Fast Food Facelift

Follow Me To My New Blog!

2010-04-09T22:54:00.002-04:00

I've decided to make a new food blog: Kitchen of a Lazy Girl

I realized that I'm feeling too confined by just doing food makeovers all the time. I don't want to be repetitive so it's hard for me to find things that inspire me that aren't close to what I've already done!

I'll continue doing "facelifts" of foods in my new blog if I find something to make over that is blog-worthy, otherwise I will mostly be posting random recipes, cooking endeavors, food discoveries, and foodie news.

So, thank you all for all of the support with Fast Food Facelift! You're all awesome with your comments and suggestions. Please follow my new blog at lazygirlkitchen.blogspot.com!

Facelift Number Thirteen - [vegan!] Marble Cake

2010-03-07T09:34:00.002-05:00

I love Starbucks. Yes, I'm one of "those people" who order complicated-sounding drinks and, yes, I even have a Starbucks Gold Rewards Card. It's about time that I try one of their baked goods!

Now, as a warning, I completely forgot to take photos during the cooking process. I am SO sorry! It's a really simple 6-ingredient recipe, so I think you guys can handle it, but after this one I will be back on track with the photo-taking!

Anyway, onto the facelift, to show you can still have your cake and be vegan, too!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Nasoya Silken Creations Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Nasoya Silken Creations Vanilla
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
1.5 tsp + 1.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup + 3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached enriched flour

LET'S COOK!

Basically, you're making two different cake batters, then layering them. Easy!

Chocolate batter = chocolate Nasoya + 1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp apple sauce + 1.5 tsp baking powder + 3/4 cup flour

Vanilla batter = vanilla Nasoya + 1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp apple sauce + 1.5 tsp baking powder + 3/4 cup flour

Pour in an greased 8x8 glass dish in any order you see fit (I put vanilla on the bottom and chocolate on top). Stick a knife in the batter and swirl around a bit to marble it -- the more you move it around, the more "marble-y" it'll look.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F. If you want to frost it, let it cool first!

FACELIFT RESULTS

238 fewer Calories (-68%)
13g less fat (-100%)
6g less saturated fat (-100%)
75mg less cholesterol (-100%)
28g less carbs (-53%)
4g less protein (-67%)
1g more fiber (from 0 to 1g!)
376mg less sodium (-74%)

Okay, again it seems I inadvertently reduced the protein. Despite this, if you were to eat 3 servings of the made-over marble cake, you'd get the same 6g of protein protein and still have less fat, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, and Calories!

Full recipe is HERE. Don't forget to keep sending e-mails and commenting... and now follow us on Twitter @FFFacelift!

Twitter!

2010-03-03T12:15:00.004-05:00

I've created a Twitter account for this site! Follow me @FFFacelift!

I'll be featuring a friend's recipe this week, so get ready for a facelift that will appeal to your sweet tooth!

Facelift Number Twelve - [vegan!] Calzone

2010-02-18T19:53:00.022-05:00

As I said in my last post, I am challenging myself to eat a vegan diet (note: not a moral thing, just a dietary thing) so I've made over a huge-portioned dish from one of the largest pizza fast food chains: the P'Zone from Pizza Hut!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

(click to view full-sized image)

And that's just half a calzone!

INGREDIENTS

1 bag Trader Joe's Whole Wheat PIzza Dough
2 oz Trader Joe's Soy Mozzarella Cheese
4 oz Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style
3 cup Spinach
.5 cup Tomato Paste (so salt added variety)
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more or less, to taste)
1 tsp olive oil
a bit of whole wheat flour (for dusting your work surface)

LET'S COOK!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook the spinach, zucchini, and Gimme Lean in a pan. (I cooked each separately, despite being shown together here.)

Lightly flour your working surface and flatten out half of the pizza dough into a circle, like a mini-pizza. Hopefully yours will be rounder than mine, haha.

Then top half of the round with half of each of the following ingredients...

garlic...

tomato paste & seasonings...

spinach...

zucchini...

Gimme Lean...

and cheese!

Fold the empty side of the dough over, roll the edges, and press with a fork to seal. Brush a little olive oil on top and repeat all of this with the other half of the ingredients.

Lightly flour a cookie sheet and put the calzones on it. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden. But... keep an eye on them! When I was baking them, about 10 minutes through I noticed they were browning really fast, so I put foil on top for the rest of the baking. I liked them when they looked nice and golden like this...

Of course, the best part is the inside...

Now, eat!!! This makes 4 servings (1/2 calzone per serving, just like Pizza Hut). Yum!

FACELIFT RESULTS

Though it varies on which P'Zone you compare it to, this vegan version has around half the Calories, 1/4 the fat, ZERO cholesterol, twice the fiber, and even though the sodium is much higher than I like to have even in two meals, it's still between 200 and 600mg less than Pizza Hut's P'Zone! There's a bit less protein, but when you're not eating a half-pound of Italian food, that should be a given! Think about it: ignoring the sodium, you could basically eat an entire vegan calzone (2 servings) and still be consuming less fat, Calories, cholesterol, and carbs as well as more than quadruple the fiber than Pizza Hut's!

You can find the full recipe HERE!

Enjoy, and continue sending me emails at FastFoodFacelift[at]gmail[dot]com and commenting in this blog!

I haven't forgotten about you!

2010-02-07T15:47:00.003-05:00

The past month has been pretty crazy. I've been sick since New Years Day and I'm still not 100% over it. Also, I went on a cruise two weeks ago (sick, but I wasn't going to skip out on it just because I was under the weather!) which took me away from my internet all together.

This weekend has been crazy, too; catching up on my chores, cleaning a lot... then we got snow and I had no power until 3pm Saturday. I had to throw out a lot of the food in my refrigerator so I don't exactly have much to work with concerning cooking.

But, I have news.

Starting February 15th I am going to eat a vegan diet until March 15th (the ides of March) just for fun. I did something similar back in April 2009 where I only ate a vegetarian diet. I like challenging myself, and now that I have this blog, it'll be even more interesting.

Now, for that month-long period, I will make vegan alternatives to dishes... making it all the more challenging!

So, stay tuned, be patient, and I will be back with all sorts of yummy stuff. Keep the e-mails coming, too!

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday and a fabulous Valentine's Day, everyone!

Facelift Number Eleven - Sweet and Firey Tofu

2010-01-10T19:00:00.004-05:00

Happy 2010, everyone! In celebration of a newer and healthier year for you all, I've answered a request I've gotten a few times from you guys: make a vegetarian version of a fast food dish.

I'm not much of a fan of Chinese food and never have been; however, it's hard to escape Panda Express when you go to a mall or airport. My boyfriend loves a lot of their food, so I decided to undertake their SunFire Chicken dish... but with a vegetarian twist.

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

INGREDIENTS

2/5 block Trader Joe's Extra Firm Organic Tofu
1 cup pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained
1/4 medium red onion
1 tsp Trader Joe's Chili Pepper Sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 fl oz orange juice
1 tbsp pineapple juice
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp honey

LET'S COOK!

I cut up the tofu into die-sized pieces and blotted the excess moisture from them on a paper towel.

Toss the tofu pieces in orange juice until coated.

Put the tofu in a bag with the panko bread crumbs until the pieces are coated.

Bake at 425 degrees F until golden. Now, for the veggies and sauce...

Chop up onion into large pieces and put in a pan with the pineapple. Cook on medium heat until pineapple browns a bit and the onions are cooked yet still crunchy.

Mix the remaining ingredients together until combined. A little goes a long way!

Combine all of the components together until coated in sauce. Enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

217 fewer Calories (-50.7%)
5g less fat (-72.2%)
4g less saturated fat (-100%)
0mg cholesterol (-100%)
22g less carbs (-41.3%)
5g less protein (-27.6%)
no difference in fiber
349mg less sodium (-94.4%)

I definitely didn't mean to decrease the protein, but if you add another 1/5 block per serving to this recipe, you'll only increase 100 Calories (per 1/5 block of tofu) while increasing the protein like crazy! Or, serve this on some quinoa for a great carb with tons of protein!

Full recipe HERE. Keep commenting and sending me e-mails as well!

Have a happy and healthy new year!

Facelift Number Ten - Easy Peasy Mocha Frappe

2009-12-13T17:32:00.010-05:00

I guess I owe you all another apology since I did not post the facelift I had done last week until, well... now. So, I'm very sorry for waiting so long to do this!

If you are like me and millions of others around the world, coffee from Starbucks is quite the addiction, especially their frozen concoctions. Here is one of my old favorites, re-done for your enjoyment!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Note: Just for fun, I made this exactly how I'd order it -- Grande with no whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coffee
1/2 cup Edy's Fat Free Yogurt Blends, Vanilla
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 packet Truvia sweetener (optional)
ice cubes

LET'S COOK!

As the subject of this blog post says, this is very very easy!

Put all ingredients in a blender. (My blender is a really amazing single-serving one by Fit-N-Fresh. I own a lot of their products and they're awesome!) I started with 2 ice cubes, as I wasn't sure how the consistency would be with more.

Blend until smooth! If you like you're thicker, add more ice cubes and blend until it's to your liking.

See? I told you it was easy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

137 fewer Calories (-52.7%)
2g less fat (-54.3%)
1g less saturated fat (-55%)
23g less carbs (-43.1%)
no change in protein
5g more fiber (from 0 to 5!)
177mg less sodium (-77.1%)

This was a really delicious and extremely quick treat to make! You can always make it to your own liking. If you want to make it minty, add some peppermint extract. If you want it even more chocolatey, use chocolate frozen yogurt instead of vanilla. The nutrition change will be negligible!

Full recipe is HERE. As usual, shoot me an e-mail or leave me a comment (or two!) with suggestions, comments, ideas, etc.

I will not be posting another facelift until sometime in mid-January 2010 (wow, how time flies!) so I wish you all the happiest of holidays. Be safe and enjoy the time with family and friends!

I'm sorry for the delay!

2009-12-06T18:49:00.001-05:00

Hi, everyone! I apologize profusely for being inactive with my blog. The weekend after my last post was busy, then I left for the Thanksgiving holiday, and this weekend was busy again.

I am, however, in the process of making something tonight and I will post a blog about it either tonight or tomorrow evening.

I hope you all continue to read this blog despite my tardiness in a new post!

Thanks for your patience!

Facelift Number Nine - Chili's Southwestern Egg Rolls

2009-11-08T19:44:00.018-05:00

Thank you all so much for your patience! As I explained in my last blog post, last weekend was my birthday and Halloween so it was busy!

I've done a previous facelift for a Chili's dish, but until today I haven't attempted my favorite appetizer of theirs: Southwestern Egg Rolls. My boyfriend and I would split this as an appetizer nearly every time we'd go to Chili's in college. It's so yummy, but as you'll soon see, it's so easy to make at home!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

INGREDIENTS

For wontons:
16 wonton wrappers
.5 cup canned corn (no salt added variety)
.5 cup black beans (low sodium variety)
1 cup baby spinach
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 haas avocado
1/2 tsp Trader Joe's Chili Pepper Hot Sauce
1 tbsp cilantro

For sauce:
2 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
juice from 1/4 of a lime

Ready? You better be!

LET'S COOK!

Cook the spinach with the garlic until wilted.

Rinse the beans under cold water for 1 minute and dry on a paper towel.

Put spinach, corn, beans, hot sauce, and cilantro in a food processor and...

...blend until combined and beans are broken down a bit.

Dice 1/8 of the avocado.

Put a teaspoon full of the mixture in one wonton and top with a couple of pieces of avocado.

Lightly moisten two edges of the wonton and fold in half, pressing down lightly so it's sealed. (I keep a small bowl of water next to me so I can just dunk my finger in it to use for the wontons.)

Moisten one of the corners of the wonton and pinch it to the other corner.

Arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes at 400 degrees F...

...until golden brown!

For the sauce, mix the yogurt, Mrs. Dash, and lime juice until combined.

Makes 2 servings of 8 wontons each and half of the sauce for each serving. Enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS
Remember this is for one 8 wonton serving!

635 fewer Calories (-69.8%)
55g less fat (-96.1%)
14g less saturated fat (-100%)
14g less carbs (-18.8%)
15g less protein (-53.7%)
1g less fiber (-17.1%)
1499mg less sodium (-76.5%)

If you were to eat all 16 of these wontons and all of the sauce, you'd still have consumed less than half of the original's Calories, sodium, fat, and saturated fat!

Similar to other facelifts of mine, protein and fiber decreased, which was not intentional. You could counteract this by adding some kind of meat substitute (just watch out for the sodium!) but you can just pair this with brown rice for some more fiber, or quinoa for fiber and protein.

Full recipe HERE and, as usual, please leave a comment here or on SparkPeople or e-mail me at FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com with your ideas, suggestions, critiques, etc.

Birthday delay & bento boxes!

2009-11-03T19:29:00.002-05:00

I apologize profusely for not posting sooner!

This weekend was Halloween and my birthday, so needless to say I did not do a facelift!

I plan on making my next dish this weekend (11/6-11/8) so keep checking back. :)

In other news, I've been on a hunt to find a better way to pack my lunches to work. In order to keep tabs on my portion control, I have a huge drawer full of a variety of plastic containers in many sizes and shapes. They're great and I enjoy them (along with my awesome thermal lunch bag) but I've always been intrigued by bento lunch boxes.

In essence, bento boxes are like lunch boxes in Japan. They come in a variety of sizes based on gender and age in order to allow for proper portioning of your meals.

One of the most endearing things about bento is how artistic it can get! I joined the flickr bento group to get some inspiration and have read through and am now following BentoLunch.blogspot.com.

I went on Amazon.com and found some really cute and handy bento sets! At one point I had 5 or 6 of them in my shopping cart, but I limited myself to getting the following two:

Zojirushi Mini Stainless Thermal Lunchbox
I like this one because it keeps the taller cylinder's contents hot and separated from the rest of the meal. Also, it comes with that cute bag and chopsticks.

Japanese Style Bento Box Lunchbox w/Chopsticks
This one is more traditional bento and also comes with chopsticks.

To stay with the classic bento style, I also got some veggie cutters and rice molds:

I'm thinking about heading to Michael's crafts to get some other supplies, but these were all really good deals and I'm very excited in anticipation for their arrivals!

So, what do YOU use to pack your lunches? Do you bring your lunch to work, or do you buy?

Facelft Number Nine - Revisiting Taco Bell

2009-10-25T18:43:00.022-04:00

I know my last facelift was a Taco Bell item, but let me explain why I'm revisiting this fast food joint.

My boyfriend loves (LOVES!) the crunchwrap supreme and it's really not that complicated of a dish. I've wanted to do a facelift of this crispy, meaty, spiced meal-on-the-go but I was going to wait for a great moment to do so.

On SparkPeople.com we are having a contest that seems to be right up my alley: come up with a healthier recipe for a fast food item. The winner gets a blender that retails for over $400!

So, I've pulled out the stops and decided that this is the moment to unveil what I believe is my best facelift yet... and I can't wait to make this again for my boyfriend!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Let's do this.

INGREDIENTS

For four servings:
4 Mission "Plus" Heart Healthy Flour Tortillas
4 Old El Paso Corn Tostada Shells
1 pound 96% extra lean ground beef
.5 cup water
2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 oz tomato paste, no salt added
4 tbsp fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend
.5 teaspoon Goya Sazon seasoning (1/2 packet)
1 tablespoon Trader Jose's Salsa Autentica

LET'S COOK!

In a deep pan, brown the garlic.

Add ground beef, brown, drain fat, and return to the pan.

Add Sazon, Mrs. Dash, tomato paste, and water.

Stir until combined and bubbling, cover, and set aside.

Spread 1 tablespoon of sour cream on a tostada shell.

Put one tortilla in a pan on medium heat and top with 1/4 of the meat mixture and 1 tablespoon of salsa.

Put the tostada on top with the sour cream side facing down.

Fold the edge of the tortilla around the tostada shell.

Flip the whole thing over and let it cook a little longer (about 2 or 3 minutes)...

...and take a big bite! (Hopefully you use the other 3 servings to make one for your friends!)

FACELIFT RESULTS

174 fewer Calories (-32.1%)
9g less fat (-43.8%)
3g less saturated fat (-47.1%)
40mg more cholesterol (+133.3%)
799mg less sodium (-57.1%)
32g less carbs (-45.6%)
2g less fiber (-36.7%)
12g more protein (+75%)

Okay, okay... yes, there's more cholesterol, but it's not too obscene. Also, the decrease in fiber is obviously not intentional.

You can reduce the amount of cholesterol by using ground turkey (which I wanted to do, but the store only had 80/20 and I wanted at least 93/7) or a meatless product (I was thinking of using Gimme Lean but it would have brought up the sodium a lot) instead of the ground beef. Increase the fiber by adding more veggies like onions (which I don't like) or lettuce (which I forgot to buy... whoops!).

Overall, this was REALLY delicious and writing this blog made me want to have another!

Full recipe is HERE. As usual, please leave a comment here or on SparkPeople or e-mail me at FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com with your ideas, suggestions, and critiques.

Wish me luck with the Spark People contest! I hope this delicious recipe is a winner!

Facelift Number Eight - Nachos Bell Grande

2009-10-18T21:03:00.014-04:00

I used to adore Taco Bell. I know, I know, it's notorious for serving some of the poorest excuses for cuisine out there, but I loved it. What can I say?

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

42 grams of fat?? Yup, this needs a facelift... stat! (Wow, that rhymed. Not deliberate. Sorry.)

INGREDIENTS

1 oz Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips
.25 cup black beans
1 oz light shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle
2 tbsp Trader Jose's Salsa Autentica
1 tbsp fat free sour cream

LET'S COOK!

Rinse the beans. This helps get as much of the added salt off of them as possible.

Put the beans in a food processor until they are a bit broken up.

Put the chips on a foil-lined baking sheet and top with beans, Mrs. Dash, and cheese. Broil until...

...cheese is melted and chips are golden!

Top with sour cream and salsa!

FACELIFT RESULTS

518 fewer Calories (-68%)
35 grams less fat (-83%)
5 grams less saturated fat (-83%)
1 grams less trans fat (-100%)
20 mg less cholesterol (-67%)
443 mg less sodium (-35%)
45 grams less carbs (-58%)
8 grams less fiber (-67%)
8 grams less protein (-42%)

As usual, I didn't mean to decrease fiber or protein. Whoops!

Also, take note that the sodium amount is most likely a little bit off because this does not take into account that I rinsed the beans for a minute before putting them in the food processor. According to an article I read, rinsing beans in cold water for 1 minute decreases the sodium by about 25%. If this is true then the amount of sodium in the beans went from 215mg to 161mg, decreasing the sodium for the whole dish from 808mg to 754mg.

In addition, I recommend making your own tortilla chips. I meant to do this but forgot to buy tortillas at the store; so, I used some of the Trader Joe's Guiltless tortilla chips because they were on hand. The sodium will decrease a little by not using pre-made tortilla chips!

If you want to add some protein, feel free to add any meat or non-meat protein to it!

All-in-all this was a really great light lunch that I paired with a small spinach salad. Yum!

Full recipe can be found HERE. As usual, leave a comment here or on my Spark People page, or shoot me an e-mail with any suggestions, comments, or criticisms! Thanks!

Facelift Number Seven - Dessert Time!

2009-10-12T18:35:00.010-04:00

Firstly, I'm so sorry for being late with this week's facelift. Though I do not have a fever anymore, I'm still working on getting back to 100% health; I'd say I'm at 90% now. I honestly took it easy this week with the dish; it's a really really easy-to-make yet delicious dessert, and although I based it off of a dish at Uno's, I'm pretty sure you can find a Brownie A La Mode at plenty of other restaurants!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Mind you, this is only showing one serving. Each bowl is actually two servings so if you don't share it with someone, double the numbers above! Yikes!

Let's do this...

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons No Pudge Brownie Mix (original)
2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Greek Nonfat Yogurt, Plain
1 packet Truvia
.5 cup Edy's Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt Blends
1 wedge Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate with Ancho & Chipotle Chilis & Cinnamon

LET'S COOK!

Mix Greek Yogurt, No Pudge mix, and Truvia together until...

...completely combined! Microwave according to directions (1 minute, or until done).

Grate one wedge of the chocolate.

Top brownie with frozen yogurt and sprinkle chocolate on top. Enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

Assuming you only eat one serving of the original...
180 fewer Calories (-49%)
18g less fat (-90%)
10.5g less saturated fat (-87.5%)
60mg less cholesterol (-100%)
152.9mg less sodium (-69.5%)
27.8g less carbohydrates (-48.8%)
1.4g less fiber (-70%)
2.4g more protein (+60%)

Okay, so decreasing the fiber is an oops on my part. To counteract this, in hindsight I'd add a tablespoon of ground flax meal, which is one of my favorite things to add to baked goods!

Full recipe HERE.

Thanks again for being so patient with this blog post. This weekend I anticipate being on time!

Don't forget to keep commenting here and on my Spark People page, as well as e-mail, your suggestions and criticisms to me!

It's flu season.

2009-10-06T16:26:00.000-04:00

I have been sick since Sunday morning so I haven't had time or energy to do a facelift this week. I anticipate I will have a new concoction either Saturday (10/10) or Sunday (10/11).

Thanks for your patience! And, as always, thanks for the comments and emails!

Facelift Number Six - Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken

2009-09-30T20:31:00.016-04:00

I didn't want to do the same fast food chain two facelifts in a row, but I had the ingredients for this dish around my apartment and figured it would be a quick, easy, and delicious thing to try (and it was!): Wendy's Sweet and Spicy Asian Boneless Chicken Wings. This is also one of my boyfriend's favorite fast food dishes. :)

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

(Guess which one is the advertisement and which is a consumer-taken photo! Haha.)

Time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces chicken breast
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 egg white
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp low sodium teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional if you want less spiciness)
cooking spray

LET'S COOK!

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut up chicken into nugget-sized pieces.

Mix paprika and flour together in a bowl.

Lightly beat egg whites in another bowl.

Toss the chicken in the flour until coated. Coat lightly in egg whites, then...

Put the chicken in a bag with the bread crumbs and toss until coated.

Spread the chicken pieces out on a aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet (spray with cooking spray, too). Bake for 15 minutes, flip the chicken, bake for another 5 minutes or until...

Golden!

For the sauce, mix together the remaining ingredients (honey, Tabasco, red pepper flakes, black pepper, teriyaki sauce), then toss the chicken in it.

I served it on top of brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli.

FACELIFT RESULTS

232 fewer Calories (-42%)
16g less fat (-86%)
3.5g less saturated fat (-100%)
9mg less cholesterol (-12%)
2046mg less sodium (-81%)
28g less carbs (-41%)
No change in protein or fiber

This just goes to show that you don't need your deep-fried nuggets to be drowning in tons of sauce to have a spicy and sweet meal. This stuff packs a lot of flavor in such a small amount of sauce; there's just enough to lightly coat the chicken, so trust me: it doesn't need any more!

Full recipe HERE. As usual, leave me a comment or send an email with any suggestions for future facelifts!

Tomorrow is the day!

2009-09-29T23:40:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder: Tomorrow I will be doing another facelift! I had a baking party with a friend of mine, so today did not work for me. Tomorrow WILL be it, and it will be a good one!

Thanks for your patience, everyone!

Yom Kippur break.

2009-09-27T17:58:00.002-04:00

Hey, everyone!

I'm not going to be doing a facelift tonight because it is Yom Kippur (part of the Jewish new year) which means as of sundown tonight I will be fasting until sundown tomorrow. It'd be very unfair to me to have to cook yummy food and not be able to eat any of it!

Luckily, the fast is only a day and I will cook something great for dinner either Tuesday night (9/29) or Wednesday night (9/30). I promise it will be delicious and worth the wait!

Thanks for your patience, and please keep your suggestions coming via email, comments, or on my SparkPeople page!

Facelift Number Five: Wendy's Famous Chili

2009-09-20T19:27:00.011-04:00

Wendy's is notorious for having one of the healthiest fast food dishes: their chili. Can I make it even better, or is the original as good as it has been said to be?

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Get your crockpot ready... it's time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces ground buffalo
1 medium red onion
1 can low sodium dark red kidney beans
1 can low sodium canned corn
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons black pepper
5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes

LET'S COOK!

Dice the onion and cook them in a pan on medium-high heat until...

...they look browned like this!

Dice up the sun dried tomatoes.

Add all of the ingredients (including the onions and tomatoes) to the crock pot and mix. (Note: I drained the liquid from the corn but I did not drain the beans. The bean liquid adds good flavor, but with the corn liquid is too sweet and watery.)

Cover the crock pot. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every half hour. Then cook on low for 2 hours, stirring every half hour. Serve hot!

FACELIFT RESULTS

No change in Calories
2g more fat (+19%)
1g more saturated fat (+23%)
6mg less cholesterol (-11%)
1031mg less sodium (-83%)
4g less carbs (-13%)
No change in fiber
1g more protein (+2%)

Have I failed? It depends on what you want to concentrate on.

Sodium, cholesterol, and carbs have been lowered (which is a good thing for many people, especially if you're watching sodium!) but if your concern is fat, then maybe you're bothered by the 2 grams that are in my version.

In the end, make home-made chili as a treat for you and your family on cold, rainy days. It's fun to get creative in the kitchen, which is one of the main points of this blog. It takes a few hours in a crock pot to get all of the flavors out without using too much added sodium products, so if you don't have the time to wait, then Wendy's is definitely a smart choice!

The full seven-serving recipe can be found HERE. Keep the comments and e-mails coming!

Facelift Number Four: I'm thinkin' Arby's!

2009-09-13T18:13:00.014-04:00

This past Wednesday I had to travel for work. On the road, my coworkers decided Arby's was a good choice for a bite to eat on the road. I got a roast chicken sandwich thinking it was the smarter choice there (I had never eaten at an Arby's before, and I've cut out fast food from my diet, so maybe I was just kidding myself) only to find out that after the Roast Chicken sandwich and a small order of fries, I'd eaten far more Calories than I'd thought, in addition to an obscene about of sodium and fat. Yuck!

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

INGREDIENTS

Sandwich:
1 Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin
3 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked
.25 cup Great Value reduced fat shredded Fiesta Blend cheese
.5 cup baby spinach
1 teaspoon Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend

Fries:
1 medium sweet potato
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend
2 teaspoons minced garlic

LET'S COOK!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel sweet potato and chop into fry-sized pieces.

Put the fries into a large zip-top bag and add olive oil, Mrs. Dash, and minced garlic. Shut the bag and toss until coated.

Spread the fries onto a layer on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the fries, and bake for another 10 or until browned.

Now, for the sandwich...

Take the sandwich thin and put the mustard on one half.

Slice the chicken and put it on top of the mustard, topping it with the shredded cheese and Mrs. Dash. Toast this and the other half of the sandwich thin until cheese is melted and delicious.

Add the spinach, then...

Pair the final product with the fries, and enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

Sandwich, left; Fries, right.
Combining both:
335 fewer Calories (-45%)
27g less fat (-72%)
3g less saturated fat (-44%)
1256mg less sodium (-71%)
32g less carbs (-40%)
3g more dietary fiber (+50%)
5g more protein (+17%)

Unlike my last two facelifts, protein has increased from my facelift!

Also, just so you're aware, I decided to get a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket today instead of cooking a chicken breast. Rotisserie chickens are so quick and easy, not to mention versatile. Your money goes a long way with this delicious purchase! I have chicken salad for lunch tomorrow and still have a whole breast, both wings, and both drumsticks to go through for the rest of the week.

Thank you all for being so patient with my vacation last weekend putting a little delay on this blog. I appreciate the fact that I still gained some followers and got some comments on my blog and my Spark Page. Continue to comment and e-mail your suggestions!

Sandwich recipe HERE and fries recipe HERE. Note: the fries recipe is my old, original recipe that makes 3 servings.

I've returned... sort of!

2009-09-10T18:43:00.002-04:00

Hi, everyone!

I've been back from my Labor Day weekend vacation but catching up on work and my unkept apartment has been preventing me from doing a "facelift" this week. I'll get back into the swing of things on Sunday, 19 September so please stay tuned!

Thank you again for all of your comments, e-mails, and messages on Spark People!

Labor Day Weekend & A Big Thank-You!

2009-09-01T12:17:00.002-04:00

First of all thank you so much for all of the great comments here, e-mails, and messages on Spark People! I am so relieved to know that people are interested in this blog and its subject matter. I'm also so happy to hear successes when trying these recipes at home! Keep on cookin'!

Secondly, this weekend is the Labor Day holiday here in the United States. I will be out of town the entire weekend so I will not be able to do a facelift until next Tuesday, August 8 at the absolute earliest, though I think I may have to push it to Wednesday, August 9.

I apologize! But I will return with some more tricks up my sleeve! I hope you all have a great rest of the week and enjoy your weekend - I know I will!

Facelift Number Three: A BIGGER Mouth Bite

2009-08-30T18:59:00.016-04:00

Chilis sure makes some really delicious food, especially their burgers. In a past life I'd gladly eat any of their Big Mouth Burgers... but the lowest Calorie one has 820 Calories and 44 grams of fat! And that is just the plain "Old Timer" burger, too, which is just a burger, tomato, lettuce and mustard on a sesame seed bun - no cheese, no bacon, nothing! I decided to take on the unhealthiest of their burgers... four mini-burgers called "Big Mouth Bites".

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Now it's time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces 98% lean ground ostrich meat
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Arnold's Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins
4 mini-slices Sara Lee Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 slices Butterball Lower Sodium Turkey Bacon
1 California haas avocado
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Table Blend
1 teaspoon paprika
(Ignore the dressing that's in the photo; I ended up omitting it.)

LET'S COOK!

Chop up the onion. If you have a food processor, use it! These pieces I chopped ended up being a little too big.

Combine the onion, garlic, Southwest Chipotle Mrs. Dash, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl.

Form mixture into 4 patties.

In another bowl, combine the avocado, sour cream, paprika and Mrs. Dash Table Blend until...

...it looks like this! Set aside.

Cook the bacon.

Cook the burgers.

Toast the Sandwich Thins and top with 1 tablespoon of the avocado spread and the bacon (crumbled).

Put one mini-slice of cheese on top of each burger and let it melt.

Place one burger on each Sandwich Thin and enjoy! Recipe makes four burgers; two burgers = one serving.

FACELIFT RESULTS

Burger, left; Guacamole Spread, right:
Combining both:
1186 fewer Calories (-75%)
80g less fat (-82%)
22g less saturated fat (-80%)
2354mg less sodium (-80%)
76g less carbs (-73%)
2g more dietary fiber (+25%)
25g less protein (-40%)

Again, it looks like protein went down. Definitely not my goal.

Now, you may wonder why I chose ostrich. Firstly, I like interesting game and I was curious when I saw the ostrich meat at a local international food market. Secondly, I've heard great things about it and how great of a healthy alternative it is from beef.

Feel free to use whatever meat product you prefer: ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or even Gimme Lean. Gimme Lean is pretty delicious - I've used it a few times and although it has a good dose of sodium, it's a great meatless alternative if you need it.

As far as improvements to this, next time I try this out I will be sure to flatten the patties a bit more so they cover the entire Sandwich Thin. Otherwise this was extremely delicious and very filling!

Avocado spread recipe can be found here and the burger recipe can be found here.

If you have any suggestions for other fast food items for me to give a facelift, leave a comment or send an e-mail to FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com!

Second Facelift: Panera Bread's Chicken Chipotle Sandwich

2009-08-23T18:26:00.025-04:00

I had originally wanted to choose a different protein than chicken, as I did a chicken pasta dish for the last facelift, but I have always been intrigued by Panera Bread. Many believe since it is a sandwich, soup, and salad joint that it is automatically healthy. One look at their nutrition information tells you something completely different!

So, I decided to choose the item with the highest Calorie count: the Chicken Chipotle Sandwich

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Now, it's time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast
2 slices Butterball Less Sodium Turkey Bacon
1/2 fresh poblano pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
sprinkle of garlic powder
1 sundried tomato
1 tablespoon fat free sour cream
1 teaspoon Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 slices Sara Lee "45 Calorie & Delightful" bread
2 slices Sara Lee Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese "Custom Slices" (approx. 20g)
1/2 cup baby spinach

LET'S COOK

Remove seeds and white flesh from the half poblano pepper and finely mince.

Rub the minced garlic, garlic powder, and minced poblano on all sides of one chicken breast. Let it marinate in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag while the prep continues.

Mince the sundried tomato and mix with the sour cream, mustard and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Cook the chicken.

Cook the bacon, slice as shown, and set aside with the chicken. Now, it's time to assemble!

In a medium-heated pan, put a slice of bread and top with cheese, then...

Chicken...

Bacon...

Spinach...

Spread the remaining bread with the sundried tomato spread, then...

Top the sandwich!

Toast on the opposite side, serve, and enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

671 fewer Calories (-63%)
43g less fat (-78%)
9g less saturated fat (-59%)
0g trans fat (-100%)
35mg less cholesterol (-24%)
1869mg less sodium (-73%)
60g less carbs (-68%)
2g more fiber (+48%)
2g less sugar (-32%)
10g less protein (-10%)

Okay, okay, so I didn't exactly want to lower the amount of protein, but 44g is still a significant amount to have in one meal. Protein is very good for you, keeping you fuller longer, especially with fiber and water.

The original sandwich has no spinach, but I added it for nutrients and because I don't like tomato (which is on the original). Add whatever veggies you'd like! I don't think this sandwich is very spicy, so I think next time I'll use jalapenos instead of the poblano pepper.

When eating this, I couldn't stop thinking about how delicious it was. I probably took only 5 minutes to eat it because it was a very savory sandwich! I've never had the Panera sandwich, but just looking at the pictures, I must say that mine definitely looks better. If only I had a panini press, I could add some awesome grill marks to it!

Full recipe can be found here. E-mail me your meal suggestions to FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this blog. Thanks for reading!

"Kids Eat Free" Fast Food Marketing

2009-08-18T09:55:00.005-04:00

[full article from USA Today]

If your kids can eat for a discount at a chain restaurant, are you more willing to eat there? How about if they can eat for free?

Apparently many fast food patrons feel that it is quite the incentive to indulge in the huge and unhealthy portions at IHOP and Fazoli's, among other restuarants.

I can completely understand how it is appealing to eat at these places if you have kids and they can get a free meal; what would normally be a $80 meal for a family of four could easily turn into a $40 meal. With the assistance of MyKidsEatFree.com, families can find some really great offers.

One of the best that I found in my area (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky) was at Lone Star Steakhouse where two children can eat for free (off of the kids' menu) when one adult entree is ordered. Not too shabby!

But, even though these deals are pretty fantastic (or should that read fantastical?), they are a marketing scheme and some may say it promotes the complacency that comes with convenience.

What do you think?

First Facelift: Rattlesnake Pasta

2009-08-16T18:46:00.007-04:00

One of my favorite dishes that I used to get frequently in college was the Rattlesnake Pasta from Pizzeria UNO. I'd happily eat one of these (as would my boyfriend) and we'd split a dessert afterwards.

BEFORE THE FACELIFT

Mind you, this is the pasta only: no breadstick! Also, don't forget that the one plate is two servings, so double all of those values!

It's time for a facelift!

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces chicken breast
8 ounces Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Penne
2 cups baby spinach
.25 cup Philadelphia One-Third Less Fat Cream Cheese
.25 cup fat free sour cream
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
.5 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend

LET'S COOK

Start cooking the pasta.

Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and spice it up with Mrs. Dash, pepper, and garlic powder.

Cook the chicken in olive oil and minced garlic.

Slice up your jalapeno pepper after removing ALL of the seeds AND the white flesh!

Put the peppers in a medium-heated saucepan with olive oil and minced garlic.

Add the spinach and cook it...

...until it completely wilts, like this.

Add all of the creamy ingredients (milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese), pepper, and garlic powder and stir until creamy.

Add the chicken.

Add the cooked and drained pasta.

Enjoy!

FACELIFT RESULTS

Basically...

296 fewer Calories (-45%)
29g less fat (-77%)
12g less saturated fat (-84%)
41mg less cholesterol (-41)
5g more fiber (+153%)
2g more protein (+7%)
904mg less sodium (-84%)

And, in my opinion, it was pretty delicious! It was very, very filling and was the perfect portion size. The spices were great especially since I didn't use any added salt. (You could add salt if you feel the need, but in my opinion the cheeses add enough sodium.)

You can find the full recipe here!

This is just the first facelift of many. Please, remember to e-mail FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com or leave a comment with some dishes you would like to see have a facelift!

What is a "Fast Food Facelift"?

2009-08-13T18:48:00.004-04:00

Nobody wants to abandon their favorite dish at the local chain restaurant but when you want to eat healthier, sacrifices must be made...

Luckily for us, these dishes really aren't that complicated. Think about it: These dishes are cooked around the country and around the world by a wide spectrum of cooks. You can get an Applebee's chicken quesadilla made by a 17-year-old college student in Denver, Colorado and odds are it will taste just the same as one cooked by a 45-year-old divorcee at London's Heathrow airport.

If it's that basic of a dish to be made nearly identically around the world, why can't we make it ourselves?

Now, let's take it one step further and ask another [non-rhetoric] question: Though delicious, what are some of the negatives to this food?

I think it's safe to say that a) it's generally unhealthy, b) you don't know how it's being prepared or who is doing the cooking, and c) it may not be horribly expensive, but it's certainly not cheap!

The way I think these issues can be solved is to get creative. I hope that by re-creating some of those favorite meals from those get-together restaurants, it will show everyone how you don't have to cut out your favorite dishes, nor do you have to spend a ton of money (and Calories!) on something delicious.

So, I plan on making my first dish on the night of either Friday, August 14 or Sunday, August 16. I will cook something once a week and during the off-days I will do some fun things like mention articles about food, health, nutrition, and cooking, have polls (once I have a few followers/subscribers), and other stuff. We'll see!

In the meantime, I need your help:

Suggest your favorite dish from your favorite chain restaurant for me to recreate in this blog!

Reply to this blog post or e-mail FastFoodFacelift@gmail.com with your suggestions!

Stay tuned, people; I'll try to make this awesome!