Spike Seasoning
October 28, 2008
A blog I’ve read, called Kaitlan’s Kitchen has some yummy ideas on how to incorporate Southbeach friendly foods into your family’s diet. I like her ideas and her savory recipes. She kept suggesting Spike Seasoning for everything. I couldn’t find it anywhere.
Finally, last month I was in Sunflower Market, a natural health food store and found it! It costed nearly $5 but Kaitlyn said it was good so I had to try it.
I got to admit, it is good. I put it in every omelet. I like the taste of the sea salt inside, however, I would buy it next time without the salt (if available) so that I can add my own lite salt and add even more spike, not having to worry about the sodium.
New Mexicans: Red or Green?
October 28, 2008
Here in New Mexico, we know what that means. It means the person is asking you, do you want red or green chile with your meal? I don’t think I could live without my red and green chile from Hatch, NM. There is nothing like putting green chile in your omelet in the morning or a burrito smothered in red chile.
It is NOT like Mexican chile or Asian chiles or Texan chilI for that matter. This is real, authentic, delicious New Mexican chile. If you’re not from NM, try looking in your grocer’s freezer for the Bueno brand. Or visit bueno.com for lots of ideas on how to incorporate chile into everything. Here, we put it on every meal, from eggs to sandwiches, to the tamales.
It’s so good and life wouldn’t be the same without it 
Mexican food meets Greek food!
October 23, 2008
I had leftovers from two night. One night we had burritos, the other we had chicken ceasar wraps. What did I do today? I combined the two. Sure, it was an experiment and I chanced it turning out really awful. But I was hungry and needed to finish those leftovers away, so I made something different.
Here’s the ingredients I used:
Whole wheat tortilla
Three-blend cheese of asiago, parmesan and another aged cheese
refried beans
grilled chicken
tomatoes
avacado
ceasar dressing.
I combined all of them into a burrito/wrap, warmed it up, poured dressing on it and ate it. Did it turn out delicious? Absolutely! I ended up having two of them. Yum!
Silcon Muffin Pans!
October 20, 2008
What a difference these babies have made in my life! Before, I was using those cupcake foils, sprayed with Pam inside so things wouldn’t stick. Guess what, they still stuck! Big time. I tried making quiches in those things and everything stuck inside so all I was left with was the middle of the quiche. What fun is that? I missed 3/4 of my meal!
Then I saw on another blog “Kaylan’s Kitchen” that she uses silicon muffin pans for her quiches. I thought, hmm, I gotta try this. So I looked in Wal-mart and none were to be found. I asked ChaCha and they didn’t know either. I thought I’d just suck it up and buy some expensive ones at Linen ‘n Things in the future with my 25% off coupon. Well, turns out they are going out of business, so I’ll have to stop by sometime for a silicon cake pan. Why? Because I love the muffin pans I bought so much.
I ended up finding my silicon muffin pans at Wal-mart in the craft section, in the shape of footballs, for an “Autumn” theme? Yeah, I don’t get it either. So, they were on clearance, I bought two, and made mini pineapple upside down cakes in there. They turned out so good, I love silicon baking products now!
Late Night Snack
October 20, 2008
In the middle of the night, when you are craving something filling but not too much, and are not in the mood to cook, try this out and see if you like it:
Pop a bread or two in the toaster (whole wheat preferred)
Butter it up while still hot
Sprinkle on cinnamon
Sprinkle Splenda (or sugar)
Grab a string cheese
And there you go. It’s a simple snack that gives you a little sweet and a little salty taste and its fufilling at the same time.
Quick and Hot Breaktfast (for 1)
October 19, 2008
I am not a morning person so I don’t want to spend more than a few minutes at the stove cooking breakfast. The night before I prepare the food so that I can quickly cook it in 5min the next morning and head out the door!
Ingrediants needed:
2 eggs
canadian bacon (2 slices)
slice of pepperjack cheese
any green veggies on hand (such as asparagus, spinich, or green chile)
Whole wheat tortilla
Basically, the night before you chop up the canadian bacon and veggies, toss it in a bowl. Crack two eggs in it and mix thoroughly or whip with a hand blender. Put in a tupperware. In the morning, scramble it in a pan or make it into an omelet. When done, put the egg in your tortilla, along with the cheese, wrap and its ready to go!
Pour OJ in a resealable mug the night before and grab it on your way out.
It’s fast, easy, and healthy too.
Easy Party Dip
October 18, 2008
My favorite homemade dip of all time is this one that is so incredibly easy to make and uses ingredients commonly found in your kitchen.
Ingrediants needed:
Lowfat Sour Cream
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Paprika
Garlic Powder
If you buy a tub of sour cream, you can use the same container to create your dip in. However, you’ll want to take out a couple of tablespoons first, then add in at the end, to make space for the spices. The amount of each spice you want to put depends on your preference. I personally like to add a TON of paprika to the dip. You might want to start with a teaspoon or less of each ingredient, taste it with a tortilla chip and add more if you so desire. The only spice I would put very very little of would be the garlic powder. All you need is a sprinkle overall.
Some other tips:
Add in shredded cheddar cheese for an extra zap of taste.
Some people add 1/2 can of drained tuna to the dip as well to make it tuna dip.
You can serve this with a variety of foods, from blue-corn tortilla chips, to Lays, to cut veggies, or even top on top of your enchiladas.
Caramel Apple Shake
October 16, 2008
I love the taste of caramel apples. There’s some tartness to it, juiciness, crisp, accompanied by warm caramel and crunchy nuts. Just the thought of one makes my mouth water. I also happen to love a good smoothie. Shakes are good, but something about smoothies makes me feel like I’m eating healthy It must be the fruit. So this caramel apple shake I made up kind of satisfies both of those needs, a fruity blend of apples and caramel!
This recipe is also perfect because it is harvest time so the freshly-picked apples are available in farmer’s markets by the dozen. You can find a huge variety of apples, so choose those that satisfy your taste the best. The feeling of autumn in the air will accompany the feeling of the seasons change when you sip this caramel apple shake.
Ingrediants needed:
1 crisp apple
scoop of vanilla icecream with the caramel swirled into it (I go for sugar free and reduced fat)
sugar free caramel syrup
cup of milk (1%)
chopped peanuts.
You blend the icecream, milk and chopped apple together until the consistency of a shake. Add more of either ingrediant to get the texture and flavor you desire. Add Splenda for extra sweetness. Pour into a fancy mug and drizzle the caramel syrup and chopped peanuts to the top.
Stick a thick straw inside and enjoy! Yum!
(The above recipe should be more than enough for one person. Double up the recipe to share with a friend.)
