Meatless meatballs

This evening I made my spaghetti squash with tomato sauce.  To change things up a little I decided to make some TVP meatballs.  They were so yummy!  The one thing I would change since I had mine with spaghetti sauce was to omit the cumin.  


Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
1 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
1 cups boiling water or broth
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 egg


Boil the water or broth and then turn heat off and add the TVP.  Set aside.  Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.  add tvp, onion mixture, and the remaining ingredients in a food processor.  Then spoon them (about a heaping tablespoon) on to a sheet pan and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Cheesy Snack!

I LOVE GRILLED CHEESE!  Not a surprise, I know.  Anyone who knows me, knows I would kill for the last grilled cheese sandwich on earth.  These days I have to be a little smarter about it though.

I got a light multigrain English muffin and toasted it.  Then I sprinkled 1/4 cup of sharp, reduced fat, shredded cheddar on both halves and popped it under the broiler until melted and then put one slice of my garden tomatoes and VOILA....Cheesy Goodness.  It is a nice lunch or afternoon snack for less than 200 calories.

Mediterranean Crunch Salad

My lunch for this week is Mediterranean Crunch Salad and I found it at the Whole Foods site.  I altered it a bit to fit my tastes and you can do the same.

1 can of Garbanzo beans (15 oz)
1 chopped English cucumber
1 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onions
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup of finely sliced kale, thick stems removed
20 Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced,
3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon, finely chopped fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon, finely chopped parsley

As always, this is good as a salad, side, or in a wrap.

My version makes 5 servings and is 170 calories.  It has .7 grams saturated fat, 4.9 grams dietary fiber, 3.4 grams sugar, and 6 grams protein.

Happy Birthday to my favorite pup!

Yesterday was my Lilly Bean's first birthday and to celebrate, I made some homemade Frosty Paws (Ice cream for dogs).  It is so easy to do!  In my food processor I added:

32 oz of plain yogurt (I used organic.  Nothing but the best for my pooch!)
1 ripe banana
2 Tablespoons of natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons of honey

I zapped it all until smooth and then distributed it among small containers to toss in the freezer.  Keep an eye on your dog while he/she is eating.  Besides the fact that they will most likely be scooting it all over the house trying to get every last drop of yummy goodness, he/she may also be silently chewing on the container the ice cream is in....or maybe that is just my doggy.

Cool as a Cucumber!

It is going to be 100 degrees here today.  I do not want to cook anything.  I had overnight oatmeal for breakfast and this was my midmorning snack.  I sliced half of a cucumber into 4 thick slices, scooped out the center and added some mozzarella, sun-dried tomato and basil Laughing Cow cheese...easy, cool and delicious....plus, only 43 calories!!

Strawberry banana breakfast wrap

I made some homemade almond butter because....well I love it.  My favorite almond butter is Justin's Almond Butter, but it has 200 calories per serving.  Mine has only 98 calories because it has no added oil.  My favorite thing to make with my almond butter (other than straight off the spoon) is to add it to a breakfast wrap.  I get a low carb tortilla (mine is 60 calories) and smear some almond butter, slice up 3 strawberries and half of a banana and roll it up.  My wrap is 221 calories.

Mediterranean farro salad

I know I am late with my post today. I have been without power since Friday. I could whine and complain about it, but I have a generator and my town is not underwater and I am not watching fires come closer and closer to my home. I will just be thankful that I can do some of my everyday activities that I enjoy (thank you gas stove). Please excuse any typos or formatting issues as I am doing this all on my iPhone.

Here is my lunch for the week. I can keep it in a bowl or toss it in a wrap.

3oz fresh mozzarella, diced
4oz kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups farro uncooked
About 25 cherry tomatoes quartered
1/4 cup diced red onion
3 minced garlic cloves (or less)
About 30 chopped basil leaves
2 Tablespoons balsamic
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and cool your farro and add it with all the other ingredients. Enjoy!!