Tuesday 10: Pump Up Your Plate

It's been a while! a LOT going on over here, but I wanted to share my favorite ways to make my meals more delicious and more nutritious (the less calories, the better!)

Top 10 way to pump up your plate:

1. Lemon Juice: adding this to water adjusts the PH which actually helps satisfy your thirst better than plain water can; it's also delicious when tossed with vegetables and olive oil for roasting and to use with balsamic vinegar for an extremely low calorie salad dressing
2. Lentils: I add this to canned soups to boost the protein and fiber-makes a smaller meal more filling without adding a lot of calories.
3. Hot sauce: lots of flavor, less calories
4. Jalapenos: lots of flavor, less calories, and kicks your metabolism way up
5. Salsa: best way to add zip to a plain meal; I add salsa to egg whites in the morning and to baked chicken at night if I don't want to put too much effort into my meal; also a great spicy salad dressing!
6. Spinach leaves-I hate when my spinach starts to go bad, so when I see it, I throw it in pasta dishes, with chicken, and even into stir fries
7. Onions: they add flavor and texture to so many different meals without adding calories
8. Mrs. Dash salt free seasonings-you can buy these with different herb and spice mixtures; a good easy way to transform any dish when you're missing individual seasonings
9. Tofu Shirataki Noodes: or any noodle shaped tofu-I know I talk all about using these in main dishes, but they're also great to add to plain soup for protein (I put them in my tomato soup and seasoned it up-it was delicious!)
10. Chopsticks: Not something you eat, but since they give you so many with any asian take out, I'll use my extras on nights where I feel super hungry; since you can only pick up so much with chopsticks, it helps me figure out when I'm actually full instead of overeating.

I'm Running the 2012 Long Island Kidney Walk

I’ll be running the 2012 Long Island Kidney Walk, in honor of my grandmother, with my company’s lovely New York team at Hofstra this June…if you’d like to donate to this wonderful cause, please follow the link below…if you want to walk or run with us, check it out as well!

  Ashley's Kidney Walk Page

 Why I walk: Due to my grandmother’s diabetes, she developed kidney disease. Right now, she is in end stage renal failure with little time left. I’m walking in her honor and to help support the education of those suffering with kidney disease and to help support research for new treatments for kidney disease. I’m a strong believer that with the right knowledge and support, we can all make a bad situation just that much better and hang on just a little bit longer.

What's Cookin' Wednesday: Mediterranean Quinoa and Tofu Bowl

I confess, I am completely obsessed with these Tofu Shirataki noodles-not kidding; as I type this, I have a new idea for them that I've been playing around cooking for my dinner. Today's dish is completely vegan. I wanted to see what I could create that would work as a filling meatless main dish, or a side dish in smaller portions.  Here is what I came up with:

Mediterranean Quinoa and Tofu Bowl

If eaten as a main dish, recipe makes 1 serving

 Per Serving: calories: 311
                      carbs: 39 grams
                      fat: 12 grams
                      protein:8 grams

Ingredients:

•  1 pack tofu shirataki noodles (any shape) 
• 1/4 cup dry (3/4 cup cooked) Quinoa 
• handful of cherry or grape tomatos, cut into quarters
•  2 teaspoons olive oil 
• season with your favorite spices/seasonings 
• sprinkle of parmesan or fat free feta cheese 

Instructions:
 1. Prepare your Quinoa-basic information to remember is 2 cups of water for every 1 dry cup of Quinoa-I usually prepare more than I am eating and refrigerate the rest. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Pour Quinoa in and bring the heat down, simmer for about 14-18 minutes.

 2. While the Quinoa is cooking, rinse the tofu shirataki noodes in a strainer. Pour that on to a paper towel or clean dish towel so that you can blot the moisture out of it (I do it the way Hungry Girl does-I pour it on to a dish towel and then fold the towel over the noodles to blot the moisture). Once the noodles are less slipper and moist, give them a few chops with a knife to make sure you don't have any super long noodles.

 3. Cut your tomatos into quarters

 4. Once your Quinoa is fully cooked, remove the pan from heat. Put your tofu shirataki noodes and tomatos in a microwave safe bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and the spices over the noodles and tomatos and mix to spread it around. Microwave this for 5 minutes. Sometimes I will let it sit and the microwave it for a minute more, but I like my food hot.

 5. Pour 3/4 cup of the cooked Quinoa over your tofu shirataki noodles and tomatos. Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese or feta cheese and enjoy!

Educating the Children of Sierra Leone

My sister and the rest of her 8th grade class have begun a really great effort to raise funds and donate electronics to benefit educating the children of Sierra Leone.  Because Sierra Leone does not have some of the resources or ease of access like our schools do, their populations end up being less literate than they should be.  Please join in helping create a better future for these children.  To read more about the campaign or donate, please visit their Facebook page or their page on FundRazr.