Poor breakfast is probably the most forgotten meal of the day. In your daily mad-morning-dash to school, work, or play, it is easy to forget to eat something before you leave the house. Now for someone with a packed schedule, a mere bowl of cereal or a single granola bar will not tide you over until lunchtime. Luckily, I have found the perfect 15 minute morning meal that will keep you satisfied longer.

This bacon, egg, and cheese muffin may seem like a standard breakfast item, but tastier then a McDonald’s meal with half the calories!

Now on with the deliciousness!

Here are the ingredients for one muffin:
2 eggs
2 sliced Canadian bacon
2 slices processed American cheese (I recommend Kraft)
1 English muffin, split and toasted
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened Read More »

My dad makes the best homemade pizza on Earth. He is not really an everyday-supper kind of guy as far as his cooking goes, but a few of the things he can whip up are absolutely out of this world. When you taste this pizza, there is simply no comparison to any pizza you have ever had in a restaurant, ever. It’s just impossible to look back.

I have never quite been able to match the final product, but I do have the recipe, and I am more than willing to share it with you. I believe it’s one of those recipes that gives good results every time but takes a lifetime to perfect… so check back with me in 30 years or so to see how I’m doing.

In the meantime, get the following things together:

FOR THE DOUGH
• 1 package (about 1 ½ teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
• 1 cup warm water (but not so hot that it hurts your fingers)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp dry basil
• 1 ½ tsp dry oregano Read More »

We’ve still got a few weeks of summer left, which means there are some BBQ’s and potlucks to be had and everyone loves someone who can bring a good dessert. I discovered this brownie recipe a few months ago and have since made it for several occasions and it blows people away every time. They’re a bit more work than the standard Duncan Hines boxed batters, but if you or anyone you know is a fan of chocolate and caramel, putting a little work into these babies will be well worth it.

INGREDIENTS

* 14 ounces caramels
* 1/2 cup evaporated milk
* 1 package German chocolate cake mix Read More »

When I was a little kid, I had a lot of great ideas. I think everyone does. Sometimes we’d get to see these ideas come full circle, and learn a valuable lesson. Like why you don’t swing from chandeliers, or why you aren’t supposed to convert an old refrigerator into a ‘fort.’ Most of the time, however, these ideas had to stay in our heads, because our (evil) parents wouldn’t let us try them out.

But one of the good things about growing up is you get to try some of these crazy ideas out. Especially if you kept them all in a notebook, like me.

I was never allowed to eat sugary cereals as a kid. In retrospect I don’t really resent it because that’s probably why I don’t need medicine to focus, but at the time I thought it was total bullsh*t. Whenever I was at a friend’s I would sample all the different sugary cereals like I was some desperate 11 year old Shaker who didn’t understand electricity. One vivid memory is when I first got to try Cookie Crisp. It was disgusting. It tasted like Sand Dollar Crisp. I was so disappointed. The ad promised cookies for breakfast! That dog!

Speaking of cookies, one of my favorite types when I was little was Teddy Grahams. I loved these because you could eat handfuls of them and that felt great. Of course I’d never have access to the entire box, so I’d usually be eatin’ my grahams out of a plastic baggy at lunch time. Well, one such lunchtime I was thinking about my cereal experience while nibblin’ on some grahams and couldn’t figure out why a company didn’t make a cereal that did taste like cookies. It seemed so easy…just pour cookies into milk. Just then, it hit me. Teddy Graham Cereal. Booya. Read More »

Everyone’s favorite summer snack is ice cream; its cold goodness sliding down your throat eases that sweet tooth every single time, am I right? The chunks of chocolate or swirls of caramel create an orgasmic explosion in your mouth. One problem with ice cream, though (like that frightening cup above!): it’s full of fat, sugar and calories (no lie - Chubby Hubby has 330 calories and 20 grams of fat…yikes!?!).

While it tastes amazing, adding those extra pounds on your thighs during bathing suit season is never a good thing. Here’s my low-fat, low-cal, highly-delicious alternative to ice cream.

You’ll need:
One Tub of Fat Free Cool Whip
One packet of Colored Sprinkles
One Gallon of Stonyfield Farm or Dannon Light & Fit Fat Free, Strawberry Yogurt
One Packet of Frozen Berries
One Pack of Red/Blue Plastic Cups (generic Beer Pong cups work perfect for this)
Glad Press ‘n’ Seal Read More »

It only makes sense that New Orleans invented the dish that is by far the most fun to say (pronounced jamba-LAY-a. At the top of your lungs. With Jazz hands.) And it just happens to be fun to make also! Whether you’re cooking solo on a weeknight, post happy hour with your girls, or during a one-on-one iron chef battle with your s.o. (guilty), this guilt free jambalaya is delish, healthy, and so so easy to make.

You’ll need:

Read More »

As you’re lounging by the pool, at the beach or even outside, summer reading can be one of the most relaxing activities in the warm weather. Engrossing yourself in some great chick lit novel can help ease your mind while you work on your rays. Here are some great reads:

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand. This is beach reading at its finest; three women – one sick with cancer, one just fired after having an affair with her student and one whose husband cheated, all move to the Hamptons for the summer. Juicy, juicy.

The Other Boleyn Girl. Before you see the movie (or if you haven’t already), read this book about the tragic love affair that will suck you in and make you unable to leave the page.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. This book chronicles best friends in love with the same man and how an unexpected romance changes everyones lives for the better. The best part: there’s a sequel! Read More »

When it comes to dieting, so many people do it, but so many people don’t understand the process. They know they need to cut calories, but how does one cut calories when they don’t even know how many they were eating to begin with? And how do people even remember all the things they ate in an entire day? And what about the rest of us not trying to shave off a few pounds? Shouldn’t we be conscious of what is going into our bodies, too?

These are the biggest arguments for getting in the habit of keeping a food journal.

Food logs can help you stay on track in many different ways:

Drinking:
In one evening at the bar you could consume more than 800 extra calories; that’s like running on a treadmill for two hours! If you think about what you’re drinking and add it to your log at the end of the night you will notice how much you’ve actually taken in, which may prompt you to make better choices in the future…or avoid ordering that cheese bread…. (Note: no need to pull out the food diary at the bar, friends. Total buzz kill!)

“Good” foods versus “Bad” foods:
You would be surprised as to how many calories are in foods though of as “good” versus other that are constituted as “bad”. For example, did you know that a Dunkin Donuts muffin has more calories than their regular donut? I bet you didn’t. It’s surprising! Just think what else you may misinterpret as “healthy” or “better” for you. It’s easy to get tricked into thinking something is “good” for you when really it isn’t. So, researching and writing down what you eat will get you thinking about food instead of just throwing it down the hatch. Read More »

Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean I am averse to putting alcoholic substances in the foods I eat. Surely one of the best French dishes on Earth is coq au vin, made with tender chicken and savory mushrooms and the most wonderful red wine sauce ever…But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. If you’re thinking that coq au vin sounds like the perfect thing to make for a romantic dinner, you’re right. If you want to make it the authentic French way, though, you might be marinating chicken and letting spices simmer and flavors develop for literally hours—if not days—on end. Trust me, you can get results that are very nearly as good just by using your slow cooker.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, I seriously recommend leaving the room this instant and going directly to a place where you can buy one. They’re inexpensive and they will save you loads of time on busy days (or any kind of days, really). Unbelievably amazing casseroles, soups, stews, and meat so tender that it falls off the bone all become everyday realities with the help of your friend the slow cooker. I have even heard about slow cookers making fantastic cobblers and cookies.

Moving on from the sales pitch, let’s get back to the coq au vin. To make enough for you and your special beau, you need: Read More »

Most normal fajitas or any similar Mexican-like foods will set your number of daily calories over the edge with gobs of refried beans, sour cream, or crazy cheese sauces. Not this fajita—it has all the taste but serious health benefits as well. If you are craving something Mexican that isn’t quite authentic but that tastes fresh and delicious, this is what you want!

It can easily be a 15-minute dinner if you’re rushing, and it’s pretty versatile (any kind of bell pepper will work, the corn is optional, etc.). Here are the ingredients for one fajita:

• canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil (or any other oil, really)
• 1 thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into strips
• ¼ tsp taco seasoning
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips
• ½ medium onion, sliced into thin rings
• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or frozen (optional)
• ½ to ¾ cup fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 whole-wheat tortilla wrap

To begin, put the oil in a shallow pan. Let it heat up, and add the thin rings of onion and strips of bell pepper. Sauté them over low-medium or medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they are browned, much reduced, and beginning to caramelize. Read More »