Catching Up With Hungry Girl

Hungry Girl is one of my favorite destinations on the internet. She has great advice on healthy eating and dieting, features cool recipes, and wraps it all together with a contemporary flair. She's awesome. So, i was definitely happy to see her weigh in on all the recent hubbub concerning low-calorie sweeteners.

Artificial Sweetener Alert: HG's Take on This Breaking News!

"To deduce that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain from this limited research is a stretch on so many levels."

She points out several things to consider while reading this new research, including:

"Artificial sweeteners contain WAY FEWER CALORIES than sugar. So whatever you do, don't think for one second that consuming a high-calorie soda instead of a no-calorie one is a better idea for weight control."

That's a great point, and one that hasn't been mentioned enough.

So, kudos to Hungry Girl, and check out her whole site, tons of great stuff there including this recipe for some less guilty chili cheese fries. YUM!!

Lentils!?!?!

Recently I put up a post about the upswing in diet cherry cola varieties available. I love diet cherry colas, but I would never think to use them quite like this.

Thankfully for all of us, Bob Jarecki of Davis, CA submitted my new favorite recipe to the fine folks at The Coca-Cola Company. Are you ready for it? Diet Cherry Coke® Lentils! Read that again. It's like the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter. Two great tastes that go great together.

Anyone willing to give this a try?

1 pound lentils
6 to 8 cups water
2 cups diced ham
1 medium onion, finely chopped
12 oz. Diet Cherry Coke

Wash and sort lentils.
Cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce. Heat to a simmer.
Add ham and onion. Simmer for 40-50 minutes.
Add Diet Cherry Coke®. (This will produce a lot of foam.)
Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes or until lentils are done.

Yummy Rhode Island Clam Chowder

Living in Atlanta is proving to be an amazing experience this fall. The leaves are just starting to change colors and the morning air is crisp and breezy. This is certainly one of my favorite times of year.

Unfortunately I know this weather won’t last long. Gone will be the days of sitting outside on the porch, enjoying the weather with friends. In about a month or so it’s going to get cold. Now I know that many people are rolling their eyes because Atlanta weather doesn’t even come close to the weather many experience up north. However, it does get pretty cold here.

To keep you warm for the winter, check out this delicious Rhode Island Clam Chowder recipe from The Food Network. It’s healthy, easy to make and one of my favorites!


Rhode Island Clam Chowder

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 slices Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces), chopped
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
4 cups red bliss potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups chopped clams*
2 cups clam juice*
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Water, to cover
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the Canadian bacon, onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the potatoes, clams, clam juice, thyme and water, to cover. Bring to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
* Can use clams and clam juice from 2 (1-pound) containers of frozen chopped clams in natural juice, thawed.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving Calories 220
Total fat 7.5g Saturated fat 1.5g
Monounsaturated fat 4g
Polyunsaturated fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 60.5mg
Sodium 675mg
Carbohydrates 15g
Protein 24g
Fiber 2.5g