PW hasn't been cooking!!!

No PW has not been cooking since it was vacation time!! So instead PW was just eating and drinking! Now PW must pay the price so we are back to wellness eating. I have lots of helpful hints for eating really good food that would never make you think you were dieting. Well you would, because the most important part of the whole dieting thing is portion control. I believe you can eat almost anything in moderation. That Moderation thing is my biggest problem since I could match any trucker in a gorge fest!!! So I have to eat lots of really good for you food in fairly mass quantities. Lets just say it takes the brain 20 minutes to know it's had enough and since most of us eat in 10, well there is the problem. This week I broke down and spent a ton on organic red peppers, they are so sweet and filled with vitamin C and lets face it it's hard to enjoy the non-organic stuff when they keep freaking you out on the TV about the dirty dozen. When you dip these babies in a spicy dip and mix the heat and the sweet it is very satisfying. The other was sugar snap peas!! Crunchy, sweet, dippable even wrappable. Lovely little grape tomatoes rounded out the group. We eat with our eyes first and let me tell you a bowl of all those colors makes me happy!!
For some dip options: Hummus but flavor it or buy flavors. Take a portion amount of Hummus and you can add crushed sandwich peppers to it and mix or add some hot sauce, I love Cholula Sauce or Chipotle Tabasco sauce. You could add lemon and some chili powder. Make yourself some Green Tea which is calming and enjoy. I like flavored Green teas, such as, Salada Lemon Citrus or Decaf Mandarin orange by Celestial Seasonings. If you make eating a ritual it almost becomes meditative to sit and enjoy something good for you. Now dont get me wrong I fight the candy demons everyday!!!
Greek Yogurt has become my new favorite product. The 0% fat kind of course. The brand I have seen at the regular grocery stores is Fage (fah-yeeh) and it's not cheap but oh the consistency, close to sour cream. Trader Joes sells it for a little less and they also make their own brand. I would make a Tzatziki (sp) dip with this for sure. Grate cucumber, add lemon, garlic, salt and pepper and go for it. For a sweet version I mix it with Trader Joes Pumpkin butter (a little goes long way) and add Heart to Heart Cereal and fruit (blueberries, strawberries, bananas), really good!!!
This stuff is great!!! I could go on about this stuff and all the things it's good with but have to run!!

Mandelbread Recipes

4 large eggs or 1 cup of egg substitute(did not try this). 1 1/2 cups of sugar 1 cup canola or safflower oil ( which i now hear are not kosher for passover so check your rabbi) 2 cups of matzah cake meal 1/3 cup of potato starch 1T lemon juice ( i added the lemon zest as well, flavor is in the zest) 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds. Cinnamon Sugar coating: 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tbl of ground cinnamon. Combine the eggs , sugar and oil in a large bowl and beat them until well combined. Stir in the cake meal, potato starch, and lemon juice and zest until moistened. Stir in the nuts. Chill the dough at least a few hours or overnight so that it is stiff enough to handle without sticking too much. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two large baking sheets. divide the dough into 4ths and form each fourth into a log that is about 10 inches long and a few inches wide. The point is that after the first baking you want to cut slices that will be the cookie. (if dough is sticking to your hands use a little cake meal) Place the logs lengthwise on the pans and bake them for about 35 minutes or until golden. Cool the logs for 5 minutes, then cut them on a diagonal (use serrated knife) into 3/4 to 1 inch slices (too thin will fall part) . Coat both sides with cinnamon sugar mixture and stand them or place cut side down on baking sheet. Return them to the oven and then turn it down to 250 degrees and let dry for 35 minutes. If they still feel soft once they have fully cooled return them to 250 oven for another 15-25 minutes. Cappucino version- 2Tbl of strong coffee 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chunks (omit the lemon and lemon zest.)(1/4 tsp salt)