I know what you’re thinking. Did Monica REALLY just type spinach, bacon and HEALTHY all in title?

Yeah, I totally did.

This recipe is hands down one of my favorite meals on earth now, which makes it all the more weird that when my pal Lindsey suggested it, I was like, “Hell to the no.”

I was wrong. My recipe is actually an adaptation/revision of Giada’s version because I didn’t want goat cheese, and I didn’t want that much garlic. The end result of this pasta is a healthy, creamy, tasty and filling pasta dish that is cheap and quick. I swear even those of you who hate green veggies will LOVE this pasta because of all the flavor. Just try it, would ya? Now, I did add bacon, because seriously, what doesn’t taste good with bacon? But, you can omit it and it’s still fab. And hey, without bacon, this pasta dish is perfect for meatless Mondays or vegetarians.

Ingredients:

-1 box of pasta (16 oz.)

-1 bag of spinach (6 oz.)

-3 oz. of light cream cheese

-2 peeled garlic cloves

-3/4 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp black pepper

-Parmesan cheese (optional)

-8 slices of bacon (optional: try to pick bacon that’s 70 calories or so for 2 slices)

-Sun dried tomatoes (optional)

1.) If you’re going to make bacon, go ahead and cook that up however you’d like. I personally prefer the oven method (425 degrees, 10 minutes-ish). Once your bacon is cooked, pat excess grease with paper towels and crumble it up. Set aside.

2.) Boil your water, throw in pasta til cooked.

3.) Add your cream cheese, garlic, 1/2 of your spinach leaves, salt & pepper and pulverize! Put the other half of your spinach leaves in the bottom of a bowl where your pasta and such can fit, too.

This is what I use as my food processor/power whisk/milkshake maker/immersion blender. This one tool does SO many things for me that it kind of renders so many other of my small appliances useless. Money well spent, I love this thing. It has never failed me. I gush over this thing. GUSH. It is such a time saver and it’s under $35 for essentially 4 appliances. Cuisinart- I loves you!!

I toss my ingredients into the food processor attachment and it’s done it seconds. I will say I add a little bit of spinach at a time  (about 3 batches) to ensure it all gets mixed well.

Here’s what it looks like once it’s done.

4.) Once your pasta is done, drain as usual, BUT reserve about 1/2 cup of starchy water in case you need to add it to make your sauce a little more “saucy”. I’ve never had to add more than a tiny splash of water, but ya never know.

Put the bacon crumbles over the spinach leaves in the bowl…

Pour the pasta over the bacon/spinach and add the sauce.

Mix, mix, mix!

Plate up and enjoy! Such a simple, healthy, quick, cheap meal for those weeknights where you just don’t have energy to do more than boil some water. We love to have some garlic bread on the side, and we grate up fresh parmesan cheese and put some sun dried tomatoes on top. Gourmet taste for so little money. Yum. Yum. Yum.

And seriously, aren’t the colors beautiful? That’s my fave thing about cooking with fresh foods- such beautiful colors on the plate.

The calorie counts are pretty low for the amount of food you get. I divided the recipe into 4, and the portions are HUGE!

Without Bacon:

With Bacon:

Just add the bacon, people!

Well, I hope you enjoy this recipe and you’ll add it to your repertoire. I’m sure glad I did, thanks Lindsey!

Be back tomorrow with a quick review on Diets To Go and an update about my weight loss progress. Squee!!

I was sent a fabulous pack of Balance Bar® products to try to help me stick to my New Year’s Resolutions. The variety pack I was sent included a pair of each of the following: Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch, Blueberry Acai and Cookie Dough & Double Chocolate Brownie Minis (<---only 100 calories each!).

I’ve seen Balance Bar® in stores, but have never tried them until I was sent this variety pack. My absolute fave is the Double Chocolate Brownie Mini—I eat half before a workout and I eat the other half right after. My 2nd favorite is the Blueberry Acai bar—it’s become my go-to 3 p.m. snack. It satisfies my sweet tooth and keeps me satiated until dinner time at 6 or so.

But my favorite thing about Balance Bar® is that the bars are all reasonable/low in calories, and have a perfect amount of fat/protein/carbs plus vitamins and minerals. And, to be honest, some of the varieties are pretty darn close to being better than a candy bar. Sweet and satisfying.

Since I am trying to calorie count/do Weight Watchers, these bars don’t break the bank like some others I’ve seen. The most they have is around 200 calories and the mini’s have 100. Perfect as snacks or a quick breakfast. They’ve made it a tad easier and convenient to stick to my New Year’s Resolution of losing mucho weight.

Also included in my goody box of bars were some tips to help “outlast” my New Year’s Resolution. In 2011 I pretty much caved in April, and in 2012 I caved on January 3. This year, I hope to beat both of those records by making 2013 my lucky year. This tip is really what I keep telling myself daily because some days it really feels like a lot of work to stay on track:

“Be Patient with Yourself - On average, it takes 21 days to create a new habit. When you first get started, it will take more time and energy to focus on your daily goal. The trick is to notice when you didn't accomplish your daily goal - and to not beat yourself up about it. After about three solid weeks of working on your daily goals, they'll become second nature and part of your daily routine.” –Amber Rosenberg, Certified Life Coach

So, I’m being patient with myself, trying to enjoy the process, and trying to focus on the fact that it’s a journey not a phase.

And to help YOU outlast your New Year’s Resolutions, I’m giving away a box of Balance Bar® products just like the one I got! YAY!

You can enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!  

Disclaimer: I received products to review/giveaway, but was not otherwise compensated for this post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ever been to a restaurant where the free stuff they give you before the meal is sometimes almost as good as the actual meal? Like for instance, the kick ass pretzel bread at Le Cellier at Disney World (Epcot) or the amazing salsa at your favorite Mexican restaurant?

Yes. And yes.

Daniel and I ate at Gringo’s probably about 6-7 years ago, and immediately became obsessed with their green/verde salsa. Was it avocado? Is it ranch? WHY IS IT SO GOOD?!

Fast forward to 2011 when he graduated from college, we had his celebratory dinner at Los Cucos which is a Houston-area restaurant chain, as is Gringo’s now. Again, that oh-so-delicious green salsa was served to us. It’s creamy, it’s got amazing flavor, and it’s easy to eat an entire little salsa bowl of it in under 10 minutes.

We seriously asked for a refill of the green salsa when we went to Gringo’s last month. We have no shame.

Since we can’t always travel to Houston for our Los Cucos/Gringo’s green salsa fix, we set out to recreate it at home. Not one to be stingy, I’m going to share the recipe with you. There are many variations of it online, but mine is slightly different in that I omit cilantro and mine is a bit creamier, less watery than a normal salsa. This recipe makes about 32 oz./4 cups, and is perfect for chips or top enchiladas/tacos. Very versatile salsa.

Ingredients:

• 1, 28 oz. can of green tomatillos, drained (fresh can work, too, just boil until tomatillo flesh is tender, chill in freezer for to cool them off)
• 3 medium avocados
• 1/2 of a serrano pepper
• 8 oz. light sour cream
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. steak or fajita seasoning

Directions: Open your can of tomatillos, drain all the liquid out. Dump all of them into the blender, followed by your avocado and all other ingredients. It should look like this:

Not very pretty or fancy, but that’s ok. Now blend/puree until it’s all broken down. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a TINY amount of water. TINY!

Now, serve and enjoy. This dip is creamy, full of flavor, and so fresh and affordable. Perfect for a Super Bowl party or any get together. It comes together in minutes. I thought it was tasty at room temperature, but it’s really delicious cold, too. The dip will keep for about 4-5 days, so I would make this and use it up quickly.

As you all know, I’m counting calories like a madwoman, so I figured out the calories to be about 290 calories for 1 cup. I serve myself about 1/4 cup when eating, so it’s not too awful, but you gotta watch your serving sizes.

Are there any restaurant salsas you’re addicted to?

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a giveaway that will help the lucky winner keep their New Year’s Resolutions by snacking healthy. :) See ya then!

Again, I am writing about coffee. I love, love, love it. Today, I have for you a coffeehouse inspired drink recipe that will make you want to make coffee at home all the time. It’s so tasty, delicious, creamy and so not low calorie. But it’s the perfect treat after a long day, and boy is it sweet and refreshing. My favorite thing about coffeehouse drinks is that it tastes gourmet and it’s not one-dimensional flavor. That was my goal when whipping up a tasty coffee recipe for you all today.

My least favorite thing? Spending $5 on something that lasts me a few minutes. I tend to chug, not sip, creamy iced coffee.

I am a big french vanilla fan, but for this recipe I got adventurous with some Coffee Mate Hazelnut creamer. Hazelnut is not a flavor I gravitate towards, but now I definitely will. It has a sweet, nutty, toffee like flavor that is AMAZING.

Let’s make some some creamy hazelnut iced coffee!

Ingredients for 2 servings (8 oz each):

-2/3 cup of Coffee Mate Hazelnut creamer

-2/3 cup of Splenda

-1 tbsp of caramel syrup/sauce

-2 tbsp of toffee crumbles (optional)

-Whipped cream topping (optional)

-Ice

-16 oz of brewed coffee

---

For this coffeehouse recipe, brew up about 16 oz. of your most favorite coffee. Once it’s done brewing, let it sit for about 15 minutes. Unload the dishwasher, start on breakfast or put in a load of laundry.

After 15 minutes, take a glass and overfill with ice. Your coffee will still be a tad warm, so it’ll melt the ice down to fit in the glass.

Pour about half of your coffee in the glass (8 oz.) and then add in 1/3 cup of Coffee Mate Hazelnut creamer, 1/3 cup of Splenda, 1/2 tbsp of caramel sauce. Mix, mix, mix! Top with a dollop of whipped cream and toffee bits.

This drink will easily satisfy any fancy schmancy coffeehouse drink craving you may have, and it’ll save you money. Also, the Splenda helps cut down on some of the calories from sugar, so indulging in some extra creamer and caramel is no big deal. My favorite thing about this drink is that it has a different flavor profile than my usual french vanilla. This drink is more robust, milky, and nutty than I usually drink. Delicious!

But, it’s also fun to use these creamers to cook with. I have been in the mood for some custard. I love creamy vanilla custard filled pastries, so I thought, why not make my own using creamer? So I did! ADDICTING! I can imagine this custard inside turnovers, eclairs, pies, etc. It is so tasty, and this recipe makes plenty. This custard is good hot or cold, but I prefer it chilled with cinnamon apples on top. I’ll show you how easy it is to make this.

Custard Ingredients (Makes about 3 cups):

-1 cup of 2% milk

-1 cup of Coffee Mate French Vanilla creamer

-1/4 cup of Splenda

-2 tbsp cornstarch

-2 eggs, lightly beaten

-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Cinnamon Apples (I’d make 1 apple for every 2 people):

-1 Apple, peeled

-1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

-1/4 cup of Splenda

Get your cinnamon apples ready, and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. If you’re in a hurry, you can also microwave them in a glass dish for 4-5 minutes at 50% power.

Meanwhile, get your custard ready! This part goes so fast that I didn’t get any photos for fear of ruining it all because I’ve never made custard before.

Have your eggs beaten and set aside in a bowl. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add creamer, milk, sugar, and cornstarch. You’re going to want to scald the milk, meaning there will be bubbles at the edges of the pan. Once that happens, take the saucepan off the heat (but keep the burner on), and mix in about 2 tbsp of the mixture into the eggs.

Slowly add in the egg mixture to sauce pan, put it back on the burner and STIR! Stir like crazy. I found a whisk and fork proved most handy to ensure the custard didn’t have egg pieces in it. Stir, stir, stir! Your custard will begin thickening, but don’t let it boil. I put a lot of muscle into it, and my custard is smooth and creamy.

I let it cool down a bit before I transferred it all to a glass bowl and added in some vanilla extract. Then, because I am impatient, I chilled it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Finally, I served up my custard in some ramekins and topped with warm cinnamon apples.

Oh. My. Gosh. So good. So tasty. It’s comfort in a ramekin.

So, Coffee Mate creamer is GREAT for coffeehouse inspired drinks and it’s great for making custard, too. You could totally do this with another flavor (perhaps Hazelnut?) of Coffee Mate creamer, and I think you’d have the same results. Try this at your next dinner party for something that is sure to impress and easy to throw together.

If you’d like to head out to Walmart (like I did) and try some Coffee Mate creamer, make sure to print out a coupon for $1.00 a bottle. I love me some coupons.

Do you use creamer in creative ways besides coffee? Let me know if you have any more recipes because I have a lot of creamer in my fridge! :)

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Nestle Coffee Mate #CBias #SocialFabric #ad

If I had any weakness in terms of my eating habits, it’d be donuts and my love of flavored, fancy coffees. Both are bad for my waist, but coffeehouse coffee is bad for my wallet. Sometimes it’s more than $4 for a cup of coffee that isn’t always as tasty as I thought it’d be.

I was sent the sample packs below thanks to Nescafe. They’re samples of the new Nescafe Memento single serve packets. They come in 3 tasty flavors, as you can see below, and are really unique for a few reasons.

First of all, they’re about 50-75 cents per packet and only 100 calories for a single serving/8 oz. But, the yumminess doesn’t stop there. Unlike any other single serve coffee packet I’ve ever tried, this one foams up! You have this delicious, milky, frothy foam on top of your latte JUST like you would at a coffeehouse. And no, it’s not just bubbles of air…it tastes good. And under the foam is a delicious latte. Swoon.

Today was SUPER COLD, and I was at home for lunch, so I decided to make the caramel latte and take if with me back to work today. I poured half a bottle of water into my mug, microwaved it for 3 minutes, poured the caramel latte packet in…

Mixed it, and the foam magically appeared. Within seconds.

Also, you can see that on the rim of my mug is a caramel like substance—this stuff is the real thing. The only thing I had to do other than mix it was add a packet of Splenda. I like my coffee very creamy and sweet, but for you hardcore coffee drinkers, it might be fine as is. Luckily, the Splenda packet didn’t add any calories, which kept my afternoon treat at a very low 100 calories. My usual light coffeehouse drink costs me about 2-3 times as many calories.

I think these are a great alternative to the gourmet coffeehouse drinks that most of us love, and they are great for all of us who are counting calories as part of New Year’s Resolutions.

Which flavor would you like to try—caramel, cappuccino or mocha? You can order a free sample over here, and tell me what you think!

I was selected to blog about this product thanks to Being Latino & Nescafe. All opinions, photos, etc. are my own and not influenced by compensation.