on the walk.
Look at that view!!

This viewing spot was the perfect place for a rest on our trek up the big hill.

Thanks again to everyone that donated and joined me for the journey. It was an incredible experience.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Italian Sausage Stew

Around this time of year in the Pacific Northwest you can practically hear people bargaining with God for sunshine and warmer weather. The miserable rainy season has taken it's toll on everyone and while we don't have horrible winter weather, the gloom has gone on too long.
My feeble attempt at embracing the gloom led to a giant pot of soup for my friends.
It was delicious, but I still want need some sunshine.

Luckily I have enough leftovers to hold me over until the sun appears...
aka this weekend if the weather forecast is true.

Italian Sausage Stew

5 cups water
French onion soup mix (one box with 2 packets)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound mild Italian chicken sausage
2 medium yellow squash, chopped
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
3 cups baby carrots
1 cup brown rice
Form sausage into bite sized balls.  Bring water to a boil in a separate soup pot. Add the French onion mix packets and rice. Cover and boil 20 minutes.
While that is boiling, add meatballs to large skillet with 2 tbs olive oil on bottom. turn over all the meatballs to brown on the other side and add the chopped onion.
After meatballs and onions are cooked, add them to the prepared onion soup along with the remaining vegetables. Cover and boil for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. If all the water is absorbed add another cup and allow it to come to a boil.

It's not a quick weeknight meal, but it reheats nicely. I made this the night before I had friends over and was able to reheat the whole pot on the stove. It also creates huge portions.
Following the hypoglycemic rules, this equals 8 servings with 1 protein, 1 carb, and 2 veggie.
 Calories     199.4,
 Total Fat     4.0 g
          Saturated Fat     0.6 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.7 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     2.6 g
 Cholesterol     0.0 mg
 Sodium     598.2 mg
 Potassium     499.8 mg
 Total Carbohydrate     22.5 g
          Dietary Fiber     5.0 g
          Sugars     4.6 g
 Protein     3.7 g

Dear Lord,
now that I've shared this amazing soup recipe, can you please, please, pleeeeeease let us have some sunshine? I promise I'll start thinking of some delicious summer treats to share.
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