FoodMance

[Froggy]

Or, in other words...
My Love of Food.

This thread is where I will display my favorite recipes, from both the past and present. You see, not too long ago I struggled with weight due to my 'foodmance'. To some degree I still do, what with the cravings, the dreaded sweet tooth, and the emotional tailspins I have every now and then. Still, I have learned to control these things, and to use the wonderful thing called 'substitutes'. I'll show you my favorite fattening foods, the unhealthy but filled-with-delicious-love foods, and my healthier, equally love-filled foods that can help you lose weight- should that be your goal, and if not then they're still good. I'll also be providing nutirional facts about labels and ingredients, as well as nutrition information about ingredients themselves.

Table of contents:

[Froggy]

Sweetness:

Simple and Sweet:

Ingredients:
Yogurt-
Strawberry
Strawberry banana
Vanilla
Any other fruit flavors you like... I only use Yoplait Light as it's only 100-110 calories per serving, depending upon the flavor.

Fruit-
Strawberries, fresh or frozen...fresh are a bit sweeter though.
Bananas- chopped into thin slices, 1 per 6oz portion of yogurt.

I like to take the yogurt out of the container and scoop it into a bowl. I'll add matching fruit (such as bananas with the vanilla or strawberry/banana, and strawberries with strawberry). You are welcome to add nuts if you want something salty, or if you want banana pudding just add vanilla wafer cookies to the mix. It's a very sweet, easy, and delicious recipe that's a great cure for that sweet tooth.

~~~~

Smoothie Queen:

Ingredients:
Bananas
Kiwi
Mango (frozen, so you don't have to cut it)
Strawberries (fresh tastes better but frozen is fine also)
Your favorite juice, I use anything I can get my hand on- grapefruit juice, blood orange juice, apple juice...you get the idea
Ice

Equipment: a very high-powered blender. I use the Ninja, works great and I got it for $30 on sale
Cutting board

First, dump the frozen fruits into the blender. My favorite thing about the ninja is that it has measurements on the side so you know how much you're really putting in.
Scrap out the center of your kiwi, discard the skin and keep the seeds-drop it in the blender.
Slice your bananas into small chunks, add them to the mix.

Blend until an almost liquody texture, then add juice and blend for about a minute. Add ice and blend until you can't hear the ice anymore.

Voila! A healthy delicious fruit smoothie to enjoy any time of day ^.^

[V]

Nice idea ;)

[Froggy]

Veggie Burgers
So, this is a new recipe I'll be trying tomorrow night:

Ingredients

1 Slice Onion, chopped finely
1 Oz. Fresh Parsley
1 slice of large tomatoe
1 leaf of red-leaf lettuce
1 serving size of desired SALAD DRESSING (for me, 2 tbsps of Italian Dressing)
1 Medium Red Potatoe, peeled and grated
2 egg whites (store-bought egg white carton is fine I suppose, but fresh is always better)
1/2 Cup Morning Star Veggie Crumbles Griller's Choice
One whole-wheat bun, no seeds, OR two slices of whole wheat bread

Directions
Combine onions, potatoes, veggie crumbles, parsley, and egg whites. Combine, shape to fit bread (square bread or burger bun).
Season 'patty' as desired, then cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
Grill buns (or bread) lightly until a golden brown color during the last 2-3 minutes.
Squirt a small amount of dressing on each side of the bun for flavor (replaces mayonnaise and mustard, ect.)
Place 'patty' on bun, add tomatoe and lettuce on top as well as any HEALTHY garnishes you would like.

I also use a Vegetable (rice-based) cheese that is about half the fat and calories of regular cheese and that tastes JUST THE SAME, but it's hard as ever to melt, so I suggest if you want THAT cheese on your burger, put it on IMMEDIATELY after you flip your 'burger'. It'll also act as a binder to the tomatoe and lettuce, so woot!

As you can tell, I'm eager to try this recipe. I can across a somewhat similar (http://caloriecount.about.com/veggie-burgers-recipe-r8484) recipe and re-designed it to fit MY needs/ likes. I hope this works for you!

So...didn't quiet work out the way I thought, and I learned that there's no replacing the original- meat is meat and that's the end of the story. Still somewhat tastey, I just... couldn't get past the expectations of biting into a big, savory, juicey burger and getting potatoes instead....nope. It might work for you though, if you're into that kind of thing ^_^

[Froggy]

Italian Done Light

My newest pizza recipe:

Ingredients:
1-2 packages of pita bread (whole wheat if you can find it)
Spinach
Parmasean
Tomatoes
Red bell pepper
Orange bell pepper
Onion, chopped
Green onions
Fresh garlic
Olive oil
Light cheese, grated (I use the lightest form of Colby Jack I can find)

Directions:
The pita bread is already cooked, so all you have to do is assemble the toppings.

Sauce, if you want. The lightest possible, which I've found to be fat free sweet tomatoe and basil sauce by Ragu.

Add the spinach, tear the leaves for added flavor. Next are the onions and garlic: try to keep the more vibrant reds and oranges on top. Cheese, tomatoes, and any additional seasonings you want- such as salt and pepper.

Saultee the peppers Julian style and add on top of pizza.

Bake in oven until the cheese is nice and melted, the tomatoes are warm, and you can smell all the vegetables. My guess about 10-15, but there should be baking instructions on the pita package.

Last but not least, cut in half and serve with a nice, low fat salad. Hope you enjoy!

LOVED IT! Perhaps 96/4 is better than veggie meat, just don't go all out fat with the 85/15 stuff...

[Kris]

This is amazing =D


I can't wait to see more!

[Froggy]

Salmon pizza

Ingredients

1 package pita bread
1 can of picante sauce, I use the Pace` brand for additional flavor
2 six ounce portions of salmon, de-scaled...I de-skinned mine as well for the purpose of the pizza
1 tomatoe
1 white onion
1 red onion
3 ounces of green onions
1/2 cup Italian cheese
1 ounce of fresh, chopped cilantro
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
3 ounces of spinach
1 can of olive oil spray

Directions:

Make sure to pre-bake bread at 425 for about 5 minutes, just to start the process and get it heated up.

Prep-time:
Step 1. Take bell pepper and cut into half, removing as many seeds as possible- leave a little for spice. Chop them into small chunks, rather than large bulky ones- it is a pizza afterall.

Step 2: Dice up the onions, save the red for later and add the white in the pot with the red bell pepper. Finely chop cilantro and save it with the red onions. These will go on top of the pizza before the baking process.

Step 3: Slice and dice your tomatoe, use the entire thing if there's more than one person. I usually dice them and add them later with the onion and cilantro. Cut the green onions as well, and save them with the rest.

Step 4; Salmon preparation: You should have two six ounce portions of salmon for this. Slice each portion into five pieces in order to make them equal sizes, and then make four additional cuts to equate to forty-squares of equal sized salmon. It's easier to cook the squares, as well as quicker. Toss it in with the vegetables as they are sautéing.

Step 5: You'll know the salmon is done with there is no more pink in the center, you want a nice, even coat of white running throughout. Turn the stove off and begin to pile up your pizza.

Step 6: Pace` medium picante sauce only has 10 calories per tablespoon, so load up as much as you want on the pita bread- but a word of caution, too much will make the bread heavy and soggy- you already have several ingredients on top, let them shine.

Step 7: add the spinach after the sauce, the vegetables and the salmon after that, cheese next, red onions, green onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. Spray with a little olive oil spray to avoid making the bread soggy, but to still have that olive oil taste to it.

Step 8: Bake for an additional 10 minutes at 425 degrees in the oven, and it will be PERFECT. It sounds really, really weird to have these ingredients mixed with salmon, but it is such a versatile fish and it really shines in this recipe. Enjoy, I know I was STUFFED! Best part? Depending on how much sauce you use, and the type of bread, mine came in at about 450 calories. FOR A PIZZA!

- - - Updated - - -

Peach and Apricot Compote

Ingredients
2 bananas
1 lb strawberries
2 white peaches (often called white flesh in the stores)
3 apricots
1 pinch of brown sugar

Directions:
Prep-time:

Step 1: Grab a cutting board and slice the apricots into equal pieces. Each apricot, depending on the size, can make about eight or so pieces for 24 altogether.

Step 2: Take three peaches and slice them into equal pieces. The smaller the better, as they are rather HOT when they come out of the pot.

Step three: Spray a pot with a butter-spray to prevent the peaches and apricots from sticking. Turn on high, add peaches first to soften them up. If you add the apricots first, they will cook faster than the peaches. Cook the peaches for roughly three minutes while continually stirring them.

Step 4: Add your apricots and a little water, say a tablespoon or two...use your judgment. The purpose of the water is for it to soak up the juices excreted by the fruit as it's cooking- makes for a delicious sauce.

Step 5: Cook for roughly 8-10 minutes at MOST, remember, your peaches have already been cooking. You really just need them to soften, and for the apricots to form a sauce-like texture. They basically break up into a liquid form, was really surprised when mine did that but it tastes great! Add your pinch of sugar once they break up, stir.

Step 6: Turn on low to simmer for a few moments, then begin to slice your bananas into small pieces. Slice your strawberries into slices, make a bottom layer with them... sort of like a pie crust made from fruit. You can use a regular plate for this, or whatever you want.

Step 7: Your compote should be perfect by now, and remember that it will be VERY hot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape over the bananas and strawberries, distributing it evenly. If you want to add ice-cream, no more than a couple of scoops as it'll make a mess. Wait a few minutes for the compote to cool before you do though, as it'll be too hot to eat straight away.

Step 8: Enjoy, and clean up after! Your kitchen will be a mess!

Note: The only bit of calories comes from the fruit and sugar, and it shouldn't bring in ANY more than 50 calories for this delicious dessert- maybe 100 if you add a lot of ice-cream, but remember, it's healthy okay? <3

[Kris]

*Can't wait*

[Kris]

http://i498.photobucket.com/albums/rr348/annebonny10/rpa/fb-1.jpg (https://www.facebook.com/RoleplayAdventures)

[Froggy]

Talk about pressure to get those recipes up this morning XD <3

[Froggy]

Davey Jones's Locker:

Ingredients
2 lbs jumbo shrimp, de-headed and deveined
2 small lemons
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin is always best!)
Fresh, ground black pepper
1/2 large tomato
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 herb bundle- thyme, parsley, oregano, and basil.

Fish:
Tilapia
Use the same ingredients, inclusive of:
1 of the 2 lemons
1/8th of a bell pepper (basically half of what you're using for the whole recipe)
1/2 of your tomato portion
fresh, ground black pepper
TexJoy's herb spices- which, you can use a McCormic or similar brand as I believe TexJoy is primarily found in the south


Prep time: 30 Minutes or less

Shrimp:
1. De-shell/ de-leg the shrimp, save them in a bowl until cooking
2. Peppers: Finely chop the peppers into small pieces, or Jullian them if you like a lot of pepper...remember to save some for your fish though!
3. Green onions: Trick? Cutting them with a pair of scissors saves time! Add them into a separate bowl with your tomato and pepper mixture.
4. Add olive oil to the mix, stir your veggies and add some black pepper and 1/2 a small lemon- make sure to hold your hand underneath to avoid seeds getting in!
5. Take out herb bundle and place the shrimp in a LARGE pot, preferably Teflon coated. The shrimp themselves will take about 5-7 minutes at MOST to cook, with continuous flipping. Add the tomato and veggie mixture about half way through (the 3 minute mark or so), and then some more cracked black pepper and the other half of the first lemon- you want the shrimp to taste lemony too!
6. Squish the tomatoes in the pan to release the juices, it'll form a bit of a sauce around the shrimp.
7. Once it's done, it'll be a nice, even white color with NO visible gray or any other colors in it. You can take it out and place it on a plate.

Fish:

Prep-time: Roughly 10 minutes, everything should be mostly prepped from the shrimp.
Cook time: Roughly 20 minutes, maybe 30.

1. Slice the Tilapia filets in half, creating two halves out of one filet.
2. Season on both side with the following: TexJoy herbs (or your brand's equivalent), pepper, olive oil, and fresh, minced garlic.
3. Your bell peppers and tomatoes should already be cut, combined, and stirred together. Add olive oil (if you haven't already), and 1/2 of the lemon.
4. Place the veiny side of the fish to the pan first (after oiling the pan with just enough oil to cover the bottom of it) on a medium-high heat. The pan will already have the stock from the shrimp that was cooked, so the oils will mix along with the shrimp stock.
5. The fish will be ready to flip when the cook line has reached mid-point of the fish, which usually takes about 4-5 minutes per side. The cook line is the white line that builds higher and higher as the fish cooks, and it will be ready to flip at half way up to the other side of the fish.
6. Flip the fish (watch out for splashing oil), and allow the cook line to reach 1/2 the rest of the way there. Add the rest of your veggies in your pot and allow them to absorb some of the flavors and roast.
7. Remove the fish and place on a separate plate. You can add fresh tomatoes, raw, basil, ect. to make it more flavorful. Add a fresh squeeze of 1/2 a lemon juice above everything and pour the leftover stock over your favorite rice recipe.

Davey Jones's Treasure:


What is this, you ask? Well, this is my take on a grilled seafood platter done light, as well as a seafood platter done heavy for those of you who prefer fried foods...but there's always a way to sneak in SOME veggies!

This spot is reserved for several ways to create delicious Tilapia, Salmon, Shrimp and starches such as gravies, comparable sauces, and garnishes. I'll post the one I i had for lunch today later, but the rest will be a work in progress... As will the nutrition information.

Keep your eyes peeled for Davey Jones!

[Froggy]

Comforting Calzone:

Ingredients:
Pita bread, the kind that splits in the middle and tears apart to form a pocket.
1/4 cup spinach
1/4 cup tomatoes
1/8 cup green onions
1/8 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup tomato sauce (I use Ragu sweet tomato and basil, light)
1/8 cup olive oil (just a drizzle)
1 pinch sea salt to taste
1 pinch pepper to taste
A few leaves of basil, scrunched and cut into strips
1/3 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup Italian cheese, both shredded

Prep-time: 20 minutes
Cook-time: 10-15
Total: 30-35 MAX

1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Spray a non-stick pizza pan with olive oil spray
3. Split apart the bread and open the slits.
4. Put the bread on the pan and pre-cook it for roughly 4-5 minutes to heat it up. The oven doesn't have to be at the full 375, you just want to heat the bread up so it doesn't get soggy when you insert the ingredients. Take it out and keep the slits open.
5. Scrunch your basil leaves, place them with your spinach and cut them into rectangular shaped slices.
6. Slice your tomatoes into the same shape.
7. Finely chop your green onions and bell peppers, mix the veggies together with your sauce.
8. Add your cheese at this point and stir everything together.
9. Gently spoon into your pita-bread pocket and fill to your desire: I stuffed mine FULL!
10. Bake for another 7-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the vegetables have cooked.
11. ENJOY!

[Froggy]

The Italian Nacho

Ingredients

One whole, large, round sweet potatoe
1 tomatoe
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/8 cup olive oil (in other words, just a drizzle)
1 pinch pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly chopped green onions
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 red bell pepper

Prep-time: 15-20 minutes, depending on how fast you are
Cook time: 1 hour
Oven temp: 425

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and peel one large, round sweet potatoe.
3. Slice them round wise with the same degree of thickness for each slice...basically like making thick chips.
4. Spread potatoes on cookie sheet evenly, leaving as little space as possible between them but not overlapping them.
5. Pre-bake potatoes for 25 minutes while you prepare your ingredients.

6. As usual, finely chop the tomatoes, green onions, and ESPECIALLY the basil. Finely chop the red bell peppers as well. Mix the ingredients and add your drizzle of olive oil and ground black pepper, stir to combine.
7. Take the potatoes out and flip them, cook for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Take them back out and evenly distribute the ingredients on top. Finish cooking until they have reached the desired texture, which usually takes about an hour for these potatoes due to their overall firmness. Enjoy a nice, protein-packed, health-filled snack!

And...just as with regular nachos, you can add whatever other toppings you want, just keep in mind that this is an Italian style recipe so I added Italian ingredients for mine. Also, keep in mind that it's supposed to be a LIGHT snack!