Whole Wheat Pasta is your friend...

I've been doing alot of research on whole grains, you can check out this article form Harvard ( Health benefits of Whole Grain )
There is a reason grandma made us all eat our oatmeal.  Looking into the different pasta's out there, the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest is my best (you can find some on my amazon store link).  The best stuff about the whole wheat pasta is that its filling, especially when you are dieting and it just tastes good!  When I make spaghetti the kids don't even notice the difference.  You'll note that I will often mention my offspring in these blogs, i call them my "panel" as they are 13, 11, and 9 all with varying tastes and ideas.  Trust me making satisfying kid friendly healthy recipes is a task in of itself!
Now, back to our story... for a great veggie dinner one of my favorite ideas to use whole wheat pasta is simple.  Even your meat eater friends will enjoy.  First boil up some whole wheat rotini or penne.  As this is boiling up to perfection (note: whole wheat pasta has different "al dente" times so watch it carefully) take a deep saute pan and add some olive oil so heat up.  I don't measure guys, so I'd say about a 1/4 cup, maybe less.  Then throw in some chopped scallions (to taste) some chopped baby bella's, two handfuls of Arugula and a handful of baby spinach.  Saute it until it looks pretty.  I usually add just a touch of garlic and some Mrs. Dash for added flavor. When pasta is all done i mix together with half a cup of light Alfredo sauce.  Uh huh, this stuff is DIVINE!!!  Plus, if you want to make a "carnivore" version of this, just set some aside and add chicken or pork to it.  Its simply awesome, low cal, low fat and good for you.  Leave a note if you have questions as i tend to babble on...


Happy eating friends!

Cheese sticks, HELP ME!!

OK, one of the staples of a veggie diet are cheese sticks.  Unless you are a vegan, EVERYONE likes these.  In my healthy quest i decided to make my own cheese sticks, baked not fried :)  yeah, the theory was beautiful.  I spent about an hour researching different ways to make these.  I bought the fancy Kraft 2% mozzarella to ensure they would be tasty AND healthy.  Alas, my finished product was a divine tasting clump of cheese goo I fondly renamed baked cheese goo splats.  So if you are in the mood for a good cheese goo splat and NOT a cheese "stick" i have the perfect recipe for you!

So, if anyone out there has a solution to my little cheese snafu, please help.. otherwise, looks like cheese goo splats are permanently on the menu!

Facon.. what is it and can I have more please?

Facon, also know as Veggie Bacon or fake bacon, is made mostly of egg whites and soy proteins along with some other natural stuff, but you get the idea. If you are a fan of the tiny little bacon bits people put on salads, then you will LOVE Facon. Its basically the same thing just in flat bacon looking form. I've tried various brands of these (awaiting ad sponsorship so i can't name names yet) and I can honestly say they are all pretty good. As with any "veggie" meal its all how you cook it. Invest in plenty of spray oils, I use olive oil spray, these will be your new best friend. This stuff cooks fast so pay attention. Just spray a little spray in your saute pan and lay facon flat, set to medium heat and flip very often. When it gets just the right color of "bacon look" then its ready. My son likes his extra crispy, so I cook mine a little longer for him. I use facon on everything from veggie burgers, to egg white tacos, to my famous FLT's (Facon, lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches). The stuff is low fat, high protein, and just dang delicious. If you have other ideas for facon PLEASE post :)