Scratch and Sniff Wine

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I recently got this book and must say, it is pretty darn awesome! Before The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert, my knowledge of wine went as far as wine tastes good- open bottle, swirl, sip, drink. The end. Now, that I have the adult version of a child's scratch and sniff, I am a wine connoisseur. Yep, put me in any fine French restaurant and I will impress the socks off any maître d'. Probably. Or, I will simply know my favorite wine and the notes in each.

One of the best parts about this book is that it is scratch and sniff, short, and to the point. Was that more than one thing? Oh well. If you enjoy wine but have no idea what to drink with what or the types there are, let alone the types you enjoy, get this book. You will completely not regret it.

The Best Fish Recipe Ever

A good friend of mine who I am incredibly indebted to for sharing this gave me the easiest, healthiest, and most amazing fish dish I have ever made at home. Ever. Seriously, the first time I made this I thought, "meh, how good could this really be?" Then, I tried it and my husband tried. After eating dinner the hubs went into the kitchen and ate the left-overs out of the skillet. It was that good.

It was also so, so easy that even the least seasoned cook could make this with complete cooking confidence. Really, who knew kale, spinach, and the optional collard greens could be so tasty?

Ingredients

Serves: 3-4     Prep time: 2-minutes     Cook time: 15-minutes

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 pound fish: white fish like cod or tilapia are great, salmon is yummy with an extra splash of color
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 8-10 heaping handfuls baby kale, spinach, or collard greens.  

Recipe

Begin by heating a large skillet over medium heat. Add in tablespoon olive oil and cloves of smashed and pealed garlic. Roast garlic for 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Next, add in your fish and drizzle the remainder of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let cook for 5-minutes, or until 1/3 the way cooked through. Add half the leafy greens and the rice wine vinegar, then cook for another 2-3 minutes.

After 2-3 minutes, and the rest of the greens and flip the fish top-side-down. Be sure to get as any of the new greens under the fish and the cooked greens over top like a kale sandwich. This will help the juices from the fish simmer with that yummy, yummy kale. Let cook for another 3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through; this may be slightly longer is using salmon.  

Next, plate, serve, and enjoy. It is that simple!  

Do Starbucks, Healthier

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New research was recently released which showed that Oreos are as addictive as crack. I think they need to add Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte to this list. Seriously. And now, we have all those yummy, seasonal holiday goodies to be excited about all over again. Yesterday was my first time having the Caramel Brulee latte since last Christmas. I forgot how much I love that sweet, sweet dessert!

For the most part, Starbucks falls on my naughty list of foods, but there are some little tips and tricks that I have used which make that delicious coffee nectar a bit better for us.  

100 Calorie Drinks

Starbucks has quite a few drinks that are 100 calories all on their own. Granted, these are all talls, but do we really need the vente? If you are looking for 100 calories or less, go for amlost anything in the "Light Coffee" category. These include the Caramel Frap and Coffe Frap. The Non-fat Caramel Machiatto and the Skinny Vanilla Latte are also less than 100-calories.

Still wanting something seasonsal? Try the new Skinny Peppermint Mocha for just over 100 calories!

Less Syrup

One of the greatest ways to enjoy your Starbucks specialty drinks without all the calores and sugar that usually tag along is to get less syrup. All of the specialy coffees come with 4 pumps of syrup, get 3 pumps instead. With 3 pumps there will be absoletely no difference in taste (trust me) and you will loose 32.5 calories and over 7 grams from carbs! Take away the whipped cream and get it with non-fat milk and you have a latte for about 230 calories! That is almost 200 calories less than the original!

Healthier Foods

Starbucks has a new line of foods they have named "Bistro Boxes". These boxes have good-for-you things like organic peanut butter, hummus, fruit, eggs, ad chicken. COnsidering that these are one of the only things on the menu that have proteins, they are a pretty great option. Calories range from 270-480 per bristo box. The healthiest option is the chicken and hummus box with 270 calories, 7 grams fat and 20 grams protein! The least healthy would be the cheese box, hands down. This box has 480 calories, 28 grams fat, and 18 grams protein. The power box fall right in the middle.

Both oatmeal option have 150 calores, 2.5 grams fat, and 5 grams protein. For sandwiches and wraps, the Spinach an Feta Breakfast Wrap is the healthiest, hands down. This wrap will set you back 290 calories, 10 grams fat, and 18 grams protein.

Meat Free Mondays: Twice Baked Pumpkin Potatoes

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I am so excited to be trying this recipe out. Don't these potatoes look like the best side item ever? They are so perfect for fall and this recipe serves 8! It is also an extremely inexpensive option since you are only really needing a few inexpensive vegetables and some canned pumpkin.

To add a bit in the flavor category, try making this with real pumpkin instead. One cup canned pumpkin equals about one small to medium pumpkin. Baking pumpkin is also ridiculously easy. If you are not sure about how to bake it, check out the how-to I made last year here. I just get the regular pumpkins that are sold in the grocery at this time of year, but if you want a bit more pumpkin info, here is a list of pumpkin types and what they are cooked with. Really, when it comes to pumpkins for cooking, as long as you do not get one meant for carving, you are set.

If you have taken a look at this recipe yet, you may be shocked that I am recommending it because of the crazy high amounts of butter. Butter is one of those things we all try to eat less of. The way I would recommend dancing around this massive butter overload is by using olive oil instead. Olive oil is a great butter replacement that is easier for our bodies to break down since there are no double carbon-carbon bonds. It also has a bit more nutrients than your usual butters. Here is a great conversion table for replacing butter with olive oil.

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This grilled corn and herb butter also looks incredible. Just to make you drool a bit more ;)