Recently, we invited some friends over and all of their kids and we had ourselves a regular ole salad party, sponsored by Wish-Bone.  We created a few new salads (whipped them up is more like it) while trying to manage the 7 children 7 years and younger from tearing up the house.  It was fun : ).

Wish-bone provided us their four new salad dressings and away we went!  I wish I had recipes to share but it was more like:  let’s put a little of this and a little of that and oh boy, doesn’t that sound good to add, etc etc.  We were *cooking* old-style (but really with no style at all, ha ha).

Anyhoo, here are our three creations:

I wish I had fancy names for these creations but I don’t.

Let’s call them Pasta Salad (bow-tie pasta, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken marinated in the Mediterranean dressing, basil, salt/pepper, more dressing drizzled on top to desired flavor), Bruschetta Salad (I have no idea how this was made because my friend Julie made it- I know it involved homemade croutons that she baked in the oven, mozzarella cubes, grape tomatoes, basil and the Bruschetta Italian dressing,  and then last but not least, Crisp Berry Salad (green leaf lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, almond slivers, and Superfruit Berry Vinaigrette dressing).

All three salads were fantastically awesome in their own right but I had a favorite that I just couldn’t get enough of.  Can you guess which one it was?  It was this one:

O-M-G.  The salad was so easy to pull together and the dressing (Superfruit Berry Vinaigrette) was perfectly light and refreshing and oh so yummy.  I must have had three servings of this salad (if you wanted to make it a meal, you could marinate chicken breasts in the dressing, just a little bit, and then grill it).

In reality, all of the dressings tasted great but we all agreed that the Superfruit Berry one was hands-down the best.

For some official recipes from Wish-Bone, then click here.

So, would one of you lucky readers like to win your own Salad Sampler kit of the new Wish-Bone Salad Dressings (plus a great salad bowl)?

Here’s how to enter:

• Leave a comment on this post letting me know which dressing most appeals to you.
• Contest ends Friday September 2nd at 11:59PST.
• A winner will be picked that weekend and notified by email.  Please make sure we have your email- no email, no win.
• US residents only.

]]> http://shrinkingjeans.net/2011/08/try-it-new-wish-bone-salad-dressings-giveaway/feed/ 9 http://shrinkingjeans.net/2011/05/lighter-memorial-day-side-dishes-desserts/ http://shrinkingjeans.net/2011/05/lighter-memorial-day-side-dishes-desserts/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 15:09:16 +0000 Christy http://shrinkingjeans.net/?p=13526

Are you having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend? We hope so! If you’re planning on firing up the grill tomorrow, we have a couple of suggestions to help keep your meal on the lighter side. You know, so you don’t have that post holiday regret because you couldn’t walk away from the potato salad….

Lighter Side Dish Recipes

• Strawberry-Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Rosemary Sweet Potato Steak Fries
• Bacon Potato Salad – From In Good Taste
• Southwestern Corn Salad
• Sauteed Zucchini, Peppers, and Tomatoes

And here’s a handy post on How To Grill Vegetables!

Lighter Dessert Recipes

• Lemon Pudding Cake
• Neapolitan Tower Cake
• Cherry Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust – From Eating Well

Lighter Drink Recipes

• V-8 Bloody Mary
• Mellow Melon Margarita
• Pomegranate Martini

Have a safe, fun, and Shrinking Memorial Day weekend!!

It’s time to shake things up in the kitchen a little bit and introduce some tofu to your diet. Since fresh tofu is offered in so many different textures, this protein power house is a great alternative to meats in main courses, but is also a perfect addition to smoothies, eggs, dips, and soups.

This morning while I was cleaning up after breakfast catching up on Twitter, I noticed a conversation going on about protein alternatives. Karena mentioned that tofu was a great option, and Roo asked the inevitable next question…

But what do I do with it?

Karena’s sage advice warned her against eating it straight out of the container. Seriously, don’t do that. If you have never had tofu before, nothing will guarantee you NEVER having it again than eating it straight out of the package.

Tofu is made to be prepared, and it will take on the flavor of whatever you add to it. I typically cut up some extra-firm tofu and throw it into stir frys. It takes on the flavor of whatever sauce I’ve added that night.

Nasoya, a leading manufacturer of tofu has these recommendations for how to prepare the different textures…

• Stir-frying? Use Extra-Firm.
• Baked BBQ? Use Firm.
• Need a quick salad? Use Cubed.
• Making a creamy dip or soup? Use Soft.
• Blending in a smoothie? Use Silken.

The possibilities really are endless for what you can do with it. There are recipes all over the internet, too, for different ways to prepare tofu. Just try heading to Google, type in tofu recipes, and see everything that pops up! Here are a few recipes from Healthy Cooking Magazine to get you started…

• Roasted Red Pepper Bean Dip
• Strawberry Tofu Smoothies
• Vegetable Pad Thai
• Tofu Manicotti

So, who out there (besides Karena and I) are tofu eaters? What’s your favorite way to prepare it?

If you’ve never had tofu before, give it a try this week. You won’t be disappointed!

Same goes for appetizers at home. Yes, you can stick to the crudite. Or maybe a lowfat dip and pita chips. But sometimes, you just want something hot and satisfying. And BAD FOR YOU.

One of my favorite hot appetizers is the lovely fried spring roll. When Lean Cuisine contacted me and asked me to try out their new line of spring roll appetizers I was more than happy to do a taste test.

How are they? Well, in a word, YUM.

There are three varieties – Garlic Chicken, Thai Style Chicken, and Fajita Style Chicken. Just today I paired the Fajita Style Chicken rolls with a black bean and bell pepper salad and called it lunch. So delicious and so satisfying. They remind me of taquitos. Delish.

Each package contains two servings of three spring rolls. And they are good sized. Not teeny tiny like you’d expect.

Nutrition wise, each serving hits around 200 calories. Bargain!

The lovely people at Lean Cuisine not only gave me the chance to try this scrumptious new line of products – they also want to give one of our lucky readers a chance to win some!

Here’s how to enter:

• Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite appetizer and how you lighten it up (if you do).
• For an extra entry, tweet about the giveaway using @shrinkingjeans in your tweet.
• For another extra entry, “like” us on Facebook
• And even one more entry, tell everyone on Facebook about the giveaway too!

Giveaway closes at 11:59 PST next Friday, April 1. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Review product and giveaway provided by Lean Cuisine. We were not monetarily compensated for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are our own.

What helps keep the calories so low?  They both use Greek yogurt rather than mayonnaise or tahini which you would typically expect in these dips.  I made both of these recipes using Voskos Greek Yogurt.  It’s so creamy & smooth that I knew it would work beautifully in these dips, and that’s exactly what it did!

The first recipe I want to share is called “Healthified” Spinach Dip.  I found this recipe on the Runner’s Kitchen blog.

“Healthified” Spinach Dip

1 packet of Knorr’s dry vegetable soup mix (or any dry vegetable mix)
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 oz. water chestnuts, chopped
8 oz. light sour cream
8 oz. lowfat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
8 oz. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Mix ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Refrigerate for two hours before serving. Enjoy with fresh vegetables, crackers or whole-wheat pita chips.

Serves 8. Each 1/2 cup serving contains approx. 100 calories, 7 grams protein, and 2 grams of fiber.  For those on Weight Watchers, I entered the recipe in eTools using Recipe Builder and it comes out to 3 PointsPlus™ value per serving.

Next up is an artichoke hummus recipe I recently saw in a Hungry Girl newsletter.  If you aren’t familiar with the Hungry Girl website, you should definitely check it out.  She shares tons of great recipes and ideas for healthy cooking & eating.  She also has a fun new TV show on the Cooking Channel that provides more of that same type of information.  Her recipe swaps are GREAT!

Hungry, Hungry Artichoke Hummus

1 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fat-free vegetable broth
1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
One 15-oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
Optional garnish: additional parsley flakes and paprika

Place all ingredients except chickpeas and optional garnishes in a blender. Set aside.

Place chickpeas in a bowl and thoroughly mash with a potato masher or fork. (If you have a super-strong blender, feel free to skip this step.) Transfer to the blender. Puree until smooth, stopping and stirring if blending slows.

For best flavor, refrigerate hummus for several hours. Before serving, garnish with a sprinkle each of additional parsley flakes and paprika, if you like. Dip away!

Serves 8.  Each 1/4 cup serving contains 56 calories, 0.5g fat, 400mg sodium, 9g carbs, 3g fiber, 1g sugars, 3g protein — 1 PointsPlus™ value per serving.

Even though I’ve shown these dips paired with pretzels and bagel chips, remember that you can easily pair these with veggie crudités as well which will save even more calories.  They both work equally well that way.  Enjoy!

What are your plans for the Big Game this evening?  Are you hosting a party, going elsewhere to someone else’s party, have no clue what Big Game I’m even talking about? LOL  Leave a comment and share your plans.

Disclosure:  Review product provided by Voskos.  We were not monetarily compensated for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are our own.

Santa has visited; presents have been unwrapped, and I’m sure you all had very yummy meals. Right? Right. Now I know you may be thinking, “Oy. I need to get back on track.”

Just for you, I thought I’d share my favorite healthy treat from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. At only 152 calories per serving, it fills you up. (And it has chocolate!)

Trail Corn:

What you’ll need:

4 cups air-popped popcorn

1/2 cup high-fiber, low sugar cereal squares (such as Quaker Oatmeal Squares)

1/2 cup dried red fruit (dried cherries or cranberries)

2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:

In assembly line fashion, place 1 cup of popcorn into each of 4 sandwich-sized plastic bags. Add 2 tablespoons of cereal, 2 tablespoons of dried fruit, and 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate chips. Shake each bag. You can enjoy this immediately or transfer to an airtight container and can be stored up to three days.

NOTE: It’s a good idea to wait until the popcorn is cool before you attempt to make this tasty treat. My first attempt ended up with my chocolate chips all melted. :)

This makes four servings. 152 calories per serving, 3g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 3g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4g fiber, 37mg sodium

ENJOY!

My friend Wikipedia says that “besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B₆.”

Who knew?  So couple the fact that sweet potatoes have all these wonderful nutrients and vitamins with the fact that they taste good, and I will be eating sweet potatoes much more often, oh yes I will.

And since I am still here, I thought I would share with you a “Light Sweet Potato Casserole” recipe.

Light Sweet Potato Casserole (Taste of Home website)

8 Servings     Prep: 45 min. Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands®, All Natural, No Corn Syrup Added, Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, milk, egg substitute, brown sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 8 servings.

PS- Be on the lookout for a Taste of Home giveaway later today!

Taste of the Sisterhood is sponsored by Attune Foods!

Tis the season for parties, fa la la la la la la la la! And these parties have lots of food, fa la la la la la la la la!

We all know that with the holidays comes food and social gatherings and parties. It is super easy to lose control at parties, isn’t it? I’m here today to show you that you can enjoy your favorite things in a healthier way.

Here is MY favorite recipe made healthy:

    Print This!    

SPINACH DIP

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (be sure to squeeze it dry!)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix (or any vegetable soup mix will do, but this is my favorite)
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, finely chopped (optional)
3 green onions, finely chopped (optional)

Put everything in a bowl and mix it up! Let it chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with veggies (or I like using enjoying it with Special K crackers). Enjoy!

My modifications:

When you follow the recipe, it tends to make the dip a little more, let’s say soupy, than I prefer. So I use 1/2 cup sour cream and mayo to make the dip thicker. I would suggest adding the 1/2 cups and if you decide that’s too thick for you, just the rest like the recipe calls for. Also, I don’t use water chestnuts or the onions. It’s just a personal thing. I also use light mayo and no fat sour cream. I promise you, you won’t be able to tell the difference!

Taste of the Sisterhood is sponsored by Attune Foods!

Happy Hump Day!

I think that today is a great day for a fiesta! Why? Well, cause it’s cold out (here at least) and I need a pick me up. Plus? I’ve been craving fish tacos. This baby in my belly has a taste for spice, y’all.

Let’s get cooking!

Taste of the Sisterhood is sponsored by Attune Foods!

How do you round out the perfect hangover brunch? With a perfect Bloody Mary of course! Because:

1. I am reviewing the delicious array of V8 juices this week and decided that a V8 cocktail would be a great way to tie the two in and…
2. And because I’ve never even had a bloody mary before and…
3. Because I simply could not do a review of V8 Juice and not also try a recipe using it and…
4. Because I was always a V8 Vegetable Juice skeptic. I always thought vegetable juice was hardcore healthy veggie people But I was wrong. V8 Vegetable Juice is for everyone, even the spicy one.

So here is my recipe that I shared with my husband on this lazy afternoon and don’t mind me if I type all funny since I’m drinking my bloody mary right now and yes, it does have vodka in it. This recipe is adapted from the Food Network’s Ina Gartner but I used only what I had on hand at the moment.

Ingredients:

• 36 oz. V8 Spicy Vegetable Juice
• 3 stalks celery including leaves, plus more for serving
• 2 tsp prepared horseradish (didn’t have this)
• 1 tsp grated yellow onion (didn’t have this)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestireshire
• 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1/4  tsp. kosher salt
• 12 dashes hot sauce (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups vodka (I only used one though, one made it pretty strong.)

Directions:

Cut celery in large dice, including stems, and blend in food processor. In large pitcher, combine the V8 with the rest of the ingredients except for the vodka. With the food processor running, pour in 1/4 of the V8 mixture into the food processor and then pour the food processor contents into the remaining V8 mixture in the pitcher. Add the vodka, chill and serve over ice with celery stalks and CHEERS!

This was really, really yummy. I suspect it would have been even yummier with the ingredients I didn’t have because the recipe had gotten pretty rave reviews. So do try it! And also know that if you don’t have all the ingredients, it’s still pretty yummy. Oh, while you’re at it, go try your luck at getting some free V8 in not only Original, but in a bunch of different delicious fruit flavors! MKAY?