Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My five favorite things:
Southern Fried Chicken
Cocoanut Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sundae
Porterhouse Steak
Garlic Bread

I've been thinking about using frozen wild blueberries to make a smoothie with yogurt and a banana.

Karen Resta at 11:10AM on 01/02/08 wrote:

11. There's another. Popcorn. Undressed of course. The popcorn, not you.

You crack me up, Karen! You're right, of course, but still... :-P

Anyway, regarding "A vegetable TBD" -- why only one? They're all good for you and VERY weight-management friendly. They're all really good prepared without all the "evil" stuff, whether steamed, roasted or sauteed in a VERY small amount of olive oil. And, almost all of them benefit from a little lo-cal flavor enhancement, whether it's a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano, a dash of vinegar, a squirt of lemon or lime, some hot sauce, or whatever.

Not to mention how handy it is to have a large supply of cut up carrots, celery, jicama, etc., on hand in zipper bags to satisfy the overwhelming urge to chew something. Anything. Especially if it's crunchy!

So, I'd say you should just edit that last go-to item to read...
"Vegetables, of all kinds and colors, healthfully prepared."

1. Broccolini with two slices of Turkey Bacon cut up into chunks and saute the Broccolini with the Turkey Bacon until bright green but still crisp. Top off with a little Shredded Parm-Reg and you are golden.

2. Sliced Melon with a pinch of Cypress Flake Sea Salt.

3. Watercress, Shaved Almonds, orange segments tossed together for a refreshing little salad.

4. Fage 2% with Honey.

5. Propel Fitness Water... it is just yummy and very low calorie

6. Whole fresh pear sliced and fanned out, light sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese (I like Treasure Cave for this), a pinch of chopped pecans and stick it on an oven safe plate or piece of foil under the boiler just until the cheese gets melty. So sweet and savory and really satisfying because it feels so decadent.

7. Homemade Hummus and Red Pepper Strips for dipping.

When I'm in dieting mode, I practically live (well, one meal a day) on a roasted vegetable stew I make. I roast red peppers, portobello mushrooms, eggplant, onions, garlic cloves and some kind of hot pepper, like jalepenos or red fresnos. Then chop the whole thing up and mix with Muir Farms Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper. Cook it for 20 minutes or so. Finish when eating with a bit of olive oil and a few kalamata olives. It's delicious and healthy and has few calories.

Other must haves include:

Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal (I love oatmeal)
Lots of Stonyfield Farms Low Fat Yogurt (I like greek, but prefer this for mixing with:
Apples
Mangoes
Whole grain breads
Brown Rice
A bit of pasta tossed with lots of broccoli, some garlic, feta, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Yum.

I've really enjoyed reading all of these suggestions. :)

Here's one more:

My favorite snack time convenience food is Trader Joe's Eggplant Hummus. It tastes great, there's nothing scary or weird on the ingredients label and two tablespoons have a mere 35 calories. Give it a try! If you're feeling even more virtuous, enjoy it with some endive spears.

* Fage 0%, with either a spoonful of jam or grade B maple syrup (my usual breakfast)
* Crumpet (from Trader Joe's) (keep it in the freezer, just pop one straight from freezer to toaster when I have a craving for the texture of cake or bread). I eat it with 1/2 wedge of lite laughing cow cheese (for breakfast) or with a spoon of fruit perserves (if I want something sweet)
* frozen Thai Mangos from Trader Joe's (blend with plain yogurt, skim milk for a quick mango lassi if I have a frozen treat craving)
* frozen wontons - (super quick dinner) I make a huge batch of them every month or so. Or you can always buy them in chinatown

I don't usually buy the "lite" or "diet" version of drinks or food because I don't care for the taste, I would rather have less of the real thing.

I love to cook and bake, and while what I made was healthy, my problem was eating too much of it if it's lying around. So now I portion everything out (I have obscene amount of different sizes ziploc bags & boxes), freeze them whenever possible (which keeps me from grazing) or bring it to work for my co-workers to appreciate. Also a food scale helped in portion control. I started the calorie counting, and food journal (not online though, I prefer paper, pen and calculator) a year ago, along with 1/2 hr brisk walking. I lost 60 lbs, that includes vacations when I dine out everyday, trying local specialities, and NOT caring about counting calories.

Miso soup with vegetables. Ricotta cheese (it's whey protein) w/ a squiggle of honey or hot salsa. Fruit (any kind). and SELTZER! Don't drink calories!

Edamame (which others have said)
Cracker Barrel 2% Milk individually wrapped cheese sticks
Multi grain English muffins
Dannon's fat free yogurt (the one with 60 calories per serving)

I also like the Birdseye steam-in-the-bag broccoli and green beans.

I often make a big batch of brown rice to keep in the fridge at the beginning of the week. Then I can portion it out and reheat it as I go. You can also portion it out into freezer bags and keep them for a month or two. Makes it really easy to get a meal or a snack together quickly.

My go-to foods are always in my fridge:

Fage (or similar) fatfree yogurt
Baby carrots
Grapes (preferably the Globe ones)
Whole-grain bread or English muffins
Vegetable soup (I make big batches on the weekend)
Lowfat hummus or black bean dip
Diet Pepsi (hey, everyone gets a vice)
Salad stuff

Is anyone using thedailyplate.com?

This is the perfect time of the year for all the roasted vegetables mentioned. Ed, my suggestion is to take a brisk 30 minute walk EVERY day, it really makes a difference in the foods you crave, helps your posture and keeps the waistline in check...really. Good luck and Happy New Year!