Frozen Dessert

Today I made a quick and easy frozen dessert with pudding and Cool Whip. It has a nice frosty quality, a little different than ice cream. Since it's made with skim milk, it's also good for you, and it can be portioned out into individual servings to control the calories and total carbs.


Ingredients: 
Large box instant sugar-free pudding mix
3 cups skim milk
Large container Cool Whip or store brand

Directions:
Whisk together pudding mix and milk. Add softened Cool Whip, and whisk until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze.

 

How to Make Healthy Nachos

As a dietitian, I'm always looking for ways to make foods healthier and to add extra vegetables to meals. Nachos are actually one of my favorite foods, but the typical nachos with salty cheese sauce would definitely be considered junk food. Preparing foods at home, rather than eating out, is a great way to reduce calories and improve the nutritional content of meals.

Start with tortilla chips, which are lower in saturated fat and sodium than most chips, just be aware of the serving size. Then add an assortment of your favorite vegetables, such as black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Top them off with part-skim mozzarella cheese, which is the lowest fat natural cheese. Add salsa for another serving of vegetables. You can microwave each plate of nachos, or heat the ingredients in pots on the stove top when serving a group. Garnish with fresh lime and cilantro for extra flavor. I like to add a side salad with fresh greens and ranch dressing, as well.

Portion control

I love ice cream, but it's tempting to eat large portions when I'm just scooping it directly from the container.  A great way around this is to buy packs of ice cream in pre-portioned cups. Each portion is 1/2 cup, which gives you about 100 calories depending on the brand. Usually, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or swirls are available.  

You also get some calcium with ice cream, as you would with any dairy food like milk or yogurt.  These are quick and easy for kids, too!   

I think it's snack time.