Pinterest Love plus Roasted Cauliflower & Aged Cheddar Soup!

Over the past week I have gotten back on my Pinterest boards exploring past pins and pinning new ones.  There is no lack of inspiration in this world with the internet at hand and especially with Pinterest.  How awesome is it that you can basically create your own story boards (that would have originally been magazine clippings push pinned to a bulletin board) all in one place!?  With my love of food and low-cal eating I have collected a lot of recipes that I am anxious to try (some just a small taste because they are fattening rich, some a whole plate full serving because they are low-cal!).  I invite you to check out my boards and would love for you to follow any/all of my boards that interest you. 

I made a recipe this evening for my husband that I pinned on Pinterest from Kevin at Closet Cooking:

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup (Click the link for the recipe!)

I tweeked (confused that with tweeking, my bad) tweaked the recipe only slightly.  I skipped the step of sautéing the chopped thyme.  Instead I dropped a bouquet of thyme tied with butcher's twine in the broth.  I fished it out and discarded it before the puree step.  Also, I dare say I used two cups of white cheddar instead of 1 1/2 like the recipe stated.  And yes, I used a cup of heavy cream to make it creamy.  (Kevin suggested it!)  I reserved a little bit of the cheese and fresh chopped thyme for a garnish. All those tweaks and I thought for sure I was breaking the calorie bank.  It tasted like a cheesy cream of potato soup.  I plugged the recipe into the Lose It! app on my iPhone (after I already ate, wink, wink).  I was pleasantly surprised by how reasonable the calories were!  I estimated the recipe to be 4 servings based on how much I ate.  This deliciously, decadent soup was only 378 calories/serving.  I ate a small romaine lettuce salad with 1/2 a Tbsp. of Marzetti's Simply Dressed Light Caesar dressing (18 calories) just before the soup was ready.  I added a slice of gluten-free toasted baguette (55 calories) for dipping in the last bits of soup.  It was a very satisfying meal.  Of course, I'm scared to tell you the fat content. That means I'm not going to.  Haha! In case you are on a low fat diet I would suggest sticking with the 1 1/2 cups of cheese.  Also, use skim milk or extra broth instead of heavy cream.  I'll try to do that the next time.

I can't wait to try Closet Cooking's Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Gratin next!  Stay tuned for a review.

xoxo

Sara

Lazy Low Cal Cookbook

One of my fellow online bloggers, Becky Clark, was kind enough to send me a free copy of her latest cookbook for review.  Lazy Low Cal Lifestyle Complete Cookbook 2013 has over 200 delicious, healthy recipes.  All the dishes list the calories.  What makes the cookbook unique is it contains a ton of meatless recipes, side dishes, and even sweets.  There is also a lot of enticing protein dishes.  You can purchase Becky's cookbook at www.lazylowcallifestyle.com for just $15.  Here is just a sample list of some the items included in the book to wet your appetite:

Main Dishes
Angellic Scallops (266 calories)
Crispy Oven Fried Drumsticks (169 calories)
Green Chile Stew (144 calories)
Hurry Curry (109 calories)
Lazy Burgers (205 calories)
Maple Pecan Salmon (287)

Meatless Dishes
Asparagus Parmesan Puff (272 calories)
Breakfast Quinoa (179 calories)
Cheese and Apple Quesadilla (338 calories)
Chile Relleno Casserole (248 calories)
Gazpacho (58 calories)
Potato Crust Quiche (178 calories)

Side Dishes
Cauliflower with Bacon and Cheese (159 calories)
Creamy Kale (63 calories)
Lemony Green Beans (30 calories)
Simple Biscuits (41 calories)
Squash Gratin (133 calories)
Zucchini Cakes (29 calories)

Sweets
Almost Instant Cupcakes (90 calories)
Cheesecake Brownies (93 calories)
Chocolate Mousse (113 calories)
Doughnuts (104 calories)

Nibbles & Sips
Edamame Dip (24 calories)
Garbanzo Poppers (56 calories)
Ranch Dressing (9 calories)
Reuben Dip (100 calories)

I'm getting so hungry just thinking about all Becky's recipes.  With pool season just around the corner this cookbook is going to come in handy.

Arby's Low-calorie Lunch Options

Before I get into the list of lunch options at Arby's let me talk a little about fitness.  Cardio is forever my nemesis, because I get so bored.  I recently decided to kill two birds with one stone and get my cardio in while watching American Idol.  That would be working out famously if the show still had Simon Cowell and Kelly Clarkson.  It just isn't the same.  Is it just me or is this show getting tiresome?  I don't know if it's the time commitment or the new judges, but it bores me now.  Maybe it's just been on too long.  Perhaps they should change the format to a modern day "Gong Show" so we don't have to hear the judges constructive criticism enjoying hearing their own advice.  At least Simon would skip to the point and just tell a contestant that his/her performance was atrocious with a capital "A".  It was mean, but it was entertaining, succinct, and true.  The magic is gone without Simon.  J Lo and Steven Tyler gave the show it's last breath.  The show is on it's last leg.  Now I just need a new season of the X Factor to get me back into the cardio groove.  Let's just move on to Arby's.

I don't eat at Arby's very often, but for the sake of this blog post I decided to eat lunch there the other day.  Since I was determined to eat low-calorie I did my research before I went and ordered the following meal as pictured above:

Ham & Swiss Melt 300

Apple Slices 30

Iced Tea 0

Total Calories 330

I dined inside and noticed they provided a condiment bar.  I gladly added some pickles, but I skipped the sauces.  I cannot say it was very filling.  Next time I will definitely order something else from the list of meals below.

The key at Arby’s is to skip all the high-calorie sides.  Pair a low-calorie sandwich with either sliced apples and yogurt dip (80 calories) or a chopped side salad with light Italian dressing (100 calories).  If you must have your fries, then order the value size with a junior sandwich.

Roast Beef Classic 350

Horsey Sauce 50
Apple Slices 30
Yogurt Dip 50
Total Calories 480

Roast Beef Classic 350

Arby’s Sauce 15
Chopped Side Salad 80
Light Italian Dressing 20
Total Calories 465

Roast Beef Medium 440

Arby’s Sauce 15
Total Calories 465

Beef ‘n Cheddar Classic 440

Apple Slices 30
Total Calories 470

Deluxe Bacon Cheddar 420

Apple Slices 30
Total Calories 450

French Dip & Swiss/Au Jus 430

Apple Slices 30
Total Calories 460

Cravin’ Roast Chicken 380

Chopped Side Salad 80
Light Italian Dressing 20
Total Calories 480

Chicken Tenders (3) 350

Buffalo Dipping Sauce 10
Chopped Side Salad 80
Light Italian Dressing 20
Total Calories 460

Chicken Tenders (3) 350

Tangy Barbeque Sauce 45
Apple Slices 30
Yogurt Dip 50
Total Calories 475

Jr. Roast Beef 210

Value Curly or Homestyle Fries 240
Total Calories 450

Jr. Ham & Cheddar Melt 210

Value Curly or Homestyle Fries 240
Total Calories 450

Jr. Chicken Sandwich 320

Apple Slices 30
Yogurt Dip 50
Total Calories 400

Macaroni & Cheese 170

Chopped Side Salad 80
Light Italian Dressing 20
Apple Slices 30
Yogurt Dip 50
Total Calories 370

Chopped Farmhouse Roast Chicken Salad 250

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 130
Total Calories 380

Chopped Farmhouse Crispy Chicken Salad 430

Light Italian Dressing 20
Total Calories 450

The following sandwich options are offered regionally and may be substituted for another comparable sandwich:

Arby’s Melt 330

Ham & Swiss Melt 300
Jr. Deluxe Sandwich 260