Friday? Already?

I can't remember how I came across the hungrygirl website, but I signed up for their daily newsletter a couple months ago. Every time I sign up for a daily newsletter I end up regretting it, mainly because I eventually decide that I can't be bothered reading anything extra. (I recently subscribed to Flylady, and while I think it's a great way to get your house in order and keep it that way, the emails are just tooooo muuuuuuch. Also, a tad too touchy-feely for my taste. Reading Remember, you are loved! after every email makes me want to stab myself.) Anyway, I actually look forward to the hungrygirl emails. They're not necessarily geared toward the Body For LIFE-style of eating, but I've gotten some great recipes and recipe ideas from this site, and most can be tweaked to fit anyone's diet. Here are a few I found today (don't mind the cheesy names or overuse of exclamation points):


Bake-tastic Butternut Squash Fries!
(Serving Size: 5oz. of squash cut into fries, calories: 65, fat: 0g, sodium: 6mg, carbs: 16.5, fiber: 4g, sugars: 3g, protein: 1.5g)

Ingredients:

1/2 butternut squash
kosher salt

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and de-seed your butternut squash. If you're unfamiliar with handling these large items, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them. Once your orange friend is peeled and sans seeds, slice it in half. Then cut it up into french fry shapes. We like to use a crinkle cutter to make authentic looking crinkle cut fries, but they'll work any way you slice 'em. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover lightly with kosher salt (regular salt works, too, but we prefer kosher salt). Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.Serve with ketchup, or however else you enjoy fries or sweet potato fries!**We've been known to eat a huge 2-3 serving bowl of these for lunch...they're awesome, healthy and packed with fiber!



Swap-corn Shrimp!
Coming up with a popcorn shrimp swap was no easy task, 'cuz as you know, those breaded sea critters have nothing at all to do with popcorn, and EVERYTHING to do with fried greasiness. With the help of our favorite fiber-ific cereal and a fat-free egg sub, we churned out crunch-alicious shrimp so good you'd swear they were packed with gazillions of calories (but they aren't... Woohoo!). There are actually less than 200 calories in the whole entire batch; so shrimp it up, baby!

Ingredients:

3 oz. raw shrimp; peeled, deviened and cleaned
1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour Egg Beaters into a bowl. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour Fiber One crumbs into a plastic container that has an airtight lid (or into a plastic food storage bag). Add as much salt & pepper to Fiber One as you like. Next, prepare the shrimp by ensuring that they are as dry as possible (use a paper towel to soak up moisture). Place shrimp in dish with Egg Beaters and coat them thoroughly. Transfer shrimp to Fiber One container or bag and secure lid/ seal bag. Then shake until shrimp are well coated. Place shrimp on a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cook shrimp for 15 – 20 minutes (flipping them about halfway through), until outsides are crispy. Let ‘em cool; then serve 'em alone, with ketchup or with some cocktail sauce.

Serving Size: Entire recipe
Calories: 180
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 420mg
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 14g
Sugars: 0.5g
Protein: 26.5g


Peanut Butter Yup!
Today is Halloween, and chances are you'll either be sitting next to that dreaded candy bowl, or helping your kids sift thru (and possibly eat) oodles of tiny chocolate bars, lollipops and candy corn. But even itty-bitty candy bars add up to huge amounts of calories if you eat enough of 'em. So before you grab one, two -- or SIX of those "fun-size" minis, head into the kitchen and whip up a batch of our Peanut Better Cups. This year, we think you should SKIP the packaged, chocolate holiday treats altogether and opt for our better-for-you swap instead.

Ingredients:

1 8-oz. container Cool Whip Free
1/3 cup Better ‘n Peanut Butter, Regular Creamy
4 tbsp. Hershey’s Syrup, Sugar Free

Directions:
Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake holders, or spray pan with nonstick spray. Using a whisk, combine one cup of Cool Whip Free with Better 'n Peanut Butter. Fold in remaining Cool Whip. Pour the mixture into cupcake tin evenly (approx. 2.5 tablespoons each). Top each cup with a dollop of sugar-free chocolate syrup (about 1 tsp.). Freeze. Enjoy. Serves 12.

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 56
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 61mg
Carbs: 10g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 2.5g
Protein: <1g

(I wonder if you could add some whey protein powder to this one to balance it out? Worth a try, right?)