I’m adding a new tag to the blog. “Skinny” is the name. My long-time friend, Karen Mock (seen below with her husband, Bob) has become a Health Coach for the Take Shape for Life program. I started working with her last week. So from now until, who knows when most recipes I post will be “lean and green” and tagged with “skinny.”  It’ll take a while for “skinny” to show up on the tag cloud over there on the left, and who knows, it may knock “vodka” off of there. That would be kinda sad!

I don’t think you’ll mind my new skinny recipes, in fact, the last three recipes I posted have been “skinny.” Some of them, I will create, others I’ll be modifying from recipes that Karen has sent me from the Take Shape for Life recipe files.

I modify them to add more flavor; not more fat, calories, or carbs. Mostly, I’ll be achieving this with the addition of spices and herbs, or with a change to the cooking technique.

For instance, the recipe I’m giving you today was a TSL recipe, but instead of just throwing the raw boneless ribs into the slow cooker, I brown them first in a skillet that I’ve sprayed with Pam and then deglaze the skillet with water and pour that in the slow cooker too. More Flavor – No Added Fat!

One of the products that Karen turned me onto that will help me boost flavor is the line of condiments from Walden Farms. All Walden Farms items are currently “BOGO Free” at Sprouts. The sale goes through 3/13/13. I saved $16 on my purchase of the eight products shown below!

I honestly don’t think you’ll even notice a difference in the recipes I post.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the TSL Program, you can email Karen at [email protected]. You will LOVE her! And be sure to tell her that you learned about her here.

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The recipe for these lamb chops was inspired by a recipe from Barbara Fenzl of Les Gourmettes. Barb served lamb chops at her classes last week. I forgot to bring home a set of recipes from the class, but I remember that Barb’s marinade had cumin, coriander, and cayenne. I wanted to make something similar for my guys, so I made sure my spice rub had those three spices included.

Connor is home for spring break – unfortunately he has bronchitis and not much of an appetite. He went to the doctor yesterday and got a Z–Pak prescription, so hopefully, he’ll be feeling better … and hungry… soon!

The squash and lamb take the same time to prepare. First, preheat the oven, then make the spice rub and spread it on the meat. Get the squash into the oven while the lamb sits at room temperature. Take the squash from the oven to cool slightly while you grill the meat. Finally, scrape out the squash while the cooked meat sits.  The timing of these two together is perfect! Sit down and enjoy.

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My dear friend Karen recently turned me on to a gluten-free noodle product. The noodles are made from either tofu or white yams. The brand is Shirataki and they can be found locally at Sprouts and Fry’s. At Sprouts the everyday price is $1.69 each, at Fry’s a bag is regularly $2.29. They are found in the refrigerated section, near the tofu.

(Thanks to a kind comment from LCDC, I learned that the brand of the noodles I found is House Foods and that Shirataki is the type of noodle. I happily stand corrected. Thank you, LCDC!)

I was skeptical at first, considering they come packaged in a water and look a bit slimy … but they were delicious! Shirataki noodles are quite a bit more expensive than dry noodles, but considering they are precooked, quick to use, and the yam variety has zero calories, the tofu style – only 20 calories… it may be worth the extra dough.

They have a long (about 3 months) expiration date, so if you find them on sale, stock up!

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Here is a super quick, super easy, and super yummy fish dish for your Friday!

I served mine with sautéed edamame and cherry tomatoes. Could not be easier or healthier.

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