Jamba Juice

Batty and I sometimes have Jamba Juice, and nothing but Jamba Juice, for lunch. Our favorite: the fruit-only, no sugar added Pomegranate Paradise. The gigantic size is 470 calories. I like mine with a calcium or vitamin C boost, Batty goes for the energy boost. Then we feel almost sickly full for the rest of the day.

Farmer’s Market Feast!

I wanted to make a delicious and nutritious meal with my fab finds from my first trip to the SF Farmer’s Market, not to mention my debut blog post here at BattyWacky!

What’s was on my menu?

• Swordfish baked with lemon, dill, and a splash of white wine.
• Tortellini Salad made with 7 cheese tortellini, onions, orange and yellow bell peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, black olives and fat free red wine vinagrette.
• Tomato salad made with spinach, red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, fresh feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar.
• ACME Olive Bread

Success!! Looks good, tastes good, and won’t kill your waistline!

Fresh is best…Farmer’s Market=good stuff

Westbrae Natural Unsweetened Unketchup

As I blogged previously, going sugar-free has not been problematic. But I was finding it really hard to do without ketchup on my fries. Plain fries? No thanks!

So I was excited to try this when I saw it at Whole Foods. My expectations were very low, but as it turns out, I LOVE it! It’s like ketchup, only better and with no sugar and fewer calories. Score!

The only bad thing is that it doesn’t come in packets that I can stash in my purse. Would it be totally  insane to go through life with a bottle of ketchup in my bag? Wait – don’t answer that.

Blueberries + nectarines

I know it’s not very sexy, but boy is this combination good. Somehow, it’s more satisfying to eat a nectarine after slicing it up than it is to do so by gnawing around the pit.

Larabars

The important part of Larabars: they have no added sugar and are gluten-free. Perfection. (If you’re into the raw and vegan thing, they fit that bill, too.) Batty doesn’t like them, but she’s…Batty.

I usually go nuts over anything chocolate flavored, but when it comes to Larabars, so far my favorite has been the peanut butter cookie variety. I can’t wait to try the new PB&J flavor.

These aren’t cheap. I can get them for $1.19 each at Whole Foods in California, but at my local health food stores in NYC, they can cost more than $2. I may have to try making homemade Larabars just to see how that works out. When you consider the time and effort, I don’t think there is much savings in making them yourself. Also, I am lazy.

Cherries jubilee

I’m so happy it’s cherry season! Whole Foods has these beautiful babies on sale for $1.99/pound and, let me tell you, I have them rethinking that price. So far I’ve gone through four pounds of cherries this week. (You should have seen the look on Batty’s face when I told her that.)

Crustless quiche

This is so ridiculously idiot-proof that I will eat a pound of lard if you manage to mess it up. And man, it’s good!

In addition to its ease, the other great thing about this is that you can mix it up depending on what you have in the fridge or the cupboard. The only ingredient that never changes is the egg. Everything else you can play with to your heart’s content.

For example, the picture here is from one time last year when I made this with onions, mushrooms, and bacon. When I made it last weekend, I threw in onions, mushrooms, baby spinach, and red pepper. One of my favorite versions is made with peas, feta or goats cheese, and fresh mint. (Oh man, must make that again soon.) You can even make a quasi-pizza with this, using pepperoni, Italian sausage, or whatever else you like on your slice.

So here are the basics:

Eggs (at least four, but I tend to use half a dozen – or more if they’re going to expire soon)

Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or plain yogurt

Vegetables of your choice

Meat of your choice (optional)

Cheese of your choice (optional)

Salt, pepper, herbs and spices of your choice (I often just use salt and pepper)

Beat the eggs, whisk in the cottage cheese or yogurt, and incorporate the rest of the ingredients. Pour the mixture in a baking pan (I use a silicone one, or a brownie pan or cake pan – depends on how much volume we’re talking) and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the quiche is firm to the touch and/or has browned enough to your liking.

This can be eaten hot, cold, or at room temperature. Easy breakfast with some fruit salad, easy lunch with a green salad or bean salad. Also is perfect for parties and potlucks, since you can make it ahead of time and eat at any temperature. Enjoy!

Sugar-free, dairy-free tapioca pudding

Okay, I have a confession: I am actually six years old. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for why I am such a pudding whore. I can’t resist the stuff, and should probably buy stock in both Hunt’s and Jell-O, since I purchase so much of their sugar-free pudding products.

But I used to make my own rice pudding with risotto grains, and thought I would try the more economically friendly method of making my own sugar-free rice pudding. I used the recipe from the box of Kraft Minute Tapioca that I bought (which will last me for months, since you only use 3 tablespoons of rice for each batch). My modifications: I replaced the milk with unsweetened almond milk and substituted Splenda for the sugar. Also, I don’t use vanilla but do give a shake of ground cinnamon and a bit of ground ginger.

The results are awesome, so much so that I just make a double batch every time. I can pack it in my lunch for work and eat it for dessert after dinner. Soon I will be experimenting with incorporating different fruits into the mix. Can you stand the excitement?

Hot dog heaven

The thing about hot dogs is that even the reduced calorie ones are usually made with sugar or high fructose corn syrup or other crap. Which is why I am thrilled to have discovered Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks. They’re just 40 calories each and contain zero grams of sugar.

The only issue: How to eat them while avoiding wheat flour. Of course you can mix them with some sugar-free baked beans (if you can find them), but I have no shame about cutting them up and mixing them into chilli, or just eating straight with some ketchup* and mustard. I really don’t miss the bun at all, but I’m sure gluten-free hot dog varieties are out there.

*My dirty secret: I still eat ketchup. No, I don’t think this makes me like the alcoholic who gave up bourbon but still drinks Scotch. Please don’t hassle me about this!

Now all I need is a lunchbox…

For me, one of the biggest parts of eating healthfully on a consistent basis is that I have to plan ahead. That means shopping for food at least once a week, buying staple items that I can make into a variety of different meals, and assembling my lunch for work the night before.

That’s exactly what I did tonight when I got home from work. It didn’t take long for me to put together a great lunch to eat tomorrow with Batty.

This may sound like a chore – and I won’t lie: Some nights, I come home and just want to crash. But I actually enjoy dreaming up different meals, putting them together, and seeing how they turn out. It’s part of the joy I get from cooking for others – except this way I get all the satisfaction for myself. (Unless I share…not likely! I’m far too greedy.) This is also known as taking care of yourself, btw.

I’ll show you the whole thing later, but here’s a sneak peek: I took one of those gluten-free tortillas from this weekend’s taco extravaganza and spread it with hummus and sprinkled it with baby spinach and fresh red pepper chunks. Then I rolled it up for a totally vegan, super-tasty wrap.

Wait till you see the side dishes and dessert I made!