Snack Time

Yes!  We are taking off for a few days to the mountains!  When you live in Colorado, the mountains are our playground.  Snacks & a quick lunch are important on most diets because they can easily derail so I plan ahead.  Here’s my list for my ice chest …

1. Air popped popcorn with Parmesan cheese.
2. No salt trail mix, you can find this in bulk food bins.
3. Apples & oranges
4. homemade cookies
5. bottled flavored sparkling water
6. low salt Fritos
7.  PB&J sandwiches
8. Sometimes hard boiled eggs, sliced natural cheese and grapes

Most of this stuff can be found on most stops for gas, restroom breaks, leg stretching but have you ever looked at the ingredient labels?  After one stop I would be miserable and no one would want to be around me.  Plan ahead stay on track!

Cabbage Salsa

This salsa will having you going back for seconds so you might as well make a good size batch! (Pictured on the left!)

Salsa Bar

1. Shredded Cabbage 1/2 bag … look in bagged salads
2. 4 Jalapeño’s chopped
3. Red Onion Chopped
4. Cilantro -1 bunch chopped
5. 2 tomatoes chopped
6. Juice from 2 limes
7. 2 garlic cloves chopped
8. 1/3 cup of vinegar (be brave try something different I used golden vinegar)
9. Spices (amount is up to you), garlic, onion, cumin, No Salt

Place all ingredients in a ziplock bag, mix it up good.  Refrigerate overnight.  I don’t do this all the time, regardless of your decision you won’t go wrong.

 

Taco Salad with Cabbage Salsa

 

We L❤️VE salads in the summer, unfortunately the dressing that finishes off the salad has SO MUCH sodium!  Getting a salad out will give you heartburn too because of the items in it that take something good to the no eat zone!  Don’t believe me just look at the nutritional facts many restruants provide now.

This is my recipe … (Salsa will be posted seperately.)

1. Ground beef, by a good one!  Most are about 85 MG’s for 3 oz.
2. #MrsDash No salt Taco Seasoning.
3. I chopped a bell pepper into my meat you can also chop onion.
4. Brown your meat add your seasoning.

For the salad part … chose healthy toppings!  Here are mine …

1. Diced red onion
2. Diced tomato
3. Shredded lettuce
4. Shredded natural sharp cheddar cheese – about 165 MG’s for 1/4 cup

For your shell …

1. 2 use 2 corn tortillas that I have fried to soften up most of the time ZERO MG’s
2. in this picture I picked Mission tortillas chips because they are low sodium and I had leftover MG’s.

This salad must have a salsa dressing, I make this with No Salt canned tomatoes or as the case in this picture I used Cabbage Salsa to top it.

As you see low sodium, this one has about 500 MG’s ( Meat, chips and cheese).  There isn’t another item in here with salt so depending where you are with MG’s will determine how much you put on (within reason of course!)

Summertime …

This time of year and great BBQ’s is the hardest time for me to stay on task. The invites for outdoor get togethers and navigating through sodium creates serious anxiety for me.  Do I eat before, do I throw caution to the wind, do I nibble, where do I draw the line?  I always want to believe people will understand but when only a few people close to me get it and some of those saying when does all this stop, I no longer know  what to say.

The reason I watch this so closely because I feel miserable when I don’t. Maybe you don’t need to undestand it but just accept it as me and don’t get upset because I say no to something.  I don’t push this is on anyone so please don’t push your diet on me.

I like to find recipes that taste good and are crowd pleasing so when I have family and friends over everyone is happy.  I find the Mayo Clinic has some great stuff, visit their website – http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes.

Salads are big this time of year, and the dressing comes packed (as most condiments do) with sodium.  This dressing will be on my dinner table tonight …

Citrus Vinaigrette
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
Directions
In a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately. Place leftovers in a container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Shake well before use.
Serving size :2 tablespoons
• Calories143, Total fat 14g, sodium, 89 mg, Total carb 7 g

You can use No Salt or skip it all together.  It’s right under 100 MG’s so depending on what else I’m having I may keep it.  I find my evening meal has almost no sodium at times so I consider this a win.

 

Simple Truth Organic -& more …

Ugh, the dreaded label causes so much drama among many of us.  If you haven’t started to read these you may want to start. Have you looked at the label on soy sauce. This great tasting condiment should not even be available for consumption, 1 tablespoon … 879 MG’s.  Most recipes call for 2 tbsp.  Which is 1758 MG’s in one dish, that serves 4, so about 439 MG’s per serving AND that’s not include other items added to the dish.

Start a journal write it all down, proof is in the pudding. Once you have done that take a close look at this picture for some healthy substitutes … I found all this on http://www.vitacost.com website.

Spinach Chicken Salad

Spinach Chicken Salad

Salads can be a fun meal … most of my meals consist of a natural protein and fresh vegetables.  This salad has lettuce greens, spinach, tomato, avocado, yellow pepper, red onion, pine nuts with chicken breast on top.  I also made the salad dressing, with red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, water, fresh basil, garlic and onion powder, Mrs. Dash tomato basil seasoning.  Blend with a whisk.  I made my dinner rolls, onion flavored this week.  Looks delicious right? Well, it is and the best part the MG’S – 65 MG’s!  That’s right!

Yummy!!! Popcorn

Hello everyone …

It’s been awhile I know, a lot has happened over the last few and my life is beginning to settle down a bit, (at least enough for me to blog!)  I have several to post, but I thought I would start with a fun one.

POPCORN!  And tomorrow is game day and we all need a healthy snack.  This has to be my favorite one, but if you look at the ingredients on those bags you will be disappointed.  So … we make it at home!  Honestly by guy makes the best popcorn, but he recently agreed to a West Bend Air Popper!!! ANNDDDD, it was not hard to get him to agree.

My Recipe … Low Salt Popcorn

1. I fill to the max line with my store brand popcorn, if fills a medium size bowl (plenty to share)
2. 2 tablespoons of no salt butter
3. 2 tablespoons of a nice grated parmesan cheese, the one I have is 55MG’s of salt per a tablespoon.
4. Total MG’s of salt for my whole bowl is 110 MG’s … this is AWESOME

Try it you won’t be disappointed!  You can add any flavor you want, make one up of your own, if you are a popcorn lover you will not be disappointed.