The lighter side of Sonoma Chicken Salad

I love chicken salads and I especially like the Sonoma chicken salad from Costco, however it is anything but good for you dishing out around 400 calories per serving :0! So I made my version of it using most of the same ingredients just cutting down on the fat. Now you can just eat more of it right?

Skinny Sonoma Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup light mayo

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs pineapple juice

4 tsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts shredded and cooled
1 1/4 cups dried cranberries

3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted

Directions

In a bowl combine the mayo, yogurt, vinegar, pineapple juice, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Stir the chicken, pecans, and cranberries into the bowl with the dressing. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Couscous cake take 2!

Ok!! So, the first couscous cake recipe that I tried wasn't as great as we hoped, I have come up with a few new recipes on how to make some yum yum cakes. This recipe has an Italian flare using sun dried tomatoes, basil and of course some garlic (powder)!

Couscous Cakes Take 2

Ingredients

2 cups cooked couscous, cooled

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup diced sun dried tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tbs flour ( i used whole wheat pastry but use what you got )

olive oil

Directions

In a bowl combine the couscous, basil, sun dried tomato, Parmesan cheese garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and mix until combined.

Form 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture into patties ( i got 8 out of my mixture)

In a nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat, add 4 of the patties to the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
Continue until all cakes are cooked. Let rest on paper towels until ready to serve!

Stevia! A better alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners?

Made from the leaves of a South American shrub and marketed under names like Truvia, PureVia and Stevia in the Raw, it's the "new" sugar substitute. The pitch is zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero chance of a spike in blood sugar levels.


I finally jumped on the Stevia bandwagon and bought a box of it, I have decided to try to curb my aspartame use. Cutting down on sugar wasn't to difficult because I think Splenda can go pretty much unoticed in a lot of baked good, and I bought a plethera of it at Costco. However I find myself a little unsure of this new sweetener and was hoping to gain insight from any of you. Have you used it? Tried it? How is it in baked goods? I have so many questions!

Martha Stewarts Cupcake Contest

Sometimes I wish I was as domesticated as the folks who enter the Martha Stewart Cupcake Contest. You know, spend all day baking and decorating and baking and decorating....OK maybe not but that is why it's so fun to browse through all the fantastic photos of amazing cupcakes. I wanted to share a few of my faves!

ground turkey and black bean picadillo

Ground Turkey and Black Bean Picadillo

serves 4

Ingredients

3/4 pound lean ground Turkey

2 tsp olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15-or 16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt diced tomatoes, plus their juices
1/2 cup dark raisins
1 to 2 tablespoons pimento-stuffed olives, thinly sliced

Directions

Lightly spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; heat over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to break up, until cooked through.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a plate; drain and discard any fat.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add oil, then bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender.

Return turkey meat to skillet, along with cumin, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes.

Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add beans, tomatoes with their juices and raisins.

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Top with olives! can be served over brown rice if desired!

Garden Goodies

We are finally reaping some benefits from our container garden. We have basil, cilantro, rosemary, Serranos, Jalapenos, red onions and two types of tomatoes.

* UPDATE* new pantry in the works

I guess my baking motivated my husband to tackle a new project. Our laundry room/ pantry is now in the middle of a remodel. He is ripping out the walls and building new shelving to look a little more like this!

But this is what it looks like right now

Yes, there is a whole in the middle of my home!

Here is what it looks like now~