Love Shack Larder

Zucchini Fritters with Chaolula Hot Sauce

Today I made a batch of Coconut Zucchini Muffins {recipe to follow ;} and I had some leftover zucchini and I've been wanting to try these fritters ever since I pinned the original recipe by the skinnychef.com 

I modified the original recipe ever so slightly to make it a healthier (gluten free :) recipe.

 

Better than P.F.Chang's: Hot n'Sour Soup

This is an update to this post because we were so pleased with the results of this recipe that we have already made this recipe two more times since I originally posted it on February 12th.  We love it so much that I want to include it in Tidymom's second annual soup extravaganza, Soupapalooza (Feb. 28-Mar. 5)

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dishsponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset:

Better than P.F.Chang's: Hot n'Sour Soup...

If I don't SAY so myself...I know that DH agrees with me...he says "it's perfect!"

For some time now we have been toying with the idea of trying to create our own version of Hot n'Sour Soup here at the Love Shack.  It's one of our favorite things on the menu at P.F. Chang's...along with their lettuce wraps...yummy! 

Then last week we were watching Dr. Oz and he had Chef Ming Tsai on the show to share his Shitake Hot and Sour Soup recipewhich is suppose to help boost your immunity.  We felt like Chef Ming Tsai's recipe was the best that we have seen, when it came to the fresh, organic ingredients and that he made it looks so quick and easy to make.  So after picking up the ingredients at Trader Joe's on Friday, we decided to try our own version today.  That would be with chicken breast in lieu of tofu...just not a fan of soybeans...and sans the carrots since I'm allergic to them ;}

Top 30 Worst Foods Restaurant Foods You Must Avoid and...How to Make Better Choices

Oh my...after being on the road for over 25 days last month and by the end of it all feeling like what we call "food-ed out" {the state we are in when we are forced to eat food prepared out of our home ;} I am really glad that we made an effort to make better choices when we ordered off the menus.  I just found this list today and HAD TO share it with you and basically re-post it here on my blog so that I have it close at hand at all times.  All of these items are loaded with so much fat, sugar, and sodium that eating any of the foods in this article on a daily basis could destroy all of our hard work and best intentions of eating healthy. 

1. Worst Meal in America

Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Guacamole Bacon Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32-oz Coke

1,810 calories - 92 g fat (29.5 g saturated, 2 g trans) - 3,450 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-threatening, life-shortening burgers in the drive-thru world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as potentially catastrophic as this. A bit of perspective is in order: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 9 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnuts, the saturated fat equivalent of 30 strips of bacon, and the salt equivalent of 10 large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

Good For You Food Bought with Triple Coupons

Almost an Extreme Couponer...with a total savings percentage of 56%

It was so satisfying to go shopping with my coupons in hand and my detailed list with good foods in mind.  I really did feel like an Extreme Couponer as I handed the cashier my first 20 coupons (my store only allows 20 coupons per day to be tripled ;) and I found myself counting the "dings" as she scanned each one.  Then I handed her the second batch of coupons that did not meet the criteria for being tripled...which were any with a value over $.99/cents or ones for free items...and watched as the balance due continued to decrease.  Final Cost $52.71 for a total retail value of $117.45!

 

Grocery Shopping Is Getting Harder and Harder...

This week my favorite grocery store has triple coupons (up to .99 cents face value) and I was so excited to go shopping because I have been watching the TLC show Extreme Couponing...thanks to my niece Cortney ;)

 

 Then I read a newsletter from Food Matters that referenced this article:

The 7 Foods the Experts Won't Eat  By  Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION

In a recent article, seven experts in the fields of both food and the environment (scientists, doctors and farmers) were asked just one simple question: “What foods do you avoid?” Their responses had nothing to do with calories or nutrient-density, but all to do with their insider knowledge on how certain seemingly “healthy” foods that they closely work with are produced and packaged. The findings are scary. 

WFMW: Bobble Bottles...Make Water Better!

Just getting back after a road trip to Hampton, Virginia for a few days at the Art n'Soul retreat and getting all caught up here at the Love Shack ;)  I have lots to tell you about Art n'Soul but first I wanted to share my latest (and greatest ;) green living find with you for what Works-for-Me this Wednesday.  It's so ironic that today Kristen is hosting a Backwards Edition of WFMW which is: [Please feel free to link up any helpful tip to this party! But if you are having a hard time coming up with a tip, you can go with this week's suggested theme and instead of sharing a tip--ask for one!]

So. here is Kristen's question:

I’m traveling overseas for over three weeks with my hubby and kiddos-a definite first for us. What are your tips for traveling (my youngest is 4 1/2 and definitely the Wild Card, as we affectionately call her) on really long flights with youngish kids? In-country suggestions, things to take, etc?

My suggestion is the Bobble Water Bottle: which is a pattented, filtered, refillable, individual water bottle!

WFMW: FitDay Free Calorie Counter and Diet Journal

Three Quick & Easy Steps to Start Your On-Line Journal Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over two months ago I started The 6-Week Shape-Up with Rhonna and after week one...I failed miserably!  As with most weight loss plans...I do really well in the beginning and then I drop off at the point where I have to keep up my food journal.  So my thoughts were...this time, that if I turned it into an art journal, I might be inspired to keep it up...well...THAT did not work for me either!

AND I know that in order for me to be successful...I'm going to have to be accountable and a food journal is part of this.  Frustrated, I was talking (whinning) to my son about it and he turned me onto this great site...FitDay.  It's a FREE on-line, calorie counter and diet journal.  Anyone who knows me...knows that I'm not a big techy person (still have an old flip phone ;)  BUT this site is so user friendly that even I can use it...and so can you!

FIRST, you simply create an account and fill out your profile page:

 

My One Word: Habits

Many bloggers, from all over the world, pick one word to set the tone for the year in lieu of making resolutions and there is even a website dedicated to this practice: My One Word. 

“My One Word” is an experiment designed to move you beyond the past and look ahead. The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD. This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future. So, we invite you to join us and pick one word in 2011 (click here to learn how)!

In the past I have been tempted to try this approach but never really looked into the process of selecting My One Word.  However, this year I wanted to give it a try because I have already found myself drawn to the word "habits".  I want to break any bad habits thay I may have and incorporate more good habits ;)  Like when I recently posted about how the habit of having a positive attitude helps me perform my daily chores, or how the habit of balancing my bank statements on a monthly basis Works-for-Me, and then I talk about how I want to make it a daily habit of incorporating these Super Foods this year into our diet.

WFMW: Daily Chores...JUST DO IT!

IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL'S TOOLS..."Idleness is the root of mischief". This maxim has been traced back to Chaucer's 'Tale of Melibee' (c. 1386).   

Well...we have all heard this quote, or similar words...especially when we were growing up and our mothers found things for us to do if she found us laying around the house.  Even on Saturday mornings when we tried to watch cartoons past noon!  Very quickly, we'd find something to do OUTSIDE ;)

The older I get, the more I get it...JUST DO IT!  How about you? 

No matter what life situation you find yourself in...whoa is me, I'm having a pity party...the cycle of perpetucal complaining, where you ARE the victim...or in gossip circles, where you are Ms.Right...I could go on but I know that you get it ;)  I find that if you just walk away and do something...anything...you always feel better about yourself and where you are in life.

Earlier this month Melissa from The Inspired Room blogspot touched on this subject with her post titled: Jump Start Your Day with a Simple 5 Minute Routine.  She sums it up very nicely when she says, :

"By sticking to my routine, I feel like my morning has officially begun and I am more productive the rest of the day."

The Top Ten Superfoods

How to incorporate them into your daily life this year!

Do you all get as overwhelmed as I do with what to eat and what not to eat...especially this time of year when the market and news are flooded with information because everyone makes it their New Year Resolution to get healthy? 

Well last week after watching all of David Wolfe's videos of The Longevity Now Conference I was really inspired with all that he had to share...even more so than when I first saw him in the movie, Food Matters.  So off I went to the bookstore to find more information on Raw Foods and I found David's book, Superfoods.  It is a goldmine of information and anyone who wants to live longer should have this book as a reference book in their home ;) 

 

 

But more importantly it really helps you understand WHAT superfoods are; WHY they will improve your health;  WHERE you can find them; and finally, WHEN and HOW TO include them in your daily diet.  Following you will find the top ten products that David discusses in his book and he also includes some "honorable mentions" but for now I'm only concentrating of the top ten ;)

 

Rachael Ray...She Stole My Cooking Show!

For the life of me...I have never understood people who have an aversion to eating left-overs?  Are you one of them?  Is it because your parents were descendants of the great depression (not really you know...they just liked to make us feel guilty ;}  Did they constantly tell you to stop wasting food and/or that there were starving people in China?  SO now you are rebelling cause you have your own house and your own rules and by God you have taken a vow to NEVER eat another left-over!  Well I've got a news flash for you...you are really missing out on a lot of great meals!

Today for Foodie Friday, I'm going to show you how you can throw together a delicious Chicken & Spinach Salad by using your left-over breaded, chicken breast/tenders:

Jamie's Food Revolution...Have you SIGNED the petition yet?

What are you waiting for...SIGN the petition...

If you care about the health of America's children and the food they eat then please sign this petition now...it will only take 30 seconds!

While you are there signing the petition...take a look at the MAP...the state of California is leading with the most votes!  How come I am not surprised (at all...) to see that the state where so many of the beautiful people (a.k.a. celebrities) live, has the largest number of people signing this petition?  Perhaps there is something GOOD to be said about vanity...that it leads to taking care of yourself...apparently INSIDE and OUT...hmmm

PLEASE take a few minutes and watch this video of Jamie receiving an award from TED, which is a small nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading...you will appreciate every minute you spent watching this video after witnessing Jamie's passion and devotion to his Food Revolution.

SO glad to see that Jamie has been recognized for his effort to make a change in how food is consumed all around the world...yeah...GO JAMIE!

Be sure to watch this season's final episode this Friday, April 22nd, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution... 

Works-for-Me-Wednesday: Trader Joe's Pizza Dough

Works-For-Me-Wednesday

Today...what Works-For-Me is Trader Joe's "Ready to Go" Pizza Dough...

 Photo Courtesy of PW Cooks 

...Trader Joe's sells pizza dough in their deli/cheese refrigerated section, in either wheat or white for just ninety-nine cents!    I couldn't wait to try it because I have thought for some time now about trying to make my own dough after reading this PW blog post.  But every time I buy yeast at the store...I bring it home and put it in the cupboard and forget about it...and then by the time I am ready to try cooking with it...it has passed it's expiration date...anyone else out there who can relate?

 Photo Courtesy of PW Cooks 

So you can just imagine how excited I was the other day when I was checking out all the wonderful cheeses in the deli case at Trader Joe's and I saw these wonderful packages of Pizza Dough all ready to bring home and use...felt like I had won the lottery when I saw the price tag!  Felt like shouting...WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER...but I didn't...I simply placed one soft, wonderful package in my cart and smiled all the way home :D

So today, I pulled the lovely dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for the required 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, I chopped and partially sauteed some chicken breast meat for my White Chicken Pesto pizza topping.  Once the dough was at room temperature, I rolled out the crust, with my hands, onto my floured counters until it was as thin as we like it.  Then I transfered the dough onto a baking sheet that I had sprinkled with corn meal...it makes the crust crunchy and sweet.  Next, I spread a thin layer of Trader Joe's pesto and then top it with Trader Joe's mozzarella discs, organic spinach leaves, pine nuts, chicken, shredded parmesan cheese and chopped tomatoes...oh yeah!

Once it was all assembled...I cooked it at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese was all bubbly...yum!

DH could hardly wait for it to set so we could slice it...oh yeah!  We ate it with some balsamic vinegar for dipping the crust in...oh yeah so good!   

On another note...one that is related actually...today while eating our pizza, DH and I were catching up on some of my TITO'd shows...Dr. Oz in particular...and recently he had Chef Art Smith (remember, Oprah's wonderful Southern chef) ontalking about heart health.  OMG...have you all seen Chef Art Smith lately...he has lost a lot of weight since I last saw him on Bravo's Top Chef Masters last year!  AND guess what he eats to help manage his weight loss...Whole Wheat Pizza!

Oh Yeah...Trader Joe's Pizza Dough...Works-For-Me this Wednesday!