10 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta - AKA Cleanse Gone Wrong

Okay okay -- I'm embarrassed -- I did not go through with the cleanse. It's not that I was starving it's not that the smoothies were awful - I just was craving pretzels and have no will power :)

So -- now that I had ALL those vegetables and did not want to spend MORE grocery money for the week what did I do? Well the pineapple, apples, cucumbers, some of the easy to eat raw foods I just utilized as snacks. But I was excited to use the avocado. I've been meaning to try this avocado creamy pasta I saw on one of my FAVORITE blogs which happens to be vegan living Oh She Glows - 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta It was my inspiration as I altered the recipe slightly but only slightly because there is not much to it.

Single Gal's 10 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Ingredients:
-Half an avocado
-1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
-1/2 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic*
-Pepper
-2 oz/1 Serving Whole Wheat Pasta
-Parmesan Cheese

1. Bring several cups of water in a medium pot to boil. Add pasta - cook until al dente depending on pasta shape.

2. Meanwhile (do this while the pasta is cooking or my 10 minute claim is invalid :) ) In a food processor or blender combine avocado, olive oil, and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add pepper to taste.

3. Drain pasta and immediately add avocado cream sauce so it melts and adheres to the pasta.

4. Add Parmesan to taste. Enjoy!

This was my creation: Loved the green look made me feel like I was eating a vegetable but it was a bowl of delicious carbs!

Recipe Review: Skinny Cosmo

Ta Da!

So this is a follow-up from my skinny bar drinks. I tried the Skinny Cosmo this weekend which is ordered as 'Raspberry vodka with club soda and a splash of Cranberry juice' all for 115 calories

I wasn't sure if the bartender's 'splash' was more than just a splash or if their raspberry vodka was colored because it looked a little darker than the picture I grabbed from Oprah's website.

Oprah's Website: Skinny Cosmo

Bar experiment  Skinny Cosmo

However, very delightful! Had that little bit of a fizz from the club soda. With a squeeze of the lime it tasted very similar to a Como. I will definitely be ordering again!

Can I buy you a drink?

So this post kind of goes hand in hand with the skinny girl product review.

As a single young professional women I find myself enjoying the bar scene. Note: any and all can enjoy the bar scene but I'm merely referencing it this way instead of saying 'I frequent the bars' :)

And as I've already pointed out I like to stay healthy and natural when it comes to my eating/drinking habits. This is where the skinny girl and this blog comes into play. I am looking for a low calorie and 'healthy' beverage to drink. More emphasis on the low-calorie because sometimes these late bar nights turn into pizza at 2am.

So I've already mentioned Skinnygirl and they do have the pre-mixed bottles at some bars but what if they don't? I've googled this several times in my young adult life and haven't found anything until now. I don't want that 6 ingredient drink that only I can make at home. I want that easy/cheap drink that a cute guy can remember enough to order me when he asks "Can I buy you a drink?" and who would have thought... Oprah had the answer! I stumbled upon this link today and wanted to share.

Best Drinkers for Dieters or what I'd like to call Best Drinks for Skinny Girl on the Go! Not really that we are going anywhere but drinks that can be ordered anywhere.

Easy to order low calorie mixed drinks:

My top picks:

1. Dirty Martini -- Best Alternative: Hot pepper-flavored vodka over ice with olives. Now this one sounds very scary to me. I love the IDEA of a dirty martini but have not actually enjoyed them so I'm thinking switching this to a flavored vodka while I still get my olive might be an okay trade. This one will be interesting but definitely worth the try.VERY simple order--lets just see how it tastes--straight liquor has not been my thing since I turned 21. ** Saves 200 calories!!

2. Cosmo -- Best Alternative: Raspberry-infused vodka with club soda and a splash of cranberry. I LOVE a good cosmo and I have tried doing vodka with club soda with a splash of cranberry before -- it did not cut it. I'm hoping this raspberry infused vodka will add just enough flavor without all the calories. Nowadays most bars have some type of infused vodka whether it be cherry, blueberry, or marshmallow so this should be an easy find! ** Saves 100 calories!

3. Beer -- Best Alternative: NOPE not light beer :) A shandy or Michelada -- a WHAT? I've never heard of these either but I'm very excited to try them.
A shady is one part lemon seltzer a squeeze of lemon and two parts beer.
A Michelada is a dash of hot sauce, a dash of Worcestershire, black pepper, a juice of a lime in a glass with ice and then you pour in the beer filling it as you go.
Both of these are great because they allow you to drink those heavier full calorie (more delicious) craft or foreign beers. The first one has less beer and the second one allows you to sip more slowly - pouring as you go and the heat also will automatically slow you down.

Check out the site for low calorie eggnog, margarita, and even wine! I'm proud of Oprah on this one. Can't wait to try the easy to order low calorie bar drinks above and will report back.

Happy drinking!

Recipe: Quick and Easy Chili Potato

So this will be a brief post -- which fits with the theme! Quick, easy, and HEALTHY dinner/lunch recipe. This takes me back to the days of my dorm room when I was limited with a microwave and small fridge to prepare healthy, affordable, easy recipes.

I purchased Amy's Light in Sodium Medium Chili a week or so ago when I saw it listed as one of the 100 Cleanest Packaged Foods I truly believe a good diet and health can be achieved by just eating clean/natural. This list is great for people like me who don't have the time or money to spend eating EVERYTHING straight from god's green earth and this chili was a great light in sodium packaged delight. I enjoy Amy's products so I knew I would like the Chili.

And digging through the pantry I also had a potato, through the fridge some plain non fat Greek yogurt. And that's it!

First I microwaved the potato - some microwaves have a potato button nowadays but here is a link to various ways to 'baked' in the microwave. Microwave 'Baked' Potato

Heated up the chili - put a dollop of Greek yogurt on top and TA DA! Healthy inexpensive easy dinner is served!

Servings: 1 - can be doubled, tripled, etc
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes (depending on potato size)

Ingredients:
-1 Potato
-1 Cup of Amy's Low Sodium Medium Chili
-2 Tablespoons Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt*

1. Scrub potato with warm water. Pierce potato with a knife or a fork
2. Put potato in microwave - select 'Potato' button or cook for 5 minutes. Continue this until the potato can be squeezed and feels soft.
3. Heat up a cup of Amy's Low Sodium Medium Chili
4. Assemble -cut potato lengthwise opening the potato. Pour Chili on top. Dollop with sour cream. ENJOY!

You can also add cheese, chives, hot sauce, whatever condiments you enjoy on a baked potato. Full of protein and fiber! Very filling meal.

*Omit the Yogurt or Replace with Vegan Sour Cream and meal becomes Vegan.