Refrigerator Makeover ~ Part 2
Happy Sunday!!! Today marked STEP 2 of my Fridge Makeover ~ Restock my fridge with fresh, healthy food that will most likely include a new recipe with the fresh taste of butter, the healthier way.
If you missed out on STEP 1 and all the details of my Fridge Makeover Challenge, Click HERE and read all about it 
To help make STEP 2 happen, the ever amazing people at I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter provided me a a $100 Grocery Gift Card!! Thanks again ~ you all rock!!!
I started out by doing a little research on refueling my fridge.
I got down to business and created this HEALTHY MEAL PLAN plus my SHOPPING LIST before I headed out the door.
BREAKFASTS:
* Egg Foo Young
* The usual round up of whatever sounds good Egg white fluffies, oatmeal, protein pancakes, wafflewiches, yogurt, fruit, etc.
LUNCHES:
* Sesame Chicken Noodles
* Sandwiches with Muenster, Turkey, Ham, Spicy Hummus and maybe Cranberry Orange relish
* Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
SNACKS:
These are just things I like to have on hand and in SIGHT so I grab them ~ I typically pair a protein with a healthy carb and/or grain.
* Yogurt, Fat Free Cottage Cheese, LF Cheeses, Fruit, Nuts, Veggies, Hard Boiled Eggs, Hummus, Crackers, Nut Butters
* I might make up some Deviled Eggs too
DINNERS:
* Caramelized Apple Salad with Grilled Onions
* Shrimp Scampi with Asparagus over Whole Wheat Pasta
* Island Soyaki Chicken Shish Kabobs over Brown Rice
* Chef Salad with Homemade Tomato Basil Soup
* Grilled Flank Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Greens
* Healthy Walnut Fettuccine over Spinach
* Optional ideas: Mini Turkey/Veggie Meatloaves, Homemade Pizza
TREATS:
* Healthy Bananas Foster over ICE CREAM!
* For Easter ~ Healthy Holiday Butter Sugar Cookies or Lemon Cookies
More recipes to come and my menu is always totally subject to change of course 
LOL
I did 99% of my shopping at my FAVORITE STORE ~ Trader Joe’s and picked up a few things at my local Raley’s that TJ’s didn’t have.
THE PRODUCE HALL! TIP I try to buy organic whenever possible, but, 100% for anything that had skin on that you will eat. Anything you peel, I do not worry about since you can peel away any residual pesticides.
TIP Whenever I buy fresh herbs, I like to put them in my HERB KEEPER because it will keep my herbs fresh for about 2 weeks versus 2-3 days. This is AWESOME because fresh herbs can be expensive.
I start off by cutting the bottom stems off.
Then, I add 1/2 cup of water – to the fill line.
Then, place my herbs in my container. I LOVE the top part (green) because it is a separate small attachment you can keep already chopped/prepped herbs in. I got mine at Pampered Chef, however, I did put an awesome looking Mini and Full Sized Herb Keeper in My Open Sky Shop in case you are not going to a Pampered Chef Party and want one (the one is my shop is cheaper I think LOL).
The REST of my groceries, plus some Shrimp I picked up at Sam’s that you don’t see.
Here are all ‘”THE REPLACEMENTS”
Healthy PURE Maple Syrup and Organic Grape Jelly for The Husband.
They both do NOT contain any bad ingredients – woohoo!
I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Baking Margarine for my cookies!
I LOVE that they add Omega’s to there buttah! You will notice that their 0 transfat is true if you add up ALL the fat grams ~ 11 Total = all the mono. poly, sat, etc.
Trans Fat Free White Chocolate Chips ~ I may have to make cranberry bars with these!
This wasn’t a true replacement, but a great TIP for all you out there whole LOVE Coffee Mate. CM has transfats, but this flavored Vanilla Half and Half does not!
Pretty decent stats too which is important to me since The Husband using like 1/4 cup each day in his coffee LOL.
I fully restocked our fruit drawers. I always keep lemons and limes on hand for cooking with ~ they are awesome replacements for salt in recipes and they add great flavor to homemade dressings or water.
Not much else changed on Door #2!
No changed to door #1 either other than my GREEN move for the batteries
Most of the “changes” happened in the middle of the fridge.
I added lean lunch meats that were cut at the deli (less sodium and preservatives), low fat cheese and new baking goodies!
Totally restocked both our veggie drawers.
Plus a little produce over flow….You are more likely to use it if it’s at eye level, right
The fun new things for The Husband…Plus my herb keeper and I am giving the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray another go now that it’s Transfat Free too ~ can’t be 0 calories!
AHHHHHH!
Not much changed on the Freezer side other than the addition of some slow churned 1/2 the fat French Vanilla Ice Cream.
I feel like our Fridge is all brand new again and we only just got it this past June when our old fridge broke. I do LOVE our Fridge ~ you all are right – this is my DREAM fridge and now it’s stocked up and healthy the way it deserves to be! I think our next mission will be to work on eating our “supply” down
Are you all ready to do your own Refrigerator Makeover???? Check back tomorrow because I will be hosting a GIVEAWAY for ONE LUCKY READER to do their very own Makeover!
It’s movie time ~ NIGHT ALL!!!
Cranberry Orange Relish & Bon Voyage!
Do you all remember me falling IN LOVE with that Trader Joe’s Cranberry Orange Relish? One of my loyal readers (Thanks Suzanne ~ you rock!!!) offered up her FAVORITE version that she uses for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year. I cannot WAIT to make this when I get back, but, I thought I’d share the recipe with you all in case you wanted to try it out next week!
Cranberry Orange Relish
1 bag of fresh cranberries (approx. 2 cups)
1 cup of orange juice
1/2-3/4 cup of sugar (this could be modified with a mixture of sugar/agave)
** Danica’s optional add would be to add 2-3 tsp of orange zest for color and flavor
Heat orange juice and sugar in pan on low until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries. Simmer on low. Cranberries will start ‘popping’. Simmer approx. 10 minutes until cranberries break down. Careful not to boil over as it makes a mess! Cool and refrigerate. Yummy!
I buy the bags of Ocean Spray cranberries when they’re in season and throw them in the freezer.
Enjoy and be sure to leave a comment letting me know if you make it!!!
BON VOYAGE!!!
Happy Early Turkey Day all! (Our Anniversary is actually ON Turkey Day this year so we definitely have Extra Thanks this year!!!) The Husband has a special Guest Post on that day but I have to wait to read it – AHHHHH!
Be sure to check back each day as I have an AWESOME group of guest posters lined up for you all
xoxo,
Danica & Jay, A.K.A. The Husban
The Pocket Scarf
Happy Friday all! I am not sure I’ve ever been so glad it’s Friday ~ this week was SOOO long recovering from the Foodbuzz Festival and busy super busy at work. This morning I decided to celebrate it was Friday by stopping at Peet’s.
I ordered a reduced fat Berry Peach Scone ~ MMMMM – soooo good, but, I am not sure it’s worth 330 cal, 7 g fat, 2 g fiber (7 pts) good. I tried eating 1/2 but seriously, who eats just 1/2 a scone…..
I paired it with a small (not tall!) Fat Free Chai Tea Latte that honestly sucked. Starbuck’s chai’s are SOOOO MUCH better. This was like watered down tea with milk added 
I still drank it though……
I had to have lunch early because I had training all afternoon. I whipped up my latest FAVORITE sandwich that I cannot get enough of.
Two slices of Mulit-Grain Bread ~ 1 topped with Trader Joe’s Spicy Hummus and the other topped with Trader Joe’s Cranberry Orange Relish.
Add 99% FF Maple Turkey & LF Jarlsburg Swiss Cheese….
Slice in half and dig into that creamy, sweet, spicy amazingness!
I made up a side organic broccoli slaw salad with spicy peanuts and TJ’s Low-Fat Spicy Peanut Dressing.
Plus crunch ~ Stacey’s Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips – I LOVE these!!!!
The training I went to was for Microsoft Office 2007 and I have to say it was AWESOME. I LOVED learning about all the super cool new things and that they actually have an online interactive guide that you can use to look up how thing appeared in the old version and how they appear in the new version. The highlight of the training was my computer’s name Daisy Duck (donald’s girlfriend) and I got to be called Daisy all day
I was STARVING on the way home so I whipped out the rest of my pita chips with a cheesestick. See why I can’t be around these things….I think I’d eat them at every meal (ooohhh and add spicy hummus) and I may never eat anything else.
Dinner was super easy tonight ~ Leftover Chilaquiles Casserole. I LOVE this casserole. I was actually sad that there isn’t any left. I NEED to make this again!
Plus 1/2 an orange.
All together with homemade FIZZY WATER!!!
After dinner we opened the FUN MAIL we got from my Momma! She sent us the CUTEST anniversary card……
That blows a ships horn and birds chirp when you open it….So funny! I can’t believe we leave in 6 days – WOOOOHOOOO!!!
My Mom is super crafty and her latest creation is a Pocket Scarf! She makes them and sells them ~ so fun!!! Have you all ever seen or heard of these? I never have but I LOVE the idea.
It’s a scarf with pockets! The pockets are big enough to fit your pumpkins in
The Husband had me model it. So, I didn’t expect him to actually take pictures of me clowning around, but, ummm….ya, he did!!
She makes them in all colors, themes and sizes from little kiddos to tall adults. If anyone wants one, feel free to email me and I’d be glad to have her make you one
After my brief debute as a model, I grabbed some dessert. These Christmas Taffies are my absolute FAVORITE candies ever. I wait all year for them to come out and then buy them until I can’t anymore.
One last fun thing for Friday in case you all didn’t catch my tweet earlier……Here is a link to a coupon for Buy 1 get 1 free Peet’s Coffee Beverages. The coupon is good through 11/22/09 – so feel free to print share, make copies and get your coffee fix on as much as you can.
I am off to take my corny self to the couch and possibly watch a movie with The Husband….Yeah for the weekend!!
Catch you all tomorrow ~ Nite!
Sponsors
MY OPEN SKY SHOP
Just a few of my favorite things
