My review of Frigo® Cheese Heads® Light Brand Cheese

Hello, hello!!

Happy Monday, my friends!

So, I was recently contacted by Saputo Cheese USA Inc. with an opportunity to try their new Frigo® Cheese Heads® Light Brand Cheese and, since I love cheese, it totally seemed like a no-brainer!

We can go through some serious cheese sticks in our house, that’s for sure. They are perfect portable snacks any time of the day or additions to a healthy lunch.

Saputo Cheese USA Inc. sent me some coupons to purchase their product and, for agreeing to try and review the cheese sticks, they also sent along this totally awesome blender bottle and these really cool Blender Bottle GoStak™ containers. Um, seriously, where have THOSE been all my life?!?!?!

So, armed with coupon, off to the grocery store I went!

Now, I definitely should add that they sent me a KILLER coupon! It was for $6 off a package!! Um, the only problem was, my grocery stores don’t carry $6 packages of cheese sticks!  The closest I could get was $5.29 (um, still a great deal!). 😦  Oh well. I grabbed a small package and went on my merry way.

Hey, it’s cheese, after all. I still wanted to eat it even if I couldn’t use the coupon!

Let me tell you something. I am in LOVE with these cheese sticks. Seriously.

And, they’re only 50 calories a stick!

Um, hello?! A light, healthy snack with only 50 calories that also boasts 7 grams of belly-filling protein?

My momma didn’t raise no fool.

(I may have died a little there from my poor grammar choices in that sentence.)

And, if you’re not the biggest mozzarella fan, they have other options!

Pepper Jack!!!!

 

Swirls!!

I’m definitely going back to the store and grabbing the pepper jack kind. Like, probably on my way home today. Because, you know, you can never have too many cheese sticks.

Pfft. Who am I kidding? I have to stop because I plowed through that whole bag already and I need to restock. I’ll probably buy one of each kind. Don’t judge me. I’m hungry.

Talk to me: What’s your favorite way to eat a cheese stick – do you peel or do you chomp? 

I’m definitely a chomper. I’m usually too hungry to have time to peel. 😉

DISCLAIMER: While Saputo Cheese USA Inc provided me the coupons, blender bottle and stackable cups for trying their product, all opinions are my own. And my opinion is that I love cheese. 🙂 If you would like to learn more about  Frigo® Cheese Heads® products, feel free to visit their website at http://www.frigocheeseheads.com/.

– jennifer

Grilled Chicken Cutlets with Zucchini, Corn & Cherry Tomato Sauce

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!

I just have to say – my shoulders are SO SORE from yesterday’s workout.

HOLY. OW.

But, like I said yesterday, I’d totally do it all over again.

Anyway, I absolutely must share a recipe with you.

MUST!

I made this for dinner last night.  I seriously felt like the luckiest person in the world.

So. Flippin. Good.

It’s a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal recipe which means it’ll take you about 45 minutes unless you have a whole kitchen staff hiding behind you ready to chop things the minute the cameras are turned off.

Seriously, I have no idea how she makes things happen in a 30-minute show unless stuff is just cooked enough to look cooked.

Regardless of her witchery, this one is totally worth it!

I paired it with some roasted Yukon Gold taters (Thing 2 took over that part for me) but you could totally do sweet taters if you want.

As a matter of fact, that’s what I have in my lunch today.

Jealous?  You should be.

Om. Nom. Nom.

Grilled Chicken Cutlets with Zucchini, Corn & Cherry Tomato Sauce
serves 4

1 lemon, zested and 1/2 juiced
4 cloves garlic, grated (or pressed, if it’s easier)
5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6-8 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
2 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob (I used about 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels)
2 small or 1 medium zucchini – halved lengthwise, seeded and diced
1 bunch scallions, whites sliced and greens reserved for another use
1 small red chile pepper, such as Fresno, seeded and finely chopped, or about 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs, such as mint, parsley, tarragon or basil, chopped
4 cups baby arugala (I used arugula/baby spinach blend)
fresh parmesan or peccorino romano cheese, shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler, for garnish

1. In a shallow dish, combine the lemon zest and juice with half the garlic, 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the thyme. *Note, if you didn’t pay attention and used ALL the garlic, it’s okay. In fact, it’s fabulous! Just grab a couple of extra cloves for later when you need more. 🙂

2. Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high (or use your ginormous cast iron skillet).

3. Butterfly the chicken pieces by cutting into them horizontally without going all the way through, open like a book, and then pound into thin cutlets; season with salt and pepper. Turn them in the lemon-thyme marinade. Let stand. *Unless you have a meat tenderizer, the best way is to place the chicken breast between two pieces of wax paper and use a rolling pin.  You could use a mallet, if you don’t have a rolling pin. Just make sure you wash it first.

4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet (see #2), heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn and lightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, scallion whites, chile pepper, and the remaining garlic to the corn; season. Cook to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt, creating a creamy sauce. Remove the zucchini-corm sauce fron the heat and toss with the tomatoes and herbs. *I added the tomatoes to the pan for about 2 minutes to give them a little sear and soften them a little. I thought it was excellent!

5. Grill the chicken 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then transfer to plates.

6. Top each chicken cutlet with a cup of the baby arugula/spinach and some of the warm zucchini-corn sauce. Top with the parmesan curls.

7. NOM!

Questions:

1. Do you own a meat tenderizer? Do you know what one looks like?

2. Are you down with leftovers for lunch the next day or do you save them for a dinner later in the week?

3. What do you think I should do with the other half of the lemon?

– jennifer

Confessions, Shopping Mishaps and Chili-Cheese Mac

So, I have a confession. I have been doing something really flipping stupid less than smart. I’ve been running and crossfitting through an injury. Not my ribs. Yes, I have another owie.

I’m not sure how it happened but I did something to my left leg. It’s been at least 3 weeks now. Okay, maybe 3 1/2. I either strained my sartorius muscle or my hip flexor. I’m limpy and my leg is weak and often requires physical assistance in moving (meaning I have to physically pick my leg up and move it – like when I’m trying to get out of the car.)

Yes, it hurts when I run….at least when I start and then it feels fine until I stop. Explain that! Seems to me that I have 2 choices – I can either never stop running or I can rest it so I’m not forced to stop for longer than necessary.

The good news is that skipping CrossFit yesterday and not running this morning (sadness) have been the right thing to do. My leg is starting to feel better and I don’t have to pick it up to move it. Now, I just have to wait it out and not come back too soon.

How do you handle being limited by an injury?

Dinner!

So, on Mother’s Day, my sailor and thing 1 (soon to be a sailor, too!) covered the grocery shopping for me. Sweet gift, right? Yep, until I realized that I ended up with 3 pounds of ground sirloin instead of 3 pounds of top sirloin.

Clearly, I’ll be doing the shopping from now on. A devious plan to ensure that I do? Perhaps, but, that’s okay. I’ve got it covered, thankyouverymuch! I happen to have that big book o’ recipes with loads of ideas in it. We’ve done tacos and then I found this recipe for Chili-Cheese Mac. Healthy, light, tasty AND kid-friendly comfort food. In the middle of the week, no less! What a delicious screw-up. Om nom nom! Now, I just have 3/4 pound left …. what to make, what to make?

What’s your favorite way to use up ground sirloin?

Chili-Cheese Mac
Serves 6

1 teaspoon canola oil
3/4 pound ground round
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup fat-free milk
4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
4 1/2 ounces finely shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add beef and next four ingredients; cook 3 minutes. Add broth, water, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni; cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is done.

2. Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar. Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture; toss well to coat.

Per serving:
Calories 342; Fat 12.3g (saturated 6g, polyunsaturated 1.1g, monounsaturated 3.7g); Protein 25.7g; Carbs 32.7g; Fiber 1.8g; Sodium 652mg; Cholesterol 60mg

Recipe from Cooking Light, February 2012

– jennifer