Healthy snacking

 Off to a football party and worried about what you can eat without the guilt? Try this tasty alternative to a popular dip.


Asparagus Guacomole

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced (opt)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

 Directions

1. Place the asparagus into a steamer insert and set into a pot over one inch of water; bring the water to a boil. Place a cover on the pot and steam the asparagus for 5 minutes. (or you can just boil it in a pot of water). Transfer the asparagus to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Combine the asparagus puree with the lime juice, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno pepper, garlic, tomato, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce in a large bowl; gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator until completely cooled. 

Yum

My son ate veggies. Lots of them. Uncooked. It was AMAZING. Homemade pitas (THIS recipe but using whole-grain flour). Low fat homemade cucumber hummus (THIS recipe but using all-natural peanut butter because who has tahini?) and diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and lotso spinach. We've also done this using carb balance Mission whole-grain tortillas, but I think Noah liked the pita bread more.

Tried and true

This is how we're doing our veggie "burgers" these days. Like I said before, we don't really worry about buns, and now it's transformed to this lovely item. Black bean veggie burger (recipe found HERE), topped with tomato, salsa, and avocado. Yum! I think next time I will nestle it on a bed of spring greens.

We had this the other night with my improvised cauliflower side that was delish and healthy to boot. Eric said it tasted like chicken nuggets. I can see where he might get that. Here's a picture (that doesn't really do them justice) and the recipe!

1 head fresh cauliflower
3 Tbsp milled flax
9 Tbsp water
1/2 c corn meal
Seasoning salt to taste (I think I did about 1 Tbsp)
OR seasonings of choice

Preheat oven to 375. Mix flax and water in a shallow bowl and allow to sit while you cut up your cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Mix corn meal and seasoning salt in a separate shallow bowl. Dip cauliflower in flax mixture, then dip in cornmeal mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet (mine is non-stick, so I didn't grease it, but you might want to lightly grease the pan). Cook for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Veggie love

 One of our clients who is in maintenance posted this on our Facebook group the other day, and I had to share:

"Driving in the car. Needed something to satisfy. Got a Wendy's garden salad, no dressing. Ate it with my fingers. A.maze.ing. Satisfied the hand-to-mouth need, the crisp, crunch need, and the refreshing moisture need. The cherry tomatoes were little bursts of fun, the carrot matchsticks chewy morsels, and the lettuce was sweet and crunchy. And I breathed that sigh of relief that always used to accompany any indulgence to quiet the food wants screaming in my head. Definitely a do-again. That was fabulous!"

 I just loved her description of how she really enjoyed those veggies. You know what? I actually LOVE the taste of lettuce now. Mushrooms delight me. I dream about summer squash. I eat vegetables for their own sake, now, not just as a side note to the rest of the meal. It's such an exciting feeling!

Tonight we had veggie and chickpea fajitas on low-carb, low-fat tortillas. It's one of my favorite things and so simple. You can sub in just about any vegetables you have on hand. I did:

1 green bell pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
4 oz mushrooms
1/2 c chickpeas
Fajita seasoning
A handful of spinach
Salsa

Chop veggies and sautee in a lightly sprayed pan. Add fajita seasoning and follow instructions (I make my own but you can use the packaged), then toss in the spinach and allow it to wilt. Put on tortilla with salsa, eat and enjoy the veggie goodness.

Tofu was a swear word

Honestly, I NEVER thought I'd be a tofu eater. My main experience with tofu had been in cold soups that different Asian exchange students had made for us (the worst one even had a raw egg in it...blech).

However, now I am trying to develop a healthier taste palate, I have been meaning to give tofu a second chance. I just had to forgive and forget its previous seaweed and raw egg missteps in my life. So when I saw this post from The Pioneer Woman, I decided it was time. And it was a success! I love it, Daddy Badger loves it, Baby Badger loves it, and Baby Badger #2 got to experience it secondhand ;) Tasty and healthy. I highly recommend it.

Tofu, I am glad I gave you a second chance.

Food As Fuel

Cars don't use gasoline because it tastes good, it's a special event, or because they're bored. Gasoline is fuel.

Likewise, food, generally speaking, should be used as fuel. That's what it was created for. And it's almost universally true that if people are gaining weight from eating, it's because they have been using food for the wrong reason, such as:

-Treats for "special" events
-Comfort
-Boredom cure
-Craving satisfaction
-Because they "deserve" it after a hard day, accomplishment, etc.

Many people are going to want to argue this point, and say, of course someone deserves a treat when it's their birthday or some other special event. But the problem is that every event has become food worthy, and the exciting, good, bad, blah, boring, whatever day should not be an excuse to eat whatever, whenever. So enjoy the occasional treat, but remember, it should be just that: Occasional. A treat. Something unusual. Your body will thank you :)
To learn more about my program that makes this adjustment easy, visit www.BadgerWeightLoss.com.

Neglect

Having balance is hard, but I know it is possible. Right now, though, balance means focusing on figuring out how to be a mom of two children. I'm not that great at multitasking. We're healthy, happy, and figuring out life together though, and I'm getting back into the swing of things. Soon I will start making more regular posts!