Feb. 20: No Bake Cookies

3 tbsp skim milk

1/3 cup sucanat or rapiduro sugar

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/8 cup wheat germ

1 cup oatmeal

1.) In a saucepan, bring milk, sucanat, cocoa and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly.

2.) Once mixture is boiling, stir in peanut butter. Continue stirring until peanut butter is melted.

3.) Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.

4.) Once all the ingredients are combined, drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

5.) Let cool until firm, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

6.) Use spatula to remove the mixture from the sides of the saucepan and lick spatula. :D

Makes 12

Each cookie contains

97 calories

4.2g fat

12.8g carbs

1.5g fiber

3.3g protein

It doesn't get much easier than these cookies. Although not for every day, they are a fairly clean treat, and something you can feel good about feeding your kids in lieu of Oreos!

I hope you like them!

Feb. 15: Fast Food, the Clean Way

Sometimes you just have to have food and you need it NOW. Maybe you forgot about piano lessons and you have 15 minutes to eat dinner and get the kids out the door. Maybe you worked late and came home to find a hungry family staring at you expectantly. Whatever the reason, it's important to have meals you can put together ASAP. Make sure you always have the ingredients for some of these items on hand and you will never get stuck going to McNasty's and getting food-like substances in the drive thru again.

Bean Burritos

Whole wheat tortillas or Ezekiel wraps,

a can of vegetarian refried beans (read the ingredients carefully - up here in Canada PC has a delicious fat free one that is clean)

clean salsa and/or chopped pepper, onions, and tomatoes.

Optional: low fat cheese

Smoothie

Plain yogurt

ice

whatever fruit is kicking around

This is our to-go meal for the car if we are in a pinch

Pita Pizzas

I have a big variety of these based on what I have on hand

Whole wheat organic pitas

shredded low fat cheese

~tomato sauce, steamed broccoli, grilled chicken

~clean bbq sauce, grilled chicken, red onion, hot peppers, red peppers

~refried beans, salsa, peppers, onions, cooked ground turkey (optional)

~tomato sauce, cooked chicken sausage, mushrooms, finely chopped spinach

~tomato sauce, ham w/out nitrates, pineapple, peppers

Breakfast for Dinner

Pretty self-explanatory

Nut butter and banana sandwich, glass of milk

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you start thinking this way, you will come up with your own fail-safes for "that kind of day". I nearly always have leftovers on hand and it is a simple matter of popping them in the microwave. It's very important to make your fast food substitutes tasty and appealing,though, or you run the risk of "There's nothing GOOD" being the refrain.

Clean Eating - staying on plan is all about prep and creativity!

Dec. 28 - Cookie Misdeeds

I had such a wonderful plan for yesterday. It was nice, it was spotlessly clean. And what did I do? I ate cookies!!! I must get rid of these thrice-damned cookies! And I don't mean by putting them into my tummy!

I was feeling wretched in the morning so I didn't plan my food like I should have. So, later in the day I was absolutely starving! Because I didn't prepare the right type of food, I just began to eat everything in sight. So add to yesterday's menu an apple, an orange, 1 shortbread meltaway cookie and 2 pieces of peanut brittle. NOT on the menu, especially those last two. I was trying to kill the sweet craving with all the fruit, which usually works but yesterday was also quite short on protein. OK - I'm done whining - it's all out of my system. Today is a new start and everything is going well.

I did the weigh in and measurements and I regret to say I am back up .2 so I am exactly 200 pounds today. Yuck. Not where I wanted to be, but to put an optimistic light on it, I can honestly say I lost a pound the week of Christmas. My measurements are down slightly - I am -1/2 inch on my hips and 1/2 inch in the chest (hey - I wanted to keep those!) My waist stayed the same.

The only serious temptation I'm expecting to face this week is New Year's Eve - we always have a big foodfest and sleepover. So that will be my planned cheat this week. I won't go crazy because I know it makes me feel really bad the next day - NOT how I want to start my New Year!

Today's Eats:

M1: ww toast w/ natural pb, banana
M2: Broccoli pita pizza
M3: Trail mix
M4: Broiled chicken breast, baked brown rice, steamed veggies (green beans, zucchini and carrots)
M5: Fruit

The pizza is a quick and easy clean meal. Like all of the quick clean meals, it is all about having the ingredients at your finger tips. This is so simple I'm not sure it could be considered an actual recipe; it's more of a list of ingredients.

Broccoli Pizza

1 cup of steamed broccoli, cut small

whole wheat pita bread (read your label to steer clear of white sugar and preservatives)

tomato paste

feta cheese

other low fat cheese

Spices of your choice

Spread the pita with tomato paste. Sprinkle on the spices of your choice. I use garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, and sea salt. If I am in the mood for spicy I also use a little bit of crushed chili peppers. Make certain your steamed broccoli is well drained, and place it on the pizza. Top with a mixture of shredded low fat cheese and feta cheese. Bake in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes.

This is a kid pleaser also (at least it is if your kids like broccoli - mine LOVE broccoli!) I think it is really important to have some go-to recipes for those times you will be tempted to dial Pizza Hut, so this is one of our favorite quickies. For the kids, I leave off the feta and just put a little more mozzarella or cheddar on theirs.