Healthy Food can be DELISH!

 Join me for a *healthy* culinary experience.

Sorry, no decorating post today, but I will have one for you tomorrow, or Tuesday!  A lot of people have been emailing me asking me to share some of the things I've been eating on my diet.  Remember, the Water Diet is awesome, because you don't have to change all that much.  The water fills you up, which decreases your portion size, yippie!  Nothing is off limits as long as it's in moderation.  So, Friday night I had a hankering for Tri Tip.  I had the Butcher cut off all the fat that was visible, so what I was left with was a nice lean cut.  We cooked our Tri Tip in the cast iron pan and gave it a good sear at a high temperature, and then we finished cooking it off in the oven. The outside was carmelized and packed a ton of flavor, while the inside was nice and tender.

My Dad and Brother told me about a Roasted Brussels Sprout Recipe that's to die for, and believe me it was!  It's Ina Garten's recipe, you can view it here.  My kids even liked it!  =)  

I love Asparagus and veggies, and was inspired by Giada's Snap Pea Salad.  I had to vary it, because I didn't have all the ingredients, but I did make the exact salad dressing and it was SOOOO GOOD!!

Just look at all those vibrant colors.  I used a yellow bell pepper, asparagus, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.

The dressing was so light and flavorful.

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 large lemon)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this meal, we all did!

I haven't had dessert in about a month now, so I felt I deserved a little treat for all my hard work.  Again, sticking with that motto....everything in moderation.  I decided to make mini apple pies.  I indulged in just one, and didn't feel guilty since the pie was so small. The kids loved the little apple pies and my hubby did, too!  I used store bought pie dough and filled a muffin tin with dough, shaped it, and then dropped in my filling. On the stove, I cooked apples in butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, honey, and brown sugar.  I then dropped my filling into each muffin slot, placed dough over the top, crimped the edges, and cut little slits on top to let the air escape.  I did an egg wash on top and then baked them at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  The way I did it was very similar to Giada's Baby Strawberry and Honey Pies.

Aren't they cute?

SOOOOO TASTY!!

A must, and I mean MUST try!  Super easy to make, too!  Well, thanks for stopping by and for all the sweet comments on my progress post.  xo ~Liz