Category Archives: Eating Out

Baked Garlic Fries with Truffle Oil

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Baked Garlic Truffle Fries

OMG BAKED TRUFFLE FRIES!!! all credit for this recipe goes to my Hubby. About a year ago we were in Atlanta on a business trip and we ordered these Garlic Truffle Fries from a lounge in the hotel we were staying at (Ritz Carlton in Buckhead). We completely fell in love with these fries. It took us some time before we found the Truffle Oil and Truffle Salt. After a few months of searching we finally found a store in down town Edmonton (Evoolution) that carries an amazing selection of Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. We are sill on the the look out for actual truffles, these are a lot harder to come by in Edmonton. For now we will just have to manage with out the actual truffles. Weight Watcher points? I am not sure, but they are baked and not fried in oil. If you share the recipe with the hubby and kids the calorie consumption will be a lot less. Sharing is caring.

Ingredients:
  • 2 medium russet potatoes (about 0.75 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt
  • 2 finely diced garlic garlic
  • 1 teaspoon drizzle of black truffle oil
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh or freeze dried parsley
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (230 degrees C).
  2. Slice potatoes into “hand-cut” size fries as pictured.
  3. Place sliced potatoes in a gallon size Ziploc bag and add the spices (all ingredients except truffle oil, truffle salt and parsley).
  4. Coat potatoes with the spices and oil by shaking bag well.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread potatoes out in a single layer.
  6. Bake 20 minutes. Flip the fries over and crank oven up to 450.
  7. Cook 10 minutes, flip again and cook 10 more minutes or until potatoes are crisp and not burnt. Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes.
  8. Toss with truffle salt, garlic, parsley and drizzle with truffle oil before serving.

Vacation Breakfast

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Last week my hubby and I went on a great vacation to sin city Las Vegas for a whole week. I am always worried when I go on vacation especially for an entire week because I know there will be many temptations that may throw me of track. If your like me you will want to experience it all and here’s how you can without gaining a ton of weight. For breakfast I would have a something light like a fruit dish and my hubby would order an omelette with egg whites then we would share each others dishes. This way I would be getting some of my protein in to help jump start my day but not over indulge with all the added calories and carbs that most breakfast plates have. This is a great way to stay on track and start the day with a well rounded breakfast without consuming a ton of calories. It’s always best to share your meals when you can and always drink water with your meals.  It’s Sin City you can go to the corner store and get cheap wine, coolers, beers and slushies  after dinner, don’t pay those crazy restaurant prices for booze.

Note: The fitness rooms in the Vegas hotels are pricy, even if you are a guest. So to burn off any additional calories I suggest walking the strip at least once or twice a day. Make sure you have comfy running shoes. In the evenings go dancing, there are tons of places to  dance in vegas, just get there early so you don’t have to pay cover. Ladies and gents I gained 2 pounds on this trip. Yes I indulged in treats and yes I drank those fantastic slushies and mojito’s pretty much every night. So go ahead and enjoy Sin City, I sure did and remember if you share your treat, drinks, and meals with your partner your only taking in half of those calories.

Tricks to Eating Out

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I have received a few inquires on what I do when I go out for dinner or when I am on vacation. How do you stay on track is the most common question. I would like to share a few rules I keep with me at all time while out on the road traveling or having a romantic dinner with my hubby. The picture above was taken at a restaurant on our vacation to Atlanta. Gumby and Pokey enjoyed the adventure just as much as we did.

The Bad Buzz Words that makes Amanda Run the other way:
  • Creamy Sauce/Dressings…. RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Deep Fried… If I have to explain this I will smack you
  • Pan Seared.. There has to be oil in that pan for it to not stick
  • Anything Blackened.. It’s like a pound of butter to blacken that piece of meat
  • Lightly Battered/Fried… This does not make it less fattening
  • Sauteed… NO NO NO
  • Au Gratin… this means the food is topped with something unhealthy like breadcrumbs, cheese, breadcrumbs and cheese, etc. AVOID this word, just because it sounds fancy doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
General Notes:
  • Good restaurants will accommodate your dietary needs.
  • Some restaurants will have their nutritional values posted for their menu items online.
  • Salads make me laugh. Most salads have higher calories, fat and sodium content then a steak or chicken meal. Don’t believe me check it out the next time you look up nutritional information on your favourite restaurant.
  • Share your dish. My husband and I often share our dishes when we are on vacation. The portions are often huge and we save money in the process. My favourite dish to share is Chicken or Steak Fajita’s. Soooo much food and you control what you want on it.
  • Order from the kids menu. There is no shame.
  • Plan what you will eat before you go. Sometimes it take a few extra moments to decipher a menu. This way you will be prepared to order and will most likely be waiting on your company. DO NOT look at the menu.. just sip your water, play with your phone and wait patiently.
Amanda’s Top 5 Questions/Comments to the Waiter:
  • Hold the cheese please…
  • Dressing on the side please…
  • Instead of the potatoes, rice, pasta etc..can I please have a second helping of veggies or a small side salad?
  • What’s the smallest steak you can make? Yes I have used this and got a pretty small steak….
  • Hold the Pepper Corn Cream Sauce or BBQ Sauce.. It’s amazing how good a steak tastes without all that added stuff.
Amanda’s Friendly Buzz Words:
  • Steamed
  • Baked
  • Grilled
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • Honey Mustard
  • Au Jus
  • Roasted
  • Garden Fresh
Amanda’s Temptation Dessert:
  • I always look at the dessert menu and if there is something that stands out then I order it and share it with my hubby. By sharing your only consuming half the calories.
  • I also will not have an appetizer if I know I am going to have dessert. For starters I just can’t eat that much food and secondly I would much rather have dessert then a plate of calamari or stuffed mushroom caps.

There you have it, Amanda’s top tips and tricks when eating out or on vacation (P.S if on vacation don’t be afraid to use the fitness room if your hotel has one.) If you have a tip and would like to share it please feel free to add it in the comments section below.

Jalapeno Turkey Bacon Poppers

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Here’s another Hungry Girl inspired recipe. Jalapeno Poppers wrapped in Turkey Bacon. These are so yummy and easy to make and 100% hubby approved. Make a big impression and serve these at your next party. No one will know they are healthy (unless you tell them). By the way, these are 3 weight watcher points for 5 poppers. That’s half the recipe so yes indulge yourself. I do every time I make these. Just a reminder this is the old point system. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.
 
Ingredients:
  • 5  jalapenos
  • 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup low fat tex-mex shredded cheese (or any low fat cheese)
  • Low fat turkey bacon (I used presidents choice blue menu. It’s wide and I was able to cut it into five strands to wrap the jalapenos with. Also it’s 1 ww point for one piece)
  • 1/2 cup of ground fiber one cereal
  • 2 egg whites in a bowl
  • A dash of pepper
  • .5 tsp of garlic powder
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash Jalapenos and cut off the stems.
  3. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise, and remove the innards (seeds and all)
  4. Mix cream cheese, cheese shreds, pepper and garlic powder.
  5. Using a blender or magic bullet, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency (no blender no worries. grab a zip lock bag and roll it with a rolling pin until you have a fine powder)
  6. Place crumbs in one small bowl and the egg whites in another.
  7. Stuff each pepper half with cheese mixture and wrapped with bacon strands (toothpicks help hold the bacon in place while cooking, but remove them when they are done)
  8. Coat both sides of each pepper half with egg substitute, and then with the fiber one. Place peppers in a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray, and place in oven.
  9. Cook for 25 minutes and enjoy. This recipe makes 10 Jalapeno Turkey Bacon Poppers. 

Vietnamese Fresh Roll

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My hubby and I often buy these when we are in the mood for take out and I am to lazy to cook. One day we watched the man make them behind the counter and thought to our selves wow that’s not to complex.

What you will need for one serving (6 WW Points)

  • 3 Rice Papers
  • 1 cup of lettuce any type sliced thin like strings
  • .5 cup Vercimille Rice Noodles
  • 9 cooked shrimp (3 shrimp per roll)

Prepare rice noodles and paper according to package. Lay your ingredients on the rice paper and roll. All the instructions are outlined on the packaging for the Rice Paper. Just follow that and you can’t go wrong. It’s 3 WW points for the rice noodles and the rice paper together so if you use a different meat or no meat all you will need to adjust the point value. Tip for the lettuce I use the pre packages salads because they also have purple cabbage and shredded carrots.

Sauce: Low Fat Peanut butter mixed with Hoisin Sauce and Chilli Sauce. Add some water to thin it and enjoy. Point value not sure average 1 point per tablespoon.

Butternut Squash Crispy Fries

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I love fries but I haven’t touch them since I changed my eating habits (maybe I steal one from the hubby now and then as a treat). Here’s a great alternative to fries: Sweet Potato Fries 

If you want to make them slightly healthier, here are the changes I made to the recipe. I used half a Butternut Squash. I used less oil like half a table spoon. I baked them at 425 on one side for 20 mins then flipped them to the other side for another 20 mins. I guesstimate these are around 2-3 ww points. Butternut Squash is 0 points for a cup so I account for the oil and starch coding. I also sprinkled a bit of Miss Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning with a few sprinkles of corse sea salt. Don’t mind the picture I ate a few before I took the snap shot, I just couldn’t resist.

Twisted Yogurt Creations

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When it comes to sweet treats while out an about or simply just because, I like to stop at Twisted Yogurt. This is my absolutely favourite place to visit. All their yogurt is fat free except for the chocolate; it’s low fat. You select your cup size and flavour. Once your yogurt is in the cup, head on over to the treat bar where they have a huge selection of goodies to top off your frozen treat. In the cup above Mel added dried cranberries, fresh strawberries and these little balls of greatness. I don’t know what they are called but when you bit into them you get a crazy burst of awesome flavor. When we go we get one cup and share it. One, sharing makes is more like a cute high school date and two it saves on calories. A treat is a treat and should be consumed and enjoyed in moderation. Please click here for the location closest to you.

Eating Out at West Edmonton Mall

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Here’s a common scenario around the holiday’s. You are at West Edmonton Mall performing an all day marathon of shopping. It’s around 5 pm and your stomach starts growling. You start heading to the food court and examine the dinner choices around you, KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, Asian or Indian food. All high in fat, sodium and TONS of Calories. When I am at West Edmonton Mall and the hunger bug hits me, I head to the food court by the mini golf. There’s a great healthy fast food place here called FRESHII. It has a great selection of healthy food and the best part is you can select what goes into your food. For simplicity sake I always order the Protein Salad (it’s my favourite). It contains almonds, tuna, spinach, tomatoes, and other goodies. Also, make sure you order your dressing on the side. This way you can control the amount of added calories from your dressing.