How to Make "Zoodles"

Tired of pasty pasta? Wanna cut down on carbs? Had it with rice? Or maybe you just want to eat more zucchini that doesn't taste so much like, well, zucchini? 

Then try "zoodles." Thin strips of zucchini that have the look and texture of spaghetti. Great as a side dish, with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and even holds up pretty well under a tomato sauce.

Zoodles with Cheese

 Serves: 1

First, you'll need to get yourself a cute Veggetti gadget (you might buy it at your local homegoods store, or see link at the end of this post to get one online).

Can you exercise yourself thin?

Not on your life

Ever heard these laments (or made them yourself)?

• "I work out at the gym several times a week, but I can't seem to lose weight."
• "I go to zumba and aerobics, but all I get is hungry."
• "I do yoga every week, but never drop a pound."
• "The reason I don't lose weight is that I'm gaining muscle, which I've heard weighs more than fat."

And what about these excuses?

• "I just burned calories in my step class, so I can have an ice cream or pizza."
• "I can have that extra helping of potatoes because I'm going to aerobics class later today and will burn it off."
• "My program (weight watchers/myfitnesspal, etc) gave me extra calories because I took a walk this morning, so I can eat a little more and still stay within my calorie goal."

So why do you think you aren't losing weight?

Kale salad with feta and grapes

Ok, I know that kale gets overworked, almost to the point of being trite. But, what a good way to get in some greens and fiber! And here we have it with low-fat feta deliciousness, the zing of grapes and the nutritious crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds. Rich enough to satisfy as a little lunch, when paired with some nice whole-grain crackers.

Kale salad with feta and grapes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3/4 pound kale, tough ribs removed and leaves cut crosswise into pieces (about 9 cups)
1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
1 1/2 Tbl red wine vinegar
1 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
5 oz. crumbled feta cheese--reduced-fat, or fat-free
Freshly ground black pepper

Salmon with balsamic marinade

Time to move off the gloom-n-doom and get us some delicious recipes. This time, it's fresh salmon, oven roasted with a balsamic marinade. So rich and delicious, so filled with healthy fats and proteins, and so so easy.

We start with fresh salmon steaks, which you can find at (wait for it) MY Hannaford's in Modena! You can pobably get them at Gadaletto's or Adams, maybe even Shoprite or Stop and Shop. But I KNOW you can get them at Hanaford in Modena. Six-ounces pieces of fresh and uniform wonderfulness.

You can pair this with one glass of a nice savignon blanc and zucchini with shallots and fresh oregano for a delicious satisfying meal. Oh, yes a salad would be good, too, with mixed spring greens, alphafa sprouts, fresh dill and fresh torn basil, topped with a nice lemon salad dressing, or something like Newman's Own Lite Balsamic (my go-to dressing when I don't make my own).

The power of a sandwich - reality check

Let's grab a bomb (I mean, a sandwich)

You're out at the mall or passing through town, and you're hungry. Why not stop and grab a sandwich? Maybe you just need something to "hold" you until dinner. A sandwich can't be very fattening, since it's wrapped up in that cute package and goes down so fast.

Well, think again, because you've just bought yourself a time bomb. This isn't meant to scare you, but to help unravel some of the mystery about why we continue to gain weight (or can't seem to lose it). And if these particular foods aren't in your life, just substitute what you DO eat, and look up their nutritional information on something like myfitnesspal.com.

I call bagels and sandwichs stealth bombs. They are compact and look like nothing. The fattening ingredients are squshed up and hidden inside. The bread is just something to hold the other ingredients together, and doesn't really count (even if it amounts to a half a loaf that you would never eat, if it were laid out on your plate). And you need to eat it quickly so it doesn't fall apart - so quickly that you won't even notice how much you have eaten.

Let's take a look at how big these bombs are: