Stuffed Green Peppers

I've had some long-time readers ask why I've dropped the step-by-step instructions on the recipes, and the honest answer was that I was trying to get a lot of recipes up in a hurry. I'll begin to update the recipes as I make them again so look for the changes.

In the meantime, here's a requested recipe, including step-by-step instructions, although I completely forgot to take a photo of the finished product because I was hungry!

Stuffed Green Peppers: 415 Calories for 2 halves

1 large green peppers, cut in half from top to bottom
seeds and stem removed, 24 calories
1/2 cup browned ground chuck, drained and rinsed if
desired, 170 calories
1/2 cup cooked brown rice, 108 calories
1/2 cup marinara sauce, 40 calories
1/4 cup chopped onion, 8 calories
2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 calories
1/4 cup Kraft 2% Mexican blend grated cheese, 80 calories

Brown the meat. Add onion and garlic and saute till onion is translucent. The photos are for multiple servings so the amount in the pan doesn't reflect the recipe single-serving amounts.



Drain the meat well, and if you're looking to further reduce the fat calories, rinse briefly in hot water.

Season as desired with salt and pepper.

Place your peppers cut side down in a casserole and add a 1/4" of water. Microwave for 5-8 minutes or till crisp-tender

Drain the water from the casserole. Add 3/4 of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the casserole. Reserve 1/4 of it.

Place peppers cut side up in sauce. Sprinkle salt on inside of peppers.

Combine the meat mixture with the rice, stirring well. Add the reserved marinara.

Divide the mixture between the peppers evenly.

Top the peppers with the cheese and bake at 350° till heated throughout and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Strawberry Breakfast Parfait

I recently did a post about a Breakfast Parfait that used mangoes. My husband doesn't like mangoes and they aren't always available so I was looking for other options. This week Whole Foods had organic strawberries on sale so I decided to adapt the breakfast parfait for them. You could also do the same with fresh blueberries when they are in season, or peaches or nectarines. Just make sure to adjust the calorie total for the fruit.

Breakfast Parfait: 361 calories for the whole thing

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats,
95 calories
1 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 130 calories
2 Medjool Dates, 41 calories
1 tsp Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread, 26 calories
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, 69 calories

Make a granola mixture by melting the Earth Balance in a skillet and adding the oats. Stir over low heat till fragrant and golden. Finely chop the dates and blend in with the oats. Sprinkle cinnamon if desired. Add just enough water for the oat/date mixture to begin to bind together in clumps, about a tablespoon or two at the most. Stir over low heat just till water is absorbed. Set aside.

Dice mango. In glass, spoon about a third of the yogurt. Add about a third of the mango. Sprinkle a bit of the granola mixture. Repeat layers.

Tasty Microwave Popcorn Popper - A Product Review

One of the gripes I have with microwave popcorn is that even with the fat-free or light versions, it's more calories and popcorn than I want to eat by myself and I don't always have someone to share it with. While shopping at Walmart the other day (she cringes because she hates Walmart but needed a fast place to get a lot of things,) I happened on this very cool snack-size microwave popcorn popper. It was only $8 and change so I decided to spring for it on the chance that it might work.

The popper has a maximum capacity of 1.5 quarts. The directions say to fill the silicone floppy lid to the line with kernels, then dump them into the popper, but I only wanted a 60-calorie snack. I had regular Orville Redenbacher popcorn kernels in the cupboard and the nutrition info for it says that 3 Tbl of unpopped kernels is 120 calories. So I took 1-1/2 Tbl of kernels, put them in the popper, put the lid on and stuck it in the microwave. No oil, no butter, nothing but popcorn. I set the microwave on the popcorn setting (our microwave is 1100 watts) and watched and listened. It took almost 2 minutes for it to slow to the recommended 2 second between pops. It would take longer with a smaller microwave. The popcorn was delicious. I did end up with a little more than a 1/2 tsp of unpopped kernels which would reduce the calorie count some, but I attribute this to the fact that this jar of popcorn has been in the cupboard for awhile. The lid has little holes in it so that if you're splurging and want buttered popcorn you just put the butter in the lid and it melts as it pops, dripping perfectly into the popped corn.


The features that I like the most about the popper:

• It's perfectly sized for a snack and I can control the amount depending on how many calories I have in my calorie budget that day
• You can use plain, organic kernels so you don't end up eating a bunch of chemicals that are in normal microwave popcorn or even bagged popcorn
• It's easy to clean
• It has silicone around the glass, on the handle, and the lid so it's easy to handle getting in and out of the microwave

In short, it's a 5-star score!

Waldorf Salad

Waldorf salads are one of those things that you rarely think of when you're looking for a light lunch. But, well I was a bit bored with my go-to meals and looking for something new on this bright, spring day. This crunchy, sweet/sour salad really fit the bill. As always, I've listed brand specific products but you can substitute others as long as the calorie totals for the ingredients match. Also, most things are in weights because I've just found that to be more accurate when trying to control portions, but I've estimated sizes for you as well.

Waldorf Salad: 320 Calories

1/4 C Fage 0% Greek yogurt, 33 calories
1-1/2 tsp white wine  vinegar, 1 calorie
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp Swerve or other granulated zero calorie sweetner, if desired.
102 g of chopped Honeycrisp apples (1 small), 53 calories
58 g of red grapes (about 18 small), halved, 40 calories
50 g of sliced celery ( about 3 stalks), 13 calories
26 g of chopped walnuts (about 3-1/2 Tbl), 172 calories
1-1/2 c of chopped crunchy lettuce like Iceberg, 8 calories

Place yogurt, vinegar, salt, pepper and sweeetner in bowl. Mix well. Test seasoning and adjust. Add remaining ingredients and stir to coat with dressing.

Grab and Go Blueberry Bars

My Fitness Pal is a pretty good source of healthy recipes, so when a good friend of mine told me she was looking for some bar recipes to keep in her car for after work, My Fitness Pal was the first place I turned. These Grab-and-Go Blueberry Bars are a delightful tote-along snack.

Grab and Go Blueberry Bars: 144 calories per bar, 1/12 of an 8x8 pan

For the blueberry jam:

1 1/2 cups blueberries,10 cals per serv
1 1/2 Tbl chia seeds, 8 cals per serv
1 Tbl maple syrup, 5 cals per serv

For the bars:

1 cup oat flour, 41 calories per serv
1 cup old-fashioned oats, 12 cals per serv
2 tablespoons sugar, 8 calories per serv
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 4 cals per serv
1/4 cup maple syrup, 17 cals per serv
1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 39 cals per serv

Lightly grease an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Cook the blueberries, chia seeds, and 1 Tbl maple syrup in a small pan on medium, smashing the berries with a potato masher as they heat. Stir and cook till mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

Blend enough oats in a blender or Magic Bullet to make 1 cup of oat flour, or use a commercial oat flour.  Mix  oat flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Blend applesauce, remaining maple syrup, and coconut oil in a small bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside a heaping half cup of the mixture. Spread the remaining mixture in the prepared pan. Spread blueberry jam on top of oat mixture. Spread the remaining oat mixture on top of the blueberry mixture. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or till the oats are golden brown. Cool completely before cutting. 

Rice: A Random Tip

My excuse for not following a healthy eating plan while we lived on our boat was the difficulty in cooking separate meals for me and my husband. My husband is skinny and can eat pretty much anything he wants without gaining weight, and he detests all cooked vegetables, whole grains, etc. I, on the other hand, love cooked vegetables and all things whole grain.

It turns out, after following Noom's psychology lessons about why I overeat and choose the wrong foods and portions, that it was just that—an excuse. There is always a way to accomplish something if you want it bad enough.

So since we've returned to land and I have ton of time to do this, I've found that just some small preparation steps help to secure my success. One of these is pre-cooking rice. I like brown rice, and it's certainly better for you than white rice, but my husband only likes white. So every once in a while I cook up two pots, one brown, one white, and I measure out 1/2 cup servings of each onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Then I flash freeze it and dump them into a Ziploc. When we have rice with dinner, I just pop one in the microwave for a couple minutes on medium heat, and it's done. If I had to wait the 20-30 minutes for rice to cook, I'd be reaching for other, less healthy, alternatives. Score!

Palmini Pasta: A Review (Gluten Free)

Every once in awhile I happen on a good product and I like to pass along the info. I have several friends who are gluten intolerant, and since many GF products are full of starches and chemicals, when I happen on a GF product that is actually healthy, I usually take a look at.

I happened on this Palmini Pasta the other day and bought a can of it. Palmini is just Hearts of Palm in pasta shape. I like things that are clean one-ingredient products, so this intrigued me. After doing a bit of research, I found that there are tremendous health benefits to Hearts of Palm. SELF Nutrition Data has a really great breakdown of the nutrition content.

So I used mine as a base for marinara sauce into which I mixed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and topped with parmesan cheese. Here is my take on it:

There is a lot of sodium in it because it's canned, so I rinsed it very well and soaked it in fresh water for a bit prior to heating it. This seemed to do the trick.

This stuff is great for soups and stews because it never turns to mush the way traditional pasta does when overcooked.

It has virtually no flavor to it, so it blends well with other flavors.

One can is two very decent servings or one huge one, 20 calories per cup (yes, you read that right.)

It's great for diabetics because it has a very low glycemic impact.

It doesn't provide the nutrients that whole wheat pasta does so it's important to be sure to compensate elsewhere.

I highly recommend Palmini whether you're gluten intolerant, diabetic, or just want a decent volume pasta dish once in a while. Enjoy!

The Emergency Box

One of the reasons that I've succeeded at the Noom weight-loss program is that I've had time to plan and prepare. I'm not working outside the home currently so I have an abundance of time to plan out my meals for the day first thing in the morning. But, occasionally, plans change and daughters need help with granddaughters, and a soccer game goes longer than expected...well you get the picture. So this leaves me hungry, and hungry without planning can lead to disaster when trying to lose weight. Enter stage left: The Emergency Box.

I found one of the many plastic leftover boxes that seem to leap out of my cupboard any time it's opened, and began to measure out chopped vegetables to a total of 50 calories. I keep this box filled at all times, front and center in the fridge, ready to grab. If I'm going out somewhere that there's even the remotest chance we'll be late for a meal, I tuck it into my bag. If I'm home, and I just get really hungry right before dinner, I grab it so I can happily crunch on veggie sticks instead of licking the spoon a hundred times while cooking. I know that I can eat the whole box, and the worst damage I'm going to do is 50 calories. Score!

Emergency Box: 50 calories

The photo above is today's Emergency Box. I put a fork next to it so you can guage the size of the box. It's a 2 cup box. I vary the veggies each day to include some of the following:

Carrot sticks

Celery sticks

Radishes

Cucumber slices

Red, yellow, or orange pepper slices
Green pepper slices

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Dessert Parfait

This recipe is a modification of my Breakfast Parfait to make it dessert-friendly. It makes a very satisfying 12oz glass and is definitely pretty enough for company! I used brand specific yogurt and oats, but any can be used as long as the calories match. Also, I use Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread a lot of times in place of butter since it's plant based and less calories.

Dessert Parfait: 380 Calories

1 c Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 130 calories
1/4 c Bob's Red Mill GF Old Fashioned Oats, 95 calories
1 tsp Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread, 26 calories
3/4 c fresh raspberries, 49 calories
1 Tbl Enjoy Life Semi-sweet chocolate mini chips, 80 calories

Melt butter/spread in small skillet. Add oats and toast on medium-low until golden and fragrant. Add chocolate chips and stir till blended. Add just enough water to fully blend the chocolate and cause the oats to clump together like granola, about 1 Tbl or less.

Put 1/4 of the yogurt in the bottom of the glass. Add 1/4 of the raspberries and 1/4 of the granola. Place 1/2 of the remaining yogurt in the glass and 1/2 of the remaining raspberries and granola layered on top. Repeat with the other half.

Stir-fried Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

I love Brussels sprouts but my husband does not. So when I found a very quick and easy way to prepare them just for me, I jumped on it. This recipe is a conglomeration of a whole lot of recipes I found online, taylored for my taste and the Noom program.

Stir-fried Brussels Sprouts and Bacon: 342 Calories

134 g of shredded Brussels sprouts, 58 calories
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 c of sliced or chopped onion, 24 calories
1 clove garlic, minced, 4 calories
2 slices of bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled,
108 calories
1/2 c cooked brown rice, 108 calories
Salt, pepper
Smoked paprika

Shred the Brussels sprouts with a mandolin or slice very thinly with a sharp knife. Set aside.  Put olive oil into medium-hot skillet and add onion. Stir till crisp-tender, just a few minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds till fragrant. Add Brussels sprouts and stir just till crisp-tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Season with smoked paprika. The smoked paprika is essential to the taste of this dish. Regular paprika will not do it. Add crumbled bacon and serve with brown rice.

Noom-Friendly Restaurants: MOD Pizza

I know, I know...the last thing you want to hear about when you're trying to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle is pizza. But I'm on a mission to find good places to go out to eat and still stay on track. If you're going out with friends and you need a Noom-friendly place to go, MOD pizza is it. One of the best things about MOD Pizza is your ability to control the ingredients and the quantities. Their menu lists each ingredient in 1/4 cup amounts, a great quantity to judge servings by.

You can start with their basic salad and add toppings, or you can start with greens alone and work your way up to whatever calories you want to spend on the meal.

Their simple salad has greens, roasted red peppers and Asiago cheese for a calorie total of  130, 190, or 370 depending on the size you choose. As a point of reference, the 370 calorie one is a family share size. This does not include dressing.

If you choose to start with just lettuce, you could fill the whole biggest bowl for less than 50 calories.

After you choose your base, you can move on to the list of toppings.

VEGGIES & GOOD STUFF

cal per ¼ c

• artichokes30
• arugula0
• basil – fresh chopped0
• black olives50
• broccoli – roasted15
• cilantro0
• corn – roasted45
• croutons60
• garlic – chopped (per tbsp)15
• garlic – roasted60
• greek olives70
• green bell peppers5
• jalapenos5
• mama lil's sweet hot peppas50
• mushrooms0
• oregano (per tsp)0
• pineapple40
• red onion10
• red peppers – roasted15
• romaine0
• rosemary – fresh chopped10
• sea salt (per tsp)0
• sea salt & pepper (per tsp)0
• spinach0
• spring mix5
• tomatoes – sliced (5)20
• tomatoes – diced10

You could build yourself a very nice, very large salad for well within the Noom meal parameters. And if you're really craving that pizza, you can have a 6" pepperoni pizza for 355 calories.

Here's the nutritional info for all their menu items:

MOD Pizza Nutrition Information

And here's the link to their full menu:

MOD Pizza Full Menu

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza is one of those things that I can reasonably eat at any time of day. A long time ago at a job long since forgotten, we used to order breakfast pizza all the time. I thought I'd do a modification of my pepperoni pizza to make the breakfast pizza. A delightful way to start the day! If you happen to have room for some extra calories that day, then by all means add some crumbled bacon bits to the top.

Breakfast Pizza: 421 Calories

2 Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat
pitas, 120 calories
2 eggs, 143 calories
salt, pepper
1/3 cup Kraft 2% milk Mexican style shredded
cheese, 120 calories
4 Tbl chopped onion, 16 calories
1/2 cup chopped red pepper, 19 calories
3 Tbl chives chopped, 3 calories

Briefly saute vegetables in a skillet coated with non-stick cooking spray till crisp tender. Set aside. Season the eggs and scramble in the same skillet. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and place the pitas on the sheet. Evenly arrange eggs on pitas. Top with vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle with chives Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Ham, Cabbage, and Potatoes

My heritage is largely Scotch-Irish and growing up we frequently had a concoction called cabbage, ham and potatoes. It was a richly fragrant soup that was wonderful in the hard winter. It's very Noom-friendly so I dug the recipe back out and made it just in time for St. Patty's Day. I know there's a lot of people that don't like cooked cabbage, but this is a very filling and flavorful soup worth a try.

Cabbage, Ham and Potatoes: 383 Calories

2 Cups Imagine Organic low sodium
vegetable broth, 40 calories
1-1/2 oz John Morrell Diced Ham, 105 calories
213 g of small red or yellow potatoes halved
or quartered, 149 calories
2 Cups coarsely chopped cabbage, 45 calories
1 medium onion coarsely chopped, 44 calories
Garlic powder
Salt, pepper, bay leaf

Place potatoes, seasoning, and broth in a medium saucepan. If needed, add water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer till potatoes are tender. Add ham, onion and cabbage and cook till cabbage and onion are crisp tender. Adjust seasonings.

Strawberry Milkshake

It's a really great food plan when you can have a strawberry milkshake for lunch without any guilt!

Strawberry Milkshake: 308 Calories

1/2 banana, 53 calories
1/2 Cup 2% milk, 61 calories
1 Cup frozen strawberries without sugar, 50 calories
1/2 Cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 65 calories
1/2 Cup Great Value low fat cottage cheese, 80 calories
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 drops of Stevia if you like it sweeter

Blend everything in a blender and enjoy!

Thin Crust Pizza - The Lighter Version

Pizza always seems to be the one thing that anyone attempting to take on a healthy food plan struggles with. There is something so tempting and so satisfying about greasy pepperoni nestled in warm, melted cheese on a chewy crust. It's a recipe that I've worked hard to perfect in the Comfort Food section of this blog, and one that we'll still indulge in occasionally after I'm down to my goal weight.

In the meantime, I had a need for some substitute. I've tried a lot of different low-carb pizza alternatives and have found them sadly lacking. After a good bit of trial and error, though, I've found something that definitely fits the bill for pizza night for me. You start with Joseph's Flax and Oat Bran Pitas. If you haven't discovered the line of breads that Joseph's bakery makes, you're really missing out. The Flax and Oat Bran pitas are only 60 calories for  a pita. It makes a decent crispy thin pizza crust when baked with toppings. So when the rest of the family is ordering out pizza and you just really need some, never fear. This makes 2 personal sized pizzas, both of which total only 413 calories. It's a win!

Pepperoni Pizza: 413 Calories

2 Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat
Pitas, 120 calories
1/4 Cup Muir Glen pizza sauce, 45 calories
1/4 Cup chopped onion, 16 calories
1/4 Cup chopped green or red pepper, 9 calories
2 Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Cheese,
shredded, 120 cals
8 slices of Bridgeford Pepperoni, 74 calories
1 Tbl parmesan cheese, 30 calories

Preheat the oven for 375°. Briefly saute the onion and green pepper in a small skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray until crisp-tender. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the pitas on the cookie sheet and divide the pizza sauce evenly between them. Spread sauce and top with 1/2 of vegetables, cheese, and pepperoni for each pizza. Sprinkle half of parmesan on each pizza. Bake until cheese is bubbly and pepperoni is crisping at the edges. Baking time will vary depending on your oven but will generally be 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully as the pita edges will burn if left too long.

Pancakes - The Lighter Version

Anybody who knows me knows that pancakes is my all-time favorite breakfast. In fact, I could eat them for lunch and dinner too and be perfectly happy. So it's no surprise that I had to find a way to lighten them up for Noom. I started out with the inspiration from Hurry The Food Up blog for their 3-ingredient cottage cheese pancakes and then modified it a bit to fit my calorie budget and tastes. Here's the result both plain and blueberry. They are low carb and gluten free for those who follow those diets. These are absolutely my favorite Noom comfort food. I've shown two versions, the first blueberry and the second plain with maple syrup.

Blueberry Pancakes: 334 calories

1 egg, 70 calories
3 Tbl egg white, 25 calories
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 68 calories
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free
old-fashioned oats, 63 calories
1 Tbl coconut flour, 15 calories
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 83 calories
1 tsp powdered sugar, 10 calories
pinch baking powder
pinch of salt
sprinkle of cinnamon


Mix egg, egg whites, cottage cheese, oats, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in blender. Pour onto medium hot griddle in 3 large pancakes. Arrange blueberries on batter. Cook till golden brown on the bottom, flip, and cook the other side. Sift powdered sugar on top or serve with syrup, but be sure to add the calories of the syrup.

Blueberry Pancakes

Plain Pancakes with 2 Tbl Maple Syrup

Plain pancakes with 2 Tbl Maple Syrup

If you prefer plain pancakes, subtract the calories of the blueberries or use the blueberries for syrup. To do this, cook the blueberries on high in the microwave for 1 minute. Crush with a fork then cook for 30 seconds longer. Use as is, or blend till smooth in a Magic Bullet or other small blender. If you use the blueberries for syrup, the calorie count remains the same. If you make the plain pancakes with the maple syrup, then use the nutritional information for that, at 346 calories.




   

Tortilla Pinwheels

I remember a few years back when everywhere you went for appetizers or potlucks, everyone was bringing these pinwheels made of tortillas, cream cheese, ham and red peppers. I've missed them, so I thought I'd make a lighter version for lunch today. 201 calories for the pinwheels, and I added a 40 calorie Cutie clementine.

Tortilla Pinwheels: 201 Calories


1 Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat
tortilla, taco size 60 calories
2 wedges of Laughing Cow spreadable
cheese, 60 calories
2 oz Hillshire Farms Smoked Ham, thin
sliced, 60 calories
3/4 cup very thinly sliced red peppers, 21 cals
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Italian Seasoning

Spread the cheese on the tortilla, going completely to the edge. Sprinkle the seasonings on the cheese. Arrange the ham slices on top of the cheese but not quite to the edge. You'll need the cheese on the edge to help seal the tortilla when you roll it up. Arrange the pepper slices on top of the ham. roll up, pressing to seal the edge with the cheese. Slice into 6-8 slices and arrange on plate.

Fruit Salad and Cottage Cheese

It's been really cold in St. Louis, and it's about as far as you can get from the tropical life that we've lived the last five years with turquoise water, beautiful blue skies, and flowers and plants everywhere. Here, it's been varying shades of gray for months. I wanted something bright and colorful to eat to lift my spirits, so I made a fruit salad with what I had on hand—apples, mangoes, and oranges—although you could use bananas, pears, nectarines or peaches. The calorie count here is for what I had. Put me in a very tropical mood again!

Fruit Salad and Cottage Cheese: 337 Calories

1 Honeycrisp apple, chopped, 79 calories
1 Navel orange, sectioned and sliced, 69 calories
1 Medium mango, chopped (1 cup), 99 calories
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 90 calories

Chop fruit and combine. Enjoy!

Deviled Eggs

When we're on the boat, we spend a lot of time socializing in the cockpit with other cruisers. It almost always involves drinks and snacks, which is part of the reason I gained so much weight over the five years we were out there. Since one of my main goals in joining Noom was to figure out how to live on the boat without gaining weight, one of the things I have to work on is finding suitable snacks that I can offer and that I can take to potluck dinners on the beach. I've frequently taken deviled eggs and everyone seems to love them; it's one of those dishes everyone loves to eat but no one wants to take the time to prepare. So I thought I'd find a way to lighten them up some. They were delicious!

Deviled Eggs: 171 Calories

2 eggs, 140 calories
1 Tbl Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 8 calories
1 Tbl relish, 20 calories
1/4 tsp yellow mustard, 4 calories
Salt, pepper, smoked paprika

Peel cold, hard-boiled eggs and slice in half. Remove the yolk to a small bowl. Add the yogurt, relish, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Fill the eggs with the yolk mixture, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Spinach Salad

I don't eat spinach salads that often because of the continuing difficulty I have with kidney stones, and dark leafy vegetables need to be limited with stones. I do every once in a while have this salad, though, because it's so colorful and fresh that it gives me visual pleasure as well as a fantastic taste.

Spinach Salad:390 Calories

3 cups spinach leaves, 21 calories
1 small golden beet, spiralized, steamed, and cooled, about 1 cup, 75 calories
1 orange, 69 calories
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles, 76 calories
1/4 cup Great Value Omega 3 trail mix, 150 cals

Prepare beet. Spiralize raw beet and steam in a steamer till crisp tender. Chill. Cut orange in slices. Set half of the slices aside. Remove peel from remaining slices and cut into sections. Set aside. Coarsely chop trail mix. Place spinach on large 11" dinner plate. Layer with beets, orange, goat cheese crumbles, and trail mix. Arrange remaining orange slices on the side.

Egg Salad - The Lighter Version

Egg salad sandwiches are a go-to food for us on the boat, especially when we're underway. I wanted to make a Noom version that would still taste great because I really missed the sandwiches but I didn't want to pay the calorie price of mayonnaise. It turns out that Fage 0% Greek Yogurt makes a really tasty egg salad. Who knew? I put this on 100% whole wheat bread, but you could lighten up the calorie total by using light bread.

Egg Salad Sandwich: 415 calories

2 hardboiled eggs, chilled, 140 calories
1/4 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 33 calories
2 Tbl sweet relish, 39 calories
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard, 3 calories
2 slices Brownberry 100% whole wheat bread, 200 calories
Salt, Pepper

Grate eggs into small bowl. Add yogurt, relish, mustard and seasonings. Stir well. Makes enough for a very stuffed sandwich.

Fried Cornmeal Mush

I know that fried cornmeal mush is a southern dish, but I love it and I grew up firmly in the Northeast. It was a childhood breakfast my dad made and it still gives me warm fuzzies. I was pretty excited to discover it's also very Noom friendly. Be sure to use regular yellow cornmeal for this - not polenta, and not PAN corn flour. Neither will work. This recipe makes 4 servings. It's difficult to only make one serving of it because you have to chill the cooked cornmeal in a loaf pan overnight so you can slice and fry it in the morning. You'll just have to enjoy it a couple days in a row if you don't have anyone to share it with!

Fried Cornmeal Mush: 110 Calories plus whatever topping you decide on

1 Cup regular yellow cornmeal, 440 calories
1 Cup cold water
3 Cups boiling water
Salt

Mix the cornmeal into the cold water. Stir to combine. Boil the 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Stir in the cold water/cornmeal mix slowly. Continue to cook until the mixture is very thick. Pour it into an 8x4 loaf pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to sit on the counter till room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When chilled, the mixture will be firm. Divide the loaf into 4 parts. Each part will be a serving of 110 calories. Slice each part into 1/4" slices. Spray a non-stick skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Cook the slices on medium until golden brown and crispy. Flip over, and cook the other side till golden and crispy. The outside should be crisp but the inside should still be soft. This will take a bit of time. Serve with honey drizzled over or maple syrup or sugar free syrup. Be sure to add the calories of your topping as they are not included in this total.

Omelette "Muffins"

I'm not working outside the home at the moment, enjoying my retirement, but I realize that there are some who are and who need portable food. Here's a portable breakfast that can be reheated quickly in the work microwave.

Omelette "Muffins" 319 Calories

2 eggs, 140 calories
1 egg white or 3 Tbl boxed egg whites, 25 calories
1/4 cup diced ham, 55 calories
3/4 cup chopped veggies of your choice - peppers, onions, zucchini, carrot, spinach, brocolli, 19 calories
1/4 cup Kraft 2% milk shredded cheese, 80 calories
Salt, pepper, or seasoning of your choice

Briefly saute the ham and veggies in a non-stick skillet sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Divide evenly into 6 muffin cups. If you use a silicone muffin pan, the eggs will not brown on the outside. I did this, but next time I'll use a metal pan. Divide cheese evenly into the cups on top of the vegetable mix. Whisk eggs, whites, seasonings, and a teaspoon of water together and spoon evenly into the cups. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or till golden. All six muffins for 322 calories.

Loaded Sweet Potato

Since I have a real problem with controlling portions on trail mix, I took a bag of Omega 3 trail mix and divided it up into 1/4 cup servings and put them into little snack Ziplocs. I've been finding new ways to use trail mix lately that seems better than just eating 1/4 cup from the bag (which only leaves me wanting more.) This sweet potato topped with trail mix is a great breakfast as well as lunch - high protein, full of the good fats and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Loaded Sweet Potato: 423 Calories

1 extra large sweet potato, 214 grams, 193 calories
1/4 cup Great Value Omega 3 Trail Mix, 150 calories
1 Tbl Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread, 80 calories