Capellini Pomodoro

I was in the mood for a light and healthy pasta dish for dinner.  The sauce for this recipe is made with fresh plum tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil.  I used whole wheat angel hair pasta which contained 24% of the daily value of dietary fiber.  This recipe yields approximately 7 servings at 313 calories/serving.

Capellini Pomodoro

12 oz. package of whole wheat capellini or angel hair pasta
1/4 cup light olive oil
2 cloves garlic
10 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon fresh italian parsley
Pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Boil pasta as the package directs.  Dice fresh plum tomatoes, set aside.

In saucepan saute clove garlic in the olive oil and cook until garlic is tender.  Add plum tomatoes, fresh parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through for about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

When pasta is done cooking, drain.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add tomato mixture.  Add fresh basil and toss with the hot cooked pasta.  Stir gently to combine.

Serve pasta with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.  Recipe yields 7 servings at approximately 313 calories/serving.  Enjoy!

30th Year High School Reunion

I could not find a picture from my senior year in high school.  This is the best I could find, although here I was a few years older (22). And don't laugh, I purposely cut my husband's face from view because he doesn't like me sharing old pictures of him. So no, it wasn't a picture taken with a jerky ex-boyfriend who dumped me! This is what I looked like the last time many of my high school friends had seen me.

This is the first of the reunions I will be attending.  I missed my 10th year reunion because I had been vacationing with my husband in Cancun.  When my 20th year reunion rolled around, I was very busy with my young family and did not want to make the trip from Buffalo, NY to my hometown in Long Island.

I am anxious about attending, after all it has been many years since I have seen many of my friends from high school.  I am relieved that one of my closest friends in my graduating class will be joining me. In recent years I have frequently visited my hometown as my parents are still living in Port.  Although most of my friends have moved on and are no longer living in the area, a few friends remain.

While it is true that with the advent of social networks such as Facebook, there is not as much mystery and anticipation in advance of the big event.  While this may be true, I am still anxious to reconnect with old friends whom I have not seen in many years.  Although I have made frequent trips to my hometown during the last few years, I have only visited with one of my closest friends who still lives in Port.  Some of my other former classmates are scattered in the Long Island/New Year area, while many have relocated to other cities and states.  So this is very exciting, and now just a short 4 weeks away.

So until then I will watch what I eat, exercise like a crazy woman, all in antipication of this once in a lifetime event....

Our family vacation to Orlando, Florida

Our family was long overdue for a vacation.  The last time we visited Orlando was 4 years ago when my husband traveled to the area for business.  Our stay was brief and we did visit many of the sights we would have liked.  The picture below was taken at the Typhoon Lagoon water park.

The beautiful sunny weather was therapeutic.  The most enjoyable part of going to the Disney parks was enjoying long walks outside in the mild and sunny weather.  It was what I look forward to most as winter comes to an end in Buffalo.

The world showcase in Epcot was a highlight of the vacation.  Eleven countries are represented in the showcase. There is a transition from one country to the next one as you make the walk around the lagoon.

The picture below was taken in the United Kingdom English tea garden section.

The fireworks show held nightly in Epcot called IllumiNations is truly spectacular.  If you are planning a visit to Epcot, I would highly recommend it.

I do not tolerate thrill rides because I get motion sickness.  I loved the Animal Kingdom park because there were many activities that I could do with my family. 

I especially enjoyed the Kiliminjaro Safaris attraction which was a ride in an open-air vehicle providing an up close view of exotic animals.

The tour guide pointed out the various animals we encountered and shared interesting information about the wildlife during the ride.

The Festival of the Lion King show was a special treat.  My family and I enjoyed the music and stunts in this live action performance.

I enjoyed walking around the Downtown Disney area and checking out the shops.  My son, a music lover, coaxed us into eating at the House of Blues for dinner during one of the nights of our stay.

We enjoyed watching the musicians perform outdoors during the evenings in the Downtown Disney area.  One night we watched Gerardo Manrique, a talented guitarist perform.  He has recorded for several popular artists including the Miami Sound Machine and John Secada.  My son, a guitarist, was very impressed by his talent.

Packing to return home from our vacation was bittersweet.  We had a wonderful time and it was just what the doctor ordered.

Maybe it's time to start planning our next Florida vacation! I could really see myself feeling right at home if I ever moved here...

Sharing my weight loss and fitness story

The gym at which I have a membership recently asked for volunteers to share their fitness stories. I wanted to share my own personal experience of how becoming more physically active changed my life.  It was cathartic to talk about what led me on this journey and to share my story.  I was a little worried about coming clean, but I think it was the right thing to do.

When I first moved to the Buffalo area I gained a lot of weight after my 3rd child was born.  People often ask how much weight I lost.  To be honest, it is a painful subject for me to talk about.    I did not struggle as much with my weight when I was younger and I think that seasonal depression led to most, if not all, of my weight gain.  I can only only hope that something positive might come from sharing my story.  I lost the weight 5 years ago and I will not look back.  It was a tremendous growth experience and continues to shape me as a person.

Here is a sample of several of the questions I was asked as well as my responses.

What inspires you to exercise and why is it so important to you?

Staying active and making exercise a part of my daily routine helps me to deal better with stress and anxiety.  I have much more energy.  Exercising helps me cope with the winter blues.  If I didn’t stay physically active, I would have a more difficult time maintaining a healthy weight. 

Was there a time when you didn’t exercise?

I have always enjoyed exercising.  However, when my children were younger it was more difficult to find the time to take care of myself.  I enjoyed taking long walks outside when I lived in Virginia.  This changed after I moved to Buffalo because I do not enjoy spending time outdoors during the winter months.

What changed that?

I had gained a lot of weight after my youngest child was born.  I didn’t struggle as much with my weight when I was younger so this was a difficult period for me.  I was very depressed and knew that I had to make some drastic lifestyle changes.  I have lost a lot of weight (in the double digits) and I have maintained the weight loss for 5 years.  Exercise helps me to cope emotionally with the long winters.  It was a difficult adjustment for me after moving from a warmer climate.  I am eating a much healthier diet now.   I credit much of my weight loss to giving up eating junk food and replacing white flour with whole wheat in recipes whenever possible.

What benefits do you get from exercise?

There are so many benefits that I get from exercise.  I feel so much stronger than I did when I was out of shape.  Zumba is my favorite workout, after an hour class I walk out transformed. It helps to put a smile on my face.  I am a shy person and what I love about zumba is that it helps me to express myself. I have more confidence and energy, I feel better about myself and how I look. I am a different person than I was just 5 short years ago, happier, healthier, and more content. 

What helps keep you motivated?

I try to focus on a short term goal which helps me to stay motivated.  I have my 30^th year high school reunion in Long Island coming up in May.  I have not seen many friends from my graduating class in years and would like to look my best.  I also write a health and fitness blog on blogger (Loriloves2bfit, Fit and Lovin’ it) where I share healthy recipes, the challenges I have faced with weight loss, healthy eating, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  It helps to know that there are other people facing the same challenges and it keeps me true to my goal of staying healthy.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

Today is unseasonably cold and windy in Buffalo NY and I am in the mood for some soup. To keep this recipe lowfat, I used 4 ounces of Jarlsberg light swiss cheese. This cheese is very flavorful and each serving (1 ounce) has 70 calories and 4 grams of fat.  Regular swiss cheese has 100 calories per ounce and 8 grams of fat.  More cheese could be used as a garnish if preferred, keeping in mind that this would increase the calories per serving. As prepared, this recipe yields 5 servings of soup at approximately 260 calories each.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

5 onions sliced thin
2 Tablespoons olivio light buttery spread (or similar butter substitute)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Splenda (or sugar if preferred)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 thin slices whole grain french bread or sliced baguette
5 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg light swiss cheese (more or less to taste)

Combine thinly sliced onions, Olivio buttery spread, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the garlic cloves. Cook onions over medium heat until they are carmelized, this takes about 25-30 minutes. This process takes time, remember to keep stirring the onions to keep them from burning.

When the onions are carmelized, combine the flour with the onions and give them a quick stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and let stand for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, red wine, worcestershire sauce, splenda (or sugar) and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice the french bread (or baguette) in 5 thin slices. Add 1 teaspoon of freshly shredded parmesan cheese on each slice of bread and toast in the oven. Ladle soup into 5 individual serving oven safe bowls or mug. Add a thin slice of bread and top with the freshly grated swiss cheese.

Place the soup bowls under the broiler until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Lower Fat Lemon Spaghetti

I experimented and came up with a recipe for Lemon Spaghetti using fat free half and half, lowfat milk and fresh lemon juice.  This recipe yields approximately 8 servings at 272 calories per serving.

Lower Fat Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic cloves (I used 4 cloves and it had a strong garlic flavor)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice and zest from 2 Lemons
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/4 cup lowfat milk
1 Tablespoon whole wheat flour (to thicken sauce)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Small handful of italian parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, steamed and cut into 1 inch pieces
Shredded parmesan cheese for garnish

Boil and cook spaghetti as package directs and drain.

Saute the garlic cloves and crushed red pepper for a couple of minutes in olive oil.

Juice and zest 2 lemons.

Add lemon juice, half and half, and lowfat milk to the garlic cloves, olive oil and crushed red pepper.  Add 1 Tablespoon flour to thicken sauce.  Raise the heat to medium to bring to a low boil.  Add lemon zest and parmesan cheese to the cream sauce.  Season with salt to taste.  Add the pasta and remove from heat.  Let the pasta soak up the flavors of the sauce for a couple of minutes.

I steamed the asparagus in water in the microwave for about 3 minutes.  Toss the pasta with the fresh basil, italian parsley, and steamed asparagus.  Serve while hot.

Enjoy!

Lower Fat Scalloped Potatoes

I experimented and came up with a lower fat recipe for scalloped potatoes.  I used a blend of Jarlsberg Lite Reduced Fat Swiss cheese and sharp cheddar cheese with fat free Half & Half.  I was pleased with the results.  This recipe yields 6 servings at approximately 270 calories/serving. 

 

Lower Fat Scalloped Potatoes  

 

4 cups thinly slice potatoes (approx. 4 Russet potatoes)

2 Tablespoons olive oil (I used Berio olive oil for Sauteing & Grilling)

1 Tablespoon Olivio buttery spread
1/4 medium onion, sliced thin
3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour (or white flour if preferred)
1 1/2 cups fat free Half & Half
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cups Jarlsberg Lite Reduced fat swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Paprika

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small pan, combine the olive oil and olivio spread.  Cook at a low temperature until warm.  Add sliced onions and saute until tender.

Add flour and stir until combined. Let blend for approximately one minute.  Add Half & Half and stir mixture using a whisk.  Add salt and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.  Cook at a low temperature until mixture begins to boil.  Add 1 cup of the cheese mixture reserving 1/2 cup of cheese to sprinkle on the top layer.

Place 1/2 of the sliced potatoes in a one quart casserole dish.   I sprayed the surface of the pan with Pam spray to prevent sticking.  Pour 1/2 of the melted cheese mixture over the layer of potatoes.

Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the reserved shredded cheese mixture on top.  Sprinkle with paprika for some color.

Bake uncovered for about 1 hour.  Remove from oven.

Makes 6 servings at approximately 270 calories per serving.  Enjoy!