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.

The Dirty Dozen

Okay, so this has nothing whatsoever to do with sodium, but I wanted to share it anyway.
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This is a list of the 12 "dirtiest" produce items you should buy organic. (By dirty, I mean the ones that contain the highest pesticide load.) I also found another list that included carrots and lettuce. I should add that I did my own taste test on the organic carrots vs regular ones and the organic ones are soooo much sweeter.
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1. Apples
2. Bell peppers
3. Celery
4. Cherries
5. Grapes
6. Nectarines
7. Peaches
8. Pears
9. Potatoes
10. Raspberries
11. Spinach
12. Strawberries

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I'm not a health nut by any means, but I don't see the point in eating homemade salsa if it's laden with pesticides. I have also switched to organic milk and will eventually switch to organic meat as well. That being said, I still won't give up all my processed foods. I know it's 1000x healthier to make something from scratch, but I'm not a factory.

Creamy Peas and Potatoes

Okay, so I didn't have new potatoes or fresh peas from the garden, but it still tasted pretty good. I just used the better homes and gardens cookbook recipe (using unsalted butter and omitting the salt). I also added turkey sausage to give it more substance and upgraded it to main dish status. This is such a cheap and easy meal to make. Yum!
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Anyway, my calorie totals are higher than the original recipe since I added sausage and doubled the amount of potatoes and peas (steamfresh sweet peas taste as close to garden fresh as you can get). This made 4 servings at 399 calories with 366mg of sodium (from the milk and sausage). Also, keep in mind that the total calories includes your serving of vegetables.
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Stop back by tomorrow for information on "The Dirty Dozen."

V8-Fusion

This is a lazy post as I don't have any new and exciting meals to blog about. I love love love any flavor of V8-Fusion juice, especially the mixed berry ones. I made a new year's resolution a couple of years ago to eat more fruits and vegetables and this juice really helps with that goal. FYI, I tried the V8-Fusion light juice but it just tasted like watered-down juice so I only drink the regular kind.
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On a side note, last night I made onion rings from scratch, but they didn't turn out as good as I hoped. They turned out crunchy but kind of bland and the onions dried out too much. Next time, I'll add spices to the coating and use thicker pieces of onion (as well as bake them for less time). I might also see what kind of dip I can come up with since I'm a huge fan of fry sauce (but not the calories or sodium).
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Oh, I also want to share with you another sweet treat I've discovered: Murray Sugar Free Fudge Dipped Mint Cookies (think thin mints). Man oh man are they good and the 2-year-old likes them too.