Scallops with Spicy Papaya Sauce

Ingredients:

1 small papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp minced jalapeno peppers
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 pound sea scallops
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Take a medium sized bowl and place in it the cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, onion, red pepper and papaya, stirring them together and then setting the bowl aside when finished.  Then take a plastic bag that can be sealed, placing the scallops, pepper, salt and flour in the bag before shaking it in order to coat the scallops with the flour and the seasoning.  Once that has been completed, place a skillet on medium-high heat on the stove, cooking the scallops in the skillet until they turn a golden colour.  Place the scallops over the papaya sauce that you set aside earlier, before serving the whole dish immediately.

Ten Must Haves in a Dieter’s Pantry

Staying on a diet is one of the toughest things to do.  Especially with all the tempting treats everywhere you look.  I have found ten low fat items that I keep in my home at all times.  These are staples to my low fat, low calorie diet.  Without them, I don’t believe my diet would survive.  If you are serious about looking for healthier alternatives in your diet, perhaps you should consider them as well.

•Cary’s Sugar Free Syrup:  When you have to have those pancakes, Cary’s Sugar Free Syrup will cut the calories in half and tastes just as yummy as the sugary version.

•Cheerios Cereal:  This classic favorite is just as good as it ever was.  With very little sugar and fat, it is a great breakfast food for the devout dieter.  Cut up a banana or throw in some berries for an added flavor.

•Fat Free Italian Dressing:  Fat free Italian Dressing is virtually calorie free as well, allowing you to be fairly liberal in its use.  It makes a great marinade for boneless, skinless chicken breast or tossed with fresh vegetables.

•Hostess 100 Calorie Pack Cakes and Muffins:  For your inevitable sweet tooth, these tasty mini-morsels give you just enough to curb your craving.

•I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray:  This spray butter has zero calories and it tastes just like butter.  You can use it on your toast, baked potato, vegetables or whatever you like.  It’s a perfect alternative to the fatty butter or margarine.

•Lay’s Light Potato Chips:  Here’s another great product with half the calories and fat but all of the flavor.  They taste just like regular potato chips.

•Nature’s Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread:  If you like wheat bread , then you will love this.  The name says it all.  It has double the fiber which means it has less fat and calories.  It tastes great too.

•Pam Cooking Spray:  This should be a staple in your home.  Use a few sprays anytime you use the skillet or baking sheet for a light tasty flavor and to keep food from sticking.

•Splenda Sugar Substitute:  It tastes just like sugar and is great for anything you would normally use sugar for, even baking.

•White Wheat Hamburger Buns:  With your extra lean ground beef and these buns, you can make a delicious low fat, low calorie hamburger or Sloppy Joe.   Serve it with Lay’s Light Potato Chips and you have the evening covered.

As I mentioned before, these are all staples in my home and maybe they should be in yours if you want to shed those extra pounds.  You won’t even notice the changes in your diet, but you will surely notice the changes in your waistline.

Switching To A Low Fat Diet

Switching to a low fat diet is not as hard as it seems but it can be difficult for some people this is why it is best to gradually move into this type of diet. The purpose of low fat eating is to help in weight management or lower a person’s bad cholesterol however you want to make sure that the diet you are getting into is something that you can handle many people end up failing because they jump in head first.

The first thing to do is determine if you are the type that can not just change the way you eat but change the way you live. Many diets fail because people are looking at the short term, losing a few pounds or dropping the numbers a few points. It is important to do these things but in the long run, short term ends up producing little to no real results. That means that eating low fat should be considered a lifestyle change as such it should be entered into gradually in order to accustom the body and the mind to a new way of eating, feeling and thinking.

In order to accomplish switching lifestyles and diets successfully consider doing it a step at a time. Start with snacks; change these from high fat or higher fat foods to lower fat healthier food options. Once you are comfortable with the change in snacks consider picking a single meal and change just that meal. Accustom the body to eating snacks and that meal healthily. Then a second and finally a third meal can be added doing this will help to provide the mind and body with less of a shock. It is used to getting certain types of foods and certain amounts of things.

Switching to a low fat diet will deprive it of things it is used too. As a result it will cause cravings to occur. This is usually where low fat diets start to fail. The cravings become more and more difficult to manage as the body tries to force you to maintain the status quo. By gradually easing into this type of healthier diet you can avoid the majority of these or keep them to a level where will power and fighting with yourself does not become an excessive problem.

Many people think that low fat eating will be bland and that the foods because they are healthy have to taste less than appealing. That is not the case and there are many dishes that are available that provide healthy alternatives to higher fat meals that taste just as great. Experimentation with different options and ingredients can help you find healthy low fat alternatives and change your lifestyle for the better without compromising anything you love.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sliced fennel bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
Black pepper to taste
8 ounces whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Directions:

Take a foil pack and place inside of it the broth, garlic, olives, tomatoes, oil and fennel, before sealing the pack and grilling it for approximately twelve minutes worth of time.  Cook the pasta and when finished you can ladle the sauce over the pasta, sprinkling it with basil and pepper for flavour before serving.

Secrets of the Slim

You’ve done it.  You decided once and for all to put away all foods laced with fat and calories and replace them with a healthy diet plan.  But how do you do it?  What are the secrets that contribute to shedding those unwanted pounds?  Here are a few tips to help you get started on your weight loss plan.

•Eat an apple one hour before meals.  Eating a whole apple one hour before lunch or dinner will curb your appetite and you won’t eat as much at the table.  Don’t try this “trick” with another fruit because it won’t work.  An apple is the only fruit that has this effect.

•Drink plenty of water.  You need lots of water to keep you hydrated throughout the day.  If you are dehydrated, you will falsely believe you are hungry and will tend to eat more.  Drinking plenty of water will also make you feel fuller.

•Don’t shop while hungry.  You not only tend to buy more when you are hungry, you tend to buy more sweets and fat filled snacks.  An occasional indulgence is okay, in fact, it is recommended.  If you indulge in the sweeter things in life once a week or so, you are less likely to overeat.

•Don’t keep sugary, fatty snacks in the house.  This will only tempt you to grab the junk food for a snack instead of a healthier alternative.  Keep plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand.  They make a great spur-of-the-moment snack and you won’t be sabotaging your diet.

•Don’t skip meals.  You may think that skipping meals will help you lose weight faster.  In fact, it will slow your weight loss down.  It will confuse your metabolism and will make you more likely to overeat at your next meal or grab an unnecessary extra snack.

•Don’t starve yourself.  This is another misconception about losing weight. Starving yourself will not speed up your weight loss.  Your body will try to compensate by storing extra fat that can be used for nourishment when you don’t feed it.  It will also weaken you, making it impossible to exercise or perform any of your daily tasks.

•Distract yourself.  If you getting a craving for something sweet or just not on your list of accepted foods for your diet, do something to take your mind of your craving.  Read a book, take a bath, go for a jog or do some other non-food related activity that you enjoy.

•Eat plenty of fiber.  A high fiber diet not only helps in weight loss, it is also very good for many medical conditions such as digestive problems, constipation, cholesterol and more.  Be sure you are getting plenty of fiber in your diet.

Dieting is not always easy.  There will be many temptations along the way.  Stay strong and don’t get discouraged.  Simply think about your anticipated goal and know that if you just endure the necessary sacrifices, it will pay off in the end.

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