I Like My Men Mustard Spicy

I'm Queen of the Condiments. Actually, this is a little known title.

Yep, did the pageant circuit when I was just a tot. Worked my way through Little Miss Mustard and Princess of the Pepperocinis. I was second runner up in the Duchess of Dijon contest.

Honest.

I do love condiments. I remember my father in law opening my refrigerator, shaking his head, and asking, "Well, just where in the hell is the ketchup anyway?"

Low fat and low calorie cooking can be tasteless. You've got to spice it up a bit and a great, low cal way to do that is to keep lots of condiments on hand. Sriracha, spicy brown mustard, horseradish mustard, hoisin sauce, HP sauce, BBQ sauce, Wasabi, and salsas are all stocked at my house.

I'm always on the look out for more. Just bought a lovely lemon sauce that an area Vietnamese restaurant just started bottling up. Can't wait to give that one a try.

Monastery Mustard, Divinely Original is one of my favorites. A friend brought some back from a trip to the Mustard Museum* and shared it with me. I've been addicted every since. So strong it will clear up your sinuses, it will spice up a Smartdog like no other mustard out there. When I was a kid, we loved horseradish mustard. That was good and very similar, but there's nun better than this.

Nun better! Get it?

God, I'm good.

Got any that I haven't tried yet? What are your favorite condiments?

*Even I couldn't make this up. There is one. Mustard lovers of the world make annual pilgrimages to this holy shrine to the little mustard seed. They're online gift shop is fab.

Shakin' My Maracas

Taco night. It's a night that strikes fear in my heart. See, I'm not a neat eater. And tacos, by their very definition, are not neat food.

I come from a long line of shirt stainers. My Grandma gets so into her work when she makes anything with flour that I tease her about her "flour pot(belly)". My mom and I laugh when we end up with blueberry pie on our white shirts. The first one to stain our clothing gets a high five. I've walked around more fairs and festivals with ketchup stains than I'd like to remember.

It's not so bad when you're kid is little. Mothers just look at each other, then look at our mutual stains, and then sigh and give a little salute to our mutual membership in the I-Can't-Stay-Clean-For-Anything Sorority. When Young One was little I wore my days, literally. Sometimes, I really miss those little yogurt hand prints that ended up on my back when he fell asleep eating in his high chair. I can still feel his little monkey arms clinging to me. Man, I miss being able to pick him up. My baby. My baby's growing up...

(Cue Barbara Streisands The Way We Were, sniff, reaching for Kleenex.)

Snap out of it.

I don't miss those little old ladies who, in their eyes, were helpfully telling me, "Honey, you got something on your back." Did they forget the good old days of their kid's sticky hugs? No, that's not it, they wouldn't dream of going out wearing their husbands old jeans and a maternity shirt covered in goo when their kid was ten months old. Back then, motherhood came with starched aprons, greeting your husband with a freshly powdered nose, and Valium every six hours.

I'm rambling again, sorry.

I'll call tonight a successful eating night. I gave up after one explosive bite that nearly scattered taco shrapnel all over my shirt. Thankfully, I was using the lean over your plate and pray method of eating. This is sometimes highly successful. The great thing about tacos is in a few rapid snaps of your fork, you can have an instant taco salad.

My food find, this week is featured in the recipe. Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Taco Shells. I bought the dinner kit at our health food store, but I'm sure it's available everywhere. These shells were fantastic. And come in at just 3 WW Points for two.

Bet's Tacos

Another recipe that's so dang easy, I just can't put it in recipe format. You know how to make tacos, right? Either buy the dinner kit and read the box or go all the way and make your own seasoning, ground the corn for your tortillas, butcher a wild boar etc. If you do all that, you don't need me.

My signature (signature was a word we used often in the food biz) taco filling? I add a can of drained black or pinto beans to the browned ground meat. Black are our favorites. This not only stretches the meat and makes them much more WW friendly, but they taste delicious. It's also a great cheapskate tactic.

I use the leftovers for taco salad topper or wrap up in soft tortillas and bake in the oven in enchilada sauce. Not really, I've never done the enchilada thing, I'm just thinking out loud here, but I'm pretty sure that would be good. It would be good on baked potatoes too. Again, never tried it, but I'm good with flavor combinations. (brag, brag, brag)

In the picture above I used ground venison (cause we like to get all Ted Nugent on animals--I'm kidding. More about our venison here.) You can use ground turkey breast, lean ground beef, or that veggie substitute stuff.

Wear a bib if you dare to eat with your fingers. Points value depends on your meat and the type of shells and beans you add.

What's in Your Bowl?The Breakfast Edition

Oatmeal made with diced dates, 2 tsp of raw sugar, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and a cap full of real almond extract from Penzeys Spices.

Check out Penzeys for the best spices and extracts. Every catalog contains amazing recipes, so sign up!

Vitamin Water is a Rip Off

Those expensive bottles of so called Vitamin Water are a rip off. Yes, I like their convenience, but they're just as environmentally damaging as regular bottled water. (Even if you are a fanatic about recycling, some of them slip through to the landfills). Yes, they taste good. Yes, they have vitamins and minerals and are made with fruits that sound exotic and enticingly delicious.

But, you can make them yourself for much much cheaper. Simply splash 100%, no sugar added juice into your ice water. Yep, it's as simple as that.

And you've got a delicious, extremely low calorie, "Vitamin Water" without the guilt about purchasing the plastic and without the expense.

Make sure your juice is 100% and that there is no added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or other additives. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague (I think they're the source of all sorts of problems). I love to use cranberry juice.

This makes getting in all those extra glasses of water, required by Weight Watchers, much easier for me.

The Housewife--Stretch a Buck

Saving pennies were never more important than they are today. Don't get me started on the economy (thank you very much W for giving us this parting gift from your reign) I like to shop at Aldi for some (not all) of my groceries. Staples are staples and the brand name does not matter to me. They have a ton of organic products and many healthy alternatives. You just have to look past some of the convenience foods (which I ignore at the grocery store too) and some of the inconveniences (like bringing your own bags, which I do anyway, and possibly long lines because they keep only a small number of employees on at a given time).

Some of my favorite products there:

• Bacon wrapped turkey tenderloins. Very Weight Watchers friendly and inexpensive. Delicious grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. I like to glaze with a little Aldi BBQ sauce before serving. They come individually wrapped and can be cooked from frozen if you forget to defrost them. They also have a pop up timer thing to insure that they're cooked to the right temperature.



• Speaking of BBQ sauce. Their brand is fat free and comes in a number of flavors. We like the honey flavor.



• Their cereals are great and most are under $2 a box.



• Aldi has a version of Fiber One bars that taste just like the original at half the price. A really great yummy treat.



• Their fish and shrimp cannot be beat for taste and price. Now, I'm going to put a disclaimer here, I do not know how they are caught. I haven't looked into how it's fished or any of that, so perhaps if I do so I won't feel so good about it. But, right now, I have to sacrifice some of that in the interest of cost saving. A pound of salmon fillets is only $4. Almost 2 pounds of Tilapia for under $3. Prices do vary, but I've found their frozen seafood to be an exceptional value.



• Flour, sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, cocoa, REAL vanilla (not imitation), real semi-sweet chocolate chips, sea salt, roasted minced garlic, mustard (all kinds), ketchup, vinegars, salad dressings, spreadable fruit, tortillas, rice, organic soy milk, 100% grape juice (both white and purple), spaetzel and other specialty noodles and other German gourmet products, Aldi brand "Eggbeaters", turkey bacon, huge whole roasting hens ($0.79 per pound!), Cornish game hens, tender frozen baby green beans, whole frozen asparagus (better than fresh!), canned fruit and veggies (the canned baby peas rival any premium canned peas at the grocery store!), canned mushrooms, and Aldi brand "Skinny Cow" ice cream sandwiches (which are so much better than the original, but with the same calorie count), Imitation lobster and crab sticks (great for lunches and snacks), premium lunch meats, super lean ground beef-- these are just some of the things I find there that I LOVE.

An overflowing cart of Aldi products usually is under $100. I like to see if I can stay under $25 a bag at any grocery store--and I'm always way under this at Aldi. Try to beat that at a regular grocery store. I have a son who can eat a box of cereal in two days. He will eat a pound of lunch meat in about the same time. They offer many Weight Watchers friendly products and specialty items vary. In the past, I've purchased real Grade A maple syrup for a quarter of what I've paid in the grocery store. I purchased some delicious spaetzel there last year (and I noticed it's on sale this week again) and added it to homemade chicken soup. It was wonderful!

I think it's hard to change brands for a lot of people. I understand that, but right now, we all have to be really conscious of where our money is going. A box of macaroni is a box of macaroni, why spend more? Most of the time it's packaged in the same factory as a name brand product. I had a friend in college who used to work in a name brand vegetable canning plant. She said that the only thing that was different about the products was the label. Dirty little secret of the industry, huh?

I don't like to spend money if I don't have to and this really works for my family. Yes, you are going to find products that you don't like, but don't give up on Aldi or any generic products if one or two don't work for you. Keep at it and enjoy the fruits of your labors!!!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!

A What's for Breakfast Food Find

Coming in at only 60 calories or 1 Weight Watchers Point each, these Crumpets are a staple at my house. When my grocery store's supplier wasn't able to get them for a couple of weeks, it was not a pretty picture. They're a great base for peanut butter, honey, or both. And topping with my Great Aunt's homemade jam is just delightful. I almost always toast them and have used them as the bottom of an open faced ham, egg, and cheese sandwich.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Being on Weight Watchers wasn't easy, at first. But, the minute I adopted it as my new lifestyle, it got to be pretty simple. I could now pretty much figure out the Point value of any food in the known universe. And, as I go through my day, I check off the healthy guidelines in my head. So, I don't even think of myself on Weight Watchers any more, but just that I live a healthier life. Somehow, it feels like admitting defeat when I admit to someone that I'm on Weight Watchers. It sounds so "diety" if that's a word. It's the way I plan to eat for the rest of my life and it's working.

Since I started this new life last October, I've come to love a few things that are extremely WW friendly. They're almost always in my house, so I thought I'd start a list here for those of you who are following along!

• Aldi frozen fruit bars or Edy's frozen fruit bars. Yum.
• No sugar added vanilla nonfat frozen yogurt. Not the kind with artificial sweetener. Read your labels.
• Werther's Original Hard Candy. Great for those craving times. You can have 3 for one point and it seems as if you had something much more decadent.
• Fresh fruit and veggies. So many of them are zero or very low points. Great for snacks and filling out meals. I serve at least 2 vegetables with dinner and always have fruit for snacks and desserts.
• Homemade pudding pops. Make fat free pudding and freeze in pops.
• Litehouse light salad dressings. The Blue Cheese and Ranch are my favorites.
• Salad spritzers, for those days when you don't even have enough points for salad dressing!
• Corn flakes. You can have a heck of a big bowl of cornflakes for breakfast or for a snack for very low points. Top them with honey if you've got the points. They also make a great breading for Tilapia or chicken, simply crush, dip, and bake.
• Crumpets. Oh, thank you to you delightful British inventors of this chewy, English muffin combined with pancake combined with yummy goodness breakfast treat. Top with your favorite no sugar added jam or splurge with some peanut butter. The fat free ones are only a point a piece!
• Kashi Multi Grain crackers.
• Laughing Cow Light Cheese. Great on the crackers (above) or tossed with pasta.
• Homemade pitas or in a pinch, purchased ones.
• WW bagels.
• 100 calorie pudding packs.
• Imitation crab sticks. Sometimes you just need a little protein and these fit the bill.
• Fat free hot dogs. Top with Monastery Mustard Divinely Original I order from Monastery Greetings at least twice a year. This mustard is fantastic. Spicy and gives fat free hot dogs the zing they need.
• Village Hearth Light Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns and 12 grain bread!
• Ronzoni pasta
• Couscous
• Brown Rice
• Wild Rice
• Vegetarian Baked Beans
• Canned black beans--toss with seasoned ground turkey for a great taco filling.
• Pickles: pickled beets, dills, etc.
• Low fat cottage cheese. Great protein packed snack plus dairy serving.
• PB2, powdered peanut butter available from Bell Plantation. Mix with water or oil for a VERY WW friendly peanut butter substitute. I've used it to bake with and love the results. While it doesn't quite fill my peanut butter craving when it's on a Code Red level, it is quite good. If you need to get an oil serving in, mix one of your oils with the powder. Seems kind of silly to do this, but it does taste great this way and it keeps you in charge of the oil content.
• Fat Free Cool Whip: One serving is zero points. Zero. I like to freeze a servings between two graham crackers for a low point "ice cream" sandwich.
• Salsa Lisa Salsa. Simply the best. Thanks Lisa. I love this company and am so glad I got to see it manufactured.
• PB Loco. A company housed in the same building as Salsa Lisa. These attorneys know how to make the peanut butter! It's great for a splurge, but small amounts of their gourmet peanut butters do go a long way, so I find it to be a very WW friendly food. Try their savory peanut butters. The curry one is excellent in Thai noodles.
• Hostess 100 calorie chocolate cupcakes. One point, fills the chocolate craving. I have to have these in my freezer (they are much better frozen!) at all times. I like to stock up on them at bakery thrift stores as they're kind of pricey at regular grocery stores.
• Thomas' Light English Muffins. I think they say they're multi grain. They're good. Village Hearth has a version too that is even more WW friendly than the Thomas' ones.
• Baked Tostitos Scoops with Salsa Lisa, of course!
• Kashi waffles. Yum.
• Fiber One Bars. Chocolate. Fix. Now.
• Egg Beaters of Better N Eggs
• Real Maple Syrup. If you're going to have pancakes or waffles, a little bit of the REAL thing is much better than a lot of sugar free, imitation crap that's out there. Plus, I don't do artificial sweeteners.
• Steel cut oats. I love Bob's Red Mill brand. Excellent. But, not so great on hot summer mornings.
• Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch. I know, definitely not a highly nutritious food and probably full of all kinds of things that are so not good for me, but sometimes I've got to have some crunch.
• Animal Crackers.
• Fruit leather.
• 100 calorie Home Style Microwave Popcorn

That's just a starter list, I plan to add to it from time to time and as the season changes. I made this list mostly for me, just to give me a record of favorite foods to fall back on when I get bored or uninspired. I make most of what we eat from scratch and have been able to find all kinds of WW friendly recipes either on their Website or on member websites. Experimenting with recipes and substituting more WW friendly ingredients has been highly successful.

Summer is an easy season to be watching what you eat. Our Farmer's Market abounds with fresh, healthy vegetables, fruits, meats, honey, maple syrup, and other great food finds. Winter can be more challenging, but I intend to freeze a lot of fresh produce this summer. As my garden harvests begin, I hope that I can put away food bit by bit.

Simple searches on the Internet come up with countless recipes that claim to be healthy. You must enter the recipe into the recipe builder to get the correct Point count. It doesn't take long and you must do the work to really learn this new lifestyle.