The Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal :)

I can sometimes be a creature of habit. When I was growing up, I pretty much had the same things for breakfast and lunch for like 15 YEARS. How crazy is that? It was always oatmeal in the morning and some sort of sandwich for lunch (usually PB&J!).

These days, I do like to mix it up a bit more – but I still LOVE my oatmeal 🙂 And honestly, I think sometimes oatmeal gets a bad rap for being boring, or tasting bland or whatever – but the key is to just dress it up with your favorite fruits, nuts, granola, milk, etc – and it ends up being an amazing and wholesome meal! So here’s my take on the PERFECT bowl of oatmeal!

So first, of course – you need the Oats… There are tons of options out there for Oatmeal – there’s the instant kind, the Quaker (e.g. filled with sugar) kind, there’s the slow cooking kind, the multi-grain kind, etc. I really like to get the whole grain / multi-grain variety that has oats, wheat, rye and barley with no sugar added.

I just love the way it looks in the bowl 🙂 Oatmeal is a nutritional powerhouse – with tons of soluble fiber & antioxidants. This variety is super hearty, filling, has only 130 calories per serving and 5g of fiber & protein each!

This version is also really easy to make – you just add 1 cup of water to 1/2 cup of oatmeal, microwave it for about 3-4 min and it turns out like this!

I just love how the oats get all fluffy and warm once they’re cooked! Now for the mix-ins – here are some of my favorites. First up – Blueberries!

Frozen blueberries are great because 1) They’re fresh year-round 2) They become all melty and warm in the oatmeal and 3) They never go bad! You can see them already defrosting just minutes after I put them on the oatmeal…

With a wonderful sweetness, antioxidants and fiber – you really can’t go wrong with this superfood! Once the blueberries are mixed in, I love adding in walnuts (another super food with omega 3s!)

Now – oatmeal has to be creamy and flavorful, and slightly sweet. The final three mix-ins are: Honey (yum!), Almond Milk (I like unsweetened almond breeze – see pic below), and Cinnamon (this adds a wonderful nutty flavor and goes soo well with the honey!)

Stir it all together, and your perfect bowl of oatmeal is complete! When it’s all done, it adds up to about 250-300 calories – the perfect breakfast!

Tada! We are ready to eat! I love how the oatmeal turns a bluish color as the blueberries melt into it 🙂 I totally had this for breakfast today.. and yesterday… and the day before … haha – looks like I’m still a creature of habit! What does your perfect bowl of oatmeal look like? I’d love to hear from you!

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Great Snack: Two Easy Dips with Pita Chips!

So as most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Trader Joe’s 🙂 This past weekend when I was grocery shopping, I came across two dips that I thought would make a great snack: The Trader Joe’s Organic Hummus Dip, and The Masala Lentil Dip. I’ve had a bunch of different Trader Joe’s hummus dips before, but I had never tried the organic version. The organic version actually has better nutritional information than the regular version (20 fewer calories per serving, with the same amount of fiber & protein). And I’m pretty sure the Masala Lentil Dip is new because I hadn’t seen it before! (It also has good nutritional value – only 60 calories for 2 Tbsp, and a good amount of fiber & protein!)  Both were fabulous, and I served them with home made Pita Chips (recipe below). But you can also eat them with sliced veggies – e.g. carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, zucchini, etc., and you can also combine them with a cheese plate if you pick your cheeses wisely 🙂

Here’s the Organic Hummus Dip…

And here’s the Masala Lentil Dip…

And here’s the Pita Chips Recipe!!

Note: I like making Pita Chips at home rather than buying the pre-made, packaged version. Usually those have either added fats, preservatives, etc. to make them taste good – which end up adding more calories to the pita chips. Also, they’re usually not made with whole wheat pita bread, so you lose the added fiber and nutritional value there as well. It’s really easy to make pita chips at home – took less than 5 minutes!

Ingredients

• Whole wheat pita bread
• Olive oil spray
• Salt, pepper, other spices to taste

Directions

1. Heat a grill pan or panini press over medium-high heat, spray with olive oil spray
2. Put 1 whole wheat pita bread on the panini press, spray the top lightly with olive oil spray and close the panini press (if on a grill pan, flip the pita once the side that’s down is crispy and browned)
3. Take the pita out once it’s crispy (like a chip!), season with salt/pepper/or your favorite spices to taste
4. With a serrated bread knife, cut the whole pita into 8 equal wedges. Serve with dip!

Two Fun, Unique Summer Fruit Ideas: Watermelon Salad and Chili-Rubbed Melon

Last week, I discovered a couple awesome ways to dress up fruit, courtesy of one of my favorite cafes! On Monday, they were serving yellow watermelon – which I had never had before. It actually tastes just like red watermelon but feels a little lighter/fresher, and it’s just fun to eat because it’s a yellow watermelon 🙂 And later in the week, they served Honeydew Melon rubbed with Chili and Lime which was really unexpected but tasted amazing! Here are two fun ways to dress up the usual summer fruits – hope you enjoy them!

Fruit Idea #1: Watermelon Salad

Photo Credit: http://www.kirbiecravings.com

Ingredients: Cubed seedless yellow and red watermelon (4 cups), cubed jicama or cucumber (3 cups), fresh lime juice (1/4 cup), salt and pepper to taste, mint leaves thinly sliced

Directions: Toss all the ingredients together and serve immediately! Enjoy 🙂

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Fruit Idea #2: Chili-Rubbed Melon

Photo Credit: http://www.spain-info.co.uk

Ingredients: 1 Honeydew Melon, cut into large slices or wedges, chili powder, lime juice, salt

Directions: Take each of the melon slices and coat with lime juice. Then rub the chili powder and salt generously on both sides of the slice (the lime juice and natural juices of the melon will help it stick). Serve immediately and enjoy!

The great thing about both of these recipes is they will satisfy your sweet tooth, and are super refreshing, but are extremely low in calories! 1 huge cup of watermelon only has about 40-50 calories; and 1 huge cup of honeydew melon has about 60 calories. The spices and lemon juice are pretty negligible so you can definitely enjoy these treats without ruining your diet!

Healthy & Easy Meals: Great for College Students or Busy Professionals!

Earlier this week, I got a comment from Monica – she’s a college student and doesn’t have much time, but wanted some easy, healthy recipes that she could use during the week. I thought it was a great question – and would apply to anyone who is super busy and just doesn’t have more than 15 minutes to spend in the kitchen. So here are 5 simple, healthy recipes: one for each night of the week — and you only need to buy 5 vegetables in order to make them! You can just use the same veggies in different ways throughout the week, the rest of the ingredients should be pantry staples that you have on hand. The other great thing is that each of these meals is super balanced with veggies, whole grains and protein, and none of them should run you over ~400 calories. Enjoy!

The Secret: Cut all the veggies when you buy them or have extra time (like on a Sunday). That way, when it comes to actually making the weeknight meals, all you have to do is throw the ingredients together and you’ll be done in under 15 minutes!

So here are the 5 veggies you need:

1. Bell peppers – any color will do – just get your favorite (red/yellow/green/orange – they’re all good!)
2. Tomatoes – I like roma tomatoes the best, but again just get your favorite
3. Baby spinach, pre washed & bagged
4. Garlic
5. Red Onion

Monday – Egg White Scramble and Toast

Ingredients you will need:

• Bell peppers, red onion, spinach, tomatoes (chopped)
• 3 egg whites (note: you can add a pinch of the yellow of one of the eggs if you like the flavor)
• 1-3 tsp 1% milk
• Cooking spray
• Salt & Pepper
• Whole Wheat bread
• Ketchup or other condiments that you like with your eggs

Directions:

1. Heat a large non-stick frying pan to a setting just above medium.
2. In large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and salt. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add veggies to the mixture.
3. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the eggs mixture to the pan. Do not stir immediately. Wait until the first hint of setting begins. Start the Martha Stewart scrambling technique (“Using a spatula or a flat wooden spoon, push eggs toward center while tilting skillet to distribute runny parts.”)
4. Continue this motion as the eggs continue to set. Break apart large pieces as they form with your spoon or spatula. You will come to a point where the push-to-center technique is no longer cooking runny parts of the egg. Flip over all the eggs. Allow the eggs to cook 15 to 25 seconds longer. Transfer eggs to serving plates. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with ketchup and two slices whole wheat toast.

Tuesday – Veggie Quesadillas with Refried (or whole) Black Beans

Ingredients:

• Bell peppers, red onion, spinach, tomatoes (chopped)
• Low fat shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Refried black beans or whole black beans
• Taco seasoning
• Cooking spray
• High fiber tortillas (either whole wheat or Mission low carb tortillas will do – each one should have ~120 calories and over 3g fiber)
• Salsa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small pan, heat beans over medium heat. Add taco seasoning to beans, stir until mixed through and heat for about 5 min until beans are cooked through.
3. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay tortillas out on the baking sheet. On each tortilla, spread 1/4 cup refried beans (or whole beans), 2-3 Tbsp cheese, and veggies.
4. Fold tortillas over, and broil on low for 10 minutes or until tortillas are browned and crispy on top. Serve with salsa & enjoy!

Wednesday – Quick Pita Pizzas

Ingredients:

• Bell peppers, red onion, spinach, tomatoes, garlic (chopped)
• Pizza Sauce
• Whole wheat pita pockets
• Shredded cheese (fontina, parmesan, mozarella – just get your favorite – any one will do!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• On each pita pocket, spread pizza sauce, garlic, veggies, and 1/4 cup cheese (max) on top.
• Broil in the oven for 5-10 min or until pita pockets are toasted through and cheese is melted & bubbling.

Thursday – Healthy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients

• Whole wheat bread (I like Oroweat Double Fiber bread)
• Tomatoes, Onions, Spinach, Garlic – chopped
• Your favorite cheese – I like Fontina or a Mild Cheddar
• Ketchup
• Salt & Pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat a pan over medium high heat (or if you have a grill pan/panini press – warm that up)
2. Layer one slice of bread with a couple thin slices of cheese (shouldn’t be more than 1oz)
3. Top with healthy serving of all veggies, salt & pepper and the second slice of bread (make the sandwich!)
4. Spray pan / grill pan / panini press with cooking spray
5. Grill on both sides until crispy and cheese is melted. Serve with ketchup!

Friday – Asian Stir Fry

Ingredients

• Bell peppers, red onion, spinach, tomatoes, garlic (chopped)
• Soy sauce or bottled Thai Red Curry Sauce
• Tofu
• Cooking Spray
• Minute brown rice

Directions

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions, set aside
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray
3. Saute tofu in the pan with soy sauce until lightly crispy on the outside. Set aside.
4. Saute veggies and garlic until tender, add soy sauce half way through cooking. Add tofu back to the pan, add 1/4 cup of thai red curry sauce (or other low calorie asian sauce) if you like – towards the end of cooking
5. Serve with brown rice.

Thanks Monica for a great comment that inspired this post! And a quick note for you: For an easy Indian Meal – check out this recipe – super easy Channa Masala that will taste great!

Simple, Healthy Asian Stir Fry with Veggies and Tofu!

Yesterday I got home after a long day, and still had tons of work left that I needed to finish that evening! So basically – I was in no mood to spend more than 20 min in the kitchen cooking dinner for me and my husband. Luckily, we had frozen vegetables in the freezer, and tofu in the fridge – and I immediately thought of doing a super healthy, quick Asian stir fry for dinner! I guarantee this recipe won’t take you more than 20 min to make, and you don’t even need any oil for the stir fry – I promise! The recipe and ingredients are below – hope you like it 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 Packages of Frozen Asian Mixed Veggies (you can find these in the frozen section – I like to get the one with the greatest variety of veggies – Trader Joe’s has an awesome option, see picture below)
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Package Firm Tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 Package Thai Baked Tofu, cut into cubes (see picture below – I use the kind from Trader Joe’s but you should be able to find baked tofu in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets)
• Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce (see picture below – again you can pretty much use any bottled sauce mixture you like – check out the Asian section in your supermarket. But make sure to get a sauce that’s relatively low in calories and sugar! I like the Thai Red Curry Sauce because it’s only 80 calories for 1/4 cup – which is really all you need if you mix it with Soy Sauce!)
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• Quick Cooking Brown Rice (I like minute brown rice – see picture below)
• Sesame Seeds (just to sprinkle over the finished dish)

Directions

1. Cook 1 cup of minute brown rice according to package directions.
2. Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray, and pour the frozen veggies into the pan. Stir fry 5-10 min until the veggies are cooked through, add soy sauce to taste towards the end of the cooking process (note – the Trader Joe’s Asian Veggies comes with a great soy flavored sauce – so I usually just add that instead of soy sauce. But if you get a different frozen veggies mixture, then soy sauce is a decent substitute).
3. Spray another pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Saute the tofu cubes until slightly crispy on the outside, add 1-2 Tbsp soy sauce towards the end of cooking for flavor
4. Add the tofu cubes to the veggies, and add 1/4 cup Thai Red Curry Sauce (or more to taste). Stir fry lightly just until the entire mixture is heated through. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top (not too much – just a pinch for each serving). Serve with brown rice and enjoy!

Nutritional Information: While I don’t have exact nutritional stats for this dish, I’d estimate it would be around 400-500 calories per serving (depending on how much tofu and rice you take). Also – the mixed veggies provide tons of fiber as does the brown rice, and the tofu is a great protein. All in all, a really well rounded meal!

Pictures of the Products I Used:

Finished Product!

Cumin and Lentil Quesadillas

For dinner tonight, I was looking for something quick and easy to make. I had 2.5 hours of intense dance practice earlier today, so I was hungry and tired – and in no mood to spend more than 30 min in the kitchen! I was inspired by a recipe for cumin & bean sprout quesadillas – from VegetarianTimes.com. I changed the recipe a little – and it turned out great! The cumin was super flavorful and the meal was really healthy overall. And the best part – it took only 20 min to make (30 min including bake time) 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 4 Mission 8″ Soft Taco Carb Balance Tortillas (link here)
• 1/2 cup grated low fat Mexican 4 cheese blend
• 1 cup cooked small lentils (I used Trader Joe’s Steamed Packaged Lentils – link for picture here)
• 1 cup pico de gallo – Trader Joe’s has a great flavorful version that only has 5 calories per serving!
• ~1 cup frozen corn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast cumin seeds in large, dry skillet over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant, shaking pan constantly. Transfer to small bowl, and set aside.
3. Toast corn in the same skillet, shaking the pan for about 5 min or until cooked through. Transfer to small bowl, set aside.
4. Arrange 4 tortillas on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle half the tortilla with ~2-3 Tbsp grated cheese, and 1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds. Top with 1/4 cup lentils, 1/4 cup corn, and fold the other side over. Repeat for the next 3 tortillas.
6. Put the tortillas in the oven and broil for 5-10 min until the tops are lightly browned and crispy. Serve with Pico de Gallo.

Nutritional Information (per quesadilla)

Calories: ~200 (6g fat)

Protein: 8g

Fiber: 5g

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan (and other ways with Roasted Veggies!)

Say no to Eggplant Parmesan at restaurants!

I was talking to one of my friends recently, about how she LOVES Eggplant Parmesan, but always feels guilty eating it because it’s loaded with fat & calories. For those of you who don’t know, Olive Garden’s Eggplant Parm has 850 calories and 35g of fat! That is just way too much for one meal. I was watching Food Network, and I was totally inspired by Robin Miller’s Eggplant Parmesan Recipe. I’ve come up with a way to make it even healthier, and you can use this method to make a bunch of different meals. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Eggplant Slices
• Olive oil spray
• Your favorite marinara sauce
• Fresh, shredded Parmesan Cheese
• Chopped fresh basil (1/4 cup)
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkle them with salt & pepper, and bake for 15-20 min until slightly crispy.
2. Remove from oven. Top each eggplant slice with 1-2 Tbsp sauce and 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan Cheese. Bake 8-10 min until cheese is bubbly. Top with basil before serving.
3. You can also serve the eggplant with 1/2 cup cooked whole wheat pasta for a complete meal. Enjoy!

Note: Each eggplant slice shouldn’t have more than 50 calories, so you could have 4 huge eggplant slices topped with cheese for only 200 calories! Add the pasta, and it’s still only about a 400-500 calorie meal depending on how much pasta you eat. And it’s full of healthy fiber, and still tastes great!

Now the fun part 🙂 Use this same method to make a bunch of different, healthy meals!

1) Mexican: Replace the eggplant with zucchini and other squashes to roast in the oven. Once out of the oven, top with a shredded four cheese Mexican blend and broil in the oven for 5 min until the cheese is bubbly. Top with salsa, guacamole, fat free sour cream, and serve with stewed black beans and brown rice. Yum!

2) Mediterranean: Replace the eggplant with tomatoes to roast in the oven. Once out of the oven, top with fat free feta cheese and broil for just a few min until the feta is slightly melted. You can serve the tomatoes on top of a Greek salad (romaine, cucumber, red onion, etc.), or you can put the tomatoes in a pita with hummus and romaine, or you can put the tomatoes on a bagel and eat it for breakfast! The possibilities are endless 🙂

3) American: Replace the eggplant with sliced new potatoes and sweet potatoes to roast in the oven (note the potatoes might have to roast longer in order to cook fully through). Once out of the oven, top with your favorite cheese (cheddar would be my pick), steamed cut broccoli, fat free sour cream, and any other veggies/toppings you like!

If you have any other ideas on how to customize this recipe, feel free to add them as a comment!

Healthy Spicy Tomato, Bean, Veggie Soup!

Tonight I made a recipe I found on CookingChannel.com’s website – courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. For anyone that doesn’t watch Food Network – she is awesome! She has great recipes and is super fun to watch on TV 🙂 Anyway, so I found her recipe for a Spicy Tomato Soup and thought it would make a great dinner this evening. I made a few modifications, and it turned out AMAZINGLY well! My husband even said “I wish my stomach was bigger so I could eat more of this soup!”

I topped the soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese, and served it with whole wheat toast spread with Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb Cheese. It was a huge hit, a great balanced meal, had a wonderful spicy flavor, and was super easy to make. The modified recipe is below, and the original is here. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (NOTE – I only used 1 Tbsp and it was totally enough. You don’t need the extra 2 Tbsp!)
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped (I used a red onion)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (I added this because I had a red pepper left over, and it gave a great crunch and flavor to the soup)
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I actually used about 3 cloves of garlic)
  
• 1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce (recommended: San Marzano brand) (Instead of marinara sauce, I used a 28oz jar of crushed tomatoes with Italian spices – gave the soup an amazing flavor)
• 2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta) (I used whole wheat shell pasta for added fiber)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat
2. Add the carrots, red pepper, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. I let the veggies saute a bit longer, like 5-10 min on medium heat. Gave them a great crunch but still were cooked through.
3. Add the jar of marinara sauce (crushed tomatoes for me), broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes. I simmered it for a bit longer, maybe 15-20 min. Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan cheese, and serve (with garlic bread or my laughing cow cheese toast above!)

Healthy Version of Mexican Flautas!

I found this recipe on VegetarianTimes.com a while back, and realized that I forgot to share it with all of you. My husband loves Mexican food – Nachos, Flautas, Quesadillas, etc. So a lot of the recipes I look for are healthier versions of these foods – that still taste great. This recipe from VegetarianTimes is a great healthy version of Mexican Flautas. The black bean and corn filling is super flavorful, and the oven-baked tortillas turn out nice and crispy. The only thing is – you have to be sure to cool the filling before you put it in the tortillas, otherwise the tortillas will crack. Let me know how it turns out for you!

Oven Crisp Black Bean and Corn Flautas

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup) — I used a red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.) — You can use even more garlic to amp up the flavor!
• 2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp. chili powder — I also added a bit of taco seasoning for more flavor
• 1 16-oz. tub prepared salsa, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook onion 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute, or until translucent and fragrant.
2. Stir in beans, chili powder and 1 cup water. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat. Mash beans until mixture is thickened but still chunky, and some beans remain whole. Stir in 1 cup salsa and corn, and season with salt and pepper. Cool.
3. Preheat oven to 425F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. Spoon 1/3 cup black bean mixture down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling, and secure closed with toothpick. Set on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and black bean mixture. Bake 6 to 10 minutes, or until tortillas are browned and crisp. Note: If you want to add more crispiness, you can put the flautas under the broiler for a few min and top each one with 1Tbsp of cheese to get a nice crust on top.
4. Meanwhile, combine cilantro and remaining salsa in small bowl. Place 2 flautas on each plate, and top with remaining salsa.

Nutritional Information

For 2 flautas:

• Calories: 286
• Protein: 11g
• Fat: 3g
• Fiber: 11g

Make a Health(ier) Cheese Plate!

Last night, my husband and I wanted a slight change of pace for dinner, and we wanted something a little lighter to match the awesome spring weather we’ve been experiencing. We LOVE wine and cheese – so I thought I’d figure out a way to make the traditional cheese plate a little healthier and more of a meal for dinner. Of course – the key word is “healthier” – because it’s all relative. You can’t make a good cheese plate without GREAT cheese – which will always have a lot of fat and calories. BUT – you can make the other parts of the cheese plate healthy so that, when the cheese is eaten in moderation, you end up with a pretty good meal! Here are my tips for making a healthier cheese plate below – enjoy!

1) Great Cheese: So ok, this isn’t the healthiest option for dinner, but if you’re gonna eat cheese – do it right! Get some super high quality cheeses from your local market – Trader Joe’s actually has a great cheese selection. We opted for a good brie, a smokey cheddar, and a rosemary and olive oil infused asiago. SO GOOD!

2) ADD FRUIT! This is a great way to get a lot of fiber and a filling option to pair with the cheese. And don’t skimp on it either – we used 1 bosc pear (thinly sliced), 1 fuji apple (thinly sliced) and lots of red grapes. Between two people that is a lot of fruit and a good amount of fiber (bosc pears and apples have 4-5g of fiber each!)

3) Add Nuts! Specifically – walnuts. They taste great with cheese and are loaded with fiber and healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Yum.

4) Find Good Whole Grain, Low Calorie Crackers: A couple good options: 1) Kellogg’s All Bran Fiber Crackers (18 crackers are only 130 calories and have 5g fiber!) 2) Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Wheat Crisps (17 crackers are 140 calories and have 2g fiber).

5) Add a yummy whole fruit spread (with minimal sugar) and honey: Both pare great with cheese and are good for you!

6) Make thin crostinis out of whole wheat, freshly baked bread: Trader Joe’s has a great freshly baked Organic Whole Grain Loaf (1/9 of a HUGE loaf has 180 calories, 6g fiber and 7g protein!)

7) Drink Red Wine: If you like red wine – pick it over white wine in the grocery store. It has healthy antioxidants and tastes sooo good with cheese!

8 ) Add a light salad on the side: This is a great way to get some healthy greens, and you can pare it with your cheeses as well (e.g. arugula and Parmesan go great together).

Hope these tips are helpful – enjoy!!