Foods that are not used enough!

Mandy's Top 10 list of foods people forget about...

1. Butternut squash... I seriously had forgotten about this one. Super low cal, TASTY, high fiber and lots of nutrients. Bella loves it and so do I!

2. Canned Pumpkin... if you don't have any in your pantry right now, go get some. So versitile for desserts, breakfast and dinners. 

3. Apples.... probably one of the easiest and downright necessary snacks to have in the house!

4. Oatmeal... Plain ol' Quaker Oats. Not the instant. Not the sugar-filled packets. One of the slowest digesting carbs out there, oatmeal is SO good for you. I spice mine up with some Splenda and frozen berries every morning. Think outside the cereal box! I'm also able to use these same oats to make Bella some!

5. Frozen Chicken Breasts... Um hello! Think Staple!! This puppies are cheap if bought on sale, and you won't have to worry about them going bad any time soon. You can throw them in a crockpot easily and they are done by dinnertime!

6. Cottage Cheese... the low fat kind. And again, think outside the box. Cottage cheese is low fat, low carb and tasty. You don't have to eat it plain. Its got so many choices!! You can use it in pasta dishes. You can eat it by itself. Mix in fruit. Mix in tomatoes. Or my favorite weird concoction... blend with natty pb and some sweetner for a "pudding" that is healthy! 

7. Egg Whites... by the box.... these things are super duper easy and pasturized. Saves you time from seperating eggs. Nothing is wrong with a whole egg but if you are watching your cholesterol and short on time, the egg whites in liquid form are a must-have. Hardly a day goes by that I don't utilize these. 

8. Frozen Veggies... Many people tell me they don't buy vegetables because they go bad quickly. This is true. I buy lots of frozen veggies to help this. Broccoil, peas, lima beans, asparagus, diced green peppers, onions. You name it, I've got it. We now have vegetable for every lunch and dinner in our house. And I can often find them at Kroger or Meijer in the 10 for $10 deals!! 

9. Milk. What they say is true. Nonfat milk does a body good. Don't forget about it! 

10. Beans. These things are good for you. Yes, you can overeat beans, but a serving or two a day are good fibrous carbs that are filling and full of nutrients. My favorites include kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans (chick peas!). Eat them on salads, in wraps, in chili or roasted by themselves! Yum!