Sometimes all you need to spruce up a dull salad or your run-of-the-mill Wednesday dinner is an ingredient swap. If chicken caesar has lost its bite, and you simply can’t look at another plate of turkey and veggies without yawning, say hello to my leetle friend (sorry, had to!): shrimp!

Did you know these bite-sized crustaceans have virtually no fat and are very low in calories, AND are a tremendous source of protein? Just one 3 oz serving carries 84 calories, 1g of fat and 18g of protein! They’re also rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for you, and cholesterol, which is not. That same serving will give you more than half of your daily recommended intake of cholesterol, so don’t go overboard!

Easy Swap-out Suggestions:

1. Ditch turkey and cobb salads for shrimp in a salad with mesclun greens, sugar snap peas, avocado, and a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette. Deeelish.
2. Sick of carrots and hummus? Boil shrimp and serve with cocktail sauce as a quick snack instead.
3. Kick up your pasta dish by switching chicken for sauteed shrimp in tomato sauce for drizzling over your fettuccine.

This Week’s Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Marinade

I tried this recipe with frozen shrimp from the grocery store–they’re easy to keep on hand for a meal in a pinch, and this marinade is essentially foolproof…and a great way to impress the roommates.

Ingredients:

2 pounds jumbo shrimp
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 bunch green onions, with a few inches of green, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (dry) brown rice, cooked
1 bag spinach, steamed

Instructions

1. Place shrimp in a glass bowl. Stir remaining ingredients together; pour over shrimp. Cover and marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Grill on the stove for about 5 to 7 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Serve over brown rice, with a side of steamed spinach. Serves 4-6.

Having now survived a full week of fat camp, I think I can safely say that I probably have never worked as hard in my life as I have since I got here. I’m incredibly out of shape (which adds to the difficulty), and it’s been a big change for me. It’s been a good change, however; I needed to get out of my comfort zone.

Prior to this, my comfort zone entailed usually half-heartedly participating in team sports and eating bad food. Here I cannot and do not get to do either of these things. The biggest issue for me has probably been waking up early to do a three mile walk each morning. Considering that, if left alone, I can sleep until 8 PM, getting up to do such an activity is a big thing for me.

I’ve really learned how to let myself go a little however, which I definitely needed to do. All my life, I have had no athletic ability and try to hide it at any cost. But for the first time, I now play sports such as soccer and basketball with enthusiasm (meaning I actually run instead of walk), which makes me feel great. I’m forcing myself to take full advantage of this experience (except for when I did a boxing class, taught by a former bodybuilder, and broke down and cried in the middle) and my body is constantly reminding me of that by keeping me sore all the time .

But it’s good sore, right?

Read More »

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine yesterday confirms what we’ve known for awhile now: Fad diets just don’t work. In the study, participants were split into three separate groups who all ate the same reduced amount of calories. However, each group’s eating plan was slightly different and loosely based on popular fad diets. One group at a low-fat diet (similar to the popular Dean Ornish diet), another focused on consuming less carbohydrates (like the Atkins and South Beach diets), and the other ate less protein (like the low-animal protien Mediterranean diet).

Instead of showing which of the diets works the best (and what foods we should stop eating immediately), the results showed that after two years, all the participants lost around the same amount of weight, if anything. Most of the participants had a large initial weight loss, but gained much of the weight back over the course of the two-year study, because they returned to their former eating habits.

The results came as no surprise to most of us, who already know that fad diets are hard to stick to. No carbs? Yeah right! No meat? Not gonna happen. Read More »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list, on all things I love. Because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) “My Love is All I Have To Give.” So with that throwback, here are this week’s list-worthy things…]

1. Pumpkin Mousse. It may be post-Thanksgiving but while the rest of the world has moved on to egg-nog or latkes, I’m more like Ross Gellar and still craving Thanksgiving leftovers. So if you still need something to be thankful for make this low fat amazing pumpkin mousse and then thank me later.

What you need: 2 Packets instant fat free/sugar free vanilla pudding, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 2 cups skim milk, one 15 ounce can of pumpkin, and one tub of fat-free Cool Whip. Make the pudding with the milk and once it’s ready, fold in the other ingredients, stick it in the fridge, maybe throw some ginger snaps on top and you’ve got yourself some guilt free leftovers.

2. While I may not love Miley Cyrus, I love this girl who loves Miley Cyrus. Seriously, over 1 million hits, tons of tribute vids back, and over 12 different videos. And those special effects? Ahhhmazing. Check out her version of Disturbia too… I sort of want to be her best friend.

3. Britney Spears’ comeback. I know, I’m a sucker like everyone else, but that magazine cover? The vid? I’ve been working out to old school Brit all week and I’m just rooting that our favorite baldie makes this comeback big (not lame-o like the last one). I know you are all excited for the documentary tomorrow night. Watch it with some pumpkin mousse for a double dose of love. Read More »

When I was a little girl, I used to hear story after story about my grandma’s apple cake. Not apple pie, mind you–my grandma was from the Bronx, not frickin Kansas–but apple cake. Everyone was always carrying on about how delicious and how light it was, and my grandma would smile and throw her hands in the air and say, “Someday, maybe I’ll make it again.”

Well, she didn’t. I never got to taste this mythical culinary delight. However, I often wondered if my grandma, who was a bright and feisty little thing, if she was tricking them into remembering it more fondly than they would have if she’d kept making it.

I’ve never been able to track down my grandma’s recipe, but I was able to find something comparable–and I gotta tell you, for cake, it’s amazingly low-fat. It’s also amazingly delicious.

So, have at ye, apple cake lovers! Make my grandma proud! (Eat, eat, you’re all skin and bones!)

Not Quite My Grandma’s Apple Cake

(serves 10)

Stuff That Goes In It

2 1/2 cups of chopped, cored apples

2/3 cups of packed brown sugar

1 cup of flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour Read More »

Some people like burgers. Some people eat a lot of burgers–after going out, the next day for lunch, for dinner on a date. Yes, some people like burgers. I’m not one of them.

I don’t eat beef. I do, however, eat turkey. Not only is it very tasty when prepared correctly, it’s also much, much leaner. And, I might add, it’s cheaper too.

So here, for your dining pleasure, is a recipe for tasty turkey burgers. Don’t be fooled: These are not the dry-ass turkey burgers of the 80s. No, this is a good recipe for good turkey burgers. So…enjoy!

Turkey Burgers That Don’t Suck

makes 4 burgers

You’ll need:

1 lb of ground turkey

1 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped onion

3 small beaten egg whites

1/3 clove of minced garlic

1/8 tsp of fresh black pepper

1 tbsp of bread crumbs

1/4 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of chopped parsley 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 »

We are kicking off CollegeCandy’s expert series in a huge way. Today’s guest blogger is the one and only Hungry Girl, the expert in making fatty foods in a not so fatty way. We love this woman and are super excited to bring her awesome ideas to you.

She’ll be posting later today, so look out!

So a guy friend is hosting a barbecue this weekend on the terrace of his apartment building. In Manhattan. It’s not quite the same for me as a traditional backyard gathering, but these are the things we sacrifice to live in the city.

At least there will still be some classics in the way of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken. But the rule of being a dinner party or barbecue guest is you can’t show up empty handed. While ordinarily I prefer to contribute something of the beverage variety, or pre-washed-and-cut fruit from the nearest grocery store, I’ve decided it’s time to man up and cook something. I don’t want to be shown up by a bunch of boys, even though without question they can cook better than me.

Barbecue essentials that the boys will be providing consist of meat. I don’t cook meat, so I’m opting to make cole slaw.

You need:

1 small bag pre-chopped cabbage/cole slaw mix

Sprinkling of celery seed for garnish/flavor

Red grapes (as many/few as you like) Read More »

Just the thought of having to put on a bikini makes me want to move to someplace cold and dark. Maybe someplace like a cave? Instead of coming to terms with the fact that I can’t wear a parka all summer long, I stress out and start having intense cravings for cookies. I completely sabotage any hope for my summer body and instead ingest junk because I can’t bear the thought of a flabby ass. Does this make any sense? NO. IT. DOESN’T.

I know I’m not alone here, so lets just kick the bad habits of self-sabotage!! Stop staring at yourself in the mirror with self loathing and use these helpful tips to make the transition from winter hibernation to summer rejuvenation (I don’t know that’s all that rhymed?) easy! AND WEAR SUNSCREEN!

*Stop grocery shopping on without a LIST! If you make a list of healthy options it will be MUCH easier to stick away from buying Haagen Daaz on a hot summer’s day. Watermelon will have to suffice.

*Make your own smoothies. Believe me, I love Jamba Juice just as much as the next girl, but hidden calories make “healthy” smoothies not so healthy.

*HAVE A POPSICLE!! Low fat fudgicles only have 50 calories!

*Find a workout partner and do things outside; ride a bike, play volleyball, tennis, swim. Make your workout plan feel like you aren’t working at all by making it a social activity. Read More »