An Apple a Day

One more item I constantly have in my fridge are these guys. For a low carb tortilla, they are very good.



I love bread probably more than the average person. Tortillas I can eat by the fistful -- and sometimes I do, but in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I have cut a lot of bread out of my diet. Keep in mind, a true foodie can and will take a face dive into some amazing, freshly baked bread, whenever necessary. I've just found that experiencing everything in moderation is what's right for me.

So, in saying that, I wanted to find something I could rotate through my daily food routine without sacrificing taste, but without skyrocketing my daily carbohydrate intake.

Enter Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas.

At only 80 calories, 2g fat, 12g of carbs, and a whopping 8g of fiber, this is an excellent alternative to the traditional flour tortilla.

I use it in a TON of ways:

Slathered with Nutella or peanut butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and wrapped up with sliced banana

Sliced deli ham with a smeared wedge of Laughing Cow swiss cheese and lettuce, wrapped and cut into roll-up pieces

With grilled or broiled chicken breast seasoned with some chili powder, garlic & cayenne, sliced green pepper and onion, fresh tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream

A little cream or neufchatel cheese, with sliced cucumber and deli turkey and a dash of celery salt

Cut into triangles, baked with garlic salt and dipped into hummus

The above are just a few ways I use the tortillas as a quick snack when I don't have the time to make a full dinner.

Mission has a variety of tortillas, but I like the smaller, whole wheat fajita tortillas best. They are soft and flavorful, with a subtle whole wheat taste that isn't overpoweringly flour-like.

You can find them in any grocery store, and they keep in the fridge for about two weeks when you seal them.

Ahhhhhh risotto. Perfect, rich, creamy perfection. I could write sonnets about risotto. In short, I love it. Can't get enough of the stuff, no matter the ingredients. Throw some portobellos in there, maybe some butternut squash, lobster is divine, asparagus....gah. I'll stop right there. I could go on and on about the sexiness of this dish.

For the most part, I eat risotto when I'm dining out because let's face it -- cooking risotto is hard work! The constant stirring and adding broth is sometimes not worth the wait for most people.

My world traveler friend Jessica brought back this amazing, rustic bag of arborio rice from her most recent travels, so I thought, what better time than this to tackle a homemade risotto?



Keep in mind that in making the perfect, restaurant-quality risotto, you have to keep stirring the entire 20-30 minutes you are adding liquids. Trust me -- just do it!

To start, you'll just have the rice and broth (I added a couple of bay leaves, but it's not necessary).



The mixture will still be thin at this point, but heat, time, and liquid will produce a thick, creamy sauce. After the alloted 20-30 minutes of stirring and adding broth, you can add your mix-ins. I'm using peas in this recipe.



I always like a little cheese to add richness to my risottos, so after my peas, I went ahead and blended in some grated parmesan.

Finished product and official Weight Watchers recipe below.



2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion(s), chopped
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 1/2 cup uncooked arborio rice
5 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 piece bay leaf
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of broth and bay leaves and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup (our risotto takes about 20 minutes to cook from the time the first liquid is added).

Remove bay leaves, fold in peas and cook until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; fold in parsley, Parmesan cheese and margarine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon risotto into shallow bowls; serve hot.

A few healthy tips I use are fat free chicken stock and olive oil instead of butter. Traditional risottos call for a lot of butter, but I didn't miss it in this recipe.

Enjoy!

It was only when I turned thirty that my craving for all things sweet kicked in, especially at breakfast time!

I decided that submitting to my sugar cravings didn't have to be disastrous to my waistline.

Here is a great Weight Watchers recipe that I recently made and was delicious. These muffins were both moist and crumbly, and sweet and tangy. I freeze blueberries when they are in season in June and July, for a taste of summer in winter. Freezing them preserves the nutrients, so I get a boost of antioxidants right when I wake up in the morning.



2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 large egg(s)
1 cup(s) sugar, divided
3/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk, divided
2 cup(s) blueberries, washed and picked over
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place muffin liners in a 12-hole muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla extract.

Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk; beat until smooth.

Fold in blueberries and fill each muffin liner about 3/4 full; set aside.

To make streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup each of sugar and flour. Pour in melted butter and combine with fingertips. Divide crumb mixture over muffins; gently press into top of muffin batter with fingertips.

Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer muffins onto racks to cool completely.

These kept in an airtight container for about a week -- still moist and buttery, even on day seven. And at 4 Points a muffin, you can enjoy with your favorite latte.

Try it out!