Hungry For Living: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Strawberry Margarita Jell-o Shots!

What you need:

2 lbs. of Strawberries
6 oz. of Margarita Mix
1 Cup of Tequila
3 oz. Strawberry Flavored Jell-O
Sugar and/or Limes (for garnish)

Step 1:

After washing the strawberries cut off the tip so that they will stand upright on a flat surface. Cut the top off the strawberries and using a small melon baller you want to scoop out the insides.

You want to be careful to leave a even shell without puncturing it.

Step 2:

In a sauce pan bring 6 ounces of margarita mix to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the jell-o mix. Once dissolved stir in the tequila.

Step 3:

Place the hollow strawberries on a plate and fill to rim with jell-o. The strawberries need to go in the fridge for at least four hours.

TIP: Keep any remaining jell-o at room temp, You may need it to refill some strawberries that leak. Some strawberries may leak. Allow the initial jell-o to set before you try to refill the strawberries with more jell-o. You can also salvage spilled jell-o on the plate with a spoon.

Step 4:

You can serve the strawberries as is or if you want to garnish them you can rub the rim of the strawberries with a lime wedge and then rotate them in sugar. You can also add a garnish of lime. TIP: You want to serve the strawberries cold.

Make It Hungry For Living!

Here are some ways to make this recipe a little healthier.

1- Use sugar free Jello
2- Use a low cal margarita mix (like Skinny girl) or use 6 0z of lime juice mixed with 1Tblsp of Agave
3- Use truvia (no cal sweetener) instead of sugar as a garnish
4- Use only limes or mint leaf for garnish
5- Don't use a garnish

Friday, May 4, 2012

7 foods with more FAT than a stick of butter!

I'm guessing you wouldn't go out for dinner and order a stick of butter. Obviously that would be ridiculous especially because of how much fat you would consume in just one sitting. Not only would you be overwhelmed with all the fat and calories, but you would get very little nutrients as well. So most no one would actually choose to eat a meal that to many seems gross based on it's fat and calories, but some of your favorite meals from restaurants contain just as much fat or even more than a stick of butter! Every stick of butter has a total of 92 grams of fat, that is way more than the maximum amount recommended each day for a healthy diet.

Here are some of the worst meals that you can order when out to dinner at your favorite restaurants. Are your favorite guilty pleasures on this list?

BURGERS:

A burger can be part of a healthy diet. You do however have to consider toppings, cooking method and bread type. The biggest problem with today's burgers are their size. Three ounces is generally considered to be a serving size of meat, but when is the last time you saw a three-ounce burger on a restaurant menu? One of the worst offenders of over beefing your burger is Hardee's 2/3lb Monster Thick burger. It contains two 1/3-lb. patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayo which all add up to 92 grams of fat! The same as a stick of butter.

Burgers come with a double whammy. Not only can they overdue it with the beef, but one of the worst ways restaurants get you is when they over due the toppings. Today you can find pizza burgers, grilled cheese burgers, and even burgers with doughnuts for buns. TGIFriday's has a Southwest Burger with cheese, spread, avocado, fried onion strings and 100 grams of fat!

FISH:

Though fish is a recommended food to eat a few times a week, I don't think nutritionist recommend fish that is deep fried. Obviously fish and chips isn't the healthiest choice when dining out but Applebee's fish and chips dinner carries a whopping 138 grams of fat, more than three days worth! That is like eating one and a half sticks of butter.

SHAKES:

Generally you don't want to drink your calories, and I'm guessing you don't want to drink your fat either. Though shakes and smoothies can be healthy, When you get one from a restaurant they are more often than not loaded with hidden calories and fats. Men's Health even went so far as to name the PB&C Shake from Cold Stone Creamery as the "Worst beverage in America". At the time of their article the shake was listed to have 131 grams of fat (the same as 68 strips of bacon). Today, Coldstone's website lists the large size still to be well over a stick of butter, with 118 grams of fat. (Even the small has an entire day's worth of fat, at 74 grams)

FRIED CHICKEN:

This southern comfort food is usually seen as a splurge since its name alone contains the F word. You can reduce the intake of fat and calories by choosing veggie sides and choosing white meat chicken. Popeye's meal of three pieces of chicken, a biscuit, side and desert would take you back108 grams of fat.

QUESADILLAS:

That yummy cheese, sour cream and guacamole quickly add up. Other add ins like chicken, can be deep-fried, and tortillas usually are coated in butter to get that toasted shell. Ruby Tuesday's Baja Chicken Quesadilla is packed with grilled peppers, onions, and topped with a chile-lime sauce. It may seem innocent enough, but just one quesadilla will cost you 95 grams of fat!

SALADS:

It's always a good bet to choose a salad when you want to watch the calories and fat right? Not really. When you start piling on toppings like bacon, fried chicken, tortilla chips, creamy dressings, croutons, cheese and eggs you end up with more fat and calories than if you choose that burger or sandwich you wanted. IHOP's Crispy Chicken Salad does just that racking up 95 grams of fat! & Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad contains 99 grams of fat!

Does it make you rethink that meal you love at your favorite restaurant? Don't forget with today's technology you can access restaurant nutrition information online, and if you forget to check ahead of time don't forget that smart phone in your pocket while out to eat!

We know were in for more fat and calories when we eat out, but are you surprised by just how much fat is in these restaurant favorites?