Mix flavors for a healthy, tasty taco

It's Tuesday so you know what that means...it's my weekly weigh in!

But first let me share this tasty treat with you.  This past week I had been craving tacos...perhaps it's because of Cinco de Mayo...hmmmm?  I don't know.  Anyway, craving tacos but not wanting any store bought and also not wanting to have the typical taco or use the typical seasoning packet.  What's in that little seasoning packet that leaves your meat way too salty and overly seasoned?

I decided I'd give it a go on my own.   I seasoned my ground turkey with garlic, cumin and an organic all purpose season mix.  I found some really delicious 100% whole grain wraps with oat and honey.  I topped the wrap with a little bit Chihuahua cheese, ground turkey, avocado, sun-dried tomato and a dollop of sour cream.  What resulted was simply a palate pleaser.  YUM! YUM! YUM!

I suggest you give it a try or get creative and try something different that leaves you happy, satisfied and healthy.

And now for my weigh in results....drum roll please I am down 3lbs this week!  Hallelujah!  I love it!  So thrilled.  Measuring, walking, weight lifting and keeping my hands busy by crafting is really working in my favor.

How was your week?  What new "healthy" recipes have you tried lately?

Muah!

Make the BEST of leftovers

I'm sure you read my post on Tuesday about going out for dinner over the weekend and bringing home leftovers.  I always do.  I always pack 1/2 the meal to take home.  Somehow, I often share that meal with my husband.  I try to get him to save part of his meal but that doesn't work very often, if at all.

When I take the meal home, I am always planning to eat it, rather than have to cook the next day.

I decided to add sauteed sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash to my left over pasta, veggie, chicken dish.  I also, added about 2oz of grilled chicken.  It was a blend of beautiful colors.  Very pleasing to the eye and to the palate.  It's always an easy choice to simply add veggies to leftovers to create a healthy meal the following day. Not much pasta, mostly veggies and chicken.  Doesn't this look yummy?

The next time you have leftovers, saute some veggies, enjoy and be HEALTHY!

Comments are welcomed and cheered!

Be fit. Be classy.

Making better food choices.

It's Tuesday! The weekend has passed and I have faced the scale yet another week, after enjoying dinner out with friends.

I weigh myself once a week on Mondays.  It actually is a great way for me to stay on track because I really, really do not want the scale to go up when Monday comes, so it helps me to stay more focused.

First let me share a little about our experience.  This weekend we enjoyed a meal at Altobelis Italian Restaurant with friends.  It's a small, but fun place.  They have live music and we were lucky to be there on a night when a member of the waitstaff was singing.  His voice was beautiful and melodic..you know the kind that makes you just close your eyes and take in the sweet, soothing sound.  He sang 3 songs, 1 in italian, 1 in spanish and the 3rd in english.  Amazing, wonderful, delightful.

Now onto the menu.  If you have ever been to an italian restaurant, you know that it's just pasta, pasta and more pasta with a side of pasta and breading, breading, cheese and more cheese and did I mention cheese.  Can you say, fat, fat, white flour, white sugar, salt and the like.  Whew!  I'm getting thirst just typing it.  Well, I am a planner, so I had already looked at the menu beforehand.  Great survival tip, plan ahead.  I had already chosen my meal.  I would have the Whole Wheat Pasta topped with seasonal veggies and I decided to add grilled chicken.  I am so over the "I've gotta have cheese or bread or lasagne" phase of my lifestyle change.  I'm now in the "I've gotta feel good, be happy and healthy after I consume this meal phase."  I'm into me first!

Can you say, delicious!  Wise choice.  To my surprise there were tons of veggies and not a pound of pasta.  I was very happy.  Most everyone had (breaded) eggplant parmesan.  Just about everyone at the table cleaned their plate with exception of myself and 1 other person.  I always am sure to take home 1/2 the meal.

Confession:  After dinner I shared some Spumoni ice cream with my husband.  YUM!  One of my favorites.  Something I rarely have.  The last time I had it was about 2 years ago.  You know treats are allowed.  Enjoy them in moderation.

Anyway, here we are in a new week and I had to face the scale and the results are in and I'll be sharing the results and talking about my "aha" moment tonight LIVE.  I hope you'll join me at 8pm est.   RSVP or just sign up and log in here! 

What are the dining out strategies you use to stay on track?

Have a Fit and Classy Week!

Delicious? Deception?

Ok...so I've heard again and again how good Magnum's are.  They are the best.  To die for.  A must try. I've resisted for more than a year.  However, temptation finally got the best of me.

This weekend, while cropping with my girl's at Archiver's, I decided to treat the group to Magnums.  Off to the store I go.  I was having serious chocolate cravings.  You know the kind where you want chocolate, chocolate with a little side of chocolate!  As I looked at the various sizes mini and regular, flavors in chocolate with mint, chocolate almond, chocolate with mocha, chocolate with vanilla..I knew that for me size mattered...none of that mini junk for me.  I want one BIG HAPPY chocolate treat. (Is it me or is there something not right about the name of these bars?  I don't know about you but I'm not thinking about ice cream when I think of Magnums? D'oh!) So I chose the Milk Chocolate with some kind of chocolate sauce over chocolate ice cream and also the Dark Chocolate with Vanilla Bean ice cream.  Thank goodness for $1.50 off coupons. Those babies cost $4.49 for 3 and there were 7 of us.  So, I make my purchase and head back to the crop.  I'm anxious but I wait until about 5 hours later to have it as dessert, after dinner.

The girls are excited.  One by one we each have our Magnum, most for the 1st time.  The look of pleasure on their faces was a moment to savor.  The mmmmm's were plentiful...except for one!  Can you guess who that would be?  Yep, yours truly.  NOT IMPRESSED!  I chose the chocolate, chocolate with more chocolate and guess what it wasn't chocolatey enough.  It didn't have that yummy, deep chocolate taste I so needed, wanted, had to have it.  I think now that I have changed my lifestyle, I am quite particular about my treats and honestly, dark chocolate makes me so much happier than milk chocolate.

I saved a Dark Chocolate with Vanilla Bean one for myself and one for my hubby for the next day.  The results remain the same and he even asked, "What's the big deal?"  I really don't know.  I think Haagen Dahz Bars are better.

With that said, I need to report my weigh in results for the week...after indulging in not one but two Magnums, a taco salad (I didn't eat the shell), nacho chips, and a handful of salt and vinegar chips(oh sooooo good).  Needless, to say, I'm up a pound and I have enjoyed a tummy ache for about 3 days after that.  When you clean up your health and eating you just can't indulge in a "pot of crap!"  It's a lesson I seem to want to teach myself at least once a year.  It's a good, quick reminder to stay the course and to remember why it's important.

Anyway, I'm back on track and by Monday, I plan to shake the feeling of being a fatty, fat, fat, fatty, fat!  LOL!

Geeez...that's so NOT classy!

Someone Special?

My birthday week was December 1 thru December 8, 2012.  During that week we celebrated each day.  At the start of the week, my sweet husband bought me a beautiful, bouquet of flowers.  I placed it on our table and each night as we ate dinner I enjoyed those beautiful flowers, the colors, the scents, the beauty.  From that moment on I told myself that I wanted fresh flowers on the table each week.  It is now April 20 and there have been fresh flowers on the table each week since that wonderful birthday week in December.

It's funny, no matter where I go, when I get to the cashier, they always ask, "Is this for someone special?"  My reply is always, "Yes, they are for me.  I'm very special."  They smile but don't seem to know where to go from there.  Some agree and some just say, "Oh."  

Here are this week's flowers:

Yes. I am special enough to buy myself flowers!  So worth it and so well-loved.  I am also special enough to put good things in my body.  We always have the choice.  

On Sunday, I truly did not feel like cooking. However, we needed to eat.  We toyed with the idea of buying something while out.  We settled on buying a rotisserie chicken at our local grocer and I planned to side it with vegetables.  However, once I got to the store, read the ingredients, took note of the sodium, I just could do it.  I could NOT purchase and eat that chicken or feed it to my wonderful husband.  Therefore, I decided that I would prepare a salad and could add chicken cooked at home, which would be a much healthier choice, than anything store bought.  Luckily, I am the queen of freezing leftovers.  We had chicken thighs in the freezer.  I thawed and topped this delicious salad with the chicken. 

Can you say, WINNER!  Yeh!

Boiled eggs, feta and avocado made this salad delish!

When given a choice...choose YOU! 

Have a great weekend!

Adventures in Dining Out!

You know my husband and I LOVE to dine out.  Just about every weekend we go out or sometimes, grab something to eat in.

This past weekend we tried Stax Burger Bar.  By the name I'm sure you can guess they serve a variety of burgers, with unique combinations and toppings.   This place came quite HIGHLY recommended by a friend.  So we had to give it a try.

I knew immediately, that I was going to get the Dark Chocolate Milkshake.    What can I say, I often look at the dessert menu first.  We don't keep this stuff in the house, so a treat now and then is on the list of things to do.  Once I read it was made with Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, I was completely sold! It came topped with burnt marshmallows.  I wasn't crazy about the charred taste of the marshmalows but the milkshake made up for it.  While I'm not sure I thought it tasted like dark chocolate, it had a good, rich chocolate flavor, which is exactly what I was looking for!  Yum!

For my meal, I ordered the Lamb Burger it was topped with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, olive salad, mustard and rosemary dressing.  It comes with 2 patties.  Sounds like a lot but the patties were pretty thin, so not too overwhelming. I also always remove the top bun.  I love lamb and thought it was pretty good.

To complement my burger I ordered hand-cut sweet potato fries.  Tasty.

Now, to be sure I don't over do it when I eat out, I typically will only eat 1/2 of my meal and I will share a dessert.  No appetizers.  If I'm having dessert, I don't need an appetizer, as well.  I cut my burger in half immediately, shared my milkshake with my husband, but I admit I ate the entire serving of sweet potato fries.  Fries aren't the best when leftover.  LOL!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, it was a nice treat but won't be on our list of places to frequent.

Today, I am glad to report, I had a wonderful weekend and I am down an additional 1.6 lbs.

Moderation and planning means you can still enjoy dining out and eating the foods you love!

Have a healthy "adventurous" day!

FiberFULL and Yummy!

One of my favorite salads is this yummy salad from Trader Joe's.  This is their Super Spinach Salad.  It is packed with spinach, quinoa, carrots, cranberries, chickpeas, edamame, pumpkin seeds and a tasty ginger miso dressing.  I add about 2 oz of grilled chicken to it and I am in heaven.  It packs an amazing 10g of fiber.  The first time I purchased this salad I ate the entire salad and was way past satisfied!  YIKES!  I now break it into 2 salads making it well worth it's price of only $3.99!   Of course, I need to add a bit of extra spinach but that works for me.

A great salad idea!  That's what is for lunch?  What are you having?

Vegetarian???

For as long as I can remember, I have been threatened my husband with a once a week vegetarian dinner.  He is always game but I never come through!  I love my lean protein...chicken, turkey, lean beef and salmon.  When I sit down for lunch and dinner I cannot imagine making a meal with no meat. Ordering a vegetarian meal at a restaurant...unheard of!

Well this past weekend, I did it.  Not only did we go out for dinner, at Seed Kitchen and Bar but I bypassed the filet and the lamb, two of my absolute favorites when eating out.  I just did not want to eat meat!  What the what?

I ordered Sweet Potato Ravioli and a side of Caramelized Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower.  While I enjoyed it, I thought it was too sweet!  One of those wonderful benefits of no longer living a "sugar" laden existence!  Things are now too salty or too sweet...keeps me in line and I LOVE it!

I must admit that I truly enjoyed having a vegetarian meal.  Surprise!  I think I just might add a few vegetarian dinner recipes to the list!

And the next time, I'm at Seed I just might try the Vegetables of the Season meal, which my friend Laurie ordered.  I sampled and it was delicious!  Quinoa, Broccoli Rabe, Mushrooms, Potatoes, Kale and Collards mixture.  YUM!

Do you eat vegetarian dinners?  Got a few good recipes?  Share.

By the way it's a new week and I'm down a pound!  Yes!  Now to keep it off and add to it!

Mustard Dill-Crusted Salmon! Mmmmm! Mmmmm!

I tried this recipe recently.  It was absolutely yummy!  I don't particularly like salmon but this was a good recipe!  Now, I can finally add salmon to the menu, occasionally!  Welcome, salmon other than salmon croquettes. 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons herb garlic butter
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon dill relish
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 cups Francaise simmer sauce (I only used 2/3 of a cup to reduce the saturated fat content)
4 salmon fillets (skin removed; about 1 1/2 lb)
Prep

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop.
• Chop chives.

Steps

1. Stir into butter: mustard, relish, bread crumbs, caraway seeds, and chives until well blended.
2. Place sauce in 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with salmon and then bread crumb mixture. Bake 15–18 minutes or until fish is 145°F (or opaque and flakes easily). Serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 570cal; FAT 40g; CHOL 150mg; SODIUM 880mg; CARB 15g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 36g; VIT A 20%; VIT C 15%; CALC 6%; IRON 6%

Note: Remember Salmon is high in healthy fats. We had veggies on the side...no added salt or butter.

Recipe and ingredients, Publix Aprons

Beef Picadillo Shepherd's Pie

Lately, I've been cooking our week's dinner on Sunday.  It's been great knowing what's for dinner and being in so much control of what we are eating.  This way, I am able to keep our eating even more clean and healthy.

This week I tried a new clean eating recipe, Beef Picadillo Shepherd's Pie.  So good.  So filling!  

For this Get Fit Friday, I share the recipe.  YUM!  Give it a try.

Beef Picadillo Shepherd's PieIngredients:

• 4 cups small cauliflower florets
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock, divided
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin]1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 cup boxed or jarred unsalted chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup small pimento stuffed olives coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spread cauliflower in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and mist with cooking spray.  Roast for 30 minutes, until soft. Cool slightly; transfer to a food processor.  Add 1/4 cup chicken stock and process on high until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Meanwhile, mist a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium high.  Add beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 6 minutes, until browned.  Transfer beef to a paper towel lined tray.

To skillet, add onion, garlic and peppers.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until softened.  Add cumin and paprika and cook stirring constantly, for 1 minute, until fragrant.  Return beef to skillet and stir in remaining 1 cup chicken stock, tomatoes, olives and vinegar.  Cook for 6 minutes, until thickened slightly and reduced by half.  Season with additional salt and pepper and transfer to an 8 inch square nonstick or glass oven-safe baking dish  With a spatula, smooth out mixture.  

Spoon cauliflower puree over beef mixture  Using your fingers, gently spread to cover meat and smooth out.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes until 160 degrees F in center of pan. 

Nutrition:  1 1/4 cups per serving.

calories 141, total fat 4g, sat fat 1g, carbs 9g, fiber 3g, sugars 5g, protein 17.5g sodium 315mg, cholesterol, 40mg

Ideas to note:  I used ground turkey.  My dh LOVED it.  Quite tasty and filling.

Next time: I plan to try it with sweet potatoes instead of cauliflower and I may add more veggies to the meat mixture.  

Recipe excerpted from Clean Eating Magazine.  

Beef and Mango Curry Toss w/Plantains! YUM!

I tried this recipe last night and it was quite tasty.  The savory and sweet mix was delightful.  This one goes into my recipe vault.  It's a keeper.  The bonus, of course, is that dh enJOYed it too.

Beef and Mango Curry Toss w/Plantains*

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tsp. olive oil, divided

• 2 yellow onions, chopped

• 2 yellow plantains, peeled and sliced ¼ in. thick

• ¾ lb. sirloin beef strips

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 6 oz. frozen cubed mango

• 2 tsp. curry powder

• ½ tsp. sea salt

• 2 oz. roasted unsalted peanuts

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet heat ½ tsp. oil on medium. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent~ 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, spread plantains on a cutting board, and, using the flat bottom of a glass, firmly press down to flatten and set aside.
3. Add beef and garlic to the skillet. Cook stirring often until beef is cooked through~5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a fine mesh colander to drain any fat. Return to skillet and stir in mango, curry powder and salt. Toss well to combine and decrease heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly and breaking the mango into smaller pieces as it softens, until heated through~5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts.
4. In a separate large nonstick skillet, heat remaining tsp. oil on medium-low. Add plantains and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Carefully turn each one and cook undisturbed for another 2 minutes on the other side. Divide the beef mixture and tostones among the serving plates.

Nutrition:

Calories: 367: Total Fat: 11g (sat 2g, mono 6g, poly 3g): Carbs: 47g: Fiber: 6 g: Protein: 24g: Sodium 292 mg: Chole: 60 mg

*This recipe was excerpted from Clean Eating Magazine....great recipes, tips and ideas in EVERY issue!

Notes:  

I used a little less curry and little more mango.  It turned out great.  Be sure your plantains are very ripe, yellow with plenty of dark spots.  They may appear too ripe but are sweet and tasty.   I also substituted the peanuts with walnuts, another good choice!

EnJOY,

Beef & Veggie Bowl!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp safflower oil

1 lb extra-lean ground beef

2 cups diced green bell peppers ( I don't like green peppers so I used red peppers)

14 1/2 oz boxed or jarred diced unsalted tomatoes (these are hard to find, unless you shop at a health food store...so a can will do if you must).

1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 tsp ground cumin(I only used 1 tsp because I didn't want an overpowering taste of cumin)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2  tsp each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish, optional 

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium pot, heat oil on medium-high.  Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, for about 4 minutes.  Add bell peppers, tomatoes, corn and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until bell peppers are tender.  Remove from heat and stir in cumin, vinegar, salt and black pepper.  Spoon into serving bowls and top with sour cream, dividing evenly.  Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

This was simply YUMMY!  Dh told me at least 5 times during the meal how much he enjoyed it.  He just kept saying, "This is good.  This is really good."  SCORE!

OPTIONS:  Eat with tortilla chips or atop a bed of lettuce.  No chips for us, just the beef and veggies in a bowl! YUM!

Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Recipe excerpted from Clean Eating Magazine

  

EnJOY Extra Fruits and Veggies with This Simple Tip

Make a smoothie!  Seriously, you can have a wonderful, sweet treat while getting in some fruits and veggies in too!

To me having a good smoothie is like having dessert.  Quite often, I make enough to fill two cups.  I divide it and save a cup for later.  And it's the perfect afternoon treat for me.

Here's how:  
Blend together 1 banana, 1 1/2 cups of your favorite fruits(I use frozen strawberries, blueberries and mangoes, most often...for a thick, frosty smoothie) and 1 cup of soy milk.   To add veggies, try including 1 cup of fresh spinach.  The sweetness of the fruit will take over...you won't even notice that the spinach is in the smoothie!  YUMMMMMMYYY!

Another favorite is to use frozen cherries.  Cherries are one of my favorite fruits and they make for one delicious smoothie!  Remember, you can change it up.  Have a smoothie several times a week or each day and try different fruit combinations each day.

Today Reason to Believe: Because you can enJOY something sweet and nutritious!  Smoothies ROCK!

EnJOY,

Shanghai Style Steak and Noodles Recipe

I LOVE trying new things and adding great foods and recipes to my collection.  This week, I tried this recipe and it turned out quite nicely.  Not only did I enJOY it but dh did, as well.  He even asked for seconds or to be able to take some for lunch.  This means it was a HIT for sure!


Let me warn you, I changed it up a bit.  Here I share the recipe, as presented, as well as the changes I made to the recipe.


Shanghai-Style Steak and Noodles


Ingredients:

• 8 oz whole-wheat spaghetti
• 5 crowns broccoli, florets only
• 1 juice orange, zested and juiced
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, plus addtl for garnish (I did not use red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp ground ginger (this was way too much ginger for me, I used 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 lb beef sirloin strips, cut into 1/4 inch-thick, 2 inch long pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 lb snow peas, rinsed well and trimmed
• 2 tbsp of Agave(natural sweetener) (I added this to my recipe)

Instructions:

Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil.  Add spaghetti, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking.   Add broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Cover loosely to keep warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk orange zest and juice, soy sauce, pepper flakes, ginger and agave, if used and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for 1 minute.  Add beef and cook, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add peas and orange juice mixture and stir to coat.  Saute for 3 minutes, until beef is cooked through.

Add beef mixture to spaghetti mixture and toss to combine.  Divide among serving plates.  If desired, garnish with additional pepper flakes.

Original recipe as seen in Clean Eating Magazine.

Day 9 Reason to Believe: Because you get to try new foods and recipes!  

Once upon a time eating healthy and trying to lose weight meant eating NOT so tasty foods and the choices were very limited.  Not so anymore.  There are tons of items at the market for you try, recipes galore and a huge variety of fruits and veggies, making healthy choices so much easier.

With the amount of choices available, there are NO excuses for not giving healthy eating a try!

What healthy alternative food item, meal, recipe will you try in the next 7 days???  

I think I'll go for trying something new each week!  Afterall, variety is the spice of life! 

A Sweet and HEALTHY Valentine's Day Treat?

As many of you may know, it is my goal to learn to make great tasting treats and eats while using quality, healthy, clean ingredients.  The market today no longer requires that we give up taste to lose weight.  You can enJOY your healthy living and eating.  It's what got me down over 100lbs....finding great, healthy alternatives that taste good.


My husband and I NO longer have white flour or sugar in the house and we don't use prepackaged foods.  Therefore, when I want a treat, we will go out for a single slice of cake or scoop of ice cream.  However, I'd like to learn to prepare great tasting alternatives that we can enJOY at home, while still filling our bodies with healthy, nourishing ingredients.


Here are 3 recipes, I'd like to try and I want to choose one before Valentine's Day.

Dark Chocolate Pudding:
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 2 cups low-fat plain unsweetened soy milk, divided
• 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa or greater)
• 2 tbsp dark chocolate curls or shavings for garnish (70% cocoa or greater), optional

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir together arrowroot and 2 tbsp soy milk until no lumps remain. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk remaining soy milk, cane juice, cocoa and vanilla until combined. Bring to a simmer on medium heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until completely melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Add arrowroot mixture, whisking constantly until thickened, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Divide among serving dishes and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. If desired, garnish each with chocolate curls, dividing evenly.

Nutrients per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 171, Total Fat: 5 g, Sat. Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 32 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 17 g, Protein: 5 g, Sodium: 79 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Ingredients

Serves 6

12 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

(I may try dark chocolate)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp chili powder

1 large, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled

3/4 cup light brown sugar

6 egg whites

Directions

Melt the chocolate with the cinnamon and chili powder in a double boiler over hot water and set aside. Purée the avocado and brown sugar in a food processor until smooth. With the machine running, pour in the chocolate mixture. Using a stand mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Pour the mousse into 6 small serving bowls or wineglasses and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or covered overnight.

100 Calorie Brownie

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I may try dark chocolate)
1 tsp Espresso Powder

3/4 cup egg whites

3 tbs whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup agave 

1 tbs unsalted butter 
1 tsp  vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor, black beans, cocoa, espresso, egg whites and flour together for approx. 2 minutes.  Next, add agave, butter and vanilla. Mix well.  Spread into the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 and then 5 additional minutes at 300.  Be sure toothpick comes out clean. Cool at room temperature.

Well, which would you try?  And if you do try one, share your thoughts.  Stay tuned, I'll be back with an update next week!  Well..I've got most of the ingredients for the mousse and the brownie...so those are likely.  Hmmmmmm?

Recipes excerpted from Cleaning Eating Magazine and Dr. Oz!