This past weekend I visited with a very dear friend, Miss Nelda. Whenever I go to her house she offers me cuttings from her yard, like these:

She said to me. “Do you like basil and mint?” I told her I did and before I knew it we were walking through her yard to her herb garden. She pushed through some other plants (I don’t know what they were) and found the mint and basil. She leaned over and yanked those plants right out of the ground. I was excited because in my mind I want to be the kind of person who grows her own herbs and happily plucks them out of the garden while I’m making dinner.

Not wanting to waste the herbs I made the following dish, which ironically used mint and basil! We found the recipe on the back of the whole grain Barilla pasta box and I altered it to what you see here. Sadly I threw away the box so I don’t remember the exact name of the recipe.

Sea Shell Veggie/Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces shell pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 head broccoli
• 2 chopped tomatoes (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 T olive oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• mint (fresh!)
• basil (fresh!)
• pepper

Directions: Prepare pasta according to directions.  Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add chicken breasts and cook until completely done. Remove chicken and keep warm. Heat additional tablespoon of oil and sautee all the vegetables. After 5 minutes add 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are tender crisp. Drain pasta and put in serving dish. Top with vegetables, chopped chicken, and the fresh herbs. Serve and enjoy!

I was amazed at the difference fresh herbs made in this dish. I’ve used fresh herbs from the grocery store before but these had a flavor and odor that far exceeded the ones I had tasted in the past. So our project is to try and root the herbs she gave me so I really can have fresh herbs from my garden!

Have you ever tried to grow herbs? Ever had ones right out of the ground? What do you think? Diane

I’m always looking for new snack ideas for myself, the kids, and as advice to pass along to people who ask me for help in their own weight loss journeys.

I often found in my own journey that I did “fine” for the main meals of the day but would sometimes find having a healthy, filling snack a challenge. I often resorted to just a few crackers with cheese for lack of knowing what else to have. Over time; however, I did become much more adept at finding things that were more healthy and filling for snack time.

In case you, or someone in your life, needs some snack ideas this past weekend I had a brainstorming festival with myself and came up with a big list. Here it is!

Fruits:

1. Apples
2. Apricots
3. Bananas
4. Blackberries
5. Blueberries
6. Cantaloupe
7. Cherries
8. Grapefruit
9. Grapes (red, green, or purple)
10. Honeydew Melon
11. Kiwis 
12. Mandarin Oranges
13. Mangoes
14. Nectarines
15. Oranges
16. Peaches
17. Pears
18. Pineapple
19. Plums
20. Raspberries
21. Strawberries
22. Tangerines
23. Watermelon

Applesauce (Unsweetened), Fruit Cups, and Canned Fruit in their own juice–

Dried Fruit – Try raisins, apricots, apples, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, and others with little or no added sugars. If you have a dehydrator you can do these yourself!

Frozen Fruit – Try freezing grapes or buy frozen blueberries, strawberries, peaches, mangoes, and melon.

Fruit Salad - Don’t add sugar like I used to.

Popsicles – Most popsicles have added sugars and should be avoided. Look for popsicles made from 100% fruit juice or make your own!

Smoothies – Blend fruit with juice, yogurt or milk, and ice.

Vegetables can be served raw with dip, fat free salad dressings, or hummus

1. Broccoli
2. Carrot sticks or
3. Baby Carrots
4. Cauliflower
5. Celery Sticks
6. Cucumber
7. Peppers
8. Snap Peas
9. Snow Peas
10. Tomato slices
11. Yellow Summer
12. Squash slices
13. Zucchini slices

Soy – Edamame are fun to eat and easy to serve. (Heat frozen edamame in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes).

Veggie Pockets – Cut whole wheat pitas in half and add veggies with dressing or hummus or just plain like I like it.

Healthy Grains (bread, crackers, cereals, etc.)

Yogurt – preferably Greek  

Low-Fat Cheese – Cheese provides calcium, but often its saturated fat price tag is too high. Cheese is the number two source of heart-damaging saturated fat. Even with low-fat and reduced-fat cheese, be sure to serve with other foods like fruit, vegetables, or whole grain crackers. Try Laughing Cow Cheese – very good!

Low-Fat Pudding and Frozen Yogurt – Low-fat or fat-free pudding and frozen yogurt can be used as occasional treats, but watch out for added sugars.

Other Snack Ideas

Nuts - Since nuts are high in calories, it is best to serve them along with another snack such as fruit. A small handful of nuts is a reasonable serving size. Examples include peanuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashews, or soy nuts. Look for nuts that are unsalted.

Trail Mix – Trail mixes are easy to make and store well in a sealed container. Items to include: low-fat granola, whole grain cereals, peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits like raisins, apricots, apples, pineapple, or cranberries. These are higher in calories so use sparingly.

Question for You! What do you think of my list? Did I leave any of your favorites out? If so – please share! Diane