Pineapple Fruit Salad

I love a healthy fruit salad.  I served this with stir fried steak and peppers.  It consists of fresh fruit mixed with greek yogurt and toasted coconut in a fresh pineapple.  For the canned mandarin oranges I tried Libby's Skinny Fruits which had no added sugar (105 total calories in a 15 oz. can and 6 grams of sugar for a 1/2 cup serving).  An average pineapple contains about 3 cups fresh pineapple if substituting canned pineapple chunks.  This recipe yields 6 servings at approximately 176 calories.

Pineapple Fruit Salad

1 fresh pineapple (or 3 cups drained pineapple chunks may be used)
1 (15 oz) can of mandarin oranges drained (Tip- Look for varieties with no added sugar)
1 and 1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
1 and 1/2 cups red grapes
1 and 1/4 cups plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup coconut milk (or to desired consistency)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup toasted coconut

Stand the pineapple upright and cut a third off of one side leaving leaves attached. 

Remove strips of pineapple from the center leaving a 1/2 inch border on the sides. 

Discard the core.  Cut strips into bite size pieces.

Slice the fresh strawberries into bite size pieces.

Add the drained mandarin oranges, red grapes, and fresh strawberries to the fresh pineapple.

Combine greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup (or less) coconut milk to reach desired consistency.  Combine with the mixed fruit.

Spoon the fruit mixture into the pineapple shell. Sprinkle with the fresh toasted coconut.

Yields 6 servings at approximately 176 calories each.

Hearty Black Bean Soup

I wanted to try a black bean soup in the Crockpot.  This recipe is a little spicy, but a great way to warm up on a cold winter day.  I served the soup with a grilled cheese quesadilla, plain greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), and chunky tomato salsa. As a garnish for the soup, I added a dollop of greek yogurt and sliced green onions. To make the quesadilla, I coated a frying pan with Pam cooking spray and grilled 1 whole wheat tortilla to which I added 1/4 cup fat free cheddar cheese, 1 TBS corn, 1 TBS chopped green onions, and 1/2 chopped slice of a cooked vege bacon strip.  As pictured, this meal is approximately 337 calories.  The soup has about 107 calories per serving. 

Hearty Black Bean Soup

3 medium carrots or 18 baby carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped onions

4 garlic cloves minced

1 can (30 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth

1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis (10 ounces)

2 tsp. dried basil

3/4 tsp. oregano

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco Pepper Sauce, adjust to taste)

1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro

juice of 1/2 of a fresh lime

Chop the carrots, celery and onions.

I used my Kitchen Aid mini chopper for the fresh cilantro as this was easier than trying to hand chop it myself.

For the fresh lime juice I used a hand juicer which worked great.

Combine all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until vegetables are tender.  Yields approximately 8 servings at 107 calories.