Pear & Cashew Salad

So, like many of you who are trying to watch what you eat, I'm already missing eating out in restaurants. I'd even love some takeout at this point. But as I promised myself that I'm only eating out once a month as a treat for all of my hard work, takeout is out of the question. So, I started to thinking about why I love eating out so much. Besides it being easy, I realized that I love it because restaurant food is so pretty. Even the simplest food, prepared with a little extra care, can look delish. For me, it seems that things like color and pretty arrangement make dishes look more appetizing. So, as a late lunch today, I prepared myself a pear & cashew salad. I love it because it has my favorite dressing -- balsamic vinaigrette, which I stretched out by using some plain ol' balsamic vinegar, to avoid unnecessary sugar, calories, and sodium. The freshly sliced pear, cashews, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese add texture and tons of flavor, not to mention loads of nutrition! I opted to use the pear instead of a green apple (which I usually prefer) because I read that it's lower on the GI. This salad would also be great with some grilled chicken on top.

Prep Time: Less than 10 minutes

Serves: 1

Approx. Calories: 285

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fresh spinach
• 1.5 cups of mixed field greens
• 1/2 of a fresh pear, sliced into thin strips
• 2 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola cheese (I used Trader Joe's brand)
• 1 tbsp fat free balsamic vinaigrette (I used Maple Grove Farms brand)
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• 1/2 oz. cashews (approximately 9 cashews)

I arranged mine to look pretty and colorful, I think. I love all the texture in this salad. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe: Husband-Friendly Chicken Masala Stir Fry

This dish was just something I came up with because I was craving Indian food! For any of you who have never had masala sauce, it's delish! It's a flavorful Indian simmer sauce, which contains lots of tomato flavor and other yummy spices like coriander, cumin, and tumeric. Even my hubby, who is a really picky eater, loves it. It's great because you can make it as spicy (or not) as you prefer. I used the Trader Joe's brand, but you can even make your own, since there are so many recipes online. Just be sure to be careful of sodium in this sauce! I love this dish because it's chock full of protein and whole grains. Hope somebody finds this helpful!

This recipe serves: 2

Approximate # Calories: 470

Approximate Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Approx. 8 oz (6 strips) boneless skinless lean chicken tenders, uncooked
• PAM cooking spray
  
• 2/3 cup Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce
• Crushed red chili peppers (to taste, I used about 2 tsp.)
• Freshly ground black peppercorn (to taste)
  
• 1/2 cup sliced waterchestnuts (I used Trader Joe's brand)
• 1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables (I used Birdseye Steamfresh Asian Medley)
• 1 bag frozen brown rice (I used Birdseye Steamfresh Whole Grain Brown Rice)

1.) Grill chicken tenders. Mine took about 10 minutes on our George Foreman grill. I seasoned mine with some freshly ground black peppercorn to add some guilt-free flavor. When finished, cut up into bite-size pieces. (To save some time, go ahead and throw the veggies in the microwave while you get your sauce and chicken started. When they're done, go ahead and throw your rice in the microwave.)

2.) Spray your wok or skillet lightly with PAM cooking spray. Add your masala sauce and heat on low until it sizzles.

3.) Add crushed red chili peppers to taste.

4.) Add chicken and make sure it is coated with masala sauce. I let mine sizzle for about 2 minutes to get it nice and saturated.

5.) Add waterchestnuts and toss them with the chicken. Let cook for about 1 minute.

6.) Add veggies to your wok/skillet and toss ingredients vigorously. Allow everything to sizzle for about a minute or two. You can also add more crushed red chili peppers or black pepper to taste.

6.) Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Emily. Welcome to my brand spankin' new blog! Recently diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), I found out three days ago that I am insulin resistant. So, my diet and exercise routine is undergoing an extreme makeover. However, I hate diet food. I hate feeling like I'm on a diet. And to top it off, I'm not exactly what you'd call a wonderful cook. So now that I'm going to be eating at home (and nutritiously!) for every meal, I am going to have to come up with some meals that are easy to prepare and fun to eat! That's where my title comes from... I need diet food in disguise!

I'm going to use this blog to post some of my recipes, snacks, diet food reviews, and inspiration. Hopefully along the way to my own weight loss goal, I can help out some other people hoping to shed some pounds. I am aiming to benefit anyone looking for a more healthful lifestyle, not only other women with PCOS.

Please feel free to comment or contact me! I'm aiming to post a recipe at least every two days. Enjoy!

With love,
Emily