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Egg-White Muffin Melt

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INGREDIENTS

• 3    egg whites
•     Whole-grain English muffin
• 1/2  cup  spinach
• 1  slice  reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1  slice  tomato

DIRECTIONS

Scramble 3 egg whites.

Cover half of a whole-grain English muffin with 1/2 cup spinach and the other half with 1 slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese; toast until cheese is melted.

Add egg and 1 slice tomato.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition facts per serving:

• Calories270
• Total Fat (g)5
• Saturated Fat (g)3
• Sodium (mg)632
• Carbohydrate (g)33
• Fiber (g)2
• Protein (g)23

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

HG Potato soup and Gumbo

HG's Yumbo Gumbo PER SERVING (1/5th of recipe, about 1 cup): 133 calories, 1.25g fat, 710mg sodium, 14g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 17g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3* This soup is packed with shellfish and tons of tasty items -- but no rice. Trust us, you won't miss it for a SECOND... Ingredients: One 14.5-oz. can stewed tomatoes (not drained) 8 oz. peeled and deveined raw medium shrimp with tails removed 8 oz. white crab meat (about two 6-oz. cans drained) 1 cup Spicy Hot V8 vegetable juice 1 cup frozen cut okra 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste 1 tsp. Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, or more to taste black pepper, to taste Directions: Bring a large pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add bell peppers and onion. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 3 minutes, until tender. Add tomatoes, V8 juice, and cornstarch. Stir well, making sure cornstarch dissolves completely. Cook until mixture begins to bubble. Add okra, Cajun seasoning, and Frank's RedHot. Stir and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add shrimp, and continue to simmer until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add crab meat and 3/4 cup water. Raise heat to medium, and return to a boil. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let thicken for 5 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. If you like, add a little more Cajun seasoning and Frank's RedHot. Enjoy! MAKES 5 SERVINGS HG Alternative! For a more traditional gumbo, add 3/4 cup cooked brown rice to the pot just before you cover it during the last step. Each serving will then have 165 calories, 1.5g fat, 710mg sodium, 21g carbs, 3g fiber, 7g sugars, and 17.5g protein (PointsPlus® value 4*).

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup PER SERVING (1/5th of recipe, about 1 cup with toppings): 130 calories, 1g fat, 564mg sodium, 22g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 7.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3* Imagine taking a loaded baked potato and turning it into a bowl of creamy, thick soup. Here it is! Ingredients: For Soup3 cups fat-free chicken broth 1 cup plain light soymilk 1 large potato (about 14.5 oz.) 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. chopped onion 2 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream 1 tbsp. real bacon bits (like the kinds by Oscar Mayer and Hormel) 3/4 tsp. garlic powder 3/4 tsp. onion powder 1/2 tsp. minced garlic 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper For Topping5 tsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 5 tsp. fat-free sour cream 5 tsp. diced scallions 2 1/2 tsp. real bacon bits Directions: Pierce potato with a fork in multiple places, and then place it on a paper towel or microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 8 - 10 minutes, until potato is soft. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin (either by peeling skin off or cutting potato open and scooping out the insides). Mash the potato pulp with a fork and set aside. Bring a medium pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until onion has softened. Add broth and soymilk. Slowly add the flour, continuously stirring until it has completely dissolved. Add mashed potato and stir until fully blended. Add all other ingredients for soup, but not for topping (cheese, sour cream, bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Divide soup among five bowls. (Or pour about 1 cup into a bowl now, and refrigerate the rest for another day.) Top each bowl with 1 tsp. each of cheese, sour cream, and scallions. Sprinkle each bowl with 1/2 tsp. bacon bits. Enjoy! MAKES 5 SERVINGS HG Tip! Feel free to load up your baked potato soup with even more potato toppings like salsa, chopped tomato, and spinach. Yum!

HG Recipes

Don't have any of the HG books? Maybe this round of recipes, previously found only on the pages of our beloved cookbooks, will inspire you to go out and grab one. Check it out!

Cheesy-Good Breakfast Tartlets PER SERVING (2 tartlets): 111 calories, 2g fat, 540mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 11g protein -- POINTS® value 2* These super-decadent breakfast bites can be found inthe Morning Minis chapter of Hungry Girl 200 Under 200. Besides being cheesy-good, they're also packed with bacon and full of eggy greatness! Ingredients: 8 small square wonton wrappers (often stocked with the tofu in the refrigerated section of the supermarket) 48 sprays I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray 2 slices extra-lean turkey bacon 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese 2 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup chopped mushrooms 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) 1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste 1/3 cup chopped scallions Optional: black pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray and set aside. Evenly place wrappers flat on a clean, dry surface. Spray each wrapper three times with butter spray, and use your fingers to evenly spread butter. Gently flip wrappers and repeat. Carefully transfer wrappers to the pan, placing each in a muffin cup and pressing to form the cup shape. Bake in the oven until firm and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Prepare bacon according to package directions, either in the microwave or in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray. Once cool enough to handle, chop and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine cheese wedge and cream cheese. Stir until blended. Warm in the microwave, about 15 seconds, and then stir again. Set aside. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add mushrooms and, stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add egg substitute, salt, and scallions. Scramble until mostly cooked. Slowly fold in cheese mixture and continue to scramble until fully cooked. Remove from heat and stir in chopped bacon. Evenly distribute egg mixture among the baked wonton cups. Serve warm. If you like, season to taste with pepper and additional salt. Yum! MAKES 4 SERVINGS HG Alternative! Prefer regular turkey bacon or the center-cut kind? Use either of those and each 2-tartlet serving will have 117 calories and 2.75g fat (POINTS® value 2*). Still a bargain!

Honey Mustard Pretzel-Coated Chicken Fingers PER SERVING (entire recipe): 349 calories, 2.5g fat, 928mg sodium, 39g carbs, 1g fiber, 13.5g sugars, 37g protein -- POINTS® value 7* Here's a CRAZY-DELICIOUS, sweet-n-salty dish from our latest large-and-in-charge cookbook,Hungry Girl 1-2-3. You'll find it in the Swingin' Single Meals section, a.k.a. Chapter 1.  Ingredients: 3 tbsp. honey mustard 2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) 5 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into 4 strips 2 dashes salt 2 dashes black pepper 1 oz. (about 10 twists) hard salted pretzels, finely crushed 2 tsp. granulated sugar  Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix mustard with egg substitute in a small bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and then submerge in the mustard-egg mixture. Set aside to marinate for at least 5 minutes. Mix crushed pretzels with sugar and spread out on a plate. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Thoroughly coat chicken strips with the pretzel-sugar mixture, and then transfer to the baking sheet. (Discard excess mustard-egg mixture.) Mist the tops of the strips with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through baking, until chicken is cooked through. Eat and enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING

Sweetie-Fry Bananas with Cream Cheese Frosting PER SERVING (entire recipe): 202 calories, 1g fat, 303mg sodium, 52g carbs, 10.5g fiber, 18g sugars, 5g protein -- POINTS® value 3* Who's hungry for dessert?! This rockin' recipe from the first-ever HG cookbook is too good for words. It resides in the Fruity Call chapter -- not a bad place to be, with neighbors like Fiesta Tropical Fruit Salsa! Ingredients:3 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed 2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated), divided 1 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original) 1/8 tsp. cinnamon Dash salt 1 large banana Directions: In a small bowl, combine Cool Whip, 1 tbsp. Splenda, and cream cheese. Stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. In a food processor or blender, combine cereal, cinnamon, salt, and the remaining tablespoon of Splenda, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Cut banana in half widthwise and then lengthwise, so you have four pieces. Spray both sides of each piece with nonstick spray. Roll each piece in the crumb mixture to coat. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add banana pieces and cook until outsides are crispy, 3 - 4 minutes per side. Serve with chilled cream cheese frosting and eat up! MAKES 1 SERVING

Avocado Burger

	HG's A+ Avocado Burger
	Lean & Green!
	It's hard to deny that the creamy texture of avocado makes just about everything more delicious. But some restaurants let their avo-topped burgers get WAY out of control in the calorie and fat departments. HG's A+ Avocado Burger is the way to go... Ingredients: One 100-calorie flat sandwich bun (likeArnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins) 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese 1/4 cup shredded lettuce 1 slice tomato 1 slice red onion 1 Boca Original Vegan Meatless Burger 1 1/2 ounces sliced avocado (about 1/3rd of an avocado) Optional toppings: yellow mustard, ketchup Directions: Lightly toast and plate your bun, inside facing upward. Spread bottom half with cheese wedge and top with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Set aside. Prepare Boca patty according to package instructions, either in the microwave or in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray. Place patty over the veggie-topped half of the bun. If you like, add a little mustard and ketchup. Top evenly with avocado. Place the other half of the bun on top and enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING
	Serving Size: 1 burger (entire recipe) Calories: 285 Fat: 9.5g Sodium: 684mg Carbs: 34g Fiber: 12.25g Sugars: 5g Protein: 21.5g POINTS® value 6*

HG Baked Ziti

	HG's Takes-the-Cake Ziti Bake
	Have Your Bake and Ziti Too...
	When you find yourself craving a hearty and decadent pasta dish, don't head out to your local Italian eatery -- make this! It's got real pasta and LOADS of flavor, plus it's much lighter than anything you'll pick up at a trattoria. Ingredients: 5 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) uncooked whole-wheat or high-fiber ziti or penne pasta 1 cup thinly sliced onion 2 cups chopped brown mushrooms 1 tbsp. chopped garlic 2 cups fresh spinach 3/4 cup low-fat/light ricotta cheese 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil 1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well, place in a large bowl, and set aside. Meanwhile, bring an extra-large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add onion and, stirring occasionally, cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, and raise temperature to medium high. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Add spinach to the skillet and, stirring often, cook until spinach has wilted and excess moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in ricotta cheese and basil. Transfer contents of the skillet to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Toss gently to mix. Spray an 8" X 8" baking pan with nonstick spray, and carefully fill with contents of the bowl. Evenly top with Parm-style topping and remaining 2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven until entire dish is hot and cheese on top has melted, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, and then serve and enjoy! MAKES 4 SERVINGS
	Serving Size: 1/4th of recipe Calories: 286 Fat: 7g Sodium: 455mg Carbs: 41g Fiber: 5g Sugars: 7g Protein: 16.5g POINTS® value 6*

Apple Recipes from Hungry Girl

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Apple Pancakes PER SERVING (entire recipe, 2 pancakes): 286 calories, 2g fat, 580mg sodium, 61g carbs, 7.5g fiber, 16.5g sugars, 12g protein -- POINTS® value 5* When a recipe name begins with Ooey-Gooey, it HAS to be good! Ingredients: 1/2 Fuji apple, cored and thinly sliced 1/2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown) 1/4 tsp. plus a dash cinnamon, divided 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda or Truvia) Dash salt 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) 1 tbsp. light vanilla soymilk 3 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup, divided 2 tsp. fat-free or light caramel dip (like the kinds by Marzetti) Directions: Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add apple slices, cover, and cook until softened, about 6 minutes, occasionally uncovering to stir. Add butter and a dash of cinnamon to the apple slices in the skillet. Stir and sauté until butter has melted and coated the apple slices, about 1 minute. Set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sweetener, salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Lightly mix. Add egg substitute, soymilk, 1 tbsp. pancake syrup, and 1 tbsp. water. Mix well to form the batter. Remove skillet from heat, re-spray, and bring to medium-high heat. Add half of the batter to form a large pancake. Cook until pancake begins to bubble and is solid enough to flip, 2 - 3 minutes. Gently flip and cook until both sides are lightly browned and inside is cooked through, 1 - 2 minutes. Plate your pancake and set aside. Repeat with remaining batter to make a second pancake. Plate and set aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine remaining 2 tbsp. pancake syrup with caramel dip. Microwave until warm, about 20 seconds, and stir thoroughly. Top pancakes with apple mixture and syrup mixture. Eat! MAKES 1 SERVING

Deconstructed Caramel-icious Candy Apple PER SERVING (entire recipe): 208 calories, 5.25g fat, 90mg sodium, 43g carbs, 5g fiber, 30.5g sugars, 2g protein -- POINTS® value 4* People, you will fall skull over stilettos when you try this delicious take on candy-coated caramel apples! Ingredients: 1 apple (preferably Fuji), cored and thinly sliced 1 tbsp. fat-free or light caramel dip (like the kinds by Marzetti), room temperature 1 1/2 tsp. crushed dry-roasted peanuts 1 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 tsp. shredded sweetened coconut Directions: Put apple slices in a bowl. Drizzle with caramel dip. Evenly sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Dig in! MAKES 1 SERVING

Coupon sites and Aisles by Aisles in the store

From Hungry-Girl:
New & Improved Coupons

Good news! Clipping coupons no longer requires actual clipping. There are TONS of coupons online, from those found on money-saving sites to coupons released by food companies themselves. Some websites don't even require printing; they simply apply savings to your supermarket discount card! Of course, if you prefer to keep it old-school, you can sit down on a Sunday afternoon and cut coupons from the paper. It's your choice...

Savings Sites to Search:
http://www.CouponCabin.com/
http://www.Coupons.com/ 
http://www.Shortcuts.com/ 

Grocery Store Sites (Scavenge for Specials!): 
Kroger (Fred Meyer, Ralphs, etc.)
Randall's (Genuardi's, Vons, etc.) 
Market Aisle-by-Aisle Quick Tips!

Don't forget the Amazon marketplace. 


Fruit and Veggies - Buy seasonal -- there's generally a lot of whatever's in season, so stores lower the price to sell it all before it goes bad. And frozen fruit and veggies are great any time of year, because they last a LONG time without spoiling.

Meat and Seafood - Take some time to compare prices. The meat counter could have a deal that beats the price of the packaged stuff; sometimes a big pack of frozen chicken breasts is your best bet. And frozen shrimp is a big YES -- much cheaper than fresh!

Canned Foods - Staples that we swear by? Canned beans, canned crushed tomatoes (lower in fat AND generally cheaper than premade tomato sauce), canned pineapple in juice (great as an ingredient or a straight-up snack), and light soup. Also, canned/pouched tuna in water is a must!

Breads - Make the stuff last. Keep it in the fridge or freezer to lengthen its shelf life, and don't have bread with every single meal of the day. (That gets both costly and carby.) And a pack of high-fiber tortillas is a good investment, since you can wrap things up in 'em, bake them into thin pizza crusts, or cut 'em and bake 'em into chips! 

Dairy - Generic/store-brand versions of fat-free and low-fat dairy items are smart choices. But also consider how well an item multitasks. For example, sour cream is good, but you're not gonna eat it with a spoon. Choosing fat-free plain yogurt (Greek or regular) will give you more options; use it as a sour cream swap, in smoothies and parfaits, or just add a bit of sweetener and eat!

Snacks and Sweets - For some SERIOUSLY helpful tips on how to put together your very own 100-calorie snacks, click here. Ration your goodies out; it's good for your wallet AND your waist.

KumaCrafts Kawaii Jewelry and Accessories by kumacrafts on Etsy

KumaCrafts Kawaii Jewelry and Accessories by kumacrafts on Etsy

Pix of low cal snacks

Pix of low cal snacks.

PS2 Game Collection and Middle Earth - WOW

Techabob again:  

Behold! Every PS2 Game Ever Made in One Collection and Unopened

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:49 AM PDT

I could never be like PlayStation collector Ahans76 is. I buy plenty of video games and still have a number of PS2 games floating around from back in the day. Generally, I would have the games open to check out before we left the parking lot of wherever I bought it. Not our pal Ahans76 though, this dude bough the games and took them home, slipped them into a bookcase and just left them.

Every one of the games you see here is an official first-party game with the official PlayStation hologram to prove it. The collector says he bought a bunch of the games when stores were going out of business to keep costs down. Right now, he believes his collection has one of every single game made for the system.

That is 1850 games, not counting variants of the games. The collector says the hardest game in the collection to find was a sealed copy of Moto GP. The most expensive was Wizardry: Tale Of The Forsaken Land, which he ended up buying for $300 on eBay. The collection isn't for sale, but I wonder how much it would be worth though in one giant lot.

LEGO Middle-Earth: Yes. All of It.

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 06:27 AM PDT

Remember Kevin Walter and his LEGO Barad-dûr? If you think that was the most awesome thing that could have been at Brickworld 2011, you'd both be right and wrong. Because as it turns out, that huge tower is just part of an even more massive project that won Best Group Layout at the convention. The project? LEGO Middle-Earth.

Pictured above is Minas-Tirith, no doubt a great part, but still only a part of the mind-blowing set up. The whole thing took MOCpages member Chris Phipson and his "Fellowship of the Brick" a year's worth of planning and building to finish. Based on the results I'd call these guys the Lords of the Bricks.

            

Wow. Masterpieces like this are the ones capture the attention of people like me who are not necessarily hardcore fans of both the source material and the uhm, material used. Journey to MOCPages for the full story along with a horde of pics.

[via Topless Robot]

 

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"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." -  ºoº Walt Disney ºoº