Cheap Add-Ons - #2

Sometimes I get a hankering for dill pickle. I guess it's a taste you have to appreciate. I don't understand how you can't enjoy that biting, sour tone - it makes me pucker up and hum in happiness. Or maybe it's just me.

Dill pickles pack a punch for the price. Add them to a salad or sandwich for an extra zing and crunch, and cut back on the croutons and chips (carbs and calories!). The tang of the pickle plays off nicely against the slight sweetness of mayo (light!). Am I the only one who enjoys the combination of sweet and sour together? The Chinese food industry certainly profits off of it.

The best part about the dill pickles, if the nutrition label is to believed, is that it's 0 calories. All that flavor and no calories sounds like an amazing deal to me. The only number that isn't 0 is the amount of sodium, which is to be expected as it is a pickle.

Honey Glazed Walnuts: Pick Me Up Snack

I caught Video: Maple Glazed Walnuts on FoodNetwork while flipping through channels and thought it was a good idea.

This new health kick I've been on (trying anyway), made me think honey would be a better substitute for the maple syrup. It has far fewer calories and no sugar. Not to mention it only takes 5 minutes to make.

Ingredients

2 cups walnut halves

1/3 cup honey

pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Heat a skillet/pan on medium heat.

2. Add the walnuts, honey and a pinch of salt.

3. Stir for 3 minutes, allowing the nuts to roast and the honey to caramelize.

4. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

5. Store in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.

This makes for a healthy snack, since the walnuts have a high content of Omega 3 fat and the honey is low in calories and sugar. You can use other nuts, such as pecans and peanuts, as well. You can also add raisins, dried cranberries, dried fruits, dates, etc. to add more texture and health value to this snack.

Nuts are a great source of energy so make this snack in bulk and store it in the fridge (to prolong the shelf-life of the nuts). Grab some and take it with you to work/school to keep you going. Go for these honey-glazed walnuts when you're hungry, instead of the chips and cookies.

This is so good I ate half a batch as soon as it was cool enough to pick off the plate! This would make a fabulous topper on an ice-cream sundae, even better than regular nuts.

Cheap Add-Ons - #1

Salad Olives are a great condiment to keep in your fridge. They're fantastic in salads of course (salads with leafy greens, pasta salads, potato salad, etc.). They're also wonderful in sandwiches, soups, on your baked potato, in your lasagna, etc.

You have to watch out for the salt content in your recipes. Bottled olives are preserved in a salty solution and retain that saltiness. You can rinse off the salt a bit by running it under some cool water. However, there is still plenty of salt in the olives. Adjust the amount of table salt you put into your recipe based on the amount of olives you add to your recipe.