Recent Journal Entry Archive

As most of us have heard, NutriMirror has been nominated in the Best Weight-Management Tool contest on Lifehacker (yea! for everyone that made that happen!).

Here's the bad news...that vote was only for nominations. The real voting has begun and we are woefully in last place. We can turn this around; we are motivated!

Go to Lifehacker, scroll down mid-way and vote for the best damn weight-management tool (a play on the Best Damn Sports Show) you know and love!

I couldn't find information on when the voting ends, so let's inundate the site with votes sooner than later.

Edit 10-5-09: This

I am completely overwhelmed and to be honest I'm rather speechless. Reading Jim's post and all of your comments actually made me cry. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and good thoughts.

I cannot tell you how great it is to be writing this from MY OWN BED with my dog at my feet!!! That's right, I'm home! Yippee and yahoo!

I'd like to give a public thank you to my aunt Pam for coming out so quickly to be with me and my mom. Also to my uncle Jim for letting you all know

What a pleasure it was meeting NM users in person!

We had a great time Saturday; it was especially fun putting the online picture and username with the "real face"... "Hey, you're SylviaAnn!", "No way, that's JCSteel!", "Oh my gosh, it's m•o•m!"

Sweet66 and her husband zimzam65 were the most changed from their profile pictures. Anna has cut her hair short and it looks real cute and her husband is sans beard! He looks completely different and 10 years younger.

Big thank you's to czoerun for the awesome vegetable care-package (from her garden) she brought us and to carrieredhead for supporting m•o•m. We

We tried out a few more products from the NutriMirror store. This time it was the silicone pot holder, silicone oven mitt, and silicone trivet.

Each one works well and will absolutely protect you and your kitchen surfaces from heat. I do want to mention that the oven mitt is large and will easily fit men. On women it's roomy and may be a bit cumbersome; although it does give ample coverage. The hot pad is also large and I was grateful for the surface area it covered which allowed me to easily grab a baking sheet

We brought home a set of stainless steel measuring spoons from the NutriMirror store a few weeks ago and took them for a test run through the kitchen. We are happy to report that they passed the test and have been given the M.O.M seal of approval.

We knew immediately because of their shape that they would easily fit in the square openings of most spice containers -yay! That may not seem like much, but it's a big deal. Made of stainless steel, the spoons have a nice weight to them, they feel good in your hand. And the rubber grips

It's time to start thinking about cool and refreshing hot weather treats. Here's a blast from the past, the oldie-but-goody ice pop.

I remember my mother making orange juice popsicles when I was a kid. They were sweet, tart, and so cold my lips would turn pink. As a kid I could never eat them fast enough though, I always had orange juice running down my arm or dripping on my bare feet. Ahh, the memories of summers past.

Well the weather was nice last week so we played around with the Frozen

M.O.M journal archive, for all the latest and greatest.

And here is a list of some recipes we've posted.

Have fun cooking!

We first learned of IZZE sparkling fruit juices a few years ago when we were at a trade show in New York; IZZE was one of the sponsors.

It was hot, our days were long, and the IZZE was free. Boy did it hit the spot. Tart, refreshing, and fizzy; it was the perfect soda replacement.

I just went to the IZZE website and it's pretty groovy -looks like it would be a cool company to work for. I saw that they have some products I wasn't aware of: low calorie, called IZZE-esque and fortified drinks called IZZE fortified (they come in

Tuesday was full of chicken questions. Deeishealthy commented on chicken tenders and how she didn't know they were an actual piece of the chicken. She thought they were just a deep fried creation of fast food restaurants.

Then Munkstir had us all rolling on the floor in laughter with her chicken boobie quandary. "Is half a chicken boob, half of a half?"

Well get out your pencils, you're gonna want to take notes -there will be a test. M.O.M has the 411 on the humble chicken breast -with pictures! (and a visual tutorial on chicken tenders to boot).

Lesson 1: behold a whole

Okay, I'll come clean...It's embarrassing, but I'll tell you...

The reason I'm late with today's post is because I watched a cheesy Lifetime movie last night. When it was over I was tired and went straight to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow I realized that I had completely forgotten to post!

Well the movie was bad...but this dish isn't (ooo, that was smooth). Nice flavors, good numbers, tasty warm and even cold right out of the frig as a snack. Add in the sugar snap peas and little carrots, and you've given yourself a serious boost towards a

The title of this post comes directly from the Super Smoothies recipe book. The writers, Mary Corpening-Barber and Sara Corpening-Whiteford, certainly knew what they were doing when they came up with this sweet, tart, and rich smoothie.

Low calories, low fat, and with a nice kick of vitamin C, this drink is fab in the morning or as a snack.

Ingredients

• Fresh strawberries, 1 cup (140 grams) -quartered
• Light vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup (106 grams)
• Soft tofu, 1/3 cup (78 grams)
• Banana, 1 medium size (96 grams) -sliced and frozen
• Pineapple juice concentrate, 2 TB (30 grams)

Preparation

Slice banana before freezing it.

Combine strawberries, soy

The photo shows our lunch today; wasa crackers, thinly sliced roast beef, lettuce, and the prettiest pickled onions. It was such a nice change from the usual. These onions are also great on top of a salad. What will you eat them with?

Makes 11, 1 ounce servings.

Ingredients

• Purple onions, 1 lb (470 grams)
• White wine vinegar, 1 1/2 cup (344 grams)
• Bay leaf, 2
• Fresh thyme, 4 branches
• Dried red chiles, 2
• Sugar, 1 TB (15 mL)
• Black pepper, 1 tsp (5 mL)
• Salt, 1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
• Water, 1 1/2 cup (350 grams)

Preparation

Bring a teakettle of water to a boil.

This recipe is easy-peasy (hehe, I couldn't help it). You will love it at lunch, with snacks, at dinner, and heck if you eat eggs have it with them too.

The taste is fresh, the sundried tomatoes and garlic give it a kick, so a little goes a long way. If you've been looking for a new way to get iron -this is it.

Ingredients

• Sundried tomatoes (not in oil), 2 ounces (59 mL)
• Frozen peas (thawed), 16 ounces (454 grams)
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1 TB (15 mL)

Preparation

Rehydrate the sundried tomatoes in hot water, for about 20 minutes.

So, I was talking with my mother this evening and brought up the spicy black-eyed peas. I mentioned that this recipe had a lot more fat in it that her other black-eyed pea recipe, and I wondered why she made it. I mean, it's a really good recipe and we've eaten it often, but I don't remember it's fat and calories being so high. She told me this was The Black-Eyed Pea recipe. We talked and talked, each of us becoming confused and frustrated (we do that a lot). We finally decided to get out the recipe and her measurements

Here's another list of interwebs obsessions. We hope you enjoy, get a kick out of, and maybe learn a few tricks from them.

Do any of you visit ethnic markets in your town? They are fascinating and full of aromas and ingredients that might be new to you.

I haven’t visited an Indian market in our town yet –not sure where one is actually. But we do make trips to the Japanese and Chinese markets and there are Mexican markets everywhere. We get a kick out of visiting these places and always come away with some new “thing” to try. Sometimes it’s food, other times it’s a kitchen gadget, and in the case of the Japanese market there is almost always a fashion

Mom and I have a weekend ritual. On Saturday and Sunday mornings we have what we refer to as, "civilized coffee". We're half joking with that title, but what we do is take the time to sit, chat, and enjoy the morning. There is no agenda, but this does seem to be our best time for ideas and brainstorming. We're definitely morning people and the creativity flows at that time (I however, do not speak until after my first cup).

Effort is put into creating a pleasant environment. We get pleasure from pretty things -not perfect things, but things that

There are a gazillion uses for this tapenade. Yes, I said gazillion.

Here are a few suggestions:

On mom's final trip to the market Easter Sunday, she noticed the good looking blackberries (and they were priced right), so she grabbed a pack; she also picked up a cantaloupe and a lime. She told me that while at the market she didn't have anything in particular in mind for the fruit -they just looked good.

At home mom tasted the cantaloupe and it was perfection -great, it can be left alone.

The blackberries on the other hand... yowza! they were tart. Gotta come up with some way to mellow them out.

Honey will do the trick! A small amount (1

These are great, you're going to love them.

Mom reworked this already healthy recipe to be even more friendly towards your day by lessening the sugar by half, adding whole wheat flour, and using the walnuts as a garnish rather than a main ingredient.

The ingredient list is long, but look it over before you cross this recipe off your to-do list. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry.

Ingredients

• Canola oil, 1/3 cup (46 grams)
• Lowfat buttermilk, 1/3 cup (48 grams)
• Brown sugar, 1/2 cup (96 grams)
• Pineapple juice, 1/3 cup (58 grams) -drained from the can of crushed pineapple
• Egg, 1

We went to one of our local farmers markets recently. There is so much to see and take in. The aisles are brimming with colors and fragrances from flowers, produce, and freshly prepared foods.

Does your town have a farmers market? There is a website called localharvest.org which allows you to enter your zip code and request information on everything from farmers markets to farms, CSA's, grocery/co-ops, plus more. The Local Harvest website says: "The best organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown

This is PrePak's go-to sweet treat for any and all office celebrations...the humble Angel Food cake; although this version is chocolate.

We made this cake last week knowing it would be welcome at any Easter celebration. And with nearly zero fat, zero cholesterol, low sodium, and low calories, it will be a hit wherever you take it. So enjoy a slice.

Ingredients

• Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup + 1 TB (28 grams)
• Water, 1/4 cup (60 grams)
• Vanilla extract, 2 tsp (8 grams)
• Sugar, 1 3/4 cup (350 grams)
• Cake flour, 1 cup (100 grams) -sifted
• Salt, 1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
• Egg whites, 16 (480 grams)
• Cream of

Ingredients

• Yellow peppers, 2 (288 grams) -cut
• Red peppers, 2 (310 grams) -cut
• Purple onions, 2 (484 grams) cut
• New potatoes, 10 small (332 grams) -sliced in half
• Garlic, 1 whole head (68

This dish came about for the same reason a few of the others have - we continue to need more fiber in our diets.

So one more salad to add to your repertoire (and ours) is a good thing. As they say, variety is the spice of life. Who are "they" anyway?

Ingredients

• Barley, 1 cup (184 grams)
• Salt, 1/8 tsp (.6mL)
• Water, 3 cups (682 grams)
• Corn, 2 cups (246 grams) -fresh or frozen
• Scallions, 1/2 cup (30 grams) -chopped
• Jalepeno, 1 or 2, to your taste (50 grams) -minced
• Parsley, 1/4 cup (12 grams) -chopped

Dressing

• White wine vinegar, 3 TB (36 grams)
• Extra virgin olive oil,

Have you ever had a Salad Nicoise? If not, get ready for a new favorite.

This is our version of the classic French meal, which is rich in fiber, protein, iron, plus vitamins A and C; this salad can certainly help out your day.

A few things to note: the hard boiled egg is certainly optional –if your body can’t afford the cholesterol, leave it out (the egg is included in the nutrition label). The balsamic vinaigrette is made with extra virgin olive oil, which some of you may have recently learned from Mr Ray’s post is considered a

With my post about the M.O.M Pantry being created, I inadvertently created a bit of confusion. So I thought I would take a moment to clear things up and then I decided to add a link to every recipe we've posted.

Holy cow, every recipe? Yes, because we like you.

But first about the M.O.M Pantry. The pantry is a category on the Food Log page. It allows you to log any M.O.M recipe you've made into your day -it doesn't give you the recipe. Recipes must be found by going through the M.O.M journal archive.

Alright, here's the list...click away.

•

M.O.M doesn't generally tout low-fat packaged foods. We tend to go for the real thing and simply eat less of it. But sometimes there is a low-fat product that actually has real flavor. Because for us taste, flavor, and enjoying food is what eating is all about.

These organic, dairy-free Creamy Fudge Bars are just the thing to get you through a sweet tooth attack. And at only 90 calories (and 45mg sodium) they can certainly be a once-in-a-while snack.

I ate this the other day and it was so good I just had to take a picture so I could share it with you.

Doesn't it look great? It tasted as good as it looks. Besides the flavors, I also enjoyed the process of preparing each cracker; I took my time and savored every bite.

•4 Ak-mak crackers

•Approximately 3/4 ounce of goat cheese

•4 thin slices of turkey (2 ounces)

•A few baby lettuce leaves

•Freshly ground black pepper

We've added a new product to the M.O.M section of the NutriMirror Store; it's our new Stella bag. This bag is made of sturdy recycled cloth, is completely washable and perfect for both men and women. I use one as a lunch sack, book bag, and market bag.

The uses for a bag like this are limitless, plus we added a nice little note on the inside for you.

We're eager to get your take on this salad. Edamame is virtually tasteless so this recipe is full of flavor enhancers: chives, garlic, lemon, and scallions, plus fresh mozzarella for a nice texture change. One ingredient we chose to leave out however is salt. We did this as an experiment and I think if you are use to very little salt in dishes, you will be fine. Others may want to add a pinch. Also, the recipe calls for 1 clove of garlic, but when we made it the garlic overpowered everything, so we recommend starting with half a clove.

Some of you may have noticed this yourself but in case you haven't, there is now a search category on the Add to Log page called the M.O.M Pantry!

Every recipe we post will be added to one of the sub-categories, plus all of our previous recipes have been added. So now it's super easy to find and log the M.O.M recipes you've made.

In case you're new to NutriMirror, click HERE to link to a portion of our journal archive and HERE to view our About Us page.

Also, thanks for all the kind words about