Monthly Archives: October 2012
Pasta DIABLO
Happy Halloween! Honestly, I look forward to Halloween because I know we are one holiday closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Halloween isn’t really my thing. I loved dressing up and carving pumpkins as a kid, but the fun was lost when princess costumes were replaced with sexy nurse/carrot/lizard costumes and Disney’s Halloweentown was replaced with Paranormal Activity 13. But I have a spicy hot recipe if you feel like making a special Halloween dinner. ;)
There is nothing inherently scary about this recipe, unless you are a nightmare in the kitchen….
PASTA DIABLO:
- 3 Cups Whole Wheat Rotini pasta noodles (elbow, bow tie, or penne would be fine too!)
- 1 Cup Cooked Chicken Strips
- 1 2/3 Cups Chunky Salsa
- 1 1/2 Tbs Taco Seasoning
- 1 Cup Corn
- 1/2 Cup Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 Purple Onion, diced
- 1 Tbs Crushed Red Pepper
Cook pasta noodles, drain water, and pour back into a saucepan.
Over medium heat, add salsa, taco seasoning, corn, tomatoes, purple onion and pepper to the pasta noodles.
Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Before serving, add cooked chicken strips to the pasta dish.
I made this with a friend and we LOVED it. Such good flavors and colors. It’s got a South-Western kick to it, muy caliente! You could also add in black beans, jalapenos, and shredded cheese if you want to pump it up some more.
Now you should be set for whatever your Halloween night consists of! Tonight I will be going to a haunted house with some friends, and then scaring ourselves silly with a horror flick. Wish my little polar bear was here to cuddle with me:
Trick or (Dog) Treat?
Who am I kidding, this little socialite will be busy finding a way to score some Halloween treats of her own. Have a haunted Halloween >:)
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Not So Typical Pumpkins
So I bet you are thinking I’m going to do some post about being healthy on Halloween, avoiding all things sugar, and doing a workout instead of trick-or-treating. I am not the “Grinch of Halloween.” I am all for healthy living but I’m not naïve enough to think everyone will abstain from candy on Halloween and start handing out dried apricots. In fact I’m pretty sure your house will be egged if that happened.
Over the weekend, some of the kids in my residence hall carved pumpkins. My friend Kerri and I teamed up with our baby pumpkin, which may or may not have been my sly scheme to get out of scooping out the yucky middle ;)
We are running obsessed and decided to carve a running girl with a long flowing ponytail:
And then proceeded to imitate her. (Probably the worst running form ever.)
At least it is a far improvement from 2011’s pumpkin! Last year, we didn’t get to the store before they sold out of pumpkins… Solution? Buy a watermelon, paint it orange, carve it like no big deal. The mustache helps disguise the fact that this guy is actually a fruit. Shh!
All I am going to say about healthy Halloween habits is BE PICKY. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you have to eat it. Especially if it’s not something you would normally eat anyways. For instance, I have never had an urge to eat powdery candies like Smarties, Sweet Tarts, Bottle Caps, whatever. That wouldn’t change if someone was handing them out for free. Peanut Butter M&M’s however? Don’t mind if I do :)
What are your funky Halloween traditions?
Tailgate Party Pinwheels
I like the social aspect of football. Going to games with friends, tailgate parties, hanging out afterwards. Don’t ask me what a “down” or a “wide-receiver” is…. But I CAN tell you what to serve at your next football party! Of course my party would be a little more health-ified than most. Seems like the staples for football get-togethers are wings, nachos, and junk junk junk food. You are SPECTATORS. You’re not doing any work by watching someone else play their sport! There’s no need to EAT like a football player :P
You’ve probably seen these tortilla pinwheels before. Usually they are laden with hidden fats in the form of mayonnaise, cream cheese, or salami. My make-over recipe takes out the crap and turns them into a healthy and colorful appetizer for a group. The secret: hummus spread!
Start off with this hummus recipe. Allow it to refrigerate for a few hours before making the pinwheels though.
PARTY PINWHEELS:
8 Whole wheat wraps
Homemade Hummus (see above)
1/2 purple onion, sliced
4 handfuls Baby Spinach
1 tomato, diced
24 slices 98% fat-free, thin-sliced turkey
- Spread hummus onto a wrap.
- Add onion, spinach, and tomatoes evenly. Top with turkey slices. Roll up and secure with 5 toothpicks:
- Slice in between each toothpick. (The ends will just be scraps.)
Voila! A healthy hummus-filled party platter (You don’t have to tell the guys they are less than 40 calories each). Who says football finger food has to be fried and covered in cheese?
Bring on the football boys game!
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