Article: Best Healthy Foods in America

I don't think I can ever stop myself from eating fast food (especially with a husband who craves for KFC, McDonalds and Taco Bell all the time). So good thing I came across this article about the 39 Best Healthy Foods in America.

Here's the link --> http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/slide/best-instant-oatmeal?slideshow=98360#title

Recipe: 320-Calorie Burger

This is the second recipe I lifted from "Cook This, Not That!" It's not as good as the California Avocado BLT burger of Food Network but for 320 calories, I'd say 3/5.

First, tips on the recipe:

It is very important that the burger is seasoned well since it is what makes this recipe so feel free to be creative and add more spices when you make your patties (the recipe only indicates adding salt and pepper to the ground sirloin). Make sure that you don't overcook the patties or you'll have a dry burger since this recipe does not use any kind of sauce.

Pros:

- it's 320 calories

- it's a burger

- it's filling but it's not too heavy

- caramelized onion + burger is just perfect

- it's ready in 30 minutes

Cons:

- it can be really dry if you overcook the patties

- can be bland if patties or the onions aren't seasoned well

- no cheese!

Recipe: Oreo Truffles

Recipe from http://delightfuldessert.blogspot.com/.

I was so surprised that such an easy recipe would yield out something really really great.

I've never really been a baker nor a lover of sweets so I was not confident at all that I will have any success in following this recipe (I screw up even insta-bake cupcakes/cookies). Since the recipe didn't tell me to bake, I decided to give it a try - what could go wrong with putting a bunch of choco balls in the fridge right?

When I served this tonight as dessert for our Valentine's dinner, my husband and I were both very surprised how good these came out! He thought they taste just like commercial truffles. The only thing I would change about this recipe would be the size of the truffles (make them smaller but maybe that's just me) but everything else is just perfect.

**I was trying to make a smiley face on the plate but I failed! Haha!

Recipe: Valentine's Special

Because we couldn't decide where to eat and because I am still under the influence of "Cook This, Not That" we decided to have our Valentine's dinner at home.

Menu:

- Mixed Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

- Bacon Wrapped Scallops

- Seafood Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

- Pork Chops with Beer and Bacon Gravy

The salad is an original by Giada De Laurentis - she used sherry vinegar while I used red wine vinegar because our local grocery doesn't carry sherry vinegar. If you are to follow her recipe make sure to go easy on the cheese - the first time I made this I went crazy on the cheese and it made the salad super salty.

The scallop dish is the first recipe I lifted from "Cook This, Not That!" and I must say that I'm impressed. Although I almost forgot that I placed this in the broiler (I cooked it for 15 minutes instead of the recommended 10), the scallops didn't turn rubbery and the bacon was still very crisp.

The seafood pasta is by Rachael Ray from 30-Minute Meals. I decided not to include sherry wine but the pasta still turned out to be tasty. My husband loved it so much! This was also a hit the first time I made it for friends during Christmas.

The pork chop is another original by Rachael Ray. This recipe is great because of the gravy...pork chop + beer + bacon = love. Without the gravy the dish would be too boring. Make sure that you pick a beer that won't overpower everything else. I didn't make a good choice so I ended up adding more and more stock to balance out the flavor.

My husband and I assessed that had we had the same meal outside, we would have spent $160 with tip and tax. The meal we prepared only cost us $80 and we still have left over for tomorrow.

I say this is the best Valentine's dinner I've had in a while - the sumptuous dinner made the night great but having my husband help me out in the kitchen is just priceless.

Recipe: Super Bowl Special

Super Bowl day is one of those days that you can be a couch potato and you don't have to feel bad doing so. So my husband and I did all our errands yesterday and decided that today will be spent watching Super Bowl specials and not leaving the couch at all. To accompany our extreme laziness, I prepared us some fatty nibbles...

I'm still feeling sick from last night's dinner so I was only able to finish 1 hotdog sandwich. My husband, on the other hand, downed 3 hotdog sandwiches and most of the onion rings before the first quarter even ended.

Time to prepare the Nachos! :)

Commitment to Fit and Save

I saw this quote earlier at Sports Authority. I told my husband "That should be our motto this year." He agreed.

As part of that commitment, I purchased this book:

It promises to save us "10, 20, 30 pounds - or more!" It's supposed to teach me recipes that are comparable to those you order from restaurants but with way less calories, fat and sodium.

**Cook This, Not That! recipe reviews will probably start a week from now.

Restaurant: Brasa Rotisserie

Brasa was awarded "Best Restaurant" by MetroMix Twin Cities. Brasa is an original of Minneapolis but the place became so popular that they decided to open another branch in Saint Paul. You can choose to order family style or individual meals and mix match different kinds of meat and sides.

It reminds me of those "inihaw" places back in Manila but in my opinion Brasa's food is more tender and has less fat. Perfect saltiness, crispy skin and juicy meat perfectly describe the Brasa's Rotisserie Chicken - very close to KRR's chicken. I thought at first that the Pork Shoulder was bland but as we continued to nibble and nibble the citrus-y flavor of the fork-tender meat started to come out. I had a little help from the Mexican hot sauce to give the pork a little more kick. The Beef Roast is love. The sweet-spicy sauce goes very well with the well-seasoned and extremely tender beef. They also serve Coca-Cola in a 12oz bottle which they call Mexican Coke - I know it's not that special but this reminded me of how Coke was back when I was still in school. :)

We spent 38 bucks (tip included) for - 2 orders of white bean soup, 1/4 rotisserie chicken, 2 meats (which includes 2 sides) and Mexican Coke.