Friday Food Frenzy 24

Raised as a second generation American on one side of my family, I grew up around a lot of ethnic foods --- particularly Greek food given that my family's roots stem from Albania and Romania where the cultures are very similar (as I've been told --- I haven't had to opportunity to visit any of these countries yet sadly). I love to try some lightened up versions of these very hearty dishes that I grew up with.

Enter the "Skinnyfabulous Moussaka Casserole", compliments of Skinny Kitchen. Moussaka is traditionally made with ground beef and lamb, eggplant and potatoes, and is topped with a creamy sauce. Clearly not a heart (or waistline) healthy dish, though it's super yummy! I was skeptical trying this recipe since it only calls for ground beef (I love lamb). Could this possibly be delicious?

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I'll be honest... if you have a Moussaka recipe of your own that you adore, this won't be the same, but it's actually pretty good when you consider that it's lightened up quite a bit. The substitutions: extra lean ground beef (or turkey --- but I used beef), light alfredo sauce, and fat free feta cheese. Now I will be perfectly honest, the thought of fat free cheese of any kind grosses me out, so I opt for reduced fat cheese. Obviously it will slightly increase the calorie count per serving which is 218 for this recipe, but to cut back on the artificial stuff that it put into anything that's made fat free is well worth it in my eyes.

Tip number one when you attempt this recipe: you need a very large pan. Personally, I think it might best if you have one of those large electric frying pans to use it since it will help keep all of the ingredients in the pan while you stir it. This recipe is pretty easy once all the prep work is done. I love this casserole because it does make dinner easy to have prepped in one dish. It reheats great too!

Are you ready to try this yummy skinny Greek recipe? :)

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 23

As a parent, I've learned to embrace that sometimes life will throw me a curve ball and to expect the unexpected... like a toddler who had started to calm down a bit of course will start to act up again just when you think you've got your routine down pat. Pass me more wine, please!!

Anyway, I would love to share with you a fabulous recipe I tried from Gina at SkinnyTaste: Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce. I typically prefer recipes that I can prep ahead of time and toss in the oven because of the aforementioned toddler... it just makes life easier! I had the hubby home earlier one day though so I was ready to tackle this recipe head on (plus I love cooking with wine!!)

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This recipe was absolutely delicious, and only 169 calories per serving! I'm not a mushroom fan, but my husband loves them, so this gave him plenty of extra mushrooms and I just added a veggie as a side dish for me since I wasn't getting the mushrooms from this recipe into me. This was actually a pretty quick and easy recipe to follow. My biggest problem with recipes like this is I tend to let the sauce dry up because I get distracted... there wasn't as much left as I'd like, so I need to be more careful of that next time. If you prefer to cook without wine, I'm sure you could sub the wine with more chicken broth. I served this dish with a side of brown rice.

Enjoy!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 22

I know what you're thinking... where have you been with the Friday Food Frenzy posts?! To anyone who has ever been a SAHM with a toddler, you can (hopefully) to relate to your days spinning somewhat out of control if you don't have a clear cut plan... and even with a plan, your toddler will try to sway you in his or her direction anyway. So I'm bringing back my beloved Friday Food Frenzy and hopefully am beyond the bulk of my chaotic days with my daughter, plus I seem to have a better handle on our routine now. Which means she will change her routine now, right? HAH

In bringing back my recipes posts, I weeded out some older stuff I'd pinned on Pinterest and found some newer recipes to create a new board to go to for recipes. It's my goal to try something new every week. This will be a challenge so feel free to hold me accountable any time if I start to slack off! In the winter time, I tend to rely on my slow cooker a little more. I love being able to throw everything in one pot and just let it do its own thing. Lazy? Maybe. But it does help make my life easier.

My recipe of the week: Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie --- compliments of the ever fabulous Skinny Mom. If you are just catching one of my Friday Food Frenzy posts for the first time here, my favorite "skinny" websites for recipes are hands down Skinnytaste and Skinny Mom. They have such a variety and it's easy to sort so if you want chicken, or a slow cooker recipe, you can easily find what you're looking for.

Chicken Pot Pie is a comfort food in my mind, and it's great for the winter. This was super easy to prepare, and you can choose to serve biscuits on the side if you'd like. I opted for the smaller biscuits as they suggest on this recipe rather than the Grands --- helped me cut back on some calories! This dinner was super yummy.

I do want to make a few notes on modifications I made.
- I despise celery (sorry!!) so I omitted that from my pot pie when I made it.
- I'm not a huge fan of thyme, so I did modify the seasonings slightly. Rather than 1 teaspoon of parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme as the recipes suggests, I used 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano, and basil. I think when I make this next time, I will add a little more oregano to it for a little more flavor.
- I felt like this might have been a little potato heavy, but lacking in the veggies. I realize "6 small red potatoes" may be hard to quantify so I think I will only use 4 or 5 next time. In addition, I would use more veggies. I haven't really decided what would be best --- more mixed veggies or maybe just making my own batch of mixed veggies and adding however much I feel is appropriate as I go along. The 10.8oz bag just didn't seem like enough to me.

On a side note, I felt that this recipe reheated very well so I will also probably double the recipe next time. If you don't mind leftovers (sometimes I'm not a fan, but it depends on the food), you may want to consider this too. 

... Until next week!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 21

Sometimes I feel like I'm my own worst enemy... I pin so many recipes that my kitchen can't keep up! Growing up, I can always remember my mom making stuffed cabbage (and I always refused to eat it). Well I found a fabulous (as always!) recipe on Skinnytaste for a Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. I told myself it was time to suck it up and try to give into cabbage. I'm so glad I did!!

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This recipe took a little more time to prep than I had anticipated but it's definitely easier than making stuffed cabbage the traditional way. And let me tell you --- this was a delicious recipe to add into our dinner rotation. I love trying new recipes but always preface dinner to my husband with, "I hope it's good!" You basically cook up the beef mixture and then cook up the cabbage and layer them in a Pyrex dish, cook it in the oven, and if you would like, add some cheese on top and then cook a little longer to melt the cheese. I love cheese so I went for it, and YUM!!!

I know every oven is different but my suggestion is to keep a close eye on the cheese if you decide to add it. The recipe calls to cook for 40 minutes covered with foil (before adding the cheese) and then 20 minutes uncovered (after adding the cheese). I actually took it out after 15 minutes and to be honest, I wish I had checked it sooner because the cheese dried up a little bit (10 minutes might have been enough) but it was still delicious! I actually plan to give this to my toddler to try next time. Hopefully she will love it too!

Bon Apetit!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 20

Alright. Who let me slack?! It's a new year. I need to get back on the wagon all around, which doesn't just mean exercise, but it also means eating right! I tested out a few recipes that I absolutely fell in love with in December. I meant to share my thoughts with you on several occasions but time just seemed to escape every single day. So here we go...

Oh Gina at SkinnyTaste... I love you! I tried out her recipe for "No Bean Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili" on a snowy Sunday afternoon. Perfect on a cold, snowy football day. I think I never really cared for chili since I don't like beans but this sounded yummy, and the sweet potatoes gave it a nice twist. I will be perfectly honest: I don't like things spicy but my husband and I added a little extra chili powder to our bowls when we tasted it because it tasted like it needed a little something more. However, I thought it was yummy. And even more importantly (and SHOCKINGLY), my 16 month old daughter who is somewhat of a picky eater LOVED it. Though she didn't care for the turkey when I reheated it to give her more the next day, she devoured the sweet potatoes. She isn't really into much meat and hasn't done much with sweet potatoes (or any potatoes) since her baby food puree days. She doesn't like them mashed, but apparently she likes them cut into small pieces. She couldn't get enough of this chili. I definitely will be cooking more of this chili this winter. Thank you, Gina!!! You introduced something my baby girls loves now! :)

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Now to sing the praises of Skinny Mom. I grew up around a lot of Greek food since my family is half Albanian and half Romanian (there are some similar foods amongst the ethnicities). A favorite of ours is spanakopita. Which, if you're familiar with it, it is not a very healthy dish despite the spinach (or other veggie of your choice) that is stuffed inside this yummy "pie". Skinny Mom has a recipe for a "Skinny Pie-Style Spanakopita". I must be honest (as always): I was SOOOOOO skeptical. This was a favorite of mine that my grandmothers use to make (which is now my aunts and parents as the years progress). I thought "how could this possibly be good without butter?!" 

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Folks... THIS IS DELICIOUS!!! And only 193 calories in 1/6 of the pie! I did my first test run of this dish the same day I mentioned the chili above. I was so impressed that I made it on Christmas Day for my family... my parents are amazing cooks and I sometimes feel intimidated cooking for them since I try to cook on the healthier side, but even THEY were impressed by how great this was (my dad just didn't like seeing me use the cooking spray on the sheets of phyllo dough). And they were shocked to see how quick and easy this was because cooking spanakopita is usually an all-day affair! One small modification I did make was that this recipe called for 1/4 cup of fresh dill. I don't love dill so I just sprinkled some dill weed into the mixture to put some in without it being too overpowering. I would honestly eat this every day, I loved it THAT much. 

'Til next week! 

~Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 18

As I've been trying to get back (and stay) on track during the craziness of the holidays, I've been revisiting my "healthy recipe" pins on Pinterest to try some new recipes. As always, I adore Gina at SkinnyTaste. Her recipes have never failed me. Two recent (and very successful) attempts that I wanted to share with you...

Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach. I've never been a big fan of eggplant but Gina promises that this recipe will change your mind about it... and it did! This might just be my new favorite "skinny" recipe! 227 calories in 2 rollatinis --- plus it's meatless if that's your thing. It's a much healthier variation of Eggplant Parmesan. This dish may actually make an appearance at Christmas dinner this year as a side.

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Spinach Lasagna Rolls. This recipe is very similar to the eggplant above and it's equally as yummy (though for some reason, I enjoyed this one more as leftovers the second night). This recipe is actually a little easier to prep since you just have to cook the pasta rather than slicing and cooking the eggplant, but of course you have the added carbs with the pasta. Still a great meatless option for you and your family.

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My goal is to make more appearances on the blog here than I have been the past few months, so stay tuned for what is coming in the future of the "Friday Food Frenzy!"

Friday Food Frenzy 15

So as promised, I returned to the kitchen this past week --- after two trips to the grocery store to remember all the ingredients to a recipe I've been eyeing up that I found on Pinterest several weeks ago.

I stumbled across the fabulous website, "And They Cooked Happily Ever After". This newlywed couple (they were married last year) has a wonderful blog sharing all the fun recipes they've experimented with --- and there are definitely several I plan on trying from this website (they have many "Weight Watchers" friendly recipes, plus gluten free (just to name a few of their recipe "categories"). The first one I wanted to try was for Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Bites. I've tried quinoa a few times so far and just haven't been able to get into the craze. But these bite sized snacks looked like a perfect pre-workout snack for my early morning workouts. They were cooked in a mini-muffin pan and only 38 calories per bite. Perfect!

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It was an easy recipe to follow. To be honest, I still am not a quinoa fan. These baked perfectly and they were a great texture. I want to try to make these again, but with more cinnamon (the recipe only calls for 1/2 teaspoon). I think that would have made a big difference for me with this recipe. It just needed a little more sweetness (again, I have a sweet tooth). If you like quinoa, I do think you would love these.

I'm trying to phase out diet soda. I did well not drinking it for quite awhile last year (during pregnancy and the months that followed). But I started drinking it again earlier this year. So now I'm trying to figure out how I can phase it out. I found flavored sparkling water at my local Wegman's this past week. I figured it would be worth a try. I splurged and bought 2 cases of their canned sparking water --- one in mixed berry and one in mandarin orange. I love these... they're not a Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi but they're helping me get that fizz fix that I seem to need. It's all natural flavors, there's nothing artificial in it which is a huge plus.

I'm hoping I have some fun food to share next week --- I'm going to be prepping for my daughter's first Birthday (AHH!! No idea how that happened so quickly!!) so my apologies in advance if it's not super exciting. I am going to try though!! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Friday Food Frenzy 14

Happy Friday Food Frenzy!! A few new items I wanted to share with you this week.

Wegman's Gluten Free Homestyle (frozen) Waffles. I wanted to try some gluten free items (despite my gratefulness of my celiac disease blood work coming back negative). I figured if I try to phase out some of the wheat products, it will be helpful to know what I like (even though I don't think that eating products that the wheat has been removed from is really the best was to go gluten free). In my opinion, these gluten free waffles actually were a lot fluffier than Eggo's waffles. The taste at first didn't really grab my attention with syrup, but when I sprinkled some cinnamon on top, they were actually quite yummy --- even better than Eggo! They're not quite fresh waffles but they taste pretty close considering they're frozen.

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If you've been following me for awhile, you might remember that I received BelVita Breakfast Biscuits in my very first Influenster VoxBox. I have actually purchased them several times since then as they're a perfect early morning "breakfast" for me before my workout. The apple cinnamon are my favorite so far. I noticed when I was in the grocery store restocking my cabinets, I noticed they now have a soft baked line of products too called "BelVita Soft Baked". The oats & chocolate variety sounded yummy to me, and all the BelVita was 2/$5 so I picked up my regular apple cinnamon along with a soft baked box of oats and chocolate. These 200 calorie breakfast biscuits are almost like a cookie. They taste a slight bit like maple syrup to me but I absolutely love them --- it will be nice to have variety for my pre-workout breakfast. I would definitely recommend trying any of the BelVita Breakfast Biscuits if you're looking for a quick breakfast option.

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Campbell's has a new line of slow cooker sauces where you just add the meat and let it cook all day. I love having stuff like this as backup at home as an easy "go-to". All I needed to do was pick up the meat. I looked at the variety the store had and picked up the Korean BBQ as it seemed to be the "healthiest" option overall when I was comparing the nutritional information. The flavoring of the sauce was delicious (it was kind of like a sesame ginger base), however, I've noticed in the past that my beef dishes in the slow cooker come out much more tender when I cook it all day on low rather than half the day on high (which I had done this time --- nearly 5 hours on high). It was suggested that you shred the beef so that the sauce really was immersed throughout the beef and served over rice, but the beef wasn't tender enough to do this.

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I have a new recipe up my sleeve to try --- I made two separate trips to the grocery store this past week and forgot TWICE to pick up one of the ingredients needed, so it's on my list to pick up and try this weekend. If you like (or want to like) quinoa, you won't want to miss this! 

Friday Food Frenzy 13

I'm so excited to be back in full force. I didn't do heavy duty cooking this week but am working on next week already... I did manage to come up with a few items to share this week though...

While walking through my local Target (having no intentions of doing any "grocery shopping"), I noticed at the end of one of their aisles that they were spotlighting a new product: Kraft Recipe Makers. Each box contains two sauces for you to make a meal --- you just need the ingredients on the box to get going! The "Recipe Maker" that caught my eye first: New England Pot Roast. Having just returned home from an extended time away, I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner. This "magical box" allowed me to pick up a chuck roast, potatoes, carrots, and an onion... throw them in my slow cooker with one of these sauces... let it cook all day, then 15 minutes before it was done, I added the finishing sauce... and voila! 

Photo Credit: Kraft

I must admit, I was skeptical. We don't (yet) own a grill so I try new beef recipes from time to time and with the exception of recipes that call for ground beef, I haven't found anything I love. Until now! Many pot roast recipes I've found online for the slow cooker want you to brown the meat first, and I've got to be honest... I'm lazy! This was so easy, and it was actually delicious! I'm a steak snob so I'm picky when it comes to meats, but this was a big hit in my house and I will definitely be trying this again. Using a 2.5lb piece of meat, the box notes that it will yield 7 servings at 390 calories per serving. Not too bad! I think next time I make this, I may try adding some green beans to the slow cooker too.

Interested in what other Recipe Makers they sell? Hickory Beef BBQ; Tex-Mex Chicken Fajita; Three-Cheese Chicken Florentine; Sweet and Sour Chicken; and Verde Chicken Enchilada. They aren't all slow cooker meals (I don't believe) but I certainly would like to try more of these soon... or at least keep them on hand for my lazy days.

Another yummy find at the grocery store this week that was purely accidental: Marzetti has a new line of dips called Otria. They are dips made with Greek Yogurt (several of which are gluten free). I tried the Spinach and Artichoke with carrots for a snack this week and it was quite yummy (only 60 calories per2 tablespoons). Otria also has a line of Hummus and Fruit drips --- several of which I'm anxious to try (Sweet Vanilla Cinnamon Fruit Dip, anyone?!) I noticed on their Otria website, they offer a coupon to save 75 cents, so if you want to give it a try, at least you can save some money.

Bon Appetit! See you next week!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 12

My apologies for being a little MIA. This weeks' post isn't so much a "frenzy" but my sharing two new yummy "addictions" of mine with you.

In past posts, I shared with you PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter which boasts only 45 calories per serving (2 tablespoons), as well as Yoplait's Greek 100 Yogurt. Well, after my weekend at the Jersey Shore (and a mini Blizzard from DQ --- that's right, I had a mini splurge), I wanted ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter. I decided to see what would happen if I added some of my Chocolate PB2 to my Vanilla Greek Yogurt. I only added 1 tablespoon and it definitely gave it just enough of the "kick" I was looking for, but I'm sure it's even yummier with 2 tablespoons. I could eat this all day, every day.

Another yummy snack which I personally think is a summer "must-have": Popsicle Molds. I remember having  molds similar to these when I was growing up. Yes, Mickey and all!

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I haven't been much of a juice drinker in recent years --- to me, it's just empty calories, so I sometimes will splurge for a holiday breakfast, but that's about it. As I was picking up orange juice from my husband (who drinks it like water in the morning), I saw that Minute Maid makes a 15 calorie Mango Passion Fruit Drink. It's not bad to drink as juice, but to be honest, it's much yummier frozen in these Popsicle Molds and enjoying after dinner! I may try these with some Crystal Light next. These molds are on sale right now at the Disney Store but if you're not a Mickey fan, I'm sure you can find these at Target or your local grocery store. 

Let me know if you try anything that's extra delicious! :)

~ Aly

Food Frenzy Friday 6

Welcome back to Food Frenzy Friday!!

I decided to get a little creative this week for lunch one day. I had seen a pin on Pinterest for Pizza Quesadillas. Suddenly, I realized I had a great recipe to make "skinny"! Here's what I used:

1 Low Carb/High Fiber Whole Wheat Tortilla (I used La Tortilla Factory)

1/4 cup 2% Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 cup of your favorite sauce (I used Prego Chunky Garden - Tomato, Onion and Garlic)

Spread tortilla on a plate, top with sauce and cheese on one half of the tortilla. Close tortilla. Spray a nonstick frying pan with Pam Nonstick Cooking Spray, and cook each side for about a minute on high. Transfer to plate, cut, and enjoy! You can certainly microwave it but cooking it on the stove reduces the soggy microwave taste. So simple and quick! Of course, you can add your favorite pizza toppings. The above recipe with the products noted comes to only 293 calories.

Dip in sauce too if you'd like

I discovered my new favorite lunch spot this week as well. There is a restaurant called Zoes Kitchen that opened up a few months ago about 10 minutes from my house. I met a girlfriend for lunch and absolutely fell in love with this place. I ordered the Lean Turkey Pita with a side of fresh fruit (410 calories total). The pita can with a slaw they make fresh in-house. I don't usually eat any kind of slaw as I'm not a fan of mayo, but this is not made with mayo... super yummy! To put it in the easiest context that I think most would understand, consider it almost like a Mediterranean version of Panera. All fresh food. Salads, pitas, sandwiches, and even full entrees --- all very reasonably priced. You can even take dinner home with all the trimmings. They're a growing chain --- if you don't have one near you yet, I hope they open one soon. This will be the new place I take friends and family to when they want a light and yummy lunch. Have I said "yummy" enough yet?

~ Aly

Food Frenzy Friday 5

I am SUPER excited about this week's Food Frenzy Friday!!

Every Sunday, I begin the great debate as to what to make for dinner. I try to plan for the week so I don't need to make too many trips to the grocery store. I've been rotating through a lot of the same recipes (several of which I've shared with you before). I've been digging through my favorite bloggers websites for healthy recipes. Gina at SkinnyTaste and Brooke at Skinny Mom (along with all of the bloggers she has on her website --- there are several contributors who all have fabulous recipes and tips). But even going through all my pins on the Healthy Recipes board on Pinterest, nothing was jumping out on me. I knew I wanted to avoid pasta --- several dishes included pasta and I felt like I needed a break! So I revisited my Weight Watchers cookbooks.

You may remember one of my very first posts: Tweaking My Diet --- Plus 2 Recipes. I shared a Parmesan Turkey Meatloaf recipe which I paired with Roasted Butternut Squash and Parmesan Polenta. Still one of my favorite recipe finds to date. Well, I went digging through these cookbooks again and decided it was time to try something new.

If you're like me, you may worry when you cook something new that is healthier recipe, you may proceed with caution. I feel a slight wave of anxiety come over me when I'm cooking something new for the first time... is it going to taste good? I hope so! Bless my husband, I know he'll eat it either way (however, I am pickier and won't eat something if I really don't like it --- I made my father crazy doing this as I grew up).

From the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook: Orange-Crumbed Baked Chicken. I actually found the recipe directly from the cookbook online so instead of posting the entire recipe, you can view the recipe on page 163 here. I liked how there was only a slight taste of orange flavoring --- it wasn't too overpowering. I cooked the thighs for 20 minutes on each side as I used thighs with bones (the recipe calls for boneless). My only issue was when I turned the chicken over after the first 20 minutes in the oven, some of the breading came off with it. I don't know if I needed to spray more non-stick spray on the sheet next time or maybe I just need to push harder on the chicken when I breaded the chicken. The great part about using thighs (which I don't usually use since I don't like having to pick apart my dinner --- I prefer boneless), the chicken was super moist! Loved this!

From the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Cookbook: Roasted Sweet Potato and Pear Mash. Until about 5 years ago, I wasn't really into sweet potatoes. Even to this day, I don't really eat a baked sweet potato. But my mother-in-law makes a killer sweet potato casserole for most major holidays, and this gave me my cravings for sweet potatoes. Of course, you hear "sweet potato casserole" and start to think about all the unhealthy things that go into it. I've never asked for the recipe because I don't want to be tempted to make it (as yummy as it is) because I don't want to know how many calories are in it. :)

HOWEVER! I found the perfect solution. And I mean PERFECT! Weight Watchers Roasted Sweet Potato and Pear Mash. Here are the details.

Serves 4 (1/2 cup servings) --- 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed (1.25lbs)
1 Barlett pear, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon bourbon or orange juice (I used orange juice)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons butter (I used Land 'O Lakes Light Butter)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pierce potatoes in several place with fork. Place in small baking pan and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. (Note: I bought the pre-wrapped sweet potatoes that I just needed to microwave for 12 minutes --- 6 per potato as noted on the wrapper --- wanted to minimize cooking time).

2. Meanwhile, spray 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray. Place pear halves cut side down in pie plate. Bake until pear and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Carefully transfer potatoes to cutting board, cut in half lengthwise, and let cool. Let pear halves cool.

3. Scoop flesh from potatoes and place in food processor. Remove core from pear and cut pear into chunks; add to food processor. Process until smooth. Add bourbon/orange juice, brown sugar, butter, and salt; process until combined. Transfer puree to small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often, until hot (about 2 minutes).

1/2 cup serving (196 g), 188 Cal. 2 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 5 mg Chol, 238 mg Sod, 39 g Total Carb, 14 g Total Sugar, 6 g Fib, 2 g Prot, 50 mg Calc.

When I plugged this recipe into My Fitness Pal as it was not loaded into the website yet (using orange juice and the light butter), the calories actually came in at 126 per half cup serving, even better! I've got to be honest... I thought these sweet potatoes were as good as my mother-in-laws sweet potatoes! The pear is a perfect way of sweetening the potatoes naturally. I actually even sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on top of mine when I scooped them onto my plate - perfect! I can't wait to make these again, these are without a doubt my new favorite side dish. See below! I made a side of green beans with this dinner... my favorite veggie!

Happy Healthy Cooking! And don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss a beat!

Friday Food Frenzy 11

From time to time, we all struggle when we're out and about to eat right. It's not always easy to make healthy decisions, and sometimes it doesn't even seem like there are healthy options for us to eat. The mall food court can be evil. You've got all kinds of bad but super yummy foods staring you down. I'm relieved that the pizza place and Five Guys is located all the way in the back section of the food court at my mall so I'm less likely to let it bother me. Sure, I'd love a burger and fries and might allow myself a burger or fries at some point in the future. But right now, I need to stick to my plan.

Fortunately, there's a Chick-fil-A right near the food court entrance. I frequented Chick-fil-A before my wedding for their Grilled Chicken and Fruit Salad, which shortly thereafter, the mall locations stopped selling. I was devastated!! It was a great salad loaded with fruit --- before adding the dressing, it was only 230 calories (and the light berry balsamic dressing they had added 110 calories if you used the whole packet). It was such a great salad. I'm so sad they don't have this salad anymore.

If you follow Chick-fil-A at all, you may have heard they recently changed their salads. I was devastated to hear this news, however, before venturing to the mall yesterday, I checked out their new salads online to see what their new offerings were. After scoping them out, I was actually kind of excited to try them. Without further a due...

Chick-fil-A new salads:
- Grilled Market Salad: 180 calories before dressing and condiments (nuts and granola) are added; loaded with apples, blueberries, and strawberries
- Asian Salad: 330 calories before dressing and condiments (Chinese wontons and almonds)
- Cobb Salad: 430 calories before dressing
- Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap: 330 calories before dressing (to dip wrap into)

I wanted to try the Asian Salad. My mall location doesn't sell it, of course! So I picked the Grilled Market Salad. I loved all the fruit that was in it, and preferred the grilled chicken (the Asian and Cobb salads are actually made with their chicken nuggets, which probably plays a part in the higher calorie counts). I didn't add any of the nuts or granola. The zesty apple cider vinaigrette was suggested for this salad, which I honestly didn't love, but it was ok. I only used half the packet of dressing (the entire packed would have been 230 calories --- yikes!!) My only gripe about this salad was the blue cheese. I personally am not a huge blue cheese fan. I picked around the big chunks of it the best I could. Since Chick-fil-A has their salads made daily, I don't know that I could even order it without blue cheese but I will certainly ask next time. Overall, I really did enjoy this salad tremendously. I definitely still want to try the wrap and Asian salad!

Photo Credit

We've all heard about Green Tea. It's potential health benefits to help fight cancer and heart disease. Lower cholesterol. Burn fat. Prevent diabetes and strokes. And possibly even helping to prevent the onset of dementia. However, I've never really been a fan of it. I'm not really a tea person in general (unless it's iced tea). When I was picking up my K-Cups one day in Target, the tea section caught my eye.

There was a whole section of Lipton flavored Green Teas. And a lot of them contained the "Superfruits" that seem to be dominating the market these days. Purple Acai. Red Goji. Mangosteen. Pomegranate. The list goes on. Anyway, I noticed specifically that one of them was decaf!! I didn't know they even made decaf green tea! I've become a decaf coffee drinker at night which I'm trying to change, so decided to try the Decaf  Blackberry and Pomegranate Green Tea. I LOVE IT! It's so yummy! It's slightly sweet but not too overpowering. I also picked up the Red Goji and Raspberry (caffeinated) green tea to try since I love raspberries, but to me, it tasted a bit too artificial. There are so many flavors I want to try! Passionfruit and Coconut. White Mangosteen and Peach. Black Currant and Vanilla. I don't think any of these would ever make me quit my morning "Cup of Joe", but they certainly could be good to have midday before the caffeine would keep me up at night. Interested in trying green tea? Check out their full selection!

Photo Credit

I hope you enjoyed this week's Friday Food Frenzy. New recipes coming next week! :) Have a wonderful weekend!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 10

I must confess, I've been holding out on you. I have a recipe from one of my Weight Watchers Cookbooks that I love!! It's from the PointsPlus Cookbook they released in 2010 from which I've shared a few other recipes with you. It's for Buttermilk-Banana Bread with Toasted Pecans. However, I make this without the pecans and I actually make them as muffins. Initially, I just didn't have a loaf pan and since the recipe said it served 18, I figured muffins would help ensure portion control so I'm properly logging the calories. So I'll stop being selfish and share the recipe. :)

Buttermilk-Banana MUFFINS with Toasted Pecans

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
5 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or insert muffin liners (if you prefer to use a 5x9-inch loaf pan, go for it --- I'll provide the baking instructions).

2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

3. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and (softened) butter in medium bowl until light and fluffy  (the recipe says about 3 minutes, it only took me about 1 minute). Beat in eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat flour mixture into banana mixture until just combined. Stir in all but 2 TBSP pecans (if using).

4. Pour batter into prepared pan(s), top with remaining pecans (if using) and bake as follows:
For 18 muffins: Dark pans for 14-15 minutes; Light pans for 17-18 minutes
For 5-9 inch loaf: 50-55 minutes (insert toothpick into center of loaf and ensure it comes out clean)
Allow muffins to cool before removing from pan OR remove loaf from pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

Using the original recipe (with pecans), nutritional information for 1/18th of loaf OR 1 muffin:
58g, 142 calories, 6 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 33mg cholesterol, 238mg sodium, 21 grams total carbs, 9 grams total sugar, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 33mg calcium.

If you omit the pecans and use 1/2 cup Egg Beaters in lieu of 2 large eggs, it would be 122 calories per muffin. See my yummy finished products below! :)

I posted about BelVita Breakfast Biscuits previously when I received a free sample in my Influenster VoxBox. I had sampled the product as a breakfast option, and decided when I started my new workout routine that this might be a great early morning breakfast when I wake up before my daughter to try to get in a good, early workout. And I was right! I was able to eat the 4 biscuits and workout about 15 minutes later without feeling hungry or sluggish. I initially received a sample of the Cinnamon Brown Sugar (they were good) but bought Apple Cinnamon, which I absolutely love! I bought more to keep on hand for my early workouts. 

If you're like me and browse the magazines as you're in line at the grocery store, you might see what I found this past week: Cooking Light published an All-Time Top Rated Recipes special magazine with 176 greatest hits and tips. It was $11.99 but as I browse through it, I think it's going to be worth every penny (after all, most cookbooks out there cost much more than this). Perhaps I will share some of these yummy recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

I hope you've enjoyed is edition of Friday Food Frenzy. Have a wonderful weekend, and if you're in the heatwave in the northeast like me, stay cool.

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 9

It felt good to get back on the cooking bandwagon this week. I don't know about you but I tend to go through phases where I just don't feel like cooking an all-out dinner. I prefer taking the easier way out sometimes --- marinading some chicken breasts and popping  them in the oven, a side of rice of some sort (more so for my husband --- I personally don't love rice) and veggies.

First recipe of the week: Skinny Baked Burritos, compliments of Skinny Mom. I did slightly modify this recipe. I'm not a mushroom fan, and this recipe calls for fat free cream of mushroom soup. I used Amy's Organic Low Fat Cream of Tomato in its place, and also subbed Sargento Reduced Fat Mexican 4 Cheese in place of the Monterey Jack Cheese the recipe called for. And I used the La Tortilla Factory High Fiber/Low Carb tortillas. When I plugged this recipe into My Fitness Pal, it actually calculated as 249 calories per burrito (40 calories less than the original recipe notes). Even better! I decided while making these up that I wanted to make 6 burritos instead of 8 --- when I made Skinny Enchiladas awhile back, they seemed a little skimpy on the meat and I ended up eating 2. It made more sense to just put more meat into the tortillas so I ended up not eating more than I should have (which worked out well because there wouldn't have been enough room in the dish for 8 of them). If you go this route and follow the recipe with the products I used, it would be 332 calories per burrito. These were super yummy --- next time, I might add some salsa into the burrito before I roll them up for a little extra kick. Here's my final product!

Second recipe of the week: Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake, compliments of Skinnytaste. This recipe is actually two parts as first you need to make the Skinny Basil Pesto. I was able to prepare this in advance and can use the leftovers (wasn't too much) for maybe a sandwich (I don't do mayo so this will be perfect!) I will definitely be preparing this pesto in larger quantities ahead of time next time to have some on hand. This was a very fresh tasting dinner. The pesto with the fresh tomato and mozzarella made it feel like summer, kind of like a caprese salad. Yum!

As part of the Beachbody fitness programs, they encourage you to drink their protein shakes, Shakeology. I've never been into any kind of shakes to be honest. I've tried a few through the years. Special K has protein shakes... They are too artificial tasting for me. I know Slim Fast doesn't count as a protein shake but I went through phases where I would drink one of their cappuccino flavored shakes for breakfast at work since it was just easier than sitting down to eat in the morning. I felt like those were a little more filling, but that was the only flavor I ever liked that they made. Shakeology costs a little more than I'd like to spend on a shake as a stay at home mom, but I did receive a sample from, a Beachbody coach that I'm going to try, so I w,l keep you posted on that...

I was poking around in the health aisle at my grocery store and came across Evolve. It's a new "naturally flavored" protein shake made by Muscle Milk. There wasn't a lot on the Evolve website but here's a perfect quote from PR Newswire to explain what Evolve is and why it's good for you:

"Evolve™ is a naturally flavored, 110-calorie protein beverage that can serve as a complement to any woman's evolution toward a healthy lifestyle.  The delicious and nutritious shake contains 12 grams of high-quality protein, 20 vitamins and minerals and is an excellent source of fiber. Evolve is sweetened with stevia, monk fruit and cane sugar and includes Tonalin® CLA, which helps reduce body fat and enhances lean muscle.  Evolve is lactose and gluten free. The beverage complements a smart nutrition plan that, when combined with a balanced exercise program, may contribute to weight management and recovery from exercise. Evolve is shaped by Muscle Milk and is available in five flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla Crème, Strawberry, Mixed Berry and Café Latte.  CytoSport™, the maker of Muscle Milk and Evolve, is one of the largest sport nutrition companies in the U.S. and offers a complete line of protein-enhanced products including powders, shakes and bars."

The only flavors I saw in my grocery store were the chocolate and vanilla creme so I bought a pack of both. 4 shakes per pack at $5.99. Not too shabby. To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for these, but they were both delicious, though I think I prefer the chocolate. The vanilla was reminiscent of a Vanilla Fribble from Friendly's (just not as thick), but the chocolate tasted more natural for some reason to me. I can't quite put my finger on why that is yet. There wasn't any funny aftertaste and neither tasted artificial, which is a huge feat for the chocolate flavor in particular.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Food Frenzy Friday. Stay tuned to see what next week has in store for me... and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

~ Aly

Food Frenzy Friday 8

TGIF! Shame on me... No new recipes this week. I feel like the weeks this month are just flying by since we've been away every weekend so far. When we're not home, I have trouble sitting down to really focus on picking out new recipes to try during the week. I realize my daughter takes 2 naps a day but that's when I workout, shower, unwind, and try to get caught up on things around the house. Fortunately, we aren't going anywhere this weekend so expect a new recipe next week!

But I do have a couple grocery store finds this week:

Arnold Sandwich Thins - I've seen these numerous times in the store and stumbled across a coupon for them a decided to give them a try. They are only 100 calories --- helps you to save some of those calories from the standard 90-100 calories per slice of most breads. They are actually pretty good! And they taste like bread, just thinner. I tried the whole wheat - these are a lot easier to handle than the previous Pocket Thins I had blogged about since they can't tear when you make the sandwich. These are my new sandwich "go-to's".  These Sandwich Things come in 6 different varieties. Check them out!

Photo Credit: Arnold

Dole Fruit Squish'ems (Apple Mixed Berry) - I had a coupon for these too. I probably wouldn't have known about these otherwise. I think my daughter is going to love these in another month or two. It's essentially just applesauce in a pouch. It's even suggested that you can freeze them and eat them as a slushy (which I definitely want to try --- right now they are just refrigerated). A great snack to take on the go. No added sugars or high fructose corn syrup. They come in Apple, Apple Mixed Berry, and Apple Strawberry. I noticed while I was picking these up that Mott's has their own pouches too so there are plenty of options and varieties to try if you have an applesauce preference. Of course, going straight for the fruit itself is the healthiest option but these are easy to take on the go. 

Photo Credit: Dole

Stay tuned for my new post on Tuesday --- and a new recipe next Friday!! Have a wonderful weekend!!

~ Aly

Food Frenzy Friday 7

Welcome back to Food Frenzy Friday!

I'll be perfectly honest --- with my week getting off to a late start, it was a very lazy week in the kitchen, so no fun recipes this week. But I did have a few good grocery store finds to share.

Photo Credit: Chobani

Calling Greek Yogurt lovers: Introducing Chobani Flip. Yogurt with a side you can dip or mix. I went for the Raspberry Choco Mix (vanilla chocolate chip yogurt with a side of raspberries). I loved the flavor, but the texture of the chocolate chips felt funny --- like they were crunchier than I had expected them to be. There are several other options you can try --- I think the Key Lime Crumble is next on my list. A great alternative when you have a bit of a sweet tooth but don't want to throw your workout out the window.

Photo Credit: Healthy Choice

As I was roaming the grocery store, I wandered into the frozen food section. I try to keep my lunches at home simple, so I like to keep some Weight Watchers Smart Ones in the freezer as backup. Directly next to the Smart Ones in the freezer was Healthy Choice. I can't remember the last time I'd tried Healthy Choice (primarily because I remember looking at the nutritional information close to 10 years ago when I was doing the old LA Weight Loss Program and seeing a higher count of sodium in Healthy Choice. But I saw their new "Top Chef" line and was inclined to give them a try. I found it interesting that they now list the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values on the back of their boxes. Smart of them! Anyway, I grabbed the Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan and saw how these Top Chef meals are noted to be "steamers". I didn't know what to expect but there was actually a mini steaming basket with the food in it on top of the bowl which had the sauce in the bottom of it. Genius idea! The one thing I always hated about frozen meals is how soggy it tastes after it's microwaved. This was not the case with Healthy Choice Top Chef! It was actually super yummy. There is even a coupon on their website if you want to give these a try. You can find your $1.00 off any (3) Top Chef Cafe Steamers coupon here. I definitely plan to try several others in their Top Chef line --- Chicken Fresca with Chardonnay and Crustless Chicken Pot Pie are on the top of my list to try next!

Photo Credit: Naked Juice

Well, I also tried something that is not a new product but something I finally gave in and tried. Naked Juice's famous "Green Machine". I'm a very visual person. If I don't like the way something looks (or smells), I won't try it. But as I keep trying to push myself to try new things, I decided to at least read the information on the bottle before I jumped to judge. This says it best, directly from their website:  

“Looks weird.” Sip. “Tastes amazing.” Sip. “Like apples. And kiwi.” Sip. “Hey, 10 green turbo nutrients?” Sip. “Still looks weird.” But there’s nothing weird about this flavorful blend of apple and kiwi, so delicious that you won’t even notice the 10 green turbo boosts.

I loved it! You can't taste the veggies in this juice, I promise! It's loaded with nutrients (though I did noticed there isn't any fiber in this juice). Please note though that their most common size bottles are 15.2oz and one serving is only 8oz, so the 140 calories they note per serving is for about half the bottle. I love that there are no added sugars in this juice. I'd be interested in buying one of the large bottles (32oz) to keep in my fridge to drink a glass of this after my workouts. I also want to try the two juices they have with coconut water --- Peach Guava with Coconut Water and Pineapple Mango with Coconut Water. Sounds yummy to be!

Photo Credit: FruitWater

Finally, I've been trying to give up my Caffeine Free Diet Coke/Pepsi. I like having a can in the afternoon since it tricks my body into thinking I'm having a regular soda with caffeine to keep my energy up. Silly? Absolutely! Well, right at the end of one of the aisles in the grocery store, there was a display for FruitWater --- a new "naturally flavored sparkling water beverage" by Glaceau (makers of VitaminWater). I decided it was worth a try for zero calories to replace my soda fixation. Love this product! There are only 5 flavors so far, and of the 5, I tried the Orange Mango, Black Raspberry, and Watermelon Punch. The Orange Mango is by far my favorite. Might be a good mixer at a picnic as the weather gets warmer. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend! I'll be back next week (hopefully) with a new recipe! :)

~Aly

Food Frenzy Friday 4

I love my "Women's Health Magazine" emails. I get some of the most interesting stuff from their emails. As I've mentioned before, I have a sweet tooth. Candy, baked goods... you name it. I kind of assumed that candy was off limits while I was trying to lose weight. However, Women's Health Magazine offers great suggestions of candy that you CAN eat while trying to lose weight.

Two awesome grocery store finds this week...

I love the Fiber One Brownies or Sugar Free Jello Pudding. I do want to make the transition to fruit, but I'm trying not to push myself over the edge just yet. Are these the healthiest? Maybe not - I'm no expert. But these help curb the cravings of the full fat foods. When I go down the frozen veggie aisle, I tend to look at the fruit bars and skinny ice creams but usually walk away empty handed because I want to keep whatever my post-dinner sweet snack is under 100 calories. New product alert: Fruttare Fruit Bars. I love mango, so I bought the mango bars (60 calories each). It tastes like mango sorbet --- which I absolutely love!!!!! Other flavors they sell include strawberry, orange, and lime. They also have fruit and milk bars (selections include peach, coconut, banana and strawberry). I can't wait to work my way through all of them, especially with summer right around the corner.

Source

While I was in the organic section at the grocery store looking for Clif bars, I noticed what looked like a new product to me: Monkey Bars. They are granola bars with prebiotic fiber to help improve digestive health. They are 100% natural. My store only carried the banana peanut butter chocolate bars (140 calories), and they are pretty good. A little more banana flavor than I would prefer (not a big banana fan) but I enjoyed them. According to their website, they also sell chocolate chip, strawberry vanilla, and blueberry vanilla flavors. They also make Monkey Brains --- it's oatmeal! Strawberry and Raspberry flavors. I want to try them ALL!!!


I had a bit of a failure following a special snack recipe I had found on Pinterest and was really excited about. I couldn't find all the proper ingredients so I tried a substitution and was unsuccessful (though I think it came out "right", I didn't care for the taste). So I'm going to give it another go in the upcoming weeks and will share with you then. Sorry to keep you in suspense but I didn't want to full review something until I tried the recipe the correct way. So stay tuned! :)

Food Frenzy Friday 3

Welcome back to Food Frenzy Friday!!

By now, it should not be a surprise that I adore the Skinny Mom blog. Fabulous recipes and tips on how to stay healthy and fit. This week's recipe: Skinny Chicken Florentine. One word. YUM! And it's so simple too!! Cook the pasta and chicken, throw it in a casserole dish with the spinach mixture you make and bake. Voila! Spinach is a new love of mine. I don't really love it just outright plain, but I love it in everything. I can see this being a dish that my daughter will love down the road. The pasta makes it deceiving and the cottage cheese mixed with Parmesan cheese kind of mask some of the spinach flavors that kids may not like. If you have a kid and try this, let me know how they like it. I think with kids (especially with picky eaters), it's all about finding meals that hide the healthy foods in them so they don't realize what they're eating is actually a vegetable. :)

Another grocery store find when I was hunting for the Kidz Zone bars: the Clif Kid Z Bar. Same concept, different brand, equally as yummy! I've tried chocolate brownie and s'mores and love them both! Other flavors include chocolate chip, full moon brownie (seasonal), honey graham, iced oatmeal cookie, and peanut butter. I want to try them all!! 120 calories per bar, a great snack to help fill you on the go. 

I've been doing some pinning this week so I can work on finding recipes of my own to modify to make skinny. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for those yummy recipe reveals!

Food Frenzy Friday 2

So you're on a "diet"... In quotes because diets are really a short term deal but when you are trying to lose weight and get fit for life, it's a lifestyle change. I've been behaving while I am in my main weight loss phase. I figure if I get off track now, it may be harder to stick to it. What I wouldn't do for some pizza, homemade chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and a burger with fries. But I have my eyes on the prize. I will allow myself these foods again in small moderation once I've reached my goals and am just maintaining my weight.

I found an excellent substitute last week for pizza... Cauliflower pizza. Well, I found an equally great substitute this week for my cheeseburger craving. Again, it may sound strange to you, but I assure you it isn't. A Cheeseburger Casserole. Gina at SkinnyTaste has done it again with a wonderful recipe. Only 291 calories per cup. And it's a simple recipe to follow... Quick dinner! Lean ground beef, diced tomatoes, cheese, and (whole wheat) pasta are the key ingredients. As I have been with every new recipe, I was skeptical. I do think I overcooked the beef a little bit but overall, it was actually quite yummy and did taste a lot like a cheeseburger (did I mention you chop up pickles to sprinkle on top after it is cooked? Yum!!)

I did make one substitute, unintentionally. The recipe calls for tomato paste. I thought I had some at home and realized while cooking that I didn't. I used some pasta sauce I had in the fridge as a sub (I used 4 Tablespoons since it isn't as thick as paste would have been). I seemed to come out just fine like this. Also, her recipe calls to melt the cheese for about 15 minutes. Everyone's oven is different but mine was definitely done in 10 (and had I been paying attention, I probably could have taken it out sooner). So I would just keep an eye on the casserole when it is in the oven.

Image Source: SkinnyTaste

Another recipe I wanted to highlight: Skinny Fiesta Lime Chicken, compliments of Skinny Mom. This sounded so yummy... chicken, salsa, ranch dressing, lime juice, and cheese. Another really quick and easy dinner since you just brown the chicken and and then add the rest of the ingredients into the pan and warm until the cheese has melted. This smelled yummy and tasted it too. I served it with Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice. I don't usually use instant rice but this was perfect since dinner cooked quickly, and it tasted like I cooked it on the stove top. I use to love ranch dressing but I've outgrown my taste for it in recent years, so it tasted a little too "ranchy" for me (I don't think my heartburn I acquired during pregnancy ever really went away which could be contributing to my distaste for the ranch mixed with the salsa). I think next time I make this, I will use less dressing (possibly as much as half the amount since the recipe called for the entire bottle). I also think I'd like to try this with yellow rice next time to stick to the Mexican menu. 

I hope you enjoyed these dinners and will try them too. If you do, let me know how it goes!!