Frozen Banana Popsicles

Frozen bananas on a stick dipped in chocolate – an easy, fun summer treat for the kids and grown-ups too!

These are so easy to make and use only 4 ingredients. Sprinkle them with red, white and blue jimmies for the Fourth of July, or use colored sprinkles, crushed walnuts, peanuts, or whatever you like! So fun, you can even get the kids involved!

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Skinny Honey Lemon Bars

 

Pucker Up! These sweet and tangy bars are lighter than traditional bars, but are not lacking in flavor! The sweet and tart topping is made from fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and sweetened with honey atop a shortbread crust. Perfect for potlucks, back yard parties and picnics.

I recently found a lightened up Lemon Bar on a blog (I forget which, sorry) that was adapted from America's Test Kitchen Light and Healthy Cookbook. I tested it out and further adapted the recipe swapping out ingredients and changing it to my taste and the result was a sweet-tart bar I couldn't resist! I'm really not sure what the original recipe looked like, bit I can tell you I loved how these turned out and I will certainly be making them again..

The only problem with these lemon bars is that I find myself making up excuses as to why I can eat another. I suggest making these only if you have some friends to share them with!

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Summer Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini

Need a macaroni salad to bring to your next BBQ without tons of fat and calories? Look no further!

This is the perfect summer pasta salad loaded with fresh summer tomatoes and zucchini tossed in a light creamy dressing. I even snuck in some Greek yogurt for added creaminess but with all the other flavors you won't know it's there. Because there are so many wonderful vegetables in this salad, the portions are a decent size and pairs perfectly with any grilled meats and burgers.

This makes enough for a large gathering, perfect for your Fourth of July parties but if you want to make this for a smaller group you can simply halve the recipe as I did here.

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Asian Ginger Carrot Dressing

This is good stuff! I don't care too much for carrots, but I love a good carrot ginger dressing on my salad when I go out for Hibachi. It's the perfect starter to any dish.

Well, I've been getting requests for this for a while now, so it was time! It's hot in New York, so too cool off I wanted a simple crisp iceburg lettuce salad for lunch. I added some red cabbage and carrots for color and enjoyed every bite! You can serve this on mixed greens, add tomatoes and cucumbers or whatever you like!

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Warm Mexican Corn Salad

Sweet summer corn lightly coated with lime infused mayonnaise with a touch of hot chili powder and shredded cojita cheese.

Inspired by a very popular Mexican street food called elote, a typical street food of grilled corn, smothered with mayonnaise and topped with shredded cojita cheese and chili powder. It's simply addicting and combines the flavor sensations of sweet, spicy, sour and savory. Here in New York, you can find vendors in Hispanic neighborhoods on busy street corners grilling corn and serving this special treat.

There's a heat wave in New York this week, so I skipped the grill and cooked the sweet corn on the stove just a few minutes. I added some fresh scallion and cilantro for color and flavor and loved this as a side dish.

Cotija cheese is a firm, dry Mexican cheese similar to a feta, which could be used in it's place if you can't find it near you.

Side note: Don't you love my turquoise table? It's actually not a table, this was a board made just for me from my crafty friend Tricia over at Crafty Moods. If you have a blog and want to learn how to make these beautiful boards, visit her site and she walks you through it step by step!

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Mom's Spanish Chicken and Rice

Chicken and rice, otherwise known as arroz con pollo is a delicious one pot meal the whole family will love. Arroz con pollo can be made so many different ways and also varies from country to country. In fact, I don't use a recipe when I make this, I just use whatever I have on hand so it may never turn out the same twice. This is my Mom's version, which I've lightened up and recently altered slightly. This recipe first appeared here in 2008 but was in desperate need of a new photo so I hope you enjoy it!

Mom makes her arroz con pollo with beer, green olives along with some of the brine for more flavor and she adds frozen mixed vegetables to it. She typically uses whole chicken pieces on the bone (skin and all) which gives it great flavor, but for this recipe I used boneless, skinless thighs.

Some of my Latin recipes you'll see "sazon" listed in the ingredients. I buy Badia's sazon because it has no msg but you can make it yourself if it's not available near you. Sazon basically means seasoning in Spanish; it typically includes salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, dried ground coriander seed, cumin, ground oregano and ground achiote (annatto) seeds. The achiote (annatto) is what gives the sazon the reddish color and makes the rice yellow. You could sub paprika for the achiote, if this isn't available to you. Some varieties contain azafrán (saffron), a pinch is all you'll need if you want to add it. When you make your own, a good ratio is one tbsp of each spice. Mix well and store it someplace dry. When a recipe calls for a packet, simply use 1 1/2 tsp in place of the sazon. Best part, no msg.

It's perfectly fine to use the chicken on the bone, and yes, you can use white meat if you prefer however, I personally find white meat too dry in this dish for my taste. I love this served with a little hot sauce on top and a simple salad on the side. If you would like to try my version which is made slightly different, and has no beer, click on Arroz Con Pollo, Lightened Up or make them both and let me know which you like best!


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Skinny Overnight Oats in a Jar

A hearty healthy breakfast packed with fiber, vitamins, and nutrients... in a jar (no cooking required)!

Now that the weather is warm, almost every weekday morning after the gym I have either a green smoothie or a bowl of berries, topped with some crunchy granola, nuts and chia seeds with a little almond milk. It's my favorite quick breakfast and fills me up.

Overnight Oats in a Jar is very popular on Pinterest these days. Have you tried them? Some add Greek yogurt to their oats for more protein, but personally I'm not a fan of the tangy taste of yogurt in my oatmeal. Since granola is basically toasted oats, I decided to take my favorite morning combination using oats instead of granola and place them in a jar overnight to see how they taste the next day! 

Verdict: after removing the jar from my refrigerator this morning, I let is sit on the counter while I went to the gym to get the chill out of it. Oatmeal was on my mind all morning as I ran on the treadmill and when I got back I was excited to have breakfast right there on my counter waiting for me and I enjoyed every last spoonful! Yum!

True story: My younger brother had very high cholesterol (he's thin) in his 30's and was able to lower it by over 100 points without the help of any medication, just buy eating raw oats every morning for about 6 months and getting regular exercise. He also increased some healthy oils, but he swears by the oatmeal. The doctor was amazed because they wanted to put him on Lipitor, but my brother insisted on trying to lower it with diet first to see if he could. Oatmeal has since been a part of his daily breakfast routine.

p.s.- I was never a fan of the taste of Stevia until I tried the liquid drops from NuNaturals. Stevia lovers always told me good things about NuNaturals so when I finally got to try it, I see why. You don't get that bitter aftertaste you get with other brands on the market. You can find it at Whole Foods or online, but if stevia isn't for you, use whatever you prefer in your home, a little brown sugar or maple would also work, or you can leave the sweetener out completely. Enjoy!!

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Father's Day Round-Up

Father's Day is this Sunday! If you're stumped and don't know what to make Dad on his special day, I thought I would give you some ideas.

Nothing like starting the morning with some pancakes! These Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes will really show Dad how much you love him!!

If Dad likes meat and potatoes, try this delicious Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew).

For a wonderful pork dish that's both sweet and spicy, try this Sweet and Fiery Pork Tenderloin.

If Dad likes pulled pork, then this easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork made with homemade BBQ Sauce would be perfect!

Another crock pot dish my husband loves is this Crock Pot Asian Pork, great over rice or noodles.

If the weather is warm and you plan on grilling, these Grilled Shrimp Skewers are Bangin!!

And for dessert, who doesn't love Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding! I bet Dad does!!

Wishing all you amazing Dad's out there a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

The sweet aroma of bell peppers simmering slowly all day long with onions and chicken in crushed tomatoes will make you a very happy person when you get home from work. Serve this over your favorite pasta, rice or polenta and enjoy!

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian, often the chicken is dusted with flour and fried in oil before simmering in tomatoes with onions and peppers. This skinny version removes the skin and skips the deep frying, but you won't miss it.

When using your crock pot, I always recommend browning the meat and vegetables first for deeper flavors and a thicker sauce because liquids don't evaporate in the slow cooker.

But for those of you who don't want to dirty a pan, or don't have that extra time to brown first I tested this out using the quick method of dumping it all in the slow cookers.

Verdict: The sauce wasn't as thick as I would have liked, so my easy fix: I set the crock pot to high with the cover off for one additional hour to let it simmer and thicken and that worked fine. Perhaps adding a little flour would also help i thicken. If you want to add mushrooms to the sauce, this would also be a great time to do so.

If you are a white meat girl, you can certainly use chicken breast but I highly recommend keeping the chicken on the bone. The bone is what gives you such great flavor, you can always remove it after.

For the stove top version, see Chicken Cacciatore. Cooking on the stove differs from the crock pot, liquids evaporate quickly on the stove where as in the slow cooker nothing evaporates. When you add all the elements to your crock, you may be tempted to add broth but don't. There will be plenty of liquid once it starts cooking. Also, flavors tend to get muted in the slow cooker, so I always adjust my herbs and seasoning in the end to get it where I want it.

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Grilled Potatoes

Guilt-free crispy grilled "fries" made right outside on the grill!

When the weather gets hot in New York, I like to take the cooking outside. Grilling is usually my husband's job, but lately I've been having fun exploring the many things you can make outside on the grill all on my own, it's really not that hard!

Take these fries, who says you can't make fries outside on the grill? They turn out crispy and delicious without deep frying or heating up the kitchen and you can even grill your turkey burgers along side them.

Yes, you can have your carbs, just have them in moderation. Serve them with some homemade ketchup and enjoy!!

PS- You can find the crinkle cutter on Amazon!

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Homemade Ketchup

Making your own ketchup is so EASY to make at home and making it yourself allows you to control what goes into it.

Ketchup is as American as apple pie, that sweet-sour combination on french fries are irresistible and who doesn't love it on their burgers! But have you ever checked the label of your favorite brand of ketchup? High Fructose Corn Syrup is used to sweeten most brands of ketchup although I did find organic Heinz ketchup in my health food store that does not contain HFCS's, but it was half the size at a higher price.

So I thought it would be fun to try making my own and tested and played around with a few recipes until I found one that I loved with some slight changes using honey as my sweetener and cutting back on the sugar and tested it out on some grilled fries (recipe coming!) and the results were delicious...

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Angel Hair with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Angel hair tossed with summer zucchini and tomatoes fresh from the garden. The perfect meatless meal you'll be craving again and again. Serve this with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, I was away in Seattle for a few days for the Blogher Food Convention so I thought I would share one of my older recipes I love from the archives, perfect for this time of year.  This is easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes.

For those on gluten-free diets, use brown rice pasta instead. Enjoy!

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Shrimp Pad Thai on the Lighter Side

I've been a huge fan of Rasa Malaysia for many years and recently Bee and I have become friends. Bee spent a few months traveling Thailand and when she returned I asked if she could guest post making a Skinnier version of a Thai Classic. Pad Thai is probably my most requested makeover, so who better than to have Bee give us her authentic version with a lighter touch! Vegetarians, leave out the shrimp and add more tofu or add more veggies!

Hi there, I’m Bee from Rasa Malaysia, a website about easy Asian cooking. I’m also the cookbook author of Easy Chinese Recipes (Tuttle, September 2011) — one of the best-selling Chinese cookery books on Amazon. First of all, I wanted to thank Gina for giving me the opportunity to guest post on Skinnytaste and share my Pad Thai recipe with you. I’m very honored—and thrilled—to grace this space, and I hope you like what I have to share with you here.

I love Thai food so there is no surprise that I’m a big fan of Pad Thai, or Thai stir-fried rice noodles. If you have dined at Thai restaurants, I’m sure you have had Pad Thai. Pad Thai is quite possibly the most famous dish outside of Thailand.

Thai cuisine is prized for its perfect balance of the four main tastes: hot, sour, salty, and sweet. Pad Thai is no exception. The spiciness of this noodle dish comes from the use of chili powder while the tartness comes from tamarind. The saltiness of most Thai food comes from fish sauce, or nam pla, while palm sugar lends the sweetness to the overall dish. For this recipe, I opted to use vinegar in lieu of tamarind juice, as it’s commonly used by the street vendors in Thailand. Palm sugar is not a common ingredient for many people, so I substituted it with sugar. The recipe is very versatile as you can make it healthier by adding more bean sprouts and reduce the rice noodles. Other than shrimp, you can also use chicken breast. The fried firm tofu is a key ingredient in authentic Pad Thai but you can’t find it at your local stores, feel free to opt it out.

I love eating my Pad Thai with a generous squirt (or two) of lime juice. It’s a delightful dish to make at home and a complete meal on its own. I hope you enjoy the recipe. If you have any questions, do leave me a comment! Again, thanks Gina for having me.

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Mango Coconut Chia Pudding

I'm addicted to coconut, when I was pregnant it was all I craved! Combine that with mango and I'm in heaven!

...and using chia seeds to make an easy, healthy form of pudding which requires no cooking? Genius!

Chia pudding has a sort of tapioca texture, you simply combine all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight. The little tiny chia seeds when soaked in liquid expand to more than 4 times their size!

They don't really have much of a taste, the texture is similar to passion fruit if you've ever eaten one. And in case you're wondering, yes it's the same chia seed used to make Chia Pets. Chia is an excellent source of omega fatty acids and full of minerals, vitamins and fiber. Aside from making pudding, you can add them to smoothies, muffins, and my favorite, I throw them in my bowl of cereal.

Tested this pudding out on my pickiest family member, my teenage daughter Karina and she LOVED it to my surprise, she usually puts her nose up at some of my healthy creations.

What do you do with your chia? Would love to hear!

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Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

One bite of this spicy black bean burger with spicy chipotle mayo and creamy avocado and you won't miss the meat! Yes, these were good enough to please even the adult carnivore's in my home (a bit too spicy for my kids).

Make no mistake, I love meat, but I also think it's good to give it up at least once a week, so why give Meatless Mondays a shot? Pretty inexpensive to make and really not hard to make. The hardest part is forming them into patties, and even that isn't so bad.

These cook best if frozen so plan to make them ahead and cook as needed. You can even double the batch to keep them on hand whenever you need them.

To store them in your freezer, freeze them on wax paper until they set, about 2 hours, then transfer them into containers. I keep all my homemade burgers labeled in Glad Freezerware containers which can withstand extreme temperatures without cracking. Labeling them keeps them organized so when I have backyard BBQs, I have something to please every palate. Also perfect for once a month cooking!

Vegetarian, High in Fiber, and Gluten Free if using GF oats (excluding the bun). I highly recommend making them exactly as written, don't change a thing!


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Skinny Chocolate Chip Fro-Yo Sandwiches

Skinny chocolate chip cookies made with absolutely no butter or oil sandwiched together with fat-free frozen yogurt and colored sprinkles. If this doesn't say summer, I don't know what does!

Don't you love happy mistakes?

Last week someone tweeted me and told me they made my Best Low Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever but accidentally left out the butter and they came out great. So naturally I had to see for myself, and I couldn't believe it, they were great! For this recipe I also reduced the sugar a bit since I am adding sprinkles, they worked out great.

Since then I've been obsessing on turning them into ice cream sandwiches. I mentioned the other day on my Very Berry Banana Fro-Yo Shake how much I love Stonyfield's frozen vanilla yogurt so I put it to the test. Fourth of July will be here in no time so I made them red, white and blue. Colored sprinkles would be pretty too!

These are a little messy to make, but fun to make with the kids. You don't have to make the whole batch, you can make as little as one sandwich as needed or make them all. The only advice I have is make sure the frozen yogurt is really cold, and after you dip them into the sprinkles place them back in the freezer until they set. Keep them frozen until you are ready to eat, enjoy!

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