Red Fiesta Beans with Rice

I adapted my version from the recipe found here: http://kingdomfirstmom.com/2010/01/black-and-red-fiesta-beans-with-rice.html Here's my low sodium version (working with what I had on hand of course):

2 cups of long grain brown rice -cooked
1 can kidney beans -drained and rinsed
1 can red beans -drained and rinsed
1 can corn -drained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup fresh homemade salsa (chopped tomatoes, onions, green peppers with garlic powder and cilantro to taste)
1/2 can diced tomatoes -basil, garlic, oregano flavor
1/2 one medium onion -chopped
1 t. ground thyme
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/8 t ground red pepper
cheese and sour cream (optional garnish)

While rice is cooking, simmer all other ingredients and stir frequently. Add cooked rice, heat through and serve with garnish of your choice. You can spice it up as much as you like and add more tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc. This is just what I had on hand. (I didn't have any cumin, so I left that out.)

Every ingredient I used had little to no salt and was easy to find in the store since most labels say low or no salt added right on the front. If you were to make the recipe with store bought salsa, regular canned beans, corn, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; the sodium would be right around 1227mg for 1/6 of the recipe. My version has around 229 calories and 74mg of sodium for 1/6 of the recipe. The highest sodium content for this recipe could have been the salsa since one cup of salsa contains 1920mg of sodium, but I used fresh salsa which tastes 100x better anyway.

What's for lunch

Today I had one of my favorite lunches. It's not heavy on protein, but I usually make up for that at other meals. I had soooo much food today that I had to use 2 plates!! I had celery, sugar snap peas, grapes, baby carrots, tortilla chips, string cheese and my homemade salsa (sodium-free). I am stuffed!! The entire meal worked out to be 412 calories and 476mg of sodium.

Back on the low-sodium bandwagon

So, I'm happy to say that I'm back! I'm finally getting enough rest at night to give me the energy to tackle other things. I've noticed more and more low sodium options in the grocery store, so I'm hopeful that this trend is here to stay. Even though I was absent from my blog, I still made every effort to buy and make things with low sodium alternatives.

Last night I made chicken parmesan pasta bake and it was soooo tasty. I found a recipe online, but I added so many extra things that it would be pointless to link to the original recipe. Under cook 8 ounces of the pasta of your choice by at least 2 minutes. Saute 1 cup of onions, peppers and zucchini (add more veggies if you like) in a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add the cooked pasta, 2 cups of spaghetti sauce, 1 -8 ounce can tomato sauce (no salt kind), 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes -drained (no salt kind), 10 ounces of cooked shredded chicken, 2-3 cloves garlic -minced, and as much basil as you like. Once that's all bubbly and heated through, transfer it to a casserole dish, top with 8 ounces mozzarella cheese and heat in 350 degree oven for at least 20-25 minutes.

One serving, which worked out to be 9.4 ounces, has 285 calories and 530mg of sodium. Not too shabby for using storebought spaghetti sauce and topping with all that cheese. This summer I'm planning to grow tomatoes and make my own spaghetti sauce. Mmmmm, can't wait!!

Check your pasta nutrition

If you haven't read the nutrition facts on your box of pasta, please do so. There are finally lots of very tasty alternatives to the high sodium regular noodles. Ronzoni smart taste spaghetti has 180 calories (nothing special there), 5 mg of sodium -WOW (compared to 210 in regular spaghetti!), and 7 grams of fiber per serving. I didn't notice a bit of difference in flavor. It was delicious. There are also other "smart taste" types of noodles out there, so try something new next time you're in the store.

No-bake cookie oatmeal anyone?

I love my instant oatmeal. I'm currently hooked on the high fiber cinnamon swirl kind (just wish they made it reduced sugar as well). Now and then I like to stir in one tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/2 tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips (13 chips in case you were wondering). It tastes just like no-bake cookies!!! Also, the added protein and fiber keeps me satisfied until lunchtime.
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The total calories are 290 with 285mg of sodium. The chocolate chips only add 35 calories and no sodium, but they certainly add to the flavor.
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Once it's warmer, I'll be switching back to smoothies or cereal for breakfast.