Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Chocolate Tropical Fruit Bars
- Apr, 09 2012
- By jennifer
more energy bars! I had to try a combination with cocoa powder mixed in. Wow! These turned out great. I threw one into my purse and nibbled on it through all of my errands to avoid ravenous hunger.
Now you can substitute other dried fruits for the ones used here. Choose your favorites. If your fruit seems a bit too dry, soak in some warm water for a few minutes and drain before adding to the recipe.
I have a feeling that almost everyone except me enjoys a sweet meal replacement bar. I came to this conclusion after scanning through all the flavor options for any bar on the shelf. Cookie or pie-flavored bars are not exactly what I’m looking for, which is why you will always find tamari almonds in my bag, car, or house for a quick nosh.
My alternative choice is dried mango. Yes, it’s sweet, but not white sugar sweet. These are a nice combination of nuts and dried fruit without the slap-in-the-face sweetness. They also contain fiber to provide a slow and steady feed of energy. The intense chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder elevates them to rectangular awesomeness!
Chocolate Tropical Fruit Bars
- ½ cup dried papaya, soaked in warm water, drained, chopped
- ¼ cup dates, pitted
- ¼ cup dried pineapple, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw pecans
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
❶ Place the papaya, dates, and pineapple in a food processor and pulse 7 times. Add coconut, nuts, and cocoa powder and process until nuts are chopped and combined with the dried fruit.
❷ Transfer the mixture onto a silicone liner or a cutting board. Press into a rectangle and slice into 6 bars. Store in the refrigerator.
In a Hurry? Don’t Skip Breakfast!
- Sep, 28 2010
- By jennifer
First of all, I can’t imagine how you breakfast-skippers do it? I won’t last more than a few hours after waking before I’m whipping something together in the kitchen or digging around in my bag for a meal replacement to keep me walking and talking in the AM. If you haven’t had a bite to eat since 6 or 7-ish the night before you just don’t have the stuff (glucose) your brain and body prefer to think clearly and operate efficiently.
No, omitting breakfast will not help you to lose weight. You’ll miss out on the essential nutrients that meal could have contributed to your overall day’s intake and end up famished and out of control at lunch. Studies have shown that breakfast eaters were more successful at losing weight than breakfast skippers.
What makes a good breakfast? Foods that provide a balance of high-fiber carbohydrate + lean protein + a bit of healthy fat will help to improve concentration, problem solving ability, mental performance, memory, and mood. You might like whole grain crackers, fruit slices, yogurt, a hard boiled egg, cottage cheese, low-fat granola bars, or even a peanut butter sandwich. If you can’t stomach food in the morning, try to choose something to get you started. A yogurt smoothie or bottle of juice will give you some initial energy.
Vegetable Omelet Cups contain the right stuff for breakfast. You can make them ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. Swap the vegetables, cheese, and herbs for your favorites to change the flavor.
Vegetable Omelet Cups
1 teaspoon olive oil
1½ cups summer squash (zucchini or yellow), chopped into small pieces
¼ cup red pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
4 large eggs, or ¾ cup egg substitute or egg whites
¾ cup low fat cheese
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
❶ Preheat oven to 350℉. Heat oil in a medium pan. Sauté squash, red peppers, and onions for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cool slightly. Coat the inside of six muffin cups with non-stick spray.
❷ Place eggs in a medium bowl and whisk together briefly. Add sautéed vegetables, cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper to the eggs and whisk together. Divide egg mixture between the 6 cups and bake for 20 minutes.
On-the-Go, In-the-Car Eats
- Sep, 21 2010
- By jennifer
I can think of one situation in particular when, if not planned for, you are in great danger of sabotaging your healthy-eating efforts. Hunger will strike when you are running errands, driving to work appointments, or on a road trip. Fast food and convenience stores will be awfully convenient. There are quite a few options but you need to plan ahead to avoid making a “wrong turn”.
First of all, assess how long you will be out there. Will a few well balanced snacks cover you? A few of these selections stored in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack will help you to stay in control:
- wedges of Laughing Cow light cheese + whole grain crackers
- single serving packs of fruit salad in juice + low fat string cheese
- 2% fat single serving cottage cheese + pear slices
- V-8 juice + a baggie of homemade trail mix (whole grain cereal, dried blueberries, walnuts)
- sugar snap peas + small container of 2 tablespoons salad dressing of your choice
- chilled, seasoned chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces + Wasa crispbread
If your journey is a more time-consuming one, you may need to bring along a meal or two. The food safety issue comes into play in this case. Take a look at some food storage options to keep you meals properly chilled:
Options for what to pack in the above bags might be:
- Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts
photo courtesy Cooking Light
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
photo: eatwellmealplans.com
Shrimp Penne with Yogurt Dill Sauce
photo: eatwellmealplans.com
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups plain low fat yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 scallions, chopped, white and green
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 pound penne pasta
❶ Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add shrimp, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook just until the shrimp are done, about 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside to cool.
❷ In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, red pepper, cucumber, dill, scallions, paprika, and the remaining 1¼ teaspoons of salt.
❸ Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Add pasta to the yogurt sauce, toss, add shrimp and toss again.
Oh, and one more thing, pull over and enjoy a break while you are eating . . .
