Friday Foodie ~ Magnificent Mangoes!

We have been enjoying incredible mangoes for the past few weeks.  Our Walmart Neighborhood Market carries them and I've been scooping them up.  This week I decided I wanted to make mango smoothies to bring back memories of our time in the Philippines.  (Which, by the way, I am SO SO SO glad we were able to take that trip last year before travel came to a halt!)

Mangoes can be a lot of work to cut up.  I looked around online and found the OXO Good Grips Mango Splitter on Amazon.  It came yesterday, so I went to the store this morning and bought 8 mangoes.

The instructions show slicing the mango with the skin on.  I tried that the first time and it worked really well until it was time to try to get the fruit off the skin.

For my second mango, I peeled it first and it went through the slicer so much easier!  Then it was just a matter of cutting it up.

I scraped as much fruit off the pit as possible.  I don't want any to go to waste!  I cut one pit in half.

I divided my mangoes, putting half in the freezer and half in the refrigerator.  Tip for freezing fruit:  put it on wax paper on a baking pan for the first few hours.  Once the fruit is mostly frozen, transfer to a resealable bag.

This afternoon I made mango smoothies.  Half frozen, half unfrozen in the blender.  I added just a little water to get it to blend.  Magnificent, indeed!!

Friday Foodie - Acai Bowl

When we were in Hawaii last month we had Acai Bowls for lunch several times.  The difference between an acai bowl and a smoothie is the thickness.  You can drink a smoothie, while you need a spoon to eat an acai bowl.  Acai bowls usually have some kind of a topping as well.  Packed with power foods these are very filling for a meal.  Since we've been home I have experimented quite a bit and the third time was a charm!

Acai Bowl (2 servings)
Ingredients:
1 cup Ocean Spray Lite Cran-Grape Juice (5 calories per cup)
1 medium banana
1 scoop protein powder
2- 4 oz packets frozen Acai Berry puree (these are from Target)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Toppings:
1 medium banana, sliced
2 Tbsp. granola
2 Tbsp. Coconut flakes
1 Tbsp. honey

1.  Add ingredients to blender in order listed.  Blend, using "crush ice" first, then move on to mix and puree until all ingredients are blended.
2.  Pour into 2 bowls.  Place in freezer for 30-60 minutes until firm.
3.  Top with toppings and enjoy!

Nutrition info (without toppings):  210 calories/1.75 g fat/6.25 g fiber/3 WW points
Toppings: 150 calories/6.5 g fat/1.4 g fiber/3 WW points

As you can see the toppings add calories and fat, so you can switch to lighter options if you want.  We just had these for lunch and Les said, "I can see myself eating a lot of these this summer!"  These are a light and healthy option to sandwiches or burgers.

Aha Moment!

I should know this by now. I really should.

Yesterday afternoon, around 2:00, I was hungry. Not famished, but hungry. Les said, "Eat something healthy." I thought about having a yogurt, when it hit me:

I can have a banana for ZERO points!!!

Yep. I had the banana.

I should know this by now. I really should.

Friday Foodie

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving...


I wanted to try some new recipes for Thanksgiving, but do not like to try something for a crowd that I haven't made at least once. So we had an early Thanksgiving meal this week! Not the full up, every side dish imaginable Thanksgiving meal, but I did make a turkey! The two side dishes I wanted to try were Double Duchess Potatoes and Zesty Cranberry Relish. They both turned out great!


Double Duchess Potatoes
Serves 10 (pictured is 1/2 recipe listed below)


4 Tbs. butter (I left this out!)
1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 lbs. all-purpose potatoes, peeled, cut in 2" pieces
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 2" pieces
3 eggs (I used 3/4 cup Eggbeaters)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add apple and onion; cook, stirring until very tender, 20 minutes. I decided to eliminate the butter, so I cooked my apple and onion in the microwave with a little water, took about 5 minutes.

2. Place potatoes in separate large pots with enough water to cover. Over high heat bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain each pot separately.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Coat 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. On medium speed, beat all-purpose potatoes, 1/4 cup Eggbeaters, and milk until smooth; beat in apple-onion mixture until combined. If desired, transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe or spoon into mounds, 2" apart, in baking dish. (I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup and scooped from the bowl to the baking dish.)

4. On medium speed, beat sweet potatoes, paprika, pepper and remaining 1/2 cup Eggbeaters until smooth. If desired, transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe or spoon between mounds in baking dish. Bake until heated though and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes.

This was very good!! And I'm happy to report I was able to almost cut the calories IN HALF from the original recipe!! Believe me, we did not need 4 tablespoons of butter - they add 264 calories and 32 grams of fat to the recipe!

Original nutritional info: 216 calories / 8 g fat / 3 g fiber / 4.4 WW points for approximately 3/4 cup.
Revised nutrition: 113 calories / 0 g fat / 3 g fiber / 1.7 WW points for approximately 3/4 cup.


Zesty Cranberry Relish
Serves 12


1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2 navel oranges, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar

Put all the ingredients in a food processor, process until coarsely chopped, about one minute.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I have had for about 3 years and always meant to try it. I'm glad I finally did!! Especially when you consider the nutritional information!

Nutritional info (1/4 cup): 34 calories/0 g fat / 2 g fib/ 0 WW points

According to the recipe this refreshing relish can be made up to 1 month ahead and frozen. So that is what I did! One dish is ready for next week!! To defrost, place it in the refrigerator overnight.

For my turkey, I bought a small turkey breast (just under 4 pounds) and cooked it in my crockpot. I added 2 cans of chicken broth, seasoned the turkey, put it in breast down, then cooked for about 4 hours on high. The button popped out and my turkey was done! It was extremely juicy and just about fell off the bone. Of course this will only work if your turkey will fit in your crockpot with the lid completely closed. If you have a small family this will work perfectly, freeing up your oven for all your yummy side dishes!