Is it January already?

My baby is 4 months old.

Wow...when did that happen?

I've been doing pretty good with the healthy eating thing...pretty good.

I only have 8 pounds to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.

I could do better.

I've just been using the nursing excuse to eat a "few" treats here and there.

BUT...I've been trying some new recipes...so it's time to share.

My sister and I have been trying lots of recipes off of Skinnytaste.com

Pretty sure almost all of them have been BIG winners.

I'll share my favorites in another post.

The other day my sister told me about a Skinny Taste recipe called Turkey Taco lettuce wraps.

What?!

Tacos using lettuce as the shell?

Brilliant...and 150 calories "cheaper"!

So I made my family chicken tacos.

With pico de gallo...smashed avacado and quinoa (still need to share that recipe)

Wrapped up in some lettuce.

DELICIOUS!

Really...you should try it!

Great crisp crunch...plus, you normally put lettuce on your taco...

why not wrap your taco with it instead?

This is the way to go!

Try it...let me know what you think!

My thoughts on cheese.

Cheese.

I refuse to use low fat/no fat/reduced fat/weight watchers cheeses. I just can't do it. They don't taste the same to me...and they DO NOT melt like cheese should. SO...I've learned a few tricks.

I use laughing cow cheese whenever I can. I LOVE this stuff. It comes in a variety of flavors and is good on just about anything. 1 wedge is only 35 calories. I put it on my bagel breakfast sandwiches, in my omelets, on crackers and pretzels and on toast. If you love cream cheese, you will love this.

Of course, there are tons of recipes calling for cheese that my laughing cow won't work in, so pick your cheeses wisely. We always figure that 1 slice of cheese (about 1 oz) is somewhere around 100 calories...but it isn't quite that simple.

(these calorie amounts are from recipes.sparkpeople.com)

1 oz parmesan cheese, grated: 129 calories (I use around 2 T...1 T is only 22 calories)

1 oz cheddar cheese: 114 calories

1 oz colby cheese: 111 calories

1 oz swiss cheese: 106 calories

1 oz monterey jack: 105 calories

1 oz american cheese: 104 calories

1 oz blue cheese: 100 calories

1 oz provolone cheese: 99 calories

1 oz feta cheese: 75 calories

1 oz mozzarella cheese (part skim): 72 calories

So what does that mean, cause really, they are all close right? Sort of. Grating a tablespoon or 2 of parm cheese on your pasta doesn't add many calories, if you really need it. If you HAVE to have cheese on a sandwich, go with provolone. If you are making enchiladas or pizza or anything you want a good melty cheese on...pick mozzarella (part skim). And if you are making a salad (either green or pasta)...pick feta instead of blue cheese. I know it seems silly and maybe a bit anal...but knocking off 10-20 calories with every meal makes a HUGE difference.

What it all comes down to is picking and choosing when I really want to add those additional calories. I have found that I don't need a slice of cheese on my turkey sandwich...but then again, I do love some cheese on my homemade pizza and enchiladas...so it's a little give and take:)

My thoughts on Butter and Olive Oil

Olive Oil.

"But it's a good fat"...I love that...I say that...it's still fat...and lots of calories...so don't use as much. I LOVE to use olive oil...love it. When I pour it in my pan, I almost feel like a real chef (silly, I know), but I do. A LOT of recipes call for 2-3 T of olive oil just to saute vegetables or to brown meat....and that....is WAY too much olive oil. 1 T olive oil: 120 calories...many recipes say they serve 4...divide 240-360 by 4 and you have a lot of calories in something you can't even taste. So start much smaller. I like to start with 2 teaspoons of olive oil (1 tsp = 40 calories)and I typically don't have to add any more then that. It is plenty to make my veggies soft and yummy and my meats browned and delicious. Now, if I am going to just pan cook chicken, I don't even use olive oil...I just spray my pan so they don't stick and then I am not adding any additional calories. And it works just fine...so try both and see what works for you.

Butter.

Other recipes call for butter instead of olive oil. Don't we all love the smell of butter and vegetables cooking all together in a pan?.....mmmmm. BUT....1 T Butter: 110 calories (11g of fat)...so, I only use butter when I bake (cause sweets I just don't mess with:) Instead, why don't you try....Brummel and Brown Yogurt Butter. 1 T : 45 calories (5g of fat). And to be honest, I like the taste better. If you haven't used it...give it a try. It comes in a tub and is like any other butter/margarine spread.

My must have "on hand" items.

Laughing Cow Cheese: At 35 calories per wedge, it's a great addition to lots of snacks and food items. It comes in various flavors. My favorites are the sun-dried tomato/mozzarella/basil, garlic and herb, and blue cheese. My mom loves the chipotle.

Egg Beaters: 1/4 a cup equals 1 egg. 1/4 a cup is 30 calories, as opposed to 90 calories for a normal egg. I was resistant at first to try these...I was afraid of how they would taste...they are actually really good. You obviously can't have them over easy...but they make great omelets and breakfast sandwiches. They are a little expensive, so I look for them on sale...and they last a long time sealed up, but once you open them you are supposed to use them in 7 days. My brother eats a lot of eggs and he uses 2 whole eggs and then eggs whites to increase quantity but not calories and fat. Give them a try at least once.

Hummus: I always need to do better at eating my veggies, but struggle if I can't dip. Hummus is a low cal way to dip, add flavor and enjoy my veggies. I only eat the roasted red pepper 'cause I just love it. The hummus I have found is only 50 calories for 2 T.

Brummel and Brown yogurt butter: This is a butter/margarine spread made with yogurt. It only has 45 calories per tablespoon, as opposed to 110 for butter. I love the taste and use it for so many things. If a recipe calls for butter (not baking sweets) I use this stuff.

Quick Oats: oatmeal is a tasty and quick breakfast. I typically make 1/4 cup (uncooked) for 73 calories then add 1 tsp of splenda brown sugar (20 calories) and a few tablespoons of skim milk (11 calories). A yummy breakfast for around 100 calories...then I can eat some fruit and be totally satisfied.

Turkey Pepperoni: This may seem like a weird item...but I love these things. 17 pieces is 70 calories. I love to eat these with crackers (wheat thins reduced fat) and a laughing cow. I normally only eat half a serving. This little snack totally satisfies the salty craving and is only 135 calories. Way better then eating 9 chips for 150.

Costco Rotisserie chicken: The Costco chickens are the best. They are the largest of any store and cost the same. I usually buy 2 or 3 and shred them all up, then store them in 2 cup containers in the freezer. I seem to use a lot of recipes that call for "cooked and diced/shredded" chicken and this is the easiest and most tasty way to do it. This chicken is so good on pizza, in soups, in enchiladas...really...anything. It's about 120 calories for 4 ounces (which is a serving size)

TIPS

Olive oil and Butter

Cheese

My must have "on hand" items