Let's Celebrate Butter!!

There is a special place in my heart for butter. Sure, I love my husband and son more, but deep down there is a secret spot that only I know about... well, and now you too. Butter makes everything taste amazing. EVERYTHING.

When I think about tasty butter dishes my mind is immediately drawn to scampi. My mouth is actually watering at the thought. Perfectly sautéed shrimp in a butter, garlic and wine sauce over the most light and tender angel hair pasta, sprinkled with some beautifully green parsley and fresh grated parmesan cheese. It is definitely a sight, a smell and a taste that will transport you to the heart of Italy. Maybe that is why April 29th is celebrated as Shrimp Scampi Day.

Ok, now that I have your stomachs growling and your arteries clogging, we have to talk about how we can make something so perfect into something we dread... healthy. DON’T WORRY... I promise I have the answer. There are little short cuts and spices that can have you back on the gondola in no time. 

Let’s get started (make sure to review the whole recipe before starting):

8 oz Angel Hair Pasta (whole wheat is preferred)

3 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 gloves garlic, pressed

1/2 cup dry white wine (or white grape juice with a spalsh of cider vinegar)

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 lemon, zest, grated

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and pepper for seasoning

3 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp butter (There are plenty of “diet” butters that will work great)

Let’s start off by getting your noodles started. Prepare them  according to package directions. Don’t forget to add salt when the water begins to boil, before you add the pasta. This is the only way you can flavor pasta and the last thing you want with all of these succulent flavors, is a boring noodle. 

Meanwhile, get your skillet hot on the burner, about medium heat. If you start off with a cold pan when sautéing, your veggies are going to end up soggy and limp. So get the pan hot, then melt the butter, add the onion and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. 

When the onions become translucent, it is time to add the shrimp. Don’t forget to layer flavor and sprinkle with the salt and pepper when you put them in the skillet. Just cook the shrimp for a couple minutes, enough to see the pink start to set in. After 2 minutes or so, add the wine (or juice and vinegar) and broth and season with salt and pepper. Allow this to simmer and cook for a couple more minutes while the shrimp become pink and firm. remove from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked noodles and immediately add to the shrimp and sauce. Toss well and enjoy!

That is is!! Such a fast and flavorful meal. Serve with a tossed salad with fat free dressing with all of your favorite vegetables and your husband, or wife, will be begging you to make this again! 

Now for the kicker. A normal scampi recipe will average about 550 calories per serving, 23g of fat and only 17g of protein. This recipe changes all of that. Per serving, you will only consume 324 calories, 9g of fat and ups the protein to 30g and if you are a Points+ person, this stands at 8 per serving. What a transformation. 

This just goes to show that you don’t have to feel guilty for eating amazing food. Everything you need is right there at your fingertips to ensure that you and your family become and stay healthy. So here is your chance to show off your culinary skills. And remember, when you are using the right recipes, ingredients and love, it’s OK... cook away... release, embrace and express!!

Chicken Florentine

Chicken Florentine happens to be one of my favorite things to eat. Of course, come to think of it, anything that includes cream of mushroom soup and tons of cheese will be in my top 5! The problem with a basic home recipe is that it is swimming in sodium, preservatives and fat. The first thing that you are going to have to get used to when you are switching to a "healthy kitchen" is that all of those yummy things from cans and boxes are out, and fresh, colorful things are in. Once you get used to cooking with these things, you will catch yourself talking to yourself through your cooking show in the privacy of your own kitchen. 


This is going to be a make over that will not only be flavorful, but you will feel proud to serve this to your family. We will be cutting out all of the canned soups (a tear just escaped my eye) and replacing it with some fresh amazing ingredients. Here is what we need to have to make this dinner that serves 6 work:


Cooking Spray
6 (4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed              
1 cup skim milk (we actually use rice milk due to allergies)
1/2 cup chicken broth 
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg sliced mushrooms                                                           
1 (10 oz) bag fresh spinach
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp curry
Salt, Pepper and Garlic salt to Taste



Here is what you need to do:


Coat a large skillet with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add chicken and cook for 2 minutes per side. At this time I normally season my chicken with some garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. Remove chicken and set to the side. Lower skillet heat to medium heat, spray the pan again and saute onions and mushrooms, until tender. I like to flavor with some salt here. It's always important to "layer flavors". Salt naturally extracts flavors to help them blend, and this is important in really making everything POP!

Once tender, deglaze the pan with your milk and broth and simmer for about 3 minutes. After allowing this time to let the flavors kind of marry together it is time to add the chicken back into the skillet and then dump in your bag of spinach. Now I know, it's going to look like the greens have taken over the kitchen, but don't worry! You will be surprised at how quickly it wilts and add the perfect green color to your dish! As your stirring the spinach in, this is a good time to add a little more salt for flavor and your nutmeg and curry. Now the kitchen will fill with this nutty aroma that draws you in. Kind of reminds me of the holidays! :-)

Turn the heat back up to medium-high as the spinach wilts and the liquid evaporates. When the consistency is right where you want it (every one's tastes are different) it is ready to serve! I served it with mashed butternut squash and roasted garlic asparagus! The perfect dish! I was so pleased with how this turned out. My husband had no idea this was healthy!

Making these alterations with your Florentine, you are cutting one serving down from 13+ grams of fat down to 2g of fat. Sodium from 400+mg to 265mg and calories from more than 500 to 159! Weight watchers plus points total 4 and you get 6 servings of yumminess.


Remember, when you are using the right recipes, ingredients and love, it is OK to be a "foodie". So cook away and release, embrace and express!

My Little Experiment

I don't know how many of you know this.. but I like food!! I know, just look at me and it's not hard to figure that out! Well, along with liking food, I love to cook food for the people I love! I had a woman that I worked with once tell me that this means I am a "Foodie". In her definition, I cook to release, embrace and express. (Release stress, embrace me, and express love.) I personally think that this perfectly describes me.

I got married less than a year ago, and since having my son in 2009, I weigh more than I have ever weighed in my life! So, obviously it's time to get by butt in gear so I can be happy and healthy for my family as we move through our life together. The funny thing is, I KNOW how to cook right, eat right, exercise right and lose weight! Sometimes it's just a little more difficult when you are not single and have a family to feed as well.

So here is my quest... Just for the record, this blog is not about losing weight, but I think it needs to be pointed out to make my claim a little stronger. My quest is to show you, "What Not to Cook". For many years now, one of my favorite TV shows is called "What Not to Wear", where these to Fashion Forward people go save the women (and sometimes men) in the world from continuing on their fashion blundered life. Andy and I have discussed my love of cooking and the fact that I'm not too bad at it, and how I would love to have a show that went into peoples kitchen, who are claiming to be "trying" to lose weight, and point out just how UNhealthy a box of Hamburger Helper can really be. Not only just for losing weight... but just staying healthy in general. Then I would continue to show them how to make something similar to Hamburger Helper that is just as fast, easy and cost effective. Hence my show title... "What Not to Cook."

So, I am going to do this blog in a similar style. I am going to take every day recipes, turn them into healthy recipes, and blog about it. I will tell you what I did to make them "healthier", what the new "totals" are on the healthy recipe, and how it is effecting Andy and I's day to day life style. I had said earlier, this blog is not about my weight loss, but I will include it to show you how effective this can be. (Remember that I am working out everyday, too, so you can't just change your diet in order to lose weight in a healthy manor.) I hope this opens to eyes of people and shows them exactly... "What Not to Cook."