So a few weeks ago I had my girlfriends over at the house to celebrate a recent engagement within our group. I didn't want to do a ton of shopping - read: spend money - because I knew everyone would be bringing stuff for the occasion and I knew I had foods with which I could create something.

1) Low-carb tortillas
2) Mushrooms
3) Scallions
4) Basil

I thought pizzas. All I needed was some goat cheese and some pizza sauce. So I headed over to Trader Joe's. I was going to grab a regular ol' marinade but I noticed a fat-free pizza sauce on the shelf. It was the only pizza sauce on their shelves, and while I'm leery of fat-free ANYTHING, I decided to give it a go.

Holy smokes was I glad I did! Not only did I cut out all of the extra additives and calories of a regular pizza sauce, but it wound up being ten times tastier, too. And while the tortillas were a bust in terms of being able to hold the ingredients well, I've switched those out for whole-wheat pitas. If you have a broiler, these are a STUPENDOUSLY fast and easy meal, low in fat and able to carry whatever veggies you have at your disposal. I HIGHLY recommend using soft goat cheese and using a fork to "shave" it on top.

So there you go: Trader Joe's Fat-Free Pizza Sauce.

The other thing I picked up at Trader Joe's was Better than Peanut Butter. For YEARS I've been avoiding this stuff like the plague for logical reasons: what product, I ask you, would have the nerve to even make such a statement, let alone name their product with such a phrase. Plus, I find the idea of fake food - soy substitutes notwithstanding - a bit nauseating. For me it's always felt like there were a group of food scientists in basement, plotting with the sorts of people who try and con us into believing that a size 8 is fat, and resurfacing with pretend foods for all of the fatties.

But, as I've said, I'm really trying to make a more conscious effort with my food, and while you won't see me swapping out every high-calorie indulgence (even the reduced fat, natural peanut butter I've been eating for years remains high in fat and calories by comparison), I do miss the consistency of peanut butter with my daily Granny Smith. I have to admit? The Better Than Peanut Butter may not be better than the real thing, but it doesn't taste like self-hatred in a jar.

I woke up and headed to the gym on Saturday for two straight hours. I took kickboxing and then did all of my upper body work, followed by the cardio drill from hell for 15 minutes. When I got home, I ate both a breakfast AND a dinner and slept for almost an hour. I don't regret working out that hard - I don't usually have a Saturday to devote that much time in the gym, and it feels like a necessary indulgence once in a while when I can shake it - but I don't think my body appreciated it. I'm inclined to believe that being off my thyroid medication did not help matters, which is why I conked out. I'm in decent shape - a hard workout shouldn't cause me to sleep almost immediately. But it did.

I swear to God, my whole insurance snafu better straighten out this week because I really need to get back on the medication.

Posted by Erin at 10:52 PM | filed under: Recipes