Hi, my name is Joy, and I'm an Avocado-holic.

My obsession with avocados has really become ridiculous. I mean, don't get me wrong, avocados are wonderful and super healthy in moderation (click to read about all their good stuff here). It's not that I feel bad about eating them; I'd much rather crave them than a fast food burger or some Krispy Kremes. But, I've actually made a morning trip to the store because I dreamed about avocado and woke up wanting some. I dreamed about it. Avocado dreams. That's pretty intense.

So I diguised it and made it into fries. If you're looking for a subsitute for regular fries, trying to incorporate more nutrients and healthy fats into your diet (great for energy! we went for an awesome run later!), or just want an excuse to add avocado to every meal you ever eat, make these. Super easy and delicious. Promise.

Avocado Fries: (serves 2)

• 1 whole avocado
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
• about 1/2 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs (I ended up needing a tiny bit more at the end to coat everything)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. Sazon Tropical seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. dry cilantro
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• Cooking spray
• Grated parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and scoop each half out of the rind. Cut into slices of desired thickness up to about a 1/2 inch.

Lightly salt the avocado slices before you start coating them. Set up three stations, one for flour, one for eggwash, and one for panko. Add garlic salt, Sazon, cilantro, cayenne, pepper, and paprika (or any spices of your choosing) to panko and mix.

Dust each avocado slice in flour, dip in eggwash, and cover in panko. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Lay breaded avocado in one layer on pan, spray tops with cooking spray if desired, and bake for about 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. You can cook yours darker than mine...but I was starving and I'm really impatient.

I added some fat free parmesan cheese on top of ours, and we dipped them in a spicy ketchup, though I don't even think they need a dipping sauce. The texture is awesome - super crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I am actually concerned about how much I like these, because it makes me want to cook them everyday. And that brings us back to my avocado addiction...

Oh well. I've accepted it.

So I served my fries with some teriyaki marinated chicken cooked on the old George Foreman Grill that I somehow ended up with possession of after college. I have used it maybe twice in my life, but since the oven was occupied, I gave it a shot. I totally suck at it, and my "grill marks" look ridiculous, but it was fast and easy. The marinade for the two thin sliced chicken breasts was super simple.

• 3 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Marinate for up to a half hour, then cook!

Small salad on the side, and this was dinner.

So go cook some avocado fries and tell me how much you love them!

I'd probably eat a shoe as long as it was covered in enough fruit topping.

When I was little, I didn't like chocolate. And I hated cake.

I hope you didn't hurt yourself falling off your chair when you read that. Yes, it's true. I was a very strange child. And my eating habits were pretty weird too. (corny joke noise here)

But alas, I have matured and I sure do love me some sweets every now and then. I don't know about you, but I'm a fruit kind of girl. Generally I will choose strawberry topping over hot fudge, though you can't go wrong with a nice combination of both! Here is my recipe for a fruit topping, followed by the ice cream sundae I made with it. My whole sundae was less than 200 calories, and low-fat!

The fruit sauce is SUPER easy and you can put on pretty much anything (though I don't recommend shoes). I use it for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, etc. In fact, put it on top of your 60-calorie Jello Temptations chocolate mousse, and the combination is almost too delicious. Plus, each 1/4 cup serving (which is quite a bit) is only about 40 calories depending on what fruits you use. The recipe here gives you 6 servings, 37 calories each.

Fruit Topping: (makes about 1 1/2 cups, or 6 servings)

• 1 lb. of berries of your choosing (I used 8 oz. strawberries, 4 oz. blueberries, and 4 oz. cherries)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. and 2 tsp. Truvia 
• about 10 drops of lemon juice

Wash fruit and remove any stems or pits. Cut larger berries into halves or quarters. (I have only used berries, but if you want to use another fruit, I say go for it! The recipe is pretty customizable and you can always cook it longer if you use firmer fruit.)

Put the fruit in a medium saucepan, add cornstarch, truvia, and lemon juice, and stir until mixed.

Cook on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft and have reduced down to a chunky sauce, around 10-15 minutes. I smash them with my spoon while I'm stirring to help get the consistency I like.



Cook it down as smooth or as chunky as you like. If you want a completely smooth sauce, you can use a hand mixer or throw it in a blender after it is done cooking. Let it cool a bit before adding to ice cream, though I prefer the topping warm when I add it to pancakes and waffles. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge for whenever you need a little treat!

For my ice cream sundae, I used Edy's Slow Churned Cookies 'n Cream ice cream, which is low-fat and 120 calories for a 1/2 cup.



I am a huge fan of Skinny Cow as well, but it doesn't come in larger tubs. The single serving cups are pretty great though.

Here are the other toppings I used on my sundae...

The two in the middle are calorie free marshmallow and caramel toppings made by Walden Farms. Though I am skeptical that anything that is calorie free is too good to be true and probably not that great for you, I couldn't resist. They are made with Splenda, and tasted pretty darn good. I only used about a 1/2 tbsp. of each, and it was plenty! Next was a 1/4 cup of the fruit topping. I never buy chocolate syrup, but it was given to me by a friend who was moving away (thanks Kari!), so I threw on a 1/2 tbsp. of that (25 calories), and then a generous helping of some fat-free whipped cream. Throw on a cherry and you have a delectable and guilt-free sundae that I promise will take care of that sweet tooth.

Word to my mother.

When I was growing up, my mom was known around our house as "Mother Hubbard". She could always find something to make no matter how few ingredients we had in the pantry. It's a pretty great skill to have, and my mother has perfected it. This isn't necessarily one of her Mother Hubbard meals, but it uses ingredients that you most likely already have around, and is one I remember her making when I was little. I think since I loved stroganoff so much, I just eventually took over the job of cooking it. This is how I make it now, using fat-free sour cream to make a guilt-free stroganoff sauce that is creamy and delicious.

Beef Stroganoff: (serves 2)

• 1/2 lb. grass-fed steak
• 4 oz. dry no-yolk egg noodles
• bouillon cubes
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 5 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 5 tbsp. fat free sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

Cut steak into cubes and pour 1 tbsp. soy sauce over top. Cover and refrigerate up to a few hours. The longer you marinate, the better flavor your meat will have. I never measure out the amount of soy sauce I use, just make sure you cover all the beef.

Boil water, adding the appropriate amount of bouillon cubes based on how much you are using. Cook egg noodles as directed.

While noodles are cooking, cut up veggies. I feel like stroganoff is supposed to have mushrooms, but you can add whatever floats your boat. I know from working at Noodles & Co that people add all sorts of things to stroganoff. Spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli are all great additions. But I kept it simple here.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, cook for another minute, then add beef. Cook until steak begins to brown, then add mushrooms. Continue cooking until steak is cooked through and mushrooms are tender. Drain most of liquid out of pan, leaving just a small amount in with the meat mixture. Add remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, then turn heat to low. Stir in sour cream and seasoned salt, and cook until heated through. If sauce is too thick, add soy sauce or chicken broth. If sauce is too thin, add more sour cream. (Fat free sour cream is my favorite base for cream sauce: only 30 calories for 2 tablespoons, obviously no fat, and no one ever knows it's not the regular kind unless you tell them!)

Pour over top of cooked egg noodles, and top with parmesan cheese if desired. EnJOY!

And a shout out to my mom, since she originally taught me to cook this, and lots of other things I still make today. You rock, Mom! Love you!



Popeye would be proud.

I put spinach in our mashed potatoes last night. Oh my goodness gracious why did I not do this years ago? I was going for a simple, home-cooked meal, but I wanted to figure out a way to add some extra veggies and liven it up a bit. Restaurants serve loaded mashed potatoes, so I was sure I could come up with some things to add that would give great flavor but also be healthy. I ended up with garlic, spinach, and blue cheese mashed potatoes.

The recipe made enough for four people, with each serving being only 150 calories! Plus you got some extra veggies in too. Seriously, you will love them. And I think spinach gives you muscles, so that's a plus ;) I've also included the recipe for the chicken I made. It was pretty simple - a citrus/ginger/soy marinated chicken breast that I threw in the broiler, though I wish I could have grilled it. We had some corn on the side. Yum!

Garlic, Spinach, and Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes: (serves 4)

• 600 grams of potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes, I used yukon golds)
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
• 1/8 tsp. and 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tbsp. garlic and herb sour cream (plain is fine but this kind is packed with flavor)
• 2 tbsp. skim milk
• 2 tbsp. reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles

I always weigh our potatoes soI don't make too much, but if you don't have a scale, this is what 600 grams looked like for me:



(I had some mini ones and some regular size, so I used a mix).

Cube them, put them in a pot, cover with water, and boil until fork tender. Sometimes I add bouillon cubes or chicken stock to the water, but there was enough salt in this meal that I omitted it and the flavor was perfect.

While potatoes are cooking, add butter to a skillet and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Add garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, then add spinach and 1/8 tsp. garlic salt. Saute until spinach is wilted.

Drain cooked potatoes, then add cooked spinach, milk, sour cream and 1 tsp. garlic salt and mash with a potato masher. Add blue cheese crumbles and gently stir until mixed in.

And that's that - a great way to sneak in some more vegetables with your meal and spice up your plain old mashed potatoes!

Citrus/Ginger/Soy Marinade: (makes enough to marinate 2 breasts and baste them during cooking)

• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, diced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. white wine (if you have rice vinegar, use that...I just ran out!)
• 1 tsp. sesame flavored chili oil
• juice from one small orange
• 1/2 tsp. truvia
• 1/2 cup water

I know this makes a lot, but I really hate dry chicken, so I'd rather have plenty for basting during the cooking process. I made the marinade first, simply by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl. Put the chicken in a bag, pour enough marinade in to cover it, and refrigerate for at least two hours. Cover the rest of the marinade and refrigerate as well. I broiled my chicken for about ten minutes, adding more liquid every time it started to get dry. I'm sure it would be great on a grill. I think next time I might add honey or some more sweetness to change up the flavor a bit, but I ate my whole piece and I'm not even a chicken fan!

So that was last night. I had all intentions of making something super yummy tonight, but unfortunately a mishap in the kitchen sent us out to eat instead. Clearly I've been working out too much and don't know my own strength, because when I grabbed the handle to turn on the faucet, it broke right off in my hand.

I'll be calling maintenance first thing in the morning. But no water in my kitchen meant a night off of cooking for me! Now go eat.

"I'm just going to make something up...if it doesn't work, we'll order Chinese."

Sometimes I can pick one ingredient I know I want in my meal, but I have no idea what the heck to do with it. Yesterday I wanted to use some ground beef, but I knew I didn't want the normal tacos, nachos, burgers, or spaghetti. So, I just started grabbing things out of the fridge that looked like they would compliment each other and I went with it. What I ended up with was a sort of Asian-style spaghetti, but you don't have to pay the delivery man. (Your thighs won't pay either. Bonus.) And it was mighty tasty!

Asian spaghetti (serves 2)
3 oz. whole grain spaghetti
bouillon cubes
6 oz. 90/10 grass-fed ground beef
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. and 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
chicken stock or white wine
1 tsp. sesame flavored chili oil (optional)
1 carrot, cut into 2-3 inch sticks
10 asparagus spears, cut into 2-3 inch sticks
1 green onion, dark green parts separated
1 mini bell pepper, julienned
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
20-25 leaves fresh spinach
fresh lime juice (optional)

Cook the spaghetti in water with the bouillon added. I used chicken bouillon but any would be fine...just follow the amount directed for how much water you're using. Cook noodles al dente, as they will cook a bit more later. Drain and set aside.

While noodles are cooking, cut up veggies.

I previously used the tips of my asparagus for another meal, so that's why they're missing, but feel free to use all of yours, or any veggies that sound good to you.

Brown meat in a skillet with 1 tsp. of soy sauce and garlic powder. Drain and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in large skillet, add whites from green onion and saute until translucent. Add carrots, asparagus, bell peppers, garlic and ginger. Saute until vegetables are cooked but still have a little crunch to them. Add chicken broth or white wine during cooking whenever liquids dry up to continue to soften veggies. Once veggies are cooked, add cooked spaghetti, ground beef, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, and sesame chili oil. (The sesame flavor works great in this dish, so if you don't like spicy, I'd recommend using regular sesame oil if you have it. If you like more spice, you can add chili paste or red pepper flakes.) Cook until warmed through. Turn off heat and stir in spinach until just wilted.

Divide into bowls and top with dark green parts of onion, and squeeze some fresh lime juice on top. This dish would also be great garnished with some fresh cilantro, but unfortunately I didn't have any.

This was a quick, colorful lunch and a nice change of pace from our usual routine. Enjoy!