Not all things with hydrogenated oils contain trans fat...it's just one of those weird little things.
Not necessarily true. They can say zero trans fats if there is less then .5 grams per serving, but it's still in there. This is especially bad if it's something you eat more then one serving of. If you are okay with eating some trans fats then go for it, but personally I try not to eat any.
BTW, I'll post my hummus recipe in a little while.
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (reserve some of the cooking liquid)
4-6 cloves of garlic
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
Process in a food processor until smooth and the consistency you prefer. Add cooking liquid if necessary. I make my a little thinner than I want because the beans will absorb some of the liquid after sitting while. If you want it richer you can add olive oil instead of cooking liquid, but you'll add more fat and calories too.
That sounds so good. I LOVE garlic. As a matter of fact, almost everytime I go to the kitchen I leave with my hands smelling like garlic because the smell is stuck on almost every surface. I've scrubbed everything down half a dozen times, I just can't use a strong enough cleaner to get rid of it. I'd rather smell garlic than have a sinus infection for a month from heavy cleaners...
Are Smart Ones foods any good? Or are there any other "diet" frozen foods anyone would recommend? I like the South Beach ones, especially pizzas, and their wraps. I just have issues with the fake taste some of those foods have. Something about being southern, you know the joyous flavor of fat.
i recently became addicted to the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Cajun Chicken and Shrimp frozen meals. For 250 calories and 17g of protein (I think, off the top of my head) they are very filling and GREAT tasting.
Your husband's texture issue is like my sister's. She can't do lasagna or certain macaroni and cheese dishes because they have "chunky" cheese. Seeing cottage cheese makes her gag, but then again so do garden peas
my husband is the SAME way with lasagna and some pastas! i love lasagna but never make it because he will literally gag and throw up if he has to eat it! i didn't believe him, so i made him try it...much to our dismay, lol. never forced him to try anything ever again!
If you're on a really tight budget then the Smart Ones and 100 cal snack packs are VERY expensive for the food. You're paying a lot extra for the convenience of the diet packaging and the individual servings.
Things that can help: buy plain or vanilla yogurt in the largest container you can and portion in out yourself. If you want fruit flavors, buy a small container of pure fruit spread (like jam) or some frozen berries and mix that in.
If you must buy "snack packs" of things, buy them at Sam's or Costco - you'll save money that way. But the best thing is to buy full sized packages and portion them out into baggies or containers yourself. Do it when you buy the package ... don't trust yourself to do it when you're hungry and want the food.
For snacks I eat a lot of apples, a lot of cheese (I like really good sharp cheddar with my apples). I also make hummus just about every week to have with veggies or spread on a piece of whole wheat pita.
Also a lot of dealing with food boredom is learning different ways to cook things. A little bit of spices and seasonings will go a long way in changing things up. I can eat chicken every single night and never feel like I'm having the same thing because I can cook it so many different ways. I buy all my spices from Penzey's (http://www.penzeys.com), since I can buy small quantities and try new stuff.
Given the economy, I thought this would be a good thread to resurrect. Actually, I found the thread accidentally, googling yoplait breakfast yogurt, looking for a clone recipe, and found my own (no craisins, but I cooked wheat berried today so I had a snack of yogurt and a tbls of wheat berries and a tsp of sunflower seeds stirred in).
I find that I save alot of money buying protein in bulk (like from Costco) lots of beans, lentils, and grains like brown rice and quinoa in bulk from Whole Foods. Also frozen veggies go on sale alot!
Couscous is really easy and cheap (especially if you buy it in bulk), and makes a great salad, just cut up any veggies you want (i like cucumber, tomato, parsley) and put on a little vinaigrette- keeps well and you can take it in your lunch to work!
Last night I made a meatless yellow split pea soup in the crockpot, for lunch and dinner today with just yellow split peas, onion, celery, carrots, canned chicken broth and seasonings (including bouillon). I was a bit concerned that meat-loving hubby would be disappointed that I made it without ham, but he was impressed.
The entire pot cost no more than $3.00 (closer to $2.00) in ingredients, and has made at least 10 servings. 25 cents a meal seems pretty good. Ordinarily I would have served it with homemade bread using my breadmaker, but that always inspired us to eat a lot more soup AND bread, so soup and salad is a better choice.
I also no longer by iceberg lettuce in the bag. The head of iceberg lasts much longer and is cheaper, and I also buy leaf lettuce, spinach and other greens at the farmers' market or organic baby spring green mix at Sam's club (under $5.00 for an extremely large box).
