Earthly Eating

1. Choose the ultra option: They tend to be lower in sugar and even lower in calories. You can even add berries such as blueberries , pomegranate seeds, raspberries or even strawberries to add a bit more elegance to the glass and to help boost your antioxidant levels as well.

2. Serve up some figure pleasing finger foods: Stuffing cherry tomatoes with 3 cups baby greens and 2 tbs. of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Cut the tops off the tomatoes, scoop out all the seeds inside and stuff the salad mix inside. Place on a decorative platter and place out for your guest or party goers. This is a great alternative to a cheese ball and crackers or even
placing out bite-sized portions of a whole grain pizza or even pita bread.

3. Keep sweets at a minimum: Smaller sizes are a great alternative to a larger section. Petit fours are a nice way to give that special touch instead of a big cake. The smaller the size and the less likely you are to over eat. Try a fondue kit and have strawberries and other chocolate dipping fruits on hand on a platter with toothpicks for the grabbing.
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Roast Pork Tenderloin
Serves: 6

2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 lb.)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 pkg. thyme leaves
1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese
1 lb. French green beans (about 3 cups), steamed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add the meat; cook for 5 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning occasionally. Remove meat from the skillet, reserving meat drippings in the skillet. Place meat in 13×9-inch baking dish. Combine mustard and thyme; spread evenly onto meat.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to carving board; tent with foil. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing as directed on package, reducing the spread to 1 tbs.

Add the broth to the same skillet. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cheese, and cook for 2 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly.

Cut the meat into thin slices. Serve topped with the cheese sauce along with the stuffing and the beans.

Happy Eating!

Ham & Cheese Wheels
Serves: 4

4 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened
1 large carrot, shredded (about 1 cup) or 1 cup pre-shredded carrots
1/2 cup pre-shredded redsuced-fat cheddar cheese
6 oz. thinly sliced lean deli ham

1. Spread the cream cheese evenly over each of the tortillas.
2. Layer each tortilla with carrots, cheese, and ham.
3. Roll up tightly and slice into 3/4 inch rounds. Serve with your choise of dipping sauce. Don’t have any dipping sauce ideas try this one.
Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup honey mustard
1/3 cup barnecue sauce
1/4 cup hummus

Better B.L.T.s
Serves: 4

1/2 lb. nitrite-free bacon ( 8 to 10 slices)
4 tsp. light mayonnaise
8 slices whole wheat bread
8 leaves of romaine lettuce, washed and dried
4 thin slices of organic tomatoes

1. Cook the bacon according to the package instructions until they are crisy. Pat with a paper towel to remove excess fat.
2. To make the sandwiches, spread 1 tsp. mayonnaise on the bread.
3. Layer even;y with 1 lettuce leaf. Slice, wrap in plastic wrap to keep them fresh or slice and serve.

Easy Pasta Salad
Serves: 8-10

1 lb. dried dried bowtie pasta
4-5 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half (2 cups)
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and quartered (optional)
6-8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped or 1 can (6 oz.) small black olives, drained
1/3-1/2 cup light Italian or Caesar salad dressing
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro, optional

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Four minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add the broccoli. Bring back to a boil and cook until the pasta is done completely. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. While the pasta is still warm, add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, cheese, olives, salad dressing, and herbs as desired and stir to combine. Serve warm or chill for a cold pasta salad dish.

Taco Chili
Serves: 6

1 tbs. olive oil
2 large carrots, finely diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) or 1 cup frozen chopped onion
1 lb. lean ground beef 90% or higher or turkey
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 1/2 oz.) blackeye peas or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) yellow or white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chili peppers, optional
2-3 tsp. chili powder
2-3 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup pre-shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots, onion and beed and cook, breaking up the large pieces, until the meat is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, hominy, water, chili peppers as desired, chili powder, cumin, and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve in individual bowls and top with shredded cheese.

**JW over at 1P Start has visitors to his page that are still running Windows 98 and he has quite a funny story behind what he thinks about it. Read it here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Chicken Wraps That Please
Serves: 4

1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. chicken breast, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 cup chicken stock
2 tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
4 small bread rolls

In a medium fry pan, heat oil over low heat and add onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and raise heat to medium-high. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Add garlic, spices and chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook until softened, 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut off one end of each loaf of bread. Fill the bread with chicken mixture and serve.

Happy Eating!

Pure alcohol, whether it’s in beer, wine or liquor, contains seven calories per gram. And we have all heard the usual advice: Enjoy antioxidant-rich red wine; skip the fat-laden spiked eggnog. But not all drinks are created equally good. Here’s a guide to still drink healthy without calling the calorie police.

• Choose a Bloody Mary over a Sex On The Beach: Why? Bloody Mary vodka mixture gets a thumbs up because of the tomato juice, which packs vitamin A, C and B6, and have only one-third the calories of orange or pineapple juice. Also it contains only 120 calories for a regular five ounce cocktail. The Sex on the Beach contains calorie-rich booze like schnapps and rum, but sometimes fat-and cholesterol-laden heavy cream. Count on a minimum of 300 calories for a four-ounce cocktail and likely more if more additions are put in the drink itself.

• Choose Tom Collins over The Margarita: Why? Tom Collins has gin, club soda, lemon juice and a pinch of sugar which equals only 120 calories for the half pint ( 8 oz.) serving. The ally for such drinks is sparkling water, which you can add to the drink for taste. Make a tall glass and sip slowly. The margarita on the other hand is often delivered in supersized portions with three drinks without of alcohol, mainly tequila, some of the 12-ounce drinks served at restaurants tally more than 700 calories. And don’t eat the worm, it’s just gross and contains zero nutritional value.

• Choose Mojito over Maitai: Why? A mojito is made with run, mint and a lot of lime juice and fizzy water. It’s a simple drink that’s not loaded with syrups. Even an eight-ounce glass have only 210 calories. The maitai includes two types of run ( light and dark) and curacao liqueur, plus orgeat syrup (almonds, sugar, and orange-flower water). A four-and-a-half ounce drink has more than 300 calories, with the only hint of anything good coming from the squeeze of lime that is added at the end.

• Choose Guinness Draught over Molson XXX: Why? The stout variety not the extra stout of the classic, dark Irish brew (Guinness Draught) packs only 125 calories bor 12 ounces. That’s barely more than pale, flavorless 100-calories light beers. Despite the name Guinness Draught is available in bottles and cans, which include a little widget that bangs around inside and adds taplike fizz when the container is opened. With Molson XXX at 7.3 precent alcohol, a 12-ounce bottle packs 213 calories. With weak, bland malts and hops, it’s little more than a condut for delivering a buzz, like Colt 45, say pass.

**Looking for what the lastest is on Rachel Ray, check out Watching Rachel Ray blog here at 451 Press. Lessa keeps you up-to-date on the latest with the EVOO-crazy cook. Read more here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe- Count Down To Christmas Recipe Of Sweets

Orange Squares
Serves: 24

40 vanilla wafers, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
1 tub (8 pz.) whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 cups orange sherbert, softened

Line a 13×0-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the sides of the pan. Mix wafer crumbs and butter. Press firmly onto the bottom of prepared pan; set asdie until ready to use.

Add milk to dry pudding mixes in a meidum bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. Spoon evenly over crust. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Add remaining whipped topping to sherbert; stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Spoon evenly over pudding layer; cover.

Freeze at least 3 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in the freezer.

Happy Eating!

Recipe #1:Pizza Breadsticks
Serves: 16

1 pkg. 1 lb. 7 oz. Pizza thin crust four cheese ( Try DiGiorno)
1 tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush edges of the pizza crust lightly with oil. Drizzle remaining oil evenly over pizza.

Mix 3 tbs. of the Parmesan cheese and the pepper; sprinkle evenly over the pizza. Place the pizza directly on the center of the oven rack.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cut pizza into quarters; cut each quarter into 8 thin strips. Serve as dippers with salsa.

Recipe #2:
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Serves: 8

1/2 cup Vinagrette Dressing
2 tbs Real Mayonnaise
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lemon, halved

Combine dressing and mayo, pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat the chicken with the dressing mixture. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours to marinate.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Thread chicken and onions alternately onto 16 soaked wooden skewers.

Grill 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, place lemon, cut-sides down, on the grill grate next to the kabobs. Squeeze lemon juice over kabobs just before serving.

Recipe #3:
Layer Salad
Serves: 8

8 cups chopped Roman lettuce
3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3/4 cups sliced red onion
2 cups frozen peas, thawed (one 10-oz pkg.)
1 pkg. (6 oz.) smoked ham, chopped
3/4 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbs. sugar
1 cup cheese crumbles
2/3 chopped tomatoes

layer lettuce, onion, peas and ham in a large straight-sided serving bowl.

Mix mayo, Parmesan cheese and sugar. Spread over salad to seal’ cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Top with cheese crumbles and tomatoes just before serving; toss gently.

**With the Super Bowl just around the corner, these recipes will help jump start your food ideas for your Super Bowl party.**

**Over at Paintball Journal, Dana has some last minute Christmas stocking stuffer ideas. Read what they are here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe-Count Down To Christmas Recipe Of Sweets

No Bake Cheesecake, Oreo Style
Serves: 24

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz.each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

Line a 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the sides of the pan. Coarsely chop 15 of the cookies; set aside. Finely crush remaining cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto the bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and chopped cookies. Spoon over the crust; cover.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

Happy Eating!