I love Sweet Tomatoes!

Reasons I love Sweet Tomatoes:

• It's fast- you walk in, get a plate and fill up on yummy salads, soups, breads, pastas and/or sweets instantly. No waiting & you get try a little bit of everything.


• It's healthy- They strive to offer healthy low-fat food. Many items are low in fat and sodium and they inform you of their foods' health benefits many times. Sure, you can only eat ranch dressing, cheese, pizza and frozen yogurt, but by far most options are healthy ones. Personal restraint is the key. This is one buffet where I don't leave feeling disgusted with myself.


• They keep their foods fresh- Buffets often disgust me and make me sick to the stomach. I think many times this is due to non-sanitary food. Sweet Tomatoes keeps a close eye on their foods- refilling/changing out often. The cold foods are always cold and the hot foods are always super hot! No room for bacteria.


• For the quality of the food, it is affordable- I end up spending about $10 for dinner (without a drink). However, you don't have to tip and for the quality and health factor of the food, it is worth it. If you sign up for the Club Veg you are sent e-mails every other week or so with discount coupons. I rarely pay full price- many times buy one, get one free.


• They give detailed nutritional info on their website- My favorite soup "Turkey Noodle Soup with 100% Whole Wheat Noodles," is only 160 calories per cup, plus 2g fiber and 8g protein (no trans-fat!). So yummy! I also love their French Onion and Chicken Tortilla soups when they have them.

To keep myself from not loading up on calories, I fill my plate up with salad (low-fat options) and fresh veggies first. Then I proceed to soups/breads etc after. Also, I only allow myself to have a piece or two of the wheat bread and stay away from the yummy pizza/cheese/white breads. Because I am staying away from sugar right now, I don't have sweets. But sometimes I have a dollop of their sugar-free chocolate mousse. It hits the spot!

What are your favorite places to eat healthy around town?

Long time no nothing...

So, it's been quite a while since my last post. My apologies. Life gets you by the reins and you're gone.

Anyway, here is what's new in my life of food: I read the book You are what you eat by Dr. Gillian McKeith, the host of the corresponding show on BBC.



It was quite life changing. So many diet books out there are full of crap- focusing on getting skinny and ignoring getting skinny by eating healthy. And taking blame for myself, I just eat bad food and pretend it won't hinder by health.

When I do actually "diet," I find myself eating things like:

• Packaged lunch meat (full of sugar, sodium, fillers, nitrates and chemical preservatives


• 100 calorie Snack Packs (typically full of sugar, sodium, refined carbs, preservers)


• Non-fat, iced coffees (unless sugarfree, full of sugar and caffeine *duh*)


• Frozen diet dinners (full of sodium, preservers, sometimes sugar)


• Frozen yogurt (full of sugar!)

While the above foods are fine in moderation and are low in fat and calories, they lack nutrition! They are lacking completely or low in:

• Fiber (essential for healthy digestion and feeling full)


• Complete proteins (essential for healthy body function and again feeling full)
• Vitamins/minerals (Gillian's book pointed out that almost every overweight client she saw had vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Mostly B-1, B-2, B-6 & Zinc, which can lead to lack of energy, depression, sleeplessness, no sex drive etc.)


• Essential fatty acids (critical for the body, yet our body cannot produce some of them on our own like Omega-6)


• Antioxidants (cancer fighting, age defying power houses)

And the list goes on and on.

While I've many times lost 5-10 pounds eating diets lacking the above, they left me tired, fed-up and STARVING! No wonder, I was essentially eating sugar and preservatives. Yummy!

So I'm done with eating like that. It's no way to live.

Over the past two weeks, I've been switching out 100 Calorie Snack Packs for a hand full of almonds or sunflower seeds (full of healthy protein, essential fatty acids and fiber).

I've ditched sugar and refined carbs completely! And I don't even miss them! Whole wheat breads and grains are tastier anyway.

I am limiting my protein consumption- America is MEAT OBSESSED! Research how healthier countries eat (AKA Japan), they use very little meat. Go figure. When I do eat meat, it is lean white meat like chicken. I however splurge on fish- salmon, ruffy etc. Fish is full of essential fatty acids.

I am loading up on veggies & fruit. You'd think this would be a no brainer, but honestly I didn't like to eat fruit in the past. Well I am switching my taste buds. For lunch I eat an apple (skin-on) instead of chips. I also ditch lunch meat and grill carrots, mushrooms, onions and spinach instead. Try it- it's delicious! I've become much more familiar with the produce section at my grocery store. Eating more fruits/vegetables gives me more energy and keeps me away from other tempting, bad foods.

To fight my chocolate addiction, I eat chocolate! Haha, yes I have chocolate almost everyday. But ditch the added fat/oils/sugars. I make my chocolate banana milkshake (see recipe in post below). This way I am eating a serving of fruit, getting calcium/vitamins from milk, and helping myself to antioxidants and essential fatty acids with the cocoa.

My one vice- caffeine! I crave espresso, I love it. I tried to cut out caffeine completely, but with all the other changes it was too much. So I am trying to limit it. I have a small, all fruit Jamba Juice instead sometimes. And other times, I get a 2-Splenda iced double shot from Starbucks. Mmmmmm

So, it's too early for drastic weight loss. But I must say I feel better both mentally and physically. Yay.

Ok, back to work ;-)

Last night & tonight's menu

Hello friends! Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog. And to my cousin Jen, thank you for the shout out!

I really want a nice digital camera, an SLR would be great, to help visually document my cooking excurions. Hopefully soon, I will have beautiful pictures for illustration.

In other matters, last night I threw together some delicious chicken and shrimp tacos. I marinated the chicken and shrimp in lime juice, garlic salt, a touch of honey and lots of chili powder and cayenne pepper (like a rub). Instead of using the outside grill, I used a grill pan. It worked like a charm! I think I got better grill marks from the pan than I ever had on my (not-so-super) grill. Here is a cute one from Target.com for $29.99. These pans work great for griled cheese & paninis!



I served the grilled chicken and shrimp with homemade corn tortillas (thanks to my boyfriend), shredded cabbage, pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic & salt), and slices of avocado. I used no oil in the cooking process, so overall the menu was healthy and, minus the avocado, lowfat.

Tonight I am having a few friends over to celebreate the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I have chicken legs and thighs marinating in a garlic, ginger, lime & honey sauce. I am going to serve the chicken with steamed rice and fresh rolls for an appetizer. Fresh rolls are one of my favorite dishes! They are made with rice paper and fresh veggies. I will share more about this later and I will post pictures!

Au revoir for now!

Vivanno Smoothie at Home

I bet you've noticed Starbucks' recent non-coffee addition, the Vivanno "nourishing blends." They exhort a whole banana, 2% milk, "lightly sweetened cocoa", as well as added protein and fiber.

I admit I've tried the chocolate banana one, and I really liked it. It is a nice "pick-me-up" after the gym. However, it does contain 270 calories, so it is a hefty "snack" if you're on a low calorie diet.

I realized that my mom taught me a simple recipe for an almost idential version of this chocolately goodness. It was an old Weight Watchers recipe, that only contains 155 calories and 1 gram of fat! That's a big improvement, calorie wise, from Starbucks'. Not to mention, it's much cheaper being homemade! Although this recipe only contains 6 grams of protein vs. Starbucks at 21 grams, mine has 4 grams of fiber while Starbucks' only has 2 more! Also, most studies indicate that Americans consume too much protein (low carb diets pushed this on further), and anything you eat in excess your body will turn to fat!

So, save yourself some calories and money by making this smoothie at home.

1 Medium sized banana
1/2 Cup skim milk
2 Teaspoons cocoa powder
8-10 Ice cubes

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy with a straw!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Many of you have probably had my Pesto Pasta Salad at least once, since I bring it to almost every "pot luck" function. It really is one of my favorite side dishes; I love pesto. Although, like most of my recipes, I never make it the same twice...I have derived a basic formula. It's super simple, and super yummy!

Visually, you will need these items:


1 Box radiatore pasta (This is my favorite pasta for this dish, however you can substitue with your favorite)
1 Packet of pesto sauce mix (I generally use Knorr)
1 1/2 Cups light mayonnaise (fat free or regular may be used)
1 Large or 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Small can of sliced black olives
1/2 Cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Boil your pasta until "al dente", meaning there should be a slight firmness after cooking (soggy pasta is a faux-pas). Drain the water from the pasta and let cool until room temperature (this is very important, warm pasta will cause the mayo to turn clear and oily).

2. Once pasta is cooled, place in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, pesto packet and mix well.

2. Next, add your tomatoes and olives. Mix gently.

3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

4. Before serving, check pasta for dryness. More mayonnaise may be needed. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve!

Delicious! Here is an exmaple....

Bonjour blogworld!

So, I attempted a food blog on Myspace.com, but that didn't go very far. I really want to have a place to share my ideas, recipes online and I think this is the best place to do that. Especially due to the recent crescendo in blog popularity.

I guess I'll share my favorite wonder food as of now: Eggs! I used to hate the suckers, but I am falling in love with them. Egg whites, often referred to as the "perfect protein," contain the essential 8 amino acids that are bodies need and cannot produce on their own. Not to mention, one egg white contains only about 17 calories and no fat or cholesterol!



Many people say the yolk of the egg is bad for you (which if eaten excessively can be, like almost everything), however it only carries approximately 59 calories and 5 grams of fat. Of those 5 grams, only 1.5 is saturated (the bad kind), while 2.5 are the good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Not so bad after all, eh?

I am learning how protein is great at controlling hunger and cravings as well. Last week I started some of my days with an omelette and whole wheat toast- not only are they delcious but keep me full til late in the afternoon. Here is how I make them:

1 egg + 2 egg whites
3 slices of turkey meat (deli style)
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Molly McButter
Salt/pepper
Nonstick spray
2 pieces of low-fat, whole wheat bread (1 piece if large, aim for 80-100 calories)

1. Whisk eggs in a small bowl with a fork. Add desired salt (use sparingly), pepper and Molly McButter.

2. Warm small skillet on medium heat. Coat with nonstick spray and add mushrooms. Sautee until golden brown, then add the egg mixture. Cook until majority of egg becomes solid, then add turkey, tomato, and green onion. Cook until heated well, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

This entire, power meal only contains about 300 calories, 20 + grams of protein and healthy whole grains/veggies that your body needs. That's good eating!